Magic Revealed

Fireside

"Everyone ready?" Arthur asked from atop his horse. The other knights mounted their own and together they set off on their hunting trip. Merlin rode in the back next to Lancelot.

"So Lancelot, how's it been coming with Gwen?"

Lancelot made a face, "Oh let up will you?"

"I'm surprised Princess hasn't gotten all worked up about that." Gwaine dropped back to talk to them, "Maybe someone else caught his fancy."

Merlin shrugged, "I think Gwen's always been like a sister to him. He does care about her a great deal though but I don't think you'll have to worry about that though." He told Lancelot.

"That's a relief." Lancelot muttered and Gwaine laughed, "Yeah. Don't make Princess mad."

"Gwaine!"

"Yes sire?" The knight answered innocently.

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that." Arthur glared back at him.

"Did you Princess? Sorry, I don't think I was listening."

"Why does no one ever listen to me?!" Arthur asked exasperated.

"We only listen to you when it's useful." Gwaine laughed.

"I'm the prince! You should be listening all the time."

"Why would we waste our time like that?"

Merlin listened to the two men argue and looked to Lancelot who shrugged. Eventually they split up to hunt and Merlin ended up with Lancelot and Arthur.

Lancelot was usually quiet, not speaking unless he needed to or to make small jokes or small talk when the need arose. But other than that he was very soft spoken and quiet so they spent most of the time in silence unless Merlin or Arthur muttered something and started quietly arguing.

The met up before night fall finding that they had brought in an impressive amount of game. Merlin helped set up the tents that they had brought for once. Then he started on the fire and dinner. Percival started to laugh when Gwaine nearly lite his socks on fire, again, while Leon did a survey of the game that they had caught. Elyan sat with him and was humming tunelessly. Arthur and Lancelot sat near Merlin quietly.

Finally Gwaine had enough, "Okay Princess, spit it out." He said and all the knights circled around the fire with him so they could look at the prince, "Lancelot's always quiet but you usually never shut up. What are you thinking about?"

Arthur glared before sighing, "After we got back from closing the veil I spoke with Merlin about magic in Camelot. He just got me thinking on the subject."

Lancelot looked at Merlin, who shook his head in a slight warning. The knight looked back to Arthur, "What specifically about magic?"

"Well I asked his opinion on it. And I honestly agree with him. He said magic is like a sword. The sword itself isn't dangerous and can be used to both help and hurt. It really depends on the person."

Percival nodded, "I never really understood the purge. It seemed kinda pointless to me but then again, I didn't grow up around Camelot so I didn't really understand the politics of magic here. I came from a village far away from here and if someone had magic, it really wasn't dangerous."

Leon leaned forward, "That may be true for some but then there are people like Morgana and Morgouse that could easily kill us given the chance."

Elyan sat up, "Then again, I don't think Morgana would want that if she wasn't afraid of being killed herself."

Gwaine frowned, "It's possible that a lot of the problems with magic now are just people afraid of being killed under Camelot's laws."

Merlin passed around bowls of soup to everyone, "So what your saying is that you don't despise magic the same way Uther does?" He asked them, sitting next to Lancelot as he handed the knight the last bowl before picking up his own.

Gwaine frowned, "If magic is a tool then it should be used in the right ways. Sure if you go around killing or hurting people then you should be punished but other than that no. You should be free to live how you want."

Arthur nodded, "Especially those who are born that way. I wonder how much pain the druids have experience because of my father."

Lancelot looked to Arthur and the knights, "So if you learned that someone you know has magic, you wouldn't be angry?"

"Well I guess not. I may be upset that they lied to me but I wouldn't be angry." Arthur frowned, "After all they would probably be scared of being exacuted."

"But you would except it?" Lancelot pushed.

"If I truly trusted the person. There are some times where I just want to drop the ban on magic and just tell Morgana to come home and to stop all this madness."

Merlin looked into his soup, "Then why don't you?"

"Because as long as my father is alive he is king. I can't change a law that big no matter how I feel."

Merlin nodded slowly. "There's honor in that." The others nodded in agreement.

They finished their food and went to sleep, leaving Merlin on watch to think of a day where he would no longer have to his his magic from his best friend.