Just a little something that came into my head. It's inspired by Adele's 'Rumour Has It'... hence the title.
Disclaimer: I own neither Merlin nor Adele
Merlin had always been jealous of Gwen. She was so pretty, and everyone loved her when they first met her. Though she was only a servant, she soon had a prince and a knight swooning over her. And Merlin was left with nobody.
The day that Arthur came to Merlin, asking for advice about Gwen, was the day that Merlin's heart first shattered. Of course he would choose pretty Gwen over Merlin. He probably didn't even like men in that way. And Gwen could give him the one thing Merlin never could - an heir to the throne.
As the months drew on, Merlin felt himself and Arthur becoming distant. Maybe it was because Merlin wouldn't let himself be too close to Arthur, for fear of getting hurt again, or maybe it was because Arthur had sensed some of Merlin's true feelings. Whatever the reason, Merlin felt almost like he no longer knew his prince.
And it was around 3 months ago that he met Jack. They hit it off (not as well as him and Arthur used to, but definitely an improvement on their first meeting). Merlin soon found himself spending more and more time with Jack, leaving him only to go do his basic chores for Arthur. He and Jack were happy, for the time being.
The people of Camelot were well fed and happy. This meant, of course, that there was plenty of time to gossip. And oh how the rumours flew round. Rumours about anything and anyone. Over the years, Merlin had learnt to take what was said to him with a pinch of salt. But when a rumour began flying around Camelot about Arthur, he couldn't help but hope that it was true.
Rumour has it she ain't got your love any more
Gwen and Arthur, though once seemingly inseparable, now barely spoke, and only then to exchange tense words. It appeared that Gwen was furious with Arthur, while he only wore a look of regret, with occasional and fleeting glances of longing. What most people assumed was that Arthur had done something to anger Gwen, and now he was paying the consequences.
However, if you were to look closely, you'd notice the regret was sorrowful, not bitter, and the looks of longing were never shown when Gwen was around. But most of Camelot never looked more than skin deep, just looking long enough to pick up the gossip and leave again.
Once Merlin had heard of this rumour, he knew he had to brave it to visit Arthur in his room. As he walked in, he realised this was the first time he'd been here in months, bar waking the prince and serving him his meals.
The shock on Arthur's face was evident when Merlin walked into his chamber. Merlin opened his mouth, unsure of where to start. He gathered his thoughts, but could only seem to come up with three words, "Is it true?"
Arthur looked embarrassed, and merely nodded.
Both men appeared as if they wanted to say more, but neither appeared to be brave enough to put their true thoughts and feelings out into the open. So Merlin left. But things were less tense between them now. Merlin began to spend more time with Arthur once more, and less time with Jack.
Rumours flew around the citadel again. People noticed their increased periods of time together, but assumed that maybe Merlin just didn't like Gwen. But it was only after a few months, once the looks of regret had left Arthur's face, and Gwen's anger had simmered, that the servants of the Castle began to notice in which direction Arthur was looking longingly.
When Arthur and Gwen announced their separation to the kingdom, the rumours picked up, and soon found their way to a certain manservant. He couldn't believe it, his hope had once more been raised. And this time, if the rumour proved to be false, he knew he would never recover.
Rumour has it I'm the one you're leaving her for
When he was waking Arthur the next morning, the words were on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't quite get them out, so he chose to gaze at his prince in silence. He was starting to realise that this was the way it would always be.
Arthur would never love him in that way. And even if he did, society would not allow it. Even the mere whisper of love between them sent the kingdom into an uproar. Merlin knew that he and Arthur could never be together, but his heart broke all over again at the though of it.
All of these words whispered in my ear
Tell a story that I cannot bear to hear
So it was with tears streaming down his face that Merlin spent all night writing a letter. A letter telling Arthur everything. About how he'd loved him for years, but he was always too afraid to do something. About how he knew Arthur didn't think of him that way, but that was okay.
And then he wrote about his magic. About all the times he'd saved Arthur. About Freya - who he had loved, but, as he soon realised, only like a sister. About Morgana, and Morgause, and every little thing he'd had to hide before. Because if he was going to confess one thing, he might as well tell him everything.
By the time he was finished the letter, the first rays of light were streaming in. He sealed the envelope, grabbed his bag, and silently left his quarters. As he closed the door, he whispered a silent farewell, as he knew he would not be coming back.
He placed the letter on the pillow next to Arthur's head. He turned to leave, but couldn't help himself from planting a soft kiss on his forehead. It was a mistake, because he almost couldn't tear himself away. But Merlin used the last of his willpower to leave the prince's room.
He walked down into the lower town, which was just beginning to bustle with life. A few people saw him, and looked seemingly confused about his whereabouts, but Merlin didn't care. He knocked on Jack's door, and was met with an already packed man. They walked towards the gates, and as they walked, Jack grabbed Merlin's hand.
When they reached the city gates, Merlin cast one forlorn glance back. He could already see the town gossips creating a rumour, he could see the words forming on their lips.
He used his magic to project one last though into Arthur's mind. Him and Jack, standing side by side, their hands clasped. And one final sentence from Merlin.
Rumour has it he's the one I'm leaving you for
Well... what do you think? I'm considering doing either another chapter, or actually writing a full story for it.
To any Merlin Emrys readers - I'm sorry! I'm having a serious mind block, but I'll hopefully have the chapter up this weekend.