So, this is kind of my challenge to myself. I'm writing one fanfiction for each episode of Merlin. Some are one-shots, some are longer stories. I ran out of ideas for fanfictions so this is how I'm dealing with that. If anyone has any prompts for me, feel free to leave it in a review and if I write it after I finish writing these 65 stories, I'll dedicate it to you… so, thanks. And I give you Season 1 Episode 4.
Summary: After Arthur is released from prison, he runs into Gwen. She tells him about what happened with Merlin while he was gone. Arthur starts to make connections he hadn't expected to make. What will happen now? Merthur. One-shot.
Story 4: The Blue Light
"Why do you care so much?" Uther asked Arthur angrily. "The boy is just a servant."
Arthur wanted to shout that Merlin wasn't just a servant, not to him, but he couldn't. Merlin should be just a servant, he shouldn't be anyone special. It was entirely improper for anyone to treat their servant as more than a peasant, it was especially improper for a prince. Arthur felt conflicted emotions rise up in him as he struggled to come up with a valid reason for his father. He couldn't tell his father that somehow through Merlin's inability to show respect and his clumsiness, he had become Arthur's only real friend. That just isn't something that is done. Princes and servants do not become friends. If Uther knew of Arthur's true reasoning, he would have Merlin sacked in a heartbeat and that was if he was feeling generous. If he wasn't, Merlin could be banished. Arthur ignored the throbbing in his chest whenever he thought about Merlin leaving and forced himself to answer his father.
"He knew the danger he was putting himself in, and he knew what would happen if he drank from that goblet, but he did it anyway," Arthur said. He hoped his father couldn't hear the desperate edge in his voice. "He saved my life!"
"He wasn't the first and he won't be the last," Uther said evenly.
Arthur knew Uther was right. Arthur had watched many men die, ensuring that he or his father survived. He knew the truth of his words and had never been this upset by them. He didn't know why this mattered so much, but he couldn't bear the thought of Merlin dying. Merlin was different than any man Arthur has ever known.
"Gaius knows what to do with this," Arthur said, pulling out the flower. Uther took the flower. "Please give it to him. Put me in the stocks for a week, a month even, I don't care. Just make sure it gets to him. I'm begging you."
Uther crushed the flower in his hand. Arthur felt his heart stop. "No!" Arthur yelled. That was Merlin's last hope. If he didn't get it, he would die.
"You have to learn that there's a right and a wrong way of doing things," Uther said harshly. Uther dropped the flower to the floor and locked Arthur's cell.
The second Uther was gone; Arthur was reaching for the flower. It took him a few moments to stretch his arm to an extremely painful length, but eventually he recovered it and sat on the bench in his cell, wallowing in hopelessness. The flower, which was supposed to be his last hope, symbolized all that he had lost. He had failed and now Merlin would die.
Within the hour, his hope returned. "Food for the prisoner," a voice said. Arthur looked up and was surprised to see Gwen. She would never bring food for prisoners, she was specifically Morgana's maidservant, which left only one possibility. She was trying to get the flower for Merlin.
His cell was opened. "Set it down over there," he ordered Gwen. He watched her set it down on the table. "Thank you." He walked towards the table and carefully placed the flower amongst the bread. "Wait a minute." He made himself sound as much like a spoiled prince as possible. "I couldn't possibly eat this, it's disgusting. The state it's in, I'm not sure it's fit for anyone."
It was almost unsettling how familiar his voice sounded to him. He sounded just like he did when he was younger. Really this was how he acted until he met Merlin. Perhaps Merlin had had a bigger impact on him than he thought. He saw Gwen's face fall as she walked back towards his tray. She didn't realize that he had understood. One look at the tray and her face lit up. Arthur saw a hint of a smile grace her face.
He watched Gwen as she left his cell.
"Food for Prince Arthur," a servant girl said. Arthur looked at Gwen terrified. She wasn't looking at him, but he was sure she would looked scared as well. She could be imprisoned for lying to the guards. Luckily, Gwen did not hesitate. She ran. Arthur breathed a sigh of relief when she left the prisons without getting caught.
The next day, Arthur was heading towards Merlin's chambers. He would have gone to see him sooner, but his father had locked him in the cells for an entire day. Arthur really shouldn't be complaining. Most men that crossed his father suffered much worse punishment, but it was still another day he had to go without news of Merlin.
Arthur was distracted as he was walking and he walked right into Gwen. "Oh, Gwen," Arthur said smiling at her.
"My lord," Gwen said, curtsying.
"How's Merlin?" Arthur asked her.
A strange look came across Gwen's face. Arthur felt his heart clench. Did Merlin not make it? Was there something wrong? What had happened in the day he had been locked up? "Merlin's fine," Gwen told him. Arthur studied her for a moment. She was hiding something.
"What's wrong Gwen?" Arthur asked her curiously.
"Nothing's wrong," she said quickly. She was looking at the floor, her eyes averted so she wouldn't see Arthur.
"Guinevere," Arthur warned.
Gwen sighed. "My lord," Gwen said. "There really is nothing wrong..." Arthur watched as Gwen chewed on her lip as if she were mentally debating something. "It's just something strange happened while you were gone."
Arthur looked at her curiously. "What do you mean by strange?" he asked confused.
"Well, it's just that Merlin kept talking in his sleep. But he wasn't talking a real language all the time, at least not one that I recognized. Sometimes he was talking this strange language. And when he was talking normally, it was 'faster Arthur, faster' or 'it's a trap Arthur' or he just said your name over and over again," Gwen explained in a rush. "And then one time when I was about to enter the chambers, I thought I saw this weird blue orb in his hand. But as soon as I saw it, it was gone. I guess I'm just tired. I haven't been sleeping, because I've been helping Gaius I'm sorry for bothering you." Gwen curtsied again and then walked away. Well ran away might be a better way to explain it.
Arthur was too shocked to say anything. He wasn't shocked by Gwen's rambling, it seemed she did that more often than not. It was what she said. 'It's a trap, Arthur.' Arthur had indeed walked right into a trap. 'Faster Arthur, faster.' Arthur had had to move faster to escape the giant spiders. And finally, the blue orb that Gwen wasn't sure she saw. Could it be the same one that guided him out of the caves? Was it possible that this was Merlin? Merlin, who Arthur had thought was an idiot. Merlin who had been brave enough to save Arthur's life even when it meant risking his own. Had Merlin done that again? Had he studied magic so he would be able to protect Arthur? Was that possible?
Arthur wasn't sure, but he was going to find out. Arthur stormed towards Merlin's chambers. He ignored Gaius's questions when he rushed towards the door to Merlin's room. When he entered, without knocking, he saw Merlin asleep on his small, uncomfortable-looking bed. Arthur stopped abruptly. Looking at Merlin now, he looked so innocent. He didn't look like anyone capable of performing magic. "Arthur," he heard Merlin whispered. A small smile spread on Merlin's lips.
Arthur couldn't help the answering smile that appeared on his face. He took a step closer to Merlin and a floor board creaked under his foot. Arthur froze. Merlin immediately snapped awake, looking around for any signs of danger. His face filled with confusion when he saw Arthur.
"Arthur?" He asked, rubbing sleep from his eyes. His voice sounded much different than his sleepy mumble. "Do you need something?"
Arthur hesitated before his resolve hardened. His questions couldn't wait. "I need to ask you something," he said slowly.
Merlin's confusion deepened. "What do you need to ask me?" Merlin asked. He couldn't figure out what Arthur didn't know. Well, there were quite a lot of things Arthur didn't know, but Merlin wasn't sure how he could help with that
Arthur hesitated. He didn't know how to ask his questions and Merlin looked like he was ready to fall back asleep. Ironic considering he had been unconscious for a while. Arthur guessed that almost dying must have taken a toll on him. But if he didn't find out now, Arthur would never be able to ask him. "Are you a sorcerer?" Arthur asked bluntly.
Merlin was now wide awake. He jumped to his feet and took a couple steps back so he was nearly pressed against the wall. The pure panic that flashed across his face shocked Arthur. "Um… what?" He squeaked shocked. Out of everything he had expected, this wasn't even close to being on the list.
"Answer me honestly Merlin," Arthur told him slowly. He knew it was true now, Merlin's reaction had been pretty damning, but he needed to hear it from Merlin.
"Why would you think that Sire?" Merlin asked. "You always told me I was too stupid to be a sorcerer. And isn't it entirely ridiculous to think that your simple-minded manservant is a sorcerer?"
Arthur didn't miss the fact that Merlin had blatantly ignored answering his question. "The reason I think this Merlin," Arthur said slowly. "Is because Guinevere was under the impression she saw a blue orb in your hand while you were unconscious." A look of legitimate confusion crossed Merlin's face. Arthur briefly wondered if maybe he was wrong, but he didn't think Gwen would lie to him. "And you apparently kept saying my name. 'Faster Arthur, faster,' Gwen said it was."
Arthur watched as Merlin's face flushed a deep red. Arthur looked at him curiously, wondering what set off this reaction. Arthur thought about what he said. Faster, Arthur, faster. Arthur's eyes widened and he could feel heat flood to his cheeks. That wasn't what he was thinking at all.
Arthur was surprised, no, he was more than surprised. He was shocked beyond words when the disgust he had been expecting to feel didn't rise up in him. Instead a small flame of hope flickered in him.
Suddenly his actions meant so much more to him. He rethought the question his father asked him. Why did he care so much? Looking at Merlin now, with the red in his cheeks and the fear in his face, he knew.
His simple manservant had managed to worm his way into Arthur's heart. Somewhere in between saving Arthur's life and completely disregarding his royal status, it had happened.
Merlin was regarding Arthur curiously and Arthur felt his hopes drop. He was being stupid. There was no way that he could pursue this. He was the prince and Merlin was his servant. They couldn't even be friends, much less anything else.
Arthur stared at Merlin, waiting. "You can tell me the truth Merlin," Arthur told him. "I… I won't tell my father." Arthur was shocked by the truth of his words. He wouldn't tell his father. He knew what fate awaited Merlin if his father were to find out about Merlin's abilities. Arthur cared about Merlin far too much for that.
"Why… why not?" Merlin asked him. "Why do you care? I'm just your servant."
"Are you?" Arthur asked him quietly. "Is that all this is? Are we merely servant and master?"
"We have to be," Merlin told him quietly.
"Why?" Arthur asked.
"Because that will make it easier when you kill me!" Merlin shouted, looking up at Arthur. Arthur was shocked by what he saw there. Merlin's raw emotion made him look wild and vulnerable. "I know how this will end. I'm a sorcerer. You're destined to be king. I don't expect you to keep this from your father. You have a duty to this land, the land you are going to rule one day! I can't expect you to make exceptions just for me. It doesn't matter how I feel. All that matters is how you feel."
"Did you ever consider that we might feel the same way," Arthur asked, stepping closer to Merlin.
"I doubt it," Merlin muttered. His voice dropped low enough that he hoped Arthur wouldn't hear him. He was out of luck though, because Arthur heard him very clearly say, "My feelings would get me killed."
A million thoughts flickered through Arthur's mind. Merlin's words had been true before. Arthur had a duty to Camelot, but he had another duty. To himself. He would not turn in Merlin, because that would be unbearable, but it would be foolish to allow himself to have feelings for his manservant. It was too late for that though, Arthur already was in love with his manservant.
That realization was all it took for Arthur to close the gap between him and Merlin and crush their lips together. Arthur wasn't sure how much time had passed, nor did he particularly care. He was with Merlin right now in a special place where he wasn't a prince and Merlin wasn't a servant. They were in a special place where nothing could break their euphoria.
When they broke apart, panting, Arthur lifted Merlin's head so he had no choice but to look at Arthur. "I care about you a great deal. Don't doubt that," he told Merlin gently. The sincerity rang through his words.
Merlin studied Arthur for a moment. He couldn't doubt his words, but there was a tiny voice in the back of his head that wondered why Arthur had chosen him. Arthur could have any lady he desired. A princess or a noblewoman would be able to help him rule a kingdom one day. But for some reason, he chose Merlin. Why would he choose Merlin? Merlin decided to ignore the little voice in the back of his head. In that moment, it was easy to forget that he was Arthur's manservant or that what they were doing was completely illegal. All that mattered was that somehow, despite the impossibility of it, Arthur cared for him.
"I don't," Merlin promised. "Not anymore." Merlin leaned up and pressed his lips gently to Arthur's. Their kiss soon picked up and became more passionate. This wasn't a kiss they planned on breaking.
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