Howl at the stars. Whisper while you're sleeping.
Arthur didn't know how long he walked after the light. The woods seemed endless and unchanging. The dawn never came. On and on through total blackness he walked. Merlin's light kept going faster and faster. Arthur didn't want to think about what that meant. Was Merlin running out of time? The light was far ahead of him now.
"Merlin! Wait! Slow down!" He tried to yell, but the words stuck in his throat. He could barely hear himself. He gritted his teeth and pushed his acing muscles harder, but no matter how hard he tried, he seemed to be getting slower and slower. The light moved on, away through the darkness.
"Stop!" His plea came out as a pathetic croak. The light was dipping in and out of view. Soon, he could only see a faint glow. Then, it was gone, and he was alone in the darkness.
"NO!"
Arthur woke to the sound of his own scream. He blinked rapidly, trying to regain his grip on reality. First, he saw the stars above him, slowly being revealed as the storm clouds cleared. He sat up quickly. Merlin's light bobbed steadily nearby, giving off a sympathetic and reassuring aura.
Arthur remembered now. It had been a few hours before dawn, as far as he could tell, when Merlin's light had stopped suddenly. At first, Arthur thought something was wrong, but then he had sensed phrases like, Okay, prat, lie down before you fall down, Can't rescue me if you're exhausted, and Nearly there, coming from the light. He had been reluctant to stop, but he could see that Merlin wasn't going to lead him on until he had.
It was a dream. Merlin's light hadn't left him behind. It was still with him. Merlin was still with him.
For now…
He shut his eyes and clenched his jaw as the sorrow he'd felt in his dream threatened to overwhelm him again. He was startled by the feel of someone's hand on his shoulder. He looked up. There was Merlin's light beside him, glowing steadily, whispering to him.
I'm not going anywhere.
Arthur swallowed, and nodded jerkily.
Ready?
"Lead the way," Arthur said, rising to his feet, "Idiot."
He could almost hear his friend's answering laughter.
I'll be there to hold you. I'll be there to stop the chills and all the weeping.