Watching the Future: Merlin

Accepting

Arthur and Merlin walked outside of the cabin together, staying silent as they walked a few feet away from said cabin.

For the longest time, Merlin had dreamt of Arthur and his friends (excluding Lancelot) knowing of his lifelong secret. Now that it was out in the open, the warlock wanted nothing more than a bit of normalcy to return.

Both men stood facing each other in silence, not knowing what to say to one another. When it became unbearable, Merlin was the first to break the tension.

"Arthur, I know this is a lot for you to take in. Believe me when I say that everything I've done — and what I will continue to do — is to protect you."

When Arthur said nothing, Merlin hung his head down.

"Why did you never tell me?" The king asked. "I understand why you didn't tell me when we first met, but you could've told me you had magic after I became king; after my father..." Arthur couldn't finish his sentence due to a lump forming in his throat.

"Was anything that you said to me true? I thought you were my-my friend, and yet, you've lied to me all these years."

Merlin looked at his king. "Of course I am your friend, Arthur. There were so many times where I wanted to tell you who I really was. But something magic-related would occur, and those events only strengthened your hatred for magic. I wasn't about to put you in a position where you had to choose between Camelot and myself."

Arthur was taken aback by Merlin's reasoning. He wasn't expecting that. Merlin was not only taking into account what would happen to him if Arthur found out about his magic, but also how Arthur's relationship with his people would be affected by it.

For all of Arthur's life, he had been taught that magic was evil.

Merlin has magic, and he didn't have an evil bone in his body.

But Arthur saw how magic had corrupted Morgana.

Merlin isn't like Morgana.

Is there a possibility that magic can be good?

Arthur saw how tense Merlin looked, and he gave his friend a smile. "This will take some getting used to, but I promise not to jump to conclusions without gathering the facts. As long as there are no more secrets."

Merlin sighed. "No more secrets. Though... there are some things that will need to be explained, and they will come up very soon. Just promise that you won't get angry about it, because I did and said things that were in your best interest."

Arthur extended his hand to Merlin. "Deal."

Merlin smiled as he shook Arthur's hand.

"Deal."

~ ~ ~

Inside the cabin, a similar conversation between Gwen and the knights was taking place.

"I can't believe he didn't tell us. How come?" Gwen asked.

Leon shrugged. "It was his biggest secret; he's had it his entire life. I imagine it's not easy to let something so life-changing out in the open."

"Do you think he didn't trust us enough to tell us?" Gwaine questioned.

Lancelot shook his head. "That's not the reason."

Gwen gave the knight a look. "You knew," she realized.

The bravest and most noble knight of all gave the queen a nod. "I found out on accident. But the reason why he never told any of you was not because he didn't trust you — it was because he didn't want you to choose with whom your loyalty would reside:  Merlin or Arthur. He didn't want anyone to be in a position where you had to decide between the king and himself."

The others just listened to Lancelot talk, taking his words into consideration. He had a point; the knights took an oath to remain loyal to their king. As Arthur's queen and wife, Gwen had an unspoken loyalty to her husband. Discovering Merlin's secret would've put any one of them at odds with Arthur.

Mordred decided to speak up. "Though I am a knight, I am — and will always be — a Druid. My people have heard the prophecies of Merlin for centuries. As his kin, I cannot turn my back on him; it would war against everything I've ever known and everything I've ever been taught."

Everyone had their own thoughts running through their minds. They had to put themselves in Merlin's shoes. Having to keep such a large secret to yourself for years was no doubt a challenge in itself. Knowing that you could die if the wrong person knew of that secret was even more stressful.

No wonder Merlin never said anything.

"Well, magic or not, Merlin is still Merlin. He's our friend, and we owe him so much. Poor lad's probably fought more battles than we have," Gwaine spoke.

"Do my ears deceive me, or did Gwaine just say something that wasn't idiotic?" Elyan teased.

Everyone grew quiet as Merlin and Arthur re-entered the cabin.

Gwen walked up to her husband and her best friend. "I take it that all is well?"

Arthur and Merlin both nodded, eliciting a smile from Gwen in response.

Eleanor then cleared her throat, causing Leon to jump very slightly. He'd forgotten that she was still there.

"If everyone is ready, I have the next memory prepared."

Everyone looked at one another, silently questioning if they were ready or not for the next memory.

Arthur decided to answer for everyone. "Yes, we are ready."

~ ~ ~

908 words

Published:  1/28/2021

Next Update:  Valiant

*For those who might have been unaware, the italicized words were Arthur's thoughts.*