Killgarrah's words were all that filled Merlin's mind as he patiently waited. He let the tips of his fingers sweep through the tall grass that dominated the small clearing he was standing in. This was a quiet place with room for no evil. Only the sun broke through, casting a glance of gold over everything. It reminded Merlin of the day he had first arrived in Camelot as a young boy. But it also reminded him of the wise old man whose voice he so terribly missed to hear; it reminded him of Gaius, of the times when he had to collect plants and mushrooms for the old physician and the times he had scolded Merlin but smiled almost immediately after. Merlin smiled sadly at the memory. He had not seen Gaius since the day Morgana had attacked. He could be held prisoner in the dungeons of the great palace. There was of course another possibility that Merlin couldn't really bear to think about; if Gaius had shared the same fate as Gwen... Merlin would never forget Arthur's face when he saw his wife killed that day. Gwen had been a great queen and most of all a great friend. To have lost her was like losing a part of your heart. It was not hard to understand Arthur's despair or why he could not find a way to move on.

These few months without Arthur had really shown Merlin how much the people of Camelot cared about their king and queen. They waited for the king to return, they waited for him to lead them in the battle against Morgana. It was a hope that rested in their hearts and remained there in spite of the king being gone. But the hope never faltered. They still believed.

"Emrys."

Merlin turned around to face a small boy with wide blue eyes. His hair was white and he bore a dark brown cloak over his clothing. In his hand he held a wandering stick. To the eye he was but a child, but in reality that was far from the truth.

"Sumata," Merlin greeted. "I am glad you came."

The boy nodded. "I hear you have called me here in the name of Albion's destiny and that the young king has lost his faith."

"I see only one way to make Arthur believe again and that is to show him a touch of destiny. That is why I have called for you. I need assistance in making him see. Can you help me?"

Sumata titled his head slightly to the right and took a long, thorough look at Merlin. "I have seen many futures, warlock. Not all show a happy tale. But the witch thinks that destiny can be conquered and that servants can be cast away when deemed useless. I shall only help destiny take its course. Then we may see if that will be of use to the your young king."

It annoyed Arthur that Merlin had once again taken off without his knowledge. It was right out defying that the he would do this, just as Arthur had asked him not to. How is that for a friend? Arthur thought, scowling. He forgot that Allena and Elias were still watching his every move, trying to decide what to say first, but when Arthur looked up, still scowling slightly, Allena's hesitation turned into cold determination.

"I have never seen so many knights before in my entire life," she said in a dangerously calm tone of voice. "You must really be special."

"No," Arthur claimed. "I am not." He looked at her with wary eyes.

Elias crossed his arms. "They seem to think so!" he said. "I don't know much, but I do know that no ordinary king would order this many men out to search for just one knight!"

Arthur was about to answer, but Allena cut him off. "And they have a sorcerer with them too. I can tell from the way mum looked at him."

Arthur looked at the two villagers. They wanted an answer. The desperation was slowly rising within their eyes and Arthur sighed in frustration; what was he supposed to do? What was the idea of Merlin coming here if a he would just leave all of a sudden and leave Arthur for the wolves to eat? Arthur had no idea what to do. What would happen if the people of Geldrion knew the truth? What would they say? How would they treat a fallen king?

"My mother has treated your wound, we have given you food and helped you when you needed it. Is it too much to ask for the truth in return??" Allena said, letting herself get just a little worked up. "I don't understand what your terrible secret is! Are you that embarrassed of your heritage? Has your king deemed you treacherous? Have you done something horrible?"

"I HAVE FAILED!!" Arthur yelled back, stunning both Allena and Elias. "That's all you need to know."

The yelling got Alys' attention. "What is going on?" she asked rather sternly, trying to get hold of the situation.

"We just want the truth," Allena said quietly. "I think we have the right to know who this man truly is when we have invited him into our home and healed his wounds. That is all we ask."

Before Alys could say anything, Arthur had taken one look at them all and stormed off. He needed to control his anger. Every feeling, every memory he had tried to push away, now flooded his mind and there was nothing he could do to stop it. His whole body trembled as he forced himself not to cry. Arthur clenched his fists and kicked the nearest tree hard before sinking to his knees. He had no idea how long he sat there, feeling like his chest was bleeding and his breath like stabbing knives.

"Arthur?" a familiar voice asked.

It was Merlin.

He, Gwaine, Percival, Elyan and Leon approached their friend cautiously, only to find him with his palms pressed to his face as if trying to keep everything inside.

"Arthur," Merlin repeated. "Please look at me."

Taking a few deep breaths, Arthur tried to determine whether he was ready to face Merlin and the knights yet or not. There were many reasons to scream and shout at Merlin, but Arthur chose a different option entirely. "I don't know what to do," he said. "I've failed, Merlin."

Merlin put his hand on Arthur shoulder, squeezing it lightly. "No," Merlin countered. "You have not failed. You are lost, Arthur. There is a difference."

Arthur frowned and it still felt as if his heart had been ripped out. "What can we do? She still outnumbers us, does she not? And even if she doesn't, what can we do against her army? This time her soldiers are not ordinary men she has enchanted, they are sorcerers! It will be an unjust battle that cannot be won!"

Merlin got up, all the time making sure he kept eye contact with Arthur. "It is true that Morgana has the advantage this time as well," Merlin clarified. "But that does not mean that we don't stand a chance." He urged for Arthur to stand up too, before he went on. "I know you don't believe in destiny, Arthur, but if I asked you to believe in me, would you?"

Arthur looked slightly confused for a moment.

"Would you?" Merlin repeated persistently.

"I would," Arthur sighed.

"Sire," Elyan broke in. "To feel despair is no sin. I myself have had a very difficult time to move on from this nightmare. But in spite of that, I see only one way to come around it all; and it starts with the truth." He frowned earnestly. "We will still stand by your side, all in for Camelot and most of all for you."

Arthur looked his old friends in the eyes. It was overwhelming to get such a reaction out of them. A small lump formed in his throat. It took a minute before he was capable of putting on a serious face and straighten his back. "I expected nothing less of you." He almost smiled, but it was a sad one. "First however, I owe these good people here the truth," he said. "And I believe you are right, Elyan, it would only be fair to give it to them after all that has happened." With that, Arthur took one last look at his most loyal friends. "Will you come with me?"

They all nodded and Arthur led them back into the village, trying to find comfort in the fact that he was not alone.

Even though Merlin could not breathe a sigh of relief yet as there were still more convincing to do, he would, for now, stand proud beside his king as they took the first step on the way back to Camelot.

Allena, Alys and all the other villagers seemed surprised to see Arthur return so soon and therefore immediately gave him their full attention.

"I wish to apologize," Arthur began. "I have not shown you the gratitude you deserve for saving my life. But I am thankful..." He glanced at Alys, Allena and Morna especially. "... I will forever stand in your debt for that." He took another look at them all, before continuing. "One of you has asked me for the truth which I am sure you must all be craving. There is no point in hiding it, I see that now and I am only sorry to have kept it from you so long. My true name is Arthur Pendragon and I was king of Camelot, but as you have been informed, a witch has taken my throne. Her name is Morgana and she has taken much of what we hold most dear. She is without doubt the most lethal for I have ever faced."

Words could not describe how surprised every single villager was to hear this. Cedric scratched his forehead in a way that said he was embarrassed to say the least, Allena's face was completely blank and Morna's jaw was on the ground. Only Alys seemed to be somewhat composed.

"I suppose it makes sense as to why Emrys would travel to Geldrion," Alys sumised. "The king was hurt very badly and this place was ideal; if no one knew who the king truly was, this Morgana would have no chance of finding him before he was well once again." How she truly felt about these words that she spoke was not clear. She approached Arthur, taking a long look at him. "I have heard of the destiny you share, you and Emrys, like two sides of a coin. And who would have thought a sorcerer, as powerful as you, Emrys, would be disguised as a servant to the king? No one would suspect you."

Merlin smiled faintly. "That's the idea. To protect the life of my king is all that matters to me. Arthur must be protected," he answered.

Alys nodded, expecting nothing less. "This sword," she spoke, pointing to the sword Arthur had stuck into his belt. "Is no ordinary sword. It is called Excalibur, am I right?"

Merlin nodded and let his eyes flash golden as he summoned the sword and let it fall into his hands. "Excalibur is powerful and must not be wielded by the wrong. It belongs to only the king it was created for." He turned towards his king. "And that is you, Arthur."

Arthur himself swallowed. He was very much aware of every eye that gazed upon him, very aware that his every move was being watched. He turned his eyes on Excalibur, the sword that had been his to wield for some years now. To accept it from Merlin's arms now would mean he'd be accepting to take up the fight against Morgana he would be accepting his place a king of Camelot. Arthur did not feel ready for this task, but at the same time he doubted that he ever would. He knew not was he was supposed to do - only what he could do to make this better. And that was to fight Morgana with every limb and twitch of his body until his heart stopped beating. He stepped forward on shaky legs towards his powerful friend and placed his fingers around the cold grip of the sword. Then he lifted it up high, letting the sunlight reflect itself in the sword's mighty blade. He had accepted the task of freeing Camelot from Morgana's despotic grip.

Emrys! a voice then called in Merlin's head. It was the voice of Killgarrah, The Great Dragon. Merlin was so startled, that everyone around couldn't help but notice. Arthur frowned, but Merlin just shook his head, focusing only on Killgarrah's message.

I hear you, Merlin answered.

Killgarrah responded instantly. You must get your king out of the village of Geldrion. Morgana knows of your location and has sent her men out to capture Arthur. You must leave immediately.

Merlin hardly noticed how his expression changed from shocked to horrified, but was wielded back into reality by a worried Gwaine.

"Merlin, are you all right?" he asked.

Merlin looked straight at Arthur. "Morgana knows where we are," he answered. "Her men are approaching."

Arthur tightened his grip on Excalibur. "Then we must all leave," he said. "Now."

"We will keep an eye out for their arrival whilst you hide yourselves," Elyan said, and after a nod from Arthur, ran off after Elias to do so.

Arthur nodded. "We have to get everyone out of here before they arrive. I am so sorry."

Alys nodded with a monotone expression. "I will help," she said and began shooing her people out of the village where Gwaine and Percival led them to a hideout at the brink of the forest. Then she turned back to face Merlin and Arthur. "There is not enough time to escape," she said. "But we cannot all hide, we are too many. They will spot us."

"We can manipulate what is to be seen," Merlin said. "But for that we must cooperate to create a shield strong enough."

Alys thought it through for a moment. "We must wait till your knight and Elias returns," Alys said seriously. "We have only one chance to make this work, Emrys."

"It will work," Merlin said and Arthur watched as his former servant showed his true self and planned how to get the shield up and standing, while the king himself helped getting everyone calm. It was still unbelievable that Merlin was a sorcerer. Arthur still hadn't wrapped his head around the idea - at least not completely. But now was not the time to do so; in the village, he could see Elyan and Elias sprinting for their lives to escape before they were seen.

Merlin and Alys joined hands, mumbling the same complicated spell in a foreign language...

Morgana's men were here.

And in front of them was that strange hooded man. Stopping, he let the hood fall and searched the abandoned village with his cold, piercing eyes...

Arthur narrowed his eyes in disbelief; that was Micah, the man that had travelled through Geldrion, pretending to be a servant of Camelot! Then he heard a gasp; Arthur glanced at whoever did that. It turned out to be Merlin who bore the same expression of disbelief.

"Mordred!" the warlock whispered in shock.