Gold Coin ? Arthur Pendragon

"I - what - why would you think that?"

Merlin stumbled through his words as he did in his steps so often, letting out a stiff chuckle at the end of it. It wasn't like him, Arthur thought. Words were the one thing that Merlin was sure-footed in — pun unintended. He was confident with words, throwing out witty answers at the briefest notice, and editing Arthur's own writing.

For the first time, Arthur was seeing Merlin truly lost for words, and it was terrifying.

It was terrifying because he didn't understand why. If he was innocent, why didn't he laugh it off? A real laugh, not this nervous one. If he was guilty, why hadn't he given out a threat, or started a spell or something?

"It just makes sense," Arthur told the servant. "Too many weird things happen around you. And, you asked me not to think any differently of you. Of you, not Will. If it had been Will with magic, then you could've just said nothing, and I'd never have guessed you had known."

"Coincidences," Merlin mumbled.

"Coincidences, Merlin, or lies, and coverups, and -"

Arthur was still looking at Merlin as the other boy* turned his face away, but he hadn't missed what Merlin hadn't wanted Arthur to see.

Was it guilt or fear that Arthur had seen in his eyes? Maybe it had been both.

"Are you going to turn me in to Uther?" Merlin asked quietly.

"Am I - what?" Arthur almost full out laughed at the suggestion, although he wasn't quite sure why. Turning Merlin in to his father should have been his first response. It had been his first response. Luckily, he had been able to think through his first response to get to his second. Or third. Or whichever revelation he was on now.

Merlin looked at Arthur with confusion. Arthur realized that the unintelligible snort that had just come out as he tried not to laugh might not have been seen as a good sign.

"I'm not going to turn you in. Not as long as you have a good explanation."

Merlin still looked like he expected Arthur to run him through with his sword at any moment. Arthur sighed. He wished that he were better at the whole comforting thing. Should he wait a moment and just let Merlin collect his thoughts? Should he just press on with the questioning? What sort of comforting gesture could be given?

Arthur settled for giving him a pat on the back, which turned out to be more awkward than anything, but the awkwardness was worth the flicker of a nervous smile Arthur thought he had seen on Merlin's face.

"You're not angry?" Merlin asked.

Arthur had to think about that for a moment, as anger wasn't really one of the major emotions he had been dealing with of late. Sadness because of betrayal. Confusion. Enough confusion to fill Arthur's brain plus three others. Doubt. A lot of doubt in himself, as well as Merlin, and his own father.

"No. I'm not angry. I might have been if you'd kept this big of a secret from me much longer though. We..." Arthur had been about to say that they were friends. But they couldn't be friends. It wasn't possible, what with Arthur being a prince, and Merlin being a servant. "I trusted you. I thought you could trust me."

Merlin winced. "It isn't that I don't trust you."

It was though. What was the purpose of withholding of truth if you trusted a person?

"So, would you be okay with answering some questions?" Arthur asked.

"Do I have a choice?" Merlin responded, his brief smile disappearing.