Merlyn - Arthur x Female Merlin [1]

Chapter Forty-Five: Saving The Druids

I'm not going to deny it, I don't like this episode, I don't like Mordred, I never will he is scum.

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Arthur was driving Merlyn nuts. Ever since he had found out that he had choked her, Arthur had started avoiding her, walking on egg shells around her when he couldn't avoid her. She didn't get it. She had forgiven him (even though there was nothing to forgive), she had moved on but he just wouldn't. It's not like he choked her until she was unconscious, or he killed her yet he was acting as if he had. And Merlyn did not know why. Arthur had killed men before, he had stabbed them right through the gut yet he didn't react like this and Merlyn just couldn't fathom what was so different this time.

Merlyn was in the tavern one night with Leon (Arthur surprise, surprise didn't turn up again) and she was ranting at Leon about it. Leon had almost immediately noticed Arthur's strange behaviour towards Merlyn and had questioned Merlyn about it. She had explained everything and Leon had accepted it. Leon was with Merlyn, he agreed that there was little to no blame at Arthur's door. He couldn't control his actions when he was enchanted. However, Leon knew exactly why Arthur was so hell bent on punishing himself. The knight found it mildly amusing ... and frustrating that Merlyn didn't see it.

"Why won't he forgive himself?" Merlyn asked, heavily sighing as she fiddled on with her tankard.

"You seriously don't know?" Leon replied. Arthur couldn't have been more obvious if he tried at times. It was a wonder that Uther hadn't spotted his son's affections.

"Clearly not" Merlyn replied agitated. Leon just laughed. Staring at Merlyn, Leon had an internal debate with himself - he shouldn't really break Arthur's confidence but on the other hand Merlyn had to understand in order to get Arthur out of his funk.

"Arthur's gonna kill me" Leon mumbled under his breath. "He is taking this so hard because he likes you, actually he's in love with you (though he may not know that yet) and the woman he has sworn to protect is the one he harmed." Merlyn's eyes grew wide at Leon's words, he couldn't be telling the truth.

"Oh that's a load of crap" Merlyn commented, her eyes flickering to her drink.

"No its not" Leon simply said. "Merlyn you don't realise how much you mean to him and he could have killed you."

"He was nowhere near killing me" Merlyn argued. Thinking back to that night Merlyn knew that Arthur could have killed her but that doesn't mean he wanted to.

"But he was on the road to it. If he had held on longer, tighter..." Leon explained. Leon would always back Arthur but Leon knew the danger that Arthur had put Merlyn in and it couldn't be forgotten. "That's what he is concentrating on. Were you scared of him?" Merlyn hesitated. As much as she wanted to say no there was a moment when she was scared for her life. Arthur always protected her but the truth be told his strength could easily be turned against her and in that moment it had.

"For a moment" Merlyn admitted before she quickly tried to explain, "but I was in shock, I-I hadn't expected it." Leon gave her a sad smile.

"Still, he'll probably be remembering that look of fear on your face, a look he put there" Leon said. He knew that if he had been put in Arthur's position he would be acting the same. "That's hard for a man like Arthur to forget." Merlyn sighed. Leon's words held truth but the question was how was she supposed to get Arthur to forgive himself so that they could return to normal.

~8~

A sword was placed against her neck and yet Merlyn was not scared but calm, she trusted the man with the blade, she always had. However, the man was wide eyed and shocked himself. He hadn't expected his armoured opponent to drop their weapon causing him to have to catch his own weapon. Reaching up Merlyn pulled off the helmet she was wearing, allowing her hair to tumble down her back whilst her sweaty face was revealed. They had been fighting for some time (Merlyn's identity hidden) when Merlyn had purposefully dropped her weapon.