Potion of Love Chapter 10: Merlin Fanfiction
Title: Potion of Love Chapter 10
Rating: NC17
Warning: Story contains Slash (not this chapter persay)
Pairings: Merlin x Arthur
Summary: Arthur was the most eligible bachelor in Camelot. A village girl wants to become queen and with the help of a sorceress she sets her plan in motion slipping him a love potion, but what will happen if it doesn't go quite as expected? Slash ensues Merthur
Note: My brain is all mush right now and this chapter is already late so excuse the horrible grammar and missing or overused commas. In this chapter someone you probably didn't pay much attention to is reintroduced, well make that two. Also, I want to thank everyone who has read all the chapters, left a review, and even those who haven't read it all yet but have taken the time to stop by. Chapter 9 reached over 1K hits/views, which blew me by surprise (fanfiction.net location). I love you guys!
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Potion of Love
Chapter Ten: Delicate Matters
"Roderick, I think you might have broken your new toy." The taller man chuckled as he rubbed his unshaved chin. His black eyes fell on the unconscious body of Merlin. Bending down he grabbed Merlin's arms, and threw the young man over his shoulder. "On what horse do you want him?" he asked as he looked at his master.
Roderick laughed as he got up and dusted his trousers. "Ivor, you will address me as sire and nothing more. Do not forget your place." He said with a much serious tone as he nodded towards his horse. "Put him on my horse. We leave now before his companions, if he has any, return to look for him." Roderick ordered as he looked at the ashes of what used to be a fire. Things weren't quite going as plan, but what he had found seemed to more than make up for it.
Ivor swung Merlin over his master's horse and made his way to where he had left his when a broken twig snapped behind him. He turned around and noticed Roderick pull his sword, from his horse's saddle with an angry look on his face, as he too looked in the direction that the noise had come from. Ivor quickly reached for his sword and walked back to his master's side, his horse forgotten.
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Arthur had jumped from his horse before it had fully stopped when he had heard Merlin's voice; he seemed to be talking to someone. At first, he had thought that Gwaine had found him, but as he got closer to the clearing his body froze. Arthur's eyes couldn't move from the scene in front of him, an unconscious Merlin laying on the ground with two men standing over him.
The worst possible thoughts ran through his mind and Arthur could feel his heart race. As one of the men picked Merlin up and put him over a horse, Arthur lost it. Before his logic could intervene, he quickly covered the distance between himself and the men sword drawn, with every intention to run them through.
"Put him down." Arthur yelled as he swung his sword at the taller of the two men. The king swung his sword again and again. His sword making a loud clanking noise as the other man met each of his blows with very little difficulty. They both fought on, one for his life the other for his friend.
Arthur's eyes were clouded with anger and his lips were pressed tightly as he tried to make with his threat. He saw an opening and brought his sword down, cutting the man on the left shoulder. Arthur brought his sword forward again, ready to run the man through as the man twisted slightly to his side at the force of the previous blow.
Roderick stepped in and blocked Arthur's sword with his. He then stepped quickly back, shielded his sword and held his hands up in the air, as if to say they meant no harm. Arthur stopped his attacks and his eyes trailed from Merlin back to the two men. His jaw clenched tightly as he tried to control his desire to kill them right then and there.
"Relax, we just stumbled across him and were taking him to be looked at." Roderick declared as he moved back to his horse. "Besides what is all the commotion about, we found him first." Roderick teased as a glare of recognition appeared in his eyes. He moved towards Merlin and yanked his head up. "Isn't he a rare find?" He addressed Arthur with a childish smile. "Such beauty just left in the middle of these dangerous woods. Who knows what would have happened to him if I hadn't stumbled across him?"
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Roderick felt a sword pressed on his back between his shoulder blades. Gwaine stood behind him, with a killing look in his eyes to rival that of Arthur's. "You heard him, let Merlin down and step away." Gwaine demanded as he pushed the sword a bit harder.
Gwaine had been standing off in the distance, his eyes glued to the scene. The knight had come across what had been happening a few minutes before Arthur had. He cursed and thanked Arthur when he saw the King come running out of the trees in a half crazed frenzy. Gwaine had been calculating the perfect time to sneak up on them and had not done so earlier in fear that if he showed himself they might kill Merlin right then and there.
Using Arthur's distraction, he had made his move, which brought them to where they were now. Gwaine pushed the sword even harder when neither of the men made an attempt to move Merlin from the horse. He had spent his whole time searching thinking of ways to make Arthur's life hell for leaving Merlin behind, but now he was even considering running Arthur threw along with the two men for putting Merlin in danger.
Arthur glanced towards Gwaine and back at Roderick and Ivor. "It seems like you are in a tight spot. Hand Merlin over and I might spare your lives." Arthur commanded as he moved to point his sword at Ivor who now had his free hand over his arm covering his wound. His other hand seemed to tighten around his sword; Arthur could tell Ivor wasn't ready to give up the fight just yet.
"That is enough Ivor, put your sword away." Roderick told his companion as he put his hands up again to show Gwaine that he was not fighting either. His display of desire to cooperate made the sword on his back lighten just a bit and he couldn't help but smile at the response. This Merlin fellow really was special to receive such display of courage and stupidity.
"You can be quite persistent when you want to, but then again I can't expect less from the King of Camelot." Roderick said as he moved his eyes to his companion and then tilting his head towards Merlin, hinting that it was ok to hand over his prize. Arthur narrowed his eyes at the mention of his status, but said nothing to prove the man right or wrong.
Arthur's eyes moved past Ivor and Roderick to land where Merlin lay flipped over the horse's saddle, still unconscious. His face filled with pure raw emotions, fear, worry, hatred, and settled on undiluted anger as he saw the blood on his friend's hair and the small trail that fell across his face. Arthur's gut did cartwheels as his mind was filled with guilt. Why the bloody hell hadn't he stayed until he had found Merlin? He was now bleeding on top of some stranger's horse about to be carried off to who knows where.
Ivor shielded his sword and raised Merlin off the horse. He set him on the ground and stepped back right into Gwaine's view. Gwaine glanced over at Ivor, whom he had not paid much attention to, and his face filled with confusion. "You?" he called to the taller man, letting his grip on his sword loosen somewhat.
"You're the guy from the tavern." Gwaine said again as he came around Roderick, all the while keeping his sword steady on its original target. Ivor just smiled and moved his hand towards his wound again. "And you are the drunken idiot who got me thrown in the dungeons." He replied with a hint of distaste on his voice.
"We didn't hurt him; my guard just gave him a small push." Roderick stated as he tested his luck and moved to his horse. "The blood on his head was already there when we came across him." He continued as he reached into one of the bags on his saddle. "Besides if he means a lot to you, you shouldn't have left him alone in the first place." His voice rang with irritation and he turned to look at Merlin as he thought of his strike of bad luck at being deprived of his new toy he had just found.
Managing to muffle half of his laugh, Roderick got a scroll out and handed it to Arthur. "You might want to see this." He stated with a teasing tone. Arthur grabbed the scroll and yanked it open to only hand it back with a surprised and troubled expression on his face. "Gwaine shield your sword." Arthur ordered his knight as he shielded his and squatted next to Merlin.
"Get on your horses and be on your way, before I change my mind and disregard what I just read." Arthur ordered as he moved closer to his friend, still unready to drop his guard. He wasn't about to take any chances. Gwaine moved towards Merlin and Arthur still holding his sword towards both men. He glanced back at his friend on the ground taking in the wound for the first time. He hadn't seen Merlin get hit only thrown on his back with a blow to the chest. When had he gotten hit on the head?
"What?" Gwaine started to say, but was stopped with a look from Arthur that said there was no room for argument. He shielded his sword and stepped towards Merlin. He couldn't help but wondered who these people were that had Arthur backing off when they had the upper hand. "You're going to let them go? They attacked Merlin and were ready to take off with him." Gwaine argued as he looked at the two culprits.
"Why should we leave?" Ivor moaned as he shifted on his feet making his wound hurt even more. "We are all going to the same destination?" Roderick stated as he took in the angry look from Arthur. "Why not travel together?" Roderick offered as he climbed his horse and motioned for Ivor to do the same. Ivor headed to his horse and came back at a small gallop to stop next to his master; he torn a piece of cloth from the behind his saddle and wrapped it around his wound.
Arthur starred at both of them with anger. He parted his lips as if to say something in retaliation, but decided to concentrate on getting Merlin to his own horse. "Gwaine bring me my horse." Arthur ordered the knight as he pointed towards the direction his horse was. The sooner they set off the sooner they would be rid of them.
Gwaine pushed back an argument that was on the tip of his tongue and headed towards the direction Arthur had pointed at. He reached Arthur's horse and led it back to the clearing patting its side to calm the horse and himself a bit. Stopping next to Arthur, he helped put Merlin on the horse and then walked towards his own horse.
Making sure Merlin was safely secure on his horse Arthur motioned for Gwaine to follow and they made their way towards Lord Godwyn's kingdom. Roderick and Ivor followed behind, they seemed to be talking about something just out of Arthur's and Gwaine's hearing range. Arthur met Roderick's gaze and both men clutched their jaws tightly. None of them were happy about the turn of events.
They had barely reached the road when Arthur noticed Percival and the rest of the knights come around a bend in the path towards them. He pulled up next to Percival. "Does no one do as they are ordered?" Arthur asked no one in particular as he got off his horse and with Percival's and Gwaine's help, moved Merlin to one of the wagons.
"Is it wise to continue to Lord Godwyn's kingdom? Wouldn't it be better if we returned to Camelot and had Gaius look over Merlin's injuries?" Gwaine asked as he shortly forgot about the two new additions and concentrated on his friend. Laying a blanket over his body and moving a strand of hair from his eyes, Gwaine wiped the blood from Merlin's eyes. Then he pressed another blanket on his wound and remounted his horse.
"We are less than a day's ride to Lord Godwyn's kingdom and can reach it faster. They have a good physician who can look over Merlin." Arthur assured Gwaine as he got back on his horse and once again led the way. Percival didn't say anything, one look at Gwaine and the mysterious addition to their party told him all he needed to know.
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An old woman moved through the woods and stopped suddenly near a patch of grass. Her hand moved towards the tall grass and as she retreated back her fingers she held a piece of crumbled parchment. Unrolling the parchment, the old woman looked towards the direction Arthur and his company had gone. Her lips curled back to reveal a set of crooked teeth, as laughter filled the air. The old woman retreated back the way she had come, towards Camelot.
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It took them the rest of the day and night to reach Lord Godwyn's kingdom. Arthur had made them stop a few times to check on Merlin, who had not woken up yet. Dawn was approaching as they finally reached their destination. The bridge that led to the castle came into view and Arthur sped his horse even more.
Arthur brought his horse to a halt, as two guards moved towards him blocking the entrance with their spears. He reached into his saddle bag and presented his scroll with the invitation from Lord Godwyn. "My manservant is badly hurt; we require your physician's services." Arthur informed one of the guards, who handed back his scroll and motioned for the other guard to get the physician.
"We will inform our Lord and the physician of your arrival and request." The remaining guard told Arthur as he moved aside to let them in. Arthur looked back at his party and with one final worried look at the wagon that Merlin was in, he moved towards the castle.
Roderick presented his scroll once Arthur and his party had passed through the bridge. The guard glanced at it and handed it back. He bowed at Roderick and stepped aside to let him and Ivor pass. Roderick quickly rode to the castle; he wanted to see if an opportunity to be alone with Merlin would arise while Arthur was kept busy by Lord Godwyn.
Arthur was greeted by Lord Godwyn and his physician, a man about the same age as Gaius. "This is Caldor; he will attend to your manservant's injuries. Once you have seen to your servant, come see me in the throne room. We have a lot to discuss." Lord Godwyn told Arthur as he moved aside to let Arthur climb the steps. Arthur nodded and thanked him as he quickly followed Gwaine and Percival, who were carrying Merlin towards the physician's chambers.
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Merlin woke up to find himself in a bed, a very nice and huge bed. He rubbed his forehead and noticed that his head was partly wrapped in bandages. Looking around he was unsure of where he was. Merlin didn't recognize the room. He looked towards one of the windows, trying to see if he could see any landscape through its tinted glass, and almost lost his breath as he spotted Arthur.
Arthur was standing with one foot resting on the edge of the window and one of his hands ran through his hair. His face was filled with worry as he stared out the window. "Arthur…" Merlin called out to his king as he tried to sit up. Was he dreaming? He assumed he must be at Lord Godwyn's castle; the room was not one of Arthur's. He blinked his eyes trying to clear his head.
"Arthur…" Merlin called again when Arthur hadn't reacted to his voice. Arthur turned from the window and looked at Merlin. His eyes filled with realization as he saw his friend awake and sitting on the bed. Arthur moved towards the bed with a huge smile appearing on his face. "Took you long enough to wake up. How you feeling?" the King asked as he sat on the bed next to Merlin.
"Like I have just been run over by five horses and a very fat cow..." Merlin replied as he moved the sheets off of him. Arthur pushed him back on the bed and covered him back up as he told him to take it easy and rest. Merlin smiled up at Arthur nervously as he let him get pushed into the soft sheets. Then when he remembered what had led to his condition he spoke. "You left me in the woods." Merlin accused, his eyes showing sadness in them and his tone was a mixture of hurt and confusion.
"I don't know what you are taking about; you're the one who ran off and got yourself injured. What, you tripped and landed on your head?" Arthur teased as he smacked Merlin on the head and got up to leave. "Ouch!" Merlin said as he touched his head. "I am hurt you know…" He continued, but stopped as he saw the sadness on Arthur's eyes.
"I'm sorry…" Merlin began, his chest hurt but not from the punch he had gotten. He couldn't tell Arthur that he had been attacked that night after he had run out of the tent. Then his face cheered up and he smiled at Arthur. "At least you came to your senses and came back for me." Merlin told Arthur as he reached for a pillow and threw it at him.
"You don't get to throw things; I am the only one who gets to do that." Arthur said as he picked up the pillow and threw it back at Merlin, who managed to somewhat dodge it. They both laughed as the tension disappeared and their unspoken feelings reached out to each other.
"I'm the one who should be sorry, Merlin." Arthur told him, his voice a serious tone again. He moved back to the bed and raised a leg setting it on the bed. Arthur leaned forward and stopped a few inches from Merlin's face. "I really am sorry for leaving you behind." Arthur said, his voice becoming low, like a whisper, as his eyes fell on Merlin's lips.
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Author's Note: I bet you had totally forgotten about that guy from the tavern, right? There is very little that I write that doesn't have a bigger purpose, ok now I am just gloating. Sorry! Now on to work on the fluffiness and cuddling, plus can't forget the tons of slash that is to follow. Ok, I just want to write perverted, sweet stuff. You can't blame me, you know it's been a while coming. Though I love putting Merlin in danger, I also equally love writing him in silly situations and such. Next chapter might not be up until sometime next week, I know I am evil. Not much of a cliffhanger had to cut tons of stuff and move it to the next chapter. I think I did manage to cut it at a good part though. What you all think? I am a tease aren't I?
Chapter Eleven