Hello again!
I got the idea for this while in a restaurant, so I sent myself a 10 page text message with an entire segment of this fiction. Please enjoy it! I love reviews, too! :D
"Don't take her away from me again!"
Arthur froze where he was and almost let go of Merlin's shirt as he held him back from falling into the lake several feet below them. Again? Who was he talking about? And when had Arthur taken her away in the first place?
Merlin was tired of keeping the secret. If he lived, then even if Arthur hated him for it, he would know the truth. His conscience was so filthy, spotted with the lies that came with denying himself magic, love, his very being.
On the other hand, there was the chance that Arthur would side with the law and sentence him to death. Well, even then, at least he'd be with Freya again. Maybe heaven would have mountains. A few fields. Wildflowers. A couple of cows. And a lake.
He tried to look solemn before dropping the bomb, but he was so close to relief that he couldn't help but smile.
"Freya was the bastet you killed, Arthur. She was also a druid girl. I protected her form you and the rest of Camelot's army… or I tried to, at least. We fell in love, and I'm sorry for keeping that from you."
Arthur felt too many things at once. Anger, betrayal, hurt, confusion… and why was guilt in the mix, too? Merlin was the liar, the treacherous liar. Friendship, trust, the law—all betrayed. So why did he feel so guilty?
Because Arthur knew what it was like to lose a loved one. That empathy was the motivation behind his words, his whispered, "forgive me".