Arthur freezes when he walks into the armory with the rest of his knights and sees Agravaine shoving Merlin up against the wall. Arthur has to grab Gwaine and pull them into one of the alcoves where they store some of the scrap metal. He holds a finger to his lip and they listen.
"You will stop meddling in things that are not your concern," Agravaine says.
"You are a traitor to Camelot. I have no choice. Arthur refuses to see it, the nobles refuse to see it, and I will not allow you to hurt Camelot or Arthur," Merlin says and chokes a little as Agravaine applies pressure to his throat. Arthur can see it through the gap in the curtain Arthur tenses.
"Tell me Merlin, how did that work with Morgana? You knew she was a traitor from the moment of her return and yet you were never able to stop her and now she is the most powerful witch," Agravaine says.
"I stopped her plenty of times. She just never noticed," Merlin says.
"Yes she told me about the time you followed her to a meeting with Morgause. You were quite lucky to avoid the serkets they left you with. Arthur punished you afterwards because you were chained up there for several days were you not?" Agravaine says.
"That is not your business. That is between myself, Morgana, and Morgause," Merlin says.
"Speaking of Queen Morgana, didn't she torture you to betray Arthur?" Agravaine says.
"No. She tortured me because she wanted to," Merlin says.
"Tell me Merlin what does it feel like to have your free will removed? Do you remember the times she tried to kill Arthur using your body or is it one blank slate in your memories?" Agravaine asks and Merlin spits in his face. The slap that follows echoes throughout the entire room.
"Do you think you are important? Arthur will toss you aside without a thought if I mentioned that you are a horrible servant and that it is unfit for a King to keep you around. I had him convinced Gaius was the traitor. I can do it with you or with him again."
"Perhaps I will have Arthur execute him for treason this time. The man almost died under Morgana's treatment didn't he? How easy would it be for me to kill him? Or kill him and frame you for it. I could get rid of the both of you in one act," Agravaine says.
"You can try. Others have before. Ones with much more experience in it with you and you know they all failed. The Witchfinder framed both Gaius and I and yet he is dead and we are not. I have saved Arthur, myself, my friends, and my family from dangers both magical and man and yet I am here and they are not," Merlin says in a completely dead voice that sends a chill down Arthur's spine.
"You dare believe you can challenge a priestess of the old religion?" Agravaine says.
"Let's see the last ones were Nimueh, Alator, Morgause and now Morgana. Of the four, I directly killed Nimueh, although now that I know her story I do feel bad about it, but she did poison Camelot and then me, and then tried to kill my mother and Gaius so I think god will forgive me. Alator was killed by Morgana who still lives and Morgause was an interesting combination of myself, Gaius and Morgana herself. So I think my chances are rather good," Merlin says and the room goes deathly silent. Merlin had killed someone one? When was this? How? Merlin can't even hold a sword.
"You killed Nimueh?" Agravaine asks, his voice shaking.
"Yes. I did. I do not regret it. She kept harming Camelot," Merlin says.
"Camelot deserves what it gets!"
"NO IT DOES NOT!" Merlin says and they all shift a little. They have never seen Merlin so upset.
"You people, think that because Arthur is Uther's son he deserves to die. Well he does not. One's parentage should not be one's death sentence. Arthur did not ask to be born by the magic Uther asked Nimueh to use. Arthur is Uther's son but he is not Uther. Just as you are not your sister. Would she want you to kill the son she so wanted to have? The child she likely spent months planning all the things mothers do with their children? Morgause showed Arthur and I, Ygraine's spirit and she loves Arthur. And she was angry with the way Uther treated magic users. What would she say to you, her brother, killing her people? Betraying her son? You may be a noble but you are anything but noble. You do nothing but harm the people who you have sworn to protect. That is what you do. We give time, money, profits and service and you protect us. You trade with others for things we need, you help fix the soil if something is wrong. That is what you do and yet you seem to think that because of one King's decisions the whole collective must suffer. Well no more. You will not harm Arthur, you will not harm Camelot, not so long as there is breath in my body," Merlin says.
"Then so be it Merlin. You will die knowing you failed to save your King," Agraviane says and they hear the metal ching of a sword being drawn and they are about to move to help Merlin when another voice breaks in.
"I am sorry Lord Agravaine but the King is hollering for Merlin and I don't think we want him to be kept waiting too long," Lancelot says and Agravaine clears his throat.
"Right, of course Lancelot, I must be on my way as well," Agravaine says and they hear him leave.
"Oh Lord Agravaine," Lancelot says. "Yes?"
"It's Sir Lancelot," they hear him say and Agravaine's huff as he leaves.
"That was close," Lancelot says.
"I know, thanks for stepping in when you did. I was sure he was about to run me through," Merlin says.
"Did you get them?" Lancelot says.
"Yes, when he was choking me. The maps of the siege tunnels were in his coat pocket," Merlin says and Arthur's eyes widen. Merlin had taken the abuse so he could recover stolen maps which in Morgana's hands could lead to Camelot's ruin.
"I am sorry I did not step in sooner," Lancelot says.
"It's fine he didn't hurt me too much. I might need to buy a new neckerchief though the ones I own won't cover the entire bruise," Merlin says.
"Allow me to purchase it for you," Lancelot says. "Lance..."
"What I mean to say is, everyone is going to question why you have a new neckerchief correct? Well, if I buy it the whole castle will know it's a gift and the gossip about it will distract from what we are actually trying to hide," Lancelot says.
"You do know they will think we are courting right?" Merlin asks.
"And? I would consider myself lucky to court you," Lancelot says.
"You just like freaking out the kitchen maids," Merlin says.
"I cannot help it if they scheme to bring us together," Lancelot says.
"You encourage them."
"Yes I do. Now are we going to break in and return the maps now or tonight?" Lancelot says and Arthur really can't believe what he is hearing.
"Tonight. You have patrol around the castle. I can sneak out after Arthur is in bed and keep you company on your patrol. You can say you heard something in the map room and I can return it to its place," Merlin says.
"Go to Gaius to get your neck checked and I will go to the shops and get a neckerchief for you," Lancelot says and the two men go out of the room together.
Now that the room is empty, Arthur and the others step out of their hiding spot.
"What just happened?" Elyan says in a daze.
"Agravaine is a traitor and Merlin has been protecting Camelot and Arthur from him for anyone knows how long and Lancelot is in on it," Gwaine says.
"I always thought them close but I honestly thought they were courting in secret, rather than secretly protecting Camelot," Leon says.
"Is it any surprise? I mean Merlin is the bravest one of us. He goes into every battle we do. Faces every threat. Has risked his life to protect ours all without armor, sword, or shield," Gwaine says.
"So what are we going to do? Lancelot and Merlin are going to break into the map room and return those maps and there will be nothing to try Agravaine for," Elyan says, wide eyed.
"Who says we need to punish him officially? A bit of poison in his soup or simply locking him in the dungeon and claiming he returned to the hell he crawled out of," Gwaine says.
"I am not assassinating my Uncle. If he is to die it will be with his reputation shattered so the people know I will not treat betrayal lightly," Arthur says.
"So then what do we do?" Percival asks.
"I have an idea but Merlin and Lancelot might be put in danger," Leon says.
"Well as they can see they have no problem doing it to protect Camelot. What's the plan?"
"Well Agravaine knows he stole those maps. If he is reminded about them and finds them missing I assume he would be smart enough to figure out who could have taken them. One of us, likely Gwaine, could accomplish this but gossiping with the maids that he heard Merlin and Lancelot planning a meeting in the map room late at night. Now we can see that he is very aggressive when it comes to Merlin but a little less with Lancelot. So we arrange for Lancelot to be called away and when Agravaine attacks Merlin we can walk in at the perfect time to hear him reveal his traitorous acts. Then you can try him officially with several members of the nobility able to testify," Leon says.
"Isn't dishonesty against the knights code?"
"Where in the plan did you hear a lie?" Leon asks and sure enough not a single thing he said would be a lie. Gwaine did overhear the two planning to meet in the map room tonight.
"If Merlin looks like he is in danger, bugger the plan and save him, yeah?" Gwaine asks and they know Gwaine won't budge on Merlin's safety coming first. Not that any of them would feel different.
The plan goes exactly how Leon said it would. A few mumbled words to a giggling maid sends Agravain running to his rooms and sure enough he shows up to the room where Merlin is and which Lancelot was just pulled away from by Gwaine to lay in wait. Merlin had been told the plan when it had been put into effect and was ready for the Lord to come for him.
"You make it too easy boy," Agravaine says, advancing. Then he adds, "Lancelot will be charged with your murder after you turned down his courting. The whole Castle knows the two of you were coming here tonight. Arthur will have no choice but to execute him. Assuming that drunken oaf parading as a knight doesn't kill him first. He too could be framed for your murder. A jealous man known for brawling and his affections for you? Drunkenly killing the man he is interested in because he chose someone else. It's all very much like stories from the old days," Agravaine says.
"Why do you hate Arthur so?" Merlin says.
"Because he and Uther are the reason my sister is dead! Now that Uther is dead, so too will her other murderer," Agravaine says.
"You actively plot treason against your King?" Merlin asks.
"Morgana is the rightful Queen! I will kill Arthur to make that happen," Agravaine says and swings his sword at Merlin.
The look on his face when another sword blocks his is something Arthur will cherish for years to come.
"Hello Uncle," Arthur says disarming him with a move of his sword, "or should I call you traitor?" Arthur asks as Gwaine and Lancelot subdue the Lord and lead him towards the dungeon.
"Thank you Merlin..." "For what?"
"For this and a lot of things I likely don't know about," Arthur says and goes off to prepare to hold a trial.
After the conclusion of the trial, Agravaine is stripped of his lands and titles. Part to be given to Lancelot, part to Leon, part to Gwaine, part to Merlin to be cared for by Lancelot until Arthur is ready to lose the manservant that became his best friend and the remainder going to Arthur.
After that Agravaine is to be held in the dungeons till he dies. Arthur couldn't sentence his Uncle to death. No matter how much pain he had caused. Merlin had comforted him the night before the sentence. Listening to Arthur's plight with no sign of disappointment.
Arthur doesn't think there are words to tell Merlin how much that simple act means to him. He's not sure what he did to receive Merlin's friendship but he is glad that he did.
He'd hate to see what sort of King he would be without him. Hates to imagine the fate of his people and his kingdom.