Yaeh, I'm back, and a little bit faster as promised :D This story I thought of a few weeks back, don't worry, the next story will be a prompt from one of you guys again! In this one, Morgana is already evil and Gwen is already Queen.

Hopefully you'll enjoy it! Let's find out if Merlin's secret was revealed to...

Looks

His eyes shot up as soon as he heard the gasp. His fading gold ones locked with terrified brown ones. The glowing vials in front of him returned to their normal states and fell onto his bed. Before he could so much as utter a word, the girl in front of him twirled around and disappeared through the door. For a few seconds he completely froze, then he realized what had happened and he jumped from his bed, causing his spell book to fall to the ground.

'Gwen! Wait!'

She'd seen him using magic! How could this have happened? He always closed his door and was trained to hear anyone enter Gaius quarters. Why hadn't he heard Gwen? The answer was quite simple. Arthur. Arthur had fallen ill, poisoned according to Gaius, with magical poison. However, nothing like he had ever seen before. This all happened a week ago. Merlin hadn't slept, barely eaten and maybe, just maybe, he had found something that could save Arthur, but off course the antidote needed magic to work and although he had remembered to shut the door, he had been too focused to hear anyone enter. Now he was running through the castle halls, chasing one of his friends, who was now terrified of him. He rounded another corner and… ran straight into Gaius.

'Merlin?' Gaius obviously was surprised to see him, the antidote was supposed to be taking a while longer. Merlin opened his mouth to explain but clamped it shut when he realized Leon stood next to Gaius.

'Have you seen Gwen?' He asked, but as Gaius denied seeing her, he sighed. He wanted to, no, he needed to find her. He could only hope she would let him explain and not run to the guards immediately. He was already turning around when a scream stopped him.

'Gaius! You have to come quickly! Arthur, he's getting worse.' Merlin froze at the scream. It was Gwen. He should've known Gwen would run to Arthur. He followed Gaius and Leon to the door of Arthur's chambers, but when he wanted to step through, his eyes locked with Gwen's. It lasted merely a second, but it stopped him dead in his steps. She was worried, obviously about Arthur off course, but the way she looked at him. She was afraid, uncertain and it hurt him physically that one of his best friends was so afraid of him.

'I'm afraid there's nothing I can do my lady. The poison is unlike anything I've seen before, its magic makes it act nothing like a normal poison.' Gaius interrupted Merlin's thoughts.

'Magic? The poison is magical?' Gwen asked. Gwen looked at him. The ferocity of her glance made him stagger back a pace. The fear was still present, as was the uncertainty, but there lingered something new. Something close to anger and that hurt Merlin more than anything else. Gwen was the most kind, light-hearted person he knew. He'd never seen her angry and now her anger was focused on him. He started to shake his head in denial, he wanted so desperately to explain to her that he had nothing to do with this. He could never poison Arthur! He protected him, he wanted to save him! But he couldn't, not with Leon present, so he turned around. He had to save Arthur and hopefully he thereby could convince Gwen he wasn't just another evil sorcerer.

It was late that evening when Gaius came back. Merlin was sitting at the dining table, staring at the vial before him.

'It's finished.' He simply stated.

Gaius walked closer and sat down opposite from him. 'Care to explain to me what's going on?'

'Nothing's going on! It was difficult magic and it took a lot of energy, but I did it, I finished the cure.'

'Not with the cure, Merlin, with Gwen. I could easily see your discomfort and if nothing was going on you would have visited Arthur the second the cure was ready.'

'She saw me.' Was all what Merlin said, he looked up to Gaius. No tears were present, but Gaius could easily see the hurt written on Merlin's face.

'She saw me using magic on the vial, she ran away and now she's not only afraid of me but angry too! She probably thinks I had something to do with Arthur falling ill, she would never let him drink a potion made by me.'

'Merlin calm down, if she really thought that, you would've been arrested. Merlin stared at Gaius and didn't know what to say. Gwen hadn't had him arrested, but he had seen her anger when the magical poison was mentioned. He let his head fall back in his hands.

'Can you please take the cure to Arthur.'

Merlin, you shou…'

'Please. Gaius. I can't take any chances, I have to be sure Arthur gets it.' Merlin had wanted to go to Arthur with the cure, he really had, but then he thought of Gwen and when she doubted him, she wouldn't take the risk. He had wanted to proof to her he was good, he was saving Arthur, but actually making sure Arthur got the poison was more important. Gaius tried to look in his eyes, but Merlin kept his head down. Gaius sighed and stood up, he took the vial and after a last glance at Merlin he walked out the door towards Arthurs quarters, leaving his ward to his own thoughts.

Gwen sat alone with Arthur. Her hand entangled with his, but her thoughts drifted off towards Merlin. Arthur was poisoned, with a magical potion, and she had seen Merlin use magic on a potion today. Still she could not believe Merlin had poisoned Arthur, but she couldn't forget what she had witnessed. The glowing, floating vials and Merlin's eyes, blazing gold. His behaviour in Arthur's chamber had been odd. She wasn't the only one who had noticed that, even Leon had asked Gaius if something was wrong. Gaius however, had looked just as stunned as them. She didn't want to expose Merlin, she didn't want to see him executed, but magic would corrupt him, maybe already had. Just like with Morgana. Maybe if she told the knights, maybe they could help him, make him understand magic was evil and he shouldn't practise it. The knights were his friends, they wouldn't kill him, would they? She couldn't ask them, she couldn't make them choose between the life of their friend and the safety of Camelot. But what if Merlin had caused Arthur's illness? Merlin wouldn't, he was Arthur's friend. But hadn't Morgana been Arthur's friend too? A knock on the door stopped her chaotic line of thoughts.

'Enter.' She simply said.

Gaius came shuffling back in the room. He had told her he wanted to check on Merlin and she hadn't been able to say no. she felt obligated to ask how Merlin was.

'He's upset about something and he worries about Arthur. He hasn't been sleeping properly the last week.' Gaius shortly answered before focusing back on Arthur.

Worry or bad conscience, Gwen couldn't help to think. She immediately felt bad. Why had Merlin of all people fallen victim to magic.

'…a cure that could work or at least lesson his suffering.' Gaius voice drew Gwen back to the present.

'A cure?' she gasped. Could she really hope Arthur would wake up? Gaius pulled a vial with a potion out of his medicine bag. Gwen pulled Arthur up and slowly Gaius poured the liquid in his mouth. When Gwen stared at the vial, she couldn't keep herself from thinking back to Merlin. What if Merlin has tampered with the cure as well. But when Gaius was finished she only looked hopeful to the unconscious man lying on his bed.

Merlin was lying on his bed, staring at his ceiling, since Gaius went to Arthur, his thoughts had been swirling through his head.

Would the cure work?

Would Gwen let Arthur drink it?

Would she report him to Arthur?

Would she have him executed?

What if the cure didn't work, would she blame him?

Would she accuse him of poisoning Arthur in the first place?

Would she listen to his explanation?

Would she ever trust him again?

Would they still be friends?

It hurt him to think they wouldn't. Gwen had been one of his first friends and maybe now that was over. He heard the door to Gaius quarters open. Why hadn't he done that this afternoon. He heard Gaius' footsteps towards his door and the door to his room opened. Merlin didn't look up.

'Merlin..' Gaius spoke and Merlin closed his eyes. It hadn't worked, the cure hadn't saved Arthur.

'You did it Merlin. Arthur's awake and already demands a bath, so I think he'll make a full recovery.'

Merlin let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. A little smile formed on his lips, but he didn't get up. Gaius sat down on the bed and placed his hand on Merlin's shoulder. 'You have to get up Merlin, I know it's late, but Arthur was really persistent when he asked for his bath.' Merlin just shrugged.

'If you wait long enough, I'm sure Arthur will send some guards to help you.' Gaius still got no reaction.

'Merlin, Arthur needs a…'

'His bath can wait Gaius, Gwen's still there.' Merlin retorted while turning on his side, away from Gaius.

'I was going to say a friend, Merlin, the bath is obviously a way to ask for you. He nearly died and he needs someone to talk to.'

'I can't.' Merlin simply stated.

'Merlin…'

'Fine! I'm going to make his bath, happy now?!' Merlin sprung up and left a sighing Gaius behind.

Arthur lay in his bed, one arm around a sleeping Guinevere. According to Gaius he had been out for a week because of a magical enhanced poison. Gwen had told him how worried she and everyone else had been, so it hadn't been a surprise when she had fell asleep. What had been a surprise was that he hadn't even seen a glimpse of Merlin. Normally he couldn't get rid of his too loyal servant and now, when he had woken up after being on his deathbed for a week, he was nowhere to be seen. That was why he had asked Gaius for a 'bath', for which he was now impatiently waiting. Not that he was worried about Merlin, but yes, he was.

Merlin slowly opened the door to Arthur's chambers, pushing with his shoulder while holding two buckets full of water in his hands.

'Merlin! Finally!' He immediately heard Arthur call and although Gaius had told him Arthur had woken up, he couldn't surpress a smile when he heard Arthur's voice after a week.

'Welcome back to the land of the living, 'sire'.' He answered.

'And it seems I've missed nothing new, my servant still takes his time to do his jobs.' Merlin smirked.

'I'm simply trying to make your waking not anymore shocking 'sire', I wouldn't dare expose you to change now. Anything for your health.'

As Arthur wanted to retort, Gwen woke up. Merlin stiffened, when hearing Arthur he immediately had fallen back to their usual banter, forgetting about Gwen.

'Don't just stand there, Merlin, go and prepare my bath.' Merlin saw Gwen shoot up as his name was mentioned and flinched, she absolutely didn't trust him anymore. He simply nodded and walked over to the tub, intentionally avoiding Gwen's stare. After he had finished preparing the bath, he simply bowed and quickly left the room. Outside he sighed. He would have to talk to Gwen alone, but if she was afraid of him that wasn't likely to happen. Something had to happen though, otherwise people would start to notice.

Arthur looked at the door in confusion. He was still figuring out what just had happened, when Gwen took his hand. When he looked in her eyes he only grew more confused; she looked afraid. And now that he thought about it. Merlin had left almost immediately after Gwen had woken. Something had happened this last week between the two.

'What's going on between you and Merlin?' he asked.

Gwen stiffened, why did Arthur have to be so perceptive today of all days.

'What do you mean? Nothing is going on, he probably feels a little awkward because I'm here, maybe he hadn't noticed.' She replied, it was a weak lie and she knew it. Merlin had walked in on them lying in bed more than once, that never had stopped him. Gwen could see Arthur didn't buy it. He kept staring her in the eyes, obviously asking for the truth this time.

'Arthur, don't ask, please. It's something Merlin and I need to talk about, something happened, but you can't fix it.'

'Gwen.'

'I won't tell you.' She interrupted him. 'Maybe later, but not now.'

Arthur stared at her. He let go of her hand. 'Go talk with him then.'

'Arthur don't be like that. If I tell you I betray a friends trust.' She stared into his eyes, but couldn't read them.

'It's fine! But I want this solved, so go talk to him now.' Arthur stubbornly said. Gwen sighed and slowly stood up. She knew she had to talk to Merlin, but she hadn't thought about what to say yet. She wasn't ready to confront Merlin, but she had to do something, so she slowly made her way towards Gaius quarters.

Merlin returned to his chambers way to quickly according to Gaius. His ward didn't say a word to him, before retreating to his room. Gaius sighed and considered what to do. Eventually he grabbed Merlin's dinner and opened the door to his room, revealing the boy lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Again.

'You barely touched your food tonight.' No answer. 'Merlin…'

'I was busy.' Came the short reply

'You're not busy now, so eat.' Merlin sighed, but sat up and took the plate from Gaius. As soon as he looked at the food he put down the plate next to him, there was no way he could eat anything right now.

'Merlin, look at me, you're not arrested. Gwen didn't send for you, that has to mean something, she doubting her judgement of magic, of you. You of all people can explain to her that magic isn't essentially evil.' Gaius tried.

'Can I? You didn't see the way she looked at me. She was my first friend here in Camelot. I was in the stocks and she didn't judge me, she came and talked to me. I felt awful when her father fell ill, I wanted to help her so badly, but when I did, she got arrested for it. When everything had worked out, I wanted to tell her about me, but I couldn't, I couldn't put her in that position, not when she just recently had spent time in jail for something I did.' Merlin sighed. 'When she found out and she looked at me today, she did judge me, she looked at me as if, as if I was a monster.'

Gaius looked up at that statement. 'I've told you before Merlin, never think that you're a monster, I meant it back then and I mean it now. Magic is not evil, it's how you use it. You just used it to cure Arthur.' There came no response. Gaius placed his hand on Merlin's shoulder. 'Don't ever think you're evil, you're most definitely not a monster.'

Merlin didn't look up. 'I'm going to bed. Arthur will want to see me bright and early tomorrow.' He tried to say with a laugh. Gaius sighed inwardly when Merlin turned away from him again. He stood up and walked towards the door. 'Good night then.' He said when he closed the door behind him and walked to his own cot.

Gwen had wanted to go in and talk to Merlin, but now she found herself back in her chambers, contemplating what she had just heard Gaius and Merlin say.

So... What did you think? Hopefully I can post the next chapter somewhere in the very near future! Seeing how many of you view my story makes me extremely happy. Please leave a review with your thoughts or prompts! Oh and sorry if there are any weird or horrible mistakes, I'm not perfect ;)

Rosie out!