A/N: Got this idea in my head while I was scouring the Merlin archives, and decided to write it up and post it. This is set between Series 4 and 5, but I've included Lancelot, because I like him, and his perspective was interesting in this oneshot. Just pretend that everything that happened in Series 4 happened the same way, just with Lancelot there - and that Merlin found a way to close the Veil without sacrificing anybody.

Disclaimer: Though I love Merlin, I don't own him.

Merlin took a deep breath and steeled himself to knock on Arthur's door. He raised his fist, but dropped it again just as quickly.

"I can't do this," he muttered to himself. He started turning to leave, but Arthur's words from two nights before held him back.

"I like to think that there's nothing you can't tell me."

Groaning in frustration, Merlin pressed the heel of his palm against his forehead. He didn't even know what had inspired that particular conversation.

"Merlin."

"Yes, Sire?" Merlin turned back to Arthur, a quizzical expression on his face.

"Am I doing the right thing?"

"The right thing?" Merlin feigned ignorance. "About what, Sire?"

Arthur glared at him. "You know bloody well what I'm talking about, Merlin."

Merlin cocked his head at him. He really didn't want to have this conversation. "I'm sure I don't know what –" He caught sight of Arthur's murderous scowl and decided he'd like to keep his head unbruised, thank you very much. The goblet resting mere inches away from Arthur's twitching hand was half full of wine, but he knew that if provoked, Arthur would not hesitate to throw the wine onto the floor and hurl the goblet at his head, then order him to clean up the spilt wine. "Oh," he said instead. "That."

"Yes, Merlin, that."

Merlin gulped. That was what had had him on edge for the past month. That was what had kept him in a rather uncomfortable state of simultaneous elation and terror. That was what he'd been waiting for for years, but had half-thought would never happen. That meant that if Arthur carried on with it, Merlin's secrets would have to be revealed.

That referred to Arthur's not-so-nebulous plans to repeal the ban on magic and welcome it back into the kingdom.

Merlin honestly had no idea why Arthur had suddenly decided, one day, to suggest to the council that perhaps they ought to review Uther's ban on magic. The council room had erupted into an outraged uproar, and Merlin himself had almost dropped the water pitcher he was holding. It had taken another three meetings for Arthur to assure the council members that no, he was not enchanted; several more to convince them to consider the fact that not all magic was evil (and Merlin's eyes had bulged along with the council members at that); and even more to get them to actually agree to reviewing the laws. Since then, Arthur had sat in council almost everyday, arguing with the lords about what should and should not be permissible under the revised laws, and what regulations would have to be implemented to ensure fairness and justice for magic users and non-magic users alike.

Of course, rumours about the King's intentions to lift the ban on magic had spread through Camelot like wildfire. Citizens whispered among themselves in the marketplace – some were delighted, some were vehemently in disagreement, and most were uncertain how much of the rumours to believe. The knights were wary, uncertain, but loyal enough to Arthur to trust that he knew what he was doing. Except the Round Table, that is – for some reason Merlin could not fathom, they were totally accepting of Arthur's plans for magic and supported him whenever they could. Even Leon, who'd served under Uther against magic, appeared to have no qualms whatsoever about inviting magic back into Camelot. Merlin couldn't understand it.

Merlin opened his dry mouth to answer Arthur, missing the brief look of concern and confusion on his master's face. "Well, I…um…"

"Spit it out, Merlin."

"I'm glad that you're looking at magic in a more positive light," Merlin blurted. "I mean, it was a bit of a surprise when you announced you wanted to repeal the ban, but…" He shrugged. "I'm glad you think that magic can return to the kingdom."

Arthur waved his hand impatiently; clearly this was not what he'd wanted to hear. "Yes, but am I doing the right thing?"

"I'm not so sure I'm the person to tell you that…"

"You are exactly the person to tell me that."

Merlin blinked. "Why?"

Arthur looked at him incredulously before letting out a disbelieving chuckle. "My God, Merlin, you really are an idiot, aren't you?"

"Oi!"

"Yes, you are," Arthur emphasised. He sighed. "Merlin, I like to think there's nothing you can't tell me."

Merlin felt chilled. "There isn't. I tell you you're a prat, don't I?"

"Yes, you do." Arthur gazed at him for such a long time Merlin was sure he knew what he wasn't telling him. Then Arthur shrugged. "Well, I'm sure if there's ever anything you're not saying, I'll definitely find out. You can't keep your mouth shut to save your life – it makes you a terrible secret-keeper."

Merlin forced a laugh. That was close.

It had almost sounded like Arthur knew about his magic, but that was impossible – because there was just no way Arthur would have let that pass without yelling at Merlin – if not for the magic, then for the lying.

So no, Arthur didn't know, but maybe he suspected. And if Merlin didn't tell him, then Arthur would yell at him once he found out. Maybe even stick him in the stocks for good measure. Arthur could be awfully childishly petulant.

But telling him wasn't so easy now, was it? Even though the rational part of Merlin told him that if Arthur was in the process of lifting the ban, it meant he would accept magic. But Merlin had lived with his secret for his entire life, and hidden it from Arthur for almost a decade. And time and time again, Arthur had suffered betrayals from those closest to him – Morgana and Agravaine were hard lessons that proved to Arthur he could not give his trust so easily, even to those he considered family. Even Guinevere and Lancelot had been enchanted to betray Arthur by having an illicit affair. Of course, both had been horrified and guilt-ridden once the enchantment was lifted, but the damage had been done and things had been very strained for some time, and now no one dared talk about it. It was a near miracle that Lancelot was still a knight and Guinevere still Queen. After all the betrayals he'd suffered, finding out that Merlin – Merlin – had been lying to him for nearly ten years would be more than enough to make him doubt their friendship and Merlin's loyalty. Even if Arthur forgave him, he would never look at him the same way again.

Which was why Merlin was caught in the position of desperately wanting to tell Arthur, but at the same time desiring to put it off for as long as possible.

Not that anyone could understand that. Oh, no…

"I honestly don't understand what you're so worried about, Merlin," Gaius said as he watched his ward pace the floor. "Arthur is preparing to lift the ban, and he's showing every sign of carrying out his intention. He's even managed to get the council to agree to revising the laws. What could possibly be so horrible about telling him who you are?"

"I want to wait," Merlin said desperately. "Until he officially lifts the ban." Until Merlin could be sure telling Arthur wouldn't make him change his mind about legalising magic because he was angry at his servant for lying.

"I don't think that would be wise, Merlin. Arthur is showing a great deal of maturity in taking this action. It can't be easy for him to go against everything Uther taught him. If you wait, he will think you did not trust him even when he made his intentions to legalise magic very clear, and that will hurt him. He will see it as a betrayal."

"He'll see it as a betrayal anyway." Merlin stopped pacing, looking dejected. "I can't win, Gaius. If I tell him afterward, he'll think I didn't trust him. If I tell him now, he'll be too angry at me for lying to continue revising the laws."

"You're being absurd," Gaius told him.

Lancelot was no help either.

"Merlin, this is what you've been waiting for," he pointed out. "Arthur is embracing magic. You should tell him so he doesn't doubt what he's doing – so he knows that he's doing the right thing."

"Why is he so worried that he isn't?" Merlin wondered.

"Put yourself in his shoes, Merlin. Arthur spent his entire life being raised by Uther, learning that all magic is evil and it should never be allowed to live and thrive. He stayed strong to overcome the opposition from the council, but some of what they said would have made him think twice about what he's doing. Lifting the ban isn't going to be easy, Merlin – there will be plenty more opposition from the people. Arthur needs your support."

"He has it," Merlin said at once.

"That's not enough, Merlin," Lancelot said patiently. "Arthur needs proof that he's making the right decision to welcome magic back into the kingdom. Telling him about your magic will give him that proof."

Try as he might, Merlin hadn't been able to argue against the case when both Gaius and Lancelot were supporting it. Which was why he found himself outside Arthur's chambers now, well after the King had dismissed him for the night.

Merlin, stop being such a coward! he berated himself. He straightened and marched back to the door, knocking on it feebly before he lost his nerve.

It felt like ages before Guinevere cautiously opened the door. Merlin cursed inwardly and felt his face turn red as he realised what he must have been interrupting. Stupid, stupid…you couldn't have found a better time than the middle of the night? he self-scolded.

Naturally, Gwen was surprised to see him there. "Merlin? What's the matter?" She opened the door wider and Merlin was relieved to see that she was wearing her nightdress under her robe.

"Tell the idiot to go away," Arthur's voice called from inside.

"Arthur!" Gwen scolded lightly.

"It's okay, Gwen, I'll just come back…" Merlin mumbled.

"No, it's fine, Merlin." She smiled at him, then frowned when he didn't respond. He looked almost miserable. "What's wrong?"

Merlin sighed. "I need to speak to Arthur."

"Of course," Gwen agreed instantly. "Come in."

"Thanks." Merlin stepped inside and found Arthur lounging, fully dressed, on the bed, looking rather cross that his servant had interrupted his time with his wife.

"What is it, Merlin?"

"I…" Merlin swallowed. "This isn't easy to say, Arthur…"

Arthur glanced at him curiously, eyebrows raised, and must have seen something in Merlin's face, because he immediately straightened. "Gwen, would you mind giving us a moment alone?"

Gwen nodded and silently slid out of the room.

"Well, Merlin?" Arthur looked at him expectantly.

Merlin started babbling, "First, I just want to say that everything I have ever done has been to protect you, and I have never ever even thought of betraying you or Camelot, and I'm happy to continue serving you in whatever way you see fit…you're a great king, Arthur, and a good man, and a worthy friend, and I…" Merlin gulped, nearly trembling with anxiety. "I'm sorry for lying, really – but it's not because I didn't trust you, I was afraid for my life – not because of me, specifically, but because if I was executed I wouldn't be able to protect you…and then I think I knew you wouldn't have me executed, but banishment would've been just as bad – and…and I was afraid – I still am afraid – that, well, you wouldn't see me the same way anymore when I really am the same person you've known for the last eight years…"

"Merlin," Arthur interrupted, his voice unexpectedly patient, "Whatever you're trying to tell me, please get on with it. I don't have all night."

"I know, I'm sorry, it won't take all night – or maybe it will, it depends on how much you want me to explain…just please remember that I'm loyal only to you and that I do trust you and that I only live to serve you…"

"Merlin."

Merlin stopped rambling and took a deep breath (and was it his imagination or was Arthur actually looking amused?). "Arthur, I…I have…magic." He held his breath, sure that any moment now Arthur was going to spring up in shock and anger – if he'd even heard his admission, of course, given how very softly Merlin had managed to force it out.

Instead, Arthur said the last thing he would ever have expected. "It's about bloody time."

Merlin blinked and stared at him, uncomprehending. "What?"

"You certainly took your own sweet time in finally deciding to come clean about your magic, didn't you?"

Merlin's jaw dropped, and he wondered if his ears were deceiving him, because he could not possibly be hearing this from Arthur, of all people…

"You…" Merlin licked his lips. "You knew about…about my magic?"

Arthur looked insulted. "Of course I knew, Merlin! You're not exactly subtle about it, are you? I'd have to be blind, deaf, and concussed not to notice that something was off about the way branches kept falling on our enemies – that is, if they didn't conveniently trip over themselves or drop their swords." He glanced pointedly at Merlin's gobsmacked face. "Not to mention that blue light that you oh-so-secretly tried to conjure during the last hunting trip when you were looking for firewood and thought we were all lazy enough to stay put at the campsite – which I have seen before, by the way, in the caves of Balor – or the windstorm in Ealdor. Or how I'm still breathing after the Questing Beast, the Great Dragon, the Dorocha, numerous supposedly-fatal wounds…should I go on?"

"No," Merlin managed in barely a whisper. "You knew," he said then, accusingly.

Arthur scoffed. "I've told you, you can't keep a secret to save your life. I meant that literally. For heaven's sake, you shouted it out that you were a sorcerer in front of the entire court. Honestly, Merlin, how my father never found out is a mystery to me."

"I didn't go around doing magic around him," Merlin hissed. "I'm not stupid."

"And yet, clearly, you were stupid enough to do it around me."

"To save your life, you complete prat! Do you know how many times I've saved your sorry arse?"

"And that's another thing," Arthur continued, now sitting up properly in the bed. "If you wanted to keep your magic secret, Merlin, you really shouldn't have kept on hinting how many times you'd saved my life. Seriously, how ignorant do you think I am?"

"How long?" Merlin demanded.

"How long what?"

"How long have you known?"

Arthur paused to think. "Since the quest for the Fisher King's trident."

Merlin made a strangled sound. "You've known for four years?"

"Yes, and like I said, it's about bloody time you finally manned up and actually told me instead of lying through your teeth."

Merlin winced.

"How did you figure it out?" he asked quietly. Arthur stared at him incredulously.

"Well, it was kind of hard to ignore what the little man at the bridge told me – that I needed Courage, Strength, and Magic to succeed in my quest. And he outright told me I was Courage. When you and Gwaine showed up, it was pretty obvious that you couldn't be Strength."

"All this time…" Merlin shook his head. "All this time you knew and you never told me you knew."

"You never told me about your magic, so we're even."

Abruptly, Merlin was furious. "Even?" he exclaimed. "I didn't tell you about my magic because I was afraid for my life! You found out and you didn't tell me because of…what, exactly? You could have saved me four years of worrying, of hiding, of protecting your ungrateful behind while fearing you would banish me if you ever found out…"

"I'm sorry you thought so little of me, Merlin," Arthur said scathingly; Merlin wasn't sure if he'd imagined the flash of hurt that crossed the King's face. "And I," Arthur added vehemently, "am not ungrateful. I know full well how many times I owe you my life, and I also know how many times you've blatantly lied to my face about it." Merlin winced again, but Arthur ploughed on, "You say I'm thick, but I think you're the one whose head is full of rocks. How many hints did I have to drop to get you to bloody tell me?"

"You were dropping hints?" Merlin frowned.

Arthur exhaled exasperatedly. "No, of course not – I clearly believed you were telling me the truth about everything."

"I like to think that there's nothing you can't tell me."

Merlin cringed. Looking back, he realised now that Arthur had been trying to get him to confess his magic. Looking back further, he recognised that Arthur had been trying for a long time before that – asking him about whether he believed magic could be used for good, implying that he knew Merlin was hiding something…

"I'm sorry, I didn't realise," he said apologetically.

"Obviously." Arthur rolled his eyes. "And with that, I rest my case that you are, without a doubt, a first-class idiot."

Merlin exhaled. "I'm sorry for lying, Arthur," he said contritely. "I just…I didn't know what I would've done if you'd banished me…if you'd rejected me…"

Arthur's face softened. "I guess I can understand why you lied. I know I hadn't really given you much reason to trust that you could tell me, but I was hoping I was doing a better job of it after the Fisher King quest."

"But that time…when your father died…"

"I was trying to provoke a reaction," Arthur admitted. "I was hoping you'd insist I was wrong. But you just seemed hell-bent on proving my theory that you're a self-sacrificing idiot. How you could sit there and let me say those things when you knew you'd done everything you could to save my father…"

Merlin choked. "What?"

Arthur gave him a look. "Well, it wasn't hard to figure out just who that absurd old sorcerer was once I knew, Merlin. Honestly, Dragoon the Great?"

"I thought it was a good name," Merlin muttered.

"You're an idiot, Merlin."

Merlin simply shrugged. "And…you're okay with this?" he asked hesitantly. "With my magic?"

Arthur shot him a disbelieving glare. "Well, Merlin," he said, deceptively mildly, "you would think, wouldn't you, that after four years knowing you have magic, and not banishing or executing or even so much as yelling at you for it…"

"Why didn't you?" Merlin interjected.

"Yell at you? Believe me, the thought did cross my mind. I was very angry, Merlin, I won't deny that – I was hurt and betrayed, and I threw tantrums when I was alone, but I didn't want to do anything rash, and for some reason," he stressed pointedly, "I didn't want you executed. So I forced myself to calm down and to look at the facts objectively. I tried to find something different about you now that I knew, but somehow you were always the same bumbling, clumsy, overtalkative, disrespectful idiot, and I found myself wondering how someone as loyal as you would be using magic against Camelot. And wouldn't you know, I couldn't think of a single way you would ever betray me, so I guess I had to get used to the idea of magic not being completely evil."

Merlin smiled, but Arthur wasn't done.

"Of course, there were many, many times when I wanted to grab you and smack some sense into you because you were really being so blatantly obvious about your magic, and I was starting to wonder if you had a death wish. And other timesI wanted to yell myself hoarse at you because you were being so thick-headed you couldn't even realise that I'd clued in and was trying to get you to tell me. And the other day, when I was asking you whether I was doing the right thing in legalising magic…"

"Yes, I know that now," Merlin interrupted.

"Well, thank goodness," said Arthur. "Because if you hadn't come clean, I would've been forced to confront you before I lifted the ban. A right moron I'd look, making a pretty speech about accepting magic when the person I'm doing it for is standing cluelessly at my right."

Merlin stared at him, feeling warmth bubble inside him. "Arthur…"

"You're welcome, by the way."

Merlin closed his eyes and opened them again. "I didn't know you were doing this for me."

"Not just you, of course," Arthur hastened to clarify. "I made a promise to the druids, Merlin, and I can't very well be a good king if I allow my subjects to be persecuted for something that's part of them. But yes, you were a large part of what made me decide to change the law."

"Thank you, Arthur." Merlin's eyes shone with sincerity and gratitude.

Guinevere chose that moment to walk back into the room, a knowing smile on her face. Although she wasn't the type of person to eavesdrop on her friends' private conversations, Merlin somehow knew that she was aware of exactly what had just transpired.

"You knew too, didn't you?"

Gwen's brown eyes grew wide and innocent. "Knew what?"

Arthur's head swivelled to stare at his wife in shock; apparently he hadn't known that Gwen knew of Merlin's magic.

"You knew?" he exclaimed.

Gwen shrugged. "I didn't want to say anything in case I was wrong, but yes. And I did suspect that was why you were changing the law."

Merlin huffed. "How?"

"Arthur's sword, Merlin."

"What about my sword?" Arthur demanded.

"You recognised it?" Merlin sounded amazed.

"My father made that sword," Gwen reminded him. "It was his best work. Of course I recognised it. When I saw Arthur pull it out of the stone, I remembered that you'd taken it. And there was no way you could've put it in that rock without magic."

"You put my sword in that stone?" Arthur exclaimed. "I knew that drivel about 'Albion's greatest king' was rubbish!"

"It wasn't," Merlin said at once. "You might have known about my magic, Arthur, but there's still a lot that you don't know."

Arthur frowned, but nodded in acknowledgment. "Right. You can explain everything when we tell the rest of the Round Table tomorrow."

Merlin froze. "We're telling the Round Table?"

"It's not like they know yet," Arthur pointed out. "And they should. No more hiding, Merlin."

Merlin managed a smile. "No more hiding," he agreed.

Tomorrow was a new day, and though he was nervous about how the knights would take it, now that he knew Arthur accepted him, he knew everything would be all right.

This can only go wrong, Merlin thought moodily as the Knights of the Round Table filed into the meeting room. Lancelot gave him a nod and a small smile as he took his seat, Gwaine grinned roguishly and winked, Leon inclined his head, and Percival and Elyan glanced at him in acknowledgment – but none of their casual interactions could ease the knot of dread in the pit of his stomach. It was irrational, he knew – the knights had been nothing but supportive of Arthur's decision to lift the ban, but he had no idea how they would react to the knowledge that he had magic and had been lying to them for years. Aside from Arthur and Gaius, the knights were the men he was closest to, and he didn't want to lose any of their friendships if they felt they could no longer trust him once he was revealed as a sorcerer.

And how would they react when he started explaining his story, and they found out that he was not only a sorcerer, but the most powerful warlock who would ever live?

Maybe he wouldn't tell them that part. But, no – there was Gaius, sitting in his usual place next to Elyan, and he would be certain to correct anything Merlin tried to leave out. When Merlin had told him about the meeting Gaius had seemed adamant that he tell the Round Table everything.

Why had he allowed Arthur to convince him to do this again?

"I told Arthur."

Gaius looked up from his morning porridge to raise an eyebrow. His eyes were calm, but concerned on his ward's behalf. "When?"

"Last night."

"I see." Gaius set his spoon down. "How did he take it?"

"He already knew." Merlin sounded slightly disgruntled.

Gaius's eyebrow shot up higher. "He did?"

"Him and Gwen."

"You must not have done as good a job as you thought keeping your secret." Gaius's tone was faintly reproving. "You are extremely fortunate that Arthur decided to keep your secret, despite knowing you were lying to him."

"I know." Merlin sounded guilty. Gaius's voice gentled.

"Was he angry?"

"Yes," Merlin admitted. "But not last night. He was angry when he first found out, but he learned to accept it."

Gaius smiled. "I told you you had nothing to be worried about."

"That's not exactly true." Merlin sighed. "Arthur wants to tell the Round Table. Today."

"So?"

"So, I'm trying to figure out how much to tell them."

"Everything, Merlin."

"What?" Merlin's head snapped up to look at his mentor. "Everything?"

"The time for secrets is past, Merlin. The lies were necessary to preserve your life, but they're no longer needed. They would only stand in the way of trust."

"I'm not intending to lie to them," Merlin insisted. "I just thought that maybe, I'll leave out some things."

"Such as?" Gaius queried.

"Well, about Emrys, for one." Merlin huffed. "I don't need or want them looking at me like some dangerous, all-powerful sorcerer. The magic and the Dragonlord thing are going to be hard enough to accept, let alone the prophecies about me and Arthur."

"Nevertheless," said Gaius, "you should tell them everything. They deserve to know, Merlin."

Once everyone had taken their seats, Arthur rose to address the table.

"I called this meeting in relation to the ongoing process of revising the laws against magic," he began. His knights exchanged significant looks. "I know I have your utmost support in what I am doing, so I want to thank you for that. But that's not the reason for this meeting."

He waved at Merlin, who shakily stood, looking to Gaius for support; the old physician just gave him a small, encouraging smile.

"Merlin here," Arthur said, "has something to tell us." He promptly sat down, leaving Merlin standing nervously. Leon gave his King a sharp look.

For a long moment Merlin said nothing; only his frightened eyes roved around the table. Why was this so hard? Lancelot's eyes brimmed with sympathy, but also with a quiet reassurance that gave Merlin the courage to finally speak.

"Um…hello," the servant said timidly.

"Merlin, mate," spoke up Gwaine, "relax. We're not going to bite you."

Merlin managed a wan smile, before taking a breath and blurting, "Well, I'm here to tell you that I have…I have…" He swallowed.

"Magic?"

Everyone whipped around to stare at Leon, whose quiet word had sounded not so much like a question, but a confirmation of what he already suspected.

Arthur gaped at his senior knight, wondering how on earth Leon had managed to clue in. Although, if Arthur had figured it out, it stood to reason that Leon could have too. But as he looked around the Round Table, he frowned. Everyone was gaping at Leon, but that was the only bit of surprise on their faces. More to the point, not a single person showed any sign of shock about Merlin's magic. Add that to the fact that not one of them had been the slightest bit wary about legalising magic…

"Did you all know?" he asked suspiciously.

The knights looked at each other in astonishment – and yes, a fair amount of sheepishness as well – when they realised the truth.

Lancelot was the first to own up to it. "I did."

"Me too," Gwaine admitted.

"Yes," Elyan said simply.

Percival shrugged his confirmation.

Gaius's eyebrows were higher than Merlin had ever seen them, Gwen's eyes were wide, and Merlin himself was gawking at them all.

"But…how…how?" he stammered.

Gwaine grinned. "No offense, mate, but you do a terrible job of hiding it. I knew from the first time I met you."

Hang on, Arthur thought. That was even before Arthur himself had found out. "How?" he demanded. How had Gwaine seen in one meeting what Arthur had taken four years to realise?

"Those thugs in the bar," replied Gwaine. "Merlin was throwing plates at them."

Merlin cringed, but Arthur was confused.

"So?"

"He wasn't using his hands. I know I wasn't that drunk."

Arthur turned to glare at Merlin. Merlin unconsciously shrank backwards.

"And you, Leon?" Arthur inquired.

Leon hesitated. "I didn't know for sure," he admitted. "But I suspected."

"Since when?" Arthur demanded.

"Since the Great Dragon attacked Camelot," Leon confessed. Merlin made a strangled noise. "If you recall, Sire, I was the only one, apart from you and Merlin, to survive the encounter with the dragon."

"Yes," Arthur agreed.

"I happened to regain consciousness in time to hear Merlin ordering the dragon away. I knew then that he must be a Dragonlord, and I began to suspect he probably had magic as well."

The whole table sucked in a breath, even Lancelot, who hadn't known about Merlin's Dragonlord heritage.

"Blimey, Merlin, you're a Dragonlord too?" Gwaine said.

Merlin was resolutely looking anywhere but at the knights.

Arthur fixed Merlin with another ferocious stare. "More secrets, Merlin?"

"I was going to tell you," he defended.

Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose and waved for Lancelot to explain how he knew.

"I also knew the first time I met Merlin," Lancelot confessed, exchanging a glance with Gwaine. "He enchanted my sword to kill the griffin."

Arthur's eyes widened in comprehension. "That's why you wouldn't accept the knighthood!"

"I didn't want to take credit for something I hadn't done. Merlin was aware that I knew."

Arthur was getting tired of glaring at Merlin – especially when Merlin himself was too shell-shocked that everyone had known his secret to look as appropriately chastised as Arthur would like – so he merely indicated that Elyan should go next.

"That old sorcerer we met in the woods," his brother-in-law explained. "When I told Gwen about it, she said that the same sorcerer had let himself get caught pretending to enchant you and her in love. And that you complained he'd slipped right past Merlin without Merlin seeing anything."

"You figured out that Dragoon was Merlin just from that?" Arthur said incredulously.

Gwen and the other knights inhaled sharply – they had apparently not made the connection yet.

"Well, it took me a while to put the pieces together, but it sort of sounded like the kind of name Merlin would come up with. And he isn't that clumsy as to allow a sorcerer to flee right past him without even seeing him." Elyan coughed. "Plus, I might have caught him muttering spells to break branches on our enemies on occasion," he confessed.

Arthur rubbed his temples. "I told you you weren't subtle, you moron. Percival?"

"No one survives a Dorocha attack," the big knight said simply. "That Merlin didn't die straight away was a miracle in itself, but when he reappeared a day later completely healthy…and I heard Lancelot talking to him that night." Here Percival gazed pointedly at his friend, who coughed and had the grace to look ashamed. "Something about Merlin having done so much and no one knowing?"

"I thought everyone was asleep," said Lancelot.

"That and everyone but Merlin was unconscious when the Veil closed, and somehow no one was sacrificed to do it," continued Percival. "Did no one else think his excuse that 'the sacrifice is just formality and only the intent to sacrifice oneself matters' was a bit too convenient?"

Merlin threw up his hands in defeat. "All right, I get it, I'm a terrible secret-keeper. Happy, Arthur? You were right."

"I'm always right, Merlin," Arthur told him. "I told you you had nothing to worry about telling the Round Table. Thanks to your atrocious secret-keeping, they all already knew."

"How was I supposed to know?" Merlin demanded. "Why didn't any of you say anything?"

The knights shifted uncomfortably.

"I didn't know who else knew," Leon responded, his gaze flickering involuntarily to Arthur, who scowled. "I don't think any of us did. And I can't speak for everyone, but…well…"

"We didn't want to risk Arthur finding out," Gwaine supplied. "Sorry, Princess, but I wasn't sure if you'd make the right call, given what Uther taught you."

"I am not my father," Arthur insisted. "Aside from that, I am your King. All of you knew about Merlin – a sorcerer, by my side, for years – and not one of you thought I should know about it?"

"I knew Merlin was loyal to you," said Percival. "I just wanted to protect him."

"We figured he'd tell us when he was ready," added Elyan.

Arthur couldn't argue with his knights for doing the exact same thing he had done for Merlin, so he said nothing. Merlin, though, was extremely touched by his friends' acceptance.

"Thank you," he said sincerely, his eyes shining. "Thank you all. You don't know how hard it was, keeping – or, trying to keep," he corrected with a sheepish smile, "– my magic secret from you. I'm truly glad to know that you had such faith in me. I don't deserve it."

"Stop being absurd, Merlin," said Gaius, who thus far had been totally silent, but who now had a note of pride and love in his voice for his ward. "You deserve all of it, and everyone will see that once you start telling your story."

"Yes, Merlin." Gwen smiled warmly at him. "You've been a great friend to all of us, and we were repaying the favour."

"Just don't think," interjected Gwaine, "that you're getting out of this so easily. I think you deserve a little punishment for insulting our intelligence by lying to us for so long, doesn't he, Princess?"

"Oh, yes," Arthur agreed with a smirk at his manservant. "But first…" He rapped on the chair on his right. "Sit, Merlin. I specifically cleared my schedule and everyone else's here for this. It's time for you to tell us about everything. And I do mean everything."

And Merlin smiled, and sat, and started to explain.

"Well, it all started when I came to Camelot…"