A/N: Thank you all so much for the lovely reviews!

By the time Merlin arrived back in Camelot, the day had long since past noon, and he instantly searched the castle with the hope of reaching Clara before sundown.

He was just about to give up on finding her and try tomorrow instead when he ran straight into non-other than Clara herself.

"Oh! Sorry," she mumbled, her attention elsewhere. However, when she looked up to face the man she had bumped into, her breathing hitched, and her face flooded with relief.

"Merlin!" she cried. The boy grinned, and her look of comfort was soon replaced by one of rage.

"Ouch!" This time it was Merlin's turn to cry out as Clara slapped him 'lightly" on the arm (she's stronger than she looks!) and her turn to smirk. But not for long.

"Where have you been?" she questioned, her eyes blazing with restrained fury.

Whoa, Merlin thought to himself, struggling to pull his arms from her surprisingly tight grip. He'd never seen Clara so livid - in fact, he didn't think he'd ever seen her mad at anyone before, not once since the two had met. She just wasn't the type.

Realizing Merlin's unease, Clara immediately let go of him and took a step back to collect her thoughts. Calm down, she warned inwardly, embarrassed by her lack of composure.

When her eyes met Merlin's once again, he could see that the anger bubbling beneath her calm exterior had softened.

"The entire castle's been worried sick," she added with a sigh.

Merlin couldn't help himself - his face broke into a huge grin.

"You were worried about me?" he asked in a seemingly innocent manner, but Clara was no fool. She had set herself up for that one, and the young maid cursed the blush that crept into her features as she grumbled, "No. Of course not."

Merlin cocked his head to the side and a small smile tugged at his lips. "But you said-"

"I know what I said!"

He raised his brows in question, but spoke no more of it, for which Clara was grateful.

As the silence grew, her mind drifted off to the one thing she had been trying so very hard not to think about – the kiss. It had haunted her thoughts all day, and still she wasn't quite sure where the two of them stood on the matter.

Merlin picked up on her sudden shift of mood and stood still, unsure how to proceed.

Does she want to talk about what happened? Or should I just keep my mouth shut?

Apparently the former won out.

"Clara, if this is about last night..." She looked up at him in that moment and the distress her deep jade eyes almost blew his breath away. Surely he could not have caused this?

Without so much as a second thought, Merlin brought his lips to hers and continued where he had foolishly left off, his unfinished words soon forgotten. She wrapped her arms around his torso and, even on her tiptoes, her chin barely reached the tall boy's collarbone. He compensated for this though by tilting his head to close the gap once more. His lips were just as soft as Clara had remembered and she felt him smile against hers, his eyes shining as he pulled away slightly.

"Am I forgiven?" he asked coyly. Clara laughed.

"Not until you tell me what happened yesterday," she said, her arms still wrapped around Merlin's neck and her fingers absentmindedly running through his hair.

Merlin untangled himself from the girl, leaving one hand wrapped firmly around her waist, and drew them both to the small ledge just around the corner. Once they had sat down he looked to his hands - which now lay limply his lap - and remained silent.

"Well?" Clara prompted, her voice soothing. The boy's eyes stayed downwards.

Growing slightly impatient, but knowing this was obviously difficult for Merlin to vocalize, the girl decided to take action. She held his palm in hers and rested it against her cheek, finally winning his steady gaze.

"Tell me."

He looked at her properly then, his eyes travelling slowly from her eyes to the tip of her nose, then down to her lips. Meeting her stare once more, he sighed. "There was a girl..."

Of course, thought Clara, mentally chiding herself for not thinking of this earlier. Was there not always a girl?

"And we were...well." Merlin continued, his voice faltering as he struggled to find the right words to describe his and Freya's unusual relationship. "I'd only known her for a few days, but I was in love with her. I could feel it, you know? Right here."

He pointed to his heart and when he looked to Clara she felt as though she were the one telling the story. He laughed then, but not the happy kind - his laugh was broken and Clara's heart broke along with it.

"I must sound so foolish... but it's the truth. With Freya I could be myself; I had nothing to hide. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Clara nodded slowly. "I do."

"I.." he looked away, unable to face the girl's comforting gaze. "I watched her die, Clara. I watched her die and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I've never felt so powerless in my entire life."

Clara's thoughts churned restlessly. She had died? But... "How?"

Merlin hesitated before answering. "Arthur's father had her hunted and killed."

His words were met with a horrified expression. "Why would he do that?" asked Clara, knowing there was something Merlin hadn't yet mentioned - Uther may have been a cold king, but he was not without heart.

This time Merlin only looked at her, working out whether or not it would be wise to share the entirety of his story with the girl. He mentally scolded himself. This wasn't just some girl after all - this was Clara, one of his closest friends.

"She was a druid."

Clara's eyes widened in surprise. He had loved a woman of magic? Her heart soared with new-found hope.

"She was no sorceress, of course." Merlin added quickly.

Oh, Clara thought, her heart deflating ever so slightly. She frowned. "Freya was killed for simply being a druid?"

He shook his head. "Not exactly. She had been cursed by an enchantress for killing the woman's son. Though Freya had killed in defence - the coward having attacked her first - his mother thought only of vengeance. She cursed Freya to kill forever more."

Merlin watched Clara carefully as she processed his story.

"That's awful," she said at last, her face sincere.

After that the pair plunged into silence once more and, though the quiet was not uncomfortable, there was something Merlin had been meaning to ask Clara for quite some time. He decided now was the best time to do so, seeing as they were both alone.

"How do you feel about...magic?" Merlin was careful to keep his tone casual and nonchalant.

He knows, was Clara's immediate reaction to the query but, after one glance at the boy's oblivious expression, she decided against it.

She thought back to the enchantress and decided there was really only one answer she could give.

"It is against the law," she stated solemnly, not daring to look up, "and I believe it should stay that way."

The expression that flashed in Merlin's eyes was difficult to comprehend, and Clara was unsure whether or not she had said the right thing.

"I mean, surely you must be strongly opposed to sorcery by now - after the life that enchantress doomed your friend to... I wouldn't blame you for hating all of her kind," she added with as much venom she could muster, hating herself for it. She was supposed to be convincing him that magic was good and just - not the opposite!

Thankfully Merlin disagreed. "I think… that magic is neither good nor evil," he stated simply, "and that it is reliant only on the soul that wields it."

He looked at her then, his eyes burning deep into the canopies of her soul.

"I... uhhh..." she stammered, her brain turning to putty under his curious gaze. He smiled then, and she felt her heart tug wilfully. Stop it, she scolded.

Before she could embarrass herself further, a shout was heard down the corridor.

"Merlin!" bellowed Arthur as he loudly made his way to his manservant. Just who did he think he was leaving his king unattended for the day? He ought to have him in the stocks for this.

When Arthur reached Merlin, however, his anger faded.

The boy was with Clara.

Arthur watched from the doorway as Merlin bid her farewell, and grinned knowingly at the innocence of it all.

He left then, still annoyed by Merlin's earlier incompetence, but willing to overlook it - just this once - for the sake of love.