Pairing: Merlin/Freya
Genre: Fluff and Angst

years ago Merlin almost lost the love of his life at the hand of his best friend, he promised he would take her out of Camelot and that's exactly what he did. in what he thought would be her last moments, he took her to the lake of Avalon to show her the beautiful sight "i told you we would run away to a place with a lake" he had said with tears streaming down his face.

he sat down at the edge of the lake with her head in his lap, sobbing as she lost consciousness, when suddenly he heard a voice coming out of the water "no need to cry young warlock, it is not your destiny to lose her today" the voice said but Merlin couldn't see who was talking "what do you mean?" he asked, hope filling in his heart at the idea that she could be saved.

"the lady of the lake is very important in your journey to uniting Albion, we will heal her of her injuries and her curse but she must stay near as the protector of this lake and the land of Avalon until the next step is taken to bring magic back to the kingdom. you may visit her as much as you like but you must stay with the once and future king and ensure your shared destinies until the time is right. she will be safe here Emrys, do not fear." 

"will she have to stay in Avalon?" he asked, scared but still hopeful "no young warlock, she must simply stay by the water. this might be more suitable than being with us under the water" the voice said as a beautiful cottage appeared next to where the young lovers sat "it's perfect, please save her" he begged and with the agreement being struck the water spirit used the magic in the water to save her.

she shot up, taking a deep breath "Merlin?" she asked confused and he smiled down at her before pulling her into a soft kiss "i'll explain everything to you in a moment, but for now" he trailed off, looking up at the cottage as her gaze followed his "lets go home" he smiled softly at her as he picked her up and brought her to their new home, where they would spend the next six years in secret.

Merlin was not having a very good day, it started with Arthur teasing him about never finding someone and trying to set him up with other servants in the castle. after he finally managed to escape that torture and started on his chores, the king decided it would be a brilliant idea to go on another hunting trip because those never ended badly for the knights.

not five minutes after they finished setting up camp, bandits started coming out of the trees to attack them. Arthur had only brought the knights of the round table and Merlin with him so they were vastly outnumbered by the large group even if they were the best knights in all the kingdoms. Merlin helped where he could in secret, dropping tree branches, making bandits fall from their horses or randomly 'fall' head first into trees as well as a few of them getting burned by their own swords.

they had almost killed all of them when Merlin turned and saw one going straight for his king "Arthur watch out!" he yelled as he jumped in the way, it was his first instinct to get between them, not even thinking about his magic "Merlin!" a chorus of voices yelled as he fell to the ground and blood soaked his shirt from the wound. soon the rest of the bandits were killed and the knights all rushed to their friend.

"why the hell would you do that Merlin?" Arthur asked "a thank you would be nice you prat" he sassed back and tried to laugh but instead started coughing violently as blood gathered on his lips, he fell back against someone, looking up he recognised them as his closest friend and smiled "Lancelot you need to take me to the lake, it's time" he said weakly "oh she's definitely going to kill you when we get there" he whispered low enough so that only the servant could hear, even in their close proximity.

Merlin lost consciousness with a small smile on his face at the thought "Lancelot? what lake, what's he talking about?" Gwaine asked, concerned about his best friend "you'll see when we get there, let's go men" the knight replied after a heavy sigh, none of them argued and just followed him as he put Merlin on his horse and rode rapidly to a place he vowed to always keep secret.

they all stopped at a seemingly empty clearing near a beautiful lake "Lancelot what are we doing here, we should get him to Gaius" he shook his head and brought Merlin down, carrying him to where he knew the cottage was "leave your weapons on the ground, don't freak out and follow me" he said calmly before walking further and disappearing behind the cloaking spell Merlin had cast years ago.

the knights did as told, just wanting Merlin to be okay and followed their friend. they walked, not knowing what to expect only to be met with the sight of a stunning cottage surrounded by flowers all sorts of plants "Freya!?" Lancelot yelled as they caught up to him, the door swung open to reveal a beautiful woman with a terrified expression on her face at the sight of the knights of Camelot at her doorstep.

her eyes trailed over all of them before finding the familiar gaze of her friend, looking down she realised why they were here "bring him inside, hurry" he yelled when she saw her husband's limp form, Lancelot didn't hesitate to obey as he ran into the house that he seemed to know his way around and laid him on one of the beds.

the king and his knights had still yet to say anything, silently following the two into the other room. Freya sat down on the bed and stared at her husband, the men who could tell that she knew the servant expected her to cry, to scream, to hug him but what she did surprised everyone but Lancelot who knew her well enough to know she would currently be pissed.

Merlin gasped as he sat up abruptly, his wound healing over completely "what-" he said confused before his eyes landed on the woman in front of him "did you just slap me?" he asked shocked "i had to heal you with my touch" he rubbed his cheek before rolling his eyes "yeah well a kiss would have worked just the same" he replied, not noticing the others in the room.

"maybe, but i wouldn't have enjoyed that as much" she said with a shrug and he put his hand on his chest in mock offence "are you saying i'm a bad kisser, my love?" he asked and she glared in reply "i wouldn't have married you if you were dear, i'm saying that you didn't deserve a kiss from me after putting yourself in danger and coming home bleeding and close to death yet again. one of these days i'm just not going to heal you" she said but they both knew she was bluffing, she could never live without him.

he was about to reply when suddenly they heard a throat being cleared from behind them "mate, care to explain what the hell is going on here?" Gwaine asked but he just laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck "that's kind of a long story" he replied but as he looked up he saw the anger on his kings face and immediately went into protective mode, standing up and walking in front of his wife. 

"you're completely healed" Leon said surprised, checking his friend's torso just to be sure "sorcery" Arthur said as he pulled out Excalibur "i thought you left your weapons outside?" Lancelot screamed at them "sire, don't act irrationally i'm sure Merlin has a good explanation" Leon spoke calmly as he stepped in front of the king but they could all hear the hidden worry in his voice. 

"there is no good explanation, he's married to a sorcerer and he lied to us all. he betrayed me, he's committing treason and no doubt helping the sorceress gather intel on the kingdom" he stated angrily "it's alright Leon" Merlin said as he squeezed the knight's shoulder in thanks as he gestured for him to move out of the way "Sire i'm sorry you had to find out this way, but i assure you i have never betrayed you or Camelot and my wife is no sorceress" he said with his head bowed to his king as a show of respect.

"don't lie to me Merlin, i saw her heal you with my own eyes" he replied with his sword still raised "you're right but that does not mean she wields magic. years ago Freya was fatally wounded and i took her to this very lake to spend our last moments together, i thought she was going to die in my arms that night. the spirits of the lake healed her of her injuries, removing the curse that had been placed on her as a young girl and gave her the power to save people with a simple touch but that is the only magic she possesses my lord. as a young girl she was attacked by a man twice her age and size, she managed to escape him but in the process she accidentally killed him in self defence. his mother was a sorceress and cursed her to kill forevermore, she was forced to turn into a bastet every night and hurt anyone around her. i found her in a cage when a bounty hunter brought her to Camelot years ago and i helped her escape, we fell in love soon after but i had yet to find out about her curse. one night, she transformed and attacked the town, you delivered the fatal blow i spoke of Sire but we have both forgiven you since. the spirits of Avalon wanted to give her a gift that contradicted her curse so that the guilt she lived with constantly would be outweighed by the good she could do. she means no harm to Camelot and neither do i my lord."

they all looked at him with wide eyes filled with tears by the end of his explanation, even Arthur looked conflicted but had yet to lower his weapon "even if you didn't know about her curse, you still knew that she was a druid and that she could have possessed magic. why did you help her escape, how did you know that she wouldn't hurt you. magic corrupts, it is evil and you had no way of knowing her intentions so why help her?" the king asked but Merlin just smiled sadly, turning to his wife and giving her a light kiss and wiping the tears that had started to fall from her eyes as she realised what he was about to do.

"please don't Merlin" she begged but the smile never left his face "i'm sorry my love but it's time i tell him the truth, what he does with the information is up to him and i will not stop him. we talked about this before my dear Freya, it is not my place to change destiny" he kissed her one last time before turning back around and kneeling in front of his king "i helped her because i knew that not all magic was evil Sire, i was born with magic and i didn't believe myself to be evil so could not pass that judgement onto her." they all gasped at the information and Arthur straightened his posture, putting his sword to his servant's chest.

"you have magic?" he asked, hurt and betrayal evident in his voice "yes my lord. i was born with glowing eyes that faded into blue hours later, i could move objects with ease before i could even talk which makes me a warlock, the last of my kind actually. sorcerers must practice magic, they need spells and incantations to use their abilities but for me it's almost like instinct, it always has been. i didn't even learn spells until after i moved to Camelot and found old spell books, though i think they really only helped me control my powers rather than enhance them. for warlocks like me, magic is as important as air. if i go long without using it i die, trust me i've tried many times before. i have only ever used my powers for good, i used them to protect and save you even if it meant risking my own life as it did today. we are both part of a druid prophecy where i, the most powerful sorcerer to ever live, am meant to serve and protect you, the once and future king, so that we may unite the lands of Albion and bring magic and peace back to the kingdom together" 

he paused his story when he heard a shocked whisper from one of the knights "Emrys?" Percival asked shocked, he had spent a long time with druids and he heard all of their stories, Merlin nodded in reply "that is what the druids call me, though i have many names and titles" he told them "the name Emrys means immortal, over the years i found out just how true that is. i can not be killed by any mortal weapon but the sword you wield was forged in a dragon's breath, it is the only thing that can truly kill me" he told the king as he finally looked into his eyes.

"i gifted you this sword as a show of my trust in you, even if you didn't know it until now. i will not plead for my life, i accepted whatever fate you would choose if you found out about me long ago, but i beg of you to let my family live. for years i have lost people i loved so that i could save you, i don't ask for anything in return not even my own life if you so wish but please let them go" a single tear rolled down his face as he desperately asked for mercy for his family.

"them?" Arthur asked confused, there were so many things in his mind right now and so many questions but that word really stuck with him and he couldn't help but ask. his question was answered not a moment later when two children burst into the room "daddy!" they screamed and tried to run to him but he held his hand up to stop them, they obeyed hesitantly as they looked at their father kneeling on the ground with a sword pointed at him "Will, Hunith, you were meant to be learning with Kilgarrah until nightfall, what are you doing back home?" he asked concerned.

"he told us to come back, he said that something was wrong and when we walked in we heard mommy crying and Will said he had a feeling you were in danger so we ran in here" little Hunith told him with fear evident on her face and tears starting to spill from her eyes "it's alright little one, don't cry. if this is what destiny chose for me then i will not interfere, no matter what happens tonight you both need to promise me that you will continue on the path that we put you on" he turned back to his king with tears flowing freely down his face.

"i have sacrificed everything for the good of Camelot and for you Arthur, i only ask that you let them go now. they have done no wrong and they don't need to watch their father be killed at such a young age" at that statement, Arthur looked down at the sword in his arm, then to the lady of the lake who was silently sobbing and close to collapsing, then to the two children who had walked in and were now hugging eachother tightly, then to his knights who all had sadness in their eyes, some looking like they wanted to jump in and fight him while watching the man they thought of as a friend and brother about to be executed. finally he looked at Merlin.

he looked down and saw Merlin, head bowed and eyes closed as he accepted whatever was about to happen to him and refuses to fight back even though Arthur was sure he could kill him easily. Merlin opened his eyes quickly in shock when he felt arms wrap around him and he heard a sword hit the floor, he hesitated for a moment before hugging the king back. "i'm so sorry Merlin, i would never hurt you or your family. i understand why you had to keep it all secret and i'm truly sorry about what i almost did, it's not an excuse but you know more than anyone how many people have hurt and betrayed me. i couldn't bear the thought that you of all people would do it too, i was blinded by fear and hurt please forgive me" 

"depends" he took a long pause with a serious look on his face "do i get a day off?" he asks as his usual big grin starts to form "you can have two" he replies, taking the same dramatic pause as his servant "when i'm dead" he finishes with an equally big grin on his face "prat"