Merlin -- Requirement
Title: Requirement
Date Written: 2/26/09
Rating: PG
Word Count: 515
Fandom: Merlin
Disclaimer: Property of the BBC
Characters/Pairings: Merlin, Gaius
Spoilers: Up through Excalibur, but set post-Valiant
Warnings: None
Author's Notes: First Merlin fic. Unbetaed, all screw-ups mine. Not intended to be slashy, but feel free to don the slash glasses. I hope you like!
"... and then, on top of everything else, I had to muck out his stables!" Merlin complained loudly. The young warlock had his head buried in his arms, so his yelling was muffled and couldn't be heard outside the room. "I save his life -- twice! -- and I still have to muck out stables!"
"We all have our own work to do," Gaius said, looking up from his work momentarily to grin fondly at the back of the dark head. Hunith had taught Merlin well; he was a hard worker and devoted, he just wasn't used to servant's work.
The dark head popped up off the table, tired blue eyes regarding the physician for a moment. Gaius let his ward watch him with those far-too-wise eyes for a moment before looking up from his mortar. "What?"
"How d'you do it?" Merlin asked, propping his chin up in his hand. "Serve Uther the way you do, I mean." He looked around suspiciously and his voice lowered a bit more. "If he knew about me, we'd both be killed."
"Which is why you should make sure you muck out Arthur's stables by hand instead of taking a shortcut," the old physician chastised, adding some water to the powder he was grinding to make it more of a paste. Merlin's pale cheeks colored slightly and Gaius knew he'd been up to no good. "Merlin!"
"No one saw me!" the boy argued back. Gaius just shook his head. "Anyway, don't act like you're so innocent." He pointedly turned to look up at Gaius' highest shelves, the ones that hid the books of power. "And yet, you still follow Uther, even knowing what he's capable of. How do you do it?"
"I... You..." Gaius floundered for a few moments before setting his work aside with a heavy thonk. "You have to love him, Merlin," he finally said.
Bright blue eyes widened in surprise, and it looked like Merlin had been physically struck. "But -- I mean, he's --"
Gaius laughed, realizing what Merlin was having a problem with. "Not necessarily romantically, although you might be surprised at how many nobles do have affairs with their servants." Merlin looked a touch relieved, and Gaius grinned. Oh, he still had lots to learn. "But you do have to love him. As your king or your friend or your kin, a little or more than anything, it doesn't matter. The affection has to be there."
"Why?"
"Because when you love someone," Gaius said, exasperated, "it makes you want the best for them. Protect them from certain things, but it also makes you want to be honest with them."
"Were you honest with Uther when he started his vendetta against our kind?" Merlin asked.
"Yes, but unfortunately he didn't listen to me." Gaius turned back to his work.
From the corner of his eye he saw Merlin taking in his advice, a thoughtful look on his face. Gaius just hoped he didn't end up falling into the same trap that both he and Uther had.
Loving too much could blind people, too.
Date Written: 2/26/09
Rating: PG
Word Count: 515
Fandom: Merlin
Disclaimer: Property of the BBC
Characters/Pairings: Merlin, Gaius
Spoilers: Up through Excalibur, but set post-Valiant
Warnings: None
Author's Notes: First Merlin fic. Unbetaed, all screw-ups mine. Not intended to be slashy, but feel free to don the slash glasses. I hope you like!
"... and then, on top of everything else, I had to muck out his stables!" Merlin complained loudly. The young warlock had his head buried in his arms, so his yelling was muffled and couldn't be heard outside the room. "I save his life -- twice! -- and I still have to muck out stables!"
"We all have our own work to do," Gaius said, looking up from his work momentarily to grin fondly at the back of the dark head. Hunith had taught Merlin well; he was a hard worker and devoted, he just wasn't used to servant's work.
The dark head popped up off the table, tired blue eyes regarding the physician for a moment. Gaius let his ward watch him with those far-too-wise eyes for a moment before looking up from his mortar. "What?"
"How d'you do it?" Merlin asked, propping his chin up in his hand. "Serve Uther the way you do, I mean." He looked around suspiciously and his voice lowered a bit more. "If he knew about me, we'd both be killed."
"Which is why you should make sure you muck out Arthur's stables by hand instead of taking a shortcut," the old physician chastised, adding some water to the powder he was grinding to make it more of a paste. Merlin's pale cheeks colored slightly and Gaius knew he'd been up to no good. "Merlin!"
"No one saw me!" the boy argued back. Gaius just shook his head. "Anyway, don't act like you're so innocent." He pointedly turned to look up at Gaius' highest shelves, the ones that hid the books of power. "And yet, you still follow Uther, even knowing what he's capable of. How do you do it?"
"I... You..." Gaius floundered for a few moments before setting his work aside with a heavy thonk. "You have to love him, Merlin," he finally said.
Bright blue eyes widened in surprise, and it looked like Merlin had been physically struck. "But -- I mean, he's --"
Gaius laughed, realizing what Merlin was having a problem with. "Not necessarily romantically, although you might be surprised at how many nobles do have affairs with their servants." Merlin looked a touch relieved, and Gaius grinned. Oh, he still had lots to learn. "But you do have to love him. As your king or your friend or your kin, a little or more than anything, it doesn't matter. The affection has to be there."
"Why?"
"Because when you love someone," Gaius said, exasperated, "it makes you want the best for them. Protect them from certain things, but it also makes you want to be honest with them."
"Were you honest with Uther when he started his vendetta against our kind?" Merlin asked.
"Yes, but unfortunately he didn't listen to me." Gaius turned back to his work.
From the corner of his eye he saw Merlin taking in his advice, a thoughtful look on his face. Gaius just hoped he didn't end up falling into the same trap that both he and Uther had.
Loving too much could blind people, too.