Fic: Spawning Unicorns and Rainbows
Title: Spawning Unicorns and Rainbows
Pairing: Merlin/Arthur
Rating: NC-17 (ish) Probably closer to R.
Wordcount: 4285
Summary: Merlin should have known meeting strange robed magical beings in the forest would lead to complications. Especially when said complications involve sex and unicorns.
Author's Notes: Instead of doing other things I went and attempted porn. Porn with the plot of virgin!Merlin and virgin!Arthur have to have sex to make more unicorns. I am unrepentant with my crack. The herb Merlin is looking for is also known as 'false unicorn' and is only found in North America but considering the show has tomatoes I don't think this a huge issue. Also Anhera's name means nothing except I got lazy and replaced a vowel in Anhora's name. *g*
Spawning Unicorns and Rainbows
It all started when Gaius sent Merlin out for some herbs. This wasn't an unusual request. Since arriving in Camelot Merlin had spent the time he wasn't running around saving Arthur's life and polishing his armour, helping Gaius. Herb gathering was an important part of this since Gaius was getting older and found it difficult to go out and gather plants, especially early in the morning.
The particular herb that he was after was something Gaius called 'Chamaelirium luteum' which he needed to help Lady Ragil with something 'woman related'. The only place near to Camelot where it could be found was deep in the forest, in a damp area where Merlin had not really been before. Still, he thought it would be a relatively easy task, so he set out early in the morning with his collection bag.
The sun had risen quite a bit as Merlin had wandered through the forest. He wasn't sure where he was. Gaius had given him a very crudely drawn map but it wasn't very helpful. There were an awful lot of fallen trees for example. It was also very difficult to work out what was a fork in the path and what was just a change in the consistency of the mud.
Eventually Merlin found himself in a very odd sort of clearing. He glanced at the map and saw the clearing wasn't mentioned. It seemed as if he had stepped into a circle of saplings, which oddly seemed to bear white flowers. There were no other examples of that sort of tree around. As he stood there he thought he could feel a light breeze coming through the trees. It was a very pleasant place to be, he felt quite relaxed and closed his eyes, realising there was a lovely sweet smell on the breeze.
When he opened them again he saw a young woman in white, flowing robes standing before him. She carried a staff in one hand, topped with antlers. It reminded Merlin of Anhora's staff. Looking more closely at the woman's robes it seemed hers were also made out of the same material Anhora's were. Merlin tried not to stare.
“Emrys, you have come to us at last,” she said smiling.
Her voice was lovely, like a fresh flowing mountain stream, Merlin thought. It took him a moment to realise she was addressing him. The name Emrys was still not one he associated with himself.
“My name's Merlin,” he replied.
She laughed, almost like the tinkle of a bell. “It is but one of your names. It is good you have come among us, Emrys. We have waited a long time for the Unus to appear.”
Merlin frowned. He had, by now, realised she was magical and magical beings were given to saying odd riddles. “An Unus?”
“I am Anhera,” she said, ignoring his question. “Keeper of the Unicorns.”
“I thought Anhora was keeper of the unicorns?” Unless they had more than one keeper, Merlin thought.
“He is but one. His task is to oversee the unicorns that live. Mine is to oversee their creation.” She smiled again.
“Creation?” The only things Merlin knew about unicorns were that they were immortal unless killed by violence and were 'pure'. He couldn't recall anything about how they were created and he was beginning to wish he had researched it further.
“Yes. Unicorns can only be created under special circumstances when an unus and a cornu come together in a demonstration of their pure love for each other under the light of a full moon.”
Merlin wasn't so sure he liked the sound of this. “Right.”
“You are here and the full moon is one day hence. Come.” Anhera offered her hand to Merlin.
He wasn't sure why he took it except that he felt compelled to. Her hand felt soft and warm as he took it. A warm feeling travelled up his arm and settled on his chest. It was a very nice feeling and Merlin couldn't have found it in him to fight it.
Anhera led him to an archway on the circle of saplings, an archway that Merlin could not remember seeing before. There was a very bright light and the feeling of a warm summers night. That was all Merlin could feel as he fell into a gentle sleep.
Arthur was concerned. It was noon and there was no sign of Merlin. Not only had he, the crown prince of Camelot, had to dress himself and find a servant to being himself breakfast, but Merlin had not been into his room to make his bed or do any of the daily tasks Arthur assigned to him. Wondering for not the first time how on earth he'd ended up with such a lazy manservant, Arthur went to Gaius's chambers to see if he couldn't find Merlin and berate him about neglecting his duties.
“Where's Merlin?” Arthur asked, as he entered Gaius's rooms.
Gaius looked up from whatever medicine he was currently brewing. “He's not with you?”
“No, he's not. I was hoping he'd be here so I could give him a lecture on the virtues of punctuality,” Arthur replied.
“Merlin went out this morning to gather some herbs for me,” Gaius explained. “He should have been back hours ago. I thought he'd simply forgotten to bring them to me.”
It wouldn't be unusual for Merlin to forget to do something but suddenly Arthur felt rather uneasy.
“I'll ask the servants. See if anyone has seen him.”
Gaius nodded.
Arthur left the room hoping that Merlin had just fallen asleep somewhere. He didn't want to have to rescue his manservant from some odd peril and, knowing Merlin, it could be very odd peril indeed.
Merlin wondered what peril he had got himself involved with this time. He'd woken up on what could only be described as as bed of leaves. They were very soft leaves, softer even than Arthur's mattress and silk sheets. There were also a lot of them. Some seemed to have been fashioned into some sort of pillow arrangement. There was no need for a sheet as wherever he was was very warm, which was a good thing as Merlin found that he was naked.
He wasn't actually entirely naked. Around his writs and ankles were strange garlands of white flowers, some of which had been made into a chain that hung around his neck. Rather like the daisy chains girls had made back home in Ealdor. The white flowers were everywhere. The floor appeared to be made of soft grass covered with them. Around the bed were curtains made from them and Merlin couldn't see beyond them.
“You are awake then?”
Merlin recognised the voice of Anhera and leapt off the bed looking for something to cover himself up. He didn't like being so exposed under the gaze of a lady.
“You need not be so modest,” Anhera said.
Merlin blushed. “I'm just...” He couldn't think of how to end that sentence. “What am I doing here?”
“We must wait for the cornu and the full moon.” Anhera said. “You must be hungry, please eat.”
She waved a hand and a silver jug, goblet and plate appeared. The next moment bread appeared on the plate.
Merlin eyed her with suspicion. “How do I know it's not poison?” he asked.
Anhera laughed. “It would not do to poison you, Emrys,” she replied. “Please, enjoy.”
For some reason all common sense seemed to leave Merlin's head and he went over and poured water from the jug into the goblet. Raising it to his lips he took a tentative sip. The taste was wonderful. It tasted like wine, only sweeter. He took a good gulp and picked up a piece of the bread.
Taking a bite he found it more delicious than even sweetmeats. It was as light as air and yet satisfying. Merlin ate one piece and then grabbed another. In between mouthfuls he gulped the water out of the goblet that didn't run dry. He satisfied a thirst and hunger he did;t know he had.
Once the bread was eaten and he'd drunk as much water as he wished Merlin fell back onto the bed. Suddenly he felt tired and sleepy and belatedly realised taking food and water from a sorceress wasn't the wisest thing he could have done. He felt a warm hand on his brow, a gentle stroke across it and he fell asleep once more.
Arthur could barely sleep. He had spent the day combing the castle and the surrounding woodland for Merlin but with no success. The guards had confirmed that Merlin had left around dawn to go to the woods, carrying his collection bag, but they had not seen him return. None of the servants knew about Merlin's whereabouts either.
After a cursory search of the nearby area Arthur asked for directions form Gaius to where Merlin would be gathering the herbs from. He was given a hastily scrawled map. Unfortunately night had begun to set in and Arthur had no chance to track Merlin down before the next morning. He just hoped that Merlin would survive long enough to be found. He wasn't a skilled woodsman and the forest was a dangerous place.
The next morning Arthur set off immediately at first light. He did not tell his father he was going out to track down his errant manservant. He pretended instead he was heading out hunting. The excuse had seemed to work. Now he was riding out, Gaius's map in his pocket. He hoped he could find Merlin, and soon.
The map turned out to be of little help; Gaius's scrawls were unclear and uneven If this was what Merlin had been trying to follow no wonder he had got lost, Arthur thought. Eventually it became easier to carry on on foot rather than horseback. Tethering his horse carefully Arthur headed on into the forest, looking out for any sign of Merlin.
He did not, however, find Merlin. The first person he found was a woman in white robes, standing in some strange kind of circle made from young saplings. She was carrying a strange staff, like Anhora had and she as smiling at him.
“The cornu has appeared,” she said.
Arthur looked around and drew his sword. “Who are you and what do you want?”
“I want nothing. I need you to come with me,” she replied.
Her voice did sound nice, pleasant. Arthur recalled stories of sirens luring men to their deaths with their voices. He tried to keep on his guard and readied his sword to strike her if needed. “Who are you?”
“I am Anhera,” the woman replied. “Keeper of unicorns and their creation. Come, Arthur, Emrys is waiting.” She held out her hand.
He didn't know why but Arthur felt compelled to take it. He dropped his sword to his side and reached out with his other hand to take hers. Her hand was very soft and gentle, like touching warm silk. He could feel a warm feeling travel up his arm and into his chest. He became aware it was magic but could not find the strength to fight it.
She led him to an archway that Arthur didn't remember seeing before. As the passed through a bright light Arthur felt overcome and fell asleep.
When he awoke he found himself in a strange place. He was lying on a bed of leaves that oddly didn't feel uncomfortable. Wherever he was it was warm and Arthur found that he was naked apart form some garlands of white flowers around his wrists, ankles and around his neck.
He scrambled to his feet and looked around. All he could see were curtains of white flowers, there was no doorway, no entrance. He tried to stay calm, using his training to work out the situation. However, before he had a chance to really formulate a plan Anhera reappeared.
“The moon is full and it is time,” she said. “Come.”
Arthur had barely been aware that it was night but, as he looked up, he saw a sky full of stars and the moon full. The moonlight bathed everything, giving it a strange kind of eerie silver sheen.
Without thinking he allowed Anhera to take his hand. She led him toward the curtain which parted. They stepped through and Arthur realised they were in a place identical to where he had been, except there was a naked figure on the bed in front of him. The figure was asleep and Arthur recognised him at once; Merlin. As he did so Merlin seemed to wake up and open his eyes.
The last thing Merlin had expected to see when he awoke was Arthur, and an Arthur in the same state of nakedness as he was he definitely hadn't been expecting. That was the sight that greeted him however; beautiful naked Arthur was standing in front of him. Looking at naked Merlin. He blushed.
“Merlin? What are you doing here?” Arthur asked.
“I don't know,” Merlin admitted. “I went out to gather herbs for Gaius and then she appeared and brought me here.” Merlin pointed to Anhera who was stood by Arthur's side.
“So it was the unus and cornu found their way to the sacred grove,” Anhera said.
Magical beings lived to be cryptic, Merlin thought. “What are you doing here?” he asked Arthur.
“I came looking for you,” Arthur replied, looking at Anhera oddly.
“Really?” Merlin couldn't help but smile.
“Servants as inept as you, Merlin are hard to find,” Arthur replied.
Anhera was smiling. “Such pure love is hard to find.”
“What do you mean?” Merlin asked, a little tired of the riddles.
“It is a full moon and the unus and cornu are in the sacred grove. Their pure love and pure bodies shall come together in consummation and spawn the unicorns of the golden age to come,” Anhera said.
“You mean you think we're in love and by having sex we make unicorns?” Merlin asked, hoping he had misunderstood.
Arthur said nothing but looked shocked.
“Of course. You have no yet shared yourselves with another and your love is the purest made more so by your bond. Destiny has brought you together.”
“Are you suggesting i have sex with Merlin?” Arthur asked, sounding as if he couldn't believe it.
“Of course. So shall you desire it so shall it be.”
Merlin felt a little uncomfortable at the thought, especially since both o them were naked and certain fantasies he had had about Arthur had never really been 'pure'. “I think that means yes,” he said.
“I shall leave you to your pleasures,” Anhera said and simply vanished before their eyes.
Arthur cleared his throat. “So, do you have any idea how we can get out of this?”
“We could do what Anhera wants us to,” Merlin replied, hoping he didn't sound desperate and actually surprised he'd managed to voice the words.
“You think we should lose our virginity to each other because a sorceress tells us to?” Arthur asked, still standing in front of Merlin and still naked.
“You're a virgin?” Hadn't been the words Merlin had intended to say but he had anyway.
“Yes, but it's no business of yours,” Arthur said, seemingly not realising he was staring at Merlin.
“No! I know. I just thought...” Merlin had thought that Arthur had probably slept with half the serving girls though he'd never had any proof. It was just that everyone was in love with Arthur; including Merlin.
“I do have some morals you know,” Arthur retorted.
“I know. I think it's good of you. To save yourself, I mean,” Merlin said, trying not to babble.
“I wasn't thinking that it would be you I was saving myself for,” Arthur muttered.
Merlin noticed the way Arthur was looking at him. “I know.”
Arthur came and sat on the bed. “Why do we need to do this anyway?”
“To make more unicorns?”
“You really think us having sex will make unicorns?” Arthur didn't look convinced.
Merlin nodded. Stranger things had happened. Well, perhaps not this strange, but strange things had happened to them before, and with magic who knew what could happen?
“Next you'll think that rainbows are going to appear when I tell you how I feel about you,” Arthur said.
“Why would rainbows appear?” Merlin asked.
“I don't know!” Arthur stood up and began pacing. “That's what people say can happen when you tell someone you care about them, when you tell them you love them, isn't it?”
Merlin gulped. “You love me?”
“I...” Arthur struggled.
“It's okay, Arthur, you don't have to tell me,” Merlin smiled. Just knowing that was how Arthur felt was enough.
“Yes. I do,” Arthur replied, looking at Merlin now with an intensity he hadn't before.
“Me too,” Merlin admitted, ducking his head to admire the flower by his foot.
“So, we should...” Arthur waved a hand.
“Yeah, we should. I mean for the unicorns.”
“I was thinking for us, Merlin,” Arthur replied. The words 'you idiot' were implied.
“Yes, for us.” Merlin sat on the bed unsure of what to do next. He wasn't really sure what the steps were.
Arthur sat down beside him. “We don't need to do this if you don't want to,” he said.
“I want to. And for us,” Merlin added. The only trouble was he wasn't entirely sure what would happen next. He presumed kissing and licked his lips.
He had had some experience of kissing, despite having never actually made it any further that that with anyone. Arthur it seemed also had experience with kissing as he brought his hand to rest on Merlin's neck and carefully touched their lips together. They fitted well together Merlin thought, reaching to put an arm around Arthur.
Arthur definitely had more experience Merlin decided as the kissed deepened. Arthur was tasting him and the very thought made him giddy. He might have entertained many thoughts about kissing Arthur but really the reality made his dreams pale in comparison. He found himself tasting Arthur in turn, a swirl of tongues and lips.
It was Arthur who pulled back first. He seemed to have a question in his eyes he couldn't quite say out loud. It didn't matter, Merlin knew.
“Yes.” Merlin replied. Yes he wanted this, yes it was wonderful, yes they should do it again. He didn't hesitate in pulling Arthur back into another kiss.
Arthur moved away from Merlin's mouth and began nuzzling and kissing his neck. It was very nice and Merlin wasn't sure how to reciprocate. He tried running his fingers along Arthur's back and was pleased when Arthur shivered a little under his touch.
As if to retaliate Arthur pushed Merlin back on the bed and Merlin grabbed Arthur and pulled him down with him, taking the opportunity to kiss Arthur's neck. In fact Arthur seemed to be slowly making his way down Merlin's chest, kissing and licking and doing very pleasant things with his tongue. Then he sucked one of Merlin's nipples and Merlin tried not to moan.
He didn't think it was entirely fair that Arthur should get to do all the exploring. After-all, there was lots of parts of Arthur he'd wanted to explore for a very long time. Using just a little magic he managed to roll them over so he was on top. Arthur didn't seem to mind too much and he really didn't mind when Merlin carefully explored the area just near his collarbone.
There was much give and take as they switched positions, rolling around in the soft leaves of the bed. They stayed exploring each other's upper regions even though they could well feel each other's arousal. It could have been that that encouraged Merlin to caress Arthur's very nice and pert bottom, well muscled as a result of all his training, Merlin thought. The action seemed to encourage Arthur to push his hardness into Merlin's.
Deciding that felt very good Merlin did the same again. By now the two of them found themselves lying sideways next to each other, neither one nor the other actually on top any more. Merlin couldn't recall how they had manage to arrange themselves like that. Perhaps it had been magic. Whatever it was Merlin wasn't complaining. The bed was soft but Arthur's skin against his own felt even better.
Given it felt so good when they rubbed their erections against each other they started doing it more. They pushed themselves together and then backed off a little. Without needing to speak they tried again. At first they rubbed gently against each other, testing out how it felt and working out how to make feel even better. It felt good, of that Merlin was very sure.
They began to kiss again as they moved up against each other in a slow rhythm. There was no need to rush, they had all the time on the world. Merlin could feel Arthur's hand wrap around their erections and he brought his own hand to join it. He intertwined their fingers as their hands stroked each other. It felt so very different to the fumbling explorations Merlin had tried when he'd been alone and dreaming of Arthur.
For a long time it was just the two of them, sharing kisses along with the odd grunt and groan. There was time later to explore other ways of intimacy; right now all Merlin wanted to do was fee; feeling Arthur against him as they whispered half declarations of feelings. The world narrowed to just the two of them. Then Arthur practically bit into his shoulder and a warm wetness spread between them. Merlin found himself on the edge of sheer pleasure and with one more stroke he found himself joining Arthur in bliss.
Arthur opened his eyes to find he was tangled up with Merlin whose bony elbows were poking him in the ribs. He shook Merlin's shoulder to wake him up. Arthur looked down expecting to see a mess from their activities but there was nothing. In stead there was a sweet, clean aroma in the air. He looked up and saw that the night had turned into day, it was dawn.
However Merlin was still sound asleep.
“Merlin!” Arthur shouted.
Merlin woke up slowly, his sleepy look doing strange things to Arthur's insides. He had an impulse to kiss Merlin, so he went with it.
“Mmmm,” was Merlin's response.
“It's dawn,” Arthur said. “We need to get back to Camelot.”
“Not yet,” Merlin replied, and wound his arms around Arthur.
The truth was that Arthur had no desire to go back to Camelot yet either. Here he and Merlin were free and could do what they liked. Back in the castle things might be different.
“So it was that the unus and the cornu created new life,” Anhera said.
The sound of her voice seemed to wake them up quicker than a bucket of cold water would have done. They scrambled themselves into a sitting position before realising they were without any clothing. In the absence of their clothing Arthur and Merlin simply clung to each other to protect their modesty.
“Look,” Anhera said, raising her staff. The curtain of white flowers parted to reveal the forest. Curled up by a tree was a small white creature that seemed to be asleep. As if it knew it was being watched it woke up and raised it's head. It was a tiny, young unicorn; it's horn not yet fully developed and it's mane still short like a foal's.
“One of many,” Anhera said, smiling.
“We did that?” Merlin asked, staring in awe.
Arthur had to admit it was breathtaking to see a baby unicorn. Such a beautiful creature already. To think that somehow he and Merlin had had a part on creating it was something he couldn't really comprehend. He was still struggling with the knowledge he had finally been able to act out several Merlin related fantasies in the flesh.
“If course. As was meant to be. You can return Emrys,” she replied. “And you Arthur.”
She pointed her staff at them and Arthur found himself falling asleep again. He wished Anhera would stop doing that, he didn't want to fall asleep. He wanted to stay awake and be with Merlin, but whatever magic it was it was powerful and he couldn't fight it. He fell asleep still clinging tightly onto Merlin.
Merlin woke up in surroundings that were very familiar but not from the point of view of his current location. He was in Arthur's bed; with Arthur. He was also pretty naked, except he was still wearing the strange garlands of flowers.
“So, it wasn't a dream then.” Arthur said, sounding sleepy.
“No, it wasn't,” Merlin replied, unsure whether he should get up and leave.
“Good,” Arthur said, and curled up to Merlin. “We've still got a lot to explore.”
“You don't want me to go?” Merlin asked, quietly.
“Why would I want you to do that?” Arthur asked. “How am I supposed to kiss you if you're not here?”
Merlin grinned. “Yes, Arthur.”
“I know things are different there but...”
“A love as pure and wonderful as ours is worth it?”
“Not quite how I would have put it,” Arthur said. “But as long as they aren't rainbows; yes.”
Merlin smiled and kissed Arthur. He hoped Arthur wouldn't see the rainbow that had formed outside the window, although it was very beautiful. What neither of them knew was that in the forest, not far from Camelot, the first of a new generation of unicorns took his first steps.
Pairing: Merlin/Arthur
Rating: NC-17 (ish) Probably closer to R.
Wordcount: 4285
Summary: Merlin should have known meeting strange robed magical beings in the forest would lead to complications. Especially when said complications involve sex and unicorns.
Author's Notes: Instead of doing other things I went and attempted porn. Porn with the plot of virgin!Merlin and virgin!Arthur have to have sex to make more unicorns. I am unrepentant with my crack. The herb Merlin is looking for is also known as 'false unicorn' and is only found in North America but considering the show has tomatoes I don't think this a huge issue. Also Anhera's name means nothing except I got lazy and replaced a vowel in Anhora's name. *g*
Spawning Unicorns and Rainbows
It all started when Gaius sent Merlin out for some herbs. This wasn't an unusual request. Since arriving in Camelot Merlin had spent the time he wasn't running around saving Arthur's life and polishing his armour, helping Gaius. Herb gathering was an important part of this since Gaius was getting older and found it difficult to go out and gather plants, especially early in the morning.
The particular herb that he was after was something Gaius called 'Chamaelirium luteum' which he needed to help Lady Ragil with something 'woman related'. The only place near to Camelot where it could be found was deep in the forest, in a damp area where Merlin had not really been before. Still, he thought it would be a relatively easy task, so he set out early in the morning with his collection bag.
The sun had risen quite a bit as Merlin had wandered through the forest. He wasn't sure where he was. Gaius had given him a very crudely drawn map but it wasn't very helpful. There were an awful lot of fallen trees for example. It was also very difficult to work out what was a fork in the path and what was just a change in the consistency of the mud.
Eventually Merlin found himself in a very odd sort of clearing. He glanced at the map and saw the clearing wasn't mentioned. It seemed as if he had stepped into a circle of saplings, which oddly seemed to bear white flowers. There were no other examples of that sort of tree around. As he stood there he thought he could feel a light breeze coming through the trees. It was a very pleasant place to be, he felt quite relaxed and closed his eyes, realising there was a lovely sweet smell on the breeze.
When he opened them again he saw a young woman in white, flowing robes standing before him. She carried a staff in one hand, topped with antlers. It reminded Merlin of Anhora's staff. Looking more closely at the woman's robes it seemed hers were also made out of the same material Anhora's were. Merlin tried not to stare.
“Emrys, you have come to us at last,” she said smiling.
Her voice was lovely, like a fresh flowing mountain stream, Merlin thought. It took him a moment to realise she was addressing him. The name Emrys was still not one he associated with himself.
“My name's Merlin,” he replied.
She laughed, almost like the tinkle of a bell. “It is but one of your names. It is good you have come among us, Emrys. We have waited a long time for the Unus to appear.”
Merlin frowned. He had, by now, realised she was magical and magical beings were given to saying odd riddles. “An Unus?”
“I am Anhera,” she said, ignoring his question. “Keeper of the Unicorns.”
“I thought Anhora was keeper of the unicorns?” Unless they had more than one keeper, Merlin thought.
“He is but one. His task is to oversee the unicorns that live. Mine is to oversee their creation.” She smiled again.
“Creation?” The only things Merlin knew about unicorns were that they were immortal unless killed by violence and were 'pure'. He couldn't recall anything about how they were created and he was beginning to wish he had researched it further.
“Yes. Unicorns can only be created under special circumstances when an unus and a cornu come together in a demonstration of their pure love for each other under the light of a full moon.”
Merlin wasn't so sure he liked the sound of this. “Right.”
“You are here and the full moon is one day hence. Come.” Anhera offered her hand to Merlin.
He wasn't sure why he took it except that he felt compelled to. Her hand felt soft and warm as he took it. A warm feeling travelled up his arm and settled on his chest. It was a very nice feeling and Merlin couldn't have found it in him to fight it.
Anhera led him to an archway on the circle of saplings, an archway that Merlin could not remember seeing before. There was a very bright light and the feeling of a warm summers night. That was all Merlin could feel as he fell into a gentle sleep.
Arthur was concerned. It was noon and there was no sign of Merlin. Not only had he, the crown prince of Camelot, had to dress himself and find a servant to being himself breakfast, but Merlin had not been into his room to make his bed or do any of the daily tasks Arthur assigned to him. Wondering for not the first time how on earth he'd ended up with such a lazy manservant, Arthur went to Gaius's chambers to see if he couldn't find Merlin and berate him about neglecting his duties.
“Where's Merlin?” Arthur asked, as he entered Gaius's rooms.
Gaius looked up from whatever medicine he was currently brewing. “He's not with you?”
“No, he's not. I was hoping he'd be here so I could give him a lecture on the virtues of punctuality,” Arthur replied.
“Merlin went out this morning to gather some herbs for me,” Gaius explained. “He should have been back hours ago. I thought he'd simply forgotten to bring them to me.”
It wouldn't be unusual for Merlin to forget to do something but suddenly Arthur felt rather uneasy.
“I'll ask the servants. See if anyone has seen him.”
Gaius nodded.
Arthur left the room hoping that Merlin had just fallen asleep somewhere. He didn't want to have to rescue his manservant from some odd peril and, knowing Merlin, it could be very odd peril indeed.
Merlin wondered what peril he had got himself involved with this time. He'd woken up on what could only be described as as bed of leaves. They were very soft leaves, softer even than Arthur's mattress and silk sheets. There were also a lot of them. Some seemed to have been fashioned into some sort of pillow arrangement. There was no need for a sheet as wherever he was was very warm, which was a good thing as Merlin found that he was naked.
He wasn't actually entirely naked. Around his writs and ankles were strange garlands of white flowers, some of which had been made into a chain that hung around his neck. Rather like the daisy chains girls had made back home in Ealdor. The white flowers were everywhere. The floor appeared to be made of soft grass covered with them. Around the bed were curtains made from them and Merlin couldn't see beyond them.
“You are awake then?”
Merlin recognised the voice of Anhera and leapt off the bed looking for something to cover himself up. He didn't like being so exposed under the gaze of a lady.
“You need not be so modest,” Anhera said.
Merlin blushed. “I'm just...” He couldn't think of how to end that sentence. “What am I doing here?”
“We must wait for the cornu and the full moon.” Anhera said. “You must be hungry, please eat.”
She waved a hand and a silver jug, goblet and plate appeared. The next moment bread appeared on the plate.
Merlin eyed her with suspicion. “How do I know it's not poison?” he asked.
Anhera laughed. “It would not do to poison you, Emrys,” she replied. “Please, enjoy.”
For some reason all common sense seemed to leave Merlin's head and he went over and poured water from the jug into the goblet. Raising it to his lips he took a tentative sip. The taste was wonderful. It tasted like wine, only sweeter. He took a good gulp and picked up a piece of the bread.
Taking a bite he found it more delicious than even sweetmeats. It was as light as air and yet satisfying. Merlin ate one piece and then grabbed another. In between mouthfuls he gulped the water out of the goblet that didn't run dry. He satisfied a thirst and hunger he did;t know he had.
Once the bread was eaten and he'd drunk as much water as he wished Merlin fell back onto the bed. Suddenly he felt tired and sleepy and belatedly realised taking food and water from a sorceress wasn't the wisest thing he could have done. He felt a warm hand on his brow, a gentle stroke across it and he fell asleep once more.
Arthur could barely sleep. He had spent the day combing the castle and the surrounding woodland for Merlin but with no success. The guards had confirmed that Merlin had left around dawn to go to the woods, carrying his collection bag, but they had not seen him return. None of the servants knew about Merlin's whereabouts either.
After a cursory search of the nearby area Arthur asked for directions form Gaius to where Merlin would be gathering the herbs from. He was given a hastily scrawled map. Unfortunately night had begun to set in and Arthur had no chance to track Merlin down before the next morning. He just hoped that Merlin would survive long enough to be found. He wasn't a skilled woodsman and the forest was a dangerous place.
The next morning Arthur set off immediately at first light. He did not tell his father he was going out to track down his errant manservant. He pretended instead he was heading out hunting. The excuse had seemed to work. Now he was riding out, Gaius's map in his pocket. He hoped he could find Merlin, and soon.
The map turned out to be of little help; Gaius's scrawls were unclear and uneven If this was what Merlin had been trying to follow no wonder he had got lost, Arthur thought. Eventually it became easier to carry on on foot rather than horseback. Tethering his horse carefully Arthur headed on into the forest, looking out for any sign of Merlin.
He did not, however, find Merlin. The first person he found was a woman in white robes, standing in some strange kind of circle made from young saplings. She was carrying a strange staff, like Anhora had and she as smiling at him.
“The cornu has appeared,” she said.
Arthur looked around and drew his sword. “Who are you and what do you want?”
“I want nothing. I need you to come with me,” she replied.
Her voice did sound nice, pleasant. Arthur recalled stories of sirens luring men to their deaths with their voices. He tried to keep on his guard and readied his sword to strike her if needed. “Who are you?”
“I am Anhera,” the woman replied. “Keeper of unicorns and their creation. Come, Arthur, Emrys is waiting.” She held out her hand.
He didn't know why but Arthur felt compelled to take it. He dropped his sword to his side and reached out with his other hand to take hers. Her hand was very soft and gentle, like touching warm silk. He could feel a warm feeling travel up his arm and into his chest. He became aware it was magic but could not find the strength to fight it.
She led him to an archway that Arthur didn't remember seeing before. As the passed through a bright light Arthur felt overcome and fell asleep.
When he awoke he found himself in a strange place. He was lying on a bed of leaves that oddly didn't feel uncomfortable. Wherever he was it was warm and Arthur found that he was naked apart form some garlands of white flowers around his wrists, ankles and around his neck.
He scrambled to his feet and looked around. All he could see were curtains of white flowers, there was no doorway, no entrance. He tried to stay calm, using his training to work out the situation. However, before he had a chance to really formulate a plan Anhera reappeared.
“The moon is full and it is time,” she said. “Come.”
Arthur had barely been aware that it was night but, as he looked up, he saw a sky full of stars and the moon full. The moonlight bathed everything, giving it a strange kind of eerie silver sheen.
Without thinking he allowed Anhera to take his hand. She led him toward the curtain which parted. They stepped through and Arthur realised they were in a place identical to where he had been, except there was a naked figure on the bed in front of him. The figure was asleep and Arthur recognised him at once; Merlin. As he did so Merlin seemed to wake up and open his eyes.
The last thing Merlin had expected to see when he awoke was Arthur, and an Arthur in the same state of nakedness as he was he definitely hadn't been expecting. That was the sight that greeted him however; beautiful naked Arthur was standing in front of him. Looking at naked Merlin. He blushed.
“Merlin? What are you doing here?” Arthur asked.
“I don't know,” Merlin admitted. “I went out to gather herbs for Gaius and then she appeared and brought me here.” Merlin pointed to Anhera who was stood by Arthur's side.
“So it was the unus and cornu found their way to the sacred grove,” Anhera said.
Magical beings lived to be cryptic, Merlin thought. “What are you doing here?” he asked Arthur.
“I came looking for you,” Arthur replied, looking at Anhera oddly.
“Really?” Merlin couldn't help but smile.
“Servants as inept as you, Merlin are hard to find,” Arthur replied.
Anhera was smiling. “Such pure love is hard to find.”
“What do you mean?” Merlin asked, a little tired of the riddles.
“It is a full moon and the unus and cornu are in the sacred grove. Their pure love and pure bodies shall come together in consummation and spawn the unicorns of the golden age to come,” Anhera said.
“You mean you think we're in love and by having sex we make unicorns?” Merlin asked, hoping he had misunderstood.
Arthur said nothing but looked shocked.
“Of course. You have no yet shared yourselves with another and your love is the purest made more so by your bond. Destiny has brought you together.”
“Are you suggesting i have sex with Merlin?” Arthur asked, sounding as if he couldn't believe it.
“Of course. So shall you desire it so shall it be.”
Merlin felt a little uncomfortable at the thought, especially since both o them were naked and certain fantasies he had had about Arthur had never really been 'pure'. “I think that means yes,” he said.
“I shall leave you to your pleasures,” Anhera said and simply vanished before their eyes.
Arthur cleared his throat. “So, do you have any idea how we can get out of this?”
“We could do what Anhera wants us to,” Merlin replied, hoping he didn't sound desperate and actually surprised he'd managed to voice the words.
“You think we should lose our virginity to each other because a sorceress tells us to?” Arthur asked, still standing in front of Merlin and still naked.
“You're a virgin?” Hadn't been the words Merlin had intended to say but he had anyway.
“Yes, but it's no business of yours,” Arthur said, seemingly not realising he was staring at Merlin.
“No! I know. I just thought...” Merlin had thought that Arthur had probably slept with half the serving girls though he'd never had any proof. It was just that everyone was in love with Arthur; including Merlin.
“I do have some morals you know,” Arthur retorted.
“I know. I think it's good of you. To save yourself, I mean,” Merlin said, trying not to babble.
“I wasn't thinking that it would be you I was saving myself for,” Arthur muttered.
Merlin noticed the way Arthur was looking at him. “I know.”
Arthur came and sat on the bed. “Why do we need to do this anyway?”
“To make more unicorns?”
“You really think us having sex will make unicorns?” Arthur didn't look convinced.
Merlin nodded. Stranger things had happened. Well, perhaps not this strange, but strange things had happened to them before, and with magic who knew what could happen?
“Next you'll think that rainbows are going to appear when I tell you how I feel about you,” Arthur said.
“Why would rainbows appear?” Merlin asked.
“I don't know!” Arthur stood up and began pacing. “That's what people say can happen when you tell someone you care about them, when you tell them you love them, isn't it?”
Merlin gulped. “You love me?”
“I...” Arthur struggled.
“It's okay, Arthur, you don't have to tell me,” Merlin smiled. Just knowing that was how Arthur felt was enough.
“Yes. I do,” Arthur replied, looking at Merlin now with an intensity he hadn't before.
“Me too,” Merlin admitted, ducking his head to admire the flower by his foot.
“So, we should...” Arthur waved a hand.
“Yeah, we should. I mean for the unicorns.”
“I was thinking for us, Merlin,” Arthur replied. The words 'you idiot' were implied.
“Yes, for us.” Merlin sat on the bed unsure of what to do next. He wasn't really sure what the steps were.
Arthur sat down beside him. “We don't need to do this if you don't want to,” he said.
“I want to. And for us,” Merlin added. The only trouble was he wasn't entirely sure what would happen next. He presumed kissing and licked his lips.
He had had some experience of kissing, despite having never actually made it any further that that with anyone. Arthur it seemed also had experience with kissing as he brought his hand to rest on Merlin's neck and carefully touched their lips together. They fitted well together Merlin thought, reaching to put an arm around Arthur.
Arthur definitely had more experience Merlin decided as the kissed deepened. Arthur was tasting him and the very thought made him giddy. He might have entertained many thoughts about kissing Arthur but really the reality made his dreams pale in comparison. He found himself tasting Arthur in turn, a swirl of tongues and lips.
It was Arthur who pulled back first. He seemed to have a question in his eyes he couldn't quite say out loud. It didn't matter, Merlin knew.
“Yes.” Merlin replied. Yes he wanted this, yes it was wonderful, yes they should do it again. He didn't hesitate in pulling Arthur back into another kiss.
Arthur moved away from Merlin's mouth and began nuzzling and kissing his neck. It was very nice and Merlin wasn't sure how to reciprocate. He tried running his fingers along Arthur's back and was pleased when Arthur shivered a little under his touch.
As if to retaliate Arthur pushed Merlin back on the bed and Merlin grabbed Arthur and pulled him down with him, taking the opportunity to kiss Arthur's neck. In fact Arthur seemed to be slowly making his way down Merlin's chest, kissing and licking and doing very pleasant things with his tongue. Then he sucked one of Merlin's nipples and Merlin tried not to moan.
He didn't think it was entirely fair that Arthur should get to do all the exploring. After-all, there was lots of parts of Arthur he'd wanted to explore for a very long time. Using just a little magic he managed to roll them over so he was on top. Arthur didn't seem to mind too much and he really didn't mind when Merlin carefully explored the area just near his collarbone.
There was much give and take as they switched positions, rolling around in the soft leaves of the bed. They stayed exploring each other's upper regions even though they could well feel each other's arousal. It could have been that that encouraged Merlin to caress Arthur's very nice and pert bottom, well muscled as a result of all his training, Merlin thought. The action seemed to encourage Arthur to push his hardness into Merlin's.
Deciding that felt very good Merlin did the same again. By now the two of them found themselves lying sideways next to each other, neither one nor the other actually on top any more. Merlin couldn't recall how they had manage to arrange themselves like that. Perhaps it had been magic. Whatever it was Merlin wasn't complaining. The bed was soft but Arthur's skin against his own felt even better.
Given it felt so good when they rubbed their erections against each other they started doing it more. They pushed themselves together and then backed off a little. Without needing to speak they tried again. At first they rubbed gently against each other, testing out how it felt and working out how to make feel even better. It felt good, of that Merlin was very sure.
They began to kiss again as they moved up against each other in a slow rhythm. There was no need to rush, they had all the time on the world. Merlin could feel Arthur's hand wrap around their erections and he brought his own hand to join it. He intertwined their fingers as their hands stroked each other. It felt so very different to the fumbling explorations Merlin had tried when he'd been alone and dreaming of Arthur.
For a long time it was just the two of them, sharing kisses along with the odd grunt and groan. There was time later to explore other ways of intimacy; right now all Merlin wanted to do was fee; feeling Arthur against him as they whispered half declarations of feelings. The world narrowed to just the two of them. Then Arthur practically bit into his shoulder and a warm wetness spread between them. Merlin found himself on the edge of sheer pleasure and with one more stroke he found himself joining Arthur in bliss.
Arthur opened his eyes to find he was tangled up with Merlin whose bony elbows were poking him in the ribs. He shook Merlin's shoulder to wake him up. Arthur looked down expecting to see a mess from their activities but there was nothing. In stead there was a sweet, clean aroma in the air. He looked up and saw that the night had turned into day, it was dawn.
However Merlin was still sound asleep.
“Merlin!” Arthur shouted.
Merlin woke up slowly, his sleepy look doing strange things to Arthur's insides. He had an impulse to kiss Merlin, so he went with it.
“Mmmm,” was Merlin's response.
“It's dawn,” Arthur said. “We need to get back to Camelot.”
“Not yet,” Merlin replied, and wound his arms around Arthur.
The truth was that Arthur had no desire to go back to Camelot yet either. Here he and Merlin were free and could do what they liked. Back in the castle things might be different.
“So it was that the unus and the cornu created new life,” Anhera said.
The sound of her voice seemed to wake them up quicker than a bucket of cold water would have done. They scrambled themselves into a sitting position before realising they were without any clothing. In the absence of their clothing Arthur and Merlin simply clung to each other to protect their modesty.
“Look,” Anhera said, raising her staff. The curtain of white flowers parted to reveal the forest. Curled up by a tree was a small white creature that seemed to be asleep. As if it knew it was being watched it woke up and raised it's head. It was a tiny, young unicorn; it's horn not yet fully developed and it's mane still short like a foal's.
“One of many,” Anhera said, smiling.
“We did that?” Merlin asked, staring in awe.
Arthur had to admit it was breathtaking to see a baby unicorn. Such a beautiful creature already. To think that somehow he and Merlin had had a part on creating it was something he couldn't really comprehend. He was still struggling with the knowledge he had finally been able to act out several Merlin related fantasies in the flesh.
“If course. As was meant to be. You can return Emrys,” she replied. “And you Arthur.”
She pointed her staff at them and Arthur found himself falling asleep again. He wished Anhera would stop doing that, he didn't want to fall asleep. He wanted to stay awake and be with Merlin, but whatever magic it was it was powerful and he couldn't fight it. He fell asleep still clinging tightly onto Merlin.
Merlin woke up in surroundings that were very familiar but not from the point of view of his current location. He was in Arthur's bed; with Arthur. He was also pretty naked, except he was still wearing the strange garlands of flowers.
“So, it wasn't a dream then.” Arthur said, sounding sleepy.
“No, it wasn't,” Merlin replied, unsure whether he should get up and leave.
“Good,” Arthur said, and curled up to Merlin. “We've still got a lot to explore.”
“You don't want me to go?” Merlin asked, quietly.
“Why would I want you to do that?” Arthur asked. “How am I supposed to kiss you if you're not here?”
Merlin grinned. “Yes, Arthur.”
“I know things are different there but...”
“A love as pure and wonderful as ours is worth it?”
“Not quite how I would have put it,” Arthur said. “But as long as they aren't rainbows; yes.”
Merlin smiled and kissed Arthur. He hoped Arthur wouldn't see the rainbow that had formed outside the window, although it was very beautiful. What neither of them knew was that in the forest, not far from Camelot, the first of a new generation of unicorns took his first steps.