Green (Gwaine/Merlin, Part 2/4)
Title: Green (Part 2 of 4)
Pairing: Gwaine/Merlin
Rating: Pg-13
Warnings/Spoilers: Spoilers for all of season 3 including 3x13.
Disclaimer: Not mine. :D
Author's Note: Part 1 can be read here. This is based off of one of my favorite stories, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and this kinkmeme prompt. Liberties have been taken.
Green
Part 2
The morning dawned grey and dismal. On the horizon sat a thick bank of towering clouds. Frigid gales of wind whipped Camelot's banners. It felt like a snowstorm was imminent.
Gwaine woke before the rest of the castle had even begun to stir. His stomach was unsettled and his eyes were dry with lack of sleep. He'd been restless the entire night. Images of the Green Knight haunted him, laughing and growling all at once. The huge axe swung towards him, but never landed its blow, never connected with his vulnerable neck.
"Brave Sir Gwaine," the Knight had taunted, "what have you to be frightened of?"
Nothing, Gwaine had wanted to say, but the words were trapped in his throat. Choking him.
"You are cowering, you child!" the Knight howled. "Look at you, you unworthy boy! You are no knight of Camelot!" Then, he swung the axe.
Over and over again.
Gwaine groaned and threw his pillow off the bed in disgust. He would be glad to feel the road under his feet today. He needed the space, the freedom of an open forest and his own legs.
He slipped out of bed and moved to his wardrobe. He put on his warmest tunic, thickest leather breeches, and the heavy, red woolen cape with the embroidered Pendragon emblem. He picked up his packed satchel and threw it over his shoulder, glancing around his room in the process.
The warm bed, the intricate tapestry, the frosted window, the stack of books. Everything called to him to stay. To huddle back beneath warm blankets and forget all about his quest.
"Not today," he said to the air. "Today, I travel." He stood, staring at the space. "Yes. That's exactly what I'm going to do." He shifted from foot to foot. "Right now."
After a moment, he moved to the shelf over his bed, plucking a book from the tall pile Merlin had given him. He slid it gently into his bag, running a thumb over its well-worn cover in the process.
"Right," he said, finally exiting his chambers.
***
Gaius' chambers were the level just below his. He doubted that either he or Merlin were awake this early, but he decided to try anyway.
He hated to see Merlin so angry last night. He knew that, to Merlin, he was transparent as a window pane. It hurt to think he might leave his closest friend while he was angry with him. Maybe even for the last time...
No, he needed to make amends.
He approached Gaius' door, ready to knock, when he was surprised to hear an animated discussion coming from beyond the threshold.
"-exactly like something she would do, Gaius!"
Gwaine leaned in closer. Who was "she"?
"You can't interfere with this, Merlin, no matter who is behind it. This is his quest, not yours."
"I know, I know, Gaius."
"And as for your protection char-"
"He won't even realize it, Gaius. It's the least I can do."
Gwaine's ear was now flush with the wood of the door.
Merlin made an unintelligible grumble of annoyance. "I just have a feeling that he's walking straight into a trap. It doesn't seem right to me-"
Suddenly, the door gave way beneath Gwaine's head and he stumbled into the room. Merlin had opened the door.
Damn.
"Uh," he said, tossing his hair out of his face. "Good morning?" He tried one of his most charming grins.
Merlin gave him a withering look.
He cleared his throat. "Right," he said, looking at the floor. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm off. Early start and everything. Looks like snow later, so I figured I'd leave... now..."
Merlin was glaring daggers at him.
Gaius laid a gentle hand on Gwaine's shoulder. "Good luck, Gwaine. I'm sure you'll return to us safely. Merlin, I must attend to the king." He nodded at him and exited the room swiftly.
The silence in the following moment was deafening.
"Merlin, I-"
"Has it occurred to you," Merlin hissed, stepping right into his personal space, jabbing a finger into his shoulder, "that you might die facing this Knight? He's going to try and behead you, Gwaine!"
"The thought had run through my mind a time or two," Gwaine replied, airily. "But as long as he doesn't chop off my hair-"
"This isn't funny!" Merlin grabbed him by the tops of his arms. "You could die!"
"Merlin," Gwaine said, gently, looking into the man's frantic blue eyes. "I'm not afraid of death. Never have been." He smiled.
Merlin held his gaze a moment longer before sighing and turning away. "That's exactly what I'm afraid of."
"You can't follow me, you know," Gwaine said, stepping toward him. "I know how you get. Hiding behind bushes, dodging behind rocks. Don't think I don't know you follow Arthur every time he leaves the castle. Sneaky bugger."
Merlin huffed out a laugh.
He put a hand on Merlin's shoulder. "You need to stay with him. He's going to the border towns, tomorrow. He needs you more than I do."
"Does he?" Merlin asked, quietly.
Gwaine felt his heart constrict.
"Anyway," Merlin said, shrugging his shoulders, effectively ending his thought. "Don't think you're going to get away without the knights saying goodbye. Arthur's already waiting for you down by the stables. I'm pretty sure Sir Percival made you a bread basket or something." He shook his head, laughing.
Gwaine grinned. "I wager he baked it all himself, too." Merlin laughed again and knocked their shoulders together.
"C'mon," Gwaine said, throwing an arm over Merlin's shoulders. "Let's get a move on before the whole castle decides to wish me well. Gods know I'm handsome enough."
Merlin gave him a hefty shove for good measure.
***
The wind was so frozen it stole the breath from his chest. The brittle, barren tree branches shivered against the onslaught. Before him there was only miles upon miles of barren, icy ground and winterdead trees.
He wrapped his scarf tighter around his face and stroked a gloved hand down Gryngolet's powerful neck. The horse puffed out a breath of air in approval.
Arthur had greeted him by the stables, the powerful white charger in tow.
"Take Gryngolet," Arthur had said, patting the horse on the flank. "He's as strong and loyal as any horse in the stables. He won't lead you astray." He clapped Gwaine on the shoulder. "And I expect him back in one piece," he said, hiding the worried tremor in his voice well.
Gwaine nodded, taking the horse's reigns.
The other knights, Leon, Elyan, Percival, and Lancelot, had all lined up to shake his hand and thump him on the back. (And Percival really had made him a bread basket, bless him.) Gwen had brought him a warm scarf and bundled him up properly.
Merlin was last. He handed him his sword, the shimmering green axe, and a modest, scarlet shield.
"Merlin," Gwaine said, confused. "This isn't my shield." He moved to hand it back to him, but Merlin shook his head and pushed it back towards him.
"It's the best shield in Camelot. Trust me," he said, looking very pointedly at him. "Don't lose it."
Raising an eyebrow, he strapped the shield to Gryngolet with the rest of his supplies. He couldn't be sure, but it looked as though there were some sort of golden design on the front of it... something like a star...
But then it was gone. Must've been a trick of the light, he surmised.
He had set off, then, heart warm and spirits high. Camelot shrunk into the distance. His prince, his knights, and his friends all left staring after him.
He shuddered as another bone-chilling gust of wind assaulted him.
It was nice to be on the road again, he told himself. Nothing like a journey to reinvigorate his spirits.
They traveled for hours, moving northward toward the land of Wirral. In his years of wandering, he'd heard rumors of a giant in that land. His gut told him he would find the Green Chapel there.
Gwaine's mind wandered as the endless white terrain offered him no distractions. Inevitably, he would remember the axe swinging toward his neck and shudder, dispelling the thought anxiously.
I'm afraid of nothing, he reminded himself. Nothing at all. I'm a knight of Camelot, and my father's son before that. No, I fear nothing.
The sun began to sink into the horizon and heavy flakes of wet snow began to fall. Gwaine led Gryngolet to a small cave opening at the base of an ancient mountain, deciding to camp there for the night.
He went about the familiar task of gathering firewood and laying out his bedroll. He lit a modest fire and began to chew eagerly on a loaf of bread. Stretching with a yawn, he leaned back against the wall of the cave, watching the firelight cast dancing shadows.
"Ah yes," he said to Gryngolet. "This, my friend, is how life should be." He cracked his knuckles and huddled under his blanket. "Freedom. Just you, me, and nature." He sighed.
Gryngolet looked at him, balefully.
Gwaine snorted. "Fine, you're right." He shivered. "This is no where near as nice as the castle." He rubbed his hands up and down his arms, shivering. "Dammit," he said, standing up to regain some circulation in his cold limbs.
He walked to Gryngolet and petted his soft mane. He rummaged through his satchel and pulled out his book. Then, after looking at it for a long minute, he retrieved the scarlet shield Merlin had given him.
"I swear I saw something..." He huddled close to the fire, tilting the lacquered surface toward the light.
There was nothing. No gold, no star, just a smooth, metal surface. It did, however, feel warm to the touch. Comforting, almost.
"Strange," he muttered, laying the shield next to him. He opened his book and proceeded to forget all about it.
In only a few short minutes, fingers resting on the worn pages of his book, Gwaine was asleep.
***
Blinding light. It was all that he saw. All that he thought he ever could see. Pure, white light. It came from within him, from beyond him, from all around him. It was warm and cool all at once. Calming and invigorating.
It faded, but only just. There was a flicker. Then another. A pattern. A world came into focus through the light. A forest. Branches swaying in the wind, bereft of foliage. They cast shadows, moving gently across the ground.
Winter. Cold, blinding winter light in a barren forest terrain.
He felt his body again. Feet, legs, torso, arms, hands, neck-
Gasping, a breath entered his body. He was a figure in this forest now.
The snow crunched beneath his feet, the wind chilled his skin. His eyes squinted at the intensity of the sun. He turned around and around, slowly.
In the distance, another figure.
He took a step forward, but moved miles.
The figure stood before him, now, back turned. Tall, slight, white skin glowing with something like power. Something like grace.
The figure turned, he felt his own breath catch.
Bluest eyes caught him in their gaze and he felt reborn.
The earth around him erupted into springtime. Leaves pushed their way out of the branches, grass shot up from the ground. Flowers unfurled and the snow vanished in the blink of an eye.
The world was awash with color. Brightest reds, vivid yellows, blue skies, and soft pink blooms. It was beautiful, consuming. He felt... complete.
And before Gwaine stood the tall, slight, smiling figure of Merlin. Merlin, with the warmth of red in his cheeks, his lips, a crimson scarf wrapped around his neck.
"Merlin," he whispered, barely a sound on the wind.
"Gwaine," he replied, smiling as serenely as ever. "Gwaine, wake-up," Merlin said, moving a hand to his chilled face. "Wake-up, now."
The hand on his face grew warmer and warmer. Gwaine looked at Merlin, confused. "Merlin, what are you-?"
The hand on his face was scalding now and Merlin shouted, "WAKE-UP!"
***
Gwaine jerked awake. Immediately, he was aware of three things: One, he had fallen asleep against the scarlet shield and now it was burning as if it were a furnace, two, that Gryngolet was whinnying with terror, and three, that there was a sword swinging towards his head.
Giving a strangled yell, Gwaine rolled, grabbing the burning shield along the way. The sword, which was wielded by a hooded figure, embedded itself in the earth where his head had been.
"Can't a man get some sleep around here?" he shouted, yanking his sword from its sheath on Gryngolet's saddle.
The figure said nothing, but charged toward him again. Gwaine saw the sharp metal of the blade shine green in the light.
Their swords clashed together. Gwaine grunted and swung for the man's middle. The figure leapt back with unnatural speed and was upon him again in seconds.
"What are you?" Gwaine hissed, tumbling to the hard ground. The figure raised the blade high, about to make his final blow.
"I figured you'd do that," Gwaine said, sweeping his sword across the figure's ankles, severing them.
The figure fell to the ground and Gwaine wasted no time regaining his footing and driving the sword straight through the figure's heart.
That is, if the figure had a heart.
As Gwaine caught his breath, he looked closer at the hooded man and saw that it was no man at all. The cloak was woven from thick green leaves, the limbs were nothing but coiled ivy, and the face was nothing but damp moss.
"Enchanted," Gwaine murmured. "Somekind of... golem?"
He rubbed a hand over his face and sighed. He looked toward the entrance of the cave and saw daylight beginning to peek over the horizon. Might as well move on, he thought.
He looked back at the pile of green foliage upon the cave floor, then picked up the shield.
"Merlin wasn't kidding, was he?" he asked Gryngolet, running a hand over the warm surface.
He decided, from that moment on, to carry the shield at all times.
***
Another day passed. And then another after that.
Gwaine grew exhausted.
His beard was frozen stiff and even Gryngolet shivered. The only warmth beyond a fire was from the red shield. Wirral was even more frigid than the outskirts of Camelot had been. The terrain was rockier, sharper, icier. The sky was a twist of angry greys, the earth nothing but stone.
Gwaine missed Camelot, sorely. He missed the warmth of the kitchens and the cranky voice of the baker. He missed the glowing hearths and soft blankets. He yearned for the hard training of the mornings, and the soothing banter with Merlin in the evenings.
His teeth chattered. His bones ached.
It had never been this horrible before he'd become a knight.
He could handle any terrain, any weather. He could live anywhere, and live there happily until the end of his days if he so chose.
But now...
A full body shiver ran through him again. The heat of the shield increased and Gwaine let out a thankful sigh.
"I don't know where Merlin found you," he said to the shield, "but I'm glad he did."
Suddenly, Gryngolet stopped. He tossed his head and took several steps back.
Gwaine looked around quickly.
Before them was a narrow mountain pass. High walls of craggy stone towered on both sides. Several small rocks tumbled down the sides, echoing loudly.
The shield on his back began to burn hotter.
"Easy, boy," Gwaine said, smoothing his hand down the horse's neck. "Easy."
He looked around again. There was no way to navigate around the pass. They'd have to cross through it.
Taking a deep breath, Gwaine cautiously urged his horse forward. Gryngolet trotted, body tensing beneath him.
Gwaine unsheathed his sword and readied his shield.
A few more rocks tumbled down the sheer face of the stone pass. Then, a few more. More after that.
The rocks grew larger, louder.
"Let's move," Gwaine hissed into Gryngolet's ear.
The charger began to gallop as fast as he could. Around them, it seemed like the pass was collapsing. What had once been falling pebbles were now great boulders hurtling towards them.
It was an avalanche.
Gryngolet skillfully dodged between the rain of stone around them. The earth was shaking beneath him, but still he charged on.
They were reaching the end of the pass. Hope was in sight. Gwaine urged the horse on.
The world lurched.
Gryngolet reared up and Gawaine toppled from his back on to the shaking ground. The wind was knocked from his body and he struggled to sit up.
Then, his jaw went slack.
Before them, at the end of the pass, stood a giant stone golem. It was as big as a tower of Camelot and gleamed with flecks of emerald. Its legs were boulders, its shoulders jagged sheets of slate. Stones beneath its feet turned to dust when it crushed them. Every step it took knocked Gwaine back to the ground.
"Oh, gods," Gwaine whispered. He turned toward his loyal horse. "Get out of here, Gryngolet! Run for home!"
But the horse did not leave. Instead, it stumbled towards Gwaine and jerked it head, whinnying. Gwaine grinned and grasped the reigns, pulling himself to his feet and steadying himself against the horses weight.
The golem advanced. The ground cracked beneath Gwaine's feet. Giant fissures began to grow.
They turned to run back they way they had entered, only to find it blocked off by the avalanche.
"Dammit!" Gawaine shouted, as a stone collided with his leg. He staggered for a moment, before catching himself on the horse. They were trapped.
The golem let out a horrifying and unnatural echoing cry. It sounded like breaking glass and grinding stone. It raised its crushing fists and brought them crashing down toward Gwaine and Gryngolet.
Closing his eyes and raising a prayer to whatever deity might listen, Gwaine raised the small scarlet shield and hoped.
The explosion that ensued was magnificent.
As the fist of the golem bore down upon them, the small shield gave off such a blinding, golden light, that Gwaine had to avert his eyes. From every corner of the pass, he seemed to hear a powerful voice shouting "áwere". The voice echoed and grew with the blinding light until it exploded into a wave of golden fire. The golem was thrown back with the force of it and shattered upon the ground, leaving huge craters in the earth.
For a moment, Gwaine stared, dumbfounded.
On the face of the shield, there was a glowing, golden outline of a five-pointed pentangle.
"Merlin, you and I are going to have a serious conversation when I get back," he said, before throwing his head back with deep laughter.
"Alright, Gryngolet, let's get out of here." He swung himself back up into the saddle.
And that's when he realized he was bleeding.
His entire left leg was drenched in blood from a deep gash the sharp, falling stone had left.
"Great," Gwaine muttered, ripping a piece of his cloak off to staunch the wound. "Perfect."
He took the reigns and Gryngolet hurried them out of the pass.
Hours passed and Gwaine grew increasingly dizzy. Looking down at his leg, he saw the wound was still bleeding. It was a deeper gash than he assumed. He slumped forward in the saddle, feeling weak.
"This just isn't our day, is it boy," he grumbled to the horse, eyes unfocused.
In the distance, he could see a frozen river. Beyond that-
He blinked, squinted, and looked again.
A castle.
He kicked his heels and urged Gryngolet to go faster. It was his only chance.
The castle grew closer and closer, grew taller and taller.
It was an imposing image against the horizon. Tall, piercing metal spires shot into the sky. Stone turrets were built onto every corner. The battlements were so numerous and meticulously built that they looked like an intricate tapestry pattern.
It was a castle like Gwaine had never seen before.
He could feel himself losing feeling in his leg. The freezing air made his throat burn. His eyes drooped, his body swayed.
The shield burned steadily against his back and Gwaine swore he could hear Merlin hissing at him, "Stay awake, stay awake you stubborn clotpole."
After what seemed like an eternity, Gwaine staggered off of Gryngolet's back and brought his fist down, hard, against the towering wooden door of the castle gate.
After an agonizingly long moment, a porter opened a small door within the door, looking down at the knight.
"Good sir," Gwaine said, heaving in a breath of air as his vision began to grow black around the edges. "May a traveler find lodgings here for the night?"
"Why of course, good knight!" the porter said. He disappeared for a moment and Gwaine heard the clink of chains moving and latches being lifted. The giant wooden doors swung open and Gwaine grinned.
"May I ask your name?" the porter asked, reaching for his hand.
"Sir Gwaine," he said, grinning,"Knight of Camelot."
And then, he promptly passed out.
Part 1. Part 3 coming soon.