Ten minutes, he'd said; and to Merlin, it was both the longest and shortest ten minutes of his life.

After Gwaine had finished sharing his news and having a laugh about it, he'd dashed off again to gather everyone else so that they could all meet at Arthur's chambers together.

Merlin had jumped to his feet, resuming his studious pacing with an expression that looked as if he were about to be forced to eat a large, slimy toad.

Lancelot had come striding in, clapping Merlin on the back as he offered him his encouragement and support.

Merlin had offered him a blank, unseeing stare before he frantically resumed pacing, now fleetingly contemplating the question of whether or not he would survive if he climbed out of his window and tried to shimmy his way down the wall.

Elyan poked his head in to fetch them, saying that it was time; everyone had ushered Merlin out, keeping their concerned gazes fixed firmly on him.

Merlin had shuffled out to the hallway, the uncharacteristically blank look dominating his features once again; as they marched through the castle together, Merlin had maintained an unfocused, unattached air, feeling as if he'd been drugged.

All too soon, the procession reached the doors to Arthur's chambers, where Gwaine, Leon, and Percival waited. In unison, everybody halted and turned to look at Merlin, their expressions ranging from wary to anxious to encouraging – but all had the same note of concern. Sensing their shared anticipation, Merlin let his head fall back onto his shoulders and took a deep breath.

"This..." Merlin sighed, rolling his shoulders tensely. "…is insane."

Gwen stepped forward, tilting her head sympathetically as she gave Merlin a soft smile. "It's going to be fine, Merlin," she said earnestly, biting her lip. "Look, all of us know, and none of us ever dreamed of turning you in. There's nothing for you to worry about."

Merlin looked down at Gwen, raising his eyebrows in an incredulous, almost pleading look. "It's Arthur," he said in hushed tones, his eyes reflecting the chaos that was going on within him.

Gwen stepped closer, taking a quick breath. "Do you truly believe that he'd turn you in?" Her eyes darted as they searched Merlin's face inquisitively, the moment of silence stretching.

Merlin looked away with a sigh, shaking his head uncertainly. "No…I don't know…I just –" He broke off with another, heaving sigh, feeling lost.

"Merlin, you don't have to worry," Gwen began firmly. "We're your friends. We would never let Arthur do anything rash, even if he tried. But Arthur's your friend too; you're his best friend. This isn't going to change anything."

"It's not even that…" Merlin murmured slowly, fixing his gaze firmly on the wooden doors before him. There were no voices now, he realized, but now found his quiet inner-self far too lonely for his liking. "I mean – I don't actually think that Arthur would kill me, not really, because even if all else fails, then Arthur would still spare me for his honor, on account of all the times I've saved his life." Once Merlin started talking, he found it increasingly difficult to stop; staring unwaveringly at the door, he plowed on.

"It's not him that's the problem, it's me. It's – I mean, I've never told anyone about my powers." Everyone made sounds of confusion at his words, and Merlin was quick to elaborate, rolling his eyes. "I mean, yeah, all of you know, but I didn't actually tell any of you. You all just – just figured it out, on your own, or saw me do it, and I didn't have to tell you anything. But this – this will be the first time that I have ever told someone here that I have magic, and of course it's not just someone, it's –" he broke off with a gasp, swallowing heavily. "It's just hard, after being taught all my life that those words would get me killed."

A beat of silence followed his words. "I know," said Gwen eventually, her voice soft. Merlin nodded tersely, still facing forward. After a second more, he quickly glanced around, seeing nothing but concerned frowns and sympathetic smiles. The thought of so many eyes on him made him uncomfortable, and Merlin turned back towards the door, squaring his shoulders.

"You ready?" Lancelot asked, frowning as he twisted his head to look at Merlin from his position at the head of the group, about to push open the doors.

"No," said Merlin frankly, letting out a short huff of humorless laughter. Lancelot grimaced sympathetically and started forward, shoving open the doors.

Merlin thought that he could hear the tremor of a rapidly beating drum, though that might have been his imagination, or his own heart pounding at that alarming pace. Everything seemed to pause, with their footsteps clapping down on the stone floor in near slow-motion. In a second that seemed more like an eternity, they entered Arthur's chambers, a sense of doom descending hopelessly over Merlin. For a moment, the room was ominously silent and seemingly empty –

"It's about time! Honestly, Gwaine told me about this ridiculous 'meeting' of yours half an hour ago, what took you so long?" Arthur emerged from behind a column, head bent as he fastened on his sword belt carefully.

No one replied as everybody seemed to be intent on watching Merlin; meanwhile, Merlin was intently watching Arthur's practiced movements as he clipped his belt in place, the sword swinging slightly in its sheath. Merlin stared at it with wide eyes, unmoving.

Arthur came to a stop before the group, placing his hands on his hips with a dubious frown. "Well?" The prince inclined his head as if to urge them on, his eyes roving among the party before coming to a rest on Merlin. "What is it? And why do you all look so solemn; this isn't a funeral."

Shifting on his feet, Merlin gulped loudly – and for that, he got a hard jab in the ribs from whichever knight it was that was standing closest to him. Probably Gwaine, knowing him.

Arthur noticed the slight commotion, taking a few precise steps forward until he came face to face with Merlin, standing only a foot away. "Merlin," Arthur pronounced deliberately, raising an eyebrow. "Exactly what have you done this time?"

The undecipherable look in Arthur's eyes had Merlin frozen, merely standing there before him. For the longest second, Merlin didn't say anything; he took a breath, opening his mouth to speak –

With an earsplitting crash, all the windows in Arthur's chambers shattered, the glass descending into the room like deadly raindrops; with the shards came a piercing shriek sounding from outside, somewhere in the courtyard beyond. Even as everyone jumped into alertness, the knights drawing their swords as one, a burst of fire found its way through one of the shattered windows, penetrating into the room and surging brightly as the flames alighted on a set of drapes.

"Merlin!" Gwaine said in a chastising tone as they all rearranged themselves behind pieces of furniture and outcropping walls, keeping an alert eye out for more fire. Merlin turned to look back at Gwaine, giving him an incredulous glare.

"It wasn't me!" Merlin whispered defensively, forehead creased in skepticism. Gwaine snorted a little, raising his eyebrows.

"Mmm…sorry, just thought that this might have been yet another way for you to get out of telling Arthur..."

Merlin stared, mouth agape. "Right, because setting fire to Arthur's chambers is the perfect solution?"

Gwaine had no time to reply as another ear-splitting cry invaded the room, and they peeked out from behind whatever cover they'd found to see what looked like a winged alligator with tusks like that of a boar thrusting itself through one of the shattered windows, pulling itself in with hooked claws. Merlin leaned further out, trying to glimpse if there were more, until someone grabbed his shoulder and roughly yanked him back behind the wall.

Arthur crouched beside Merlin, frowning and breathing heavily. "Gaius! What is it?" he shouted. From the other side of the room, Gaius called back in answer, his panicked face appearing from behind a cupboard.

"I don't know, sire! But I can tell you, it's not a natural being – it's a creature of magic! Swords may not be able to kill it!"

"We should get out of here," Merlin told Arthur quickly, glancing over his shoulder as a crash sounded from deeper in the room, followed by more snarls and shrieks. Arthur was silent for a moment, before he leaned back on his haunches, taking a breath.

"No, we'll be fine."

Merlin gaped at him, eyes wide in disbelief. "Arthur – that thing got past the guards and the archers. It breathes fire – we can't fight it in here! At least get Gwen and Gaius out," Merlin whispered harshly, unable to believe Arthur – what could he be thinking?

"No, Merlin, I am completely confident that there is nothing to worry about." Arthur stated, meeting Merlin's eyes calmly. Then – "You can take care of it."

Silence. Merlin let out a puff of breath, raising his eyebrows as he indicated himself in disbelief. "M-me?"

"Yes."

Merlin stared, temporarily lost for words. "You want me to go out there."

"Exactly."

Another fierce cry sounded, making Merlin's head buzz. "Um," Merlin said doubtfully. "You're surrounded by the best knights that Camelot has, Arthur. And you – you're telling me to go."

"You have a problem with that?"

"You're the one with the sword."

"Well, you're the one with the magic, aren't you?" And with that, Arthur gave Merlin a bright smile and shoved him out into the middle of the room.

The beast rent the air with its cry again as Merlin stumbled out before it, waving his arms for balance. Fire spurted through the room, and the creature reared back on its hind legs, flashing its crooked claws, but Merlin ignored it completely, turning on heel and marching back around the wall to where Arthur remained, crouching next to Gwaine and Leon.

"What?"

Arthur raised his eyebrows, gesturing with a gloved hand. "Go!"

"What?"

"Merlin – hurry up, before my chambers are reduced to a pile of ash!"

"You did not just say that."

Arthur's gaze suddenly darted from Merlin's face to look over his shoulder, a semblance of panic crossing his face. "Merlin – there's a winged crocodile about to bite your head off; perhaps this isn't the best time to chat?"

Merlin merely stepped aside as the beast swiped a gleaming, clawed limb at him, screeching. "You knew?"

Arthur rolled his eyes, hefting his sword jerkily in frustration. "Yes, Merlin, of course I knew – if you honestly thought that I wouldn't know if my own servant was a sorcerer, then you really are an idiot."

"Th-they told you…" Merlin choked out, gasping as if he were out of breath. Another burst of fire lit up the room, streaming just over Merlin's head.

Arthur let out a sigh of exasperation, sidestepping with his back to the wall as another huge crash sounded; he lifted his sword, getting ready to swing. "No, they didn't tell me – I was the first to figure it out, other than Gaius, I suppose. Honestly, it was obvious." The monster chose that moment to launch itself at Merlin, jaws open and claws spread wide. Arthur darted out, swinging his sword at the beast; the blade caught it on its shoulder, and it was thrown back across the room where it landed against a wall, snarling.

"Merlin!" Arthur shouted, irritated. "Are you seriously just going to stand there?"

Merlin still hadn't moved from the spot, simply gaping at Arthur with a frown of disbelief plastered on his features. Arthur lifted his blade again, circling around Merlin with his eyes fixed firmly on a point just to Merlin's right. A shrill screech erupted from behind Merlin, vibrating the air and seeming to reverberate inside his skull, just as Arthur shouted out in warning. "Merlin!"

Merlin shook himself out of his trance at the last second, whipping around; even as he took a step towards it, the beast unfurled its gnarled wings and pounced, leaping through the air towards Merlin. He moved to intercept it, his eyes burning gold. "Shut up!" The words were as good as any incantation; the creature halted in midair, hanging there for a second as if plucked out of flight by the hands of a giant, before it was thrown backwards, crashing to the floor with a tangible finality. The fire that was slowly spreading from the drapes on the wall flickered and went out in an imperceptible gust of wind, and despite the continued screams and shouts that sounded faintly from the courtyard below, the room fell silent.

Merlin spun in heel, staring at Arthur blankly. "You knew." He felt strangely numb, as if this were all an impossible dream and he hadn't actually just done potent magic directly before the prince of Camelot – not that it mattered, though, did it?

Arthur sheathed his sword with a flourish before clasping his hands behind his back, raising his eyebrows in a semblance of an innocent expression and meeting Merlin's gaze. He opened his mouth, seeming to search for the right word, before he merely closed his mouth and inclined his head, a faint smile flickering.

Merlin scoffed in disbelief, putting his hands on his hips. Suddenly he became aware of the knights standing in an array around Arthur, still looking shocked at the appearance of the monster. Merlin met each of their eyes, and he saw the same amusement and apology there.

"You – you all knew about this!"

The knights shifted guiltily, and as Gwen and Gaius emerged from the other side of the room, they wore the same sheepish grimace. "All of you!" Merlin shouted, gaping incredulously.

Arthur burst out into laughter, and Merlin's glare zeroed in on him; the prince didn't try to hide his wide grin. "Now, don't get all mad at them – this was all my idea," he boasted, waggling his eyebrows.

Merlin skewered him with a glare of disdain. "Do you have," Merlin started slowly, exaggerating his words with disbelief. "any idea how much I went through trying to tell that I have magic?"

Arthur raised his eyebrows, mockingly pretending to consider the question. "Ah – yes. Yes, I do." He stifled back another snort of laughter. "It was pretty hilarious."

"This is not funny."

Gwaine stepped forward with a clank of armor, clapping Merlin on the back heavily. "Ah, sorry we couldn't let you in on the joke, Merlin," he said, grinning. "Not that I would have, if I could, because that was simply too good to pass up."

Merlin turned slowly to give Gwaine a deadly glare, and the knight abruptly cleared his throat, stepping back with a badly concealed snort.

Merlin ducked his head for a moment, taking a breath, before he slowly looked up to meet Arthur's eyes, setting his jaw with a blank expression. "I'm going to kill you."

Arthur laughed again, shaking his head. "Under normal circumstances, I think that it would be the other way around, Merlin."

"No, honestly – I am going to kill you." Merlin dead-panned, shaking his head in exaggeration. He strode past Arthur, still shaking his head biting his lip with an expression of disbelief. He stopped in the doorway, turning to glare at them all in turn. "I'm going to kill you," he muttered again, this time to all of them. And with that he turned on heel and left, shaking his head skeptically.

From behind him, Arthur's chambers exploded in laughter, echoing back through the hall to Merlin's ears – and despite himself, Merlin had to let out one short bark of incredulous laughter himself.