A/N - Finally here is the fifth and final chapter of our story. Thank you to everyone who has left a review, they are so nice to read. The Merlin fandom has some of the best readers and fans without a doubt! You guys are absolutely fabulous! Thanks for reading and please enjoy.

Chapter Five

Arthur had crossed over into Cendred's kingdom almost an hour ago, and still saw no sign of Merlin. He was starting to get very uncomfortable as worry for his friend began to build. He moved more slowly now straining his ears to hear any sounds wafting through the otherwise quiet forest when he heard a scream of pain from a few hundred yards ahead and off to the west. Without waiting to analyze what he was hearing, Arthur kicked his horse into action riding hard and fast toward the sound. As he drew nearer he heard the panicked sound of a horse's whinny, and he knew in his gut that it was the horse Merlin rode. He grabbed his loaded crossbow as well as his sword and jumped down off his own horse who meandered over to a patch of grass in a nearby clearing unconcerned about the sounds of battle.

Arthur raced forward through the trees and uneven ground and heard a familiar voice cry out desperately "Wait! I'm from Ealdor."

Arthur know knew that it was his wayward servant who was being attacked and his pace increased. Arthur had to pull up short as the frightened horse Merlin had been riding darted past him toward the clearing his own horse was grazing in, and he heard Merlin's voice again.

"Why are you doing this? I am from Ealdor, I'm just traveling. I've done nothing wrong!"

Merlin's voice was frightened and desperate which meant that he was in mortal peril. Arthur could tell from the sounds that Merlin was just over the next rise and the prince scrambled up the hill as quickly as he could. When he crested the hilly mound the sight before him made his blood run cold. There were three of Cendred's soldiers in the small forest clearing that formed a natural dip in the landscape. One of the soldiers looked to be unconscious or possibly dead as he lay motionless on the ground. Another was just getting up from the ground and walking toward the third soldier who stood with his arms raised up above his head holding his sword which was pointing down as he straddled a figure lying on the ground. Arthur knew it was Merlin even though he could not see him clearly. The man was about to drive his sword right through Merlin's body!

Arthur acted with the finely honed swiftness of years of training. He raised his crossbow and aimed quickly before releasing the trigger. The arrow shot through the air past the closer man who spun quickly to see where the new threat had come from. The arrow pierced the soldier about to kill Merlin on the left side of his back causing the man to arch as the arrow ran through him and out the front directly through his heart. The sword dropped from suddenly limp fingers straight down embedding itself so that it remained upright with it's hilt quivering slightly from the impact.

"No!" The cry ripped from Arthur's throat as he saw the sword fall.

He hadn't saved Merlin at all, he had caused his death. Arthur threw the crossbow to the side and jumped down the embankment with his sword firmly grasped in both hands, charging directly at the remaining soldier who stood between him and his servant's body. Rage and sorrow filled Arthur's heart as he attacked Cendred's man. The soldier was a skilled swordsman, but he was no match for the fury the young prince unleashed on him and was quickly overwhelmed. Arthur made short work of this toy soldier blocking his attempted attack and swinging around with his sword to run him through. As the man fell lifeless to the earth Arthur looked at Merlin lying so still thirty paces beyond. Tears sprang to his eyes blurring his vision, but that didn't slow the young prince as he scrambled over to his friend.

As he skidded to a stop in front of the supine figure, relief washed over him in such a torrent that he dropped to his knees trying to control the adrenalin rushing through his veins. The sword that Arthur thought had ended his servant's life was firmly embedded in the ground next to Merlin's right side having pierced the ground between the boy's body and right arm. The sharp implement had come so close to Merlin that it actually had cut the boy's flank as it pierced his tunic pinning it to the earth.

Arthur grabbed the sword by it's hilt and yanked it straight up and out of the ground tossing it aside before he bent over Merlin to assess his condition. There was a deep bloody gash running diagonally across his chest from the right just under his collar bone and all the way down to the middle of his chest. Deep crimson stained the boy's blue shirt and Arthur feared that he may have actually been too late. He touched the side of Merlin's face trying to tell if he still lived, and the young man's head rolled to the right off a stone showing a bright red stain on the rock where his head had struck with force. Merlin moaned slightly and Arthur let out a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding.

There was a rustling off in the forest from the opposite direction and Arthur sprang to his feet his sword held ready to fend off any more of Cendred's men, but no one came rushing into the clearing. Arthur looked around and realized that he needed to get Merlin out of there and back to Camelot as quickly as possible. He sheathed his sword and reached down to grab Merlin's arms. He hauled the young man up unceremoniously and flung his over his shoulder noting how light he seemed to be. The boy had lost weight over the past few weeks, that much was clear. He had carried Merlin like this before and he was definitely lighter now.

Arthur turned back toward the rise he had come down and moved as quickly as possible back up through the forest. As he passed his discarded cross bow it took only a little extra effort to bend down and pick it up even while holding the unconscious man over his shoulder. It didn't take long to find the horses, and Arthur was thankful that Merlin's horse had stopped and was grazing with his own. Both animals looked up at his approach and the horse that Merlin had been riding tossed his head up and down anxiously at Arthur's approach and the smell of blood. The animal recognized the prince, responding to his soothing words, and calmed down enough to allow Arthur to drape Merlin over the saddle. He stowed the crossbow on his own saddle and mounted quickly still looking around for any sign of more soldiers.

As much as Arthur would have liked to have ridden hard for the border he was forced to take a more sedate pace with Merlin's unconscious body draped over his horse. The last thing the young man needed was to slide off the horse and be dropped on his, having already suffered a serious head wound. It took nearly two hours to reach the border of the kingdom and Arthur rode for another hour after that to make certain they were well into their own kingdom before stopping. He was almost afraid to see how badly Merlin had been injured. After three hours of riding the young man had not so much as whimpered or shown any sign of regaining consciousness.

When Arthur dismounted and moved over to check on his servant he was appalled by the amount of blood that had run down onto his face from the wound above and behind his left ear. Merlin's tunic was saturated in blood as well. The back of the shirt was cut along the right near the top indicating that he had a sword wound there as well as the one he had seen across the right side of his servant's chest.

Arthur looked up at the sky realizing that it was late afternoon and there were only a few hours of daylight left. Camelot was still at least seven or eight hours away at the pace they were able to travel, so like it or not he decided he needed to tend to Merlin's wounds and the make camp for the night. Arthur guided the horses over to a level clearing to his south and tethered the animals before he gently took Merlin down off his horse. He needed to get a better look at the young man's wounds so using his own body to prop his servant up, he carefully removed the young man's tunic. When he did something fell to the ground as the shirt came up over Merlin's head. Arthur reached down and picked up the small figurine crafted from a golden colored stone. He was interested in what it was, but now was not the time so he stuffed the blood covered object into his pocket before gently laying the unconscious man to the ground.

Arthur went to the horses and grabbed a bladder of water and rummaged around in Merlin's pack looking for a clean shirt. He found one as well as an old book. Once again he was stopped by the discovery wondering what the tomb contained, but again now was not the time to satisfy his curiosity. The book was laid aside as he searched around in the pack looking for something he could tear up to use for bandages. There was a third shirt in the bottom of the pack and he pulled that out as well. He went back to Merlin who was still out cold but had begun to shiver. The head wound had bleed profusely and the left side of the young man's face was a mess.

Arthur used the ruined tunic he had just taken off of Merlinto wipe off as much blood as he could before he splashed water over the young man's face to wipe up the blood that had dried. The wound on Merlin's head was actually just behind his left ear and a little higher than it. Arthur tore off a strip of cloth from the bottom of the shirt and folded it up to make a compression bandage to place over the wound then he ripped one of the sleeves off to use as a tie around the young man's head keeping the bandage in place. Once that was done Arthur rolled Merlin onto his left side so that he could get a better look at his back.

Merlin had a long diagonal gash about five inches in length that cut right down to the bone over his right shoulder blade. The young man was rather slender so it didn't take much to expose the bone but the sight of it turned Arthur's stomach a little. That wound had stopped bleeding, but it was dirty so Arthur splashed some more water across the cut and used the torn tunic to wash it off the best that he could. The wound welled up with fresh blood as he did this, but it wasn't bleeding freely and upon inspection it wasn't a very serious injury. He tore off the second sleeve of the blue shirt Merlin had been wearing and pressed the damp cloth to the wound in an effort to both stem the renewed bleeding somewhat and keep it clean so that he could roll him onto his back and look at the gash on his chest.

The chest wound was far deeper and more serious than the one on Merlin's back. After washing that wound which was still bleeding freely and wiping it off with the destroyed shirt he could clearly see the whitish hue of the young man's collar bone and looking into the deepest portion of the wound over the right side of his chest he thought he could see the smooth surface of a rib. The wound was made by a slashing motion of the sword but his ribs had done their job and protected his lungs from being damaged which Arthur was grateful for. This wound was still bleeding so he took one of the clean shirts that he had rummaged from Merlin's pack and tore off a wide band from the bottom of the shirt using his hunting knife pressing it down over the wound.

Merlin moaned pitifully at his ministrations and Arthur felt badly that he was hurting the young man, but if he didn't get the bleeding stopped it wouldn't have mattered how close they were to Camelot. Merlin wouldn't make it through the night. Arthur felt the muscles in the young man's body begin to shake and quiver as he shivered in the cool air. Arthur needed to keep pressure on the chest wound, but he also needed to get a blanket to cover Merlin and get a fire started. Arthur looked around for a solution to his dilemma, and after a moment he spied a flat heavy looking rock just off to his left. He let go and blood immediately began to seep out from under the fabric he had been holding down on Merlin's chest. Arthur retrieved the rock and quickly moved back to Merlin's side. He carefully laid the rock down on the young man's chest over the makeshift bandage trying to see underneath it as he did so to make sure it was doing the job. After a few moments no new blood seemed to be coming from the wound so he got up and went back to the horses to fetch a blanket to cover the shivering young man.

The cut from the fallen sword on Merlin's right side was superficial and Arthur paid it no mind as he cleared a spot on the ground fairly close to where Merlin lay to build a fire. It took Arthur nearly an hour to gather up enough firewood to last the night, build a fire and set up the camp. When he was done he went back to check on Merlin and found him struggling to breath. He lifted the rock from his chest which eased his strained breathing some what. The chest wound had essentially stopped bleeding so Arthur took the clean shirt he had torn to make the bandage for his chest and folded it into a long strip that he could tie around Merlin's torso to keep the bandage in place. When he raised him up enough to slide the folded shirt under the young man he saw that the damp blood soaked tunic sleeve had been wearing earlier was stuck to the wound across his back. He decided to just leave it there for the time being and he laid Merlin back down and tied the other folded shirt tightly around the young man's chest.

The sun was hanging very low in the sky at this point and the temperature was dropping. He needed to get a clean shirt on Merlin before it got dark so once again Arthur had to lift the young man up and as he had done previously he propped Merlin's upper body against his own in order to get the clean shirt over his head. At this point the bloody shirt fell away from the wound over Merlin's shoulder blade and dropped to the ground, but at least that wound had stopped bleeding altogether. Arthur pulled the shirt down over Merlin's torso and gently laid him down again then covered him up with the blanket. A fleeting thought ran through Arthur's mind. He wondered how difficult he was to dress in the mornings and he suddenly had a different perspective of the daily task. While it's true that Merlin didn't have to try and dress an unconscious Arthur every morning, it still seemed that the task may have had more to it than he had realized.

There was a small stream about 100 yards to the north and Arthur snatched up the blue blood soaked shirt as well as the water bladder and headed for the water. When he knelt down and opened the shirt up there wasn't a lot left of the thing. Even Merlin wouldn't be able to repair the damage done to the shirt after it was sliced three times by a sword and ripped up by Arthur to make bandages for Merlin's wounds. As he was about to dip the fabric in the water he noticed something brown sticking up out of the collar and pulled it out to see what it was. To his surprise it was a braided leather chord that had obviously been cut when the soldier's sword had sliced through Merlin's shirt and into his chest. It was only then that Arthur remembered the stone figurine that had dropped when he first took the shirt off of his servant.

Arthur reached into his pocket and withdrew the small figure and washed it in the stream. The low hanging sun glinted off the stone making it almost look alive with light. The figure was a carving of a dragon in flight. Down the center of the piece there was a streak with a reddish hue that was accentuated in the setting sunlight. The streak ran right down the body of the dragon and it was obviously a naturally occurring pigmentation of the stone. The effect was stunning and it showed exquisite craftsmanship. A piece like this was something that would be extremely valuable and Arthur wondered where Merlin had gotten it. He knew he had never seen it before, and Merlin did not usually wear any sort of pendant. He washed the shirt wringing it out only to find he had to wash it a second and third time before he was able to wring out the fabric without a torrent of red water coming from the ruined garment.

He took the shirt back to the camp and hung it near the fire to dry it. Before he sat down Arthur remembered the strange old book he had found in Merlin's pack, and went to retrieve it. The book looked to be decades old and it couldn't have belonged to Merlin, but there it was in his pack. Like the pendant it was something that just didn't seem to belong. A part of Arthur felt wrong looking through Merlin's things, but his curiosity got the better of him and he opened the leather bound book to see what it was.

The handwriting was completely unfamiliar. It wasn't Merlin's, for Arthur had seen his servant's hand writing on several other occasions. The first page of the book talked about the balance of nature and magic and how mankind fit into the natural and mystical worlds. Arthur had only planned to skim through the book to get an idea of what it contained, but soon found himself immersed in the writings. He was astonished to find teachings about the old religion written down that were all about peace and acceptance, life and death, and unity and harmony between the natural world and the mystical one. These were not the ramblings of twisted and evil men. This book talked about the old religion as a guide for tolerance and understanding. This was nothing even remotely close to what he had always been taught about the old religion or about magic. The young prince of Camelot became enthralled by what he read and devoured the pages like a dry sponge soaking up everything drop of water it could hold.

'What was someone like Merlin doing with a book like this?' Arthur wondered. He looked over at his servant who lay deathly still and felt a shiver crawl up his spine. His normally vivacious and active servant was too still and it unsettled the young prince.

'Someone like Merlin.' Arthur realized in that instant that some – if not most – of his preconceptions about his servant were way off the mark. Until now, Arthur would never have guessed that Merlin would have any interest at all in the old religion or magic. The lure of the interesting and provocative ideas in the Merlin's book drew Arthur's attention away from Merlin and back to the pages scrawled in someone else's hand. There were quite a few blank pages and pages that had things written on them then scratched off. Arthur thumbed past them until he came to a page filled with text.

The section he now read was more of a personal journaling written by the author of the book and as Arthur read another chill of a wholly different nature crawled up his spine at the tale the pages told. This book had been written by Balinor. The journaling section of the book was only six pages long, but it chronicled the story that Merlin had told him about the Dragon Lord and his father complete with a few details that Merlin had left out. This must be what Balinor told Merlin when he lay unconscious with fever when they went to find the Dragon Lord.

As he read on and got to the point in the tale when Balinor fled Camelot and he was shocked to read that he had help in his escape. The man who helped him was not named, but the description led him to an obvious conclusion. Gaius was a trusted advisor to his father and he was stunned beyond belief that the court physician would betray Uther's trust. He didn't disagree with what Gaius had done. He, himself, had done essentially the same thing when he helped Mordred, the druid boy, to escape execution, but the thought that Gaius would do the same floored Arthur.

He read on now fully invested in the story and found he had to put the book down after reading further. Arthur looked over again at Merlin and found himself studying his servant's facial features. Arthur had finally found the connection between the enigmatic Dragon Lord and his ingenuous servant. Balinor was Merlin's father. Merlin had never known his father and clearly had never met Balinor before. The tears he cried when Balinor was killed made complete sense now, and Arthur mentally kicked himself for what he had said to Merlin about no man being worth his tears. Merlin had finally found his father only to have the man taken from him immediately.

Arthur realized that Merlin had not gone to Ealdor at all, or at least not right away. He had gone back to find his father's body and lay him to rest. He must have ventured back to the cave where they had found the Dragon Lord and that is where he had gotten this book. Merlin's pain and sorrow came into sharp focus for Arthur. He had suffered a tremendous loss and could share it with no one. He had born the burden of grief alone. Balinor had died saving Merlin, and therefore he must also be burdened with guilt over that death. It was not a wonder that he had taken everything so much to heart. Arthur found himself admiring the young man's bravery and stoicism in the face of such crushing grief not sure whether or not he would hold up as well if their positions had been reversed.

"I'm sorry, Merlin. You should have told me. I could have eased your grief. You should have trusted me."

Arthur knew that Merlin couldn't hear him, but he felt the need to say something to his friend. Merlin had stood by his side through many trials and Arthur wished their relationship was such that he could openly do the same in return. How many times had Merlin told Arthur that someday when he was king he could change the arcane way that the gentry and common folk interacted? When Arthur was king he could take a wife who was a handmaiden and call a servant his friend. When he was king things would be different. In that moment Arthur Pendragon vowed that many things would change when he took the throne. Merlin was his friend no matter what his background. He had earned that position in Arthur's life through his deeds and loyalty. Gwen may be a serving girl, but she was also the only woman his heart beat for. Yes, things would definitely change when he became king.

Arthur's musings were interrupted when Merlin moaned and cried out pitifully.

"No! Wait!"

Arthur quickly moved to the young man's side to see if he was awake. Merlin's eyes were still closed as he rolled his head from side to side breathing heavily in the grips of some inner turmoil.

"Stop! Please stop."

Arthur grabbed Merlin's face in both hands trying to calm him down. "Merlin, it's alright. You're safe now." As he touched the young man, Arthur felt heat radiating off of him in waves. "My, God, you're burning up!" he exclaimed.

Arthur moved so that the light of the fire illuminated his friend and he pulled up the young man's shirt. He carefully pulled the edge of the makeshift bandage down from Merlin's chest wound and even in the dim light cast by the fire he could see the wound was puffy and red with infection. Cendred's men obviously didn't keep their swords cleaned properly the prince thought, with disgust. There was nothing he could do to help Merlin except to keep him covered while also trying to keep his fever down. Arthur grabbed the torn, drying shirt from the branch it had been hanging on, as well as the water skin. He soaked the shirt in the cool water from the stream and used that to wipe Merlin's brow while he pulled the blanket up around his shoulders to ward off the chill night air.

Once Merlin had settled down, Arthur once again soaked the cloth in water and laid it across Merlin's brow. He saw the book lying beside the fire and reached over to pick it up. Balinor's tale wasn't quite complete so he sat there next to Merlin reading the book as more startling revelations came to light the further he read.

The night had been long and troubled. Merlin's fever raged on even though Arthur did his best to keep his servant's brow cool. The prince dozed off fitfully throughout the night but never really slept. As the sky began to slowly brighten in the pre-dawn light Arthur got up and began to break camp. He planned to get Merlin back to Gaius as soon as possible for he had no intention of loosing his friend now. Rather than lay Merlin across the saddle of the horse the way he had when they first fled Cendred's kingdom, Arthur managed to sit the unconscious man up in the saddle with his upper body laying along the horses stout neck. He used some rope to tie Merlin onto the horse so that they could travel faster as well as keeping his head from hanging down possibly causing the head wound to begin bleeding again.

Arthur was able to take a faster pace with Merlin securely tied to his horse and they arrived at the gates of Camelot well before midday. As Arthur rode in, he instructed the guards to fetch Gaius quickly as more guards ran up to the prince. Uther had been looking for Arthur and was most displeased to find that his son had left without word as to his wear-abouts. The guards and knights who should have been patrolling to border had been waylaid from that task by order of the king. They had been sent out in search of the missing prince instead. This explained why Arthur had not seen a single patrol on his trip back. He had wondered about that, and had made a mental note to speak with the captain of the border patrol to find our why there was no one watching the border to Cendred's kingdom.

Gaius and Uther arrived in the court yard at the same time each heading for one of the young men. Uther was livid when he realized that Arthur had ridden off in search of his servant rather than tending to his duties here in Camelot and he began to say so right there in the middle of the courtyard. Arthur pointedly ignored his father and focused his attention on Merlin, giving Gaius the details of his injuries. He instructed two of the guards standing by to carry Merlin to Gaius' chambers. When the men hesitated glancing sideways at their angry king, Arthur spoke up loudly.

"You heard me! I gave you an order, now carry it out!"

The guards once again glanced at Uther and he nodded slightly. Only then did they move and take the unconscious man down from the horse. The king had obviously realized that having a loud verbal argument with Arthur in front of everyone was not appropriate and it would have to wait. For this Arthur was grateful, and he turned to his father.

"Cendred's men are posing a more serious risk than we had originally thought, Sire. I will give you a report on the activities near the border shortly in the throne room." With that Arthur turned and left the courtyard, following the men who were carrying Merlin.

After placing Merlin on the small bed near the fire as Gaius instructed, Arthur told the guards to assemble all of the border patrol who were still in Camelot for a meeting in the armory in a hour's time and then dismissed them. Gaius had immediately begun to look over Merlin's injuries. With Arthur's help he got the boy's shirt off and he was now unwrapping the bandages that Arthur had fashioned.

After inspecting the wound over the boy's shoulder blade, the one on his chest, the cut on his flank and the head wound the aging physician turned his head to Arthur. "The wound on his chest is infected as you know. It is fairly deep but once the infection is dealt with it should heal well. These are very good field dressings, Arthur. It is nice to know that you paid attention when I instruct the knights in regard to battlefield injuries."

Arthur looked over Gaius' shoulder at Merlin. "Will he be alright?"

"You got him here fairly quickly, so yes I do believe he will recover. It will take some time before he will be able to fully use his right arm. The muscles have been cut, but the tendons are intact and with time the muscle will heal. I am very glad that you went out after Merlin, Arthur, but Uther was very angry this morning when he realized that you had left."

"It's a good thing I did. Cendred has lost all reason. His soldiers are attacking his own people!"

At that statement Gaius straightened up staring at Arthur with a surprised and grave expression. "How do you know this?"

"I heard Merlin trying to get the soldiers to stop attacking him. He cried out that he was from Ealdor. The same thing happened with the people who came here yesterday. One of the women was also from Cendred's kingdom. With that party I could possibly see the soldiers looking at them as refugees from Camelot, but Merlin was alone and he was not headed in a direction that would have marked him as fleeing Camelot. Rather the opposite actually. With this kind of activity going on just over the border, it won't be long before Cendred has civil unrest to deal with. There are at least a dozen border communities and if they are unable to safely travel within their own kingdom how are they to trade, get supplies, or survive? It will not be long before we start seeing refugees fleeing from Cendred's kingdom looking for shelter here! This is a very serious matter that I must discuss with the king. Take care of Merlin, Gaius. I'll come back and check on him as soon as I can."

Gaius nodded his head and bent back to his work not envying either Arthur or Uther the problem that now faced them so soon after the city had be so badly damaged.

Arthur walked into the open door of the court physician's chambers. Gaius was not in the main room but he could see movement in the small chamber at the back that was Merlin's room. The day had been long and arduous but the prince was determined to see how his servant was doing. Arthur closed the main door to the physician's chambers and stepped over to the short staircase leading up to Merlin's small room. The door stood open and Gaius was just sitting down after tending to his ward. Arthur stepped up the stairs and knocked lightly on the door frame. Gaius turned his head and smiled at the young prince of Camelot.

"Sire." he said, by way of greeting.

"How is he?" Arthur asked, simply.

Arthur was pleased to see a smile grace the old man's face. He had looked so grave the day before when he had left Merlin in the care of the physician. "His fever is down. The poultice I used on the infection seems to have done the trick."

Arthur moved into the room and looked at the young man lying in bed. He still look small and pale and fragile to the prince, but his pallor had taken on a better color than when they had first arrived back in Camelot.

"Has he awakened yet?"

"Not fully. He has begun to come around a couple of times, but he is still very weak. I have managed to get some water and a few sips of broth into him. That along with some medicinal elixirs are helping to bring his strength back a bit. I don't imagine it will be too much longer before he wakes up enough to know where he is."

Arthur held the old leather bound book he had found in Merlin's pack in his hand as well as a couple of shirts. The prince took a seat on the edge of the bed facing Gaius. The physician saw the book and asked curiously, "What do you have there?"

"I don't imagine Merlin has very many clothes. I think I have only ever seen him wear three different shirts two of which have been torn up for bandages, so I brought him a couple of my old ones." Arthur said as he set the shirts down on the bed. He turned the book over in his hands and looked up at Gaius. "Also when I was rummaging through Merlin's pack looking for something to use as bandaging material I found this. I know he would want it back."

Gaius looked surprised to see Arthur holding something that obviously belonged to his ward and a wary glint entered his eyes. He had never seen the book and he had no idea what was in it, but it looked very old and he feared what secrets it might contain. Arthur saw the emotions play across the old man's face and he felt compelled to explain.

"I didn't mean to invade his privacy. I knew that the book couldn't have been written by him, it's too old for that. I just glanced through the first few pages to see what it was, and... well I was drawn in like a moth to the flame. Gaius, I have always been taught that the old religion and magic are powerful, destructive, and evil forces. That is all I have ever known. What this book spoke of was a completely different perspective of the old religion and of magic itself.

"It spoke of peace, harmony, and a unity between the mystical world of magic and the natural world. It explained how magic was an integral part of the natural world and as old as the Earth itself. Gaius, that is in direct contrast to everything I have ever been taught. For as long as I can remember it has been drummed into me that magic is unnatural and evil, but what was written here in these pages not only made logical sense, it felt right. The philosophy in this book tells about life and death and the balance of the world. It talks about the distinction between the use of magic as a tool for healing and life verses dark magic that is a personification of a black soul. It is essentially a more detailed account of what you said to me. Magic is neither good nor evil. It is the one who wields it that determines its intent."

Arthur looked over at Merlin sleeping as he continued to speak. "This book didn't just hold the philosophies of it's author, however. It told a story as well. Further into the pages I found a detailed accounting of an experience that the writer had. It didn't take long for me to realize that the author of this work was Balinor."

Arthur watched Gaius to see what his reaction to that information would be. The older man looked startled but he said nothing.

"The story Balinor wrote chronicled how he was lured to Camelot under false pretenses and then betrayed. How he had to escape from the city with the help of a 'good man'. He didn't mention who had helped him by name, but his descriptions made that person fairly obvious to me."

The old physician sat up straighter in his chair looking Arthur in the eye. He was obviously unsettled by the fact that his secret had been revealed, but he looked ready to face what ever consequences would follow.

"Gaius, you don't have to worry. I won't say anything to anyone. You did the right thing. What happened back then was wrong, and I won't defend my father for having innocent men put to death. Balinor's tale didn't end with his escape from Camelot however. He wrote that he took shelter in a small village in a neighboring kingdom and that he fell in love with a young woman there. He had built a life for himself only to have that ripped away as well, when the knights of Camelot came looking for him."

Arthur once again looked over at his servant. He looked so small and frail in that moment. "I couldn't help wondering what someone like Merlin would be doing with a book like this. Merlin is a farm boy from a tiny village. What could he possibly know of these kinds of things? As I continued to read I was shocked to find hidden within these pages a revelation about this farm boy from a tiny village. A revelation that has answered dozens of questions that had been running through my mind. Now I know what Merlin has tried so hard to hide from me all of this time."

Gaius stood up and stepped over to the bed, checking Merlin's temperature again. Arthur could tell that he was very disturbed by what Arthur had discovered. It also confirmed for the prince that Gaius had known all along what Merlin's secret was.

"You knew didn't you?"

Gaius turned to face Arthur squaring his shoulders. He moved so that he was almost shielding the boy from Arthur and jutted his chin out a little. "What is it that you think I know?

Arthur couldn't blame Gaius. He was after all talking to the crowned prince of Camelot about a matter of treason. "You knew that Balinor was Merlin's father."

Gaius let out a breath and bowed his head before he sat down again. For some inexplicable reason he seemed relieved. "Yes, I did."

"Why, Gaius? Why did you never tell Merlin? Why did Hunith never tell him? He told me once that he had never known his father and that when he asked his mother about him she wouldn't talk about it. All those years he grew up without his father, and the man lived less than a day's journey from Ealdor."

Gaius shook his head. "I wanted to tell Merlin, Arthur, but Hunith was afraid. She wanted to keep him safe. Balinor was a hunted man and if it was known that he had a son, then Merlin would have been in as much danger as Balinor, or worse; Merlin could have been used as a weapon against him, a way to draw him out into the open."

Arthur hadn't thought of that, but it made perfect sense. "I don't blame you or Hunith given the circumstances, but I do understand how he feels - how he felt." Arthur corrected himself, now that Balinor truly was dead. "I know what it was like to grow up with such an important part of your life missing." Arthur looked back at the sleeping young man. "He didn't deserve this, any of it."

After a moment Arthur looked back at Gaius. "What really surprised me was what was written in the book after the story of Balinor's encounters in Camelot and Ealdor. He had so much taken from him, I would have expected to see anger, and vengeance reflected in the pages following that story, but instead he spoke of forgiveness, redemption, and hope. Even after everything that my father did to this man, he wrote that Uther wasn't his true enemy; ignorance and fear were.

"That was the last entry in the book and judging by the age of the pages and the fading ink I would guess that those sentiments were written down a very long time ago. Forgiveness was the last thing on Balinor's mind when Merlin and I found him. All I saw was anger and bitterness, at least at first. The years had been unkind to Balinor as they would for any man in his situation, but he still acted honorably. He healed me, and he did eventually agree to come back to Camelot. I just wish Merlin had trusted me enough to tell me the truth about Balinor."

"I told him not to." Gaius answered, simply.

This caused Arthur's eyebrows to rise up in surprise. "Why?"

"When you and Merlin left to find Balinor I cautioned him to say nothing to you, for fear of what your father would think. The son of a Dragon Lord would be viewed in a very unfavorable light, I'm afraid."

Arthur stared at Gaius for a moment shaking his head. "You told him? I thought that Balinor had told Merlin who he was, while I was unconscious."

Gaius shrugged. "Balinor had no idea that he had a son. He left Ealdor before Hunith found out she was pregnant. She has kept that secret all of these years to protect both of them. It was Merlin who revealed himself to Balinor, not the other way around."

Arthur nodded and stood up from the bed. "That explains a few things."

Gaius looked at the book that Arthur still held in his hands. "What do you intend to do with that, Sire?" The trepidation in Gaius' voice was clear to the young prince even though the older man tried to hide it.

"Gaius, I do not see the world through my father's eyes. He has made many mistakes along the way, but he didn't have the advantage of knowing how to distinguish between the kind of magic talked about in this book, and the kind of magic that people like Nimueh, Morgause and Seigan practiced. I'm glad that I read what Balinor wrote down, it has given me a new perspective. Merlin can not help who his father was and he should not incur suspicion and doubt based on his parentage. Until two weeks ago he never even know who his father was. As for this book - It doesn't belong to me, and I'm sure Merlin would want it back. It is one of the only things he has left of his father."

Gaius was ever the pragmatic and said, "If he is ever discovered by the king with that book..."

With a smile Arthur opened the sole cupboard in the room and placed the book inside. "I'm pretty sure Merlin can keep a secret."

Arthur still had so many things to do with the new building happening in the lower town and continued repairs throughout the city, not to mention organizing border patrols to keep unwary citizens of Camelot a good distance from the border to Cendred's kingdom as well as keeping Cendred's soldiers out of his own kingdom that he had not been able to get back to see Merlin in the last two days.

He had asked Gwen when he saw her in passing to keep him updated on Merlin's recovery and was pleased to hear that Merlin had been able to actually get up and out of bed earlier that day. He made it a point to go and see his servant as soon as he finished with the border patrol. It was just past sundown when Arthur knocked on the door to Gaius' chambers and was greeted by the court physician.

"How is Merlin doing?" He asked, as soon as the door was opened.

"Please come in and see for yourself." Gaius replied. "I'll just go and fetch some fresh water from the well."

Gaius picked up the water bucket and left the prince and his ward to speak privately. Arthur saw Merlin sitting at the table near the fire. He had a decidedly forlorn look on his face and he had apparently not even noticed that Arthur had entered the room. His right arm was held against his chest in a sling and he still sported a proper bandage around his head that covered his right ear in order to stay in place over the wound on the left side of his head. Arthur thought for a moment that the young man might not have heard him enter and he cleared his throat loudly to get the young man's attention. Merlin turned his head and looked at Arthur seeming to take a moment to register that he was standing there.

"Arthur!" He finally said, apparently surprised to see him.

"I'm sorry I haven't been by to see you since you woke up. Considering what happened to you and others we have needed to start patrolling the border to Cendred's kingdom. I do not want any more of our people falling prey to his soldiers."

"I understand I have you to thank for getting me back here in one piece, so... thanks."

Arthur stepped over to the table and sat down opposite the young man smiling smugly. "Yes, well I guess it was my turn to save your backside." he said, playfully mirroring what Merlin had said to him the night they fought the dragon.

Arthur noticed that Merlin still had an almost lost look in his eyes and he wondered for a moment if it was because of the blow to his head, until the young man unconsciously reached up to his chest with his free hand as if searching for something that wasn't there.

"What's wrong, Merlin?"

The warlock looked at Arthur and dropped his hand. "Nothing, why?"

"Merlin, you can talk to me, you know. You can tell me anything, you should know that by now, so what has you so upset; aside from being bashed on the head and filleted like fish."

Merlin had to smirk at Arthur's description of his injuries. "It's nothing, really. I... It's just that I've lost something that was very precious to me... back in the forest when Cendred's men attacked, so I know I'll never get it back."

Arthur reached into his pocket and drew out the dragon pendant that was now supported on a brass colored metal chain rather than the ruined braided leather chord it once had.

"Is this what you are looking for?" Arthur asked, as he handed the piece over to Merlin.

The look of shock, delight, relief, and sheer awe on the young man's face was quite a sight for Arthur. He was so pleased that Merlin gave him such a good reaction.

"This was tangled up in your shirt when I found you. The chord that held it had been cut by the sword that gave you that." Arthur said, indicating the wound on Merlin's chest. "It's really sheer luck that it didn't fall out of your clothing as we rode out of Cendred's kingdom. I didn't find it until we stopped for the night well on this side of the border. The chain should hold it better than the leather which was looking fairly old and frayed in any case."

Merlin didn't seem to know what to say. He took the pendant in a shaky hand before glancing up at Arthur almost shyly. He was obviously trying to gauge what Arthur thought of such a possession, especially after what Kilgharrah had done to the city.

"Merlin, I am not my father, nor will I ever be. We can not choose who our parents are, and no man should be held accountable for who their fathers are or what they have done. When I found you in the dungeon with Halig I told him that you have my complete trust. Those were not just idle words, Merlin. I do trust you completely. I just wish you would trust me as well."

Merlin's eyes looked pained at Arthur's words. "I do trust you, Arthur... with my life."

Arthur just shook his head. He could see clearly that Merlin was still hiding his secret; unwilling to trust his master with the information. Arthur couldn't really blame him, but he wanted to make a point and looked pointedly at his servant. "You don't; not really. You don't trust me to do the right thing..."

Merlin interrupted him blurting out, "That's not true!"

Arthur would not be dissuaded. "Balinor was a good man; an honorable man, Merlin. You should be proud to have been able to call him father, even if only for one day."

Merlin's eyes opened wide and he looked toward the door that Gaius had gone through. Arthur could read him easily enough and continued.

"Gaius didn't tell me. It may come as a surprise to you, Merlin, but I'm not as thick as you seem to think I am. I figured it out on my own. The point is, you have nothing to fear from me. I have no intention of telling anyone, least of all my father who Balinor was to you. It certainly isn't your fault that Balinor was your father and you should not be held accountable to my father or anyone else for that fact any more than I should be held to task for my father's actions. I just wish you could have trusted me enough to tell me. There was no need for you to bear the burden of such a tremendous loss and grief alone."

Arthur watched a myriad of emotions flit across Merlin's features until the young man dropped his head and stared down at the small figure in his hand.

"Merlin, I love my father; he is the only parent I have ever known. I respect him as the ruler who brought peace and prosperity to this kingdom. That peace came at a very high price; a price I don't think I would have been willing to pay. My father is a hard man. The tragedies in his life have molded him into the man - the ruler - that he is. He didn't have a trusted friend who stood beside him challenging him or his ideas, and keeping him true to himself. I don't want you to judge me or my intentions based on what my father thinks or believes. I am my own man and the more I learn of the past the more I know that my vision for Camelot is far different from my father's.

"You have proven time and again that you are a true and loyal friend to me as well as this kingdom. You love Camelot as much as I do, I can clearly see that because you have shown it in your actions. I will always protect my friends; of that you can rely. It doesn't matter that I am a prince and you are a servant. It doesn't change the nature of the trust between us, a trust I hope that you will someday come to share."

Arthur wasn't sure, but Merlin's eyes seemed to reflect deep regret and maybe even longing. It took a few moments for Merlin to compose himself as Arthur's intention seemed to sink in. When the young man turned his face back up to look at Arthur, his face became a picture of stunned amazement which quite delighted the prince. He had finally gotten one over on the plucky young servant who always seemed to have an answer for everything. Merlin looked down at the pendant in his hand turning it over to see the amber streak down the body of the dragon.

"That piece is exquisite." Arthur said. "Balinor obviously put a lot more time into it than he did the wooden carving. I promise you, Merlin, that a day will come when you can wear this pendant openly and without fear of reprisal."

For a moment Arthur was worried that Merlin would start crying seeing how his eyes suddenly glistened, but he didn't.

"Thank you, Arthur." It looked like Merlin wanted to say something else, but he just looked down at the pendant again cradled gently in his left hand. After a pause the young man looked up at Arthur. "I don't know what to say."

Arthur wasn't very good with awkward moments like this so he smiled as he stood up. "Say that you will get some rest because I have a list of chores for you that is longer than your arm!"

Merlin ducked his head to hide the emotions parading across his face. "Yeah, I'll do that." he replied in a voice that spoke of his struggle to keep his emotions in check.

"Seriously, Merlin, I do have a lot for you to do, so drink what ever nasty potions Gaius gives you. Oh, and for God's sakes eat something would you? I think you actually bruised my shoulder with your bony hide when I had to carry you back to your horse!"

The End

A/N - I am working on a continuation of Square Peg Round Hole - but the progress is slow at the moment. Real life has naturally asked for my attention again. We had a death in the family on Sunday morning and there are several issues that the family must deal with right now that are taking priority over my favorite hobby. No worries though - it will all come together and it shouldn't be too terribly long before that story will have a chapter two.