Evermore

Chapter 8: First Love

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~ I Never Told You by Colbie Caillat (don't own)

Notes from the KIT-chan~

All right, guys—last chapter'll be after this one! ;D

Oh—and just in case if any of you forgot or didn't quite catch way in the beginning: Arthur—age 11, Merlin—age 9, Morgana—age 7, Molly—age 6 ½ (Merlin's other siblings—ages 2-5)

Also:

-Yes—along with the official blooper reel, I've seen the SDCC Merlin Season 4 Trailer where Percival's seen carrying Merlin with Arthur walking beside him... TT_TT A very brief recreation of that scene may be involved/fixed to this story (don't own). (Yeah—can't wait for Season 4, either. XD)

-An excerpt from Chapter 26 of The Little Prince is included (don't own).

-Code Blue = Cardiac Arrest/Need for Immediate Resuscitation (at least in some hospitals today)

-One scene from here's been extended in tribute to one of my favourite movies: Flatliners (don't own). You might obviously recognise which one's been modified later. XD

Think that's about it. Thanks again to all followers & reviewers. ^_^

Enjoy~ :D

.::.*~K. Shadow~*.::.

~o~

Soon after, a group of paramedics had finally arrived to take us to the emergency room.

Quickly, Leon had picked me up in his arms to carry me over that instant, and I watched dismally as Percival, one of Father's other guards, carefully laid Merlin out on a nearby stretcher.

We reached the hospital in less than a few minutes.

~o~

It wasn't long before the doctors had finished taking care of me, since my injuries were only minor and easier for them to patch up.

But when they left me in my room to get some rest, I couldn't help but listen silently as the doctor stayed out in the hall to talk to Mrs. Emrys, the expression on his face dull and solemn.

"How is he, Gaius? Please tell me that my son's going to be all right..."

To my surprise, they spoke as if they'd already known each other for a long time.

There was a long pause, then a sharp exhale from the doctor. "Merlin's condition is not too critical, as his vital signs were perfectly unharmed when we checked, all thanks to that special gift of his that managed to save his life and His Highness just before being hit by that car."

At this, I'd let out a small sigh of relief.

"...but I'm afraid that he is not quite out of harm's way, considering that his body has not been responding to any of our treatments lately." Dr. Gaiustook a deep breath before continuing in a softer tone. "For he has instead fallen comatose at this point, and it is unknown to us yet as to when the boy will wake up."

In that instant, all became silent, and I'd realised I was holding my breath.

"We can only hope and pray that it will be soon," he'd finished. "Even doctors believe in miracles, Hunith."

I'd slowly opened my eyes to see Mrs. Emrys crying in the hall, the doctor trying to reassure her by placing a hand on her shoulder.

Then my eyes became sombre at the sight, before I'd finally brought myself to glance over into the next room—to see Merlin lying there in his bed, unconscious and inert, with his siblings gathered around him watching vigilantly with morose expressions as they waited longingly for their eldest brother to awaken.

I winced as Molly picked Helen up to let her kiss him on the cheek, then turned away from the glass to stare down at my sheets.

At that moment, Leon had approached me from the front of the room and knelt down at my bedside with slight concern on his face. "Is everything all right, my lord?" he murmured softly.

I sucked in a gulp of air, then exhaled sharply. "I'm fine—don't worry about me."

Leon nodded once and quietly got up to return to his post.

But then a thought came into my head, and immediately, I opened my mouth to stop him in his tracks.

"Wait," I tried to speak in an even tone. In response, the guard turned to glance back at me. I raised my head at that point, looking intently into his eyes. "...it's a bit stuffy in this room, actually. Can you go into the hall with me to get some air?"

At that, his expression became nonchalant, and he walked over to my side without saying a word.

By that time, I knew that Leon had seen right through my mask of emotion and understood.

~o~

When Arthur stepped out into the corridor, there had been no one but Morgana sitting on one of the chairs on the sides, her arms wrapped around her shoulders.

At that moment, the blonde's eyes had softened, and he had calmly approached her at once, taking a seat beside his younger cousin.

The duchess sniffled a little, slightly raising her head to look up at him, then glanced back down at her feet. "Uncle's just making arrangements with Daddy—that's why we're waiting here for such a long time." She paused, holding back a small sob. "Arthur..." she wept, wiping a tear from her eye, her voice faltering that instant. "I really don't want to leave them like this...I don't want Merlin to..."

At this, Arthur winced, holding the latter in his arms. "Shh...I know," he murmured softly to the brunette.

Morgana hiccupped once, then took a deep breath. "...but it's not fair. None of it was his fault," she sniffed, her expression now composed, though her eyes had become intent. "Merlin's got to get better no matter what," she whispered, looking up at the children gathered around the raven.

At that moment, the prince sighed and raised his head to glance over in the same direction as his cousin, his expression rigid as he stared as his best friend.

But then he noticed his cousin shift over slightly and turned his gaze to see her dig inside her bag before pulling out a familiar book and placing it onto her lap.

In that instant, the blonde's breath stilled.

"...we were supposed to finish it together that day," the brunette mumbled quietly, holding The Little Prince gingerly in her hands, "When we were supposed to have the best play date ever."

Arthur's eyes softened in response, desolately looking at the page where he'd remembered they'd last left off. But now Merlin would not be there to read the last two chapters of the story with them, for both had known that it would only be a small matter of time before their parents would arrive to bring them back to London.

Upon reaching the very idea, the prince let out a sigh, putting his hand over Morgana's.

"Well...do you want to try and finish it before Father and Uncle get back?"

Immediately, the duchess had stiffened where she was. "But cousin—"

Arthur lowered his gaze, then bleakly glanced up into the raven's room. "Look—he may not be awake to read from the book itself...but at least he's still here with us now," he spoke in a comforting tone.

There was a long pause.

Morgana swallowed and looked at her cousin with sad eyes. Then she stared down at the book and slowly nodded once, shifting part of it on the latter's lap.

"...okay," she replied just above a hushed whisper.

At that moment, the blonde sucked in a gulp of air and paused for a minute. Then he glanced down at the page to begin reading from the area they'd left off from.

It hadn't been long, though, until his voice had begun to falter gradually...after he'd realised that they'd reached his least favourite part of all—the scene where the little prince would be bitten by the yellow snake.

~o~

"'You have good poison? You are sure that it will not make me suffer too long?'" Arthur read softly, wincing.

"I stopped in my tracks, my heart torn asunder; but still I did not understand.

'Now go away.' said the little prince. 'I want to get down from the wall.'

I dropped my eyes, then, to the foot of the wall—and I leaped into the air. There before me, facing the little prince, was one of those yellow snakes that take just thirty seconds to bring your life to an end. Even as I was digging into my pocket to get out my revolver I made a running step back. But, at the noise I made, the snake let himself flow easily across the sand like the dying spray of a fountain, and, in no apparent hurry, disappeared, with a light metallic sound, among the stones.

I reached the wall just in time to catch my little man in my arms; his face was white as snow.

'What does this mean?' I demanded. 'Why are you talking with snakes?'

I had loosened the golden muffler that he always wore. I had moistened his temples, and had given him some water to drink. And now I did not dare ask him any more questions. He looked at me very gravely, and put his arms around my neck. I felt his heart beating like the heart of a dying bird, shot with someone's rifle…

'I am glad that you have found what was the matter with your engine,' he said. 'Now you can go back home—'

'How do you know about that?'

I was just coming to tell him that my work had been successful, beyond anything that I had dared to hope.

He made no answer to my question, but he added:

'I, too, am going back home today…'

Then, sadly—

'It is much farther... It is much more difficult...

I realized clearly that something extraordinary was happening. I was holding him close in my arms as if he were a little child; and yet it seemed to me that he was rushing headlong toward an abyss from which I could do nothing to restrain him…

His look was very serious, like someone lost far away.

'I have your sheep. And I have the sheep's box. And I have the muzzle...'

And he gave me a sad smile.

I waited a long time. I could see that he was reviving little by little.

'Dear little man,' I said to him, 'you are afraid...'"

At this point, Arthur held his breath, and Morgana had instantly looked at her cousin, continuing to read from the marked spot with a grim countenance.

"He was afraid, there was no doubt about that. But he laughed lightly," she spoke evenly.

'I shall be much more afraid this evening...'

Once again I felt myself frozen by the sense of something irreparable. And I knew that I could not bear the thought of never hearing that laughter any more. For me, it was like a spring of fresh water in the desert.

'Little man,' I said, 'I want to hear you laugh again.'

But he said to me:

'Tonight, it will be a year... My star, then, can be found right above the place where I came to the Earth, a year ago...'

'Little man,' I said, 'tell me that it is only a bad dream—this affair of the snake, and the meeting-place, and the star...'

But he did not answer my plea. He said to me, instead:

'The thing that is important is the thing that is not seen…'

'Yes, I know…'

'It is just as it is with the flower. If you love a flower that lives on a star, it is sweet to look at the sky at night. All the stars are a-bloom with flowers...'

'Yes, I know…'

'It is just as it is with the water. Because of the pulley, and the rope, what you gave me to drink was like music. You remember—how good it was.'

'Yes, I know…'

'And at night you will look up at the stars. Where I live everything is so small that I cannot show you where my star is to be found. It is better, like that. My star will just be one of the stars, for you. And so you will love to watch all the stars in the heavens . . . they will all be your friends. And, besides, I am going to make you a present…'"

She stopped when Arthur abruptly cleared his throat.

"He laughed again," the blonde read painfully in a dismal tone.

'Ah, little prince, dear little prince! I love to hear that laughter!'

'That is my present. Just that. It will be as it was when we drank the water…'

'What are you trying to say?'

'All men have the stars,' he answered, 'but they are not the same things for different people. For some, who are travellers, the stars are guides. For others they are no more than little lights in the sky. For others, who are scholars, they are problems. For my businessman they were wealth. But all these stars are silent. You-you alone-will have the stars as no one else has them—'

'What are you trying to say?'

'In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night… You—only you—will have stars that can laugh!'

And he laughed again.

'And when your sorrow is comforted (time soothes all sorrows) you will be content that you have known me. You will always be my friend. You will want to laugh with me. And you will sometimes open your window, so, for that pleasure… And your friends will be properly astonished to see you laughing as you look up at the sky! Then you will say to them, "Yes, the stars always make me laugh!" And they will think you are crazy. It will be a very shabby trick that I shall have played on you…'

And he laughed again.

'It will be as if, in place of the stars, I had given you a great number of little bells that knew how to laugh…'

And he laughed again. Then he quickly became serious:

'Tonight—you know… Do not come.'"

By that time, a lump had formed in the Pendragon's throat as the light laughter of his own best friend that had echoed so much throughout the corners of his mind now began to gradually fade away.

"'I shall not leave you,' I said.

'I shall look as if I were suffering. I shall look a little as if I were dying. It is like that. Do not come to see that. It is not worth the trouble…'"

"'I shall not leave you.'" Morgana read.

"But he was worried.

'I tell you—it is also because of the snake. He must not bite you. Snakes—they are malicious creatures. This one might bite you just for fun…'"

"'I shall not leave you.'" Arthur cut in immediately, looking at his younger cousin.

"But a thought came to reassure him:

'It is true that they have no more poison for a second bite.'

From that point, Morgana had recognised the solemn expression on the blonde's face and finally left him to read the rest of the chapter on his own, glancing at him with sombre eyes.

"That night I did not see him set out on his way. He got away from me without making a sound. When I succeeded in catching up with him he was walking along with a quick and resolute step. He said to me merely:

'Ah! You are there...'

And he took me by the hand. But he was still worrying.

'It was wrong of you to come. You will suffer. I shall look as if I were dead; and that will not be true...'"

Arthur swallowed deep, his voice now hoarse.

"I said nothing.

'You understand...it is too far. I cannot carry this body with me. It is too heavy.'

I said nothing.

'But it will be like an old abandoned shell. There is nothing sad about old shells...'

I said nothing.

He was a little discouraged. But he made one more effort:

'You know, it will be very nice. I, too, shall look at the stars. All the stars will be wells with a rusty pulley. All the stars will pour out fresh water for me to drink...'

I said nothing.

'That will be so amusing! You will have five hundred million little bells, and I shall have five hundred million springs of fresh water...'

And he too said nothing more, because he was crying...

'Here it is. Let me go on by myself.'

And he sat down, because he was afraid. Then he said, again:

'You know—my flower...I am responsible for her. And she is so weak! She is so naïve! She has four thorns, of no use at all, to protect herself against all the world...'

I too sat down, because I was not able to stand up any longer.

'There now—that is all...'

He still hesitated a little; then he got up. He took one step. I could not move."

The blonde paused, the last few words no more than a choked whisper.

"There was nothing but a flash of yellow close to his ankle. He remained motionless for an instant. He did not cry out. He fell as gently as a tree falls. There was not even any sound, because of the sand..."

At that, Arthur had winced, wearily turning to the next page. But that was when Morgana had finally put her hand over his to stop him, and the prince had looked up to see that there had been pain in her eyes as well, especially when she'd peered towards the room where their best friend reposed.

~o~

After what seemed like more than a few hours later, night had fallen, and Arthur had half-heartedly turned to see his younger cousin sound asleep beside him, her head leaning on his right shoulder. Then he raised his head to glance across the hall, through the glass of the window to the raven's room, where he could see Merlin's siblings still surrounding him, resting on whatever part they could get from their brother's bed.

In that instant, the blonde's gaze had softened, and he carefully rose to his feet, shifting Morgana's head over to lie on top of her backpack instead. After that, he moved across the corridor until he'd found his palms pressed up against the cold window, his breathing soft but gradual as he peered into the room to look at his best friend's face, tranquil as it was.

Then Arthur had closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the glass as Merlin's voice began to resound in his head again, the many memories he'd had the young warlock instantly flooding through his mind.

~xXx~

"Huh. You could say that you could have all the friends in the world...just like how a man could grow as many roses as he wants to..." He'd paused before shifting his gaze towards the prince. "But to me—well, I guess it's true that no matter how you go about it, it'll always be the ones you truly cared about in the end..."

"I mean...it's not like I don't already think of you as a brother, too. You've probably been the one person I've actually spent the most time with in one day."

~x~

"They all laughed at me, didn't they? Even after I left?"

"...they didn't have any right to treat you like that."

"But they had every right to go and judge me back there for who I was, Merlin!"

No response.

"See...this is why I don't like going out in public all that much especially when I'm around people I don't even know… You have absolutely no idea how much I wanted to punch that kid so much back there when I couldn't... Everyone's a critic. Never again."

"No, they're not."

Pause.

"At least...not everyone is."

"Merlin—don't tell me that you..."

"But I did, Arthur. I went and stood up to all three of them after you ran off."

"...what? You did that...for me?"

"But...why?"

"Anything for you, Arthur. I mean...you are my friend after all."

~x~

"If there ever comes a time when we can't be together...keep me in your heart, I'll stay there forever."

~x~

"I'll always be your best friend, no matter what. And I'll never, ever leave your side...unless you tell me to yourself. You know I'll always be here for you, Arthur..."

~x~

"So you're saying...you really are going to sever our friendship here—just like this?"

Silence.

"Forget me...like I never did anything for you, Arthur?"

"All right. If that's what you want...I understand perfectly."

"If it's really like that, then...I hope I forget you, too.

"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."

"Goodbye, Arthur..."

~x~

"Merlin!"

Beep!

Crash.

"It hurts..."

~xXx~

By that time, the prince was trembling, his hands curling up into fists. He sucked in a gulp of air, then let out a sharp exhale as he gazed painfully at the comatose raven.

His voice still rang faintly in his ears. "Arthur..."

The blonde winced. I'm so sorry, Merlin...

At that moment, he stepped aside, punching the wall near him in frustration, and sank to the floor. He turned to leave the window with his head hung low and eyes closed, hands shoved deep into his pockets as he slumped away from the room.

Though, it hadn't been until he'd reached more than halfway did a sharp beeping sound suddenly fill the atmosphere, and nurses began to rush in from the other end of the corridor.

"Code Blue! Code Blue!" one had screamed, running into the raven's room.

"The patient has gone into cardiac arrest!"

"Get me a doctor down here! Quick!"

In that instant, Arthur held his breath, slowly turning back to see a glimpse of Dr. Gaius with various others hastily performing CPR on his best friend, the nurses steadfastly keeping Merlin's siblings away as the doctor charged the defibrillator in his hands.

Immediately, the prince stiffened where he was, his eyes wide as he quickly began to run back towards the raven's room.

"Merlin—"

But that was when he felt a firm hand on his shoulder and stopped abruptly in his tracks.

"Arthur."

At that moment, the blonde sucked in a gulp of air, whirling around to meet his father's stern, unyielding gaze.

~o~

"It's time to leave. Take Morgana and meet me outside the front door," the King commanded impassively, briefly glancing over at the young brunette. "Our plane departs in exactly ten minutes."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Arthur replied sullenly, looking away from him.

Uther exhaled sharply, then crossed his arms across his chest. "Don't you turn your back on me, boy. I am your father, and if you still have the slightest bit of respect for me, you will do as I say this instant."

The blonde closed his eyes, his expression solemn and grim. "I refuse," he answered in a persistent, even tone. "I will not abandon my friend."

At that, the King raised his head more, narrowing his eyes on his only son. "You dare defy me for that vile sorcerer? Then consider yourself shameful to the throne itself!"

"Merlin is not vile," Arthur spoke coldly. "Stop forcing so much blame on him, when you are the one who is at fault here, Father. You lied to Mother."

"Another word from you, and I shall disown you!" Uther roared, glaring at the prince. "If your mother were here—"

"Then so be it," the blonde spat out acidly. "I don't care. I still haven't forgiven you for what you've done, even if Mother already did so. You don't deserve it."

In that instant, His Majesty froze, his countenance rigid and eyes bulging.

"Besides, you've always thought of me as a failure, right? A disgrace to the royal family? You never loved me in the first place!" Arthur cried, gazing intently into his father's eyes. "It's your fault Mum's dead..."

Uther held his breath, looking as if he'd just been struck by a jolt of lightning, and put his hand on the wall for support.

The prince let out a sharp exhale, looking away from the King of Wales. "...I don't even see why I can't disown you as my father, anyway." He swallowed deep, glaring down at the floor. "So don't make any mistake in having me choose between you and him." He clenched his hands into fists, gazing up at his father again. "Because unlike you, Merlin...was always there for me from the very beginning," he spoke through gritted teeth. "And he saved my life, even if I did hurt him for the countless times I've had to cover for you."

With that, Arthur took the first step back towards where his best friend resided, wincing at his father as he turned to leave him.

"He's my best friend," he spoke firmly, taking one last look at Uther that instant with nothing but pain and regret in his expression. "I can't let him die," he finished hoarsely, slowly shaking his head.

At this, the prince took a deep breath and quickly ran back to Merlin's room without another moment's hesitation.

The King did nothing but watch as his son, at that very minute itself...began to mature into a young man through his own eyes.

~o~

"Merlin!" Arthur shouted, barging into the young warlock's room.

By that time, one of the doctors was artificially pumping air into the raven's throat, in sync as Dr. Gaius pressed the defibrillator's pads onto the latter's bare chest.

And soon after that, the nurses, as well as a few of the King's personal guards, stepped in to pull the young prince out of the room, taking him by the shoulders and dragging him away. But Arthur was persistent and vigorously thrashed under their clutches, eventually breaking from their grasp and rushing over to his best friend's side.

"One one-thousand...two one-thousand...three one-thousand..."

"BREATHE!"

"Merlin..." he murmured, watching anxiously as the doctor pumped another blow of air, the machines still blaring loudly.

"Clear!"

At that moment, Gaius pressed the charged pads against the raven once more, filling his body with another jolt of electricity.

But nothing.

The other doctor let out a sharp exhale, then swiftly glanced up at the machine before looking back down at Merlin's face.

"Once more!" he cried. "One one-thousand...two one-thousand...three one-thousand..."

"Breathe!" Gaius ordered firmly that instant.

Immediately without another thought, Arthur shoved the closest doctor out of the way and took hold of his best friend's head, blowing into his open mouth with all of his might.

For a minute, it had grown deathly quiet in the room.

"Is Big Brother going to be alright—"

"Shh..."

Then the blonde's breath had stilled as he listened to the gradual, faint beating of the other's heart, growing louder and louder as the seconds passed.

Ba-boom.

Ba-boom.

In that instant, all had let out sighs of relief and turned to leave the room, forming a crowd in front of the threshold.

Arthur exhaled sharply, lowering his gaze on Merlin to put his hand on the latter's head.

"Don't even think about dying yet," he breathed, stroking his dark hair back.

~o~

"Is he okay?" Morgana asked concernedly, approaching her cousin from behind.

The prince closed his eyes and took a deep breath before turning away from the window. "He is now," he replied in a nonchalant tone.

The duchess sighed in relief, putting a hand to her chest. "Thank heavens."

Arthur stood silent for a moment, glancing up at the brunette. "Why didn't you go with Father? Uncle's probably worried about you."

At this, Morgana paused, staring uneasily at the floor. "I couldn't think of leaving either of you behind," she replied in a solemn voice. Then she pursed her lips briefly before staring up at her cousin with soft eyes. "Besides, Uncle Uther had already cancelled our flight...after you'd told him that you'd be staying."

In that instant, the blonde held his breath and turned to face the glass again with a slight expression of disbelief. "He...did that?"

The brunette looked at him for a minute, then nodded quietly behind his back.

Arthur glanced back at the latter before slowly shaking his head and letting out a sharp exhale.

"I'll go see if I can stall them for a bit longer," she spoke softly, turning to leave him alone.

"Wait—Morgana."

There was a long pause.

The prince raised his head, then turned to nod once to his younger cousin in genuine gratitude.

"...thanks."

In response, the duchess quickly smiled at him and left to make her way down the other end of the hallway.

Afterwards, Arthur sighed and lowered his eyes, gazing over at his best friend, reposed peacefully just a few feet across from him.

By that time, the rest of the Emrys children had no longer been present in their brother's room, as their mother had insisted them to return home in concern of their health, circumspect to the possible diseases they could catch from patients in the other rooms.

But what the blonde hadn't known at that point...was how the second eldest had earnestly requested to stay with the raven a while more.

"It's not the driver's fault," Molly murmured quietly, standing near Arthur from the opposite end of the corridor. "He was actually no one in particular, but there was an apology."

At that moment, the prince stiffened, glancing next to him to see the brunette approach the window, peering in to watch her older brother asleep. She winced, then continued in a soft-spoken tone. "On the other hand, he always did care for you...like he's done for pretty much everyone in our family. Always putting the people he's close to first before ever thinking of himself..."

Molly paused, biting her lip before turning to stare into the blonde's sapphire blue eyes. "But nothing compares to everything he gave for you," she spoke, reaching over to take the latter's hand. Hers was soft and supple in his, almost as how Merlin's had been. She cleared her throat, then looked away from him. "And he's carried this burden for so long now..." she whispered hoarsely to the young prince, her eyes filled with tears. "But he needs someone to help him relinquish it for good."

The brunette gave his hand a gentle squeeze before holding back a small sob. "Please—Arthur...don't leave yet. You're the only one who can save him." With that, she let go of the other's palm, looking into his eyes one last time.

"I found that...not far where the accident occurred. Use it wisely, or so help me..." she wept, then shifted past Arthur to disappear into the other end of the hall.

In that instant, the Pendragon's face became rigid as he watched after her as she left.

But then his eyes softened when he'd carefully opened his hand...and glanced down at none other than the green rose his best friend had given him...to his surprise, still intact and unharmed despite all the trauma it could have, no—should have gone through from the accident.

At this, he let out a sharp exhale, peering at him through the vast window with pained eyes. Then he swallowed once and absent-mindedly reached for the doorknob nearby.

~o~

It was silent inside his room...all except for the soft sound of his breathing, that is. He was almost like an angel at that point, his complexion fair under the dim light above us.

Arthur had bit his lip for a moment, before finally approaching the young raven on the other side of the room, his expression remorseful.

As he softly gazed upon the latter's face, he gradually took a deep breath, then solemnly placed the rose in the vase that sat next to them on the bedside table. After that, he sighed and knelt down beside him, lowering his eyes as he gently reached over to take his hand into his.

"I know I've already lost track...of how many times I turned my back and hurt you." He paused, wincing at him. "But don't get me wrong—I am sorry for taking you for granted, if that's what you'd always wanted in the end."

No response.

The blonde sucked in a gulp of air, then exhaled into the other's hand. "Huh...you really are taking advantage of me here now, aren't you?"

He stopped for a minute, as if to wait for an answer from him that instant. But Merlin's lips were still immobile and unresponsive.

Arthur chuckled weakly, holding the raven's fingers gingerly in his palm. "So it's like that, then...I see how it is."

Another long moment of deafening silence.

By that time, the prince was slowly shaking his head, looking at the young warlock's face.

"Merlin..." he murmured with soft eyes, placing his other palm on the raven's hair. "Please tell me you'll wake up soon?"

No response.

The blonde took a deep breath, giving Merlin's hand a gentle squeeze. "Look. They still need you—your brothers and sisters. Your Mum. You can't leave yet..." At this, he glanced left to find the green rose untouched, and his voice began to falter. "Especially not now when I haven't even gotten the chance to make everything up to you for all that you've done for me this whole time..."

He sucked in a gulp of air, holding the other's palm firmly in his as he struggled to hold back tears that were welling up under his eyes. "I mean...believe it or not as you want...I need you," he spoke through clenched teeth, trembling slightly as he gazed upon the other's innocent face. "More than anything else in the world. From the very beginning, I just..."

He sighed, closing his eyes for an instant. "I never wanted to forget you," he breathed. "And even if I did try, I swear I wouldn't be able to..." The Pendragon swallowed. "I didn't mean a single word I said to you back there, not now or ever, and I dare say that I'd take it all back if I could...Merlin, if time would only permit me to do so, I'd do whatever it takes to bring your life back to the way it was, before you decided to go and shoulder all this trouble that shouldn't even be yours to bear alone by yourself." He winced. "I know how it feels...to have so much pressure behind your back. But I never thought that you...only had it worse than me, despite our differences even. I'm sorry that I wasn't always there for you when you needed me..."

His mother's words echoed once more through the corners of his mind.

"You can even see it in his eyes...that same look of burden I always tend to see in yours…that desperate urge to be accepted by the world revolving around you..."

At that point, the tears slowly began to roll down his cheeks. It was the only other time Arthur had cried for another besides his mother on her deathbed...

The prince sniffled, resting his head beside the raven. "Please, Merlin—don't go away...I love you, alright? You're not just my best friend anymore—you're all I have now. I don't want to lose you, too..." He held back a sob, bringing the other's hand close to his mouth.

At that moment, the green rose quivered inside the small vase. Then slowly, as the words came out of the blonde's mouth, it became crystalline, illuminating the room with a marvellous, awe-inspiring aura of emerald light.

~o~

Immediately, the flower had disappeared into nothing more but petals, the radiance soon fading as quickly as it had come about. But not much later after that, along with this miracle, Merlin's left hand...had begun to twitch its fingers.

Arthur sniffled once, shifting over to pull the raven's right even closer. "I..."

In that instant, the young warlock's hand slightly squeezed his before he could do any further. At that, the blonde held his breath and quickly raised his head to look at him with wide eyes.

"...Merlin?"

In response, the latter had carefully taken the Pendragon's index finger gingerly into his palm and stirred, letting out a faint moan.

"Don't...leave..." Merlin spoke, just above a hushed murmur.

At this, Arthur stiffened, then smiled with soft eyes, wiping a tear from his cheek.

"Never," he affectionately whispered back, placing his hand over his as the raven continued to hold his finger.

~o~

Music on My Mind~ First Love by Utada Hikaru (don't own)

Notes from the KIT-chan~

Review? ^^";

Next chapter's the last! Hope you'll enjoy this to the very end! :D

Till then~ ;D

.::.*~Kit Shadow~*.::.