Hey! After a long break, I've finally returned! Here is the next installment!
(Special thanks to those that commented and reminded me that I hadn't updated in along time. You know who you are.)
Enjoy!
~Ra1n
Previously...
Staring back at him was Arthur's own face-his blond hair, his strong jaw, his straight nose- but what he was fixated on were his eyes. His once-blue irises were now brilliant, glowing, and a vibrant shade of gold.
"I think it rather suits you," Gwaine was saying, sitting on a stool across the room from Arthur, who was checking his reflection every few minutes. At another time the comment would have been lighthearted, but Gwaine had somehow managed to twist the words into something slightly more bitter.
Arthur gave him a long look, then turned back to his reflection. It had been two hours since he had initially woken up, and an additional five hours that he had been unconscious on Merlin's floor. It was early afternoon, although you couldn't tell from Gaius's chambers, with the storm and the dark windows. Gwen wouldn't stop staring at him from her station by Merlin's side, and even Gaius kept giving him strange looks. But Arthur was confined to Gaius's chambers until the magic died down enough for him to not attract attention, and even longer if he wanted to save Merlin.
The Druids were all in Merlin's little room, preparing something that they had yet to name, although they had felt compelled to force Arthur to leave the vicinity while they were doing it. So now Arthur was seated in the furthest corner of Gaius's chambers, trying to avoid making eye contact with Percival, Gwen, Gwaine, and Gaius while also avoiding looking at Merlin. He was failing at that last one, though, because every time Merlin wheezed or moaned or shifted in his sleep, Arthur's eyes went straight towards him. He was also having trouble ignoring Merlin on a magical level, as Arthur's sensitivity was still high and Merlin appeared to his eyes as a great, glowing beacon even as his magic told him that the warlock was in extreme pain.
Gods, he didn't know how much longer he would be able to stand this. Just being in the same room as Merlin's poisoned, corrupted scraps of magic was enough to make his stomach flip and his skin crawl. It was worse knowing that he had been the one to cause it, and knowing that whatever Arthur was feeling, Merlin was feeling it a thousand times worse.
Arthur's thoughts were interrupted and his head turned of its own accord as he felt an animal bolt through the muddy grass outside. Was this how Merlin felt all the time? So heavy and so light all at once? Every living thing humming and moving around him? No wonder he always seemed so distracted.
He managed to wrestle his attention away from the animal outside just in time to watch Percival kneel down and lift Merlin's body into his arms. They'd clothed him partially with a pair of loose breeches, but his chest was still exposed and Arthur could see individual ribs. He watched in morbid fascination as the giant knight positioned Merlin's body carefully before being handed a bowl of broth by Gaius. With slow, patient movements, Percival brought a spoon from the bowl to Merlin's lips, painstakingly feeding him a few drops at a time.
Arthur looked away. He couldn't bare to see the level of weakness that Merlin had reached under his care. Instead, he preoccupied himself with looking around the room and finding which things were glowing with the power of magic. Gaius himself held a faint aura of gold, along with a few of the books on his shelf. The herbs hanging to dry above them oozed their own weak pulses of magic, and even some random objects glowed faintly. The mortar and pestle in the corner. The handle of the water bucket. The wooden steps leading to Merlin's room.
Arthur found that nearly everything in the room was not without a small amount of magic, and as his eyes went to Percival again, he realized why. As Merlin was laid down on his cot, he left behind a fine dusting of gold on Percival's arms and lap. It seemed that Merlin left a piece of himself on everything he touched. A smudge of it on Gwaine's cheek. Caked under Gwen's nails. The amount of magic Arthur could feel within himself was nothing compared to what Merlin had, what Arthur could see, and he knew that the collar was only allowing a fraction of it through. He couldn't begin to fathom what Merlin's full power would be.
There was some clattering as Percival handed the bowl and spoon back to Gaius and settled Merlin onto the bed, and amidst the noise the door to the adjoining room opened.
Iseldir stepped out from the doorway delicately.
He surveyed the room, taking his time in observing where everybody was standing before speaking.
"We are ready," he said at last. "Please, bring Merlin in with you."
The whole group looked at Iseldir for a moment with owlish eyes. Arthur thought that perhaps it would have been comical nearly six weeks ago.
"All of us?" Gwaine asked, obviously used to being excluded from magical or Merlin-related meetings.
Iseldir nodded. "If you would like. I am sure Emrys would prefer it."
Percival grunted and picked Merlin up again, and Gaius lead the procession into Merlin's room. Arthur was the last one to enter, and he shut the door behind him. He found himself standing alone.
The Druids had already arranged themselves neatly on the far side of the room, beyond Merlin's bed. A few were kneeling while others stood in the back. Gaius, Gwen, Percival and Gwaine were standing in the nearest empty corner.
Arthur stayed where he was by the door.
With everybody inside, Iseldir began to speak once again.
"We will need to stop the storm while this ritual takes place," Iseldir explained. He motioned to the young female Druid in the front of the group, "Linona has taken it upon herself to make sure that Morgana remains well outside of the lands of Camelot. If Morgana shows any signs of mobilizing, the ritual will need to be stopped, and the storm restarted."
Everybody nodded in understanding. Iseldir immediately continued:
"Our goal is to free Emrys from the confines of his collar. As most of you have already been informed, the king is the only one whose magic can actually complete this task."
He motioned for Merlin to be laid on the cot. Percival set him down gently before backing away, joining the non-Druid group in their uncertain huddle.
"To begin, we need to be sure that the king's magic can, in fact, bypass the collar, and whether or not the act of doing so will have a tangible or negative result on him or Merlin. If there is such an effect, or Arthur is unable to penetrate the collar, then we will need to rethink our options."
The room was quiet as the possibility of failure settled heavily on the crowd.
"However, if Arthur is able to do everything successfully, then the ritual will continue and we might even be able to free Emrys this very night."
The energy in the room lightened, and all eyes turned to look at Merlin and the collar that bound him.
"We have prepared a very particular ritual that will be used once the king has gained access to Merlin." Iseldir made eye contact with Arthur, his fingers tented before him. "And we," he motioned to the Druids, "will be using you as a kind of battering ram. If you get in, then we can back you up as you cast the spell."
Arthur nodded, speechless. What was he supposed to say? There was not much that he could protest or question without consequently harming or killing Merlin. And although the thought of being used by a group of Druids as a battering ram in order to break an all-powerful warlock out of his magic-suppressing collar scared him to his very core, he would do it. In the face of the other options, he would do it.
He'd already let fear rule him once. He would not allow it to happen again.
"Good," Iseldir turned towards the cot. "Emrys," he said loudly, as if he were commanding him to wake up. As expected, Merlin didn't stir.
"He is very weak," Gaius cut in, walking up to cot. "I doubt he will wake again while the collar is on him. The fact that he has already woken once is a miracle."
Iseldir nodded in understanding. "I was being hopeful. The process is much easier if he is awake. But no matter, it will still work even if he is unconscious." He looked at the group in the corner. "Do you mind propping him up in a sitting position?"
"Not at all," Gwen said, and the group of four immediately went into action, Percival and Gwen pulling Merlin's limp body up by the arms just enough for Gwaine to slide behind. When they were done Merlin sat between Gwaine's legs, his body leaning up against Gwaine's chest and his head resting back on his shoulder.
"That is good," Iseldir said, "but Arthur needs to be in your place." He pointed to Gwaine.
Arthur stiffened. So did Gwaine.
"I don't know if that's such a good idea, mate," Gwaine said.
Iseldir shrugged. "It is the only way for the spell to work."
Gwaine looked at Arthur. "I… Are you sure?" His hands tightened a little around Merlin's torso. "I really think Merlin'd prefer being with me."
"I am sure he would. But unfortunately, there is no getting around it- The king needs to be the one in full contact with Emrys."
Gwaine hesitated for a moment more. He looked as if he was about to say something, but then thought better of it. He removed his hands from Merlin and shifted back a little.
"Fine," he said, and Arthur stepped in to take Gwaine's place.
As Arthur slid into place, Gwaine narrowed his eyes and hissed into his ear, "If you mess this up, you're a dead man."
Arthur swallowed and flinched as Merlin was lowered against his chest. This was the first time Arthur had had contact with Merlin since he'd brought him to Gaius, and he wished he could say things had gotten better.
They hadn't. Wrapping his arms around him, Arthur could feel every bone in Merlin's chest and the ridges of his spine. He was so thin it was as if Arthur was hugging himself, and his breathing was harsh and shallow in his ears. He weighed nothing. Arthur's stomach flipped and red-hot guilt wound its way from his stomach to his cheeks.
"I'm sorry," Arthur whispered into Merlin's ear, knowing full well that Merlin wasn't listening.
Nobody seemed to notice the moment, as Iseldir barked a few more orders that Arthur couldn't hear and the Druids took up positions around the bed, kneeling in a horseshoe shape around the two.
Iseldir himself stepped over the foot of the bed and knelt on the mattress before Merlin.
"Are you ready to cast your first spell, Arthur Pendragon?"
Iseldir's voice was quiet enough that only the Druids could hear them. Arthur looked at Gwen and Gaius, who were both looking at the group with worried eyes. He looked at Percival, whose face was perfectly neutral while his fingers tapped nervously against his sides. And then he looked at Gwaine, who had managed to look worried and angry all at once. He felt Merlin's breaths against his own, felt the magic that hummed in Merlin's veins and buzzed behind his own eyes.
He couldn't help the painful feeling that he had done this all before as he looked Iseldir square in the eye and replied:
"Yes."
Iseldir leaned in close.
"Repeat after me," he said, and Arthur's heart skipped a beat.
This was it. This was everything he had always feared. This was real. This was happening.
"Āblissian Infær-" Iseldir's mouth moved around impossible sounds.
"Ablissian Infaer…" The words came from his mouth before he was even aware he was speaking.
"-Hē sceole wiþ þǣm," The Druid managed to show some kind of encouragement in his eyes as he continued.
"-He sceole with thaem," The king's tongue felt thick against the roof of his mouth. He couldn't bend it the way Iseldir could, though he tried.
"-līchaman hine gedǣlan." Iseldir rocked back onto his heels.
"-lichaman hine gedaelan."
Arthur waited for Iseldir to continue, but Iseldir was still, watching Merlin carefully through his pale eyes.
"Is-" Arthur shifted Merlin's weight gently. "-Is that it?"
Iseldir remained silent. Arthur resisted the urge to roll his eyes and instead looked down into Merlin's dirty hair. Nothing seemed different.
"I don't think it worked. Should I say the words again?"
Iseldir continued to stare at Merlin. It was like he hadn't heard Arthur at all. Exasperated, Arthur turned to plead Gaius for directions.
"...Gaius?" He managed, but the old man made no response. He, too, had his gaze fixed on Merlin, totally still.
It was at that moment that Arthur realized it was more than just stillness- it was an unnatural lack of motion. As he turned his head, it became more and more obvious to Arthur that everybody- the Druids, Gwaine, Percival, Gwen, even the rain outside-was completely and utterly silent and still.
Frozen.
The word came to his mind unbidden, and everything he had ever known came crashing down with it.
The spell had worked.
The spell had worked.
Of course Arthur didn't know what he was expected to do now- was everybody freezing supposed to happen? Had time stopped? Were there instructions he was supposed to find? Should he get up and walk around, or just remain in the bed? Was Merlin frozen, too?
Arthur shifted the warlock's dead weight and looked down at his chest to see if it was moving-
And gasped.
His lap was empty.
Where moments ago Merlin had sat, there was now empty air.
Whirling around, Arthur's eyes raked the blanket he was seated on, as if somehow he expected Merlin to have hidden himself under the covers. Finding no one, he pushed himself off of the bed and searched the ground around it, being careful to avoid stepping on the statue-like druids.
Nothing. With dread pooling in his stomach, Arthur knew that Merlin was no longer in the room with him.
His first thought was that he had already failed. His only job was to help get Merlin's magic out of the collar unscathed, and he had already gone and lost Merlin.
His second thought, which came to him before his first thought had even finished, was that he needed to find Merlin. Immediately.
Since he was already up and standing without any immediate consequence, Arthur decided it was probably safe to inspect his surroundings.
What was this place?
Was he in a dream? Was he in the real, physical world? He didn't think it was the latter, because in the real world people didn't just up and disappear.
Which meant he was somewhere else. Was he inside the collar? Was this what the insides of magical collars looked like? If so, it was ridiculous.
Sighing, Arthur wondered whether anything he was seeing was real, or if it was all made out of that melty dream-substance that he imagined his thoughts were made of.
He approached a young Druid first. Kneeling with his hands folded in his lap, he could have been meditating had it not been for his wide, glassy eyes staring blankly forward.
Curious, Arthur waved his hand in front of the man's face. When he received no response, he cautiously nudged him in the shoulder. The man's clothing moved naturally, although the man himself made no indication that he had felt anything. Unnerved, Arthur stood up and walked to the window. When he pulled back the dark fabric that covered it, his fingers came away damp, but outside the rain was no longer falling. Instead, thousands of glistening droplets hung in the gray air.
Despite the situation, Arthur took a moment to appreciate the scene. It was as if the sky was adorned in strings of crystalline pearls. Even the moments of impact between the raindrops and the ground were frozen, with bits of water mid-shatter near the earth and trees and-
"...Arthur?"
A voice snapped the king out of the moment. Spinning on his heel, his hand went to his sword before he realized that he didn't have one.
Heart racing, he scanned the room. Everything was just as they were before.
"Hello?" Arthur called, taking a slow step back into the center of the room.
Nobody answered.
Arthur took a few more steps, his stance ready for an attack. But the room was small and no matter how hard he looked, he could see no movement aside from himself and his shadow.
"Arthur," the voice came again, tinny and this time devoid of emotion. Arthur shivered. It was coming from behind the closed door. He thought maybe he knew the voice, but it was hard to tell.
Steeling himself, Arthur walked up to the door, pulled it open, took a step, and let out a shout.
As Arthur's foot met empty air, he didn't even have time to pull back before the threshold he was standing on melted away and he was falling into a pit of absolute darkness.