I'm rubbish at keeping to any sort of deadline, so I apologise this took so long. Also I know its short, but at least its something...

As the image around them faded with Balinors exit, eyes turned to a pale looking Leon

"He just let him go." Leon whispered, glancing at the others, though he avoided looking at the prince. "I always wondered why my father stopped being a knight, but he never told me why. I guess now I know."

"Balinor was a good friend of your fathers Leon." Gaius said "He retired from knighthood on returning from that hunt."

Leon closed his eyes a moment "My father always valued loyalty" he murmured. "I'm sorry Arthur."

"What are you sorry for? They were your fathers' actions, not yours."

With a sigh Leon finally met his prince's eyes "I'm sorry sire, because I fear that if I was in the same situation as my father, I would have done the same thing."

They were all silent for a moment, Leons' words hanging in the air as he and the prince looked at each other.

"You would have let him go?" Arthur's face was blank but there was an edge to his voice as he asked the question.

Leon hesitated a moment "My father would never have let him go if he thought him a threat to Camelot, friend or not. And to hunt down a friend who had done nothing, knowing he would be killed…" Leon shook his head "I couldn't do that. I would have let him go."

"He had magic" Arthur said softly

"Yes." Leon bowed his head "But it had not been against the law until that point."

Arthur turned away, looking at the gold swirling around them. Truthfully, he could understand his knights' point of view, even if he wasn't sure he liked it.

"What if magic had been against the law then?" Merlin broke the silence. Arthur's eyes narrowed; there was that strange tone in his voice again. He turned toward him but his servants gaze was fixed on Leon. "What if magic had been illegal, and you were told to hunt a friend who had it? Even if they had done nothing wrong with it? Maybe even used it to protect their friends. If their only crime was the fact they could use it? Would you have still let them go?"

Merlin could feel Gaius' disapproving look, but he kept his eyes on Leon. He knew it was stupid to ask, but what did it matter? They would find out about him soon anyway. At least this way he could maybe get an idea on how some of his friends would react.

Leon looked thoughtfully at him "I… I don't know. If they knew it was illegal but still chose to learn it… I think I would want to know why."

"What if they had no choice?"

"Everyone has a choice."

"No they don't" Gaius interrupted. Everyone looked at him startled.

"What do you mean?" Gwen asked

Gaius sighed "I mean some develop magic whether they want it or not. Take Balinor for example. As a Dragonlord he would always have some connection to magic. And Balinors family line had a much stronger, deeper connection to magic than many of the other Dragonlord families. His magic started to develop as a young teenager." Gaius shook his head "Those who develop magic have to embrace it and learn control. If they don't then they risk their magic reacting to instincts, or escaping from them in an uncontrollable burst. Then it becomes a danger to them, and to those around them. Spells help with that though stronger magic users don't always need them once they have learnt to control their magic."

"So you can just wake up one day and have magic?" Arthur frowned

"There are usually some signs." Gaius hesitated "Morgana had prophetic dreams."

They all tensed at the mention of Morgana.

"You mean Morgana…" Gwen's voice trailed off, unwilling to ask, but Gaius nodded.

"She had no choice in learning magic."

"It's what she chose to do with it that was so wrong" Merlin muttered, scowling.

"She must have been scared" Gwen said softly, "discovering she had magic. I would have been if it had been me." She shivered, and Arthur slipped an arm around her. She leaned in to him automatically, seeking comfort.

Arthur tightened his grip, even as his mind churned. Having always been taught that magic was evil, to find out that someone may not have had a choice in learning it… Well it was a lot to think about. He couldn't imagine waking up to find he had magic. Would it change him? Would it corrupt him and turn him evil as his father had always claimed? It certainly seemed to have done that to Morgana.

The magic was starting to swirl around them faster now, shapes beginning to form once more in the golden mists. Sounds of life could be heard, people talking, the sounds of animals and of movement, gradually getting louder until everything seemed to settle and they found themselves on the edge of a village.

So this was meant to be the other part of the previous chapter but it just didn't want to write. As it is it went differently than I thought it would. Hopefully its ok though.

I make no promises on when the next chapter will be though i'll try to be a bit quicker :)