Drowning

by RoseCallanofCamelot

To Merlin, Arthur's sudden obsession with water is strange and frightening. To Arthur, it's barely there. Every night Arthur dreams he is drowning. Every morning he wakes, more thirsty for the touch of the icy cold water, for the feeling of fire in his lungs.

I open my eyes. The icy blue that surrounds me is calm and lonely and scarily clear, and it stings my weary eyes. They say it is a peaceful way to due. The fire in my heart suggests otherwise.

I feel like I am sinking, though the waters surface appears to be getting closer and closer. I try to move my arms and my legs, to thrash around in the water and to hurry my journey to the safety of the land, but it is as if they are made of stone. I turn my eyes upwards and that's when I see him. His pale skin seems almost invisible in the crystal daylight, and there was no mistaking the mop of jet black hair or the dark red lips that stuck out so brightly. Merlin seemed to be floating above the water, no part of his body touching the surface. As I floated nearer to him, his eyes began to glow orange, and his face was taken over by a massive grin. It was then that I felt something wrap tightly around my ankle, pulling me towards the bottom of the lake.

I struggled against its pull, but it is no use. I open my mouth to take a breath, but all that enters my lungs is water. It hurts now, the way my heart beats hard against my ribcage. The way my lungs are shrivelling up and dying. I let myself be pulled lower and lower, there is nothing for me to do now but wait for the darkness to overcome me. And all the while, his face will be there. Watching me drown.