Context is Everything

Author: lawgoddess
Title: Context is Everything
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/s: Merlin/Arthur
Character/s: Merlin. Arthur
Summary: Words spoken in different contexts.
Warnings: None
Word Count: 100
Prompt: 357: Try Again

“Try again.”

Those words haunted Merlin’s dreams during the time when Arthur was trying to teach him the basics of soldiering.

Arthur was so ruthless.

It was only months later that Arthur confessed that he was so hard on Merlin in training because he was afraid of losing him. He wanted to be sure that if they were ever separated in combat Merlin would have at least a small amount of skill to defend himself.

And the morning after the first time they shared a bed, Arthur gave him a tender smile and murmured, “Try again?”