3
Days spent in the bonding chamber were slow, but comfortable and lazy. Merlin told Arthur stories about growing up in a small village, and the prince recounted his adventures protecting Camelot and training with the knights. They were able to figure out that Arthur was five years older then Merlin, having just celebrated his coming of age. He had lost his ears and his tail only weeks before finding Merlin, shortly after he enjoyed the festivities for his seventeenth birthday. The Omega's coming of age was still many years off, and it was a nagging through that lingered on Merlin's mind long after the conversation ended.
"Won't you be old when I come of age?" Merlin had asked, curled up on the foot of the bed while Arthur stretched his limbs in a very particular manner. The prince had given him an incredulous look, then sighed, silently remembering just how little Merlin knew about their shared culture. Growing up in a village of Betas had left Merlin with a different perception of the world, and though the prince did not fault him for lacking in understanding, it was exhausted having to reteach his mate every aspect of their day-to-day lives.
"I'll stop aging once we tie ourselves together. Once you reach your adulthood we'll age with each other, until we grow old and perish. It's a ritual all Alphas and Omegas partake in." Arthur stopped stretching his muscles, which had grown sore from their solitary confinement in the bonding chamber, and joined Merlin on the bed. He scooped him up in to his arms and cradled him close to his heart, covering the poor boy in his musky scent and his salty sweat.
"You're getting me all wet." Merlin groaned, trying to wiggle free, but Arthur moved his arms like snakes, keeping the boy locked against him until his instincts were satisfied with Merlin's very altered scent.
"I'm making you smell nice." The prince countered, rubbing his nose along the delicate skin of Merlin's neck. There were bruises from Arthur's overly enthusiastic teeth all along his neck, each one a strong reminder of just which Alpha had claimed this Omega. One more slide of his cheek and a stronger layer of pheromones was stuck to Merlin's skin, like glue that wouldn't wash off, but would only wane with time.
"You are rubbing your sweat all over me, I'll smell like a barn animal if you keep it up!" Merlin grumbled, but allowed Arthur to continue to mark him. He did it frequently, rubbing his glands against parts of Merlin's body to absorb the prince's scent, as well as his warning pheromones. This was his territory, the Omega was able to detect in the way he smelled. Arthur was simply protecting his property, no matter how frustrating it was to be pinned down while the prince soothed his ego. The room smelled so strongly of Alpha now that Merlin was having a hard time believing he wasn't already saturated in it.
"We have to leave soon. Some of my company is Alphas. I want them to know." Arthur bumped noses with Merlin, and smiled. It burned away some of Merlin's annoyance, knowing that he cared for him enough to proclaim it to his knights, but it still didn't change the fact that it was Arthur's sweat currently seeping through his scratchy dress. His only scratchy dress, he reminded himself.
"Tomorrow?" Merlin sighed, already missing the lazy comfort of the bonding room, where nothing was expected of them but to enjoy each others company. They had developed a friendly banter, blossoming in to companions as well as mates. It made Merlin happy to know they were compatible outside of their mating sessions, and the rest of his life wouldn't be spent in miserable company.
"Tonight we should partake in the Joining, then we ride in the morning. Do you know how to ride, Merlin?" The prince hadn't planned on letting the Omega ride alone, they would be riding double to the city of Camelot, but it would be good to know if they ever were to go out of the citadel together.
"Mmmm, no I don't believe I do." Merlin had been atop a horse before, but that by no means meant he knew how to ride. He had been atop a horse the entire journey from Ealdor to Cendred's den, to the Camelot den, and his ability to ride had not improved a bit. He was more concerned about the second thing the prince had mentioned.
"What's the Joining?" Merlin latched on to the delicate skin of Arthur's earlobe with his sharp little teeth, nibbling on the flesh in a way an innocent way the prince often did to him. Arthur retaliated by grabbing the base of Merlin's tail, drawing a startled cry from the Omega and freeing the prince from his bite.
"Behave!" Arthur scolded with a smile, smoothing down the fur that he had bristled on Merlin's tail with his manhandling. "The Joining is a very important ritual we must partake in, almost akin to marriage for Betas, only a bit more permanent and lot more meaningful. Instead of vows, you show your dedication with your very soul."
"It sounds... intense." Merlin briefly pondered if this was something he was ready for, still in the midst of his youth with his cat ears and his slim tail. He was awfully young to be binding himself to someone so thoroughly, but the primal voice at the back of his mind urged him to stop worrying and accept the prince's vows. That same feral presence also sent Merlin dirty thoughts when he was curled up in the bed he shared with Arthur, reveling in the strong scent of his Alpha, so Merlin was not too inclined to believe it's wishes for the absolute truth.
"It will be wonderful Merlin, I know without a doubt you are the only one for me, and I want to make it as permanent as I can before our proper mating." Arthur finally released Merlin from his grip, thoroughly content with the thick pheromones covering his Omega's body now. Merlin had tried to be disgusted with him, but the prince's scent soothed his anger long before he could harness it in to a quarrel.
They lay in silence for a long while, Arthur pressed against Merlin's back tracing lazy patterns along the Omega's skin. As the sun began to set, the prince stirred from his light dozing, waking Merlin from his nap as well.
"It's almost time Merlin." Arthur sat up alone, leaving the boy to curl in upon himself for warmth at the loss of the Alpha's heat.
Merlin whimpered at the loss of contact flailing his arms around to try to latch on to his retreating mate, but Arthur blatantly ignored him, digging through the leather satchel he had brought with him in to the den. A soft cotton tunic and a matching pair of linen pants joined Merlin on the bed in lieu of Arthur, as the prince set himself to changing his own clothing.
"We have to change before the Joining, I've brought you something from Camelot. I hope it fits, you are a lot smaller then I expected." Arthur brought the leather pack with him in the room with the bath tub and left Merlin alone in the main chamber.
The Omega greedily pawed at the clothing Arthur had given him once he was alone in the room, savoring the soft feel and the rich colors of the fabric and the fine stitching at all the seams. Even when he had lived in the village of Ealdor he hadn't worn such nice clothing, and the Omega den was a perfect picture of the opposite of luxury, with their scratchy woolen dresses for both the males and females.
The tunic was loose, and Merlin swam in the excess material like settling in a large pond. The pants were generously fit with a drawstring so he could tighten them enough to fit his thin frame, but there was little he could do for the much oversized top. It was obvious the clothing had once been Arthur's, not only from the strong scent Merlin was able to detect, but from the conspicuous golden dragons, and the deep crimson Arthur had identified as Pendragon red.
"Are you dressed yet?" Arthur reemerged from the other room, freshly shaven, changed, and smelling a million times better then he had shortly before as he completed his vigorous stretches. Merlin didn't mind the way the prince smelled when he was releasing his heavy streams of pheromones, or the way his body smelled naturally, but when the smell of sweat and exertion was added in to the mix, the Omega couldn't help but turn up his nose. He blamed it on living amongst the women in the den, being raised to be as submissive and as delicate as any female Omega, though his brain was quick to remind him he was a horrible liar.
"These clothes are giant." Merlin complained, swinging his arms around to demonstrate his point. The tunic moved along his skin like a slow breeze, the excess material catching on every movement and exaggerating it tenfold.
"Well, like I said. I hadn't imagined you being so small. They are a few of my old pieces. I had to bring something with the symbol of Camelot, as well as something of mine. Other Alphas, the smell, I'm sure you understand by now." Arthur swept Merlin up in to his arms, cradling the smaller boy as he spun him around the room. The Omega protested grossly, but Arthur only laughed and moved faster, bumping in to the bed posts on more then one occasion as he tossed himself and his mate around with reckless abandon.
"I understand you are trying to make me sick!" Merlin shouted, but Arthur's laughter drowned out his protests, carrying on long after he had tossed them both on to the bed and tucked his mates small frame under his own.
"I don't want to make you sick. I want to make you mine!" Arthur nipped the corner of Merlin's ear with his sharp little teeth, and the boy yelped in protest. He tried to wiggle out from underneath the prince, but Arthur held him tight and flat against the rumbled quilt of their shared mattress.
"That's a silly thing to want." Merlin growled, flattening his ears against his skull to escape the prince's attacks, but the weight upon his body was not alleviated in the slightest.
"It's a noble thing to want. I want everyone to know you are to be the prince's mate, you are my intended and I will take no other. I want everyone to know you are mine and they may not touch you. I want everyone to understand how happy you make me, and I'm not sure how." Arthur finally eased up on Merlin, tucking his hands under his mates thighs and spinning them so the Omega was sitting on Arthur's chest, with the Alpha laying flat upon the bed.
"Don't you already have all those things though?" Merlin thought for sure that once they entered the bonding chamber, their union was nearly permanent. It would take a few years for Merlin to reach maturity before they could properly mate and hope to begin bearing children, but the Omega was so certain his body was so saturated in Arthur's scent, no other Alpha would even be able to identity him.
"I'm already yours, I would never let another take me from you." Merlin rubbed his cold nose against the prince's warm cheeks, enjoying the way his mate shivered from the contact, but it didn't ease his mind.
"When we leave here, things will be different." Arthur sighed, returning Merlin's gentle prodding with his own.
"Not everyone follows the laws. Apparently, not even the hunters. Magic is being bound, Omegas are being violated before being mated, and the court in Camelot is pushing for less traditional laws." Arthur ran his hands up along Merlin's back, enjoying the way his mate's slim tail trailed his movements with curious flicks.
"Many of the members of the court are Betas, and believe the Alpha and Omega dynamics are outdated and unnecessary. They don't understand what is it like to have a true mate, a destined partner. They believe in political marriage and noble birth, above the values of the Old Religion." Arthur sighed, remembering the feeling of belittlement the elders of the court would bestow upon low-born Omegas. The Alphas valued their Omegas like precious jewels, set in pure gold, but the Betas saw filthy blood and peasants dressed in expensive gowns.
The court would never make there feelings public knowledge, for fear of a backlash from the Alpha nobility who still littered the capital, but they were not shy in hiding their distaste.
"It was petitioned before the King, my father and the dominant Alpha of Camelot, that I should be offered in political marriage to strengthen the kingdom. My father declined, but soon nobles with Beta daughters were paraded around the courtroom at feasts and formal balls. I left to find you soon after I lost my ears. Once I reached adulthood, I petitioned the King for a leave of absence, and I set out for every den in Camelot." Arthur attempted to smooth away the sour look that had crossed Merlin's face, but the Omega shook away his mate's hands, keeping his scowl and his suddenly fowl mood permanent.
"That is awful Arthur. It's awful they would ask that of you, awful they would use those poor girls like that. It's awful they don't believe that you have made me the happiest I'll ever be in my lifetime. They can't marry you off now that I am with you, will they? I mean, they can't, right?" Merlin's sour look shifted to worry, as he considered the option of being sent back to the den after Arthur is married off. He would be rejected by the other Omegas for his failures, and the new-coming Alphas for his bond to Arthur. He would never be able to mate again.
"I don't know what will happen Merlin." Arthur soothed, finally knocking his mate's hands away long enough to rest his hands upon Merlin's cheeks.
"All I know is that when we arrive in Camelot, I don't want anyone within the Citadel to question your standing. It's why I must insist upon the Joining before we leave for Camelot. If we are tied, you and I will be untouchable until your first heat, when the Joining will break." Arthur caressed the soft curve of Merlin's neck, fluttering his fingers over the love bites he had already covered the pale skin in. With the completion of the Joining, Arthur's mark would shine brightly upon that expanse of skin, a warning beacon to all those questioned his standing.
"Let's do it then." Merlin mewled, raising his chin to reveal more of the untouched skin of his neck.
"Right now?" Arthur growled, stilling his hands as the desire to sink his teeth in to Merlin grew ever stronger. "Are you sure?"
Merlin purred, low and steady in reassurance of his consent to the Joining. He relaxed the muscles in his neck and let his head fall back, the virgin flesh on display for the Alpha to make his move.
"Please do it Arthur. I don't ever want to lose you." He keened, curling his tail up tightly in anticipation of the ritual that was to follow.
"There is no going back from this, Merlin." Arthur warned, his voice a strangled growl in the depths of his chest.
"I don't want to go back." The Omega squeezed Arthur's hips with his knees, spurring him onwards like one would a steed. It was all the motivation the Alpha needed, as he surged upwards and latched his sharp teeth in to Merlin's flesh.
Unlike the love bites he had given before, his ivories slid through the barrier of skin easily, and the Alphas mouth quickly filled with the red hot blood of his Omega. The magic in Merlin's blood was stronger then the spirits he had tasted upon his coming of age, burning like the alcohol, yet soothing like spring water. It washed over him in great waves, each draw from Merlin's body hit Arthur like a crush to every bone in his body, and yet the sensation was entirely pleasant and addicting.
Merlin gave a strangled cry, and Arthur was drawn from his haze of pleasure and intensity. He quickly ran his tongue over the fresh wounds, applying pressure with his lips and glossa until the bleeding had nearly stopped. The Omega was quivering, though the blissful look upon his face reassured Arthur that he had felt the same thing the Alpha had been feeling moments before.
"Are you alright?" He whispered, stroking Merlin's ears and hair in gentle strokes, until his mate eased his eyes open and nodded.
Merlin's eyes were glowing a soft golden color, overpowering the ocean blue Arthur had grown fond of, though the Alpha knew his eyes looked the same at this very moment. The balance of blood magic was off, and it had to be righted for the Joining to be complete.
"I'm okay." Merlin eased out slowly, taking each word cautiously to avoid slurring his speech. The draw of his blood's magic in to Arthur's body had been powerful and overwhelming, but it had left him drained.
"Think you can handle round two?" The prince chuckled slightly, unlacing the front of his tunic to reveal the unmarked skin of his neck to his mate.
Merlin answered in the only way his body would allow, with the tearing of flesh and free flow of blood, and the two mates felt the coils of destiny pull them tighter together, as they nursed their sore necks and their tired minds.
"You are my everything, Merlin." Arthur whispered as they drifted off to sleep for the last time in the bonding chamber.
A long silence passed between them, in which the prince fell asleep and draped himself casually over the exhausted body of his mate, but in the darkness Merlin was left stirring touching the clotted bite on his neck and reveling in the sensation it shot through his worn out system.
"You are my everything too, Arthur." He whispered to the silence.