Arthur topped in his track and turned to the other man.
"Camelot?" he hissed, looking at his soulmate sharply through the corner of his eye. He looka round bewilded. "It can't be Merlin, it's so... So grey." said Arthur, struggling to come to terms with the poverty and desolution that twisted through the kingdom that should have been his and had once been so frand. When he responded, Merlin spoke gentle, holding Arthur's hands in his.
"The earth speaks of Camelot, I have heard rumours of the tyranny of Uther's reign from every corner of the world. Look into your heart, Arthur, you know this to be true." Merlin said to him, looking about him to ensure none of the paupers begging for money were eavesropping.
"We have to do something to help these people. To put a stop to they're suffering," said Arthur Merlin, in a voice lanced with emotions as thick as the sheet of ice that frosted over the singular greystone well in the centre of Ealdor in the long winter moths; but his voice wasfar more warm. Merlin's responding smiling was blinding in its sunny brightness, he went on his tip toes so he could kiss Arthirs nose.
"Goddess, Arthur, I love you. You're such a sweet guy, and once the people find out you're the rightful heir, they'll have to be on your side! He said, lacing his fingers into the much blunter fingers of the other man as he spoke, his eyes burning with awe and convict. Arthur blushed bright red and tried to hide his answering grin.
"But first we need to find our way home!" exclaimed Merlin happily.
"Lets get out of this pig sty it smells bad." Arthur replied, wrinkling up his nose in emphasis at the badness of the smell of the pig sty. Melrin nodded in agreement and pulled a grimacing face. They laced their hands together and then they peered around the door to insure the guards has past. They looked at each other with exaleted grins and left the sty for the muddy srteets of the township. They kept their eyes down so as not to attarct attaention and heaed fro the part of town with less people to come up with a plan.
Soon the pair found themselfs in a small courtyard with a dried-up well, empty of people except for a stray dog.
"Now what?" Arthur asked, feeling a bit more conformtable with less people around.
"I'm going to have to see if I can find another portal and hope it takes us home. They're powerful magic, so whoever made it will be strong" Merlin said with a casual shrug, but he was trying to cover up the fact that he was a bit scared by such powerful magic.
"I've been thinking Merlin...what if It's a trap? Wy else would there be a wormhole in the middle of nowhere, that leads to Camelot?"
"Maybe it was an accident. Nothing bad has happened to us so if it's a trap it's a bad one!" Merlin said with a cheeky grin.
"I don't know..." Arthur frowned and bit his lip; Merlin's heart melted at the sight. As much as he hated to see Arthur worried, he just looked for freaking cute!
"Look, I'll look for another portal, if I can't find one, we'll try something else. We'll get home, I promise." Merlin and Arthur's gazes met, blue eyes on blue, refracting each pthers love like the way the blue of the calm sky is reflected in the hues of the vast ocean, ewith a strong undercurrent of emotion, like the undercurrant of a stormy sea: always so close, right necxt to eachothrr, but never to meet lest the sky fall down from the heavans.
"Okay" Arthur took Merlins hands in his own and they smiled softly at eachother.
"Okay" Merlin said and closed his eyes. "Ostende mihi ianuam" he chanted and opened his eye again. They glowed gold. Suddenly Merlin doubled over in pain with a gasp.
"Merlin! Arthur screamed and knelt on the ground next to hin. The magician was lain on the strawlined ground, skin suddenly paler than fresh January snow and calmy with burning fevour, shimmers racked his lithe frame, causing his entire body to convulse like he was have a fit. Arthur touched him face as he stopped shaking and blicked up of his him docilely from the ground.
"Merli! Are you okay?" He asked destressed tones running through the fabric of his voice.
"Yeah" Merlin gasped "No worries, it just hurt to use my magic is all." He frowned
"and it didn't work" Heis eyes locked with Arthurs as they mirrored his concern. Merlim sat up in his arms still shook from the shock.
"Arthur! My magic won't work! there's...there's something wong..." he stutter in a small voice, like a young children lost form his mother in the woods, in the dark of the moonless night. He was scare.
Arthur took a deep gulp of breath. He tried to steady his nerves, his mate was ill in his embrace and needed him. He could not afford to fall apart and let the worry that gnawed his stomach like a beaver show on his his handsome face. He smiled a small smile that was meant to reassure Merlin, but from Merlin's expression he could tell that it was to no avail. The dark-hared man shook again.
"Arthur.." said Merlin.
"Shush, sweetheart. It'll be okay." Arther muttered into Merlin's large ear, voice low and dulcet and reassuring, his left hand snaked to Merlin's small waist as his left hand ran through Merlin's sweaty hair from his brow to the crown of his head. Arthur's heart twanged in an aching pain as he felt the delicacy of the other man who was in his arm. Suddnely, Merlin broke into a lot of coughs, blood speckling his lips and dusting through the air in a pink mist.
"Merlin! We need to get you help! Arthur screamed, panicked at his mat's suddenly turn for the wrorse. but Merlin shoock his head in pain.
"W-where from? I can't walk into the doctors office saying oh hello my magic is broken please help me! Were in Camalot!" he groaned out with gritted teeth. Arthur sighed deeply, his blue eye desperate for a solution. He opended to him sepak but Merlin did it first.
"Wait..." he gaped, face drawn and pensive. His hand grappled at Arthur's red tunic, grasping it and pulling the man closer than before.
"what is it, Merlin?" Arthur asked desperate for Merlin to improve, both hands cupping Merlin's porceline elbows.
"My mum told me she knows a guy in camelot...a physician. She says h e used to use magic, that's how she knew so much about my magic when I was a kid. G something...Ga...Gavin? Gus? Gav...us?"
Arhtur felt hope bloom in his heart.
"Gaius? The name... it sounds... familiar." he said staring off into a memory that tricklyed through his fingers before he could grasp ahold of it.
"Gais! Yes! That's it! Take me to him... my mother always said he squirrell himself away at the top of the tallest tower in Cameot, where he could keep thing hidden even from the King of Camelot- Uther Pendragen- himseld" Merlin gasp before falling into a dead faint. Arthur sighed deeply, sccoping his lover into his carms and starting the long walk towards and then up the tall tower.
"So...many...STAIRS!" Arthur grumbled as he laid Merlin down on a landing and leaned him againsnt the cool stone wall while he catch his breath. He glanced up and saw tow guards in Camelot black and red uniforms were going past.
"Ar-Arthur?" Merlin croaked out, just as the guards reached them, and they both frowned down and the couple. Arthur felt a spike of panic in his heart.
"MErlin your talking nonsense! It's me Dirk. Remember?" He said with wide eyes hoping Merlin would understand what he meant - they couldn't let anyone in camelot know who he was at all. He didn't know what would happen but it wouldn't be good.
"Dirk" Merlin looked up and saw the guards looming over them. his eyes widened like saucers "Dirk! I feel much better now let's go!" he scrambled to his feet and tore off the corridor, flashing the guards a big smile and leaving Arthur to catch up with him. He stopped around the norner when there was no one around again, and Arthur caught up to him out of breath.
"Merlin! I...Need...To...Catch...My...Breath!" Arthur gasped out between pants.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I freaked out!" Merlin pased frantically backwards and forwards waving his hands.
"They were just there looking at us! What if they heard? What if they know?" Merlin stammered to Arthr, worrying snaking its way through his voice like an adder winding its way through the houses in he village.
"Merli-" the secret prince held up both his hands to calm his partner placatingly.
"What if they know hyou are they tell the king?" Merlin whispering, fluttering his eyes around the face of a blond man.
"Merlin!" Arthur called, gripping hold of his sorercer.
"They'll take you aawy! They'll KILL me, and destpory my village!" Merlin panicked, his worry melting it's way into a furry that burned like a bush fire in the night, spreading across the landscape and destroying all things in its pathway.
"MERLIN!" Arthur yelled and cut him off. Merlin looked at him with eyes wide and shinning like mirrors, Arthur felt his heart soften to see such worry on his soulmates face.
"I'ts okay love. Nothing will go wrong I promsie" He raised he hand to carress Merlin's endeering face with his hand. Merlin's face softenend and Arthur saw the panic flee his azure eyes.
"I trust you" Merlin said and Arthur felt ihs face break in to an incontrollable smile.
It turned out they were very close to Gauius's rooms, and arrived there very quickly. They paused in front of the door - Merlin was hoping for help based on half a memory that his nmum told him once. Arthur squeezed his hand tighly in his, and Merlin knocked strongly on the door with his other hand, rapping his hand against the heavy oakened door. There was a pause as he lowered his hand back down to his side and waited, they herd a clattering sounf in the room beyond the old wooden door. Suddenly it was janked open and an old man peered out. He was shorter than both the golden and raven haired-men, and looked at them both suspsiciously.
"Yes Hello?" Said the man who answered the door. He had long scraggled white hair, blue eyes, and one eyebrow raised curiously. He was old an withered with a long drab face thats seen too many winters. He wor a long shabby garb with the flacked embrodery, turned a dirty brown from the years of wear.
"Hum, h-hello...Gaius?" Merlin stammered nervousy, eyebrows tilted back, concerned that maybe he was comepletyly wrong. His mum hadn't left Ealdor in years, this might not even be the same guy!
"Yes can I help?" he said looking at Merlin with a pericing gaze.
"My name is Merlin and-" He started but was gut off by the old man.
"Hunith's boy! Come on in!" He beamed at MErlin and stepped aside and ushered both he and the blonde man into the room. It was full of books and bottles, and smelled strongly of herbs and medecine.
"Sit sit" He gestured them towards the table where there was a bench and shut the door behind them
"Thank you. This is my firend, Dirk." Merling guestured at Arther, and Gaius looked at him with that eyebrow raised up his forhead again. There was a pause and MErlin felt like he was staring in to his soul.
"No my boy, that is Arthur the lost prince of Camelot." Gais said and Merlin was struck with panic. He looked frantically at Arthur whose wid cereuelan eyes matched his.