Finally I have finished the last chapter. I know I said before a few weeks ago it would be finished in like a couple days but I got busy. I got hired for an illustration job so I'm spending a lot of time on it. My grandpa also died so my dad was organizing it and needed my help. So a lot of family functions I had to go to.

I'm sad that this story had ended. I will miss writing it. I already started a new one so that will be posted soon.

Deviner Captive

Hope

...

The physician held the door open for the injured to be brought into his chambers to be treated.

Gwaine put the prince down on a stool. "I'm going to go check that everything is settled with the sorceress."

Arthur had to lean against the table behind himself so he didn't fall over because he was starting to feel light headed.

"Morgana will not wake up for another couple hours." Gaius assured the knight.

"You can't be too careful." Gwaine exclaimed as he closed the door behind himself.

"Place him on the bed in his room." Gaius instructed Percival who was still holding the warlock in a bridal hold. The large knight carried the unconscious boy up the short flight of stairs and placed him on the mattress carefully. Instantly the boy cuddled himself into the thin sheets and sighed in contentment.

Arthur held a hand over his arm to pressure on it. He stood up wanting to follow the knight into Merlin's room. His blood steadily pumping through his fingers stopped him. He had to get treated first.

Gaius was digging for supplied when he noticed the prince standing there. "I'll take care of you first." The physician pointed to a stool for him to sit on. Gaius quickly tied a bandage to stem the flow of blood from the wound. "That'll have to do for now. I can't fully treat you until the bleeding has slowed some." Grabbing his materials he headed to the back room.

The prince followed the physician up the short flight of stairs curious to see the state the warlock was in. Arthur had been busy defending himself during the fight so he didn't get to observe everything that had happened to the other. He saw that Merlin looked peacefully asleep right now so he couldn't be too injured.

Observing his patient he noticed a large piece of the shirt was missing on his far side. "Roll him over for me." Gaius asked the knight. Percival rolled Merlin onto his uninjured side so he could see more clearly. Gaius leaned closer to examine the burn. "I need to remove his shirt to see better." They tried to pull the shirt over the warlocks head but he groaned in pain.

"We'll just have to cut it off." Arthur exclaimed at the pained sounds coming from the warlock.

"He doesn't have that many shirts." The physician said to save the garment.

"I'll buy him a new one. Hand me the scissors." Arthur didn't like seeing Merlin in pain. He snipped through the blue fabric careful not to cut any skin. Once the garment was fully removed he winced when he saw the actual burn wound that the fabric had been hiding.

He also noticed some older scars. Arthur would have to ask about them later.

Gaius looked at the wound with calculating eyes. He grabbed one of the healing pastes and smeared it over the burn.

Merlin's eyes shot open immediately fully alert. "Owe! What the fuck is that?" He yelled as he tried to inch away from his mentor knowing he was the cause.

"It's so you don't get an infection. Now hold still." The physician smeared a thick coat over the burn so the whole thing was covered.

Arthur sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed the warlocks back. Merlin hid his face in his neck. At one point it felt so painful he actually bit him. Arthur had to hold in a groan in pleasure. They were not alone right now.

Gaius finally bandaged the wound after applying burn paste. "Done." He leant back to observe his work and nodded in accomplishment. "Percival help me put all of this stuff away." The physician collected his tools and handed most of them to the knight to carry. They exited the room closing the door shut behind them.

"I think you left teeth marks in my neck." Arthur complained as he rubbed at the wounded area.

"Aw, do you want me to kiss it better." Merlin straddled his hips and leaned over to mouth the skin. Their actually were teeth marks left in the skin and it would leave one hell of a hickey. Maybe he'd give the prince one of his neckerchiefs to borrow he thought to himself humorlessly.

Arthur groaned, he pulled Merlin's head up and clashed their lips together. He knew he had to be careful because they were injured. It was the first time they had been alone since the tent before the champion fight and he was taking the opportunity.

He could still hear Gaius tinkering in the other room so he knew they had to be quite so that the physician didn't over hear them. Not exactly private but there was a door between them and that was good enough for him for now.

Arthur grabbed Merlin below his hips not wanting to grip him by his wound. His hand slipped back to cup his behind. He snapped his hips up making the warlock groan in his mouth. His tongue swirled in Merlin's mouth searching to familiarize himself with every corner.

After everything they were finally together. When Merlin had been spirited away by the Dyfred king Arthur wasn't sure if he would ever see his manservant again and now they were closer than ever. Not only had they found each other again but they had both lived to see the kingdom taken back. It amazed him that they had beat the odds that were stacked against them.

"Arthur, stop." Merlin pushed him away out of breath and held him back.

"What?" The prince was confused by the rejection.

"Your bleeding." Merlin explained as he held up his hand to show the blood on it. He'd been gripping the prince by his forearms which is why he was surprised to feel warm liquid drip on him.

"Oh." Arthur looked at his arm to see that he had bled through the temporary bandages. He thought he was feeling light headed but he thought it was from the kissing.

"Come one." Merlin climbed off of him and pulled him to his feet. " He dragged the prince out into the main room. "Gaius he's bled through his bandages." He announced to the physician who was putting everything back where it came from.

"Place him on the patient bed." Gaius instructed from the far side of the room. He re-grabbed the bandages and healing solves from the cupboard. Walking over he placed everything on the work bench. Gaius examined the princes wounded arm. He ran the wet cloth over the wound to wipe the blood away so he could better see what was going on. "It's deep enough to require stitches."

"Stitches?" Arthur exclaimed with dread. He was a good sport with most wounds but he hated getting those done.

The physician opened a drawer to retrieve the materials. "My hands aren't as steady as they used to be." Gaius sighed as he struggled to string the thread through the needle. Merlin took it from his hands and did it for him. The boy went to hand it back but the old physician waved him off. "It would be better if you did it."

"Really?" Merlin raised his eye brows in surprise.

"Yeah, really?" Arthur asked apprehensively. "You want me to allow Merlin to stick a sharp piece of metal through me skin repeatedly?"

"It'll be fine. Merlin has been my ward for years. He has done this more than a few times." Gaius assured him.

Arthur trusted Merlin to do many things but this isn't one of them. "Ready?" Merlin asked, the prince nodded in consent even though he grimaced every time the needle entered and was pulled through his skin. "There done. Now you won't bleed all over the place." Arthur sighed relief that it was over. Looking at his arm he was surprised that Merlin had managed to keep the stitches even spaced apart. He was secretly impressed by his manservant's skill in the healing arts.

"Let me finish it up." Gaius shoed Merlin out of the way. Selecting the same healing salve from before he smeared it over the stitched up area.

"That burns like a bitch." Arthur snapped at the burning sensation that was slowly fading. The physician tightly wrapped the bandages around his arm.

"I told you it hurt. You thought I was just overreacting." Merlin commented from the side lines remembering his own experience with what the physician called disinfectant.

Suddenly a knock sounded at the door. Merlin went over to answer it. On the other side there was a guard. "I just wanted to inform you that Lady Morgana has started to wake up."

"I guess I better go deal with that." The warlock sighed still exhausted.

"Don't you think about it." Gaius reprimanded his ward. "You are still recovering and should not be performing any magic until I say it is ok. You need to go back to bed."

"But what about..." Merlin pointed toward the door. It's not like they could just leave her to her own devices. Someone had to explain to the Sorceress what was going on.

"I'll go deal with Morgana." The old physician claimed as he stood up to his feet and made his way towards the door. His magic wasn't strong but it was good enough to put the women to a calming sleep again if need be. "It is strange that the bandages failed so quickly. They should have lasted another hour at least." He commented of handedly. "It was caused by the blood rushing too fast, I don't know what strenuous activity you could have been doing in that room." Gaius exclaimed with an almost sarcastic tone before he left the room.

"Do you think he knows about us?" Arthur asked self-consciously.

"He knows everything." Merlin exclaimed in complete seriousness.

...

They had ridden through the night to get back to Camelot thinking they would need reinforcements. The boy had made it sound like Morgana had taken over the castle once again. Uther imagined many thing when they arrived the next morning but an open draw bridge wasn't one of them.

At first it made him think the boy must have been bluffing until he saw clear signs of a battle recently taking place. When they moved through the lower town he was surprised to see the clean up already under way.

The soldiers were dismissed and allowed to return home. It was just Uther and Leon left.

The king rode into the castle courtyard and dismounted his horse. Servants and nobles alike hardly noticed his presence because they were so busy making repairs on the castle. Uther froze mid step when he saw a stone get floated in the air and settled back into place on the side of the castle wall that had been damaged. It looked as good as new.

"That should just do it." He could hear the familiar voice of his sons manservant say.

The voice of his son responded. "All these years of us struggling to repair damage to the castle and we had you who can repair things in minutes." They appeared around the other side of the statue.

"What are you doing here?" Uther asked as soon as he saw the warlock.

"As far as I remember I live here." Merlin replied sarcastically back at the kings response at seeing him in Camelot.

"Magic is still illegal here," Uther replied. "... but I have been kind enough to only banish you instead of sentencing you to death. You aren't suppose to enter Camelot."

"Banished?" Merlin asked wide eyed.

"Yes banished." Uther confirmed what the boy had heard. "I had this conversation with Arthur yesterday. I clearly stated that I wouldn't allow you to live in the castle anymore."

"We'll it is kind of hard to be banished without being informed that you have been." Merlin exclaimed looking pointed at the Prince.

Arthur blushed. He had hoped that he would be able to convince his father otherwise before Merlin even had to know about it.

"I'll be gone by sundown." Merlin exclaimed to the king. Turning on his heel to go pack up his things. Maybe this was his chance to go live with the druids. Hopefully in a few months the prince could convince his father to let him come back.

Arthur grabbed the warlock by the back of his neckerchief. "You aren't going anywhere."

"Let the boy leave with some dignity." Uther reprimanded his son for stopping the boy.

"He just retook the kingdom almost single handedly. We would be dead ten times over without him. Think about the good of the kingdom." Arthur tried to apply to his father's love of his people to get what he wanted.

Leon walked away from Uther's side and stood beside his prince. "I agree with Arthur. Camelot won't last long without Merlin."

"He's going to have to leave." Uther pointed at the boy with conviction.

"Then I'm going with him." Arthur snapped at his father. "Where are you going?" He asked the misplaced warlock.

"Well I was planning on going to live with the druids but I can't imagine you living out of a tent." Merlin exclaimed looking at the prince in contemplation. "I guess it's Eldor bound then."

"I'd like to see your mother again." Arthur smiled at the idea.

"You aren't going anywhere!" Uther's temper boiled as the two made plans in front of him as if they would actually happen. The king gritted his teeth. "I'll allow him to stay on a probation period. One wrong move and he is out of here." He stomped away afterwards.

"Really?" Merlin asked a smile breaking out on his face.

"Thank you father." Arthur called, smiling as the king caved in. He knew threatening to leave would work, not that he would ever actually would. At most he'd pretend to but actually just go for a short visit to see Hunith.

.

On his way back to his chambers that evening Uther took a detour. Subconsciously he made his way through the hallways until he came to stand near the guarded chambers of his ex-ward. "I wish to see my ward, now." Uther commanded.

The two guards shifted uncomfortably. They couldn't deny their king entrance. When one of them allowed Uther in, the other ran to get help. It didn't feel right to allow the king access without proper guidance.

Uther looked on in relief when he saw his daughters unconscious body laid out on her bed. The up and down movement of her chest provided comfort for him.

The guard sighed in relief when his partner arrived back with the court physician in tow.

Gaius entered and observed the king who was just quietly looking at the still body on the bed. "Sire what are you doing?"

"Is Morgana injured?" Uther asked as he looked over her condition. He couldn't see any wounds but they could be easily hidden by the sheet she was under. The only thing telling about her condition is that he could see the collar that was blocking her magic.

"No. I just put her under a magical sleep for now." Gaius announced the reason for her unconsciousness which had nothing to do with the battle.

Looking at his ward all Uther could thing about was how he had wronged her. By blood she was his daughter but he had never called her as such. He had always loved her in his own way but it wasn't enough.

His hatred of magic had driven her away from him. She must have been so scared when what he hated most had manifested in her. He could never hate her though. It may sound hypocritical that he would overlook the fact that his ward had magic but condemn everyone else but he loved her so much.

"The collar makes it so she can't use magic right?" Uther asked the physician.

Gaius furrowed his brow. "It does."

"Wake her up." Uther commanded his friend.

"I'm not sure that is such a good idea, sir." Gaius shifted uncomfortably. Morgana had been very angry when he had come to speak to her. He had to put her back to sleep again.

"Do it, now." Uther commanded. "We have a lot to speak about."

...

The day after king returned back to Camelot he called a council meeting.

The old lords whispered amongst themselves. They hushed when the royal family arrived and sat at the head of the table. The whole room hushed when they noticed the magic user had slipped in behind them.

Merlin shifted uncomfortably because he wasn't sure what to do with himself. Technically he hadn't been rehired as a servant so he was unemployed. He decided to join the other servants to the side like usual. They gave him a wide berth because they weren't sure about him.

The silence was broken by one of the council men. "What is he doing here?"Lord Richard asked. "He's a sorcerer, a magic user. Hw should be in the dungeon." The old lord pointed at a wide eyed Merlin who shrunk in on himself at the accusation.

Arthur stood up and slammed his hands down on the table. The lord was just lucky he was sitting on the other side of the table so he couldn't reach him."That is enough. Merlin saved all of you and you should be groveling at his feet. If it wasn't for him you would still be under Morgause control."

Lord Richard sat back with a deep frown on his face. Arthur smirked that he had put the lord in his place. "Continue father."He sat back in his seat.

"I called you here today to talk about the rules on magic." Uther announced to the council. "The boy is still here because I have allowed him on a probation period."

"The laws on magic need to change." Arthur announced to the council; who all turned surprised eyes on the king that he was allowing this.

"In my grief I hastily sentence a whole group of people to death. It is time for a change." Uther shrugged.

"The boy will be the mediator between anything magical from now on. I will be sending him to reach out to the druids." Uther spoke while looking at Merlin pointedly so he knew he was talking about him. "I will be awarding Merlin a seat on the council."

"There are no seats left." Lord Richard pointed out motioning to the full table.

"Stand up and make an opening." Arthur demanded the lord who had been bad mouthing the Merlin. "We don't need your prejudiced views in this council any more."

"Only the king can dismiss me." Lord Richard defied the princes order.

"I support my sons decision. Get out." Uther commanded. Richard marched out and slammed the door behind him. "Come and take your seat boy."

Merlin self-consciously walked across the room and took the seat at the table. This was a big development on top of everything else.

"Now let's get down to business." Uther officially opened the meeting.

...

It had been a week since they took Camelot back. Merlin had stayed away from Morgana since it seemed she needed space. Spending his time repairing the castle and in the council room writing new laws for magic.

He felt like he had given her enough to time to calm down and settle. It was time he paid her a visit.

When Merlin entered the room he could see Morgana's back. She was starring out the window deep in thought. He was sure that she had heard him enter but had decided to ignore him. There was a full plate of food beside her. "You should eat something."

"I'm not hungry." Morgana replied with her nose up in the air. He could tell she wasn't eating out of spite.

"It'll do you no good if you starve yourself." Merlin tried to convince her. "I don't want you to hurt yourself."

Morgana finally turned to look him in the eye. "I don't know how you can dare, to come in here, pretend to care for me." Her eyes shot sparks at him in her anger. " Not only have I been taken as a prisoner, roomed in a place I used to call home, but you have trapped me within my own body. My magic is me." Morgana said passionately.

"I felt the same way when Gwrthfyr captured me. Except for the part about being imprisoned in a place I call home. I was ripped from my home though; everyone I knew and cared for right after my secrete was revealed, not knowing if they accepted me or not." Merlin nodded in understanding to how she must be feeling right now.

"You are doing the exact same thing to me." Morgana claimed spreading her hand about her chest. "Keeping me a prisoner." She hissed.

"No it is not the same thing." Merlin shook his head in denial. "The huge difference is that we don't plan on using you for your powers. I was being used as a tool, not even being treated as a real person."

"What am I doing here then?" Morgana asked sitting back with her arms crossed.

"I'm not sure if you're too far gone, but I want to try to mend this rift." Merlin looked at her trying to see the passionate woman she once was. "I feel like this was my fault. If I'd only confided in you about my magic that you wouldn't have pulled yourself away from us like you did."

"I actually told you I suspected I had magic. Why did you never tell me?" Morgana looked at him curiously.

Merlin sighed remembering how torn he was about what to do then. "The great dragon actually told me not to. He said the witch shouldn't know about my powers. When I asked Gaius what I should do he agreed with Kilgharrah. When two wise beings tell you it isn't a good idea, you should listen." He shrugged.

Morgana thought about all she could've done with the information that Merlin had magic. If she revealed it to Uther he would've had Merlin executed in a heartbeat back then. She knew Merlin would have never returned the favor though. The warlock would have taken the secrete to his grave. "I understand."

"I want to work out our problems. Starting with why I poisoned you." Merlin saw Morgana's body tense at the mere mention of the incident that ripped them apart. "You were being used as the centre for the spell. I was told that the only way to stop it was to kill you but I didn't want to do it. I thought there must be another way, but then I started to fall under the effects of the spell myself. I ran out of time. I knew that I succumbed to the effects Camelot was doomed. I had to make a choice."

Morgana turned her back on him uncomfortable with the topic of conversation. That was the catalyst that completely broke her away from her friends and family in Camelot. She was so hurt by Merlin's actions she had put all her heart into taking revenge. Taking the throne for herself and rubbing it in Uther's face as he rotted in the dungeon.

She had lost herself somewhere in the past couple years.

"Morgana I know how it feels to be blocked away from your magic." Merlin looked at her longingly. "I want to be able to take the collar off you so that you can walk among the people again, but I can't free you until I know that you won't harm anyone."

"So I'm just going to be locked away in this room forever." Morgana snapped angrily. "A secret hidden from the citizens of Camelot and just waiting to be forgotten."

"No. That isn't how it is going to go at all." Merlin took her hands in his. "The plan is to slowly integrate you back into the castle. At first it'll just be small walks with guards escorting you and then if you show improvement you'll be awarded more and more freedom."

"Why would you want to go through all that trouble for me?" Morgana asked.

"You have people here who still love you Morgana. No matter what you did to try and hurt them because of how you thought they hurt you, there are some things that cannot be forgotten. There are a lot more good memories of you than bad. The citizens of Camelot once loved you better than any noble because you fought for what you thought was right."

Morgana felt a tear fall down her cheek. "I hurt everyone so badly. How can they ever forgive me?"

Merlin leaned down to peak at her face. "You have to slowly earn it back."

"How will Uther deal with this?" Morgana asked.

"Remember when you fell and hit your head?" Morgana nodded in response. "Uther was so distraught when he got the news that you wouldn't pull through he forgot about all his prejudice and demanded that Gaius use magic to heal you."

"He wouldn't do that." Morgana refused to believe that.

"You are all that truly matters to Uther. Arthur and you, his children. When you took over Camelot a year ago it broke his heart so badly that we were never sure he way to going to recover." Merlin sighed thinking about all that lay between father and daughter. "He excepted Magic back into the Kingdom just because I meant so much to Arthur. I think in Uther's heart he is ready to forgive you if you can forgive what he has done in return."

"Uther has done so much wrong in his life I'm not sure if I ever can. How could you forgive him so readily?" Morgana asked looking at Merlin with wonder.

"I've known all that Uther has done and believed since I set foot in Camelot. I've feared what he would do to me if he ever found out about my magic? In trying to protect Arthur I have protected Uther in tern because the king, his father, is a part of him. Just as much he is of you."

Morgana looked very unsure.

"If you eat that plate of food I might consider letting you have an excursion from this room as soon as tomorrow." Merlin said as he stood to leave.

"Merlin." Morgana called lightly turning in her seat to look at him. He stopped at the door way to listen. "I think I'm ready to talk to Gwen."

Merlin understood why Morgana would want to reach out to her old hand maiden first. Gwen was probably the one who had done the least to her. She had been angry at her because Morgana thought her servant was going to get what she wanted and become queen. Gwen had just tried to be a fried to her. "I'll send her right up."

Merlin smile as he noticed Morgana pull the plate of food towards her.

...

The council room featured two tables. They walked past the long table to the smaller stone one near the back. Each took their respective seats.

"Do you guys want to know what these symbols mean?" Merlin asked with a smile.

"You can read these." Leon asked surprised. The warlock came from a small farming village to his knowledge so it always surprised him how educated the boy actually was.

"Yes, you expect me to be able to perform magic without being able to read what spell books say." Merlin rolled his eyes.

"These are magic?" Elyan leaned back from the table nervously starring at it suspiciously.

"These are ruins of the old religion. This table was made during a time when royals and magic users worked together. It is only fitting that it be reinstated at a time like this." Merlin revealed the origin of the mysterious symbols that had always baffled the knights.

"Then inform us oh knowledgeable one." Arthur asked leaning on the table and propping his head.

"Anyone want to guess what mine says?" Merlin asked with a smirk. He heard some grumbling beside him. "What was that? Can't hear you." He cupped his ear and leant towards the prince.

"Magic." Arthur snapped as he glared at the unassuming carving in the stone. The answer was right in front of them the whole time. if only he could read gibberish. Too bad the person who was paid to translate for him Merlin had in his pocket. Gaius would never betray his ward that way though.

"Yes. Each symbol only represents a one word aspect of a person. " Yours means, courage. Gwains, strength. Percivals, patience. Elyans, perciverance. Leons, leadership. Lancelot, loyalty. Gwenevere, love.

"This is a really knowledgeable table." Gwaine whistled as he looked around at all ...symbols."It must be able to sense aspects of a person so they feel the urge to sit somewhere."

"I was actually the one who made sure everyone sat at the right symbol." Merlin corrected the knight. "I'm surprised your father let you keep this table at all." Merlin exclaimed remembering the kings narrowed eyes when he first laid eyes on the table his son had brought back from the old castle. "He knows where these symbols come from."

"Now that he is trying to accept magic I wouldn't be surprised if he asked us to join us in some of these meetings." Gwaine exclaimed.

"My father wants nothing to do with this table so we don't have to worry about him ever wanting a seat at it." Arthur reassured them.

"That's a relief." Gwaine sighed dramatically.

"Wait, there's another symbol that no one is sitting at." Elyan noticed out loud.

The doors to the council room were suddenly opened.

They stared wide eyed as Gwen led Morgana into the room. Many guards followed them in. She had a soft smile on her face so Merlin suspected their talk must have gone well. Without her magic Morgana was harmless so he didn't see anything wrong with her being here.

Arthur shifted uncomfortably since he wasn't sure how to act in his sisters presence. Many times he had walked to her room only to chicken out and leave once again. They had done so many bad things to each other in the past few years. They had never seen eye to eye but hope fully this could be a new start.

Morgana self-consciously looked over the table occupants.

Merlin noticing this stood up to greet the sorceress. He took her arm and led her over to the only seat at the table that hadn't been filled. Morgana sat and observed the meeting with calculating eyes.

"What does her symbol mean?" Arthur leaned over to asked.

"Hope." Merlin whispered in his ear.

...

Closing the doors to his chambers he sighed in relief. It had been a very long week since so much had been happening. They had been reunited again for a week already but had yet to have any alone time.

They took this time after the meeting to slip away together. As soon as the door was closed and locked behind them Arthur shot forward and grabbed the warlock by his neck chief, pulling him into a deep kiss. Finally they were alone together.

Merlin responded right away and wrapped his arms around his neck. Arthur moaned in disappointment when the warlock pulled back because he had to take a breather. "What are we going to do about this?" Merlin asked indicating between them. They had only gotten to share small short kisses till now. He felt like they were in limbo with their relationship.

They hadn't made anything official. There was no title to what they were to each other unlike before when they were master and servant. Were they in an equal relationship now?

"One step at a time. I don't think my father is ready to accept your magic and that you are being courted by his only son." Arthur said sheepishly knowing that that wasn't what the warlock wanted to hear.

'More lies. It all came back to that.' Merlin thought to himself in a disappointment.

Arthur noticed his frown and grabbed his chin so that he would look in his eyes. "But when I'm king there will be nothing that could keep us apart, because I'll be the one making the rules and no one will have the power to dictate what I do with my life." He exclaimed as he pulled Merlin by the hips closer and kissed him deeply once again.

Now Merlin had something else to wait for Arthur to become king. He had waited for magic to be accepted again and he could wait to have a fully open relationship with his prince. Everyone who mattered knew about their relationship already so it wasn't a total secrete from everyone he cared about like with his magic.

It was more like just don't tell Uther and everything would be fine.

Arthur gasped as he pulled away from the kiss and asked "Please be patient and wait for me?" as he leaned his forehead against the warlocks.

"So is that the reason you ripped up that marriage proposal from that lord?" Merlin asked with a slight smirk. "You are afraid I'll get sick of waiting and leave you."

Arthurs eyes widened and he leaned back with a tilt of his head. "How do you know about that?" He was sure he was alone in his chambers when he'd ripped the missive into tiny pieces and threw them in the fire so they would burn and never be read again.

Merlin rolled his eyes. "You took that letter off of my desk after I'd already read it. When it went missing I suspected you immediately since it was there when you arrived and gone once you left. What else were you going to do with it but destroy it."

"If you weren't considering it why were you keeping it?" Arthur asked with suspicions narrowed eyes.

"I was only keeping it so I knew who to send a rejection letter to. I didn't want to be rude." Merlin replied. "I can't even remember who it was from anymore. There is still some lord out there waiting for some word from me about if I wanted to marry his daughter. Now he'll never know." Merlin gestured with his hands.

After he had read that letter Arthur had realized that Merlin had become desirable to others. He was Camelot's magical representative so he had gained himself a seat in court which made him a lord now by title. After his probation period was over he would probably the Court Sorcerer once his father fully started to reinstate magic jobs.

They wanted him for the power the warlock could gain them. He couldn't claim Merlin openly with his father still alive so everyone would think he was available. They didn't know anything about him as a person. He didn't want that for him to be stuck in a loveless marriage. It worried him that this letter was just the first of many and that someday the warlock just might except one.

"Arthur I've already stuck with you through all of the dangerous fights, battles, and I haven't left you yet. You think that now I have your heart, I'll just leave because you can't tell your father?" Merlin asked surprised at the princes insecurity.

"You better not leave me." Arthur grumbled as he pulled the warlock into his arms and held him possessively tight in his arms.

"Your father is pretty old now." Merlin contemplated out loud sarcastically.

Arthur pulled him into a heated kiss to shut him up. He led him over to the bed and pushed him down on it with a bounce. He climbed on top of the servant and straddled his hips then leaned over and connected their mouths again.

"This is the first time I've been in your bed instead of just making it". Merlin exclaimed between kisses as he rested his head back into a goose down pillow.

"Expect to be in it a lot from now on." Arthur claimed as he rubbed his hand over the warlocks cheek bones and looked deeply into his eyes. He wanted Merlin to be his and no one else's.

Reached behind the raven haired beauty he untied his neckerchief so that he could see his neck. Going from his mouth he started to kiss down his body. When he reached the juncture of Merlin's newly revealed neck he sucked and bit wanting to leave a mark. Even though it would probably just be covered by the neckerchief once again at least he would know it was there.

"Shit." Merlin hissed as his neck was mauled. "What are you trying to do? Brand me." He could feel the blond head nod as he bit down once again. He tried to pull the prince away but he used his strength to overpower him so he gave up.

"Mine." Arthur growled after he sat up to see his work. He rubbed a finger over the freshly forming bruise making the warlock huff.

A knock sounded at the door making Arthur curse. "What?" he snapped. Couldn't he be left alone for five minutes.

"Sire you're..." His current manservant started to speak.

"Go away George!" Arthur yelled making Merlin laugh under him.

They could only be this way behind locked doors for now. Merlin had hope that in the future it would be different.

The End