The Great Dragon Estate, Ealdor
A strong but surprisingly smooth hand stroked over his forehead. Arthur Pendragon fought against the darkness that clouded his mind. Pain lashed his skull, ripping through him in violent waves. His mouth felt dry and his bones and muscles ached.
"Drink" a man said, lifting a glass of water to Arthur's mouth. It's cold, but he swallowed.
"You're awake, that's good."
Good? How could it be good feeling as someone had cracked his skull in two. Arthur hadn't even the strength to open his eyes to see who was nursing him.
"And you're very lucky, you know."
"How am I lucky?" Arthur managed to whisper.
"You're lucky I haven't any poison for this water," the man remarked. "Otherwise, you'd be dead by now."
A warm cloth, scented with herbs, dropped across Arthur's forehead.
He inhaled sharply. "What the hell?"
Arthur's knuckles clenched around the bedcovers, and he forced his eyes open. His vision blurred, and he tried to grasp his surroundings. Where was he? And more important - who was this man?
The man intending to murder him came into his view. Raven black hair framed a thin face with tired looking blue eyes, full lips and sharp cheekbones. Despite his sticky-out-ears, he was rather pretty.
He was familiar, but the man's name hovered on the outskirts of memory. Maybe someone he'd known some time ago.
"You broke your promise. If it weren't for you, my brother would still be alive." the man whispered sadly.
The man blamed him for his brother's death? There had to be a mistake. He didn't even know who this man was, much less his brother.
Arthur pulled off the cloth on his forehead and glared at the man.
"Who are you?"
The man sighed. "You don't remember me?" The question held a sardonic disbelief. "And I thought this day could not get worse."
Arthur had little patience for the man's frustration. Damn, he was the one who'd been wounded. And what the hell had happened to him?
"You didn't answer my question," Arthur responded. "What's your name?"
"My name is Merlin." he answered.
Leaning in, Merlin's gaze focusing on the man in front of him, almost waiting for the other to say something.
Hazy bits from the past shifted together in Arthur's mind. Merlin Emrys, Baron Balinor's son. Oh God's! He hadn't seen him in nearly eight years. Arthur stared at the man, unable to believe it was true. He remembered him throwing rocks at his carriage, and climbing trees to spy on him, bickering with him. And almost kissing him when he'd been an awkward, adolescent boy.
Arthur shook the thought away, but thankful at least some of his memories remained.
"What are you doing here?"
"Well...I live here." With a mischievous glint in his eyes he added, "Don't you remember your husband?"
The revelation stunned Arthur into silence. His husband? What was he talking about? He wasn't married.
"You're joking."
Arthur was a man planning every detail of his life, getting married to a man he hadn't seen in years wasn't at all something he would do.
"I would never joke about something like this."
Merlin held out the glass with water, but Arthur dismissed it this time. He had no intention of drinking anything the man offered him. Arthur's vision swam, and a rushing sound filled his ears. Closing his eyes, he waited for the dizziness to pass.
When the world was back in focus, Arthur studied the room. Heavy red curtains with a golden dragon crest hung across the canopied bed. Some pieces of remembrance snapped together as he recognised his private room within The Great Dragon Estate.
"How long have I been here?"
"Two days."
"And before that?"
Merlin shrugged. "You left for Camelot a week after our wedding. I haven't seen you since March. Why don't you tell me where you've been?"
Arthur tried to reach for the memory, but nothing remained, not even a smallest fragment of a vision. It frustrated the hell out of him, having pieces of his life gone.
"What day is it?"
"The twenty sixth of June."
Arthur clenched the bedcovers. Almost three month of his life were entirely gone. He closed his eyes, trying to force himself to remember. But the harder he tried, the worse his head ached.
"Where have you been?" Merlin asked.
There was a worry in his tone, though Arthur find it hard to believe the man cared. Not after he'd threatened to poison him.
"I don't know," Arthur answered honestly. "But I certainly don't remember getting married."
"You might not remember it but damn, it's true."
Something was wrong, something the man wasn't telling him. There was a desperate air about him, as though he had nowhere else to go. Likely he'd caught the man in the lie.
"You're welcome to leave, " Arthur suggested. "Obviously my return offended you."
Softly Merlin replied, "You have no idea what I've been through. I thought I'd never see you again."
Merlin dipped the cool cloth back into the basin, wringing out the water. Then he set it upon Arthur's forehead again, Merlin's hand grazing Arthur's cheek. This gesture was completely at odds to the man's behaviour.
"You're not my husband."
Merlin crossed his arms over his chest, drawing Arthur's gaze toward his silhouette. The slender form of his neck caught Arthur's eye. The first three buttons of his tunic had come loose, revealing a forbidden glimpse of Merlin's toned chest to him.
"Of course I am." Merlin lowered his arms, gathering his courage as he stared at Arthur.
Had he really married Merlin? Had he unbuttoned Merlin's tunic, and tasted his smooth, pale skin…? From the way the man drew back, Arthur didn't think so.
"I want to see a doctor," Arthur said, trying to change the subject.
"The doctor examined you last night. I'm the one to change your bandages and keep the wound clean. He'll return not for tomorrow evening."
Despite Merlin's bitterness, there was a look on his face that didn't quite match his spoken words. Arthur caught a glimpse of something more...something lost and lonely.
He forced himself not to pity the man. For God's sakes, the man had threatened to kill him.
"Why did I marry you?"
Merlin picked up the basin. "You should rest for a while. I'll answer your questions. Later, that is."
"We talk about it, now! Sit down."
Merlin ignored him and moved towards the door to leaving Arthur's room. Arthur might as well have been ordering a brick wall to sit.
If the unthinkable had happened, if he really had gone off and married the man, one thing was certain. He had lost more than his memory. He'd lost his mind.