A/N: So, first things first: Summary. Merlin was cutting even before he met Yara, but he helped her escape when she was arrested. She was recaptured and Merlin was at the council meeting in which the council convinced Arthur to sentence Yara to death. Beyond that, the council members said very mean things about magic and magic-users, which sent Merlin over the edge. Yara told Arthur to find Merlin, and Arthur and Lancelot found Merlin in a pool of his own blood in his room. He's now awake, but has a worrisome fever. Arthur hasn't been sleeping at all/ not well.

This chapter is dedicated to Dreamer of Foolery. So . . . here's the answer to your review. THIS IS IT! I got so many reviews, I just had to post the next chapter. I got . . . like . . . 20 reviews or something close since I updated.

Finals are done. YAY! I don't THINK I failed any of them. We'll see.

I was listening to the song "Prayer in C" while writing this, which is a really kind of cool song. Doesn't have a ton to do with the chapter, but still, I urge you to check it out.

Arthur POV

When Gaius came back, the physician had sent Arthur away to get some sleep. Arthur hadn't wanted to leave, not when Merlin was finally awake, but Gaius had done that eyebrow thing, and sent Gwaine out with him, leaving the sorceress and Gwen alone with Gaius. The old man claimed to need their help to combat Merlin's rapidly rising fever. As Gwaine turned to leave towards the training grounds, Arthur cleared his throat.

"I would like to have a word with you, Gwaine," he said, and the knight turned. Arthur took tired note of the guarded look on his knight's face before turning and leading the way to his chambers.

The knight was silent the entire way, something unusual for the talkative man, and Arthur had the distinct feeling that he knew exactly what it was that Arthur planned to ask him. Which only made Arthur more uncertain of the answer. At first he was damn sure that it would be 'no'. Now though . . . .

While he had been sitting there, waiting for Merlin to wake up and trying to feel useful by keeping his brother's face cool (Arthur had decided that there was no way in hell he'd ever call Merlin 'just a servant' again, not after this; after this, even friend didn't quite cut it.), his mind had had a lot of time to wander.

It had wandered over everything that had happened recently. The capture of Yara, her escape and subsequent re-capture, the council meeting, the . . . well, really that was about it. There had been no executions for at least a month, Arthur had always found them to be distasteful; he wished the council didn't seem to think that it was a necessity for a king to kill to be considered strong. The only member of the council that he felt he could even trust not to be aiming for their own ends was Geoffrey. The old librarian had been his tutor, and besides that, Arthur found that the man loved books more than anyone could ever love power. He was one of the quieter council members. His mind had been drawn continuously to the council meeting.

All of the comments had condemned magic and those who used it. One in particular stood out in Arthur's mind. It was a comment spoken imploringly by Lord Parson. 'I implore you, my king, kill this monster before she joins Morgana and threatens Camelot.' Kill this monster. Monster. That word, etched into Merlin's pale arm with a knife. Two and two made four. Still, due to other logical things running through Arthur's head, they could make five. They had to make five. Because Merlin couldn't be a sorcerer. He wondered, as he opened his heavy chamber doors, whether he could create a new number system, where two and two made five. Or three. Or twelve. Anything but four.

He sat heavily in the chair situated behind his desk, motioning for Gwaine to close the door. The knight did so, then pulled one of the chairs that had stood around the table around so he could sit in it. Arthur felt a sudden rush of warmth towards the knight, who felt no need to stand on propriety. It felt much more natural to ask his advice than it would have to ask . . . say . . . Sir Leon. Not that Leon wouldn't give more advice, but Arthur was a little more aware of the distance between him and the knights with him. Gwaine . . . well, he could be sure that Gwaine would tell him exactly what he thought without trying to make him feel like he was in the right no matter what, as Lancelot sometimes had the habit of doing. And then there was the little fact that Gwaine had a better chance of knowing the answer to his first question than any of the others. It would certainly explain his protectiveness of the young sorceress.

"So, Princess, what is it you want ta talk to me about?" Gwaine asked in a terribly lacking imitation of his usual bravado.

"I need you to answer a question," Arthur said slowly, watching the knights face closely for anything that might give him his answer. "And I need you to be honest." Gwaine was watching him silently. He gave a slight nod of ascension, and Arthur took note of the worried crease that made itself clear for a second on the knight's brow before the man's forehead smoothed. "Does . . . Does Merlin . . ." Oh gods, why was this so hard to ask!? "Does Merlin have magic?"

Gwaine's eyes widened marginally, and his hands fisted in his brown leather gloves, leather squeaking softly with the strain. And Arthur had his answer. With a groan, he buried his head in his hands. Taking a few deep breaths, he looked up again. Gwaine seemed calmer now, but his voice was hoarse when he spoke.

"How long have you known?"

"I didn't. Not until now. I suspected . . . I don't know. It was something said at the council meeting after Yara escaped. One of the lords called magic-users monsters."

"Do you agree with him?"

"Not any more."

"Good." There was a fierceness in Gwaine's tone that told Arthur exactly what his position on the whole thing was.

"What am I supposed to do?" Arthur asked. It was more of a rhetorical question, but Gwaine answered anyway.

"According to the law, you're supposed to kill him. According to morality, you're supposed to change the law." Arthur stared at Gwaine, mouth dropping open. "I mean," the knight went on, leaning an elbow on the chair's arms so that he gave the appearance of slouching without actually doing so. "Once you change the law, it becomes the law, so really, that way, you're obeying a working moral compass and the law."

"You make a good argument, Sir Knight," Arthur muttered, leaning back in his chair in a most un-king-like manner. "The problem is how the council and the people would react."

"I lived among the common folk, as a commoner, for a very long time," Gwaine said. "And trust me when I say that they would stand behind you one hundred percent. I think most of them knew someone who was killed or forced to flee during the Purges. Plus, you're their king. Your word is law. As for the council," a grimace passed over the knight's rugged face. "They can suck it. You know, you've talked, before, about disbanding the Lords' council and making 'The Knights of the Round Table' and thing. You should do it. I feel like the knights are more likely not to be following a personal vendetta, and then, it's not just one group of people you'll be listening to. It's not just knights at the table. I mean . . ." here Gwaine let out a quiet laugh that seemed a little out of place. "Merlin was at the first meeting, wasn't he?"

"So I should destroy my father's legacy?"

"Well, yeah," Gwaine said. Arthur felt taken aback. He hadn't been expecting that answer. "What I mean is," the knight said hurriedly, "you'd be taking down a law he'd been hated for. If anything, you're leaving more room for his good deeds to be recognized." Arthur knew Gwaine well enough to know that Gwaine wasn't sure that Uther had had any redeeming qualities, but still, it made some kind of sense.

"So I change the law then," Arthur murmured. "I'll have to ask Geoffrey for the original transcript of the barbaric thing."

"You look like you've been thinking this over for a while," Gwaine said.

"You tend to lead towards abolishing something that gave you a queasy stomach and lost appetites as a kid," Arthur grimaced. "Pyres had a habit of doing worse."

"I . . . can see that." Gwaine shifted in the seat.

"Is there something else?"

"More than one," Gwaine muttered. "Firstly . . . you know why he didn't tell you, right?" Arthur looked at the knight in surprise. Had that even been in question?

"I'd have done the same, I think," was all he said. It seemed to satisfy Gwaine, who asked the next question in a rush.

"What are the laws on adoption in Camelot?"

"Adoption?"

"I . . . Yara doesn't have a family, and I know I'm not the best role model, but she needs someone to look after her and-" Arthur cut him off.

"If she wants you to be her lawful father, as far as I'm concerned, fine. Besides, I think she'll be a good influence on you. Though you both seem to have an utter lack of any respect for authority," he added as an afterthought.

Gwaine smirked. "Only bad authority, Princess."

A/N: Review? As you can see (I think) more reviews make me update like crazy! I LOVE YOU GUYS! You never let me down, so I don't want to let you down.

p.s. There's a 1984 reference (metaphor, thing, something, whatever) in there. Anyone spot it? hint. I didn't much like Winston's sweaty friend.