A/N: Hello, I'm back with the next chapter :) I must once again thank you all for your support; everyone who followed/favorite/reviewed gets special thanks! :D I hope you will like this chapter as much as you did the others, like always I did my best :) There isn't really any action in here, but it's an important chapter nonetheless. Read and enjoy! :D

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin. At least not in this world… (Alright, that was lame.)

CHAPTER 5: BEFRIENDING ANGEL

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Merlin didn't know that being a mascot involved carrying around Arthur's stuff. Apparently, it did.

And the worst part of it was that Arthur's stuff was really heavy and this damn college was just too big! Let alone the way from the gym to Arthur's room contained four stairways with each one hundred steps! How was Merlin supposed to manage carrying tons of fencing equipment all the way?! And that three times a week! That was just insane; this task had nothing to do with being a mascot. He wanted to quit the job, but he couldn't possibly give in after just one week!

Merlin really doubted his sanity as he forced himself up the last stairs. Why on earth had he agreed to be a mascot in the first place? He wished he hadn't…

With a sigh, Merlin rounded the last corner before he entered the hallway that led to Arthur's room. When Merlin saw two figures standing in front of Arthur's door, Merlin stopped in his tracks and quickly hid behind the corner. With curiosity dwelling up inside him, the young angel peeked around the corner and eyed the two people with suspicion. He identified the taller person as the girl with the dark hair that he had seen some days ago. Morgana Pendragon-Arthur's half sister.

Next to her stood a boy who seemed to be some years younger than Merlin, maybe around sixteen. He also had dark hair and piercing grey eyes and he stood with confidence next to Morgana, constantly looking up to her. What were those two doing in front of Arthur's room? They weren't even from this college!

That was highly suspicious. Ignoring the dull ache spreading in Merlin's arms (he was still holding Arthur's heavy stuff after all) he continued to stand there and watch those two. He felt a twinge of burning anger in his stomach whenever he looked at Morgana, since she had let her so called 'fans' beaten Arthur up. More than once. But Merlin managed to push his feelings aside and remain calm. He had to find out what was going on here.

He listened very carefully and tried to understand the context of their conversation.

"-his room."

Morgana smiled- no, smirked at the younger one next to her and she let a pale hand of hers rest on his shoulder.

"Good work, Mordred. I expected nothing less from you"

So the younger boy was named Mordred. That was kind of a strange name… Oh well, Merlin wasn't all that common either.

"I've just done my job. Now, shall we go inside?" The boy called Mordred offered and opened the door. Merlin's eyes narrowed and he considered what to do next. He couldn't possibly let those two break into Arthur's room; they must have picked the lock already. But on the other hand, he was curious to find out what they wanted to do in there.

Merlin guessed he should stop them from entering, so he stepped around the corner, a false smile on his lips.

"Oh, are you two friends of Arthur? If you are searching for him, he is currently in the gym" he said cheerfully as he walked over to Morgana and Mordred.

The younger boy had instantly shut the door when he had heard Merlin coming, now wearing an annoyed look on his face. "Thanks for informing us" Morgana pressed out between gritted teeth as she turned around and walked down the hallway. Mordred shot a deadly glare at Merlin and followed her.

Merlin just stood there and stared after them. The boy, Mordred, seemed to have an interesting aura… Certainly not one a human would posses.

But if he wasn't human, and he certainly wasn't an angel either…Then what was he?

Merlin shook his head to clear his mind as entered Arthur's room. He would just ask Gaius about them later.

After a little shuffling through Arthur's messy room, Merlin had finally put away all of his protégé's equipment. With a satisfied smile on his lips, the raven haired left the room and closed the door behind him, quickly locking it with the second key. Merlin was quite proud of himself, that Arthur had trusted him so much as to give him permanent access to his room. That meant quite much to the young guardian angel.

A quick glance at his watch told Merlin that he still had about an hour left before it was time for supper, so he decided to visit a certain old angel.

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"So, you want to tell me that you saw Arthur's half-sister together with a boy, who you think is neither a human nor an angel, trying to break into Arthur's room?"

Merlin grinned at the older man in front of him. "That's exactly what I wanted to explain" The raven haired sipped at his tea and glanced at Gaius expectantly.

"Now, Gaius, what do you think that means?"

The older man looked out of the window for a split second before his gaze met the younger one's. "Nothing good, my boy."

Merlin looked at him, his pseudo blue eyes wide with curiosity. "What do you mean by that? You know what this Mordred could be, right?"

There was silence for a few minutes until Gaius finally said: "Do you know what happens when an angel doesn't fulfill their duty?"

Merlin just shook his head, waiting for Gaius to continue.

"If an angel doesn't obey to the rules or doesn't fulfill the purpose they are given, this angel will have to face the court. The mostly distributed punishment is the banishment from the heavens. In this case, the angel's wings are torn out and they will have to live on earth as a mere human. In the worst case, they will be imprisoned. And in the rare occasion someone manages to escape from this prison, and believe me, that's a difficult thing to achieve, those angels normally return to the earth, since they can't go back to the heavens anymore."

Merlin stared at him with furrowed eyebrows. "So you mean Mordred is one of these angels? His aura didn't feel like of an angel at all…"

"That's because their nature changes. They become evil beings, even if they once had a pure heart as every angel should. Some say that it has something to do with the loss of their wings. Since they are bound to earth and can't rise to the heavens again, we usually call them 'fallen angels'. It also comes from the fact that they have lost their right path; they walk on earth without any morals. You must be really careful, Merlin. Fallen angels are cruel and evil being, it lies in their nature, they can't do anything against it. They possess great powers; sometimes they are even more powerful than most angels."

A slight chill ran down Merlin's spine as he imagined the dark-haired teen to be a powerful fallen angel. It must be terrible fate. To have ones wings torn out, be imprisoned and banished from heaven. I must be like… well, hell.

"What powers do fallen angels have?" Merlin asked, both curious and cautious in case he once would have to fight such a being.

Gaius looked thoughtful, his eyes narrowed a bit. "They possess the same powers they once had as angels. But in addition, they get the power to corrupt a human's heart. They bring darkness and hatred to humanity, which often ends up in wars. But the worst case is that if a human spends too much time under the influence of a fallen angel, they can become one themselves."

Merlin drew in a sharp breath. That meant everyone could become a fallen angel while this Mordred was around! Or he could bring hatred to everyone and they would start a war! That would be terrible, he couldn't let such a dangerous being roam around; his protégé could be affected! He needed to keep Mordred as far away from Arthur as possible, no matter what!

"What can be done to…stop a fallen angel?" Merlin asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible.

Gaius shot him a disapproving look, having him instantly seen through. "Merlin!" He scolded "I know that protecting your protégé his very important, but don't think about taking someone's life, no matter whether human or not!" The raven haired stared at the ground, his face a bright red, partly from shame, partly from anger.

The older man's look softened a bit "Fallen angels can't be killed. Not as they are, that is. They have to atone for their sins before they can rest in peace. Therefore they have to be sent into the purgatory and after they dismounted their time, they can rest in peace like every other soul."

"How can one send a fallen angel into the purgatory?"

Gaius just shook his head. "Don't even try it, that's something only archangels can accomplish."

Merlin became a little depressed as he realized there was absolutely nothing he could do. It would take him a human lifetime to fulfill his destiny with Arthur (he didn't even know what exactly his destiny was) and only then he could try and become an archangel! But someone had to do something when falling angels just walked around.

Merlin would never let Mordred near Arthur.

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"So, is this supposed to be a date?"

Gwen and Arthur were currently sitting in a little rose garden behind the girls' dormitory. The sun shone bright and it was the first really warm day this year. Earlier that day, Arthur had (being the gentleman he was) invited Gwen to go for a walk to enjoy the nice weather. So here they were, sitting on a bench surrounded by rose sprouts that were only half open.

Arthur tried very hard to suppress the blush that emerged on his face. He failed miserably.

"Um… Would you mind if I said 'yes'?" He mumbled staring into Gwen's beautiful hazel eyes. They were so deep that Arthur almost felt as if he was drowning in them.

A slight chuckle escaped from those lovely lips, driving Arthur into madness. "I wouldn't mind at all. I would be happy actually" she said with a shy smile.

Arthur slowly grabbed Gwen's soft hands and unconsciously leaned closer to her. "Alright, yes it is a date. A great one at that." He whispered and stared into her eyes. He was so close now; he could make out every single lash of hers.

Arthur leaned even closer, Gwen's warm breath tickling on his face. Then, suddenly, his insides exploded.

His lips were on Gwen's soft ones and Arthur could feel his hairs uplift as a warm sensation spread through his entire body. He watched as Gwen's beautiful eyelids fluttered shut and he closed his eyes as well.

The whole world stood still and everything Arthur felt were those warm, soft, kissable lips under his own and Gwen's small hands holding his own. He wished this wonderful kiss could last forever. But he needed to breath, so Arthur pulled away after a few more moments and smiled a dreamy smile at his beloved. Because that's what Gwen was. His beloved.

"You're so wonderful" he whispered and rested his head against her fore head, preparing for the next kiss that would probably come out a little wilder. "So are you" Gwen replied with a smile. Arthur was leaning in for another kiss when-

"Arthur. What is going on here?"

A harsh voice demanded and Arthur instantly pulled away from Gwen, bringing some distance between each other. His hands remained on hers but his eyes shot up to the figure that stood before them. It was his father, wearing a stern expression on his face.

"Father." Arthur spat, not even trying to hide his irritation. He felt Gwen's concerned eyes resting on him, but his attention was solely directed towards his father.

"Arthur, who is that girl? She does not seem appropriate." Uther eyed the girl with mild disdain.

Arthur felt Gwen tense and he shot one of his angriest glares towards his father. "This girl is Gwen and you don't have the right to judge her. I don't care whether you deem her appropriate or not, she's kind and good natured."

"Arthur" Uther's voice grew louder by every second that passed "Don't speak to me like that! I forbid you to see this girl any longer; you should associate with someone of your standard!"

"I have every right to associate with Gwen! She's the girl I love! Accept that! I shit on your opinion!" Arthur was suddenly standing, his face red with anger and his hands balled to fists.

"How could you possibly love some filthy, poor girl?! Can't you see that everything she wants is your money?! Are you really that much of a fool to not see her greed and low intentions in seducing you?!" Uther was practically yelling through the whole college, his face red and scrunched up in fury.

Arthur saw the wetness in his beloved's eyes as she stormed off into the building.

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Merlin waved good bye at the older man as he left Gaius' room.

When he turned around, he found himself standing in front of a crying Gwen.

Her eyes were red and he could see her mascara all over her cheeks. What could have unsettled the strong girl he knew to end up in such a state?

"Gwen! What's wrong? What happened?" Merlin said gently and laid a hand on her shoulder. It hurt him in his chest to see her like this.

"I-I was with A-Arthur in the rose garden and then-then his f-father came and yelled- oh, Merlin! He yelled s-so loud and his face w-was all red, it was terrifying! I didn't know what to d-do and then Arthur started t-to yell as well! His father s-said really terrible things about me and I-I couldn't hold the t-tears back any longer. Please, Merlin, you must do something! They both looked like they would start beating each other!"

Merlin smiled and gently rubbed her back as the girl leaned powerless against him, trying to calm her.

"Don't worry. I'm going to help Arthur." He reassured her and looked her in the eyes so she could see that he meant it.

"I'm sure you will." Gwen said with a smile tugging on her lips as she saw the protectiveness and determination in the raven-haired's eyes.

If Merlin couldn't help Arthur out, then who else could?

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"Arthur? Ah, here you are." Merlin quickly walked up to his red faced protégé. Arthur was breathing heavily and his storm blue eyes shot death glares at his father.

"Now, who is this, Arthur? Another one of your money drawing false friends?!" Uther yelled with gritted teeth.

Arthur took a step towards his father his eyes narrowing even further.

"Don't you fucking dare insult Merlin too! He's a true friend and he cares for me much more than you ever could! You're just heartless and an awful father, that's the reason why Morgana turned against us!"

Merlin's chest warmed up as he heard Arthur saying he was a true friend and he would have smiled dreamily if this situation wouldn't be so tense.

Arthur was again about to move towards Uther, but Merlin quickly laid a calming hand upon his protégé's shoulder. "Stay calm. Don't say or do anything you will regret later" Merlin whispered to the blond, but Arthur just hissed and tried to shake of Merlin's hand. Though Merlin just responded with gripping Arthur's shoulder tighter.

"I must apologize for Arthur's aggressive behavior. He seems to be lacking sleep lately, since he is practicing for the upcoming tournament until late into the night" Merlin said respectfully to Uther, in the hope of calming him, what made him receive an unbelieving glance from Arthur.

"I can assure you that I have no harmful intentions in my friendship with your son and I beg you to trust in his ability to decide with whom and with whom not to associate. I am sure that he will not act foolishly and even if he makes mistakes, I am sure that Arthur is smart enough to learn from them."

Uther gave the raven haired a suspicious glance but soon sighed and turned around. "I hope you're right, young man. But Arthur" Uther looked back over his shoulder. "Don't come crawling to me when this girl breaks your heart" With that he vanished inside the building.

Arthur let out a shaking breath that he didn't know he had been holding. He closed his eyes and breathed in and out a few times until he managed to unclench his fists. Then he opened his eyes and stared at Merlin, whose hand was still resting on the blonde's. Upon realizing this, the raven haired quickly withdrew it with a sheepish grin on his lips.

"What was that just now? All the stuff you said, I mean." Arthur asked while sitting down on the bench with an exhausted sigh.

Merlin sat down next to his protégé and stared into the sky. The sun was already setting. "I don't know, I just…said what came to my mind. I just said what I thought would calm Uther. I really didn't want this argument to escalate."

Arthur gave Merlin a thoughtful look. "I guess I should say thank you then…" He mumbled and suddenly found the ground very interesting.

He heard a light chuckle from beside him and felt Merlin's big blue eyes resting on him. "Say, Arthur…Did you mean that?"

Arthur turned his head around and blue eyes met. "What?" Merlin fumbled with the zipper of his jacket, trying to avoid Arthur's questioning gaze.

"I mean what you said about me… Did you really mean that or did you just say that to piss your father off?"

Arthur suddenly felt heat rising to his face and he once again averted his eyes to the ground. "I guess I meant it… But don't let that get to your head! "He grumbled.

But Merlin just smiled a huge smile and his pseudo blue eyes started to dance with happiness. He didn't even know what made him this happy, but he just couldn't help it.

Suddenly, as if he realized something, Arthur's head shot up and he stared at Merlin, trying to ignore the joy he saw in his friend's eyes. "How did you actually find me here?"

Merlin just tilted his head. "Well, Gwen told me you were here." Arthur's eyes widened. "How was she?" He demanded with concern and urgency.

"Well, she was crying but I calmed her and she smiled again as I left for you" Merlin explained and watched as Arthur started to visibly relax into the bench.

"That's good. I'll go and see her" but before Arthur could even move, he once again felt a hand on his shoulder, holding him back.

"I meant what I said about you lacking sleep. Go to her tomorrow, look, the sun is already setting" Merlin said with a smile, but his voice was being serious.

"Why would I listen to an idiot like you?" Arthur teased with a smirk on his face.

"Only a prat wouldn't listen to someone as wise as me"

"So you mean if I listen to you I'm not a so called prat?"

"You would still be one."

"Then what's the point in listening to you?!"

"Don't know, maybe you wouldn't be so grumpy if you slept more. I mean, you're being an even bigger prat since when I met you a week ago. It seems like the prat virus is spreading through your whole body pretty quickly. Maybe we should-"

"Merlin"

"Shut up?"

"Wow, I'm surprised! You actually got it!"

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"This guy was annoying. He ruined our plans." Mordred hissed as he walked next to Morgana towards their college. It was already dusk and they had to be back soon or they wouldn't get any supper. Not that they cared about something as trivial as that.

"Then we just have to make a new one." Morgana replied with an evil smirk on her face. Mordred could already see how she was working out something in her head. Oh, she may just be a human but he really had found a liking to her.

"You know, Mordred" She continued "I called Morgause yesterday. She will pay us a visit next weekend."

Mordred joined the smirking of the older girl. "That's good. She always is willing to wreak a little havoc with me. It's good to have a little amplification. Especially against an angel."

Morgana stopped in her tracks and stared down at the younger one. She knew he was a fallen angel, as well as Morgause was one, she had changed Mordred in the first place. But Morgana hadn't expected to actually meet a real angel.

"Who?" She demanded in a cold voice.

"This guy that saw us in front of Arthur's room. He had the aura of a guardian angel" Mordred explained. "But don't worry, he didn't seem very strong. No normal angel could stand a chance against two fallen angels anyway"

"I hope you are right."

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A/N: So, I hope you liked it :) I thankfully read everything you have to tell me through a review; it's good to know what the readers think. I'll come up with the next chapter as soon as I can and I finally have holidays so the updates will come a little faster :)

The next chapter contains: Nightmares, dates and a misunderstood Merlin :D

Until next time and enjoy your summer~

by DarkChain