Author's Notes: Can we just pretend that the entire month of March never happened? Okay, good. Thanks. March was a downer of a month, and then it took me a while to get back into the right headspace to work on this story. On the upside, while wrangling chapter 8 into shape, I also made a fair start on chapter 9. So stay tuned.

Also, I feel like I should apologize to any reviewers that I haven't replied to. I don't always reply to all reviews, mostly because I don't want to clog up your inboxes with pointless replies when I should be filling your inbox with update alerts. But whether or not I reply, I deeply appreciate all of your reviews/comments/thoughts/etc. They make me smile every time. :)

After yet another restless night (and honestly, these nightmares were getting out of hand), Merlin set out early, leaving a brief note for Gaius explaining that he had errands to run. Merlin could already picture Gaius's reaction; he would huff a bit at Merlin's vague message, raise one eyebrow in contemplation, and then toss the note aside as he went about his business as usual. Gaius was used to Merlin running off for one reason or another. At this point, the old physician only began to worry if Merlin was gone for several days at a time, which shouldn't be necessary in this case.

His encounter last night had proven that there was an imposter in Camelot, and Merlin intended to find out exactly why he was here. Sneaking out of the castle in the early morning, Merlin returned to the tunnels. As he had no other clues, it seemed the most logical place to start his investigation.

Gwaine wanted to hate Percival for his overprotective smothering. But some part of his foggy brain actually realized that his friend meant well and was worried about him. And if Gwaine was honest with himself, he really needed a friend right now. Especially since he'd basically destroyed one of his closest friendships yesterday morning.

After Percival stopped him from escaping to the tavern for the second time, Gwaine had finally given up and gotten some rest. That didn't mean he'd slept, necessarily. Well, he had dozed most of the afternoon. But for a few hours at least, while Percival was out training, Gwaine had stayed in the castle and just stared at the ceiling, thinking.

He still remembered how betrayed he had felt when he found out about Eira. He remembered watching her execution from high up in the castle and wanting only revenge. And most of all, he remembered the crazed look in Morgana's eyes as she tortured him for information, swearing that she would find Arthur and destroy him, promising she would relish the opportunity to watch the crows pick the flesh from Arthur's bones.

The memories weren't pleasant, but they'd given him much to think about. As had the image of Merlin's devastated expression when Gwaine had stormed out of Gaius's chambers.

It seemed that Gwaine had only unpleasant memories to keep him company.

So he appreciated all of Percival's attempts to distract him, but he still kept silent, locked in his own thoughts, as he sat across from Percival at breakfast, picking absently at his food.

A knock at the door eventually caught his attention. Percival rose to answer it, and there in the doorway stood Arthur Pendragon. The king greeted Percival politely, but it was obvious that he wasn't here to see him. Gwaine looked at the table, uncharacteristically uncomfortable with the thought of facing his king.

"Gwaine," Arthur spoke softly. "How are you feeling?"

Gwaine swallowed. "I'm fine, sire."

Arthur pulled up a chair and sat opposite of the sullen knight, while Percival took up a position nearby, leaning against the window sill. Gwaine had a sinking feeling that he wasn't going to like where this conversation was going and wished he'd had something stronger to drink beforehand.

But for several long moments, no one said a word. Arthur leaned back in his chair, watching Gwaine steadily until his patience broke under the weight of the king's gaze.

"Well, just come out and say it, will you," Gwaine said, scowling.

"Say what?"

"That it's my fault. That I was a bloody fool." Gwaine violently shoved back his chair, standing and turning away as he began to pace. "And damn it, Morgana never would have known our plans if I hadn't let Eira fool me."

"You can't know that for certain, and you mustn't hold yourself responsible for Morgana's actions."

"You don't understand, Arthur." Gwaine's pacing grew more agitated. "She used Eira to get to me. And I let her."

"I know. Guinevere and Leon told me everything – with a few clarifications from Gaius and Merlin to fill in the details. I know exactly what happened. And I also know that if you hadn't told Eira, Morgana would have learned our plans some other way. Lord knows, she's found enough ways to fool us all in the past. This was just another one of her ploys. You can't blame yourself for the outcome."

Gwaine's pacing had slowed until he came to a stop, his back to both Arthur and Percival.

A part of him wanted to believe Arthur's words, but the larger part kept seeing Morgana's wild eyes and hearing her voice taunting him, telling him all the things she would do to Arthur, to Camelot. Gwaine shuddered to think how close Morgana had come to destroying everything he cared about. And he had done nothing to stop her.

"Listen, Gwaine. You've made mistakes. We all have. And I know better than anyone what it's like to be fooled and betrayed by someone you believed you could trust. I've experienced it over and over again. But if I've learned one thing, it's that you must work through your guilt in your own time and in your own way. Nothing I say can change what happened. And nothing you've done will change who you are: you're a knight of Camelot and one of the strongest men I've ever met." Arthur paused and Gwaine cringed, waiting for the inevitable but...

"But right now, I need you by my side, not wallowing in misplaced guilt."

Startled by his words, Gwaine turned back to face Arthur and found that he'd moved, coming to stand a few feet from Gwaine so that they now stood face to face. The sight struck Gwaine as strange. He'd never thought to see Arthur again. Yet here he was, standing tall and looking even more regal than usual, in spite of the gentle compassion in his eyes….or perhaps it was because of it.

"I'm convening the privy council this afternoon," Arthur said, "and I need you there." Gwaine nodded his acceptance. "I rely on your council and support, just as I do with all of my knights, and I find myself in need of that support now more than ever. But before the meeting, I needed to ask you something." Arthur paused, drawing a deep breath. "It's about what you said yesterday."

Gwaine winced. "You're going to tell me off for yelling at Merlin?"

Arthur looked a bit surprised, but he considered Gwaine's question. "I hadn't planned to, but I suppose there is that whole mess to consider."

"Well, just add it to the list, then. Percival over here has already tried to tell me I'm an idiot. Hell, even I know I'm an idiot. And a useless one at that. First, I let a traitor into Camelot. Then I told your evil witch of a sister exactly where to find you. And then I went and disowned my oldest friend." Gwaine rolled his eyes at his own stupidity. "You might as well banish me now so I can go crawl into the nearest tavern."

"Oh, no, I'm not letting you off the hook that easy." Arthur shook his head. "Half of what you just said isn't even your fault. And as for the rest of it… well, I'm not here to talk about my idiotic ex-servant."

"You're not?"

"No. As far as I'm concerned, you're free to yell at him as much as you'd like. I certainly did." Arthur frowned as he paused. "Well, no, actually I tried to send him away, but that turned out to be somewhat impractical, considering he was trying to save my life at the time."

Something about this whole conversation was surreal enough to make Gwaine's head hurt, and he wondered suddenly if maybe those potions Gaius had left for him had some unwanted side effects.

"Regardless, that's not the reason I wished to speak with you," Arthur said. He gave Gwaine a serious look before continuing. "Sir Gwaine, I have reason to believe you've been lying to me about your past, about who you were before you came to Camelot."

Gwaine had to physically force himself to remain calm. "If that's what you came to ask me about, then you can just forget it. It's none of your damned business."

"It was you who brought up the subject – after avoiding it for the past four years."

"I'm not discussing this with you," Gwaine said with a growl.

"But you will discuss it with Merlin?"

"Well, clearly that was a mistake."

"Was it? Because he's loyally kept that secret for five years. No one knew. Not Gaius, and certainly not me. Which makes me wonder why you were so determined to hide your own past?"

Gwaine sighed. "My family was from Caerleon's kingdom. My father was a knight. He died. End of story."

Arthur raised an eyebrow, waiting expectantly.

"There's nothing else worth telling, sire. When my father was killed, my mother was left penniless, Caerleon refused to help her, and eventually she was forced to remarry in order to survive." Gwaine paused, fighting off the unpleasant memories that threatened to consume him. "My step-father was just like his king: an insufferable brute without a shred of nobility. I left home as soon as I could, and I never went back."

"I'm sorry," Arthur said.

Gwaine merely shrugged and looked away. "It doesn't matter."

"If it didn't matter, why keep it a secret all of these years?"

"Because it doesn't change anything," Gwaine said heatedly. "Titles and lands don't change who you are; they don't make a man noble. It's what inside a man that counts. I've known that all of my life. And Camelot was the first place where I was judged based on who I was, not on where I came from. That mattered. It's one of the reasons I stayed."

Arthur nodded his acceptance. "Very well. I can accept that. And you're right. Nobility has little to do with titles or birthrights and much to do with a man's heart. Regardless of where you were born, you are loyal and brave, and I'm honored to count you as a knight of Camelot. But I don't want you to feel that you have to hide anything from me, or from your fellow knights. We're brothers in arms, and that brotherhood should not be built on dishonesty."

Gwaine couldn't help but feel the shame creep over him at Arthur's words, but he simply nodded. "Yes, sire."

Arthur laid a comforting hand on Gwaine's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Stepping away, he started to leave, but at the last moment, Arthur stopped, turning to face the two knights one more time. His eyes drifted to Percival before they settled back on Gwaine.

"Gwaine, if you truly believe that a man should be judged based on the nobility in his heart, then perhaps you should apply that same standard to Merlin." Gwaine barely held back a pained wince at the accusation, but Arthur didn't wait for a reply. "I'll expect to see both of you this afternoon," he said, slipping back into the role of commanding king.

"We'll be there, sire," Percival said.

"Good."

As Arthur closed the door behind him, Gwaine returned to the table and slumped down into his chair with a groan, resting his head in his hands. He felt exhausted, and this time he was pretty sure it had nothing to do with his injuries or Gaius's potions. Rubbing his eyes with one hand, he felt his chest constrict.

"He's right, you know," Percival said softly.

Gwaine nodded miserably, finally looking back up at his friend. "I know he is."

After a mildly informative trip to the caves, Merlin now had a few clues to go on. Footprints clearly indicated that someone had been traipsing around in the tunnels, probably hiding down there at night, since Merlin had found a blanket and a cloak tucked into a corner. But it was the other items that concerned him: a forgetting charm and a vial of sleeping potion, all surrounded by traces of magic. Whoever this stranger was, he had the means to worm his way into Camelot through tricks and deception, as well as magic. In Merlin's experience, that usually meant trouble for him.

Which brought Merlin to his next stop.

Merlin darted into the kitchen, ignoring Audrey's glare. He couldn't deal with her ire right now. He briefly entertained the idea of knocking her out with a pan again, but truthfully, he didn't have the time.

Quickly spotting the object of his search, he swiftly moved towards the young kitchen maid.

"Celia," he said quietly. She looked up at him in surprise.

"Ye-yes? Can I… I mean… is there something I can do for you?"

"Actually, there is." Merlin placed a hand on her arm and drew her aside, moving them into a quiet corner. "I need to ask you a few things, and I need you to be honest with me." She looked nervous, but Merlin didn't have time to be delicate. "It's important, Celia. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't."

Biting one lip, Celia nodded.

"Good," Merlin said. "Now, yesterday you said you had a friend, someone who had just come to Camelot a few days ago?"

"Yes," Celia said cautiously. "He said he'd heard Camelot was a wonderful place and he wanted to see it for himself."

"When, precisely, did he first come to Camelot?"

"Well, he arrived the same day that the knights returned from Camlann. I remember because it was such a busy day, people everywhere and no one knew what had happened or where the king was or anything…. And I met Narin when he asked for directions."

"Narin," Merlin muttered the name quietly. He stared at Celia, his gaze intense. "Tell me everything you know about him."

After his visit to Gwaine and Percival, Arthur returned to his own chambers. Gwen greeted him with a warm smile and dismissed her maid as Arthur entered.

"Did everything go well with Gwaine?"

"As well as can be expected."

"You should go easy on him, Arthur. You didn't see him when we found out about Eira. And after what Morgana did to him…."

"No, I know. But I know, Gwaine – he's strong and he'll get through this." Arthur smiled at Gwen and took her hand as he sat in the chair beside her. "We all will."

"Yes. We will."

"But it's going to be bloody strange not having Merlin barging in here late for work every morning."

Gwen laughed. "Yes, I suppose it will. But we both agreed, Arthur. Things have to change. And that includes Merlin's role here."

For a moment, Arthur's kingly expression slipped, and he pouted slightly, like a petulant child who was told he had to give up his favorite childhood game. And in some ways, the analogy wasn't so far off. Arthur had kept Merlin in his employ for years, even over his father's complaints. It wasn't because Merlin was an impeccable servant – everyone knew he was the farthest thing from it. But Arthur liked having Merlin around. He always had. And so it became a bit of a game for Arthur to see how far he could push the boundaries, as he continually demanded more of Merlin than any ordinary servant would be willing to give. But Merlin did everything Arthur asked and more, and slowly, as the years passed, Merlin became more of a companion than a servant.

But now, Arthur knew, their already unusual relationship would have to change. They could no longer keep up the façade of the master-servant relationship, not after everything they had been through together and everything that Arthur had recently learned. But even though Arthur knew that change was necessary, that didn't mean he had to like it.

"I spoke with Geoffrey," Gwen said. "He wants us to meet him in the library. He's gathered the relevant historical documents, as well as your father's legal decrees. We can review it all in the library before you speak with Gaius. Then we'll be prepared to meet with the others this afternoon."

"Good," Arthur said flatly.

Gwen smiled. "Don't worry, Arthur. Everything will be fine. We'll sort out the legal issues and then we can move forward with the rest of our plans."

"Oh, yes," Arthur said sarcastically. "Everything will be just fine. And would you like to tell the most powerful sorcerer in the kingdom that I'm firing him? Because somehow I don't think that conversation is going to go well."

"Well," Gwen snickered, "perhaps we'll phrase it a bit more delicately than that." Arthur groaned. "Arthur, it's Merlin. He'll understand." Despite her words, Arthur was not reassured. "You should ask Gaius. He'd know better than anyone how Merlin might feel about it."

Arthur sighed. "Perhaps I will." He stood, pulling Gwen to her feet as well. "We might as well be on our way. We wouldn't want to keep Geoffrey waiting. The last thing I want is to listen to one of his scoldings. I already feel like a school boy who's been kept inside to finish his lessons."

Gwen laughed. "Oh, Arthur, sometimes you're such a child."

"Yes, well, I learned it from my idiot servant."

Guinevere was still laughing as they made their way towards the library.

It took Merlin all morning to gather enough information. Celia was helpful, but she couldn't give him all of his answers. No, he had to find this Narin himself. He'd already searched the tunnels, the stables, and the kitchens, so he'd moved on to the castle itself. Which could easily take forever, except that Merlin already knew the best places to hide.

It was nearly midday when his search was interrupted.

"Merlin!"

If that had been any other voice calling his name, Merlin might have ignored it. But he knew that voice better than anything, and if he ignored Arthur now, the king would never leave him alone.

Merlin halted and turned to see Arthur emerging from the library. That alone should have struck Merlin as odd, but he was too distracted by the sudden appearance of the king striding towards him, looking curious.

That was not good. Merlin didn't have time to deal with a curious Arthur. Not today.

"And just where are you running off to?" Arthur asked. Yep, just as Merlin had feared. Curious.

"Nowhere," Merlin said quickly. "Why do you ask, sire? You did give me the day off."

"True. But you seem in a bit of a hurry."

"No. No hurry," Merlin said, in his best imitation of a casual tone. "Just have things to do."

"Things?"

"Yes, you know… things. A few errands for Gaius, and then I have to go to the lower town to talk to someone about a… bird."

"A bird?"

"Yes, a bird. Unusual bird, eats woodworms, supposedly. Could be very useful."

"I see," Arthur said, frowning. "Are you sure that everything's all right, Merlin?"

"Of course. Just busy, is all. I've been gone a while and have some things to catch up with, and as you did give me the day off, I'm catching them. So, I'd better just…" Merlin pointed vaguely in the direction he'd been originally headed. Arthur gave him a skeptical look, but said nothing. Merlin took that as his cue to escape while he still could.

After all, he did have something to catch: an intruder.

After spending most of the morning sorting through legal documents with Gwen and Geoffrey, Arthur had left the library and (after a brief encounter with a distracted Merlin in the corridor) he'd gone to see Gaius, hoping to gain a different perspective on the Great Purge and Camelot's laws against magic. In the end, he'd spent two hours in Gaius's chambers receiving a personal lesson in magical history. He'd learned more about magic in the past few hours than he had in the past five years. And it was overwhelming.

He'd started by asking Gaius about the past, his parents, and why Uther had turned so completely against all things magical. Geoffrey's histories and legal decrees told only a portion of the story, and Arthur needed the perspective of someone who had lived through it and been intimately connected with Uther's decisions. Gaius had been hesitant at first, but eventually he had filled in the missing details. Arthur had realized long ago that his mother's death (and his own birth) was the result of magic. But hearing Gaius confirm it was still difficult. So much of Arthur's life was a mystery to him, and he couldn't afford to be ignorant anymore.

Eventually, Gaius had left to deal with a patient and Arthur had stayed behind to think through what he'd heard.

He settled down at the table with a book laid out in front of him. Gaius had retrieved the book and shown it to Arthur as he explained the widespread effects of the Great Purge. But now that he was alone, Arthur found that he couldn't keep his eyes off the seemingly innocuous book. In the time of Uther Pendragon, even reading such a book would be punishable by death. And here was Arthur, calmly looking through its pages in curiosity. He didn't understand most of the words, as only a few of the instructions were written in a language Arthur could understand. The rest was a mess of elegant, unintelligible script occasionally punctuated with Merlin's own handwriting.

If Arthur needed proof of Merlin's illegal activities, this was it. He'd spent the whole morning studying royal law, so Arthur knew there was no denying that Merlin was, legally speaking, a traitor to the crown.

While flipping idly through the pages of foreign words, he heard the door creak open. Arthur looked up, surprised to see his distracted servant instead of the court physician. Hastily, Arthur shoved the book aside, closing it quickly and pushing it into the pile of other books and papers scattered across the edge of the table.

Merlin, meanwhile, was too preoccupied too notice, closing the door and then drawing to a stop as he saw Arthur seated before him, pausing to give the king a curious once over.

"What are you doing here?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Well, that's a lovely greeting, Merlin."

"No, I just mean…" Merlin trailed off, lost for an explanation.

"I was speaking with Gaius, but he was called away to see to a patient," Arthur said. "He should be back any time now."

"Oh."

There was a moment of awkward silence as they both looked at one another, but then Merlin's eyes wandered about the room, losing focus as he became distracted again. As his attention returned to the table, Merlin cocked his head, his gaze drifting to the pile of books beside Arthur's elbow.

"Is that my spell book?"

Apparently Arthur hadn't been as sneaky as he'd thought.

"How should I know?" Arthur asked, taking a page out of Merlin's book and playing innocent.

"Arthur?" Merlin gave him a calculating look. "What were you and Gaius talking about?"

"You know, Merlin, as far as I can recall, you answer to me, not the other way around."

"But you didn't answer my question."

"And you didn't answer mine earlier."

Merlin attempted a clueless expression, but Arthur recognized it now and saw the nervousness underneath. "What question would that be, sire?"

Arthur resisted the urge to throw something at him. Merlin was acting suspiciously, and Arthur wondered how he'd failed to notice it all these years. Merlin only called him "sire" when they were in front of other nobles, or on the rare occasions when he genuinely wanted to show respect… or when he was trying to distance himself from Arthur.

Still, Arthur could play along.

"In the corridor earlier, when you rushed off with some nonsense about birds and woodworms. I asked if there was anything wrong. Is there?"

"Why would anything be wrong?"

Arthur sighed. "If you were still upset about what happened with Gwaine, it would be understandable."

Merlin looked away. Was that another tell, or a sign of genuine discomfort? Arthur couldn't be sure anymore.

"I'm trying not to think about it, to be honest."

Arthur nodded. "Understandable. But Merlin, if there's anything else, if anyone is giving you trouble…."

Merlin shook his head adamantly. "No. No, everything's fine. There's nothing else wrong."

"Good."

Shifting uncomfortably, Merlin looked over to the shelves behind Arthur. "Did Gaius say which patient he was going to see?"

The abrupt change in conversation left Arthur disoriented. "Uh, no. He just said he had to deliver a potion to someone in the castle. He said it wouldn't take long."

Merlin nodded and walked towards the shelves of potions and herbs. "I wonder if he used the last of the yarrow. I should see about getting more of it. And maybe some sorrel."

Arthur shrugged and stood, starting to follow Merlin as he seemed determined to avoid sustained eye contact.

"Merlin."

Ignoring him, Merlin continued muttering to himself. "And where's that list I made earlier."

Arthur was about to reach out to him when Merlin stepped aside and walked away, crossing back to the other side of the room. Arthur closed his eyes and sighed in frustration. Only Merlin could be this elusive when they were standing in the same room. He was about to say something when he heard a flutter of parchment and a thump behind him. He turned to see Merlin bent over the table Arthur had just walked away from.

"Ah, here it is." Merlin held up a scrap of parchment. "That's what I was looking for. Well, I'd best be off then. Still have more errands to do."

And before Arthur could utter Merlin's name, the jumpy servant was moving to the door. "If you need me, sire, Gaius can send for me." And Merlin was gone without another word.

Arthur frowned, confused. Even after all these years, Merlin could still baffle him. He settled down at the table again, eyes narrowing when he saw the chaos Merlin had left behind. The neat pile of books had been disturbed in Merlin's search for his piece of parchment. And the spell book lay open on the table. Arthur closed it carefully, assuming that Merlin had knocked it aside in his search.

When Gaius returned not more than five minutes later, Arthur put Merlin's strange behavior aside and returned to the matter at hand.

"I apologize for the delay, sire," Gaius said. Arthur waived the apology aside.

"It's no bother. It gave me time to think." Arthur stood, squaring his shoulders.

"Are you ready for this?" Gaius asked.

Arthur nodded tensely. "As ready as I'll ever be."

Gaius gave him a fatherly and reassuring smile as they both left and made their way to the council meeting.