"Is it…" Arthur stopped, and wondered if he should even ask the question. It would raise far too many questions, and give far too many answers. He didn't know about this time travel business. He seemed to possess a very foggy memory of half-listening (and half dozing off) to Merlin drone on about his theories once, and time travel might have been among the list of hypothetical forms of magic that Merlin liked to label as "tricky", (which Arthur had learned to read as "absurdly dangerous"). But then, Merlin had also listed time travel among the hypothetical forms of magic that he liked to label as "impossible". Arthur chewed his lip. He didn't know much about magic, much less magical theoretical jargon. He didn't know what Merlin had meant that one time when he'd said something about a continuum in time, and he definitely didn't bother weighing all the possible ways he could have already have potentially set things awry in his visit to the past.

All Arthur knew, at that point, was that if he didn't share his insights with Gaius, there was every chance that Melrin would not wake up for a very, very long time. And he knew that wasn't an option. So, he took a deep breath, not knowing exactly what to expect, and asked:

"Is it because of his magic?"

Arthur wasn't sure what he'd expected Gaius to do. He'd never had to worry about this scenario before, and now that he did, he realized that he hadn't the slightest inclination of what would happen. Now, he got his answer.

Gaius face froze. His hand lost its grip on his cup, and the clay shattered against the floor. Arthur winced, but Gaius didn't even blink at the crash. He only stared wide-eyed at Arthur, his face unreadable. His lack of movement was beginning to concern Arthur.

"Gaius?" He asked worriedly, and realized suddenly that the physician was beginning to sway. "Gaius," He darted forward and grabbed the man's arm before he could fall. "Careful, there," He supported him. The king's hands on his arms seemed to wake Gaius from his motionless shock, and his face registered surprise and an amount of terror that honestly hurt Arthur.

"You know?" Arthur couldn't remember having ever heard Gaius sound so vulnerable.

He blinked. "Yes," He sounded guilty, even to himself. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed that you'd take that easily, it's just-"

"No," Gaius shook it off, "no no, it's… it's alright." He swallowed, and tried to steady himself again. "I… I should have expected… fifteen years, of course. Of course you should know about him." Gaius swallowed and looked down, and Arthur would never overcome his surprise to acknowledge the fact that he'd seen tears in Gaius' eyes. "You know, then." He reiterated. "You know about his magic." Something about his expression, pure relief and surprise and something else, made Arthur smile. It was a bittersweet smile.

"Yes."

"And?"

"And it all took long enough. No thanks to me," he said, voice tender. When Gaius continued to stare, Arthur realized that he was asking something different. Merlin. Magic. It had certain implications, ones that Arthur still felt guilty about. He lowered his voice to almost a whisper and said, "He never left me for dead all these years, Gaius, and I have no intentions on leaving him, either." He glanced at Merlin's unconscious figure. "Magic or otherwise."

Gaius said nothing, and only stared a moment, before he nodded, once, twice, and several more times, as if to reassure himself. He whispered something so quietly that Arthur almost couldn't hear, but it sounded like 'thank you'. After a moment to himself, Gaius regained most of his composure. "What is it," he asked, his voice slowly returning to normal, "that makes you ask about his magic?"

Arthur straightened, following Gaius' lead of returning to a normal – or at least, more normal demeanor. "You said that you could find no injury on him. I was wondering if, perhaps, he was injured, but not bodily."

Gaius frowned. "How do you mean?"

Arthur sighed again, weighing his options again. Oh, what the hell, he thought, if all this information-sharing blows us all up and blots out time completely, at least Merlin will have to wake up his own sorry ass to scold me for it. "Gaius, everything I said at the meeting earlier, about not being able to remember… I didn't exactly tell all of the truth." When Gaius frowned, Arthur took it as his cue to continue. "I lied. I do remember what happened."

"Why didn't you say so at the meeting?"

Arthur sighed. "I couldn't. Not in front of my father. He… wouldn't have reacted well. It has to do with magic. With Merlin.

Gaius crossed his arms, intrigued. "Well, what about Merlin? What do you remember?"

"We were in the hall, like I said," Arthur began, "M… the sorceress began saying a spell. I didn't know what it was for, but as soon as Merlin heard what she was saying, he lunged for her. I didn't think it was a very good idea, so I lunged too, and grabbed Merlin's ankle, trying to stop him. I thought it'd worked, but then all of a sudden, we were… well… I'm not sure where we went. It was all… strange. Whirling. Like we were falling, and turning. I heard… the sorceress say something." Arthur sighed. "I don't know any magic, but I do know when someone is trying to kill me. She cast some spell or other, but then, Merlin intercepted her."

"Intercepted? But how? With another spell?" Gaius seemed curious to learn of Future Merlin's capabilities.

"No. Not exactly. I don't know," Arthur frowned. "It was so strange, that's why I thought of it, why Merlin hasn't woken up. He didn't say anything. I didn't even see him. He was just… there. I've been around his magic enough to recognize it – it was Merlin, alright. But it wasn't a spell. Just…him. His magic. Then, I felt an impact. It was like when someone strikes a blow to your shield – I felt the hit, but I wasn't hurt. After that, Merlin was just… Gone." He stopped talking, his eyes searching left and right for some forgotten memory. Eventually he shook his head. "That's when I must have passed out."

"Gone, you say? What do you mean?"

Arthur shrugged. "I couldn't really see or hear him, but I could… sense him. Sense his magic somehow. One minute, his magic was there, like always. Next, it's just… gone. Like its disappeared." He lowered his voice. "I think I heard him scream," it was a chilled afterthought.

Gaius stared at Arthur for some time, and then turned his head toward the unconscious Merlin.

"I wonder…" he began. Arthur perked up. He knew that tone. Gaius had an idea. And when Gaius had ideas, he was usually right.

"What?" Arthur asked excitedly. Gaius went around him to a bookshelf and started picking through volumes.

"If you know of Merlin's magic, you likely know, Merlin doesn't possess what you might call normal magic," He pulled out an old tome and dusted off the pages. "Merlin does not have magic,"

"He is magic," Arthur finished for him. "Yes, you've told me that before." He blinked, and shook himself, "or at least, you will eventually." Gaius hardly noticed the correction and nodded.

"Yes. Which makes it a bit harder to tell, with him. But maybe…" He brushed away a cluster of bottles from his bench and laid down the thick book. He flipped through the pages with an expert eye until he came to the entry he was looking for. "When I came to Camelot, before the purge, there were a great many magicians here," he told Arthur, "and once in a while, they would fall ill with a sickness unique to magic users. They called it 'the lapses', like we would call the measles or mumps.

"Simply put, the lapses were an illness that a sorcerer or sorceress could contract when they'd exhausted their magic. They'd use magic too much, or deplete their own strength on spells too advanced for their abilities, and their magic would become weak. Normally, it would only be a matter of time before the magic recovered by itself, like a stretched muscle or a papercut. But sometimes, the magic would be hurt so severely, it would be too weak to repair itself. It would begin to shrink in on itself, disallowing the sorcerer from using magic at all – a literal lapse in magic, hence the name the sorcerers gave the condition."

"And… this sickness, the lapses, it caused its victims to fall into comas?" Arthur asked, eyes curiously darting between Gaius, his book, and Merlin. Gaius sighed and turned from his texts to Arthur.

"No, that's just why Merlin's magic can be so puzzling. You see, normally, for other sorcerers, the symptoms would be different, and very mild. They couldn't use magic, obviously, but were otherwise well off aside from a few minor symptoms. Irritability was common, insomnia, as well as a rather interesting, tell-tale itch, just at the base of the throat, between the collarbones."

"That doesn't sound like a coma," Arthur said, looking at Melrin.

"No. But Merlin's no ordinary sorcerer. It is possible…" Gaius began to trail off, and when he spoke next, Arthur knew he was theorizing. "If Merlin is magic, then it is reasonable to assume that anything that harms his magic harms him. The lapses are an affliction of the magic. But maybe… Maybe, if Merlin has truly depleted his magic so severely, it might be the lapses, and they might be manifesting themselves not only on his magic, but on his body as well."

"Can it be healed?" Arthur sounded concerned.

"Of course, given the proper medicine and time. I need to research for Merlin's case especially, however. I'll make sure to ask Merlin – that is, the young Merlin – about it tomorrow. I may need his contribution, it being him we're healing." Arthur was surprised at how well the physician was taking all of this in stride, and thought Gaius might have picked up on the whole time travel idea quicker than he had.

"Good, good…" Arthur said, and began pacing, rubbing a hand over his beard and mustache. "It all sounds reasonable," he said to the air, "but one thing doesn't make sense… what on earth could possibly take away so much of Merlin's magic that it just collapsed on itself? He's…" Arthur looked around to Gaius and sighed. "Well, you know who he is, what he is – how could something possibly take that away?"

Gaius sighed and tightened his lips, looking at Arthur with a frightened eye. "I don't know," he said, "but the thought worries me. If something, or someone has injured Merlin this severely by magic, we may be facing a sorcerer of a caliber higher than I thought possible, aside from Merlin himself." There was a tense pause, and Arthur could feel Gaius examining his reaction. "Arthur," the old man asked eventually, stepping carefully forward, "who was the sorceress who attacked Camelot?"

Arthur froze. He knew that Gaius and Merlin had both known about Morgana's treachery by this time, but he also knew neither of them – no one in all the world at this time – could possibly have known what Morgana would become. Morgan le Fey, she'd called herself, near the end, before she died and came back from the grave. Even Arthur didn't understand it all, and despite himself, even he couldn't bear to reveal that information.

"I don't think I should tell you," Arthur told the physician, "But I can tell you, if she is the one who hurt Merlin, and she is the one who brought us here, it means no good for any of you. Or us, for that matter. She'll give us all hell."

Gaius frowned. "Why do you say that?"

Arthur sighed, and the sadness in the gesture didn't escape Gaius' notice. "She always does."

Elsewhere

"You've come back quickly. I hope you do not do so flippantly; I've told you how dangerous it could be."

"Of course, milady," she curtsied. "I bring news.

The Lady straightened. "You have found it?"

"No, milady, I am still looking for it. I assure you, it is only a short matter of time."

"If you have not found it, then why-"

"They're here."

Silence.

"Who?"

"Arthur. And his servant." The Lady cursed violently. The Other winced. "You said it could happen, milady."

"Indeed," said she, trying desperately to speak calmly. "And so they are. No matter. We must take care of them quickly, however, before we can proceed."

"A minor setback. I'm sure we will-"

"On the contrary," snapped the Lady, "it is a major setback. It will take every ounce of your skill and vigilance to overcome, and since it is your life that hangs in the balance, I would suggest you dedicate yourself to the task with special dedication."

The Other seemed shaken, but was strong in her reply, "Of course, milady. Once I take care of Arthur, I will-"

"No. You must address the servant first."

"…I'm sorry?"

"I have faced them enough times to know, the servant poses a far greater threat than his master. You must kill him first."

"Milady, he is just a boy, a stupid, clumsy-"

"I knew he had fooled all of you; I had not known how thoroughly. Do not underestimate him. Em- … Merlin is more a threat than you realize. Now would be a good time to re-evaluate your assessment of his capabilities."

"…Shall I kill the newcomer?" the Other asked, "or do away with the old as well?"

The Lady smirked to herself. She liked the way the Other thought, and felt a surge of pride for the fact. "Oh, what the hell," she sneered, "let us kill them both."

Back in his room, Merlin lay in bed, frozen under the covers with his pillow hugged against him

Arthur knew.

It was the one thought that kept circulating around and around in his head. He hadn't heard practically any of the conversation between Gaius and Arthur after that. He didn't want to hear. He wasn't sure he could have handled it even if he had kept listening.

He'd overheard conversations between Gaius and others like this before, and many times, when it concerned him, he would immediately rush in and demand answers and explanations, but this time, it wasn't even an option in Merlin's head. He was so stricken with fear and shock that he didn't know what to do.

He always said that one day, Arthur would find out. But until that moment when he heard Future Arthur admit to knowing about Merlin's magic, he hadn't realized: he never actually believed that Arthur would find out. Part of him thought that he shouldn't ever find out. Now, to know that he did find out, that he would find out… Merlin found himself shivering and sweating. He curled in on his gut, where he could feel his ribs quivering with nerves.

How can Gaius sound so calm? He wondered to himself, and was surprised to find that he was almost mad at Gaius for smoothing it over with Arthur, for ignoring the sudden crisis his ward was experiencing alone in his room. How can he just talk with him like that? He knows!

Part of Merlin found it odd that he was so mad about it. In the very back of his mind, an even smaller part recognized why. He was scared – no, he was terrified. Magic was his life. Magic could get him killed. Magic was everything to him - life, death, and destiny, and all of his magic rested on two things: Arthur, and its own secrecy.

Now, neither of them were on steady ground.

He knew.

It would take a long time for Merlin to fall asleep that night, and when he finally did, it was fitful and plagued with strange dreams.