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Uther decided that he didn’t feel safe with Guinevere being Morgana’s maid anymore. Not after she was accused of witchery after her father was ‘miraculously’ healed from the ailment that had been plaguing half the village. Morgana tried to fight the issue, but until she got through to Uther, she had to have a new maid.
Enter ______.
Merlin wanted to fight for Guinevere to stay, she was his friend and he thought she really did deserve a second chance. When Arthur mentioned that Morgana was already complaining about her new maid, though, he did feel bad for whoever it was. He was in Arthur’s room, helping him get dressed and prepped for the morning when Arthur was mentioning it.
“I’m really not looking forward to dining with my father and Morgana this morning. I have a feeling it’s just going to turn into another endless argument about Morgana’s maid,” Arthur groaned while putting on a shirt. “It feels like Morgana is finding any excuse to get on his nerves.”
“Is her new maid really that bad?” Merlin asked. “Besides, look who’s talking. You were complaining about me from the second I was hired.”
“That was different. Morgana’s new maid didn’t even start any fights with her and try to embarrass her in the marketplace,” Arthur pointed out. “I just want to stay out of the entire ordeal.”
“Well, breakfast awaits downstairs,” Merlin commented, and Arthur rolled his eyes as they made their way to the large dining hall. Merlin always thought the entire set-up was awkward and unnecessary, only three of them ate as Guinevere and Merlin stood to the side with guards. It was a strange set-up. Of course, today it’s not going to be and Guinevere. It’s going to be me and whoever Uther decided to hire in her place.
Once they got to the hall, Merlin noted that Morgana hadn’t arrived yet, and stood over by the wall while Arthur took a seat. “Where is Morgana this morning?” Arthur asked, hoping that she was pre-occupied with something else.
“Running a little behind, I’d suppose,” Uther responded, reaching over to his goblet and taking a drink from it. He didn’t seem at all bothered, and Merlin had a feeling he wasn’t unaware that Morgana was unhappy with the new setup. A few minutes later, Morgana came in, her new maid behind her.
She caught Merlin’s attention right away. Morgana’s new maid was stunning, and Merlin would’ve mistaken her for nobility or royalty by the was she carried herself. She was creating royal passage with the way she walked, and although she looked a little uncomfortable behind Morgana, Merlin was captivated by her stance. Not to mention he was drawn in by her looks, even in standard chamber-maid uniforms, she looked more beautiful than any woman Merlin had ever seen. He caught himself staring as Morgana began to speak. “Sorry for my tardiness, my maid was having trouble finding her way around this morning.”
“That’s no crime,” Uther pushed the passive aggressive comment aside. “Come, take a seat.”
While Morgana went to take a seat, her maid looked around, not knowing where she was supposed to go. Slowly, Merlin raised his hand, grabbing her attention, and gesturing to go stand by him. She looked around one last time and followed his lead, standing next to the raven-haired man and mumbling quietly, “Thank you.”
“No problem,” Merlin tried smiling at her, but she seemed shaken about the entire situation. “My name’s Merlin, I’m Arthur’s manservant. What’s your name?”
“______,” she replied quickly, still speaking in the same soft tone. She wasn’t even turning her head to face Merlin, she was wide-eyed and still staring at Morgana, who looked completely unhappy.
“That’s a great name,” Merlin commented before following her gaze. “Morgana doesn’t usually act this way; she just misses her old maid. I’m sure she’ll grow on you soon.”
“I’m not so sure,” _______ sighed. “I don’t want to make her any more unhappy than she already is. I feel like I’m walking on eggshells as it is, if I do something wrong, then she won’t hold back anymore. I need to keep this job, it’s all I have.”
“Everything will turn out for the best, I’m sure of it,” Merlin tried smiling at her again, trying to get her to look at him. There was something inside of him that needed her to look at him, to acknowledge him, a deep feeling he hadn’t encountered before. Every moment she spent avoiding his gaze felt torturous, and he had only just met her.
He got his wish. “With all due respect, Merlin,” she started, turning towards him. “I’m sure you’re kind, and I’m sure you mean well, but I can’t risk getting in trouble with Morgana by talking to you. I must focus on what my lady may need. So please, don’t continue to distract me. I fear I’ll get yelled at for it.” She turned away right as she finished talking, returning her gaze to Morgana.
Right to the point, I suppose, Merlin thought, turning his gaze forward. The feeling didn’t go away once she looked at him, if anything, it grew. He wanted her to look at him again, she wanted him to only look at him. It was a hard feeling to describe, and if he didn’t know any better, he’d think she was using magic to cast some spell on him. However, with the vibes he was getting from her, she would be too jittery to use magic right in front of the king notorious for killing enchantresses. Still… Merlin thought, glancing back at her one last time. There’s something special about her, and I have to find out what it is.
Breakfast ended and _______ headed off with Morgana while Merlin was stuck with Arthur. His tasks for the day were just like any other: personal training, knight training, maybe grabbing a drink before heading back. Nothing Merlin hadn’t done a thousand times before. So, he allowed his mind to wander the entire day, thinking of ways to speak to ______ again in a better setting. He thought of anything, from innocent circumstances such as ‘bumping’ into her to more extreme ones that involved a little more work. It became obvious to Arthur fairly quickly that Merlin’s head was somewhere else entirely during training. “Is there somewhere you’d rather be, Merlin? Perhaps the horse stables?”
“Sorry,” Merlin mumbled, taking position again. Arthur was trying to spar with him, although Merlin was a bit too easy to win against. “Did you want to go again?”
Arthur, in a rare moment of curiosity about Merlin’s life, decided to ask, “Where’s your attention been? You’ve spent half the day somewhere else entirely.”
Merlin paused, debating whether he wanted to tell Arthur that ______ had been on his mind ever since he saw her. “There’s someone I met, and ever since I saw them, I can’t get them out of my head. I just don’t know what to do about it.”
Arthur was smarter than Merlin gave him credit for. “This is about Morgana’s new servant, right? I saw you staring at her all morning, Merlin. You’re more obvious than you think, I don’t think you could keep a secret if you wanted to.”
Oh, sure I couldn’t, Merlin thought. “I don’t know what it is about her, she’s been on my mind ever since I saw her. She’s like no one I’ve ever seen before, and… I don’t know how to reach out to her. She’s on edge every moment of the day.”
“Morgana sure isn’t helping that. She’s done nothing but complain, and she’s looking for any excuse she can to fire her. However, Uther won’t let her go unless there’s a legitimate reason,” Arthur pointed out. An idea popped to his head, and he smiled to himself. “You should try to help her out, and I can talk to Morgana. I’m sure she’d appreciate the help, and she might loosen up.”
Merlin thought about it for a moment. “That’s not a bad idea, actually.”
“I know, it came from me. Uther’s holding a dinner party tonight, a celebration for a former king’s birthday, I believe. I think it’s an excuse to throw a party. Morgana will be there, so I can distract her from her servant.”
“You’d do that?” Merlin smiled. He didn’t expect Arthur to help at all, this soft spot for helping Merlin find love came out of nowhere.
“If it’ll get you to pay attention and put effort into this, then yes,” Arthur raised his sword again. “Ready?”
-
Morgana refused to let ______ touch her jewelry when she was getting ready for the dinner party. She didn’t trust her enough yet and insisted that ______ stayed upstairs to clean the room and take care of laundry while she was downstairs. ______ didn’t mind that condition: she was looking forward to being alone for a bit while Morgana was at the dinner.
She started by mopping the floors, changing the sheets and dusting the shelves. Right when she was about to get started on the windows, she heard a door open behind her. Before she had the time to turn around, a semi-familiar voice filled the room. “Need a hand?”
She turned her head, meeting Merlin’s bright blue eyes. It’s the man from earlier today, Merlin, right? she started to remember. “I’ll be okay,” she smiled at him. He was nice to her earlier, she didn’t see any reason not to be nice now. “I appreciate it, though.”
“Are you sure?” Merlin asked, looking around. “I’ve been doing this for a long time, if I help you, we can get this done twice as fast.”
She shook her head, then paused for a moment. “I wanted to say sorry for how I acted towards you earlier today, Merlin. It wasn’t a good morning, and it’s been a rough day. I didn’t want to get in trouble for anything, and I still don’t want to get in any trouble now. I should learn how to do this efficiently on my own, that way in the future I won’t fall behind. I appreciate the offer, but I don’t want your help.” ______ looked over, spotting the basket of laundry she had to start on, and grabbed it. “I’m going to go wash these downstairs, so if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be going.”
Merlin didn’t say a word and she passed him, heading downstairs and out of sight. He sighed, looking around the room, knowing that it wouldn’t be enough. Any little thing that was wrong, Morgana would find, and ______ was too insistent on doing things on her own. How am I ever going to find a way to get her alone and talk to her?
An idea popped into his head. An awful way to get her attention, but a way that would work. Merlin pushed it away at first, telling himself he shouldn’t sink so low, but the idea came back to him. It would make sure that I talk to her, and if all goes well, she’ll even be grateful for me. She’ll finally accept my help, and she’ll finally talk to me. She’ll finally look at me.
That’s all he wanted, really. For her to look at him, not past him.
Merlin went up to the silver box that sat upon Morgana’s vanity, opening it carefully. Inside, there were pieces of jewelry ranging in cost and importance, but Merlin knew just the one to take, the one that Morgana would notice right away. A precious gold necklace with a gorgeous ruby attached to the end of it. Merlin picked it up carefully, hiding it in his pocket before leaving the room.
Right as the door closed behind him, his adrenaline began to race as he looked around, making sure that no one was around to see him. As far as anyone else knew, he was never there, he had no reason to be. The only person who knew that he was ever in Morgana’s room was _______, and he could easily lie to Arthur and tell him that he never got the chance to speak with her. This better work.
-
When Morgana came back from dinner and saw that her favorite (and most expensive) necklace was missing, the first person she suspected was _______. She went right to Uther, rubbing in his face that she was right all alone, and that she was trouble. _______ begged for mercy, repeatedly saying that she didn’t take it, but no one believed her. Uther threw her in a cell in the basement and searched her room, looking for any clues that would lead to them finding the necklace. If they didn’t find it, ______ was to be scheduled for execution.
In other words, it all was starting to come together the exact way that Merlin had imagined it.
While Uther was busy tearing the maid quarter’s apart, Merlin snuck his way downstairs and distracted the guards for long enough to slip past them. As soon as ______ heard footsteps, she turned around quickly, seeing Merlin standing there with a finger to his lips to reassure her to be silent. “What are you doing here?” she whispered, genuinely confused why prince Arthur’s manservant would be down in the cells.
Seeing the state that ______ was in made Merlin feel a little guilty. Her face was tear-stained, she looked exhausted emotionally and physically, and she was shaking, wide eyes, terrified. I’m sorry, ______. I promise you that the second we get out of here; I’ll treat you better than royalty. Don’t be scared, I’m doing this all for you. For us. Merlin knelt down, whispering back to her. “I heard what happened, and I know what you’d never do anything like that. I’m here to help.”
“Why do you believe me? You barely know me, and I barely know you,” she whispered back. It wasn’t that she was ungrateful for his help, but right now, it felt like everyone in the world had turned their backs on her. Everyone but Merlin. She didn’t understand why.
“I… I understand what you’re going through,” Merlin told her, reaching through the bars and trying to take her hand. To his surprise, and his joy, she allowed him to hold it. “I only just met you, but I know that you’re a hard worker. You’ve done nothing but try to be the perfect worker for Morgana, and she never thanks you. She still sees you as the girl replacing her friend. You’d never take something from Morgana – you were scared enough to disappoint her. I don’t know what’s going on, but I want to help you. I just need something in return.”
______ gave him a confused look. “I don’t have any money, Merlin, I don’t have anything to give you.” Looking in his eyes, there was something there she couldn’t quite place. Before, when Merlin had spoken to her, he had such kind eyes. Cool, inviting, friendly. Right now, looking into his eyes, it was something completely different. He stared at her, fixated. She had never seen that amount of fixation and determination.
“I don’t want your money,” Merlin told her, looking over his shoulder. The guards were still gone, likely still occupied with the ‘suspicious person’ Merlin saw around prince Arthur’s room. He knew his time was running out. “______, I don’t have much time to explain, but it isn’t money that I want. It’s you. I’ve never met anyone like you, and I… I want you to stay with me, in Camelot, even after all of this clears up.”
Usually, Merlin would never say anything like that aloud. He didn’t usually like to show his hand, but in this case, he felt like he had to. ______ was the kind of person who respected those above her, or for the very least, feared them. Right now, everything was taken away from her, and she was going to be executed. Merlin held all of her cards in his hands. He had never seen someone like her, he had never felt this way before, and he wasn’t ready to let that go. Around her, he felt things he had never experienced before. It was intoxicating.
______ had no idea what to say. I’ve spoken to him twice. Why is he already so attached? How is that possible? She wanted to push him away again, but right now, he was the only hope she had. She was more scared of dying than anything that Merlin could do. She nodded, squeezing the hand that he was still holding. “Okay. I’ll stay with you, I promise, just please get me out of here.”
Merlin smiled, letting go of her hand. “I’ll get Arthur to help me, we can clear all of this up, I’m sure of it,” he stood up again, looking back. The guards would be back any moment. “I’ll be back soon, next time you see me, you’ll be free.”
How can he be so confident? she thought to herself, watching Merlin round the corner and disappear. She sat back, her back pressing against the cold walls of the cell as she curled into a ball and hid her head in her knees, thinking about the implications of the situation she was in.
What choice did I have? There’s no good way out of this. If I didn’t accept his help, I’d be dead before the week is out. Why would he want me? I barely know him, and he barely knows me. This doesn’t make any sense.
She spent hours in the cell, unable to sleep, hoping Merlin would pull through. As strange as he seemed, he did appear trustworthy. He had been nothing but nice to her, and it was surprising that he’d go through all of this just so she’d stay with him. A part of her worried that he’d take advantage of her once she was out, that he’s come back down and ask for more than just her company, but he never did. She didn’t see him again for hours, losing track of the time before she saw the sun come up. I was awake all night.
The next thing she head were footsteps. Listening closely, there was multiple pairs of them, along with the clanging of armor. Her head raised from where it was, and she saw Merlin, Arthur and a few other knights she didn’t recognize. Arthur was the first to speak out of everyone. “They found Morgana’s necklace,” he spoke. “It had simply been misplaced, and somehow, it ended right back up in her jewelry box. You wouldn’t know how it got there, would you?”
______ shook her head. “I have no idea, I never touched it before. I’ve never seen inside Morgana’s jewelry.”
Arthur sighed. “I’m inclined to believe you. In all honesty, I think this was her sick stunt in order to get you fired, only ending it right when you were about to face dire consequences. In any case… it worked. I’m afraid you no longer have a job with us.”
______ looked down. I should’ve figured that would be the case, but I had hoped it wouldn’t be, she thought, then looked up again, right at Merlin. He was standing next to Arthur with a small smile on his face, and the look in his eyes he had the night before was gone, his kindness returned. He spoke up for the first time. “Gaius, however, needs a helping hand. He’s the court physician I stay with, and he’s agreed to employ you and give you a place to live.”
Gaius, Merlin and Arthur all had a discussion this morning. After Morgana found her necklace in the exact place she had left it and ______ was still going to be fired, Merlin asked Arthur if he really believed that was fair. He got Arthur to agree that the entire situation was biased against ______, and the two of them managed to convince Gaius to employ her. It worked out, anyways, with Merlin as Arthur’s manservant he couldn’t help Gaius as much as he used to. Everyone in this situation won.
______’s eyes went wide, and a small smile came to her face. A part of her was worried about whatever Merlin had in store, but he helped her find work. He made sure that she still had a way to earn money, which was perfect. “When do I start?”
“Right away,” Merlin told her, unlocking the door as she got up and came out of the cell for the first time in a while. “Follow me, I’ll show you where you’ll be staying from now on.”
-
Weeks went by, and ______ began to think that her prior suspicions of Merlin were completely incorrect. Ever since she had been freed, he hadn’t acted strangely at all. In fact, neither of them had even spoken about what happened that fateful night. Merlin hadn’t spoken a word about the promise he had her make to him, and he hadn’t been acting strangely.
“It’s not money that I want. It’s you.”
Sometimes his words would still float around her head as she tried to decipher what he meant by that. He hadn’t made any clear moves on her; he had been acting like the perfect gentlemen. Could I have dreamt the whole situation up? she thought to herself, looking across the room and over at Merlin. As if he could sense her gaze, he turned his head, meeting her eyes. “Is something the matter, ______?” he asked, then joking, “Is there something on my face?”
Merlin and ______ often had breakfast together, waking up around the same time. ______ would wake up early to run deliveries for medicine, and then she’d spend the afternoon picking up any supplies that Gaius needed. She was becoming quite good at mixing the medicine herself, and even Gaius mentioned that he was going to make her his apprentice so she could take over when he was gone.
______ shook her head. “Nothing’s wrong, I was just off in my own head,” she shrugged it off, smiling at him. She had gotten more accustomed to being around him, and she considered him a friend, but he was still an enigma to her. She was never sure what was real and what wasn’t when it came to Merlin. “Do you think you can bring me one of those big tubs? I’ve been wanting to take a bath, and I think I’ll finally find the time today. It doesn’t matter what time, so there’s no rush.”
Since Merlin worked for Prince Arthur, he had access to the big, barrel-like tubs that the royalty of Camelot used to bathe. Gaius also had permission to use them, which ______ and Merlin reaped the benefits of. Currently, Gaius was away on ‘important business’ that he’d only speak to Merlin about, saying he’d be back before the month was out.
“I can do that,” Merlin smiled and nodded, finishing up his breakfast. “I needed to take a bath as well, so it works out perfectly. Just save the water and I’ll reuse it. It’s best not to waste anything.”
“Won’t it be cold by the time you get back?” ______ asked. Not to mention, doesn’t he find it a bit off to use bathwater I’ve already been in?
“I can reheat it,” Merlin pressed, still with a sunny disposition. “Just keep the water, okay?” Merlin asked, but ______ had a sinking feeling that it wasn’t a question.
“Okay, I’ll keep it,” she told him, standing up and checking the paper she wrote her deliveries down on. “I should get going. I expect I’ll see you tonight?”
“Maybe even sooner. Arthur doesn’t have knight training today, Uther canceled it so they can start their trip tonight. They’re going to a neighboring kingdom for a wedding.”
______ tilted her head. “If your Arthur’s servant, don’t you have to go with him?”
Merlin shook his head, hesitating for a moment. “Uther and Morgana thought it would be… better if I stayed with you.”
______ sighed. “They still don’t trust me, even after you and Arthur proved that I wasn’t the one robbing Morgana of her jewelry?” she asked, but Merlin didn’t bother to answer as she kept talking. “I guess even though I’m still a royal servant, they don’t trust me as far as they can see me.”
“I’m sorry, ______,” Merlin told her. “Uther and Morgana aren’t what you’d call forgiving. Arthur, however, trusts you. Once he’s king, I’m sure you’ll have the freedom you used to have.”
“I hope so,” ______ grabbed her bag full of medication. “I’ve got to go, Merlin.”
With that, she was out the door, leaving Merlin standing there. He’d never tell her that it wasn’t Uther and Morgana who wanted Merlin to stay behind, he wanted to stay behind. He was finally beginning to see his chance to make a move with her. With Gaius gone on a trip, and a break from working as Arthur left Camelot, he could finally put all of his focus on her. Not to mention, he preferred to talk to her when no one else was around. No one sees her like I do.
Merlin spent the day doing the most mundane tasks: laundry, cleaning out the horse stables and preparing them for a trip, packing Arthur’s bags and triple-checking that everything he needed was in there. In between everything, he dropped off the tub to Gaius’s home like he promised ______. By the afternoon, he was done with everything he needed to do.
When he got back to Gaius’s place, he saw that ______ had started to fill the tub with water she had been warming up. “You might need to chop more wood for your bath,” she told him. “Are you going out again or staying here?”
“Staying here,” Merlin told her, briefly thinking about the implications. He had been stopping himself from losing control around ______, which was easier said than done. He already had poor impulse control, and when it came to ______, his mind was constantly racing with things he wanted to do with her. Mostly couple things – he wanted to kiss her, to sleep with her, to make her his and his alone. He would sometimes follow her around when she was delivering medicine instead of showing up to work on time – a habit that he was worried Arthur was beginning to notice. He wanted to make sure she was safe, and that there wasn’t anyone in her life he didn’t know about. Outside of work, the only person she talked to was Merlin.
That was the way he wanted it.
“You’re going to stay upstairs then, right?” she asked, making sure. “I can knock on your door when I’m done.”
“Right, of course,” Merlin nodded. “Are you going to lock the front door?”
“And draw the curtains,” she told him. “I won’t take long, maybe the water will still be warm when I’m done.”
Merlin didn’t say a word more, instead heading upstairs. He wished in that moment that there was some kind of hole in his door, but alas, there was not. It’s for the best, I shouldn’t be doing that, the mind briefly crossed his head, but disappeared as soon as it came.
Once Merlin was upstairs, ______ locked the front door, drew the curtains, and got into the bath. Bathing downstairs always made her nervous, even when everything was locked. Back where she used to live, she had her own room, but now she slept downstairs. Merlin offered to give her his room, but she felt like she was relying on him too much already. Gaius had a place of his own in town he slept at most nights, so the only thing that worried her was the openness of everything.
After roughly ten minutes in the bath, there was a knock at the front door, and ______ froze in place in the bath. The knock took her by surprise, and she had no idea what she was supposed to do. Then she heard a voice from the other side of the door. “Merlin, I know you’re in there. You packed the wrong attire, and I need to know what you did with the rest of my clothing.” He knocked again, louder, and _______ still sat there in shock. She knew she should call out and tell him Merlin couldn’t hear him, but she just sat there. He’ll go away, right? she thought, her eyes fixated on the door.
Arthur stood there, losing patience. Why is this stupid door locked anyways? he thought, grabbing for his keyring. Since Gaius was the royal physician, Uther and Arthur both had copies of keys to his house. He put it in the lock, turning it and quickly opening the door. It was only once he opened the door that he realized his mistake.
Opening the door, he saw ______ sitting in the bath, and they both locked eyes. Both too shocked about the situation to do move, they stared at each other for a few moments. Then, ______ let out a scream, sinking into the water and trying to cover herself up. “Sorry!” Arthur managed to get out, turning his back and his face flaring up.
Merlin, from upstairs, only heard ______ scream. He immediately got to his feet and threw his door open, moving down the stairs, asking “What’s happened? What’s wrong?”
It was then Merlin realized what the situation was. ______ was still in the bath, and Arthur was in the room, his back to her, still apologizing under his breath. ______ turned to Merlin who had walked in, red in the face, and Merlin didn’t know what to do. He was captivated by her, but he also realized that this was not good. She grabbed the nearest object to her, an apple from the basket of groceries she had purchased earlier and threw it at Merlin. “Stop staring at me! Get out, both of you!”
“Right, sorry!” Merlin got out, tearing his eyes away from her and rushing out of the room, grabbing Arthur on his way out. Once they were outside, a certain amount of anger filled Merlin, the kind he had never shown on Arthur. He turned to him, not caring about his status as he began to yell. “What were you thinking? Have you never learned basic manners? If a door is locked – don’t go inside!”
“I had no way of knowing that ______ was going to be in there!” Arthur defended himself, then matched Merlin’s energy. “Maybe if you did your job right, I wouldn’t have been here in the first place. Where did you put my laundry?”
“I can’t believe you, Arthur. How did you get inside, anyways?”
“I have a key, Merlin. Do you forget that this is still part of the castle? Of course I have access.”
“You shouldn’t,” Merlin groaned. “I left them hanging downstairs. Did you check down there? Did you even bother before you burst through the door?”
“Don’t be dramatic, Merlin,” Arthur rolled his eyes, beginning to walk away. He knew that Merlin was like this, there was no use trying to get through to him. “Tell ______ I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to see her like that.”
Sure I will, Merlin thought, annoyance and anger still searing him. He sat outside the door, not going inside yet, sitting with his back against the door. He closed his eyes, taking deep breaths in and out, trying to calm down. Arthur had no business seeing her like that. Especially before I got to.
After about ten minutes, Merlin found the door was unlocked again, and saw that ______ had disappeared upstairs, leaving him water to take a bath in. As he got into the bath, he closed his eyes, finding himself calming down and making a decision and promise to himself.
Nothing like that will ever happen again. I’m going to be there for ______ every time, and she’ll never have to worry about anyone disturbing her or bothering her ever again. I’m going to keep her happy, I’m going to keep her safe.
-
It was a week later when ______ realized that something was wrong with Merlin.
She thought Merlin would’ve been grateful for a break away from work, but instead, he insisted on helping her out with mixing medicines and deliveries. He never left her side, which was sweet in a way, but sometimes she was just a little… unsettled. Ever since the incident of him walking in on her in the bath, they gained another thing that they both silently decided to never talk about.
Over the week, she began to notice small things Merlin was doing that he hadn’t done before. Things that she probably wouldn’t have noticed if she wasn’t hyper-aware of his every movement since that night in the cells. He started sleeping with his door open, he was always awake before her and already downstairs, she caught him staring at her more often than she used to, and he was… strangely observant of everything she did. It began to feel a little suffocating.
The fifth day in a row of the same behavior, _______ decided that she needed a little moment away from Merlin. “I think I’m going to make deliveries on my own today,” she told Merlin as they ate their breakfast. “Would you be able to go to the market and pick something up for us to make tonight?”
Merlin’s mind answered before me moved his mouth. Absolutely not, I need to be around you. It’s the easiest way to keep you safe. As much as he wanted to say that, he wanted to keep a good image with ______. So instead he just smiled and nodded. “What do you have in mind?”
______ smiled, relieved that Merlin didn’t put up a fight. “Surprise me. Anything you buy, we can make a meal out of it. I’m sure of it.” After breakfast, ______ gathered the medicine she needed and headed out the door. Merlin sat in silence for a few moments before, against his better judgement, he started to follow her.
It was business as usual at first. Running around, delivering medicine and asking questions about if it’s been working. People really took to ______, and she spoke to everyone kindly. Merlin watched from the shadows, smiling to himself. She really is something special. She’s an amazing person… and she’s all mine.
During one of her last runs, something unexpected happened. She was passing the kitchen, mostly filled with staff that was making sure the meat wasn’t rotting, cleaning and processing fresh hunts and organizing. Since the royalty was away, they just had to make sure everything was in order. ______ was passing the kitchen when she ran into another manservant, clean cutlery in his hands. She fell to the ground after bumping into him, but luckily, he didn’t drop anything. “I’m sorry!” he called out. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine, sorry for running into you,” _______ assured him, standing up. “I should’ve watched where I was going.”
The moment the servant saw _______’s face, his eyes went wide. Wow, she’s gorgeous. “No, it’s my fault. I’m glad you’re okay. Is there anything I can do to make up for this?”
_______ gave him a confused look. “Don’t worry, it’s not that big of a deal, I promise,” she told him again.
Merlin watched from a distance, and he could tell what was happening. He could see it clear as day on the other servants face: he was smitten with her good looks. A sudden burst of anger shot through Merlin, a feeling he hadn’t gotten before as he started to clench his jaw. Stay away from her.
“I haven’t seen you around here before,” the guy smiled at her. “My name is Rhys. What’s your name?”
“______,” she mumbled, still unsure about the situation.
“What a pretty name,” he smiled, taking a step closer to her. That’s when Merlin, who had been watching from a distance, just about had it. Try being smooth when you’re scrambling for your dishes, Merlin thought, looking around before using magic to send the cutlery in his hands flying.
Unfortunately, he hadn’t thought ahead to where it would all go. While most of it just tumbled out of his hands, he had gotten close enough to ______ where some of it went flying towards her. Most notably a knife, which hit her forearm and cut down it, drawing a bit of blood. “Ow!” _______ thought, flinching and pulling back, grabbing her knife. Merlin gasped, but quickly covered his mouth to keep quiet. He thought he was in the clear before _______ turned around, catching a glimpse of Merlin as he rushed away. Was that Merlin just now? she thought, looking back to the situation. The way that everything flew out of Rhys’s hands seemed just a little too convenient. Was that magic? Before Rhys was able to get any kind of apology out, _______ was running off to take care of her continuously-bleeding arm.
Once Merlin saw that _______ was gone and Rhys had picked everything up, he came out of his hiding spot, confronting the manservant. “You’re a klutz,” Merlin told him. “You could’ve gotten someone hurt.”
Rhys looked up, recognizing Merlin. He was the manservant who got the job for Prince Arthur that he’d been trying to get for months, all because he ‘miraculously’ saved his life at a dinner party. He was immediately annoyed. “What are you doing here? Arthur’s out of town,” he scowled. “Stay out of it and do your own job.”
Merlin was not expecting that level of backtalk so quick, and his anger only got worse. “You shouldn’t be around things you can’t even take care of, and you shouldn’t flirt with women who you don’t know.”
All at once, Rhys recognized the source of Merlin’s anger and laughed in his face. “Really? You’re upset over me introducing myself to someone. Grow up, would you? You’re more privileged than anyone else working here all because of Prince Arthur, we can’t all have petty worries like you. So pull your head out of the sand, yeah?” Rhys pushed past Merlin, heading back to the kitchen to re-wash the dishes.
Suddenly, all Merlin could see was red. It would be so simple to just get rid of him. He’ll never bother _______, me, or anyone else again. It’s so simple.
-
_______, once she got back, wrapped up her arm right away. Merlin was nowhere to be found, and part of her thought maybe she was just being paranoid. Surely that wasn’t Merlin I saw, and I don’t think he’s a magic user. There’s one way to know for sure, though… she looked towards the door, and then looked upstairs towards Merlin’s room. It’s the only way to know for sure.
Hoping she was going to have enough time, she slowly made her way up the stairs, pushing the door open to his room. It was messy, and she had no idea what to look for, but she had a feeling she’d know it when she saw it. She started to pick up clothes, sheets, and going through his dresser and closet. Eventually, she found something.
While picking up clothes, she noticed a loose floorboard. Checking again that Merlin didn’t suddenly come home, she got down and lifted it up, finding a book inside. A book of spells. Okay, so he is a warlock, she thought to herself, staring at the book.
Surprisingly, that made a wave of relief rush over her. Maybe the whole reason he’s acting strange around me has nothing to do with who I am, and more about who he is. He must be used to having to keep all of this a secret, and he helped me and brought me into his home. He probably just wants to be careful. Looking over her shoulder again, she carefully put the book back where she found it and headed back downstairs.
The sun went down, and Merlin still wasn’t home, beginning to make _______ worry. I just asked him to pick up some food, what’s taking him so long? she thought, trying to distract herself by cleaning up. It was almost another hour before she heard the door open and Merlin walked in. “Sorry I’m so late,” he started off with, providing no further explanation.
_______ didn’t want to question him right off the bat, so she just smiled at him. “It’s no problem. What did you bring?”
“Lots of vegetables,” Merlin handed her the bag he was carrying. When he handed it off to her, he noticed the bandage on her arm had soaked through and was completely red. His eyes went wide, grabbing her arm before she could pull away. “______, what happened?”
She tried pulling her arm back, but Merlin’s grip was impeccable. “It’s nothing, just a cut,” she tried excusing it to change the subject. I’m sure it was Merlin I saw earlier; I know that now, she thought. Why is he acting surprised now?
“You should change this bandage,” he stood up, grabbing a bucket. “I’ll be right back; I’m going to go get some water to wash that up.”
“Oh, alright,” ______ was surprised by his sudden determination as he left the room, left standing there. I have to ask him, she decided. She wanted to let him know that she knows now that he uses magic, but she doesn’t care. She just wants to know why he was following her around.
A few minutes later, Merlin was back, the bucket full of water and a rag in his hands. He sat down, prompting her to sit across from him. “May I see you arm?” he asked before taking it, beginning to unwrap the bandage carefully. Her arm was stained red, so he slowly started to take the wet rag and wash the blood off, sending a stinging sensation up her arm. Merlin noticed her wincing, giving a sympathetic expression. “I know it hurts, but it’s going to before it can get better. Just hold still.”
Merlin worked carefully and diligently, and ______ watched him quietly. Now’s my chance. “Merlin, I saw you earlier,” she finally spoke while he began wrapping her arm. He stopped, and she took the silence as a sign to keep talking. “In the castle. You used magic and sent everything Rhys was holding through the air.”
Merlin finished wrapping, trying to pick his words carefully. “You saw me… use magic?” he finally managed out, not wanting to address the part about him following her around. He’d rather confess to being warlock than confess to following her around after it was so obvious that she wanted to run errands by herself that morning.
“I don’t care that you use magic!” she was quick to reassure him, using her good arm to take Merlin by the hand. “I really don’t, Merlin. You’ve been so kind to me, and I can’t imagine you using it to plot against the king or anyone else. I don’t think you’re the kind of person, but… I do want to know why you were there. Why did you knock those things out of his hands? Why were you there in the first place?”
Great. Merlin thought, taking a deep breath. Maybe it was time for her to know, it was better than him trying to hide it forever. Eventually it was going to surface. “I… it’s all been for you, ______. You have to believe me when I tell you that I’ve been doing everything in your best interest because… well, I’ve never met anyone like you. I love you, ______.”
Love?! She thought, taken aback by his sudden confession. She hadn’t thought about him that way before, but she’d be lying if she said that she wasn’t the least bit interested. Merlin was handsome, kind, and he was always there for her. Those were all things you looked for in someone you loved, right? However, there was one thing in his answer that still chilled and confused her. Swallowing her shock, she started to reply. “What… what do you mean everything you’ve done?”
Once Merlin opened his mouth, the truth came out like water out of a dam. “I wanted to keep you safe, _______, so I’ve followed you. I’ve made sure that no one was around who’d take advantage of you or hurt you. I just wanted you to be safe and happy here. When you lost your job, I remember you telling me that it’s all you had. I didn’t want you to end up alone with nowhere to go. I convinced Gaius to take you in, and I just… I wanted you to have a home in Camelot. So, when someone gets in the way of that…” Merlin trailed off, and ______ saw that look in his eye again. Complete fixation, all focused onto her. “They have to go. Permanently.”
______’s eyes went wide. “Merlin, what have you done?” she asked in a whisper, scared of the answer. She had a feeling that it wasn’t anything good.
Merlin didn’t answer for a moment. “I don’t like sharing. That’s just the truth.”
______ stood suddenly, pulling her arm away from Merlin. “I… Merlin, I don’t think I should stay here tonight. I need some space to figure this all out.”
Merlin stood up faster, blocking her way out, the same fixation on his face. “Don’t leave. Don’t you remember what you promised me? You’re staying here. I worked so hard to keep you here.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, then it snapped in her head. She had the sinking feeling that everything Merlin did to help her was just to convenient for him. “You stole the necklace, didn’t you? You got me fired…” she trailed off, stopping dead in her tracks and shaking.
Merlin reached out, grabbing her hands. Surprisingly, like that night in the cells, she let him. “You’re all I think about, ______. Ever. Always. You can’t leave me, I don’t know what I’d do. Do you really want to test how far I’ll go to keep you by my side? I’ll chase you to the end of the earth.”
_______ stood, shaking, unsure what to say back to him. She’s never seen Merlin like this. One thing, however, was clear: there was no way out.