Work Text:
What was it like to know someone?
Merlin had introduced himself to Arthur like an idiot. He, a total stranger, had walked up to Arthur during training, told him he was a ‘pratt’ and started a fight. And when he learned that Arthur was the prince… Well, all Merlin did was add a ‘my lord’ to the very same insult. What Arthur initially considered idiocy, had somehow become the bravest act he had ever witnessed. It had taken Arthur nearly a year to understand that Merlin had seen injustice. Injustice performed by the crown prince himself. Arthur could not be more ashamed. Or intrigued. Merlin, Arthur learned that day, was a man of principle.
It had taken the same insolent, rebellious, prince insulting commoner nearly two days to save Arthur’s life. It wouldn’t nearly be the last time. Merlin was too kind for his own good.
Not only did Merlin want to reject the reward, he was also assigned Arthur’s manservant. Which made him the closest and most trusted person to the crown prince. At first, Arthur had been annoyed, but given time, Merlin grew on him. Because Merlin was loyal.
Merlin was his manservant, a physician, his closest friend, his confidante, his advisor, his greatest support. It was no surprise that Arthur developed a crush on him. Merlin loved deeply, and it was difficult not to return those feelings. Though what Arthur returned wasn’t platonic.
There were many things that bothered him about the man. They became more and more prominent after Uther’s death. Or perhaps Arthur had allowed himself to look more closely since then. Merlin’s disappearances didn't line up with his excuses, nor did the timing make sense. His shifting moods, his overwhelming concern for Arthur, his complete disregard of Arthur’s approaches to close the crater deep gap between them, they all made Merlin an enigma. An unsolvable puzzle and the most fascinating riddle Arthur had ever wished to solve.
And all of these things Arthur could have put aside and thought about from the safety of his rooms, never facing them as the concerns they were, never putting Merlin in the position where he’d be treated like a suspect. Because he wasn’t. Arthur was just obsessed with him. However, the circumstances demanded immediate action. And they demanded Arthur to think in depth of who his manservant really was.
“Why?” It was a simple question but a good one. Especially for someone who was as stunned as Arthur felt. It should be more shocking for them to run into a wild sorcerer who put a spell on them that made him see several copies of his crush. To be fair, the spell itself was new and kind of refreshing, but like… What’s the point?
“Why? Because you, Arthur Pendragon are a pest in this world! You claim to have brought peace, but you are no better than Uther!” The man looked like a mercenary who was out of his job due to peace, ironically. He was an irritable man, the tall, black haired, muscly dude with the bored attitude.
Arthur crossed his arms defensively, while the Merlin’s were mingling and talking and insulting each other. Each accused the other’s of being fake and that they needed to protect Arthur. It was adorably cringe. Arthur tried not to let them see how the whole situation affected him.
“No, no. I understand that reason. I mean, it’s off, because I refuse to agree I’m like my father. I do get the gist, though. But why THIS?” He waved at the herd of Merlin’s. “Normally, you guys want to kill me. Why give me more manservants? With how lazy Merlin usually is, this can only improve his work. Do you want me to thank you?” Arthur tried not to flush. To be completely honest, this scene was like one of his wildest fantasies.
The mercenary’s eye twitched, but he grinned back at Arthur.
The Merlin collective, except a few, said “HEY!”
“I’m not here to kill you. I merely wish to test you!”
Arthur sighed. “Great. Surprise tests. My favorite. Zero time to prepare and probably a thousand lives at stake. What do you really want?”
The mercenary shook his shaggy hair behind his shoulder. “What I want is to see for myself how much you really care about your people.”
Arthur reached for his sword, just in case. “What do you want me to do? Figure out which the real Merlin is?”
“Exactly.” The mercenary’s eyes glinted with mischief and he suddenly looked much more like a threat. “These Merlin’s have been designed, based on YOUR thoughts about him,”
Arthur immediately flushed
“combined with my own observations. When I cast the spell, it took the way you see him and multiplied him in all the versions you would consider ‘real’. That it’s so many is based entirely on your lack of understanding on who your manservant really is. Of course, I double checked all the things you don’t know, to keep things accurate. He’s JUST a manservant after all. I doubt you know his full background. Not that HE does.” He laughed evilly. “And just to spice things up, all the wrong servant’s are bombs. Choose the wrong one, or take all of them home, and Camelot is doomed. It is simple. Either you’re a good King and take the right servant home, or you prove that you deserve Camelot’s destruction and your kingdom will be destroyed by your own hands.”
Arthur had begun to pale during the speech. At the threat, he finally drew his sword. “Or Option C, I kill you!”
The mercenary laughed. “You do that, but the copies won’t disappear with my death. The magic is tied to you, and you alone. You could kill yourself, but then you may as well banish all the Merlin’s to other kingdoms. You could let them detonate in Lot’s kingdom. Don’t you have beef with him? You should consider this a gift, really.”
Arthur growled and narrowed his eyes. “I thought you wanted revenge.”
The man shrugged and scratched his neck. “Yeah. But let’s be real. Killing you only gives room for another tyrant. Also, I may have lost my family to Uther, but I earn money as a mercenary. So, even if you achieved peace, I’d end up homeless. And there is no way I can go back to farming work. And starting a family sounds… scary.” The man patted his own chin. “Yeah, all I earn from this is a little entertainment.”
“You’re putting your life in destiny’s hand,” one of the Merlin’s said, glaring at the man. It sounded, oddly, like a threat.
The man shrugged again. “Yeah, kinda. That’s the point. I’m stuck. Let destiny decide what happens to me now.”
A few Merlin’s suddenly growled in unison.
Arthur put his sword down. “And you expect me to kill the wrong Merlin’s.”
The man shrugged again. “As I said, do as you wish. I’m just here to watch. And if fate demands it, kill me. I’m fine either way.” With that he jumped up a tree and sat down, legs dangling from the branch as he began to play with a knife.
Arthur’s heart sank to his stomach. The man didn’t seem like a liar. And to be fair, his reasons at least added up. Gods know how many people Arthur had listened to who just went on and on about their backstory and how they wanted revenge. This one kept it short at least.
The worst part was, Arthur had to gnaw on, he’d let Merlin out of his sight minutes ago. He had come forth from behind a tree, ‘peeing’ as his excuse for vanishing, already a collective of lookalikes in tow. “Alright.” He swallowed deeply, as he saw the many cheekbones and the concerned glances. “This is gonna be easy.”
“No it’s not.”
“SHUT UP!” Arthur was losing his nerves. He didn’t need cheap comments from someone who didn’t even know WHY he enchanted the King’s manservant.
One of the Merlin’s stepped forward and put a calming hand on Arthur’s shoulder and a pleasant charm on his heart. Arthur couldn’t help but feel his heart flutter at the touch. “No one knows me as well as you do. You’ll find me in no time.” The encouraging smile looked honest, if also tilted.
“Ah.” Arthur’s voice cracked. He liked this one. Another few Merlin’s protested. It made Arthur’s decision harder. “You’re definitely not it.” With a punch to the face, the fake Merlin was knocked out in no time. Arthur winced. He wondered if this hurt himself more than the copy. The other Merlin’s went silent, except a few who kept insulting him to his face.
He heard a whistle from above. “Was that really the right choice?”
“I told you to shut up, didn’t I?” Arthur felt sick already. Did he really have to do this a couple dozen times again? “Of course that was the right choice. Merlin may be loyal and honest, but not THAT honest. Besides, he phrased it like he wanted to let me know he was a wrong one. If my mind made him overproportionally honest, then he just gave himself away.” The forest felt cold, and never had a fist in as much pain as it was after having to collide with Merlin’s face. Fake or not, it still hurt.
The man laughed again. “Oh, but these copies don’t know whether or not they are real.”
Arthur’s eyes widened. But then, he closed his fist around nothing. “Still, he was too forthcoming.”
“If it’s that obvious, why do you have such a version in your head?” The man seemed honestly curious now.
“I’m not telling you that.” Arthur focused back on the forest that seemed to have more Merlin’s than trees. Right out of his fantasies. Holy shit. “Merlin!”
“Yes?” Came back in unison. Some looked more concerned than others, other’s were amused by Arthur’s pain.
“We need to work together. I know it’s probably difficult for all of you, but I need to find the real Merlin. This will mean that some of you will die.”
Just as Arthur expected, a ton of the Merlin’s began to protest. They must think that Arthur was separating the one’s he thought could be the real one’s from the rest. This was only partly true. Arthur’s mind was reeling with possibilities.
“Good. All of the ones who just complained, come forward.” Arthur could see panic spread among the rest who hadn’t said a thing. Some began to shake, and protest again. Only five remained stoic. One of them did call him a ‘pratt’ under his breath, but so did a ton of the rest.
Arthur nodded. “Now, you five, step aside.” Arthur pointed at the five stoic ones. Stubbornly rebellious, they followed his instructions. All five, except one. It was one of the quiet stoic ones.
This man stepped forward to face Arthur with determination. “Don’t be a pratt, Arthur! They are all fake! You would know! You HAVE to know! I know all of them would say this, but you’d recognize me, wouldn’t you? Ask me anything. I’ll prove it!” He seemed determined, as though he trusted Arthur’s decisions as if he were convinced Arthur would recognize him just like that. His smile was honest enough and his gaze as twinkling and hopeful as Arthur had ever seen it.
Arthur looked him up and down, then swallowed. “No. You’re not him.” Damn, this really hurt.
The man’s face paled. “But-”
Arthur shook his head. “Merlin wouldn’t expect that from me.”
Confusion grew on his features and his shoulders weakly fell. “I don’t understand!”
Arthur was growing surer by the second. “Just calling me a ‘pratt’ doesn’t make you Merlin. There is a time and place for Merlin’s insolence, and one where Camelot’s future is at stake isn’t one of them. Maybe on our way there, but not - Hey, I told you to stand still!” Arthur twirled around to yell at one of the Merlin’s who just snuck around, seemingly trying to run off. It irritated Arthur. He was in the middle of another painful knockout. Couldn’t they at least respect that? “Stay still! I’m not done sorting yet!”
The man grimaced. “You seriously expect me to stand still? All these Merlin’s are explosives!”
Arthur blinked, trying to identify the man as real or fake. “And how are YOU so sure that you’re not an explosive yourself?”
The man opened his mouth, then closed it. He glanced up to the mercenary and worried a brow. Arthur impatiently patted his arm. “Back to your place. I’ll come to you later.” Then, Arthur turned to the Merlin in front of him again. “As I said, there is a time and place. And when I tell Merlin to trust me, he’ll trust me. He’ll know that this riddle is difficult enough as it is. He won’t just walk up to me and tell me I’m stupid for not figuring it out. Or expect me to just… know.” No, the Arthur who would do that was also part of another one of Arthur’s fantasies. Arthur’s face reddened. This was so awkward. Arthur whacked him on the head before he could decide to knock himself out instead. “Besides,” Arthur thought, feeling somewhat like he needed to justify himself. “Merlin wouldn’t offer to prove anything to me. He’d just call me stupid and leave it at that.” Arthur ran his hand through his own face. “Alright. All of you who complained about me threatening you with death…” He faced the small crowd on the left. “None of you are Merlin.”
A Merlin from the second row fought himself through. “Hey! How many times have I told you to go back to Camelot and you still went to your certain death, huh? THIS is what ticks you off?” The man growled and Arthur pitied him.
“Again, time and place.” Arthur pierced them with a pained glare. “If we had gotten caught? We’re locked up? I’m riding to my own doom? Yeah, Merlin complains he wants to live. Because he knows it’s the only way he’ll get ME to reconsider. But he doesn’t protest when it’s HIS OWN life at stake! He’s too damn self sacrifical. He insisted on drinking poison for me, you think he would complain if his death helped me protect Camelot? Question it, yes. Complain? Protest? Not so much.” Arthur closed his eyes for a moment. “Merlin is the bravest man I’ve ever met. He’s stupid and stubborn, but he’s also a very serious man when circumstances demand it.” Gosh, hopefully Merlin wouldn’t hold this against him.
Arthur then turned to the four stoic one’s left behind. Two of them stared at him with a wild look in their eyes. They were almost glinting, as if touched, or hopeful. “It has to be one of the four of you.” Arthur turned to the escapee from before. He was carrying the same glinting expression the other two had, but he was hiding it behind a scowl. Arthur hadn’t immediately seen it.
Arthur turned to him, having a strange feeling about him. “The four of you will fight me now, I’m sure this will help me find out who the real one is.”
All four of them glanced at each other in panic. Arthur had the strange suspicion that they all had different reasons for that.
Finally, the mercenary decided to interrupt again. “Are you sure it’s wise to throw away so many Merlin’s in one go? I mean… Your reasons may sound somewhat sensible… but that were like… 30 of them?” He even pretended to count.
Arthur took a deep breath. “I know Merlin. Most of him anyway.”
“Then what’s that?”
Arthur’s flush worsened. “There are things I don’t know about him. I know Merlin is keeping secrets.”
The four Merlins snapped their eyes towards him in unison. There was panic there.
Arthur felt hot. “He’s obviously allowed to have secrets. But I’ve had ideas on what his secret could be. And I hope that one day… he’ll tell me what it is.”
He forced himself to watch the four potential Merlin’s. Three of them blushed bright red, the forth one just seemed confused. This, unfortunately, didn’t give him any answers.
“And what do you want to fight us with? A sword?” One of the Merlin’s said. It was the same one who had averted Arthur’s eyes earlier and the same one who wanted to run away from the explosives. He seemed strangely worried. “I don’t want to rain on your parade, but it’s been a while since we sparred. I got pretty good with the blade. You keep underestimating me. And I don’t want to be ruled out just because you didn’t pay attention.”
Arthur wanted to rule him out based on that, but then he saw the other Merlin’s nod in agreement.
“Seriously?” Arthur felt weak. “Then how am I supposed to figure out -”
The man right next to the protestor spoke up at that point. “Why don’t you ask us what our secrets are?” This Merlin had a glint in his eyes that made Arthur feel somewhat wary.
Arthur opened his mouth to argue, then he realized that the reactions to this question may give him another hint. So, he nodded. “Fine. Tell me your secret, Merlin.” The Merlin who had posed the question immediately grinned and stepped forward.
Arthur didn’t manage to evade him, as the man had already put his lips to his. Of all the things Arthur had expected, this was… well, among them… but more like right out of his… god damn it, not his fantasies again! Arthur was lost in the kiss for merely five seconds, before he pushed the man away and heaved at him with wide eyes. “You’re definitely NOT IT.”
The Merlin licked his lips. “Worth it.”
Arthur couldn’t move, as the man skipped away to the others. Arthur was then left with three Merlin’s who were all staring at him, beat red and irritated. Involuntarily, Arthur licked his lips and then noticed what he was doing. “Okay, I can explain.”
The middle Merlin blinked at him. “Aren’t these copies based on who you think I am?”
Arthur held his breath for a moment. “Okay, look, you keep sacrificing yourself nearly once a week for me, of course I’d get such an idea!” The justification was weak but the Merlin before him seemed to find no reason to counter that idea.
Then the Merlin on the left spoke up. “How do you know it isn’t true?” Both him and middle Merlin were bright red. The right Merlin looked a mix of embarrassed and annoyed. Arthur was beginning to bet on him.
Right Merlin shook his head. “Because he’s Arthur. The King. I wouldn’t feel that way for this pratt.” Then his eyes narrowed and he focused on Arthur in deep thought. “But it seems it’s a more common idea for you, isn’t it?” He looked around and Arthur followed his gaze. Quite a few of the other Merlin’s were red. Others seemed strangely angry with one very happy looking Merlin. Arthur realized that this was the Merlin who just kissed him. Shit.
Arthur held up his hands in surrender. “Look -”
The right Merlin fumed. “Oh god. Is this a fantasy of yours? Seriously?”
Arthur couldn’t help but freeze. To be faced with the truth like that felt like a punch. It was humiliating. Even more so when the tree mercenary began to laugh. “Oh my god. I didn’t know that either. THAT’S why there are so many of him? Wait, did you imagine them one by one or all at once?”
Arthur clenched his hand into a fist and looked down. Yeah. Ignoring the asshat in the tree.. that sounded like a proper Merlin reaction. He was about to say that, to allow himself to be faced with the humiliation of the real Merlin, when middle Merlin stepped between Arthur and right Merlin. Merlin rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. “Alright, asshole. You’ll shut up right now, there is nothing wrong with that. What IS wrong is how you’re reacting. Of all the guys here that look like me, I trust YOU the least!”
Arthur paused. Middle-Merlin’s ears were deeply flushed, otherwise he had a fire in his eyes that Arthur rarely got to witness. Did this Merlin have funny feelings?
The right Merlin’s eyes twitched. “Trust me? You guys are the ones who look just like me!”
Middle Merlin fletched his teeth. “Arthur. Does the real Merlin ever make fun of anyone, ever?”
“Of me? All the time.”
Middle Merlin didn’t let the answer deter him. “I don’t mean harmless jokes. I mean, would I ever HURT you based on your feelings? Have I EVER made fun of you when it was important?”
Arthur opened his mouth, then closed it. “No.”
“Well, then you know it’s not him.”
Arthur’s heart was beating fast. He honestly wasn’t so sure right now. He wanted to trust this Merlin… then again, he always trusted Merlin. Arthur could just as well be fooled.
The right Merlin pressed his lips together and mimicked Middle Merlin’s stand. “So, what you’re saying is, I’m going to die here?”
Middle Merlin growled. “You heard him. Any Merlin would be willing to die for him.”
Right Merlin laughed. “Yeah. No. Not me.” And then, something terrifying happened. Right Merlin’s eyes glowed golden and middle Merlin was thrown backwards against a tree. Right into the crowd of Merlin’s that had tried to keep out of Arthur’s way. One Merlin helped middle Merlin up. Arthur had to admit, that gave middle Merlin points. The sturdiness. But then Arthur’s mind was distracted, as the dangerous hand was suddenly directed at him. “You wanted to know my secret? This is it. What? Just because I’m Merlin, I can’t have magic? So, you’re just gonna kill me based on that? I’M the REAL ONE! And I will not die here!” His anger was now accompanied by fear, and for once, Arthur felt frozen.
Arthur’s eyes widened and he stepped back. This was very decidedly…. NOT one of his fantasies. Merlin with magic… that sounded like a mix of oil and water.
Middle Merlin stood up slowly, starting towards right Merlin again. He spit out some blood and then stepped back into place between Arthur and right Merlin. “Oh, this is how you want to play it? You think I let you hurt him?” Middle Merlin raised his own hand. “Who says I don’t have magic too?”
Right Merlin growled. “Well, pray you don’t, or we’re both dead!”
Suddenly, left Merlin started forward and raised both hands. A shield appeared between middle and right Merlin. Again, magic. Arthur held his breath. “Don’t you guys dare! I know exactly what’s happening! You heard him!” He flicked his head to the mercenary on the tree who was now watching with the upmost fascination. “He told us he checked up my background! Arthur would never consider that I have magic! It’s a trick so that Arthur will rule us out!”
All three looked to Arthur who swallowed hard. Helpless, he turned his head and watched as a few Merlin’s whom he had already ruled out began to fume and shout parols against magic. One or two were holding them back, reminding them that magic could be used for good. Arthur’s mind was swirling. He might have chosen wrong. Maybe all three of him were wrong. Maybe… Arthur’s heart was beating heavy and hard against his ribcage.
Middle Merlin blinked and turned to him. “Arthur, calm down. You’ve got this.”
Arthur stared at him. “Do… do YOU have magic?”
Middle Merlin opened his mouth, then closed it. He seemed to consider. The wisest thing he could say now was ‘no’. Then Arthur would choose him. Arthur knew that as well as him and Arthur knew he would leap to that faith. But then middle Merlin closed his eyes and glared at the mercenary. “Say, how much did you figure out about my magic?”
The man in the tree shrugged. “Oh, I’m not giving that away.”
Merlin paused, then turned to right Merlin. “What’s your father’s name?”
The mercenary perked up, sitting up straight. “There is no way -”
Right Merlin seemed confused. “I met him only once, then he died. I have Gaius, that’s enough.”
To Arthur, the answer seemed just like out of a Merlin-textbook. But middle Merlin seemed to be satisfied with the answer. “Oh, you didn’t research enough, did you? Gaius is the only one beside me who knows who my father’s name is except for me.”
The mercenary growled. “And? You’ve kept his name secret for a reason. None of you is going to say it out loud.”
Middle Merlin laughed. “Oh no. You’re wrong. You’ve already lifted my secret. I no longer have anything to hide. I kept my magic because I was sure Arthur would consider me a fake. And I didn’t know what these copies are capable of. But, you made one mistake. A mistake that makes Arthur’s decision no longer necessary. Because you don’t know whom you copied.” Merlin’s grin met the mercenary’s with a wild passion that put a sociopath to shame.
The mercenary blinked. “What? You’re saying your dad’s name now and then things will turn out fine? I don’t understand. Did you forget that your prince doesn’t know who your father is? You could name anyone and that could sound right to his ears.”
Middle Merlin’s smile widened. “This isn’t about what Arthur knows. It’s about how much you underestimate me. You thought you could ensure that Arthur would choose the wrong person if you made a dozen of us sorcerers. You thought you could paint me as a copy. Your mistake is, you copied Merlin, the clumsy servant, the man Arthur Pendragon sees. It didn’t occur to you that you also copied his destined protector, the last Dragon Lord, Balinor’s son. Emrys” At those words, magic flamed up around Merlin and in his eyes.
At those words, the mercenary nearly fell from the branch. “Huh?!” The reaction was no longer amused or surprised. The man was terrified.
“Say, Mr. Mercenary. Do these copies explode when I kill them?”
The nod probably should have been avoided, but Merlin no longer seemed to care. With a mere wave of his hand, the shield of left Merlin was destroyed and the man blasted into flames. Right Merlin didn’t wait long for his own demise, but his screams were loud. When Merlin turned to the rest of the Merlin’s, Arthur saw two versions of Merlin he had never wanted to see. One full of bloodlust, the other an expression of pure terror. Only a second later, the many Merlin’s were running into the forest.
Naturally, the awake ones began to run. But Merlin didn’t let them wait. Suddenly, there was a growl inside the forest, terrifying the birds and calling a creature so big its presence alone made Arthur fall to his knees.
The mercenary quickly jumped from the branch he had been sitting on, intending to flee. So, Merlin caught him in a magic grip. A giant fist, made entirely of magic surrounded him, clenched around him and pressed out plea after plea from the man. His hair fell in his face and hid his pained tears. Merlin growled again, this time more humane. “Lucky you. I don’t like killing people. Arthur will be the one who decides what happens to you.”
Then, he turned to the dragon. “Kilgharrah. These copies are bombs. Wherever they run, they’ll cause destruction. Make sure none of them reach any villages.”
The dragon blinked at Merlin, then nodded, before flying off. Arthur could hear bombs setting off not shortly after. He also heard the screams that slowly turned to ringing in his ears. He stared at his hands. They were shaking. What the actual fuck just happened?
Merlin was next to him in under a second. The magic hand still grabbed the mercenary, but Merlin was by his side and lifted Arthur’s chin to look at him. “Hey, Arthur. I’m so sorry, I can explain -”
Arthur was pale. He felt sick. “You can’t be -”
Merlin grimaced. “I really am sorry. But I am the real one. I know it’s hard to believe but I swear, my magic is for you. Always has been. I wanted to tell you, I really did… but there never seemed to be the right time…”
Arthur could only stare at him. He believed him. Of course he did. He hadn’t expected the way this had turned out, but it made absolute sense. And if he was being honest… Middle Merlin hadn’t done a single thing that Arthur could have used to choose against him. He had been one of the stoic ones, but the only one of them who insulted him under his breath. He was the one who wanted to sneak away to get away from the explosives… or perhaps to stop them, who knew? And he had been the first one to defend Arthur when right Merlin revealed his magic. His arguments were sound… and now? Now the enigma solved itself right in front of him and all Arthur could think was… ‘I almost chose right Merlin’.
“I had ruled you out.” He said, feeling lightheaded.
Merlin grimaced again. “It’s alright. It was a difficult situation.” His ears were red.
Arthur met his gaze. “I ruled you out because you blushed. I thought it was him because…”
Merlin worried his bottom lip between his teeth. “That’s what you’re focusing on right now?”
Arthur stared at him. Gosh, he was done for. The magic, the lies, they all pained. But the pain wasn’t bigger than knowing he had almost chosen the wrong Merlin. And even that was nothing in comparison to the fact that Merlin was embarrassed and … flattered and flushed because of Arthur!
“I…” Arthur’s emotions were stuck inside his chest. He was in awe. And in shock and probably terrified. And then there was the hope, pushing blood through his veins in a speed that would likely take years from his life. “You’re a Dragonlord.”
Merlin smiled. “Your Dragonlord.”
Arthur’s heart exploded in line with one of the copies in the forest. “You have to be a wrong Merlin. There is no way this is true.”
“What, that I’m a dragonlord, or that I’m yours?” Merlin seemed to have gained some confidence at some point between calling the mercenary out and gazing into Arthur’s eyes with the intensity of a supernova. His smile twitched and Arthur was suddenly very aware how powerless he was against him.
“Hrghnhah!” What are words when your throat is busy dealing with the lump stuck inside?
Merlin laughed awkwardly. “I think we should interrogate the captive. Before he does this whole thing again. I’m not sure if he even CAN copy me, like, the full me, since my existence is kind of impossible but…”
Honestly, Arthur was pretty sure if the man did this again, he’d see at least 50 more Merlin’s than before. His mind was running WILD.
“...oh, sorry. I still haven't asked. What are you going to do with me?”
Arthur blinked at him. “Huh?” He needed more context.
Merlin smiled an innocent smile. “I mean… I have magic. I’m a dragonlord. Both is illegal in Camelot. I… there is so much I have to tell you. You won’t like most of it. And then there is the magic ban. You need to do something about it.”
Arthur shook himself out of his paralysis. “You expect me to lift the ban on magic?”
Merlin smiled. “No. But you'll do it anyway.” It was not a threat. It was a conviction.
Arthur relaxed. That… sounds about right. What else was he supposed to do? Merlin just saved him, and Camelot in the process. “Why did you never tell me?”
Merlin laughed. “I wanted you to have a GOOD reason to lift the ban. Me… the things I’ve done… they are absolutely deranged. It will be difficult to convince the court. But I know you well enough to trust that you’ll figure it out.” He beamed.
Arthur was left speechless.
What was it like to know someone? Arthur couldn’t say he knew. He was still beginning to get to know Merlin. But gosh, what a feeling it was to be known.