THE FORGOTTEN PRINCE

REVELATIONS

ATHOURS NOTE: This chapter contains smut

ARTHUR PRNDRAGON

Arthur sighed rubbing a hand across his face as he watched Merlin leave, shoulders slumped looking as if he had just run from a battlefield. Arthur growled clinching his fist, of course Merlin was upset he had just been forced to relive the worst moments of his life in an attempt to please him. 

He slammed his goblet down making Gwen jump.

"Sire are you alright?" she said in concern and he turned having forgotten she was still in the room, she was picking up the plates and discarding the food that they had forgotten and Arthur sighed shaking his head. 

He was angry with himself, with the way he had treated Merlin all these years thinking him the fool. How had Arthur missed it? He had always known what to say to Arthur when he was facing an impossible challenge; he remembered the time when Morgause had invaded using Cenred's army and having Morgana betray them just so she could have the throne, Merlin had been so wise and comforting as if he knew what Arthur was going through in that moment and Arthur had just brushed it off not thinking anything of it and missing all the subtle hints that had been thrown his way all these years. 

Gwen walked over to him placing a hand on his shoulder. 

"Don't to be too hard on him Sire we all heard his reasons for keeping it a secret and they were valid" she said and Arthur jolted giving her a startled look..                                                                      

"I'm not angry with him Gwen I'm angry at myself, I should have seen it." Gwen gave him a comforting smile.

"I spend every day more like every hour with Merlin and I never once questioned how he sometimes seemed so wise" Gwen sighed. 

"Arthur no one saw it that was the whole point" she said giving him an exasperated look. 

Arthur conceded the point.                                                                                                                                                

"Don't worry about that Gwen I'll have George sort it later, could you go and find Merlin for me make sure his ok I'm worried" Arthur said quietly knowing that Gwen was one of the few that Merlin sort comfort from. 

She bowed her head and left giving him another smile, once she was gone Arthur pulled a chain out from underneath his shirt staring at in wonder; he hadn't realised it at the time but he had noticed that Merlin had started wearing it the day his sister had arrived almost as if he knew what was going to happen. Maybe he had in some way, Athena had told him once that she had felt drawn to Camelot but had never known why until she had seen Merlin, Athena thought that Merlin had been calling out to her without realising it. 

Arthur had meant to give it back to Merlin honestly he had but with everything that had happened in the past week he'd never gotten around to it, or so he lead himself to believe. In truth Arthur had kept it because it had been Merlins and he had wanted to find out more about him, he hoped the ring would give him those answers; which it would have had he had the chance to look at it. 

Arthur absently ran his thumb along the band tracing the symbols and wondering what they meant, his thoughts were spinning with everything he had learned tonight. He had thought that after finding out about Merlin's magic that he knew everything about his friend, yes realising Merlin had magic had been a shock but deep down Arthur figured he already knew; some things had never added up with Merlin, there had always been something about him that Arthur couldn't figure out; how he could seem so wise at times and yet be completely ridiculous the next, then he had seen him using magic and he figured that had been what Arthur had been missing.