It was the twelfth day they had spent searching for the beast. Arthur crouched down to the ground, picked up a snapped twig and gazed off eastwards.

"It came through here recently, we're close."

While this news should have brought hope to the weary party, they remained solemn, quiet in their exhaustion. They had seen signs like this before: claw marks on a tree, urine sent on a shrub, even the carcass of a freshly killed deer. Each time, it seemed that the monster must be in the next clearing of trees, yet here they were, still searching through thick brush in the dark forest of Elther.

Merlin noticed a concerned look on Arthur's face.

"What's the matter?"

"Up ahead is Creekmore pass, the only way through the steep valley, but it is just a day's travel south to the village of Lowell. The beast could have gone through the pass, but it may have caught the scent of the village. If that is so, the villagers are in danger and will need protection."

Arthur carefully studied the faces of the four men accompanying him, read clearly the exhaustion on their faces and realized that they would not last very long along the steep and gruelling Creekmore pass.

"Alright, our first duty is to protect Lowell, but we must also catch this beast. Therefore we will split up. John, Erol, Tywin, and Shawn, you will go to the village with all haste, take the horses to get you there as quick as you can and mount a defense against a possible attack from the beast. If you can, send news back to Camelot about our progress. Merlin and I will continue East through the pass and see if we pick up a trail, if we don't, we shall see you in Lowell shortly."

Merlin just about collapsed right there, he was tired, wet from rain, and in dire need of a bath. Every muscle in his body ached from the gruelling pace they had set, and now they were to go through Creekmore pass, a steep and treacherous trail with no sign of a village or bed for days. As much as he wanted to follow Arthur, keep him safe, and also catch the murderous beast they were following, he was also truly fed up with his servant duties on this trip. They hiked all day, and while the men rested, it was him who had to light the fire, cook the evening meal and then polish Arthur's armor.

"Perhaps, I should head back with the rest, to, you know, lend a hand." Merlin said hopefully.

Arthur shook his head, and smirked.

"C'mon Merlin, don't be a chicken. We'll probably be joining them in a couple of days, anyways. Besides, you never know, you could prove to be useful bait for the monster while I cut it down."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

But Merlin knew that he was already resigned to going with Arthur. Really there was no other choice, destiny and all...

The next morning, the rest of the men headed south while Arthur and Merlin started to make their way to the ridge of the valley. That first day was pretty uneventful, but by the late afternoon the climb started to steepen, winding its way up the valley slope. By evening, they were up much higher than they had been when they started, and the crisp fall air had turned sharp and cold.

They set up camp under a rock bluff and Arthur loaded his crossbow in an attempt to go find some game for dinner. Merlin huddled around the kindling he had gathered, and checking to make sure Arthur was nowhere in sight, concentrated and said, "Aestus Estus." His eyes glowed with the brief light of supernatural power and the tinder erupted in flame. By the time Arthur returned, Merlin was sitting on a rock by the roaring fire, warming his hands at its edges.

Arthur tossed him a bloody hare. "Here, something for the stew pot."

Reluctantly, Merlin drew himself away from the warm flames, and started to clean the hare, his hands chilling quickly from the wetness of the task.

While at his job, he turned to Arthur to distract him from the chill. "Will we climb much higher along this pass?"

"Not sure, as I see it the path could follow the valley's edge or dip down into the valley itself."

"You mean, you don't know where we're going?"

"Well, not exactly. But I do know we're going the right way."

"What do you mean?"

"While out just now I found tracks, they were too big for a bear or wolf. They were probably half a day old."

Merlin couldn't help but check his surroundings as Arthur said this, he didn't want to be caught unaware by the beast. It had already slaughtered half a village outside Camelot, and the sight of that terrible destruction was still fresh in his mind.

"Well at least we know it didn't head towards Lowell." Merlin said.

"Yes, that's right. Maybe we can catch it tomorrow - that is if we get any rest tonight. By the time you're done with that hare I fear it will be morning."

Merlin smiled, turned back to his work, and Arthur removed his armor so he could warm himself by the fire.

While Merlin was watching the stew boil, the pieces of hare cooking with the edible greens he'd found, he also watched Arthur's face. He had come to know his moods very well over the course of their friendship. After all, if he was to protect Arthur from harm, he had to recognize when something was troubling him, perhaps even before Arthur did. The light of the fire highlighted the angles of his face, his strong chin draw in tight, his lips heavy with worry. Even his eyes were made more brilliant by the light of the fire, the red flames contrasting their blueness as if a fierce war raged between them.

"Arthur, if we catch the beast, do you think we will be able to slay it? I mean, it went up against a whole village and won."

Arthur sighed, obviously distressed by the reality of their situation: tired and cold, tracking a dangerous beast that could kill them in a wilderness that most likely would.

"We will have to Merlin. We can't let it survive out here, preying on helpless people and then running back into the wild where it's hard to find. That alone tells me that it must have a weakness, the fact that it's being careful. It doesn't want to be caught."

"Yes, I suppose," said Merlin, although he wasn't so sure of Arthur's confidence, "it could be though, that it isn't running from us, but leading us. Tiring us out for the fight that is yet to come."

"It's just a beast Merlin, the woods often make men attribute intelligence to beasts where there is none. But it is simply a wild animal, running from its hunters. It's as though we're chasing a fleet footed fox, nothing more."

".. a blood-thirsty ten tonne fox with poisoned claws and teeth as big as my head." Merlin added.

"Right, well, I didn't say it would be an easy chase."

Arthur smiled and Merlin couldn't help but returning the gesture. When Arthur smiled, his whole face lit up and that was when Merlin could really see the King that he would someday be: noble, kind and beautiful.

After supper, they bedded down as close to the fire as they could get. The cold nipping at whatever side faced away from its protective heat. Soon though, they fell asleep, exhausted from their travels.

Arthur wasn't sure how long he'd slept when he woke up, it was still the dead of night, the moon high in the sky. He was so cold, shivering in his bed roll. The fire had died down to a few glowing embers, and the heat it supplied was smothered by the chill of the night air. He thought he should light a fire again, but he couldn't bear to get himself out of his bedroll, afraid to feel the cold air fully against him. He noticed that Merlin was huddled up, forming a ball of himself in an attempt to keep warm. His eyes were shut, but his face showed the pain of the cold as well. Having been trained in outdoor survival, he knew that body heat shared was an effective barrier against freezing to death. And the thought of dying out here, silent and forgotten, truly terrified him. He inched himself over to Merlin and angled himself against his back. Arthur could hear Merlin chattering in his sleep, and he could see bits of frost on the edge of his hair. Arthur undid the tie at the back edge of Merlin's sleeping roll, and then undid the tie on the front of his. He inched closer to him, pulled their two rolls together and tied them shut. Already he could feel the relief of Merlin's heat against his legs and chest. He left a couple of inches of space between their bodies, out of a modesty he did not want to dwell upon, and settled in as comfortably as he could.

After a few minutes, Merlin stopped chattering, and seemed to relax. Arthur could tell from the back of Merlin's head that his face was not in as much pain as well. He sighed in relief, never wanting to see his friend in any pain. Arthur hadn't had many close friends in his life. There was Morgana, but well, she was a girl, and their friendship was always one of competition, never comfort. It was hard for him to admit, but Merlin was the closest friend he'd ever had. He trusted him and even liked him. Yes, he liked him. Merlin was actually quite witty, never got offended by his chiding, and seemed to always have a sweet smile on his face, taking joy in the simple pleasures of life and friendship.

Lying there next to him, he did not feel uncomfortable like he might have with one of his knights, but it was actually kind of nice. At that thought, Arthur reached out and put his hand on Merlin's shoulder which was still within the warm comfort of their bed roll. He let his head fall forward until it rested against the back of Merlin's neck. Finally warm again, Arthur soon fell asleep.

It must have been a few minutes to dawn when Merlin awoke; the sky was a shade of pale blue. His front half was thoroughly chilled while his back was comfortable and warm. He turned around to even this out, and was startled to see Arthur, asleep within his bed roll - no their joined bed rolls - curled up against him. Merlin's heart fluttered. He had a hard time keeping his true feelings about the prince contained. Often times, he found himself staring at his friend, and it was a stare of longing. But it was confusing, these feelings he had weren't supposed to be for Arthur, but for a girl like Gwen or Morgana. Instead, every time he tried to look at one of them the way he looked at Arthur, there was nothing. No leap of his heart, no pounding in his ears, or a stirring in his groin. And all these things happened with Arthur, almost every time he saw him. There were some nights, when he was alone in his room at night, trying to fall asleep, and he tried to think of women's faces or breasts, but instead he thought of Arthur's lips, his eyes, his hair, his chest... and afterwards he felt shame. He felt as though he was taking advantage of their friendship, partaking in a secret lust that could never be, all while Arthur trusted him and let him into his life.

Merlin turned back around, determined that Arthur would not see his face when he awoke. He couldn't bear for him to see the look of longing that surely was on it. Being so close to him now, it was hard to restrain himself. Merlin wanted to touch Arthur's face, to kiss his lips. But that would be wrong he thought, so he pushed the feelings back down inside himself, and stared out at the forest.

About ten minutes later he could feel Arthur stirring, but instead of him getting up out of bed, Arthur moved himself closer to Merlin who had retreated away. He pressed himself tight against Merlin's back and let his arm drape over his side across Merlin's stomach. Arthur's breath was hot against the back of his neck and Merlin shuddered involuntarily. The lust he was feeling was becoming unbearable and Merlin was afraid he could not contain himself much longer. Just then, Arthur awoke and Merlin quickly shut his eyes. He raised his head and seeing where his hand was, quickly removed it and undid the tie on the bed roll.

Obviously flustered he said, "Up and at 'em Merlin, we have a long day today. And you still have breakfast to make."

They were both quieter than normal throughout the course of the day. Merlin assumed it was because he had embarrassed himself in front of Arthur, and Arthur didn't know why, but for some reason he felt strange towards Merlin, as though the perfectly reasonable act of joining bed rolls in the cold was actually improper and shameful. Realizing that his feelings were based in foolishness, he decided to confront them straight on. They were descending a path through a relatively open section of the forest and it was about 4 hours before sunset.

"Merlin, I hope you didn't mind but I woke up really cold last night so I joined our bed rolls so we wouldn't both freeze. " As he said the words, which he had intended to come out straightforward and with ease, he felt they sounded tense and fearful.

"Why would I mind? I'm glad I could umm help .. sire" Merlin was also feeling awkward, and immediately regretted his words.

"Good, I'm glad that's settled then." And with that, and with obvious purpose, Arthur increased their pace to signal the end of the conversation.

Evening came all too quick in the valley, the slopes of the surrounding mountains cutting off the sun's light earlier than the two friends were used to. Arthur was feeling frustrated, there hadn't been any sign of the beast that day, and he was worried they had lost the trail. At least the path had led them down into the valley where the temperature was warmer. They had even come to a quiet river where they had decided to stop and set up camp before the sun dipped completely behind the mountains.

Merlin was overjoyed at the sight of the running water, provided it wasn't too cold he might be able to finally wash the days of sweat and dirt off of his body and hair. As if to compound their luck, they had found a tree of wild apples, and had collected a generous amount to add to their dinner of leftover hare.

Arthur walked up to the river, standing slightly behind Merlin.

"Well, look at this, looks like you'll be able to wash my clothes... and yourself. You do know that you stink, right Merlin?"

"And your highness only smells of roses and soap."

"Well, I suppose I could use a bath as well. Alright, we'd better hurry, the river will get very cold once the sun dips below the mountains."

Merlin went over and felt the water with his hand, it wasn't warm but it wasn't as cold as he thought it would be. It was relatively shallow and there weren't many trees to shade its slow waters from the sun during the day.

"Not too bad" he exclaimed.

"Great, these are for you," said Arthur. And at that he stripped off his armor, shirt and pants, handed them to Merlin and started to approach the river.

Merlin sighed, and approached the water with the clothes. As he bent down, scrubbing the dirt out of the cloth, he watched Arthur out of the corner of his eye. As he approached the edge of the river, he stripped out of his undergarments, and slowly moved into the water. The sight of Arthur's naked body sent shivers down Merlin's spine. His muscles were clearly defined along his entire torso, but not bulging. He almost dropped the clothes into the water, but instead scrubbed them as fast as he could and placed them on a rock to dry. Arthur was scrubbing himself with a rough stone he had found and Merlin stared longingly at his chest and waist. Without even thinking, he started to disrobe himself. He was skinnier than Arthur, lankier, but he had built a reasonable amount of muscle through his hard work. His legs and arms, while tall and thin, were also firm and strong. He was becoming aware of an excitement building within his groin, and realized he would need the coldness of the water... quickly.

Merlin strode down to the water, as confidently as he could pretend, and moved rapidly into its steady stream. Arthur heard the splashing entrance, and turned to see Merlin.

"Done with the clothes already?" He said while turning back to his wash.

"Yes, good as fresh from the castle's hamper."

"Did you do yours as well? No good if I smell all pretty if the beast can smell you coming from miles away."

"I will, just wanted to bathe before it became too cold. "

"You know, actually, that isn't a half bad idea" Arthur said, while chucking the stone back into the river, "We can lure the beast towards us with the awful smell of your britches."

"You know, that might work, if your snoring wasn't driving away every living thing at night."

"What? I do *not* snore." Arthur said as he strode towards Merlin.

Merlin started to laugh, "Oh, yes you do. I'm honestly surprised you don't wake yourself up with the force of it."

"Why, you liar!" and with that Arthur swung his hands into the water, and splashed Merlin.

Laughing heartily, Merlin replied "I wish I were sire, but if you doubt me, just ask all of the valley, I'm sure it echoes across the whole of it!"

And with that Merlin splashed Arthur back and the two friends laughed at the much-needed break in the tension of the past few days. Merlin was flinging water wildly at Arthur, and Arthur laughing merrily, grabbed his arms in an effort to restrain him.

As they touched, their laughter subsided and each suddenly found themselves staring at the other, the whole world silent except for the gentle sound of water against their bodies. Arthur's hands slowly moved up Merlin's forearms, he didn't truly comprehend what he was doing, it was what felt natural. Suddenly, the tension was too much to bear, Arthur squeezed Merlin's upper arms, pulled him forward and looking once more at his eyes, kissed him. The kiss was forceful and passionate, as though it were made out of desperation. At first Merlin was too surprised to return the act, but then he opened his mouth and kissed Arthur back inviting him with his mouth to go further. Arthur's arms moved to Merlin's back, drawing him closer. Merlin moved his right hand up to Arthur's face, to stroke the hair he had always longed to touch. After what seemed like minutes, the kiss relented, and Arthur separated, breathing deeply, as though he only just now remembered how important it was. He looked into Merlin's face, and it was no longer that silly boy who was always at his side. He now saw a man, strong and serious. The realization of this stunned him, and he pushed Merlin away. Merlin stumbled backward and caught himself, while Arthur rushed out of the river. He quickly stepped back into his underwear, grabbed his now dry clothes off of the rock and vanished back into the forest, towards their camp.

Merlin stood for a long time in the river, trying to absorb what had just happened. It was what he had always fantasized about, but he had never been more afraid. What now? Could they pretend it hadn't happened? Did he want to? He moved out of the water, put on his underwear and started to wash his clothes, trying to quiet his mind with menial tasks. But he could still feel the kiss against his lips. It was more than he had thought it could be. The softness of Arthur's lips surprised him, the skill of his tongue against his. He wondered if Arthur had kissed many people before. He wondered if he had ever kissed anyone like that. So absorbed was Merlin in his thoughts that he didn't hear the sound of rustling leaves behind him. Quietly the beast stepped out of the woods. It almost had a smile on its face, if you could call it that. It was ten feet tall and twenty feet long, with a hide and head covered in coarse hair. It stood on four legs, its front two had sharp claws, glinting wet. It face was flat and warped, its eyes small black holes, while its mouth drooped open with the weight of itself. It could hardly close its mouth its teeth were so large, and a tongue lolled out the side, fiercely red. As it moved, its jaw shook with each step, causing it to appear as if it were always chewing, or trying to talk.

Merlin suddenly felt in shadow, and looked back just in time to avoid the swipe of a poisoned claw. He rolled out of the way and tried to get up to run, but stumbled against a sharp rock, falling towards the ground roughly. The beast loomed over him and he concentrated on a spell of powerful magic, "Lutus Aseso". His eyes glowed bright and a wave of energy shot out from an outstretched hand. The beast reeled backwards with the force of the blow and crashed against a tree. Merlin, relieved, began to stand up. To his horror, the beast stirred. It shook its awful head and righted itself, positioning to charge against Merlin.

Arthur heard the crash back towards the river. He gathered his sword and shield, not having time to don his armor, and quickly raced to the noise. When he arrived in the clearing by the river he saw Merlin, stumbling through some harsh brush trying to get away from the pursuing beast.

Without a thought towards himself, he bellowed loudly to get the beast's attention. It turned and its jaw swung crudely, its teeth presenting themselves to Arthur in all their full glory. Arthur raised his shield and not waiting for the beast to make a move, charged towards it. As he approached it, the beast swung its head to chomp down on the approaching warrior, but Arthur side-stepped out of danger and moved to its side, swinging his blade against its body. The blade dug in deeply, gashing the monster. However, this only seemed to anger it and it swung a claw at Arthur's unprotected side. Arthur quickly moved his shield to block the blow, but was still pushed backwards from the force of it. He tried to regain his stability but was knocked off his feet. Desperate he tried to get up but the beast was too fast and reared up above him, preparing to strike. At this moment, Merlin, watching from the side, concentrated on a tree branch above the beast and willed it to break. It hit the beast hard and because it was standing precariously on its back feet when it was hit, it stumbled sideways, falling against the stones. Arthur didn't lose any time questioning his good fortune. He rushed forward and swung hard at the prone animal. He buried his sword deep into the monster's neck. It howled in pain, struggled to get up, but with its blood flowing fast onto the ground, breathed its last breath, shuddered and collapsed. Merlin rushed over to Arthur, the warrior was hardly scathed and he smiled. Suddenly he remembered himself and his arms and legs began to sting. He looked down and realized his long underwear had torn through his rush through the brambles and his skin was badly scraped. Arthur, confirming that the beast was dead, removed his sword and wiped it on its hide. He then looked at his friend and noticed the slight hint of a wince, betraying the pain Merlin was in.

"Come, let's get you back to camp."

They walked back in silence, both emotionally and physically exhausted. Their quest was completed but something new and even more frightening had just begun.

Arthur led Merlin to a log by their fire pit and had him sit down. His legs and arms were scratched, and although it wasn't serious, Arthur knew that out in the wilderness, wounds would fester unless properly treated.

He retrieved a salve that Gaius had packed for them and handed it to Merlin. "Here, apply this to your wounds, it should help."

"Thanks Arthur."Merlin said, and rolled up the legs of his underwear, applying the salve to the cuts. It stung, but Merlin knew from Gaius' many lectures that the stinging was a sign it was working. After his legs were coated, he undid the buttons on the top, sliding the top part of his underwear down around his waist. Arthur was lighting a fire and noticed a series of scratches along Merlin's back that he couldn't reach.

"Here, give that to me Merlin."

Merlin handed the salve over and Arthur applied it to his back, taking care to remain gentle and trying not to linger too long on his warm skin.

"How does that feel?" Arthur said and Merlin replied in a soft tone, "Great." Remembering himself, he stammered, "I mean, better, yes, thank you."

Arthur, feeling unsure, closed the pack of salve and put it back in the pack, returning to the matter of the fire. Merlin gingerly pulled his underwear back over his chest, wincing at the feel of cloth against his tender skin. They ate the apples and hare in silent.

Merlin attempted to break the awkwardness. "Glad to be heading back tomorrow? "

"God yes" Arthur replied, "you may not guess it, but I *really* miss my bed."

Merlin smiled, "Yes, I almost thought you had gotten used to sleeping without five feather pillows."

Arthur smiled, and didn't return in insult, which surprised Merlin, but he was happy to at least have the silence broken. They talked about trivial things, the castle's stew, warm beds, old folk tales. It was pleasant in its simplicity.

The fire was warm, and the sky was clear that night. Merlin lay out his bed roll and thought briefly about offering to join his with Arthur's, but then dismissed the idea. After lying down, he stared into the fire, unable to fall asleep. After a while, he heard Arthur unpack his bed roll and lay down. He must have stared at the fire for half an hour, watching the embers whiten and cool in turn. But he could not fall asleep. Merlin's mind was racing with the day's event, especially those of the river. He tried to ignore it, to chalk it up to the moment, but he was elated at the thought that Arthur might share his feelings. He had never expected that. Arthur was so manly, so handsome. He was constantly flirting with the ladies that came to court, and women fawned over his charm and good looks. How was it then that a man with the options of Arthur could be like Merlin, so different. Maybe he wasn't, Merlin reasoned, it might have been a onetime thing. 'We will probably never speak of it again, let alone act on it.' This thought filled Merlin with sadness, but he felt duty bound to not push the matter with Arthur. He shouldn't lead Arthur down this path that was obviously so deviant to the norms of Camelot. He had never heard of anyone with lusts like him, and so it must not happen, or it must be suppressed if it does. Perhaps this was just another symptom of his supernatural gifts, one more thing to make him different and alone.

He heard Arthur shuffling in his bed roll and get up. Merlin looked over his shoulder and saw him lay down behind him. He looked at Arthur questioningly, but Arthur just touched his shoulder and pushed him back onto his side. Arthur then undid the ties on their bed rolls and joined them as he had done the previous night. Merlin's heart rose in his throat, and he hoped and wished for something to happen. Arthur slid up behind Merlin and said, "We must never speak of this."

Merlin melted at the sound of Arthur's voice against his ear and he turned his head back again, to look into his eyes. There was a fire in Arthur's blue eyes again, yet it was not from reflected flames but those coming from within. He moved his head closer to Merlin's and softly kissed him. As their lips touched, an electricity ran through both of them. Merlin turned completely over and gave himself fully to the moment, wrapping his arms Arthur and pulling him close, kissing him back. Their mouths quickly grew eager, wanting more. Hours passed until they finally fell back against each other, satiated.

Mer was looking at Arthur's face, he had a familiar smirk.

"Well," Merlin said.

"Well.." Arthur replied.

"We should go camping more often" Merlin said and he started to laugh.

"I really had no idea you were so fond of the wilderness, Merlin."

"I'm starting to find I have a taste for all sorts of new things.." Merlin smiled eagerly and Arthur stretched out his arm which Merlin cradled himself into.

Merlin soon fell asleep as Arthur gazed upwards, contentedly watching the stars move across the night sky, and thinking of the slowest route back to Camelot.