Top Harry Drabble: Harry/Merlin
Chapter Summary: In which there is some time travel and Harry overshoots his landing enough that he arrives a century or so before Hogwarts is founded. (BBC Merlin)
"You know, Merlin, you'll never make a good hunter if we don't go out again like this," Arthur remarked, his eyes on the wooded ground before them.
"You could have asked for the knights to come with us," Merlin retorted, as he walked back to their camping site with a pile of wood in his arms. The sun was falling in the sky as they made their camp… or at least as Merlin was making camp. Arthur was just sitting on the blanket they had brought. "They at least would have helped me make camp. But nooooo. You had to teach me how to hunt."
Arthur's lips twitched up into a small grin. "How else would you have learned?"
"You're a prince," Merlin exclaimed, not particularly raising his voice. "You have people for this."
"Oh, yeah? Would anyone have been as good as you?"
Merlin stared at Arthur. "I'm not that good."
"Sooo… you're not that good at a lot of things. That doesn't mean you're a bad servant. We're going to need more wood."
Merlin glared at Arthur, who shrugged.
"Would this do? You two mind if I joined your camp for a while?"
Merlin jumped as he turned around, seeing Arthur reach for his sword at the same time. The night was still young, the moon having just come out within the last few minutes, but the stars were bright this evening.
The man standing behind them was tall and sturdy, not as big as some of the knights were. Bright green eyes met Merlin's and he swallowed as he looked into the man's eyes, seeing the scar on the man's forehead a second later. The man's black hair was messy and not particularly flat or brushed down except for one lone braid that framed his face.
There was a bunch of firewood in the man's arms and a pack on his back but no sword anywhere.
Merlin turned back to look at Arthur, who hesitantly nodded, and looked back at the man. "More firewood is welcome. Who are you?"
"Harry. I'm just traveling through these parts and you two?"
Merlin watched as the man… Harry… walked over to their camp and sat down between him and Arthur, dumping the dry wood off to the side. The man's clothes were slightly dirty but not too ripped or torn, and they weren't rich in material. The man just looked like any old traveler that they had passed over the last few years.
"I'm Arthur. Where are you headed?"
Harry raised an eyebrow and then tilted his head towards the north. "I suppose… Camelot but I don't really have a plan. I'm kinda stuck here and you?"
"Merlin. What do you mean stuck here?"
Harry blinked at Merlin's words, his bright green eyes widening so much that he thought they would fall out of the man's head. Merlin froze and stared at Harry, wondering if somehow he knew what Merlin was. The man had not come on horseback but then again… Merlin himself had just walked to Camelot. That didn't mean anything in particular. It didn't mean that Harry was a druid.
"Camelot is not too far away," Arthur remarked, oblivious to Merlin's thoughts. "You could join us tomorrow when we travel back to the city. We only have two horses but I'm sure Merlin would be willing to share his."
"Hmmm?" Harry let out a noise at Arthur's words, his eyes still on Merlin.
Merlin stared back at the man, curling his shoulders inward. Would he have to…
"...Camelot has a nice market two days from now and I'm sure the prince would host you."
"You know the prince?" Harry asked, looking between the two of them.
Arthur hesitated, his eyes narrowing, before he shrugged. "I know him. We work in the castle."
Merlin watched as Harry stared at them before nodding. "Are you a knight?"
"No. I'm just…" Harry trailed off, his eyes softening a little in what looked like wistfulness. Merlin wondered who the man was, wondered where he had come from, and where his accent was from. He had never heard this kind of accent in Camelot or in his home village or on any of the trips that he had taken with Arthur. "I'm just biding my time. And don't ask me why. I don't know."
"You don't know? Did something happen to you?" Merlin asked, narrowing his eyes in thought.
"No. Well… something did happen but I did it on purpose," Harry returned, his lips curling up in a small grin.
"You did whatever you did on purpose," Merlin echoed, tilting his head in confusion.
Arthur rolled his eyes. "Alright. Enough with the cryptic thoughts. How about we go try hunting again?"
"Hunting?" Harry blinked and looked up at Arthur, as he stood up and picked up his sword.
"Yeah. Hunting. It's good fun," Arthur tried, grinning down at Merlin. "Merlin doesn't think it's fun though and he's a spoilsport."
"I don't think hunting is fun," Merlin argued, throwing his hands up in the air. "Tell him that hunting isn't fun, Harry."
"Whoa, hey, I'm not taking sides here," Harry remarked, watching the two and smiling.
"Who said anything about sides? This is about dinner," Arthur complained, sighing at the two of them as they stayed where they were.
"You're pouting," Harry said, quiet amusement clear in his voice.
"I am not pouting," Arthur insisted, his voice suspiciously high even as he scowled at them. Merlin blinked as Arthur's cheeks reddened slightly before the prince turned and marched off, muttering uncomplimentary things about servants and their weird guests. "Ugh. I will just go get dinner on my own."
"He was totally pouting," Harry spoke as soon as Arthur left their campsite. "In a cute way too. Is it always this fun to push him?"
Merlin blinked again at Harry's words, staring at the strange man. "Who are you really?"
"My name really is Harry. I was not joking about that. And I'm not hiding anything else." Harry paused and looked into his eyes easily, his green eyes staring at him intently, curiously. "Or… I'm not hiding the same thing you're not hiding."
Merlin froze, his whole body stiffening.
"You really are Merlin Emrys then," Harry continued, as if he hadn't just pulled the rug out from underneath him. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone."
Merlin stared at him, feeling his magic swirl around him almost frantically. "What… Are you here to hurt anyone?"
Harry shook his head. "No. I was telling the truth about that. I'm not here to hurt anyone. I'm just here to bide my time until… certain events come to pass. Besides… if I out you, I out myself."
"Yourself?"
Harry held his hand out and whispered a few words under his breath. Merlin gasped as power filled the clearing and then a great big, silvery stag leapt into the clearing, as if it came from Harry's fingertips. And Merlin was transfixed, his eyes wide, his mouth open as the stag loped around the clearing.
"What… What is this?" Merlin questioned, taking a breath as the stag stopped in front of him and lowered its antlered head to him, as if bowing. He felt… warm and safe for the first time since the knights of Idirsholas had come through Camelot. Since he had had to poison… His stomach roiled at the mere memory and he shook his head to try to clear it away. Since Arthur had almost died yet again.
"A patronus," Harry explained quietly. "It can be a messenger or a shield against dark creatures. That's why it feels like it does. Safe."
Merlin let out a noise and brought his knees up to his chest. "You're a sorcerer."
"A wizard. That's what they call it… in my time," Harry replied, meeting his eyes easily and not with fear.
"Your… time?" Merlin said, keeping his voice low. "You should probably… end the spell. Arthur could be back at any time."
"Hmmm. Yes, I suppose so." Harry raised his hand, palm open, and whispered a word or two in a language that Merlin didn't recognize. The silvery stag vanished and Merlin shuddered at the loss of that light, shivering slightly. "Your Arthur is the prince of Camelot, isn't he?"
"Yes, he is. You're not here to hurt him, are you?"
Harry shook his head. "Nope. I've got no plans to do so. Merlin… I can't believe I'm actually meeting you."
Merlin tilted his head in confusion. "You know me… how?"
"You know when I said… I did the thing on purpose?"
Merlin nodded and Harry sighed. "I came back in time. I may have… overshot though. I was aiming for a century or two later, when Hogwarts is just being built."
Merlin stared at the other man, blinked once, twice. "You… came back in-"
"MERLIN!"
"What, sire?" Merlin called out, his eyes widening as Arthur came racing back, his hand on his sword and his eyes frantic.
"Camelot! There's a dragon!" Arthur exclaimed, running right over to the horses and untying his horse. "Come on, Merlin!"
Merlin's heart skipped a beat and then seemed to gallop right out of his chest. He swayed on the spot before standing up, meeting Harry's eyes. "You don't have to come with us."
"Can I be of some help?" Harry questioned, his eyes narrowed pointedly and flickering green in the firelight.
"I…"
"Merlin, come on! I can see the lower city from here and that's never a good sign," Arthur argued, gesturing to the balls of flame that they could all see. "Where the fuck did a dragon come from in the first place? I thought there were no dragons left!"
Merlin nodded slightly, his heart already racing in his chest at the news, and Harry stood up, gathered his pack and helped clean up the camp. Merlin swept some dirt and grass over the fire to put it out and ran over to his horse, untying it from the tree trunk.
"Is it alright if I share with you?" Harry whispered as he walked over to stand next to him, peering up at him as Merlin swung up into the saddle.
"Did you walk here?" Merlin asked, reaching a hand down to help him up. Harry slipped his palm into his, warm but calloused, and jumped up into the saddle, behind him.
"No. I… flew," Harry replied quietly, wrapping his arms around him gently. "It's been a while since I've ridden a horse. Last animal I rode had wings and was actually a hippogriff."
Merlin shivered as warmth slithered into him from the man behind him. "You-"
"Merlin! Let's go! You can talk to our new friend later," Arthur exclaimed, urging his horse into a gallop back to Camelot in the dark.
Merlin jumped and heard Harry snort behind him before he steered his horse to follow Arthur's, his heart racing in his chest. As soon as they left the little clearing they had found, Merlin's eyes narrowed in the moonlight and he flinched as he saw Camelot in the distance, seeing the dark shape of the dragon against the moon.
Harry's arms came around him, holding him loosely, Harry's chest to his back. A shudder ran through his body and then they were off, heading back home and to the dragon he had released a couple of days ago.
"Dragonlords. Never heard of them," Harry remarked, glancing between Merlin and Gaius as they talked in the office of the crown physician. Gaius stared at him for a second before walking over to open a book, pointing at one of the pages. "What… language do you think the dragons speak anyway? Is it another form of… parseltongue? I never did think about that during the Triwizard Tournament."
Merlin blinked. "Parseltongue? Triwizard tournament?"
"Don't ask. It's a super long story," Harry offered, shrugging and shaking his head.
"You know of the language of snakes?" Gaius questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Uhm, yeah. I speak it."
Gaius' eyes widened. "Where did you say you were from?"
"...Around," Harry said, turning to look at Merlin. "Is parseltongue not heard of around here?"
Merlin stared at him, his head slightly tilted. "I've never heard of it."
"Oh. So… dragonlords. They can tame dragons? Because if your magic didn't work against the dragon, mine won't either. Unless you want to kill it."
"Kill it?" Merlin echoed, his eyes narrowing. "I don't… I don't know."
Harry peered up into Merlin's eyes, raising an eyebrow. Arthur swung up into the saddle of his horse next to them, with Gaius on Harry's other side. Harry reached out to grip the reins of Merlin's horse, his green eyes narrowed a little.
"I'll look after Camelot as best as I can while you're gone," Harry offered quietly, as people hurried about in the ruined courtyard around them. The sun was up and high in the sky, shining a light on all of the damage that the dragon had done in the past few nights. Some of the walls of the city were on still on fire and slightly smoking while homes sat burned to a crisp in the lower city. There were lines and lines of bodies outside, waiting to be buried when the threat was taken care of. "Be safe out there. Both of you."
Arthur peered down at him too, catching the seriousness in Harry's voice. Arthur's eyes narrowed and Harry dipped his head in a nod, a little half bow. Merlin watched as Arthur looked into Harry's eyes, blue meeting green, and then Gaius cleared his throat.
"I'll look after Merlin. Don't worry," Arthur said, grinning and urging his horse forward. "He needs all the help he can get."
"I'll explain more about… what I did later," Harry spoke before stepping back.
Merlin nodded and urged his horse to follow Arthur's as they cantered out through the castle gate.
Good luck with your father, Merlin.
He started at Harry's voice in his head and turned around in the saddle, seeing Harry smile a little bit and wink.
Good. That worked. I hoped it would.
Merlin's lips curled up in a small grin and his cheeks reddened a little bit at Harry's playful grin before he turned back around and focused on Arthur.
The shouts and galloping of hooves drew Harry's attention to the castle and he hurried through the streets of the lower city, There was more destruction than when Merlin and Arthur had left a day ago, more smoke and idle flame. He had spent the night pulling people out of burning homes, pushing guards out of the way of the dragon and generally keeping people from dying. Though it was all done without magic this time.
He felt weird keeping his magic a secret, keeping… himself a secret from everyone but Merlin and Gaius. But he supposed he had to and god knows Merlin had done it for a few years. He didn't quite know the specifics but he had been in this time for two weeks and heard of what had happened to sorcerers in Camelot.
He raced past the blacksmiths and the stables and to the castle, where… Merlin and Arthur galloped past guards and civilians. Harry came to a stop on the side of the courtyard, near Gaius' office, and fell into line with Merlin's horse and the young man himself, who looked… like shit. Merlin was trembling in the saddle, his eyes red from crying. His skin was pale and Harry tried to catch his brown eyes but Merlin was looking down and away, as if he was trying to keep from breaking down. His shoulders were curled inward, making Merlin look small.
"Merlin? What's wrong?" Harry asked quietly, seeing Arthur pull his horse to a stop and dismount. Arthur was shaken too, his skin pale and with a white knuckled grip on the sword at his waist. Harry reached out to grasp the reins of Merlin's horse and helped him down, seeing Arthur glance Merlin's way as well, his blue eyes narrowed in what might have been worry.
The prince's eyes narrowed and then Arthur walked on ahead into the palace, presumably heading to the throne room to fill in his father. Merlin followed almost automatically, stumbling a little and Harry hurried over to walk beside him, laying a discreet hand on the small of Merlin's back, under his cloak.
Merlin shuddered underneath him and Harry met his eyes as they followed Arthur inside, turning into the throne room. He hadn't been into the palace yet, choosing to distance himself from King Uther rather than have a slip up and have to obliviate the king. Merlin stopped in the corner of the throne room and Harry stopped beside him, idly listening as Arthur filled the king in.
"The last dragonlord is dead," Arthur explained and Merlin's breath hitched, fresh tears filling his eyes.
Harry flinched, moving his hand down to brush against Merlin's. Merlin let out a quiet, strangled noise and curled his fingers into Harry's, squeezing tightly as Arthur asked for men to follow him into a fight. A fight that some men would not make it back from and then Harry took the quiet moment to tug Merlin out and into the hallway beyond the throne room.
Merlin started but let Harry lead him out, into an empty nook and let him wrap his arms around him. Harry met Merlin's eyes, curled his fingers into the man's back, and pulled him in for a tight hug, spelling a privacy charm around them wordlessly.
Merlin's eyes flashed golden and Harry sucked in a breath at the sight, hearing the suit of armor behind them rattle. The power radiating from the young man in front of him was immense, a little wild but mostly contained within Merlin. He hadn't seen this kind of power ever and not even Voldemort had Merlin's level of magic. It was like Merlin was… magic shaped into a person and he was beautiful. "Your eyes…"
"This…" Merlin trailed off on a sob and finally met his eyes. "He died protecting me."
Harry closed his eyes and held on tighter, hearing Merlin let out a noise, and then swiftly reopened them when lips touched his own. Merlin quickly withdrew and burrowed into his arms, his cheeks and the tips of his ears red. Harry's heart skipped a beat and he leaned into press a kiss to Merlin's forehead, holding it for several seconds.
"I'm not taking advantage of you now," Harry whispered as he pulled away, meeting Merlin's slightly glowing golden eyes. "You're gorgeous. I would 100% kiss you back at a normal time."
Merlin looked at him, his eyes going wide at the compliment, his cheeks reddening even more. "When is it ever… a normal time for me?"
"Do you guys always have dragons coming to burn down Camelot? Or was this a one time thing?"
Merlin let out a watery laugh and shook his head. "Kilgarrah's the last dragon. What am I going to do?"
Harry frowned. "Kilgarrah's the last dragon?"
"That's what he and Balinor said."
"You mean to say that Kilgarrah's a talking dragon?"
"Yes."
"Where I come from… dragons didn't talk."
Merlin blinked at him. "Where do you come from then? Or should I ask… when?"
"Let's talk about that later. I suppose we need to get ready to talk to a dragon."
"I don't know if I'm ready. Balinor said that the gifts of a dragonlord are passed from father to son but… I've never been able to control a dragon before, much less now."
Harry pondered those words and turned to the door when it opened, revealing Arthur leading his knights out. They all looked solemn and passed right by both Harry and Merlin as they walked through the hallway.
"It could be passed at the moment of death," Harry offered, shrugging in thought. "I… recently acquired some… talents at a friend's time of death."
Merlin's eyes narrowed and Harry wondered what he heard in Harry's voice.
"I have faith in you, Merlin," Harry finally added quietly, reaching out to entwine their fingers. Merlin's were sweaty but calloused, a product of all the hard work he had done and he supposed the work he did as a servant to the prince.
Arthur smiled as he walked into the throne room later that night, elbowing Merlin when he stayed quiet. "Merlin! We did it! Camelot's saved!"
Merlin grinned and met his eyes readily enough, something in his eyes that might have been… pride. Arthur's heart skipped a beat in his chest at the look in those soft brown eyes, warmth filling him. Hopefully, Merlin was cheered up by their victory as much as Arthur was. His friend hadn't smiled much since the knights of Idirsholas and losing Morgana. "Yes, we did, sire. Gaius and I will look after the surviving knights and you will tell the king the good news."
"Make sure Leon is alright. He's a good friend and thank our strange friend for saving him. I saw him move Leon and another knight out of the way of the dragon."
"I will. Don't worry, your royal backside."
Arthur spluttered, glared at Merlin, and took off into the throne room, ready to deliver the good news. At least for once, it really was good news and not more bad. His father didn't need more bad news, not after they had lost Morgana to who knows where. Morgause had taken Morgana to some corner of the kingdoms and no one had seen them since.
Celebrations kicked off that evening and Arthur danced with quite a few ladies but he kept an eye on Merlin, seeing his friend smile when he caught his eye. He could also see their mutual friend, Harry, standing right next to him, his green eyes fond as he watched the ball. Arthur sighed happily and turned to dance with another woman, probably some lady from another kingdom that wanted to try for his hand.
The next he turned to look at Merlin, his servant and best friend was gone, as well as Harry.
"Excuse me," Arthur remarked, dipping his head and walking off, curiously wondering where Merlin and Harry had gone. It was dark out and the moon shone through the glass windows as he walked out of the ballroom, hearing the quiet but joyful strings of music being played.
He looked out through one of his favorite windows, looked right out over Camelot and leaned against the sill. The city would take a long time to rebuild, mending the walls and homes and harvests that had been burned in the dragon's fury but they would be fine.
A strangled noise drew his attention away from the window and over to one of the supply rooms that littered the keep. The door wasn't fully closed and Arthur nudged it open as he arrived, his hand lightly gripping the sword at his belt. His eyes widened as he saw Merlin up against the wall and Harry with his back to Arthur. The two men were entwined as close as lovers, breathing heavily, and then Arthur's heart kickstarted as Harry reached his arms around Merlin to pick him up, propping him against the wall.
Arthur had made that move a few times with women he had bedded over the years and it looked… Neither man had noticed him and right as Merlin moaned, Arthur quickly and quietly backed up, closed the door slowly so that it wouldn't screech, and walked away, hoping no one would remark on the color in his own cheeks.
