A few of the ideas for this chapter came from stingrae90's story The Luxury Of Trust (which is definitely worth a read!)

Nothing else to ramble about at this moment in time, so, on with the chapter!

Gwaine and Merlin trudged slowly back into the citadel, the guards and Knight's moving out of the way. Ordinarily, Merlin would have been upset or embarrassed by their reactions, but he was just too tired to care.

They made their way through the ruined Lower Town, taking care not to trip over the debris. However, as they passed each ruined house, the bricks and wood flew up into the air, reassembling and making each house look like new. Gwaine watched them with wide eyes, but Merlin didn't seem to notice. The townspeople, who were now beginning to return to their homes, were following each brick with startled but amazed expressions on their faces.

'Merlin, are you doing this on purpose?'

The Warlock's head jerked up, his confused eyes finding Gwaine's.

'What?'

'The houses. Is that you?'

Merlin looked around himself at the houses, slightly surprised. 'Oh. Sorry.'

Gwaine laughed incredulously. 'You didn't realise?' Merlin shook his head, looking sheepish, causing Gwaine to laugh. 'You really are something, mate.'

They continued on in silence, the ruined framework still repairing itself as they went past. As they entered the courtyard, Merlin seemed to come out of his haze, his footsteps faltering. Gwaine stopped too, turning to face him.

'You OK?'

The Warlock glanced at him before nodding. 'Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine.' They pressed on, climbing the stairs into the castle itself. Once they were inside, Gwaine grabbed Merlin's arm, steering him into the closest empty hallway.

'OK. Talk.'

Merlin frowned, not understanding. 'Sorry?'

'Why didn't you tell me?'

'About what? The Emrys thing? I thought I'd explained that.'

'Three sentences, Merlin, but that's not what I was talking about. The legends say that Emrys was born with magic, which means you could have told me long before this and we could have avoided the problem. So spill. Why didn't you tell me?'

'Well…'

'Well what?'

'It's just that…'

'Come on, spit it out.'

'I will if you give me the chance!' Merlin snapped, glaring at Gwaine and shaking his arm loose. He walked over to the window, his back to the Knight. He heard Gwaine move, but he didn't speak until Merlin turned back around. 'It's not that I couldn't trust you; given the choice I'd trust you more than most other people, besides maybe Gwen,' he smiled and was relieved to see the other man smile too. 'But I'm not too sure I knew who to trust. Everyone who knows about my magic and is still alive, with the exception of Gilli, I think, had to force it out of me. I just don't know how to trust anyone anymore; I've been let down too many times.'

Gwaine bit his lip, and coughed dryly. 'Did… did Lancelot know?'

Merlin nodded, looking back down the corridor.

'OK… Well, I can't say I'm surprised, the way he was always covering for you. And Gaius. Anyone else in Camelot?'

'No,' Merlin shook his head. 'Like I said, I didn't know who I could trust.'

'Fair enough,' Gwaine sighed, running a hand through his hair. He glanced out the window, before gesturing back the way they came. 'We'd better get up the infirmary before the princess sends out a search party for you.'

At that, Merlin laughed as they set off again. Gwaine immediately noticed that Merlin seemed a lot more relaxed now they'd had a proper chat, which made him smile too. Maybe, just maybe, everything was going to be fine.

XxX

Gwen looked up as the infirmary door opened, and her face split into a wide grin. 'Merlin!' Merlin smiled wearily as she flew into his arms, wrapping him in a warm hug. The warlock let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. Arthur stood up behind her, looking momentarily relieved before he managed to control his emotions.

'Mordred?'

'Gone for now.'

Arthur nodded as Gwen finally released Merlin, wiping her tears as she beamed at him. 'I was so worried; we all were.'

'Even Arthur?' Merlin grinned, raising his eyebrows at the King. Arthur shrugged as Gwen stepped back, looking between the two friends.

'Especially Arthur.'

Merlin laughed as Gaius came over, engulfing his ward in a hug. Merlin returned it, sighing in relief, until…

'Ow!'

He drew back, rubbing his head to meet Gaius' disapproving stare. 'How many times do I have to tell you about running off, Merlin?'

'What? How was I running off?'

'You spirited Mordred away from the city, so you could fight him on your own with no collateral damage, didn't you?'

For the second time that day, Merlin couldn't help but look sheepish. 'Could you repeat the question?' Gaius clipped him over the back of the head before forcing him to sit down on a bed, checking him for injuries.

'I'm fine, Gaius.'

'I'll be the judge of that!' Merlin made to protest, but had the sense to shut his mouth at the look his mentor gave him, instead choosing to take off his cloak.

'He was limping on the way back,' Gwaine volunteered, grinning at the glare Merlin gave him as Gaius tutted, rolling up Merlin's trouser leg to survey the damage.

'I pulled a muscle on the way back from the clearing. It's not a big deal!' but the Physician ignored him, spending several minutes examining both legs before pulling himself up. 'Well?'

'Pulled muscle,' Gaius muttered, causing Merlin to grin at him. 'Don't. Say. Anything.' Merlin just continued smiling as he stood up, unrolling his trouser legs.

Gwen perched herself on the bed in Merlin's place, watching the interaction take place. He turned to her, watching her brow crease. 'You OK?'

She nodded slightly, looking at him. He bit his lip. She may have forgiven him, but there was still a lot to talk about.

'Gwen…'

'It's OK, Merlin. I understand why you didn't tell me.'

'Really?' He asked, his eyebrows doing an accurate impersonation of Gaius', but, for once, it didn't make her laugh. Instead, her lip quivered as she began to cry.

'You could have told me,' she whispered, her eyes begging. Merlin sighed.

'When, Guinevere? Just after you'd been accused of magic the first time, or the second? How about when the sorcerer Tauren got your father arrested? There was never a good time, Gwen, you must know that,' his voice was soft but firm.

'You couldn't trust me,' she murmured. Merlin felt a strange sense of déjà vu. Hadn't he just had a similar conversation with Gwaine?

'What would you have done, Gwen?' he asked, aware that the whole infirmary was listening to him. 'Imagine you had a secret that could get you killed; could get everyone you care about killed. Who do you trust? Your master? Your best friend? Could you live with yourself if something happened to them because of you? What if they let something slip? The less people that knew, the better.'

Gwen sat for a moment, her hands clutching the end of the bed. Arthur glared at him as he slipped onto the bed behind her, wrapping his arm around his shoulders. When she spoke, it was so quiet, had Merlin not been listening for it, he wouldn't have heard her speak.

'Who was it better for, Merlin?'

'Sorry?' He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Poor Gwen; poor, sweet Gwen with her gentle heart.

'You shouldn't have had to go through all this alone. We should have seen it; been able to help you. It wasn't better for you, Merlin.'

Merlin sighed, shaking his head. 'Maybe not. But at least I knew that, should I ever be caught, you were going to safe. And then… there was the whole thing with Alator…'

'Your druid friend?' Merlin turned as Gwaine stepped forward. 'What happened with him?'

Merlin took a step back so he could see relatively everyone, glancing at the old Physician for confirmation. Gaius nodded.

'Morgana originally hired him to find Emrys. They knew that Gaius knew, so Alator…'

'Alator used a form of magic to force the information from me. We were lucky that Alator's true loyalties turned out to be with Emrys, but it was too close for comfort. Merlin could have died because I was unable to protect him. It… reinforced the idea in his head that he could never tell anyone else.'

'It wasn't my life I was worried about…'

'Which is the problem,' Arthur stood, still holding Gwen's hand. 'You spend far too much time worrying about the rest of us. Now it's time for us to worry about you.'

'You're worried about me, Arthur?' the sarcastic comment was out before Merlin could stop it.

'No,' Arthur snorted, sounding every bit the obnoxious Prince he used to be. 'I meant Gwen and the Knight's!' Merlin raised an eyebrow at him, and Arthur's insulted expression disappeared. 'Yes. I meant all of us.'

'Really?'

'Don't be stupid, Merlin,' Arthur laughed, and the other's laughed as Merlin grinned, turning back to Gwen.

'I promise I will tell you everything, Gwen, but it's going to take time.'

She smiled tearfully at him. 'We have plenty of it.'

Merlin sighed in relief again, looking towards the King. 'We need to…'

'I know.'

The two men nodded to the Physician and Arthur gave Gwen a swift kiss before heading out of the infirmary and towards the dungeons.

XxX

'Leon reported that she's been attempting to use her magic, but has been unable to do so since he brought her in.'

'The enchantments still holding. Good; I was worried.'

'You didn't know that it would work?'

'Made it up on the spot.'

Arthur gave him an exasperated look as they descended the steps towards the dungeons.

Leon, Elyan and Percival were grouped at the entrance, talking quietly, but they looked up at Arthur and Merlin's footsteps.

'Sire!' They started forward, looking warily at Merlin. Merlin gulped, but Arthur simply clapped him on the shoulder and dragged him forward.

'Everything alright down here?'

'She keeps trying, sire, but so far nothing's happened.'

Arthur nodded, shooting Merlin a look. Merlin held his gaze expectantly, until Arthur coughed and turned back to Leon, causing Merlin to smirk.

'We need to speak with her immediately.'

'We?'

'Merlin, and myself.' Leon frowned.

'Is that wise, sire?'

Arthur glared at Leon. 'Yes, Sir Leon. Merlin just saved the whole of Camelot from two rogue sorcerers. And he's the one who cast the spell that's preventing Morgana from using her own magic. I think he's trustworthy enough.'

Leon hesitated again, still looking a Merlin with suspicious, confused eyes, but allowed them both to pass. Merlin glanced back over his shoulder, to see Percival give him an encouraging nod. He nodded back, and followed the King further into the dungeons.

'Isen fæstnunga onlucan me!' Merlin winced at the harshness of the spell, and the frustrated scream that followed it.

They passed the guards to stand in front of the cell, where Morgana was chained. She was facing the wall, tugging ferociously against her bonds. Surely she must be hurting herself, Merlin thought, but the witch didn't seem to care as she finally saw them standing there.

'You!' she screeched, her eyes filled with hatred as Merlin stepped up to the bars.

'I've bound your magic, Morgana. There's no point trying to escape.'

She hissed at him, standing up the face him squarely. 'You're a traitor, Emrys. A traitor to your own kind!'

'Our kind,' Merlin snapped, his eyes blazing as Morgana fell back. 'Our kind backed me on a peaceful resolution to 25 years of bloodshed. How could your approach ever hope for peace and prosperity, when one side would always fear and despise the other? You were never meant to be Queen, Morgana, not because you're not entitled to it…'

'She isn't entitled to it!'

'Shut up, Arthur,' he sighed, running a hand through his raven hair. 'You don't understand what it takes to be a good leader.'

'And they do?' she sneered, sitting upright, and watching them coldly. Merlin didn't need to ask who she meant as Arthur flinched.

'Uther didn't. Just like you, he thought he could bring peace through war; fight fire with fire. In the end… he only got himself burned. Just like you.'

She sneered again, but with less ferocity behind it. 'And what about your precious Once and Future King, who has slaughtered more of our kind then he can keep track of?'
'I always believed that magic was going to be the cause of this Kingdom's down fall,' Arthur came forwards, moving closer to the bars. 'But I was never in favour of executing someone without a fair trial. Like you, my father wouldn't listen to me. He just chained me up when I disagreed. But I never revolted against him because I knew that I could make a difference once I was King.'

'But you didn't!'

'Because you murdered my father through magic,' Arthur spat. Morgana's eyes widened and Merlin couldn't help but smirk. 'Did you really think that wouldn't have come out once Merlin was revealed to be Emrys? I know exactly what you did to my father, Morgana. And by doing that, all you did was increase the suffering of your own kind.'

He turned on his heel and swept away, leaving Merlin alone with Morgana. He turned to leave as well, but hesitated for a moment.

'I never told you about my magic because I believed that you knowing would only lead to more pain for us both. You had Gaius and you had the druids; I honestly thought you could be saved Morgana. By the time you found out about your own magic, it was too late for you to forgive me for the lies I'd been telling you for nearly two years. You were never destined to forgive me. But I was destined to forgive you.'

'We make our own destinies, Merlin!' she spat, turning away from him. Merlin smiled sadly.

'That we do.'

XxX

'Why are you having such a problem with this, Leon?'

'He's been here for nearly six years! Who knows what damage he could have done?'

'Damage? He saved our lives, you ungrateful sack of…'

'Gwaine!'

'What?'

Merlin cursed under his breath as he rested his head against the wall. It was strange to him, that Leon had been the first to accept the druids help and the mistake of killing Emrys, but was the only one of the Knight's that hadn't accepted his role as Emrys. He was currently sat outside the Council Chambers, waiting for a meeting that was supposed to have started half an hour ago, but had been delayed by the argument that was still going on, behind closed doors but for all to hear.

'He deceived us, sire. Especially with the rumours about his own death. It could have been some sort of trick…'

'It was a trick. On Morgana, not you. I know you were my father's right hand man, but surely you must see…'

'I do the benefits of having a sorcerer on our side. I'm just not sure we can trust him…'

'Because of the lies.'

'Yes.'

Well, that made sense, Merlin groaned as he stood up, nodding to the guards to open the doors for him.

'If it's the lying that's the problem, could we sort this out later before the Lords get even more grumpy?'

Said Lords grumbled as they took their places around the council table. Arthur simply rolled his eyes and dismissed Leon and Gwaine with a wave of his hand. Gwaine still looked furious, but took his seat without a word. Leon did the same.

'Right, first order of business…' Arthur paused for a moment, scanning the papers in front of him, before looking up and grinning at Merlin, who was stood to the side with Alator and Iseldir.

'The abolishment of the laws concerning the use of magic within Camelot.'

Merlin couldn't help but beam back.

It felt right to have someone not accept Merlin, and it just happened to merge into being Leon. Poor Leon. I do love him (Will Young's twin brother, don't you know) but it seemed right for him to be the grump. And some more Gwaine fun.

The next chapter, I'm sorry to say, will be the last of this story and the last for over a month. If you have an idea's or prompts, please let me know! As always, it will be a reveal fic, but an angsty one this time, I think.

Thank you again to my wonderful beta's, Hollyblue2 and Arthursmol. And, on behalf of both me and Arthursmol, thank you to everyone who read my little brother's story, Albus's First Day At Hogwarts. It was amazing the amount of support he got, so thank you.

Please review! I'm always dying to hear your thoughts and idea's!

See you soon!
TTFN
Valkriexx