He was so tired. His head hurt. Touching his forehead, he felt the kiss of blood. As Merlin fumbled to his hands and knees, a hand soothed his hair, then yanked. Tears welled in his eyes. Looking up he saw the knight, his betrothed. "W-what are you…doing…?"

The knight smiled, "Shh, Shh, rest now." Then everything went black in Merlin's sight.


King Balinor's men were everywhere, frantic and angry mounds of muscle shoving themselves in every crack, every crevice, searching for Merlin. Will, forgetting his malice toward Arthur, bolted to his chambers, peeking inside, seeing the knights of Camelot, said, "Merlin's been kidnapped." It only took seconds for the knights to push out of the room, going in different directions. "How long has he been gone?" grunted Arthur as he darted after Will, who didn't bother to wait to see if they had reacted. "Since last night, I walked him to his chambers. This morning one of the servants found he was gone. If I had stayed longer, I could've protected him."

Arthur glanced at the man beside him. "There's time for ifs later. Right now, we have to find Merlin. Did he say anything out of the ordinary?"

Will's face paled. "Oh, no." Arthur turned to one of the countless windows, they ran past. The hulking, figure of a golden dragon landed in the grassy training field. Will suddenly shouted in their foreign language, startling Arthur, sprinting down the corridor. As the knights of the different kingdoms poured into the courtyard, Arthur trotted over to his father and the other king. "Father, what's happening?"

"Silence." Arthur set his jaw. Balinor advanced to the dragon, "Hello, old friend. Where is he?"

The dragon lowered his head, speaking in a rumbling language. Turning, Balinor, walking back to Arthur. "Do you wish to prove yourself?"


Arthur shuffling his way through the forest, found the place he was looking for. It was a crumbling altar. For a few moments, he didn't notice Merlin lying on top of the cold, uneven stone. When the golden prince did, he ran to him, patting his servant's check and shaking his body. A great force threw Arthur back, slamming him into the ground, as The Man stepped forward. Arthur didn't bother with his name; it would only humanize this knight before him. The prince's body felt as if he was being crushed, his body paralyzed by magic.

"Now, Arthur Pendragon, watch as I take Gem Heart, the Sweet Prince's, life from him."

The Man plunged his bare hand into Merlin's chest. Looking Arthur in the eye, he smiled, slowly pulling, what should be Merlin's heart, out of his chest. Smearing the blood across the surface of the object, turning away from the deathly white body, he held it to the light. "Ah," he purred, "So beautiful. Inside and out." He studied Arthur. "Do you know what this is, Pendragon?" He didn't wait for a response to continue. "This holds, not only The Power of Emrys, but also the power of a potential Dragon Lord."

"You made me come all this way," Arthur gasped, "just to tell me that?"

The Man tilted his head. "No, I lured to your own death. This is the beginning of End of your bloodline. Without you, sorcerers will rule the land!" He reached his hand out towards Arthur, squeezing his hand into a fist.

"Now!" The golden prince wheezed, yelling as loud as he could.

His best knights sprang from their hiding spots, cornering The Man, who dropped the hand that held Arthur in his place. As Arthur caught his breath, rising, he spoke, "You, Knight of Ealdor, have committed treason of the highest order." Here, Arthur approached The Man, holding out his hand. The Man looked between the outstretched hand and his own, holding the gem.

He smiled as he let it slip from his hand, shattering on the forest floor.

Arthur unsheathed his sword, balancing it in front of him. The wind seemed to be noticing the strange event as it reacted violently. The shards of the gem swirled, glowing a dark blue, reconstructing itself.

Merlin pushed himself up, groggy, blood trickling from the cut on his forehead, bruising forming around the area. He held up his arm, spreading out his fingers, the gem flying to them. He slammed it into his chest. Rubbing his heart, he grimaced, "That's defiantly going to hurt for days." Arthur gave Merlin a tired, loving look. "Merlin, you idiot." The golden prince, leaving the prisoner to his knights, practically tackled his dark-haired counterpart, who placed his head on Arthur's shoulder.

"So I suppose your betrothal has ended?"

Merlin laughed, "I suppose so."

"Merlin, would you…stay with me?"

"Do you really have to ask?"

Nuzzling their foreheads, they kissed. Through their alliance, their kingdoms were united. Life was simpler now, except for the occasional attack by magic or otherwise. They loved each other, and that was all that mattered.