Sorry about the delay. On Friday, I was uploading my stories from fanfiction.net to my new AO3 account. On Saturday, I was at a marching band assessment and then a competition (we got a superior rating at the assessment, and we won at the competition because we were the only ones in our class, but we also got the highest score of any of the bands, which was 88.50.) So to make up for it, I'll make several posts today. Enjoy!
The king read the law aloud as the people gathered round to hear it. Merlin stood overjoyed with Gaius. "Did you tell him?" Gaius whispered.
"Only about his identity. I didn't tell him my secret."
"And he changed the law for that?"
"Well, I persuaded him. I convinced him that he'd need to change the law to be supported as a Time Lord."
"Fair enough. So will you tell him now?"
"He should find out when I change him back." Merlin started walking away as the crowds began to disperse.
"Where are you going?"
"To Arthur, of course."
Merlin found Arthur in his room.
"I was beginning to wonder where you'd got off to," Arthur said.
"Sorry, the crowds were pretty thick. Are you ready?"
"For what?" Merlin pulled out the locket. "Oh. Yes, I'm ready."
"Now I should probably warn you," Merlin began, "some of the things you're about to discover might be quite... surprising. And I don't know what it will feel like for you to change back... And I don't know if it will be successful..."
"Shut up, Merlin." Merlin sighed.
"Here goes," he said, opening the locket. A golden glow flowed from the locket into Arthur. Arthur stood there, bathed in light, and Merlin couldn't help but admire him. Arthur took a deep breath, then stood for a few moments in shock.
"Hearts. I've got two hearts. That feels strange. I like it. I feel stronger. There's something else. I can sense... time. I can feel all of it, past, present, and future. I'm not quite human anymore, but I feel more like... me. That probably makes no sense to you."
"No, it makes perfect sense," Merlin replied, thinking of how much more he felt like himself when using magic. Arthur looked at Merlin quizzically.
"And now my memories are coming back. You and I... we were friends. Close friends." Then Arthur gasped. "You... you... you have magic." Merlin simply nodded. "And you kept it from me all this time." Merlin nodded, this time with a look of guilt in his eyes. "You lied to me!" Merlin nodded again, tears streaming down his face. He hadn't wanted it to go like this. Though of course, it wasn't surprising. He had known there would be a risk involved. "Why did you lie to me‽ You used to be my friend!"
"I... I... to protect you. I only ever used magic to protect you, Arthur, and I kept it hidden for the same reason."
"Protect me‽ More like protect yourself! How dare you claim that you were protecting me!"
"Arthur..."
"No! I'm having none of it! You lied to me, and I cannot ever forgive you!" Arthur stormed out.
Arthur literally ran into Gwen on the way.
"Slow down, Arthur," she said.
"I'm sorry, Gwen, I wasn't looking where I was going."
"There's no need to apologize. What is it, Arthur? You look troubled."
"It's... complicated."
"Are you sure you don't want to tell me?" Arthur sighed.
"How would you feel if you found out that one of your servants had been lying to you for years?"
"Oh. What are you going to do about it?"
"I've half a mind to execute him, though lying isn't a good enough reason to do so."
"You need to calm down, Arthur, you're in no state to make such a decision now."
"You're right, of course." Arthur sighed. "I need something to take my mind off the issue."
"What about training with your knights?" Perfect, except that Merlin would be there. "No, I'm really not in the mood. I think I'll go to the tavern. I need to dull my mind for a while." Gwen sighed.
"Just... be careful."
"Of course."
Gwen walked away, when she happened to hear crying. It wasn't very loud, but she still heard it. She followed the sound until she reached Gaius' chambers. Tentatively, she walked in.
"What is it you require?" Gaius asked.
"Nothing, I just heard crying and was worried something was happening."
"Nothing to worry about, it's just Merlin sulking."
"Oh. What's wrong? May I talk to him?"
"I suppose."
Merlin's eyes were red and puffy. His face was buried in his hands, and he didn't notice Gwen until she tapped him gently on the shoulder. Startled, Merlin jerked up, then relaxed when he saw who it was. "Gwen?"
"What's wrong, Merlin?"
"It's Arthur."
"What happened?"
"Well, I told him I..."
"You what?"
"Please promise me you won't hate me or storm off or never trust me again. One lost friend is bad enough." Gwen nodded. Merlin took a deep breath. "I have magic," he said quickly. Gwen's eyes widened.
"And that's what you told Arthur?" Merlin nodded.
"And now he hates me."
"Give it some time, I'm sure he'll come round." Merlin sighed.
"I sure hope you're right."
But Arthur didn't come round. He made the announcement to the people of his identity, and they were surprised, but they accepted him. Gaius confessed that he had magic, and Arthur was upset for a while, but quickly changed his mind when he saw how much more effective Gaius was as a physician when he could use magic openly. And still, Arthur couldn't forgive Merlin. The knights saw how distant the two were, and how much it hurt Merlin. They all tried to talk to Arthur in their own way, but nothing convinced him. Merlin thought he would be hated forever. But that all changed the day Arthur became sick.
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