FIC: Fealty (2/?) - Merlin/Arthur, PG-13
TITLE: Fealty - part 2
AUTHOR: Demon Faith
CATEGORY: Hurt/Comfort, Drama
PAIRING: Merlin/Arthur
SPOILERS: Up to 1x03, to be safe.
RATING: PG-13
WORDS: 1,877
SUMMARY: A faithful and good servant is a real godsend; but truly 't is a rare bird in the land - Martin Luther
DISCLAIMER: I own not the boys, nor the show. Thankfully, they’re doing just fine.
NOTES: I made the fatal mistake of telling openskies that I was being harassed by a plot bunny. She then made me write on pain of capslock. ;)
When she'd heard that Arthur had suffered a hunting accident, she had laughed and called him clumsy. Yet when Gwen stood at her doorway, flowers half-crushed in her fingers, she knew something was wrong.
"Prince Arthur won't wake up. They're trying everything but…he's just so still. I've tried to make Merlin come away but he won't listen to me…"
Morgana felt an odd flutter in her stomach at Gwen's words but it was the girl's face that made her take a step closer and close her hand over the shaking flowers.
"I will speak with him. Rest easy."
Gwen gave a small nod and broke away. Morgana moved unhurriedly towards Arthur's chamber - who knew what would await her there? Certainly not Uther. He was not a father any more than he was king.
She bit back her bile, nodding to the pair of guards as she stepped across the threshold. The room smelled strongly of healing balm and she saw Gaius hunched over a pestle and mortar, grinding herbs with a steady rhythmic motion.
And there was Merlin, staring at Arthur as he could will him awake with just his eyes. His lips moved soundlessly and she wondered if he was praying, no longer trusting in mortals to wake the prince from his slumber.
Finally, she looked at Arthur. His bare skin glistened with sweat and he shivered, bright spots of fever on his cheeks. The bandage over his back was thick with dried blood, and the red-pink stains spread over the blankets pulled up to his waist. This was the story told in Gwen's eyes, but she could not have believed it possible unless she had seen. For the arrogant, infuriating Arthur to be reduced to…this…
She looked away.
Gaius nodded to her as he stood, touching Merlin's shoulder and placing the pestle in his hands. He paused in his prayers, head bowed, running his fingers along the edge of the bowl. Morgana had never seen him so silent.
"Merlin, the Lady Morgana is here to see Arthur."
He turned to her and offered what could have been a smile, shifting along the wooden bench to allow her a seat. She took it gracefully, eyes skittering away from Arthur to the paste Merlin scooped up in his fingers.
"It just seems so…wrong."
His voice cracked on the words and Morgana touched his hand, unsure how else to convey her sorrow and her guilt. She had often wished the idiot boy would shut up, keep to his room, just die…
"Oh, come now, Merlin. Soon you won't be saying that. He'll be ordering you to mend his clothes and shine his boots in no time." She had affection for Arthur's manservant, how he had curbed his wilder impulses, taught him what it was to be kind…
Arthur had never changed for anyone.
And when she looked at Merlin's eyes, how they were faintly lined with red, how he looked as if he himself was dying, she realised what had been right in front of her face: they were lovers! Arthur and Merlin were lovers, and she had been played for a fool.
The boy passed his fingers through Arthur's unresisting lips, whispering a stream of babble to him as he administered the medicine. The line on Arthur's forehead started to ease, but his body remained wracked with fever. He looked so pale, so…vulnerable, and yet it wasn't hers to care. He was Merlin's now.
Merlin cleaned off his hands mechanically before drawing a bowl of water to his side. He swept a cloth over Arthur's back, his arms, his brow; but the prince was oblivious to his ministrations. It all seemed so desperately futile, these small gestures in this grand, stifling room. Morgana no longer knew why she had come there.
But Gwen had asked, and so she would try.
"Merlin…Gwen's worried for you."
"I'm fine," he said. She sensed Gaius' gaze and glanced at him; his face said that this was a battle that could not be won, could not even be entertained. Merlin was not leaving until Arthur got up from the bed…or was carried from it.
"Merlin-"
The door was torn open and Uther stormed through it, his countenance ugly. Merlin had started to his feet, his right hand spread in a strange gesture of defiance but he dropped it quickly to his side.
"Your majesty," Merlin said quickly, bowing his head, but Morgana saw the fear in his eyes. What was happening now?
"There was no assassin," Uther spat, his anger frothing over his words. "The clearing was bare save for my son's blood. The guards found this" - a dagger, blood-drenched, was thrown callously on the floor between them - "in your chamber."
"I didn't…I couldn't…"
Merlin stared at the dagger, frozen; Morgana looked into Uther's eyes and saw something terrifying. She had to stand between them.
"He's been by Arthur's side for days! He's been devoted-"
"Poisoning him!" Uther knocked the pestle from the table, spattering the bloodied dagger with green. "Undo your spell, sorcerer! Restore my son and I may yet spare you!"
"No, it wasn't me…he's…no…"
Gaius stepped forward, eyes panicked. "Your majesty, I swear-"
"You know nothing about this! The evidence is damning - RETURN MY SON!"
"I didn't do it," he whispered, but Uther could not hear him even if he had screamed it.
"Guards, take him away. If he won't release my son, his death may save him."
"You're making a mistake!" Morgana shouted, but Merlin was already being dragged away and Uther following. He had not even spared a glance for his son.
"My Lady, please remain with the prince. I…must attend to the king."
Gaius hurried after them and Morgana found herself turning to Arthur, hesitant. Could she call on Gwen- but, no, that would require leaving him, and the thought that he might…slip away, with no one near…
She resumed her seat by his side and reached tentatively for his hand.
"It's all right, Arthur. Merlin…Merlin's coming back for you. I know it."
~
Gaius allowed Uther some moments to compose himself, before persuading the guards to let him pass. The man had wrecked his study - papers were strewn over the floor, a vase smashed and a chair dismembered. He was clearly in his cups, the mead vessel rolling on its side, but Gaius had very little to lose.
"Sire, I must speak with you on behalf of Merlin."
Uther laughed mirthlessly and drained his goblet. "On behalf of Merlin? You wish to condone murderers now, Gaius?"
"Your son is not dead, sire," Gaius said quietly, and Uther paused a moment before pouring himself more mead. "And that is because of Merlin."
Uther slammed down the goblet. "Merlin! Merlin in a treacherous snake who seeks to destroy my heir - you saw the dagger! Maybe the sight of blood was too much for him, maybe he panicked - so he brings my son home and pretends to mourn him, when really he feeds the fever and keeps him sleeping, so that he may not reveal the truth!"
Gaius watched the man pace around the room, muttering to himself, enshrouded in anger. If Merlin, and Arthur, were to be saved, the king could have no part in it.
"Sire," he said and removed himself from the room.
~
It had been two days and no one had come to talk to him about Arthur. Merlin refused to consider what that meant.
True, he also hadn't been executed, which could only be a good thing. But even Gaius hadn't come to see him and that meant he was…busy.
When he closed his eyes, he saw Arthur lying on the bed, possessed by fever and wasting away. They had only been able to trickle water into his mouth and the lean muscled form had grown gaunt.
It was almost a week since it had happened. He'd been running the scene in his mind over and over again, what he could have done to prevent it. Failed to notice the arrow, shouted something stupid - but he was in tune with Arthur now, had somehow grown to know his habits, the nuances of his movement. It was only his sky blue eyes that remained elusive.
"Merlin?"
"Gwen!"
He shuffled to his feet, the chains holding him back, but he could see her well enough by torchlight: she had been crying. His stomach fell through the floor…no…no…
"Merlin, he's dying. You have to do something. He's...they're preparing the horses."
Uther was setting up the funeral carriage. He didn't think Arthur would survive.
Merlin felt the spark of electricity tingle at his fingertips; he knew what to do.
"Gwen, I need you to leave right now. Send everyone away from Arthur's room and wait in Morgana's quarters."
Her eyes widened. "What…what are you going to do?"
"I don't want you involved, Gwen. Please."
She hesitated, then nodded and scurried away. He closed her eyes, took a deep breath and counted slowly up to ten.
The locks clicked and the chains fell away, silently coiling on the floor. He approached the door - click - and made his way into the main dungeon. One guard asleep, another with his dice mysteriously leaping into the darkness, and he was away, up the stairs and into the palace.
Destiny was with him that night, for he met no one and the hallways echoed with a hundred people holding their breath, waiting for their prince to pass on. He wouldn't allow it. He was Merlin, protector of the future-king - and maybe his best friend.
Arthur's room was abandoned by all but the sleeping heir. Merlin stood in the doorway, his breath caught in his throat.
The prince was lying on his back, arms crossed over his chest. He was dressed in his ceremonial robes, his coronet on the bench beside him. All fit for a funeral.
Merlin crept forward and touched the icy skin - his heart was still beating. There was still hope.
"I'm getting you out of here," he whispered, sitting Arthur up and lifting him over his shoulder. With painful slowness, he carried him through the castle, pausing for breath every few minutes and checking he was going the right way. They didn't have long before someone realised one or both of them was missing - he had to be quick.
Gaius was out on a visit, it seemed, so he laid Arthur on the healer's table and ran for his magic book. He'd been looking at these spells before they'd gone hunting, but he'd never dreamed he'd be using them like this.
After this, there was no turning back - the whole kingdom would know he was a sorcerer and Arthur would be forced to banish him, if not execute him outright. But it didn't matter, because he'd be alive to do it.
He found the spell and committed it to memory, turning it over and over in his mind, before climbing onto the bed, kneeling either side of Arthur's body and placing his palms on the pale and frozen cheeks.
The door crashed open and Gaius stumbled over the threshold. "Merlin, what are you doing?"
"Find the dagger! It's the only way to save him!"
The incantation flowed over his lips, and the world slowed to-
AUTHOR: Demon Faith
CATEGORY: Hurt/Comfort, Drama
PAIRING: Merlin/Arthur
SPOILERS: Up to 1x03, to be safe.
RATING: PG-13
WORDS: 1,877
SUMMARY: A faithful and good servant is a real godsend; but truly 't is a rare bird in the land - Martin Luther
DISCLAIMER: I own not the boys, nor the show. Thankfully, they’re doing just fine.
NOTES: I made the fatal mistake of telling openskies that I was being harassed by a plot bunny. She then made me write on pain of capslock. ;)
When she'd heard that Arthur had suffered a hunting accident, she had laughed and called him clumsy. Yet when Gwen stood at her doorway, flowers half-crushed in her fingers, she knew something was wrong.
"Prince Arthur won't wake up. They're trying everything but…he's just so still. I've tried to make Merlin come away but he won't listen to me…"
Morgana felt an odd flutter in her stomach at Gwen's words but it was the girl's face that made her take a step closer and close her hand over the shaking flowers.
"I will speak with him. Rest easy."
Gwen gave a small nod and broke away. Morgana moved unhurriedly towards Arthur's chamber - who knew what would await her there? Certainly not Uther. He was not a father any more than he was king.
She bit back her bile, nodding to the pair of guards as she stepped across the threshold. The room smelled strongly of healing balm and she saw Gaius hunched over a pestle and mortar, grinding herbs with a steady rhythmic motion.
And there was Merlin, staring at Arthur as he could will him awake with just his eyes. His lips moved soundlessly and she wondered if he was praying, no longer trusting in mortals to wake the prince from his slumber.
Finally, she looked at Arthur. His bare skin glistened with sweat and he shivered, bright spots of fever on his cheeks. The bandage over his back was thick with dried blood, and the red-pink stains spread over the blankets pulled up to his waist. This was the story told in Gwen's eyes, but she could not have believed it possible unless she had seen. For the arrogant, infuriating Arthur to be reduced to…this…
She looked away.
Gaius nodded to her as he stood, touching Merlin's shoulder and placing the pestle in his hands. He paused in his prayers, head bowed, running his fingers along the edge of the bowl. Morgana had never seen him so silent.
"Merlin, the Lady Morgana is here to see Arthur."
He turned to her and offered what could have been a smile, shifting along the wooden bench to allow her a seat. She took it gracefully, eyes skittering away from Arthur to the paste Merlin scooped up in his fingers.
"It just seems so…wrong."
His voice cracked on the words and Morgana touched his hand, unsure how else to convey her sorrow and her guilt. She had often wished the idiot boy would shut up, keep to his room, just die…
"Oh, come now, Merlin. Soon you won't be saying that. He'll be ordering you to mend his clothes and shine his boots in no time." She had affection for Arthur's manservant, how he had curbed his wilder impulses, taught him what it was to be kind…
Arthur had never changed for anyone.
And when she looked at Merlin's eyes, how they were faintly lined with red, how he looked as if he himself was dying, she realised what had been right in front of her face: they were lovers! Arthur and Merlin were lovers, and she had been played for a fool.
The boy passed his fingers through Arthur's unresisting lips, whispering a stream of babble to him as he administered the medicine. The line on Arthur's forehead started to ease, but his body remained wracked with fever. He looked so pale, so…vulnerable, and yet it wasn't hers to care. He was Merlin's now.
Merlin cleaned off his hands mechanically before drawing a bowl of water to his side. He swept a cloth over Arthur's back, his arms, his brow; but the prince was oblivious to his ministrations. It all seemed so desperately futile, these small gestures in this grand, stifling room. Morgana no longer knew why she had come there.
But Gwen had asked, and so she would try.
"Merlin…Gwen's worried for you."
"I'm fine," he said. She sensed Gaius' gaze and glanced at him; his face said that this was a battle that could not be won, could not even be entertained. Merlin was not leaving until Arthur got up from the bed…or was carried from it.
"Merlin-"
The door was torn open and Uther stormed through it, his countenance ugly. Merlin had started to his feet, his right hand spread in a strange gesture of defiance but he dropped it quickly to his side.
"Your majesty," Merlin said quickly, bowing his head, but Morgana saw the fear in his eyes. What was happening now?
"There was no assassin," Uther spat, his anger frothing over his words. "The clearing was bare save for my son's blood. The guards found this" - a dagger, blood-drenched, was thrown callously on the floor between them - "in your chamber."
"I didn't…I couldn't…"
Merlin stared at the dagger, frozen; Morgana looked into Uther's eyes and saw something terrifying. She had to stand between them.
"He's been by Arthur's side for days! He's been devoted-"
"Poisoning him!" Uther knocked the pestle from the table, spattering the bloodied dagger with green. "Undo your spell, sorcerer! Restore my son and I may yet spare you!"
"No, it wasn't me…he's…no…"
Gaius stepped forward, eyes panicked. "Your majesty, I swear-"
"You know nothing about this! The evidence is damning - RETURN MY SON!"
"I didn't do it," he whispered, but Uther could not hear him even if he had screamed it.
"Guards, take him away. If he won't release my son, his death may save him."
"You're making a mistake!" Morgana shouted, but Merlin was already being dragged away and Uther following. He had not even spared a glance for his son.
"My Lady, please remain with the prince. I…must attend to the king."
Gaius hurried after them and Morgana found herself turning to Arthur, hesitant. Could she call on Gwen- but, no, that would require leaving him, and the thought that he might…slip away, with no one near…
She resumed her seat by his side and reached tentatively for his hand.
"It's all right, Arthur. Merlin…Merlin's coming back for you. I know it."
~
Gaius allowed Uther some moments to compose himself, before persuading the guards to let him pass. The man had wrecked his study - papers were strewn over the floor, a vase smashed and a chair dismembered. He was clearly in his cups, the mead vessel rolling on its side, but Gaius had very little to lose.
"Sire, I must speak with you on behalf of Merlin."
Uther laughed mirthlessly and drained his goblet. "On behalf of Merlin? You wish to condone murderers now, Gaius?"
"Your son is not dead, sire," Gaius said quietly, and Uther paused a moment before pouring himself more mead. "And that is because of Merlin."
Uther slammed down the goblet. "Merlin! Merlin in a treacherous snake who seeks to destroy my heir - you saw the dagger! Maybe the sight of blood was too much for him, maybe he panicked - so he brings my son home and pretends to mourn him, when really he feeds the fever and keeps him sleeping, so that he may not reveal the truth!"
Gaius watched the man pace around the room, muttering to himself, enshrouded in anger. If Merlin, and Arthur, were to be saved, the king could have no part in it.
"Sire," he said and removed himself from the room.
~
It had been two days and no one had come to talk to him about Arthur. Merlin refused to consider what that meant.
True, he also hadn't been executed, which could only be a good thing. But even Gaius hadn't come to see him and that meant he was…busy.
When he closed his eyes, he saw Arthur lying on the bed, possessed by fever and wasting away. They had only been able to trickle water into his mouth and the lean muscled form had grown gaunt.
It was almost a week since it had happened. He'd been running the scene in his mind over and over again, what he could have done to prevent it. Failed to notice the arrow, shouted something stupid - but he was in tune with Arthur now, had somehow grown to know his habits, the nuances of his movement. It was only his sky blue eyes that remained elusive.
"Merlin?"
"Gwen!"
He shuffled to his feet, the chains holding him back, but he could see her well enough by torchlight: she had been crying. His stomach fell through the floor…no…no…
"Merlin, he's dying. You have to do something. He's...they're preparing the horses."
Uther was setting up the funeral carriage. He didn't think Arthur would survive.
Merlin felt the spark of electricity tingle at his fingertips; he knew what to do.
"Gwen, I need you to leave right now. Send everyone away from Arthur's room and wait in Morgana's quarters."
Her eyes widened. "What…what are you going to do?"
"I don't want you involved, Gwen. Please."
She hesitated, then nodded and scurried away. He closed her eyes, took a deep breath and counted slowly up to ten.
The locks clicked and the chains fell away, silently coiling on the floor. He approached the door - click - and made his way into the main dungeon. One guard asleep, another with his dice mysteriously leaping into the darkness, and he was away, up the stairs and into the palace.
Destiny was with him that night, for he met no one and the hallways echoed with a hundred people holding their breath, waiting for their prince to pass on. He wouldn't allow it. He was Merlin, protector of the future-king - and maybe his best friend.
Arthur's room was abandoned by all but the sleeping heir. Merlin stood in the doorway, his breath caught in his throat.
The prince was lying on his back, arms crossed over his chest. He was dressed in his ceremonial robes, his coronet on the bench beside him. All fit for a funeral.
Merlin crept forward and touched the icy skin - his heart was still beating. There was still hope.
"I'm getting you out of here," he whispered, sitting Arthur up and lifting him over his shoulder. With painful slowness, he carried him through the castle, pausing for breath every few minutes and checking he was going the right way. They didn't have long before someone realised one or both of them was missing - he had to be quick.
Gaius was out on a visit, it seemed, so he laid Arthur on the healer's table and ran for his magic book. He'd been looking at these spells before they'd gone hunting, but he'd never dreamed he'd be using them like this.
After this, there was no turning back - the whole kingdom would know he was a sorcerer and Arthur would be forced to banish him, if not execute him outright. But it didn't matter, because he'd be alive to do it.
He found the spell and committed it to memory, turning it over and over in his mind, before climbing onto the bed, kneeling either side of Arthur's body and placing his palms on the pale and frozen cheeks.
The door crashed open and Gaius stumbled over the threshold. "Merlin, what are you doing?"
"Find the dagger! It's the only way to save him!"
The incantation flowed over his lips, and the world slowed to-