Arthur sat in his room, lost in thought. It had been hours after he and Merlin had confronted Uther- hours since Merlin revealed he had magic- and Arthur didn't know what to do. A voice in his head that sounded like Uther's kept on saying things like magic is evil, magic corrupts, and no magic user should be trusted. Another voice, however, was saying that Merlin had been here for eight years, and Arthur was still alive and healthy. That voice presented memories to him- memories of Merlin asking Arthur if he knew how many times he'd saved Arthur's life, memories of Merlin saying he'd protect Arthur as long as he's alive. That voice reasoned that if Merlin had wanted him dead, he wouldn't even have to do anything- he literally could have done nothing, and Arthur would have been dead long ago. However, as long as Uther had been alive, he had been drilling into Arthur's head that magic was evil, and it was hard to counteract a lifetime of believing this.

Arthur sighed. He knew Merlin didn't think he knew about his secret- or maybe secrets. Who knew what else Merlin was hiding from him? Wait...Gaius would probably know. Maybe he should visit Gaius and ask him for advice. Resolving to visit Gaius in the morning, Arthur decided to go to sleep.

Arthur knocked on the door of Gaius's chamber. Gaius's voice called out, "One minute!". A few moments later, Gaius opened the door, and said, "Ah, Your Majesty. Come in."

"Can I- sit here?", asked Arthur, indicating the table. "Of course," said Gaius. "Now, what's your problem?"

"It's- it's about Merlin."

"What about him?"

"Gaius- I *know* about him, okay? I overheard him telling my father."

Gaius looked shocked. "What exactly did you hear him telling your father?"

"That he has magic," Arthur replied.

"Oh," said Gaius. "And what are you going to do about it? Because let me tell you something, Sire- if you kill Merlin, you will be as good as signing your death warrant."

"That's the thing, Gaius- I have absolutely no clue what to do," said Arthur. "On the one hand, I know I can't execute him- I need him too much, both as a person and as a sorcerer-"

"Warlock," said Gaius.

"What?"

"He's a warlock, not a sorcerer," replied Gaius. Seeing the question on Arthur's face, he said, "He was born with magic- he was able to use it before he started forming memories, something that no other person I've heard of can do. Sorcerers and sorceresses have to study magic- he doesn't. In a way, he *is* magic- he's the most powerful magic-user to ever live. But sorry, you were saying?"

"I know I can't execute him, but my whole life, I've been taught that magic and its users are evil, and I've seen enough to make this seem true. But Merlin's been here in Camelot all this time, and I'm still alive and healthy. I just don't know what to do, Gaius. Could you help me?"

"I..." Gaius seemed shocked at Arthur's blatant question, but after a few seconds, he seemed to recover. "Of course, Sire, but I have to warn you, I might be a bit prejudiced."

"Why?", asked Arthur.

"Because I was once a magic user myself," said Gaius. "And I care for Merlin; I would do almost anything to help him. It would be better, Sire, if you were to talk to other people."

"But who would I talk to?" replied Arthur.

"You could talk to me," came Gwaine's voice from behind Arthur.