Author's Note: Warning, this story contains polyamory, if you don't like it, don't read. For those of you that like it, it's not as blatant in this chapter. Enjoy!
The moment their party arrived at Camelot, Merlin returned to his duties. There was armour to polish, clothes to wash, and Arthur's bedchamber to clean – and if that stopped him from thinking about the way the Knights had treated him, and Gwen, under the influence of the Lamia, all the better.
The door opened, and Merlin turned, expecting it to be Arthur, but instead Gwaine strode in. "Merlin," he breathed forlorn. He went to his knees before his friend. "Forgive me," he begged heartfelt.
"There's nothing to forgive," Merlin replied with a grin. "You weren't yourself. How could I blame you for that?"
"At least let me make it up to you," he beseeched, gripping the Warlock's knees.
"M-make it up to me?" Merlin stammered. Gwaine's hands slid from Merlin's knees up his thighs. "Gwaine," he protested, voice breathy and an octave higher.
"You were my only friend before I became a Knight, Merlin, I can't lose you." Merlin opened his mouth to reply and Gwaine's thumbs caressed his inner thighs. "I would do anything for you," he stated, staring up at him heatedly. Merlin's breath hitched, and he began to harden. "Please Merlin," he begged.
"All right," he conceded, scraping his teeth over his bottom lip.
Gwaine deftly undid Merlin's breeches and freed his hard cock from its confines. He took the head into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the head, causing Merlin to cry out. He smirked around his mouthful and hollowed his cheeks. The warlock moaned lewdly.
The Knight hummed his approval and took the rest of Merlin's cock into his mouth in one stroke. His lips touched the Warlock's pelvis and he hollowed his cheeks again, making Merlin moan. Gwaine came up off of Merlin's cock, took a quick breath, then returned to his previous position, hollowing his cheeks once more, and delving into Merlin's breeches to caress his balls.
Merlin cried out once more as he came. Gwaine slowly rose off of the warlock's cock and swallowed with just the head in his mouth. Merlin only blinked when Gwaine released the head with a pop and rose to his feet. He pulled Merlin into a heated kiss, tangling tongues so the warlock could taste himself. Gwaine pulled back and licked his lips, before grinning cockily and striding from the room.
Merlin shook his head. If it were not for the fact his shaft was out and glistening, he would believe the surreal experience had never occurred. He used a spare cloth to dry his shaft, before he tucked it back into his breeches and settled his clothes into their proper order.
Barely a minute had passed before the door opened again. This time it was Elyan. "Elyan?" Merlin questioned, dismissing his first thought – that Elyan might be there for the same purpose as Gwaine.
"Forgive me Merlin," Elyan beseeched, going to his knees before the Warlock.
Merlin flushed. "Th-there's nothing to forgive," he insisted. "You weren't yourself."
"Please, I need to make it up to you," Elyan begged.
Merlin's flush deepened. "If you need to," he replied slowly, fighting to keep his voice steady – surely both of them couldn't be thinking the same thing.
"Thank you, Merlin," Elyan breathed, wrapping his arms around the Warlock's waist, head resting over Merlin's pelvis. He rubbed his cheek against Merlin's telling hardness, causing him to gasp. Elyan smiled knowingly up at him before he undid Merlin's breeches, his dark hand pulling Merlin's pale length from its confines, his tongue flicking along the head. Merlin cried out, watching enraptured as Elyan lapped up the drops of precome, before he took the head of Merlin's cock into his mouth.
Merlin let out a moan, which turned lewder as Elyan dipped his head, slowly taking more and more of the Warlock's cock into his mouth, before he rose and repeated the process, and again, until Merlin came. Elyan swallowed around Merlin's cock, making the Warlock whimper, before he released it slowly, smirking at Merlin as he rose to his feet. He pulled the dazed Warlock into a kiss, tangling tongues, coaxing Merlin to taste himself on the Knight's tongue. With a last knowing smile, Elyan left, closing the door behind him.
Merlin used the rag to dry himself, again, before he righted his clothes once more. It was going to take ages to get his chores done at this rate. It was a wonder he wasn't shaky – or that his legs weren't at least.
The door opened again, and Percival entered. 'Oh dear,' Merlin couldn't help but think. One could be a fluke, two could be a coincidence, but three? Three was a definite pattern, and considering there were four Knights he had had his most recent adventure with, he had a feeling his legs were definitely going to get shaky.
"Forgive me Merlin," Percival entreated as he approached the Warlock.
"Th-there's nothing to forgive," Merlin stammered as he retreated until his back hit a wall.
Percival went down on his knees in front of Merlin, and wrapped his arms around the Warlock's waist, his head against his stomach. "I would never hurt you," he promised fervently.
"I know," Merlin replied, unable to stop himself from stroking Percival's short hair.
"Let me prove it to you," he pleaded.
"All right," Merlin conceded. He really had to stop caving in the moment anyone pleaded to him, what with the amount of times it had gotten him into trouble.
The giant pulled back until he was no longer leaning against Merlin, and wrapped his large hands around Merlin's hips. He brushed his thumbs over his hipbones, sliding beneath his breeches on the downstroke, every slide of his thumbs mere inches away from the Warlock's hardening cock. Merlin whimpered.
Percival slid one hand completely into Merlin's breeches and began to gently stroke the slighter man's cock, while the other undid the lacings on his breeches. Merlin mewled. A gentle tug, and the Warlock's cock was released with a relieved sigh. Percival continued his strokes, his now free hand sliding beneath Merlin's breeches to carefully caress his balls, while his tongue flicked out to taste Merlin's arousal. Both of them moaned.
The giant sucked the head of Merlin's cock into his mouth while he continued his ministrations.
Merlin moaned, unable to stop his hips from bucking his cock further into Percival's mouth. Unperturbed, the Knight continued his touches until, in short order, Merlin came, spilling his seed onto Percival's tongue.
He caressed and petted Merlin through his orgasm, before he carefully returned him to his previous condition. He rose to his feet, and leant down to share a sweet kiss with the blissed-out Warlock. With a smile, the Knight left the room, and left the door open.
Leon appeared seconds later. He closed the door behind him and strode to Merlin, dropping to his knees before him. "Forgive me for how I treated you," he entreated, head bowed.
"Th-there's nothing to forgive," Merlin stammered, needing to say it – even if he was pretty sure it would be ignored.
"Please allow me to make it up to you," he breathed, looking up at Merlin.
Merlin smiled down at Leon, one of Arthur's longest-serving Knights – that had always been nice to him, even when he had been inept. "If you need to, Leon, then very well," he accepted, even knowing what was coming – namely him, which was a strange thought in and of itself.
Leon reached for Merlin's knees, and when the sorcerer didn't flinch, he slid his hands up until he reached the laces of Merlin's breeches, deftly undoing them. He tugged them down slightly, and removed Merlin's cock from its confines. He licked his lips at the sight, and leant forward to take the head into his mouth. His tongue swirled over the head, lapping up beads of precome, before he slowly lowered his head, taking the shaft into his mouth one inch at a time.
Merlin moaned, and Leon smirked when he finished his upward stroke. He repeated the process, slowly taking every inch of Merlin's cock, before rising and repeating. Merlin was panting heavily, hands balled to prevent himself from grabbing fistfuls of Leon's curls, after only a few strokes. He whimpered, needing release. Leon slid a hand into Merlin's breeches and took careful hold of his balls, gently massaging in time with his strokes, providing just enough stimulation that Merlin's pleasure ratcheted higher. He keened, and Leon swallowed around his cock, making Merlin come down his throat.
He slowly withdrew, releasing Merlin's cock with a lewd pop and rose, leaning forward to kiss Merlin heatedly, tangling tongues with the Warlock, coaxing him to taste himself. When he pulled back Merlin was looking decidedly dazed, and Leon couldn't help his smirk as he left the room and closed the door behind him.
Merlin just had the wherewithal to dry his cock, yet again, and put his clothes in proper order, before he leant back heavily against the wall. He was – vaguely – glad he had, because he clearly heard Leon greet Arthur from the other side of the closed door. But Merlin couldn't bring himself to think about that, or the events that had just transpired, because his legs became shakier.
The door opened again, and this time Arthur entered, he scanned the room, located Merlin and opened his mouth. At that moment, Merlin slid down the wall. "Merlin!" he cried, concerned, instantly striding to his manservant's side. "Are you all right?" Merlin hummed a dazed affirmative. "I doubt that," Arthur replied, helping Merlin to stand, and guiding him to sit in the throne-like chair.
"But this is your chair," Merlin protested.
"It's a chair Merlin," Arthur corrected. "My father had it made for me, so I had to keep it." He placed his hand against Merlin's forehead to gauge his temperature. "It's a little…gaudy for my taste," he continued absently. "You're a little clammy," he stated. "I'll go get Gaius," he stated.
"I-I'll be all right," Merlin protested.
"I'm getting him Merlin," he stated firmly. "I'll only be a moment," he assured, returning to the doorway to address a servant he knew was just beyond. "Find Gaius and ask him to join me," he requested, and they immediately hurried off. "See," he remarked, closing the door and returning to Merlin's side. "I don't want to leave you alone in this state," he murmured, expression concerned.
Gaius arrived within moments, and after shooing Arthur a distance away, deftly checked Merlin over. "I'm fine," Merlin protested.
"Of course you are Merlin," Gaius replied, giving the warlock's shoulder a fatherly pat. "Exhaustion Sire," Gaius diagnosed before Arthur could ask. "The events of the past few days catching up with him I expect. Some rest and a good meal and he'll be back to full health. Chances are he'll be back to his duties by tomorrow morning."
"I can-"
"Hush," Gaius commanded and Merlin instantly closed his mouth.
"You'll have to teach me how to do that," Arthur murmured with a grin.
Gaius smiled in return. "It is a skill that can only be used infrequently Sire, or it loses its potency," he replied, with a smile. "I think it best that Merlin retires to our Quarters."
"I'll help you," Arthur offered in such a tone that both his companions knew it would be futile to argue with him. Arthur helped Merlin to stand, slung one of the warlock's arms around his shoulders, and wrapped his own securely around the brunet's waist, easily taking Merlin's weight. "After you Gaius."
With that, Gaius led the way, opening any doors that needed opening, until the trio reached their destination. But Arthur didn't stop there, he continued until he had manoeuvred Merlin into his room, and onto his bed. "Rest up Merlin," Arthur ordered with a smile. "I want you back to your usual terrible, cheeky self." He paused at the doorway. "If you don't feel well enough to return to your duties tomorrow, then don't. Others can bring me food or wash my clothes, only you can make yourself better." With that, he strode purposely from the room, nodded to Gaius and closed the door to their quarters firmly closed behind him.
"He was truly worried," Gaius informed as he settled on the chair beside Merlin's bed. "He was determined to find you, knowing that something was wrong." He paused for a moment. "How are you coping Merlin?" Merlin glanced at him, confused. "From what Gwen has told me, the Lamia effected the Knights in a rather…terrible way. It couldn't have been easy."
Merlin thought how to put it. "It wasn't," he admitted softly. "But it was only the same as when someone is possessed, or under any other kind of magical influence; they are not responsible for their own actions." He shrugged. "It was a matter of getting through it, and doing what I could, when I could, to fix the problem. I know that the Knights would never treat anyone, let alone me, like that if they were in their right mind," he stated. Gaius remained silent. "They have all come to me in private and asked for forgiveness," he admitted sheepishly.
He nodded. "We are very fortunate to have such honourable Knights within Camelot. I can see that they would be aghast at their actions once they awoke and would feel the need to make reparations. Gwen mentioned that they treated you far worse than her."
"I think the Lamia sensed my magic, and perceived me as the greater threat," Merlin remarked. "I think, that if the Knights weren't so honourable, that she might have succeeding in convincing them to kill me. As it was, she wasn't even able to get them to kill each other – though it was close a few times," he admitted.
"Well," Gaius murmured as he rose, "get some rest Merlin. I'll make your favourite for dinner."