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30 Days Relationship Challenge #13
Jun. 7th, 2012 01:02 pmCompletely forgot about this yesterday! -_-
Arthur & Merlin, Merlin
Bad, inconsistent writing aside, these two, their relationship is quite a fascinating thing, let me tell you.
Arthur has always been used to people tripping over their own legs to do him a favor and get into his good graces. Until he met Merlin who not only didn't know who he was - oh, the sacrilege! - but he didn't care much even once he found out. How dared he! Merlin never bothers to hide what he thinks of Arthur and Arthur's plans and his royal pratiness - yet he would lay his life down to protect Arthur. And Arthur, for all his whining and insults, knows that very well. I think it must be a real novelty for him to actually have a friend, someone who wants to be with him just because, not because he's the prince/king.
And Merlin. For him, the sun rises and sets with Arthur, literally. And because he loves and admires his master so much, he protects Arthur but he also makes sure that Arthur knows when he's about to do something stupid or reckless or wrong. Merlin's willing to die for Arthur - and he expects very little in return, he's very much aware of the social chasm between a king and his servant. Yet he considers Arthur a friend, despite everything. It's... I think it must be very hard to reconcile these things, teasing someone and poking fun at him yet always being aware that you can do that only because the other person allows it. I mean, Gaius has been Uther's servant for decades but there wasn't a similar relationship between them. I think that Merlin and Arthur both found something in the other they were missing...
And yet. There's the little tidbit that's Merlin's magic. Merlin would entrust Arthur anything - everything except that, his biggest secret. Would Arthur react harshly if he found out? I think he would. He would be pissed and unfortunately, when Arthur's pissed he doesn't think, he reacts and Merlin knows that. I think he would do something - imprison Merlin, exile him... - that he would soon regret, true, but the damage would be done. I think that's why Merlin's hiding his true self from Arthur, because he knows Arthur...
And when you think of it like that, it's quite sad, to love someone so deeply yet to be afraid that one thing, this one thing, something you can't even change, would change their whole opinion of you...
Arthur & Merlin, Merlin
Bad, inconsistent writing aside, these two, their relationship is quite a fascinating thing, let me tell you.
Arthur has always been used to people tripping over their own legs to do him a favor and get into his good graces. Until he met Merlin who not only didn't know who he was - oh, the sacrilege! - but he didn't care much even once he found out. How dared he! Merlin never bothers to hide what he thinks of Arthur and Arthur's plans and his royal pratiness - yet he would lay his life down to protect Arthur. And Arthur, for all his whining and insults, knows that very well. I think it must be a real novelty for him to actually have a friend, someone who wants to be with him just because, not because he's the prince/king.
And Merlin. For him, the sun rises and sets with Arthur, literally. And because he loves and admires his master so much, he protects Arthur but he also makes sure that Arthur knows when he's about to do something stupid or reckless or wrong. Merlin's willing to die for Arthur - and he expects very little in return, he's very much aware of the social chasm between a king and his servant. Yet he considers Arthur a friend, despite everything. It's... I think it must be very hard to reconcile these things, teasing someone and poking fun at him yet always being aware that you can do that only because the other person allows it. I mean, Gaius has been Uther's servant for decades but there wasn't a similar relationship between them. I think that Merlin and Arthur both found something in the other they were missing...
And yet. There's the little tidbit that's Merlin's magic. Merlin would entrust Arthur anything - everything except that, his biggest secret. Would Arthur react harshly if he found out? I think he would. He would be pissed and unfortunately, when Arthur's pissed he doesn't think, he reacts and Merlin knows that. I think he would do something - imprison Merlin, exile him... - that he would soon regret, true, but the damage would be done. I think that's why Merlin's hiding his true self from Arthur, because he knows Arthur...
And when you think of it like that, it's quite sad, to love someone so deeply yet to be afraid that one thing, this one thing, something you can't even change, would change their whole opinion of you...
