Merlin One-Shots!!

The boy who sat by the lake

Another modern au, I love them too much!

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Arthur's POV:

Coming down to the lake always relaxes me. Something about the clear blue waters that reflect every golden sunbeam soothes me. I spend most of my down time here, drawing or painting whatever comes to mind. People rarely venture this far, so it is s great place to escape the hustle and bustle of city life.

Well it usually is. The crack of branches alerts me to another's presence. My hand jerks in shock causing me to smudge my paint across the canvas. Great! That painting took me three hours. I look around to try and find the cause of the noise and find a figure crouched down by the waters edge.

Despite my very obvious presence they seemed to have not noticed me yet.

A sudden idea comes to mind. I take out my sketch book from my bag and begin to draw the figure. His body language holds so much hidden emotion that I am almost overwhelmed. His ebony hair droops in front of his face, hiding most of his features from view. But I can still make out his pale complexion that contrasts his hair perfectly. The man's posture could be perceived as thoughtful, but also has a hint of sadness. His knees are tucked up to his chest in a defensive way, with his chin delicately placed on top. 

The winds carries melodic humming towards me, sending me deeper into my relaxed state. Between the pencil strokes and soft singing I felt completely at peace. By the time I had finished drawing i was working by the light of my campfire, the figure had noticed me when the sun dipped below the trees but made no effort to communicate.

Not that I mind. I like the comfortable silence.

When the last sun ray dispersed the boy uncurled and silently walked up to my little camp.

"Hi, I noticed you staring earlier." The boy said quietly, with a shy smile. I returned his smile and nodded. 

"Yeah sorry about that. I am an artist, so when I saw you I just had to draw you." Arthur said sheepishly eyeing the drawing on his lap. The ebony haired boy glanced down with wide eyes.

"Wow, that's amazing." He breathed in awe. My face caught fire at the compliment; I am not used to people liking my work.

"Thank you." I whispered, not taking my eyes of the man. Now that I can see him properly I can see the emotion held in those vibrant blue eyes, the happiness painted on those light pink lips. The dimples on his cheeks made him look unbelievably adorable. Adorable? where did that come from? Oh no Arthur do not fall for another stranger, you know what happened last time.

The boy sat across from me, careful not to spill any of the paints I had laid on the pebbles. We sat in more comfortable silence just gazing into the others eyes. I wasn't sure what compelled me to like this boy, maybe the fact that he radiates pure joy without uttering a word. Maybe its the fact he is unbelievably cute; wearing cuffed jeans, a white button up shirt and a yellow flower crown.

A buzz of a phone broke the silence, unfortunately. The boy reached into his pocket, frowning slightly at the interruption.

"I'm sorry I have to leave. It was nice meeting you. You really are an amazing artist." He got up and started walking into the small forest behind the lake. I watched him go before facepalming.

I never got his name.

I looked back down at the drawing with longing. I traced over the lettering at the top.

'The boy who sat by the lake.'

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quite a short one but I think its okay. <3