Chapter Text
Arthur had waited three months for Merlin to come back to Camelot. Each day, he had hoped to see her again in the castle, running errands for Gaius or checking on the knights after training. However, it was becoming clearer by the day that Merlin had no intention of ever coming back.
Arthur had made up his mind. If Merlin would not come to him then he would go to her.
“Leon,” he said as the knights were leaving the training field. “A word.”
Arthur caught sight of Gwaine and Perceval staring at them.
“You’re in charge of Camelot until I get back,” Arthur told him simply.
“Arthur, I-”
“Where are you going?” Gwaine suddenly asked as he made his way over.
“I’m going to the Ealdor to drag Merlin back home,” Arthur said.
“Thank fuck.”
“I am happy to hear this, Sire,” Leon told him. “When are you leaving?”
“Right now. This has been going on for too long.”
“I’m coming with you,” Gwaine said at once. “I don’t trust you not to fuck this up.”
“I am going as well,” Perceval said. “For your protection, of course. I have every confidence in you, Sire.”
Arthur rolled his eyes.
“Do you know what you’re going to tell her, at least?” Gwaine asked.
“That I love her and I can’t live without her,” Arthur told them with a deadpan expression.
Leon, Gwaine and Perceval stared at him with wide eyes.
Leon cleared his throat awkwardly. “Good- Huh, that’s good, Sire.”
“Thank you, Leon.”
“Good luck.”
ooo
The journey to the Ealdor had seemed both agonisingly long and far too short. For all his bravado, Arthur was actually nervous about seeing Merlin again.
Three months had been more than enough time to mull over the fact that Merlin had magic. Gaius had explained some of it and Arthur had inferred the rest. Arthur had felt betrayed when he had realised that Merlin had been lying to him since the first day but it had been nothing compared to the devastation he had felt when Gaius had told him that Merlin had left Camelot.
For all her talk about destiny and wanting to see him become a great king, Merlin had been quick to leave him on his own.
The knights came to a stop in front of Merlin’s house. Arthur dismounted his horse and immediately made his way to the front door. He stopped himself from barging in and instead knocked on the door.
Hunith opened the door and took a step back.
“Sire,” she said, clearly surprised to see him on the threshold.
“Hunith,” Arthur greeted. “Where’s Merlin?”
“She’s out gathering herbs, Sire.”
Arthur rolled his eyes. He had heard that excuse before.
“She should be back any moment.”
Arthur glanced at Gwaine and Perceval who were slowly making their way to the house.
“Then we will wait for her here, if that’s all the same to you,” Arthur said.
Hunith let them inside the house with a sigh. She seemed nervous, Arthur noticed.
“I have some errands to run, Sire,” Hunith told him.
“Of course, don’t trouble yourself on our account.”
“Make yourselves at home.”
Hunith left and the three knights found themselves waiting for Merlin in her tiny village house. Arthur sat down at the table. Not one of them had anything to say, not even Gwaine. Arthur was growing more nervous by the minute. What was he going to do when he saw her again? Order her to come back? If she wanted to stay in the Ealdor then there was nothing Arthur could do.
Arthur heard footsteps near the house and immediately straightened his back.
“Mom? Are you here?”
Merlin opened the front door and made her way inside the house. She froze immediately upon seeing the three men inside the house. The basket she was carrying fell out of her hands, revealing her swollen belly.
“Well, shit,” Gwaine whispered.
Arthur paid him no mind. He could not tear his gaze away from Merlin. She was surprised to see them but she quickly recovered and her gaze hardened. She glared at Arthur.
“What are you doing here?”
“Bringing you back to Camelot,” Arthur barked.
Arthur had not meant to sound that harsh but no matter. Nothing was ever going the way he planned when Merlin was concerned anyway.
Merlin huffed. She ignored Arthur and started tidying the house instead. Arthur could feel how uncomfortable Gwaine and Perceval were and decided to have pity on them.
“Leave us,” he told them.
Perceval almost ran out of the house but Gwaine turned around at the last moment and glared at Arthur warningly.
“Merlin,” Arthur called as she busied herself around the house. “Merlin, look at me, dammit.”
Merlin turned around and glared. Arthur sighed before standing up and making his way to her.
“Merlin, please, I’m asking you to come back,” he told her.
“No.”
“No?” he exclaimed. “What do you mean, no?”
“There’re people here who need me.”
“I need you!”
Merlin had the gall to roll her eyes at him. “It’s too late, Arthur. I’m sick of all this. I gave you everything I had and you still turned your back on me. I never asked anything from you but please, just this once, do as I say and leave me alone.”
“I could order you to come back, you know,” Arthur told her, his voice turning cold. “If the baby’s really mine then I-”
“If?” Merlin whispered.
She took a step back. She looked like Arthur had just slapped her.
“You prat,” she whispered. “You pompous, arrogant prat!” she exclaimed, raising her voice.
Arthur felt two small hands pushing him towards the door. He was too surprised to fight back. He let Merlin push him out of the house and watched her close the door in his face.
“Merlin!” he called.
He tried opening the door but Merlin had locked it.
“Merlin! Open the door, dammit!”
“Go away!” Merlin said, her voice muffled by the door standing between them.
Arthur turned away from the door and saw Perceval and Gwaine looking at him.
“Well, that could have gone better,” Gwaine said.
“Shut up.”
Arthur walked away. He needed time to cool off.
Arthur went to the forest nearby and started gathering firewood. Of course his reunion with Merlin had gone to shit almost immediately. What had he been expecting? For her to fall into his arms and follow him back to Camelot without putting up a fight? She would not be the Merlin he knew and loved if she was not being contradictory. Arthur kicked a nearby tree and groaned as pain started shooting through his foot.
Arthur sat down and put his head in his hands.
“I’m an idiot,” he mumbled.
Arthur had no idea how long he had been in the forest when Hunith came looking for him.
“It’s getting late, we were worried,” she told him simply. “Can I sit down?”
Arthur shrugged and Hunith sat down on the log next to him.
“Are you alright?” Hunith asked.
“I don’t know,” Arthur answered truthfully. Then he glanced at Hunith and said, “I didn’t know about the baby, I swear. If I had known, I-”
Hunith put her hand on his shoulder. “I know, Arthur.”
“I asked her to marry me, you know… the night she left.” Hunith seemed surprise. “Did she not tell you that? It seems all so stupid now.”
“It’s not stupid, Arthur. You’re a man of honour.”
“No- I mean, yes. But I didn’t ask her because- I mean, I’d still want to marry your daughter even if we hadn’t-” Arthur cleared his throat awkwardly. “I’m in love with her.”
“I know you are.”
“Do you think she feels the same way about me?”
Hunith smiled at him softly.
“You are her everything, Arthur.”
Arthur decided to take that as a yes.
ooo
Later that night, Arthur found Merlin sitting alone outside the house. He kneeled down in front of her and took her hands in his.
“I didn’t think you would leave Camelot,” he whispered.
Merlin sighed. “I know I overreacted.”
Arthur pressed their joined hands against her stomach.
“Were you ever going to tell me?” he whispered.
“No.”
“Why?”
“I was scared,” she admitted.
“You’re scared of me,” Arthur said, taking his hands off.
Merlin grabbed his hands again and held them firmly. “No, Arthur. I’m not scared of you. I was scared of what you would think of me. That you would think I was manipulating you.”
“Do you really have so little faith in me?”
“Arthur, please. Just listen for once in your life. If I had told you about the magic and the baby, can you honestly tell me that you wouldn’t have thought that I had planned all of this?”
Arthur rolled his eyes at her. “Come on, Merlin. You’re far too honest to come up with such a ploy by yourself.”
“Arthur.”
Arthur sighed. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I should never have told you to leave. Merlin, I’m begging you. Please, come home. I’m loosing my mind here.”
“I don’t know, Arthur.”
Arthur squeezed Merlin’s hands. “I’ll do anything,” he told her. “I’ll repeal the ban on magic.”
Merlin shook her head slowly. “I don’t want you to do it for me. I want you to do it because you want to.”
“But I do want to! I want you to be safe, don’t you understand? For years now, all I ever wanted was for you to be safe and happy by my side.” Arthur gently pressed their foreheads together. “Please,” he whispered. “Please, come home with me. Marry me. Be my queen. The mother of my children.”
“Arthur.”
“If you don’t want to be queen, then I’ll stay here with you,” he told her.
Merlin’s eyes widened in surprise and she pulled away from him. “Have you lost your mind?”
“I’m serious, Merlin. I’m sick of pretending you’re not important. You’re precious to me, do you understand?” He gently cupped her face with his hands, making her look at him. “I know you love me as much as I love you. Stop being so stubborn about this.”
“Alright.”
“Alright?”
Merlin laughed. “Yes, you prat, I’ll marry you.”
Arthur smiled, relieved, before kissing her gently.
ooo
The following morning, Merlin said goodbye to her mother.
Arthur let Hunith draw him into a hug. “I’ll write to you as soon as we’ve set a date for the wedding,” he told her.
Hunith smiled at him.
“Come on, Merlin,” Arthur called as he mounted his horse. “You’re ridding with me.”
“I have my own horse, you know,” she said.
“I don’t care, come on.”
Arthur looked at Perceval pointedly. The knight lifted Merlin up and gently placed her on the horse in front of Arthur. Arthur wrapped his arms around her protectively as he held the reins. He could not see Merlin’s face but he knew she was pouting.
Merlin sighed. “You’re going to be insufferable about this, aren’t you?”
“You know me so well. Let’s go.”
THE END