Hello everyone I know, I know, talk about late updates right. Well in all honesty I have never being this piled under with work before, but you have two chapters at once. Thank you to my incredibly patient beta reader MagicByMerlin.
Chapter Nine
The next time Merlin woke up he felt more refreshed. His aches and pains had gone, and he felt like he could move much more easily. He sat up and looked around the room he was in. Truly it was nothing he had ever seen before; it made Arthur's room seem dull and desolate. Merlin noticed that the fires were still burning as ever, despite it clearly being morning. When he made to shuffle the sheets, he got a small shock when he felt something moving under the covers. Cautiously, Merlin lifted them and saw Arthur slithering around near his toes.
"I didn't know you liked my feet so much. If I had I would have kept you in my shoes!" he joked softly.
Arthur looked up from where he had being snake pacing. He was itching all over and couldn't figure out why.
"I'm itching and am trying to ssscratch myssself," he said simply before resuming slithering.
"What?" Merlin asked sarcastically. "By using my feet!"
"No, the sssheetsss! I feel like I'm being compresssed by my own ssscalesss," Arthur replied, causing Merlin to finally click with what was wrong.
"I think your shedding your skin." Merlin smiled.
"Oh, well, I'm ssso glad you think it'sss funny," Arthur snapped. "Firssst I end up like thisss, and now I'm lossssing my ssscalesss! What'sss next, then?"
"Hey, what is the matter with you? It's nothing too serious. You have a new one already underneath that one. Think of it as loosing a coat," Merlin muttered.
"It'sss not jussst the ssscalesss that are the problem, though, isss it?" Arthur enquired as though speaking to an idiot.
"Then, what?" Merlin asked, feeling oblivious.
"HIM!" came Arthur's angry reply. It took Merlin a moment to realise just who Arthur was so distressed about.
"Is he complaining again?" a voice asked from the direction of the doorway.
"Oh, ssshut up," Arthur hissed from near Merlin's feet.
"The pair of you, shut it!" Merlin said, vaguely remembering why he was where he was. He picked Arthur up from near his feet and sat him on his stomach, then proceeded to start scratching. Arthur's old skin began to peel away as he did so, earning Arthur's approval.
"Is that better?" Merlin asked gently, once the bulk of Arthur's old skin was on the bed sheets.
"Much, thanksss," Arthur replied contentedly.
"What's wrong with him this time?" Dellarux's agitated voice came from the doorway a second time.
"He's losing his skin," Merlin answered before Arthur could say something rather nasty in return.
"Is that all?" Dellarux smiled to himself. Typical prince, he thought, can't even take a little discomfort.
"So, what's wrong with you two, now?" Merlin asked, whilst cleaning up the skin scraps.
Dellarux opened his mouth to respond but Arthur got there first.
"Where do I ssstart? He took my voice away, gave me his curssse, threatened to tie me to a tree branch and drown me! He'sss called me everything insssulting you can think of, and keepsss giving these really violent looksss…" Arthur fell silent, needing to breathe properly.
"Only because you wouldn't shut up, and you wouldn't leave Merlin alone, but I suppose it would never occur to royalty that someone needs rest, other than themselves!" Dellarux snapped coldly. His tone even startled Merlin.
"Coming from a sssorcerer whose family disssowned him because he couldn't live up to the job, that'sss a little bit ironic, isn't it?" Arthur shot back.
Something snapped inside Dellarux at the mention of his past.
"Listen, you pathetic excuse for a prince –!" But Arthur cut him off.
"Oh, I'm a pathetic excussse for a prince, am I? That'sss rich coming from that mouth! No wonder your family disssowned you! You have no honour at all, do you?" Arthur smirked snake-ish-ly.
Dellarux had heard enough. His eyes flashed a deep blue colour and suddenly Arthur let out a vicious cry of agony. Merlin stared in horror at the writhing form now on his lap.
"STOP!" he screamed. "PLEASE, NO, PLEASE! PLEASE!"
Dellarux was deeply distressed at seeing Merlin go to pieces over it, so closed his eyes and abruptly Arthur fell still, breathing harshly.
Merlin picked up the curled form and held it close.
"Arthur, Arthur, come on, sssh, it's okay now, it's alright."
Arthur was still shaking in Merlin's arms, and although, later, he would never admit it, not even to Morgana, began to cry.
Merlin's head snapped up to glare at Dellarux, whose gaze dropped as he avoided Merlin's eyes.
"Why – why would you do that?" Merlin asked quietly. "I thought I could trust you. I thought you were better than the others."
Dellarux's head jerked up.
"I am better than the others! He should learn to be grateful for what he's got. I was never grateful for what I had and it cost me dearly."
"This isn't just about you, though, is it?" Merlin said. "Why won't you learn that I am grateful for everything you did for me, and although he'll never admit it, so is Arthur."
Merlin indicated to the sorry form in his arms.
"What you have done affects us all. Perhaps you should really think about your actions, as well!"
"I do think about my actions, all the time! I'm a sorcerer, and I have no choice but to. I also have feelings. I know they're not always visible, but they are there. I am lonely, too. I want a companion…" Dellarux trailed off.
"So you didn't bring me here to look after me, and you never had the intention of turning Arthur back. You only wanted me for your own purposes. You haven't changed at all, Dellarux, even after all those centuries!" Merlin stated sadly.
Dellarux just looked at him. It wasn't the first time truths had being thrown at him, but coming from Merlin's mouth it somehow seemed to really hit. And hard, too.
"I'll take that as a yes, then, shall I? Very well, we must head back to Camelot. Uther will be worried and I'm worried about Gaius. There's only so long you can lie to Uther without consequences, and we've being gone too long as it is." Merlin sighed and pulled himself off the bed, Arthur slung around his neck.
"Goodbye, Dellarux," he said simply, and he collected his bag and left.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter it continues straight on!