"No! Merlin, don't!" Arthur yells, feeling like his heart is splitting into pieces.
Merlin looks calmly at Arthur. "It's my destiny, Arthur," he says softly. The words further break Arthur's heart; is that all he is to Merlin – destiny?
"No, no, please," Arthur begs, shaking so badly that he has to hold onto the bars of the cell to keep himself upright. "You can't – Merlin, I love you! Please, I can't bear to see you die, Merlin!"
Merlin freezes in shock, staring at Arthur. The wood nymph's words come back to him. You will not allow the man you love to die. Could this be the answer to everything? All of the thoughts and emotions over the past months that Merlin can't make sense of, could that be it? Love? Is he in love with Arthur?
His confused thoughts are interrupted by Arthur's fervent pleading. "Nulhue, please, you have me, let Merlin go. It's my family that has persecuted your kind, not him. Merlin's a sorcerer, too – he's your kin. You can't kill him!"
She just laughs softly. "Oh, how I have longed for this. Even I never dreamed it would be this good. No, you will not die, Arthur Pendragon. You will watch the person you love above all die at my hands, and spend the rest of your life living with that. You deserve no less than this."
"Let Arthur go first," Merlin insists. "Then you can have me."
Nulhue shrugs and points at the cell door. Her eyes glow gold and the door opens. Arthur rushes out, trying to grab Merlin, to cover him with his body, to protect him in any way he can. He is stopped by an invisible wall, a couple of feet away from Merlin.
The expression on Merlin's face is not what he expected, though. As Arthur stumbles out, something like triumph flashes across Merlin's face. Before Arthur can even begin to question it, Merlin is opening his mouth. Instead of incanting a spell, though, some kind of gas seems to flow from him, engulfing the room in white.
Arthur shrinks back from magic unlike he has ever seen Merlin perform before. He can't see or hear, the white fog is covering his eyes and ears. For what seems like an eternity, he is completely lost in blankness.
Then the fog starts to clear and become transparent. When it does, he sees Merlin – free of the vines – coming towards him.
"Merlin?"
"Come on, Arthur," he says gently, taking the king's arm.
Arthur looks wildly around for Nulhue and sees her crumpled body on the floor.
"She's dead," Merlin says.
"But – how?"
"I had help – it's a long story. Let's get out of here, Arthur. Her traps won't be immobilised for long."
Merlin takes Arthur's hand, pulling him out of the ruined castle. He gives Arthur a water skin which Arthur quickly drains, moving onto another that Merlin hands him at once. They walk in silence until the castle is out of sight. Finally, they reach the horses and Merlin makes to mount up, but Arthur stops him.
"Why, Merlin? You nearly gave me a heart attack, offering to sacrifice yourself like that. Couldn't you have done that fog thing from the start?"
"I had to," Merlin explains. "Nulhue had a powerful spell cast on the cell you were in. She'd been working on that castle for years – even my magic wasn't powerful enough to take on everything she'd hidden in there. If she had died before releasing you, the cell would have been sealed first, and there would have been no way to get you out. I had to make sure you were released before activating the magic the wood nymph gave me."
Arthur has about a million questions, but as he looks into Merlin's eyes, they seem to vanish.
"You shouldn't have," he says softly, his hand caressing Merlin's face.
"I had to," Merlin replies.
"Yes, yes, your destiny."
"No."
Arthur looks up.
"I mean, yes, it's my destiny," Merlin says, "but…" He hesitates, wondering if what the wood nymph said is true. But if he's being honest with himself, he knows it's true. He's known ever since he realised Arthur had disappeared, realised that he could lose him.
"I love you," Merlin says softly. His eyes bore into Arthur's for a brief second before he closes then, resting his head on Arthur's shoulder, as though his confession has drained him. He consequently doesn't see Arthur's expression of pure joy, but Merlin can hear it vibrating in every syllable of his words. "I love you, too."
Merlin looks up just in time to see Arthur's lips descending on his. He responds with a wild gasp, pressing himself desperately up against his king, clinging to his strong shoulders.
"I thought I'd lost you, you prat," he mutters as Arthur moves down to kiss his neck.
Arthur moans into his skin. "You'll never lose me. Never."
He is well on his way to getting Merlin's clothes off when he pauses suddenly.
"What's wrong?" Merlin asks.
"Thomas."
To Arthur's surprise, Merlin blushes.
"It's ok, you don't have to be embarrassed," Arthur assures him.
"No, it's not that," Merlin admits. "Thomas… he isn't all that he seems. He was part of Nulhue's plan all along."
"What?"
"It's not like it's his fault or anything," Merlin hurriedly assures him. "Nulhue knew you loved me – and she knew that I didn't realise I was in love with you yet. She wanted to torture you by making you watch me become involved with someone else.
"She spent ages searching for an appropriate person. Thomas lived in a small town with no physician. All he ever wanted was to be a physician, but his parents couldn't afford to send him anywhere to apprentice. Nulhue played the part of a generous benefactor and sent him to Camelot. What he didn't know is that she cast a spell on him, charging him to seduce me. He didn't know he was under her control the whole time."
"What about now?" Arthur asks fearfully.
"She's dead – the spell will have died with her. I'm not sure how much of the past few weeks Thomas will remember. He may want to go home to his family. If he wants to stay, though, I think Gaius should keep him. He really will be a great physician, and it's not his fault that Nulhue manipulated him."
Arthur would normally argue, but his head is still spinning with joy at the revelation that Merlin feels the same way he does. "Alright," he says, grinning at the happy look that spreads across Merlin's face. Arthur leans in hungrily to kiss him, but Merlin places a hand on his lips.
"We should get back to Camelot. Everyone is worried sick about you. We need to let them know that you're alright."
Merlin laughs at the reluctance on Arthur's face. "We'll have plenty of time for this when we get back for Camelot."
"We'd better," Arthur grumbles, but he allows Merlin to help him onto a horse, chewing on some dried meat as they ride.
On the way back to Camelot, Merlin fills Arthur in on all that happened in the quest to rescue him. Arthur is quite alarmed by the wishes Merlin owes the wood nymph, but Merlin manages to calm him down. "Really, I don't think she's malicious – she won't use the wishes for anything bad. She probably just wants the assurance of help from a sorcerer when she needs it."
As much as Arthur grumbles, he can see Merlin's point. Besides, if Merlin hadn't done as he had, Arthur would still be dying of thirst in that dark stone cell. He wishes the burden could be his to bear instead of Merlin's, but what's done is done.
They are still a few miles from Camelot when they run into Arthur's knights, who have been scouring the woods ever since Arthur was taken. Gwaine rushes back to the castle to deliver the news and by the time they are back, the city has calmed slightly, knowing that their king is safe and well.
Arthur permits Merlin to run in to see Gaius and assure him that he's ok before ordering him back to his chambers. Merlin has barely gotten in before Arthur is pinning him to the wall, kissing him fiercely.
Merlin groans and seems to melt into his arms. This is hardly the first time they have done this… but it's the first time since Merlin realised how he feels about Arthur. Everything seems heightened, every touch seeming to reach deep inside him, causing his heart to beat so fast it feels like it's about to jump out of his chest.
His fingers run through the fine blonde hair on Arthur's chest as Arthur's arms wrap around his waist, pulling Merlin close.
"Hey!" Merlin yells as Arthur scoops him up in his arms and flips Merlin over his shoulder. Giggling, Merlin pounds on Arthur's back as the king carries him to the bed, flipping him onto it and crawling on top of him.
"I love you," Arthur growls in his ear, sending shivers down Merlin's spine.
"I love you," he replies as his hands roam over Arthur's broad back, his finger nails digging in ever so slightly.
Merlin moans as Arthur slowly, teasingly, pulls down his breeches, his lips tickling Merlin's thighs as he kisses and licks softly.
"Get a move on, you prat," Merlin gasps and Arthur chuckles softly. The rest of their clothes are magicked off, Merlin too impatient to wait any longer. "Hurry up," he moans to Arthur.
"Yes, sire," he mocks Merlin, but Merlin can't think of a witty reply, for Arthur's tongue is flicking over his bulging erection. Merlin moans and his hips buck upwards, but Arthur's hands are holding him down, oblivious to Merlin's desperate pushing.
"Arthur, please," he gasps as Arthur's mouth moves upwards to lick one of his nipples. Merlin arches his back, not thinking, completely ruled by the sensations emanating from Arthur's wonderful mouth.
"Arthur!" he begs. Arthur's mouth cover's Merlin's, shutting up his protests and Merlin grinds himself upwards. Arthur laughs into his mouth. Teasing Merlin has him so achingly hard, it is all he can do not to break down and take him at once. As he feels Merlin's erection brushing against him, he moans into Merlin's mouth, driven mad by the delicious friction.
He wants this to last, though. This is the first time he and Merlin have been together since they have both admitted their feelings. Arthur wants it to be magical.
As though in answer to his thoughts, Merlin's eyes glow gold and Arthur feels as though an invisible weight has dropped onto his hips. He collapses onto Merlin, who grinds himself upwards, desperately seeking the increased pressure – as Arthur is sure he intended. Sneaky bastard.
"Merlin, let me up," he gasps.
Merlin's head is flicking from side to side and he can barely speak for gasping. Arthur isn't even sure Merlin hears him.
"Merlin," he gasps, trying to focus. The pressure and rubbing on his erection are too much for him and his mouth finds Merlin's again, their teeth clashing together, both men driven wild by lust.
Finally, Arthur manages to relocate his brain and rolls away from the magical pressure. Merlin's breath huffs out as he removes the barrier. Arthur, meanwhile, is rummaging in the drawer by his bed. Merlin's eyes light up when he sees the oil in Arthur's hand.
Arthur pours in onto his hands, slicking his fingers up before trailing a hand up Merlin's thighs and gently circling his hole. Merlin whimpers and squirms beneath Arthur's touch and when one of Arthur's fingers enters his tight hole, Merlin screams aloud. Arthur grins as he carefully moves the finger further in, searching for that spot that he knows will send Merlin over the edge.
When he finds it, Merlin muffles his scream in Arthur's shoulder as his whole body convulses. Arthur adds another finger, than another, opening Merlin up, the only sound in the room the sound of both men panting.
With one last brush over Merlin's spot, Arthur pulls out and positions his erection, pressing against Merlin's hole.
With one swift movement, he pushes in. "Gods – Merlin!" he groans, starting to thrust in and out with increasing pace. He adjusts his angle, hitting Merlin's spot again and again. He leans forward so that Merlin's erection is pressed between their bodies, their movement rubbing it with every stroke.
Merlin comes with a strangled yell and two thrusts later, Arthur is following him, screaming his name. Arthur collapses, spent but satisfied, catching his breath for a minute before pulling out of Merlin. Merlin leans over to kiss him sweetly on the lips.
"I love you Arthur."
"I love you, Merlin."
That night, they fall asleep in each other's arms. For the first time, Merlin's dreams are as peaceful and calm as Arthur's.
They never sleep in separate chambers again.
To be continued
Right, that's it for part one! Part two will be coming soon :) Please remember to review!
