Warnings: There's a sexy scene of dubious consent between Merlin and the Sidhe impostor, who has taken on Arthur's form. Merlin IS aware of the other person's true identity.
Chapter 9
Merlin wasn't exactly sure how he did it, but suddenly he was standing next to them. Actually, physically standing next to them.
Arthur reeled back in shock, and the impostor's face contorted into an ugly grimace, his high-pitched shriek tearing the shocked silence apart. Merlin immediately stepped in front of Arthur, instinctively shielding him from the Sidhe, even though he was still feeling rather disorientated.
"How did you get here?" the Sidhe hissed.
"Stay away from him," Merlin retorted almost simultaneously.
They eyed each other resentfully, then the Sidhe's golden gaze settled on Arthur who had finally succeeded at getting his sword and was now trying to shove Merlin aside. "What are you doing here? Didn't I tell you to stay away?" He pushed past Merlin, obviously highly discomfited by his manservant's idea of a rescue.
For a moment, a hurt expression crossed Merlin's features before he straightened his posture and stepped aside. "I'm here to save you, obviously."
"Save me? I don't need saving." Arthur's voice sounded haughty, and hadn't Merlin been witness to the scene before, he might even have believed him. But like this, his gaze trailed to Arthur's lips, which were – and maybe Merlin was only imagining it – just a little bit too red.
The king's mind seemed to be following that train of thought because his hand went to cover his mouth in an involuntary gesture. Then, only a split-second later, he looked angry and snarled at Merlin, "This is none of your concern."
Behind them the Sidhe chuckled. "The mighty Emrys truly inspires awe," he mocked.
"Oh, shut up." Merlin raised hand and blasted the fairy across the cave. Unfortunately, before he could hit anything solid, the impostor dematerialized in a rather impressive whirlwind of black smoke and ribbons. The last thing they heard of him was a disembodied and downright eerie "I'm waiting for you, Arthur" before they were finally engulfed by silence.
It took Merlin several moments before he dared to turn around and fully face Arthur. The king looked angrier than ever, and unlike a certain Sidhe, Merlin didn't really have the nerve to be unaffected by it. He started shifting from one foot to the other. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I know you told me to stay away, but I couldn't let him…" he gestured to the empty space where the Sidhe had been, trying to encompass all the things he couldn't put in words.
Arthur snorted. "And you think I couldn't have taken care of that myself?" For emphasis he waved his sword around. Merlin pulled a face. He was tempted to retort that no, that wouldn't have done it with this kind of opponent but wisely decided that silence was the better way to go here. So he didn't say anything, which only seemed to enrage the king more.
"You sorcerers and your magic, you all think you're…"
"Please, Arthur," Merlin interrupted. He couldn't bear another rant about his traitorous personality, so he took a weary breath before he placed his hand on the king's shoulder. "Please listen to me. We need to capture him, so we can stop all of this."
Arthur raised an eyebrow, but some of the stiffness left his posture under Merlin's touch. Still, he snapped, "then why did you let him escape?"
Merlin shot him a pained smile. "As I said before, your safety always comes first."
In turn Arthur rewarded him with a long, hard look. "Your obsession with my safety is what got us into this dilemma." And with that he shook Merlin's hand off and started making for what was probably the entrance of the cave.
Merlin trailed after him, downcast and overwrought. When they reached a waterfall, he had finally worked up the nerve to mutter a barely audible "Prat".
Arthur stopped, and so did Merlin, unsure if this was a good sign or a bad. Arthur still had his back to him, but he could see from the heaving of his shoulders that the king must be breathing heavily.
"For now and as long as we are fighting this foe I shall tolerate your presence. But once we return to the citadel you will be put on trial for your crimes against the kingdom of Camelot and her people."
Merlin's eyes widened, but Arthur wasn't done. "I'm aware that in many instances you were actually trying to save lives and not endanger them, so this will work in your favour. Nonetheless, it can't be ignored that due to your errors in judgement many people have lost their lives, and you need to answer for that. Now, knowing that, do you still want to come back to the camp with me?"
Merlin didn't know what to say to that, he felt stunned. He swallowed.
The sound of the water rushing over the rocks before them seemed so unbelievably loud in that very moment, it made it hard to think. Still, he could feel the seconds ticking away.
Merlin opened his mouth. He knew he had to answer, but in the end only a croaky "always" escaped him.
Arthur turned around. He obviously seemed surprised by that answer. "Are you sure?"
Merlin nodded. "I'll always be by your side."
Arthur shook his head, but there was something in the gesture that seemed to suggest he was slightly mollified. "You're a fool."
"And once again, I can only say always." A smirk was playing at the corner of his lips. He had won. He wasn't entirely sure what or if Arthur realized it too, but something had fallen back into place.
Arthur shook his head again and stepped through the cascading curtain of water in front of them. It caused a miniature ah-effect in Merlin, who only now realized why he'd been unable to find the king earlier.
When they stepped out on the other side, both soaking of course, they were back in the spot Merlin had deemed the trace lost. It made sense now that he thought about it. Arthur, however, didn't stop to appreciate Merlin's revelation but started a determined march back into the direction where the camp was. Merlin had to hurry and grab the bracelet before he ran after him.
"You look like shit, by the way," Arthur remarked almost too casually when they were a few minutes into their journey. Merlin responded with a noncommittal huff.
"I haven't been sleeping well."
"That's not really any news."
Merlin didn't answer immediately but instead stared ahead. Arthur always insisted he be more honest with him, but Merlin had some doubts if this was the kind of honesty the king desired. He took a deep breath anyway. "When I say not sleeping well, I actually mean not sleeping at all."
Arthur's pace slowed. It wasn't by much, but still noticeable. He shot Merlin an undecipherable look, who grabbed the chance to elaborate, "They're draining my powers."
This time Arthur really stopped. He studied Merlin, then nodded almost to himself. "Yes, this corresponds with what the other one told me. Is there any way for you to stop it?"
"Not to my knowledge. I assume we will just have to get rid of him and hope that also severs the connection…." Arthur's expression made more than clear that he didn't consider that a particularly well thought out plan, but Merlin had a more pressing matter on his mind. "How much did the two of you actually talk?"
Arthur snorted. "That's what's bothering you?" He shook his head. "Well, he talked enough for him to blame it all on you." Merlin grimaced.
"He was also inappropriately handsy, which he blamed on you, too. We will have a word about that when we're back."
Merlin flushed furiously. "At the trial?"
"Good god, no! Most certainly not." Arthur sounded indignant, but then in a more calming tone he added, "in private."
Merlin nodded but felt a bit lost. So Arthur thought of him as a…. Well, he wasn't sure what Arthur thought, but he would find out once they were back.
The rest of their journey thankfully didn't render any more embarrassing discoveries. Instead Leon and Percival seemed truly grateful when Arthur and he showed back up at the camp. He was greeted with a bone-crushing hug by Percival and an amical pat on the shoulder by Leon. Even the stable boy, Owen, who he hardly knew, seemed weirdly happy to see him and shot him a sheepish smile. Merlin smiled back, a bit unsure what to make of it, but ultimately decided to ponder that question at another time.
Merlin's first instinct led him to the campfire, where he normally would have prepared food, only to discover that this task had been usurped by Brianna. He shot her a slightly forced smile when she handed him a filled bowl and greeted him with a cheerful, "So we meet again."
Night had fallen around them, and it brought the whole group together around the fire. Brianna's stew got more praise than it deserved, although Merlin had to admit that it was pretty decent. He still declined the recipe.
The conversation steered clear of all incriminating topics, yet it was obvious that the knights were only waiting for Brianna and Owen to retire to drill Arthur and him with all their burning questions. When Brianna finally gave a pointedly fake yawn and excused herself with "time for bed", dragging a very confused and absolutely not-tired Owen with her, it was a relief.
"She's quite something," Leon said while he stared after the retreating bar wench.
"A bit smitten, sir?" Percival teased, and Leon punched him on the shoulder. Both knights laughed, but quickly sobered when they noticed that their light-hearted banter didn't seem to extend to the king and his manservant.
Leon cleared his throat. "So Merlin's back with us then?"
"Merlin's back." Arthur answered. It was obvious from the knights' coiled anticipation that they seemed to be expecting more of an explanation, but Arthur stoic expression and closed-off posture made it more than clear that there wasn't anything coming.
It had a rather deflating effect on the two men. And it was Percival who finally asked: "So what's next? The culprit's still out there, isn't he?"
"He is. And he keeps eluding us." Arthur stated.
"And he's also still after Arthur," Merlin added, shooting Arthur a look in the process.
Percival frowned. "But Sire, what I don't understand is what's with all the abducted people? Why first take them then give them back, if he's actually after you?"
Arthur sighed, his hands involuntarily wandering to his face, pinching his nose. He exchanged another telling look with Merlin, who in return sighed just as deeply.
"They're sacrifices. In exchange for Arthur's life, every person gives a day of theirs. Just one, not their whole life. That's why he's giving them back once they've fulfilled that purpose."
"And why exactly does Arthur need their life?" Percival finally vocalized the question that seemed to be hanging over them like the sword of Damocles.
"Because he died," Leon took up the word. He sounded neutral, but his posture clearly betrayed how much of a feat uttering this sentence had been for him. He threw Arthur an inquisitive look, who only gave a small approving nod in response.
Percival surveyed the situation, nodding in understanding. There was no big sign of shock written on his face, so Leon must have brought him into the loop about the whole pact with the Sidhe thing – Merlin was silently grateful for that – but he was fidgeting in his seat, as if there was still something on his mind. "But what will happen once we defeat the kidnapper and stop the sacrifices? Won't Arthur die?"
"Maybe","Probably," Arthur and Merlin answered at the same time.
The knights looked rather shocked by that answer, which had Arthur roll his eyes at Merlin. "We don't know," he amended, signaling for Merlin to help him. Merlin sighed, but ultimately gave in. "We don't know for sure. But it's likely."
"But then, can't we somehow force them to keep the magic going!?" Percival had sprung to his feet, his hands balled to fists; while Leon, much more reservedly, added, "One day doesn't seem that high a price."
All heads turned towards him.
"Sir Leon, how dare you? As a knight of Camelot you have taken an oath to protect her people, not support sacrificial offerings to some old gods. Even if it serves your king!" Arthur sounded outraged, but beneath it was clear that he understood Leon's gesture for what it was.
"But Sire, I would gladly give a day of my life if I knew it would help save yours. I would even have let them take me, had I known. I just..."
Arthur raised a hand, effectively silencing the knight. He regarded Leon with a much gentler expression when he answered: "I understand, Leon. But that is not the way. A king cannot leech off the lives of those around him. Not in the metaphorical sense and most certainly not in the literal."
Leon slumped, looking defeated.
It was Percival who broke the tension. After his initial outburst he had remained standing with a frown on his face, his fingers twitching, as if he was silently counting something. "It doesn't add up, you know. The days and the abducted people," he explained when only a bunch of confused faces stared back at him. "If I counted correctly, it's a bit over two weeks since Merlin made the pact with the Sidhe. That means that the same amount of people should've gone missing, but it's only six, maybe seven if the murdered girl had something to do with it as well."
Arthur straightened. Despite the somewhat non-sequitur quality of Percival's remark, it was clear that he thought the other man had happened across something here.
"Maybe there's an eighth," Merlin added cautiously. "In one of the dreams… it's hard to remember…." He squinted his eyes and shook his head, "I think I saw him take another, one of the bandits who attacked us, but I'm not sure. The memory's very foggy."
"I see," Arthur was rubbing his chin now. "But that still wouldn't be enough."
"Maybe he didn't only take them from your immediate surroundings, like you assumed," Percival supplied carefully, but Arthur shook his head.
"The bandits still would've been pretty close if it happened after the attack. Besides, I don't think it serves the impostor's purpose to take people whose absence we don't notice."
Merlin gave a small nod of agreement. Leon and Percival, on the other hand, didn't seem to be entirely following that train of thought. "Sire?"
"He wants me to see the people's sacrifice because he wants me to end it. Go willingly into the Eternal Realm."
"And you're playing right into his hands by wanting to stop them." Merlin was facing Arthur now, something challenging in his eyes. "He can't kill you, that would go against the pact I made. But he can compel you by showing you your people's sacrifices."
"And what would you have me do instead, Merlin?" The name rolled off of Arthur's tongue in clear provocation. The two of them were staring at each other, more or less fully ignoring the presence of the two knights now, who fidgeted uncomfortably.
"Fight! Isn't that your way, normally?" Merlin gestured to Arthur's sword. "I can find a way to ban them, I know I can. The dragon told me so." Arthur winced slightly but Merlin just continued, "I just need you to trust and help me."
"And isn't that where the problem lies."
Now it was Merlin's turn to wince, but Arthur wasn't done, "Do you even have a plan? Do you even know how to ban them? Because so far, the only thing you've displayed is cluelessness and confusion, and neither of them are particularly trust-building."
Merlin looked hurt, but Arthur wasn't done. The king got to his feet, now clearly agitated. "You don't, do you? You have no fucking clue what you're doing. But still you expect me to trust you, put your word over the safety of my people, even after everything you've done." He was pacing now, while Merlin had averted his eyes once again.
"I could use the connection, maybe," he countered weakly. Arthur stopped and regarded his manservant, his brows furrowed. His silence made clear that he had some doubts about this plan, still Merlin used the opportunity to look up and make eye contact. "It goes in two directions, you know. I can also find him with it, gain insight into his mind." He was speculating here, but he was pretty sure that if he focused enough he should be able to dig up something on the Sidhe. At least he hoped so.
He shot Arthur a nervous smile, who only rolled his eyes in exasperation and mumbled something that sounded like "idiot."
Next to them, Leon and Percival dared showing some signs of life again. Leon even cleared his throat and made the grave mistake of inquiring if that wasn't a good next step. Arthur immediately shot him down with a deadly look and explained that they first needed the abducted people back, before they could even start bothering with banishing anybody. The knight nodded, chastised, but next to him Percival still seemed to be mulling this over.
"Then it makes even less sense," he muttered under his breath and more to himself.
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Please elaborate, Sir Percival." He sounded rather curt, which had the big knight shift uncomfortably.
"Well, the Sidhe is returning the abducted people one by one, which means we would have to wait six or seven days until we got all of them back. Within this time frame – if the logic is correct – new people would be taken. We would never come to an end, except… except we assume that during those days we noticed nobody new missing, there was indeed nobody new missing." The three men perked up and Merlin was already in the process of opening his mouth, but Arthur waved him quiet.
"Yesterday and today we got Brianna and Owen back, and nobody from our close proximity was taken. There wasn't a new attempt on Leon either, so maybe… maybe the Sidhe have an additional method to maintain the king's life," Percival finished.
Arthur was rubbing his chin again. "It is an interesting theory you have there, but no proof whatsoever."
"Well then, that's another thing the connection could be useful for," Merlin said with a certain finality and got up. He and Arthur eyed each other before Merlin turned around to leave.
"I'm still not convinced this is a good idea," Arthur said but followed after him without another glance back at the slightly puzzled knights. They went for the king's tent. Arthur even bid Merlin to enter first with a slightly mocking wave of his hand. Merlin only huffed and crawled in.
"You know, I'm actually surprised you still want to share," he said while pulling off his shoes and carelessly tossing them outside. Arthur pulled a face and pushed them out of his way, so he could crawl inside too. "We have shared countless times. Besides, like this I can have an eye on you."
Merlin snorted. Then in a sudden shift of mood he became quiet. "You said he was handsy."
Arthur didn't answer immediately, instead he unclasped his cape and made a show of neatly folding it and putting it into a corner. Then he took a deep breath and while still strictly avoiding looking the other man in the eye, he said: "It's not something I worry about with you. I'm aware you…." Arthur's voice trailed off, the sentence lost somewhere in the space between the unsaid words. The silence between them was, once again, rather stony.
Then, with a weirdly thoughtful expression on his face, Arthur asked, "Is that something you'd want?" At Merlin's slightly confused look, he added, "The touching, I mean."
"No!" Merlin retorted too quickly and blushed, after a pause he added, "yes? I don't know." He sighed and ran a hand through his already very tousled hair. He felt weary. "It's not something I've thought about a lot. Most of the time I'm more concerned with keeping you safe. All the other things seem secondary in comparison."
Arthur nodded. "I see."
And with that he proceeded to strip out of his tunic and laid down. Merlin stared at him a bit dumbfoundedly. "Aren't you going to say more about it?"
"Do you want me to? I think it's something better left for later when we're not fighting for our lives."
Merlin gave a little fair enough nod and wanted to lie down too, only to be stopped by Arthur. "You don't intend to keep that stinking tunic on, which you've been wearing for the last three days, do you? It reeks, and I'm sure you have a spare somewhere."
Merlin opened his mouth, then closed it again and shook his head. Without further comment, he pulled the tunic over his head and threw it out to keep his shoes company. "Sometimes you really can be such a petty highborn snob, it's incredible! You'd rather be molested than bear a bit of stench."
"Oh, I bear your stench on a regular basis," Arthur started fumbling with something underneath the sheets, "as for the molestation, rest assured I know how to protect myself." He pulled a gleaming silver dagger out, which he quite demonstratively pointed at Merlin's naked chest. The sorcerer, almost instinctively, folded his arms over the sensitive area and shot Arthur a strained smile. "Got it."
"Good." Arthur grinned and laid back down. "So how do you want to do that connection thing of yours? Just take off Morgana's bracelet and hope for the best?"
Merlin shrugged. "I can control it to some extent. Or at least I could when I thought the other one was murdering you – which he obviously wasn't."
"Please don't ever mention that again," Arthur muttered under his breath. To which Merlin nodded dutifully and continued, "So I'll establish a connection and try to pick the other's brain for once."
"I still have doubts."
"I know." He amicably patted Arthur's arm, then dangled his wrist with the bracelet in front of him. "So do you want to do the honours?"
Arthur snorted but still slid it off Merlin's wrist. Once it was gone though he closed his own hand around the place where it had been. Merlin swallowed. He didn't really dare to make eye contact, but instead kept staring at the hand holding his wrist.
"Be careful, Merlin," Arthur muttered. Merlin nodded in assent, even though he could barely make out the words over his own thundering heartbeat. He was sure Arthur must be feeling it as well.
Then, the contact ceased and the spot where Arthur had held him suddenly felt too cold. Merlin had to suppress a shudder, but still tried to remind himself that there was a task ahead of him. Get into the zone, establish a connection, find out information about the Sidhe. Yes, that was it.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He tried to focus his mind on the other one, like he had done before.
Next to him, the heat of Arthur's body was palpable. It attracted Merlin's mind like a moth to the flame. He felt where their bodies touched, and like the spot on his wrist, the heat seemed to spread from there. Merlin shifted a little and internally cursed the Sidhe for putting this kind of thoughts into his head. Of course, he, at least to some extent, had known that what there was between him and Arthur went beyond normal devotion, but he'd always kind of rationalized it away by referring to their destined bond. On a good day and when Arthur wasn't acting like a total prat, he'd even admit that he loved the man. But the attraction… well, that was something he really hadn't put all that much thought into. Mostly because he really had more important things to worry about… and because Arthur was married… and because it seemed a bit of a dangerous topic. Similar to the one of magic, where you never could be entirely sure how Arthur would react.
Merlin felt his face contorting into a grimace.
"You're not getting there, are you? I can see it on your face, you're distracted."
Merlin hmpfed and shifted some more, trying to get into a more comfortable position but not really succeeding.
"Do I need to sing you a lullaby? Would that help?" Arthur mocked.
"Please don't. You sound about as harmonious as a donkey on its deathbed," he retorted tiredly. It earned him a punch to the upper arm, but Merlin felt it'd been worth it. "You're supposed to let me sleep."
"You're not sleeping anyway." Arthur got back into an upright position. "Is that still about the touching thing? Because if it is, let me tell you that it's not bothering me," he said and then added, "all that much."
Merlin's eyes widened and he got up as well. "You can't be serious," he stammered.
Arthur averted his eyes, clearly uncomfortable. "Well, I obviously don't like being assaulted in the springs, or in the cave, or in general. But as you have, in all these years, never displayed any sense for personal space or appropriateness towards your superiors, it's not really anything new," Arthur's voice got lower and lower towards the end and he scratched his head sheepishly.
Merlin stared at him, then a huge grin spread over his face. "Awwww, Arthur. You like my hugs, why didn't you say so?" He held out his arms and started advancing on Arthur, whose expression immediately turned into a scandalized grimace. "Stop! That's not what I meant!"
But Merlin tackled him and slung his gangly arms around Arthur's torso. They both knew this was Merlin's way to alleviate the tension that this rather uncomfortable topic had brought forth, but Arthur nonetheless patted the other man's back; rather unenthusiastically one might add.
"There there, you had your sentimental moment. Now let go."
But Merlin didn't, instead he clung to Arthur with his chest was heaving. For a moment the king thought he was laughing but then he realized that is was soundless sobbing that was shaking his manservant. He tried to sit up, but Merlin's grip on him only intensified.
"Merlin?" he asked carefully.
"Just a moment." Merlin's voiced sounded chocked. He was taking deep breaths, obviously trying to get his feelings back under control, but Arthur could feel the wet, warm spot forming on his shoulder. Much gentler now, he let his hand stroke the other man's back. "You know I'll tease you mercilessly for this tomorrow."
This time, Merlin really laughed. It was that kind of laugh-sob, but he still clung to Arthur.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Merlin shook his head. "Nah. I just need a moment. It's just… everything's a bit too much right now."
"Tell me about it," Arthur deadpanned but was at the same time still stroking Merlin's back.
Merlin looked up, his eyes puffy but with a determined intensity. "Arthur, you must know that, no matter what, I'm on your side. I get that in the last few days it didn't always look like it and I know I screwed up, but I would never ever deliberately do something to hurt you. I want to protect you, not only because you're a good king and I believe in you but also because you're my best friend, and on your better days you're even a bit more, but then that's one of these things we don't talk about," Merlin rambled and sheepishly wiped the corner of his eyes.
Arthur regarded Merlin, then a grin spread over his face and he teasingly retorted: "What? Only on my better days?
"Hey!" Merlin punched him but was now laughing for real. He finally rolled off Arthur and came to rest next to him. "I'm sorry for the mess I got us in," he said in a low voice but sounded much calmer now.
"I know," Arthur took a deep breath, his gaze directed at the tent's ceiling, "And I don't want to die. I'm grateful for you trying to help and save me. I'm also furious with you for all the convoluted lying. But I know I'm sometimes too hard on you. I just wish things could go back to how they were."
Merlin nodded. He was pretty convinced Arthur hadn't seen but he took his hand nonetheless.
"I don't think that's quite possible. Too much has happened. But I appreciate you admitting that you might have some flaws, Your Pratness." He pinched the back of Arthur's hand, who in retaliation smacked it against Merlin's face. The two grappled for a few moments, both laughing and spluttering until they stilled again.
"Are you really going to put me on trial when we're back?" Merlin asked.
Arthur sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't really want to. It's just something I said out of exasperation because you're driving me crazy. The whole magic business is driving me crazy! And you broke the law. I should put you on trial!" Arthur was gesturing wildly into the air, obviously more trying to convince himself. "I'm not going to execute you, that's for sure. I never would, but I need to do something with you. You're a sorcerer and the law must be obeyed by everybody, I can't make exceptions just because it suits me, or because you're my friend."
"Alright," Merlin said, but Arthur continued. "I can't undermine the rules. It opposes everything I stand for. It's the same as using the sacrifices, it can't always be…"
Merlin patted his underarm reassuringly. "It's alright, Arthur, I understand."
Arthur frowned. "You do?"
Merlin gave him a tired smile and nodded. "You're you. And we'll see what happens. Everything will turn out the way it's supposed to."
"That's awfully optimistic."
"Well, better than doubting the purpose of this whole…. endeavor."
Arthur huffed in response but settled down nonetheless. "I guess we should really try to sleep."
This time Merlin felt calmer. He closed his eyes and quickly enough drifted off into sleep, the world of dreams awaiting him.
He could hear water. Merlin opened his eyes and found himself standing at the edge of the woods right in front of a lake. Well, not a lake, the lake. Lake Avalon.
He gazed at the calm surface for a moment before he started walking in the shore's direction. There was a slight breeze when he broke through the border that marked the tree line, but apart from that everything was quiet. A bit too quiet. Merlin looked around. There was no bird song, no rustling of leaves. It wasn't the best of signs.
He studied his surroundings and quickly enough spotted a recumbent figure in the distance. The person was lying flat on their back, perfectly still. Merlin squinted his eyes but couldn't make out more than a vague shape. He decided to approach carefully.
His caution was quickly abandoned though once he was close enough to recognize the figure. His pace increased to a frantic sprint until he came to an abrupt standstill right next to the person he now identified as the nameless man from the Rising Sun. He checked the man's pulse and to his relief noted that he was indeed merely asleep. His attempts to shake him awake remained unsurprisingly fruitless though. Merlin tsked and threw another wary look at his surroundings. But everything stayed just as eerily calm as before.
He let go of the poor sod. The little waves of the lake were lapping at the shore, almost touching Merlin's feet. He took a step back. Something told him he should stay away from Avalon's waters for now.
He scanned more of the sandy banks and soon enough noticed another person there. This one was lying just as still as the first one and proved to be the young bandit Merlin had seen in his dream. He treated him slightly rougher than the unfortunate tavern goer but still made sure he showed the necessary signs of life. His attempts to rouse him remained just as unsuccessful though.
A bit further down he spotted the next person, the missing stable hand Jorah. He checked him over too, but it was exactly the same as with the others.
And finally, he saw Bedivere. Merlin rushed over to the knight, who naturally didn't react either. He touched his hand to Bedivere's cool forehead, his gaze all the while searching for the last missing person. If Percival's theory was correct – and by now Merlin was pretty sure that it was – then there was only one kidnapping victim left, Taliesin the bard.
But no matter how hard Merlin looked, he couldn't find the absent singer. He shook his head and instead decided to focus on Bedivere again. If the Sidhe stuck to the order in which the people had been taken, then Taliesin would be the next to be returned. Maybe the impostor was already preparing to give him back.
Merlin pried the sleeping knight's eyelids open and examined the reaction. So far so good. It looked all natural, or at least as natural as it got under a sleeping spell. Merlin sighed and slightly patted the knight's cheek. He needed a way to communicate with the man, even if he couldn't wake him.
Maybe if he could enter Bedivere's dreamscape…. A dream within a dream.
Merlin snorted. He already heard Gaius scolding him that this was a terrible idea. Part of him agreed, but what other option was there? He needed to know.
With the utmost care and gentleness Merlin put the tips of his fingers against the other man's temples. Invading another person's mind wasn't something he'd ever done before or ever considered doing. It seemed wrong and Merlin couldn't properly suppress the notion that he was breaking into another person's house. He swallowed and told himself that he'd make it up to Bedivere. Getting saved was certainly in the knight's best interest.
He tried to focus. The world around him was quickly turning into a blurry whirlwind. Bedivere's dreamscape was coming closer and closer. Merlin was almost there…
Then there was a noise.
Merlin's head jerked up, focus entirely lost. He looked around frantically, but couldn't see anything.
Behind him the lake was still gently surging against the shore and the trees were still not whispering. He knew he was on borrowed time here, the Sidhe would notice sooner or later that Merlin was using the connection against him, if he hadn't already. So he couldn't let himself be distracted. He had to act.
Once again, he focused on the knight. He took a deep breath, then tried to center his magic on Bedivere. It was working. He saw a glimpse ….
And then was violently pulled off him.
Merlin landed in the lake's shallow waters with a groan. It only took a moment for his attacker to be upon him and push him into the sandy ground.
"What do you think you're doing, you amateur? If you're not careful, you'll damage his mind!"
Merlin gave a breathless croak. It was hard for him to properly make out his attacker, but by now he already knew who it was. It could only be one person… Himself.
And indeed, above him he saw the vision of his own face. Contorted by rage and far bluer than he was used to, but these were his features.
"I had no intention of hurting him," he retorted, slightly hoarse. "Bedivere is my friend. I'm here to save him. Him and all the others."
The other snorted and finally let him up. "Save him? He was never in any danger. Or at least not any more danger than the kind that costs you a day of your life." There was something crooked about the other's smile while. Merlin really didn't like it.
"Besides, even if you succeeded in waking him up, this is still only a dream." The other leant in, and Merlin liked this even less. Instinctively he tried to crawl backwards, but the wet ground underneath him seemed to get soggier and soggier. The other one was almost atop of him now.
"What happens here barely influences the present. You really should focus on the things that count."
Any with that the whole scenery evaporated and Merlin was back in the tent.
He jolted upright and in the process roused Arthur from his sleep. "Keep it down, will you," Arthur mumbled, bleary-eyed. Merlin stared at him dumbfoundedly. His mouth opened, but he couldn't really come up the proper words.
"I- I don't know what happened," he breathed.
Arthur seemed more alert now. He put a soothing hand on Merlin's shoulder. "Hey, it's alright. Did it work? You weren't gone long, we've only just laid down."
Merlin frowned. "Really?" He tried to focus on Arthur, but somehow the images from the lake were still flashing before his inner eye. "It seemed longer," he added distractedly.
Arthur was kneading his shoulder. That point of contact ultimately drew Merlin back into the present. His gaze wandered to the other man's hand.
"So?" Arthur asked expectantly. It took Merlin a moment to remember what the question had been, but then he cleared his throat with a little cough. "I don't know. I found them, they're at the lake but I couldn't wake them. I tried something with Bedivere before the other one caught me."
Arthur nodded, his hand still on Merlin. "That's good news then. So we know where to go tomorrow." Merlin nodded along, but that had probably more to do with Arthur's hand. A small part of him at the back of his head was still very much frowning and wondering if the king shouldn't be more worried about this. That part was quickly silenced though when Arthur's hand moved to the side of neck, gently grabbing him.
"Well done, Merlin."
About every warning bell in existence went off over that statement. Arthur never said things like this. Straight forward praise that wasn't somehow laced with a mocking undertone just wasn't Arthur. Merlin wanted to recoil, but the hand still held onto him, which meant that he only succeeded at pulling Arthur along with him.
"What's the matter, Merlin? Didn't you wish for me to be more understanding and compassionate?" The other man was atop of him now and pushed Merlin down, who was shaking his head reluctantly.
"You're not him. Get off me."
"Of course I'm him. I'm your vision of him." He touched fore- and middle finger to Merlin's temple. "I'm in your head. I know what you see."
Merlin started struggling against him, but that only seemed to amuse the other one. "Do you wish for me to act more like Arthur? But then you most certainly won't get what you desire so much." He gave a demonstrative thrust of his pelvis and Merlin stilled immediately. His heartbeat was thundering in his ears and he could feel the heat rising and making him dizzy. The other one rewarded him with a knowing smirk. "See?"
"Stop it," Merlin responded weakly. To his surprise the fake Arthur let go of him and sat back. He regarded him with a calculating look while Merlin tried to catch his breath.
"So what's it going so be? This is very likely the only chance you'll ever get, Merlin." His name rolled off the other's tongue in exactly the right cadence and it shook Merlin deeply.
The fake's eyes glinted in satisfaction. He grabbed Merlin's ankle and pulled. Not gentle like before but roughly, much more like the real Arthur would have done. "You know, if I didn't know better, I'd say your reservation was due to that virgin high priest of the Old Religion thing," he teased.
"I'm no virgin," Merlin replied almost automatically and immediately realized that he'd fallen into the trap. The other rewarded him with a smug smirk.
"Oh no? Then tell me, who was it that stole you away from the king." His hand wandered upwards along the inseam of Merlin's trousers. "Of course, I know. But Arthur doesn't, does he? You never told him about sweet Freya. She's with me too, you know. A peaceful existence."
He was right above Merlin now and so close that he could feel his hot breath on his skin.
"It could be her instead, if you'd prefer that. But then," he snaked an arm around Merlin's middle, "we both know that you don't." And when the other pressed both their groins together, Merlin knew he was right. He let out a groan.
The heat was almost overwhelming. He could feel the hard outline of Arthur's cock against his own. Which had a seriously clouding effect on his brain when it came to making rational decisions. He knew he should push the other off, but instead he pulled him closer so that his face was right next to his own. Some blond strands tickled his nose and somewhere at the back of his head he registered that the smell was just perfect. Just Arthur. He wanted to rejoice and cry at the same time.
The other grinned and ground down on him. Merlin's mouth opened in a voiceless moan.
"That's it." The other whispered. He sounded surprisingly breathless too. It went on like this for a few more torturous thrusts, and Merlin was ready to burst. Then the other stilled. He bent low and rubbed his cheek against Merlin's. "It's good, isn't it? But still not how you imagined it."
Merlin had some trouble keeping up. He stared at the other as he brought some distance between them and wondered why it felt so unwanted. But before he could contemplate the loss, Arthur spun him around and pressed his front to Merlin's back. Merlin shuddered.
"That's how you imagined it."
It felt a bit like an out-of-body experience when Merlin head himself retort, "I never imagined anything."
The other hummed and snuck his fingers under the fastenings of Merlin's trousers. "Maybe not that consciously. It's something that happens in the dreams that you tend to forget in the mornings…" He pulled them down and exposed his naked flesh to the cool air. Merlin wanted to protest, but the words remained lodged in his throat when he felt the searing heat of Arthur's skin against his own. The hardness of his cock rubbed against his backside, grazed the cleft between his buttocks and annihilated any rational thought.
Instinctively, Merlin grabbed behind him and pulled Arthur closer. The other chuckled.
"These are the things that haunt your mind like a vague afterthought when you help getting him dressed. The things that make you roll your eyes at him in daylight, but at night…" He rolled his hips against him and Merlin moaned. Then immediately pressed his balled fist against his mouth. Again, the other chuckled. "No need to hold back. This is between us, or rather between you and your other self. With that reasoning you might even get away with saying you're only touching yourself." As if to illustrate, the other's hand snuck around Merlin's hip and went for his cock.
The grip was bordering on too tight, especially when he started to move. Still, Merlin couldn't help it and throw his head back to rest it on Arthur's shoulder. All the while he could feel the hard length of the other man's cock rubbing between his buttocks.
"You're a weird one, aren't you?" The other whispered, his face so close now that Merlin could feel the scratchy stubble against his own cheek. "You like it when he's a bit rough with you."
Almost demonstratively the hand tugged at his cock too harshly. A pained, whining sound escaped Merlin's throat but at the same time he couldn't help it and push more into the back and forth movement.
The other pressed a brief, open mouthed kiss to the side of Merlin's face. "And there it is. The thing that makes you enjoy the ribbing, the horseplay and even those occasions when he throws things at you… especially those."
Merlin moaned. Under different circumstances he'd have given that comment more thought, but as things were he could only focus on those hands on his body, how they were exploring him; how, behind him, Arthur was pushing against that ring of muscles, never quite breaching. These sensations overshadowed any other thought there might have been.
"You like it because it means he pays attention to you. He pays more attention to you than to anybody else, even the queen."
Merlin turned his head, somehow haphazardly trying to press his lips against those of the man behind him.
"He is the most important person in your life, so why shouldn't you be the most important one in his? That's what you're thinking. And you're right, you are. Or why do you think he's so fucking angry with you."
The other grabbed his chin and guided Merlin's movements so that he could properly kiss him. And while their mouths devoured each other, the rhythmic attention to Merlin's nether regions didn't cease, quite on the contrary. The pace and the heat only started to build more and more, so that Merlin felt like he could barely take it anymore.
"He loves you, whether he realizes it or not. It's there, but it can never be. A thing forever caught in the realm between."
Merlin was panting, his breath erratic and never quite enough. He buried his hand in the other's blond hair and tried to savour the sensation while he faded out the words. He didn't want to hear them, they tore at his very soul.
The other's tongue licked into his mouth again. He let it. The climax was fast approaching.
"You have to let him go with me. It is the only place the two of you can be. Here in this world, he'll be Arthur, King of Camelot, married to the realm and queen for as long as he lives, but on the other side… there you can be whatever you want."
Merlin came with a voiceless scream on his lips. And as he could feel waves of pleasure overwhelming and the semen spurting out of him, something else was taken too. With the kiss, the Sidhe was draining him, taking his life force and his magic.
Merlin tried to fight against it, but the tendrils connecting them were already growing rampantly, deeply rooted within him.
He felt his consciousness slipping, and the last thing he noticed was how the Sidhe gently placed his limp body back on the bedroll.
Merlin woke up feeling sick. Dizzy and with a pounding in his ears, he rolled to the side and crawled the remaining meter to their tent flap before he started retching. It didn't take long for the sounds to attract Arthur, who awkwardly patted his back. "There there, let it all out. Do you need water?"
Merlin shook his head. The mere thought of imbibing anything sent his stomach roiling. He fell to his side, completely drained. All the while he could feel Arthur's worried gaze studying him.
"So, is this a side effect, or what? Was it at least worth it?"
Merlin wiped his mouth with the back of his hand while Arthur snorted derisively. Without any objections he took the water skin and poured some of it over his face and his hands. It seemed to satisfy the king, who gave a small approving nod.
Merlin massaged his forehead and tried to gather his thoughts. Had it been worth it? Probably not, considering he could barely look Arthur in the eye because of what he'd done. Of course, he was under no illusion with whom he'd done it, still he'd revelled in the sensation. Sneakily the stole a glance in Arthur's direction, just to check whether the king remained indeed oblivious, or if there was maybe the slightest chance that it had been more than a dream. But Arthur only regarded him with a somewhat impatient expression, not the slightest trace embarrassment, or any other sentiment that could have been associated with Merlin's nightly activities.
He swallowed. "I don't know. I found them, they're at Lake Avalon, but I couldn't wake them."
"Well, that's at least something." Arthur had his arms akimbo, his eyes involuntarily drifting into the direction in which they both knew the lake lay. "Not as much as we'd hoped for. But our priority is the get the abducted people back. We'll have to figure out the rest later." There was a certain ominousness in the way he said it and it reminded Merlin all too vividly that Arthur considered surrendering to the Sidhe as a valid option. He also remembered what the Sidhe had said to him during their nightly encounter, but that was something banished to the furthest reaches of his mind for the moment.
Merlin pushed himself into a sitting position before he could attract the attention of the other camp dwellers. It made the world around him go blurry again and he swayed a little.
Arthur steadied him. "Hey, careful there." This time he sounded quite a bit more concerned.
Merlin only shook his head though and waved him off. "Help me up, will you." He grabbed the king's hand and together they got Merlin on his feet. It took a bit longer and few more stumbles than he'd like to admit, but he got there.
"So, where do we go from here?" he asked uncertainly.
"Well, first to the logs around the fire to get some breakfast into you," Arthur answered surprisingly tender, "and then we go to the lake."
Merlin nodded but still couldn't help asking, "do you think that's a wise idea?"
Arthur shrugged and started walking ahead. "Probably not."
Getting to the fireplace exhausted him. Merlin found it mortifying how much, because it exceeded his recent matutinal sluggishness by lengths. He was wheezing when he arrived at the logs and flopped down in the most inelegant fashion. He could even feel a little rivulet of sweat trickling down his back. Arthur's gaze was continually glued to him, which, of course, inevitably drew the others' attention he'd wanted to avoid so much. Percival inquired about his well-being and Brianna gave him an extra helping of gruel. Both he tried to disregard with a forced smile that convinced nobody.
In the end, breakfast turned out to be a rather sombre affair and they kept it short before they packed up their things and made ready to leave.
The next challenge for Merlin arrived when he was supposed to get on his horse, because he just couldn't. The beast seemed to have a rather clear idea of the bad shape he was in as it started to sidle around once he approached. He eventually gave up and instead accepted the offer to ride with Arthur.
Two grown men on one horse wasn't an ideal combination, but Merlin couldn't deny a certain quiet gratitude for the king's strong arms that encircled him and kept him from keeling over.
"Why is it so bad this time?" Arthur asked softly a few minutes into their journey.
Merlin shrugged, or at least he tried. Realistically he felt too faint to do even that.
"He caught me when I was sneaking around," he finally admitted. Behind him Arthur tense up. "And?"
Merlin threw a precursory look into the knights' direction. He didn't want them to hear.
"He drained me, quite literally this time. I experienced it in the dream."
Arthur's arm around him tightened. "What will happen, if he drains all of you?"
Merlin had wondered about that too but so far avoided the option of properly exploring the possibility. He took a deep breath. "I don't know. I assume I'll die or vanish or… something like that." After a pause he added, "The other one, though, will be powerful enough the take what he wants, deal or no deal."
"That's what I feared." Arthur spurred his horse. "Then we better make sure it doesn't come to that."
They heard the singing before they saw him. The bard was sitting on a rock in a sunny clearing when they crossed the tree line. His lyre was on his bent knee and he was humming a few verses about some tragic love story. It reminded Arthur why he'd never been particularly fond of the lad.
"Taliesin, there you are. We've been looking for you." Leon got off his horse and went over to check on the young man. Who in return seemed in absolutely no hurry to finish his song and explain what had happened to him. Leisurely his fingers plucked the strings and he merely rewarded the knight with a benevolent nod of his head as he finally drew breath for the last crescendo.
Arthur had to supress an eye-roll. Oh yes, that was Taliesin, and he was obviously alright. While the song was ending, he helped Merlin, who still looked as white as a sheet and was sweating so profusely it provoked some nasty comparisons, down from his horse and sat him on some nearby tree stump.
"Sire!" The bard was next to him so unexpectedly, Arthur almost jumped. "It is an honour to see you again and to know that you've come here on my behalf." He bowed low and Arthur could feel his face contorting into a grimace. Somewhere in the background he could hear Merlin snickering. Well, if the fool was well enough to laugh at his expense…
"It's quite alright, Taliesin, we're delighted to have you back all hale and hearty. Camelot's vespertine diversions weren't the same without you."
Again, the bard bowed. "You flatter me, Sire. This calls for a tune!"
Arthur thought something along the lines of Oh please God no, but it was too late to stop the singer from striking up a song that was probably about two old friends meeting again after a long time. Somewhere behind Taliesin's back Percival raised an eyebrow at him. Arthur massaged his temples.
"Alright, thank you very much, Taliesin, that was very nice," Arthur interrupted and grabbed the young man's upper arm to guide him over to the rock where they had found him. He sat him down, not unlike what he'd done with Merlin, and the knights formed a circle around him. Leon even took the lyre and put it out of his reach.
"Please, tell us what happened to you."
Taliesin stared up at them confusedly. "What do you mean?"
"Well, how did you get here? Who abducted you? What happened during the time you were gone?" Arthur sounded much more impatient now, as he gestured somewhat wildly in front of the bard's face, whose eyes only widened in return.
"I was abducted?"
"Yes, obviously!"
Leon placed a calming hand on Arthur's arm, who indeed took a breath. Somewhat more unfazed, he explained, "You vanished from the citadel about two weeks ago. We tied your disappearance to that of several other people who had gone missing too. To find them, and you, we set out on a quest that led us here."
Taliesin's mouth formed a big, silent Oh.
"So, tell us, what happened?" Arthur's temper was rising again. He balled his hands to fists as he tried to keep it under control, but part of him feared he already knew the bard's answer.
"I- I don't know, Sire," Taliesin stammered. "I kind of thought I had just had one too many and wandered outside the city walls. I didn't realize I'd been gone for so long."
Next to him the knights shifted nervously. The answer came as no surprise, still he'd hoped to hear something different this time. Arthur's gaze wandered over to Merlin who still sat where he'd put him. He wondered if he'd heard.
"What happened when you woke up today?" He focused on Taliesin again. "Was there anyone there apart from you?"
Taliesin shook his head. "No, Sire. I woke up in the woods and wandered around for a bit until I ended up here. Oh, I was pointed into the right direction by a speaking tongue."
"A what?" Leon interrupted.
Arthur held up this hand, demanding silence. "Please elaborate on that speaking tongue."
"Oh, it was just a severed tongue, nailed to a tree. It told me to go here. It also wanted me to take it down, but it had a note attached to it that said…" Taliesin paused and seemed to be racking his brain about the exact wording, "…to my brother and his pet." He nodded, apparently rather pleased to have remembered.
In the meantime, Percival shot him a look that implied he thought the bard must have lost it, but Arthur wasn't so sure. A missing tongue, finally found. His gaze drifted to Merlin again.
"Sir Leon, Sir Percival. See if you can find said tongue and if it really speaks. Should that be the case, a last piece of evidence might just have revealed itself." He left the slightly dumbfounded group behind and went over to Merlin.
"Did you hear?"
The sorcerer nodded.
"So, what do you think? Is it the one the chatty girl was missing?"
"Very likely. But I'm not sure it will be of much help to us, considering who it belonged to and…" Merlin groaned a little while he tried to sit up a bit straighter, "…who sent it to us."
Arthur couldn't suppress a smirk. "So you heard that too?"
Merlin huffed and shot him an unimpressed look. "Sure I did. Morgana can be… well, it sounded like her."
"She always had quite the sharp tongue herself," Arthur mused, now bent low to help the other man. "Somehow fitting that she would band together with the girl that's missing hers. Do you think she killed her?"
Merlin shook his head. He looked generally rather miserable with his arms slung protectively over his belly and the glassy look in his eyes. "No, I don't think she can. She has some ghostly power, but it's very limited, and I don't see what she'd gain from it. No, my best guess is the Sidhe murdered the girl because she saw something that she shouldn't have."
Arthur nodded. "But why send the tongue to us?"
"A message maybe." Merlin sounded rather faint now. He was blinking rapidly, obviously having trouble focusing on his surroundings. Arthur pulled his water skin out and put it to his lips. Merlin drank a few gulps, but soon enough averted his face.
"Morgana said," he was breathing heavily, "that she had trouble manifesting herself with the Sidhe close by. The tongue, however, should have no such problems."
Arthur regarded the suffering sorcerer with a worried expression. Gently he put his hand on Merlin's forehead, who had now closed his eyes. "Rest," he mumbled softly before he got up again to meet his returning knights.
"We've indeed found a tongue that was nailed to a tree trunk, but so far it has refrained from saying anything," Leon said with a slightly disgusted expression as he held out a piece of cloth towards Arthur. Next to him, Percival nodded in agreement and shot another look into the bard's direction.
Arthur didn't say anything to that and instead unwrapped the thing, which almost immediately started writhing in his hands. He almost dropped it in shock.
"Well, what would I have to say to you pair of oafs," the tongue snapped.
Percival gave a startled laugh. "It really talks."
"That's what I said," Taliesin piped up behind them but was ignored. Instead the group of knights formed a circle around the tongue with different degrees of distrust edged into their features. Leon had even grabbed his sword hilt. "So what… who are you?"
"Who was missing a tongue recently?" the thing retorted waspishly.
Percival was only shaking his head in quiet astonishment and even Arthur couldn't deny that part of him was fascinated by how this could work. How could the tongue produce words without a mouth, without a body, a mind, to stir it? But then the answer to that was easy: magic.
He felt that little flame of resentment quickly blazing up again before he quenched it. This wasn't the moment. Without further ado he turned around and was already about to wave Merlin over, when the thing said, "No, not this one. The lady doesn't like him."
Arthur raised an eyebrow at the tongue, vaguely amused by the audacity of it. "And pray tell, dear tongue, why doesn't she like him?" he asked and couldn't fully suppress the mocking undertone.
"Because he's trouble, obviously."
Well, that was a sentiment he could comprehend, so he shrugged apologetically in Merlin's direction, who only waved him off tiredly. He didn't seem that disappointed about staying where he was.
"So was it Morgana who sent you? What's the purpose of this?" Percival asked.
"Obviously," the tongue said and wriggled a bit. Arthur almost got the impression that it was trying to click. It was a weird display. "I was sent to relay a message."
"And what's the message?" he asked somewhat impatiently.
"The lady has found the words to the ritual you require and is willing to share them with you."
The knights exchanged some surprised glances. This was the twist they had all been waiting for, still, Arthur felt cautious. He regarded the tongue, assessing. "Where's the catch? Because my sister never had the tendency to be especially generous; and you, you are what remains of a woman that falsely accused another of sorcery."
The tongue chuckled. It was an ugly sound. "Funny that you should bring that up. I just wanted to mention my conditions but was afraid you might be reluctant because they require exactly that, sorcery. But then, recently you've become quite a lot more acquiescing, haven't you, my liege."
Arthur huffed and rolled his eyes. He shouldn't have to justify himself in front of a tongue. And for a moment the rather cruel thought of just pinning the thing back against the next tree trunk crossed his mind. He resisted the notion and placated Leon's slightly worried look with a reassuring half-nod.
"Well, that's one of the advantages of being king. To decide when to be acquiescing and when not," he returned flatly instead.
"Yes yes, my lord. And what I want won't need all that much acquiescing anyway." The tongue's tone had shifted, it sounded eager now. Arthur mentally prepared himself to be confronted with the usual unmeetable demands.
"I want you to lay me to rest."
"I beg your pardon?" Arthur exchanged a confused look with the knights, who appeared just as flabbergasted.
"I want you to listen to my tale, then take me to Camelot and lay me to rest with the rest of my body. Give me a proper burial with the proper rites, and I shall find peace."
Well, that wasn't what he'd expected. He nodded in agreement and immediately killed Leon's objection that he could see forming on the knight's face. He threw him a telling look to keep quiet and then, in quite the official tone, he replied, "You shall have it. So give us your tale and we will take you with us to Camelot once we return."
The tongue wriggled in response. Arthur assumed it was a good sign.
"My name is… was Moira. I used to live in the Lower Town together with my older brother. Our life was quaint, not very exciting, but I liked the way things were. I liked it until the day my brother decided he wanted to get married and that I had to move out of out late parents' house, so he and his fiancée could live there together…"
Arthur had kind of heard the tale before. Not in this exact variation but in the many similar stories that were out there. Strife amongst a family, jealousy and greed… it always led to betrayal in the end. It felt far too familiar.
He tuned in again once the story turned to a mysterious stranger. "Then I met him. It was the night after I had stormed out of Glinda's damned tavern. I didn't recognize him then, but he was just standing there, looking as if butter wouldn't melt in his mouth. He offered to solve all my problems. Something to make my brother forget about Glinda and the wedding, the opposite of a love potion. It sounded perfect. And the only thing he wanted in return was to get that stable boy to leave his mates behind and go outside the city walls…"
"You lured Owen away!" Percival interrupted, sounding reproachful.
"I didn't know what would happen to him," the tongue defended herself. "Anyway, do you want to hear the rest of the story or not?"
Arthur huffed and internally told himself that he already knew where this was headed, but she had already taken up her tale again. "The poultice didn't work, obviously. So in a surge of panic I decided to make the accusation and claim Glinda had put it under my brother's pillow. We all know how that ended."
Yes, he knew. His gaze drifted over to Merlin again, who still looked miserable but was clearly paying attention.
"I broke out using my feminine wiles," the tongue wriggled some more, and Arthur made the mental note to have a serious word with the guards of the west tower. "I intended to flee and leave Camelot, but ran into your manservant." It paused here, and Arthur could practically hear the unspoken contempt.
"I shouldn't have let myself be tempted to approach him. But I felt cheated. I had upheld my end of the deal, but instead of being rid of Glinda I got thrown into the tower. So I made a scene… my big mistake, as it turned out."
"How do you mean?" Despite his earlier reservations, Arthur couldn't deny a certain interest in the story now. He wanted to know what had happened to the young woman, after all he'd seen her dead, mangled body, and it was his duty as king of Camelot to see that justice was done… even to those that were selfish.
"As soon as night fell, I ran into the other one. To one that looks like him, but isn't him." Had there been hands, Arthur was sure the tongue would have pointed in Merlin's direction. He nodded.
"He rather quickly rectified the misconception I had been under and proclaimed that I talked too much. Well, that's how this part of me ended up separated from the rest of my body. It was gruesome enough, so I thought he'd let me run. After all, I couldn't have stayed in Camelot, and I couldn't talk. I was already half-way down to the gates when he…. changed his mind."
Arthur felt those last few words resonating within him. Oh yes, he certainly knew how the other one had changed his mind.
"Don't make deals with fairies," Percival mumbled, and Arthur couldn't have agreed more.
"Thank you for your story Moira. I will see to it that you get your burial. I have just one last question though. How did you end up with my sister?"
"I can answer that," a voice from behind them said. Merlin had dragged himself over, still looking dead on his feet. Arthur immediately felt compelled to go and support him, but also realised that it probably wouldn't be well-received at the moment.
"The tongue was removed with magic, which leaves a trace," Merlin continued. "It allowed Morgana to conjure something like an afterimage of Moira's personality. So this isn't really a ghost, but more memory made more vivid."
"You're a memory made more vivid," the tongue railed at Merlin. "Didn't I tell you to stay over there? I don't want…"
Merlin tiredly lifted his hand, moved his fingers and the tongue stilled.
"See? Just a shade. Easily controlled."
The knights looked impressed yet uneasy at the same time. Arthur tried to break the tension by asking, "Didn't you say Morgana barely held any power anymore?"
Merlin nodded. "She doesn't. Or at least not in the world of the living. This thing though, is dead."
He moved his hand again and the tongue continued in its rant.
"… you anywhere near me. It was the likes of you that got me killed!"
"Please forgive Merlin," Arthur amended. "His presence is necessary though because he needs to hear my sister's words as well."
The tongue seemed to contemplate that because its movements slowed. It seemed like half an eternity until it eventually said, "Alright. Listen up then, because I will only repeat it once."
They all stood a bit straighter at that, eagerly awaiting the message.
"What is living but should be dead cannot be preserved
What is done cannot be undone, merely be inversed
Once the words are spoken, the waters must be drained
So that tears turn into sand and time into dust
And everything will be as if it never was."
"Now, whoever wrote this has absolutely no poetic rhythm or lyrical habitude whatsoever," Taliesin chipped in again and all heads turned I his direction. They had kind of forgotten about the bard's existence. Arthur groaned internally.
"Well it's not like I came up with the rubbish. Complain to those so-…"
Merlin silenced the tongue with another wave of his hand. "I think we've heard enough."
Arthur nodded and wrapped the tongue back in the cloth it had come with. He grabbed Merlin by the upper arm and led him back to his stump. Even though he could feel the knights' inquisitive gazes at his back, he needed to have a word with Merlin alone.
"So what do you make of it?"
"The rhyme really is horribly off," Merlin said with a self-ironic grin. Arthur threw him a not funny look.
Merlin sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I guess it could work. It's not a spell but more of an instruction, as I understand it."
"Well, if you understand it, all the better then." Arthur was rubbing his chin somewhat distractedly. He was still mulling over this so-called instruction.
"I'm not going to do it. You heard the first line 'What is living but should be dead cannot be preserved'. You're going to die if I do as it tells me." Merlin sounded rather firm, he also looked steadier than he had for the entirety of the day so far.
"Merlin…"
"No, Arthur. This can't be it. We haven't gone through all this hardship just the end up right where we started. It just can't. I'm not accepting it."
"We've discussed this. It can't go on like this," Arthur sounded strained, "Besides, we don't really have a choice. If we don't stop him now, he's going to drain you completely and win anyway." He grabbed Merlin by the shoulders and shook him, gently. "Like this we at least have it on our own terms."
Merlin stared back at him, looking petulant. Then his expression sank. "Not on my terms," he mumbled and averted his eyes.
Arthur let go of him. He felt just as exasperated as the other man, but he saw no other way.
"We can ask the freaky tongue again," he supplied perfunctorily and crossed his arms over his chest, but they both knew that it was nothing more than the empty attempt to stave off the inevitable.
Merlin shook his head. "It's no use. Besides it will figure out sooner or later that that you lied to it."
Arthur huffed. "I didn't lie. I merely neglected to mention that being laid to rest together with what else remains of Moira's body is impossible, because by now it will long have been burned." And almost like a justification, he added, "We can't have corpses lying around. It's unsanitary."
"Of course, my lord. And when I neglect to mention things it gets me branded as a traitor." Merlin threw him a reproachful look.
"That's different."
"Oh, really?
"Yes!" It came out louder than Arthur had intended. He needed to take a breath before he continued. "Yes, it's different, because it was necessary. You, however," he pointed at Merlin, "never needed to lie to me. I would have helped you. I wanted to help you… I still want to help you."
His hand sank as he stared at Merlin. The anger had evaporated as quickly as it had come, and he felt about as weary as Merlin looked. With a big sigh he lowered himself next to the other man.
"I don't know what to do," he confessed.
Merlin took his hand. His eyes looked glassy… well, even glassier than before. He bedded his head on Arthur's shoulder. "I don't know either."
Together they stared ahead, and Arthur could feel a lump forming in his throat. He didn't want to die.
End of chapter
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