Guys, I think this is my favorite part. Okay. I know I've said I liked a lot of them previous, but yeah, this is my favorite.
For reasons possibly unknown...okay, if you read hard enough (or just read it) those reasons aren't that unknown.

Hey. Hey. Hey. Why not hit review and leave those thoughts I know you have? ^^' :)

Gaius gave Merlin lenience when it came to some of his rules and restrictions, but when he took Analise in, there was absolutely no unwavering seriousness on his one most important rule. Don't get involved with Analise. Gaius made Merlin swear a hundred times over that it wouldn't happen, saying that absolutely nothing good would come of a romantic relationship with this girl; Gaius found something slightly amiss in her countenance, and it was in typical Gaius fashion to always worry about Merlin's own mortality in Camelot.

But one night, after spending months in stress and nightmares, much similar to Morgana, Analise completely broke down, and Merlin just couldn't let her cry without a shoulder; it was just a part of his nature. He didn't realize that night would develop into an intimate one, though he had to admit he foresaw something resembling it. They'd slept together that night, and the next, and the next, and again until he wasn't Arthur's servant, until he didn't carry a great destiny and the future of a kingdom on his shoulders. Until he was just Merlin, a young man born with abilities far beyond the comprehension of most everyone, brought with this lovely lady by chance, or perhaps it was part of his fate.

Each night, after Analise left his bed to avoid suspicion, he would always feel his conscience returning with the rest of his senses: Merlin had betrayed Gaius' trust on every level, and broken a promise that he vowed to Gaius he would never break. That conscience of his always prevented him from following where he wanted to go, but this time, he was determined to push that to the side and go where he thought was right. He had developed and built an intimate relationship with a strong-willed, stubborn fighter, and he was determined to take it where it may.

And of course, that made him feel even worse about breaking the promise.

The days after he was with her, he found himself not giving a singular damn about his duties as Arthur's servant; he ignored Arthur's demands of him, and Merlin tended to forget who was Prince and who was servant. At first, Arthur put up with Merlin's bad attitude and backtalk, occasionally with returning his surly retorts, by simply ignoring him, or smacking him in the back of head. But Arthur had only so much patience, and after a while, he had more than enough of Merlin, and they had a row, ending with Arthur relieving Merlin of his duties.

Arthur said he could find a better servant than Merlin; a servant who wasn't a completely useless idiot. Merlin countered that by saying he could find a much better master than Arthur; a master that wasn't an arrogant prat and actually appreciated the lengths Merlin went through to keep his backside alive.

Of course, it wasn't an extremely effective argument on Merlin's side, as the very next day, Arthur had an awkward little fellow trailing around after him. Merlin simply resumed his running errands for Gaius, picking herbs and dropping off medicine, until Arthur came to Gaius' chambers one day. Arthur told Merlin that he was wrong to sack him, an admittance that shocked Merlin in itself, that he understood what had made Merlin act the way he did, and readily offered Merlin his job back.

Merlin knew what made Arthur change his mind so easily; he confronted Analise about going to the Prince, and they ended up in a row of their own. Out of anger, she caused the glass in his window to explode out of its pane.

It was that moment he learned of her magic.

Then he remembered she had once told him she wasn't a sorceress, likely out of fear that he would turn her in. She had mentioned she knew of Camelot's magical laws, and took a bigger risk than he by coming there. Once her secret was out, he felt it only right to reveal his own abilities; he magically repaired his window, and he couldn't tell if Analise was shocked or entirely expected it.

Both promised to keep the others secret, and that shared secret bonded the two together on an even deeper level.