Merthur One-shots

The Times They Are A-Changin'

Lucky for him, his magic held and no one saw his little crisis. He decided to make use of the situation he was in and crept closer, until he was standing right next to the doors, behind the intruders. Meanwhile, Arthur reacted to the middle man’s last words.

“What did you come here for, then? Speak, or shut up forever!”

The intruders moved all at once at Arthur’s words. They surged forward and before Merlin could blink his eyes, there was fighting all around him. The hooded figures seemed extremely skilled with their weapons; they each fended off multiple knights at the same time, without getting hit once themselves. Before long, all the knights were down on the floor, with only Arthur and his father still conscious, both lying on the ground. Arthur lifted himself up from the floor, but one of the intruders was on him in seconds. Arthur fell back to his knees and Merlin saw him looking around for his sword. Unfortunately, it was knocked out of his hand during the fighting and out of his reach.

“Get away from my son!” To Merlin’s astonishment, the attackers didn’t even spare Uther a glance at his command. The figure standing over Arthur lowered his hood as well and spoke up, not even heaving a little bit after the fight he just endured.

“No. We’re here to kill your son,” he said, looking Arthur dead in the eyes. “There’s a bounty on his head, and we’re here to collect it. Goodbye, Arthur Pendragon.” With that, he surged forward, a knife suddenly in his hand. Merlin didn’t think before he pushed himself off the wall and stretched his hand out.

“Ástríce!” he yelled, throwing the man backwards into his companions. He rushed over to Arthur without sparing them a second look and kneeled next to him. “Arthur, are you alright?” When he saw Arthur startle, he remembered his magic keeping him hidden. He closed his eyes and focused, and when he opened them again, Arthur was looking him in the eyes. He gathered he was visible again, then.

“Sorcerer!” Yep, definitely visible. Merlin shut his eyes briefly at Uther’s exclamation. He felt Arthur grab his arm and as he opened his eyes, he smiled at his prince. Then, he turned around and got to his feet, facing Uther.

“Sire,” was all he said. He tried his best to suppress the fear rising in his chest but couldn’t stop the sweat from running down his back. This was it, he knew. He would be sent to the pyre and he would burn, and there would be nothing he’d be able to do. He only hoped Arthur wouldn’t be forced to watch.

“Father,” Arthur suddenly spoke up behind him. Uther’s eyes didn’t leave Merlin as he addressed the prince.

“Son, get away from him. He’s a sorcerer, he’s dangerous.”

Merlin heard Arthur move behind him and then there was a hand on his arm. “No, father, he’s Merlin. He’s not dangerous. He’s served me faithfully, and I trust him.”

Uther’s eyes almost fell out of his skull. In any other circumstances, Merlin would’ve made a quippy comment about it to Arthur. He didn’t really feel like that was appropriate now, though.

“You- You! Release him! Undo your spell!” He turned to Merlin, his face growing redder with the second. Merlin didn’t get a chance to react as Arthur spoke up again.

“I’m not under any spell, father. Merlin wouldn’t do that. He just saved my life. I know for a fact that it wasn’t the first time he did that.”

The hand on Merlin’s arm squeezed a little tighter and Merlin knew that was Arthur’s way of thanking him again. He was momentarily distracted as he tried to suppress a sigh. He really didn’t understand Arthur’s need to do that every time. They’d established the fact that Merlin would give his life for his prince long ago, and Arthur had had enough time to come to terms with it ever since he confronted Merlin about his magic in Ealdor. No matter how many times Merlin told his lover that, though, he didn’t seem to understand. He was dragged out of his thoughts by Uther.

“That doesn’t mean anything! You’re not thinking clearly, Arthur. Get away from him.”

When he felt Arthur take a deep breath to retort again, Merlin decided he couldn’t take it any longer. He wasn’t some helpless boy that couldn’t defend himself!

“Sire,” he began, but Uther cut him off straight away.

“No. You don’t get to talk. You have no right to address me, you filthy- Guards!” he called out. When there was no immediate reaction, Uther looked around the room, momentarily distracted from Merlin.

Merlin followed his gaze and saw some of the red on the floor moving. He heard Arthur next to him sigh in relief when the knights got up from the floor. Some of them stayed suspiciously still, but at least they weren’t all dead. The intruders Merlin knocked out with his magic didn’t move, however. The guards at the door didn’t get up either.

At Uther’s command, a few of the knights started moving towards Merlin and Arthur. The prince leveled them with a warning look and they stopped in their tracks, their eyes flicking hesitantly between the king and the crown prince. Merlin tried to fight the smile spreading across his face when he saw them answering Arthur’s stare and stand down, but he couldn’t; he grinned as he looked over at Uther. The king almost burst out of his skin.

“Arrest him! He’s a sorcerer!” Merlin’s grin disappeared from his face again at Uther’s words, but none of the knights moved to obey his order. In fact, they grouped around Arthur and Merlin instead. The gesture made perfectly clear to Uther who they pledged their loyalty to and who they would listen to. Arthur took one look at their faces and turned back to his father with a determined look in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, father. I wish I had another choice, but it can’t go on like this. Stand down, don’t try to fight. You will be treated with the respect you deserve, but you can’t rule over this kingdom any longer. The time for change has come.”

Uther sputtered but he didn’t manage to get any coherent sentences out. Arthur gestured with his head and three knights stepped forward. They grabbed Uther by his arms and led him out of the room. Just before they left through the still open doors, Arthur called after them.

“Take him to his chambers, not the dungeons. Keep him there, but see to it he has everything he needs.” The knights nodded and disappeared from view, Uther between them.

Merlin turned to Arthur with his mouth slightly open. “What- what are you doing? What is-”

Arthur cut him off by stepping closer to Merlin. He muttered something under his breath that Merlin didn’t catch, but then he raised his voice so Merlin could hear him. “I’m changing the laws. I’ve had enough of my father’s rule. I wasn’t planning on doing it this soon, but there was an opportunity and I had to take it. It won’t be easy, I will meet a lot of obstacles on the way, but…” He suddenly looked nervous and took a small step back. “I’m hoping you’re willing to assist me,” he added softly, the insecurity visible in his features. Merlin beamed when the message finally hit him.

“Of course! Yes, of course I’ll help you!” Arthur’s face lit up like a thousand suns and he straightened his back. Just like that, Merlin could see the king in him rise to the surface. A fair and just king, who would consider all of his subjects as equals and who would make sure the kingdom would flourish under his rule. The Once and Future King.

Not thinking about any consequences, he surged forward and wrapped his arms around Arthur, pressing their lips together. Arthur made a surprised noise in the back of his throat, but then returned the kiss enthusiastically. From a distance, Merlin registered some knights whooping, but he didn’t really care about that. All he could think about was that they could finally be free. That they could finally be themselves.

By sam4587 on ao3