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Sirs Leon, Lancelot, Gwaine, Elyan, and Percival along with King Arthur and Merlin were trapped in yet another predicament. It was a common occurrence over the years, and now it was simply obvious to them that the Old Gods held a grudge against them.
The author would like to take this moment to track back and shed light on the situation which had led to the said predicament of our dear characters.
It began as a simple day, with the sun rising up in the sky and the birds fluttering about the beautiful and noisy city of Camelot. It had been exactly one week since the last attempt on the King’s life, and everyone was soaking in the time they had to collect themselves before the next attack struck. The knights were going about their usual duties of securing the city, hitting each other with swords as ‘training’ and getting blind drunk.
The King was dealing with his own council of men older than the Great Dragon, ignoring their rancid demands and helping the citizens deal with the aftermath of the latest damage. He would occasionally join the knights in their training and was also seen singing like a siren at one of the taverns on one cold night, surrounded by said knights and Merlin.
Merlin, manservant to the King by day, secret Warlock, and protector of said King all the time, simply did his job to the best of his abilities. His duties included, in not this order, take care of Arthur, protect Arthur, insult Arthur, threaten Arthur, threaten Arthur’s enemies, help Gaius, insult Arthur some more, and try and fail miserably at keeping his secrets.
But of course, you’ll have to forgive the author for getting away in their ramblings.
By the end of the peaceful week, there was another attack. It wasn’t an attack, per se, but nobody saw it that way, obviously. What happened was that Arthur had called for a private Council meeting, to discuss some changes regarding the ban of magic in Camelot. Merlin was all but vibrating at the news and could barely keep himself together. Lancelot threw several concerned, yet happy looks his way through the meeting, but Merlin’s gaze was focused on Arthur and Arthur alone.
Sir Leon could probably have done without the whole eye-sex thing that Arthur and Merlin seemed to do all the time, but he managed to keep a neutral face through the ordeal. Gwaine, however, had no qualms about letting his true thoughts be vocal, which he expressed very loudly by teasing Merlin and Arthur mercilessly. The king and his manservant denied outright to any allegations placed on them by the knight, but even Percival agreed with Gwaine, along with Elyan, who eyed the crimson cheeks of Arthur and burning ears of Merlin.
By the end of the meeting, Arthur had drawn in a consensus regarding the repeal of the ban, which was a wonderful first step to the actual repeal of the said ban. But before the meeting could be adjourned, there was a whirlwind in front of the door, and the dramatics died down to reveal a lanky, yellow-eyed, snarling man.
There was a collective sigh from the group as they slowly took out their swords and pointed them at the stranger. Merlin’s eyes had narrowed into slits as Arthur quickly pulled him behind him. The man held a knife in his hand, as he began his usual villain monologue, which was quickly interrupted by Elyan.
“He’s repealing the ban on magic, you know?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at the sorcerer. The sorcerer dipped his knife at that, looking thoroughly confused.
“Oh?” he mused, taking a step back. Merlin took strode towards him, with all intents and purposes of killing him when the man quickly regained his bearings and stood up straighter, brandishing his knife once more.
“Don’t come closer! I… I’ll curse you!”
Merlin stopped and gave a very good impression of Gaius’s eyebrow of doom. Even Arthur had to admit that it looked kind of hot on Merlin, before he shook those thoughts out of him, glaring at the sorcerer again.
The sorcerer took the silence to his advantage and muttered a quick spell before he vanished into the air. In his place lay a piece of parchment, with something scribbled on its back. The knights surged forward and Lancelot picked up the paper.
“Lancelot, what does it read?” Arthur asked as he sheathed his sword. He came around the table and stood beside Merlin, who was gazing intently at the parchment.
Lancelot gave a glance towards the sheet before his shoulders slumped. He walked to Arthur and gave him the paper himself to read.
Not a lethal spell.
Just something to remember me by. Sorry. I mean no harm. Mostly.
Anyway.
Just write the name of a living being on the paper. That will kill them, and you can leave.
Until you write a name, however, you won’t be able to leave the room.
Apologies, again.
The knights had all pooled behind Arthur’s shoulder as they read the words.
“This seems simple enough,” Merlin said, before snatching the paper and placing it on the table, picking up a quill with ink in the other hand. He began to scribble something on it but was rudely interrupted when Gwaine ripped it from him. “Hey!”
Gwaine took a second to read what Merlin was writing before he grew red in the face.
“You cannot write your own name, Merlin!” Gwaine roared, clutching the paper above him as Merlin jumped to get it back.
“Why not?” Merlin fired back, as the rest of the knights continued to sport similar faces of anger and amusement directed at him.
“Merlin, are you really that thick?” Arthur said, frowning, as he caught Merlin by his shoulder and pushed him down into a chair. Merlin could not hear anything for a second, except the buzzing in his ears as he tried to focus on something other than the warmth on his shoulder where Arthur’s hand held him tight. He tried, he really did, but all he could see for a second was the sunbeams falling on Arthur’s hair through the window panes, making them glow like gold threads, and his pink lips pushed down in a scowl.
He blinked, pushing away those thoughts for another time, and snapped, “Not as thick as your waist, sire.”
A snort escaped Leon’s lips, which was covered up by a cough when Arthur shot him a deadly glare.
“You are not writing your own name, you dollop head. I forbid you.”
“You can’t forbid me! You’re not the master of me!”
Arthur gaped at him for a second. “That’s literally what I am, you idiot. Did you hit your head or something?”
“You can’t tell me what to do,” Merlin scowled petulantly, his lips pouting just a little. “I can die whenever I wish to, prat.”
“No, you can’t. I order you.”
“Watch me!”
“I will tie you up, Merlin. Don’t test me.”
“You couldn’t even if you wanted to, you’re too dumb to tie a knot.”
“That’s treason, you insolent-”
Their banter was interrupted when Percival coughed loudly, their heads snapping towards the big man at the same time.
“What?!” Arthur and Merlin exclaimed collectively. Percival pointed at Leon, who was scribbling something intensively down the paper. Immediately, Lancelot snatched the quill away from Leon, who made grabby hands at the other knight.
“Leon, you cannot write so many names!” Lancelot all but yelled, smacking Leon on the back of his head, causing the man to wince and rub the spot. At the ridiculous looks he received from the rest of the group, Lancelot explained what Leon was trying to do, which was murder several people, including Arthur and Merlin.
Merlin shot to his feet and pointed a finger at Leon. “You cannot kill Arthur!”
“I just might if I have to listen to any more of your married banters!” Leon argued back, a tired look on his face. The knights had a thoughtful look on their faces as they pondered over this. Merlin and Arthur spluttered over the whole ordeal as the knights finally nodded in agreement with Leon.
“You are all betrayers,” Arthur said, his lower lip stuck out in a pout, as he slunk into his chair. Merlin glared at the knights once, patting Arthur’s shoulder in a comforting manner.
Lancelot shook himself back to his senses. The author would like to interrupt the reader once more here, to point out that the knights only shared one brain cell among themselves, and currently it was in possession of the noble Lancelot.
He tore the paper as cries of indignation rose from the others. He fixed them all with a pointed look and spoke slowly like he was speaking to a bunch of toddlers. Which he was. “We have the solution right here.”
Everybody just looked at him like he had officially lost his mind and Lancelot sighed. He was too tired to deal with this. He looked at Merlin and spoke to him, even though it appeared as if he was addressing everyone. “We. Have. The. Solution. Right. Here.”
Realization dawned on the warlock’s face as his magic tingled under his skin. He shot a nervous look towards Arthur before steeling himself.
“Merlin, what are you-” Arthur began but was cut off by the soft, golden glow that encased his manservant. He gulped, looking at the others around him, who also seemed to be captivated by the beautiful warlock.
After a few moments passed, Merlin slumped into his seat, the glow slowly fading from him. He looked at the ground as he whispered, “You can leave now. I removed the spell.”
For a moment, the air held its breath as nobody spoke a word. Perhaps the author should clarify here, that while Merlin himself had never told anyone except Lancelot about his magic, the others were not oblivious to it. In fact, most of Camelot already knew and were in secret cahoots to protect him and his secret. Not that Merlin knew that, of course.
So while we see Arthur and the knights here being silent, it is not due to the public reveal of Merlin’s magic, but due to the fact that Merlin’s magic in itself is so beautiful, and this is the first time they saw it openly. Merlin, however, thinks that everybody hates him and is silently wishing he had written his name faster on the paper and died.
When nobody speaks, Merlin looks up, only to find six proud faces staring at him and he comes to the realization that everyone already knew. This brings forth his own anger.
“You knew?!” he yelled, stepped back. The others didn’t hide their wince, not even Arthur, who openly held the gaze of the warlock, his face filled with confusion.
“It was a secret?” Gwaine whispered, face filling with horror as he realized that his babbling about Merlin’s magic in the tavern might have put his friend in danger. The others whipped their heads towards him, staring at him in shock as Merlin continued his rage-filled rant in the background.
“Merlin,” Arthur said, stepping forward and holding the warlock’s shoulders firmly, making him face him. He looked into the blue eyes of the man he loved, and Merlin’s features softened just a fraction before he caught himself and put up a mask.
“I feel betrayed,” Merlin sniffed but didn’t pull away. Arthur counted that as a win and pulled Merlin into an embrace. After a moment, Merlin’s shaking hands clutched his back, hugging him just as tightly. They held each other, pouring their emotions into the hug, before something, or someone crashed into them.
“Group hug!” Gwaine exclaimed as he put his arms around both the men and the rest of the knights followed his cue, Percival coming up last as he covered everyone in his hug.
Merlin let out a giggle. This was his family. And he was grateful for them, even if they were a bunch of no-good, back-stabbing, secret-keeping, annoying-
“Merlin. Stop thinking,” Arthur whispered in his ear.
“Right. Sorry.”
“Shut up, you idiot.”
“Prat.”
“Dollophead.”
“Clotpole.”
“Toad of-”
“If the two of you don’t confess your feelings and then go at it in your chambers like a pair of wild rabbits after this, I will kill you both, and then myself.”
“…Sorry, Leon.”