Work Text:
Merlin’s new in town and despite the minor set-back of witnessing a witch-burning immediately after stepping foot in Camelot, he feels like he’s got this.
Well, maybe after outing himself as a sorcerer the second he meets Gaius and a good night’s sleep.
Here, no one knows him. It’s a fresh start and he’s well on his way to being Camelot’s new mysterious handsome stranger. He gains some confidence for his second day in the city while delivering potions and poultices to Gaius’ patients. Afterwards, he heads out to the citadel in hopes of impressing the townsfolk with his naturally suave personality and twinkishly good looks.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t go to plan. In the process of standing up for a servant being nailed by some blonde asshole, he’s humiliated, arrested and suddenly in the bad books of the prince of Camelot.
He doesn’t miss the tension between the two of them during their row, and especially not how Prince Arthur felt pressed up behind him.
The next day, after a scolding from Gaius and fresh from the stocks, Merlin is back on his bullshit. Immediately he runs into the idiot prince from yesterday.
“How’s your knee walking coming along,” this guy has the audacity to ask, announcing his horniness to the whole market place. “Don’t run away.”
Try as he might, Merlin gives in so easily to ignoring him. They banter back and forth, Merlin watching the prince’s face when he talks about how easily he could blow him – ah take in down with less blows than him, are you sure we’re talking about the same thing here?
Unfortunately, Prince Arthur doesn’t appreciate Merlin’s form of flirting. Apparently, being called a prat just makes him angrier. Now there’s a mace being swung at his head and Merlin’s never been one for physical violence and hand-eye coordination, so he’s kind of fucked. But he successfully distracts Arthur by falling on a pile of sacks rather suggestively and has time to magic Arthur’s mace around some hooks hanging from the rafters at eye height. Hang on, that definitely does not comply with standard workplace health and safety guidelines at all. What kind of crazy city has he waltzed in to?
He gets up and thinks quickly on his feet, spotting a box to magic into the line of Prince Arthur’s path towards him. He’s not sure how no one saw the box move a metre to the right but he seems to have worked.
He ducks under a table as Arthur smashes a bunch of eggs. This seems wasteful and entirely unnecessary, so Merlin gets him back by tripping him up with a rope. Gosh, these people seem to have the worst set up here. Who just has a rope laying about, what a hazard!
Merlin’s pretty sure Arthur is emasculated enough by now so he manages a grip on his own mace and offers Arthur a way out.
“Do you want to give up?” He asks.
“To you?!” Arthur replies, almost disgusted at the offer. He manages to back him up into a corner and Arthur once again trips, landing on the sacks from earlier.
“You want to kiss me so bad right now, don’t you?” Merlin says under his breath. Arthur falters for a moment. “You want to kiss me so bad it makes you look stupid.”
At this moment, Gaius calls out, embarrassing Merlin and giving Arthur a chance to get in a few punches to the gut and bonk him on the head with a broom.
Despite this crazy amount of disrespect Merlin has just shown in front of the prince’s people, he lets Merlin go, citing a pretty gay excuse as to why.
Merlin suffers through yet another rant from Gaius as to why Camelot can’t handle his big dick energy just yet and Merlin goes to bed sad and horny for yet another night.
A bunch of inescapable events lead to Merlin being appointed Arthur’s manservant.
At first, it sucked. Arthur’s lack of respect for people below his status really hindered his liking for Merlin and Merlin himself was disgusted by his classism. He had no problems assigning him far too many tasks to be completed solo in a day and didn’t have an issue with using physical punishments against Merlin. Though, Merlin could overlook these things in favour of Arthur’s fat ass. After all, what is a scrubbing brush to the head when he had the privilege of watching Arthur’s ass go about its day?
Merlin has done his best to wear Arthur down. He’s done just about anything to lower his expectations of him and constantly miss deadlines. And somehow through this, friendship has appeared, though cloaked in backhanded compliments and homoerotic tension.
This all boils down to Arthur disobeying his father’s orders and helping Merlin fight off ruthless bandits in Ealdor.
Hunith has so generously given up her small dwelling to house four young adults for a week or two. Merlin, after some nudges from his mother, offers Arthur his old bed, who declines and offers it to Morgana, who offers to share it with Gwen, and Merlin and Arthur share the floor space in the bedroom. They’ve tried to inspire a bit of privacy for the women by putting up some sheets. While it succeeds at this, it also creates an intimate atmosphere between Merlin and Arthur.
Apparently, for once, Arthur can read the tension in the room and begins to make conversation.
“Have you always slept on the floor?” He asks.
“Yeah,” he says. Hold on, what’s up with the two beds then? “The bed I’ve got in Camelot’s a luxury by comparison.”
Arthur tuts understandingly.
“Must have been hard.”
“Mmm,” Merlin agrees, “like a rock.”
“I didn’t mean the ground,” Arthur says in typical Merlin-you’re-such-an-idiot fashion but a hint on tenderness is added in his next statement. “I meant, for you. It must have been difficult.”
“Not really. I didn't know any different. Life's simple out here. You eat what you grow and everyone pitches in together. As long as you've got food on the table and a roof over your head, you're happy.” Merlin reflects on his childhood. Cooking dinner with his mum in the spring right after a harvest. The smells of her stew and the bread they’d bake over the fire. Sharing jokes with Will during the winter, trying to fill their empty stomachs with the warmth of laughter and fond memories to come.
“Sounds…nice.” Arthur would never know the struggles and beauty of life in the village. Having everything offered to him on a platter his entire life, it's hard to see this kind of life as desirable or even worth it.
“You’d hate it.”
“No doubt.” Then a pause. “Why’d you leave?”
“Things…just changed.” Where to even begin. Plenty of children grew up without their parents but not everyone’s dad is the mysterious guy who spent a few months in town just to be chased out by knights of Camelot. Then when Hunith couldn’t cover for Merlin’s accidental magic anymore, the two of them felt like outsiders in their own homes. And to add fuel to the fire, Merlin was always a bit too friendly with Will that the other families in the village couldn’t turn a blind eye to any more. But he couldn’t tell Arthur any of this.
“How? Come on. Stop trying to be interesting,” the nosy bludger prods – literally, with his foot in Merlin’s face and everything. “Tell me.”
“I didn’t fit in anymore.” That’s about as honest as he can get without being put on trial the second they step foot in Camelot. “I wanted to find somewhere I did.”
With the same tenderness from earlier, Arthur asks, “Had any luck?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
Arthur sits up on his elbow, trying to catch Merlin’s eye in the faint light of the candle. He seems to be struggling to find words for a moment, or just battling with himself, deciding whether it’s worth it to actually say something nice for once.
“Well, I’m – uh. I’m certain you’re fitting in just fine.” Arthur gets out.
Merlin sits up as well now and looks over to the rest of the room. Morgana, Gwen and his mother all appear to be asleep. Merlin supposes that the only way Arthur would ever say something nice about him is if no one else could hear it and he could easily deny it later.
“Yeah? You don’t think I stick out like a sore thumb? I thought you weren’t that keen on having me around.”
“Of course you’re a fool, don’t get that wrong. You’re disrespectful to me and my father, you’re clumsy and careless, absolutely clueless about your job responsibilities and completely unaware of your ridiculousness.”
“Oh no, trust me, I am aware. You never fail to remind me. Thanks for that glowing review, by the way. Could you write that down for me, so I can give it to the next pompous price I’m manservant to?”
“You didn’t let me finish,” Arthur says, surprisingly calm considering Merlin just called him pompous and suggested working for someone else. “But, despite all of these flaws, you’re a better servant than any I’ve had before. You're a fast learner and when you do do your job correctly, you do it well and take a lot of pride in it. No one else has challenged me like you have or entertained me as much as you. I find myself constantly rethinking everything I was taught growing up. I don't think a day goes by where I don't change my attitude about something I thought wasn't flawed at all. I wouldn’t want to have anyone else around. And I think you're making me become a better person.”
There’s a meaningful silence between the two of them as Arthur looks up from where he’s playing with a loose thread on the blanket their sharing. Merlin holds his gaze, almost challenging him to break it and take everything back, gods forbid he be sincere once in his life.
“Are we about to kiss right now?” Merlin asks.
“Uh – no!” Arthur looks offended at the mere suggestion of a possibility there’s some sort of homoerotic tension between the two of them.
“Why not?” Merlin questions, eyebrow raised. Gaius would be proud. Maybe not at propositioning the Crown Price to a cheeky make-out session but the eyebrow thing, definitely.
Arthur is conflicted, but only for a moment. Merlin can see the quick changes in his face as he considers his options. Inside him, there are two wolves. One is gay. The other one has standards and responsibilities as a prince to not just make out with any twink that looks him in the eye a bit too long.
I guess the gay wolf wins because Arthur lifts a hand to Merlin’s jaw and brings their lips together. It’s soft and gentle, nothing like Merlin had original fantasised – rough, passionate, pressed against a wall after insulting Arthur just one too many times.
Merlin presses back, his hands coming up to Arthur’s shoulder and waist respectively. They breathe in each other for a moment before exchanging a few more soft kisses. When they pull away, they rest their foreheads together, eyes closed and trying not to think about how complicated their dynamic is about to get.
Arthur pulls back and clears his throat.
“We’ll start training the men tomorrow, it’s going to be a long day.” With one last look over to Merlin, he smiles softly. “Get the candle?”
They both shuffle down into the blanket and Merlin snuffs out the light.
Training doesn’t go the best and Arthur’s rude to Hunith in the morning, refusing her food as if the village isn’t in the middle of a food crisis. Will and Merlin argue more about Merlin giving up his biggest secret, betraying Arthur’s trust and putting his life at risk. Merlin decides not to tell Will about the making out that occurred last night. Will’s anti-nobility sentiments would not encourage Merlin to continue and Merlin would suggest it’s just because Will is jealous and then Will would deny that but walk away defensively as if that didn't just prove Merlin's point.
The day of the battle goes more or less according to plan. Oh well, besides the last part where Arthur can tell someone just used magic and Will taking an arrow for Arthur.
“That’s twice I’ve saved you,” Will says, struggling of course, because he’s got an arrow through his heart.
“What the fuck are you talking about?,” Merlin asks. “Just once.”
“It was me. I’m the one that used the magic,” he confesses.
“Will, don’t.” Arthur looks towards Merlin. He’s been friends with a sorcerer this whole time and didn’t tell him.
“It’s alright, Merlin,” Will soothes. “I won’t be alive long enough for anyone to do anything to me. I did it. I saw how desperate things were becoming and I had to do something.”
Merlin can see the fear in his best friend’s eyes. He really doesn’t want to die. Especially not for some royal prick.
“You’re a sorcerer?” Arthur asks.
Will nods his head. “Yeah.” He chuckles a bit, too, like he knows that he just saved Merlin from confessing the truth and he won’t be alive long enough to suffer the consequences for Merlin’s anger for that.
Merlin looks over to Hunith who looks disappointed. He knows what he has to do.
“No, he’s not.”
“Merlin, stop, it’s alright.”
“No. I’m not going to let you die and take the fall for me. You’re right, I need to tell Arthur the truth.”
He places his hands over Will’s chest and closes his eyes, trying to remember the words for a spell in his book all the way back in Camelot. He mutters the words and Will gasps at the sudden relief from pain. A few more words and the arrowhead moulds its shape and is carefully removed from Will’s heart. Merlin puts his hands on the open wound now, reciting a healing spell that knits all the tendons and muscles and skin back together.
Around him the room is silent. He can hear Morgana and Gwen gasp and Will’s laboured breaths, but Arthur doesn’t seem to be reacting at all. Will looks up at him, smiling wide once he realises he isn’t dying anymore and Merlin carefully hugs him in relief.
"I had no idea you could do magic like that!" Will exclaims. "Thank you, Merlin."
“You’re the sorcerer?!” Arthur breaks the silence.
“Yes, but please don’t kill me,” Merlin asks, nice enough that it would be rude to kill him.
“I’m – I don’t think I’m going to,” Arthur says like he still hasn’t made up his mind.
“Will, are you okay?” Hunith asks while walking over. She’s got a washcloth for the blood and that motherly aura that dissolves some of the tension between the three men.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure.” He carefully brushes his fingers over where the arrow had been. He flinches slightly at the bruising but otherwise looks fine.
“Where did you learn to do that?” Morgana asks, also coming over, Gwen following behind.
“Well I was born with magic, I’ve had it all my life. But I learnt how to do that specific spell in a book that Gaius had – oh! Also, Arthur, you can’t kill Gaius for teaching and harbouring a sorcerer, please.”
“That’s incredible, I’ve never seen anything like that before,” Gwen comments.
“How about we get Will a bit more comfortable and you all can sort out your emotion over some soup?” Hunith suggests, steadying Will as he sits up and helps him over to her home.
The other four follow with Merlin and Arthur trailing behind.
“You were going to let him die and take the blame.”
“I was thinking about it. It was the easy way out. I mean, besides the trauma of losing my oldest friend and the guilt that would follow me forever knowing that he died as a result of my cowardice. But I needed to tell you. This just happened to be a very motivating situation.”
Arthur says nothing and they loiter outside the house while sounds from inside suggest the girls are full of questions for Hunith and Will.
“I’m sorry for putting you in this position. I know how you and Camelot and your father all feel about magic. I understand that I’ve broken your trust and lied to your face, especially considering the other night. I won’t return with you to Camelot –”
“Woah, hold on. Why not?”
“Because you’re going to kill me?”
“No, no I don’t want to do that,” Arthur says.
“Okay, but what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know!” Arthur bursts out. “I’m feeling very conflicted. It’s my responsibility to enforce the law and the law says people who use magic should be sentenced to death but we’re not in Camelot right now but you also said before that Gaius has been teaching you which means you have been using magic in Camelot, but I don’t want to sentence you to death because as much as I think you’re completely useless at your job, I also think you’re pretty hot and I liked how we kissed the other night but you’re a sorcerer and I can’t enforce the law for one group of people and not for the other just because I made out with them one night!”
“Well, I really liked kissing you, too, but I’m not going back to Camelot if my safety isn’t promised so you’re going to have to make a decision shortly,” Merlin fires back.
“If you stop talking then maybe I could think about it a bit more clearly!”
Hunith pokes her head out from the window.
“Why don’t you boys eat some hot soup from a carved wooden bowl and then maybe you’ll calm down, hmm?”
They spend one more night in Ealdor before they plan to leave. Over soup, there was an odd tension. Everyone has heard Merlin and Arthur arguing, especially about the kissing, but no one knows what to say to break the silence.
After ensuring he was okay and ready to face the confrontation of the rest of the village after surviving an arrow to the heart and having a sorcerer for a best friend, Will heads back to his own house, only taking some of the tension with him.
They all wash up and head off to bed, well ready to get back to the normality of Camelot. Arthur and Merlin lay head-to-toe on the floor once more, each caught up in their own thoughts and internal conflicts.
"Are you still awake?" Arthur whispers into the dark.
Merlin shifts from his side onto his back.
"Yeah," he replies.
"I've been thinking," Arthur starts.
"I sure hope you have!" Merlin cuts in.
"Will you shut up for a moment?" He starts again. "I've been thinking, and I've decided not to tell Father about this. As long as you promise not to use magic in Camelot any more, you're safe to come back and continue working for me."
"I can't promise that. I've already saved your life at least ten times and I've barely been there a few months. I don't think you understand just how much your life is constantly at risk from other magical attacks. Non-magical, even. There are way too many bandits in your kingdom that want you dead - you should really look into that."
"What do you mean you've saved my life at least ten times?"
Merlin sits up to look at Arthur while listing off each event.
"Well, there was the witch disguised as that singer who threw a knife at you, Valiant, the knight, who tried to kill you with his snake-shield, the Afanc in the vault with all that wind, most obliviously, drinking from that poisoned goblet and then when you were out getting the flower, I sent that ball of light to guide you. I guess by extension, I saved your life by helping Lancelot kill the griffin that you probably would have ended up dead by. I made that branch fall in the forest when we were helping Aulfric and Sophia escape those bandits. I also rescued you out of the lake when you were enchanted by Sophia in a plot to sacrifice your life to allow her to return to Avalon. Oh! And I had a sword forged in the breath of dragon so that you could defeat the black knight that interrupted your coming of age ceremony. That's just on-screen!"
Arthur's left a bit speechless.
"So you can see why I can't promise to not use magic. I need to keep you safe."
"But why? I've treated you poorly from the start and you've saved my life all these times. Why bother if I'm such a prat?"
Merlin sighs heavily.
"There's this prophecy. I don't know if I much believe it but the dragon under the castle told me and I can't imagine he has better things to do than create false prophecies to help protect the son of the man who imprisoned him. Anyway, apparently, together, we're supposed to unite the land of Albion and bring magic back to the land. The dragon said something about you being the once and future king and me being the one who helps you achieve that and who stops people from trying to kill you. Also that we're two sides of the same coin, and that that little druid kid is going to kill you one day. Maybe that's too much information, just ignore that, you've got enough on your plate to worry about that right now."
Arthur has also sat up, now staring at Merlin in disbelief.
"Okay, I'm trying to process all of this."
"You really don't have to. At least, not right now."
"There's a dragon under the castle?!"
"I think we should get to that one later, there are definitely other things to focus on."
"Fine, whatever, I guess it still stands though - you can still come back with us. I suppose you'll have to be very vigilant about using your magic in secret but I think it can work."
"Are you sure? You'd be going against everything your father has ever told you about magic. You'd be breaking his biggest law and lying to him every day."
"It doesn't seem as though I have an option. I either die next week from, I don't know, a famine I mistakingly brought on myself or another impossible-to-kill magical beast, or I team up with you, live to unite a whole country, and bring back something I really don't think is even that bad. I know which one sounds gnarlier to me. So if that's all sorted now, I'd like to not think about destinies for a while and kiss you again."
"Oh yeah, for sure, that's fine with me."
Arthur and Merlin scoot closer to each other, mimicking their actions from a few nights' earlier. They meet in a passionate kiss, threading their fingers through each other's hair and trying their hardest to keep quiet in a room full of other sleeping people. Merlin gently presses Arthur onto his back and crawls over his lap, sitting just below his hips. His thighs rest either side of Arthur's body, who takes advantage of this and presses them closer still by using one hand on the back of his thigh and the other on his waist.
They kiss softly, their bodies gently moving together under the blanket until Merlin pulls away. His hair is ruffled and he's a bit out of breath.
"I think we should get some sleep," he says, sliding off Arthur's lap and adjusting his pants.
"Yeah, okay. We've got a bit of a journey back home tomorrow."
When Hunith comes to wake Merlin in the morning to find out his fate, Arthur and Merlin are laying side by side and holding each other.
She doesn't need to wait until Merlin's awake to find out everything is going to be okay.