AN: No, I have not magically become the owner of Merlin since I last posted.
Here's the chapter you've all been waiting for: Arthur confronts Merlin! I hope I did it justice. Anyway, for those of you who want some Merlin whump, that will most likely happen in the next chapter.
Also, to saurora92, you're right, I realized right after I posted the first chapter that arresting Agravaine wouldn't be good for the plot, so I had Arthur change his mind about that. Thanks for the review!
Merlin woke to Gaius telling him to get up, as always. But he was so exhausted, and his bed was so comfy. He told himself he'd rest for just a few more minutes and rolled over.
Then the memory of the previous night surfaced and he sat bolt upright in bed. Practically leaping up, he grabbed his clothes and sloppily forced them on. He wasn't looking forward to this conversation with Arthur, but he figured it would be a better one if Arthur was not grumpy at him for being late.
Gaius raised an eyebrow as Merlin rushed out of his room and began wolfing down his breakfast.
"Slow down, Merlin. What's your hurry?"
"I'll explain later, right now I need to see Arthur."
The king was awake and waiting for his servant when Merlin entered his chambers, looking nervous.
"Sit down, Merlin," Arthur said in a pleasant voice that masked his mood.
Merlin sat.
"I assume you overheard the same conversation I did last night?"
Merlin thought about making a cheeky reply but decided against it after seeing Arthur's face.
"Yes."
Arthur simply stared at him, making Merlin uncomfortable.
"What?" he blurted when Arthur showed no sign of speaking up.
"What? What? I'm waiting for an explanation, Merlin, is what!" Arthur spat. "Is it true what Agravaine said? What Morgana said?"
"Which bit?"
Arthur glared.
"All of it! Any of it!"
Merlin sighed, and he looked weary, a sight unfamiliar to Arthur.
"Yes, all of it is true."
Arthur's hands were clenched painfully on the edges of his desk. He hadn't thought that Morgana was lying, but hearing Merlin's confession made it worse. It was confirmation that Merlin had suffered while trying to protect him. It was a strange concept, Merlin protecting him. It was supposed to be the other way around.
"And...you never felt the need to tell me any of this?"
Merlin winced. "It never came up," he said in a feeble attempt at a casual tone.
Arthur closed his eyes. "Just...how many times, exactly, have you almost died...because of me?" He forced the words out, even though he wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer.
Merlin shrugged uncomfortably. "I don't exactly keep a tally."
There was silence for a moment as Arthur thought about what to say next, but before he could say something, Merlin spoke.
"What are you going to do with Agravaine?"
Arthur really didn't want to think about his uncle right now. The night before, his first instinct was to throw the traitor in the dungeons and let him rot there for speaking so callously about murdering Merlin. But after thinking it over, he'd decided that wasn't the best course of action.
"I'm not going to do anything yet. Having him not knowing that we know can work in our favor - we can feed him false information if necessary."
Merlin nodded. "The longer he stays oblivious, the better."
Arthur flinched at the word 'oblivious', seeing as how, up until last night, that word had described him - at least where Merlin was concerned. But he pushed it aside, he needed to make something clear to his servant.
"You will not be getting involved with this anymore, Merlin. This is between me and Agravaine."
Merlin scoffed. "Yeah, I bet he'll just leave me in peace now. Listen, Morgana holds a grudge, and she won't believe Agravaine if he tells her I mysteriously start turning a blind eye. She wants to kill me, and nothing will change that."
Arthur had felt like he'd been growing colder with each word, and when Merlin proclaimed that a sorceress was targeting him without batting an eye, his insides seemed to have frozen over. He'd always called Merlin a coward, but secretly thought that Merlin was as brave as any knight. But sometimes, he wished his servant would throw away his bravery for once and save his own skin.
"Besides," Merlin continued, shaking Arthur out of his thoughts, "Agravaine already knows I'm onto him. He might get suspicious if anyone else starts following him."
Arthur didn't like it, but he knew Merlin was right.
"All right," he relented, "but I'll be keeping a close eye on both of you," he said firmly. "And I want you tell me if he tries anything. No more keeping things from me alright, Merlin?"
"Right," Merlin agreed hurriedly.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. A messenger entered.
"Sire, your presence is required at a council meeting," the messenger said in a toneless voice.
Arthur sighed. "Very well. Tell them I will be there shortly."
He turned back to Merlin.
"When I get back, I expect a detailed report of everything you have neglected to tell me," he said, though not angrily.
Merlin nodded, still looking warily at him.
"I'm not angry with you, Merlin," Arthur said softly. I'm angry with myself.
He started to leave his chambers, but turned before exiting. Merlin was still sitting in the same spot, apparently not having moved.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Arthur said briskly, wanting to break some of the tense atmosphere. "This place is a mess! It had better be clean by the time I get back!"
And with that, he left his chambers, mentally gearing up for the battle to stay awake that was surely to come at the council meeting.