Title: "Words of Wisdom"
Category: Gen (Canon)
Characters/Pairings: Merlin, Arthur
Ratings/Warnings: K
Summary: We'll never know," Arthur announced, his eyes staring straight ahead, unseeing and out of focus. "All I know for sure is that I've lost both my parents to magic." Please, Arthur, not this. Anything but this… Don't do this to me… I can't take it. Not now. I can't do this… Please. Please, Arthur… Please…

"I wish there was something I could have done."

Merlin struggled to portray his regret into those nine words: a mere thirty-six letters that blended together to channel the silent I wish I could bring him back for you. It was funny how simple words could build someone up and then break them down. Hours earlier, Merlin had intended for his words to heal the King of a fatal wound, but someone else's words had torn his wondrous feat apart.

Arthur remained in his dejected posture, head thrown back against the chair in defeat. "Merlin, no one but me is to blame for this," the royal responded instantaneously.

"You are n-not to blame," the servant shot back, nearly losing his resolve. He choked back his emotions and plowed on. "This isn't your fault." It's mine, he thought. It's mine. I took Uther away from you. I killed your father. Please don't blame yourself. It's me. It was all me.

"I'm entirely to blame," Arthur said, his voice monotone and void of any real emotions. He was in shock, Merlin realized, and a wave of guilt crashed over him. Arthur swallowed thickly, and Merlin could tell he was trying to hold back everything. The I should have's, the would have's, and the could have's were threatening to overcome him, and Merlin knew that he had never seen the Prince of Camelot stronger.

Merlin made a move to protest Arthur's proclamation, but the blonde's next words halted his train of thoughts. "My father spent twenty years fighting magic." …No. "To think I knew better." …No, not this. Please not this. "I was so… arrogant." …Arthur, please…. Don't think that. Anything but this… "That arrogance cost my father his life."

Merlin's reply cut across the room like a whip, trying to stop Arthur's reasoning. "You were only doing what you thought was right. I am sure that old sorcerer meant no harm." Everything in Merlin was screaming to protect Arthur's view on magic: the view that could finally set the warlock free, allow the Prince to finally see the servant for who he truly was, let Merlin be himself without fearing for his life. "Perhaps the spell went wrong… Uther was dying… Maybe nothing could have saved him." His eyes shimmered with the faint hope that Arthur would accept his words as truth and not blame magic for the loss of his father. Merlin was alright with Arthur blaming his friend or himself even, but to blame magic… Merlin didn't know if he could handle it.

"We'll never know," Arthur announced, his eyes staring straight ahead, unseeing and out of focus. "All I know for sure is that I've lost both my parents to magic." Please, Arthur, not this. Anything but this… Don't do this to me… I can't take it. Not now. I can't do this… Please. Please, Arthur… Please…

"It is pure evil." With those words, Merlin's heart shattered into a number of pieces that could not be registered as any known number. Arthur let his azure eyes flicker to Merlin's trembling figure, meeting his gaze for the first time. "I'll never lose sight of that again."

Merlin found himself in a trance, nodding with comprehension at Arthur's sworn proclamation. A knock arose at the door, and Arthur rose to leave. When he was gone, Merlin swallowed a lump in his throat, and the tears threatened to fall.

Merlin cried himself to sleep that night.