We don't own Merlin. If we did, you probably don't want to know what we would do to it. Then again, maybe you would, because we might just do something close to this.
I am Ashe, and I can only take half of the credit for this. My fantastic role play partner, Nef, will be writing Merlin's half of this story. I'll be taking Arthur's. This role play has grown to the point where it's far too epic not to share it. Nef is a wonderful writer and patiently lets me ramble as I puzzle away and try to figure out how Arthurian legends can mash up with the Merlinesque world. I've got a lot of crazy ideas that I babble on about constantly. So this is the result of our slightly evil plotting. I hope you enjoy it.
I'm a big fan of Uther, and I've never been a fan of Uther posing as just the 'bad guy' in fanfictions, because he's really not. Nor is he stupid, he took Camelot from someone else, if that doesn't tell you that he knows how to plan to win, then I don't know what does. Do not underestimate him, and do not forget what he's done, and most importantly - never forget what he is capable of.
Arthur knew the area around Camelot almost as well as he knew his own chambers. He had grown up exploring, running off with his father's knights when they went out. He learned a lot from them, how to be noble and how to be strong and brave. He mastered the crossbow first as soon as he was big enough to hold it properly.
His father, a man of reserved quiet and very little affection when it came to his son, would give him a few approving smiles when Arthur proved himself. So a lot of what he did was all about proving himself. Gaius taught him to read over the course of a few years because he really had no interest in it, he was too busy learning the art of the sword and shield. He was constantly looking for his father's approval.
And by god, he was a prince, so he had everything he could have ever wanted, and he did.
He must have been insufferable, he thought, always joining the younger knights as they leered and teased servants, making them to horribly mundane things because they liked to have a bit of a laugh, even if Morgana gave them the nastiest glares whenever he did. But he was good at what he did, no one could deny that. And if some of the servants ended up with a couple bruises because Arthur had 'missed' with his sword, then he certainly couldn't be held accountable, he was the prince and he was far stronger than any of the servants.
Until Merlin came along.
Never had someone of lower class challenged him like that, he remembered the way Merlin's eyes crinkled in the sun, and that he apparently hadn't known that he was the prince before calling him an ass. His words were cryptic, and at the time, he didn't know what he meant. The next time they met, Merlin gained the upper hand.
He was astonished that someone would speak to him like that, the way Merlin ran his mouth was something he had never experienced before. He simply didn't know what to do when someone stopped bending over backwards for him and started telling him what he really thought. He even tried to remind him of who he was.
Merlin had quite nearly beaten him, but he had gotten arrogant and it had given Arthur the advantage. He even let the boy go without punishment because he had, somehow, sent his entire world off balance in just a few short minutes.
He admitted, much later (and only to himself) that he had been selfish, and arrogant. Merlin told him all these things on a regular basis anyways, so it wasn't like he didn't know. Merlin was irritating, stupid, foolish…completely and utterly brave. It was his first taste of Merlin's bravery, standing up to the prince of Camelot. Merlin really didn't know how to speak to nobles, so Arthur just left him to it so he could figure it out himself. There were a lot of things he left Merlin to figure out on his own, and amused himself when Merlin clearly made a mistake and wound up in the stocks.
But god knew he would do anything to keep him alive, even if it meant risking his own life. He would never forget how he felt when Merlin had been poisoned, the way he had dropped to his knees above him, carried Gaius' chambers, and rode off into the distance (Thanks to Morgana, who told him to do what was right). Arthur had never defied his father before, it was the first time that he had done something different.
Merlin changed everything about him, and he still remembered Morgana's words.
"What kind of king would Camelot want? One that would risk his life for that of a lowly servant, or one who does what his father tells him to?"
Merlin was sitting in his chambers, busying himself with packing as Arthur poured over papers and maps. "Merlin" He said roughly. "When we leave tomorrow, you will be staying behind" Merlin spluttered but Arthur kept going before he could actually protest. "I'll have you in the stocks overnight if you refuse." And there was a damn good reason why no one was left in the stocks overnight, they couldn't refuse any.. advances. Though he wasn't sure that Merlin understood the weight of his threat (and it wasn't like Arthur would actually do that, he would never never put his or anyone else's life in that situation, it had happened once, and that was one time too many).
Merlin had effectively lodged himself comfortably in Arthur's life, changing the way he thought and lived so easily. He had made his choice, so many months ago, to become the king he wanted to be, and not the one he was expected to be, when he had ridden to find the antidote to the poison Merlin had swallowed.
There was a good reason Merlin wasn't coming with them now, he wasn't exactly stealthy, and their newest troubles were slavers - he didn't know just how many of them there were. He was only taking a small group of men with him, six knights, one servant, and himself. Merlin wasn't going because Arthur wasn't going to risk him getting captured.
These men knew what they were doing. Over the last few weeks, people had been disappearing. Obviously they knew how to get in, grab someone, and get out completely unnoticed. He couldn't afford to bring Merlin, who foiled far too many hunts completely by accident, because he would give them away.
One person had escaped, and had given her statement before the king and prince, telling them everything she knew – it was enough for Arthur to go in and fix this problem, save the lives of everyone in danger. He owed it to his people, how could he hope to rule a kingdom when his people feared for their safety?
They rode out in the morning; Arthur gave Merlin a firm look as they left, making it very clear that he was staying. It only took a day to get to the edge of the forest, so by evening they had set up camp. One knight and his squire were staying at the treeline with supplies to watch the horses and wait for them; the rest were coming in. Arthur and his five knights prepared themselves – the woods were dense, which would make finding their way difficult, but it would also cover them well enough.
Their goal was to find the place, mark the trees, and take note of how many there were. There were more knights in Camelot prepared to march out when word was sent. It was a solid plan, he thought, the knights of Camelot were excellent at stealth.
In the morning, they were moving into the forest, and until then they were huddled around a fire, grouped in twos or threes to keep warm in the chilly autumn night. One thing a knight learned early was how to keep warm, and how important it was to do so. Sleep in groups to share body heat, freezing to death was not a knightly way to die.
"How come Merlin isn't with us?" Leon was asking, pulling a bit of meat off the rabbit's bone as he spoke. "He's usually with us on these things."
"He's far too clumsy" Arthur stated firmly. "He would give us away." Merlin had managed to charm the knights too, they were all friendly with him and he wasn't entirely sure why that fact stood out to him, there were always a few servants who gathered the knights attention (but they were usually women, which Merlin clearly was not). Leon said nothing else, stripping the last of the meat from the bone and tossing it into the fire, chewing thoughtfully.
And eventually Arthur stood because he couldn't take how quiet it was. Merlin was like the bridge between prince and knights, he was the one who chatted and prattled on about nothing, he make everyone comfortable and without him Arthur was a bit uneasy. Normally they would be bickering or something.
So he went for a bit of a walk, the air was cold and a bit nice against his skin, but a part of him knew what he was expecting when he left the group.
Arthur definitely wasn't stupid. He wasn't a great mastermind, but he knew how to offer a deal to visiting Lords that favoured Camelot in a way where they thought they were getting the better half of. He knew how to play his knights; he knew how to motivate each one of them into doing their best. He knew respect.
And he knew Merlin.
There were no threats in the world that could make Merlin stay in Camelot when Arthur left – not even if he chained the man to a stone wall and set his feet in slabs of rock. He would somehow find his way out, and would be happily standing at Arthur's side an hour later. He truly did try to be bothered by Merlin's need to be beside Arthur at all times, who needed a servant who was loyal to a fault?
No matter what other things Merlin was, which was a lot of things – he was brave above them all (though perhaps next to loyal). He rarely carried a weapon of any sort, he came along as a servant, and rushed into battle right at Arthur's side. He didn't know any knights who would rush into battle like Merlin did – unarmed, bare fabric over skin with no sign of metal, nothing to protect himself with. Merlin was either fantastically brave, or incredibly foolish.
He may poke fun at him, call him worthless or an idiot or whatever else he felt like throwing at him, but there was really no doubt that Merlin was brave.
If he went back and told one of his knights to go into the fight with the slavers, with no armour and no sword, he would be met with a surprised look. His men were loyal to him, but they had some amounts of self-preservation. They would refuse. And Arthur wouldn't blame them, Merlin took nothing, ever, and came out completely unscathed. Sure, he may end up seeing Merlin hiding on the ground somewhere – but he knew that he had seen Merlin rush in. So maybe he was lucky too.
Even if the servant did take a sword – it was usually gone by the time the battle was done.
And Arthur had his suspicions, but he would not give life to those thoughts. If any of it were true (which it couldn't be, no one was brave enough to serve the King's bloody son if they could be executed at a moment's notice), Arthur preferred to leave it this way. Not knowing was better than trying to hide it.
Merlin's bravery was still a rare bright light in a dim world sometimes.
Which was why Arthur didn't want Merlin coming along – it didn't matter how brave Merlin was – slavers were something new. They'd take anyone, and they were intelligent enough to have gone almost completely unnoticed until someone slipped up and their little ring was exposed. He wasn't going to risk Merlin's life and safety.
When a figure stepped out, Arthur (who had been hoping that it was a deer or an owl or anything but his servant) swiped his sword through the air without any real intent.
He stopped it long before he could reach Merlin, but close enough for him to have caught the gleam of metal from the light of the stars. He wanted to finish the swing, connect the flat of the blade against Merlin's head, knock him out, and then strap him to a horse and send him home with strict orders to tie him to something, or perhaps lock him in a box and stuff him under his bed.
Instead, Arthur slid the sword away and grasped the front of Merlin's clothes, manhandling the taller man so that he was looking down at him. His expression was hard "Your ears gave you away" He hissed. "And if you dare leave my side, I will personally kill you. I'll hand your head on my wall, unless you turn back now." His voice was icy, but if Merlin was going to come (he had expected it, even if he had not wanted it) then he was going to stay beside Arthur so he could make damn sure he didn't get himself killed or captured. He tightened his grip threateningly, not that Merlin would even care, because he was bloody well getting his way again. "I mean it" he added.
It was no use telling him to go home. He wasn't going to, so Arthur released him with a slight shove and stormed back to camp, "You seem a little upset." He was saying, but Arthur was busy finding a spot far enough away from the fire to be comfortable, but not close enough to be near them, his lips pulled into a thin line. Now that Merlin was here, there was no way he was going to be able to be anything but tense and worried.
"Merlin" He barked, watching the boy turn to him, looking distinctly unhappy. Arthur wanted Merlin to know he was angry, because he definitely was. He was angry because he liked Merlin too much to lose him, Merlin was the least boring servant he had ever known, he would probably die of boredom without the boy's inane chattering. He ordered Merlin to gather him something warm, the papers he had brought, and something to light them with. The sliver of moon he could see through the trees wasn't bright enough for him to read them properly.
Arthur had brought two blankets, even though he only needed one. He knew damn well that Merlin was far too stubborn to listen, and probably wouldn't have packed a blanket for himself. The foolish boy brought both over to him, and he ground out a simple 'I only need one, idiot', before taking the items and examining the information he had collected, pointedly ignoring Merlin and trying not to look like he was brooding (he probably wasn't doing a very good job) as Merlin took Arthur's spot beside the knights, wrapping the blanket around his shoulders snugly and engaging them in easy conversation.
He had written a number of notes on the subject, and went over them again because they were entering the trees in the morning, Merlin's voice from the fire was animated and a bit irritating for a moment, before he stopped hearing what he was saying and instead took it as background noise. They didn't bring tents tonight, their goal was to be fast so they stuck with bedrolls and sharing space. They had already been set out (and no doubt Merlin would have noticed the spare he brought along when he had fetched the papers), and he eventually went to sleep after everyone else had retired. He hadn't noticed where Merlin was, having completely tied himself to his work, and simply fell into the roll with his back against Leon's, and slept.
He woke earlier than everyone else, and from there he got ready. Eating (everyone brought their own food, and he had again packed some for Merlin because he was far too predictable) quickly and trying not to notice that Merlin was sandwiched between Kay and his squire. Everyone woke on their own terms, Arthur had gathered everything together and was ready to go, pouring over the notes at the last minute, adding a few more inked notes and finalizing the marks they would be carving on the trees.
It was a brilliant idea, Leon's, they each carried a shiny dagger, one sharpened to a deadly point that they would use to mark the trees. Merlin didn't have one because Merlin didn't need one, he was going to be at Arthur's side at all times, like it or not.
When everyone had woke, dressed, and prepared themselves, he gathered his sword and a small pack of food (because they didn't know how long they would be there) to give to Merlin to carry. He even handed him a spare sword, because he would rather him have it than not. There was something different and completely awful about what they were going into. He had barely spoken a word to Merlin, but they had a few moments away from the group to speak before they went in. "It's no use telling you to stay here" He mused, his voice half a question, meeting Merlin's eyes carefully. "I could tie you to a tree, you know." His lips twitched, almost smiling, but stopping it at the last minute. He shook his head with a slight sigh. "Don't get killed." He clapped Merlin's shoulder; the boy seemed to relax just a little bit. It occurred to Arthur that he hadn't exactly been very nice to him. And damn Merlin for making him realize that again and again.
He turned, joining the knights and packing away the notes, bidding his good-bye to Kay and his servant, and leading the way into the trees.
The patch of woods wasn't in any particular shape; it hugged close to a pathway on one side, and circled around to a more lightly packed forest. There was a river nearby, and a few small ponds where the earth dipped lower than usual. Once they entered the trees, he was a bit shocked at how dark it was. He kept Merlin on his left side, walking slow enough to not make much noise on the leafy green ground, the knights flanking him like a pack of dogs.
The longer they walked, the more worried he felt. He kept seeing flashes of Merlin – seeing him being dragged away, an arrow in his chest, bones broken and bleeding on the ground. His knights could handle themselves, but Merlin wasn't trained in this. How would he tell Gaius if Merlin didn't return with them? How would he tell Merlin's mother? He knew that he couldn't just send her a message, he would have to deliver it personally; he could imagine it now, carrying Merlin's remains in a jar wrapped in the silly scarf he wore. He had delivered the message of a man's death to his mother, it was never easy. Normally it was reserved for knights, for nobles, not for servants who had ears that were too big for his head and who crinkled his eyes when he smiled.
He was shaken from his thoughts by a crack in the distance, he instantly stopped, grasping Merlin's elbow and crouching, his other hand on his sword. After a moment, three little birds flitted through the trees, and he relaxed, letting go of Merlin's arm and slowly straightening once more, letting out a breath he had been holding.
They continued on, walking a bit closer to each other. Arthur's arm bumped against Merlin's occasionally, reminding him that Merlin was definitely still here. He needed to stop thinking about Merlin's death, lest he make it true.
There was another noise, this one wasn't a bird, and the knights were coming together. Arthur's hand found Merlin's wrist, tugging Merlin behind him as the remaining six crouched back to back in a circle, scanning the area for anything that looked unusual, waiting for another noise, and there were more of them, they came from all around them. Low rustling circled them; it was definitely not another animal, and definitely not a prisoner.
The sense of unease settled in, he gripped Merlin's wrist a little tighter because he was suddenly wondering if it had been a wise idea to only bring five other men. Perhaps he had personally assured all of their deaths.