People kept leaving "gifts" to a creature in the woods believing that it will keep them safe in exchange for their gold and food, until one day it didn't seem enough, so they decided to offer him a royal blood
(little did they know that creature didn't need all the gold and treasures at all, but it still was funny to him that he kept silent, that is, until he was handed with the little prince...)
Merlin's barely recovered from the shock of hearing a polite knock on his very remote little cottage, when he swings the door open to find Arthur Pendragon staring at him. "I've been exiled," Arthur says calmly. "May I come in?"
"What?" Merlin wheezes.
Arthur seems to take that as invitation enough, shouldering past Merlin to enter. Dimly, Merlin notices he's wearing his long traveling coat, his sword at his hip, and a pack slung over his shoulder. "You keep this place just as messy as you did my chambers," Arthur tuts, looking over the humble interior of Merlin's cottage. His nose wrinkles in distaste as he looks at the dirty bowls on the table sat next to tinctures of bitter and poisonous plants, and Merlin's few articles of clothing drying on all the chair-backs. "Honestly, Merlin, what would your mother think?"
He swings his pack around, throws it down on the table, and begins to remove his coat. "I," Merlin breathes. "You. What are youâ"
"Please tell me you have some actual meat in this hovel," Arthur adds. "It's a very long ride from Camelot, and I didn't stop to hunt for fear that I wouldn't make it here before nightfall."
He removes his coat, folding it and putting it up on a nail that sticks out from a wall. He turns and looks at Merlin expectantly. "Well?"
"EXILE?!" Merlin shrieks. "What are youâ you're notâ how did you evenâ"
His magic is bubbling up inside of him, confused, hurt, and restless. If Merlin hadn't already checked that it is indeed Arthur standing in front of him, he'd have thought the man an imposter. "How did you find me?" he settles on, hands curling into fists in an effort to control his raging emotions.
"I didn't," Arthur says. He leans over, absentmindedly straightening a pile of scrolls Merlin left askew. "I always knew where you went."
"What?"
"Lancelot is a very good tracker," Arthur says, in the tone of voice that indicates it explains everything Merlin needs to know. "Although he got a little too close following that business with the Sluagh. I told him to make sure you were well, not press his face into the windows."
"The wards," Merlin says faintly. He felt them thrum a couple weeks prior, indicating that someone had approached his cottage, although Merlin was unable to discover who.
His magic gave him no such warning for Arthur's arrival, the bastard.
"You've known where I've been ever since you sent me away," Merlin says slowly, trying to make his mind understand. Arthur is still looking at him with the expression he has whenever he thinks Merlin is being particularly slow about something. "And you didn't⊠mind? Say something?" Scream at me to leave? Show up with a company of Camelot's knights to dole out the law?
Arthur looks cross. "Well, you could have chosen someplace further than a day's ride out from Camelot," he says, and Merlin winces. Arthur then suddenly looks apologetic, and Merlin doesn't know why. "But it's for the best that you didn't. It would have been too hard for me to reach you had I need of you."
"Need of me," Merlin echoes faintly.
Arthur's apologetic expression melts into one of guilt. "Iâ I made sure I wasn't followed," Arthur says, and it is as he is instinctively flexing his hand that Merlin notices the bruises on his knuckles. "But I should have been more careful. My father, wellâ" A pained expression crosses his face. "Out of the two options, I was betting that he wouldn't choose exile. The other, I could handle."
Oh. So that's what this is about. Arthur has done something to irritate Uther, and he has turned to Merlin to fix it. He is desperate enough to decide he has need of Merlin again to seek him out. Merlin supposes it shouldn't be surprising that Arthur knows where he is, since it doesn't matter where he lives, as long as it is away from Arthur. Or maybe Arthur just wants the security of knowing Merlin can't run if Arthur decides to renege on his mercy.
If Merlin were his own friend, he would advise himself to have more self-respect. As it stands, at least there is no one else in the cottage to witness how pathetic he is. "What do you need?" Merlin says quietly.
Arthur shoots him a look. "Well, a fire would be nice, for starters. And I wasn't kidding about needing a mealâ"
"With Uther," Merlin says exasperatedly. "Surely you must have some idea of how to calm his anger. I could conjure a kelpie and make sure there are witnesses to you heroically slaying itâ"
"I've got my father under control," Arthur says. "Sure, it does make things a bit harder having to conduct a base of operations from thisâŠ." He looks around, and decides on a word that won't spark Merlin's ire, "abode, but my knights and I have been using coded communication for months now. The council was losing faith in him even before he chose to exile the crown prince. I give it less than a month before he brings Camelot to the brink of crisis, and then I'm sure the guards will be more than happy to allow me to return."
Merlin blinks. Perhaps this really is an imposter that has entered his home wearing Arthur's skin, or maybe he has finally gone utterly mad. He would have thought it would take more than half a year of broken-hearted solitude to get to that point. "Arthur, what are you talking aboutâ"
"Oh, right. I'm sorry, I considered sending Lancelot with a message, but I didn't want him to be caught with anything on him were he found. I couldn'tâ" His thumb brushes over his lip, and Merlin sees a scab there. "I couldn't risk anything pointing to your location. Hence why I told my father I wouldn't give up that information, even under torture."
"What?!"
"Don't ruffle your petticoat, I'm fine," Arthur says quickly, as if Merlin had not just felt his magic jumping under his skin with all the fury of a dragon guarding its treasure. "I was expecting him to take me up on the offer, and then I wouldn't have to bother you. But it seems my father decided it more appropriate to strip me of my rank and title until I told him where you've been hiding."
Merlin stares at Arthur dumbly. There's no doubt about it, he has gone mad.
At least one of them, anyway.
"Why wouldn't you just tell your father where I am?"
"Very funny. Should I have offered to lead the knights to capture you myself, then?"
Merlin keeps his face blank to conceal the pain. "I suppose."
Arthur gives him a queer look. "You're acting odd. Did your brain wither away from having a forest respite for a few months?"
"Forest respite," Merlin sputters, and he may be pathetic but he still has enough dignity to grow angry. "I don't know what you want, and I'll help you with whatever you need, but might I remind you that you were the one that exiled me!"
Arthur rolls his eyes, and Merlin's hands curl into fists. "You're being dramatic."
It's so casual, so thoughtlessly cruel, that Merlin's magic lashes out before he can stop it. It doesn't hurt Arthurâhe never would, never couldâbut Arthur's mouth falls open as he is shoved into a chair and held in place with invisible hands. For a second, fear flashes across his face, but even that is not enough to quell the anger inside Merlin. Like the first crack of ice across a frozen lake, it only splinters under further pressure.
"I did everything for you," Merlin rasps. "I bled, I killed, I would do it again without hesitation, and I know I lied to you, I know I hurt you, butâ but you can't just turn up again like nothing has happened, when you sent me awayâ"
"âMerlinâ"
"It's not fair, it's not fair to take me up one day and cast me away the next, so after this," Merlin's voice trembles, but he juts his chin upwards, he is stronger than this, damn it, "if you no longer wish to see me, then respect your own wishes and leave me beâ"
"Merlin!" Arthur is still straining against the weight of the magic holding him in place. But he doesn't look angry, more confused and irritated. And sweaty. "When did I exile you?"
"Oh, I don't know," Merlin snaps. "Maybe this will refresh your recollection: 'Leave here now and don't come back.'"
He knows his voice is a harsh imitation of Arthur's exact words, as they have been ringing in his head since the moment he first heard them. They had barely sunk in, leaving their impression in the grove of his mindâa permanent scar that would never fadeâwhen Arthur barked, "Now," his expression utterly furious. And Merlin had listened.
He breathes out harshly, trying to get a rein on his anger. And Arthur looksâ
âwell. He doesn't have a word to describe how Arthur looks, exactly.
"Merlin. You did magic in front of my father and his entire court." Arthur is speaking very clearly and slowly. "It was all I could do to buy you enough time so you wouldn't be caught while you fled."
Merlin blinks. He hasn't focused on that part of the situation, truly. He has been more concerned with the hurt in Arthur's eyes, the way his expression turned cold and commanding within a second. All of it, targeted at Merlin. "You were angry."
"I was frightened." Something shudders across Arthur's face before he can conceal its honesty. "I always knew you were a reckless idiot, with how little you cared for doing magic in plain sight, but I knew even I couldn't save you from that displayâ"
"You." Merlin feels dizzy. He sinks heavily into one of his chairs, and he hears Arthur take a deep breath as his magic releases his hold on him. "You knew. About my magic."
"Of course I knew; I'm not blind," Arthur says, aghast. "I just figured you were pretending otherwise so we wouldn't have to talk about it. Did you really notâ" And then his mouth closes. He blinks. Merlin can almost see the coals inside of Arthur's head producing steam. When he speaks again, his voice is small. "I see now. How things might have occurred differently to you."
Part of Merlin wants to cry, part of him wants to scream, part of him wants to laugh hysterically, and he very bravely and wisely does not do any of that. "So you weren't sending me away. Forever, that is."
"No." There is a similar edge of hysteria to Arthur's voice. "Just until I could make it safe for you again. Until I could bring you back to Camelot."
"You kept track of where I was," Merlin says distantly. "Youâ" He shakes his head quickly. "Arthur, you didn'tâ please tell me you didn't tell Uther to torture you rather than reveal where I wasâ I'm not worth it, why did you, whyâ"
He stops when he finally catches Arthur's eye. Arthur is looking at him in a way Merlin had only caught in glimpses before, like a beam piercing through the clouds, but now the full force of the sun is shining upon him. "How is it obvious to everyone other than you?" Arthur asks.
Merlin's face shatters, and Arthur is out of his chair, making his way over with apologies, and Merlin hears him saying something about how he assumed, he was wrong, he didn't mean to, and that nothing needs to change. He puts his hand on Merlin's shoulder, and Merlin realizes they are both great idiots, and it is probably better to speak with their actions, rather than words. So he does exactly that.
It is only when Arthur has his breeches half undone that he pauses to speak, as he hikes Arthur's tunic up for better access to his chest. "I do love you too, by the way."
"Glad we got that sorted," Arthur replies, and they tumble into bed, basking in the privilege of an undisturbed exile.
A few things Iâve learned from watching merlin from Arthurâs pov, in no particular order:
1. Arthur is in love with merlin.
2. In Arthurâs eyes merlin really is the oddest, most clumsy little weirdo, and the only reason he keeps this apparently lazy and completely incompetent servant around is because heâs in love with merlin.
3. Arthur never ever thinks twice about situations. âThe immortal army that could not be killed suddenly explodes? Lucky me, I guess, letâs move onâ, or âI struck this golden dragon as big as a castle and it knocked me out. Merlin said I dealt it a mortal blow and it flew off and is now dead. Sounds reasonable!â or, âthis man who lives on a bridge called me Courage and said I needed Strength and Magic to complete my quest, and then later Gwaine and Merlin showed up and saved my life. Wasnât that a fun time?â
4. Merlin is Arthurâs only true friend.
5. Arthur thinks heâs the smoothest, most valiant, heroic and romantic knight in all the lands, but heâs actually the most heartbroken, lonely, pathetic prince with daddy issues Camelot has ever seen.
"Would feel absolutely honored to carry Xie Lian's offspring. Also would prefer to take the burden unto himself rather than have Xie Lian go through the pain of childbirth. P.S. Childbearing pills that cause male pregnancy canonically exist in this universe, so it is entirely feasible that they could conceive a child if they wanted."
Hua Cheng propaganda from last season
[Arthur]
"Because it would challenge his perception of manliness, femininity, and the validity of patriarchal systems. Also, because then he and Merlin can have a baby."
Honestly, it bothers me a little whenever someone says that Merlin betrayed "his people" because of Arthur/Camelot.
Merlin grew up in a small village where he wasn't very loved, with only his mother and Will, taught that he had to lie or someone else would hurt him because of something he was born with and had no choice about.
"His people" were Hunith and Will, no one else.
Let's jump to the canon: he was only there to become Gaius's apprentice. His first encounter with another magical being is an execution and a woman who utters a threat, zero extra context. Let's jump to his encounter with Kilgarrah, a dragon who tells him he must protect Arthur, an obligation he didn't sign up for, among all of this, the only one who said kind words to him was Gwen. At the banquet, the magical woman uses her magic to affect everyone, not just the one responsible for her son's death. He saves Arthur and gets another job.
"His people" are now Gaius, Gwen, Arthur and Morgana.
And Uther ends up in a border zone of "his people" only because he is important to Arthur, someone Merlin has grown fond of and doesn't want to see hurt.
The next magical people he meets are always trying to hurt or manipulate Arthur because of Uther's actions. He felt happy when he met that man who made Morgana sick, only for him to later take Gaius's job and try to commit murder.
The only good magical people he know end up dying in his arms, and in the end he only stay with the people of Camelot.
Lancelot, Gwaine, Lyon, Elyan, Percival end up being "his people", who now live in Camelot, a place they swore to protect.
It's like the great-great-grandson of your grandmother's second cousin suddenly appeared and demanded that you put him above all those you love.
Sharing one thing in their lives means nothing, when everyone's lives are filled with a thousand and one things they share with the people they love.
I am convinced Leon had a wall in his chambers that was covered with notes and drawings of situations that made no sense, of branches falling and enemies suddenly defeated. A red string connects different scenes and hand drawn portraits of everyone involved. To every picture he had to add the name, unfortunatly Leon was no artist and even he wouldn't be able to tell the stick figures apart, but he worked on this every free minute he had and he was sure now.
Every piece arranged itself to show one picture. Of course. Yes! Everything made sense now!
The way Arthur always got saved, the way the knights got lucky every time.
He didn't know how it happened or why but somehow Leon had developed magical abilities to save his king and friends. Without even realizing.
In a kingdom where magic was outlawed.
Oh gods
Leon has broken the law.
Shaken by the realization the knight had to sit down. He had to confess! It was his duty! But who would protect the king?? Gwaine?! MERLIN??!!!?
No, he would bear the burden of this treason if Arthur would live.
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