Thanks to: TeganL74, TheReinbachDragonlord, Boxerbee, Revenge of the Red Pen, and A maze thing for reviewing last chapter. All of you are totally awesome! :)
Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin
Chapter 19 - Found and Lost
Arthur had never flown before but he was loving it. The wind in his face and the feeling of soaring in the night sky was exhilarating. Added to the fact that they had escaped unharmed and were on their way to Camelot, the prince was overjoyed.
"Merlin, we made it!" he cried out to his friend.
"Yeah..." he replied in a strained voice.
"That's all you have to say? Come on Merlin, show some excitement. We've escaped Morgana and now, we can finally break your curse and go home. How are you not as excited as I am?" Arthur rambled, not noticing his friend's fatigue. It wasn't until the prince noticed the ground slowly getting closer that he stopped talking and closely looked up at his friend.
"Merlin are you okay?" he asked but got no response. "Merlin?..."
But before he could say anything else, the prince felt himself suddenly drop several yards in the air. "Merlin, what's going on?!"
"I'm sorry, I can't go any further" he said in a pained voice before collapsing in midair. Grunting in pain, the were-wyvern pulled the prince into a full body hug before crashing hard into the ground on its back. After the first bounce, Arthur was flung away and rolled onto the grass several yards from Merlin.
After a few minutes of gathering his bearings and stopping his eyes from seeing three of everything, Arthur slowly got up and made his way to Merlin, more annoyed at the harsh landing and slightly forgetting about the pure exhaustion written on the cursed warlock's face.
"Really Merlin, a crash landing! You could've given me a few seconds warning before pulling a stunt like that!" the prince shouted but stopped when he noticed that the were-wyvern hadn't even moved from its spot. "Merlin?..." No answer. A sudden wave of uneasiness hit Arthur and the prince ran to his friend. It was only when he got close enough that he saw it.
Oh no. There, amongst all the various cuts and bite marks, deeply lodged in the upper part of the were-wyvern's stomach, was an arrow burning with a green, unquenchable fire. Blood was seeping through the wound and covered the ground, its deep red color painting the grass below.
Merlin had been shot and Arthur feared he was too late.
Morgana was fuming when Merlin and Arthur were out of sight. The prince was supposed to be dead by now and the were-wyvern under her control but, once again, her plans were foiled. For all of this, she blamed one person.
Anatol. If that fool of a sorceress hadn't messed up earlier, there would be no problem. Seething, Morgana turned around to take her anger out on the imbeciles who let the prisoners escape. It shouldn't have surprised her to find that everyone had fled from her long-expectant wrath. Cowards!
Storming from the balcony, she swiftly made her way to the throne room to talk with her sister.
"Sister, we have a problem" she said while opening the door.
"What happened?" the blond witch asked.
"Arthur and Merlin have escaped"
"Morgana, we must find them before they reach Camelot."
"I know. I will..."
"I'll go get them" Anatol's voice interrupted. At this, Morgana rolled her eyes. "No Anatol, I can handle it"
"Clearly you can" she replied innocently, only loud enough for Morgana to hear. Ignoring the glare the green-eyed witch was throwing her, Anatol looked at Morgause and continued. "I've prepared the spell needed to control the were-wyvern. Everything is set. If you send me after Merlin, then Morgana can stay and help prepare the army."
The blond witch paused to consider the options. "And the prince?" she asked.
"There's no need to worry about him. I'll kill him. Even if he escapes and warns the king about the attack, Camelot will still be outnumbered as long as we have the were-wyvern on our side."
Morgause contemplated her choice in silence while Morgana and Anatol attempted to visually kill each other. "Very well then"
Morgana turned to her sister in shock. "What!? No, Morgause let me go after..."
"No Morgana. Anatol is right. You are needed here to help me prepare for tomorrow night's attack."
Morgana nodded to her sister and calmed down. "Of course"
"Then I shall be off" the red-haired sorceress said with a bow and turned to the door.
"Oh and Anatol" Morgause called out in an overly-calm voice that made the sorceress in question wince in fear.
"Yes"
"Do not fail me again. I expect you to come back with the boy" 'or not at all if you value your life', she telepathically finished. Eyes widened in fear, Anatol simply nodded and, with eyes flashing gold, left the room in a whirlwind.
Looking at her sister, Morgause said (to Morgana's surprise), "You're right sister. Her incompetence is wearing my patience thin"
"Merlin you idiot, why didn't you say anything?" Arthur berated, trying to stir his friend into consciousness. The prince was worried when his friend didn't answer. The only consolation he had was the slow rise and fall of Merlin's chest, indicating that he was still breathing - raggedy, but he was still alive.
Arthur looked at the arrow protruding from his friends' stomach. The green fire flickered for a moment before suddenly flaring in an effort to stay kindled. Eventually, the last wisps of the flames lost their power and, to the prince's horror, were actually absorbed into the arrow wound, causing the blood flow to increase alarmingly. Arthur clenched his teeth and mentally cursed his half-sister. He hated what he was about to do. Tearing a piece of his shirt, the prince placed it around the arrow and held it down on the were-wyvern's burned skin. This seemed to be enough to wake him up, for when Arthur applied pressure, Merlin jolted awake and tried to get up and failed.
"Ah!...what the hell?!"
"Glad to see you're still alive"
"Arthur, what happened?"
"You were shot Merlin and because you were an idiot, as usual, you kept going and we crashed in the middle of the forest" Arthur said, trying to keep Merlin calm (though one could argue that it was more of an attempt to calm himself).
"Oh, is that all?"
"What have I told you about being funny?" Arthur said before biting his lip. "Merlin, I have to remove the arrow. It's only going to get worse if I don't"
The were-wyvern raised its head to inspect the wound himself. Sure enough, he could see the burnt wound beginning to swell, black blood seeping through and blending with his skin. Snorting, Merlin nodded to Arthur and put his head back down. This was not going to be a pleasant experience.
Steadying his hand, Arthur firmly grasped the arrow and let out a deep breath. "This might hurt a bit."
"You think!"
Smiling at the sarcastic retort, the prince focused on the arrow again. One, two...three! As quickly as he could, Arthur carefully pulled, praying that the whole arrow would come out. Merlin, for his part, tried with all his might to keep still, knowing that moving would only make it worse. However, things were easier said than done.
As Arthur pulled the arrow out, Merlin's wings twitched wildly and he began pounding his tail against the ground, at some points almost hitting the prince in the process. He stifled his anguished cries (only emitting a low growl at times) but couldn't help but roar in pain when the arrow head snagged on a bit of his skin before finally giving way with a pop.
"AHHHH!" Merlin's mental scream fused with the were-wyvern's roar.
"There, I got it!" Arthur announced as he raised the arrow in triumph. As soon as it came out, the weapon turned into dust. The prince, however, didn't have time to ponder this phenomenon as he turned his attention back on Merlin who was now trembling from the pain... and blood loss? Oh yeah, the wound's still bleeding! Thinking quickly, the prince tore another strip of his shirt and began staunching the wound, hoping to stop the bleeding. In a matter of minutes, the cloth was thoroughly soaked with Merlin's blood.
"What do I do?" Arthur whispered to himself. Seeing his best friend in such a state, so close to death - this was not the way he wanted to end his friend's curse. The prince tried not to think about that right now, he had to focus on healing Merlin in any way he could.
"You're doing fine Arthur". At this, the prince's closed eyes (when had he closed them?) shot open at the pained voice. Merlin shifted his white eyes to look at his friend, refusing to lift his head from the ground. "Just keep as much pressure on the wound as you can muster."
Arthur solemnly nodded before placing both hands on the wound. "Got it"
"Shouldn't be hard with all the weight you've put on. I should know - I had to carry your fat ass all the way here"
The prince let out a strained laugh at the insult. "You must be feeling better if you're able to insult me in your condition."
"And when do I insult...Argh!"
"Sorry" Arthur apologized when he pressed down harder on the wound.
"No, you're doing fine. This isn't supposed to be a painless process"
"Right"
There was a moment of uneasy silence. The cricket's melody filled the area, the elderly owl hooted from its hollow home, and the wolf cried to the sky to its lost companions. All of nature, connected by the magic that was the foundation of the earth itself, silently sensed the distress of its magical kin.
"Arthur, are you okay?"
"Am I okay?! You're the one bleeding to death and you're asking me if I'm okay?" Arthur paused for a moment to give Merlin a disapproving look. "Yes Merlin, I'm okay. The question is, are you okay?"
"Never...better" he replied in a strained (and slightly slurred) voice.
"Right. I'll believe it when I see it". There was another moment of silence before Arthur spoke up. "Merlin"
"...mm?..."
"Isn't there anything more I can do?"
"...well if you gt 'om erbs 'hen..."
"Merlin!" Arthur yelled before pressing harder on his wound.
"What!" he snarled at the prince.
"Don't fall asleep"
"Stupid Prat" Merlin mumbled.
"Fine, I'm a prat but that still doesn't change the fact that you have to stay awake. Now, what were you saying?"
Merlin snorted in annoyance at the truth of his friend's words. "If you get some herbs then it might help to stop the blood flow"
"Right. What do I need?"
"...Yarrow. Its small and white with a long stem that grows in various shrubs."
Arthur took a second to think about his options - 1) stay with Merlin and hope that the bleeding stops on its own or 2) go, find the yarrow and get it back in time and hope that Merlin doesn't fall asleep. Not my best options. "Okay, I'm going to go look for it. You better stay awake Merlin or so help me if you die, I'll kill you myself"
"Sure..."
"Merlin" Arthur said warningly.
"Alright, alright. I won't fall asleep"
After shooting his friend a couple of incredulous looks, the prince turned to the forest and ran to get the one thing he hoped would save his friend.
After ten minutes or so of searching, the prince groaned in frustration. Not only could he not find any yarrow but the sun was going to rise any minute and he needed to get back to Merlin before then. To make matters worse, he was slightly lost.
As he was contemplating where he should go, the thundering of horse hooves came out of no-where and by the sound of them, there were several riders. Immediately, Arthur hid behind the thick trunk of a tree. Morgana's men must be searching for...
SNAP
When the riders were a couple yards from where Arthur was hiding, the prince accidentally stepped on a thick, dead twig, causing the group to suddenly stop. Good job Arthur. Why not just shout to them that you're hiding! A lump formed in the prince's throat. He couldn't be captured now or Merlin would die but he also couldn't let them get to his friend either. He didn't have a sword and was most likely outnumbered so attacking them was out of the question.
One member of the group jumped off his horse and by the sound of the familiar ringing, unsheathed his sword. The others followed his example and slowly began walking in his direction. Grabbing a thick branch from the ground, Arthur held it close and took a deep breath. Here goes nothing. Yelling, he jumped from behind the safety of the tree and charged Morgana's men like a crazy man.
"Sire?"
Arthur immediately stopped his not-so-dangerous attack. That voice, he knew that voice. It could only be...
"Leon!"
"Arthur!" all the knights shouted in unison as they put back their swords and moved forward to greet their prince.
"Am I glad to see you guys" he said, relieved to meet up with his knights. Soon, the prince was bombarded with questions.
"What happened?"
"Sire, are you hurt?"
"Were you actually going to attack us with a stick?" (definitely Gwaine)
"Where's Merlin?" Lancelot asked, searching for the warlock. Arthur and the knights froze at the question.
"I was try to head back to him when you guys arrived" Arthur replied. "We have to get to him immediately. He's been..."
"Whoa, wait a minute. What do you mean 'where's Merlin'?" Elyan asked.
"Yeah, no-one has seen him in a few days" Percival said scrunching his brow in confusion.
"And we were going to look for him after we found you princess" Gwaine added.
"Lancelot, you knew Merlin was with Arthur?" Leon asked.
"I did"
"Then why didn't you say anything?!"
"The situation's complicated Gwaine"
"Is it? What's so complicated about saying 'Hey guys, I found Merlin'? I was bloody worried about him!"
"Would you two knock it off!" Arthur yelled before either could continue. "Merlin needs our help and we're wasting time bickering like children".
"What's wrong?" Percival asked. Before the prince could answer, a bloodcurdling roar resounded through the forest. The prince's eyes shot to the sky to see the sun shining, its light illuminating the darkness. Without saying a word, Arthur ran in the direction of the scream, not stopping at the knights questioning protests.
In all honesty, he didn't care if they followed him. Arthur had to get to Merlin, one way or another.
Merlin wasn't lying when he said he wouldn't fall asleep. He lived with a physician for goodness sakes. Despite his jesting, the cursed warlock knew that if he were to succumb to slumber, then there was a good chance of him not waking up. Still, sleep did sound like a good thing right about...
"No, I have to stay awake. Arthur will kill me if I don't" he said to no-one in particular, ignoring the voice in his head reminding him that Arthur, at that point, probably wouldn't need to anyway. So the were-wyvern did whatever he could to stay awake. He shifted positions (painfully) and bit his lip and nudged the make-shift bandage on his stomach - whatever he could think of to stay awake.
Ten minutes or so had passed and Arthur still hadn't returned. Not that Merlin was complaining, but the yarrow would've been nice right about now not to mention the fact that Arthur was gone for quite some time.
"How hard is it to find a plant? It's not like it's a rare herb" he complained out loud. Seeing a small rock nearby, Merlin began rocking it back and forth with his snout, admiring its humble beauty, before flinging it into the bushes. Two birds flew out and headed to the trees. The were-wyvern watched as they soared through sky, free and in clear unity with one another. Like me and...
His peaceful musings were cut short by the throbbing of his shoulder. Slowly, he craned his neck to see the sunlight peeking from the tree line. Not bothering to struggle, Merlin just stayed on the ground, wishing Arthur was with him.
In a matter of seconds, the sun shone brightly over the cursed warlock. Merlin couldn't help the scream/roar that tore from his throat. He felt the burning sensation on his scaled-skin again, like diving into one of the deadly acids in Gaius' chambers, and he tried to scratch away the pain. Tearing at more skin than last time (the fragments immediately turning into dust like before), he shed back to his normal, human self and promptly fell to the ground in pure exhaustion. How he managed to stay awake this time - he didn't know.
Agonizing seconds had passed for him to refocus his mind. The warlock tried to lift himself up but cried out in pain and clutched his hand to his side. The arrow wound, which was slightly bigger than before, was bleeding again. With each painful breath he took, a burning pain would sprout from the wound making the warlock slowly lose his grip on consciousness.
After another futile attempt, he fell harshly, face first, to the ground. The world around him became obscured in a blur of colors. He felt like he could die any minute, alone and without the people he cared for around him. Closing his eyes, Merlin then thought of her. The one who waited for him at the Lake of Avalon. The one he would do anything for. The one he loved. Freya. Her beauty, her smile, her kiss - oh gods, how he yearned for another.
A tear fell from his eye, fusing with the blood that littered the grass.
He didn't want to die alone - not like this.
He heard a bit of movement from the bushes in front of him. Opening his eyes, in the midst of his delirium, he gazed upon the beautiful figure of his beloved. His eyes watered and reaching out, his hand outstretched, he cried out her name. "Freya, help me!"
The figure moved until she stood right in front of him, her red hair cascading down her back and her green eyes maliciously gleaming in the sunlight. His vision cleared until the image of Freya faded. He looked at who was actually standing in front of him and his eyes widened in dread. Holding out her hand, Anatol smiled cruelly at him. "I don't know who Freya is but sure, I'll help you"
A muttered spell and the darkness of oblivion consumed him.
A couple miles away at the Lake of Avalon, the Lady of the Lake rose from the water at the anguished cry of her name. Freya wished she could run to her beloved and comfort him but she was bound to the lake for all eternity. Clasping her hands over her heart, she looked up to the bright sun-lit sky.
"Stay strong my love"
I'm very mean, I know.
Yes, I just realized after proof-reading this that I pretty much had Merlin get shot with a 'Morgul' weapon (LOTR fans will hopefully get the reference) since the arrow turned into dust after it was taken out and caused him more pain. Which inadvertently makes Morgana a 'ring wraith' (that explains a lot then). Oh well, just thought I'd try to connect this somehow to LOTR. :)
Anyway, please review. It would mean the whole world to me. The next chapter should be up Monday.
Until later,
-STL13