Uther walks slowly towards the unconscious form of his son on the floor. His eyes narrowed and his skin giving off a blue tinge from his ghostly form.
"Get away from him, Uther." Merlin stands in the opposite corner of the room from Uther and stares at him. Uther's eyes raise away from Arthur to listen. "You've cause enough harm." Merlin steps towards Uther and Arthur. "You don't belong here." Merlin's voice is a bit quieter now and Uther continues to listen. "You must return to the other world."
"This is my kingdom." Uther responds in a whisper. "You think you can drive me from it?" Uther turns to face Merlin as he speaks. "You are nothing but a serving boy." He extends his 's'.
"I am much more than that." Merlin's teeth are slightly grit as he responds. Uther uses his powers to throw a bench from the side of the room at Merlin. Merlin's eyes glow as he turns his head to look at the bench. It stops as though crashing against something and falls next to him. Merlin slowly turns his head back shaking lightly.
"You have magic..." Uther states in disbelief.
"I was born with it!" Merlin raises his voice slightly but not by too much.
"I made you Arthur's servant... You are a sorcerer." Uther's rage and disbelief are slowly growing.
"Even while you were king there was magic at the heart of Camelot." Merlin states steadily.
"I will not allow you and your kind to poison my kingdom." Uther starts to walk towards Merlin as his voice raises.
"You're wrong. You're wrong." Merlin states as Uther speaks and Uther stops. "About so much... Arthur is a better and more worthy king than you ever were." Uther pauses and then roars at Merlin in outrage as he's about to attack him. Merlin's eyes glow and he uses his magic to push Uther back sending the ghost flying through the double doors to the throne room as he continues to roar.
Merlin's eyes snap open and he jolts up into a sitting position in the bed. His mind is hazy and he looks around slowly as his eyes begin to focus. It's the middle of the night and all of the candles are out. Familiar shapes finally start to form just as a set of arms wrap around Merlin's bare shoulders and waist.
"What's wrong Merlin?" Arthur's rough and tired voice whispers into Merlin's ear causing the man to shiver.
"It's nothing... just a bad dream..." Merlin's hands shakily clutch Arthur's arms to him and the man hugs him tighter in response.
"You want to talk about it?"
"N-no, it was just a dream." Merlin lightly leans into Arthur's embrace and leans his head on the other's shoulder. "Sorry for waking you.
"It's fine, but are you alright?" Arthur lightly kisses Merlin's ear.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine." Merlin shivers from the kiss gaining a bit of a blush on his cheeks.
"You're shaking."
"It's a little chilly outside of the covers tonight."
"Then maybe I should warm you up." Arthur pulls Merlin back onto the bed so that he's pinned under Arthur.
"I'm starting to wonder if I can keep up with you pace or not." Merlin stares up at Arthur with a slight smirk and Arthur smirks back.
"I'm sure you'll manage somehow. You always do." Arthur kisses Merlin's neck causing shivers to go down the man's spine.
"If we go any further, I can assure you that I won't be able to walk a single step until noon or later tomorrow."
"Then I'll have you all the more to myself." Arthur kisses then lightly nibbles at Merlin's collarbone gaining a soft gasp from the man.
"B-but I-I have t-to prepare you for the b-banquet t-tomorrow a-and th-the g-guests." Merlin complains between soft gasps and shivers. Arthur groans and rolls onto his side so that he's laying next to Merlin.
"You really know how to kill a mood."
"W-well, it's true." Merlin rolls onto his side as well so that his nose touches Arthur's. "Though you should know that I wouldn't stop you if it were anything else but kingdom work."
"Kingdom work?" Arthur smirks and Merlin smiles back.
"Yes, I had to categorize the different things you do as king."
"So why couldn't it be kingly duties?"
"Because that would be everything that you do." Merlin pauses then smiles and kisses Arthur. "Well, not everything you do." Arthur chuckles and kisses Merlin back.
"Alright then, what are the different categories of my 'Kingly duty'?"
"Well, there's the hunting."
"Okay."
"And the tournaments."
"Alright."
"And then negotiations, paperwork, speeches to the people , and formal banquets fall under Kingdom work."
"What about battles?"
"That falls under negotiations."
"What kinds of negotiations involve beating each other to death?"
"Aggressive ones." both men burst out laughing and Arthur shakes his head softly.
"Where do you come up with all of this stuff?"
"My brain, I'm not surprised you don't know of it since a dollop-head like you rarely uses his." Merlin teases and Arthur raises a brow still smirking.
"Oh really now? Well if I'm a dollop-head what does that make you for loving me?"
"An idiot with bad tastes in men." Merlin shakes his head and tries to get his smile under control. Arthur starts tickling him as revenge and Merlin tries to roll away only to be pulled back over by his hips. After a few minutes of struggle both men settle down again now with Merlin's back resting against Arthur's chest. Both are breathing heavily from all of their laughter and tiredness begins to set in on Merlin's brain. Arthur hugs Merlin close to him and nuzzles his nose into the other man's hair.
"I do love you... you know that right?" Merlin hesitates a moment after hearing the words and nods.
"I know... and I love you too." Merlin's hand hold onto Arthur's as they both begin to drift off.
Bradley and Kilgharrah walk into guest room of Kilgharrah's house just as a few tears begin to leak out of Merlin's closed eyes.
"He hasn't woken up once since he collapsed on my doorstep..." Kilgharrah whispers and Bradley stares worriedly at the quietly crying Merlin.