When the Kingdoms' Come
Ch 18: Distractions
The sudden darkness was a shock to Arthur's senses after the blinding radiance that had been burning his retinas. He couldn't see anything for a moment, and panic set in as he stumbled to Merlin's side. He groped around in the dirt until he found Merlin's hand, grasping it tightly. "Merlin, can you hear me? Are you alright?" Arthur would have been ashamed at how weak his voice sounded if he wasn't totally consumed with worry. He squeezed the hand again and waited. The entire clearing was silent, waiting for Merlin to wake up.
Suddenly, Merlin gasped and sat up as if awaking from a dream, the normally blue eyes flashing open with irises of permanent gold. He looked around the circle of druids in wonder, until his eyes locked with Arthur's. Time slowed and became still as the two young men stared at each other, an eternity passing between them, and then another.
Iseldir finally broke the silence. "Welcome Emrys, Warlock of the Old Religion." The druids repeated the greeting in a rippling chorus. Merlin got shakily to his feet, aided by Arthur's strong hands. The instant he was upright again the warlock was enveloped in a fierce hug. Merlin smiled warmly into the shoulder by his face and reveled in the new feelings all around him. He could feel the magic in the very air around him. The druids, of course, were magic, but so now were the trees, and the sky, and the ground beneath his feet. Merlin felt connected as he never had before. It was too much to take in all at once, and he pulled back to look at Arthur. There were deep worry lines in the prince's brow that were gradually starting to lessen. He said nothing but looked deeply into the warlock's eyes. They held more emotion than Merlin could possible decipher right now.
Arthur swallowed hard. "How come you didn't tell me it was your birthday, Merlin?" He said in a strangled voice, his throat too tight for the words to come out properly. Merlin laughed, and the light in Arthur's eyes returned.
"Honestly, I didn't know it was my birthday either! My mother told me I was born around this time, but even she didn't know what day exactly." He shuffled his feet quietly, then turned to look at the druids. "Thank you for helping me," the young warlock said, bowing his head at the group. "I've been able to feel your magic helping me along."
"Of course, Emrys." Iseldir spoke for the group. "How do you feel?" The other druids seemed to lean forward to hear his answer expectantly.
"I feel great!" Merlin beamed. "There's so much magic everywhere. I feel as if I could take off running and never need to stop. I feel like I could climb the tallest mountain and then shrink that mountain down until it fit in my pocket!"
Iseldir seemed pleased with this answer. "That is a normal reaction to feel after being reborn again. Just don't let it get to your head, okay young warlock? Take it easy for the next day or two until you adjust to, well … everything."
Morgana came forward and gave Merlin a short hug. "You really scared us there for a moment. I'm glad you're well again," she said in her eloquent voice. Merlin's face was getting tired from all the smiling he was doing, but he didn't mind at all.
"That boy gives me the creeps," Arthur muttered from his seat on the log. The druids had dumped a bunch of roots, plants and vegetables (ugh) at him and Morgana's feet with the instructions to help prepare the village's dinner tonight. Arthur's lip curled at the thought of doing such mundane work, but reminded himself that he wasn't a prince here, he was a guest. That didn't stop him from chopping the stems off of some of the vegetables with excessive force though.
"Are you still talking about the little Mordred boy?" Morgana asked, carefully peeling a potato. She had cut herself while chopping, so she and Arthur had switched tasks. "He's just a druid kid like the rest of the children here." She dumped the completed starch into another basket.
"His magical aura, the way his magic feels when I look at it … it just doesn't feel right." Arthur rubbed the center of his chest where the feeling of unease was. "I don't know, 'Gana. I realize he's just a little kid, but my instincts scream that something is off."
They finished the rest of their work in companiable silence, but Arthur's thoughts were drifting elsewhere. He pondered about where to go after their stay with the druids was over. He thought long and hard about why the druid boy's magic seemed off. Finally, he doted on his Merlin, and the wonderful golden eyes the boy – no, man – looked at him with. Arthur frowned. His Merlin? Merlin wasn't his. Well, he was his manservant, but that line was kind of hazy now that they were on the run. The boundary of master and servant had certainly lessened on their week-long escapade from Camelot. Arthur sighed deeply, causing Morgana to raise an eyebrow in his direction. He loved when Merlin looked in his direction after successfully completing a new spell the druids has taught him. He loved that Merlin looked to him to see if he was watching, to see if he had made Arthur proud. Arthur's heart ached at the gentle innocence and naivety the boy still carried with him everywhere. Arthur wanted nothing more than to shelter the little warlock forever, to keep him away from danger and bandits and Uther. Especially Uther. He knew that one day they would inevitably return to Camelot, and there was only so much protecting a prince with a sword could do for a great magic user like Merlin.
Stuck deep in the swirling thoughts inside his head, Arthur did not notice Merlin walk up to him and Morgana. "Good evening, Sir Prat," Merlin joked. Arthur startled and scowled up at the raven. Merlin ignored him and looked at Morgana. "M' Lady."
Morgana sighed. "You don't have to call me that. Morgana is fine."
"Oh I know," Merlin smiled. "What are you cooking up over here?"
"Vegetables," Arthur grit through his teeth. He finished chopping his current victim, the knife actually sticking into the wood of the cutting board with the force he used.
"Lovely," Merlin said, eyeing the knife in the very strong, capable hand. "Guess what the druids just showed me!"
Arthur looked up at the topic change. It wasn't that he was mad that he was stuck here prepping dinner, while Merlin got to play with his magic kin. Oh, how the tables had turned.
Without waiting for a response, Merlin held up his hands near shoulder-height, fingers point towards the sky. Arthur saw Merlin's lips moving as the warlock muttered. At first, nothing happened. Arthur stared at his friend as the gold irises widened into a smile. A stiff breeze blew past Arthur's head, then another tousled his hair around. The trees nearby started to bend with the force of the wind, and actual storm clouds began to appear overhead. Bewildered, Arthur looked up at the giant thunderhead cloud forming over the camp. "Are you ready?" Merlin asked, voice high like an excited child's.
"For wha-"
CRASH
A huge lightning bolt struck just outside the clearing. The blinding strike terrified the prince for a second as the surrounding environment was lit up with the power of a hundred suns. Morgana's hair was standing on end from being in such proximity to the electrical discharge.
"SHIT, MERLIN!" Arthur yelled, getting to his feet in an instant. Arthur knew the man was a powerful warlock, but the fact that he just summoned a massive thunderbolt out of a perfectly clear sky without breaking a sweat was mind-boggling. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. Merlin seemed to realize at this point that he may have just done a number on his prince. He wrung his hands fretfully and a slight frown pulled his brows together.
"Maybe a little bit of a warning, next time." Arthur eyed the warlock before sitting back down again. He noticed the tension in the other man's posture and immediately softened his tone a bit. "That was very impressive though. So you can just do that-" he waved vaguely at the sky, "-on command?"
Merlin shrugged, like this feat was comparable to accomplishing his everyday chores. "I mean, there's a long string of Latin to memorize, but it wasn't particularly difficult to do. It felt rather exhilarating, actually." His eyes twinkled with a mischievous gleam.
"Aren't you supposed to be taking things easy right after your, um, rebirth?" Morgana asked, lifting a dark eyebrow.
Merlin at least had the decency to look sheepish now. "Yes?" He said, quietly. "I won't do anymore today, I promise." He touched his heart as if making a vow.
Arthur almost felt disappointed at that last statement. After the initial shock of Oh Gods, Lightning!, Arthur only wanted to see what else Merlin was capable of. What other exciting stunts could he pull? All in good time, he told himself.
"Well I don't know about you guys, but I'm famished." To prove his point, Merlin's stomach gave an audible growl. The three of them picked up the supplies for dinner and headed for the cooking pit being set up in the center of the clearing.
When the trio had first arrived at the druid encampment, they were graciously given a spare tent to use for the duration of their stay. Arthur had never slept in such close proximity to Merlin before. Out on patrols, the men all tended to sleep near each other for warmth and safety reasons, but it wasn't quite like the sleeping situation he found himself in now. He was literally shoulder to shoulder with the other man, and Arthur was finding it more and more difficult to fall asleep each night he slept in the tent. Morgana was stationed on the other side of the tent, and Merlin was snuggled betwixt the two as if there were no place he'd rather be.
It felt like it had been hours since the three had climbed into the tent for the night. Arthur lay on his back, staring at the "roof," guessing that it must be close to midnight. He wanted to toss and turn and readjust, but he didn't want to disturb Merlin. Arthur sighed. His feelings were jumbled together tighter than his shoelaces were that one time Morgana tied his shoes together under the table as a child. Merlin might have been having a great time hanging out and practicing sorcery with the druids, but Arthur felt uncomfortable and out of place here. Toss that in with his ever-evolving feelings for Merlin, and Arthur had himself a confusion salad. Hoping a little fresh air and moonlight would clear his mind and convince his body to sleep, Arthur slipped out of the tent.
Merlin cracked his eyes open in time to see Arthur quietly exit out through the front flap. He carefully stretched so as to not disturb Morgana, and then Merlin too left the warmth and comfort of the tent. He followed Arthur out to the edge of the clearing, where the snap of a branch under Merlin's foot alerted Arthur to his presence. Arthur whipped around, his hand on his hip where his sword normally resided, before he relaxed. "Oh, it's just you."
"What are you doing out here?" Merlin whispered.
Arthur shrugged. "Couldn't sleep." He turned around and went a few more paces deeper into the forest before he sat down on fallen tree trunk. He patted the space next to him.
Merlin obeyed, sleep still holding on to the edges of his consciousness. He yawned widely. "What's on your mind, Arthur?"
"You," Arthur blurted out before he could catch himself. Merlin looked over at him, those brilliant golden irises glowing in the night. "I was thinking about your little magic trick earlier," he recovered smoothly.
"Oh," Merlin smiled. "I'd do a little more magic, but I promised to Morgana I wouldn't."
"That's okay Merlin. You don't have to do anything for me." Arthur wanted nothing more than for Merlin to curl up next to him and make more fire dragons, but he bit his tongue instead. He settled for using his sixth sense to feel out Merlin's magic, but frowned when he couldn't "see" anything. "I can't sense your magic," Arthur said in a panicked tone. He looked over at the warlock, his eyes wide in fear.
"What do you mean? My magic is right here." Merlin snapped his fingers and a spark shot out from between them. He looked over at the prince, worried. "Are you feeling okay?" He went to go put his fingers against the blonde's forehead, but was batted away.
"I don't understand. I've never not been able to sense magic. Especially your magic." Arthur pushed his hands through his hair, distraught. Where there should have been the strong, easy waves of magic flowing from Merlin, Arthur felt nothing. He knew Merlin didn't suddenly lose all of his magic, so why couldn't he feel it?
Merlin could tell Arthur was starting to panic, like really panic. The prince's breathing quickened, and he stared at the ground with unseeing eyes. "Hey, Arthur, it's okay. We can talk to the druids in the morning and see what they have to say." Arthur made a noncommittal sound. He continued to stare at the dirt floor and fist handfuls of his hair. Without thinking, Merlin turned Arthur's face toward him and kissed him. The surprise of the action was enough to shock Arthur out of his panic. Merlin swallowed. "I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to do." Bullshit, the voice in Merlin's head said. You could've done literally anything else, but you chose to do that. Merlin winced internally.
"It…it's alright," Arthur spoke after a moment. He seemed to collect his thoughts. "If I had known a little worry would make you kiss me, I might have had a panic attack sooner than now." Merlin flushed bright red under the waning silver moon. Arthur thought he looked beautiful. Maybe I can worry about the other thing later, Arthur thought, eyes flickering down to look at Merlin's lips. He saw the other man swallow, and his thoughts gravitated toward what it would feel like to kiss and suck on that throat. Merlin leaned closer to Arthur, eyelids lowering halfway. Wonderfully, all the other thoughts and distractions of the day began to flee Arthur's head, as he closed the distance between them.
A scream pierced the night, as sharp as a blade. Arthur and Merlin jerked apart.
"MORGANA!" Arthur yelled, and took off towards the tent.