Merlin One Shots

Love

A/N: Mentions of Freylin. Yay.

Setting: Right after the episode "Lamia" .

Description: Turns out there's more than one reason Merlin didn't fall under the Lamia's spell.

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin or its characters

       The ride back to Camelot had been silent so far. The after effects of the Lamia left the knights feeling guilty and ashamed. They should have listened to Merlin and Gwen. Yet none of them had found a way to apologize properly.

         "There's something I'm wondering." Gwaine piped up, unable to stand the silence any longer. "I understand why Gwen wasn't affected by the Lamia." Arthur turned to stare at the knight, raising an eyebrow.

           "But?" Percival prompted.

           "Why didn't Merlin fall under the spell?" Gwaine finished. All eyes turned to Merlin, wanting an answer.

          "Yes, Merlin. Why didn't you?" Arthur's tone was suspicious. Merlin paled, then forced a smile on his face.

          "Maybe it's because I'm smarter than the lot of you." He said, grinning at the groans of protest from the knights. Gwen couldn't help but let out a quiet laugh at her friend's words. Merlin felt relieved, and hoped that they would drop it.

        But Arthur wanted a real answer.

        "Come on, Merlin." He taunted. "Tell us the real reason." Merlin's joking expression faltered as he scrambled for an excuse. He simply shrugged, refusing to say anything else. Arthur grimaced.

          Fine. He would get the answers himself.

➿➿➿➿➿

         "Gaius, we need you to tell us something." Arthur, Guinevere, and the knights were all crowded in the physician's work room. Gaius raised an eyebrow at the king's statement.

           "Of course, sire. What is it you need?" The physician turned back to his work of mixing up potions.

            "About the Lamia..." Arthur began hesitantly.

           "What would it take to resist its spell?" Gwaine broke in, impatient. Gaius faced the group, furrowing his brow.

           "Why? There's not another one, is there?" Worry crept into the physician's tone. Gwen shook her head, reassuring him.

            "No, we only want to know why-"

           "We only want to know in case we ever come across one in the future." Arthur cut in, receiving a glare from Gwen. Gaius looked between the two, before walking over to pick up a book.

            "Well," he said, flipping through it. "There are multiple ways to not fall under its spell, but most of which require magic." Arthur stiffened.

            Merlin couldn't have magic, could he? He wouldn't betray Camelot like that, betray Arthur. Never.

            "What other ways are there?" Leon interrupted the king's thoughts.

             "The only non-magical way is by being truly in love with someone." Gaius stated, not looking up from the book. But if he had looked up, he would have seen the incredulous expressions of the faces of the people before him.

           Leon, Elyan, and Percival both had every possibility of who it was running through their minds. They thought of every servant girl in the castle, ruling them out, one by one.