AN: I don't own Merlin!

xxxx

It was the only type of magic that Uther couldn't ban. Everyone had soulmate tattoos, and it was so common that most people didn't even think of it as magic anymore. Some proudly wore their marks for everyone to see, while others kept them hidden and only showed them to those they thought could be their soulmate.

xxx

Arthur was born with two soulmarks. One was a large golden dragon on his chest, which was his reason for always wearing a shirt, even for training. The other was a simple purple crown, presumably for his future wife. This tattoo was just above his right knee, also an easy place to hide. As the future king of Camelot, it was enforced from a young age that he should never reveal is marks. It was seen as a weakness, even though he could never get rid of it.

Merlin began wearing a scarf from a young age to hide the tip of golden snout that wasn't covered by his shirt. Although he wasn't ashamed of it, he was aware that it was unusual for a mark to be so big, and he had to seem as normal as he could. It's okay though, he eventually starts to like the scarves, and stubbornly defends them if someone insults his wardrobe choice. The second was a normal soulmark, just like what the other kids in Ealdor had. It was an intricate but small red rose, tattooed on his right wrist, easy to cover if he wanted to, but also easy to reveal if he thinks he finds the one.

Gwen's beautiful purple crown confused both her and her family. Crown soulmarks were only found on royals or nobles; it was unheard of for a peasant to have one. As she grew up, she learned to keep her tattoo hidden underneath her dress. When her friends would ask her about her soulmark, she would just shrug her shoulders. Eventually, they stopped asking and assumed she was one of the few that did not have a soulmate chosen by destiny. She thought it was a cruel trick played by fate, and grew to hate the unknown person she was yet to meet, all the while wishing that she could have had something normal.

Morgana's black strike of lighting on the back of her neck meant that she was doomed to a life of unrequited longing. She hated the man that she would inevitably fall in love with, loathed him despite knowing that she would love him with all of her heart.

Mordred's tattoo was identical to Morgana's, but he chose to ignore destiny and find his own love. He refused to long after someone that would never love him back.

Gwaine never thought much about the simple blue star behind his ear. He thought that if he was going to meet his soulmate eventually, there was no point in pining over whoever it would be. It would happen when it would happen, and meanwhile he would spend his time fighting and getting kicked out of taverns. Who knows? Maybe the love of his life could be the next guy he punches.

Leon grew up without a soulmark, which saddened him as a child, but eventually became something he came to terms with. Although he wished there was someone he was fated to be with, he knew that there could be someone out there that was right for him. However, as he grew older and became more devoted to protecting his kingdom, he was glad that there would be no one whose life would be ruined if he was killed defending Camelot.

Percival always quietly observed the people around him to see if he could find his blue star. He kept his hidden on his chest, but wished his soulmate would have theirs showing proudly, so he could finally find them. He was quiet even as a child because he was always fantasizing about how he would finally meet his soulmate.

Lancelot's black rose near the bottom of his stomach left him feeling devastated when he was old enough to discover what it meant: that the one he would love would not love him the same way. As a teenager and young adult he brushed off the advances of any woman because he knew it would never end well. As he grew up, he vowed to be faithful to the woman he would love, even if she would never love him.