A/N: I was completely overwhelmed by the response to the first part of this story. To be honest I didn't actually think anyone would like it, so I had no plans for a sequel, or even any idea what a sequel would look like. I finally found my inspiration in the lyrics of a song. I hope you all like the second part as much as you liked the first :)

Gwaine was jolted back to the waking world by Arthur's enraged shouts.

"WHERE THE HELL IS HE?!"

"I don't know Sire, he's not downstairs. Maybe he just stepped out for a moment," Leon's attempt to placate his King was doomed to failure as Percival burst into the room.

"Merlin's horse is gone!" The large knight froze in his tracks at the ferocious look on Arthur's face, and even Gwaine, half-asleep as he was, felt a shiver of trepidation run down his spine.

"Where is he?" Arthur spoke in a whisper that was somehow even more threatening than his yelling had been.

"Maybe," said Gwaine determinedly, "you should just let him go."

Leon winced. Elyan gasped. Percival gaped. If Gwaine had been more awake perhaps he wouldn't have said it. But then again, perhaps he would have. As it was, he felt his sleep addled wits finally start to sharpen as the King focused the full force of his fury on him.

Uh Oh.

"You know where he's gone," hissed the King. "You will tell me where he is, right now, or so help me Gwaine I'll put you in the stocks for a month."

Gwaine scoffed and sat up straight. "Even Merlin stopped taking that threat seriously years ago, you can't actually believe it's going to work on me? And even if I told you where he was going, what would you do? Drag him back to Camelot for execution? I will never betray his trust."

"I am your King and you will obey me!"

"The debt of loyalty and friendship I owe to Merlin far surpasses any obedience I owe to you. I owe him far more than I can ever repay, and so do you." Gwaine glared defiantly at the King. "He saved all of our lives, why can't you just let him leave in peace?"

Arthur's fury seemed to deflate a little, and he sat down on his bed. "I don't want to arrest him, I just want to talk to him. Please Gwaine, I just want to talk to him." Arthur's earnest gaze burned into Gwaine's conscience, and the knight felt a stirring of pity for his King. Damn.

"You must give me your word of honour that you will not harm him."

Gwaine stared straight at Arthur, trying to measure his soul through his eyes.

"I swear, on my honour as a knight, that I will not harm Merlin."

Gwaine nodded slowly, and then sighed. He could see no deceit in Arthur's blue gaze.

"Alright. He's gone to Ealdor, he left late last night so he's probably there already."

Arthur jumped up from the bed again and stirred the room into a flurry of motion. "Elyan, Leon, escort Lord Elsren back to Camelot and inform Guinevere of what has happened. Just Guinevere, and maybe Gaius, no one else. That goes for you as well Lord Elsren, you are not to speak of this to anyone. I will decide what to tell the court when I return. Gwaine, Percival, you will accompany me to Ealdor. We leave now."

Gwaine stumbled up from his makeshift bed on the floor and wondered why he could never seem to wake up pleasantly.

Arthur rode at a ground-devouring pace almost equal to their reckless flight the day before. Once again they ate in the saddle. Gwaine's attention was mostly taken by his horse, but whenever he managed to get a glimpse of Arthur's face the King looked either determined, furious or heartbroken.

They reached Ealdor by mid-afternoon. It was a small farming village, completely unremarkable except for the fact that Merlin had grown up here. Gwaine had no idea where to go, but Arthur marched determinedly up to the door of one of the small houses, one with a particularly lovely garden. The King ignored the friendly calls of the villagers, who seemed to know him. He knocked firmly on the door.

The door was opened by a short woman in a plain but serviceable dress and kerchief. Gwaine thought she had probably been handsome when she was younger, but age and care had left their marks on her face. Her blue eyes sparkled with kindness and humor, just like Merlin's, and Gwaine knew that this woman must be his mother.

Her eyes widened and she gasped when she saw Arthur standing at her door. "Your highness! I… wasn't expecting you. I can't invite you in at the moment I'm afraid…umm…"

"Hunith," Arthur cut her off. "It's alright, I know he's here. I just want to talk to him."

The door was opened wider as Merlin came to stand behind his Mother, one hand on her shoulder. He was wearing a nightshirt, and he looked disheveled and exhausted.

"Arthur," said Merlin quietly. "I suppose you had best come in."

Mother and son stepped aside to let the King pass, and Merlin turned to glare at Gwaine. Gwaine just shrugged and gave him a guilty look. "I'm sorry Merlin, but he would have come here eventually, and you two need to talk. He's not here to arrest you, if he tries I'll introduce his face to my fist."

Merlin's mouth quirked up in a half-smile. "Thanks Gwaine. Would you two mind waiting outside for a little while? I have a feeling that Arthur has a lot to say to me and most of it won't be pleasant."

Gwaine and Percival nodded, and Hunith bustled out of the house with cups of ale for herself and the knights. The three of them sat out front and tried not to let on that they were eavesdropping on the Warlock and his King.

While Hunith and Percival made polite small talk, Gwaine caught snippets of the conversation happening inside the house.

"What the hell…how could…a letter?!"

"I'm sorry… oblivious prat…my life!"

"Why…tell me you idiot…friend… betray…have magic!"

"I… don't you dare…you thick clotpole!"

There was a loud crash and a yelp in the background and Gwaine started to worry for the safety of his friends.

"Should we intervene?" He asked.

"You don't… trust…liar!"

"If… Arthur!" (Crash, thump)

Hunith smiled soothingly at him. "I'm not worried," she said calmly. "Merlin is more than capable of looking after himself, and he would never let any harm come to Arthur. Let them do what they must."

Gwaine still felt uneasy as the yelling grew louder and the crashes more frequent, but he took comfort from Hunith's confidence.

"So, Sir Gwaine, Merlin tells me you're quite the adventurer…"

When Arthur finally emerged from Merlin's house he had a black eye and a furious expression, matched only by Merlin's furious scowl and split lip.

"We're leaving," the King growled, and Percival jumped to his feet. Gwaine heard him thanking Hunith for her hospitality as he walked towards Merlin and put a hand on his shoulder.

"You alright, mate?"

Merlin spared a sad smile for his friend. "I'll be fine. He wanted me to come back to Camelot, but he won't change the laws. I want to come back, I really do, but I won't be the only exception to the rule while others like me still suffer."

Gwaine felt anger begin a slow burn in his gut. He had thought Arthur to be a fair and just ruler, but this solution showed only favoritism and illogic. His feelings must have shown in his eyes, because Merlin put a comforting hand on his shoulder in turn.

"Give him some time to think everything through, he's still in shock. He's a great king, but he is still Uther's son. In time he will see things more clearly."

The ride back to Camelot was solemn and silent. About an hour outside of Ealdor Arthur suddenly jumped off his horse, tossed his reigns up to Percival and stalked into the woods. Gwaine heard a muffled yell of anger and a thump. He shifted uneasily in his saddle and traded a worried glance with Percival.

Arthur emerged from the woods several minutes later with bruised knuckles and red eyes, but for once Gwaine took his cue from Percival and said nothing about it.

The next few weeks were long and difficult for the knights. Arthur was in a constantly foul mood, and he took it out on them during training. He was especially hard on Gwaine, who continued to defend Merlin whenever the subject of his magic arose. Gwaine knew that he was just inviting trouble, but that had never stopped him before. How could he do any less for his oldest true friend?

Several days after they had returned to Camelot, Arthur spent a day closeted with Gaius in the physician's chambers. After that, Gwaine thought he looked less angry and more sad, but his temper remained close to the surface. Gwaine couldn't get over how strange it was to see the King without his raven-haired shadow, and apparently the King couldn't get over it either.

Three weeks after their escape, Arthur and the knights returned to Ancel's castle with an army. The fight was short and brutal, and Arthur emerged victorious but not triumphant. Ancel fled, and it seemed a hollow victory without Merlin there to celebrate it.

Two weeks later Arthur declared his sovereignty over all of Escetia, and Gwaine began to worry. Ealdor was technically under Arthur's rule now, and Arthur hadn't changed the laws regarding magic.

That night, Gwaine drank a little liquid courage and went to ask Arthur what he intended to do about Merlin. Since the escape, mentioning Merlin's name in front of the King had become taboo.

Tales of Merlin's sorcery had spread quickly through the court (probably thanks to Lord Elsren), and the knights had told the story of their escape from King Ancel to try and counter the malicious rumours. Arthur had refused to talk about Merlin at all, and the last person who had dared to ask about his former manservant had been thrown into the dungeons for a night. Only Gwen seemed to be immune to his wrath.

Gwaine took a deep breath and knocked on the door to the King's study. He waited for a moment, and then he heard a male voice speaking a strange language, and a muffled thump. Alarmed, the knight pushed open the door and charged inside.

The first thing Gwaine saw was Arthur's unconscious body on the floor next to his desk. Standing over him was a short, wiry man with glowing yellow eyes. Gwaine drew his sword and lunged at the sorcerer, but the man simply held up his hand and shouted something, and Gwaine felt his feet leave the ground as an invisible force threw him backwards into the hallway. By the time he had regained his feet and charged forwards again, both Arthur and the sorcerer were gone.

Guards were summoned and patrols sent out, but Gwaine knew that they would never find the King that way.

After ordering Leon to lead the search for Arthur and his captor, Gwen pulled Gwaine aside, into an empty corridor.

"Gwaine," she said, dark eyes burning into his and beautiful face tense with worry. "I need you to ride to Ealdor, as quickly as you can, and fetch Merlin. I fear he's the only real hope Arthur has, we have no way to fight a powerful sorcerer. Hurry!"

Gwaine hurried. As dangerous as it was he galloped through the darkness, grateful for the full moon that lit his way. He stumbled onto Merlin's doorstep several hours before dawn, exhausted and frantic. After several minutes of desperate knocking and yelling, Merlin opened the door looking tired and irritable.

"Gwaine!" He exclaimed. "What's happened?"

Gwaine explained as quickly as he could, and by the end Merlin's eyes were smoldering with fury. He said a few quick words to his mother and then took Gwaine's arm and, still in his nightshirt, dragged the knight to the edge of the village.

"Where are we going?"

"To rescue Arthur."

"But you don't know where he is!"

"I always know where he is," was the terse reply before they both disappeared in a whirlwind.

Gwaine gasped and fell to his knees as they reappeared in a dark, ancient forest.

"A little warning next time, mate!"

"Sorry, that spell can be a little disconcerting the first time," whispered Merlin.

"A little disconcerting?! I feel like my stomach just got pulled out through my nostrils!"

"Shh," said Merlin, "Arthur is in the cave just ahead."

Gwaine tried to quiet his breathing and squinted into the forest, finally making out a dark opening in front of them. Merlin looked like a ghost in his pale nightshirt as he slinked forwards toward the cave.

"Do you have a plan?" Gwaine whispered.

"Kill the bastard and bring Arthur home."

"Simple, I like it."

At the entrance they could see a faint flicker of firelight at the back of the deep cave. They crept forward cautiously until they heard an agonized scream, and then they ran.

Gwaine's blood froze at the sight that greeted his eyes at the back of the cave. Arthur was chained to the stone wall, naked and covered in ugly burns. His right arm was obviously broken and his face was bruised and so swollen that the knight couldn't even tell if he was conscious or not. The sorcerer who had abducted his King was leaning against the far wall, looking bored, and the former King of Escetia, Ancel himself, was heating an iron poker in the fire.

Merlin yelled in outrage, and his eyes flashed gold. Ancel and the sorcerer both flew backwards, stunned, but soon stumbled to their feet. Gwaine charged forwards and engaged Ancel, sword against hot poker. Ancel was a competent fighter, but no match for Gwaine. The knight flipped the poker out of his opponent's grasp and ran him through.

The former king sank to his knees and died gasping on the floor. Gwaine felt only grim satisfaction and blood lust.

Gwaine turned around and gaped when he saw Merlin surround the enemy sorcerer with a blazing ring of fire. The sorcerer had backed himself against the wall and raised his hands in a feeble attempt to protect himself from the enraged warlock.

"Do you know who I am?" Merlin snarled.

"Emrys!" Whimpered the sorcerer, "You are Emrys! Oh Gods, please spare me, I never meant to offend you, please, I don't want to die!"

"I will spare your life," said Merlin, "but not your magic." The sorcerer screamed in pain as a golden cloud seeped from his skin, and he collapsed, panting, onto the floor.

"Spread the word," said Merlin, "Arthur Pendragon is under my protection, and any who seek to harm him will suffer my wrath. Do you understand?"

The former sorcerer nodded frantically.

"Good," said Merlin, "now run."

The sorcerer ran.

Gwaine stared at Merlin in shock. He was more than a little scared of the fierce look on the warlock's face. He was glad that Merlin was his friend, not his enemy. Merlin had always seemed so gentle and friendly, but Gwaine had always known that the servant had a backbone of steel. What he hadn't known was that his friend was so powerful, or so utterly terrifying.

Merlin turned around and rushed to Arthur's side, releasing him from his chains and letting his limp body fall into his arms. The king groaned in pain.

"Swefe Nu," Merlin whispered, and Arthur slumped, unconscious.

Merlin's eyes flashed, and he picked up Arthur as easily as he would pick up a cloak or a pillow. He cradled the King close to his chest, careful of his injuries, and began walking out of the cave without a backwards glance at Ancel's body.

Gwaine followed hastily behind him.

They made camp in a small clearing several leagues from the cave. Merlin gently laid Arthur down on Gwaine's cloak, and the knight watched, fascinated, as he held his hands over Arthur's burns and healed them one by one by the light of a conjured blue globe. After Merlin had finished with the burns and bruises, he sat back on his heels, looking exhausted.

"Gwaine, I need you to hold him steady while I straighten and heal his arm."

Gwaine nodded and moved to brace Arthur's shoulders. Arthur jerked as Merlin set the bone and healed it with a whisper. When the pain disappeared his body finally relaxed and sank into a natural sleep. Merlin wrapped Arthur's naked body in the cloak and rested the King's head on his lap.

"Gwaine, could you gather some wood for a fire?"

"Of course," said Gwaine, and walked away to give his friend some privacy.

As he left the clearing, he could faintly hear Merlin whispering to his King. "I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry Arthur, I never should have left you alone…" Gwaine walked faster.

When the knight retuned with an armful of firewood, Merlin was staring pensively up at the sky, Arthur's head still resting in his lap. Gwaine dumped the large pile of wood in the centre of the clearing, and Merlin lit it easily with a flash of his eyes.

Gwaine sat down next to the warlock, near the fire. It was about two hours before dawn, the coldest part of the night. The moon had set, but the stars shone clear and bright above them.

"Will he be alright?" Asked Gwaine.

"He'll be fine," said Merlin. "He just needs to rest, his body has been through a lot tonight." As he spoke, Merlin's hand stroked gently through Arthur's hair, and the King sighed contentedly and shifted closer. Merlin smiled fondly, a kaleidoscope of tenderness and devotion shining in his eyes.

They sat in comfortable silence for a time, until Gwaine couldn't contain his curiosity any more.

"Why did that sorcerer call you 'Emrys'? And why did it frighten him so much?"

Merlin looked down again at Arthur, his fingers never stopping their soothing motions over his scalp. He sighed.

"Long ago, the greatest of the druid seers made a prophecy. He said that in a time of great darkness would come the Once and Future King, the greatest king who would ever live. He would unite the land of Albion under one rule and usher in a golden age of peace and prosperity. He would be guided and protected by Emrys, the most powerful sorcerer to ever live, and together they would return magic to the land. I am Emrys, and Arthur is the Once and Future King."

Gwaine gaped at him. "I knew you were powerful, but the most powerful sorcerer to ever live? Merlin, you've been holding out on me." He turned his scrutiny to the man sleeping in Merlin's lap. "Are you sure the princess here is this Once and Future King? He's better than most nobles, I'll admit, but he's far from perfect."

"No one is perfect Gwaine. He's not yet the King from the prophecy, but he could be. He has a keen mind and a kind heart, and he's absolutely devoted to his people. He is the one." Merlin was so certain that Gwaine couldn't doubt him.

"You love him."

"Yes, I do." Merlin smiled at him. "I've never told that to anyone before."

"I think," said Merlin quietly, after a moment, "I was always meant to love him. My life has been plotted by destiny, and my destiny is to protect Arthur. I protect him as best as I can because I love him, and I love him because it's the best way to protect him."

"Don't you ever feel trapped by this prophecy?" Gwaine wondered how Merlin could be so complacent about having his life's path already determined. "It sounds like you never had a choice."

"Does anyone ever have a choice about who they fall for?" Merlin turned to look at Gwaine, and the knight was struck by how old his eyes looked in that moment, old and wise. "Destiny is a funny thing. None can choose it, few can know it and none can fight it, and yet… even if I hadn't known that Arthur was my destiny, I would have fallen for him anyway. I am who I am and he is who he is, and the moment our paths crossed it was inevitable. I made my peace with destiny a long time ago."

"Merlin… you deserve to be happy. You deserve to have someone love you as much as you love them."

"But I am happy." Merlin looked surprised. "As long as he is safe and well, I can be happy. And he does love me, in his own way. It is enough." The warlock paused and glanced again at the stars. "Sometimes I wish… but it can never be. The most I could ever hope for was his friendship, and now I don't even have that."

"Why don't you just leave? Start over again somewhere else. You could let go, find someone to love who will love you in return. With your abilities you would be welcome at any court away from Camelot's influence."

"I can't leave him again Gwaine, he needs me. Look at what happened and I was only gone for a few weeks! I have been Camelot's only defense against magical attacks for years. Besides," Merlin continued, "I need him too." He turned to look at Gwaine again, his gaze begging the knight to understand.

"I'm powerful, Gwaine, very powerful. I can move mountains, freeze rivers, command the wind and the rain, summon fire. I have enough power to raze entire kingdoms to the ground. That much power… it can be like a poison. Not the magic itself, but the temptation it presents. If I decided to crown myself King, no one could stop me. The only laws that have the power to bind me are the laws I choose to follow. It would be so easy to just take whatever I wanted, to start thinking of myself as more than human."

Merlin shivered, and Gwaine couldn't help the answering shudder in his own spine. "I have done things… I have had to make choices that have eaten away at my soul. I have killed many times. Sometimes I'm afraid that my heart will become so hard and so cold that I'll lose myself completely." Merlin took a deep breath. "Arthur is my tether, he pulls me back when I wander too far, even if he doesn't know it. I know I'm still human, because if I can love him this much, if it hurts this much, then I can't be anything other than human."

Merlin paused contemplatively. "I don't know what I would do if I ever lost him. My worst fear is that I would become like Uther, so lost in my grief that I would take my revenge on thousands of innocent people. Arthur gave me a purpose when I was lost. He brings out the best parts of me. Serving him makes me better than I am."

Gwaine sat silently as he contemplated Merlin's words. "It's funny," he replied, "but that's exactly what I thought you did for him, not the other way around. You were the one who kept his power from going to his head. You brought out the best in him, made him better than any other noble I've ever met. You kept him from becoming his father. But Merlin," Gwaine continued, looking straight at his friend, "I don't think you could ever become like Uther. You may love Arthur but he isn't the only one in your heart. You love all of Camelot, as Arthur does."

Merlin smiled gratefully. "Years ago, the Great Dragon told me that Arthur and I are two sides of the same coin. I didn't believe him at the time, but the older I become, the more I realize just how right he was."

"The Great Dragon? The dragon that Arthur killed?"

"Err, yes, that dragon. I used to visit him sometimes, when he was trapped beneath the castle. It was he who first told me about my destiny, although I've heard it from many others since then. At the time, I didn't believe him." Merlin laughed quietly, lost in memories.

As the sun rose slowly over the forest, the knight and the warlock talked of many things, great and small. They spoke of the past and of the future, of magic and of power, of fools and of kings. Gwaine knew that Merlin had taught him more about loyalty and love in that one night than he learned over the rest of his lifetime. And if he noticed that the man snuggled safely in the warlock's lap was not in fact asleep, he said nothing. There are some lessons that even kings must learn.

In the morning Merlin magically transported all three of them back to Camelot, and Arthur was welcomed tearfully back into the arms of his loving Queen. Merlin was folded into the embrace of his mentor and surrogate father. Gwaine threw up (magical transportation was awful) and then was hailed as a hero and welcomed by his brothers-in-arms. He couldn't have asked for a better homecoming.

Several days and many emotional conversations later, Arthur repealed the ban on magic, and Gwaine had never seen Merlin look happier.

Arthur appointed Merlin as Court Sorcerer, and although the friendship between Emrys and the Once and Future King became legendary, Gwaine never heard them speak of what Arthur had overheard that night in the woods.

Merlin never again spoke about it to Gwaine, either, but the knight could see the love in his eyes every time the warlock looked at his King. Sometimes, he thought that he could see the same depth of feeling reflected in Arthur's eyes, but he never mentioned it.

Over their years of friendship, Gwaine learned many things from Merlin. How to sneak extra food from the kitchens. How to be a good friend. How to make a permanent home. The value of secrets and silence. How to make a decent rabbit stew. The best ways to make Arthur crazy. When to speak up and when to listen. The true nature of magic. But the most important lesson Merlin ever taught him was that love is never wrong. Love can build a kingdom or tear it apart. Love can start a war or end one. Love can give you strength or make you weak. None can choose whom they love. But love itself is never wrong. Love is what makes us human, what makes life worth living. Love is the best part of us, given to someone else.

Love can be euphoric or bittersweet, but it is never wrong.

There is love in your body but you can't hold it in

It pours from your eyes and it spills from your skin

Tenderest touch leaves the darkest of marks

And the kindest of kisses break the hardest of hearts

There is love in your body but you can't get it out

It gets stuck in your head, won't come out of your mouth

Sticks to your tongue and it shows on your face

That the sweetest of words have the bitterest taste

~ Hardest of Hearts, by Florence + The Machine

A/N: Reviews are always always welcome!

That said, I have had a few (mostly respectful) reviews stating that people didn't appreciate the so-called "slash twist" to the story, usually with reasons such as "Merlin and Arthur obviously only feel brotherly affection for each other", "I just don't like them as a couple", and "Homosexuality was not acknowledged or practiced at the time".

To the first objection, I say that all art is subjective, and people see what they want to see. One of the reasons I love the show so much is that a lot is left up to interpretation, and that's really the point of fanfiction. I personally read and write stories with both romantic or brotherly relationships, and enjoy them equally.

To the second, I say this story has nothing to do with whether they work as a couple, or whether them being to together contradicts canon or legend. This is a story about the purest nature of love, devotion and bravery, they're not really a couple at all. I was trying to explore the nature and wonder of unconditional love. Romantic or not, canon Merlin's devotion to Arthur is something beautiful and remarkable.

To the third, I can honestly say that I have no idea what the common view on homosexuality was at that time, but it really doesn't matter. Just because something isn't widely acknowledged or accepted doesn't mean it doesn't exist. And this story isn't really about homosexuality anyway, it's about emotion, gender was completely irrelevant.

*Embarrassed cough* Anyway, rant done. I appreciate all feedback, but when I read comments like the ones mentioned above I can't help but feel as if people either didn't actually read my story because they seem to have completely missed the point, or I must be a terrible writer and didn't convey what I wanted to. Therefor, extra explanation for anyone who's interested.

I love you all,

~starwater13