The Least You Can Do, a camelot fanfic

Disclaimer:

I do not own the rights to Camelot or any of the characters herein.

Summary:

One-shot - Merlin suspected something was not right with Igraine that night, and his suspicion was confirmed. He rode to Pendragon and found Igraine just as she was escaping. After returning to Camelot, Merlin finally acknowledges his desire for Igraine.

Merlin gently closed the door to Igraine's chamber, lost in thought. What had just happened? For some reason, and against his natural instinct, he had accompanied Igraine to her chamber after they had given the orphan boy a birthday party. In addition to feeling a little out of place – after all it was not entirely proper for a man to be alone in a Lady's chamber – Igraine had thrown him off with several odd and uncharacteristic questions. She kept pressing him for his thoughts about Morgan even though they had already discussed Morgan at great length in the past days and weeks. They had thoroughly discussed the problem that Arthur trusted Morgan and they had agreed that surely Morgan was up to something. So why was Igraine asking these very general questions about Morgan, he wondered. Even more strange was that Igraine then asked him point blank what he thought of her. Almost as if she was trying to compare Merlin's feelings for Morgan to his feelings for Igraine. He shook his head as he reconsidered that. He had never seen the dignified Igraine show one scrap of jealousy or possessiveness with regard to … anyone, least of all him. But those questions indicated otherwise. The thought that Igraine was jealous of Morgan had intrigued him enough to let his guard down momentarily. Despite the fact that Merlin had consciously decided that allowing Igraine to get too close was dangerous for her and a general threat to the cause he was so committed to, he found himself standing in her personal space, watching – almost in slow motion - has her mouth approached his. In that moment, Merlin had two distinct thoughts. He wanted her mouth on his. He desired her - this lovely and graceful Queen. But his stronger thought was that something just wasn't right. And so he denied her again. She asked him what he was afraid of and he responded with an honest, if incomplete answer. "Losing Control." And then he had swiftly left her chamber.

Still lost in thought, Merlin walked down the hallway and over to the other side of the balcony overlooking the Camelot courtyard on his way back to his own chamber. Faintly, he heard the orphan's voice call out to Igraine. "Lady Igraine, are you okay? You are ill, I will go find Merlin." Merlin spun around to look across the courtyard and saw the orphan and Igraine in the shadows of the hallway. Igraine was doubled over, clearly in physical distress. He heard her shout "No!" to the orphan, and then "No" again but in a more controlled voice. "No, Lady Igraine, you need help. I'm going to get Merlin." It all happened so quickly, Merlin had barely taken three steps back towards that side of the balcony when he saw the orphan fall to the floor. Horrified, he looked up to Igraine who was leaning over the balcony, still doubled over. And he swore he saw not Igraine, but Morgan's face. Then her face was a blur, and then, as if he had just awoken and cleared his eyes for the first time, he saw Igraine's face clearly again.

Merlin stopped in his tracks – evaluating what he had just seen. The pieces were beginning to come together. He observed "Igraine" rise and lean against the wall, trying to fight off whatever was ailing her. Finally she stood upright as though her discomfort had passed, looked around nervously, and then ran back to her chamber. Merlin was now relatively certain that Morgan had assumed Igraine's form. If so, where was Igraine? Several horrible thoughts quickly passed through his mind as he raced to his chamber. He tried to keep his head and think about all of interaction he had with Igraine in the past day or two, since their visit to Pendragon as well as the last time he had actually seen Morgan. He realized that he hadn't seen Morgan as they departed from Pendragon two days ago and deduced that most likely, Igraine was still at Pendragon. Merlin hastily collected his armor and dressed for the long ride to Morgan's house of deception.

Merlin arrived at Pendragon after a long and frantic ride. He played nice when he arrived, asking for Morgan as calmly as he could. The nun greeted him instead, stating that Morgan was not available to meet with him at the moment. "Bullshit," Merlin thought. He asked for food and a place to rest, claiming weariness from his journey. Sybil led him to an empty room and asked a servant to take a meal to him, cleverly feigning hospitality and friendship. Merlin waited for them to leave and then focused all of his power to try to sense Igraine. Making sure the hallway was clear, he softly made his way down the long corridor toward the rooms that he knew Uther had used to keep prisoners. As he approached the rooms, he heard what sounded like a man's voice cry out in pain and then again in anger. Merlin quietly rushed to the door, which was slightly ajar. He saw two figures on the floor: one was a guard who appeared to be severely injured; the second was Igraine who was lifting her head slowly, clearly dazed. Merlin rushed to her, kicking a dagger that was covered in blood away from the guard as he approached.

"Igraine!" he whispered. Merlin slid to his knees to examine Igraine who was attempting to pick herself up off of the floor. Merlin helped her up and Igraine immediately turned to exit, only pausing to kick the guard as hard as she could squarely in the groin. He cried out in agony again. Merlin raised his eyebrows, shocked by Igraine's force. Merlin instantly knew what had happened in the moment just before he arrived. He shuttered at the thought as they scurried through the corridor back to the entrance to Pendragon. Merlin lead Igraine directly out to the courtyard where they nonchalantly requested his horse and a horse for "the Lady." The horse attendants obliged without any questions and within minutes they were mounted and had exited Pendragon.

Igraine pushed her horse as fast as she could, surprising Merlin who actually had to keep on his horse to avoid falling behind. They rode like that for hours. Finally, Merlin called out to Igraine that they must take a break and find water for the horses. Reluctantly, she slowed her horse down. When they found a small stream, they stopped. Igraine dismounted and nearly collapsed when her feet touched the ground, weak from spending more than two days locked in chains and refusing to eat. She caught herself, but Merlin put his arm around her to steady her anyway. She took a deep breath and relaxed (a little) for the first time in days. Merlin studied her face and gently ran his fingers around the cut under her eye, assessing the severity of the wound. He knew that was the least of her injuries. He shuttered again, unable to get the thought of the guard forcing himself on Igraine – his Igraine – out of his head.

Merlin was still waiting for her to start talking. She hadn't really said anything since he found her at Pendragon. "Igraine…" he said softly. "What do you need?"

"Food," she said.

Merlin quickly went to his saddle pack to retrieve the bread and smoked meat that he had brought. She began eating the bread immediately.

"Where the hell have you been?" She asked suddenly, mouth still full with food.

Merlin laughed – genuinely amused both at the lovely Igraine's blunt and ungraceful question and at the irony of the situation. "My Lady, you won't believe me. You will have to see for yourself," he replied cryptically.

"Merlin, I am in no mood for your mysteries today," she scolded.

He cocked his head and smiled his half smile that wasn't really a smile at all. "Our dear Morgan is on the loose in Camelot … wearing your face." He waited for the inevitable confused look…

Igraine contorted her face trying to understand. "What? My … face?"

"And causing who knows what kind of mischief." Merlin added, sobering up a bit at the thought of the dear small orphan. "We must return as soon as possible to prevent her from doing any more."

"What sort of mischief?" she asked, sounding worried.

Merlin didn't answer. He didn't want to upset her more with the news of the orphan and he didn't want to admit the mischief that involved him. Instead, he waived his hand at her, to encourage her to continue eating. "We must be on our way."

Igraine sat down on a rock as she was growing more tired by the moment, and finished eating. Merlin watched her carefully, trying to judge whether she had enough stamina to continue. He knew they would not make it all the way to Camelot before nightfall, but he wanted to get as far as possible so the remainder of the journey would be short in the morning. He marveled that she had made it this far. He could see she was exhausted. She continued to impress him, demonstrating grace and wisdom on a daily basis. And knowing what she had likely done to free herself from constraint at Pendragon showed him how strong she was – a trait that he had not explicitly ascribed to her until then.

When she finished, he offered his hand to help her stand up. Before letting go of it, he gently kissed it, looking into her weary eyes. A small smile formed on her face, and she nodded her head in acknowledgment.

III

After riding for several more hours, Merlin located a small establishment that was friendly to Camelot and left the horses at the hitching post. To avoid any scandal or scrutiny, Merlin requested a room for himself and his "wife". Igraine was practically sleep-walking as Merlin guided her to the kitchen where they drank the house ale and ate a small supper. Merlin didn't pay too much attention to what Igraine consumed, but he soon realized that she was quite intoxicated when she started giggling at him for suggesting that Morgan was trying to destroy Camelot from the inside.

"Okay, my Lady, time for you to get some sleep." He said, walking to her side of the table to help her up. She didn't protest and let him lead her to the room. He turned down the blankets on the small bed and handed her the saddle pack which had a few necessities inside. Merlin bowed slightly, and backed through the door to give her privacy.

He returned to the kitchen to finish his meal and ale and to chat with the owner a bit. He always took the opportunity to gauge the temperature of the public when he could. Then, believing he had given Igraine plenty of time to fall asleep, he returned to the room. He untied his boots and slipped them off outside the door and quietly entered, locking it behind him. Merlin pulled an extra blanket from the saddle pack and lay down on the floor. A few seconds later, he heard Igraine stir.

"Merlin?" she asked groggily.

"Yes?" He was lying flat on his back on the other side of the small room, but he was only a few feet from the bed.

"Come here," she said, still groggy.

Merlin crawled the few feet over to her and kneeled next to the bed. "What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

She was lying on her side facing him. She patted the bed next to her. "Come here."

He swallowed, eyed the small space next to her on the bed built for one and considered her request.

"You left me alone at Pendragon chained in a dungeon for two days – the least you can do is come up here and keep me warm so I can sleep," she murmured.

Merlin did as he was told, sliding into the bed on his side, facing her. He put one arm around her and gently caressed her back and, every now and then, her soft hair which she had pulled into a long braid before falling asleep. She curled into him, burying her head in his chest, breathing deeply once or twice before drifting back to sleep. He kissed her forehead, enjoying the simple closeness.

Merlin woke at sunrise, Igraine next to him, still sound asleep. Despite the marks on her face, she looked beautiful. He inhaled deeply, enjoying being next to her for another moment before reluctantly rising to his feet. He went outside to prepare the horses. When he returned, he found Igraine awake and gathering their belongings. She looked refreshed and relaxed.

"Good morning," she greeted him.

He studied her a bit before returning the greeting. He couldn't detect any change in her demeanor towards him after inviting him to share her bed last night. Was he hoping for one? He quickly buried the thought.

Soon they were on their way, riding aggressively, anxious to get to Camelot to prevent Morgan from causing more trouble. As they approached Camelot, Merlin slowed his horse so that he and Igraine could discuss strategy.

"Morgan is a good actress," Merlin stated. "I think it would be wise to come up with a code word of sorts just in case…"

"Does she play me that well?" Igraine asked, surprised.

Merlin grimaced, thinking about the almost-kiss with Morgan. "Yes."

"Well," Igraine started, as they trotted along, "How about I tell you what I had for supper last night?"

"Do you remember?" Merlin quipped, poking fun at her.

"Oh, ha ha," she replied dryly. "In my defense I was exhausted and famished. Not a good combination with house ale." She smiled. "Anyway, all's well that ends well, right?"

Merlin wondered if she meant that summoning him to her bed was the "ending" to which she was referring. Out loud, he replied soberly. "This is not over yet."

They rode up to the gates of Camelot which opened as they approached. Once in the courtyard, Merlin retrieved a cloak and instructed Igraine to put it on with the hood covering her face as much as possible. Merlin received the news of the day from several men as he passed through the courtyard. Notably, Arthur and the knights had left for Bardon Pass which was apparently under attack. Then Merlin asked his men if they knew where Lady Igraine was. They did not. "If you see her, tell her to find me. An old friend is here to see her," Merlin instructed. He then asked several of the guards to accompany him and the stranger to look for the Lady.

They found Morgan in the kitchen, planning the day's meals and handing out instructions to the culinary staff. She played her part perfectly, kindly reassuring a water boy that had spilled his bucket all over the floor. Merlin smirked, wondering if it was killing Morgan to be so nice. He quickly shooed the guards out of the room to give them instructions. Then, Merlin re-entered the kitchen, the real Igraine at his side, still cloaked. They stood in front of one entrance with one guard behind them. The remaining guards covered the other entrances.

"Lady Igraine!" Merlin shouted roughly, and much louder than necessary for the size of the room. Morgan looked up, startled.

"Merlin! Where have to been? We have been looking for you," she cooed.

"An old friend is here to see you. Please come greet her." Merlin said, faking a sweet smile.

Morgan approached them tentatively, perhaps sensing that Merlin was being far too nice. As she neared them, Igraine removed her hood. Several of the ladies in the kitchen gasped and began to chatter.

"Give it up, Morgan. You are discovered." Merlin snarled, motioning the guards to close in.

Morgan laughed, then screamed as she transformed back into herself. The guards secured her and Merlin ordered them to lock her in one of Camelot's prison rooms to wait for Arthur's return.

"Oh, dear Merlin, we will be waiting a long time for that." Morgan laughed again, sounding both confident and slightly mad. With that, the guards took her away. Merlin followed them just to be sure they made it to the cell.

Igraine returned to her chamber for the first time in many days. She was desperate to bathe and change clothes. Her chambermaid, Eliza, greeted her in a tizzy.

"Oh, Lady Igraine! We have all just heard what happened. We can't believe we have been with the Lady Morgan these last two days! We had no idea – she acted and looked just like you. And are you okay? We heard you were chained up at Pendragon!" The young girl was practically hyperventilating.

Igraine was getting tired of being told how fantastic Morgan was at playing her. And she seriously took issue with Eliza referring to Morgan as a "Lady". But she let it slide. There was no point in admonishing the poor girl. She just smiled wearily and asked for the bath to be prepared. The girl continued to rant about all that had occurred while Igraine was gone. "You know," said the maid, "now that I think of it, I did find it very strange that you – I mean the Lady Morgan – sent me out of the room when Mr. Merlin was here."

Igraine's head snapped around to look at the girl. "What?"

"Oh, yes, two nights ago Mr. Merlin accompanied you - I mean the Lady Morgan - here and visited for quite awhile," the girl explained, completely oblivious to Igraine's shock.

Igraine seethed inside. "That little skank," she thought. She shuttered at the thought that Morgan may have done something with Merlin – or worse, that Morgan had done something scare him off even more. Igraine knew she made a big mistake weeks ago when, in moment of bad judgment, she had foolishly tried to kiss Merlin. She settled down when she remembered that Merlin now knew who he was with two nights ago and that he wouldn't attribute Morgan's actions to her. But she still shuttered at the thought that maybe Morgan had persuaded Merlin to let his guard down. Jealousy bubbled up inside her as she finished bathing, put on a fresh dress, jewelry, a dab or two of lavender oil, and fixed her hair. She wanted to go ask Morgan what she had done, but she knew Morgan would lie. Instead, Igraine composed herself and went down to the dinning room to reunite with the people of Camelot. She put on her best smile, told her harrowing tale, and tried to forget what Eliza had told her.

After supper, Igraine returned to her chamber. "Eliza?" She called out. Eliza didn't respond. "Oh well," she thought. She was exhausted so she walked straight to her bed and collapsed, allowing herself to fall backwards onto it – so soft and clean. She looked over to the window and practically jumped out of her skin when she saw Merlin sitting in a chair, watching her silently.

"Good Lord, Merlin!" She sat up quickly - heart suddenly pounding. "What are you doing here? Where is Eliza?" she asked, calming down a bit.

He smiled sheepishly, feeling bad for startling her. "I bade her goodnight," he said matter-of-factly.

"I understand she is getting used to that," Igraine said sharply, still sitting on her bed. "And I am acquiring a reputation of entertaining men alone in my chamber."

The sheepish smile turned into a grimace as he realized that Igraine had learned of his visit with Morgan two nights ago. He decided to avoid the subject and instead explain why he had come tonight. "With Morgan here at Camelot, to avoid any confusion, I have decided I shouldn't let you out of my sight," he said, uncharacteristically playfully. He rose from the chair. "By the way, I meant to ask you what you had for supper last night." He walked slowly across the room towards her.

She laughed, somewhat nervously. "Too much ale," she replied.

"Hmmm…" he said, "That could just be a lucky guess." He was now standing at the foot of her bed, watching her intently. He enjoyed the look of uncertainly she wore. He enjoyed that he was making her squirm a little as he approached.

"Merlin, what are you doing here?" She asked, standing up to face him.

He cocked his head and narrowed his eyes. Then a devilish smile touched his lips. "I rescued you from Pendragon, returned you safe and sound to Camelot, and captured your imposture. The least you can do is thank me properly."

"Ha!" she chortled. "You are ridiculous. Good night, Merlin." She turned to walk over to her dresser, but he gently caught her wrist and pulled her back around to face him. Her expression showed both astonishment and curiosity at what he had done. He let his hand slide down to her palm and gently pulled her to him as if he was leading her in a dance. He maintained eye contact with her the entire time. He had denied himself this for too long – denied himself the right to give into his desire. Last night when he found Igraine on the floor at Pendragon, he realized that his time with her could be over in an instant. He realized that he wanted her, regardless of how much it would hurt if she were taken away from him. He also knew that he had rejected her weeks ago, and she would probably not engage him again.

"Merlin…" she breathed.

Merlin leaned down to her neck and softly kissed her several times, moving from her ear down to her collar bone. She inhaled sharply. He continued across her shoulder, then back to her breast bone, then to the other side and back to the other ear. He ran one hand down through her hair, the other still holding her hand. He desperately wanted to taste her lips, but he wanted to give her time to stop him if she didn't want this. He left a trail of kisses just below her ear, then her cheek, then temples, forehead, eyes, cheek... Thankfully, she didn't stop him. Rather, she lifted her chin and tilted her head back in response. Finally he reached her mouth, which she turned toward him in anticipation. When his lips met hers, desire flooded his senses. He devoured her mouth, eager to have as much of her as could. As he explored her mouth, he searched for the clasps of her dress. When he found them, he took his time unhooking them and took even longer to slip the top of the dress down off of her shoulders.

Igraine softly touched Merlin's face, running her hand across his cheek and then to the back of his head, slowly caressing the short, soft shadow he maintained. It felt delightful against her fingers. Igraine had never desired a man as much as she did Merlin in that moment. She had never felt so aroused and had never felt so anxious for a man's hands to be on her. She wanted him and that realization only increased the anticipation. It took little time for her to untie and remove his vest and tunic. She put her hands on him for the first time – stopping here and there to trace the symbols etched into this skin. Merlin's mysteries never ceased. She stepped back to look at him, appreciating again how attractive he was. Then she slipped all the way out of her dress. She felt completely comfortable standing there in front of him. She knew he wanted her. It empowered her and she boldly continued to undress him until he was free of all garments.

Merlin swiftly went to work, hands and mouth over virtually every inch of her body. He guided her onto the soft bed. He continued to pay homage to her body, making her gasp here, cry out there, ask for more, more, more. He wanted to give her pleasure – to make sure she knew how much he worshiped her. Finally, when he was certain he had satisfied her at least once, he slid back up to her mouth, warming her with the heat of his body.

She tasted herself on his lips – it was incredibly arousing. No man had ever given her pleasure that way. Even though she had already climaxed, she was desperate for him to be inside of her – to consummate this union. She reached down, hands gliding across his taut stomach, over his hips to find her prize – it had been there ready and waiting since she had removed his trousers. When she finally encircled it with her hand, he let out a satisfying moan.

"Igraine, please… I want you," he pleaded.

Oh, how delightful it was for a man to ask her, rather than just take her. She was more than willing to fulfill his request. She pushed him a little, directing him to flip over onto his back. As he did so, he pulled her on top of him. She nearly came again as she slid down onto him – both groaning at the intense pleasure. It was exquisite.

VII

Merlin woke at sunrise, Igraine next to him, still sound asleep. Like yesterday morning, he inhaled deeply, enjoying being next to her. Unlike yesterday, he permitted himself the luxury to roll over and fall back asleep. For this one morning, he allowed himself to be content. For this one morning, he allowed himself to forget the dangers Camelot faced and the struggles of the outside world. For this one morning, he was just Merlin, lying next to Igraine.