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Chapter Text

Serenity Valley, Helva, 2511

The shield wouldn’t hold out for much longer. Merlin could feel the magic fading slowly, every hit of bullet, grenade, laser and who knows what else the Alliance had in their arsenal making it weaker within impact. He could hold it up for maybe a couple minutes before his unit would had to seriously need that bloody air support.

Merlin ran over the dirt-covered ground of the valley, jumping over bushes and other dying vegetation. His hair curled over his forehead with sweat, clothes clinging to his body uncomfortably and he was inhaling smoke with every heaving breath. He’d never felt more alive – his blood was singing, his senses on high alert and his body was full of adrenaline, his magic crackling over his skin.

Bullets flew over his head and an explosion behind his back lit up the night sky. His gun was flung over his shoulder, more in the way now when his bare hands were a better weapon than any the Alliance could come up with. He only tripped once before he reached the foxhole his unit was hiding in, his shield letting him through with a warm caress.

His radio operator, a druid boy around eighteen was by his side immediately.

“Sergeant, Command says air support is holding till they can assess our status,” he reported. The skiff flying over the valley opened fire again, Merlin could hear the cries of pain and terror as people were shredded by its bullets.

“Our status is that we need some damn air support,” he replied, cussing up a storm in his head. “Now get back on line and tell them to get in here.”

Lancelot crutched across him.

“The skiff is shredding us, sir,” he told Merlin and it was never good when he was echoing Merlin’s own thoughts, especially if they were negative ones.

“They won’t move without a lieutenant’s authorization code, sir,” the druid, Deagal, shouted over the fire and spells.

Merlin was getting fed up. They’d been in this damn valley for close to seven weeks now, if he remembered right, and in that time the troops of the Magical Forces had dwindled to a third of their original number. Merlin’s unit itself now was comprised of maybe ten men – and he was the commanding officer as of that morning when their lieutenant had gotten a bullet in the neck.

The body of said lieutenant laid only a couple feet from him and if those fuckers in Command wanted a code, they’d damn well get one. Merlin pressed the torn off badge of the dead mage into the boy’s hand. That should cover it.

“Lance, let’s get that skiff out of the sky. We need to get to high ground,” he looked at his right hand and best friend.

“Can you do it without killing us both?” Lancelot asked, gun gripped tightly but already moving.

“You should’ve more faith in me,” Merlin grinned at him brightly. “Deagal, give us some cover fire.”

Merlin could see in the glimmer of the shield and the fires burning around them that his soldiers, only half of them possessing any magic, were scared out of their minds. He bid them closer with a quick hand motion.

“You have to focus,” he told them with a tone that was way more confident than he felt. “The Alliance said they were gonna waltz through Serenity Valley but we’re still here. We have magic on our side. Helva has been a safe place for our kind for decades. She would protect us.” He turned to a man in his thirties. “Collins, reinforce the shield until we’re back. Don’t let a single bullet in. We only need to keep it up until our Priestesses will rain fire on those arrogant bastards, so you hold.” Now he spoke to everybody again. “You hold! Go!”

Merlin waited until his men were in position before he inched to the entrance of their little haven. Lance was at his back.

“Ready?” Merlin turned to look at him.

“Always,” came the immediate answer that warmed Merlin’s heart.

He broke into a run, trying to get as high as he could, shooting spells at unsuspecting Alliance soldiers without remorse. Lance covered him, and Merlin started to focus on the skiff over their heads, quick and dark, blending into the night.

He started the incantation before he even reached the top of the nearest hill, his magic bubbling up and ready at his fingertips, only waiting for a command to obey. The skiff turned back around at the edge of the valley and Merlin shut out anything else from his mind but the piece of machine that was responsible for at least a hundred magic-user’s death.

He finished the spell with a shout, putting all his considerable power behind it, and let the magic go. It hit the skiff like a giant fist, making it tumble and flip in the air before it exploded into a million little pieces.

Merlin let out a victorious laugh even as Lance started pulling him back down into their lair immediately.

The shield was still intact when they reached it, but Collins looked ready to keel over from exhaustion.

“At ease, I take it back from here,” Merlin clapped his shoulder. Collins collapsed immediately, leaning against the rocks.

Merlin turned to Deagal, pale but ready at the radio.

“Deagal, what’s our status on air support?” he asked.

“Still waiting for an answer, sire,” he answered, keeping the thing close to his ear.

“Lance, take over from the kid,” Merlin sighed, and turned to his unit. “Take a breather, soldiers. You can rest for a moment. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“We know,” Deagal gave him a small smile, and the others murmured in agreement, all of them dirty and bloody and tired. Merlin couldn’t be more proud of them.

It didn’t take a minute before Merlin heard the familiar sound of roaring engines. He let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.

“Hear that? Here come our Priestesses,” he turned to Lance. “Lance, tell them –”

“They’re not coming,” Lance spoke over him, his stunned face visible even in the low light. “Command says it’s too hot. They’re pulling out. We’re to lay down arms.”

No. No, no, no, no…

“But what’s…”

Merlin straightened up and looked over the boulder of their hiding place, and he barely registered his men doing the same. He watched with wide eyes as the spaceships supposed to be their air support raised into the sky and started retreating.

The world turned on its axis. Merlin felt faint, his hope withering into nothingness as he watched their Command, the Order of the High Priestesses, pull out of the fight and leaving them behind.

He only let the shield down when the enemy soldiers were closing in.

Chapter Text

Six years later

The job was not a routine one, but they would get paid handsomely if they could get it done without a hitch. The Cailleach always paid for what she got – and that was probably the only honourable thing about her.

The space suit felt constricting as always, but it was doing what it was supposed to. The protective charms woven into the fabric didn’t hurt either.

The door of the blown-out ship was sealed. That was at least promising.

“The vault’s sealed,” Merlin told Lance and Percival who floated not far behind him. “I have to boil it.”

He let his magic come forth and he glided a gloved finger over the door, next to the latch where the electronic lock was, his power eating its way through the metal like knife cutting through butter.

“Okay,” he told the other two. “We get the goods, we’re off this wreck and back on the ship. No worries.”

They watched silently as Merlin worked, knowing he needed concentration to be successful. It didn’t take a minute for him to finish it, the lock flying past them and into the black of space, a rush of air turning into nothing in its wake.

“Full pressure,” Lance stated. “The goods must be intact.”

Percy helped Merlin open the door, the light of his torch falling on three big, closed crates. Jackpot!

“Looks good,” Merlin grinned. They would get so much for this.

“Captain, we got incoming,” Gwen’s voice sounded clear as a bell in his ear. “Alliance cruiser, bearing right down on us.”

“Shit!” Merlin cursed. That was the last thing they needed right now. “Have they spotted us?”

“I can’t tell if –”

“Have they hailed us?” Merlin interrupted. He loved Gwen with all his heart, but he’d learned that if he wanted quick answers he needed to cut her off often.

“This would be hard to explain if they’re here for the salvage,” Percy commented calmly.

“This whole situation would be hard to explain,” Lance muttered. “We’re robbing a ship.”

“Gwen, shut it down. Everything but the air. Activate the cloaking charm.”

“Shutting down and activating,” she replied quickly, shouting at her brother over the comms of the ship.

It took a minute but the light of Serenity vanished from the black sky, leaving only the stars behind. The cloaking pulled over the ship a moment later, making it completely undetectable. No sound, no heat. Merlin had perfected that for years.

They waited with bated breath as the impossibly huge cruiser floated past them, quiet and sleek and looking a bit like a flying skyscraper.

“Gwen, they slowing down?” Merlin asked.

“Negative,” she replied after a moment. “Seems like we’re not that interesting. Should be clear in a couple minutes.”

Merlin waited another minute, then grabbed the first crate and pulled it out. He waited until Lance and Percy had done the same, before kicking himself off and towards the ship. It was not something that could be hurried up. One wrong move and either one of them could get off course. Zero gravity was a bitch like that.

Serenity shed her cloak, her gleaming metal a welcome sight a couple feet above Merlin’s head. He and the others reached the open airlock without a hitch. Percy pressed a button on the control panel to close it, then another and gravity hit again.

“Gwen! We’re on. Go!”

The engine came to life, the lights coming back on, making the three of them squint.

“Hang on,” Gwen warned them, and they had only a moment to take hold of something before they were off.

Merlin pulled off his helmet as they walked into the cargo bay.

“We’re looking good, Merlin,” Gwen’s voice lost its worried edge, back to its usual cheerful tone. “We’re not being followed.”

“Close one,” Lance muttered.

“Don’t remind me,” Percy agreed as he pulled the crates properly inside. “I hope it’s worth the pay.”

They pulled off their suits as Gwen and Elyan joined them in the cargo bay.

Percy grabbed a crowbar and pried a crate open. Amulets. Dozens of them, in neat little rows, their design simple but pretty, little stones hanging on leather cords. Merlin could detect the faint touch of magic in them.

“Well, this is a nice sight,” he stated, already feeling the credits they would get for this in his grasp.

“They’re really pretty…” Gwen nodded.

“Protective charms?” Elyan guessed.

“Not sure,” Merlin shrugged. “Not benevolent, at least.” He straightened up and put the lid back on. “Let’s get rid of them. We don’t need to run into another Alliance patrol.”

“They were a little far out, weren’t they?” Percy frowned.

“Shining the light of civilization,” Elyan guessed and helped him put the cargo away.

Merlin pulled Gwen aside.

“How long until we reach the Isle?” he asked.

“A day should be enough,” she shrugged. Merlin nodded. That was acceptable and well within their schedule. The Cailleach couldn’t say a world.

“Call her and tell her the job’s done,” he sighed.

Gwen nodded and turned towards the stairs before she swirled back around.

“Oh, almost forgot. You had a call while you were out. It was Gaius.”

Merlin stopped in his tracks.

“Gaius?” he asked. He hadn’t talked to his uncle in ages. Not since just after the war.

“Yes, he said it’s urgent, but he wouldn’t talk to me. Asked that you call him back as soon as you’re able.” Gwen’s frown was clearly worried. She’d known Gaius since she'd been a girl and that the old healer hadn’t confided her in meant it was serious business.

“I’ll call him back, then the Cailleach,” Merlin started up the stairs as he smirked at her. “You check on your husband, I know you want to.”

Gwen scowled at him which only made her look like an annoyed squirrel.

Merlin climbed up to the fore deck, passed by the ladders down to the crew dorms and walked up to the bridge. He pulled the door closed behind himself for privacy. He trusted his crew implicitly, but Gaius wouldn’t want anyone to hear them, that was apparent from his talk with Gwen.

His uncle answered the call immediately.

“Merlin,” he smiled brightly, his wrinkled face a welcome sight. Merlin hadn’t even known how much he’d missed it until he saw it again.

“Gaius, it’s good to see you,” Merlin answered as he sat down in the pilot’s seat. “What can I do for you? Gwen said it was urgent.”

His uncle’s smile melted off immediately. Now he looked old and tired and Merlin hated seeing him like this.

“I hate to ask this of you –” he sighed, pressing his lips together in a thin line.

“Don’t be ridiculous, I would gladly help,” Merlin waved it away. The man was like his father and he would die for him without question.

“I know, my boy,” Gaius’s smile was back, but it was brief. “I’m afraid I need an extraction.”

Merlin was on high alert immediately.

“Are you in danger?” he asked.

“No, at least not yet,” his uncle waved the notion away. “But there’s a young woman here whose safety became uncertain and she needs to leave the planet as soon as possible.”

Uncertain safety could mean a lot of things, but Gaius wouldn’t have called if the threat hadn’t been serious. He wouldn’t have called Merlin for something trivial, period, the risk was too high.

“Of course,” Merlin agreed. “We could be there in…” he made a quick calculation on the computer, “thirteen hours. How many people are we expecting? If you smuggle someone off the planet, I would feel better if you would get out of there, too.”

“Yes, I’m afraid Uther wouldn’t be lenient with me,” Gaius let out a defeated sigh. Merlin scowled. He had no idea why his uncle had stayed next to Governor Uther Pendragon, and Gaius knew his opinion on that man already. “There would be four of us. The young lady, her brother, their close friend and myself, if that’s still safe for you.”

“It will be a little crowded, but we can manage,” Merlin nodded. It would be a full house, but they’d handled worse. “We can hash out your travel plans when we’re out of there.”

He hated getting close to the Core world, his crew could work better nearer to the Rim, but he would do this for Gaius. He just hoped that their passengers were not too elite and Core-bred, because arrogant bastards made him a bit irritable and disrespectful.

“We’ll wait for you at the docks around noon local time,” he said as he already altered the coordinates. “Try to be punctual and don’t get followed. I’d like to get in and out as quickly as possible.”

“We’ll be there,” Gaius nodded. “Thank you, my boy.”

“Thank me when none of us is arrested or dead,” Merlin grumbled.

“It will be good to see you again, Merlin,” the old healer sighed fondly.

It made Merlin smile, even if it was a bit strained.

“Circumstances could be better,” he pointed out. “See you in thirteen hours.”

The line went dead. Merlin took five seconds to compose himself, then hit the comm.

“Guys, we have to make a detour,” he announced. “Hide the cargo and meet me in the mess hall.” He paused before uttering the next words. “We’re going to Camelot.”

Arthur didn’t like this. To be fair, he didn’t like the whole situation. But Morgana needed to be safe and Arthur would die before leaving her alone. She was his sister and no matter how well she could take care of herself, he would follow her to the end of the ‘Verse.

He hadn’t visited the docks often, he’d had no reason to. It was a shady place even in Camelot, for smugglers and barely legal businesses. Nothing obviously illegal, because Father ruled the planet with an iron fist, but there were things that slipped under the radar, Arthur knew. Apparently that was going to save them now.

“Are you sure this man is trustworthy?” Leon asked Gaius who led them down towards the more battered cargo ships. It was the middle of the day, the place pretty crowded and Arthur felt exposed, his gaze shifting around looking for threats. He knew it was unnecessary, their absence wouldn’t be noticed until the evening, and the police never patrolled this area. Still, he couldn’t help but be on high alert, sizing up the people bustling around them. Judging from Leon’s tense shoulders he felt the same.

Gaius gave a disapproving look over his shoulder.

“I trust him with my life,” he said confidently.

“I’m sure it will be fine,” Morgana said, but her voice had that edge to it that it had in the last months – having magic in Father’s house would make anyone anxious –, and Arthur knew she was exhausted from her constant nightmares. “We just need a quick getaway to somewhere safer. We can figure out everything after that.”

Their luggage had been thrown into a crate Leon was pushing in front of himself. It was easier and less suspicious than looking like pack mules.

Arthur looked back, catching the towers of the manor one last time. He’d only left the planet for diplomacy missions before. Getting to outer planets, or gods forbid, the Rim, would be a new and probably horrifying experience.

They left the elegant, luxury ships behind. Most of the cargo ships were flurrying with activity, but then Arthur spotted an old, gleaming Firefly with its airlock opened but no people moving around it. A single figure was standing on the ramp, clearly waiting.

Gaius hurried up his steps.

“Get inside before anyone sees you,” the man greeted them when they reached him.

Arthur took him in quickly as he passed him, and felt his heart jumping to his throat. He was maybe in his mid-twenties, tall and broad-shouldered with a slim frame that was emphasized by the long brown coat he was wearing. Red shirt, blue neckerchief around his neck, brown breeches and sturdy boots, holsters on either side of his hips. Mop of black hair curling over his ears, pale face with high cheekbones and sharp features. He looked them over with intense blue eyes, then shouted back into the inside of the ship.

“Percy, help the guy with their cargo!”

A man twice Morgana’s size with biceps like Arthur’s head appeared from the cargo bay and took the trolley from Leon with a small smile who nodded at him gratefully.

The interior of the Firefly was that of a typical, if old-fashioned cargo ship. Big loading area, with catwalks framing it, staircases leading up to them. On the other side was an open door to a smaller area that Arthur couldn’t see properly.

The door closed behind them with a finality that made Arthur’s stomach plummet, then the first man hit the comms.

“All aboard. Hit it, Gwen.”

The engine came alive with a low rumble. Arthur saw Morgana’s frame loosening up with every foot they rose into the air. The lift-off was smooth and consistent. At least the pilot seemed capable.

Gaius hugged the man tightly who hugged him back readily.

“Merlin, my boy,” he muttered. The guy gave him a bright smile that lit up his whole face, eyes shining. Damn.

“Gaius,” he nodded.

The old man took a step back and introduced them.

“Merlin, this is Morgana, Arthur and Leon,” he gestured at them.

“Captain Merlin Emrys,” the man shook hands with each of them. His palm was rough and calloused, but Arthur hadn’t expected anything else. “Welcome to Serenity.”

“Thank you,” Arthur nodded.

“We’re in your debt, Captain,” Morgana said. “We know the risk you took by taking us.”

“Gaius asked, so here we are,” Emrys shrugged like it was that easy. “Percival will show you to your rooms, let you settle in. We should meet in the mess hall in the upper deck in an hour if that’s alright with you. Introduce you to the crew.” And obviously settle some ground rules. Arthur knew that Fireflies were nowadays mostly used for smuggling, perfect for the job with their little nooks and hidden places all over the ship. Some restrictions for the passengers were expected. “Gaius, if I could speak with you.”

He led Gaius up the stairs and over the catwalks. Arthur followed them with his eyes until they disappeared on the upper deck.

“Follow me, please,” Percival spoke up and walked them over the cargo bay, and through the door. It opened into a little lounge area and a room that seemed to be an infirmary. Percival led them to a junction with two narrow corridors, both opening to two small, but spacious rooms.

“Choose as you please,” he told them. “You can get your luggage from the bay and settle in. It’ll be some time before we can drop you off wherever you decide, but the Captain will tell you about that. Mess hall is easy to find, just up this staircase and to the right,” he gestured at the metal stairs next to the infirmary, “but please, don’t wander around for now. If you need anything, just yell. We should be out of the atmo in a couple minutes.”

He gave them a small but honest smile before he left.

Arthur picked the room closer to the infirmary on the left corridor, Morgana next to him. It gave him a sense of security to know that whoever wanted to get to her would need to walk past his room first. The ladder at the end of the corridor was most likely for engineering access, so he wasn’t worried about that. Leon took the room at the end of the right corridor, leaving the one at the front for Gaius who shouldn’t walk so much at his age and as the Captain’s close friend was probably the safest of them all.

They put their bags in their respective rooms before gathering together in Morgana’s. She waited until the sliding door was closed before she spoke up.

“What are the chances that they would figure out that we’re on this ship?” she asked, sitting on the bed that looked more comfortable than Arthur had expected.

“It’s midday, the chances of someone recognizing us in the crowd is minimal,” Leon answered carefully, like he didn’t fully believe it. He guarded the door by leaning against the wall next to it. “Captain Emrys picked a good time for the lift-off. There’ll be a dozen other ships departing in the same hour.”

“He seemed capable,” Arthur hummed with a frown. He leaned against the small desk across from the bed.

“Yes, we saw you measuring up how capable he is,” Morgana nodded at him, her eyes alight with mischief.

Arthur didn’t blush. He was better than that.

“I don’t trust him,” he glared at the wall. Sure, Emrys was exactly his type but he also hadn’t hesitated to extract four fugitives from a Core planet. “He’s shifty.”

“Well, he came for us – or Gaius, I guess – without question,” Leon hummed thoughtfully.

“I’m worried about Gaius’ dubious contacts, too,” Arthur mumbled. He’d never even suspected that the healer, his father’s confidant would have such connections.

“We should wait before we judge him,” Morgana pointed out. “He’s our best chance right now and he seemed welcoming enough, even though this puts him and his crew at risk, no matter that he doesn’t know who we are.”

She was right. Arthur shouldn’t have hang-ups about the man before he had a reason.

He checked his watch.

“We should at least freshen up before we have that meeting. Let’s meet by the stairs in fifteen minutes.”

Arthur retreated to his room which was almost the same as Morgana’s. He splashed some water on his face and changed his shirt to something more comfortable and less embellished. Fancy seamwork would only make him stand out and that would attract unwanted attention outside of Camelot that they really didn’t need. He’d never thought he’d use the small tricks about appearances he’d learned during diplomatic missions for hiding.

He checked that his ident card was in his pocket, and he hadn’t brought anything else that could be used to identify him. They should get fake ones at the earliest opportunity – new identities would make the disappearing easier. He had suspicions that the Captain or someone on his crew could help with that.

He met Leon and Morgana on time and they climbed up to the upper deck together. The back deck connected the mess hall and the engine room, the lights bright everywhere. The dining room was an open space, a well-stocked kitchen and a lounge area on one side and cupboards with a door to what was probably a pantry on the other with a massive, long table taking up the middle. Part of the roof was made of glass, giving a glimpse of the astounding view of the stars.

There were people already in the room. A man who introduced himself as Elyan was the engineer on board. He looked like a proud parent as he welcomed them, talking about the ship like it was a precious child. His sister, a pretty, sweet woman called Guinevere (“but everybody calls me Gwen”) was the pilot and the only woman on the crew, married to the Captain’s right hand. She bonded with Morgana immediately over his sister’s earrings, of all things, complimenting them readily. Her honest enthusiasm and kind demeanour made even Arthur relax.

They were soon accompanied by Percival who joined in on the conversation easily. He seemed like the quiet but stable kind, only speaking when he had something relevant to say. Arthur couldn’t help but enjoy the company. They seemed to be close to each other and opened up to their passengers without reservation. If they were a band of smugglers, they were at least the friendly kind.

They all went quiet the moment Captain Emrys stepped through the door from the fore deck, followed by Gaius and a handsome man who gave Gwen a small but completely besotted smile. Probably the husband then.

Gaius sat down on the empty seat next to Morgana. Emrys stopped at the end of the table, hands on the back of a chair.

“I officially welcome our new passengers,” he started, shooting a brief smile their way. “We need to clear up a few things. Gaius told me you’ve not yet chosen a destination just that you want to get away from the central planets. Now, I have no business knowing what you did or didn’t do to need to escape Camelot, but we’re happy to help as long as you don’t cause us trouble. I’m sure you guessed that we don’t have a strong bond with the Alliance.”

Elyan gave a quiet snort.

“We’ve suspected that, yes,” Arthur nodded carefully.

“We’re currently on the way to the Isle of the Blessed to drop off some supplies and pick up a crew member,” the Captain continued. “If you wanna disappear so that Uther bloody Pendragon won’t find you, it’s a good place to start. We should be there by tomorrow morning, so you should decide what you plan to do by then.” He paused. “You’re welcome to the kitchen and the dining room any time. We like to eat together; the next meal will be around 1800. Apart from this place, I have to ask you don’t wander around without an escort and that you stay away from the bridge and the engine room. You need anything, just ask. Gaius trusts you and I trust his judgement.”

Everybody started moving, and Arthur hurried to catch up with Emrys who disappeared into the fore deck.

“Captain, a moment of your time,” he called after him and caught up in a couple steps.

“Arthur,” the man turned around, waiting with a curiously raised eyebrow that absurdly reminded Arthur of Gaius. “Call me Merlin. What can I help you with?”

“Merlin,” and didn’t that just roll of the tongue, “I just wanted to tell you that my sister’s suffering from nightmares. She may wake up screaming in the middle of the night.” And sometimes she set things on fire with her mind but that was not something Arthur planned on telling him. “She needs familiar presence if that happens and one of Gaius’ concoction usually knocks her right back out, but I need you and the crew to know about it and let us handle it.”

“Nightmares,” Merlin’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully, something dark coming over his expression. “I promised I won’t ask, and I won’t. But if Uther’s responsible for them somehow…”

Yes, he was, his presence in Morgana’s life a trigger in itself, the knowledge of what he’d done to the magical community enough that everybody knew not to cross him.

“Not directly,” Arthur shrugged and asked what he’d wanted to in the first place. “You really don’t like him, do you?”

Merlin’s laugh was bitter and amused at the same time.

“No, I don’t,” he chuckled darkly, giving Arthur a small smirk. He turned and waved Arthur to follow him, up onto the bridge. Arthur guessed that counted as being escorted. “Gaius didn’t share what you’ve gotten yourself into and it must be serious if he keeps it to himself.”

“How do you two know each other?” Arthur asked, because that still bothered him.

As soon as he stepped into the cockpit his breath stuck in his throat. The billions of stars filling his vision made him froze, trying to take in it all. He’d seen glimpses of it during his diplomatic journeys, but nothing as vast and bright as it was right now.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Merlin stepped up to him and Arthur’s head swivelled to look at him. They were close, and Merlin’s eyes were flacked with gold as they bore into his, lips pulled into a crooked smile. Arthur was pretty sure he nodded, but he felt too light-headed to be certain. “He’s my uncle.”

“Huh?” was all Arthur could say. Merlin lowered his head and Arthur was fascinated by the way the tips of his ears turned pink.

“Gaius,” he moved away, leaning against the control dash. “He’s my uncle.”

Arthur tried to process this. Gaius had never talked about family, and Arthur had never asked. Morgana probably knew more about that, but he most likely never told her about a smuggler nephew either.

“That explains a lot,” he decided. “But he was Uther’s advisor. How –”

“We have different opinions on some things,” Merlin had a barely-there scowl on his lips. “And he’s been Uther’s friend for a long time. I’m just glad he knew when to get out. You must be important that he sacrificed that life for you.”

“I owe him Morgana’s life. To Leon, too. Neither of them were obligated to help us. But you’re right, Gaius wouldn’t have been safe if he’d stayed.”

The sad truth was that if it came to magic, friendship or family meant nothing to Uther.

“And what about you?” Merlin asked.

“She’s my sister,” Arthur shrugged a little helplessly. Merlin regarded him quietly for a couple seconds that felt too long. “What?”

“You’re less of a prat than I thought you would be,” the other man admitted. “High-bred Core people that you are.”

It was Arthur’s turn to scowl.

“Thank you for your stellar opinion of me, Merlin, it means a lot,” he rolled his eyes. Merlin grinned. Arthur grinned back helplessly. “You’re not so bad for a captain of a cargo ship doing illegal business yourself.”

“Semi-illegal,” Merlin gave him a wicked smirk and Arthur couldn’t contain the huff of laugh escaping him.

“Merlin, we’ve got a message from –” the second-in-command cut himself off as he stepped onto the bridge and noticed Arthur.

“Arthur, this is Lancelot,” Merlin waved between them. Arthur shook hands with him. The man gave him a friendly smile.

“I held you up long enough, clearly you have important things to do,” Arthur nodded at Merlin.

“See you at dinner,” the captain tilted his head. “And Arthur, you don’t have to worry about Morgana. Nobody will interfere. Whatever she’s running from, we want her to feel safe here.”

“Thank you,” Arthur let out a sigh of relief, feeling so bloody grateful he could’ve cried, and with a nod to Lancelot walked down the stairs to the fore deck and through the cargo bay to the lounge where he’d stumbled over Morgana and Gwen chatting like they were best friends. He hadn’t seen his sister this relaxed in months and he couldn’t be grateful enough for it. Maybe she would sleep alright tonight.

Morgana arched an eyebrow at him in question as he passed them, and Arthur gave her a stilted nod. Everything was fine for now.

Gaius was, to no one’s surprise, in the infirmary, seemingly taking stock of the equipment.

“Gaius, have you seen Leon?” he stopped at the door.

“He’d been quite taken with Percival’s gun collection. I think they’re gushing over those weapons as we speak. Elyan may be with them,” he said with barely hidden disapproval.

Arthur would’ve liked to see that for himself, too. The only gun he’d brought was his favourite one, but it would be interesting to see what a mercenary or smuggler or whatever Percival was would have in his arsenal.

Arthur walked back to his room and sprawled on the bed. It really was comfortable.

He needed to talk to Leon. Morgana and Gaius, too, if possible, because they needed to figure out some things. He felt exhausted, the last days and weeks taking their toll on him, and he had a feeling that he wouldn’t get real rest until they were truly safe.

The captain of their escape ship had something personal against Father, that was obvious – that something could be pretty much anything, too, Uther had made quite a lot of enemies. It wouldn’t do good if their identities were revealed because that could bite them in the ass. Merlin, however friendly, didn’t seem like the forgiving kind.

Then there was the Isle of the Blessed. It had been the capital of the Magical Forces during the war, base of the Order of the High Priestesses who still resided there, but their powers and influence cut to nothing. Besides, nowadays it was a place for any kind of illegal trades. Arthur was not sure he wanted to know what was going on there exactly, but Merlin had been right. If they wanted to disappear, it would be a place where they could easily do that.

Arthur punched his pillow in frustration, but it didn’t help clear his thoughts.

Merlin woke to Gwen’s voice coming through his comm like so many times before.

“Merlin, you might want to see this,” she told him and he could hear the worried edge in her voice.

Merlin groaned into his pillow then reluctantly pulled himself out of bed. Officially he still had two hours of sleep before his shift on the bridge. Gwen knew it, too, and she wouldn’t have woken him if it wasn’t important.

The ship was quiet as he climbed the ladder from his room to the fore deck. Elyan’s bunk was closed from the outside so he’d probably fallen asleep in the hammock in the engine room again.

Gwen was in the pilot seat, screens displaying data around her but Merlin could see as soon as he was close enough that she only focused on one.

“What is it?” he asked as he stopped behind her chair.

She turned her head to look up at him. She seemed anxious, biting her lip and wringing her hands nervously.

“I was just checking that we haven’t been noticed on Camelot. I really had no intention to search for it, it just got broadcasted on the channel and –”

“Gwen, what is it?” Merlin stopped her, dread seeping into him slowly. Gwen turned the chair so he could get a better look at the screen which displayed a wanted profile in red. Merlin only had a moment to recognize Gaius before it changed to another picture and he froze.

It was Morgana. Nothing strange about that, she was the one they had to pull out of there anyway. Her beauty was obvious even through the gritty screen but what caught Merlin’s attention was the name displayed under it in big white letters: MORGANA PENDRAGON.

“Bloody hell,” he whispered, his mind trying to catch up and work through the information.

Pendragon. Uther’s daughter. Which meant…

The screen changed again, a picture of Arthur on display this time. ARTHUR PENDRAGON.

They were currently having two Pendragon’s on board.

Merlin swore under his breath, anger taking over the worry. Anger at Uther, at his children on the bloody lower deck of the ship, who hadn’t thought it important to properly introduce themselves, at Gaius for not telling him…

“You think they’re dangerous?” Gwen asked with her big doe eyes.

“No,” Merlin answered immediately, then amended, “Well, I don’t think they’re here for us or the cargo, anyway. Gaius wouldn’t have gone along with it and would’ve told me if he felt threatened somehow.” Gaius hadn’t been afraid or coerced, Merlin was sure. When they’d talked after the take-off, his uncle had looked tired but he’d been also fiercely protective of his companions. And Uther would send after Serenity someone competent but expandable.

“So Uther Pendragon’s children are making a run for it,” Gwen frowned.

Merlin couldn’t start to imagine what the reason for that could be, but he got the important part just fine.

“They’ll be hunted,” he said with absolute conviction. “Uther won’t rest until he finds them.”

He needed to talk to his crew. They were in danger and they didn’t even know what kind.

Of course he hardly thought about that when the screaming started.

It was obviously feminine, high-pitched and terrified, and coming from the other side of the ship. Morgana.

And Merlin had promised not to intervene. Had told his crew to do the same. But that was before it turned out that they were carrying two bloody Pendragons around for anyone to find.

Before he could take a step Serenity lurched forward, then shuddered, a wave of magic more potent than Merlin had felt in years sweeping through him and the whole ship. Then everything stopped. Merlin pulled himself upright after he’d inelegantly sprawled on the floor from the sudden jerk, his head missing the edge of the control panel by an inch. Gwen had been luckier, sitting down, but she seemed dazed, too.

The lights were on so they weren’t without power. The panel flashed red with a dozen emergency lights, the sound of the alarm loud in the cockpit. It took Gwen a couple seconds to turn it off. In the silence Merlin couldn’t hear the familiar rumble of the engine, just Elyan’s loud swearing from the engine room and the bunk doors opening as Percy and Lance had gotten a probably nasty wake up call, too. Then the screaming started back again.

“Figure out what happened,” he ordered Gwen. “We’re still hours out from the Isle.”

They needed to get moving. Without the engine they were just floating around.

He stumbled out of the cockpit, still disoriented, down the stairs to the foredeck where Lance and Percy just climbed up their ladders.

“Percy, check on Elyan, see if he needs help,” he trudged past them. “Lance, with me.”

He trampled down to the cargo bay with Lance just a step behind, then through the common area to the guest quarters where Leon seemed to stand guard and argue with Gaius at the same time.

“I can’t let you through,” he stepped in Merlin’s way as soon as they were close enough. He had a gun in his hand but hadn’t raised it.

The anger had settled, now cold and detached as Merlin glared back, fingers itching for his own gun, his magic at the ready.

“This is my ship,” he reminded Leon. He had no idea who this guy was to the Pendragons, but he didn’t really care at the moment either. “Get out of my way.”

“I can’t do that,” Leon stood his ground, his stance defensive, looking between Merlin and Lance. He seemed ready to take on both of them if necessary.

Merlin could hear Arthur’s frantic voice and Morgana’s hysterical response. The words were too quiet to make out, but Merlin needed to know what was going on.

Gaius seemed worried, which he frankly deserved for keeping Merlin in the dark, but didn’t intervene.

So Merlin moved. He quickly touched a finger to Leon’s forehead and whispered, “Swefe nu.” Leon collapsed immediately but Lance, ever the noble one, caught him to soften the fall.

Merlin strode on, stopping at the bunk from where the noises were coming and stood at the door.

Morgana was sitting up on the bed, deathly pale and trembling. Arthur was by her side, clutching her hands in his, obviously trying to calm her down.

The moment they both spotted him was obvious. One, Arthur – gorgeous, awkwardly charming Arthur who had looked at the stars with a wonder Merlin had wanted to kiss off his face and who was a bloody Pendragon – jumped up immediately, taking a step forward. His face was blank but his eyes were hard, nothing of the warmth Merlin had gotten a glimpse of before. He guessed that was fair. He wasn’t feeling like flirting anymore, either. Second, Morgana’s eyes turned wide and terrified like Merlin was something out of a nightmare.

And that was what made it click, Arthur’s protectiveness and Morgana’s absolute terror. It hadn’t been a magical object that the Pendragons had somehow smuggled onto the ship, like Merlin had first suspected. No, it was no object that froze them in space. It was Morgana Pendragon – who apparently had raw, powerful magic, and she obviously couldn’t control it.

That conviction got reinforced when Morgana’s eyes flashed golden and Merlin was tossed back, against the wall opposite of the room, before he could blink. The air got punched out of his lungs, but the wall wasn’t that hard and he hadn’t hit his head. He hadn’t even fallen over. He’d just been… pushed back.

He straightened up and made a show of dusting down his shirt before he raised his head. He knew he looked intimidating. People didn’t need to know he had magic to unconsciously realize he was dangerous. The war had demanded it, a soldier and a powerful warlock to keep his unit together and alive and to win against the Alliance. Then they’d lost and the unyielding personality had stuck, and it had taken Lance months to get him to loosen up and try to be Merlin again. That didn’t mean he couldn’t slip into the mindset of Sergeant – or Captain – Emrys easy as breathing. He’d been deceived and that put his crew in danger. He would protect them at all cost.

To give Arthur credit, he didn’t back down. He stood resilient and stubborn in front of his sister and stared Merlin down, as if daring him to try something. And Merlin wanted to. He stood before a Pendragon, the son of the man who’d killed countless of his kind and forced the magical community into hiding, who’d hunted Merlin’s father all his life.

Then Merlin got a glimpse of Morgana’s face. She seemed ready to either faint or cry and was still absolutely frightened out of her mind. And Merlin softened at that because Morgana was Uther’s daughter and she had magic. It was a horrible thing to be both and Merlin couldn’t imagine her terror when she’d realized what she was. She shouldn’t be afraid. She should be joyful and brilliant, a cherished witch by her peers, respected for her talent – because she was talented, Merlin was sure, seeing as she stopped his ship. But nobody with magic would be happy to have it, not after the war and not on Camelot.

Merlin waved a ready Lance down, and deliberately loosened his shoulders, putting his hands in his pockets to seem like less of a threat.

“I think we need to talk.”

Arthur glared back, probably ready to argue, but Morgana clasped his forearm. She still looked shaken, but her face turned determined, her head held high. Arthur relented after a moment, but his suspicious gaze hadn’t left Merlin.

Gaius stepped up to his nephew and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Let me check on Morgana and we’ll meet you in the galley in five minutes,” he suggested.

Merlin nodded.

“Five minutes. I need to check what you did to my ship, anyway,” he told Morgana who seemed taken aback. “Lance stays here,” he added because maybe Morgana had magic but her brother was still a Pendragon. And he might be ready to defend her, but Uther was not known for his integrity and protecting one magic user didn’t mean Arthur thought others deserved the same. He turned away but then sighed as something came to mind. He looked back at Morgana, his voice a tad softer. “I promised your brother that you’re safe on this ship and I meant it. Nobody will hurt you here.”

He must’ve sounded sincere enough because Morgana’s face crumbled with relief and gratefulness. Merlin deliberately didn’t glance at Arthur, just walked away as Gaius shuffled into the room to check on her. He shared a look with Lance who nodded at him, his brows furrowed in worry. He knew he didn’t know everything but he got over it for now because that was what the situation demanded. Merlin was so very thankful that Lance was in his life.

“So how’s it looking?” he asked as he stepped onto the aft hall. He stopped at the door of the engine room where Elyan was laying under the heart of Serenity – which seemed pretty dead to Merlin – Percy standing over him.

“Whatever happened just made us sitting ducks,” Percy told him when their eyes met.

Elyan pulled himself out from under the engine, grease on his face and hands, his expression frustrated.

“We have power,” he stated and wiped his hands. “There’s nothing wrong with the engine from what I can see – and with nothing else, either. Whatever magical EMP hit us, it only made us stop.” He frowned up at them in puzzlement. “You know how when we park somewhere the engine slows gradually and takes time to cool down?”

Merlin arched an eyebrow.

“Yeah?”

“Well, that didn’t happen,” Elyan shrugged and let Percy haul him upright. “I woke up as soon as we were hit, but the engine already stopped by then. And watch this,” he said and stuck his hand straight into the generator and wriggled his fingers. “Cold like we’ve been stranded for hours.”

Before Merlin could react to that, Gwen appeared at his back.

“You need to see this,” she pressed an Encyclopedia into his hand. Merlin looked at the screen. It was their flight data of the last day. She pointed at the last lines. “We hasn’t moved in the last ten minutes.”

“Wow,” Elyan deadpanned, then leaned back instinctively from the glare Gwen shot him.

“You don’t understand,” she pressed. “We’re out in the black and we haven’t moved an inch.”

“Which shouldn’t be possible,” Merlin realized.

You couldn’t stay still in space, not unless there was something to anchor you. Even if a ship didn’t move by itself, momentum carried it away. Everything moved from planets to space stations. You couldn’t just stay put. Even if her engine fried, Serenity should’ve continued on – slower and off-course, but she should have. And she didn’t. Gwen was right. They hadn’t moved at all.

“And what does that mean?” Percy asked.

Merlin sighed and looked up at them.

“It means we’ve been taken unintentionally hostage,” he said and gave the Encyclopedia back to Gwen. “Meeting in the dining hall. Now,” he turned on his heel and marched away, hearing footsteps and muttering voices getting up the stairs. He still needed to check something before he could get into this mess.

He climbed up to the bridge because he needed privacy to do this. Stood in front of the control panel and pressed his hand against the metal.

“Okay, sweetheart,” he let out a sigh. He closed his eyes and let his body loose its tension, magic coursing through him, eager and ready as always. He pushed it into the panel, through it, into the whole of the ship, into every crevice and nook, into every bolt and screw that kept her together. It was an overwhelming feeling, becoming one with Serenity, but Merlin had done it enough to not get lost in it, to keep his focus and stay on course, searching for what had happened. It helped that he knew what he was looking for and he found it almost instantly.

Another presence, aggressive and uncontrolled, keeping Serenity captured under a web of pure magic. And there was fear. So much fear, so intensive that Merlin gasped at the feeling of it. That was what kept Serenity from moving, too. It literally froze the ship. There was no intricate spellwork at play, just a scared young woman who had no idea what she was doing.

However, that did not help Merlin undo it. Morgana’s magic had a solid grip on them, and instinctive, accidental magic that had no intention or logic behind it was way harder to neutralize then proper enchantments because it was way more difficult to figure out how they worked. Merlin knew he could do it, but he also knew that it would shook Morgana if not outright hurt her. She was way over her head and she hadn’t even done it consciously. Literally the opposite.

Merlin let go of Serenity, feeling the loss for a moment like a physical blow, then pulled himself together and took back towards the dining room. If he couldn’t undo it easily he had to convince Morgana to do it.

Everyone was already there and the divide between the crew and their guests was more obvious than it had been during their initial introduction – and what had been non-existing at dinner. Then they had been seated all mixed-up, Arthur at Merlin’s left where Gwen usually sat but who had relocated to chat with Morgana a couple seats down.

Now Arthur stood behind his sister’s seat like a bodyguard while a groggy Leon – who might actually be a bodyguard now that Merlin thought about it – looked still half-asleep but alert enough to probably act if necessary. Gaius resolutely sat down in the middle across from Lance. The other members of his crew either sat or stood closer to them. Nobody had the whole picture except Merlin and it showed. They only had bits of information and it left them resolute and confused.

Merlin stopped at the head of the table and looked straight at Morgana.

“Your magic is keeping us in a stasis, hours away from the nearest planet. Can you undo it?” He didn’t think so, and that would mean he had to teach her which would just complicate things.

The reaction was immediate. Gwen gasped and covered her mouth with her hands as she realized what Morgana probably had to go through on Camelot. Leon was out of his seat but the untrained witch grabbed his sleeve to stop anything he might try. Elyan coughed in surprise. Percival’s brows shot up on his forehead. Arthur tensed, his grip tightening on the chair.

Morgana watched them for a moment then her gaze turned back to Merlin and shook her head.

“I don’t even know what I’ve done,” she said and her lips trembled minutely.

Merlin nodded.

“Okay,” he said and sat down, leaning back with his hands clasped together on the table top. “Tell us everything.”

“Merlin –” Gaius started and Merlin looked at him.

“I’m angry with you, Gaius,” he said plainly and the old man deflated. “You knew who you brought to my ship and what the consequences would be. And we could’ve talked it out, you know I would’ve listened, but instead you decided that me and my crew didn’t need to know.” His uncle’s face flooded with guilt. They hadn’t seen each other in years but Gaius had seen him grow up. He knew Merlin was protective of those he cared about (including him), and had still kept him in the dark.

“I wanted to protect them,” he told him quietly.

“They’ll be hunted through the ‘Verse,” Merlin rebutted, sharper than intended. “How do you expect me to do anything about it if I don’t know what I’m dealing with?”

“How –” Arthur asked, realizing that their identity had been discovered. He seemed paler, too.

“You’ve got warrants on your heads,” Merlin scowled at him. “I guess your father finally realized you’ve left Camelot. Took a while.”

“Their father?” Lance frowned, and Merlin knew he was putting the pieces together. Merlin’s 180-turn in hospitality alone would clue him in.

The captain glared at all four of his passengers. Morgana broke first.

“Okay,” she nodded.

“Morgana,” her brother said in warning and she stared back at him unflinchingly.

“We needed help and Serenity took us in without question. But now we’re stuck in the middle of nowhere because of me and we both know Father will not rest until he finds us, and anyone who helped us would be in danger, too. We put this ship and her crew in this situation, without their knowledge, and we owe it to them to be honest.” Merlin was quietly impressed. Morgana had summed it up nicely. Her gaze swept over the crew. “I believe the Captain when he said we’re safe here. Don’t you?”

Arthur watched him silently for a couple moments. Merlin stared back, an eyebrow arched in challenge.

“Fine,” he gave in and put his arse down next to her. Leon let out a defeated sigh but didn’t even try to get a word in. “Fine! Not like we have much of a choice.”

Morgana straightened up and put her hands in her lap, focusing on the others.

“My name is Morgana Pendragon. Uther’s my father,” she announced.

Lance hand twitched towards his gun. Merlin stopped him with a raise of his hand. His second looked immediately ashamed.

“I’m sorry,” he told the siblings who seemed startled by the reaction. “Instinct. It’s not an excuse, though.”

Arthur’s gaze turned calculated.

“You were with the Magical Forces,” he said without doubt, glancing at Merlin. “Both of you.”

Neither of them answered which was answer enough.

“Well, that explains some things,” Leon muttered. He’d probably had his suspicions about Merlin since he’d been knocked out but he hadn’t voiced them yet. The others kept their silence. For now; Merlin knew they had their opinions.

“Arthur and I are half-siblings,” Morgana started speaking. “I was born as Morgana Le Fay, daughter of Gorlois and Vivienne. Uther took me in after their deaths when I was nine years old. I hadn’t found out my heritage until recently.” Her eyes flashed with muted anger. “Arthur and I grew up in Camelot. I expect you could imagine what it was like, even before the war. We grew up with the idea of the Purge, that all magic is evil and the ‘Verse would be better without it.” The Purge had been going on silently for decades before the war broke out. Magical people had been divested of their titles, stations and possessions, judged and executed unfairly. The more powerful and smart ones had gone into hiding pretty early. “I’ve been having nightmares for years, and Gaius’ remedies hardly helped. It was a couple months ago that I woke up from one and my room was on fire.” She took a shuddering breath. “Uther suspected an outsider, but I knew it was me.”

“She confided me in,” Arthur continued when Morgana didn’t seem to be able to. “Not that I had given her much reason for it. I was a diplomat during the war, built connections. When Morgana told me she had magic I knew we needed to leave.”

“That must’ve been hard,” Gwen said softly, her face full of understanding. Merlin didn’t felt that sympathetic. Arthur gave her a vane smile.

“In the Core Planets you can’t trust anyone to keep a secret about magic. It was Morgana’s idea that we should turn to Gaius.”

“I’ve suspected Morgana’s abilities since her nightmares started,” Gaius took over. “Foolishly, I thought that if I keep it from her, I would protect her from Uther.”

“Let me guess,” Merlin interrupted. “It didn’t help.”

“No,” Gaius let out a defeated sigh. “Her powers are too powerful, and her dreams are visions of the future. Only proper enchantments or magical objects – or extensive training – could keep those under control, and I could provide neither of those.” He paused for a moment, a deep frown on his face. “Then one night, about a week ago, Morgana and Arthur came to me. They put the pieces together and I couldn’t bring myself to lie to them outright.”

“One question,” Elyan raised his hand. “I get that Arthur wanted to leave with his sister – I would’ve done the same if it was Gwen. I get that Gaius, the only one with dubious contacts and also in the know would need to flee from Camelot. But Leon, mate, how did you get tangled up in this?” he turned to the ginger haired man.

Leon looked almost spooked by being addressed but pulled himself together with the speed of someone used to hiding his emotions.

“I’ve grown up with Arthur and Morgana,” he gave a little shrug. “And I’ve been Arthur’s right hand since the beginning of the war, the head of the guards at the mansion in the last two years. It was a sign of his implicit trust that they confided me in and asked for my help in getting out of the mansion. It seemed obvious that I should come with them.” He tipped his head down, but Merlin still spotted the shame in his eyes. “I took on an active part in the war because I thought I was doing the right thing. But when Morgana told me about her powers it was obvious that I’ve been wrong. I couldn’t stay in Camelot knowing that.”

“Leon’s loyalty was never in question,” Arthur said stonily.

There was a stretch of silence as everyone worked through the information they’d just heard. Merlin took careful stock of his crew’s expressions. Gwen, with her bleeding heart, was obviously touched. Lance, too, but his expression was still guarded in a way that told Merlin he would go along with whatever his captain’s decision would be without voicing his own opinions. Percival looked thoughtful but there was absolutely no tension in his broad shoulders so he was still comfortable with their guests. Elyan was harder to read, but Merlin knew him enough to know that he was sympathetic, too. It was hard not to be, honestly.

“Alright,” he spoke up and everyone’s attention jumped to him. “We can decide on a future course of action when we’re not stranded in space. First, we need Morgana to let the spell go.”

She looked perplexed at the notion, but hopeful, too.

“And how would we do that?” she asked carefully.

“I’m going to teach you,” Merlin said.

So Merlin had magic. Not surprising, if Arthur thought about it.

All of them were in the cargo bay, Morgana and Merlin in the centre, sitting with legs crossed across from each other with the captain giving instructions on breathing, of all things.

“And that’s gonna work?” Leon asked. The rest of them were watching from the catwalks, keeping their distance as per Merlin’s request.

“Merlin’s a great teacher. And he’s a master of controlling his magic,” Lancelot replied.

“He’s powerful then?” Arthur wanted to know, not taking his eyes off them.

“Very,” Elyan snorted from his other side.

When Merlin had suggested teaching Morgana how to undo the spell, she seemed so relieved that Arthur wanted to hug her and he didn’t feel that urge very often. He couldn’t imagine what it felt like to finally know you were not alone. Yes, Gaius had magic, but it wasn’t much and he hadn’t used it in years. They’d gone over that already on Camelot. But there was finally someone who would understand and, even if Merlin still looked at Arthur and Leon with a hint of suspicion, he was nothing but gentle with Morgana. He could probably relate on a level that Arthur with his lack of magic just wasn’t able to. Especially now, that he’d revealed his powers to people who were close to the man who’d hunted his kind for years. If Arthur ever decided to go back, hell, just make a call to the right people, Merlin would never see the light of day again, at best.

He would never do that, but Merlin had only met him less than a day ago. He wouldn’t know for sure.

The others’ idle chatter washed over him as he watched the two magic users. Morgana had her eyes closed, her shoulders loose, breathing in easily with her hands over her knees. Only the fact that Arthur knew her well let him know she wasn’t as comfortable as she appeared: her knuckles were white and her posture too straight for actual relaxation. This was her at court with their Father, when she appeared to be completely at ease while trembling with fear on the inside.

To his credit, Merlin figured that out in under two minutes.

“You’re still too tense,” he opened his eyes to look at Morgana with a thoughtful frown. “You’re gripping the magic too tight.”

Morgana’s face twitched.

“I don’t know how to let go,” she muttered, clearly frustrated.

Merlin hummed, then moved closer until he was inches from Morgana, and held out his hands, obviously expecting her to take them.

“You’re terrified,” he said patiently. “You have every right to be. You haven’t felt safe in probably years. But magic itself is not something to be afraid of. It’s a wonderful thing and to have it is a blessing, not a curse.”

Arthur could hear the softness in his voice, the sureness and the understanding. It made his heart clench.

Morgana took his hands.

“Just feel it,” Merlin said just loud enough for everyone to hear and then something happened.

Light burst out of Merlin’s whole body, radiating off his skin, bright and warm and beautiful. It was pure, sustainable magic. It danced around like no light could, brushing up against the cold metal of Serenity’s interior like a living thing. It caressed the walls, swirling around the railing of the catwalks, a tendril of it apparently taking a liking to Arthur as it ran a couple rounds around his form before blending back into the mass circling overhead like a miniature tornado. Then it burst into a thousand sparks, golden glitters raining to the ground and disappearing into air.

Arthur was pulled out of his amazed stupor just in time to see the magic fade from Merlin’s eyes. His gaze shifted immediately to his sister, and his breath stuttered when he saw the unbridled wonder on her face. When he looked to the side he caught a glimpse of Leon closing his mouth.

He had never seen magic being used in such a gorgeous display before. Sorcery had been frowned upon on the Core planets since he could remember, especially on Camelot. And after the war… Nobody had ever told him that magic could be so beautiful.

“I felt it!” Morgana exclaimed and Arthur hadn’t heard her being this excited since they had been children. There was no reserve, no fear, nothing but joy and Arthur wanted to cry in relief. He hadn’t realized how quiet and hollow she’d really become until it was gone, leaving only her carefree laughter behind.

Merlin’s grin was blinding as he looked at her, wide and honest and a little silly, and Arthur’s breath stuttered for another reason altogether.

“Let’s try this again,” the captain said lightly.

Morgana nodded eagerly, and this time when she closed her eyes she was completely at ease. Arthur saw Elyan and Gwen sneaking off towards the upper deck, probably to be ready when Morgana finally released the ship.

It didn’t take long. Merlin was constantly murmuring to Morgana but Arthur was too far away to hear what was being said. It hardly mattered, in the end, because when his sister some time later exhaled slowly, Serenity shuddered again and lurched forward. Arthur almost fell over, but he hadn’t wasted a second thought on it before he was hurrying down the stairs towards Morgana who was already up and hugging a surprised Merlin tightly, thanking him again and again.

“I did it!” she turned towards Arthur as soon as she heard him.

“You did it!” he agreed and then Morgana was hugging him, too. Arthur twirled her around in uncontainable happiness.

“Arthur, it was amazing!” she grinned when her feet touched the ground, her grip tight on his forearms. “I could actually feel the magic! When I could finally let it go it was so easy to pull it back!”

“I know it doesn’t matter to you in the slightest, but I’m really proud of you,” Arthur smirked a little. Morgana punched his arm lightly.

“Engine’s working,” came Gwen’s voice from the comms. “We’re moving. We’ll be on the Isle of the Blessed by morning, a couple hours behind schedule.”

“Good,” Merlin muttered, hands in his pockets, then looked at the siblings. “Let’s discuss your options then, shall we?”

“Options?” Morgana asked.

“As I see it, you have three,” Merlin shrugged. “One, stick to the original plan: we get to the Isle, get you new identities and you disappear wherever you want to go. Second,” he sighed like he was already regretting the words he hadn’t even said, “you stay with us, on Serenity, until I teach you some control over your magic.”

“You would do that?” Arthur asked with a frown.

“Not for free,” Merlin told him. “You pull your weight when we get a job and don’t cause trouble. I will also enchant you so you can’t say anything incriminating about my crew.”

“You don’t trust us,” Leon, who’d joined them without Arthur noticing, said.

Merlin didn’t try to deny it.

“No, I don’t.”

“What’s option three?” Arthur asked. He liked to cover his bases, know every alternative.

“I can get you in contact with the Order of the High Priestesses. They would undoubtedly take Morgana in, get her the best training possible. Uther would never find her. But they don’t let anyone into the Temple if they’re not magical.”

He tried to make his voice sound neutral, but he wasn’t very good at it, and Arthur was trained to recognize emotions in speech, mannerism or facial expressions. It was a great skill to have for someone who’s job was to represent his planet’s interest and make the best deal possible. Merlin didn’t like the Order. There was contempt there – not outright hate, but disdain. Some bad blood, past feud or something similar.

“I didn’t know the Order still existed,” Morgana noted.

Arthur knew they did, because their father was still hunting its members. Not publicly, not obviously, but he did. An organization like that wouldn’t just disband after they lost, they would go underground. Uther had spread the news about their total annihilation as a way to keep other magic users in check and there had been no public contradiction to his claims.

“They don’t like to advertise it,” Merlin shrugged. “I give you some time to decide on it. We have business to attend to on the Isle. I need an answer when we get back from that.”

He left them on their own and hurried up the stairs, disappearing towards the deck. Arthur shared a look with Morgana and Leon and they simultaneously started back towards the guest quarters. They found Gaius sitting in the lounge, hands resting in his lap.

“I’m staying,” he told them regretfully but without preamble. “I’m sorry. If you decide to go, I will just slow you down. I’m too old for that kind of life. And Serenity could use a medic.”

And he would’ve liked to stay with the nephew he dearly loved, Arthur guessed. He couldn’t fault Gaius for his decision.

“And what do you think we should do?” Morgana asked as she sat down next to him.

“I can’t tell you what you should decide, my dear,” Gaius shook his head slowly.

“Did you know the Order was still around?” Leon asked, obviously spooked by the news.

“I’m sure you know I practised magic once,” Gaius looked at his hands with a small frown. They all nodded. Gaius was only still alive because he’d sworn to Uther and the Alliance that he would never use magic again. As far as Arthur knew the old medic had kept to that so far. “When I was younger I knew several of the high priestesses in the Order. I wouldn’t completely believe their deaths even if I saw them with my own eyes.”

That was… a mildly disturbing proclamation.

“Would you trust them?” Morgana asked, a slight tremble in her voice. A bunch of powerful women, not afraid of anyone, trying to keep magic alive, and working against the Core Planets in secret. That was practically Morgana’s dream job.

Gaius’ frown deepened.

“Before the war I would’ve said yes without hesitation,” he sighed.

“But now?” Arthur asked, because it was one thing that the captain didn’t trust the Order. It was another that neither did Gaius.

“They’re not forgiving. I’m not sure that her relation to Uther wouldn’t be used against him, even if it endangered a young witch,” Gaius said. “You would undoubtedly get the best training in the ‘Verse, but you wouldn’t allow yourself to trust anyone. I’m sure the Order is planning something to get back their power and glory.”

Arthur was getting sick just thinking about what they would do to Morgana and there was no way they could hide her identity. In the Order’s place Arthur would keep an eye on Uther and those close to him. A high priestess would recognize Morgana on sight. And knowing that Arthur would have to let her go in there alone…

“Why didn’t Merlin tell us this?” his sister asked, unusually pale.

“He doesn’t trust them,” Arthur said, glancing back towards the cargo bay. It seemed empty. “Something happened during the war, am I right?”

Gaius’ face turned unreadable.

“That’s not my story to tell,” he said diplomatically. Arthur would’ve loved to hear that story nonetheless. “Merlin wouldn’t try to influence your decision with his personal opinion.”

Morgana looked at Arthur.

“So I’m pretty sure none of us wants me to go there,” she said.

“Right,” he agreed. He was not letting her into what nowadays could be considered a cult.

“So we have the options of running from the law on a smuggling ship or running from it by ourselves,” Leon summarised.

“You’re not required to stay with us,” Arthur put a hand on his shoulder. “You’ve done enough already, my friend.”

Leon shook his head, not a trace of regret on his face.

“I’m loyal to you, Arthur. Both of you. I’m not leaving you.”

Arthur wanted to burst into tears but that would’ve been too girly. He turned to Morgana.

“It’s your decision,” he told her. She was the one with magic, whose life was actually on the line. Arthur wouldn’t argue with her. Not about this.

“I – I think I need some time to think,” she admitted.

Arthur nodded and let her retreat into her room, closing the door behind herself with a quiet thud. Gaius went to the infirmary, checking on the supplies there. He wanted to give a list to Merlin about the things he needed when they landed. Leon gave a questioning look at Arthur.

“Keep an eye on them,” Arthur told him.

“And what are you going to do?” Leon gave him that sceptically raised eyebrow.

“Talk to the Captain again,” Arthur shrugged. Whatever Morgana decided, Arthur needed to thank Merlin for what he’d done for her already. Besides, he had some questions he intended to get answers to.

“You think that’s a good idea?” Leon asked with a frown. “He doesn’t seem very fond of us. I’m not saying he doesn’t have a good reason for it,” he added when Arthur opened his mouth to interrupt, “but maybe we should leave him and his crew alone for now.”

“He’s not gonna hurt me just because he’s a sorcerer,” Arthur frowned back at him.

“No, not because of that, sir,” Leon agreed. “But we were on different sides during the war and people – especially if they were on the losing side – tend to hold grudges, you know that. And Morgana and Gaius may be accepted here but the two of us are not.” He paused. “You know I would give my life for yours without hesitation, but I don’t think I can protect you from someone like the Captain.”

There was some truth to that, Arthur had to admit. He may be an amazing shooter and had some talent for fencing but none of that would keep him safe from an angry sorcerer.

“I think I have enough tact to keep him from cursing me,” Arthur gave him a rue smile. He was a bloody diplomat, he could keep personal feelings out of a conversation.

“Alright,” Leon agreed with clear reluctance. “Just be careful.”

“I always am,” Arthur smirked and Leon gave a sigh that was blatantly offensive in its exasperation.

He found Lancelot in the mess hall going through cabinets and Arthur cleared his throat after a couple seconds to get his attention. Lancelot swirled around in surprise but his hand stayed clear of his gun which Arthur took as a good sign.

“Can I help you?” he asked, a bit of confusion colouring his voice.

“I’d like to talk to Merlin,” Arthur told him plainly. “But I’m not supposed to wander around alone.”

“That’s… not really a good idea at the moment,” Lancelot winced slightly. “He’s a bit… irritable.”

Arthur made a quick assessment of what little he knew about Lancelot and made an educated guess on how to win him over.

“Look, I just want to thank him,” he said and didn’t have to play up the sincerity in his voice. “I’m so very grateful for what he did for Morgana today. You have no idea how scared she’s been, right under our father’s nose and listening to him preach about the evils of magic daily, and how worried I was for her but now… I haven’t seen her this happy in years and it’s all thanks to Merlin. I really just want to thank him for that.”

Honestly, Arthur just plain wanted to kiss him stupid for it, but he had a hunch Merlin wouldn’t appreciate that move from him. Even thanking him sounded like something he would reject just because of whom it was coming from.

Lancelot sighed and gave a small, understanding smile. Jackpot!

“Alright,” he nodded. “He’s on the bridge. But I have to warn you, he’s not in a good mood.”

“Probably not worse than my father’s,” Arthur shrugged.

Lancelot gave a conceding hum and led Arthur out of the room. They walked through the fore deck and up to the bridge. Merlin was sitting behind the controls and Lancelot gestured at Arthur to stay back, and it felt like he was waiting on some governor or senator, not the captain of a smuggling ship. They exchanged a couple quiet words that Arthur could still make out because he was only a couple feet from them – it took Lancelot a minute to convince Merlin (and he hadn’t mentioned the reason for the conversation, Arthur noticed) but then Arthur got the nod of permission to enter the bridge itself and he gave a thankful nod back as Lancelot left them alone.

Merlin’s gaze was the furthest from friendly as he stood up from the pilot’s chair. Arthur glanced at the controls and noticed that they were keeping good time. He wasn’t a pilot by any means but he knew enough that he could read the data. An hour or two until they reached the Isle.

“I’d like to go with you on your little trip,” Arthur stated rather boldly, throwing all plans of this conversation out the window. Leon would have his head.

Merlin scoffed, his nose scrunched up in distaste that Arthur found unnecessarily adorable.

“Not on the Triple Goddess,” he gave Arthur a flinty gaze and crossed his arms.

“Whatever Morgana decides, we need new ident cards. I’m not letting Morgana off this ship until she has one.” He gave a mental wince and prayed his sister hadn’t heard that, because ‘letting’ her do anything wouldn’t go down well with her. “And I bet that whoever you’re trying to sell whatever’s in your cargo bay has the means to acquire some for us quickly and discreetly.” He paused only for a moment. “I would, of course, pay for all four of them.”

Merlin, mouth already open to argue further, paused at the small emphasis. A fake ident card was not cheap and Merlin would be an idiot not to take Arthur’s offer to pay off Gaius’. Come to think of it, Merlin probably could make the actual cards with a wave of his hand, but they both knew that magic wasn’t capable of putting the new aliases in the system. That was why they needed outside help, someone with the connection to do so.

“Are you always such an ass?” he asked after a long moment.

“I think you mean generous,” Arthur shrugged, feeling a confusing mix of smug and offended.

“You’re an ass. A royal one,” Merlin added and Arthur got the hunch that he probably had a problem with authority figures in general. Just fantastic.

“I’m your passenger. You can’t talk to me like that,” he said just to see Merlin’s scowl deepen. Arthur’s smile widened at that – there was something satisfying about seeing the sorcerer riled up. “You’ll still take me to wherever you’re going, right?”

“You could just give us the money and we’ll buy your cards,” Merlin suggested and Arthur’s grin dropped a bit at that. He still kept his composure because he was a bloody diplomat, damn it.

“Not a chance,” he said easily. Merlin had earned his trust about the most important thing in Arthur’s life – Morgana’s safety – but he wasn’t about to trust him with his money. Merlin was a smuggler and Arthur had brought as much money from Camelot as he’d dared which still counted as a small fortune on the Rim, but all that money, with a bit of luck, would have to last for a good while, hopefully years. He was not giving a good percentage of that to a man who obviously hated him, however pretty he was.

Merlin gave a small, terse nod.

“Fine,” he agreed, blue eyes narrowed. “But you let us handle everything. I’m not sacrificing my contacts for you.”

That sounded fair.

“Right.”

Merlin didn’t like this. At all.

Taking Arthur Pendragon with them to the Cailleach was a stupid idea. She would undoubtedly recognize Arthur, especially if they give her the ident cards with the fucking names on it, and he only let the whole thing happen because she hated the Alliance more than the Order. She was powerful and had contacts all over the Verse, but Merlin knew she wouldn’t betray him. They didn’t like each other – her very presence made Merlin feel cold – but she respected him. Well, she respected the magic he had. It had to be enough.

Four of them would go to her: Merlin, of course, because the Cailleach wouldn’t talk to anyone else; Percival as muscle and intimidation that was usually necessary on the Isle, and Lance as Merlin’s right hand – and Arthur, of course, because the prat was an arrogant ass who had somehow known what to say to convince Merlin to let him join them. Gwen would go and buy everything on Gaius’ supply list for the infirmary. Elyan would stay on Serenity with Gaius, Morgana (who’d had a loud and snappy conversation with her brother about going or not) and Leon. Honestly, the man would probably die before letting anyone near Morgana and thus the ship so Merlin felt confident in leaving him there. Leon’s frown about Arthur on the ramp ready to go was deep, though, and he stopped Merlin when he wanted to pass him on the catwalk.

“I know you don’t like him, or me, Captain, and I can’t fault you for that, but I’d still ask you to keep him safe while I can’t.”

Merlin’d had a vague daydream about accidentally losing Arthur in the crowd but he knew it wouldn’t be a solution for more than one reason. And despite being of the Alliance, of Pendragon, Leon cared about his charges beyond his job description and Merlin wasn’t heartless or tactless enough to not know what it meant that Leon asked him to keep Arthur safe.

“I’ll do what I can,” he agreed.

“Thank you,” Leon nodded, relief easing his frown. Merlin hurried down the stairs and was intercepted by Gwen at the bottom.

“I just talked to Gwaine,” she told him as she pulled on her jacket. “He’ll arrive soon and he brings business.”

The Goddess bless Gwaine. Merlin smiled at the news.

“Always good to hear he’s doing his job.”

Gwen grinned before turning serious again.

“I also talked to the Cailleach,” she added. “Told her about the ident cards, but not about who needs them. She said the rush job would cost us.”

“Technically not us,” Merlin shrugged, not really caring about it as long as it wasn’t his money. “And that was to be expected. Thanks for calling ahead.”

“Of course,” she smiled that sweet smile of hers.

Merlin joined the others on the ramp, noting the way the light surrounded Arthur like a glow and made him even more damnably attractive, then anger followed the thought because yes, Arthur was nice to look at but he was still Uther’s son and there was no reality where the former would be more important than the latter.

“Ready to go?” he asked. He had one of the amulets in his coat pocket. The Cailleach always checked the merchandize before buying; she would send her men for the crates later.

Lance quickly ran back up the ramp to give Gwen a quick kiss as he took her hands and Merlin could practically feel the tenderness. It made him smile.

“How long have they been married?” Arthur asked and when Merlin glanced at him he saw his lips curling up in a half-smile. It was hard not to like Gwen and Lance.

“Five years,” Percy told him. “But they still act like this all the time.”

“True love,” Merlin agreed.

“I’m here,” Lance rejoined them and the four of them disappeared in the crowd.

The port was full of people, from vendors to travellers. It was less clean than Camelot had been but ports were pretty much the same around the Core Planets. The Rim hardly had proper ones at all.

To give some credit, Arthur didn’t stand out much. His clothes were still fancier than most others’ around them but they were subtle and well-worn enough that not many noticed it. He was walking with his head high and alert and not like he was hiding which would’ve only gathered attention. Maybe being a diplomat gave him an advantage in reading places or something. Merlin was just happy he didn’t have to educate him about it.

“So who’s the Cailleach?” Arthur asked after a couple minutes of silent walking. At Merlin’s sharp glance he shrugged. “I heard Gwen telling you they’re expecting us.”

Merlin sighed.

“She’s a powerful… not witch, exactly. I honestly have no idea what she is. But she’s working on the line between legal and illegal and that’s what we need.”

“And you’re sure she won’t tell on us,” Arthur arched his brows sceptically.

“Not for the right price,” Merlin told him sombrely.

“And she always keeps her side of the deal as long as we keep ours,” Lance added.

“She gives me nightmares,” Percy muttered helpfully. There was only a flash of alarm on Arthur’s face before he schooled his features again.

“Sounds fun.”

The Cailleach was working out of a small house on the edge of the port, which must’ve been a downgrade from her castle ruins Merlin’d heard her previous office had been before the war. Or maybe she still had the ruins but people weren’t willing to conduct business with her on such a flashy and obvious place. Her like for the shadows and intimidation still worked great, though.

Nobody waited for them by the door but there was no need for it. The Cailleach was her own warning sign and security. Her thugs only did the heavy lifting.

Merlin turned towards Arthur and made sure they looked into each other’s eyes.

“Do not talk unless she addresses you directly,” he warned. Lance and Percy already knew the deal. “She doesn’t like people in general and you don’t want her as an enemy.”

“Sure,” Arthur nodded, brows pulling together in a frown.

The door opened for them as soon as Merlin stepped close enough to it, and the surprisingly long, dark corridor behind it absorbed the light from outside.

The four of them walked in and the door closed behind them the moment all of them were inside, dim blue light like stars lighting up to show the way. It was beautiful in a creepy way like so many things about the Cailleach’s magic tended to be.

They walked in complete silence and Merlin felt every one of them being on high alert and ready to run. The corridor ended after twenty feet and opened up into a huge, gloomy room that only had one thing in it, right in the middle: an intricately carved throne made of stone that radiated darkness like it was a tangible thing. The temperature dropped low enough that Merlin had to suppress a shiver.

“Emrys,” the familiar voice greeted him, incredibly old and resonating like it was echoing in the depth of a cave, and then she was sitting on her throne, her staff leaned against it, the hood of her tattered dress pulled up but not enough to hide her eyes that were both amused and like they had the whole Verse’ pain in them. “I was expecting you.”

Merlin closed off any and all negative feelings, felt his magic in every cell of his body because it was the complete opposite of what the Cailleach’s was made of and gave a casual shrug.

“We called ahead so I hope so,” he told her. He felt Lance twitch on his right at the insolence.

“You’re also late,” she reminded him, her mouth pulling up into some semblance of a smile. “But you had a good reason for that,” her eyes slid over to Arthur with an expression Merlin didn’t like and hardly seen on her before: interest. Then it wandered back to him. “Let me see the ware.”

Merlin pulled out the amulet from his pocket and let his magic flew it into her waiting hand.

“Three crates of this,” he said.

She gave a low hum as she examined it.

“What do you think, Emrys, what kind of spells were cast on this?” she asked almost conversationally.

Here we go.

“You already know,” Merlin sighed, his breath visible in the air.

“I would still like to hear it from you,” she gave a wry grin.

They had been playing this little game for years now. She always tested him on the goods he brought her no matter what kind and didn’t let business continue until she got the right answer out of him. So Merlin had expected the question and was ready with his response.

“Protection charms,” he started. “Not strong ones but a variety of them. It would keep the wearer safe from lighter curses and would steer them away from danger. One could last at least three years until the charms wear off. They’re useless against normal weapons though.”

She gave a slight nod of satisfaction.

“It will do good for the people on the Rim – those who can afford it anyway,” she mused. “Three thousand. For the whole stock.”

“What?” Merlin snapped. No way. Nope. “A single crate’s worth at least that much!”

“That’s my offer, Emrys,” she made that satisfied, slightly mean twitch of her lips. “Take it or find someone else to take it off your hands.”

“You’re lying,” Arthur spoke up and everyone’s head snapped to him immediately, Merlin’s included. What was he thinking?!

“Arthur,” Merlin hissed but the pompous prat didn’t even look at him, eyes locked on the Cailleach with a polite but determined expression.

“Even if the crates themselves were only worth a thousand you’re not only paying for those and you know it – you’re paying for the work it took the Captain and his crew to get them for you. As these amulets are Class B in the Alliance’s Magic Penalties, they took a considerable risk getting them for you. Beside, a single farmer on the Rim, if he could afford it, would pay a hundred for a single one of these to save himself from the outlaws and illnesses. One crate has fifty of these. So if you would be willing to give two thousand for one you’d still earn at least double what you paid – even after you paid off your men.” He gave a quick glance at Merlin from the corner of his eye. “Also, Merlin brought you another business on his way here and I’m sure he’ll do so again. You won’t be cheated out of anything.”

Merlin couldn’t stop staring at him. Nobody argued with the Cailleach – well, Merlin, sometimes, but that was always calculated and she tolerated him more than most others. How had Arthur dared to even open his mouth? And why had the Cailleach let him?

“Arthur Pendragon,” the Cailleach said, almost savouring the name. She didn’t say anything else for a whole minute and Merlin’s every muscle was tense, ready to protect them from her revenge. Arthur, to his credit, kept his ground, seemingly completely unmoved. His idiocy could almost be called bravery. “Fine. Two thousand for a crate.”

“What?” Merlin looked at her in shock. She’d never agreed to the second offer before. Striking a price with her had always been like pulling teeth.

“Let’s see that other business then,” she held out her hand and Arthur pulled out the ident cards from his pocket, all four of them and handed it over to Merlin. So he wasn’t a total idiot, at least. Merlin levitated them to the Cailleach, who gave a careful look at each one and to Merlin’s surprise gave them back with a wave of her hand. “You’ll have the new ones when my men go for the amulets. They’ll be by that pesky little ship within the hour.”

The dig at Serenity made Merlin narrow his eyes but he kept himself as composed as possible and gave a stiff nod.

“Pleasure doing business with you,” he turned on his heels and left, the others following.

The Cailleach’s voice whispered a last sentence in his mind just as Merlin stepped into the corridor, “Take care of the young Pendragon, Emrys. You will need him.”

Cryptic warning or advice from a magical being. If Merlin wanted that he’d have gone to Kilgharrah. Except the Cailleach had never done that before and that in itself should tell him something, he was sure.

As soon as they were out in the sunlight Merlin felt more alive, like stepping out of a crypt.

“Are you out of your mind?” he turned on Arthur as soon as they were out of the immediate vicinity of the house. “What? Is it fun for you to go against powerful beings who can turn you to dust if you annoy them? You might had people kneeling for you when you walked into a room until yesterday, but that won’t work with these folks!”

“Merlin –” Lance tried to interrupt but Arthur was faster, his forehead creased in an annoyed frown and lips pressed together in a pout Merlin would never found adorable.

“I think you should thank me,” he crossed his arms. “I just doubled your income.”

Merlin just stared at him incredulously because that was not the point, and apparently Arthur was a complete imbecile.

“I think he did good,” Percy spoke up calmly. “I for one don’t mind that we weren’t totally ripped off.”

“Thank you, Percival,” Arthur gave him an infuriatingly smug smile.

“That’s not the point,” Merlin fumed.

“I think what Arthur did was very brave but also irresponsible,” Lance, always the peacemaker, put a hand on Merlin’s shoulder. “We should get back to the ship.”

Merlin was about to open his mouth, not even sure what he should say, but then his magic flared up like a warning sign. His head turned before he realized it and his eyes caught a glimpse of long blonde locks and a red cape.

“Morgause,” he whispered.

Lance stilled immediately.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

Oh yes, Merlin was very sure. And he was just as sure that he didn’t want to actually meet her.

“We’ll separate,” he ordered. “Lance, Percy, you go one way, Arthur and I another. We meet back at the ship in an hour.” No sooner because they still needed the money and the ident cards. “Make sure you’re not followed.”

“Yes, sir,” they nodded in unison and Arthur must’ve felt the seriousness of the situation because he didn’t argue.

Percy and Lance disappeared into the crowd and Merlin grabbed Arthur’s wrist to pull him in the opposite direction. They needed to get out of here and fast. They’d put the Pendragons down somewhere else if that was what they wanted but they had to get off this moon.

“Who’s Morgause?” Arthur asked because of course he did. Merlin would’ve in his place, too.

They walked by vendors and stands and Merlin couldn’t let his magic spread out to seek out her position because then she would sense him, too. He wasn’t sure she knew they were here so the risk wasn’t worth it. He had to settle for glancing over his shoulder every few seconds, and checking up on Serenity’s magical shields.

“A High Priestess,” was all he said and that seemed to be enough because Arthur’s eyes tightened around the corners.

“I thought the Order’s base was on the Isle.”

“It was, before the end of the war,” Merlin answered. They were moving slower than he’d like, but running would only get attention they didn’t need. The port was big and busy enough that taking an hour-long detour shouldn’t be a problem. “They had to move out of Uther’s range.”

“But they left an outpost or something behind, didn’t they? To keep an eye on things here,” Arthur got it. How was it that Merlin was the actual soldier of the two of them but Arthur was the one with the training to understand it? Well, Uther would surely include military training in his son’s schooling if he was launching a war. It had taken Merlin almost two years until he’d figured out how the Order had reorganized after it was over.

“Yes, but Morgause shouldn’t be here,” he admitted. “She’s Nimueh’s apprentice and right hand.”

To Merlin’ satisfaction Arthur stumbled at the information. Everyone knew of Nimueh.

“And you pissed them off, didn’t you?” he asked after a second. Merlin turned to stare at him. “You seem like you piss off a lot of people.”

Weirdly, it sounded somewhat like a compliment and a fondly exasperated one at that.

“Well, you piss me off, prat, and I’m not the one hunted by the whole Alliance right now.”

Arthur gave him an annoyed grimace.

“At least they’re not magical,” he retorted.

“You’re not magical either,” Merlin said as they turned into an alley. “So I think it’s balanced out.”

“Will you share what you’ve done to anger a whole religious order, Merlin?” Arthur asked, emphasizing the first syllable of the warlock’s name.

“None of your business, sire,” he quipped back with dripping sarcasm.

Merlin hadn’t known that he could fill out an hour-long conversation with bickering but that was mostly how they’d spent their time until in an extremely roundabout way they reached Serenity. It didn’t endear Arthur to him, at all, but it was somewhat entertaining, having a conversation with someone who could dish out as much as they got. Merlin hated himself a bit for liking a back-and-forth with a Pendragon and that it put an annoyingly charming, boyish smile on Arthur’s face.

Gwen was waiting for them on the ramp, a couple of men in drab clothing pulling down the crates from the ship.

“Lance told me what happened,” she started as soon as Merlin reached her. So Lance and Percy already arrived and hopefully hid inside because the Priestesses almost knew Lancelot as well as they did Merlin. “I hope you weren’t followed. I mean, I’m sure you were careful, I know you were, but this is still the Order and…”

“It’s okay, Gwen,” Merlin smiled at her, grasping her arms in reassurance, then nodded to the strangers. “They paid already, right?”

“For the amulets, yes.” She glanced at Arthur and pointed to one of the men waiting a couple feet away. “They have your ident cards.”

“Thank you, Guinevere,” Arthur gave a polite nod and left them to talk to the man.

“You found everything we need?” Merlin asked Gwen.

“Yes, and Gaius seemed very satisfied,” she nodded. “He’s stocking up the infirmary.”

Merlin was about to answer when his senses started to tingle.

“Start the ship. Now,” he told her instead, losing all joviality at once. Gwen’s eyes widened in alarm but she didn’t ask, just turned on her heels and ran up the stairs, shouting for Elyan. They needed to be up in the air as soon as possible.

“Arthur –” he started but was interrupted by a fucking fireball coming their way from the crowd.

Merlin saw Arthur duck for cover behind one of the crates (and push a small box in his pocket) as the Cailleach’s men tried to do the same. The fireball extinguished on Serenity’s magical shield which flared up golden for a moment.

Merlin dived for the comms in the airlock.

“Gwen, we need to go! Get us out of here!”

The engine roared to life.

“Emrys!” Morgause shrieked, cloak and blonde hair blown back by the wind of the turbines, standing tall a couple yards away with the crowd quickly clearing out around her. Her expression was of absolute fury.

“Arthur!” Merlin shouted over the noise as the ramp and the whole ship lifted off the ground and started rapidly rising. His Pratness was still behind the crate but at Merlin’s call he started running towards Serenity. Merlin couldn’t decide if it was blind idiocy or undeserved faith because Arthur had his back to Morgause, a perfect target, and didn’t even bother to look back. A cruel smile flitted across the witch’s face and her arm rose, mouth opening for a spell, but Merlin was quicker. He threw a hand up and pushed, magic swirling out of him, sweeping harmlessly over Arthur and straight into Morgause who flew back into the nearest stall. Merlin didn’t hear the thing breaking under her but he could see it.

They were already ten feet in the air when Arthur got close enough to jump, his hands grabbing onto the very edge of the ramp. The wind wasn’t helping anything and Merlin knew he wouldn’t be able to pull himself up. So Merlin, using his magic to steady himself, staggered over and grabbed a wrist with both hands to help him up.

It wasn’t easy because Arthur was mostly dense muscles. First just his arms were up on the ramp, then his head appeared over the edge, followed by his torso and finally legs as he climbed aboard with surprising agility. When Merlin had done the same Lance had told him he’d resembled a floundering fish.

They helped each other into the doubtful safety of the airlock and Merlin pressed a button to lift up the ramp which soon closed behind them with a soft thud.

When Merlin turned his eyes met with bright blue ones from under windswept blond hair, looking at him the same disarming way they had after Morgana had taken control of her magic. It made Merlin’s heart tumble.

“Good to know you can find danger without my help,” a familiar voice said and Merlin’s gaze jumped away as the airlock shut behind them to find a figure leaning against the stairs. The sight of perfect hair and a white shirt with a brown west made Merlin grin despite himself.

“Gwaine!” he hurried to hug him. They’d left Gwaine on the Isle to sniff out their next job when they’d got the coordinates of the wreckage of the ship that had the amulets. Merlin had spotted that the second shuttle – Gwaine’s – was back but he hadn’t expected him to be downstairs just yet.

“Hey, Merlin!” Gwaine smirked back and patted his shoulder when they pulled back. “And you all think I’m the one who attracts trouble. What the bloody hell have you been up to, mate, taking a detour to Camelot?”

“Gaius needed help,” Merlin shrugged. He gestured at Arthur who was standing a couple steps back. “This is Arthur –”

“Pendragon, yeah, I heard,” Gwaine nodded, his carefree smile dimming just a bit as he held out a hand.

“Nice to meet you,” Arthur shook it without reservation.

“We’ll see if I can say the same,” Gwaine let go and put his hands in his pockets. “I trust Merlin’s judgement but I don’t trust Core people. I’m sure you understand.”

“As long as my sister’s safe I honestly don’t care,” Arthur told him which earned Gwaine’s raised brows.

“Now, this will be interesting,” he gave an amused huff and ruffled Merlin’s hair before disappearing towards the infirmary, probably going up to the mess hall for a drink.

“What do you pay him for exactly?” Arthur asked, looking after him with a puzzled expression Gwaine had a habit of eliciting.

“Public relations,” Merlin answered and Arthur just raised his eyebrows at him to continue. “He’s our ambassador, so to speak. Knows the right people who know people who would pay us for jobs.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” Arthur nodded and turned towards him, his frown smoothing out. “I want to thank you –”

“No need,” Merlin bit out. “I didn’t do it for you.”

“I know you hate me,” Arthur mumbled, looking away.

“You’re a hypocrite,” Merlin told him because that was the thing that stung most about figuring out who Arthur was.

Arthur’s head swivelled back to him, eyes narrowed and stance so bloody proud.

“I never had a choice,” he said in a way that Merlin found himself desperately wanting to believe him. “When I did, I chose Morgana. I never hated magic like my father.” He crossed his arms, almost like a challenge but somehow softer. “And if you’re so principled, why didn’t you leave me back on that moon?”

Because it hadn’t even occurred to Merlin to do that, he just needed to save Arthur and get him back on the ship. And not just because Morgana would’ve been furious and heartbroken or because Arthur already knew too much about him and his crew to let him near the Order. He had gotten Arthur because he wanted the prat safe. He hadn’t lied, he hadn’t done it for Arthur. He’d done it for himself. And he hated that.

Merlin turned away. Arthur’s eyes followed. The weight of Arthur’s adoration brought a blush to Merlin’s cheeks. The desire to pull Arthur in, slot their lips together and run a hand through the blond’s hair grew hot in his belly.

An alarm blared. No rest for the criminal. It was most likely either the Order or the Alliance, or somehow both, knowing their luck.

He left Arthur in the cargo bay, trying to push the thought far from his mind as he hurried up the stairs to see what was wrong.

“Arthur!” Morgana appeared at the door leading to the lounge and the infirmary. “What’s going on?”

Before Arthur could even try to guess someone answered for him.

“No need to panic!” Lancelot’s voice came through the comms. “It’s just a little turbulence as we leave the atmo. Merlin and Gwen are keeping her steady.”

“We’re seconds away from blowing up,” Gaius, apparently up on the bridge, too, added calmly.

Arthur shared a glance with Morgana then both of them started running up the stairs to the fore deck. Arthur almost collided with Gwaine who was looking rather put-off. His shirt was soaked.

“I spilled my drink! What kind of welcome is this?” he shouted up to the bridge, giving Arthur a sour look but he couldn’t decide if it was because of his presence or the lost drink.

“Shut up, Gwaine, and come help!” came Elyan’s voice from the other end of the ship and through the galley Arthur spotted Percival and, surprisingly, Leon hurrying all over the engine room, Elyan yelling instructions to keep them in the air.

Gwaine ran off with a swish of his hair to join them, and Morgana cut in front of Arthur with quickened steps as they reached the bridge. Lance and Gaius were standing to the side, looking a bit worried, while Gwen was gripping the wheel tightly and Merlin was pressing both palms into the co-pilot’s control panel, magic pouring from them into the ship. Flames were licking the exterior of Serenity.

“That’s not promising,” Arthur muttered.

“She was not designed for this kind of escape,” Gwen told them through gritted teeth.

“Morgana, I need help!” Merlin shouted over the rattling metal. He didn’t bother turning around to face them.

Morgana paled immediately.

“I- I can’t –”

“Now!”

This was not the time for her to have a crisis. Arthur turned and clasped her thin shoulders to catch her gaze, almost losing his footing.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he told her with the same tone he’d used after her nightmares. “It’s fine. I know you can do it, Morgana. You just have to do the same thing as you did in the cargo bay.” Her lips wobbled. Arthur hated seeing her like this. Damn their father. “Look, you’ve done it before and Merlin showed you how to control it. It’s the same thing.”

“And how would you know?” she snapped, her desperation turning to anger in typical Pendragon fashion. Arthur didn’t let it discourage him.

“I don’t, you’re right,” he said calmly. “Father was wrong, because I have my doubts about magic in general, but not about you. You’re good, Morgana, so your magic must be good, too. I know you can do this.”

He’d never told her that like this before and he knew he should’ve because somehow, miraculously, it seemed to work: Morgana’s chin lifted and her gaze sharpened with determination. She let him go and stumbled over to Merlin, and he must’ve told her what to do that couldn’t be heard over the chaos because Morgana nodded and put her hands on the panel, next to his own.

Arthur leaned against the nearest wall and caught Gaius looking at him with a proud smile. When he turned back Morgana’s eyes were a bright gold. Not just a flash of them, when Arthur had seen her using magic before, but a constant thing that looked almost alien, but her thinly pressed lips and frown were the same as always.

“That’s it! Keep it up!” Gwen said after a minute and the ship seemed to find some kind of balance, the blue air of the atmo turning into the vast blackness of space. The rattling stopped.

“And now pull back. Slowly,” Merlin was instructing Morgana. “That’s it, you’re doing amazing.” Arthur caught his grin as Morgana’s eyes turned back to green and he wanted to hug them both.

“We survived!” Arthur heard Gwaine cry from the engine room which was soon followed by the others’. Lancelot leaned down to hug Gwen from behind and kiss her cheek.

“I’m too old for this,” Gaius sighed just as Morgana lost her balance and would’ve fallen over if Merlin hadn’t caught her. Arthur was by them the next second, taking most of her weight.

“What happened?” he asked and was relieved when his panic didn’t seep into his voice. Morgana blinked up at him with heavy-lidded eyes.

“Magical exhaustion,” Merlin answered, his brows furrowed and he still helped keeping her upright.

“I’m fine,” Morgana mumbled.

“Let me see,” Gaius pressed in between them and made the same quick examination he’d done since Morgana’s ‘nightmares had started; touched her wrist to check her pulse, looked into her eyes and made them follow his finger left and right. “It seems Merlin’s right,” he nodded when he was done. “This was way more energy than she was used to use up with her magic. She’ll be fine after a couple hours of sleep.”

“I’ll take her down to her room,” Lance offered and they let him take Morgana who only gave minimal fuss, already seeming half asleep. Arthur wanted to go with them but his overbearing would only earn him constant mocking from his sister.

“Leon will help you,” he told Lance who gave a small smile. She’d always been more tolerant of Leon.

As they took to the stairs Gaius slowly followed them. Merlin left with him, after a last, searching look in Arthur’s direction. Arthur let out a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding.

“He doesn’t hate you,” a kind voice told him and when he turned Gwen was looking up at him from the pilot’s seat with a small smile. But Arthur didn’t need placating.

“I can’t exactly blame him,” he sighed because magic still made him twitch sometimes, however hard he’d worked on eradicating that reaction. The brief interaction with Morgause hadn’t helped.

“He wants to hate you,” she gave an apologetic shrug like it was in any way her fault. Arthur’s face probably gave away his scepticism because she continued. “He just has a hard time actually doing it because he can’t really find a reason to beside your last name. It’s just… the war has been hard on him – not that I mean it hasn’t on everyone, I didn’t want to imply that at all, but I knew Merlin before that and now he has a harder time giving people a chance. But I wouldn’t worry about it,” she gave a reassuring pat to Arthur’s arm, the gesture brief but comforting. “If you don’t betray us to your father or the Alliance – and I honestly doubt that – Merlin will come around, too.”

Arthur could only hope, really, because fancying a golden-hearted smuggler sorcerer would suck on the long run if it wasn’t in the cards for it to be reciprocated one day.

“You ever thought about a career in politics, Guinevere?” he asked because Gwen told him exactly what he needed to hear in a way that was unassuming and genuine, and Arthur had needed years of training to reach the same effect. It would’ve come off as naive if not for his inkling that she had a backbone made of steel to go with her kindness.

“Oh, I wouldn’t dare think about anything like that,” she shook her head and Arthur was sure she was blushing despite not being able to see it. “I’m just a pilot. I’m way more comfortable around ships than people.” She patted the controls for emphasis.

“I think you underestimate your talents,” Arthur told her honestly.

“Well, thank you for thinking that,” she grinned and pressed a couple buttons. “Dinner’s in an hour. Gwaine brought extra provisions and he’ll tell the details of our next mission. I heard it’s got something to do with a train.”

Arthur wasn’t even surprised about that.

“Are we robbing it or hijacking it?” he asked with a tired kind of dread. He hadn’t had a criminal record just two days ago and now he was stacking up crimes like they were souvenirs.

Gwen’s grin sharpened with amusement.

“The best part is finding out,” she said before she turned back to the panels.

Arthur glanced at the infinity of space before them, then out the door from where he could hear Gaius and Merlin talking about Morgana’s strength and the future lessons she’d need. Seemed like they weren’t getting off this ship for a while.

“I can’t wait.”