AN: Not that you all care, but this chapter was uploaded from my new dorm! YAY! ok, anyhoo, don't have a lot to say in this an. I promise, the next thing I update will be Mirror Mirror. This one is just a bit easier to update as I'm approximately four chapters ahead. In case you were curious, chapter 13 is a dozy.

Thanks as always for the support! I really do appretiate all the reviews, favorites, and alerts. This fic has almost passed all my others on everything but views, we can totally do it ;)

And as always, I don't own Merlin. Sorry, nothing witty today. Maybe next time :)

Chapter Nine: The Druid Camp

When Arthur woke he was leaning back against a tree, near two horses, with Morgana, Gwaine, Percival, Lancelot, and Merlin smiling down at him. His head was still spinning a little as Merlin said, "Ah, good. You're awake. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, but I'm really starting to get tired of that spell." Arthur said, trying to pull himself into a standing position. He made it up, but it didn't seem his body wanted him to stay that way as he began to tilt forward, swaying dangerously back towards the ground. Luckily Merlin and Percival were there to catch him and set him right before he ended up with a mouthful of dirt. He shook his head a bit and said, "So, where is this Druid tribe, then?"

"Not far," Merlin said, looking slightly more serious, "But we need you to put this on first." and thrusting a long, dark cloak into Arthur's hands.

"Are you serious?" Arthur said, holding up the cloak.

Merlin nodded at him and said, "If you want to come with us, you need to wear that. I don't want the people freaking out and running when they see who you are. It was either that or dressing you as an old man or a woman."

"I personally voted for the woman option." Gwaine said with a smile. Arthur glared at him and quickly pulled the cloak on. It hid his face but he was still able to see clearly. Merlin pulled the hood back and said, "Before we go, I need to know that you aren't going to do anything stupid, and no matter what you will not report anything you see here back to your father or any of the knights. Do you understand? I lost my home to Uther Pendragon once, I am damn well not going to lose it again."

Merlin's gaze was deadly serious as he spoke. Arthur had to admit that he was a little afraid of him. He gulped and said, "I swear, Merlin. I would never give any of your secrets away."

Merlin held his gaze for a moment, as if trying to see into Arthur's mind to know he was telling the truth. The rest of the group was silent as Merlin kept his eyes glued on Arthur's. Eventually he did pull away smiling and said, "Good. Then, let's go."

Arthur pulled his hood back on and followed Merlin and the other's through and incredibly dense part of the forest. As the trees began to clear, Arthur saw a conglomeration of small huts and tents with shabbily dressed people walking between them. It was hard to imagine Morgana fitting in here, but the smile on her face showed that she obviously disagreed with that thought. As they got closer, all the people stopped what they were doing to great Merlin. All of them were treating him with extreme respect, almost like what he got from the people of Camelot, except it was somehow much greater than that. They didn't seem respect him because they were told to, or it was their position, they all genuinely looked completely enamored by Merlin. He smiled awkwardly at them, accepting the gifts many of them were hoisting on him and comforting those who came to him with problems. It was surreal to watch. This was what a leader should be, not someone who took over and ruled with strength and intimidation, but someone who the people really loved and who loved them right back. Arthur recognized the Collin's, who gave Merlin a loaf of bread before thanking him for everything and letting him pass. Arthur couldn't help but wonder how many of these people had been saved by Merlin at some point in their lives.

And then there were the children. The second they saw Merlin, they would run up to him, ask him to do magic for them, or play with them, or listen to their stories, and he did. Each one left him glowing with happiness, and Arthur couldn't help but be impressed. He had never been good with children, so seeing how easily Merlin interacted with them was awe-inspiring to him. Eventually, after playing with lots of children, taking quite a few gifts (many of which were flowers, that somehow all looked incredibly good on Merlin, not too girly at all, making him look more and more like a faye, a spirit who should be inhabiting the forests but had come out of hiding to help the people who needed him, and who was to say he wasn't), and helping quite a few ailing Druids, the group lead by Merlin reached the town square, where a Druid who looked too young for his white hair was talking with two older men outside one of the larger huts.

"Iseldir," Merlin called out, causing the white-haired man to turn, "I was wondering if we could have a word with you." Merlin had indicated Morgana when he said we, which seemed to give Percival, Lancelot, and Gwaine permission to do whatever they wanted. Gwaine went and started flirting with a group of girls who had given Merlin some bright blue flowers when they passed. Percival went and hugged a different girl, who Arthur assumed was one of his three sisters. She had been one of the few who had called Merlin Merlin, not Emrys. Lancelot came over to stand with Arthur, which made Arthur feel quite relieved, seeing as he had no idea what he was supposed to be doing.

"How are you doing, Sire?" Lancelot asked, polite as always.

"I'm fine, and you really don't have to call me sire. Arthur works just fine. I can't say I really feel much like royalty after watching Merlin with the Druids." Arthur replied.

"He is something special. The people love him. I'm still surprised they let him leave." Lancelot replied, watching Merlin and Isledir talk to Morgana.

"Why would he want to leave? He seems so happy here." Arthur asked.

"I suppose, but he can only handle it in small doses." Lancelot said, "He tries to avoid coming here if at all possible. He doesn't want to be treated like anything special, but with all the legends about Emrys the Druids have always kind of worshipped him. I think it gets quite overwhelming. He does really like seeing the children though."

Arthur was silent as he thought about that. The more he thought the more he realized he knew exactly how Merlin felt. He used to dream about running away from Camelot, becoming a farmer somewhere far away where no one knew he was the son of Uther Pendragon, and there was no bowing or proper ways to address others, just simply living, getting by on what he made, not what other gave him. It must have been worse for Merlin than it had ever been for him; these people believed he would be the one to save them from persecution. They didn't even call him by his name, the only thing he had left from his parents. Arthur felt a sudden sorrow for the four year old Merlin who lost everything only to get such a weighty burden in return. Other people's hopes were often much heavier than they cared to realize.

After he had thought for quite some time, Arthur turned to Lancelot and asked, "So, Iseldir, he raised Merlin after he lost his parents, right?"

"Yeah. He's the closest thing to family Merlin seems to have. Well, besides Percival. They pretty much are brothers, no matter how different they look." Lancelot answered, with a smile. After they watched Merlin, Morgana, and Iseldir talk for a while, Merlin turned back to them and waved Arthur over.

"Looks like Merlin wants you to meet Iseldir. You should probably go over there." Lancelot said.

"Is this where you all turn out to be completely evil, and this was just some crazy scheme to get me into this camp so you could have the Druids murder me?" Arthur asked, for some reason feeling incredibly nervous about talking to the man who was the closest thing Merlin had to a father.

"Why don't you go find out?" Lancelot teased and then pushed Arthur forward. Arthur stumbled slightly before righting himself and walking over to the group of magic users.

"So, Arthur Pendragon, Emrys has told me that you are quite different from your father. He seems to believe that you will bring peace to our lands. Is his trust well-placed?" Iseldir asked. Merlin was blushing slightly as he spoke, and Morgana was watching him, waiting for the answers like it was the secret to eternal life.

"I will do everything I can to be a fair and just leader. Merlin, er.. Emrys has shown me that magic is not the evil my father believes it to be. I hope that I can bring the peace your people deserve." Arthur answered, his gaze flickering between all three of them. Merlin was smiling at him, which somehow made Arthur feel stronger, braver, and more capable to do what was required of him.

"I am glad to hear this, Arthur Pendragon. You can bring peace to this land without there needing to be any violence. I am guessing that Emrys already made you swear to secrecy, but I must also implore you not to tell your father of anything you see today. We do not seek to destroy your father's kingdom, we only seek to survive. Our people cannot continue to fight King Uther's armies. We will be destroyed."

"I promise you, I will do nothing that could put you at any risk. I don't even know where we are right now, so you shouldn't worry too much." Arthur replied, hoping Iseldir could hear the honesty in his voice.

"Good. Then, I think we should discuss the Lady Morgana's future with you."

"Morgana," Arthur said, "Do you want to stay here?" Morgana nodded quickly and said "Yes." a huge smile on her face. Arthur then turned to Iseldir, "Iseldir, would you allow Morgana to stay here with you so she can learn about her magic and how to control it?"

"Of course." Iseldir said with a smile at Morgana.

"Then, it seems everything should be fine. As long as Morgana is safe, which I believe she will be here, then she should do whatever she feels is best." Arthur said, still wishing that Morgana would have chosen to come back with him. Camelot wasn't going to be the same without her constant teasing.

"You both realize that this will have to be the last time you see each other for quite a while." Iseldir said, "It won't be safe for Arthur to come here, especially once Uther realizes Lady Morgana is gone."

Arthur and Morgana both nodded. Morgana smiled at him and then turned to Iseldir and said, "Please, I am no longer a lady of the court. Just call me Morgana."

"If that is what you wish, Morgana." Iseldir said. This seemed to bother Merlin slightly as he turned to Iseldir and said, "Why don't you call me Merlin? Why does she get to choose what she wants to be called and I don't?"

"Sometimes I wonder whether the prophecies were correct." Iseldir said with a sigh. "Emrys, you sound like a five year old. You're name gives us hope, do not take that from us."

Merlin just rolled his eyes and winked at Arthur. Again, Arthur couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like for Merlin growing up here. He thought he had been under a lot of pressure, but this sounded ridiculous. He couldn't even be called his own name, simply to give others hope?

"I would like to speak with Morgana alone for a moment, and when I am done I think it will be time for you two to say your goodbyes." Iseldir said to Arthur, before guiding Morgana into the house they had been standing in front of. Merlin turned and smiled at Arthur and asked, "So, does this village get the official Arthur Pendragon seal of approval?"

"Yeah." Arthur said, looking around. "As long as Morgana is safe and happy, it should be great. Although I don't know what she will do without her piles of dresses and masses of jewelry."

Merlin chuckled a little before saying, "It will be quite the adjustment. Still, the people here are good. They will look after her. And there is no better person to learn magic from then Iseldir. He did teach me after all."

"I don't know whether that should reassure me or not. Does that mean Morgana is going to start stealing from us as well?"

Merlin laughed at that. "No. Don't you remember? I'm special."

Arthur chuckled a little as he remembered the younger Merlin saying that with so much pride. Apparently Merlin hadn't changed all that much. "Yes. You really are. You're kind of amazing."

"Thanks." Merlin mumbled, blushing again. "So are you. You could have turned Morgana in, but you didn't. And for her to have trusted you, am I right in assuming you may have been slightly more vocal about your new views on magic?"

"I guess so. All it's accomplished so far is that I have spent way too much time locked up in my chambers." Arthur said with a sigh.

"That not quite true, Arthur. Morgana might not have come to you if you hadn't spoken up earlier. Even if your daddy did put you in time out." Merlin said, pinching Arthur's cheek as he finished.

Arthur swatted his hand away and laughed. They were both silent for a moment before Arthur said, "So, was it true what Gwaine said, about you and Percival?"

This caused Merlin to blush a bright red and look down at his feet. Eventually he did reply, saying "Well, yeah. I mean, we were young and really good friends, so we tried a few things. But it ended up being slightly awkward as I really do see him as a brother and he feels the same way."

Arthur looked at Percival. It was hard to imagine him with Merlin, Percival looked like he could crush Merlin with a hug. "And what about Gwaine?"

Merlin's blush was currently reaching his ears, as he replied, "Um, yeah. In my defense I was slightly drunk and he is really good looking. It was just a one night thing though. Gwaine will sleep with anything with two legs and a pulse, so it was going to happen at some point."

Arthur felt vaguely jealous and didn't know if he wanted to know the answer to this question but asked anyways, "So, have you been with Lancelot as well?"

"No." Merlin said quickly. "Not that Lancelot isn't gorgeous, he's just not exactly all that into men. Plus, if you haven't noticed, he's kind of the model of a polite gentleman. I've never understood how he and Gwaine get on so well, but they really do. I think he's probably one of the few people I know who is over twenty and hasn't slept with Gwaine, but they spend more time together than about anyone else."

As if to prove Merlin right, Lancelot had joined Gwaine in talking to the group of girls down the path from them. Apparently Merlin had decided he wanted to get back at Arthur for the personal questions as he asked, "What about you? Any special lady in your life?"

Arthur coughed, not sure what to say to this. He looked at Merlin and he knew what he wanted. All throughout the day he had pondered his relationship with the warlock, and he had eventually come to a conclusion. He liked Merlin. More than he had liked anyone else in the past. He wasn't sure if it was exactly love as he had never been in love before, but then again, he had never felt this way about anyone else. "Um, no. And I'm not sure there ever will be. My father has been trying to push me and Morgana together for ages, but that never worked. She's like my sister, I could never see her in any other way. And, well, I'm not sure women are my thing, exactly. Father keeps introducing me to 'the loveliest ladies in the land' and none of them have caught my eye. I suppose I have fooled around with a couple of the knights, but never anything more than that."

"Really?" Merlin replied, sounding surprised. "But, I mean, you're so…"

"So what, Merlin?" Arthur asked, smiling at Merlin's discomfort. Was it possible that Merlin was starting to feel the same way towards him? Merlin's blush began to return as he waved his hand at Arthur and said, "So perfect. I mean, you're the best knight in Camelot for a reason, you're well-built, lots of muscles, and your hair kind of makes it look like you always have a halo, and don't even get me started on your eyes-"

Arthur decided that this was enough. It was kind of obvious now that Merlin had some type of feelings for him now, so he did what he wanted to do, and damn the consequences. Just before Merlin could describe his eyes he leaned forward and sealed Merlin's lips with a kiss. Merlin's eyes went comically wide for a moment before they fluttered closed and he started kissing Arthur back. Arthur could feel his long fingers creeping along his back, until there was a noise behind them and Merlin jumped away, shouting, "Iseldir!"

Arthur turned in the direction Merlin was looking and felt a blush creep across his face. "Morgana!" He shouted, as she smirked back at him. He was suddenly quite glad he was wearing the cloak. At least this way everyone wouldn't noticed that he had gone about as red as Merlin's ears currently were going. Iseldir just smiled at the two of them and said, "I see why Emrys trusts you. I am sorry, but it is time for you to say goodbye to Morgana, Arthur. She will be well taken care of here, do not worry."

Arthur nodded as Iseldir steered Merlin away from him and Morgana. Merlin gave him a quick smile before turning to Iseldir, leaving Arthur to say his goodbyes. Before he could, though, Morgana spoke up, saying, "Arthur, I can never thank you enough for what you did. If it hadn't been for you, I would have been all alone in a kingdom that kills everyone like me for simply existing. I think I can almost see what Merlin sees in you. Thank him for me, will you? And be kind to him, he deserves happiness more than most."

"I know." Arthur said, looking back at Merlin and smiling. He then turned back to Morgana and said, "I will miss you Morgana. Camelot just won't be the same without you. I'm not sure how I will survive all of Uther's speeches if you're not there to endure them with me."

"I'm going to miss you as well, Arthur. But we will see each other again, I am sure of it." Morgana said, then pulled Arthur into a hug. Arthur still wasn't used to getting hugged, so he stayed stiff for a moment before relaxing and hugging her back. They stayed like this for a moment before Arthur pulled away and said, "I should probably go before Uther sends out the search parties."

Morgana nodded and said, "Be careful Arthur."

Arthur nodded and said, "Stay safe Morgana." before letting Morgana walk over to where Iseldir was waiting while he went to join Merlin, Percival, Gwaine, and Lancelot. Gwaine was obviously teasing Merlin, as Merlin had gone bright red, and Arthur figured he had a pretty good idea of what that teasing was about. He wasn't looking forward to getting his own share, and was glad when Merlin waved his hand, and Gwaine's voice stopped. He kept mouthing words and trying to get the other's attention, but there was no noise. Arthur smiled and walked up to them, saying, "Maybe you should make that spell permanent."

That got him a glare from Gwaine and a chuckle from Merlin who said, "I would, but that would just be a little too cruel. Gwaine is rather found of the sound of his own voice."

Gwaine's glare shifted towards Merlin as they made their way out of the Druid village. Once again they had to fight through Merlin's admirers to get away, but they eventually made it back to Arthur's horse, where Merlin used the same spell to put him back to sleep.

When Arthur awoke again, he was in a familiar part of the forest, and Merlin was smiling down at him. He knew that Camelot was close by, and as the sun was still up he would still have a little time before he needed to be back, so he planned to make the most of it. He sat up quickly, causing his head to spin as he tried to regain his equilibrium.

"Careful, Arthur. We don't want you to knock yourself out." Merlin said, steadying Arthur and helping him to his feet. When they were standing face to face, Merlin blushed again and looked down at his feet. Arthur reached forward and pulled Merlin's chin up so his beautiful blue eyes met Arthur's.

"Merlin," Arthur started, "you know how I said you were kind of amazing? Well I wasn't kidding. Seeing you today made it clear to me that there is no one in this world like you. You are extremely patient, understanding, and kind. And you are beautiful, inside and out. I didn't know that it was possible for anyone's heart to be so big that an entire kingdom could fit in it, but that was before I met you. You have every right to hate me, but somehow you don't and I couldn't be more grateful for that. I feel so lucky to have gotten to know you, but now that I do I want so much more. I, well, I think I love you Merlin. I don't really know what that means, or what we can do about it, but I do. I haven't been able to think about anything but you for weeks, and hearing about how you were with both Percival and Gwaine made me more jealous than I could have possibly expected. I know that this is way too much to be asking of you, but-"

This time it was Merlin's turn to cut Arthur off with a kiss. Arthur returned the kiss greedily, it was perfect. Merlin fit against him like a key in a lock, and Arthur knew they were meant to be. When they finally stopped, both slightly flushed and breathless, Merlin smiled and said, "I can't believe I just kissed the prince of Camelot!"

Arthur smiled back and said, "So, does this mean you feel the same?"

Merlin just laughed, his head tilted back exposing his long, pale neck. "Yeah, I suppose it does, even if the other's will never stop teasing me for this, I think I love you Arthur Pendragon."

"Thank god. I think I might have gone crazy if you said you didn't." Arthur replied.

"I'm pretty sure you have gone crazy." Merlin replied with a smile, "I'm pretty sure the entire world has gone mad, because I am in love with Arthur Pendragon and he loves me back."

"That would be one explanation for this." Arthur said, leaning against Merlin. They stayed silent and pressed together for a moment before Arthur said, "What I am going to tell my father?"

"You're not planning on letting him know that his greatest enemy is in love with his son, are you?" Merlin asked, looking at him and raising one eyebrow.

"No." Arthur replied, "I don't think he would take that news very well. I meant what am I going to tell him about Morgana?"

"Ah. Well that is a problem, isn't it." Merlin said, one of his hands creeping down to grab onto Arthur's. "She doesn't want to be found. Maybe you should tell him she is dead. In a way, the Lady Morgana is gone. She's someone new now."

Arthur nodded and said, "Thanks to you." squeezing Merlin's hand. "Are those beasts that attacked us deadly?"

"The serkets? Yeah, I suppose they are. And that way Uther wouldn't have any reason to send his forcing into the forest where they might stumble across me or, gods forbid, the Druid camp."

"Then that's what I will tell him." Arthur said, blinking slowly and trying to prepare himself for telling this story.

"You did the right thing, Arthur." Merlin said, his thumb rubbing soothing circles on the back of his hand.

"I know." Arthur replied, leaning against Merlin. "When will I get to see you again?"

Merlin sighed and said, "I don't know. Soon, if I have anything to say about it. Iseldir thinks I'm correct in thinking that you are the Once and Future King, and the Great Dragon pretty much confirmed it, so we should be seeing a great deal of each other in the future."

"I look forward to it." Arthur said with a smile.

"Me too." Merlin added, "Now, you really should be getting back. Uther will be upset enough as it is. I wish I could make this easier for you, Arthur. I wish I could be by your side always, but not yet."

"I will be fine." Arthur said, not quite sure he believed it, "I love you Merlin. Please, stay safe for me."

Merlin nodded and kissed Arthur once more before Arthur turned and walked back to his castle, alone.