Here were are, folks! This is it! The last chapter! (It's kind of sad this is the end, but it had to happen some day…)
Enjoy!
Chapter 7
Of course the second they arrived in the castle's courtyard, Arthur was through the door before Merlin even had the time to properly dismount. He should have expected it, really. If Arthur had waited months to even broach the subject of magic, how long would it take with— That. Feelings. Not Arthur's best subject.
Besides, Merlin could have majorly misinterpreted what had happened in the clearing. He'd had the whole walk back to their horses and then the ride home to go over Arthur's words and expressions. And while in the moment he'd been so sure he knew Arthur's heart, the more he thought about it, the less likely it seemed.
Arthur, enamoured with Merlin? How ridiculous would that be? Merlin never would be so lucky. He was a walking disaster. Things never went well for him. Ergo, while he couldn't let this lie, he also should approach with caution. He didn't need to make a fool of himself by making unrealistic assumptions.
So he decided to give Arthur a couple of hours of peace. Or rather, Merlin stalked the king the whole time – still completely, magiclessly visible – and whenever an occasion to make himself known arose, he took the coward's way out. Until Gaius noticed him lurking around the throne room and confronted him with a, "What are you doing, my boy?"
"Gaius!" Well, now that he had the opportunity to ask Gaius some questions, he should take it, shouldn't he? Arthur could definitely wait. Until tomorrow, even.
The eyebrow rose. "If you are looking for Arthur—"
"Oh, no, no, I'm not!" Merlin added some hand waving to really drive the point home.
"Truly?"
It didn't work. Gaius couldn't sound or look more sceptical. Time for a distraction.
"Say, Gaius, I was wondering if you could help me figure something out. You see, I've been wondering how Arthur found out about my magic, since I definitely didn't do any magic that Arthur could have seen in the days prior to, you know, that day. Would you happen to have any idea?"
"Oh, how would I know, my boy? Perhaps you should ask Arthur."
"Mmh. I did that already."
Merlin had to give it to him, Gaius really had a way to look impassive and innocent in any situation.
"Oh, and I was wondering something else, Gaius. Apparently Arthur knows I'm Emrys! For the life of me I can't imagine who would have been able to tell him that! Do you know if he saw any Druids recently?"
"Perhaps he did. You will have to ask him. I don't know who the king meets. I'm just a physician, my boy."
"Is that really the story you are going to go with?"
Two eyebrows were up now. "Merlin, I really don't know what you—"
"I mean, if you are going to lie, why not make it a little bit more fanciful? Why not say he saw it in a dream, or Kilgharrah came to tell him or something?" Gaius' face stayed frozen in its innocent impassiveness a little bit too strongly. Oh. Oh. "Did Arthur make you promise not to tell? He told me about everything already. Knowing for months I had magic and talking with you about it."
Gaius visibly deflated, and his eyebrows lowered with relief. "Thank the gods! I am not sure I could have watched both of you beat around the bush for much longer. Especially with that farce of a book…"
Merlin snorted. "Tell me about it. I will so make him pay for that."
"It seems you two have talked, then. Has Arthur finally offered you that promotion?"
"Yes, apparently I'm Court Warlock now."
The eyebrows jerked up and down. "That is not the promotion I was thinking of."
"Wait. Do you know what the mystery promotion is that Arthur doesn't want to tell me about?"
Given the twinkle that just appeared in Gaius' eyes, yes he did, and no he wouldn't tell Merlin, ever.
"That is something Arthur should tell you himself. Good luck, my boy!" Gaius said then, and left with a wave and an energetic old man's shuffle.
Merlin stared after him. Right. Well, time to actually go find Arthur, then.
OOOoooOOO
Merlin worried his neckerchief as he stood in front of the door to Arthur's rooms. Arthur was inside, his magic had informed him five minutes ago. He just hadn't plucked up the courage to knock.
Two guards on patrol nodded at Merlin as they passed. If anyone else was dithering in front of the king's rooms they might have asked what they were up to, but as the king's manservant – correction, ex-manservant, Court Warlock – Merlin was almost considered the second resident of this area of the castle.
Before he could start doubting himself again, Merlin knocked. "Just a moment," was the muffled answer from the other side, followed by booted footsteps. Merlin's heart pounded in his ears. The key turned. More footsteps, fading. The door didn't open.
It took Merlin a good few seconds to realise Arthur had just locked the door on him – that utter boor! Especially after pretending like he was coming to open the door, instead of barking his usual 'go away'. Somehow this felt even more rude. And Arthur wouldn't even know who was on the other side of the door – this was ridiculous!
Ergo, Merlin ignored Arthur's obvious 'go away' signals and magicked the door open. He strode in, the door closed with a magical bang behind him, and he waited, arms crossed.
Arthur didn't even look up from the parchment he was reading. "It's not because you can do that that you should intrude upon your king as you please. I locked that door for a reason, didn't I?"
"And would that reason be to avoid me? Sire."
Arthur looked up from his parchment. He still didn't look anywhere near Merlin, though. The dying flames in the hearth seemed to be the focus of his attention now. "Not at all. I'm not avoiding you."
"I see."
"I'm avoiding a conversation with you. So if you're just here to sit around silently, then by all means, stay." Arthur vaguely gestured at one side of his room – the one that didn't even contain anything to sit on. "Otherwise…" His shooing motion was at least vaguely pointed at the door. Or at Merlin in front of said door.
"When in the history of ever has that worked?"
Arthur finally looked his way, a smirk touching his lips. "There's a first time for everything. For instance, I'm sure that one day you'll manage to actually shut up."
"Prat," Merlin threw his way as he always did during their bickering.
Arthur looked like he was about to answer… Until his mouth closed audibly and he looked away, as far as his neck would go, to focus his gaze on the wall. It was only when his ears turned very red that Merlin remembered what happened the last time he'd said that word.
'I love you too' echoed in Merlin's mind, in just the way Arthur said it in the forest, and the rooms felt much too hot all of a sudden.
Argh, this was preposterous! Why did they need to go from one awkward situation to another? First magic, then the mystery promotion, and now l—. Lo—. Well, you know, heartfelt affection.
How about they settled the less awkward and less risky issue first?
"What's the promotion you'd intended to offer me?"
"Court Warlock," Arthur told the wall.
"Not that one. The other one. The one you mentioned in the forest, and the one Gaius mentioned ten minutes ago."
That got Arthur's attention, all right! His chair scraped the floor as he hastily stood up. "What did Gaius tell you?"
Interesting overreaction. This must really be something quite embarrassing, otherwise Arthur wouldn't be repressing his panic so badly, master of impassibility that he was.
"Hmm, what was it again? He blathered on and on so much, I can't quite remember…"
"Merlin!"
"I think I won't tell you what he said."
They stared at each other, and Merlin did his best to seem not at all desperate to know what secret promotion Arthur – and Gaius and who knew who else – was hiding from him was. Arthur's sky-blues were assessing his smallest facial movements, no doubt about it. It took a good moment, but then Arthur's little frown of concentration cleared. That wasn't a good sign.
"Gaius didn't tell you anything."
"Damn it!" Arthur knew him too well. "No, he didn't, because he said you should be the one to tell me." Merlin stepped up close so that Arthur couldn't so easily escape this conversation like he did so many others. "Arthur, what is it that you have to tell me?"
Now Merlin had a front-row view of the reddening of Arthurs cheeks as well as his ears. "I told you in the forest."
"No, you didn't! That's why we're talking about it now!"
"I told you in the forest," Arthur repeated with more force, and Merlin frowned.
He went over the conversation in his mind, but he was certain Arthur never mentioned anything that sounded like a promotion, apart from Court Warlock.
Merlin ogled his king, hoping for more clues, but Arthur stayed silent. Arthur also wasn't looking him in the eye once again, choosing to look down this time to evade Merlin's gaze. Seriously, how embarrassing must that promotion have been if Arthur of all people got all shy about it—
Wait, was it Merlin or was Arthur looking at his lips?
There were two thing Arthur had said in the forest that he got all flustered about. The promotion, and his… slip of the tongue. (No, not tongue, don't think about tongues right now, Merlin. Get a grip!)
What if those two instances were linked? Promotion plus heartfelt affection equals…
Merlin gasped and took an involuntary step back. Arthur's face instantly shuttered, and that was a bad sign, a sign of regression in their relation once again, so Merlin closed the space between them once more and gripped Arthur's shirt before he could think of fleeing.
"Tell me what the promotion is," Merlin said.
"No," Arthur said, that stubborn frown on his lips.
"I didn't agree to being Court Warlock, and really, I'm not sure I like it that much. I really, really want to hear what the other… proposal is."
Arthur finally looked him in the eye, searching for something. Merlin simply gave him an eyebrow à la Gaius.
"Merlin. I—"
Arthur stopped short, face as crimson as the Pendragon banner hanging on the back wall.
"I—" he tried again.
Merlin rolled his eyes. And this was supposed to be the brave and mighty King of Camelot?
"I would like to… propose… uhm…"
"Yes, my king?" Merlin prompted when the silence stretched.
"The promotion of Prince Consort?"
Merlin kept his face tightly in check despite his urge to grin like a loon – he'd guessed it correctly! "Mmmh. I don't know. I'll have to think about it."
Arthur's face froze in an attempt not to show his disappointment, but he failed quite spectacularly. Merlin could feel Arthur's urge to step away, so he quickly added, "I mean, as a manservant you were already quite the handful – just imagining you as a husband…"
The sharp inhale meant Arthur had caught on. "Merliiiin!" he whined.
Merlin shut him up with the most effective method known to man. Not magic, not a hand, but his lips firmly pressed against Arthur's.
When Merlin pulled away Arthur's eyes were tracing his face, stuck between disbelief and wonder. Merlin repressed his urge to roll his eyes or start laughing uncontrollably. Who would have guessed? Arthur finding out about his magic was actually the best thing to ever happen to him.
Merlin put his thickheaded king out of his misery.
"That means yes, Arthur. I love you too and I accept your proposal."
Arthur's face split in two. He looked ready to spout some ridiculous romantic drivel, as nobles were wont to do, so Merlin did the only sane thing he could think of. He captured Arthur's lips again and smiled into the kiss.
May the golden age of Albion begin!
Well, here end the laughs and the fluff for this little story! I had a lot of fun writing in this fandom, so I hope to find my muse and write some more Merthur one of these days!
If you liked the story, please let me know. It warms my heart every time to hear from you all!
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