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When a voice sounded -- which somehow knew his name! -- and told him to put away the sword, Merlin jumped and, as best as he could in the thick mud, spun around, swinging it outwards as if to defend himself from some oncoming weapon. He blinked a few moments as the man continued on, and gradually, as his eyes focused and the voice came more familiar to him, grinned. It wasn't one of the bandits, but someone he knew quite well and hadn't seen in a long while! Lancelot!

He sighed though, and glanced back at the horse. Okay, Lancelot was probably right, cursing at the horse wouldn't help get it out of the mud, as it didn't want to move for some nefarious reason. Perhaps he was right, maybe kind words would work better to make the horse listen?

The man was also right about the whole list of what the others would think. Well, he wasn't too sure about Morgana, as, well... Morgana wasn't in Camelot, she was with Morgause, wherever she was, doing who knows what. But yes, Arthur might be a little unhappy if he died, he doubted his mother would be cheery about it, Gaius would also probably be upset, and Gwen, as one of his closest friends, also wouldn't be quite too pleased, he was sure. He lowered the sword with a chuckle, and turned around to put it back on the horse. Of course, if the bandits came, he would withdraw it again to try and help fight, but he knew he had a better chance at it with using magic -- and didn't have to be afraid of Lancelot finding out, as he already knew.

"Lancelot! It's so great to see you!" he exclaimed -- though not too loudly. "It's been quite a long time!" Stepping back from his horse and turning around again, he walked out of the mud and closer to his old friend. "I'd ask what you have been up to, but you're right, we should probably get out of here. You can get my horse out of the mud?" Even though Lancelot had already said he could, Merlin's voice still held a hint of hopefulness. He didn't really want to encounter the bandits.

He wasn't surprised that Gwen was shocked that he had known. Was this the best idea, to tell her everything? Maybe not... But he wanted to be able to talk to someone about this other than Gaius. How long had he known? Since she had returned to Camelot. Heck, he had known that she had plotted against Uther way before he had poisoned her. But it was dangerous for Gwen to know, was it not?

"I... It's just a hunch, nothing more," he said, trying to pass it off as nothing, like he didn't know. Should he let her know? How would she be able to stand being around Morgana knowing all that she had done? "I just... have this feeling? It could be nothing, I could be wrong." But how could he deny her claims about having seen Morgana using magic? Or about her hunches of Morgana being the traitor?

He wanted to spill out everything, to trust in Gwen about Morgana. To answer all her questions and give her all the reasons he could think of about why Morgana had turned her back on her friends. That it all came down to Uther and his twisted view on magic, that he could also be to blame for poisoning her, that he had had the chance to end this when she was injured and ready to die. Of course, that last part might have had him having to tell her about his own magic. Which, he only feared telling her more now after her having seen Morgana using magic. What would she think if she knew he had magic too?

"I..." he sighed. He wasn't a very good liar, he knew. "Because of Uther," he explained. "Because she disagrees with him, always has." That was only part of the reason, he knew. But how could he tell her that Morgana was Uther's daughter, Arthur's half-sister, and wanted to take over Camelot now by getting rid of him? Or how could he tell her that he had poisoned Morgana?

When Arthur finally spoke, asking how many men Kanen had, Merlin hesitated a moment, trying to recall what his mother had said to him earlier. Kanen had quite a few, he knew, and it could prove to become a problem. He knew that there would be some way to defeat any of the enemies, especially with someone as skilled as Arthur was. Yes indeed, this would be much easier than by themselves. Still, how much "easier" was that?

Glancing back at the others, in particular his sleeping mother, he said, "Um, I'm not sure. I think from what my mother said, maybe as many as forty." That wasn't too many, right? he wondered. They would come up with something to defeat them, right? It couldn't be hard to defeat forty men that didn't know as much about the village's layout... Of course, Arthur, Morgana and Gwen knew nothing about the village's layout, but that's what they had him and his mother for, and the rest of the village. And surely they would be spending some time within before the men came back. They should be okay... Right?

Oh, so he would make it look like he purposely killed him?! How comforting! Merlin really wasn't enjoying this a single bit! Each throw of the daggers made his heart -- and him! -- jump! Practically every time it hit near the edge, and while Merlin knew the Prince was doing this on purpose, he couldn't rid himself of the fear that one of those sharp, pointed objects would hit him somewhere on his body! Which, if he had to say, he rather valued!

Okay, he had to admit, he should have been more careful with his selection of words! There, he'd learned his lesson! Could they stop now?! No, even if he told the Prince this, perhaps even begged and groveled, he'd doubt the man would quit this. Which was fine, because he didn't plan on groveling. Maybe beg -- though it would be halfhearted because he still hated the man -- but not grovel!

And then he kindly informed him that he was getting bored! Oh, absolutely lovely! Oh, it wasn't good for him, huh? OH, The Prince would need a new target?! Yes, perhaps he should run faster! Though, he personally thought that he was already running quite fast! Maybe not? Either way, he forced his legs to move faster, still trying to shield himself with the shield, so that this new knife wouldn't hit him either!

Merlin shrugged to Arthur's persistent argument. Of course Anhora might have had the power to lift it all along, how could he be for sure? In his opinion, the whole curse had been rather pointless. Why make a whole kingdom of people suffer for one person's actions? He sort of understood the intentions behind it, and the silent point that one person could change anything, for bad or for good. But that didn't mean that he agreed with it, of course.

"Perhaps he did, Arthur," he replied. "But the point is that it is over now, and you can go back and face your people knowing that they won't suffer from the curse any longer." And be alive during it, of course. But he didn't add that part. "Besides, I think that was the only way to lift it." After it was put on Camelot, anyway. Which he also didn't add.

And then Arthur asked a question that Merlin himself had to wonder about. Yes, what would the test have been if Merlin has been an obedient servant and stayed behind like his master ordered? "I don't know," he answered truthfully. "I think he anticipated my following you, knew that I would come after you even if you ordered me otherwise. I don't know what the test would have been if I hadn't come." Then, as an afterthought, he added, "Maybe he would have conjured some kind of illusion or something?"

When Arthur commented that he should have listened to him and stayed behind, Merlin shook his head profusely. He disagreed with the Prince, and he would always disagree on this point. "No, my job is to protect you," he protested with all seriousness. Sure, his job as servant was to remain loyal to Arthur, to do as told. But he also included protecting him in that, because Arthur was his master, and he the servant. He was also his friend, and Merlin's destiny was to protect him and help him become King, so all in all, his job was to protect the stubborn man. "And if 'getting killed' is the only way, than that is what I will do. You're the future King, destined to be great. You can't do that if you're dead." He added, with a hint of what could have been bitterness -- though really it was just an afterthought --, "I know, I know, I can't do anything except clean and be useless. You don't need to point it out." Even though he didn't.

Merlin tried to continue to act un-suspiciously, but the knowledge that his lie hadn't fooled his mother made it hard to do so. He averted his eyes to look to the ground, unanswering her. He couldn't think of anything to say as he felt his throat constrict as if he would choke up if he did try to speak. For sure he was uneasy, very uneasy. And he didn't know how to bring up the news of his father's death. But to tell the story of how the Dragon was stopped, it would have to be said, so he couldn't avoid the topic. Yet why would he want to avoid the topic, his mother deserved to know about Balinor's death, did she not?

He just nodded, his gaze lingering on the ground, a sure sign that something was wrong. He didn't know if his mother was looking at him, as he was staring straight downwards. But if she was, she would be assured that something was wrong that he didn't want to speak about... at least until he could find a way to bring it up.

When his mother started to prepare him something to eat, he took a seat and folded his hands down in front of him, staring down between his legs as his seriousness returned to him. He had to tell his mother, but when? The sooner he got it out, the sooner he would be more at ease. Or so he hoped. The worry of how to tell her, of telling her, would pass then, however. What to say? He couldn't just blurt it out, that would be rude, and he didn't have the nerve to do that. He had to let the conversation slide into it somehow.

Then his mother spoke again, and he found an opening that he hoped he could work with. Swallowing, he looked up, forcing himself to look normal. "The Dragon destroyed quite a bit of Camelot. Not enough that it can't be repaired, though. Everything will be back to normal soon. But... I have a question, mother. I know this will sound strange given to conversation, and that I've asked a hundred times before, but...

"What was father like?"

Merlin had waited silently, even after Arthur was taken to be given his punishment. He looked calm, though it was forced. He wouldn't let fear show on his face, not until that last second, at least. Inside, though, multiple emotions swarmed within him. Amongst these were fear and anger. He did fear the whip's lash, and nothing would be able to lessen that feeling. To the anger... he was angry at Uther, and maybe even himself. There was no need for Uther to do any of this. Arthur surely didn't deserve this; Love should not be something you had to hide, particularly from your own father! Why couldn't the King just be happy for his son? About being angry at himself... if he had just been able to change back himself, and not had to rely on Gaius' potion... or at least found a better place to drink said potion or came up with a better excuse. . .

When the guards came to get him, he went willingly, forcing himself to cooperate. Still, he couldn't stop a slight squirm as he was brought outside in front of everyone. Why did so many people have to be watching? He let his eyes scan around, searching for Arthur, and sure enough, spotted him. And wished he hadn't. Just looking at Arthur, having just undergone his five lashes, sent even more anger through him. He didn't let it show, however, and lowered his eyes as he was brought towards the wooden pole where he would be prepared for the flogging.

He obeyed to having to take off his upper clothes, tossing first the jacket aside, and then the shirt underneath. While doing so, his hands only shook slightly. Before his wrists were bound to the pole, he glanced at Uther, and couldn't hide the slight look of pure anger at the King. This was all he had to endure for protecting Arthur and Guinevère's relationship? Then so be it. He knew he would wind up crying out in pain during the lashing, but in light of what he had accomplished to get to this point, he didn't regret it. What the king had planned for Gwen was wrong, in all senses of the word. She hadn't deserved to be banished, and she sure as heck hadn't deserved to be burned at the stake.

He let his hands be bound to the wooden pole without protest, and looked straight forward, biting his lower lip to ready himself.

Merlin had to think a moment to recall all the details he could when his mother asked him what had happened. The pain clouded his mind, but it was slowly dulling a little. After a few seconds, he managed to sort through the previous events enough to gather an answer he hoped would satisfy his mother's question enough to clear any confusion.

"Recently, Uther found out about Arthur and Gwen's relationship. He was going to have her banished, and then burned when he began to believe there was an enchantment on Arthur. I couldn't let that happen, so I used an aging spell to make myself older and tricked everyone into believing that I was the one who 'enchanted' them, both of them," he said slowly, having to pause multiple times throughout his explanation. "The only problem was that I couldn't change myself back in time and was caught and ordered to be the one burned. Well, Gaius prepared me a remedy for it, to change me back, so I escaped just in time.

"Why was I punished? For letting the sorcerer escape. After changing back, Arthur had seen me, and I lied terribly, saying the old man was too fast for me to catch. Uther punished me for failing. Why was Arthur punished? Because the King believes he still had attachments to Gwen, despite being 'enchanted.' " He finished, closing his eyes to try and block the pain out once more.

She wasn't surprised that he offered to do that for Arthur, and she thought one day he would appreciate his many attempts to protect him? Merlin knew it had to be true, that Arthur was that kind of person, but always doubts began to creep up in him, and he had to wonder if the Prince truly would. "Will he?" he mumbled, a hint of forlorn edging his tone. "Or will he toss me aside because I have magic?"

And Uther... Yes, how many would have to suffer because of the King? Because they had magic or did something Uther disagreed with? How much longer could it go on? He had had several chances to let it end, but he had never taken them and had made sure Uther would live. Like many of his doubts, there was one about this. Should he never have done it? "One day it will end," he said, more so to reassure himself, but still speaking to his mother. "One day we won't have to worry about how many will suffer under Uther's tyrannical rule." Subtle tyranny, but still tyranny nonetheless.

Then he groaned. Not out of pain -- though it was still present! -- but out of a sort of guilt. Exactly how much had she seen of his punishment? He wished that she hadn't gotten there at that time, to see him flogged. What a wonderful welcoming indeed... He tried to force a smile, though it appeared exactly that -- forced. "Maybe you can stay here a little longer than you would have otherwise?" he asked. This was the one thing that wasn't forced in cheerfulness. He enjoyed the times he could spend with his mother, and wouldn't mind an extended visit!

He waited patiently when his mother left the room to get him his requested water, laying still like he was told. And she was right, it did hurt less to stay still than move. When she returned, though, he had to move to be able to drink it. Shifting his weight slightly, he dragged his arms underneath of him and tried to push himself up into a hands and knees position. He could have much more easily rolled onto his back, but he didn't want anything to touch it, it being the source of his pain, after all. However, when his arms failed him and he collapsed with a groan onto the bed, face buried into the pillow, he knew he wouldn't be able to do that either.

[ Um... heh heh... long. ]

It was a miracle -- or perhaps not--! Merlin had been shocked silent. There wasn't really much he could do to change the king's mind, he was just a lowly servant, and Uther didn't care what he had to say because of his low status. Arthur was trying to help, it seemed, and Merlin had to resist the strong temptation to bolt out of the room, or hide behind the Prince. "A more severe form of discipline"? Merlin's mind swirled around the possibilities of what that meant. The stocks weren't enough? True, it was just rotten vegetables, but it still hurt when hit, yes! But what could the king have in mind?

He was afraid to find out...

Did he have anything to say about this? Hell yeah! Would he speak what? He couldn't get any noise to come out from his throat. The only sound that came out was a small croaking-groan. Oh why was this happening? He tried to help and always something went wrong! This time perhaps too much!

It appeared that nothing Arthur said would affect Uther's decision. But... did it just make it worse, or had Uther already decided that because of the whole Arthur/Gwen thing?! Merlin's eyes flew wide, and passed quickly between the King and the Prince. So when Uther finished speaking, obviously waiting for him to say something about his end of the deal, Merlin was still shocked, but this time, the added surprise allowed him to talk.

"No!" he exclaimed. "You can't do that to him! Nothing was his fault, it was all the sorcerer's! Like you said, magic is evil! It can't be trusted! None of Arthur's feelings for Gwen are real! I'd know, I'm around him all the time almost! They're just friendly acquaintances, that's all! Besides, who will teach the Knights during that week? Surely they need Arthur! And what will the people think?!

"Just... punish me still, and I will take Arthur's punishment!" his words came out quickly, sincerely, and desperately.