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"I don't need you to babysit me, Merlin," Arthur argued. As he tried to step around the warlock who was blocking him from leaving the camp.
Merlin scoffed. "No, I do enough of that on the daily already." He moved the same way Arthur did, not giving him a chance to escape past him.
"This is just your normal recklessness that's bound to happen." Merlin mirrored Arthur's steps again, leaving the King growing more and more agitated by the second.
"What's bound to happen, Merlin, is us not having firewood if you don't let me pass."
"No, what's bound to happen, Arthur, is you," Merlin pointed at Arthur, "doing something stupid and getting yourself killed ."
Arthur scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I'm not gonna die, Merlin."
"Well, you seem to do it quite a lot."
"Well I wouldn't be standing here If I had, would I?" Arthur threw out his arms as if stating a point.
"You know how many times I've revived you from the dead?"
"What?!" Arthur's eyes widened.
"One too many times to be normal in fact."
"What's normal?" Daegal asked Mordred next to him. All of them tried to block out the bickering duo as they continued to set up camp.
Mordred shrugged his shoulders before he ruffled Daegal's hair and got back to the task at hand. Far too used to ignoring the back and forth arguing between Arthur and Merlin. In fact, everyone was far too used to it. Even the queen who was sitting, humming and trying to strike up a conversation with Freya.
"Remember that arrow?"
"I died?!" The king exclaimed.
Merlin froze as if thinking for a second before he answered unsurely, "Sorta?"
"And you're just telling me this now!?"
"Well!" Merlin waved his arms as if addressing the elephant in the room. Or that was previously in the room and now was out in the open. As magic had been used to save the once young prince's life.
"I knew I had an arrow in my back!"
Merlin scoffed, "kinda hard to miss a big protruding arrow, you prat ."
"Oh, You little- "
"How about I go?" Mordred quickly stood up and interrupted before the two killed each other.
"Sword—magic," he gestures before letting his arms fall to his sides, "it'll take ten minutes at most. We'll scout out, get the firewood, and come back." He proposed. Merlin crossed his arms not looking convinced while Arthur, who looked still reluctant, was finer with Mordred tagging along than others.
Mordred sighed and rolled his eyes when Merlin didn't let up his gaze. "Either me or it looks like Arthur's going alone."
Merlin all but rolled his eyes before he threw up his arms, "Fine!"
"See now you have my seventeen-year-old knight babysitting me."
"Wouldn't have to if that seventeen-year-old knight wasn't smarter than you," Merlin mumbled under his breath.
"I beg your pardon- "
"It's getting dark Arthur," Mordred quickly put himself between the two men, "we need to go."
Arthur let up, quickly turning and marching away from the scene, sword drawn. All while Mordred let out a relieved breath from preventing another hour-long argument between the two men.
"Mordred," Merlin called his name, grabbing his attention as he spun back around.
"Keep him safe."
Mordred looked over his shoulder and grimaced, "He makes it quite hard."
"He's a stubborn prat, you know that."
"Mordred!"
He chuckled while Merlin rolled his eyes. "Go," Merlin gestured in the direction Arthur had gone, "and be careful."
"Always am." Mordred teased as he followed the path Arthur had taken and caught up to him. Merlin sighed as he watched the boy run off, hoping his words carried the smallest sliver of truth.
"What was that with Merlin?" Mordred asked while picking up some twigs as Arthur scouted the area some ways from the camp.
"What with Merlin?"
Mordred shrugged his shoulders, "dunno, you two always fight like a married couple-"
"We don't-"
Mordred gave him a pointed look. Arthur quickly stood down from his statement he couldn't defend as the boy was right.
"I just mean, it's been different between you two."
"I'm still me and Merlin is still Merlin as far as I'm concerned, Mordred." He poked at the greenery with his sword as Mordred picked up another couple of sticks.
"No, it's been like this since…" The event Arthur knew he was talking about hung heavy in the air. The night he found out the unimaginable of his best friend and many other people.
Arthur softened his voice, "I meant what I said, Mordred. Magic or what you believe doesn't make me care about any of you any less."
Mordred lowered his gaze and kicked at a rock, "doesn't change how you've been with Merlin."
Arthur sighed, "Mordred I-"
His voice paused as he heard a twig snap. Knowing it wasn't Mordred as the young man was still in one place, he turned towards the sound.
"What?"
He brought his finger to his lips, shushing him before gesturing in the direction of the sound. Mordred bent down and dropped the collected twigs before moving his hand to the hilt of his sword.
Another crack made them both dart around. Mordred drew his blade as he moved closer to Arthur. Both of them were now aware of the heavy presence that was all around them.
"Sire?" Mordred's voice barely made noise coming out of his mouth.
"We're surrounded," Arthur answered.
Another crack was all he needed before he placed his hand on Mordred's back. "Go." As soon as Mordred stepped back a step, rustling fallen leaves under his feet. All the hidden surrounding faces revealed themselves, charging at them.
"Run!"
Mordred ran in the first direction his body took him. Arthur a step behind him before they were both cut off by more bandits. His eyes landed on an open space that led deeper into the forest.
Arthur's hand quickly found Mordred again pushing him in front of him, "that way!"
The greenery guided them as his sword was raised to block the oncoming blades. Giving them both time to disappear behind rustling leaves and to jump over catching vines and fallen trees. His eyes glued to Mordred's back while simultaneously searching the oncoming sites for a place they could call safety for a minute.
His feet came to a halt, seeing an overgrowth big enough to hide behind for the two of them. Mordred caught on as he followed his gaze and then his steps before they were both had their backs pressed up a wall of nature.
He felt his hand tighten around the hilt of his sword. The many and hurried footsteps were almost frantic like a line of ants as they came in their deafening herd before disappearing. The silence was bliss to Arthur's ears as all he could hear was Mordred's and his own relieved exhale.
Arthur scoffed, "Well, this is going fantastic." Sarcasm etched his words as his grip loosened ever so slightly from his sword.
Mordred's own huff of breath accompanied with a small smile answered his words. What was supposed to be a quick trip of scouting and collecting firewood turned all more problematic than Arthur had expected. Though perhaps it was already that way before he had even left the camp...
"We should get back to the others." Mordred peaked around the overgrowth, making sure the faded footsteps were right rather than a trick.
Arthur nodded and sheathed his blade. "We'll go a different way back. We don't need these bandits following us."
"Are we gonna tell Merlin?" Mordred quickly sheathed his own blade while Arthur looked for the higher path that led just the same way.
"Tell Merlin what?" Arthur grabbed the above ledge, hoisting himself up.
Mordred shrugged his shoulders, "that he was right." He took a few steps back, before jumping up, Arthur grabbed his other hand to help him up.
Arthur scoffed, "I feel like his ego is already too big with the whole Emrys thing."
"For you to talk of Merlin and ego," Mordred muttered under his breath.
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
Mordred's gaze met his only for it to quickly flicker down to his shoes. A sheepish look painted itself across his face.
Arthur moved to open his mouth, but the rustling caught his attention once again. He cursed under his breath before he reached for the hilt of his sword.
Time was not on their side as a bandit leapt from the foliage. Giving Arthur little open chance to unsheathed his sword and Mordred equally so as well.
"Mordred!" He could only watch as the sword was raised above the Druid, before it came down onto his shoulder, knocking Mordred off-balance to fall down from the ledge.
Arthur took the opportunity and pulled out his sword. With the bandit still recovering from the momentum into the ground, Arthur pinned it further into the ground and drove his sword through the man.
He yanked his sword free as the man tumbled to the ground, lifeless. Arthur immediately sheathed his sword as he jumped off the ledge to find Mordred who was leaned up against a tree. His face twisted in pain and his hand clamped over his shoulder where a bit of blood was seeping through.
There were hundreds of rapid footsteps and shouting in the distance that was closing in. Arthur didn't have time to dress his wound there.
"Can you stand?"
Arthur barely waited for an answer before he pulled Mordred to his feet. A yelp of pain surprised him as the Druid took his weight off of one of his legs.
"My ankle."
The nearing sound of the stampede of feet only grew louder, and his heart only beat faster with every second that passed.
"Come on." Arthur took most of Mordred's weight onto him as he tried to help him and find another way to get out of their situation.
"Over there." Mordred pointed into nothing lush greenery making Arthur think maybe he had hit his head as well on the fall down. "Behind the vines and everything, there's an entrance to a cave."
Arthur didn't have time with the impending footsteps to check for a head injury on the Druid, so he took his word for it. He made his way over and hesitantly pushed the branches and vines aside in one quick swipe. And much to his surprise found exactly what Mordred had said.
He helped Mordred through and into the tunnel more so to say than a cave till they reached the wall at the back. The quiet hum of everything, bliss to his ears as he helped Mordred sit and knelt next to him.
"How did you know this place?"
Mordred lips curled up into a small smile, "I used to live at a camp as a child around these areas, we would come to play in here."
Arthur's thoughts were interrupted before he even had a chance to voice them by shouting commands and the drudged footsteps. The oncoming march of death or war, loud pounding steps as an announcement of what was to come.
He met Mordred's gaze as a distant in here was shouted.
"Stay down."
He stood up in front of Mordred and drew his sword once again. The motion was almost like Deja Vu, only Mordred had been much smaller and they knew help was coming. This time more than twenty men were running towards them and no one knew they were in trouble.
Mordred knew even Arthur couldn't handle that many men. He would be overwhelmed very quickly and they would kill him because they wanted them dead. If his shoulder was anything to tell by their wanted actions.
"Arthur?"
"Just stay down, Mordred." Arthur's words tried to provide comfort even though it wasn't okay. There were only two of them and Mordred was hurt, against more than twenty men.
Arthur's hand loosened and tightened around the hilt of his blade as he saw them finally appear as well as the bandits finally seeing them. The steps that were a paced walk quickly picked up into a sprint.
Mordred felt his breaths catch in his throat and become rapid and heavy all at once. Arthur would die. There was no doing anything to prevent it.
He could only watch as the bandits grew near and raised their weapons to strike. As if everything came to a pause for a brief second before the strike. Arthur's own blade raised from his side ready for a pointless notion.
Mordred couldn't watch. His hands flew to his ears as his eyes screwed shut.
"No!"
Arthur's blade sliced through the air as every person raging towards them was thrown back against the tunnel walls. All of them laid flaccid on the floor like discarded play dolls.
He froze for a second before he realized what had actually happened. His sword clanged to the floor as he turned around to face Mordred. Who was worse off than him, with nothing but panic in his eyes and struggling to calm his breathing.
"Hey," he got down to Mordred's side, "you're okay, we're both okay, alright?"
Mordred's eyes flickered to the damage done to the tossed bodies across the floor of the cave. "I'm sorry."
"No, hey You kept us safe, " He grabbed Mordred's attention to him. "That's what you always say your magic is for right?"
Mordred nodded his head but his facade was anything but calm or collected. Still shaken up with breaths coming quickly.
Arthur managed a sympathetic smile. "Come here, Mordred." He pulled him into his embrace, Mordred accepted the gesture as arms quickly wrapped around Arthur's neck.
They both stayed like that for a few seconds before Mordred pulled back with soft-spoken words on his tongue.
"Are they dead?" There wasn't hope in his voice for the words spoken but fear.
"Let me check."
Arthur got up and walked over to the nearest person among the many thrown people. Limbs frivolously placed where they had landed on impact.
But Arthur could hardly believe that with just a simple scared screamed word, Mordred was able to do all that. With intention or without, Arthur didn't know, usually leaving the magical business to Morgana and Merlin. Yet the warning of Mordred's magic to him still looped in his head of Merlin's words.
He bent down, placing his fingers to the pulse point of one man. The drumming pulse was there, they were still alive, just knocked unconscious.
Arthur hated the surprise he felt at the realization of life rather than Death. He expected death because magic was at use.
Did he associate everything with magic to death? Good and bad all the same, when in a contradicted regard, he was the bad of it. For death had always been caused by his and his father's hand when it came to magic, not the magic users themselves.
Magic itself was never good or bad, no such thing existed. For even if there was no beating pulse beneath the pads of his fingers, to call Mordred bad for being scared and protecting himself. It would have once been many years ago, but not now.
Even at the sight as he looked back over to the boy, hurt and still shaken up huddled in the corner of the cave. He should be scared of Mordred, his magic, told to Arthur of its strengths that even Merlin and the Druids who raised Mordred were unsure of.
To be scared of a boy who was more scared than him made Arthur sick. His own fathers fear led to countless and hypocritical deaths of the innocent.
Arthur swallowed hard before he nodded his head towards Mordred. He saw as the relief washed over him, death never once being Mordred's intention.
"We should move from here soon." Arthur got up, and made his way back over to Mordred, "I don't know how long they'll stay out for."
Mordred's hand was still covering his bleeding shoulder that Arthur had yet to see the taken damage. "Let me see." He grimaced when Mordred flinched at his poking and prodding to the wound.
He reached down to his tunic, tearing off a section before he wrapped and tied it off to stop some of the bleeding. Merlin would be mad at him later for that...
"Come on, let's try getting you up."
Mordred nodded before Arthur grabbed his non-injured arm and helped get him to his feet. Only to quickly catch him again, as a sharp inhale escaped his mouth followed by a suppressed gasp of pain.
"I got you."
Mordred shook his head, "I'm okay." He pushed himself away from Arthur only to almost collapse again.
Arthur grabbed him, not wanting to put up with Mordred pretending he wasn't in serious pain, he quickly guided him back to the floor.
Arthur sighed, "Not fooling me, Kid."
Mordred let out an airy laugh before grimacing in pain again. His hand came back up to his shoulder that was jolted from him laughing.
"It'll be okay." Arthur let his hand rest lightly on Mordred's leg.
Though he hardly believed his own words because all in reality, nothing of anything was anywhere near okay...
~*~
Merlin and Freya's laughter filled the air as they both helped prepare supper. All the others all spread out doing the same around the camp to help out.
"Oh, your mother's lovely." Freya said as she caught her breath, nothing but adoration in her voice. "She even gets the King of Camelot to help out."
Merlin chuckled, "Arthur isn't scared of many things but apparently my mother is one of those few things."
He collected all the cleaned picked ingredients into the bowl, grabbing the ones from Will and Freya as well before he walked over to the others. Handing the bowl off to Guinevere and Morgana who were doing the actual cooking.
He stole a couple berries from the younger ones who were separating those from their stems as he passed by. Earning playful glares and eye rolls before he ruffled Daegal's hair and made his way back over to the other two.
Well at least he tried to make his way back over to them. The sudden dizzying and dooming feeling hit him as everything pulsated for a split second.
He staggered forward and grabbed onto the nearest tree for support. The all too familiar feel of Mordred's magic and the sound of a scared yell pounded in his head.
He took his hand to his head as Freya came to his side concerned, "Are you okay?"
"Merlin?" Will's voice followed. The lively ness of the camp slowly faded out to his ears, each voice dropped one by one and was replaced with concerned silence.
"Arthur and Mordred." Merlin quickly got out. Swallowing as his mouth had gone dry, and his heart sped up upon the realization what those two things usually meant when he heard them.
"They're still not back." Sefa provided to his evident worry.
He shook his head harshly,"I think Mordred's hurt." He pushed past everyone and collected his bag. "We need to find them."
Worried glances passed from person to person. Gilli and Morgana both stood up, the same as Kara rushed to his possible notion.
"What do you mean, hurt?" Kara demanded. Merlin, hardly given room to argue with the rather intimidating young girl, didn't immediately answer. All while Daegal, Eoghan, Sefa, Lamia Drea, and Gilli all waited in equal request for his answer.
He sighed, "I don't know, I felt his magic."
"He could've just used it for something?" Daegal half asked and stated.
Merlin shook his head. "This was different. I need to hurry."
"I'm coming." Gilli stepped forward.
"No," Merlin immediately shot down his request, "you're staying here."
"But Merlin!"
"We don't need anyone else hurt."
"Gilli." Will quickly called the boy before he moved to argue with Merlin some more.
"Then I'm coming with." Morgana grabbed her sword from where it had been plunged into the ground.
Merlin sighed only because he knew he couldn't argue with Morgana, "Fine."
"Will-"
Will waved his hand, brushing him off, "Keep everyone safe, yeah I know."
All while his other hand was clasped on Gilli's shoulder, keeping the boy next to him and not from running off somewhere into danger. "Now go save your King and the kid."
Merlin nodded before looking to Morgana who was already off to find the two Merlin hoped hadn't gotten themselves into too much trouble.
~*~
Arthur sighed, "You know I'm never gonna hear the end of this from, Merlin." He said to the boy he was currently giving a piggyback ride to. Mordred was in too much pain and Arthur equally felt guilty and didn't want him to walk on the injured foot, so the next option, it was.
"Good."
"Not helping, Mordred." He adjusted his hands under Mordred's legs. He was light enough to carry for Arthur, even less with the absence of his chainmail and armour. Arthur almost was worried how thin the boy was as with chainmail he could easily lift Mordred as well.
"Merlin isn't his ego, he leads with his heart. All he wants is to keep you safe."
"He worries." Arthur felt the back of his neck get tickled by Mordred's hair as he laid his head down on him.
"Well, I'm very capable of keeping myself safe. Arthur heard and felt the forced huff of breath from Mordred on the back of his neck.
"With the occasional help."
Mordred scoffed, "He knows that. Just the same as you now know Merlin is more than capable of keeping himself safe."
Arthur grimaced. If only things had been different and Merlin had shown his magic earlier, he wouldn't have been hurt or beaten on. Magic was his weapon and the only weapon he had, but because of things. He couldn't use it to keep himself safe.
"Yet you still push him behind you, out of danger; You still search for him at any given moment during a battle; Your first action is to put yourself in front of him even though he's the one with immortality." Mordred continued.
"It's chivalry, code of a knight," Arthur stated. More so an excuse for his actions.
Mordred lightly shook his head, "It's called caring. But you're afraid to admit it. You think it makes people weak."
"Emotions," Arthur carefully stepped over a rocky path, "cloud judgement."
"No, they just mean you have a heart and a good sense of judgement. If emotions are such pitiful things, what right do they have to persecute judgement?"
Mordred's arms lightly tightened around Arthur's neck as his foot slipped off of a rock. A small whimper escaped his mouth from the strain on his shoulder.
"And is that the same reason why you're carrying me right now?"
Arthur stopped and sighed. The path was too rocky and slippery with mud from the days previous of fallen rain. Every jolt and slip of his step hurt Mordred, and that was the last thing he wanted.
"Let's take a break." He announced. He found a clear spot and set down Mordred before he sat down at his side facing him.
Arthur took a breath and started with his voice soft and low, "Mordred-"
"Forgive me," Mordred quickly apologized, "I'm out of line." He held Arthur's gaze as he said his words before quickly dropping it to his hands in his lap.
Arthur shook his head, "No, you're right… as always." It seemed more frequently Arthur began to realize he was more in the wrong than the people who were actually right all along.
"I do care about you, Mordred."
A soft smile appeared on Mordred's lips, "I know."
Arthur lightly shook his head, "More than you could know."
"And the thing with Merlin," he continued, "I-"
"Mordred! Arthur!"
Both of their heads shot up as Merlin's and Morgana's voices echoed through the space around them. Their names were called out in the faint distance, but close enough that they could hear.
Arthur ruffled Mordred's hair before he got up and called as loud as he could, "We're here!"
Soon enough both sorcerers were visible in the distance as they neared and picked up their pace. Both of them were filled with worry as they only saw Arthur at first before quickly seeing Mordred sitting on the ground behind him.
"Are you both okay?"
Merlin immediately pulled Mordred into his embrace, startling the boy. Morgana did the same thing as Merlin pulled away both of them acting in fear of what they thought of the worse and fretting over the boy.
"Oh, Everything's fine and dandy, Merlin." Arthur started, "Just my normal daily attempted assassination."
"I wish you were wrong." He mumbled under his breath.
Arthur's eyes widened before he shook his head, Mordred being hurt his priority right now rather than another assassination story that would surely end in Merlin saving his neck.
"Mordred, his ankle." He pointed before he dropped his head into his hand and took a deep breath.
"How did you hurt your ankle?" Morgana still was fretting over him while Merlin started to check the condition of his ankle.
"When we were running," Mordred answered.
"Running?" Morgana questioned.
Arthur sighed, "Long story…."
"You've been gone all but thirty minutes!" Merlin exclaimed.
"A lot happened in those thirty minutes, okay?"
Mordred stifled a chuckle at the three arguing. As if Merlin and Arthur weren't bad already but throwing Morgana in was like fanning the flame.
Merlin sighed, "it doesn't seem broken, so that's good."
"Can you stand?"
They saw the look that was exchanged between Arthur and Mordred. Mordred almost going to say yeah to brush off the injury again but Arthur quickly gave him a stern look of don't even try.
Merlin chuckled, "I'll take that as a no."
"I'm fine." Mordred tried to argue.
" No, you're not Mordred." Morgana agreed with Arthur's glare that said it all.
Arthur sighed, "Can't you just magically heal it?" He waved his hands aimlessly at the topic
"When we get back to the camp." Merlin said, "There may be more bandits coming."
Arthur caught his gaze. Merlin had seen the cave of discarded, knocked out men. He knew they had gotten themselves into trouble and could have possibly died.
Arthur quickly looked away from Merlin's glare. Something akin to guilt pounding on his chest of everything that had been done and said that very eventful day. He tried to ignore it as he made his way to pick Mordred back up so they could make their way back to the camp. "Come on, kid."
"Oh, you would carry Mordred so gently." Morgana teased as he got him settled and they began to walk.
"What are you on about?"
"When you had slung me over your shoulder when I had hurt my ankle." Morgana reminded him.
"That's because you're annoying."
"Oh, I'm the annoying one?"
"Yes, you are," Arthur confirmed. "Have been since you were five."
Morgana scoffed, "You didn't know me at five!"
"Exactly, I just know."
They both looked back at Mordred when a small airy laugh came from his way. The Druid ducked his head and laid it down on Arthur. The King, about to say something when he saw Morgana's amused and fond smile but ultimately decided not to.
"You don't have anything to say, Merlin?" Morgana asked the warlock who had been more silent than usual the whole time.
He shrugged his shoulders in his usual manner of having a lot to say but not saying it.
"Come on, spit it out."
"Don't worry Merlin, I'm not gonna die, I don't need a babysitter, Merlin. Stop over exaggerating Mer lin." Merlin mocked. His tone growing harsher as he continued.
"Well, I didn't die."
He regretted his words immediately as Merlin stopped and turned around. A hurt look of disbelief stared right at Arthur, telling him he had messed up.
Merlin scoffed and shook his head, "Whatever, Arthur." He quickly walked ahead at a faster pace.
Arthur groaned as he received that all-knowing look from Morgana. The same look that he would get from across halls in heated arguments with his father or when he would become out of line with other nobles. He hated that look and Morgana knew it too.
She gave a gesture of her head towards the direction Merlin took off in before she sped up in pace too.
"I think you're in trouble." He heard Mordred's soft voice.
It was teasing all without being teasing as Mordred did indeed know Arthur was in trouble with Merlin. But he'd rather entertain the idea of letting Arthur come to that conclusion himself. Being around both men enough to know when they were ready to cut each other's heads off or explode on one another.
He understood the situations and how to make them better. Arthur and Merlin unfortunately both knew this. Groaning when Mordred just shrugged his shoulders at their demands. Instead, he taunted them with his vague words and guiding questions.
Arthur sighed, "I think I am too, Mordred."
~*~
Fretting from everybody was hard to avoid, especially as Arthur tried to reassure Gwen everything was fine. Then the worrying expressions that were on Mordred as the Druid tried to bring relief to those as well.
Though earlier conversations still played on Arthur's mind, especially after what happened on the trip back to camp.
He took his courage to approach Merlin from where the man was sitting and staring at the campfire. Both of them had not even shared a gaze or a single word since they made it back.
"Hey." Merlin's attention shot to him as he sat down beside him.
"Is he okay?" He gestured over to where Mordred was sitting and laughing with Kara, Sefa and all of them
"Yeah," Merlin quickly dismissed it, "something a little magic can't fix."
He nodded his head in acknowledgement, though Merlin's gaze was on the fire and anywhere but him. Arthur swallowed as he looked around before getting the courage to speak.
"Merlin I-"
"Don't." Merlin cut him off. His voice was short, not wanting to hear anything Arthur had to say.
"I didn't mean to upset you."
Merlin shook his head, "I'm not upset."
"Then what's wrong?" Arthur exclaimed. "I'm still trying to get used to this magic thing."
Merlin scoffed, "That's the understatement of the decade."
"Merlin," Arthur's tone begged at his words, "this is all new to me." Merlin's eyes flickered to him before back to fire as he tossed another stick in.
"Even back there," he continued, "Mordred he-"
"Can kill hundreds of people with as little as a blink of an eye?" Merlin questioned, with faux innocence and mirth in his voice.
"Not one of those men was dead, Arthur."
Having stumbled upon that place first, he put two and two together. The use of Mordred's magic he felt, combined with the many unconscious bandits all added up.
"Unconscious and injured maybe but not dead."
"I know-"
"But do you, Arthur!?" Merlin snapped. He grimaced as he turned and saw some of the others who looked their way.
Arthur didn't reply, only waited as Merlin took a deep breath before he carried on.
"Is everything you see bad or wrong when you look at any one of us? When you look at Mordred?" He gestures over to the boy who was laughing at something said. While Merlin was all but begging to know all of what Arthur thought and felt.
"And today," he continued, "what you saw today was just a small scratch on the surface of his magic."
"Are we just people," he scoffed, "not even people, things you should fear?" Merlin looked on the verge of tears. He was hurt and frustrated at the moment he had waited to come for so long, only to be so disappointed by its outcome.
"Tell me that at least Arthur, do you fear us?"
Arthur shook his head, "Merlin, please-"
"And you know why he used his magic, Arthur?" Merlin interrupted. "To protect you."
Arthur almost tried not to believe it but he knew it was the truth. Mordred no doubt, having even put his own life on the line for Arthur's would do something as just use what he was born with.
"We may kill and hurt with our magic, but it's no different than your sword."
Merlin took in a deep breath, trying to catch it back from anger while Arthur took every word said to him. He fought between leaving the man beside him and staying, a choice that would decide so much to come.
But he stayed. Allowing both of them to wallow in silence with their thoughts and feelings of everything but in the company of each other. For their external quarrel might have been with each other, but the buried truth was now lying on the surface, waiting to be snatched away.
"Merlin," he started after enough time had passed that he regained his voice, "I'm trying." He pleaded, though known not much of a kingly action as to plead to a servant. But Merlin wasn't a servant, he was magic and more importantly his friend.
"I know," came the weak reply. "I am too."
Arthur sighed, "I'm sorry, Merlin."
Merlin's head whipped towards him, shock written over every inch of his face. His eyes dancing back and forth frantic across Arthur's own expression trying to find a hint of something—anything that wasn't the remorse the King held.
"I'm truly sorry." He continued.
"I have to accept your apology then," Merlin said, a hint of his own sarcasm and jesting returning to his words.
Arthur lightly scoffed, "You don't have to." He shook his head.
"You're allowed to be frustrated, angry, annoyed even with me."
Merlin pushed out a breath. "Glad that's settled then."
At the realization of what Merlin meant by his words Arthur chuckled, "suppose I deserve that."
Merlin managed a small smile. Annoyed was one word he could use to describe how he felt towards Arthur sometimes.
Arthur smiled at seeing a grin on Merlin's face for the first time that day. Even if anger or frustration had to come first and had been aimed towards him. Now, keeping his normal smile upon its place was all that mattered.
"You're my friend, Merlin," Arthur stated. "Last thing I want is to hurt you."
Merlin seemed at a loss for words. His mouth opened and closed before he finally just nodded his head and looked down.
Arthur nudged him. "Not gonna start crying on me are you?" He teased.
Merlin gave an airy laugh, "No."
Though in the short time that followed, a sniffle was heard. Followed by another and Merlin wiping his nose.
"Something in the air." Merlin tried to excuse his sniffling and glossed over eyes. Something Arthur wasn't buying one bit but let it slip.
"Of course," He replied. Pretending not to hear the sniffling and Merlin clear his throat after.
Though Merlin said nothing as Arthur reached over and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. Neither did Arthur, hardly acknowledging the action himself. Only looking back towards Merlin when he slightly ducked his head.
In turn, Arthur caught the smile Mordred was looking over at them both with. Merlin, too busy pretending to not be crying to notice. But Arthur returned the smile and nodded his head. Telling Mordred that everything was okay once again, even if another argument was had and another set of apologies was to be said in the future. At that moment everything was once again okay.
"Well come on." Arthur pulled back his hand and leaned back against the tree behind them.
"Tell me about it."
"It?" Merlin questioned.
"Magic. You apparently."
Merlin scoffed, "Not much greatness as everyone makes it out to be."
Arthur shrugged his shoulders. "I've heard differently."
"You already know me," Merlin said as if there wasn't so much Arthur still didn't know about him. As the part that made Merlin him, was kept from him out of understandable fear for many years.
"I do know my bumbling, clumsy, buffoon of a manservant." He playfully pushed Merlin lightly to let him know he was joking around.
"But," he continued, "I also know a kind, caring, wise, and brave man."
"Who also happens to be magic himself," Arthur said all in one breath making Merlin laugh.
"So?" Arthur questioned.
Merlin hesitated. Grabbing his bottom lip between his teeth before it slipped as his facade broke out into a smile. Arthur, of all people, was asking about his magic; and not just his magic but him.
"Well…" Merlin started. Beaming as he got into the stories he started to tell Arthur from small little mishaps to things unimaginable.
While Arthur listened all while not listening. Too busy seeing the excitement that Merlin held for such topics even if he didn't understand one shred of it. But he entertained the topics when Merlin looked over at him with a wide smile and a hidden request for confirmation.
Even if words and actions were still second-guessed. He knew the people all there he cared for. The man beside him, his wife and sister, and the many other people he met along the way thanks to Merlin. He had grown to care for them all. Even if it had been destiny's evil plan or just the opposite of it. In the end, everything turned out just okay.