Don't know if I've done this before, but whatever. I love this epidode.

"Who did that?" Arthur looks between Merlin and Will. "I know magic when I see it, so who did that?"

Merlin opens his mouth to speak, but he doesn't know what to say.

Then Will shouts and pushes Arthur.

Seeing the arrow, Merlin accidentally freezes time as he did when Gaius was falling off of his loft. Instead of moving a bed, this time he moves Arthur and Will over. Then quickly he summons a strong shield.

Instead of one of his two best friends being hit, it bounces off of the shield he's now holding.

Arthur swiftly gets on his feet. Then Arthur's eyes go wide as he sees Merlin there with a shield, and a guilty look. "Merlin? Was this what you wanted to tell me?"

Merlin nods solemly.

The sound of Arthur's sword leaving its holster rings loudly through the silence. Then Arthur's footsteps as he charges toward Merlin with his sword above his head. Merlin stands still with his heartbreak showing in his eyes. The only thing that stops Merlin from his death is Will tackling him.

He locks eyes with Arthur and sees the pure hate plastered there, and a tear slips out of his own eye.

"Run Merlin! Run!" Will shouts. It sounds like an echo to Merlin, yet he does as he's ordered with a newly formed hole in his heart.

Merlin's mind shuts down, and he just needs to get away. So step after step, he does just that.

Eventually the surrounding become familiar. It was his and Will's favourite place to hang out. Through a cave, and into a valley that didn't have another entrance.

He sat by the clear water that they used to cool down in. He looked down. There was his reflection. Such clear water showed every detail on his face, including the hurt in his eyes, the the trails of water going down his cheeks, and the red puffiness that had settled around his eyes already.

.......

Will had held back Arthur as long as he could, and then tried to calm the Prince. Unfortunately he didn't know Arthur very well, and it didn't work.

So he did the next best thing. Convinced him that there was no reason to find Merlin, and that he should go home. Arthur had stormed out and grabbed his horse.

Gwen and Morgana were certainly surprised, but each could tell that Will would help Merlin. So they nodded to him with a slight smile, and went after Arthur.

.......

"Merlin. I thought I'd find you here."

Startled, Merlin whipped around. It was Will, so he calmed and continued his pity party.

When Will sat next to him, Merlin didn't flinch. Merlin trusted Will above all others. He'd thought he could trust Arthur on the same level, but earlier he'd been proven wrong.

"He hates me Will."

Softly he spoke, "not going to lie, but it certainly seemed that way." Will put his arm around Merlin. "I know you, and what you're thinking right now. Stop. From what I saw, the hatred that he showed was more a way of masking how betrayed he felt."

"But he tried to kill me Will."

Will nodded in understanding. "You've been there for him for so long, and now you're good at something he's been taught is evil for years. It's hard to do the right thing in that situation." Will rubbed Merlin's back softly as he gave a chance to process those words. Then he continued, "I can tell he's important to you, but by how he is, I'm sure you've saved his royal hind end more than once."

Merlin gave a soft chuckle that sounded quite sad and pitiful before nodding.

"Then he'll probably still need you Merlin."

"How can I help him after that? He'd kill me on the spot if he saw me," Merlin reasoned with a hoarse voice.

"You know, before my father died, he told me that if you get burnt, you'll still need fire. Just because it's hurt you, doesn't mean you don't need it, or can't protect it. You just have to learn to keep your distance while feeding it."

After that, they sat in silence until sundown.

Will was the one to break the silence again, "I'll come with you to Camelot if you want. We'll work together and save your prince."

Merlin nodded. "I appreciate that."

"Just don't leave without telling me again you knucklehead." Will then proceeded to ruffle Merlin's hair.