Chapter 12
"Arthur, let me explain" Merlin started, the emptiness Arthur's hand had left in his feeling physically painful, but Arthur interrupted him.
"You are a sorcerer" Arthur stated, but Merlin could hear a question in his voice, a plea to deny it and give him some kind of explanation.
"Yes" it was the only thing Merlin could say, and he noticed how Arthur tensed even more at his confirmation.
"Since when?" Arthur asked, immediately hissing at the pain when he tried to sit up with a lot of difficulty.
Merlin saw his lover struggling to move, hurting and panting, and immediately moved to help, putting his hands under Arthur's back. Arthur, though, was having none of it and tried to escape Merlin's touch, so quickly that he ended hurting himself even further, causing for him to loudly groan and for Merlin to move his hands away from him immediately, as if the contact burned.
"Just... don't" Arthur panted, finally being able to sit up and to control the pain.
"I just wanted to help you. I can't stand seeing you in so much pain"
"I made you a question" Arthur insisted.
"I've always had magic, Arthur. I was born with it" Merlin confessed, knowing there was no use in keeping lying about it. Arthur deserved to know the truth, even if it was so painful.
"And you never told me" Arthur reproached him, his voice full of hurt and betrayal.
"I didn't know how you were going to react" Merlin tried to explain, not noticing how his words and the lack of trust they implied were only making it worse.
"How did you imagine I was going to react?" Arthur asked, deeply offended.
"Well, I know what the penalty for the use of magic is" Merlin answered, still oblivious to what he was causing.
"Did you think I was going...?" Arthur asked, his face the mask of heartbreak at Merlin's insinuations, but he wasn't given the chance to finish the sentence as the knights finally appeared and they were quickly all over him when they saw he was awake.
"Arthur, you're awake!" Elyan announced with a big grin, coming to kneel next to his King and friend. "Boys, Arthur is awake"
"We can see that Elyan" Gwaine answered, laughing at his friend's enthusiasm.
"Arthur?" Leon asked, all jokes aside, standing behind Elyan. "You surely are strong, I'll give you that. Just a while ago I wasn't sure you would make it"
"Yes, man" Percival added. "How can you possibly be awake with a wound like yours?"
"I don't know" Arthur answered, his voice no more than a whisper, and he shrugged his shoulders, immediately regretting the movement because of the pain it brought him, which made him groan noticeably.
"You shouldn't move" Merlin warned him with a shy hand to his shoulder, and he could feel Arthur fighting not to reject his touch in front of the others.
"You really looked like a goner. Gaius surely is a miracle worker" Gwaine joked.
"Gaius was here?" Arthur asked, confused, as Gaius had left way before he regained consciousness.
"Of course he was! Who do you think worked the miracle? Merlin?" Gwaine joked, and fortunately he was oblivious to the flash of pain that crossed Arthur's face at the realisation of who had really healed him.
