A Warlock's Blood - 1/2 (holiday gift!fic for dark_kana)
Merry Christmas everyone!! I hope you've had a great day!
I haven't watched Merlin yet, so the fic I would like to share with you guys is nothing S5 related. In fact it's canon au in a S1/S2-like setting. I started it aaaages ago (during S3, I think). My friend dark_kana prompted me to write a story based on this painting that we saw at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. I accepted the challenge and the bulk of this story was actually written soon. Thanks to riventhorn 's beta, I should have been able to post it sooner. But the perfectionist in me wasn't satisfied enough. Because I promised it as a holiday gift!fic (yes, two Christmases ago) I really wanted to post (at least part of it) today! In the mean time, I will kick myself and finish editing the second part (coming soon).
Title: A Warlock's Blood
Author: lullabylily
Word Count: (this part) 3000
Characters: Arthur/Merlin
Rating: NC-17
Summary: People are dying. A vampire is terrorizing Camelot. And this particular vampire has taken an unsavoury interest in Merlin…
(Loosely) based on/inspired by this picture prompt: William Bouguereau "Dante and Virgil in hell"
A/N: Sorry for the delay doesn't cut it. But all the same, I really hope you like it, dark_kana. Thanks to my beta (she might not even remember, that's how long ago it was ;)) riventhorn. All remaining mistakes are definitely my own.
Read Part 1 on AO3
Leon and Elyan found the body on their morning patrol. They’d alerted Uther and Gaius and now an entire royal delegation stood gathered around the corpse.
Gaius finally spoke, after hunching over the victim for long minutes. “The death was most certainly caused by exsanguination,” he said. “Yet there is no blood in sight, nor can I find a severe injury that could explain this woman’s death.”
Some of the knights shifted uncomfortably.
“What are you saying, Gaius?” Uther demanded.
Gaius met Uther’s eyes, a grave expression on his face. “I fear it’s the work of a vampire, sire.”
Uther paled, his expression grim, his teeth clenched. “A vampire?” He sounded more bitter than alarmed.
“It must be,” Gaius concurred; he knelt down next to the woman and touched her neck, pushing back strands of her curly brown-blond hair. “There’s a small wound here. It’s clean, and it no longer bleeds even though the cut is fresh and recent.”
“A bite mark,” Uther concluded.
“I’m afraid so.”
Uther turned towards his men, the knights all straightening up, Arthur stepping closer to receive his father’s orders. “We’ll need to re-instate an early curfew,” Uther commanded. “Everyone needs to be inside after dark. Send out a warning for women and children especially. They are not to venture into the woods alone.”
Merlin did not listen to Uther’s instructions. He was looking at Gaius and the tense, concerned look on the man’s face as he examined the body once more. His own mind was reeling. Vampires…! He’d heard stories about them before, in Ealdor. But he’d always dismissed them as folklore. It seemed naïve now. How could he have believed, even for a moment, that vampires were any less real than trolls, goblins or faeries? He felt his blood run cold as he looked at the woman now; she wore an expression of terror on her face. Death at the hands of a creature like that had to be horrifying.
Gaius remained tense all the way back to Camelot, and Merlin yearned to speak with him about this new danger. But he had to wait until the king dismissed Gaius and Arthur left on patrol.
“So. A vampire. What does that mean?” Merlin cut to the chase when they reached their quarters.
Gaius looked at him gravely. “It means the people of Camelot are in great danger.”
Where had he heard that before? Merlin resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
“That much I gathered already. What can we expect? How do we stop the vampire?”
“You don’t stop a vampire, Merlin.” Gaius sighed, as if Merlin had asked the wrong question entirely.
“Then what do we do?” Merlin’s hands were shaking; they often did when his magic was restless.
“We hope the creature was merely passing through and has already left the kingdom. Vampires don’t usually roam these lands. There is hope that the one that attacked last night was merely on its way to other regions.”
“So we wait and see what happens?” Merlin did try to keep the disappointment out of his voice, and part of him was relieved he wouldn’t have to risk is life again for Camelot any time soon.
“Yes. That is exactly what we do.”
“But can’t you tell me more about vampires? All I really know is that they feed on human blood.”
Gaius sighed again and motioned for Merlin to sit down. “They don’t feed on human blood per se, they feed on the blood of larger animals as well. Though most vampires are known to prefer human blood.”
Merlin grimaced. He knew what blood tasted like-the dark, coppery flavour that always lingered far longer than was tolerable, the choking sensation when blood and slime were caught up in one’s throat… He couldn’t imagine anyone thriving on it.
“What do they look like?” Merlin finally asked. “Is it true that they have pale skin and red eyes? That their teeth are large and unnaturally white?”
It was easy to recite all he remembered from stories heard round the fire in the evenings, even though he’d always pretended to not really listen to them.
“Vampires look like ordinary human beings. But their powers are certainly nothing human.”
“There is no way to recognize a vampire?” The thought alarmed Merlin more than anything else he had seen or heard that day. How could he fight the creature if he couldn’t identify it?
Gaius shook his head, looking as though he’d aged another five years in the past few minutes.
“But then it could be anybody! It could be someone from the village!”
“That is not likely, Merlin,” Gaius replied. “One does not become a vampire overnight. It has to be a stranger.”
“But what if the vampire already bit someone without killing them? Wouldn’t that turn the person into a vampire as well?”
Gaius’ eyes widened. “What are you talking about Merlin? Where did you hear such nonsense?”
“Stories?” Merlin looked guilty. He mentally chastised himself for panicking without even getting the facts straight.
“Listen to me, Merlin; vampires are creatures of dark magic. They are born of magic, born the way they are, and they don’t go around turning unsuspecting peasants into bloodsucking monsters. If a vampire bites it bites to feed. It bites to kill.”
And with that their conversation was over. Gaius began working on his usual tasks, but Merlin lingered with all sorts of questions in his head and a dark foreboding in the pit of his stomach.
He knew his restlessness was annoying Gaius, but it was hard to contain his magic when he felt an ominous gloom around the citadel. When Gaius frowned at him when Merlin started casting little sparks in the palm of his hand out of a mixture of boredom and anxiety, Merlin got to his feet.
“I’m going to wait up for Arthur’s return from patrol. I’m sure he’ll like a bath before he goes to sleep. I should get to it now.”
Gaius nodded. He never questioned Merlin about staying in Arthur’s room until dawn. He never cast knowing glances in their direction. There was a quiet, detached acceptance, and Merlin loved the man for it. Gaius understood him, understood that Merlin’s place was always at Arthur’s side.
Arthur looked worn out when he returned from his duties. It had started to rain and he was soaked to the bone. For a moment, Merlin thought about the wearisome hours he would be spending the next day trying to get the armour clean. He shook his head and turned his attention to Arthur, helping the prince rid himself of the heavy chainmail, the soaked tunic and breeches. Usually Arthur would be talking or teasing Merlin, but tonight he was exceptionally quiet, as if he wasn’t entirely present in the room.
“I’ve prepared a bath for you,” Merlin said softly, breaking the silence that had gathered around them.
That seemed to make Arthur snap out of the trance. “Oh… Thank you, Merlin.”
Merlin studied the prince. It was unusual for Arthur to express any kind of gratitude, regardless of how close they’d become.
Arthur walked up to the tub, and Merlin whispered a quick spell to reheat the water-he now knew exactly the right words to make the water the temperature Arthur liked best.
His job as a manservant had become so much easier once Arthur had found out about the magic and treated Merlin’s small spells with acceptance. But tonight Arthur didn’t even seem to register the fact that Merlin had used magic. Usually Arthur would make some remark. In the beginning he always reproached Merlin for being careless, berating Merlin for using his magic when somebody could have seen. Often Arthur said something along the lines of ‘I think all this magic has made you lazy.’ But now he said nothing. He sank into the bath in one fluent movement, his eyes once again fixated on some damp spot on the wall.
“How was the patrol?” Merlin felt compelled to ask, Arthur’s silence getting to him.
“Nothing unusual.” Arthur surprised Merlin by replying.
“Is your father very worried?”
“Of course he is! Do pay attention, Merlin. We have a vampire on the loose.”
Merlin had long learned all about Arthur’s hot-and-cold tempers. They didn’t intimidate him any longer. But tonight especially, Merlin wanted to rub the evil thoughts out of Arthur’s brain.
“A vampire we can’t do anything about just now,” Merlin responded carefully. “You need to rest,” he added, gaining courage when Arthur didn’t contradict him, even if his eyebrows were still creased together in a frown. “Let me… help you with that.”
Merlin knelt down next to the tub, his hands slowly reaching out to touch the wet skin on Arthur’s back. Arthur closed his eyes, leaning into Merlin. When the prince was suitably drowsy from the hot water, Merlin coaxed him out of the bathtub, onto the bed.
Arthur liked Merlin’s hands on his skin, pushing against his muscles, massaging strength back into them. He once said he trained much better after Merlin attended to him, which was probably the biggest compliment Merlin had ever gotten. Merlin always took his time, alternating between gentle and firm movements.
This time, Merlin had Arthur moaning softly into the pillow. Body soft and pliant, Merlin turned Arthur around to find that familiar place between the prince’s legs. Arthur did much more than moan when Merlin closed his mouth around his manhood and sucked.
Arthur needed this. He clung to Merlin desperately. In the aftermath he melted into Merlin’s arms, relaxed and at peace, finding sleep almost as soon as he closed his eyes.
∼*∼*∼
The alarm bells started ringing just as Merlin had finished helping Arthur get dressed the next morning. Merlin paused, the buttons on Arthur’s coat still undone, looking up at Arthur.
“Another body,” Arthur said in a small but firm voice. It wasn’t really a question, even though they couldn’t know for sure. Merlin looked away to his feet, to Arthur’s feet and how they were too close to one another.
“Has to be,” Merlin admitted.
Arthur tensed again. “I have to go.”
Merlin watched the prince rush out of the room, undoubtedly in search of his father. He hurriedly took the messy plates and the breakfast leftovers to the kitchen, trying to ignore his growing sense of dread.
He got the details from Gaius later that day. It had been a man this time; a young farmer with a family, his death leaving four children with only their mother to look after them. The news had shaken all of Camelot. The day before the feeling of panic was subdued and hesitant, but it was potent now, bringing the people out into the street, as they looked up at the skies with growing unease, afraid of the light disappearing and bringing a night of uncertainty and fear.
The farmer had been found in the woods near the lower town. He had seemed to be lying in a pale sleep, no wounds other than the bite mark on his neck and some scratches on his back, beneath his torn shirt.
“Vampires are vicious creatures.” Gaius’s hands were busy bottling a potion in several small bottles. Calming draughts, Merlin recognized. “To die at the hands of one is a violent death, even if the violence of the attack does not show on the victims’ bodies.”
Merlin shivered. Having one’s blood sucked out like that, feeling life slip away slowly and agonizingly…It had to be one of the worst deaths imaginable.
“So the people are scared. But what can be done about this?”
“Nothing!” Gaius exclaimed, raising his voice, though Merlin couldn’t tell if it was in anger or suppressed fear, possibly both. “You can’t defeat a vampire. We have to hope it leaves of its own accord.”
Merlin felt the feeling of helplessness flooding over him again. “But what if it doesn’t leave? What if it is targeting Camelot? It wouldn’t be the first time that a magical creature embarked on a quest against Camelot, against Uther.”
Gaius gave him that old, defeated look again. “If the vampire is attacking out of vengeance against Uther, then the people of Camelot will be in danger for a very long time.”
∼*∼*∼
“Have you been searching the town for anything suspicious?” Merlin asked Arthur when he helped him with removing his armour that evening. Merlin hadn’t seen Arthur and his knights on the practice field, which meant they were probably patrolling the town.
“Yes, Merlin. But it’s hard when you don’t know what you’re looking for.”
“Gaius said it has to be a new face in town, a stranger,” Merlin said, trying to be helpful.
“Are there strangers in Camelot?” Merlin asked, when Arthur failed to respond.
“Yes, Merlin. Of course there are new arrivals in the village. It’s harvesting season, the people need the extra hands. We can’t start imprisoning peasants willing to work to fill Camelot’s grain reserves.”
“Oh.” Merlin flinched at the sound of Arthur’s gauntlet falling on the stone floor.
“You don’t understand, Merlin,” Arthur said, as Merlin scrambled to pick it up. “You don’t understand anything about this whole mess. The people are already eyeing everyone suspiciously. This kind of mistrust amongst a community is lethal. If the situation continues like this, we’ll have riots soon.”
Arthur saying that Merlin was too stupid to understand stung badly, though Merlin tried to hide it.
“I may not understand everything, but help me see it then. I could help, you know. My magic could help…”
A flash of anger flitted across Arthur’s face, and Merlin instantly regretted having brought up his magic. Merlin aiding Arthur through his magic was still a point of dispute between the two of them. Merlin knew Arthur feared his magic. Not because of what Merlin could do to him or anyone else but rather the threat of Merlin being seen, of Merlin being caught by a maid or a knight or even Uther himself.
“You should stay put! If you’re discovered now, you will be used as a scapegoat for everything that is transpiring. My father will either kill you on the spot or have you tortured to death!”
Merlin shivered at the visuals. “I would be careful,” he said sullenly.
“No!” Arthur said in his most commanding voice, “I will not have you meddle with this.”
∼*∼*∼
Before night had fallen in Camelot, two more bodies had been discovered. Merlin found out about the fourth victim when Uther stormed into Gaius’s chambers, looking more alarmed than Merlin had ever seen him.
“We have to stop this! My knights are willing to work night and day to protect the people, but they’re defenceless against this kind of creature! You know this as well as I do.”
Gaius’s attempt to calm the king failed. Uther was looking pale and exhausted.
“It’s just like last time, Gaius…I can’t bear it!”
Merlin’s hair stood up at those words. The king’s voice was laced with fear, and the implication that it wasn’t the first time Camelot had suffered from a vampire attack made him shiver.
Uther left soon afterwards. Leaving Merlin with Gaius, the man quiet and unresponsive until Merlin decided it was time to really start questioning him.
“What did Uther mean, when he said vampires have returned to Camelot? This isn’t the first time a series of vampire murders occurred?”
Merlin did not understand Gaius. The man always seemed so intent on helping him, aiding him by getting him all the facts about whatever it was that threatened Camelot or Arthur. But when Camelot’s dirty secrets were to be exposed, he turned uncharacteristically reluctant. Merlin understood that this was inspired by loyalty towards Uther, but when the fate of Camelot was at stake…
Gaius looked guilty.
“Yes, it isn’t the first time,” he admitted. “It happened almost thirty years ago, when Uther had only just taken the throne.”
“Tell me what happened,” Merlin insisted.
“There were deaths, like the ones we are seeing now. There was panic. Uther panicked. As a newly established king, he couldn’t handle the situation by himself.”
Merlin considered this, trying to imagine Uther young and inexperienced.
“How did he manage it?”
Gaius sighed. “Uther reached out to a druid settlement near Camelot. He… negotiated with them. They came to Camelot in all secrecy, rid the land of the vampire that was terrorizing it and disappeared again.”
Merlin stared at Gaius unbelievingly. “Druids? In Camelot? Uther negotiated with druids?”
“It was before the Purge, Merlin,” Gaius said, “before Arthur was born, before Uther’s war against magic. The druids weren’t exactly allies, but they were not enemies either.”
Merlin swallowed away something bitter-tasting. Uther had always been eager to wield magic to his advantage. This story about the druids was news to Merlin, but it shouldn’t really surprise him.
“How did the druids get rid of the monster?” Merlin asked finally, wondering if there was a simple solution to the problem but Gaius had been withholding it.
Gaius sighed, his face wrinkling in a frown. “No one knows. Not even Uther. The druids are a secretive people. They promised Uther they would destroy the vampire, no questions asked. In exchange Uther allowed them in the treasure vaults in the cellars underneath the citadel. They were allowed to take all the gold they wanted.”
Merlin wondered how desperate Uther must have been to have willingly agreed to such terms.
“No one knows,” Merlin repeated glumly. “I’m guessing Uther is not really open to the suggestion of turning to the druids again?”
Gaius simply raised one eyebrow.
To be continued...
I haven't watched Merlin yet, so the fic I would like to share with you guys is nothing S5 related. In fact it's canon au in a S1/S2-like setting. I started it aaaages ago (during S3, I think). My friend dark_kana prompted me to write a story based on this painting that we saw at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. I accepted the challenge and the bulk of this story was actually written soon. Thanks to riventhorn 's beta, I should have been able to post it sooner. But the perfectionist in me wasn't satisfied enough. Because I promised it as a holiday gift!fic (yes, two Christmases ago) I really wanted to post (at least part of it) today! In the mean time, I will kick myself and finish editing the second part (coming soon).
_-_Dante_And_Virgil_In_Hell_(1850).jpg){kind=link}
Title: A Warlock's Blood
Author: lullabylily
Word Count: (this part) 3000
Characters: Arthur/Merlin
Rating: NC-17
Summary: People are dying. A vampire is terrorizing Camelot. And this particular vampire has taken an unsavoury interest in Merlin…
(Loosely) based on/inspired by this picture prompt: William Bouguereau "Dante and Virgil in hell"
A/N: Sorry for the delay doesn't cut it. But all the same, I really hope you like it, dark_kana. Thanks to my beta (she might not even remember, that's how long ago it was ;)) riventhorn. All remaining mistakes are definitely my own.
Read Part 1 on AO3
Leon and Elyan found the body on their morning patrol. They’d alerted Uther and Gaius and now an entire royal delegation stood gathered around the corpse.
Gaius finally spoke, after hunching over the victim for long minutes. “The death was most certainly caused by exsanguination,” he said. “Yet there is no blood in sight, nor can I find a severe injury that could explain this woman’s death.”
Some of the knights shifted uncomfortably.
“What are you saying, Gaius?” Uther demanded.
Gaius met Uther’s eyes, a grave expression on his face. “I fear it’s the work of a vampire, sire.”
Uther paled, his expression grim, his teeth clenched. “A vampire?” He sounded more bitter than alarmed.
“It must be,” Gaius concurred; he knelt down next to the woman and touched her neck, pushing back strands of her curly brown-blond hair. “There’s a small wound here. It’s clean, and it no longer bleeds even though the cut is fresh and recent.”
“A bite mark,” Uther concluded.
“I’m afraid so.”
Uther turned towards his men, the knights all straightening up, Arthur stepping closer to receive his father’s orders. “We’ll need to re-instate an early curfew,” Uther commanded. “Everyone needs to be inside after dark. Send out a warning for women and children especially. They are not to venture into the woods alone.”
Merlin did not listen to Uther’s instructions. He was looking at Gaius and the tense, concerned look on the man’s face as he examined the body once more. His own mind was reeling. Vampires…! He’d heard stories about them before, in Ealdor. But he’d always dismissed them as folklore. It seemed naïve now. How could he have believed, even for a moment, that vampires were any less real than trolls, goblins or faeries? He felt his blood run cold as he looked at the woman now; she wore an expression of terror on her face. Death at the hands of a creature like that had to be horrifying.
Gaius remained tense all the way back to Camelot, and Merlin yearned to speak with him about this new danger. But he had to wait until the king dismissed Gaius and Arthur left on patrol.
“So. A vampire. What does that mean?” Merlin cut to the chase when they reached their quarters.
Gaius looked at him gravely. “It means the people of Camelot are in great danger.”
Where had he heard that before? Merlin resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
“That much I gathered already. What can we expect? How do we stop the vampire?”
“You don’t stop a vampire, Merlin.” Gaius sighed, as if Merlin had asked the wrong question entirely.
“Then what do we do?” Merlin’s hands were shaking; they often did when his magic was restless.
“We hope the creature was merely passing through and has already left the kingdom. Vampires don’t usually roam these lands. There is hope that the one that attacked last night was merely on its way to other regions.”
“So we wait and see what happens?” Merlin did try to keep the disappointment out of his voice, and part of him was relieved he wouldn’t have to risk is life again for Camelot any time soon.
“Yes. That is exactly what we do.”
“But can’t you tell me more about vampires? All I really know is that they feed on human blood.”
Gaius sighed again and motioned for Merlin to sit down. “They don’t feed on human blood per se, they feed on the blood of larger animals as well. Though most vampires are known to prefer human blood.”
Merlin grimaced. He knew what blood tasted like-the dark, coppery flavour that always lingered far longer than was tolerable, the choking sensation when blood and slime were caught up in one’s throat… He couldn’t imagine anyone thriving on it.
“What do they look like?” Merlin finally asked. “Is it true that they have pale skin and red eyes? That their teeth are large and unnaturally white?”
It was easy to recite all he remembered from stories heard round the fire in the evenings, even though he’d always pretended to not really listen to them.
“Vampires look like ordinary human beings. But their powers are certainly nothing human.”
“There is no way to recognize a vampire?” The thought alarmed Merlin more than anything else he had seen or heard that day. How could he fight the creature if he couldn’t identify it?
Gaius shook his head, looking as though he’d aged another five years in the past few minutes.
“But then it could be anybody! It could be someone from the village!”
“That is not likely, Merlin,” Gaius replied. “One does not become a vampire overnight. It has to be a stranger.”
“But what if the vampire already bit someone without killing them? Wouldn’t that turn the person into a vampire as well?”
Gaius’ eyes widened. “What are you talking about Merlin? Where did you hear such nonsense?”
“Stories?” Merlin looked guilty. He mentally chastised himself for panicking without even getting the facts straight.
“Listen to me, Merlin; vampires are creatures of dark magic. They are born of magic, born the way they are, and they don’t go around turning unsuspecting peasants into bloodsucking monsters. If a vampire bites it bites to feed. It bites to kill.”
And with that their conversation was over. Gaius began working on his usual tasks, but Merlin lingered with all sorts of questions in his head and a dark foreboding in the pit of his stomach.
He knew his restlessness was annoying Gaius, but it was hard to contain his magic when he felt an ominous gloom around the citadel. When Gaius frowned at him when Merlin started casting little sparks in the palm of his hand out of a mixture of boredom and anxiety, Merlin got to his feet.
“I’m going to wait up for Arthur’s return from patrol. I’m sure he’ll like a bath before he goes to sleep. I should get to it now.”
Gaius nodded. He never questioned Merlin about staying in Arthur’s room until dawn. He never cast knowing glances in their direction. There was a quiet, detached acceptance, and Merlin loved the man for it. Gaius understood him, understood that Merlin’s place was always at Arthur’s side.
Arthur looked worn out when he returned from his duties. It had started to rain and he was soaked to the bone. For a moment, Merlin thought about the wearisome hours he would be spending the next day trying to get the armour clean. He shook his head and turned his attention to Arthur, helping the prince rid himself of the heavy chainmail, the soaked tunic and breeches. Usually Arthur would be talking or teasing Merlin, but tonight he was exceptionally quiet, as if he wasn’t entirely present in the room.
“I’ve prepared a bath for you,” Merlin said softly, breaking the silence that had gathered around them.
That seemed to make Arthur snap out of the trance. “Oh… Thank you, Merlin.”
Merlin studied the prince. It was unusual for Arthur to express any kind of gratitude, regardless of how close they’d become.
Arthur walked up to the tub, and Merlin whispered a quick spell to reheat the water-he now knew exactly the right words to make the water the temperature Arthur liked best.
His job as a manservant had become so much easier once Arthur had found out about the magic and treated Merlin’s small spells with acceptance. But tonight Arthur didn’t even seem to register the fact that Merlin had used magic. Usually Arthur would make some remark. In the beginning he always reproached Merlin for being careless, berating Merlin for using his magic when somebody could have seen. Often Arthur said something along the lines of ‘I think all this magic has made you lazy.’ But now he said nothing. He sank into the bath in one fluent movement, his eyes once again fixated on some damp spot on the wall.
“How was the patrol?” Merlin felt compelled to ask, Arthur’s silence getting to him.
“Nothing unusual.” Arthur surprised Merlin by replying.
“Is your father very worried?”
“Of course he is! Do pay attention, Merlin. We have a vampire on the loose.”
Merlin had long learned all about Arthur’s hot-and-cold tempers. They didn’t intimidate him any longer. But tonight especially, Merlin wanted to rub the evil thoughts out of Arthur’s brain.
“A vampire we can’t do anything about just now,” Merlin responded carefully. “You need to rest,” he added, gaining courage when Arthur didn’t contradict him, even if his eyebrows were still creased together in a frown. “Let me… help you with that.”
Merlin knelt down next to the tub, his hands slowly reaching out to touch the wet skin on Arthur’s back. Arthur closed his eyes, leaning into Merlin. When the prince was suitably drowsy from the hot water, Merlin coaxed him out of the bathtub, onto the bed.
Arthur liked Merlin’s hands on his skin, pushing against his muscles, massaging strength back into them. He once said he trained much better after Merlin attended to him, which was probably the biggest compliment Merlin had ever gotten. Merlin always took his time, alternating between gentle and firm movements.
This time, Merlin had Arthur moaning softly into the pillow. Body soft and pliant, Merlin turned Arthur around to find that familiar place between the prince’s legs. Arthur did much more than moan when Merlin closed his mouth around his manhood and sucked.
Arthur needed this. He clung to Merlin desperately. In the aftermath he melted into Merlin’s arms, relaxed and at peace, finding sleep almost as soon as he closed his eyes.
∼*∼*∼
The alarm bells started ringing just as Merlin had finished helping Arthur get dressed the next morning. Merlin paused, the buttons on Arthur’s coat still undone, looking up at Arthur.
“Another body,” Arthur said in a small but firm voice. It wasn’t really a question, even though they couldn’t know for sure. Merlin looked away to his feet, to Arthur’s feet and how they were too close to one another.
“Has to be,” Merlin admitted.
Arthur tensed again. “I have to go.”
Merlin watched the prince rush out of the room, undoubtedly in search of his father. He hurriedly took the messy plates and the breakfast leftovers to the kitchen, trying to ignore his growing sense of dread.
He got the details from Gaius later that day. It had been a man this time; a young farmer with a family, his death leaving four children with only their mother to look after them. The news had shaken all of Camelot. The day before the feeling of panic was subdued and hesitant, but it was potent now, bringing the people out into the street, as they looked up at the skies with growing unease, afraid of the light disappearing and bringing a night of uncertainty and fear.
The farmer had been found in the woods near the lower town. He had seemed to be lying in a pale sleep, no wounds other than the bite mark on his neck and some scratches on his back, beneath his torn shirt.
“Vampires are vicious creatures.” Gaius’s hands were busy bottling a potion in several small bottles. Calming draughts, Merlin recognized. “To die at the hands of one is a violent death, even if the violence of the attack does not show on the victims’ bodies.”
Merlin shivered. Having one’s blood sucked out like that, feeling life slip away slowly and agonizingly…It had to be one of the worst deaths imaginable.
“So the people are scared. But what can be done about this?”
“Nothing!” Gaius exclaimed, raising his voice, though Merlin couldn’t tell if it was in anger or suppressed fear, possibly both. “You can’t defeat a vampire. We have to hope it leaves of its own accord.”
Merlin felt the feeling of helplessness flooding over him again. “But what if it doesn’t leave? What if it is targeting Camelot? It wouldn’t be the first time that a magical creature embarked on a quest against Camelot, against Uther.”
Gaius gave him that old, defeated look again. “If the vampire is attacking out of vengeance against Uther, then the people of Camelot will be in danger for a very long time.”
∼*∼*∼
“Have you been searching the town for anything suspicious?” Merlin asked Arthur when he helped him with removing his armour that evening. Merlin hadn’t seen Arthur and his knights on the practice field, which meant they were probably patrolling the town.
“Yes, Merlin. But it’s hard when you don’t know what you’re looking for.”
“Gaius said it has to be a new face in town, a stranger,” Merlin said, trying to be helpful.
“Are there strangers in Camelot?” Merlin asked, when Arthur failed to respond.
“Yes, Merlin. Of course there are new arrivals in the village. It’s harvesting season, the people need the extra hands. We can’t start imprisoning peasants willing to work to fill Camelot’s grain reserves.”
“Oh.” Merlin flinched at the sound of Arthur’s gauntlet falling on the stone floor.
“You don’t understand, Merlin,” Arthur said, as Merlin scrambled to pick it up. “You don’t understand anything about this whole mess. The people are already eyeing everyone suspiciously. This kind of mistrust amongst a community is lethal. If the situation continues like this, we’ll have riots soon.”
Arthur saying that Merlin was too stupid to understand stung badly, though Merlin tried to hide it.
“I may not understand everything, but help me see it then. I could help, you know. My magic could help…”
A flash of anger flitted across Arthur’s face, and Merlin instantly regretted having brought up his magic. Merlin aiding Arthur through his magic was still a point of dispute between the two of them. Merlin knew Arthur feared his magic. Not because of what Merlin could do to him or anyone else but rather the threat of Merlin being seen, of Merlin being caught by a maid or a knight or even Uther himself.
“You should stay put! If you’re discovered now, you will be used as a scapegoat for everything that is transpiring. My father will either kill you on the spot or have you tortured to death!”
Merlin shivered at the visuals. “I would be careful,” he said sullenly.
“No!” Arthur said in his most commanding voice, “I will not have you meddle with this.”
∼*∼*∼
Before night had fallen in Camelot, two more bodies had been discovered. Merlin found out about the fourth victim when Uther stormed into Gaius’s chambers, looking more alarmed than Merlin had ever seen him.
“We have to stop this! My knights are willing to work night and day to protect the people, but they’re defenceless against this kind of creature! You know this as well as I do.”
Gaius’s attempt to calm the king failed. Uther was looking pale and exhausted.
“It’s just like last time, Gaius…I can’t bear it!”
Merlin’s hair stood up at those words. The king’s voice was laced with fear, and the implication that it wasn’t the first time Camelot had suffered from a vampire attack made him shiver.
Uther left soon afterwards. Leaving Merlin with Gaius, the man quiet and unresponsive until Merlin decided it was time to really start questioning him.
“What did Uther mean, when he said vampires have returned to Camelot? This isn’t the first time a series of vampire murders occurred?”
Merlin did not understand Gaius. The man always seemed so intent on helping him, aiding him by getting him all the facts about whatever it was that threatened Camelot or Arthur. But when Camelot’s dirty secrets were to be exposed, he turned uncharacteristically reluctant. Merlin understood that this was inspired by loyalty towards Uther, but when the fate of Camelot was at stake…
Gaius looked guilty.
“Yes, it isn’t the first time,” he admitted. “It happened almost thirty years ago, when Uther had only just taken the throne.”
“Tell me what happened,” Merlin insisted.
“There were deaths, like the ones we are seeing now. There was panic. Uther panicked. As a newly established king, he couldn’t handle the situation by himself.”
Merlin considered this, trying to imagine Uther young and inexperienced.
“How did he manage it?”
Gaius sighed. “Uther reached out to a druid settlement near Camelot. He… negotiated with them. They came to Camelot in all secrecy, rid the land of the vampire that was terrorizing it and disappeared again.”
Merlin stared at Gaius unbelievingly. “Druids? In Camelot? Uther negotiated with druids?”
“It was before the Purge, Merlin,” Gaius said, “before Arthur was born, before Uther’s war against magic. The druids weren’t exactly allies, but they were not enemies either.”
Merlin swallowed away something bitter-tasting. Uther had always been eager to wield magic to his advantage. This story about the druids was news to Merlin, but it shouldn’t really surprise him.
“How did the druids get rid of the monster?” Merlin asked finally, wondering if there was a simple solution to the problem but Gaius had been withholding it.
Gaius sighed, his face wrinkling in a frown. “No one knows. Not even Uther. The druids are a secretive people. They promised Uther they would destroy the vampire, no questions asked. In exchange Uther allowed them in the treasure vaults in the cellars underneath the citadel. They were allowed to take all the gold they wanted.”
Merlin wondered how desperate Uther must have been to have willingly agreed to such terms.
“No one knows,” Merlin repeated glumly. “I’m guessing Uther is not really open to the suggestion of turning to the druids again?”
Gaius simply raised one eyebrow.
To be continued...