Author's Note: Well, this story is coming along nicely, if I do say so myself. I am thankful for the continued support of all of my fans out there on this site. You have made this experience one of the best in my short life. Here is the third chapter of my new fic.

This story is coming along nicely, and I am rather proud of it. I like to think that my writing skills are constantly becoming better and better, and all of my fans certainly seem to like my stories.

Chapter 3: Reunion

As soon as I left Gaius's quarters, I made my way to the gate. I ducked into a side alley and stopped when I reached the wall. I pushed in the center of the wall, and it slid open to reveal an opening in the castle wall. I had found the secret passage out of Camelot years before, and since I never told anyone about it, no one else knew that it was there. It had helped me sneak out without alerting the guards many times.

I followed the strong tug in my chest, and was soon on the road again. I followed the tug throughout the night, and the farther I traveled, the stronger the tug seemed to get.

Once the light was bright enough to see by, I realized where the pull was taking me. I had traveled this way, with Merlin, only once before.

The tug was leading me to Ealdor. When I realized that, the tug suddenly vanished. I was confused for a moment before it suddenly clicked in my head. Merlin truly didn't want to be found, so he hid where he was with magic. I could still feel the bond, but I no longer knew where exactly Merlin was.

I picked up my speed, fast walking so that I didn't tire myself out, to get to Ealdor before he disappeared again. It was only a matter of time before he did. And I still had a few days before I managed to get there.

(Merlin's Point of View)

Arthur was running towards me, shouting something that I couldn't yet hear. I wanted to run away from him, from the pain that was in my chest, but my legs were planted firmly in place. I couldn't move.

Arthur reached me, and he doubled over, gasping for breath. He was so close to me that I could smell him, the intoxicating scent that I had gotten so addicted to. It cause more pain, and my eyes overflowed with salt as the pain became too much to keep locked inside.

"Merlin... Come back." Arthur said between pants. I was confused by what he had said. After all, he most likely hated me for my magic. There was no reason why he should be asking me to come back.

"... Why? Why would you ask me that when I am everything you have been taught to hate?" I whispered between us. I didn't want to hear the answer, but I knew that I had to ask him. If nothing else, I needed him to see what he truly wanted.

"I don't hate you Merlin. I could never hate you. You have magic? So what? You have always used it for good, I know that now. I shouldn't have called you a liar, nor pulled a sword on you. There is nothing I can do to take it back. I do not deserve your forgiveness, but I am begging you to come back. I want my friend, my adviser, and my love back. Please." Arthur said, and he looked at me. I could see the desperation in his eyes. I spoke words, words that summoned my magic up to me.

"Et revelabitur veritas et mendacium desinere." I said, knowing perfectly well what I was doing. Arthur watched as my eyes turned golden, but he didn't look afraid. He just looked broken.

"Tell me again that you want me to go back with you. There will be no lies from now on." I said, trying my hardest not to let hope blossom. I was fighting a losing battle, I knew, but i tried nonetheless.

"I need you back Merlin. I'm lost without you. I need you more than I need air to breathe. I love you." Arthur said, and I knew then that he was telling the truth. Tears flooded my eyes, tears of happiness. I launched myself into his arms, and cried there, reveling in the familiar feeling of him holding me close.

"I thought I had lost you. I thought I had destroyed everything that had happened between us... I thought you hated me." I said. I didn't give him a chance to respond, I just kissed him. That simple kiss melted away all of my pain, all of my fear.

It was life itself.

I woke up gasping. Something felt different. There was a strange tugging in my chest. As I examined it more closely, I had a brief out of body experience. I saw Arthur making his way towards where I was, and I knew what had happened.

Gaius had once let me examine a spell book of his, and it had a binding spell in there, one made from pure love. At the time, I thought how wonderful it would be if Arthur and I had been able to share in that bond, and then I snorted at myself, closing the book.

'Who cast the spell to bond us? It couldn't have been Arthur... He doesn't know magic. There is only one person that I know that has magic and would do something like this. What was Gaius thinking? He knows how Arthur feels about magic...' I thought. I summoned my magic and, shaping it with my will, let it conceal my location from Arthur. There was no way to break the bond, I knew that, but that didn't mean I was going to let Arthur find me. I was broken enough as it was.

To think that he would go so far as to bind himself was something I wasn't sure how to look at. On one hand, Gaius had to have told him that the spell was forged in love, and that would indicate that Arthur still wanted to be with me. On the other hand, I wasn't about to let my hopes rise, mainly because I didn't want to get crushed any more than I already was. I could barely handle the first time. A second time would literally kill me.

I hugged my knees to my chest, heaving out a sob. I wanted nothing more than to be able to be Arthur's again, in any way, but the way he exploded at me before indicated that he wouldn't even consider it.

I sat there, just wishing that I could forget what had happened, but my mind wouldn't grant me that wish. A few hours later, my mum walked in and gently told me that she could use my help. I latched at the chance of manual labor, as I knew that it wouldn't allow me any time to think.

That routine went on for a couple of days. I would go to sleep, dream of Arthur wanting me to come back to Camelot with him, only to wake up. My mom would come in shortly afterwards, and then I would work in the field, or carry grain, or whatever the town needed doing.

When I woke up on the fourth day from being gone, I walked out and saw that everyone in the village was wearing black. For a moment, I tried to puzzle out the reason, and then it hit me. It was the anniversary of Will's death. Will had been my friend, and he had died when Arthur and I had come to Ealdor to save it from bandits.

'I remember that time. I went to Arthur, and told him that I needed to go to help my village, and he ended up going too... He was so brave. Ealdor wouldn't... be... here...' I thought before another thought struck me. Arthur had been here before, knew the way here. He probably guessed where I was before I blocked the bond. I panicked and ran back into my mum's house. I gathered all of my things and went back to the door, taking one last look at everything. I didn't know when I would be back, after all.

When I opened the door, I was so flustered that I walked right into someone. I fell back, but before I could hit the ground, I was being pulled into someone's arms. I knew that smell, and I tried to struggle out of his arms, but he had a firm grip on me. Arthur had found me before I could leave again.

I thought about using magic to get away, but before I could think of a suitable spell, he had grabbed my chin and pulled me into a kiss. I gasped, and my magic flared to life, though instead of pushing him away, it drew him closer to me. He groaned into the kiss, and my knees started to shake. I wanted to let go so badly and melt into the kiss, but my mind would not let me be.

I finally got enough leverage to push his face away from mine, though he still kept a grip on me. My eyes started tearing up again because I had no idea what was going on. My mind went to the thought that Arthur was enchanted, but my magic told me that he hadn't. At least, not to lust after me.

"What's going on? I thought you didn't want to see me again? Why are you here Arthur?" I asked, hope getting the best of me. I wanted him to want me back, wanted him to want me to go back to Camelot, back home, with him. However, the side of me that thought rationally knew that there was a slim to no chance of that happening.

"You left before I could sort through any of the information Merlin... I had Gaius bind us together with magic, so that I could find you and ask you to come back. I know that I have no right to ask you this, but I am doing so regardless. I have always been selfish, and with you, I am no different. I don't want to have a life without you Merlin... I love you too much to let you go without telling you how I feel. If you still want to leave, then you are free to do so, but know that you will always have a home in Camelot. In my arms." Arthur murmured against my hair, pulling back to kiss my forehead before he let me go.

There were so many emotions going through me that I had no idea which one to focus on. There was hope: hope that Arthur was being serious, and that he truly did want me to go back with him. There was fear: fear that this was all a dream, and that the Arthur here was just a figment of my imagination. There was happiness: happiness that Arthur had said that he had loved me and that he wanted me back. To name just a few.

However, regardless of all of that, the one emotion that was starting to overpower the others was doubt: doubt about the truth of what Arthur had said, if it was just a trick to get me to go back to Camelot so that he could execute me. I remembered the dream that I had before he had found me. More specifically, I remembered the spell in that dream.

"Et revelabitur veritas et mendacium desinere." I said, letting my eyes flash golden, looking straight at Arthur as I did so. I couldn't tell what he was thinking, but I knew that with this spell, I would soon find out.

"Tell me what is really on your mind Arthur. Tell me if you truly do want me back. With the spell I cast, there can be no lies, only the truth. Lies have ceased to exist for the time being." I said, steeling myself against an... unfavorable response.

"I need you in my life Merlin. I love you, and I should have told you sooner. I understand why you didn't tell me, and I would have done the same thing, if I were in your shoes. I can't ask for forgiveness for what I said. I know that I hurt you. I am a selfish creature, so that is why I am asking for you back. I don't want to live another moment without you being by my side. You are my entire world Merlin. You always have been, even if I was too blind to see it." Arthur said, and I could see the way the light in his eyes died.

"You probably don't even want to see me after how badly I hurt you. I would understand if you didn't want to come back with me to Camelot. I would let you go, if that is what you want. I don't want you to be unhappy, and if I make you unhappy, then tell me so, so that I may leave." He said, and I could hear the sincerity in every syllable.

I didn't waste any more time on words, I just launched myself into his arms. He looked shocked, but his arms encircled me, holding me to him with near bone crushing strength. I felt a wet spot appear on my shoulder, where he had his face buried, and I felt him shiver in my hold.

"I thought that I would never see you again. I thought that you might truly hate me for what I said. I love you, I love you, I love." He kept repeating, and I started tearing up myself.

He pulled back, shakily wiping his tears away, after a few moments. He gave me a watery smile, and I smiled back. It suddenly struck me that he needed to get back to Camelot before his guards realized that he was away.

"Come on, let's get you back to Camelot. We can't have the whole kingdom in an uproar because you can't be found." I said, grabbing his hand and entwining my fingers with his. I was still hurt about what he had said, but if there was one thing I knew, it was that he couldn't have faked the honesty in his voice as he confessed to me. I may not ever forget what he said, but I knew that I could forgive him.

I started walking towards Camelot, but didn't get very far. Arthur wasn't walking with me. I turned back around, not once letting go of his hand, to ask what was the matter. I wasn't expecting him to pull me back to him and kiss me.

I melted into the soft and gentle kiss, knowing that it was meant to be. My magic was content as well, removing the block I had placed on our bond. The effect was instantaneous, and nearly debilitating in its strength.

Arthur gasped in through his nose as he felt the bond fully take form. I gasped as well. The air around us hummed, literally, and everything else ceased to matter. I forgot the pain that I was in, and my entire being was content and happy.

"Wh... What was that?" Arthur asked, breaking the kiss and gasping. He was looking at me as if he was truly seeing me for the first time, and I nearly squirmed under the intensity of his gaze. Granted, I was probably looking at him the same way, so I had no room to talk.

"The bond that you had Gaius make was completed. In all instances that this spell had been cast, both were there for it. It was designed as a safety measure, so they would know when one another was in danger. Ours was incomplete because I wasn't there." I said.

I would have wanted nothing more than to stay in his embrace, after coming so close to losing the ability to be in his arms, but I knew that he had obligations that he needed to fulfill, namely running a kingdom before it collapsed.

"As much as I would love to stay here and flaunt our relationship to everyone in Ealdor, you have a kingdom to run. We really need to be going before anything bad happens." I said, though even a deaf man could have heard the dissatisfied edge to my voice. Arthur heard it as well, if the laugh he gave me was any indication.

"You don't need to worry about that. Gaius said that he would take care of things. He took a lock of my hair and said he would transform into me, so that I could come and find you. I would much like to spend a few days away from Camelot, and spend time with you here." Arthur said, and I looked at him like he had grown two heads. Try as I might to be firm about the fact the he should return to Camelot, I was very much liking the idea of spending time with Arthur alone.

Just then, my mother walked up. She saw the two of us and smiled. She had always been a perceptive woman, so I wasn't surprised to see that she smirked at Arthur's arms around me.

"Well, as cute as this is, I would like to have a word with the both of you. In private, if at all possible." She said, and her tone left no room for argument. She walked into the house, and Arthur and I followed. I led Arthur to my room, and we both sat down on the bed, though Arthur was refusing to let me go.

"Now, as happy as I am for you both, if you ever hurt my boy again Arthur, I will personally hunt you down and skin you alive." She said with a smile. My jaw dropped and I just had a nagging feeling that I looked like a fish out of water. I looked over to my side to see that Arthur had gone pale.

"You don't need to worry about that Hunith. It was my own stupidity that hurt him, and while I can't say that I won't be stupid in the future, I promise to always listen to Merlin before getting angry." He said, and I was proud of him. He knew that it would be impossible for him to keep the promise of never hurting me, so he promised to always let me say my side of the story before doing anything. I looked at my mum, and she smiled warmly again. It would appear that she had reached the same conclusions as me.

"Very well. Now Merlin, have you told him your secret?" She asked. I knew that she was meaning about my magic, but Arthur didn't, so he looked at me expectantly. I laughed and gave my mom a reassuring smile.

"You mean about my magic? How do you think this whole thing happened?" I asked, though not unkindly. My mum sighed in relief and came towards us. She placed her hands on her hips, inspecting the both of us critically.

"Aww, I can't help it. You two look so cute together!" She said happily, enveloping the both of us in a hug. I smiled in pure happiness. It felt as if everything in my life was going the right way for once.

I had told Arthur about my magic, and even though things started out rocky after that, he still came and looked for me, even going so far as to reveal that he loved me. He knew about my magic, and I didn't need to hide anymore. That thought made me happy, but nothing made me happier to know that I could still be in Arthur's arms.

Where I truly belonged.

Author's Note: Let me know what you think of this latest chapter by leaving me a review. Let me know if it sucked, was good, or simply the best thing you have ever read. Good reviews feed my muse, so keep that in mind when you are reviewing. If you want more brilliance like this. No, that is not a threat... Hehe. :3