Sorry this is late, real life is getting in the way a bit! Thank you so much for the lovely reviews, especially those I can't respond directly too. Hope you like this next bit.

"I did it!" Merlin exclaimed excitedly, bursting into Arthur's room after his lesson. "I can stay for lunch. You'll be able to ask her!"

"Ask who what?" Arthur looked up. He was sitting on the floor, his books spread around him. He had been muddling over one of the questions for some time now and beckoned Merlin down to the floor with him. "What do you think of this one?"

Merlin crouched, but he didn't look at the book. He was staring intently at Arthur.

"What do you mean; ask who what? After everything we talked about yesterday."

"I didn't see you yesterday. You ran straight home after your lesson."

"Arthur…" Arthur recognised that look on Merlin's face. It meant something was wrong. He was chewing on his lip, staring at Arthur as if he didn't recognise who he was looking at. "What did you do yesterday?"

"Just had my normal lessons and that was it."

"Did you train with Galahad?"

"I guess."

"Are you training with him today?"

"What does it matter to you?" Arthur stared at him. Merlin sat back on his haunches but as Arthur looked up, Merlin used magic to close the door. Arthur didn't understand why Merlin needed to shut the door – Merlin was the troubled one right now, it didn't matter if Nimueh overheard.

"You mean you don't remember talking about your father?" Merlin's voice was soft and quiet. Arthur knew why. Neither of them liked talking about their missing parents. When they had been younger, they had made up games and stories about who their fathers were, believing them to be off on some adventure together and they would come back for their sons when the time was right. But they had grown out of that and both knew no one was coming for them. Now they didn't talk about it.

"Why would I remember that?"

"Can I try something on you? Something magical?"

"I guess." Arthur wasn't as dubious as he sounded. Merlin had long since been practicing some of the spells on Arthur. Arthur knew he was never in any danger – regardless of what Merlin was attempting to do, the magic seemed to block itself if the spell would cause Arthur harm. The most it had resulted in was a scraped knee. But since Merlin's studies had become more intense, Nimueh had forbidden him from trying anything on Arthur. Arthur knew it had to be serious; Merlin wouldn't go against his instructor otherwise.

Merlin gestured and Arthur followed until they were both sitting cross-legged on the floor, opposite one another. Merlin reached out and tentatively placed a hand on Arthur's forehead. Arthur tried not to squirm. As his friend closed his eyes and started muttering, Arthur got the giggles and Merlin opened his eyes in annoyance.

"I'm trying to help you," he snapped. Arthur swallowed his next laugh and tried to look contrite.

"I'm sorry."

"Just… sit still."

Biting his lip, Arthur did as he was told as Merlin's hand returned to his forehead. Arthur had no idea what his friend was attempting, but he knew the spell must have been strong for he could see the colour begin to drain from Merlin's face and a bead of sweat forming on his brow. Arthur opened his mouth to say that they should perhaps stop when he suddenly grunted, his body rocking forward. It felt like something had hit him from behind. Judging by the way Merlin's breathing picked up, that something had been magical. As Merlin continued to murmur, Arthur felt the pressure increase and he felt trapped. The feeling continued and Arthur jerked backwards, breaking the contact from Merlin. The younger boy opened his eyes again and they were wide and scared.

"What was that?" Arthur demanded. He refused to acknowledge that his hand was shaking or that he was breathing as hard as Merlin. Merlin looked at him, swallowing hard.

"There's a block on your mind," he said steadily. Arthur stared at him.

"What sort of block?"

"A magical one. Someone has interfered with your thoughts and memories."

"Who would do something like that?" Arthur cried. He jumped up from the floor and backed up until his knees bumped into his bed and he was able to sit down. He ran a hand through his hair and stared at Merlin. "Why would someone do that?"

"You came to me yesterday saying that Galahad said something about your father. I think… Arthur, I think you found something out. Something that Nimueh didn't like."

"She did this to me?"

"I don't think it's the first time either."

Arthur didn't know what to say to that. He would have denied it. But try as hard as he might, he couldn't actually pinpoint anything he had done the afternoon before. He assumed he had been in his lessons, but he couldn't remember a single page of any of the books he might have read. He hadn't seen Galahad all day and Nimueh had been watching him like a hawk. Arthur wouldn't have normally thought anything of it – she had days like that. But it made sense with what Merlin was saying.

"She's been stopping me from remembering things?"

"But what?" There was a gleam in Merlin's eye as he came to sit down next to Arthur on his bed. Arthur had a feeling he knew what Merlin was thinking.

"Can you break it?"

Merlin tried to look serious but his eyes were still gleaming. "Last week she told me to levitate something. She used magic to stop it from rising. But I did it. I managed to get it floating."

"So?"

"So…" Merlin took a deep breath. "I think my magic is becoming stronger than hers. If I can overcome that spell, I can overcome others."

Arthur stared at the skinny boy sitting next to him. Nimueh radiated power; Arthur had always felt it. He never got that feeling from Merlin. But thinking that this child could be more powerful than the witch was a daunting thought. Merlin was only eleven. How strong would he be when he was an adult?

But then he nodded. Arthur had never fully trusted Nimueh although he couldn't say why. He assumed it was how quick she was to discipline him meant that he was on edge around her. If she was using magic to make him forget things, then he wanted to know what it was he had forgotten. Especially if it was to do with his father.

"Do it," he ordered. Merlin took a deep breath and nodded. Arthur made to stand up to wedge something against the door when doubt filtered into his mind.

"You do know how, don't you?"

"I think so."

"You think so? This is my mind you're about to go digging around in!"

"Don't shout." Merlin stood up and waved his hand. Arthur looked at the door as Merlin's eyes flashed. A brief shimmer shivered over it and he knew no one would get in. He tried to hide his nerves. If Nimueh tried to gain entrance and found it magically sealed, she would know they were up to something they shouldn't be.

"I think I know but I've never done it before," Merlin explained. "I just know my magic won't hurt you. Come, sit down."

Arthur dragged his feet but did what Merlin said. He was right; the magic wouldn't hurt him. The worst case scenario would be nothing happened and Arthur would be left knowing there was something he didn't remember. Considering it was too late to take that back now, he didn't see what they had to lose.

"Lie down," Merlin said. "Close your eyes and just relax. You have to trust me."

"I do," Arthur murmured. He lay back on his bed and closed his eyes. For a moment, he felt rather silly and was about to sit up again. Then he felt it. Merlin's magic. It seeped into his mind, ignoring the block and enveloping him in warmth. Not relaxing wasn't possible and Arthur felt his whole body sag as he tried to not fall asleep.

"Relax." Merlin's voice sounded far away but Arthur felt himself complying. He let himself drift, knowing if he did something he wasn't supposed to, Merlin would stop him. The magic drifted around his mind, then suddenly it was at the block. The pressure instantly increased and Arthur whimpered slightly, his hand fisting the blankets on his bed.

"Arthur, it's alright." Merlin sounded so much older than he was. There was a hand on his chest and Arthur forced himself to relax again. "You just have to let the magic do its work."

It was hard not to tense when he could feel Merlin's magic pressing insistently against the power already present in his mind. Arthur's head was beginning to hurt and he wasn't entirely sure if he could take much more of it. But just as he opened his mouth to say something, he felt the balance shift. No longer was Merlin's magic pressing against the barrier, but it swept through it, blending the two magics together. Arthur heard Merlin gasp and knew his friend was feeling it as well.

Then, just like that, the resistance vanished and Merlin's magic entirely flooded his mind. Arthur's eyes flew open and he grabbed hold of Merlin's wrist as memories slotted into place. Everything that had happened with Galahad the day before. Events from years ago where they had had the run in with the lone knight. There were other things – small details. Snippets of conversations he shouldn't have overheard. Nimueh's temper getting the better of her and her saying things she didn't want him to know. Arthur didn't know how many times he had been made to forget something over the years, but he groaned as the memories came flooding back.

When the tide eventually ebbed away, he slowly relaxed. His eyes focused from where he had been staring unseeing at his ceiling and he gradually brought his gaze down to rest on his friend. He knew by the look on Merlin's face that he had witnessed all of the memories coming back – he had seen what Arthur had. He was pale and his eyes wide.

"What Galahad told you… about who you are…"

He didn't seem capable of finishing his sentence. Arthur sat up, letting go of Merlin's wrist and clasping his hands together to stop them from shaking. He thought of the story, how fanciful it had sounded and how it had felt right and matched with everything he didn't know about his past. If it was true – and Arthur thought it was – it also explained why Nimueh had wanted him to forget. How could it not be true when Galahad was the second person to make the connection about who he was?

"He was telling the truth," Arthur said quietly. Merlin stared at him.

"So you're… you're really a…."

"Yes, Merlin. I'm really a prince." It sounded stupid when he said it out-loud. He wasn't a prince. He was a no one with no parents who lived in fear of his guardian, a woman he knew nothing about. If they had been having this conversation the day before, Arthur knew they would have been in fits of laughter by now over how silly it sounded. But the magic had told a different story and Arthur knew this was what Nimueh had been hiding from him all these years.

"Well… I'm glad Galahad didn't managed to actually kidnap you." Merlin's voice was weak and Arthur knew he was struggling to come to terms with this as well. He reached out and punched his friend lightly on the shoulder.

"This doesn't change anything," he said softly. "I'm still me."

"But you're a royal you."

"I've always been that we just haven't known it. I'm hardly going to change." Merlin nodded and Arthur could see that he was still doubtful. Arthur just hoped that what he was saying was true; that knowing who he was didn't change anything between them. They sat in silence for a few moments. Arthur tried to work out how he was feeling. It was every twelve year old's dream to discover they were secretly a prince. It was straight out of the games they had played when they were younger.

But this was no game. If everything Galahad told him was true, then Arthur knew Nimueh was dangerous. If she thought he was too much trouble or wouldn't do what she wanted, Arthur wondered if she would kill him. But he couldn't run either. Even if he made it back to Camelot, he didn't forget what Galahad had said about the king – his father – taking it out on the village for `hiding` him this whole time. Arthur knew he couldn't let anything happen to his friends.

"What are you going to do?" Merlin's voice was quiet. Arthur glanced at him to see he looked tearful. Merlin shrugged. "You're going to leave, aren't you?"

"No." Arthur surprised himself by how certain he sounded. "This is my home."

"Arthur…"

"How can I leave? I don't know anyone there. I don't even know how to be a prince. And how can I prove that's who I am? They don't know what I look like. That man from before – he wasn't looking for me, he was looking for Nimueh. She is the only way I can prove who I am."

"Are you going to tell her?"

"No!" Arthur's voice had risen to a shout and he quickly glanced at the door. Merlin followed suit before shaking his head.

"She's not coming."

Arthur trusted Merlin's magic and he nodded in thanks. He stood up and paced in front of Merlin.

"She can't know that I know," he murmured. He was thinking out loud more than he was talking to his friend, but he could sense that Merlin was listening intently. "I don't know what she would do if she found out that I knew the truth. It's too dangerous."

If he had ruined Nimueh's plan by knowing the truth, then Arthur knew there was every chance she would just kill him if she had no further use for him.

"But you can't do nothing!" Merlin protested. "Who knows what else she might wipe from your mind. What if she makes you forget me?"

"She won't." Arthur was certain. "If she didn't want you around, then she would have never let us be friends. She wouldn't have let me back to the village when we first met. You're involved with this, it's the only answer. Why else would she train you?"

"Because I'm good," Merlin pouted. Arthur realised what he had said and how he had made it sound that Merlin was only useful because of Arthur being who he was rather than on his own terms. He grimaced.

"I didn't mean it like that. I think… You know you say your magic never hurts me? What if it is something to do with that?"

Merlin looked thoughtful and Arthur could see him mulling it over. If he was honest, he didn't know what he was saying. How could he be a prince? It was too much to take in yet Arthur was already planning ways on how he was going to make sure Nimueh didn't know he knew the truth. He had accepted it just because of what Galahad had said. But it made sense… If the man had been banished, he surely wouldn't risk returning with any child. He must have been sure. The entire time he had been here Arthur had a feeling the man knew something about him. It was the truth. It had to be.

"Arthur?"

"Yeah?" Arthur turned to see Merlin looking worried.

"What do we do?"

Arthur stopped pacing and stared. It was one thing saying that he wasn't going to let Nimueh know. But he couldn't deny the woman scared him and that her magic always made sure he did as he was told. If she knew that he knew…

"Nothing," he said finally. "I have no memory of what happened yesterday. We don't know any of this."

"I don't know…"

"Merlin. You have to keep this a secret. Please."

Arthur knew it was his "please" that did it. He ordered his friend. He never asked. But he was frightened and suddenly realised he would rather be a nobody who had a witch for a guardian. It was better than being caught up in something he didn't understand. A hand touched his arm lightly and Merlin smiled.

"We can do this. We'll find out what is going on, we'll make you the best prince there is and she'll never find out. I promise."

Gratitude greater than anything he had ever felt welled up inside Arthur and he pulled Merlin into a hug before his friend could protest. Merlin returned it, but then pulled away.

"She's coming."

Arthur glanced at his books and knew what he had to do. He looked at Merlin, who nodded reassuringly. While Merlin sprawled across the bed and started playing with glowing lights created by his magic, Arthur sat back on the floor and pulled the text towards him. At the last second, Merlin remembered the door but when Nimueh walked in, they both glanced up innocently.

"Didn't you hear me calling you? Lunch."

"Sorry," Arthur muttered. "Merlin was helping me."

"What have I told you? You have to figure this out on your own. Downstairs, both of you."

Merlin jumped off the bed and Arthur winked at him when Nimueh turned away. Better she was annoyed at Arthur seeking help than thinking too deeply about why neither of them were able to meet her gaze. Merlin smiled weakly and hurried down the stairs. Arthur followed more slowly. He hesitated in the doorway to the kitchen, watching as Nimueh used her magic to float a pot of stew onto the table, instructing Merlin to move the bowls without touching them. Was his friend as involved with this as he was? Arthur didn't know. But he knew if that was the case, then he was going to make sure Nimueh never had a reason to hurt Merlin.

He hurried through before Nimueh could call him again. They ate in silence and Arthur knew that unless he said something soon, she would grow suspicious. He and Merlin together were never this quiet and he kicked his friend under the table. Merlin's head jerked up and he stared at Arthur, hurt. But when Arthur widened his eyes, Merlin seemed to get the hint.

"Mother wants help picking berries this afternoon," he said. Arthur blinked. He had no idea where Merlin was going with this. "Can Arthur come?"

"Did you finish your lessons?"

Arthur grinned at his friend. It was going to be so much easier to come to terms with what was going on if he could get away from the house for a little while. He nodded, forcing himself to hold Nimueh's gaze. She fired a few questions at him in quick succession and Arthur breathed a sigh of relief when he could answer them all correctly. One look at Merlin's face showed that he had no idea what they were talking about and Arthur felt a flicker of pride. He had never considered why Nimueh forced him to learn all these things. But now he knew what he was destined to be when he was older, he realised he didn't mind. He knew things, and that would help.

Eventually though, Nimueh sighed.

"Be back for dinner," she ordered. Arthur nodded and the two finished quickly before running out of the house. Arthur had to go back when he realised he had forgotten his cloak in his haste but it wasn't long before they were escaping and scampering towards the village.

"Let's go to the tree," Merlin said.

"Doesn't your mother…."

"She thinks I'm staying at yours all day."

Arthur grinned. The thrill of doing something against the rules was never going to get old. But then he slowed and the smile slipped from his face. The last time he had done that, he had been drugged and forcibly taken from his own home. Merlin looked back at him.

"Are you alright?"

"Is it safe?" Arthur hated that his voice shook. But it hadn't even been a day since Galahad had tried to take him. As he wasn't supposed to remember, Arthur knew he couldn't show his concern in front of Nimueh. But that didn't mean he stopped feeling young and vulnerable being out here on his own with a boy younger than him for company. Merlin walked back to join him, nodding firmly.

"I swear its safe," he said. Arthur hesitated for only a moment longer. Then he felt Merlin's magic wrap around him and he nodded and took a step forward. Unlike Nimueh's power, he had never felt scared of Merlin's.

They stayed at a walk this time, moving slowly until they reached the tree. Automatically, Arthur climbed up first and settled in his usual branch, Merlin stopping below him. Arthur gazed out over what he could see of Ealdor from his perch. Despite his conflict with Nimueh, this was his home. No one was going to take him away from it. He didn't realise he had said it out loud until Merlin looked up at him.

"They'd have to go through me first," he said with all the seriousness an eleven year old could master. But Arthur didn't doubt him. If Merlin's magic was getting to be stronger than Nimueh's, then there wouldn't be anything he couldn't do now.

"What do I do now?" Arthur asked. He hated how uncertain and young he sounded. Out of the two of them, he was always the one taking the lead and showing a confidence he didn't necessarily feel. But everything he thought he knew had just been taken from him and Arthur wanted nothing more than to hide away until he felt more like himself.

"The same as you have always done." Merlin's voice was so matter of fact that Arthur stared at him.

"How can I? Who knows what she is training me for!"

"Exactly. You can fight, Arthur. You know things that I have no clue about. This might be your home but I can see now that you are no village boy. Let her carry on teaching you. It can't hurt to have more knowledge, surely?"

Arthur chewed his lip, not answering.

"Go on, just admit that I'm right for once."

He smiled, looking down at his friend. Merlin was grinning up at him and Arthur felt the tension lift. He shook his head and Merlin used magic to float a load of leaves down onto him until they were sticking in Arthur's hair and to his clothes.

"You're never right, Merlin," Arthur teased. "You just weren't as wrong as you usually were then."

Merlin poked his tongue out and Arthur responded by grabbing the leaves himself and throwing them at his friend. It didn't help that Merlin only had to wave his hand and they all spun off in different directions. After that, it was war. Arthur had never let it stand when Merlin won through using magic and he was not going to let that go now, even with everything that had happened.

By the time they called a truce, they were out of the tree, covered in mud and Merlin was soaking wet from where he had fallen into the river. Arthur looked at him worriedly.

"Your mother is going to kill me."

"Yep. I'm going to tell her its all your fault so she doesn't blame me for once," Merlin quipped. Arthur rolled his eyes and took off after Merlin was they both broke into a run. Merlin was catching him up in height now and Arthur knew it wouldn't be long until the younger boy was taller. He hated the thought. But right now, it was the only thought in his head. If he was hiding what he knew, then there was no point letting it worry him. For now, he was going to enjoy being twelve.