My contribution to our 11th drabble challenge: "A Beautiful Character"
Category: Gen (Canon)
Characters/Pairings: Merlin, Lancelot
Rating/Warnings: K
Word Count: 272
Author's Note: Lancelot has been my favorite character since the end of Series 4, but Merlin is the overall reason why I've loved this show from Series 1. This is a tribute to them both, and the beautiful friendship they share.
"You know, Merlin, you're the one Arthur should knight. You're the bravest of us all and he doesn't even know it."
Lancelot's words had been filled with respect and sincerity, finding their way into a place that had lain hollow inside Merlin's heart for as long as he could remember. They'd wrapped around him like a heavy fur on a frigid winter night, evoking feelings of warmth, comfort and security.
Under the circumstances, it was strange to feel so deeply reassured, but as Merlin listened to his friend's slow, even breathing in the darkness, he could no longer find it in himself to be afraid. It ceased to matter that they were just a few short hours away from facing an immortal army, with only the smallest hope of survival. No, all other emotion seemed insignificant compared with the recognition he'd seen in Lancelot's gentle brown eyes.
I might die tomorrow, he thought to himself. But if I do, it'll be beside a friend who understood who I really was inside and still loved me despite all my flaws. I'll die knowing there was one person who knew the truth behind my secrets, saw through all my defenses, and never thought any less of me for the things I kept hidden from the world. I'll know I had a friend with a generous heart, who always recognized the value in others, even if he was far too humble to see it in himself.
Merlin closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, never knowing that the man lying beside him was thinking something quite similar in that moment.