Hey everyone! So this one-shot basically wrote itself, and I hope you all enjoy!
Title adapted from B.O.B.'s "Magic".
I do not own Merlin.
The first time it happens, Arthur is three and his nursemaid has refused to give him a treat until after he finishes his vegetables (they are eating alone, that night, because the King of Camelot has duties that cannot be pushed off just because you want to have a family dinner, Arthur, and the nursemaid thanks the lord for it). The treat slips from her fingers and floats through the air to the prince's plate, who happily watches it with golden eyes. The nursemaid is the first in her family for centuries to not have magic, but she knows how it works from watching her siblings (before she watched them burn instead) and she sits the prince down then and there and tells him what she knows (if it's changed since the Purge began, if there are more rules about hiding his magic and telling no one, no, not even your father young prince, she doesn't say a word).
Arthur watches his nursemaid burn two years later, caught smuggling magic books into Camelot (she never said a word, and neither does he).
Arthur is eight when Leon's father puts a wooden sword in his hand and tells his own son to show him the basics. At this point, they are already good friends (they did, after all, grow up together, and Uther only allowed so many people near his son after his nursemaid burned) and so Arthur tries not to worry about his magic slipping out during practice because he is sure Leon would never say a word (Arthur runs from the field, panic in his glowing eyes hidden behind lids, magic guiding him safely through an easily closed door). Leon and the knights believe it was nerves after his father appeared in a window to watch, throwing the prince off so much he let Leon's sword slip past his guard and almost hit him on the head. Arthur doesn't correct them, doesn't say that his magic slowed time to let him move away, doesn't say that you would run too if your sorcerer killing father nearly saw you practicing magic (Arthur practices and practices and practices until he thinks his magic is, at least somewhat, under his control).
Arthur slips his first magic book from the vaults when he's twelve. He watches the guard he tricked burn for it and never does it again (the smell remains for days). The prince does, however, practice whenever he's alone (which, admittedly, isn't that often because between Morgana, Leon, the servants, and his father, he's rarely alone).
On Arthur's eighteen birthday he leads his first hunt. He and Leon ride ahead of everyone else, laughing and shouting the entire way to disturb the prey. They surge into a clearing and startle two stags preparing to fight. The animals turn on them instead, and faced with horns barreling towards himself and the only friend he's ever truly had, Arthur panics (the magic flows out of him, his eyes burn golden, and the stags fall dead from crossbows that shot themselves). Arthur panics again and tries to run, but Leon throws himself from his own horse and kneels before his prince's. The knight bows before his future king and swears fealty to him above all others as his friend and confident and loyal knight, a secret vow for them alone (Leon is never the same again, more stern and rule following and less likely to laugh and joke, too focused on making sure Uther has no reason to jail him and that they are never surprised in such a way again that the only way to escape alive is for Arthur to reveal himself).
The day after Arthur's eighteenth birthday Uther pulls his son aside and tells him the way he will be if he ever wants to be king (Arthur desperately needs to be king, if he ever wants to live free, if he ever wants to free his people). Arthur acts more indifferent and cruel to the lower classes than he ever has before (and he has before, no matter much he cares for his people and does his best to be kind, especially after his nursemaid's sacrifice, it's hard for a prince spoilt by his father and kingdom).
Arthur is nearly twenty when he meets Merlin, the idiot who confronts a prince and a sorcerer with no weapon at all (he didn't know either of those at the time, and there is something special about him that Arthur can't figure out, but Merlin's still an idiot). Then his father places Merlin in Arthur's service, which they both vehemently protest (Arthur doesn't know why Merlin does, but he for one does not need another person too close to him at all times, preventing his magic practice sessions with Leon from happening).
Arthur's twentieth birthday seems to declare open magic season on Camelot, causing the prince to be at his wits end (he knows, obviously, that they don't know that he has magic, and he understands their desire for revenge, but couldn't they wait however long it took for him to become king and change the laws? he's doing his best to rescue those who, if they didn't have magic, would be innocent of their crimes, so they actually can afford to wait). To add on to it all, Merlin seems determined to go everywhere with him, the few occasions otherwise being his so called visits to the tavern (Arthur checked, honestly, there are only so many taverns in Camelot) so Arthur resorts to his physical training to defeat the various beasts and sorcerers instead of using magic (the one exception being the quest to save Merlin from that poisoned chalice, when his magic acted weird and summoned two balls of light to guide him instead of one). Strangely enough, they work, despite the fact that his research says a lot of them should require magic to be wounded, let alone defeated (unfortunately, this success and magical block makes Arthur complacent and, while it does help him solve what little of the control problem he had left, the strive to use no magic at all when his manservant could walk in or see him at any time makes the prince forget to use magic even when he can). At the same time, Arthur knows that he'll eventually have to tell at least the druids about his magic (but for the time being, he prefers to keep it secret, even when it prevents him from using magic in front of them like with the druid boy Mordred… maybe he'll just wait to tell them along with everyone else when he's king).
In Ealdor, Arthur learns Merlin's best friend growing up had magic and that his manservant knew and protected him (he decides to put off telling him, cause who knew if he'd freak out and babble it to anyone in Camelot, it wasn't likely but telling him put Leon at risk and who knew, maybe Merlin only did it because they were practically brothers). In Ealdor, Arthur learns just what the peasant magic folk think of him (he wonders what they'll think of him after he's crowned and makes magic legal in Camelot).
Uther marries a troll. Arthur enjoys it while it lasts (and tries not to linger on the idea him dying made his father cry, and wondering if he would cry while burning his son at the stake). Uther hires Aredian the Witchfinder (Arthur decides his father is too cruel to mourn).
Morgause tells Arthur the truth about his past, and Merlin and Uther tell him it's a lie. Arthur agrees with them (for the sake of the kingdom and the fact he couldn't save Camelot after he was beheaded for killing the king, knowing all the while Morgause gave him the answer of how he has magic when none of his ancestor's did).
Arthur must kill the last dragon (he tries not to mourn the end of such a noble magical species; he fails).
The number of times someone accuses Merlin of magic is ridiculous, the idiot would be dead ten times over if he had it (Arthur thanks the gods none of the accusations seem to be his own fault, he doesn't know how he would get up each morning knowing his own mistake made Merlin burn at the stake).
Uther discovers Arthur loves Guinevere (crap, he loves Guinevere?!) and the prince vows to abandon Camelot to join her in exile (his kingdom and his people or the woman he loves… this is why he never wanted to fall in love, because there is no decision to make; maybe he'll return one day and do all he swore to do). Leon and Merlin want to join them, and he almost caves. Almost (someone has to stay behind and keep rescuing the innocent, Leon, he explains, and honestly, Merlin, in what world do you think you're prepared for exile, never mind the fact that you grew up on a farm). Arthur prepares to leave without them, especially now that he must rescue Guinevere from the dungeons (he doesn't say he's never had to live without his loyal knight before, doesn't say he doesn't know how to live without his loyal manservant now either; not saying things has been ingrained in his bones since he was three). They catch an old man calling himself Dragoon the Great red-handed in Arthur's chambers, planting a hex bag identical to the one Guinevere supposedly planted. Arthur knows it wasn't him, as surely he would know if he was enchanted (surely he would, right? he's never been enchanted before, right?) because he has magic, but that leaves the question of who framed Guinevere in the first place. Dragoon escapes (along with any answers).
Leon almost dies from an attack by Cenred and druids save him, fully aware of his allegiance to Camelot and unknowing of his loyalty to a magic user, and in response Uther sends Arthur to retrieve a powerful magic better left hidden (the part of Arthur that he does his best to ignore, the part that wonders if his father is right and magic is evil, if those sorcerers who attack Camelot monthly are actually showing their true colors, if he himself is evil, that part of Arthur vanishes). When they return, Camelot has been conquered and Morgana (his sister in all but blood) has done the conquering (is his sister in every definition of the word). Elyan, Gwaine, Lancelot, and Percival swear an oath to him, their prince (his father won't approve and there's no secret vow here; Arthur's heart aches and Leon looks torn, uncertain if his friend gained allies or threats). Once again, they succeed where they should need magic Arthur was unable to use, and he begins to wonder (there is no other way, not with this one, no possible false information, the blood must be spilt from the cup and they never got to it) who helps them from the shadows with no knowledge of Arthur's own magic.
Uther no longer acts as king and Arthur has all but officially taken his place (it's not enough, though, his father must be dead or renounce the throne before Arthur can even begin to set to right the wrongs of the Purge, and no matter how cruel his father is Arthur cannot bring himself to kill him).
Merlin nearly dies from the Dorocha and Arthur tries to turn their quest around. In the end, only Leon manages to stop him (it's all his fault in the first place; he's the one supposed to sacrifice himself for Camelot, his kingdom and her people cannot be saved if they die first; no one else is supposed to die, especially not taking a blow meant for him, what was the idiot thinking, that Arthur could somehow survive without him?!). Lancelot sets out for Camelot with Merlin (somehow still alive, Arthur thinks his magic may be doing things on its own again). Arthur leads the others, stoic and angry until he begins to reminisce about old quests and realizes something abruptly (crap, he loves Merlin too?!) that for the time being he must ignore.
Lancelot sacrifices himself instead (what's the point of having magic, Arthur wonders, if you're always knocked unconscious before you can use it to save your brothers).
An assassin mortally wounds Uther (Arthur tried to save his father, he did, because just like he cannot kill him he cannot watch him die knowing he could do something; his magic turns on Uther and Arthur wonders why sometimes it obeys him and sometimes it acts on its own). Geoffrey crowns his prince his king (finally, Arthur thinks, finally I can do all I was meant to do).
Arthur's first act as King of Camelot is to call a meeting of the original Round Table. They sit there, prepared to follow him anywhere (Arthur truly hopes 'anywhere' includes legal magic) and Leon nods to him, ever loyal and supportive. Arthur stands, takes a deep breath, and announces that in a six month process, magic will slowly be made legal in Camelot once more, beginning with no more executions except for the more serious cases such as murder, and he had to know if any of them refused to support him in this.
Why, Merlin wants to know. Why now, why this?
Smiling shakily (and refusing to look at any of them but Leon) Arthur joked that a king really didn't want to break his own laws. There's silence, then a sob, and Arthur turns (chancing a glance). Merlin sits in his chair, tears streaming down his cheeks, visibly holding back another sob. Gaius appears to be frozen in shock. Guinevere and Elyan seem close to bursting from pride, as does Leon (though for different reasons, he's sure). Gwaine's face can barely contain his grin, while Percival's giving him that small smile that means more than anything he could say.
You have magic, Gaius states. Your entire life? Because of Nimueh and how you were born.
Arthur nods.
Merlin sobs, throws himself into Arthur's arms, and babbles in his ear something he doesn't understand.
What, Arthur wants to know.
Merlin smiles through tears (happy tears, the king thinks) and does a familiar gesture with his hands as a ball of light appeared in front of them (magic, Arthur thinks in shock; Merlin has magic).
You have magic, Arthur states in shock. You… Arthur hugs Merlin back (squeezes tighter, really, cause while the king would never admit it, he was hugging back already).
Arthur makes Merlin his Court Sorcerer, seeing as no one can be that and King at once (plus, it means he gets to spend more time with Merlin and maybe, just maybe, one day Arthur will reveal another secret). The rest of the court is slow to come around, but they move faster than Arthur imagined they would - partly because their king himself has magic and partly because apparently Merlin and Arthur are both figures of legend the Druids have been waiting for for centuries (which, even for someone raised to be king, is epically incredible and scary at the same time). The original Round Table supports him fully, as they swore they would (Leon does this out of secrecy for the first time since his king's eighteenth birthday). Camelot herself thrives in the sun, magic pulsing through her the way it should for the first time in more than two decades.
I hope you enjoyed, and please review!