Attempt #1

This was it. This was the day. Merlin knew this with absolute certainty, he could feel it as surely as magic pulsing through his veins.

This was the day Arthur would learn the truth. That he, Merlin, the so-called idiotic, incompetent manservant... was a sorcerer.

He'd been contemplating how and when to tell the King for a while now. He thought about every possible scenario, every outcome, including the worst ones - where Arthur would banish him or sentence him to death by pyre. But eventually, he realized he believed full-heartedly it wouldn't come to that. Yes, Arthur would probably feel angry and betrayed at first, throwing him into the dungeon in his rage, perhaps he'd need a couple of days to cool down and talk to him again. But Merlin was prepared. He had faith in destiny, and their friendship.

It was time for the Once and Future King to know, and it was better that he'd learn it from his own lips than in the heat of battle or from their enemies. This was the right way, and Merlin was not afraid.

Merlin gulped as he stood in front of the door to Arthur's bedchamber.

...Alright, so maybe he was a little nervous.

With a deep sigh, he pulled the door open and walked in.

"Merlin, for God's sake, don't you ever knock?" the King snapped irritably from his desk not even rising his eyes, apparently suffering through composing a speech.

The warlock forced his nerves to calm down and replied cheekily:

"You just can't make up your mind, can you? First it's, 'You know you don't have to knock, Merlin,' then it's 'Why can't you knock, Merlin,' then it's..."

"Shut up, Merlin!"

"...Exactly."

"I'm trying to concentrate."

"Oh, careful there."

"Merlin."

The servant's smile finally faded, replaced by a solemn expression. This was it.

"Arthur, I need to talk to you about something."

"Can't it wait?"

"No, it really can't."

Arthur stopped, surprised by the seriousness in his voice.

"Alright," he frowned, putting his quill down.

Merlin took a deep breath.

"Arthur."

There was a long pause.

"Yes, that is my name. Now what is it?"

Merlin almost snorted, but he was way too nervous to muster any sense of humor. His eyes rested on his feet despite himself. He couldn't look Arthur in the eye when he said it.

"I'm..." His voice shook, but he swallowed and forced himself to continue: "...a sorcerer. I have magic."

The silence that followed was deafening.

Finally, after at least a minute of neither of them making a sound, Merlin dared to look up. The expression on Arthur's face didn't fit into any scenario Merlin had contemplated.

It was totally blank, except for one risen eyebrow.

"Uh... Arthur?"

"Merlin, my sword needs sharpening for this afternoon."

Merlin's jaw dropped. That was absolutely the last response to his confession he expected.

"W-what?"

"I said, Merlin, I need my sword sharpened for this afternoon. When you're done with that, take care of my laundry. Then muck the stables - and don't you dare slack off, I'll be checking."

"But... but..."

"Honestly, Merlin, are you deaf as well as incompetent? Hurry up! I need to finish this speech before noon."

The sorcerer finally closed his mouth, speechless and too shocked to protest. He walked out and closed the door behind him, only one thought in his mind.

What the hell just happened?

Author's Note:

I'm baaaack! ...Sorta. At least, I had time to write something like this and post it, so I suppose I'm back? But believe me when I say I'm working on all of my stories, I haven't abandoned anything. I was extremely busy with personal issues and although I can't elaborate, know it wasn't anything trivial. I'm alive and I'm still writing!

So, this is my first attempt at writing Merlin and Arthur... did I get it right? Please let me know. I expect this to be about ten short chapters long.

Thank you for reading, please comment and follow and favorite if you can, but most importantly - read on and enjoy! :)