Merlin's magic (Oneshots) 1

Analogy

A.N.:// This story was requested by @comebackkaren .
Based on Atlantis by Seafret.
To be honest this has absolutely nothing to do with the song lyrics. But while listening to it, I saw Arthur's world collapsing under his feet at the thought of Merlin being corrupted by magic. And after he learns that his father was wrong, the entire foundation of his relationship with his father does.
"I can't save us" is practically how Arthur feels. So personally I think it does fit the lyrics somehow... abstractly... but it's not an actual song fic.
I'm pretty sure this isn't exactly what you wanted,
But this is what the song provided me with. I sure hope you like it anyway :) I tried. I'm bad with requests, sorry D:

(Art by me: @changelink23 on instagram or @changelink on tumblr :) lol... did I use that one before? Either way it fits perfectly :))

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Arthur had always known that magic was linked to people's emotions.
That was something his father had mentioned once when he was younger. He sat Arthur down and told him how dangerous magic was.
How you couldn't trust people who chose to use magic. Because their anger and their fears would bottle up and make them explode. They were living bombs.
(A.N.:// I dunno if any form of bombs existed at the time. I honestly don't think so. But idc. In my defense, I didn't have a better analogy.)
Sorcerers could not be trusted. Even if they seemed like good people, magic would slowly overtake them, corrupt them and destroy everything around them.
And if you were unlucky, you would catch their disease. Their magic. And become a bomb yourself.

This is why Arthur watched, when children were lead to the pyre. Even if it meant tearing his own heart apart.
Arthur hated it. Hated it more than anything. He had seen people hanged or burned or drowned that he used to know. That he used to play with.
People who seemed nice and comforting. But they were all dangerous. Dangerous and destructive.
And Arthur knew they couldn't be saved. And he was scared he'd end up like them.

"Magic latches on to the dark side of the nicest people. And it destroys them from the inside. Until they tear everyone down with them.", is what Uther said.
Magic was a disease. A sickness. One even Gaius the court physician couldn't cure.
The old man himself had fallen ill of this sickness once. But Uther swore that Gaius had managed to fight it's corruption. At least he wasn't contagious anymore, Uther said. How Gaius managed it, Arthur didn't know. And Uther told him it was an almost impossible feat that costed lots of sacrifices. Sacrifices you couldn't force people to pay.
Ever since Arthur knew, he saw the physician in a completely different light.
But magic wasn't a simple disease. Catching it didn't just endanger you. It didn't just endanger everyone around you. It literally made you a killer. A murderer. A monster.
And you couldn't even do anything against it.

However, there were people in his life that Arthur just knew couldn't have magic. People that couldn't have been corrupted by magic, because they were too good people. And never involved with other sorcerers. There were people who were immune, because there was no darkness within them. At least Arthur wanted to believe it. It gave him hope.

Gwen for example was the kindest person he ever knew. She could never have magic.
And Merlin?
Merlin was innocent and clumsy. Nothing about him was dark and twisted. Nothing about him could give you the mere idea that he'd ever thought to harm Arthur.
Quite the opposite. Merlin kept offering his own life for Arthur's. Even before they had known each other.

Arthur just knew, Merlin would be save.
He didn't just believe it, he was certain of it. Because he had considered the possibility and realized that Merlin was NOTHING that could make him a magic user. No secret past, no hidden grudges against the king. Nothing. There was no dark side that magic could latch on to.