The morning air was as dry as the sky was dark. Even with the sun cresting over the horizon, its light seemed to stop short of reaching the ground. Merlin swung his bag over his shoulder, where inside it he had packed a few spell books and some supplies: water, food, a camping set, etc. He stopped gazing out of the kitchen window and slowly crept through the living room, doing his best to not wake Arthur, who was sleeping on a fold-up bed against the far wall.
It might have been Arthur's choice to come along, but it was Merlin's choice to accept the responsibility of waking him up.
Merlin reached the door and slowly began to turn it, not taking his eye off of Arthur. He slowly pulled the door open and—
"Ahh!" Merlin screamed, and he collided with something soft and… "Arthur?"
Arthur tapped his foot impatiently as Merlin looked from him to the bed and back to him again. His eyes were wide with confusion and shock. Arthur sighed and rubbed his forehead with his hand.
"Pillows, Merlin, pillows. Somehow I just knew you were going to try to leave without me."He placed a hand on Merlin's shoulder and took a step towards him so their bodies were almost touching. Merlin almost stepped back, but something stopped him. Something about the way the air smelled just then, the gentle waves of body heat that Merlin could feel against his whole being.
"I'd yell at you, but I forgot that I don't have that right anymore," Arthur whispered. His breath was moist on Merlin's face, a dynamic contrast with the cool morning air. Merlin turned his head away, blushing with embarrassment. Arthur turned around and pulled out a map from his pocket.
"Besides," Arthur continued, "I have the map, remember?"
"Right," Merlin replied, finally getting his voice back. "So, how do we get there?"
Arthur scanned over the map with his eyes. He quickly spun in a circle, gathering a bearing of his surroundings.
"This way," Arthur said and he walked down the street, pulling his cloak up over his head.
Merlin took a deep breath and pulled his own cloak up, briskly walking to catch up to Arthur.
It's going to be a long day, Merlin thought.
A few hours into their walking they reached something very odd. Arthur and Merlin both began to walk slower as they took notice to the veil—the line where Richard's poison ended and the beauty of The Fade continued: a large gray smoky wall of magic that bound everything inside. Arthur reached forward and touched the smoky wall, and quickly pulled his hand back.
"It's... It's so cold."
Merlin watched in horror as a leaf drifted in the wind towards them. It crossed the line and in that instant, it lost all life. Whatever color it had been before had become gray and its shape and texture began to rot and disintegrate. By the time it reached Merlin's face, it was nothing but ash.
Arthur reached out and took Merlin's hand.
"Ready?" he asked.
Merlin nodded. Arthur pulled out a red crystal from his bad and smashed it on the ground. The smoke rose and began to stick to their skin and clothing. Arthur gave him a gentle tug and together, they crossed over from the darkness and into the light. Merlin closed his eyes as he felt the wave of ice flood over his body, only to have them forced open as he felt the clean fresh air of the other side rush against his body.
The change was astonishing.
The sun was full and blue in the sky, a color Merlin wasn't used to seeing, but colors rarely stayed the same in The Fade. Merlin let the scent of the morning flowers and the warm sunlight wash over him, filling him with their power, their life. Merlin felt rejuvenated, his stamina replenished. He heard Arthur gasp beside him and squeeze his hand, in just as much awe as Merlin was. Arthur turned to him, and their eyes locked. Merlin was still holding his hand, reluctant to let go.
Arthur smiled. "Maybe it's a good time for lunch?" he asked, the blue rays of light gently shimmering against his blond hair.
Merlin smiled back in response and swung his backpack off his shoulder.
–o–
Merlin had laid out a blanket for them to sit on so they didn't get their clothes dirty. In his backpack he had packed two sandwiches, two bottles of water and two bags of crackers. Silently, he and Arthur ate on the blanket, which Merlin had laid a few hundred feet out from where the veil was, against a tall apple tree (or so he thought).
Arthur was sitting at the head of the blanket, his back against the tree, enjoying the afternoon breeze. His head was tilted back and his eyes were closed, mouth chewing slowly. Merlin was lying at the other end of the blanket. His head was propped up by his back pack.
"So... what exactly is this place?" Arthur asked, his eyes still closed.
Merlin took a deep breath. Where to begin?
And so, Merlin told him while they ate. He told him about The Fade and how it was the refuge of most of the magical creatures that used to live on Earth. He told him about how they moved here when people became hostile and how they had been cooped up here ever since.
By now, Arthur had gotten up and laid across the blanket on his stomach, head propped up on his elbows. He was only inches from Merlin, but Merlin didn't seem to mind. Arthur nodded when Merlin explained something and laughed when Merlin laughed and somehow, Merlin had gotten around to telling Arthur all that had happened in the past two years.
"It's amazing how much our lives have changed." Arthur confessed, he instinctively ran his hand along Merlin's face.
"Yeah..." Merlin replied. He didn't move from Arthur's hand.
"What about Will? You haven't talked about that him at all." Arthur asked. He could see Merlin's regret as his smile faded from his face.
"I-I didn't think you'd wanna hear about that," Merlin admitted.
Arthur ruffled his hair with a free hand. "Merlin, just because – we can't be – err…" he stammered. He sat up and took a deep breath, taking the last bite of his sandwich and gulping down a mouthful of water. Arthur cleared his throat and continued. "It's just, we can't be together... but that doesn't mean I'm not your friend, I wanna know everything about you – still. If you'll let me."
Arthur was trying his best to smile, but his sorrow was leaking out around his eyes, and he knew it too. Merlin could only roll onto his back and sit up, where he began absently picking up the plastic from the sandwich bags and stuffed them in his backpack.
"I think it's time we kept going, right? It's getting late," Merlin said eventually, his conviction a dead giveaway that he was avoiding the subject.
Arthur nodded, his own smiled fading.
"Yeah, sure."
"Merlin, stop."
"But—"
"You're not my manservant today. Let me do it, please, I—"
Merlin cut him off with a snort. "What? Look after me? Arthur, you can't even look after yourself."
"I can so!" Arthur protested as if he were still the indignant, stubborn six-year-old prince he had once been. "I look after you!"
A small smile tugged at Merlin's lips as he settled onto his side, watching as Arthur tried to keep his gaze on his manservant and figure out what food Merlin had brought through by picking at the packaging. He wasn't doing very well.
"Yes, you do," Merlin said, grinning now.
Arthur rolled his eyes and poked at some concoction Merlin had brought from the kitchens, turning his nose up. "Gods, Merlin, what is this?"
"I think Clarine said it was pheasant."
"How did you get all of it?" Arthur still looked disgusted as he rooted through the basket.
"I have a charm."
Arthur laughed one, short loud sound, then his eyes became wide and he exclaimed, "Pork!" and all finally seemed right in his world. Merlin looked upon the King with wide, blue eyes and was greeted with the same amount of adoration. Here they were happy, alone with each other like they had not been in weeks. Being the King of Camelot allowed them very little free time. Albion was waiting to be born, and Arthur was needed.
Merlin inched forward, ready to serve himself and Arthur, who was still having trouble with Clarine's wrapping. "God awful woman," Arthur would occasionally mumble, followed by a further mumbling off, "—brilliant cook, but it bewilders—"
"Arthur, let me."
But Arthur batted his hands away. "No," he said through gritted teeth. "I can do it."
"If you're sure," Merlin replied, beaming, content to settle back and watch his king struggle.
"Don't look so gleeful."
"M'kay." Merlin propped himself up on his side again, spreading his legs out along the blanket, allowing himself to bask in the warmth of the afternoon sun.
They were in their meadow, a place Merlin had once happened across when Arthur was still a prince. When he'd suggested they spend the day away from politics, men of court, knights and their duties, Merlin had jumped at the chance. It was peaceful, here, untroubled and calming to even the most restless. Merlin liked to believe it, and will himself away with it.
"Oh, damn the food," Arthur growled, surprising Merlin as he sidled up against him and pulled him tight against his chest, possessive but careful hands roaming bare skin as he was held.
"Hungry?"
"You've no idea," he said, and Merlin didn't think they were talking about the food anymore. "You should not be able to do that."
Merlin plastered innocence across his face as he pulled back, seeking Arthur's own. "What?"
"You," he growled again. "In the bloody sunshine. Not fair."
Merlin found he wanted to apologize, but he wouldn't have meant it. Instead he grinned and looked up to Arthur's eyes. "I spent ages trying to convince her to spare me that food."
"Shame," Arthur murmured, diving for Merlin's neck. "You know that's a lie. You don't have to bargain food for a king."
"You do when said king eats like a horse, and his manservant has to provide the food."
"Lucky you're not my manservant then, isn't it?" Arthur said between nips and licks against Merlin's pale skin. Merlin was busy trying to keep a straight head and speak coherently. He had no idea if he was being convincing about it.
He pulled back, depriving Arthur of the flesh he was feasting upon with a predatory expression. "What?"
"I said, Merlin, that it's a good thing you're not my manservant, isn't it? You don't have to provide the food, now."
Merlin frowned. "Now?"
"You are dense, Merlin." Arthur shifted his weight, pinning Merlin against the blanket and hovering above him so that he could pull away no longer. He was Arthur's, after all. "Honestly."
"I don't—"
"Do you want to be my manservant or not?"
"I'm happy to be your servant," Merlin said sincerely, trying to keep a clear distance between their chests so that he could think and give Arthur no reason to call him an idiot, even if it was his term of endearment. "Until the day I—"
"You die," Arthur finished for him. "I know, I've heard it before."
"So why...?"
Arthur pressed himself against Merlin, knowing exactly what he was trying to do. Merlin didn't know who twitched more. Him, probably. "This is my way of telling you that you are now my court advisor. My right hand man. Or left hand man. What do you want to be? I mean, you're going to be... well, consort, I guess, you know, but I don't want you to jump from manservant to consort. Gods, could you imagine? You wouldn't know what to do with yourself. You'd get all confused. It'd be funny, really, for my benefit, but I don't think that Geoffrey, the old man, would appreciate it when he's crowning you and—"
Merlin tipped his head up, sliding his hand around the back of Arthur's neck to pull him in. "You," he said between a kiss, "are a prat." He kissed Arthur again. "The biggest, most awkward, rambling, irritating but brilliant prat."
Arthur grinned. Only now did he look rather sheepish. "Thank you," he said, and they couldn't help but kiss again. "Although you should be thanking me."
"Tell me again. What am I thanking you for?" Merlin wriggled against the blanket, trying to gain some leverage over Arthur. "I'm—oh, right there, yes..."
"Merlin. Will you, the world's biggest idiot, be my..." Arthur wriggled his nose. "My advisor."
"Hey, don't look so disgusted!" Merlin cried petulantly. He bucked up in Arthur. It was meant to be in punishment, but it only encouraged him further.
"It's just not a big enough word. It doesn't feel right. Consort, maybe, and husband and mine, however..."
"Yes, yes, and yes," Merlin said, before he was lost to the world forever. Arthur could only lose himself with him.
"Oh my God."
Arthur stood in awe at the bottom of the mountain. At the top he could see hundreds of dragons of all shapes and sizes circling and flying around the—
Arthur's thoughts of awe were interrupted by the sound of roaring and the quick hard landing of something heavy behind him. He turned to see a large silver dragon. His scales were metallic and his body was slender but long. He was easily thirty meters tall and possibly even twice that in length. Arthur could feel his pulse rise. If he wanted to, this dragon could tear me apart in one blow.
"What does the hume want with this land?" the dragon asked. Her voice was sweet, but her eyes were bright blue orbs of power and fire. She unfolded her wings to show her strength and then took a few pounding steps towards Arthur and Merlin.
"We desire Kilgharrah and William," Merlin responded.
The dragon screamed, her head ripping into the air. She lifted her wing and began to swing it towards Arthur and Merlin.
"Stop!" Merlin screamed.
The dragon's claw was only inches from Arthur, frozen in place at the command of her master's call. Arthur let out his held breath, and shivering in fear he fell to his knees.
"A Dragonlord!" the dragon spat. "Where, oh where, did Richard find you?"
"I am not with Richard. I am with Nimueh. I am Dragoon, the Unseeing." Merlin hadn't really known if he was in fact Dragoon, but it sounded cool and he needed all the leverage he could get.
"I see," the dragon replied.
"You will take me to Kilgharrah and William," Merlin commanded. He stood firm in the shadow of the dragon.
"He is sick and needs his—"
"Do you dare defy your master?" Merlin scolded. He took a few steps towards the mighty dragon, his hand extended, trying to will it into submission.
The dragon recoiled and flapped its wings, letting out a loud roar. Arthur pushed himself back, the roar instilling fear deep in his heart, as was the magic of a dragon's roar.
"No one talks down to the mighty Aithusa! You will show me respect—"
"I SAID, YOU WILL TAKE ME TO THEM!" Merlin screamed, his eyes glazed in gold, just like Arthur had seen so many times before. Aithusa backed down and dropped her head.
"As you wish, Dragon Lord. Though I must inform you, the hume you desire is not well."
