I love Peter Capaldi. That is all I'm going to say about Series 8, because if I go on, I'll start gushing.

Okay, but, this was my favorite line: "Don't look in that mirror, it's absolutely furious!"

After waking up and preparing for whatever could come, the knights (plus Merlin, Percival, and a still-restrained Doctor) set out into the forests of Bredon, where the metal creature- or Cyberman- was known to lurk. There was a tense atmosphere as they trekked through the woods… Or at least, there would have been, had the Doctor not decided to fill the silence with his nonsensical jabber.

What was really strange was how most of the knights didn't actually mind. It was a nice distraction, and the Doctor was a very amusing person, sorcerer or not. Percival felt a little bit better listening to him, which was a miracle considering his constant worry about his father and friends, and Merlin in particular was having a hard time keeping a straight face as the Doctor went on and on about things Arthur was pretty sure he'd just made up. The story he was currently in the middle of regaling was an especially odd one.

"So then, we found that it wasn't really the Duchess after all, but her mad twin-turned-cyborg. The real Duchess was hidden in the Kitchen Maze; it took ages to find her!"

"A Kitchen Maze?" Merlin asked, looking up at the Doctor. Arthur had insisted that the Doctor ride close to him, so that he could keep an eye on the captive, but after ten minutes, his patience was wearing rather thin. And his manservant was not helping matters. He seemed awfully interested in someone who conked him on the head and left him on the ground a few months ago.

"The people of Fermanda thought it would be a fun little addition to their palace. Not much foresight, that lot."

"Where is this 'Fermanda'?" asked Sir Leon, to Arthur's annoyance, with genuine curiosity. "I've never heard of such a place."

"Oh, it's a ways away," the Doctor answered nonchalantly. "And honestly, you're better off not knowing about it. The Fermandians can be rather unreasonable. Case in point, Kitchen Maze."

After what felt like years of combing the forest for the creature, night had fallen and the party decided to wait until morning to resume their search. Arthur felt relieved as they set up camp for the night. Mostly because the Doctor had finally stopped talking.

The prince rubbed his temples, trying in vain to soothe his growing headache. It had been an unproductive day, his captive was irritating the living hell out of him, and his servant seemed ten times as annoying as usual. And worse yet, the Cyberman could be lurking in the forest, waiting to ambush them at any moment, so he had no choice but to stay alert.

To try and cool his nerves, the prince did what he usually did to relieve stress; boss Merlin around. The servant had to set up the camp almost single-handedly while the knights merely chatted amongst themselves (though Leon and Percival did offer limited help), and when that was done, he'd immediately been ordered to cook dinner for them all. It wasn't by any means the worst he'd ever done to the boy, and Merlin didn't seem very vexed by the treatment, but the Doctor was strangely quiet throughout it all, puckering his lips in a sour frown as he watched Merlin run to and fro at Arthur's command.

Finally, the knights decided it was time to retire, and most went to sleep. Arthur had taken it upon himself to take the first watch, so that he could sleep uninterrupted later, but he wasn't the only one who decided to stay awake.

Everyone had dropped off into slumber except for the Prince of Camelot and the Doctor. Arthur tried focusing on the leaves scattered along the ground, but found it harder and harder to ignore the feeling of his captive's eyes burning holes into his back. So, with a muttered groan, he turned back to face him.

The Doctor was sitting against a log, his hands still tied in the front, covered in what Arthur realized with a start was Merlin's blanket. A quick glance at the servant revealed that he was wrapped warmly in his cloak, and the blanket was probably offered to the Doctor by the kindhearted fool, as Arthur sometimes liked to call him. Honestly, Merlin was too nice for his own good…

"What is it?" Arthur asked, his brows furrowed with both exhaustion and displeasure.

"Nothing. Just thought it would be nice to talk, that's all."

Arthur scoffed. "Talk?"

"Well, I imagined you would have some questions for me. Considering as soon as we find the Cyberman and take care of it, you'll probably kill me on the spot, so there's no better time than now."

At least the man wasn't a complete idiot. "Alright, but only since you brought it up. Why did you poison me?" he questioned with a threatening edge to his voice.

The Doctor 'tsked' and rolled his eyes condescendingly. "I should think that was obvious! It was the only way to break Catrina's spell over your father-!"

Arthur stopped him there. "I know what it did, you moron," he scolded. "I'm asking why you decided to help!"

At that, the Doctor blinked owlishly. "Because it was the right thing to do."

The prince hadn't expected such a blasé answer, and gaped open-mouthed at his prisoner. "What?"

He shrugged. "Well, yeah, I couldn't just let a troll take over Camelot. The people were miserable, Uther was quite frankly pitiful, andthe smell! It was awful!" His point about the smell was exaggerated by him pulling a comical expression, but Arthur didn't laugh.

"H-How did you even find out about all that?"

"I keep tabs on my sworn enemies," he said without concern. "Anyway, breaking the spell was a piece of cake. Even Uther Pendragon isn't heartless enough to ignore his own son's death."

"But…" Arthur quickly regained his composure. "That makes no sense! With Catrina in control, you could have killed the both of us and left Camelot as it was! Why the hell would you save it?"

The Doctor frowned. "There were over thousands of innocent people in Camelot. I wasn't going to let all of them suffer for the mistakes of two men. Or is it really so hard for you to believe that a sorcerer can have compassion?"

Arthur could not think of a response, so instead he gave the Doctor his best glare and turned back around to resume his watch. After a while, the Doctor spoke up again, but his voice was sincere and not mocking.

"Not all sorcerers want to kill you, you know. Most of them just want to live in peace."

Arthur didn't reply.

The search resumed in the morning, and things were much calmer this time around. Perhaps it was because the Doctor was significantly less loud than the previous day, or perhaps it was because Arthur felt much better after a night's rest. Though, the Doctor's words had haunted him. He wondered if it was true, if not all sorcerers were really out for his blood; but as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he quickly banished it, reminding himself of all the terrible things he'd seen magic do.

The Doctor was a madman, he repeated in his head. He was just messing with him.

Still, the overly-friendly way the Doctor chatted up his manservant only made things worse. The knights were now ignoring the man in favor of their quest, and Percival was their guide to the forest, so he supposed Merlin was the only one he could talk to. He still didn't like it.

They stopped to rest by a river, and while everyone started complaining about their lack of progress, Arthur left Leon to deal with them as he went off to have a little talk with his servant. Roderick had taken the Doctor aside to keep a close personal eye on him- it seemed he had a special dislike of the sorcerer. For the first time since they left Bredon, the Doctor looked as annoyed as Arthur had felt. And the prince was rather happy for that.

He walked over to Merlin, who was busy refilling the water skins. The servant looked up and smiled slightly at the sight of his master.

"So what's the plan?" he asked calmly. "We're obviously not finding any signs of the Cyberman with our current strategy."

Arthur huffed and picked up an empty water skin, kneeling by the river to refill it. Merlin stared at him in surprise.

"I don't know," he answered honestly, ignoring Merlin's look. "But I don't want to ask the Doctor what to do next, that's for certain."

Merlin coughed, and resumed his chore. "But he might know where a Cyberman would hide. Maybe you should-!"

"Merlin," Arthur cut him off, putting the water skin down on the river bank and staring at him straight in the eye. "Stop talking to the Doctor."

The servant blinked. "Wh… What?"

"I've seen it, the way you talk to him. You're too casual. He's dangerous, Merlin- he's a sorcerer. Don't get too comfortable around him."

Merlin stared at him, his eyebrows raised in confusion. "I don't understand what you mean…"

The prince groaned and rubbed at his temples. "For god's sake, Merlin, this doesn't require a lot of explanation! He's a sorcerer, he can't be trusted. He kidnapped Morgana, and-!"

"He saved your life!" Merlin said with narrowed eyes. Arthur gaped, not expecting such a strong reaction from the boy. "You told me that yourself, Arthur! He saved all of Camelot from Catrina, or have you forgotten that?"

"He…" Arthur was stunned. Since when had Merlin become so passionate about the Doctor? "He knocked you out!"

"When he could've killed me!"

"He has magic, Merlin!" The prince had begun to lose his patience. Couldn't Merlin see how dangerous the Doctor was? Didn't he remember all the horrible problems, the plagues and the poisonings, that had happened because of people like him? "That means he's corrupted and ruthless, and I don't want you getting hurt because you underestimated him!"

"Just because he has magic doesn't mean he's evil!" Merlin shouted. But it didn't seem as though the other knights had heard them; the Doctor, however, now alone by a tree, was staring at them.

"Of course it does! Have you forgotten everything magic has done to Camelot in the past year alone? There was Catrina, the black knight, Edwin Muirden, your poisoning? Or are you seriously that stupid?"

Merlin glared with such ferocity, if Arthur had not been so angry himself, he would have been shocked.

"What about Will?" he asked with such a quiet voice Arthur almost didn't hear him. "He saved your life. So did the Doctor, back with Catrina." Before Arthur could reply, he went on. "And what about Mordred? You let him go, even though he was a Druid! You didn't think he was evil! Or Gwen's father? Do you really think he deserved to die just because he was caught with a sorcerer?"

"Merlin-!" he started aggressively, but a shout from Sir Leon caused the both of them to turn their heads.

Marching across the river bank was a man covered entirely with metal. Arthur jumped to his feet, running to join his fellow knights who had done the same. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Merlin run to the Doctor, the pulse generator in his hands.

"Is that him?" Arthur asked Percival, who stood gaping at the creature. The fear in his eyes was answer enough.

"DELETE! DELETE!" the Cyberman declared, its mouth lighting up blue with every sound it made. Suddenly, a blue light burst from its outstretched hand and hit Sir Edric directly in the chest; he tumbled back with an 'oof' and didn't move. Arthur shouted for the knights to make their formation, though most of them were shaken at the sight of the creature.

"Draw its attention!" they heard the Doctor shout.

Arthur and Leon were the first to react, brandishing their swords in front of the Cyberman. It turned its blank face towards them, still repeating its shrill shriek of 'DELETE' while marching ahead. It fired another blue light, but both knights rolled out of the way and avoided the hit.

Before Arthur could stand, he lifted his head and saw Merlin running towards the Cyberman. He couldn't shout for the servant to stop, but it appeared he didn't need to. Once he'd gotten within range, Merlin raised his hand, the sunlight glinting off of the pulse generator fastened to his palm, and fired.

A light similar to the Cyberman's own shot from Merlin's hand, hitting the metal beast in the back. It shook violently, like it was being electrocuted, and soon, the Cyberman hit the ground.

Everyone stared in silence at the lump of silver crumpled on the stones by the river. Sir Leon was the first to break out of the trance, standing up and walking over to Merlin with a large grin.

"Well done, Merlin!" he exclaimed, patting the servant warmly on the back. Merlin managed a weak smile as Percival and a few other knights came over to congratulate him as well. Arthur was still on the ground, watching his manservant be embarrassed by the praise. It was a strange mix of shock, anger, and dare he say it, pride, that the prince felt.

A pair of black boots entered his field of vision, and he looked up into the Doctor's eyes. Though they were still bound by rope, he knelt down and offered Arthur his hands. Arthur said nothing, but grabbed a hold and let the Doctor pull him up off the ground.

"Well. There we go," said the Doctor. "Cyberman dealt with." He glanced uncertainly at Sir Edric's unconscious form. Some of the knights had already gone to attend to him. "Don't worry, he'll be fine. Stunned, just like the villagers. He'll wake up in an hour or two."

The prince nodded. "Now all that's left is to find the missing villagers," he replied, not looking at his prisoner. And with great hesitance, he added, "Any ideas?"

He could've sworn he heard the Doctor smile. "Any place capable of holding that many people. A cave, underground chasm… I once knew a group of Cybermen who made their base underneath a mall."

"Cave or chasm it is, then." Arthur stalked off towards his men, leaving behind a very amused Doctor.

Merlin was walking in their direction, briefly glancing at the prince with what felt like contempt, before brushing past him and approaching the Doctor. Arthur gave a resigned sigh and continued on his way to address the knights. He would deal with Merlin later… As always, his duty came first.

With their focus now on locating the villagers, the knights had Percival at the helm of the group, as he knew the forest better than any of them. He pointed out any location where the Cyberman could have taken the villagers, but after an hour of investigating, they had little to show for their efforts. In addition, Sir Edric was escorted back to the village by another knight, so they were two short on manpower. However, the knights of Camelot were not known to give up easily, and combined with Percival's infectious determination to find his father and friends, they soldiered on.

Merlin had taken over Sir Roderick's job as the Doctor's guard. The older knight was unsure about having Merlin of all people as a guard, but an oddly stern glare from the manservant quickly stopped him from voicing his objections, and he went off to join the front of the group.

Merlin took out the pulse generator from his jacket and handed it to the Doctor. The previously silver device was now charred black, as a consequence of being used.

"Sorry," said the servant. "Did you still need it?"

"Nah." The Doctor grabbed it and tucked it safely away in his bigger-on-the-inside pockets. "It was old. I was going to repurpose it into a light bulb. Good shot, though."

"Thanks," he replied, though no smile graced his features.

The Doctor tilted his head with a frown, watching Merlin closely. "Is everything alright?"

Merlin inhaled a deep breath, and let it out. "No."

"I saw you and Arthur earlier. Looks like things got… heated."

He snorted. "That's an understatement."

Quickly, and quietly, Merlin described the argument to the Doctor, growing more and more agitated with every word. Luckily, not one of the knights paid them any mind; they were too focused on their own task, and Merlin and the Doctor were riding in the back of the party, far out of earshot of everyone else.

"He's treating me like a child, the prat!" he hissed, gripping the reins of his horse tightly. "You'd think he'd know by now that I can take care of myself! If he knew what I could do-!"

"You'd be arrested for the crime of sorcery," the Doctor finished. "Not the most comfortable position to be in, I can tell you that." As proof, he lifted up his bound wrists and wiggled his hands as much as he could. His skin chafed against the rope. "And anyway, he's just worried about you. In his own, slightly abrasive way, he's trying to protect you from me."

"But you're not dangerous!" Merlin groaned. "All you did was accidentally materialize in the middle of court, and kidnap Morgana- but she wasn't even harmed!"

"Well, to be fair, we did play up the drama of the incident," he winced. "You were supposed to make me sound like a menace. And I did poison the prince. It's no wonder he doesn't trust me."

"Still, after all this time… He still thinks all magic is evil, still doesn't believe me about anything, and still thinks I'm just a useless idiot!" Merlin shook his head. "I'm beginning to wonder if the Dragon was really right about him. I can't see magic being freed under Arthur's rule."

The Doctor whipped his head to look at Merlin, his eyes wide. "Listen to yourself!" he chided quietly. "That Dragon may be iffy on some of the details, but one thing is certain; Arthur is destined to be one of the greatest kings this land has ever known. And he becomes that because of you!"

"Your 'legends' never say anything about magic, though, do they? Not really. They mention me being a sorcerer, and few others, like Morgana, but they never say that Camelot was a land where magic reigned free." Merlin looked down at his hands. "Maybe that's because it never was…"

"Don't say that," the Doctor pleaded. "You've got to have faith, Merlin. In Arthur. Someday he'll see you for who you really are, and he'll accept it. I mean, hey…" He smiled. "You've already got Morgana and Gwen on your side. He doesn't stand a chance against the three of you combined."

Merlin spared him a tiny, but tired, smile. "I know, I know… you're probably right. I just wish I could see some sign that he was changing."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "What kind of sign?"

"A proper apology would be nice," he grumbled.

They looked at each other and chuckled.

"Maybe it'll happen sooner than you think," the Doctor said cheerfully.

Meanwhile, at the front of the knights, a very similar conversation was taking place. Arthur and Leon rode beside one another, behind Percival, who was scanning the forest with a careful eye.

"He's very vigilant," commented Leon, smiling at Percival's back. Arthur only hummed, prompting the knight to frown. "Sire?"

"What?" Arthur said, in such a tone that indicated he hadn't been listening at all.

"Are you alright? You've been quiet ever since the Cyberman was defeated."

"Oh. No, I'm fine. Just tired."

Leon looked back over his shoulder and found Merlin, all the way in the back, conversing with their captive sorcerer. Normally, fraternizing with a prisoner wasn't allowed, but Leon found himself smiling at them, as if they were two old friends merely catching up. He wondered why he felt that way.

"Merlin was very brave today, don't you think?" he said at last.

At the servant's name, Leon noticed Arthur's jaw tighten.

"I suppose…" the prince gritted out.

"It's strange," he continued, as he was beginning to understand exactly where Arthur's frustration was coming from. "Usually, you and he ride together. Did something happen?"

"No, we're fine. Everything's fine, Sir Leon."

"Doesn't sound like it is."

"One can only handle Merlin's stupidity for so long," he grunted, hoping it would satisfy Leon's curiosity. It did not.

"Arthur, I've known you long enough to know that you're lying. Something happened. Tell me."

Arthur glared at him for five seconds before giving a relenting sigh.

"Leon…" he began slowly. "What is… your opinion on magic?"

Leon blinked. "Sire?"

"Do you truly believe that all magic is evil?"

The knight paused for a moment. His mouth twitched with hesitation, but he decided to tell the truth.

"Honestly, Arthur… No. I don't."

The prince stared at him incredulously, so Leon explained.

"I know you can't, but I remember what things were like before the Purge. I was five years old. We had an old woman as a laundry maid in our house… She was a sorceress. Every day, she would wash the clothes and I would come down to see her, because she… She always did this little trick. She would cast a spell, and bubbles would float out of the water and dance in the air like fireflies." He smiled fondly at the memory. "I remember thinking it was so wonderful, and I wished I had magic so that I could do it, too. But then…" Leon abruptly frowned, and Arthur leaned in to hear the rest of his story. "Then the king banned magic, and she was executed."

He looked Arthur dead in the eye. "Her name was Ariana, and she was good woman. All she ever used her magic for was to entertain children. How could I possibly find that evil?"

Arthur gulped, swallowing down the uneasy guilt that had risen in his throat. "I'm… I'm sorry, Leon."

Leon shook his head. "I've gotten over it, I suppose. Anyway, why are you asking about my views on magic in the first place?"

Arthur bit his lip, glancing back at Merlin and the Doctor, who were still deep in conversation. Then, he gave a very brief overview of his argument with his servant to Leon, and mentioned all the arguments that Merlin brought up in favor of magic. The knight listened calmly, though he did show surprise when Arthur described just how angry Merlin had gotten at him.

"It's no wonder he got upset," he said, when Arthur finally finished. The prince looked at him strangely. "I mean, you basically scolded him like he was a child. Merlin has been with you on nearly every expedition and hunting trip since he arrived in Camelot. I think he can recognize a clear and present threat when necessary."

"Really?" Arthur asked dryly. "Merlin has the attention span of a moth."

Leon sighed. "You and I both know that's not true, Arthur. I think you should talk to him again. Putting aside the issue of the Doctor, it's about time you put more faith in him. He's a lot smarter than you give him credit for."

Arthur took this in and considered it. "I didn't know you felt so strongly about Merlin," he smiled, a slight tease in his tone.

The knight merely shrugged. "He's kind of hard to ignore. He's something of a legend among the other servants, and, if I'm being perfectly honest, I've paid a fair bit of attention to him as well."

Arthur chuckled at that, and looked away, his mind now turning to other thoughts. That little story Leon told him revealed to Arthur a side of the knight he had not yet known. It was comforting to know that he was not the only one having doubts about magic. He wondered if any of the other knights felt the same…

And perhaps he was right about Merlin, too. The servant had been through so much, Arthur now found it foolish that he thought he was still blind to danger. Merlin knew perfectly well what he was getting into, and Arthur had already promised himself that he would start trusting the boy more, back when he thought that Lady Catrina had him on the run. Maybe it was time he actually followed through on that…

His thoughts were cut short as Percival called for his attention. The brawny villager was pointing towards a cave mouth not too far off from where they were. Arthur nodded, and they set off to investigate. He would talk to Merlin again once their business in Bredon was finished, and he would set things straight.

Scraps of metal and bits of what the Doctor called 'wires' littered the inside of the cave. It seemed like the place they were looking for. Leaving the horses outside, the party ventured deeper into the cave.

It was dark inside, as caves tended to be, but just as the knights were about to light a torch, the Doctor fumbled around his restraints and pulled out his sonic screwdriver. He pressed a button, and suddenly a groaning noise was heard inside the cavernous space- seconds later, the cave lit up a cold blue. Everyone took a few seconds to let their eyes adjust to the new light, but they were not prepared for the sight before them.

Lining the walls of the cave, like cylindrical coffins, were human-sized silver tubes. Within the tubes, the missing villagers lay, as if they were merely asleep. Percival ran up to one of the tubes and pressed his hands against the glass with desperation. An old man was unconscious inside…

"Father!" he cried, torn between joy and horror. A quick count reassured the party that all fifteen villagers were accounted for.

"How do we get them out?" asked Sir Leon.

The Doctor tapped one cylinder, causing the noise to echo throughout the cave like an unpleasant rumble. "They're in stasis, so we'll have to find the control panel and release them that way. I just need to point my screwdriver at it and they'll be free."

With an affirming nod, Leon and two other knights set out to find the control panel, which took only a few minutes. It was set into the wall further into the cave. The Doctor was led to the panel, and with a sharp look, he held up his bound hands.

"What?" one knight gawked. "You want us to release you?"

"I can't exactly do my job with my hands tied," the alien reasoned.

"You did pretty well earlier," pointed out Leon, referencing the way the Doctor had illuminated the cave.

"This is a little more complicated than switching on the lights."

Leon sighed, and brought out his dagger to cut the Doctor's ropes. Hands free and fingers wiggling, the Doctor beamed at the knights before bringing out his sonic screwdriver again and pointing it at the control panel.

He touched a few buttons on the panel and flicked two or three switches, all the while scanning the equipment with the screwdriver.

"Looks like everyone's in perfect health," he commented. "Just need to release the holding latches here, and… Voila!"

With a dramatic flick of the wrist, the Doctor pressed one final button. Instantaneously, the tubes popped open, hissing out compressed air and creaking with age. The people within the tubes blinked into awareness moments later.

"Eurgh…" the shepherd groaned, rubbing his head. "What…?"

"Father!" Percival threw his arms around the man, who sat there shocked for a moment before slowly returning the embrace.

"Percy? What on earth is happening?"

"It's a long story," he choked back, fighting the oncoming tears. "I'm just so glad you're safe…!"

The other knights, Merlin, and the Doctor helped the rest of the villagers out of their temporary prisons.

"We'll be taking you back to Bredon presently," announced Arthur, once everyone was situated. They all looked gratefully at him and the knights, but Percival was the only one watching the Doctor. He slipped away from his father and tapped the alien's shoulder. The Doctor grinned at him.

"Thank you, Doctor," he said with sincerity. "We couldn't have done this without you."

"All in a day's work, Percival," he replied. They both turned as Merlin approached them.

"And thank you too, Merlin," offered Percival.

Merlin blushed. "O-Oh, I didn't really do anything… I was just following instructions…"

Percival smiled at Merlin's modesty before returning his attention to the Doctor. "You know… For a sorcerer, you're not that bad." He turned away and went straight back to his father, leaving the duo behind.

"You were right," Merlin said with finality. "He would make a good knight."

Arthur, who was further up the cave, glanced back and frowned when he saw that Merlin was once again talking to the Doctor. But it wasn't an annoyed or angry frown; it was somber one. He steeled himself and prepared the apology in his head. 'Better now than never,' he said to himself.

But before he could take three steps, he saw a blue light just behind them. And a stomping noise echoed faintly in the cave.

The Doctor and Merlin heard this too, turning their heads to find the corroded remains of three Cybermen standing right behind them.

"DE… LEEEEETE!" they all screamed in unison, raising their arms.

"RUN!" the Doctor shouted, just as everyone else screamed with terror. "Get everyone out of here!"

The knights began ushering the people outside the cave, while Sir Leon, Sir Roderick, and Arthur all drew their swords, running towards the Cybermen with haste.

The lead Cyberman, who was missing one arm, stopped short of its advance and turned its mechanical head to stare at Merlin. The servant stood in place, unsure if it was safe to run, or if the Cyberman would just blast him.

"Scanning complete," it announced. "Readings find that you are compatible. You will serve as the new power source. Begin preparation."

It directed its one good arm at Merlin. The Doctor shouted in dismay. Merlin's brain worked overtime to find a solution; he couldn't use magic, there were too many people around! And he was all out of electromagnetic pulse generators!

But, it seemed, that his decision was made for him. A clean thunk resounded as the Cyberman's head hit the ground. Its body stood stock-still for a moment before it was pushed to the side. Behind it stood Arthur, still holding up his sword and panting with exertion. He and Merlin shared a glance before more shouting caught both of their attention.

Sir Roderick had been blasted, and was currently unconscious. The only thing standing between him and the oncoming pair of Cyberman was Sir Leon.

"Go!" Merlin shouted, prompting Arthur to run towards his men.

The Doctor reached Merlin and pulled him into a quick hug.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah…" Merlin said. They both glanced at the battle. The two remaining Cybermen were in much better condition than the first, and Arthur and Leon were having a hard time defeating them. It was only a matter of time before they too were paralyzed.

"I've got a plan," the Doctor said quickly. "But I need your help."

"Anything," Merlin nodded.

He gave his signature manic grin. "Give me a spell to collapse this cave!"

Meanwhile, Arthur and Leon felt their movements become sluggish. They could barely fight now, and even though the Cybermen had plenty of scratches now covering their bodies, they were still advancing as well as ever. They could faintly hear the Doctor shouting directions at them.

"Get Roderick and run!" he bellowed. With no time to argue, the knights gave the Cybermen one final push, buying them enough time to drop their weapons and grab Sir Roderick. Merlin held the knight's legs while Arthur and Leon each had an arm, and they all worked together to start dragging him towards the outside of the cave. The Doctor kept up behind them.

Once they were out, the Doctor faced the cave, which still had Cybermen inside of it, and they were coming quickly, he whipped out his screwdriver and yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Ic ábíetee þæt stánhol!"

The cave shook and rumbled, as rocked began falling from the roof and onto the ground. One rock crushed a Cyberman just as it was about to enter the outside world. The rest tumbled down within seconds, leaving a pile of rock and rubble where there was once a cave. The Cybermen and their technology would be trapped inside for a long time… Possibly forever.

Everyone was staring at the Doctor for his blatant display of magic. It was an especially powerful spell, too. He merely smiled. Arthur snapped out of the trance first, turning to his men and asking if everyone was alright.

The Doctor winked at Merlin. The servant smiled and nodded, leaving the alien to join the rest of the group. Merlin began examining the villagers for injuries. Once he was sure that no one was even focusing on him, the Doctor took off at a run and disappeared into the woods.

Upon arriving back in Bredon, most of the knights were still grumbling about the Doctor's most current escape, but Arthur himself found that he didn't mind as much as he thought he would. Of course, he would still have to report back to his father, and he certainly wouldn't be pleased to hear it, but the Crown Prince of Camelot had more pressing matters to attend to.

He found Merlin chatting with Percival just outside of his home. After giving the villager a pleading look, Percival excused himself and went inside the house, leaving Merlin and Arthur alone outside.

"We need to talk," the prince said bluntly. Merlin sighed and sat down; Arthur joined him. Neither was willing to look at the other, so Merlin spoke while staring ahead.

"Look, Arthur… I didn't grow up thinking the same things as you. The worst thing I've ever seen magic do prior to coming to Camelot was pull someone's pants down back in Ealdor. And that someone was a bully, so…"

Arthur snorted. "Yeah, I get that. And… You were right, Merlin. About Will, and Mordred, and Gwen's father… It isn't right for me to think of them that way when they only ever meant well."

Merlin finally looked at his master. He did not look shocked, but instead watched him intently.

The blond swallowed his hesitation and continued. "And, I'm… sorry, about how I acted earlier. You just…worry me. A lot. I mean, a lot."

"I get it," Merlin grimaced.

"Right. Yeah, anyway… I don't want to see you get hurt because you trust people too much."

"You don't trust them enough." Merlin absently kicked a pebble over on the ground. "Anytime anyone mentions magic, it's like you and your father just… shut down and start accusing people. But today, you saw the Doctor help us, these villagers… With magic."

Arthur frowned, uncomfortable. "I know. I've come to realize that perhaps not every sorcerer means to do Camelot harm. Perhaps they just… want to live in peace."

Merlin finally smiled. "Isn't that what everyone wants?"

Arthur turned to look at him, returning his smile. The servant cleared his throat.

"And, I uh… I guess I was a bit… harsh, earlier, too…"

"A bit? I've never seen you like that before!" Arthur teased. "Do you have some dark side I need to know about?"

"What? No! I just… I'm sick of the close-mindedness that always comes associated with magic. And then you started rallying against the Doctor, and I thought you were going to be just like your father, and…"

"Whoa, whoa!" Arthur stopped him by holding up one hand. His face read confused. "No need to get so ahead of yourself, Merlin."

"S-Sorry. Anyway, you were right, too. I'm not very careful."

Arthur nodded. "So we were both right… and wrong." He paused thoughtfully. "That's never happened to me before."

"You never let anyone else disagree with you, prat."

They both looked at each other and smiled.

"So I'll be more careful…" started Merlin.

"And I'll try to be more fair from now on," Arthur finished. "Deal?"

"Deal."

Everyone returned to Camelot after three days of recovering in Bredon. Arthur had to go straight to his father to make an official report, and Sir Leon accompanied him, but the rest of the knights and Merlin were allowed to return to their homes and rest.

As soon as Merlin stepped through Gaius's doors, he was ambushed by Gwen and Morgana. The girls kept hugging him asking questions about the trip, and didn't stop until Gaius pointed out that they were squeezing the poor boy half to death.

Once he was free, Merlin told them the whole story, including the Doctor's little plan towards the end.

"So, you told him the spell so he would say the words out loud, but you were the one really casting it?" Gwen tilted her head quizzically.

"Brilliant, isn't it?" Merlin grinned.

Morgana smiled back. "The Doctor has escaped again," she hummed. "Uther won't be happy when he hears about that."

"I certainly don't envy Arthur right about now," said Gaius. They all agreed, and soon, Merlin was continuing the story for girls (and a totally not-interested Gaius).

They didn't realize how upset Uther would be when he learned of the Doctor's reappearance and escape. He slipped through his fingers yet again… But no longer. Uther dismissed his son and knight from the room before summoning a messenger.

For if he could not capture the Doctor, perhaps a Witchfinder could.

End of the Cybermen Arc! Man, did I like writing this one! Percival, obviously, will come back later, but for now, let's let him be content in his little village with his dad.

And Arthur is slowly beginning to open his mind about magic! Hurray!

Next Time: Uther calls in the Witchfinder to track down the Doctor. This could mean trouble for Merlin and Morgana, but even more unsettling than the Witchfinder is his assistant… River Song!