Merlin wasn't sure what happened next. All he knew was that when he opened his eyes it was night time and he was sitting around a campfire with Arthur. He tried to slowly push himself up, but he had forgotten that his arm was broken and so instead of sitting up he let out a short shout of pain.
"Merlin. You're going to attract all the guards if you don't shut up." Arthur whispered as Merlin used his other arm to sit up, moving a bit roughly.
"You try to shut up when you knock your broken arm," Merlin whispered back, "Anyway, you're the clotpole who has a camp fire going. That's gonna make it pretty obvious where we are."
"Merlin. One, incase you haven't noticed we are sitting in the middle of a forest that is so dense that they will not be able to see the fire. Two, please delight me by telling me what a 'clotpole' is, and remember that while I am not the prince of Camelot at this second, no one took my ability to beat you senseless." Arthur smirked. Merlin let out a small chuckle.
"Oh, I wouldn't dare take away the joy you will get when you find out by yourself my lord," Merlin retorted.
"Oh really. Well, I guess that means that you won't want any of this water I collected from the stream right? Not thirsty after all that?"
"...I was saving you."
"All you have to do is say sorry Merlin."
"But..."
"Just say it and you can have water."
"But Arth-..."
"Just say it."
"...Sorry."
"That's better Merlin," Arthur was grinning when he passed the flask of water over, "We'll teach you manners yet."
Merlin shook his head, "So where are we then?"
"We're in a forest Merlin, I thought I explained that already," Arthur replied promptly with that tone that used to make Merlin feel the size of a pin, but not now. Now he knew exactly what that tone meant.
"Well yes, I know that. But where exactly, or does your highness not know where in his kingdom we are?" Merlin smirked evilly.
Arthur glared at him, but couldn't hide the embarrassment off of his face, "Shut up Merlin. It'll do us all the world of good."
"So we're lost then. Excellent." Merlin muttered.
"Well you shouldn't have dropped us off in some random forest then. Wouldn't Ealdor have been much easier?" Arthur snapped.
"Ah, so you admit that we're lost then."
"Shut up Merlin."
Merlin was about to come up with another witty retort, when he saw Arthur grasp a branch from nearby. Merlin scanned the area and saw what Arthur had noticed. There were a group of people coming through the trees towards them. They were walking quietly, almost silently, "You can't walk that quietly in a forest," Merlin thought, "They are using magic."
"I'll count to three and then we run, ok?" Arthur said under his breath, quieter than the whisper he had said before, "One. Two."
Merlin didn't hear him say 'three'. They started to run away from the people, who instantly picked up speed. Merlin muttered an incantation and became able to see in the dark of the forest, making it much easier to evade all of the branches that threatened to trip him up. Arthur seemed to be having no trouble, appearing to be quite used to running through woodland in the dark.
However their escape did not last long, when another group appeared infront of them. They tried to arc off, but the groups joined together and trapped them in the middle. Arthur raised the branch he had grabbed earlier, and it was then that Merlin noticed they were not holding any weapons. Infact there was nothing threatening about them at all (apart from the number of them approaching them in the dark).
"You do not need to raise your weapon, Arthur Pendragon, we mean you no ill fortune." A voice said from within the group. A man then stepped forward towards them and took the hood off of his cloak. He made a gesture and a ball of light formed above them illuminating the area. He was an older man with white wavy hair. His skin was wrinkled, and he gave off an air of quiet authority and self-control. Upon seeing his face, Arthur let the tension lower from his body and let out a big smile.
"It is good to see you Gaius," Arthur replied as he drew in and shook his hand. The man smiled, but let his eyes move from Arthur over to Merlin. He seemed to study him in an instant and understand what was going on.
"I see your friend is in need of medical attention. Do you mind?" Gaius asked as he stepped over to Merlin.
"Not at all," Merlin responded quietly, the man was quite close to him and he hadn't know him long enough to know whether he could truely trust him. He looked over towards Arthur who let out a small smile and a nod, something Merlin had come to understand meant 'trust me'. Merlin allowed the man to examine him.
"It is a simple break from what I can tell. Normally if I realigned it, I could get it to heal in a matter of weeks, however if you are with Arthur then I would suppose that you need it healed a bit faster, wouldn't you?" Gaius explained as he glanced down Merlin's arm, Merlin let out a small laugh at this and nodded, "Very well. Then we can do something about that. Aglain! Simeon! Can you help me with this?"
A man and a boy stepped towards Gaius and then three stood around Merlin's arm. They muttered an incantation between them and then held their arms towards Merlin's, suddenly Merlin felt a rush of relief spread over him. Then ten seconds later he could move his arm again. He moved it around and grinned, "Thank you so much! Arthur! Look at this!" When he turned to see Arthur he saw a smile on his face.
"Gaius," Arthur muttered, his body seeming tense and his breathing heavy, "Since when could you use magic?"
Gaius turned to Arthur, a look of sorrow in his eyes, "Arthur. I was always able to use magic. Before the Great Purge, Uther required my services not only in medicine but also for my knowledge in sorcery. Then when he decided to destroy all magic, he gave me a choice. I chose to stop using sorcery and to focus on supporting the kingdom with my knowledge in all things medical. But magic isn't something you can just be rid of, it always stays inside of you. And now, well, without Uther it is chaos, and having something to help survive it is beneficial."
Arthur nodded, "I see. Father knew about this."
"He did." Gaius nodded. He then stepped closer to Arthur, "I am sorry about your loss Arthur. Uther was a great man. He had his flaws, but he didn't deserve to die like that. We all believe this." He motioned to the group around him who all stood quietly, observing the conversation, "We have come to talk Arthur, to find out what you intend to do."
"Thank you," Arthur responded in a way that Merlin felt exuded royalty. He could tell that he was born into this, there was something about the way he was acting in this moment. Something deeper than just the words themselves. Merlin could tell what Arthur was about to do. He had an audience that appeared to be willing to listen. He addressed the group, "I know that my Father discriminated against your kind, I know that your lives must not have been easy. But he did it for peace, so that everyone had the opportunity to live free. That was always his intention."
The group seemed uneasy about this, and Merlin knew how they felt. Uther hadn't just made their lives hard, he made it impossible. Arthur stated that he wanted to give the 'opportunity to live free', but if you deny something so crucial deep inside of yourself, then there was no freedom. There was no freedom for people with magic, only fear.
"I know what he did was wrong," Arthur continued, seeming to measure the mood of the crowd, "I can see clearly in this situation. The Magic King has brought his tryany and danger to the world, he shows the evil in magic. However there are also those who have shown the goodness in magic. People like you, who will not obey an evil man even though it would be much easier to do so, to finally be free to use your magic as you wish. People like Merlin, my friend, who helped me to escape from death by the hands of the Magic King. Magic is not good or evil, it is the people who use it."
"That is why..." Arthur took a breath in, "I am going to take back the kingdom. I am going to restore Camelot to the glory of when my father was king, but with a difference. I will not discriminate against people with magic like my father did. I will let you all live in peace, free to do what you wish. If you want to join us in Camelot you are as free to do so as any citizen. If you want to live in the land around Camelot then you may. I will not outlaw magic. I will make a fair and just kingdom for all to live in."
The crowd seemed to have a range of reactions. Merlin couldn't keep track, the only thing he focused on was Arthur. He knew that if Arthur was saying this, it was something he meant from his heart. If he gave his word, then he would live by it and fight for it's survival. Arthur meant what he said...of cause that didn't mean that it would happen. There was the big all powerful Magic King to consider.
And other people were thinking the same thing, "So how do you propose to do this? How will you take the throne?"
Arthur let out a small smile, "I admit, I cannot do this alone. Against the Magic King, I am weak. He has magic that is far too powerful for me to defeat, far too powerful for most people with magic to defeat. However we are standing with someone who was able to force him back." Merlin didn't like where this was going, "Merlin managed to stop the Magic King when he tried to kill me. We managed to escape thanks to him, and he may be able to fight against him and win."
Merlin felt like Arthur had picked him up and had started ripping pieces of him off like he was a letter that needed destroying, "What the hell is he thinking? I didn't stop him. I was useless against him. We only barely made it out! What the hell Arthur?"
Now everyone's eyes were on Merlin. He didn't know what to do, what to say, where to look. He just stood frozen, hoping that he would disappear. This was not what he wanted. At this point Arthur had stepped over to him and came in close to whisper into his ear, "Merlin. I know you don't believe it, but something happened when you were fighting against him. You managed to stop him from incinerating us. You are probably the first person to be able to do that, which means that you are hope, whether you like it or now."
"I hate you." Merlin whispered back, causing Arthur to grin.
"I know."
Arthur turned back to the crowd, "But we need help. We need your help. If Merlin and I go in there, then we will be picked off by his army faster than anything. But if you can help us, can keep his armies occupied, then we may be able to win."
The crowd started to talk to each other about this, and then one of the men who had helped Merlin before, Aglain, stepped forward, "How do we know that he can do it? How do we know that this boy is strong enough?"
Another man with white hair that seemed to swirl around his head stepped forward, "Aglain, can you not tell who this boy is? Surely you have felt it, the power that he possesses. He can only be one person." He took a deep breath that drew everyone one, "Emrys." Suddenly there was an explosion of conversation between the crowd. After a minute the man raised his hand up and everything fell silent again, "This boy is the one that is prophesised to unite the kingdoms of Albion and bring magic back to the kingdom. There can be no one else who can bring peace."
Merlin did not know what was going on anymore.
"Emrys...maybe you are right Iseldir. I can sense a great power inside of him...but I have also seen the terror of the Magic King first hand. I know his power too and it was truely terrifying. We would be better staying out of his way." Aglain replied.
"I think that is unwise Aglain," Gaius called out, "The Magic King may just be killing people without magic for now, but what will he do when everyone has magic? It is simple, he will kill all who oppose him. And also, what of your respect for life? As a druid, surely every life that ends must bring you sorrow? The inbalance must be corrected."
"You do not need to remind me of the ways of my own people Gaius," Aglain frowned, "I must think on this, I think we all should."
"I agree," Iseldir concured, "We must all take some time to consider this offer. Only those who wish to support the young Pendragon should partake in this plan," He then turned to Arthur, "But know this Arthur, there are not enough of us here to form an army. How do you plan to find more people?"
Arthur smiled, "I have been considering this for a while now. When the battle was looking bleak, my father evacuated a large number of citizens. I know where they are, and I can ask them for help. Other then that I would assume that there are more people like you. I would like to unite all of the people who oppose the Magic King, for this I would also require your help."
Iseldir nodded, "Very well. Let us consider your offer Arthur Pendragon. For now let us offer you food, I don't imagine you have eaten well for a while now."
Arthur accepted and the two joined the group for a meal. The meal was a simple stew, but Merlin had forgotten about food for the duration of his rescue attempt and was now starving so it tasted like the most luxiorous meal anyone had ever had in the history of the world.
As the night drew on, Gaius sat next to him, "I imagine that Arthur did not tell you what he was planning before this happened?"
"We were both caught off guard," Merlin replied, "Though I guess I got the shorter straw in this matter."
Gaius chuckled, "I suppose so. There is a great weight around your shoulders. Even if they don't agree to join in the battle, all these people will depend on you. You probably don't know it, but you being able to escape the Magic King with Arthur is the closest to a victory that anyone has had against him. I have seen those with and without magic challenge him because they disagreed with his views, and all have perished. You are hope Merlin. You may be the most important boy in the world at this point."
Merlin shook his head, "I don't believe that. I mean, I may have power and may be able to do something. But I stood infront of him. I talked to him for a while when I was in that castle. He is...something different. His power is phenomenal. It was luck we were able to escape."
"I'm not entirely sure of that Merlin. I think that you are stronger than you know," Gaius said seriously, "You should get some sleep now. I imagine it has been quite a tiring journey so far, and it sounds like there is going to be a lot more in the future."
Merlin nodded. He then settled down on the ground, wrapping himself up in his jacket. A few moments later he felt a blanket be lowered onto him, and saw Gaius standing above him with a small smile on his face. He stepped away, and soon after Merlin fell asleep.