This is just a short story, nothing special but I hope you like it and please review :D
Disclaimer: Do you really think if I owned Merlin we wouldn't be on series 10 by now? And that the last episode would have been something completely different?
Anyway, enjoy :D
Today
Today was the day, the day Merlin had decided to tell him, tell him a secret that could get him killed.
King Arthur rode out of the courtyard on his favourite horse, a chestnut mare, his manservant following behind, disgruntled about the pouring rain and freezing cold. Merlin hung behind on purpose and Arthur didn't question it or complain, servants were meant to ride behind the King and although Merlin never paid any attention to the usual customs Arthur always said he scared the prey away.
Merlin hated hunting trips, especially in winter, they were cold, wet, boring and he didn't understand the fun Arthur found in killing helpless creatures.
Perhaps I shouldn't tell him today, not while he has a crossbow in his hand.
But then again, it might make Arthur feel safer and Merlin could easily deflect a bolt fired at him. He would tell Arthur today.
The two men rode for hours, one after the other, the rain beating down on their backs, soaking them through to the skin. To Merlin's pleasure they saw no prey bigger than a vole, to his horror Arthur refused to go home without something much more substantial. Merlin shivered, how Arthur managed not to catch his death in that chain mail he would never understand.
Arthur won't understand about his secret. Merlin thought to himself. He'll feel so betrayed. He'll kill me, or banish me from Camelot at the least. I shouldn't tell Arthur. Not today.
But if you wait longer Arthur will just feel even more betrayed, said a little voice in the back of his head. You'll have to tell him someday, why not today?
He'll be grumpy from the rain! And we haven't seen anything all day! I'll wait until he's in a better mood.
So you can ruin that for him? Better to tell him when he's grumpy already, and at least when he's here he can't yell for guards to kill you before you can have a chance to reason with him.
Fine. I'll tell him today, but how? How do I say it? I can't just say 'Oh, by the way Arthur, I have magic, I've been lying to you for years!' with a big smile on my face, he'll run me through on the spot!
That's a chance you have to take, maybe he won't mind.
He won't mind that his best friend has been betraying him for years? He won't mind that his manservant is a sorcerer when magic killed both his parents and turned his sister evil?
Fine, he'll mind, that's a certainty. But he's your best friend, and you're his. He won't kill you, just make him listen to your side.
He won't believe me.
No, probably not. Now tell him!
Alright, alright, here goes nothing. "Arthur?" he called out timidly.
"Ah, you are still alive. You must really want to catch something and go home, you've been silent all day." The king chuckles, smiling back at his friend.
"I've been thinking-"
"I wouldn't do that, you'll hurt yourself."
Merlin grits his teeth, Arthur wasn't making this easy, "Arthur this is serious."
"Right, sorry, go on."
"I…I have something… something to tell you."
"Shh, I hear something." Arthur holds up his hand to quiet his friend, sliding down from his horse silently. Merlin remains where he is, he could easily catch a whole herd of deer with a simple incantation but he refuses to help Arthur on principal. It's not fair to the deer to use a crossbow, to use magic is something completely different and a whole load less fair. Arthur sneaks through the undergrowth, sneaking further away, crossbow at the ready. He stops behind the trunk of an exceptionally large tree, listening, then he darts round, pulling the trigger. The bolt flies true and plants itself firmly in the rump of a young buck. Arthur yells in triumph, running over to the struggling deer and slitting its throat. Merlin trots over, leading Arthur's horse as well. As he looks down on his friend struggling to move the deer King Arthur turns his head, "What were you saying Merlin? You have something to tell me?"
The golden haired man turns back to the carcass as the skinny, dark haired servant opens his mouth. "Arthur," he takes a deep breath, "I have magic, I'm a sorcerer."
He holds his breath, hardly able to believe he finally said what he has wanted to say since the very first time he met the dollop-headed clot-pole. "Yeah, right, and I'm the King of Camelot." jokes the King.
"Arthur, sire," Merlin adds as an afterthought, "you are the king of Camelot."
"And you do have magic" the king smiles up at his friend, "How dumb do you think I am?"
"Well actually-"
"Don't answer that, look Merlin, I know you have Magic. How could I not? I see you more than I see Guinevere. Honestly, I knew you couldn't say anything when my father was king and I didn't want to lie to him so I never said anything either, I was a bit miffed that you didn't tell me after I became king but I figured that you knew that I knew and didn't want to force me into a difficult position."
"No, I just thought, I thought you were going to have me executed!" Merlin laughs with relief but Arthur looks slightly offended.
"How in the five kingdoms could you think that? I could never kill you Merlin, I mean, you are extremely annoying and you're an awful servant who I pay far too much, but I do know how many times you saved my life. Seriously Merlin, 'Oh Arthur'" he mimics Merlin in a high pitched voice "'you killed the great dragon, you just got knocked unconscious and don't remember any of it'" Arthur shakes his head, "There wasn't even a body!"
"You knew? All this time! All the times I saved your hide and had to pretend to be a helpless servant so you wouldn't kill me and you knew?!" Merlin gapes at the king who laughs at his gormless expression.
"Of course I knew, had a lot of fun with it too." Arthur looks at Merlin's still gaping maw, "You don't have to inhale the whole forest, come on, I'm cold and we have game now, let's go home." And with no further ado the golden haired prince rode off in the direction of Camelot, leaving a still dumbfounded Merlin to follow in the rain.