As the World Comes to an End, Chapter Nine
As the World Comes to an End
Author: JALover7 (alanna_the_lionheart)
Rating: M
Spoilers: series finale, 5.13
Pairings: Merlin/Arthur
Genres: angst, hurt/comfort, romance, future-fic, reincarnation, post-apocalypse (sort of)
Summary: Sequel to “Full of Grace.” Arthur comes back from Avalon to find that he has been gone for nearly two thousand years. In a world torn apart by war, life has become simple again, yet Arthur finds himself homesick for a time that no longer exists. As Merlin and Arthur help each other cope, an ancient power rises in the Earth, threatening to destroy not only their new found happiness, but the world itself. Work in progress.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Merlin.
As the World Comes to an End
Chapter Nine: Promises to Keep
Two days later, Merlin and Arthur say goodbye to Sibyl and the rest of the village and begin their journey back to the ruins of Camelot. Arthur hugs Sibyl and thanks her for everything she’s done for them. She smiles at him and tells him it was her pleasure.
“I feel like I’ve finally found a purpose for my visions,” she says to them. “Helping you two save the world, even in such a small way…it’s why I’ve been given this gift in the first place.”
“You don’t see it as a curse anymore?” Merlin asks, and Arthur hears a hint of doubt and awe in his voice.
Sibyl smiles. “I used to. But now…I have faith in you. Both of you. I haven’t seen the outcome of this fight, but I know that if you work together, you have all the power you need to defeat It. It was my destiny to meet you and to help set you on the right path.”
“Destiny,” Merlin scoffs, a bitter smile on his face. “I know all about destiny.”
Arthur frowns at the anger in Merlin’s voice, and he steps up behind him and pulls him close to his chest.
“Hey, we talked about this, remember? We’re going to fight this thing, and we’re going to win. Then it’s just you and me. For as long as you can stand me, at least,” Arthur says with a chuckle, and he plants a swift kiss on top of Merlin’s head.
Merlin laughs, and the feel of it sends warmth flooding through Arthur’s veins.
“I waited two thousand years for you, Arthur. I think I can stand to spend a few measly decades with you.”
“I should hope so,” Arthur replies, letting go of him. “We should be heading out.” Arthur bends down and puts on his backpack, filled to the brim with clothes, food, and medicine that the village has been kind enough to give them. “Ready, Merlin?”
“In a minute,” Merlin replies. “There’s something I need to ask Sibyl.”
“All right,” Arthur responds.
“In private.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It takes them a week to return to Camelot; a journey that took them almost two weeks in the other direction. They don’t rush, because though neither of them will admit it, they aren’t in a hurry to face what lies ahead of them. Instead, they take in the scenery around them. They spend a few nights exploring abandoned towns, visiting villages bursting with life, and enjoying the bits of countryside that remain surprisingly untouched by the wars of man.
They start their journey in good spirits. Arthur’s not sure what Merlin needed to talk to Sibyl about, but he doesn’t ask. If Merlin wants to talk about it, he will.
Merlin’s happy at first to show him some of the sights they missed on their way to Windermere, bogged down as they were by storms and Merlin’s being ill. They find good weather and plenty of food on their way.
They visit Victor and Ella, the kind couple who let them sleep under their roof more than a month ago. Merlin and Arthur offer them the whole deer they were able to kill earlier that day, and that night the entire village gathers together for a feast. With their deer and what food the village has, it’s not a terribly large feast, but it's a feast none the less. There’s singing and dancing, music played on hand carved instruments, and a bonfire. Merlin takes the younger children aside and shows them some of his magic tricks with the fire. Arthur’s favorite is the golden dragon that hovers gently over the flames and shimmers brilliantly in the dark.
As the feast winds down, Merlin and Arthur sneak off to the edge of the forest and make love under the stars. Arthur’s never felt closer to Merlin, and he doesn’t think he’s ever loved him more than he does that night.
They sleep soundly under Victor and Ella’s roof…until Merlin wakes in the morning screaming.
“An island,” Merlin gasps. “An entire island. Somewhere in the Caribbean. One minute everyone’s sleeping, and then the next the entire island is flooding. Everyone’s running in terror, screaming, but there’s nowhere to go. The whole place is flooding. Everything…everyone, just…just gone. Dead. In a matter of minutes. Thousands of lives just…oh, god. Arthur….”
Arthur pulls Merlin close and rubs his back soothingly as Merlin sobs in his arms.
“There’s nothing you could do.”
“Arthur…we have to…we have to stop It.”
“We will. We will,” Arthur whispers soothingly. “It’s going to be all right.”
And he believes it.
He’s just not sure if Merlin believes it, too.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The closer they get to Camelot, the quieter Merlin gets. Arthur knows he's upset and tired from the visions, which haven’t stopped since they left Victor and Ella’s village. He does what he can to comfort Merlin. Holds him close at night, wakes him when he starts to moan or shake, attempts to keep the nightmares at bay. It helps a bit, but Arthur knows Merlin won’t truly be okay until they defeat Malus.
One morning, as they sit quietly and finish their breakfast, Merlin tells him that they’ll reach the cabin by nightfall. But first-
“I need to stop by the Crystal Caves. Sibyl told me that a friend would be able to help us.”
Arthur chuckles. “This friend...does he happen to be a dragon, Merlin?”
Merlin laughs softly and then nods.
“Yes, I had a feeling he'd be the one to help us. Well, we should get moving then. We have about a week to come up with a plan.”
Merlin just nods in agreement and helps Arthur pack up camp.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Merlin is terrified.
He’s done his best to hide it from Arthur, but he’s not sure how well he’s succeeded. It’s not just the visions that have him on edge. Ever since his talk with Sibyl, Merlin’s had this…feeling: a feeling that Sibyl only helped to confirm. Sibyl told him that he must return to the Crystal Caves; that Kilgharrah would tell him what needed to be done to stop Malus. Except Merlin could tell that Sibyl was hiding something, like she knew more than she was letting on; like she knew something she just didn’t want to tell him.
It’s just a feeling, a gut instinct: one that tells him this fight will not be easy.
That this fight will have a cost.
Arthur seems so sure of himself, so sure of them. Merlin’s tried to be optimistic, but Arthur hasn’t seen first hand what this Evil can do. He hasn’t been woken in the middle of the night to watch Malus destroy whole towns and communities of people.
The closer they get to the caves, the more Merlin knows. He can’t get rid of the horrible feeling that’s taken up residence in the pit of stomach. After two thousand years, he’s learned to trust his instincts.
And so he stands outside the caves and kisses Arthur deeply, pouring two thousand years of longing and love into it. When he pulls away, Arthur groans, and Merlin’s not surprised to find that both of them are shaking.
“Meet me at the cabin,” Merlin says quietly. “I’m not sure how long this will take.”
Arthur nods.
“I will.”
He caresses Merlin’s face between his trembling hands and kisses him quickly once more.
As Merlin turns away, he hopes desperately that he’s wrong. But his instincts haven’t proven wrong in two thousand years.
Why would they start today?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Merlin enters the cave quietly, as he always does. He follows the light of the crystals to the back and finds Kilgharrah waiting for him.
He’s already awake. Every time Merlin’s come in the past he’s had to awaken the dragon by connecting to his magic. This time, Merlin finds that his magic is already singing through his veins, and if he’s honest with himself he’s felt it flowing stronger for days, the closer he’s come to Camelot.
“Young warlock…you’ve come seeking answers.”
“Please…just tell me what I need to do. I cannot bear the riddles. I’m tired, old friend.”
Kilgharrah smiles fondly at him, a look Merlin’s only seen a handful of times from the old dragon, and Merlin finds that he’s shaking in anticipation.
“Look into the crystals, Merlin. They will show you what must be done.”
Merlin wills his feet to move the ten steps to the crystals lining the wall. And there, he watches his destiny unfold.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Merlin smiles at the fantastic dinner Arthur has laid out on the table when he returns. He smiles as he tells Arthur what he learned in the caves.
“That’s it?” Arthur asks suspiciously.
“That’s it. All I have to do is imbue your sword with my magic, and all you have to do is stab It.”
“It sounds…too easy,” Arthur replies nervously.
“That’s what I thought. There’s a complicated spell I must perform the night before inside the caves. I’ll be drawing magic from many sources, past and present, and from the world itself. My magic, combined with what I gain from the spell, channeled through Excalibur, will be enough to destroy Malus.”
“And in the meantime?”
“There isn’t much we can do until then. We’re free to do…whatever we want.”
“Whatever we want?” Arthur asks with an impish grin.
Merlin grins right back at him.
“Anything, Arthur. As long as it’s just you and me.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the end, they spend their week doing everything and nothing. They spend one day wandering the ruins of Camelot, telling stories about all the adventures they once had in the castle’s walls. They talk about the silly times: times with farting trolls, and times when Arthur had no idea how to impress Gwen. They talk about serious times: times when they fought griffins and a dragon, and that time Arthur killed a unicorn and Camelot almost starved. They talk about the times they never had, before either of them realized how they felt about each other. Merlin talks about missed opportunities, and Arthur talks about how he's always wished he hadn’t been too afraid to say “I love you” that morning he died in Merlin’s arms.
He makes it up to Merlin that night in bed, and when they fall asleep Arthur promises he’ll never be afraid to say it ever again.
They spend another day wandering the forest, reliving nights spent under the stars and days spent hunting. Nights when they shivered in the rain, not knowing that a word from Merlin could have kept them dry and warm. Days when Merlin absolutely hated hunting and Arthur was too proud to notice just how much it bothered him.
They sleep naked under the stars that night, just the two of them, and even though it’s nearly winter and they should be freezing, neither of them feels cold.
They spend their week as though they’re trying to make up for all the time they lost before. Merlin seems happier than he’s been since Arthur died.
But then the week is over, faster than either of them wants it to be.
They wake up at sunrise the day before they are to face Malus, and Arthur asks Merlin what he wants to do. Merlin kisses him hungrily and says, “Nothing. I just want to be here with you.”
So they eat breakfast in bed, and Merlin reads to him from their favorite books. Then they eat lunch in bed, and Merlin tells Arthur stories about some of the other people he’s shared his life with. At one point, they lie quietly in each other’s arms and fall asleep, and when they awake the sun is low in the sky.
They eat cold leftovers for dinner. In bed.
As the sun begins to set, Merlin finally drags himself out of bed and gets dressed. Arthur pulls him close and kisses him hard, and the feel of Arthur naked against him is nearly enough to get him out of his clothes again. But he needs to leave. He’s not sure how long the spell will take.
While Merlin’s gone, Arthur decides to tidy up. They’ve been lazy today, and most of the week if he's honest. He puts on a pair of pants and cleans to pass the time. He straightens the outside of the cabin, too, pulling a few weeds that have managed to grow in the garden that Merlin keeps thriving year round with his magic. He picks a few flowers, and he frowns at how withered they look. Merlin said the magic around the cabin kept things growing year round, even in the winter. The flowers look like they haven’t seen the sun in days.
He brings a few of them inside and sets them in a vase of water, hoping they’ll perk up before Merlin comes back.
He stares at the flowers on the table for a good five minutes. Then he looks around the room, really looks at it, and he finally sees it.
It’s not just the flowers that are wilting. The pictures on the walls look like they’re fading, crumbling at the edges. A few of them have even fallen off the walls, though he knows they were all up when he went outside. He replaces them gently, and the sound of crunching paper in his hands makes his heart start to race. He studies the books on the shelves and finds that they, too, are beginning to show their age. Everything in the cabin is starting to look old.
Arthur sits on the edge of the bed, grips the sheets tightly as though they might steady him.
“The spell…it must be the spell,” Arthur mutters out loud to himself. “Merlin said he would be taking magic from the caves, from the world itself. He must be borrowing magic from here, as well.”
He lets out a sigh. Of course that’s what’s happening. It makes perfect sense. If Merlin’s going to have enough magic to face Malus, he must need to draw it from whatever sources he can, and what better source than one so close?
But then…he’s just not sure. There’s a tiny voice in the back of his head, a feeling in his gut, that says something’s wrong. That something’s been just slightly…off all week. He’s not sure what it is, and he hates that he can’t shake the feeling.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Merlin finds him still sitting on the edge of the bed when he returns. He doesn’t seem to notice that all the pictures have fallen off the walls, or that the flowers have died in the vase.
Arthur notices it, though. He beckons Merlin over to the bed and wraps his arms around him, hands fisting the back of his sweatshirt. He rests his head on Merlin’s chest, hears his heart beating gently, and Arthur lets out a deep breath and just lets himself feel. Merlin puts a hand on his head and runs his fingers gently through Arthur’s hair.
“It’s done,” Merlin says quietly.
“I love you, Merlin,” Arthur says quietly into Merlin’s shirt, and he feels Merlin’s heartbeat pick up.
“I love you, too,” Merlin responds, but there’s a hint of confusion in his voice. “Arthur, what’s wrong?”
Arthur picks his head up from Merlin’s chest and looks deep into his eyes. Merlin looks away for just a second.
“Merlin…you remember that promise we made? Back in Windermere? ‘We’ll rebuild the world…and then we’ll build our own.’ Do you remember, Merlin?”
“Of course I do,” Merlin replies, and he sits down on the bed next to Arthur and takes Arthur’s hands in his own. “You and me, come whatever.”
“Swear it to me again. Swear that we will keep it. Please, Merlin.”
“Arthur, I-”
“Swear it.”
Arthur can’t keep the panic from his voice no matter how hard he tries.
In the end, Merlin kisses him gently on the cheek.
“I swear it, Arthur.”
He doesn’t look him in the eyes when he says it.
They make love that night, and when they come with a whisper of each other’s names, Arthur feels tears rise in his eyes. Merlin holds Arthur in his arms as Arthur sobs quietly. When Merlin asks him what’s wrong, Arthur can’t explain it.
He just has this feeling that, while Merlin holds him close and tells him that it’s going to be okay, what he’s really saying is “goodbye.”
…tbc…
Author: JALover7 (alanna_the_lionheart)
Rating: M
Spoilers: series finale, 5.13
Pairings: Merlin/Arthur
Genres: angst, hurt/comfort, romance, future-fic, reincarnation, post-apocalypse (sort of)
Summary: Sequel to “Full of Grace.” Arthur comes back from Avalon to find that he has been gone for nearly two thousand years. In a world torn apart by war, life has become simple again, yet Arthur finds himself homesick for a time that no longer exists. As Merlin and Arthur help each other cope, an ancient power rises in the Earth, threatening to destroy not only their new found happiness, but the world itself. Work in progress.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Merlin.
As the World Comes to an End
Chapter Nine: Promises to Keep
Two days later, Merlin and Arthur say goodbye to Sibyl and the rest of the village and begin their journey back to the ruins of Camelot. Arthur hugs Sibyl and thanks her for everything she’s done for them. She smiles at him and tells him it was her pleasure.
“I feel like I’ve finally found a purpose for my visions,” she says to them. “Helping you two save the world, even in such a small way…it’s why I’ve been given this gift in the first place.”
“You don’t see it as a curse anymore?” Merlin asks, and Arthur hears a hint of doubt and awe in his voice.
Sibyl smiles. “I used to. But now…I have faith in you. Both of you. I haven’t seen the outcome of this fight, but I know that if you work together, you have all the power you need to defeat It. It was my destiny to meet you and to help set you on the right path.”
“Destiny,” Merlin scoffs, a bitter smile on his face. “I know all about destiny.”
Arthur frowns at the anger in Merlin’s voice, and he steps up behind him and pulls him close to his chest.
“Hey, we talked about this, remember? We’re going to fight this thing, and we’re going to win. Then it’s just you and me. For as long as you can stand me, at least,” Arthur says with a chuckle, and he plants a swift kiss on top of Merlin’s head.
Merlin laughs, and the feel of it sends warmth flooding through Arthur’s veins.
“I waited two thousand years for you, Arthur. I think I can stand to spend a few measly decades with you.”
“I should hope so,” Arthur replies, letting go of him. “We should be heading out.” Arthur bends down and puts on his backpack, filled to the brim with clothes, food, and medicine that the village has been kind enough to give them. “Ready, Merlin?”
“In a minute,” Merlin replies. “There’s something I need to ask Sibyl.”
“All right,” Arthur responds.
“In private.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It takes them a week to return to Camelot; a journey that took them almost two weeks in the other direction. They don’t rush, because though neither of them will admit it, they aren’t in a hurry to face what lies ahead of them. Instead, they take in the scenery around them. They spend a few nights exploring abandoned towns, visiting villages bursting with life, and enjoying the bits of countryside that remain surprisingly untouched by the wars of man.
They start their journey in good spirits. Arthur’s not sure what Merlin needed to talk to Sibyl about, but he doesn’t ask. If Merlin wants to talk about it, he will.
Merlin’s happy at first to show him some of the sights they missed on their way to Windermere, bogged down as they were by storms and Merlin’s being ill. They find good weather and plenty of food on their way.
They visit Victor and Ella, the kind couple who let them sleep under their roof more than a month ago. Merlin and Arthur offer them the whole deer they were able to kill earlier that day, and that night the entire village gathers together for a feast. With their deer and what food the village has, it’s not a terribly large feast, but it's a feast none the less. There’s singing and dancing, music played on hand carved instruments, and a bonfire. Merlin takes the younger children aside and shows them some of his magic tricks with the fire. Arthur’s favorite is the golden dragon that hovers gently over the flames and shimmers brilliantly in the dark.
As the feast winds down, Merlin and Arthur sneak off to the edge of the forest and make love under the stars. Arthur’s never felt closer to Merlin, and he doesn’t think he’s ever loved him more than he does that night.
They sleep soundly under Victor and Ella’s roof…until Merlin wakes in the morning screaming.
“An island,” Merlin gasps. “An entire island. Somewhere in the Caribbean. One minute everyone’s sleeping, and then the next the entire island is flooding. Everyone’s running in terror, screaming, but there’s nowhere to go. The whole place is flooding. Everything…everyone, just…just gone. Dead. In a matter of minutes. Thousands of lives just…oh, god. Arthur….”
Arthur pulls Merlin close and rubs his back soothingly as Merlin sobs in his arms.
“There’s nothing you could do.”
“Arthur…we have to…we have to stop It.”
“We will. We will,” Arthur whispers soothingly. “It’s going to be all right.”
And he believes it.
He’s just not sure if Merlin believes it, too.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The closer they get to Camelot, the quieter Merlin gets. Arthur knows he's upset and tired from the visions, which haven’t stopped since they left Victor and Ella’s village. He does what he can to comfort Merlin. Holds him close at night, wakes him when he starts to moan or shake, attempts to keep the nightmares at bay. It helps a bit, but Arthur knows Merlin won’t truly be okay until they defeat Malus.
One morning, as they sit quietly and finish their breakfast, Merlin tells him that they’ll reach the cabin by nightfall. But first-
“I need to stop by the Crystal Caves. Sibyl told me that a friend would be able to help us.”
Arthur chuckles. “This friend...does he happen to be a dragon, Merlin?”
Merlin laughs softly and then nods.
“Yes, I had a feeling he'd be the one to help us. Well, we should get moving then. We have about a week to come up with a plan.”
Merlin just nods in agreement and helps Arthur pack up camp.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Merlin is terrified.
He’s done his best to hide it from Arthur, but he’s not sure how well he’s succeeded. It’s not just the visions that have him on edge. Ever since his talk with Sibyl, Merlin’s had this…feeling: a feeling that Sibyl only helped to confirm. Sibyl told him that he must return to the Crystal Caves; that Kilgharrah would tell him what needed to be done to stop Malus. Except Merlin could tell that Sibyl was hiding something, like she knew more than she was letting on; like she knew something she just didn’t want to tell him.
It’s just a feeling, a gut instinct: one that tells him this fight will not be easy.
That this fight will have a cost.
Arthur seems so sure of himself, so sure of them. Merlin’s tried to be optimistic, but Arthur hasn’t seen first hand what this Evil can do. He hasn’t been woken in the middle of the night to watch Malus destroy whole towns and communities of people.
The closer they get to the caves, the more Merlin knows. He can’t get rid of the horrible feeling that’s taken up residence in the pit of stomach. After two thousand years, he’s learned to trust his instincts.
And so he stands outside the caves and kisses Arthur deeply, pouring two thousand years of longing and love into it. When he pulls away, Arthur groans, and Merlin’s not surprised to find that both of them are shaking.
“Meet me at the cabin,” Merlin says quietly. “I’m not sure how long this will take.”
Arthur nods.
“I will.”
He caresses Merlin’s face between his trembling hands and kisses him quickly once more.
As Merlin turns away, he hopes desperately that he’s wrong. But his instincts haven’t proven wrong in two thousand years.
Why would they start today?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Merlin enters the cave quietly, as he always does. He follows the light of the crystals to the back and finds Kilgharrah waiting for him.
He’s already awake. Every time Merlin’s come in the past he’s had to awaken the dragon by connecting to his magic. This time, Merlin finds that his magic is already singing through his veins, and if he’s honest with himself he’s felt it flowing stronger for days, the closer he’s come to Camelot.
“Young warlock…you’ve come seeking answers.”
“Please…just tell me what I need to do. I cannot bear the riddles. I’m tired, old friend.”
Kilgharrah smiles fondly at him, a look Merlin’s only seen a handful of times from the old dragon, and Merlin finds that he’s shaking in anticipation.
“Look into the crystals, Merlin. They will show you what must be done.”
Merlin wills his feet to move the ten steps to the crystals lining the wall. And there, he watches his destiny unfold.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Merlin smiles at the fantastic dinner Arthur has laid out on the table when he returns. He smiles as he tells Arthur what he learned in the caves.
“That’s it?” Arthur asks suspiciously.
“That’s it. All I have to do is imbue your sword with my magic, and all you have to do is stab It.”
“It sounds…too easy,” Arthur replies nervously.
“That’s what I thought. There’s a complicated spell I must perform the night before inside the caves. I’ll be drawing magic from many sources, past and present, and from the world itself. My magic, combined with what I gain from the spell, channeled through Excalibur, will be enough to destroy Malus.”
“And in the meantime?”
“There isn’t much we can do until then. We’re free to do…whatever we want.”
“Whatever we want?” Arthur asks with an impish grin.
Merlin grins right back at him.
“Anything, Arthur. As long as it’s just you and me.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the end, they spend their week doing everything and nothing. They spend one day wandering the ruins of Camelot, telling stories about all the adventures they once had in the castle’s walls. They talk about the silly times: times with farting trolls, and times when Arthur had no idea how to impress Gwen. They talk about serious times: times when they fought griffins and a dragon, and that time Arthur killed a unicorn and Camelot almost starved. They talk about the times they never had, before either of them realized how they felt about each other. Merlin talks about missed opportunities, and Arthur talks about how he's always wished he hadn’t been too afraid to say “I love you” that morning he died in Merlin’s arms.
He makes it up to Merlin that night in bed, and when they fall asleep Arthur promises he’ll never be afraid to say it ever again.
They spend another day wandering the forest, reliving nights spent under the stars and days spent hunting. Nights when they shivered in the rain, not knowing that a word from Merlin could have kept them dry and warm. Days when Merlin absolutely hated hunting and Arthur was too proud to notice just how much it bothered him.
They sleep naked under the stars that night, just the two of them, and even though it’s nearly winter and they should be freezing, neither of them feels cold.
They spend their week as though they’re trying to make up for all the time they lost before. Merlin seems happier than he’s been since Arthur died.
But then the week is over, faster than either of them wants it to be.
They wake up at sunrise the day before they are to face Malus, and Arthur asks Merlin what he wants to do. Merlin kisses him hungrily and says, “Nothing. I just want to be here with you.”
So they eat breakfast in bed, and Merlin reads to him from their favorite books. Then they eat lunch in bed, and Merlin tells Arthur stories about some of the other people he’s shared his life with. At one point, they lie quietly in each other’s arms and fall asleep, and when they awake the sun is low in the sky.
They eat cold leftovers for dinner. In bed.
As the sun begins to set, Merlin finally drags himself out of bed and gets dressed. Arthur pulls him close and kisses him hard, and the feel of Arthur naked against him is nearly enough to get him out of his clothes again. But he needs to leave. He’s not sure how long the spell will take.
While Merlin’s gone, Arthur decides to tidy up. They’ve been lazy today, and most of the week if he's honest. He puts on a pair of pants and cleans to pass the time. He straightens the outside of the cabin, too, pulling a few weeds that have managed to grow in the garden that Merlin keeps thriving year round with his magic. He picks a few flowers, and he frowns at how withered they look. Merlin said the magic around the cabin kept things growing year round, even in the winter. The flowers look like they haven’t seen the sun in days.
He brings a few of them inside and sets them in a vase of water, hoping they’ll perk up before Merlin comes back.
He stares at the flowers on the table for a good five minutes. Then he looks around the room, really looks at it, and he finally sees it.
It’s not just the flowers that are wilting. The pictures on the walls look like they’re fading, crumbling at the edges. A few of them have even fallen off the walls, though he knows they were all up when he went outside. He replaces them gently, and the sound of crunching paper in his hands makes his heart start to race. He studies the books on the shelves and finds that they, too, are beginning to show their age. Everything in the cabin is starting to look old.
Arthur sits on the edge of the bed, grips the sheets tightly as though they might steady him.
“The spell…it must be the spell,” Arthur mutters out loud to himself. “Merlin said he would be taking magic from the caves, from the world itself. He must be borrowing magic from here, as well.”
He lets out a sigh. Of course that’s what’s happening. It makes perfect sense. If Merlin’s going to have enough magic to face Malus, he must need to draw it from whatever sources he can, and what better source than one so close?
But then…he’s just not sure. There’s a tiny voice in the back of his head, a feeling in his gut, that says something’s wrong. That something’s been just slightly…off all week. He’s not sure what it is, and he hates that he can’t shake the feeling.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Merlin finds him still sitting on the edge of the bed when he returns. He doesn’t seem to notice that all the pictures have fallen off the walls, or that the flowers have died in the vase.
Arthur notices it, though. He beckons Merlin over to the bed and wraps his arms around him, hands fisting the back of his sweatshirt. He rests his head on Merlin’s chest, hears his heart beating gently, and Arthur lets out a deep breath and just lets himself feel. Merlin puts a hand on his head and runs his fingers gently through Arthur’s hair.
“It’s done,” Merlin says quietly.
“I love you, Merlin,” Arthur says quietly into Merlin’s shirt, and he feels Merlin’s heartbeat pick up.
“I love you, too,” Merlin responds, but there’s a hint of confusion in his voice. “Arthur, what’s wrong?”
Arthur picks his head up from Merlin’s chest and looks deep into his eyes. Merlin looks away for just a second.
“Merlin…you remember that promise we made? Back in Windermere? ‘We’ll rebuild the world…and then we’ll build our own.’ Do you remember, Merlin?”
“Of course I do,” Merlin replies, and he sits down on the bed next to Arthur and takes Arthur’s hands in his own. “You and me, come whatever.”
“Swear it to me again. Swear that we will keep it. Please, Merlin.”
“Arthur, I-”
“Swear it.”
Arthur can’t keep the panic from his voice no matter how hard he tries.
In the end, Merlin kisses him gently on the cheek.
“I swear it, Arthur.”
He doesn’t look him in the eyes when he says it.
They make love that night, and when they come with a whisper of each other’s names, Arthur feels tears rise in his eyes. Merlin holds Arthur in his arms as Arthur sobs quietly. When Merlin asks him what’s wrong, Arthur can’t explain it.
He just has this feeling that, while Merlin holds him close and tells him that it’s going to be okay, what he’s really saying is “goodbye.”
…tbc…