In Search of Remembrance ~ Part 7 ~ A New Tomorrow
A New Tomorrow
Seven Years Later
Merlin stood on the battlements overlooking the city in the late evening with his senses open. He closed his eyes and reached out to the whisper of a warm breeze that swirled and danced at the edges of his awareness. It smelled of fresh spring rains and whispered of hope and promise. He had been waiting to feel it for months now and a smile played at his lips. The time had finally come.
With a spring in his step, he quickly descended into the citadel, though he watched his feet as he went. He was still cautious of taking the stairs too quickly and tripping over the hem of the formal robe Arthur insisted he wear. He had worn one for nearly four years now and he still wasn’t comfortable with it, but it gave Arthur pleasure to see him in his finery. So, like most of the castle, or the entire kingdom really, he caved for the sake of a pleased smile on the face of the king. As he hurried through the corridors, he nodded at the various people, servants and nobles alike, who were making their way towards their evening meal. He received polite nods and friendly smiles in return. On another evening, he might stop to chat with those who greeted him, but he was too eager to find Arthur to tarry in conversation.
He found Arthur, as expected, in his council chambers looking over various documents that demanded his attention. The last of the evening light cast the room in a golden glow, but as it faded Arthur hunched forward, squinting his eyes in the growing dim. With a careless flick of his fingers, Merlin lit the candles at the small desk set by the window. The crease in Arthur’s brow smoothed and he trailed his finger down the page, finishing what he was reading before he looked up. The smile that spread across Arthur’s face still made Merlin’s heart skip and his magic surge slightly in response.
“It’s time, Arthur,” Merlin said gently.
Arthur tilted his head slightly and looked at Merlin in confusion. “Time?”
Merlin nodded. “The land is ready. It’s time.”
Arthur’s eyes widened and he pushed up from his chair, crossing the room to Merlin with long strides. He stood in front of Merlin, breath shaking slightly and his entire body on alert.
“Is it really?”
Merlin reached across the small space separating them and took Arthur’s hands in his. “We’ll need to leave tomorrow. I think we’re meant to arrive for Beltane.”
Leaning in, Arthur captured Merlin’s lips in a quick, but joyful kiss and pulled away smiling. “I’ll let Morgana know, if she doesn’t already. How long will we be away?”
“Ten days at most.”
The Isle of Blessed was a full four days ride from the castle at Camelot, but the roads across the land were no longer particularly dangerous. There were still wild animals and the occasional small groups of men who resisted the rule of law, but things were peaceful now for the most part. The road north was long, winding through broad mountains and across many rivers and streams. The spring was waxing, full of life as they travelled with the cheerful twitter of birdsong in the trees that were bright green with new leaves. The days were warm and pleasant to ride in, but the nights were still chilly enough that there was no question about sleeping tucked close together for warmth.
The sun was beginning to drop low on the horizon on Beltane eve when Merlin first caught sight of the lake in the valley below. It was already shadowed and the surface appeared shrouded in a mist that made it difficult to distinguish any features. Arthur looked at him questioningly, but Merlin simply shrugged and carefully picked his way down the narrow, overgrown path leading down to the water’s edge.
At the bottom, there was a wide clearing of good browse for the horses and a rickety dock at the shoreline next to which a small boat was bobbing slowly in the gently lapping waters. They worked quickly to relieve the horses of their burdens and tethered them so they could graze freely. Arthur lingered a few moments, checking hooves for stones and whispering affectionate words, which he would never let anyone but Merlin see him do. As always, his heart tugged to see the care and attention Arthur gave everyone if a person had an eye to see it, and before he became ridiculously soppy, Merlin turned his attention to the boat.
The boat was tiny and would barely hold them both, even with the small amount of gear they had brought. Despite its shabby condition, however, it appeared to be watertight. Cautiously, Merlin lowered himself in, checking the stability. Arthur’s boots seemed inordinately loud when he walked out on the dock to join him.
“You’re certain that will hold us?” Arthur asked in a whisper.
The stillness of this place seemed to call for hushed words and Merlin nodded. “It’ll be a tight fit, but we should be fine.”
Arthur passed down their small packs and tentatively lowered a foot into the boat. It swayed with the unbalanced weight, but stabilized quickly once Arthur was in and seated.
“I still feel ridiculous dressed like I’m about to attend a formal feast in the middle of nowhere,” Arthur pointed out for the tenth time that day.
Merlin smiled fondly at him. “You’re here as the High King of Albion to represent your people.”
“And you? You’re my Chief Advisor and Royal Consort. I don’t see why you’re in plain clothes,” Arthur groused without any real heat to his words.
“Because that’s the way it is. You’ll see,” Merlin said as he untied the boat from the dock.
With a flick of his wrist, the boat began to move out into the lake and Merlin sat on the bench in front of Arthur. He looked on with eagerness and curiosity for his first glimpse of the island. He had known their time would be soon and all winter he had scoured every library he had at his disposal to learn all he could. What precisely would be expected of them, he wasn’t sure, but he had worked out a few things. Arthur was the representation of all the peoples of Albion, gathered together under his banner; it was his place to connect with the earth in whatever ritual would take place on the island. What that would be, Merlin hadn’t found a proper answer for, but he had his suspicions. All he could guess with any certainty was that they were meant to interact with the natural magics of the earth. Merlin had tried to discuss it with Kilgarrah several times, but freedom had seemed to make the dragon even more cryptic if anything. The only reassurance he had been given was that he would know what to do when the time was right.
The boat slipped through the gathered mists, the small waves barely making a sound against the bow as it cut through the water. When they came through the densest fog, stone ruins loomed in front of them. Without conscious guidance, the boat glided up to a wide stone step at the shore and stopped. Merlin looped the rope around a broken stone pillar that might have been part of a wide archway once, and carefully stepped from the boat. He nearly tripped on the damp steps but managed to regain his balance before tumbling into the water. Arthur grinned and shook his head, but managed not to laugh before climbing out of the boat himself.
They walked up into the ruined remains of what once must have been a great fortress. It was still and quiet in the shadow of the stone walls. When they walked into an open courtyard torches flared to life around them and Merlin instinctively put his back to Arthur, his senses alert. The response was strong in Arthur as well, and he took Excalibur to hand without hesitation.
“Well met,” said a woman’s voice echoing off the stone around them.
Merlin relaxed slightly, but remained alert. “Hello, Nimueh.”
A light feminine chuckle rang in the air. “Hello, Emrys. I bid you and your king welcome.”
As one, Merlin and Arthur turned to the far end of the courtyard where a woman in a red gown walked barefooted across the grass towards them.
“You know why we are here,” stated Merlin when she drew near.
She nodded. “You have been called, and my time is over.”
Merlin nodded, but Arthur sheathed his sword and shook his head. “I was startled. I’m not here to do you harm.”
Nimueh’s lips curled up in amusement at his words.
“You have become a far greater man than I had thought possible when last I saw you,” she said and turned to Merlin. “I offer my apologies, Emrys. Had I known, I would not have stood in your way.”
“I’m not angry with you any longer, Nimueh. Your obstacles served their own purpose apart from your designs,” said Merlin.
“So they did,” she agreed. “Are you ready? It has been a long time since there was a High Priest of Albion.”
Merlin looked at her in surprise. “You would give up your place to me so easily?”
“I cannot serve as you would. As protector of the magical powers of the land, I have been given more time, but it is not true immortality. I would not be able to unite with the people, either,” she said, glancing briefly at Arthur before returning her intense gaze to Merlin. “This is your destiny. I understand it has been a very long time in the making.”
“You will die,” Merlin observed.
Nimueh’s breath caught a little at the words, but she kept his gaze, chin lifted proudly. “That is part of the balance. You do not need my lifeforce, but your king does. For what is to come, I do not begrudge the exchange.”
“I wish...” Merlin began, then let out a long breath, slumping his shoulders. “It doesn’t matter, but I do wish we hadn’t been adversaries.”
The smile she favoured him with was warm and kind. “That you have endured so much yet still have your kind heart intact is a wonder to me. Light the ceremonial fire and be truly united with your other half. Let him take in your power and bless the earth with life. Complete the only task remaining to you and Albion will be protected and united for all the days to come.”
Arthur stepped towards Nimueh, his hands twitching as if he wanted to reach out to her but wasn’t certain if it would be inappropriate. She took pity on his discomfort and extended a hand. He took it and brushed his lips across the back of it.
“Thank you. I never expected to have cause to give it, but you have my gratitude.”
“Rule well, and have the wisdom to know when it is time to place your kingdom in the hands of others,” Nimueh said.
Stepping back, she moved to the centre of the courtyard and raised her hands up to the sky. The wind picked up and the ground and the walls and the air around them began to pulse with magic. Merlin gasped and struggled for a moment to draw breath, feeling himself suddenly so full of power that it threatened to shake his body apart. Arthur looked at him in concern but before Merlin could say anything in reassurance Nimueh cried out. Her body was lifted in the air and seemed to change from solid flesh to something fluid and changeable. She hovered there for a moment and then was gone, like mist chased away by the sun.
The swell of power within him surged greater still and Merlin could not take even a moment’s pause at Nimueh’s death. Arthur had turned his focus back to him and was staring wide eyed. A glance at his hands showed the power crackling visibly over his skin. With no more than a thought, a bonfire burst into existence where Nimueh had stood. Merlin took Arthur’s hand and felt the overwhelming power race from his body over to Arthur’s.
They walked hand in hand to the edge of the flames and Arthur paused, quirking a smile at Merlin. “Jump with me?”
“Always,” Merlin said with a grin.
Full to bursting with magic and emotion and sensation, Merlin gripped Arthur’s hand tighter and they jumped across the roaring flames. Their feet scarcely had touched the ground on the other side before they were clutching each other, tugging at clothing and pressing desperate kisses along skin as it was exposed. The fine clothes Arthur had complained about were tossed carelessly to the ground away from the fire in a scattered heap with Merlin’s.
With little urging, Merlin guided Arthur down to the ground, pressing him into the grass and attacking the bare skin that glowed golden in the firelight with his mouth. Merlin licked a wet line up Arthur’s neck and felt the magic roar in behind it. Arthur groaned and keened as Merlin brought his attention to each new part of his body and let the power sweep in behind it.
When he had seen to Arthur’s face, neck and chest, leaving the skin alight with magic as he went, Merlin focussed his attention lower. Long fingers traced the muscled lines of Arthur’s strong legs. He pressed his fingers firmly into the tensed muscles pulling still more groans. He felt dizzy from all the power he was drawing on and pushing into Arthur’s body and Arthur’s unseeing glassy eyes were enough to indicate he felt much the same.
When Merlin brought his hand to stroke the hard length of Arthur’s cock, Arthur writhed and tried to pull back from the rushing onslaught that followed but Merlin would not grant him release.
Arthur pleaded, “Please. Merlin, it’s too much.”
“There’s more,” Merlin said, his voice full of power and promise.
Too overwrought to resist, Arthur rolled easily onto his front, giving up and letting Merlin do what he would. As he had done to Arthur’s front, Merlin kissed, bit, and sucked his way down Arthur’s back. Arthur clenched his hands, pulling loose dirt and grass up with his fingers. Not letting up, Merlin nipped and sucked at the base of Arthur’s spine, just above the swell of his arse. Arthur bucked his hips and keened louder as Merlin dropped lower, spreading Arthur open. Pressing a tongue at the tight pucker of skin, he licked and pushed in until Arthur was dripping wet and open.
Barely able to see through the golden haze of magic taking over his senses, Merlin slid his arms under Arthur’s hips and pulled him up to his knees. Merlin became aware, now that the moment was upon him, of the desperate straining of his own cock. His physical urges had been muted almost completely by the swell of the magic, but drawing a finger along the cleft of Arthur’s arse and pressing a finger into the clenching wet heat made him moan with need. Taking his cock in hand, Merlin positioned himself and pushed in, bending over Arthur’s back until his lips were pressed against the nape of Arthur’s neck.
He had only a moment to savour the tight heat that engulfed him, before the magic came racing in to overtake his senses completely. The bright golden light cut out his vision and all Merlin could do was hold tight to Arthur as wave after wave of magic drove him forward. Power roared in his ears and crackled like lightening along his skin, pouring through him into Arthur until it could be borne no longer. Merlin came with a scream, shuddering and spasming until the golden light faded to black.
It was fingers stroking idly through his hair that Merlin became aware of first. It was familiar and comforting, like the steady heartbeat under his ear. He was abstractly aware of a blade of grass tickling his thigh and he twitched trying to shift away from it. His body was decidedly unresponsive and he cracked an eyelid.
“What..?” he asked, not really certain what question he was looking for an answer to.
Arthur’s voice rumbled beneath his ear. “You’re awake. Are you alright?”
“I think so. You?”
“Yeah. I’m not sure I can move just yet though.”
Merlin pressed a kiss onto the skin where his lips were resting. “We don’t have to. We can stay here all night.”
“Yes, but even with the fire, it’s not exactly warm tonight,” Arthur pointed out.
“Never satisfied, are you?”
The arm around Merlin tightened and soft lips brushed against his forehead. “Any more satisfied and I’m not sure either of us would have woken up again.”
Merlin felt a twinge of concern as the memory of their frenzied magical joining solidified in his mind. “Do you feel alright? You weren’t hurt were you? The magic was so overpowering and...”
“It was, but I’m just fine. You worry too much, you great girl.”
“Hey!” Merlin objected.
Arthur just pulled him tighter in his arms. “I’m not sure I’ll be up for any vigorous riding for the next few days, but we have time.”
“We have all the time the world,” Merlin whispered, the realization suddenly dawning on him.
With great effort, Merlin pushed himself up on his elbow and looked at Arthur. His face was all angles and shadows in the flickering light of the fire and the sight of it made Merlin’s heart clench.
“I love you.”
Arthur cupped his cheek and drew him in for a kiss that was heat and passion and promise made real in the slide of lips and teeth and tongue. The urgent strain of holding his magic in was gone and the waves of it rippled between their bodies and settled back into Merlin easily when they broke apart. It was as if the distinction between his body and Arthur’s didn’t matter to his magic anymore and the power just settled where it needed to.
“Did you feel that?” Merlin asked with nearly giddy excitement.
Arthur nodded, a smile playing at his lips. “My other half.”
“My other half,” Merlin breathed, and kissed Arthur until they both forgot about the chill of the night air.
The ride back to Camelot was slow. They took their time and stopped regularly just to enjoy the cool shade at the edge of a stream or briefly venture into the woods to hunt. The land around them was more alive than it had been on their journey to the Isle of Blessed and they both could feel it.
As they neared the city, they met far more people on the road travelling home from Camelot after selling goods at market and gathering supplies. They smiled and greeted their fellow travellers warmly, though most were too shocked when they realized who was speaking to them to respond with more than a stammered greeting and a hasty dip of the head. Arthur chuckled at their flustered demeanours, but Merlin sighed and shook his head. He was grateful for nearly all the changes they had made, not just in Camelot, but in the whole of Albion. This, however, was something he wasn’t entirely fond of. He had never been someone of rank before. The excessive bowing and repetitive displays of respect wore on him at times. Merlin wouldn’t change it, though.
He hadn’t dreamed that this was something he could have, standing beside Arthur openly, without artifice. There had been some upset amongst the courtiers and advisors when the young king had made it plain to them that he would not take a wife, but instead make Morgana and her line heirs to the throne. Not only had she become active in the ruling of the kingdom, Arthur also left her free to make a match of her own choosing. Arthur had been in a bad mood for months when it became plain one of his knights, Sir Bedivere, had won her heart, but several years and an adorable baby boy had tempered his irritation with her. They still bickered constantly, but Merlin had come to suspect this was out of equal parts habit and affection.
As they crested the last hill and Camelot came into view, Merlin smiled at the sight of the castle silhouetted against the rich hues of the evening sky. Arthur reined in his horse, and Merlin stopped beside him. Arthur looked out over the land surrounding the city, smiling fondly. Merlin reached out and placed a hand on Arthur’s thigh. Arthur startled, but turned his fond smile on Merlin and took his hand. Merlin gave a small squeeze and knew he was grinning like a fool when Arthur brought his hand to his lips and pressed a small kiss on the back.
Though there would be bad years along with the good, the accord of the people and the land would bring prosperity. Merlin could see endless possibilities laid out before him and a future as golden and bright as the man by his side.
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