"It was me. I'm the one that used the magic."

"Will, don't..."

Arthur glanced up to Merlin, surprise flickering in his eyes at the interruption. He scanned Merlin's face and froze at what he saw.

Will was confessing to being a sorcerer, but the agonized, guilty look on Merlin's face told a different story.

It had been guilt in Merlin's voice as he tried to explain something to him before the battle and resignation on his face when Arthur had demanded to know where the windstorm had come from.

Suddenly, the puzzle pieces fell into place.

Both times, Merlin hadn't been trying to expose that Will was a sorcerer. No, he had been trying to confess that he was a sorcerer.

"You're a sorcerer?"

"Yeah." Merlin glanced at Hunith at Will's confession, pain in his eyes. "What are you going to do? Kill me?"

Briefly, Arthur allowed his eyes to lock with Merlin's.

"No, of course not." The words were spoken to Will, meant for Merlin. "Merlin, do what you can for him."

Now, sitting alone in his bedroom, Arthur thought of the events that had followed Will's death.

He had done his best to make sure that Merlin didn't suspect anything, giving a short lecture on the dangers of keeping secrets.

But betrayal still slipped out, "You shouldn't have kept this from me."

In reality though, how could he not? Telling Arthur would have put him in a horrible position; keep the secret and break the law or tell his father and allow Merlin to die. The fact Merlin had magic didn't change the fact that he stood beside Arthur, his loyal manservant and, more recently, his friend, nor did it change the fact that he was the crowned prince and he was committing treason by not telling his father that he suspected Merlin was a sorcerer.

But, then again, he didn't have concrete proof, did he?

Well, some secrets, if they were true, are worth keeping. At least until Merlin decided he trusted him enough to tell Arthur himself.

If it was true, of course. (Which, he knew it was, but whatever.)

Unbeta'd. So, this was jossed by the series finale, but it was my headcanon since I first saw 1x10: 'The Moment of Truth' up until then. Did anyone else notice the unreadable look that Arthur kept shooting Merlin during this scene or was it just me? Anyways, please review!