The Redemption Arc (A BBC's Merlin Fanfiction)

Chapter 29

Merlin didn't go back to his room that day. He worked until late that night in Arthur's old chambers, at the table. He had a candle, but the moonlight was more than obliging. It crept into the crevices of the room, and turned everything it touched into silver. 

"Merlin!" Arthur seemed to surprised to find him in here. Merlin woke with a start, feeling something akin to the horror of a few years ago when he'd be sleeping on his job. He'd come a long way since then. If anything, he was doing his job instead of sleeping. 

"Shh!" Merlin shushed him, and regretted it seeing the murderous glare in Arthur's eyes. It died down quickly enough. 

"Don't shush me! What are you doing here?"

"How did you know I was here?"

"I didn't. The torch was lit outside the room so I came to check," Arthur answered. Then remembered his question again. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just working," Merlin rubbed the back of his neck. "I couldn't sleep." 

Arthur scoffed. "Didn't seem that way to me." 

Merlin glared, then took in Arthur's appearance. His face softened. "Did you just get back?"

Arthur sighed and sat on his bed, facing Merlin who was still standing at the table. "Things went well. I have hope." 

Merlin smiled. "That's good." He sat back down, not feeling the need to fill the silence. The silence shrunk itself and sat in a corner of the room, not bothering either of them. Arthur contentedly recalled the day's happenings, all while staring at Merlin who appeared to be focused on his work. 

"Merlin." Arthur suddenly said. 

"Hmm?" Merlin didn't look up, but Arthur knew he was listening. 

"Can you show me your magic? Same as the first time?" 

Merlin's head shot up. Arthur had seen him do magic several times since the day he first told him. That seemed as if it was ages ago, and yet Merlin could taste all of the emotions he had felt as if it was yesterday--anxiety, fear, panic, surprise, joy, contentment. 

This time, he smiled. Arthur shook his head fondly and smiled as well. Merlin walked over to where Arthur was sitting, and he let blue beams of light dance around on his fingers. They reflected in Arthur's bright blue eyes. The moonlight tore away from the ornamented wood in the room and kissed his hair, turning each golden strand into silver.  

Drinking in the sight before him, Merlin's heart clenched painfully. Where was the powerful king? The unstoppable warrior? This was only a boy who took pleasure in beautiful things, who loved without rhyme or reason. The lines on his face were drawn because on his young shoulders were the weight of the whole world. 

Merlin let the light die out, and Arthur gasped. 

"What?"

"Your eyes!" Arthur peered into them. "I didn't realize they change color when you do magic." 

"It's rather unfortunate. I wish it'd be more subtle. But I suppose I could always close my eyes." 

"I thought it was just a Morgana thing," Arthur said. 

Merlin shook his head. "I'm glad the ban on magic has been lifted." He sat down on the floor with his legs crossed under him. Arthur slid off the bed and sat on the floor, facing him, leaning against the bed. "Eyes are a surefire way of telling someone has magic. Thank god more people didn't know about it while it was banned." 

Arthur shrugged. Now that magic was legalized, Merlin realized the moral burden of the magic folk had been lifted off of Arthur's shoulders. He didn't worry about Merlin as much anymore. What was left was only a childlike fascination. 

"It's very subtle," Arthur said. 

"No, it isn't." 

"I never noticed your eyes change color." 

Merlin laughed. "Is that the new standard for subtlety? Your attention to detail?" 

Arthur narrowed his eyes. "I'm King, Merlin. I can make it the standard if I want." 

"We're doomed. Oh, the things I've had to do because you're so blind." 

Arthur's mouth went 'o' in protest. "Untrue! I'm not blind, I trusted you." 

"Mm hmm, and not just me. You trusted just about anybody who set foot in Camelot." 

"It's hardly my fault that nearly every single person who walked into a kingdom that banned magic was a sorcerer. The norm was a sorcerer, because hardly anyone wasn't one!" 

Merlin laughed, and laughed, and soon enough, he persuaded Arthur out of his indignation long enough to laugh with him. For the first time in a long time, Merlin had a conversation that wasn't about the war every two minutes. 

*** 

And the next day, Merlin found out why Arthur had refused to talk once about the war last night. The war council were to meet right after Arthur returned after meeting the four kings. 

Arthur and Gwen announced with great pride the union of the five kingdoms, under the flag of Albion. All five kings were left to rule their own kingdoms however they pleased, but they had a treaty made to ensure peace and unity. King Arthur had power over the five kings for he had been the one to unite them, and because they believed in him enough to know he would not abuse his power. 

Morgana looked over at Merlin, and he gave her a tight-lipped smile. 

"With the unification of the Five Kingdoms, there is reason to believe we have hope," Arthur said. 

A large cheer went through the hall, and Merlin looked around. This was definitely not just the war council. The crowd seemed to go on for miles, long outside the hall. This was Camelot itself, and Arthur's words weren't mere words, but encouragement for war. 

"Once we lived under a shadow of who we thought we had to be," Arthur spoke, and the people were raptured. "But today, Camelot has entered into a new age. Today we are a kingdom of people who understand that we are different, who take pride in our differences, and we find strength in those who are different from us. Queen Guinevere and I sit here on these thrones, for ourselves, and those we love, for every single person in Camelot. We adorn our heads with these crowns as not a symbol of power or wealth, but to tell us that the kingdom and its people should always be on our minds." 

Guinevere continued, "I remember sitting in my father's shop as a little girl, watching him make weapons with sharp edges that never cut me, for my father was there to protect me. It was when I learned to wield these weapons that I earned my first scar. Give to Camelot your entire body and soul, for Camelot belongs as much to the frail as to the weak, to the sick as to the healthy, to the old as to the young. We shall be the swords, and we shall be the blacksmiths. We shall protect this kingdom from the sharp edges." 

Her voice dropped, but it still rang clearly through the hall. "While you wield a sword, you may be cut, you may be scarred. But you need not suffer it alone. As we have warriors, we have healers. This war we will make it through either ourselves or through those whom we love, to whom we have dedicated our entire beings." 

The hall was silent when Guinevere had finished. Then burst from seeming nothingness loud cheers and applause. Arthur and Gwen looked at each other, then held their gazes, as if they were holding on to each other before the war broke loose. 

*** 

Well, well, it seems I have struck inspiration and not enough content. Anywho, here is the third chapter, and possibly the last for a while. 

I'm going to class.

Happy reading!

Monarch.