Archive of Our Own ^beta

Merlin carefully entered information from the auction house invoice into the collection database for the Museum of Medieval History. Over the weekend, he had purchased a manuscript from the mid-1200s that detailed a new (at that time) medical practise of combining a common herbal remedy with magic. The manuscript was in excellent shape, but still required special storage techniques to preserve the paper and ink. Therefore, it would primarily reside offsite, in the museum’s climate-controlled storage, although it may be put on display occasionally, if it fit perfectly with an exhibit theme. Right now, the curator, Gaius, was photographing and documenting the manuscript before it was transferred to secure storage.

Gaius was the one who had discovered the availability of the manuscript and requested that Merlin purchase it to add to the museum’s rather large collection of medical artefacts. Gaius had a particular interest in medieval medical practises, especially those that combined medicine and magic, and he was considered one of the world’s leading experts on the subject. He had already published several articles and was currently working on a book. As collection manager, Merlin had to be careful that their medieval collection didn’t become too focused on one area, but he was happy to indulge Gaius whenever he could.

Just as Merlin was finishing the data entry for the manuscript, Gwen stepped quickly into his office. She pressed her finger to her lips and slipped behind a shelf that held new acquisitions awaiting documentation. Merlin turned toward the shelf to ask Gwen why she was being so secretive when Arthur (the museum director and Gwen’s boyfriend) poked his head into the office.

“Have you seen Gwen?”

Merlin just shook his head and lied for his friend. “Not this morning. What’s up?”

Arthur took a breath but then seemed to reconsider. He pursed his lips. “Doesn’t matter. Did you get that manuscript Gaius was drooling over?”

“I did.” Merlin grinned. “Thanks for approving that purchase, by the way. I know the board is a little down on documenting historical magical practises right now.”

“Well,” Arthur shrugged, “It’s mostly my father who is leading that charge. He’s afraid that sitting on the board of any organization that is seen to be pro-magic will hurt his chances for re-election.”

“Yeah.” Merlin nodded. “I saw that his poll numbers were up last week, though. It’s obviously not hurting him too much. Besides, no matter what the current political view of magic is, its use in the past is a historical fact. How can Uther deny that?”

Arthur just sighed. Merlin had discussed this subject with his friend repeatedly. In staff meetings, in each other’s offices, over drinks at the pub. There was nothing new to say. So Merlin just waved his hand dismissively. He didn’t mean to engage Arthur right now in an argument on the one topic on which they disagreed. Especially while Gwen hid in the back of his office.

“Anyway.” Merlin continued with an apologetic head tilt. “You’ve made Gaius’s week. We probably won’t see him emerge from the document room for several days.”

With a nod and a hint of a smile, Arthur turned and walked away. When Merlin heard him open the door to the stairwell, he spun his chair around.

“Gwen?”

She peeked her head around the shelf, her eyes wide and shining. She met his eyes for just a moment and then dropped her head in apology.

“Sorry to put you on the spot like that. Thanks for…” She raised a finger toward the door as if to indicate anything Merlin may have done in regard to Arthur.

Merlin shrugged and shook his head lightly. “Did something happen between you two?”

Gwen just plopped onto the floor beside Merlin’s chair and laid her head on his lap. “We broke up.”

She didn’t continue immediately, so Merlin placed a hand on the back of her shoulder, gently rubbing.

“I brought it up, but he was expecting it, I think. We’ve been in a complete rut anyway.” She raised her head and looked up at Merlin. “It was all very exciting at first, when it was sort of forbidden, you know? With him being my boss and his father against it. But once we got all that sorted, there wasn’t really much there.”

Merlin nodded. She had told him this before. Sometimes they’d meet for a coffee in the break room, and Gwen would bemoan her weekend of boring dinners with Arthur, and Merlin would bemoan his weekend of sitting home alone, or worse, his weekend of Gwaine dragging him to clubs where he would stand around exuding awkward “I’m gay” vibes, waiting for Gwaine to pull so he could slip out unnoticed and take a cab home.

Oddly, though, in his conversations with Arthur, he never heard a single complaint about Gwen. But then he never heard any compliments, either. Merlin thought perhaps Arthur held back because he knew Gwen and Merlin were friends. Although, come to think of it, Arthur had never really talked with Merlin about any of the men or women he dated. Maybe Arthur simply wasn’t the type to discuss his relationships, even with his best friend. Not that Merlin thought he was Arthur’s best friend, but they had been mates for years, and it seemed to Merlin that they had been growing closer over the last few months since Arthur took over as director of the museum.

“Merrrlinnnn!” Gwen whinged, dropping her head back onto his lap. “How long do you think is a tasteful amount of time for me to wait before asking Lance out?”

With a snort, Merlin jostled his knees, forcing Gwen to look up at him with a sheepish grin. Smouldering hot Lancelot, who worked in the facilities group, was also a frequent topic of conversation during their coffee breaks. Merlin and Gwen had both crushed on Lance hard when he first started, but it quickly became clear that Lance only had eyes for Gwen. Apparently Gwen and Merlin had similar taste in men, but where she had quickly soured on Arthur, Merlin’s crush on his friend and boss was still going strong.

“I think every single person who works at the Museum of Medieval History, including Arthur Pendragon, would be shocked if you waited a full week, Gwen.” Merlin declared in his best melodramatic voice.

“Shut up!” She shoved him away, but he stamped his feet down to keep from rolling too far. “Okay, I’ll let you get back to work. I’ve a group of year fives coming for a programme. How many times do you think I’ll utter the phrase, ‘Please, don’t touch the swords!’ in the next hour?”

She rolled her eyes dramatically, and Merlin laughed.

“Thanks for providing sanctuary!” Gwen waved as she swept out the door.

“Anytime!” He called after her.

Merlin spent the next two hours trying to keep busy enough that he wouldn’t be able to focus on the fact that Arthur was now available.

*****

Gwen met everyone’s expectations by asking Lance to dinner only five days after she and Arthur had broken up. And Uther Pendragon met everyone’s expectations by winning re-election and immediately proposing a law requiring all sorcerers to register with the government.

Merlin stood in the entryway of the museum at closing time, waiting for all the visitors to leave. He was leaning against a column opposite a wall covered with plaques honouring museum donors; the plaque with Uther’s name was the largest. Merlin scowled at it. Just the thought of Uther and his hatred of magic made Merlin’s stomach roll.

Magic. The history of magic and its use in this part of the world was fascinating. During the medieval period, magic thrived. Sorcerers were revered, and they were sought out by kings and nobles for their magical abilities. Naturally, though, some sorcerers used their magic to commit terrible crimes. There would always be those who made bad choices, whether they had the ability to use magic or not, but the fact that magic gave great power to commoners and to some who would use it to hurt others frightened many. So over the years, laws had been made to try to control sorcerers. And during many periods throughout history, people were killed for the mere suspicion of using magic, whether they actually had any magical ability or not.

Throughout the last few centuries, fear of persecution had caused many sorcerers to stop using magic altogether. There were pocket communities here and there where sorcerers found sanctuary, but for the most part, sorcerers simply hid their abilities from all but their most trusted family and friends.

Merlin was in the latter group.

His mother knew about his abilities, as did Gaius, who was an old friend of the family and who had got Merlin his first job at the museum as curator’s assistant. But Merlin was afraid to share his magic with anyone else.

The sound of giggling and hushed talking drew Merlin’s attention. Three young women who looked like students walked past him and exited the building, chatting about their dinner plans.

“That group was the last.” Leon, the security guard, informed him as he walked in from the main gallery past Merlin to lock the front doors.

Freya stepped out of the gift shop carrying the day’s receipts to deliver to the safe in Arthur’s office. “All set, Leon.” She raised her eyebrows in surprise when she saw Merlin standing in the entryway.

“Merlin! What are you doing out here? Are you making some changes to an exhibit tonight?” Freya pushed some loose hair behind her ear and nodded toward the notebook Merlin had tucked under his arm.

Merlin shook his head and stepped out of the way as Leon ducked behind Freya into the shop to do his last checks.

“No, I wanted to talk to Arthur about something, so I volunteered to close everything down tonight.”

“Didn’t want to be interrupted, eh?” Leon waggled his eyebrows suggestively as he pulled down the metal security gate for the gift shop.

“Leon, don’t tease him!” Freya swatted Leon’s shoulder and gave Merlin a sympathetic shrug, but he didn’t mind.

“No, indeed. Do you know how hard it is to get Arthur to listen to my ideas? I’ll do whatever it takes to get his undivided attention. Even if it means giving you lot an early night.” He held his hand out toward Freya. “Receipts? I’m going to Arthur’s office anyway.”

She laughed and handed him the bundle of receipts. “Thanks, hon. Well, Leon, if Merlin’s closing up, would you mind walking me out?”

She turned to grin at Leon who gave a slight bow and made an “after you” gesture toward the staff exit. He turned back with a dubious glance at Merlin. “Good luck, mate!”

Merlin waited until they were out before he locked the door behind them. As he walked around the museum, double-checking that all the visitors had left and nothing was out of place, his thoughts returned to the struggles surrounding the right to use magic.

Lately, some sorcerers were fighting for more rights, and they were joined in their fight by non-sorcerers, who called themselves magic-allies. Magic was gaining support, both in the public eye and among many politicians. Some countries had already passed laws allowing the use of some magic. And political pundits were constantly appearing on news programmes to discuss what kinds of laws might be needed to allow sorcerers the freedom to practise magic without putting others in danger.

Uther Pendragon, however, was one of the most outspoken opponents of legalising magic and creating rights for sorcerers. His fear of magic blinded him, and he refused to acknowledge that magic could be used as a tool to help people. To him and others like him, all sorcerers were dangerous.

Sorcerers’ Rights groups had been making progress until last summer when a small group of terrorists with magical abilities had attacked a railway station in London, killing six people and injuring many more. Such attacks were rare, since most sorcerers these days did not possess magic strong enough to do much damage, either to people or to property, but all it took was one powerful sorcerer to cause fear of magic to take over.

Merlin hadn’t met many other sorcerers, but from what he had read in books and online, his own magic seemed to be more powerful than most. Magic came so naturally to him that it was always a challenge to keep it hidden inside. He would dearly love to be able to use his magic freely. Not to have to hide who he was from his friends.

After Merlin had switched off the lights in the galleries and shut down the computers that controlled a couple of films and touch screen information stations, he stood in the middle of their most popular permanent exhibit, Medieval Royalty. Most of the historic castle that housed the museum had been renovated, but this hall retained its cold stone walls and dramatic Romanesque arches.

In the dimness of the small security lights, Merlin could imagine that he had been transported back in time and stood in the Great Hall of a medieval castle. The walls were decorated with coats of arms and elaborate paintings and tapestries depicting battles and religious stories. The articles of clothing mounted on floating forms throughout the gallery were lords and ladies gathering for a feast. The suits of armour displayed in alcoves around the outer walls were knights, standing guard for their king. Merlin could imagine the sounds of conversation and laughter, of servants bustling about laying tables and pouring wine into ornate goblets. Perhaps a minstrel would be strumming a harp in the corner.

Merlin smiled at the scene he had created in his head. Museums held a magic all their own. You could read books about royalty in the Middle Ages, look at pictures of the clothes, art and weapons, watch films depicting that era. But there was something about standing beside a suit of armour once worn by an actual knight that made you imagine his hopes and his fears as he marched into battle. Examining the intricacy of a tapestry up close made you imagine the hours of work and care that went into the depiction of Christ’s birth. This was the magic of museums. The magic of seeing the real thing.

With one last glance around the gallery, Merlin hugged his notebook to his chest and started toward Arthur’s office, his stomach fluttering with nerves.

Around the time of Uther’s re-election, Merlin had come up with an idea. He had been pondering ways he could help with the Sorcerers’ Rights movement, when he realised that the museum gave him the power to influence people’s opinion of magic. He could design an exhibit using actual historic artefacts to show how useful magic had been in the past.

He spent several weeks planning themes and selecting objects from the collection to highlight the benefits of magic. Now, he was ready to present his idea to Arthur, but he wasn’t sure how it would be received.

Arriving at Arthur’s office, he took a deep breath to steady his nerves and knocked on the door jamb. “Arthur, do you have a minute?”

Arthur held up one finger and then pointed to his ear which held a Bluetooth headset. He paced around his office as he spoke.

“Yes, Father, I understand that, but… Because you’re on the board of trustees… But we could be risking our exemption status.” Arthur closed his eyes and sighed through a clenched jaw. “Yes, Father. … That’s fine. I’ll consult with the Charity Commission. … Yes. Goodbye.”

Arthur ripped the headset off and threw it onto his desk before turning toward the door where Merlin stood, grimacing in sympathy.

“My father wants to host a political fundraiser in the main gallery of the museum. He wants to use our donor list as his guest list, load them up with expensive alcohol and talk them out of even more of their money.”

Before Merlin had a chance to reply, Arthur leaned over to lock his computer and grab his jacket from the back of his chair.

“I’m headed to the pub, Merlin. Would you like to join me for a drink… or ten?”

Arthur threw a forced grin in Merlin’s direction, and Merlin couldn’t help but laugh. His proposal for a new exhibit could wait. Arthur was certainly not in a receptive mood right now.

“Sure. But you’re buying.”

*****

Arthur decided on The Rising Sun, because neither he nor Merlin had eaten since lunch, and The Rising Sun served better food than their usual pub. Merlin was secretly thrilled with this choice, because it meant they were less likely to run into any of their other friends, and he could share a meal and conversation alone with Arthur. He strategically found a quiet table near the back while Arthur ordered.

When Arthur returned with their drinks, he slid one across the table to Merlin and then downed almost half of his pint in one series of gulps.

“Whoa!” Merlin made a face at his friend. “Things can’t be all that bad, can they?”

Arthur set down his drink and leaned forward onto the table, running his hands through his hair.

“I had hoped that once the election was over, Father would calm down a bit. But apparently I didn’t help him enough with his campaign,” Arthur’s tone was one of frustrated mocking. “So now I owe him as he tries to get backing for all his anti-magic initiatives.”

Merlin’s heart sank, and he felt his jaw tense. “Are you going to help him?”

With a sigh, Arthur shook his head. “I’m not sure. I do think we need to keep some laws controlling the use of magic, but some of Father’s ideas are just… too much.”

“Like the government keeping a public registry of sorcerers?”

Merlin couldn’t keep the disgust from his voice, and unfortunately, his tone seemed to put Arthur on the defensive.

“Well, I don’t know. Maybe he shouldn’t phrase it exactly that way, but if we are going to allow any magic use at all, I do think people should be required to pass a test and get a licence to use magic. Just like you have to have a licence to drive a car.”

Merlin leaned forward. “Look, we already know that you and I disagree about magic licences, but what Uther is suggesting goes beyond that. He wants to see people tested for magic against their will. If the government has a list of people with any magical ability, what’s to stop them from gathering everyone on that list for execution?”

Arthur just rolled his eyes. “My father is not Hitler, Merlin. He just wants to…”

“What?” Merlin raised his eyebrows at Arthur’s hesitation. “Make sure he knows who’s on which side?”

After swallowing another few sips of his drink, Arthur ploughed on. “Well, you have to admit that in the past few years, we’ve seen far too many cases of magic being used to hurt others just to try to make a point. It does seem like magic corrupts those who use it.”

Merlin was starting to shake with anger. “That is an invalid argument, and you know it, Arthur! The people who would follow the laws and just use their magic in harmless ways are already following the laws and not using their magic at all! The only people who are using it to harm others are those who would harm others no matter what tool they used.”

“You keep calling it a tool. But magic can be used to hurt people just as effectively as a gun. Why won’t you acknowledge that it is a weapon? And there need to be laws governing the use of all weapons.”

“Scissors can be used as weapons, too.” Merlin felt his voice getting more and more shrill, but he couldn’t help it. “Should there be laws governing the use of all scissors?”

Arthur raised his glass to his lips again, but paused before taking a drink. “Now you just sound ridiculous, Merlin.”

Arthur had this way of stating his arguments in such a calm and rational manner. As if any argument his opponent made was simply born out of emotions and was invalid in the face of his clear logic. He was just so arrogant.

Unfortunately, Merlin could not remove the emotion from his statements. When it came to magic, there was no way he could compete with Arthur’s emotionless logic. Magic was so much a part of him that any argument against the use of magic felt like a personal attack.

And it was impossible to remain calm and rational when your best friend was vilifying you.

Arthur set his drink down and continued, “Look, it all comes down to choice, right? Yes, there are some people who, for whatever reason, have the ability to perform magic. But they don’t have to do it. They can choose to follow the laws that were put in place for a reason and just live like normal people.”

Normal people.

Merlin was certain his insides had just been hollowed out. His anger was gone. All he felt was empty. His best friend believed he was not normal. That there was something innately wrong with him simply because he was born with the ability to use magic.

He couldn’t sit across from Arthur and continue to talk with him as if his whole world had not just collapsed around him, so before the tears that he felt stinging his eyes started to fall, Merlin stood.

Arthur furrowed his brow in confusion. “What are you doing?”

“Not hungry.” Merlin didn’t trust his voice to say much. He pulled out his wallet and tossed a few quid onto the table to cover his drink and the dinner Arthur had already ordered for him. “See you Monday.”

Without looking to see Arthur’s reaction, Merlin walked out of the pub and hailed a cab.

*****

Merlin managed to make it back to his flat with the door safely closed behind him before allowing his composure to break. He slid to the floor and just let the sobs wrack his body and the tears spill freely down his cheeks.

He had always known that Arthur was uncomfortable with magic. That he had grown up with his father constantly warning him of the dangers of magic. Merlin and Arthur had discussed before their opinions on whether magic should be legalised and whether sorcerers should be licensed to practise magic.

Arthur had always seemed to see magic primarily as a weapon, but Merlin had always believed that one day, he could help Arthur realise that not all magic is bad. That magic could be used to help just as easily as to hurt. He thought he could make Arthur see that using magic didn’t make one a bad person. And then, just maybe, he could share the truth about himself with his closest friend.

But now, it was clear to Merlin that Arthur didn’t just believe that the use of magic was wrong. He believed that sorcerers were abnormal. Freaks.

A fresh wave of tears hit Merlin as he imagined how Arthur would look at him if he found out that Merlin had magic. Would he be disgusted? Merlin had seen the look of revulsion on Uther’s face when he met with sorcerers. He believed them to be abominations. Something that went against nature. Would Arthur look at Merlin that same way if he knew?

Merlin didn’t think he could bear that.

Arthur could never find out. It was simple as that. If Arthur never found out about Merlin’s magic, he would never have a chance to be disgusted by him. Merlin would have to give up his hopes for anything more than friendship with Arthur, but perhaps they could still work together and at least be friendly if Arthur never found out.

Standing up and swiping his shirtsleeve across his tear-stained face, Merlin took a deep breath. He could live with that. He walked to his bedroom, ditching his now snotty shirt in the laundry hamper along the way. He would have to live with that.

Merlin changed into a baggy black t-shirt and his favourite pair of tartan pyjama bottoms and then went into the kitchen to put the kettle on. He had lost his appetite, but some tea and a film marathon sounded perfect. He reached for the kettle, but in a moment of rebellion, he simply filled his mug with water, said “Onhǽte þá wæter” and, with a flash of his eyes, the water was boiling.

He had just settled on the couch and started browsing his Netflix queue when there was a knock on his door.

“Merlin? It’s Arthur.”

Merlin cursed his traitorous stomach for doing excited flip-flops at the sound of Arthur’s voice, in spite of his earlier vow to give up his crush on the man. He rose from the couch to open the door.

Arthur held out a bag of take-away like some sort of peace offering.

“I had the kitchen pack up your meal.” He shrugged. “In case you get hungry later.”

Merlin reached for the bag with a cursory thanks, but Arthur didn’t let go right away. He was looking into Merlin’s eyes with something like pity in his own.

Damn. Merlin realised that his eyes were probably still red and puffy from all the crying he had done. He tugged the bag from Arthur’s hand and turned away quickly to escape to the kitchen. As he put the take-away in the refrigerator, he heard the flat door close, but he knew Arthur was still inside. He hadn’t come just to bring Merlin dinner. Maybe he wanted a chance to finish his earlier argument. Maybe he still thought he could convince Merlin that the anti-magic laws were right.

Steeling himself for another attack, Merlin stepped back into his living room. When he saw Arthur, however, his breath caught in his throat. Arthur’s face was all softness and regret.

“Merlin, I’m sorry.” Arthur’s tone was genuine and made Merlin’s heart beat faster with renewed hope. “Father’s been after me lately for buying into what he calls the pro-magic agenda. I think I was feeling defensive after talking with him tonight. And you and I have had fun sparring a bit over Sorcerers’ Rights in the past. I got carried away.”

He took two steps closer and kept his eyes focused on Merlin’s.

“What I said…” Now he looked toward the floor, shaking his head slowly for a moment before looking back at Merlin. “That was unforgivable. And, of course, I didn’t really mean that. Those were my father’s words, and I’m ashamed they came out of my mouth.”

Merlin swallowed hard and clenched his teeth. He would not cry again. So he just nodded, acknowledging Arthur’s words, even if he wasn’t quite ready to accept them just yet.

Arthur turned and motioned toward the couch, raising his eyebrows in question, so Merlin sat and allowed space for Arthur to join him.

“Look, Merlin, I think I know why you were so hurt by what I said.”

Merlin felt his eyes widen with fear. Arthur knew? Had Merlin blown all his years of careful hiding with one over-emotional reaction?

“I went over and over our conversation, and I’m sure all those arguments sounded familiar to you. About sorcerers having a choice about magic.” Arthur grimaced. “And about being abnormal.”

He continued, “That’s the same stuff people say about being gay.”

Merlin let out the breath he was holding. Arthur didn’t know. Although oddly, Merlin wasn’t actually certain whether he was relieved or disappointed.

“I’ve told you before that I’m attracted to both men and women, and I know that sexual attraction is not a matter of choice at all. And there’s no normal or abnormal about it. People are people, and they love who they love.”

In spite of himself, Merlin had to chuckle at Arthur’s unusually awkward phrasing.

“And I actually do believe the same thing about sorcerers.” Merlin looked up at Arthur who gave an apologetic shrug. “People can’t choose whether or not they have magic.”

Arthur smiled a little. “It certainly doesn’t make them abnormal or disgusting or any of the other ridiculous things my father believes. And I promise that I won’t let him get into my head so much again. I hate that I hurt you.”

Merlin just looked at Arthur for a few moments trying to gauge the sincerity of his words. Finally he nodded. “Thank you, Arthur.”

“Good. That’s settled.” Arthur grinned at Merlin, toed off his shoes and leaned back, stretching both arms along the back of the couch. “What are we watching, then?”

A little thrill ran through Merlin when he realised that he was already in his pyjamas and here was Arthur, settling in to watch a film with him. After a bit of light-hearted bickering where Merlin declared Arthur’s taste in films disgustingly violent and Arthur mocked Merlin relentlessly for both the nerdiness and the girliness of his queue, they settled on The Avengers.

At some point during the film, Merlin, in a purely innocent attempt to get more comfortable, ended up with his legs curled onto the couch and one foot pressed slightly against Arthur’s leg. Arthur didn’t pull away, so Merlin spent the rest of the film alternating between keeping unnaturally still, so as not to draw Arthur’s attention to the contact, and inching his foot bit by bit until it was partially tucked under Arthur’s thigh.

He felt like he was a teenager again, and he was quite embarrassed at his behaviour, but the fact that Arthur didn’t budge for the whole second half of the film made Merlin think that his friend knew exactly what he was doing and didn’t mind a bit.

*****

Call me when you get up.

It was at best foolish and at worst selfish to want to talk with Gwen about his growing crush on her ex-boyfriend, so Merlin let his thumb hover over his mobile for a moment after typing the text. But she was with Lance now. And they seemed happy. And she was never really in love with Arthur or anything. After just a few seconds of consideration, Merlin hit send.

A message popped up shortly.

Just a minute… Lance is still asleep. !!!

Merlin snorted at her response. Apparently she had spent the night with Lance. Good. That made him feel less guilty for making her listen to him gush about Arthur.

Because there was definitely going to be gushing. Fountains and fountains of gushing.

As soon as his mobile rang, he answered with the most mockingly shocked tone he could muster, “Why Gwen, how could a nice girl like you possibly know whether Lancelot du Lac is still sleeping on this lovely Saturday morning?”

“Oh dear. I think I rang the wrong number. I was trying to reach my very sweet and considerate friend, Merlin.”

Merlin snorted again. “I take it your date went well last night?”

“It was very lovely. He took me to that new Thai place for our one month anniversary. One whole month, Merlin.” She spoke emphatically. “You see? I am a nice girl.”

“Oh no. You can’t get away with that.” Merlin teased his friend. “That was all Lance. If I recall correctly, after your first date, you called me whinging about how you couldn’t wait to rip his shirt off.”

“Shut up. I did not.” Gwen paused for only a moment. “That was the second date.”

She dissolved into giggles, and Merlin couldn’t help grinning. He was glad she was so happy. She had stopped giggling like that over Arthur around the time they actually started dating.

“So, what’s up?” She asked once she had recovered.

Merlin took a deep breath. “Okay, I hope this isn’t weird. I think something might be happening with a guy I like, but I don’t know if I just want it so bad that I’m seeing things that aren’t there. I just… I need a second opinion.”

“Okay… Why would that be weird?”

Scrunching his eyes shut, Merlin continued, “Because it’s Arthur?”

She didn’t respond for a moment, and he wondered whether he had been insensitive to try to talk to her. He was just about to apologise and change the subject when she spoke again.

“Wow. Um… How long has this been going on?”

Now Merlin understood her silence. She was wondering whether he had started something with Arthur before she broke up with him. He rushed to reassure her. “Gwen, nothing’s happened. At all. I don’t even know if he likes me other than as a friend.”

“But you do?” She asked. He thought he heard a smile in her voice, but perhaps that was wishful thinking.

“I really do.” He let out a breathy laugh. “I’m sorry I never mentioned it before. I’ve liked him almost since we met, when I was working as Gaius’s assistant, and he was still director of guest services.”

“Merlin, I had no idea.” Now there was a hint of pity in her voice, and Merlin did not want her to pity him.

“I know. And I wasn’t jealous of you when you were dating.” He gave a little shrug. “Well, much anyway. I wanted you both to be happy.”

She laughed, “Well, I’m happy now. And I want you to be happy, too. So tell me what happened, and don’t leave out any of the salacious details. I am not a delicate flower, you know!”

“Gwen! There are no salacious details!” Merlin grinned, relieved that she was joking with him. “I’m telling you nothing happened except some pathetic secondary school style flirting on my part and sort of an ‘I’m not completely opposed to your flirting’ response on his part.”

Gwen laughed again. “All right. Walk me through it.”

So Merlin told her everything about the previous evening. He went ahead and told her what they fought about, because she knew that he was in favour of Sorcerers’ Rights, but he didn’t go into detail about how much Arthur’s words had hurt him and why.

“But then he came around to bring the dinner I didn’t eat and to apologise.”

“Wait.” Gwen interrupted. “Was it one of those fake apologies? You know… ‘I’m sorry if your feelings were hurt, but I was just being honest.’ Like, he still believes he was right, but isn’t he great for noticing that you were upset?”

“No, it wasn’t like that, Gwen.” Merlin had been on the receiving end of the fake apology before. And, if he was completely honest, had used that tactic himself enough times to recognise when he was just being mollified. “He really felt bad. He said he was ashamed of the words that came out of his mouth. That he let his father get in his head, but that he didn’t really believe those things. He said he hated that he hurt me.”

Gwen was silent for a few moments, and he wished he could see her face.

“That’s big, Merlin. Arthur rarely apologises, and he never admits that he was wrong. Unless he absolutely has to, and even then he does it in a mocking way. It’s like a Pendragon code or something.”

Merlin knew this about Arthur. But he also knew that Arthur’s regret the previous night was genuine.

“He must really care about you.” This time, Merlin knew he was not imagining the smile in Gwen’s voice.

They spent the next twenty minutes analysing every word and every action of Merlin and Arthur’s evening, and by the end, even Gwen was laughing about how they sounded like thirteen year olds. But Merlin loved every minute of it. And he could not wait until work on Monday. He was going to pitch his benefits of magic exhibit, and now he felt confident that Arthur would at least be open-minded about his proposal.

*****

“Merlin, you can’t be serious.”

Well, perhaps open-minded was too much to hope for.

“I understand what you’re trying to do, but museums cannot be in the business of making political statements.”

Arthur flipped through the pages of Merlin’s proposal without even taking the time to read anything or give more than a cursory glance at the images of objects Merlin had selected for the exhibit.

“The purpose of the museum is to preserve history and educate the public on medieval society, not to support special interest groups or try to sway people’s votes.”

Immediate dismissal was not what Merlin was expecting from Arthur after their conversation Friday night, but he was ready to support his case for this exhibit. He reached over and grabbed the proposal from Arthur’s hands, turned to the second page and pointed to a paragraph halfway down.

“I pulled this from our mission statement. ‘The Museum of Medieval History strives to deepen the understanding of past choices, current situations, and future possibilities; promote connections in the community; and inspire solutions to common problems.’”

Merlin looked up at Arthur and was encouraged to see his boss attempting to hide an impressed smile.

“That’s exactly what I want to do with this exhibit. Magic was an important part of medieval society. Yes, there were dangers, but people at that time decided that the benefits outweighed those dangers. Weighing the pros and cons of magic is currently one of the major topics of conversation of our society. And the decisions made today will have great impact on the future of our country and our world. Whether people are coming from a pro-magic or anti-magic starting point, this exhibit could help start conversations in our community that could lead to a better understanding between sorcerers and those without magic.”

As Merlin spoke, Arthur’s smile widened, and he was no longer attempting to hide his admiration. When Merlin finished his speech, Arthur paged through the proposal with more attention this time. Then he looked back at Merlin and gave a sharp nod.

“Okay.”

Merlin’s eyebrows shot up. “Okay?”

“Let’s do it.” Arthur flashed a crooked smile that suggested both apprehension and excitement. “Show me your projected budget.”

Never in his life had Merlin wanted to kiss someone more than he wanted to kiss Arthur in that moment. Instead, he flipped to the back of his proposal, and he and Arthur bent their heads over tables of expenses and revenues.

And if Merlin felt sparks of electricity crackling between himself and his boss at every incidental touch or shared smile, it was probably because construction and lighting and grants were very sexy.

*****

Because Merlin’s exhibit did not require changes to any of the museum’s permanent galleries, and because he planned to use objects already in the collection, and because he kept the budget low enough to be covered by small grants from three local foundations, installation of the exhibit did not require the board’s approval.

“You clever boy!” Gwen bumped her shoulder against his arm on their way out of the staff meeting where Arthur had announced the new exhibit. “Every aspect of that exhibit is planned out in a way that you would not have to talk to Uther about it until it’s completed.”

Merlin scoffed. “Well yeah! I’m not an idiot.”

Gwen shook her head. “Of course you know that once Morgana starts publicising it, all hell will break loose.”

Leaning down conspiratorially, Merlin lowered his voice. “That’s what I’m counting on.”

As he walked down the hall toward his office, he glanced back over his shoulder with a closed mouth grin and a quirk of his eyebrows. Gwen’s mouth had dropped open and her eyes were wide with shock, but at least she looked impressed.

When Merlin stepped into his office, Gaius was already there waiting for him. He had left the meeting immediately, where Merlin stayed behind to chat with some of his colleagues about the exhibit.

“I know what you’re doing, my boy.”

Gaius had a way of saying things in a way that hinted at both approval and disapproval at the same time. It was a combination of stern tone and amused eyebrow raising that did it, Merlin thought. He closed the door so they could converse in private.

“What’s wrong with presenting historical facts about the use of magic? I know you’d like to see magic legalised again. You told me about those rallies you used to attend back in the seventies.” Merlin walked to his desk, avoiding making eye contact with his mentor.

Gaius simply put a hand on his shoulder. “Just as long as you realise that Arthur has spent his entire life hearing about the evils of magic from his father. One exhibit is not likely to change his mind.”

He walked to the door, but paused to turn back and raise that blasted eyebrow one more time before he stepped into the hallway. Merlin stared after him for a few moments. Were his feelings for Arthur that obvious?

Turning back to face his computer, Merlin just folded his arms across his chest and stared blankly at the screen. The exhibit was about more than just showing Arthur that magic could be used for good. It was supposed to start conversations in the community. All that noble stuff he put in his proposal.

Merlin ground his teeth and sighed. Of course he had personal reasons for creating this exhibit as well. Yes, he was hoping to change Arthur’s mind about magic. And wasn’t it still a possibility? Change was always possible, wasn’t it?

He kicked the leg of his desk. What did Gaius know, anyway?

*****

The next couple of weeks were filled with long days of meetings with every department within the museum, planning everything from label copy to construction of exhibit environment to educational curriculum to marketing strategies. Merlin worked late every night in his office compiling input from his co-workers and preparing for the next day’s meetings.

The first few nights, Arthur would stop by on his way out to ask Merlin how things were going and tell him not to stay too late, but then each night, Arthur would stick around longer, coming to lean over Merlin’s shoulder and look over a sketch of an exhibit panel or a sample ad for the local newspaper.

One night, he brought Merlin a prototype of a hands-on activity the education group had created with help from George, the museum’s IT guru. A pot of water sat on a porous base attached to a small fan that was controlled by a computer. Visitors would speak the “magic words,” and voice recognition software would trigger the fan to aerate the pot, simulating boiling water. Merlin and Arthur enjoyed trying it out and imagining how visitors would react to simulating such useful household magic.

Another night, they discussed how to inform Uther about the exhibit. They decided to tell him before the marketing campaign began, because it would neither be fair to him nor good for the museum to allow him to be blind-sided by the media. But that didn’t mean they couldn’t imagine what would happen if he just walked in to see magical objects being displayed in the museum to which he had donated thousands of pounds. By that point, they were quite tired and punchy and Merlin’s “furious Uther” face earned him a hearty laugh and a shout of “That’s the first time I’ve ever seen you look hideously unattractive, Merlin!” from Arthur. That statement put butterflies in Merlin’s belly for the rest of the night as he wondered whether Arthur normally thought he was attractive.

After installation of the exhibit had begun, Merlin showed Arthur some of the magical objects he had pulled from collection storage. Some showed enchantment in an obvious way, like an ornate box that protected its contents by giving a slight shock that felt like electrostatic discharge to anyone who touched it.

Merlin motioned for Arthur to touch the box, and when he did, he jerked his hand back and his eyes widened.

“That’s a centuries old spell, and it’s still effective? Incredible!” Merlin’s heart soared at the awe in Arthur’s voice.

Other objects retained their magic, but needed a trigger.

“Take these dice, for example.” Merlin used a gloved hand to pick up a pair of clay dice whose corners were chipped. “Sorcerers were generally prohibited from playing games of chance, because they could enchant the dice to land a certain way, but non-magic folk had no such advantage. These dice, though, were enchanted so that anyone could control them, simply by tapping a pattern onto their surface before the roll.”

Arthur placed his hand under Merlin’s to lift the dice for a closer look. “Don’t tell your friend Gwaine about these!”

“Right?” Merlin laughed, and his stomach thrilled at both Arthur’s touch and the smile in his eyes as he held Merlin’s gaze.

Still other objects had been charmed, but required a spell cast by a sorcerer to bring the magic to life.

Carefully lifting a special tray that held a pair of beaded ladies’ slippers, Merlin informed Arthur, “These shoes were charmed so that they will adjust to fit any foot. They would fit a child or even a large man, if he desired a fabulous evening shoe.”

Arthur snorted at that image, but shook his head. “Impossible.”

“The original enchantment was very complicated, but once it was done, even a sorcerer who didn’t have much power could cast the resizing spell, and the shoes would shape themselves to fit perfectly.”

“But how do we know for sure?” Arthur tilted his head, examining the shoes closer. “I mean, documentation from that long ago isn’t completely dependable. So what makes researchers certain that these objects are charmed and were once used magically?”

Merlin hesitated a moment, pressing his lips together before answering. “Because sorcerers can feel their power even today.”

Indeed, Merlin could feel the ebb and flow of magic through all the objects on the shelves. The shoes in his hands seemed to call out to him. Almost to whisper the spell needed to call their hidden power into being.

Arthur leaned forward, and Merlin wondered whether he was trying to feel the power Merlin spoke of. Then Arthur pulled back and looked toward the magical objects behind Merlin, his eyes sliding along the shelves.

When he spoke, his voice was low and almost secretive. “You know what would be amazing?”

Merlin held his breath and shook his head, not certain what his friend was thinking.

“If we could bring sorcerers in to do demonstrations.” He smiled hesitantly at Merlin, and kept his voice low, because he knew, of course, that what he was suggesting was not only against his father’s will, but it would be breaking the laws as they currently stood. “Think about it, though, Merlin. What better way to make history come alive than by utilising the spells cast centuries ago on these objects to show how people of that time would use magic in their everyday lives.”

Merlin’s breathe quickened. Even if they would never really do it, the fact that Arthur thought it would be amazing to have demonstrations of magic at the museum was making Merlin’s heart race. Right then, Merlin felt he would burst if he didn’t either confess his magic to Arthur or just grab the man and kiss him as hard as he could. But the moment passed as Arthur’s shoulders dropped in defeat.

“Oh well. Can you imagine the media circus if we did that?”

“Yeah.” Merlin turned away, placing objects back onto the shelf. They would be dealing with enough of a media circus when they announced the opening of the exhibit. Use of magic in the medieval period may be a true part of history, but magic was a divisive topic right now. They were already taking a risk, but providing demonstrations of actual magic would put the museum in danger of censure or even closure. And as museum director, Arthur would likely be sent to jail.

With a heavy sigh, Arthur picked up his jacket and started toward the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Merlin.”

Merlin nodded. “Night.”

Arthur paused in the doorway, looking back at Merlin as if he wanted to say something else, but then he turned and walked away.

*****

Later that week, Arthur arranged a dinner with Uther and two other members of the board to break the news of their planned exhibit. Merlin wanted to be there when Uther found out, but Arthur said he was worried that his father would be so angry about them going behind his back to create this exhibit that he might start asking for resignations.

“Merlin, I won’t put your job on the line because my father is a self-serving idiot.”

Arthur would willingly have been the sole representative from the museum staff at the dinner, but Gaius volunteered to join him. Gaius and Uther had worked together years before and had one of those odd professional friendships where they didn’t necessarily agree with one another, but they respected one another enough to make allowances for their differences.

Merlin felt like he was crawling out of his skin even before the dinner was supposed to start, and he knew he wouldn’t hear from Arthur for several hours, so he texted Gwaine for a distraction, which Gwaine was more than happy to provide.

As soon as Merlin walked into the pub, Gwaine waved to him from a round booth along the wall. Although the booth was spacious, he was sitting pressed against a blond woman that Merlin didn’t recognise. He wondered whether Gwaine had just met her tonight and was already making progress toward going home with her. Although he hadn’t really spoken to his friend much in the last few weeks, so she actually could be a new girlfriend.

He stopped by the bar to order a drink and then slid into the booth next to Gwaine.

“Merlin! Haven’t seen you forever, mate!” Gwaine clapped him on the shoulder hard enough to make him flinch.

“Been busy.”

“Well, I hope it’s not just work keeping you busy. Please tell me you finally worked up the nerve to ask out that hot blond boss of yours, and you two have been too busy in the bedroom to join your mates at the pub.”

Merlin had just taken a drink and spluttered a little at Gwaine’s bluntness.

“I’ll take that as a no.” Gwaine laughed before turning to the woman beside him. “Elena, this is my mate, Merlin. He works at the museum, and he’s in love with his boss. What’s his name? Arthur? But he’s too chicken to ask the man out.”

Elena gave Merlin a sympathetic smile and rolled her eyes in such a way that he could tell the sympathy was not for his non-existent love life, but because his friend was currently trying to embarrass him. So Merlin smiled back and rolled his eyes as well.

Gwaine didn’t seem to notice any of this.

“And Merlin, this is Elena. She’s a veterinarian, and she loves animals more than she loves people.” He leaned over and nuzzled her neck. “Although not as much as she loves me. Right, babe?”

Elena gave Gwaine a playful shove and reached across the table to shake Merlin’s hand.

“It’s nice to meet you, Merlin. I was beginning to wonder whether this one was capable of maintaining friendships at all.” She jabbed her finger into Gwaine’s arm, but she smiled at him, nonetheless.

Merlin decided instantly that he liked Elena and that she was a good match for Gwaine. He needed someone who shared his somewhat tactless sense of humour.

“So how long have you two been friends?” Elena asked.

Gwaine slid over and threw an arm around Merlin’s shoulders. “Oh, Merlin and I go way back. What was it… five? Seven years ago? I was working construction at the time, and Merlin was some sort of intern at the history museum. They were adding a new building behind the museum for storing swords and cannons and all these amazing medieval weapons. But they had to have a whole special room for the shields, because they have… sacred designs or something.”

Merlin snorted. “It’s not because they’re sacred. It’s because most of them were made of wood and, yes, they have designs painted on them, so to preserve them properly, they require a controlled climate. It can’t be too hot or too cold or too humid or too dry. Stuff like that.”

“Anyway…” Gwaine made a show of rolling his eyes. “Merlin here was some sort of expert on all that, so they kept sending him out to the construction site to check up on us.”

Elena looked impressed, so Merlin felt the need to correct Gwaine again. “It wasn’t because I was an expert. It was because I was just a part-time assistant, and I wasn’t as busy as everyone else. The curator, Gaius, wrote out all the instructions for me.”

“No, no. He’s just being modest.” Gwaine pulled Merlin toward him and tousled his hair like he was a small child before releasing him and sliding back to put his arm around Elena. “He’s some sort of medieval genius. Now he’s Gaius’s boss, and he’s in charge of all the swords in the museum.”

He gave Merlin a sly wink. “Except Arthur’s, of course.” He accompanied this statement with a lewd gesture.

Merlin turned beet red, but Elena just shook her head. “Gwaine, don’t be gross.”

They fell into easy conversation after that, Gwaine and Elena continuing to tease both each other and Merlin. But Merlin didn’t mind a bit. That was just Gwaine’s way, and when Merlin’s mobile buzzed with a text, he was surprised to realise that two hours had passed.

The text was from Arthur and simply said, “Well, I’m not sacked.”

Furrowing his brow, Merlin read the words again. He wasn’t sure what Arthur meant by that. Was Arthur not sacked because Uther and the other board members were okay with the exhibit? Did they disapprove of the exhibit but didn’t feel they could remove the museum director on those grounds? Or were they going to try to prevent the exhibit from opening? Merlin needed more information, and he needed to hear Arthur’s tone.

He looked up at Gwaine and Elena. “Sorry, I need to make a call. Elena, it was lovely meeting you, and I hope to see you again soon.”

As he slid out of the booth, Gwaine started making kissy noises and spoke in a falsetto voice. “Oh Arthur, I’ve missed you all evening. If you come over tonight, I’ll make it worth your while.”

Merlin rolled his eyes at his friend, and then left the noisy pub to walk down the pavement toward his flat. He called Arthur’s number.

“Hey.” Arthur answered in a flat voice.

“Hey! So what happened? How did Uther react?” Merlin realised he was almost shouting, so he glanced around to make sure no one was looking at him.

“Yeah, it was pretty much like we expected.” Arthur sounded worn out. “He wasn’t happy, but he didn’t want to make a scene, so he just sort of ground his teeth and asked a crap-load of questions.”

Their exhibit was a good one, both historically accurate and topical, and Merlin hated that Arthur had to defend it to the board members just because his father was so publically against magic.

“I’m sorry.” Merlin didn’t know what else to say. “So is the exhibit still on?”

“Yeah. Father knows there’s nothing he can do to stop it, really. I gave him your little speech, citing the mission statement and how this will start conversations in the community.” Now Merlin had to smile, because Arthur could not keep the pride out of his voice. “He can’t argue with that without looking like he’s trying to use the museum for political gain.”

Merlin gave a cynical chuckle at that, because of course, everything Uther did was for political gain.

“Hey, Merlin? I don’t really want to talk about the dinner any more, but I also don’t really want to…” Arthur was silent for a moment, and his voice sounded hesitant when he spoke again. “I don’t feel like going home just yet. Do you think I could come over, and we could just watch a film or something?”

One’s heart was not supposed to leap suddenly into one’s throat; it made speech rather difficult. But somehow Merlin managed to squeak out a “Sure, come on over.”

Later that night, after Arthur left, Merlin tried to remember what film they had watched, but he couldn’t. He had let Arthur choose, so of course, the film was thin on plot and thick on explosions, but Merlin had paid no attention to the screen whatsoever, because during the opening scene, without saying a word, Arthur had stretched out on the couch and laid his head on Merlin’s lap. After a few awkward moments where Merlin was unsure what to do with his hand, he decided that placing your head on someone’s lap was basically an invitation for, at the very least, comforting touches, so he alternated between stroking his hand up and down Arthur’s arm and carding his fingers through Arthur’s hair.

He wasn’t sure what Arthur was thinking or what might happen when the film ended, although his mind kept straying to his bedroom trying to remember whether he had made his bed that morning and whether he had any dirty clothes lying about on the floor. But when the credits rolled, Arthur simply sat up, smoothed his hair down with his own fingers, thanked Merlin for the film and walked out the door.

Merlin lay awake until four am wondering what the hell that was all about.

*****

Once informing Uther and the board was out of the way, installation of the exhibit went very smoothly and was actually quite fun. The gallery had previously housed a collection of religious art, which wasn’t one of their most popular exhibits, so closing off the gallery to visitors for a few weeks didn’t cause frustration. And Morgana, the marketing director, created a fun “Please excuse our mess while we work a bit of magic.” sign that created an air of mystery about the upcoming exhibit.

“I just overheard a couple arguing about what’s going on back here.” Gwen pushed aside the heavy curtain to enter the gallery where Lance and Percival were building a castle backdrop along the rear wall of the room while Merlin and Gaius were closer to the front, placing the slippers that resized themselves, a cloak that repelled water and a few other objects into a glass case displaying charmed clothing.

“What did they say?” Lance hopped down from a ladder to retrieve another section of painted backdrop.

“I guess they could hear your power tools, because she said she hoped we were putting in a new exhibit that was more exciting than just ‘a few old pictures hanging on the wall.’ But he said ‘working magic’ was just museum speak for fixing a leaky roof or something.”

Merlin laughed along with Gwen and said, “We can only hope they’ll come back, so she’ll be proven right.”

Gaius grunted a little. “Although, I wish we could work some actual magic to permanently fix all our leaky roof issues.”

“Come on, Gaius, Perce and I fixed that leak in collection storage last week.” Lance called out.

Percival spoke up, “Also, you can’t blame the roof for that. It was an issue with the special HVAC system you had them install.”

Merlin cringed, and sure enough, Gaius abandoned their installation to go lecture poor longsuffering Percival about the dangers of even slight fluctuations in temperature and relative humidity to seven hundred year old textiles.

“Poor Percy.” Gwen muttered. “Here, while you’re waiting for Gaius… We’re about to print the labels for some of the household items: the self-sharpening knife and the self-cleaning mortar and pestle. Could you check over the copy one more time for me?”

She held out a tablet, and Merlin took it to read the information about the objects in a display of the ways magic was used in some medieval homes to make life easier. The knife was a particularly effective item to have on display, because it was from the 11^th century, but the blade was still in perfect condition. As a comparison, a similar, but non-magical knife from the same time period would sit beside it. The blade of the second knife was chipped, bent and rusted.

“Looks good. Thanks, Gwen.”

He handed the tablet back to her, but as she took it, she stepped close to him and lowered her voice, glancing over to make certain Gaius and the boys were still distracted.

“So, what’s going on with you and Arthur?”

Merlin sighed and rolled his eyes. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

Ever since the night Arthur had come over after the dinner with Uther, his behaviour toward Merlin had been extremely confusing. He had been overly professional with Merlin the next day, which made Merlin feel certain that he had overstepped when he couldn’t keep his hands off Arthur that night. But after a day of Merlin feeling sick to his stomach, worrying that he had screwed up their friendship, Arthur asked him to dinner. They had a nice time, and Arthur kept reaching over to touch Merlin’s arm, but after the meal, Arthur went his own way with a half-hearted, “See you tomorrow.”

“At first I thought he was just trying to be professional at work, you know? But that when we hang out in the evenings, we might…” Merlin moved his hands to indicate forward progress. “But he won’t do anything. Or even mention anything. I can’t tell if, when he touches me, it’s just supposed to be friendly or if he wants something more but won’t bring it up because he’s my boss.”

“Well, why don’t you bring it up?” Gwen asked as if that were the most obvious solution.

Merlin closed his eyes. “What if he just wants us to be mates, and I make him uncomfortable by wanting more?”

He opened his eyes to see Gwen giving him a sceptical look.

“I know. I’m being such a girl about it.”

“A girl?” Now Gwen puffed up her chest and scoffed at him. “I think you mean to say you’re being a wimp, and girls and wimps are not synonymous! I asked Lance out before he asked me. And I’m the one who told Arthur what I wanted from our relationship when we were just flirting at work.”

Merlin laughed. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Just talk to him.” Gwen gave him a one armed hug. “Touchy feely isn’t normally Arthur’s thing. There’s definitely something between you, and if he won’t talk about it, you should.”

As Merlin and Gaius finished preparing the display of magical clothing, Merlin decided that he would wait until the weekend, but then he would finally be direct with Arthur and let him know how he felt. It was possible Arthur did not feel the same way, and Merlin would be mortified and make their friendship awkward for a time, but at least he would know for sure.

Merlin also decided he should clean up his bedroom before talking to Arthur. Just in case.

*****

In the next few days, they would need to start publicising the new exhibit, which was now titled, A Time of Magic. Due to the unique and possibly controversial nature of this exhibit, Morgana and her marketing staff had prepared two separate strategies.

One was a series of ads for some of the more conservative newspapers, magazines and websites to publicise the exhibit to the older and wealthier patrons: basically those who already came to the museum and would be more likely to be members and donors. These ads were very traditional. They included a photograph of a tapestry depicting a battle between a knight and a dragon, and the phrase, “Take a journey into the past to explore A Time of Magic.”

“But our other campaign,” Morgana explained to Arthur and Merlin when they met in Merlin’s office to finalise the publicity details. “I think will really put a spotlight on this exhibit and the museum. And it is going to piss Uther off.”

Arthur shook his head at her, but he was smiling. His half-sister’s relationship with their father had always been rather tense.

“We’re trying to attract younger visitors to come see the exhibit. Visitors who might not usually visit the museum and whose views about magic might not be quite so black and white.”

She laid a few ads onto Merlin’s desk for them to see. The ads showed a photo of a magical object with a caption like, “A cup that never runs dry? Imagine the possibilities.” And the exhibit title at the bottom was surrounded by subtle stars and swirls that gave it a magical feel.

As Merlin and Arthur looked over the ads, smiles broadening on their faces, Morgana continued, “These will also go on our Facebook page. And each day, we’ll tweet a teaser from the museum’s account.”

She placed another sheet on the desk that was filled with questions to tempt their Twitter followers.

“Boiling water without a fire? Imagine the possibilities. #atimeofmagic”

“A shield that repels swords? Imagine the possibilities. #atimeofmagic”

“I love it!” Merlin declared, grinning up at Morgana. “Imagine the possibilities. How did you capture everything that I’m trying to portray in this exhibit with just three simple words? It’s… perfect.”

“It is rather brilliant.” Arthur admitted reluctantly.

“What’s that?” Morgana leaned forward, tilting her head. “I didn’t quite catch that.”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “I’m not repeating it.”

Morgana just smirked. “So, I’ll send these out to our usual media contacts, start putting them up online, and we’ll just wait for the wrath of Daddy Dearest to descend upon us.”

She gathered the ads and started toward the door. “Oh, wait. I’m just the head of marketing. You’re the museum director. All the spears and daggers will be directed at you, little brother. Good luck!”

With a laugh that definitely bordered on evil, Morgana swept from the office and down the hall. Merlin was still chuckling at her dramatic flair, when Arthur’s hushed voice drew his attention back to his boss.

“Merlin.”

He turned to look and his breath caught. Arthur’s eyes were locked on his and were full of such pride that Merlin felt the tips of his ears start to burn.

“Everything is falling into place. This exhibit…” Arthur trailed off, inexplicably overwhelmed.

He stepped closer to Merlin and took his hand, maintaining eye contact as he spoke again. “You’re going to change lives with this exhibit, Merlin. You know that, don’t you?”

Merlin just swallowed. There was no way he could speak with Arthur this close and talking to him with such awe in his voice.

“I won’t pretend that I expect new laws to sweep the country because of your exhibit. But you are going to show people a different outlook and help them see the benefits of magic. You will change some people’s minds completely.” Arthur looked down for a moment before returning his gaze to Merlin’s face. He gave a slight shrug. “You already have.”

And then Arthur leaned even closer and pressed his forehead against Merlin’s temple, whispering directly into Merlin’s ear.

“Imagine the possibilities.”

With an enigmatic smile, Arthur walked away, leaving Merlin frozen in place, covered in goose-pimples both from the feel of Arthur’s warm breath in his ear and from the hint of a promise implied in his words. How did Arthur expect Merlin to get any more work done after that?

*****

After Merlin recovered from the shock, he texted Gwen. He may have used an excessive amount of exclamation points.

Merlin, you are so cute. Are you actually 13 years old? That was an invitation, honey. Ask him out now, or he’ll decide you’re not interested.

He laughed at her response, but he knew she was right. He wasn’t certain about the protocol of asking your boss on a date, so he decided to keep it casual. He texted Arthur, “Dinner tonight?” Considering what Arthur had said, and how he said it, there was no way he could mistake Merlin’s invitation for being just friendly. Maybe now, they could finally have the kind of relationship Merlin had wanted for years. Merlin sat, grinning excitedly at his phone, waiting for Arthur to respond.

Almost an hour later, Arthur still hadn’t responded.

During that time, Merlin checked Arthur’s schedule, and he wasn’t in a meeting. At least he didn’t have anything blocked off on his calendar, but it was possible he got caught in someone’s office or on the phone. Merlin tried to distract himself by cataloguing a few recent acquisitions into the collection database, but he couldn’t focus. His nerves were making his magic tingle just beneath the surface of his skin, and he couldn’t sit still.

Finally, he decided to walk over to the gallery to check the progress of A Time of Magic. Today, Lance and Percival were building a special case for a hands-on activity where visitors would be able to swing a sword mounted on a special rotating stand at a shield that was enchanted to repel any sword. The effect felt similar to attempting to press the same poles of two magnets together.

He was almost there, passing through the gallery of medieval jewellery and coins, when his phone buzzed. Heart racing, he whipped it out to see Arthur’s response.

I’ve got plans.

Merlin’s heart sank. He froze in place, staring at Arthur’s curt words on the screen, knowing he looked rather silly, but there was only one older couple in the gallery at the moment, so he didn’t really care. What was Arthur doing to him? How dare he whisper intimately about possibilities if he had no intention of following through? Merlin shoved his phone into his pocket and stalked past the case of gold jewellery on loan from the British Museum, but just as he reached the doorway, his phone buzzed again.

Sorry. Got interrupted. Family obligation for dinner tonight, but can I come over after?

Laughing at his idiotic tendency to jump to the worst conclusion, Merlin texted back, “Definitely. See you tonight!” He was glad none of his co-workers were around to witness his pathetic pining. Maybe Gwen was right about him being thirteen years old. He continued to the exhibit installation with a grin on his face and a spring in his step. Before he pushed aside the curtain, he shook his head. What was Arthur doing to him?

*****

While he waited for Arthur to arrive that evening, Merlin decided to check the reaction to A Time of Magic on the museum’s Facebook page. Morgana had announced the upcoming opening and posted one of the ads, and it already had almost 100 likes and a couple dozen comments.

Most of the comments were just typical positive response to any new exhibit: “oooh! Can’t wait to see what this exhibit is all about!”

A few seemed to appreciate the double meaning of the tagline: “WTG, MoMH! Standing up for Sorcerers’ Rights!

While some did not: “so sick of everyone trying to shove magic down our throats. even musuems are trying to convince us this stuff is all safe and fine. open your eyes people its not!@!!”

Merlin smiled as he read the comments. Even though some were negative, the reaction was exactly what he had been hoping for. This exhibit would get people talking. It would start conversations about the pros and cons of magic. The real conversations would not take place on social media, but at the museum and around dinner tables and in pubs after a visit. He felt hopeful that his exhibit might make a small difference in the fight for Sorcerers’ Rights.

The knock on the door made Merlin’s heart leap into his throat and his magic threaten to spill out all his pores. He placed his laptop on the coffee table and only just held himself back from bounding to the door and throwing it open. Arthur stood in the hallway looking stunning in a suit that fit so perfectly, it looked like it was specially designed to showcase his broad shoulders and narrow hips. Merlin could not help letting his eyes wander over Arthur’s body as his breath quickened at the sight. Arthur must have noticed, because when Merlin’s eyes returned to his face, he was wearing an arrogant smirk. He shoved a small take-away box into Merlin’s hands.

“From my uncle’s retirement party. I know you can’t resist chocolate cake.”

Merlin looked at the box with a snicker and then grinned up at Arthur. “You brought me cake.” He turned to the side and let Arthur brush past him, already removing his jacket and loosening his tie.

“Shut up, Merlin.” He tossed his jacket over a chair and took a seat on the couch. “I just thought it would be a nice thing to do, since I had to turn down your dinner invitation.”

“Well, thanks. I’ll save that for later.” Merlin set the box on a counter in the kitchen and then joined Arthur on the couch. He was fairly confident that he and Arthur were finally on the same page concerning the progression of their relationship, but he felt like he should be certain.

“Look, Arthur, I want to make sure…” He started to speak at the same time as Arthur.

“Merlin, I feel like I owe you…”

They both laughed, and Merlin motioned for Arthur to continue.

“I owe you an explanation for my… very confusing behaviour lately.” And there was that crooked half-smile that could stop Merlin’s heart.

“The other night, when I came over after that dinner with my father, I was feeling down. And discouraged. And I needed… comfort, I guess. From someone that I trusted.”

Merlin nodded slowly. Surely Arthur wasn’t going to claim that all the physical contact he had initiated in the last couple of weeks came purely from a place of vulnerability.

“And I wanted more.” His eyes locked on Merlin’s. “You have to know that I wanted more.”

Relief flooded Merlin, warming him from the inside.

“But then I started second-guessing everything. And I acted like an idiot.” Arthur looked away, unable to keep eye-contact while he referred to the confusing back and forth he had put Merlin through recently.

“I’m your boss, and I’ve already dated one employee. I worried that people would think I… pressured you.”

Merlin shook his head. “No one who really knows you would think that, Arthur.”

“Maybe,” Arthur gave a half shrug. “But not all my employees know me so well. And not all the board members do, either.”

It was a legitimate concern, Merlin had to admit.

“But mostly, I…” He sighed and paused for a while, biting his lip before he continued. “You know what it’s been like for Gwen and me since we broke up. Just weird. It’s getting less awkward now, but we’ll never be friends like we were before.”

He scooted toward Merlin on the couch and leaned forward, lowering his voice.

“And I didn’t want that to happen with us. You’re…” He gestured back and forth between them to wordlessly indicate their friendship. “You know?”

With a slight chuckle, Merlin nodded. He did know. They were best mates, even if they never came right out and said so. His friendship with Arthur was very important to him, and he would hate to lose it if they dated and it didn’t work out. But Merlin still wanted more. He looked into Arthur’s eyes, holding his breath, hoping for Arthur to express the same desire.

“But…” Arthur began, and Merlin couldn’t help the huge smile that broke out on his face. Arthur mirrored that smile as he continued. “I just really, really want to kiss you.”

Before Arthur could second-guess himself again, Merlin surged forward and pressed his lips to Arthur’s. He only held the kiss for a moment before he pulled back and looked at his friend to make sure that was okay.

Arthur was still smiling. He held Merlin’s gaze as he reached up to cup his face, stroking his thumb along his cheekbone. He brought his lips close to Merlin’s, not quite touching, but parted slightly so their breath was mingling.

And then Merlin’s phone rang.

“Dammit.” Merlin whispered, closing his eyes.

But Arthur just laughed, tilted his head up to kiss Merlin’s forehead and then sat back. “Go ahead. We’ve got all night.”

Merlin reached over to the coffee table and picked up his mobile. His eyebrows came together in confusion when he saw the caller ID.

“It’s Gaius.” He looked at Arthur, who just looked vaguely surprised. Merlin swiped the screen to answer. “Hello?”

“Merlin, did you happen to move the Yorkshire Unicorn Ring? I thought we decided not to include it in the exhibit.” Gaius sounded worried.

“We did. I haven’t moved it.”

“Hmmm… Then we might have a problem, because it is missing from its box.” Gaius mumbled something Merlin couldn’t understand much of. “… locked. Could have sworn… the whole case.”

“Gaius?” Merlin tried to regain the older man’s attention, and Arthur raised his eyebrows in question. “Are you at work right now?”

“Yes.” Gaius answered in a brusque voice. “I’m in collection storage, and the ring is not here. I suspect it might have been stolen.”

“Look, just stay there. Keep looking around, and I’m sure it’ll turn up. But Arthur and I will come help you look for it.”

Now Arthur looked a bit concerned, and he mimed, “What?”

“Oh no, my boy, you needn’t bother Arthur with this just yet.”

Merlin hesitated a moment, unsure whether Arthur would want their co-workers to know they were together, but he realised that Gaius was probably too distracted to think anything of it.

“It’s fine. He’s right here.” Merlin stood and reached for Arthur’s jacket, tossing it to him. “We’re on our way.”

He hung up and gave Arthur an apologetic look. “Gaius can’t find the Yorkshire Unicorn Ring. I’m sure he just misplaced it or something, but I said we’d go help him look for it.”

Arthur pulled his jacket on and followed Merlin to the door. “Remind me, what is the Yorkshire Unicorn Ring?”

“It’s a silver ring found behind a church in Yorkshire with an engraving of a unicorn on it.” Merlin locked the door behind them and led the way down the hall. “It was charmed so that anyone wearing it cannot tell a lie.”

Arthur stopped walking, and when Merlin turned back toward him, his eyes were wide. “Are you serious?”

“Yes, why?”

“We have an item in the collection that uses magic to force people to tell the truth?” When Merlin just nodded, Arthur’s mouth dropped open in shock. “Who knew of this ring’s existence and location? Because I certainly didn’t know.”

Merlin didn’t understand why Arthur was acting so frightened. “There’s a lot of objects that have been in the collection for years… long before any of the current staff started at the museum. The ring’s never been part of an exhibit, but it’s recorded in the database, so anyone with access to that could have known about it, I suppose.”

“Well let’s hope Gaius just misplaced it, and it hasn’t been stolen.” Arthur began striding quickly past Merlin toward the stairs. “Can you imagine the danger if that ring gets into the wrong hands?”

Merlin trotted to catch Arthur up. “What do you mean?”

Without even pausing, Arthur threw open the door to the stairwell. He whipped around to face Merlin. “Information, Merlin, can be a powerful thing in the hands of a criminal, or worse, a terrorist. Now come on!”

Merlin’s palms felt clammy as he considered Arthur’s words. He had known of the existence of the ring for years. It sat in an acid-free cardboard box in an unlocked case in one of the less secure areas of collection storage. He hadn’t given the ring much thought, and when he did, he just thought of it as sort of an innocent novelty. He’d imagined a group of ladies passing the ring around at a party, playing a medieval version of Truth or Dare.

But now, he thought of a terrorist using the ring to gain information from the government or the military. His heart dropped, and his knees nearly gave way beneath him. Morgana’s new tagline for the exhibit flitted into his mind. Imagine the possibilities suddenly took on a frightening new meaning.

He tore down the stairs after Arthur, hoping against hope that Gaius would have already found the ring by the time they got to the museum.

*****

When they walked into the main collection storage room, Merlin and Arthur found Gaius sitting at a table surrounded by drawers he had pulled from one of the cabinets that held jewellery, coins and other small metallic objects. Two other cabinets stood open with drawers partially pulled out as well.

“Please tell me you found that ring, Gaius.” Arthur strode directly to the table where the curator sat.

But Gaius shook his head. “No, I haven’t. And I have also discovered several other magical artefacts that are missing.”

Merlin felt his magic start to tingle as a wave of fear washed over him. “Did we have a break-in?”

Arthur narrowed his eyes. “There’s been no evidence of a break-in. The locks are intact. Windows unharmed. No alarms were tripped.”

With a sigh, Gaius admitted sadly, “No, I don’t suppose there would be. I believe I know what might have happened. As well as who is responsible.”

Both Merlin and Arthur turned toward the curator, eyebrows raised.

“My graduate student, Julius Borden.” Gaius quirked one eyebrow with a look of disgust. “He’s been helping me with my research and therefore had access to the collection during the hours he’s working here. Recently, when he found out about the exhibit you’re putting together, he began asking questions about the magical objects in the collection.”

Gaius shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. “I answered his questions and directed him to the collection database. I assumed his curiosity was purely academic, and I’ll admit that I was excited to have someone else interested in researching the history of magic and how it was used in this country. The vast amount of knowledge that has been lost to us…”

Arthur interrupted. “Would Borden have been in this room unsupervised, Gaius?”

Nodding reluctantly, Gaius answered, “Yes. Many times. And the missing objects are small enough to be hidden in a pocket or under a jacket. He could simply have walked out with them.”

Merlin saw Arthur’s face fall and his shoulders drop as if he had been deflated. He closed his eyes for one moment, and Merlin felt the anxiety pouring from him. But Arthur was not director of the largest museum in the region simply because his father sat on the board. He was a good leader, a good problem solver and he didn’t fall apart in a crisis. When he opened his eyes, they were calculating.

“Gaius, have you a list of the objects you’ve discovered missing so far?”

The older man shuffled through a few papers that looked like inventories with most items ticked until he found a sheet containing a handwritten list. He held it out to Arthur whose eyes immediately scanned the page.

“Twelve items missing… And how much of the collection have you searched?” He glanced around the room at the seemingly endless shelves and cabinets.

Gaius exchanged a weary glance with Merlin. “I’ve not searched one third of the smaller items in this room. The shelves along the walls house objects that would have been too large or too heavy for Borden to remove unnoticed.”

Merlin stepped forward, placing a hand on Gaius’s shoulder. “Did Borden have access to the other storage building?”

“Not unsupervised. No.” Gaius answered quickly and then turned back to Arthur. “I’m sorry, Arthur. He was a good student. I had no idea…”

Shaking his head and waving a hand, Arthur dismissed Gaius’s worries. “There was no way for you to know, Gaius. Besides, we don’t know for certain that it was him.”

“Arthur?” Merlin asked. “Should we call the police?”

Arthur nodded. “We’ll have to, yes, but first I think we need to have a good idea of what’s missing. We don’t need to catalogue every missing item just yet, but let’s have a look in the other building to make sure none of the larger items are missing. If it’s just small objects from this room, then Borden is the most likely suspect. But I’d like to take a look around just to make sure there wasn’t a break-in.”

Gaius stood from his chair slowly, pressing his hand to his lower back with a slight groan. The curator was nearing seventy, and Merlin knew that he would normally be at home in bed by this time of night. He must be feeling tired, but he was also feeling guilty and would continue to stay and help until he wore himself out completely. So Merlin spoke up for his old friend.

“Why don’t you go on home, Gaius? Arthur and I can continue what needs to be done here. You go get some rest.” Merlin gave a pointed look to Arthur who caught on quickly.

“Yes, Merlin and I can take care of this.” Before Gaius could protest, Arthur put his arm around the older man’s shoulder and started guiding him toward the door. “Thank you for letting us know about the missing items and for all the cataloguing you’ve done so far. We’ll let you know if there’s any progress over the weekend, although I don’t suspect we’ll have any answers before Monday.”

Gaius nodded his thanks to Merlin and bid them both farewell before heading out the door toward his office. Arthur turned back to Merlin with a sigh.

“Well, this certainly isn’t how I had hoped the evening would go.”

“Me either.” Merlin laughed and then made what he hoped was a somewhat cute pouty face. “I’m sorry.”

Arthur shrugged. “I guess we better get to work. Why don’t you finish up with the drawers Gaius has out on the table, and I’ll close up the ones he’s already gone through, and then we can check the other rooms.”

They set to work in silence. Arthur finished his task before Merlin did and came over to stand entirely too close for him to be able to work efficiently. Merlin told Arthur as much, and he laughed and moved to sit on the opposite side of the table. Unfortunately, that turned out to be no better, because Arthur was just sitting there staring at Merlin.

“Stop staring at me.” Merlin didn’t look up from his work, but he knew Arthur could see that he was smiling.

“I like to watch you work. You get this really intense crease in your forehead when you concentrate.”

Merlin looked up to see Arthur smirking at him. “Shut up! I’m never going to finish if you keep distracting me. Going on about my forehead crease… What sort of boss are you?”

“The sort who thinks you’re rather cute, I suppose.” Arthur leaned back as if he were settling in for a show.

Feeling a warm flush blossom on his face, Merlin cursed his fair complexion. There was no way Arthur could miss his bright red ears. He swallowed hard and chanced a glance at Arthur to find him grinning broadly.

“So damn cute.” Before Merlin could tell him to shut up again, Arthur stood and gestured along the walls. “While you finish, I’ll check along the larger shelves to see whether there’s any spots empty.”

Shoving a set of printouts toward Arthur, Merlin said, “Take the inventory. Some of the empty spots held objects that are on exhibit.”

Arthur reached for the papers, very deliberately stretching too far and sliding his fingers along Merlin’s hand. “Thanks.”

Instead of turning back to his work immediately, Merlin watched Arthur walk toward the back wall. Arthur must have felt his eyes on him, because halfway across the room he turned around.

“What are you looking at?”

Merlin quirked his eyebrows. “Your backside.”

When Arthur just laughed and shook his head, Merlin called out, “What? I’m not allowed to think you’re pretty damn cute, too?”

He turned back to the objects on the table without waiting to see Arthur’s reaction, or rather, to prevent Arthur from seeing his own reaction to his flirting. He could only hope that Arthur’s cheeks were now as rosy and warm as his.

*****

After they finished in the main collection storage room, they moved on to the rooms in the newer building, for which Gwaine had worked on the construction crew. The main room in this building contained primarily weapons and armour, but there were two smaller rooms with special temperature and humidity controls where the painted wood objects, paper and textiles were stored.

The lock on the door did not appear to be tampered with, and there were no windows in this building at all. Sunlight would be very harmful to the objects stored here. The alarms were still set, although they would have to check with the security company for a record of all activity, just in case Borden, or whoever the thief was, had somehow got hold of the disarming code.

As they stepped through the door of the large main room, Arthur started to flip the light switch, but Merlin reached out, stilling Arthur’s hand.

“Just a minute.” Merlin spoke in a hushed, almost reverent voice. “Take a look around.”

The room was cavernous, with concrete walls, a twenty foot ceiling and three rows of tall metal shelves that held a variety of swords, axes, crossbows, shields and armour, as well as three cannons. As the door closed behind them, the only light came from the small security lamps along the floor which gave the room an orangish glow.

“What am I looking at?” Arthur kept his voice equally hushed as Merlin’s.

Merlin smiled at him before looking out into the dimly lit space. “I always love the feel of this room without the floodlights turned on. I can almost imagine that I’m standing in the armoury of a castle long ago. These weapons have seen battles, but at the moment, they are resting peacefully. Perhaps the knights are anxious to take them up again to defend their kingdom. Or perhaps they would prefer to leave their weapons aside. Happy to live their lives in peace. Let the armoury collect cobwebs.”

His eyes lit on the rack of swords along the far wall, and then skimmed along the incomplete pieces of armour on the centre shelves before returning to Arthur. He was also gazing about the room with an awed appreciation in his eyes. Without looking down, Arthur reached for Merlin’s hand and twined their fingers together.

“I do believe you’ve chosen the right profession, Merlin.”

With a small chuckle, Merlin leaned his head onto Arthur’s shoulder.

“Thanks. I guess you’ve done all right yourself, although…” Merlin pulled back to fix Arthur with a meticulous stare. “I think if you’d been born back then, you’d have made a brilliant knight.”

Arthur tilted his head back to look at Merlin through half-closed eyes. “You think?”

“Oh, yeah.” Merlin moved to face him and put his hands on Arthur’s hips, pushing him back against the door. “You’d be the noblest and hottest knight in the land.”

Bringing his hands up to trace along Merlin’s arms, Arthur spoke in a slightly raspy voice. “Was hotness considered an important quality for a knight of the realm?”

“An absolute necessity.”

Merlin was unsurprised to find that his voice sounded just as affected by their closeness as Arthur’s. He pressed forward and captured Arthur’s lips with his own. He enjoyed their warm fullness for a moment, but Merlin had wanted this for so long that desperation quickly won out over finesse. He slid his tongue along Arthur’s bottom lip for just a moment before pushing in for a taste.

Encouraged by an enthusiastic moan from Arthur, Merlin gripped hard along Arthur’s hips to pull their bodies together, but a sudden metallic thumping noise above their heads caused them to fly apart, looking toward the ceiling.

“What was that?” Arthur whispered.

The thumping continued, progressing across the room. In the darkness, Merlin could barely make out the details of the exposed ceiling, but he knew that the air ducts for the specialised HVAC system ran just along the inside of the roof from the rear of the building to the climate-controlled storage rooms.

“Something’s in the air ducts.” Merlin whispered as well.

“An animal?” Arthur turned his head to follow the sound.

“Or Borden.”

Arthur’s eyes dropped to meet Merlin’s. “Are the ducts big enough for a person to crawl through?”

Merlin shrugged. “I have no idea. They do it in films, don’t they?”

Arthur stepped away from Merlin and started across the room, following the sound.

“If it is Borden, he’s using the ventilation system to access one of the more secure rooms. Which one do you think? What’s he after?”

A cold chill ran through Merlin as he thought about the objects housed in one of the rooms. He took a few steps, grabbed Arthur’s hand and whispered, “Spell books.”

Arthur’s eyes widened, and he gripped Merlin’s hand tightly in return. He was certainly following the same train of thought as Merlin was. After hundreds of years of magic being mostly forbidden, much of the old knowledge about how to use it had been lost. Spell books had been burned. Magic stopped being taught in either formal or informal settings. Parents who feared persecution for their children did not pass on the spells they knew. Therefore, very few sorcerers today knew any spells at all. Most of the magic performed these days was simply what came naturally, such as a burst of energy to repel an attacker.

Perhaps Borden was a sorcerer seeking to learn spells to increase his power. Or perhaps he was working for a group of magical terrorists who would use the spells and magical objects like the Unicorn Ring to stage some sort of attack on the government.

Either way, their best bet to prevent whoever the thief was from using the ancient spells and charmed objects to harm others was to stop them right now. Arthur must have arrived at the same conclusion, because he tugged on Merlin’s hand, pulling him along as he walked briskly toward the door to the room where manuscripts and books were stored.

“There’s no time to call the police.” Arthur kept his voice low. “We have to stop him from getting those spell books.”

They reached the door and both automatically crouched low, even though there were no windows in that room either. Whoever was breaking in was still crawling through the air duct, as the thumping continued overhead. Arthur motioned toward the sound and then pointed at the alarm keypad.

“Go ahead and enter the code. If we’re in the room first, and we make a bit of noise, perhaps they’ll change their mind and turn around.”

Merlin shrugged. It was worth a shot, although he wasn’t quite sure what they would do if the thief entered the room anyway. Especially if he had a weapon. But he stood and entered the security code.

When they stepped through the door, the lights in the room were already on, and Julius Borden and a rugged looking man with wavy brown hair and a goatee stood under an open vent. For a moment all four men froze, staring in shock at one another, but then the man with Borden threw out his arms and Merlin and Arthur flew backward. Bright stars erupted before Merlin’s eyes as his head knocked painfully against a metal shelving unit.

As his arms and legs tingled and his world faded to darkness, he heard a man’s voice saying, “Isn’t that Uther Pendragon’s son?”

*****

When Merlin came to, the first things he noticed were a burning sensation in his throat and an odd smell in the air. He took a deep breath, but the burning increased, forcing him to cough. He croaked out Arthur’s name but received no answer. The room was completely dark, so Merlin held out his hand and whispered, “Leoht” to create a ball of light in his hand. Unlike most sorcerers these days, Merlin had actually read the medieval spell books.

He was still in the manuscript room, but now there was a small canister on the floor emitting a fog that he could only assume was poisonous from the way his eyes were watering and his lungs were burning between coughs. He closed his eyes, trying to remember the spells he had read about. There was one he remembered thinking would come in handy for firefighters. He held out his hand toward the canister and tried it.

“Þrosm tohweorfe!”

Immediately, the fog began to dissipate, and Merlin began to laugh out loud. Two spells in one day. That was more magic than he had dared try in years. The sound of his laughter echoed through the room filled with metal cabinets, emphasising the fact that he was alone. Borden and his partners must have left, and it seemed they took Arthur with them.

Merlin vaguely remembered them recognising him as Uther’s son, and his stomach dropped. Perhaps they meant to ask a ransom for Arthur’s return. Or perhaps they meant to force Uther to support a change in anti-magic laws in exchange for his son’s safety. Whatever their plans were, Merlin knew he had to find Arthur before they hurt him. He also knew that he would stand a better chance of finding and rescuing Arthur if he could use magic, therefore calling the police for help was not an option.

After scrambling up from the floor, Merlin dashed for the door. His head was throbbing, and the floor and walls seemed to swirl around him, but he managed to open the door and cross the floor of the larger storage area without falling down. He pulled out his keys as he ran over to the museum, to Gaius’s office. He hoped that Gaius would have contact information, including an address, for Julius Borden. It was unlikely that Borden and his accomplices were holding Arthur in Borden’s own home, but it might be a good starting point to search for information on their identities and their plans.

Fortunately for Merlin, Gaius was a typical old school curator. He kept excellent records, and he preferred keeping them on paper, rather than on the computer. A quick scan through the file cabinet led Merlin to the address he sought. Julius Borden lived in a flat halfway between the museum and the university. His flat was an easy ten minute walk from each.

But Merlin had no idea what Borden and his accomplices might be doing to Arthur. What if they wanted a guinea pig on whom to test the new spells they would find in the books they stole? Merlin tore out of the museum at a dead run.

*****

No light showed through the windows of Borden’s flat. Merlin assumed that meant that no one was there, but as he approached the door, he tried to recall a few defensive spells just in case he ran into Borden or his accomplices unexpectedly. Standing at the door, he hesitated. He had not seen anyone as he approached the flat, but Merlin had never performed magic in such an open location before. His hands were trembling with fear at the thought of being caught breaking the law, but he had to find Arthur. He had no choice.

He stood as close to the door as he could, placed his hand on the doorknob and whispered the spell to unlock it, hoping that even if someone was watching, they wouldn’t be able to tell that he had used magic. The lock unlatched, and he twisted the knob, stepping quickly into the flat and closing the door behind him.

With his hands before him, Merlin glanced about cautiously, but the flat was dark and quiet, so he was fairly certain he was alone. He wanted to take a look around, so he decided to turn on the light in the living room, even though it might alert anyone watching the flat to his presence. As soon as light flooded the room, Merlin could see that the coffee table was covered with maps, printouts and blueprints. This must have been where Borden and his associates made their plans.

Merlin shifted the papers to look closer, and yes, the blueprints were of the museum, including the collection storage building. How had Borden got hold of those? Perhaps because the museum was a public building, the blueprints were part of the public record? Merlin wasn’t sure.

He sat down to look through the other papers on the table. There were printouts of the collection records with specific spell books and magical objects, including the Yorkshire Unicorn Ring, highlighted. There were also photos of several warehouses that looked to be abandoned, and there were maps of the streets around the warehouses on which the locations of nearby CCTV cameras were marked.

Perhaps Borden and his partners were now using one of these warehouses as their base of operations. They could certainly practise spells in such a location without attracting much attention.

There were photos of five different warehouses, but three of them were on fairly active streets, so they wouldn’t be considered safe hideouts. Of the other two warehouses, one had only a single CCTV camera along the block, so Merlin decided, just as Borden must have, that this warehouse would be an excellent hiding place.

Merlin looked quickly through the rest of the flat, but did not find any additional useful information. As he left, Merlin was shaking with nerves. He considered texting Gwaine. He knew his friend would gladly drop whatever he was doing to come help. But he could not bring Gwaine along for the same reason he could not involve the police: his magic. Although he trusted Gwaine not to expose his secret deliberately, he knew that his friend did not always think before he spoke. So, even though he was frightened and didn’t know what to expect, Merlin hailed a cab to go rescue Arthur all by himself.

*****

The cab dropped Merlin at the front of the warehouse, but he didn’t want to call attention to himself by walking in the front door, so he crept around the side, down a dark alley, between the warehouse and an old bottling plant, both of which had most of their windows boarded up. There was a door into the warehouse along the side that Merlin was certain he could unlock with magic, but, again, he was afraid that opening the door would draw attention, so he continued around the outside until he reached a row of docks along the rear. One of the dock doors was pulled loose from its rail and there was enough of a gap for Merlin to squeeze through.

High windows along two walls had not been boarded, so moonlight streamed in, providing just enough light that Merlin could see rows of metal racks that stood mostly empty, although a few still contained stacks of lumber. Opposite the docks, Merlin could see a bit of light, so he started toward it. As he moved away from the storage racks into an open area, Merlin noticed boxes and lumber strewn about haphazardly, as well as scorch marks on the concrete floor and a few piles of ashes. Borden and his accomplices must have been using this warehouse for a while to practise magic.

He could now tell that the light was coming from an office near the front of the warehouse. As he got closer, he could hear voices as well, so Merlin crouched low and moved close enough to listen in.

“Where are you planning to keep him, Alvarr? We can’t just leave him here.” Merlin thought he recognised the voice as Borden’s, but he could be mistaken. He had only met Gaius’s grad student a couple of times.

Another voice- Alvarr, Merlin supposed- answered. “I’ll figure something out! But just think what it would mean to have Uther Pendragon in our hip pocket. We could make him stop introducing new laws to control sorcerers. And depending on how much he cares for his son, we could send him a few videos of his suffering, and maybe Pendragon would even start pushing to legalise magic.”

“No! This is not what I signed up for!”

A third voice chimed in. Merlin thought this man sounded younger than the one he had seen with Borden in collection storage earlier. Perhaps this was the man he and Arthur heard crawling through the air ducts.

“I don’t like this. Kidnapping? Torturing? I just wanted to learn spells and be able to use more magic. I don’t want to be part of holding this man hostage and manipulating a politician.”

“Where did you find this wimp, Borden?” Alvarr jeered. “Look, boy, if you just want to learn a few spells, sit at home and search the internet. There’s enough out there for you to impress your mates. But you’ll never be free. You’ll always be under the control of jerks like Pendragon.”

“I know, but…” The younger man sounded frightened.

“But what? You don’t have the stomach for it?” Merlin winced, wondering just what Alvarr had in mind for Arthur. “Don’t think his father wouldn’t do the same to you given half a chance.”

“Leave Gilli alone, Alvarr.” Borden spoke up again. “Look, I’m not saying we release him. He’ll just run to the police. But instead of keeping him indefinitely, we could get Pendragon to pay a ransom. Get us enough money to get out of here.”

Borden and Alvarr continued arguing about the best way to use their hostage, and Merlin knew he needed to get Arthur out of there. He crept toward the slightly open door to get a better look. Alvarr was leaning on a desk facing the doorway, but he was distracted by his argument with Borden who was pacing between the door and Alvarr. The younger man, Gilli, was standing off to the side, glancing nervously between the two older men and the floor. The door was in the way, so Merlin could not see what he was looking at, but he reckoned it was Arthur.

Taking his chances on being spotted, Merlin scooted to the opposite side of the doorway, so he could get a different perspective. Fortunately, no one in the office seemed to have noticed. The argument continued, Borden and Alvarr now discussing possible locations for hiding Arthur while they used him either for ransom or to control Uther.

But Merlin wasn’t paying much attention, because from his new location, he could see Arthur curled up on the floor next to the desk. His legs were bound just below the knees and his arms seemed to be tied behind his back. He was gagged, and Merlin could see scrapes and the beginnings of bruises on his cheeks and forehead. But, although Arthur was tied up and had clearly been abused in his capture, Merlin was relieved to see that he did not look defeated. His eyes were narrowed, trained on Alvarr and Borden. He seemed to be absorbing their every word, and Merlin could almost see wheels grinding behind his eyes as Arthur was certainly coming up with plans to thwart each possibility they mentioned.

Certain that he was out of sight of the three captors, Merlin waved his hand a bit to catch Arthur’s attention. Arthur’s eyes grew wide at the sight of Merlin crouched on the floor, and Merlin thought he saw Arthur sigh, a bit of relief showing on his face. He signalled to Arthur to be patient, cutting his eyes toward the other men in the office, indicating that as soon as the coast was clear, he would do what he could to release him. Once Arthur gave a slight nod, Merlin smiled at him and then went to hide behind a supply cabinet to wait for Borden and the others to leave the office.

As Merlin waited, he thought about the fact that in order to get Arthur out, he would likely have to use magic in front of him. But somehow, he wasn’t as frightened about Arthur discovering the truth about him as he once was. As they had worked on the exhibit the last few weeks, Arthur seemed more and more open to the benefits of magic, so Merlin felt safer revealing his secret to Arthur than he would have before.

“We’re not accomplishing anything with this arguing, so for now, let’s just forget about Pendragon and try some of these new spells.” Borden’s voice caught Merlin’s attention.

He waved one of the stolen spell books in the air as the other men followed him out of the office. Borden turned a box on end and placed the spell book on top of it. Gilli came to look over his shoulder as he carefully turned the fragile pages.

“How will this help? It’s completely unreadable.” Gilli frowned at the book.

Borden just shook his head with a smirk. “Unreadable to most, perhaps, but finally I’ll get more use out of two terms of Old English than just reading Beowulf and The Wanderer.”

Gilli gave a sceptical snort, but waited patiently while Borden read through a couple of pages. Merlin glanced toward the office door, but the men were standing too close for him to move from his hiding spot.

“Here… move aside.” Borden pushed Gilli out of his way and raised his hand toward another box lying on the floor a few feet away. “Alíese.”

The box stood upright, seemingly on its own, and Gilli laughed right out loud. “Brilliant!”

Alvarr simply nodded with an approving hum. “What else is in that book?”

Obviously pleased with himself, Borden turned back to the book for a few moments. “There’s several more spells to levitate objects. Come on, I want to see if I can lift something really heavy.”

He picked up the book, and the three men walked toward the open area where they had practised before. As they turned away from Merlin and walked toward the rear wall, he took his chance of not being spotted in the darkness. He darted out from behind the cabinet to the office where Arthur was still lying on the floor, tied up.

As soon as Merlin untied the gag from his mouth, Arthur whispered, “Merlin! How did you find me?”

“Long story.” Merlin continued untying the ropes binding Arthur’s hands and legs, loosening the stubborn knots with a little magical nudge when necessary. “I’ll explain once we’re out of here.”

Once the ropes were released, Arthur rubbed his wrists and stood up, wincing as he put weight on his left leg. Merlin looked with concern at the injured leg, but Arthur quickly dismissed him. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it. Thanks, Merlin.”

Knowing that Arthur was too proud to acknowledge that he was hurting, Merlin simply nodded and then turned toward the desk where several additional spell books and a few magical objects from the museum’s collection sat. “We should take as many of these as we can carry, don’t you think?”

Arthur didn’t answer. Heart sinking, Merlin turned to see Alvarr pressing a knife to Arthur’s throat. Borden rushed past Alvarr to grab Merlin, but Merlin was focused completely on Arthur. He couldn’t speak or even move his head, but his eyes caught Merlin’s, widening and then cutting toward Alvarr, as if he were trying to tell Merlin to take some action to rescue him. But Merlin didn’t think there was anything he could do. Alvarr held Arthur so tightly that the knife was indenting the skin of Arthur’s throat. Merlin did not feel confident that he could incapacitate Alvarr even with magic without risking Arthur.

Immediately, Alvarr declared that they should just kill Merlin to get him out of the way. But Gilli, near tears, begged him not to add murder to their list of transgressions. In the end, Borden took charge and declared that they should take their argument out of earshot, so he knocked Merlin and Arthur to the floor, shoved them so they were back to back and wound a long, thick rope around them, pinning their arms to their sides. He made Gilli secure each man’s ankles together so that even if they could stand, they couldn’t walk. Merlin noticed that Arthur gave a slight hiss when Gilli tied his ankles. Borden didn’t bother gagging them this time, but the rope binding them together was tight enough that breathing was difficult, so they wouldn’t be able to shout at all.

Once their captors had left the office, Merlin spoke. “I’m sorry, Arthur.”

He both heard and felt Arthur chuckle. “Sorry? Merlin you risked your life to come… rescue me.”

Arthur chuckled again, sounding a bit embarrassed, and Merlin wondered whether he was thinking of their conversation earlier that night where Merlin had compared Arthur with a knight in shining armour.

“Some rescue.” Merlin shook his head. “I should have just called the police. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

They were silent for a few moments, and Merlin was certain that Arthur was disappointed in him for trying to be the hero all by himself. But then Arthur spoke again. “I know what you were thinking.”

He twisted his head around and seemed to be trying to look at Merlin. So Merlin twisted his head as well. They were bound too tightly to make eye contact, but he could sort of get a glimpse of Arthur’s face from the corner of his eye.

“You were thinking that you would be able to do more to help if the police weren’t here…” He leaned his head against Merlin’s. “To see you breaking the law.”

Merlin’s chest suddenly felt even tighter, and he couldn’t get a full breath. Did Arthur know? He played innocent just in case. “Breaking the law?”

After just a moment’s hesitation, Arthur continued. “It’s okay, Merlin. Whatever you can do to get us out of here… do it. I won’t…” He swallowed. “It won’t change how I feel about you.”

“Arthur…” Merlin whispered, his heart pounding in his chest. Arthur seemed to be saying that he was fine with Merlin using magic to get them out, but he still wasn’t saying the word. Why wasn’t he saying the word? A dozen questions flitted through Merlin’s mind. Was Arthur even talking about magic? If so, did he mean what he said? Or did he just want to get free? If Merlin used magic, would Arthur still want to be with him, or would he turn on Merlin as soon as they were free?

Whatever Arthur may feel about magic, it might be the only way to get them out of the warehouse safely. Before Merlin could make up his mind, Arthur nudged him with his back and pressed their heads together again.

“I’ve suspected for a while, and right now, I really hope I’m right.” Arthur let out a chuckle and then continued in a hushed voice. “I know you’re scared, but I promise, your secret is safe with me, Merlin. I would never tell anyone, and I would never, ever hold it against you.”

Hearing those words from the man he cared so much for brought tears to Merlin’s eyes. He blinked them away quickly and nodded, knowing Arthur could feel the movement of his head. Taking a deep breath and focusing his magic on the ropes that bound them together, Merlin whispered, “Fæstnunga onlucan me!”

The ropes immediately loosened and fell away from their chests. Both men leaned forward and untied the ropes binding their ankles. Still hesitant, Merlin looked toward Arthur, trying to gauge his reaction to the magic. Arthur met his eyes and gave a sharp nod of approval before limping over to the door of the office.

Merlin glanced again at all the spell books and magical objects that had been stolen from the museum’s collection. He would hate for the museum to lose those items if Borden, Alvarr and Gilli fled, so he took a moment to sweep them into one of the desk drawers. Then he murmured a spell to lock the drawer. He didn’t think Borden would be able to find a spell to unlock it in the one book he still had. Merlin hoped he would be able to return to the warehouse after this was all over to retrieve the objects.

When he looked up, Arthur was smirking at him. “Glad to see your priorities are in order. Here I was just thinking about getting us to safety.”

He joined Arthur at the door and gave him a little shove. “Shut up. Any collection manager in the world would do the same thing. Those objects are precious and irreplaceable.”

Arthur shook his head. “Such a nerd.” But his voice held a fondness that made Merlin smile.

“The front door is boarded up.” Arthur pointed toward the front wall. “I’m guessing you could…” He put a hand out, imitating the gesture sorcerers used to release magical energy. “Blast it, or whatever, but that would certainly draw their attention.”

Merlin glanced toward the rear of the warehouse where Borden, Alvarr and Gilli were still practising and then looked back at the door. He could blast it open, but their captors would certainly notice and chase after them, and there was no way Arthur could run fast enough on his injured leg. And there was always the possibility that Alvarr or Borden would use magic against them to stop their escape. Unless, of course, Merlin used magic to attack them first. He looked back at the other three sorcerers.

“I guess I could knock them out or…” Merlin hesitated, worrying at his lip. He had never used his magic to hurt another person before. Even the thought felt wrong. Like that wasn’t what his magic was for. If he or another person was being attacked, he felt like he could do what was necessary to stop the attacker, but attacking first… That went against Merlin’s entire nature.

Before Merlin could make up his mind, Arthur touched his arm. “Merlin, no. I wouldn’t ask that of you. Besides, I don’t think you’ll need to.”

Arthur pointed to the side wall. There was another door just past the supply cabinets where Merlin hid earlier. It was most likely locked, but at least it wasn’t boarded up, so with magic, he should be able to unlock it quietly. If Merlin and Arthur could get to the door without catching the attention of Borden and the others, they might be able to slip out unnoticed.

Getting to the door, however, would be the tricky part, since it was just a few metres from where Borden, Alvarr and Gilli were practising. At the moment, they were taking turns levitating pieces of lumber from a storage rack to a growing pile on the floor.

“You don’t happen to know a spell to make us invisible?” Arthur bumped Merlin’s shoulder with a half-smile.

Merlin returned Arthur’s smile with a shake of his head, but then a thought occurred to him. “I can’t make us invisible, but I might be able to distract them.”

Taking one step out of the office doorway, Merlin raised his hand toward the loading dock along the rear wall of the warehouse. He focused his magic on one of the roll-up doors, causing the ribbed steel to ripple slightly. At the sound, Borden, Alvarr and Gilli turned toward the door. Alvarr motioned for Borden to stay put, and he and Gilli went to investigate.

“Now’s our chance.” Merlin said to Arthur while Borden was distracted watching his partners walk toward the loading dock.

Without asking whether Arthur wanted help (mostly because he knew the answer would be no), Merlin put his arm around Arthur’s waist and pulled his friend’s arm over his own shoulder to support him, so they could hobble toward the exit. Arthur’s athleticism and coordination quickly took over, and he was able to sync his movements with Merlin’s so they moved briskly even with his injured ankle. As soon as they were close enough to the door, Merlin focused on releasing the lock so they wouldn’t have to pause for long before escaping.

“Hey!”

Arthur let out a huff of frustration at Borden’s shout. He must have spotted them just as they reached the door. Merlin cast his gaze about for anything to use to stop the man now bearing down on them. His eyes lit on a rope, and he remembered an interesting spell from one of the books now locked in the office behind him.

“Ic þé geháta, searubunden.”

The rope seemed to come to life, snaking toward Borden rapidly. The moment it caught him, it wrapped itself around his legs causing him to trip. The cunning rope was fast, though, and before Borden’s body reached the floor, his legs and arms were bound fast. His shoulder broke his fall and prevented his head from hitting the concrete floor. For that, Merlin was thankful. Yes, Borden had been holding them captive, but so far, he had not tried to hurt them, and Merlin did not want to hurt him, either. Just stop him.

“Merlin! Watch out!”

Arthur was pulling him away from the door, back toward the supply cabinets, but he wasn’t quick enough. Merlin felt a burst of magical energy sizzling toward them, and he and Arthur were thrown to the ground. Borden’s shout must have drawn Alvarr’s attention. The sorcerer stood, arms outstretched, glaring at them. A chill ran down Merlin’s spine. Alvarr’s eyes were calculating. His hostages were clearly becoming more trouble than they were worth. He may not have Merlin’s repertoire of spells, but he was clearly a powerful sorcerer. His next attack would likely prove fatal for Merlin and Arthur.

So, without taking his eyes from Alvarr’s, Merlin gripped Arthur’s arm and hissed, “Are you ready to run?”

The tensing of Arthur’s muscles beneath his hand was answer enough for Merlin. He threw out an arm and shouted, “Ligfyr!”

A wall of fire erupted between them and Alvarr. Merlin jumped up and pulled Arthur to his feet. They bolted toward the exit, but a terrible crashing sound behind them made Merlin turn. The closest storage rack was pitching forward, lumber spilling toward them from all its shelves. Time seemed to slow down as Merlin involuntarily threw his arms up in defence.

But no boards hit them.

“Merlin, what did you do?” Arthur’s bewilderment shook Merlin out of his temporary daze.

He lowered his arms slightly and looked up at the falling boards that were now suspended in mid-air. The rack was also frozen, tilted at a forty-five degree angle. Merlin felt another chill run through him as he realised that the flames had stopped flickering, and beyond them, Alvarr stood unmoving, frozen mid-shout.

Had Merlin stopped time?

He felt oddly separated from reality, as though he were looking at a painting of a terrifying magical battle rather than living one. He had always known his magic was strong, but he had no idea it was capable of this.

Once again, Arthur’s voice pulled him back to reality. “Let’s get out of here.”

They moved quickly to the door and stepped out into an alley. The moment they were free of the warehouse, the clattering of boards hitting concrete and the renewed roar of the fire let them know that time was moving normally inside again.

Arthur grabbed Merlin’s hand, tugging him toward the street. “Come on. We need to keep moving.”

But Merlin stayed in place long enough to focus a magical gaze back inside and stop the fire he had started. He didn’t know what was happening with Alvarr and the others, but he didn’t want the whole warehouse to burn down. He’d like to say that he was most concerned about the people inside or the surrounding buildings, but he had to admit that his first thought was protecting the historical objects stolen from the museum.

He followed Arthur to the street and then, together, they ran as quickly as Arthur could manage out of the warehouse district toward a more populated area of town. Once they had covered a few blocks with enough twists and turns to ensure they were not being followed, they slowed down. After a few steps, Merlin realised he was shaking. He paused, bracing himself against a lamppost for support.

Arthur placed a hand on his shoulder. “Merlin? Are you okay?”

Okay? Merlin was most certainly not okay. He had broken the law many times tonight. With witnesses. He trusted Arthur not to tell anyone, of course, but both Borden and Alvarr had seen him using magic, and if they were caught, they surely would not hesitate to tell the police everything they had seen. And using magic, sometimes even in self-defence, was against the law. Even if they weren’t caught, they might come after him. And Arthur.

He glanced up at Arthur who was looking at him with such concern that he couldn’t help giving a slight smile.

“Just give me a moment. I feel a bit wobbly.”

“It’s the adrenaline. Do you want to sit down for a minute?”

Sitting down sounded good, as Merlin’s legs suddenly seemed to be made of jelly. He slid to the pavement, and Arthur sat in front of him, leaning forward to take both of Merlin’s hands into his own.

“You were amazing back there.” The hushed awe in Arthur’s voice made warmth spread through Merlin. He felt himself blush and kept his head down, eyes on their clasped hands.

“Do you practise spells or…” Arthur seemed genuinely curious, but also hesitant to pry.

Merlin shook his head. “I’ve read the books in the collection. And I guess I memorised a lot of spells, but I’ve never actually tried them before. Well… except a couple I could do in my flat, like boiling water and removing a stain.”

“You did all that without training or practise?” A puff of air escaped Arthur’s mouth that may have been a disbelieving laugh. “Merlin, you stopped time.”

Merlin finally looked up to meet Arthur’s eyes. “I didn’t know I could do that.”

Arthur reached up to touch Merlin’s cheek briefly before returning his hand to Merlin’s and clasping hard. “You must be a very powerful sorcerer.”

Merlin just shrugged and started to look away before Arthur could see him blushing again, but Arthur dipped his head to catch Merlin’s eye.

“Thank you. For coming to find me.”

They smiled at one another, and Arthur’s thumbs traced circles on Merlin’s hands. Merlin desperately wanted to kiss him again, but it was probably close to two in the morning, they were sat in the middle of the pavement on a street of dark shops, and they had no idea whether Borden, Alvarr and Gilli were out looking for them.

So Merlin just scoffed. “You thought I came looking for you? I was just concerned about those spell books, mate.”

Arthur stood, chuckling, and reached down to pull Merlin to his feet. “Sure you were.” He threw an arm around Merlin’s shoulders, leaning into him for support, and they started down the street again. “I’d ring for a cab, but they took my mobile.”

“Mine, too.” Merlin gave Arthur a hesitant glance. “I guess we do need to contact the police.”

“I think we have to.” Arthur nodded. “If any objects are missing, we’ll need the police report for the museum’s insurance to cover the claim.”

He stopped walking and looked directly at Merlin. “I will not let them arrest you, Merlin. You acted entirely in self-defence. I will find the best, most pro-magic lawyer in the country if I have to.”

Overwhelmed by Arthur’s loyalty, Merlin threw both arms around him and just held on. A few weeks ago, he never would have believed that he’d hear those words from Arthur. No matter what else may happen between them, Merlin was certain that Arthur would never betray him. He finally had a friend with whom he could be himself. Completely.

“Thank you.” He whispered, pressing a kiss just below Arthur’s ear.

Together, they continued down the street in search of a telephone. Merlin was nervous about possibly exposing his magic to the police, but at least he knew that Arthur was on his side.

*****

“Well, here they are! The heroes of the day!” Gwaine leapt from his seat at the pub to clap Merlin on the back and shake hands with Arthur. “Just imagine my shock when I opened my newspaper this morning to find a story about my sweet, timid mate, Merlin, fighting crime and going on rescue missions!”

Merlin beamed as he and Arthur sat down and greeted Elena.

“You have to tell us all about it.” Elena said. “Gwaine’s been going mental all day, making up his own versions of what happened. In one, there was a dragon.”

Gwaine held up both hands. “Hey, they were on an honest to God quest for magical artefacts! There could have been a dragon. Please tell me there was at least a sword fight!”

Arthur laughed. “Sorry to disappoint you, Gwaine. No sword fights. It actually wasn’t all that exciting.”

He started to tell the story the way he and Merlin had told the police- with no references at all to Merlin using magic. They had been surprised when they reached the police station to find that Gilli had turned himself in, and the police were already en route to the warehouse. Apparently, the young sorcerer had hoped that by admitting to assisting with the burglary of the museum and by providing information on Borden and Alvarr, he might get less, if any, jail time.

“So Merlin was able to slip free of the ropes when Borden tied us up.” Arthur reached over to pinch Merlin’s arm. “Probably because he’s nothing but skin and bones.”

“Hey!” Merlin shoved Arthur’s hand away. “I only look skinny when I’m stood next to you, because you’re so f-“

Arthur quirked his eyebrows, daring Merlin to finish that sentence.

“Fit.” Merlin shrugged his shoulders in mock innocence. “You’re very fit.”

Arthur nodded approval with an arrogant smirk, and Merlin grinned back before allowing his eyes to slide down Arthur’s chest and stomach where, under that loose fitting t-shirt, Merlin knew for a fact there were well-defined muscles and only minimal fat. He had run his hands and mouth all over those muscles earlier that day. When he looked back up, Arthur was biting his bottom lip, no doubt remembering the same thing.

Elena rapped her knuckles on the table, causing both men to jump. “Boys! Save all that for when you get home. Finish the story!”

Gwaine cackled, and Merlin felt his ears begin to burn.

“Right. While the others were distracted practising spells from a book they stole, Arthur and I tried to sneak out the side door. But they noticed us and Alvarr started a fire and tried to make one of the storage racks fall over on us.”

“But Merlin pulled me out the door just in time, and we ran.” Arthur reached for Merlin’s hand under the table. “When we got to the police station, Gilli had turned himself in, and the police later found Alvarr and Borden unconscious on the warehouse floor.”

“Alvarr must have misjudged the distance when he tipped that storage rack and some of the boards hit them and knocked them out.”

Merlin squeezed Arthur’s hand as he lied to his friends. They had been so relieved to discover that neither Borden nor Alvarr seemed to remember anything after leaving Merlin and Arthur tied up in the office.

They had no idea what happened to cause this, but then from across the police station, Gilli had given Merlin an apologetic smile and nod. The only thing he and Arthur could figure was that Gilli had seen Merlin use magic against his partners, but that he felt such regret for his part in both the robbery and kidnapping that he had somehow wiped the last few minutes from Alvarr and Borden’s memories to protect Merlin’s secret.

“Well, it may not be as exciting as I’d hoped, but still…” Gwaine punched Merlin on the shoulder. “You’re a right hero, Merlin. Storming the castle and risking your life to rescue your prince.”

Merlin expected Arthur to point out that he wasn’t exactly a damsel in distress, but he just smiled at Merlin and nodded. “He is a hero.”

“I just can’t believe you didn’t ask me to help.” Gwaine said. “I’d have loved to be part of the action.”

Elena spoke up. “I can’t believe you didn’t call the police! You are both lucky you weren’t seriously hurt or killed.”

“Yeah.” Merlin couldn’t admit the real reason he didn’t ask either Gwaine or the police to help. “I guess I wasn’t really thinking. I just wanted to get to Arthur as fast as I could.”

Elena tilted her head and placed her hand on her chest with an “Aw!” Gwaine rolled his eyes, but he was smiling.

They stayed to finish their drinks while Gwaine told them the story he had made up after seeing the article in the paper. As he described Merlin and Arthur fighting a dragon with enchanted swords, the late hour and the excitement of the last couple of days caught up with Merlin. He leaned his head on Arthur’s shoulder, hooking his elbow under his arm. Soon his eyelids were starting to droop, and he could only hum in response to Gwaine’s constant stream of chatter.

“I think we’re losing Merlin.” Elena’s voice roused him for a moment, and he lifted his head to apologise.

“Don’t worry about it, mate. Just consider that a bedtime story.” Gwaine laughed.

Merlin let Arthur pull him up from his seat and lead him toward the door. He was so tired, and Arthur’s ankle was still bothering him, so Arthur hailed a cab to take them back to Merlin’s flat. As soon as they slid into the backseat, Merlin leaned into Arthur’s warmth and sighed happily. He dozed off again, dreaming of dragons and castles and a handsome prince.

*****

On the morning A Time of Magic was to open, Arthur woke Merlin with two surprises.

“What’s this?” Merlin sat up as Arthur placed a tray with pancakes, a bowl of fresh berries, tea and a folded newspaper onto the bed beside him. “Arthur Pendragon is serving me breakfast in bed?”

“Don’t get used to it.” Arthur snatched a strawberry from the bowl as he slid carefully under the sheet beside Merlin.

“Did you make these pancakes?” Merlin scooped up a bite, not quite sure what to expect, but it was perfectly light and fluffy and tasted delicious. He couldn’t help letting out a moan to which Arthur responded with a self-satisfied smirk. “Well, now I know you can cook like this, I’ll have you staying over every night to make me breakfast.”

“Breakfast, eh? That’s the only reason you want me staying over?” Arthur took the newspaper from the tray and smacked him across the shoulder with it.

“Here…” He unfolded the paper to the Arts and Entertainment section. “Take a look at that.”

Merlin’s heart leapt when he saw the headline for the lead story: “Magical new exhibit asks visitors to ‘Imagine the Possibilities’.”

Arthur was beaming at him. “It’s a glowing review.”

Looking back down at the paper, Merlin tried to read the article, but he couldn’t seem to focus except to skim. The previous evening, the museum held a preview party for high level members and the media. The reactions had mostly been good, although several of their older, more conservative members had not shown up.

The journalists Merlin had spoken to seemed know how controversial this exhibit would be. Several asked him whether the museum was making a statement. He had given them his well-rehearsed speech, explaining that the museum was simply presenting historical facts on a topic that was timely. The journalists had then given him a sort of “wink, wink, nudge, nudge” reaction, acknowledging that, while the museum could not blatantly take sides in a political debate, they understood the hidden agenda.

“You remember the Wilkinsons?” Arthur was helping himself to pancakes as he spoke. “Sweet older couple… been members since the 1960s?”

Merlin gave up on reading the article and nodded to Arthur as he picked up his fork again.

“He came up to me last night all concerned.” Arthur spoke around a bite. “He told me that the exhibit was both historically accurate and engaging, but he wanted to warn me.”

“About what?”

“He said we probably didn’t even think about it, but that some might misinterpret the exhibit as a political statement in favour of legalising magic.”

Merlin dropped his mouth open with a gasp. “A political statement? How did that not occur to us?”

Arthur just chuckled. “But the best part was his wife, standing behind him the whole time with this shrewd grin on her face. She actually came over to me later, patted me on the arm… winked… and said, ‘Well done.’”

“Old lady Wilkinson winked at you? Is there something you need to tell me, Arthur?” Merlin raised his eyebrows in mock concern until Arthur shoved him and declared him disgusting.

They continued chatting about the preview and the newspaper article as they ate. By the time they finished, Merlin felt excited for the opening, but oddly nervous. He felt as if his magic was swirling just beneath the surface of his skin, itching to get out.

“What if people don’t like it?” Merlin reached for Arthur’s hand and ran his thumb over and over his fingers. “What if there’s enough anti-magic sentiment around that people just don’t come?”

“Merlin.” Arthur put his other hand on top of Merlin’s, stilling his nervous fidgeting. “It’s a wonderful exhibit, and the message is right, even if some won’t want to hear it.”

Merlin took a deep breath, trying to calm both his nerves and his anxious magic. Arthur lifted the breakfast tray and leaned over to place it on the floor. He put a hand in the middle of Merlin’s chest and pushed him back until he was lying flat.

“You’ve done an amazing thing in creating that exhibit, and I’m so proud of you.” Arthur was emphasising his words with kisses placed along Merlin’s stomach and chest, crawling forward until his kisses reached Merlin’s neck, his chin, his bottom lip. Merlin’s eyes slid closed, and he hummed slightly in encouragement, so Arthur pressed in to deepen the kiss, mouth hot and eager, as his hand splayed warm across Merlin’s belly, fingers tracing the waistband of his boxers.

Then Merlin was entirely too distracted to be nervous.

*****

“Mum! Come see this! I can make water boil just by saying a magic word.”

“It says the goblet would refill itself, taking wine from a nearby pitcher. That can’t be possible, can it?”

“Ha ha! You think you’re so strong! You can’t even get the sword near the shield. … Dad! Marcus hit me!”

“I had no idea magic was so versatile. I always just thought of it as a way to hurt people, you know?”

Merlin stood in the middle of the gallery, watching and listening to the reactions of visitors as they explored A Time of Magic. He could not keep the smile from his face. The exhibit had been packed all morning. Children with their families and small groups of young people were queuing up to try out the hands-on activities. Visitors were leaning toward the cases to examine the objects up close. They were actually reading the labels that explained the magic each object held!

Along the back wall, the castle backdrop provided the setting for objects similar to those visitors were used to seeing in the main gallery- objects that would have been commonplace in a castle like the one that housed the museum- shields and swords, fine goblets, jewellery and crowns. But all of these objects were charmed with magic. Merlin enjoyed hearing the visitors wonder whether the information on the labels could possibly be true. Several expressed a desire to see the magic demonstrated.

On one side of the gallery, Lance and Percival had built a small model of a typical medieval home. Visitors could walk through the kitchen and sleeping area and see how magic would simplify the life of a peasant, making common tasks like boiling water or washing clothes take less time and effort.

As Merlin moved toward the cases that held charmed clothing, he noticed a family examining the shoes that would change sizes with a simple spell.

“I wish we could buy shoes like this in the shop.” The mother turned to her teenaged son. “Then I wouldn’t be spending all my hard-earned money buying new trainers for you every few months.”

“Merlin!” Gwen came up behind him and hooked her arm around his, leaning her head on his shoulder for a moment. “This is amazing, isn’t it? Everyone loves it!”

He reached his arm around her shoulder to give her a squeeze. “I know! I can’t believe it.” He shrugged as he looked around the room again, emotion closing his throat and making speech difficult.

Gwen seemed to understand, though. She pointed toward the medieval home. “Do you see those kids? I heard them talking about how having magic must have been sort of like having a servant, and it gave me an idea for a programme on how the class levelling effect of magic was one of the reasons it was outlawed in the first place. I’m thinking for year six or seven and up.”

Merlin grinned at her. “That sounds good.”

“I also heard a couple of students trying to decipher the spells in that book.” She pointed toward a case near the front of the room where Merlin had placed the spell book that Borden had used in the warehouse, open to the page of levitation spells. “I can’t believe Gaius let you include it. Once we got all the stolen items back, I thought he was going to lock them up for good!”

“Nah…” Merlin shook his head. “Although we have started locking the cases every night and limiting student access to the collection.”

“I guess so. Well, I’m going to go listen in on some more conversations. Congratulations, Merlin.” She gestured around the exhibit. “This is going to be big!”

“She’s right, you know.” Merlin whipped around at the sound of Arthur’s voice behind him. “I just popped back to my office for a minute, and I’ve already had several messages from journalists, board members and other museum professionals who saw the article and wanted to congratulate us and schedule a visit.

“And look...” He stepped closer to Merlin and held up his phone. “We’re trending.”

Merlin grabbed Arthur’s hand to look closer at the screen. Sure enough, #atimeofmagic was listed as trending on Twitter.

“It’s just locally, but still… We’re beating three pop stars, so that’s got to mean something.” Arthur took back his phone and slipped it into his pocket. “I think this exhibit will be…”

Arthur stopped mid-sentence, so Merlin followed his gaze to the exhibit entrance where Uther had just walked in. He wasn’t able to make it to the preview the night before, so this was his first time seeing the exhibit. Both Merlin and Arthur watched in silence for a few minutes as Uther walked around examining the objects in cases, leaning in to read a few labels, watching people try the hands-on activities, and just generally taking in the reactions of the visitors in the gallery. He didn’t speak to anyone, and his face was locked in a scowl.

“He hates it.” Merlin whispered.

Arthur looked at him and shook his head. “If he hates anything, it’s the fact that everyone else is enjoying it so much. I bet he’s wondering whether his constituents will be changing their voting habits after this.”

Merlin gave a nervous chuckle. “Are you certain he can’t still make us shut the whole thing down?”

“No, one member of the board doesn’t have that power.” Arthur’s voice was stiff. “Look at him. He’s analysing the demographics of the room. He’s noticed that it’s not just young liberals who were probably already magic-allies. There are some older people here. There are several families where the parents are probably wealthy business types. These are the people who voted for him- who were probably 100% behind his anti-magic claims. And they’re here. And they’re looking at your exhibit. And they’re learning that magic isn’t all bad.”

“And that’s what he hates.” Merlin was amazed that Arthur had read his father’s reaction from such a completely political perspective, but he was now certain that Arthur was right. He looked sadly at his boyfriend who was still glaring in Uther’s direction. How difficult it must have been for Arthur to grow up with a father who was so focused on his own agenda and his own advancement.

Just then, Uther noticed the two of them watching him, and he walked over to join them.

“Well, Arthur, I suppose congratulations are in order. This is a large crowd for an exhibit opening.” Uther still wasn’t smiling, but at least he did look slightly impressed. “And I’ve already received several calls this morning from colleagues who saw the review in the paper.”

Arthur nodded. “I’ve received a few calls as well. We’ve had requests for interviews from several national media outlets, as well as multiple donations to the museum in recognition of what A Time of Magic is trying to signify.”

Uther pursed his lips. “Well, you certainly selected an opportune moment to display these particular objects. And I have to admit, the exhibit is well-executed. It will be popular.”

At this hint of praise, Arthur beamed. “Thank you, Father.” He threw an arm over Merlin’s shoulder. “But I have to give all the credit for this one to Merlin. The whole exhibit was his idea, and he planned almost every detail from start to finish.”

With a simple nod in Merlin’s direction, Uther walked away and out of the exhibit.

Merlin gave Arthur a quizzical look. “Was that good?”

“Best we could have expected, I guess.”

Arthur actually laughed, and then he pulled Merlin over to the corner nearest the gallery entrance. He put his arm around Merlin’s waist and squeezed gently.

“Take a look at what you’ve done, Merlin.” Arthur’s hushed voice made a warm thrill grow in Merlin’s belly. “You are changing people’s ideas about magic already. Just imagine the conversations that will take place around dinner tables tonight.”

Merlin closed his eyes and listened both to the hum of conversation in the room and to Arthur’s hopeful words in his ear.

“And this is only opening day.” Arthur continued in that intimate almost-whisper that made Merlin’s skin hum. “The people here today will tell their friends and colleagues. They’re already tweeting about it and sharing pictures and ideas. More and more people will be talking about how magic isn’t just for hurting people and causing harm. Magic can be convenient and useful and healing and exciting.”

Eyes still closed, Merlin felt Arthur press a gentle kiss along his jawline. With his lips close to Merlin’s ear, he murmured quietly so no one would overhear. “One day, Merlin, you will be free. You’ll be able to be yourself, and you won’t have to hide anymore.”

Arthur pulled back, and Merlin opened his eyes to smile gratefully at his boyfriend. They stood together in silence for a few moments, before Morgana summoned Arthur to join a conversation with an older couple near the magical apparel display.

Merlin watched Arthur talking animatedly with the visitors, and then he let his gaze wander around the gallery again. As he watched families and groups of visitors exploring the magical objects and talking with one another, faces alight with wonder, Merlin felt a kind of magic in the air. It wasn’t the magic swirling through the enchanted objects on display or even his own familiar magic always vibrating beneath his skin. It was the power of a museum to spark people’s imaginations and touch their hearts. It was the shared experience of all these visitors, engaging with the objects from long ago.

Merlin just took in the moment. His heart beat faster, and he felt tears stinging his eyes as, for the first time in his life, he could picture the future Arthur spoke of. He could actually imagine a day when he wouldn’t have to hide. When he could use his magic freely, without fear.

Arthur caught his eye from across the room and smiled fondly at him. Merlin felt a tear escape, and he let out a laugh, beaming at the man he cared for so deeply and from whom he no longer had to hide.

Merlin took another look around the gallery. For the first time, he could imagine a future where the magic explained in this exhibit would be so commonplace, people wouldn’t bat an eye at seeing it used. He could imagine a future where young sorcerers grew up learning spells and being taught how to use their magic to help others. He could imagine a future where people like him wouldn’t have to hide.

Merlin chuckled as Morgana’s tagline for the exhibit flashed through his mind. For the first time, he really could imagine the possibilities.