Wild and Precious
Author: Gilli_ann
Title: Wild and Precious
Rating: PG
Characters: Merlin, Arthur
Pairing: Merlin/Arthur
Summary: One cold and snowy evening, Arthur finally risks giving Merlin his heart.
Word Count: 590
Prompt: 'Oliver quote'
A/N: Canon AU, romance, inspired by a scene in the newly released trailer for the movie 'Red, White and Royal Blue'.
Wild and Precious
Arthur advances slowly through the snow. The winter dusk has come early, a gentle snowfall from heavy clouds making the day's light fade faster.
Behind Arthur, Merlin leads their horses. His manservant's footfalls are silenced by the snow and inaudible due to the horses' heavier thumps, yet Arthur can feel Merlin behind him, feel his presence so strongly that it's almost like a touch.
Arthur stops, looks around, and sighs. 'This snow already covers all the tracks. They're almost invisible. We won't be able to follow Morgana's spies any longer."
Merlin looks tired and cold in his dingy brown jacket. His cheeks and ears are red, and so are his lips. There are glimmering snowflake diamonds in Merlin's dark hair. Arthur tries to avoid studying him more closely, so he closes his eyes, draws a deep breath, and turns away.
"We should find a windfall and make camp," Merlin says, oblivious.
Arthur nods. Looking around, he determines the best course and gestures to the right. They move towards a promising clump of old spruces.
The snow keeps falling, wrapping them and their horses and all of nature in silence. Yet in Arthur's mind there is sound. He can hear it very clearly, a few lines from a vistful old song. Only two days ago, he listened as it was performed by Queen Annis' court bard, and the words have remained with him since then.
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?”
The question pokes and prods at him. Only one life, one precious life, and here he is, uncertain, not planning, not risking that which his heart tells him to do.
"I deserve a day off when we get back home," Merlin grouses behind him. "I'm cold, and there is snow melting in my boots, and unlike some clotpoles around, I haven't got a nice red cloak to wrap myself in."
"Hmmm," Arthur says, the barest acknowledgement of Merlin's attempts at cheerfulness disguised as grumbling. He's still listening intently to the song haunting his mind. 'One Wild and Precious Life', it admonishes him.
Arthur glances back at Merlin, revels in the sight, listens to his heart, and blinks. Something slots into place in his mind, and finally he has the answer to the song's question. He knows what he plans to do. He knows, and he acts.
With a few long and eager strides he reaches Merlin, cups his cold cheeks in his hands, pulls him close, and kisses him.
Merlin is taken completely by surprise. His hands are tangled in the horses' leads, he can neither embrace Arthur nor push him away. His startled little exclamation dies between Arthur's lips, and then he's kissing Arthur back. They melt into the kiss, bask in it, Arthur's hands still caressing Merlin's face, his lips heating Merlin's cold ones. The snow flurries seem to wheel around them dizzily, like shooting stars and fireworks.
It feels so right. This is the answer, Arthur knows. This one reckless love is what he intends to spend his precious life on. This, this, this.
Finally they pull away, gasping for air. Merlin looks dazed. "It will take forever to get a decent camp fire going," he mutters ridiculously, even as his eyes, when they meet Arthur's, are filled with the confirmation Arthur craves. Merlin returns his love!
Arthur smiles. "Maybe so," he drawls. His heart somersaults in jubilation. "But once we get that fire going, I've got a nice red cloak to wrap us up in. It's easily big enough for two."
Title: Wild and Precious
Rating: PG
Characters: Merlin, Arthur
Pairing: Merlin/Arthur
Summary: One cold and snowy evening, Arthur finally risks giving Merlin his heart.
Word Count: 590
Prompt: 'Oliver quote'
A/N: Canon AU, romance, inspired by a scene in the newly released trailer for the movie 'Red, White and Royal Blue'.
Wild and Precious
Arthur advances slowly through the snow. The winter dusk has come early, a gentle snowfall from heavy clouds making the day's light fade faster.
Behind Arthur, Merlin leads their horses. His manservant's footfalls are silenced by the snow and inaudible due to the horses' heavier thumps, yet Arthur can feel Merlin behind him, feel his presence so strongly that it's almost like a touch.
Arthur stops, looks around, and sighs. 'This snow already covers all the tracks. They're almost invisible. We won't be able to follow Morgana's spies any longer."
Merlin looks tired and cold in his dingy brown jacket. His cheeks and ears are red, and so are his lips. There are glimmering snowflake diamonds in Merlin's dark hair. Arthur tries to avoid studying him more closely, so he closes his eyes, draws a deep breath, and turns away.
"We should find a windfall and make camp," Merlin says, oblivious.
Arthur nods. Looking around, he determines the best course and gestures to the right. They move towards a promising clump of old spruces.
The snow keeps falling, wrapping them and their horses and all of nature in silence. Yet in Arthur's mind there is sound. He can hear it very clearly, a few lines from a vistful old song. Only two days ago, he listened as it was performed by Queen Annis' court bard, and the words have remained with him since then.
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?”
The question pokes and prods at him. Only one life, one precious life, and here he is, uncertain, not planning, not risking that which his heart tells him to do.
"I deserve a day off when we get back home," Merlin grouses behind him. "I'm cold, and there is snow melting in my boots, and unlike some clotpoles around, I haven't got a nice red cloak to wrap myself in."
"Hmmm," Arthur says, the barest acknowledgement of Merlin's attempts at cheerfulness disguised as grumbling. He's still listening intently to the song haunting his mind. 'One Wild and Precious Life', it admonishes him.
Arthur glances back at Merlin, revels in the sight, listens to his heart, and blinks. Something slots into place in his mind, and finally he has the answer to the song's question. He knows what he plans to do. He knows, and he acts.
With a few long and eager strides he reaches Merlin, cups his cold cheeks in his hands, pulls him close, and kisses him.
Merlin is taken completely by surprise. His hands are tangled in the horses' leads, he can neither embrace Arthur nor push him away. His startled little exclamation dies between Arthur's lips, and then he's kissing Arthur back. They melt into the kiss, bask in it, Arthur's hands still caressing Merlin's face, his lips heating Merlin's cold ones. The snow flurries seem to wheel around them dizzily, like shooting stars and fireworks.
It feels so right. This is the answer, Arthur knows. This one reckless love is what he intends to spend his precious life on. This, this, this.
Finally they pull away, gasping for air. Merlin looks dazed. "It will take forever to get a decent camp fire going," he mutters ridiculously, even as his eyes, when they meet Arthur's, are filled with the confirmation Arthur craves. Merlin returns his love!
Arthur smiles. "Maybe so," he drawls. His heart somersaults in jubilation. "But once we get that fire going, I've got a nice red cloak to wrap us up in. It's easily big enough for two."