Board Thread:Rewatching "Merlin" - Season Two/@comment-5102537-20130706091742/@comment-37001937-20181123013851

Early episodes gave me the impression that Merlin wished more for his own life than being a mere servant to a man and a destiny that he eventually didn't fulfill. He wanted to reveal his magic, and showed a little bit of romantic interest in Morgana and flattered-awareness at Gwen's insinuations. He fell in love and was willing to run away with Freya and live his own life somewhere.

I don't understand how his destiny entailed giving up all his life's desires to build a kingdom with Arthur; in the end none of that came to pass, and he still wonders the streets alone.

The more I look at Merlin's story, the more I realize that Arthur didn't really need anyone to help him build a kingdom. He made several choices on his onw because Merlin wouldn't reveal his secret, even if it meant endangering him and Camelot. Arthur experienced pain and disappointment with regards to relationships, but found his true love.