Merlin couldn't tag along. It was not that he didn't want to (though he actually didn't) but rather, had he been caught, he would not have much of an excuse for following the king out into the woods.
Especially since he wasn't his friend anymore.
He was barely an acquaintance to his once best friend.
Over the hunting trip, Merlin worried, and Arthur did not. After all, they always had luck on their side, right? Bandits dropping their weapons, branches falling off on their heads...
But now that Arthur thought about it (and yes, it was extremely hard for him), it had been happening very little as of late. Around the time Merlin left.
Maybe that clotpole was good for something.
The truth was, he missed Merlin. He would never tell a single soul, but he missed him. As pretty as his new servant was, and as stunning as her beautiful voice sang, he still wished, sometimes, that it was Merlin who woke up in the mornings, ripping the curtains apart. Merlin, who came in late and stole the sausages off his plate. Merlin, who was one of the most loyal, friendly people he knew, and treated him like a friend.
A friend that he hadn't seen much of.
Now that he thought about it, it really was his fault that Merlin hadn't tried to talk to him; he never said he wanted Merlin to.
He just replaced him.
With a heavy heart, Arthur rode on quietly;
until Gwaine crunched his apple as loud as he could, destroying the silence.
Damnit Gwaine.
YOU ARE READING
The Only One Who Knew Me/Merthur
Hayran KurguIn a world where your soulmate's name is revealed on your wrist, Arthur is too dumb to realize Merlin is the " Emrys " on his arm. Thus, Arthur hires a new, pretty, female manservant as to court her. Therefore, he begins distancing himself from Merl...
