A/N: (sigh) I just spent an hour editing the last part of this chapter and replying to all the reviews... then I hit 'refresh' on the page instead of 'save'... Here we go again. :/ A maze thing, you very well may start off every review like that, because I just might have been exceptionally cruel to Merlin these last few chapters. And yes, he's finally killed someone (and been aware of it) and yay! BAMF! Arthur is always good. ;) No, Uther's not really going to care about Merlin, but doesn't mean he doesn't care at all! Cavalry is arriving and yes, there shall be doting. :) bubzchoc, Thank you! camoc, thank you very much! I haven't written a disclaimer for a few chapters. You have inspired me to write a new one... Now that I have a reputation for them, the pressure is on! Bundibird, Yes they have escaped! But for how long... *dun-dun-duuun* Odin's in trouble with EVERYONE, and Morgause is a biatch and Leon and Kay are very clever. ;) (... Exciting moment for me... 'Boom Baby' just happens to be me and my friendship groups catchphrase... :) That makes me happy) I don't know if you've done this by accident or not but... HOW DID YOU KNOW THERE WERE TWO MEN?! I haven't even put that into Letters yet... And you haven't read Letters, as far as I know. :O... But yes, Ouch. I am glad to explain anything to you whenever, unless it's a spoiler... :) I have been working on an escape plan for them since i knew they were going to be captured which was literally, the first week of me writing the first few chapters, and that was probably the best... though there was another one I was tempted to use, but it ruined everything... I do have a plan for this and there is an overall story arch and plot and every chapter has a little clue to the end. And Arthur has hugged him... and he will get hugged again. The recovery part of this all is the next chapter but this part ties up (most of the) loose ends of this mini plot. Thank you for the compliment and your prays. :) mrlnfan, my room is right next to the nurses station and when I read your review I literally, punched the air and whooped and got really excited that someone understood... I cheered and did a little dance and the nurse ran in and asked me what was wrong but I was grinning so wide she left soon after thinking I was deranged. So THANK YOU FOR YOUR REVIEW! anita4869, all I can say to your entire review is 'IT'S ALL APART OF THE PLAN!' ;) Here is the next chapter. IndiaMoore, Here is more. Thank you for the review. More brotherly Arthur. (It took me four goes to not spell 'more' like 'moore' in your name... I'm dyslexic, let me go) Distressed Clover, thank you so much for that compliment. I am fine. I bounce back awesomely ;) Die Schreiber, No. Thank you for your awesomeness! LoL... I will send Merlin your cuddle. TN Sarah, ALL APART OF THE PLAN. :) hehehe... Read on!
Disclaimer: Of course I own Merlin. That is why I'm writing on Fanfiction. Look at all this invisible money I'm rolling in. *throws invisible cash to the left, throws invisible cash to the right*... *shakes head slowly* stupid disclaimers...
Waking Up
When Arthur woke up, he could smell something cooking. It was night, though he wasn't sure if day had passed or not, his relativity to time passing still unreliable. Judging by the fact he felt well rested for the first time in a long while, he assumed he'd slept the day through.
But where is that smell coming from, he wondered. He sniffed the air and sat up wearily, looking around blearily and yelped when he saw an old man huddled over his fire cooking something. "Hey!" he shouted, jumping up with the blanket still wrapped around him. He picked up his sword and pointed it at the man. "I will kill you!" he warned.
The man looked up at him wearily. "Put the sword down boy, before you cut off something you'd much rather have."
Arthur looked down at himself then remembered why he had clutched to the blanket so much. His clothes had been drying and he was in nothing but his undergarments, Merlin in even less in an equal distance between Arthur and the newcomer. "Who are you?" Arthur demanded.
The man shrugged. "I live in that cave over there. I heard your friend screaming last night. I thought you'd go away but it seems you decided to stay. Felt bad for you when I saw you unconscious still in the mid afternoon so I thought you'd want food." He pointed to the venison that was cooking over the fire. "Want food, boy?"
Arthur's mouth watered at the scent of the salted meat, though Arthur had no idea what this stranger had salted it with. His stomach turned painfully at the thought of his last meal and he could only imagine what Merlin's food had been like, noting when he'd been tending to him that he had lost a ridiculous amount of weight. "Can I pull my clothes back on?" he asked.
The man snorted. "Wasn't going to stop you. And your friend. He's been tossing and turning. I suggest he too wakes and eats something and dresses."
Arthur winced. "Um… Do you have a spare shirt… for him?"
The man looked slightly annoyed but then nodded. "Aye." he got up and went into the cave then came back minutes later with a large – for Merlin – brown shirt. By then Arthur was fully clothed and had already woken Merlin up, the younger sleepily pulling his trousers on too. "Here you go."
Merlin didn't so much catch the shirt as let it land on him and adjusted it so it was in his arms, then weakly pulled it over his head. The man didn't question the bandages or the fact that after Arthur sat them both back down, he drooped into Arthur's side and lightly closed his eyes.
Arthur watched as the man cooked and squeezed Merlin gently to him, one hand always on his sword and the other around Merlin, similarly to how he'd let Merlin rest in the dungeon. He had quietly murmured to Merlin to sit with him, not completely trusting of the man but starving and needing direction. Merlin seemed to be out of it, lost in his own world and thoughts.
Arthur knew he should try and snap Merlin out of it, but he didn't want to give away all their weaknesses at once to the stranger. For all he knew, Merlin could simply be recovering from his wounds still, and not near catatonic, so he handed the water skin over and when Merlin just held it in his hands blankly, Arthur popped off the top and helped him drink, before pretending to take a swig himself, more keen to leave it all for Merlin.
"Here." the man pulled the meat off the fire and used some bread as plates and passed it to Arthur.
When the man went and tapped Merlin on the leg to rouse him, several things happened. Merlin's frightened blues shot open and he kicked the unknown hand away and cried out, skittering closer to Arthur. The man leapt back and Arthur swung the sword out and aimed it carefully at his neck. They all froze as Merlin seemed to recognise what was going on, waking up out of his stupor and feeling regret erupt within him.
"No. I'm ok. Sorry. I just wasn't prepared." he mumbled, pulling at Arthur's arm and looking at the man warily.
Arthur kept his arm up, not even shifting it with Merlin's weak protests. There was a steely determination in his eye to ensure Merlin's protection. "You don't touch him. Do you understand?"
The man was wary for a moment then nodded, holding out the bread again with the meat. "Aye." As Merlin leant out to take the bread, Arthur slowly moved his arm lower until the sword was by his side again. He shifted Merlin closer still and kept his eyes on the man as he ate.
Despite the daggers Arthur was sending his way, the man looked quite undisturbed. He had long black wavy hair, streaked with grey and a rough beard peppered with it too. He chewed his bread slowly and contemplatively, and ate quite well for a man who lived in a cave. Arthur compared his manners to someone living in Court and then noticed for the first time, his leathers and fineries on his fingers.
The man was a noble.
"Where are you from?" Arthur asked, breaking the silence over the crackle of the fire.
He looked up and then back down to his food. "That cave."
"No... Before that. Your rings, your armour... Men in caves do not dress as you do." Arthur felt Merlin shaking his head next to him and start to tremble but ignored him, the seventeen year old more interested in what a noble was doing in a cave.
A small smirk blessed his mouth but it wasn't pleasant. "You're right boy. I am a noble. And these lands are mine and for them I am King. I own everything you see here and unless you want to be taxed, I'd shut up if I were you."
He jutted his lip out and the glare he got from Merlin, pleading for him to be silent was the only thing that shut him up. He carded a hand through his hair and then turned back to the man. "Can my friend and I stay another night?" he asked. "We'll leave in the morning. He just can't be moved now."
"I can..." Merlin said weakly.
It was Arthur's turn to hush Merlin and instead, he waited for the answer.
With a quick nod, the man replied, "Aye. You can leave when you wish. Who am I to reject kin child in need?"
Merlin tensed up under Arthur and Arthur outright frowned. "Kin child?"
"He must mean you." Merlin said thickly, sitting up and rubbing his throat. "He can probably tell you're noble too. Right?" Merlin looked at the man and Arthur couldn't see the look they shared as he was busy undoing the lid of the water skin to give it back to Merlin to drink.
"Aye..." the man said after a long moment in which Merlin sipped some water whilst praying the man wouldn't give away the fact they were both magical. Merlin had sensed something on the edge of his awareness emanating from him but only when he heard 'kin child' did he know what he was talking about. "I sensed your... nobility." Arthur accepted the answer reluctantly as Merlin had fallen back into his side and relaxed.
"If it's any consolation, I don't harm children or those too weak to defend themselves. Heal up and leave when you wish."
"Do you know where we are exactly?" Arthur went on to ask.
"Aye." He nodded and bit into his bread, swallowing before he replied. "The Mountains of Feorre."
"Essetir." Merlin mumbled then looked up at Arthur. "Ealdor is a day and a half walk from here."
"Shush." Arthur whispered, not wanting the man to know where they were going.
The man bristled. "Are you from Ealdor then?"
Arthur shook his head. "That's where we were heading before... Before we got captured. We had a friend there. We were visiting."
"Ah..." he said quietly, looking back into the fire. "I thought... Never mind."
Arthur finished his food and went to the stream and collected more water for Merlin and himself, leaving the sword with Merlin in case. He came back up and found Merlin staring at the man and studying his every move. "Does he always do that?" he asked, nodding his head to Merlin, who was in his own world again.
"He hasn't met anyone new in a long while." Arthur replied as a non-answer. Merlin's eyes were hollow of feeling as he watched the man twitch though he didn't seem to realise what he was going. Arthur hesitated then gently brushed his hand through Merlin's hair and forced his head on his shoulder so he was close enough that the stranger wouldn't hear Arthur when he spoke.
"Merlin." he murmured in his ear and it seemed to have the desired effect. Merlin came around and lifted his neck. He looked at Arthur, confused at having been out of his own head for so long.
"Aye." the man murmured, taking in the looks on both of them. Both were covered in an array of cuts and bruises and Merlin could barely sit up without having to lean against Arthur or the rock behind him. Arthur had a split brow and split lip and his left shoulder hung uselessly beside him, even as he let Merlin use it as a pillow. They looked like tortured slaves to the man, but he said nothing especially as the younger one wished to claim the elder was a noble.
"Well then... I am off to bed." the man said, standing. "Goodnight to both of you. Pleasant dreams and such."
"Goodnight." Merlin replied. Arthur merely watched him leave and didn't relax until he couldn't see the shadows of the cave move.
Quietly, Merlin turned to Arthur. "What are we going to do?" he asked. "How will we get back to...?"
Arthur cut him off with a sharp 'shush', watching the cave entry. He wasn't sure whether or not the man had gone in and wasn't listening so tried looking for a slightly human shape. He was more than pleased they hadn't exchanged names and wasn't planning on leaving Merlin's side anytime soon. "There is a town, not far from here... Engerd I think it is called." Merlin confirmed with a nod. "We'll go there. I'll leave you there for the night and ride all day home then send Leon or Kay back to retrieve you."
Merlin panicked. "What!? No. I can't leave you alone. I'll go with you."
"I'll stop too much. You're too injured to ride." Arthur ignored the fact Merlin was more upset with the fact Arthur would be left alone when the idea was causing him pain because Merlin would be left alone.
"I'll be fine. I swear. Just take me with you."
"It will be one night. Two at the most. Don't be such a girl, Merlin." he grunted at Merlin hushed at that.
He pulled away from Arthur and his shoulder where Merlin's arm had pressed against turned cold. Guilt crept into Arthur as he remembered how he'd found him and shuddered. "I didn't mean it like that."
"I know." Merlin said, curling his legs up in front of him.
He was hesitant dragging Merlin back to his side so instead pushed his shoulder against his again. He sighed and quietened his voice to a whisper, "What if I rode through the day and left you in Ealdor? With your mother and Will?"
Merlin turned grey and shook his head vigorously. "I don't… They can't… No. They can't see… No. I… Anyway, I'll be killed, remember?"
Arthur did. He sighed and closed his eyes, anxious at Merlin's reactions. "I..."
"Don't worry. I know Engerd. Not the nicest of towns, but nice enough. I've stayed there before. I'll survive a night or two." Merlin looked over his shoulder and smiled.
Beaming, Arthur said. "It won't be that bad. You'll see. I'll even get you a room with a proper bed. Think about it. Your first night spent in Essetir sleeping in a bed."
Merlin chuckled and leant back on his blankets, away from Arthur to rest. "What strange times we live in." The familiar joking calmed Arthur. Things would be okay. They would get better. They would be fine.
But then the small chuckle Merlin let pass through his lips turned into a full-blown sob. Arthur recoiled on instinct, never one to get too involved with emotions, but felt guilty and moved closer to Merlin once again. He rested a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. "I'm sorry. Merlin, I'm sorry." he mumbled and closed his eyes tight. "Please tell me what to do to make you stop crying. Please?" Arthur felt like he was begging for them to stop the torture again.
"I-I-I can't!" he looked up at Arthur. "Can't... Stop... Crying..." He was gasping for breath now and Arthur quickly pulled him up so he was crouching and shoved his head down between his knees.
He sobbed again, his whole body shaking but his breath had returned. Snot and tears wrapped around his face and lips. "It hurts!" he cried. "I hurt. Everywhere!" he shouted and Arthur didn't know what else to do but rub soothing circles on the top of Merlin's neck, still careful of the scars. He was flustered and way out of his depth. His father usually shooed him out of the room when the tortured knights actually lost it.
He'd seen the emptiness in their eyes, the mild attacks but this... Merlin was shaking his head so hard Arthur thought it would come off. "I don't to do this ... I don't want to..." he couldn't finish that sentence. "Why couldn't they just kill me instead?"
Arthur gulped, fear swelling at the thought Merlin wanted to die. "It'll get better." Arthur whispered. His arm slid up and down Merlin's shoulder to console him but Merlin reached his opposite arm up and stopped him.
"Bruises." he mumbled.
"Sorry." he said sincerely. Arthur shuffled closer until they were shoulder to shoulder once more. "I'll do anything Merlin. Just say it."
Merlin shook his head wiped his eyes, though the tears kept rolling. "I'm tired." he admitted. Arthur nodded and helped Merlin down to lie on the bedroll then sat above him. He was unsure of what to do so sat behind Merlin and held his shoulder with one hand. Once his breathing became less ragged and only silent tears escaped his eyes, Arthur slid away.
Needing to rest himself, he pulled his blanket over and laid down beside Merlin, next to the fire. Merlin looked a bit confused but then Arthur shot a worried look to the cave. "Humour me."
Merlin sighed but wouldn't admit he felt better with Arthur by his side and neither would the Prince. He laid down on his stomach, his back paining him with every movement. It was then he noticed how Arthur moved his left arm with strain as he tried to adjust the blanket. "What happened to it?" he asked, his voice still rasped with tears.
"Nothing." he replied hastily, but Merlin was already holding his arm and bending it, watching for every hiss. "You've broken your shoulder, you dollop head. Why didn't you say that?"
"Broken? Nah. Feels like a minor sprain."
Merlin pushed on Arthur shoulder lightly and gained a cry of pain. "Broken." he said stubbornly, then wiped the remaining tears away. After rummaging through the rest of the satchel, Merlin found some leftover bandages. He made Arthur take his shirt off then took some sticks with shaking fingers and bound his arm at a right angle. He put his shirt back on then bound his arm across his body and sat him up to make a sling.
"There. That will hopefully hold until Gaius can tend to it." Merlin said quietly then rested once more on his stomach.
Arthur rolled his eyes then pulled Merlin up so he was using his right side as a pillow. "Stay there." he ordered. "If you move, then I'll know you're in trouble."
"Are you sure I haven't just replaced your childhood toy?" Merlin teased, but his voice was lacking conviction.
"Tell anyone and I'll kill you myself." Arthur's voice also lacked the humour, just going through the motions. Neither one wanted to say that they needed the other around after almost a month spent being in separate dungeons, being put through different forms of torture.
They fell asleep quickly, still exhausted from their ordeal. Every time a nightmare made Merlin whimper, Arthur's arm tightened around him and he stopped. Like wise, every time Arthur shifted, Merlin curled his hands around Arthur shirt tighter and nudged his head deeper into his stomach and Arthur found himself breathing easier. It was an unconscious effort on both their parts and the man in the cave watched, wondering how two people could be so in sync with another.
Morgana sat curled up on her bed, staring out the window to the sky. From her position, propped up on the pillows, she could quite clearly see her star with Merlin. Gwen was lighting candles for her while Kay stood guard at the door, positioned there by Uther until the threat of Morgause was cleared.
She glanced back at the knight who was supposed to be outside her room, but had been let in after Morgana couldn't stand him standing out in the cold any longer. She turned back to the stars and saw Merlin "Is there anything else you need, Morgana?" Gwen asked, once all the candles were lit.
"No thank you, Gwen. You should go home." Morgana pulled her eyes away from the star filled sky to smile at her handmaiden.
"I still have to collect your dinner." Gwen said.
Morgana shook her head, holding her hand out. "Really, I'm not hungry. Unless, Kay?" she asked, turning her head to the knight. "Are you hungry?"
"I'm fine." Kay nodded once in thanks.
"Just go home, Gwen." Morgana smiled. "I'll be fine."
"Alright, milady." Gwen collected her cloak and things and went to the door. "Are you sure you-"
"Go, Gwen." Morgana pointed to the door and the younger girl blushed.
"Alright then. Goodnight." She looked up at Kay and nodded her head. "Goodnight Sir Kay."
"Goodnight, Gwen." Kay opened the door for her and let her out, closing it behind her. Kay watched Morgana for a little while longer, the King's ward, turning her attentions straight back to the stars as soon as Gwen was gone. He sighed and said, "I'll stand outside the door…"
"Don't go." Morgana said, snapping her head to Kay. Her hand tightened around the bracelet Morgause got her and she fidgeted uncomfortably. "I don't want to be alone."
The Knight nodded slowly then shifted back to guarding the door. They sat and stood like that for a long while, in silence, taking in the others presence but not engaging with it. Kay knew that it was the right thing to do, reporting in Morgause for lying to the King, but as soon as he heard Gaius mention she was a sorceress to Uther, he couldn't help the pang of regret.
He didn't agree with dark magic, but Morgause seemed to be helping Morgana and – though the King refused to allow anyone tell Morgana of the truth – maybe she had simply wanted to help her sister. But there was still the fact he felt something more sinister about her and the fact he hadn't felt her magic at all, worried him. He hadn't even had an inkling about the fact she was a High Priestess, which meant she was even more powerful than the average person with a latent talent.
She disguised her magic… but how?
"There's something that… that I should tell the King." Kay frowned and looked up to where Morgana still stared at the stars, her eyes glazed over with tears and her look far off. "Something about… about Morgause."
Kay started forward slowly. "What is it?"
Morgana still fidgeted with the bracelet, a new nervous habit and bit her lip. "I… I don't want him to kill me."
He bit his lip and then walked over to the bed and, after a moment's hesitation, sat down on the end. "Morgana, I have known you since birth." Kay took one of her hands in his and stared at her until she drew her eyes away from the sky and looked back with tears pooling in her eyes. "Tell me and then, if I think it's important, I'll tell the King. You know I'd do nothing that would see you hurt."
Morgana smiled sadly, "You wouldn't see anyone hurt, Kay." He just smiled back and waited. She cleared her throat and looked down at the bracelet. "Morgause gave me this. It keeps the bad dreams away and… and it works. She laced it with magic, I think but…" Morgana looked up at him, her bottom lip trembling. "I don't want to go back to having nightmares, but if Uther finds out I'm using magic… You saw what happened to Morgause. I don't think she was trying to hurt Arthur, I think she just saw it as a distraction to help me. Kay, she helped me with my dreams."
Kay bit his lip and looked down at the bracelet. Not that he wasn't certain it was the same one the Lady Vivienne had used before, but he now had proof. "Did I ever tell you that I have this… gift? For finding magic?"
Morgana frowned. "What? No… I…"
"I can sense magic. Sense it on people, in spells… that sort of thing." Kay reached out and slid the bracelet from Morgana's wrist and held it in his hands to inspect it. He twisted it around and focused on it.
There was a strong throb of magic, running through the bracelet like a pulse. He studied it carefully, making a great show of it and even glancing up at Morgana a few times as she waited on baited breath for the conclusion. "Nothing." he threw it back to her suddenly and she scrambled to catching. "Not a hint of magic. Morgause lied to you, my dear but, in saying that, I wouldn't take it off."
"Why not?" she asked.
He nodded to the stone jewel in the bracelet. "Natural healing properties. You've seen Gaius lay rocks over the ill before. It's not magic, it's science. I'm assuming that's what is stopping your dreams."
Morgana looked down at the glistening gem and back up at Kay. "The… the stone? You think it's stone healing?"
"Yep. You've been taking Gaius's potions every night too, correct?" When Morgana nodded excitedly he grinned. "See? Stone healing plus your tonics… I really do believe you're just benefiting from the wonders of modern medicine."*
She bit her lip, looking sceptical then back up at Kay. "And you're sure of this?"
Kay gently took the bracelet from her hands and put it back on her wrist. "Certain. I may not completely understand why Morgause was here in the first place, Morgana but I do know this. She seemed to care about you and I don't think she intended you harm. Keep that on. Keep your nightmares away. If it makes you happier, I see no reason to tell the King and ruin that."
"But why me?" Morgana whispered. "Why did she come all this way to help me?"
With a small shrug, Kay lied. "I have no idea."
They woke to galloping. Arthur, having slept lightly, bolted up, knocking Merlin off him. Merlin yelped then looked wildly around, seeing the sun above them properly for the first time in a long while and squinting and the harsh white colours. The horse's hooves gained speed and Arthur jumped up, sword in hand, and ran out to see.
The familiar colours of Odin's black wolf flag flew high overhead and Arthur cursed the gathered their things and Merlin, hauling him up. "Arthur?" Merlin cried out. "What's going on?"
"They followed us. We need to run."
The man from the night before came out of his cave just as Arthur was stomping out the last of the fire. "What's that noise?" he demanded.
"Odin's men." Arthur growled. "They're here for us."
"Odin? In Essetir." the man watched as Arthur hauled Merlin towards the horse who was thankfully still tied there and had grazed around itself. "What kind of fugitives are you to have Odin's men risk crossing borders into a land they are banished from on pain of death?"
"Not fugitives. Prisoners." Arthur snapped.
Before he could get Merlin on the horse, five men broke into the clearing and Arthur pushed Merlin behind him and pulled out the sword, wishing he hadn't let his manservant bind his arm the night before. They circled them, trapping them in the centre and Arthur stood his ground in front of Merlin. Amongst the men, he recognised one as Gregor and Merlin seemed to recognise another as he spoke. "Well, well." said a wiry but strong looking man with a thin moustache. "Merlin, my boy you are looking much better. Look what a couple of nights rest and sun can do to a man."
"Hugo." Merlin whispered under his breath and shuddered. He momentarily pressed his head into Arthur's back but regained himself, standing up straight, but swaying on his feet nonetheless. Arthur growled and wanted to demand just how many men hurt Merlin.
"You boys have given our king quite a scare. He's worried sick about you. Clutched his bosom and cried he did." Hugo mocked.
"Stay back." Arthur hissed.
"Or what are you going to do, Princeling?" Gregor laughed. "Kill us?"
"I should have done it when I had the chance." Arthur growled, regretting not using the dagger to slash his throat.
"Now that you have your sword, why don't you try to do your worst, hey?" Gregor offered.
Before Arthur could speak, he heard someone shout in a different language and all five guards flew off their horses. He looked and saw the man had his hand outstretched and was attacking. He strung each of them up with magical ropes and slammed them to the ground. "What would the great King Odin want with two boys? Children. Not men."
"You… Think…" Gregor laughed, choking through his constraints that invisibly clung to him like a noose. "He's the Prince of Camelot, you fool. Not a mere child."
The man looked up at Arthur and Merlin then back at Gregor. "A child is a child, no matter his birth. And I have seen what you have done to the other one… That is wrong." With another spell, all their necks snapped.
Arthur watched and carefully pulled up his sword as the man stepped closer. He put his hands up to show him unarmed then pointed behind Arthur. "Your friend. Merlin? He is shaking."
Arthur turned and looked over his shoulder to see Merlin was indeed trembling in fright. He quickly dropped his sword and grabbed Merlin's chin to force him to look at him. "It's over. They are dead. They can't hurt you if they're dead." he said quickly. Merlin shifted and stumbled but Arthur was there to catch him and bring him back up to his feet and once again moved Merlin's chin so he could focus on Arthur and no one else. "You trust me, right?"
Weakly, Merlin nodded. When his panic was over, Merlin pushed himself up right and breathed. "I am fine."
Arthur sighed withe relief and looked at the man, swallowing stiffly. "Thank you."
Before the man could say anything, Merlin spotted something on one of the men. "My dagger!" he cried out. He rushed forward and Arthur missed him as he shoved passed and fell at Gregor's side, more than sat, and pulled his dragon dagger from the man's belt with its silver sheath.
The man watched curiously then his face lit up as he saw what Merlin was holding. Arthur saw the attack in the man's eyes before Merlin stood, and went to lunge forward but was too late.
The man had Merlin up by his throat, fingers clenched tightly and up against a tree. Arthur tried to hit him, but with a flick of his hands and a muttered spell, Arthur was dangling mid-air, trying to escape magical bounds. "Where did you get that dagger from?" he demanded.
Merlin struggled and cried, and all Arthur could hear was the wild animal he'd thought he was in the dungeons. "Where boy?" he shouted.
"Let him go!" Arthur shouted.
"Not until he tells me where he got this from!" the man hissed. Merlin cried out, kicking feverishly as air left his body and looking into Arthur's eyes pleadingly.
"Can't you see he's scared!" Arthur cried.
"Tell me where you got this from!"
Then it all clicked in Arthur's head. "It's his fathers! His mother gave it to him and it was his fathers!" Arthur shouted, kicking his feet out wildly. "He is from Ealdor. Your name. You are Balinor!" Arthur put it all together quickly, the last piece of the puzzle sliding into place. The interest in Ealdor, the noble upbringing, recognising the dagger…
The man was Lord Balinor Ambrosius, Dragonlord and Court Dragon Master and his supposed godfather, had Uther not turned his back to magic. He was his cousin through generations of blood when Amelia Ambrosius married King Elias Pendragon, the one who had been betrayed.
Balinor turned his head to face Arthur then looked back to Merlin. He seemed to see him for the first time and dropped him as though he burned. Merlin gasped at the same time that Arthur dropped to the earth. He was winded but pulled in a large gasping breath and took off from the ground to stand and run at Merlin. He picked him up with his good arm and dragged them both back to the horse, shoving him up onto the horse as fast as he could.
Balinor was staring at the place he had pinned Merlin in disbelief but Arthur refused to wait for him to come to his senses. He couldn't let anymore harm come to Merlin, especially at this man's hands.
He jumped on the horse behind Merlin and clicked his heels together, forcing the steed to ride on and leaving the man who was undoubtedly Merlin's father far behind.
Odin's men who remained in the Kingdom were beheaded come dawn. Uther batted no eye as he sent the heads in potato sacks across the lands to Odin's castle with a letter that demanded Arthur's return or war.
He had already called back his men from the northern borders where ongoing raids from Bayard and Caerleon's men were making living for the villages along the borders difficult and his heart didn't skip a beat when his advisors told him they would lose land when Bayard and Caerleon's armies took hold of said villages.
In all honesty, the King didn't care.
Not while his son's breath and life were somewhere else, under threat. Not while Odin tried to make a fool of him and his men.
Uther clenched his fist over the arm of his throne, and glared out across the council as they objected and tried to argue with him on his latest decisions. He had heard it before in the past fortnight, the chances of Arthur being alive were slim but even if his son was… – Uther shuddered to think that he was dead – he wanted to have him back, say a proper farewell, avenge his death.
A son for a son, he heard people whisper as news of Odin's involvement spread out across the land.
But Uther knew it was different. Luka had died an honourable death, in a duel followed by the knight code.
He could only imagine the mangled form his son, the last piece he had of Igraine, would be in and gripped his sword in thought. Luka challenged Arthur… He was two summers older than my boy and he challenged Arthur… It was not an unfair challenge. Odin should have respected the laws of combat!
Just like you respected the laws of magic… A cruel voice hissed through his ear.
The King flinched and gritted his teeth together, the voice sounding horribly like him. Balinor… Uther turned out to view the blue sky of the noon, annoyingly happy despite the inner turmoil the king felt.
"Sire, reconsider…" yet again, someone else was sent through the council to plead with him.
"Enough!" Uther snapped, standing up out of his seat and glaring at the men. "My son has been missing for more than three weeks. Nothing but his ring, a bag and a scrap of material is left of him. I sent Odin his son's body back in a funeral barge fit for a king. I respected the laws of the land and the station the Prince of the South deserved. He has forfeited all rights to peace by breaking every law of nobility and kidnapping my son!" The King's of Camelot's voice boomed out through the entire room and hit the walls, bouncing back to repeat what he said in an endless echo. "He is my son. He did nothing wrong. And I will have Odin suffer."
The Council all shuddered, unwilling to agitate the King any longer so backed away and finally left Uther in peace.
Arthur, my boy. I will avenge you, he thought to himself, clenching and unclenching his jaw as the seconds went by to hear Odin's reply.
In Engerd, Arthur paid for a room at the tavern for two nights with the money he'd found at the bottom of the bag Merlin stole. He promised the innkeeper more upon leaving if he didn't near the rooms and then settled Merlin into the bed after carrying him up the stairs. New bruises had formed around his neck in a harsh purple colour. But he tried to smile and seem fine to keep Merlin alert and stop him from falling back into his fears.
His manservant was drifting between worlds of lucidity and perfect calm and then terror with no control. Sometimes he had his old friend back and other times it was a mix of wounded animal and man. At one horrifying point, Merlin had looked around dazed then spotted Arthur and asked, "Am I dreaming again?"
Arthur had just lightly shaken his head and waited as Merlin blearily remembered the events that had passed as he looked around the view from the horse in wonder.
In the present, he rested Merlin down on the bed and waited for the current bleary look to fall off his friend's features. "Are you with me?" Arthur asked, tapping his cheek gently. The cot was barely large enough to fit Merlin and there was no stool to sit on so he made do with kneeling beside the cot, chin resting on the mattress.
Merlin nodded slowly and gently pushed Arthur's hand away from his cheek, but wrapped his fingers around Arthur's wrist again, like in the dungeon. "Sorry. I think I scared you earlier."
Arthur let out a shaky laugh. "I don't scare easy." he lied.
"When I asked if you were a dream… I thought… When he strangled me that maybe I was still in the dungeons and…" Merlin cut himself off and Arthur quickly moved his wrist out of Merlin's grip and took his hand with his strapped one and held it firm.
"I'm sorry." he said, looking down at the sheets on the bed.
With a small frown on his face, Merlin asked, "Why?"
Arthur swallowed thickly. "I told you I wouldn't let anything happen to you."
Quietly, Merlin laughed and Arthur looked up at the sound. "You didn't. You didn't let any of it happen. It was beyond your control. Believe me. I don't blame you. Not for any of it."
But you should, Arthur thought sadly. His mind flashed back to two morning's after his sixteenth birthday, when he had let Merlin help sneak the little girl who was about to get executed out of Camelot.
"I'm a prince. A prince with a sword. A sword I put up to your throat. I could turn around and behead you at any given moment for what you've done. Why do you think I wouldn't? Tell me why I shouldn't? Why did I save you the other day? We both know that dagger wasn't coming for me. Whether he misfired or you offended the man somehow, you were going to die but I saved you after I forgave you and covered for you for breaking the law! Why would I do all of that for you?"
"Because I'm your best friend and you don't have another one." Merlin said easily.
Morgana was his step-sister, Kay and Leon were his fellow knights and brothers-in-arms and Elyan and Gwen had always been friends of friends, people who would tag along were more loyal to others. Merlin was loyal to him and often stared up at him with a trust in his eyes that couldn't be fathomed.
Merlin was his. His best and only friend. The only person he could rely on to always be there for him and always do the right thing. And he had let this happen to him?
Merlin's blue stormy eyes turned a little glassy and he blinked back the daze. "How did you know? How did you know who he was?"
Arthur bit his lip and wondered if he should tell him the truth. Wondered if Merlin's already broken psyche could take any more burdens. To know the man who had strangled him was his father, a fugitive and a magic user. "I… I've heard stories. An ex-noblemen, banished… I knew he lived around here… It was a guess."
He seemed to accept this for a second but he was too smart for his own damn good. "Why did he want my dagger?" he asked quietly, sounding more like a child than Arthur had ever heard. He hadn't stopped clutching it since he found it on Gregor. No amount of Arthur's prying and insistence he would hurt himself could get it away from him and imprints were left in his palm from the decorated hilt.
"I don't know." he lied, pushing Merlin's hair back from his face.
Merlin pushed himself up and started his hand around his neck. "Your ring…" he started, fumbling with the leather tie.
"Keep it." Arthur said. "Until we're in Camelot again." Arthur's fingers came down his cheek, inspecting a scar that looked infected and finally lightly tracing the new bruises on his neck. Merlin winced and Arthur withdrew his hand, a pained expression filled with guilt on his face. "Will you be alright? Here? On your own?"
Merlin nodded quietly and curled back up on the bed. "I can still come with you."
"I'm quicker on my own." he said sadly, then pointed to the bedside where at least ten candles and a taper laid. "You won't run out of light." he whispered and Merlin felt grateful that, without even voicing his fears, Arthur knew them. "It should keep you for a few days, though I won't be that long.
"My father most probably won't let me ride back for you, but like I said, I'll send Leon or Kay. So when they come, don't fight them and do not try to run. Please remember they are just trying to help you. Promise me, Merlin."
Merlin winced. "But… But Roland said that… that they were all… That…" he trailed off and looked away and it was then that Arthur remembered how the head of their original kidnappers had proclaimed the knights of Camelot who had been hunting with them were dead. He felt his stomach turn and how stupid and selfish he had been to forget such a fact.
For his men, he said a small prayer and held it together to not cry as in his minds eye he saw Kay and Leon and Pellinore and him, rushing through the Darkling Forest together playing chasing games and hide-and-seek and catching fish in the shallow streams. "I'll… I'll send Walden then. Or Frenwyn. I'll send someone you trust, I swear. Just promise me you'll go with them calmly."
Merlin nodded and smiled. "Promise."
"And do not leave this room. Not for anything. Promise me that too."
"I'm not a complete idiot, Arthur." Merlin argued but when Arthur gave him a pointed look he sighed. "Fine. I promise."
Even with those words, Arthur hesitated to leave. He just wanted to stay with Merlin, sword out and locked in the room, protecting them both from all the horrors that laid outside the door.
But he couldn't. He had to leave. He was still a Prince, he still had duties and one of them was to get Merlin home, safe.
So he slowly stood up and paused only when Merlin's hand was still in his. "Good…" he had no idea what he wanted to say. Goodbye, wasn't an option. It seemed to final. But he had to say something didn't he? "Good." he said finally, more to Merlin's promise.
He reasoned the quicker he got to Camelot the quicker they would both be safe. So he slackened his grip on Merlin's hand and Merlin did the same. He stepped away from the bed nervously, then jumped back and ran without looking back.
Arthur ran to the horse, bolting as fast as he could. He got to the horse they stole from Odin and flicked the reigns to make it go and go faster. In the back of his mind he could hear Merlin screaming in the dungeon. He could feel him curled up against his chest, breathing shakily. He could see his tears as he cleaned his back and taste the coppery scent of blood on his tongue from the dungeons.
All these images urged Arthur on, through the forests at a speed too fast for bandits to conceive. It took him the day and some of the night to speed across Essetir, into Camelot and make it to the castle he had not seen for a little under a month. The guards who spotted him fly past yelled in surprise and Arthur could already hear screams announcing his return before he got to the gates. He made his way up through the lower town and briefly glimpsed Gwen, rushing from her home to see him go passed and chasing him up to the castle.
He made it to the courtyard and Leon ran out of the castle, just as the bells started tolling. He dismounted the horse and went to Leon who grabbed him by the shoulders. "Arthur!" he exclaimed. "It's really you!"
Arthur nodded, breathlessly as his steed bowed and sat down to rest. "I need you to go… Go to Engerd in Essetir. There is a tavern. Merlin is staying in the lodgings."
"But-"
"Go Leon!" Arthur shouted, clutching his shoulders. "That is an order. He is injured and scared and I told him you would find him. I promised him you would find him. You don't sleep until you bring him back, that is an order!" he slid the keys to the lodgings into his hand and fell to the ground, weak in his knees. "Go!"
Leon stepped back then turned on his heel and towards the stables. He bowed his head and rubbed his tired features, smiling only when he heard the hooves of Leon's horse rushing passed him.
He looked up just in time to see Uther rushing down the stairs. "Arthur! My boy!" Uther pulled Arthur to his feet and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into an embrace. Arthur wasn't sure when he felt Uther hug him last, but he sunk into his fathers arms and clung back as hard as he could.
For the first time since escaping, the events of the last month rushed up to him as well as the thoughts of Merlin and the tortures he had to endure. A part of his mind gently said, you can break down now, and Arthur felt his eyes watering as he obeyed the command of the small voice in his head. Uther held him tighter as Arthur started sobbing and he glimpsed Morgana, Gaius, Kay and guards behind his father.
Not caring about his pride for once in his life, Arthur cried and held onto Uther and pleaded for his father to take the pain. Uther quickly pulled Arthur into the castle and the next thing he knew he was being lowered into his bed and he curled up and continued to sob like a pathetic child as Uther ran his hand through his hair. "Rest Arthur. You are home. All is well. You are home now."
Arthur curled around Uther's arm and fell asleep to his own tears, not even noticing when Gaius started treating him.
As soon as Kay saw Arthur without Merlin and Leon rushing off, he knew where his fellow knight was going and realised what must have happened. He rushed to the stables himself, grabbed the first horse he could find that was both fast and saddled up, and mounted it, riding out to follow Leon.
He didn't care about orders or even his knight's honour and half thought the worse, that maybe Merlin was still stuck in Odin's hideout, wherever it had been.
When he finally caught up with Leon, the curly haired knight looked and blinked then answered the unspoken question. "He's in Engerd. It's a days ride from here."
Kay nodded and the two rode mostly in silence, only taking small breaks for watering their horses or stopping to walk them when they grew tired.
Leaving well before midnight, they made it to Engerd by early evening the next night and Kay left Leon the horses and went inside with the key. He looked to the barkeep then walked over, a bag of gold in hand just in case. "I'm looking for a room with a young boy in it." he said, leaning over the table. "He was brought in a few days ago by a blonde."
The keep nodded to the staircase. "Room three. If you're here to collect him, I was told another bag of coins upon leaving if I didn't bother the kid. No matter how much he cried and screamed, no one went up there…" The rest of the sentence was ignored as Kay took to the stairs two at a time, Leon just behind him having come inside, and found the door with the crudely etched tally to represent the number three.
He slid the key into the latch and reason he could have easily opened it without the iron cast object, but the click and slide was probably more comforting to Merlin that Kay's alternative method of breaking the lock.
The door swung open and Kay entered first, Leon quietly coming in behind him. The room appeared empty and they both shared a quiet wary glance before inspecting it further. There were two beds, both sparse and a curtain made from an old yellowing bed sheet on the furthest side of the room. "Merlin." Leon called out tentatively. Neither of them knew what sort of shape the boy was in, but if Arthur left him behind to get back to Camelot faster, it most likely wasn't good.
"Merlin." Kay repeated, more gently. "It's us. It's Kay and Leon."
The curtain shifted slightly and they both looked to each other before approaching the curtain, hands on their hilts just in case it was more ominous than just Merlin. "Leon?" Merlin murmured, shifting back the curtains. They both looked down to see the young boy huddled up in a ball against the wall, his hands trembling. "Kay?" His bottom lip quavered as he blinked and looked at both of them. In his hands was his dragon dagger, the head of the silver beast biting into his skin. "They… they said you were dead."
"No. Not dead, Merlin." Leon leant down to help him up, but Merlin shuffled away. Leon put his hands up in surrender then said, "We're not going to hurt you."
The boy nodded slowly and murmured, "Arthur said he'd send you. He said to go with you calmly." He shifted and stood up by himself but staggered. Kay reached out and caught him and Merlin gripped onto his arm to keep himself steady. "I'm fine." he mumbled.
"The hell you are." Kay growled, catching sight of lashings underneath Merlin's shirt. He was mottled with bruises and cuts and he suspected it wasn't even the worse of them. He saw that they'd all been cleaned and Merlin must have been given a good wash because he didn't look like he had been a prisoner for almost four weeks, apart from the haunted expression in his eyes.
There was a bloody bandage laying behind Merlin's hiding spot and when Merlin noticed Kay glaring at it, he whispered hoarsely, "I was just trying to change it, but I couldn't managed my shirt off. Only pulling at the bandages…"
"Do you want me to do it?" he asked as gently as he could, even though every action he took was now drenched in fury. Leon glanced up at him, wary of the hard edge in Kay's eye, but said nothing of it when Merlin conceded with a small nod.
Kay helped him over to the bed and sat him down then took him out of his shirt and clenched his teeth at the sheer amount of damage. He could see swelling and bruising where he had been kicked and punched and something that very clearly looked like a carving of a name. As he picked up new bandages from the pile by the bedside, he read Roland and committed the name to memory before binding Merlin up.
Merlin seemed to fall off into his own world and Leon could only stare in concern, having nothing to occupy himself with. "The horses are resting for now." Leon said quietly. "We'll leave at first light."
As Kay finished up the bandages, his whole body felt rigged with anger. He reached out and touched Merlin's shoulder, but he flinched and yanked away. The bandages he'd made allowance for, but he wasn't tolerating anything else. "Merlin," Kay had felt his breakable body while he was bandaging him up, the broke ribs, the tender waist and worst, how slim he'd become. "When was the last time you ate?"
Merlin shrugged and said, "The man in the forest… gave us bread and meat… and Arthur made me eat the apple."
"When was that?"
He frowned, unable to make a clear timeline in his head. "This morning? Arthur left this morning…"
"Yesterday morning."
Kay looked up at Leon and said quietly, "Go get him some food." He was about to throw the bag of gold at him but Leon shrugged and indicated to his own pouch. When he was gone, Kay looked back at Merlin and said, "Arthur must have left the morning before last because he only got to Camelot last night."
Merlin closed his eyes and bent forward. "Time isn't moving straight." he mumbled and Kay went to put a hand on his back but then thought better of it.
"It will. It will be okay again. We just need to get you to Camelot." They sat in an awkward silence for a moment, then Kay asked quietly. "Merlin, are there any other injuries we should know about. Anything Arthur couldn't have cleaned or wouldn't see?"
Merlin didn't reply and they sat in silence again, Merlin not willing to talk and Kay not willing to push him, until Leon came up with food enough for three large men and a jug of water. He glanced at Kay and indicated he should eat too, but Kay just shook his head. "I'll be back… there's something I need to do."
Leon nodded and simply thought Kay needed some fresh air to get his head around it. It had certainly helped the slightly older knight to get out of the room, but that had nothing to do with why Kay wanted to leave.
He briefly watched Leon get Merlin to take some of the food, though he didn't eat and Kay had a sneaking suspicion only Arthur would get him to. Kay took off and went down through the tavern and outside. The village was fairly large, a common trade route through to Camelot and it took him longer than he wanted to get out of it and deep into the forest where no one could find him.
"Nimueh!" he shouted out, looking up and around. "I know you're out there. I know you're feeling around for me. You felt my distress and I can feel you too." He added, eyes searching every part of the forest, waiting for a response. "Come on. I know you want my forgiveness. I know you want redemption." He spun around, glaring up at the night sky. "I'll give it to you. I can give it to you."
"But only if I do something for you first." he spun around and his jaw tightened at the sight of the Sorceress who had stolen his father away from him. "Am I correct?"
"Of course you are." he sneered. He glared at Nimueh, his eyes hard but none of the anger was directed at her and she could sense that. "King Odin. Do you have any alliance with him?"
"Sometimes… if I can be bothered by it." Nimueh's eyebrow shot up. "Why?"
"Why do you think?" Kay snapped.
Nimueh blinked and then her face widened from it's scrunched up confusion into understanding. "He kidnapped Arthur… interesting. I knew he was plotting some sort of revenge but…"
"Revenge he took out on Merlin." Kay snapped. "Gods only know what he did to Arthur, but it will only make this request easier." When Nimueh kept silent and indicated he should go on, Kay said, "I want you to cast the blackest magic you can over him. I want him to suffer, every day for the rest of his life and watch his castle destroyed."
Nimueh narrowed her eyes. "All for a servant?"
Kay didn't even want to guess how Nimueh knew his intentions. He didn't care. "He's more than a servant."
"If you're alluding to the fact he is Emrys again…"
"I'm not." Kay cut her off. "He's a friend. That's all you need to know."
She stared at him and disappeared from his sights, only to reappear behind him a moment later and twisted her head to the side. "And this will absolve me of my sins?"
He spun around and drew his sword for protection. He held it in the gap between them, to keep the distance steady. "It's a start."
"You wish me to use dark magic, something you yourself are against and your father, both grandfather's, biological and otherwise, abhor?"
Kay smirked, "Well I'm not using it, am I?"
"It will come at a price." she added. "Something light must be given up for something dark."
"I paid my price. Is my father not enough?"
"Magic will not see it like that."
She slid a dagger out from her belt and held it out, hilt first, to Kay. "I will take the penalty, but you must do something for me first."
Kay glanced at the dagger and then back up at Nimueh. "What?"
"Take this dagger. Keep it on your belt but do give it up until you must and never let it touch blood by your own hand."
He glanced at the thing and felt out, but there was no magic on he could feel and there was no enchantment set on it. "I don't understand."
Nimueh glanced at it, the red ornamental rubies glittering in the evening light. Silver held the rubies in place and connected it to the long thin knife. It wasn't something she could understand, the dagger something she saw in a stall in Ierne. It was familiar, she had seen it in a dream before and could remember a slender pale hand twisting it around in its grip and being gripped by a different hand. She could remember the struggle, but she had no idea how it panned out.
It wasn't Kay's hand, his tanned and too thick, but there was a part of her that knew the dagger needed to be passed out through Kay's hand and that he would know. So she had bought the dagger, but only now found herself trusting him with it. "Neither do I." she murmured, unsure of which side she was helping with her actions. "All I know is this must be in your possession until you think it shouldn't be. You will know more than I do… That is all I understand."
"Seers." Kay muttered, but snatched the dagger from Nimueh and slid it into his own belt. "I'll do as you ask. Now you sort out Odin."
Nimueh nodded, still unsure about Kay's real motives behind punishing the King of the South. "Yes. I shall." And with that she disappeared.
In the daylight, Arthur opened his eyes to Gaius tending to him. The old man hadn't known he was awake until Arthur spoke. "He's alive."
Gaius looked startled then down at Arthur. "Merlin?" he assumed.
Arthur nodded. "I couldn't bring him back quick enough. So I put him in lodgings. Sent Leon after him as soon as I got home. He should be home by tomorrow night."
Relief flooded the old man's face and he actually wiped tears from his eyes. "Thank the heavens." he said.
Arthur flinched. "He's not… He's not the same. From what I know… They did horrible things to him, Gaius. I cleaned the lashes as best I could but the rest… And his mind. He's there sometimes but then he's not."
Gaius tried to smile but it was too forced. "It's alright, my boy. He will heal. I will make sure of it."
Arthur nodded and closed his eyes briefly. When he reopened them, Gaius was still there and he murmured, "Who died?" The physician looked momentarily confused. "The men who took us… they said they killed some of my men. Leon is still here…"
"Sirs Samuel, Ramone and… and Sir Pellinore."
"Oh." Arthur winced at the thought his men had died because of him. People had died for him and Merlin had been tortured and destroyed for him. He turned his head to the physician and sniffed back more tears. "Sometimes… I don't want to be a Prince."
Gaius looked sad but that was all Arthur could discern as he sat on Arthur's bedside and looked around cautiously. Then, like when he was a child, the physician sat Arthur up on his side rubbed small circles on his back. Unconsciously. Arthur titled his head until he was curled up around Gaius's lap. "It will all be fine, Arthur." he assured him. "When Merlin comes back, you'll see. I'll make sure both you and he get better, like I always have done."
Gaius gave him some water, laced with sleeping potion and again, he was out but not before thinking, I'll make sure too, and curling up further on the physician's lap.
Merlin rode with Leon, his horse able to bend and stand instead of forcing Merlin to climb up or assisting him. Kay wasn't put off by this, his thoughts firmly wrapped up by Nimueh, Odin, the dagger and the injuries Merlin had and the fact that since he'd asked him about the extent of said injuries, Merlin had stayed impassively silent.
They rode through the day, taking a few more stops than they had on the way to Engerd for Merlin to drink and rest, even though he seemed to refuse sleep, his eyes concentrated on something unseen in the distance.
When they got to Camelot by nightfall, Merlin came off the horse that kneeled down for him and was led to Gaius's chambers, refusing all assistance by twisting his shoulders around until Leon and Kay stopped touching him. Leon went off to tend to the horses when Kay nodded that he could handle it, then guided Merlin away by simply herding him.
When Kay opened the door to the physician's chambers, he saw Morgana's stunned face, the young ward about to open the door to leave, holding a bottle of tonic. Behind her was Gwen, her mouth hanging open in shock, just staring at him. "Merlin?" Morgana breathed.
Merlin stared at her, semi-shocked, then threw himself forward just as Morgana did the same. The two embraced fiercely, Morgana tucking her head in his shoulder and him burying his head in her hair. "You came back to me." she breathed. "You came back to me."
He smiled a little and closed his eyes, not saying a word or showing an inch of discomfort when she squeezed his cracked ribs. "Merlin?" The young manservant looked up over Morgana's head to see Gaius staring at him incredulously. "Oh my boy!"
Merlin disconnected from Morgana momentarily as Gaius shorted the gap between them and hugged him. He sunk into the grip and rested his head on Gaius's shoulder. He stayed there until his knees gave out with tiredness.
But even then he couldn't sleep. He refused to. Something was going on in his head that the others couldn't understand and, by the looks of things, not even Merlin fully understood. He turned his head to Kay, his eyes bleary and whispered hoarsely, the first words he'd spoken all day. "I need to see Arthur."
When the Prince next awoke, he pulled himself out of a dream with tortured screams and turned his head to find Merlin lying on a cot beside his bed. He frowned and looked around. It was night and Merlin was on his stomach with newly cleaned bandages and in his own clothing, with a neckerchief around his bruised neck with his head inclined to Arthur and a candle lit between them.
He took note of his surroundings, his chambers, and blinked in surprise when he saw Morgana asleep on the other side of his bed, arms tucked underneath her pillow. Apart from glancing her when he arrived, he had yet to communicate with his stepsister and now, seeing her tucked up under his blankets with her nightgown and robe on, he didn't think it was the right time.
His eye level shifted up and he saw, at his dining table was Gwen, hands sprawled out in front of her on the table, still in her day dress, also fast asleep though she had clearly been trying to keep herself occupied, a book in front of her and an array of tonics and tinctures Gaius had no doubt instructed her to use if something happened through out the night.
Despite his other two guests, Arthur attentions drew back to the one he had dreamt about. Mentally, he sent his thanks to Leon and he crept up slowly, careful not to wake Morgana on the bed or Gwen with any noise. He inched towards Merlin's cot and pressed a light hand to his shoulder.
Merlin woke up almost instantly, startled and Arthur quickly held him steady and broke his smile into his vision. "It's just me." he whispered. Merlin looked around the dark, his eyes wild and his breathing erratic until they finally landed on the candle and Arthur knew why it was there. He's afraid of the dark.
Arthur regretted going near Merlin and wished he'd just let him sleep, quite quickly hoping to not have a repeat of the dungeons, especially with the girls in the room. "Merlin, it's me. It's Arthur." Merlin eyes finally found Arthur through the dark and his breathing quietened and became level.
Merlin shivered and Arthur pulled his blankets up and sat on the edge of his bed. As Merlin regained his grips on reality he smiled. "Leon came and got me with Kay." he said as quietly as possible, eyes darting to Gwen and then Morgana.
Arthur smiled back and couldn't stop his hand sliding through Merlin's hair. "I know. I sent them." Though he had, had no idea about Kay, he was glad he went too.
"I didn't leave." Merlin said quickly. "I didn't leave the room once."
"I'm glad." Arthur had been petrified that someone might break in though, but clearly they hadn't, Merlin alive in relatively in one piece. Or at least, in the same piece he'd left him in. "Are you alright?"
He started nodding but then stopped. He looked up at Arthur, his eyes glinting with nerves, anger and something more. Fear… Arthur finally realised. He slid his good hand down and took Merlin's hand, squeezing it.
Merlin quietly cleared his throat then reached his hand to his neck and hesitated. "Do… do you want your ring back now?"
With a small nod, Arthur halted Merlin's still trembling hands as they tried to assist, undid the knot of leather himself and pulled it away. After looking through each of the charms again, Arthur slid his own ring out and back onto his finger and it was surprisingly warm for something that hadn't been worn in close to a month. Arthur helped Merlin sit up and put the necklace back on then sat on the edge of the bed as his manservant slid back down. "I'm sorry Merlin." Arthur murmured, staring down at his bruised face. "I should never have taken you with me on that hunt. You didn't want to go and-"
"You told me not to come. I would have anyway and I would have gone out of my mind if you'd gone alone."
Arthur knew it was true. Worse off, Merlin probably would have come after him and gotten himself captured anyway. "You're an idiot, you know that? A loyal idiot."
Merlin nodded with a small smile and replied, "And you're a great King. You will be a great King. You risked everything just for one person. Thank you."
"It wasn't because I'm a Prince." Arthur whispered, his eyes turning dark. "I did it because… because…" He left it hanging and stared at Merlin desperately so he could understand. Merlin did and nodded for him to continue knowing exactly what he wanted to say. "And you didn't deserve it. And I'll never be sorry enough and there is nothing I can do to make up for it."
"But, Arthur you already did." Merlin frowned and shook his head. "We made it. You got us home."
It was the first time he had heard Merlin call Camelot his home but he hid his glee. "Told you I would." he said simply, smiling.
Arthur went to simply withdraw his hand from Merlin's hair, when the boy reached out and took Arthur's wrist in a now familiar gesture and held him there. He stilled, not speaking, and stared at his hand wrapped around Arthur then looked up at him, biting his lip. "Stay?" he mumbled pathetically. Arthur rested his hand against Merlin's shoulder and nodded.
He glanced over his shoulder at Gwen then said, "But I should probably sort her out first."
Merlin looked up and then nodded, watching Arthur patiently as he got off the cot and went over to Gwen, picking her up in her sleep and taking her to the bed where he laid her down and threw the covers that had been over him, back over her.
After, he sunk back down to Merlin's cot and curled his knees up to hold them with one arm. His hand shifted from Merlin's shoulder to his wrist and he held it tight while he waited for Merlin to fall back asleep, Merlin's fingers curling back around Arthur's wrist to keep him there. After a long while of blinking slowly to try and watch Arthur and the candlelight and make sure neither went away, Merlin's eyes closed finally and didn't open back up as his breathing evened out. He kept his hand around Merlin's wrist, the other hand resting on his curled up knees as he kept a silent guard on his best friend through out the night.
Nimueh stalked down the charred halls of Odin's castle, the scent of fire still in the air, the kingdom burning to ashes. She smartly left all unharmed but the King, knowing Kay's guilt and how it would work against him, and the King was now cornered in his own throne room, glaring at her.
"What do you want with me, Nimueh? What did I do to you?" he demanded.
"Nothing." she shrugged, sighing and briefly glancing out to the ocean then back at the King. "This is more of a favour, Odin. Something I owe to someone who really hates you for what you've done to… a servant." She didn't completely understand. Emrys was her enemy. She knew he would stand against he every step of the way but Kay, held more of her love than most held her hate.
She drummed her fingers together and said, "You, my dear King shall be cursed to live out your blackest day every time you fall asleep. Your nightmare will seem so real, you will not be able to separate it from your reality, until night after night you will try to stop your fate, and by morning you will be mad with grief." With a flash of gold in her eyes, the spell was cast and Odin slumped to the floor. "Apologies in advance." she shrugged then disappeared with a flash of wind and light.
No nightmare woke Morgana in the middle of the night, which was a rare blessing, but then she caught a glance at the bracelet on her wrist and she knew why.
There was an odd tapping on her window and she blinked a few times before opening up her eyes to what she clearly did not want to believe.
A black crow sat in the window, a scroll resting in its beak. Morgana frowned and slid out of bed, looking around her room suspiciously in case someone was watching her, before opening the window and letting the bird fly to her vanity and drop the note neatly before departing.
Morgana rushed over and picked up the scroll, unfurling it.
My dearest Morgana,
I know what you have grown up with, and I know what you must think of me. But know that I never meant any harm to you and merely wished to help you and look after you the way I know you deserve.
I know your dreams are frightening but one day, my dear you will understand just how powerful you really are. Until then, wear the bracelet. It will safeguard you from the worst of it.
If you ever need anything from me, call the crow to your room. His name is Henry.
Love,
Morgause
Morgana stared at the letter and curled it around her fingers. She closed her eyes, not truly believing that the High Priestess had wanted to hurt Arthur, but the King. She closed her eyes and bent her head forward in deep thought as she tried, with all her might to understand what everything was about.
*modern for the time… :)
A/N: How'd you like it? I'm back at university now, (should be fun) and my updates will be back to once a week and twice if I can make it... :( But hopefully you'll all stay with me and keep coming back! Um, Friday's (Australian Friday's) seem like a good updating day for me (this is actually because I just got back home to my own bed two days ago and just wrote) but I'm not really good at sticking to that stuff and, usually, that means I'll write twice a week or update earlier than expected... I'm not often a late updater.