Merlinktober

A few mutters bounced between the council members, an uncertain air crackling throughout the room, and Arthur knew he needed to shut down any objections or doubts as swiftly as possible. 

“I know my change in attitude towards magic has been a bit of a shock to everyone, but we cannot make history without making changes. Magical people once lived peacefully in this kingdom just as you and I did, but after the death of my mother, my father was blind to the goodness that can come with magic, and chose to only see the bad. I want to stress to you all now that it is not magic itself that is evil. It is instead a select few who use magic negatively. Just as a weapon—” Arthur lifted the sword at his side, the runes engraved on its blade glinting in the early evening light. “—can be used for good, for protection, in the wrong hands it can also be used for evil. Magic is no different. It should be the individual itself that is punished, not magic as a whole.” 

It was hard to decipher what the overall reaction from the council was: some looked uncertain, whereas others were starting to gently nod their heads, seemingly in agreement. Arthur focussed on those nodding heads, using them as motivation to continue. 

He turned to meet Merlin’s gaze, giving him a small, encouraging smile and holding out an arm to entice him to step forward. “Today I appoint Merlin as Camelot’s court sorcerer. He will work beside the rest of the council to guide us in making fair and just decisions when it comes to situations involving magic.” As the two of them stood shoulder to shoulder, looking out across the council together, Arthur placed a hand on the small of Merlin’s back and felt the other man lean into him slightly. “Together, we will forge Camelot into a kingdom of equality and acceptance. Together we will forge this world into a better place.”

Arthur caught movement in the corner of his eye and he turned to find Merlin looking at him, brightness and hope flaring in his eyes, a soft smile curling the corners of his lips. 

“Peace at last.” Merlin whispered, and Arthur nodded his head. 

“Peace at last,” he repeated. 

day 31 prompt: forge for @merlinktober

oh my goodness!! I cannot believe that Merlinktober is over!! this month went by so quickly!! even though I wasn't able to write for every single prompt, I'm honestly so proud of the ones I was able to create! Merlinktober kept me motivated to write and kept my creativity flowing, and I'm so grateful for that.

I'm also so extremely grateful to everyone who read these microfics and supported me! you guys have honestly given me so much encouragement to keep being creative and to just have fun with my writing.

Merlin’s frown grew more severe. “The one you were supposed to have with the princess?” He queried, and Arthur hummed in confirmation. Merlin slid down from his horse and took a tentative step towards the prince. “Are you feeling okay?” 

Another burst of laughter surged from Arthur as he headed towards the saddle bags on Merlin’s horse. “Is it really so suspicious that I invite you to a picnic, Merlin?” 

Merlin gave him a strong incredulous look. “Yes, it is, actually.” 

Arthur had to admit that he was rather enjoying seeing this side of Merlin; so flustered and baffled at what was going on. But still, after a few moments, his servant duties seemed to kick back in, as he moved to the side of his horse to help Arthur haul the equipment out from the saddle bags. 

They removed their horses’ reins and let them wander around the meadow as they set the basket of food in the middle of the blanket they were perching themselves on. As Arthur pulled fruits and cheeses from the basket, he tried to ignore Merlin’s straight back and vigilant gaze. 

Ten minutes swiftly passed and Merlin still hadn’t touched a single thing. He’d just sat there, carefully watching Arthur popping grapes into his mouth and taking huge bites of crisp red apples. 

“Are you not going to eat anything?” Arthur asked around a mouthful of fruit. “It’s probably not that often you get to eat food as good as this. You should take advantage of the opportunity.” 

“Arthur,” Merlin said, and the abruptness in his tone told Arthur that the conversation was heading towards sobriety. He swallowed and lowered his apple, raising his eyebrows at Merlin as a way of permission for him to carry on. “Why did you cancel the picnic with the princess?” 

Arthur sniffed, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and looked out across the meadow, at the horses grazing not too far away. 

“I’m tired of my father trying to find me a wife.” He said, and felt his chest start to constrict. These were thoughts that he had kept secret, close to his heart. He had never imagined speaking of them to anyone. But as they started to flow, he found that all he wanted to do was let go of them, to get them out in the open so he wouldn’t have to be trapped with them anymore. 

“Then why don’t you just tell him that?” Merlin’s suggestion forced another laugh out of Arthur, though this one wasn’t lighthearted like the others before had been. 

“I don’t expect you to understand, Merlin, you’re not—”

“Not what?” Merlin retorted, and Arthur glanced up to meet the other man’s blue eyes. He scratched his head for a moment, pondering how he could go about this conversation without offending him. He took a short breath and spoke the truth which, at the end of the day, was what he owed Merlin. “You’re not royalty. You could never understand the pressures an unmarried crown prince has to fulfil.” Merlin went to open his mouth – to argue against him, no doubt, but Arthur carried on before he could get a word out. “I’m not saying that my problems are bigger than anyone else’s. I know I’m privileged, I know I have a lot of things easy compared to others in Camelot, but when it comes to happiness, I don’t think it matters what your background is. You still have to fight for what you know is right for yourself. And marrying some princess to appease my father, or simply for the sake of the kingdom… well, that just isn’t me.” Arthur tossed his half-eaten apple towards his horse before reaching into the basket to grab another to throw to Merlin’s horse. “I would rather marry for love.” 

Silence hung in the air between them for a short while, and Arthur rubbed at a sticky patch in the center of his palm, too afraid to see what type of reaction his declaration had elicited from Merlin. 

“You know,” Merlin said eventually, and Arthur looked up at his servant through his lashes, glad to see that his smile was a soft one. “I think that’s the wisest and most honest thing I’ve ever heard you say. Since when did you get so…”

“So what?”

Merlin chuckled. “Emotionally aware?” 

Arthur will admit that there would have once been a time that he would have defensively brushed that away, but now he found that his grin came easily. “You must have rubbed off on me,” he said, and Merlin stilled for a moment before a grin of his own split his face in two. 

“I never knew a picnic could be so therapeutic for you, my lord.” 

“Me neither.” Arthur tilted his head to the side. “Perhaps we should do this more often, then.” 

Merlin’s smile was lopsided and beautiful. “Perhaps we should.” 

“Just me.” Arthur said, and Merlin nodded his head once in acknowledgement before silently turning back to poke at the fire. Arthur studied his side profile for a moment, watching as Merlin lifted his gaze, eyes squinting suspiciously into the trees surrounding their makeshift camp. “Worried?” He queried.

Merlin glanced back at the fire, then turned his head to look at the prince beside him. “Just have a funny feeling.”

“Hm.” Arthur sniffed, shifting on the log a little and looking out into the trees Merlin had been transfixed on. “You get a lot of those, don’t you? Funny feelings?” 

Merlin said nothing. It wasn’t often that he went quiet like this, but when he did, it was a clear sign that something was wrong. Ever since news that a sorcerer had been moving through the kingdom, Merlin had embodied that strange quietness. He’d been looking rather pale and sickly too. Fraught was the word that came to Arthur’s mind. He nudged his servant with an elbow, startling Merlin again as if he’d already forgotten that Arthur was there. 

“Merlin, there’s no shame in being scared. These sorcerers scare the wits out of most of us,” He let a small smirk slide onto his lips, “Some are just better at hiding it than others.” 

A wispy laugh trickled from Merlin’s lips, and a spark of satisfaction quivered in Arthur’s chest at the sound of it. But the laugh quickly shriveled and Merlin curled into himself even more than before. “It’s not that.” His voice was quiet when he spoke, and Arthur almost missed it over the crackling of the fire.  

Arthur wanted to demand Merlin explain himself; it made him uneasy when he wasn’t completely transparent with him. Moments like these reminded him that even though he spent every day with Merlin, there were still so many parts of him that he didn’t know, and probably never would know. He didn’t like to dwell on it too much. 

Arthur nudged him again, and when Merlin turned to shoot him a glare, Arthur quickly pushed his bowl into his lap. “C’mon, you’re skin and bone. You need to eat something.” 

“I’m fine—” Merlin started to say, turning away from the offering, but Arthur cut him off. 

“Merlin.” He was stern, keeping hard eyes trained on his servant, who looked back at him with a certain apprehensiveness. “Eat.” 

One second, two seconds, three seconds went by before Merlin tossed his stick into the fire and accepted the bowl. “Thank you.” He mumbled and lifted several hearty spoonfuls of stew into his mouth. 

“It’ll be okay.” Arthur found himself saying, and surprise was reflected back at him in the glaze of Merlin’s blue eyes. Arthur wasn’t good with words – he wasn’t ashamed to admit that – but he had had a strong desire to reassure Merlin. Whether it was the sorcerer or… something else, he felt the need to offer him at least some sort of comfort, though he wasn’t quite sure why. 

Arthur was the first to break the eye contact between them, patting Merlin on the arm before standing back to his feet. “Get some rest,” he said, and turned to join the knights. 

[700 words]

Arthur reappeared from behind the screen, scoffing, hands on his hips. “If I’d known becoming king would consist of mindless chatter 90 percent of the time, I would have forfeited the crown long ago.” 

“Arthur.” Merlin’s voice was stern and when Arthur noticed the serious look on his face, he huffed out a little laugh. 

“I’m only joking, Merlin.” 

“Well, you shouldn’t.” Merlin picked up the rest of Arthur’s discarded clothing and tossed them in the laundry by the door. He was expecting Arthur to make some sort of counter comment to his reprimand, but when the room remained silent, he turned back around to find the king looking at him with a puzzled expression woven into his features. 

“Sometimes it seems as though you’re more serious about this job than I am, Merlin.” He mused.

Merlin shrugged his shoulders, looking away and busying himself with straightening the chalice and jug on the wooden table. “If I didn’t ensure you stayed king, I’d be out of a job.” 

His own joke didn’t quite land, and a certain seriousness filled the air and seeped under Merlin’s skin, making him itch. He poured water in the chalice – just for something to do – and then braved another look at Arthur. 

“Tell me,” The king said, a certain mellowness to his voice now, “why you’re so committed to your job as my servant.” 

It was information that Merlin had always been afraid Arthur would try to prise from him. He clasped his hands behind his back and stood up a little straighter, trying to feign indifference and impassiveness by rolling his eyes and looking away. “I ask myself that same question every day—”

“Don’t do that.” Arthur interrupted, and Merlin’s gaze flickered back to him at the sound of his serious tone. “Tell me.” 

Merlin pressed his lips together, letting his hands fall back to his sides as he tried to think of a response that would be neither a lie, nor the full truth. When he was ready, he squared his shoulders and sucked a breath deep into his lungs before speaking. 

“Someone once told me that we were two sides of the same coin.” He said, and tried to ignore the look of amused confusion that sidled onto Arthur’s face. “I’ll admit that at first I felt like that was a pretty ludicrous thing to say. I mean, when I first met you, you were the most idiotic, arrogant… fathead that I’ve ever met—”

“Fathead?” Arthur repeated, barking out an incredulous laugh. 

Merlin smirked but carried on, feeling some of the tension between them ebb away. “But after getting to know you, really getting to know you, I could see that you had the potential to become the greatest king any of us had ever seen. And even though there is still a long way for you to go, you’re getting there. And I would be honoured to be by your side when you do.” 

As he spoke, Arthur had taken small steps toward him so that there were only two measly feet between them now. The intensity of the studious look Arthur was giving Merlin made him feel as though he and the king were the only two people in the whole entire kingdom. 

“You’re right,” Arthur said after a few heartbeats, and Merlin tilted his head in questioning as he watched the king’s eyes soften, a mischievous smile growing on his lips. “That was a pretty ludicrous thing to say. ‘Two sides of the same coin’? It’s a load of trifle, if you ask me.” 

A laugh burst its way out of Merlin, and he shook his head, grateful for the change in atmosphere. “I couldn’t agree with you more.”

[726 words]

day 27 prompt: trifle for @merlinktober

Of course, Merlin had complained countless times over the years that Arthur never appreciated him, never took notice of the way he puts his life on the line for him, time and time again. But Gaius was an old man, and with age came wisdom, wisdom that told him that Merlin didn’t sacrifice himself for credit or recognition. He did it for a much stronger reason, a reason that Gaius knew Merlin buried deep inside himself. He had seen the conflict in the young warlock’s eyes many times. He knew Merlin possessed feelings for Arthur – feelings that were inappropriate for a servant to have for his master. He had confided in Gaius on a few rare occasions over the years, but he had never graced his mentor with the full details, only ever snippets. But as he watched Merlin recite the incantation that would heal Arthur of his poisoning, he knew that Merlin wasn’t trying to hide it now. He held himself open and vulnerable to the word, pouring all his devotion and power into that one spell. 

Gaius knew he was doing it not just to save the king, but because he couldn’t bear to lose him. 

It’s puzzling that someone can be so in love, Gaius thought. 

[337 words]