A grin spread over Mordred's lips as he slowly opened his eyes. Spotting the discarded bow and arrow laying near him on the floor, he rolled onto his stomach and lifted it as he got to his knees. One eye closed, he pulled back the bow and then let it go.
Time seemed to stand still for Merlin, he could hear nothing but the thumping if his heartbeat. The longer he kept his eyes on Arthur's, the worse it became, until finally, he gently touched the Prince's arm.
'Hey,' he said, in a shaky voice. 'I… I am so… sorry for lying to you.' He whispered. As Arthur turned to look at him, a movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention.
What happened next happened so suddenly, Merlin wasn't sure that it happened at all. As Mordred's finger left the trigger, and an arrow shot through the air, Merlin turned his head, seeing Mordred release the arrow that was now speeding towards his heart. Merlin looked, open eyed, as Mordred dropped the Bow to the floor.
Arthur pushed himself away from the wall, head turning in Merlin's direction, begging his legs not to fail him now, and he started to run.
The arrow almost upon him, Merlin squeezed his eyes shut, expecting the blow to come at any moment. But it never did. Time seemed to slow down as a scream suddenly filled the air. Merlin could hear nothing but the sound of his breath; In, out. In, out. He hadn't been hit. He felt no pain, he felt nothing at all, and as he opened his eyes, he saw the delighted look on Mordred's face. Looking around at the shocked faces of the others in the room, it took Merlin a mere second before he noticed the body that lay on the floor in front of him. His heart almost stopped beating as he watched a pool of blood slowly spreading across the floor.
'No,' he whispered, stepping forward and falling to his knees. 'God no…' Gripping the man by the shoulder, he turned him over and lifted his head, placing it on his lap. Merlin wiped a strand of blonde hair from the dazzling blue eyes that suddenly seemed so empty and emotionless.
'Arthur…' Merlin said, voice breaking. 'Arthur, I'm so sorry.' He whispered, as a tear rolled from his eye and down his cheek.
'Never be sorry f-for who you are.' Arthur said, as a trickle of blood escaped his lips.
Looking up into Merlin's eyes, Arthur smiled and lifted his hand to wipe away the tear that was rolling down Merlin's cheek. He opened his mouth to talk, but he no longer could. It hurt too much, and anyhow, he liked the silence. As far as he was aware, it was just himself and Merlin, alone in the world. He felt a hand, gently stroking his hair, and he dropped his hand from Merlin's face, all of a sudden too exhausted to lift it.
Merlin gripped Arthur's hand, his eyes filled with tears that turned the world blurry. No thoughts were going through his head, and as a tear rolled from Arthur's cheek, he suddenly went still. The room was filled with the silent tears of knights and maidens alike, as Arthur slowly slipped away.