In a blink there’s a mace in his hands and Merlin is stood before him, young confused and flinching away.
Arthur freezes, frowns, and then lowers the mace while giving Merlin a confused look. “Merlin,” he says slowly, a warning in his tone that an explanation better be imminent.
But the Merlin standing before him frowns, not least of all at the familiarity in Arthur’s tone but over the fact that Arthur is no longer trying to squash him like a bug with the mace he’s wielding. Arthur looks around. He takes a good long look around him and sighs.
This might be his own fault, but either way…
He grabs Merlin by the arm, ignores the way he starts to immediately squirm to get free and, ignoring everyone in the town around them, marches Merlin to the only place he knows is safe right now - Gaius’ chambers. Merlin complains the whole way but he does so in the same blithe manner he’d done before he knew Arthur and really had things to complain about (Arthur can be self-aware when the occasion calls for it).
Gaius rises when Arthur marches Merlin inside and offers a hesitant, “Sire?”
Arthur makes sure to shut the door before he finally lets go of Merlin. “I’m willing to accept this may partially have been my fault,” Arthur says, which is a very big concession and he’s annoyed that this is happening where - when? - no one is around to acknowledge it. “But Merlin, please tell me you can reverse this?”
Arthur pinches the bridge of his nose and takes a moment to breathe. “This morning,” he says slowly, like he’s talking to an idiot (he is - at least right now), “I made the mistake of remarking that I wondered what my life would be like if I’d known about your magic from the beginning.”
Merlin makes a choked sound but Arthur isn’t done.
“And now I find myself at the beginning of our relationship. Care to explain?”
Merlin, Arthur could tell, did not.
gummygunk
origamiaround
ellievsbear
jbbartram-illu
theartofmadeline
annaxmalina
yousharknotpass
kianamaiart
