Merlin FanFic

Feeling Lost

Arthur was worried about Merlin. It had been days since they had returned to Camelot and he still hadn't woken up. There was still no sign of Morgana, which was a massive relief for Arthur and the kingdom. But he was now beginning to wonder if Merlin would ever wake up. He spoke to Gaius that morning to check his progress, and Gaius said that Merlin would come round when he was ready. Arthur was still sceptical. The castle seemed very quiet without Merlin managing to knock something over, breaking something or running over the kitchen staff. Arthur soon realised that he missed the idiot more than he let on. Arthur was sat in his quarters worrying about Merlin's children. They had lost their mother after she had tried to kill their father, and now their father wasn't around as he was unconscious after the big battle. He was grateful to Gwen as she had taken them under her care and devoted her time to them and the kingdom, ensuring they still had a routine. He still could see the pain in their eyes, and he also knew how it felt to lose a mother. It would take them a long time to get past it. Arthur wished he could take the pain away from the children, but he knew that he had more pressing issues within the kingdom, which was becoming chaotic. Somehow, word had gotten out that Merlin had magic and that he was the one who saved Arthur by using magic, and now the people of the kingdom were divided. The one half was in uproar, claiming that Arthur had known about Merlin and his magic all along and that he had been protecting him; the other half argued that now the king's servant had magic, the whole kingdom should bring back magic. Arthur sighed and looked out the window, knowing he couldn't make everyone happy in the kingdom. He was going to have to make the right choice in whether to bring magic back or not. He also knew that getting back good magic would bring back evil magic, and Arthur couldn't ignore that. He wondered how he would be able to deal with it. Arthur knew that he was going round and round in circles, and he realised that he wished he had Merlin by his side to help him decide. Even though Arthur knew that he could be an idiot, he still held wisdom beyond his years. He was still wrapped up in his thoughts when there was a sudden knock at the door.
"Come." Arthur yelled and watched Percival enter the room and bow.
"I have brought news, sire." He stated. Arthur couldn't help but notice the change within Percival since Gwaine was banished from the kingdom and stripped of his knighthood. Percival wasn't as loud as he used to be, and there weren't as many pranks played on the kitchen cook anymore, for which Arthur knew that she would be grateful, but Arthur noticed that Percival had lost his spark."What is it?" Arthur asked after a moment. He then noticed that he looked a little excited.
"It's Merlin, sire; he has woken up." Percival was grinning and Arthur laughed in relief.
"Well it's about time!" He chuckled before getting up and leaving his desk and the worries of the kingdom behind for a while. He followed Percival out of the room and towards Gaius' chambers. Arthur then strode in and saw Merlin sitting at the table, looking cold and pale but enjoying some food and a drink. He couldn't stop the smile off his face as he was glad to see Merlin awake.
"It's about time you got up; my armour desperately needs cleaning." Merlin laughed as he watched Arthur punch his shoulder and sit beside him.
"It's good to have you back Merlin." Merlin smiled before looking at Arthur.
"Where are my children and where is Arthisua?" Arthur looked confused at the last part of the question. Merlin sighed in frustration.
"The white dragon that tried to eat you." He watched the recognition form on Arthur's face.
"Oh, him, we aren't sure. Once we got back to Camelot, he stopped and wouldn't come any further. Then he flew off somewhere, and we haven't seen him since. As for the children, Gwen has been looking after them." Merlin was not happy.

Merlin had woken up feeling refreshed and knew that he must have been out from the magic he had used for a while. He sat up and was soon greeted with a hug from Gaius, followed by a long lecture about how stupid he had been and how he could have gotten himself killed. Merlin smiled throughout the lecture as he expected nothing less from Gaius. He then went on to explain everything that happened to Merlin, and he was shocked and couldn't believe what had happened to Morgana and that she was still gone. He felt that he was in a dream and would wake up any second and return to reality. Gaius had left Merlin to gather his thoughts as he went to speak to Percival who was guarding the door outside and then returned to give Merlin some food which he quickly devoured. He was finishing his food when Arthur entered the room and was so glad to see Arthur still in one piece. He was glad of the warm greeting and wanted nothing more than to get back to reality, which he knew was not going to happen easily. Arthur didn't need to do much explaining and Merlin knew that he would have to go and find Arthisua. He placed his cup down on the table and stood up with shaky legs before heading towards the door. Arthur, Gaius, and Percival soon stopped him.
"Where are you going?" Arthur asked and Merlin sighed.
"To go and get back my dragon." He pushed past them, headed down the hallway, and noticed that the staff were acting very strange towards him. They were giving him a wide berth. He then heard Arthur running up the hallway towards him before coming to a stop in front of him making Merlin stop. 
"Going out there right now is not a good idea." Arthur stated and Merlin was confused.
"Why not? Why are the staff acting weird? Was there something I missed?" By this time, Gaius had caught up, and Arthur looked at him warily, and Gaius shrugged. Merlin then knew that something was wrong.
"What is it Arthur?" He demanded and Arthur sighed.
"The whole kingdom knows you have your magic, and they somehow know you saved me using magic. It has divided the whole kingdom; some think that I knew about your magic all along and are furious, and some want to bring back magic, and they think that you are the person who can do it." Merlin was shocked; he had caused an uproar by protecting Arthur with magic. He just stood there and looked at Arthur in disbelief.
"What are you going to do? You are going to have to make a decision about whether you will bring back magic and create Albion or not." Merlin watched Arthur's face, and he could see that Arthur was torn, but he couldn't make the choice for him. Merlin pushed past Arthur and carried on down the hall, but he was then stopped by them again.
"Didn't you listen to anything I just said?" Arthur asked and Merlin sighed.
"Yes, I did, Arthur. I am going to see my children if that is alright with you." Arthur watched him walk down the hall and sighed before looking at Gaius.
"What am I to do Gaius?" Gaius shook his head.
"I can not help you there, sire. This is your kingdom. You are the only one who can make the choice. I just hope for all of our sakes that you make the right one." Gaius walked away from Arthur, leaving him standing there feeling more at a loss than before. He knew that he had to make the right choice, but he still wasn't sure what choice he should make.