39Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Me: *sheepish grin* Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay but the season premiere of Doctor who was last Saturday and… Well, you know how it is!
Me: *to readers* I honestly cannot put into words how much happiness and love I feel from every single one of you when I read your reviews! And I'm glad that the last chapter managed to make some of you tear up! *success!*
Me: I honestly don't understand how you could deal with all the mistakes in the chapters. In fact, expect to see me make some updates to previous chapters to fix said errors! You guys deserve the very best from me! :D
Me: *to Artemis no Himitsu* Thank you SOOOOOO MUCH for pointing that out! I will fix that right away! His name IS supposed to be Fyrsil!
Me: To the lovely ElleinadElocin... Do I detect a fellow Brown Coat in you? :D Because you wouldn't believe how SHINY that would be!
And a quick thing before you lot start reading… *turn to glare at servant123 and ElleinadElocin*
Me: Why? Why must you feed my Muse? This story is only half way done and now you give me STUFF to continue with "Mark of Royalty"?!
*teary and puppy eyed* Have I not been a generous queen to you? I'm still writing for you and all the others! And I have a new story coming right after this one which will be twice as long! Why did you feed that traitorous Muse that roams the halls of my mind and haunts me with images!?
Me: *Le French sigh* Oh well… what can you do when you have a hyperactive mindset…
Me: BEGING WITH THE WORDS!
Hours may have gone by, maybe minutes, maybe seconds, but Merlin still held on to the solid frame of his king.
No
His brother
The moments when he was waiting for the man to arrive, he was completely sure that whatever he told him would never change his mind. He was so sure in his thinking, he felt so ashamed of what he had become. The liar, the traitor, the pariah amongst everyone; never belonging to either world, be it magical or not. And eventually, amongst all the shame and self-loathing he'd began to believe he truly was fated to be alone. That the fact that Arthur had struck against him that day all those months ago was the final sign to push him in the right direction.
And he was right in a way.
Whatever hell he experienced the past few months laid the foundation for the two of them to finally talk out their feelings, something that neither of them felt comfortable doing. As he felt Arthur's strong arms around him and shifting from embracing him and giving what few comfort he could.
Merlin could feel his soul and magic sing out at the feeling of being cared for, of being protected, of being loved. It has been years since he could be truly at peace; to feel calm and happy, not having to worry about his secret being found out or his loved ones being in danger. Now Arthur knew of his magic, of their shared destiny, and did not hate him for it.
His brother didn't hate him.
He could feel the once torn-up tread connecting them to each other beginning to mend and knit back together, stronger than before. He could finally be completely himself without fear of retribution or disgust from others. He felt free.
Whatever their souls were made of, his and Arthur's were the same. Destiny, fate, happenstance of luck; by whatever means the two of them met, their lives would always be connected, no matter what trials they face in the future. From now on, they can finally stand as equals. No more secrets, no more lies. Whatever destiny throws at them, Merlin knows he could finally face it without fear of failure.
"Are you alright now?" He heard the low rumble of Arthur's voice on his chest and with a start, Merlin realized the position he was. He could feel a light blush grace his features but quickly pushed it aside and straightened up, his eyes meeting those of kindness of his king.
"Y-yes, thank you." Merlin stuttered out, not really sure if it was his crying or his nervousness that made him. However, at that moment he felt a rough hand ruffling his hair gently disrupting his train of thought.
"Think nothing of it." There it was again. That same understanding and kind smile that he has worn since the last night.
Merlin simply shook his head and smile at his king. "No Arthur," He began talking, hoping to portray his feelings through his voice. "Truly. From the bottom of my heart. Thank you." Seeing the slight glint of confusing at his words, Merlin let his eyes close.
"You have no idea..." He continued. "no idea what it means that you've come to accept me. That you still look at me the same as always..."
"Of course old friend." He heard rather than saw the smile that his brother had on his face right then. "I will always see you for whom you are."
"But there is so much to tell you!" Merlin felt himself exclaim at his words."So much that I want to tell you. That I need to tell you." His mind was buzzing, shouting for attention as the still present deprecation on his self worth. There was that same voice in the back of his mind, telling him that this was not true, that there was no way that Arthur could accept him, that this was all just a cruel illusion concocted by his abused psyche.
"I've done things Arthur..." But before he could continue, he felt his brother's hands grasped his head gently and brought their foreheads together. Surprised and a little stunned, Merlin simply stared at the blond and was stunned at the openness of his gaze.
"We will have time to talk about them eventually." He heard Arthur utter gently but no less authoritative. "I have no doubts that your story will be long and difficult to go through, but know that I am with you until the end and just let me process whatever you tell me before coming to your own conclusions." With a final cares of his scared cheek Arthur simply let go and allowed him to process what he had just said.
He was breathless.
The simple string of words coming from his king did more to his inner self-doubt and hatred of himself than anything else he had tried before. He felt the warmth and overbearing affection his king felt for him and at that moment, he felt brave enough to tell him everything. But for now, at long last, he felt himself enough to indulge in one of his few pleasures. Hiding a smirk, Merlin simply threw his brother an annoyed and rumpled glare.
"In my defense, it has been a long time since I last saw you." Merlin stated matter of fact, seeing his king's eyes widened in response. Feeling years younger, the raven haired warlock simply leaned forward and gave him a concerned gaze. "Didn't remember how long it takes your brain to process something..." A second passed before Arthur could finally come to his senses and realize what was happening.
"Oi!" His king shouted in indignation as he quickly stood from the floor, pointing an accusing finger at the warlock. "Watch it you! You may be this powerful warlock of legends but I can still put you in the stocks!"
"You wouldn't dare!" Merlin stated cheekily as he shot upwards, ready to goad his brother even more. "If you do, I'll turn you into a donkey! I seem to recall how fond our Gwen was with that form..."
"Merlin?"
"Shut up?" Merlin replied innocently.
Arthur merely grinned at him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, bringing them closer together. "And the idiot guessed right!"
"...then, I am still your idiot?" At his meek question and eyes of wonderment, Merlin could only see understanding and love in Arthur's eyes. Almost immediately, he felt the hand that was on his shoulder shift higher as Arthur's hand ruffled his hair lovingly. The gesture only lasted for a second but when Merlin opened his eyes he saw a serene smile gracing the young monarch's face.
"For as long as I still remain your prat."
"Now!" Arthur exclaimed suddenly, breaking the small moment they were having as his hand once again found his hand on his shoulder as they walked towards the doors. "Let's meet the others! I'm sure they will be happy to talk to you. And you still have to tell us the story about your children! That girl of yours sure is a ball of energy let me tell you!" At the mention of his little Cariad*, Merlin's face morphed to that of an exasperated but proud father.
"Oh, you have no idea..." He mumbled together at the memories of the many escapades of his child, gesturing to his already graying hair. "Half of these white hairs aren't just from you, you know." Merlin saw Arthur giving his hair a brief inspection, slightly trying to hold in a laugh but simply deciding to shrug nonchalantly.
"Well, I didn't want to say anything but- "
However, before he could hear his brother's reply, the two of them heard a commotion quickly approaching outside the room. The two heard what appeared to be a group of shouting individuals walking in their direction but Merlin's face took on a concerned look.
"What is that?" Merlin asked in general, truly befuddled at the level of noise. "Nobody should be making such noise. It's almost curfew..." At this, he felt Arthur swirled around to stare at him in astonishment.
"You actually put a curfew here?" Merlin simply blinked a few times.
"I never understood the concept for it until I left Camelot." He began to explain as his hands made wild gestures. "Living here with so many people scurrying about at odd hours of the night tended to mess with what little sleep I got."
"What?" Arthur's gaze was beginning to be unnerving to him. "Arthur, I really needed to sleep!" A few more awkward seconds passed before Arthur could give a coherent answer.
"I don't know if that's abuse of power or just plain laziness..."
Before he could utter a witty rebuttal, as Arthur opened the doors, they were faced with a group consisting of three flustered knights, one frazzled and irked queen and two pint sized navigators; one of which was hanging from Percival's neck.
"My King!" He heard Leon and Elyan exclaim in relief as Guinevere walked around them faster to get to them first. His queen simply stared at them with a look of apprehension and apology.
"Sorry Arthur, I tried to keep them away but they just got around me."
"Don't you worry Queen Gwen!" he heard his daughter shout from atop Percival as her face was scrounged up in deep concentration as her minute hands tried what seemed to be a way to stop him from walking. "I almost have him subdue!" Merlin almost face faulted when he heard the dignified tone on his oldest and was about to intervene until he saw her brother walk towards her with a look of exasperation on his face.
"Sister, please get off the knight before you hurt yourself…" Hearing this, he saw her shooting him a look of surprise and betrayal.
"But our queen has given us a task!" She exclaimed as she tried once more to drag the giant of a knight down to the floor. "I cannot fail!" Barely contained laughter could be heard from the rest as Merlin could see the fond looks in all their faces; the warlock knew that Percival didn't mind his little Cariad hanging from his neck, in fact, he seemed to be taking it all in stride and Merlin clearly saw the protective glint in his eyes as he gaze at the wiggling form upon his back.
"Don't worry. It's OK." He heard Arthur address everyone as he rubbed his wife's shoulders as comfort. "We were just discussing the tyrannical ruling of Merlin over his people." At this, Merlin could clearly see how the group suddenly stilled and stared at him with worry and concern. He knew he had hurt them deeply by acknowledging them with such a cold and unfeeling look before but he knew now what he could do to assure them that everything would be back to normal.
"I have done no such thing!" Merlin exclaimed in shock at his brother while crossing his arms in annoyance. "What's wrong with me getting a little extra sleep?" From the corner of his eye, Merlin saw the immediate effect this gave to the others. Their frames immediately losing the tension and their eyes were beginning to smile brightly once more.
"Well, at least you're warning them." Arthur continued. "I would've suggested a sign saying 'BEWARE: Merlin sleeping' but the curfew is good too." This for some reason, stopped him mid thought and he turned around to give him a confused glare.
"What are you talking about?!" Before Arthur could ever consider talking, he heard Percival answer for him.
"Merlin, you do get a bit cranky when we try wake you." Merlin simply blinked with doe eyes trying to remember an instant where he could be like that. When it look as if he would never find one, he found Elyan stepping in to the conversation, a giant grin plaster on his face.
"I still remember when you gave Gwaine that shiner when we were out hunting!" Merlin felt his face blush at the memory but his all seeing eyes saw that the comment created a shift in the mood.
"Hey, where is Gwaine?" Merlin asked suddenly remembering he had yet to hear form the boisterous knight. "I don't think I saw him with you guys when you came in." Silence answer him as the groups eyes lowered to the floor almost as if grieving, his children staring at the grownups in confusion.
"Is he with another group behind?" Merlin insisted, trying, praying that it was true. But when his eyes met those of his king, he knew that it was just a false hope.
"Merlin..." He heard his king's solemn voice ring in the hall. "Gwaine stayed behind fighting Mordred to give us a chance to escape." Blue eyes that had seemed to have aged in the span of two seconds.
"He told us to find Gaius and find you..." Merlin's eyes widened at this and remembered the last time he ever saw the knight. Gwaine had promised him to protect their family and as such, he had done so spectacularly. But the others thought that he was dead? Impossible, Merlin had a connection to all of them and he would've felt if the knight had perished before.
"When was this?" He asked, his voice falling low and calm but in the inside he could feel the anger his magic wished to act upon. He could see the others jump up at his change of emotion but Gwen stepped forward to answer.
"It will be about two weeks from today..."
"Why didn't you tell me this before?!" He found himself growling as he directed his eyes at his brother. "I have to go and get him!" But as he began to turn away, he felt Arthur's hand grab a hold of his arm, stopping him mid-step.
"But it's too late now." Arthur tried to explain. "My sister would've made sure to execute him as an example-"
"No. it isn't." Merlin felt Arthur's whole frame stiffen at this and his eyes began to show the first treads of hope. Shaking his hand off his bicep as gentle as he could, Merlin simply shot him a serious but amused gaze. "Really Arthur. After all these years I would've thought you'd know how your sister operates by now." Seeing only confusion and concern but none of the recognition he expected, Merlin withheld an annoyed sigh. It had been only a few minutes since his reveal. Had he already forgotten what he could do?
"I would've known if he was dead." He found himself stating in a quiet and reassuring tone, using two fingers to tap him on his chest were his heart was. He leaned forward and gave him and imperceptible nod before bumping the tip of his nose with a finger. "I've always kept my eyes on all of you."
Seeing the grin beginning to spread on his king face and the utter confusion in the others made his heart skip a beat. He was finally going to use magic in front of his family. He admits that he would've preferred for the circumstances to be different but he wasn't going to complain when Gwaine was waiting for him. Off to his side, he saw his son approaching his with a familiar bundle of clothes.
"Here father," He heard Fyrsil state in the all too familiar knowing voice as he handed him his navy cloak. "I had a feeling you were going to need this tonight..." Merlin felt his eyes softened and took the cloak from him, quickly wrapping the fabric around himself. Once that was done, Merlin gave his son a thankful smile and a quick ruffled of his hair.
"Now!" He exclaimed at the others as he unsheathed his sword from his scabbard. "Morgana should be sleeping at this time so he will probably be in the dungeon-" But before he could get to a safe distance from them for what he was planing on doing, he heard Arthur exclaim his bewilderment at what he was doing.
"What's a sword going to do for you? Why don't you -" Honestly, it seemed as if his king was asking all the obvious questions to stall him.
"Prat, did you really think I carried a sword because I finally learned to use it?" As he said this, Merlin twisted the sword as to hold it inverted and sent a small wave of magic to activate the glamor he put on said 'sword'. As soon as he did this, he saw the astonishment on their faces as they witness his sword transform into his true instrument. Long and sharp metal gave way to lean and polished wood, the staff lengthening until its true from was revealed. The same old Sidhe Staff he had gain all those years ago and which had followed his commands without question was the one he now held so benevolently. Giving the staff a brief loving look, Merlin then shifted his eyes to his king and waved the staff with a mischievous look. "I think I'll leave the stick waving for you lot, thank you very much."
To his defense, Merlin saw that his brother was the first one to snap out of his shock and looked at him with a look of mixed amusement and admiration. But as soon as it appeared, Merlin saw his blue eyes suddenly shift into those he recognized as his official mask. Arthur then, stepped closer to place a comforting hand on his shoulders and gaze at him with complete and utter trust.
"Stay safe then." He heard him declare as his eyes softened ever so slightly. "And bring him back." His first mission. Merlin could feel his heart swelling up with pride at the fact that his king and brother had decided to finally trust him. But before he could show any more emotion than what he had done, Merlin took a step back and briefly bowed to his king.
"Yes sire." As he straightened up, he couldn't help but shoot the group a cheeky grin and a mischievous wink before stomping his staff on the ground, feeling his eyes glow the familiar golden hue before fading inside a blue and gold vortex. Silence reigned in the hall as the group could only stare at the spot where their friend was a minute ago.
"Did everyone see Merlin use magic just now?" Elyan's voice broke through the glass of tension amongst them, his eyes never leaving the spot. Percival seemed to be the next one to snap out of his trance and answered him.
"Yes..."
"Good." Elyan exclaimed as he struggled to swallow. "Then I'm not crazy."
"Arthur?" Hearing his wife's trembling voice, Arthur blinked briefly and turned to stare at her. What he saw was the same astonished and perplexed gaze when he first found out Merlin's secret. His eyes softened, knowing that while his brother was out he would have to assure the others that everything would be fine. Arthur stepped forward to take Gwen's slightly shaking hands and stare at her in assuagement.
"Come on." He uttered softly as he felt the groups eyes gazing intently upon his frame. "We'll eat our supper while we wait for them. Merlin will take care of our missing brother..."
"But, Merlin..." It was Leon's voice, echoing with a mixture of betrayal and self-doubt. Arthur knew that the man had to be tearing himself apart trying to come to terms of what he just saw. "My lord, he-"
"Is risking his life to get Gwaine back to us." The young king replied calmly as he heard the others gasp in disbelieve at how well he was taking this. He assumed they were expecting him to start screaming or fighting but in their defense, that is exactly how he would've reacted before. "I'll explain what I know at the dining hall. If I remember correctly, the twins are preparing our meal are they not?" As he said this, his eyes fell on the twins smiling faces as the small pair seemed to realize what the king was doing and wanted to be done.
"Yes we are…" "Let's go everyone!" Immediately falling into their role, both twins shot into action, Tarian taking the hand of her giant foe, pulling in a calmer manner than she would usually pull. And Fyrsil took the task of gently guiding the still somewhat stoic knights towards the dining hall.
As the king saw his men being led away by the two miniature grownups, he then gave his wife an encouraging look as he threw a pointed look where the group was walking. He could see the intense gaze her molten chocolate eyes morphed into and he patiently waited until she could see for herself what was happening in his mind; for some odd reason, he began to stop being surprised in her ability to do so years ago. Minutes passed before something in her eyes shifted, mocha bark slowly showing the love and elation at what she could see in his eyes. Smiling widely in return, he hooked his arm in hers and they both began to follow the others to the dining hall. Deep inside of him, he knew she must've figure it out; that he didn't care that Merlin had magic, and that he completely supported and acknowledge his brother's power.
Now, all that was left was to wait for his brother's return, praying that both he and Gwaine would come back in one piece.
Me: *trying to hold back the giggles* Yes Merlin... Because there is NO way that you or, let's say, future generation of wizards would EVER wave pointy sticks in a fight... *giggles* NOPE!
See what I did there? Subtle Harry Potter homage! :D *feels like a hipster*
*AND JUST SO YOU KNOW! Cariad is a Welsh term of endearment for a female child! MERLIN HERE REFERS TO HER AS HIS LITTLE LOVE! I HOPE YOU GUYS ARE READING THIS OR ELSE I MIGHT LOOK SLIGHTLY DERANGE TYPING ALL OF THIS IN CAPS!
Arthur: *eyebrow raised* But don't you always use caps in your notes?
Me: *glares* quiet you…
Me: *grins* And did you see what I did there with Arthur ruffling his hair? Because let's be honest. If you watch the show carefully, you can see that all the times Arthur shows his true feelings for Merlin, there's always hair ruffling in the end! It's like their THING! Arthur does this to show Merlin and everyone whom his little brother is!
Arthur: *grins and ruffles Merlin's hair* Weeeeell! He IS my little brother! *ruffles some more*
Merlin: *grumbling while slapping his hands at Arthur* Stop it you prat!
Me: *evil gleam while staring at the boys hungrily* *the boys stop* My my, it would've been so easy to write this as slash, don't you think boys?!
Arthur&Merlin: *Looking at each other nervously*
Me: *smile gets bigger* Just a few more verbs, a few less adjectives... *giggles*
Arthur&Merlin: *immediately step away from each other*
Me: *grinning like a loon* A lot of heavy petting and kissing...
Arthur: *frantic* RUN MERLIN! SHE'S BECOMING ONE OF THEM!
Arthur&Merlin: *runs away*
Me: *still grinning* Oh yes! I do believe my mind is finally adapting to the point of being able to write slash!
Mob: *silence*
Me: *grins and turns around* *grin falters at the silence* What? What did I say?
Me: Anyway! Until next time!