Just a random idea I had for a magic reveal fic that wouldn't go away and even though I'm a die-hard Merthur fan, I have so much respect for Arthur and Gwen as a couple that I had to write at least one thing with them in it. But, while this is technically Arthur/Gwen it's mostly focused on Merlin and Arthur's friendship.
Title comes from the Mumford and Sons song.
We will run and scream
You will dance with me
They'll fulfill our dreams and we'll be free
And we will be who we are
And they'll heal our scars
Sadness will be far away
Not With Haste, -Mumford and Sons
Not With Haste
She births an heir on a warm summers night after hours of a labor that was much tougher than any of them anticipated, a distinct cry flowing out to the hall sometime later as Arthur's head snaps up and the impossibly wide grin spreads across Merlin's face. His hand finds Arthur's in the midst of the commotion now filling the castle and gives it a gentle squeeze, voice low when he speaks.
"Congratulations Sire."
Arthur doesn't speak but Merlin doesn't mind. He knows his friend is in shock, the love already overflowing in his heart as he listens to Gwen coo over the newborn he has yet to see. His knee bounces as he manages to stay seated beside Merlin, only rising when the door opens and Gaius peeks his head out and smiles.
"It's a boy, my Lord. A perfectly healthy boy."
His aged face is carved of pride and happiness, a soft chuckle leaving him as Arthur rushes past him into the room, leaving the physician and his servant shaking their heads.
His son is tiny, much tinier than Arthur anticipates so when Gwen gently holds the squirmy bundle towards him, he regards it with a look of anxiousness and uncertainty until finally; he reaches out and takes the tiny boy in his arms. He's warm and soft and Arthur kisses his head, breathing in his sweet scent as Gwen takes the chance to fall back against the pillows with an exhausted sigh.
He blames himself for not noticing right away; too caught up in the miracle that is his son. Maybe if he'd just looked, flicked his eyes over to her for a second or leaned down to kiss her brow and tell her how amazing she was. Anything really would have been better than nothing and instead when he finally looks away from his son he doesn't see Gwen smiling at them with love and fondness.
She's not even looking at them really.
Her eyes are shut, her body far too limp to just be sleeping and the ice cold fear that grips Arthur's gut is nearly enough to make him scream. If there wasn't a baby in his arms he may have actually done so.
Instead he rushes for the door; baby still nestled in the crook of his arm, seeks out Gaius and starts yelling down the hall.
The old man comes running, Merlin trailing behind him with worry etched all over his face. The baby is screaming and Arthur is choking on tears and words as the physician rips the blankets away and inspects his wife. The silence in the room, save for the baby's cries, is deafening.
By the time Gaius actually speaks again Arthur barely has a grip on reality. He hears someone say bleeding (he thinks it may be Merlin) and Gaius say something about herbs as he rushes from the room and leaves Arthur and Merlin standing by Gwen's bedside, helpless and desperate.
He can see the fear in his friends eyes, the conflict and helplessness plastered on Merlin's face as he looks at Gwen once more and then to Arthur.
"She's not going to last much longer. The blood loss is far too great."
Arthur blanches and looks towards the door as if Gaius will magically appear, glances back at Merlin and chokes on saliva and tears as he asks,
"Can't you do something?"
Merlin's face sort of twists at that, tears welling in his big blue orbs as he looks at his Queen and back to his best friend who's still holding his son close. His cries have died down to whimpers and the occasional hiccup, limbs flailing as he searches for his mother in the midst of the commotion. Arthur notices the way Merlin smiles at him, a tiny tip of the lips that's just enough for Arthur to see, before he turns his body towards Gwen again, one hand coming up and resting on her abdomen.
Arthur scowls at that, watching Merlin draw in a few deep breath before his voice fills the room, low as he draws out an incantation Arthur can't even hope to understand, especially now that his body and mind almost completely numb. Still he knows, he knows what Merlin's doing, what the words and the glowing eyes mean.
He just wishes he didn't.
Merlin repeats it a few more times, voice growing louder than the last as desperation and anger drive him further and further until finally he collapses beside the bed, head tilted back against the mattress. The exhaustion on his face is clear, but not as much as the anguish and desperation as he looks back at Gwen, hoping and praying silently in the confines of his mind.
Then, just as they both are ready to give up and the sobs are already shaking the King's body, they hear it. The faint gasp Gwen lets out as she blinks and gives a small moan. Merlin's head tilts back as he laughs, crying at the same time as Arthur is magnetically drawn to the bed where he sits down and, with the hand that isn't cradling his son, cups Gwen's face and kisses her all over as his tears freely spill.
Sometime between then and when Gaius finally appears with his herbs and bag (looking incredibly shocked when he sees Gwen before the look suddenly leaves him) Arthur notices Merlin's absence. His head is still jumbled, his mind screaming at him as he tries to focus on anything except what's just happened.
In the end it proves to be a lost cause, and even though it sends a pang through him, he finally manages to bring himself to his feet, kissing his wife and son goodbye with the promise to be back soon.
He isn't far from Arthur's chambers (he seldom is anymore); sitting with his back to the wall and his head in his hands as his shoulders shake. He hears Arthur's footsteps and looks up, the fear in his eyes punching a hole in Arthur's heart as he slowly slides down the wall beside his friend.
Arthur feels Merlin tense, his sobs dying down to hiccups as he sniffs, keeping his gaze on the empty hall ahead of them. His throat is dry, the words catching as he opens his mouth before he's forced to close it. There's a plethora of questions assaulting his mind, melding with anger and shock and disbelief and God if it were any other day he's almost sure he wouldn't be as quiescent as he is now.
He's almost sure Merlin knows this too.
Whether it's from exhaustion or the shock that's still got a hold of him, Arthur allows them a few moments to sit in silence, listens to Merlin's breathing as it finally evens out and he relaxes the slightest bit as he rests his head against the wall behind him.
And finally, finally he looks over at Arthur with his swollen red eyes, the corners of his mouth tipping up once more as his voice comes out cracked and barely audible.
"Arthur, I am so sorry."
All Arthur can do is ask,
"How long?"
His throat constricts around the words as he searches Merlin's face desperately, because part of him knows the answer but the other part is hoping, praying that he's wrong.
He isn't.
"I've had it my whole life," Merlin tells him quietly, "Long before I even came to Camelot."
"And you didn't think to tell me?" Arthur challenges, trying his hardest to hold onto what little sanity he has left, taken aback when Merlin chuckles darkly at him.
"And what good would that have done? Your father would have had me killed in an instant, and you would have done nothing to stop him."
He flinches at that, the sting of Merlin's words intensified by the fact that they hold entirely too much truth. The thought makes Arthur feel sick and he swallows a wave of nausea as it washes over him. He knew his friend was right; years ago when he was far under his father's influence he wouldn't have thought twice about his annoying, nagging servant hung for sorcery. But now, even with the law still standing, he finds the conflict rising up in him.
And apparently, Merlin does too.
"You know you don't have to do it Arthur. I know what the law says but I need you to know I have only used my magic for good, for you and I only ever will."
Arthur thinks it may be something in his voice, the way it shakes and dips and cracks as he pleads and explains to Arthur that the whole time they've known each other it's been magic that's kept him alive.
It's been Merlin.
And now, it's Merlin who's saved his wife, saved his son from living the same childhood Arthur did. And Arthur knows, no matter what the law says, what his father had said all those years ago, he could never rid himself of his best friend.
So instead, he pulls himself to his feet, brushing the dirt from his clothes before he extends a hand down to Merlin, feeling the shaking fingers tangle with his as he rises and as Merlin turns to face him Arthur lets out a deep sigh.
"All my life I've been taught to hate magic, to fear its power and aftermath. And there were times when I thought it alright, harmless even, and there were also times when I suffered at its hand. Morgana, my father, Emrys, they all made me realize how evil magic is."
Arthur pauses for a breath, seeing the utter disappointment pass across Merlin's face until he adds,
"But, Merlin, you have shown me just how good it can be. You've saved my wife, Camelot's queen, the mother of my son. And I will never be able to thank you enough; not yet at least, but I promise you Merlin I will make things right."
And he does.
Arthur Pendragon lifts the ban on magic on a warm summer's day nearly a year after the birth of his son, the cheer from the people rippling across the court as he looks down and sees the tears in Merlin's eyes and hears the laughter float across the breeze.
He is finally free.