"Oh no, you're a noble aren't you?"

"Yes, I'm a knight." The blonde said proudly, seemingly recovered from his hysterical fit. Merlin went pale. He now wished this man was a bandit.

"Shit." Was all Merlin could say, and the man seemed to know what he was thinking.

"Yeah, not the best person to be using magic around."

Merlin just stared at the blonde man with wide eyes. How? How could he be so stupid? He hadn't even made it to the city yet and he'd already been found out. He couldn't help but think back to what Will had said before he left and think he was right.

They had been hanging out in the woods gathering firewood but they weren't in any hurry. They worked in silence both clearly caught up in their own minds. Merlin was leaving at the end of the week and he had only just broken the news to Will the previous night. He hadn't said anything just walked out to spend the night in his parents home. That's how he'd known he was upset.

When Will's parents died, Hunith had taken him into their home gladly and he didn't end up stepping into his old home until a year later. Now days it wasn't so painful for him, it was now used mostly as a place to store some items, put patients, or teach classes. But sometimes, like on the anniversary of his parents deaths or when they'd had a bad fight fight he'd go to stay there.

They didn't really need anyone firewood -and Will knew it- he'd just asked him to come out with him so they could talk, but it seemed Merlin couldn't find the courage to speak up. He sighed as he bent down to grab a fallen branch and then without conscious thought reached out his hand to another branch and have it slide right into his palm only half noticing it.

"How do you think you'll be able to hide your magic when you get to Camelot?"

Merlin was so surprised by the unexpected words that it took him a moment to respond. "I just won't use it, it's not like they have dogs that can sniff it out." Will just sniffed in disdain and turned away like it wasn't even worth replying to. "What is it?"

"Nothing."

"Will."

"It's just that you've never been able to go without using magic before, what makes you think you could do it now? Remember the last time you tried? You almost lost control of it, things would start floating or setting on fire without you even noticing it. Not to mention the fact that it was physically hurting you."

"Will, you're making it sound much worse than it is. I'm older now I'm sure-" But he was cut off before he could finish.

"It's not just that, you just can't help yourself."

"That's not true."

"Please." He rolled his eyes. "You love it, you don't want to stop."

Merlin didn't have anything to have to that. It was true.

"I don't care that you're leaving us," Merlin opened his mouth to deny it, but was cut off before he could. "I hate the fact that you're putting yourself in danger, you could die Merlin and we'd never even get your body back because they'd burn it."

Will looked up at him with pleading eyes but Merlin just looked away. Nothing his friend would say could change his mind. Will just sighed and went to sit down on a bench size stone to his right dropping his pile of wood at his feet. "Nothing i say is going to change your mind is it?"

Merlin put his pile down as well and went to sit next to him. "Why haven't you said any of this before, you knew I planned on leaving, I almost did last year."

"I didn't think you'd actually go through with it after you didn't last spring, I thought it'd just be one of those things we always talk about doing but never actually do."

"What? I don't do that!" Merlin spoke up indignantly.

"Yes, you do," Will laughed.

"Do not."

"What about when you swore you'd run off to become a dragon rider?"

"I was nine!"

"Okay how about how you keep saying you'll follow up with that dare to put a garden snake in Garolds bed?"

"I've been busy."

"That was two years ago!" At this point they were both cracking up, collapsing onto each other. "Well how bout this, I'll do it as a going away gift to you."

"I'll believe it when I see it!"

He never actually got around to it before he left a few days later, and Will had given him hell.

What was he going to do? There was no way he would be able to go to Camelot, this man knew what he looked like, and even though there were thousands of people in Camelot he was sure it wouldn't be long till they found him, and what would happen to Gaius then? All he could do was run back to Ealdor with his tail between his legs.

At that moment the knight's eyes suddenly lost focused and he dropped to one knee barely holding himself up with his hand. His head dipped forward and he started taking deep ragged breaths. Merlin could see his body tremble with the effort to stay upright, and the thought that first came to his mind was; this is my chance, I could run right now back to Ealdor. The man would never be able to follow him and by the time he was able to make his way back to Camelot (if he was able to that is) it would be too late to send anyone after him.

"What did you do to me sorceror?" The knight demanded through gritted teeth, clearly in pain. He lifted his head up and gave Merlin such a fierce glare that if Merlin wasn't sure that the man couldn't get up at the moment would have had him running away in fear of his imminent death, he still couldn't help taking a step back before indignation bubbled up in him and he started speaking without thinking (not that that didn't happen on a usual basis).

"Excuse me? What did I do? I saved your life you ungrateful prat."

"You are not allowed to speak to me like that, and I know you did something. I feel- I can barely-" He cut himself off clearly not wanting to admit that he couldn't stand and that he was in a great amount of pain.

"Or what? You'll kill me? And the only thing I did to you was heal you, incase you didn't notice you were stabbed," Merlin retorted sarcastically.

"Then why why do I feel so different from when I woke?"

"I don't know," Merlin said with a shrug, running a hand anxiously through his hair. "Maybe the magic ran out or something. Look, how about," He stopped himself clearing his throat nervously, he was going to regret this, he was soooooo going to regret this, but he couldn't just leave the man out here to to most likely die while he ran home like a coward. He knew he'd end up regretting it for the rest of his life, besides, he felt the strong urge to prove that magicals weren't the disgustingly foul thing that the knight kept making them out to be every time he opened his mouth. "How about we call a truce okay, I'll finish doing what I can to fix you up and you don't kill me, deal?"

"Witches have no honor, how would I know you won't kill me or do something worse?"

"AGHH! You're so frustrating!" Merlin shouted into the woods raising his hands in defeat. "If I was going to kill you why would I have started to heal you? I could have just left you to die."

"I don't have a clue, you witches don't have any common sense, you just found out I'm a knight you could now -ow!- want me dead, or you could have just brought be back from the brink of death to lord over me how you are going to be the one to kill me." Arthur explained himself as he settled into a better position, wincing all the while.

Merlin placed a hand on his hand on his hip while the other rubbed at the bridge of his nose in irritation, both at the man's words and at himself for wanting to go over and help him not because he cared about his well being of course, but because the man was going to ruin all the work he put into making his bandages.

"Okay, first of all, I don't know much about sorcerers but even I know that a witch is a woman. Second, you think I'm the one with no common sense? You were the one who told me you were a knight after you knew I was a sorcerer. And really? Bringing you back to consciousness and helping to heal you all so I can flaunt to you my evil plan and brag about how I'll be the one to kill you? That never happens in real life, only in stories."

"You'd be surprised," The knight mumbled under his breath as he finally stopped moving and leaned back against a tree.

Merlin lifted a brow in response. "Oh, don't tell me that kind of stuff actually happens to you?"

He smirked, "All the time, in matter of fact it happened just before I was stabbed this morning."

"Oh really," Merlin said sarcastically as he knelt next to the fire to put some more kindle in. "Was it you archenemy? Has he been plotting your demise for years? Is he going to take your maiden now that you're out of the way?"

Arthur snorted out a laugh, causing to Merlin to grin, only wincing slightly as pain lanced through his shoulder. "I almost wish that were true, it'd sound much more exciting than what really happened."

"So, what did happen?" Merlin prompted, nudging the fire with a stick, now curious. Arthur debated whether he should tell for a moment before mentally shrugging, the boy didn't seem much younger than himself and had made good point earlier, it really didn't make sense for him to be planning to kill him (not that Arthur wouldn't stay vigilant).

"Uh, well," Arthur sighed, running a hand through his hair and then grimacing at the feel of dirt. "It was my manservant."

"Your what?" Merlin asked confused.

"Uh, a manservant is my own personal servant, brings me my food, helps me dress, cleans my rooms, and such things." Arthur clarified, it made sense if this boy was from some remote village that he'd not have heard of such things.

"What you can't dress yourself?" Merlin snorted a laugh, only to shut up at the blonde's glare, so he silently encouraged the man to continue his story.

"Anyways, I went out hunting with my manservant, as usual, before dawn this morning. I had just taken down a doe and went over to looked at it and I handed over my weapon to him only to find myself surrounded by bandits and for my manservant to be pointing my own weapon at me." Merlin listened intently as he started to make a healing tea in the pot.

"He was quite smug, went on and on about how he'd gotten the best of me, how he'd been planning this for months, and even rubbed in my face how he was paying the people who were going to kill me with my own money." Merlin could tell the the knight was quite pissed about the whole thing.

"So what did you do?" Merlin asked, curious.

"Well, I told him he was a coward and that I thought he couldn't actually go through with it."

"You didn't!" Merlin exclaimed incredulously.

Arthur felt himself blush in embarrassment, and defended himself immediately. "Well, I was right, he didn't have the guts to go through with it." As the boy made a pointed looked down at his shoulder, he felt himself go more red. "The bandit in charge though didn't seem to have a problem with doing it instead.

"The ordeal was awfully tedious, I fought them they fought me and the last thing I remember is falling into the river. They must have just assumed that I was a goner and left me to die."

"So, no one even knows that something has happened to you?"

"Well, I left a guard in the nearest town outside of where I was hunting, he knows that if I haven't come back by late afternoon that something must have gone wrong and to get help."

"Why did your servant even want to kill you in the first place?"

"Ah, well," The blonde started off sheepishly. "Apparently I didn't treat him very nicely."

Merlin snorted at that, and murmured, "I can't say I'm surprised."

"Excuse me?" Arthur demanded.

"Well I'm just saying the first thing you did to me was threaten my life, I can't say it surprises me that people don't like you." Merlin clarified.

"I'll have you know I'm extremely well liked." Arthur stated confidently.

"Yay, you're a narcissist as well, joy." Merlin mumbled, pouring the tea into a cup and then stretching his arm as far as it could toward the knight. At the look of distrust the man shot towards the cup Merlin rolled his eyes. "It's a healing tea, it'll help fight off infection and help with pain, both of which you really need help with."

The man still didn't reach for the cup so Merlin just placed it down on the ground next to him. "Fine, if you want to die be my guest. Actually, you know what this works great for me, with you dead no one will know I'm a sorcerer, so please don't drink it." Merlin said angrily.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," Merlin said slowly. "That when I found you, you were face down in the mud, and you just told me that you spent the day floating in the river like a dead fish, and I doubt the bandit cared enough to give you the courtesy to clean his knife before he stabbed you. Add on to the fact that you lost a very large amount of blood you have a very high chance of infection, which could kill you, so I suggest to just drink the damn tea, you saw me make it, I didn't use any magic."

Arthur thought it over, and decided that he might at well take his chances and drink the damn thing. He picked up the cup and brought it to his lips only to splutter at the first sip. "That. is. Disgusting."

The boy laughed at that, grinning cheekily at him as he said. "Still have to drink it though."

Arthur scowled, but brought the cup to his lips again bracing himself as he gulped it all down, he couldn't help his face scrunching up in disgust, but it wasn't any worse than many of the tinctures that Gauis had given him before. He looked up as he heard a pointed cough from the boy to get his attention.

"I'm going to have to pour the rest directly over the wound," Merlin said apologetically.

Arthur let out a sigh, before moving his head to the side so the brunette would have room to pour it. "Get on with it."

Merlin picked up the pot with a piece of cloth and walked over to the other man, removing the bandages from the wound. He gave a warning before pouring it, and saw the other man stiffen in an attempt to brace himself for it.

Arthur hissed through clenched teeth at the stinging and burning, and let out a pained grunt as he felt it get deep into the wound. After he was done he dried everything up and put some more paste on it and covered it with fresh bandages.

"Do you usually carry around bandages with you," Arthur asked after the other came back from the river after cleaning the pot and refilling it with more water.

"No," Merlin said placing the pot over fire again, so he could clean the used bandages. At the pointed looked the knight gave the bandages, Merlin clarified. "I made these from a spare shirt I had with me."

Arthur didn't say anything to that, trying to ignore the guilty feeling that caused him. It was clear that the boy wasn't well off, he wouldn't be surprised if that had been his only shirt other than the one he was wearing. Clearing his throat he asked the question that'd been on his mind.

"Why don't you just use magic instead, of all this?" He asked gesturing at the bandages and medicine.

"What now you want me to use magic?" Merlin asked sarcastically.

"What? No! And you're not answering the question."

"Causeidontknowhow," Merlin mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?"

"I don't know how."

"What do you mean? You did it earlier."

"No I didn't."

"What do you mean?"

"Well I kind of just did it, you were about to die so I just ..." He made a vague gesture with his hands.

"What the hell does that mean?"

"I don't know?"

"You're hopeless aren't you."

Merlin let a out a insulted huff, and replied without thinking. "At least I'm not a prat."

They both glanced at each other before Arthur said, confused and a little intrigued. "There's something about you, I can't quite put my finger on it."

"You mean besides the fact I have magic?" Merlin asked sarcastically with a bitter laugh.

Arthur didn't say anything his eyes just narrowing at the mention of magic. They sat in silence the tension between them almost tangible. It was sometime before Arthur spoke again.

"What are you doing in Camelot in the first place?" Merlin glanced at him before looking away keeping his mouth shut. He didn't want Gauis or anyone else to get in trouble, even by accident. Arthur let out a frustrated sigh. "Well can I at least know your name?"

Again he received no answer.

"Well, can I at least know what you plan on doing now?" He snapped out. Merlin bit his lip, fingers tugging at the grass nervously, before speaking.

"I don't know."

The knights brows came together in confusion. "Are you going to kill me, or leave me for dead? I think I have the right to know."

The mans assumptions about him set him on edge so without thinking he started speaking. "I'm going to take you back to the castle of course, couldn't leave you out here, you'd surely die and all my hard work would have gone to waste."

Trying to not think about his decision and what it could mean he started to pack back up the few belongings he had before grabbing the man's jerkin and walking up to him. The knight just looked on bewildered. Eyes going from the sorcerer's face to the piece of clothing like he didn't understand either one.

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Now I know you don't know how to get dressed but this here, you put your arms in it." He explained slowly making the man puff up in indignant righteousness before wincing, his hand moving to his shoulder. Merlin moved closer holding the jacket out for the man to slide his good arm in, trying to ignore the way he tensed up and carefully watching him and how he himself glanced down at the hands that not to long ago had been wrapped around his throat.

When he finally had his clothing on and the boy had taken a few steps back Arthur finally spoke, studying him. "You're really going to take me back to Camelot?"

"Yeah, so let's get you up on your feet, I can't carry you back." Arthur felt his face screw up as the image of him being carried bridal style into the throne room to Urther's feet popped into his head. Not having any other choice he let the boy help him up and support him with an arm around his waist and his own swung over the man's shoulders.

This was going to be a long walk.

. o . O . o .

"Do you need a break?"

"No, I don't need a break."

"Well, it sure looks like you do."

"I. Do. Not. Need. A. Break." Arthur bit out stubbornly, despite the fact that since they started their trek an hour or so ago he was shaking and could feel sweat dripping down his brow. Undeterred by him the boy stopped anyways.

"Well, I need one, even if it's just to get away from your stench for a moment."

"I do not stink!" Arthur protested as the other helped him to sit down, secretly grateful they had stopped. He just rolled his eyes and immediately started to check on his wounds tutting as he saw they were starting to bleed threw again, but didn't change them yet.

They drank some water and ate the last of the brunettes food, Arthur not hesitating in taking either, before they were off again.

As they started down the path Arthur focused onto the man besides him. He was looking resolutely forward, his own face drenched in sweat. This was no easy feat for him it was sure, Arthur wondered if he'd be able to make it all the way back to Camelot before exhausting himself.

He didn't think the other particularly weak, it was most likely he had worked in the fields his whole life if the rough dirty hands were anything to go by. But carrying -yes, carrying, he knew he was barely doing anything to hold himself up- a man maybe twice his weight (honestly the boy was a twig) was going to take it's toll quickly. He just hadn't been trained with that kind of stamina.

So he wondered how long the other would last, the earliest they would get to the gates would be dawn the next morning and the sun set not a few hours before, so there was still a lot of time to go.

Which brought up another question.

"Why?"

"You're going to have to be a little more specific than that." The boy said, kicking a branch out of their way.

"Why are you doing this? You'll be arrested at the gates, and then there's only one outcome."

"Wow, great motivational speech, are you trying to get me to leave you here and turn around?" The sorcerer replied sarcastically. The sass, he thought indignantly.

"Of course not," Grunted out as he winced. "It's just... why?"

"Because it's the right thing." Arthur looked to the other man, taking in his determined expression. "If I left you, you'd be as good as dead and that would make me a murderer. I couldn't live with myself, I couldn't go back to my mother like that."

They were silent as the knight took all of this in before speaking again. "You're mother, is she a witch?"

"What? No! She's a healer, she can't and doesn't know how to perform any magic."

"Then where did you learn?"

"I didn't learn anywhere." The wizard but out annoyed.

"Then how can you perform enchantments?" Arthur asked, getting confused.

"Listen, I don't know any enchantments, or spells, or anything else. I was just born like this."

Arthur let out a scoff at that. "That's impossible."

"Right," The boy said curtly. "Tell that to my mother who had to deal with the horror of her baby summoning toys over to him whenever he wanted to. She's the one who brings it up whenever she's trying to guilt me into doing my work."

They were silent again. Arthur focusing down on the ground as he took step after painfully slow step, trying to take in what the other had said.

"That's impossible." He said, sounding unsure to his own ears, because that had been what he had been taught.

The other didn't say a thing.

. o . O . o .

When the sun started to rise they were minutes from the gates and the sky had started to light up behind the castle surrounding it in hues of purple yellow and orange creating a sight that on any other day coming back to would have had him stopping to take in the view in awe. But not today.

There was already a line of people waiting to get in, ready to sell their wares in the market, so before they got to them he asked the other if he had a cloak he could use. The brunette was clearly confused, but got out the thin blanket he owned and wrapped it around his shoulders, but Arthur brought it up to cover his face.

He knew he was making no sense to the other, who clearly expected him to announce himself to the first guard he saw and have him arrested, but he knew what he was doing. He had made his choice, somewhere between them talking and having his bandages repeatedly replace and his wound cared for.

He just hadn't told the other yet. He felt like he had to test him, see if he would truly come through on his word.

So, when they made their way through the crowd, explaining they needed medical treatment, and they walked past the guards without him ever making eye contact and purposefully hiding his face, he understood the sorcerer's look of confusion tinged with a hopefulness.

"You'll have to take me directly to the castle so that I don't have to ask any of the guards for help and bring unwanted attention to either of us."

"Are you..." He trailed off, gulping.

"When we reach our destination we will part ways and never speak of this or see each other again. If you are ever caught you will never mention me in anyway, or expect me to help you get released. My debt will be payed.

The other looked at him with such gratefulness and what he was sure were tears in his eyes. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," He said, coughing uncomfortably. "No, really, don't mention it."

That caused the boy to let out a small laugh, then, seeming to have his strength restored, readjusted his grip around his waist and marched them up to the castle.

Arthur knew that there was an execution this morning of a sorcerer, it's how they were able to make it outside the castle without causing any suspension. He just didn't think they'd be there to witness it.

The other man had stopped as soon as they had happened upon the crowd trying to peer over the heads, curious as to what was going on. Arthur had tried to direct him away and had almost been successful but then his father had walked out.

At first he had been sure the other would be able to immediately tell the familial resemblance and turn on him, but the minute the brunettes eyes caught on the king his eye's widened and his mouth dropped open. It made sense, it's not like he thought the other had ever seen a king in his life.

But when the it became clear what was going on, the awe in those eyes quickly turned to horror as he watched the execution. Arthur had tried to get him to look away, but the sorcerer took in the whole thing.

"We need to leave." Arthur said sharply, finally getting the others attention. Almost wishing he hadn't because seeing the turmoil and fear in those eyes was almost too much, he wondered what he would think if he knew that he was the son of the man who just put one of his brethren down.

The younger man nodded, his face wiped of all of his previous emotions a smile on his face as his eyes darted at the people around them. But Arthur could feel his trembling hand around his waist.

"Does this happen every day?" The brunette whispered.

"No, it's not that common." And it wasn't. But his father had wanted to make an example for the 20th anniversary of the ban of magic so he'd made sure that when they caught a magical to keep them alive in the dungeon to be brought out just for today.

They had started to walk away when a loud mournful wail echoed through the courtyard.

"There is one one evil in this land, and it is not magic! It is you." The voice belonged to an old woman in rags. Arthur saw the tears down her face and already knew where this was going. "With your hatred and your ignorance. You took my son."

It wasn't uncommon for family members to speak out in their grief, he had guessed it as soon as he saw her, what he couldn't have predicted was what came next. "And I promise you before these celebrations are over you will share my tears. An eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth; a son for a son!"

The threat was clear and his father wasted no time jumping to action.

"Seize her."

But it was too late, before anyone could get close she was chanting words Arthur couldn't comprehend and then the wind picked up and she was gone. Seeing such a display of magic sent chills down his spine, he stiffened in defence without thinking about. He couldn't help looking at the man holding him up and recall the glowing golden eyes that had been the first thing he had seen upon waking.

But he looked just as disturbed as the others around them. He didn't seem to want to linger and took Arthur's directions to an unoccupied corridor and sat him on a bench.

"Are you sure you'll be fine here?"

"If I can walk all night through the woods without dying I think I can manage sitting on a bench until someone comes by to help me. It's best for both of us if no one knows we have any sort of connection." Saving the prince's life would draw too much unwanted attention to the magician.

The other nodded and started to turn before pausing and asking, "Why?" Repeating the question Arthur had asked him not too long ago.

"Because taking you to trial would require me to spend even more time hearing you prattle on than I'd like. So I'd like to avoid that at all costs."

The boy smirked. "You know you loved it."

Arthur, in irritation and in an effort to get the other to leave before someone showed up, took the blanket the had been wrapped around him and with his good arm bundled it up and threw it at the other. It hit him in the face, but he didn't seem to mind, he just stuffed it into his bag and took off laughing.

Arthur did not smile.

But why indeed?

It had been a matter of honour. At first he thought the honorable thing to do would be to turn him in. It was his duty as a knight, as a prince, and to his father. But then a little voice came to him, one he spent his life trying to ignore because it always put him in bad situations, and asked what about his duty to himself?

The man had risked everything to save him, and to just turn on him like that? No, Arthur had done enough questionable things in his life that still haunted the back of his thoughts he didn't need to add another one.

So that's how he got to be sitting on a bench in the middle of the castle bleeding out for a maid to find him and shriek out a call for the guards, who at realizing who he was started to carry him to his room, one of them sending the maid to go get Gaius.

He was not looking forward to speaking with his father.

. o . O . o .

Thanks for reading! What did you think? And anything you're wanting to see? I'm hoping to hear from everyone, and that you all have a great day!