Title: I can hear the bells.
Pairings: Arthur/Merlin
Spoilers: Vaguely 'The Beginning of the End' I think
WARNINGS: Established relationship, death of a main character, strangeness, adapting faerie law and my failed attempt at poetry.
Disclaimer: Merlin not mine *sob* It's the BBC's though I want to rob them and get away with Bradley and Colin ^_^.
Summary: Even a quiet wander through the woods can be dangerous.
Notes: In all honesty, I'm not sure if I even like this, but the images wouldn't leave me. Plus my fiancé insisted I posted it. The title I nicked from Hairspray, even though the song has very little to do with this fic! Question. Is a limerick still a limerick if it's not funny?
-x-
Beware the blue fairy bell
Should you hear their knell
It will quicken your breath
It will hasten your death
And you shall not live to tell – Me!
-x-
It was spring. Still early enough in the year for frost, a lingering reminder of the cold, harsh winter. This particular day however, was warm and clear. The sun shone brightly, thrown into beams as it wriggled its way through the canopy. It was warm enough that standing in the shade was pleasant. The birds called piercingly, their own little song war to mark their territory. Insects flitted about lazily, the sun catching their wings and making them flash gold occasionally. Even an odd butterfly had bravely ventured out in the early warmth. The grass had grown thick and strong in small clearings, the trees had burst into puffs of flower in pinks and whites. There were even signs of young leaves, vibrant against the brown bark. The daffodils had been and gone. The yellow bursts of grounded sunshine had given their display for the year and now were nothing more than long stems of green. They had made way for the next flower to take over.
Everywhere Merlin looked, there seemed to be life. His magic thrummed with it, delighting in the feel of everything around him. He couldn't keep the smile off of his face. It was a rare moment that he had been allowed away from his duties. Arthur was holding court with his father and had no use for him. Gaius had smiled knowingly and had told him to go and enjoy himself. On a whim, Merlin had decided that he would go for a walk, just a walk with no aim or destination, just to simply relax and absorb nature. It was a beautiful time of year and he was going to enjoy every moment.
In his bliss, Merlin failed to notice where the forest track had lead him. It was a shrill bird cry that made him look around, made him aware of his surroundings.
Bluebells.
Everywhere around him, there were bluebells. The forest looked like it was an ocean; such was the density of the blue flowers. It made Merlin pause. The flowers were indeed beautiful, but their beauty held an inner darkness. These flowers were the most sacred to the fair folk. His mother had always warned him about walking into fairy rings and other such fairy woven traps. Had he been anyone else, he would have probably grown out of such tales long ago, but his magic knew different. He could feel the magic stirring now he knew of its presence. This was a place to fear. Arthur's voice ranting 'idiot', ran through his mind.
Merlin turned around carefully and began to walk back the way he came, trying not to crush the curled flowers underfoot. His earlier happiness had been drained out of him as soon as he had realised what he had done. Even as he began to walk, he felt his heart sink. He had wandered further into the bluebells than he had realised. He could not see an end to the blue carpet.
That was when he heard it.
There was a ringing, loud and clear. Merlin turned to look to see where the sound was coming from; there was nothing around, just the bluebells. He heard another ring join the first and again, he turned but saw nothing. All of a sudden the air was filled with the ringing of bells. The noise was so loud; Merlin could feel it vibrating through his chest. The noise escalated to such a point that Merlin had to cover his ears. He yelled out in pain as even that didn't help.
The sound felt like it was inside his own head and there was nothing he could do to drown the sound out. He fell to his knees, curling up in an attempt to quieten the noise somehow. His eyes were closed so tight, that tears were escaping; his hands over his ears shook with the effort to keep them there. The ringing vibrated through his whole body and made him feel like he was about to shake apart.
"Stop! Stop it! Stop now!" He shouted as hard as he could, knowing it was in vain. He couldn't tell if he would even be heard. Just when he thought he would actually break apart, the ringing stopped.
The silence was nearly as deafening as the ringing had been. It left Merlin feeling breathless and off-balance. He wanted something, anything, to make a noise, just to prove he hadn't gone deaf or died already. He slowly lowered his hands from his ears and braced them against the earth. He took deep breaths and hoped the continuing buzz in his ears would stop. Nothing stirred; even the birds had fallen silent. Merlin didn't dare look up; he kept his gaze downward, looking intently at the leaves and mud beneath his fingers. Feeling something solid to keep him grounded in reality, something to help him from toppling over. In the silence, his panting sounded harsh and unbearably loud. It was the only thing he could hear.
"Emrys." The voice made him jump and stop breathing altogether. When his gaze settled on the small figure standing in front of him, his breathing didn't improve. It was only when his lungs were burning and his vision was starting to swim, did he realise he needed to breathe. He took a deep lungful of air, grateful that he was indeed still breathing and alive. He blinked at the creature standing in front of him.
It was tiny, no bigger than his hand, and yet a perfect replica of a human. It was debateable as to if the creature was male or female, it was too angular to be feminine and yet too beautiful to be masculine. Its skin was the exact same shade as a bluebell. Its eyes were greener than their leaves and slanted upwards that gave it a sinister appearance, along with its long, pointed ears. Hair blacker than a raven fell over its body. From its back, delicate wings, similar to a dragonfly's protruded and fluttered occasionally. Merlin couldn't help but stare.
"We've been watching you, Emrys." Its words took a moment to sink in as Merlin was still in shock. He was told stories of faeries when he was young, and of course his magic knew of their existence but this was the first time one had ever shown itself to him.
"How- how do you know me?" The faerie smiled, revealing sharp teeth that only added to its sinister appearance.
"You are one of us, Emrys. A creature of the old religion. We know a lot about you." Merlin just continued to stare. "It is why you heard our warning. For any normal mortal, it would have heralded their own death. Any normal mortal would have only heard a faint bell. You heard them all. It is our way of making a proclamation of death. The louder they ring, the more important the person to die is. It is not your death you heard, but another's." That caught Merlin's attention.
"Whose? Who is going to die?" The faerie gave a haunting smile once more.
"You had better hurry, Emrys. He needs you." Eyes growing wide, Merlin breathed one name.
"Arthur." Without a second thought, Merlin climbed to his feet and ran. He didn't look back as the faerie grinned once more, fluttered its wings quickly, took to the air and flew back over the flowers of its home.
-x-
More than once, he fell over, his legs not carrying him as fast as he wanted. When he finally saw Camelot's walls, he put in an extra burst of speed. As he ran through the square, he hardly noticed the sombre mood that hung in the air; he ignored the people that stared after him in his haste. He ran up the steps, taking two at a time. He very nearly missed Morgana and Gwen as they walked down the hall. Morgana's eyes were red and Gwen held on to her mistress as if Morgana's life depended on it. They both looked at Merlin. Finally Gwen stuttered,
"The king's chambers." Merlin could feel bile rising in his throat and didn't wait any longer. It didn't occur to him that that was a strange place for him to be heading, but his rising panic didn't allow him to think rationally.
He burst into Uther's chambers, almost not breathing again. The sight that met him made him nearly collapse. It was not Arthur lying on the bed, but Uther. His skin pale, but looking the most relaxed Merlin had ever seen him. His eyes were closed, his crown rested upon his chest. His hands lay across his stomach, a sprig of bluebells rested in them.
Merlin finally breathed once more.
"Gaius said his heart gave out." Merlin looked at Arthur who was standing at the end of the bed, looking down at his father. Arthur turned to look at Merlin. The sorcerer was surprised to see the mass of emotions that swirled through his prince's eyes. "Bluebells were my mother's favourite flower apparently. It seemed only right." Well that explained the presence of the faerie flower. It was a symbol of Igraine, now that the king and his love were finally together in death.
"I'm sorry." He finally whispered. Arthur laughed, a harsh sound.
"I'm not." He looked back at the man on the bed. "Don't you see, Merlin? You are free now. You don't have to hide anymore. We don't have to hide anymore." Merlin could see Arthur's hands shaking. He was trying to remain a prince, even in this moment.
"Arthur-" Just that one word shattered the prince. He fell to his knees.
"I can't do this, Merlin. I'm not ready." Merlin walked over to him and Arthur turned and buried his face against Merlin's stomach, wrapping his arms around the slim waist. Merlin could feel him shuddering. He ran his long fingers through the golden tresses.
"You will never be 'ready', Arthur. You could train and practice all you like, but this is not something you would ever be ready for. I guess it would be like becoming a parent. You can never be ready for that. All you can do is try and no one will think any less of you. They trust you and they love you. I know you can do this." Arthur looked up at him.
"You always have such faith in me, Merlin. I don't know why." Merlin ran a finger down Arthur's cheek and gave a small smile.
"Because I love you. But before you are a king, before you are a prince," Merlin knelt down in front of Arthur and cupped his hands against Arthur's cheeks. "Before duty, before any of that. You are a son who has lost his father. Stop being such a proud prat. You can mourn him." Arthur nodded and turned to look at the prone form on the bed. He looked back at Merlin and finally the tears fell. He wrapped his arms around his lover and buried his face against Merlin's neck.
Merlin held onto him, feeling the sobs tremble through the prince's body. Merlin tried not to cry himself. It was his turn to be strong for Arthur for once; he would be Arthur's shoulder to cry on. He knew the prince needed this. He could mourn with no one else to see before he would face his people. Merlin smiled sadly at that. His people. Camelot would finally be under the rule of King Arthur and Merlin knew he would be there to stand by his side.
He sighed deeply when he felt warm, wet lips tease at his neck. Arthur pulled away slowly and looked at Merlin with reddened eyes, but a lust there that Merlin knew well. This was something that Arthur needed and Merlin could never deny him. As their lips met, he could taste salty tears on Arthur's mouth, a taste of something rare. Despite the graveness of the moment, this would be something he would always remember. A moment where Arthur showed his true emotions and Merlin was there to help him through it.
As the kiss deepened, Merlin ignored the toll only he could hear. The bluebells in Uther's hand announced the death of the old king and heralded the rule of the new King of Albion.
-END-
(Random piece of research)
Another popular flower which is filled with danger is the bluebell. The Scottish name for the plant is 'Dead men's Bells' for to hear the ring of the bluebell is to hear one's death knell. The bluebell is one of the most potent of all faerie flowers, and a bluebell wood is an extremely hazardous place to be- a place of faerie-woven spells and enchantments.
Brian Froud and Alan Lee, Faeries.