Chapter Eight

A Prophesied Friendship

Merlin spent a few weeks tiptoeing around Arthur. He dined with Arthur and his court for meals, they shared pleasantries in passing, but it ended there. Arthur was not ready to let Merlin in again or to see their joined prophecy. 

After a particularly lively supper a young woman leaned forward and smiled at Merlin. “Now Merlin, you knew the King when he was very young. Any exciting stories of Arthur growing up.”

“Yes Merlin, do tell us of your adventures with our King.” Fentry gave him an odd smirk that was clearly meant to burn at Merlin.

Merlin blinked lazily and glanced towards Arthur. “Stories of the King growing up.” 

Arthur leaned back and met Merlin’s eyes. 

“What story shall I tell, would you like to hear of Arthur prior to the prophecy?”

“Ooh, tell us of the day he pulled Excalibur from the stone. Were you there that day? I’ve only been told legends of it.” The young woman glanced at Arthur and Merlin realized she must have been the young woman in Arthur’s chambers. 

Merlin took a gulp of his mead and leaned back, closing his eyes thinking back to that day that felt like a different lifetime. “It was raining that day,” Merlin said slowly. “I had suggested we  stay indoors, but Arthur was determined.”

“And you did everything he did?” Fentry added.

“I did,” Merlin admitted freely. “If you haven’t noticed, Arthur is a very difficult person to argue with.” 

The entire table laughed at that. 

“So, we go to this festival, where the King and Queen sit high up above everything else, looking over all of us. The men were all drunk, the women were all busy fucking the men.”

Arthur chuckled and met Merlin’s eyes again. Merlin smiled as well. “And then there we were, thirteen years old and completely out of place.”

“That one whore propositioned us.” Arthur added. 

“She did,” Merlin took a drink of mead as the court roared with laughter. The drinks had flown freely that night. 

“Then the ceremony began with earnest. Their was jousting and fighting and entertainment, all leading up to the sword and the stone.” Merlin said. 

“No one took it seriously. It was an age old tradition for the strongest man in all of Camelot to try first and after that the knights would take their turns, noblemen sometimes tried their hand, but I don’t think they liked the idea of not being capable, so soon enough it was opened to every man.” 

“No women?” the girl next to Arthur asked. 

“Were women allowed I’m sure Excalibur would have been removed far before Arthur was born. Prophecy be damned.” Merlin added. 

The girl gave him a wry smile and leaned forward pressing a kiss to his cheek. “I like this one, Arthur. Do keep him around.” 

“That remains to be seen,” Arthur said, it was a jest, Merlin could see it of course, but it bit none the less. 

“So, Arthur decides to go up and give it a try.” Merlin begins as everyone slowly silences. 

Arthur watched Merlin with liquid blue eyes. Merlin kept his gaze. “The first to try, the strongest man had tried to stop him. He said something about…”

“He told me that Excalibur could never be pulled by a street urchin so small.” Arthur said clearly. 

Everyone was completely silent as Merlin nodded. “And Arthur turned to this man, who was three times his size, stared straight through him and said ‘this sword is my destiny, it will answer my call.’ Everyone laughed at him, but he turned and stepped towards the stone with such surety.” Merlin took a slow breath in. “Arthur stepped up gripped the sword and it did answer his call. Excalibur rose from the stone and the King was born. I had never in all my life seen something so incredible.” 

“That’s incredible,” a high knight said slowly. “To have seen the moment the prophecy was fulfilled with your own eyes. I remember it being spread throughout Camelot. The King had been born. The sword Excalibur has claimed it ruler.”

“Everyone at the tournament that day will remember that moment for the rest of their lives. The day Camelot found it’s King.” Merlin said. 

Arthur nodded and smiled at Merlin. 

“And then he brought you to the castle as well, right?” Fentry said leaning back.

“Fen,” Arthur warned, but he too was smiling.

Merlin nodded. “He did. A promise we had made to each other as children. We would survive together, we would thrive together, we were alive together. So my life was also changed by Arthur’s destiny.” 

“And now you’re a warlock?” the young woman said. “Do you think that would have ever come to pass had you not made that promise with King Arthur?” 

“If Arthur had not realized his own destiny I would never have been able to realize mine.” Merlin said still meeting Arthur gaze. 

“Is it odd, being back in the castle again now, after so much has changed?” the woman asked. 

Merlin nodded and finished his drink. “It certainly is odd to dine in the King’s quarters rather than with the servants.”

Arthur snorted. “Dining with the servants? When did you ever dine with the servants?”

Merlin smirked and cleared his throat to keep from laughing. “Fair, I usually brought Arthur only parts of his meal, having finished the other half myself.” 

“Half is an understatement old friend. There were some evenings that he would arrive with my supper and all that would be left were the root vegetables.” 

“That is a lie. I always left you at least a morsel of the meat.” Merlin countered. 

The table was once again laughing. 

“A crime punishable by death you know, eating the crown princes dinner.” Arthur added. 

Merlin could feel the spark of something familiar in his chest. He met Arthur’s teasing glance and cocked his neck to one side. “And who would have dealt with you other than me?” 

Arthur squelched his laughter and nodded. “Fair point.” He stood slowly and everyone else followed. 

“I’ll retire for the evening. Thank you for joining me friends.” The high knights and members of the court began exiting slowly out of the Kings dining hall. “Merlin,” Arthur called as Merlin stepped towards the door. “May I speak with you?” 

“Do I need to request an audience first?” Merlin asked shutting the door and eyeing Arthur. 

Arthur chuckled again and finished his mead. “Run my bath please, Baldrick.” He nodded towards the older gentleman who left them in complete privacy. 

Merlin stayed where he was as Arthur unhooked his mantle, letting it fall to the ground. “Bloody heavy that,” he said. 

“I can imagine.” Merlin added. 

Arthur smiled and stepped closer, leaning against the table. “You remembered the day I pulled to sword?” 

Merlin was almost shocked to hear. “Of course I did. I remember all of it, Arthur.” 

Arthur took a slow breath in and leaned against the table. “What was it like, at the monastary?” 

“It was… lonely. And exhausting, I spent hours every day reading thick tomes that for too long made no sense. I learned languages and developed the abilities needed.” 

“Did you think of me while you were there?” Arthur asked. 

“I did. I thought of you constantly. You were the reason I was there, after all.” Merlin added slowly, gauging what Arthur’s response would be. 

Arthur said nothing for a moment. “I thought you’d be back sooner.” Arthur finally said. “I thought perhaps you’d be gone for a year.”

“Did they never tell you?” Merlin asked.

“Why didn’t you tell me? That night why didn’t you tell me?” Arthur said quietly. 

“I… I didn’t know until after I had left. I think they must have done that on purpose, I don’t think I would have been able to go had I known it would be ten years.”

“I waited for you,” Arthur said slowly. “I waited for you to return for years. I started to wonder if you ever would. I started to wonder if you were ever real. I hadn’t heard from you since my… since the King’s death.” 

“Arthur…” Merlin whispered. 

“When I received a raven from the monastary telling me the Great Sorcerer Merlin was returning to Camelot I almost didn’t believe it.” Arthur admitted. “You’d been gone for so long, there was no way you were still alive. There was no way you were coming home.”

“I am home.” Merlin said slowly. “I’ve spent weeks trying to convince you that I am home, you’ve wanted no part of me.” 

“Because you come in and immediately start speaking to me of a war that I’ve spent the past five years trying to end. I thought you’d just be happy to be here again.”

Merlin took a step forward. “Are we going to speak on these things? Or will you shut me down again?” 

“There is nothing to speak about. My stance has not wavered and as you so greatly remembered, I am a very difficult person to argue with.” Arthur said sternly. 

“What are you afraid will happen? That you will die? That I will die?” Merlin asked. 

“That everyone will die Merlin!” Arthur raked his hands through his perfect curls. “I have the weight of an entire realm on my shoulders. Not just us, not just Camelot, everyone everywhere under my rule.”

“I can help you, Arthur. I am meant to help you. Why are you so unwilling to see that?” Merlin asked taking another step forward. 

“Because you are supposed to be the one behind me!” Arthur said taking a step back. “You’re meant to be my shadow. You were supposed to be my best friend who I protected forever. You were never supposed to leave me in the first place!” 

“Is it always going to fall back to the fact that I left, Arthur? I didn’t have a choice, King Elric and Master Blaise had already laid my plans out before me. What was I meant to do, deny my King? Deny my destiny?” 

“You were supposed to stay with me.” Arthur said quickly. “I was the one left behind. After we promised each other we’d always be together. It was meant to be us against the world.”

“It is us against the world. That is our destiny Arthur. So it’s not exactly how you pictured it. Are you so childish to not see that you are now the one pushing me away? You are the one refusing my aide.”

“Do not call me childish, you have no right.” Arthur shook his head. “I’ve spent a decade waiting for you to return home only to be disappointed year after year. I’ve spent the past five years wondering if you’d died. I’ve watched knights I grew up with die at the hands of this war. I watched the man I saw as my father die. I saw the woman I saw as a mother succumb to grief. All while you were holed away. And through all of that, you weren’t here. Through all of that I had no one. You have no right to call me childish.” 

Merlin took a step closer, calming his nerves and forcing his calm onto Arthur, whose shoulders immediately sagged. He stepped forward until they were eye to eye. “You are my King, I will serve you. I will defend you. I will stand by you. Please just allow me to.” Merlin sunk to his knees in front of Arthur, who still fixed him with a glare. 

“Are you asking me to trust you?” Arthur said quietly. 

“Yes. Trust me as you once did. Put your faith in me Arthur, you already have mine.” 

Arthur took a slow breath in and nodded slowly. “I need time to think.” He took a slow step back. “Thank you for your conference. You may go.” 

“Arthur,” Merlin said standing once again. 

Arthur turned around. “I really did miss you.” Merlin said. 

A small smile played at the corners of Arthurs lips. “I missed you as well old friend.”