Merlin's magic (Oneshots) 1

Daughter Pendragon

A.N.:// I thought this idea was kinda funny. I posted the original idea on tumblr, then decided to do something with it. Enjoy minimum effort works today.

Ship: OT3: Arthur/ Gwen/ Merlin 
(I didn't proof read and I didn't plan it. It's just a series of interactions I had in mind. Ignore the mistakes, lmao. Consider this a sketch.)

Have fun ^^

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It's been three years since Merlin confessed to having magic. Originally, Arthur wanted Merlin to leave, so Arthur could die in peace after the worst betrayal he's ever experienced. It had been right after Camlann, where Arthur had been mortally wounded. Then Merlin saved his life and Arthur had to swallow the fact that Merlin hadn't actually betrayed him THAT much, and Arthur was the dramatic bitch in the family.

The worst part, however - and it was by far the worst thing Arthur had to face, including being stabbed by Mordred and watching his sister and worst enemy be killed by his manservant - was that Arthur was now forced to pay Merlin respect. He had to make an official speech and everything! Never mind lifting the ban on magic. That part was fine actually. The worst part was that he had to openly compliment Merlin for all the good things he's ever done for Arthur and Camelot.

Merlin gave him a list.

It was a very long list.

And Merlin didn't accept a single reward Arthur tried to give him.

So Arthur went and read it all out to the people, even though he was certain Merlin made at least half the shit up. He could get behind Merlin convincing Anhora to give Arthur another chance to redeem that curse that Arthur put upon his people by killing a unicorn. But Arthur refused to believe that Merlin managed to scare Morgana off by turning into an old man. What the actual fuck? And was Arthur seriously to announce that Merlin used his magic to entertain Queen Annis by magicking himself capable of juggling? He didn't have to, but he did it anyway.

Of course there were much more serious things on that list that Merlin was trying to cover up with the useless stuff.

The first time Arthur read through the thing, he had to force himself not to cry as he read the part about Uther's death. How Merlin had tried to abuse his magic only once to convince Arthur that it could be used for good. And that one instance had taken time and preparation for Merlin to insure his own safety. That time ended up being Morgana's chance to turn Merlin's healing spells against Uther, which ended up killing him. Arthur failed at trying not to cry because he remembered Dragoon's face when his spells didn't work. He remembered Gaius' explanation of Dragoon's intentions, and he sure as hell remembered Merlin's grief.

Merlin's grief for Uther had always been misplaced in Arthur's opinion. It had been the grief for the loss his best friend had to endure. This honorable and kind gesture, one that Arthur carried with him wherever he went, the sight of Merlin waiting for him before the throne room while Arthur paid his father his last respects, had now been twisted into the misplaced grief for a genocidal maniac. A maniac who may be Arthur's father, but one who would have killed Merlin for much less than the reasons Merlin had for the reverse. Merlin had enough reason to enjoy Uther's death. Merlin had enough reason to join Morgana. Merlin had enough reason to kill Arthur himself in his sleep, with and without magic. Yet, he didn't.

And this brings us back to Arthur's constant dilemma. The reward. Because words were hardly enough. Words couldn't take away the anxiety Merlin still had around using his magic openly. Words and laws wouldn't wash away years of installed prejudices and wariness of the people in Camelot. Many believed what Arthur did was foolish. That allowing magic back in Camelot was a mistake. Keeping Merlin alive was considered a mistake. Some even thought that Arthur did it out of fear.