A/N: Thank you everyone for the kind reviews and the follows and favorites. Each of them made my day! Here is the third chapter of Nightmares! Sorry it's a little short but I couldn't find a better place to stop it. You'll see why ;)
Thanks to all who reviewed: TheSilverSleeper (So do I, his life just gets so rough sometimes), Kiki1770, Animus et Anima, KmKizmet (thank you so much, and I can see the resemblance but they aren't related), The weasel is MINE XP, sword (Guest), BobboThaMonkii (me too, and don't worry he will be), GoldenFireFish, saroura92 (thank you for your reviews, they made me laugh), Miharux3 (I like him too, but we'll see about Arthur), Guest, ruby890, Peabodythecat, Ariel guest (Guest), Peaceful Dragon Rose
If I skipped you please let me know and I will give you a shout out next time!
Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin, tell me something I don't know.
Nightmares
Arthur wiped the blood from the exploded knight out of his eyes just in time to see the wet ground that had swallowed almost all of the Knights of Adoewen become solid again.
Immediately, the Knights of the Round Table ran over to their fallen member, who was currently still alive, but not by much.
"What should we do?" Elyan asked.
"We need to get him to Gaius." Leon said.
"Here, I'll carry him on my back, we'll get there faster." Percival said, bending down to scoop Gwaine up in his arms.
"Don't bother." Gwaine protested weakly. "None of it will matter. I'm not long for this world."
"Yes, you are." A voice from behind them said. They turned around to see Merlin standing there, looking down at the ground.
"Don't you dare get anywhere near him!" Percival yelled and drew his sword, with Elyan and Leon following suit.
"I-I'm not going to hurt him." Merlin said quietly.
"How can we believe you after what you just did?" Leon said. "You have magic. You have death in your blood, murder flowing through your veins. You should die right here where you stand. The only thing that is keeping you alive is the fact that Arthur is a fair and just king, and would most likely want to give you a trial. However, if he doesn't feel that way, I have no qualms about killing a traitor, no matter how long I've known you."
Leon turned towards Arthur, who was just standing there, watching this whole exchange happen.
Go ahead, he wanted to say. Go ahead and strike him down where he stands. And yet, when Arthur opened his mouth to say just that, nothing would come out. Not a single sound.
"Sire, I believe, for the good of the people and my fellow knights, that this traitor needs to die this incident. Who knows what else he is capable of?"
I do, Arthur said to himself. I know what he's capable of. I saw the bloodlust in his eyes, killing that first knight. He is evil, and capable of so much more than you know.
"Look, Gwaine is going to be the one who dies if you don't let me heal him. Do what you want with me afterwards, but please just let me heal him." Merlin pleaded, looking from one knight to the other.
"Magic cannot heal!" Leon said. "It can only destroy. We will not allow-"
"Aren't I already basically destroyed?" Gwaine suddenly said, looking like he was using up all the strength he has left just to get these few words out. "Just let him try. I can't get any worse."
"But Gwaine, he's a traitor and a killer!"Leon said, astounded at Gwaine for even suggesting Merlin come near.
"I don't care about your opinion on him, but he did just defeat all the Adoewen knights for us." Gwaine protested, his voice getting weaker.
"How do you know we're not next?" Leon asked, eyes still on Merlin.
'I don't, but for god sake's, I'm DYING!" Just get over it for two seconds and let Merlin heal me." Gwaine said, his voice very faint now.
And without waiting for another protest from Leon, Merlin pushed right past the knights and went to kneel by Gwaine.
"Ok, you may feel a slight burning, but it shouldn't last long." Merlin said to the fallen knight.
"A SLIGHT BURNING-" Percival started to protest, but was silenced when he saw what was taking place before him.
Merlin's eyes were closed tight with his hands on Gwaine's wound, and beautiful golden light was swirling around them. Merlin said words in the Old Religion and the light kept getting brighter and brighter and brighter, until suddenly, it vanished almost as soon as it appeared.
Merlin stood up and, by some miracle, so did Gwaine.
"Well, that was quite a day, don't you think fellas?" Gwaine said, looking quite chipper and not like he had just had a near death experience that had all signs of being an actual death experience.
"But, you healed him." Leon said. "How is that possible?"
"Wow, Arthur." Gwaine suddenly said. "I didn't know you liked me that much."
Everyone turned around to see the very rare sight of tears streaming down King Arthur's face.
"I'm okay now." Gwaine said helpfully.
"How could you?" Arthur said.
"Live?" Gwaine said, always taking everything in comedic stride. "Well you see, two people loved each other very much and-"
"For once in your life would you just shut up Gwaine?!" Arthur said. "I wasn't talking to you!"
Gwaine immediately closed his mouth and walked a few steps away.
"I was talking to Merlin." Arthur said, and then yelled, "HOW COULD YOU! AFTER EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING WE'VE BEEN THROUGH, EVERYTHING WE'VE DONE, EVERYTHING WE'VE SAID, HOW COULD YOU?! DO YOU SEE YOURSELF, DO YOU EVEN REALIZE WHAT YOU LOOKED LIKE, KILLING ALL THOSE PEOPLE? IT CERTAINLY WASN'T A SAD LOOK, THAT'S FOR SURE!
"Arthur, I-" Merlin started.
"NO, I'M NOT FINISHED! HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU DONE MAGIC BEHIND MY BACK?! WHAT, DID YOU THINK I WOULD BE ACCEPTING OF YOUR MAGIC? DID YOU THINK I WOULD BEND THE LAW JUST FOR YOU? IS THAT WHY YOU PRETENDED TO BE MY FRIEND? THERE IS NO WAY ANY OF THAT FRIENDSHIP IS REAL, IS THERE? DID YOU PRETEND TO BE MY FRIEND JUST SO WHEN YOUR LITTLE SECRET GOT OUT, YOU THOUGHT YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO GO TO JAIL? "No, the idiot prince wouldn't put someone in jail who actually treated him like a real person for once." OF COURSE THAT'S WHAT YOU DID, BECAUSE SOMEHOW YOU KNEW, WITH THAT GOD-AWFUL MAGIC OF YOURS, YOU KNEW THAT THAT'S WHAT I ALWAYS WANTED! SOMEONE YOU TREATS ME LIKE A REAL PERSON, INSTEAD OF A PRINCE. THAT I'VE ALWAYS WANTED SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO BE MY FRIEND, REGARDLESS OF MY RANK. THEN YOU WALKED IN AND YOU KNEW, YOU KNEW I WOULD WANT TO GO TO HELL AND BACK FOR YOU. YOU PLANNED THIS WHOLE TRICK JUST SO YOU COULD LIVE, JUST SO YOU COULD MAKE A FOOL OUT OF THE PRINCE BY GIVIING HIM A BEST FRIEND WHO'S A SORCERER.
"Arthur, I swear I-" Merlin protested, tears making tracks all down his face.
"AND YOU KNOW WHAT THE WORST PART IS?" Arthur yelled, crying as well. "YOU KNOW WHAT THE WORST PART IS, THE PART THAT MAKES EVERYTHING TEN TIMES MORE PAINFUL THAN ANY OTHER BETRAYAL OF MY LIFE?
"It worked." Arthur said, his voice quieter but still shaky with tears. "That charade, that game of yours; it worked. I can't kill you Merlin. I can't ever watch you burn."
"Arthur, please let me explain." Merlin began to say.
"How could you do that to me? Now, because of you, I'm a failure as a king. If I can't uphold one law for one person just because of my feelings, then I'm unfit to rule a kingdom. I'll now forever rule Camelot, knowing that I don't deserve to. How could you do that to me?
"Now Merlin, I want you to go. Go somewhere far, somewhere out of Camelot, where no one can find you. I just want you to go and never come back."
"Arthur, I wasn't lying about our friendship, I pro-"
"Don't you get it Merlin?" Arthur said, teary eyed and with an air of finality. "Our friendship means nothing. It means nothing to me now. All you are now is just another person who betrayed me in my life. Whatever friendship we had is now ground into dust. You're just another sorcerer who is no better than the dirt under my shoes. Go. Now."
The look in Arthur's eyes, the look of sadness, of betrayal, of hatred, was enough to convince Merlin that there was no winning this argument. He began to turn and walk away, but stopped as if to say something. Then looking into Arthur's eyes again, he thought better of it, and fully turned and walked away into the woods.
Arthur watched him go and felt his heart slowly turn harder. He now knew he would do whatever it takes to ensure that this never happens again. If Merlin could slip through the net of the law, so could others. There must be others hidden in his beloved Camelot, other sorcerers just waiting for their chance to bring down the kingdom. Drastic measures must be taken to prevent sorcery from ever being used again. Drastic measures. Because now Arthur fully knew the evils of sorcery and how it corrupts everyone and everything it touches.
His father was right all along.
A/N: So what do you think? I wasn't sure about this side of Arthur, so how did I do? I love hearing your thoughts, even if you think it was awful. What do you think's coming next.
Also, there is a great song called "Traitor" by Chris Daughtry which I think really describes this chapter. Check it out and tell me what you think!