Merlin wondered what was taking Arthur so long as he waited in the forest. The dark green leaves of the trees allowed little light to filter through the canopy, leaving much of the forest floor in an ebony-green shadow. Merlin began to shiver, and anxious to know if night had fallen while he and Arthur had been hunting, he whispered,
"ventus." A wind rose from the ground and parted the dense canopy revealing the waning light of dusk.
Uncomfortably, Merlin perched on a rock and began to doze as he listened for the hoof beats that would mark Arthur's return. It was during one of these lapses into sleep that Arthur found Merlin awkwardly balanced on the rock. With a still bleeding rabbit slung over his shoulder, he made to rouse the warlock, but as his fingers were a hairsbreadth away from Merlin's shoulder, Arthur froze. Merlin looked so peaceful, his dark hair falling in his eyes, his lips slightly parted. Arthur listened to his friend's slow, even breaths and his eyes were drawn to the warlock's smooth, pale skin, that almost glowed from the light reflected off Arthur's armour.
The smell of rabbit stew awoke Merlin soon after. As he stirred, Arthur watched how the firelight played off Merlin's dark eyes.
"Sire?" queried Merlin as his master's gaze broke from his.
"Yes, Merlin?" replied Arthur.
"I…uh…" stammered Merlin as he tried to understand what he had just seen in Arthur's eyes.
"Yes, go on, Merlin" said Arthur, his tone back to its usual mocking quality.
"I'm supposed to cook you food, not the other way round." Merlin blurted out hastily.
"I never said this was for you," Arthur smiled then laughed, Merlin hesitantly joined him. Handing Merlin a bowl, Arthur's fingers brushed Merlin's and Arthur could have sworn he felt a tingle race through his body. Merlin quickly looked away. They ate in silence as the night birds began to call to one another.
Once the last of the stew had been devoured, Arthur stood up,
"Clear this mess up will you, Merlin. We leave at first light tomorrow."
"Yes sire" Merlin said obediently. Arthur walked to a nearby tree and lay down against it, drawing his blanket close to his chest. Unbeknownst to Merlin, Arthur watched as Merlin cleaned the trappings of the stew in the nearby stream, that's burbling could now be heard in the midnight silence. A sigh shuddered through Arthur's body and he imagined how Merlin's steady hand and agile fingers would feel against his own robust figure. Arthur watched as Merlin slipped into sleep a metre or two from him. Quietly, Arthur manoeuvred himself closer and only just managed to resist the urge to rest his hand on Merlin's curled back.