The blows landed on his left jaw, then his side, one right after the other. He convulsed on the floor of the throne room as another one hit his chin, sending his head snapping backwards.
"This," Merlin snarled, "Is what happens to arrogant kings like you." He punctuated each word with a blow.
Arthur groaned and lifted his arms to protect his face, but the hits kept coming. All the while Merlin stood there, not even touching him. Instead, he lifted his hand and brought it down again, each time sending pain coursing through some part of Arthur's body.
"Merlin," Arthur begged, "Please."
"Why should I have mercy on you?" Merlin said, "You killed enough of my kind, you and your father." A phantom kick landed in Arthur's groin, and he howled.
"I'm sorry," Arthur gasped.
"You killed my father!" Merlin roared. His red eyes gleamed like twin pools of blood. "You killed my best friend, and the girl I loved!" Merlin landed a particularly hard blow, sending Arthur sliding across the floor. Arthur felt the blood course from his broken nose, soaking into his shirt and pooling on the floor to join the blood seeping from his other wounds.
"I didn't mean to," Arthur said around his broken teeth, "I didn't want to."
"Yes you did," Merlin said, voice dangerously low, "You wanted to kill them because they had magic. You would have seen the same happen to me."
Arthur said nothing to that. He got a kick to the stomach.
"You don't even try to deny it."
Arthur raised his gaze and tried to look at Merlin, though one eye was swollen shut.
The air around him shimmered with heat and magic, and his eyes glowed a bright, unnatural red.
"Merlin, this isn't you," Arthur said.
Merlin raised his hand to strike Arthur again.
"Please, Merlin, please listen to me. You're not yourself, Morgana's bewitched you."
The sharp sting of another slap across Arthur's cheek sent Arthur crashing to the floor again.
"Morgana's got the right idea," Merlin said, "I should have joined her a long time ago."
"Merlin, don't you see? She's controlling you."
Merlin said nothing.
"She kidnapped you, remember? I don't know what she did to you but she's done something. Merlin listen to yourself."
"Morgana showed me the truth," Merlin spat. "That you are a rat and she is the rightful queen."
"No," Arthur said, taking it as a good sign that Merlin was no longer hitting him. "Listen to yourself. We're friends."
Merlin paused. "We may have been friends once. But you and I both know that you'll have me executed if I let you live now."
"I wouldn't," Arthur said at once. "I would never do that. Please believe me."
"Forgive me if I don't."
"Merlin!"
Merlin thrust out a hand and Arthur was pinned to the floor, unable to move.
"Morgana told me I should kill you right now…" He stepped closer, hand outstretched.
Arthur could not look up. Instead he braced himself, doing his best to even out his breathing. He screwed his eyes shut and waited for the final strike.
It never came. Instead, Arthur cracked an eye open and strained to look over. He saw Merlin standing over him, but now he looked confused, less malicious, as if he was unsure of where he was or why his hand was stretched before him.
"I should…"
Merlin's voice wavered.
"Merlin," Arthur said carefully, "This isn't you. I promise you aren't in your right mind."
Merlin said nothing, but didn't do anything either. He only stood, and stared.
"You don't want to kill me, just like I don't want to kill you," Arthur went on. "You're my best friend, my only friend. I would never let any harm come to you." He supposed that was a bit rubbish, seeing as he had no idea what had happened after Morgana kidnapped him, but Arthur thought it was true anyway.
A weight lifted and Arthur could move again. "Please, Merlin, you have to listen to me." Arthur shifted and stretched his hand out, touching Merlin's trouser leg. He pushed his fingers under, so that he could rub circles on the skin of Merlin's ankle.
As soon as their skin came into contact there was a gasp above him, and Arthur blinked and saw Merlin staring down at him, eyes their normal blue. They were wide and terrified.
"Arthur?"
Arthur sighed in relief. "Merlin."
Merlin's hand dropped to his side. Arthur tried to smile, but with his swollen lips it may have looked more like a grimace.
"Oh gods, Arthur," Merlin said, breath picking up. Merlin took a hasty step back, then another.
"Merlin, don't—"
But Merlin was already gone, turning and sprinting from the throne room.
Guards found him not much later, claiming Merlin hurriedly told them that the king was injured and alone in the throne room.
"Where is he now?" Arthur demanded to know as he was lifted to his feet.
"He left, sire," One of the guards said, as they brought Arthur's arms around their shoulders to support him. "He looked distraught. No idea where he ran off to."
Arthur groaned. "Find him," He said, as they made their way towards Gaius' chambers. "Bring him to me."
"Did he do this to you?"
Arthur hesitated. "No," He said, "He didn't."
Arthur fell asleep not long after Gaius told him he could, declaring him safe from a concussion. He awoke the next day in his own chambers, the sun already high in the sky.
He brought a hand to his face. His fingers weren't broken, thank god, but his face was heavily bandaged. It had been cleaned of blood, but he could still feel the bruises that had bloomed beneath his skin and the lopsided shape of his nose. He felt swollen.
On the table beside the bed sat a dozen bottles, all in a variety of shapes and colors. The sun shone through them, making them look almost cheerful.
There was a shift near him, and Arthur turned to see Merlin sitting in a chair on the other side of the bed, watching Arthur cautiously.
"Merlin."
"My lord." Merlin's eyes were wide and frightened. He looked like he'd been crying. He stared at Arthur, waiting for him to speak first.
"What happened?" Arthur asked, and Merlin's face fell.
"You don't remember?"
"No, no, not that," Arthur said, "I mean before last night. What did Morgana do to you?"
"Oh." Merlin sucked in a breath. "She…she hit me a bit, and…cast a spell on me. Basically."
"You mean she tortured you."
"Well—"
"Merlin!"
"Yes," Merlin said in a small voice. "Yes, she did."
Arthur sighed.
"Does it hurt?" Merlin asked, gesturing to Arthur's face.
Arthur nodded. There was a short silence, in which Arthur didn't know how to proceed and Merlin looked horrified with himself.
"Arthur, I'm sorry," Merlin said, "I didn't— I didn't want to do any of that. If I had realized what I was doing, I never would have done that to you."
"Do you even remember any of it?" Arthur asked. Merlin winced.
"Yeah," He said shortly, "Every detail."
Arthur grimaced in return.
"I truly am sorry," Merlin said again, "I'll leave Camelot tonight. I would have left earlier, but the guards said you wanted to see me."
"No," Arthur shook his head, "I'm not throwing you out."
Merlin blinked. "But—"
"Don't be ridiculous, Merlin. I know all that was Morgana's doing."
"But I really hurt you."
"I'll recover."
Merlin looked about ready to cry again. "You're not going to have me executed?"
"Why would I do that?"
"Well— you know I have magic, sire."
Ah. That. "Yes, I do. And I am angry that you lied to me, but I understand why you did. You may not have been in your right mind last night, but you were right, I've killed a lot of innocent people."
"You were just following your father's orders."
"They were wrong."
Merlin nodded silently at that.
"Did I really kill your father?" Arthur asked. Merlin hesitated, then nodded.
"Not you, but…he was Balinor."
"The dragonlord?"
"Yes."
Well that explains a lot, Arthur thought. The mental image of Merlin crying over Bailnor's body suddenly makes a lot more tragic sense.
"I'm sorry," He said. "And…the girl you loved?"
Arthur couldn't help the pang of jealousy he felt at the pained look on Merlin's face, but he battered it away so that he might feel guilt instead.
"It was a long time ago. You didn't know it was her, you were just doing your duty."
A tremendous amount of guilt settles deep in Arthur's gut at that. "I'm sorry," he said again. What could he possibly say?
"It's alright," Merlin said with a small smile, "I never blamed you in the first place."
There's another silence, strained and uncertain.
"I understand if you want me to leave," Merlin said, "But if you'll let me I'd like to remain in Camelot, by your side."
Arthur slid his hand across the bedding. "Last time you left you came back and tried to kill me," He said, "It would probably be best for you to stay here. That is, if you can forgive me."
Merlin smiled hesitantly, but slid his hand over so that their fingers brushed together.
"Of course, my lord."
Arthur smiled. "Good. I'm glad."
Merlin's smiled turned genuine.
"Now," Arthur said briskly, "I'm starving. Why don't you go fetch us some breakfast?"
Merlin withdrew his hand. "Yes, sire."
AN: It's been a long time since I've gotten the chance to write anything since I've been terribly busy lately. I hope this is alright!