End of Days
Chapter 2
~Fran Gipani
Disclaimer- So I obviously don't own Merlin no matter how much I'd love to and neither no I earn any money from this. This is just for funsies :)
Note from the Author- This is an 'Alternate Ending' fic for the Merlin Series Finale and will probably be about 4 or 5 chapters long. Thank you to all of you who have favourited and/or followed my story :) and also thank you to MamzelleHermy, Felicity P, Freya Potter, 04, HakuHunterNatural, TwilightCharmedFaie and the guest for the lovely reviews; you guys are all awesome! Please try and leave a review they are really encouraging :)
~Fran xx
P.S. I wrote this listing to Hans Zimmer's, Time from the Inception soundtrack, on repeat. That piece of Music is so hauntig and sad but also inspirational at the same time. If you haven't heard it you should go look it up. I also listened to The Bond of Sacrifice, from the Merlin Series Four Soundtrack.
"Merlin...?" Arthur whispered incredulously. He had no idea what to think.
"No. No, no, no!" Arthur cried out stumbling back a few steps in shock and fear. "You can't be the Sorcerer. That's impossible! You're clumsy...the idiot..." He fumbled over his words "...my best friend...my brother."
"Ar...thur..." Merlin wheezed through the pain, "I'm sor...ry. I lied, betrayed...you. You're my friend, only...only ever helped." Merlin stuttered again, looking pleadingly up into his friends face. Begging for forgiveness.
Arthur opened his mouth to say something then moments later closed it again, he honestly had no idea what to say. Merlin has lied to me for five years. Five years! I thought he trusted me, I trusted him with everything. I should hate him right now!
But why don't I?
It was then he realised that what ever Merlin had lied about, no matter how big, didn't matter. What did was that Merlin, his closest friend, the man he relied on and trusted was dying. Dying because of Merlin's own loyalty and selflessness, making him put all others before himself. It should have been me, thought Arthur. Mordred wanted to kill me not Merlin. It can't end like this.
That tore Arthur up inside.
Merlin couldn't die. He couldn't leave him. Not Merlin, clumsy Merlin, bubbly Merlin, happy Merlin. But it was true, that same man was now lying in the dust and the dirt, blood seeping from a painful wound and he didn't have long to live. So Arthur didn't know why it was that, when he gently picked up his friend to cradle him in his arms, instead of turning towards the camp and the medical supplies, he walked towards the forrest.
Though Merlin was usually quite light, with his predicament Merlin now felt heavy in Arthur's arms, heart and mind. Slowly the truth of what was going to happen sunk in and with every step closer to the forrest Arthur felt that little bit more broken. With every second that brought him closer to Merlin's imminent death, Arthur's mind became more numb. Trying to block out the truth.
If there was anything, anything at all, to making him feel better, to cut the emotions out, he would use it but part of him disagreed. It was all his fault, he needed to suffer; his friend was dying because of him and there was nothing he could do.
~O~O~O~
As Merlin felt his face smooth back to look like himself again, he watched as Arthur's face turned from sorrow to shock, then to anger. Merlin was sure that if the sword wound didn't kill him, the twisted look of pain on Arthur's face when he had realised the truth would. The growing pain in his side was nothing compared to pain that came with the possibility of Arthur not forgiving him. They had been through so much together, it couldn't end like that. So Merlin, not knowing anything else he could do, took a deep breath and began to speak.
"Ar...thur...I'm sor...ry. I lied, betrayed...you. You're my friend, only...only ever helped."
Through the haziness in his mind and the throbbing pain from his wound Merlin didn't know if his words had made sense; if they had gone successfully from thought to speech; If Arthur had listened. Merlin kept his eyes on his friend as long as possible, trying to remember every good memory with Arthur, every joke, every laugh, every smile. If Arthur was going to hate him he wanted to remember the best of his relationship with him. The brotherhood, the friendship that had made him feel whole.
Losing all hope Merlin let his eyes slip closed, blocking out the possibility of Arthur's hatred. Letting the darkness dull his pain and and sooth his breaking heart. He didn't mind to die, but dying thinking Arthur hated him was more than he could bear.
Then suddenly out of the dark he felt strong arms lift and cradle him, pulling him close to their body. He didn't need to open his eyes to know it was Arthur. He knew his friend to well. Merlin felt the heavy but careful foot steps, the way that Arthur held him so to minimise Merlin's pain. Merlin's fear of loosing Arthur was all gone, left on the ground where his breaking body had lain. He knew that Arthur wouldn't leave him, that he would be there 'till the end.
A voice then broke the silence, it was Arthur's, but it didn't sound right; more like a broken whisper than that of a confident king. "Hang on there Merlin. You're the closest thing I have to a brother and I couldn't bear to loose you."