Arthur
Merlin had magic. Merlin had magic. Holy shit. And now…now Merlin was gone.
Arthur wasn’t taking it well, he knew that. But Arthur had no clue what the hell had happened.
Arthur had just been looking for his manservant, hearing from Gaius that the boy had been walking around for the first time in a week.
Arthur was desperate to see him. He didn’t know what the feeling that sat in his chest was, but it was a painful concern. It hurt to breathe, to speak, to think without Merlin here.
After Merlin had disappeared, Arthur realized he had known something was wrong with his friend. He had chosen to ignore it though, and now Merlin could be dead.
“Leon! Still no sign of Merlin anywhere?” Arthur barked, feeling a slight twinge of guilt. Leon had known Arthur since he was a babe. He shouldn’t be treated his friend like this.
He wasn’t much better to Gwen or Morgana. The knights were scared to come to training. Arthur knew this, he heard the whispers around the Citadel.
Arthur had imprisoned a man who dared insinuate Merlin was his bed warmer. Merlin was more than that! Well, not in that way. The thought of two men together was insane.
But it got Arthur thinking. Why was he so offended by that? Arthur had abolished the law against same-sex marriage and couples. But Arthur didn’t want that. He didn’t.
Merlin just deserved better than being a bed warmer. He deserved love. Merlin deserved a kingdom, a better one that Arthur could give him.
Merlin with his gangly limbs, his too big ears, his messy hair, his full lips, his soothing voice, his strong hands, his—
Shit. Arthur realized he was well and truly fucked. He was in…love, yes love, with his best friend. His most trusted advisor. Someone who had lied to him about being a sorcerer since the day they met. Someone who was now gone, and Arthur had no clue whether Merlin was ever coming back.
Arthur still hadn’t fully processed what it meant that Merlin had magic. He was to caught up on the fact Merlin was gone. His Merlin had scrambled away, and in Arthur’s shock, Arthur had let him.
It took another two weeks before Arthur gave up. He wasn’t going to find Merlin. Maybe Merlin had died in a ditch somewhere, maybe he just didn’t want to be found.
Arthur threw himself into his work to avoid thinking about Merlin.
It took Gwen, Morgana, Leon, Percival, Gwaine(who had returned to Camelot to help look for Merlin, who Arthur had accepted with open arms), and Gaius to get Arthur up and about it.
Now that Merlin wasn’t here, Arthur realized how empty the castle felt. Not even just to Arthur, others felt it too. People didn’t go to Merlin for advice anymore, they didn’t see Merlin running around in the background, trying to fetch things for Arthur. The castle was darker, and a gloom had settled over the Citadel.
Arthur also realized now how precious Merlin was to everyone. Gaius lost his nephew. Morgana lost a confidant, before even realizing that they had another thing to relate about. Gwen lost her best friend. The knights lost their friend, someone who brightened their days after a bad training session, someone who bandaged their wounds. The castle lost the glue that kept it together. The Citadel lost the excitement in its day, people no longer had the brief interaction with a joyous Merlin to look forward to.
Camelot had lost its soul.
Arthur hosted a funeral a few days later. There was no body to burn, so it was more a memorial.
And with the tears Arthur saw, he realized he was not the only one in love with Arthur. The staff, the people, men and women.
Arthur dedicated himself to making him a king Merlin would be proud of. He made Camelot a kingdom for Merlin.
So the day Arthur joined Merlin in heaven, Arthur could at least say he had made something worthy of Merlin. His first, and truest love.
Then the doors to courtroom slammed open. Arthur jumped from his thoughts, preparing to become the king he had made of himself. But it wasn’t a knight, nor a citizen with a problem.
It was him. Merlin was back.