Albion AU: Remarkable
Merlin insisted nothing had changed. He was still Merlin. The magic was a part of him and had been since his birth. Arthur believed him. How could he not? He now knew all that Merlin had done for him and for Camelot and Merlin had his complete, unshakeable trust, but...something was different. It took Arthur a little while to put his finger on it and when he did he went straight to Gaius.
"Gaius! What happened to Merlin? He is not the same Merlin! He promises he hasn't changed, but he has!"
Gaius looked up from his work crushing dandelion seeds at the agitated king who'd just burst into his chambers. "Sire? Has something happened to Merlin? What's wrong?" The old physician paled dramatically. Arthur felt ashamed for alarming him so badly.
"No! No, nothing has happened to him exactly. He is just fine. Actually, I just left him with Guinevere. They were discussing last night's ball. Nothing has happened to him, " he repeated, "but something has happened with him...or..well, I don't know how to say it nicely."
Gaius' eyebrows headed toward the ceiling. "Just say it simply Sire. I promise not to repeat any of this to Merlin."
Those words bolstered Arthur's courage. "Well, he's been different ever since the ban on magic was abolished. He isn't a clumsy oaf anymore. I haven't seen him trip, slip, fall, knock into any tables or walls, or drop anything. And did you see him dancing last night?! I know the bumbling can't have all been an act. He's ruined too many items of his own clothing and injured himself far too many times for it all to have been part of some extravagant plan to make everyone underestimate him. I have walked in on him so many times when he had just dropped something or hurt himself. So I'm asking: What happened?! Has he put an enchantment on himself?" Arthur narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
Gaius studied the king thoughtfully. "Now that you mention it, Sire, I believe you're right. I haven't treated him for bumps, cuts or bruises for a fortnight at least." The old man shook his head and mumbled to himself, "Remarkable."
"Remarkable?" Arthur echoed. "What is it Gaius?" The old man lowered himself heavily to the bench obviously thinking deeply. "Gaius?" Arthur repeated.
"He's finally completely himself, Arthur."
Arthur's eyebrows shot as high as Gaius' usually did. "What do you mean 'he's finally completely himself'?"
"Well Sire, Merlin now has complete freedom to use his powers. He doesn't have to expend energy or concentration on suppressing his natural tendencies anymore. I suspect it may have been that diversion of his attention that caused him to be so inattentive to his physical surroundings. It would have probably felt like having two perfectly useful arms, but always restraining yourself from using your dominant hand to accomplish anything. It would have taken enormous amounts of concentration to behave normally and yet actively keep himself under restraint day and night for years. I guess you could say the clumsiness was probably a side effect of hiding."
At that moment, the door popped open and Merlin trotted past them both. "Hi Gaius! Sorry, just got to grab something!" He wove between the tables, flitted neatly up the steps and disappeared into the back room from whence rustling sounds began issuing. "Ha! Got them!" A moment later he nimbly rushed out and down the steps easily weaving across the room, dancing back between the tables and through the doorway, balancing a fragile glass orb in each hand, calling merrily over his shoulder, "See you later Gaius! Bye Prat!"
Both men were silent for a moment, pondering once again, as they had so often lately, the sacrifices and gifts of the man who had just rushed past like a very graceful whirling dervish. Both shook their heads staring at the doorway and in tandem commented, "Remarkable." They traded glances, one amused, one abashed, then Arthur nodded and slipped out as well, glad that his friend was no longer hiding.
