I Am Legal || Merlin

thirteen

third person - arthur

It was the night after Arthur, Morgana, and Gwen formed their plan with Gaius. Arthur had just finished his classes and was, regrettably, on his way to have dinner with his father. Morgana, too.

Uther said it was to bring the three of them together like a family. He thought Arthur's "sinning" was a form of rebellion - the product of an unbalanced family.

Ridiculous, Arthur thought. His father couldn't be more wrong. His feelings were natural and he really, truly liked Merlin. It wasn't a rebellion or a phase.

And, as long as it took Arthur to understand that, he meant it. He still struggled with the concept here and there but, he constantly tried to remind himself, he spent his whole life hearing of how homosexuality was wrong. It made sense for him to still struggle with accepting himself.

And so much was happening. First, the kiss. Then, the fight. And lastly, Merlin being taken away. Arthur's mind was overwhelmed and working overtime. The classes he was forced to take didn't help either.

He had only taken two classes but they both lasted from breakfast to dinner, no breaks allowed. The content was harsh and disturbing. It turned everything beautiful about his relationships with Merlin into something awful.

Pulling his mind from confusing thoughts, ones he very much hated to think about, Arthur ran the plan of escape through his head again.

It was, in the grand scheme of things, simple.

(Arthur hesitated using that word, worried he would jinx the whole thing).

First, while Morgana and Arthur were having dinner with Uther, Gwen would say goodbye to her father and brother. Gwen promised her father would understand but noted she wouldn't give the full story to her brother.

(Arthur had met Elyan before. He knew he was a fine man but he was also stubborn, following Uther like he was God).

Second, Arthur and Morgana would make their way to the dungeons. Morgana would distract the guards, possibly getting them to leave the area completely, with a lie about an attack. While that was happening, Arthur was going to break Merlin out of his cell and, by any means possible, get him out of the dungeons.

Third, the three would meet up in front of Gaius' chambers to give Merlin one final goodbye before escaping into the forest.

A very simple plan, indeed.

When Arthur arrived at the dining hall, Morgana was already seated with Uther. The atmosphere was heavy and Arthur wanted nothing more than to turn away. Perhaps if Merlin's life wasn't at stake, he would. His body felt so tense with fear and hatred for his own father, it made him sick. He didn't want to feel this way but Uther's actions were so despicable there was no other way to feel. 

"Arthur," Uther greeted him when he sat down at the table.

"Father," he returned the greeting. There was a moment of silence that felt as if it was choking Arthur. The tense air was getting too much and the evening hadn't even started.

"How are your classes? I hope they are doing their job." Arthur wanted to throw up. The classes were awful. They drained him. Made him feel empty and heavy, like he wouldn't be able to walk to his chambers at the end of the day. He almost preferred to be sitting in a cell with death hanging over his head. If anything, he would be able to see Merlin if he was also locked up.

"They're fine."

"Just fine?" A few servants entered the room with plates of food in their hands.

"Just fine," Arthur repeated as his dinner was placed in front of him. The young servant girl poured him a cup of water before walking off to the edge of the room. Arthur recognized her. Merlin was good friends with her. Well, Arthur supposed, Merlin was good friends with everyone. He had this comforting aura that just pulled people in. His friendly, helpful personality made it easy to talk with him.