Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin. I do have a cherry lollypop, though. Yay, me!

When Arthur dreamed, Merlin was usually there. So it was no surprise when the large door to his bedchambers opened and his manservant walked in.

Arthur sat behind his desk. As in all dreams, his surroundings seemed vague and blurry. He glanced up. "Hey."

"Arthur." Merlin moved over to stand at his desk, leaning casually against it. "I'm a sorcerer."

Arthur blinked at him. "Okay."

"Yeah?" His servant smiled crookedly. "You won't have me burned or executed?"

"Nah." The prince stuck his pen in his mouth and chewed on it. It seemed the thing to do at the time.

"Splendid. Magic can be used for good, you know." Merlin straightened and pointed out the window. "Like that."

Arthur turned, gazing up at the sky. "You mean the sun?"

"Yes."

"It's magic?"

"Of course," Merlin proclaimed.

For some reason that would later bewilder him, this made sense to Arthur. He nodded. "I get it."

"Good." Merlin jumped onto the large desk and lay down on it, locking his hands behind his head as he gazed at the ceiling.

"So, why didn't you tell me before?" Arthur asked as he bent down to pick up a stray inkwell that had rolled off the desk when Merlin slid onto it.

"You were sleeping," the sorcerer explained.

"Oh." Even in the dream, this didn't make sense. Arthur's brow furrowed.

Then he woke up.

Arthur stared up at the ceiling, then got up and dressed himself, still puzzling over his dream. For some reason, when he dreamed, he was much calmer than in real life.

He glanced up when the door was pushed open.

"Arthur-" Merlin stopped, staring. "You're up. And dressed."

"Yeah. I had a really odd dream." Arthur crossed his arms over his chest and absently leaned against his desk. "You came in and said you were a sorcerer."

Merlin nearly choked. "I did?"

"Yes. So I said, 'Okay.'"

"'Okay'?" Merlin felt confused.

"Yup. Then you asked if I would have you burnt or executed, and I said, 'Nah'. Then you said that the sun was magic, and I asked why you hadn't told me you were a sorcerer before. You said it was because I was sleeping."

"Sleeping?"

Arthur gave him an annoyed look. "Is there an echo in here?"

"But it doesn't make sense," Merlin protested.

"I know." Arthur snorted. "It's you, Merlin. Of course it doesn't make sense."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Merlin gave a crooked smile, and Arthur blinked. He had the feeling he should have thought of something, but he didn't know what. The prince mulled over it, then shook his head and dismissed it for the moment.

Merlin set the tray of food on the desktop and said conversationally, "So, if I really was a sorcerer, what would you do?"

Arthur frowned and looked at him thoughtfully. Merlin. If his loyal, goofy, sometimes bewilderingly wise friend was a sorcerer . . . "If you were a sorcerer," he said slowly, "you would have to have a reason. So I would listen."

Merlin looked at him. And he smiled, though it might have trembled a little. "Imagine that. You, listening to me."

There it was again. That sharp, insistent feeling that he should have realized something. But Arthur was still clueless. He might have said something like, "Hey, I listen to you!" Except now didn't feel like a time for flippancy. It felt so much deeper. So he just watched him.

"Yes," he said finally. "I would listen."

Merlin's smile crumpled. He stood there and held his hands close, twisting his fingers together. "Will you listen now?"

For some reason, this made Arthur feel lighter, and he smiled. "Of course."

A/N

Most reveal fics have Arthur acting angry and betrayed. But what if he didn't act like that? So . . . yeah.