Merlin Oneshots

Releasing Magic

[On a kick right now for Merlin's magic reveals and his magic being somewhat sentient and separate. Working on a part 2 of this currently.]

The year had been a very trying one. Not for Camelot, for Camelot flourished in peace. But for Merlin, Arthur, and Gwen, it had been very trying. A year after Gwen and Arthur had been married, a year of peace in Camelot, Merlin had confronted his worst fears and shown them his magic. Gwen had smiled softly at him, not surprised. She had put the pieces together long ago and he had only confirmed her suspicions. Arthur, however, had been furious. Not furious that he had magic, not that. But that there was this whole part of Merlin that he had kept hidden, that he hadn't shared with Arthur. When Arthur had shared every piece of his life with Merlin. He may not have heeded his word at all times, and yes, he had threatened to banish him a time or two when he didn't like the opinions that Merlin shared, but aside from that they had been friends. Right?

Arthur found himself questioning that thought more and more after the revelation. He had given Merlin the silent treatment for almost two months, refusing to talk to him, barely able to look at him. The next few months, the pair were seen consistently in the audience chamber, throne room, training field, most open spaces, yelling at each other. The knights had all been very confused. Each had approached the pair separately trying to find out what was wrong, only to be brushed off. Gwaine tried talking to Merlin, then Percival tried, then Elyan, and finally Leon, because they all knew the only one Arthur ever talked to or opened up to was Merlin. Another four months months passed where they seemed like they started to get along again, or at least were being pleasant around the castle to each other. The past few months they had finally started to be friendly again and were getting back in their normal banter. It had been a wild year.

Once Gwen had seen that Arthur had accepted Merlin and his magic and came to terms with all that Merlin had done for him, she started to work on him repealing or at the least modifying the laws on magic. Especially once the reason behind the purge came to light. Arthur's council had confirmed some of the circumstances behind his father's actions, though only Gaius had been fully aware of everything. Arthur was still reluctant to change things very quickly due to his experiences with Morgana. Not to mention the constant magical threats on Camelot. Arthur had learned that Merlin was important to the Druids, but not the extent. The council was in the process of working through some of the law changes that Arthur and Merlin had come up with late one night. Everything was still hypothetical at the moment; Gwen knew, but the Knights of the Round Table did not.

When Arthur and Merlin were walking to the training grounds to discuss the proposed changes with the knights, neither one noticed the strange sigils etched into the courtyard cobblestones, until it was too late. Merlin was trapped. He reached up a hand and found an invisible barrier had stopped him.

"Arthur!" Merlin shouted, hoping the barrier was only physical and that he could still be heard. He knew that was the case when he saw the King turn around slowly, irritation and annoyance already showing in his expression; until he saw Merlin.

"Merlin!!" Arthur yelled and ran back trying to reach his friend, only to be stopped by his own invisible force. Having heard the shout of their King, the Knights all rushed over. They found themselves held back by similar barriers. Merlin was testing his trap, it was only about a meter across. His head whipped around and his gaze landed on several cloaked figures that stepped out from the crowd, as well as shadows cast by the castle. Merlin's eyes widened. Arthur would swear that he saw fear in his friend.

"What are you doing?" Merlin asked, voice calm. Arthur and the knights redirected their attention to where Merlin was looking. The cloaked figures came forward and surrounded Merlin.

"He asked you a question!" Arthur shouted, trying to get their attention. The King and his men were still out of reach, kept back by an infernal invisible shield, and it was making Arthur extremely agitated.