For Ship.
A translation of At the end of the world by Ship.
THE STORY IS NOT MINE!
this is a translation of the Italian story 'At the end of the world' by Ship.
Cover image by Jessica
CHAPTER 9 OF 14
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Merlin stopped behind Arthur and watched him as he took a deep breathe, as they arrived in front of the heavy wooden door that isolated the big cave from the outside.
The meeting with the village men would begin in a short time and would be held in a large room, generally used by the local people for important meetings, like the one they were about to attend to.
In that moment, Arthur had an air and a posture that Merlin had never seen before: his majesty and complete perfection radiated from him like a light. The brunet felt it under his skin, so much that he felt the need to smile at him, breathing deeper, searching his eyes.
The prince responded him with a nod of his head, ordered him to stay focused: all of them had to be very careful in those moments, because their future depended on them.
In the end, they had had to wait a whole day for the meeting to start, so that Alator, the leader of the Betas, could group all the men of the village and tell them to attend the meeting. The chief had also anticipated them that the events that everyone had been waiting for- for which they had even lost hope a long time ago - had finally started.
When Gaius had led Alator to Arthur, announcing that the prophecy was finally coming true, presenting the Prime as the Great King and their new absolute leader ... the village leader had bowed before him, silent, voluntarily offering him all his services, excited and won. However, Arthur had made him stand up, had told him that he should never bow before him and had left him his role as the leader of his people, allowing him to talk to his countrymen first, opening the way to cooperation and trust…
"Even a great king cannot rule alone, even more so when he has a whole new world to build. You may lead, but only if you have men of value by your side that can help you to understand and create what will be"
Alator had summed up his role like that, remaining at Arthur's service and acting as a bridge between the blond and his people in that time when everyone had found out about what would happen in the days ahead. The air around had filled with a new hope.
"Are you ready Merlin? Let's go in?"
The Omega nodded, following him, and Arthur wanted to add something else, but he knew that was not the right moment to do so.
The blond had spent all day in close proximity to Merlin, deliberately, without giving him a break. He had stalked and cornered him relentlessly and constantly, filling him with questions and wrapping him with his Alpha pheromones whenever he had been near. His sole purpose had been to force the brunet to reveal himself as an Omega, if he was - Arthur's doubts were still too many- but despite his Alpha tenacity, things between them had remained at a standstill.
When Arthur opened the door, a deathly silence among the men – forty, sitting on some stones around a bare table - welcomed them. Alator and Gaius rose to meet him, bowing reverently.
Arthur greeted everyone with a nod and his Knights with the eyes, who remained standing next to a wall, slightly defiladed, awaiting for his orders.
The blond's voice rose high and majestic, dominant and dark, and Merlin felt some shivers running down his spine at the thought that Arthur- that great man, leader, Prime Alpha- was really his.
Destiny had brought them together… at that point he knew: they were destined to be together, as according to the prophecy, and one day, perhaps not too far away, he was confident that they may be able to fully enjoy what they really were.
The dawn of a new future was very close and it would probably put an end to the suffering of their races.
Paying attention again to what Arthur was saying ended up being very difficult.
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"We are gathered here to communicate and finalize our decisions... Alator has already explained everything: the prophecy that, as the Chosen Ones, you have known for years is finally coming true... like the fact that we know that in these dark days we have a chance to survive. It slays our soul knowing that not all men will have our own chances to survive. And yet, in order to go on, we have to get over it, to accept the luck that has befallen us, to think that, even with a heavy heart, human race will still have a future ... and in the end, this is all that matters"
Arthur stared at the face of every man in front of him, one by one, because he knew that for him it was easy to say certain things, given the fact he was a Chosen One. However, many of them had already lost dear friends, relatives… and they would lose many more… a fact that would still be painful and terrible for them all in the end...
Even for those who would survive and that would carry the weight of it on their shoulders.
When Arthur realized that everyone had fully understood his words, he continued.
"Alator and Gaius have already told you that the prophecy of our salvation doesn't include, however, the same for our planet. That's right. There's no need to add more: we have to leave it. In the past, our people came to Earth through an energy portal and from another dimension... and we will return there through that same portal. We don't know what's on the other side... But we know that somehow it will be home, that we will be safe there and that human race will have a new chance through us... and it is with this belief that we are going to greet and welcome the unknown"
Alator placed himself by his side to reinforce Arthur's words and to reoffer his alliance, amazed and taken by the words of their great leader. They would be difficult times from those hours ahead and they were lucky to have such an honorable man as the leader of their future, who will find them the right path.
Merlin came a bit closer to his side, captured by his fierceness.
"We don't have much time left. We know that the winter solstice will mark the end of Earth due to a huge solar explosion… and there's only a week left until December 21st. This means that we will have to move quickly, collaborate and divvy up the workload. As a descendant of the House of Pendragon and as the chosen guide and great leader, I will go in search of the portal, the sacred sword Excalibur, that you know now will open the portal to home, and there, I will wait for you. On the other hand, my men, along with Alator, will have the task of gathering the other people, the other Chosen Ones of the five kingdoms…they will need someone to go with them. I ask you to carry out this task. Some of you will have to stay here to finish organizing the journey of your people toward the split mountain where the sword awaits. You have to regroup and prepare the essential personal belongings you want to take away with you... The others will leave the village to go with my men and with Alator to the kingdoms that I will recommend them, each toward a specific land. Once there, they will gather the Chosen Ones, easy to recognize because they are the ones that have healed or been spared from the yellow fever"
Merlin looked at Arthur and at his tension.
Repeating that concept wasn't avoiding him the pain, although it had already been widely discussed.
"Each one of my men will leave at once to reach the survivors in their own lands, bringing with them a missive of mine with the Pendragon's sigil. Each of you will speak on my behalf and explain what is about to happen, gathering the Chosen Ones and taking them to the portal. I have to tell you again: we don't know how to use it; we have a vague idea, but Merlin and I will make sure to figure out what to do about this part of the prophecy that is still unknown as soon as we get there. This is why we are going to the mountain before you and wait for you there"
With a deep breath, Arthur uttered his orders, to which everyone agreed without objection.
"Gwaine, Percival, Leon, Alator... you will find some volunteers that want to leave with you… try to choose someone young, who will have more strength to stand such a difficult journey and to travel faster, more than you have ever done before"
The respondents nodded, fully accepting the will of their Great King. A murmur arose among the men sitting on the stones.
Then, at that, a strong and handsome young man stood up, expressing a common doubt among his people.
"Sire..."
"What's your name?"
"Owen... son of Alator. I wanted to ask... how will it be possible for all the Chosen Ones to reach the portal, the mountain, in only one week?"
Arthur knew that his answer would somehow turn on the faith of everyone or on the other hand, it would drag everyone into despair. Therefore, he took a long moment to reflect, in order to give them the answer they were asking for, more appropriately. Once ready, he turned to his side, asking to the others to join him with his eyes. Merlin was immediately to his right, Alator to his left, Gaius just next to the village chief, the knights behind, upright and proud to support their King.
"They'll make it. We will make it. We will succeed thanks to everyone's cooperation. We have to believe. We have to keep thinking that destiny itself has given us this chance, by revealing the prophecy to us just in time. It may have happened that we weren't able to find out about the portal, not been able to trace the millenary missive and to track down the man who knows the location of the sword, namely Merlin. However, so far, everything has gone well and we have to hope that in the end everything will be fine. We have little time, that's true. But everyone will ride on horseback: every person, every luggage... We will employ every beast of the Earth to move. United we will succeed"
The young man nodded.
"I join in your confidence. I am available and at your service, Sire. I am... very fast... and my horse is well trained. If you want, I will happily follow your fastest knight toward the most distant land, in order to reach it in time. You can count on me."
Arthur nodded, his blue eyes staring into the worthy son of a chief. Then, he turned to his brown haired knight.
"Gwaine... if you find them, gather a couple of other men: the two of you will go north. You will have the map for the return journey. You leave in an hour. Good luck"
Gwaine nodded. Then, he motioned to the young man to follow him. They would be the first to leave ... and their journey would be the longest and the hardest.
They would have to stop and rest at least 3 days and Arthur hoped that everything was going to run smoothly for them.
When the young Owen reached Arthur as he walked toward the door, the king stopped him and said goodbye as he was used to do with his knights. The boy was very pleased of that great gesture, honored.
"When everything will be over, your act of courage and value will not be forgotten. If you wish to, you can become one of my knights"
The boy bowed, proud, his face a mask of tension.
"We'll make it"
Arthur smiled.
"I have never doubted it. Gwaine... be careful ... see you in a week time. Good luck"
When Gwaine and Owen were gone, Arthur gave instructions for the others' tasks: Leon had to go to two kingdoms to the west, the closest, while Alator would go east, toward a kingdom where he had lived for a period in the past and where he knew many people. Finding all the survivors was their priority.
Percival would be the one to return home, in the lands of the Clan Pendragon, instead of Arthur. The giant would also pass though Merlin's village to see what had happened to Elyan.
No one had spoken about this during the meeting, but many had moved with a heavy heart, worried not to find many of those they knew and came to hold dear alive.
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Arthur look furtively at Merlin and approached him, ending his conversation with a man of the village who took care of the horses and to whom he had asked to give some of the beasts to those who had none and that were leaving.
"Merlin... I have to tell you something. Earlier I have spoken with Gaius: he is leaving with Percival toward my kingdom. I wanted to warn you, in case you wanted to talk to him about something before they leave"
Merlin frowned, astounded.
"Gaius is leaving?"
Arthur nodded.
"He has clearly expressed his desire to go there. He has asked me earlier. He says he needs to talk to the physician of my kingdom, Mordred, to organize the medicines to take with us to the portal. We don't know if we'll need medicines where we're going and it's a good thing that someone is thinking about it. The other kingdoms are very far away… we don't know if anyone else will think about this… we have to take advance of this opportunity that Gaius's skills and experience is giving us, besides his collaboration with Mordred, of course. I agree with him: he has to go. And since you're coming with me, Gaius is the only one who can take care of the medical needs of this mission"
Merlin nodded, although worried.
"When are we leaving? Are we going alone?"
Arthur nodded.
"We are leaving tomorrow. At the latest the day after tomorrow, as soon as we finish overseeing things here in the village and the others' departures. For us it's just a day's travel and we will ride along the coast... not to meet anyone. All we need is you and me. They need more hands here"
Merlin nodded. Then, he turned around, because someone had called him, and others too reached Arthur for further explanations. The meeting was over.
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While everyone slowly took their leave, deciding to meet again for dinner in a few hours, taking advantage of these last hours together to discuss a few details once again, Merlin approached Gaius.
The room was now almost empty. There were only the King, still busy talking to Alator, and the two doctors.
"Gaius... do you really think it is good for you to travel to the kingdom of the Pendragons? Maybe someone else could accompany Percival ... I'm worried ... traveling like this at your age..."
Gaius sweetly smiled.
"I'm not that old, boy. I can still ride and I want to keep myself busy, to give a hand. I am not going to just sit back and watch"
"We have just found each other again and this for me has meant to find a part of my lost family ... I wouldn't be able to take it if anything were to happen to you..."
Gaius stared at him with a serious look.
"Don't worry about me ... I'll be fine. You just have to think about taking your rightful place in this whole story"
Merlin looked away, embarrassed.
"…which I still don't know where it is. I hate being the last Catha, yet unable to control my destiny ... I feel so useless, broken..."
Gaius nodded slowly, sighing.
"Merlin... I can imagine how you are feeling. It must have not been easy to discover your origins like this, without having the time to get used to..."
Merlin interrupted him.
"Without even really understanding what they mean..."
Gaius silently nodded.
"Give it time... it'll all become clear, slowly ... one day, when we return to our people, you will have your answers, you will understand your origins and what they mean"
"My father was a Dragonlord ... why had I never heard a word about it before?"
Gaius smiled.
"These powerful and magical beings had started disappearing even from legends at some point. Eventually men have even started to think they had never existed"
Merlin returned his eyes on him, lost.
"Understanding everything ... has been enlightening. I feel as if in the past I had been stripped of my identity. As if so far I was someone that wasn't the real me. As if I had finally recognized only now who I am, although I still quite don't understand what it means..."
Gaius slightly smiled.
"And it will go even better when you will finally become your true self, once returned home"
Merlin slowly nodded.
"Arthur is a half-blood. What does it mean? That his father was an earthman and his mother a daughter of the constellation of the Dragon or vice versa?"
Gaius nodded.
"Yes. Once, I had the opportunity to live in the kingdom of the Pendragons. Ygraine ... Arthur's mother, was a pure- blood; Uther a half-blood himself"
Merlin opened his mouth, surprised.
"You have lived with the Pendragons? When?"
"When your village had been attacked... I was in their kingdom… I was hiding. I didn't even work as a doctor in their land. I used to create women' perfumes. I knew the fragrances and I took advantage of this fact. Arthur was just a kid, like you. One day I learned that your village had been attacked and destroyed because some mercenaries brought some of your people into the kingdom of the Pendragons... including your mother"
Merlin put a hand on his arm, to stay on his feet, about to faint.
"My mom? You know what happened to her? Is she still in that land? She was pregnant..."
Gaius took a deep breath.
"She died in childbirth, while giving birth to your brother"
Merlin had to recover. His heart was hurting in his chest.
"She died almost immediately, while we were apart ... and I have a brother ... do you know where he is?"
Gaius smiled, nodding.
"He still lives there, with the clan Pendragon. He has an important position there and is held in high regard by Arthur. It's funny how you and he have chosen a similar path in life, even though you have never met and have lived far away from each other..."
Merlin felt weak. He could not breathe due to all those revelations.
"What do you mean?"
"He is the Pendragon's doctor, Mordred. This is why I am going to their kingdom. He and I have stayed in touch and I want to be the one to give him the goods news... that I have found you. At alternating periods, we have been searching long for you and your father. But you were hidden too well"
Merlin was shaking.
"Mordred. My brother. He is also a Dragonlord ... I am not the last one..."
Gaius shook his head.
"You are. That gift, the power to dominate and command the dragons, is passed only to the first-born son. Mordred hasn't your potential... but I suppose what you mean is that you are not the last pure-blood. No, you are not"
Merlin smiled, happy.
"A brother..."
"You will see him soon ... and I'll tell him everything about you"
Merlin nodded.
"He is Morgana's mate. You know who she is, having lived in those lands. Everyone thinks he is a Beta"
Gaius nodded.
"An almost obligatory destiny for all of us Omegas. At the moment at least"
"And until we'll all be saved"
Gaius turned to stare at Arthur from afar, while he was still talking with Alator.
"Maybe one day things will change. This Great King has a great destiny ahead. By the way, you have suspended your suppressors for today, to help your body recover, but tomorrow you have to start to take them again if you don't want to reveal yourself. And continue to stay away from Arthur, even tonight, if you don't want him to find out about you until you start to use them again ... if you know what I mean"
Merlin smiled.
"I will not lay with him if that's what you mean ... like I said two hours ago, I'm not going to reveal my nature to him until all this is finally over"
Gaius nodded.
"Let's go to my house now. Let's rest a couple of hours before dinner. I would also like you to help me prepare some medicinal ointments; let's take advantage of these moments of peace to be together"
Merlin followed him, warning Arthur that he could find him at Gaius's in case he needed him. Also Arthur went away with Alator to organize something else.
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"According to you, Gaius, in the missive, what does it mean the sentence that says 'When the Alpha and the Omega will draw the constellation, tied together through the Bond'? You told Arthur that you have always thought that the Alpha and Omega in question should have a birthmark. And in fact I have a birthmark below my shoulder, coffee-colored, elongated, as to represent a galaxy... but I've never seen anything like that on Arthur's skin..."
He continued, embarrassed.
"Yet I should have seen it if it was there. But he really has no birthmarks. Moreover... about the Bond... that part of the missive is still unclear... - and the light of the first star will shine in the distance -... is it talking about the Planet of the Dragon?"
Gaius looked up from the ointment he was preparing. His eyes were slightly wet, for the effort to stand without sleeping since the previous day.
"I suppose, Merlin, that some answers will be known only after opening the portal, after returning to the world we come from"
Merlin put away the ready ointments in a special leather bag, which they would bring with them in the coming days, a fraction of what they needed. Gaius would prepare the rest with Mordred.
His brother.
Merlin still couldn't believe he had found him.
"At first I thought it was talking about the two of us. But perhaps the letter refers to our races in general? To the fact that the Bond may return? Maybe my birthmark is just a coincidence that will remain as such..."
Gaius took some new herbs in front of him, including those prepared by Merlin.
"Surely the interpretations can be several. At the moment, we can only dedicate ourselves to the most urgent matter and to the path we already know for sure"
Merlin nodded, serious.
"Yes ... you're right. I was just thinking"
Gaius looked into his eyes.
"You are trying to shed light on the situation in order to also find a way for you and Arthur… I can understand that. What I can tell you is that soon we will be able to look at things with more serenity and light... I am convinced that the two of you will find a way to be together. Have you ever thought to reveal yourself as an Omega to him?"
Merlin shook his head.
"This is not the time. We would risk the Bond and now we are still not ready for that. This situation itself is forcing us to act like this. I'd never want to put him in the position of having to think about what to do ... to choose what to do. I could never do that to him"
"Shouldn't he be the one to decide for himself?"
Merlin lowered his head toward a new ointment.
"He has clearly said to be glad that I am a Beta. Because this way he feels freer to have me"
Gaius smiled.
"Yet, I would have never thought that a king could lie"
Merlin looked at him, seriously confused.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you really think that an Alpha would want a Beta more than an Omega? It was stupid of him to say such a thing. He is obviously too confused by your situation and can't reason anymore..."
Merlin felt his heart sinking, as he realized how much Gaius was right.
Arthur was really confused, more than ever, and it hurt the brunet.
"What about you? Have you forgotten your nature so much to believe these stupid words so easily?"
Merlin didn't answer.
He wanted to scream at him that this conviction had been the only thing that had allowed him to have Arthur.
Denying what he was had allowed them to love each other...
It hurt him to admit it, but he would have denied who he was a thousand times more if necessary.
"Like you said, Gaius. Let's hope things will fall into place in the future"
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Merlin reached the cave for dinner without having seen Arthur yet since the end of the meeting. They would soon sit at the table with Alator, Gaius, Leon, Percival and a handful of men that were leaving the next day with them.
The room was still silent. The men who had already arrived were talking quietly, waiting for Arthur. Alator was at the head of a group, intent on explaining something.
Gaius had not arrived yet and Merlin was wondering what had become of Arthur. He was imagining that perhaps he was with his knights discussing something, when he felt him arriving from behind, perceiving his smell and his strong presence. However, before he could turn around and greet him, he felt his arms wrapping him from behind around his waist possessively, his face behind his neck, his pheromones everywhere to wrap him in a whirlwind of warmth and emotions, again.
That day had been tough.
The brunet had to use all his strength to resist Arthur's hormonal waves, who had done nothing but attack him all the time they had found themselves alone, even preventing him to breathe sometimes.
So much that when Gaius had invited him to prepare the ointments with him, it had been a liberation for Merlin... relieved that until dinner he would have not seen the blond and that in any case, later, they would have been among other people and not alone. It had been hard for Merlin being near the blond in that close space, given he was without suppressors.
"We have been too far away from each other today. How are you?"
Arthur's voice dripped dangerously down his back, settling in his loins, and Merlin stiffened. He tried to turn around but Arthur stopped him, holding him even more and putting his lips on his neck, exactly on his Omega glands, kissing him slowly, obviously quite conscious of this fact.
"Merlin... I have asked you how are you"
Merlin swallowed desperately, breathing deeply.
"I'm fine. I have recovered"
Arthur leaned against him and Merlin felt almost like fainting, perceiving him excited behind him.
He had to get away quickly. He was not sure he could be immune to his pheromones for much longer.
Arthur's breath had become hot, his lips like fire. Merlin moved quickly, turning around suddenly, taking advantage of the moment when Arthur, defeated by his own lust, had slightly lessened his grip.
When Merlin was in front of him, the look of disappointment of the other, full of frustration, pierced him. Yet he didn't give in.
"Why are you running away from me?"
Merlin sough all his strength in order to still his voice.
"We're about to dine ... and the room is full of people"
Arthur pursed his lips.
"So? You're my mate. Everybody knows it. Haven't you got over these things?"
Merlin bit his lip, finally freeing himself, smiling at him not to let him know he was in trouble. He tried to joke about it, winking.
"I'm just saying this is not the right time ... besides, I'm hungry"
Arthur let him go. But when Merlin turned away to reach Gaius, who had just arrived, filling the room with his presence and saving the brunet from that situation, he didn't notice the Alpha's determined and angry expression, which was promising a coming war.
The evening was going to go very differently from what Merlin had predicted, who had no idea of what Arthur was ready to do in order to push him over the edge.
The easy way had not worked and the Alpha's patience had run out.
When Merlin reached Gaius, Arthur walked away, staring at him with the eyes of a predator. He went to find a place for himself and Merlin, while someone was starting to bring in some food on trays along with the wine. Arthur's knights too reached him and took their seats at his table.
Merlin sat beside him and then Arthur waited.
Like a cat waiting for the mouse in front of the hole, he waited.
