Two Months Later:

Merlin stopped sharpening the king's sword for a moment and rubbed his still healing bone. Gaius hadn't been kidding when he stayed that the clavicle is tricky. He just thought he would spend about six weeks wearing a sling, then be back to work. That thought was two weeks ago. It had been eight weeks.

It had been three weeks since Arthur had successfully repealed the ban on magic and Merlin still hadn't told him about his.

It was going to be awhile for Arthur to get used to the idea of magic being back in Camelot. The man had already accepted that Mordred had magic. The knight probably told him on the way back from the caves, but never told him about his manservant.

Merlin would have been upset with Mordred if he had. He wanted to tell Arthur on his own time in his own way.

Arthur walked into his chambers, interrupting Merlin's thought process. "Still hurts?"

Merlin just nodded.

"Why don't you just snap your fingers and have the sword finish sharpening itself?" Arthur suggested as he sat down on the bench next to Merlin.

Merlin looked over at his master with a confused and slightly terrified expression. "What do you mean?"

"Don't play stupid, Merlin," Arthur stated. "Mordred has a tendency to reveal things when he is drunk. He said that you have magic."

Merlin stood and looked Arthur in the eyes. "I wanted to tell you on my own time in my own way."

"I understand," Arthur said with a respectful nod. "I just wish you had told me sooner, Emrys."

Merlin groaned in exasperation. He was going to yell at Mordred while that man dealt with a hangover.

"What else did he tell you?" Merlin asked.

"He told me that you were born with it. I didn't let him tell me anything else after that. I wanted to hear the rest from you," Arthur admitted. "So let the sword sharpen itself, while you tell me everything starting from when you arrived in Camelot."

Merlin looked at the sword in his hand. It was going to take another hour for him to finish sharpening to the way Arthur wants it. If he used magic the time would be cut in half. The warlock muttered an incantation and watched as the sword floated in mid-air and begun to sharpen itself.

When Merlin finished his tale, Arthur just stared at him in complete awe.

As the now exposed warlock waited for the king to speak, he grew uncomfortable with the silence. To distract himself from Arthur's frozen expression, he watched as the enchanted sword laid itself on the rack.

"You are a complete idiot!" Arthur exclaimed suddenly, causing the warlock to jump and fall off the bench.

As luck would have it, as he fell he landed on his bad side. Merlin sat up and attempted to rub the now flaring pain away.

"Why don't you just heal it?" Arthur suggested.

"Tried to. Didn't work. I'm lousy at healing spells. I've been lucky those few times, because my magic knew that you were dying," Merlin explained as he got to his feet and sat down on the bench again.

Arthur nodding in an understanding way. "You're still an idiot though. I mean what kind of person who is born with magic comes to one place where it was banned?"

"An idiot who would have been dead in matter months because the people in Ealdor were growing suspicious," Merlin said. "Besides if I hadn't come when I did, you'd be dead."

"True," Arthur agreed. "I'm surprised you managed to hide it from me for this long."

"I'm surprised you didn't figure it out when you were told that you needed Strength and Magic as well to help on you quest to find the trident," Merlin retorted. "Or any of the other times when it was hugely hinted that I had magic. How else do you explain swords flying out of the enemies hands or branches falling for no reason?"

"I never really paid attention," Arthur shrugged.

"Whatever," Merlin said. "So what are you going to do about the fact that I hid my magic from you."

"I was going to have you spend a couple of days in the stocks, but seeing as you managed to fall off the bench and possibly re-injured yourself, it will have to wait," Arthur replied. "Until then, go to Gaius and get that clavicle looked at."

Merlin stood up and headed for the doors, before turning and bowing his head. "Thank you, Sire."

"For what?" Arthur asked.

"Everything," Merlin replied with a smile, before opening the one of the doors and disappearing into the castle.

Merlin continued grinning as he walked back Gaius. He was free to use his magic. He no longer had to hide. Mordred was not going to be evil, because Arthur had changed the future. Everything was going to easier from now on.

A/N: I'm thinking that since this story got such a great response I should make an AU series 5 where magic reigns free. Hey, that sounds like a perfect name for a series. Let me know your thoughts.