Magic is About Control? {Merlin}

[Merlin Emrys]

The particular form of her questioning made Merlin more certain his first instinct had been right, and he couldn't help but feel more than a little pleased that chance had brought him across her path today so he could help soothe some of her fears - he knew he would have appreciated somebody doing that for him all those years ago, it probably would have saved a lot of confusion and heartache.

"Exactly," Merlin nodded "It wasn't all that uncommon here, no matter who you were, I suppose more people than we realise appreciate the chance to be just that little bit more free."

"He was...uncertain, at first..." Merlin admitted, not wanting to give her a false impression "But that had more to do with the world we came from, you see magic was banned in Camelot, punishable by death, and Arthur had been raised to fear and hate all things magical... being here started to change his mind, seeing it used for good, and then finding out that I had magic wasn't so bad. Now he's changed things in Camelot and magic is not outlawed the way it was when his father was king." he couldn't help but smile, Arthur had made such a change for the better, in more ways than just magical "and as for his position... Arthur was born for it, I know Camelot is important to him and he could never turn his back on his kingdom, and that's okay, that's just who he is... I suppose that applies for both things, whether magic or royalty, it's part of who we are, and if somebody can't accept that then they're not the one for you."

[Elsa]

Truly, this was a place for remaking. Elsa could see all her possibilities stretched out before her. Dancing with another woman; honing her abilities with a mysterious man, learning and spending time with her sister, making up for what had been lost before. It all kept stretching, the horizon expanding with each word Merlin spoke.

The situation struck her as quite familiar as well. A place where magic unnerved instead of helped, a love that perhaps wouldn't quite be allowed. Royalty being part of someone: Elsa felt that. Despite her initial reservations, she did feel like a queen, and she felt like she'd gotten the appropriate amount of support for that as well, at least from the people who mattered most to her.

"Thank you,' she said, trying to keep her voice level but unable to quite stop it from wavering. She met Merlin's gaze, and she felt her mouth open to say more. It closed, and she turned to look at the field. "I'm sure those sort of questions can be trying," she added. She inhaled deeply, exhaling a bit of chill. Thoughts took over for a moment, bringing silence with them.

[Merlin Emrys]

"You're welcome," Merlin inclined his head, and really he was just glad he could help, those were the sorts of questions people tended to ask when they'd been weighing on their mind, and if he could help make anybody's burden a little less he considered it a job well done.

"Oh, no, it's quite alright," Merlin waved her concern away with a friendly smile "I honestly don't get to talk about it that much at home, and so far I've not met that many new people here, mostly just old friends who already know all this. Maybe it will get tiresome eventually, but for now I'm just glad I was here to answer them for you. Sometimes there are questions you just can't answer for yourself, and meeting somebody who's been through the kind of experience you want to know about can help you feel a lot more prepared." he couldn't help but wonder if he and Arthur would have gotten their act together a lot sooner if he'd had a similar mentor figure. He didn't regret how long it had taken them, as such, because they wouldn't be who they were today without the life they had already lifted, but he was still curious.