Yay, new chapter. Enjoy!
The ending of the curse was not so dramatic to the two, though it did seem a miracle to those who had gone so long without food or water…and Arthur would not begrudge them, even if no one knew he was the one who had fixed this. Only Merlin and Lancelot knew and he wanted to keep it that way, only giving some vague reference to magic helping out when his father appeared in front of them.
Back in Arthur's room, the two sat in silence, Merlin just leaning against him. "You know, you could have told him." He finally spoke, breaking their comfortable silence.
"I could have, but I didn't want to. He wouldn't have understood, why I would throw it all away, the crown, the kingdom, just for you, to protect you. I'm sure he would do it for mother, but she's human and you're…"
"Druid, even if only half. I know, but I also know that you very much wish for your father's approval, as all son's do. He is proud of you Arthur, there is no disputing that. You just have differing viewpoints and are both stubborn and pigheaded and want to always get your way and…"
"I get it Merlin, you can stop now." He growled out, elbowing the Druid in the side in his annoyance.
Merlin just grinned, unrepentantly, at him. "And I am proud of you Arthur. No matter what happens, I always will be." He said softly, face earnest and sincere.
"You're such a girl, sometimes." He growled, wrapping an arm around his neck and pulling him down. "Thank you, though." He whispered against his cloth covered shoulder.
They stayed like that in silence before Merlin shifted, pulling away a little to look at him. His face was flushed as he spoke, stammer more pronounced. "Would you mind…i-if I stayed here tonight?" He looked away, flushing brighter.
"We haven't shared a bed since we were little." Arthur said instead of answering.
"If you don't want me to, then that's alright." He said hastily, moving to stand up.
Arthur snagged his wrist, yanking him back down onto the bed. "I didn't say I minded or not, let me finish." Merlin stared at him, nodding. "Good. We haven't shared a bed since we were little, but I don't mind. Why?" He asked, trying to read his mind through sight alone.
"I…I feel like you'll just disappear if I'm not there to watch over you." He admitted, softly, looking away again.
"Merlin, you woman!" He huffed, yanking him forward to press their lips together quickly, catching the Druid off balance, leaving him clutching at Arthur's shoulders to keep from falling off the bed. "I'm not going anywhere, got it?" Merlin just nodded dumbly, unsure what to say. "Good, now if you want to stay here, go get something to wear for bed…and maybe a wash as well, you smell." He smirked even as he wrinkled his nose. Merlin huffed and stood, stalking to the door and shutting it loudly as Arthur laughed at his retreat.
The days melded together into weeks as nothing significant happened now that the talks had finished. Morgana and Ygraine still schemed over wedding details and the two avoided them as much as possible, often escaping the castle altogether with Lancelot and Mordred in tow.
Their routines mostly stayed the same, with training in the morning, followed by a light breakfast and then the two would seclude themselves in the library or Arthur's rooms, pouring over must parchment. If it was a court day, they sat in, watching Uther in action as he ran the kingdom. Lunch was spent with the royal family or just the two of them or with Lancelot and Mordred. Then more time spent over musty parchment or sometimes Merlin would work with Gaius, teaching each other medicine of the two races.
The only real change were their sleeping arrangements, though only a few knew this. Every few days or so, Merlin would stay with Arthur, the two talking into the night before sleep finally dragged them down. It was one such night that Merlin woke up with a gasp, breathing as if he had run a mile.
"Merlin, what is it?" Arthur asked, holding the shaking Druid up. He shook his head, clutching at his head as if trying to keep it from rolling off.
"I…I'm not sure." He huffed out, still shaking like a leaf.
He gave a sharp intake of breath, head rolling back as if hit and then passed out, Arthur keeping him from falling to the cold stone floor. He roused a few minutes later to Arthur's instant calling, his voice betraying his worry as it cracked on his name. "Merlin, what happened?" He asked.
"I…I'm not sure, but it was powerful." He whispered. His next words made Arthur freeze in worry. "We should check on Mordred and Morgana."
Lancelot was coming towards them, the smaller, pale Halfling cradled in his arms, worry clear on his face. "He woke me up when he shouted and then passed out. What's happened?" He demanded.
"I'm not sure, but it was big. He should wake up in a few minutes, but we need to check on Morgana." They went back the way they had come, headed for Morgana's rooms.
As the drew near, Mordred finally stirred, looking shaken and paler than usual, but unhurt. "Merlin!" His voice trembled a little.
"I know." He answered, raising a hand to knock on Morgana's door.
It opened before he could knock though, Gwen's worried face peering through the gap. "Oh, thank god, Merlin, something's happened to Morgana." She said, opening the door for them to enter.
"I know, it happened to us as well." He indicated himself and Mordred who was now on his feet. They heard a murmur and looked to see Morgana wakening, her eyes clouded still with whatever it was that gripped her. "My lady?" Merlin asked softly, drawing her piercing blue eyes to him.
"There's fire and a work room. Someone's pouring something into a mold…and then gold, it's gold, how is that possible." She had come back to herself as she spoke. "Merlin…they turned lead into gold." She whispered, voice breaking the unnatural silence.
It was Gwen who discovered what had happened. She had gone to see her father the next morning, to check that he was alright. He was found in his work room, the fire long since gone out and cold, a look of surprise on his face as whoever had been in the room with him slipped the knife through his ribs, piercing his heart.
Chaos descend soon after as Morgana took the shattered woman away as guards scoured the city and nearby villages and inns for anyone that had passed through so late at night. Many of the local sorcerer's had come forward to Merlin, asking about what had happened last night, what they had felt, and Merlin could tell them nothing.
They all sat in Morgana's room, watching over the now orphaned handmaiden as she slept from a sleeping draught that Morgana had, coaxed, forced, down the woman's throat to ease her sleep.
"I thought that was impossible, changing base metals to gold." Arthur finally broke the silence.
"It's supposed to be. No one has ever been able to achieve it…except it appears someone has, if what we felt last night was anything to go by." The room is silent as they take in this information and wonder what will happen next.