Merlin managed to escape from the bandits after first fulfilling his destiny once again by saving Arthur's life. He had made sure that the royal prat had gotten away before attempting to make his escape. It was really just bad luck that he took a sword to the side and was absolutely rubbish at healing magic. Merlin ran on, making sure to lose whatever bandits may have been following, fighting the black spots in his vision. He would sit down. He was fine really, just needed a rest.
Merlin was rapidly losing blood but he kept running, ignoring the odd way his head was swimming. He was getting more and more confused by the minute and when he finally stopped, he found himself wondering why the ground was rising up to his face. Merlin fell onto the grass and dirt, bleed profusely into the soil. He didn't realize that he had very conveniently lost consciousness near a druid camp.
In just a half hour, druids had found their Emrys and taken him into their camp. Their young talented sixteen year old healer had shyly removed his shirt and bandaged his abdomen. She tenderly wiped a cool cloth over his brow, leaning over him. She admired his features, studying him appreciatively. He had such pale skin, so pale that his raven coloured hair was a wavy messy shock against it. His jaw was pronounced and cheek bones high hand prominent. He has nice lips, she thought fondly.
Carefully, hesitantly, she ran her fingertips over his cheek, unbeknownst to her it had woken him. He kept his eyes shut as the young teenage healer continued to daydream about Merlin. He fought back a smug smile, keeping his face peacefully blank, waiting patiently to see what she would do next.
'Oh, to kiss the lips of Emrys.' She sighed longingly, brushing her thumb over his mouth gently. 'Maybe I could just…' she trailed on thoughtfully, having being successfully tempted by the figure of a sleeping Merlin.
She leaned over him, light brown locks tickling his bare chest. She breathed once across his face, a scent of sweet rosemary. Then she pressed her lips softly to his, not knowing that Merlin's own breath had hitched slightly, unused to such forwardness from girls. He responded attentively, kissing her in return. What harm could it do after all?
She gasped and opened her eyes a moment after Merlin did so the moment she did, she saw piercing electric blue eyes, staring at her. She jerked back quickly in surprise and later embarrassment. Her cheeks flushed pink and Merlin gave her a crooked smile, propping himself up on his elbows. The poor ashamed girl was now very aware that she had just taken for herself the kiss of a bare-chested Emrys.
'Sorry.' She mumbled shyly, looking down at her very interesting hands.
'What for?' Merlin asked with a grin.
'It was wrong of me to do what I did.' The young healer admitted, cheeks turning redder still.
'And what did you do?' Merlin asked with a smile. It wasn't often he had the privilege of witnessing a girl's blatant interest in him.
'I… I kissed… I kissed you while you were sleeping so you had no warning and it wasn't mutual.' She said guiltily, stammering as she spoke.
'I wasn't asleep.' Merlin corrected with a light laugh as he sat up, his wound all but a pink scar under the white bandages.
'You weren't?' She asked in shock, looking at him immediately but upon seeing his face she looked away, hiding her face in her hand, clearly embarrassed.
'You feel guilty because you took a kiss for yourself?' Merlin asked in amusement. The girl peeked through her fingers, nodding.
Merlin grinned, half smirked as he leaned forward, covers falling from him as he got up. Thankfully he had his breeches on still. Even only sitting up he was taller than her. She sat frozen in place, eyes wide. A deer in the hunter's eye. This was Emrys leaning over her, talking about the kiss she had so selfishly taken.
'Then allow me to take one in return.' Merlin replied as he leaned close, bending his head down to reach her lips. He kissed her softly, a sweet kiss fit for any relatively innocent sixteen year old girl. She kissed back just as sweetly, thinking about how gentle Emrys was and how he had deemed to give her a kiss.
When he pulled away, she left her lips slightly parted, mind whirling with the fact that the great and powerful Emrys had given her a kiss when she had stolen one from him. She who was but a sixteen year old healer. His eyes twinkled like stars, bluer than the Lapetus Ocean.
'Now you don't have to feel guilty. We're even.' Merlin said cheekily, ducking out of the tent to thank the druid chieftain and once again set out to find Arthur. He didn't realize that he had left his shirt and neckerchief behind along with the pleased and bewildered young healer.