Merlin One Shots

Reveal Yourself

A/N: Kinda magic reveal.

Setting: During late series 4

Description: Merlin and the knights are all cornered by Morgana's men, when Arthur does something the knights would never expect.

Disclaimer: Nope... still don't own Merlin.

Merlin's chest heaved with effort as he finally came to a stop, the knights all around, just as out of breath as he was.

"Oh, come on!" Merlin heard Arthur mutter. Everyone seemed to be staring at the large wall before them in horror, and the sound of the mercenaries was steadily getting louder.

Arthur and the "Knights of the Round Table" had been on patrol, when they'd been attacked -no surprise there- by men who were surely sent by Morgana. Tried as they might, the knights of Camelot couldn't fight off the sheer numbers of the mercenaries. So, by Arthur's order, they ran. The men had pursued, of course, and somehow, Arthur had led Merlin and his knights into a gorge that had a dead end.

"Merlin, get behind me." Gwaine didn't wait for Merlin to listen, he simply pulled his friend back while he unsheathed his sword. The other knights followed suit, facing what seemed to be their impending doom with as much courage as they could muster. Only Arthur appeared calm, as if he knew for a fact that they would be alright.

"Merlin?" The man in question pushed his way to the front of the group -despite Gwaine's protests- until he was standing next to the king. The mercenaries were now in sight, causing the knights to shift uneasily.

"Yes, sire?" Merlin knew what Arthur was going to ask, but he wanted to be sure. A pit of nervousness had settled in his stomach as he glanced back at the knights.

"I want you to do it." And there it was. Merlin stepped forward, and he could hear the sounds of surprise from behind him.

"Merlin, get back here!" Leon called. The manservant ignored him.

"Arthur, he's going to get himself killed!" Gwaine was lunging forward to drag Merlin back, and he could feel Percival move up as well, but Arthur held up a hand.

"Sire?" Elyan questioned. Merlin turned back towards them slightly, just enough for them to see the slight grin combined with worry on his face.

"Trust me." Arthur said simply. "Trust Merlin." Still, fear and concern was etched into the faces of each and every knight.

The mercenaries approached, coming to an uncertain halt when they noticed the single man, who didn't even seem to be a knight, standing not ten paces from them. They shifted uneasily, until the leader of the group pushed his way forward, regarding Merlin suspiciously.

"What do ye want, boy?" The leader snarled, revealing blackened teeth beneath his lips.

"I want you to leave me, and my friends, alone." Merlin stated. The group of men stood there for a moment, as if unable to process the nerve of this boy. Then they burst out laughing.

"And what exactly will ye do 'bout it?" The leader guffawed. Merlin tilted his head slightly, unbothered by their lack of confidence in him. He could also sense the knights' anxiety and fear from behind him.

"I'll give you one warning. Leave now, or die." Merlin's voice took on a dangerous edge, causing the mercenary leader to actually take a step back. In fact, Arthur seemed to be the only one not freaking out about Merlin's situation.

"Kill him." The leader had finally recovered from his shock long enough to give the order. The knights surged forward to protect Merlin, Arthur's orders be-

And then they stopped.

An unnatural wind had begun to swirl around Merlin, who stood with his arms outstretched. The skies overhead darkened, and as a whole, the mercenaries backed up in fear, their eyes locked on Merlin. He lowered one of his arms, and pointed the other towards the leader of the men. A massive gust of wind barreled into the terrified man, sending him flying back into two more mercenaries. They collapsed in a heap on the ground, and for a single moment, nobody seemed to move.

     Then a bolt of lightning struck the ground in front of the men, and they all scrambled over each other to leave. Only a few began to charge at Merlin, and they were struck down in a similar manner to their leader. The mercenaries that had tried to leave were met by an invisible wall, which forced them to meet Merlin's display of power head on.

     The warlock held his hand up, and the knights watched in awe as lightning appeared to collect in his hand, before being hurled at the mercenaries. One by one, they fell, whether by wind or lightning, or even an invisible hand that seemed to push them down. Finally, the last man was sent flying into the gorge wall, and he sank to the ground in a heap.

       With a sigh, Merlin turned back around, only to see four gaping knights staring at him in shock. Arthur walked forward, a smile on his face, but he quickly hid in an expression of irritation.

       "Did you have to be so dramatic?" Arthur asked the warlock.

       Merlin rolled his eyes, barely repressing a smile. "Sorry, sire. I'll be sure to save your life differently next time."

       "Shut up Merlin." The two glanced back at the knights, who still hadn't moved. "I think you broke them." Arthur stated. The king's words seemed to break them out of whatever trance Merlin's display of magic put them in.

      "What was that." Gwaine demanded, stalking forward. Merlin grinned sheepishly, the expression completely different from the one that would be expected of a bloodthirsty sorcerer.

        "Um..." Merlin began, oh so eloquently. "Surprise?" Arthur snorted, lightly smacking his manservant/ secret warlock upside the head. Which, now that the knights thought about it, was almost amusing considering Merlin was capable of destroying the king with a look. When Merlin took a step towards them, most likely to speak, apologize, or something of that manner, the knights still felt somewhat hesitant.

They'd all just seen what Merlin could do. It was actually quite terrifying if you thought about it. The idea of a single man holding that much power...

All reservations disappeared when Merlin tripped and stumbled over air, making Arthur laugh, and eventually, the knights joined in. That is, until Merlin threatened to turn them all into toads.