Hi guys! So my university has finally broken up for summer and I can finally get back to fanfiction and not Shakespearean sonnets! I'm sorry for the long wait, but I assure you all my stories will be finished, just in my own time and not when people scream at me to update or ask me if I've died.

Merlin looked over the battlements into Camelot and was struck by its innocence. For most of his life he had hated Camelot, and everything associated with it. It was a Kingdom against magic and against freedom, it was a plague to all magic users and Merlin had been taught to stay well away. But now, as he was surveying the common people casually going about their daily lives he was filled with despair. These were normal good people who were just trying to live. To just make enough money to scrape by. These people probably couldn't give a damn about magic or the wars that was fought over it. But nonetheless it was affecting them, more and more of Camelot's gold reserves were funding a war they couldn't afford and the innocent were suffering for it.

Soldiers were the supposed victims in wars, songs and poems were sung about the countless heroes that sacrificed their lives for their King. Yet none were told of the ordinary folk who had to live and survive in war times. Merlin decided that surviving was a much more difficult path to walk than death. In death your life was over, there was nothing left. The survivors however lingered in misery in despair as more and more of their loved ones were taken from them, and surviving each day just seemed to get that much more difficult.

Although Merlin had resented him for saying it, sometimes he thought Arthur was right, maybe things would have been better if he hadn't of been born. Or better yet if Cenred hadn't been born.

"Merlin?" Arthur's voice startled him.

"Arthur!" Merlin smiled at him and made to go towards him then remembered he was in a public place. He sighed and turned back to face the city.

"You weren't there this morning," Arthur accused him scornfully.

"No," Merlin replied not turning around, "I wanted to, but I didn't think it would be a good idea if a maid saw me leaving your rooms in the early hours of the morning."

"No, I suppose not," Arthur said, "But I would have liked to have seen you there anyway."

Merlin sighed and went to turn around when he felt Arthurs arms encase him forcing him not to turn around. Arthur pressed a kiss to the underside of Merlin's ear grinning when he felt him sigh with pleasure. He rested his head on Merlin's shoulder and turned to look out at his kingdom too.

"I didn't mean to upset you," Merlin replied.

"You didn't" Arthur replied sullenly, "I just wish things were different."

"I've been wishing I was different my whole life," Merlin said.

"I wish that too, sometimes." Arthur admitted.

Merlin frowned and squirmed in Arthur's arms to look at him in the eye, he saw he was telling the truth.

"The stress of duty gets to you sometimes," Merlin said, it wasn't a question.

Arthur sighed, "I wish you wouldn't do that."

"Sorry," Merlin said blushing and lowering his eyes, "I know it makes you feel uncomfortable."

"That and I don't like the fact that you know more about me than I do about you without even asking," Arthur said.

"We've only known each other a few days Arthur," Merlin said.

"Sometimes, I feel like I've known you my whole life," Arthur said. "That…I don't know, we were meant to be or something I know it sounds silly."

"No it doesn't sound silly at all," Merlin replied.

"Do you know something I don't?" Arthur replied confused. Merlin had always seemed to know too much about him. The comments about his mother ad how his destiny had changed all threw Arthur off guard, he had not asked before, but now he was wondering if Merlin would finally give him some answers.

"I know lots of things that you don't," Merlin said.

"You're being deliberately vague, trying to throw me off," Arthur said.

"It's not that Arthur, I just don't want to overwhelm you," Merlin said reaching up and running a hand down Arthur's cheek revelling in his soft skin.

"My kingdom is hanging by a thread and the man I love is a sorcerer and is trapped by an evil war crazed king, nothing else you tell me will overwhelm me that much," Arthur said leaning into Merlin's hand; his touch made his skin tingle, it was amazingly pleasant.

"Hmm, I don't know," Merlin replied.

"You seem depressed," Arthur said.

"Just overwhelmed," Merlin teased tugging on Arthur's ear playfully.

"Well how about we forget about everything today, no treaty, no Cenred just us," Arthur said.

"Really?" Merlin laughed "And what would we tell everyone?"

"That we're putting aside our differences and trying to understand one another," Arthur replied.

Merlin considered it. For just a day he and Arthur could pretend that they were just a normal couple who had no worries, it sounded blissful, but the duties that he had to do rang in Merlin's ears.

"They can wait," Arthur said reading Merlin's mind for once, "Cenred, your chains, everything can wait one more day Merlin."

"What would we do?" Merlin said "I've never had a day off in my life, I'm not sure I know how to have fun."

Arthur tried not to think of how pitiful that sounded and instead smiled and replied, "Let me show you the beauties of Camelot, just us in the woods by the lake."

"Sounds romantic," Merlin teased fluttering his eyelashes.

"That was the idea," Arthur said and lowered his lips to gently caress Merlin's sending shudders through them both. "Please," Arthur said only briefly moving his lips away from Merlin's.

Merlin's eyes were still closed in pleasure but he grinned and stroked a hand through Arthur's sun kissed hair, "I think I can be tempted."

"Good," Arthur replied. And bent to kiss him again.

"You want to go out?" Archer said his eyebrows raised.

"Into the woods?" Will continued.

"On your own?!" Finished Gwaine.

"Well that was the idea," Arthur replied.

"Why can't you just get to know each other here?" Gwaine thundered.

"Yeah where we can protect you," Will said staring at Merlin as if he was an interesting puzzle.

"We don't need protecting Will," Merlin said.

To say that Merlin's friends and Arthurs knights were displeased with the idea would be an understatement…they were vehemently against it. Merlin understood they were only concerned about him but he had to admit to irritation when all he wanted was a just a day alone with Arthur.

"The princess attracts trouble likes bees to honey," Gwaine said.

"I'll look after him," Merlin said.

"I don't need looking after!" Arthur said breaking into the argument.

"Since when are you two best buds anyway?" Leon thundered from where he was draped lazily over Arthur's throne.

"We're not," Merlin lied easily, "Which is precisely why this treaty is not going anywhere, we need to come to a better understanding if we're going to do this."

"Why do the treaty anyway I thought we were looking for a way to break your chains?" Leon asked.

"We are, but the chances of that happening are minimal and in the meantime the treaty will go ahead anyway," Merlin said.

"Why?" Gwaine asked.

"I can't report back to Cenred telling him I've accomplished nothing, he'll have me killed quicker than you can say Camelot," Merlin replied.

"So it's time we all understood each other better, I'll talk to Merlin and you can all talk to Archer and William," Arthur said.

"Why can't we all just go together?" Will asked bemused.

Arthur paused in horror as he struggled to think of an excuse…

"Because if Arthur is to change his views on magic he needs to do it without other people's opinions getting in the way," Merlin finished and Arthur sighed in quiet relief. He was in love with a genius!

"Fine!" Will said throwing his hands up in the air, "But I don't like it."

"Neither do I," Gwaine said.

"Just deal with it," Arthur snapped and smiled to Merlin and strolled out of the throne room to make the preparations.

"I'll be fine guys I'll call if I'm in trouble," Merlin said winking at them and then practically skipped after Arthur.

"What does he mean call?" Percival asked.

"Mind talk," Archer said "it's a technique foundered by the druids that allow magic users to project their speech into someone's mind."

"Oh, must be handy," Percival replied.

"It is, but it has its limits," Archer replied.

"Oh?"

"Will and I are not sorcerers so whilst Merlin can speak to us we cannot reply," Will explained.

"Ah," Percival said.

"Is it me, or did they look far too happy to be going off on their own together?" Gwaine questioned butting in.

"I don't know," Archer said frowning "Maybe they just really want to work it out between them."

"Maybe" Gwaine said and frowned as he speculated.

Short and sweet guys, longer chapters to come. Next will be Merlin explain Arthur's original destiny and the nature of his birth. How does Arthur react? Will his views on magic change? Will they argue? Will there be smexy times? Guess you'll have to review to find out =]