<< aight i've seen a couple of stories where arthur has magic too. so, we're gonna have the 'two sides of the same coin' refer to the fact that merlin and arthur use the same uhhh kind? yes same kind of magic. anyways, let's see if i can write things >>
The sun rose slowly, cresting the hills and crowns of the trees, lighting up the kingdom below. Some of Camelot's civilians were already bustling about, preparing for the festival. It had been only a month since King Arthur Pendragon had lifted the ban on magic, welcoming druids, sorcerers, and others of their kind into Camelot.
The main objective of this festival was just for that. The king had explained that he wanted the magic users to feel welcomed in Camelot. He was glad to see that the people of Camelot accepted his decision to do so, and their joyful response to the lifting of the ban had also boosted his spirits. It wasn't hard for him to understand that his father had been completely wrong in persecuting magic. The people of Camelot were much better off with magic in the kingdom.
Recently, Arthur had knighted some sorcerers, Sirs Lysander and Haylen. Merlin knew both, and had advised Arthur that including sorcerers within the ranks of Camelot's knights would not only boost their capabilities, but it would prove to wary sorcerers that Camelot was truly willing to accept them.
Arthur himself was feeling much better. He thought now, that if Camelot was to find out about his magic, the reaction may not be so repulsed. He knew that under King Uther's rule he would not be spared, despite being the sole heir and prince of the kingdom. Morgana knew of his magic, and had confided in him of her own. However, due to a mishap, Uther found out about her magic. He cared too much to sentence her to the pyre, yet he had to punish her. So Morgana had been sent away.
Arthur had been looking for her for a while, ever since he lifted the ban. He prayed that his sister was okay, asking the druids if they would assist him in finding her. They agreed, seeing that Arthur's heart had changed, yet they could not find her. He would never give up hope.
The king was now standing at the window in his chambers, overlooking the town square. Townsfolk and servants alike had begun moving about, decorating the town square. A light snowfall had blessed them, making the kingdom look like a wonderland, wreaths and strands of holly strung up and wrapped around columns. Arthur couldn't help but smile at the scene, his breath puffing out, hovering translucent in the air for a split second before fading away.
"Sire? You sent for me?" The door closed as Merlin spoke, not startling Arthur, but it roused him from his thoughts.
"Merlin," he said, turning to face his manservant, the smile still remaining on his face. "How are the preparations going?"
"Oh, everything's going well. Gwen has an eye for decorations, so I decided to put her in charge. Lysander, Haylen, and Elliot are helping out, giving the decorations a magical flair," Merlin said, his voice lifting with excitement.
"Elliot?" Arthur tilted his head, not recognizing the name.
"Haylen's son. He really has a knack for magic, is what Sable told me. Uh, Sable's his wife."
"Ah. I didn't know he was married. That's nice of them." Arthur nodded, turning back to the window. "As far as I can tell, everything looks wonderful. Do the kingdom gates look as nice as the town square?"
"Mhm. Evelyn's in charge up there. She's Jason's sister, y'know, the tailor?"
Arthur turned to Merlin again and arched an eyebrow. "Are you really asking me if I know the court tailor?" He snorted.
"Oh, yeah. I uh, forgot. Anyways, are you planning on getting dressed any time soon, or are you going to welcome the sorcerers wearing your sleepwear and a blanket?" Merlin laughed, eyeing Arthur's outfit.
Arthur huffed. "I was waiting for you to drag yourself up here so you could help me. Gwen and Evelyn worked together on an outfit for the festival."
"All right, let's see it." Merlin crossed his arms, watching as Arthur walked over to his dresser and pulled out the outfit, laying it out on the bed.
The tunic was a deep, rich crimson with a gold leaf pattern at the wrists, waist, and neck. It seemed to be made of a soft, silky material, which would be very comfortable during the festivities. The pants were black, with the same gold leaf pattern at the ankles, and also seemed comfortable. There was a cape as well, which was made so it would hang over Arthur's left arm, leaving his right arm uncovered. It was the same crimson color as the tunic, with a large, golden Pendragon crest on the back. The clasp was gold as well and adorned with a glittering red ruby.
"Wow. They really went overboard with this one," Merlin said, staring at the outfit in awe. He outstretched a hand and brushed it over the expensive material, admiring the feel.
"Yeah, they really did," Arthur agreed, nodding his head. He took a step back and turned, starting to walk over to the divider where he changed. "Bring the pants over."
Merlin did so, draping them over the top of the divider as Arthur vanished behind it. The dark pants were pulled over the side a moment later, and then Arthur stepped out, topless. Merlin blinked before skittering over to retrieve the shirt, but Arthur stopped him.
"Get my belt first. I chose that one over there," he said, tilting his head over to the table, where a polished, dark leather belt was coiled. As Merlin walked over, the golden clasp glittered, and he realized it had a couple, small rubies embedded in it.
"Are you sure you chose it?" Merlin chuckled as he brought the belt over, intending to help Arthur put it on, but the king snatched it out of his hands with another huff.
"Yes." He paused. "Fine. No, the ladies made it."
Merlin just laughed again, walking back to the bed to get the tunic, rubbing his thumbs over it as he walked back to Arthur, wishing he had clothing this soft.
"Get the— Oh, you already got it." Arthur blinked, lifting his arms to let Merlin tug it down his torso. He smiled and rubbed his arms, withholding a girly giggle. "They made a good choice in material."
"That they did." Merlin quickly got the cape and swung it around Arthur's shoulders, fiddling with the clasp, before turning his attention to getting the cape to hang over Arthur's left shoulder elegantly. After a few moments of tugging and muttered comments, he stepped back with an approving nod.
"Finally up to your standards?" Arthur asked, rather amused with how fussy Merlin was.
"If only you had a crown to match. Do you have a crown with rubies?" Merlin skittered over to the dresser, looking curiously at the thin crowns in a usually locked cabinet. "Oh, here's one. 's got rubies and some diamond looking stone, but it matches."
"How thoughtful of you." It was a bit difficult for Merlin to tell if Arthur was joking or not.
He placed the crown on Arthur's head, gently sweeping some of his hair out of his face, then stepped back and grinned. "Perfect. Now you look like a king, for once."
"For once? I always look like a king! I'm amazing," Arthur crowed, spinning in a circle to show off the outfit.
"Only when you look cleaned up like this. You'd better thank Eve and Gwen. I know I am. They made it easier for me to look at you," Merlin retorted, snickering at Arthur's expression.
"Rude. I could have you sacked for that comment," he threatened, but it wasn't serious at all, which was rather obvious. Merlin just laughed and started walking away.
"Oh, don't think you're out of the fire just yet," Arthur growled, catching him by the back of his shirt. "I have an outfit for you too. Maybe it's not so nice."
Merlin inhaled sharply, and then gulped.
<<+>>
Luckily for Merlin, his outfit was just as nice as Arthur's. He was surprised Eve and Gwen made him one, but thankful. He made a mental note to repay them later.
"Ooh, look over there!" Arthur tugged at Merlin's sleeve. His outfit matched Arthur's, but it was less ornate, and a nice peacock blue.
He frowned, looking over to where a druid pair performed some spells, creating creatures out of snow, children laughing and jumping, reaching for the fluttering white doves. He smiled then, glancing at Arthur, who was watching with the excitement of the children.
"Do you want to go over there?" Merlin asked, already beginning to walk in their direction. Arthur made and excited sound and dashed ahead, and now Merlin compared him to a puppy.
"Hello, King Arthur," one of the druids greeted as he approached, giving a slight bow. "Thank you for allowing us into your kingdom. My name is Y'elrin, and this is my friend, Orion."
"It's nice to meet you both. Merlin and I were walking along, watching the festivities, and I noticed you animating the snow. How do you do that?" Arthur asked eagerly, looking up at the doves that continued to flutter around, teasing the children.
"It's a rather complex spell, and it's harder with objects that aren't living," Y'elrin explained, while Orion nodded.
"Here, look." Orion bent down and scooped up two handfuls of snow, holding them together. He said the spell, which Arthur listened intently to. Opening his hands, another dove fluttered out.
Merlin had a small smile on his face, knowing the spell. He had used it once to save Arthur's life, when Valiant used that enchanted shield in the tournament. The druids were absolutely right; it was a terribly difficult spell for him to use at first, but he had mastered it now. Most spells came much easier, since he practiced more.
"That's amazing," Arthur breathed, eyes shining. He would test the spell later tonight.
It was strange, the fact that he hadn't told the kingdom about his magic. But he feared that because he was of royal blood, it would be looked down upon, especially with the other kingdoms. Again, the only one who knew was Morgana, but... Well, best not to dwell on that.
"It really is," Merlin said, with a small chuckle. If Arthur was so easily entertained by these small tricks, his jaw would be on the ground if Merlin could show him his own spells. But, he hesitated to do that. Arthur was still a little bit jumpy around Gaius, who revealed his magic a while ago, despite having known Gaius all his life. Maybe it came from being raised to hate magic, and the man who was as good as a god father was one of those people he used to hate.
He knew if he was to reveal his magic, Arthur would see it as a betrayal. Every time when he had used magic, right under Arthur's nose would come out into the open. He wouldn't take kindly to knowing that Merlin's lied to him all these years. But of course, Merlin still hoped that if he did reveal his magic, Arthur at least wouldn't sack him.
"Over there, those three, they have really advanced magic. Well, I should just say they practice more. We call them the disaster trio because they're always getting into trouble. The tall blond one is Kirin. Brown hair is Re'eyin, and her sister is Via," Orion said, pointing at a rather loud group of teens. Their clothes were quite a bit more flashy than the other druids nearby, drawing the attention of some of the townsfolk.
"Really?" Arthur had already started bouncing over to them.
Merlin gave an exasperated sigh and shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. "He's acting like an overeager puppy right now."
Y'elrin and Orion chuckled. "I noticed." Y'elrin said, watching as Merlin jogged after Arthur.
<<+>>
Merlin and Arthur were seated in the king's chambers, sitting by the fire and sipping warm cider. They had dragged chairs from the table over to said fire, outstretching their frostbitten toes towards the warmth.
"That was an exciting day," Merlin mumbled into his cup of cider, sniffing. He was beginning to think he may have caught a cold.
"It sure was! I learned so much! Everyone was so nice, and I was glad to see that both the magic users and townsfolk were getting along. It shouldn't be long before magic has been integrated as part of Camelot," Arthur said, still excited over what had happened.
Merlin chuckled. "Thinking about hiring some magic users as servants to just enchant the place clean?"
Arthur turned his attention from the fire to Merlin, tilting his head at his manservant. "That actually might not be such a bad idea. I'm sure some of the sorcerers and druids that have come to the kingdom are looking for jobs, and we have some empty spots."
"Oh, I was joking but— Wait, really? You're jumpy around Gaius for goodness sakes. You're hardly better around Lysander and Haylen," Merlin responded, trying to keep his voice even. He was hopeful, yet concerned about the idea.
"Yes, well, I've been getting better about it. It just startled me at first to think that some of the people I've been closest to were hiding their magic from me this entire time," Arthur said, his voice quiet as he looked away from Merlin.
Merlin felt himself tense up a bit at his words, biting the inside of his lip. He didn't say anything, just watched Arthur.
"But, I know I have no right to feel that way," Arthur continued, rubbing a hand over his eyes. "It's hypocritical."
"How? It makes sense that you'd be a bit wary, since your father raised you to loathe magic with all of your being. You're already doing so much better," Merlin comforted, then took a sip of his cider self-consciously.
Arthur was silent for a moment, then he looked back at Merlin. "I don't want to reveal this to the entire kingdom, because I fear that even if they accept other magic users... They may not want their king to be one."
Merlin took in a shaky breath, his eyes widening, "You— Wait, you have magic?"
Arthur chuckled. "I good as said that, didn't I?"
"Can you... Cast something?"
"I suppose." Arthur extended a hand and muttered something under his breath. His eyes swirled with an iridescent silver, the fire flickering then bursting into a brilliant green color, still dancing happily in the hearth.
"... I didn't know there was a spell for that. I haven't read about one," Merlin said, staring at the fire.
Arthur's gaze snapped back to him. "What?"
"I have magic too," he said with a soft smile, setting the cup down on the ground before cupping his hands and leaning backwards, hitting the back of the chair.
"Forbærnaan," he breathed, and a flame danced to life in his palms. Arthur watched intently, mainly focused on Merlin's eyes.
"They turn the same color. Your eyes turn silver when you use magic," he said, blinking.
"Do they? I wouldn't know," Merlin said with a shrug, pressing his hands together and extinguishing the flame.
"It's strange, because most magic users use the old religion to cast spells. Kirin was the only one who didn't, because his eyes didn't change color. But ours turn silver. Why?" Arthur asked, although he didn't expect Merlin to have an answer. He leaned back in his chair as well, stretching his feet closer to the fire. Raising the cup to his lips, he took a thoughtful sip of the cider.
"Most druids use the magic of the old religion, which has a gold color. Their eyes flash gold when they use it, which makes sense. Our magic may come from something else, I guess," Merlin reasoned, then thought for a moment. "The meaning of 'two sides of the same coin' has changed a bit now."
"Where'd you hear that from?"
"Kilgarrah, the Great Dragon. The uh, gold one that may or may not have attacked Camelot when I released him." Merlin looked a bit sheepish.
"The one you said I killed? Where'd he end up?" Arthur just arched an amused eyebrow at his friend.
"He's out and about. I'm a— Well, the last dragonlord, so I can summon him if needed."
"Oh, so you're some ultra powerful sorcerer, good to know."
"I think we would be considered warlocks or wizards, since we didn't really learn magic. We were born with it."
"Something like that, but does it really matter? This went much better than I expected, the two of us sharing the same magic. Morgana is the only other one who knows," Arthur said, his eyes flickering with sadness at the thought of Morgana, but he smiled at Merlin.
"This just means double trouble."
<< wow i've been churning out stories because i'm on holiday and have nothing better to do so yep >>