So Sorry it's been so long! Let's just say I had a lot of...trouble with my family, and my ex boyfriend. If you knew, you'd understand. On top of it I went to Boot Camp and now a PROUD member of the United States Active Duty! Here is another chapter for you, if anyone is still reading.
Chapter 11: Odds of Even
"Merlin, are you sure we should be doing this," I whisper as he guides me out of the castle and towards the Royal Stables.
"We definitely shouldn't, but who's going to stop us?" Merlin's cocky grin make butterflies flutter in my stomach. I giggle and approach Arthurs beautiful horse, reaching my hand out for him to nuzzle with his muzzle. The horse blows hot air into my face and I splutter, waving my hand in front of my nose. Merlin laughs at me and turns for a saddle, walks around the horse bow legged, and throws the saddle up onto the horse.
"Are you crazy," I hiss. "This is Arthurs horse!"
"I know. I have to muck out his stables every weekend."
"Don't be stupid, he'll kill you!"
Merlin just laughs and finishes readying the horse. He was going to end up in the stocks again, and I wouldn't feel a bit sorry for him. I looked back at the full moon, letting the cool night breeze envelope me and couldn't resist the small smile that crept onto my face. This defiance was a bit refreshing. I looked up at Merlin, admiring his boyish, dorky look and his even dorkier charm as he hopped onto the horse and held his hand out for me. "Coming?"
I nod and grasp his hand in my own, bunching my skirts in my other hand, and placing my foot in the designated holster and hopped up behind my favorite boy. He made sure I was secure before he grasped the reigns and gave a little tug and a 'yip' to get going. The horse took off at a run and I laughed and tightened my arms around Merlin's waist. I looked up at the castle and saw Arthur in his window, scowling right at us. I shrieked in laughter. "Go faster! We've been spotted," I exclaimed. Merlin looks back and lets out a bark of laughter and whips the reigns up and down. We rode past the gates, down the road, and into the trees. It was dark, ominous even if you were by yourself, but I was with Merlin and that seemed to make everything okay.
We came to a stream and Merlin came to a stop and we jumped down. Arthurs horse immediately pranced to the waters edge and stuck his tongue down into the water. "We should play hide and seek," I offered. Merlin seemed to consider the childish game, but then shook his head.
"No, these parts are too dangerous for that during the day, let alone at night."
"Then why come here in the first place?"
"I can protect you," he says simply. "But not if you disappear on me."
"Oh, alright. Show me some magic, will you?" I sit down on a large fallen tree trunk and look at him expectantly. He gives me a long look with those gorgeous blue eyes before he grins once more. He is such a happy boy, I observe. His eyes flash golden as he holds out his hand in front of me.
"Aught ziedu," he incants and I feel the soil shift beneath my slippered feet. I look down and see the dirt shift around me and little buds on dark green stems rise to the height of my ankles and blossom into beautiful orchids. The petals were light blues that had small spots of dark blue and they took my breath away. I gasp in awe of the flowers and gently run my fingers along the petals. "Want to pick one to keep," he offers.
"Oh no, that would take away their life. I could never let something so beautiful die," I whisper. Merlin says nothing but stares at me oddly. "What?"
"Nothing, that was just...really inspiring."
I snort. "Inspiring? Me? Not bloody likely."
"It's true," Merlin chuckles. He sits beside me, careful of the flowers and looks up into the night sky peeking through the trees. I couldn't help it, I grasped his red neck scarf in my hand and pulled him close to me, letting my lips meet his. One of his hands came up to cup my cheek, while the other entwined in my hair. I moaned into his mouth as my lips parted and I felt his tongue shyly poke at my lower lip. I let him in as the kiss intensified and I scooted closer, practically on top of his lap. His hands left my face and hair and gripped my hips, pulling me on top of him. I blushed and hesitated when I felt his excitement on my thigh through his pants, but decided it was normal, and I had insinuated this. We continued to kiss and I experimented, grinding my hips the tiniest bit against him. Merlin let out a low moan that drove me nuts as his hands bunched up my skirt and I felt his hands on my bare skin.
I grind my hips some more and our breathing picked up hotly. I couldn't believe what I was doing. My papa would be turning in his grave. But I didn't want to stop. I felt like this was right, and that Merlin was perfect for me. No one else mattered but him in that moment. Merlin was so innocent, so pure hearted. I dared to venture my hand between us to feel him and felt the small wet spot where he had leaked through his pants. Merlin gave a nervous, embarrassed chuckle and pulled away from me.
"We should stop," he pants. I bite my lip and nod my head. Yes, we should. This wasn't the place, and we weren't married. My body ached as he pushes me off of him and I am ashamed to admit that I pout, but he kisses me one last time. My eyes open and I peer over his shoulder only to see the shadows in the trees shift. Flashbacks of the last time that happened make me shake and jump away from my boyfriend. "What is it? What's wrong?"
Just then the horse lets out a neigh and takes off running. Merlin stands up ram rod strait and pulls me close to him. Our eyes search the trees to see several bodies surrounding us, all dressed in dark robes.
"Leave us alone, we meant no harm," Merlin yells.
"You were fools to venture out this night," says a mans voice.
The bodies move closer and Merlin raises his hand. "I'm warning you!"
They move closer and Merlin shouts "Everthey!" and the new comers are blown back. "Run!"
We take off at a sprint through the divide in the bodies but Merlin is tripped up by one of them grabbing his ankle. "Keep going," he shouts towards me. "Augt nezālēm!"
I make the mistake of looking back at Merlin and run into something hard. I am thrown to the dirt and a heavy man straddles me. I feel his dirty fingers in my mouth and my throat dries up like before when everything tasted of sand. My body suddenly felt more boney like I was sick again. I felt a searing pain in my shoulder as the man branded me with something and my teeth clamped down on his fingers. He screams and his blood flows into my throat as he is suddenly knocked away from me. The man scrambles and runs away. I cry, but my throat feels sated. I lay there until Merlin comes, helping me up and wiping my tears. I peer at him through half lidded eyes and notice his dark hair is longer than it should be and my fear peeks again, for it isn't Merlin.
"Shh, shhhh, my sweet girl. I'm not going to hurt you. What did they do to you?" he moves the collar of my torn dress and intakes a sharp breath of air.
"Who are you," I choke out around my tears.
"Hush now," the man says and scoops me into his arms. "Don't worry about that, you're going to be alright." I try to fight him off but Merlin appears.
"Let her down," Merlin says through deep breaths. "I swear I'll kill you," he snarls.
"Oh, be quiet," the man snaps. "I'm here to help."
"You're the man who's come to visit."
"Yes. Now, if you don't mind, we should get Stella some medical attention," the man says. I plead with Merlin with my eyes, but he avoids eye contact and nods to the man, so I relax into the mans arms as he carries me.
Why is it always me? What importance have I ever had to anyone's story? My mind races. Only moments ago I had been having a good time; I had almost given everything to Merlin right there in the forest, and now here I was, once again bleeding and being carried to Gaius in somebody's arms. "I have to get out of Camelot. " I shock myself by thinking it. I've been here so long that it's all I've ever known. Everything and everyone I love is here. But there's been so much trouble. "I've got to leave this wretched kingdom." But what about Merlin? What about The Lady Morgana? And Arthur...Well, maybe leaving him behind was for the best.
While I was thinking about it, I supposed I should be glad that Merlin had stopped us. I couldn't still care for Arthur while intimate with his best friend (Whether he wanted to admit it or not, I knew Arthur considered Merlin his closest friend). I whimper once more before my head fell to the mysterious mans shoulder and I fell asleep.
I awoke to Gaius cleaning my shoulder wound. I winced in pain but he shushed me and instructed Merlin to hand him the cup of tea he had made for the pain. I swallowed it slowly, wincing at the bitter, sugarless taste. As per usual, Merlin and Gaius were not the only two in the room, but instead of Arthur and Uther, there was the man who saved me. He was sitting in a chair with his chin in his hands and he looked deep in thought. "Thank you," I said, snapping him out of his daze. His grey eyes focused on me with a sadness I didn't understand. "For saving me."
He shakes the sadness from him and is instead replaced with a stone look of indifference. "It was nothing, I assure you."
"What's your name?"
"My name is Niklous. I believe it is time we had a talk, Stella."
"You're my papa's brother. Only, my papa told me he was an only child."
"Alphazar and I had a bit of a falling out when you were a baby and cast me out of your lives," Niklous explained. "I regret it, as I can see where you going unprotected has gotten you."
"What did they do to me out there," I ask. Gaius lets out a long sigh and Merlin leans in close and takes me hand, as if preparing me for something. "Who were those people, and why do they keep attacking me?"
"They are Pagans. Not the peaceful kind, but the kind who worship another kind of God, a vengeful God. That is their mark there on your shoulder and they will come for you."
Gaius hands me a mirror and I can see the mark of a goat head burnt into my skin. Tears prickle my eyes. "What does that mean," I ask.
"Unfortunately, it means that you may have encountered one of their cult members and they asked a task of you, of which you didn't complete, angering them. Or perhaps they thought you a way to get to the King, or to the Prince."
"The Ring," I remembered. I never delivered the ring that man had asked me to. I didn't say it out loud, but Gaius and I made eye contact and he nodded to me gravely, like he had figured it out as well. Niklous looked like he was holding something back by the way he chewed on the inside of his cheek and the thoughtful look in his eyes.
"Do not worry, Stella, you will not be sacrificed," my uncle pledged. "I'll make things right. I swear it."
Alright! Slightly longer chapter here for you. I hope you enjoyed it and let me know what you think. I even added a bit of spice to the relationship between Merlin and Stella as a reward to you for waiting so long. Tell me your thoughts! I want to know what you think about it! I want to know your predictions! How long do you think Merlin and Stella will be able to hold out on another and do you think they are going to last? Thank you sooo much for reading and reviewing while I was away. I love all of your reviews!
I watched V for Vendetta recently so I'll add this as a closing because I loved it so much: "I hope most of all that you understand what I mean when I tell you that even though I do not know you, and even though I may not meet you, or laugh with you, cry with you, or kiss you; I love you. With all my Heart. I love you."
I mean it guys. Thank you for everything.
