Wow, okay so I've noticed a few inconsistencies with my math. Nothing new there; I'm so terrible at math. I won't mention which inconsistencies. If you noticed, I'm sorry. If you didn't, well let's pretend everything is still fine and dandy. Again, I apologize for the lateness of this chapter. Writing is time consuming, and so is college.

"There are so many buttons…"

Arthur watched in awe as Merlin dusted and pressed buttons with no apparent order. He seemed to know what he was doing, but it was Merlin. And it had been years since he'd been in this machine.

"Don't worry, it's just like riding a bike."

"Merlin, I have no idea what a bike is."

"Oh right." Merlin turned around, a grin that caused Arthur's heart to tighten a bit spread across his face. "Well after we stop Lolloc, I'll have to teach you how to ride one. They're loads of fun."

Arthur found himself grinning too. "What will you do? Conjure up a bike from the future?"

Merlin's smile tightened, but it was so minute, Arthur wasn't entirely sure if he saw correctly.

"Yeah, if you want. Or I could take you somewhere. In this. A bike shop, or something."

Yeah, his smile definitely tightened. He was nervous, Arthur realized with a jolt. He was still nervous about his magic. But was it because he still wasn't sure how Arthur felt about it? No, that couldn't be it. After all their conversations and Arthur tentatively asking him and Pygmy to show him something (anything)… No, it wasn't Arthur he was worried about. Uther? Perhaps, but he'd always known to be wary of the King. At least, he better have always known. Then… Oh. Oh. The law. Having Arthur choose between him and the law. That's what Merlin was worried about. The law was still there, telling everyone that sorcery was wrong. Was evil. And Merlin didn't know what that meant for him now. Hell, Arthur wasn't quite sure either. But he did know that there was no way he'd let anyone hurt Merlin. Not for that. Not ever.

"Um, Arthur? Are you okay?"

Arthur blinked. He was staring at Merlin's face. How long had he been doing that? The entire time he'd been thinking? Gods, he hoped not.

"I'm fine." It didn't sound very convincing, and Merlin quirked an eyebrow at him. "No, really, I'm fine. I was just thinking."

"Don't do too much of that, or else you might hurt yourself."

They both laughed, but it wasn't as hearty as it could've been. It was quieter. Solemner.

"Merlin…" Arthur paused, not quite sure how to express exactly what it was he wanted to say, but he knew he had to say it. Now. Somehow he had to say it now. But hell, he couldn't do it with Merlin looking at him like that. He settled for staring at Merlin's hands, not pressing anything, but still lingering on the "console."

"Merlin, I know how dangerous Camelot is for you. I know that my father's law is wrong. Unfair. It's preposterous, assuming that an entire group of people can only be one thing, as if they're just one creature. You…You don't have to come back with me. It's safer for you here. In this world, where there's all this, this technology stuff and people who accept you. I've so loved our time together, both here and there. You've…You are a dear friend, but Camelot isn't safe for you. When I'm king, I'll change the law, but that won't be until my father—it won't be for a while, and if you were found out… Merlin if you were killed, I… It's safer for you here, where magic isn't banned and you can be—"

"Arthur." Merlin seemed to be laughing a little, but his eyes were glossy with unshed tears. "It's okay. This place is great, but it's got its own troubles too. Not everyone, including myself, is quite as accepted as you think. Wait, I'm getting off track." He took a breath, quickly rubbing his eyes. "What I'm trying to say is that even though I have family here, in this time, this place isn't my home. My home is in Camelot, with Gaius, with Lancelot and Gwaine, Leon and Gwen. With, with you. Arthur, my home's with you, and I know you'll be a great king, but don't you dare try to stop me from watching it with my own eyes."

Now Arthur was the one trying not to cry.

"I always knew that my place wasn't here, with my family. I love them to death, but I have my father's heart. I'm a traveler, and wherever you go, I'll be damned if I don't follow. So you're not going to get rid of me that easily. I'm going to be right by your side, stopping bandits, fighting monsters, and watching you become the king you're meant to be. Not even death will stop me from all that."

Somehow, they were able to laugh. An honest, hearty laugh that filled the ship. It seemed brighter once they could catch their breath. Arthur noticed some tears falling down Merlin's face, but he could also feel some on his own, so he didn't comment.

"Besides," Merlin continued. "I know you and I know the pressure of being you. With this," he put his hand on the side of the space ship, "We can run away for a bit, catch out breathes, and come back with only a minute having passed for everyone in Camelot."

"Can you really be that precise?"

"Well, yes, but I'm not sure how precise I'll be coming back now. We didn't leave in this ship, so I'm afraid I might be off by a few hours. Or days…"

Arthur frowned. "Days? Merlin, Lolloc could destroy everything by then."

"I know…" He sighed. "Do you remember the day Lolloc found us?"

"I remember there being a full moon the night before. Does that help?" Arthur asked hopefully.

"Yes, Arthur. Yes it does." With a blinding grin, Merlin pressed a button and a map popped up in front of Arthur. Except it was see-through and he couldn't figure out what the map was a map of.

"Good. What is that?"

"It's a solar star map. Just have to go back a few hundred centuries," Merlin waved his hand and the map moved, changing its design. "Then I have to find the moon… It was summer, I remember that."

Arthur remembered it too. His armor, while protective, seemed to keep all the heat in and none of the cool out. That's why he loved forests so much; the trees and shade protected him from the blaring sun.

It took a little less than an hour to try and get their bearings right. Mostly, it came down to memory and trying to apply what they remembered to the technology of the ship. Arthur plopped himself down on the chair next to Merlin after finally setting the coordinates and time to what they believe is a few hours before the entire incident occurred.

Beside him, Merlin looked just as relieved.

"You know, you didn't have to pace the whole time," he said, staring at the blinking dot that was their destination.

"Helps me think. This was a bit of an urgent matter," Arthur replied, also staring at the dot. If he let his eyes relax, he could look right through the entire map to the other end of the space ship. When he refocused them, the glowing map formed once again. A sudden thought occurred to him.

"Merlin, what's her name?"

"Who's name?"

Arthur gestured around vaguely. "Her name. Your, uh, space ship. Jack called his Martha."

"Oh." Merlin smiled to himself, as if he'd forgotten how excited he was until Arthur reminded him. He smiled like he had a secret he couldn't wait to share. "Her name is Excalibur."

"Excalibur?" The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't fathom why Merlin seemed so giddy about a name.

"Yes… Don't you remember?" His smile faltered only a little before he smacked his forehead. "Oh, damn, that's right. Uther took it before you could… And then I stuck it in the rock."

"What on earth are you rambling about?"

Merlin laughed, the kind of chuckle that one does when they're two-parts amused, one-part annoyed with themselves. "I'd gotten our actual lives mixed up with the myths and legends. Can you believe that?" He rolled his eyes. "Just goes to show you how you can't always trust your memory, or whatever that psychology phrase is."

Arthur sighed; now he was the one who was both annoyed and amused. "Merlin, if you'd please explain to me what's going on in that head of yours…"

When Merlin grinned, Arthur felt his heart tighten again.

"There's this sword, forged of dragon's fire and stuck in a stone, waiting for you to take her out."

"For me?" For a moment, Arthur felt proud. A sword created just for him. Then, as an afterthought he added, "Wait, dragon's fire? Where on earth did you get a dragon? And why their fire?"

Merlin's cheeks pinked. "Oh…yes…that part…"

"What do you mean, that part?" His voice rose mostly because he was the Crown Prince and this was how he and Merlin talked, but there was also a small part of him that knew he was about to hear something he wouldn't like. At all.

"Why, uh," Merlin wasn't looking at him. "Why don't I set our course, and after I put her on autopilot, I'll, um, explain. Everything. From the beginning."

"So this explanation needs to have a beginning?" Arthur asked, eyebrow raised.

Merlin didn't answer at first. It could've been because he needed to concentrate on which button to push and which levers to pull. Or he could've been using the buttons and levers as an excuse not to answer. Arthur suspected the latter, but the former was plausible considering he'd never had to pilot a ship before. He remained silent until Merlin's arms stopped moving and the planet's scenery outside was morphed into a concoction of black, purple, blue, and white swirls.

"I think you should hear everything," Merlin started slowly. He seemed to be battling within himself whether he should look Arthur in the eye or not. It could've been purposeful, or perhaps accidental, but once Merlin's eyes flickered to Arthur's, it was like he couldn't tear them away. "From how I got to Camelot, to all that happened while I was there. I meant to tell you back at my mum's place, but…it didn't seem right to do it then. We had to be alone."

"Oh. Alright." The seat under Arthur's arse suddenly felt uncomfortable. "Go on then."

The seat under Merlin's arse must've become uncomfortable too, for he stood up and started walking away. "This way, I've better furniture back here."

Arthur followed, sitting on a soft sofa that, despite the tad bit of dust, felt quite lovely. Merlin sat beside him. They were close enough that their hands would've touched if they put them down, but neither did.

"It was about a year after I graduated the Time Agency," Merlin began. "They'd sent me on several missions to collect obscure artifacts or observe events as they actually occurred during that year, which was really amazing, but there was something… I knew there was something else I had to do. Something more. I just couldn't figure out what it was. Yet.

"I got sent to that planet you saw back there, to document its history. Gods, Arthur it was so barbaric. The people slaughtered each other over such silly notions that they'd made out to be so big. They wiped one another completely off the face of the planet. I'd just sent in my report when I heard it. It was the TARDIS. I hadn't heard it in so long, but you can never forget that sound. Out popped a man with a bowtie. The one you saw, your lawyer, that was him, Arthur. He grinned at me and asked if I wanted to go on an adventure with him. I didn't really think, I just went. That's what you do when the Doctor asks if you want to go on an adventure. You do it, and generally, you're a better person from it. Also, you have loads of fun. Even when you're running away from villainous aliens who want you dead and buried. Or eaten. That was a crazy day…

"Sorry, off topic. I'll tell you that story later. Anyway, Camelot was actually our first stop. Well, my first and only. I knew something was up when the Doctor wouldn't stop talking about you. You and Excalibur and all the other myths and legends. 'Wouldn't you like to know if they're real?' he'd asked me. I really should've been prepared for what happened next. He had that sneaky grin on his face. The one where he thinks he's about to do something brilliant, and in the end it is actually brilliant, but when he does it, it bloody sucks."

Merlin sighed. "We'd reached Camelot, well, what I thought was Camelot, and soon as I took a step out of the TARDIS, he shoved a scratchy rucksack into my arms, gave me a stupid fez hat, wished me luck, and whisked himself away. I was a bit petrified at first, but when I rummaged through the sack, I found a letter in which he explained a few things to me. Namely that he was sorry—though he didn't look the least bit sorry—but that this was one of those times where he couldn't change anything and he had to leave me here. He told me briefly of my made-up backstory and then he wrote, Go and make history! I wasn't sure how to do that at first, since everyone thought that Merlin was an ancient and barmy wizard while Arthur was a young, orphan boy. Turns out everyone thought wrong."

"Well, I don't know, Merlin, you are a bit barmy."

Arthur was pleased he got Merlin to laugh at that. He'd looked so solemn during his explanation, Arthur nearly forgot what Merlin's smile looked like, which was honestly barmy in and of itself since there was no way Arthur could forget what Merlin's smile looked like. Not when it looked like that.

"Yeah, well, we're both still alive, so that's what counts really." Merlin was looking at him. It was a soft look. One that was content. "And you know part of what happens next. I meet you, save your life, and become your manservant and all that."

"Did you save my life with magic?" Arthur asked, suspecting the answer, but still needing to know.

"Almost every time I saved your life it was with magic," Merlin answered earnestly. "Except when I drank from the poisoned chalice. In the end, you ended up saving my life then."

"I had some help," Arthur admitted. At Merlin's expression of Well, go on, tell me who it was, he added, "There was this blue ball of light. It guided me out of the cave. Out of danger."

Merlin seemed both awed and puzzled by this. Before he could react, Arthur had another realization.

"Merlin, exactly how many times did you save me with magic? I know you told me of some of them, like the Questing Beast, but exactly how many times?"

"Erm…" Again, Merlin's cheeks turned pink. "I can't…I can't actually remember. It's been loads of times. Too many to count really…"

Arthur wasn't sure how he felt about that. How many of his victories were actually his? How many were because Merlin helped him? How many were because Merlin did them? He didn't have much time to dwell in self-pity. A sudden stop had him tipping sideways, right into Merlin, who seemed as surprised by the stop as he was.

"Guess we're here," he said, awkwardly stiff as Arthur pushed himself away from Merlin. He seemed to forget he had his hands on Arthur's biceps, as if that could've stopped Arthur from face planting into Merlin's chest.

"Guess we are." Arthur made the mistake of glancing down at Merlin's hands. Quickly, Merlin retracted his hands with a mumbled Sorry, which left Arthur nothing else to do but remove himself even further from Merlin's personal space.

"Are we in the right spot?" he asked, trying to clear the air that had turned strange between them. "The right time?"

It seemed to work, for Merlin was smiling. "Well, only one way to find out. Let's go!"

He grabbed Arthur's hand and headed towards the door. It opened, revealing green grass, blue skies, and a bright yellow sun.