Merlin One Shots

Arthur finds out (Part 2)

The sun dipped low in the sky, drawing closer to the horizon, where it would disappear as quickly as it had risen behind a veil of trees. Streaks of fire painted the sky, bleeding a multitude of twilight colours in all directions. The citadel and the lower town blended in perfectly with the beautiful painting, appearing so still and peaceful and serene, as it bathed in the warmth of the dying light.

The obvious darkening of the sky was what finally broke Arthur from his endless pondering. At some point during the hours of contemplation, he had started pacing back and forth in front of his fireplace. Now, he raised his gaze to the window and slowly made his way over.

Arthur could never get enough of the breathtaking view of his kingdom. It was one of his favourite things about living in the castle. A small smile tugged at his lips, as the memories of his childhood came to mind. How he often found himself up in the battlements, mesmerised by the view of the brilliant, crimson sunsets visible through the gaps in the wall; being too short to completely see over them. It was his favourite place to hide from his father, and forget about the constant reminders of the royal expectations on his shoulders. Even if it was, for just a few precious hours.

He missed it. As the years passed he had rarely had any free time to just breathe. Although, he had been out of the castle many times as he got older, but that was mostly on the quests his father sent him on; where he rarely spared any thought to the feeling of being free of the castle walls, due to the responsibility weighing heavily on his shoulders. Either way, life had been simpler back then. Less complicated.

His easy smile was quickly replaced by a grimace, as his previous tangled web of thoughts made itself known once again. Well, he sighed. It seems the few seconds of blissful distraction had ended. He sighed and reluctantly turned away from the window.

He wondered what the king thought of his absence for the day. Most likely hasn't even noticed, he thought bitterly. His father never really cared of his whereabouts unless he needed some urgent assistance with storming a new druid camp, or being present for the execution of the latest accused magic user.

The knights had probably missed his presence at training. However most of them would just let it slide, with the exception of Leon who Arthur had expected to come knocking on his door. Now that he thought about it even if the knight had, Arthur most likely wouldn't have heard; being as lost deep in his thoughts as he had been. He hadn't even registered himself getting out his armchair!

He resisted the urge to groan out loud, and collapse face first onto his bed like a child. In light of recent revelations, he wanted nothing more than to remain safely locked in his chambers and revaluate his entire life in peace. He wondered if he should announce that he was feeling unwell. This idea was shot down immediately. One, that would most likely draw unwanted attention to himself. Two, he would have to be 'treated' by the temporary court physician. Merlin.

Arthur winced at the thought of the newly revealed scocerer. For all his deep, endless musings, he still hadn't been able to come up with a reason as to why the other man had started practicing magic. Maybe it had begun long before his arrival in Camelot, and he had traveled here with the soul purpose of befriending and tricking Arthur. Get close to him and sow chaos in his kingdom from the inside.

However, despite popular belief, Arthur was not completely blind or oblivious. He had long since suspected an unnatural hand in his miraculous ability to survive near death situations. He now understood what- or who- it had been. But why? Was it to gain his trust? Was it to keep him alive for some sinister plot? Perhaps Merlin was playing the long game. Wait for him to become king, and somehow control his actions and decisions. Maybe end his life altogether.