Last Chapter! I have really enjoyed this and really hope you all have too. Thank you everyone who reviewed I cannot express how happy it makes me reading your comments and seeing the people who followed this story. I'm sad this is over now...

But the sequel shouldn't be too long of a wait. I have decided on the title "When lightening strikes" so keep an eye out. I will probably post the first chapter next week but the rest may take a bit longer as I'm still writing. There may be more answers in the next story and so far its proving to be longer chapter-wise and probably overall too.

Okay, last chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 8- Secrets

The camp was completely silent, the inhabitants still with shock as the young man in front of them screamed in obvious agony from the floor. Gauis was knelt beside Merlin, trying desperately to help but this was beyond him and all he could do was watch.

Arthur felt sick. This was too much. Merlin was completely innocent. He was the most loyal, kind and gentle man he had ever had the fortune of meeting and most definitely did not deserve all this pain. He shouldn't have even been here, but as always he had insisted on coming and now he was paying a horrible price. Arthur cursed himself. This was all his fault. He shouldn't have let him come and certainly should not have let him wander off on his own for so long without sending anyone to look for him or keep him safe. Yes, definitely his fault. Arthur was by his side trying to comfort him, a hand on his shoulder to keep him still from the violent shakes that took over his body and to let his friend know that he was there as reassurance.

Merlin continued to scream a heart wrenching sound that was so unnatural in the peaceful forest.

"Merlin, please," Arthur said softly, "Please stop this. I need you to fight against this. I will never forgive myself if anything happens." He spoke so quietly so that only Merlin and Gauis could hear. He hoped his words were getting through to Merlin but if they were he gave no indication. He just wanted to let him know that he was not alone.

"Come on," He continued, "You are the most stubborn disobedient servant I have ever met. You're not going to let magic control you. It will not get the best of you. So for once in your life listen to me and do as you're told. Stop it." He felt his eyes welling up with the tears that he fought so hard to keep back but some managed to trace themselves down his cheeks.

He saw Gauis giving him a look from the corner of his eye but couldn't bring it to himself to care. Merlin was his friend. He was the only one who treated him like a person and not as a king who had to be mollycoddled by his servants and followers for being who he was. Merlin had always been there for him and now it was his turn to return the favour. He gripped Merlin's shoulder tighter, willing him to come back.

But still Merlin continued to scream.

This continued for impossibly long. Arthur couldn't understand why this was happening. He glanced around him quickly at the knights. All but one was present. Gwaine was still missing. He sent a silent prayer that he would solve this soon and put an end to this. Never before had the king felt so helpless.

Suddenly the air fell silent. It was a moment before Arthur realised why. Merlin had stopped. Just stopped. He stared at him carefully. The servant's face was blank, his eyes still screwed shut and he was completely still. It had seemed he had fallen unconscious. At least, he hoped he was just unconscious.

He glanced at Gauis whose face was creased with worry. With a pang of guilt, Arthur realised how Gaius must be feeling and hated himself for being so selfish. Gauis and Merlin were closer than anything. He knew Gauis considered Merlin like a son and to be watching him like this...

"Gauis," Arthur swallowed, "Gauis, Is he...Is Merlin..." He couldn't bring himself to say it. It was too awful to even consider. He was about to try again when his question was answered by a slow stunted breath from Merlin. It was so quiet he almost missed it but his head snapped back to Merlin at the noise. Relief swept over Gauis's face as he also watched his young wards face as another long breath was drawn from it, just as quiet as the first.

Was this good or bad? Gauis didn't seem to know either.

"Gwaine better hurry up," Arthur mumbled to himself, unable to contain his frustration at his uselessness.

"I'm sure he is going as fast as he can, Sire," Gauis whispered in a voice weaker than his own. He felt Merlin's forehead delicately, checking for signs of a fever or temperature. There was no change. Merlin felt fine and at a glance he would appear to be resting if they had not been with him.

"Gauis is there anything we can do?" Arthur asked pointlessly. If there was anything the physician could have done he would have done it already.

"I am sorry, Sire," Gauis replied dully, "This is beyond my capabilities. We must only hope that Gwaine has somehow managed to find the sorcerer and will stop this spell before..." He could not finish but Arthur was glad that he didn't. His grip tightened on Merlin's shoulder. This would not happen. He could not doubt Gwaine now. His friendship with Merlin would ensure that he would be more determined than ever to put the stop to an evil sorcerer. It was just like him to take his time though.

Arthur turned his eyes back to his friend's face which had once been contorted in pain but was now slack.

"I can't lose him Gauis," Arthur whispered, the thought was horrifying, "I can't."

Gauis was speechless.

"It's all my fault," He mumbled. This snapped Gauis out of his quiet.

"No, Arthur," Gauis told him firmly, "This is not your fault. You cannot blame yourself for everything. Merlin is perfectly capable of looking after himself. He will get through this. He has to." His words did not seem to reassure the king too much but he gave a small nod, his eyes never leaving Merlin. "I'm afraid all we can do is wait."

No sooner had he spoken that Merlin drew out a long wheezy breath and that was it. Arthur's heart dropped. He looked for any signs from his friend but it was not good. The grass no longer shook from the breaths that Merlin struggled out and his chest no longer heaved with the effort.

"Gauis." Panic raised his voice. Gauis was already fully aware of the situation. He placed his head against Merlin's chest, brushing Arthur's hand away as he did so. The seconds seemed to drag by until he raised his head again. His face told Arthur all he needed to know. It was overcome with horror and despair.

"No!" Arthur shouted causing some of the knights to jump. They must have realised what had happened because a second later Leon had laid a comforting hand on Arthur's shoulder which he shrugged off.

"No, no, no, no, no," Arthur moaned, placing his forehead against Merlin's. This could not be happening. He should have protected him. He should never have let this happen. This was all his fault. He refused to believe this was happening. Merlin was his closest friend, even if he was not Merlin's. He could not lose him. Not after all they had been through, all they had survived together. Magic had taken his father from him, his mother, his sister, attempted to take his kingdom many times and now it had taken his best friend.

He turned to Gauis for help. The old man's eyes were shining with tears that had long since spilled down his face. Arthur sat back, the tears now sliding freely down his own face, not caring who was watching or what they would think. This wasn't fair. Merlin did not deserve this. He did not deserve this.

The air around them seemed to grow still around them and sound muted itself from this clearing as if in recognition of what had just taken place. The sun ducked behind a cloud in mourning, casting a dulled light over the group.

Suddenly Merlin gave a large gasp as though surfacing from under water which made Arthur jump in shock. He stared at each of the people in the clearing in turn, his eyes wide with fear. Arthur was about to call out to him in joy when he scrambled away from them. Then, he scampered to his feet and darted into the forest, disappearing into the trees.

Arthur was frozen. He couldn't believe it. Merlin was alive. He was alive! He looked at the others for confirmation that this was real. Their faces were filled with the same delighted surprise as his was. Then he snapped back to his senses. Merlin had ran. Why? He had been so afraid and ran. Ran from his friends. What did he have to be afraid of? It was over. Wasn't it?

Arthur staggered to his feet. There was only one way to find out. And with that he ran into the forest after Merlin.

Merlin ran as fast as his thin frame could carry him. Had to get away. Had to get away. He didn't know why. All he knew was that right now he was engulfed in uncontrollable fear and he had to get away. And so he ran.

The pain that had lodged itself in his temple for so long that it seemed like it belonged there had vanished. His whole body was left weak from all it had processed and survived. Before long he was tripping over himself in his hurry. Unable to hold himself up any longer, he collapsed to the ground hard; landing sprawled on the trees roots, not having enough energy to stop his fall. This had all been too much for him. He tried to gather his thoughts but they were all turning black.

A moment later that now well accustomed world of unconsciousness had greeted him once more.

Gwaine pushed his way noisily through the trees, rustling the leaves when he passed and landing heavily on brittle sticks on his good foot. He didn't care. His ankle was aching but that was nothing to his worry for the fate of his friend. Despite the injury and tiredness, he was making good time. He had taken a more direct route back to camp and was nearing it. That was when he tripped stupidly on a tree root that had bent itself above the forest floor, catching his foot, and he came tumbling down next to another person.

He pushed himself away until he recognized the brown jacket, blue neck scarf and raven black hair.

"Merlin," he hissed, shaking his shoulder firmly, "Merlin." The man did not stir.

He tried to pull him upright but he merely slumped back onto Gwaine's shoulder.

"Come on Merlin," Gwaine whispered under his breath, "I didn't just go through all that for nothing. Wake up you lazy prat." Still no response. He considered carrying Merlin back to camp but with his ankle they wouldn't get far so he resorted to just sit there with Merlin.

Minutes passed before there was commotion from ahead of them and the king, three knights followed by Gauis burst through the undergrowth, stopping dead at the sight of the two men. Gwaine didn't know how he must look but it couldn't have been great. His hands were all scraped and bloodied, dirt streaked his face, his ankle throbbed painfully and there was a patch of dried blood on the side of his head from where he had hit it off stone when the sorceress had thrown him back. They slowly approached and Gwaine couldn't contain himself anymore.

"What did you do?" He asked loudly, fixing his eyes on Arthur, "You were supposed to look after him. Why is he all the way out here?"

Gwaine knew it was mostly his own fault for not stopping the sorceress in time and keeping her vengeance on Merlin but he was still mad. All the adrenaline he had built from his worry and run to get back had to go somewhere. All his confusion at what he had learnt. Unfortunately, Arthur seemed as good as any for this. He expected some sort of fight but he didn't get one.

"I'm sorry," Arthur looked dejected, "I don't know what happened. And then he just ran. We didn't have time to stop him." Gwaine sighed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean that," Gwaine told him, all his anger draining out of him immediately, "It's not your fault."

"It is though," Arthur said quietly, "Anyway, what took you so long?"

Gwaine shifted uncomfortably. This would be hard to explain and he didn't even know where to start or how much to tell.

"It's a long story," Gwaine hesitated, "I'd prefer to get back to camp and rest first if that's okay Arthur."

"Yes, of course," control came back into the King's voice. Percival took Merlin from Gwaine and easily lifted him and carried him the way back to the camp. Elyon helped Gwaine, taking some of his weight with Gwaine's arm around his shoulder. Gauis and Arthur trailed behind the group as Sir Leon led the way.

"It's over now isn't it?" Arthur asked quietly so the others wouldn't hear and Gauis suddenly saw the young uncertain boy he used to be, frightened of the command and loss. He laid a hand on his shoulder looking into his eyes deeply.

"I'm sure it is Arthur," He replied gently, "I'm sure it is."

It was a few hours before Merlin woke and the sun had fallen once more beyond the horizon. Gauis was by his side and Merlin gave him a mad grin at the sight. He had his Gauis back. Against Gauis's best wishes, Merlin persuaded him to let him sit with the others by the campfire.

Arthur was overjoyed to see him awake and well but quickly disguised his feeling with his usual teasing which Merlin returned gladly. Elyon made a few jokes and Leon patted him on the back, expressing his relief that he was okay. Percival didn't say much but he rarely did, though he did give him a smile and asked if he was feeling better. The only one who wasn't acting normally was Gwaine. He had remained seated opposite the campfire, staring unseeingly at it without acknowledging Merlin's return. Merlin gave Arthur a questioning look but he just shrugged. Gauis sat Merlin down before the fire, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders against the cold night. He didn't feel as good as he was trying to seem and shivers wracked his body despite the blanket draped around him. The whole experience had left him drained.

They sat around the fire as it spread a bright glow around the companions.

Gauis had made the meal tonight, allowing Merlin a break which was well deserved after the day's events. It was only then that Gwaine finally moved from his position and accepted the food he was offered but on his way back over he paused briefly by Merlin's side, lowering himself so he was on level with him and spoke softly so only Merlin could hear, "I know."

Immediately Merlin's world fell apart and all that had righted itself came undone. He didn't need to ask. From his reaction and the way he had said it, Gwaine could only mean one thing. Somehow, somehow, he had found out about his magic. That explained the hostility. After all that had happened he had lost one of his friends, one of his dearest friends. Somehow he had never imagined Gwaine finding out or not being his friend. Through all the hard times his friend had been there and even put up with Arthur for Merlin and that was not an easy feat.

Merlin didn't have a chance to say anything for as soon as Gwaine had said his piece, he returned to his place opposite the fire. It was only then that Merlin noticed the slight limp that he walked with. What had happened to him? What had happened whilst Merlin had been out of control? He was vaguely aware that Gwaine had been the one to save him but with the way he was acting he started to wonder why. If Gwaine knew his secret why had he still helped him? And more importantly what was he going to do with this information? The thought filled him with dread.

This was not the way he wanted this to happen. It should have been on his own terms. Merlin didn't get a chance to confront him about it. The others would have noticed or found it suspicious if he had tried and Gwaine may have overreacted, especially if he was as afraid of sorcerers and magic that he knew the others were. Magic had done terrible things. It was a shame they had not seen its wonders. Merlin wanted to explain himself but there was no time right now. He would have to wait.

The ride back to Camelot was uneventful but Merlin could feel the wary eyes on his back, non more than Gwaine's. Gwaine had rode furthest from him, moving away if he approached. Merlin's worry and feeling of dread increased at this. They would reach Camelot before the day was out and then he would have to find a way to corner Gwaine.

The following day had come quickly. The sun cast rays of orange and red across the evening sky that had fallen softly over Camelot. Clouds lingered far in the horizon but did not dare approach as the day cast its final farewell, spreading light for the last few hours that remained. The clash of swords echoed distantly in front of the castle as the knights went about their training session with the king. It was strangely peaceful.

Gwaine sat himself lazily on the window sill, glancing down at the other knights that were far below in the grounds. He had been excused from his duties for a few days on behalf of his injured ankle. He was secretly grateful even though he had to spend the day bored out of his mind. He could do with the rest after his time in that cavern. He inspected his fingers absentmindedly. They were blistered from the flames of the enchanted fire which he had had to extinguish. He hadn't noticed at the time but Gauis had given him treatment for the burns, insisting that he was not to forget them. He leaned his head back against the flat stone wall and let his gaze drift back down to the courtyard. There was a sound of shuffling footsteps but he did not turn around until a voice spoke.

"Gwaine."

He let a smile cover his face before masking it with a serious look. He had been waiting for this ever since he had come back. Slowly he turned his back on the window and faced the young servant who had called his name. He refused to start this conversation so waited in silence.

"About what you said...what you said back at camp..." Merlin stuttered nervously. Taking pity, Gwaine decided to prompt him.

"About me knowing your secret?"

"Yes," Merlin said slowly, "What exactly did you mean by that?"

"How many secrets do you have to tell?" Gwaine asked.

"I...I just need to hear you say it."

Gwaine glanced both ways down the narrow hallway, making sure that no one was near them, though the halls were completely deserted, before lowering his voice and speaking softly, "Merlin, I know you have magic."

Merlin visibly stiffened at this as all his worst fears had been confirmed. Gwaine did know.

"I...I...I can explain everything. Please don't hate me. I couldn't tell anyone. I'm sorry. I would never...could never...I've never used it against anyone...at least those who did not deserve it. And I've helped Camelot so many times and Arthur. He can never know. Not yet. Please don't tell him. I'm just trying to figure things out and magic is illegal and I don't know if he's ready yet. I would have told you. I really would have but...but...Please don't hate me..."

Gwaine was taken aback. Merlin's words had tumbled over each other in his hurry to explain and he was so afraid. After all the fear they had felt over the past few days, he couldn't allow him to feel anymore. What concerned him most was how Gwaine felt, not his own safety. Merlin was one unique man. His compassion and heart was different from any other.

"Merlin," He raised his voice to calm his friend's ramblings, "Shut up will you. It's okay. It's okay. I'm not really mad. I understand."

Merlin stared blankly at him, eyes wide at his in confusion, shock and relief. It was all Gwaine could do to not laugh at the look on his face.

*"So you're a sorcerer?" He prompted.

"Warlock," Merlin corrected automatically then at Gwaine's confused look he explained. "A sorcerer is someone who practices and learns magic. A warlock is born with magic and has no choice of it."

"So not a sorcerer, a warlock?" Gwaine asked, frowning.

"Warlock," Merlin confirmed, "I am magic, magic is me."

"Well please forgive me for the mistake," Gwaine told him with a mock bow, then straightening up. He gave Merlin a grin before tuning away and heading down the hall away from a rather stunned Merlin.

"What? Is that it?" Merlin asked at his retreating back. Not even in his wildest dreams had he planned on his secret being that simple. All his fear and apprehension disappeared in an instant.

"What do you want?" Gwaine called, spinning round, "Flaming torches? An angry mob?" He turned his back again with a laugh and continued on his way. "Although..." he said thoughtfully pausing again, "I will want to hear the whole story at some point. But in the meantime I can think of a few things your magic may be of use with." And with that he turned the corner and disappeared.

Merlin continued staring blankly, long after he had gone. Then a short laugh of disbelief escaped his lips. So someone knew his secret. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. He shook his head at the empty hallway that Gwaine had disappeared down before turning away in the opposite direction. Now Gwaine knew his secret, he could only begin to wonder that life at Camelot was going to get a bit more interesting.