A Land of Myth and Magic

A Debt to be Paid

Merlin lay back on his bed, staring up at the ceiling whilst sleepless hours passed. His bed felt cold and uncomfortable. It had been so long since he had slept alone and as he twisted restlessly, he wished that he could be curled against Arthur instead. 

     But Arthur was furious with him. Worse than that, Arthur felt betrayed by him. Anger and frustration were common emotions- a side-effect of being king- but betrayal was rare and its rarity made it all the more dangerous. It was not the first time Arthur had been betrayed and it would likely not be the last but after each of these occasions, Merlin had observed a sense of vulnerability about Arthur. Now, when he had been hurt by the person he loved the most... 

     Merlin forced the idea of a distraught Arthur from his mind. Nothing was ever fixed by dwelling on possibilities and it certainly wouldn't help Merlin repair the damage to his (now technically non-existent) relationship with Arthur. 

It was almost dawn when Merlin finally gave up on sleep. Pulling himself from the bed with a groan, he set out into the castle, determined to to salvage what he could of Arthur's feelings for him. There was nothing Merlin could say that would restore Arthur's faith in him but maybe somebody else could be more persuasive.

    

Merlin hammered insistently at Gwaine's door, ignoring the knight's muffled protestations. The door was wrenched away from Merlin mid-knock and Gwaine, draped in bed sheets and with dark hair falling over his eyes, propped himself up against the door frame.

     "I need you to talk to Arthur." 

     "Merlin..." Gwaine shook his head almost imperceptibly, too exhausted to finish his sentence. He stood up a little straighter as he gathered the energy to continue. "I don't know what I can say; it didn't mean anything." 

     "Then tell him that. I don't care what you say; you just have to make him understand."

     "Shouldn't you be the one talking to him? I mean-"

     "You think I haven't tried?" Merlin's voice raised slightly as last night's argument replayed in his head. "I would give anything to be able to convince him that I-," he stopped and took a breath to settle himself before speaking again. "Gwaine, please. Just talk to him. You owe me that much at least."

     Gwaine sighed. He was loath to interfere in another couple's fight but Merlin was right- Gwaine was in Merlin's debt.

     "Alright," he said. "I'll talk to him. Just so I know- how bad is the situation?"

     "Put it this way: if you don't talk to Arthur, the wedding's off."