Season 1 Episode 12.
Story 12: Hidden
Chapter 5: The Break-Out
Gwen had difficulty falling asleep that night. Perhaps it was because she knew she had an eternity to sleep, but her body refused to sleep. The minutes crept by at an agonizingly slow pace. Eventually, Gwen drifted off into a restless sleep. It seemed she had just closed her eyes when suddenly she was awoken.
Gwen was woken up by a loud clatter. She ran to her cell door, trying to see what was happening. She could see shadows on the wall, nothing else. And then suddenly Merlin was in front of her. "Merlin?" Gwen asked surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"Breaking you out," Merlin said. He looked over his shoulder anxiously. "Arthur's distracting the guards, so we must hurry." Merlin unlocked her door with the key Arthur had given him.
"Why are you doing this?" Gwen asked him confused. "Why is Arthur?"
"He's doing this for me," Merlin explained, intentionally dodging her first question. Now was not the time, nor the place to have that discussion. "Now we really must go."
Gwen nodded and followed Merlin down a set of stairs in the very back of the prison. It led them to a room with several shields on the wall. "Arthur will be here shortly," Merlin whispered quietly.
"You never told me why you are doing this," Gwen told him quietly. She was studying Merlin intensely, trying to figure out why Merlin would break the laws for her and why Arthur would help him.
Merlin hesitated. He could hear footsteps coming towards this room. He was sure it was Arthur. He hadn't entrusted Merlin with the key and he needed to put the shield back up so they wouldn't be pursued in this direction when the knights noticed Gwen was gone.
"Merlin, I need to know," Gwen said desperately. "I need to know why you are risking so much for me."
Merlin opened his mouth to tell her, but he was cut off by Arthur. "You must hurry. The guards aren't suspicious yet, but they will discover you are gone soon enough. Make haste. And Merlin, be careful when you return. I don't want to have to break you out of prison as well," Arthur said as he entered. He tried to sound nonchalant, but it was obvious he worried about the danger his manservant was putting himself in.
Gwen curtsied to Arthur. "Thank you Sire," she said. "I really appreciate you doing this."
"I didn't do this for you," Arthur said quietly. He still wasn't sure what to make of Gwen. Merlin insisted she hadn't been trying to kill his father, but why was she there? Why was she so close to the grave site? "I did it for Merlin." Arthur took the shield off the wall and opened the hidden door. "Good luck."
Gwen climbed through first.
"Thank you Arthur," Merlin said quietly. "I'll see you in the morning." Merlin climbed into the tunnel.
"Be careful," Arthur warned before he closed the door behind them. Arthur mounted the shield and sighed. He really hoped they'd make it.
Merlin and Gwen crawled through the narrow tunnel. When they got to the end, they found it was covered by a locked grate. "Did Arthur give you the key?" Gwen asked uncertainly.
"No," Merlin said with a sigh. "He must have forgotten that bit. Hold on." The tunnel was narrow and Merlin needed to squeeze past Gwen to see what the grate looked like. There were different spells depending on the type of lock and he needed to know which to use. Having to move forward meant he and Gwen were very close to one another. He was practically on top of her.
To his relief, it was a simple lock. "Aliese," Merlin whispered. The lock clicked and the grate swung open.
"You're eyes. They changed color," Gwen said startled.
Merlin nodded. "My mother told me they do that," Merlin told her.
"How long have you known magic?" Gwen asked him curiously as they climbed out of the tunnel. The tunnel let out outside the citadel into an area on the outskirts of the woods, which is why Arthur had suggested they use it to escape. If his mother told him that, it had to have been before he came to Camelot. They really wouldn't have had much time to discuss magic with everything that had happened the last time he was in Ealdor.
"I was born with it," Merlin told her quietly as they walked through the forest. Merlin didn't know where they were going exactly, but he needed to get her somewhere safe. "It's not something I ever learned. Well, I guess I learned some of it when I came to Camelot and Gaius gave me a book of spells, but until then, I just did it."
"What do you mean you just did it?" Gwen asked perplexed.
"I don't have to say anything to use magic. I've been able to levitate objects with my mind, stop terrible things from happening, and help people in need. All with my mind," Merlin explained. He was slightly distracted as he kept searching for a safe place for Gwen to stay the night.
"But… how?" Gwen asked surprised.
Merlin shrugged. "I think it and it happens. All my life, I've tried to figure out why I have my powers. When I came here, I met someone who told me that I have my powers so I can save Arthur. He is my destiny. He is meant to be a great king one day and I'm supposed to help him do that," Merlin said. He shook his head. When he had first found out he had been skeptical and rightfully outraged. Now he believed it.
"How do you do that?" Gwen questioned. She couldn't help but ask. This was the first chance she had had to ask him about his magic and she wanted to know everything.
"Little things. When he is in danger, I use my magic to help him. Do you know how many times I have saved his life? I've lost count," Merlin muttered.
"Have… have you ever used magic for me?" Gwen asked him quietly.
Merlin froze. "If I answer that, are you going to be scared?" Merlin asked her anxiously.
"No," Gwen answered honestly. "Morgana has often talked about people with magic and how they aren't as evil as Uther makes them seem. She has always been sympathetic and I can't say I disagree with her. I see both sides. There is evil in sorcery, but there is also good. I have seen you kill, but only to save Uther. If that doesn't prove you are good, I don't know what would."
Merlin turned around and hugged Gwen. He couldn't help himself. "Oh thank you," he said to her, a huge smile on his face. He didn't know what he would have done if Gwen had turned her back on him. It would have ripped him apart.
Gwen blushed when he released her. She was grateful for the darkness that hid her features. "You didn't answer my question," Gwen pointed out.
"I have," Merlin said after a long moment passed. "It was only once, when your father got sick. You were so upset and I couldn't bear to see you in pain. I used magic to heal your father." Merlin paused. He could hear Gwen crying. "I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry for," Gwen said, her voice wavering. "It was not you that caused Uther to have my father killed."
They walked for several minutes before they came to a stop in a small clearing. "You should be safe here," Merlin told her. "Forbearnan firgenholt." Merlin watched as the trees around spread around the clearing, hiding it from view. Someone would have to know exactly where the clearing was to find it.
Merlin took off the bag he had been carrying on his back. He handed Gwen a blanket. The trees would protect her from the wind, but it still got chilly at night. Merlin made a small campfire in the middle of the clearing. It would also help keep her warm. "I'll come back tomorrow night and I'll help you find a place to live. There are many cabins in these woods," he told her quietly. "I'm sorry that this is happening to you Gwen."
"Why are you doing this? Why are you being so nice to me?" Gwen asked him. Merlin studied her in the flickering of the fire. Her eyes were still a little red.
Merlin wasn't conscious of moving, but he had moved his head closer to Gwen's so their lips were almost touching. "I'm doing this because I care about you far too much to lose you," Merlin told her honestly. He looked for the answer in her eyes, looked for whether or not she was okay with this. He saw her eyes flicker to his lips and back up to his eyes.
He took that as an affirmative and gently brushed his lips against hers. It was an explosion of feeling. The kiss was far from perfect, but that's what made it so amazing. Gwen leaned up into the kiss trying to make it last as long as possible. Merlin brought his hand up to cup her cheek.
When they broke apart, Merlin couldn't help the goofy smile that had spread across his face.
"Does that answer your question?" Merlin asked her breathlessly. Gwen nodded and leaned up to steal one last kiss from him.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Gwen said with a small smile.