Merlin Imagines

Arthur x Reader: Alone Together Part 2

No one moved.

No one breathed.

They all stared in silence at where you had just been standing. Arthur was like a statue. Eventually Lancelot spoke up. "Arthur, I'm so—" He didn't get a chance to finish. Arthur lunged forward and grabbed the front of Lancelot's tunic, shoving him up against a broken pillar.

"You're what? You're sorry?" He hissed. "I don't care if you're sorry. I finally had her back. And now she's gone. Again!" He drew his fist back and Lancelot prepared for the blow. Merlin however, had faster reflexes. He grabbed Arthur's fist. Arthur tried to shake him off, but Merlin held on tight. "What are you doing?" He shouted.

"Arthur, calm down!" Arthur whirled on his manservant.

"Calm down? Calm down?!" He screamed, absolutely livid. "Y/N was missing for months and I just watched her be taken away from me again. I have no idea where she is, who she's with, or if she's even alive!" Arthur's voice cracked. Merlin watched him sympathetically. Arthur didn't speak. He just stared at his

feet.

"We'll find her, Arthur."

"How do you know?" He snapped.

"She came back once; that means she can come back again." Merlin reasoned.

"How?" He said bitterly. "She was taken by magic. You all saw it." He pointed to where the rift was. "There's no way to get her back." The answer hung unsaid in the air, until Merlin finally spoke up.

"...But there is a way." He said softly. Arthur stared at him as though he'd grown another head.

"You know that's not an option."

"So what's your plan?" Arthur didn't answer. "Are you really willing to turn away the one solution we may ever find?"

On the one hand, magic was outlawed in Camelot. What sort of example would he be setting as King?

But on the other hand... Y/N. This might be the only chance he'd get to see her again. He'd give anything to get her back.

The choice was easy.

"What do you propose?"

...

"So tell me what happened again?" Arthur groaned from his seat at the weathered wooden table.

"I told you. She got—"

"Sucked into a rift in space and sent to a world far away from here. I know."

"Then why did you ask?" The old wizard turned and grinned at him.

"Just to see if you'd listen." He poured what he had been mixing into a small flask. He shoved a cork in the top and handed it to the King.

"And what am I supposed to do with this?"

"Drink one third of it and think about where you want to go."

"Why a third? Am I going to die if I drink more?" His sarcastic response was answered with a smart rap to his head. "Hey!"

"One third to get there. One third to get back. And the last is for her." Arthur nodded in understanding and turned to leave. The door slammed and Arthur whirled around, drawing his sword. The old wizard waggled a finger at him.

"Didn't your parents ever teach you manners? You know, just because you're a King doesn't mean you can't learn some manners!" Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"Thank you," He said at last. "Truly." He turned to open the door, but stopped at the last second. "You know," He said, turning around. "You remind me of a friend of mine." He was going to say more, but was interrupted by a book flying at his head.

"Go!" Arthur glared at the wizard and left. When he was gone, Merlin shed his disguise and watched Arthur's retreating form. He had no idea how you managed to fall in love with such a clot pole.

...

Arthur locked the door to his chambers, and relieved his guards for the night.

He turned the flask over in his hands, studying it. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't afraid. He had no idea if the wizard was telling the truth, or even what he was about to drink.

But it was for you.

And he'd go to the ends of the earth for you.

Without another thought, he opened the flask and tipped it back.

...

You wiped your eyes as you dropped your bag on the foot of your bed. You didn't bother changing; you just pulled the covers back and crawled into bed, pulling the blankets up and over. You lay there in the dark. Just thinking.
You knew it wasn't a dream. As soon as you were back, you opened your computer and googled Merlin. You checked the episodes, and sure enough, Lancelot was there right up until the end of season 5.

You weren't sure if it made you feel better or worse.

You went back to your normal life, but now that you knew what was missing, it wasn't the same. You were going through the motions. By the time you got home, all you wanted to do was crawl into bed and go to sleep.
Which found you in bed at 5:30. You were seconds away from falling asleep when you heard something that made your heart stop.

"Now, I wonder where Y/N could be?" You didn't move, convinced you had finally lost your mind.

Then a hand tugged the covers off you. You blinked in the light, and when your eyes focused, your hands flew to your mouth as you let out a gasp. Arthur was kneeling next to your bed, smiling softly at you. His face was filled with so much love, and before you could stop yourself, you had shot towards him and wrapped your arms around his neck, throwing him off balance. He instinctively wrapped his arms around you as he fell back. You were laughing and sobbing and Arthur was holding you as tightly as possible, nuzzling his face into your neck. He carefully sat up, still holding onto you as you settled in his lap. You looked up at him and smiled shakily. He wiped the tears from your cheeks. "You don't have to cry anymore," He told you. You smiled a little more surely, and pulled his face down to yours. Your lips moved together gently, and he held you like you were made of china. When you pulled apart he stood up, cradling you in his arms.

"Are you ready to go home?" You nodded. He smiled, and carefully raised a flask, still holding onto you. He tipped the contents into his mouth and pressed his lips to yours, passing some of the mixture to you. You felt wind blow around you, and when you pulled apart and opened your eyes, you were home.