For what felt like ages he simply lay there next to Freya. He was weak from the effort of casting the powerful spell and could barely move, but he couldn't rest until he had laid his hand on top of hers. He needed the assurance that she was there, that she was all right, and it was only after that was he able to fall into a deep, peaceful sleep. He awoke at dawn, though he had no way of knowing it in the dark caverns. He was disoriented for a moment, not knowing why he was sleeping on hard ground instead of his own bed, but then memory returned and he smiled. He opened his eyes, and saw Freya next to him, looking like a princess in Morgana's stolen dress. He must have made some noise-she turned around toward him, her face cast in shadows by the flickering candlelight. She smiled when she saw he was awake.
"You saved me," she said, as tears began to roll down her cheeks. Merlin immediately pushed himself up and wrapped his arms around her. She leaned into him, weeping onto his shoulder,
"I almost killed your prince-I could have killed you!-and still, you saved my life".
"Freya, you couldn't help it! The Bastet-that isn't really you. And...Freya, I love you". Freya pushed apart from their embrace. She was no longer crying, but looking resolutely at him.
"Merlin, I love you too, but...we can't be together. You saw what I was last night-what I am..."
"And I don't care!" Merlin cut her off. "You can control it, like you did when you didn't hurt me last night. And even if you couldn't, I'm willing to take that risk".
"But I'm not! Merlin, if I ever hurt you, it would destroy me".
"I have my magic, I can protect myself-"
"The Druids couldn't even protect themselves from me!"
"I'm more powerful than the Druids".
"But you aren't infallible! Merlin, you've only seen the Bastet once, you can't understand what it's like". Tears had again sprung into Freya's eyes.
"It's always inside me, clawing to get out. Each night, I fight to contain it, to keep it inside. And each night, as midnight comes and it's at its strongest, I lose the fight, and it bursts out, full of bloodlust and violence. Merlin, it's been inside me since the moment I was cursed. I know it so, so, well, and-" she broke off suddenly, confusion spreading over her face.
"I-I can't sense it," she said, as if speaking her thoughts aloud. "I don't understand, it's like it isn't there. It's like it's gone, but it can't be gone..." Her head was tilted slightly to the side as she tried to understand what had happened.
It was Merlin who realized it first.
"The spell I used to heal you, it was supposed to heal your whole being. What if it healed you of your curse?". She looked up at him, not quite daring to believe.
"I'm...I'm free of it?"
"It's gone, Freya. It's gone forever". The smile on her face was a beautiful sight, a brilliant mixture of not-quite-belief and pure, sweet joy. She threw her arms around him and embraced him, not knowing what words would be enough for the incredible emotion she was feeling. She did, however, find two words in the end, whispered almost too quietly for Merlin to hear.
"Thank you".
They left within an hour. Merlin had already gotten them supplies the night before, and so it was only a matter of planning how and where they wanted to go. With everyone on high alert from the attack the night before, they decided that their best chance was to slip out of town as quietly as possible and try to buy horses from a village outside of Camelot. So Merlin went and gathered the supplies he had hidden the night before, and the two of them quietly left Camelot. Neither had anything with them other than a small pack with supplies. No matter how unprepared they were, however, it didn't matter; they were together, and that made them happier than either of them had been in a long time. The pure joy that had filled Freya since she discovered that she wasn't cursed made Merlin fall even deeper in love with her every time he looked at her. That she was so happy, and that he had been the one to make her bliss possible, made him feel like he was the luckiest man alive.
They had no reason to hurry, and they couldn't move very quickly without horses anyway, so the pair walked at a relaxed, easygoing pace. The path took them through the forest surrounding Camelot, and it was a beautiful journey; the morning sunlight trickled down through the thick branches of the trees, making every leaf and flower look simply magical. Once, Merlin paused for a moment to pluck a particularly lovely flower from a bush and present it to Freya. She smiled her shy, beautiful smile at him, and he thought his heart might melt. Her smile lit up his whole world, making it seem like nothing could ever go wrong again.
They walked, warmed by the sun and by each other. And, for the first time since they had met, they had the chance to simply talk and enjoy each other's presence.
They spoke of simple things. Merlin learned of Freya's childhood, of her favorite memories of the lake and the mountains that had been her home. She told him tales of mischievous friends, of a loving family, of beautiful mountain sunsets and misty dawns by the lake. She talked of happy memories that Merlin could tell she hadn't thought of in a long time. And when the smile began to fade from her lips, and Merlin knew that she was remembering the day she was cursed, he stepped in and began to tell his own stories. Some were from his own childhood, but many were from his days in Camelot. And so, Freya learned about a prince who could sometimes be a bit of a prat, of a sweet servant girl who was one of the most loyal friends he'd ever had, of a noble lady whose trust he had earned , and of a physician who worried over him more than his mother had. And as they exchanged pasts, as they opened themselves up to each other, the bond between them strengthened and thickened. They had fallen for each other in a moment, drawn together by their mutual separateness from the world. Now Merlin fell even harder for the whole person Freya was: the person he was just getting to know, but he already knew that he loved.
As they came to a clearing, the two decided to stop and rest for a moment, though their 'rest' quickly turned into an impromptu picnic as they realized that neither of them had eaten anything since the night before. Merlin rustled through the bags to get the food he had packed out, unconsciously falling back into his normal role as a servant. And so, a small, simple feast was set out on the grass in front of them.
"There's only one thing missing," Merlin said, and with a few muttered words on his part, and a bush sprouted up from the ground, bright green leaves giving birth to white flowers, which quickly transformed themselves into small, bright berries.
"You remembered!" Freya said as she plucked a strawberry off the plant.
"And," Merlin said, "I did better than just the right color this time". She laughed, and they settled down to enjoy their meal.
They talked and ate and just enjoyed each other's company. Though the food and surroundings were simple, Merlin enjoyed it more than any fancy meal he'd ever had on Camelot. The simplicity, in and of itself, was wonderful; it was a sweet tranquility between the two of them unlike anything that anything that either of them had ever experienced. The warm sun, the sweet berries, the cool grass, and the beautiful girl beside him all made Merlin feel like he was in some sort of dream he never wanted to wake up from. It wasn't a dream, however, and the knowledge that it was reality made his heart sing.
Reality seemed to shatter, however, when a rider burst out of the woods. Startled, a spell flew from Merlin before he fully registered what was going on.
"Swefe nu!" And as Merlin's eyes flashed gold, Prince Arthur tumbled, unconscious, onto the ground.
Not going to lie, the picnic scene between Merlin and Freya was heavily inspired by the scene between Gwen and Arthur in 'Queen of Hearts'. I always thought that was one of the most adorable scenes between those two in the show, so I really wanted to do something like that for Merlin and Freya. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Thanks to everyone who followed and favorited!
