Arthur stared at the paper before him. The faded paper was anything but innocent, yet the king found himself drawn to it despite the evil he knew was written there. Without thinking, his hand unrolled the parchment with practiced ease as someone who had done it several times before and, like every other time, drew back at the first sign of ink.
Breathing deeply, he berated himself. He was a king, dammit! He had faced sorcerers and dragons and unwanted marriage proposals; this was nothing. With new resolve he unraveled the paper and laid it flat before him.
The spell inscribed there in shoddy, smudged ink sat below a short note.
King Arthur Pendragon,
Here upon this paper is the spell, phonetically translated for your use. I hope it serves you well.
forbearnan
It wasn't signed, but Arthur knew were it had come from, and how it had gotten there. Vague impressions of a druid emblem from a very drunk brain flashed through his head.
Arthur rarely ever let himself get drunk, especially as a king, but it was the end of a hunting trip gone wrong- and oh how many go wrong. They had a run in with a scouting group, one of many they've seen in the last year, all bearing a similar mark that meant one thing: Morgana was ready for war.
The village they had rested at was small enough to not recognize the king, but large enough to have a tavern. Gwaine probably visited it in the past. Arthur shed his knightly attire and went in common enough clothes to pass as a simple soldier; he had barely been a man the last time he had done this. He needed a drink, and badly.
The man he had sat by ordered him a few, saying how he knew the hardships of a life of war. Arthur accepted them, seeing as the look of the man wasn't much different from his own: ragged, with weary eyes and a strife burdened soul. It wasn't until Arthur practically forgot his name did he realize that the man hadn't taken a single sip. Oh, that and his arm had a very familiar marking.
"You're a druid?" His speech was significantly slurred to the point of near incomprehensibility, but Arthur's memories had a bit more dignity than that.
"I am, and you're the king of Camelot."
"Huh, I am. I should kill you! Why do I do that again?"
"Because you believe magic is evil."
"That's right, it is. Very, very evil. I'm very, very drunk."
"Yes I do have a part in that I suppose. Sorry for the bit of subterfuge there, but I figured the only way to get you to ask questions you cannot normally is to get you out of your right mind. I do apologize."
"What questions?"
"You're curious about magic, of course. I'm willing to provide you with what you wish to know." And the druid was perfectly correct. Arthur could never take the law on its word alone, and after Morgana, he could never trust his father's word either. What else had he lied about?
So the king of Camelot asked question after question on magic. The truth was what he was after, or even the other biased side, who knows, but he didn't stop until he passed out. Much of the answers were lost in the alcohol, but there was one he regretted the most.
"Can you learn one spell and not be evil? Like, lighting a fire maybe. I always watch Merlin- have I told you about him?"
"Plenty, m'lord. I feel like I know him personally."
"You're snarky for a druid, but anyway. Merlin, he always struggles during a storm to light a fire. What if I could just, I don't know, magic one up? Would that make me a sorcerer, or does just one spell not count?" And so the druid challenged him to find out. A paper slipped in his pocket, and one more drink, found Arthur in the terrible predicament.
He considered sending men out to find the druid, but realistically, how well had his father's witch hunts gone in his later years? Arthur had searched many a home in his youth for 'signs of sorcery' but experience taught him sorcerers had no definite traits. Fools and wise men, the high and mighty and the low and lost, all could hide the evils of magic. Sight alone cannot identify a sorcerer.
And afterall, Arthur had asked for this.
Merlin opened the door to the chamber with the telltale scent of breakfast, surprised to find the king awake a dressed- properly at that! It interrupted Arthur's thoughts enough to let the paper slide shut as his hand snapped to a much more innocent position.
"There you are, late as always Merlin. You do realize that as a king, I'm expected to be productive during the day? Surely a concept a lazy idiot like you doesn't understand, but could you at least try every once in a while?" His usual barbs echoed weak, even to him. The nerves coming from the damning paper coursing through his blood and voice. If Merlin noticed, he did not comment on it.
"Well, sire, I'm surprised you managed to dress yourself today, let alone get those pants on. Did you add a hole in your belt?"
"Are you calling me fat?" The familiar banter eased some of his tension.
"Of course not, just... hearty."
"Well then Merlin, since you're so concerned about your weight, I'm sure I have plenty for you to do that will keep you moving." Arthur said dryly, and began a long list of chores than ensured Merlin wouldn't see any of the king today. With a huff and one thrown goblet later, Merlin left the chambers. Well, perhaps there had been some whining and sass thrown in too.
"Back to the spell then." The king muttered, as if saying it outloud made what he was doing any better. He gave a short, derisive laugh, "I'm a hypocrite. Look at me!" He waved his arms around for emphasis, speaking to hush the voices in his mind.
Sitting down once more, Arthur faced his fireplace.
"Just one spell, simple. And there's no chance it will work of course! That's right, I can't use magic, it's evil. I can say this spell all day and it won't light that fire." With renewed vigor, he lifted his hand towards the charred logs and said the spell. The fire didn't light, no flame brought forth through magic. With a relieved, and slightly dissapointed sigh, Arthur went about his day in a reflective mood.
He hadn't noticed the brief spark in the corner, nor the flash of gold in his eyes.
AN: Hello, so I'm still working on Heritage, but I've hit a roadblock so you might see some massive updates to it. I'm going back through and editing some things throughout every chapter, but plot wise, it should stay relatively the same. This is just an idea floating through my head, and one I had written about when I felt like I couldn't write. I know it's not unique. I'm posting it regardless if I finish it or not, but the more you tell me you want it, the better chances it'll be continued ;)
