TO LOVE AND BE LOVED is the seventh story in the REJECTED BY ROYALTY series
CHAPTER 1: A PASSION FOR HUNTING
Merlin was quite enjoying the time he had to himself as Arthur and his closest friends hunted. They would set out early with two or even three packhorses and a variety of servants. The idea was to hunt and leave all the menial work to the servants. As game was killed, it was field dressed, carcasses were piled on the pack animals and they were taken back to the kitchen courtyards. Camelot would eat well this winter.
The hunters would then advance to another wooden area and try their luck again. Lunch would be served and then the intrepid ones would continue terrorizing the local inhabitants as Merlin often referred to it. Once the last pack animal was loaded, they called it a day with everyone returning to the castle.
Merlin always had a hot bath ready for Arthur, who never once wondered why the water was always the exact temperature regardless of the time of his arrival. He would soak, luxuriating as the water warmed his tired muscles and his goblet of mead warmed his stomach. Merlin would sit nearby making exclamations of praise, joy or sadness as required when Arthur recounted his day's activities.
He used to smile as Arthur seldom enquired about his day, but should he; he would grin and say, "Oh, you know this and that!" Never confessing to the fact that he sometimes returned to bed early afternoon for what he considered a well deserved nap!
That was until the day, when Arthur decided to hunt the woods just south of where Jonathan had been killed.
He was determined to bring home a wild boar and as they had seen them in that area, he decided to try his luck. "Come with us, tomorrow. I can promise you, we won't be killing little piglets as they will be all grown up."
Merlin remembered his dream of the sow and her offspring ravaging Arthur. Worried he was torn, go with Arthur to protect him or stay with Gaius as they had planned to sort books and discuss magic. "Couldn't you leave it this year and maybe hunt them next spring?"
"No, we will have a boar for the Winter Solstice celebrations. Merlin, it's traditional fare for Christmas."
"So, is turkey and I don't see you out hunting them."
"What's a turk...ee? Honestly, I think your staying in the castle has addled your brain. I want you beside me. Discussion over!"
Merlin thought, that as it had only been a dream and Arthur would have his best hunters and knights with him, he'd be safe, so he decided to obey his lord and master and join him in the hunt.
Supper with the king for once proved to be lively and quite entertaining. The idea of a boar roasting on a spit in the kitchen and subsequently being carried into the dining hall with all the fanfare appealed to the king. He reminisced and Merlin was happy to see that Arthur was relaxed and enjoying this side of his father.
"Father have you ever heard of a turk...ee? Someone mentioned that it is considered traditional fare for the Yule celebration."
"Never! Boar, goose, even fish and I've celebrated in many homes and castles. Sounds far-fetched to me, someone was having you on!"
Arthur raised his goblet but couldn't resist turning to Merlin and smirking but Merlin retaliated by giving him the finger and Arthur choked on his wine.
Later lying in bed, Arthur played with Merlin's index finger. He kept rolling the ring between his fingers. "You know I wasn't serious about ordering you to go hunting. It's just that I miss your not being with me all day, especially when we're riding and when we stop for lunch."
"It's alright, I understand, I'll be there tomorrow. However, there won't be a bath ready for you when you come in as I can't be everywhere."
"Just as long as you're near me, I can wait for a bath, and then we can share it."
"No, because then I have all the mopping up. The servants would get ideas if there was more water on the floor than in the bath and you do intend to get a little carried away. Don't you!"
"You never complain at Yewdene?"
"That's because the room was built for that purpose and the drains allow the excess water to run away."
"O.K., that's it. I will expropriate the chamber next door and increase out living area and find a place to install a proper water closet. My father has one and now I deserve one!"
"Deserve is hardly the right word, Arthur."
"Why not? Surely it is not too much for a crown prince and his sometimes obedient manservant to be entitled to a little luxury. Consider it appropriate, proper and fitting for the royal chambers to have an en-suite."
'Yes,' thought Merlin, 'and who will be putting up with all the day to day inconvenience while the work is being done?' But he said, "Good idea, Arthur, but I have a better idea, is it not appropriate, proper and fitting that you show your sometimes obedient manservant how much you value his presence in your bed?"
"Merlin, I thought you would never ask!"
"Very fun..." but Arthur's lips imprisoned his and the rest of the word was lost forever
Merlin heard the wind whipping and the rain battering on the window before he even opened his eyes, He'd been granted a reprieve so he snuggled back into the warmth which was Arthur. He decided they would spend the day in bed, rising only when it was absolutely necessary.
There was a discrete tap at the door and Merlin dragged himself from Arthur's arms and throwing on his dressing grown and running his fingers through his unruly locks, he opened the door to Romney.
"Sorry, I figured you'd be up."
"No, come in. Arthur is still asleep."
"I spoke to the Master of the Hunt and he said that this should blow over by mid-morning and it promises to be a great day. It's already clearing in the west."
"Damn! I was looking forward to a lazy day in a warm, dry bed."
A muffled voice said, "I heard that Merlin. Romney, have you had any breakfast?"
"Not yet, Arthur as I wanted to check on the weather forecast first."
Merlin was already carrying breakfast platters in from the antechamber. Arthur said, "Join us and we can regale my little friend, with the joys of hunting and put him in the right frame of mind for later today."
"Are you hungry, Merlin?"
Merlin nodded but said nothing. Two against one wasn't fair. He wasn't going to win this match. He walked over and held Arthur's dressing gown for him and the three of them sat at the table. Merlin faced the window, watching the raindrops racing each other down the panes of leaded glass. He loved rain but he hated hunting in wet woods. Well, no actually, he just hated hunting!
True to the word of the Master of the Hunt, by noon it was a lovely crisp day. Five couples of hounds, three knights, two packhorses, assorted grooms and staff, followed Arthur, Romney and Merlin out of the stable yard.
In no time, they reached the area where the pigs were sighted earlier in the year. One of the servants had found tracks which looked promising and Arthur dismounted to follow it. Merlin kept an eye on him but allowed the knights to follow him more closely. They carried knives as well as bows and were all trustworthy. There was a scuffling up ahead and Arthur raised his hand and the others stopped. Somewhere, the castle hounds were baying as they had picked up the scent of the quarry.
Merlin kept Arthur is sight as best he could. Suddenly there was a high-pitched squeal and he heard Arthur yell, "To your left!" Then nothing...
Valentin motioned to Spenser to circle to the left and he eased himself forward. Once again the squealing recommenced but this time it was not fearful but aggressive. The knights split up and made their way forward.
There was a yell and Aislin stepped off into space almost disappearing but managing to hang on to a strong root and pull his legs up... The squealing began again but this time it was magnified. Valentin yelled, "Drop where you are, crawl forward."
The sound of the hounds was closer and the squealing intensified. A voice yelled, "Oh my God, I see them!"
Merlin did not intend to be left behind, he crawled ahead to the position where Arthur must have been when he yelled, 'To your left!'
Suddenly he realised that his hand was hanging in space. He was balancing at the edge of a narrow gully. The sides were overgrown with bracken and mosses. It was not more than three feet across but he couldn't see through the foliage to gauge the depth. Had Arthur and the pig fallen into the crevasse?
He heard Valentine say, "Watch where you go, it's not wide but it could be quite deep."
A sound from below was followed by multiply screams and squeals; Merlin could see nothing but his dream, Arthur being attacked by the sow and her piglets. He had to get down to him. "Valentin, I'm the thinnest lower me down and I will see if he is there."
Valentin glanced at the others and nodded. "You're the one he'll want to see. Someone get rope from the packhorses and we'll make a harness."
"Are you sure Merlin?
The squealing continued.
"Romney, you don't have to ask to know the answer..."
Stephan returned with coarse rope and a simple harness was slipped between Merlin's legs and under his armpits, Aislin handed him his knife and Merlin could feel the flask of mead which he had slipped into his pocket as a treat for Arthur and the successful hunters on the way back.
Finding a wider area, they lowered him through the bracken into the darkness.
He blinked, for an awful second, he felt that he was in a narrow cave and his nerves kicked in but he swallowed, took deep breaths and forcing himself to remember, Arthur and him in the Curtain Falls Cave. He gripped the uneven rocks and felt himself lowered into the dank space.
It was dark and he was not alone. He could hear movement below him. Snuffling, stamping sounds and his heart almost stopped as he heard an enraged squeal and felt something brushing against the sole of his boots.
He called up to the knights, "Hold hard!"
He had a flash of Gaius telling him never to do anything magic in Camelot but he knew that possibly Arthur's life depended on it. He held a cupped hand towards the bottom of the cave and whispered, "Fiat lux!" A thin beam of light picked out the sandy rock strew bottom of the crevasse. He panned his hand from side to side, unwilling to make the beam any brighter and alert the knights above.
Suddenly there was a heart-rendering scream, which he recognised as Arthur's. "Arthur, it's me. Try to get to me." Nothing. Once again, he felt something brushing against his boots and he turned the beam and picked up a pair of red beady eyes and he was looking down at the largest boar, he had seen in ages. It placed its feet against the stone wall and tried to swipe at him with its tusks. Merlin eased his legs up and extinguished the light. He swung there, heart thumping.
No pig was going to get between him and Arthur. He again called, "Arthur, answer me!" Nothing, just the snuffling of the pig below him; he had to keep its attention as the likelihood that it would re-injure Arthur would be lessened. He braced his feet against each side of the crevasse and got into a kneeling position, with his legs held back and above his knees.
"Can you see anything?" He heard Romney ask.
"I heard Arthur, he's hurt I would guess. However, he's not alone as there is a massive boar down here who is less than happy that I am tantalisingly hanging just out of reach. Lower me another foot but be ready to haul me up if I tell you."
"Merlin?" it was Romney again, "Merlin, don't get yourself hurt. Arthur won't forgive us for letting you follow him."
'If he's still alive...' thought Merlin before planning his next move. He felt himself lowered and finally he yelled again, "Hold it there!"
He couldn't open his legs any wider, so he rolled his trousers up to his knees to give them extra padding. He was now as low as he dared go. He wasn't happy, this was no way to leave the world, disemboweled, hanging on the end of a rope, supported above by the Knights of Camelot and trying to reach a person who meant everything to him. He knew Arthur was still alive as he was sure that he would have felt if he had already died...'
He could hear the hounds but he felt that they were above him but it was hard to tell. He cupped his hand and again the beam of light shone below him. The boar was alerted and came over, again trying to mount the rock face to reach its perceived tormentor. Arthur took Aislin's knife from his belt; thanked God for his Mam and hoped that Gaius would look after her. He whispered, "Porcus moriendum!", timed the lunges and as the pig rose at him he threw himself forward, he screamed at the pain of the impact but knew by the sound of the squealing that the knife had pierced the pig's chest. He felt wet and didn't know if it was his or the pig's blood. He heard thrashing and snuffling. He waited until it had stopped. Again he heard the hounds but more clearly this time.
He tried to right himself but he couldn't, his knees were too weak to grip the rockface. He felt himself blacking out and realised he wasn't alone. His face was being washed as he hung upside down, swinging back and forth. He opened his eyes and saw the sorrowful face of a hound bitch from the castle kennels. He whispered, "Bertha..." and blacked out.
He came to and called "Lower me slowly!" His face was soon burrowed into the back of the still warm pig. Once his legs were on the floor, he tried to stand but he was dizzy. Again he cupped his hand and shone a small beam around the cavern in which he had found himself. He heard baying and squealing in the distance and he felt a happy tail thumping against him as Bertha was pleased to see him almost upright. "Find Arthur!"he told her...
Whether she understood or was just lucky. He didn't know but the next thing, she was whimpering and he was crawling to her and he touched a woolen cloak and then a knee and knew that he had found his prince. He found his hand and held it to himself and collapsed.
He woke surround by wagging tails and sloppy tongues. The hounds had found them, a voice he recognised said, "Good Hounds!" A hand touched his shoulder, "Merlin, are you alright?"
He managed to nod as he was more interested in getting closer to Arthur.
"We'll have you out of here in no time. Someone had gone back to show the knights the way down. Hounds!"
The padding of feet told him the hounds had obediently left with the Master.
There was a glimmer of light in this section of the cave and he ran his hands over Arthur's legs and arms seeking breaks, his left forearm seemed broken. His back, neck and internal injuries were another matter but when he regained consciousness he might be able to tell them. He shimmied along beside him. He knew that the two of them were alone except for Bertha who had disobeyed the huntsman, to remain with them. He leaned forward and ran his lips over Arthur's and thought, 'Live, you Prat!' He felt warm and he wasn't thrashing about in pain so maybe there was hope for him.
He was again conscious of the pain in his groin, he didn't have the energy or enough light to check what had happened to him. He figured there was bleeding as he was sticky. He thought of Arthur's plans for his water closet extension and smiled. They would both need a good bath when they got home.
He felt arms around him and Romney was holding him. The relief was tangible and he started to sob like a child, hiccupping as he said, "Help Arthur first!"
Valentin stepped forward with a small torch made of moss, very smoky but it at least, it gave some light. Merlin could see damage to Arthur's midsection and quite a lot of blood. His hands had been bitten and his face gouged with a tusk. Merlin ran his fingers over his chest and his collar bone. "Please wake up, Arthur!"
Spenser and two of the hunt staff carried a rough litter into the tiny cave and Merlin agreed that Arthur had to be moved into the open. The two knights lifted him carefully and laid him down when the litter was slid under him. Slowly and carefully they carried him to the surface, Bertha tagging along.
Romney put Merlin's arm around his shoulders, placing his own arm across Merlin's back and under his left armpit, helped him follow the litter. He stopped walking as he realised that Merlin was in acute pain but Merlin urged him on to ignore his moans and get him into daylight to see Arthur.
It was good to be in the daylight and fresh air. Romney helped him to Arthur. He was still unconscious but his colour was good and his breathing only slightly laboured. Romney encouraged Merlin to sit down and the pain raced through him. "I can't... I'll black out."
So Romney propped him against a tree and knelt at his knees. "Merlin, your trousers are ripped and you're bleeding. I'll have to have a look. He carefully unlaced his pants and winced when he saw what the pig's tusk or a foot had done. He called Valentin over to hold Merlin up as he pulled off his under tunic and used it as padding to staunch the blood flow and offer some support to the damaged muscles. He looked at the shocked Valentin and asked him to tell the others that they had two severely wounded men.
Another litter was made and Merlin was strapped to it upright and then lowered into a lying position. He screamed in pain, calling for Gaius. Aislin, the Huntsman and hounds left for Camelot. Romney really needed to get to Gaius. He was at a loss what to do with internal injuries. The carcasses of three adult pigs including Merlin's massive boar were loaded on packhorses and led away.
Valentin lifted the prince's tunic and saw the damage. They needed to get them to Camelot post-haste. Romney remembered how Merlin had tied Rawn's litter between two horses, the last time that they were in these damned woods. He did the same, using Gidun and his own horse as and they had done for Rawn. Valentin and Spenser's horses were also similar in stride so they carried Arthur's litter.
The worried party made their way back to Camelot accompanied by the retainers. The hunt had been very successful but at what cost?
The litter bearers overtook the pack horses and rode in silence to Camelot. Gidun kept snuffling at Merlin's face on the litter attached to his breast plate but he kept pace with Romney's horse without any trouble. Romney at one point found himself saying, "Gidun, he'll be alright. You'll see, soon you and he will be riding with Arthur...and then he stopped and found himself wiping away tears running down his face.