I'm sure you can do it. [ with her free hand, she takes one of merlin's and grips it tight. ] There's some things that only you can do, so never give up. You'll get there.

[ she's mostly speaking from experience, what with having one of her best friends get taken away from him. it was only her who could fix that. nobody else. and with her strong will, intelligence, and belief in other people, she was able to do it. and while merlin's circumstances are clearly very different, she knows that he'll be able to do it, too. whoever arthur might be? he's going to become merlin's great king, for sure.

now, athena has barely any idea who uther is, or what he's been through, but she's 1000000% convinced on what she has to do now. and that's to protect her friends. she's always feared death, and even feels queasy just from the sight of blood, but she gathers so much courage when her friends are involved. she just can't put any of her friend's lives at risk again.

she's had enough of that. ]

I'll be fine. [ she squeezes merlin's hand once before letting go. ] You have to trust me. So relax, okay? I mean - of course, you can't do that straight away, but believe in me when I say that I have your back.

No matter what happens.