Disclaimer: Nup

Prompt: Betrayed by the two people he trusted most, Arthur, alone and lost, seeks comfort with *insert name*. Can *insert name* heal his broken heart?

Author's Note: Yes, this is totally overdone, but I wrote this for SecretDime...who is now also my beta, though not for this fic. Hehehehehehehehe. First shot at a Merlin fic, but hey, the slash possibilities simply cannot be ignored. Spoilers for some part of season 4 that I've not actually seen yet, but I know the Arthurian legend well.

To Heal a Heart

…Takes More than a Day

Arthur slammed the door of his chambers, revelling in savagery of the noise it made. He was so bloody tired of it all, the lies and the sneaking around, and the fact that it seemed everyone was betraying him. Especially them.

He had known, of course he had known, that they felt something for each other. He wasn't blind and he wasn't an idiot, and you would have had to have been both not to see that Gwen and Lancelot felt something for each other. Even Merlin knew, for crying out loud!

He sank down onto the furs piled high on his bed, trying to erase the image that seemed permanently burned into his eyes. Two of his best friends, entwined on the ground, unable to distinguish where one started and the other ended. And what made it worse was that he had thought it was he who was making Gwen's cheeks flush, her eyes glaze as she stared into the distance but no! It was Lancelot who brought roses to her cheeks, Lancelot who turned her mind from her duties. How could he have been so blind!

Surging from his bed, Arthur threw a plate across the room, hearing the clang and clatter as it hit the wall and fell to the ground.

"What's going on?" A familiar, and not entirely unwelcome voice rang out, and a thin face poked around the door. "Arthur, are you alright?"

"Merlin, get over here, and make me feel better." Arthur commanded, summoning his manservant with a wave of his hand. If anyone could make him forget Lancelot and Gwen's betrayal, it was Merlin and his stupid face that went so well with his stupid brain.

"What's wrong Sire?" Merlin asked, annoying deferential for Arthur's mood. He would have liked an excuse to fight with someone and Merlin was always the perfect target. Well, he was a prince, why did he need an excuse?

Arms thrown wide, face flushed with anger, Arthur stormed around the room, throwing things around as Merlin stood silently in the middle of the room, watching the raging tempest that was currently the Once and Future King. "So….I'm guessing you found out about Gwen and Lancelot."

"You could say that," he muttered. Then, what Merlin had said pierced the red surrounding his mind. "Wait a second. You knew? All this time, I was courting Gwen and you knew she was involved with Lancelot? Well," he snorted, "nice of you to let me know." The blond prince slumped back into a chair, hand rubbing over his face. "Why?" he whispered softly, not even realising that he had said it aloud.

Merlin stared at the royal prat, and realised that he was genuinely hurt by the pair's actions. They hadn't intended to betray Arthur's friendship, his trust, but they had and it had cut him deeply. He would show a strong face to the rest of the world, but here, in his chambers, where he felt safe, Arthur would show his true feelings. Though he would never admit it, he felt honoured that Arthur trusted him to the extent that he would let him see him vulnerable like this. He'd certainly never tell Arthur, his head would get more swollen than it already was. More than anything though, Merlin hoped the day would never come when he would have to betray that trust, though he knew it eventually must, when Arthur found out about his magic.

Shaking his head to clear his mind of such troublesome thoughts, Merlin crossed the room and knelt by Arthur's feet. Without his heavy boots, he would surely be more comfortable, and less able to damage things. Struggling to remove the stiff boots, Merlin realised that Arthur's entire body was shaking and looked up to see tears streaming down his face. Frozen, unsure what to do, Merlin got to his feet and grasped his arms, gently pulling the prince to his feet. They stood for a moment, awkwardly, staring into each other's eyes. Arthur's eyes were red, his face blotchy and more than ever, Merlin felt a strong sense of affection for the arrogant prince who cared far more than he would ever let anyone know.

"Shut up, Merlin," Arthur said, a slight grin making itself known. "I can hear you thinking." He used the grip Merlin still had on his forearms to pull the dark haired idiot into a tight embrace. Burying his face in the ever-present neckerchief, Arthur felt Merlin cautiously wrap his arms around him. In that moment, they weren't servant and master, commoner and prince, they were simply friends who would always be there for each other. "I know I can always trust you to tell me the truth, whether I want to hear it or not."

Arthur didn't feel Merlin tense in his arms; he was too focused on the comfort he gained from the reassuring presence of his loyal manservant.

Merlin relaxed in Arthur's hold, putting his concerns out of his mind. Now was not the time to tell Arthur the secret he held closely. Pulling out of the hug, Merlin pushed Arthur back onto his bed. "Now, sit there, and I'll go get you something to eat. You've missed dinner again."

As they go about their usual routine, one mind ponders the man who serves him with such dedication, who has always stood by his side, one mind wishes the world was different, and that he didn't have to hold such an important part of himself away from the person who meant the most to him, two bodies intertwine, neither thinking of anything but each other's bodies and what they felt.

To Be Continued

Author's Note: Well, I don't think this was what SecretDime intended, and it wasn't what I originally intended, but I felt that I couldn't really do what I wanted to do in such a short amount of time and I wanted to get something posted before I go away to New Zealand. I had promised myself not to do anymore continuing fics until they were totally written, but I think I can make an exception for this one, as I really don't think it will take me long.