What if Arthur had followed Merlin and found out about Freya? What would he do, and how would he react? Ok, so this idea popped in my head and will not leave for the life of me, so I have to get it out before I go crazy! Lol I know that a lot (most) of my fics are around Merlin/Freya, but I think those two are so cute together! Hope we get her for a third time in the fourth series! :) So here is a fic combined with my two favorite story lines. A reveal, and Merlin/Freya. Hope you like!

This is set at Season 2 Episode 9 The Lady Of The Lake.

Giaus watched as Merlin ran out. The boy had been acting odd lately. Humming while eating, leaving at random hours of the day, stealing food. The old man sighed. The boy was acting like he was in love. His thoughts wandered to the Druid girl. He wondered if Merlin had anything to do with it. Why was the boy protecting her so defiantly? Shaking his head, he went back to studying. Maybe tonight would bring some results.

Arthur was thinking along the same lines as Giaus. Merlin had been acting all... happy. And of all times to go wacko! Their was a creature attacking Camelot for crying out loud! He groaned in frustration. He so did not need Merlin to worry about as well, for though he would never admit it, Arthur was worried.

He got up. No use sitting around. He wouldn't get any sleep at all anyway. He stepped outside and took a deep breath of fresh air. He then heard something. He turned and saw a figure sneaking towards the lower town. That figure was Merlin. Arthur frowned. The idiot wasn't supposed to be out at this hour! Groaning in frustration, Arthur snuck behind Merlin and started to follow him.

Unaware that he was being followed, Merlin dodged and hid from the guards as he made his way to the tunnels beneath Camelot. Arthur watched in amazement. Where was this agility when they were hunting? The prince made a mental note to make Merlin do double time mucking for this. Unfortunately the prince lost Merlin in his train of thought. Cursing himself, he was about to go back when he saw a light flickering down to the tunnels beneath Camelot. Turning his head suspiciously, Arthur darted towards it as it became hidden.

Smirking to himself, Arthur decided to follow Merlin and then give him the surprise of his life. Little did he know he would be the one who would be surprised. He hid as he saw Merlin enter a place where a girl was sitting. Arthur stared in shock. She was the Druid girl! Merlin had been the one to free her! What was that idiot thinking. The girl looked shocked as well.

"What are you doing here?" she asked with concern.

"I couldn't help it." Merlin replied quickly. "Its dangerous." she replied seriously. Arthur was surprised. She was genuinely concerned for Merlin's well being.

"I don't care."

"No, Merlin you have to be careful." Merlin put the torch down. "I am fed up with being careful, I am fed up with all of this. So I've decided, I'm going to get you out of here, out of Camelot."

Arthur barely resisted the urge to smack his head against a wall. What was that idiot thinking? Why hadn't he told Arthur he had rescued the girl? Its not like he hadn't helped when Mordred had needed help.

"How?" she asked standing up. Arthur had to admit, she was kind of pretty.

"Get you some clothes disguise you." she sat down and looked sad. Arthur gritted his teeth. He knew he should turn the both of them in, but something made him stay.

"What's wrong?" Merlin asked. The girl shrugged her shoulders. "It's just; I'm going to miss you."

Arthur stopped breathing for a second their. Wait, wait, wait. Did those two like each other. No that was impossible. Right?

Merlin tilted his head. "No you won't." he crouched down to meet her confused eyes. "Because I'm going to come with you."

Wrong. Merlin was offering to go with this girl? Arthur sighed as he thought idiot a hundred times over.

The girl seemed to agree with Arthur. "What?"

"I told you I'm going to look after you..."

"You can't." She interrupted. Arthur felt himself feeling, for the first time, grateful to a Druid for wisdom.

"Don't say that." Merlin tilted his head unfazed. "Its not what you want?"

Arthur hoped that the girl would convince Merlin to see sense. The idiot wasn't really in love, he just felt protective, that's all. Arthur found himself thinking of Gwen and how he would do the same thing.

"Merlin. You have a good life here, my life is... I have to keep moving, always looking over my shoulder, people chasing me.."

"Then we'll go somewhere where no one know, somewhere far away."

The girl smiled and looked down.

"You haven't given me your answer yet." Merlin said with a smile that could only be described as loving.

Arthur held his breath and waited for her to laugh and say no way, or in your dreams or...

"I want that more than anything."

Or I want that more than... wait WHAT? Arthur realized that the two were really serious, and his perspective of Merlin changed in an instant as Merlin nearly burst with a smile with the girl.

"Where will we go?"

"Somewhere with mountains."

"A few fields." Freya replied remembering his description of his village.

"Wildflowers."

"A couple of cows."

"And a lake?" Freya looked at him with eyes ready to burst with love.

"And a lake." Here Arthur thought he was going to faint. Shaking his head he left the two alone. He had some serious thinking to do.

After the prince had caught his breath in his room his closed his eyes. He thought he had known Merlin.

He thought he could figure the boy out.

But the idiot had to complicate things and fall in love with someone who was condemned.

Arthur rubbed the bridge of his nose.

He knew he should tell his father where the girl was, but something kept stopping him.

Merlin truly loved the girl. That much was clear.

And Arthur realized that if it had been him in a tight situation with Gwen, Merlin would be there in a second to help despite everything else.

Arthur decided to talk to Merlin, and do what he could. He couldn't imagine not having Merlin around. Even though Arthur would probably deny in vehemently, the two were the best of friends.

Getting up, Arthur decided to find Merlin once he could, and convince him to stay. He could promise to protect the girl, till it all blew over or something. Anything to get Merlin to stay.

He was walking down the halls when he saw Merlin heading towards him holding one of Morgana's dresses. He decided to play dumb and see what half baked lie Merlin would come up with.

He looked at Merlin weird and just when Merlin thought he was free Arthur turned around.

"What are you doing?"

"Ah..." Oh this was fun!

"I'm running an errand for Giaus."

Arthur raised his eyebrow. "For Giaus. Strange."

Merlin laughed in denial. "Oh its not for him."

"As long as you do a decent days work Merlin, that's all I care about."

"No,no its not for me." Arthur started to walk away thoroughly enjoying himself.

"What a man does in his spare time is completely up to him."

"You've got this wrong."

"Color suits you Merlin." he retorted before turning the corner chuckling. Oh that had been one of the cleverest revenges he had ever done to Merlin.

Sighing he hoped he would be able to talk to Merlin when the bells rang. Darn! The creature must be at it again. Entering the throne room he saw Giaus looking at his father with a serious expression. Giaus seemed to be finishing the conversation with Uther. The tyrant turned to his son.

"Gather what knight you need. We need to find that Druid girl now." Arthur nodded, a sickening sensation starting in his stomach. He needed to warn Merlin. This was getting deathly serious. But he had no such luck as Halig walked in.

"Halig will be helping you with your search." Of course he was.

Arthur put his feelings aside and nodded giving Halig a glare.

The rest of the evening was a blur he caught the Druid girl into a corner. He watched as she turned into the creature that had been terrifying the people of Camelot every night. Halig managed to stab her in the arm as she killed him. Arthur saw Merlin watching the scene with terrified eyes. He felt pity for the both of them. He saw the beast see Merlin, and he watched as the mean expression leave her eyes. She flew away, and Arthur saw Merlin rush off.

Running into his chambers, Arthur quickly got changed and grabbed some bandages. The wound looked fatal but he had to do something. In some sort of frenzy he went into the tunnel and went to the place where Merlin had been hiding the Druid girl, but he two were gone. He rushed out of Camelot and spotted Merlin struggling up into the woods carrying the girl.

Arthur followed them till they reached a lake. Arthur wondered how the hell Merlin even knew the way there, and he got a strange sensation that he had been there before.

Merlin put he down supporting her head. She looked pale, and Arthur could tell that she was dying. But even so she looked noble and rather beautiful in Morgana's dress.

She looked out in the lake and closed her eyes with a smile.

"You remembered."

Merlin nodded unable to speak. He swallowed gaining his voice. "I am so sorry for what the sorceress did to you."

Arthur closed his eyes. So the girl hadn't always been like this. He wished he could have changed the outcome for Merlin, his friend. Maybe there was still hope.

"Merlin you have nothing to be sorry for."

He looked desperate. "If only there was something I could do some way I could save you."

"You've already saved me. You made me feel loved." Merlin let a tear roll down his cheek.
"I don't want you to go."

She looked at him. "One day Merlin, I will repay you. I promise." Her head fell back and she died in Merlin's arms.

Arthur closed his eyes in grief as Merlin embraced the dead body of his first love and sobbed.

Arthur slowly walked back to Camelot in a state of shock. What was he going to do?

He walked into he chambers the next morning and was surprised to see his manservant working away avoiding Arthur's eyes. The prince could see the grief in Merlin's eyes as he scrubbed his boots. He swallowed and acted nonchalant.

"Ah Merlin, there you are."

"Right, your going to have me wash the floors, polish your armor and clean your room."

Arthur sat down next to Merlin and watched as Merlin tightened his jaw and kept working as if his life depended on it.

Arthur opened his mouth and then closed it. There was a moment of silence.

"I know what happened." Were the first words that came out of Arthur's mouth.

Merlin looked up confused. "What do you mean?"

"I followed you the other night, and I know you were the one who let the Druid girl out, and I also know that she...she's gone."

Merlin closed his eyes trying not to cry. "Do what you want with me."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Honestly what do you take me for? I'm not going to tell my father, I just wish I could have done something to help you."

Merlin looked at Arthur in the eyes, no longer hiding the grief he was feeling.

"I am truly sorry for your loss." Arthur spoke with sincerity. Merlin almost smiled. "Thank you."

All of a sudden Arthur pulled Merlin into a head lock and rubbed his knuckles against his head.

"Ow, ow!" When Arthur let go, Merlin had a smile on his face, and looked at Arthur incredulously.

"You all right then?" Arthur asked. Merlin nodded. Still trying to figure out if this was Arthur, or if someone was pulling a prank on him.

"What was that for?"

"That was for not telling me when you needed help. Next time, no matter what, you will let me know if you need it, instead of bottling it up. Am I understood?"

Merlin nodded.

"Good, now, I need you to wash the floors, polish my armor, and clean my room." Arthur patted Merlin on the back as he left the room. Merlin watched him leave and smiled. Maybe everything would turn out for the best.

The End

Hope it was ok! I wrote their speeches from memory, so if I missed something in the dialog, I apologize. The last one between Merlin and Arthur I changed around a bit for my own purposes. I couldn't have Arthur be the one to kill Freya after he knew, it would be just wrong. I tried to capture the characters behavior, so I hope it was ok. No flames cause I'm fireproof! PLEASE REVIEW and Freya will come back from the dead to give you virtual cookies! Lol ;)