Sorry for the long wait. Here's chapter four. Hope you all enjoy it! thanks for reading and have a nice day!
Disclaimer Still dont own the bbc Merlin show nor its characters.
Chapter 4
Merlin awoke awhile later at the sound of one of the Sidhe.
Squinting at the bright room that was practically bursting with magic, Merlin caught a glimpse of one of the Sidhe pacing around impatiently, not that he could've been able to tell had his magic not allowed him to see the motion slowed down.
"we have kept our part, and as you nor the mortal king of Camelot, you both do not belong here, you must keep your part and leave. We have been patient for-" The Sidhe started.
Merlin abruptly sat up, and nodded.
"Whatever your current conditions, you both must leave Avalon. If you do not, then our deal will be broken and perhaps we will get the soul of Arthur Pendragon at long last-" Sidhe threatened.
"We will keep our part." Merlin declared rising to his feet. "We're leaving. I just need to wake him."
Merlin turned away from the irritated looking Sidhe, and he knelt beside the sleeping king.
"You have ten minutes." The Sidhe said.
"Thank you." Merlin nodded. "Thank you for your generosity." He added as he checked Arthur's wound.
It would be so easy to simply heal it and then wake Arthur to take their leave, only...Merlin didn't want to betray Arthur's trust when he really hadn't wanted Merlin to heal him. ...but would it be so bad to just heal him now anyway? Save him the pain it would bring from waking and carrying the King out.
Merlin heard the Sidhe sigh impatiently from behind him, but he ignored him and began to bandage the King's wound.
"Sorry." Merlin muttered as he felt Arthur jerk slightly in pain.
Arthur let out a pained groan.
"What time is it?" Arthur asked.
"Time to get going." Merlin replied.
"What is that light?" The king asked.
Merlin felt his heart drop.
"What?" Merlin asked in sudden concern.
"That fast moving little blue light..." Arthur replied groggily.
Merlin sighed in relief, and carefully helped the king sit up rather painfully.
"That's one of the Sidhe." Merlin told him.
Arthur nodded slowly, distracted by the pain in his torso.
"I...I could heal you?" Merlin offered once again.
Arthur opened his mouth to reply but sighed instead.
"Whatever," Merlin started. "We have to leave now, I could've healed you earlier but we don't have much time, we'll do this your way then figure out the rest once we're out of here." Merlin explain.
"Sounds...good." Arthur said hesitantly, as Merlin grasped him getting ready to move him.
"Thank you." Merlin said bowing his head slightly at the Sidhe.
The Sidhe nodded impatiently. Merlin could see the look of conflict in the Sidhe's eyes at them leaving. But the deal had been made and they'd already obtained their sacrificed soul.
Feeling suddenly heavy Merlin stumbled around as he collected their things, and as he was about to lift the King from the bed, he remembered something.
"Hold on, one more thing." He said to both Arthur and and Sidhe.
Merlin glanced at Arthur who seemed only faintly paying him any attention. He smiled sadly at his friend and then glanced at the Cup Of Life, and sighed sadly. Then he snatched up the cup and shoved it into his bag, and hurried back to Arthur's side.
"You ready?" Merlin asked looking directly into his friend's eyes.
"Y-yes." Arthur nodded, his arm clutched around himself.
"This might-" Merlin started.
"I know. Let's just...just do whatever you have to do." Arthur said.
"Ready?" Merlin asked.
"Yes." Arthur replied.
Merlin reached out to help the king to his feet, and continued to support and help him walk as he gasped at the pain that shot through his wound. Merlin shot Arthur a worried look, but continued to help his friend through Avalon following their Sidhe escort.
"This looks a little more normal." Arthur mumbled as they exited the tower and headed towards the water.
"Yeah." Merlin replied tiredly, he was still exhausted and felt disoriented from the overwhelming amount of magic he could sense from Avalon.
Merlin's eyes shone as he used magic to see the path ahead, although unlikely, he didn't want to get them lost, despite it being a small island, he just felt it would be best to find the boat and get straight to it, and hopefully avoid any kinds of danger they could come across. The sooner they got out of here and to somewhere where Arthur could rest again the better. Merlin couldn't help but worry about his decision to obey Arthur and not heal him with magic.
"This way. We're almost there." Merlin muttered.
Arthur gave a tired nod.
At last Merlin reached the boat, and gently he got Arthur into it and then himself. A tear fell from the corner of his eye, but he quickly wiped it away so that Arthur wouldn't see.
Merlin was so tired couldn't recall if he had lost the paddles to this boat or whether there had ever been paddles when he arrived and used it to begin with. He sighed and shrugged it off. He couldn't avoid all use of magic for Arthur, not if they were going to just get home.
"Sire, I can't find the paddles to this boat, I'm also not sure if there were any to begin with when we got here." Merlin said as he knelt in the grass searching.
Merlin glanced at Arthur enough to see the man gesture his hand as if he were trying to shrug.
"Just...whatever you have to do." Arthur muttered.
Merlin nodded and climbed back into the boat with Arthur.
"Once we get to shore we'll find somewhere to make camp. I'm not sure whether it's more late or early but..." Merlin started.
"Thank you." Arthur Interrupted.
Merlin sighed, smiling very slightly. After a moment he nodded slowly and glanced out into the water.
"Yeseeyle." He said quietly, and the boat began to move, taking them back to shore.
He glanced down at the weary king, he still seemed to be in pain from his injuries, plus he seemed to be shivering from the cold wind.
Merlin considered giving the king his jacket, but he was shivering just as much and he figured it wouldn't do the king that much good.
Merlin placed one hand holding the side of the boat tightly, and the other hand holding onto Arthur gently as the boat brought them closer and closer to the shore.
"We're almost there." Merlin said.
The sun had finished setting by the time Merlin stepped out of the boat and supported Arthur as he led the King through the grass. Merlin glanced at Arthur to see what he thought, but the king looked exhausted to the point of barely being awake.
"We'll just camp right here." Merlin mumbled to himself.
Glancing around one more moment, Merlin gently lowered Arthur to the ground, and then started rummaging through their bags to get some blankets to sleep on.
"Sorry sire..." Merlin mumbled as he moved him onto one of the laid out blankets.
Merlin pulled another of the blankets over the thing king, and tossed the rest in a pile beside Arthur.
"I'll be right back." Merlin said, gently tapping the king on the arm.
"Alright...where are you going?" Arthur stammered.
Merlin noted how pained Arthur's voice sounded. That injury really needed to be healed... ...Not to mentioned cleaned and redressed again.
Merlin added that to his mental to-do list.
"I have to get some firewood." Merlin replied after handing the horses each an apple.
Arthur opened his mouth to say more, but Merlin continued away, until he was out of sight.
Some time passed before the Warlock returned, his arms full of wood and kindling. Merlin first looked at Arthur and then the horses, then he got to work putting together the fireplace.
"You're quiet." Arthur said suddenly, breaking the silence.
"I thought you were asleep." Merlin responded. "I was about to light it."
"Go ahead." Arthur said.
Merlin nodded and turned back to the fireplace.
"Forbærnan." Merlin said with one hand outstretched over the wood.
A strong flame appeared in the fireplace, growing as it ate through the kindling and into the logs.
Merlin then turned and got back up to make sure the horses had enough food and water.
"You alright?" Arthur asked.
"Me?" Merlin asked. "Course, just making sure the Horses are ready for the night." Merlin replied as he returned to the king's side. "Now let's see about that wound."
"You're still-Ahh!" Arthur exclaimed as Merlin removed the old bandages.
Merlin glanced up in alarm.
"Sorry."
"...it's fine...it's fine..." Arthur panted. "But I'm not sure-"
"I'm promise you, you're going to be alright." Merlin said as he gathered up the herbs he'd brought to redress Arthur's wound, he felt hugely relieved to be able to promise such a thing.
"Merlin!" Arthur exclaimed.
"What?"
"It's not..." Arthur sighed. "Never mind...just...stop being so abnormally serious."
"What?" Merlin asked not sure what the king was talking about.
"Oh never-mind." Arthur sighed, perhaps it wasn't he best time to point out the man's strange lack of jokes and weirdness.
"Right..." Merlin muttered in confusion.
Carefully Merlin poured a bit of water over Arthur's wound to clean it.
"Sorry-" Merlin started, but Arthur waved him off.
"You don't hear Gaius muttering apologies when he's treating someone's wound." Arthur pointed out after waving the man off.
"True..." Merlin reasoned.
"So you can stop acting so weird." Arthur added, bringing up that subject again. He wished he knew why on earth Merlin's lack of annoying jokes was bothering him so much. He was sure in the past he'd at least once wished Merlin would stop jabbering and taunting.
But the seriousness was something he wasn't used to, not this often and constantly at least.
"Me? Weird?" Merlin asked, smiling slightly.
"Yes you, Merlin. Who else would I be talking to? The horses?" Arthur asked.
"Well, probably not. They did a lot of work to get us around, not to mention they've behaved perfectly fine. Even after we left them here for quite awhile. But of course there was that time you were depending on the horse to take you were you needed to go to keep that promised back when we first met Morgause-" Merlin started.
"Shut up Merlin." Arthur said, a smiling tugging at the corner of his lips.
Immediately Merlin fell silent. His gaze turning away from Arthur and then back to the King's injury.
"I better finish redressing this." Merlin said.
Arthur let out a sigh.
Merlin tried to give him a reassuring smile.
Then Merlin picked up some of the things he'd prepared to redress the wound. Merlin couldn't help but notice the disgusted expression on Arthur's face.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Arthur asked uncertainly.
"Course. Though I'm not as good as Gaius. But it should help." Merlin replied.
"Yeah..." Arthur replied.
"Something wrong?" Merlin asked.
Arthur remained silent for a moment. Merlin could tell whatever the King was thinking about was really making him hesitate, he Merlin waited patiently for the King to share what was on his mind.
It took awhile, but finally Arthur spoke up.
"How long have we been gone?" Arthur asked.
"Quite a awhile. Honestly I'm not sure." Merlin answered.
"Do they know where we've been?" Arthur asked.
"By now I imagine Gaius has prepared them for the worst..." Merlin answered remembering the old man's last words he'd spoken to him when they parted ways to hopefully save Arthur's life.
"I'll have your favourite meal waiting."
Merlin had a bad feeling those words had been Gaius trying to give him a positive reason to return to Camelot if he ended up failing to save Arthur.
"Oh no..." Arthur replied. "That can't be good."
"No...I imagine not." Merlin agreed, imagining how worried or upset they might be. "Chances are Gaius and Gwen at least, think you're dead." Merlin replied.
"Just great. Wonderful." Arthur replied sarcastically. "How long till we get to Camelot?" He asked.
Merlin shook his head sadly.
Arthur appeared extremely frustrated with the whole thing.
"Just...remember that whatever they think they're wrong and will find out the moment we return to them." Merlin said.
"Wait." Arthur said as Merlin was about to start redressing his wound.
"You're not going to make me not treat it." Merlin said.
"Don't be ridiculous..." Arthur sighed laying back almost dizzily. "I just want to get home." He added.
"Me too." Merlin replied.
"Don't." Arthur said when Merlin reached again to start redressing the wound.
"Don't what? Sire, I have to-" Merlin started.
"I know that...it's just.." Arthur interrupted. "If Gwen and Gaius..." he started.
Merlin nodded slowly in understanding and the mutual worry. There was a long silence before either man spoke again.
"Whatever will get us back to Guinevere and the others." Arthur suddenly spoke up.
Merlin's gaze snapped back to Arthur.
"What...?" Merlin asked, startled.
"I'm pretty sure you know what I mean. Just so we can get back home. We have to get back as soon as possible." Arthur stated, there was a hint of worry in his eyes.
"Are you...saying...? You're willing to let me heal you?" Merlin asked. "With...with my powers?"
For a moment Arthur remained silent.
"You alright?" Merlin asked.
"Y-yeah...yes. Yes to both." Arthur replied.
"You want me to use magic to heal you?" Merlin asked just in case he was misunderstanding.
"Shut up Merlin, you said it would be faster and hurt less, and we have to get back to Camelot. Besides, I highly doubt you haven't already done something like that to save my life. Just hurry up so we can get some sleep." Arthur replied.
Still surprised, Merlin slowly set aside the medicine and bandages and he scooted closer to the king who was watching him carefully.
"Yeah, that's true...You sure?" Merlin asked.
"No. Do it before I change my mind." Arthur answered.
Merlin took a shaky breath and nodded.
"This shouldn't hurt, or at least nowhere near as much as re-" Merlin started but broke off. "Okay, Ready?"
Arthur gave a hesitant nod.
Merlin nodded and tried to give him a reassuring smile, but somehow it only looked tired.
Merlin outstretched his hands and held them above the king's wound. Merlin winced as he noticed Arthur flinch slightly.
Merlin closed his eyes for a moment incanting a spell in his mind and opened his eyes.
His eyes shone gold for a moment and then he dared to glance back at Arthur. Arthur seemed surprised and still exhausted, as he met Merlin's gaze.
Merlin felt the awkward silence beginning and he knew he needed to turn the subject away from his magic or the whole thing. Arthur was clearly still to some degree processing everything that had gone on and happened to them both.
"Well, goodnight sire. Sleep well. We have to get up bright and early to start our journey home, so...um...yeah, goodnight sire." Merlin stammered awkwardly.
Merlin then turned away and readied his area to sleep and got into it. As soon as he lay down he began to drift off to sleep. Before his dreams took over, he heard Arthur say something quietly.
"Thank you. Goodnight Merlin."
Merlin smiled and let sleep take him.
