Long Live The King

A/N [show-me-your-tardis]

Plot – They were told he would rise again, but none believed it. That is... Until now. Something is coming, it is scratching at Camelot's safety and clawing at it's heart. When a familiar stranger appears at the walls of Camelot, the search is on for the long lost warlock with power beyond measure. Will they find him in time? And will Camelot survive it's final battle?

Not that last chapter - there will be an epilogue.

Chapter Thirteen

Blurry forms. The smell of blood. A rhythmic pounding.

Was that his own heart or someone else's?

The sudden increase in saliva would suggest it was someone else's. Someone else's heart pumping that warm, scarlet blood around their veins and arteries... Their easily broken veins and arteries.

Merlin's eyes were rapidly changing. From jet, soulless black; to powerful, ancient gold; back to innocent blue.

Arthur couldn't stand it. Each time the blue appeared, his heart stuttered.

He's back his heart would sing, but then it would disappear into blackness again and another shard of Arthur's damaged heart would break off.

"Please." He begged, his voice as damaged and as cracked as his heart.

He could almost taste every beat of their hearts, Merlin could taste it that little bit more. He ached for it. He ached for the sticky, iron flavoured liquid to flow into his mouth. To bite into soft flesh and hear the cry, feel the life drain from them.

And just when he thought he would. Just when he thought he would jump up and rip out the nearest throat; a deep, ancient power would stir inside him. It would fend off the hunger for as long as it could. Using centuries of power, it would hold it off.

But it was never long enough. The hunger always came back, each time stronger.

"Can't you give him something?" Arthur begged, watching those eyes change.

"I told you, Sire. He was fed vampire blood. There is no known cure for that." Gaius sighed.

"But the antidote!" Arthur protested.

"The antidote was for vampire venom, not for ingesting vampire blood. We can only hope."

"Hope what? Hope that when he changes he's still the same? Hope that he doesn't try to kill us? That's not good enough Gaius!" Arthur shouted.

"Hope that his magic is strong enough. He's come back from things worse than this, trust me. We just have to wait and be patient."

"They've been blue for a long time now." Arthur said.

Gaius opened his eyes and looked at Merlin. He forced himself up from his seat. Approaching Merlin slowly he waved a finger in front of his eyes.

Merlin's pupils followed the finger.

"What are you doing?" Merlin asked, shutting his eyes.

"Checking you're not dead. Open your eyes." Gaius commanded.

Merlin did as he was told and watched Gaius' finger move from side to side. He then held up three fingers and asked Merlin how many he was holding up. With sarcasm practically dripping from his voice he answered correctly.

"How do you feel, Merlin?" Arthur asked cautiously, after Gaius' many tests.

Merlin turned to look at Arthur, as though only just realising he was there.

"Strange." He replied.

Arthur felt his heart deflate. The only word that could've been worse than that was hungry.

"Strange how?" Arthur asked wearily.

"Like..." Merlin struggled for the right word, "I don't know."

Arthur silently pulled a small bottle from his belt. In it was a gooey, red-brown liquid. Dead man's blood.

"Can we do a test, Merlin?"

Merlin seemed to cringe away slightly from the blood.

"You think I'm a vampire?" He asked, the hurt evident in his voice.

"You were fed vampire blood. You've been out for the past three days. You're eyes went black." Arthur said, looking away from those very eyes.

Merlin studied Arthur for a moment, noticing the dried, cracked lips. The tired, red eyes. He hadn't slept, or eaten, for the past three days.

"And if I'm a vampire.." Merlin cleared his throat, and gestured to the bottle, "That will kill me."

"No... It will just burn." Arthur whispered, still not looking at Merlin.

"Oh just burn. It will just burn! Are you insane! You aren't touching me with that."

Arthur finally looked back to Merlin, "You might be a vampire!"

"And if I am. Will you kill me?" Merlin asked, his storm-like blue eyes shone with anger.

"What choice do I have? You'd kill me the second I turned my back!" Arthur shouted.

Merlin shied away from Arthur's voice, "Do you really believe that?"

"Let me do the test, Merlin."

"Do you really believe I'd kill you?" Merlin asked again.

"Just let me check!" Arthur reached out to grab Merlin, but Merlin yanked away.

"DO YOU REALLY THINK I'D KILL YOU!" He shouted.

Arthur slammed his hand down on the Merlin's bed, "NO! Of course I don't! But that's a weakness Merlin! Do you really think, for one second, I'd be able to kill you? Even if this blood burns you, I'd still let you go. Even if you leapt forward and drank my blood, I'd forgive you. Gaius would too! We wouldn't be able to kill you."

The anger had gone out of his voice as he spoke, and now he looked at him almost pleadingly, "So please, let me check. Let me see whether you're a vampire. Let me see if I'm going to be risking thousands of lives to save yours."

Merlin, that familiar tickle in his throat telling him he might cry, offered his arm to Arthur.

With the softest touch he could manage, Arthur held Merlin's hand. Pulling the stopper from the bottle with his teeth, he looked at Merlin's eyes for one last time. He held the bottle over Merlin's arm, finally looking away, and dropped two drops of blood on his arm.

Merlin instantly yanked his hand away, crying out. He pulled his arm to his chest, shutting his eyes.

Arthur felt his world crumble. He dropped his head to his hands, the bottle of blood smashing over the floor. Gaius stared, mouth hanging open at Merlin. His eyes flicking momentarily to Arthur and back again.

Arthur felt tears drip from his eyes into his hands. He had lost Merlin. For the second time. He wouldn't be able to kill Merlin, he would let him go. Let him kill thousands of innocent lives, because of his weakness.

"Just kidding." Merlin said.

Arthur snapped his head up, his red eyes finding Merlin's.

"What?" He trembled.

"I'm kidding. It doesn't burn." Merlin said calmly.

Arthur, clearly not believing him, yanked Merlin's hand towards him. The two drops of blood had been smeared but there was no sign of burning.

"I... I don't... You..." Arthur stammered.

"I'm not a vampire, Arthur..." Merlin said.

Gaius stood up and whacked Merlin over the head.

"OW!" He yelped, but Gaius had already furiously shuffled off, sniffing as he went.

Arthur however just continued to stare at Merlin.

"Arthur?" Merlin asked, starting to worry.

Some sense seemed to come into Arthur's eyes.

"Merlin..." He gulped.

"Yes?"

"I hate you."

Merlin laughed as Arthur pulled him into a hug. Wiping his eyes rapidly, Arthur pulled away from Merlin.

"What have I said about you being funny?" He asked, his voice still shaking.

"I shouldn't." Merlin said with a wide grin.

Arthur hugged him again. His eyes filling with happy tears this time.

They were sat near the Lake of Avalon. Arthur's arm was wrapped protectively around Merlin. After everyone had celebrated Merlin's survival, they had escaped for a little bit more privacy.

Now they were drinking Arthur's favourite wine, watching the sun glitter off the lake.

"Are you..." Arthur's voice trailed off as Merlin turned to look at him.

He cleared his throat but the words were still catching. He couldn't ask. What if he said no?

Merlin raised one eyebrow, gesturing for Arthur to continue.

Arthur, you're the recently-risen-from-the-dead-saved-the-kingdom-from-vampires-King you can ask a bloody question.

"Are you staying in Camelot?" Arthur asked, trying not to look desperate.

Arthur knew that home is wherever he is with Merlin.

Merlin looked away briefly. Arthur tried desperately to fend off the voice in his head, telling him he was going to say no. When Merlin finally looked back, Arthur was glad to see his eyes remained blue, with the sunlight twinkling in them.

"I will if you will." Merlin said earnestly.

He knew. He knew Arthur had come inches away from death, inches away from throwing himself into the black pit of eternity.

He was asking, no, he was begging. Begging Arthur to stay, begging Arthur to stay alive.

But he didn't ask it out loud, he asked it through those words. In such a subtle, Merlin way.

Merlin smiled that wide grin, and the sun broke through the storm cloud in Arthur's mind. It was with such overpowering, unbearable happiness Arthur pulled Merlin's head to his and smashed their lips together. He scolded himself for ever being stupid enough to think he didn't love Merlin. Of course he loved Merlin, how could he ever deny that? After everything he'd done for him.

Arthur's very alive and working heart, beat faster as he pulled Merlin's warm body against his own. And for the first time since he'd dragged his self-loathing body from the lake, he didn't want to throw himself back in.