Merlin One-Shots

A Ghost of a Smile

Disclaimer: I do not, nor ever will own Merlin!

Warning: Angsty, like the majority of my writing. Seriously, Merlin = Angst.

Hello! Thanks to Angentcarter075, I now have my first request! Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! With that settled, this one-shot will be from a quote, "the person who tried to keep everyone happy often feels the loneliest." I believe this fits Merlin very well since he makes everyone in the kingdom happy carrying that big bright smile of his, yet at the same time, he hasn't truly smiled in a long, long time. This is also probably going to be a reveal fic. Anyways, I hope you enjoy! (If I already didn't screw this up. 🙃) 

P.S. - I've watched the Agent Carter series and loved it, so good choice on the name!

Everyone in Camalot knew the king's servant. They new his smile, his quirkiness, his pure heart, and the unusual but humorous friendship with the king himself.  They knew how, even with all of his work to be done for both the king and the court physician, he would still stop to help a citizen, no matter their ranks.

His smile was the most famous, though. It was contagious. He smiled at everyone, only giving them the option to smile back. Often, you could find him running through the castle halls laughing away with an angry, but not really angry, king on his tail. Everyone in the land loved him, which is why they were growing more and more worried.

For you see, the Merlin everyone loved has been slipping away quietly, growing more and more distant with fewer and fewer smiles. He was becoming a shell of the man that he once was. At first, they had thought he'd just matured but was still quirky. But he kept closing himself off more and more. Everyone was worried. Citizens gossiped about his depressed state while servants and guards watched him fade away with silent eyes. No one would dare voice their concerns to the king, because a) Why would a citizen go up to a king about a servant's mental health, regardless of their relations, and b) The king would wave it saying that there was nothing wrong with his manservant. So they went to the knights closest to him, as well as their queen.

But, even with the knights and queen aware, no one knew how to bring back their Merlin. And the clock was ticking, for soon, there won't even be the shell to look at.

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"Is he doing it again?" Gwen asked as Arthur came back into their room.

Arthur sighed and sat on the bed with her as he answered, "Yes, he is. It's become a habit now, and I'm starting to think that he isn't getting sleep at all anymore."

Gwen and Arthur have been spying on Merlin for a while now, ever since he started taking late-night strolls. At first, they didn't think much of it, but then he would enter their rooms in the morning looking as if he'd never gotten any sleep. One morning, he came in with dark bags under his eyes and what almost looked like tear stains on his cheek. When they questioned him about it, he simply threw on a smile and weaved around the question by antagonizing Arthur. They didn't even realize that he never answered until after he'd left. Recently, Merlin's strolls always ended up going to the highest tower in the castle, and won't leave until hours later.

"You should go and talk to him," she said softly. She was worried, she has been ever since the citizens started voicing their concerns a few months ago. She had noticed it too but brushed it off thinking that her best friend would return with his priceless smile soon. Oh, how wrong she was. As she tried racking her brain as for any reason why Merlin was liked this, she only drew blanks. She cursed at herself for being so naive. She should have noticed this change first. Merlin was her best friend! They used to be so close.......what happened? When had they become more queen and servant than friends? She swore to herself that she would still be Guinevere when she became queen, never changing or forgetting her friends. Yet that's exactly what she did. She forgot him. And now she's paying the consequence.