loving you with my whole heart Part 2
MASTERPOST| PART 1
PART 2
Merlin stood in the kitchen with Lance, putting dishes up, and watching as Arthur and Percy struggled to fit another of Merlin’s bookcases through the doorway to the flat. Arthur was on the outside, pushing, and Percy was inside, pulling. It wasn’t going so well, from what Merlin could see. Behind Arthur, Merlin could see Gwen and Elyan holding boxes and looking annoyed.
“You know,” Gwaine commented as he came into the kitchen. “You could have less books.” He had been in the second bedroom, organizing Merlin’s boxes of books.
“You could have less hair,” Merlin shot back with a grin.
Gwaine gasped playfully and touched his hair. “That could never happen.”
“Only because you’re a vain git,” Lance joked. “Now, help with these dishes.”
“And don’t break them,” Merlin warned. “My mother gave me those.”
“Is the lovely Hunith going to make an appearance today?” Gwaine asked with a leer.
Merlin glared. “Yes. After you all leave. So, don’t try to hit on my mother.”
Suddenly, there was a yelp that had the three men rushing to the front door. They found Percy hopping on one foot and swearing.
“Sorry, Percy,” Merlin said. “Gawine, Lance, grab that end and help Arthur would you? I’ll take Percy into the kitchen for some tea.”
“What about me?” Arthur asked plaintively.
“You aren’t in the flat,” Merlin smiled sweetly.
“I hate you so much.”
Merlin blew a kiss at his Sentinel and helped Percy into the kitchen. “Would you like anything with your tea, Percy?” Merlin smiled as he heard Arthur grumble.
****
Later that night, after their friends had left, Hunith did drop by. She even brought food, so much in fact, that it took four trips to her car and back until all it was brought in. Hunith bustled around the kitchen, putting the food away, while a meal of casserole cooked in the oven. Arthur watched her and scowled. He liked having things in certain places, and Hunith, as much as he adored her, was messing his system up.
“You can put it away where you want it when she leaves,” Merlin muttered so his mother couldn’t hear. Arthur nodded in agreement and moved closer to Hunith as she began talking.
“I don’t know if you cook Arthur, but Merlin is particularly picky with his food and forgetful about eating. The boy would eat nothing but coffee and doughnuts if I let him,” she said, tossing a fond look at her son, who just scowled back at her.
Arthur nodded seriously. “I usually cook for me, because of my senses, I have to be careful with what I eat. So I tend to eat plainly, but with lots of leftovers, but I’m willing to learn Merlin’s favorites. I have to take care of him.”
Hunith smiled widely and patted him on the cheek. “Good boy.”
“Hey!” Merlin protested. “I can take care of myself.” He leaned against the kitchen counter and sulked a little bit.
Hunith laughed in delight and kissed the side of her son’s head. “Oh Merlin. It’s nice that you think so.” She looked at Arthur as she continued, “He once shut himself in his room working. I was gone all day at the hospital. When I came home, it must have been, oh, eight at night. He hadn’t eaten all day and only remembered because I checked in on him. Poor boy nearly fainted when he stood up.” She took the casserole out of the oven and set it on the table to cool.
Merlin huffed and grumbled, “It was for a paper on Guides and Sentinels. And maybe I was also doing some magic spells, which take a lot out of me. So I need to eat a lot.”
Arthur chuckled and slung an arm around Merlin’s waist. “I’ll make sure he eats and doesn’t work too much. Don’t want him fainting, after all.”
Hunith smiled at them. “I know you will, Arthur. I trust you.”
Arthur swallowed hard and tightened his hand on Merlin’s hip. “Thank you, Hunith. That means a lot to me.”
Merlin pulled away from Arthur to hug his mother. Hunith pulled Arthur into the hug and held onto her boys for some time. Then she backed away and dabbed at her eyes. “Well, now that the required crying is over with, let’s eat.”
Merlin laughed shakily and Arthur cleared his throat. He was unused to showing his emotions, but his short time with Merlin had made him open up a bit more. The three sat down at the table and began to eat. While eating, Arthur realized, this is what he had been missing his whole life.
****
The next day, Merlin woke Arthur up at seven in the morning to go for a run around the city.
“Why do I have to do this?” Arthur grumbled as he put his shoes on.
“Because we are going to get you used to the smells of your neighborhood and then if anything is out of place, you will know instantly. Then I’m going to hide and you are going to find me,” Merlin grinned cheekily.
“Hide and seek at seven am is not fun.”
“You just have to get used to it!”
“We are not doing this every day!” Arthur protested. “I have to work and so do you!”
“Arthur,” Merlin said seriously, coming closer to his Sentinel. “I’ve you’re your file. You’ve cut yourself off from your senses for so long, you have to reconnect to them. This is the best way. You already know the scents of your house, now it’s time to branch out. Then we can work on your other senses, slowly and carefully.”
“Fine,” Arthur capitulated grumpily. “But you have to do something for me.”
“What?”
“Magic.”
“Magic?” Merlin asked incredulously.
“Yes, I want to see more of it. I want to know what you can do.” Arthur stared at his Guide, expectantly. Even though Arthur had been told that magic was evil, he was utterly fascinated by Merlin’s magic.
Merlin hesitated, but finally agreed. He wasn’t used to sharing his magic with anyone other than his mum and Gaius, but he would do anything for Arthur. “Deal, but only here at home. It isn’t safe anywhere else.”
“Good. Now let’s go running.” Arthur shuttered and moved towards the front door.
“Running isn’t a curse word, Arthur, really.”
“It might as well be.”
Merlin rolled his eyes and followed Arthur out the door.
****
Months later the couple had settled into a comfortable routine. A bit too comfortably, in Merlin’s opinion. He was slightly tense, waiting for something to happen and Arthur sensed that.
“Merlin, you have to relax,” the Sentinel told him one day.
They were lounging at home, with Arthur in the kitchen cleaning and Merlin doing paperwork on the couch.
“I can smell your tension from in here,” Arthur continued. His voice was rough, like he wanted to growl at his boyfriend, but he couldn’t. He had been working on staying calm when irritated by his Guide, but it was a daily battle, as Merlin was supremely irritating at times.
Merlin sighed and laid his head on the back of the couch. He pushed all the papers on his lap off to the side, disrupting his work for the time being. “I know. It just feels like something is going to happen and soon.”
Arthur scoffed and stepped out of the kitchen, drying a dish. “Don’t be foolish. What could possibly go wrong?”
“Oh, thanks Arthur. Now you’ve jinxed us!”
****
Morgana watched with a grimace from her scrying glass while her brother and his Guide bickered. “I can’t believe he picked that boy,” she muttered.
Next to her, Mordred scowled. “Who cares about Arthur anyway?” he asked petulantly. He hated it when Morgana paid more attention to other people. As her Sentinel, he should get all her attention.
Morgause rolled her eyes at the boy. She almost regretted finding him for her sister. “Morgana does and therefore so should we.”
“I’m a better Sentinel than him,” Mordred insisted.
“Of course you are,” Morgana replied distractedly, unaware of Mordred’s feelings towards Arthur. “I’ve seen this Guide somewhere before.”
Morgause moved over to the glass and frowned. “So have I, but where?” She tilted her head, but still couldn’t remember. “It will come to me. Meanwhile, should we start our plan?” she asked with a wide, maniacal smile.
Morgana smiled back at her. “Yes, lets.” She wrapped an arm around Mordred, who happily snuggled into her side.
****
Arthur growled and jumped up from his position on the floor. The Sentinel and Guide had taken to meditate at night. Well, trying to meditate. “This is ridiculous.”
“Arthur,” Merlin sighed softly. This was the third time that Arthur had broken his meditation.
“Don’t ‘Arthur’ me, Merlin. I feel stupid doing this.”
“Blair swears it works. If it can work for Jim and Logan, then it can work for you.”
“Can’t you just show me some magic?” Arthur whined. He really didn’t like meditating. He didn’t want to know what was going on inside his head, no matter if it would help him or not.
“Then you’ll meditate with me for a half an hour?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Sit on the couch.” Merlin stood and waited for Arthur to be comfortably seated, before opening his left hand.
Arthur cocked his head as Merlin’s eyes turned gold and his mouth moved, but was surprised when he heard nothing. Even stretching his hearing to its limits couldn’t make him hear what Merlin was saying. His eyes jumped back to Merlin’s hand where a dragon made of fire and gold was dancing in his hand.
“Merlin,” he whispered. “That’s wonderful.”
Merlin blushed slightly and the dragon turned into a lion and then a knight on horseback. No one had ever told him that before. He was still getting used to Arthur praising him for his magic
“Why can’t I hear you?” Arthur asked, fiercely curious. He was still wary of magic, but not Merlin’s. Anything his Guide did couldn’t be harmful.
“I don’t really need to say the magic spells, I can just think them. However, I got in the habit of mouthing them because it unnerved Uncle Gaius and my mum.”
“That is amazing, Merlin!” Arthur crowed. He reached out and pulled Merlin down next to him. He kissed Merlin deeply before pulling back and demanding, “More.”
Merlin laughed freely. He was glad Arthur loved his magic as much as he did.
****
A few days later, Merlin was busy working at the Center, doing paperwork, when Gaius popped his head into Merlin’s office.
“You have a visitor,” the older man said.
“Who?” Merlin asked while standing and stretching. He’d been sitting down too long. Most people he knew never visited him at work.
Gaius just shrugged. “Some young woman. She asked for you specifically.”
Merlin frowned slightly as he followed Gaius. He couldn’t think of any woman who would ask to see him. Gwen and his mother would just waltz right into his office. He waved at John and Sherlock as he passed them in the hallway. They had sent him a really nice fruit basket once they found out Merlin had finally acquired a Sentinel. Well, John probably had to talk Sherlock into it. For a Guide, Sherlock was very possessive of his Sentinel. Usually it was the other way around.
That’s not to say Guides aren’t possessive. We’re just more subtle about it, Merlin thought.
Gaius stopped suddenly at the lobby of the Center and Merlin barely stopped himself in time, almost nearly ran into his Uncle.
“Gaius?” the young warlock asked.
“What? Oh, no, nothing. I thought I recognized someone,” he replied swiftly. “I don’t know which young woman wants to see you.”
“You’ve didn’t meet her?”
Gaius turned to face his protégé. “No, Shelly told me and I wanted to know who would come here to see you at work,” he smirked.
“Ha, ha,” Merlin deadpanned. “I do have friends you know.”
“None that come and ask for you. I do have to make sure you aren’t cheating on Arthur.”
“Laugh a minute, you are.” Merlin stepped around his mentor and looked around the waiting area. He didn’t recognize anyone. He took a breath before saying, “I’m Merlin Emyrs. Someone is here to see me?”
A young woman with pale skin, long brown hair, blue eyes, and a big grin stepped forward. She was wearing blue jeans and a flowy red shirt. “That’d be me. I’m Nimueh.” She held out a hand and Merlin shook it.
Behind him, Merlin heard Gaius gasp, but when he turned around to ask if everything was all right, Gaius was gone. Merlin shrugged and turned back to Nimueh with a smile. “What can I do for you?”
She looked nervous before saying, “Can we go somewhere private?”
“Of course,” Merlin replied. He led her back to his office. It was a slightly uncomfortable walk for the Guide, as Nimueh kept bumping into him and encroaching on his personal space. He would move away from her, but she always followed. Once at his office, Merlin sat behind his desk, while Nimueh paced and touched everything inside the room.
“What seems to be the problem?” he asked with a slight frown. He didn’t like her touching his things. Mostly because he knew that Arthur wouldn’t like it, but also because it was very presumptuous of her.
“I think my brother is a Sentinel,” she blurted out. She stopped pacing and flung herself into a nearby chair. “My parents call it ‘nonsense’, but I’ve seen the signs. I took a course at Uni on Sentinels and Guides which told us what to look for.”
Merlin nodded. Those types of classes were very popular nowadays. “How old is your brother?”
“Ten. Almost eleven.”
“That’s good news then,” Merlin beamed. He grabbed a piece of paper and began making notes.
“How so?” Nimueh asked. She leaned forward out of her chair and looked at Merlin expectantly.
“At age ten, anyone can come here to be tested.”
“So my parents don’t have to approve?”
“It’d be helpful, but it’s not necessary. If he was nine or younger, than we’d have a problem.”
“That seems like an arbitrary number,” Nimueh frowned. She stood and came around to Merlin’s side of the desk and touched the back of his neck lightly.
Merlin swallowed and moved away from her. She dropped her hand, but stayed close to him. “It isn’t. Sentinels and Guides seem to manifest around that age, even if we are tested at younger ages. Parents don’t always believe that their children have these gifts, but the kids always know. And we don’t turn away anyone who asks for help.”
He pushed away from his desk and went to his filing cabinet. He pulled out some forms and turned back to Nimueh. “Just have your brother fill these out. You can drop them off tomorrow and then come back in a week or so.”
Nimueh smiled and made her way to the door. Merlin met her there, the forms still in his hands. He gave them to her and then was pulled into a tight hug. His eyes widened and he had no clue where to place his hands, so he did nothing.
“Thank you,” Nimueh whispered into his ear. She then kissed his cheek and pulled away. “I can find my own way out.”
Merlin watched her go. “Arthur is going to be so mad,” he groaned as he touched his face. He went to the restroom to scrub at his face and neck, but he knew his Sentinel would be able to smell the woman on him anyway.
****
Merlin was right. When Arthur came to pick his boyfriend up, he instantly scowled. “Who was here? I know that scent,” the Sentinel ground out. He moved around Merlin’s office, sniffing everywhere.
“Just some girl who needed help. And you know, other people,” Merlin said cautiously. He pushed Arthur out the door of the office.
“It’s all through here,” Arthur complained as they walked down the hallway to the front door. “It’ll get in my car too.”
“Then don’t smell anything. Dial it down to normal levels.”
“You mean like a normal person for a few minutes?”
“Yes. I know it’s beneath you, but you can do it. And expect that smell later, she’s coming back.”
Arthur huffed at his boyfriend, and then took a deep whiff of Merlin’s hair, as they got to the car. He growled unhappily as he said, “She touched you.”
“She gave me a hug, yes. Don’t worry, I didn’t hug her back.” Merlin put his things in the trunk and faced his Sentinel.
“Good. You’re mine.” Arthur grabbed the back of Merlin’s neck and pulled him close. “Mine. You hear me?” The Sentinel kissed his Guide fiercely, before pulling away.
“Yours,” Merlin agreed dazedly. “And you’re mine.”
“Yes.”
They kissed once more before getting into the car and driving away.
****
Nimueh watched from an alleyway. She raised a hand and a globe materialized. She spoke into it, “The young prince is beginning to crack.” She smiled nastily and then she disappeared into the alley.
****
Once at home, Merlin put his clothes into the wash and took a shower, just so Arthur would calm down. Merlin had left the Sentinel outside cleaning his car of the smell. Sometimes Merlin felt as if Arthur loved that car more than him. As Merlin was washing his hair, he heard Arthur come into the bathroom.
“What does she want?” the blonde asked grouchily. He was not happy with some woman just touching Merlin. He knew it was unhealthy to think that, but the Sentinel/Guide bond thrummed against the wrongness of it.
“Who?” Merlin peeked out and saw his boyfriend sitting on the toilet, sulking. “And don’t sulk.”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“Don’t change the subject,” Arthur grunted in annoyance. “You know who. That girl.”
“She thinks her brother might be a Sentinel, but her parents don’t. She needed help and advice. Since he’s old enough, they can come in without their parents.”
“I should be there.”
“No way in hell. A possible young Sentinel does not need a full grown Sentinel in his face. If the kid needs guidance, you’d be the last person I’d call.”
Arthur scoffed. Merlin flicked water at him. Arthur narrowed his eyes and flushed the toilet in retaliation. Merlin shrieked and almost fell out of the shower. Arthur caught Merlin before he could hit the ground.
“Damn it, Arthur,” Merlin grumbled as Arthur stood him up.
“You still smell like her,” Arthur muttered as he sniffed the base of Merlin’s neck.
“I know how to fix that,” Merlin replied as he turned in his boyfriends’ arms to face him.
Arthur grinned wickedly and scooped Merlin up, carrying the wizard to their bedroom.
****
Later that day, Arthur and Merlin met their friends at a pub. Merlin blushed as Gwaine and Percy commented on his new hickeys.
“Shut up,” he mumbled. Gwen grabbed his arm and drug him to the bar.
“You can tell me all about it and we won’t tell them,” she said with a smirk.
“Joy,” Merlin deadpanned.
Lance threw an arm around Arthur’s shoulders as the other man sat down. “So, Arthur, when are you getting a new car? You’ve had that thing for at least four years.”
“Yeah,” Elyan jumped in. Picking on Arthur was one of their favorite things to do, especially since Merlin entered the picture. Arthur was much more relaxed and amiable when it came to jokes at his expense. Before Merlin, no one dared pick on Arthur for longer than five minutes, as the blonde would growl at everyone before stalking away. Now they could get in a good solid twenty minutes of ribbing before Arthur got really annoyed. “You always get rid of cars after two years.”
“I’m not getting rid of it,” Arthur stated. “I like it.”
“Are you getting sentimental over a car?” guffawed Gwaine. He leaned against Percy so he wouldn’t fall over laughing.
“Look,” Arthur sighed and shrugged off Lance’s arm. “It was the first car I bought, with my own money, not money from my parents, but mine. It holds a lot of memories for me. I keep lots of little things important people in my life have given me in that car. Also, Merlin and I have done…things in it.” Arthur shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Thinking about Merlin in his car always made him aroused and he wasn’t sure why.
“Aw, poor little Arthur can’t say sex?” Elyan teased. Gawine laughed harder, while Percy rolled his eyes. Lance put his head down on the table, hoping Arthur wouldn’t know he was laughing too.
Arthur scowled at his friends. “I can say sex,” he hissed. “I just don’t want you thinking about Merlin and sex together.”
His friends continued to laugh at him. Arthur sank down in his chair and sulked. “You guys are horrible.”
“No, man, it’s sweet,” Gwaine said, controlling his laughter. “It’s exactly the kind of thing Merlin would like and nothing you’ve ever done before.” He wiped at his eyes.
“And if your friends can’t tease you, who can?” Lance asked, finally lifting his head from the table.
“I guess,” Arthur grumbled. “Just don’t do anything to my car, like you did to my last one.”
“That was an accident!” Percy protested, sitting upright in annoyance, dislodging Gwaine in the process.
“One doesn’t accidentally drive my car into a lamp post!”
“Oh,” Percy sat back in his chair. “That one was all Gwaine.”
Gwaine squawked in indignation. That set Elyan and Lance back to laughing.
Arthur chuckled as well, before warning, “Just don’t let anything happen to my car.”
****
Meanwhile, at the bar, Gwen was trying to get information of Merlin, but to no avail. She sighed and flagged down the bartender and ordered a round of beers for the group, then she turned back to Merlin with a stern look.
“Merlin,” she started.
“No, Gwen. I don’t want to tell you anything.” Merlin held up his hands, as if that would keep Gwen at bay.
“Is it bad? Is Arthur hurting you?” she asked lowly.
“No!” Merlin shouted in outrage. Arthur’s head whipped towards him, but Merlin waved him off. “It’s just private.”
“Those hickeys don’t look private,” she pointed out with a sly grin.
Merlin flushed and tried to cover them up with his shirt, but failed as they were too high up on his neck. She took pity on him and patted his hand.
“I know that Lance’s likes to leave marks where everyone can see. It’s just a Sentinel thing.”
“I know that theoretically. I’ve read everything the Center has on possessive Sentinels and how a Guide should deal with that, but…”
“It’s still new for you?”
“Yes! I never thought I’d have a Sentinel, much less a possessive one. I mean, there’s this woman.”
“Oh dear,” Gwen sighed again.
“No, it’s just. She doesn’t know any better, she’s not a Guide or a Sentinel, but her brother might be,” Merlin rambled, waving his hands around. “And she got to close and she touched everything in my office. She even hugged me and Arthur didn’t like it.”
“They usually don’t. You know it’s hard for a Sentinel to focus on a Guide’s scent if it’s covered by someone else’s.”
“I know! I just didn’t expect such an extreme reaction.” He gestured to his neck. “I liked it though,” he admitted shyly.
Gwen smiled and leaned in to whisper, “I do too.” She pulled away as soon as the beers were placed in front of them. “Let’s go get these back to those morons at our table.”
****
A week later, Nimueh came back to the Center with a young boy, who had black hair and bright blue eyes. He had a sour look on his face, as if he didn’t want to be at the Center.
“This is my little brother, Mordred,” she told Merlin.
“Interesting names,” Merlin smiled lightly.
Nimueh smiled crookedly and shrugged. “Parents,” she sighed.
“I know what you mean,” Merlin laughed. He then held out a hand, which Mordred shook. Merlin felt a little shock run through him as they touched hands. He had felt the same shock when Nimueh touched him earlier, but he had written it off as static shock. “Nice…nice to meet you,” the Guide replied absently. He shook his head to clear it and motioned for the pair to follow him. “Down here are the testing rooms.” He showed Mordred into a room. “Your sister and I will be next door watching you. A series of tests will occur, just do your best,” Merlin smiled.
Mordred grunted and went into the room Merlin had indicated. The boy shut the door with a slam and Merlin winced.
Nimueh smiled weakly at him. “He’s just a little nervous.”
“There’s no need to be,” Merlin responded. “The tests are perfectly safe.”
They walked into the room next door and stepped up to a two-way mirror. Merlin had a clipboard ready. He made sure to stand a good distance away from Nimueh, but she was determined to move closer to Merlin, who edged away from her.
“Um, I have a Sentinel who would prefer you not stand so close to me,” he said, not looking at her. He stared as Mordred completed the first test, making notes on his clipboard.
“What if you want to date?”
“I’m dating my Sentinel.”
“Isn’t that weird?”
“No, I love him. Hmm, Mordred has excellent hearing. Definitely Sentinel levels,” Merlin mused. He scribbled down some numbers before going back to watching the boy.
“Isn’t he controlling and possessive? You can’t have friends?”
“I can. Arthur just has to meet them first, so he can get used to their scents.”
“But he is controlling and possessive of you,” Nimueh pushed. She moved closer to him, bringing her lips towards his face.
“All Sentinels are,” Merlin snapped as he jerked away from her. He glared at her, his eyes flashing gold. Nimueh gaped at him. He turned back to watching Mordred with a small flush. “He has a good sense of smell as well.” He wrote more information down.
Nimueh smirked and reached out to touch Merlin’s cheek. He flinched away when she made contact. He felt another fission of shock, like he had before, but this one was larger.
“Please don’t,” Merlin said, stepping farther away from her. “You’re brother is done. Collect him and go to the front.”
Nimueh frowned. “Fine, but I worry about you. The control Arthur has over you is dangerous.”
“You don’t know me. Or Arthur. You wouldn’t understand. Now please.”
Nimueh nodded and left the room. Merlin waited until he was sure the siblings were gone. Then he gathered up the test results and went to meet them at the front desk.
“We’ll take these tests and the paperwork you filled out and get back to you in about two weeks, but I think your brother is a Sentinel,” he told them, not looking up from his papers.
“Merlin,” Nimueh said softly. He looked up at her warily. “Take this. It’s my number. Call if you need help.” She handed him a piece of paper.
He took it, not looking at it and shoved it into his pocket. He glanced at Mordred, who was glaring at him. Merlin flinched. The boy was giving him a headache and he just wanted them to leave.
“We’ll call you when you need to come in,” he mumbled before turning and fleeing to his office. Once inside, he closed his eyes and sighed.
****
The same day, Arthur and Merlin were at a nearby park. They had advanced in Arthur’s training to where he new the sights, smells, sounds, and everything else around their block. Now they had ventured farther out and, once Arthur got the hang of it, he excelled at it.
Now, Arthur had his eyes closed and was trying to focus on the smells and sounds, but he could only hear Merlin beside him. While usually a good thing, was not what this exercise was about.
“Damn it,” he cursed, opening his eyes. “Something’s wrong. I can usually do this in my sleep.”
Merlin looked concerned and touched Arthur’s arm. “Are you all right? Are you sick?”
“No, I just can’t seem to focus on anything other than you, which I normally wouldn’t object too, but I’ve actually grown to like these lessons,” Arthur admitted.
“Progress!” Merlin cheered. Then he bit his lip and looked around. “It is a new area. We haven’t gotten used to this place yet. Should I try to leave you alone?”
“No. Yes. I don’t know,” Arthur sighed. He shakes himself. “Let’s try again.”
Merlin nodded. “Okay, but just let me know when you want to stop.”
Arthur grunted in agreement and closed his eyes again. He would master this, even if it took all day. He his mouth ticked upwards slightly as he felt Merlin grab his hand and hold on. Maybe all he needed was his Guide to anchor him.
****
“It’s working,” Mordred said as he and Nimueh walked into Morgana’s apartment. “The Guide is starting to wonder.” He rushed to Morgana and cuddled close to her. He had missed her all day. He hated being apart from her.
“And with my scent on him, well,” Nimueh smirked. “That will just drive the young prince crazy.”
“Good,” Morgause said from the bar. She had just finished a drink and began to pour herself another one. “Should we precede sister?”
“Yes,” Morgana replied as she put an arm around Mordred. She was in a trance like state as she continued, “The future looks good for us.”
****
A few days later, Merlin and Arthur were lounging at home. Well, Merlin was lounging while Arthur did the laundry. Merlin had tried to help with the chores, but when he didn’t meet Arthur’s exacting standards, Arthur banished him from cleaning anything.
“You are a pig, Merlin,” the Sentinel muttered loudly enough so his Guide could hear him. “What is even on your clothes?”
“Shut up, Mr. Clean Freak.”
Arthur glared at the back of Merlin’s head, but then broke into a fond grin when his lover flipped him off and said, “I can see you, you know.”
“Liar.”
“Fine. I just know you fairly well.”
Arthur sniffed in fake disdain and gathered up all the clothes and took them into the laundry room. He was washing trousers for the first load, so he dug through all the pockets of Merlin’s jeans. He cocked his head when he stuck a hand in Merlin’s trousers and pulled out a scrap of paper. Merlin kept, and then quickly forgot about, all kinds of things in his jean pockets; gum, change, toys, and much more, but the Guide had never forgot paper before.
Arthur unfolded it and was hit by a wave of his now least favorite scent. It was the same scent that had been all over Merlin for months. It clung to the wizard like a bad penny. Arthur was probably mixing his metaphors, but he didn’t care. He felt dizzy as he read the note and the scent washed over him again. The Sentinel growled low in his throat. He had been assaulted by this scent for sometime now and this was the last straw. He crumpled the paper up and stalked back out into the living room where Merlin was rapidly flicking through TV channels.
Arthur grabbed his Guide by the back of the neck, hauled him off the couch, and pushed him against a wall.
“Arthur?” Merlin squeaked as he was slammed softly into the wall.
“What is this?” Arthur hissed, shoving the crumpled paper into Merlin’s face.
Merlin didn’t have to smooth it out to know what it was. He closed his eyes and sighed. “Nimueh’s phone number.” He had looked at it later, after she left, and then shoved it into his jean pockets. He had meant to get rid of it, but had completely forgotten about it.
“Nim- who’s that?” Arthur was still furious, but there was something niggling at his mind, trying to work its way through his Sentinel instincts. However, they had taken over, as he felt his Guide was being taken from him.
“The girl with a Sentinel brother? She thought you were too controlling and gave me that.”
“You didn’t throw it out?” Arthur slammed his hand on the wall next to Merlin’s head. His lover didn’t even flinch, he just stared straight into Arthur’s eyes. Arthur then brought his hands to Merlin’s shoulders and held on tightly, trying to ground himself.
“I forgot,” Merlin shrugged.
Arthur knew Merlin was telling the truth. Once something was in Merlin’s pockets, it was forgotten about until laundry day, which was why paper never made its way into his pockets.
“I-” Arthur started, but cut himself off with a low growl. He gripped Merlin’s shoulders tighter than he had before, this time making Merlin wince. “Something’s wrong. Can’t control senses.” Arthur groaned as he sank to the floor. His eyes were shut tight and he had his hands over his ears.
“Arthur!” Merlin whispered urgently. He wanted to help, but he wasn’t sure how. Even touching Arthur when he was in this state could send the Sentinel into a catatonic state or a Zone Out.
The wizard took a deep breath and reached out with his magic. He saw a faint barrier around his boyfriend. He even felt the same barrier all throughout the flat. He frowned. He had felt this energy before.
“Nimueh,” he breathed.
“You rang,” the woman in question spoke up.
Merlin blinked and focused on her. “How-?”
“Magic, dear.” She glanced at Arthur. “Shame about the young prince. He would have made a find king someday.”
“What?” Merlin asked in bewilderment.
“Poor little Merlin,” Nimueh mocked. “Your magic is nothing compared to mine and my coven.”
Merlin blinked at her. “What?” He was rapidly beginning to lose the point of this conversation and his patience.
“So much to learn,” she chuckled evilly. “Too bad neither of you will be around to see it.” She pinned Merlin to the wall with her magic. A stray thread of her magic knocked over a side table, a lamp, and even managed to break some dishes. “Oops,” she smirked unrepentantly and pulled out a dagger from thin air. “Murder/suicide is known to happen to unstable Sentinels and Guides. And our young prince has been highly unstable lately. Everyone’s seen it.”
“Because of you,” Merlin yelled. He surged against her magic, but wasn’t able to break it’s hold on him.
“I knew you’d figure it out someday,” Nimueh smirked. “Now say goodbye.” She magically unfolded Arthur from his curled position and laid him flat, then she held the dagger above Arthur and made a sharp thrust downward. Before it made contact with the Sentinel, it was stopped inches from Arthur’s heart. Nimueh struggled against the power holding her back, but it only held on tighter.
“You will not harm my Sentinel,” Merlin intoned from his spot against the wall. He had a hand reaching out towards her.
Nimueh looked at Merlin in shock. “No. I’m more powerful!” She let loose some magic and pictures fell from the walls, but she was still tightly held. She glanced at Merlin’s eyes and saw that they were completely golden. “Emyrs,” she whispered in surprise.
“I knew you would never learn Nimueh. No one should have woken you from that tree,” Merlin continued as if she had never spoken. “I’m still the High Priest, no matter my form. Not you. Never you. I’ve found my Sentinel once more and no one will take him from me. No one.”
He forced her upright. He wasn’t comfortable having her bent over Arthur still. Nimueh struck back with her own magic, this time knocking books off of shelves, but nothing could distract Merlin now. His magic tightened around Nimueh and she trembled in fear. Emyrs could easily kill her. Suddenly, from below her, Arthur groaned, “Merlin. No.”
Merlin’s concentration faltered for a second, but Nimueh didn’t have time to react before he was muttering a spell. Nimueh screamed as she disappeared. The dagger fell to Arthur’s side. Merlin raced to his lover and pulled him towards the wall.
“W-where’d y-you se-end her-r?” Arthur stuttered as Merlin helped him sit up. His senses were still overloaded, so everything from talking to breathing was a pain, but he wanted to be there for Merlin.
“Somewhere where she can’t hurt anyone,” Merlin replied as he touched the Sentinel lightly, not wanting to hurt him even more. “Okay, close your eyes and focus on me- my touch, my smell, the sound of my voice.” Merlin watched as Arthur did as he was instructed. “Good. Now take deep breathes. Yes, good. There we go. Good as new.”
Arthur snorted and opened his eyes to look at his lover. “We have things to discuss,” he said seriously.
Merlin nodded. “I know. Just later.” He leaned in and kissed Arthur hotly. He had come very close to losing his one true love.
****
Miles away, Morgana and Mordred sat cuddled up on the couch, watching as Nimueh attacked Arthur and Merlin. Suddenly, Morgana shrieked as her scrying glass exploded. Mordred darted for cover and hid behind the couch to avoid the flying glass.
“Well,” Morgause said calmly from a nearby chair, sipping her drink. “At least I know where I’ve seen that Guide before.”
****
“Are you sure you don’t need Gaius?” Merlin asked.
“Yeah,” Arthur muttered.
They had moved to the couch, leaving the debris from the fight on the ground. Both men were too tired to clean up. Arthur was lying on the couch, with his head in Merlin’s lap, with a damp cloth over his eyes. Merlin was periodically brushing his fingers against Arthur’s cheek, not only to ground the Sentinel but also to prove to himself that Arthur was all right.
“What happened?” Arthur finally asked.
Merlin let out a small sigh. “You know I have magic.”
“Yes, I hadn’t forgotten that my Guide is a powerful wizard,” Arthur snapped.
“Shush,” Merlin flicked Arthur’s ear gently, then rubbed it. “I have old, powerful magic, from an ancestor or something. I don’t know. Every time I tried to find out, I got headaches and something stopped me. I guess you being threatened broke whatever barrier was in my head. It’s strange having someone else’s memories and knowledge next to mine.”
“And what about me?”
“From what I can gather, your ancestor and mine were in love, but they couldn’t do anything about it. Yours was a king and mine was a servant. But now I’ve finally found you and I won’t let you go.”
Arthur reached out and grabbed Merlin’s hand, wanting a physical connection to his Guide. “Quite right. What about Nimueh?”
“She was an old student of his. Something happened, I don’t know what. I thought she was dead though.”
Arthur was silent for sometime before quietly saying, “She’s the one who caused my sister to leave.”
Merlin took the cloth of Arthur’s face and looked into his eyes. “What? How’s that possible?”
It was Arthur’s turn to sigh. “My mother can’t have kids, so my Father had an affair to produce an heir. Mother didn’t like that one bit and contacted Gaius, who knew all about magic. Father’s mistress had Morgana, who was a Guide. While Morgana and her mother settled into the house, against my Mother’s wishes, Mother and Gaius somehow got in touch with Nimueh. They did…something for her and some time later, I was conceived. Mother chased Morgana’s mother out of the house, but kept Morgana around, so I could have a playmate. Mother treated my sister like dirt and Father ignored us both.” Arthur paused. “I do love her. I always have. She’s my sister no matter what.”
“What happened to her?” Merlin asked quietly. He kept a tight hold on Arthur’s hand. He knew Arthur didn’t have a happy childhood, but this just made him angry. Treating their innocent children like that made him want to scream at Arthur’s parents.
“She was my Guide for awhile, but it didn’t take and she went insane. Plus, she started having these visions, which Gaius said were manifestations of her magic. Father hates magic, so he put her in an asylum. As far as I know, she’s still in there.”
“Why does your father hate magic? It gave him you. Don’t you go see her?”
Arthur shook his head. “Father won’t tell me where she is.” He smiled up at his lover. “As for Father, magic, and I, after I was born, Mother became sick for a long time. Whatever magic Nimueh had done took a lot out of Mother, but she doesn’t like to talk about it.”
“I can see why.” Merlin paused before asking, “Do you blame Nimueh for Morgana?”
“Without Nimueh’s interference Morgana wouldn’t be insane and alone.”
“But, you wouldn’t be here!” Merlin protested. He couldn’t stand the thought of not having Arthur around.
Arthur shrugged as best he could while lying down. “You could have waited a little longer, yeah?”
Merlin let out a choked laugh. “I already waited for 1000 years.”
“So a few more…?”
“Would have been pure torture.”
“Aw, love.” Arthur reached up and touched Merlin’s face. He then gave a little tug and Merlin came willingly. There was more to say, but it could wait.
PART 3
PART 2
Merlin stood in the kitchen with Lance, putting dishes up, and watching as Arthur and Percy struggled to fit another of Merlin’s bookcases through the doorway to the flat. Arthur was on the outside, pushing, and Percy was inside, pulling. It wasn’t going so well, from what Merlin could see. Behind Arthur, Merlin could see Gwen and Elyan holding boxes and looking annoyed.
“You know,” Gwaine commented as he came into the kitchen. “You could have less books.” He had been in the second bedroom, organizing Merlin’s boxes of books.
“You could have less hair,” Merlin shot back with a grin.
Gwaine gasped playfully and touched his hair. “That could never happen.”
“Only because you’re a vain git,” Lance joked. “Now, help with these dishes.”
“And don’t break them,” Merlin warned. “My mother gave me those.”
“Is the lovely Hunith going to make an appearance today?” Gwaine asked with a leer.
Merlin glared. “Yes. After you all leave. So, don’t try to hit on my mother.”
Suddenly, there was a yelp that had the three men rushing to the front door. They found Percy hopping on one foot and swearing.
“Sorry, Percy,” Merlin said. “Gawine, Lance, grab that end and help Arthur would you? I’ll take Percy into the kitchen for some tea.”
“What about me?” Arthur asked plaintively.
“You aren’t in the flat,” Merlin smiled sweetly.
“I hate you so much.”
Merlin blew a kiss at his Sentinel and helped Percy into the kitchen. “Would you like anything with your tea, Percy?” Merlin smiled as he heard Arthur grumble.
****
Later that night, after their friends had left, Hunith did drop by. She even brought food, so much in fact, that it took four trips to her car and back until all it was brought in. Hunith bustled around the kitchen, putting the food away, while a meal of casserole cooked in the oven. Arthur watched her and scowled. He liked having things in certain places, and Hunith, as much as he adored her, was messing his system up.
“You can put it away where you want it when she leaves,” Merlin muttered so his mother couldn’t hear. Arthur nodded in agreement and moved closer to Hunith as she began talking.
“I don’t know if you cook Arthur, but Merlin is particularly picky with his food and forgetful about eating. The boy would eat nothing but coffee and doughnuts if I let him,” she said, tossing a fond look at her son, who just scowled back at her.
Arthur nodded seriously. “I usually cook for me, because of my senses, I have to be careful with what I eat. So I tend to eat plainly, but with lots of leftovers, but I’m willing to learn Merlin’s favorites. I have to take care of him.”
Hunith smiled widely and patted him on the cheek. “Good boy.”
“Hey!” Merlin protested. “I can take care of myself.” He leaned against the kitchen counter and sulked a little bit.
Hunith laughed in delight and kissed the side of her son’s head. “Oh Merlin. It’s nice that you think so.” She looked at Arthur as she continued, “He once shut himself in his room working. I was gone all day at the hospital. When I came home, it must have been, oh, eight at night. He hadn’t eaten all day and only remembered because I checked in on him. Poor boy nearly fainted when he stood up.” She took the casserole out of the oven and set it on the table to cool.
Merlin huffed and grumbled, “It was for a paper on Guides and Sentinels. And maybe I was also doing some magic spells, which take a lot out of me. So I need to eat a lot.”
Arthur chuckled and slung an arm around Merlin’s waist. “I’ll make sure he eats and doesn’t work too much. Don’t want him fainting, after all.”
Hunith smiled at them. “I know you will, Arthur. I trust you.”
Arthur swallowed hard and tightened his hand on Merlin’s hip. “Thank you, Hunith. That means a lot to me.”
Merlin pulled away from Arthur to hug his mother. Hunith pulled Arthur into the hug and held onto her boys for some time. Then she backed away and dabbed at her eyes. “Well, now that the required crying is over with, let’s eat.”
Merlin laughed shakily and Arthur cleared his throat. He was unused to showing his emotions, but his short time with Merlin had made him open up a bit more. The three sat down at the table and began to eat. While eating, Arthur realized, this is what he had been missing his whole life.
****
The next day, Merlin woke Arthur up at seven in the morning to go for a run around the city.
“Why do I have to do this?” Arthur grumbled as he put his shoes on.
“Because we are going to get you used to the smells of your neighborhood and then if anything is out of place, you will know instantly. Then I’m going to hide and you are going to find me,” Merlin grinned cheekily.
“Hide and seek at seven am is not fun.”
“You just have to get used to it!”
“We are not doing this every day!” Arthur protested. “I have to work and so do you!”
“Arthur,” Merlin said seriously, coming closer to his Sentinel. “I’ve you’re your file. You’ve cut yourself off from your senses for so long, you have to reconnect to them. This is the best way. You already know the scents of your house, now it’s time to branch out. Then we can work on your other senses, slowly and carefully.”
“Fine,” Arthur capitulated grumpily. “But you have to do something for me.”
“What?”
“Magic.”
“Magic?” Merlin asked incredulously.
“Yes, I want to see more of it. I want to know what you can do.” Arthur stared at his Guide, expectantly. Even though Arthur had been told that magic was evil, he was utterly fascinated by Merlin’s magic.
Merlin hesitated, but finally agreed. He wasn’t used to sharing his magic with anyone other than his mum and Gaius, but he would do anything for Arthur. “Deal, but only here at home. It isn’t safe anywhere else.”
“Good. Now let’s go running.” Arthur shuttered and moved towards the front door.
“Running isn’t a curse word, Arthur, really.”
“It might as well be.”
Merlin rolled his eyes and followed Arthur out the door.
****
Months later the couple had settled into a comfortable routine. A bit too comfortably, in Merlin’s opinion. He was slightly tense, waiting for something to happen and Arthur sensed that.
“Merlin, you have to relax,” the Sentinel told him one day.
They were lounging at home, with Arthur in the kitchen cleaning and Merlin doing paperwork on the couch.
“I can smell your tension from in here,” Arthur continued. His voice was rough, like he wanted to growl at his boyfriend, but he couldn’t. He had been working on staying calm when irritated by his Guide, but it was a daily battle, as Merlin was supremely irritating at times.
Merlin sighed and laid his head on the back of the couch. He pushed all the papers on his lap off to the side, disrupting his work for the time being. “I know. It just feels like something is going to happen and soon.”
Arthur scoffed and stepped out of the kitchen, drying a dish. “Don’t be foolish. What could possibly go wrong?”
“Oh, thanks Arthur. Now you’ve jinxed us!”
****
Morgana watched with a grimace from her scrying glass while her brother and his Guide bickered. “I can’t believe he picked that boy,” she muttered.
Next to her, Mordred scowled. “Who cares about Arthur anyway?” he asked petulantly. He hated it when Morgana paid more attention to other people. As her Sentinel, he should get all her attention.
Morgause rolled her eyes at the boy. She almost regretted finding him for her sister. “Morgana does and therefore so should we.”
“I’m a better Sentinel than him,” Mordred insisted.
“Of course you are,” Morgana replied distractedly, unaware of Mordred’s feelings towards Arthur. “I’ve seen this Guide somewhere before.”
Morgause moved over to the glass and frowned. “So have I, but where?” She tilted her head, but still couldn’t remember. “It will come to me. Meanwhile, should we start our plan?” she asked with a wide, maniacal smile.
Morgana smiled back at her. “Yes, lets.” She wrapped an arm around Mordred, who happily snuggled into her side.
****
Arthur growled and jumped up from his position on the floor. The Sentinel and Guide had taken to meditate at night. Well, trying to meditate. “This is ridiculous.”
“Arthur,” Merlin sighed softly. This was the third time that Arthur had broken his meditation.
“Don’t ‘Arthur’ me, Merlin. I feel stupid doing this.”
“Blair swears it works. If it can work for Jim and Logan, then it can work for you.”
“Can’t you just show me some magic?” Arthur whined. He really didn’t like meditating. He didn’t want to know what was going on inside his head, no matter if it would help him or not.
“Then you’ll meditate with me for a half an hour?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Sit on the couch.” Merlin stood and waited for Arthur to be comfortably seated, before opening his left hand.
Arthur cocked his head as Merlin’s eyes turned gold and his mouth moved, but was surprised when he heard nothing. Even stretching his hearing to its limits couldn’t make him hear what Merlin was saying. His eyes jumped back to Merlin’s hand where a dragon made of fire and gold was dancing in his hand.
“Merlin,” he whispered. “That’s wonderful.”
Merlin blushed slightly and the dragon turned into a lion and then a knight on horseback. No one had ever told him that before. He was still getting used to Arthur praising him for his magic
“Why can’t I hear you?” Arthur asked, fiercely curious. He was still wary of magic, but not Merlin’s. Anything his Guide did couldn’t be harmful.
“I don’t really need to say the magic spells, I can just think them. However, I got in the habit of mouthing them because it unnerved Uncle Gaius and my mum.”
“That is amazing, Merlin!” Arthur crowed. He reached out and pulled Merlin down next to him. He kissed Merlin deeply before pulling back and demanding, “More.”
Merlin laughed freely. He was glad Arthur loved his magic as much as he did.
****
A few days later, Merlin was busy working at the Center, doing paperwork, when Gaius popped his head into Merlin’s office.
“You have a visitor,” the older man said.
“Who?” Merlin asked while standing and stretching. He’d been sitting down too long. Most people he knew never visited him at work.
Gaius just shrugged. “Some young woman. She asked for you specifically.”
Merlin frowned slightly as he followed Gaius. He couldn’t think of any woman who would ask to see him. Gwen and his mother would just waltz right into his office. He waved at John and Sherlock as he passed them in the hallway. They had sent him a really nice fruit basket once they found out Merlin had finally acquired a Sentinel. Well, John probably had to talk Sherlock into it. For a Guide, Sherlock was very possessive of his Sentinel. Usually it was the other way around.
That’s not to say Guides aren’t possessive. We’re just more subtle about it, Merlin thought.
Gaius stopped suddenly at the lobby of the Center and Merlin barely stopped himself in time, almost nearly ran into his Uncle.
“Gaius?” the young warlock asked.
“What? Oh, no, nothing. I thought I recognized someone,” he replied swiftly. “I don’t know which young woman wants to see you.”
“You’ve didn’t meet her?”
Gaius turned to face his protégé. “No, Shelly told me and I wanted to know who would come here to see you at work,” he smirked.
“Ha, ha,” Merlin deadpanned. “I do have friends you know.”
“None that come and ask for you. I do have to make sure you aren’t cheating on Arthur.”
“Laugh a minute, you are.” Merlin stepped around his mentor and looked around the waiting area. He didn’t recognize anyone. He took a breath before saying, “I’m Merlin Emyrs. Someone is here to see me?”
A young woman with pale skin, long brown hair, blue eyes, and a big grin stepped forward. She was wearing blue jeans and a flowy red shirt. “That’d be me. I’m Nimueh.” She held out a hand and Merlin shook it.
Behind him, Merlin heard Gaius gasp, but when he turned around to ask if everything was all right, Gaius was gone. Merlin shrugged and turned back to Nimueh with a smile. “What can I do for you?”
She looked nervous before saying, “Can we go somewhere private?”
“Of course,” Merlin replied. He led her back to his office. It was a slightly uncomfortable walk for the Guide, as Nimueh kept bumping into him and encroaching on his personal space. He would move away from her, but she always followed. Once at his office, Merlin sat behind his desk, while Nimueh paced and touched everything inside the room.
“What seems to be the problem?” he asked with a slight frown. He didn’t like her touching his things. Mostly because he knew that Arthur wouldn’t like it, but also because it was very presumptuous of her.
“I think my brother is a Sentinel,” she blurted out. She stopped pacing and flung herself into a nearby chair. “My parents call it ‘nonsense’, but I’ve seen the signs. I took a course at Uni on Sentinels and Guides which told us what to look for.”
Merlin nodded. Those types of classes were very popular nowadays. “How old is your brother?”
“Ten. Almost eleven.”
“That’s good news then,” Merlin beamed. He grabbed a piece of paper and began making notes.
“How so?” Nimueh asked. She leaned forward out of her chair and looked at Merlin expectantly.
“At age ten, anyone can come here to be tested.”
“So my parents don’t have to approve?”
“It’d be helpful, but it’s not necessary. If he was nine or younger, than we’d have a problem.”
“That seems like an arbitrary number,” Nimueh frowned. She stood and came around to Merlin’s side of the desk and touched the back of his neck lightly.
Merlin swallowed and moved away from her. She dropped her hand, but stayed close to him. “It isn’t. Sentinels and Guides seem to manifest around that age, even if we are tested at younger ages. Parents don’t always believe that their children have these gifts, but the kids always know. And we don’t turn away anyone who asks for help.”
He pushed away from his desk and went to his filing cabinet. He pulled out some forms and turned back to Nimueh. “Just have your brother fill these out. You can drop them off tomorrow and then come back in a week or so.”
Nimueh smiled and made her way to the door. Merlin met her there, the forms still in his hands. He gave them to her and then was pulled into a tight hug. His eyes widened and he had no clue where to place his hands, so he did nothing.
“Thank you,” Nimueh whispered into his ear. She then kissed his cheek and pulled away. “I can find my own way out.”
Merlin watched her go. “Arthur is going to be so mad,” he groaned as he touched his face. He went to the restroom to scrub at his face and neck, but he knew his Sentinel would be able to smell the woman on him anyway.
****
Merlin was right. When Arthur came to pick his boyfriend up, he instantly scowled. “Who was here? I know that scent,” the Sentinel ground out. He moved around Merlin’s office, sniffing everywhere.
“Just some girl who needed help. And you know, other people,” Merlin said cautiously. He pushed Arthur out the door of the office.
“It’s all through here,” Arthur complained as they walked down the hallway to the front door. “It’ll get in my car too.”
“Then don’t smell anything. Dial it down to normal levels.”
“You mean like a normal person for a few minutes?”
“Yes. I know it’s beneath you, but you can do it. And expect that smell later, she’s coming back.”
Arthur huffed at his boyfriend, and then took a deep whiff of Merlin’s hair, as they got to the car. He growled unhappily as he said, “She touched you.”
“She gave me a hug, yes. Don’t worry, I didn’t hug her back.” Merlin put his things in the trunk and faced his Sentinel.
“Good. You’re mine.” Arthur grabbed the back of Merlin’s neck and pulled him close. “Mine. You hear me?” The Sentinel kissed his Guide fiercely, before pulling away.
“Yours,” Merlin agreed dazedly. “And you’re mine.”
“Yes.”
They kissed once more before getting into the car and driving away.
****
Nimueh watched from an alleyway. She raised a hand and a globe materialized. She spoke into it, “The young prince is beginning to crack.” She smiled nastily and then she disappeared into the alley.
****
Once at home, Merlin put his clothes into the wash and took a shower, just so Arthur would calm down. Merlin had left the Sentinel outside cleaning his car of the smell. Sometimes Merlin felt as if Arthur loved that car more than him. As Merlin was washing his hair, he heard Arthur come into the bathroom.
“What does she want?” the blonde asked grouchily. He was not happy with some woman just touching Merlin. He knew it was unhealthy to think that, but the Sentinel/Guide bond thrummed against the wrongness of it.
“Who?” Merlin peeked out and saw his boyfriend sitting on the toilet, sulking. “And don’t sulk.”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“Don’t change the subject,” Arthur grunted in annoyance. “You know who. That girl.”
“She thinks her brother might be a Sentinel, but her parents don’t. She needed help and advice. Since he’s old enough, they can come in without their parents.”
“I should be there.”
“No way in hell. A possible young Sentinel does not need a full grown Sentinel in his face. If the kid needs guidance, you’d be the last person I’d call.”
Arthur scoffed. Merlin flicked water at him. Arthur narrowed his eyes and flushed the toilet in retaliation. Merlin shrieked and almost fell out of the shower. Arthur caught Merlin before he could hit the ground.
“Damn it, Arthur,” Merlin grumbled as Arthur stood him up.
“You still smell like her,” Arthur muttered as he sniffed the base of Merlin’s neck.
“I know how to fix that,” Merlin replied as he turned in his boyfriends’ arms to face him.
Arthur grinned wickedly and scooped Merlin up, carrying the wizard to their bedroom.
****
Later that day, Arthur and Merlin met their friends at a pub. Merlin blushed as Gwaine and Percy commented on his new hickeys.
“Shut up,” he mumbled. Gwen grabbed his arm and drug him to the bar.
“You can tell me all about it and we won’t tell them,” she said with a smirk.
“Joy,” Merlin deadpanned.
Lance threw an arm around Arthur’s shoulders as the other man sat down. “So, Arthur, when are you getting a new car? You’ve had that thing for at least four years.”
“Yeah,” Elyan jumped in. Picking on Arthur was one of their favorite things to do, especially since Merlin entered the picture. Arthur was much more relaxed and amiable when it came to jokes at his expense. Before Merlin, no one dared pick on Arthur for longer than five minutes, as the blonde would growl at everyone before stalking away. Now they could get in a good solid twenty minutes of ribbing before Arthur got really annoyed. “You always get rid of cars after two years.”
“I’m not getting rid of it,” Arthur stated. “I like it.”
“Are you getting sentimental over a car?” guffawed Gwaine. He leaned against Percy so he wouldn’t fall over laughing.
“Look,” Arthur sighed and shrugged off Lance’s arm. “It was the first car I bought, with my own money, not money from my parents, but mine. It holds a lot of memories for me. I keep lots of little things important people in my life have given me in that car. Also, Merlin and I have done…things in it.” Arthur shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Thinking about Merlin in his car always made him aroused and he wasn’t sure why.
“Aw, poor little Arthur can’t say sex?” Elyan teased. Gawine laughed harder, while Percy rolled his eyes. Lance put his head down on the table, hoping Arthur wouldn’t know he was laughing too.
Arthur scowled at his friends. “I can say sex,” he hissed. “I just don’t want you thinking about Merlin and sex together.”
His friends continued to laugh at him. Arthur sank down in his chair and sulked. “You guys are horrible.”
“No, man, it’s sweet,” Gwaine said, controlling his laughter. “It’s exactly the kind of thing Merlin would like and nothing you’ve ever done before.” He wiped at his eyes.
“And if your friends can’t tease you, who can?” Lance asked, finally lifting his head from the table.
“I guess,” Arthur grumbled. “Just don’t do anything to my car, like you did to my last one.”
“That was an accident!” Percy protested, sitting upright in annoyance, dislodging Gwaine in the process.
“One doesn’t accidentally drive my car into a lamp post!”
“Oh,” Percy sat back in his chair. “That one was all Gwaine.”
Gwaine squawked in indignation. That set Elyan and Lance back to laughing.
Arthur chuckled as well, before warning, “Just don’t let anything happen to my car.”
****
Meanwhile, at the bar, Gwen was trying to get information of Merlin, but to no avail. She sighed and flagged down the bartender and ordered a round of beers for the group, then she turned back to Merlin with a stern look.
“Merlin,” she started.
“No, Gwen. I don’t want to tell you anything.” Merlin held up his hands, as if that would keep Gwen at bay.
“Is it bad? Is Arthur hurting you?” she asked lowly.
“No!” Merlin shouted in outrage. Arthur’s head whipped towards him, but Merlin waved him off. “It’s just private.”
“Those hickeys don’t look private,” she pointed out with a sly grin.
Merlin flushed and tried to cover them up with his shirt, but failed as they were too high up on his neck. She took pity on him and patted his hand.
“I know that Lance’s likes to leave marks where everyone can see. It’s just a Sentinel thing.”
“I know that theoretically. I’ve read everything the Center has on possessive Sentinels and how a Guide should deal with that, but…”
“It’s still new for you?”
“Yes! I never thought I’d have a Sentinel, much less a possessive one. I mean, there’s this woman.”
“Oh dear,” Gwen sighed again.
“No, it’s just. She doesn’t know any better, she’s not a Guide or a Sentinel, but her brother might be,” Merlin rambled, waving his hands around. “And she got to close and she touched everything in my office. She even hugged me and Arthur didn’t like it.”
“They usually don’t. You know it’s hard for a Sentinel to focus on a Guide’s scent if it’s covered by someone else’s.”
“I know! I just didn’t expect such an extreme reaction.” He gestured to his neck. “I liked it though,” he admitted shyly.
Gwen smiled and leaned in to whisper, “I do too.” She pulled away as soon as the beers were placed in front of them. “Let’s go get these back to those morons at our table.”
****
A week later, Nimueh came back to the Center with a young boy, who had black hair and bright blue eyes. He had a sour look on his face, as if he didn’t want to be at the Center.
“This is my little brother, Mordred,” she told Merlin.
“Interesting names,” Merlin smiled lightly.
Nimueh smiled crookedly and shrugged. “Parents,” she sighed.
“I know what you mean,” Merlin laughed. He then held out a hand, which Mordred shook. Merlin felt a little shock run through him as they touched hands. He had felt the same shock when Nimueh touched him earlier, but he had written it off as static shock. “Nice…nice to meet you,” the Guide replied absently. He shook his head to clear it and motioned for the pair to follow him. “Down here are the testing rooms.” He showed Mordred into a room. “Your sister and I will be next door watching you. A series of tests will occur, just do your best,” Merlin smiled.
Mordred grunted and went into the room Merlin had indicated. The boy shut the door with a slam and Merlin winced.
Nimueh smiled weakly at him. “He’s just a little nervous.”
“There’s no need to be,” Merlin responded. “The tests are perfectly safe.”
They walked into the room next door and stepped up to a two-way mirror. Merlin had a clipboard ready. He made sure to stand a good distance away from Nimueh, but she was determined to move closer to Merlin, who edged away from her.
“Um, I have a Sentinel who would prefer you not stand so close to me,” he said, not looking at her. He stared as Mordred completed the first test, making notes on his clipboard.
“What if you want to date?”
“I’m dating my Sentinel.”
“Isn’t that weird?”
“No, I love him. Hmm, Mordred has excellent hearing. Definitely Sentinel levels,” Merlin mused. He scribbled down some numbers before going back to watching the boy.
“Isn’t he controlling and possessive? You can’t have friends?”
“I can. Arthur just has to meet them first, so he can get used to their scents.”
“But he is controlling and possessive of you,” Nimueh pushed. She moved closer to him, bringing her lips towards his face.
“All Sentinels are,” Merlin snapped as he jerked away from her. He glared at her, his eyes flashing gold. Nimueh gaped at him. He turned back to watching Mordred with a small flush. “He has a good sense of smell as well.” He wrote more information down.
Nimueh smirked and reached out to touch Merlin’s cheek. He flinched away when she made contact. He felt another fission of shock, like he had before, but this one was larger.
“Please don’t,” Merlin said, stepping farther away from her. “You’re brother is done. Collect him and go to the front.”
Nimueh frowned. “Fine, but I worry about you. The control Arthur has over you is dangerous.”
“You don’t know me. Or Arthur. You wouldn’t understand. Now please.”
Nimueh nodded and left the room. Merlin waited until he was sure the siblings were gone. Then he gathered up the test results and went to meet them at the front desk.
“We’ll take these tests and the paperwork you filled out and get back to you in about two weeks, but I think your brother is a Sentinel,” he told them, not looking up from his papers.
“Merlin,” Nimueh said softly. He looked up at her warily. “Take this. It’s my number. Call if you need help.” She handed him a piece of paper.
He took it, not looking at it and shoved it into his pocket. He glanced at Mordred, who was glaring at him. Merlin flinched. The boy was giving him a headache and he just wanted them to leave.
“We’ll call you when you need to come in,” he mumbled before turning and fleeing to his office. Once inside, he closed his eyes and sighed.
****
The same day, Arthur and Merlin were at a nearby park. They had advanced in Arthur’s training to where he new the sights, smells, sounds, and everything else around their block. Now they had ventured farther out and, once Arthur got the hang of it, he excelled at it.
Now, Arthur had his eyes closed and was trying to focus on the smells and sounds, but he could only hear Merlin beside him. While usually a good thing, was not what this exercise was about.
“Damn it,” he cursed, opening his eyes. “Something’s wrong. I can usually do this in my sleep.”
Merlin looked concerned and touched Arthur’s arm. “Are you all right? Are you sick?”
“No, I just can’t seem to focus on anything other than you, which I normally wouldn’t object too, but I’ve actually grown to like these lessons,” Arthur admitted.
“Progress!” Merlin cheered. Then he bit his lip and looked around. “It is a new area. We haven’t gotten used to this place yet. Should I try to leave you alone?”
“No. Yes. I don’t know,” Arthur sighed. He shakes himself. “Let’s try again.”
Merlin nodded. “Okay, but just let me know when you want to stop.”
Arthur grunted in agreement and closed his eyes again. He would master this, even if it took all day. He his mouth ticked upwards slightly as he felt Merlin grab his hand and hold on. Maybe all he needed was his Guide to anchor him.
****
“It’s working,” Mordred said as he and Nimueh walked into Morgana’s apartment. “The Guide is starting to wonder.” He rushed to Morgana and cuddled close to her. He had missed her all day. He hated being apart from her.
“And with my scent on him, well,” Nimueh smirked. “That will just drive the young prince crazy.”
“Good,” Morgause said from the bar. She had just finished a drink and began to pour herself another one. “Should we precede sister?”
“Yes,” Morgana replied as she put an arm around Mordred. She was in a trance like state as she continued, “The future looks good for us.”
****
A few days later, Merlin and Arthur were lounging at home. Well, Merlin was lounging while Arthur did the laundry. Merlin had tried to help with the chores, but when he didn’t meet Arthur’s exacting standards, Arthur banished him from cleaning anything.
“You are a pig, Merlin,” the Sentinel muttered loudly enough so his Guide could hear him. “What is even on your clothes?”
“Shut up, Mr. Clean Freak.”
Arthur glared at the back of Merlin’s head, but then broke into a fond grin when his lover flipped him off and said, “I can see you, you know.”
“Liar.”
“Fine. I just know you fairly well.”
Arthur sniffed in fake disdain and gathered up all the clothes and took them into the laundry room. He was washing trousers for the first load, so he dug through all the pockets of Merlin’s jeans. He cocked his head when he stuck a hand in Merlin’s trousers and pulled out a scrap of paper. Merlin kept, and then quickly forgot about, all kinds of things in his jean pockets; gum, change, toys, and much more, but the Guide had never forgot paper before.
Arthur unfolded it and was hit by a wave of his now least favorite scent. It was the same scent that had been all over Merlin for months. It clung to the wizard like a bad penny. Arthur was probably mixing his metaphors, but he didn’t care. He felt dizzy as he read the note and the scent washed over him again. The Sentinel growled low in his throat. He had been assaulted by this scent for sometime now and this was the last straw. He crumpled the paper up and stalked back out into the living room where Merlin was rapidly flicking through TV channels.
Arthur grabbed his Guide by the back of the neck, hauled him off the couch, and pushed him against a wall.
“Arthur?” Merlin squeaked as he was slammed softly into the wall.
“What is this?” Arthur hissed, shoving the crumpled paper into Merlin’s face.
Merlin didn’t have to smooth it out to know what it was. He closed his eyes and sighed. “Nimueh’s phone number.” He had looked at it later, after she left, and then shoved it into his jean pockets. He had meant to get rid of it, but had completely forgotten about it.
“Nim- who’s that?” Arthur was still furious, but there was something niggling at his mind, trying to work its way through his Sentinel instincts. However, they had taken over, as he felt his Guide was being taken from him.
“The girl with a Sentinel brother? She thought you were too controlling and gave me that.”
“You didn’t throw it out?” Arthur slammed his hand on the wall next to Merlin’s head. His lover didn’t even flinch, he just stared straight into Arthur’s eyes. Arthur then brought his hands to Merlin’s shoulders and held on tightly, trying to ground himself.
“I forgot,” Merlin shrugged.
Arthur knew Merlin was telling the truth. Once something was in Merlin’s pockets, it was forgotten about until laundry day, which was why paper never made its way into his pockets.
“I-” Arthur started, but cut himself off with a low growl. He gripped Merlin’s shoulders tighter than he had before, this time making Merlin wince. “Something’s wrong. Can’t control senses.” Arthur groaned as he sank to the floor. His eyes were shut tight and he had his hands over his ears.
“Arthur!” Merlin whispered urgently. He wanted to help, but he wasn’t sure how. Even touching Arthur when he was in this state could send the Sentinel into a catatonic state or a Zone Out.
The wizard took a deep breath and reached out with his magic. He saw a faint barrier around his boyfriend. He even felt the same barrier all throughout the flat. He frowned. He had felt this energy before.
“Nimueh,” he breathed.
“You rang,” the woman in question spoke up.
Merlin blinked and focused on her. “How-?”
“Magic, dear.” She glanced at Arthur. “Shame about the young prince. He would have made a find king someday.”
“What?” Merlin asked in bewilderment.
“Poor little Merlin,” Nimueh mocked. “Your magic is nothing compared to mine and my coven.”
Merlin blinked at her. “What?” He was rapidly beginning to lose the point of this conversation and his patience.
“So much to learn,” she chuckled evilly. “Too bad neither of you will be around to see it.” She pinned Merlin to the wall with her magic. A stray thread of her magic knocked over a side table, a lamp, and even managed to break some dishes. “Oops,” she smirked unrepentantly and pulled out a dagger from thin air. “Murder/suicide is known to happen to unstable Sentinels and Guides. And our young prince has been highly unstable lately. Everyone’s seen it.”
“Because of you,” Merlin yelled. He surged against her magic, but wasn’t able to break it’s hold on him.
“I knew you’d figure it out someday,” Nimueh smirked. “Now say goodbye.” She magically unfolded Arthur from his curled position and laid him flat, then she held the dagger above Arthur and made a sharp thrust downward. Before it made contact with the Sentinel, it was stopped inches from Arthur’s heart. Nimueh struggled against the power holding her back, but it only held on tighter.
“You will not harm my Sentinel,” Merlin intoned from his spot against the wall. He had a hand reaching out towards her.
Nimueh looked at Merlin in shock. “No. I’m more powerful!” She let loose some magic and pictures fell from the walls, but she was still tightly held. She glanced at Merlin’s eyes and saw that they were completely golden. “Emyrs,” she whispered in surprise.
“I knew you would never learn Nimueh. No one should have woken you from that tree,” Merlin continued as if she had never spoken. “I’m still the High Priest, no matter my form. Not you. Never you. I’ve found my Sentinel once more and no one will take him from me. No one.”
He forced her upright. He wasn’t comfortable having her bent over Arthur still. Nimueh struck back with her own magic, this time knocking books off of shelves, but nothing could distract Merlin now. His magic tightened around Nimueh and she trembled in fear. Emyrs could easily kill her. Suddenly, from below her, Arthur groaned, “Merlin. No.”
Merlin’s concentration faltered for a second, but Nimueh didn’t have time to react before he was muttering a spell. Nimueh screamed as she disappeared. The dagger fell to Arthur’s side. Merlin raced to his lover and pulled him towards the wall.
“W-where’d y-you se-end her-r?” Arthur stuttered as Merlin helped him sit up. His senses were still overloaded, so everything from talking to breathing was a pain, but he wanted to be there for Merlin.
“Somewhere where she can’t hurt anyone,” Merlin replied as he touched the Sentinel lightly, not wanting to hurt him even more. “Okay, close your eyes and focus on me- my touch, my smell, the sound of my voice.” Merlin watched as Arthur did as he was instructed. “Good. Now take deep breathes. Yes, good. There we go. Good as new.”
Arthur snorted and opened his eyes to look at his lover. “We have things to discuss,” he said seriously.
Merlin nodded. “I know. Just later.” He leaned in and kissed Arthur hotly. He had come very close to losing his one true love.
****
Miles away, Morgana and Mordred sat cuddled up on the couch, watching as Nimueh attacked Arthur and Merlin. Suddenly, Morgana shrieked as her scrying glass exploded. Mordred darted for cover and hid behind the couch to avoid the flying glass.
“Well,” Morgause said calmly from a nearby chair, sipping her drink. “At least I know where I’ve seen that Guide before.”
****
“Are you sure you don’t need Gaius?” Merlin asked.
“Yeah,” Arthur muttered.
They had moved to the couch, leaving the debris from the fight on the ground. Both men were too tired to clean up. Arthur was lying on the couch, with his head in Merlin’s lap, with a damp cloth over his eyes. Merlin was periodically brushing his fingers against Arthur’s cheek, not only to ground the Sentinel but also to prove to himself that Arthur was all right.
“What happened?” Arthur finally asked.
Merlin let out a small sigh. “You know I have magic.”
“Yes, I hadn’t forgotten that my Guide is a powerful wizard,” Arthur snapped.
“Shush,” Merlin flicked Arthur’s ear gently, then rubbed it. “I have old, powerful magic, from an ancestor or something. I don’t know. Every time I tried to find out, I got headaches and something stopped me. I guess you being threatened broke whatever barrier was in my head. It’s strange having someone else’s memories and knowledge next to mine.”
“And what about me?”
“From what I can gather, your ancestor and mine were in love, but they couldn’t do anything about it. Yours was a king and mine was a servant. But now I’ve finally found you and I won’t let you go.”
Arthur reached out and grabbed Merlin’s hand, wanting a physical connection to his Guide. “Quite right. What about Nimueh?”
“She was an old student of his. Something happened, I don’t know what. I thought she was dead though.”
Arthur was silent for sometime before quietly saying, “She’s the one who caused my sister to leave.”
Merlin took the cloth of Arthur’s face and looked into his eyes. “What? How’s that possible?”
It was Arthur’s turn to sigh. “My mother can’t have kids, so my Father had an affair to produce an heir. Mother didn’t like that one bit and contacted Gaius, who knew all about magic. Father’s mistress had Morgana, who was a Guide. While Morgana and her mother settled into the house, against my Mother’s wishes, Mother and Gaius somehow got in touch with Nimueh. They did…something for her and some time later, I was conceived. Mother chased Morgana’s mother out of the house, but kept Morgana around, so I could have a playmate. Mother treated my sister like dirt and Father ignored us both.” Arthur paused. “I do love her. I always have. She’s my sister no matter what.”
“What happened to her?” Merlin asked quietly. He kept a tight hold on Arthur’s hand. He knew Arthur didn’t have a happy childhood, but this just made him angry. Treating their innocent children like that made him want to scream at Arthur’s parents.
“She was my Guide for awhile, but it didn’t take and she went insane. Plus, she started having these visions, which Gaius said were manifestations of her magic. Father hates magic, so he put her in an asylum. As far as I know, she’s still in there.”
“Why does your father hate magic? It gave him you. Don’t you go see her?”
Arthur shook his head. “Father won’t tell me where she is.” He smiled up at his lover. “As for Father, magic, and I, after I was born, Mother became sick for a long time. Whatever magic Nimueh had done took a lot out of Mother, but she doesn’t like to talk about it.”
“I can see why.” Merlin paused before asking, “Do you blame Nimueh for Morgana?”
“Without Nimueh’s interference Morgana wouldn’t be insane and alone.”
“But, you wouldn’t be here!” Merlin protested. He couldn’t stand the thought of not having Arthur around.
Arthur shrugged as best he could while lying down. “You could have waited a little longer, yeah?”
Merlin let out a choked laugh. “I already waited for 1000 years.”
“So a few more…?”
“Would have been pure torture.”
“Aw, love.” Arthur reached up and touched Merlin’s face. He then gave a little tug and Merlin came willingly. There was more to say, but it could wait.
PART 3