Sorry if this takes a little longer to get out. I had something for school that needed to be completed so I haven't had as much time to write. But anyway, enjoy!

It all happened so fast.

Arthur barely heard Merlin shouting about the crossbolt over the blood pounding in his ears. One moment the raven was standing under his withering stare as he tried to figure out whether it was him or Will who was the sorcerer.

The next, Arthur found himself lying on the ground, stunned, with Merlin on top of him.

The prince had a sick sense of déjà vu to when the two had found themselves in the same position during that fateful banquet that would bring them together irrevocably.

Some part of Arthur's brain must have still been functioning properly because he shoved Merlin off of him, maybe a bit too roughly, and scrambled for his sword lying abandoned in the dirt. With one swift blow, he effectively ended Kanen's reign of terror.

He almost didn't want to turn back around. He would almost rather stare at the sorry excuse for a human being he had just murdered than turn back around and look into the faces of two people who could both be sorcerers. While he hadn't known Will long, Merlin trusted him with his life, so by extension, so did Arthur. He had thought Merlin to be a good judge of character that way.

Now, he couldn't be sure anything he knew about the boy was true. Especially if it turned out he was the sorcerer. Arthur was sure he would never recover from the absolute devastation and heartbreak that revelation would bring should it come to pass.

Alas, he couldn't stand staring at Kanen's corpse forever. He took a deep breath, an attempt at calming the fury once again rising in him now that the immediate threat had been taken care of and turned back around.

He wished he hadn't.

Merlin still hadn't risen from the ground. Arthur almost rolled his eyes, a comment about what a lazy sod his manservant was right on the tip of his tongue. That was, until he noticed Will kneeling next to him, concern painted on his face as he gripped Merlin's shoulders.

"Oh gods," he was muttering over and over again like a prayer. Perhaps it was. "Merlin, mate, just…just hang on."

Will looked up at him, panicked and pale. "Don't just stand there! Get over here!"

Arthur's eyes widened. Whatever anger had been raging inside of him was momentarily snuffed out. Merlin was curled on his side, back to Arthur, but the steadily spreading puddle of crimson staining the ground around the boy told Arthur everything he needed to know.

The villagers cautiously formed a crowd, not getting too close to Merlin, but close enough to see what the commotion was all about.

"Merlin!" Gwen cried, shoving past Arthur from behind without a second glance in the prince's direction. Morgana and Hunith were right on her heels, despite the numerous cuts and bruises he could make out on all three women.

Morgana crashed to her knees next to Will. For once, she didn't seem to care about her clothing. Her hands flitted around Merlin's shuddering body, clearly unsure where to touch. Hunith gently moved her aside so she could kneel next to her son. Morgana shuffled back to cling to Gwen.

"Oh, my darling," Hunith whispered. She gently brushed away a lock of Merlin's hair and shushed him softly. Turning to Will, she said, "We need to get him back to the house. I'll be able to assess him better if he's lying somewhere flat and elevated."

Will nodded hurriedly and scooped Merlin into his arms in one swift movement. Merlin groaned in pain. Will winced guiltily. "Sorry, Merls. We're gonna get you feelin' better though, yeah?"

The party took off towards Merlin and Hunith's home, Hunith shoving nosy villagers aside with little regard to make room for Will cradling Merlin.

Suddenly, there were hands on both of his arms. He jumped back slightly, startled. He hadn't even realized he was still glued to the exact same spot he had been when he had turned from staring at Kanen's body.

"I know this is a lot, Arthur, and I know you haven't processed it all yet, but now's not the time. Merlin's hurt, badly. He needs you," Morgana said quietly. Her and Gwen were not-so gently yanking him in the direction Will and Hunith had headed with Merlin.

Arthur barely heard her. He couldn't even feel his own legs moving beneath him. He was numb. Or maybe he wasn't. Maybe he was feeling so many things at once he just couldn't decide which one to focus on. Either way, his mind eventually settled on one thought that sat heavy in his stomach like he had swallowed a stone.

"Merlin's the sorcerer, isn't he?" He asked the girls quietly, emotionless. A few moments passed. He was sure they were sharing a look, having a silent conversation much like Merlin and he had when things were normal, when things made sense, and his best friend in the entire world and the love of his life wasn't currently in danger of dying and most likely the very thing Arthur was supposed to hate.

Sometimes, Arthur had to wonder what immortal being he had pissed off at some point in his life in order to find himself in the situations he did.

"He is," Gwen said softly, carefully testing the waters of Arthur's emotions.

Arthur stiffened. "And you knew. Both of you." It wasn't a question, nor was it an accusation. It was a simple statement; it was nothing more than a realization Arthur was sure he should have made many months ago. It made sense, after all, that the two women had known all along.

In his confused and emotion-muddled mind, Arthur couldn't even bring himself to be angry with them for not telling him. He felt nothing.

"We did," Morgana said stiffly without an ounce of fear or hesitation in her voice. Damn her.

They were standing inside the house before Arthur even realized he had moved. It was dimmer in there, the room only lit by a small fire and a candle sitting on the table next to Hunith's bed where Merlin's prone figure was currently laid.

Hunith was bent over her son while Will nervously fidgeted off to the side. Gwen and Morgana wasted no time in rushing to Merlin's bedside. Arthur remained in the same spot the girls had left him.

Hunith straightened suddenly. "We need to remove the arrow. Usually, one would be expected to leave it in to keep blood loss to a minimum until a physician arrived, but we are not so lucky. Leaving it in any longer is only going to do more internal damage that will be more difficult to fix later."

Gwen gasped softly and covered her mouth. Will went a few shades lighter. Morgana, for her part, remained fairly impassive. Arthur barely heard her.

Hunith glanced around at the people gathered in her home, her eyes finally coming to rest on Arthur. "This will be most unpleasant for all parties. I do not wish for all of you to have to witness it. Besides, I would like space to work. If you don't mind, could everyone but the prince leave, please?"

Morgana looked as if she were going to protest, but one gentle arm on her shoulder from Gwen had her snapping her mouth shut and quietly leaving the room with Will in tow and only one despairing glance back at the injured sorcerer on all accounts.

Arthur watched them go in silence.

"Arthur," Hunith spoke quietly. "Please, come here. We need to remove this as quickly as possible. I need someone to hold him down, and I know Merlin would want it to be no one but you."

His legs began to move before her words registered in his mind. It was as if he was watching the entire seen from outside his own body. He felt empty and detached, cold and emotionless, nothing like one would surely feel when the boy that had been consuming all their waking thoughts for the last year was injured, perhaps mortally so.

A boy that also just so happened to be a sorcerer.

Arthur crawled on to the bed. Despite his detachment from the entire situation, the sight of his manservant in his current state made his stomach roll with nausea. He was lying on his back, eyes closed and seated deep within sockets so deeply purple it looked as if he had been punched. Arthur figured that couldn't all just be from the injury. Merlin really needed to get more sleep.

Why the hell did he care? Merlin was a sorcerer, the very thing he was supposed to hate most in the world! He shouldn't care about his well-being. He didn't care.

Maybe Merlin wasn't the only one lying.

Merlin was unnaturally pale, bordering on gray. His lips were nearly white with blood loss. His face was coated in a fine sheet of sweat while his body was wracked with tremors and his eyes rolled beneath their lids. His entire tunic and much of the quilt beneath them was soaked in the blood still running from Merlin's body as if it had any right to do so. The crossbow bolt was a dagger in his stomach, protruding into the air like a demented wooden beacon signaling to the world what it had done to an innocent boy.

Not so innocent, Arthur reminded himself darkly.

Hunith waved a hand beneath his face. "Arthur, can you handle this? Because if not, I will send for Will or one of the girls. I need you to look at me, my boy."

Arthur looked up at the term of endearment. She sounded so much like Gaius in that instant that the resemblance was almost uncanny. She was looking at him with a hard stare. "I don't know what you saw, and I don't know what you think you know, but I can promise you everything isn't as it seems. He will tell you everything, I know he's wanted to for a while, but you have to help me save him. I don't care what you think of him now; I was telling the truth before. He needs you right now, Arthur, whether that be as a lover, a friend, or just a decent man who doesn't want to see another suffer in such a cruel way. Now, I'll ask again: can you handle this?"

Arthur looked on in slight shock. No one ever dared to speak to him in such a manner. Yet, he couldn't help but feel a warm fondness for this woman who had treated him more like a son in three days than his father had nearly his entire life.

"I can," he said firmly. His voice didn't waver.

"Good. Hold him now. This will be extremely unpleasant."

Arthur did as he was told, admittedly fearing the consequences if he didn't. He placed his hands on either of Merlin's shoulders, whispering an apology when he flinched under his touch. The prince could hear Hunith moving around behind his back. She set something on the bedside table and then moved into place.

"Steady now, Arthur," she muttered. Arthur gritted his teeth, dreading the next few moments of his life. He may have been furious with Merlin, he may have felt hurt and betrayed, but that didn't mean he wanted to see Merlin in any sort of pain. He still loved the boy with all of his heart, even if Merlin had stabbed him in it.

"Please, just do it," he begged softly.

The prince was sure the sound of the arrow being removed would forever be ingrained in his mind. It was sickening; a wet squelch of tearing flesh and tissue, a metallic smell permeating the air tenfold than it had before.

If Arthur hadn't been trained for this sort of thing, he probably would have vomited.

As it was, Arthur was too focused on Merlin to worry about his stomach. Hunith had been correct in saying the procedure wouldn't be anywhere near pleasant, especially for the raven. Almost before Hunith had even touched the offending piece of wood, Merlin jerked in Arthur's grasp with a small groan of pain. His eyes rolled wildly beneath their lids and a bead of sweat trailed down the bridge of his nose.

Arthur pinned his shoulders down more fiercely. "Be still," he hissed, his heart aching when Merlin keened beneath him. "You're only making it worse for both of us."

A question was still niggling in the back of his mind. If Merlin was supposedly a sorcerer, and a pretty powerful one at that if the huge windstorm was anything to go by, why hadn't he used magic to push Arthur out of the way of the arrow? Why had he taken the hit himself? And now, why wasn't he just magically healing himself instead of going through all the pain of having the arrow removed?

Something about it all wasn't sitting right with the prince.

Merlin's eyes flew open as the arrow was yanked from his body. He squirmed beneath Arthur, struggling against his hold with a wail of what could only be described as absolute agony. Arthur felt like screaming himself.

He shifted over to try and block Merlin's view of the whole process to the best of his ability. All they needed would be fore Merlin to see his own blood staining everything within a six-foot radius and start heaving on top of his already horrific injury.

"Ar…Art'r…Art'r, please," Merlin was begging over and over again. Tears streamed down his ashen cheeks. "I'm s'rry…please st-stop…s'rry! I-I di'nt mean for 'ou to find out like th-this!" The raven was weakly rubbing a fisted hand in a rough circle on his chest the whole time he spoke. The sign for sorry.

Arthur sat, dumbfounded. Merlin thought he was causing him the pain? That he was hurting him as punishment for practicing magic? Arthur had barely even had time to process the fact that Merlin was a sorcerer, let alone even think of his next move.

The knowledge that Merlin thought so lowly of him stung worse than any serket ever could.

"Shut up, Merlin," Arthur growled.

Whether from the pain or from the exhaustion or a combination of both, Merlin listened to Arthur for once in his life by promptly passing out. It was probably for the best anyhow. Arthur wouldn't have to listen to him in pain that he couldn't fix, nor did he have to worry about the next thing that would come out of Merlin's mouth.

Hunith stepped back with the blood-smeared arrow. She threw it in the fireplace. "That's enough of that, then."

Arthur leaned back to watch as she began to clean her son up. She cut away what was left of his shirt with a knife, and it promptly joined the arrow in the fireplace. Arthur chastised himself when he found his eyes lingering a little too long on Merlin's bare chest, all pale and lean with hidden muscles from years of hard work. He liked what he saw.

Was that wrong because of the newest revelation about Merlin?

He didn't know anymore.

Hunith was mopping up as much blood as she could with a cloth and smearing some sort of yellowish paste onto the wound from a little wooden bowl. "Yarrow," she explained without looking up. "It helps to stop bleeding and heal damaged skin."

Arthur gulped, finding his throat thick and dry with emotion. He stood from the bed. He felt if he spent another second in that suffocating room he would surely choke to death and die. Hunith didn't even try to stop him when he made a break for the door.

Outside, he found Gwen, Morgana, and Will waiting anxiously outside the door. All three descended on him as soon as he stepped on to the road.

"How is he?" Morgana demanded immediately.

"Is he going to make it?" Will.

"Oh, Arthur, I'm so sorry," Gwen whispered. She had tears shining in her eyes.

Arthur shoved past all of them without a word. He didn't even turn around at Morgana's huff of annoyance. He didn't have the patience for her dramatics or one of her lectures.

"Oi! Don't just walk away!"

Arthur sighed. Damn it. Will had been the last person he was expecting to get a speech from.

He turned back and looked Will, who was giving him a death glare, up and down appraisingly. "What are you looking at, William?"

"Me? I'm looking at an asshole who's running away from the boy whose throat he shoved his tongue down just this morning, all because he's too scared to face his own emotions."

Arthur sneered and curled his hand into a fist until his knuckles turned white. He did not have the patience for Will's shit.

Will raised an eyebrow. "What're you going to do? Take a swing at me?" He leaned forward in a challenge. "Go ahead then, princey. You know you want to. I know you've wanted to smash my face in since the moment you waltzed into this place. Go right-"

He never got to finish his sentence. He was on the ground, holding a hand to his jaw where Arthur's fist had connected with his face while the prince stood above him, chest heaving.

Morgana and Gwen came rushing up to pull Arthur back and help Will up, but the boy waved the women away. "No, no, it's alright. I told him to do it. I wanted him to hit me. He needed it."

Arthur dropped his fist back to his side. His expression must have looked just as shocked as he felt because Will chuckled. "I've known you for all of three days, but I can tell how you express most of your emotions, Arthur Pendragon. Anger. You and me? We're more alike than you think. I think we both just like to take a swing at something when we're too upset, and everything is miraculously ten times better. You feel better?"

Strangely, he did. If not better, his head was at least a little clearer.

"You make an easy target. You're so damn annoying," Arthur muttered. Will grinned and clapped him on the back with a wink. "That's the point, mate."

Will glanced back at the house. At some point, both girls had gone inside. "I'm going to go check on Merlin. You should come with. I know you're angry with him, but please, just wait until he gets better. Hear him out. He's not evil, Arthur, I swear it on my father's grave. He's one of the kindest, gentlest people I've ever met. He was just too scared of ruining his relationship with you to say anything."

Arthur's heart felt heavy. "Really?"

Will smirked like he was sharing a private joke with himself. "You know I could describe you before I ever saw you? Every letter he wrote, I swear he spent over half of it talking about you, how you looked on a certain day, how you smelled." Will wrinkled up his nose at that. Then he held up his hands as if he were reading from a scroll and began to recite in a high-pitched voice. "Oh, Will, you would never believe it. His hair looks to be made from gold itself, and sometimes I find myself daydreaming about how it would feel to touch those shining locks, to run my hands through his hair."

Even as his face burned, Arthur couldn't help but crack a smile. It was the first real smile he'd had since the battle began.

"He really said that about me?"

"Yeah, and about ten other letters worth of material just like that. I was worried about falling in love with you myself if he kept it up, and I'd never even met you before!"

This time, Arthur chuckled lightly. It felt good.

Will's features turned serious suddenly. "Honestly, though, I've never seen him like he is around you. He's liked boys before, sure, but never like you. He's never looked at them like he looks at you, like you hung the moon and the stars or something. I've never seen him so happy." Will's eyes narrowed. "I know you've been taught your entire life to despise sorcery, but if you really love him, which I know you do, you look at him the same way when you think he's not looking, then you should be able to look past that. It's not his fault anyhow. He was born with magic. No, I won't tell you anything else about that, it's not my place, but just know he never had a choice."

Arthur stood silently. He had no idea what he was supposed to say back to that. Not that he felt as if he could possibly speak after that bombshell anyway.

Will glanced around, almost like he was looking to make sure no one was listening. "I'll tell you one more thing. Maybe you should think about it. Merlin didn't tell you because he was scared, yeah? Well, the last time he told someone, he ended up half-dead and deaf at the bottom of a well. He thought he could trust one of those boys, but he stabbed him in the back the first chance he got. I think that's a pretty good excuse for being scared of telling people about his magic, even someone he trusts."

Will started off towards the house but turned back when he realized Arthur was still rooted to his spot. "Come on, princey, your lover boy needs you."

Arthur glared at a grinning Will.

Inside, Gwen was sitting at Merlin's bedside while dabbing his forehead softly with a cloth. Hunith was scrubbing the soiled bed quilt in the washtub. At some point, someone had replaced it with a fresh one that was now pulled over Merlin. Morgana was standing watch over something boiling in a pot over the fire.

Morgana glanced up. "Ah, Arthur dear, welcome back. Have a nice tantrum?"

Arthur ignored the bait, instead opting to stride right over to Merlin and sit on the edge of the bed. Gwen looked surprised. She never had been good at hiding her emotions.

"Is everything…is everything alright, sire?" She asked quietly.

"It will be."

Gwen smiled. She held the cloth out to him. Arthur stared at it dumbly for much longer than he meant to until Gwen finally giggled. "I want you to take the cloth, Arthur. I think you should take over. I know we were just out, but I can't spend too much time…" she trailed off, but her gaze in Merlin's direction left nothing unsaid. "I think I need to go for a walk."

Arthur took the cloth as Gwen got up and said something quietly to Morgana. Soon, the two girls left. Will appeared at his side. "He's got the audacity to be asleep. I might as well go get some work done if he's going to be so rude. Let me know if anything changes." He left.

Hunith stood from where she had been kneeling next to the washtub and brushed her skirt off, coming towards him. She looked frazzled and tired, stray locks of gray-streaked brown hair peeking out from beneath her headwrap, but Arthur couldn't blame her. Her only son was quite possibly dying from an arrow wound.

No, he wasn't dying. That wasn't an option.

Arthur was happy to find he still cared.

"All we can do now is wait. I agree with Will, as long as you're here, I might as well get some chores done. Life goes on." She gazed lovingly at her son despite the worry clearly marring her soft eyes. She then reached up and lightly touched Arthur's cheek. The prince leaned into the touch. She smiled and left, leaving Merlin and Arthur all alone in the home.

Arthur sighed with exhaustion and ran hand down his face. "What the hell am I going to do with you, Merlin?" He wondered aloud.

"Hopefully, a lot more than just kissing once we get back to Camelot," Merlin said hoarsely. Arthur's head jerked to the raven.

"Merlin!" He cried in surprise. He hadn't realized the boy had been watching him. That's when Merlin's words actually registered in his mind. He blushed what was surely scarlet. "Merlin!" Was all he managed once again.

Merlin grinned, but it was weak and sad, laced with pain. It was barely an imitation of his usual smile, nothing but a ghost. "That is, if you'll still have me after…" He trailed off looking absolutely crestfallen. Arthur couldn't stand to see the look on his face.

He reached out, not even attempting to stop himself when he ran his hand down Merlin's cheekbone in a gentle caress. "Of course, I still want you."

"B-but, I'm a sorcerer…I'm a monster," Merlin whispered through white lips. Arthur shook his head fervently.

"No, no, don't say that, Merlin, never say that. You are not a monster, damn it! All the people who've shunned you and treated you differently because of this-this gift-are the monsters."

Merlin's eyes shone with unshed tears. "Will told you then? About my magic?"

"He told me you were born with it. And he told me some other things. He helped me to realize that your magic is a part of you, just as much as your beautiful eyes or those idiotic neckerchiefs I find so endearing. I think I've always sort of known something was different about you anyhow. I think I've realized that maybe my father is wrong. Maybe magic is nothing more than a tool, a weapon that can be used only as the wielder intends it to be, no different than a sword."

A tear slipped down Merlin's cheek. Arthur wiped it away gently with the pad of his thumb. "Will you stay with me?" He asked tentatively.

"Of course." Arthur toed off his boots and crawled farther on to the bed and slid under the covers beside the raven. Taking the boy into his arms, Merlin whimpered softly as the movement jostled his battered body.

"Shh," Arthur whispered, despite his being behind Merlin and the raven not being able to hear him anyhow. With one arm, he gently rubbed soothing circles into Merlin's sternum. With the other, he traced the word 'sorry' over and over again into the palm of his manservant's hand. Finally, he relaxed under the prince's touch.

"Thank you," Merlin whispered so faintly, Arthur almost didn't think he'd said anything at all. He sagged in Arthur's arms.

"Merlin? Merlin?!" He cried out in a panic. He shook the boy slightly, only getting a muffled groan that tapered off into a pitiful cry as answer. He frantically tried to get up, to run and get help, to see what was wrong, but Merlin's grip on his hand, still surprisingly strong, prevented him from going far.

"N-no, please, d-don't leave me," he murmured through tears.

"I have to go get help! I have to do something. Something's wrong with you, Merlin!"

Merlin shook his head weakly. "P-please. I need to tell you something. I need to…before it's too late."

"You can tell me when you get better. Just let me go get you some help!"

Again, Merlin shook his head, this time with more determination. "N-no, Arthur, there's no time. I think I'm…"

"You are not dying, Merlin! I won't let you!"

"My magic," Merlin pushed on, despite Arthur's protests. "I u-use it for you. O-only for you. I n-never tried to h-hurt anybody with it unless they th-threatened you. I'm sorry, I didn't t-tell you sooner."

By this point, Arthur was clutching Merlin to him, stroking back his raven locks off a clammy forehead, ashen with the breath of death, and allowing the tears to flow freely. He didn't care what his father had told him; there was one man worth his tears.

He could feel fresh blood spreading beneath his hand has he turned Merlin slightly to gaze into his azure eyes, flecked with gold. How Arthur hadn't noticed them before, he wasn't sure. Maybe he had spent so much time trying to avoid Merlin's gaze for fear of him discovering his feelings that he had never truly had any time to study them.

"Thank you," he said plainly, signing it as he spoke. A tear dripped on to Merlin's snowy cheek. He didn't bother to brush it away. Only watched as it carved a river of sorrow down the pale skin.

"Welcome," Merlin mouthed. He tensed up suddenly with a cry of pain as a particularly awful spasm racked his body.

"What can I do? Please, how can I make it better?"

"J-just hold me," came the barely-there response. It was hardly a whisper in the air.

Arthur swallowed hard. Tears were freely running down his cheeks. Wordlessly, he gathered the boy back into his arms and laid beside him. He ran a hand through the midnight locks and traced comforting words into one of his lithe hands. He kissed the back of Merlin's neck, the skin icy cold. He didn't care for the taste of salt on his lips.

One of Merlin's hands moved agonizingly slowly to hold the one Arthur had been using to trace words. He ran a thumb over the back of his hand. "I love you, Arthur Pendragon."

His lungs fell as he breathed out. They didn't rise again.

Arthur sobbed.

He squeezed his eyes shut, burying his face against Merlin's skin. His world was crashing down around him. With a shaking hand, he reached up to search for a pulse, hanging on to the last thread of hope he had. Merlin was just sleeping. That was it. He couldn't be dead.

He found nothing but cool skin, already going stiff from blood loss. He held Merlin-Merlin's body-tighter to him.

"No," he whimpered. "No, Merlin, please…"

He held him. It's the least he could do. He had failed him so many times since he had met him without even knowing; he wasn't about to do it for a final time.

"I'm sorry. I'm so damn sorry," he mumbled. He kept his eyes dutifully screwed shut, naively thinking that he may wake up and find it all to be a cruel nightmare.

But then something in the air changed.

It began to hum, crackling not unlike a fire on a cold evening. Except this crackling wasn't just warm, it felt positively alive. It's what Arthur always thought lightning would feel like up close.

Merlin had once told him he adored the woods so much because of the life teaming within it's leafy walls. He said he could feel it everywhere, buzzing through the air and the earth, through every plant, animal, and insect alike. Arthur had laughed at him, thinking it was just another one of Merlin's ridiculous tangents.

Now, he thought he may understand what he was on about.

Cautiously, he brought his head up and opened his eyes, gasping softly at what he saw. The entire bed was engulfed in a shimmering, golden light. Arthur raised his hands and from his fingertips leapt a silvery wisp of air the color of moonlight on a dark lake. It mingled with the gold being supplied by Merlin's glowing body to create a beautiful collage of shining light.

A small line broke away from the encasement to weave through the air towards Merlin. It hit the covers right where his fatal wound was located and began to glow brighter and brighter until Arthur had no choice but to close his eyes.

When the light died down, he opened them once again, looking around in shock. Merlin shifted beneath him with a small whine of discomfort.

Merlin shifted beneath him.

Arthur's head jerked down to see Merlin blinking open dazed, azure eyes. With fumbling hands, the prince grabbed the edge of the quilt and yanked it down Merlin's bare chest despite the boy's noise of displeasure at the cool air meeting his exposed skin.

There was no blood. There was no bruise or inflamed skin. The only evidence left of the mortal blow was a faint white line on his stomach, looking like it was a years-old scar rather than mere hours.

"Mother, Maiden, and Crone," he breathed in disbelief. "How the hell…?"

"I think my magic likes you."

Arthur teared his gaze away from the nearly unblemished skin to look at Merlin. He was still pale with dark circles beneath his eyes. His hair was still sticking up at all angles and he still looked as if Cook had given him a good beating with her wooden spoon.

Arthur had never seen something so beautiful.

He was on Merlin before either of them could even breathe. His lips found the sorcerer's and locked on to them in a desperate dance. Even when he broke away for air, he continued to kiss every inch of skin he could find. His cheeks, his nose, his eyelids, his forehead. None of it was enough.

Merlin was laughing under his ministrations. Finally, the boy planted his hands on Arthur's shoulders to hold him back. "Hello to you too."

Arthur huffed. "Don't you dare ever do that to me again, Merlin!"

Merlin's eyes trailed over his lips, watching their movements as the prince spoke. "I'm sorry."

"Yes, well, apology accepted." He leaned back with a small smile. Holding up a hand, he held out his thumb, pointer, and pinkie finger.

"By the way, I love you too."

All done! I really hope you enjoyed! I've got more things up my sleeve in this fandom so stay tuned!