033.
Title: Errebelatu
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin
Rating: G
Warning/Spoiler: None
Note: This is for xo_infinite_xo as part of the gift meme I did a few weeks ago. Sorry this took a while, bb. I hope you like it. Also, Errebelatu means 'reveal' in Basque. Thank you google translate! :D Mistakes are mine, unbeta'd.
Summary: And he thought back to the many times he had honestly believed Merlin was innocent of sorcery. The many times he had put himself on the line for his servant.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Never was, never will. Sigh.
Word Count: 650 words
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Arthur paced back and forth. His chain mail felt heavy and cold on his fully clothed body, as it swayed with his every movement. His mind raced, trying to come up with something to say, something to do.
He treaded back and forth on the cold stone ground beneath him, making a whole on his floor, broken shards of ceramic laid strewn.
His servant looked on in the corner. Seemingly frail and frightened. Slightly shivering in the uncertainty and tension that hung in the air.
He looked at him once, eyes filled with anger, disbelief, betrayal, hurt, before resuming with his previous strides, each with the same fury as the next.
Merlin wanted to say something, but, this time, thought better of it. He waited silently for his fate. His life laid on the hands of the young man in front of him.
Arthur sat down on his bed, his head cupped on both his hands as his elbows rested on his knees.
How do I keep this from my father, was his instinctive thought. Turning Merlin in was not an option, never an option. He chose to ignore the telltale signs of oddity his manservant displayed, blaming it on his provincial upbringing. But this, magic, it was much more dire than just being eccentric. It was a crime.
And he thought back to the many times he had honestly believed Merlin was innocent of sorcery. The many times he had put himself on the line for his servant.
He was at a loss, a string of emotions muddling his thoughts.
As time passed and his judgement became more comprehensible, he processed his feelings. He concluded that what bothered him most was, he cannot even bring himself to be genuinely angry with Merlin. His mind was clouded more with worry than condemnation, even after Merlin’s apparent mistrust with him. He had half the mind to draw his sword when he saw the once toppling vase suspended in mid-air, just inches off the ground. He looked at Merlin and watched as his eyes, wide and golden, return back to its former blue colour. Then the other man paled and looked up at his master, realising his mistake.
It had been on instinct that Merlin stopped the vase from crashing on the floor when he had accidentally knocked it over. However, it proved to be counterproductive as his secret had been revealed, and the vase still fell on the floor when his concentration deviated to Arthur. In a moment, he suddenly possessed a broken vessel, and an even more broken trust.
***
Arthur stood up, more confident and seemingly decided than before. His hand tightly gripped the hilt of his sword, his heart pounding fast and hard. He stopped a few inches in front of Merlin, and grabbed his wrist with his free hand. He held his wrist for a while longer, Merlin stiff and his pulse racing against Arthur’s fingers.
“I don’t want an explanation,” Arthur said. Merlin still held his head in a bow, not having the courage to look up at the other man. “At least not now.”
Merlin suddenly looked up, confused. Arthur lifted Merlin’s wrist to his lips before placing a chaste kiss on it, feeling Merlin’s rapid pulse when he kept the contact for a few seconds longer.
“No one can know Merlin. No one.” Arthur looked intently into Merlin’s eyes, blue meeting blue.
Merlin suddenly threw his arms around Arthur’s neck, and buried his face on the crevice between the prince’s neck and shoulders. He sobbed, but a wave of relief and gratitude emanated from him. Arthur slowly gave into the hug, cautiously placing one hand on the back of Merlin’s neck, and the other around his waist. He pressed his face on the other man’s hair, inhaling his scent. The thought of ever losing Merlin just about drove him insane.
“I have to protect you,” he whispered. “I want to protect you.” Merlin just held him tighter as he said I’m sorry over and over again like a prayer.