This fic is longer than usual and could probably benefit from another rewrite, but I hope you'll like it anyway because I don't really have the time for that :D

. . .

SOMEONE WHO CAN HELP

. . .

Merlin hadn't thought much about Sophia and her father when he and Arthur had rescued them in the forest. They were just normal people . . . Well, maybe except for their mysterious staffs—they looked pretty magical, and he didn't understand how Uther hadn't deemed them at least suspicious. But the more time the pair spent in Camelot, the more . . . uncomfortable he'd grown to feel about them.

At first, it was just an inkling, but it became more nagging with time. Something was off about them. He would have said something earlier, but he didn't want to be rude. In their eyes and the king's, after all, he was merely a servant. Later, after realizing that Arthur had found Sophia beautiful (but to be fair, who hadn't?), he'd come to the realization that maybe, just maybe, he was simply . . . jealous.

It wouldn't have been the first time. Arthur was . . . well, Merlin had gathered enough from his dreams to know with certainty that he clearly fancied the prince. But those feelings led nowhere, so he kept quiet and did what was expected of him.

But the feeling that something was off about Sophia and her father had stayed with him until finally, Gaius had offered an explanation—and of course he was right! Their intentions were never honest.

And worst of all, they were after Arthur.

He silently thanked Morgana's seer powers as he searched for Arthur. If he hadn't been sure before, seeing Arthur ask for Sophia's hand in marriage was proof enough.

He found him in his chambers, packing.

"Get out," Arthur said as soon as he saw him.

Merlin wasn't sure how to approach Arthur, how to tell him.

He settled for taking it slow. "I thought the king was a bit harsh." When Arthur had asked Uther for permission to marry Sophia, he'd expected the king to be against it, but the last thing he'd expected was Uther threatening to execute Sophia.

Arthur's reaction was immediate and not at all friendly. "I don't need sympathy, Merlin. Especially not from you."

"But I did think he had a point," Merlin added. It was true, even if Uther himself didn't know it, Sophia meant harm to Arthur and by extension to Merlin and Camelot.

Arthur finally looked up from his packing, his eyes piercing Merlin's, his words cold and cruel. "I ordered you to get out. Now leave me."

But Merlin couldn't let him go. "I know what you think you're doing, and I know you think you're in love with Sophia-"

"Who are you to tell me what I'm thinking?!" Arthur yelled at him.

Merlin's eyes never left Arthur's. "I'm your friend."

This had to help. The power of their friendship would break the enchantment, wouldn't it? It would make Arthur realize that he could trust Merlin and that what he was telling him was true.

It didn't work. "No, Merlin, you're my servant."

Well, that hurt.

"You don't know what you're doing," Merlin pressed. He needed to make Arthur see the truth somehow. "She's cast a spell on you, you're enchanted!"

"I told you people would try to keep us apart."

Merlin turned to the voice.

Sophia. He was too late.

"I know," Arthur answered her. "I won't let that happen."

"No, don't listen to her!" Merlin turned back to his prince. "She's controlling you!"

Arthur looked at him, his eyes hazy with confusion. It was working! He needed to try harder. "You met her barely a week ago. Arthur, you've known me for months. I'm your friend, I'm telling you the truth!"

Arthur blinked at him, silent.

"We can elope together!" Sophia stepped in, perhaps sensing that her spell was not going to last much longer with Merlin there. "We can get away from this place, these people."

This time, Merlin approached Sophia herself, pointing his finger at her. "I saw you." Keeping his eyes on her and Aulfric, he told Arthur, "I followed him. They're planning to sacrifice you."

Aulfric sneered at that. "You let your servant talk to your guests this way?"

Merlin didn't step down. "I know what you're going to do because I followed you to the lake and I heard everything!" Then he turned to Arthur. "You have to believe me!" Arthur seemed confused, but that wasn't helping. "I'm your friend!"

But Sophia was there to once again nudge Arthur towards the dark side. "Don't listen to him Arthur. Let's go. Let's leave tonight."

Arthur was beginning to break free of the spell, Merlin could see it. He kept blinking in confusion, as if waking up, and he couldn't use his hands properly to continue packing anymore.

Merlin turned to him, speaking softly this time. "She's going to kill you. Sophia plans to sacrifice you to buy a life of immortality." Arthur started shaking his head. "If you go with her, you'll die!"

"I-i-it doesn't make sense," Arthur faltered, glancing at Merlin. "We're . . . we're in love . . ."

"Arthur, I am in love with you!" Merlin yelled, loud enough for the guards outside to hear.

Everyone was suddenly quiet.

He shut his mouth, took a step back, and pursed his lips.

He . . . hadn't planned to say that, it just came out. But if anything was supposed to help Arthur, and Merlin's friendship wasn't enough, then . . . maybe this was it. Maybe his honesty about his feelings would help break the enchantment.

Arthur was frowning, looking more confused than ever. "You- you're . . . "

Merlin couldn't stop now. He stepped towards Arthur and put his hands on his shoulders, forcing him to look at him. "Arthur, Sophia doesn't love you. I do."

And that did it.

Arthur's eyes cleared as he stared into Merlin's and his shaking hands stilled when Merlin took hold of them, smiling.

Arthur blinked one last time, then frowned, looked down at their hands and back at Merlin. "Merlin," he managed, "you're in love with me?"

Before Merlin could answer, Sophia and Aulfric had overcome their initial shock. "You little-"

Merlin barely had the time to react when Aulfric's eyes turned red and he pointed his staff at Merlin. Luckily, Merlin managed to jump away, dropping Arthur's hands and preparing to use his magic as a last resort.

"Merlin, what's happening?" He heard Arthur ask behind him.

"Arthur?" Sophia smiled at him, perhaps in the hope that she could make the spell come back.

"Sophia?"

"Arthur, they're magical beings!" Merlin shouted.

When Arthur noticed Aulfric's red eyes, he finally sprang into action and grabbed for his sword—only to find his belt empty. His eyes widened in alarm. Aulfric raised his staff again, and just before Arthur could grab Merlin's hand and pull him away, Aulfric's staff hit its target and sent Merlin flying against the wall.

xoXÖXox

"Merlin!" Arthur cried out, but too late. Merlin was already sliding down the wall, his body motionless.

"Stupid servant," Aulfric hissed. "He almost ruined everything."

Arthur looked up at Aulfric and Sophia, eyes full of hatred, but he didn't get the chance to find a weapon or to kneel at Merlin's side and apologize for everything. Aulfric raised his fist, his eyes bright red, and Arthur found himself unable to move at all.

Sophia smiled at him like so many times before, but this smile was devoid of any charm.

"This could have been so much easier, Arthur," she told him as she approached him. "But we can fix that." When she was standing directly in front of him, she looked deep into his eyes and started muttering strange words. Arthur had heard them before, he'd-

"Túce hwón frec ðu, Arthur. Þec feoh nom gyse. Cume morðor rice ær. Túce hwón frec ðu, Arthur."

Arthur tried to fight it, he did—he thought about what Merlin had told him, about their friendship, about Merlin's love for him, but without Merlin there to help, and without being able to move, he didn't stand a chance against such strong magic.

His eyes fluttered shut, and once again he succumbed to the dark oblivion.

xoXÖXox

Morgana couldn't sleep. Not after Arthur had come to ask Uther for permission to marry Sophia. He'd only just met her! The way he'd so suddenly become attached to her only made Morgana more certain that there was something more to it, something to do with her dream.

She knew she had dreamt of Sophia even before she'd first arrived in Camelot. And even if Gaius didn't believe her, she knew she was right. She must have been.

She paced around her room, anxious.

It was pure luck that she looked out of her window at the moment that she did. It was just in time to see Arthur, Sophia and her father, leaving the courtyard through the gates.

She gasped. She needed to do something!

She quickly grabbed her white fur wrap and ran out of her room to go find Gaius.

The moment she burst into Gaius' quarters, she started talking. "He's gone! Arthur's gone with her, she's taken him!"

"Slow down." Gaius turned to her.

Morgana didn't. She couldn't. "I know you don't believe me, but I'm so sure it's going to happen. My dream is going to come true," she said as he held her arms, looking at her.

"I do believe you," Gaius told her, surprising her.

Well, if he did believe her after all, then she wasn't alone and could take it to the king. "I've got to tell Uther."

"You can't." He stopped her.

"I've got to do something, if I don't, then Arthur will die."

"You can't tell Uther about your dream," Gaius persisted. "If Uther thinks you've got the seer's power, he'll charge you with witchcraft."

She was already shaking her head. No matter what happened to her, she had to do it. "I don't have a choice. I couldn't live with myself knowing I'd let him die."

Gaius nodded then. "Wait. We've known each other a long time. You trust me, don't you?"

That wasn't even a question. "Yes, you know I do."

"Then trust me now. Stay here, and don't say a word to anyone about this-"

"But Arthur-"

"I'll take care of it." Gaius raised his hand to stop her protests, then turned around and headed for the door.

Morgana didn't understand what Gaius could do to stop any of this. "Where are you going?"

Gaius turned to her one last time. "To find someone who can help." And with that, he left her in his room.

Morgana found herself alone again, only with her thoughts and the memories from her awful dream. She trusted Gaius, but she didn't understand him. Who was he going to find that could help? Was it a knight? Did someone owe him a favour?

She paced around the room for a while, and then finally decided to go back to wait in her own chambers. At least there she could brush her hair anxiously. She did that sometimes when she was anxious and Gwen was away. Sometimes, it even helped.

She doubted it would this time, though.

When she got back to her chambers however, she couldn't sit still enough to do any of that. She started pacing again, occasionally glancing out of the window. After several minutes, she finally spotted a person running across the courtyard.

She stepped closer to the window and focused on the runner—it was most definitely Merlin, Arthur's manservant. But how could he be able to help Arthur?

Morgana closed her eyes, confused, but allowing herself to feel at least a little bit relieved. She didn't understand how Merlin could help and save Arthur on his own, but she trusted Gaius. If he thought Merlin could help, he must have had a reason.

And she would wait here, right by the window. She would not go to sleep until Arthur and Merlin were back.

She hoped against all hope that they would be.

xoXÖXox

"Where's Arthur? I have to go after him," he told Gaius right after waking up on the floor in Arthur's chambers. And "I need to go. He needs me." And "I have to go Gaius. He'll die if I don't."

He'd never forgive himself if that happened.

He'd already managed to break the enchantment once, and he had to do it again. Although he hadn't planned to tell Arthur he loved him, it clearly worked. And he was willing to shout his love through the entire forest if it meant saving Arthur's life.

Now, he was running. Out of Arthur's chambers, through the courtyard, the gate, the forest. He'd been by the lake before, he remembered the way. Kind of.

He could not fail.

It was his destiny to protect Arthur, and Arthur wasn't even a king yet! He couldn't die now.

Merlin continued running, moving one foot after another swiftly, barely paying attention to anything around him except for the way forward. He didn't know how long he'd been unconscious, but he could make it. He'd be in time.

He'd save him.

In the end, it took him close to half an hour to finally get to the lake, although, in his mind, it felt like hours.

He spotted it immediately, the water surface sparkling even in the night. Aulfric and Sophia with Arthur were standing on the shore, not yet in the water (Merlin supposed that was how they were planning to get Arthur to the Sidhe in Avalon—through drowning him), but who knew what they were doing to him now.

Sophia was facing Merlin, luckily only looking at her father and not noticing him. Merlin quickly hid behind a tree, observing the situation. Without wasting any more time, he looked around, trying to find anything that would help him. He found it on the ground, lying next to Aulfric's feet—Sophia's staff.

"Onbregdan!"

The staff flew up from the ground and towards him. He caught it, but by then Sophia and Aulfric had already seen him. Before they could do anything, he pointed the staff at Aulfric and shouted, "Swilte, gold beorþ!"

The old man blew into pieces.

"Father! No!" Sophia shouted, quickly grabbed her father's staff from the ground and pointed it at Merlin. Merlin quickly hid behind a tree again, letting the poor plant take the hit instead of him.

"Why do you have to ruin everything!" He heard Sophia's voice from behind him.

From what he saw before he had to hide, Arthur was just standing there, staring at nothing, not moving. It was terrifying to see.

He had to change that. He needed Arthur's help.

"Arthur, listen!" he shouted. "I'm in love with you!"

But all he got in response was Sophia's laughter. "That isn't going to work again, sorcerer!" she said. "But maybe you could try telling him about your magic. Maybe that will wake him up. The knowledge that his friend, as you call yourself, is a liar!"

Merlin swallowed. That hurt.

Okay, then. If simply stating his feelings wouldn't work this time, he had to do something different. Something bold. Something risky.

He'd try and kiss him.

If his heart wasn't still beating fast from all the running, it would start beating faster just by him thinking about kissing Arthur. It wasn't like he hadn't thought about it before, he'd just never thought that it might save Arthur's life.

He really hoped it would work. Otherwise, he wasn't sure what else to do.

But first, he had to get rid of Sophia. But how?

Well, he had her staff, and she had her father's. She was a Sidhe. Could she use magic without the staff? Merlin had no idea, maybe. She always kept the staff with her, even when Arthur had taken her on walks into the forest . . . That must have been where she'd enchanted him. Did she use the staff for that too?

He couldn't know. But he'd have to risk it and assume she could not use magic without her staff.

Because the point was—he definitely could.

With a deep breath and a lot of courage, he jumped out of his hiding spot. Her staff was pointed at him in an instant, and he quickly jumped behind another tree.

"Arthur!" he yelled. Trying again couldn't hurt. "I'm in love with you, I love you!"

Sophia didn't respond and instead hit a tree right next to him. At that moment, he stepped forward and looked at her staff, shouting, "Flēogé! Gar!" The staff flew out of her hand, far away from her on the shore, close to the edge of the forest.

Sophia gasped loudly, anger all over her face. Instead of going after the staff though, she pointed both her hands at Merlin and started incanting a spell.

Shit.

He was wrong

She could definitely use magic without that staff.

He didn't have time to use the staff he had, so he quickly hid back behind a thick tree, just as the tree he'd been hiding behind before got ripped open. His eyes widened. That could have been him.

When he dared to look back at her, Sophia was gone. He hid behind another tree, closer to the shore, and saw her running after her staff.

He had a chance.

Without further ado, he ran towards Arthur, taking his hand and looking up at him. The prince was staring right through him, his eyes unfocused, lips slightly parted. He didn't react at all. "Arthur?" he tried, squeezing his hand. He glanced back at Sophia—she was still running for her staff, glancing right back at him.

He had to hurry before she decided to use another spell without her staff from the distance.

"Arthur, I'm in love with you!

Arthur blinked.

"I-"

A piece of dirt right next to him got loudly smashed to pieces, making Merlin jump and turn to Sophia. He was too late. He should have focused on defeating her first, and then waking Arthur up. What was he thinking?

"You won't ruin my future!" Sophia shouted at him, pointing the staff at him again.

Merlin jumped at Arthur, knocking them both to the ground and avoiding the next blow—a bush in the distance got hit instead of him. He gripped the staff tightly in his hands, sitting up and pointing it at Sophia.

He hoped he had better aim than she did.

"Acwele!"

The beam of light hit Sophia as she was trying to aim at Merlin with her own staff, and just like her father, her body was blown to pieces, disappearing completely.

Merin let out a loud sigh of relief, closing his eyes and letting go of the staff. It fell down on the ground, hitting the dirt with a soft thud.

Finally, Sopha and Aulfric were no longer a threat to Camelot. To Arthur.

Arthur.

His eyes snapped open, only now realizing that he was practically half sitting on the prince from previously knocking him down to the ground. He moved away, kneeling down next to his body, and gently took his face into his palms

Arthur was still motionless, his eyes staring up into the sky. Merlin moved forward into his line of vision, but Arthur's eyes remained unfocused.

"I'm in love with you, you idiot," he mumbled, brushing aside Arthur's hair. To his surprise, Arthur blinked but remained unmoving.

Merlin sighed.

A kiss it was then. How romantic.

He took a deep breath and then swallowed nervously. He really hoped Arthur wouldn't remember this. He didn't even know if the prince felt the same way. It was unlikely, judging by his eager advances to Sophia that week.

Of course, if Arthur remembered any of that, he'd also surely remember Merlin using magic. Merlin paled at the thought. But he had no choice. He had to save Arthur, no matter what the outcome would be.

Finally, he looked down at the prince and leaned down. "I love you," he whispered just before he gently brushed his lips against Arthur's, kissing him.

The reaction was instant. He felt Arthur take a sharp intake of breath, and his eyes snapped open. Merlin quickly moved away.

"Arthur?"

Arthur sat up, blinking at him in confusion, then looking around, taking in his surroundings. His eyes then landed back on Merlin.

"Merlin!" He exclaimed, quickly pressing his palms against Merlin's chest as if examining for wounds- oh. Right. He was hit by the staff back in his chambers. "Are you alright?" Arthur's eyes were still wide as saucers.

Merlin was so glad to see him awake again and in control.

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." Saying that, he felt a huge wave of relief wash over him. He hadn't even realized how tense he'd been until now.

"How is that possible?" Arthur asked, taking Merlin by a surprise. Arthur slowly got up to his feet, Merlin helping him. He touched his forehead and briefly closed his eyes, giving Merlin some time to think up an excuse, but before he could do that, Arthur was already talking again. "How did you survive such a blow? And did you just kiss me? What happened? Merlin?" Arthur's voice rose as he demanded his answers.

Merlin put his hands away from Arthur when he no longer needed help to stand, and paled again.

So, Arthur did remember the kiss.

"What else do you remember?" Merlin asked carefully.

Arthur looked at him, his eyes narrowing, as if the memories were coming back to him.

"Not . . . much," he finally got out. Merlin let out a quiet sigh of relief. But Arthur wasn't done. "I remember . . . I remember . . ." Then his eyes widened. "What was I thinking?" He yelled out. "I wanted to marry Sophia?"

Merlin couldn't help but think that now, after the danger had passed, it was rather funny.

"And- and . . ." Arthur looked back at Merlin as if searching for something in Merlin's eyes. "You're in love with me," he breathed out.

And there it was.

Merlin swallowed, his cheeks reddening, and chuckled rather awkwardly. "Are you sure you remember that correctly?" His voice was weak, he knew it was. He couldn't do anything about it though.

Arthur looked at Merlin then like he often did—like he thought Merlin was ridiculous. "I do remember the kiss, Merlin," he reminded him. "I remember it quite well."

Well, then . . .

"Um . . . " was all Merlin could come up with. He looked anywhere but at Arthur, his eyes finally finding the staff on the ground. One here, the other where Sophia had stood when he killed her. "Let's head back, we need to go back," he mumbled hastily as he went to pick up the first staff, walking over for the second one.

Arthur followed him.

"You still didn't explain to me how you survived, Merlin."

No, he hadn't, but Merlin didn't have the strength to try to think of an excuse right now. He didn't even know how to explain what happened, how he'd defeated Sophia and Aulfric on his own, or why he was now picking up their suspiciously magical-looking staffs from the ground, planning to carry them back to Camelot.

So he settled with, "I'll explain everything later. Now, let's just get back home."

Thankfully, Arthur didn't complain for once.

xoXÖXox

Following Merlin's suggestion, Arthur had stayed quiet on their way back to the castle. Well, almost. But he'd spent most of the time sorting out what he did actually remember from the time he was enchanted, and trying to figure out what exactly happened.

Everything since the previous day was hazy to him. He remembered pieces here and there, but most of it was like a dream he couldn't recall. If he focused, he could remember going to his father to tell him he would marry Sophia. He remembered her telling him that they were in love. He remembered repeating those words.

Then everything seemed a little clearer when he recalled Merlin bursting into his chambers. He remembered being harsh, telling him to get out of the room. The moment Merlin had said that he was in love with him though, everything was suddenly clear as day and he was in control of his own actions.

When Merlin had claimed that Sophia had enchanted him, he believed him. And soon after that, he'd had his proof—when Sophia's father used the staff to hit Merlin.

He remembered Merlin sliding down the wall. He was horrified. Scared that Merlin was dead, gone forever, and that he'd never get to tell him that . . .

he shared his feelings.

He knew it was a little sudden. Well, maybe it would be to Merlin. From his point of view, he had spent the past couple days courting Sophia in front of the entire castle, after all. She was beautiful, it was true. He hadn't gone out with her to the forest unwillingly, not at first at least.

But . . . the reason he'd gone out with Sophia at all was that deep down, he knew he fancied Merlin, and he wanted to forget about the fact that his feelings led nowhere. He'd only known the boy for a couple of months, and he'd already hopelessly fallen in love.

The keyword being hopelessly.

He'd been so sure Merlin would never return his feelings. Arthur was a man after all. And a prince. He was supposed to get married to a woman and produce an heir, it was his duty to do so.

But now . . . he vividly remembered Merlin telling him he was in love with him, many times in a row.

First, it happened in his chambers. Everything was so clear after Merlin had said those words. Then, when everything was dark again and he was no doubt standing by the lake against his will, he remembered Merlin saying the words again, but it didn't help that time. He was still trapped, drowning in darkness.

But he did hear Merlin's words. Then Sophia's. Shouting, loud noises of trees being destroyed (judging by the poor trees he'd noticed on their way back to Camelot).

Then everything became clear again when Merlin had kissed him.

He still remembered how it felt.

How did he not realize that Merlin felt the same way? The boy literally dressed and undressed him every day as a part of his job. He even bathed him, God.

Arthur closed his eyes briefly, sorting out his thoughts. They were almost back in his chambers, already entering the courtyard. Once they were safely inside, he'd ask Merlin everything he desired to know and he expected answers.

He'd already got one—there was no doubt that Merlin was in love with him and that they'd kissed. That one was clear. Arthur just wasn't sure whether he should act on it, or whether Merlin prefered not mentioning it again.

There was another, heartbreaking possibility—that Merlin had pretended to be in love with him, only saying so in the hope that it would break the enchantment. Which it did. And now that it was over, he'd simply apologize and easily move on.

Arthur could not bear the thought that that might be the truth.

But his main question for Merlin once they were back home, was how the hell did he survive Aulfric's attack in his chambers. He wasn't stupid. He heard those trees being smashed, and he heard Sophia's scream when she . . . when she what, vanished into thin air?

He knew Merlin must have used the staff somehow. Why else would he be carrying it back to Camelot if they both knew it was a dangerous weapon? It needed to be locked away in the vaults.

When they finally got back and the door closed behind them, Arthur immediately turned to Merlin and let everything out.

"Merlin, how are you even alive?" He asked, first and foremost. "And- and . . . are you honestly in love with me? And how did you defeat Sophia and Aulfric? I heard some of it, you can't deny that you used their staffs, because what else would you have possibly used? Sticks and stones?"

Merlin stood in front of him, looking at the staffs in his hands, then at Arthur, and at the staffs again. He looked like he had no idea what to say. Good. Maybe then he would tell Arthur a bit of truth instead of only excuses.

Before their conversation could really begin though, the door burst open.

It was Morgana.

"Arthur!" She smiled at him and ran towards him, her hands shaking as she grabbed his. "I'm so relieved you're alive!"

"Were you worried about me then?" Arthur smirked.

Morgana dropped his hands immediately. "Don't flatter yourself," she told him. Cheeky, as usual. But then something in her eyes changed and she pursed her lips. "Yes, I was," she admitted. She glanced back at Merlin then, and back at Arthur. "What happened?" She asked. "I was so sure my dream would come true when I saw you leaving with Sophia."

Arthur paled at that. Morgana's dream. He'd laughed in her face when she'd first confessed she was worried about him, but she was right. God, she was right about everything. She knew what was about to happen before it happened and Arthur had dismissed her like she was delusional.

His smirk disappeared. "Morgana, I am sorry."

Her eyes widened in surprise.

"I shouldn't have laughed when you came to warn me about Sophia."

"So it is true!" Morgana frowned, as if in panic. She turned to Merlin, quickly coming to close the doors that she'd left open, and came back to them. "She did try to kill you in the lake. Didn't she?"

"Yes," Merlin answered for Arthur.

Morgana turned to him, eyes full of gratitude. "You," she said. "After I saw Arthur running away with Sophia, I came to warn Gaius. He told me to stay here. He went to find someone who could help."

Arthur frowned as he watched Merlin. The boy looked whiter than usual.

"And then I saw you leaving the castle, and now you're back here with Arthur. He's safe, and you," she looked at the two staffs in Merlin's hands, "you've got their staffs."

Merlin audibly swallowed.

"You're the one Gaius was talking about. There's no doubt about it," Morgana continued. "How did you manage it then? How did you save him?" She nodded at Arthur, who crossed his arms across his chest and stepped closer to his manservant.

"That's what I've been asking."

Merlin looked between them, his eyes jumping from one Pendragon to another. "I . . . I . . . "

"You have magic," Morgana answered for him, her eyes widening.

Arthur frowned at that. What? Merlin? Magic?

"You must have it. How else would you be able to break the enchantment? Because it was an enchantment, wasn't it?" Morgana looked at Arthur, who only nodded. "So," she turned back to Merlin. "How would you have broken the enchantment other than with the help of magic?"

"Um . . . " Merlin mumbled loudly, his eyes landing on Arthur.

He did change colours rather quickly—moments ago he was as white as a sheet, now he was completely red from embarrassment.

But Arthur was no better. He didn't want Morgana to know about what had happened between him and Merlin in the forest.

"The spell wore off!" Arthur jumped into the conversation with a suggestion.

Morgana frowned at him, and Merlin started nodding furiously.

"I can hardly believe that," Morgana said.

"And what would you know about magic?" Merlin asked, his voice a little too high.

Morgana smirked. "What would you know about magic?"

Damn. She was good.

"Well, Merlin?" Arthur stepped in, helping.

He didn't want it to be true. For Merlin to be a sorcerer. But everything he'd heard and seen was suggesting it. If Merlin really did have magic, it would explain everything that had happened—for example, his survival of Aulfric's attack while apparently, it had completely destroyed both Aulfric and Sophia, who were magical beings.

If Merlin had magic, it would mean that he'd used it to save him, to fight Sophia and Aulfric. He wasn't using it to create plagues, sending them to Camelot like other sorcerers were. (Besides, Merlin lived in Camelot, so what sense would it make?)

Still, he hoped it wasn't true. He didn't want to see Merlin as a liar.

"I . . . " Merlin muttered again, before finally looking down and closing his eyes, defeated. His silence was the answer.

Arthur didn't have a chance to react. Morgana was quicker to approach Merlin with wonder in her eyes. "You do have magic," she said, making Merlin look at him, "And I have dreams that tell me the future."

Arthur felt like he was living in another world. Like he'd left the real world where everything was normal, and now he was dreaming. In matter of hours, he'd managed to get himself enchanted, kiss Merlin, find out he had magic, and that Morgana had weirder dreams than he'd initially thought.

"You have magic," Arthur slowly approached them both, "and you?" He looked at Morgana.

Suddenly, her eyes previously full of understanding filled with fear. "Please, don't tell Uther," she pleaded. "You know how he'd react."

It was true. Arthur knew his father. Although he wished Uther cared for Morgana more than he hated magic, he feared what his father would do.

He couldn't tell him

"I promise. I won't tell him, Morgana."

The relief in her eyes was enough to let Arthur know his decision was right.

He looked back at Merlin then, thinking of what his father would do to him. He could not bear the thought of Merlin being executed, of him being gone forever. No matter what Merlin's true intentions were, he had to protect him.

"Merlin," he said, "I won't tell my father about you either."

Just like Morgana's, Merlin's eyes filled with relief and gratitude. Then they filled with tears. "Thank you." He nodded.

Morgana looked at each of them and then looked down on the floor. "Alright then," she said. "I'm glad you are both alive." She smiled at them. "But it is late, so I'll leave you. Good night."

"Good night," they said in unison.

Morgana then left their chambers, but before closing the door, she stopped and looked at them once more.

"I knew it must have been an enchantment. And a strong one." Her eyes travelled from Arthur to Merlin, where they settled. "I thought, why else would have Arthur chased after Sophia when he was so obviously in love with you."

With a satisfying smirk, she closed the door and was gone, leaving behind a very red Merlin and Arthur.

Well then. What a wonderful exit.

"Arthur, I-" Merlin started, but Arthur stopped him with his raised hand.

Then he approached him. "You have magic," he simply stated. He still couldn't stop thinking about it. "You've lied to me for months."

"I'll explain everything, I promise."

"I'm sure you will," Arthur sighed.

He didn't know if he could act on his feelings and really be with him, knowing that he'd lived for months in a lie.

"But for tonight, there is only one thing I need an answer to." He was tired of pretending. Morgana had basically told Merlin that Arthur shared his feelings, but did Merlin have any feelings in the first place?

One would think that Arthur ought to be pretty sure about that by now, but Arthur wanted to be absolutely sure.

"Are you really in love with me?"

Merlin's shoulders slumped as if in relief and a soft smile spread across his face. "I thought that you would be pretty sure about that by now." That made Arthur smile. "I did kiss you, after all."

"Right."

Merlin's smile disappeared again. "And I'm so sorry for lying to you, for so long-"

"Merlin." Arthur rolled his eyes.

He just wanted to sleep. And to kiss Merlin again.

In the end, he chose to just go for it. "We have a lot to talk about," he said as he closed the distance between them, taking the staffs from Merlin's hands and putting them against the wall. "I'm sure there are a lot of things I need to understand, as well as a lot of things that you need to apologize for."

"Of course, and I will, I promise." Merlin kept nodding.

"But for now," Arthur sighed, deciding that yes. Even though he'd lived in a lie, Merlin was still the same person. "For now, I want you to show me how exactly you broke the enchantment."

Merlin's eyes widened for a second before he smiled and slowly placed his palms on Arthur's cheeks.

This was it then. The kiss.

Their lips met and their eyes closed, and suddenly, Arthur was sure that from this moment forward, thanks to Merlin, he found himself yet again under a love spell.

But this time, he didn't mind at all.

*THE END*

Thank you for reading! :)

SPELLS

- "Túce hwón frec ðu, Arthur. Þec feoh nom gyse. Cume morðor rice ær. Túce hwón frec ðu, Arthur." means "Greedy, I torment you, Arthur. You are rich. Come, I murder you before you become king. Greedy, I torment you, Arthur."

- "Onbregdan" means "Bring", or "Here" according to the "Merlin the Complete Guide"

- "Swilte, gold beorþ!" means "Die violently, gold-borne."

- "Acwele!" means "Destroy her!"

All spells are taken from "merlin DOT fandom DOT com/wiki/spells" as always. You know I love spells, guys, I had to give you the translations :D Besides, the spells in this episode are hilarious. You want to tell me that all it took for Sophia to enchant Arthur was to tell him that he's super rich in a freaky language he wouldn't understand? Or that while Aulfric hit Merlin with a "May this be a burden of sorrow for you!" Merlin straight up went for murder and blasted him with a "Die violently!"? :D :D