- Please, one day! - Merlin exclaimed, looking at Arthur.
- Why? That you could spend the whole day in the tavern? - Arthur answered. He didn't see the point of this conversation, Merlin wanted a day off without reason. Probably he wanted to spend the whole day drinking ale. Ygh. Merlin really should stop with drinking.
- Really, you can't give me one day off? I've never taken a day off since the moment I started working for you! - Merlin shouted, he really wanted that bloody day of. He couldn't tell a reason. Arthur wouldn't understand that. What Merlin didn't realize, that Uther entered the chamber when he was screaming at Arthur. He noticed Arthur's face, then he turned back and saw Uther.
He was in heavy shock.
He bowed his head.
- My lord. - Merlin was always scared in the presence of the King. He had every reason to be scared.
- Father. - Arthur greeted his father and rose from the chair.
- What is going on...? - Uther asked, looking once at servant boy... Merlin he guessed, Gaius's boy. That was the only reason that he remembered his name, once at his son. This servant boy was too disobedient and too pert... but before he judged, he wanted to know the reason.
- Nothing that you should bother, father... little conversation about a day off. - Arthur answered, looking at his father. He knew, that Merlin could be even wiped for this if his father had a bad day. Merlin was the lazy idiot, but he didn't deserve that, so he tried to pull him out of this mess.
- Why do you want the day off? - Uther asked, looking at Merlin.
Merlin wondered what he should say... he couldn't avoid the answer like he was doing this with Arthur. He gulped and he decided to do the most stupid thing in his life. Or wait... no. there were some more stupid things he had done, but this was stupid too. Say the truth.
- I... It's an anniversary of death of my beloved... I want to spend that day at her grave. - Merlin said with a heavy voice. Arthur was shocked by his answer. He expected some excuse "I need to help Gaius" or something like that. Not this! He wanted to say that he must be joking, but he saw Merlin's face and he knew that he was saying the truth. Uther looked at this son with mixed feelings. He knew that the boy was just a servant, but even he could understand that.
- I didn't know... - Arthur said with weak voice.
There was silence in the room for a while. Everyone was thinking about something.
Arthur didn't know what to think, really. When did that happen? Well.. year ago, but why Merlin's never said something. He didn't even remember to see him sad, or depressed as he should be after the dead of someone he loved. Merlin and the girl?! That was something that he's never expected, and now he learns that his love of life is dead? Why has he never told him?!
Merlin was thinking, if this was a good idea, to tell the truth, he knew that Arthur and the rest will ask him many questions, questions that he couldn't give a clear answer. They couldn't know many things about him and Freya.
Freya... her wonderful name.
Merlin sighed to his own memories.
But Uther was wondering about something quite different and interesting at once.
- I give you the day off.. but I have one question: You always seem to be cheerful and optimistic, how do you manage that? - Uther asked and surprised the rest. Merlin didn't even know that the King noticed him, not speaking about noticing his moods. Merlin gulped again before he gave the answer.
- When everybody thinks that I'm a cheerful fool, and nobody knows about my lost... it is easy to pretend that I'm a cheerful fool. - He couldn't understand why he was saying the truth, but for the moment he felt some kind strange connection to the Uther. He knew that feeling. He did terrible things like Great Purge because that dark despair that fills the hole in the heart that was left after the dead of the beloved.
Arthur was more shocked if that was possible.
Uther waved his hand, suggesting Merlin that he is dismissed.
Merlin went in the direction of the doors, but he stopped and looked at Uther.
- Does it... get easier? After the time? - Merlin looked at the king, he noticed, that Uther felt that strange feeling too... feeling that someone understand what do you feel. How it is like to feel that emptiness and despair at the same time. To feel every negative emotion in the world...
Uther wanted to say that it is getting easier after the time...
- No. It doesn't. - He said with empty voice.
- I thought so... - Merlin answered and he left the chamber.
Kinda inspired by InkFanatic and her Freylin love, I decided to publish here my stories from AO3 about reveals of Freya.
This concept is not original, I read something like this once in the past.
