Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It started the same way pretty much every Monday started for Arthur... Blood, sweat, tears, and a desperate attempt to save a life.

This time, the danger came from a surprise ambush by a couple of knights from Lot's neighboring kingdom. What they wanted was a little blurry considering Arthur hadn't given them much time to explain before cutting them down in the midst of battle, but either way he escaped unscathed. Really, Lot needed to train his knights a bit better anyways. The fact that Arthur could take five of them down by himself was a little embarrassing.

What was a little more worrying was Merlin.

Arthur was no physician by any stretch of the imagination, but he did know the basics of battle wounds and Merlin was losing too much blood too fast. Kneeling down, he gnawed at his lip to try and tighten the makeshift tourniquet around his leg only for Merlin to give a sharp intake of pain.

"Sorry," He murmured absently and ran a hand over his face "I might... Need to cauterize it." He said slowly. Then, remembering that Merlin didn't have a royal education, went to explain. "To keep you from losing blood I'll have to heat up my blade and-"

"I know what it means!" Merlin hissed back, flinching a little as he tried to push Arthur's hands away. "We're not doing that. I can take care of it. Just... Get some firewood or something." He ordered. Arthur didn't bother to reprimand him for it. There was a note of sharp fear in his tone that told him that Merlin was already familiar with how to heal this particular wound.

"It isn't going to magically heal by itself, Merlin. I could knock you out?" He tried and Merlin's eyes narrowed. "Would you honestly rather die?" He asked. Merlin clenched his jaw.

"I really, really can take care of it myself. As honored as I am that you would like to burn my skin together I promise I'll do better healing it. I'm Gaius' apprentice, remember?" He asked. Arthur groaned. While that was true, Merlin had only just started learning from Gaius and definitely did not have the skill to heal this without giving himself some kind of infection and dying immediately.

"We don't have time to argue. It's happening. Get over it." He told him, eying the blood still spurting from the wound. Merlin went to argue, but Arthur had already turned away back to where he had started a fire, laying his sword over the flames. It wasn't like the man could run away from him on that leg. What he wanted to do about this wasn't really relevant. "It won't be that bad." Arthur said over his shoulder, hoping to provide some comfort. "It'll be only a few minutes and done."

"Come near me with that damn sword and I will cut your eyes out, I swear to-"

Merlin didn't deserve his comfort.

Feeling slightly less bad now that Merlin was being annoying, he went to focus on getting his sword the right temperature. Maybe, if he was lucky, Merlin would be passed out by the time Arthur was finished and he could go through this process without him being in too much pain... or complaining. Considering the absolute silence behind him he thought he might have gotten his wish. He glanced over and sure enough, Merlin's head was lolling to the side as his breathing slowed - though still worryingly shallow.

Also, there was a cloaked figure looming over him that Arthur felt he should be vaguely threatened by.

"Don't. Move." He said, yanking his sword out of the flames to point it at the back of the intruder. The sword was glowing orange from the fire - singeing the cloth even though it barely touched. Arthur frowned. Considering how low his sword was aimed... This was either someone very short or a child. He opened his mouth to demand an explanation only for the hood to fall back and a pair of blue eyes to latch themselves onto Arthur.

"Hello, Prince Arthur."

"I... Hello." Arthur frowned. Dim recognition flickered to the surface. A child they had rescued weeks prior from execution. The druid boy, specifically. "What are you doing?" He asked, lowering the sword though not quite letting it fall away completely. His eyes flicked to Merlin - brows creasing when he noted the absence of blood. There were remnants of dried red around the frayed fabric but other than that... He was breathing. It was still slightly shallow but but Arthur could see color coming back to his face as he shifted a bit.

The boy watched his expression, fiddling with a cloth bag in his hands. A poultice, Arthur realized. Without a word, the boy pointed to Merlin.

Huh. Okay.

“Mordred, right?” Arthur asked, kneeling in front of him cautiously. The boy nodded, eyes wide as he looked at Arthur as if he might bolt at any moment. “What are you doing back in Camelot? My father won’t like seeing you again.” He warned. Or tried to. It was hard for Arthur to casually throw ‘my father will stop at nothing to kill you’ into a conversation with a ten-year-old.

“He’s hurt.” Mordred whispered and Arthur glanced over at where Merlin was still unconscious. A sudden realization dawned on him as he turned back to look at the poultice clenched tightly in Mordred’s hands. He hadn't been passing by... He had come here because Merlin was hurt.

“You healed him,” He said slowly “With magic.”

Mordred nodded. Arthur’s mind raced back – thinking of all Merlin had survived in his encounters with bandits and sorcerers and nobles. Before he could ask if Mordred had been responsible for all of it, there was a groan as Merlin himself shifted, eyes flickering open.

“You... You really knocked me out?" He breathed, putting a hand on his head. He winced, hand moving to his leg. "I guess I sho – you!” Merlin choked, sitting up quickly to grab Arthur’s arm as if he could yank the prince away from this very small child. Mordred grinned.

“You’re awake!” He beamed and launched forward to hug him. Arthur watched as Merlin stiffened at the action – eyes widening as he spluttered before desperately trying to push him away.

“Arthur. Arthur, get him off of me-”

"He won't bite. Pretty sure he just saved your life." Arthur told him flatly as Merlin attempted to pry Mordred off. The boy broke away, holding up the poultice proudly in front of Merlin's nose.

"I made it. Look." He instructed. Merlin scowled but indeed took the pouch to examine it for a few moments. He finally gave a begrudging nod and handed it back.

"...very nice." He said flatly and Mordred beamed. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be with the druids? You did take him to the druids, right?" He asked and Arthur rolled his eyes. Obviously he did. Mordred didn't answer them... Though for some reason Merlin gave a wary sigh and nodded as if Mordred had actually responded. "You have to go home." He said and lightly shoved him. Mordred frowned.

"Your leg is okay?" He asked, lightly touching at the newly healed fleshed. Arthur curiously leaned forward to look at it. There was a thin, pink line that could have been mistaken for a scratch rather than a blistering sword wound. "I'll stay and make sure." Mordred told Merlin and slid up next to him, putting a head on his shoulder. Merlin froze. He looked absolutely scandalized...

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me-" He tried, leaning away. Mordred grabbed Merlin's hand, poking at a leather band around his wrist.

"What's that?"

"Um, a bracelet-"

"Where did you get it?"

"My friend gave it to me-"

"Who's your friend?"

"His name was Will-"

"Why isn't his name Will anymore?"

"He..." Merlin began and looked at Arthur helplessly. "He, uh..." He said and rubbed the back of his head. A strange look passed over his face - eyes conflicted in unconcealed frustration before he let out a low sigh. "Do you want some food?" He asked, shoulders slumping as he grabbed open his bag and pulled out some apples. Mordred brightened, seemingly distracted from pursuing his line of questioning on Merlin's dead best friend to instead accept the snack happily.

"You're really nice." Mordred informed Merlin happily and licked his lips before biting in. Merlin watched him for a moment before running a hand over his face. Arthur blinked. Alright... So, he was apparently going to have to find a way to return Mordred before heading back to the city. Shaking his head, he sat down and grabbed another apple from Merlin's bag.

"Mordred," He said slowly and the boy looked at him "I know... Druids have always been peaceful," He began. Mordred nodded. "And that they also practice magic." He added. Mordred nodded once more. "But you must be careful. Just because they use magic does not mean you should." He explained. Mordred blinked.

"But I healed him." He said and tapped on Merlin's leg. "See?"

"Yes, but... Well, sometimes magic can corrupt if you're not careful." Arthur tried to explain. "And you're very young. It might not be a good idea to use such powers." He said. Mordred looked at him for a moment before breaking out into a bright grin a nodding. Then, as if that reaction wasn't bizarre enough, he nudged Merlin's ribs with a giggle before biting into his apple once more. Merlin snorted before setting his face into a stoic mask to hide his amusement.

The rest of the trip remained just as bizarre. Mordred pointed them in the direction of the nearest druid camp and Arthur escorted him there safely while Merlin tried vehemently to ignore the child constantly vying for his attention. Arthur would have thought his servant liked children (he was one enough himself) but if Mordred was anything to go by he definitely did not. It was almost a little amusing. Mordred didn't seem to process how uncomfortable he was making Merlin. He instead fancied himself a friend and went about picking flowers and holding his hand as if they had known each other for years.

"Mordred," Arthur finally asked as they approached cloth tents and gentle smoke rising a few feet away "How did you know Merlin was in trouble?" He asked. Mordred paused - having been in the midst of flinging his arms around Merlin for another hug as Merlin tried in vain to resist.

"I didn't. I just wanted to say hi." He said. Arthur had many questions to follow that up. Including but not limited to: how did he know where they were? Why did he want to say hi? To just Merlin or to Arthur as well? And most importantly... Had he helped Merlin like this before?

Mordred didn't give him a chance to ask. He was dashing off towards the camp with one last wave over his shoulder. Merlin watched him go.

"I hate that kid."

Arthur decided rather soon after the incident that it must truly be difficult work to hate Mordred and quite honestly... Merlin's attempts were valiant.

After all, it took a certain type of willpower to look at the bruise on this boy's cheek and not hug him. Even Arthur gave in when he heard the sniffling somewhere down the stream only to find a few battered Mordred trying to wash mud off of his arms by the bank.

"Oh, damnit." Merlin muttered when they were close enough to see who it was. Mordred's head shot up at Merlin's voice and without even a second of hesitation he sprinted towards them only to trip and fall once more into the mud. Merlin looked up at the sky. "Why are you making this so hard?" He seethed to whatever deity was up there making everyone's life horribly difficult.

"You're here!" Mordred said after he managed to get up again - tears still streaking down his cheek. Arthur knelt down, studying him over carefully. "Th-there were m-men." He stuttered out when Arthur gently looked over the bruises "Th-they wanted to take me to Uther." He whispered. Arthur winced. Bounty hunters. Swallowing, he looked back at Merlin who did very little to hide the horror on his face. Pressing his lips together, he brought Mordred into a tight hug before accepting the ointment that Merlin handed over.

"Here, we'll fix you up and take you home." He said quietly. Mordred nodded. "How did they find you?" Arthur added on, letting his brows crease together. "Were you out here alone?" He asked. Mordred nodded. "Why?"  What was it with this kid and sneaking off? Mordred hung his head a little before pulling something out of his cloak and holding it out to Merlin.

"Mordred..." Merlin groaned and accepted what appeared to be a small book of some sort, wrapped in cloth. Merlin took a deep breath. "Thank you." He managed and with a sigh, pushed Arthur to the side. "You're doing it wrong." He muttered. Arthur scoffed, a little indignant at the idea he would be putting on ointment wrong but decided it would probably be best if someone with actual medical training dealt with the injured kid.

"You came all this way to give Merlin a book?" Arthur asked - unable to keep the alarm out of his voice. Mordred had met Merlin one time...And during the entire period of time they had known one another Merlin almost killed him with his poor physician skills (thank God they had improved so quickly) and almost left them trapped while trying to escape. It seemed bizarre for Mordred to have such an attachment to him.

"It's... The anniversary of my birth." Merlin explained slowly. Arthur stared. How did Mordred know that? Arthur knew that Merlin was born in spring... He didn't know the day! After all, it wasn't like people were around to record his birth. That was reserved for royalty. Perhaps magical people could sense exactly when people were born but... Just why?

Shaking his head, he went to start a fire. Clearly, Merlin must remind Mordred of someone very dear and he was projecting or something. That was the only possible explanation to this madness.

"Listen here," He heard Merlin murmur as he began dabbing at some of Mordred's cuts "I see what you're doing... And yes, you are very adorable, but I'm not falling for it. You can't win me over with gifts, understand?"  He asked and Arthur peered over his shoulder. Mordred tilted his head. "I'm only helping you because... Arthur is making me." He decided though his tone weakened towards the end. "This little charade of yours won't fool me." He said. Mordred blinked. "Stop it."

"Do you like the book?"

"How did you even escape the bounty hunters?" Merlin countered, placing the final bandages on his arms. Mordred puffed out his chest.

"I am a very fast runner! After they hit me I pretended to be asleep and when they turned around I ran away." He explained. Merlin made a choking noise before nodding. "You want to see me run?" He asked and before Merlin could answer was sprinting off towards the bank again.

"Mordred!" Merlin shouted after him "Wait! Your - ah." He sighed when Mordred tripped and fell into the water. "Great."

"I'M OKAY!" Mordred said, sitting back up. "Did you see how fast that was?" He asked, looking between Merlin and Arthur. Deciding someone ought to humor the poor child, Arthur clapped before giving a thumbs up of approval. Merlin just watched for a moment before lying back in what could only be described as complete and utter defeat. "I can swim good too." Mordred called out.

"I don't deserve this." Merlin muttered.

The next time Mordred appeared, Arthur was convinced that this kid could possibly be flat out insane.

Luckily, he wasn't alone in his thoughts.

"You are leaving this instant!"

"But..." Mordred gaped at Morgana, eyes wide and betrayed as he looked over his shoulder to where Merlin had his face buried in his hands "There's a witchfinder." He whispered and his eyes flickered to Arthur warily. "He's a liar though. I know he is-"

"I cannot believe you came inside this castle again," Merlin frowned, yanking at his hair "Mordred, Uther will recognize you. Not to mention if the witchfinder sees any of us with you-"

"You've already been accused!" Mordred interrupted, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm going to help you escape." He added fiercely. Merlin stared. He turned to Morgana who was also staring... Before she finally turned to Arthur who, like mostly everyone else in this room, was staring. When Morgana barreled into his room at these godforsaken hours he had assumed it was going to be over Gaius' supposed confession. Not that Mordred had suddenly appeared in her chambers.

"Mordred, Gaius already took the fall for me." Merlin said slowly "Because he's innocent," He added flatly to Arthur with narrowed eyes. Arthur raised both his hands to show he agreed. Merlin's shoulders relaxed slightly at the sight of it. "Aredian is now going to frame him. I'm safe... But we're going to find a way to free him. You go home." He said. Mordred opened his mouth.

"It sounds dangerous." He noted. Merlin nodded.

"It is."

"So you need someone to protect you."

"Ye - no." Merlin backtracked. "Mordred, I'm fine." He said and Mordred bit his lip, turning to look at Morgana. She gave him a weak smile as he leaned into her side, playing absently with her fingers as he seemed to mull over the situation.

"I'm going to protect you too." He murmured to her and Merlin threw up his hands. Morgana sighed and knelt down, putting a hand on his cheek.

"That is very brave, Mordred. However, we simply can't risk you being here. You need to go home." She said. Arthur didn't feel like he was really part of this conversation, but nodded anyways. Mordred frowned, hands twisting uncertainly as he glanced over at Merlin and Arthur before leaning in. Despite his dramatically lowered voice, Arthur could hear his whispers quite easily.

"But Lady Morgana, Merlin is going to protect Arthur." He explained. Arthur internally scoffed at that.

"I... Arthur isn't in danger." Morgana whispered back and Mordred shook his head.

"But Merlin protects him and so I have to protect Merlin." He explained lowly... As if that made any sense. "And what about you?" He added on with a frown. "Does anyone protect you? I'll do it." He nodded. Arthur inwardly sighed and leaned against the door. He could hear the quiet footsteps of guards passing by and immediately rose his hand to signal silence. Mordred didn't say anything, but the pouting still continued until Arthur nodded when the guards passed once more.

"How about this," Morgana countered "I protect Merlin. Merlin protects Arthur. Arthur protects me." She tried. Mordred considered this, wrinkling his nose as he tilted his head at Arthur for a moment. He turned back to Morgana.

"I don't know if Arthur can protect you very well-"

"Wait a moment!" Arthur spluttered in offense. How was this fair? Merlin was apparently capable of protecting Arthur for some unknown reason and Morgana who, admittedly was fairly fierce but still Morgana could protect Merlin, but Arthur is where he drew the line? The one who had the most training and military experience? Absolutely unfair. Morgana laughed, pressing her forehead forward so it met Mordred's.

"Arthur is a knight." She reminded him and Mordred nodded.

"I know," He said simply "And knights are good at fighting people but not protecting people." He reasoned. Arthur was about to point out it was a knight's entire purpose to protect people only to stop short when he saw Mordred's hands clench into fists. Perhaps... To someone like Mordred... Knights didn't protect people. After all, he had only seen knights when they were raiding druid camps after all. Guilt ebbed in his stomach. Morgana frowned and pushed Mordred's hair back.

"This knight is very good at protecting people," She said gently "He protected you, didn't he?"

Mordred blinked. He went quiet for a moment before giving a very slow nod.

"That's how knights should be," Morgana continued "So don't worry about me." She smiled and tapped the end of his nose. "But...You know what? You might need to protect me when I bring you back hom-"

"I'll do it." Merlin interrupted. Morgana opened her mouth. "It'll be more noticeable if you or Arthur leave. I have it under control." He explained, eyes not leaving Mordred. The boy brightened at the offer and stepped away from Morgana to launch himself at Merlin. "Okay... Get off." He muttered. Morgana glanced at Arthur. He bit the inside of his cheek. Merlin was already under some scrutiny from the witchfinder...

"I could-" He began but was cut off by Mordred's huff.

"He's going to take me." He said, a little possessively as he grabbed Merlin's hand. "Don't worry. I'll keep him safe." He said and tugged at Merlin's arm. "We have good secret messages, right?" He asked, grinning a little. Merlin looked at him with a roll of his eyes.

"A secret language... Sure." He grumbled and pushed Mordred "Come on. Before I throw you out the window." He sighed "And this is the last time I'm helping you, okay? We talked about this." He added on as Mordred rushed to Arthur's closet to grab a cloak and throw over Merlin. "You can't - what are you doing?" He asked, tugging at the cloak. Mordred climbed on the chair next to Arthur's table to reach up and pull the hood over Merlin's eyes.

"It's a disguise. To keep you safe." He explained. Morgana looked away, hiding a smile. Arthur hummed for a second. Well... They should probably wait a bit longer to ensure the rest of the castle was asleep before smuggling Mordred out (again). Perhaps he could be of some assistance in this disguise. Morgana's eyes met his and nodded. Clearly, she was having similar thoughts.

"Mordred," Arthur whispered and went to his closet to find whatever God awful clothes he had collected throughout the years via gifts or just childhood in general. "A disguise is a marvelous idea! Would this help?" He asked, holding up one his stained shirts. Mordred gaped.

"Yeah!" He asked. Merlin scowled at him before turning his betrayed gaze onto Morgana as she got up to go to the closet. "Maybe he needs a hat."

"A hat!" Arthur agreed eagerly as Morgana pulled out a few options that Arthur's great uncle had sent him back when he six. Merlin choked.

"I am not wearing that!"

Spoiler: He wore, not only the hat, but a variety of other clothes that Mordred had picked out to ensure Merlin's safety. As far as rescues went... This one might have be Arthur's favorite.

"...and then you pull it here. See?"

Mordred made a face as he pulled at the strings around his cloak, yanking them in various directions before giving a small huff and simply knotting them. He looked over at Merlin who shook his head. "Well, now you've made it hard to undo." Merlin told him and reached over to ruffle his hair fondly. "Keep practicing. You'll get it." He smiled and Mordred smiled a little as the servant got up to collect more firewood. Arthur watched him go, eyes flickering to where Mordred was still attempting to tie his cloak strings into a bow unsuccessfully. They were bringing him back to a druid camp (again! How many times was this going to happen?) after another impromptu visit that Arthur was a little... Suspicious about.

"Mordred," He finally said and the boy glanced up "You... Wouldn't happen to know anything about that poultice business, would you?" He asked. Mordred stopped tying. "You know, the one that was found in my bedroom?" He asked, studying the druid over carefully. Mordred tensed as looked back at the strings.

"Maybe." He whispered and bit his lip "It wasn't a real one. It didn't really enchant you or Miss. Gwen." He said quietly. Arthur waited. "So... So Dragoon wasn't really a criminal." He added, shifting in his seat. He leaned away from the fire and Arthur felt his heart sink a bit at the sight of it. He wondered how the pyre being built in the courtyard and felt to him.

"Well," Arthur said slowly and leaned back on the log behind him "It is a good thing that someone helped him escape last night, isn't it?" He asked. Mordred nodded. "I wonder who would do such a thing." He tacked on. Mordred shrugged. Arthur snorted. Right. "You know, he wasn't a very nice old man-"

"He didn't mean all of what he said!" Mordred said quickly and Arthur tilted his head. "He doesn't really think you look like a toad." He giggled and covered his mouth. Arthur rolled his eyes. "Or that you have the brains of a donkey." He added. Arthur wasn't even sure how the Hell Mordred had even heard Dragoon's little rant.

"And what of my father? Did he mean those words?" He asked. Mordred looked at him - eyes flicking from the fire to Arthur a few times before moving slightly away. The lack of answer was really all Arthur needed anyways. Sighing, he tossed another stick into the flames. "You did a good thing, Mordred... Saving that man." He said quietly. The boy sat up a little - looking somewhere between bewildered and pleased by the praise. "You just need to be careful and make sure you keep saving the right people. It is a challenge all knights face." He tacked on.

"Knights?" Mordred repeated and wrinkled his nose "Am I a knight?" He asked, a hint of doubt coloring his tone. Arthur shrugged.

"That's up to you, really." He said. Mordred considered this. He looked down at the knotted strings of his cloak to Arthur to where his sword sat near the edge of the fire. Finally, he moved over a bit so he was closer to Arthur.

"Knights serve a king, right?"

"They do."

"And they protect that king?"

"Correct." Arthur told him and Mordred went quiet.

"Can I protect my king?" He clarified and Arthur frowned.

"Your king?" He repeated and shifted a little so he was facing him. "Do druids have a king of their own?" He asked, unwillingly fascinated by the idea. A king seemed... Not at all in line with druid customs. Then again, he knew very little about the druids as it was. Mordred made a face.

"Um... Sort of. Some people call him a king. Other people call him, uh..." He frowned, struggling with the word "Well, he's a very important person." Mordred decided and smiled. "I met him." He whispered and Arthur raised his eyebrows. "None of the other kids believe me back in the camps, but it's true. He's my friend." Mordred continued with a fierce nod. "And I protect him sometimes. I heal his wounds and keep bad people away and make sure he doesn't get caught by bad people." He explained. The words 'like your father' weren't said, but Arthur picked up on them anyways. "All the legends say he's old and wise... I guess he is old. And a little wise. He knows lots of things I don't know." He reasoned and looked down at his knotted strings once more.

"I see." Arthur said slowly "And this...king of yours, does he bestow knighthoods?"

"No," Mordred shook his head "But I'm going to be his knight anyways. He can't stop me."

"Not sure that's the right attitude, but I like the energy there." Arthur scoffed and Mordred beamed. "Poor Merlin. I bet he's going to miss having you as his knight in shining armor now that you're off serving this king and saving old men from execution." He added. For whatever reason, Mordred's smile widened. He slid even closer to Arthur, putting his head on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, your sire." He said and Arthur internally cringed at the 'your sire' bit. Obviously, he wouldn't know titles given he lived in the woods most of his life, but it was kind of adorable and Arthur just couldn't take it. "You and I will always be Merlin's knights."

Arthur swore on his life he would never let Merlin hear those words but... Yes. That was definitely true.

"I know what you're doing."

Merlin paused in polishing one of Arthur's boots to look up at him. It was ridiculous really. Arthur could see the edge of Mordred's cloak behind the curtain (how the Hell did he keep getting into Camelot?). You would think someone with magic would be better at hiding.

"What are you talking about?" Merlin asked and Arthur gestured wildly around the room. Merlin glanced around before giving a slight shake of his head in confusion. "My lord?" He asked, voice way too innocent. From behind the curtain there was a small laugh and Merlin had to look down to hide a smile of his own.

"My clothes are all green. There are an absurd amount of butterflies in my room. All my furniture has miraculously moved to very different places and - " He said, pointing to a plate on the desk "My food all tastes like sand!" He spat out, trying in vain to keep the anger down. Merlin blinked.

"Oh... My lord, that can't be right." He frowned and tapped a finger to his lips, ignoring the chaos that was Arthur's chambers. "Such things I think can only be accomplished by magic." He said and dropped the boot. "And... I don't think there is any magic here, right?" He asked with a pointed glance towards the curtain. Arthur grimaced. There was absolutely no way he could admit that the very same druid boy that had escaped execution was now hiding out in his chambers playing ridiculous pranks on him... Or that, even worse, his servant was playing along with it.

"Get him back to the druid camp tonight." Arthur hissed. Merlin only shrugged and went back to the boot. "Why is he even here?" He asked. Merlin glanced over his shoulder before rolling his eyes and leaning in. Arthur also moved forward to hear the whispered response.

"He heard there was goblin loose in Camelot and wanted to help out." He explained lowly. Arthur made a face. The goblin had been quite a few weeks ago but he supposed Merlin was simply humoring him. At least that meant that all these ridiculous pranks would disappear soon if Mordred's goal was to rid them all of this 'goblin'. Grumbling, he went to finish his incredibly disappointing meal only to pause when he a sudden thought crossed his mind.

"Merlin... If Mordred thinks the goblin did all of this. Who did?" He whispered, rounding the corner once again. Merlin tilted his head - brows furrowed in feigned confusion. After a moment of silence he gasped, putting a hand on his chest.

"There really must be a goblin." He whispered dramatically. Arthur picked up the boot to throw in his face.

Quite frankly, Arthur found the whole thing a little hilarious... Treasonous... But also highly hilarious.

"Hello, Mordred." Arthur greeted, waving up to the figure in the tree. "Thank you for the help back there." He grinned. Mordred jumped down, the leaves scattering as he hit the ground. Merlin crossed his arms over his chest, clearly annoyed as the boy rose. He looked a bit older than when Arthur had last seen him. Maybe fourteen now? It was hard to say for certain. His hair was longer and growing more wild and curly while his clothes seemed just slightly too small on him.

"Hello, Arthur." He greeted, grinning up. "How did you know it was me?" He asked and Arthur snorted.

"Well, ten bandits just got thrown away from Merlin out of nowhere." He said flatly. "I don't know of any other magic user who has persistently and vehemently defended him as you have." He smirked - eyes flicking to Merlin. "Your protector is back." He added, unable to help the slight lilt to his voice as he smirked. Merlin made a face.

"Please stop saving my life." He said flatly and reached over to pick a few leaves from Mordred's hair. "What on Earth have you been doing?" He asked. Mordred didn't need to be asked twice as he launched into a play by play of pretty much every event from the last time they had seen him (three days ago... He had pushed Merlin out of the way of a rogue horse galloping by) to now. "I thought you promised you were going to stay at the camp this time." Merlin muttered and Mordred winced.

"Uh, well, yeah... About that." He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. Merlin paused. "I might be traveling with some bandits."

"Excuse me?"

"Bandits?!"

"I know you said not to after what happened with Alvarr!" Mordred said loudly and Arthur rose his arms a little in irritation. Alvarr had been some idiot who had stolen a crystal with the intention of Mordred learning how to use it years ago. Morgana had argued it belonged to the druids anyway but his father wasn't having it. Personally, Arthur wasn't a fan of exposing Mordred to more magic than strictly needed anyways. For once, Merlin had agreed (though he had admittedly been more horrified that Mordred was traveling with a renegade of criminals). "But... Uh, no offense but your father kept destroying my home." He added with a helpless shrug.

"I'm regent now, Mordred." Arthur said, crossing his arms over his chest "And have not issued any druid raids."

"Yes, and thank you for that," Mordred nodded "But-"

"We found you!"

Arthur turned to find Leon slipping off his horse with a bright grin as Gwaine and Percival trotted up behind him. The three knights waved as Mordred curiously glanced over. Arthur gave a weak smile in return. Lancelot and Elyan had also appeared, leading their mares on foot. Lancelot paused - eyes flicking to Mordred before turning to Merlin with a questioning look. Merlin only rolled his eyes and nodded in return.

"And who is this?" Gwaine asked, walking over to study Mordred.

"He's a bandit apparently." Merlin said and Mordred whipped around to glare at him.

"I said I was traveling with bandits! Not that I was one-"

"An annoying bandit." Merlin said sharply. Gwaine blinked and turned to Arthur for a silent explanation. Sighing, Arthur shook his head and cleared his throat, redirecting everyone's attention onto him.

"Mordred these are my knights. Leon, Percival, Lancelot, Gwaine, and Elyan. Everyone this is Mordred. He's... Uh. Well, we've known him for quite some time now. He has dedicated his life to ensuring Merlin's survival." Arthur explained. Immediately, everyone's expressions cleared. They had all heard of Mordred, of course. Merlin complained every time that the boy came by. He almost was something of a ghost story within Camelot. If you listened in the dead of the knight or watched closely enough you may see a sliver of Mordred in the night... Off to save Merlin from tripping over his own shoelaces.

"Wait - I know you!" Gwaine gasped and held out his hand "Fantastic. I'm a huge fan of your work. I'm something of a Merlin fan myself."

"Gwaine." Merlin groaned as Mordred accepted the hand cautiously. Unfortunately for him, the rest of the knights never missed out on a opportunity to tease Merlin and immediately lined up to declare their appreciation.

"-yes, lovely stuff. Just lovely."

"I, myself, have tried to die for Merlin several times, you know-"

"We have a club. You should come by."

"Truly doing God's work, my boy. I had to stop him from poisoning himself last week."

"Are you all done?" Merlin asked loudly. The group snickered as they finished clapping Mordred on the shoulders. Lancelot smiled warmly and lightly shoved Merlin before leaning over to whisper something in Mordred's ear. Whatever it was immediately brightened the kid up because he was absolutely beaming as he pulled away and nodded eagerly. Lancelot laughed and punched his arm.

"My lord," Gwaine said, turning to Arthur "If it is true that he really is traveling with bandits perhaps we should intervene." He said. Merlin tensed - eyes narrowing slightly as he took a nervous step towards Mordred. "After all, we don't want him involved in such a lifestyle. Why not bring him back to Camelot with us? Rumor has it he stops by there often enough anyways." He shrugged.

"You have spoken of your attempts to make peace druids." Lancelot offered. Arthur bit his lip. It seemed... Cruel to declare such an act while his father was still alive. He may not be responsive but Arthur knew how horrified he would be if he knew Arthur had allowed commoners into his army, let alone allow a druid to step foot legally into the city. Still... Gwaine did have a point. Would it be better to let Mordred wander around caught up with bandits? He was really just a child.

"This is true," Arthur said and looked at Mordred. "I wouldn't be opposed... Given that Mordred leaves his life of crime behind him." He added on flatly.

"I wasn't living a -"

"Mordred." Merlin interrupted.

"Thank you, your majesty." Mordred sighed and stuck his tongue out at Merlin. "I would be honored." He smiled, bowing his head. Arthur shook his head. He shouldn't be surprised they ended up here given the kid's love for trouble. "Hey... This is going to make it so much easier to keep an eye on you." He added brightly to Merlin. Merlin's mouth dropped - eyes widening as he spluttered indignantly while the rest of the knights all clapped in approval.

"Arthur. Arthur," Merlin said, jumping over a few wayward crates in the courtyard to dash over to him. "Don't ignore me!" He called and Arthur inwardly groaned as he was halted by Merlin stepping in front of him. "Is it true you're going to knight Mordred?" He asked. Arthur figured there was really no use in justifying his actions. He was, after all, the king. So he merely nodded. Merlin's eyes narrowed.

"Arthur," He said slowly and took a deep breath "If you put this oversized toddler into battle I will, without hesitation, fling you into the sun."

"I'm not that young-" Mordred's voice objected, seemingly melting from nowhere. Unfortunately for Arthur, when he turned around he could see that Mordred was being flanked by a few other knights with equally daunting expressions on each other their faces.

"I don't know, Mordred," Elyan said brightly "Are you even old enough to have a sword?" He asked. Merlin nodded as if this was a valid point. Mordred spluttered as Gwaine jumped in, looking thrilled at the idea of tormenting Mordred... In the two years that Mordred had lived in Camelot all of his knights had taken a liking to tormenting him it seemed.

"Don't be ridiculous, Merlin." Gwaine said and clapped Mordred on the shoulder. "I think he'll make a fine knight." He smiled and Arthur waited. "You know, in about ten years when he hits puberty - "

"Hey..." Mordred objected weakly. "King Arthur was knighted when he was even younger than me." He tried, but the words on fell on deaf ears.

"He's a druid," Merlin continued, ignoring him. "The only battle he's seen is when he was a victim. Now you're going to put in the position to potentially raid his own people?" He demanded. Arthur opened his mouth - a bit offended that Merlin thought he would be following in his father's footsteps of continuing such raids, but didn't get a chance to respond. "Has he even had proper testing? Sure, he's got to virtues of a knight but he hasn't trained formally with any weapon. You require your men to be good with more than just a sword. Can he use a mace? A battle axe? Probably not considering he wasn't a squire and is also a child."

"Teenager." Mordred interjected. Gwaine snorted and ruffled his hair.

"I didn't think you liked Mordred." Arthur said. This had Merlin freeze as he opened his mouth to speak again. Arthur watched his face flicker through a rather impressive display of emotions before he snapped his mouth back closed. Mordred, for his part, brightened considerably.

"You like me now?"

"No!" Merlin said and shook his head. "Go and be a knight. Go die. I don't care." He said and spun around. Mordred grinned after him, shrugging off Gwaine's hand to happily run after him.

"You like me!"

"Go away, Mordred."

"Is it because I saved your life that one time?"

"You didn't-"

"Is it because I saved your life that other time?"

"Saved is not the word I wou-"

"Is it because of the other time I saved your life?"

"How many times has Mordred saved Merlin?" Percival asked, looking awed as Mordred continued needling him. Arthur rolled his eyes and went back to his horse.

"Enough times to bestow a knighthood."

"...it's me."

Arthur yanked against his bindings in frustration, the rope tight enough so that his fingers were numb to the cold and the pain shooting down his arms. Mordred's words paused him for a moment as he glanced over at where his knight was also bound. His eyes were fixed on their captors - face hard as he clenched his jaw. From beside him, Merlin's mouth dropped.

"What's you?" Leon asked, shaking his head fiercely "Mordred, don't give into their game. We don't even know who this Emrys person is-"

"I do," Mordred interrupted calmly. From the other end of the cave, one of the men tilted his head. "I'm the one protecting him." Mordred said slowly and swallowed. "I have been for years." He added and from his other side, Merlin made a noise of disapproval.

"That's a bit generous." He muttered and shook his head. "Mordred, be quiet-"

"You are the protector of Emrys?" The man said, rising from his place in front of the fire to take a few short strides over to them. Mordred gave a short nod.

"That's not true." Merlin argued but was ignored as a few others of the brigade also rose to look curiously at Mordred.

"Why would he choose a young knight of Camelot to serve by his side?" The man asked, taking out his knife and leaning in so that the weapon was precariously close to his neck. Still, Mordred didn't even attempt to jerk away. Arthur tensed. He wasn't sure what he needed to do, but he needed to do it fast.

"Is someone going to tell me who the Hell Emrys is?" He asked loudly. To his relief there was a grumble and the man stepped away from Mordred to look at Arthur with a curled lip. Arthur returned the look with a glower of his own. "Or are you just going to hassle the kid some more?" He asked, narrowing his gaze.

"That kid makes a pretty bold claim." One woman called, leaning against the cave wall as she watched while twirling a blade of her own through her fingers. "Check out his arm, Higgin. I think that's a druid mark." She added with a nod towards Mordred. The man - Higgin apparently - reached over and yanked one of Mordred's sleeves down. Arthur pursed his lips. It wasn't a surprise to anybody familiar with Mordred, but he was concerned at the murmur that went over their captors.

"A druid would be familiar with Emrys..." Higgin mused and shook his head. "Who even are you?" He asked. Mordred took a long breath.

"I am a trusted advisor to Emrys-"

"No." Merlin interrupted.

"-he has served as my mentor for many years."

"Not true."

"And I have protected him in return for protecting the Once and Future King."

"Not even a little correct." Merlin grumbled and cleared his throat. Finally, the group turned to him with a hint of irritation. "Oh? Are you done ignoring me?" Merlin muttered, glaring. "Just to clear things up," He said and nodded towards Mordred. "He's definitely lying. Emrys doesn't even have a protector. I'll be sure to beat him up for you later." He added with a glare. Mordred scowled in return.

"Emrys does too have a protector!" Mordred snapped at him and a gleam caught his eye. "I'm a druid so I know the prophecy of Emrys better than anyone. Do you, Merlin?" He asked. Arthur wasn't sure why he had such a look of triumph on his face, but either way, Merlin seemed infuriated by it. Upon Merlin's spluttered attempt at a response, Mordred turned back to Higgin. "I have looked after Emrys all my life. If you have any hope of getting to him then you must get through me." He said firmly. Arthur opened his mouth - ready to intervene again when there was a sharp snapping sound. Higgin only had a moment to react - eyes widening before another arrow zipped into the cave, catching his shoulder. An unholy scream followed and Arthur felt a surge of relief as Percival and Elyan led a charge into the cave.

The small band of self-proclaimed 'prophets' were really no match for twenty of his soldiers so the whole thing was over rather quickly. Which was for the best because Arthur needed to clear some things up with his servant and knight.

"Let me down." Merlin hissed as Gwaine tucked his sword away. "When I get my hands on you-"

"Let me down first." Mordred said with a wince as he tried to gesture Gwaine towards him. "Quick. Please." He added with a wary glance at Merlin.

"What the Hell is wrong with you? You're Emrys' protector?"

"I have saved his life quite a few times!" Mordred argued as Gwaine seemed to be unwilling to choose between them and opted to help Arthur and Leon out of their bindings instead. "And Arthur said-"

"Emrys doesn't have a protector! I don't care with Arthur said!"

"Well, maybe he needs one. After all, he's off protecting the king all the time." Mordred shrugged and then, as if this wasn't confusing enough, gasped liked Merlin had said something else that he found particularly scandalous. "Well, if the king doesn't have a say on who his protector is then Emrys sure doesn't either!" He growled and his eyes went gold before the rope fell away. Arthur wondered why the Hell he hadn't done that earlier. Merlin gave a growl of outrage. "So I'm Emrys' protector! There!"

"No, you're not!" Merlin shouted back at him as Leon walked over to cut away the rope on his wrists.

"Who's Emrys?" Elyan asked Arthur, brows furrowed in confusion. Arthur shook his head. He was vaguely reminded of a king of some sort that Mordred mentioned years ago, but why would Merlin know anything about that? He had no idea, but they did have a very long ride home for Merlin and Mordred to tell him.

"Where's Merlin?"

"He's off gathering herbs for Gaius." Mordred said, flipping a page in his book. "He should be back in an hour." He added and flipped the page again. Arthur huffed. Merlin's disappearances were something he had gotten used to, yes, but they were still incredibly inconvenient. Arthur opened his mouth to thank him when a sudden thought crossed his mind.

"Don't you usually go with him?" He asked and Mordred made a face.

"He won't let me anymore," Mordred muttered. Arthur raised a brow. "...I might have put a tracking spell on him. And a protection amulet in his bag. Just in case." He said. Arthur nodded. Huh.

"Good work."

"Thank you, sire." Mordred beamed at him. Arthur tilted his head.

"I wonder...Does this all get in the way of you protecting this Emrys fellow?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Mordred, predictably, went white. Arthur waited. "Mordred," He finally said and sat down, facing him. "Is... There something you should tell me?" He asked, keeping his voice as gentle as possible. Mordred shifted and shook his head.

"No, your majesty." He said and looked up to meet Arthur's eyes. "I told you before. Emrys is the leader of the druid people. I have... Explained his existence to Merlin which is why he knew of him in the cave. That's all." He said firmly. Arthur rose an eyebrow. "Are you questioning my honor as a knight, my lord?" Mordred tacked on, chest puffing out a bit. Honestly. Arthur wasn't sure why he bothered.

"Of course not, Sir Mordred." He sighed and reached over to pat his knee. "This just all reminded me that Sir McGavin actually suggested all of Merlin's mysterious trips to the tavern had been the result of sorcery -"

"What?!" Mordred interrupted with a gasp "I said I validated those claims! I gave my word as a knight that he is innocent!" He said and snapped the book shut. Arthur only shrugged. "He questions my honor as a knight?" Mordred demanded and threw up his hands. "I'm so sorry, sire. I must challenge a fellow knight to a duel." He said and Arthur gave an understanding nod as he gestured towards the door in welcome. Mordred gave a stiff bow before storming across the room to grab his sword and yank up some chainmail.

"So," Percival popped his head in a few minutes later when Mordred left the room "Mordred isn't admitting Merlin is a sorcerer?"

"No. He's going to fight Sir McGavin over it right now."

"Ah, that's unfortunate... And where is Merlin?"

"I don't know. Mordred has a tracking spell on him though so I'm sure it's fine."

Arthur hadn't really expected them to gang up on him... Though it did happen more than he cared to admit. Especially after becoming king.

"This isn't funny."

"We haven't said anything!" Merlin objected immediately as Mordred coughed into his goblet. Arthur narrowed his eyes. He had long figured out that Merlin and Mordred were able to communicate telepathically. It was fairly obvious once you knew both had magic. Only, Arthur couldn't quite call them out on it unless he was going to admit to knowing about Merlin's magic... Which he wouldn't. Him and the knights had sworn themselves to secrecy up until Merlin was ready to tell them himself. Which, granted, felt like forever and was incredibly frustrating in times like these. 

"You're both laughing." Arthur pointed out calmly. "Stop."

"My lord, I... We aren't even near each other." Merlin said and gestured to where, admittedly, Mordred was far on the other side of the table hidden from view next to Leon. Arthur was pretty sure he couldn't see Merlin's face which made the argument that they were somehow communicating much harder to make. "If we were both laughing it was entirely coincidental." He said with a nod. Arthur looked around and closed his eyes.

"This is a council meeting. If you two can't behave then you leave." He said firmly. There was a pause and both Mordred and Merlin gave meager nods.

"Alright," He said and turned back to his papers "Our routes will have to be scouted before our next patrol." He continued and immediately Merlin gave a sharp intake. Arthur slammed his hand onto the table - glaring at where Mordred was trying in vain to hide a smile. "Anything to add, Sir Mordred?" He asked through gritted teeth and Mordred's smile disappeared.

"Oh, um, no, my lord." He said quickly and coughed into his hand. Arthur turned to Merlin who shook his head.

"Good." He sighed and waited. Sure enough, Mordred and Merlin immediately began snickering once he looked away. "Can you two please just take your conversation outside?"

"What? We aren't even talking-"

"Shh..." Arthur whispered and held up his hands "Both of you get out."

Arthur wasn't sure what Mordred's obsession was with the Dolma.

He adored her at any rate. Arthur figured she must be related to the druids in some way because anytime magic presented itself Mordred always suggested the Dolma as a solution. Half the time Arthur was pretty sure they didn't need the sorceress but Mordred somehow brought her anyways. Curiously, Merlin never seemed as thrilled when the Dolma was mentioned. He had asked Merlin numerous times if he had any qualms with the woman only for his servant to sigh and say she was a very trustworthy source of magic. It was bewildering... Though not quite as bewildering at this.

"Where is the Dolma?" Arthur asked, brows pulling together in confusion as he looked around. Mordred was currently choking in the background - hand placed on his chest. He turned to his knight with a brow slightly raised. "I thought you sent for her, Mordred." He asked, a little irritated. Mordred opened his mouth a few times before closing it again. Arthur frowned and turned back to the woman in front of him.

"I apologize on behalf of my knight-" He began, but the woman only raised a hand - taking a long breath. She looked... Familiar. More familiar than Arthur cared to admit. Perhaps he was thinking of Morgana. There were similarities in the pale skin and dark hair, certainly.

"I... I do blame your knight for my appearance certainly," She said through gritted teeth and Arthur blinked. Mordred only put a hand over his mouth as he snickered. "This isn't funny." She snapped at him. "I look ridiculous."

"Oh, I think not, my lady." Gwaine swooped in immediately and reached forward to kiss her hand. The woman froze - eyes widening as if absolutely scandalized by the gesture. "The only ridiculous thing about you is how ridiculously beautiful you are." He smiled and the woman used her free hand to cover her face as she muttered something under her breath.

"Gwaine." Leon warned and the knight merely winked before kissing her hand once more. "I'm sorry, my lady. He doesn't know any boundaries. Do you have a message to share with the thing regarding the Dolma's absence?" He asked, the epitome of polite. There were a couple beats of silence where the woman opened and closed her mouths before shifting a bit, tightening the poorly knitted shawl tighter around her shoulders. Arthur blinked. Oh. Right.

"Uh," He frowned and glanced around "Would you like some better clothes? I think we should have something," He began warily, looking at the rags she was currently dressed in. Immediately, Mordred's laughter grew as the woman turned bright red. "Am I missing something?" He asked flatly. Mordred held up his hands in surrender.

"I apologize, my lord." He managed and straightened up "I... I concocted a potion to sneak the Dolma into the castle unnoticed." He explained slowly, as if mulling over the words before smirking at the woman "It appeared to have a, uh, anti-aging effect?" He suggested. Arthur opened his mouth only to freeze a second later. Oh. Oh.

"Dolma?" He asked uncertainly and the woman somehow flushed an even darker shade of red. "Oh, uh, I see." He said and Gwaine gasped.

"Dolma! You were hot!" He called out gleefully with a clap of his hands. The Dolma only groaned before giving a slight huff and another glare at Mordred.

"This is the last time you help me with any potion brewing." She muttered under her breath and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Please, my lord, forgive my appearance-"

"Completely forgiven." Gwaine informed her and without hesitation, her eyes flashed gold to send a goblet flying at his head. The Dolma continued without missing a beat.

"I'll be happy to help you with this curse." She said and Mordred immediately skipped over to her side. He gave everyone a very firm nod. "But I - what are you doing?" She asked, turning to where Mordred was pulling out his sword.

"Well, obviously, a lady so fair should be wary to travel without a knight by her side... Even within the sanctity of our great castle." He said, gesturing around. The Dolma stared. "Perhaps, I should escort you to a room where you can first find some more suitable clothing. I think the king is right to suggest you are properly dressed in some gowns of a sort. Perhaps some jewels?" He suggested. "You are such an honored guest, my lady." He added. The Dolma looked at him.

"I am not easily impressed by such frivolous displays." She said and flicked a strand of hair from her face. Mordred reached over to tuck it behind her ear only for the Dolma to slap him away. "I... Really would rather-"

"Be an old lady?" Mordred frowned "I think my mistake is actually an improvement!" He said brightly. Arthur tilted his head. The Dolma's annoyed face somehow even made her more familiar if such a thing was possible. He stared for a moment but Mordred's smirk in his direction made him stop. This was confusing.

"I'll just escort you to a room." Mordred said and tugged at her arm. The Dolma cursed lowly under her breath as she was tugged out of the room with promises to be back to help Arthur lift the curse. It was only after he heard her grumble something or another about a clotpole that Arthur did a double take.

Wait.

"Hey," Arthur said slowly and turned to his knights. "Have any of you... Ever seen Merlin and the Dolma in the same room before?" He asked. The group all shrugged collectively for a moment before individual faces of realization seemed to dawn on them. Gwaine gasped.

"Oh...Oh, no fucking way-"

Chapter Text

"Why are you avoiding Merlin?"

Arthur internally winced at the note of irritation in Mordred's voice. There was definitely some accusation there. It wasn't exactly misplaced. He knew he was being... Well, it was childish except... Well, yeah. Maybe it was. Definitely. Actually, upon further examination of the evidence... Absolutely, yes. This was incredibly childish and Arthur should be embarrassed he has allowed it to go on this long.

"We're not avoiding Merlin." Gwaine frowned as the ringleader of this particular operation. He was sprawled out on the grass after training had finished, partly doused in sweat as he dumped water over his head with a bright grin before tossing the empty pack of water at an irritated Elyan. "He's the highlight of my day! I would never." He continued. From beside Arthur, Leon looked down at the ground, biting his lip.

"You are." Mordred said flatly and crossed his arms over his chest. "He's trying to tell you something important." He added. There was a low murmur of feigned interest and Mordred threw his hands up. "I can promise you it is something you will be interested in knowing."

"Well... He can tell us tomorrow!" Percival said with a weak smile. "We're kind of busy right now-"

"You just finished training. What else do you have to do?" Mordred asked. Arthur considered pointing out that Mordred hadn't trained today so maybe he should hop on that instead of harassing them, but the guilt was too overwhelming to really scold anyone. "Listen, this is a big deal for him. Just-"

"We know about the magic!" Leon burst out. Apparently, when under duress, Leon was the first to break. Good to know. Gwaine gasped as he turned to the other knight - outrage etched into his eyes. Mordred's mouth fell open.

"We just wanted to give him the chance to come and tell us when he is ready." Arthur cut in before the shouting could commence. "It seemed cruel to spring that we knew onto him." He defended. At this, Mordred's shoulders slumped slightly as he gave a small nod of understanding. There was a brief moment of relief that quickly disappeared as Mordred's face flicked into confusion.

"But why are you avoiding him then? He's ready to tell you now." Mordred frowned. Arthur snapped his mouth closed. Right... Everyone turned to Gwaine. The other knight's humor died away instantly. At least he felt guilty about the whole ordeal too. God, this was so stupid... Arthur couldn't believe they had avoided Merlin for a solid two weeks over this. It felt so incredibly cruel now.

"Well... I, um... Here's the thing," Gwaine began and sat up "If Merlin comes clean then he would have no reason to disguise himself when visiting us to use magic, right? No more Dragoon or Dolma or young Dolma... And we all really like Dolma." He added. Arthur groaned as the others gave various noises of assent. Mordred stood rooted to the spot. There were a few beats of silence before Mordred finally spoke again.

"You... Don't want Merlin to tell you he has magic because... You won't get to see Dolma anymore?" He finally managed. Gwaine gave a weak nod. "What the Hell is wrong with you?"

"Too much ale." Arthur supplied and Mordred's eyes snapped to him.

"You let this happen? What the Hell is wrong with you?"

Oh. Right.

"Too much ego." Gwaine threw in and Arthur glared. "Listen, mate. Now that it's out in the open we can see that maybe we didn't think this through. Just... Don't tell Merlin, okay? He can come and tell us and we'll act surprised and then accepting. Maybe princess can shed a tear or two -"

"No, I'm telling him."

"Mordred, no."

"You realize he can still turn into the Dolma even after you know the truth? He doesn't particularly care. If you all asked he would walk around as a girl for weeks!" Mordred snapped and then paused. "Though he actually wouldn't want to be old. That's just because of the back pain though. Not the point. The point is I'm telling him-"

"Mordred! Come on, I don't want to get turned into a toad." Elyan said, sitting up. "He's going to be upset and it was really mostly Gwaine anyways. He was the one who said we should keep him in the dark for as long as possible." He added and Gwaine whacked his arm.

"Why do you even care?" Mordred asked with a scowl "Dolma isn't that different than normal Merlin-"

"Not true!" Gwaine argued, slamming his hand into the ground. "Normal Merlin is secretive. All his personas are not and it is hilarious." He pouted and crossed his arms over his chest. "And I know what you're thinking. You are thinking young Dolma is my favorite because she's a young, pretty girl. I'll have you know that is not true. It is simply an added bonus."

"Why is she your favorite then?"

"Because young Dolma will absolutely chase guards around with a spoon and challenge Arthur to a horse race which she just doesn't do when she's all old-"

"You're forgetting that the old ones make Arthur carry him around which is funny." Percival supplied and Gwaine pointed at him.

"True, true." He murmured and Mordred cleared his throat. "Also, young Dolma is flirty. Normal Merlin isn't flirty. I like talking with other flirty people. Am I asking for much?" He demanded. Mordred stared. "Fine, you're right. I'm in the wrong here. Just don't tell Merlin."

"I'm telling him."

"Mordred!" Elyan shouted and Percival pulled out his sword. "Good idea, Perce. Let's take him hostage." He added. Percival paused in putting his blade down in order to sharpen it to slowly raise it once more. Arthur rolled his eyes. "You can't tell Merlin anything as long as you're here with us." Elyan said in triumph. Leon cleared his throat. Immediately, everyone turned to him.

"...you already told him, didn't you?" Leon asked. Arthur's eyes widened as Mordred smirked and tapped his temple. Telepathy. How could they have forgotten? From somewhere inside the castle there was a loud crash and Arthur winced as curtains were yanked open somewhere above them so that Merlin was made visible. He stuck his head out with a choked cry of outrage.

"You know about my magic?!"

"Mordred, come on."

"Can't believe this."

"-supposed to be our friend."

"Pretty sure you just broke your oath to protect me." Arthur muttered and gave a weak smile as he waved up to Merlin. Mordred shrugged and silently turned to the window Merlin was occupying.

"Wait...What?" Merlin managed to shout below and Mordred nodded. Gwaine got up to tackle the druid but it appeared the damage had been done since Merlin had disappeared. Arthur wondered if this was how it would end. With the rest of his life condemned to be the toad Merlin always teased him of being because one his knights was an idiot and the other a traitor. "Where the Hell are you? You bloody bastards-"

"Mordred, you're the worst."

"Me?"

Arthur couldn't decide if it was annoying or sweet.

Possibly both.

"Yes! Keep going!" Mordred said eagerly as he practically climbed up Percival to get a better view. Leon sighed before pulling him back down within the safety of their makeshift fortress. Each had their shields out and swords raised - Arthur up front in case something went awry. Not that Mordred thought anything could go wrong. He gave Leon an apologetic smile that did nothing to dampen his excitement as he tried to squirm his way closer to where Merlin was facing down the... Thing. Whatever it was. Arthur wasn't very apt with knowing the names of magical beings. He was sure Gaius would be able to share the name and entire history of this winged lion, but for now Arthur could settle on killing it. "YOU'RE DOING AMAZING EMRYS!"

"Is this going to happen every time Merlin does magic?" Elyan asked, throwing up his shield when a bit of Merlin's fire burst slightly too close to him.

"What do you mean?" Mordred asked and peaked out again "That was great incantation!" He called as Leon yanked him back in.

"We all know Merlin is a very talented sorcerer, Mordred. You don't need to cheer him on every time." Elyan shook his head - though there was a hint of amusement there as the fire died down. Mordred frowned.

"I do need to cheer him on. He's doing a good job." He informed them all solemnly. From beside him, Gwaine gave a slight shrug before nodding his agreement at this assessment. Arthur peered over, trying to find where Merlin was in the midst of all this chaos. It looked as if the lion was gone at least. Mordred followed his gaze. "YOU DID IT!" He called eagerly and shoved Percival aside so he could burst out. "That was brilliant! Your form was perfect and you didn't even look scared-" He blabbered as he dashed to where Merlin was leaning on a tree, trying to catch his breath. Gwaine snorted.

"They can speak in each other's minds, can't they?" Leon asked as he shook his head. Arthur hummed to confirm.

"He wants us to join in," Gwaine told them and the knights frowned. "Mordred. That's why he shouts out loud. He thinks we should all be cheering Merlin on. I'm inclined to agree." He added and cupped his hands around his mouth. "MATE! That was some fantastic fire there!" He shouted. Arthur rose an eyebrow.

"I don't think Merlin's ego needs that much of a push." He said. Gwaine looked at him. When Arthur just stared back he sighed and looked at the others. Leon only shrugged as Elyan and Percival both responded with uncertain murmurs. "What?" He finally asked. Gwaine stepped in front of them, cutting them off from coming any closer to where Mordred was currently gushing over an exhausted Merlin. Arthur should make sure he gets to Gaius after this... He didn't know much about magic, but using all that at once didn't seem good. Gwaine snapped his fingers to regain his attention.

"Yes, we all know Merlin is great at magic. That isn't the point," He told them with a roll of his eyes "The point is that if we cheer him on than it is reassuring him and Mordred that we don't hate them for using it." He explained. Huh. Okay then. Arthur hadn't quite thought of it that way. He glanced at where Merlin and Mordred were speaking to one another before giving a wary nod. That might make sense. After all, Merlin had been a bit more reserved since his reveal. It wasn't like Arthur and Merlin had much of discussion about it outside Merlin giving the rundown of the past ten years... And admittedly, Arthur hadn't given too much of reaction. Maybe some support was needed.

...though he wasn't going to be a dork about it like Mordred was.

"-and the enchantment held up well," Merlin was saying as Gwaine stepped to the side to let them past. "You did a good job casting it."

"What enchantment?" Leon asked as Elyan grabbed Merlin's arm to study him over for any glaring injuries. Mordred straightened up.

"Oh, um... The protection enchantment I put around Emrys while he was fighting." He explained. Merlin smiled at him. Leon exchanged looks with Percival for a moment before both giving impressed nods and murmuring their compliments.

"You did that?" Arthur asked, aiming for surprised... Which wasn't hard because he hadn't actually realized there had been an enchantment at all. "I thought Merlin put it up." He shrugged. Mordred's mouth dropped a little as he went bright red much to Arthur's amusement. Merlin snorted. Arthur had known comparing Merlin's work to Mordred's would probably be a compliment, but based on how overwhelmed the poor kid looked... Well, he might have overdone it.

"I - you - me?" Mordred tried. Arthur waited, but there was only more incoherent spluttering to follow. "But..." He said and Merlin finally escaped Elyan's grasp to yank lightly at his hair.

"Yeah, why don't you show us more?" He asked. Mordred went an even deeper shade of red. "Didn't realize how good you were, Mordred."

Maybe throwing out of compliments would be kind of fun after all... If Merlin got even a fraction as flustered as Mordred got then Arthur would even pay money for it. He waited until his knights all separated to grab their gear before sliding up next to him.

"Mordred was right. That was a great incantation."

"You know nothing about incantations," Merlin scowled, but there was still a hint of alarm in his tone that told Arthur he was on the right track. "What are you-"

"Amazing posture too. And the spells? Fantastic."

"Don't you dare-"

"You were so fast I didn't even know what was happening!"

"Arthur. Do not-"

"I mean, you said you were the most powerful sorcerer, sure, but I wasn't sure I believed you." He continued, dodging Merlin grabbing a stick to whack him with. "Now that I know I'm not needed to fight these monsters I should just join in with Mordred." He called and ducked again. "What's wrong? I thought you were great!" He laughed. Then, like sharks to blood the others must have sensed what was happening because there were shouts across the forest.

"IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL CHOICE OF SPELLS TOO!"

"Loved the battle magic. You didn't even use a staff!"

"Can't believe you could even think of defenses that quickly!"

"I hate you all." Merlin muttered.

"Knock it off!"

Arthur knew - he just knew he was cheating. He always cheated. Always. Granted, nobody had ever caught him... Nor was there any proof... But he knew it. He knew! He knew and it wasn't fair and goddamnit he was cheating!

"Knock what off?" Merlin asked as he scooped up his winnings. Arthur scowled. He had been watching the man's eyes carefully. There hadn't been a hint of gold. He even had Leon keeping eyes on him and his knight reported that he hadn't seen any signs of magic either... But how the Hell could he know what Arthur's wager was? Arthur had already lost in playing with dice (something that he was convinced Merlin had cheated at too) but there was just no way he could know what number Arthur picked for this bet. Could he see through the parchment he had written on? Did he have some sort of weird sorcerer vision?

"Again. This time colors." Arthur gritted and picked up the quill. The whole tavern oohed as Merlin laughed, grabbing another piece of parchment and scribbling something down. Arthur thought for a moment. What was a color Merlin wouldn't guess? Something specific... Unique... One that Arthur wasn't fond of... He tapped his fingers for a moment before quickly writing something down. At the very least he knew Merlin wouldn't be able to guess this.

"Alright, men." Percival said and nodded at Arthur. "Time is up. My lord, what is your guess?" He asked. Arthur narrowed his eyes at where Merlin was smirking.

"...green." He decided. It was Merlin's favorite color after all. Percival nodded and Merlin flipped the paper over. The word blue was written neatly in front of him, free of the ridiculous loops and flicks that nobles tended to use in their own writing. The crowd oohed again. Arthur hadn't guessed it exactly, but it was pretty close. If Merlin couldn't guess Arthur's spot on than he would probably lose.

"Very good, sire." Merlin told him, not looking the least bit intimidated. "My turn?"

"Go ahead." Arthur sniffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Just keep your eyes where we can see them, sorcerer." He added. Merlin scowled at that, crossing his own arms over his chest as he made a point of widening his eyes for the group to all see the color better.

"You didn't write down a color, did you?" He asked, brow raising. Arthur inhaled sharply. "You wrote... That I'm a cheater?" He asked innocently. The crowd murmured and Arthur threw up his hands. Come on. Sure enough, Percival leaned over to flip Arthur's paper over to reveal If Merlin guesses this than he's cheating written hastily over the parchment. The crowd broke into screams of laughter and outrage - the room alight with excitement. "I just know you so well." Merlin hummed and held out his hand.

"I know you're using magic."

"You saw my eyes." Merlin laughed and looked around the tavern "You lot saw my eyes, right? Did they turn gold?" He asked. The crowd all gave a rowdy laugh before filling the room with confirmation that Merlin's eyes had stayed blue... Bloody disloyal subjects. He turned back to Arthur with a smirk. "How much do you owe me again?" He asked.

Un-fucking-believable.

Arthur could not believe he was going to have to possibly go into the vaults to pay his bloody servant over losing numerous tavern games. It was disgraceful. Embarrassing. Sighing, he turned to Mordred.

"I might need you to run to the castle for me," He murmured to him and Mordred gave a nod. "I just don't know how he's -"

Wait.

Arthur turned back to his knight. Mordred was standing by his elbow, a bit behind him with his eyes wide and earnest as he looked at Arthur with rapt attention. At Arthur's stare, he tilted his head. Slowly, Arthur turned back to Merlin.

Those conniving, evil little -

"Mordred..." Arthur said slowly and grabbed his arm to push him away. "Go stand by Merlin."

"What? Why?" Mordred frowned, stumbling away. "I want to stand next to you." He said with a small pout touching his lips. Arthur narrowed his gaze. Yeah, stand next to Arthur so he could read over his shoulder or... Was it Mordred who was controlling the dice too?! Arthur didn't think to watch him. It would have been all too easy for Mordred to control them and tell Merlin what number he was choosing with their weird mind thing.

"Why are you bullying him?" Merlin asked... Which was quite ironic given that Merlin bullied Mordred more than anyone.

"I just think we should play one more time... With Mordred standing away from me." He said and picked up the quill again. Merlin blinked.

"I'm rather tired, my lord. I think I'll retire with my winnings... If you can afford to give them to me, I mean. No rush." He added. Arthur's mouth dropped.

"You are using him to cheat!" He yelled and slammed his fist onto the table. Merlin shook his head. "You are!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Merlin said and gave a fake yawn. "This was fun though. Thank you, sire." He said and bowed his head. Mordred skipped to his side before taking a few of the coins to pocket himself (only confirming Arthur's theory, really). "I bid thee a goodnight." He added. Merlin gave a slight bow as he continued to move back out of the tavern, Gwaine snickering loudly as they went.

"No!" Arthur called after them, jumping over the counter. "Don't you dare-"

"Go. Go, go, go!" Merlin whispered and just like that, both were sprinting out. Cowards. Arthur turned to his knights - mouth opened in betrayal as he looked over at them with his eyes wide and probably crazed with rage. They stared at one another before sighing in unison and leaning down to grab their weapons.

"You want us to arrest them?" Percival asked weakly as Leon patted his arm in sympathy. "They're sorcerers. It isn't like we can catch them." He mumbled. Arthur could have launched into a whole tirade about how they very well could catch sorcerers considering that was how his father staged an entire age of genocide, but decided the atmosphere was probably too light for that. Instead, he just rolled his eyes.

He was never gambling with Merlin again.

It was so ridiculously childish. Absolute tomfoolery. Completely unnecessary and Arthur should honestly have them both in the dungeons for being this goddamn annoying.

...And yet... Something about it was too funny to really do much about.

"It's a club." He clarified, just because he wanted to use that word specifically. "You two made a sorcery club."

"No, sire" Mordred argued immediately "No, this is just Merlin and I discussing magical issues with magical people alone in a room."

"Yes, a magic club."

"I - no. It's not a club." Mordred frowned from where he was peeking out in the crack of the door. "It's a... an elite political group."

"Ah," Arthur said and crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn't sure where exactly Merlin was but he really did hope he came out to join this riveting conversation soon. "I see... And can I join your club? Or is it magic users only?"

Mordred scowled.

"EMRYS!" He shouted and the door closed. Not that it did anything to muffle the sound of Mordred's yelling. "HE'S BACK AGAIN!"

The door reopened.

"Hello, your majesty."

"Hi, Merlin."

"How can I help you?"

"I just wanted to let you know that your club is illegal." Arthur said. Merlin blinked as if this was somehow news to him. Which, for the record, it was not. Arthur had told him and Mordred this many, many, many times. "I have not yet lifted the restrictions on magic and when I do I had planned on making it a slow process... As you advised." He added on. Merlin narrowed his eyes for a moment. It was a fair idea. A good idea, actually. Arthur may have his reservations about magic, but Merlin typically found ways to ease him into the uncertainty of it. An admirable skill, surely, but it wouldn't help him here.

"What club?"

For the love of -

"Merlin," Arthur complained and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You and Mordred cannot sit in here and do magic all day."

"We don't."

"Really?" Arthur asked and tried to peer behind him into the room. Merlin shifted so he couldn't. "Then what exactly are you doing?" He asked. Merlin pursed his lips for a moment. Arthur waited. A few moments passed before Merlin opened his mouth again.

"I can't really tell you." He said. Oh, come on. Arthur narrowed his eyes. "It isn't my fault! Mordred made the rules." Merlin defended.

"You have club rules?"

"It isn't a club!" Mordred's voice shouted from somewhere behind them. Arthur sighed. Really, he wasn't sure why he was bothering. Sure, he could lock them both up, but something told him that these two would continue their inane magic games whether here or in dungeon cells. It wasn't like he could keep them from communicating given their weird mind thing. Merlin gestured vaguely towards him helplessly. Arthur bit his lip.

"Tell you what," He said, holding up his hands "I will legalize this gathering and allow it to continue under one condition." He said. Merlin's expression went blank - a flicker of surprise touching his eyes as he tilted his head. Arthur grinned. "Admit this is a club."

"NO!" Mordred shouted and Merlin held up a finger.

"Um, give us a moment, your majesty. Please." He added and the door shut. Arthur rolled his eyes as he heard some whispering behind the door. After a couple more seconds the door the reopened and Merlin's face reappeared with a bright grin. Arthur waited. "Could we get back to you?" He asked at Arthur's expression shrugged. "We're all pretty divided on the matter. We might need to hold a proper session debating the offer." He explained. Arthur groaned.

"So you and Mordred need an hour to bicker?" He clarified. Merlin shrugged again. Useless. "Well, I have a training session to get to. I believe it is part of your actual job to attend to me?" He suggested. Merlin shook his head in disbelief as he let the door open a bit wider to look Arthur over.

"One day," He swore with a nod "I'm going to teach you to dress yourself." He mumbled. From behind him, Gwaine popped out over his shoulder to also look at the king. "See? I keep telling you. He really can't put on a shirt." Merlin said to him, ignoring Arthur gaping at Gwaine's sudden appearance. "I once tried to have him put armor on without me helping and he tripped." He added. Normally, Arthur might be chasing him around for such a comment, but currently he had bigger issues to deal with as Gwaine snickered slightly.

"Wai - Gwaine doesn't have magic!" Arthur finally managed. Both turned to him. "Why is he allowed in your club?"

"Um," Gwaine held up a finger "It's an elite political group, actually-"

"Shut up. Go to training." Arthur scowled at him. Gwaine snorted and put up both hands in mock surrender before stepping out. It was at that moment Arthur was able to make out Elyan and Gwen chatting idly in the corner as Mordred poured over a book. Arthur pointed inside, shoving Merlin over slightly so he could no longer hide them. "What are you doing here?! You aren't magic!" He yelled. Everyone froze.

"Is he allowed in here?" Elyan finally asked.

"I'm the king!"

"Yeah, but you haven't signed a secrecy agreement." Mordred informed him flatly and held up a piece of paper. "See? We all have to sign and you aren't supposed to be let in without the password." He informed him. Arthur turned back to Merlin.

"...yeah, fine." Merlin muttered and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "It's a club."

"Wait. You...like Mordred? Romantically? Why?"

Arthur buried his face into his hands. The girl - Kara or whatever her name was - didn't answer. She seemed too busy staring blankly at Merlin as he asked the question. Mordred himself went bright red before hitting Merlin's arm from where he stood on the other side of the bars, yanking at his sleeves as he watched them all.

"That isn't what we're discussing, Merlin." Arthur told him. Though he was a little curious about that part as well. The girl seemed very... Angry. Perhaps it balanced out Mordred's lack of anger. He wasn't sure. "Kara," He finally said when Merlin continued to make doubtful faces. "I've made peace with your people. I am working to release the restrictions on magic. Why is it you find the need to go against my kingdom?" He asked. Kara jutted out her chin - jaw clenching as she looked Arthur over critically.

"Why should I trust you given all you and your father have done to my people?" She asked. Arthur inwardly sighed. She was asking the right questions. The questions that others like her were probably asking. Still, it wasn't like he could just...Release her when she plans to destroy Camelot.

"I'm not my father," He said instead and stepped a bit closer to the bars. She didn't back away. "And while I see now my beliefs were once wrong you cannot expect me to right them without giving me a chance... Just as I'm trying to give you a chance now. I'm not asking you to support me. Or even do nothing as I rule. Just promise not to hurt my subjects or anyone under my protection and you can live. Feel free to spout the injustices of my father or... Tell others how you think I should make my amends." He tried, gesturing vaguely "I won't silence you."

Kara frowned. Her eyes flicked to where Mordred was watching her - face wrought with wariness as he stared. They were probably speaking with one another. Arthur found he didn't mind. He had enough faith in Mordred to let him say whatever he wanted to her in secret. Instead he glanced at where Merlin was watching silently, eyes flicking between the two before letting his fingers twitch.

"I can only see one way you can make this right," Kara said. Her voice trembled and Arthur thought again to how young she was. Nobody should die that young. "You don't know all I've seen. The children and mothers begging for their life... Peaceful people tortured and men ripped from their families all because of your birth." She swallowed and shook her head. "After all this bloodshed I could never..." She trailed off. Mordred deflated.

"My lord," He began and turned to Arthur. "Please. Give her some time to see-"

"I will not be brainwashed." Kara snapped. Merlin snorted.

"You like Mordred, apparently. I would say you already have been." He told her dryly. Mordred fixed him with a long look. "What?"

"Glad to see the mighty Emrys lives up to his name." Kara muttered and Merlin raised an eyebrow at her.

"Bold words from somewhere digging their own grave," He told her calmly. Mordred tensed. Arthur didn't blame him. Sometimes, Arthur found the most jarring thing about Merlin wasn't the fact he had magic. It was the streak of coldness he could sometimes have that seemed to undermine Merlin's very being. It was... A little scary at times. The hardness in his voice. The unreadable expression. The... Everything. "You say you care about your people - about Mordred - and yet you refuse to trust his word? Or, no, I can understanding not trusting his word that Arthur is good. What I can't understand is not even attempting to listen to him after he's spent years in Camelot by Arthur's side and you none." Merlin shrugged and tilted his head at her. "You must like the bloodshed as much as Uther did. He also ignored attempts at peace in order to wage what he believed to be a just war." He told her. Kara's eyes widened, face going red for a moment as Mordred frowned, but didn't intervene. "I lived in this castle when Uther Pendragon reigned. Do you honestly believe that I am not aware of the horrors he committed?" He asked, meeting her eyes. "I was led to the the pyre once myself. Arthur didn't ask to be born, Kara. And there is no doubt he committed crimes in the past in order to please Uther. However, he was clearly able to see past his father's words and become a better person. You are trying to die to hurt people who haven't even done anything wrong." He said and tapped the bars. "Sorry... I should let you continue with your goodbyes." He said and gestured to Mordred. "Go on. You won't be seeing him again."

"I haven't decided the punishment." Arthur reminded him. "Perhaps... Banishment could work..." He began doubtfully "But she will have to stay gone. Maybe... Mordred could go with you?" He suggested weakly. He didn't want to lose Mordred as a knight... But he also didn't want to lose Mordred as a person, either. Something warned him the latter might be true if he went ahead with an execution. Kara didn't respond. She was too busy staring at Merlin with unconcealed hatred.

"I will... Consider observing the situation." She finally said with a sigh. "Only because Mordred believes you to be good." She told Arthur, voice hardening again. "And that is all."

Hey, it worked for him. At the very least she could be a... very, very, very critical advisor. She had a viewpoint that definitely nobody else in the castle had. It could be useful.

"Great!" Merlin beamed, perking up considerably. "Now... How did you even meet Mordred? And are you two technically dating? Is there a life debt or something going on?" He asked and Mordred scowled. "What? These are reasonable questions. You both appear to have very low standards-"

"Stop heckling her." Mordred muttered and yanked at his arm. Merlin sighed.

"She doesn't like Camelot or Arthur...And yet somehow likes you." He added on, completely mystified. "Obviously I'm going to heckle her."

"Emrys, please. I - Kara, no." Mordred hissed as he yanked Merlin away. Arthur hadn't seen her even move, but given how Mordred was looking at her she must have been planning on doing something not pleasant. Merlin seemed unperturbed either way. Unlike previous years, he seemed content to now let Mordred play protector as he calmly watched from the background. It often gave Arthur a sense of faith. If Mordred could wear Merlin down than surely other impossible feats weren't too outlandish. "And we're not, um... I mean, technically, we're..." Mordred began, looking flustered. Merlin waited.

"Are you trying to figure out if she's your girlfriend or not?" He finally asked. Mordred went bright red.

"We haven't talked about it." He muttered and Merlin nodded.

"Right. Clearly, murdering Arthur was on the top of the agenda rather than your relationship status."

Arthur wasn't sure how this was a win... But it was.

Good news: It took nine months but Kara was eventually cordial with him which Arthur found pretty exciting. He was right that she was an excellent advisor... In the sense that she was good at pointing out problems and holding him accountable for anything and everything.

Bad news: Merlin had somehow befriended her.

Given how icy the relationship was in the beginning, Arthur had no idea how it happened, but somehow it did. Which was... Truly, truly, truly tragic. Terribly so. Mostly for Mordred, but Arthur found he was going to lose his mind as well.

"...we're knights." Mordred said as he sat down in front of Arthur's desk one afternoon, tossing his sword to the side. "You're a king. We shouldn't have to put up with this, right?" He asked, running a hand through his hair. "Trust me, I love Emrys and Kara both but..." He made a face. "This is not ideal."

"I thought it was your job to protect him," Arthur said as he compared some of his notes on a law revision. "Why didn't you stop this earlier?"

"I thought the danger of Kara would have been her trying to kill him. Not this." Mordred grumbled and wrinkled his nose. "Do you know what they were whispering about earlier?"

"Hm?" Arthur asked before processing Mordred's question. "Ah. Yes, I asked Percival to spy on them. Apparently there is a sorceress they wish to meet. Something about getting ingredients for a protection spell." He said. Mordred choked. "I'm already sending people to tail them-"

"Why aren't they bringing me?!"

"According to Merlin you are 'easily excitable' and 'worry too much'." Arthur explained, using his free hand to signal the quotation marks. "If it makes you feel any better I'm probably going to arrest them soon for trying to do it without my permission." He said. His words didn't seem to help. Mordred was too busy muttering under his breath.

"Worry too much?!" He managed "Me? That's rich coming from Emrys, the King of Paranoia." Mordred muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. "I do not worry too much." He added. Arthur glanced up. He got the feeling he was supposed to agree... But he didn't. So he just went back to his paperwork. "Right?"

Well, points for trying.

"You do worry too much."

"I - okay then." Mordred muttered and sank lower into the chair. "Well, in that case, you'll understand the next part of our conversation." He said. Arthur frowned, a little baffled by that comment. He looked up at him again to see Mordred staring forlornly at him with his lips pursed and hands folded on the table in front of him. What... Was happening? "My lord," Mordred began with a wary sigh. "You, of all people, know how important Emrys is to me."

"Uh...Yes?" Arthur said and put down the pieces of parchment.

"Good, good," Mordred nodded "And you know I have dedicated my life to both serving you and protecting him?" He asked. Arthur frowned and nodded again. "Right. Good." He said. Arthur waited. "So, you'll understand my concern."

"Your...Concern." Arthur repeated leaned back into his chair. "What concern do you have, Sir Mordred?"

"Well, King Arthur, you have been spending a lot of time with Emrys lately. A lot. Pretty much everyday. Kara has noticed too. Now, I didn't want to be presumptuous so I did hire Gwaine to look into it-"

"Wait. What?"

"-and he said that Merlin even spent the night here a few times. Given that and the Yule incident-"

"That we promised to never speak of again!" Arthur cut him off, face feeling hotter by the second. "Mordred, I see what you're doing and I'm asking you now... Don't." He said. Mordred only stared at him. "I can promise my relationship with Merlin is not a concern for either of us." He said. Mordred didn't seem completely won over by this.

"I just need to know if this will end in heartbreak. What are your intentions here?"

"What the Hell is happening?" Arthur asked, throwing up his hands. "Mordred. Get out."

"But, my lord-"

"Out." Arthur said, pointing towards the door. "And don't hire Gwaine to spy on us! What is wrong with you?" He asked as Mordred muttered something under his breath as he scrambled out of the chair and gave a short bow.

"Well how else am I supposed to get information?" Mordred asked. Arthur couldn't believe this was happening to him. Letting Merlin into his life had certainly allowed his pride to brought down a few pegs over the years, but he hadn't anticipated it would end up being crushed into the dirt and spit on. Mordred held up his hands at Arthur's glare. "Fine, I won't ask. But if Emrys ends up hurt..." He warned. Arthur buried his face in his hands.

"GUARDS!" He shouted and the doors immediately burst open. "Please escort Sir Mordred to the training fields and ensure that he does drills until I can no longer remember we had this conversation." He said, not even bothering to look up. Mordred sniffed.

"Your drills don't frighten me," He muttered and Arthur peeked up to see one of the guards tugging at his arm. "Just remember I once had a destiny to kill you. If you break his heart-"

"Get out, Mordred. I swear..." Arthur breathed out slowly. "I don't deserve this." He whispered as the doors slammed shut. A few seconds later, it reopened and Gwaine peered inside.

"Hey, has Mordred talked to you about-"

"Yes, he has. Bye."

"Alright, just know I'm on his side."

"Do me a favor and join him on the training field." Arthur said. There was a long pause and when Arthur glanced up again, Gwaine was still standing there with his eyes narrowed. "What is it?"

"...you better not break Merlin's heart like this or Mordred, Kara, and I are coming for you-"

"Get out!"