The last thing he saw before everything disappeared was Merlin's face, terrified, worried and his eyes blazing with magic. 'Merlin has magic.' Arthur wasn't sure if he should be angry, betrayed, or relived. Merlin had magic, and he wasn't evil. Magic doesn't corrupt. Arthur doubted all magic corrupted, magic helped him when he went to retrieve the flower to cure Merlin of the poison. That was the first encounter that made Arthur doubt all magic was evil or corrupting. Merlin had magic, meaning it was him that caused that wind back in Ealdor, not Will. The royal remembered what he said to Merlin after Will pyre, how he remembered that before the battle was Merlin trying to tell Arthur something. Was he going to tell Arthur about his magic? Did what Arthur say after Will's death discourage Merlin from confessing? The questing beast and how Arthur recovered, had that been Merlin's doing? Arthur went over every minor detail of all that has happened since Merlin came into his life, realizing Merlin must have had a hand, all for Arthur. It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, he was wide awake in realizing what this meant. Merlin had magic, Merlin…
"Arthur." Came a distant voice. "Arthur."
Merlin.
Merlin was calling his name. Merlin who had magic.
"Arthur please." Arthur felt his conciseness return to his body. He felt the soreness of his muscles, the splitting headache, the pain of the attack. He struggled to open his eyes.
"Arthur." Came Merlin's voice, no longer distant. Arthur released a groan signaling to the other that he was awake as he finally managed to open his eyes. Everything was at first blurry but he could clearly see the blur shaped that had to be Merlin, with dark raven hair on top of the person's head and with Merlin's sigh of relief being heard. "Arthur, are you alright?"
Arthur's vision cleared and was able to take in the details of Merlin's face. There was visible relief, coupled with some slight worry, his eyes sparkled with the relief of Arthur not being dead but it also held, reservation and fear. Why would Merlin….
Merlin had magic, had used magic in front of Arthur when Arthur succumbed to the attack.
Realization smashed like waves against a rocky shore, Arthur despite just having been attacked, attacked with magic, needed to assure Merlin it was all right, that he wasn't mad, that while he was out cold, he came to terms with it.
"Merlin,"
"I can't help it Arthur I was born with it, you can ask my mother." Rushed out Merlin as the hesitation turned to panic and the fear became more prominent. Arthur stored the info the Merlin was born with magic away. Strengthening his thinking, that magic may not actually corrupt.
"Merlin, it's all right." Assured Arthur. "I'm not mad." Merlin looked shocked but happy, alleviated as Arthur spoke. "I won't lie at first, as I was in the darkness, I was shocked and angered, but I went back to everything that has happened since you became my servant. I recalled the gush of wind that helped defeat the clay beast, the wind at the battle of Ealdor, limbs falling on opponents head, the snakes being revealed as I battled Valiant, my miraculous recovery from the wounds of the questing beast, how lady Catrina was revealed to be a troll,"
"That wasn't because of me using magic." Interrupted Merlin.
"Merlin, shut up." Mock Glare Arthur. "My point is as I remembered all those details I realized that if you had aided with Magic, then your actions were not of evil intent, they were done to help others, to protect Camelot, to save me." Arthur said, saying that last bit quietly. Merlin still heard him it seems as he gave Arthur an eased smile.
"Of course, I did, all have focused my magic on is to protect you. Be it from magical opponents with vile intent or from the great dragon,"
"I knew something was fishy about that, after the adrenaline faded and I was back at my chamber I realized there was no body, no,"
"Now who is interrupting, Prat." Pointed out Merlin grinning.
"You can't talk to me like that, idiot." Smirked Arthur.
"Your right, Royal prat." Returned Merlin the familiar banter coming so easy even though Arthur had learned one of Merlin's biggest secrets.
"How'd you do it?" asked Arthur.
"When Balinor was hiding in Ealdor he fell in love with my mother. Arthur he was my father, when he passed I became a dragon lord." Sighed Merlin.
"That was why….Merlin, when did you learn about him?"
"Gaius told me when we were getting ready to go look for him. He said I shouldn't tell you."
"Who would have guessed," exhaled Arthur, "that the clumsy, idiot of a manservant is actually a Dragon Lord, or is it the last Dragonlord?"
"Arthur there is more so much more, but I'll tell you later. For right now we should get you to Gaius so he can check you over. I was able to deflect most of the spell but I couldn't shield you fast enough, I was caught off guard."
"Merlin I feel fine, normal." Shrugged off Arthur.
"Arthur we don't know what the spell could have done."
"You said you deflected it."
"I said most of it but not all of it." Exclaimed Merlin. Arthur noticed a fly buzzing to the right of him. A long pink tongue shot out snagging the fly returning back to the source with it. Merlin looked at Arthur with wide eyes as what just happened dawned on Arthur. It was his tongue that shot out like a frog and snatched a fly, he swallowed a bug. Arthur's hands flew over his mouth to prevent a repeat performance. "I think the goal was to turn you into a frog." Noted Merlin nibbling on his lower lip as he thought about what needed to be done to fix Arthur.
"You think?!" asked an incredulous Arthur as he drew his hands away from his mouth, while he eyed Merlin's lips. Arthur's tongue shot out again landing smack dab on Merlin's mouth and Arthur so surprised by this was pulled forward by the amphibian tongue and his mouth collided with Merlin's. Both Men's eyes widened at what happened, but Arthur became lost of the sensation of his mouth against Merlin's and he moved his lips against his servant's as his arms laced around Merlin's neck. Merlin seemed to like Arthur's plan as on hand gripped the back of Arthur's head pulling him closer with his other hand wrapped around Arthur's hip. Their lips pushed against one another as the two men lost themselves in kiss one another.
Two sides of the same coin