Fanfic - This Dark Road Will Lead Us Where We Want to Be (8/11)
Title: This Dark Road Will Lead Us Where We Want to Be
Author: Mel (accordingtomel)
Pairings: Merlin/Arthur
Rating: NC-17
Spoilers/Warnings: Everything up to and including 2x13
Word Count: 90,521
Disclaimer: Sadly, they are not mine and I do not own them, much as I might like to.
Art Link: Right here. But please note: THERE ARE SPOILERS FOR THE FIC IN THE ART!
Author’s Note: See part one.
Part Seven
The ride the rest of the afternoon was far more pleasant than it’d been that morning, mild awkwardness aside. After cleaning themselves up, Merlin had been full of ridiculous grins, which he’d tried to hide, though his efforts were mostly unsuccessful. Arthur made a point to insult Merlin as much as he could, just to re-establish some of their normal footing, but even he hadn’t been able to hold back the odd smile, directed at no one and nothing in particular. Truthfully, Arthur had no idea what, exactly, this meant for them -- how things would change from this point on, if they would at all -- but he chose not to dwell on it too much. He and Merlin still had a great number of things to work out and conversations to have, but with some of that tension out of the way, Arthur hoped they’d be able to dedicate more time to actually figuring out this soul bonding mission they were headed for. By his calculations, they should reach their destination by mid-afternoon tomorrow, and he didn’t want to arrive completely unprepared. He also permitted himself a moment to wonder where his knights were, and if they were all right. From what Arthur could tell, he and Merlin were still a good day and a half ahead of them, and Arthur hoped nothing had gone wrong.
“Have you ever heard of this high priestess before?” Arthur asked, glancing over at Merlin as they trotted along their path, enough space on the trail for their horses to ride side-by-side.
Merlin squinted. “No, I don’t think so. Er, I thought there was only one high priestess of the Old Religion, but I guess I was wrong.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Arthur retorted playfully, and Merlin shot him a heated glare before breaking into a soft laugh. It made Arthur’s heart feel light, and he wondered when, exactly, it was that he’d turned into a complete girl.
“Gaius said that there would be trials, and that they could be dangerous,” Arthur said, realising in that moment that they hadn’t really had any in-depth conversations about any of this yet. “I’m not entirely sure if the trials occur before we speak with the high priestess, or if they happen before we break the bond...” Arthur trailed off, feeling a sense of immense sadness overwhelm him all of a sudden, and he looked over at Merlin to see that his gaze was focused on the cuff of his sleeve.
“I guess it doesn’t matter either way, if we’re going to have to face the trials regardless,” Merlin said, shrugging. But Arthur could tell something was bothering him, could feel it in a way, even as he recognised how silly that seemed.
“I suppose so,” he agreed carefully, weighing whether or not to delve into the topic further. But then Merlin was speaking, and the decision was momentarily taken out of his hands.
“Do you think we should do something to prepare ahead of time?” he wondered.
Arthur reached up to scratch at the back of his neck, rolling his shoulders in a slow stretch as he contemplated the question. “Perhaps if we knew what to expect for the trials... As it stands, it could be anything, I would imagine.”
Merlin frowned, eyes crinkling downwards. “That’s not overly helpful, is it?” he remarked.
“No, I suppose not,” Arthur said. And that was that.
They fell into a comfortable silence then, trotting along at a steady pace, the clip-clop of hooves soothing the uneasy feeling Arthur had in the pit of his stomach.
He hadn’t had much time to ponder the trials. In fact, Arthur really hadn’t even allowed himself to think about his bond with Merlin all that much, though he had been spending an inordinate amount of time thinking about Merlin in general. In some ways it felt as though nothing had changed, and in other ways, it was as if there’d been a whole new world opened up to him in the past few weeks. There were so many issues that’d come up from the discovery of Merlin’s magic, but in some ways, perhaps they would be able to move forward more easily, now that everything was finally out in the open. Arthur could only hope, even though he still felt raw from the reality of the truths he’d so recently learned.
“Arthur?”
He was pulled from his thoughts. Glancing over at Merlin, he raised his eyebrows expectantly.
"Do you think it'll be dangerous?"
"Do I think what will be dangerous?"
"Breaking our soul bond."
"Oh." He pondered this thought for a few moments. Gaius had said the trials would potentially be dangerous, but he hadn't said anything about the actual bond breaking process itself. "I don't know," was what he finally settled on. "I suppose it's possible, but it was easy enough to do the spell, so in theory, shouldn't it also be easy to undo the spell?"
Merlin eyed him, considering. "I don't know if magic works like that. Just because it was easy to do doesn't mean that it'll be just as simple to reverse."
“Why not?”
“Because everything has a consequence. If I were to, say, call lighting down from the sky right now and destroy that tree over there --” He pointed at a passing oak, leaves swaying in the breeze.
“You can do that?” Arthur interrupted, once again.
“Yes, quite easily,” Merlin said with a little smile. “But anyway, let’s say I was to use magic to rip apart that tree. It was a relatively easy spell to cast. However, fixing the tree isn’t nearly as simple. I would have to put the wood back together, bind the branches, re-attach the leaves, and so on. It’d be a long and complicated process that may not even be possible at all.”
Arthur considered this. “Not even with magic?”
“Well, it’d probably be possible with magic,” Merlin said, scrunching up his face in a manner that Arthur absolutely did not find endearing, as that wouldn’t be manly or becoming of him at all. “But it would be more complicated. And without magic, you might as well just say farewell to the tree right now.”
It made sense. Or at least as much sense as magic could make, which wasn't necessarily saying much. And while Merlin didn't know a hell of a lot about most things, he was certainly the expert in this field. "Are you worried?" he asked.
The sound of hooves and the whip of wind filled the air between them for a few moments before Merlin angled his head towards Arthur, lips pressed in a tight line. "I wouldn't say I'm worried, exactly. I just think it might be risky for us, is all. I mean, I suppose it depends on how strong the bond is, or something along those lines, so I hear. From Gaius. I’d imagine it’s a fairly strong one. Of course, I’ve always felt connected to you even before we were bonded, so maybe it isn’t that different in the end, not that I know all that much about bonding to begin with though...”
“Merlin.” Arthur interrupted his rambling tirade. “Focus,” he said. And then, because they were quite close and he could, Arthur reached over and gave Merlin’s knee an affectionate squeeze.
Merlin’s eyes dropped to where Arthur’s hand lingered for just a moment too long, flushing right to the tips of his ears, and this time Arthur really couldn’t deny how adorable he found Merlin, though he was able to successfully keep the thought to himself. Merlin nodded, floundering for words.
“What I mean is, I’ve heard a few stories about human-animal bonds, and how the breaking of the bond can be hard on both parties,” Merlin explained, seeming to have his wits about him once more. “For example, apparently one man somehow accidentally bonded himself to his dog, and then when he tried to unbind them, both he and the dog got really depressed, and the dog stopped eating and sleeping. Not sure how accurate that information is, of course. I’m just concerned about the effect it might have on two humans.”
Arthur considered this information, feeling a sense of hesitation radiating from Merlin about the whole thing. "Are you saying that you don't want to break the bond?" If there was a hopeful quality to his tone, Arthur chose to ignore it entirely.
Merlin, on the other hand, seemed to pick up on it immediately. “Are you saying that you don’t want to break it?” he countered.
Truthfully, there was no good way to answer that question. His heart was leaning in one direction, but the logical part of his brain kept throwing out reminders that it wasn’t just the two of them he had to think about, but all of Camelot. In the end, he decided not to answer at all.
“So, once we pass over this hilly section, we should be there. I imagine by late afternoon tomorrow,” Arthur told Merlin as they reviewed their travel plans that evening while dinner cooked over the fire. His finger stabbed the map, tracing their expected course for the following day while Merlin watched over his shoulder.
“I’m no expert,” Merlin said, and Arthur refrained from commenting on this statement, “but wouldn’t it make more sense for us to go this way instead?” He tapped the place on the map where Arthur’s finger had been, and traced a diagonal line towards the identified destination, completely skipping over the hills.
Arthur smacked Merlin’s arm, rolling his eyes at the man as Merlin’s eyes narrowed at his antics. “You’ve got that right, Merlin. You aren’t an expert.” Arthur drew invisible circles around a section of the map that Merlin had suggested they travel through and arched a brow in his direction. “This, right here, is a swamp. Unless you’ve got some magical spell to make our horses sprout wings and fly us over it, I highly doubt this would be an efficacious route to take.”
He stood, stretching his arms to the sky, and made a grand gesture of walking over to the fire to check on the food. “Leave the navigation to the experts,” he said, smirking at Merlin. The sight of Merlin, sulking with an obvious pout on his delicious lips, did something to Arthur, and he felt his stomach flutter in appreciation.
Merlin made no attempt to hide the exaggerated eye roll. “You really are a right prat, aren’t you? Just for that, you have to eat the burnt piece of meat.”
Arthur eyed the meat roasting over the fire with suspicion. “There’s nothing burnt here,” he pointed out.
Foreign words fluttered out of Merlin’s mouth, eyes washing with gold before fading back to a rich blue once more, and Arthur turned to stare at their dinner. “There is now,” Merlin said with glee. Sure enough, one of the roasting pieces of meat was blackened, as if covered in a layer of soot. Arthur glared. Merlin laughed, filled with such delight at Arthur’s response that it was all he could do not to jump Merlin and maul him right then and there.
In the end, Arthur made Merlin eat the burnt meat, if for no other reason than to reassert who was ultimately in charge here, much as he granted Merlin far more freedom than anyone else he’d ever dealt with in the past. It would do no good to allow Merlin to think he had any power in their relationship, despite the fact that they were both well aware that he very much did.
Besides, Merlin’s grumbling the entire meal provided more entertainment than he’d experienced in a very long time, and that alone made the whole thing worth it.
Following dinner, they sat and conversed by the fire, sharing stories from their pasts, and Arthur discovered he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d been able to talk so freely. It felt nice, in an unfamiliar and yet entirely comfortable way, as if he’d been granted some special, private gift reserved solely for him. Arthur was well aware of what they were heading off to do the next day, and his heart clenched painfully at the mere thought of being separated from Merlin, but for the night, he simply wanted to enjoy being in Merlin’s company again, as if they were back to merely being manservant and master, at least for a few moments.
Eventually, though, the talking slowed and was filled alternately with silence and muffled yawns.
“I think we should probably get to sleep,” Merlin said after they both yawned into their hands simultaneously.
“I’ll decide when I go to sleep, thank you,” Arthur retorted, but he was already making to get ready for bed. It’d been another long, emotionally-charged day, and he was ready to call it a night.
Arthur typically wasn't the overly affectionate type, with friends and family or with past lovers. He preferred a pat on the back, a firm squeeze of the shoulder, or a meaningful look. Truthfully, he wasn't even that accustomed to hugging others, because he'd rarely been hugged as a child, and by the time he'd grown, Arthur believed that real men didn't need physical affection in the form of hugs. But it was cold, and they were alone, and most importantly, there was something different about Merlin. The man had somehow managed to elicit a strong protective nature in Arthur, and the fact that he challenged Arthur, saw him as a man first and a prince second, made a world of difference, oddly enough. He was routinely more physical with Merlin -- had been since almost the first day they met -- though there was no real reason that Arthur could identify, except that Merlin made him feel comfortable. And safe, strange as that may have been, coming from someone like Arthur. He also tried not to allow himself to think about the fact that he only had a few days left with Merlin, very adamantly telling himself that his sudden affectionate behaviour had little to do with that fact.
So he waited for Merlin to settle down on the ground beside him before shifting closer and wrapping a protective arm around Merlin's waist. At first Merlin tensed up, probably with surprise at the unexpected action, but after a moment he relaxed into Arthur's hold, leaning back into his embrace until they were virtually melted together in the cool night.
The sound of crickets and Merlin's steady breathing began to lull Arthur to sleep, the mental and physical exhaustion from the past couple of days finally hitting home. But then Merlin's breathing hitched ever so slightly, and it quickly became apparent that he was still awake.
"The Dragonlord -- Balinor -- he was my father," Merlin said suddenly, voice filled with impending sleep, as though the comment were an afterthought to some imaginary conversation and not an incredibly significant revelation. It was barely above a whisper, but the words hit Arthur like a battle axe to his chest.
Now it was Arthur's turn to tense up. "What?"
"I never knew. Not until the day we set out to find him, that is. Gaius told me before we left." He spoke with careful words, voice betraying nothing of his feelings on the subject.
Arthur pulled away from Merlin, propping himself up on his right elbow as he stared down at him. Merlin flopped easily to his back at the sudden loss of support. Even though the darkness hid most evident signs of Merlin's emotional state, Arthur could see that he was trying unsuccessfully to mask his feelings.
"So you'd never met him until that day... Until we arrived in his cav-- home?" he corrected, and couldn't quite believe the words that were coming out of his mouth.
"Yes." Merlin closed his eyes, turning his head away from Arthur to face the waning flames of the fire. "I was so excited. I planned on taking him back to Ealdor to see my mother again once the business with the dragon was done. But then he..." he paused for a moment, breath shallow, voice breaking as he continued, "Then he died, saving my life..."
He sounded young and broken all of a sudden, and suddenly Arthur had a whole new appreciation for Merlin's severe emotional downturn over the past several months. It was bad enough that he'd lost Freya, poisoned a close friend, and released the dragon -- things he was still choosing not to think too hard on at the moment -- but Merlin had found the father he'd always longed to know, only to have him die a few days later. It made Arthur feel ill suddenly, and he was struck with the knowledge that the sorrow that began to flow through him was not just his own, but Merlin's as well. He felt for Merlin, but something was different this time around. It was almost as if he could feel Merlin's heart, fully experience the emotions that were racing through it, and his own clenched painfully at the combined weight of their burden.
"I barely had a chance to get to know him before he was taken away from me," Merlin carried on quietly, as though he weren't speaking to Arthur at all, and another wave of emotion surged through Arthur, feeling both foreign and familiar at the same time.
"Merlin, I'm so sorry," Arthur said, reaching out to cup Merlin’s face, gently running his thumb across the skin on his jaw line, and Merlin eagerly turned in to the touch. Arthur wasn't fantastic at expressing sympathy, but he meant the words with every fibre of his being. How Merlin even managed to function so well at all in the past few months was truly a marvel to Arthur. Had the situation been reversed, Arthur was quite sure he wouldn't have been able to keep himself together. Hell, he hadn't exactly reacted well to Merlin's confession the night prior, far too focussed on his own sense of betrayal to fully appreciate the emotional complexities and impact of each of those events. But he felt it now, coiling in his stomach and flowing through every inch of his body.
Merlin turned sad eyes to him, filled with unshed tears, and smiled. "I know you are." He reached up and placed a hand on Arthur's heart. "I can feel it. Thank you."
"Why didn't you tell me?" He didn't want Merlin to feel threatened right now, especially since their earlier incident was still fresh in both minds, but he didn't want Merlin to think that he couldn't have told Arthur, that he wouldn't have cared.
Merlin quirked a shoulder. "Gaius told me not to and I felt trapped. I wanted to tell you, believe me I did. But I just... couldn't."
A few stray tears fell from the corner of his eye, and without thinking, Arthur wiped them away with the pad of his thumb. “I’m sorry for yelling at you last night,” he said unexpectedly. “And earlier today.”
Merlin shook his head. “No, you had every right. I’ve done some horrible things.” Arthur’s chest clenched, but he willed the feeling away. “I’m sorry I lied to you.”
There was no doubt as to the truthfulness of the statement, so Arthur nodded and smiled at him, accepting the apology.
“At least our conversation this morning wasn’t all fighting...” Merlin trailed off, letting the implication hang in the air, and Arthur flushed at the memory.
Suddenly another thought came to mind. "Wait... I didn't actually kill the dragon, did I?" Arthur's hand fell from Merlin's face, moving to rest atop his left shoulder instead.
Merlin’s expression shifted to one of sheepish guilt, but there was a bit of a glint in his eyes. “Define ‘kill’,” he said.
In spite of everything, he couldn’t help the laugh that erupted from his belly, deep and full. “Gods, I’m sure I don’t even want to know, do I?” Arthur asked, leaning down and burying his face in Merlin’s shoulder.
A hand threaded through Arthur’s hair, fingers stroking his scalp both soothing and affectionate. “When Bali-- my father died his powers passed along to me.”
“So, you killed the dragon, then?”
Merlin tensed beneath him, fingers stalling in his hair. “Not exactly. I, er, sent him away?”
For the second time, Arthur rolled off of Merlin, propping on his arms and staring down at him in disbelief. “You sent him away? Just said, ‘Nice knowing you, see you later?’ kind of thing?”
“No, it wasn’t like that.”
“Then how was it?”
Merlin sighed. “I granted him mercy and made him swear to never come near Camelot again, or I would kill him.”
It was so damn typical of Merlin’s character that Arthur couldn’t even find it in himself to be upset by the action. Shaking his head, Arthur shot him a pointed look. “Why am I not surprised?” A beat passed and then, “Is there anything else you’d like to share with me that I might want to know, and not be surprised about later?”
“Erm...” Merlin said. Arthur shot him a warning look, which seemed to open up his vocal cords once more. “Morgana also has magical abilities...?”
Arthur swore. Loudly. Questions immediately popped into his mind, ranging from when the hell did this happen? to how did you know? But after taking a calming breath, he decided such details weren’t important at this very moment. “Does she know about you?”
The response was swift and confident, which came as a great reassurance to Arthur. “No.”
That was good, especially considering the resentment she must currently be harbouring for him. “Anything else?”
“No, I think that’s it,” Merlin said after a pause.
“Okay, then let’s go to sleep,” he declared, and proceeded to flop back down on the bedroll. A moment later, Merlin rolled over, when it became apparent that Arthur was officially done with the conversation for the moment.
Arthur lay awake that night until he was sure Merlin had finally fallen asleep. Then he pressed a soft kiss to the back of his neck, and burying his face in Merlin’s shoulder, Arthur eventually settled down for the night.
Merlin looked so peaceful -- so utterly content -- while he slept, that Arthur almost didn't want to wake him. The thought of breaking their bond had been weighing heavily on his mind ever since Uther first suggested it, and Arthur supposed that if he were being honest with himself, he always suspected that it would have to happen eventually. But now that they were at the cusp of that change, something dark and heavy weighed in his gut, and Arthur wasn't quite sure if he could go through with it.
Merlin emitted a soft gasp then, and as he shifted in his sleep, some of his hair fell across closed eyes and a pale forehead. It may have been the soft light of the morning, the slight flush of his warm cheeks, or the delicate angles of his face, but in that very moment, Arthur was struck by how beautiful Merlin truly was. He'd always found him appealing in a sort of preternatural manner, what with his big ears, sharp cheekbones, and crooked grin. Merlin was not classically handsome by any stretch of the imagination, but Arthur still found himself mesmerised at times, when the light played off his angular features or he gazed up at Arthur through long, dark lashes or when he smirked with a mischievous glint in his eyes that Arthur privately believed was reserved entirely for him. Little moments here and there, which he'd brushed off as mere sentimental affection at the time, now came rushing back to him in full force, and suddenly what hadn't made any sense before was all starting to click into place like a perfect symphony.
He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Merlin’s forehead, fingers diving into his dark hair of their own accord, smoothing it away from his face and burrowing in its softness. Merlin stirred slightly but didn’t wake, so Arthur pressed a kiss to his closed eye, his nose, the jut of his cheekbone, his chin. By the time Arthur reached Merlin’s mouth, he was beginning to wake, eyes clouded with sleep slowly emerging from behind heavy lids. Arthur smiled at him, warmth and arousal pooling in his belly at the sight of Merlin’s drowsy, lopsided grin.
“Mornin’,” Merlin mumbled sleepily, and closed the gap between them.
The kiss was gentle and slow to begin, a warm caress of lips and tongues as they emerged from a sleepy state of awareness. Arthur delved into it, cupping Merlin’s face as he explored his mouth in a way that he hadn’t been able to the previous day, tasting and savouring Merlin in every way that he could. Merlin tugged Arthur closer, arms wrapping around his waist as hands slid beneath his tunic.
“Good morning to you, too,” Arthur whispered fondly, when they separated for air.
“It is now,” Merlin agreed, grinning like a fool, his smile so bright it was practically blinding. He continued to trail fingers up and down the expanse of Arthur’s back, and Arthur fought against the shiver that was threatening to shoot through his body.
This was still new territory for them both, but Arthur knew without any doubt that he wanted Merlin; his body’s physical reaction telling the truth on his behalf, and if Merlin’s eagerness thus far was any indication, he felt the same way as well. Leaning in, he pressed his lips to Merlin’s once again. But unlike before, this kiss quickly moved from chaste to filthy and wet as pent-up desire flooded his veins and pooled in Arthur’s stomach and groin. Arthur could feel Merlin’s erection pressing into his thigh, mirroring his own stiff cock, and he instinctively ground into him, eliciting a needy moan from Merlin as they spent several moments rutting against one another, craving the heat and the friction until it wasn’t enough. Arthur needed to feel Merlin, to taste and touch and have access to everything.
“Too much clothing,” he protested briefly, when they parted for air, and he reluctantly pulled away from Merlin to start taking off his clothes. Merlin joined him, and they spent several hurried moments struggling to get each other out of the material that currently prevented further exploration of each other’s bodies.
When they were both finally naked, Arthur gently pushed Merlin back to the ground, open and completely pliant under his hands. He took a moment to simply bask in the sight before his eyes -- sharp collarbones framing the deep hollows of his neck, lean muscles stretched taut beneath milky skin, gleaming with a light sheen of sweat from the early morning sun, hips angular and firm. His cock twitched against his belly, hard and swollen with arousal, the light glint of pre-come glistening at the head. Merlin gazed up at him, eyes blown wide with desire, hair mussed, lips swollen, red and parted. He was a breathtaking sight to behold, and Arthur felt his breath hitch at the sight of the gorgeous man lying before him.
“You’re absolutely beautiful,” Arthur told him in the heat of the moment, as he leaned forward to capture Merlin’s mouth in a bruising kiss, pressing their bodies together from chest to toes. Merlin arched up into his mouth at the same time he thrust his hips, and the brush of their naked cocks sent a wave of pleasure soaring through Arthur’s body.
After a few minutes, Arthur moved to press lips against Merlin’s jaw, trailing wet, hot kisses down his neck, pausing to suck on the skin beneath his Adam’s apple. Merlin groaned as Arthur traveled down his body, teeth brushing against his nipple that was already hard with arousal, and he enjoyed feeling the shiver of pleasure ripple through Merlin as his tongue circled the tip.
Arthur trailed a hand down Merlin’s thigh, running fingers against the sensitive skin. Instead his hand trailed further south to brush against Merlin’s entrance, thumb ghosting across the opening as he glanced up hesitantly at him. “Can I...? Merlin, I want...” He couldn’t quite get out the words to formulate the request, one he’d only just realised how badly he wanted, but Merlin reached out to touch his arm, eyes dark with arousal and he nodded.
“Please, Arthur. Yes,” Merlin begged, answering the question that hadn’t even been asked as he spread his legs further apart.
Arthur shuddered, blood pounding through his skull like thunder and he felt almost weak with lust. They had oil somewhere, he knew. It was with their emergency supplies, and Arthur rose to retrieve it, fumbling several times in the process. But he finally found the small bottle, and returned to kneel between Merlin, ready and waiting for him.
Generously applying the oil to his hand, he inserted the first finger into Merlin’s entrance, slowly pushing the finger into his heat. Merlin groaned, eyes fluttering shut, as he worked his way into the tight space.
“Are you all right?” Arthur asked.
“Mmmm, yeah. Feels good,” Merlin cooed back, pushing into him so the finger slid further inside. “Keep going.”
He moved fairly quickly at that point, adding a second and then a third finger to Merlin’s hole, stretching him wide open as he simultaneously pressed kisses to his chest, stomach, inner thighs, knees. Merlin bucked under him, seeking the sensation, and he looked so completely aroused and content that Arthur thought he might have been able to come from the sight alone.
Deciding he was ready, Arthur pulled his fingers out of Merlin, and Merlin immediately whined in protest.
“Hurry, Arthur... please,” he urged, hands fisting into the fabric of the blanket they lay on.
Arthur coated his hand once more and wrapped it around his throbbing cock, slicking the skin. Taking a moment, he closed his eyes and took several deep breaths as he tried to still his racing heart and calm his body. He was afraid he would come before he even pushed into Merlin, and he wanted to make this brilliant for both of them. Finally, once Arthur felt he’d regained a tiny bit of control, he spread Merlin’s legs as far as they would go and began to push the tip of his cock into Merlin, past the first ring of muscle.
He was hot and deliciously tight as Arthur carefully eased into Merlin, not desiring to hurt him in any way. “Does this feel all right?” Arthur asked, pausing as he waited for confirmation.
“It’s tight, but I’m fine. Keep going.” And to signify that he meant business, Merlin’s hands found Arthur’s hips, fingers digging into the prominent bones as he helped pull Arthur further into his body.
Merlin’s heat and the pressure of his body clenched around Arthur’s cock as he pushed himself all the way in, until his balls rested against Merlin’s entrance. It felt unbelievably good, and he hadn’t even started moving yet. At the same time, a million emotions bombarded Arthur right in that moment, filling him and terrifying him until he was nearly paralysed from the sheer intensity of it all.
“Arthur, is everything all right?” Merlin asked, concern edging into his voice.
Arthur nodded weakly, eyes still closed as he continued to reel from the fact that he was actually inside Merlin, cock wrapped tight in his heat. It was amazing and overwhelming and he just needed a moment to absorb it all. “Yeah... I’m... yeah,” he eventually stuttered out, unable to form anything more coherent at the moment.
A hand came up to hold his face, thumb rubbing against his cheekbone. “Arthur, look at me.”
He forced his eyes open, staring down at Merlin’s beautiful face, and the trust and affection he saw reflected in Merlin’s eyes nearly brought tears to his own. “You’re fine. I’m fine. It’s going to be brilliant. But you need to trust me and start moving, all right? It’s going to be so good.”
Merlin pulled him down and kissed his mouth hard, tongue darting past Arthur’s lips and invading his mouth almost immediately. Arthur moaned headily in response, and a moment later, he felt Merlin’s hands on his hips once more, coaxing him back. Slowly, Arthur began to move inside Merlin, pulling back and then thrusting into him once more. They struggled for a few moments to develop a rhythm, one that worked for both of them, as Merlin’s legs locked around Arthur’s lower back, and he moved in time with Arthur’s thrusts.
“Faster, Arthur,” Merlin said after a few moments, and Arthur would be damned if his bossy insistence wasn’t the hottest thing he’d ever heard in his life.
Not wanting to disobey, Arthur sped up his pace, Merlin working with him, and within moments he could feel the pleasure soaring through his body. He let out a string of curses as the pleasure built further, threatening to push him over the edge.
A few moments later, and Merlin was reaching for his own neglected dick, but Arthur wanted to be the one to bring him off. Batting his hands away, he fumbled to grab hold of Merlin’s cock and started to stroke as he continued to thrust almost violently into him, other arm bearing the brunt of the rest of his weight. His grip was flimsy at best, but it seemed to be enough to do the job, and after several strokes, Merlin came with a fervent intensity, screaming Arthur’s name as his seed spilled onto Arthur’s hand and across his stomach. He pumped Merlin through the aftershocks, even as he felt his own climax building, so close and so intense.
“Gods, Merlin... Merlin,” Arthur cried out as he thrust into him once more, and then he was coming as well. He slammed into Merlin as the release overwhelmed him, taking over every one of his senses, and he had to struggle to stay conscious and breathing as wave after wave of pleasure wracked his entire body. He’d had sex before -- with both women and men -- and while he always enjoyed himself, his orgasms had never felt quite like this before; as though he’d been taken apart and put back together in the course of twenty seconds. Maybe it was the magic, maybe it was the bond, or maybe it was simply Merlin. But he knew he would not tire of this ever, desired no one but Merlin, and idly wondered why they’d never allowed themselves to experience this kind of pleasure before. He continued to thrust until his cock began to soften, and reluctantly he pulled free of Merlin with a slight hiss, collapsing onto his chest, absolutely spent.
They lay there for several moments, completely exhausted, breathing heavily. Arthur felt so good that he didn’t even care about the mess they’d made of each other and the blanket they’d been lying on.
“That was amazing,” Merlin murmured a few minutes later, and Arthur couldn’t do much more than hum his approval, tightening his arm around Merlin’s chest just slightly.
He felt a hand curl into his hair, and Arthur tipped his head up to capture Merlin’s mouth once more. Something raw and a little desperate crept into the kiss this time, as the reality of their impending departure suddenly invaded Arthur’s mind, and he wanted to taste and explore every inch of this mouth in case they wouldn’t be able to do it any longer.
Eventually, they pulled apart, still too spent to give it another round just yet, and prepared to head out on the final leg of their journey.
Travel was relatively quick that entire morning, despite the fact that Merlin was somewhat on the sore side, though he’d used magic to heal some of his tenderness. At one point they stopped to check on the saddles, and when Arthur was certain they were still slightly ahead of schedule, they had sex again. He knew he was acting like a horny teenager, but with the knowledge that this wouldn’t be happening again anytime soon looming on the horizon, he couldn’t find it in himself to care.
The building they’d been searching for finally came into view after ascending the final peak of what seemed to be a never-ending series of hills most of the morning.
"Do you think that's it?" Merlin asked, pointing to the only structure in the valley, as they trotted their way towards it.
"I'm going to assume so," Arthur said, holding back the desire to mock him for such an obvious question.
A few trees surrounded the building, and they decided this would be a good place to tie up the horses. Arthur surveyed the structure as they neared, noting that it wasn't overly impressive. It was several stories high, but no tower by any stretch of the imagination.
Arthur tossed a quick glance over at Merlin, raising a questioning brow before asking, "You ready to go?"
Merlin nodded, looking even less confident than Arthur felt, which wasn't saying much.
They made their way to what appeared to be the front door of the building, picking through waves of tall grass extending almost up to Arthur's knees. He took a deep breath, the magnitude of what they were about to do only hitting him in that very moment. Reaching out, he grabbed for the handle. It's now or never, he thought sardonically.
“Wait.” Merlin pressed a hand into Arthur’s chest, halting his movement.
Arthur cocked a brow and turned to study Merlin curiously. “What is it?” he asked.
“I don’t know, exactly. I’m just getting...” he took a few steps forward, holding both arms out as though feeling some invisible force, “...a sense of some very powerful magic here. I can’t get a proper feeling about it, but I think it could be dangerous.”
It didn’t appear all that dangerous from the outside. In fact, it simply looked like an old, abandoned building -- a bit too small to call a castle, but far too large to call a house -- that was overrun with shrubbery and appeared to have a questionable structure, at best. Vines snaked up the sides of the building, twisting and curling around most of the open space, creating a veritable green wall down the front of the structure. Arthur squinted up at the building, shielding his eyes from the harsh sunlight, wondering what lay beyond the front doors.
“I guess that means we found what we were looking for,” Arthur announced, with more satisfaction than he felt.
“But how safe is it for us to enter?” Merlin said, eyeing the structure with suspicion.
Arthur shrugged, attempting to put on an air of nonchalance. “I’m not sure what choice we have in the matter. Come on, Merlin, let’s go,” Arthur said, clapping him lightly on the shoulder before picking his way through the grass towards the entrance.
*****
The next five minutes were spent arguing about who should enter the building first. Merlin insisted that he should be the one to lead the way, as this was clearly a magical place and he would be better equipped to deal with whatever they found on the other side. Arthur, on the other hand, argued that he was the warrior with a great deal more experience than Merlin when it came to virtually everything, save for actually performing magic, and that Merlin would be entering first over his dead body. To which Merlin pointed out that it would also be over his own dead body, so that plan would really accomplish very little. Arthur cuffed him on the back of the head, but secretly rejoiced at the lightheartedness of the interaction. It temporarily made the ache in his heart feel less prominent, and if he could forget that they had to go their separate ways once the bond was broken, even for a few minutes, he would take it.
In the end, they both agreed, somewhat reluctantly, to enter at the same time. For such an old building, the doors swung open with little effort, creaking noisily but otherwise without difficulty, and Arthur couldn’t help but think the whole thing was a bit on the suspicious side.
He felt it almost immediately upon stepping through the threshold. A jolt of lightning passed through the air around them, crackling with a palpable energy, and Arthur jumped in shock as it rippled through his limbs from head to toe, sending a wave of goosebumps up his arms. Eyes widening in confusion, Arthur turned to Merlin.
“What the hell was that?” he asked, glancing around the room and then back at the doorway they’d just passed through, limbs still buzzing with energy. It wasn’t unpleasant, exactly, just different, and unexpected.
Merlin cast him a sidelong glance, face scrunched up uncomfortably as he bounced up and down a few times on the spot. “I think we just walked through a magic barrier, or something.”
“A magic barrier?” Arthur parroted, taking a moment to scan the room they’d just entered.
“Yeah. My whole body is practically vibrating with the energy in this place.”
That probably wasn’t the best news, but Arthur supposed it made sense, considering this was the rumoured dwelling of the high priestess they sought. He just hoped she was one of those sorcerers like Merlin -- kind and compassionate, and not hell-bent on Arthur’s destruction, as so many others seemed to be. He silently prayed to whatever gods might be listening that they were not unnecessarily endangering their lives simply by being here.
“Mmm... good to know,” he said, somewhat distractedly.
The entranceway to the building immediately opened up into a large archway, which contained an empty, square-shaped room. It appeared to have possibly been a dining hall at some point, as several long tables covered in a thick layer of dust sat back against the walls, several stray dining chairs littering the corners. Light poured into the room through two large windows set on opposite walls, perpendicular to the direction they faced. Specks of dust danced in the streams of light, swaying back and forth, as though welcoming them. There was a painting hanging crookedly on the far wall, but the distance was too great to make out any of the details. It hung several feet from the only other visible exit out of the room.
“I guess we only have one way to go,” Arthur said after a moment, pointing to the door on the far back wall. “The sooner we find the high priestess and get the trials over with, the better,” he said, though wasn’t sure he even remotely believed those words any longer.
The dull ache was suddenly back with a vengeance, and Arthur felt a sense of overwhelming sadness descend on him at the realisation that they were close, that they were really going to go through with breaking the soul bond. It hurt a great deal and for a brief moment, Arthur considered grabbing Merlin and dragging him out of this place, turning around and never looking back. But he banished the desire from his mind, taking several steps forward in an attempt to show that he meant business, even when he sensed Merlin’s own hesitation as if he’d come out and said it verbally, though he hadn’t.
“Right,” Merlin agreed, though he sounded anything but confident.
They started making their way across the room, boots scuffing loudly in the emptiness of the large area. There was a creaking sound in the distance, and Arthur was suddenly filled with the knowledge that something was wrong. Without conscious premeditation, he reached out for Merlin, grabbing his arm and pulling him back and off to the side of the room.
“What are you doing?” Merlin demanded, trying to pull his arm free from Arthur’s grasp, but he wasn’t about to let go that easily.
“Shut up. I thought I heard something. Didn’t you?”
“No. But I’m sure it was nothing,” Merlin said, sounding as though he were trying to convince himself, instead of Arthur.
“Yes, well, either way, just be quiet for a moment,” Arthur ordered, squeezing Merlin’s arm for good measure.
Surprisingly, Merlin stopped struggling and allowed Arthur to drag him a few more feet before he seemed satisfied. They stared at one another for a moment, concentration lines etched into their features, and Arthur strained to make out if there were any more noises wafting towards them.
There was nothing for a minute or two, but just before Arthur was about to declare himself this side of over-reacting, he heard something that sounded like scratching. Perhaps like nails on stone, and it reminded him of the sound his dog would make when vying to gain entrance into his room during Arthur’s childhood. It started off quiet, almost imperceptible if one weren’t listening for it, but after a few moments the sound grew, both in volume and intensity.
“You hear that, right?” Arthur demanded, voice barely more than a forced whisper, staring hard at Merlin.
Merlin nodded, eyes wide, apprehension written across his face. “Yes.” He glanced at the far back wall, then back at Arthur. “What do you think it is?”
Arthur opened his mouth to respond, but before he was able to do anything, the door from across the room flew open and suddenly the room was filling with large creatures that appeared to be part dragon and part lizard, crawling their way into the hall. They were approximately ten feet in length, with scaly, reptilian dull green skin. Dragon wings protruded from the shoulder blades of the creatures, stretching a good six feet in the air. Sharp teeth filled small mouths, their heads resembling that of a dragon, only far smaller. Long tails trailed behind the creatures, a cluster of spikes projecting out from a ball of tissue at the tip of their tail. Arthur recognised them instantly; one didn’t forget beasts such as these.
“What the hell are those?” Arthur felt the fear radiating from Merlin’s body as much as he heard it in his voice.
Instinctively, a hand grasped blindly for Merlin’s wrist, tugging him behind Arthur the second he felt flesh beneath his fingers. “They’re called wyverns, and they’re incredibly strong creatures. I accidentally faced one many years back on my own, and it nearly killed me.”
“Are they creatures of magic?” Merlin asked as they inched backwards, towards the front door, with cautious steps. Thus far none had seemed to take note of the two unfamiliar occupants in the room, and Arthur was hoping it would remain that way.
“I don’t know. It was so long ago. All I know is that I hoped I wouldn’t ever have to face one again, and yet here we are, with far more than one.” His voice was registering barely above a whisper now, fearful that any loud noises might startle one of the wyverns into action, which was the last thing they needed.
“Er... do you think maybe we should, um, leave or something?” Merlin suggested helpfully. Arthur held back an eye roll.
“Great plan! I wish I’d thought of it,” he shot back, voice edged with sarcasm. Merlin scoffed in his ear, warm breath sending a shiver down Arthur’s spine.
A moment later they reached the main entrance, backs pressing firmly against the stone wall. Reaching behind him, Arthur’s hand felt its way along the wall, smooth cobblestone shifting to rough wood, and he inwardly rejoiced when his palm closed around the door handle, even though he couldn’t recall actually shutting the door in the first place.
Arthur prodded Merlin gently with his free hand, tugging at the sleeve of his tunic. “Okay, on three, I open the door, and we slip out completely unnoticed. You ready?”
Merlin nodded. Arthur gripped the handle as firmly as he could and took a deep breath. “One, two, three,” he whispered, and promptly pushed back on the door, ready to taste freedom.
Nothing happened. He tried again, but with the same result. By the fifth try, Arthur had actually turned around and was leaning all of his weight into the door, but it hadn’t budged. For good measure, he even pulled on the handle, in case he’d been doing the wrong thing the whole time. It made no difference whatsoever. He let out a long string of curses, just in case that somehow might help. It didn’t.
He felt Merlin’s face press into his neck a moment later, mouth tilted up towards his ear. “You having some trouble?” he asked.
“All right, so it looks like we’re buggered,” Arthur said, pulling his hand away from the door and pressing fingers into closed, frustrated eyes. “I guess we’re going to have to find another way out of here once our business is finished.”
Merlin gulped, Arthur’s eyes drifting to his bobbing Adam’s apple for a moment before scolding himself for getting distracted so easily. “You mean we’re going to have to fight those?” He pointed, for good measure, just in case Arthur had somehow missed the army of wyverns that practically filled the room. Sometimes Arthur was still quite sure that Gaius hadn’t been off when he declared Merlin mentally deficient.
“No, it means we’re going to have to go speak to the wyverns and see if they know of another way out,” Arthur said, folding his arms and giving Merlin a look.
The responding glare spoke louder than any words could have.
“Of course we have to fight them,” Arthur continued without missing a beat. “Unless you know a teleportation spell...?” He felt a modicum of hope spring up.
“If I knew one, don’t you think I might’ve used it before, say, this very moment?” Merlin shot back dryly.
He shoved Merlin lightly, inwardly rejoicing at the annoyed expression that worked its way onto his face. “It was worth a shot.”
Ignoring Merlin, Arthur unsheathed his sword and took a deep breath. Even while his brain screamed at him that this was a suicide mission, Arthur would be damned if they were going to go down without a fight.
“Merlin, just out of curiosity... exactly how powerful are you again?” Arthur asked, sword poised and ready to strike as he slowly edged forward in order to place himself in a better position to attack. He felt Merlin match his steps, staying close behind.
“Quite,” he responded, voice soft but confident.
“Think you’re strong enough to kill, say, eight of these things?” Arthur asked, eyes never leaving the beasts as he mentally assessed the situation. There were eight that Arthur was able to count, and who knew how many more there were in the room beyond this one. Arthur was a great warrior, and Merlin no doubt quite a powerful magician, but even with that knowledge, their odds weren’t exactly fantastic against that many wyverns. When Arthur had faced one of the creatures as a youth, it’d nearly done him in. Granted, he was stronger, faster and more experienced now -- and he had assistance in the form of a supposedly mighty sorcerer -- but all the same, it seemed kind of grim.
“Erm... Not quite sure. Never been in this kind of situation before, but I guess we’re about to find out, yeah?” Merlin tossed him a completely inappropriate smirk, given the circumstances, and Arthur felt oddly comforted and exhilarated by the gesture.
“Good enough for me,” he said, twirling the sword he held in his right hand in preparation. “And in case we don’t make it,” Arthur leaned in, grabbing Merlin by the scruff of his tunic, and planted a soft kiss on his lips, “it’s been fun.”
The brilliance of Merlin’s responding grin momentarily made Arthur question both of their sanity, but he decided if he was going to die, there was no one else he’d rather have at his side than Merlin.
“On three?”
Merlin grunted in affirmation.
Arthur carried on. “One. Two. Three!”
---------------------------------------
Continue on to part nine.
Author: Mel (accordingtomel)
Pairings: Merlin/Arthur
Rating: NC-17
Spoilers/Warnings: Everything up to and including 2x13
Word Count: 90,521
Disclaimer: Sadly, they are not mine and I do not own them, much as I might like to.
Art Link: Right here. But please note: THERE ARE SPOILERS FOR THE FIC IN THE ART!
Author’s Note: See part one.
Part Seven
The ride the rest of the afternoon was far more pleasant than it’d been that morning, mild awkwardness aside. After cleaning themselves up, Merlin had been full of ridiculous grins, which he’d tried to hide, though his efforts were mostly unsuccessful. Arthur made a point to insult Merlin as much as he could, just to re-establish some of their normal footing, but even he hadn’t been able to hold back the odd smile, directed at no one and nothing in particular. Truthfully, Arthur had no idea what, exactly, this meant for them -- how things would change from this point on, if they would at all -- but he chose not to dwell on it too much. He and Merlin still had a great number of things to work out and conversations to have, but with some of that tension out of the way, Arthur hoped they’d be able to dedicate more time to actually figuring out this soul bonding mission they were headed for. By his calculations, they should reach their destination by mid-afternoon tomorrow, and he didn’t want to arrive completely unprepared. He also permitted himself a moment to wonder where his knights were, and if they were all right. From what Arthur could tell, he and Merlin were still a good day and a half ahead of them, and Arthur hoped nothing had gone wrong.
“Have you ever heard of this high priestess before?” Arthur asked, glancing over at Merlin as they trotted along their path, enough space on the trail for their horses to ride side-by-side.
Merlin squinted. “No, I don’t think so. Er, I thought there was only one high priestess of the Old Religion, but I guess I was wrong.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Arthur retorted playfully, and Merlin shot him a heated glare before breaking into a soft laugh. It made Arthur’s heart feel light, and he wondered when, exactly, it was that he’d turned into a complete girl.
“Gaius said that there would be trials, and that they could be dangerous,” Arthur said, realising in that moment that they hadn’t really had any in-depth conversations about any of this yet. “I’m not entirely sure if the trials occur before we speak with the high priestess, or if they happen before we break the bond...” Arthur trailed off, feeling a sense of immense sadness overwhelm him all of a sudden, and he looked over at Merlin to see that his gaze was focused on the cuff of his sleeve.
“I guess it doesn’t matter either way, if we’re going to have to face the trials regardless,” Merlin said, shrugging. But Arthur could tell something was bothering him, could feel it in a way, even as he recognised how silly that seemed.
“I suppose so,” he agreed carefully, weighing whether or not to delve into the topic further. But then Merlin was speaking, and the decision was momentarily taken out of his hands.
“Do you think we should do something to prepare ahead of time?” he wondered.
Arthur reached up to scratch at the back of his neck, rolling his shoulders in a slow stretch as he contemplated the question. “Perhaps if we knew what to expect for the trials... As it stands, it could be anything, I would imagine.”
Merlin frowned, eyes crinkling downwards. “That’s not overly helpful, is it?” he remarked.
“No, I suppose not,” Arthur said. And that was that.
They fell into a comfortable silence then, trotting along at a steady pace, the clip-clop of hooves soothing the uneasy feeling Arthur had in the pit of his stomach.
He hadn’t had much time to ponder the trials. In fact, Arthur really hadn’t even allowed himself to think about his bond with Merlin all that much, though he had been spending an inordinate amount of time thinking about Merlin in general. In some ways it felt as though nothing had changed, and in other ways, it was as if there’d been a whole new world opened up to him in the past few weeks. There were so many issues that’d come up from the discovery of Merlin’s magic, but in some ways, perhaps they would be able to move forward more easily, now that everything was finally out in the open. Arthur could only hope, even though he still felt raw from the reality of the truths he’d so recently learned.
“Arthur?”
He was pulled from his thoughts. Glancing over at Merlin, he raised his eyebrows expectantly.
"Do you think it'll be dangerous?"
"Do I think what will be dangerous?"
"Breaking our soul bond."
"Oh." He pondered this thought for a few moments. Gaius had said the trials would potentially be dangerous, but he hadn't said anything about the actual bond breaking process itself. "I don't know," was what he finally settled on. "I suppose it's possible, but it was easy enough to do the spell, so in theory, shouldn't it also be easy to undo the spell?"
Merlin eyed him, considering. "I don't know if magic works like that. Just because it was easy to do doesn't mean that it'll be just as simple to reverse."
“Why not?”
“Because everything has a consequence. If I were to, say, call lighting down from the sky right now and destroy that tree over there --” He pointed at a passing oak, leaves swaying in the breeze.
“You can do that?” Arthur interrupted, once again.
“Yes, quite easily,” Merlin said with a little smile. “But anyway, let’s say I was to use magic to rip apart that tree. It was a relatively easy spell to cast. However, fixing the tree isn’t nearly as simple. I would have to put the wood back together, bind the branches, re-attach the leaves, and so on. It’d be a long and complicated process that may not even be possible at all.”
Arthur considered this. “Not even with magic?”
“Well, it’d probably be possible with magic,” Merlin said, scrunching up his face in a manner that Arthur absolutely did not find endearing, as that wouldn’t be manly or becoming of him at all. “But it would be more complicated. And without magic, you might as well just say farewell to the tree right now.”
It made sense. Or at least as much sense as magic could make, which wasn't necessarily saying much. And while Merlin didn't know a hell of a lot about most things, he was certainly the expert in this field. "Are you worried?" he asked.
The sound of hooves and the whip of wind filled the air between them for a few moments before Merlin angled his head towards Arthur, lips pressed in a tight line. "I wouldn't say I'm worried, exactly. I just think it might be risky for us, is all. I mean, I suppose it depends on how strong the bond is, or something along those lines, so I hear. From Gaius. I’d imagine it’s a fairly strong one. Of course, I’ve always felt connected to you even before we were bonded, so maybe it isn’t that different in the end, not that I know all that much about bonding to begin with though...”
“Merlin.” Arthur interrupted his rambling tirade. “Focus,” he said. And then, because they were quite close and he could, Arthur reached over and gave Merlin’s knee an affectionate squeeze.
Merlin’s eyes dropped to where Arthur’s hand lingered for just a moment too long, flushing right to the tips of his ears, and this time Arthur really couldn’t deny how adorable he found Merlin, though he was able to successfully keep the thought to himself. Merlin nodded, floundering for words.
“What I mean is, I’ve heard a few stories about human-animal bonds, and how the breaking of the bond can be hard on both parties,” Merlin explained, seeming to have his wits about him once more. “For example, apparently one man somehow accidentally bonded himself to his dog, and then when he tried to unbind them, both he and the dog got really depressed, and the dog stopped eating and sleeping. Not sure how accurate that information is, of course. I’m just concerned about the effect it might have on two humans.”
Arthur considered this information, feeling a sense of hesitation radiating from Merlin about the whole thing. "Are you saying that you don't want to break the bond?" If there was a hopeful quality to his tone, Arthur chose to ignore it entirely.
Merlin, on the other hand, seemed to pick up on it immediately. “Are you saying that you don’t want to break it?” he countered.
Truthfully, there was no good way to answer that question. His heart was leaning in one direction, but the logical part of his brain kept throwing out reminders that it wasn’t just the two of them he had to think about, but all of Camelot. In the end, he decided not to answer at all.
“So, once we pass over this hilly section, we should be there. I imagine by late afternoon tomorrow,” Arthur told Merlin as they reviewed their travel plans that evening while dinner cooked over the fire. His finger stabbed the map, tracing their expected course for the following day while Merlin watched over his shoulder.
“I’m no expert,” Merlin said, and Arthur refrained from commenting on this statement, “but wouldn’t it make more sense for us to go this way instead?” He tapped the place on the map where Arthur’s finger had been, and traced a diagonal line towards the identified destination, completely skipping over the hills.
Arthur smacked Merlin’s arm, rolling his eyes at the man as Merlin’s eyes narrowed at his antics. “You’ve got that right, Merlin. You aren’t an expert.” Arthur drew invisible circles around a section of the map that Merlin had suggested they travel through and arched a brow in his direction. “This, right here, is a swamp. Unless you’ve got some magical spell to make our horses sprout wings and fly us over it, I highly doubt this would be an efficacious route to take.”
He stood, stretching his arms to the sky, and made a grand gesture of walking over to the fire to check on the food. “Leave the navigation to the experts,” he said, smirking at Merlin. The sight of Merlin, sulking with an obvious pout on his delicious lips, did something to Arthur, and he felt his stomach flutter in appreciation.
Merlin made no attempt to hide the exaggerated eye roll. “You really are a right prat, aren’t you? Just for that, you have to eat the burnt piece of meat.”
Arthur eyed the meat roasting over the fire with suspicion. “There’s nothing burnt here,” he pointed out.
Foreign words fluttered out of Merlin’s mouth, eyes washing with gold before fading back to a rich blue once more, and Arthur turned to stare at their dinner. “There is now,” Merlin said with glee. Sure enough, one of the roasting pieces of meat was blackened, as if covered in a layer of soot. Arthur glared. Merlin laughed, filled with such delight at Arthur’s response that it was all he could do not to jump Merlin and maul him right then and there.
In the end, Arthur made Merlin eat the burnt meat, if for no other reason than to reassert who was ultimately in charge here, much as he granted Merlin far more freedom than anyone else he’d ever dealt with in the past. It would do no good to allow Merlin to think he had any power in their relationship, despite the fact that they were both well aware that he very much did.
Besides, Merlin’s grumbling the entire meal provided more entertainment than he’d experienced in a very long time, and that alone made the whole thing worth it.
Following dinner, they sat and conversed by the fire, sharing stories from their pasts, and Arthur discovered he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d been able to talk so freely. It felt nice, in an unfamiliar and yet entirely comfortable way, as if he’d been granted some special, private gift reserved solely for him. Arthur was well aware of what they were heading off to do the next day, and his heart clenched painfully at the mere thought of being separated from Merlin, but for the night, he simply wanted to enjoy being in Merlin’s company again, as if they were back to merely being manservant and master, at least for a few moments.
Eventually, though, the talking slowed and was filled alternately with silence and muffled yawns.
“I think we should probably get to sleep,” Merlin said after they both yawned into their hands simultaneously.
“I’ll decide when I go to sleep, thank you,” Arthur retorted, but he was already making to get ready for bed. It’d been another long, emotionally-charged day, and he was ready to call it a night.
Arthur typically wasn't the overly affectionate type, with friends and family or with past lovers. He preferred a pat on the back, a firm squeeze of the shoulder, or a meaningful look. Truthfully, he wasn't even that accustomed to hugging others, because he'd rarely been hugged as a child, and by the time he'd grown, Arthur believed that real men didn't need physical affection in the form of hugs. But it was cold, and they were alone, and most importantly, there was something different about Merlin. The man had somehow managed to elicit a strong protective nature in Arthur, and the fact that he challenged Arthur, saw him as a man first and a prince second, made a world of difference, oddly enough. He was routinely more physical with Merlin -- had been since almost the first day they met -- though there was no real reason that Arthur could identify, except that Merlin made him feel comfortable. And safe, strange as that may have been, coming from someone like Arthur. He also tried not to allow himself to think about the fact that he only had a few days left with Merlin, very adamantly telling himself that his sudden affectionate behaviour had little to do with that fact.
So he waited for Merlin to settle down on the ground beside him before shifting closer and wrapping a protective arm around Merlin's waist. At first Merlin tensed up, probably with surprise at the unexpected action, but after a moment he relaxed into Arthur's hold, leaning back into his embrace until they were virtually melted together in the cool night.
The sound of crickets and Merlin's steady breathing began to lull Arthur to sleep, the mental and physical exhaustion from the past couple of days finally hitting home. But then Merlin's breathing hitched ever so slightly, and it quickly became apparent that he was still awake.
"The Dragonlord -- Balinor -- he was my father," Merlin said suddenly, voice filled with impending sleep, as though the comment were an afterthought to some imaginary conversation and not an incredibly significant revelation. It was barely above a whisper, but the words hit Arthur like a battle axe to his chest.
Now it was Arthur's turn to tense up. "What?"
"I never knew. Not until the day we set out to find him, that is. Gaius told me before we left." He spoke with careful words, voice betraying nothing of his feelings on the subject.
Arthur pulled away from Merlin, propping himself up on his right elbow as he stared down at him. Merlin flopped easily to his back at the sudden loss of support. Even though the darkness hid most evident signs of Merlin's emotional state, Arthur could see that he was trying unsuccessfully to mask his feelings.
"So you'd never met him until that day... Until we arrived in his cav-- home?" he corrected, and couldn't quite believe the words that were coming out of his mouth.
"Yes." Merlin closed his eyes, turning his head away from Arthur to face the waning flames of the fire. "I was so excited. I planned on taking him back to Ealdor to see my mother again once the business with the dragon was done. But then he..." he paused for a moment, breath shallow, voice breaking as he continued, "Then he died, saving my life..."
He sounded young and broken all of a sudden, and suddenly Arthur had a whole new appreciation for Merlin's severe emotional downturn over the past several months. It was bad enough that he'd lost Freya, poisoned a close friend, and released the dragon -- things he was still choosing not to think too hard on at the moment -- but Merlin had found the father he'd always longed to know, only to have him die a few days later. It made Arthur feel ill suddenly, and he was struck with the knowledge that the sorrow that began to flow through him was not just his own, but Merlin's as well. He felt for Merlin, but something was different this time around. It was almost as if he could feel Merlin's heart, fully experience the emotions that were racing through it, and his own clenched painfully at the combined weight of their burden.
"I barely had a chance to get to know him before he was taken away from me," Merlin carried on quietly, as though he weren't speaking to Arthur at all, and another wave of emotion surged through Arthur, feeling both foreign and familiar at the same time.
"Merlin, I'm so sorry," Arthur said, reaching out to cup Merlin’s face, gently running his thumb across the skin on his jaw line, and Merlin eagerly turned in to the touch. Arthur wasn't fantastic at expressing sympathy, but he meant the words with every fibre of his being. How Merlin even managed to function so well at all in the past few months was truly a marvel to Arthur. Had the situation been reversed, Arthur was quite sure he wouldn't have been able to keep himself together. Hell, he hadn't exactly reacted well to Merlin's confession the night prior, far too focussed on his own sense of betrayal to fully appreciate the emotional complexities and impact of each of those events. But he felt it now, coiling in his stomach and flowing through every inch of his body.
Merlin turned sad eyes to him, filled with unshed tears, and smiled. "I know you are." He reached up and placed a hand on Arthur's heart. "I can feel it. Thank you."
"Why didn't you tell me?" He didn't want Merlin to feel threatened right now, especially since their earlier incident was still fresh in both minds, but he didn't want Merlin to think that he couldn't have told Arthur, that he wouldn't have cared.
Merlin quirked a shoulder. "Gaius told me not to and I felt trapped. I wanted to tell you, believe me I did. But I just... couldn't."
A few stray tears fell from the corner of his eye, and without thinking, Arthur wiped them away with the pad of his thumb. “I’m sorry for yelling at you last night,” he said unexpectedly. “And earlier today.”
Merlin shook his head. “No, you had every right. I’ve done some horrible things.” Arthur’s chest clenched, but he willed the feeling away. “I’m sorry I lied to you.”
There was no doubt as to the truthfulness of the statement, so Arthur nodded and smiled at him, accepting the apology.
“At least our conversation this morning wasn’t all fighting...” Merlin trailed off, letting the implication hang in the air, and Arthur flushed at the memory.
Suddenly another thought came to mind. "Wait... I didn't actually kill the dragon, did I?" Arthur's hand fell from Merlin's face, moving to rest atop his left shoulder instead.
Merlin’s expression shifted to one of sheepish guilt, but there was a bit of a glint in his eyes. “Define ‘kill’,” he said.
In spite of everything, he couldn’t help the laugh that erupted from his belly, deep and full. “Gods, I’m sure I don’t even want to know, do I?” Arthur asked, leaning down and burying his face in Merlin’s shoulder.
A hand threaded through Arthur’s hair, fingers stroking his scalp both soothing and affectionate. “When Bali-- my father died his powers passed along to me.”
“So, you killed the dragon, then?”
Merlin tensed beneath him, fingers stalling in his hair. “Not exactly. I, er, sent him away?”
For the second time, Arthur rolled off of Merlin, propping on his arms and staring down at him in disbelief. “You sent him away? Just said, ‘Nice knowing you, see you later?’ kind of thing?”
“No, it wasn’t like that.”
“Then how was it?”
Merlin sighed. “I granted him mercy and made him swear to never come near Camelot again, or I would kill him.”
It was so damn typical of Merlin’s character that Arthur couldn’t even find it in himself to be upset by the action. Shaking his head, Arthur shot him a pointed look. “Why am I not surprised?” A beat passed and then, “Is there anything else you’d like to share with me that I might want to know, and not be surprised about later?”
“Erm...” Merlin said. Arthur shot him a warning look, which seemed to open up his vocal cords once more. “Morgana also has magical abilities...?”
Arthur swore. Loudly. Questions immediately popped into his mind, ranging from when the hell did this happen? to how did you know? But after taking a calming breath, he decided such details weren’t important at this very moment. “Does she know about you?”
The response was swift and confident, which came as a great reassurance to Arthur. “No.”
That was good, especially considering the resentment she must currently be harbouring for him. “Anything else?”
“No, I think that’s it,” Merlin said after a pause.
“Okay, then let’s go to sleep,” he declared, and proceeded to flop back down on the bedroll. A moment later, Merlin rolled over, when it became apparent that Arthur was officially done with the conversation for the moment.
Arthur lay awake that night until he was sure Merlin had finally fallen asleep. Then he pressed a soft kiss to the back of his neck, and burying his face in Merlin’s shoulder, Arthur eventually settled down for the night.
Merlin looked so peaceful -- so utterly content -- while he slept, that Arthur almost didn't want to wake him. The thought of breaking their bond had been weighing heavily on his mind ever since Uther first suggested it, and Arthur supposed that if he were being honest with himself, he always suspected that it would have to happen eventually. But now that they were at the cusp of that change, something dark and heavy weighed in his gut, and Arthur wasn't quite sure if he could go through with it.
Merlin emitted a soft gasp then, and as he shifted in his sleep, some of his hair fell across closed eyes and a pale forehead. It may have been the soft light of the morning, the slight flush of his warm cheeks, or the delicate angles of his face, but in that very moment, Arthur was struck by how beautiful Merlin truly was. He'd always found him appealing in a sort of preternatural manner, what with his big ears, sharp cheekbones, and crooked grin. Merlin was not classically handsome by any stretch of the imagination, but Arthur still found himself mesmerised at times, when the light played off his angular features or he gazed up at Arthur through long, dark lashes or when he smirked with a mischievous glint in his eyes that Arthur privately believed was reserved entirely for him. Little moments here and there, which he'd brushed off as mere sentimental affection at the time, now came rushing back to him in full force, and suddenly what hadn't made any sense before was all starting to click into place like a perfect symphony.
He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Merlin’s forehead, fingers diving into his dark hair of their own accord, smoothing it away from his face and burrowing in its softness. Merlin stirred slightly but didn’t wake, so Arthur pressed a kiss to his closed eye, his nose, the jut of his cheekbone, his chin. By the time Arthur reached Merlin’s mouth, he was beginning to wake, eyes clouded with sleep slowly emerging from behind heavy lids. Arthur smiled at him, warmth and arousal pooling in his belly at the sight of Merlin’s drowsy, lopsided grin.
“Mornin’,” Merlin mumbled sleepily, and closed the gap between them.
The kiss was gentle and slow to begin, a warm caress of lips and tongues as they emerged from a sleepy state of awareness. Arthur delved into it, cupping Merlin’s face as he explored his mouth in a way that he hadn’t been able to the previous day, tasting and savouring Merlin in every way that he could. Merlin tugged Arthur closer, arms wrapping around his waist as hands slid beneath his tunic.
“Good morning to you, too,” Arthur whispered fondly, when they separated for air.
“It is now,” Merlin agreed, grinning like a fool, his smile so bright it was practically blinding. He continued to trail fingers up and down the expanse of Arthur’s back, and Arthur fought against the shiver that was threatening to shoot through his body.
This was still new territory for them both, but Arthur knew without any doubt that he wanted Merlin; his body’s physical reaction telling the truth on his behalf, and if Merlin’s eagerness thus far was any indication, he felt the same way as well. Leaning in, he pressed his lips to Merlin’s once again. But unlike before, this kiss quickly moved from chaste to filthy and wet as pent-up desire flooded his veins and pooled in Arthur’s stomach and groin. Arthur could feel Merlin’s erection pressing into his thigh, mirroring his own stiff cock, and he instinctively ground into him, eliciting a needy moan from Merlin as they spent several moments rutting against one another, craving the heat and the friction until it wasn’t enough. Arthur needed to feel Merlin, to taste and touch and have access to everything.
“Too much clothing,” he protested briefly, when they parted for air, and he reluctantly pulled away from Merlin to start taking off his clothes. Merlin joined him, and they spent several hurried moments struggling to get each other out of the material that currently prevented further exploration of each other’s bodies.
When they were both finally naked, Arthur gently pushed Merlin back to the ground, open and completely pliant under his hands. He took a moment to simply bask in the sight before his eyes -- sharp collarbones framing the deep hollows of his neck, lean muscles stretched taut beneath milky skin, gleaming with a light sheen of sweat from the early morning sun, hips angular and firm. His cock twitched against his belly, hard and swollen with arousal, the light glint of pre-come glistening at the head. Merlin gazed up at him, eyes blown wide with desire, hair mussed, lips swollen, red and parted. He was a breathtaking sight to behold, and Arthur felt his breath hitch at the sight of the gorgeous man lying before him.
“You’re absolutely beautiful,” Arthur told him in the heat of the moment, as he leaned forward to capture Merlin’s mouth in a bruising kiss, pressing their bodies together from chest to toes. Merlin arched up into his mouth at the same time he thrust his hips, and the brush of their naked cocks sent a wave of pleasure soaring through Arthur’s body.
After a few minutes, Arthur moved to press lips against Merlin’s jaw, trailing wet, hot kisses down his neck, pausing to suck on the skin beneath his Adam’s apple. Merlin groaned as Arthur traveled down his body, teeth brushing against his nipple that was already hard with arousal, and he enjoyed feeling the shiver of pleasure ripple through Merlin as his tongue circled the tip.
Arthur trailed a hand down Merlin’s thigh, running fingers against the sensitive skin. Instead his hand trailed further south to brush against Merlin’s entrance, thumb ghosting across the opening as he glanced up hesitantly at him. “Can I...? Merlin, I want...” He couldn’t quite get out the words to formulate the request, one he’d only just realised how badly he wanted, but Merlin reached out to touch his arm, eyes dark with arousal and he nodded.
“Please, Arthur. Yes,” Merlin begged, answering the question that hadn’t even been asked as he spread his legs further apart.
Arthur shuddered, blood pounding through his skull like thunder and he felt almost weak with lust. They had oil somewhere, he knew. It was with their emergency supplies, and Arthur rose to retrieve it, fumbling several times in the process. But he finally found the small bottle, and returned to kneel between Merlin, ready and waiting for him.
Generously applying the oil to his hand, he inserted the first finger into Merlin’s entrance, slowly pushing the finger into his heat. Merlin groaned, eyes fluttering shut, as he worked his way into the tight space.
“Are you all right?” Arthur asked.
“Mmmm, yeah. Feels good,” Merlin cooed back, pushing into him so the finger slid further inside. “Keep going.”
He moved fairly quickly at that point, adding a second and then a third finger to Merlin’s hole, stretching him wide open as he simultaneously pressed kisses to his chest, stomach, inner thighs, knees. Merlin bucked under him, seeking the sensation, and he looked so completely aroused and content that Arthur thought he might have been able to come from the sight alone.
Deciding he was ready, Arthur pulled his fingers out of Merlin, and Merlin immediately whined in protest.
“Hurry, Arthur... please,” he urged, hands fisting into the fabric of the blanket they lay on.
Arthur coated his hand once more and wrapped it around his throbbing cock, slicking the skin. Taking a moment, he closed his eyes and took several deep breaths as he tried to still his racing heart and calm his body. He was afraid he would come before he even pushed into Merlin, and he wanted to make this brilliant for both of them. Finally, once Arthur felt he’d regained a tiny bit of control, he spread Merlin’s legs as far as they would go and began to push the tip of his cock into Merlin, past the first ring of muscle.
He was hot and deliciously tight as Arthur carefully eased into Merlin, not desiring to hurt him in any way. “Does this feel all right?” Arthur asked, pausing as he waited for confirmation.
“It’s tight, but I’m fine. Keep going.” And to signify that he meant business, Merlin’s hands found Arthur’s hips, fingers digging into the prominent bones as he helped pull Arthur further into his body.
Merlin’s heat and the pressure of his body clenched around Arthur’s cock as he pushed himself all the way in, until his balls rested against Merlin’s entrance. It felt unbelievably good, and he hadn’t even started moving yet. At the same time, a million emotions bombarded Arthur right in that moment, filling him and terrifying him until he was nearly paralysed from the sheer intensity of it all.
“Arthur, is everything all right?” Merlin asked, concern edging into his voice.
Arthur nodded weakly, eyes still closed as he continued to reel from the fact that he was actually inside Merlin, cock wrapped tight in his heat. It was amazing and overwhelming and he just needed a moment to absorb it all. “Yeah... I’m... yeah,” he eventually stuttered out, unable to form anything more coherent at the moment.
A hand came up to hold his face, thumb rubbing against his cheekbone. “Arthur, look at me.”
He forced his eyes open, staring down at Merlin’s beautiful face, and the trust and affection he saw reflected in Merlin’s eyes nearly brought tears to his own. “You’re fine. I’m fine. It’s going to be brilliant. But you need to trust me and start moving, all right? It’s going to be so good.”
Merlin pulled him down and kissed his mouth hard, tongue darting past Arthur’s lips and invading his mouth almost immediately. Arthur moaned headily in response, and a moment later, he felt Merlin’s hands on his hips once more, coaxing him back. Slowly, Arthur began to move inside Merlin, pulling back and then thrusting into him once more. They struggled for a few moments to develop a rhythm, one that worked for both of them, as Merlin’s legs locked around Arthur’s lower back, and he moved in time with Arthur’s thrusts.
“Faster, Arthur,” Merlin said after a few moments, and Arthur would be damned if his bossy insistence wasn’t the hottest thing he’d ever heard in his life.
Not wanting to disobey, Arthur sped up his pace, Merlin working with him, and within moments he could feel the pleasure soaring through his body. He let out a string of curses as the pleasure built further, threatening to push him over the edge.
A few moments later, and Merlin was reaching for his own neglected dick, but Arthur wanted to be the one to bring him off. Batting his hands away, he fumbled to grab hold of Merlin’s cock and started to stroke as he continued to thrust almost violently into him, other arm bearing the brunt of the rest of his weight. His grip was flimsy at best, but it seemed to be enough to do the job, and after several strokes, Merlin came with a fervent intensity, screaming Arthur’s name as his seed spilled onto Arthur’s hand and across his stomach. He pumped Merlin through the aftershocks, even as he felt his own climax building, so close and so intense.
“Gods, Merlin... Merlin,” Arthur cried out as he thrust into him once more, and then he was coming as well. He slammed into Merlin as the release overwhelmed him, taking over every one of his senses, and he had to struggle to stay conscious and breathing as wave after wave of pleasure wracked his entire body. He’d had sex before -- with both women and men -- and while he always enjoyed himself, his orgasms had never felt quite like this before; as though he’d been taken apart and put back together in the course of twenty seconds. Maybe it was the magic, maybe it was the bond, or maybe it was simply Merlin. But he knew he would not tire of this ever, desired no one but Merlin, and idly wondered why they’d never allowed themselves to experience this kind of pleasure before. He continued to thrust until his cock began to soften, and reluctantly he pulled free of Merlin with a slight hiss, collapsing onto his chest, absolutely spent.
They lay there for several moments, completely exhausted, breathing heavily. Arthur felt so good that he didn’t even care about the mess they’d made of each other and the blanket they’d been lying on.
“That was amazing,” Merlin murmured a few minutes later, and Arthur couldn’t do much more than hum his approval, tightening his arm around Merlin’s chest just slightly.
He felt a hand curl into his hair, and Arthur tipped his head up to capture Merlin’s mouth once more. Something raw and a little desperate crept into the kiss this time, as the reality of their impending departure suddenly invaded Arthur’s mind, and he wanted to taste and explore every inch of this mouth in case they wouldn’t be able to do it any longer.
Eventually, they pulled apart, still too spent to give it another round just yet, and prepared to head out on the final leg of their journey.
Travel was relatively quick that entire morning, despite the fact that Merlin was somewhat on the sore side, though he’d used magic to heal some of his tenderness. At one point they stopped to check on the saddles, and when Arthur was certain they were still slightly ahead of schedule, they had sex again. He knew he was acting like a horny teenager, but with the knowledge that this wouldn’t be happening again anytime soon looming on the horizon, he couldn’t find it in himself to care.
The building they’d been searching for finally came into view after ascending the final peak of what seemed to be a never-ending series of hills most of the morning.
"Do you think that's it?" Merlin asked, pointing to the only structure in the valley, as they trotted their way towards it.
"I'm going to assume so," Arthur said, holding back the desire to mock him for such an obvious question.
A few trees surrounded the building, and they decided this would be a good place to tie up the horses. Arthur surveyed the structure as they neared, noting that it wasn't overly impressive. It was several stories high, but no tower by any stretch of the imagination.
Arthur tossed a quick glance over at Merlin, raising a questioning brow before asking, "You ready to go?"
Merlin nodded, looking even less confident than Arthur felt, which wasn't saying much.
They made their way to what appeared to be the front door of the building, picking through waves of tall grass extending almost up to Arthur's knees. He took a deep breath, the magnitude of what they were about to do only hitting him in that very moment. Reaching out, he grabbed for the handle. It's now or never, he thought sardonically.
“Wait.” Merlin pressed a hand into Arthur’s chest, halting his movement.
Arthur cocked a brow and turned to study Merlin curiously. “What is it?” he asked.
“I don’t know, exactly. I’m just getting...” he took a few steps forward, holding both arms out as though feeling some invisible force, “...a sense of some very powerful magic here. I can’t get a proper feeling about it, but I think it could be dangerous.”
It didn’t appear all that dangerous from the outside. In fact, it simply looked like an old, abandoned building -- a bit too small to call a castle, but far too large to call a house -- that was overrun with shrubbery and appeared to have a questionable structure, at best. Vines snaked up the sides of the building, twisting and curling around most of the open space, creating a veritable green wall down the front of the structure. Arthur squinted up at the building, shielding his eyes from the harsh sunlight, wondering what lay beyond the front doors.
“I guess that means we found what we were looking for,” Arthur announced, with more satisfaction than he felt.
“But how safe is it for us to enter?” Merlin said, eyeing the structure with suspicion.
Arthur shrugged, attempting to put on an air of nonchalance. “I’m not sure what choice we have in the matter. Come on, Merlin, let’s go,” Arthur said, clapping him lightly on the shoulder before picking his way through the grass towards the entrance.
*****
The next five minutes were spent arguing about who should enter the building first. Merlin insisted that he should be the one to lead the way, as this was clearly a magical place and he would be better equipped to deal with whatever they found on the other side. Arthur, on the other hand, argued that he was the warrior with a great deal more experience than Merlin when it came to virtually everything, save for actually performing magic, and that Merlin would be entering first over his dead body. To which Merlin pointed out that it would also be over his own dead body, so that plan would really accomplish very little. Arthur cuffed him on the back of the head, but secretly rejoiced at the lightheartedness of the interaction. It temporarily made the ache in his heart feel less prominent, and if he could forget that they had to go their separate ways once the bond was broken, even for a few minutes, he would take it.
In the end, they both agreed, somewhat reluctantly, to enter at the same time. For such an old building, the doors swung open with little effort, creaking noisily but otherwise without difficulty, and Arthur couldn’t help but think the whole thing was a bit on the suspicious side.
He felt it almost immediately upon stepping through the threshold. A jolt of lightning passed through the air around them, crackling with a palpable energy, and Arthur jumped in shock as it rippled through his limbs from head to toe, sending a wave of goosebumps up his arms. Eyes widening in confusion, Arthur turned to Merlin.
“What the hell was that?” he asked, glancing around the room and then back at the doorway they’d just passed through, limbs still buzzing with energy. It wasn’t unpleasant, exactly, just different, and unexpected.
Merlin cast him a sidelong glance, face scrunched up uncomfortably as he bounced up and down a few times on the spot. “I think we just walked through a magic barrier, or something.”
“A magic barrier?” Arthur parroted, taking a moment to scan the room they’d just entered.
“Yeah. My whole body is practically vibrating with the energy in this place.”
That probably wasn’t the best news, but Arthur supposed it made sense, considering this was the rumoured dwelling of the high priestess they sought. He just hoped she was one of those sorcerers like Merlin -- kind and compassionate, and not hell-bent on Arthur’s destruction, as so many others seemed to be. He silently prayed to whatever gods might be listening that they were not unnecessarily endangering their lives simply by being here.
“Mmm... good to know,” he said, somewhat distractedly.
The entranceway to the building immediately opened up into a large archway, which contained an empty, square-shaped room. It appeared to have possibly been a dining hall at some point, as several long tables covered in a thick layer of dust sat back against the walls, several stray dining chairs littering the corners. Light poured into the room through two large windows set on opposite walls, perpendicular to the direction they faced. Specks of dust danced in the streams of light, swaying back and forth, as though welcoming them. There was a painting hanging crookedly on the far wall, but the distance was too great to make out any of the details. It hung several feet from the only other visible exit out of the room.
“I guess we only have one way to go,” Arthur said after a moment, pointing to the door on the far back wall. “The sooner we find the high priestess and get the trials over with, the better,” he said, though wasn’t sure he even remotely believed those words any longer.
The dull ache was suddenly back with a vengeance, and Arthur felt a sense of overwhelming sadness descend on him at the realisation that they were close, that they were really going to go through with breaking the soul bond. It hurt a great deal and for a brief moment, Arthur considered grabbing Merlin and dragging him out of this place, turning around and never looking back. But he banished the desire from his mind, taking several steps forward in an attempt to show that he meant business, even when he sensed Merlin’s own hesitation as if he’d come out and said it verbally, though he hadn’t.
“Right,” Merlin agreed, though he sounded anything but confident.
They started making their way across the room, boots scuffing loudly in the emptiness of the large area. There was a creaking sound in the distance, and Arthur was suddenly filled with the knowledge that something was wrong. Without conscious premeditation, he reached out for Merlin, grabbing his arm and pulling him back and off to the side of the room.
“What are you doing?” Merlin demanded, trying to pull his arm free from Arthur’s grasp, but he wasn’t about to let go that easily.
“Shut up. I thought I heard something. Didn’t you?”
“No. But I’m sure it was nothing,” Merlin said, sounding as though he were trying to convince himself, instead of Arthur.
“Yes, well, either way, just be quiet for a moment,” Arthur ordered, squeezing Merlin’s arm for good measure.
Surprisingly, Merlin stopped struggling and allowed Arthur to drag him a few more feet before he seemed satisfied. They stared at one another for a moment, concentration lines etched into their features, and Arthur strained to make out if there were any more noises wafting towards them.
There was nothing for a minute or two, but just before Arthur was about to declare himself this side of over-reacting, he heard something that sounded like scratching. Perhaps like nails on stone, and it reminded him of the sound his dog would make when vying to gain entrance into his room during Arthur’s childhood. It started off quiet, almost imperceptible if one weren’t listening for it, but after a few moments the sound grew, both in volume and intensity.
“You hear that, right?” Arthur demanded, voice barely more than a forced whisper, staring hard at Merlin.
Merlin nodded, eyes wide, apprehension written across his face. “Yes.” He glanced at the far back wall, then back at Arthur. “What do you think it is?”
Arthur opened his mouth to respond, but before he was able to do anything, the door from across the room flew open and suddenly the room was filling with large creatures that appeared to be part dragon and part lizard, crawling their way into the hall. They were approximately ten feet in length, with scaly, reptilian dull green skin. Dragon wings protruded from the shoulder blades of the creatures, stretching a good six feet in the air. Sharp teeth filled small mouths, their heads resembling that of a dragon, only far smaller. Long tails trailed behind the creatures, a cluster of spikes projecting out from a ball of tissue at the tip of their tail. Arthur recognised them instantly; one didn’t forget beasts such as these.
“What the hell are those?” Arthur felt the fear radiating from Merlin’s body as much as he heard it in his voice.
Instinctively, a hand grasped blindly for Merlin’s wrist, tugging him behind Arthur the second he felt flesh beneath his fingers. “They’re called wyverns, and they’re incredibly strong creatures. I accidentally faced one many years back on my own, and it nearly killed me.”
“Are they creatures of magic?” Merlin asked as they inched backwards, towards the front door, with cautious steps. Thus far none had seemed to take note of the two unfamiliar occupants in the room, and Arthur was hoping it would remain that way.
“I don’t know. It was so long ago. All I know is that I hoped I wouldn’t ever have to face one again, and yet here we are, with far more than one.” His voice was registering barely above a whisper now, fearful that any loud noises might startle one of the wyverns into action, which was the last thing they needed.
“Er... do you think maybe we should, um, leave or something?” Merlin suggested helpfully. Arthur held back an eye roll.
“Great plan! I wish I’d thought of it,” he shot back, voice edged with sarcasm. Merlin scoffed in his ear, warm breath sending a shiver down Arthur’s spine.
A moment later they reached the main entrance, backs pressing firmly against the stone wall. Reaching behind him, Arthur’s hand felt its way along the wall, smooth cobblestone shifting to rough wood, and he inwardly rejoiced when his palm closed around the door handle, even though he couldn’t recall actually shutting the door in the first place.
Arthur prodded Merlin gently with his free hand, tugging at the sleeve of his tunic. “Okay, on three, I open the door, and we slip out completely unnoticed. You ready?”
Merlin nodded. Arthur gripped the handle as firmly as he could and took a deep breath. “One, two, three,” he whispered, and promptly pushed back on the door, ready to taste freedom.
Nothing happened. He tried again, but with the same result. By the fifth try, Arthur had actually turned around and was leaning all of his weight into the door, but it hadn’t budged. For good measure, he even pulled on the handle, in case he’d been doing the wrong thing the whole time. It made no difference whatsoever. He let out a long string of curses, just in case that somehow might help. It didn’t.
He felt Merlin’s face press into his neck a moment later, mouth tilted up towards his ear. “You having some trouble?” he asked.
“All right, so it looks like we’re buggered,” Arthur said, pulling his hand away from the door and pressing fingers into closed, frustrated eyes. “I guess we’re going to have to find another way out of here once our business is finished.”
Merlin gulped, Arthur’s eyes drifting to his bobbing Adam’s apple for a moment before scolding himself for getting distracted so easily. “You mean we’re going to have to fight those?” He pointed, for good measure, just in case Arthur had somehow missed the army of wyverns that practically filled the room. Sometimes Arthur was still quite sure that Gaius hadn’t been off when he declared Merlin mentally deficient.
“No, it means we’re going to have to go speak to the wyverns and see if they know of another way out,” Arthur said, folding his arms and giving Merlin a look.
The responding glare spoke louder than any words could have.
“Of course we have to fight them,” Arthur continued without missing a beat. “Unless you know a teleportation spell...?” He felt a modicum of hope spring up.
“If I knew one, don’t you think I might’ve used it before, say, this very moment?” Merlin shot back dryly.
He shoved Merlin lightly, inwardly rejoicing at the annoyed expression that worked its way onto his face. “It was worth a shot.”
Ignoring Merlin, Arthur unsheathed his sword and took a deep breath. Even while his brain screamed at him that this was a suicide mission, Arthur would be damned if they were going to go down without a fight.
“Merlin, just out of curiosity... exactly how powerful are you again?” Arthur asked, sword poised and ready to strike as he slowly edged forward in order to place himself in a better position to attack. He felt Merlin match his steps, staying close behind.
“Quite,” he responded, voice soft but confident.
“Think you’re strong enough to kill, say, eight of these things?” Arthur asked, eyes never leaving the beasts as he mentally assessed the situation. There were eight that Arthur was able to count, and who knew how many more there were in the room beyond this one. Arthur was a great warrior, and Merlin no doubt quite a powerful magician, but even with that knowledge, their odds weren’t exactly fantastic against that many wyverns. When Arthur had faced one of the creatures as a youth, it’d nearly done him in. Granted, he was stronger, faster and more experienced now -- and he had assistance in the form of a supposedly mighty sorcerer -- but all the same, it seemed kind of grim.
“Erm... Not quite sure. Never been in this kind of situation before, but I guess we’re about to find out, yeah?” Merlin tossed him a completely inappropriate smirk, given the circumstances, and Arthur felt oddly comforted and exhilarated by the gesture.
“Good enough for me,” he said, twirling the sword he held in his right hand in preparation. “And in case we don’t make it,” Arthur leaned in, grabbing Merlin by the scruff of his tunic, and planted a soft kiss on his lips, “it’s been fun.”
The brilliance of Merlin’s responding grin momentarily made Arthur question both of their sanity, but he decided if he was going to die, there was no one else he’d rather have at his side than Merlin.
“On three?”
Merlin grunted in affirmation.
Arthur carried on. “One. Two. Three!”
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Continue on to part nine.