AN: Hey guys! Sorry this took so long to get up here. Life has been AWOL, and plus I got really picky with this chapter. I'm still not 100% happy with it, but I figured you lovely people deserved SOMETHING. So, sorry if it is a bit POO. :P
Also, thanks to all you beautiful people who have put this story on alert and reviewed. Means a lot guys! XD
As always, thanks to my main guy, Merthur dreamer, who has recently helped me through a lot of hard times. Send him my love guys, because he deserves it! ANYWAY. Enough rambling.
ENJOY.
Chapter two
Arthur ran his hand through his hair and grinned to himself as he remembered the look on Merlin's face. If there was one thing he couldn't resist, it was getting back at him. A small chuckle passed his lip, and he got an odd look from a passing servant.
That immediately sobered him up. A scowl replaced his smile, his thoughts of Merlin a distant memory as he straightened his step and prided himself on appearance.
Arthur strolled into the main hall, and he saw his father nod to him.
"Ah, Arthur. What can I do for you son?" Uther smiled slightly at him, and Arthur knew that this was a big sign of affection from his father.
"Sire." Arthur inclined his head and carried on. "I have decided to go on a short hunting trip. I will only be three day at the most."
"Of course son. I shall assign you a group of Knights." Uther announced, raising an eyebrow when Arthur pouted.
"Father, it's a small trip, I'll be well within Camelot and I'll have my manservant accompanying me. I hardly think I need a whole fleet of Knights." Arthur pointed out, and noticed a couple of his men let out a relieved breath. He wondered why his people hated hunting so much.
Uther rubbed his chin, deliberating. "Well, you have a point. However, I'll not put your life in the hands of your clumsy manservant, so take Sir Kay. He's trusted and a skilled fighter." The King nodded, his decision final.
Arthur was about to protest that he didn't need protecting and that his 'clumsy' manservant wasn't clumsy, just a bit...inept. But he saw the look on his father's face and he knew it was a fight he wasn't going to win, so Arthur plastered on a smile and nodded as he turned around and left the room.
Arthur grimaced once he was out of the room. He didn't know what it was about Kay. He never liked him. The man had quickly climbed his way through the ranks of the guard and had somehow made his way to be his father's favourite Knight in less than a couple of months. It normally took others years to get to where he was. He never treated servants with any respect and had a smug air about him.
Arthur strode out of the castle, acknowledging the admiring glances some of the servants threw him. He grinned when he found Merlin saddling up two horses. Arthur stayed silent, content with watching his manservant hum cheerily to himself. Arthur observed how happy Merlin looked, and it made him smile. However that disappeared when Merlin spoke softly to the horse.
"...royal prat is making us go hunting. Poor horse. You just look like you want to back to sleep." The soft murmurs were interrupted by Arthurs cough. He had the pleasure of watching Merlin spin around swiftly, then flush bright red. A grin tugged at Arthurs lips at Merlin's reaction.
"Royal prat Merlin...really?" Arthur laughed as the Merlin stood, astounded. "Woah Merlin. My witty sharp-tongued manservant is rendered speechless. Well. Blow me down." Arthur waggled his eyebrows as Merlin chuckled.
Arthur sighed, and ran a hand through his golden hair. "We will be joined by Sir Kay. Apparently my father is insisting that I have some form of protection." Arthur rolled his eyes. He noted the scowl that crossed Merlin's face, and something inside him quivered with excitement. So I'm not the only one who just wanted to be alone on our trip. Arthur thought with some amusement. "What, Merlin?" Arthur asked, as his manservant was still scowling away.
"I don't like Sir Kay. He's too...perfect. He worked his way up the ranks way too quickly for my liking." Merlin crossed his arms across his chest.
Arthur hid a grin when Merlin spoke. It was good to know that he wasn't the only one who disliked his father's new favourite knight.
"I agree with you Merlin. Although I wouldn't call him 'perfect'" Arthur frowned.
"...plus it would've been nice if it was just you and I."
Arthur thought he heard Merlin mumble as his manservant turned to prepare Sir Kay's horse. This time, Arthur had to turn away to hide the beautiful smile that spilled across his face. He took a moment to compose himself, and walked over to where Merlin was saddling up another horse. Arthur laughed when he saw that it was the most unruly horse in the stables.
"I suppose this is Sir Kay's horse? A bit harsh Merlin, this horse is a nightmare." Arthur raised an eyebrow as Merlin turned around, grinning wickedly.
"Oh is it? How unfortunate." Merlin blinked innocently.
"For the love of the Gods, this horse is irritating." Sir Kay grumbled as his horse refused to turn down the right road. Merlin glanced over at Arthur and disguised a laugh as a cough.
So far, the knight's troublesome horse had caused him numerous problems, and Merlin almost lost his act and burst into laughter when Sir Kay's horse turned around and tried to trot back to Camelot.
Merlin rode ahead, leaving the perplexed knight behind. He caught up with Arthur, and saw that the Prince was grinning widely.
"Remind me never to irritate you." Arthur commented, laughing. Merlin chuckled.
"I'll remember that!" He stuck his tongue out at Arthur when the Prince shot him a dry look. Sir Kay finally caught up with them, smiling smugly as his horse became strangely obedient. Merlin shot Arthur a disappointed look and murmured "Well, that's no fun..."
Merlin heard Arthur splutter and he hid a smile.
"Sire...This seems like a good place to set up camp." Sir Kay note, pointing to a clearing.
Arthur glanced over to where the knight was pointing and nodded. "Very well. We'll set up camp for the night here. We are just in the right spot to hunt in the morning. Merlin, get started on the tents and firewood." Arthur ordered, and Merlin groaned loudly, earning a chuckle from Arthur. "You didn't think this was just a friendly trip did you? You have to work for your food Merlin." Arthur grinned and Merlin glared at him as he slid off his horse.
Merlin allowed a sigh to leave his lips as he began to set up Arthur's tent. He ran a hand through his hair as he realised that with his magic would speed everything up, but with Arthur watching his every move, he knew he couldn't risk it.
An hour later, and Merlin had put all three tents up, collected fire wood and had a fire roaring away. Merlin sat back on the ground, grinning at his hard work. Arthur emerged from his tent, wearing only his breeches and no shirt and sat opposite him, across the fire.
"Well done Merlin. Not too shabby. Maybe I'll keep you." Arthur grinned up at him. Merlin rolled his eyes. He noticed Sir Kay had already retired to bed, and he couldn't help but feel a little glad that he and Arthur were left to themselves.
Merlin leant forward to poke the fire with a stick, watching in awe as the orange and yellows of the fire danced in front of him. Merlin longed for the freedom that the fire symbolised. The Warlock looked up, and caught Arthur staring at him. Merlin locked eyes with him, and a soft gasp left his lips.
He was overwhelmed at Arthur's stark beauty. In the sweet moonlight, his hair glimmered, and his eyes simply glowed, echoing the flickering fire. Merlin felt as if he were looking into the very soul of the Prince. Merlin knew that Arthur had such a challenged life. As much as Merlin teased, he could only imagine a life without a supporting parent. To know that Arthur had never felt any large signs of affection of Uther tore Merlin inside. As Merlin gazed into Arthurs deep eyes he felt lost, but happy. He knew that if it were up to him, he would spend eternity losing himself in the Prince.
He didn't know how long they stayed staring at each other.
Soon, Arthur coughed awkwardly, and a rush of blood flew to Merlin's cheeks. Merlin turned away, and refused to re-engage eye contact.
"I'm going to bed, Sire. Goodnight." Merlin mumbled.
"Hmm? Oh, yes. Night Merlin."
Merlin was still blushing as he entered his tent. He prayed to the gods that it was too dark for Arthur to notice.
Arthur sat alone at the fire, his brain trying to comprehend what had just happened. He had never felt so happy and calm, then when he was staring into Merlin's eyes. He felt so protected and safe, and it had scared him. He felt so confused.
Arthur's eyes lingered on Merlin's tent, and he had an unreasonable urge to go and see his sleeping beauty. Arthur felt a battle commence inside him. His desire verses his pride. Unfortunately, his insufferable pride emerged victorious and the thought of being discovered outweighed his want to see Merlin.
With a sigh, Arthur resigned to his bed, his feet dragging past Merlin's tent as he cursed his pride.
Meanwhile, Merlin was not sleeping well. He tossed and turned on the floor, unable to rid himself of the terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. It was the feeling he always got before Arthur was in danger. It made his magic come to life and Merlin was having a hard time blocking it out. A heavy sigh fell from the Warlock, and Merlin decided to check up on Arthur, to ease his mind. Merlin heaved himself from the floor, and dusted himself off. As silently as he could, Merlin unzipped his tent and crept across to Arthurs. Even from outside, Merlin could hear him snoring. Merlin rolled his eyes, a fond smile lighting up his face. Merlin unzipped Arthur's tent, forgetting that if Arthur was snoring, then surely he was fine. Merlin tried to hold his breath as his eyes searched through the tent. He couldn't help scoffing quietly at the amount of mess the Prince had already succeeded in making. It was insane. They had barely been there for two hours and the place looked worse that his room back in the palace. There were clothes covering every inch of the floor and his sword lay by the entrance. Merlin frowned, knowing that Arthur normally slept with his sword by his side. Merlin silently moved it over to place the sword near his Prince. He made the mistake of glancing over at Arthur, and for a moment, he was struck with the stark beauty of the sleeping Prince. Merlin's breath caught in his throat, and in his shock, he dropped the sword. The clanging of metal sounded loudly as the sword hit bare ground. Merlin cursed silently and jumped right back, desperately trying to come up with some sort of reason why he was lurking in Arthur's tent.
Luckily, his troubles were in vain, as Arthur merely wrinkled up his nose, frowning slightly in his sleep. Merlin bit his lip, and crept slowly back towards Arthur. He dropped to his knees, and Merlin couldn't help placing his hand on Arthur's cheek. To Merlin's delight, Arthur's face relaxed into a beautiful smile, and in his sleep, he turned his head into Merlin's hand. A huge grin danced across Merlin's features, and he sighed happily.
"Arthur. When will you realise how special you are, and how much I love you." Merlin murmured, planting a delicate kiss on top of Arthurs head. With one last smile, he heaved himself up and made his way outside.
However, the feeling of dread still lurked inside of Merlin, and unwilling to risk it, the warlock sat loyally outside Arthur's tent, to protect him from any arising danger.
A cold breeze shook Merlin awake. He cursed himself, it was the fourth time he's fallen asleep when he was supposed to be watching Arthur. Something told Merlin he was being stupid, but the insufferable feeling of terror in his stomach wouldn't subside.
Arthur lay awake in his bed, pondering on whether he was dreaming. He kept his eyes closed, feigning sleep to Merlin. Was Merlin really in his tent? And did he just say he loved him? Arthur's heart thumped loudly, and he was surprised everyone within a mile radius couldn't hear it.
After a moment, Arthur decided it must be a dream. This was too much of a fantasy to be reality.
Merlin whipped his head to the side as he heard a snap of twigs. In the darkness, it was impossible for him to see. Merlin held his hand out and muttered ancient words to himself.
"Lǽtan éage æt lóca áhwænne ac léohtfæt canne licgan ástemnian"
Merlin felt a tingle run down his body as his magic rippled through him. His eyes glowed momentarily gold, and suddenly, Merlin could see everything as if the sun was high in the sky. His magic had allowed him to see when no mortal could, into the depth of the night. Content with this safety precaution, he shirked back into the opening of Arthur's tent, remaining hidden from any possible intruders.
A few minutes passed, and Merlin was scanning the clearing before him intensely. He did not like the feeling of alarm building up inside him, and he frequently turned his head to check on Arthur, who apart from sleeping rather erratically, was fine.
Merlin started to wonder whether he was just being paranoid. He had been sitting out here for over an hour and nothing had happened. The snapping twigs were probably just a frightened animal. A sigh passed the Warlocks lips as he prepared himself to leave.
Merlin shifted uncomfortably when he heard noise from across the clearing. He tensed, and crouched protectively over Arthur.
A few seconds passed, and Merlin was torn between relief and curiosity when he saw Sir Kay quietly pad across the clearing. Merlin bit his lip, not knowing whether he should follow the Knight, who had disappeared into the forest, or whether he should stay and look after Arthur. A quick glance back at Arthur, who looked so vulnerable and innocent, was all he needed to know that he would stay by Arthur's side. Merlin watched as Kay delved even further into the forest.
Seconds turned into minutes, and Merlin was beginning to wonder where the knight had wondered off to. After ten minutes had passed, Merlin frowned as he saw an orb of light float into the clearing, one only summoned by magic. He looked back at this Prince, who thankfully remained asleep, then glanced back out to see who had made the light. He was surprised to witness Sir Kay stumble back into the clearing. Merlin raised his eyebrows, did the Knight also possess magic? But then why didn't he use magic to conjure light when he was leaving? It didn't make sense.
The answer became apparent to Merlin when another figure appeared into the clearing, next to Kay. This was a woman, with fair blonde hair, and dark eyes. Merlin had to admit she was beautiful, in a bewitching way. Merlin knew straight away, this was the sorceress who conjured the light. Her dark eyes glowed a brilliant gold, and she just had an air of magic.
"Is he sleeping?" The woman's voice danced across the clearing, menace evident in her words.
"Yes, Morgause. I waited as you told me to." Kay bowed his head. Merlin growled silently. Was Kay conspiring against Arthur? He couldn't be sure, but Merlin vowed to never let the knight near Arthur alone again until he knew all the facts.
With a jolt of fear, Merlin realised that the witch had turned to look at Arthur's tent and was staring straight at him. Swallowing his terror, Merlin shirked further back into the tent before he could be spotted and he watched from the darkness.
Merlin watched as the woman- Morgause – smiled maliciously at the knights words. "His death shall be long and torturous to pay for his father's crimes against our people." She laughed to herself.
Sir Kay looked slightly perplexed and Merlin briefly wondered how someone so slow worked his way through the ranks of Camelot.
Panic rose over Merlin as Morgause turned and began gracefully tap over the clearing, towards Arthur's tent. Merlin hissed from inside, "Ámundian."
Morgause suddenly found herself unable to move any further forward. She pouted and held her hand out, investigating the protective shield that had cocooned Arthur's tent.
"Who else is here?" She furiously demanded, turning on Kay.
"The boy's manservant. Arthur is strangely fond of him. Useless little thing. Kill him first. Then the Prince." Kay replied happily, and Merlin grinned at Morgause's anger.
"Well. I hadn't thought of that, you moron." Her voice dripped with sarcasm and Kay looked a little hurt.
Morgause had turned back to the force that was not permitting her entrance and her eyes flashed gold as a mutter of words left her lips. Merlin gasped quietly as he felt his shield cracked.
Morgause, having heard the gasp, looked up and smiled.
"Your tricks did not work on me. Show yourself coward."
Merlin steeled himself, glanced back at Arthur and murmured, "casul hine brirnnesen."
Arthur glowed a deep red, for a moment as Merlin's magic swirled into him, keeping him safe.
Merlin drew in a breath and stepped away from Arthur and steeled himself, before stepping outside.
Arthur kept his eyes shut until he felt Merlin move away. He stole a glance at his arm, and watched in amazement as it glowed a Pendragon red before subsiding back into his normal skin colour. At this point, Arthur was convinced he was dreaming. The only other solution was that Merlin was magic, and that was completely out of the question. Merlin was not a sorcerer. It was all a dream...
Merlin stepped out of the tent, fists clenched. He didn't know what he was facing, but he knew he would face it for Arthur.
Morgause smiled. "Ah. A brave child we have here. Also a powerful sorcerer. That forcefield should have left you unconscious. Regardless, I will have to ask you to step aside. The Prince is mine." Merlin snarled as Morgause spoke. Kay gasped at the revelation that it was indeed Merlin who cast the spell.
"No." Merlin stated with a flat voice. Morgause raised an eyebrow, Merlin was now standing, fists balled up and anger and magic seething out of him.
"You dare defy me boy? I'll give you just one chance to run away." Morgause growled. Merlin said nothing, just stared right into her eyes. "Very well. I have no choice then." She grinned slightly and raised her hand.
"You can't hurt him!" Merlin growled, his arms spreading out.
Morgause tipped her head back, a laugh tinkling from her lips. Merlin flexed his hands, clenching and unclenching his fists at the woman who dared think she was getting anywhere near Arthur.
"I can, and I will. Enjoy the afterlife." Amusement filled her eyes and her eyes flashed gold as an incantation flew from her lips.
Frustration poured through Merlin as he easily deflected the spell, his own eyes flashing gold. Her spell rebounded and bounced into the forest.
Kay gasped. "It really is you! You have magic? I can't believe it!" The knight bumbled and Merlin rolled his eyes. How did a man so slow manage to crawl his way to the King's favourite knight?
As Merlin was momentarily distracted, Morgause attempted another spell at Arthur. Thankfully, Merlin had deflected it in time, and he turned to Morgause. He saw red, and his fury returned to him with a violence.
"How dare you! Do you thi-" Merlin spat out at her, but Morgause interrupted him with a loud stream of incantations. At tipping point Merlin yelled "ábæddedon"
Morgause suddenly found herself restricted. She could not open her mouth or move her feet. She was stuck to the stop. Merlin's eyes continually burned a steady molten gold as he kept the spell going, and he felt it ebb away slightly at his energy.
"I wasn't finished speaking to you." Merlin said darkly to Morgause, who was assessing him cautiously from where she was stuck.
"Arthur is here, and Arthur is protected. You will not touch him. You will not go near him. Above all, you will never hurt him. You people try and try again, but as long as I'm here, he will be protected." Merlin felt his heart beat faster and he finally unclenched his hands.
Merlin stood there in dead silence for over three minutes, staring at Morgause. Fear had paralysed Kay into a statue, and Merlin's spell meant no movement from Morgause. Merlin cautiously let Morgause go, worried about the toll it would take on his magic,
"éðelstæf staðolfæst" Morgause shouted stubbornly, and Merlin laughed slightly and countered her spell with a quick "áflíeman" causing Morgause to fly back.
Merlin turned his head and noticed Arthur was still fast asleep. He whipped his head back round to see Morgause standing back up. The woman had her own fist clenched and she raised her other hand as incantations poured from her. Her eyes glowed gold, and the force of her spells caused her to hover inches above the ground.
Merlin held his hand out, and yelled "Ámundian sé abiron ic bróðorscipe!"
Morgause watched in fury as her spells bounced effortlessly around Arthur's tent. She could feel her power slowly draining from her so she stopped and drifted back to the floor. She hadn't anticipated any troubles tonight.
"This isn't over." She snarled at Merlin. She then turned to where Kay lay, breathing but unconscious and muttered "sciphlæst."
Kay disappeared in a second, causing Merlin to draw in a deep breath. He had hoped to kill the bumbling knight before Arthur had time to ask questions. Morgause smiled cunningly at Merlin. "I'll be seeing you later, sorcerer." She promised before disappearing from sight. Merlin cursed himself. Now they had got away, they could become stronger and come back. Merlin bit his lip.
"Looks like I'm not sleeping tonight." He mumbled to himself, and with a resigned sigh, he once again took place outside Arthurs tent.
Arthur wondered when he was going to wake up. He was certain he was dreaming now. After all, what else could explain the female voice, and Merlin's ''magic.''
Arthur would tell Merlin of this dream tomorrow and they would both laugh at the sheer ludicrously of it all.
At least, that's what Arthur hoped...
AN: Pssssst. Hey! You! Yeah you! A review would just be ace. If you could do that. That's be nice :D thanks for reading! 3 xx
