Arthur closed Gaius's door and leaned against it for a moment. It had been good to see Merlin again. Too good. Merlin was the only person in the world who contradicted Arthur as a matter of course every time he was wrong—Gwen would reluctantly speak up against him in private in matters of great importance, but Merlin just simply wasn't afraid of hurting him, or being hurt by his power.
Arthur had always supposed Merlin was not afraid of him because he trusted Arthur that much; he realized now that there was simply very little that Merlin feared. Arthur had always accused Merlin of hiding during battle, but he would have had to hide to be able to do magic to defend Arthur without anyone seeing. The only time Arthur could think of when Merlin had truly seemed frightened was when they encountered the dorocha, and in the end Merlin had thrown himself in its path and survived—the only mortal to ever do so.
Arthur really should have suspected something then.
Of course, he had saved Arthur's life that day, too. One of many times he could think of, and Arthur was certain there were many more he was unaware of.
How could he not trust Merlin? Merlin had never failed him when it mattered. Trusting Merlin was something he did instinctively now, like breathing.
And yet, there was the law. There was the kingdom. There were memories of the things his father had taught him that had made him a good king, and every one of those memories was all tangled up in ideas that he must fight magic everywhere he found it.
Camelot must be civilized; freed from the powerful tyrants who controlled the destinies of the people with their magical whims. And wasn't that just what Merlin had done in Nemeth? From all accounts, the man he had exposed as a murderer would never have made a good king, but who was Merlin to say that? What qualified him, except the fact that he had the power to get whatever he wanted done?
And when exactly had Mithian gone from Princess Mithian, to just plain Mithian? Merlin hadn't really been in Nemeth for that long, had he?
Arthur rounded the corner and entered his royal chambers, finding Gwen at her desk working on something. "Guess who is in Camelot?" he asked her.
"Merlin," Gwen said. Gwen was friends with everyone in the castle from the lowliest kitchen boy to the king himself, so she was always the first to know anything.
"I should know better than to think I could tell you anything about Camelot you didn't already know," Arthur said, leaning down and kissing her lightly on the cheek.
"And how is he?" she asked.
"Exactly as he ever was, I believe," Arthur said. "I just never knew it."
"Did you ask him about this pixie problem?" Gwen asked.
"I did. He and Gaius are working on it," Arthur said. He sat heavily in a chair by the fire. "I've asked Merlin to stay and be our official—warlock? Wizard? Whatever," he finished.
"You did?" Gwen asked. She looked cautiously pleased.
"Was I wrong to do it?" he asked.
"Only time can tell," Gwen said. She rose from her seat and went to sit on the arm of Arthur's chair, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I don't believe that Merlin would ever do anything to deliberately harm anyone in Camelot. But this is magic, and we have seen how it can backfire and harm people who try to use it for good. I hope Merlin is an exception."
"You're not being wildly reassuring," Arthur said dryly.
Gwen smiled slightly. "When I found out about Morgana's magic, I somehow knew, I felt that she meant to use it to do harm to us all. There was something very dark in her expression as she used magic. I have never felt anything like that with Merlin. But the power he is said to possess is immense. What if something turned him against us the way Morgana turned against us? We could not fight them both."
"I hope you realize that our main source of information on Merlin's power has been bards. I have had a scratch from a training exercise that became a near fatal wound from an epic fight to the death about fidelity and honour, according to the bards," Arthur said.
"And yet he must be as powerful as they say. Even Morgana runs from the full power of Camelot, yet Merlin walked right up the castle without fear. Merlin told you he didn't fear you or your army. Do you think that was just boasting?"
"Whatever else he does, he does not boast," Arthur said. "At any rate, he will take care of the pixies as soon as he is able."
"And how did Gaius look when he realized Merlin was back to stay?" Gwen asked.
"He tried to stay expressionless, but it was like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. He seemed years younger, all of a sudden. He has been trying to deal with all magical threats to the kingdom himself, without using magic, since Merlin left. It was too great a burden to place on him, especially since he's also expected to treat the sick and injured."
"I am glad for him," Gwen said. "He thinks of Merlin as a son, and Merlin takes good care of him in return."
"And what about you?" Arthur asked. "Merlin was your best friend. Will you go and see him?"
"I will wait a bit. I know that he and Gaius have many things to catch up on, and Gwaine and some of the other knights will probably call on him today. I will go and see him tomorrow," she said.
"Oh yes. I had forgotten that you have been in contact with Merlin all this time," Arthur said, with a bitter taste in his mouth. Somehow they had never found the time to discuss that, since Arthur had discovered it. Perhaps Arthur had been reluctant to chide her for doing what he would have done, if he hadn't been king. He didn't have the luxury of flaunting the law—he was the law.
"Do you mind it?" Gwen asked. "I couldn't turn away from him. I didn't know what to think—but even when I've been at my worst, Merlin has always been there for me, no matter what. I could not turn my back on him."
Arthur smiled gravely. "I couldn't ask you to. I can't ask you to be someone you are not, and you are a good friend."
"I hope I am a good wife, too. I would never want to hurt you by going against your wishes," Gwen said.
"As Merlin is so pleased to tell me, I am frequently wrong. You must do what you think it is right, regardless of my opinion in the matter. I wouldn't want you to do anything else," Arthur said.
"Not one man in a thousand would say such a thing to his wife," Gwen said fondly.
"I know I was wrong to expose Merlin as a sorcerer in front of the entire court. I should have spoken to him in private. You know, even now I've never heard an explanation of how a warlock becomes the protector of a king who despises magic?"
"Perhaps you should speak to him now," Gwen said.
"Not now," Arthur said. "I wouldn't want to distract him from the pixies. I don't know how this magic business works, but I want these bothersome creatures gone."
"It would be nice to get in a bath without finding a live trout in it," Gwen said.
"Or spiders in the bed," Arthur added.
"Or snakes in the soup," Gwen said, shuddering.
"On second thought, perhaps I'll just go back to Gaius's chambers and hurry Merlin along," Arthur said. "The sooner things go back to normal in this kingdom, the better."