Arthur blew out the candles in his chambers, as he pulled his shirt off, and headed for his bed. It had been a long, long day. A very confusing and alarming day, at points he didn't know whether to laugh or be seriously concerned. Morgana had laughed, a lot actually, but all the Knights and the Court kind of just stood there...with wide eyes, so Arthur really wasn't sure what he should do. He decided he wasn't going to think about it anymore, he crawled into his bed and tucked himself under his many blankets. The duvet he liked to use most of the year was much too hot during the summer, but he sort of missed it tonight. It's softness and the contentment it offered was much needed. He ignored these thoughts though, as he lay there, trying to will himself to sleep.

"Arthur..."

Arthur's eyes opened, looking around his dark room, in fright. What the hell was that? He didn't move, just lay there, waiting.

"...Arthur?"

There it was again. Like a whisper. It sounded a hell of a lot like Merlin, but Arthur was no fool, he knew Merlin had left Camelot. And this was not the first time he had thought he heard Merlin's voice, in the three days it had been since he had last seen Merlin. On the second day, Arthur had swore he heard Merlin's normal morning welcome, when he woke him up, but it had only been a dream and entirely different servant was there that morning, offering him breakfast.

"ARTHUR!"

Arthur jumped out of the bed then, wishing he had not left his sword all the way on the other side of the room, laying useless on his dinning table. He grabbed a dagger though, that he kept in his bedside table, and glanced around the room, ready to strike whoever it was. Suddenly, things rustled from beneath his bed, and Arthur stare in some form of idle horror, as this darkened head emerged from the depths.

"Merlin?!" he questioned, or no...demanded, as Merlin pushed himself out from under Arthur's bed, stood up and grinned at him. "Have you been under there this whole time?!"

"What...?" Merlin's mouth fell open, in shock for a second, and then his whole face formed into a glare, as he looked at Arthur, as if he were stupid. "No!"

"You better not have been," Arthur warned and Merlin's glare turned to suspicion.

"Why?" he demanded now. "What were you doing...?"

"Nothing!" retorted Arthur. "It's just...weird."

"You're weird," commented Merlin. "Do you really think I have nothing better to do than hide under your bed?"

"I...I'd rather not think about it," said Arthur, as he look him over. He had to pause and take him in, because for the last few days, he had thought they would never see each other again. With good reason, Merlin was a wanted man. "I told you to leave Camelot," he glare at Merlin then. "Do you ever listen?"

"No," grinned Merlin. Arthur rolled his eyes. "So..." Merlin's grin grew then, into a smirk. "Your Step-Mother is a troll, huh?"

Arthur stare at him, he didn't really wonder how Merlin knew this, or at least what had happened today. Merlin had known she was a troll before this, it was he who told Arthur, in the first place. "In the middle of a full Court, she just...turned into a troll," explained Arthur, all while Merlin looked amused. "And my Father doesn't seem to notice, he got offended when everyone started running away from her."

Merlin let out a small laugh at this, and Arthur had to grin a little at it, though he shouldn't, he knew this. "Gaius thinks your Father is enchanted..."

"I don't know," admitted Arthur, he supposed that did make sense, but he didn't want to talk about his Father, or his troll of a Step-Mother, he was too busy noticing Merlin's eyes that lingered on him and a smile that seemed to be stuck on his lips. Maybe Merlin had missed him? Arthur had certainly missed Merlin. "How have you been keeping from getting caught?"

"Oh, um...Gaius has been harboring me," said Merlin then, and Arthur nodded. Of course, that only made sense. "We have been researching how to get rid of the Troll, but we haven't been able to find much about troll magic. So, after the Court today, Gaius went to the restricted section and found a few more books we will be looking over tonight."

There were two things that caught Arthur's attention about these facts, one; being that Merlin must have already known what had happened in court today, and just enjoyed hearing the story again. And two; Giaus went into the restricted section. "The Librarian had taken oath to never allow anyone into the restricted section," explained Arthur, with raised eyebrows at Merlin. "Not even the King himself, as for protection, how the hell did Gaius get in?"

Merlin's smile didn't falter, it actually grew quite a bit now. "Luckily Gaius grew up with him and he knows all of his secrets, he threatened to tell them if he didn't let him in..."

Arthur shook his head, though he found it rather amusing. "I'm fairly sure that is treason."

"Yes, well..." Merlin batted his eyelashes. "Most things are in Camelot." Arthur let out a huffy sort of laugh, the likes of which he had never heard from himself before, a true testament to how much he missed having Merlin and his stupid face around. "I thought you might want to help us, there are a lot of books to go through...and we sort of have a small bit of time to do it."

"Why didn't you just ask Gwen?" Arthur asked then, and had never felt more stupid in the next second, than he did right then, with Merlin's hurt eyes looking over him. "I only mean...because she would probably be more helpful."

"I know you don't like to read, Arthur..." Merlin said, and rolled his eyes, trying to hide the hurt that had just flashed through him. "Maybe I will ask Gwen instead...she's not as rude or such a condensing-"

"Why don't you just admit that you missed me and wanted my help because you wanted to see me?"

Merlin's mouth fell open then, his eyes grew wide. These were very bold statements that Arthur had just made, and he didn't know if they were true or not, but the redness that was forming on Merlin's cheeks now though, that even in the darkened room, Arthur could see. He could sense a bit of truth in them. He smirked at the thought.

"Maybe you should admit you missed me first...and then maybe I will."

"Missed you?" retorted Arthur, in a voice he pulled from the very depths of the Merlin reservoir, where Arthur kept all of the nonsense he ever spewed at Merlin. They were safe words, ready to use at any given time, when Arthur couldn't or wouldn't use other words, that were much more real. "My room was actually cleaned properly for once...I was getting all three meals on time...three, Merlin!"

Merlin looked at him with a pout then, and it was very clear he did not believe a single word out of Arthur's mouth, with good reason...none of them were true. "Well, if you liked it so much maybe I will just stay in hiding then."

"And get out of all your work?" retorted Arthur, with some form of giddiness in the pit of his stomach, that made it impossible for him not to smile like an actual fool. "Not a chance."

They left together after that, to head to Gaius' chambers. Arthur had not snuck through his own castle in many years, not since he was a young boy, to go meet a few Wannabe Knights who thought it was really fun to lure the young Prince out of his bed, on the pretenses of mead and these herbs that made you feel funny if you sniffed them while they were on fire. Arthur had grown wise since those days though, and he found sneaking around the castle much easier than he had remembered. They arrived at Gaius' chambers in minutes, and they walked in to find two cups of tea waiting and Gaius, peering over a book.

"Ah...Sire," he said, upon seeing Arthur. "So, you have come to help find a cure for your Father?"

Actually, Arthur had just came so he could be around Merlin, right now he was so angry at his Father, that helping him sat very low on his list. "Yes," he lied anyway. Gaius smiled at him, as if he might know this, and he stood up straight offering him the book he had been reading. "Merlin says you think he is enchanted."

"Yes, Sire, he has to be...Uther would never be in love with a Troll," said Gaius, with a small smirk. "He has better taste than that." Merlin laughed a little bit at this, as he sat down on the bench by the window, which allowed moonlight to drape over him in a way that should be known as treason, and he drive deep into a book. Arthur looked back at Giaus then. "Troll magic is very strong..."

"That does not excuse his actions, enchanted or not," said Arthur then, allowing some of his true feelings to show. "What he did to you, Gaius...it was unforgivable."

"Yes, and subconsciously, Uther knows this, but his mind is being controlled," explained Gaius. "The Uther I know, who wished for a son all of his life, would never dethrone him, on the whim of a woman. That was the first sign, of something else at play, well...there had been many signs before, as well, I willingly ignored."

"What other signs?" offered Arthur, who had yet to take one single glance at the book Gaius had offered him.

"The Lady Catrina herself, seemed different...I knew her as a young girl, she was kind, quiet...timid, nothing like the Lady now. She was kind to servants, she was against the killing of those with magic, and most of all, she had an illness, that made it so she could not always walk, though this Catrina walked perfectly fine. And now I know...it was never the real Catrina at all, but an impostor," said Gaius. "Another sign was the rashness and quickness of their union. Uther took five years to propose marriage to your Mother, he does not move in an form of haste." Arthur nodded, happy to know it had not just been him then, that thought the whole thing was odd. "I kept these questions to myself, until such a time that I might need to ask them...and I have come to such a time."

Arthur smiled with a nod, and looked down at the book in his hands, at last. "Well, we had better get to work." Gaius nodded in return and went to sit down at his desk, where many books lay open around him. Arthur went and sat at the table, back turned to the other two, he looked over the book for a long time, his eyes not really reading the words, they only smudged together on the page. And Arthur had to stop himself from looking over his shoulder, at Merlin, who still sit silently. He forced himself to look straight again, and to look back at the book, he had no idea, really, what he was looking for. "What about this...?"

He had read the same few lines three times now, but no meaning came from them. He heard someone stand up behind him, and then Merlin was leaning over him, looking over the page he was on, which was honestly three pages from where Gaius had left off. Merlin leaned over him though, and that was the part he was focusing on now, Merlin's hand was on his shoulder, in support of himself staying up, or support in Arthur...Arthur would choose the latter, even if it weren't true. "Trolls initially seem to be somewhat shorter, due to their sagging shoulders and tendency to hunch forward. They walk with an uneven gait, and their arms dangle and drag the ground when running. Despite this apparent awkwardness, trolls are quite agile..."

"Not that bit," complained Arthur. "I do not need to know how agile my Father's troll-wife is...the next part!"

Merlin continued reading. "Trolls are incredibly hard to kill, one must deal a fatal blow to the heart, if a troll is to lose a limb or get their head removed, it will only grow back over the course of a fortnight."

"So, we have to deal her a fatal blow to the heart..."

"It will not be that simple," said Giaus then, and Arthur cursed him, because when he spoke Merlin stood up right, his attention going to him. Arthur had quite liked Merlin leaning over him like that. "Troll magic does not fade if the caster dies, it lingers. Arthur, you kill your Father's wife I am afraid you will only have your Father's wrath to attend to."

"What do we do then?" asked Merlin.

"We must break the spell," said Gaius, as he stood up and went over to his potions, looking them over and then swore openly. "Damn it...I have been reading exclusively about troll magic, the is one solid way to break Uther of this enchantment."

"What is it?" asked Arthur, as he stood up and went to stand next to Merlin, who had walked slightly nearer to Gaius. Gaius sighed.

"The King must shed true tears of remorse and sadness."

"Why would Uther do that?" asked Merlin then. "He doesn't care about anything."

"He cares about one thing...more than anything else," Gaius' eyes traveled over to Arthur. Arthur wanted to protest, but he also sort of wished Gaius was right, he wanted the love of his Father, he missed being able to actually stomach being in the same room with him, even if he didn't agree with all of his ideals. "He must think Arthur is dead...he must see Arthur dead."

"How would that work if Arthur isn't dead?"

"We will make him be so," said Giaus then, with a smirk in Arthur's direction.

"What does that mean?" demanded Merlin then.

"There is a potion...or poison rather, I will need to make, that allows the drinker to reach the very brink of death, without actually having to die."

"No," said Merlin at once. "We can think of something else that doesn't involve nearly killing Arthur."

"I am afraid I have no other ideas, Merlin," said Giuas then, glaring at him knowingly. "I know it is not ideal...but I promise you he will be fine, no harm will come to him, as long as he is given the antidote in time."

"I'm not risking Arthur, Uther can stay married to a troll!" argued Merlin, and it felt as if Arthur himself wasn't even there to give his opinion. After all, this was his Father and his life that were in question.

"Are you sure this will cure him of the enchantment?" asked Arthur and Merlin glare over at him.

"I am certain of it, Sire," said Gaius and Arthur sighed.

"And the poison won't kill me?"

"It will only bring you to the brink of death."

"Only the Brink..." Arthur rolled his eyes.

"You will have an hour to have the antidote before the poison kills you, that is plenty of time for Uther to see you and for Merlin to administer the antidote," explained Gaius. Arthur thought Giaus talked pretty plainly about Arthur's possible death, as if he were only having a conversation over tea.

"Alright," said Arthur, agreeing to this plan. "If it cures my Father of his stupidity, I will go along with it."

Merlin turn to him then and glare at him. "You don't have to..."

"I do, Merlin, he's my Father..."

"It will take me a day to prepare both the poison and the antidote," explained Gaius, and Arthur nodded.

He soon left Gaius' chambers, as it was very late and in only a few hours a servant would be at Arthur's door to wake him up. Merlin still didn't seem very keen on the plan, but Arthur would go along with it, maybe then Arthur could have his Father back. Uther was not perfect, but he was the only parent Arthur had and he didn't want to lose him. Not to something so stupid as a Troll. Arthur only had to get through the next day, while Gaius made the poison. He wished they could just poison the Troll instead, but he supposed it wouldn't kill her, after all he had read, Trolls were not easy beasts to kill. Apart from breaking Uther of the spell, Arthur really wasn't sure what the rest of the plan would involve, once it was broken, would they then what...imprison her? Kill her?

It dawned on Arthur, as the dawn grew in the sky, and he lay awake, unable to sleep at all. He remembered, something his Father had told him...just the other night. She was having a baby! So, what did this mean, was the baby human or troll or some sort of hideous cross breed between them? Arthur didn't know, but surely that meant, they couldn't kill her, right? Or maybe they should anyway, as this child would be unnatural. However, this didn't sit well with Arthur, unnatural or not, he refused to kill a child before it had even had a chance to live life yet. Arthur found himself leaving his chambers that morning, before breakfast had even arrived. He was back at Gaius' door and he knocked, not sure if Gaius and Merlin were still asleep. It seemed they must have been, because it took several minutes for Giaus to open the door, when he did, he looked a bit crazed. He relaxed when it was only Arthur.

"It's only Arthur!" he announced, loudly, as Arthur walked in, and Gaius shut the door behind him. From underneath the table, Arthur had been sitting at last night, came Merlin, looking very smiley and and little like a cat.

"Arthur," he said, as he grinned at him. "We thought you were the Guards, they've searched for me here three times already..."

Arthur rolled his eyes, playfully. "It's because you've got a shifty look about you."

Merlin pouted and stuck out his tongue.

"What can we do for you, Sire?" Gaius asked then. "I have only just begun making the poison."

"Yes, about that, Gaius..." Arthur started and then paused, not sure how to word it. "I'm worried about what our plan is after the spell is broken...my Father told me in...confidence, that she is expecting a child. His child."

"Oh, yes...I know about that," said Giaus, with a long sigh. "I do not believe it possible, I believe she told him this as an excuse for her not eating normal food. Perhaps he caught her eating something rotten, a baby makes you crave very odd things and she would know that, as would your Father."

Arthur had never thought of that before, he stare at Gaius. "You think she was lying?"

"I am certain of it," said Gaius. "It is not possible for a human to reproduce with a troll, it would be the same as a dog planting his seed in a cat, we would not be expecting dog-cats any time soon, these are two different species."

Arthur nodded, he just hoped Gaius was right. Merlin now, though, behind him was making disgusted sounds. "Ew...Gaius, I am trying to eat before I have to go hide in a barrel all day, and while I'm in there, I really don't want to be thinking about you saying the word reproduce!"

"It is only natural, it is mother nature," said Gaius.

"Or the words 'planting his seed,'" Merlin made choking noises. "Uhh...I'm not hungry anymore...!"

(A/N: So, I know the baby idea was kind of danced in your face and then taken away real quick without ever really being a thing or developing on it very much. But honestly, I only did it so I could have the conversation between Uther and Arthur about it, also I needed the Troll to have an excuse for why she didn't eat, I wish I had made the baby thing happen sooner so that way it could have had more impact but hey...no story is perfect. I am also pretty far ahead, compared to you all, I am entering into the Lady Vivian saga at the moment, I had almost decided not to do her storyline at all, but I decided to, because I am already leaving out or changing a lot of other things about season 2. But now this means I have to go rewatch the EP after posting this, and be forced to watch Prince/King Arthur aggressively make out with the Doctor's daughter/wife...while a gay wizard boy watches! Wish me luck! ENJOY!)