Disclaimer – I don't own Merlin
Chapter 3 – The Bond
A/N: So here's where the plot really begins. Sorry if you found the last two plotless chapters boring, hopefully this will be better?
Again thank you to everyone who read/reviewed/alerted and everything else. I've tried to do things people have suggested, so thanks to them too.
Merlin awoke the next morning with what felt like Gaius stroking his hair. Unless someone else was in his room it must be Gaius. He had an awful headache and couldn't remember what he had been doing the previous day. Cautiously he opened his eyes, to find himself in a tent that was not one of Camelot's. He jolted in fear as the previous day's events came flooding back to him; the hunt, the capture, the whipping... and the magic he had used in front of...
"Arthur." Merlin whimpered turning around, as quickly as his sore back would allow, finding out that it was in fact the prince who had been stroking his hair as he had woken. The prince did not look angry, Merlin thought he actually looked rather concerned and was not reacting to Merlin's magic how the manservant would have thought.
He was just about to question the prince's feelings towards him when Arthur quickly raised himself from his position behind Merlin to go and stand him front of him, like a shield against the man now standing in the doorway of the tent. Merlin could see just enough past the prince to notice they were still in the camp they had been before. Merlin let out a small groan at this, realising they were not out of danger and hoping somehow that these men were too stupid to figure out that he was Emrys.
"Move. I want 'im." the man pointed his stubby finger over to where Merlin was perched on the small bed looking over at the two wide-eyed.
"I won't let you touch him!" Arthur growled out, which earned him a nose-breaking punch. The impact caused a large crack to sound through the air, blood to pour from the Princes nose and a loud yelp of pain from Merlin. At this Arthur spun around to see what was attacking Merlin, and upon seeing nothing he turned back round to see a second man entering the tent.
"What have you done to him?" The new man in the tent was looking to Arthur with almost pity in his eyes. 'I heard screaming.' Now cradling his bruised fist, the first, obviously older man, turned to glare at Conran.
"He would not obey my commands so he needed to be punished. We were told to bring Emrys and he won't move aside."
Merlin's heart plummeted when he heard this but to his surprise Arthur had looked at him with not a surprised or angry look like he had expected but a reassuring and sympathetic look and although Merlin didn't understand this he was glad of the fact that Arthur had accepted his magic. Merlin looked around, planning their escape. Now that Arthur knew about his secret this would be much easier. He stood up and edged closer to the prince on the pretence of letting the men take him.
"I'll go with them Arthur." Merlin gave him a warning look, which the Prince did not seem to understand because as soon as Merlin had allowed these words to leave his mouth Arthur had clung to his manservant.
With Arthur being uncooperative Merlin decided that now was his chance to act, raising his hand he sent a bolt of light flying into one man's chest and before the other had time to make his leave threw a large pan, that he had seen on his earlier inspection of the tent, to knock the man out.
It was only now that Merlin remembered reading something, something that could explain Arthur's complete acceptance of Merlin's magic...
It was one night not long after Merlin had come to Camelot. He had been in the library, looking through the few books about the old religion that the castle still kept within its walls. He was flicking through the pages of a book entitled 'Bursts of Magic' when he took interest in a particular chapter called 'Bonding':
'The bonding of the mind, brain and heart is one of the deepest bonds known on this Earth, and it is caused by a magical spell gone wrong. When a magical being of the old religion feels an intense urge to protect someone or someone that's destiny mixes with their own, their magic will surge to the surface, and will burst uncontrollably out of their body.
This will defeat the enemy (on different levels from knocking them out to killing them depending on the threat they pose) but will also create the strongest bond between the protector and the other. This creates a bond which means both share the pain, emotions and on some occasions the thoughts of the person or creature they are bonded to. Unfortunately this means that they can never be separated for too long as this will deplete the holders of the bonds energy, eventually killing them, but It can also be used to the holders advantage, making them stronger if they work together to keep hold of their original relationship and natural bond.'
Yawning widely, Merlin shut the book, and after putting it back on its shelf began to make his way back to his room, wondering how anyone could live with such a bond and dreaded to think of what it would be like to be bonded to that clotpole.
Merlin gasped, suddenly feeling rather dizzy and slightly nauseous at the thought of being bonded with Arthur, and how would he set about explaining this? The prince was staring at Merlin, slightly confused but mainly relieved that the men were no longer a danger to them.
Eventually, Merlin made up his mind and, dragging Arthur behind him, made his leave from the tent. He decided that it would be best to wait to tell the prince, not wanting to waste anymore time in the company of their captors. They crept forwards, Merlin crouching as far as his back would let him, the sun doing nothing to help his headache. He guessed it was roughly mid-day.
They were nearly at the tree line, almost free when an arrow flew between Merlin and Arthurs head and into the maze of tents they were negotiating. The prince automatically put his hand to his waist band ready to unsheathe his sword but began to panic when he realised the men must have taken it off of him when Merlin's spell knocked them all out (which although they were not in the best of situations relieved Merlin because it showed he was the same old Arthur.) Through the bond Merlin felt Arthurs fear grip hold of him too, but tried to push it aside to allow his determination to take hold of both of them.
A/N: I'm not really sure how many chapters this is going to end up being, it depends how much time I get because I have lots of exams coming up soon, but it should just mean that my updates are slower. R&R please and thank you