Eclipse - part 4.
Title: Eclipse - Acceptance (4/4)
Author:
thekeyholder
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin
Rating: PG
Genre: canon!era, angst, h/c, magic reveal
Word Count: this part ~1850
Beta: thank you so much to
blue_eyed_1987 ! <3
Warnings: none
Summary: Arthur has to face some mysterious, dark creatures who were banished by his father, but who are back to seek revenge: “Your kingdom will lose the most important thing without which it can’t survive.” However, the worst part is that their spell puts Merlin in great danger.
A/N: Dedicated to
laurad2609 who introduced me to this lovely fandom. :) This is the last part and I promise it has a happy ending. Thank you to everyone who read it and commented!
Previous parts: PART 1. | PART 2. | PART 3.
Eclipse - part 4. Acceptance
The next day was extremely busy for Arthur, to such an extent that he barely had time to breathe. First, he ordered the purchase of as much food supplies as possible and tried to shut out negative thoughts and worries from his mind. The next situation to remedy was the huge amount of people coming to Camelot in the hope of receiving food and protection there. Arthur was aware that he couldn’t provide food and shelter for everyone, but he chose not to close the gates of the city, as some councillors suggested. He thought that gesture would symbolise weakness and turning his back on his people, letting them down. He was nothing like that. He was a warrior and he would fight till death.
By the time he finished everything that he’d planned for the day, the shadows of evening were falling. Arthur sat at the dinner table exhausted; his head felt heavy and he believed that if he closed his eyes, he would fall asleep immediately. He didn’t even notice when a plate full of his favourite food was placed in front of him. Any other occasion he would have wolfed it down in a matter of minutes, but that day he felt barely capable of even existing. He only managed to gulp down two spoonfuls, but it got stuck in his gullet, so he drank the wine quickly instead. The servant stepped to the table to refill the goblet, but Arthur stopped him:
“Thank you, but that was enough, Merlin.”
Arthur froze. The name just slipped out of his mouth and he panicked, which made him practically run out of the dinning hall. He felt embarrassed and stupid, but he was so used to his manservant that it was natural to address to him. He tried so hard throughout the day to ignore that voice in his head which reminded him of Merlin too often. Earlier that day, around noon, he couldn’t stand it anymore and sent a guard to inquire about Merlin’s state from Gaius. The physician was now absolutely sure about the curse and confirmed that the king’s manservant was suffering from a petrified heart. The young warlock was conscious in the morning, but he was seized by pains so strong that Gaius decided to give him a sleep-inducing elixir.
Arthur seemed to spend that evening the same way he did the previous day: alone with a heavy heart. Moreover, he felt guilty for not visiting Merlin. He told himself he was very busy, but he could have gone himself instead of the guard to ask about his friend’s state. Because after all, Merlin was his friend. But then again, friends are honest with each other and Merlin had been hiding the secret for years. Arthur asked himself if that changed anything between them…even if he mocked Merlin in front of everybody, his manservant was brave and saved him a couple of times. Suddenly, the king remembered that Merlin once said that he’d saved his royal backside many more times than Arthur could imagine.
Well, maybe Merlin was right; with magic, he could have been able to do that from a distance. However, that didn’t mean that Merlin was a coward. Arthur had seen him fighting with a sword and although he would have never admitted it, if he were to listen to his heart, he would have knighted Merlin. The question still persisted: did the fact that Merlin had magic change their friendship? After all, Merlin was always there in the most difficult situations, he encouraged Arthur and even though his jokes were silly most of the time, he was Arthur’s source of support.
That day, three-fourths of the Sun was covered by the black object. That meant that only a quarter of Merlin’s heart was intact. Arthur pummelled his pillow at the thought and a strange idea crossed his mind: Merlin’s quarter of heart held more love and joy than Arthur’s whole heart did. Bitter tears soaked his pillow that night as well.
* * * * *
The next morning Arthur woke up with a startle and blinked a few times, confused by the poor light filtering through his window. It was quite dark, consequently he thought that he had woken up earlier. However, as soon as he stepped to the window he realised that it wasn’t dark because it was only dawning, but because only a very small part of the Sun was uncovered, therefore only a few sunbeams were still free to illuminate Camelot. He had some weird dreams, a string of illogical and confusing images, all concentrated around Merlin.
Even at night, his brain was concerned with the fate of his manservant. In his dream, Arthur saw Merlin leaving Camelot, more specifically wading in knee-deep snow. Then suddenly, he turned and waved at Arthur, smiling with his particular, broad smile, but at the same time a tear escaped from the corner of his right eye. Then Arthur was crying in his room, while Gaius told him off for expelling Merlin. Surprisingly, Uther advised him to run after his friend. However, by the time Arthur found Merlin, his friend was lying lifeless in the pure snow with his blue, glassy eyes staring at the overcast sky.
Arthur washed his face and, while dressing, he made up his mind and gathered enough courage to visit Merlin for the last time. He was scared to find the boy the same way as in his dream with the eyes staring at the ceiling, deprived of their usual sparkle of life, but he knew that if he didn’t do it, he would regret it for the rest of his life, however long that might be. With the image of the almost total eclipse in his mind, Arthur trudged to Gaius and knocked on the door. The physician opened it and they looked at each other wordlessly. From what Arthur could tell, Gaius probably didn’t sleep at all the previous night and his eyes had a sad glint in them. He showed the king to Merlin’s room and then left to give Arthur some privacy.
Arthur walked into his manservant’s small room and biting his lower lip, he knelt beside the bed. Merlin was indeed very pale, lying there with closed eyes. Gaius had dressed Merlin in his best clothes and put around Merlin’s neck his favourite red neckerchief. Arthur felt pangs in his heart and he didn’t want to bid farewell to his friend, to his best friend, in fact. He placed his hand on Merlin’s cold left hand and slowly whispered:
“I’ve never thought that I’d be the one to stay by your deathbed…I always imagined it the other way around or maybe that we’d both be killed in battle. Perhaps the last option would have been the best, because I don’t really know what to do henceforth. I know I don’t listen to you most of the time, but only now do I realise how much you help me. You were always there and believed in me, believed that I could be a good king and gave me valuable pieces of advice. I’m sorry that I called you names, because in fact, you’re a wise man. You know, you could actually replace all those old toads in the council. Anyhow, they wanted to kill you, the fools. I hate to say this, but their wishes may be granted soon…”
Arthur’s voice quivered and he wiped away the tears gathering in his eyes.
“Cabbage head, I think you’d enjoy this moment if you were awake: you could make fun of me for crying, tease me about my sensitive side. I’ve never told anyone this, but I wish I were a bit like you: open, friendly and able to express my feelings. You can be a chatterbox sometimes, so that’s why I have no idea how you kept your magic secret all these years. I must say I’m impressed, Merlin. I am still mad at you for not telling me, but I can understand; it’s probably better that you didn’t reveal it while my father was still alive. But afterwards…it pains me greatly to think that you didn’t trust me enough to tell me your secret.”
By this time, Arthur broke down and he didn’t try to hide his tears. Both his hands grasped Merlin’s hand tighter and he leaned his head against his manservant’s shoulder.
“You’ve been a much better friend to me than I to you. I’m so sorry, I was just blinded by conventions; I thought we couldn’t be friends because of the class difference between us. I thought I was superior to you, but the truth is you’re nobler. You’re a better man than I am, Merlin. If I could, I’d do anything to save you…”
Arthur looked out the window and saw that the Sun was almost covered. He got up and leaned above Merlin, inspecting his face. A tear rolled down from his eyes and fell on Merlin’s pale face, Arthur wiping it away gently. He leaned closer until his lips touched Merlin’s and while pressing the kiss, he remembered the wonderful moments he spent beside Merlin. Then he just pressed his forehead to the young warlock’s and murmured: “I accept your gift, Merlin, and I will allow the use of magic from now. You’ll be respected as a big hero of Camelot if we survive the eclipse.” He paused to sigh, then added: “May your afterlife be peaceful!”
Arthur kissed Merlin’s forehead and suddenly, he felt something warm on his left cheek. He turned to see through the window the Sun shining brilliantly. It was so bright that he had to shield his eyes. Gasping, he looked back at Merlin and as the sunbeams covered the pale boy, something golden gleamed where Merlin’s heart was supposed to be.
A smile was playing on Merlin’s lips. He opened his eyes, got up and looked at Arthur mischievously: “Are you really going to declare me a hero?”
Arthur just hugged Merlin as an answer which made the warlock smile even more.
“What happened? I thought you were going to die,” Arthur whispered, touched.
“I suppose that by accepting magic you broke the spell the keepers of darkness cast on Camelot. You saved my life as well,” Merlin replied, caressing Arthur’s hair.
Then he patted Arthur on the back: “Come on, you have an announcement to make!”
“What announcement? Isn’t it a bit soon?” Arthur asked confusedly and blushed.
“Well, you know…what you said about allowing magic,” Merlin explained. “Wait, what did you think about?”
“I, no, I didn’t think of anything, why do you say that…” Arthur stuttered.
Merlin lolled his head to the right and gave Arthur a “you don’t fool me” look.
“Right. I thought you meant an announcement about us,” Arthur whispered and looked away.
“Oh…” Merlin replied as he realised what Arthur implied. He grinned broadly and pecked his king before replying: “I think one announcement a day is enough. You don’t want to overwhelm your people, do you?”
They smiled at each other before exiting the room, warm sunshine surrounding them and the perfume of a new era spreading in the air.
~ Hope you enjoyed this story! :D
Author:
thekeyholder
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin
Rating: PG
Genre: canon!era, angst, h/c, magic reveal
Word Count: this part ~1850
Beta: thank you so much to
blue_eyed_1987 ! <3
Warnings: none
Summary: Arthur has to face some mysterious, dark creatures who were banished by his father, but who are back to seek revenge: “Your kingdom will lose the most important thing without which it can’t survive.” However, the worst part is that their spell puts Merlin in great danger.
A/N: Dedicated to
laurad2609 who introduced me to this lovely fandom. :) This is the last part and I promise it has a happy ending. Thank you to everyone who read it and commented!
Previous parts: PART 1. | PART 2. | PART 3.
Eclipse - part 4. Acceptance
The next day was extremely busy for Arthur, to such an extent that he barely had time to breathe. First, he ordered the purchase of as much food supplies as possible and tried to shut out negative thoughts and worries from his mind. The next situation to remedy was the huge amount of people coming to Camelot in the hope of receiving food and protection there. Arthur was aware that he couldn’t provide food and shelter for everyone, but he chose not to close the gates of the city, as some councillors suggested. He thought that gesture would symbolise weakness and turning his back on his people, letting them down. He was nothing like that. He was a warrior and he would fight till death.
By the time he finished everything that he’d planned for the day, the shadows of evening were falling. Arthur sat at the dinner table exhausted; his head felt heavy and he believed that if he closed his eyes, he would fall asleep immediately. He didn’t even notice when a plate full of his favourite food was placed in front of him. Any other occasion he would have wolfed it down in a matter of minutes, but that day he felt barely capable of even existing. He only managed to gulp down two spoonfuls, but it got stuck in his gullet, so he drank the wine quickly instead. The servant stepped to the table to refill the goblet, but Arthur stopped him:
“Thank you, but that was enough, Merlin.”
Arthur froze. The name just slipped out of his mouth and he panicked, which made him practically run out of the dinning hall. He felt embarrassed and stupid, but he was so used to his manservant that it was natural to address to him. He tried so hard throughout the day to ignore that voice in his head which reminded him of Merlin too often. Earlier that day, around noon, he couldn’t stand it anymore and sent a guard to inquire about Merlin’s state from Gaius. The physician was now absolutely sure about the curse and confirmed that the king’s manservant was suffering from a petrified heart. The young warlock was conscious in the morning, but he was seized by pains so strong that Gaius decided to give him a sleep-inducing elixir.
Arthur seemed to spend that evening the same way he did the previous day: alone with a heavy heart. Moreover, he felt guilty for not visiting Merlin. He told himself he was very busy, but he could have gone himself instead of the guard to ask about his friend’s state. Because after all, Merlin was his friend. But then again, friends are honest with each other and Merlin had been hiding the secret for years. Arthur asked himself if that changed anything between them…even if he mocked Merlin in front of everybody, his manservant was brave and saved him a couple of times. Suddenly, the king remembered that Merlin once said that he’d saved his royal backside many more times than Arthur could imagine.
Well, maybe Merlin was right; with magic, he could have been able to do that from a distance. However, that didn’t mean that Merlin was a coward. Arthur had seen him fighting with a sword and although he would have never admitted it, if he were to listen to his heart, he would have knighted Merlin. The question still persisted: did the fact that Merlin had magic change their friendship? After all, Merlin was always there in the most difficult situations, he encouraged Arthur and even though his jokes were silly most of the time, he was Arthur’s source of support.
That day, three-fourths of the Sun was covered by the black object. That meant that only a quarter of Merlin’s heart was intact. Arthur pummelled his pillow at the thought and a strange idea crossed his mind: Merlin’s quarter of heart held more love and joy than Arthur’s whole heart did. Bitter tears soaked his pillow that night as well.
* * * * *
The next morning Arthur woke up with a startle and blinked a few times, confused by the poor light filtering through his window. It was quite dark, consequently he thought that he had woken up earlier. However, as soon as he stepped to the window he realised that it wasn’t dark because it was only dawning, but because only a very small part of the Sun was uncovered, therefore only a few sunbeams were still free to illuminate Camelot. He had some weird dreams, a string of illogical and confusing images, all concentrated around Merlin.
Even at night, his brain was concerned with the fate of his manservant. In his dream, Arthur saw Merlin leaving Camelot, more specifically wading in knee-deep snow. Then suddenly, he turned and waved at Arthur, smiling with his particular, broad smile, but at the same time a tear escaped from the corner of his right eye. Then Arthur was crying in his room, while Gaius told him off for expelling Merlin. Surprisingly, Uther advised him to run after his friend. However, by the time Arthur found Merlin, his friend was lying lifeless in the pure snow with his blue, glassy eyes staring at the overcast sky.
Arthur washed his face and, while dressing, he made up his mind and gathered enough courage to visit Merlin for the last time. He was scared to find the boy the same way as in his dream with the eyes staring at the ceiling, deprived of their usual sparkle of life, but he knew that if he didn’t do it, he would regret it for the rest of his life, however long that might be. With the image of the almost total eclipse in his mind, Arthur trudged to Gaius and knocked on the door. The physician opened it and they looked at each other wordlessly. From what Arthur could tell, Gaius probably didn’t sleep at all the previous night and his eyes had a sad glint in them. He showed the king to Merlin’s room and then left to give Arthur some privacy.
Arthur walked into his manservant’s small room and biting his lower lip, he knelt beside the bed. Merlin was indeed very pale, lying there with closed eyes. Gaius had dressed Merlin in his best clothes and put around Merlin’s neck his favourite red neckerchief. Arthur felt pangs in his heart and he didn’t want to bid farewell to his friend, to his best friend, in fact. He placed his hand on Merlin’s cold left hand and slowly whispered:
“I’ve never thought that I’d be the one to stay by your deathbed…I always imagined it the other way around or maybe that we’d both be killed in battle. Perhaps the last option would have been the best, because I don’t really know what to do henceforth. I know I don’t listen to you most of the time, but only now do I realise how much you help me. You were always there and believed in me, believed that I could be a good king and gave me valuable pieces of advice. I’m sorry that I called you names, because in fact, you’re a wise man. You know, you could actually replace all those old toads in the council. Anyhow, they wanted to kill you, the fools. I hate to say this, but their wishes may be granted soon…”
Arthur’s voice quivered and he wiped away the tears gathering in his eyes.
“Cabbage head, I think you’d enjoy this moment if you were awake: you could make fun of me for crying, tease me about my sensitive side. I’ve never told anyone this, but I wish I were a bit like you: open, friendly and able to express my feelings. You can be a chatterbox sometimes, so that’s why I have no idea how you kept your magic secret all these years. I must say I’m impressed, Merlin. I am still mad at you for not telling me, but I can understand; it’s probably better that you didn’t reveal it while my father was still alive. But afterwards…it pains me greatly to think that you didn’t trust me enough to tell me your secret.”
By this time, Arthur broke down and he didn’t try to hide his tears. Both his hands grasped Merlin’s hand tighter and he leaned his head against his manservant’s shoulder.
“You’ve been a much better friend to me than I to you. I’m so sorry, I was just blinded by conventions; I thought we couldn’t be friends because of the class difference between us. I thought I was superior to you, but the truth is you’re nobler. You’re a better man than I am, Merlin. If I could, I’d do anything to save you…”
Arthur looked out the window and saw that the Sun was almost covered. He got up and leaned above Merlin, inspecting his face. A tear rolled down from his eyes and fell on Merlin’s pale face, Arthur wiping it away gently. He leaned closer until his lips touched Merlin’s and while pressing the kiss, he remembered the wonderful moments he spent beside Merlin. Then he just pressed his forehead to the young warlock’s and murmured: “I accept your gift, Merlin, and I will allow the use of magic from now. You’ll be respected as a big hero of Camelot if we survive the eclipse.” He paused to sigh, then added: “May your afterlife be peaceful!”
Arthur kissed Merlin’s forehead and suddenly, he felt something warm on his left cheek. He turned to see through the window the Sun shining brilliantly. It was so bright that he had to shield his eyes. Gasping, he looked back at Merlin and as the sunbeams covered the pale boy, something golden gleamed where Merlin’s heart was supposed to be.
A smile was playing on Merlin’s lips. He opened his eyes, got up and looked at Arthur mischievously: “Are you really going to declare me a hero?”
Arthur just hugged Merlin as an answer which made the warlock smile even more.
“What happened? I thought you were going to die,” Arthur whispered, touched.
“I suppose that by accepting magic you broke the spell the keepers of darkness cast on Camelot. You saved my life as well,” Merlin replied, caressing Arthur’s hair.
Then he patted Arthur on the back: “Come on, you have an announcement to make!”
“What announcement? Isn’t it a bit soon?” Arthur asked confusedly and blushed.
“Well, you know…what you said about allowing magic,” Merlin explained. “Wait, what did you think about?”
“I, no, I didn’t think of anything, why do you say that…” Arthur stuttered.
Merlin lolled his head to the right and gave Arthur a “you don’t fool me” look.
“Right. I thought you meant an announcement about us,” Arthur whispered and looked away.
“Oh…” Merlin replied as he realised what Arthur implied. He grinned broadly and pecked his king before replying: “I think one announcement a day is enough. You don’t want to overwhelm your people, do you?”
They smiled at each other before exiting the room, warm sunshine surrounding them and the perfume of a new era spreading in the air.
~ Hope you enjoyed this story! :D