The King that lived a million times 04/04/2013
Warning: This story was inspired from the children's book "The Cat Who Lived a Million Times©" by Yoko Sano
If you know the story of the cat who lived a million times, you would second guess reading this... hahaha XD
Anyways, enjoy!~
Once there was a Prince that died a million times and lived a million times.
Once there lived a beautiful prince. He's the most beautiful prince in all the lands, and he was also the best fighter amongst everyone. A lot of ladies wanted to marry him and become his wife; while a lot of men were jealous of him.
One day the beautiful prince, named Arthur, saved an old lady from being burned in the pyre by the villagers. The old lady was very grateful of what Arthur did and she gave him a present.
"Drink this potion and you will gain a million lives. That is the last bottle I have and I've decided to give it to you. I only need to live a little longer to deliver my grandson's birthday gift." The lady said, before bidding him farewell and going on her way.
The prince gazed at the bottle on his hands. 'A million lives? Does that mean that even if I get killed a million times, I'd still live?' The prince thought to himself. 'That would be very handy in campaigns and wars.'
Arthur took out a cloth, wrapped it around the bottle and carefully placed it inside his pocket.
A few months later, the prince's kingdom was invaded by their neighboring country, causing war, chaos and death in the prince's land. The prince led the men to battle, and each time he fought, he lost hundreds of men.
He fought and killed countless soldiers until he face the neighboring country's king. He was huge and powerful. Arthur knew he didn't stand a chance so in his desperation, he drank the contents of the bottle the old lady had given her and prayed that it would work.
As he finished the liquid, the prince frowned as he felt nothing change. The King used the opportunity to strike Arthur with a killing blow, impaling Arthur's heart with his mighty sword.
The beautiful prince fell to the ground, bloody and lifeless. The king turned his back to the dead prince and rejoiced, telling his men about his accomplishment. Suddenly, while the King was yelling and boasting, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. When he looked down, he saw a blade coming out of his chest. He turned around and was shocked to see the beautiful prince he had just killed had come back from the dead to kill him.
The King fell to the ground, unmoving. The King was dead and Arthur had won the war.
The soldiers halted when they heard their prince shout "The King is dead! Camelot has won!" They looked to see the King's corpse lying on the ground while Prince Arthur stood in all his might and glory.
The neighboring country's soldiers dropped their weapons and surrender as they lost their hope and purpose at their King's death.
The beautiful prince grinned to himself. The old lady wasn't lying about him gaining a million lives! Arthur knew right there and then that he was now an immortal!
He went back to his palace and announced to his King that he had gained a million lives. The King, Uther, looked at him in disbelief so the Prince grabbed his sword and stabbed his own heart. The King's eyes widened in shock at the sight. He stood from his throne and rushed to the Prince's fallen body.
"Arthur, my boy! What have you done?" The King cried. The guards rushed inside the throne room, only to find their King kneeling on the floor whilst caressing the Prince's bloodied body.
"I'm alive, Father. Need not to worry." The Prince said, startling everyone in the room. He opened his eyes, revealing a very alive pair of cerulean blue eyes. He sat up and then slowly stood up, proving even further that he was alive and well. The wound in his chest has closed up, much to everyone's disbelief.
"What's the meaning of this?!" The King rose to his full height, voice booming through the hall.
"I am now immortal, Father." The Prince said simply.
"Amazing..." The king replied.
oOo
After the scene in the King's throne room, word has spread throughout their kingdom about the Prince's million lives. Everyone took it as something good and celebrated.
"Our Prince is immortal!" they shouted with pride. "Our kingdom is the most powerful!"
The people were happy and proud of their Prince.
All the praises and adoration quickly went up to the Prince's head. He became very prideful and boastful. He would go into town and show off his immortality to his people. Day after day, he had thought of ways for the people to kill him and each time he dies, he comes back to life again, impressing the crowds even more.
oOo
King Uther had died of illness, making Arthur, despite his young age, the new King of the most powerful kingdom in the world. Word has spread through out the world about the Prince's million lives because of the many battles he fought. Soldiers brought the story of the Prince in their travels, telling foreigners about the invincible Prince. Soldiers would pass the story on to Bar Keepers, Bar Keepers would pass the story on to Merchants, Merchants would pass the story on to their customers and their customers would tell the story to their family.
Some people believed the story, and some did not. Those who didn't believe young King Arthur's immortality sought war against Camelot. The King fought in the front line, bringing along with him his most trusted friends.
"We fight together, We die together." The King would say to his loyal men.
War after war, after war, after war, The young King and his friends die. But the King would always come back to life. Every time the King dies, his friends and people would cry. But the King didn't cry even once for his friends' deaths.
He never shed a tear for his precious friends.
No matter how sad and lonely he got, he didn't cry. "It's because they only had one life." He'd say to himself.
Because of his fame, more and more women lined up to be his wife so men envied the King's power, money and looks.
Women showered him with gifts and did everything they can to please him.
But the King refused to have a wife.
"I've died a million times." The King would always say, boasting. It never fails to make the women to swoon at the thought of how powerful the beautiful King was.
But the King didn't love anyone more than himself.
One day the King took a stroll to the lake far away from his palace, followed by his servants and several women who were trying to become his Queen.
As they were walking along the lakeshore, the King said to everyone: "Drowning in the lake can't kill me!" he boasted.
"Then, please show us, your highness!" The women said eagerly.
Because of the young King's arrogance and pride, he decided to do it. He stripped down to his pants, revealing his perfectly toned body causing the women to squeal in delight. The King smirked.
The King walked in the lake wearing only his pants, he continued forward until the water reached his neck and only his head was visible. He turned around, facing his people and yelled: "Watch how amazing I am!" before he completely submerged himself underwater.
Minutes later, the King was no where to be seen. As his people begun to worry, Arthur rose from the lake and shouted: "I drowned and came back to life!"
The women applauded. "You are truly amazing, my King!" they said.
The King swam back to shore. Women surrounded him, expressing how impressed they were of the King's powers. His servants handed him a towel to help him dry up.
As the young King wiped the towel over his face, he looked over one of the women's shoulder and saw a hunched figure sitting under a tree whilst reading a book. It seemed like he didn't even notice him!
The insolence of that person!
The King walked towards the figure with angry steps. When he got in front of the boy, he still didn't take notice of him!
Arthur cleared his throat in order to get the boy's attention. The boy looked up from his book, staring at Arthur with calm sapphire eyes.
The King stood tall, "I've already lived a million times!" he said.
The boy just replied, "I see." And went back to reading his book.
Arthur was angry because he liked himself a lot and so did everyone. No one has ever brushed him off like that before and he will not allow anyone to! He was the King who died and lived a million times and he will not be ignored by a skinny dark-haired boy!
"What's your name?" he demanded to know.
The boy replied without looking up from his book, "Merlin."
"Your highness?" One of the women called, "What are you doing over there?"
Arthur wanted to make the boy look at him once more and notice him but he didn't want his people to see that he was being ignored so he left the boy and lead his people back to his palace.
...
The next day the King came back to where Merlin was sitting the other day and found the boy on the exact same place.
He walked up to Merlin and said, "I lived a million times! How come you are not impressed?!"
Merlin lowered his book and looked up to him, "It's very impressive indeed." He said, deadpanned.
That irked the King. Everyone loves him and adores him, how come this boy with a dreamlike presence doesn't care? It doesn't make sense!
So the next day, and the next day and then the following days after, Arthur would always go to where Merlin was and continue telling him: "Like I said, I've already lived a million times. You still haven't finished living once right?" he said, sitting down in front of Merlin.
Merlin looked up from his book and replied, "That's right."
"Tch." Arthur frowned. How come he doesn't care? Why won't he praise me?!
"I'm different from you!" he stated, sitting straight up. He was starting to falter. Sweat trickled down from his forehead as he continued, "I've lived a bunch of times! One time, a very strong King stabbed me in the heart and a couple of seconds later I came back to life!, and then one time one of my friends laced my drink with a potent poison and still, I came back to life! No matter what they tried, I keep returning to life." He boasted, his eyes closed as he recalled the said events.
When he finished, he opened his eyes to look at Merlin and what he saw took his breath away.
Merlin was watching him, his sapphire eyes soft and glowing, his pink lips curved into a gentle fond smile. It was the most beautiful think Arthur has ever seen in his life; it made his heart beat madly and sent shivers down his whole body.
"Ah." Arthur stared, shocked before his face turned red. Never in his life had he blushed so much that his cheeks felt as hot as fire. His heart threatened to jump out of his throat.
"I— A million times, I"
A million times...
That day, the King returned to his palace, flustered all over and unable to finish his statement.
The next day, Arthur went up to Merlin, his heart thundering against his chest, and asked:
"Is it okay if I stay next to you." A bright red blush crept on his cheeks as he held his breath and closed his eyes as the young King waited for a reply.
Merlin watched Arthur. His eyes gleaming in amusement. Merlin chuckled softly and said, "Okay."
Arthur gasped sharply and opened his eyes quickly.
"!"
The young King blushed furiously and fell to his knees in front of Merlin.
"Are you alright?" Merlin asked gently, touching Arthur's warm cheeks.
Arthur looked up at him, happiness reflected in his cerulean blue eyes.
'So cute...' Merlin thought as a loving smile graced his lips.
At that time, Arthur could've sworn his heart stopped for a moment at the beautiful sight. Unable to hold back his feelings, he pulled Merlin to his body and enveloped the smaller lad's body with his. He hugged Merlin tightly, trying to express his feelings by holding the smaller lad. "Th-Thank you!" he said a little too loudly.
Merlin's smile dropped. "You're loud and heavy. Please let go of me." He said with a deadpanned tone.
"?!"
oOo
From then on, the young King was always with the quiet boy and the King never said "A million times, I..." again.
Arthur would always embrace Merlin from behind, his legs apart with Merlin sitting between them. It suited them both perfectly. Merlin liked the warmth and comfort Arthur's body provided, and Arthur liked the feeling of holding Merlin's slight body and keeping it close to him. He also liked smelling the sweet flowery scent of the smaller lad's dark hair.
Although Merlin was a person whose appearance didn't match how he talked (because to Arthur, Merlin looked like the type who would never shut up), that suited Arthur just fine.
Merlin would just read quietly and rest his body against Arthur's chest. Sometimes he looked up at Arthur and smiled at him. Sometimes he would read out loud, and sometimes he would put down his book and snuggle against Arthur's firm body.
Arthur often talks about his past adventures as he hugged Merlin, and the smaller boy would forget about his book and listen to his stories, quietly asking questions like, "How did it feel?" "Was it fun?" "Did it hurt?" and Arthur would always answer him honestly and eagerly.
The blonde has never felt more happier than he was with Merlin.
The King came to love the quiet boy more than himself. So one night, as they watched the stars under their tree, he invited Merlin to live with him in the palace and rule alongside him as his Queen.
Merlin stilled for moment before he removed Arthur's arms around him. He stood up and turned to face Arthur, looking him straight to the eye. "No." He replied, a sad tone lacing his voice.
Arthur stood up as well. "Why?" he asked. Somehow, a part of him knew that the boy would refuse his offer, so he wasn't as surprised as he should be with Merlin's reply.
"I can't. I don't want to." He said, his eyes glowing ethereally with the help of the silver full moon looming over them. "I'm not suited for that life. I don't belong there."
Arthur understood. He always understood Merlin. The blonde walked up to Merlin and gave him a soft kiss on the forehead. "I understand."
...
The following morning, a new King stood in front of the people of Camelot.
...
"Why did you renounce you title as the King?" Merlin asked, as Arthur approached him, holding a bouquet of colorful flowers.
Arthur only smiled at him and handed him the bouquet of flowers.
Merlin, at first, hesitantly reached for the bouquet but then he saw Arthur go down on his knee and smiled even more brightly at him; his eyes gleaming with love. "Take it."
Merlin nodded and took it from Arthur's hand, cradling it in his skinny arms. He stared at the flowers before something clicked in his head, causing him to gasp and tremble slightly. "How many flowers are in this bouquet?!" He asked, his voice trembling.
"Take a guess."
Then, Merlin's eyes shone with fresh tears which threatened to fall. "...108?" he said in a whisper.
Arthur nodded gently. "So, what's your answer?"
Merlin sniffed and started weeping. He fell down to his knees and wrapped his arms around Arthur. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! A million times yes!" he cried. It was the first time Merlin raised his voice and said that many things in one sentence. Arthur looked up the sky as he hugged Merlin back and in his head, whispered 'Thank you for letting me meet him.'
...
7 flowers meant I love you
108 flowers meant Will you marry me?
The language of flowers is the most beautiful language in the world.
...
No matter when, Arthur would always be close to where Merlin was. They built a house in the forest near the lake and planted many flowers around their house. They always went to their tree and this time, Arthur slept and used Merlin's lap as a pillow as Merlin read his book silently.
Arthur felt at peace, the heavy burden of ruling a kingdom lifted from his shoulders. He can now rest to his heart's content, unlike before when he was haunted by the pressure of having thousands of lives depending on him.
oOo
Merlin has never been as happy as he was right now. He grew up without a father and only had his mother to raise him. But his mother was barely home because she always had to head out to work for money to keep both of them alive. His mother, Hunith, thought him how to read and write and always brought him back books when she comes home from work. 'Books are new worlds, each time you open one, you open a new world where you can go to different places and meet different people who would make you happy, sad, alive and loved. Books takes you in an adventure!' His mother would tell him. She was right, for years, books gave Merlin an escape from his reality. He was happy with walking for hours everyday to the lake of Avalon to read his books under a tree, overlooking the beautiful blue lake.
Hunith died when he was 15, Merlin was devastated. He stopped going to Avalon and stayed home; he didn't eat for days. One day, his neighbors found him unconscious and on the verge of death. They fed him and nursed him back to health, and also contacted his Uncle Gaius who lived in Camelot as a physician. Gaius sent him money every week to allow him to buy himself food and clothes. He lived like that for 4 years until he met Arthur.
Now that he was with Arthur, he couldn't wish for anything more.
oOo
Merlin and Arthur lived happily in their small and warm home. Every spring they would pick flowers from their garden and decorate their house with it and sell some to earn enough money to buy bread and other necessities. They didn't really need much money. In summer, they would swim in the lake to cool down from the sun's heat. They would splash water at each other and laugh until they're exhausted. In autumn, they would sit under their tree, cuddled together as they watch leaves fall from the trees around them. In winter, they would cuddle wrapped in a blanket in front of their warm fireplace at home as they drank warm tea and exchange stories or just sit there in comfortable silence whilst watching the fire flicker rhythmically.
...
Spring has come once again. Arthur and Merlin walked along the flower field hand in hand, their faces lit with bright smiles.
Arthur paused and let go of Merlin's hand to bend down and pick up a pink rose. He took a whiff of the rose's sweet earthy scent before placing it on Merlin's ear. Arthur stood up to adore how even more beautiful the rose made Merlin look. "You're so beautiful." He complimented lovingly without a hint of awkwardness or hesitance.
Merlin smiled the most beautiful smile that was only meant for Arthur, causing the blonde to blush; his knees started to weaken.
He held out his hand and Merlin took it. Arthur pulled the dark-haired boy into an embrace and kissed his forehead, and then his cheeks, and then finally his lips.
Merlin's lips tasted like honey. No, Merlin's whole body tasted sweet, as though he was a flower himself. Arthur kissed him deeply, hungrily, possessively. Arthur kissed Merlin until he felt him trembling in his arms and hear him mewling, begging for Arthur to give him more.
...
Arthur wanted to live with Merlin forever.
...
oOo
One day, while lying next to Arthur, Merlin quietly stopped moving.
"Alright, I'll go pick some apples." Arthur said as he stood up. He smiled at the sight of Merlin asleep. "I'll be right back."
...
It took Arthur a couple of hours to pick apples. He had to climbed up the trees and he wasn't the best tree-climber. Merlin was better than him in climbing trees because he's light and quick while Arthur was heavy and slow.
When he came back, holding a basket of succulent red apples, Merlin was still asleep and was on the same exact position as he left him earlier.
Arthur aggressively blocked the thoughts creeping in his mind.
"Wh—" he spoke...
"What, you're still sleeping? Geez! I picked some apples and they look absolutely delicious so get up!"
"..."
Arthur bent down, a smile plastered on his handsome face. He held out an apple to Merlin's face. "Here, didn't you say you wanted to eat some apples? Since a lot of them were ripe, I picked a bunch! I worked hard to get these apples. You know how bad I am in climbing trees!" he said cheerfully.
"Oh that reminds me, I also came across a strawberry bush, and also some grape vines! They looked super delicious but they wouldn't fit in the basket anymore so I thought after we eat the apples we could.. this time, together, let's..."
"..."
Merlin remained asleep.
"Together"
Still nothing.
The apple fell from Arthur's hand to the ground with a thud. Arthur took down the walls he erected in his mind and let the thoughts flood his mind.
'No more.' His mind told him. 'He's not here anymore'
Arthur didn't fight the thoughts. He simply kneeled in front of Merlin, lost in his thoughts.
Flashes of the first time they met, the first time he held Merlin's delicate form in his arms, the first time Merlin smiled up at him, the time he proposed to Merlin with a colorful bouquet of flowers, the first time they cuddled in front of the fire during a harsh winter... and then Merlin's smiling face as he adorned Merlin's ear with a pink rose and called him beautiful...
Tears fell down his cheeks as though a dam broke inside him and water just poured out of his eyes; he took Merlin's lifeless form in his embrace.
This was the first time Arthur had cried since he was born. The beautiful Prince who had died a million times, raised his voice and cried for the first time.
Over and over, Arthur cried a million times. Until it became night, then day, then night again, and day. And again until night, and 'til morning.
One day, Arthur laid next to Merlin, and quietly, softly stopped moving.
Arthur never came back to life again.
.The End.
Thanks a million for reading this story! Please don't forget to leave a lovely review or a constructive criticism!
Copyright of the story this fanfic was inspired from belongs to the rightful owner, Yoko Sano.