Arthur is pouring himself some water when he hears the door open. He glances over and sees Merlin and goes back to pouring his water. "Ah, Merlin," he says as a greeting.

"How are you?" His manservant asks.

"Good."

"I'm pleased."

"Yes. I owe it all to Gaius." Arthur sees a strange look on Merlin's face when he says that but decides to just ignore it for now.

After a long pause, Merlin finally speaks. "I need to talk to you." Merlin's tone is strange, as if there is something bothering him.

Arthur takes a sip from his glass and then says, "You still haven't got it yet, have you? I decide when we need to talk!" He smirks then takes another drink.

"Not today." Arthur looks over at him again and sees that strange look on his face still.

"I sometimes wonder if you know who I am."

"Oh, I know who you are," Merlin says, finally with a smirk.

"Good."

"You're a prat. And a royal one." Finally, Arthur thinks to himself, he's back to his usual self.

Arthur laughs a little. "Are you ever going to chance, Merlin?"

"No, you'd get bored." Arthur doesn't say it out loud but he agrees with Merlin. Without him his life would be dull. Merlin is the only one who speaks to him as if he is a normal person and, even though he bothers Merlin about doing that, Arthur finds it to be a relief. Suddenly Merlin is talking again. "But promise me this: if you get another servant, don't get a boot licker."

Alarm bells go off in Arthur's head. Is Merlin quitting? He can't quit! Arthur has become very fond of him. More so than he should be. "If this is you trying to quit job..."

"No!" Merlin says earnestly. "I'm happy to be your servant, 'til the day I die." Arthur is surprised to hear that. He was not expecting that. But there is also something strange in Merlin's voice and when Arthur looks over, he sees tears forming in Merlin's eyes a little.

After rubbing his shoulder for a bit he grabs his cup and says, "Sometimes I think I know you, Merlin. Other times-"

"Well, I know you. You're a great warrior. One day, you'll be a great king." Arthur is beyond confused now. Merlin hardly ever gave straight forward compliments and when he did he wasn't hardly this earnest about it.

"That's very kind of you."

"But you must learn to listen as well as you fight," Merlin advises. For some reason it sounds to Arthur, now, that Merlin is saying a goodbye. It sounds as if Merlin is leaving, despite the fact that he said that he likes being Arthur's servant. Arthur also definitely sees tears in Merlin's eyes.

Arthur feels a strange pang in his heart. Is this the end? "Any other pointers?"

"No. That's it," Merlin says as he looks down to his feet. Arthur, too, feels as if there is water gathering in his eyes. He doesn't want Merlin to leave, not when they still had so much they could do together. Not before he even had a chance to tell Merlin how he started to feel for him. "Just... Don't be a prat." Merlin turns, then, to leave.

"Merlin, wait," Arthur calls out. If this is Merlin saying goodbye then he had to say something. Merlin stops with his hand on the door and turns his head around. "Are you-" His voice breaks a little so he clears his throat. "Is this you saying goodbye? You sound as though you are leaving."

Merlin looks as if he is contemplating something. "Yes," he says and Arthur feels like his world is falling out from beneath him.

"But you just now said that you weren't leaving your job!" Arthur won't have it. Merlin is his only true friend that he has ever had. Merlin is the only one who he has ever actually had real feelings for, even though he knows that nothing could ever come out of it.

"I'm not, Arthur!"

"You are making it sound as if you aren't coming back." That's when Arthur connects it."You think you are going to die." Merlin confirms it by not denying it and Arthur's heart constricts a little more. "Where are you going, Merlin?"

"It doesn't matter. I have to go."

"I won't let you, Merlin. You can't die."

"I have to so I can save my mother. She's dying and I can't-" Merlin's voice breaks off. "I have to go before it's too late."

"Then I'm coming with you."

"You are still healing, Arthur, you can't."

"Well I can't just let you go knowing that you are probably going to die!"

"You can, Arthur, and you must. You cannot come with me because it is too dangerous. I'm sorry but I have to do this on my own." The last thing Arthur remembers is the shock he felt from Merlin speaking a strange language and seeing his eyes flash gold.