Imagines and Preferences: Book 1

Preference: Comforting Him | Merlin

Requested by @Shannon1300

Summary: Something awful happens to him and you comfort him.

QOTP: Morgana or Mordred?

Word Count: 788

Arthur -
You hear a crash from inside his room. You're standing outside the door, about to go in. After a few moments of silence, you deem it safe and knock.

"Who is it?!" Arthur shouts.

"It's me," you say. "Y/N." The door swings open and there stands Arthur, angry to the point of tears. You step inside and he closes the door behind you. After a few seconds silence, you say gently, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I just..." he starts. "I can't believe she'd do this."

You sigh. "I honestly can't either."

Arthur, despite his best efforts, finds himself starting to sob. "She was like a sister to me, and she just... She betrayed me. She betrayed us all."

You notice his tears and close the small distance between you, placing a hand on his shoulder. He turns to look at you for a second, then he wraps his arms around you. You return the hug, resting his head on your shoulder. "You'll find her, Arthur. I know you will."

"And then what?" he asks shakily.

"You can ask her why she's doing what she's doing. But beyond that, she's made her choice. There's nothing you can do about it, Arthur, and there's no use wondering why. You'll drive yourself crazy."

He's quiet for a few seconds. "Thank you, Y/N. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Merlin -
Merlin took you to meet his mother. That's why you're here, in his village. He's in love with you - he's certain - and he even got Arthur to give him the week off. He was going to ask her advice about how to propose.

And then the bandits come.

Merlin runs to help immediately, telling you and his mother to stay inside as he goes. You look back at his mother. "Stay here and hide. I'm going to help him."

With that, you leave

Other villagers are fighting back. Some are giving up their possessions. Some are already dead.

Merlin is in the thick of it. You grab a makeshift sword from a fallen villager and run to meet him. He turns and sees you coming. "I told you to stay inside!"

"Well, I don't always do what you tell me to!" you shout back, looking at the bandit heading toward you.

He runs to you, ready to protect you. "Where's my mother?"

"Inside," you reply. "Safe. Hiding."

The bandit turns his horse, aiming to just pass you with his sword out, hoping to cut you fatally. He does it at the last second.

Merlin shoves you to the side, moving out of the way himself. But he gets cut - a small, shallow wound - and he hits the ground next to you.

And his mother, who's standing in her doorway, sees it.

And screams.

"Merlin!"

The bandit brings his horse back around, heading straight toward her. Neither you nor Merlin get up in time.

Merlin sees his mother fall, and in his anger uses to magic to throw the bandit from his horse. He crashes into the side of another villager's home, but Merlin doesn't look back. He runs to his mother, and you follow close behind.

She isn't dead when he reaches her, but she's dying. He immediately tries every spell he can think of to save her, but nothing works.

She's gone.

"M-Mother?" Merlin says.

You lean down and touch his shoulder. "Merlin... she's gone."

"N-No, she's not," he says. "Sh-She'll be fine. I just need to-"

"Merlin," you repeat gently.

He knows you're right. Sh too pale, too cold. But he can't lose her. He just can't. Anger floods through him again, and he has to let it out. Do something.

He stands, eyes flashing gold. Every bandit is felled, all crashing into the nearest structure behind them. Even after that, it still isn't enough.

He wants to destroy everything.

You run to him, hands on his shoulders, trying to pull him back to reality. Trying to ground him. He turns around, facing you. His eyes are gold, but when he sees you, the gold fades. The anger fades. He crumples.

You crouch next to him and put your arm around him. He leans into you, burying his face in your shoulder. "She can't be gone."

You rub his back comfortingly, unsure as to what to say, or what to do but hold him until he can stand again. You'll word to Arthur eventually; he'll surely do something about the bandits.

For now, though, you press a kiss to Merlin's forehead and tell him that everything will be okay.