Chapter Text
Arthur sat on a log just outside the strange stone formation Morgana had directed him to and looked down at the horn in his hands. He'd come all this way, but he still wasn't sure what to do. This was magic. Magic was dangerous. And yet…
"Would you do it?"
"In a heartbeat," Gwaine answered without hesitation, sitting next to him and taking a drink from his wineskin.
Arthur looked at him. "Really?"
Gwaine shrugged. "A chance to meet my father? Of course I'd do it."
Arthur turned forward, facing the large rocks in front of him. "I don't think I've ever heard you speak about your father before."
"There's not much to say. He died while my mum was pregnant with me."
"I'm sorry."
He shrugged again. "Not your fault."
"How'd he die?"
"He went out fighting. At least, that's how I like to think of it."
Arthur looked at him curiously. "What happened?"
Gwaine hesitated and looked away. "He died in battle."
"He was a soldier?"
"He was a knight. In Caerleon's army."
That surprised Arthur. "A nobleman?"
Gwaine nodded.
Arthur furrowed his brow. "How come you never said?"
Gwaine glanced at him. "I didn't want to be judged based on the title of a man I never met, but on my own merit. Nobility isn't defined by the way you're born; it's what you do."
Arthur nodded and looked back down at the horn in his hands. "You've certainly proven your nobility plenty of times."
"As have you. I would serve no other."
"Not even Merlin?" Arthur teased.
"Oh I'd do anything for Merlin, but that's differnet."
"Why?"
"Because he'd never ask me to. Even if he were noble, I couldn't see him ever wanting people to serve him."
"No. Nor could I. If anyone deserves it though…"
"Well, there's one way to make him a noble," Gwaine said. "A Prince, even."
Arthur shook his head. "We've had this conversation before, Gwaine. I can't marry Merlin."
Gwaine shrugged, apparently deciding it wasn't worth arguing right now. "If you say so, My Lord."
Arthur was quiet for a second and then asked, "What about your mother?"
"What about her?"
"Is she still alive?"
"No idea."
"You… don't know?"
Gwaine shook his head. "When she remarried, I left home, and I never looked back. Her husband's a prick."
"How old were you?"
"Fifteen."
"Damn."
"My sister tried to get me to go back once, when she got married." He shrugged. "Her husband's a prick, too. The women in my family have terrible taste in men."
"Just the women?"
Gwaine glanced at him. "Need I remind you we're both in love with the same man."
Arthur sighed and looked away. "I'm not in love with him."
"Sure you aren't." He paused for a second and then asked, "Why didn't you want him to come?"
Arthur looked down at the horn in his hands. "He would have tried to stop me. Besides, he has a daughter to think about now. I shouldn't keep bringing him out on quests and risking his life."
"You have a whole kingdom to think about, don't you? And no heir to take it over if you die. But you keep risking your own life."
"My life isn't more important than anyone else's just because I'm the King."
"But Merlin's is because he's a father?"
Arthur didn't have an answer to that.
Gwaine sighed. "Look, I think Merlin's life is more important than anyone's, certainly more than my own. But that's got nothing to do with Aithusa."
"No, it's because you're hopelessly in love with him."
Gwaine just shrugged, not even bothering to argue with that. "Point is, I get wanting to protect him. I'd do just about anything to keep Merlin alive." He looked at Arthur. "But one thing I won't do is tell him what to do. If he wants to do something stupid like follow you into danger with no armor to protect himself and no weapon to defend himself, that's his choice to make, not mine. I'll do what I can to keep him alive along the way, but I'm not gonna keep him from living." He looked forward again and took another drink of his wine. "Besides, he's tougher than you think. I mean, he's survived this long, hasn't he? All Aithusa does is give him another reason to stay alive, and he doesn't need you to tell him that."
Arthur looked down. "I suppose you have a point." He sighed and looked back up at the large stones towering above him. "What do you think he'd say, if he was here?"
"I think he thinks the same thing of you that I think of him. I think he'd be worried about you, but he wouldn't stop you. He's lost people, too. He gets it. Besides, there's no way he hasn't figured out what you're doing, so if he was going to try and stop you, he would have by now."
"You think so?"
"You've met him, haven't you?"
Arthur let out a short huff of amusement and shook his head. "Yeah, alright." He took a breath, looking down at the horn in his hands and then back up at the Great Stones of Nemeton. "I suppose if I'm gonna do it, I should do it." He pushed himself to his feet but paused before stepping forward, still uncertain.
Gwaine kicked the back of his foot. "Well, go on then."
Arthur rolled his eyes and stepped into the stone circle. He brought the horn to his lips and blew into it.
Everything around him went white, almost blindingly bright, and it took his eyes a moment to adjust. When he did, he was met with a face he hadn't seen in far too long.
Arthur and Gwaine returned to the citadel late the next evening, and Merlin let out a sigh of relief when he found they were unharmed. All day, he'd been wrestling with himself over his decision not to go with them. Morgana said she was proud of him for starting to work on his "codependence issues." This did not make him feel better.
Arthur acting as though nothing had happened also did not make him feel better.
Merlin found Gwaine alone in his room to ask about it.
Gwaine shrugged. "I didn't see much. There was this bright light, and he went into it, and then a few minutes later, he came back out, and then it faded. Then he was just quiet the whole way back. I figured you'd have better luck than I did getting anything out of him."
Merlin shook his head and sat down on the bed next to Gwaine with a sigh. "He won't even admit to me that he did it. He told me you guys went hunting. Again."
Gwaine snorted. "Well, I guess that's not technically a lie. I think killing animals makes him feel better."
"I don't think I'll ever understand that."
"And that's what makes you better than the rest of us, Merlin."
Merlin looked away. "I'm really not."
"What makes you say that?"
Merlin shook his head. "Nothing. Did you happen to notice, when Arthur came back from the Spirit World, did he look back?"
"Not that I could tell. Why?"
"Just something Morgana said. Never mind."
"Right…"
Merlin bit his lip. "Can I ask… Why did Arthur invite you with him?"
"On the actual hunting trip or on the fake hunting trip?"
"Both, I suppose."
"The first time, I think I was just the only one available. The second time, he didn't."
Merlin furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"
"He didn't invite me. I followed him." He shrugged. "I figured it was what you'd want me to do."
Merlin couldn't help but smile at that. "I probably would have preferred to go with him myself, honestly."
"Eh, you seemed busy."
Merlin shook his head. "Well, thank you. It did make me feel better, realizing you'd gone with him, knowing you two could protect each other. I didn't like thinking of him out there all alone."
"Yeah, wouldn't want him to get lost or anything."
Merlin looked at him. "Are you making fun of me?"
Gwaine smiled. "Maybe a little."
Merlin elbowed him. "Rude."
Gwaine laughed. "What? I think it's cute how much you worry about him."
Merlin blushed. "Shut up."
"Nah. You'd get bored."
Merlin smiled at him. "You're not wrong." He looked toward the door and sighed. "I should probably get back to work, though."
Gwaine put a hand on Merlin's shoulder. "Just don't work too hard, yeah?"
"You know me, Gwaine; I never work too hard."
"Uh huh. Sure you don't."
Merlin rolled his eyes and got to his feet. "I'll see you tomorrow, Gwaine."
"You better."