Bleh

Completed with sequel coming soon!

Morgana raised her hand again, eyes wild with fear and confusion, “Answer me! What are you?!”

Arthur blinked, his face scrunching up with frustration, his wings flapping forward harder. They pushed air across the room, the dust and ice picking up into a whirlwind, clouding the room. Merlin clung to him, struggling not to be blown away, too. He pushed into the safety of Arthur's side, blinded by the snow and deafened by the wind.

"Please," Arthur called to her, "I don't want to fight you. We were friends once... Morgana, the more ruthless you are the more enemies you'll create -"

"Is this why..." Morgana's face filtered through a multitude of expressions as fear, wonder, and realisation panged through her in succession, "You have magic? Arthur, you have magic?"

King Pendragon by Van1llaB34n on Ao3

Merlin defeated the creature easily. He turned away from his fallen foe and back to the boulder blockade he'd trapped Arthur behind. Too late, Merlin saw the King had found his own way out. He had seen... everything.

Arthur didn't look angry. He didn't even seem surprised. Just... hurt. Merlin froze when he saw that Arthur was crying. The King hadn't seemed to notice it yet, his eyes lost and face void of emotion, but tear tracks lined his dust-coated cheeks. Arthur didn't cry. It was a rule he rarely disobeyed, his motto, "No man is worth your tears." It took Merlin a second to understand, but he wasn't angry... he was heartbroken.

Arthur discovers Merlin's magic. Realising that nearly everyone close to him has betrayed him, Arthur blames himself and obsesses over being a perfect king. He finally taps into his potential, follows his beliefs, and becomes the man that he was meant to be. Arthur also discovers he's not what he thought he was and begins keeping secrets of his own. Meanwhile, Merlin repents for his mistakes and learns about Arthur's past. What is Arthur hiding? Can Merlin win back Arthur's trust? Who and what is Arthur Pendragon, really?

*if you look closely you can see a little reflection of Merlin in Arthur's eyes*

Published on Ao3

CHAPTER FIVE : THE AMBASSADOR & THE PHYSICIAN

“Your father would never have allowed such leniency," the ambassador snapped. "It is reckless and immoral. You are but a child meddling with things you do not yet understand. Magic is corrupt. It causes plagues, drought, famine, and disaster!"

“Magic does not corrupt people. Fear does. Power does. Perhaps you are right to fear those with such immense power to cause what you have described. However, that is not the majority. Many can at most light a candle, mend a broken bone, or calm a fever. Magic has existed far longer than man has. If they all wanted us dead, if they had that power, then we simply would be. Hundreds were slaughtered by my father. Do you truly believe they would have allowed that to happen if they had the choice?”

Merlin gasped and the intelligent declaration echoed through the stunned throne room. Arthur twisted towards Haldorwin, his body tense like a hunting predator. The man stuttered under the scrutiny. Knights and servants began to whisper amongst themselves, and Merlin strained to see past their bobbing heads.

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Published on Ao3

CHAPTER FOUR : THE BREAK UP & THE SERVANT

“I would be able to dress just fine if my shirts had been hung and my pants folded instead of the other way around. I can’t find a bloody thing, it's so disorganized!”

Merlin had doubled over and wheezed behind a closed fist upon the glorious sight he was met with that morning. Arthur had his breeches on backward, his shirt far too small, and his shoes on the wrong feet. At this point, the only explanation Merlin could accept was that Arthur did this for comedic purposes. The king had dressed himself just fine on several occasions in the past. This whole joke had started when Merlin commented that perhaps Arthur didn’t need his help dressing anymore, now that he figured it out. Arthur had agreed, and then the next morning Merlin found him with his arms trapped in his shirt and a hole in his breeches.

“Well, it looks like you found everything just fine. You just weren’t sure what to do after that…”

“That’s absolute nonsense!”

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Published on Ao3

CHAPTER FOUR : THE BREAK UP & THE SERVANT

"I no longer require a manservant. If you need anything for your apprenticeship please feel free to let me know at a later time. I have a meeting to attend to. Excuse me."

"Oh no, you're not going anywhere! It's been a week without a single word from you. Then I hear - from Gaius, not you, I might add! -that you've lifted the ban on magic? And when I come to thank you, I find your room looking like a bloody tornado went through it. We have to talk about this! You… this room is… it's destroyed! You don't think this is any cause for concern? You don't think it's a little important?"

Arthur hummed stiffly. As Merlin got closer he saw more of the physical damage done to the king. His hands were swelling, and surely he'd broken knuckles. Merlin reached out gently, and Arthur's grip loosened from the quill. His palms were bloody from crescent-shaped cuts, his fingers swollen and red. How Arthur was even moving them was a mystery and likely causing even more damage. "Arthur, your hands! We have to get you to Gaius! I could fix your leg, but I can't set broken bones. They'll heal wrong..."

"That's precisely why you should commit to your studies. I will visit Gaius after this meeting. You should leave, Merlin." Arthur shook his head and snatched his hand away. "I'm fine."

Published on Ao3 and Fanfiction.net

CHAPTER SIX : THE WITCH

Arthur approached a cell and held out the key so tightly his knuckles went white. The torch in his hand flickered around the room before catching the figure sitting in the corner. The witch... She looked up at him slowly. In the light of the fire, the woman's gray hair shined gold, and her wrinkles seemed darker and bolder. She stood and calmly stepped towards the bars.

"A visit from the king himself. What an honor." Her gentle voice was laced with mirth. Arthur felt wrongfooted at her apparent lack of contempt for him.

"I am sorry for any harsh treatment you have received. That was not my intent." He'd noticed the bruises circling her frail wrists, likely from the iron cuffs used to chain her. She followed his gaze and rubbed at the marks sorely.

"Was it not? You are your father's son. What would he think, seeing you getting friendly with an 'evil sorceress' now?"

"I do not find you evil in the slightest. I heard you used magic to rid your granddaughter of a fever. That doesn't sound like the work of a villain. You had the power to save a child from suffering - despite the risk for yourself - and you saved her. I think you are brave."

Published on Ao3 and Fanfiction.net

CHAPTER FIVE : THE BAN ON MAGIC

"Arthur knows I have magic, Gaius."

The physician stilled and looked fearfully towards the door as though guards were sure to march through it at any moment. He stood and pulled Merlin up with him, pacing in the small space between benches.

"Are you certain, Merlin?"

Merlin nodded jerkily and ran a trembling hand through his hair. "He saw me, Gaius. We got trapped. There was a monster. I tried to keep Arthur away, where I didn't think he could see me. I killed it. With magic. But he saw everything."

Gaius looked up sharply and let out a huff of air. He muttered to himself and sat down, only to stand right back up again. Trying to stay calm, Gaius used his best 'caring doctor' voice. "And then what, Merlin? What did he say? What did he do? How much time do we have?"

"He started crying..."

"Merlin..."

"He didn't yell at me. He didn't get angry or threaten me. He... he didn't say anything. He just asked me if I was coming back to Camelot with him or not. I don't know what he's going to do. H-he won't listen to me. He didn't ask for any explanation. I made him cry, Gaius. I know I should be scared, but I never imagined he'd react like that..." Merlin broke down, his body heaving with sobs. He choked on his words and hugged his arms against his chest. He felt so guilty and so anxious that he thought he might vomit.

"I-I convinced myself that it was because of Uther that I lied to him. Then Uther was gone, and I kept lying! I had excuses. I said Arthur wasn't ready... o-o-or that he was too against magic. Or because of the dragon. Or you. Or my mum. But... he didn't say anything about the magic. He let me use it to get us free and to heal his leg. He just - I... I don't know. Gods, he looked so hurt. I can't even - I don't know what to do - I... I don't know what to do! Sometimes he's such a rude stuck up arrogant prick, and other times he's so caring and brave and kind. He didn't say he if was going to hurt me but didn't say he wasn't either. I-I don't know how much time we have!"