Merlin One-shots

Their Core Goodness

Everyone holds something at their core. Let's explore this, shall we?

Key:
Character - core goodness
- Next most potent traits

First, the round table...

Arthur - Courage
- Trust, Forgiveness, Compassion

Courage is not bravery. Bravery happens without thought, but courage is an active choice. It's a choice Arthur makes every time, without fail, in spite of his fears and the odds stacked against him. His unending courage would have him killed many times over if it weren't for Merlin.
Trust is a double-edged sword and has cut Arthur himself many times, but there's something endearing and wholly good about the way he never loses his ability to trust, and, for all the bad, it does him a lot of good too. It was damaging to trust Morgana, Aggravaine and even his father, but after Morgana, he kept trusting and formed his inner circle of knights, sharing with them a bond of complete trust; after Aggravaine he kept trusting and made allies out of Tristan and Isolde; after everything, he was willing to trust magic again (Perhaps my father was wrong, perhaps the old ways weren't as evil as we thought) but he trusted Merlin more (There can be no place for magic in Camelot) and made a choice that led to his death. (Trust is a double-edged sword.)
There came a point after which nothing was as strong as his trust in Merlin - so strong that he heard him once in his sleep and listened without hesitation, saving his army at Camlann as a result. He was devastated when he found out Merlin was a sorcerer (you've been lying to me all this time) (I trusted you) (leave me) but he never stopped trusting in Merlin's goodwill. He wanted Merlin gone, yes, but he was trying to send him back to Gwen, the love of his life, because he trusted him still amidst all his anger.
Forgiveness and compassion go hand in hand with trust - Arthur gives those out just as freely. His compassion made him a great king, and his forgiveness made him a more open one. He forgave Gwen and he was better and happier for it - so were the people of Camelot with their excellent queen. He yearned to reconcile with his half-sister, (We used to be friends, Morgana) and had she given him any reason to, especially in the earlier days, he would have forgiven her. In the short time between finding out about Merlin's magic and dying, he forgave Merlin for his secrecy and thanked him for everything. He may be the embodiment of courage, but his trust and forgiveness are the unique strengths that make him the one and only Once and Future King.

Gwaine - Strength
- Endurance, Cheer

Think for a moment of all Sir Gwaine has endured while never once losing his signature grin. I don't think anyone else would last as long as he did fighting as Morgana's entertainment for measly scraps of food that he readily gave up to his friends - and that's just one example. Let's not forget how, after the loss of his father, he found the strength to put aside his misgivings about knighthood and nobility to become one of Camelot's best, or how he jumped to Merlin's aid at every opportunity, or how he stayed a knight who brought cheer to his comrades through many, many losses.
His biggest show of strength though is one he sees as his biggest failure. The nathair can cause its victim pain beyond all imagining, but it doesn't kill...usually. It forces out what's needed long before death comes near to being a possibility. Not for Gwaine. Gwaine held on to Arthur's secret whereabouts with all his strength, longer than any man, and it cost him his life. Had he given in earlier, he would have lived. But Gwaine is strength, so when his strength died, so did he.

Lancelot - Chivalry
- Honour, Humility

Chivalry is the combination of qualities expected of an ideal knight, namely courage, honour, courtesy, justice, and a readiness to help the weak. Now tell me Lancelot is not the ideal knight. That's right, you can't, because he is. Just look at all he did and all he wanted for Merlin alone, and you'll see it. (I fight for freedom, he said as he stood with the round table for the first time, while looking at Merlin).
Just look at how he let go of the love of his life because he believed Arthur is a better man (Oh the humility, the humility, the humility...), and how he never took credit for slaying the Griffin thought it was a combined effort from him and Merlin. He died to save his dearest friend but also because he believed, saw, and knew in his heart that Merlin's life was meant for more. He thought so little of himself but meant so much to others.