Hidden Motives

A/N: Posting earlier than planned, but was very excited to see your reactions to this chapter! Thank you so much for all the reviews for the last chapter; let me know what you think of this one!

Chapter 17

Arthur was distantly aware of someone insulting him. Insulting him! As Prince of Camelot, that wasn't something that happened to him all that often. His father's sense of humour didn't really extend to insults, nor did his anger give way to them. The citizens of Camelot treated him with respect and in recent years they generally seemed to like him as their Prince. There was no-one who would insult him. No-one except for…

'Arthur!'

Merlin's anxious whisper cut through the haze that Arthur found was clouding his mind, followed by a pounding that irritated his already throbbing head. When had he injured himself? He was about to make an attempt at opening his eyes, when ice cold water suddenly hit his face. His eyes shot open and he gasped at the sudden sensation.

Looking around frantically, his eyes fell on Merlin who was crouching by him holding an empty cup. Arthur opened his mouth to tell Merlin exactly what he thought about that, but before he could speak, his manservant cut him off.

'Soldiers outside. You need to send them away.' With that hurried comment he stood up, hauling Arthur up at the same time. He staggered to his feet, Lancelot pulling him up from the other side, just as the door in front of him crashed into the wall as it was forced open.

Lancelot and Merlin snapped to attention. It was only then that Arthur realised they were in Gaius' quarters. How they had got there and what they were doing there drew a blank in Arthur's mind. The last thing he remembered… He felt his heart sink as he remembered turning on Merlin and Lancelot, believing they had betrayed him, hurt the people he loved, handed Camelot over to enemies. He had been about to slice Merlin in half when…he didn't remember, but the throbbing in his head suggested that Lancelot had decided it was much less hassle just to render him unconscious.

'Sire? W-we thought…' one of the soldiers stuttered.

'Erm…' Arthur began. A significant cough from Merlin made Arthur clench his fists in irritation. He quickly wiped some of the water off his face with his sleeve and then glared at the men in front of him. 'What is the meaning of this?' he demanded, sounding more angry than he had intended to. The soldiers noticeably quailed at the tone.

'Sorry, my Lord,' another ventured. 'It's just that you told us to search here after checking the armoury wing.'

'And yet still I manage to arrive here first,' Arthur told them fiercely. 'I have checked these quarters myself. Make sure that your searches in the lower town show more urgency.'

'Yes, Sire,' the soldiers murmured, turning on their heels like dogs that had been scolded by their master. The relief in the occupants of the room was evident as Gaius shut the door again.

'You know, Arthur,' Merlin began, taking of his helmet and grinning like an idiot, 'that is the quickest I've ever seen you think.'

'Well thank you, Merlin,' he smiled. Merlin evidently caught the tone in his voice because his smile faltered a little.

'That was a compliment.'

'You threw water over me!' he spluttered, ignoring the comments.

'You've thrown water over me before! Besides, it was the only way to wake you up.'

'I was already conscious!'

'Well, you need to learn how to look it!'

'As helpful as this is,' Gaius told them wryly, 'don't you have somewhere you need to be?'

Arthur gave Merlin a final glare, before concentrating on their next move. Telling his father had been their plan before Sythe had scuppered it somewhat, but perhaps that was still the best thing to do. Sythe was no doubt going to push forward his plan to gain control of the city and now the only path that was really available to him was taking the city by force. If that was the case then Arthur needed to be fighting alongside his father. Despite the gravity of the situation, Arthur was pleased that he would have the opportunity to do just that: fight alongside his father. Since Morgana's terrible betrayal, Arthur had feared that he would never again have the chance to see the father that he had known for so many years. The change in his father after Morgana's treachery had taken Arthur by complete surprise and forced him to face the possibility that he could soon be a King with no parents or siblings to help him.

The revelation had frightened him, though he would never admit it, and, until Sythe had captured him, he had allowed the thought of being king to sink him into a lethargy and depression that nobody had been able to lift. Now he didn't feel that at all. The last vestiges of the darkness that Sythe had forced him into still clung to the back of his mind, making him feel tired and a little uneasy, but all he had to do was look at Merlin, even if it was to glare at him for throwing water, and the strange sensation of connection and purpose swelled in him again. He kept expecting it to unnerve him, but it didn't. He just had a reassuring sense of rightness.

'We'll head for the council chambers,' Arthur said, brushing aside his thoughts as he caught the other men looking expectantly at him. 'If my father is back to his old self then he will be in there organising the men.'

'I don't think an audience is a good idea,' Merlin said. 'Until we've convinced your father, the less the council members know the better.'

'Agreed. I'll ask my father to speak to me in private in the throne room. Merlin, you'll have to wait for me there. Lancelot…'

'Yes, Sire.'

'I want you to take Gaius and hide him in the lower town. If you can find Gwaine then ask him where his hiding place is, if not, anywhere you think is safe. Sythe will no doubt have guessed that you're involved by now,' Arthur said, turning to Gaius, 'you must stay hidden.'

'Yes, Sire,' Gauis nodded.

'Lancelot?'

'I would rather be fighting beside you and Merlin,' he said carefully.

'I know, and I would rather you were there, but I need you to get Gaius to safety. As soon as you've done that, you can come and find us.'

'Yes, Sire.'

Arthur nodded and made to leave, but was forced to stay put for a while long while Merlin force-fed him some food and water, this time keeping the liquid in the cup. Arthur had argued vehemently that having a late dinner wasn't his main concern at the moment, but Merlin had insisted that he get some decent food into him. Arthur had to admit that the minute he took the first bite his mouth watered and his stomach lurched in expectation. He realised that he was very hungry; after all, the meagre rations that Sythe had provided him with had hardly been filling.

While he ate, he questioned his friends on the events that he had missed. Most tallied with the visions that Sythe had put him through, but there were plenty that did not and Arthur listened as Merlin recounted finding the chest of magical items and books in the wardrobe and challenging the imposter in a brave -and, as he told Merlin, utterly stupid- move. He heard, from their point of view how they had gone about trying to lift the counter curse when they thought Merlin was having visions, how Gaius had researched and found the correct spell. Arthur purposely didn't ask too many questions about how Gaius had found it; it was always best to play dumb when it came to Gaius saving them from magical attacks through his knowledge. He heard about how Merlin, Gwaine and Lancelot had escaped and then returned, he heard about their discovery in the archives and finally about the potion they had just used to lift the counter curse.

'So, no more visions?'

'No, you're free of them,' Gaius assured him.

'I can't thank you all enough for what you've done,' he muttered, feeling the usual self consciousness that he tended to when he tried to show gratitude.

'It's Merlin who you have to thank, my Lord,' Lancelot told him gently. 'It's his plans and ideas that we've been following.'

'I know,' Arthur nodded, looking over at Merlin. Again he was hit with the sense of purpose and destiny that had been humming in the back of his mind since he'd learnt that his friend was alive. Now he was looking at him with a ghost of a smile on his face. 'Thank you.'

'You're welcome,' he nodded. 'I'd be out of a job if you were dead, anyway.'

Arthur laughed to himself and shook his head. Trust Merlin to lighten the mood so abruptly. For all his harping on about Arthur not being able to handle feelings, he certainly threw in a fair number of inappropriate comments in these emotionally charged moments.

'You can thank me by finishing all that food,' he added. Arthur gave him what he hoped was a stern look, but continued eating.

'Are you happy now?' Arthur asked Merlin pointedly as he finished the last mouthful. 'Or do you want to draw me a bath while you're there as well?'

'Believe me Arthur, if we had time, a bath would be the first thing I'd make you have.'

'What's that supposed to mean?' Arthur asked him, but he knew that Merlin had a point. Two weeks locked away had done nothing to improve his hygiene.

'You've smelt better. For now a wash will have to do.' He held up a basin and a cloth and pointed at his room. 'If you want to convince your father that you're you, then you need to look the part.'

'This is what I look and smell like after two weeks of being imprisoned,' Arthur protested, but he took the offered items and disappeared into Merlin's room. It would be good to feel a little fresher.

'See, you've just got to know how to handle him,' he heard his friend say through the door. It took all Arthur's self restraint not to go and throw the bowl of washing water in Merlin's face.

A few minutes later, a cleaner Arthur found himself strolling purposely through the castle. Lancelot had taken Gaius to safety and Merlin was making his way, hopefully subtly, to the throne room to wait for Arthur and Uther. The thought of Merlin wandering around the castle dressed up as a guard unnerved Arthur somewhat -there was no end to the ways that his manservant could get himself into trouble- but there was nothing else they could do. Walking into the council rooms with a supposed fugitive would be far too dangerous. Yes, Merlin may well be in disguise, but all of the council members and Uther himself would be able to recognise him if they looked closely enough. It just wasn't worth the risk.

And so, Arthur found himself winding his way towards the council chambers on his own, taking an obscure path through the castle's corridors and chambers so as to avoid running into Sythe. Lancelot had done a quick check before he left with Gaius to try and determine where the sorcerer was and the majority of the guards had believed he was in the lower town, but still Arthur didn't want to take any risks. He didn't want to meet Sythe on his travels; he was fairly certain he knew how that encounter would end and it wouldn't be with him as the victor. The only other danger was that someone would run into Sythe and then him in quick succession; he just had to hope that the chaos across the city would stop people from noticing that their prince could seemingly move from one place to another with incredible speed.

At last, the council chambers came into view. The guards spotted him from some way off and opened the door. He wished they hadn't. It wasn't that he didn't want to speak to his father, but the last time he had seen him, he had been withering away in his chambers, unresponsive to all attempts to coax him out of his lethargy. Now, he would be able to see his father again, really see him, for the first time in months. There were so many other things that he wanted to say to him, but they would have to wait.

It was easy to spot his father as he strolled into the council rooms. He was at the head of the table, his voice strong and sure as he coordinated the search efforts; knights and nobles hurrying out of the hall to pass on their King's wishes. Arthur felt like he had stepped back in time; in fact, for a moment, he wished he had.

Bur suddenly his father looked up. His expression smoothed as he caught sight of his son and Arthur wondered whether he was displeased that the search efforts had so far been unsuccessful. Not meeting up to his father's expectations; that definitely felt like stepping back in time.

'Father,' he began as soon as he reached the man. The council member who had been talking to the King bowed and moved back towards the others.

'Have the searches revealed anything?'

'No, Father, they have not, but there is something more pressing that I need to talk to you about.'

'More pressing than the current state of the city?' Uther asked, surveying the map of the town once again and studying it intently.

'Yes, Father. I need to speak to you in private in the throne room.'

The King looked up at him, evidently annoyed at the interruption, but he nodded his head and indicated that Arthur should lead the way. Arthur did so quickly, taking a lesser used route towards the room, but he stopped after only a few metres when he realised that his father had signalled four guards to tail them.

'Father, this must be done in private.'

'There are imposters roaming through Camelot unchecked; it is prudent to have guards with us at all times for now.' Arthur felt the sharpness of his father's words lash him viciously. This was the version of his father that he struggled with the most; the cold, overbearing man who would criticise with a tone or a gesture so much more effectively than with direct words; that man had been less vocal in recent years, but Arthur recognised him easily now. Perhaps he didn't have his father back after all; perhaps this person was just a ghost, resurrected by the extreme events in Camelot and soon to be buried again when this situation was over.

Arthur wanted to argue the point further, but decided that keeping his father onside was a better plan for now. As soon as he had convinced his father of the truth, all the guards and knights would know about Sythe anyway. Besides, when Merlin turned up in the throne room, it would probably keep his father calmer if there were guards at his beck and call. Arthur was hoping, however, that it wouldn't come to that.

The walk to the council room was full of a tension that Arthur knew wasn't just about the situation unfolding in Camelot. It went deeper than that and he could feel it swelling through his own chest with every step they took. At any moment he expected Sythe to appear and attack them all with magic. The whole success of their plan relied on being one step ahead of the sorcerer and the longer they waited the more likely it seemed that the man would figure out exactly what they were planning on doing and bring his own city wide attack crashing down on them ahead of schedule. Without their armies mustered and the city fortified against him, they wouldn't stand a chance. When it came to sorcerers, brute force was the only real option available; that and hoping Gaius could come up with some fantastic non-magical solution to help them defeat their enemy.

Finally, they slipped in through one of the back entrances to the throne room. Arthur never liked being in there when it was so empty; it reminded him of times he had been told off or had to listen to bad news coming in. Of course, a lot of the time he got told off and had bad news coming in when the room was full of people, but it was the loneliness of the empty throne room that really got to him; a loneliness that kept on creeping up on him when he thought about being King. He looked up as they entered and saw Merlin already standing by the main doors. Despite himself, he smiled. Being King might be lonely, but he would have Gwen and Merlin and the knights by him; it would be a bearable loneliness with them present.

'Guard, why are you here?' Uther demanded, the moment he caught sight of Merlin. The other four guards took up positions at the bottom of the steps on either side of the throne, while Uther remained standing in front of it, every bit the fierce King he had been in days gone by.

'Actually, Father,' Arthur began, moving down to the bottom of the steps and facing the throne, 'he's with me.' He nodded at Merlin who moved forwards and stood just behind him.

'And can you tell me why you wished for the guards I brought to be sent away, while you had your own in here already?'

'Yes, I can, but it will take time and you must listen to what I am saying,' Arthur told him seriously. His father's eyes narrowed dangerously, but he said nothing else, so Arthur nodded to Merlin who hesitantly took his helmet off.

Uther showed very little shock as Merlin was revealed to him. His face grew hard and he stiffened slightly, but other than that he showed no reaction. Arthur decided to take that as a good sign, but was relatively sure that it was a very bad one; a suspicion that was soon confirmed.

'Guards!' he shouted.

'Father, wait-' Arthur tried.

'Arrest them!'

Arthur had opened his mouth to explain, but found that no words came out at his father's instruction. Them? Arrest them?

'Father?' he asked in shock as two guards approached him, locking his hands behind his back. He glanced over at Merlin who looked equally confused as the second pair of guards reached him. 'What's the meaning of this?' He easily shook of the men, who would have tried to catch hold of him again, but for Uther's subtle shake of the head.

'Why are you here, Arthur?'

Arthur heard the cutting tone in his father's voice, but it only served to make him angry.

'To tell you something; something important!' he replied firmly, his eyes hard.

'Oh, yes? Would that be that you have been imprisoned by an imposter version of yourself and that your manservant was only ever acting in your best interests?' The sarcasm that ran throughout his question sent a chill through Arthur. He looked over at Merlin again whose face showed a similar fear. Something had gone wrong, they'd missed something.

'How do you know that?' he asked.

'Because my son has already told me,' he replied.

There was movement from the corner of the room and Sythe appeared from one of the side doors. His clothes were dirty and there was blood on them. He looked pale and his face was bruised.

After a nod from Uther, the guards grabbed Arthur again, but this time he was too stunned to fight. He glared at Sythe as he walked to stand beside the King, acting every part the injured and recently escaped Prince.

'I told you they would try to fool you, Father,' he said coldly, surveying Merlin and Arthur with deep hatred.

'Yes my son, you did,' Uther nodded, laying a hand on his shoulder.

Arthur could only look at the two of them in numb shock and inwardly curse himself for walking right into another of Sythe's traps. Only this time, there was no vision for him to wake up from. This was his reality.

He had just become the imposter.

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