Author's Note: Here we are, I would have gotten this up sooner but I had a bad case of the flu. Not fun I can tell you. I'm still pretty sick, but hopefully I'll get better soon. Anyways though, I'm pretty happy with this chapter, I was struggling about how the characters should be reacting, but I think it came out ok, I guess. I hope you like it. :)

Reviewers! Thank you's go out to: nycorrall, Un-ended tales, Emmocloe, Kaminari Rin, angelrider13, Alaia Skyhawk, Magic Cabbage, lozzabluebell,nerdygangsta, and StormCirce.

Enjoy the chapter

Waking up with a comical yawn, Merlin arched his back and lifted his arms up over his head to stretch. Maybe sleeping in a hard, cold, wooden chair was not one of his best ideas. Grimacing as he tried to roll out the kinks in his neck by rolling his shoulders the young warlock spared a glance at the bed that Arthur had been occupying the night before. It didn't come as a shock to him that Arthur had left before Gaius and himself had woken, Arthur is perfectly fit to walk around now Gaius had said, but still, knowing that Arthur was alive and in possession of the knowledge that he had magic, made Merlin nervous. Terrified even.

From what the blond haired man had said last night as they were both in a satisfied state of near-sleep, Merlin could only gather that Arthur had somehow discovered that he had magic, that he was unsure of Merlin's motives, but trusted him all the same. At least at that moment he said he did. He hoped that the king trusted him to that extent of which he said last night, but if their places were switched, Merlin knew that he would not waste a second before brandishing himself as a untrustworthy and traitorous fool.

Merlin shivered, he remembered Arthur mumbling something about confronting him later. He really didn't know how to deal with that. Dread creeped up his spine as he thought about it. It wasn't like he could approach Arthur himself. He would probably panic at the last second and blurt something out like, "I finished polishing your armour, oh, and yes I have magic and I've been performing it behind your back for about five or so years, now what would you like for breakfast?"

Merlin slapped himself on the face. That would go just great. I would be fastened to a pyre before the end of the day if I tried that…

Quickly shaking his head, Merlin tried to clear his mind. He found it a great displeasure to think about the flesh melting flames of the pyre. He'd had his fair share of horrible dreams about being tied to one.

Sighing, he stood up and stretched some more, careful not to open the wounds on his arms. It wasn't like he could avoid meeting with Arthur though. He worked for the man, and would most likely run into him as soon as he left his and Gaius' chambers.

With that same burning fear beginning to take over his mind, Merlin quickly gathered himself and dressed for the day. He tried to pick out his best clothes, just to try and make an impression on Arthur for the best. So when finished getting dressed, he tied his favorite red neckerchief around his throat, and walked quickly across the castle to get to Arthur's chambers.

Upon entering the king's rooms, he glanced around trying to spot a familiar blond head of hair.

"Arthur?" he made his way cautiously into the bedchambers, "Sire?"

Merlin frowned, at this time of day, still fairly early, Arthur would always be at one of the tables in his bedroom working on parchment after parchment of boring records and speeches. But he wasn't here.

Quirking his eyebrows up, Merlin wondered if Arthur was at the training grounds with the knights. There would be no harm done in checking. So turning around he made it about as far as the archway that led to the middle of Arthur's chambers before he was knocked to the ground after receiving an impressive punch to the face.

Merlin hurriedly covered his nose with a hand to see if it was broken before jumping back to his feet. His eyes shot open wide with surprise and horror at seeing his attacker.

Arthur was standing rigid in a fighting stance, his face showing shock and self-loathing at what he'd just done, but only for a brief moment. His teeth were clenched and his hair was semi-plastered to his head, with sweat or water, Merlin didn't know. Merlin's eyes darted to Arthur's hands, expecting a sword, but Arthur held not a sword in his right hand, but a book. Merlin's spell book that he kept hidden underneath the floorboards of his room. He glanced back at Arthur, he looked livid.

Their eyes met and sparks flew. Merlin put up a resolve around his emotions and stared Arthur down, lifting his chin up with a slight air of superiority unbeknownst to himself. He could not afford to lose his temper now, in fear of what either of them might do. Arthur knew that he had magic last night, and he knew that Arthur was questioning what Merlin was up to, what his reasons were for even being in Camelot. But he still had some of Arthur's trust. They were friends even though neither would admit it out loud, and unless his king had discovered something that bothered him so much as to toss that trust away, Merlin could only guess that Arthur was having second thoughts about trusting someone with magic, even if it was Merlin, the same Merlin he had known for five years.

"What the hell is this!" Arthur threw the large spell book to the floor, "I wanted to think that I was wrong, that you weren't a sorcerer! Even after what Lancelot said about you being a one I didn't think I really believed him, but now!" he kicked the book over to Merlin, and it thumped quietly at the contact it had with his boot. "I guess that I couldn't really deny that you are one though, after what we saw on that hunting trip, otherwise I probably would not have started searching your chambers for, for I don't even know! Maybe I wanted to be reassured that you weren't a sorcerer, I just, I don't…You- Merlin I don't know what I'm supposed to do!"

Arthur's yelling lost some of his anger towards the end, but still flared in his troubled eyes as he looked Merlin over. His servant's expression had not changed, his face still unreadable as he kept his enigmatic façade.

"What do you want to do?" Merlin fixed his eyes on Arthur's, and gave him a weak smile that was not kind nor bitter as his resolve fought to stay in place.

"I want to know if you trust me!" Arthur blurted out.

Merlin's eyes widened a fraction and he slowly walked closer to Arthur, cautiously making sure that he wouldn't go for his sword. Arthur had no armour on, just his plainly fancy clothes, boots, and belt, along with his sword in it's sheath.

"With my life, sire," they were standing inches apart now, and Merlin spread out his arms as a peaceful gesture, but at the same time it was a challenge, "but do you trust me with yours?"

Arthur replied without hesitation, "Yes."

Merlin looked down, "Then why do you need your sword." It was a statement more than a question. Arthur followed Merlin's gaze to where his own hand, slightly shaking, was placed on the hilt of his sword. Immediately Arthur took his hand away, then regarded Merlin with caution. Don't act like you haven't been keeping track of his every movement since you walked into this room, you've been regarding him with caution this entire time! Arthur couldn't help but berate himself and Merlin,

"Do you not feel safe if I have a weapon, after you just said you trusted me with your life?"

"Do you only feel safe around me when you have a weapon, after you said you trust me?" Merlin rebuked and Arthur flinched at his words, then grinned.

"That's one thing I don't ever have to be worried about, and that's being afraid of you. You're such a girl, Merlin." His tone was joking, and for a moment he thought they were in one of their daily arguments with their usual banter.

"Then why'd you punch me." Merlin bit out, irritation and anger prominent in his words.

Arthur paled and scolded himself, So much for trying to lighten the mood. Bad move Arthur, you're an idiot.

Then he felt a cold shiver go up his spine. He and Merlin were inches apart. He was in a room, alone, with a sorcerer. Who at the moment he was sure had 'murder the king' at the top of his list of things he would not have a problem doing at the moment. In all seriousness, they were close enough that if one of them snapped, much like Arthur had earlier, one of them could go for the others throat. The tension in the room was felt full force by both men.

They may have had trust in one another, but that did not stop the anger and frustration of the situation from leaking out of both of them. Merlin was a sorcerer, Arthur grew up his entire life to the present day being taught that those who practiced magic were evil. That they had no soul and should die for committing such unnatural crimes. Of course he had doubted these teachings greatly over the past few years, but that didn't change that he was unsure of Merlin now. His servant was the same, yes, but what bothered Arthur the most was that Merlin didn't tell him. How was he to know how much more of Merlin's life he didn't know about.

"I'm sorry." As soon as he said it, Arthur knew it was a bad idea.

"You're sorry?" Merlin gaped at him, "you almost break my nose because you're a little miffed that I didn't tell you something and you're sorry?"

Arthur wouldn't have it, he had every right to be more than a little miffed at his servants actions, or really, what he didn't do when he never mentioned to Arthur that he was a sorcerer. "Well, maybe I wouldn't have gotten so angry if you were hiding something that in no way pertained to me! But you just had to be hiding that you're a bloody sorcerer!"

"I'm not even a sorcerer you great prat! I'm a warlock!"

"Is there a difference? It doesn't matter anyway because you lied to me!"

"Have you ever thought," Merlin growled out, "that the reason I never told you was that I had, and still have, a rather large concern about being executed for something I never had a choice in!"

Arthur shook his head in exasperation and shot a puzzled glare at Merlin, who had found it appropriate during there fight to start flinging his arms around while he yelled, almost whacking Arthur a few times, by mistake or on purpose Arthur didn't know. "What do you mean you never had a choice in performing sorcery? It was your own damn choice to study it!"

Merlin snapped. Letting out a frustrated shout the black haired man sent Arthur flying across the room and into a wall. Merlin didn't use much force, just enough to take the breath out of Arthur's lungs for a moment as he slammed against the wall. Merlin marched over to the blond and lifted him up of the ground, pinning him to the wall by his shoulders. Then, leaning in to growl almost desperately into his ear, Merlin spoke, "I never had a choice in learning magic. Never. I was born with it Arthur. That's what being a warlock is, I was born with my magic, it's a part of me, it's who I am. I was using magic before I could even walk, Arthur. Magic comes to me as naturally as it does to breath. As naturally as you have the talent to fight with a sword, I have my talent with magic." Merlin's eyes were glowing gold now, as if trying to emphasize his last point, "The best way I can put it, is that, I am magic, Arthur."

"Oh," was the first thing that Arthur responded with, "okay. That explains a bit actually."

Merlin looked dumbfounded. Arthur was sure that he looked about the same.

Merlin looked like he was struggling to form words, his eyes still glowing that dangerous gold color, "…Okay?" Arthur couldn't tell if Merlin was asking a question or making a statement. He just nodded and tried not to look at his friend's eyes. They were very, distracting, and you could even say pretty.

Merlin tried again, "You just accept what I said, that easily?"

Arthur nodded again, "I'm sure that I'm in some amount of shock right now, and I'll probably pester y- no I will pester you, about all of this later, but right now I… What, are you doing you idiot?" Arthur looked down to where Merlin had fallen to the floor, laughing.

"Oi, what's so funny?" he frowned, looking at his servant who was holding his sides in an attempt to not spill his guts out laughing.

"You just, I tell you my, haha, I tell you a secret about myself that, pfffft, that could mean my life and death and you just, you just…!" the warlock never finished his sentence as he couldn't hold his amusement in any longer. He laughed and laughed, and when Arthur tried to help him up off the floor, Merlin accidentally pulled him down to the floor with him. They both burst out, howling with laughter as they tried to get up, but settled for just remaining on the floor.

"You really are a deadly threat Merlin, you're going to make me laugh so much I'll have a stomach ache!" Arthur grinned, his comment causing another bout of laughter from his black haired friend.

Once they calmed down, the king noticed the decent amount of blood that had begun to dry on Merlin's face. Without letting Merlin ask any questions he reached out for the neckerchief that was around the other man's neck, and untied it. Then used it to shoddily wipe up some of the blood before tossing it into Merlin's lap, a few blood stains now visible on his beloved piece of clothing.

Merlin looked at Arthur fondly but said nothing, so Arthur took the initiative, "Um, the punching thing. Was, uncalled for…"

"You're forgiven… sire." Merlin replied honestly, but he added a little emphasis on the sire as a tease. He didn't want to think that Arthur could get away with everything.

Flustered at the trust and willingness to forgive that Merlin showed him, albeit cheekily, Arthur rebuked the only way he knew how, "Well, it's not like I care what you think anyways. I am the king of Camelot, and I do not have to concern myself with your personal matters, idiot."

"Prat."

"Stupid."

"Cabbage-head."

"…What?"

Merlin leered, "Was that insult to much for your intelligence?"

Arthur cuffed him on the ear, "You're really something, Merlin."

Merlin grinned and tied his bloodied neckerchief back around his neck, "I'll take that as a compliment."