Merlin fic: Rowan
Title: Rowan
Author: dk323
Beta: a8c_sock
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: Arthur/Merlin, Gwen
Word Count: 3,493
Warnings: Takes place during S3 (up through “The Eye of the Phoenix”)
Summary: Arthur believes it’s the perfect time to discuss the magic issue with Merlin. Unfortunately, he is thwarted at every turn. Gwen tries to be helpful. Mercifully, in Arthur’s opinion, Merlin decides to confide in him about his magical nature.
Author's Notes: This fic was written for reiya_wakayama as a part of the merlin_holidays fic exchange.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to Shine and BBC. I make no profit from this endeavor.
~ * ~
Arthur decided it was about time he settled this with Merlin. It was a bit ridiculous that he hadn’t yet discussed the magic issue with his infuriating -- infuriatingly loyal Arthur conceded, which actually made this more irritating -- manservant. Why Merlin hadn’t seen fit to confide in Arthur, to trust in him, flummoxed the prince. Did he think that Arthur would not recognize his extraordinary loyalty - beyond what his services required - and that Arthur would have him executed despite all of that?
Arthur shook his head, losing his train of thought to frustrations over Merlin’s lack of confidence in him.
So now it was up to Arthur to deal appropriately with his infuriatingly loyal manservant about his magic.
Arthur had suffered quite an alarming number of concussions in the recent past, but they were not enough for him not to realize what was right in front of him.
Really, he spent a lot of his time with Merlin. Did his manservant honestly believe Arthur wouldn’t grow at least a little suspicious?
With all that in mind, Arthur went to see Merlin. He knew his manservant had to do some work for Gaius. He figured it was his best bet to find him there. Hopefully Arthur would catch him before Merlin went out to run errands.
But when he opened the door to the physician’s chambers, Arthur wasn’t expecting to see what he saw. Gwen was cooing happily as she reached out her hand to pet something in Merlin’s arms.
"Oh, what a precious little thing. Did you name the kitten, Merlin?" she asked.
And then Arthur could hear it. The undeniable sound of purring. Merlin had found himself a cat. Leave it to Merlin to be completely unable to resist small, furry animals.
"Merlin, what is going on here?" Arthur spoke up.
Gwen let out a small gasp, as her back had been to the prince. She moved away from Merlin, facing Arthur now. He could now see the kitten properly. The admittedly sweet-looking black kitten had paws as white as the snow falling outside.
"Oh, Arthur. How are you?" she greeted him.
Merlin rolled his eyes. He stroked the kitten’s head as the tiny creature continued to purr.
"Where did that come from?" Arthur demanded, pointing in accusation at the kitten currently residing in Merlin’s arms.
"It’s a kitten," Merlin told him, frowning at Arthur. "It is not a ‘that.’ And I found her abandoned, outside in the cold. I couldn’t just leave her there," he explained.
Merlin looked affronted at leaving a poor, little animal all alone especially in the current cold weather.
Arthur gave a long-suffering sigh. Yes, Merlin would do something like that.
"I named her Rowan," Merlin told Gwen.
"What a lovely name," Gwen complimented him.
"I do hope you won’t be remiss in your duties now because of that kitten," Arthur said to him sternly.
Merlin smiled cheekily at him. "Of course not, Sire. If you don’t mind fur balls in your bed."
"If you dare--" Arthur began.
"Oh, honestly, you two," Gwen admonished them. "Come here, Arthur. She loves being stroked."
"Even by grumpy old princes like you," Merlin added.
"Oh, I’ll show you grumpy and old…" Arthur warned without much heat.
But Arthur listened to Gwen in the end and went over to pet Rowan as Merlin had named her.
And if his manservant had already named this creature, then Arthur had a bad feeling that Rowan would be staying for quite a while.
With some uncertainty, Merlin allowed Arthur to hold the kitten. Arthur wouldn’t have been surprised if Merlin thought he would drop the kitten intentionally. Despite his faults, Arthur didn’t think he was needlessly cruel in such a way. Even after knowing about Merlin’s magic for some time, he hadn’t sent his manservant to the pyre, had he? No. Unfortunately Merlin didn’t know any of that yet.
It appeared that now, Arthur would have to find a different time to discuss Merlin’s magic with him.
Bloody kitten, Arthur concluded. Though he couldn’t help but smile as the kitten looked up at him with her big, blue eyes.
Gwen announced that she would go to obtain some milk for the stray kitten. Upon her leaving, Arthur turned to Merlin and he decided to just bring up the matter now. Otherwise, when would he ever do it? It had been long enough already.
Arthur returned Rowan to Merlin and clearing his throat, he began his long-awaited talk.
"Merlin?"
Merlin looked up at him as his attention had been on that kitten. "Yes, Arthur?"
"I wanted to discuss something with you. Regarding…" Here Arthur paused, unsure how to term it. Or should he just say the word? "…regarding your affliction," he settled on in the end.
Best to be discreet about it, right?
While Merlin just gave him a weird look, the kitten started hissing irritably. She tried to wriggle out of Merlin’s grasp, and she appeared bent on attacking someone.
And Arthur soon discovered that someone was him as when he drew closer, the kitten looked poised to scratch his hands.
"Oh no," Merlin said worriedly. He did his best to hold on to the kitten and tried to calm her down as well.
Arthur made a pointed glare at the kitten that ruined his plan. He gave a curt nod. "Well, clearly this is not the best time. It’s all right. We could find another time to talk."
"I think Rowan was offended by you saying I had an affliction. I didn’t know she would be so defensive about it. Silly kitten," Merlin chided lightly at the kitten.
The black kitten purred as Merlin stroked her soothingly.
"Of course. It seems she has grown quite attached to you in such a short period of time. I’ll leave you to her. I expect to see you at lunchtime in my chambers."
"Yes, Sire," Merlin said with a small eye roll.
Arthur left Merlin then, thinking that he would confide in Merlin soon about what he knew if it killed him.
Maybe Gwen could take the kitten off Merlin’s hands for a little while so he could have his talk. Then Arthur would not have to deal with a hissing, potentially violent creature bent on attacking him.
~ * ~
Arthur could not deny he found it slightly amusing to see Merlin floating the kitten in his chambers.
Of course Merlin didn’t believe Arthur had witnessed the display as Arthur had simply taken a peek inside his room before entering.
He made a big fuss of opening the door properly and coming into the room. This gave Merlin enough time to drop his spell and Rowan landed safely on to the floor. Arthur debated reprimanding his manservant for not being more cautious when using magic. Honestly, anyone could have looked into the room.
"Merlin," Arthur began.
"Hi, Arthur," Merlin greeted him with his usual cheerfulness. "Your lunch is on the table."
"Ah, finally decided to do your job properly," Arthur remarked. He sat down and started eating a piece of ham.
The kitten hissed. Her blue eyes glittered with displeasure at Arthur.
Arthur was fast growing weary of Merlin’s new pet. "Where in the world did that cat come from? She’s far too clever for an animal."
"Cats can be quite clever, Arthur," Merlin said to him, picking up the kitten. He ran his fingers down her soft fur. Arthur swore that the kitten gave him a smug look as if enjoying the frustration she was causing Arthur.
Unaware of his kitten’s ulterior motives, Merlin continued, "I’m sorry that Rowan keeps hissing at you."
Arthur huffed. "I’d like it if your pet did her hissing elsewhere."
Merlin bit his lip. "But it’s cold out. I want to make sure Rowan doesn’t wander outside and freeze to death if she gets lost," he told Arthur. Before Arthur could answer him though, Merlin also pointed out, "And she could help get rid of the rats! See, Rowan can be useful."
"Right, useful," Arthur muttered under his breath.
"What did you say, Arthur?" Merlin asked him.
"Oh, nothing at all," Arthur said dismissively. He held up his goblet to take a drink. "Do you really think me dim, Merlin? I do notice things. One certain thing actually…"
Merlin’s eyes widened. "What do you mean, Sire?"
Arthur raised his brow.
Before Arthur could venture further into exactly what he meant, he was interrupted.
Guinevere, always one to have impeccable timing, came into the room and asked if Merlin could assist her with something.
Merlin agreed and Arthur dismissed him with carefully restrained annoyance. Merlin handed over the kitten for Gwen to hold. Arthur heard her murmuring sweetly to the blasted creature as they left his chambers.
~ * ~
Later that evening, Arthur found Gwen in Morgana’s chambers. She appeared to be searching every corner of her mistress’ room - every cupboard, the wardrobe and she even had a peek underneath the bed.
Arthur raised his brow. It seemed he wasn’t the only one who suspected something alarmingly different about the Lady Morgana. He cleared his throat and then he inquired of her, "Guinevere, what are you doing?"
Startled, Gwen stood up quickly and gasped in surprise upon hearing Arthur’s voice.
"My Lord! Arthur, I…" she stopped when she saw Arthur raise his hand.
"I have my suspicions about Morgana as well," Arthur pointed out. "I’m planning to deal with the problem upon her return from her visit to the kingdom of Dyfed. It’s a delicate matter after all."
"Oh, so you know about that bracelet? The one she gifted you as a good luck charm during your quest to retrieve the Fisher King’s golden trident?" Gwen asked Arthur.
Arthur nodded. "I found when I wasn’t wearing the bracelet - after Merlin had removed it from my arm - that I wasn’t feeling as drained as before. Then that made me realize that Morgana’s gift was not a well-meaning one."
"Right. That’s good. I thought…well, you seem to be the sort to be unaware -oh well, it doesn’t matter now," Gwen quickly tried to shrug it off after Arthur gave her a piercing ‘I dare you to say it’ look.
"Believe me, Guinevere. I do notice things even if I do not make it obvious. Now, if you know about Morgana…then I wonder if you know about Merlin?"
Gwen looked at him carefully. Arthur could tell that she was doing her best to maintain an unaffected reaction to his question.
"What do you mean? What about Merlin?" Gwen asked politely.
Arthur sighed. "He’s not exactly normal…" Arthur began.
Gwen gave him a weird look.
"You know about him!" Arthur exclaimed impatiently, "I know you do. I understand if you’re protecting him…that you wouldn’t want to tell me if it’s placing Merlin at risk. But I know about Merlin’s magic, all right? And I haven’t acted against him. Is that good enough?"
"I don’t know what you want from me, Arthur," Gwen told him.
Her lack of surprise about Merlin’s magic revealed to Arthur that she did, in fact, know. He wondered how she had found out about it.
"I want to confide in Merlin that I know," Arthur explained to her. "I was hoping you could give me some advice on what to say to him."
"Merlin told me he thinks you know about his magic. He’s rather tense about it, as you can imagine, considering the ban on magic," Gwen informed Arthur. She looked worried for her friend.
Gwen was just out the door before Arthur realized she hadn’t answered his question. "Gwen, you haven’t-"
Gwen turned around. She raised her hands and shook her head. "Oh no. This is between you and Merlin. I’m staying out of it. It doesn’t matter what I know and what I don’t. I’m not getting involved."
She left the room. Arthur sighed resignedly. Right. He might as well try this again. Maybe he shouldn’t be so discreet about it - that he should just be out with it and tell Merlin he knew about his magic and go from there…
~ * ~
Merlin shivered in the bitter cold weather. Just after supper, Rowan had gone missing and he couldn’t find the kitten.
He worried that she had managed to get lost outside. Merlin couldn’t believe that the one moment he didn’t have an eye on the kitten; she had been able to run away. He hoped that Rowan hadn’t scampered off because he had been a poor caretaker. Maybe it was just her natural curiosity getting her into trouble? That explanation made him feel better, so it would suffice for now. Merlin recalled the situation with the goblin and how his own initial curiosity in the magical creature wrought a plague of goblin mischief upon the castle.
It was past midnight when Merlin knew he had to give up the search. It was really all too cold and he couldn’t stay outside any longer. He would surely get sick if he didn’t warm up soon by a fire. He decided the search would prove more effective during the day. It was hard to find much of anything under the cloak of darkness, even by torchlight.
He bit his lip and decided that he should go to Arthur’s room. Merlin had a good feeling that Arthur knew about his magic. How he had discovered the truth, Merlin did not know. But since Arthur had not condemned him to death, Merlin’s mind was set more at ease than it otherwise would have been.
~ * ~
Arthur woke up at the sound of someone moving about his chambers. He climbed out of bed, sword in hand, to check who the intruder was. But really, the only person it could be was Merlin. Only he would have the idiocy to wander inside his chambers this late at night. And make such a ruckus for good measure.
Arthur nearly dropped his blade when he saw Merlin standing, pose pensive, in front of the fireplace. His fireplace was now full of differently colored flames: green, blue, purple, and white - all of the flames flickering in an enthralling dance. Arthur had to admit it was a beautiful sight.
Merlin dropped his hand, which had been raised a moment before, and he turned to Arthur. The prince saw Merlin’s eyes take on a golden glow.
"It’s the middle of the night, Merlin. Is it really the best time to discuss this?" Arthur asked with a sigh, though deep in his heart, he truly did want to talk about Merlin’s magic. To finally have this secret properly shared between them - to show Merlin that he accepted his manservant’s magical nature, no matter how startling the revelation had been at first.
Merlin smiled softly at him. That was when Arthur observed him shivering. He reached out to Merlin and upon touching him; he found how cold Merlin was.
"Merlin, you’re freezing! What were you doing outside?" Arthur demanded.
He gripped Merlin’s arm and led an unresisting Merlin to his bed. Best to get him warmed up under the covers.
"Rowan ran away, I think. I was looking for her. I couldn’t find her," Merlin told him quietly, looking forlorn.
Arthur was so close to saying, "Good riddance," but he restrained himself.
Merlin gave him a small, knowing smile. "I’m sure you’re not disappointed. You two didn’t get along well."
"I’m sure in a few days, she and I would have warmed up to each other," Arthur tried to sound optimistic. "But we’ll look for her, Merlin. I don’t like small creatures like Rowan stuck in this cold weather any more than you do. Believe me."
"Thank you, Arthur," Merlin said sincerely. He shifted position under the covers, trying to get himself comfortable.
Arthur lay down beside him. They were both facing each other, but Merlin’s eyes fluttered closed. He was clearly tired. Arthur tapped his nose.
Merlin opened his eyes. His eyes were back to their usual blue color, the brilliant blue Arthur found so familiar and comforting as well.
"What is it, Arthur?" Merlin asked him.
"Did you tell Gwen about your magic?"
"She just saw me doing magic and then she confronted me about it. I couldn’t lie to her. Gwen was my first real friend at Camelot. If I couldn’t trust her with the truth, then it would have meant I did not have faith in my friendship with her. I was lucky that she took the truth well enough. I was more concerned about telling you, Arthur. With your father and the ban on magic… I did not wish to put you in that precarious position. Choosing between your father’s laws and your manservant…" Merlin confided in him sadly.
"No, Merlin. You have it wrong," Arthur said to him resolutely. "You’re my friend. I called you a true friend once, remember? I meant it then and I assure you, I still mean it now. I will not betray a friend, Merlin. We’re stuck with each other, so you might as well accept it."
"I consider you a friend too," Merlin told him, almost needlessly.
Arthur knew and understood now all that Merlin had done for him. Merlin had protected him with his magic and had been so loyal to him. The prince’s heart almost ached to contemplate the depth of Merlin’s affection for him. Arthur couldn’t even begin to think of a way to repay him - this man who had become his truest friend. The prince felt it was more than he truly deserved - to have someone like Merlin by his side. He thought he was rather lucky to have Merlin’s loyalty and support.
Instead of answering him with words, Arthur chose to kiss him on the lips, the touch feather-light.
Merlin returned the gesture and before long, Arthur’s tongue had teased its way into Merlin’s mouth.
Despite the cold winter night, the pair warmed each other up while the magically lit fire left the prince’s chambers shielded from the cold coming from outside.
~ * ~
After extensive searching, Arthur, Merlin and Gwen could not find the wayward kitten. Arthur had joked that maybe Rowan had been a magical kitten. She could have vanished into thin air with her magic.
That earned him a reproving look from Gwen and a disbelieving one from Merlin. But really, Arthur didn’t want Merlin to contend with finding the body of the dead kitten…better to imagine that Rowan had supernatural powers and was off having magical adventures or causing magical mischief... (Arthur’s bet was on causing magical mischief). And anyway, she certainly had appeared to be clever.
~ * ~
Merlin tilted his head as if that motion would help to answer why he now had a wyvern egg in his possession. The egg was just resting there, looking perfectly harmless, on his bed. There was nary a sign that the egg held a potentially dangerous creature.
Arthur looked at him expectantly.
"I almost don’t want to know how you procured this wyvern egg. But why are you giving it to me?" Merlin wondered.
Arthur waved his hand. "Well, there are your Dragonlord powers. You told me you could tame wyverns as well because they were distant cousins of dragons. I thought it would be appropriate. Since Rowan ran away, I thought you’d like a new pet."
"It’s a bloody dragon, Arthur! Distant cousin of the dragon, yes, but still…it’s a magical creature and if you’ve not forgotten - this is Camelot," Merlin reminded him, "I can’t exactly keep a wyvern in the castle."
Arthur nodded. "Yes, I know. But of course I thought up a plan before giving you the wyvern egg. We could keep the creature deep in the forest. You could spend time with it there. And you have magic. Can’t you magick up invisibility shields or the like?"
Merlin looked incredulous. "You know I’m still learning spells, right? I don’t know everything yet…and as far as the magic needed to conceal the wyvern…"
"I asked Gaius. He informed me that an invisibility spell should not be difficult to do. Well, for someone as ‘naturally talented’ as you. You just have to give it a try," Arthur encouraged him.
Merlin relented then a bit. He raised his arms in defeat. "All right. We’ll see. This whole thing is still half-mad, Arthur. But I appreciate the gesture," he thanked him.
Merlin smiled genuinely at Arthur. Admittedly, he did believe it would be interesting to look after a wyvern. Hopefully his Dragonlord powers would be enough to keep the wyvern under control.
Gwen came into Merlin’s room and they told her about the egg being a wyvern egg. Always practical, she suggested that they build a nice nest for the egg.
Merlin and Arthur exchanged looks with each other and they shrugged.
Why not?
~ * ~
Author: dk323
Beta: a8c_sock
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: Arthur/Merlin, Gwen
Word Count: 3,493
Warnings: Takes place during S3 (up through “The Eye of the Phoenix”)
Summary: Arthur believes it’s the perfect time to discuss the magic issue with Merlin. Unfortunately, he is thwarted at every turn. Gwen tries to be helpful. Mercifully, in Arthur’s opinion, Merlin decides to confide in him about his magical nature.
Author's Notes: This fic was written for reiya_wakayama as a part of the merlin_holidays fic exchange.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to Shine and BBC. I make no profit from this endeavor.
~ * ~
Arthur decided it was about time he settled this with Merlin. It was a bit ridiculous that he hadn’t yet discussed the magic issue with his infuriating -- infuriatingly loyal Arthur conceded, which actually made this more irritating -- manservant. Why Merlin hadn’t seen fit to confide in Arthur, to trust in him, flummoxed the prince. Did he think that Arthur would not recognize his extraordinary loyalty - beyond what his services required - and that Arthur would have him executed despite all of that?
Arthur shook his head, losing his train of thought to frustrations over Merlin’s lack of confidence in him.
So now it was up to Arthur to deal appropriately with his infuriatingly loyal manservant about his magic.
Arthur had suffered quite an alarming number of concussions in the recent past, but they were not enough for him not to realize what was right in front of him.
Really, he spent a lot of his time with Merlin. Did his manservant honestly believe Arthur wouldn’t grow at least a little suspicious?
With all that in mind, Arthur went to see Merlin. He knew his manservant had to do some work for Gaius. He figured it was his best bet to find him there. Hopefully Arthur would catch him before Merlin went out to run errands.
But when he opened the door to the physician’s chambers, Arthur wasn’t expecting to see what he saw. Gwen was cooing happily as she reached out her hand to pet something in Merlin’s arms.
"Oh, what a precious little thing. Did you name the kitten, Merlin?" she asked.
And then Arthur could hear it. The undeniable sound of purring. Merlin had found himself a cat. Leave it to Merlin to be completely unable to resist small, furry animals.
"Merlin, what is going on here?" Arthur spoke up.
Gwen let out a small gasp, as her back had been to the prince. She moved away from Merlin, facing Arthur now. He could now see the kitten properly. The admittedly sweet-looking black kitten had paws as white as the snow falling outside.
"Oh, Arthur. How are you?" she greeted him.
Merlin rolled his eyes. He stroked the kitten’s head as the tiny creature continued to purr.
"Where did that come from?" Arthur demanded, pointing in accusation at the kitten currently residing in Merlin’s arms.
"It’s a kitten," Merlin told him, frowning at Arthur. "It is not a ‘that.’ And I found her abandoned, outside in the cold. I couldn’t just leave her there," he explained.
Merlin looked affronted at leaving a poor, little animal all alone especially in the current cold weather.
Arthur gave a long-suffering sigh. Yes, Merlin would do something like that.
"I named her Rowan," Merlin told Gwen.
"What a lovely name," Gwen complimented him.
"I do hope you won’t be remiss in your duties now because of that kitten," Arthur said to him sternly.
Merlin smiled cheekily at him. "Of course not, Sire. If you don’t mind fur balls in your bed."
"If you dare--" Arthur began.
"Oh, honestly, you two," Gwen admonished them. "Come here, Arthur. She loves being stroked."
"Even by grumpy old princes like you," Merlin added.
"Oh, I’ll show you grumpy and old…" Arthur warned without much heat.
But Arthur listened to Gwen in the end and went over to pet Rowan as Merlin had named her.
And if his manservant had already named this creature, then Arthur had a bad feeling that Rowan would be staying for quite a while.
With some uncertainty, Merlin allowed Arthur to hold the kitten. Arthur wouldn’t have been surprised if Merlin thought he would drop the kitten intentionally. Despite his faults, Arthur didn’t think he was needlessly cruel in such a way. Even after knowing about Merlin’s magic for some time, he hadn’t sent his manservant to the pyre, had he? No. Unfortunately Merlin didn’t know any of that yet.
It appeared that now, Arthur would have to find a different time to discuss Merlin’s magic with him.
Bloody kitten, Arthur concluded. Though he couldn’t help but smile as the kitten looked up at him with her big, blue eyes.
Gwen announced that she would go to obtain some milk for the stray kitten. Upon her leaving, Arthur turned to Merlin and he decided to just bring up the matter now. Otherwise, when would he ever do it? It had been long enough already.
Arthur returned Rowan to Merlin and clearing his throat, he began his long-awaited talk.
"Merlin?"
Merlin looked up at him as his attention had been on that kitten. "Yes, Arthur?"
"I wanted to discuss something with you. Regarding…" Here Arthur paused, unsure how to term it. Or should he just say the word? "…regarding your affliction," he settled on in the end.
Best to be discreet about it, right?
While Merlin just gave him a weird look, the kitten started hissing irritably. She tried to wriggle out of Merlin’s grasp, and she appeared bent on attacking someone.
And Arthur soon discovered that someone was him as when he drew closer, the kitten looked poised to scratch his hands.
"Oh no," Merlin said worriedly. He did his best to hold on to the kitten and tried to calm her down as well.
Arthur made a pointed glare at the kitten that ruined his plan. He gave a curt nod. "Well, clearly this is not the best time. It’s all right. We could find another time to talk."
"I think Rowan was offended by you saying I had an affliction. I didn’t know she would be so defensive about it. Silly kitten," Merlin chided lightly at the kitten.
The black kitten purred as Merlin stroked her soothingly.
"Of course. It seems she has grown quite attached to you in such a short period of time. I’ll leave you to her. I expect to see you at lunchtime in my chambers."
"Yes, Sire," Merlin said with a small eye roll.
Arthur left Merlin then, thinking that he would confide in Merlin soon about what he knew if it killed him.
Maybe Gwen could take the kitten off Merlin’s hands for a little while so he could have his talk. Then Arthur would not have to deal with a hissing, potentially violent creature bent on attacking him.
~ * ~
Arthur could not deny he found it slightly amusing to see Merlin floating the kitten in his chambers.
Of course Merlin didn’t believe Arthur had witnessed the display as Arthur had simply taken a peek inside his room before entering.
He made a big fuss of opening the door properly and coming into the room. This gave Merlin enough time to drop his spell and Rowan landed safely on to the floor. Arthur debated reprimanding his manservant for not being more cautious when using magic. Honestly, anyone could have looked into the room.
"Merlin," Arthur began.
"Hi, Arthur," Merlin greeted him with his usual cheerfulness. "Your lunch is on the table."
"Ah, finally decided to do your job properly," Arthur remarked. He sat down and started eating a piece of ham.
The kitten hissed. Her blue eyes glittered with displeasure at Arthur.
Arthur was fast growing weary of Merlin’s new pet. "Where in the world did that cat come from? She’s far too clever for an animal."
"Cats can be quite clever, Arthur," Merlin said to him, picking up the kitten. He ran his fingers down her soft fur. Arthur swore that the kitten gave him a smug look as if enjoying the frustration she was causing Arthur.
Unaware of his kitten’s ulterior motives, Merlin continued, "I’m sorry that Rowan keeps hissing at you."
Arthur huffed. "I’d like it if your pet did her hissing elsewhere."
Merlin bit his lip. "But it’s cold out. I want to make sure Rowan doesn’t wander outside and freeze to death if she gets lost," he told Arthur. Before Arthur could answer him though, Merlin also pointed out, "And she could help get rid of the rats! See, Rowan can be useful."
"Right, useful," Arthur muttered under his breath.
"What did you say, Arthur?" Merlin asked him.
"Oh, nothing at all," Arthur said dismissively. He held up his goblet to take a drink. "Do you really think me dim, Merlin? I do notice things. One certain thing actually…"
Merlin’s eyes widened. "What do you mean, Sire?"
Arthur raised his brow.
Before Arthur could venture further into exactly what he meant, he was interrupted.
Guinevere, always one to have impeccable timing, came into the room and asked if Merlin could assist her with something.
Merlin agreed and Arthur dismissed him with carefully restrained annoyance. Merlin handed over the kitten for Gwen to hold. Arthur heard her murmuring sweetly to the blasted creature as they left his chambers.
~ * ~
Later that evening, Arthur found Gwen in Morgana’s chambers. She appeared to be searching every corner of her mistress’ room - every cupboard, the wardrobe and she even had a peek underneath the bed.
Arthur raised his brow. It seemed he wasn’t the only one who suspected something alarmingly different about the Lady Morgana. He cleared his throat and then he inquired of her, "Guinevere, what are you doing?"
Startled, Gwen stood up quickly and gasped in surprise upon hearing Arthur’s voice.
"My Lord! Arthur, I…" she stopped when she saw Arthur raise his hand.
"I have my suspicions about Morgana as well," Arthur pointed out. "I’m planning to deal with the problem upon her return from her visit to the kingdom of Dyfed. It’s a delicate matter after all."
"Oh, so you know about that bracelet? The one she gifted you as a good luck charm during your quest to retrieve the Fisher King’s golden trident?" Gwen asked Arthur.
Arthur nodded. "I found when I wasn’t wearing the bracelet - after Merlin had removed it from my arm - that I wasn’t feeling as drained as before. Then that made me realize that Morgana’s gift was not a well-meaning one."
"Right. That’s good. I thought…well, you seem to be the sort to be unaware -oh well, it doesn’t matter now," Gwen quickly tried to shrug it off after Arthur gave her a piercing ‘I dare you to say it’ look.
"Believe me, Guinevere. I do notice things even if I do not make it obvious. Now, if you know about Morgana…then I wonder if you know about Merlin?"
Gwen looked at him carefully. Arthur could tell that she was doing her best to maintain an unaffected reaction to his question.
"What do you mean? What about Merlin?" Gwen asked politely.
Arthur sighed. "He’s not exactly normal…" Arthur began.
Gwen gave him a weird look.
"You know about him!" Arthur exclaimed impatiently, "I know you do. I understand if you’re protecting him…that you wouldn’t want to tell me if it’s placing Merlin at risk. But I know about Merlin’s magic, all right? And I haven’t acted against him. Is that good enough?"
"I don’t know what you want from me, Arthur," Gwen told him.
Her lack of surprise about Merlin’s magic revealed to Arthur that she did, in fact, know. He wondered how she had found out about it.
"I want to confide in Merlin that I know," Arthur explained to her. "I was hoping you could give me some advice on what to say to him."
"Merlin told me he thinks you know about his magic. He’s rather tense about it, as you can imagine, considering the ban on magic," Gwen informed Arthur. She looked worried for her friend.
Gwen was just out the door before Arthur realized she hadn’t answered his question. "Gwen, you haven’t-"
Gwen turned around. She raised her hands and shook her head. "Oh no. This is between you and Merlin. I’m staying out of it. It doesn’t matter what I know and what I don’t. I’m not getting involved."
She left the room. Arthur sighed resignedly. Right. He might as well try this again. Maybe he shouldn’t be so discreet about it - that he should just be out with it and tell Merlin he knew about his magic and go from there…
~ * ~
Merlin shivered in the bitter cold weather. Just after supper, Rowan had gone missing and he couldn’t find the kitten.
He worried that she had managed to get lost outside. Merlin couldn’t believe that the one moment he didn’t have an eye on the kitten; she had been able to run away. He hoped that Rowan hadn’t scampered off because he had been a poor caretaker. Maybe it was just her natural curiosity getting her into trouble? That explanation made him feel better, so it would suffice for now. Merlin recalled the situation with the goblin and how his own initial curiosity in the magical creature wrought a plague of goblin mischief upon the castle.
It was past midnight when Merlin knew he had to give up the search. It was really all too cold and he couldn’t stay outside any longer. He would surely get sick if he didn’t warm up soon by a fire. He decided the search would prove more effective during the day. It was hard to find much of anything under the cloak of darkness, even by torchlight.
He bit his lip and decided that he should go to Arthur’s room. Merlin had a good feeling that Arthur knew about his magic. How he had discovered the truth, Merlin did not know. But since Arthur had not condemned him to death, Merlin’s mind was set more at ease than it otherwise would have been.
~ * ~
Arthur woke up at the sound of someone moving about his chambers. He climbed out of bed, sword in hand, to check who the intruder was. But really, the only person it could be was Merlin. Only he would have the idiocy to wander inside his chambers this late at night. And make such a ruckus for good measure.
Arthur nearly dropped his blade when he saw Merlin standing, pose pensive, in front of the fireplace. His fireplace was now full of differently colored flames: green, blue, purple, and white - all of the flames flickering in an enthralling dance. Arthur had to admit it was a beautiful sight.
Merlin dropped his hand, which had been raised a moment before, and he turned to Arthur. The prince saw Merlin’s eyes take on a golden glow.
"It’s the middle of the night, Merlin. Is it really the best time to discuss this?" Arthur asked with a sigh, though deep in his heart, he truly did want to talk about Merlin’s magic. To finally have this secret properly shared between them - to show Merlin that he accepted his manservant’s magical nature, no matter how startling the revelation had been at first.
Merlin smiled softly at him. That was when Arthur observed him shivering. He reached out to Merlin and upon touching him; he found how cold Merlin was.
"Merlin, you’re freezing! What were you doing outside?" Arthur demanded.
He gripped Merlin’s arm and led an unresisting Merlin to his bed. Best to get him warmed up under the covers.
"Rowan ran away, I think. I was looking for her. I couldn’t find her," Merlin told him quietly, looking forlorn.
Arthur was so close to saying, "Good riddance," but he restrained himself.
Merlin gave him a small, knowing smile. "I’m sure you’re not disappointed. You two didn’t get along well."
"I’m sure in a few days, she and I would have warmed up to each other," Arthur tried to sound optimistic. "But we’ll look for her, Merlin. I don’t like small creatures like Rowan stuck in this cold weather any more than you do. Believe me."
"Thank you, Arthur," Merlin said sincerely. He shifted position under the covers, trying to get himself comfortable.
Arthur lay down beside him. They were both facing each other, but Merlin’s eyes fluttered closed. He was clearly tired. Arthur tapped his nose.
Merlin opened his eyes. His eyes were back to their usual blue color, the brilliant blue Arthur found so familiar and comforting as well.
"What is it, Arthur?" Merlin asked him.
"Did you tell Gwen about your magic?"
"She just saw me doing magic and then she confronted me about it. I couldn’t lie to her. Gwen was my first real friend at Camelot. If I couldn’t trust her with the truth, then it would have meant I did not have faith in my friendship with her. I was lucky that she took the truth well enough. I was more concerned about telling you, Arthur. With your father and the ban on magic… I did not wish to put you in that precarious position. Choosing between your father’s laws and your manservant…" Merlin confided in him sadly.
"No, Merlin. You have it wrong," Arthur said to him resolutely. "You’re my friend. I called you a true friend once, remember? I meant it then and I assure you, I still mean it now. I will not betray a friend, Merlin. We’re stuck with each other, so you might as well accept it."
"I consider you a friend too," Merlin told him, almost needlessly.
Arthur knew and understood now all that Merlin had done for him. Merlin had protected him with his magic and had been so loyal to him. The prince’s heart almost ached to contemplate the depth of Merlin’s affection for him. Arthur couldn’t even begin to think of a way to repay him - this man who had become his truest friend. The prince felt it was more than he truly deserved - to have someone like Merlin by his side. He thought he was rather lucky to have Merlin’s loyalty and support.
Instead of answering him with words, Arthur chose to kiss him on the lips, the touch feather-light.
Merlin returned the gesture and before long, Arthur’s tongue had teased its way into Merlin’s mouth.
Despite the cold winter night, the pair warmed each other up while the magically lit fire left the prince’s chambers shielded from the cold coming from outside.
~ * ~
After extensive searching, Arthur, Merlin and Gwen could not find the wayward kitten. Arthur had joked that maybe Rowan had been a magical kitten. She could have vanished into thin air with her magic.
That earned him a reproving look from Gwen and a disbelieving one from Merlin. But really, Arthur didn’t want Merlin to contend with finding the body of the dead kitten…better to imagine that Rowan had supernatural powers and was off having magical adventures or causing magical mischief... (Arthur’s bet was on causing magical mischief). And anyway, she certainly had appeared to be clever.
~ * ~
Merlin tilted his head as if that motion would help to answer why he now had a wyvern egg in his possession. The egg was just resting there, looking perfectly harmless, on his bed. There was nary a sign that the egg held a potentially dangerous creature.
Arthur looked at him expectantly.
"I almost don’t want to know how you procured this wyvern egg. But why are you giving it to me?" Merlin wondered.
Arthur waved his hand. "Well, there are your Dragonlord powers. You told me you could tame wyverns as well because they were distant cousins of dragons. I thought it would be appropriate. Since Rowan ran away, I thought you’d like a new pet."
"It’s a bloody dragon, Arthur! Distant cousin of the dragon, yes, but still…it’s a magical creature and if you’ve not forgotten - this is Camelot," Merlin reminded him, "I can’t exactly keep a wyvern in the castle."
Arthur nodded. "Yes, I know. But of course I thought up a plan before giving you the wyvern egg. We could keep the creature deep in the forest. You could spend time with it there. And you have magic. Can’t you magick up invisibility shields or the like?"
Merlin looked incredulous. "You know I’m still learning spells, right? I don’t know everything yet…and as far as the magic needed to conceal the wyvern…"
"I asked Gaius. He informed me that an invisibility spell should not be difficult to do. Well, for someone as ‘naturally talented’ as you. You just have to give it a try," Arthur encouraged him.
Merlin relented then a bit. He raised his arms in defeat. "All right. We’ll see. This whole thing is still half-mad, Arthur. But I appreciate the gesture," he thanked him.
Merlin smiled genuinely at Arthur. Admittedly, he did believe it would be interesting to look after a wyvern. Hopefully his Dragonlord powers would be enough to keep the wyvern under control.
Gwen came into Merlin’s room and they told her about the egg being a wyvern egg. Always practical, she suggested that they build a nice nest for the egg.
Merlin and Arthur exchanged looks with each other and they shrugged.
Why not?
~ * ~