AN: So, this is a one shot based off of Anna Davenport's and my series featuring Cuilén who is both Gwaine's and Merlin's empathic cousin. You don't need to have read that series to understand this. Just realize that Cuilén is an empath and in one of the stories Merlin promised Arthur he would not lie again now that Arthur knows of his magic and has accepted magic...
"Merlin!"
Merlin jumped as he heard his master calling for him and he rushed over to see what Arthur needed.
"Yes, Sire?" He asked, poking his head in the door, only to see Arthur, Cuilén and the knights sitting around a single chair.
"Sit down," Arthur pointed to the chair in the middle.
"Um, okay... Why?" Merlin sat down slowly.
"Have you done all of your chores today?" Arthur asked, his face dead serious.
"Uh, no, and sitting here isn't making them happen any faster," Merlin frowned. "So what's going on?"
"When was the last time you were at the tavern?" Gwaine asked, leaning forward in his seat like a child about to receive a birthday present.
"Uh, well, yesterday? Why do you care? Did something happen at the tavern? Is there something wrong? What's happening anyway?"
"Gwaine," Arthur warned. "I told you not to ask a question unless it is your turn. Percival, you're up."
"Um," Percival thought for a second before grinning and asking. "Who was your first kiss?"
"Wait, what is this?" Merlin laughed uneasily. "His turn? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Just answer the question," Arthur told him.
"Why?" Merlin frowned, slightly defensive as thoughts of Freya jumped to mind.
"Because, I said so," Arthur said. "And I am the king, so you have to do as I say. Also don't even think about lying."
Merlin froze. Lying...
"I wouldn't lie to you..." Merlin trailed off. "No more lies. So, uh, I don't really understand but... My first kiss, it was a girl who I saved from some trouble. It was a long time ago, though. A very long time ago."
"What was her name?" Gwaine asked out of turn once again.
"It was... Her name was Freya," Merlin choked out quickly.
"What did you do for her?" Elyan asked.
"I saved her from... She was wanted for a crime she couldn't help. I thought I saved her, but... We were going to go away together, but she died."
"How?" Cuilén asked, his eyes fixed on Merlin, while all of the knights watched Merlin closely, shocked at the emotion on their friend's face.
Merlin breathed hard for several seconds, blinking up at the ceiling.
"A... Knight killed her. He thought he was doing the right thing."
All of the Knights were silent as they racked their minds trying to figure out who he meant.
"Who was it?" Arthur finally asked, looking up at Merlin.
"You shouldn't ask that," Merlin shook his head suddenly.
"Merlin," Arthur pressed. "Who killed her?"
"Please, Arthur," Merlin shook his head. But when Arthur began to protest again, Merlin ducked his head and whispered quietly. "It was you."
Arthur stared at his friend in shock, "You don't mean... That was her?"
"Who do you mean?" Merlin asked quietly.
"The girl... That the mercenary brought in. Who went missing not a few hours later. And turned into that... Cat like beast with wings."
Merlin kept his gaze firmly on the ground, but he nodded.
"She was cursed. It wasn't her fault, and her name was Freya."
"The Bastet," Arthur said. "That was what she was. But... If you were going to run away with her then why didn't you?"
"I didn't have time. She said I shouldn't, that I couldn't go with her, and when I left she snuck away, only to be found and attacked!" Merlin sounded almost angry, before he quieted. "I'm sorry, you couldn't have known."
Arthur just sat there in shock, unable to say anything. He had killed Merlin's love?
"Merlin," he started, "I don't know... I mean I'm... I'm sorry!"
"Just forget it," Merlin shrugged, trying to hold back a sniffle. "Any more questions?"
Arthur started to push some more but quickly realized that It wouldn't help his friend at the moment.
"Cuilén? Did you want to ask one?" He asked, skipping over Gwaine.
"Hey! What about me?" Gwaine cried.
"You ask a question every time," Arthur snapped at him warningly.
"What did you do when you left Camelot?" Cuilén asked softly, afraid of making Merlin remember something he didn't want to.
"I went to a cave. It was in what used to be Cenred's lands. It was near a village, where I could sometimes go for food and information. It wasn't bad, and someone had lived in the cave before, so there were some supplies already there. The person who used to live there... Left one day and was unable to return, so I picked up where he left off," Merlin looked away.
"Who lived there? Did you know him?" Gwaine asked.
Merlin took a big breath, before he nodded.
"He was a dragon lord," Merlin forced out. "Arthur met him, once. He died on his way to Camelot. He'd been banished. I hardly knew him. I only met him just before he died."
Unexpectedly, Merlin wiped at his cheeks quickly, his eyes once more pointed toward the floor.
All of a sudden Cuilén gasped and his gaze flickered to Gwaine before he looked back at Merlin.
"Was that... Was that my uncle?" He asked tentatively.
"Yes," Merlin muttered quietly. Cuilén nodded slightly then got up and walked over to Merlin.
"I'm sorry," he whispered as he sat down at Merlin's feet, sending calming waves of emotion towards Merlin.
"It's okay, Cuilén. I'm sorry that you never got to meet him. I'm glad I did, if only for a short while," Merlin placed a hand on Cuilén's shoulder and shook his head.
"Wait, that angry bitter dragon lord man was your father?" Arthur's jaw dropped.
"Yes," Merlin nodded quickly. "He was, but he left before I was born."
"Why?" Gwaine asked, and seemed confused when Cuilén glared at him.
"Gwaine!" Cuilén hissed but Merlin interrupted.
"It's okay, Cuilén, there's been too many secrets for too long. He was being pursued for his magic in Camelot, so he fled to Ealdor, but the former king here came after him. He had to leave my mother, and I was not yet born."
"The great purge," Arthur stated, knowing exactly what Merlin was talking about.
"Yes," Merlin nodded. "I hardly knew him, but I was told that for a while he lived here in Camelot. He was forced to flee, and I saw it fitting that I went to the place where he resided for so long."
The Knights were silent for a moment, taking in this information. Then Arthur spoke.
"So," he began. "I am responsible for everyone you love being taken away from you."
"No!" Merlin shook his head adamantly, suddenly looking up and locking eyes with Arthur. "You are in no way responsible for my father's death, that is completely the fault of the men who attacked us. And if that mercenary had never caught Freya, you wouldn't have been forced to take drastic measures to save your kingdom."
"My birth caused your father to be pushed away," Arthur protested.
"You can't honestly blame your birth!" Merlin shook his head. "Besides, then he might never have met my mother. And then I would never have had the chance to be a servant to such a prat."
Merlin smiled, but his eyes were somehow guarded, as if anxious about what would happen next. There something close to distrust there, as he glanced around the circle of knights.
Arthur suddenly smirked at Merlin, "What's with the look?" He asked, "Don't you trust us?"
"Of course I do," Merlin smiled, but the smile didn't meet his eyes.
Cuilén glanced up at Merlin but didn't say anything.
"Tell us about your magic, please?" Elyan asked, a hopeful smile on his face.
"Yeah, how many times have you saved princess here?" Gwaine asked.
"Quite a few," Merlin admitted, looking away again. As he spoke, his gaze become more focused toward the ground. "But only when it was really truly necessary. It's not a big deal. Really, Arthur, I tried to never use magic when it was still illegal, unless it was really necessary. And my magic... Well I was born with it, I guess. I mean, I can do whatever you want me too."
"Like what?" Arthur asked. "Like make a fire? Or small things like that? Can you do anything bigger than that?"
"Yeah, I mean, you saw me fight Morgana. You've got some idea. I can make a fire," Merlin's voice was oddly flat.
"Anything else?" Arthur asked suspiciously.
"Really, whatever you want me to do, I might be able to do it. I don't know what else to tell you. I can do quite a bit, really, but unless you're more specific I can't be more specific," Merlin glanced over at Arthur. His gaze was a bit cold, and he dropped it again to the ground after a moment.
"I'm not really sure what specific entails." Arthur admitted looking around at his knights. "Any ideas, guys?"
"Can you conjure me up a round of drinks?" Gwaine asked enthusiastically.
"I more like move things," Merlin admitted. "However, here."
Merlin's eyes flashed at a jug of water before sending it flying into Gwaine's hands. It was now a tankard of ale.
Gwaine gaped down at the jug in his hands, "What about cups?"
Merlin glanced at some cups sitting on the table, and they flew over to the knights.
"Thanks!" Gwaine said as he poured himself a full cup and quickly downed half of it.
"What else?" Merlin asked, his voice tired.
"Can you teleport?" Percival asked quietly from the corner.
"Yes," Merlin said simply.
"You can?" Cuilén asked, amazement and disbelief laced in his voice.
"Yes, I can. But it's very difficult," Merlin sighed.
"So you won't give us a demonstration?" Gwaine asked.
"Never mind that Gwaine," Arthur snapped then turned to Merlin. "Would you quit using magic if I asked you to?"
Merlin suddenly stiffened, and any semblance of a smile fled from by face.
"I would do anything you asked me to," Merlin's voice was low. "But magic is a part of me. It's who I am, same as how you have blonde hair and someone else has dark hair. It's not something I causally practice, it's me. If you were to command me as such, I would do it, but I... It would be like forcing part of me to be ripped away! As if you, Arthur, suddenly lost part of what makes you you!"
"You were born with magic?" Cuilén asked excited to learn more about his cousin.
"Yes, I was," Merlin's voice was suddenly raised, and he realised he was gasping for breath as the room seemed suddenly small. "It's who I am! Can you not accept that, Arthur? Now that you know, that you claimed to have accepted me, are you going to suddenly turn me into some kind of performing monkey or something? I have magic, and I'll do whatever you want me to, but please, don't just... Abuse the fact that suddenly you have someone with magic on your side that you know about! I said there would be no more secrets, so do you plan to force to tell you all the things that if I had any say in the matter whatsoever I would try to block from my mind? Do you plan to make me do whatever random task you can think up with magic, just for some kind of a show? I would quit using magic if you asked me to, but please, if you can even attempt to accept my magic, please don't."
"Merlin," Gwaine said calmly, moving over to crouch next to his cousin. "Calm down, Arthur isn't asking you to stop using your magic."
Here Gwaine shot Arthur a look that told the king that better be true and continued, "He wouldn't do that to you."
"Wouldn't he?" Merlin snapped. "'Cause I think he just did."
"I only..." Arthur began to speak but Gwaine cut the king off.
"Of course he didn't Merlin. And even if he did why would you care? The law never stopped you before?"
"Because now Arthur knows. He's not commanding some random sorcerer to stop using magic. He's commanding me, a person who he claims he have some sort of non-animosity toward, to stop using magic. It's a direct order to me, specifically, and I would never go against such an order," Merlin looked over at Arthur, his expression incredibly hurt. "I wish you wouldn't have to go to such extreme measures to understand that. And I wish you wouldn't tell me you accept me, and then rip away exactly what you finally said you could accept. It would have been better to simply tell me to leave again, rather than make me think you could accept magic."
"I don't want you to leave!" Arthur exclaimed, "And I don't want you to stop using your magic!"
"Then what was the point of all this," Merlin waved his hand at the circle. "What was the point of coming in here and taking advantage of my promise to tell the truth to you?"
"I wanted to know how far you would go for me," Arthur explained. "And it was kind of a game at first, silly little things that we didn't think would do an harm."
"Well, do you have any more harmless questions?" Merlin asked quietly, suddenly sniffling as his adrenaline from a moment ago wore off.
"Um," Arthur looked around the room, "We did but I'm not so sure they are harmless anymore."
"You might as well ask them," Merlin muttered. "Why stop now?"
Gwaine stared at him, "Are you sure you don't want to stop? It's getting late."
Merlin glanced at the knights before his gaze landed on Cuilén seated crosslegged on the floor beside him. Cuilén seemed more than a bit distressed, and Merlin's eyes softened.
"Look, I'm sorry I got so worked up," Merlin apologized more to Cuilén than anyone else. "This whole thing has just been so unexpected. You can ask, but could I please have the option to just... Not give away an answer right now? Another time, I will, but now can that just be an option, please?"
"Of course," Arthur said after another savage look from Gwaine in the king's direction.
"Why did you come to Camelot? Where magic was illegal?" Leon asked, curiously.
"My mother sent me to live with Gaius because that was the only other person she knew that I could stay with. We didn't know many beyond our little village. It was too small there. She thought someone would discover my magic, and then I told really my only friend at the time, and she made me leave because she was worried it was too dangerous for me to stay."
"How did she know Gaius?" Arthur asked, "Through your father?"
"Yes, basically. They'd known each other for some time. She thought if he found out, he might try to understand my plight of being born with it."
Arthur nodded in understanding, "What about the whole, 'your father was a dragonlord' thing? How did that affect you?"
"I didn't know until just before we met him. When he died, you said I shouldn't let it affect me, and so I tried. Oh how I tried, but it was hard, Arthur."
Arthur's face paled as he remembered what he had told Merlin. "How could I have been so stupid!" He asked himself and Gwaine looked between the two of them.
"What happened, Merlin?" He asked.
"I was told that no man is worth my tears, and so I tried not to cry. It was hard, especially since I thought Arthur was going to die as well. I thought I wouldn't inherit my father's powers."
"You told him what?" Gwaine almost shrieked, turning once again to glower at the king. "His father had just died!"
"I didn't know." Arthur admitted, and his face showed the guilt he was feeling. "Why didn't you tell me?" He wailed to Merlin.
"He was dragonlord, he was magic, your father would have had me killed," Merlin shrugged.
"Alright next question." Gwaine said, "Percival have you got anything..."
"Wait..." Arthur said slowly, "You're a dragonlord?" He stared at Merlin in shock.
"Yes, I am," Merlin admitted.
"So I didn't kill the dragon after all?" Arthur sounded a little disappointed at the revelation.
"Uhh, no. He won't ever bother Camelot again so long as I'm around," Merlin promised.
"So long as you're around?" Arthur exclaimed, "What exactly does around mean? Like have to be here in Camelot or just alive?
"While I'm alive, I'll make sure the dragon will not attack," Merlin locked eyes with Arthur, for a moment uneasy about being sent away or something.
"That's good to know," Arthur said before standing up. "Well I think we are done here, Leon would you be so kind as to keep Merlin here for a moment while we go gather the council? Thanks." Arthur turned and he, Cuilén and the knights began to file out of the room.
Merlin's heart suddenly raced in his chest, and he glanced around at the knights, and then down at Cuilén. He locked eyes with Cuilén, trying to keep his sudden fear out of his eyes.
Cuilén smiled encouragingly up at Merlin, however the intense nervousness rolling off of Merlin made Cuilén shift uneasily.
"Maybe we should tell him," Cuilén whispered to Arthur once they left the room.
"He will be fine." Arthur said, placing a hand gently on Cuilén's shoulder. "Help Leon bring him there."
Merlin watched forlornly as Arthur left the room, and not long after Leon began to lead him toward the throne room, Cuilén hurrying along beside him.
"It'll be alright," Cuilén told Merlin softly.
"I thought I could trust him," Merlin's voice was soft. "I thought..."
"You can trust him." Cuilén said before Leon hushed the boy.
Merlin shivered, his head hung low, and he stiffened as he entered the room. He looked up toward the council, before he held his hands behind his back and bowed his head.
Arthur cleared his throat and addressed the council. "Before you stands my servant Merlin. Many of you have know him for as long as he has been here with us."
He glanced back at Merlin and frowned when he saw that the manservant wasn't looking at him.
"I have been looking through the old manuscripts and such with the help of Gaius. And I have decided to bring back a position that hasn't been used in many years."
Merlin glanced up, his face tense but curious.
"The position of court sorcerer hasn't been used in decades but I believe I have found a candidate worthy of the position. May I present Merlin, the new court sorcerer!"
Merlin's jaw dropped, and he stared at Arthur is shock.
"What?" Merlin couldn't help but look around in shock as his hands dropped to his side, his eyes wide.
"You heard me Merlin." Arthur said, "You are now the court sorcerer."
"But, but what's that even mean? What do I do? What's a court sorcerer?"
"You do magic... Stuff, and advise me in things concerning magic," Arthur smiled.
"Really?" Merlin looked at Arthur sort of hopefully. "You mean, you're not only accepting my magic but creating a place for me to use it? Really?"
"Of course I was... What did you think I was doing?" Arthur asked staring at his servant.
"Umm..." Merlin trailed off. "Well you'd just asked me if I would stop using magic and I'd sort of refused..."
"Oh," Arthur looked sheepish. "Sorry about that. We kinda had this planned from the start. It took a few unexpected turns."
"Oh, so that wasn't all just some kind of test?" Merlin raised an eyebrow.
"Maybe," Arthur said. "I just wanted to make it a surprise."
"And... And I'm to help with magic in Camelot?" Merlin sounded hopeful.
"Yes." Arthur said, serious once more. "You will look into anything suspicious and advise me in cases with magic being used, and I am going to have another servant helping you with your jobs as my servant and Cuilén will become Gaius' assistant."
"Who'll be the new servant?" Merlin sounded a bit suspicious.
"Cuilén can work part time," Arthur confessed. "And you will still do chores."
Merlin beamed as the council clapped politely. Suddenly, however, Arthur laughed and procured a large blue hat with white stars on it from a box and handed it to Merlin.
"And what is that?" Merlin asked skeptically.
"It is an ancient hat worn by all court sorcerers," Arthur grinned. "Go ahead, put it on."
Merlin glared, determined he'd get back at Arthur later, however the rather embarrassing hat couldn't even begin to damper his suddenly elated mood. Court sorcerer, he rather liked the sound of that.
AN: So, what do you think? Please tell me! Review!