Chapter Text
Merlin and Arthur had made their relationship official on a whim a few months earlier. No one had really objected, and poor Uther was far too devastated by Morgana’s betrayal to even care.
The only one who was truly hostile toward them was Agravaine, Arthur’s uncle who’d appeared out of nowhere. Well, not quite out of nowhere, he bore the seal of Arthur’s mother’s family. But there were far too many suspicious things about this guy for Merlin to turn a blind eye to them. Unfortunately, Arthur continued to turn a deaf ear to all his warnings.
One thing was certain, though: if Arthur didn't do something soon, Merlin was going to kill the man himself. His uncle was truly unbearable though, of course, never in front of Arthur himself.
No, he’d wait for him or deliberately seek him out in a place where no one else was around so he could pick on him. Merlin had already tried to avoid or ignore him, but nothing worked. He wouldn’t let up until Merlin gave him some attention.
Today was a perfect example of that.
Merlin had attended a meeting with all the nobles of the council, including Agravaine. Arthur, for once, hadn’t been able to come, he was with Leon. They had to deal with the new knights. And this meeting wasn’t exactly a top priority. Something about grain. So Merlin had to step in as the king’s closest advisor and future king consort. God, he didn’t want that title, but Arthur was particularly annoying about it. He’d managed to postpone his coronation for now, but he knew he couldn’t do it forever. But that wasn’t the point. Back to the uncle...
The meeting itself had gone fairly well, despite a few inappropriate or pointless remarks from Agravaine. He'd insulted "his lowly birth," as he put it, at least five times in thirty minutes... Merlin had ignored him, of course, but it was seriously starting to get on his nerves.
It had finally ended with a smug Agravaine and a frustrated Merlin. The poor warlock had wanted to slip away quickly and join Arthur. Unfortunately, someone was following him and waiting for the right moment to pounce on him.
Merlin had, of course, noticed this and hurried even more. Unfortunately, some of the hallways he had to use to reach the knights’ training grounds weren’t very crowded. And as expected, as soon as no one was in sight...
“Lord Merlin.”
The former servant smiled just hearing the title struggle to escape Arthur’s uncle’s mouth. Just by saying it, you could sense his intense urge to vomit.
“I’m sorry, I’m busy, I don’t have time for you.” He walked away without looking back.
The second set of footsteps suddenly quickened. “You.” Upon reaching him, Agravaine grabbed his wrist and spun him around. “Don’t forget your place, you’re nothing compared to a nobleman by blood.”
Merlin closed his eyes, desperately searching for his patience. They’d never liked each other. That much was certain. But aside from a few dirty looks, he'd never actually done anything. Except since his change in status, and this had been going on for weeks. The jerk knew he was losing his influence over Arthur and was scrambling to regain control.
“God forbid, you’re here to remind me of that.” Merlin opened his eyes again to stare at the nobleman, and Agravaine did the same.
“Don’t you dare talk back to me. You’re nothing but a stain on Arthur’s reign.”
Wow, he wasn’t even trying to hide it anymore. Merlin was almost surprised. Well, he might as well do the same.
“Because you're so much better, aren't you? My lord Morgana’s lapdog.”
At that remark, Agravaine's grip tightened even further, becoming painful.
“How do you-”
Merlin smiled. “You can’t even lie properly. Pathetic. Let me go now.”
Of course, this did not please Agravaine in the least, and he did the exact opposite. A grinding sound, then a crack. Great, he’d just broken his wrist. His magic was powerful, but his body remained weak. He didn’t cry out, despite the searing pain, but continued to stare at the nobleman.
His magic stirred at his fingertips, waiting.
“That’s a warning. Next time, it’ll be much more than just a bone. Leave Camelot immediately, you won’t do Arthur any good anyway. You’ll be much more useful to your harlot of a mother-"
---
Boom
Arthur, who was on the training grounds with Leon, jumped at the sound. Their eyes shot up toward the castle, part of which seemed to have been destroyed in a sudden explosion.
Leon and Arthur exchanged a glance before running toward the castle.
It didn’t take them long to find the source, it was a fairly remote corridor. It was strange to find people here, but what was even stranger was the scene that greeted them.
Merlin's eyes were glowing gold, the wall behind him was completely destroyed, but most importantly, he was gripping his uncle firmly by the neck.