What can I say, it's my birthday and I decided to treat myself
ALSO THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE 1K I CAN'T BE TRUSTED WITH WORD LIMITS
"Are you sure about this? It's not too late to turn back, I'll understand-"
"Merlin" Arthur tiredly cuts his lover before he can go on another anxious ramble just when they were about to start, "I am. I'm not regretting this decision" he softly added, placing his hands on Merlin's cheeks, who let out a trembling sigh before leaning into the touch.
"I'm just- it's never been done before, Arthur" Merlin whispered, eyes misty with worry, "I know I managed to translate everything from Sigan's journals and add my own equations, but…" he trailed off, looking down and biting his lip.
"You have concerns" Arthur finished softly, closing his eyes when Merlin nods tiredly. The king pulls his lover unto an embrace, which is quickly returned.
"Even if we do it all correctly we won't know until you're mortally wounded with a weapon or dying from a curse, disease or natural causes" Merlin mumbles against his neck, "And we can't reach for a way to see if it worked, or else it would cheating and defaming the ritual… I feel like even if it works… the waiting will be agonizing"
The last part is barely a whisper, yet the words are heavy, and Arthur's heart aches for his lover.
He knows why, of course.
Arthur will never forget they day Merlin was swiftly run-through the chest with a sword meant for him, and will never be able to forget how deadly pale and unmoving Merlin had been lying in his arms, his bright azure eyes completely devoid of life…
And how a candle mark later, he'd nearly given Arthur a coronary when he just. Rose up gasping, heaving, and reaching blood.
Arthur will never be able to forget the horrible realization of what exactly Emrys meant in the language of the Old Religion… and that he was merely mortal, and would one day leave Merlin.
That everyone would eventually leave Merlin.
And that- that was something Arthur couldn't deal with. Something he didn't ever want to see, his love alone for eternity losing everyone close to him. Arthur knew Merlin, and he knows that it would come to a point in which Merlin wouldn't be able to take it no more. Even by learning of the full prophesy between them, and armed with the knowledge that as The Once and Future King he will 'rise again' (or whatever the seven hells that meant, Arthur didn't really trust Kilgharrah's word- the dragon had a terrible habit of twisting things to fit his narrative and lead Merlin astray), Arthur felt himself slipping into early grief.
And then it hit him.
If Merlin being Emrys meant that he is magic itself, and Arthur was born of magic…
What if… he could stay with Merlin?
Forever?
When Arthur told Merlin his idea, there were countless hours of talking and crying and more talking, until finally, the warlock accepted to try, looking hopeful for the first time in months.
Some people, whoever, didn't approve.
Kilgharrah wasn't a surprise.
Honestly? The lovers heard his rage with boredom. For all his talk about 'two sides of the same coin', the dragon never liked them romantically involved.
However, Gaius was.
The amount of screaming from him and Merlin was enough for an entourage of concerned guards to cram into the physician chambers in worry, Arthur himself among them.
"You're defying the laws of nature! Destiny and prophesy!" Gaius yelled, face a worrying shade of purple and hair in disarray.
And Merlin, with a cold look that sent shiver through Arthur's spine, answered, "My life and Arthur's were cemented in tragedy from the moment we were born, and kept with us as we grew. Destiny and prophesy state that it will always be like that, to Arthur's death and to my impending, endless waiting" he locked eyes with the king, "We refuse to end in tragedy"
Gaius left them alone after that, but didn't bother to hide his looks of disapproval as Merlin and Arthur began their research.
The argument with the Court Physician left a heavy mental scar in his lover that Arthur tried his best to soothe, and after seeing the toll it took on them emotionally, the couple decided not to say anything to the knights. It was enough dejection from a father figure- they didn't think they could take it from their friends.
And finally, three years later, after endless researches on the surviving books on sorcery, a stash of Cornelius Sigan's books that Geoffrey had saved, visits to trusted druids such as the Catha, they had an answer.
Sigan had really been a genius, hiding his notes on immortality in coded separate texts on his journals, but Merlin figured out that the theory was in disarray and needed better equations and just a little bit of his magic-
Which leads them to here, in the altar room of the Isle of the Blessed, on the night of Samhain, under a full moon.
"Cariad, I need you to listen to me carefully" Arthur whispered, shifting their hug to stare into Merlin's eyes while still holding him tightly, "We've rehearsed this a thousand times, you've trained my tongue in the Old Religion so much that I'm quite confident that I can chant the incantations in my sleep"
Merlin's lips quirked at this, and the king smiled gently.
"And you're the most powerful sorcerer to ever walk the earth- you fixed Sigan's equations for gods' sake- I have faith in you" he kissed his lover softly before pressing their foreheads together, "And I have-"
"-faith in us" finished Merlin with a teary grin, cupping Arthur's face in his hands, "Me too"
The king chuckled, placing a kiss on the inside of the raven's wrists before letting go in favor of starting to unlace Merlin's doublet, looking briefly at him for permission to continue.
His lover smirked, letting out a giggle before removing his hands from the blond's face in favor of going downwards to pull the lapels of his jacket, continuing where they left off before Merlin expressed his distress.
They undress each other with care, unhurried, for the have the whole night. Once they are fully naked, Merlin offers Arthur his hand with a small smile.
"Ready?"
For a moment, Arthur closes his eyes as he breathes deeply, searching within himself for any kind of hidden doubts.
Finding none, he exhales, smiling as he opens his eyes and places his hand on top of his lover's.
"Ready"
Merlin guides him to the stone altar that stands in the middle of the room, eerie by the moonlight that filters through a hole in the decaying ceiling; four small wooden bowls are illuminated lying in the stone, and the warlock lets go of Arthur in favor of placing his hands on top of the first set- which are filled with blood, one with Arthur's, the other with Merlin's; the process was done upon their arrival at sundown- it had been the worst part for both of them, Arthur having to hold a knife to his lover's arm and Merlin to him had found them shaking.
The king is brought away from the memory as Merlin chants over the bowls, his voice harsh in the silent chamber; and Arthur can't help but think that the warlock looks completely otherworldly at the moment- marble white skin almost glowing under the moonlight, making the scars from protecting Arthur more pronounced and look like lines of silver, his raven black hair curling over his ears-
"Arthur?"
Blinking, the blond realizes that Merlin is handing out to him one of the bowls, looking bemused.
Arthur felt like a character from the stories his favorite nanny told, taking the offering of a fae.
"Sorry… it's just- you look so beautiful" he whispered, feeling his cheeks flush as he takes the bowl from Merlin.
His lover chuckles, taking Arthur's free hand to place a kiss on the back.
"Dollophead" he said with a cheeky grin, letting in go in order to dip his fingers onto the dark liquid and turning towards the altar.
"Idiot" Arthur replies softly with a grin of his own as he too buries his fingers in the blood before making the first of many runes on this inside of his wrist.
They are both meticulous in drawing the runes at the same time, Arthur onto his bare skin with Merlin's blood and Merlin with Arthur's unto the stone altar. They can't afford to make a single mistake in all the process, from getting one rune wrong and waste blood to mispronouncing a word in the incantations, or else the ritual with be naught-
Or there would be horrible consequences.
Arthur is trying his best to not think of those- he'd had enough with the explanation Merlin gave.
Once they've both finished with the runes, Merlin discards the empty bowls away with magic before leaning over the other set that rests in the altar, and repeats the process of whispering an incantation over the liquid- speaking softer this time.
When he is done, Merlin hands Arthur his share, and they both hold their wooden bowl in the palm of their hands, clinking it briefly before drinking a mixture of herbs infused with magic and goat milk. They both down the concoction with a slight grimace at first, but with the first sips the aphrodisiac begins to take effect, and they drink faster; Arthur feels the heat bloom and spread into his system, and he soon grows uncomfortably hard.
As soon as he's finished, Merlin's mouth is on his, his kiss rough and filled with lust. They lick inside each other's mouths, tasting as they press themselves together, groaning when their cocks slide against each other and gods Arthur needs more- he slides his hand down Merlin's waist over to his arse, gripping and urging him further onto himself, hips shifting-
And then his lover breaks the kiss, his eyes now rings of lustful dark blue against black.
"Not yet, fy brenin" Merlin whispers hoarsely, and Arthur whimpers when he pulls completely away.
He's barely aware of his lover helping him onto the altar, hells- Arthur doesn't really recall climbing and lying halfway in it, the aphrodisiac running through his body makes it harder to remember and resist, and it certainly doesn't help when Merlin draws him to another crushing kiss; it's impossible to concentrate on anything except his warlock's lips as his back meets the stone of the altar.
And then Merlin is above him, and- Arthur discards the fae comparison; Merlin looks like a god with the full moon shinning above him like a halo, a god that worships a mere mortal such as Arthur like he were something precious.
The king pulls his lover to him, and then its hands gripping shoulders, backs, waists, ignoring the sting when they scrape themselves with the stone as they keep kissing. Merlin licked a slow path up Arthur's neck and the blond can only close his eyes, his moans increasing as Merlin begins marking his body while slowly descent his body until finally, he gets to his navel, where Arthur immediately spread his legs apart, aching to be touched.
"Please, Merlin- I need-" he babbled, too gone to even care. He could feel Merlin smile against his thighs.
"In a moment, you impatient prat" he said with a laugh, nosing at Arthur's balls before sucking one of them into his mouth.
"Oh, fuck-!" Arthur groaned, hands coming to grips Merlin's hair as his lover laved it with his tongue and gently pulled.
"That's the idea" Merlin chuckled. Arthur would said something for the impertinence, but it was cut off by a gasp when the raven pulled off before shifting up to press a kiss to the head of Arthur's cock; kissing his way down the underside and licked back up, running his tongue over the slit to savor the bitter drops of seed that had beaded there.
Grabbing the base of his cock, Merlin (the fucker) continued teasing the head with his lips before taking Arthur's cock inside his mouth, sinking down until his nose was pressed into his dark blond curls-
And Arthur died right there and went to Avalon. Merlin's mouth had always been sinful and perfect for blowjobs, but with the aphrodisiac it was a thousand times better. Arthur's hips hitched off the altar and Merlin quickly made a grab for them, keeping Arthur pinned to the stone in a strong grip. He moaned as Arthur tried to pump his hips into his mouth and began sucking in earnest, altering between swirling his tongue around the head and moving up and down his lover's cock, pressing his tongue along the length while the king is reduced to a moaning mess.
Arthur can feel when his orgasm starts, a familiar shiver running down his spine that feels increased by the aphrodisiac-
"Merlin" he whispers his pleasure at the same time his vision goes white, spilling his seed into Merlin's welcoming mouth, who swallows it all and keeps slightly sucking until Arthur's cock feels oversensitive.
Merlin rises and climbs off the altar, and if the king's brain didn't feel hazy, he would have appreciated how seductive his lover looks at the moment; sweaty milk white skin flushed, his lips red and swollen, eyes hooded and cock hard as mast bobbing as he walks with an elegance only Arthur gets to see.
The warlock rises the blond's head from behind before kissing him deeply- still dizzy from his orgasm, Arthur clumsily returns the kiss, tasting himself while at the same time he feels the warlock's finger scoop up the semen from his stomach, drawing circles on the inside of the king's thighs, teasing his testicles before finally, finally, Arthur feels Merlin's finger pressing over his rim. Already, he can feel his cock rising once again.
Yet, he can't help but tense a little over the intrusion of the first finger. Arthur doesn't bottom much and is not used to this; while he loves it when Merlin takes the reins, it takes him a while to enjoy the sensations.
A brush on his cheek from impossibly soft fingers grounds him, and Arthur opens his eyes to see Merlin leaning over him, his azure eyes soft amidst the lust.
'Alright?' his eyes ask.
Arthur is about to reply, when he feels the second finger (when did Merlin even move to that?) pressing into his prostate. His hips jolt at the same time he moans deeply as pleasure spikes over his body. Merlin curs his fingers inside Arthur, making him cry out again and pump his hips against his hand, needing more-
He turns to look at his lover, a smile on his lips.
'Alright'
Merlin prepares him a little longer, taking time in stretching Arthur with just the semen. The ritual could only be done with body fluids- help from oils or salves was cheating.
"Cariad" Arthur moaned, "I need you. Now"
"As you wish, my Lord"
Merlin's fingers leave, and Arthur turns around to place himself onto his hands and knees as his lover climbs back onto the altar and positions himself behind him, soon, Arthur can feel the tip of Merlin's cock pushing into him for the first time. It's a slow progress, and Merlin draws comforting circles onto Arthur's hips as he lets him adjust and get used to the intrusion until finally bottoming. The king releases a breath he wasn't aware he'd been holding, and he then feels his lover leaning to kiss unto Arthur's shoulder before drawing back.
Arthur moans and tilts his head back, offering up his skin as he moans at the sensation of finally having Merlin's cock in him, and his lover began moving immediately; thrusts hard and deep, with purpose. Arthur cried out and arched his back when he began to feel the magic of the runes and the Samhain celebrations across Albion rise in the air.
The room seemed to be glowing, and Arthur could feel, see, everything surrounding them, coming alive. He swears the stones and vines have a golden hue, while the air is misty with glints of silver.
"Do you feel it?" he hears Merlin murmur onto his ear between trusts, "The magic?"
"Yes" Arthur answered, loving the feeling of being completely owned, "Oh- Merlin- Is it always like this?"
"Yes" his lover replies, hooking his hands under Arthur's hips and holding them off the altar, "It's always like this"
"It's beautiful" Arthur pants, turning his around to stare at the warlock, "You're beautiful"
"You've already said that" Merlin murmured with a shy smile, his cheeks becoming redder amidst the pink flush.
"I don't care" Arthur growled, burying his fingers onto the back of Merlin's head and closing the small distance between them, kissing him hard while feeling overwhelmed with the sensations he's feeling.
A particular trust from Merlin that hits right on his prostate make him break the kiss with a moan, scrambling to grab Merlin's thighs as he guides him to his sweet spot once again, his lover getting the message before continuing to trust, resting his forehead on the king's neck, panting his own pleasure.
All too soon, Arthur could feel his second orgasm rising.
"Merlin" Arthur managed to warning between gasps, "I'm close"
His lover reached down to wrap his fingers around Arthur's cock, stroking slowly enough to tease but not to make him come yet-
"Now" grunted Merlin into his ear with a low tone.
Arthur let out a heaving breath before applying more pressure to his grip on Merlin's thighs until he drew out blood under his nails at the same time Merlin did the same with his tight hold on Arthur's hips; both of them taking a deep breath amidst the pain before beginning to chant their first plea.
"With thee blood, and thy seed, and my blood, and my seed, we bestow a plea to the Goddess upon thee all the treasures of my mind, heart, and hands to be for all eternity"
Merlin slams back harder when they finish chanting, and with a low groan, spills his seed into Arthur, who spills onto the stone under him with a gasp; at the same time, a distant crackle resonates in the distance.
For a moment, they stay like that, Merlin sprawled over Arthur's back, gripping hips and thighs tightly, bodies trembling.
Despite the joined orgasm, they were still hard, and every little shift of Merlin had Arthur hitching his breath.
They weren't done yet.
Merlin gently pulled out of Arthur, and the king nearly collapsed into the altar, suddenly exhausted. By the heavy breathing behind him, Merlin wasn't doing any better.
"Cariad" Arthur called softly as he turned around, opening his arms in silent invitation. Merlin threw himself at him, hugging him close.
They stood still for a moment, taking a breather before Arthur captured Merlin's lips on his, kissing languidly for a while, hands running over cooling skin, breaking away when the magic tingles in their skin, almost warning them not to distract themselves too much.
Wordlessly, Merlin drags Arthur up into his lap and onto his cock, sliding in with minimal effort. Arthur bends down for a chaste kiss, fingers coming up to trace his warlock's cheeks while his legs lock against the small of Merlin's back, his weeping cock trapped between their stomachs and providing a sweet friction when they begin rutting against each other, Arthur moaning against his lover's lips, breaking their kiss in order to hold on to his shoulders as Merlin fucks him deeper.
The golden flecks in the warlock's azure eyes gleam like stars, glassed with lust and love and for a moment Arthur wonders if his eyes are the same, glowing with the deep rooted magic that gave him life.
His release feels so much closer than the other ones, and Arthur can tell that Merlin is close as well, and with a single look shared between them they begin chanting the last plea.
"To have and to hold. From this day forward. For better for worse. For richer for poorer. In sickness and in health. To love and to cherish. And to this I give you my pledge"
For a moment- everything seems to stand still. There's no crackle in the air, the magic seems to be frozen.
The world is listening.
"I love you" Arthur said, throat suddenly constricted while his eyes sting, pressing their foreheads together, "I love you so fucking much, Merlin, you're my anchor in life, the stars to my sky, my guiding light, I love you"
"I love you too" Merlin replied, his eyes just as wet, "Arthur, fy brenin, with my everything, I love you with all my heart and soul"
Which each trusts of Merlin's hips against his own, Arthur feels Merlin's magic rising further unto the surface until the air feels heavy with it, and he swear there is a storm brewing in the room-
The orgasm comes out of nowhere, Arthur screams his pleasure, coming untouched and spurting copious amount of seed on his and Merlin's stomachs- and he doesn't stop. His cock keeps throbbing and spending and Merlin keeps fucking his own release onto him, filling him to the brim with his own seed and he looks just as far gone as Arthur feels and he's not stopping and Arthur's body is hot and cold all over and the world seems to explode in white, stars behind his eyes-
Overwhelmed, Arthur blacks out.
"Once and Future King…"
The voices come from everywhere, beautifully eerie in the dark sea Arthur is currently drifting in, not being able to move or say something to acknowledge their presence.
Strangely, the king feels calm about it.
"Do you truly wish to be forever with Emrys? My little Prince of Enchanters?"
There's just something familiar in the voices… like he's heard them before.
"To wander and wander and wander and never grow old?"
The fragment of his mother that Morgause conjured. Hunith's caring tone.
"To know there must be a balance and you will not be able to interfere with tragedy?"
Guinevere's wise voice. The Lady of the Lake's mirthful tone when she handed Excalibur to him.
"To simply be able to watch history unfold and barely act?"
Morgana's bitterness. Nimueh's mocking tone in the caves of Balor.
"Do you truly wish to bear the same burden?"
It feels like a million questions being thrown at him, a deep interrogation of what he is willing to lose and take- all in the name of being with Merlin for eternity.
The answer had never been so easy for Arthur to say.
"Yes"
The voices seem to hum in approval before all goes bright.
Consciousness comes slowly to Arthur.
The first thing he catalogues is that he is still lying on the stone altar, and the second is how fucking sore his body feels. There is a bigger ache from the waist down, almost like the bones in his legs had been replaced by lead, while the upper part of his body feels almost the same, but it's less uncomfortable. He is also becoming very aware of how sticky his body is; he is covered in blood, sweat and Merlin's semen along his own.
Merlin-
With effort, Arthur manages to open his eyes-
And gasps.
Merlin lays next to him, just as unconscious as Arthur was, but the surprise comes from the fact that Arthur, under the barely risen sunlight, can see two glowing threads, one gold and another silver, intertwined between each other like a singular thread around his lover and himself, wrapped and tangled on their naked bodies as if they were part of their skin.
"Merlin" he winces when his voice comes out as a weak croak, "Merlin"
His lover's peaceful sleeping expression soon shifts, brows furring for a moment before Merlin's eyes weakly flutter open, looking dazed and exhausted.
"Arthur" he murmurs, his voice just as faint. He then blinks, eyes widening at the sight of threads that join them, "Arthur-"
"I see them" the blond assured, watching as the gold seemed to be coming from the raven, while the silver from himself. Merlin's hand rose to try and touch them, but the threads danced away, fluttering around like butterflies, slowly vanishing as more sunlight washes onto the place.
When they're completely gone, the lovers stare at each other, uncertain.
"Well, aside from feeling sore, I don't think we did anything wrong…?" Merlin broke the silence, biting his lip.
"I don't regret this" Arthur whispered, bringing up his hand to cup Merlin's cheek, "No matter what happens, I don't-"
He cuts himself, rising to a proper sitting position, awe settling as he registers his left hand.
Merlin frowns for a moment, before he sees what Arthur is seeing, before checking his own and rising in shock as well.
In their ring fingers, there are tattoos in the shapes of the traditional wedding token, the same bright shade of golden and silver jewelry made with the precious metals; Arthur's is silver with a small line of gold around the center, while Merlin's is the reverse.
Speechless, the lovers rose their hands to further inspect the tattoos, Merlin looking in wonder he traced the golden and silver lines in his finger.
Arthur, on the other hand, was squinting at the small golden line in his.
"Are those words?" he wondered, taking Merlin's hand and giving the same squint at his small silver line.
.
Mae fy nghalon a fy enaid yn eiddo i chi am byth
.
"My heart and my soul are forever yours" Merlin reads softly before turning to look at Arthur with teary eyes, a small smile tugging on his lips, "I think we did it"
Arthur blinked, turning down his eyes to look at the tattoo ring once more, feeling unbelieving.
Had they really done it?
"We can't know for sure" Merlin whispered sadly, and the blond realized he had voiced his doubts out-loud, "Remember? We can't force the results"
Wordlessly, Arthur brought his lover onto a hug, feeling themselves overcome with anxiety. One thing was doing the ritual, another was to see if they had been truly been successful and not being sugar coated by the Old Ones out of mocking pity.
"So we wait" Arthur murmured into Merlin's ear, carting his fingers through the raven black hair to comfort him, "We wait and we have faith that it worked"
Merlin let out a shaky exhale against him, holding the king tighter.
"Wait and faith" he agreed softly, a hopeful longing in his voice as Arthur kissed his brow.
Time would tell.
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"You know," Arthur musses to Merlin, fifteen centuries later as they witness the small piece of blade that killed him for the first time be exhibited alongside some other objects and artifacts from Camelot in the newly updated gallery from the Early Medieval section of the Department of Britain, Europe and Prehistory in the British Museum, "I suppose we should thank Mordred for proving that we were successful"
His husband snorted.
"I hate to admit that you're right" Merlin said with what Arthur knew to be faux annoyance before smirking, "But if we're giving the little shit some credit then I suppose the same would go for Morgana"
"Absolutely not, the harpy will be preening in hell and we can't have that" Arthur quickly replied, but inwardly he bit back a smile, knowing Merlin was right.
"Whatever you say, prat" his husband's voice was full of amusement before he tugged at Arthur's arm, "Now come on, I swore I saw one of my neckerchiefs down the hall- you know, the one I lost when we got attacked by that griffin...?"
"You're not stealing one of your long-lost neckerchiefs, Merlin" Arthur drawled, but he grinned despite himself.
Merlin simply laughed, dragging him further along as they intertwined their hands, their tattoos gleaming under the light.
Cariad = Welsh for Love
Fy brenin = Welsh for My king
Mae fy nghalon a fy enaid yn eiddo i chi am byth = My heart and my soul are forever yours - I ran the tattoo phrase in welsh on google translate so I sincerely apologize if the translation is not accurate. I also did an art for this, it's in AO3.