You guys can't know how much I seriously enjoy this fic.
And I want you to enjoy it too, so, you'll tell me if you enjoy it crazily like I do, right? Leave your reviews all you guys! :)
The sound of something hitting the floor and water splashing stirred Merlin rather unpleasantly out of the sleep he hadn't realized he'd fallen into. He scrambled frantically to his feet once he realized it was Arthur who knocked the bucket over.
"Sire!"
"Oh, I'm sorry Merlin, did I wake you?"
"Oh, Arthur, I -"
"Please, don't let me ruin your nap. I'll just get my new servant to finish the chores. Don't you worry about it."
Merlin grabbed a dirty rag, knelt to the floor and began to mop up the spilled water.
"I did not fall asleep."
"Of course, how could I be so dense? It was the other Merlin. I am so terribly sorry."
Merlin sucked in a harsh breath, letting Arthur's painfully sarcastic comment to roll off his back and bite his tongue to keep from returning such a comment and earning himself a smack in the face. As he mopped the floor, a wave of tiredness swept over him and he had to fight to keep his eyes open. It was the strangest thing; he didn't remember feeling the least bit tired previous to that very moment. He just remembered his dream; the day he met Analise and had his life changed in the most drastic ways, completely for the best.
His first dream showed the future where his second had him relive the past. He didn't know if he liked this new ability he acquired.
Now he really fought to stay awake, his left arm unable to support the weight he put on it and slipping from under him. Arthur was immediately by his side. Say what he would about the laziness or incompetence or whatever term used to describe his bumbling fool of a servant, down there somewhere, Arthur saw of Merlin as a close, true friend. One that he trusted above all else, one that he'd protect with his life if he had to. Not that he'd ever admit that to anyone outside of Guinevere, of course.
"Merlin, are you alright?"
He tried to say he was fine, that it was nothing, but he couldn't find his voice. Arthur's broken one reached Merlin's ears, telling him to hang on, that'd he get him directly to Gaius, and Arthur draped one of Merlin's arms over his shoulders, and lifted him up off the floor.