Merthur One Shots

Witchy Business

Date Published: August 8th, 2022
Word Count: 12,084
A/N: Let's mix up this angst fest with some modern (with magic) meet cute fluff

There were not many things that intimidated Arthur Pendragon. He was, by all accounts, a very courageous man. He had stood up to his father when he wanted to pursue a different career than Uther's business despite knowing it would likely lead to him being disinherited. After years of hard work and training, he secured a position as a knight at a medieval show. It was as authentic as possible; the swords and armor they used were real, as were the many aches and bruises he gained.

He wasn't completely fearless, of course. There were plenty of logical things that he was wary of. Arthur was intimidated by a couple things: his father (though he had managed to overcome that slightly), his half-sister Morgana when she was in a foul mood (he was aware of what that woman could do), possibly facing some dangerous predator while out in the wild (there were reportedly bears in the forest he liked to go hiking in), and lastly, magic.

It wasn't that he hated it, or thought everyone who used it had malicious intentions; Morgana certainly dabbled in witchcraft and she wasn't evil (even if she seemed to be whenever angry). Arthur just didn't particularly like it. It made his hair stand on edge, his skin crawl, and all his instincts screamed not to let his guard down.

Perhaps it was because he was such a physical man. Arthur was the type of man to spend the weekend going camping, hiking, or doing something else to keep him active. For his job, he'd learned to fight hand-to-hand, wield a sword and shield, and ride horses for jousting tournaments. When he faced an opponent in combat, Arthur had something tangible to work with or against. Magic, however, was mostly invisible. It could throw someone across the room, launch items at people, or conjure elements with a simple spell or incantation. There was nothing a sword or fist could do about words when the magic user was out of arm's reach.

Needless to say, Arthur tried to distance himself from magic and its many branches. This was why his stomach churned uncomfortably as he looked at the store he was outside of.

He tried to peer into the windows, but the glass was colored and there seemed to be many shelves that blocked his view. He frowned and read the sign on the door. It read "Merlin's Myriad of Magical Amenities" and had a bird flying underneath the words.

Arthur rolled his eyes; a magic user named Merlin was quite cliché and whoever he was, he clearly liked to be tongue-in-cheek with the amount of alliteration in the name of his shop. He honestly thought it was borderline obnoxious. His skeptic feelings toward this were growing by the second, but the little sign hanging on the door was mocking him with "OPEN!" in a curly font and what he could swear was a smiley face. Damned if he was scared off by a simple potion shop, Arthur pulled the door open. 

The musical sound of a small bell greeted him as he stepped inside. Despite the sunny day outside, the interior of the store was dimly lit with colorful light fixtures that created a calming atmosphere. An aroma of herbs filled the air. Arthur felt his nerves dissipate as he inhaled and wondered what made up the smell.

He began to look around. Elegant shelves lined the walls, many of them filled with bottles containing various colored liquids. Some of them looked like normal drinks; others were glowing or had particles floating in them. There were other objects on the shelves such as bundles of herbs, boxes of candles, and other things used for witchcraft that Arthur didn't recognize.

There were display tables filled the floor between him and the desk he assumed was where he was meant to checkout. The tables were ornamental and beautiful, and upon them sat bowls of crystals and stands with jewelry hanging from them. Hanging from the ceiling were what Arthur assumed were charms. Some of them were constructed with simple components like twigs, and others looked like they were meticulously woven out of metal wire and held precious jewels.