Arthur was certain of one thing: he hated horses. They stank, they did not protect from the endless drizzle, they could not charge the phone...and his thighs and knees were on fire.
They had been riding for several hours when Merlin finally called a stop for the night—and that was one other thing! They had to stop. No just...switching drivers and napping in the back. Oh no, now they'd be sleeping on the ground.
In the rain.
Merlin led them off the road, into the thick tree line that enclosed them on both sides. It was marginally drier, Arthur noted, and the drizzle was finally tapering off, leaving behind only a heavy fog and bitter chill. It only slightly improved the situation.
They dismounted, with more than a few grunts of pain accompanying the action. Merlin quickly demonstrated how to untack the horses—then proceeded to order them to keep half the horses saddled at all times anyway so what was the damn point?—and rub them down.
Arthur barely paid attention, instead moving to help with getting dry clothing and something to eat while Merlin tended the horses he had wanted so badly. Five pack horses, nine mounts, and two spares...what were they, a damn carnival? Cars were much easier.
He let those thoughts accompany him while he helped clear a patch of ground and dig a fire pit. Leon returned as he was finishing up, and together they got a fire going, despite the wet wood. Leaving Elyan and Leon to start their meal, Arthur proceeded to help set out bedding.
By the time he was done, so was Merlin. Despite his annoyance with the other man, Arthur wasted no time in making room for him on his bedroll. Merlin dropped down gratefully, accepting a heated can of stew from Leon with a polite nod.
"So, what was the little tantrum about earlier?" Arthur asked, using his fingers to scoop out his own stew, an action Merlin watched with amusement.
"Hm—wha-?"
"When you flipped out and demanded that I lead, then proceeded to make fun of me with Morgana."
"...right. Yeah. Uh. Sorry about that. I was just stressed," Merlin muttered, not looking at him.
"You sure that was it?" Arthur asked, tone carefully neutral.
"...what else would it be?" Merlin asked slowly, after a moment.
"Nothing. I just thought, maybe...you were getting at something else."
Merlin looked confused, then seemed to figure it out, after a moment. "Oh, that. I mean...I guess."
"You...guess." He stared at Merlin. "Try not to hurt yourself with excitement."
Merlin had the decency to flush a bit at that. "No, it's—I mean...dammit, Arthur, I'm tired. But if you want to, I'm sure I could find the energy."
"...you are a first class charmer. Really. Remind me again how I didn't fall for you sooner?"
Merlin sighed. "Never mind. I'll just sleep."
Despite his words, Merlin put up no fuss when Arthur dragged him away from camp a little later to...help him out of those wet clothes.
Morgana jolted awake with a soft cry, heart thundering painfully in her throat. Eyes wide, she scanned the clearing, barely seeing anything, or anyone, until her eyes landed on Merlin and...Arthur. Asleep, snuggled together like the adorable couple they were.
"Sister?"
"Morgause," Morgana said softly, smiling at her sister, "I'm here. I'm...okay."
"You do not look okay. What is it?"
"Just...a dream," she replied, rubbing her eyes. "A bad dream."
"...I suppose there is much cause for those, of late."
"Morgana?" Gwen's voice asked from nearby, cutting off Morgana's response. "Are you okay?"
Morgana nodded to her sister, then to her best friend. "Yes, Gwen, thank you. It was only a dream." A painfully vivid, realistic, heart-wrenching dream.
"Morgana? Is everything okay?"
This was the problem with everyone sleeping so close, Morgana decided as Arthur appeared beside her, kneeling on the wet ground. At his side was Merlin, who just looked sleepy.
"Yes, Arthur, Merlin, I'm fine. I just had a dream." How many times was she going to have to say that in the next minute?
This time, it was Merlin's turn to look concerned. "A dream? About what?"
"It...it was just a dream," she said, suddenly, inexplicably unable to meet Merlin's piercing gaze. Why was she so uncomfortable with his scrutiny?
"A dream that clearly upset you," he said softly.
"If she does not wish to speak of it, she does not have to," Morgause snapped.
"No, it's...it's okay, Morgause. I think I want to. It's not like it means anything, right?"
The others murmured ascent, but Merlin never moved. It was downright eerie.
"It's pretty...I don't remember it very well," she finally admitted. "There was a knife—maybe a sword of some kind?—and blood...it was Arthur's blood." Pausing, Morgana rubbed her forehead. How did she know that? She could not recall what had actually happened in the dream. Just images. "And Merlin, you were crying."
"...right," Merlin said, plastering a goofy smile on. "Well, I think we're a bit passed the days when we swung swords around, so that doesn't seem terribly likely to happen. Though Arthur, if you do get yourself stabbed, I may actually consider crying, so try not to. Maybe."
"A charmer, Merlin, really. But for your sake, I'll do what I can not to die."
"I'll hold you to that."
Arthur smiled in an almost sickening way at Merlin. "Just for you, Merlin."
Morgana felt her heart ease as she watched them. Just a dream.
Merlin would not settle down and just go back to sleep. For Arthur, it was almost a relief when he got up, leaving the warm blankets to...go relieve himself, probably. Arthur did not give it too much thought as he rolled over and tried to go to sleep.
He found sleep just as elusive as before, the image of someone stabbing him with a sword far too prevalent. He tossed for nearly an hour before realising that Merlin had not yet come back. Without a second thought, he threw back the blanket and, snagging his boots and a torch, hurried for the woods, nodding to Leon, who was on watch, as he did so.
Away from the glow of the fire's embers, the absolute darkness of the woods pressed in on him. Fumbling with the torch, he flicked it on, seeking the trail of his boyfriend. He spotted the odd sign of passage here and there, and that was enough to keep him going, though worry clenched at his gut with each minute that he did not find Merlin.
After nearly half an hour of searching, Arthur finally, finally heard something. Following the noise, he was rewarded with the sight of a glow in the distance—Merlin's torch, he assumed. Hurrying forward, he hailed him softly.
"Merlin! Where have yo—"
Something hit the back of his head, and Arthur knew no more.
Aithusa's wings gusted over the trees, filling the small clearing where Merlin waited, far from the group to ensure nobody accidentally noticed the dragon swooping in. She landed with a thump, head bowed in reverence.
She had filled out, in the years after Camlann. The stunting that had affected her in her early years was all but non-existent, now, and she was nearly as large as Kilgharrah had been. Despite their rocky start with her allegiance to Morgana, they had grown close after centuries of only having one another.
You called, Emrys? her voice echoed in his mind. That was one issue that time had not resolved—her speech. While she had learned to speak eventually, she often slurred her words, speaking with a noticeable lisp. So, she preferred telepathic communication when it was available.
"Hello, Aithusa," he said fondly in Old Brittonic. Though Aithusa knew modern English, there was something comforting about slipping into their native tongue. Stepping forward, Merlin laid a hand on the smooth, white scales of her snout. "It's been a while."
Too long, Emrys. I grow lonely.
He could tell from her posture, the way she leaned into his touch, that she spoke only truth. Reaching around, he scratched under her chin. "I'm sorry, Aithusa, but what you felt turned out to be the truth. Arthur has returned, and I have been watching over him."
She hummed softly, a thin stream of smoke escaping her nostrils as she considered his words. Returned, yet you do not seem as happy as I would expect.
She read him like a book. "It's...been harder than I anticipated. I have to make many accommodations for him, because he's a product of this time, and not that one. It's...been hard, though I truly am happy to have him back."
Still, something bothers you, else you would not have sought me out.
"Sometimes," he said slowly, finding the words he struggled to admit to himself even harder to say aloud, "I wonder if he is capable of fulfilling his destiny...whatever that may be. I know mine, it's what it has always been: protect Arthur. I try to—"
Pendragon. That single word cut through his thoughts completely.
"What?"
Your duty was ever to Arthur Pendragon. Is this Arthur Pendragon?
Merlin's brow furrowed. "I fail to see how a simple last name change, brought about because his family no longer exists, could affect that much. All of them were born to new families, some in different countries. That's what happens when people are reincarnated."
We speak not of others, it is Arthur of whom we speak, she said, sitting up at last and adjusting her wings.
Merlin frowned. She had a point, but it also felt like she was missing his. "Aithusa, he's still Arthur. The name doesn't matter."
And if it does? Was it not you who says he is not Arthur, despite being Arthur?
"I...suppose?" He shook his head. "I mean, yes, but he is all we have. I'm here because I fear for his life."
Speak, then, she said, after a long moment of looking at him, and I will advise as best I can.
"Morgana had a dream," he said after a long moment. The name brought the faint rustling of scales as Aithusa shifted in interest. "In that dream, she said she saw Arthur's death. A sword, me crying... It seems like it may have been a vision of the past, but...but Morgana was a seer. Seers see the future," he said softly. "What if this is a vision of...of Arthur dying? Again?" He found himself choking faintly on the words. "I don't think I could stand to—" Watch him die again.
You believe in Morgana's dreams so strongly?
"Like I said, she was a seer before, and even if she has no magic here, I believe I can trust the Old Religion well enough to believe that they would send me a warning through her."
...your theory is not implausible, she agreed, however I fear it is not the only explanation.
Merlin frowned. "If you say it was just a dream..."
Nothing of the sort. Tell me, what do you know of the magics that currently plague this world?
So, it was magic, then. He had worried, suspected even, but had clung to the hope that he was wrong. "The undead rise at dawn. That's...all. I was hoping you might know more, truthfully."
And so I do. What is happening stems from Avalon, and it is resurrection magic of the highest calibre.
Resurrection magic? Also as he had suspected. "...yes. We're heading this way to retrieve Excalibur," he admitted.
A wise choice, but it will not entirely solve the problem.
"Not unless I destroy every living corpse with it, no, it won't," he agreed, "but it will protect Arthur."
And do you not wonder why Avalon is resurrecting the dead?
"When Albion's need is greatest, the Once and Future King will return," he recited. "I don't know why, but I do know we need Arthur to stop it."
Perhaps more than you think.
"You know?" he asked, shocked.
I know nothing, only suspect. I believe the seer's dream may play a vital role in that.
Merlin swallowed thickly. "I can't fight it if I don't know where the threat is coming from!"
First you must decide something for yourself, I think: is the dream a warning, or is it advice?
Aithusa's words haunted him the entire walk back to camp. There was no way she was right. Just...none. Morgana must have been seeing the past, or a warning of what Merlin needed to fight. Nothing more than that.
When Merlin returned to camp, he expected to find Arthur sound asleep. What he found instead was an empty pallet and a worried Leon.
"He got up to...well, take care of things over two hours ago! He never came back, and then I realised you were gone too, Merlin, and I..."
Merlin looked around the bustling camp. More than a few people were shooting him worried looks, and Gwen went so far as to approach and lay a hand on his arm.
"We'll find him, Merlin. He probably just got lost."
Or he had tried to follow him. Without a second thought, Merlin stalked to his mount, fighting back the rising panic. Without a word to anyone, he stretched and saddled the stallion.
"Merlin!" Lancelot jogged over, leading his horse. "I'm coming with you."
"Go in a different direction," Merlin ordered coolly. How could he have let this happen? He literally had one job: protect Arthur! This made two lifetimes...!
Taking Ragnarok's reins, he led the horse forward, compelling Selene to follow as he did so. Ignoring everyone else, he sent the cat the command to find Arthur. Without hesitation, she bounded ahead, and he followed.
She led him through the trees, to an old deer trail that had seen recent use. Picking up Selene and mounting Ragnarok, he nudged the horse into a canter, his path clear to him for the moment.
If anything had happened to Arthur, Merlin did not know what he would do with himself. Could he justify surviving if he had truly failed his king, and the world, twice? Could he forgive a world that would take Arthur from him twice? The very thought made bile rise in his throat, and had him kicking the horse into a gallop.
A wave of magic pushed the tree branches aside, and a silencing spell muffled the hoofbeats. The trail was easy to follow, at least until it led back to the highway.
Letting Selene down, he walked behind the cat for a time, before calling her back once he was satisfied with the trail. Then he really made the horse run. Arthur was still alive, he had to be, so Merlin just had to be in time to save him.
No matter what.
The moment he spotted smoke on the horizon, Merlin reined in. It was nearing midday by this point, but he ignored the rumbling in his stomach, too focussed on gauging the distance to the fire.
Sending the cat down, he had her confirm the direction before heading towards it. As he approached, he drew his staff. They had threatened Arthur, and Merlin was not known for being merciful when Arthur's life was on the line.
Arthur was terrified. Oh, he had seen enough post-apocalyptic movies to know what to expect when he had regained consciousness. They would torture him, force him to give up the location of his friends and family. Then they would descend on the others, robbing and killing for supplies...
Merlin was there. He needed to protect them, but he did not know if he could.
"Awake, I see."
The woman who approached him had hard eyes, a fresh cut splitting open her forehead, nose, and cheek. It only made her look more dangerous.
"...no thanks to you," he grumbled, the words spilling out before he could think better of it.
The woman laughed, flicking red locks over her shoulder. "You've got guts...or you're an idiot. I guess we'll find out which, hm?" Arthur wanted to speak, but his tongue felt frozen in his mouth. "Nothing to say? Good. I hate when the squeal. Here's what you are going to say: you're going to tell me all about where you came from. Where, how many people, what sort of supplies, arms..." She fingered a knife. "All of it."
Arthur could not have told her his own name. As she had been speaking, it felt as though his tongue had swollen to six times its natural size, his throat had closed over, and every part of his mouth and neck was now made of sandpaper. All he managed was a scared whimper.
Think of Merlin! he told himself. He needed to protect Merlin.
...he needed Merlin to come save him, as he always had before. Who was he kidding? He could not be the protector, and they all knew that. He was useless, a coward, whose only value was as the person who complained the most. The thought made his blood run cold.
"My, my, after the attitude a minute ago, I thought you might have some backbone and a brain. Seems like it's option B after all: idiot."
The insult could not do more than make him lower his head in shame. It was true. He was a coward and a fool. How could he let himself get captured like this? Merlin and Morgana were probably worried sick, and, and...
The knife pressed into his throat, and Arthur swallowed in terror. This was it. He was so dead...!
"Talk, or die..."
Merlin!
I apologise for the wait. I lost the will to work on this for a time. Also Pokemon came out. Whoops...
Preview:
"I'm sorry, Arthur...but I think you have to die."
Whoops.
