Arthur died the moment he saw Merlin's body crumple to the ground and remained still.dromant.
or at least, part of him. The part that made Arthur the man and King he is today, the compassionate, calm and forgiving part. The part that Merlin praised the most and constantly encouraged to become better. A better king and most importantly a better man and friend, so one day he would unit all of Albion together as Merlin always liked to imagine was his rightful place.
The part that mattered.
It disappeared. vanished on a whim.
And what was left of him?
The anguished part of Arthur that never got used to the feeling of not doing enough. the numbness that came after realizing he lost another loved one. the weight of regret and What ifs that would attack his mind relentlessly and hunt him. What if he was faster? What if he made a different choice? What if he could have convinced the sorcerer to take him instead? What if he wasn't his father's son and brought magic back again? Had he been a wiser King, would that have made a difference? A better outcome perhaps?
Would that have stopped his enemies from depriving him of everything he cherished?
There was also rage. He was furious beyond reason.
The rage spread like a plague, a constant pressure in his chest, a boiling heat searing his skin like a wildfire with no escape, burning through his veins with intensity and promising hell to anyone that stood in his way to rescue Merlin.
For instance, his uncle Agravaine.
"My Lord, while I have no doubt that the servant Merlin was loyal to you and is an invaluable companion to your person," there was a mocking edge to Agravaine's tone that had Arthur's fists clench tightly under the table. the meaning hidden beneath the buttery words was picked so carefully so that only Arthur could understand what his Uncle really thought about his closeness to Merlin,
"While I'm aware of all of this, I can't help but feel grateful that the sorcerer only attacked the servant and not anyone of the council or the Knights , It is indeed a minor sacrifice for the greater good. We must -"
"Enough." Arthur's voice was steady,almost serene, but that calm composure made everyone around the table flinch because it carried the weight of his restrained rage, unfortunately his Uncle did not heed the quiet warning.
"Your Majesty, I understand that you are in mourning, but as I previously said -"
"SILENCE AGRAVAINE!" Arthur slammed his hands on the table so hard that all the goblets tobbled to the ground, the voice of it falling kept echoing for a few long seconds, while everyone else remained stockstill, scarcely breathing and dreading the next words that will come out of the King's mouth.
"Shut your mouth, or you will be silenced." He retracted his fake composure and looked straight into the widening eyes of Agravaine.
"Utter one more word about Merlin and you will be dragged to the dungeons, Interfere with the Knights' rotations to go looking for the druids again and it will be your exile, Insult Merlin again and I will personally run you through. you have my words on this Uncle."
He turned his face to look straight at the doors of the throne room, locking his fingers together and resting his hands on the table, his uncle's tongue seemed to melt in his mouth as he didn't hear any reply forthcoming, so he encouraged one from him.
"Is that clear?"
Agravaine seemed to sputter for a minute and looked to all the people that sat around the table , searching for someone to speak for him , the ones who shared his Uncle's malice and disdain about Merlin perhaps, but every other member except for his Knights was keeping their eyes down and mouth clamped shut,not daring to do anything lest they be the next target of Arthur's wrath.
Agravaine finally realized he was on his own and gulped, feeling in denial that that was the same foolish nephew of his that always clinged to every word he said and respected him even more than Gaius sometimes.
"Yes Sire" he wheezed weakly.
"Good. Now where were we?" Arthur continued like nothing happened, but even though he knew that he has crossed all boundaries and is using his title to his advantage, he felt neither remorse nor satisfaction from his actions.
Oh how disappointed would Merlin be in him now. He thought. He was being the arrogant condescending noble, the version that Merlin hated the most of him. Would Merlin be horrified to see Arthur treating the people around him like this just because they insulted Merlin? or Would he tease Arthur that he did care about his manservant afterall? There is one way to know..But it's alright, if Merlin thought he was acting like a complete prat with no manners , he should come and berate him for it himself.