Evermore
Chapter 7: Hello Goodbye
Characters~ Arthur & Merlin
Disclaimer~ Yeah—don't own Merlin in any way, shape, or form. (Arthur does XD)
Warnings~ young prince!Arthur and young poor!Merlin, some OOC because they're kids, and fluffy slash/boys' love ~wO
Music on My Mind~ Name by the Goo Goo Dolls (don't own)
Notes from the KIT-chan~
The end is near.
Just saying. XD
Many thanks to everyone who's been following/reviewing. ^_^
Enjoy~ :D
.::.*~K. Shadow~*.::.
~o~
They had kept Her Majesty upstairs in the master bedroom since her condition had been very critical at that point, and the doctors had considered it far too dangerous to move her to the emergency room itself.
By the time Merlin had reached Arthur's room, he had already seen the blonde sitting on his bed by the window, his head drooping almost like how a withering flower would. At that moment, Morgana had tugged on the raven's sleeve, and he had glanced down to see her nod once to him before turning to leave him alone in front of the threshold.
Merlin winced as he turned back to look at the prince once more, then took a deep breath and quietly stepped into the room.
At the sound of his light footsteps, Arthur had stirred and raised his head. But he didn't look back once to acknowledge the other's presence.
At that, the raven had stood there in silence, waiting for the slightest possible response from the latter. Then he had sucked in a gulp of air and timidly glanced down at his feet.
"...how's your Mum?" Merlin had begun in a clear, even tone.
No response.
Merlin swallowed deep that instant, then opened his mouth to speak again. "Is she...okay?"
Silence.
After a while, Arthur had merely lowered his head, slowly shaking it in response with a pained expression worn on his hidden face.
At that moment, the raven couldn't help but wince again at him, then tried to speak once more. Though this time, his words had only come out in a hushed murmur.
"...are you still mad at me?" he had asked.
There was a long pause.
That instant, the blonde had let out a small sigh, finally turning around to face the other with his head still hung low.
"...I was never mad at you," Arthur replied in a soft but hoarse voice. "You were only trying to help." He bit his lip. "If there was anyone I was mad at this morning...it was only at myself for not believing the truth."
The prince closed his eyes, his voice sombre at that point. "I'm sorry if I hurt you earlier. I never meant to yell at you like that," he murmured, lips twitching as if he were still trying to search for the right words to say at that moment. But only this came out of his mouth after a minute's worth of waiting:
"Are you mad at me?"
That instant, Arthur had reluctantly looked up to meet his friend's soft, unwavering gaze.
"No," the raven replied, shaking his head at the blonde.
At that, the Pendragon had nodded quietly and lowered his head again, biting his lip once more.
Almost immediately, Merlin had stepped forward to approach Arthur and wrapped his arms around him.
In response, the blonde let out a sigh, returning his embrace and leaning his head on the other's shoulder. "Father wanted me to stay away from you after I found out what he was doing...but I refused to listen. It wasn't fair. None of it was even your fault in the first place," he breathed. "Merlin—I really don't think I deserve to be your friend, especially someone like me..."
The raven slowly shook his head at him, calmly pulling the prince even closer. "That's not true. I'll always be your best friend, no matter what," he replied in a genuine, reassuring tone. Then he shifted back slightly to take the other's finger in his palm and stared straight into his wide eyes that instant, his mouth slowly curving up into a smile. "And I'll never, ever leave your side...unless you tell me to yourself. You know I'll always be here for you, Arthur..." he grinned, giving his finger a gentle squeeze.
At that, Arthur had glanced down at Merlin's hand, gingerly holding his index finger that instant. Then he closed his eyes and smiled himself, slowly bringing his hand up to place it over his best friend's.
~o~
For the next half hour, the two had done nothing but stay inside the prince's bedroom, silently watching the rain fall outside on the windowpane while Morgana had been seated in the back, combing her doll's hair again.
"The doctors said that she'd have a few more days at best," Arthur had spoken in a hushed tone, sadly peering down at the vacant streets outside. "They told us that the least we could do now is just wait and give Mother as much rest as she needs, since it's already far too late to give her anything for treatment."
Merlin glanced over at the blonde, his eyes sympathetic but concerned.
The prince had only shaken his head, turning away from the window to bury his face into his hands, and took a deep breath. "I still can't believe that Father could do such a thing behind her back, especially now that her condition's like this..."
The raven frowned.
Soon, Arthur exhaled sharply, raising his head for a moment to look at his best friend. "It still amazes me, though, that you were able to hear them fighting long before I could."
In that instant, the young warlock had held his breath.
Morgana had stopped brushing her doll's hair and glanced up to smile at the two of them. "How could he not, cousin? Why, he could probably hear anything with ears the size of satellite—"
Immediately she had stopped when the blonde began to sternly narrow his eyes at her.
But Merlin only begun to laugh upon seeing the serious expression on his friend's face at that moment and couldn't help but lightly prod the latter by the shoulder. "Oh, it's all right—lighten up for once, will you?"
At that, the duchess giggled, placing her doll on the bed beside her. "Of course it's just a joke. You don't think I'd really insult Merlin like that, would you?"
In response, Arthur had rolled his eyes at the two and let out a sigh. "Well, you do it to me all the time."
In that instant, the room became filled with laughter again, this time the prince joining along.
Though it wasn't until after a few more minutes when the raven had been the first to cease, his face suddenly solemn towards the blonde beside him.
Immediately, all became silent as they had been before, their eyes directed at once towards the young warlock hanging his head.
That moment, Arthur's expression was filled with concern as he shifted closer towards his best friend.
"What's wrong?"
A pause.
Merlin had closed his eyes briefly, swallowing deep for a minute. Then he tentatively opened his mouth to break the dead silence with a soft, hushed murmur.
"Maybe...it is time that you knew the whole truth now."
In that instant, the prince's eyes became slightly perplexed with thought. "What do you mean by that?"
Soon after that, Morgana's countenance had grown apprehensive, and she had quickly sat up on the bed to meet the raven's sad gaze. "Oh, Merlin...you're not talking about—"
The young warlock lowered his head, nodding once with a grimace.
"Yes," he replied in a firm and even tone, biting his own lower lip. He exhaled sharply, raising his gaze to look intently into Arthur's ocean blue irises. "I am."
By that time, it had already stopped raining outside.
~o~
(Along the usual path)
"How much further?" Arthur had asked, trailing along a mere few feet behind his best friend.
"Just a little closer," Merlin called over his shoulder, making his way through the tall grass and bushes that surrounded the two of them that instant.
The blonde had let out a sigh, reluctantly proceeding to follow the raven into the shrubs. "What is it you need to show me, anyway?"
Before long, the two had stopped in front of a tall tree, and Merlin had stiffened where he was, his face rigid and slightly fearful.
"...something I should have told you from the very beginning."
At this, Arthur had raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest. "Huh. All right, then..."
There was a long pause.
Soon, the young warlock had taken a deep breath before turning to look at the other with a grim countenance. "Arthur...before I show you what you're about to see, do you promise you'll still think of me as a normal person?" He winced. "Even if you...wouldn't want to be my friend anymore?"
In that instant, the prince's face had grown solemn. "Is it really that serious?" he replied, his tone a bit apprehensive.
Merlin turned away from him and slowly nodded once. "Yeah."
Another moment's worth of silence.
Then Arthur glanced up at the tree before shifting his gaze back towards the raven. He sighed. "Merlin. I'm sure that whatever it is I'm about to see beyond these bushes will not change a single thing that I already think about you. I mean...come on—after everything we've been through together, you know we'll still be best friends." He paused briefly, his voice now a bit softer. "After all...you've always been there for me, haven't you?"
That instant, the latter turned to look at the blonde with timid eyes.
Arthur lowered his head, continuing just above a hushed whisper. "You were the first to understand me for who I really was." He raised his gaze towards Merlin. "...maybe it's time I did the same for you, too."
At this, the young warlock held his breath, his hands slowly clenching and unclenching into fists. Then he closed his eyes and exhaled sharply.
"You promise that you won't run away?"
The prince took a deep breath. "I promise," he replied in an even tone. With that, he reached over and calmly took the other's finger in his palm. "Now show me what it was that you wanted me to see."
At that moment, Merlin had paused for a few minutes. Then after a while he had finally brought himself to shift over to the side, revealing a delicate but beautiful green rose settled in the tall grass that grew at the foot of the great tree standing before them.
Almost immediately as he quickly recognized the familiar flower, the blonde's breath had hitched, and in an instant, he had moved closer to get a better look at the latter, his eyes widening tenfold as he watched the green rose glimmering majestically under the dim moonlight.
"But...how—" he gasped, his mouth almost gaping at that point.
In that instant, Arthur suddenly turned around to look at the raven, only to see his hand held out towards him, a dazzling ball of light now emanating from his very palm.
At this, the prince had stiffened, until he had carefully raised his gaze to meet two, amber-gold irises shimmering in the dark. Merlin winced as he saw the other's face become rigid, then timidly lowered his eyes to look at the small ball of light resting in his hand.
~o~
Soon, the two of them were sitting near the riverbank, watching as the young warlock played with the magical light that he had made.
At the same time, Arthur had watched the shining sphere, observing as it sank into the dark waters before suddenly reappearing from another part of the river. Then he had swallowed deep, staring down at his feet.
"You mean to tell me that all along, the dragonlord...was your father?"
"Yeah," Merlin replied nonchalantly, effortlessly moving the light towards the trees.
The blonde had thought for a moment, then glanced over at the raven. "So all this time...you've been—"
"Yes."
At that, Arthur nodded once and sighed, closing his eyes. "...I see."
The young warlock let out a sharp exhale, slightly raising his hand to spin the radiant ball up into the air. "Are you mad?"
The prince slowly shook his head. "No—not at all," he replied in a sincere and even tone. "I just wish...you could have told me sooner."
That instant, Merlin had stiffened and dropped the little light deep into the river, quickly ceasing its radiance.
For a moment, it was silent between the two of them.
"...I'm sorry."
Arthur's breath hitched.
The raven lowered his eyes, then looked away from him, his voice now soft and timorous. "It's just that—well...I was afraid."
The blonde's eyes softened that instant before he'd turned to look at his best friend. "But you weren't scared to do anything in front of Morgana?"
Merlin slowly shook his head. "I couldn't do anything to hide what she'd already seen." There was a brief pause. "And it was an accident that she'd gotten caught in my time-frame spell with my brothers and sisters back at the square when you left. There was nothing else to do but give her the whole truth then."
Silence.
At that moment, Merlin sighed, turning to glance at him. "Look—I'm not lying when I say that I don't use magic all that often. Just when I really need it the most, or when I'm not thinking at the very least."
Arthur took a deep breath, turning to meet his best friend's gaze. "...I never said you were," he replied evenly, taking the other's finger in his hand.
The young warlock's eyes softened on him that instant. Then he raised his head to look up at the stars in the night sky and began to speak just above a soft murmur.
"People are always unpredictable when they decide to judge others based on what they see. I mean, that's really what happened with the dragonlo—my father and the villagers."
At that point, the prince's gaze continued to stay upon his best friend beside him.
Merlin paused for a minute, then closed his eyes and hung his head. "It's lonely...to be more powerful than any man you know and have to live like a shadow. To be special and, and have to pretend you're a fool. I've been hiding my powers for...God knows how long now. And all this time...I guess my mum's just been hiding my true identity to protect my feelings and to save me from Camelot's eyes."
Arthur winced at him, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "I don't blame either of you."
The raven exhaled sharply, then turned to look at his friend with pained eyes.
In an instant, he found himself lying in the blonde's comforting, almost protective arms. Merlin sniffled, resting his chin on the prince's shoulder.
"...you're not going to tell anyone, are you? Your father?" he whispered softly.
Arthur held his breath, then put his hand in the middle of the other's back.
"Of course not," he murmured in a soft, reassuring voice, holding the other close. "Not in a million years."
~o~
"So...this rose—did you grow it by yourself?"
Merlin shrugged at the blonde as he continued to observe the tiny flower before him. "I guess so," he replied. "But my father was the one who gave me the seed in the first place. I just planted it here when Mum and I first arrived here with my siblings."
At that moment, Arthur smiled, scrutinizing his warm gaze on the delicate green rose. "Huh...it kind of reminds you of the flower the Little Prince left behind in the storybook, doesn't it? Though this one's a lot more special than it looks...are there any more of them around here?"
The raven slowly shook his head. "I'm afraid not." He winced. "That one's actually the last of its kind."
In that instant, the prince's face gradually became sad. "Oh," he responded dismally, lowering his gaze away from the rose.
At that, Merlin's eyes had softened on the latter. "...we can still save her, you know," he spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. "We can still help your mum," he finished with a grimace.
In response, Arthur froze and looked up at the raven. "But how?"
For a minute, the young warlock had thought long and hard. "Well...you could take the rose if you want and give it to her."
Immediately, the blonde's expression grew tense, and he abruptly rose to his feet to gaze worriedly at his best friend. "No, Merlin...you said that this is..."
Merlin let out a sigh, closing his eyes that instant. "It's okay. Besides, your mother needs it a lot more than I do."
At that moment, Arthur looked at him, then tentatively glanced over at the green rose, still glimmering under the moonlight.
"...are you sure? What if something happens—"
The raven slowly shook his head. "It doesn't matter," he replied softly. "You love your mum more than anything in the world. I can understand that myself, even if I don't have a father anymore." He paused. "More so, I don't want her to die, either." With that, he raised his gaze to meet the other's. "Take the rose—it'll be fine, I promise."
That instant, the blonde had still been hesitant towards his best friend's wholehearted offer. But in the end, he had brought himself to pick the flower from the tall grass and stood up from where he was with his eyes closed.
Arthur sighed. "Merlin..."
The young warlock listened silently.
There was a long pause. "...you really are one of a kind."
At that, Merlin's eyes had softened.
~o~
Later on that night, as the young warlock had been getting himself settled for bed, he couldn't help but look out his own window and cast a magnifying charm to view the room where Ygraine could be seen lying asleep with Arthur staying vigilantly at his mother's side.
By that time, he had already placed the green rose in the small vase of flowers on the nightstand near them, but the blonde himself had looked more like he was the one who'd been sick.
At that moment, Merlin sighed, then shifted his gaze to get a closer look.
Then all of a sudden, a wise voice could be heard not far from behind him that instant.
"Are you sure you made the right decision in placing the final green rose under the young prince's possession?" Kilgarrah asked as he began to climb onto the raven's nightstand.
There was a pause.
"You know that there is no turning back once that flower is used—"
But Merlin only closed his eyes. "He needs it now more than ever," he cut in, his face solemn at that point. "Her Majesty is already dying as we speak...and it's killing Arthur, too." After that, his voice had begun to falter slightly. "I don't want him to feel the same way I did...when I lost Dad."
In that instant, the great reptile fell silent.
At this, the raven sucked in a gulp of air, then slowly turned to face the lizard with an almost heartbroken countenance. "Kilgarrah?" he began in a reluctant, quavering tone. "He's really not coming back...is he?"
Silence.
The latter had closed his eyes and lowered his head in response, his expression sombre that moment. "I am truly sorry, young warlock."
~o~
That same time, Arthur had still been watching over his mother, his hand gingerly holding hers. He had not slept nor eaten since his arrival from the river with his best friend.
Ygraine had let out a faint moan, slowly opening her eyes to see her darling son half-asleep at her bedside. At that, she had shifted slightly in her position to gaze upon him with soft eyes of concern. "Arthur."
In response, the young prince stirred, tiredly raising his head. "Yes, Mother?"
"...are you not going to bed anytime soon? It's so late, and for you to be still up at this time..."
But Arthur had only yawned at the Queen, placing his head down on the bed again. "It's alright, Mum. I don't want to leave you here by yourself."
In that instant, Ygraine's eyes had softened more on the blonde before she had briefly shifted her gaze over to recognise the green rose her child had brought for her shining dimly in the vase beside her.
Arthur had let out another yawn, then gave his mother's hand a gentle squeeze. "Merlin gave that to me so that I could give it to you to make you feel better," he sighed. "We've already been told so many times that it would do wonders for the people you love..."
At that, the Queen had smiled and calmly put her hand on the other's shoulder. "That's very thoughtful of him...has he forgiven you, Arthur?"
The blonde nodded once, then rested his head again. "Yeah...we're friends again, Mum."
There was a pause.
He swallowed deep and closed his eyes, the next few words soft-spoken. "...have you forgiven Father?"
No response.
Ygraine hesitated for a minute, then stroked her son's hair back. "For a long time now I have," she replied softly, looking at the young prince. "He doesn't realise it yet, but no matter what, I've already pardoned him for everything that I know deep in my heart that he never meant to do.
Silence.
"Have you forgiven him as well?"
That instant, Arthur's breath had hitched slightly. "...I don't know yet," he responded in a hushed whisper.
At this, Her Majesty nodded quietly. "I understand," she replied, glancing out the window to stare up at the night sky. "But remember this, my little prince: he loves you and me too much to have any intent in purposely bringing harm to us just for his sake. The final choice is always up to you."
Suddenly, the blonde tensed and raised his head from the bed, his face a bit incredulous. "Mother—he lied to us—"
"Everybody makes mistakes," Ygraine murmured. "Even your father, once in a while. We are only human, after all. Nobody's perfect."
In that instant, Arthur let out a small sigh and lowered his gaze to the floor.
The Queen exhaled sharply before shifting her eyes over towards the Emrys home just across the street from them. "Besides...I'm sure Merlin thought of that as well in the moments where you two had been apart for such a long time." She was silent for a minute as she turned back to glance over at the green rose near them. "See how much he really cares for you?" she asked softly, looking down to meet her beloved son's gaze. "It's almost a surprise that you two aren't brothers."
The blonde's eyes softened almost immediately.
Ygraine gave a warm smile, then moved her hand to the latter's chin. "You can even see it in his eyes...that same look of burden I always tend to see in yours, my little prince. That desperate urge to be accepted by the world revolving around you..."
At that moment, Arthur held his breath.
"...it is like the both of you are two sides of the same coin," she finished, kissing him on the forehead. "So long as this earth continues to turn, you may as well be the only people in the world who can truly be able to understand each other for who you both are. Stay at his side for me, love, huh?"
The blonde tensed slightly, then closed his eyes and let out a sharp exhale. "...Mum?"
"Yes, Arthur?"
"...you're not going to leave me, right?"
For a moment, the room had grown silent.
In response, Ygraine had glanced down at her child with eyes filled with sadness. But then she took him into her arms and embraced him with all her heart. "I love you, dear—so, so, so much that I would never, ever dream of leaving you behind. But you know what?" she asked, gazing intently into the young Pendragon's eyes.
He swallowed deep. "What?"
At that, the Queen's eyes grew warm that instant. "The ones that love us...never really leave us," she murmured. "You can always find them...in here," she finished, placing her hand over where the other's heart resided.
In that instant, Arthur's eyes softened on his mother. He winced, then immediately wrapped his arms around her.
"I love you, Mother..." he whispered, sucking in a gulp of air. "Please get better soon..."
Ygraine closed her eyes and let out a small sigh. "I'll always love you, my little prince."
~o~
Soon enough, when the two of them had finally fallen asleep, Merlin had decided to visit the room to check and see if everything had been all right as it should be. But first, he had cast a time-frame spell over the place, then turned to see the green rose still intact on the nightstand beside mother and son.
At first, the raven was relieved to see Arthur's mother peaceful and relaxed beside her son that instant. However, when he had reached over to touch her hand, he tensed immediately when he had noticed that it was cold as ice.
That moment, Merlin quickly shrank back in horror, his eyes wide with disbelief. But how could this be? Why hasn't it... At that, he became flustered, his eyes darting frantically from Her Majesty to the rose beside them.
The rose didn't do anything...she's about to die...
Before long, he was standing motionless in the room with his hands on his head, trying to remember anxiously if he possibly knew any healing spells that could be put to some use at that point in order to buy some time...
But that had not been until Her Majesty had calmly reached over to take his hand into her palm, in spite of the time-frame spell itself, for magic had no power over death.
In that instant, Merlin had stiffened where he was, and looked at the Queen with sad, weary eyes. "Your Majesty, I..."
Ygraine smiled at the raven, then turned to look at the sleeping blonde next to her. "I am deeply grateful to you for being such a good friend to Arthur, Merlin. And the same most definitely goes...for what you have decided to sacrifice just for my sake," she spoke, turning to glance over at the green rose between the two of them.
The young warlock's eyes softened on her that instant.
"But I am well aware of your intention for me—as well as the purpose of this very flower, for I knew your mother and father long before you were even born. And I'm afraid that this rose...is not truly meant for me, love. I am not the only one that Arthur holds in his heart right now," the Queen continued, shifting her gaze towards Merlin.
At that, the raven had been nothing more than speechless to what he could possibly say that moment.
But then Ygraine had given his hand a gentle squeeze, and he had looked up from his reverie to stare solemnly into her dim, sapphire blue irises. "Listen to me well, young one, when I say that...it is no longer my destiny on this earth to stay here with my son...and his father, who I have already long forgiven at this point."
In response, Merlin nodded once and swallowed. Then Her Majesty went on in a calm, hushed tone.
"Through my eyes, you are indeed the only one in this world who could possibly share the same genuine feelings as the little prince himself..." she continued, glancing over at Arthur for a brief minute before closing her eyes. "...as he also understands the similar burden that he knows in his heart that you still continue to bear for him."
The latter's breath hitched.
That instant, she sighed softly, gingerly holding the raven's hand. "Merlin—I am entrusting you to watch over him for me...please..." she breathed. "He will need a hand to hold—a voice to guide him later on. Someone to help him find a purpose just as I know you continue to seek for yourself..." She cleared her throat, staring intently into the young warlock's eyes. "As his friend, I beg of you...not to leave his side even once."
At that point, Ygraine's face was pale, and Merlin was sad to feel the light begin to leave her eyes much as he had known. With this, he had held back a sob and nodded once to the Queen, struggling to hold back the tears that had begun to roll down both of his cheeks.
In response, Her Majesty gave a small smile before finally closing her eyes to breathe one last time. "Thank you...love..."
Soon after that, her arm had gone limp, and the raven had listened sadly as her heart had cease beating. Then, when all was quiet, he had let go of Ygraine's hand, slowly placing it on top of her stomach.
At the same time, as he started to back away from the bed, the spell had directly begun to wear off and time continued as it should have.
Arthur stirred beside his beloved mother and sighed, rubbing his eyes.
But immediately, the raven became fearful and quickly cloaked himself with an invisibility charm, disappearing from sight that instant.
The prince let out a yawn, then sat up to look at Ygraine as she was at that point—lifeless...and cold.
"...Mother?" the young Pendragon murmured, gently shaking the Queen's shoulder.
No response.
At that moment, Arthur's eyes widened, and he shook his mother's shoulder even more, now frantic and distraught. "Mother!" he cried, his hand trembling that instant.
Tears were still coming down from Merlin's cheeks as he left the Pendragon Manor and swiftly made his way back home unnoticed by the servants and bodyguards present. Why, even as he hastily crawled back, the young warlock could still hear his best friend's anguish as he pulled the sheets over his very head.
And from that point, he began to cry as well, slowly shaking his head and closing his eyes to let out a choked sob.
Why? Why did this have to happen?
~o~
The next day, Arthur had avoided Merlin at all costs. But the raven himself had respected that in consideration of the lament the young Pendragon had obviously still been feeling over the loss of his beloved mother.
That afternoon, he had done nothing but run out to the river through the usual path and threw rocks into the water to let out his own sorrow, forlornly looking back at the empty spot where the green rose once stood.
After a while, Merlin had let out a sigh and slowly shook his head from side to side, for he knew himself at that point...that Arthur would not talk to him for days.
And it wasn't until the week had passed did the raven finally decide to confront the grieving blonde...one stormy morning.
~o~
From his bedroom window, Merlin could see that it was definitely raining hard outside, the clouds dark and the wind as fierce as could be. But that would not stop him from seeing his beloved friend, for otherwise it would all be too late. He had no choice.
Much to the young warlock's surprise, there had been two large moving trucks parked in front of the Pendragon Manor, and numerous servants could be seen on the sidelines carrying various cardboard boxes. This had only meant one thing to him that point: that the King and his family were going away—for good.
The fact alone had already alarmed poor Merlin himself, though he had not quite noticed the small police car stationed behind the enormous trucks. The raven had already been more than halfway down the steps when Molly had stopped him from leaving through the front door.
"Mum said you can't go there today. It's too dangerous now, Merlin."
At that moment, he had frozen right in his tracks and turned to face his sibling with a grim expression on his face. "And why's that? Where is she, anyway?"
Molly hesitated for a minute, then lowered her eyes to the floor, speaking in a hushed murmur. "She's straightening things out with His Majesty himself. There are police officers investigating his home," she spoke before pausing again. After that, she'd swallowed deep and looked intently into her brother's eyes. "The King found out about the rose and how you snuck into the manor the other night...using magic."
Dead silence.
"Brother—he's accusing you for Queen Ygraine's death."
In an instant, the raven's face had grown even more rigid. He let out a sharp exhale, then turned away from the brunette with wide eyes and a grimace. "But I didn't do any of the sort," he replied solemnly that moment. He bit his bottom lip, then looked up at his younger sister. "Arthur's mother passed away on her own due to natural causes. I saw it with my own eyes. You've got to believe me, Molly. None of it was my fault, and magic had nothing to do with it, I swear."
There was a long pause. "...so you did sneak into the manor last night."
"But I didn't kill her," the young warlock responded. "I only went to check on Arthur...to see if he and his mother were alright. The green rose didn't work...I couldn't let him watch her die. All I did was a small time-frame spell and an invisibility charm to keep me hidden..."
I became the one to see her on the verge of death instead, he desolately thought to himself, wincing.
"Brother, that's what they're looking at right now," Molly answered in a worried tone. "You still used magic. They're checking to see if you did anything else while on those lines."
Merlin sighed. "What? You think I did something?"
"Of course not," the other replied. "But His Majesty thinks so, and he's already obtained a few witnesses—servants and maids who managed to catch brief glimpses of you sneaking into and out of the master bedroom..."
At that moment, the raven nodded quietly and closed his eyes, hanging his head. "...and Arthur? Has he said anything?" he murmured softly.
In response, Molly frowned and slowly shook her head. "No."
With that, Merlin exhaled sharply. "I see." He paused, then turned to make his way to the front door. But that was when the brunette immediately ran over to grab his arm.
"Where are you going?" she asked worriedly, trying to hold his older brother back.
In that instant, the raven pursed his lips and spoke in an even tone. "He's hurt—I have to see him. I don't care what the King says."
At this, the other's eyes had widened tenfold. "But they'll catch you!" she cried back, her grip now firm on him. "Uther's guards are out there—"
The young warlock only shook his head. "Then let them be," he replied nonchalantly, placing his hand on the doorknob.
Click. "Merlin, please! Don't be too hasty!" Molly begged desperately.
Slam. "I've already lost Dad, alright!"
Suddenly, the room grew silent.
By that time, the brunette had already embraced him from behind. At that, Merlin's eyes were bleak, staring aimlessly at the floor. "I don't want to lose Arthur, too..." he spoke in a choked whisper.
Molly's expression grew solemn. "Merlin, I..."
The raven closed his eyes and let out a small sigh. "You knew all along it was Father, didn't you? Mum and everyone else but me..."
At that moment, the other had winced, loosening her grasp on him that instant.
"...we were just trying to protect you," she murmured softly. "We didn't want you to get hurt."
Merlin sucked in a gulp of air, then exhaled sharply. "You never had to do that for me, Molly. Father wanted me to protect you all, not the other way around," he replied, his voice slightly bitter at that point.
The brunette held back a sob, tears beginning to roll down her pale cheeks. "Brother...I'm sorry..."
At that point, tears welled up under the raven's eyes as well. But soon enough, he brought himself to shake his sister off his back and ran headlong out into the rainy streets.
~o~
By that time, all had already gone inside to dry off from the inclement weather, so it wasn't hard for Merlin to sprint across the street to ring the doorbell to the mansion before him.
"Arthur?" the young warlock cried, glancing through the window in desperation. "It's me, Merlin. Open up."
It hadn't been until after a few minutes of waiting did the door open to reveal a sleep-deprived, stern Uther Pendragon glaring down at him with intent eyes. "What do you want now?" he asked in a harsh tone.
At that moment, Merlin gulped, stepping back from the doorway a little. "Is...is Arthur home?"
But the King had only sighed, slowly shaking his head at him in response. "I have no obligation to answer that question, boy, for you should not even be here in the first place. You have been absolutely nothing more than a bad influence to my son ever since the moment he met you, and for the last time, I will ask that you leave my property this instant, or face the consequences I shall bring upon you and your family."
At this, the raven had backed away with wide eyes. "Sir, I..."
"You have already done enough. If you do not leave now," Uther barked, his eyes still intent on him. "I will have both you and your mother arrested for obstruction—no more questions asked." With that, he stepped back into the foyer and shut the door in front of him.
In that instant, Merlin did nothing but stand helplessly out in the pouring rain, staring at the door with pained eyes.
But that had not been until he had seen Morgana run out from the back and run up the steps to meet him herself.
"Merlin," she spoke solemnly, taking the young warlock's hand and looking up at him with a serious expression. "...Arthur ran away."
At that moment, the raven froze, slowly letting go of her hand. "What..."
He'd looked away for a minute, then immediately ran off towards the only place he only knew where his friend could be at that point.
~o~
As soon as Merlin had reached the river, the blonde could already be seen standing near the water, faint, bitter tears rolling down both his cheeks as he clutched a small green rose in his hands that instant.
At this, the raven's eyes had softened, and without thinking even once, he began to approach the grieving prince.
But as Arthur heard the latter's light footsteps in the rain and noticed his presence, all that he had done was look down at the flower with disdain and speak to the young warlock in a cold, impassive tone.
"It didn't work."
In that instant, Merlin had stopped in his tracks and swallowed deep, raising an arm to comfort the blonde before him. "Arthur...I..."
The Pendragon only exhaled sharply and abruptly turned away from him. "Stay away from me," he replied through clenched teeth.
At that, the raven began to feel hurt inside, lowering his head to stare forlornly at the wet grass. "I'm really sorry," he spoke, just above a hushed whisper.
No response.
"I know that you loved your Mum a lot, and I understand how much it hurts for you to lose her like this...but I promise you I thought of everything I could to try and save her..."
Arthur slowly shook his head and closed his eyes in agony.
At that moment, Merlin stared at him with pained eyes.
But then the prince sucked in a gulp of air and exhaled sharply. There was a pause. "It's okay," he replied in that same emotionless voice. "We're leaving today, anyway. You don't have to worry about me."
The raven held his breath and listened with a rigid countenance.
Soon, the blonde had raised his head to stare out into the distance, but he didn't look back at him even once. "Father's decided to take Mother back home to London," he breathed. "He's taking Morgana and me with him, too. We're all staying there for good this time..."
At this, a cord was struck inside the other's heart.
Arthur swallowed deep, then clenched his hands into tight fists. "Hopefully by then I'll have forgotten you, Merlin," he spoke in a cold, acid tone. "Everything that leads me back...to the day we ever met each other."
In that instant, the young warlock winced as a jolt of pain had begun to sear through him, causing his breath to falter for just a few seconds. But he didn't make a sound and hung his head to hide the immense anguish that he'd been enduring at that point.
Before long, Merlin had taken a deep breath before speaking to the blonde in a choked, agonized whisper. "So you're saying...you really going to sever our friendship here—just like this?"
Arthur paused for a minute, then lowered his head in deafening silence.
"Forget me..." the raven mumbled, bitter tears welling up under his eyes. "...like I never did anything for you, Arthur?"
No response.
At this, Merlin quietly nodded once, holding back a sob. "All right. If that's what you want...I understand perfectly," he sniffled, stumbling away from the blonde. "If it's really like that, then...I hope I forget you, too.
Suddenly, the prince's face grew rigid, and he stiffened where he was.
The young warlock sucked in a gulp of air, then continued, wet tears streaming down his pale cheeks. "Maybe it's better this way...so that it won't hurt anymore when I stop thinking about you...the way I've always done up to now."
In that instant, the blonde's eyes widened tenfold.
"Goodbye, Arthur..."
Merlin let out a choked sob, then quickly turned and ran off into the woods without another word.
At that moment, Arthur let out a sharp exhale, remorsefully glancing back to look after the raven as he rushed headlong into the trees behind him. "Merlin...I..."
With much regret, he clenched his teeth and stood there in complete silence.
"So long as this earth continues to turn, you may as well be the only people in the world who can truly be able to understand each other for who you both are," his mother's words began to echo in his ears that instant.
The prince pressed his mouth into a tight line, then immediately ran after his beloved best friend.
The friend...who'd always been there for him ever since the very beginning.
"Merlin!" Arthur called, sprinting after the young raven.
~o~
Merlin ran as fast as he could through the small forest, tears of anguish continuing to fall from his cheeks.
At the same time, the blonde was still rushing after the latter, trying desperately to catch up him as much as he could.
"Merlin! Wait!"
The young warlock sniffled, slowly shaking his head with his eyes closed, for he dared not to look back even once at the prince.
At this, Arthur exhaled sharply, just barely avoiding a stray tree branch from out of the blue. But then he clenched his fists and began to run even faster.
"MERLIN!" the Pendragon cried, his voice echoing through the woods that instant.
Before long, they'd ultimately reached the very end of the path, the two of them sprinting headlong into the middle of the street.
And soon, Arthur had reached his best friend, grabbing the raven's arm and swiftly holding him back. But Merlin had only cried in protest and struggled desolately to shake the latter off.
At that point, the blonde kept his grip steadfast on him and screamed all but a few words at the top of his lungs.
"Look at me!"
Immediately, all had grown silent, and the young warlock had whirled around to meet the other's persistent gaze.
In an instant, Arthur froze right where he was, his mouth gaping as he finally saw for the first time...the agonizing burden itself embedded within Merlin's intent ocean blue eyes...
But suddenly, reality had taken its toll on both when they had seen Molly rushing down the front steps, frantically waving her arms at them with an expression of alarm on her face.
"Merlin! Arthur!" the brunette shrieked, her eyes wide and bulging with fear. "Watch out!"
Soon after that, a shrill blare filled the air around them, and the two had turned around to see a pair of headlights speeding straight towards them...
At that moment, both had just stood there, motionless and shocked.
However, in the end, the young warlock had shifted his gaze over to his best friend, his own eyes gleaming amber-gold...
Beep!
...and without question, shoved the blonde-haired prince out of harm's way.
Thud.
~o~
It was only then that I truly realised...just what Merlin had been carrying inside him this whole time.
And I had even felt the agony itself the minute that I looked into his eyes, as if it were a jolt of electricity running right through me...
But that hadn't been until—
"Merlin! Arthur! Watch out!"
Beep!
In an instant, I found myself flying towards the side of the street, only to catch a single glimpse of Merlin's bright golden eyes...and then, before I knew it, I watched in horror as the car crashed headlong into my best friend.
Soon after that, I had hit the sidewalk, and everything went black.
~o~
It wasn't until a few minutes past when I finally managed to wake up in a slight daze, my head pounding hard as I tried to stand.
What happened... I thought dimly to myself, my arms and legs aching beyond belief.
But suddenly, there was a soft moan from a few feet across from me, and then I heard a weak voice calling my name.
"Arthur..."
Immediately, I held my breath. Merlin.
Hurriedly, I struggled to my knees and raised my head to see him lying there, crumpled and frail on the black pavement before me.
In an instant, I had shifted over to his side, anxiously reaching my arm out to take his pale, bloodstained hand in mine.
"Merlin!"
The both of us were soaking wet. Tears were streaming down his cheeks that moment, his sapphire blue eyes now faint and dull as the stormy clouds above us.
The rain continued to fall.
"Arthur..." Merlin whimpered faintly, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. "It hurts..."
I sucked in a gulp of air, my hand trembling as I held his as close to me as I possibly could. "Merlin..." I murmured painfully, a lump beginning to form in the middle of my throat.
Soon, there was a rumble of thunder, and he fell unconscious before I could say anything more.
At that moment, my eyes had widened in horror. "Merlin—Merlin!" I cried, frantically shaking his hand that instant. But the latter remained inert, his face all but expressionless.
"Help!" I began to shout, instinctively half-raising myself to my feet. "Please! Somebody help!"
But before I knew it, Mrs. Emrys had already rushed over, sobbing as she cradled her son in her arms, and someone from behind had pulled me away, taking me by the arm.
"No! Let me go!" I yelled, trying to wriggle out of the servant—or guard's firm grasp. "He needs me—"
That hadn't been until I'd realised it was Leon holding me back for my own safety and injuries. I let out a sniffle and watched helplessly as Molly and the others approached their mother, kneeling beside their beloved brother in tears.
Even Morgana had begun to cry at that point, and sniffled as she looked at one of Father's servants with an icy glare.
"Well, what are you standing over there for?" she'd spat out at him. "Call an ambulance, for goodness sake!"
~o~
Music on My Mind~ Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls (don't own—even though I probably used this already in another story, I couldn't help but see how it fits more in this one as well... XD)
Notes from the KIT-chan~
Review? ^^";
First things first, I promise you all that Merlin is not dead. In fact, next chapter there's actually be a whole miracle that'll save his life then (involving Arthur and a certain rose TTwTT).
Hope you enjoyed so far~ I didn't mean to make any of you cry if you did... *blows nose* It already broke my heart having to write out this whole thing. X"D But that's similarly what happened in the original story that happened in real life (The one I may have mentioned previously with the two girls. =w="). One died, the other went on living in regret, but I definitely won't be so heartless as to kill Merlin like that—I wouldn't take it.
Till then, loves~! We're almost at the end! =^_^=
.::.*~Kit Shadow*~.::.