Arthur tossed and turned restlessly in his slumber. His arms flinging this way and that, as he tried in vain to fend off imaginary threats. A thin sheen of sweat covered his shirtless upper body; his bedsheets having been kicked onto the floor during the struggle. His breath came out in short gasps as his face constantly twisted into many different emotions; most prominent being variations of pain and fear.
His mind was in turmoil, flashes of nightmarish images appearing behind his eyes. The terrifying ghostly figure of his father being the main offender.
"Weak" the Uther in his mind spat in disgust.
"F-father..." he uttered weakly, unable to look away from the heavily disappointed expression on his father's face.
"You have ignored our traditions....failed our kingdom"
"No..I-"
"How could I possibly have raised such a failure of a son?" He questioned bitterly.
"Father please-"
"How can I be proud of a son who ignores everything I've ever taught him?" The former king stated more than asked, looking ashamed of his only son.
Every comment hit Arthur like a dagger to the chest, each one digging deeper than the last. His heart was shattering into pieces, as he listened to his father's hurtful words.
What if he's right? What if Arthur had failed his kingdom? Everything his father had built....his legacy, all destroyed at the hands of his unworthy child.
His legs buckled, and he fell to his knees, while Uther continued to fire accusations at him. The words swirled around him, drowning him in a whirlwind of shame, misery, defeat and a cold realisation of just how worthless he was, as a king and a son.
"I'm sorry" he whispered brokenly, tears flowing from his eyes.
"Failure" Uther snapped, at him from above.
"Not my son...."
"....Peace cannot last...."
"....How can I be proud?...
"You failed me...."
The words were all around him; knives being thrown from every direction. He clapped his hands tightly over his ears and squeezed his eyes shut; but nothing could silence the angry and bitter voices that were slowly suffocating him. He hadn't even realised that his mouth was open in an anguished scream; the noise drowning out his own voice.
Suddenly, there was a different sound. Somewhere far away...trying to reach him.
"Ar....ur" it called faintly, causing the king's eyes to crack open slightly.
"...Arthur"
Yes! The voice was much closer now, he could here it through the cutting words of his father. It held some familiarity, but Arthur just couldn't place it.
Slowly, he released his ears from his own firm grip, and chocked back a sob as he tried to tune out the angry accusations, reminding him constantly of what a 'failure' he was.
"Arthurrr!" the voice called to him once again; its tone filled with determination and concern.....
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Merlin had strolled into the room minutes earlier, to quietly drop off the king's latest speech. He had spent hours on it, and thought it best to just leave it on Arthur's desk, incase he accidently misplaced it before morning.
The boy was not prepared for the alarming scene he walked in on. Arthur looked almost like he was writhing in pain. His whole body twisted and strained, as his hands tightly clasped his ears. His hair was plastered to his forehead, and his breathing sounded panicked and irregular.
The warlock stood in stunned silence, as he stared at the king's incredibly foreign display of vulnerability and terror.
Suddenly, a tortured scream escaped his throat. Merlin's feet moved of their own accord and he had crossed the room in a second.
"Arthur?" He called hesitantly, his hands hovering just shy of the king's arm.
He had no idea how Arthur would react to physical contact in this situation, and he would ideally like to avoid aquiring a broken nose.
But, as his friend's chocked sobs reached his ears, all hesitation disappeared in an instant.
"Arthur!" He cried, quickly placing a hand on his bare shoulder.
"Arthur come onn, wake up" He demanded urgently, unable to help the the small desperate edge to his voice.
"F-father no..." came Arthur's hoarse whisper.
His heart clenched unexpectedly at the broken words and the pained expression on Arthur's face. He's never really witnessed the man in a state of such distress.
"Hey...its ok. I'm right here" he muttered, moving his fingers gently through Arthur's hair, as he sat on the bed. "It's just a nightmare Arthur...please wake up"
Nothing. The sobs and whispered pleas continued, and Merlin sighed sadly. He softly placed his palm on his friend's forehead, and narrowed his eyes in concentration. Suddenly, his eyes briefly flashed a brilliant gold and a second later, the king shot up, his eyes wild and panicked, and chest heaving.
Arthur looked around the room in shock and confusion, half expecting the ghostly form of his father to jump out at him and continue his mental torture.
His frantically searching eyes, finally found the concerned ones of his manservant, sat on the edge of his bed. Merlin had scooted away to give the king some space to breath, and also to protect his face from possible attacks coming his way.
When he deemed it safe, the warlock slowly moved closer and rested a hand on Arthur's shoulder. His frown deepened at the fact that his hand wasn't immediately shrugged off, and followed by a string of insults and orders.
Instead, Arthur's frame sagged deafeatedly under his palm and he leant forward to bury his head in his hands.
"Arthur?" He asked slowly.
"What?" came the muffled reply.
"Umm...do you want to talk about it?" He asked, not entirely sure what the best approach would be.
"Shouldn't you be sleeping, so you're not late for your many chores in the morning Merlin?" the king grumbled, ignoring his question.
"Well I was only in here to do one of those 'many chores'" the warlock defended, "you're welcome by the way, now you don't have to worry about straining that pea-sized brain of yours to write a speech" he added for good measure.
His efforts were rewarded, as a moment later Arthur's head lifted and his eyes sported a small amused glint as he glanced at him.
"I think you have me confused with yourself Merlin, you're the only idiot in this room" he quipped.
"And you're the only prat in this castle" Merlin countered, crossing his arms over his chest.
Arthur's lips cracked a smile, as he fell into the familiarity of trading insults with his manservant.
"be careful Merlin, you're talking to the king" he warned sternly, which of course had no effect on the idiot.
"Oh I'm sooo scared. You can't even put your shirt on the right way round without my help" Merlin rolled his eyes, "some king" he muttered.
The expected snarky reply didn't reach his ears, and the warlock frowned as he saw various emotions flicker across Arthur's face. Guilt and sadness were clear in his eyes and his face wore a tired, defeated look.
"Arthur?", he tried softly. "It was about your father wasn't it?"
Arthur had long since given up being surprised by his friend's ability to read him like a book. Though this time he was pretty sure he had given away quite a lot in his sleep. Either way, he averted his eyes, and remained silent; confirming Merlin's inquiry. He rubbed a hand across his face and sighed in annoyance, wondering when he had become so pathetic and vulnerable.
He risked a glance at Merlin, who seemed to be patiently waiting for him to speak, his eyes full of understanding.
The warlock watched as Arthur seemed to come to a decision, sighing heavily and lifting his eyes to meet his own.
"He- uhh....", The king attempted to start.
"He just repeated the things he said to me as a ghost really. Nothing much to talk about" he finished quickly, hoping it was a satisfactory answer.
Merlin raised a skeptical eyebrow, not saying anything as he waited. Arthur rolled his eyes, with a huff; clearly his manservant wasn't planning on dropping the subject.
So, the king took a deep breath and began to talk. He related everything in his dream; his father's disappointed words, stern angry looks and his own feelings.
It was like a dam had broken, as all his deep thoughts and insecurities and fears tumbled past his lips. He talked and talked, not even realising his eyes had clouded with unshed tears, and his voice was slowly becoming hoarse.
And Merlin listened. With every sentence, he felt his heart ache a little more for the young king. He knew that Arthur had loved his father, and still does; but the warlock didn't possess even a sliver of warmth for that man. Uther had been cruel and heartless, and coming back as ghost had just proved his lack of love and care towards his only son. What kind of man...what kind of father accuses his own son of failing? Especially, when Arthur has done the exact opposite, and is already a much better and wiser king than Uther ever was.
Merlin snapped out of his thoughts, as he heard a frustrated groan escape the king.
"Sorry" He gritted, mentally kicking himself for unloading his stress and worries on his manservant.
He quickly wiped the traitorous tears that had escaped his eyes, and tried in vain to mask the emotion that had taken over his features. A gentle touch on his shoulder caused him to stiffen and meet the kind gaze aimed at him.
"Its alright" Merlin reassured, "Don't shut me out, Arthur"
The king sighed and relaxed his body, allowing himself to be pulled into an embrace. He buried his face in his friend's shoulder, while his frame shook with dry sobs.
"Arthur, your father was wrong" The warlock stated determindly, his voice thick and unwavering with kind assurance. "You are a kind and fair and just king. Uther's reign was one of fear and injustice, but the people- they respect you. They love you, and you have made it clear you feel the same about all of them"
Arthur's hold on his tunic tightened a little, before he slowly relaxed his grip, and pulled back to look at his manservant. Merlin held his friend's gaze, attempting to convey the depth of truth his words held with just one look; knowing that Arthur was desperately searching for any signs of a lie.
"I believe in you Arthur. The people of Camelot believe in you. You are everything this kingdom needs and more. Trust me" Merlin finished; a soft and encouraging smile on his face.
The king stared at his friend, the spoken words echoing in his mind; overpowering and chasing away the remenants of his father's earlier comments. He wondered- not for the first time -how had he been so fortunate, as to gain such a loyal friend as Merlin?
Screw appearances, he scoffed as he pulled his best friend back into a tight embrace.
"Thank you" he whispered, pouring all the gratitude and appreciation he could muster into his still-hoarse voice.
The warlock smiled at Arthur's words, and just held him close, rubbing gentle circles on his back.
After a few minutes of sitting like that, Arthur pulled away and cleared his throat, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. But he wore a small smile on his face as he looked at Merlin; his eyes openly showing the care and gratitude he felt for his friend.
Merlin returned his smile brightly and gave his shoulder another reassuring squeeze before letting go.
"You should probably go back to sleep Arthur" he suggested, "Big day tomorrow, you have to give that speech I wrote. Again, you're welcome" he quipped, as he stood up.
"Yes well that is your job Merlin" The king rolled his eyes, but the smile in his voice was clear.
The manservant just grinned at him and turned to leave, when a quick touch on his wrist stopped him. He turned back to face Arthur, with a questioning look.
"I- uhh...would you m-maybe-....you know...just til I- ummm...." The king trailed off and cleared his throat, gaze fixed on his hands.
Merlin eyed Arthur's faintly flushed cheeks in amusement, knowing what his friend was too embarrassed to ask him.
"Of course sire" he said teasingly.
Arthur looked up at him with grateful eyes and slowly laid back down, pulling the covers over himself.
The warlock pulled up a chair and fell into it. He gave Arthur a comforting smile, which the king returned, before settling in and happily launching into one of Gwaine's many 'tavern tales', as they had been named; keeping his voice soft and quiet. He was only about a minute in, when he heard a small snore coming from the bed.
Merlin laughed under his breath, and carefully stood up from the chair. He padded silently across the room and gently pulled the door open, before turning back to the sleeping figure buried under the covers.
"Goodnight Arthur" he whispered, before quietly slipping out of the room with a soft click of the door behind him.
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Hi Guys!
So this is my first ever Merlin related book! I rly hope I captured the characters well enough😅🥰
Let me know what u guys think!:) and also I am definitely open to requests!❤❤
Vote and Comment!<33
Thxxx💜💜💜