Merlin: The Challenges of being Emrys

Chapter Four: The Good and the Bad

A/N:
it's been too long I'm sorry!! I hope this chapter will make up for it. Ended it with a cliff hanger :)
Feedback is most appreciated! Anyways enjoy!

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Merlin woke up to nothing. Just simply on his own. He let out a shaky breath and opened his eyes. Today, he was not going to go down to the kitchens for Arthur's breakfast, nor was he going to open up Arthur's curtains and demand that he get his lazy arse up. Today, he was going to leave the citadel.

Merlin packed the night before. He had no idea where he was going to go for the short amount of time away from the castle where he was going to use to plan the rest of his life. What disguise was he going to wear for when he entered the castle. How the hell was he supposed to get information about Arthur? From Gaius? Yes, maybe from him, but it wouldn't be the same as when he was right there, eavesdropping on all Arthur's conversations. He would now get information through a secondary source.

Merlin groaned when he realized how hard his life was going to be from now on. He slowly got up and slipped out of his bed. He made it up for the final time and smiled. He was really going to miss this place. Merlin said his goodbyes last night, he wasn't going to wake up everyone this early in the morning for his selfish reasons.  He said his goodbye to everyone he cared about, except for one person... Gwaine.

He wasn't sure how the lad would react if he came to him, but he really didn't want to find out. For all he knew, he could change his mind and just go to Arthur right away. Though, Gwaine did stick up for him yesterday, in a very brotherly way...

"The only reason I became a damn knight was not for you, but for Merlin. Because for some crazy reason, this guy seems to think your worth dying for."

If that wasn't proof enough that he valued Merlin over Arthur any day than certainly Gwaine didn't really want him gone. Surely, he didn't mean what he said in the woods.
But it was too late now.

Merlin changed into the clothes he left out for himself last night, grabbed his bag, and walked out his bedroom door. Merlin locked eyes with someone he certainly wasn't expecting.

"Arthur?"

At the mention of his name, the king stood up and eyed Merlin.

"I still don't understand, why do you need to leave?" He asked sadly.

"I just have to, you need to trust me that it's for the better."

"But how can you leaving, be for the better? I mean, surely I will get a manservant who can clean better than you." Both chucked at that. "But it's still not for the better, because the man who I considered my best friend, is leaving me. The man who I seek advice from and-"

"Don't you dare Arthur, you have never listened to my advice!"

"Hey! I said seek, not actually listen to it and put it to good use." Arthur retorted back. "But the thing is, I need you in my life. I don't know why, but, I fear without you here, I won't be the man I need to be. Yes, I have Guinevere and the Knights, and my council, but at the end of the day, there's going to be one person who isn't there to make my life feel complete, and that's you, Merlin."

"Don't get sappy on me Arthur."

"I know, I know, this is so unlike me. But, I don't like to lose things that are important to me."

"I know." 

Arthur let out a long sigh. "Well, I guess I can't stop you now. I came to try to talk you out of leaving and if I couldn't do that, I planned to say goodbye again."