AN- I know I said Tuesday but Wednesday isn't too bad. I'm not quite sure how many chapters this has got left, as although I have a vague plan, I have no idea how long it will take to write each bit. But I'm pretty sure it's near the end. I just want to say thank you to everyone that's read, reviewed, followed and favourited this story so far because I really appreciate all your support and feedback.
Arthur had barely slept last night. He'd tossed and turned but couldn't get his worry for Merlin out of his mind. Gauis' words of comfort hadn't completely put Arthur at ease and he had to fight the urge to run to Merlin's bed just to check on him. As soon as the sun rose he was up, trying to keep himself occupied so his thoughts didn't creep back to Merlin.
A young serving boy brought Arthur his breakfast, which Arthur picked at with disinterest. He dismissed to boy wanting to be alone, having barely touched his breakfast. He turned his head to see the large pile of papers that needed sorting through on his desk. Although they were boring, they required a lot of concentration to get through and it meant Arthur couldn't let his mind stray off topic. He went to sit behind his desk and set to work on the task at hand, completely focused on the task at hand.
He soon lost track of time and only looked up from his work when the door creaked opened. In the doorway stood Merlin, he had large bags under his eyes and as soon as his eyes met Arthur's, he went as white as a sheet. The king was already on his feet, striding towards his servant and leading him to a chair.
Arthur sat opposite, hoping to get out of Merlin what was wrong. He had no idea why he was here and didn't understand why Gauis had let him out of his sight. After some words of persuasion Merlin opened his mouth, although the words that came out were not what Arthur expected.
"Arthur I can't stop it. I'm so sorry, I'm so so sorry. I have magic."
As the words came out the room went into chaos. Arthur didn't notice though, his head still trying to process the information he'd just been told. He only reacted quickly enough to catch his falling friend in his arms, before he fell to the floor.
Arthur wasn't quite sure how long he sat there, Merlin in his arms, trying to digest the information that he'd just been presented with. The magic that had just appeared in his room was definitely caused by his manservant, that much was clear. The matter of what the hell to do with Merlin was another problem entirely.
Maybe the slave trader had just made Merlin do the magic to ruin the kingdom, Arthur thought. If their friendship was replaced by hatred, then that would leave Arthur weak and the kingdom vulnerable.
But Merlin's out burst had seemed so real, so true and the way he'd apologised, made Arthur feel like it was Merlin telling him, not an idea planted by the slaver. But why did he lose control? Arthur's best bet was to wait for his servant to wake and see what he could get out of him.
He wasn't going to let Merlin out of his sight. If he was a sorcerer who knew how dangerous he could be, the whole of Camelot could be in ruins. Not that Arthur believed Merlin had much power.
But if he was going to stay with him he couldn't let anyone else know. They would probably insist on taking Merlin to the dungeons, for the safety of the king and kingdom. But right now all Arthur cared about was getting answers.
He lifted Merlin up, carrying him across the room to his bed. It seemed like the easiest place to lie his servant down; even Arthur wasn't mean enough to lie him on the floor. He got Merlin settled and pulled up a chair, ready to observe Merlin. A sudden knock on the door made him jump out of his seat and rush to the door, being careful to make sure Merlin was hidden.
"Yes?" Arthur questioned as he opened the door. A guard stood before him, looking like he'd just ran through the whole of Camelot.
"Sire," the man said, still drawing in heavy breaths, "a large group of people have been found dead on the road outside of Camelot. There are no visible injuries on any of them. They appear to have just all fell over and died simultaneously. I think you..."
Arthur never got to find out what the guard thought as he slammed the door in his face and sunk into the chair.