Merlin's magic (Oneshots) 1

Enarmored (part 5): Heir

A.N.:// (random art ahead)

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With every day that passed, the more anxious Arthur grew. Not that he hadn't been worried or anxious before, but usually, it didn't take them more than two weeks to reach their goals.
Camelot wasn't THAT far away from the perilous lands. But it was like the landscape was constricting and expanding from one day to the next.
Even the seasons were a constant mess.
One minute it was sunny and too hot for them to continue riding, the next, they were completely snowed in.
It finally dawned on Arthur that they were leaving Merlin alone in the current state of the world and they had no way of knowing, if he was okay.

It wasn't even the fairies that kept Arthur up at night. Nor where it Mithian's snoring or Gwaine's drunken songs in the moonlight.
No. At this point Arthur worried if Merlin had enough to eat. If he had a blanket for the night. If fairies knew that humans needed water to survive.
Was Merlin kept against his will? Had he tried to escape? If so, had he been punished for it?
Or .... did Merlin WANT to stay?

Arthur sat against a tree, while he ignored his knights sharing stories with queen Mithian at the camp fire.
He stared out over the glistening sea behind them. It reflected the light of the full moon and even from here, he could see small glimpses of light floating all around.
The green grass beside him was bathed in a mysterious light and the greenish blue hues were only contradicted by the hot yellow of the fire.
It was a good night. Not too hot, not too cold. And no rain anywhere in sight.

The important questions in the world always come forward in the depth of the night. Unwanted and unexpected.
And Arthur had many important questions.

Sure, he still worried if Merlin was okay. But beyond that, he had begun to realize something else.
Because it wasn't only the citizens of Camelot who adored Merlin. It was Uther Pendragon, the one man who hated them all. It was his knights, it was bandits, it was queen Mithian and even goddesses of random lakes that had taken a liking to Merlin.
And – as he could almost safely expect now – even magical fairies from a foreign kingdom.
What bothered him was .... where did that leave Arthur?

Arthur was the crown prince of Camelot. And yet.... the people didn't love him, they loved his servant. His own father had grounded him for fighting with Merlin. His knights followed him because they were Merlin's friends.
The people he was taught to kill, surrendered because he mentioned Merlin's name.
Was Arthur even worth the title as crown prince, if everyone would rather have Merlin sit on the throne?
Not that anyone had said it, but it was a simple conclusion.

Arthur had been trained to kill since birth. But no one had taught him how to gain the hearts of his people. And now he found himself useless at the task. The prince sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. He felt his head hitting the rough bark of the tree behind him and he wished, truly wished, that Merlin was here.

Because despite of the list he had just recited in his head, Arthur didn't feel jealous of Merlin. Instead, he he found his own name upon that list.
That list of people who adored Merlin. Who could imagine him on the throne. Who wished to be beside him. Talk to him. He could even imagine serving him, if he had to. He would suck at it, surely, but that wouldn't stop him from trying.
Because Merlin was a wonderful person. And if anyone deserved the title as crown prince of Camelot, Arthur couldn't deny the truth.
For Merlin, he would even give up his crown, if Merlin asked for it. The thought scared him.

The real problem, he feared, was what came after. The thoughts he had about his own role in that life, if it ever came to it.
Would Merlin accept Arthur at his side?

Arthur had used Merlin for everything. Had taken every chance to keep Merlin by his side for the majority of the day. Had let Merlin wake him, dress him, feed him, write his speeches, watch him train and asked Merlin for his opinions on how to approach his kingly tasks.
Arthur had taken him for granted. Basically abused their friendship for his own benefit.
And on top of that, he had insulted Merlin, hit him on occasion and fought him all day, when he was feeling particularly moody.
Arthur had expected everything of Merlin. And now he found not a single memory of giving anything in return.
For goodness sake, the entire reason why Merlin was gone in the first place, was because Arthur couldn't bother to unroll his socks! It was such a simple thing!
And Arthur had been too selfish to do him such a small favor!