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!

187. Chapter 189

This chapter is dedicated to Khalafani, who gave me the idea to give Arthur a reaction when he sees Charles was assigned as Merlin's knight. I didn't think about how furious Arthur would be considering Charles past actions, so it was fun to check that out. And for those that don't remember, Charles was also the knight that allowed Valiant into the Royal suites, where he then tried to assault Merlin though he couldn't get past the door. He was then sentenced to about two months or so in the cells and only recently got out this episode ;p he's not off to a good restart, clearly

X

Merlin Pendragon didn't know what he was supposed to do now to get the girl out of the hole she had unwillingly found herself in. He could push and push to try forcing the support beam down, he could stay on top of it and start a slow bounce hoping it would make a lick of difference, but neither of those options were going to change the cold, hard fact Merlin was stuck with. He had always known his lack of eating for so long was going to end up being something that ended up killing him, but he had always assumed the death would've been him slowly starving himself to death. Even when he started eating better, after the food stopped tasting like ash and was hard to swallow, he still remembered the hunger pains creeping in on him. Still remembered all the times he had tried to 'punish himself' by not eating, it had all made sense at the time. Now though…now, all he could think about was how many times he had turned up his nose to a perfectly good meal, leaving him still severely underweight and obviously malnourished.

It wasn't as noticeable now.

But Merlin still wasn't the same weight he had been when he first came to the Camelot boarders, a feat by itself considering the standard of living back in his hometown. It hadn't been bothering him much, knowing his uncle had told him to take it slow and start small and he'll work his way back to where he's meant to be considering his age and height. Now though, now though he wished he'd gone ahead and gorged himself, stuffing bite after bite down his throat until he had a bulging stomach and flab weighing him down…he had never been flabby before. But any extra bit of weight could've been the one pound needed to get this one girl out of her damn home. Or it would snap the board in two, and he'd be up the creek anyway. He couldn't think like that though, Merlin thought with a furious grunt as he practically straddled the support beam…all it did was this little bobbing motion, completely no help to him. But Merlin couldn't even do a crazy thing like try setting a few bricks on top of it to give it a bit more weight, it would've just slid straight back off with the angle the board was permanently stuck in…

The Consort growled under his breath, frustration setting in as he turned over, rolling off the support beam and grabbing the plank of wood from the beneath it. Dropping himself down onto his backside to try and use his dead weight so it could shift some of the stones and shit out of the way. It wasn't like he was in need of a major shift, the girl beneath the structure looked pretty slim from what Merlin had been able to see. He simply needed the hole to be a bit more wider than it was for her to shimmy her way out, but the support beam stuck in the structure was being particularly stubborn. Refusing to give Merlin a single inch that he could've actually worked with. He didn't stop pulling though, even when he knew it was a hopeless thing that would only leave him with sore and aching muscles. Which was exactly what he needed…muscles. Strength. Or an army ready to pull with all their might just to save one insignificant girl none of them would remember come morning…

"Need a hand there?"

Merlin yelped in surprise, his hands slipping from the support beam and it sent him crashing onto his bottom, a swirl of dust and dirt kickstarting the air as his support beam bobbed ominously over him before it settled. Merlin cursed with the kind of fervor only a man who felt like a failure could, before glancing over his shoulder…Dorian and Tristian. The two knights were standing over him, the both of them looking worse for wear. Dorian had a nasty cut along his cheek, it was still bleeding a left a sticky trail going down the side of his face. While the other knight, Tristian, looked as if he was gingerly holding onto his side, trying to hold onto his ribs it looked like. Probably sore, but Merlin didn't think they'd be broken…not like the other guy that had been stomped on by the griffin out on the courtyard. Merlin couldn't remember seeing the two fighting the griffin when he had came out here, so either he had been too distracted with doing his own mission or they had just reached the battle. That was the most likely, since they were usually guarding the front gates. But whether or not they had been here was nary the point…Merlin eyed the two men with a contemplative gaze. Injured or not…they both clearly had the muscle that Merlin needed.

"There's a girl trapped under the stones there-"

Merlin blurted out a quick and condensed version of the girl's situation, while jumping to his feet with a renewed urgency that almost surprised even him. He was quick when explaining what he needed from them, and the two didn't even hesitate before nodding and sliding the swords they've been holding back into the scabbards tied to their belts. Merlin would realize later on that he probably didn't even have to explain as much as he did. Dorian and Tristian weren't bad knights, and Merlin probably even trusted Dorian a little considering he helped Merlin bring Lancelot to Camelot that first day they met. It didn't make up for them dragging him to Camelot in the first place, but…Merlin thought the two of them would've listened even if Merlin had simply told them to press down onto the board. No questions asked. That was a nice thought, actually, and the slim consort went back to the working on the support beam with this whole, brand new fervor to him. Not doing it alone, as the other two knights grabbed on the board and started dragging it downwards with him.

It wasn't instantaneous, the structure had to have been a hundred pounds and they were just three men. But Merlin put his back into it, and he could hear the way Tristian was grunting as he pulled and the way Dorian was cursing himself as he did his heels into the ground to stop from sliding across. But after a few painful minutes, Merlin could see their work starting to pay off. The stones on the structure were shifting, the support beam stuck in the way was starting to go up, prying open the hole further. Merlin's heart leaped into his throat as he saw the widening of the hole…hope. He was hopeful about this finally starting to work, about everything finally coming together in some strange was. Merlin made sure to check with the other two men before he dared to let go, not sure if his own contribution would cause the opening hole to close again. He's sure he's meant to feel self-conscious when he realized him letting go had literally done nothing to the hole, the space still widening as if he had never been part of moving it in the first place. But Merlin's too elated about his rescue mission to care about his own 'masculine strength', and Merlin dropped down onto his belly in front of the hole to peer into the darkness.

"Hey, Keira! Come on out now while you can, I think the hole's finally gotten big enough to pull you all the way out. But I'm not sure how long the knights can keep holding it open, so let's get a move on before the weight becomes a bit too much, okay?" Merlin rambled slightly, a healthy flush of exhaustion left his cheeks stained red, but he continuing peering into the darkness with much more excitement than he thought he could feel considering the circumstances happening around them. But that excitement started to wane, his smile started to dim the longer he peered into the darkness without anybody coming out for him. The darkness was just that…darkness. Not even a shift in the shadows to show somebody moving around in them. "…Keira?"

Merlin's voice came out unsettled and unsure, his throat closing in on him as the worse thoughts came to him, each more daunting them the last one had been. It had only been a few long minutes since he had last talked to Keira, a few minutes since he had last promised her that she would be safe and he was going to be the one to get her out of there. It had been only a few minutes…he couldn't have been working that long, could he have been? Had Keira waited up under those thousands of stones, the encompassing weight slowing going down on her, crushing her bit by bit under her ribs finally cave in and broke off in different directions? Had Keira suffocated on her own blood, coughing and unable to expand her body to get the air she needed, while Merlin was working on pulling that support beam across the yard? Had she been breathing her last breaths while Merlin was trying to weigh down the support beam all by himself out there? Had Keira already been dead while Merlin was explaining to Knights Dorian and Tristian what needed to be done? Had this all been…for nothing?

Merlin choked, a hot brim of tears running his lower lashes, his hand still in the hole as if waiting for somebody to grab hold on it. Damn it, Merlin's body could feel so cold, his shoulders so tight that it felt like a drawstring about a second away from snapping. He wanted to curse to the skies, scream until his throats raw and bleeding and the heavens themselves finally deemed himself worthy of being answered…why? Why did they allow him to find this girl, if he was only going to be too late to save her? Why had he came across her, if he was going to only witness her last moments? Could Merlin have saved her…if he had been only a little bit faster or more ready or had forced two knights out of the griffin fight long before Dorian and Tristian had arrived and offered their services…if things had went different…could Keira have lived? Could she have…Merlin was forced to stop those thoughts, something in the shadows shifting that he'd not seen before. Something that hadn't been there until Merlin felt the weight that came with bearing the entire world on one's shoulders…Merlin didn't hesitate to throw himself forward, burying himself half in the darkness and very aware of the ruined structure creeping ominously around him.

Merlin could've laughed with elation when his hand finally wrapped around the much smaller one reaching out blindly for help. And he didn't hesitate to yank at her, putting all his strength behind dragging her out of the hole while Dorian and Tristian held it open for them. She was, luckily, much lighter than the tons of concrete that had been slowly crushing her into dust, and she came out far easier than he would've thought considering how much work it had taken just to get to her. First came her hand, a petite little thing covered with the kind of callouses that came with being a peasant servant, though dirt and scrapes had taken over it. The rest of her arm came out, before her head popped out of the hole. It was probably a dark blond color, but there was so much dirt caked into it that it looked as if it had turned black. Her skin covered with the same streak of dirt, her eyes wide and wild as she took in lungful after lungful of crisp and beautiful fresh air. The rest of her body slid out without any difficulty, her hips only catching against the structure once because of her dress snagging onto something, though it was fixed easily enough by the consort. The second that her feet made it through the hole, Merlin was dragging her to stand up and the two knights were dropping the structure. The entire thing seemed to cave into itself without Keira's body to stopper it up.

"Oh my god…that thing completely collapsed. It would've…it could've killed me if I was in there for even a second longer. I would be…I should be dead, I could have been crushed to death. It could have been…lights out for me. I survived a plague, only to end up dying like that…" Keira rambled a little, looking pale and shell-shocked by her swift extraction from the fallen structure, staring down at the place that could've very well been her tomb if Merlin hadn't seen her hand sticking out of the structure. It wasn't as if anybody else had been looking for her, or even noticed her missing, with the chaos still going on…and then Keira turned to Merlin. Looking as if she was very much aware of her still being alive only because of Merlin, her eyes are shiny and wet. "And you…you managed to get me out. You…I would've been dead…but you…you saved my life. I didn't die because of you…Consort Merlin."

Keira was obviously in a state of shock, repeating herself a few times as if she needed to wrap her mind around what just happened. After all, it wasn't every single day that somebody could say they'd been personally saved by the most 'unwanted consort' in the history of Camelot. By the 'whore of Camelot', as the people-some of them-had taken to calling him since Arthur had screamed the word at him that fated day so many weeks ago. Merlin blinked, because in one second, Keira had been staring at him hard enough to make him start getting uncomfortable, and then the next second, she had thrown herself at him. Her arms wrapping around his neck, crying into his chest, forgetting about every sense of propriety she should've had as a mere peasant girl standing in front of a royal. Merlin went rigid, a little shocked himself by such a bold gesture…he wasn't used to being touched outside of his uncle and his few friends and…unfortunately Arthur. A stranger touching him was akin to somebody sticking a thousand hot needles beneath his skin and pressing into his flesh…he patted the top of her head awkwardly, trying not to flinch back when her crying. The roar of the griffin from somewhere behind him actually gave him an extremely good excuse to push her into the waiting arms of Dorian and Tristian.

"Here, these men are going to help you get back into the castle without falling victim to the griffin! Just keep by their sides and they'll keep you safe. But you should go now, I'm sure everything's about to come to a head now:" the young consort said urgently, glancing back out at the courtyard where he was able to see Arthur standing up against the beast and swinging his spear at it with wild abandonment…there were only five knights left standing. The other three were strewn out along the field, and it was impossible to know if they had fallen into unconsciousness or had suffered an even worse fate. "I'll be right behind you in a second, I just need to do a final check and make sure everybody's made it out of here. Nobody needs to be left behind just because I decided to go with ya'll."

Merlin was pretty sure everybody, other than the knights, had managed to get out of the way by now. Most of the people had managed to evacuate inside the castle, and the others who had gotten stuck outside by the beast had taken to find shelter in the lower town, away from all the fighting. But he still wanted to do one final sweep, it would make him more comfortable…the guilt would end up eating him alive if he found out somebody else had died when Merlin could have gotten them out of the line of fire like he had for Keira. And the best part about having Dorian and Tristian on his side, the two didn't ask him questions or try dragging him away from what he felt like he needed to do. The two had simply nodded, taking stance onto either side of Keira, and getting ready to do a mad escort to the safety of the castle walls before the griffin could take out the rest of their warriors.

"Wait, wait, wait, I can't go just yet! There's something that I've got to ask the Consort about. I can't…please! I just have to know something before I go with you!" Keira suddenly exclaimed the second Tristian grabbed hold of her wrist so that they wouldn't get separated if the worse happened. Merlin whipped his head around to look at Keira incredulously…did this really seem like the time to ask him something? Another warrior had just been taken out, and the creature still didn't have a single mark on him, and Merlin had to run off, but hey, Keira should just stop everything and ask Merlin something that she apparently was not able to ask him later on when everything was safe again. Keira didn't seem to care about her bad timing though, looking at Merlin with this unrestrained desperation, "Consort Merlin…did you…the reason that you saved me…did you only come after me because of the conversation I had with Prince Arthur? The one I had with him yesterday, before all of this? About you and your…about all the indiscretions he thought you were having…"

A flush was staining Keira's face, as if she was embarrassed to bring up all the torrents of Merlin's past, but Merlin was baffled. His eyebrows were brought to the middle of his forehead, joining together as he stared at his…what did Keira mean by his…indiscretions of the past? Was she talking about the rumors that had went about him, the ones claiming he dated every single man that he laid his eyes on? But what did that have to do with anything right now, and what is she talked about by saying she had a talk with Arthur…since when did the man listen to a girl to begin with? Yet alone a peasant girl, unless…Merlin suddenly felt his spine going taut and tight. Merlin could remember yesterday, when he had been fussing at Arthur right after he announced to the entire room that all the rumors about Merlin had really been false. It was before Merlin had started to drink, so the memories weren't as muddled as the rest of the evening.

God, he had been so furious that night for so many reasons…far more pissed than he thought he could be anymore when it came to Arthur. Angry for Arthur putting their personal business in front of everybody once again, without any input from Merlin on whether or not he wanted the attention. Angry because it was somebody else, some random person Arthur had briefly mentioned, that had made the prince because Merlin was innocent. When Merlin's word alone all this time hadn't been enough. But that person…that person had been Keira? The same Keira who…Merlin just remembered where he'd interacted with the girl before. It was so long ago, and the incident had been drowned out when Arthur had attacked him in the middle of town after the rumors had truly taken off…Keira was the girl Merlin had ran into when he'd been walking with Gaius to his chambers. The girl that had been mocking him, asking him those weird questions as if she was teasing him, but it had clearly been anything but just a lighthearted jab. She had been trying to be cruel, even though Merlin had not understood any of it…Gaius had been the one to set her and the group of girls she'd been with straight before hurrying Merlin away. With how streaked with dirt she still was, Merlin was surprised he had recognized her at all. But it did make Merlin a little…disturbed to be around her again. And knowing that she'd apparently talked about his personal business with Arthur behind his back.

"I don't know what you are talking about."

The last thing Merlin wanted to do was get back into that whole rumor thing all over again, especially when now was NOT a good time to do it. Not to mention, Keira had NO BUSINESS getting into things that weren't her concern. Because if she had known he was innocent this whole time then…why all of those weird questions when he saw her last? Why did she wait until now before telling that 'husband' of his what the truth really was? And why…why was it so easy for the prince to believe KEIRA, instead of him? These questions were going to open a whole new can of worms that Merlin had no interest in allowing to see the light of day, he decided with a stiff upper lip. This was the only thing he was willing to say on the matter, and Merlin watched as Dorian and Tristian grabbed onto Keira again and started dragging her away towards the castle.

Merlin turned back around, putting his back to the fight going on between the knights and the creature…if he looked back, he would've seen Keira looking at him over her shoulder as she fled. Would've seen the awe filling her eyes when she saw the sunlight hitting Merlin at just the right angle, casting him in a light of heavenly gold. Like some sort of fallen angel sent down from the heavens to save the lives of those who least deserved it. But though Merlin didn't see any of this, he did hear something else entirely, the voice of his husband shouting at him from behind. Scared. Panicked. Desperate.

"MERLIN!"

Merlin spun back around, his eyes going wide with the same desperate panic that had been heard in his husband's voice. But all he could do was stare, and watch in frozen terror as the griffin roared from the air above him. The griffin was staring him down, his wings flapping like mad as it headed straight to him, coming closer and closer, it's talons poised and ready to take him out, coming straight down for his throat. Merlin was bowled down without a single second thought, his mouth falling open in a silent scream as his head bashed against the hard ground beneath him. And for a second, Merlin's mind went black, the heavy weight sitting on top of him keeping him grounded…

X

A FEW MINUTES EARLIER:

Arthur Pendragon had been fighting against the beast with every bit of skill he had in his arsenal, as lacking as they were against such a creature much larger than he himself was. It was even harder considering he couldn't actually land a blow against the monster, but it was at some point that Arthur finally managed to find the opening he'd been looking for. The beast had been roaring again, a disgusting sound that made even the most fearsome warrior want to hide and get out of its way. But it hadn't taken off in flight yet, and Arthur had known it was only a matter of seconds before it took off once again. Before he thought about how terrible of an idea this was, the prince had thrown himself forward with his spear pointed straight at where its heart would be. He wasn't going to be playing around, the beast was too dangerous and needed to be dealt with a killing blow to rid its presence from his city. One well aimed blow was really all he needed…

His spear broke in two, the shaft splintering into a million different directions as the point hit the ground with an earth shattering clatter. And Arthur could only stare at the broken weapon in his hand, his stomach lurching…it hit him all at once…Lancelot. The traitor. Before he had been a traitor, before he ended up breaking the tentative trust Arthur had been handing over to him, the man had warned Arthur…warned him about his sword shattering when he himself had fought the beast all those days ago. How could he…how could Arthur had forgotten something as significant as that? How could Arthur had allowed the heat of battle to distract him enough to not realize the only weapon he had on him, was not going to do a lick of good against a creature such as this. A beast who roared louder and more violently than before, apparently taking offense to Arthur breaking his spear against its impenetrable chest. It rose up on its back legs, its talons glistening in the sunlight, and Arthur fell backwards to try and get away before his torso could be slashed to ribbons.

Arthur's entire life seemed to flash before his eyes, the talons reflecting in the blue of his eyes…all the endless time he spent growing up, where his training as a warrior and leader took precedence over an ordinary childhood. The times he had disappointed his father for one reason or the other, the times where he felt like a complete failure although others hadn't seen it the same. The times he felt like he had managed to do something right in his father's eyes, though those times were few and far between…his marriage to Merlin came to mind as vividly as the others. The way they had started, the way their relationship had started to twist and turn, the way Arthur had slowly fallen into both darkness and madness for that one boy. The way everything had changed the fated day Merlin had given up his life just to get away from him…the multiple ways he'd been trying to get back on Merlin's good side ever since. Finding out his own knights had been tormenting Merlin behind his back, finding out Merlin's been holding onto his virgin innocence when Arthur had thought differently…Arthur thought he was about to die. He thought this beast was about to come down on him and snuff his life out just as it had tried to snuff out Merlin's only a few days only, and yet…how only thoughts were on Merlin.

What would Merlin do once he was gone?

Would Merlin be thrilled he no longer had Arthur screwing up his life?

Would he be even a least bit upset that Arthur was gone?

The questions flew around in Arthur's mind in less than a second, though it did feel like an eternity had passed, when he saw one of his knights running down the castle stairs. The knights that had actually been fighting on the fields with him had all backed away with the same equal terror Arthur had been feeling in the face of leaving Merlin alone, but this other knight-Knight Derrick-came on the fields battle readied. Battle readied with a long stick of wood lit with fiery light…Derrick threw the torch out onto the field where it rolled until it reached the prince. Arthur didn't hesitate for even a second, seeing his chance almost as clearly as he could see Merlin glaring at him with fiery determination in his mind's eyes, before snatching it up. It wasn't a spear, but fire was considered a deadly weapon if used properly, and the prince swung at the creature with as much strength as he could.

Arthur could hardly believe it when the creature was the one to back away this time, hissing dangerously at the prince. But Arthur swung again, and he almost knocked himself over with how much force he put behind it, desperation filling him up to the core. The beast brought its wings up again, as if he was about to try flapping them with enough force to once again knock the knights from their feet, but Arthur swung again and actually saw the beast turn away from him in an angry hiss of brisling feathers and wings. He watched with wide eyes as the beast took to the skies, not to the clouds where it usually went to hide before attacking, but actually heading away from them. Had Arthur actually managed to chase it away? Had the fire scared it enough to make it leave…did this mean they could finally take the time to tend to their wounded and dead? Could the prince finally stop long enough to see Merlin…to see his stubborn eyes or his flushed face or his smart mouth or…

The strange beast that had been attacking their land suddenly seemed to go picking up speed, moving faster and more determined than one would think if it was simply leaving. Its trajectory changing so sharply that Arthur could only follow the direction in which it was going. And although he was standing all the way across the courtyard, even though Arthur could only see the back of him from where he stood…he knew exactly who it was. He knew exactly who that beast was going for, who was going to be its next intended target before it left their kingdom. And the name ripped from Arthur's throat with such a horrible and painful degree, that he would be surprised if he didn't damage his throat, though his throat damage was the last concern on his mind when compared to …

"MERLIN!"

Arthur didn't think, his body acting on instinct faster than he could keep up, as he dropped the torch to the ground and took off across the fields. He ran with a surprising agile considering how exhausted he should've been after his fight against the beast, his feet thundering against the ground in time with the rapid beat of his heart. His head pounding and focused and…he could see what was going to happen if he didn't reach Merlin in time. Could imagine that thing as it landed on top of him, could imagine it slamming Merlin into the ground, having his consort scream in agony as his fragile bones shattered beneath the weight of the beast. Could imagine the thing using its talons to rip Merlin's throat out, gutting his consort because Arthur had been standing too far away to protect him. Could imagine…Arthur slammed himself into Merlin, wrapping his strong arms around Merlin's slim form, throwing them both onto the ground with such force that it sent them both rolling. And Arthur inevitably landed on top of the other boy, using his body as a shield, feeling the lightest of scrapes against his armor as the beast missed them by a hair.

X

Merlin Pendragon felt as if his head was swimming underwater, where nothing and everything made not a single lick of sense. The entire world was muffled, darkness smothering out the light, only allowing Merlin brief glimpses through the shadows swimming in front of him. His ears felt as if they had been stuffed full, perhaps with cotton balls or perhaps with something else, Merlin couldn't have said for sure. Was he standing up, or was he lying down? Was he starting to choke on his own vomit, or was he just having some kind of awful nightmare trying to keep him in the dark. They were more questions Merlin didn't have an answer for, more questions Merlin felt like he would never get the answers that he wanted. He could probably stay here forever actually, swimming on just the crust of consciousness, so close that he could probably touch the real world if he actually wanted too, but somehow unable to draw up the strength to try the endeavor. Things were especially complicated by that muffled ringing he kept hearing, something so irritating that it refused to allow him to sink into the tiny warm cocoon the darkness would've provided for him.

"-LIN!

"-IN!"

"WA-E U-!"

"MER-"

Merlin's face contorted, twisting itself into something awful…god, what exactly had happened to him? His skull felt like it was throbbing, a headache that was never going to end, he hadn't even felt so bad when he'd woken up earlier that morning to his first real hangover. And that irritating buzzing was only starting to get louder, its voice sending shockwaves throughout his eardrums and only making Merlin wish he could stick quills into his ears or something to drown it out. Or at least pierce the sensitive noise recpticals so he wouldn't be able to hear what was going on about him, but…no….that wasn't right…Merlin needed to be able to hear what was going on around him. Wasn't something actually happening right now? Merlin felt the sense of urgency, he knew that there had been danger here, but he couldn't remember what that danger was for the life of him. Merlin tried making sense of the wayward images he could conjure up, even if they flickered back to nothingness the second his conscious mind was starting to grasp them…there were wings, weren't there? He could vaguely the sight of wings, like a bird, though they were much larger than any bird Merlin's ever seen. And there was something else, wasn't there? Something yellow, but had it been blond instead? Something of that nature, before the searing aching pain had sent him down for the count. Merlin's fingers twitched usually against his sides…

"MERLIN!"

"MERLIN!"

"WAKE UP, YOU BLOODY BASTARD!"

"MERLIN!"

That last shout somehow pierced through the shadows of Merlin's mind, like a bloody torchlight shining in his face in the dead of night, and the sorcerer felt like he came to life with a mighty roar. As if he had just been dragged out from the depths of the ocean, half drowned, his eyes flying open as he jolted up on the ground. Merlin's chest heaved up and down with ragged breath, his hands clenching around the cobblestone of the courtyard beneath him…his head only kept on the relentless pounding that had Merlin flinching violently. God, Merlin thought as he brought a hand up to the back of his head, he flinched back just before his fingers could brush against the sensitive button of nerves where he had hit his head. He wasn't bleeding, but he was sure he was going to have a major knot somewhere back there, he was surprised his head didn't cave into a splattered mess from the force of the blow he had undertaken. And around him, he could still hear people screaming and scrambling around him like some mad and wild beast.

"WHERE THE BLOODY HELL IS GAIUS! I TOLD SOMEBODY TO MAKE SURE HE GETS DOWN HERE TO TEND TO MY CONSORT IMMEDIATELY! GOD HELP ME IF I DO NOT SEE HIM IN THE NEXT TWENTY SECONDS!"

Merlin blinked beadily, the sun a little too bright for him and causing him even more disorientation before it started to clear. Everything rushing towards him all at once as his senses became fully aware…the many guards staring around him in fighting positions, as if they were preparing for something to come after them. The hustle of other guards fleeing to the castle, some of them carrying away their injured comrades…Gaius. Was somebody getting his uncle? Merlin felt like he needed his uncle more than ever, the familiar face would have been a far better comfort to him than Arthur's ugly mug, the prince appearing right in front of him with a halo of light around him from the sun shining behind him. It blocked most of the light from wreaking havoc on Merlin's sensitive senses, but it wasn't a welcomed sight either.

"MERLIN! Fuck! Thank god, you're awake! You just need to stay still and rest easy, okay? Do you understand me! Gaius is going to be here really soon and check you over, okay? You landed on your head when I knocked you out of the way and you lost consciousness, but it's only been a few minutes and you are awake so that's a good sign, yeah? You've been learning things with him, have you not? Did he tell you anything about concussions? Do you feel like you are about to be sick? People get sick sometimes when they've gone through head trauma, don't they? SOMEBODY GET MY CONSORT A BLOODY BUCKET!"

Merlin winced as Arthur screamed over his shoulder, the louder shout sending another shockwave through his head that made him want to claw his own ears off in order to escape it. But in the next second, Merlin did find himself holding a bucket between the circle of his legs, and he couldn't even begin to tell how somebody managed to bring him one so fast. But the bucket wasn't really that big of an issue to him…he didn't feel sick. Not like he was about to throw up all his guts into the thing. Thought the wave of images crashing against his mind gave him enough pause to wander whether or not he really was going to throw up. Now that he was awake and aware, the images came a bit clearer to Merlin. He could remember Arthur shouting his name from behind, could remember as he turned around at the shout of his name, could remember the griffin when it started gunning straight for him. Could remember being thrown to the ground as if he had just been knocked out by a bloody carriage running him down over and crushing him into the ground, and then…everything had gone dark. It had all gone dark because of Arthur…a brittle smile crossed the consort's face.

"Was this your latest attempt at trying to kill me off?"

It was obviously a low blow, a reminder of the past that had remained so fresh still to Merlin, even though Arthur seemed content to 'push everything to rest in the past.' And Merlin watched as Arthur froze, the prince's hands hot where they were now resting on the curve of his neck as if searching for any wounds he could've sustained in the fall. The touch left a prickling under Merlin's skin, like hot ants crawling beneath his skin that couldn't be escaped, something he hadn't felt in a while. But then again, when was the last time Merlin had felt the prince's bare hands on his bare skin, leaving him vulnerable in a way he'd done promised himself he would never be again when in the presence of the prince that had taunted him for months. The prince that had made sure he became a ruined mess over those four months. The prince that had berated him for each and every move he made. The prince that had abused him until Merlin felt like only a shell of his former self. The prince that had almost mutilated him when he'd clutched his wrist with enough force for the bone to start cracking under the straight…Merlin got a sick thrill of pleasure when the prince went blanked face. His hands dropping away from Merlin's skin as if the consort had burned him with those few words, and he hadn't stepped away a moment too soon, as that was when Gaius showed up. His uncle dropping to his knees beside Merlin before he even realized he was there, dropping the medical bag he'd brought with him to tend to the wounded.

"Merlin, I heard that you had a pretty bad fall, so I need you to answer a couple of questions for me. I need to make sure you don't have a concussion or worse considering what I've been told about your condition. Do you think you can do that, answer a few questions for me?" His uncle immediately asked, getting to work right away as his hands started combing around the back of Merlin's skull to do an assessment on the damage there. Knight Derrick was hovering behind him next to Arthur, apparently the one that had taken off to fetch Gaius so that he could treat Merlin's condition. Merlin flinched back when his uncle reached that sensitive spot on the curve of his skull, the knot half hidden by the locks of hair, but he nodded. He could get through a few questions, it wasn't as if he was on his death bed just because he'd been beaten upside the head…not this week, at least. "Do you feel as if you are about to throw up, I noticed that you have a bucket here. Do you feel like there's a ringing in your ears, can you hear me alright? Are you sensitive to the sunlight out here, should we move you to a more neutral room? My quarters? Where we can control the amount of sunlight getting to you? I heard that you blacked out for a few minutes there but do you also have a headache? Answer me honestly, Merlin. I can't treat you if you are just going to try downplaying your symptoms."

Merlin's uncle knew him so well, he knew that Merlin would've dismissed what he was feeling just because he knew he would be immediately sent straight to his room under the guise of recovery. Merlin would've wanted to continue with what he was doing…being included in whatever happened now that they were in the aftermath of the attack. Clean up duty, tending to the wounded, being in the decision making on what to do now that the city itself had survived under a direct attack from this griffin. So Merlin was grudging when he answered all of his uncle's questions…no, he didn't feel as if he was about to throw up, and he didn't even know why he was still holding the bloody bucket. Yes, there was a ringing in his ears when he first came too, and it was difficult to hear much of anything, but it was starting to lessen and didn't feel as bad it had been. Yes, he did have a mild headache and the sunlight was irritating him far more than it should be…that last answer did cause something strange to happen. Arthur, who had been hovering nearby but keeping himself thankfully silent, had gave a short cough and glared at one of the few knights that had managed to come out of the attack mostly unscathed. He didn't say what he wanted, but it was clear the other knight understood it somehow, and had taken off. Maybe Merlin wasn't as good as he thought as he was, maybe he was starting to lose some time, because it felt far too soon for the knight to come running back. Holding a bloody…bloody…PARASOL! The thing was an awful pink shade with way too many trinkets hanging off the edges, probably fetched from one of the many noble ladies hidden inside the castle who had been taking a walk through the courtyard before the attack and not wanting to risk the wrath of the sun. The knight himself hovered behind Merlin, popping open the parasol with a comical noise of distress before holding it over Merlin's head to block out the sun.

Merlin hated to admit the light pounding behind his eyes actually did feel just a little bit better, now that the sun wasn't directly in his view. But he wouldn't let Arthur off the hook so easily for doing this to him…he almost wished the griffin had ran him down instead of 'owing' Arthur his life. Arthur probably thought he owed him his life now, and there was no telling what Arthur would do to work a fact like that to his advantage. Arthur always did try using the situation toward his advantage whenever he could get away from it. But at least Gaius told him he was only suffering from a 'minor' concussion, now that his symptoms were not taking control of him. Nothing, according to Gaius, that a bit of rest would not be able to take care of. Not 'sleep', apparently he wasn't allowed to go to sleep just in case he didn't wake back up. But sitting down and actually resting his brain for a few days was going to be 'just what he needed.' Merlin couldn't say he believed that. What he 'needed' was to not be dismissed, as his stupid fucking husband turned his back to him and started hashing out orders to the ones still in the courtyard.

"Alright, Knight Dorian and Knight Tristian, I want you to help get my consort to Gaius' place so that he can continue looking after him while he's making a full recovery. And I want Knight Derrick to check in on him periodically so that I can get reports on how he's healing up. God help any of you should he end up falling asleep and not waking up! And now-" Arthur's orders had Merlin start to bristle, who was he to order people to watch after him? His uncle could do the job better without people hovering around him, coming in and out at all hours of the day to 'judge his healing progress', and who even said Merlin was going to his uncle's? Maybe he did need rest, but Merlin didn't have time to just be laying around when there was work to be done! "I want to know exactly who's been the one watching my consort! Because the last I checked, he had guards placed to keep him inside his chambers! He should not have been out here at all! And he should not have gotten hurt because of my own men are apparently incompetent enough that they cannot follow simple orders!"

Gaius had started helping Merlin up to his feet, probably because he thought the consort was obviously going to go with him to hide away from what's going on in his chambers, but the consort stopped halfway up. Fuck…Arthur's raging temper had returned. He sounded bloody furious, furious at Merlin interrupting his precious 'world saving' he had been trying to do before Merlin had came to the scene. And even worse…Arthur's fury was going to become another public display that Merlin was gonna be forced to deal with. The grand doors keeping everybody who had fled safe, had now been opened now that the threat's left the grounds, and people were spilling out to attest the damage. Nobles who'd been the first to race to safety, servants that had ran with desperation before they could be locked out, people Merlin himself had saved and people who'd made it without assistant, most uninjured but plenty still had scrapes needing to be tended too. Guards and knights circling the survivors, just in case they needed to make a hasty retreat if the beast suddenly returned for a new round to fight.

"Well, isn't anybody going to come forth? I demand to know who was the ones keeping watch on my consort? And why they bloody well let him out the walls when the kingdom was being under attack? Who, in all their infinite wisdom, is going to look me in the eye and tell me they were the one that put my consort in unnecessary danger? Who walked him out here, and decided to let him run amok a literal war zone! A war zone, might I add, that took out half of my men within literal minutes of it starting!"

Merlin's uncle was practically holding Merlin up on his feet, but Arthur himself didn't need any help getting anywhere, the prince pacing back and forth with a reckless abandonment that was unbefitting for a man of his stature. And it left Merlin with a bad taste in his mouth…Arthur didn't get to go playing 'concern' now that Merlin had been injured trying to do something good! And why did he immediately assume somebody had 'let' Merlin do anything. Knight Justin and Knight Charles had certainly not 'allowed him' to do anything. It was him who'd somehow been convincing enough to take charge of his own punishment. He'd been the one that came out into the fields with full awareness on the risks this could poise to him. And it was HIM, who'd gone through with his own decisions DESPITE the risks stacked up against him. Charles and Justin had only ended up being the unfortunate men chosen to guard him this day, though it wouldn't have mattered if they had kept him in his room anyway. Merlin had been so full of determination, he would've tried tying his bloody sheets together and climb his way out his window if it meant coming down here.

"Sire…"

That garnered Merlin's attention, and the consort was able to focus a bit more clearer when the crowd of onlookers started to separate and parted. A single knight emerged from the crowd before getting down onto one knee before the furious prince. Merlin didn't know where the hell Charles, that coward, must've been hiding out, but Justin wasn't no coward. And he had came forth without pause when Arthur called out for his identity. Merlin's muscles went tight right under his tunic…he didn't give a flying crap about Charles, the man had left a nasty taste in Merlin's mouth ever since the day they first met. But Justin…the consort actually liked Justin. He didn't go around badmouthing Merlin, at least Merlin had never heard him do so, and he never pulled any pranks or targeted Merlin with his hate. He never once put hands on Merlin, never shoved him for walking in the same hallway, never knocked things out of his hands, he did not spit in Merlin's direction or hiss ugly things that cut beneath his skin. He didn't praise Merlin for sure, but Justin at least seemed like the kind of knight that'd take his duty to heart and not allow whatever personal feelings he might have for Merlin being consort out of his job. Which seemed to be a tough thing for the other men that Merlin's encountered.

"I deeply apologize for going against the orders of the king and bringing your consort out to a place that I knew was dangerous. I urged him to stay back in his room where he would be safe, but your consort actually made a compelling argument for his case…I don't regret what I did though." Justin spoke, keeping his head bowed down to the floor to show the proper respect to Arthur and his princehood, despite the words he had spoken. Merlin paled a little, the crowd of people watching couldn't have gone any quieter than they were now, he just knew this wasn't going to end well. There was a dark red creeping up the back of Arthur's neck, and Merlin didn't know what the hell Justin thought he meant to do with invoking the prince's very temper. The same temper that had been launched at Merlin more times than he could count. And this event had to be the one that pushed Arthur over the edge, the one that made him stop acting strange when he was around Merlin. At least when Arthur was furious at him, Merlin knew what to expect. "Your Consort was right…you and the other men were too busy with the creature to do much else. That's nobody's fault, it had to be dealt with. But there was no reason why others couldn't take charge of other aspects that needed to be done. Your Consort could see that there was still people who needed help escaping, and that is what happened. The only thing I regret is losing track of him when we got out here. I do, humbly, place myself at your mercy, for disobeying my orders in the first place."

Justin bowed his head further into the cobblestones, awaiting for whatever the prince's judgment would be, while Merlin stared down at him with wonder and curiosity on his face…that had practically sounded like a ringing endorsement. And from a knight, no less! Praising Merlin for his quick actions and desperate need to protect those who had needed it. But Arthur's face was only becoming darker, growing more and more red as if he might pop a blood vessel. And the people themselves shifted restlessly, the same line of thought creeping toward most of them…when Knight Bryon and Knight Julian had taken Merlin out into the woods, the two were later arrested and were still waiting trial for whatever crimes had been committed. When those recruits on the fields had treated the consort like a servant, Arthur had practically beaten them, humiliated them to the quip, and then trained them past the point of exhaustion. And then there's the latest incident, where two knights had been tied up and forced to be half-drowned in the blood of animals. What kind of punishment would Arthur give to a knight who had deliberately disobeyed his orders, who had purposely put the consort into harm's way. What punishment would be given to a knight that chose to follow one royal's order instead of the other…

"My Consort may a compelling case? Really? Perhaps I do believe that, Merlin does have a way with words when he's passionate about something. But YOU DO NOT GET TO DECIDE WHAT HE DOES OR DOESN'T DO! You were the one responsible for him! His life was placed in your hands! And you chose to do a thing like this with it!" Arthur bellowed, his voice sharp enough that it scared many of the people into flinching back, not that he noticed, not even when one of the ones that flinched was Merlin. Gaius' arm around him grew tighter, and his uncle tried pulling him away as he didn't need to see this. But Merlin found himself rooted down to the spot…Arthur's tone reminded him so much of that day…the day Arthur had slapped him across the face. It made him feel ill, and made him feel weak in the knees, those old feelings crashing down against his slim form. Back when he'd been in a constant state of terror over anything and everything the prince might do to him. "I thought you learned your lesson from last month, when you tried keeping my consort away from me when he's on his deathbed! You apologized to me and everything just a few days ago about that incident! And then you came to me, and told me there were other knights, the recruits, mistreating my consort. You were looking out for him back then! You were always looking out for him, I don't even mind YOU being the one that was assigned to watch over him during his grounding. But then you go and pull off something like this! WHY! MERLIN COULD'VE DIED! AND IT WOULD'VE BEEN YOUR FAULT!"

Merlin wanted to say something, he wanted to interject and get in the way and stop Arthur from screaming like a raging lunatic as if it would shove anything that's already happened. But…he couldn't…his voice failing him in ways it had not done in…a while. The consort squeezed his eyes shut tight, feeling a little dizzy as his uncle continued to try pulling him away from the fray. But Merlin still refused to budge…he had just came face to face with a creature that was literally going to be a featured role in his nightmares. But it was Arthur that's causing him to backtrack, causing him to slip, causing all the happiness he'd managed to recover when he'd been with Lancelot to slip straight through his fingertips. Merlin swallowed, squeezing his eyes so much tighter that tiny little black stars seemed to burst from behind his eyelids. He needed to speak, and stop this, needed to say the only one that should be blamed was himself. Not Justin, who had simply not fought a losing battle against Merlin.

"H-hey-"

Merlin's voice slipped out, but it was so quiet that nobody seemed able to hear him speaking at all. The consort's hands squeezed and unsqueezed on either side of him, trying to get some feeling back into his hands. They were numb…was it because of him? Was he starting to go into shock…that happened when people had near death experiences, didn't it? That happened when somebody was dealing with severe trauma that continued to hinder them no matter how much progress they made to better themselves…right? Or maybe Merlin really had hit his head harder than Gaius thought he was, and now he was suffering from brain damage. It would be easier, believing his pain was only the result of banging his skull one too many times. If that was the case, perhaps he would have been able to excuse himself, excuse the way his nails dragged with dark intent against the faint nail shaped scars on his wrists. Falling back into a habit that was too dark for words…

"Your Consort had the situation handled as best as he could."

Justin said this calmly, answering Arthur's earlier question on 'why' he saw fit to ignore the king's orders to keep Merlin contained. Some might call it naive, the way Justin didn't flinch away from the raging Prince…as if the knight didn't understand Arthur could do literally anything to him right now and he wouldn't be stopped. Arthur hadn't been stopped from arresting those knights, had not been stopped from ruining the new recruits, hadn't been stopped from going scorch earth when he'd been dumping animal blood on other knights. Justin's punishment would be no different, and yet…he was still poised. Keeping a calm and level head, something that Merlin himself envied, his nails pressing just a bit harder against his wrist. Not actually piercing the flesh, but lightly scraping against the old wounds.

"Handled, do you really want to call this 'handled?! He was out in the open, he could have been seen at any moment. That…that thing! Already once tried and take him from me, did you think it would not attempt again! It crushed bones in a second, dragged good men into the sky and dropped them so they would hit the ground. It tore out the throat of at least one of them!" Arthur listed off the things he had seen during the battle, the injuries that led to death because the creature was both faster and tougher and smarter than all of them combined…Merlin's nails dug a little harder into his flesh. He could still the light stinging of pain coursing its way up his arm, though he didn't think he had drawn any blood. Not yet, any way…the temptation to rip his flesh open like he used to do pulsing through him. Like a recovering addict who decided they needed to get just one more hit of the good stuff before they could get better, even when the 'last hit' turned into more and more. "But hey, my untrained consort who's not been in anything more than a scuffle, had things perfectly handled against the thing ten times his size and weight!"

Merlin swallowed…he had to get it together. He had to gather himself up, none of this was what he wanted. He didn't want to succumb and fall into his habits, knowing it would only take one drop of blood to make all his progress turn into nothing. One single drop before Merlin decided he needed to do it again…he'd be left with deeper scars the next time. Scars that probably wouldn't fade like they'd been, but…what did a few scars really matter? The scars would've been Merlin's story, his tale of survivor, what he did to cope when everything begun to feel just a little too much. Or was that just an excuse…just an excuse so that he could make his blood pour from his flesh and not feel guilty about hiding all the pain from the people that cared about him. The people who should have a chance to worry about something other than the latest crisis Merlin was trying to wade through…a hand grasped around his fingers just before little beads of blood could show past his skin…

"And where is your partner? I know that you were not the only one assigned to my consort's door! If you are going to be punished, then he needs to also face my punishment! So, who was he? He better not still be out here, because god help him if he didn't come forth when I first demanded to know who was meant to be watching over my consort when there was a literally bloodbath going on at my front steps! So, Knight Justin…tell me his name and let him face what's going to happen next. Because if I have to track him down myself and drag him out, things will be so much worse for the both of you-"

Arthur's rant was getting insane, stepping forward as if he was about to grab a hold of Justin's collar and shake the bloody answers out of him. But Merlin felt all was blissfully quiet, unable to take his eyes away from the hand holding his own…his uncle's hand. Merlin's top lip poked out a little, his shoulders sagging forth…he didn't want to raise his head to meet his uncle's eyes. He didn't want to risk seeing the disappointment that he knew would be there…Merlin did not think he could feel any worse than he already was. But the shame filling him up deeply wanted to smother him…he couldn't talk his way out of this one. It was obvious that Gaius knew what he had been doing, and what was Merlin meant to do now? Now that Gaius had seen him starting to relapse? Now that his own uncle knew that Merlin needed to be watched over more, needed to be treated with all the delicacy one was expected to treat somebody that could trip right over the edge with one wrong word spoken…

"It was Knight Charles, sire."

Justin's voice reached Merlin, but it was only a low timber, falling somewhere in the back of his mind considering he had started tuning them out in order to escape Arthur's anger. Protecting himself mentally the only way he knew how too…the hot burn of tears stung his eyes, before he forced his fingers to relax. So that they weren't pressing against his skin anymore, tempting him to fall to such a degrading act, a sinful act that would've had his mother weeping if she saw him now. Gaius squeezed his fingers once again though, though it felt like Gaius thought it would be the last time he ever got to touch him, before letting him go. Gaius wrapped an arm around his back, tugging him closer and trying to lead him away from the fray once again. Merlin's legs trembled, but at least he was walking now, going with his uncle no matter where he lead him. It was terrifying to go, but it was just as terrifying to stay, and Merlin didn't know just what he was meant to do to assure his uncle that he wasn't going to try to hurt himself again. Not when he knew he had been only seconds away from…doing such a terrible thing.

"WHAT!"

Merlin's entire body went rigid, falling against his uncle as if the man was the only thing in the world that was keeping him standing. Arthur had sounded so shrill, so horrified, so disgusted, that it actually broke through the veil Merlin's placed on his mind. Broke through that small bit of protection Merlin's holding onto this whole time to try keeping himself out of Arthur's ire. Merlin definitely didn't want to do it, but he snapped his head around even despite Gaius' swift urging not to do so. His eyes connected onto Arthur, but the prince was turned away from him, completely unaware of Merlin shattering behind him. Unaware of the pain Merlin was going through, of the memories rushing throughout his mind that spoke of far worse times than what they've been through in the last few recent days. Arthur only continued to bellow, with no rhyme or reason that would explain the sheer amount of anger he was showing to everybody…letting them all know the kind of sick possessiveness he was when it came to Consort Merlin Pendragon. Where he wouldn't even let certain guards look after him…

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN KNIGHT CHARLES IS THE OTHER KNIGHT MEANT TO BE LOOKING OUT FOR MY CONSORT! DO YOU NOT KNOW WHAT HE DID TO MERLIN! CHARLES SHOULDN'T BE ALLOWED WITHIN FIVE FEET OF HIM, YET ALONE BE TRUSTED ENOUGH TO GUARD HIM! HE SHOILD BE STRUNG UP TO HANG FROM HIS BLOODY THUMBS WHEN I FIND HIM!" Arthur screamed, as if he had truly lost his sense of self, and though Merlin burrowed himself further into his uncle's arms, he could feel his brows drawing to the center of his head as he tried understanding. Charles…Charles was a close minded pig that had it out for Merlin even before they met because he was a 'peasant.' And even if he was somehow the best consort Camelot's ever had, Charles would still hate on him because he was prejudice against the 'lower class.' But Arthur's reaction's was…intense. Other than trying to dictate where Merlin goes, Merlin was sure Charles hadn't done much more than that. Merlin didn't usually see the knight, not as much as he had seen others. There were still dozens more who'd been far worse, who had tormented Merlin for laughs, and even they deserved only half the anger Arthur was peddling out right now. "KNIGHT DERRICK! KNIGHT TRISTIAN! I WANT KNIGHT CHARLES BROUGHT BRFORE ME RIGHT NOW! I'M GOING TO GET MYSELF SOME PROPER ANSWERS ON WHAT HE COULD HAVE THOUGHT WITH THIS LATEST STUNT OF HIS!"

Neither Knight Derrick nor Knight Tristian flinched when they were addressed by the raging Prince, the two immediately jumping into action with way more grace than Merlin would've been able too. Throwing themselves into the crowd of people, many still bleeding but more interested in finding out what is going to happen instead of tending to their own wounds. And somehow, neither man had to go very far to track down Charles. As it turned out, the knight had been in the crowd still, this entire time, too chicken to come forth and admit any of the wrongdoings Arthur was placing squarely on his shoulders. Within seconds they had Charles pushed through the crowd and flung down on his knees next to Justin, the man falling in an ungrateful pile that looked pathetic when a man compared it to how poised Justin was being in their situation. And then Arthur was there, scowling down at Charles as if he was nothing more than a worm on a hook whose only purpose in life was becoming bait.

"…sire….I beg you…it was your father you that gave me the duty. I didn't have a single choice about it-"

Charles was a stumbling and fumbling mess of a man, not nearly as cocky as he was with Merlin when he was faced with Arthur. But his babbling only made the prince more and more incensed, a fuse about to blow or a volcano about to pop, several people took subtle steps back if they were already standing close for comfort to the scene. Merlin's lips thinned as he watched the scene being unfolded in front of him, at the spectacle Arthur was making. He wasn't nearly as furious about Justin getting separated from Merlin, so what made him start acting out against Charles? It was the question that thumped away in the slim consort's mind, as his hands curled into fists as he crossed them protectively over his chest. Feeling the racing of his heartbeat that only upped his anxiety…Gaius could probably see the anxiety itself written all over his face. Anxiety the prince's anger only made take a sharp turn for the worse…

"Oh, my father told you to take this duty? My father ordered you to be one of the men assigned to keep my consort in his room? And you just had to take it, there was no alternative you could've offered? No explanation to my father as to why YOU standing guard outside my consort's room, when you already had a chance to do so and failed!" Arthur snarled down at the trembling knight at his feet, the people starting to glance around and whisper among themselves, clearly asking if anybody knew when Charles had failed the consort. And that same consort started tapping his fingers against the crook of his elbow-three, four, five, one, two, three, four, five-to steady himself as he filled his lungs up with as much air as he could. Feeling his lungs expanding…he was okay. Gaius was there, and it wasn't him under Arthur's ire, and the question was one that he would like answered as well…what did Charles do that Merlin himself clearly didn't know about. And Merlin needed to be…not this mess he'd been pitifully reduced to by a few loud screams. "But I bet you didn't bother telling him any of this, wouldn't want to look back in front of the king, I'm sure. The king that, by the way, didn't even notice you've been absent in the last month or two! Did you want to face the wrath of your prince instead! Because surely even you'd know I'd be coming after you the second I found out what you were up to this time!"

Arthur was so spitting mad, that he was literally vibrating out of his skin, and Merlin was unfortunate enough to still be standing close enough to witness it happening in front of him. And the consort tapped harder-one, two, three, and four, and five-and breathed deeper even when his nerves felt like they wanted to jump straight out of his skin. Come on, it's not the first time Arthur's gone and freaked out in the last few days…what about when Arthur had freaked out on him after Merlin admitted the griffin attacked him all those days ago. What about the time Arthur interjected himself into Merlin's life and they had a fight after the prince told Lancelot who he really was. What about when Arthur tried to fight Lancelot in the marketplace and Merlin had thrown himself in-between the both of them? What about the time Arthur had screamed at Merlin, going completely nuts about how he had every 'right' to be possessive over Merlin? What about the time Arthur and Merlin had gotten into it during the party, just before Merlin had drunk his pain away and forgot the rest of the night? What about the time just the day before, when Arthur had been screaming about his forgery and Merlin had flipped him off for it. Merlin hadn't allowed himself to shrink back into…this mess…during those times. At least not as deep as he had fallen right now. So what was it about now, that tempted Merlin in ways he had not felt in SO long. What about 'now', when it wasn't even him that Arthur was flipping out on, that made Merlin wish he could disappear…? Maybe it was due to all the questions plaguing him, unable to figure out where everything's gone wrong…

"Perhaps I should've taken you out before…I won't risk my consort's life on a knight that's already prove himself incapable of completing his duties."

And for the first time, Arthur wasn't yelling. His voice sounded so surprisingly calm, that it was a stark contrast compared to how he had been going off his rocker moments before. Merlin peeked out his eyelashes, wanting to see just what was going on as much as he wanted to hide within his uncle's warm and comforting embrace. But Merlin's entire body jolted and his eyes went wide as he saw Arthur snatching a blade from the sheath of a nearby knight, claiming it as his own. There was a startled gasp that echoed throughout the crowd, even if nobody stepped forward when Arthur dropped the blade down to prick it at the vulnerable flesh of Charles neck. The other knight trembled, squeezing his eyes shut, and the way he trembled against Arthur's steady blade was actually what caused a thin line of blood to escape the slight cut made. It was such a morbid scene, something that should've had people running to tackle Arthur before he cold blooded murdered somebody-in Merlin's name, no less-but the consort couldn't take his eyes away. Even when Gaius shook him, Merlin could not take his eyes away from the little line of blood sliding its way down into the hallow of Charle's throat.

"You should have heeded my warning, and stayed away from Merlin like I told you the last time we talked."

Arthur's eyes were unfathomable, looking more dark and black than they were the usual blue, but Merlin hardly noticed. Only seeing the way Arthur rose the blade up high above his head, the glinting of the sun catching on the morbidly beautiful metal, the prince poising the blade in a way that was clearly intended to take off Charles neck. Was anybody going to stop this? Was anybody going to do something, find out WHY Arthur was so pissed off at least, before Arthur did something so gruesome in front of civilians? Wasn't Merlin going to do one single thing to put a stop to this, before his husband scarred both women and children with his anger…Merlin slammed his eyes closed when Arthur brought his hand down. His aim dead on for the soft spot of Charle's neck…

"STOP!"

Merlin's eyes flew open wide, releasing a startled gasp even though he did not know why…maybe he hadn't expected for somebody else to step up, because he was clearly in no position to do it himself. Or maybe he hadn't expected for Arthur to have actually stopped. Because that's what Arthur did…he stopped his sword in mid-swing, quite similar to how he had stopped his stick in mid-swing when Merlin had jumped between him and Lancelot during their fight in the marketplace. Charles was practically sniveling, with snot running down his nose in such a pathetic manner, that he was actually the last to realize that his head was still attached to his body. Arthur's shoulders were tense, muscles all tight beneath his knightly armor as he took himself a breath, before looking at Merlin and Gaius over his shoulder…Merlin's breath stalled. Was this it…was it the moment Arthur somehow twisted things around and blamed all of this right on him? Okay, maybe Merlin had came out here by his own insistence, but the prince was the one who couldn't control his temper, even after all his bullshit promises about 'being different' and 'trying to change.'

"Gaius, I don't think you will want me to stop after you've heard what he did to Merlin…the kind of danger that this bastard put him through. In fact, I believe he can you would want to take off his head if you could, once you've heard the full story." Said the prince, his hand clenching and unclenching over the handle of his blade. Ooh, Merlin realized…it wasn't him Arthur was focusing attention on, but his uncle…the only one that had been brave enough and aware enough to speak out of turn. Merlin hadn't even realized Gaius had been the one who'd spoken up, not until Arthur had brought his attention to it. "This absolute awful low-life…doesn't even deserve the rank of knight. I was being merciful when it was decided that he should keep his title, even if it was a demoted one. I see it was clearly a mistake though…I didn't understand back then what my own men were doing to Merlin. Not just Charles, but all of them. They need to pay, and I won't show…mercy to somebody who has such complete and utter disregard to a man who's far better then him on any given day of the damn week…it's not a risk I'm willing to take anymore."

Merlin stared, and he stared some more, and he stared even longer than it was supposed to be possible. His hands went into tight fists once again, his brows connecting firmly in the center of his forehead…why was Arthur saying things like that? If Merlin didn't know any better, then he would've thought Arthur was being honest, baring himself open in front of half the kingdom…because of him and him only, but…that wasn't right. Arthur made it sound like he was trying to 'protect Merlin', which had always been a load of crock to begin with. All of the other knights that Arthur had punished in one way or the other….that had been clearly for show. Just Arthur's way of backing people off because only 'Arthur' was allowed to torment him. But this one…this one knight…Arthur acted almost as if he was an immediate threat to Merlin and his actual safety. Which was the most absolutely, craziest thing, that he's ever heard of. It wasn't like Charles is the one putting hands on him, or slapping him around, or dragging him away to do whatever the hell he wanted without any of Merlin's input. Not to mention…it was the first time that Arthur was showing how willing he was to…kill…a man he perceived to be a threat. It was dark and twisted and disturbing in the most sickening of ways…Merlin would have actually liked the protectiveness if it had not been swallowed up by such horribleness.

"Be that as it may, this is not the time nor the place for you to lash out with the justice you wish to give. I'm not saying Charles doesn't deserve an execution if whatever he did is as bad as you say it is, because like you said, I don't exactly know what he did to earn your ire upon sight. I'm just saying you cannot act in such a way on the very front steps of your kingdom. I implore you to think and decide what is to be done next, instead of allowing your temper to control you right now." Gaius spoke bluntly, apparently having not a single qualm on being watched all but lecturing the kingdom's prince and future leader, stepping into situation that society's rules dictated he wait for privacy before speaking with Arthur about what he had done. Though his arm did go tighter around Merlin's back, drawing him closer until there was virtually no space between the two of them…Merlin relished in the warmth of it. Even as he mentally questioned what his uncle was saying…NOBODY deserved to die because ARTHUR decided it to be the only way. Merlin didn't care what Charles had done. Merlin had been on Arthur's bad side more times than he could count, who's to say the knight had not simply done the same? And Arthur was just having some horrid and insane reaction to it. "For god's sake, Arthur, just look at your consort now? Have you not done enough damage? Do you wish for him to see you taking off another's head without any explanation or reason?"

That seemed to shake something in the prince, Arthur flinching as if the Royal physician had physically attacked him instead of stating the plan truth. Merlin didn't wish to be brought into this, or maybe he did…didn't he always want to be in control? To be acknowledged and noted of, instead of just a background character people could dismiss. That's exactly what Merlin's been fighting for the entire time he's been in Camelot, but Merlin still felt the shaking inside his core when the prince turned his gaze onto him. It was uncomfortable, and just so awkward, the way Arthur had apparently decided to turn Gaius' words into some kind of challenge, searing his gaze into Merlin's soul so that he would be able to see what Gaius was talking about. And god, Merlin didn't know what to do with himself…should he move his hands? Should he shift the way that he'd been standing? Should he try to look as confident as he wished he could have always been, or allow himself to be crippled by his leftover trauma. What DID Arthur see when he looked at Merlin…something that was his and something that was nothing more than an item for him to own and control like all his other possessions? Or somebody that was feeble, unable to face the world on even his best days, only fooling himself into thinking he was better until he was hit with a wave of anxiety so strong that it could've brought him straight down to his knees. Merlin didn't know, but whatever Arthur saw…it had the prince force his jaw tight before, thankfully, lowering his sword.

"…Merlin…" Arthur started, he paused when Merlin jump started at the sound of his name, having not expected to be suddenly addressed when he had not been sense Charles had been forced out of the woodwork. A spike of fear had hit him hard, before Merlin smothered it down, trying to remind himself that he was not that person anymore. That he was not the person that shied away with his bad days haunting after him. Arthur seemed to hesitate, looking like he was thinking on how he wanted to word himself very carefully, before he started all over again. With his name. His damn name. "Merlin…I'm sure that you are able to remember when you first came to Camelot…when you'd been here for a few weeks…there was a certain…incident that happened in the Royal suites. It was one that caused you…great distress. Right around the time Camelot hosted the big tourney…you were so excited to see it, before…the thing happened…"

Merlin frowned, trying to understand the words coming out of Arthur's mouth…was that supposed to make sense? Why was the blond trying to speak in some kind of…code…instead of just saying what he wanted to say plainly. But Merlin still tried working through the 'code'…the tourney…the tourney that really took place only a few weeks after Merlin had been in Camelot. Arthur wasn't wrong, Merlin had been REALLY excited to see his first tourney, and Merlin frowned a bit deeper. HOW did Arthur know he had been excited for it. Well…Merlin gave a little mental shrug, Merlin hadn't exactly been shy about his interest during that time. It had been a different time, before Merlin had decided avoiding the prince was the best decision he would ever make in his life. So maybe a better question would be…HOW did Arthur remember that? Merlin tried blocking such memories from his mind, because of how embarrassingly naive he had been in Arthur's presence. How horrible unaware he had been about what life he'd be leading. Merlin mentally shook his head again…it wasn't as if that was the real important part for Merlin to get stuck on. Just more proof of Arthur being such a weirdly possessive freak, that he would remember what Merlin had been like even back then.

FOCUS!

Arthur had been talking about the tournament, and something that had caused Merlin great distress. But before Arthur had been his main tormentor, Merlin's biggest problem around that time had been…Valiant. All at once, the memories of that time came rushing back to Merlin. How he had met Valiant in the tunnel of the stadiums where Valiant had tried to maim him when he was nothing but a peasant boy that had tripped into him. Meeting him again as a Consort when the fighters in the tourney had been paraded around in front of the royals, and being quietly mocked for being nothing more than a 'pig' despite the title that was attached to his name. Merlin remembered meeting Valiant again down in the armory when they had been alone…when the other knight had clearly been wanting to kiss him, making Merlin so uncomfortable and disgusted within his own skin. How Valiant must've followed him up to his rooms, how he had got in the Royal suites and tried kicking Merlin's door down so he could finally put his horrid mouth against Merlin's with savage brutality. How…how…Merlin was able to feel the way his eyes went rounded in shock. He hardly understood how the conclusion had been made, but it was like what Arthur was trying to announce had suddenly came together in his mind, the pieces of the puzzle sliding into tandem with the others.

"YOU DON'T MEAN-"

It was the loudest that Merlin had managed to speak since he had gotten hit in the head, but the shock was something else, as he pointed down at the knight at his feet. People were getting louder with their whispers, and even Gaius was looking confused, but Merlin didn't offer any answers as he stared at the blond prince who had given him so much grief over the months. And when Arthur did nothing more than give him a solemn nod in answer, Merlin felt the air rushing its way out of his lungs. He blinked a few times…he remembered how insanely furious Arthur had been about Valiant managing to get to his room completely undetected. Back then, Merlin had even thought it was because Arthur'd been worried about his safety. Now, he could see that the anger was only due to the prince hating the idea of somebody showing Merlin interest. Merlin had ended up leaving the room after all was said and done, and that had been the last the consort had heard about how Valiant managed to make it to his room. Though clearly, at some point that Merlin was unaware of…Arthur had found the reason Merlin had lived through that terrifying encounter.

And now that Merlin was face to face with him, with the culprit…he didn't know what to think.

Except…he suddenly didn't feel bad about Arthur going after Charles like he'd been doing. It was no wonder Arthur had came after the other knight as heavy and hard as he did, and with the context in place, it was obvious that the blond would have gone for his sword. Time and time again, Arthur reduced himself to a complete and utter savage whenever somebody even looked twice at Merlin, time and time again had the prince proved only HE was the one that should be allowed to bring Merlin torment and anguish. And time and time again, Arthur's proven himself to having a desperate need to keep Merlin all to himself, even if such a thing was completely and utterly fucked up. But what should he do with a second tormentor suddenly in place of the first, what should he do when the very man that tried letting somebody else steal his first kiss (it was completely unfortunate that Arthur ended up with that honor) from his lips. What did one even say, when they came across a chapter in their lives that they thought had been over and done with some time ago?

Merlin didn't know, but he did know that he felt…absolutely nothing for such a man. Looking down at Charles now, seeing the way he trembled as if they were in the tundra, seeing the snot half smeared across his face with more escaping from his nose still…all Merlin could see was somebody so utterly…pathetic. He, if it was even possible, might even be more pathetic than Merlin himself. Inside his head, Merlin would have expected for the man who had done that to him to look like some kind of grotesque monster. Not…whatever the hell this man was supposed to be…

…

…

…

"I don't think you should kill him." Merlin said bluntly, watching as his husband scrunched his face up in dissatisfaction…Merlin had a feeling Arthur had been just waiting to sink his blade into Charles neck. But it wasn't something Merlin was okay with having done. Not like this. Or maybe not at all, Merlin could not say for certain. He just knew, having somebody struck down, who wasn't this immediately threat, made him feel gross. But neither could he ignore what kind of situation Charles had put him in the last time that man was placed to guard him. "But…I don't think a man who did what he did deserves to be in any kind of position of authority or protection over somebody else. It's clear he doesn't value what he's supposed to do, or simply doesn't care enough about his role as a knight, or maybe it's just me that he didn't care about enough to keep me safe like he should have-" Merlin mumbled the last part, his hand tugging now insistently at the sleeve of his coat, then when Arthur's hand shot down to the sight, Merlin quickly dropped his hands and cleared his throat, making sure to keep his gaze off of Arthur. "He just doesn't deserve to be a knight."

Merlin found himself mumbling the last part, feeling like a right idiot…as if the prince or anybody else cared what he thought about the knights that stood in the ranks. The only reason Bryon and Julian had been arrested was because it had been an actual assassination attempt they had tried, but every other man had been punished in other ways, under Arthur's strict rules. He was sure that none of them were actually in danger of losing their knighthood, and it wasn't as if Charles himself had actually tried to attack him. He had simply…given the Knight Valiant the means so that he could try. And besides, it wasn't as if that dreadful Valiant actually touched him, so what the hell did Merlin care for any of this. It still felt like Merlin was doing some kind of cop-out or something, by not making a firm statement and decision on what should be done with Knight Charles anyway. And then challenging Arthur to deny Merlin his right to have a semblance of justice over what could've happened to him that night…a kiss so precious but would've been taken from him two months earlier than it actually had been…Merlin didn't want to be here anymore.

"…You heard my consort, get Knight…get Charles up on his feet."

Arthur's gruff voice rang out over the crowd, and Knights Tristian and Derrick dragged the now former knight, blubbering he was, back up to his feet. Which left Justin still on his knees, forgotten and ignored and probably getting away scot-free in light of what Charles had participated in. Merlin hoped so, at the very least, but again…Merlin didn't want to be here. With more effort than the consort thought he possessed, he pushed himself out of his uncle's hold and started making his way back up to the main staircase of the castle. The people parting for him made it easier, but it also made Merlin duck his head since that made it easier for them to watch him. He could heard bits and pieces on what the servants were saying…the old man, the mother and her child, and even the young serving girl Keira among the many that were talking about him.

"Saved us all…"

"Came back for us…"

"No armor or guard to protect himself with…"

"How many of us would've died without him looking out…"

"Savior…"

"Savior…"

"Savior…"

The whispers, the stares, the 'savior' as if it was some kind of prized title that was being spoken about with reverence only made Merlin all the more horribly uncomfortable. And he couldn't have reached the main staircase fast enough, taking two steps at a time and ignoring the wails of Charles, who had started screaming something about 'already been punished for two months!' before he finally disappeared inside the castle. Where he could hide away from them all…because how could any of them actually call HIM-Merlin-their fucking savior? Especially, most especially, when Merlin felt like anything but a savior.