AN: Hi! I'm back! With more Arthur and Merlin together! YAY!

Anyhoo, I'm not quite sure how often updates will be now, I am house sitting and the people I am house sitting for forgot to leave me their wifi password. I found a place in the house where I get super-slow internet connections, so I will try to update from here, but I'm not sure how it will work. It is also why i haven't been replying to reviews, I just realized that there was this connection here, so I wanted to get something uploaded as quickly as possible.

Also, there may be a small reference to AVPM/AVPS in this chapter, mostly for moonshoespotter2877 but also for anyone else who can spot it... It is kind of tiny though.

So, I think that's about it! Thanks to everyone who did review, I really appreciate them! And thanks for everything else as well! I really am glad that people are liking this!

And I don't own Merlin. Just my intense love of the series.

Chapter Six: Choosing a Side

"Arthur? What are you doing here?"

It took Arthur a moment to decide how to respond. Part of him just wanted to try and comfort Merlin, tell him to sleep and get rid of the terrible dark circles under his eyes, but he still was Prince Arthur Pendragon, and he had some pride, so he rolled his eyes and said, "Why don't you ask them?"

"You brought him here?" Merlin said, looking between Gwaine and Percival, "I thought we decided last time that that was a bad idea considering he's the son of the evil lunatic who wants to murder us as painfully as possible, no offense Arthur."

"None taken." Arthur said. He was beginning to agree with Merlin about his father, especially since he had heard Gaius tell him about Ealdor. This caused Merlin to pause and turn towards him, letting Arthur really see why his friends were so worried about him. He looked awful, his body was practically shaking although he was trying to disguise it and look strong. His eyes looked so hopeless, and he kept on glancing around himself nervously, as if he expected to see someone else there, someone he looked to be terrified of.

"You're not even going to try to defend your father?" Merlin asked, looking slightly happier as he slowly approached Arthur.

"No." Arthur said, "I'm beginning to understand why you think of him like that." Arthur then took a deep breath, and asked what he had been wondering about ever since he had spoken with the elderly physician, "You're from Ealdor, aren't you?"

Judging by the way Merlin stiffened at the name of the town, Arthur was sure he was right. He stared at Arthur in horror for a moment before he whispered, "Leave us. Please, I need to talk to him alone."

It didn't look like Gwaine knew about Ealdor, but Percival's tense expression made Arthur think he did. Percival took a step forward, looking like he was going to try to comfort Merlin, but after a glare from Merlin he just nodded and walked away, taking Gwaine with him.

"Where did you hear of that town?" Merlin asked his voice cold. He was staring at the ground, his hands clenched in fists, looking like he was trying to hold something back, but Arthur wasn't sure if it was rage or tears.

"I- um, the court physician, Gaius, told me about it." Arthur said, wondering whether it would have been better if he had never brought it up. This didn't seem to be making Merlin feel better.

"What did he tell you?" Merlin said, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

"He told me what my father did. I'm so sorry that-" Arthur was cut off as Merlin hissed, "You're sorry? Oh, well than that makes everything better doesn't it? Your father killed everyone I knew. I was only four, Arthur, and I lost everything. All that I had left was my name. But if you're sorry, than that makes everything better."

"I know it doesn't, Merlin!" Arthur shouted, trying to get through to the man who was glaring at him with hatred that was very similar to what he had seen in his nightmares. "I'm not trying to make anything better, and I know that what my father did was unimaginably horrible, I just want you to know that I do not agree with him. Whatever Balinor had done, whatever happened in that town, no one deserves to die like that."

Merlin's expression softened slightly, but he still looked angry and confused as he approached Arthur slowly. "You know about Balinor as well?"

Looking at Merlin as he said this, something clicked in Arthur's mind. "Balinor was your father."

Merlin just glared at him, neither confirming or denying Arthur's suggestion, but Arthur was positive he was right. "He didn't do anything wrong." Merlin said eventually. "He was a good man, and a better father. He took care of me, he loved my mother, he wasn't hurting anyone. He told me that there might be a day when he would have to leave, but even he couldn't predict the horrors your father would commit to destroy his kind. Even after he left Camelot, he was still hunted. He thought he was safe, but it was never enough. Why did he have to die, Arthur? What had he done wrong?"

Merlin was now sitting at his feet. There were tears running from his exhausted eyes. Arthur wanted to reach out to comfort him, to hug him like he had in the forest, but he couldn't with his arms tied behind his back. He took a deep breath, and chose his side.

"Nothing." Arthur said, surprised that he believed it completely. "It was my father who was wrong, not yours."

"Yet I saved you!" Merlin yelled, "Why could I save you, the son of the man who murdered them, but not my parents? What's wrong with me?"

Arthur was amazed and slightly horrified at what he was seeing. This was the same man who had broken into the palace multiple times, had mocked his father without any fear, who had saved the sorcerer and his mother without injuring anyone, and he looked so broken. Arthur knew he needed to do something to fix this, because this was incredibly wrong.

"There is nothing wrong with you, Merlin. You may be the only person in this entire kingdom who has absolutely nothing wrong with them." Merlin looked at him confused as he continued, "You are the only one who has acted against the injustice of my father, but done it without hurting anyone else. You are the only person who doesn't let their own needs come before the needs of the people. You are strong, and brave, and right! I was wrong to ever think otherwise. Just because you can't save everyone doesn't make you wrong. You do so much; don't blame yourself for the terrible things that you cannot prevent. Please, Merlin, this kingdom needs you to set it right."

Merlin was watching him with eyes that were no longer filled with anger or hatred, but hope, as Arthur realized how much he meant everything he had said. He had failed his kingdom, it wasn't safe for the people living in it, but somehow, Merlin was working to put it right. This kingdom did need him, and Arthur was going to make sure that it didn't lose the one person who might have the ability to fix it.

"You really are different from your father." Merlin said, moving closer to him. As he did, Arthur realized that he was proud, proud that he was being told he was not like the man he had worked his entire life to impress, and suddenly he realized how much he had changed since he had first spoken with Merlin in the forest a few weeks ago. It was strange how much one conversation had affected him.

"I guess I am." Arthur mumbled. "You're friends said there was something wrong, I think it was kind of the whole reason they interrupted my hunt, and I have to admit you do look terrible. What's the matter?"

"Not so much anymore, thanks Arthur. But what about you? You don't look so great either." Merlin said, wiping his eyes and smiling at Arthur. Arthur realized he had probably noticed the dark circles that hung underneath his eyes as he watched Arthur with concern.

"Nightmares, nothing too bad." Arthur said, trying to act casual about it. Merlin tensed, making Arthur think he might have shared his malady as he said, "Do you want to talk about them? You helped me, the least I can do is listen."

Arthur hesitated. What would Merlin think of him if he knew what he was dreaming about? Still, he did want to tell someone, and he couldn't let anyone else no how afraid he was of the death of the man he was supposed to be hunting down. "There are two." Arthur said hesitantly, "Well, two types. Usually either I kill you, or you kill me. Sometimes my father is involved, but usually it's just us. I don't know why, Merlin. I don't want to hurt you, I swear."

Merlin nodded and smiled before saying, "I believe you, Arthur. There's something about you, I can't quite put my finger on it, but I know you won't hurt me. And I promise I would never hurt you, even if I hadn't sworn never to use violence unless it was absolutely necessary. I believe that you can change this kingdom, Arthur, and I believe that you have only told me the truth. You saved my life, even though you were supposed to kill me, I won't be forgetting that anytime soon."

Arthur nodded and smiled back at the dark-haired warlock who was now leaning against the tree next to him. "We make quite the pair, don't we?" Merlin asked, looking across his shoulder at Arthur, "A thief and a prince, both haunted by nightmares, unable to tell what side we're on anymore."

Arthur glanced at him confused, but didn't respond as Merlin settled his head against Arthur's shoulder and his eyes fluttered shut. Even though he wasn't in the most comfortable position, Arthur felt his own weariness over come him as he watched Merlin doze peacefully on his shoulder, and soon his head was drooping as well, and he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Lancelot was rather confused when he returned to camp and found Merlin sleeping with his head resting against Prince Arthur's shoulder. The prince was also asleep; his head slumped atop Merlin's. Neither of them looked all that comfortable, but the dark circles that lay beneath their eyes made it obvious that they were both exhausted and needed this rest more than either of them would probably admit. He didn't really know exactly what he should do, so he set down the rabbits he had caught for their dinner and began looking for Gwaine and Percival, hoping one of them would be able to answer his questions. It didn't take him long to find them, they were both watching the sleeping couple from behind a couple of trees, whispering to themselves. When Lancelot coughed to announce his presence they both jumped and turned to face him.

"Lancelot!" Gwaine said quietly, "You're back."

"Yes. I brought back some rabbits, but more importantly, what the devil is going on here?"

"Umm…" Gwaine started, looking slightly guilty, but Percival answered for him saying, "Merlin needed help. I'm guessing you noticed that too. The prince was wandering around the woods, so we knocked him out and brought him here, to see if talking to him would cheer Merlin up a bit. They talked for a while before they both fell asleep. Seeing as this is probably the first good sleep Merlin has gotten since we robbed Uther during Bayard's visit, we decided we shouldn't disturb him."

Lancelot nodded. It did kind of make sense, in some weird way. And he definitely didn't want to wake Merlin, but there were other things they needed to worry about.

"What about Uther? He's going to wonder what happened to Arthur if he's gone too long. He'll tear the forest apart if he thinks someone's kidnapped his son."

"Well, we hadn't really thought about that yet." Gwaine said, glancing at Percival who just frowned and shrugged his shoulders.

"Of course you didn't." Lancelot replied with a sigh. He thought for a moment before saying, "Alright. I'll take the prince back through the woods towards Camelot. You two stay here and watch Merlin, try not to wake him up. We'll have to move him over to his bed roll though, if we want to get Arthur out of here."

Gwaine and Percival nodded and stood to help him move Merlin. Percival lifted him with so much care and gentleness, he didn't stir at all. It probably helped that he hadn't been sleeping well for so long. Lancelot was relieved to see that even when separated from the prince, Merlin's face stayed peaceful. He had been worried about what would happen if Merlin needed the prince to sleep, as they really weren't ready to face the rage that would accompany kidnapping the prince of Camelot, even if it did help Merlin.

Gwaine then helped Lancelot untie and hoist Prince Arthur up over his shoulder. The prince wasn't getting the same amount of care Percival had given Merlin, but he seemed to be staying asleep anyways. Lancelot wondered briefly what could have caused the prince of Camelot to become so exhausted, and then headed off into the woods. He took the prince as far as he could, he was quite heavy, then leant him up against a tree and began trying to wake him.

"Sire? Sire, are you awake?" Arthur heard an unfamiliar voice saying. As his eyes slowly fluttered open he saw the face of Merlin's only friend that he hadn't spoken with hovering over him. It took him a moment before he realized the dark-haired warlock was nowhere to be seen and he shot up asking, "Where's Merlin? What's going on?"

"Merlin's back at our camp." The man said, laying a reassuring hand on Arthur's shoulder, "I'm not sure what you did, but I think we should be thanking you, he hasn't slept so well in days."

Arthur smiled at that, he was happy to have helped Merlin, even if he really was supposed to be hunting him down. He had decided today that his father was the one in the wrong, and that his people needed at least one Pendragon to try and help them in their time of need, even if that did mean aiding a thief. As he watched the man who had brought him here, he realized something and said, "You called me Sire. None of Merlin's friends have ever spoken to me with any respect, yet you call me Sire. Why?"

The man sighed and turned back to him, saying, "You probably don't remember me Sire, but I remember you. About a year ago I came to Camelot, I dreamed of being a knight. I had seen injustice running rampant in the land, and I thought that maybe if I became a knight I could work my way into your or your father's favor, and try to change things from the inside, without unnecessary violence. Unfortunately, my dreams were crushed before they even began, I am not nobility. When I made my plea to you and your father, I was turned away without even getting a chance to prove my skills. You are the best knight in the land, even if I cannot be one of you, I still look up to you and strive to live my life by the knight's code."

Arthur nodded. He had to admit, he didn't remember seeing this man address his father. He wished he had, but he supposed he hadn't really been paying attention during many of the pleas his father made him sit through, so it wasn't a complete surprise. He then turned to the would-be knight and asked, "Why did you join Merlin if you wanted to be a knight? Isn't stealing kind of against the knight's code?"

"It depends on how you look at it." The man said, shrugging. "I don't think of it as stealing, I think of it as ensuring the people's safety. They can't live without the money we steal, so I work to protect them. And Merlin asked me to join him; I did not seek him out. After I was rejected from the knights, I didn't know what to do. I wandered to one of the bordering towns, wondering what I could do with a knowledge of swordplay and very little money. It was just as I was about to use what little money I had to drink myself into a stupor when the city was attacked, some type of monster with the head of an eagle and the body of a lion. I did my best to protect the villagers, thinking that even if I wasn't officially a knight, I could still act as one. Nothing I did helped, and I had resigned myself to dying at the talons of the beast when suddenly, Merlin, Gwaine, and Percival were fighting beside me. With the help of Merlin's powers, I was able to slay the beast. The villagers threw us a party in order to thank us, and Merlin asked me whether or not I would be interested in joining his little group after I told him my story. I jumped on the opportunity; he gave me a way to fight for justice even though I wasn't a noble. I was lost, and he showed me the way. I owe him my life."

Arthur nodded again, unsure of what to say. One thing was clear, Merlin's friends were all incredibly loyal to him. The more Arthur learned about the thief, the more he amazed him. He seemed to be a better leader than Arthur could ever hope to be even without a crown or title. The other man looked to be getting ready to leave so Arthur jumped up and said, "What is your name? You know mine, it seems unfair that I do not know yours."

"Lancelot, Sire. I should be getting back though, and so should you. I'd rather we didn't have to deal with Uther's army marching through the forests looking for you."

Arthur nodded and stood, saying, "Thank you, Sir Lancelot, for telling me your story. I will not forget it."

Lancelot smiled at him and said, "And thank you, Prince Arthur, for seeing us as more than a lowly group of thieves hiding in the woods. I know Merlin would thank you if he was here, but he really did need all the sleep he can get."

"Take care of him." Arthur said, looking Lancelot in the eyes.

"We will, do not worry. All of us would protect him with our lives." With that, Lancelot did leave, disappearing into the trees. Arthur waited a moment before turning in the direction of the castle and hurrying back home before anyone became worried about him.