Merthur Oneshots

OTP

2532 words

Gwen looked up into the eyes of her beloved, feeling only the smallest of regrets for choosing her brave Lancelot over Prince Arthur. When she gazed into those warm brown orbs, she felt only happiness in her heart. He had saved her from a terrible death. He had made her world complete. Without Lancelot's undying loyalty to her, she would have died alone and heartbroken, unable to understand why no one had come to save her.

Lancelot whispered into her ear, "I am going to become a knight in Camelot so I may never need to leave your side, Guinevere." His determination shone in his eyes, and Gwen had no doubt the warrior was going to become the strongest knight of all, stronger than even Prince Arthur. "The only thing is..."

"You chose me over Arthur, didn't you?" he asked, worry clear in his voice. Gwen shrugged, feeling the slightest twist of guilt in her stomach. She had to go with just one of them eventually, and she hoped that Arthur would understand.

"I did what I had to," she whispered. "Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to be with the one I truly love."

"But Arthur..." Lancelot glanced over to the Prince, feeling a similar twist of guilt in his heart. "He will suffer."

The blond warrior was sitting by the fire, idly scratching at the dirt with the tip of his blade. He seemed either at a loss for words or was simply too upset to say them. Merlin shifted uncomfortably beside him, not knowing how to comfort the prince. The steady crackling and sparking of the small fire was the only thing that interrupted the thick silence between the two.

"Wait a moment..." Gwen said slowly. She glanced over at the pair through the flaps of the hastily constructed tent. "I have an idea."

Lancelot looked puzzled. "What would that be, my lady?"

"Oh, nothing." She shook her head lightly. Outside she heard muffled voices and quickly leaned out of the tent to watch them.

"Are... are you all right?" Merlin asked hesitantly. Arthur didn't react, as though he hadn't heard the question. He subtly scooted closer to his friend and asked it again, in a lower voice. "Are you all right?"

Arthur didn't say anything outside of a mumbled reply of "obviously..." which made Merlin blow out a puff of air in exasperation.

"No, you're not okay and a three-year-old child could see it."

"Then why'd you ask?" Arthur snapped and 'accidentally' let his sword slip on the ground, carving a deep groove in the dirt and coming to rest centimeters from Merlin's foot. He pulled his foot away from the sword hurriedly and put his hands up.

"All right, all right, I get it." He looked down at the slightly rotted log they were sitting on and flicked a piece of bark into the fire. "You don't want to talk to me right now."

"Yes, for the first time in your miserable life, Merlin, you have finally said something true." Merlin bit his lip and fought the urge to smile. Arthur had to be at least partly all right if he were talking to his manservant like that.

"Come on..." he said, more of a whine than an actual complaint.

Arthur glanced at him, eyes hooded. He didn't provide another comment, so Merlin spoke up again, if just to rid the air of the uncomfortable silence.

"Okay, I'm stupid. I know that."

There was another pause.

"Hopefully, or your entire life would be a lie," Arthur finally said.

Merlin had to smile that time. "That's coming from the biggest prat I know."

"Don't speak to your future king that way," he said seriously, but the expression in his eyes said otherwise.