A Marriage that Started a Legend

by IJustShowedUp

Follows canon but with my own arranged marriage spin on it. What happens when Hunith makes a mistake and is forced on the run with her infant son? What happens when Camelot knights find her twenty years later? What happens when Arthur learns he's betrothed to a peasant boy? Will Merlin be able to stand among royalty? Will these two different boys survive each other? Review!

133. Chapter 134

This chapter is dedicated to Seiramallipop. Who wanted to see Merlin being a 'dramatic mofo' and say 'long live the king's' as he's drinking the poison. So I hope they enjoy how I fit it into the story ;p

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The room was so still and quiet, Arthur Pendragon could have heard a pin if it was dropped somewhere in the far corner. The eyes of everybody in the room rested sorely on his father, who didn't flinch at the attention. In fact, Uther may have well been in the room alone, tilting his head to the side as he considered what he would do with Arthur's husband if his accusations had proven false. Arthur wanted nothing in the world other than for Merlin to pull off some new kind of miracle so his father would not get a say in how Merlin should be punished. He had did the impossible before, so surely he could do it again.

"Well first off," Uther Pendragon's started in a decidedly calm voice, and Arthur nearly flinched at the sound of it. Knowing it was definitely deceptive…that was the voice Uther used when he was angry. Either at Merlin for causing a fuss. Or at the Blue King for committing attempted murder on their land. But it was all going to depend on rather or not the wine had the ability to render a person dead. Uther didn't need to do something that was as mundane as screaming to get his message across. The Prince could tell from his tone that one of the two: Bayard and Merlin…Merlin and Bayard…were going to get it before the time struck the midnight hour. "If he is wrong, then you will have my sincerest apologies for all the trouble my son's consort has did to our relationship and the damage he might have caused with our treaty. I, unfortunately, can no longer claim he is new with our ways and does not know better. He should, by this stage in his relationship with my son. Sadly though, my son seems as if he's blinded by his emotion to do anything to give him proper teachings needed to be a consort in this land."

Arthur ducked his head down low, his thumbs tucking into the belt loops around his waist, as his lips thinned enough for the flesh to turn whiter than Merlin's skin color. He knew what his father was doing…twisting the words to make it sound as if he was 'blinded by his emotions' because he was in love and did not want his consort to have to worry about anything. When in reality, anger and a lack of interest would have been far better words to describe why Arthur had refused to teach him proper manners and behaviors. But an apology…Uther had claimed to apologize was to admit one was wrong. And it was something shameful if it had to be done. Because a king-as Arthur would someday be-needed to be decisive enough and make the right choices for their kingdom. They shouldn't be wasting time with making apologies for a mistake they should've foreseen. It was why Arthur had such a tough time apologizing to Merlin when he had just finished Valiant. Because it would be admitting he had made a mistake. But perhaps Arthur had also made a huge mistake-if Merlin proved to be wrong-because…he had already foreseen Merlin doing something out of the norm. And still got him to come to this banquet in the first place when he should have just made an excuse for his absence.

"And once I am done with that, I believe the festivities for the night will no longer be able to happen, since the mood's been sufficiently ruined." Uther continued to drawl, and Arthur felt as if he could breathe a little easier. It was shameful to know his own father would have to apologize on the behalf of Merlin but…an apology wasn't the worse thing in the world either. The prince was more concerned about 'the after' and what he may do once it was just the three of them away from the eye of the public and their noble guests. "But then we can retire to one of the many chambers in the castle. And discuss a proper, fitting way for Merlin to make amends to you and your kingdom. I am sure together, we can find some way for Merlin to make things up to Mercia. Since it's you he would have insulted, I believe it is only right for you to have some kind of input in correcting a streak of ever bad behavior our consort has been displaying."

Arthur's heart seized in his chest as he jerked his head back up, looking horrified at his father. And even more stricken as he saw Bayard nodding, agreeing to their verbal terms, which was basically a contract between kingdoms without having a formal written agreement between the two. Arthur could only think…Bayard shouldn't have a say in what happened to Merlin at all. There was all manner of possibilities the other king may try to implement. And something like this just felt as if the Red King was handing far too much power over to the Blue. What if Bayard decided to try pushing for an execution? Rare and that was never something usually done. But it had happened once or twice in history, where a royal family member had went and done something so vile to another kingdom's royal family, the only thing to make it right was to have their head on this sleek and silver platter. Something as serious as this probably would count as big enough to implement a punishment just as big as the crime.

Or..what if Bayard decided to do a more humiliation route than a deadly route. Just earlier, Arthur had been thinking of nobles who would go so far as to offer up their wives or daughters as a way of making amends. What if Bayard used this whole awful situation as a means of getting what he wanted…getting Merlin underneath him. Spreading the boy's legs open so he could go and take what he wanted. Just because Merlin had experience in that area…didn't mean Arthur wanted to sit outside the door and wait to escort Merlin back to his chambers once the whole thing was over. Unable to-by rules of the agreement-knock the doors down and drag his consort out by a clump of hair before Bayard had a real chance to sample the boy. Arthur was pretty sure he would be far more traumatized by the events than the boy at his side would be…

"Father!" Arthur spoke up before he could stop and think how he was probably about to make a huge fool of himself. It had already been made clear to him that Uther didn't value Arthur putting forth his input. Not with this. But Arthur also couldn't find it in himself to remain quiet. Almost forgetting that Merlin should have been his main concern, with the way the boy was still staring into his goblet as if it held all of the answers in the entire world. "I know that I am probably speaking out of turn at the moment. But I implore you to see reason. You cannot allow a stranger to come into our home and make decisions for royal members. If this claim proves false, then the matter should be dealt with among the family. Not-"

Arthur cut himself off abruptly when he saw the cutting gaze of his father's piercing eyes. As if the king was trying to sear a hole straight into the prince's head. Arthur had taken this half-step towards Uther, but stopped before he could dare to take another. If Arthur had thought he was making a mistake after deciding to speak up, it was nothing compared to now when he realized just how huge of a mistake he had made. And the prince had to remember-nearly swallowing his tongue into the back of his throat to stop anymore words from trying to come forth-that Uther had every reason in the world not to listen to him now. Merlin had already impaired his judgement too many times to count, considering how many times Arthur had put his own neck out on the line to drag him from certain death. But it was as if Merlin was bound and determined to die, continuing to put himself into the line of fire.

"Arthur, I have had many discussions with you in the past that pertains to this matter. I have told you time and time again that your consort was going to go too far one of these days." Uther said in this slow and drawled out tone. Deceptively calm. As he had been with Bayard. As if Uther was talking to this stranger rather than his own son. Arthur looked down, because this was somehow so much worse than if Uther had gotten mad enough to start screaming at him in front of everybody. "I have offered many suggestions as to what you could do to contain any kind of problems you were having with reining your consort in." And Arthur knew Uther was talking about that one time, when he'd suggested Arthur should try and make Merlin actually fall right in love with him. Because it was easier to coerce somebody to do what they wanted if they thought their love wanted it. Then it was to convince Merlin to do what the royal family wanted if he was fighting them all the time. And Arthur ducked his head down further, remembering how he had rebuffed the idea after he had first heard it. But perhaps his father had been right. He probably should have done it to avoid things like this. "But I do admit, I naively thought you were simply needing just a bit of time to adjust to being a married man. You're young. And had to learn how to operate as two people inside of one. But it was my mistake to leave the two of you to your own devices, and I plan on correcting that today. If your consort is wrong. Then all the changes I plan to make going forth will be to keep our land safe from anymore mistakes your consort might make should he continue to be left to his own devices."

Arthur didn't dare lift his head back up, knowing fighting with his father on this was not a battle he could win. The only way things could go in his favor…was if Merlin was right about the poison in the cup. But it felt as if he was losing anyway, since Merlin would be dead. His soul leaving the body and trying to escape before Arthur could try and wrestle an invisible wisp of what made Merlin 'Merlin' back into the casings of his body. It was a bitter potion to swallow, but the lump in Arthur's throat felt as if he had just swallowed a particularly large stone. And not his own bitter disappointment.

"Uther, perhaps Prince Arthur is correct and this isn't the best thing to do. A king deciding the fate of a consort…something like that is nearly unheard of!" Gaius spoke up from the sides of the hall, and Arthur looked up belatedly. He remembered his family's physician trying to stand up before, stop his consort from trying to drink the poison. But it was all going to end up being for naught. If Arthur couldn't change Uther's mind, then there was no way that Gaius was going to be more successful in the matter. "Please, Merlin is just a boy. This cannot happen to him. There is no telling what kind of torment a foreign king would wish upon a boy like Merlin. It's cruel. I cannot allow this to come to past-"

Gaius was trying to implement his right as Merlin's only male relative to inject himself into this family matter. He should've had some kind of sway over how Merlin was treated or could even demand reparations if his expectations were not met as he thought they should be. Actually, Arthur should've had the final say in what should happen to Merlin, despite Uther trying to take charge. But Arthur would never implement his rights as Merlin's husband if it interfered in his duties as a son. Though the aged physician had forgotten a little fact…Uther clearly did not realize Gaius' sway in this situation. Did not realize Merlin's uncle-the male relative that should've been responsible for the boy before passing him over to his husband's household in the absence of his father-should have been consulted on what the boy would have to face. In fact…Uther clearly did not know the physician was Merlin's uncle at all, having very little interest in knowing anything more than he already knew on where Merlin had came from.

"You do not have to allow anything!" Uther demanded in this harsher and more heated tone, cutting Gaius off as he turned a harder and sterner look onto their physician. Arthur tried his best to swallow that lump in his throat down, realizing just how dead set Uther was on this when he wouldn't even allow Gaius to finish speaking. "I am the king. And you have misspoken out of turn, Gaius." There was a moment of silence where the king wrinkled his nose in disgust before continuing in a quieter tone of voice. "From what I understand, you have taken a shine onto our esteemed consort. Perhaps with all the excessive time our consort spent in your presence last month, you might've seen fit to school him in something other than mixing potions. And if this is going to become a debate, maybe I should be the one to point out how Merlin is no longer a child. He came an adult the second he ended up married to my son. Subjected to the laws of the land as anybody else the second he became a citizen of Camelot."

Arthur shot a glance towards Merlin, hoping for once that the other boy might try to speak up in his own defense. Uther had listened the last time the two of them had made a deal, as the consort fought furiously for Gwen's freedom. But it seemed as if times had changed before Arthur's eyes as the new deal that formed between the two king became set in stone. And Merlin was silent, not a word of defense escaping from his lips as the consort stared solemnly into his goblet. And Arthur thought he was going to be sick if he didn't do something, as every cell in his body SCREAMED at him like a roar of a lion to finally knock the drink out of hand. But it wouldn't help matters. Maybe his father would take the opportunity to humiliate Merlin by trying to order him to lick up the remains from the floor with his own tongue. Or maybe he'll decide Arthur must've been in with the scheme and there was nothing wrong with the drink at all if the prince was going to try destroying it, handing Merlin off toward the blue king without anything further.

"Merlin! Maybe you should just apologize to my father. And to King Bayard. And to the people here for wasting their time." he suggested wildly, as it was probably the only thing that came to mind to do. His father was very big on people making up for their mistakes and subjecting themselves to him by admitting they had been wrong. But Arthur also couldn't risk the chance of Merlin being wrong for the first time. Not about something as important as this. The boy would be damned if he did drink it, and he would be damned if he didn't with whatever Bayard decided to put forth as a proper reparation. And sure, the boy had never been wrong about these kinds of things before, but there was a first time for everything. And Arthur wasn't willing to risk Merlin's life. Especially since he couldn't prevent Merlin from offering his life last month for Gwen's sake. Now, that had turned out alright but that had been a miracle. And whichever direction this went-laying out on the floor as he took his last breath or being carted straight to Bayard to be at the king's mercy-would only end in one way. There was no chance he'd come out of this one as whole as he was now. "Now, I know it is hard admitting you're wrong and you don't like admitting you could be. But I'm sure all these kind people will be willing to forgive you if you dropped this…now."

Yes, Arthur thought desperately, Merlin will see just how dumb and idiotic this all was. And how it would've been almost better for Merlin to have just let Arthur drink the cup than it was for a stir of this epic proportion to be caused. Anything would have been better than Merlin drawing attention onto himself like he had. And all Arthur wanted to do was take Merlin away from all of this, to his chambers. Sit the boy on the edge of his bed and kneel down onto the floor in front of him-a horrific thought as a prince was not ever meant to get on his knees for any kind of man, not even their own partner-while holding gently onto the slim wrists he possessed. And speak lowly to him, making sure he was okay and none of the possible poison had dripped onto his skin, while toying with his fingers just to make sure he had not been ruined by any unfamiliar scarring. Admitting just how worried he had been when he had thought all of the things Bayard might try to do to him if he got a hand on him, maybe even tucking a few strands of wayward hair behind his ear as an excuse for Arthur to keep touching. It was a far different imagination than those usual ones that revolved around Merlin being tied down into the different and large variety of positions he wanted to see him in, while bearing the marks Arthur would be meant to give him. But the want was there nonetheless, for something that was a bit more softer and tender. Since it also meant Merlin was still in his position to be sweet and tender to. But when Arthur tried one last time to reach out and grab the goblet from Merlin, it seemed to awaken something within the other boy.

And he danced…

Arthur could think of no other word for the way Merlin escaped his grasp. Turning on the tip of his toe and gliding or flouncing or spinning around as he stepped further out of his reach. Now standing in the center of the room where a large circle formed between the citizens of Camelot and Mercia. Many tried their hardest to back away, some plastering themselves to the wall in case Merlin had a moment of insanity that resulted in trying to throw the wine in somebody's face so they would have the effects of it. Or looking as if Merlin was a madman who might as well have raised a steak knife to his own tender throat while screaming to not come any closer because he was about to do it if they tried, the blade pressing too tight to his arteries to be of comfort to anybody. But those people were only a footnote to the prince, whose bloodless expression couldn't have been torn away from Merlin if somebody took the same steak knife and stabbed him in the side with it all the way down to the hilt.

"No." was the first word that Merlin spoke, and Arthur couldn't help but feel as if he was standing on a cliff. Just waiting for it to crumble and dump his useless shell of a body where it was meant to be swallowed up by the crashing seas. No…? A time like now was not a time for Merlin to try making a statement to publicly dismiss Arthur. Had he seriously not learned a lesson the last time he tried butting heads with Arthur, doing nothing to hide his affairs as he had been sweet talking one of his men in the middle of the marketplace. But Arthur slid his gaze down and he could see the way Merlin's fingers were white between the creases of his knuckles, how hard he was holding onto the cup literally made it tremble. And Merlin almost looked as if he was drawing himself even further away from Arthur. But it was impossible, as Merlin hadn't taken another step. It didn't stop the prince from feeling as if Merlin was in a world all his own, a time and space and place that Arthur would never be allowed to enter no matter how much he screamed or threw a fuss. "I have had many things taken away from me, Arthur. Things you have taken away from me. But I refuse to allow you to take this from me as well."

So much, Merlin Pendragon thought as he met eyes with his husband across the room. So much time wasted, so much pain and trauma he had lived through only to end up where he was standing now. It was a shame, for Merlin to realize he had more value dead-taking King Bayard and his betrayal down with him-then he was alive. But at least this way, he would be able to walk into the afterlife and say he had finally taken a life-his own-and decided what to do with it. How many people got to say they died by their own choices, rather than their life being taken from them because of somebody else or due to a force of nature beyond their control. Death by poison…had to be better than dying from Arthur's hand or by fire as his pyre was lit.

"MERLIN! This has gone on for long enough! Now I allowed you this moment to speak but this has gone too far!" Arthur fell to the reins of his temper, his own fear making him shout in a way his father would've never had to shout to be heard. And Prince Arthur Pendragon watched as an almost brittle smile made its way onto his consort's face. As if he was laughing though they both knew there was nothing funny about this situation. Arthur knew why though…Merlin was laughing because Arthur hadn't 'allowed him' to do anything. Merlin had taken this moment as his own, claimed it so throughly that Arthur would not ever be able to even think about Mercia again without remembering all of this. Not for as long as he lived. And Arthur swallowed hard once again, the lump persistent and seemed to have grown in his rising state of panic as he realized on some subconscious level, that things were coming to a close. "You will cease this outrageous behavior immediately!"

Perhaps one of these days, Arthur would realize his one fatal mistake had been telling Merlin want to do. But today wasn't that day. And Merlin could feel his hand going a frighteningly still. He was at peace, in a way, knowing this was going to be his one last final 'fuck you' to Arthur Pendragon's and all he'd done. His time was at hand…his pain ready to end for good…fully committed to stop playing games and do his suicide. He had always said he would make Arthur rue the day he had put a hand on him. And today was that day, as fire rushed through his veins. The beginning's of a dragon just learning how a roar was supposed to sound. Maybe it was time for Merlin to allow his inner dragon to wage a war onto Arthur, instead of trying to clip its wings and smother its fire.

"A lot of things are probably going to start happening after this is inside me. And you are hardly going to worry about my body or what to do with it." Merlin spoke, lifting up his goblet as the people watched, listening to him for the first time since he had arrived in Camelot. But it was too little too late, and he could hardly enjoy being heard when he imagined the chaos that was going to be happening around his prone body. Could imagine the knights of Camelot throwing themselves onto King Bayard and his men as they were arrested for crimes against Camelot.

Merlin's body would probably only be noted after everything was said and done with, and they needed to move it out of the way. Always in the way. Even in death just as he had been with his life. "But whenever you do start remembering you still have to dispose of my body, you will at least realize you should not have fought me so hard against doing this. Think about it this way…you can finally get rid of me. It's exactly what you have always wanted. And now you can have it."

And Merlin smiled, serene and sure of himself.

And Arthur froze, taking in things he had never bothered with noticing before. Like the sunken way Merlin's eyes fit into his face, blue eyes so dim…far dimmer when compared to the fire Arthur had seen all those times Merlin had tried attacking him in one way or the other. The way Merlin's bruises-so beautiful and powerful in their reminder of Merlin belonging to him-were standing out too harshly against skin that was far whiter than it had been when Arthur had met him. The way Merlin's clothes were clinging too him, but the wide open mouth of the collar suddenly seemed as if it was trying to fall off Merlin's shoulder not because it was meant to be temptation and sin wrapped in cloth, but simply because there was nothing there to keep it in place.

His consort…looked like a ghost. Something one only knew sat there because he could see him. But felt as if he wouldn't be able to actually touch, Merlin vanishing so far out of his grasp that he'd never have a real chance to touch him. Like all of the paintings and statues in the galley created by men that'd long since passed on from this world. Art pieces Arthur hadn't been allowed to touch as a child for fear he would accidentally ruin a piece crafted and created and given to one of the ancestors of the great Pendragon family. Just as Merlin had been crafted as his consort, created as a man that was all his own, and then he had been presented to Arthur almost like a gift. Perfect for the molding and reconstruction Arthur needed to give him to make him fit into Arthur's lifestyle. But only beautiful because of his refusal to be shaped into what Arthur wanted. Merlin wouldn't be in front of him now, about to do what he was doing…telling Arthur this was his chance to get rid of him like he had always wanted too, if Arthur had influenced Merlin's way of thinking at all.

But Arthur's feet felt as if they had been nailed onto the floor and he was helpless to do more than watch. Unable to rush to the boy's side and tackle him to the ground, the cup flying far from Merlin's grasp before he had to ruin all his perfect insides -organs and soul itself-with what the poison would do if it was passed through the small gap in his lips. With Arthur meant to land on top of him, legs on either side of his waist as he sat on Merlin's stomach so the boy couldn't buck him off. Ready and daring enough to yell in Merlin's face that he didn't want him to be gone…and Arthur found that this was true, shocked into staying where he was now. Arthur didn't want his consort to be gone. Not like this. Not taken from him. Stolen away due to the greed of another man. Not before Arthur had a chance to do everything he had always wanted too. Not before he had the chance to touch the painting that was Merlin in a way Arthur couldn't with those paintings as a child. To see if there was any give in Merlin's ability to submit to Arthur. Or if he was always going to be as strong as a marble statue. Unyielding to Arthur and his advances…

"I guess there's only one thing left for me to say." Merlin spoke as his grim smile grew a little bit wider. And the consort made sure to meet eyes with Bayard, who pursed his lips at the little consort making his plans so difficult. At Uther, who looked too interested in what was going on, perhaps ready to see him on his death bed more than Merlin himself was. And back onto his final target…Arthur Fucking Pendragon himself. Merlin lifted up the goblet a little higher-nodding his head to the prince in this solemn manner as a final goodbye-in a mocking reenactment of the toast that had been happening when he had busted into the hall. "Long live Camelot's Royal Family."

Arthur could feel the rising force of a scream, the 'NO' building in the back of his throat refusing to come out as Merlin raised the cup to his lips. And he watched with trepidation as the boy took a considerably long and slow first sip as his Adam's apple bobbed dangerously. Off to the side of the hall, Nimueh stood in the back of the Mercia crowd-half hidden behind a pillar as a large grin nearly overtook her beautiful, youthful face. All of her planning had finally came together, and the golden boy's magic was already starting to flicker as a second sip entered the boy's body. And at the table, Gwen silently rose a hand up to cover the scream building in her throat as tears brimmed in her eyes as she watched Merlin-her savior and best friend-sip down a third large gulp.

And Merlin felt as if he finally understood what Gaius had been talking about back in their chambers, as he opened his mouth a bit wider to take in a fourth mouthful of the sweet and thickly made wine. When his uncle had tried explaining to him as they sat at that table while Gaius wrapped up his wrist…about how Merlin would just 'know'. When and where a good time to fight was. Would know when and where Merlin needed to step aside or stand up for what he believed in. And if there would ever be a time for Merlin to fight back…now would be that time.

The fifth gulp went down his throat as if it was liquid fire trying to do its hardest to burn him from the inside out, but there was also nothing in the world had tasted so wonderful. And Merlin knew there was nothing in the world that would hold him back from proving he was right. That Cara was right. Nothing in the world that would've been able to pry this goblet out of his cold dead hands until the final drops were gone. And as Merlin was sucking those last drops into his mouth-tilting his head as far back as he could to drain the glass while giving the prince an involuntary good, long look at the length of his white throat-it almost tasted like freedom. Like a lifetime of being a freak was finally coming to a close…there would be no reason to hide his true self once he was on the other side of the veil.

The tension in the room was palpable as Merlin lowered down the cup from his mouth, Arthur watching more noticeably than anybody else as his little pink tongue darted out to swipe over the top of his lips. Capturing any last traces of the poison that might have been trying to escape from him. There were a few long seconds of silence where many people leaned in, waiting for something to happen to him. But nothing did. And he tried feeling for something…Merlin wiggled his fingers as if he was trying to see if they were growing cold or stiff. He put a hand on his belly-Arthur's gaze attentive as he followed the gesture like a bee would follow the scent of honey in the air-to feel if a churning in his stomach was a sign of being poisoned. Or just a normal symptom of being a spectacle.

The seconds seemed to drag on and on where nobody moved for fear of breaking the delicate air around them. Arthur nearly jumped when Merlin's head whipped up to look towards those standing on the Mercia side-Merlin tried to search out Cara in the crowd for some kind of explanation but he couldn't see her at all. And Merlin turned back to face Arthur, the consort's lips fell open-wet and slightly stained with a purplish hue from the wine-though no words came from his lips. Merlin was the first one to realize something-or nothing-had happened…and there was this disconcerting feeling. Merlin didn't know what he was supposed to feel. He should've been dead right now. But now he wasn't dead…what was he supposed to do about that?

"It's fine." Merlin spoke quietly, his mind steel reeling over with his shock as tried understanding what had just happened. The possibilities were endless for what had gone wrong…maybe it was possible that Cara had gotten her drinks mixed up. She'd been pretty adamant about it being the cup with the little dark insignia on the bottom…he could see the mark on the cup that he held. But maybe it had really been his own cup, and Bayard was trying to get rid of him? Maybe because he also didn't go approving of a peasant so close to the throne? Or maybe this had all been some kind of mistake, and Cara had simply only mistook something else as poison. Like Bayard could've been adding something for flavor? And she'd assumed it had been poisoned… "There's nothing wrong with it."

Those words made everything seem so real, but Merlin felt as if he was had been punched in the stomach. And he felt as if he was torn right in two…he had wanted to die. Merlin had been prepared to take his final breaths on this cold floor right here and right now while people watched him struggle. He had been ready to welcome death with open arms and see what mysteries laid on the other side of the veil. But then…why did he feel this strong surge of relief flooding him. Yeah, death was scary and people usually didn't want to die any earlier than they had too. But he wasn't other people. He was in a hell so bad, death seemed as if it was his only option to escape it. He shouldn't be feeling so relieved that it hadn't worked. He should've been screaming at the top of his lungs for having something within reach, only for it to be snatched out from between his fingertips as if his hope had never been there in the first place.

Nobody seemed to move at Merlin's announcement, not until there was a soft huff of laughter breathing through the silence of the room. Merlin's face burned in embarrassment after he'd located the sound…Arthur. The prince had placed his hands on his hips, causal and relaxed, his eyes bright and glowing as he let out another huff of laughter. Almost maniacal, and Merlin's hand tightened around the stem of the goblet still clenched in his fist. It seemed as if Arthur was as affected by this strange turn of events as Merlin was. And Merlin didn't know if it was a good idea or not to smash Arthur over the head with the large chalice in his hand.

"Merlin, I sincerely hope that you are done acting like the fool you are. This has been quite the show. But I think you've had enough of the wine." Arthur joked, mocking grin widening with a touch of pleased cruelty. He couldn't believe he had gotten himself so worked up over nothing. Couldn't believe he'd been willing to be-shudder-soft, with Merlin because it meant Merlin was still here. But Merlin wasn't going anywhere. Which meant Arthur had all the time in the world to do whatever he wanted to the boy. And trust Arthur, soft was nowhere on this mental list of things he wanted to do to the boy. At least after tonight once things had settled down some and they started to fall in a proper routine filled with new lessons for Merlin to learn over the course of the next few…months.. "I think I should have my manservant escort you to my chambers. And we can have our own little talk about what's gone on tonight. Trust me, Merlin. I think you are going to love it."

Arthur looked Merlin over with half-lidded eyes, his grin grew wider as he flashed his teeth at Merlin. Loving nothing then to lick off the purplish hue to Merlin's lips. He could just imagine the way Merlin would shiver once Arthur rubbed along his top lip with the hot press of his thumb, wiping away the color until he could see the pinker hue hidden underneath. After what his consort had just put him through with this last hour…it was all he wanted to do. To have Merlin in his room where Arthur was able to stare at him for hours, marveling at the flush across his face because the blood meant Merlin had lived. Wanted to see the boy sitting at his personal dining table eating food Arthur'd graciously given him. Wanted to see Merlin kneeling next to his feet as Arthur sat in his armchair in front of the hearth, and he wanted to study the way the color of the flames cast shadows that danced across Merlin's skin as the boy rested his head on Arthur's knee. Because Arthur wanted him close enough so he could feel the pulse beating strong and sure under his fingers as he rested them against the back of Merlin's neck. He might even be generous enough-wrung out after tonight's startling events-to allow Merlin to sleep in his own bed. Warm and soft and so content as he snuggled down in the blankets, meowing in his sleep as Arthur watched over him to make sure he didn't kneel over sometime in his sleep.

Having all the time in the world, meant Arthur could afford this one night to relax and marvel at Merlin for being there. All their real lessons would begin in the morning. But tonight…this was going to be a night meant just for them. As soon as he had the chance to excuse himself so he could join his consort within a more secure location…his bed chambers.

"I think I will have two of my men escort your consort and your servant to his chambers. Just in case your consort gets any bright ideas about running away so he doesn't have to face his punishment." Uther drawled out in a bored tone, now that they knew all of this was just Merlin trying to get attention again. It was for just a heart stopping second, Arthur had been almost sure that his father knew more about the specific ways Arthur had been planning on punishing his consort. But he realized he was being ridiculous, as Uther waved a hand that summoned two knights at random from the crowd. Each knight appearing onto either side of his consort faster than his wayward servant could fall into place. "Bayard and I will probably be spending much of the evening discussing what should be done moving forward. I will be sure to inform you of what will happen to your consort after we have reached some kind of agreement."

Arthur's smile became a little more strained, remembering how his father insisted on Bayard being involved. But he gave those two knights standing with Merlin the stink eye, as they waited to be dismissed so they could take Merlin out of his sight. He didn't know how he felt about Merlin being alone with the men, as he wasn't sure either consort or knight could be trusted not to start certain things. God help him if Arthur was trying to fix Merlin's mess, only to later find out his consort had decided to up his game and outwhore himself by taking two different men to his chambers at the same time. Arthur wasn't even sure just how a thing like that would work, but if anybody could figure it out, it would've been Merlin. But no matter…he just didn't want either of these knights to think Arthur not being there meant a consort like his was up for play time. Especially not if one had to chase his pleasure by pushing himself in and out of Merlin's little hole. And the second taking advantage of Merlin's mouth being wide open as his gasps were being punched out of him, to push his disgusting cock down his consort's gullet.

Making sure to fill him up from either side…

Arthur shook his head frantically, shaking those thoughts out of mind since he knew he was only overacting. It was bound to happen sooner or later… "Father. Are you absolutely certain his Highness King Bayard needs to be involved in this? I know that it is him my consort has insulted, but I do not feel comfortable with letting him decide things." Arthur said, little lines showing around the corner of his eyes to show how stressing the whole thing was. It was amazing. How Arthur could have forgotten all about Bayard having a hand in Merlin's punishment. But Arthur supposed things like that also happened whenever one'd been too busy rubbing in Merlin's face how entirely wrong he was. It was almost relieving in a way. Considering how often the other boy had been right about something happening in the castle…he was starting to think the boy was inhuman. But making this kind of huge mistake was definitely a human move…and now it was going to take even longer for Arthur to return to his rooms to see Merlin if he had to try talking his father into allowing him to sit in the meeting between him and Bayard. Since there had to be somebody making sure Bayard didn't try getting carried away with whatever punishment he would accept from Merlin, "I can assure you father, if you allow me only a day…I think this whole thing has really opened my eyes on how off the rails my consort has gone. If I have a day, I can show you a Merlin that is much more improved. And could be more befitting as a man that is perfect to add to the Pendragon dynasty-"

There was this soft and subtle cough that came from behind Arthur somewhere. Just loud enough for the prince to pause for a second, before utterly dismissing it and going back to try convincing his father how unfit Bayard would be to decide the boy's fate. But then there was another cough, one sounding so much louder and more ragged than the first. Arthur didn't have to turn around to know who it was this time, a zing of coldness going down his spine as Merlin coughed again. It sounded as if he was trying to cough up a lung. Violent and wet and…Arthur couldn't have turned back around fast enough, his hip roughly gashing against the table hard enough to send a spike of pain through him. But it was nothing more then a dull ache-he paid no attention to the fact that he wasn't the only one who had an eye on Merlin, the two knights assigned to watch him backing away like cowards. As if they thought Merlin was diseased and the wrong cough in their direction would give them the same kind of sickness-when he saw the pain written all over Merlin's face.

There was so much agony there, as more uncomfortable wet coughs erupted from Merlin. The boy had brought a hand up to his throat, squeezing roughly as if he thought he could rip a new airway open if only he squeezed hard enough. And Arthur still didn't move forward to help him…he thought he was in this state of shock. And Merlin coughed some more, his stained up wine slicked lip starting to turn the horrid shade of somebody who had their breath stolen from them. Like the color Arthur'd see people who were hung turning. An awful, awful shade that no being should ever turn. And yet, his consort was starting to bend over in half. His entire body trembling and shaking as the coughing grew worse and worse, looking as if it was taking all he had just to stay on his own feet. And still, nobody raced out onto the floor to try to help him. Arthur, didn't race out on the floor to try and help him.

Not even when Merlin managed to raise his head enough for him to look back at Arthur. Not even when he saw how those eyes were PLEADING for the pain to stop. Not even when the prince realized Merlin was begging 'him' of all people to help make it stop did Arthur move forward. Too stunned himself to be of any help. Too powerless as he realized even if he'd been able to move…there was nothing he could do to make the pain in Merlin's eyes go away. Nothing he could do to make it stop hurting him. And it had to be hurting, because Merlin had not once ever turned to Arthur like this.

X

Merlin Pendragon did not want to die. He wanted to live and do things he had never done before. He wanted to see new lands and walk across mountains and swim in rivers and meet others whose path would cross his own. He wanted to explore and try learning more about the medical properties in plants. To let his magic grow and stretch and find out exactly what he could do with it. Spend more time with Gaius, and Morgana, and Gwen…there had been some kind of funky looking green dessert that sat on the edge of their table. Merlin hadn't noticed it when he had been sitting, but it looked all kinds of disgusting though it had the same pretentious look all meals seemed to be given in the castle. But Merlin had the insane urge to try some of it just because he had never tried it before. But he'd never get to do it. If only Merlin realized he didn't want to die sooner…it was a sad, sad day when being brought to death's door had been the one thing that made Merlin want to cling to life so tightly.

Maybe things would have turned out differently if Merlin had the will to live before he drunk the poison. But…

Maybe it was only because of how scared he was. It felt as if he had a hot poker shoved down his throat with how scorching it was. Burning like fire and scraping him raw every single time he was forced to cough. The vision in the corners of his eyes were starting to grow black and things were turning hazy as it only grew worse. One minute Merlin was staring forward, with the floor moving underneath him-was it moving or was it all in his head as the poison burned through every inch of his body and making his veins scream in bursting pain-and then all that could be seen was white lights. Everything was too bright and too dark all at the same time, the black threatening to swallow up the light completely. There was this strange whistling in his ears…was it the wind or was it something else? Merlin could've sworn it was the same eerie tune the servant that had walked past him and Cara had been singing. But that was absolutely insane. Why would Merlin be remembering something like that, of all things?

Maybe it was a tune of death?

A siren's call luring him into the darkness no matter how much he tried to fight it?

A warning that the end was neigh?

Merlin didn't remember how it happened. But one second he had been standing. And the next, there was a sickening crack echoing around him. And Merlin was left staring blandly at the ceiling that was quickly starting to fade out of sight as more of the darkness started winning. The goblet he had been holding onto so tightly rolled out of his grip and went somewhere that he couldn't quite follow. His entire body felt as if he was being weighed down by stones and large boulders…the last thing he remembered seeing before everything went black…was a dark and shadowy figure appearing above him.

And then nothingness…

X

"Merlin! Merlin!" Arthur screamed in wild abandonment, voice raising much louder than several other people who screamed as if there was a mass murderer in the room that had just did Merlin in and they were next. But those screams were simply white noise in the back of Arthur's mind. The second Merlin had started to fall backwards, it had felt as if time had stood still for the prince. As if Merlin was the only thing he was able to see or hear or think or feel but unable to touch. And then the sickening crack of Merlin's prone body hitting the floor had made everything start speeding back up. Arthur didn't even remember running along the room to get to Merlin. But now he was here, and his knees were aching because of how roughly he had thrown himself at Merlin's side. But he didn't care, grabbing Merlin by those little scrawny shoulders he had and giving them a rough shake, as if he was expecting for Merlin to jolt awake and start cursing him out in the typical Merlin fashion. "Merlin! Wake up! Wake up! I demand you do want I say and get your arse back up! I am your bloody husband and you will do what I told you!"

But Arthur's commands went ignored…because Merlin always ignored his commands, and…

Arthur shook Merlin roughly one more time, but the boy's head only lolled off to the side. His lips parting open slightly, making the poisonous gleam of the wine clinging onto his lips look far more disgusting than it had when Arthur had thought this was nothing more than some kind of hoax. But this wasn't any kind of hoax…Arthur knew this as sure as he knew there was blood flowing through his body. Because Merlin had never looked as frighteningly still as he was now. And Arthur didn't want to let go of his shoulders because he knew the boy would only end up flopping across the floor as if he was a dead fish. Just how many times had Arthur complained because of Merlin's never stopping limbs? How many times had Arthur hissed at him to stop flaring around because he looked like some kind of craze lunatic…talking with his hands more than any man Arthur had ever met before. And yet, Arthur reached down and picked up one of Merlin's thin wrists, the hand flopped down as if he had no life there.

Was Merlin dead already…he couldn't be dead…but Arthur was not able to feel a pulse point either. There was not one single thumping beneath Arthur's thumb pressed against the under-side of Merlin's wrist that would indicate he still lived.

"It's poisoned!" Arthur could hear his father roaring loud and angrily from somewhere behind him. But Arthur didn't flinch or barely noticed, as he carefully set Merlin's wrist down onto his stomach. Delicately. As if Merlin's bone would break if he tried handling him more roughly. And Arthur brought his hand up so he could put it against Merlin's chin, squeezing it with enough force to make his lips push out just like he had always wanted to do. But not like this…never like this. The only thing Arthur wanted to do was suck that purple hue off of Merlin's lips. He would've done it, if he knew Merlin would wake back up. He didn't know what to do…didn't know how he could help him…didn't know if there was a chance of bringing him back from the brink of death or if it was already too late to do anything for him. He didn't know how this poison worked. But Arthur knew his body was shaking, and his fingers trembled against Merlin's pale skin…he felt so cold. He had no trace of blood in his cheeks. Looking like a true marble statue that he wanted to destroy just because it didn't look natural. "Guards! GO SEIZE HIM!"

Arthur didn't look away from his consort for even a second but he could hear the sound of his knights redrawing their swords out and the rapid sound of feet as they surrounded the Other King where he stood. Arthur sucked in a ragged breath but he might as well have tasted ash, his lungs burning while his eyes grew darker. Glinting more dangerously…Merlin's body so limp and fragile and dangerously breakable in a way it had not ever been before. Bayard had did this…King Bayard was the reason for why his consort wasn't moving. Wasn't screaming insults at him. Wasn't being all twitchy or talkative or cursing or ignoring everything Arthur told him by running off to go play with some of the servants again. Arthur sucked in another ragged breath, his arms curling more tighter around Merlin until his fragile tiny body was pressed against Arthur's chest. Merlin would have been able to hear his heartbeat if he was awake…aware…alive enough…for it to resonate in his eardrums.

Merlin was not meant to be fragile.

And Arthur was going to kill Bayard.

That was his solemn oath right here and right now.

The fire licked dangerously in Arthur's veins as he lifted up his head, eyeing a large steak knife that sat on the far edge of the table…nearest to where Merlin had been sitting by him. But the chair in front of it looked so empty. As if it was willing to wait a lifetime for its master to come home and claim it. Not knowing Merlin might not ever come home to claim it as his own. Arthur needed that steak knife, could already feel how much it would weigh as he curled his fingers around the handle of it. And he could see from here how sharp the blade was…nowhere near as sharp as his sword would've been. But it looked as if it was pointed enough to get the job done.

It was probably going to be crude and messy, probably leaving Arthur a nice coat of blood splattered across his own face. But god, would it be satisfying. Seeing the shocked look across his face when Bayard realized there was a knife sticking inside his overlarge gut. See the expression on his face whenever Bayard realized it was 'Arthur' getting his revenge. Just before Arthur twisted the knife harshly, making the other king feel every inch of it before Arthur slid it upwards agonizingly slow. Cutting his way through organs and muscles and skin and meat…taking all the pleasure in the world out of gutting him like one would gut a fish. Bayard would deserve it, and so much more. But to do a thing like that, he would need to leave Merlin on his own. With his body prone and defenseless to anybody else from the blue kingdom who might try to disrespect his body.

A hand suddenly appeared in his vision, reaching towards his consort as if they had every right in the world to touch the one person in the room who wasn't their's to touch. Arthur felt as if he had tunnel vision, his one and only mission in the world was keeping Merlin's body safe from desecration. His hand flew up all on its own, grabbing onto the wrist in front of him before he could lay one dirty finger on Merlin. Twisting it roughly with an almost feral growl erupting from somewhere deep inside of his throat….Arthur's eyes looked completely mad in that moment, his hand squeezing dangerous around that wrist as he felt the bones grinding beneath his palm. Taking pleasure whenever a shocked gasp came from the person dumb enough to try and touch Merlin right now. Who dare try to take Merlin's body far from him…Arthur couldn't get Merlin to not drink the poison. It was a failure on his part. But he wasn't going to fail again…the prince needed to protect his body. As if it was the only thing in the world that mattered.

"Arthur Pendragon, you will let go of me right this minute and let me check him over. Now. Before the poison sets itself into his system." The Royal Physician snapped, having no patience to deal with the prince with his nephew was unconscious. And Arthur blinked, reality coming back to him as if he'd just been hit across the head with a sledgehammer. Before the poison is starting to set in…Arthur rolled that around in his mind…could that mean what he thinks it means. But no…Gaius had to have been mistaken. Merlin was as dead as any corpse would have been. His body still and cold to the touch. Even with having his consort's face pressed against the crook of his neck, he could not feel the sweet release of breath against him that would've indicated he was still alive. "Unless you wish to see him dead. But god help me, Arthur. If that boy dies because you refused to allow me to examine him properly…!"

Arthur released Gaius without hesitation, his chest going tight when the physician gave him a searing look. Obviously waiting for Arthur to put Merlin's body down so he could get a better look at him. Arthur curled his arms around Merlin's body much tighter, as if trying to protect him from this cruel world. But he had to let him go…what if Gaius had actual reason to believe it, the poison, hadn't killed him yet. Arthur was no physician, and he knew nothing about the healing arts other than a basic skill set that all knights needed to know on the off chance they got injured and were alone. What if Arthur was actually hurting his consort more by 'not' allowing for him to be examined? Arthur swallowed hard. And it took everything he had to lay Merlin on the ground between them. Taking the upmost care with laying his head down, one of Arthur's large hands curled around the back of it so he could set it down on the ground without being damaged.

Within seconds of Merlin being on the ground, Gaius managed to half shove Arthur out of the way so he could get to work. He didn't protest the harsh treatment, watching each movement Gaius made as if the physician was an enemy waiting to strike Merlin's body now that he had him. But he didn't. And Arthur watched as Gaius lifted up one of Merlin's eyelids to check his pupils, "Merlin, Merlin? Can you hear me? Do you know what's happened? Do you remember where you're at?" But there was no answer. And Arthur held his breath…it was so much harder than he would've thought it'd be. To see Merlin being this way. Even with his body dead and his soul gone-Arthur's shoulders started to shake as the shock wore away, being face with the strange reality that would come when there was no Merlin for him to torment. Arthur couldn't imagine going back to the bore that was his life now that he had gotten a taste of crazy Merlin brought with him-Arthur still half expected for the boy to jump up and try doing something crazy like kneeing him in his groin again. Arthur would honestly not even try to stop it….the harsh pressure against his center would've been almost therapeutic because it came with Merlin's life.

Arthur watched as Gaius leaned down over Merlin, pressing his head tightly against Merlin's chest as if he was trying to hear a heartbeat. But Arthur was already starting to shake his head…if he had a heartbeat then Arthur would've known. He wouldn't be feeling as if somebody had just taken a rusty spoon before carving out something important-like a spleen or his liver-if his consort still lived. But Arthur jolted in surprise when the other man nearly threw himself back up, his eyes just as wide and as wild as Arthur's himself was. "I detect a heartbeat. But it's very slow and sluggish. We need to get him back into my chambers so I can help him if he is going to survive this."

Those words…they seemed to echo and bounce around inside of Arthur's head, vaguely hearing the physician turn around to order a third person Arthur hadn't noticed joining them-Gwen, Merlin's servant friend-to grab the goblet because he needed to identify the poison. But it was as if somebody had went and sucked all the sound out of the room. Arthur could only hear a heartbeat that he was sure was his own, but would have been okay with believing it was Merlin's. Trying to connect with his own so they could beat together in perfect harmony. Arthur'd be okay with Merlin trying to synchronize their hearts because Merlin was alive. He was still alive. And breathing. And it meant the poison was slow active. It hadn't reached his heart yet. His consort still had a beating heart. And a beating heart meant he could still be saved if Arthur only tried hard enough. Fought for him hard enough. But it also meant Arthur couldn't kill Bayard …not if his other choice was getting Merlin out of here. Getting Merlin out of here, and away from the cold clenches that came with death's door, was always going to be more important than getting revenge. Especially if he could get his revenge if Merlin still didn't survive…hell.

He'd be coming for Bayard's blood rather his consort survived or not. An example needed to be made to stop anybody from thinking they could make another strike against them-against his consort specifically…

"NOW, Arthur! I need you to start moving and get him up!" the physician had returned to his side, waving a wild finger down towards his consort. And Arthur followed that finger…his own starting to twitch where they rested against his thigh. All he wanted to do was press a hand as hard against Merlin's chest as he could, to try and see if he could feel the same heart his physician claimed to have felt. To make it real. Make it feel as if Arthur wasn't only hearing things that he wanted to hear. "You need to be the one to do the heavy lifting. I cannot hope to get him back into my chambers by myself. He's nothing but a bit of dead weight right now! Or are you planning on staying here to deal with all of this while your consort is dying? Because if this is the case, let me know now. I am sure I can make a couple of these guards carry him up for me."

Gaius made it sound as if Arthur had every intention on leaving Merlin to his own devices…as if he would allow Merlin to make a decision on rather or not he would live or die. But Arthur did not want Merlin to eat without his permission. Did not want his consort to breathe without asking for permission. Did not want his good boy to go to the chamber pot until he grew tired with watching the way his consort squirmed in an effort to hold his liquids in. And gave him permission to release. He didn't want Merlin dressed in clothing unless he was good enough to earn a set back from Arthur's choice of wardrobe. Didn't want the boy to meow or screech or cry or beg as Arthur whipped at his back until it was raw and full of red welts rising to the surface unless Arthur told him to do it. He didn't want Merlin to drink a cup of water without first asking his permission…hell. He didn't even want to allow Merlin to partake in such a basic need that all men partook in-like playing with himself when the need was starting to become unbearable, trying to jerk his cock without Arthur seeing. But Arthur would. Because Arthur would see all his consort tried getting away with-unless Arthur decided to take pity on him and throw some kind of toy at his head while locking him inside the adjoined suite where Arthur wouldn't be able to see him.

Hear? Yes

See…not yet.

Merlin shouldn't even be allowed to touch the brand he'd been planning to gift Merlin on his inner thigh, without Arthur being able to watch him touching and exploring the new bright, vivid colorations Arthur had given him for the first time. Watching as his face exploded in wonder and shock at how different it was going to make his flesh look.

Why should his death be any different?

Why should Merlin not be allowed to do all of those other less important things?

But be allowed to choose how he lived or how he died?

No.

He shouldn't.

Merlin should never be given that much power over himself.

And Arthur was just going to have to show him that 'he's' the master. And what he said went, no questions asked. His Merlin wanted to take his own life by doing something stupid? Then it was up to Arthur to grab his soul with both hands and shove it back into his body so violently, the boy would have no choices other than waking up so he could thank Arthur for taking all of the control away from him. Thank Arthur for being the kind and generous master that he was, to care so much that he refused to let Merlin's life force leave his hands.

Arthur didn't think twice about it, standing back up on his feet before reaching down and grabbing Merlin by the dark sleeves of that stupid black tunic Arthur had hated so much because it showed too much skin. And jerked the boy up more of a sitting position. And then he was kneeling down in front of the boy on one knee in a mockery of a stance a peasant might take when they were trying to propose to their lucky lady-only peasants did such a thing since nobles usually just exchanged contracts and agreements with the ladies parents. And Merlin started to loll backwards back to the floor-the lazy sod-but this was not a time for rest. And bracing his shoulder against Merlin's slim stomach, Arthur pulled the boy's arm over his back before he was standing back up. Jerking Merlin's pone body-Arthur was forever going to deny the way his hand had briefly cupped its way around one of Merlin's arse cheeks to push him into a far easier position to carry-until Arthur could run without fear of dropping him.

And that was what Arthur did.

He ran. As if the dogs of hell were lapping at his ankles just to get the sweet taste that came with Merlin. He ran with Gaius at his heels and Gwen trailing behind with the goblet. He ran and ignored the way his father was calling for him as the guards at the door flung them open. And he ran with Merlin trying to do his best to make things difficult-even in death-by bouncing up and down along his shoulder. Forcing Arthur to curl one of his arms protectively around his back to keep him still, so Arthur wouldn't drop him on the floor as if he was nothing more than a sack of potatoes.

…Merlin would live.

Even if Arthur had to force him too.

X

Back in the chambers, Nimueh lifted up a thin eyebrow as she started easing her way towards one of the back doors to make her grand escape while everybody was busy detaining Bayard and escorting his men towards the prison cells. But not even a priestess such as her was able to resist casting a long glance in the direction her god and his entourage had left out of. She had expected to feel the dimming of Merlin's magic, the magic dying off without its host to sustain it. But she hadn't expected how disconcerting it would be to feel the golden life of it being cut off so abruptly. It was actually meant to be more gradually than that. She'd only been sticking around to make sure Merlin actually drunk the cup.

But the effects should not have happened so soon. She'd been quite curious to know what Uther and Bayard would've done if they thought there was no poison. But the poison should have started showing effects in about three hours or so, give or take a bit of the timeline. Which meant there was something else at work here…something Nimueh hadn't been counting on if the poison was working faster than it should've been. Nimueh did not like unplanned calculations being added into her carefully designed plans. It led to chaos that not even Nimueh would be able to predict. But there was very little she could do about all of it now.

The first half of her plan might have succeeded-even with this unplanned complication. But her second half would go off the rails completely if she wasn't there to coerce Arthur into doing what she wanted whenever he reached the caves. She needed to leave before-as she knew they would, knowing every inch of Camelot and its security measures because of how long she'd lived there before Uther had turned on her-the entire kingdom went on lockdown and the gates started to close. Sealing her inside the castle with the rest of these mongrels. Nimueh was positive…if Merlin was truly strong enough to survive for long enough to get the cure, even with the faster speed the poison was progressing…then he'd deserve to be her God.

Him…and his golden light…

It would be even more impressive if he managed to surface the tighter deadline he now had.

And Nimueh slipped out the back door as if she'd never been there.

A ghost in the night.

A whisper in the darkness.

A raven taking flight into the horizon before her wings could be clipped.

X

Arthur Pendragon did not think he had ever kicked any door open as hard as he did Gaius. Too impatient to wait for either the physician or the serving girl to go around him and open it up the normal way. He stormed into Gaius' chambers as if he was going to war, and all he could think about was how…light his consort had been on the entire journey here. One would've thought Arthur's shoulder would have been aching after taking a grown man across the entire castle just to get here. It was all kinds of strange, how abnormal it was…Arthur placed his hand a bit more firmly on Merlin's back as he scanned the room as if looking for invisible enemies trying to pop out of the shadows to take Merlin's life from him. Arthur had always known Merlin was a slight figure of a man. But surely the boy should've been resting a bit more heavily on him. Making it harder for Arthur to fight if there were any Mercia soldiers lying in wait for them in the chambers.

"Lay him down on the bed quickly. He's starting to struggle to breathe." Gaius started laying down instructions as if he was a commander going into battle with armies of soldiers standing in the wings for his beck and call. That was usually Arthur's job to do. Be the leader who made the instructions people needed to follow without question. But not today. And there wasn't any hesitation when Arthur strode over to the bed that Gaius slept on in a corner of the room, bending over and allowing Merlin to slip from his shoulder. Light…ever so light…Arthur wasn't able to stop focusing on how light Merlin's body was when the bed didn't even thump under his sudden weight. But then his Royal physician was there, already fixing Merlin's top half so that his head was resting more firmly on the pillow. And Arthur saw his consort's legs were sprawled, half hanging off the bed. Arthur did not hesitate to help, grabbing those slim ankles in between his hands as if they would break if he squeezed them too hard, maneuvering his lower half so it was even with his upper body. Making it more comfortable for him, so he wouldn't come back to Arthur with some kind of crick when-not if, when-he finally stopped being lazy and woke up. Arthur even went so far as to grab up the edge of the blanket pushed to the bottom of Gaius bed, half wondering if he should cover Merlin up to make sure he was even more comfortable. One could never feel too nice, right? "Gwen. I need you to fetch me some water and a towel. I do not like the way that his skin is looking right now."

Arthur felt so out of his depth right now, glancing up towards his consort's face as he allowed the blanket to drop from his fingers. He didn't know what he could do to help, as Gaius was already rechecking Merlin's pulse and face-Arthur didn't know what Gaius was talking about, since Merlin's face looked like it had the last time he had did his checks-to see if there'd been any changes from the grand hall to here. And Gwen was easily snatching up a bucket of water resting against the wall by the kitchen supplies, already dipping a towel into the water to get it wet. Arthur couldn't get Merlin comfortable with some stupid blanket, because what if Merlin didn't need a blanket right now because he was already too warm? And he couldn't check his vitals like Gaius was doing. And he would not even be able to get Merlin a wet towel, watching as Gwen squeezed all of the excess water out of the worn out rag so that it would drip back inside the bucket-something he wouldn't have thought to do, which left Arthur pretty sure he would have just plopped the full rag on Merlin's head, getting water everywhere and making things so much worse-and sliding it onto Merlin's forehead.

Merlin should have had a fluffy white towel on his head, soft to the touch and tempting enough to make one press their face in it with childlike glee. Something beautiful and befitting for one of his status. But peasant style or consort style…a rag was not going to make much difference when it came to Merlin's health and rather or not he would make a full recovery. And how awful was Arthur, for wanting to waste time fetching only the best in all the land for his consort's swift recovery…but it would have been something he could do. But those things would need to at least wait till he knew Merlin was going to live. Till there was a pause in their healing and Merlin was being left on his own to allow his body to do the healing process with what he'd been given in terms of medication and bandages and, oh, whatever it was he needed to get better!

"Is he going to be alright?" Arthur demanded when neither of the two were talking to him, telling him what was going on or what they needed to do next to wake him up. He was impatient and 'needed' to know what was happening to Merlin, trying to peek over Gaius and Gwen crowding the boy. But all he could see was the vague shape of those purple splotches Arthur had put on Merlin's face mere hours ago. God, had it really been a few scant hours since then? It felt as if it had been months or even years since Arthur had laid his first claim on him. And he felt as if he had aged the same amount. "Will somebody stop and tell me if he's going to be alright!"

Arthur's voice nearly exploded out of him, but he didn't care how anxious or panicked he sounded. He had every right in the world to panic if they couldn't do anything. This wasn't at all like the other times there had been problems happening in the castle. Arthur couldn't take a sword and ram it up Merlin's stomach to wake him up like he could to kill Valiant. He could not cut Merlin's head off to jolt his eyes open like he could to make the beast stop terrorizing their water supply…wait…that had been Merlin who had actually taken off its head. Arthur'd only been carrying the torch that had stopped it. But fuck…the past hardly mattered right now. Only that the facts were more clear than ever…Arthur's sword was not going to get him or his consort out of this mess. Merlin needed something that would be far more delicate and nurturing to heal, something Arthur'd never been in his entire life. Something Arthur didn't know he could be.

"He's burning you." Gaius said briskly, not sparing Arthur one glance as he rested a hand against the underside of Merlin's chin, feeling the heat and clammy sweat sticking to him…his consort was hot, Arthur thought. It was a real good thing then, that he hadn't put the blanket on top of him. But what did they need to do to fix heat…cold! Merlin needed to be cooled off to get better, Arthur thought frantically. Maybe he should help by stripping Merlin on his clothes? If he was sweating, then it was not going to be comfortable if they were sticking to him. Then he could help Gwen…find more of those dirty rags! And began laying them out along Merlin's body, one on each arm and leg and even across his belly and chest…Arthur would need to just remember to drain the excess water. And then his little consort would be cooled off! No more heat to boil him to death like one would an egg…right? "It's not a good sign. The human body cannot withstand how hot Merlin is for very long. There's only so much water is going to be able to do for him if we can't get his temperature to go down on his own."

Arthur had taken one step towards Merlin, his hands twitching already to slide his fingers beneath the waistline of those dark pants Merlin wore so he could jerk them down his thin hips but Gaius' mechanical words stopped him in his step. Arthur felt it when his heart started to seize in his chest, so tight he felt as if he could not breathe. His head whipped back to Merlin, the serving girl and the physician having back away just enough to give Arthur a clearer view of his still consort. Getting cooled…wasn't going to help Merlin? Arthur's knees started to shake…that couldn't be right. Gaius was a physician. The best one in all the land. He couldn't just say there was little they could do to help Merlin. There HAD to be something. Anything!

"Gaius, please tell me you know what to do about this?" Gwen was speaking so softly, Arthur had to strain his ears just to be able to hear her. If she wasn't doing more of the work then he currently was, Arthur would have been liable to forget she had even been there. With her almost mousy personality as of late …but in a strange way, Arthur supposed he could relate to this peasant girl now. A prince relating to a servant…preposterous! But they did share one thing in common…Merlin had risked his own life to save both of theirs. When Merlin had all but thrown himself at his father's feet to take the pyre in her place. And he had now taken Arthur's place on this deathbed. Why…why was Merlin willing to go that far? They had been fighting just earlier so why would Merlin…Arthur thought he knew. But he also did not dare to mention such abhorrent words out loud. "You have to have some kind of idea on what you could do to help him be okay."

Arthur crossed his arms anxiously over his chest, focusing on the other man now that Gwen had asked the question that had been hovering in the back of his mind like a wasp that wouldn't leave him alone no matter how hard he tried swiping at it. Both of them was holding so much faith in Gaius to fix this problem, since there was no other in all the land that could be trusted or had the skills necessary to do this. If Gaius said it there wasn't anything he could do, then…there was nothing nobody would be able to do. Especially not Arthur, which really drilled in the hopelessness of this situation.

"I won't know what I can do unless I can identity the poison. I cannot know the cure if I do not know what caused his illness to begin with." Gaius said blandly, stepping away from Merlin's body. Arthur immediately took his place, all but sitting on top of Merlin's head to get as close as he possibly could. Poison…that couldn't be too hard? How hard could it be to identify one poison out of the thousands of other poisons that had to exist in the world. It was just the process of elimination, right? The physician could definitely do that before Merlin's body gave in to the illness…fuck. Merlin was already so weak and fragile as it was…Merlin was never meant to be fragile. He didn't know how long Merlin could take such conditions, or if he would be able to survive long enough for Gaius to figure it out. And then there was this stupid tuff of Merlin's hair sticking out over the white towel, it made Arthur want to brush it back so it wouldn't be obstructing Merlin's vision if he woke up… "Here, I need to get the goblet. Pass it to me so I can get a look at what we're dealing with here."

At first, Arthur thought Gaius was talking to him. And he was already starting to look around frantically, wondering where it could have rolled off too. Gwen had it, didn't she? If she had somehow managed to lose it between transporting it from the grand hall to here, then her little stint in the dungeons would look like child's play to what Arthur would do to her if that was the reason Merlin died. But then Gwen was already handing his goblet over to Gaius, who started looking over the cup with the studious eyes of a master physician, studying every detail and inch of the metalwork. Arthur nearly blushed…of course Gaius wasn't talking to him. And of course Gwen had the cup nearby her this entire time. She was Merlin's best friend, right? A best friend wouldn't let something so important out of her sight…or at least that was what Arthur figured. He didn't think there was anybody in his life he would've called his 'best friend.', so there was precious little Arthur knew on the protocols best friend's tended to live by.

But anyway, Gaius was still studying the goblet, and the aged physician was running his fingers delicately around the gems of the goblet, as if he was trying to discern the mystery lying within them. And Arthur started bouncing his leg up and down, finding it was literally impossible for him to stand still. Staying still was not an option for Arthur…his fingers started this very uncoordinated rhythm against his knee. But it was only when Arthur noticed Gwen was looking at him strange, did he realize his leg bouncing was also causing Merlin's bed frame to shake about. More than it should…because the bed frame should not be moving at all.

Fuck.

A new wave of anxiety danced around in Arthur's bloodstream as he jumped up from his perch by Merlin. And immediately he started to pace back and forth amongst what little floor space he had being offered to him. He had probably done something wrong, hadn't he? Arthur thought as he brought his thumbnail to his teeth and anxiously bit down on the flesh. The last thing he wanted to do was wonder even an inch away from the side of his consort, but Merlin was in such a delicate state, and he could not bare the thought of accidentally making things even worse for him. Of 'hurting him' when he wasn't awake and able to pitch a fit about it. Because pitching a fit was a good sign…it meant Merlin still had breath in his body and fire brewing in his veins and it meant…Arthur wasn't a complete failure at being a husband by allowing his consort to get into this horrid state in the first place.

"Ah. I think I see something here." Gaius suddenly announced to the room, and Arthur nearly tripped over his own feet when he spun around. It only took him three long steps to get to the desk Gaius was working at, but Gaius offered no more answers that would alleviate his concerns, peering inside the goblet at whatever was interesting enough to hold his attention. And the physician picked up this small pair of tweezers sticking out of a nearby woven basket of medical supplies Arthur couldn't make head or tails out of. And reached into the goblet with them so he wouldn't touch it, and possibly contract the same sickness Merlin was undergoing at the moment. "It appears as if the person who did this, stuck it right underneath the lip of the goblet."

Arthur's head perked up a little, and he clung onto the hope he felt brewing in his chest with a vice like grip. Hope…something like that was a delicate mistress, and Arthur had never showed an interest in playing her games. Making him feel hope-a hope that something would happen and he would not have to marry Merlin, way back when all of this had started. Hope for his own father to start looking at him as if he was worth being far more than just heir to the kingdom. Hope that everything would turn out okay at the end of this horrid day-only to be so fleeting, as something happened to snatch it from his hands. Arthur much preferred to believe in making things happen, rather than just hoping for a change to come but doing nothing to make it. But not today.

…today was different.

And Gaius let out a breathy exhale when he managed to yank out a small and tattered piece of, well…Arthur didn't actually know what it was. Not even when Gaius used the tweezers to hold it high above his head so he could get a much better look at it in the light did Arthur know what it was. But Gaius was humming at it under his breath, twisting and turning it this way and that way as if he knew exactly what it was. And Arthur clenched his jaw, feeling both incredibly stupid and as if he was actually missing something that was extremely important. And of course it was bloody important! Merlin's health could very well be depending on whatever the hell this thing was!

"…What is it!"

Arthur couldn't have been more louder than he tried, his words bursting from his mouth faster than his brain had a chance to keep up with. But Arthur literally could not take anymore of the 'hemming and hawing' Gaius had been doing. It had made him feel as if his anxiety had just soared through the roof. Answers were what he needed. Not a bunch of indistinguishable sounds that meant absolutely nothing to him. If this…thing…really was responsible for what had happened to Merlin, then he wanted to know every little detail about it. Like how potent it was, and where it had came from, and how did Bayard get his hands on it, and the most important question…could Gaius make a cure out of what he knew about it. Gaius who was…giving him this very dirty look for interrupting his thought process. But Arthur hardly cared about that. Not if Gaius was keeping extremely-to him-valuable knowledge from him.

"…It looks like a flower petal of some kind." Gaius said, after he cleared his throat and lowered the petal down on a clear white cloth he opened up on the edge of the table for safe keeping…and Arthur perked his head up. A flower petal, the words were repeating in the back of his mind as if they were being told to him by the grace of god himself. A flower petal meant…not one thing to Arthur. He knew flowers could be poisonous if dealing with the wrong kind, of course. But just knowing it was a petal didn't mean Merlin was going to wake up. Arthur needed-more desperately than he needed to breathe-to know what type of flower the pale pink petal belonged too. And rather or not the physician could make the cure with what he had here. "I'll say a flower petal does make sense. If I have to wager a guess, as soon as the liquids from your wine hit it when the servants got your cup filled, it realized a powerful toxin into the rest of your drink. One swallow would have been enough for the poison to take root inside of Merlin. And then he goes and drinks up the entire cup…foolish boy."

Gaius tutted under his breath as he carefully moved the white cloth with the flower petal across the table so that it was no longer in the way. And Arthur wanted to hiss back-rising to Merlin's defense-about how the boy wasn't foolish. But he was not able too. Because Merlin was a foolish, foolish boy who'd gone and drunk straight poison for him. Who had drunk it until, as Gaius had said, the poison took root inside. And becoming so embedded inside of him, no amount of Arthur trying to do his damn hardest to scrub Merlin from the inside out would've been enough to get him clean. The word 'toxin' alone made an itch form under Arthur's skin, and he could only imagine how bad it was for Merlin.

Had Merlin felt the slither of evil going down his throat while he swallowed drop after drop?

Had Merlin felt it settling roots down in his stomach before it started spreading out to the rest of his body?

Could Merlin feel the pain even now? Or was he lost to it, in a state of delirium that kept him unaware of what was going on in the outside world? Arthur wasn't sure which one was worse between the two of them. Knowing what was happening to him but being unable to fix it. Or not knowing what was happening at all, and depending on others to fix a problem that should've never happened. Which fate was kinder? More merciful? More …Arthur didn't know. And he didn't want to know. Not unless it helped them find a proper answer and gave them a clear plan of attack against this poison.

Look at Arthur now…trying to keep himself calm by thinking of this as planning a strategy to win an unfavorable battle.

"Gaius!" Gwen suddenly shrieked, from where she stationed herself directly at Merlin's bedside. And Arthur turned himself back around, heart leaping directly into his throat and already expecting the worse. For Merlin to be having some kind of bad and horrid seizure that left him foaming white at the mouth as it rolled down his cheeks and chin and gathered in the hallows of his neck. But there was none of that…Gwen had simply slid a hand underneath the white cloth stretched out along Merlin's forehead to feel his temperature. And whatever she felt could not have been good. Not if her wide eyed panic was any kind of indication. "You have to do something quicker! He's getting hotter! This fever is burning him from the inside out."

Arthur's jaw went so tight, he could have cracked his bone. It took everything in him he had to turn away from Merlin, since he did not want to see him in this state. The prince hunched his body over Gaius' desk, clenching his hands into tight fists as he squeezed his eyes shut and focused on keeping himself breathing steadily. It was something that was supposed to be soothing, keep him calm so he wouldn't do something and act rashly. But Arthur found it wasn't working. And that only made things so much worse for him, digging his nails into the wood of Gaius' desk hard enough to make grooves form, yielding to the might of his fingernails.

Arthur wanted to shove Gwen's hands away from Merlin-when he was so vulnerable and didn't know who was touching him or what they were doing to him when Arthur was the only one allowed to make such decisions for him-so he could feel what Merlin's temperature was himself. But he had already started screwing up by wanting to put a blanket over Merlin whenever he was already scorching hot. Had already screwed up when he had almost yanked Merlin's pants down his ankles to help him cool off after Gaius had said he was too hot. Had almost freaked out on them because he didn't know where the basin of water was kept like Gwen did, and again when he couldn't locate the goblet. And don't even get him mentioning shaking the whole bed with his own anxiousness…he didn't want to run the risk of damaging Merlin when his brain had already started melting inside his skull.

Would there even be anything left of Merlin if he came out of this whole thing intact?

Arthur had seen people being treated with a hard hit across the head, and come out of it having some sort of horrid brain damage. They spoke different, words coming out slurred or in pieces or just a random string of letters that didn't make a real sentence. Or they forgot things too easily, needing to relearn a simple thing like where they lived or who their friends were, or what they liked to do. Sometimes people couldn't even walk as they could before, needing assistance to get around because something in their brain that controlled how their body worked had gotten damaged. What if Merlin woke up like that…

What if Merlin wasn't the same little spitfire, so full of anger or righteous fury that had attracted Arthur to him to begin with? What if Merlin no longer carried the traits that had made him crave so desperately for Arthur to have full control over what he did or who he did it with? What if Arthur no longer felt this encompassing amount of blood boiling whenever Merlin did something he disproved of? Would Arthur even be a fraction of himself anymore, if Merlin was different? Or would this poison take away the selfish all-consuming need he had for Merlin, as if it was damaging him as much as it was damaging Merlin.

Perhaps Arthur-once upon a time-would have been fine with his life going back to normal. Without Merlin there to try and occupy his every thought like he was some kind of uninvited guest living rent free in the back of his mind. Able to live his life like he had before Merlin wondered into it, no longer being driven crazy with the thoughts of who Merlin had taken to his bed since it clearly wasn't going to be Arthur. Because Arthur simply didn't care enough to follow Merlin around as if he had turned into some kind of leach, content to stick himself onto Merlin's backbone for simply a scrap of attention his consort happily gave to everybody else.

But his life before had been such a bore. So full of routine that nothing ever changed. Nothing ever made Arthur feel alive and aware and awake-the three A's, Arthur would start calling them from now on-as Merlin did. And things were so different when compared to then. So completely full of life and color-mostly a red shade, the exact same shade Arthur knew Merlin's blood to be, after having drew the first drops of it when he hit Merlin across the face. Arthur had hardly noticed colors, nothing but a bunch of background sights to whatever he was doing, until Merlin took the colors with him. Draining them out of Arthur's life with each shuddering gasp he took.

Good…when had Arthur gotten so obsessed?

Was it when Arthur decided to take a chance and dip his own fingers into the water-so to speak-and slide them between his consort's legs so he could play with him teasingly for the first time? Or had it been before that…yes. Arthur decided, trying to keep his focus on his breathing still. His obsession had already formed long before that moment. Arthur would not have gone anywhere near Merlin's private bits if his own obsession hadn't already been sky high by that point. But try as he might, Arthur found it impossible to discern when exactly-what moment and memory of Merlin he had carefully locked away behind his ever growing vault of all things Merlin-had started the fostering of his obsession. And perhaps it didn't even matter when the first seeds of obsession had started sprouting. Because they were already here in full bloom. And Arthur didn't want to see them gone prematurely. He was just curious enough to want to know what this obsession would do to him, and what he would do to Merlin in turn because of it.

"All you have to do is keep refreshing the rag. The concern we have at the moment is keeping him as cool down as possible." Gaius was speaking to Gwen, and Arthur kept his eyes shut as he heard Gaius rifling around on his bookcase. Heard Gwen as she carefully swished the water around the basin and placed a fresh rag on Merlin's head. Could feel the intake of breath from Merlin that sounded more like pain than relief…yes, the prince thought as he took in this deep and ragged breath of his own. His obsession wasn't going to stop here. Even if Merlin ended up brain damaged or wrong or different…Arthur would simply stay beside him and find something new to obsess over. Since it was Merlin, and Arthur was positive nothing-not even this poison-could completely take away whatever it was that made him be …Merlin. "As long as we keep his fever down, his body should not given in to the effects of the poison. Or at least, it'll starve off the full effects for as long as we can. It might buy us some time at least."

Time…something humans never seemed to have enough of.

Arthur breathed in deeply through his nose, and decided he'd need to get to work-something with his hands that would not make Arthur feel so useless-and opened his eyes. Gaius had just set a huge volume of a book on the table, the loud bang of it echoing throughout the room. It may have even been a good thing for Merlin to be out of it like he was, so his ears wouldn't be ringing as badly as Arthur's was. But Gaius didn't seem to notice Arthur rubbing at his eardrum, already jerking the book open and rifling through its pages one after the other.

It drew Arthur's attention like a moth to a flame, and the blond prince peeked over at the book while trying to understand any what he was seeing. It appeared to be some kind of book that detailed rare herbs, but Gaius was flicking the pages so quick that Arthur could hardly keep up with it. And he had to wonder how Gaius was going to find the flower if he was skipping past all the sketches before he could stop and take a hard look at it. Maybe Arthur should help by taking down one of the volumes sitting on the bookcase behind Gaius. Flipping through a book would certainly be something to do with his hands, but what if Arthur derailed the situation by distracting Gaius? There were thousands of plants to go through, and Arthur knew each one of them had a different characteristic. But they all looked the same to Arthur. He'd probably pick the first pink flower he had found and decide that had to be it, even if something like the shape or pattern on the petal was completely off from what he had in front of him…

And another thought trickled into Arthur's head…

Would Merlin had been able to recognize the plant in one of his books? Had Gaius taught him something with all this time they spent living together? Or would Merlin be just as lost as he was?

"Arthur?" Arthur glanced up when he heard Gaius saying his name, frowning when he noticed the other man had stopped his excessive page turning to look at him. Any other time, the prince might have demanded to know what Gaius was doing by stopping. And how every second wasted would be a second closer to Merlin dying. But maybe Gaius had some kind of task he could do? Something that would lend a helping hand to the cause… "I think it's time for you to go now. I only needed you to bring Merlin here because I couldn't carry him. But now that you have, there's no reason for you to hover around. So, you can go back to the grand hall and find out what your father has done with Bayard, yes?"

Arthur's jaw could've hung no lower, when Gaius returned to his page without another word, flipping through his book as if he hadn't just sent Arthur's word into a jumbled mess of horrid tail spinning. Gaius hade made it sound as if Arthur would have been better suited to finding out what was going on elsewhere but the prince had a horrid sinking feeling that Gaius was only trying to get rid of him. It was all there in the way he behaved, how he had hardly acknowledged Arthur the moment they had walked in or only answered him in short sentences rather than lengthy explanations. Like one would when they had no choice because the one they were talking to was a higher status than them…Arthur had simply thought it was because Gaius was as worried about Merlin as Arthur was.

But what if there was something else?

Perhaps it would've been smart for Arthur to keep a firm eye on their enemy and what he was doing. But Arthur could not have moved from his spot if somebody grabbed him under the arms and tried dragging him…the bigger question loomed over his head…

Why in the world did Gaius think Arthur would go anywhere that wasn't his consort's immediate side?