Board Thread:What If?/@comment-5674726-20130722102922/@comment-5674726-20130817000948

What if Gaius hadn't fallen over the railing when Merlin entered his quarters in The Dragon's Call?

It occurred to me when I was responding to the latest thread that, but for Gaius' fall, he might not have learned of Merlin's magic for a long time, if he learned of it at all. It had been drummed into Merlin's head since childhood that he had to keep his magic a closely guarded secret, and his mother sent him away from Ealdor when she learned that his best friend knew. I can't see him being willing to confide in somebody who was a stranger to him. Hunith's letter said that Merlin was special and in need of guidance but was vague, so Gaius is unlikely to have jumped to the conclusion that she meant that he had magic, especially when, to the best of his knowledge, magic was something that had to be learned.