Part 1
They had their moments.
Before he became king, they would walk together in a secluded hallway, one rarely traveled. They would begin to relax as the rest of the castle melted away, staring into each other's eyes for what seemed to be a millennia. Arthur would reach out his hand and take Merlin's. They would stop when the almost reached the end, the servant leaning against the wall as the prince would take his face into his hands. Their heads would grow near, and just as their lips were about to touch, Arthur would whisper three words.
"I love you."
Then they would kiss, tenderly, saying all the unspoken emotion they could never speak about. They would pull away, pain and sadness in both of their sets of blue orbs. They would then leave, walking farther apart this time, Merlin one step behind, as they set off to the judgmental life of Camelot.
While walking down their hallway, Arthur reached his hand out for Merlin's. The servant frowned and pulled away, eyes trained on the floor. The newly crowned king's face turned concerned and he forced Merlin to stop. The warlock would not look up.
"Merlin?"
No answer.
"Merlin, tell me what's wrong."
The servant continued to stare at the floor.
Arthur tilted his face upwards and leaned in, intending for a kiss. Merlin, however, stepped out of his grip and backed against the wall, face contorted in sorrow.
"Merlin? Have I done something wrong?" The king tried to approach him again, only to find the boy had stepped far out of his reach. He was surprised to find tears in his servant's eyes.
"You've made your choice," was all Merlin whispered before turning away and bolting. It suddenly hit Arthur.
He had made his choice. He had married Guinevere.
A year passed, and so much had changed. Guinevere had eloped with Lancelot after three months of being queen. It had left the king heartbroken, but not as heartbroken as when he knew he lost Merlin.
His servant was now just that – his servant. Merlin wouldn't even look at him most days anymore. At first, Arthur had tried their usual banter, but as it was politely dismissed, he ruefully stopped.
Merlin had started to see Gwaine, and the knight was not afraid to show their relationship. Any and every free moment of his was spent kissing Merlin, hugging Merlin, declaring his love for the servant – and Merlin reciprocated, just as much, too. Arthur's only condolence was that Merlin had someone that loved him, and he loved him back.
When Gwaine pulled Merlin into a corner of the room, just to kiss him privately and chastely on the lips, it sent a stab of pain through him. When he heard the whisper of, "Meet me in my chambers tonight, love," he just about keeled over with hurt. Merlin was no longer his. Merlin was Gwaine's.
Merlin stood outside Gwaine's door apprehensively. This would be their first time.
He knocked, once, then waited. And waited. He knocked again. And waited. By the third knock, he cracked the door open and peered inside. He couldn't see a thing, so the servant crept in quietly.
He spotted Gwaine right away and a lovesick smile spread across his face. He thought he would never be able to smile again after Arthur, but Gwaine completely destroyed that idea. He really had it hard for the knight.
The next thing he noticed was that the knight was naked. And he wasn't the only one. Curled tight to Gwaine's chest, was a servant girl, one who had worked in the kitchens. Betrayal and shock ripped through Merlin. He didn't realize he started backing up before he tripped and made a noise, waking the knight.
"Merlin, love," he said with a smile, which slipped off as he noticed his current state. Looking down, an expression of horror crossed his face. Merlin stood up and started backing away again.
"Merlin – no, I was drunk-" Gwaine stood up, revealing his much bare body. He took a step towards the servant. Merlin bolted into the hallway.
He wasn't sure how far he had ran, but the next thing the warlock knew was a sturdily built chest to the face. Arms wrapped around him. It was Gwaine (who had the foresight to pull some trousers on).
"I'm sorry," the knight whispered. "I'm so sorry. I was drunk. She means nothing to me! There's only you!"
Merlin smiled through his tears that had been falling. He pulled away and stepped out of his grip. "Gwaine," he started, swallowing the lump in his throat. "I hope we can remain friends."
"W-what?" Gwaine blinked as realization dawned on him. "No! Please, no!"
Merlin spared him one last pained smile before turning and going to his only secret place to cry his eyes out.
Arthur woke up in the middle of the night feeling broken and empty. A vision of Merlin in bed with Gwaine filled his head. It hurt, especially since that was probably happening as he sat there.
Unable to get back to sleep, the king dressed and took a midnight walk, the emotional pain never really subsiding. He had lost Merlin. Truly lost him.
He wandered for a while, tears suddenly forming in his eyes. He recognized the hallway he just strode into. It was their hallway. He remembered the days where he and his servant would live to come here. How they would talk, how they would look at each other. How they would kiss. He missed it.
He stood at the point where he generally went for Merlin's hand. He walked down the corridor, memories of the many times his servant had pulled him closer and rested his head on the then prince's shoulder. When he came to the point where Merlin would prop himself against the wall as Arthur cupped his face, then leaned in, the king sunk to the ground, face in his hands.
Merlin. Sweet, innocent Merlin. The idiot. The servant. The clotpole. Arthur missed him.
And there was nothing he could do about it, because Gwaine already had his servant's heart.
A/N: This idea popped in my head...and you can see where that went. I know this is short so far, but it will have like one or two more parts (still planning). The main focus of this story is Merlin and Arthur getting back together, so sorry for not really elaborating on Arthur/Gwen or Merlin/Gwaine or much of anything else.
Review? (Pleeeeeeeeease?)