Howdy, my lovely readers (both reviewers and lurkers alike). These past couple of weeks have been somewhat eventful where this story is concerned- tests in some of the schools I teach at meant that I had a rather shocking lack of work to do, and as such I've ended up with several chapters written within my notebook. Now just comes the matter of finding the time to type them all up. As a matter of fact (and in a rather shocking turn of events for me), I actually finished writing the entire thing! With this story having been in development for over two and a half years, I'm sure that you can understand a little just how much of a shock that was for me! As such, it is with a rather confused jumble of emotions that I bring you this latest installment. I really hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: Do I really have to say it? I don't own Merlin (though I'm beginning to think I should, with all of your flattery). Sigh.

Chapter 35

Clutching lightly to his trousers in an attempt to halt the slight trembling which had suddenly overcome his hands, Merlin concentrated on keeping both his breathing and his gaze as steady as possible. With Uther's accusing glare boring into his soul, so similar to when they had last been face-to-face, the young Warlock was finding himself hard-pressed not to simply turn tail and run. He had feared Uther in the past- feared what the King could do to him should he be discovered for what he was- but that fear was nothing compared with the whirlwind of emotions he now found himself to be confronted with. Six months of complete isolation- one hundred and ninety three days of sitting alone with only his magic as comfort, wondering if he was ever going to see the light of day with his own eyes again, or whether he would eventually just surrender to it all and lose his grip on reality completely. All of the emotions and memories he had been so forcefully repressing ever since the door had swung open to reveal Arthur staring back at him- they all came rushing back at once, almost overwhelming him with their ferocity.

Closing his eyes just momentarily to shut out Uther's gaze, Merlin allowed himself a single deep breath. Knowing that he needed to be calm if he wanted to have a hope in hell of making it through the rest of the day, he concentrated on pushing the torrent of emotions back once more, and locking them away, ready to be worked through properly at a later point in time.

It was, he realised somewhat bitterly, a good thing he had had so much practice in the art.

Exhaling as slowly as he could, Merlin blinked his eyes open once again. Uther still had not removed his gaze and, as such, their eyes met again almost instantly.

This time, though, there was something different. Without his own jumble of confusion clouding his mind, he allowed himself to properly study what he could of the King's own mental state. And so, this time, he noticed it. Hidden behind a wall of anger and stubborn hatred, and even behind the uncertainty and wariness, he saw the fear. After all this time- after all these years- he finally understood exactly how afraid Uther truly was.

But the protection spell he had cast earlier that day still lingered, wrapped gently around the King's soul, and pulsing with a gentle light which only he, as the caster, could see. Merlin had left it in place in an effort to lessen the remaining mental pain from Morgana's torture- as it was only the physical traces which could ever truly be cast aside by anyone other than Uther himself- and he found himself sincerely hoping that it was of some use in relieving the older man of at least a small portion of the fear and pain which the young Warlock could see in him. Not because he particularly cared for Uther- given what the man had put him through, such a feat would be difficult to say the least- but because he could understand. Could understand so well that it hurt. So many of the emotions he himself had battled through because of his magic and his destiny were, by an almost conscious choice, shared by the grey- haired man before him. He had deliberately shut himself off- isolated his heart and trapped himself in a world of fear and torment, all so that he could be the King he thought his people needed.

"I let him out."

The voice was jarring- as if, in a way, it had intruded upon a strangely intimate moment- and as he followed the shift in Uther's eyes until they were both looking at Arthur, Merlin was shocked to realise that it couldn't have been more than a couple of seconds since the King had issued his question.

It took Uther a moment to reply, and Merlin couldn't help but wonder whether it was just a natural pause or whether the usually domineering man had been affected in a similar manner to himself. Had the King sensed it too? That similar burden? That similar pain? He had to be at least vaguely aware of the comforting spell, but it was entirely possible that he hadn't noticed it was magic- he could have just as easily seen it as a by-product of the torture- something he himself had set up in an effort to protect his own mind.

And if he had realised it was magic? If he had, somewhere deep inside, acknowledged the help which magic could offer? If that, by some miracle, did happen to be the case, was it at all possible that he had realised that the source of the spell was Merlin himself? Was that why he had paused?

The poorly concealed venom when Uther finally spat out a reply made him seriously doubt it.

"Why?"

"I'd have thought that was obvious."

"And I would have thought you to know better than to go against my judgement so willingly. This man-" he jabbed a finger in Merlin's direction-" is dangerous."

"Not to Camelot." Came the quick rebuttal, instantly putting to a halt the small spear of pain Merlin had inevitably felt at Uther's words, even though he knew them to be true. "Magic was necessary in order to save everyone- powerful magic. A little more time and the spells would have become too deeply ingrained, and then not even Emrys would have been able to do anything. If there was to be any chance at all for Camelot, Merlin had to be released."

There was complete silence following Arthur's declaration. Uther tensed even further than before. Arthur stared back at him, half defiant, half respectful. The two guards stood awkwardly to one side, watching the three men nervously and looking as though they wished for nothing in the world other than to not be in the room at that particular time. And Merlin- well, to be honest, Merlin just wanted to go to sleep and forget (even if only temporarily) all of the events which had led to this moment. The whole situation was a little overwhelming.

"I've sent instructions for the Knights to gather the council," Arthur eventually continued, once it became clear that Uther had no plans of replying. "I hope you will allow me to explain myself further there. I've also given orders to strengthen the defences of both the city and of Camelot as a whole. And to ensure the well-being of the Kingdom's citizens, too."

Silence fell once more, the air thick with tension as everyone stared at the King, waiting for him to offer some kind of reaction. For a single heartbeat, the man seemed almost frozen in place. The was no anger in either his expression or his posture, as Merlin had expected. Any rage had now seemingly vanished, replaced by a deathly calm which was somehow several times more terrifying than if he had been ranting and raving. Then his shoulders straightened and, without another word to his son, and without so much as glancing at Merlin, he addressed the guards.

"You two are to escort the sorcerer to the council rooms. If he makes any move to escape, or shows any signs whatsoever of using magic, you will run him through without hesitation."

With that said, he promptly turned on his heel and strode from the room, not waiting for a reply.

Merlin immediately made to follow (he had heard Arthur use that same tone of voice enough times to know without a doubt that any delay would not be tolerated), but a hand on his arm held him back.

"I need a message sent out to the sorcerers still in Camelot." Arthur's eyes were firm. "I was going to address them at the same time as the general crowds, but it seems as though that will no longer be possible. Can you link me to them mentally?"

Before Merlin could so much as open his mouth to reply, the older guard beat him to it.

"Sire, I must object. You heard the King. We cannot allow him to use magic."

Most men would have quailed upon being confronted with the piercing glare now on the Prince's face, but- somewhat miraculously- the man's resolve didn't seem to waver. Relenting slightly, the Prince sighed.

"Look- contrary to how this might appear, I am not exactly keen on the idea of disobeying my father so readily. But the fact remains that, right at this moment, there could be any number of sorcerers hidden in Camelot. Morgause is dead, the spells are broken, and there is a barrier around the city preventing them from escaping. I cannot afford for any of them to panic and do something stupid, and I am sure you don't want to see any citizens hurt either. And if the only way to prevent this is to talk to them, then so help me I plan on doing so. I know this is asking a lot, but will you please turn a blind eye?"

After several seconds had passed, the guards exchanged glances, before the elder man bowed his head slightly in defeat.

"Hadrian!" The younger guard swiftly exclaimed, his eyes wide in protest. "We can't-"

"We have to." Hadrian interrupted. "You know that as well as I do, Rowan. Besides," he turned slightly, a wry grin twisting his lips, "we can't report something if we don't see it."

Rowan stared at the older man for a while, something akin to admiration in his gaze. Then, not pausing to acknowledge the Prince's grateful nod, he turned too, a nervous smile of his own beginning to form.

"I really hope this doesn't get me exiled or something," he laughed shakily. "Katelyn would hunt me down and kill me."

Hadrian offered a laugh of his own. "That's if you don't manage to off yourself first. Knowing your luck, you're more likely to stumble into a snake pit. Or something equally ridiculous."

"Ah~ah," came the immediate reply. "I knew I should've just stayed back to help with the inn. Curse my thirst for adventure!"

Grinning slightly, Merlin allowed the guards' voices to fade into the background, and found himself once more to be under Arthur's scrutiny.

"Can you do it?"

The Warlock thought for a moment. "I'm not really sure. Not all magic-users can actually respond to, or even receive, mind-speak, but if I just project the thoughts outwards, I reckon it's quite likely that I'd be able to reach enough for the message to spread."

"And I'd be able to speak directly?"

"I doubt it. For someone without magic to enter into a mental conversation would be completely impossible without first setting up some sort of powerful link, and who knows how long that could... take..."

He trailed off, staring at Arthur intently as a thought occurred to him. How could he have been so stupid?!

"Roll up your sleeve."

"What?"

"Your sleeve!" They really didn't have time for Arthur's stupid side to rear up right now. "I need to see the tattoo!"

Understanding quickly dawned and, almost before he could blink, the Prince had yanked up his left sleeve and thrust his tattoo in the Warlock's face.

Merlin studied it carefully, blue eyes darting from scale to scale in an attempt to glean some meaning where even Gaius had been unable. Huffing in frustration when none could be found, he gave up on reading it, and instead simply probed out with his magic.

The effect was immediate.

His mind suddenly lit up with glittering information, and he couldn't react fast enough to block the shuddering gasp which rose in his throat upon the realisation that, if he had only done this six months ago, he would have been able to communicate with Arthur all along.

The link obviously already formed, Merlin spoke with his mind.

'Can you hear me? Think your answer.'

Arthur's eyes widened slightly in shock, but he managed to nod. 'I can hear you.'

It was different from regular mind-speak, Merlin realised. He could somehow sense the constant thrum of Arthur's emotions, as well as his voice. And, if the Prince's expression was any indication, the same was true in reverse.

Quickly pushing back his own shock as best he could, Merlin turned and started walking to the door.

"Let's go." 'We should be able to do the rest while walking.'

Neither of them even really hearing Haiden's brief exclamation of "already?," the two friends made their way into the hallway together, both still reeling slightly.

'Just think your message when you're ready,' the Warlock continued. 'I'll send it out.'

Arthur nodded determinedly and, as they made their way hastily through the castle corridors, Merlin could sense the Prince's mind whirring at frantic speeds. It took several moments, but he finally seemed to settle on how to address what he saw as the most crucial points of what he wanted to say.

'This is Prince Arthur,' he eventually began- Merlin working automatically to project the message through the entire city. 'This may be hard for you to believe, but I am currently speaking to you through the aid of my friend, Merlin, otherwise known as the Warlock, Emrys. To anyone hearing this message, I want you to know that he is not dead, as you have been led to believe. He is very much alive. And, whatever else you may have heard, neither of us are willing to give up on our shared destiny to return magic to these lands.

'Morgause refused to believe in that destiny,' he continued after a momentary pause. 'She allowed hatred and vengeance to rule her judgement. Her misguided passion allowed her and her sister, Morgana, to draw you all into a vile scheme wherein innocent children were used as pawns to enslave the minds of an entire nation.

'But now Morgause is dead, and Morgana had fled, abandoning you all to whatever fate may have in store. With the loss of your leaders, I can understand that you may feel wary regarding what is to come. Especially considering the barrier currently preventing you from leaving the city. But, still, I ask you not to panic. The barrier is there for your protection. For the time being, I ask that you blend in with the other citizens. I will not hold you accountable for your participation in the sisters' plan but, if you harm any citizens, I cannot promise that I can offer you mercy. Once the day is up, I swear on my mother's grave that I will do everything in my power to ensure all those who wish to leave safe passage out of Camelot. I will not allow any one of you to fall to an unjust law.'

Again he paused, locking eyes with Merlin for the briefest of moments before rounding off his message.

'To those who have heard me, please spread the word to those who haven't. I am sure that none of us wish to see any more unnecessary injuries or deaths. I shall contact you again before the day ends. Until then, stay safe.'

Once the message had ended, Merlin instantly put up a mental block around his and Arthur's link, effectively cutting off the tumultuous rush of questions he had instantly (and rather predictably, to be honest) been bombarded with from all over the city.

"You did well, you know," he assured Arthur, reverting back to physical speech for the time being. Continuing, he shot the Prince a mischievous grin. "A bit too well- people are going to doubt it's really you speaking if you don't let even a glimpse of your prattitude show."

A moment later, the Warlock was rubbing his arm ruefully where Arthur had landed a light-hearted punch. Not that it truly bothered him- the fond gratitude shining through their link was more than enough in compensation. Although it kind of irked him that the Prince was able to sense his own pride towards his friend in return.

Still, that fondness- and even the worry which accompanied it- provided more than a little comfort when they drew level with the council rooms. Beyond those doors, his fate- and possibly the fates of numerous others- would be decided once again.

But this time was different. He may have been willing to accept the final judgement, but this time he wasn't just going to stand by and let Arthur do all of the fighting on his behalf. This time, he had a plan of his own.

And he was determined to win.

And so it begins. Dun dun dunnnnnn!

I'm still open to ideas for the series title. I'm thinking I'll do the grand reveal either at the beginning or the end of chapter 37, and I really don't want it to be a let-down, so if anybody comes up with a better idea than mine, there's still time for it to change. And the offer still stands for those who want to know more about my OCs. As long as information about them wouldn't give anything away, I'm quite happy to blab as much as you like over pms. In fact, I've even started writing up a short(ish) piece on Kolby. Although it's taking a bit of work- I keep on getting upset... and that's an understatement if ever I wrote one...

(And, yes, I really did make it so that Merlin's complete and utter solitude was actually largely unnecessary. Poor fella- he's been through a lot, and this only makes it seem somehow pointless to him... I really am mean, aren't I...)