Prompt by Princess Falling Star.
Title: Dreaming.
Prompt: Gwaine being enchanted into a deep sleep and is unable to wake up because he dreaming of a life with Merlynn and he needs to want to wake up.
Rating: T.
"Gwaine," a voice whispered, soothing and warm. "Wake up."
His eyes opened to come in contact with cerulean orbs and a wide, loving smile. Gwaine was a bit confused to see that it was Merlynn who joined him in - what looked like - his bedchambers, and in his bed, too.
"What're you doing here? I thought you'd be with Arthur," he asked with a frown.
Merlynn rolled her eyes and reclined next to him on the bed, facing him. He turned toward the servant, curious and still a bit baffled; then, he realised. She wasn't wearing any clothes beneath the sheets that covered her form to her chest. His eyes widened, but he didn't say anything.
"He said I could start a little later this morning, because I was complaining to no end yesterday - it gave me a chance to spend time with you," she chuckled, leaning over to kiss his stubbled cheek.
"Why are you naked?" his question was blunt. Was she playing with him? Or did she wish to cheat on Arthur? Merlynn wasn't the type of person to do that - or was she? He had no clue.
Her smile turned wicked. "I didn't think you were that drunk last night, Gwaine."
They had slept together? - and he'd forgotten.
"But, what - what about Arthur?"
"What do you mean 'what about Arthur'?" she asked with furrowed brows.
"You and him are together, right? What happened?"
Merlynn burst out laughing. "What? Me and Arthur? Together? Have you lost your mind, Gwaine? The only person I've ever been with is you, and you know that!"
He must have been dreaming. Gwaine had these dreams more often than not, as sad as it was - but this one, it was different. Merlynn felt so real; the dream was more real than any other he'd ever had. She smelt like the forest, and snowberries, and her hair was soft to the touch like silk. Everything felt real. It was like his dream turned into reality, and he never wanted it to end. So, taking advantage of it, he grasped her by the back of the neck, tangling his fingers through her dark curls, and tugged her close into a passionate embrace. She released a small moan, her body rolling so she straddled his waist. He could feel her naked above him, her soft, warm skin touching his, fingers delving into his jaw.
"You're certainly excited this morning," she rasped as she pulled back from the kiss to breathe.
"Uh huh. Now c'mere," he forcefully crashed his lips to hers, his hands moving to her hips, anchoring them.
Merlynn released herself again, forehead leaning against his. "Keep doing that, and we'll never leave."
"Now when has that been a bad thing?" he teased, running his lips, teeth and tongue across her jaw and neck. He attached his mouth to her clavicle, nipping it gently. He heard her gasp, felt her hips buck against him. Gwaine groaned, his strong arms capturing her body to his; he never wanted the feeling to end, to have this moment remain as it was for the rest of his life. He'd be happy.
"Yo - you have training," her lips touched his hair, "and I have to wake Arthur up."
His arms tightened around her for a moment. The mention of the king ruined the moment; it meant that Arthur and Merlynn could still be possible, and this was his dream. "No," he said stubbornly. "Can't you just walk with me down to the training grounds? Get another servant to wake the king up?" Coincidentally, Arthur was one of his close friends - which was something that had come to a surprise to the both of them - but he was jealous.
She forced him back away from her, but still sat on his lap. "Gwaine, what is with you today? Are you jealous of Arthur, or something?" He buried his face in her neck instead of answering, breathing in her scent. "You have to realise that there is nothing between Arthur and I - we're just friends."
"Very close friends," he muttered.
"We've been through a lot," she shrugged. "You're not the jealous type, Gwaine." Then, she smiled in a way that made him harden even more. "But gods does it look attractive on you." Her lips molded to his for a quick, heated moment, before she departed from him completely.
There she stood, bare before him. Of course Gwaine imagined it more than once, but it never ceased to make his mouth go dry. She was - gods, so beautiful. Pale skin all over, which became flushed after certain activities and when she was mad, and curves that suited her. Sometimes he thought her too thin (once he had a dream that he was feeding her the finest foods in the whole five kingdoms) but she still had womanly hips and breasts, toned, thick thighs... he could stare at her all day. Merlynn smirked, knowing what he was thinking.
"I'll see you down at the training grounds, then?" she winked, pulled on her clothes quickly and hurried out.
[][][][][][]
He never wanted the dream to end. That was definite. Everything seemed brighter, more beautiful than before. Gwaine dressed and made his way toward the training grounds through the Lower Town - everyone was the same, except for one thing. Merlynn was his - not Arthur's, his. He saw his closest friends all standing together by the fence of the first training field, and grinned at the sight of them.
"Hello, brothers," he greeted, clapping Percival's shoulder.
"Never thought you'd get out of bed, mate. You were taking forever; thank god Arthur decided to sleep in, too," Elyan chuckled.
"Almost didn't get out of bed. Merlynn forced me."
Lancelot groaned. "I don't need to know that you two - ugh." It seemed that even in his dream, Lancelot still felt the same way about Merlynn, which furthered the idea that he was just in another reality - an alternate, better reality.
"Morning, men!" Arthur exclaimed, followed by his servant, who carried his weapons in her dainty hands. "Sorry for being late. I had a late night."
"It took forever to wake him up," Merlynn commented with a roll of her eyes.
He shot her a glare and snatched the sword from her fingers. "Shut up, Merlynn." She poked her tongue out at him, then sent Gwaine a wink.
Gwaine felt like jumping up and down and shouting with how happy he was; Merlynn and Arthur were not together, while he and Merlynn were. Everything was the same, except for that little piece of information. When training was over, she hurried over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning up to give him a small kiss. Then, together, the two made their way into the tavern to drink with the other men. She sat on his lap and they acted like they did in reality, teasing and joking around, but she cuddled up against him and kissed his jaw every so often.
"Get a room, for god's sake," Leon complained.
Merlynn chuckled. "If you don't like it, don't watch," she retorted.
"That's my girl," Gwaine kissed the back of her head.
[][][][][][]
Bandits were terrorizing the outlining villages in Camelot, so Arthur set out with the knights and Merlynn to find, capture and finish them. Gwaine could admit that he liked stopping savages such as them, but now he had reason to - he was a knight of Camelot. They found them quickly, and set out on their battle to stop them. He dispatched four quickly with ease, then set off to finish off another. But, he realised that they were in over their heads. More seemed to pile in from left and right, with larger weapons and stronger statures than before.
It had been a trap.
Gwaine wanted the dream to end now. He didn't feel like dying in his dream, even though he was confident that he wouldn't. He turned to see a large bandit approach his king from behind while Arthur fought off two men simultaneously. Before he could do anything, Merlynn swooped in with surprising skill. The man was twice her size but she was fast, and used her broadsword well - she defeated him, then moved on to the next man. Neither of them saw it coming.
A bandit with a short blade came up behind her, took her by the waist and, before his eyes, sliced across her throat.
Everything froze.
The bandits disappeared, as did his comrades. It was just his dying love, and the merciless forest. Gwaine dropped to his knees beside her and cradled Merlynn in his arms; the familiar burning sting of tears appeared in his eyes, and he didn't try and force it back. He shakily touched her throat, which still oozed the sticky red liquid that kept her alive. Nothing could save her, both of them knew that. The blood trickled from her pale lips as she choked on it - the knife dug so deep into her throat it would not allow her to talk. Her pale fingers clasped tight onto his arms.
"I'm sorry," he rasped out. "I - I didn't want this. This wasn't supposed to happen. I love you, Merlynn. I'm sorry."
He felt her body slump as it was depraved of life, felt her fingers loosen and fall from his arm. Gwaine only pulled her closer, ignoring the blood that covered his body. He was alone in the forest now.
Would the dream end?
[][][][][][]
"Gwaine," it wasn't Merlynn, that was for sure. He slowly opened his eyes and came in contact with Gaius' kind ones. "You're awake. That's good. We thought we'd lost you."
"Ugh," he groaned out, clutching at his head. It sparked suddenly in pain. "My head."
"Yes, you will be feeling a bit of trauma in that area for a little while, but you will be fine."
"What happened?"
"I'm not sure. Merlynn told me that you just suddenly collapsed in the training grounds, and Percival carried you here," Gaius told him.
That was embarrassing. At the thought of the servant, however, he sat up straighter without regard for his head. The dream repeated in his mind; the blade slicing across her vulnerable throat, the blood gushing almost immediately, the light leaving her eyes... Gwaine pressed the heel of his hand into his eyes in an attempt to rid his brain of the images.
"Gwaine? Are you alright?" he asked in concern.
"I - I'll be fine. How long have I been out?"
"Two days."
"When can I leave?"
"In a few hours. I just want to make sure that you'll be fine. You can wander around the room if you want, but I don't think it's best if you leave just yet," Gaius said.
"Okay. Thank you, Gaius."
Two hours later, there was a visitor. It was Merlynn; she looked exactly the same as she had in his dream, except now he knew she wasn't his - she'd never truly be his. He swallowed thickly, and felt the urge to bring her tight into his arms again. Her blue eyes came in contact with his, and a large smile appeared on her face.
"Gwaine!" she rushed over to him and drew him into a hug. He relished in it, returning the embrace with a tight squeeze. "I was so worried about you! I - I didn't think you were gonna wake up for a little while."
"Me neither," he agreed, and kissed her forehead. "But I'm here, princess, and I'm not gonna leave."
"Good. The knights were worried sick, too. They kept wanting to visit but Gaius wouldn't allow it because they're to rowdy," she chuckled.
Gwaine released her and sent a crooked smile her way. He would have to live with this reality; it would hurt time to time, but he would prefer it if she was his best friend than her to die after a short relationship between them. It was much better this way.
What did ya think? :)
