Chapter 4

No Fear

Merlin woke to a pounding head and feeling as if he was floating on feathers. As everything came more into focus he remembered what had happened, and he bolted upright eyes snapping open. He was greeted with the sight of a half-naked Arthur scrambling to his side after having fallen out of the other side of the bed Merlin was currently occupying. Black dots danced across his vision and he began to tremble.

"Merlin you shouldn't have shot up so fast; you're going to make yourself sick; here lay back down for a minute and it'll help."

Merlin closed his eyes and let Arthur gently lay him back onto the pillows and silk sheets beneath him while taking slow breaths.

"If you get sick on my sheets you'll be mucking out the stables for weeks." Arthur had a gentle smile on his face when Merlin opened his eyes to look at him.

"I best not get sick then." Merlin retorted trying to be cheeky while the sick feeling began to lessen ever so slowly.

Arthur regarded him with a wicked grin that had Merlin feeling as if his stomach was fluttering.

"You know you are lucky that you missed when you decided to be sick right after I'd gotten you into bed last night." Merlin's whole face flushed bright red as Arthur simply sat back and watched with a smirk.

Merlin began to sit up even as Arthur tried to stop him. He swung his legs out of bed and let his feet touch the floor all while saying, "I'm so sorry to have inconvenienced you sire, you should've just left me where I was and I would've been fine. I'm sorry you had to concern yourself with me occupying your bed."

"Stop it Merlin! I never said I minded did I?"

Merlin's head shot up to look at Arthur with a gaping mouth as Arthur froze and then tried to backtrack.

"I meant it was easier that's all, besides I couldn't have left you out there to fend for yourself while you were ill, Gaius would have my head."

Merlin snapped his mouth closed with a click, and now suddenly he was the one grinning. Arthur wished he had just kept his mouth shut.

"Are you saying you were worried?"

Arthur having decided he would not be beaten at this game shot back, "You didn't seem to mind hugging yourself to me as closely as possible and whenever I tried to move you, you just clung even more!"

Both with flaming red faces silence echoed in the room. They seemed to have reached an impasse, and Arthur decided that was the perfect time to ask all the questions that had been buzzing in his head since the previous night.

"So, are you going to explain your magic or am I going to have to pry it out of you?" Merlin tensed at the question, and looked up at Arthur curiously.

"I thought you would've reacted much worse to discovering I was doing illegal things." Merlin quietly responded, voice filled with confusion.

"I might've reacted worse, had it not been for the interesting way I was presented with this knowledge." Arthur had a smile on his face as he thought back to what he had seen Merlin create.

Merlin smiled at the wistful look on Arthur's face.

"I did not dare to hope you might not resent me at all for lying to you all this time." Merlin looked down at his hands as he spoke.

"Merlin I do want to know how you began using magic in the first place and I have many questions for you to answer of course, but I understand the need for secrecy; have you forgotten I myself am a king who must keep many secrets to keep my people safe. For a long time I was scared of magic and all who used it, but since before my father died I've realized I wish to understand it rather than fear what I do not know."

Merlin sat in shocked silence staring at Arthur with tears forming in his eyes, "Does that mean you aren't scared of me?" his question was met with sudden silence from Arthur.

"I could never be scared of you Merlin; you are the most important person in my life. I don't know what I would do without you." Arthur grabbed him from his sitting position and yanked Merlin into his arms in a tight hug.

The tears began to spill over as Merlin sucked in a shaky breath through his tears, "Thank you Arthur, you have no idea how much that means to me, that's all I've ever wanted."

Arthur pulled back and gently wiped the tears off Merlin's face with his thumbs as he held his face gently between his hands. Arthur's eyes moved from looking into Merlin's eyes down to his lips and back up slowly, and then slowly leaned forward pausing as if to ask for permission. Merlin moved forward and their lips connected.