Chapter Text
In a way, Arthur had known right from the start that this would happen. The princess had arrived so serenely in Camelot a week prior, bowing before him with silky hair and sparkling eyes, enchanting, and laughing at all his jokes. Naturally, it was easy to get caught up in everything, but somewhere deep down, Arthur knew the whole thing wasn’t quite right. Of course, Merlin had been there, whispering doubts and cautions into his ear, but that was Merlin for you – with his strangely accurate ability to read people. It was as if he had some sort of sixth sense or… perhaps it was magic?
No, that would be silly. There was no way Merlin of all people would be clever enough to disguise a secret that big for so long. But still, there was something about him, a part of him that always seemed to know exactly when Arthur was heading towards danger. He had proven time and time again that he was willing to put Arthur’s life before his own, going above and beyond the duties of a simple servant. All of these thoughts flashed through Arthur’s mind as he slipped lower and lower into the cold water of the lake.
The princess had come to him early that morning, knocking gently on his chamber doors and peeking into the room with a sweet, innocent smile, begging Arthur to accompany her on a horse ride to the lake to watch the sunrise. Arthur had been in the middle of explaining that that might not be the best idea when gold had flared in the princess’s eyes and he found himself suddenly eager to follow her every move. He couldn’t even remember travelling to the lake; he just remembered the cold of it seeping into the leather of his boots as he stood in the shallows, facing the princess who smiled that sweet smile at him. She pressed a kiss to his cheek, and with it came the urge to please her, to follow her every command, to walk into that lake and never come out. He looked over his shoulder at her one last time before sinking lower into the water, letting it claim him. Moments before he let his whole body become submerged, he saw the flicker of a wolfish grin on her face as she vanished into the depths of the trees.
The water was cold, but comforting, and Arthur enjoyed the feeling of weightlessness that came with it. The water stung his eyes, so he closed them, welcoming the water into his lungs, thriving on the burning sensation of it. He knew he was drowning, but he just didn’t care. His mind was empty, clear of everything besides the tempting notion of being able to rest for all eternity.
And just when he felt as though he were almost there, he felt bony fingers jabbing into his side, raking at him, grappling at his clothes, and suddenly he was being hauled to the surface. It was then that everything became clear: he didn’t want to die.
His head broke the surface of the water, and he gasped for air, spitting out dirty lake water and kicking his legs to keep himself afloat. Behind him, he could hear panting and yelling, and when he spun around, he came face to face with a very soggy, very distressed looking Merlin.
“Arthur!” He wheezed, rivulets of water sliding down his cheeks and dripping off his chin. They looked like tears. In fact, they might have actually been tears. “Are you okay?!”
“Are you okay?” Arthur croaked in retort, finding himself impressed with Merlin’s strength as the servant gripped his arms forcefully, steadying the both of them in the water. It would seem that the little startled stoat was stronger than he looked. Merlin didn’t reply to Arthur’s question, just let his eyes roam over the king’s entire body, as if looking for any physical telltale signs of injury. “Merlin, I’m fine.” Arthur reassured, though he could both feel and hear his teeth starting to chatter. “How did you know I was here?”
“I saw you and the princess heading out on horses. I thought it was odd so I followed you.”
“Of course you did.” Arthur rolled his eyes, but was secretly grateful for Merlin’s suspicious nature – he was sure he would be dead right now if not for it.
“I thought I was going to be too late.” Merlin said, his voice lowered in pitch. Arthur studied Merlin’s eyes, and found that they were swimming with concern and what he was pretty sure was aching. Arthur had the strong desire to reassure his servant, to let him know that he really was okay. Cold as ice, but okay.
The two of them began swimming back towards the shore of the lake, and when Arthur could feel the bed of the lake with his feet, he nodded his head towards the shore and said, “What happened to the princess?”
“She ran off. I would have gone after her, but I didn’t want to leave you.” The sincerity of Merlin’s words sent a little shiver of warmth through Arthur, and he gave his servant a small smile as they clambered up the bank. As they stood dripping onto the stones beneath their feet, Arthur clapped a hand down on Merlin’s shoulder in thanks.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Merlin queried, and Arthur knew that the frown would be etched deeply into the servant’s forehead for a long time yet, but he would try his best to straighten it out as quickly as he could.
“Because of you, old friend, I am.” Arthur said, and some of the tension in Merlin’s shoulders seemed to dissipate. He let a small smile slide onto his lips. “Though I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere near a body of water for a while.”