"Where have you been all these years?" Arthur questioned sitting by the fire. The mage sits near him on one side while Merlyn sits on the other. Percival and Rubio sit further away but close enough to hear their conversation.

The mage glances up and looks across the fire to her mentor.

"Making sure you stay hidden" Merlyn told him. He frowns his eyebrows. "A lot of people have been looking for you since the day you disappeared, I've been making sure you haven't been found"

"And how is that working out?" He asks sarcastically while lifting his still bound hands.

"Well, you're still alive aren't you?" She asks with a light smirk on her face. He grunts slightly while staring at her curiously.

"And why have you been doing this?" He asks her. "Why spend all of these years keeping me hidden?"

"Because the world was not ready for you, you were not ready for that" She says nodding to the sword.

"And now I am?" Arthur questions.

"And now you have to be" Merlyn tells him. He presses his lips together and clenches his jaw. "I know this is not something you want but it's something you have to do"

"Why?" He practically growled.

"Because you're the only one with the ability to wield Excalibur" She explains to him. "You're the born king, whether you like it or not" She tells him. "It's your duty, your destiny" He grunts again.

"The last time we met," Arthur began later that night. The only ones awake is Merlyn, himself and Percival. Percival leans against a nearby tree lost in his own world giving the two of them privacy as they speak. "You gave me this" Arthur pulls a necklace out from under his shirt.

"I'm surprised you haven't lost that," She tells him. 

"It always found it's way back to me" He tells her. She smiles softly and nods in understanding. He slips it back under his shirt. "Why did you give it to me?"

"You were a small boy who witnessed a horrific tragedy," She told him. "When I first saw you, you wouldn't even get out of the boat. You didn't know who to trust, you were scared. When I took you to the brothel, you didn't want to go. I gave you that so that you would relax, so that you would trust me enough to know I wasn't going to put you somewhere dangerous." Arthur stares at her and slowly nods.

"With all do respect, Merlyn" He says slowly while shifting in his spot. "You're lying" He deadpans. She smirks at him.

"Why ask questions you already know the answers too?" She whispers with cocked eyebrows. "You're a smart lad, Arthur, you know why you have that necklace. You know why it always finds its way back to you. You know these answers, so why ask?"

"I didn't know if what I knew was true or not" He tells her. "Guess I just wanted some confirmation" He says. She smirks at him.

"With all do respect, Arthur, you're lying" She tells him. "You have the answers but you don't trust the knowledge because you are not ready to face the truth. Much like you are not ready to face Excalibur and the secrets it holds" 

"You said I have to be ready" He told her.

"I did" She agrees. "And you will be, very soon"

"And if I'm not?" He asks her.

"A lot of people are going to die" She tells him not bothering to sugar coat it. "Don't fret, when the time comes, wielding Excalibur will be like second nature" He scoffs and she grins. "You'll see and when that time comes, I'll tell you some wise words" She tells him.

"And those wise words would be?" He asks slightly sarcastically.

"I told you so" She whispers with a playful wink. He lets out a small laugh and gives her a lopsided smile.

"So where did the rumors come from about you being as old as time and a man with a large beard?" Arthur asks. She laughs a bit to herself.

"Mordred" She tells him. He arches an eyebrow and she nods. "We were friends once upon a time" She admits.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Power does a lot of things to the weak minded" She tells him. "Once he got a taste of it, of true power, he wanted more. He would stop at nothing to get more. But the darkness in his heart, the evil in his magic is only so strong. There is always one thing that can destroy darkness"

"And that is?" He asks. She smiles at him and motions around them. He looks around at the dark forest not seeing a thing. He looks at her curiously. She grins and motions to the bright fire.

"Light" She answers. "The darkest night can always be killed by a sliver of sunlight" She tells him. "The darkest of hearts can be destroyed by the simplest act of love" She tell him.

"And how is love going to help me in wielding Excalibur?" He asks.

"That's for you to find out. I cannot tell you how to wield Excalibur" She tells him. 

"But you're the one who forged it, you're the one that created it" He points out. His voice grew slightly with frustration. She sighs understanding his annoyance but knowing there wasn't much she could do but advise him to accept the sword.

"Magic isn't something easily understood. There are times when magic almost has a mind of its own. I spelled the sword to only respond to the Pendragon bloodline, to Uther's bloodline. You're the last one left." She tells him. "I do not know the swords intentions only that it's magic responds to you and to you alone. You have to accept the magic, let it flow through you and become one with it. The more you fight it the more it fights you."

"When I hold the sword it shows me... visions" He tells her.

"The sword shows you what you need to see," She explains to him. "Let it. Learn from it. Work with it" She advises him. He holds her gaze for a few moments before looking away. "Try and get some sleep, we have a long days ride ahead of us" She warns him.

A long days ride it is indeed. When the sun rose above the horizon Rubio woke the others. They collected their things and mounted their horses. Percival road as the lead while Merlyn road in the back behind Arthur.

"You do know I can see through this?" Arthur comments causing Merlyn to smirk. The mage hadn't forgotten about how Arthur had pissed her off the previous day. When she suggested to cover his face, nobody objected (except Arthur). Now, however, it's just given him yet another thing to talk and complain about. While it didn't bother Merlyn, it rather amused her, it did bother the others. "Trees, everywhere"

"We're here" The mage announced lowly, mainly for Merlyn but Arthur heard as well and became even more alert. With a wave of her hand, Merlyn had the bag lifted off of Arthur's head and flying towards her. She shoved it in one of her saddle pouches before dismounting.

Merlyn surveyed the area around her. She recognized the man, Bedivere, she had sent her friend to, sitting in the cave not far from them. The man who sent his men to retrieve Arthur and bring him to the group of them.

"Hang that up, don't want it getting creased" Arthur said shrugging his coat off and handing it to one of the men. Merlyn could hear the whispers of the men, whispers directed towards her and Arthur, but mainly her. Not only is the born king within their presence but an elf as well. Nobody recognized her, not that she blamed them, anybody who hasn't personally met her believes her to be a man.

Percival leads the lot of them inside their cave. Merlyn keeps her gaze forward while Arthur observes everything around him. They stop near the table where Bedivere and some of his men sit. Percival lays Excalibur on the table.

"So, you're the chap that turned in Goosefat Bill" Bedivere states looking at Arthur. Arthur nods not ashamed of his actions.

"Unlike you, he chose the wrong place to hide" He tells them. The man they called 'Goosefat Bill' had put his girls in danger and that wasn't tolerable. He chose the girls over the man he didn't know and he would do it again.

"You know he was the third most wanted man on the Black Leg's list?" Bedivere informed him. "They've been trying to catch him for some time"

"Like I said, you man chose the wrong place to hide" Arthur tells him again in an almost bored tone.

"So it seems" Goosefat Bill says coming into the light. Arthur smirks look at him. He wondered why everyone was so pissy about Arthur giving him up if he escaped in the end anyways. No harm done.

"I was wondering what happened to you" He tells him with a slight smirk. "I told you, you were in safe hands" 

"You've made quite the celebrity of yourself among the Black Leg ranks" Bill commented.

"You've done very nicely on the back of your cozy relationship with you kingsman" Bedivere noted.

"You know, I'm a little old for finger-wagging and speeches" Arthur shrugs. "So, unless you're my dad, which, I believe, is unlikely, can you just get around to tell me exactly what it is you want?" 

"What is it you want?" Bedivere countered.

For a moment Merlyn flashes through his mind but he doesn't dwell on it.

"I want to get my arse out of here and see what's left of my life and the people in it" He answers. "But you're not gonna let me do that, are you?" Arthur asked looking at Merlyn. She smiles but says nothing. Bedivere speaks up.

"And why aren't we?" He questions. Arthur looks at him amused the dark skinned man assumed he was still talking to him. Out of everyone within the vicinity, Merlyn is the only one capable of keeping him here. However, Arthur amused him and answered his question.

"You just lost two men" He informs Bedivere. "But you were prepared to lose five to save this pretty neck" He tells him. He spares a second to send a small wink to Merlyn and she simply arches an eyebrow at him. "So, I'm not going anywhere, am I?"

"Where exactly were you thinking of going?" Bill questions tilting his head. "You have no more home. It was razed days ago. You have no more life to go back to" He tells him harshly. Arthur clenches his jaw but doesn't say anything.

He knew Goosefat Bill was telling the truth but he didn't want to believe it. The last few days he had done everything he could to not think about his old life and what had happened. He did everything possible to distract himself.

'Like it or not, this is your lot, and even we don't like you" Bedivere tells him bluntly. "Do we, Goosefat?" He walks over to the sword and picks it up. "But what we are interested in is what you can do with this sword."

"Why don't you leave him with me for a minute or two, boss?" Goosefat suggests eagerly. Merlyn smirk and lets out a small laugh. 

"Put your ring back on, honey tits. You haven't had enough porridge this morning to talk like that" Arthur comments annoyed Goosefat even further. Merlyn releases another small laugh which causes Arthur to smirk.

"And who are you, exactly?" Goosefat questions.

"Someone you shouldn't piss off" Bedivere spoke up. Merlyn glances at him. "I didn't know you were an elf"

"If that's the only thing that surprised you, then consider me flattered" Merlyn tells him with a small smile. She then glances back at Goosefat who still has a confused look on his face. "Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Merlyn"

"Merlyn?" Goosefat questioned. He glances at Percival and Rubio, the both of them nod in confirmation. "Whoop-dee-doo" He mutters to himself. Merlyn smirks slightly.

"If you like that sword so much, your lordship, you can keep it to peel your grapes" Arthur tells him. Merlyn sighs at his stubbornness. Goosefat slaps Arthur across the face as he passes him.

"Now, that would've hurt a lot more if I left the ring on" He tells him. Arthur rubs his jaw slightly stunned by the action.

"I see what you're doing. You're trying to get me to do something razzle-dazzle with that sword." Arthur calls them out. They find themselves outside of the cave as they talk. "I'm not gettin' drawn into this mess. And there's an army of you, there's only one of me. I haven't had a fight for years and I'll talk. I'm happy to talk. But there is no way that I am fighting."

Merlyn had to give it to Arthur, he knew how to distract. She watched him closely as he kept the men focused on what he was saying rather than what he was doing. This allowed him to attack without them suspecting and without being able to defend themselves.

She watched his form, he had obviously trained as he grew. His movements were quick and calculated. His punches and kicks were strong and well aimed. He hurt the men but nothing they couldn't shake off in a few moments. 

She watched as Arthur withdrew Excalibur and watched as the other withdrew their swords. She could tell he was trying not to put both hands on the sword as he fought but eventually he gave in.

The men stopped attacking as Arthur's mind was transported and controlled by the sword. She could see him trying to fight it, she could see him not accepting what the sword was trying to do. This ended with him falling to the ground passed out.