So, this is kind of my challenge to myself. I'm writing one fanfiction for each episode of Merlin. Some are one-shots, some are longer stories. I ran out of ideas for fanfictions so this is how I'm dealing with that. If anyone has any prompts for me, feel free to leave it in a review and if I write it after I finish writing these 65 stories, I'll dedicate it to you… so, thanks. :) And I give you my story for Season 1 Episode 1.
Summary: This takes place after Merlin pulls Arthur out of the way of the dagger the witch threw. Everyone thinks the witch is dead, but what if she's not. What will Merlin have to do to make sure Arthur stays safe? And how will everyone react? One-shot.
Story 1: Wait
Merlin's ears were ringing in his head. He couldn't wrap his head around what he had just done. He acted without thinking and pulled the prince out of the way of the dagger that would surely have killed him. The ungrateful prat that had him locked in the dungeons for challenging him. Yet Merlin had just saved him. Merlin knew he wouldn't have been able to react differently, it was his instinct to protect. The dragon was right. Merlin had never made the decision to save him. It was his destiny.
Arthur stared at Merlin shocked. "You… you saved me," he said uncertainly. There was so much chaos throughout the room as men rushed through the cobwebs to make sure the witch was truly dead. It seemed that amongst the turmoil, no one was paying any attention to the prince and the man that just saved his life.
"Yeah," Merlin said, looking at Arthur, equally uncertain. He didn't know why he just did that, he just knew he had to. It wasn't about his destiny, well part of it was, but it was also about the fact that Arthur was still human, regardless of how big of a prat he was. Merlin wasn't about to let him die when he had the powers to save him.
"Why?" Arthur asked, still shocked. "You hate me."
"And you hate me," Merlin said. "It doesn't matter. I don't think you deserve to die."
"Maybe… maybe I misjudged you," Arthur told him quietly. "I've never really said this before… to anyone, but… thank you."
Merlin felt himself grinning. "And maybe I misjudged you as well. Maybe you're not quite the prat I thought you were," Merlin told him. He saw Arthur roll his eyes, but there was no anger behind it. Near death experiences can really change someone.
They were pulled out of their moment by Uther, who had seemingly recovered himself. They had moved the chandelier and decided that no one could survive the blow that it had delivered. Confident that there was no further danger, Uther had turned to where his son was still on the floor, next to the boy that had saved him. Uther helped Arthur up while Merlin clambered to his own feet.
Uther turned to the boy. "You saved my boy's life. This debt must be repaid," Uther told him seriously.
"Oh… well," Merlin said uncomfortably. He didn't want anything from Uther, he didn't feel like he deserved anything. He had only done what thousands of people had done before: risked his life for Arthur's.
"Don't be so modest," Uther told him. "You shall be rewarded."
"No, honestly, you don't have to your highness," Merlin told him. The last thing he needed was recognition. Someone might come to realize that a physician's apprentice who had been standing in the corner shouldn't have been able to get to the prince before anyone else could even react. That might be a little suspicious.
"Absolutely. This merits something quite special. You shall be awarded a position in the royal household. You shall be Prince Arthur's manservant," Uther told him. Merlin had to use a lot of self-control to prevent his jaw from dropping. What kind of reward was that? Having to scrub floors and cater to the prince's every wish – oh yes, Merlin felt so rewarded. Merlin hoped the king couldn't sense his internal eye roll.
Merlin turned to look at Arthur, who was wearing a mirrored expression of shock. Merlin wasn't sure if this position was a good thing or a bad thing. He was a sorcerer. How could it be a good thing to put himself right at the very heart of Camelot? But Merlin also knew he could not refuse the offer.
Before Merlin had a chance to say anything, there was the sound of something moving from the center of the room. Merlin watched with horror as the witch fumbled to her feet. She raised her hand and started yelling an incantation. Merlin didn't know what the words meant, but her tone left no doubt. This was a spell to kill. Merlin stepped in front of Arthur, holding his hand forward. He concentrated and she flew backwards before she could finish her deadly curse.
For a moment, nothing happened, everyone was too shocked to move. Merlin had just performed magic in front of them, in front of the king. And then all hell broke loose. He was being pushed into a wall, but it wasn't by just anyone. Arthur had pushed him into the wall and was standing in front of him protectively. Several guards had swarmed around him, holding their swords in front of them. But none of them dared go through the prince.
"Arthur, stand aside. He is a sorcerer," Uther ordered. His eyes didn't leave Merlin's. Merlin flinched at the hatred he saw in those eyes.
"He saved my life," Arthur said calmly. Unlike Merlin, he was not intimidated by Uther one bit. "Surely he can't be that bad."
"I have suffered more than you can possibly imagine at the hands of magic," Uther told him. Merlin winced at the tone in his voice. It made Merlin wonder what wrongs Uther had suffered to get to this point. "Do not underestimate the evils a man with magic possesses."
"Why would he save me if he were evil?" Arthur challenged. He was clearly used to Uther's hatred towards magic. "The witch could have killed me twice tonight. Three times if he was the one that caused the chandelier to fall on her." Merlin stared. He had never thought Arthur would make that connection. Maybe Arthur wasn't quite the idiot Merlin believed him to be. "Why would he do that if he wanted me dead?"
Uther, it seemed, was speechless. He didn't seem to have an answer to that question. "Guards," he called. "Restrain my son and arrest the sorcerer."
"No!" Arthur yelled, forcing Merlin closer to the wall. He didn't know why he cared. Maybe it was because Merlin saved him, or maybe it was because Merlin was the first person to ever treat Arthur like a human being instead of a prince, but Arthur didn't want him to die. "I will not let you arrest an innocent man."
"He is not innocent. He is a sorcerer," Uther yelled angrily.
"We wouldn't even have known that if he hadn't saved my life. Are you saying you would rather me dead?" Arthur asked Uther quietly.
Merlin heard something in Arthur's voice he had never expected to hear from someone with so much power: vulnerability.
For the second time that night, Uther was speechless. "I cannot endanger my people and Camelot that way. One day you will understand," he said after a long moment had passed. He turned away. "Arrest them both."
Arthur and Merlin were both dragged from the feast and were unceremoniously dumped in adjoining cells. Merlin had expected this kind of treatment, but he hadn't expected Arthur to be treated so horribly. He was the prince after all.
Merlin slumped against the back wall of his cell. He couldn't see Arthur, but he knew he was close. About an hour before the sun rose, Merlin finally found his voice. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry I got you arrested."
"It's not your fault," he heard Arthur say after several minutes had passed.
"You shouldn't have defended me," Merlin told him. His feelings of guilt were almost overwhelming. "I was going to die either way."
"Why don't you just leave? Escape?" Arthur asked. "You're a sorcerer. Surely it would be easy for you."
"It would. And if you weren't here, that is probably exactly what I would do," Merlin told him. "But I can't just leave knowing I've caused you to suffer as well."
"Why are you doing this?" Arthur asked him curiously. Merlin was a puzzle that Arthur was determined to solve.
"Would you believe me if I said it was because I'm just that good of a person?" Merlin asked him jokingly. Strange how he could find humor even in light of his imminent death.
"I might have until you said it like that," Arthur told him amused.
"I'm not so sure you would believe the truth," Merlin admitted. He still wasn't sure he believed it himself.
"You've saved my life," Arthur pointed out. "I don't think it's my place not to trust you."
"There is a dragon in an antechamber under this castle. The passage is actually right outside our cells. He told me that you are my destiny. I am meant to protect you. I didn't want it to be true at first. I thought you were a spoiled prat. I think I'm still half right, but you have the potential to be a great king. You stood up for me even though I have magic. I was born with the very thing you have been taught to hate and fear. I thought you would have killed me on the spot. You have proven me wrong," Merlin told him quietly. "If tonight proves to be my last, I can die knowing I have protected you, however short a time."
Arthur tried to wrap his head around the loaded words like destiny and protection. He had to think about that later. Thanks to Merlin, he would have a lifetime to figure out exactly what all of that meant.
"I believe you. And I have one more request for you," Arthur said. "I don't have a right to ask anything else of you, but I'm going to do it anyway. And keep in mind I'm the prince, so you really have no choice." Merlin couldn't help the small smile that made its way onto his face. "I want you to escape. I want you to leave. I do not believe you are evil and I don't want to see you die." When Merlin didn't say anything, Arthur continued. "Live your life. Have a life to live. Please. It is my only request."
"I will honor your request Sire, but know this. I will never be far. For the rest of my life, I will make sure that you are safe," Merlin told him. Something in Merlin's voice made Arthur shiver. Merlin turned and briefly concentrated on the lock to his cell. There was a soft click and his door swung open. "Goodbye Sire."
Arthur figured Merlin had left until he saw a bright light in the darkness. Arthur sat up instantly. "Merlin?" Arthur asked worriedly. Merlin should have nearly been out of Camelot by now. Arthur heard the clanking as if someone had dropped a coin.
"Always wear it around your neck," Merlin told him softly.
"Wear what?" Arthur asked confused.
"You'll find it. I've enchanted it. I'll always know when you're in danger," Merlin said quietly. "Goodbye."
Arthur felt blindly in front of him until he felt something that was large and flat. He didn't know what it was, but despite the cold of the cells it radiated warmth. Merlin was long gone when Arthur finally spoke. "Goodbye Merlin," he said softly. Within the next hour, the guards came to check on their 'prisoners.' Arthur pretended to be asleep. He sat up when he heard the warning bells. "What's happening?" He tried to make his voice sound as clueless and anxious as possible, as if he were only concerned for the welfare of Camelot.
It must have worked, because one of the guards turned to him. "The sorcerer has escaped," he told Arthur.
Arthur made his expression one of shock and anger. "He… he escaped?" Arthur asked, trying to sound outraged.
A couple of hours later, Arthur was sitting in the throne room, being lectured by his father about how this is why sorcerers cannot be trusted. Arthur was playing the role of ashamed prince as well as he could. It seemed his father truly believed that Arthur regretted standing up for Merlin. While to Uther, Arthur seemed like he was paying apt attention, Arthur was really just thinking about what had happened the night before. The medallion Merlin had given him radiated a soft heat. Not enough heat to make Arthur uncomfortable, but enough that Arthur would never forget he was wearing it. When Arthur had had the chance to look at the trinket Merlin had tossed him, he was surprised to see how plain it was. It was a dark grey, like the color of the rocks that littered the streets of Camelot. There was nothing special about it, nothing to make it stand out as magical. When Arthur thought about it, he knew that that had been Merlin's goal. No one would ever question the rock that currently hung from Arthur's neck.
When Uther was finally done and Arthur left, he couldn't help but roll his eyes at his father. His father was a good king, but he didn't understand the importance of trust and love. He didn't understand the bond that can form between two people when one of them saves the life of the other. It went beyond politics and plans to strengthen the kingdom. It was about the friendship that no distance could break. That was something his father would never understand.
As the years passed Arthur grew up, but he never forgot. And whenever he found himself in danger or in circumstances that he had no chance of getting out of, which was remarkably often, the danger would somehow be averted. Arthur knew from the heat of the medallion he never took off, how he had been saved.
When that happened he would turn around and look. Eventually, he would find what he was looking for. He would look up and see the bravest man he ever knew not too far from him, standing with his arm outstretched and his eyes flashing gold. In that moment, their eyes would meet and that man would smile. And that smile told Arthur that everything would be okay.
Nearly ten years after Merlin left, when Arthur's father passed away, Arthur walked out of his chambers to see that very man sitting on the floor. "Merlin?" He asked uncertainly. It couldn't be him. He couldn't be here. Arthur couldn't figure out how Merlin had known. But he knew his eyes were not betraying him. It had been years. Nearly a decade. Arthur had always seen him from a distance, but that was nothing compared to the transformation he noted now. Merlin had clearly grown just as much as Arthur.
Arthur noticed the medallion around Merlin's neck. It was identical to the one Arthur wore and suddenly Arthur understood. He understood how Merlin always knew when he needed him.
"I didn't want you to feel that you were alone," Merlin told him quietly.
"You never do," Arthur told him. He wasn't happy, not exactly. It was more like he had a reprieve from his overwhelming feelings after his father's death. Merlin clambered to his feet and embraced Arthur. Arthur normally wouldn't have allowed this, particularly from someone he barely knew, but he realized how much he was craving human contact.
"I'm sorry about your father," Merlin told him.
"I can't believe he's gone," Arthur whispered. "I don't know what I'm going to do without him."
"You're going to be a great king Arthur," Merlin said, sincerity ringing through his voice. Arthur couldn't help but believe him. Maybe, just maybe he would have the strength to be his own person and rule his kingdom as he saw fit. Maybe he would be able to look at his father's rule with wisdom, taking from it the good and amending the evil. With Merlin by his side, he didn't doubt it. It was the dawn of a new era.
Review please. Let me know what you think!