Onnoff : Ahhh, I'm sorry! and yet I am not. :D I love that you love-hate it. It was kind of supposed to do that.

Merlinfanatic77:I couldn't leave the quote out, could I? Thank you so much MF! :D

servant123: Thanks! I'm glad you liked it. God bless you too! *bigger heart.*

RocknVaughn: Yes, yes! You got it at one my friend! The whole inspiration for this was the 'what if' premise...How it could've been. Thank you for being so awesome.

sarajm: Thank you! :)

CaptainOzone: Lol, it popped into my head as I was doing math. ^^ The line haunted me for hours until I finally typed it. I love the idea of Ygraine waiting for the Merlin we all know of, the one of the legends, the one that raises Arthur and teaches him so yep...thank you so much Oz! I know, everything would've been happier. That was, after all, the whole idea behind this little fic. The 'what if...?' :D

MamzelleHermy: Aww, I'm so glad you liked it!

TeganL74 : Thank you so much, my friend! Yes, that was EXACTLY what I was aiming for. :D

A Million Mad Musings: I'm pretty sure it wont, lol. But I am so happy you liked it! :'D Thank you!

April29Roses: Aww, thanks! It is pretty bittersweet when you think about it. :) And the episode tonight...*is speechless...*

Sheila Wolfe: I'll keep the awesome suggestion in mind! Thank you so much :D

Title: Turning Pages.

Summary: A ficlet miscellany inspired by random music/desserts/quotes/movies or thoughts. No slash.

Inspiration:Quote from 1x10.

"I just didn't fit in anymore. I wanted to find somewhere that I did."

"Had any luck?"

"I'm not sure yet."

- Merlin and Arthur. '1x10'

Song "Turn to Stone" by Ingrid Michaelson. Please LISTEN TO IT. Like, seriously, is too perfect for our dear king and warlock.

A/N: Continuation for Ink Upon Parchment.

Beware the Bromance. ;) ( wait for the indignant part of this at the bottom...ehm, regarding 5x03.)

I know that I am nothing new
There's so much more than me and you
but brother how we must atone
before we turn to stone

- 'Turn to Stone' by Ingrid Michaelson

Belonging.

"Merlin."

His voice was not as commanding as he would've liked it to be but Arthur couldn't care less at the time. He'd been glowering at all of the taxes reports he had to fill when suddenly his idiot had barreled in, crushing a thin paper in his hand, and thrown those skinny arms around him. For a few seconds he could do nothing but stare at the wall before him as all possibilities danced in his head, from Gwaine finally succeeding in getting Merlin drunk to something seriously wrong with a loved one.

Because he heard sniffling on his shoulder and that sent his mind overdrive. He'd seen Merlin cry counted times, and each time there had been some dire situation very difficult to overcome or/and death. But thankfully, before he could start panicking -and his arms were already rising at his own accord to shake Merlin's shoulders and try to pry the truth out of him.- Merlin's voice rose up, choked with tears. "I know we don't do this very often. But I just wanted to say...I am glad I've found you, Arthur."

The tears in his voice made the High King's heart plummet and he, once again, tried to take a look into Merlin's face but his idiot's thin arms did not let go.

"You once asked me..." A gentle squeeze around his shoulders preceded Merlin's soft whisper. "if I had any luck finding a place I belonged to. And I lied."

Arthur felt something close to a breathy laugh brush his ear.

"There are times..." Merlin's voice said against his cheek. "When you behave like a real prat. And back then I would take my bag and go to Camelot's borders and I'd stare down at the path that would lead me away. But I've never even considered it. Not really. Because then I'd look back and I'd find that one more step would be impossible."

Something wet fell in Arthur's leather jacket and the King, feeling his heartbeat settle against his throat, raised his own arms to encircle his warlock.

He closed his eyes when Merlin's voice rumbled against his ribcage. "Gaius would ask me what I'd been doing and I would say I had been proving a point. That not even then, when you were prepared to banish me, I'd been able to leave."

Another puff of air brushed his ear as his dear friend smiled against his shoulder.

"I know that you already know this..." Merlin pulled back to look into his eyes with glimmering dark blue pupils and his voice cracked with emotion when he spoke next. "But Arthur...you've got it wrong. Why do you think I've followed you around all this years no matter if you went to the frozen lands of the north, in search for the cup of life or on patrol that is clearly a death-wish? Because it's not Camelot I belong to, sire...it is- it is to you."

Rubbing tears away from his eyes the warlock laughed at his King's stunned expression. "I lied, Arthur. I did find my place...right by your side."

He laughed again and rubbed his thumb softly on Arthur's shoulder, raising those eyes that shone with utmost and undeniable brotherly love to meet his King's. "You gave me purpose, Arthur."

And there he stood, bouncing in the balls of his feet, glowing with affection for his King and hardly able to contain the grin that was extending from one ear to another as Arthur, in an unlikely gesture and without a single word- for he knew no words could get close to what he needed to say- reeled him back into his arms, wondering, just for a moment, what was that piece of parchment Merlin crushed in his fist.

Here we go.

Really? really writers? we're talking about a man that died for Arthur just a season ago, a man that supposedly recurred to the use of magic because he couldn't see his precious illegitimate daughter die, a man that has exhibited a human side countless times.

And now, suddenly, he is obsessed with his legacy? So obsessed that he actually tried to KILL Arthur? It was as if everything remaining of Uther's humanity was gone...maybe he became some sort of demon?

As much as I loved the banter and Bradley crying Uther was so OOC while he was haunting the castle that it makes me shiver. He tried to kill Gwen ( I can understand that, I guess.) tried to kill Percival. (lets give him the benefit of the doubt.) But going as far as to kill Arthur? WHAT, WHERE, WHY, or WHEN? I thought Uther cared about his children! That was his only redeemable feature!

But Merlin was amazing. I love the fact that he finally got to stand up to Uther and tell him the truth- and the 'MERLIN HAS M-' was genius. ;) Are we getting hints of a magic reveal or what?