Hello, everyone! Thank you for the follows, favorites, and reviews. I humbly appreciate you guys taking your time to give my story a chance.
Here is the promised second installment. Also, I must say, there will be violence (magical and physical) in the coming chapters and I MAY change the rating to an 'M', depending on how I'm writing my story. I'll warn you guys if there is too much of violence (I hope there won't be).
Too much tension between Merlin and Arthur, though!
Hope you enjoy this chapter!
Words: 2793
2. Doilor Tunnels
"Guinevere, I advise you to go back to Camelot at once," Arthur said in concern.
"No, Sire," Gwen raised her chin in defiance. Arthur sighed. There was no winning against the woman of your dreams. It is a must to cater to their every whim and fancy.
"Be careful, then," he said as they rode further into the dimly lit tunnels.
The only sounds in the tunnels were the echoing footsteps of horseshoes and the crunch of Merlin eating an apple. No drips of water were heard. Surprisingly, the tunnels were as dry as a summer day.
Crunch. Chew. Chew. Chew. Crunch. Chew. Chew. Chew. Crun-
"Would you just stop that, Merlin?" Arthur bellowed.
"Stop what?" Merlin asked, genuinely confused about Arthur's sulky attitude. He ate his breakfast, didn't he?
Arthur sent a glare his way, which Merlin didn't bother responding to because it would utterly be useless. So, he munched and crunched on his apple, ignoring Arthur's frustrated groan. He supposed he should've eaten the night before, the noon before and the morning before. Not feeling hungry isn't a good excuse to skip his meals. Now that he's hungry and their provisions are limited since Gwen had been a pleasant surprise, he must do with an apple, for now. If on the other side of these tunnels, should there be some kind of vegetation, he would surely pick some fruits to store and eat.
"You shouldn't have skipped your supper last night," Gwen leaned towards him and muttered.
"I know," he replied, finishing his apple and tossing away its core.
Grrrrr… Grrrrr….
A growling sound penetrated the walls of the tunnels and Arthur raised a hand in the air, signaling a halt in their journey.
"You had to do something now, Merlin! How idiotic can you be?!" Arthur yelled.
Merlin was sure that the only hobby Arthur might ever have now and in the future would be to yell at and insult him. Why couldn't he be nice, for once?
"I didn't do anything, Sire! If anything, I believe it was your shouting that caused that growl, whatever it is!" he defended himself.
"See there?" Arthur queried, ignoring the blatant accusation from his manservant and pointing his sword at the core Merlin threw away.
"Yes? I can't eat the core of an apple so I threw it away. If I'd known that you wanted it, Arthur, I wouldn't have discarded it," Merlin explained ironically.
Sir Leon and Guinevere snickered in mirth.
"But THAT is what caused SOMETHING in this tunnel to growl. And I will have your head if it is deemed dangerous. I promise!" Arthur warned Merlin while glaring at Sir Leon, who was trying hard to muffle his chortles. Arthur waved at his soldiers to follow his trail.
Merlin looked at the apple, then at Arthur's back and sighed in annoyance. In, they trotted once more.
There was no impending danger, as Arthur presumed there would be. Safe and sound, when they reached a large clearing in the tunnel, they stopped. The evening light was rapidly diminishing and it wouldn't bode well for them if they lost the last rays of light.
"Merlin," Arthur spoke.
"Yes, light a fire, right?" he guessed with a toothy grin.
"You guessed right! Now get on with it," Arthur and the others dismounted their horses. The tunnels were not very accommodating for the entire lot. They had to leave a few of their horses on the forest grounds outside the tunnel. A few army men walked and a few rode horses. They took turns all the way to this clearing and now Arthur wondered where they would hold their horses. There was no fence. There were no trees to tie them to.
"My Lord, the horses?" Sir Leon approached him, voicing his inner concern.
"Sir Leon, I was pondering the issue. Some horses may get frightened and leave. I wouldn't wonder if they all left. We have a limited supply of fodder too," Arthur mulled over the situation.
"Not to worry about the fodder, Sire, I had the chance to pack plenty in case of an emergency," Merlin piped in, firewood held under his arm.
"Merlin, how come you're proving to be useful and useless at the same time?" Arthur wondered.
"How come you're proving to be a clotpole, Sire?" Merlin shot back, earning another chuckle from Sir Leon and a heated scowl from Arthur.
Merlin went about lighting the fire while Gwen, unable to stay calm any longer, started arranging seating stones for Arthur and his men around the fire. Sir Leon catered to the horses.
"Gwen! I'll do it. You can rest," Merlin said.
"I've been doing nothing but watch you work, Merlin. Arthur is working you down to your bone," Gwen sighed and cracked her back to relieve her cramped bones.
"It doesn't matter because I like doing this for him. It's my… I feel it is my destiny to serve him and protect him from all dangers out there," Merlin's voice was filled with such honesty and loyalty that Gwen, for a moment, wondered if Arthur deserved Merlin's feelings for him.
"Arthur is very lucky to have you by his side, Merlin. I mean it from the bottom of my heart," Gwen stated as she moved closer to the fire in an attempt to warm her absurdly cold hands.
Arthur chose that instant to wrap Gwen in his brown coat that was lined with fur around the neck, effectively killing their conversation by sitting right next to Gwen.
"Arthur!" she exclaimed in happiness, wrapping his coat around her lithe body tightly.
Merlin watched them together, euphoria filling his being alongside despondency. It always wondered him, how his melancholy coexisted with his jubilation. Looking at how Arthur adored Gwen, he mused whether one day he could take Gwen's place. A while later, he berated himself for even allowing himself to house that thought. Gwen was his friend and so was Arthur. He could only hope for their happiness and if they found it together, Merlin would gladly see to it. He was snapped out of his reverie when Arthur signaled him to go away, silently ordering him to leave them some privacy. Smiling wickedly, Merlin raised a thumb to Arthur and strode away to the farthest and darkest corner of the clearing. Perched on a flat rock with knees up to his chest and his arms encircling them, he watched Arthur woo Gwen.
The place was cold, too cold for his liking. Deprived of the fire's warmth just because his master wanted some time alone with his love interest; Merlin swaddled himself with his thin over-used and over-worn overcoat to find warmth that never engulfed him. Arthur captured Gwen's quivering lips with his own then, causing a shivering Merlin to avert his eyes elsewhere. Their intimacy was too much to take in at once as he couldn't help but seethe in jealousy.
"Uther would kill them if he saw what they're doing," Merlin jumped in shock when Sir Leon sat beside him.
"Gwen, yes. Arthur? I don't think so," he replied, his curious eyes finding the lovesick pair again.
"You're right. He wouldn't spare Guinevere's life and he almost killed her before, when he believed she enchanted Arthur," Sir Leon wrung his fingers.
"But she didn't. Gwen isn't a sorcerer," Merlin replied, his eyes cloudy as the past flashed across his mind.
"I know. If that nameless sorcerer was found, then I would bet a pouch of gold coins that he'd never see the light of any day," Sir Leon crowed, unknowing of Merlin's talents and identity.
At the realization that he still sees the light of every other day, Merlin smiled broadly. "Oh, I'm sure," he said, nonetheless.
Merlin observed that Gwen was crying. Again. Lately, she's been crying a lot, he noted. Maybe, the only way she could express her love and concern for Arthur is through weeping.
"Merlin, would you mind if I asked you a question?" Sir Leon chose his words carefully. He didn't know how to approach this subject without being overly invasive.
Judging by his serious tone, Merlin supposed it was important and focused his attention – physical and mental, on Sir Leon. "Sure, Sir Leon."
"Do you…" Leon paused. Then, sighed. "Do you love Guinevere?" he finally asked, looking straight into Merlin's sapphire eyes, which now seemed black due to lack of light in the clearing of the tunnels.
"What?!" Merlin exclaimed disbelievingly, accompanied by a series of laughs.
"It was a genuine doubt. You always watch her. So, I thought…" he trailed off.
"No, you're mistaken. I've no romantic feelings for her, whatsoever. She's my friend and that is all," he replied, clutching his paining stomach.
"Since you always watch her when she's with Arthur," finally, the pieces of Sir Leon's puzzle clicked into their respective places. "I thought you were scrutinizing her." Leon kept this newfound information to himself. It wasn't Guinevere who beheld Merlin's interest but Arthur!
"No. What Arthur and Gwen have is special. I don't belong there," Merlin said longingly.
Sir Leon spoke no further. They sat, relishing in the feel of unspoken camaraderie.
"I must deploy the men to their stations for the night. I'll get going," Sir Leon vocalized after a long pause.
"And I have chores to do," Merlin waved at Sir Leon as he left.
As night fell and the knights resumed their duties, Merlin found himself seated in front of the fire, keeping watch over the sleeping men. Arthur and Sir Caridoc accompanied him with Arthur jabbing at him with sarcastic words before he assumed his duty as the sitter for a part of the night. Sir Leon and Sir Vidor were fast asleep. They were more exhausted than any others since they had little to no sleep the previous night. Merlin was almost asleep on his drawn up knees when he heard Arthur call out his name.
"Sire?" he yawned, rubbing his eyes to wakefulness.
"Sleepyhead," Arthur yawned too.
"Says the one who's yawning like a mule," Merlin commented and groaned when Arthur smacked the backside of his head.
"Say something," Arthur urged after a brief hiatus.
Merlin stayed quiet, staring into the crackling fire.
"Merlin?"
He didn't answer.
"I'll hit you if you will not answer to your Prince. I command you to speak to me," Arthur apprised.
"What do you want me to say, Sire?" Merlin drawled.
"You are awfully disrespectful to me, you know that?" Arthur demanded.
"No, Sire, I am not. It is you who treats me like a punching bag," Merlin clarified.
Arthur didn't reply and Merlin sagged into himself. Gwen was sleeping soundly in the summery corner that Arthur found for her by perusing the entire area. Arthur's furry coat hugged her frame and Merlin noted in the back of his mind to wash it over and over again till it was void of Gwen's jasmine scent. He would do that when they return to Camelot, safe and sound.
"Merlin?" Arthur called out again.
He was like a child who couldn't sit still for at least a few moments.
"Yes, Arthur?" Merlin dropped pleasantries and addressed Arthur informally.
"I like it when you address me by my name. Have I ever told you that?" Arthur revealed.
Merlin's head snapped towards Arthur in confusion but Arthur was looking at the dwindling fire. As if he could rouse flames through his stare alone, he fixated his gaze upon the flames.
"You need to sleep. Now," Merlin stated. He was sure that Arthur's lack of sleep and rest made him delirious. That was why he was uttering nonsensical words.
"No, I do not want to sleep and you can't make me sleep, Merlin, because I am your Prince and you will do as I say. Now, sit and answer my question," yeah, Arthur's delirious. Merlin confirmed it.
"No, you haven't told me," Merlin replied, unable to disobey Arthur's commands.
"I did now," Arthur answered.
Merlin's heart beat faster. Any thoughts of sleep have long fled him. Instead, apprehension held him by the reins and he was dancing in a very weird territory. He didn't know what to do.
"You must know this Merlin. You are a good servant though I state otherwise. I wish you'd be there with me. Always," Arthur's gaze shifted to rest on Merlin. His eyes were droopy and they would've fallen shut if not for Merlin's hankering gaze that filled Arthur's eyes till their brims.
Merlin's eyes had always been very… intense to Arthur. The way Merlin looked at him was just like fire licking on his skin ever so slightly. There was something about his eyes that Arthur always felt drawn to. Arthur leaned in to get a closer look at Merlin's eyes and Merlin drew back, away from the young Prince.
"Arthur, you are not in your right mind. You need to sleep now," Merlin's voice was low and husky, his heart a racing mess, as he willed Arthur to let him go.
This was torture to Merlin. He didn't want to hear these words from Arthur. A snide, arrogant, condescending and supercilious Arthur was fine with him but not a nice, warm, loving and delirious Arthur. The latter one belonged to Gwen and if Arthur remembered these moments the following day, he would have a fit. That would ultimately lead to him overworking Merlin.
"Yes, I suppose you are right. I need to sleep," Arthur shifted a bit and Merlin stiffened when Arthur used his thigh as his pillow for the night.
He tried removing his leg from under Arthur's head but stopped when Arthur turned around and faced him.
"Stay. I'm tired," he yawned and fell into a deep slumber within seconds.
Merlin didn't dare move. A small part in the back of his heart felt guilty but a larger part relished and rejoiced in the feel of Arthur's head over his lap. He carded his fingers through Arthur's soft golden locks and felt the Prince relax under his ministrations.
"Sir Caridoc?" he called out and he raised a brow when he entered the clearing and saw Arthur fast asleep in Merlin's lap, Merlin combing his fingers through Arthur's hair unconsciously. Servants never did that and Princes never stayed too close to their servants. Yet, he said nothing. It wasn't his place to say anything to the Prince or his manservant. Merlin had always been different; special, even, to their Prince Arthur.
"I'll wake Sir Leon and Sir Vidor. You and I need to rest now," he replied and left.
Later in the night when Sir Leon made his way into the clearing, he found Merlin reposed on Arthur's right shoulder, his left arm encircling Arthur's back while Arthur slept on his left in Merlin's lap. His momentary shock turned into a smile and he left the clearing to join Sir Vidor.
"Merlin!" a voice rumbled in his head, inducing a heavy pain in its walls.
Merlin shook his head to free himself of the voice and rested it down on the slab on which he was sleeping. The slab was soft and warm, surprisingly.
"Young warlock, you need to wake up now!" the voice in his head seemed so frantic that he shot up, his eyes wide open and his sleep addled brain now alert.
"What?" he gasped when he realized where he'd been sleeping. He drooled all over Arthur's shirt on his shoulder and Merlin tried to scrub it away with his own shirt. It had to dry before morning, he surmised eventually.
"Young warlock, I have a matter of paramount importance to discuss with you. Your presence is gravely vital," he heard the great dragon's voice in his head.
"You can't possibly expect me to run out of this tunnel. You can talk to me like this, can't you?" Merlin spoke back through his mind.
"No, not for long, young warlock and I expect you to meet me at the entrance to this tunnel," the dragon replied calmly. Merlin let out a deep breath.
"Okay. I'm coming. I hope this is as important as you say it is," Merlin replied.
"Indeed, it is!" the dragon assured.
What will the Great Old Dragon say to the young warlock?
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~ Wheezy.