AUTHOR NOTE: Well here is the second part of the story, it was meant to be concluded with this, but it is actually going to take a third part to complete - I didn't want to squish it all in here, it would have seemed to rushed. I hope that none of you will mind waiting a little longer for the ending!
I would also just like to take the opportunity to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, favourited, and signed up for an update alert - I couldn't believe the response that I have got! I am so flattered that you have all taken the time to read my work. You are all so lovely! Hopefully you will enjoy the rest of the story just as much! Well, here goes.........
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"I have the horses saddled up ready in the stables." Arthur said as he and Merlin ascended the stairs towards their exit, "I just hope that we have time."
"Thank you, Arthur. But I still don't understand why you are risking so much to help me." Merlin said breathlessly as the volume of stairs took their toll on his unsteady, aching legs.
"There's no time to get into that now." Arthur said sensibly, cautiously keeping an eye out for more guards as they kept climbing.
Soon they had reached the top, and bright morning sunshine was flooding through a large doorway off to their right. This stung Merlin's eyes momentarily as he adjusted to the difference from that he'd just been in during his stay in the dungeon.
Quickly, Arthur stooped down and grabbed something that was hidden besides an ornamental pillar. "Here, put this on." he said, throwing whatever it was at Merlin.
Merlin unravelled the bundle, which was actually a dark hooded cloak. He pulled it on as they rushed forwards, and tried his best to conceal his face, bowing his head slightly forwards.
They were soon out in the courtyard where many people were busy going about their daily routines. They didn't even look twice upon Arthur and his hooded companion as they walked hurriedly towards the stables. It was not their place to intrude upon the prince's business.
As soon as they had reached the stables, they untied and mounted the horses, then began to trot as inconspicuously as possible towards the main gates.
Just as Merlin was beginning to think that this was going all too well, the warning bells sounded, their tormenting call reminding him of what was at stake.
Arthur, who was ahead of him slightly, shot an urgent glance back, "Quick!" he yelled, coaxing his horse to go faster by jabbing his heels into its belly.
Merlin did the same, and they galloped the rest of the way. It was the future or bust now.
By now they had gained the attention of absolutely everyone around them, including the knights, who had been rushing here and there since the bells had rang out, searching for the escaped prisoner and his accomplice.
Gwen and Morgana, who had been out walking together, were also drawn towards this sight. As soon as they realised who were upon the horses, they both breathed a sigh of relief as they proudly watched the brave prince lead Merlin away from danger. He had come through for them, after all.
But as Arthur and Merlin neared the huge gates, guards stepped across, trying to block their way.
"Don't stop! Just keep going!" Arthur yelled to Merlin over the din of the crowd and the sound of the of hooves clattering upon the stone ground beneath them.
The guards lost their nerve when they saw that Arthur and Merlin were not about to slow on their approach, and just in time, they jumped out of the way of the speeding horses.
Arthur and Merlin continued to ride like the wind until they were completely free of the castle grounds, not daring to look back over their shoulders, concentrating intently on what they could see ahead of them.
Merlin's heart was thudding as the adrenalin pumped furiously around his insides. It was as exhilarating as it was terrifying as they tore through the boundary and headed into the surrounding forest.
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"Are you sure that it was Arthur who struck you, and not the sorcerer?" Uther asked as he paced backwards and forwards before his throne, the guard that he was addressing, stood before him.
"Yes, my lord. I would not dare speak such words if it were not the absolute truth." the guard replied. He held a hand tightly to his sore jaw as he spoke, he was clearly in great pain with each word that he spoke, courtesy of Arthur's fist.
"How could you have let this happen!" Uther exclaimed angrily as he looked from the guard and scanned the other men who were gathered in the room.
"My lord, if I may be bold as to say, Arthur had deceived us well. He told me that you had requested the presence of the boy, Merlin, to question him on the chance that he might know of others who are guilty of preforming magic within Camelot." the guard spoke up once more.
But this did not calm Uther's fury, "It's an utter embarrassment! My own son, off gallivanting with a sorcerer, no less!" he stopped pacing and planted his hands onto his hips, standing tall and proud before all those in attendance, "We have to put an end to this.
"Knights, I want you to ride out straight away and find them. Kill Merlin, but Arthur is to be brought back unharmed. I would like the pleasure of dealing with him myself!"
The knights started to turn to leave, but Uther called out to them again, "And if you don't find them, you needn't bother returning to Camelot!" his face was as cold as stone, making clear the warning that he implied.
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After riding for what seemed like an eternity, Arthur and Merlin had began to slow down considerably. Their horses had began to tire, and it wouldn't be long before they would be forced to stop for the night.
Luckily, just as twilight had fallen on them, they happened upon a stream, so they decided that here was the best spot to rest up and allow the horses to drink.
Merlin collected up a big pile of twigs and lit a fire. Once it was roaring with life, he sat himself down on the ground next to it. The air that evening was cool, so he was glad of the warmth that it brought to him. He stared intensely into it's comforting glow.
After Arthur had led the horses away from the water, he tethered them securely to a nearby tree. He then made his way over to Merlin, sitting down on the ground beside him.
For a little while, they remained silent, except for the grumbling sounds that their empty bellies were making.
Finally, it was Merlin who broke the silence, "I was worried for a while that you would have left me to die." he said without looking up, barely a whisper over the crackling flames.
Arthur took in a big breath and let it out slowly before he made his reply, "I could never have done that, Merlin. You may have been a rotten servant and a complete..."
"Idiot." Merlin finished for him, smiling.
Arthur chuckled, "Indeed." then his voice grew serious once more, "But you have also been a good friend. I couldn't turn my back on you like that. Nobody should have to bare witness to a friend dying in the way that my father had planned for you."
To finally hear Arthur call him a good friend, filled Merlin with a warm fuzzy joy. Those simple words had so great a meaning, "You've no idea how much that means to me. Thank you."
"I only wish that you could have trusted me with your secret before now. Maybe there would have been a way that I could have ensured your safety."
"I had wanted badly to be able to tell you, but I was afraid. Not only for my life, but of what you would think of me. I didn't want things to change."
"Have you always been able to, you know, do magic?" Arthur asked, suddenly curious.
"Yes. It was just something I was born with. My mother would say that it made me special, but I didn't always make me feel that way. It still doesn't. Not really."
Arthur looked from the fire and met Merlin's gaze, "You've had quite the burden to bare. But maybe this could be seen as a gift."
"Yeah, a gift that could get me killed!" Merlin mused. After another quiet moment, he continued, "It's more of a destiny thing, really. I was told as much by the dragon that your father had locked up."
"The dragon?"
"Yes, he said that it was my destiny to help you on your journey to become king." Merlin confessed. In one way, it felt strange to tell Arthur this, but he knew that he didn't have to hide anything from him now, and it felt a great relief in fact, to share this with him at last.
"I have felt for a while now that someone has been watching over me, somehow. I thought maybe I had a guardian angel. You've saved my life more than a few times now, havn't you?"
"Yes, I have." Merlin answered modestly.
"And that time when I rode out to find the Morteus flower to save your life...when I was in trouble in the cave...was that you who sent the light to me?
"Guilty again."
"I had all but given up hope of ever getting out of there alive. And I admit, that was the most fearful I'd ever been. I was moments away from plunging into the darkness below, but when I saw that light, it spurred me on and I found it hard not to give up."
Another moment of silence passed between them as they reflected on what had been said, "What will your father do to you if we get caught?" finally Merlin asked.
"I don't know, but it won't be anything pleasant."
"I would hate to think that your future is doomed because of me."
Arthur shifted uncomfortably, "To be honest, I can't imagine a future where I am king."
Hearing this shocked Merlin, "But why? You would make a great king, Arthur."
"As king, I would everyday be part of deciding other's fates. And when someone was suspected of a crime, it would be up to me to deal their punishment. But Merlin, what if I punish the wrong people in the wrong way? My father all but forgot about all of the good deeds that you have done on our behalf, dismissed you simply because you have a gift for magic which you have so obviously only used for good. I do not want to be responsible for sending someone's friend, someone's brother or sister, someone's father or mother to their death, if they are like you."
"I'm sure that when that time comes, you will be just in what you decide. I have faith in you."
"Well, I don't think that it really matters now, anyway. I'll never be crowned king now that I have helped you escape."
"I'm sorry."
"Merlin, I don't seek an apology from you. I don't regret what I have done to save your life. I never will."
Suddenly Merlin had an idea, "There is a way that you could go back and set things right with your father. You could tell him that I cast a spell on you to set me free. He'd believe that without question, and then you could go back to the way things were for you before."
"And what would become of you? You'd never survive without my help." Arthur teased.
"Because I'm an idiot?"
"No, Merlin. Because you're my idiot."
"Well, beats being a prat like you." Merlin joked back, and they both laughed. Light-hearted even in the face of an uncertain future, it was a special moment. They wern't merely prince and servant any more, they were just two normal young friends on an almost-adventure in the wilderness. Well, almost normal.
Just then, there were some sounds in the trees up ahead. Both Arthur and Merlin ceased their laughing, and got up onto their feet, looking around cautiously.
As the sound of the rustling grew louder and closer, Arthur reached to his sword and held it up ready should he need use of it.
Without anywhere to run or hide, they stood there in a dead silence with nothing to do but wait and see what was causing the sounds, and when they saw the three horses and their riders appear, Arthur lowered his sword and instead, he smiled.
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Morgana, Gwen and Gaius dismounted their horses, eager to to greet Merlin and Arthur.
"Thank heavens you are both safe!" Gaius exclaimed as he rushed towards them, a thankful smile had spread over his face.
"Gaius, I thought I'd never see you again." Merlin said happily to the older man as he reached around to share a quick hug with him.
But Arthur was troubled, "You shouldn't have come, if anyone should have followed you..."
"Don't worry, Arthur, we were careful." Morgana said as she stood before him, "We had to see that the both of you were alright. We were sick with worry."
Arthur sighed heavily, "But still, it was a risk." was his simple reply.
"Besides," Morgana continued, "I knew that you wouldn't have thought ahead enough to have brought along any food."
"Food!" Merlin said excitedly, "You have food? Morgana, you are a life saver!"
"Gwen has it in her saddle bag." Morgana told him, and he couldn't get over to her maid fast enough.
"Arthur, I am sorry for what I said to you before." Morgana said as if there had been no interruption, "I was wrong to have spoken to you in such a way. The word coward does not suit you at all, in fact, you are the bravest man that I have ever known." Morgana smiled.
"Thank you, Morgana." Arthur said modestly.
After Merlin had finished unpacking all of the food, he headed back over to the fire with it all and was soon joined by Gaius and Morgana, and as they sat and started to eat the chunks of bread and cold meat, Arthur walked up to join Gwen who was still attending to the horses.
"I also must apologise to you, sire. I too, spoke and acted out of turn." Gwen said when she noticed his presence, "If I had known that your plan was to save Merlin all along, I would have never..."
"You don't need to apologise to me, Guinevere. I can understand how it must have looked to you at the time." he took the horses reigns from her and they walked over to the trees where he had tethered his own horses earlier on. "I couldn't tell you what I was planning. I didn't want to put you and Morgana in danger. I knew that you would have wanted to help him. This was the only way that I could think of to save you from dealing with any repercussions, although now that you have followed us here, if you get caught with us, you'll be in just as much trouble as we are, anyway."
As they came to a stop at the tree, Arthur tied the horses.
"I should have had more faith in you." Gwen said, turning her face away from Arthur slightly, as if embarrassed, "That is just one of the many reasons why I would never be deserved of your heart."
This took Arthur by surprise, yet he found himself taking a step closer to her. He reached a hand up to her cheek and gently turned her face back around until their eyes met, "Gwen, though I have tried to keep from admitting as much...I cannot deny that it already belongs to you." he said softly.
Gwen's features were overcome with emotion as she let his words soak in, "But your father would never hear of it, you said as much yourself." she said sadly.
"I think the rules have changed after today. I've given so much of my life trying to be a good son, trying to impress him, and I've never once taken anything for myself. I think that it is about time that I did."
And there under the moonlight before Gwen had even a chance to respond, Arthur lowered his face towards her, and their lips met. The kiss was warm and sweet, and as he placed his arms around her, he felt her tremble at his tender touch.
Neither felt as though they could bare to break from the embrace, but knew that they eventually must, after all, it didn't matter how long the moment was to last, it would still be over all too soon.
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"Well I had to make sure that you were alright, Merlin." Gaius was saying.
"How did you even find us?" Merlin asked curiously.
"I performed a little magic of my own. I used a tracking spell. It's for finding lost sorcerers. I came across it in your book." Gaius answered in a mere whisper. He and Merlin were still sat close to the fire, though now that it was late into the night, Morgana was sound asleep, as were Gwen and Arthur. And though Arthur wasn't usually one to show his affections in public, he had fallen asleep with an arm wrapped protectively around Gwen.
"I can't believe that you actually used magic!" said Merlin, shocked at Gaius's admission.
"Well, Merlin, desperate times call for desperate measures I'm afraid, and this qualifies as just that. Though I must confess, I didn't tell Morgana and Gwen the exact specifications of how I'd come about locating you." Gaius's tone had grew more serious now. "Look, Merlin, we must go about putting things back to they way they should be."
"And how I ask, might we do that? I really don't think that there is anything more we can do, unless of course you have found a way for us to go back in time and change this entire day."
"Actually, Merlin, that is exactly what we are going to do."
"We can do that? Time travel?" Merlin asked incredulously.
"Theoretically, yes."
"How?"
"I had this spell hidden away in case of such an emergency." as he spoke, Gaius rummaged around in his pocket and brought out a frail-looking piece of parchment and handed it straight to Merlin, "I didn't give this to you before, Merlin, as time travel can be extremely dangerous and must only be used as a last resort."
Merlin unfolded the yellowed paper and looked at it closely. There was a picture of a sun-dial alongside the wording of the spell.
"That is why I had to seek you out. Merlin, you must make this spell work and correct the events that have led us to this moment. If it works successfully, nobody will have a memory of today, except for you."
"Why only me?"
"For some reason, only he who has cast the spell will be immune to its effects. Though in a way it is a shame that I won't remember anything. Poor Mr McCormack saw me today about a rash. It took me four hours to identify it. A rare allergic reaction to the hyacinth plant, as it turns out. It would certainly have saved me time if I could take this knowledge back with me. But, never mind." he sighed.
"So Arthur won't remember anything, either?" Merlin asked, getting the conversation back on track.
"No, he will not. To him, Morgana, Gwen, myself, Uther and everyone else, it will be as if the past day had never happened."
"Oh." Merlin said, keeping his eyes down on the paper.
Gaius was surprised, "Well I was expecting you to be a little more enthusiastic about this, Merlin. After all, it will save your life."
Merlin looked away, towards the spot where the others lay sleeping, "It's just..."
Just what?" Gaius frowned.
"Arthur accepts me now. He even called me a friend for the first time. If we go back in time, then it will go back to how it was before...before he said it.
"I have waited for so long to hear him say it, Gaius. And I don't have to lie to him any more. I can be who I really am in front of him without being afraid of what he'll think."
Gaius sighed heavily, "Merlin, I can understand how important your friendship with Arthur is, but there really is no other way around this. And unfortunately, there is plenty to be afraid of. Before I left Camelot to come here, there was talk that Uther was to disown Arthur. If that happens, he will never become king, and your destiny will go unfulfilled. And most terrifying of all, Uther will go to the ends of the earth to search you both out. It fills me with dread to think about what will happen if he finds you. I cannot stand by and watch while that happens.
"If Arthur truly were your friend, don't put him through that."
"But I'll go back to being nothing more than his servant."
"Have you not learn't anything from today's experience, Merlin? What Arthur has done for you proves that he thinks more of you then that. That wasn't just something that happened overnight, I believe your friendship was forged long before today's events. And even if you never hear him say it aloud ever again, you can be rest assured that deep down, he obviously thinks highly of you. You'll always have the memory of today to keep for your own, even though he won't recall it himself."
"But it's not fair, Gaius. I can't win. I lose either way." Merlin said sorrowfully, his eyes welling up with the tears that so badly wanted to fall.
"Sometimes in this life, Merlin, we have to make sacrifices to protect those we care most about. I know you'll do the right thing." he rested a hand on Merlin's shoulder as he said this, in attempt to comfort him a little.
"And what about Arthur and Gwen? They have grown closer tonight."
Gaius sighed, "Do not fret, Merlin. If Arthur and Gwen are meant to be, destiny will one day give them another chance."
"Not if we keep magically interfering, it won't."
"No magic in this entire universe could match the power of true love." Gaius chuckled, the wise look that Merlin had come to know well, painting his wrinkled features.
As Gaius settled himself down to try and get some sleep, Merlin looked back down at the spell, trying to commit it to memory.
Suddenly Gaius stirred again, "Oh and Merlin," he said, opening his eyes once more, "A word of caution. Once the spell has taken you back, you must not utter a word about it to anyone, ever, not even to me. My past self must not know anything of this day. Those who meddle with time play a dangerous game, and you must only change what is absolutely necessary."
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Merlin woke with a start. He must have dozed off. It was the shouting, he realised that had brought him to.
Then it occurred to him what was happening. They were under attack.
He shot to his feet, only to find that Arthur was already fighting the knights back as best as he could, but they were completely and hopelessly outnumbered.
Then a scream suddenly caught the focus of Merlin's attention. He turned to see Gwen drop to the ground next to the stream. One of the knights had run his sword through her. Morgana rushed forwards and began weeping over her maid's lifeless body.
Arthur, after winning over his current opponent, turned on his heal, his face dropping in horror as he caught sight of his dead beloved, "Nooooo!" he shouted, and his hand lost grip of his sword. He ran towards Gwen, kneeled at her side and cradled her body tightly in his arms. "No please, please god don't let her be dead..." he was begging, tears falling freely from his eyes as he rocked her back and forth as if trying to gently awaken a sleeping child.
"Merlin!" Gaius shouted, "The spell! It is our only chance!"
Somehow Merlin shook himself free of the horrifying sight in front of him and tried to focus. Holding his hand out towards the others, he recited the words from the long-winded time travel spell; "Is turbatus dies ego have postulo ut adjust, Sende nos tergum in vicis ut pro is eram." when at first nothing happened, he tried again, his voice more forceful with the words; "Is turbatus dies ego have postulo ut adjust, Sende nos tergum in vicis ut pro is eram!"
Then a white light, bright enough to blind, swallowed them up with a tornado-like force and propelled them into a swirling confusion.
TO BE CONCLUDED....
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AUTHOR NOTE: In case anyone is wondering, the Latin spell that Merlin uses is the translation of the following:
This troubled day I have need to adjust,
Send us back in time to before it was