Fic: Leave My Kitten Alone 6/8
Leave My Kitten Alone - part 6/8
Author: lunadeath02
Fandom: BBC Merlin
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin
Rating: NC-17
Warnings/contents: Arthur POV mostly, possessive and protective Arthur, slight humor, sex, some violence and angst
Notes: My first Merlin fanfic. The title for this fic is a Beatles song, which is located on the Anthology volume one. This may be slightly AU because the last episode is being excluded.
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, the lovely BBC does (Bless them).
All Parts.
~**~
The night air was crisp, the water gently beading on their skin while they touched and kissed, slowly, tenderly, as if any movement too hurried would ruin the mood. Their erections pressed next to each other between their bodies, throbbing, but they didn't thrust their hips or move any part of their lower area; they just held each other tightly, hands caressing and mouths savoring each other.
When they finally did move, it was Arthur who gingerly guided Merlin to lie down on a smooth rock that was angled into the pool. The height was perfect, and Arthur wasted no time in gently pushing into Merlin, who barely made a sound except a small huff of breath over Arthur's cheek. Merlin widened his stance on the sloping rock and raised his arse higher, and then Arthur was sliding in all the way and Merlin gasped softly into Arthur's ear.
"It's all right," Arthur murmured. He dragged a hand down the side of Merlin's shivering body as if calming down a mare. Merlin began to pant more heavily when Arthur moved, toes clenching at the smooth surface below, a hand gripping the base of Arthur's skull. Arthur trailed small kisses along Merlin's jaw line to his neck, and then sucked on the skin there below his ear. When Arthur found that one spot in Merlin that made him go crazy, Merlin clamped his legs hard around Arthur, and Arthur could feel them shaking as he held.
Arthur didn't know how long they'd been at it, but he was starting to perspire now. The ends of his hair were damp and his lower back pooled with sweat. Merlin met him thrust for thrust now, their movements more inelegant. Arthur reached down and tugged on Merlin's cock, and it only took a few strokes before he was coming. They kissed as Arthur's own orgasm shook through his body and he emptied himself into Merlin, hips still moving softly even after he'd finished, emitting small whimpers from Merlin. They lay there panting, holding each other, and it took a while for them to find the energy to return to camp.
~*~
Sir Gareth and Sir Gawain were asleep in their shared tent when they arrived, and Lord Hector was by the fire, poking it with a stick. When they caught sight of one another Hector gave them a knowing, lewd smirk. Arthur hoped that that look wasn't what he thought it was, because if that sleazy son-of-a-bitch had followed them and had seen…
Arthur shook himself; he dared not to even think it. He led Merlin inside their tent and then they prepared for bed. They didn't strip down completely straightaway; they just laid beside each other in companionable silence, staring up at the canopy. The campfire was still flickering brightly outside, Hector still sitting beside it, so he didn't dare move much or say anything; the idiot's ears still worked fine even if he couldn't speak.
Then Merlin was curling against him without a care, and Arthur found he was relieved to feel him there. He wrapped his arm around Merlin in a possessive and protective manner and laid his cheek atop Merlin's head. Eyes heavy, he found sleep almost instantly, and so had Merlin.
Sometime in the middle of the night, he woke up to find that Merlin decided to lay right on top of him, chest to chest, and his head was jammed between his jaw and shoulder. Merlin was also, to his surprise, naked and hard, and his hips would thrust once in a while as if he were dreaming, which he probably was. Arthur's own cock was answering in kind, wanting some friction as well, and what his mind didn't fully comprehend when he opened his eyes was that the campfire was still going outside, as if it had been restarted. His body and lusts didn't care about the details, only that he had a naked Merlin lying on top of him and that Merlin was rubbing his cock on him. Arthur then grabbed Merlin's hips and pushed up against him, and that was when Merlin's eyes fluttered open.
"Arthur?" Merlin's voice was rough.
"You started it, Merlin," Arthur explained. "Now I'm finishing it."
Merlin didn't complain, and why should he when the friction was so delicious. Unfortunately this time Merlin was having a hard time staying quiet. Arthur kissed him as often as he could, but Merlin kept tossing his head back, moaning Arthur's name and sounding like a whore in a brothel. In one, strong movement, Arthur had Merlin pinned below him and settled between his legs. Merlin was still loose and all Arthur had to do was nudge his opening softly with the head of his dick and he was in. Merlin threw his head back and cried out; the sound went straight to Arthur's groin.
They're casting a silhouette through the thin fabric of the tent, and there was no mistaking what they were doing. Arthur's bigger body build over Merlin, lower half pushing and pulling against Merlin's slighter form beneath. Merlin's legs rose to wrap around Arthur and Arthur lowered his body down; soft kisses were heard, quieting some of Merlin's cries, and suddenly Merlin tilted his head back and gave a sharp gasp; Arthur sped up then threw his own head back and grunted as his thrusts slowed and then finally stopped. They kiss leisurely afterwards, rolling onto their sides and tangling their limbs.
The second time they made love in the tent was right around dawn, when the campfire was nothing more than smoking ashes and the light was filtering orange. This time Merlin was on his hands and knees, and Arthur's behind him as he fucked him hard like a wild stallion, wringing out every whimper and cry from Merlin. Arthur's hips and knees were aching, sweat getting into his eyes, and Merlin gripped the bedroll under him, face smashed into it as his body got rocked from Arthur's forceful thrusts. Then Arthur lowered his face down to press his forehead between Merlin's shoulder blades as the first shudder ran through him. He gasped Merlin's name, and then Merlin's toes curled and his body clenched as he reached climax, pulling Arthur with him.
When the sun was more in the sky, Arthur and Merlin slowly dressed and then packed their things. When they exited the tent, Sir Gawain and Sir Gareth were waiting patiently outside by their horses, their things already packed. Arthur felt a blush creep into his cheeks when he realized that his knights knew what he and Merlin had just done; Merlin hadn't been quiet after all. He forced himself into nonchalance while he and Merlin took their tent down, Merlin's cheeks pinking. Arthur nearly laughed at Merlin's embarrassment, but he was too mortified himself to do so. He trusted his knights, and they had seen him and Merlin holding hands, so he tried not to let this exposed information bother him.
"We should hit the borders in a day, sire," said Sir Gareth respectfully.
Arthur nodded his acknowledgement, seated securely on his horse. Merlin was just packing away the last of the camping equipment on his own horse and Lord Hector was already on his, looking too amused for Arthur's liking. He wouldn't put it past the perverted nobleman to have heard him and Merlin, either; and quite possibly he listened in on purpose too.
Arthur had taken to wear his blue tunic with the leather and the red on the shoulders, along with his leather gloves, and Merlin opted on wearing his red neckerchief instead of his grey one. Arthur wished there was time for Merlin to shine his boots, but seeing how Merlin wasn't technically his manservant anymore it wasn't like he could order him out of good conscious. During this, their last excursion together, they were only lovers, plain and simple. Well, other than the fact that he was a prince and Merlin was a sorcerer.
That was something Arthur hadn't had much time to dwell on. The fact that he was actually okay with it felt a little odd, because he'd been taught most of his life to hate any and all magic no matter what, but Merlin didn't seem to have an evil bone in his body. He could have talked to Merlin about it last night at the waterfall, instead of devouring him like a starved man, but he knew he wouldn't change it for the world. He wouldn't wish to change Merlin for the world either, and that thought made his chest tighten. The old court physician was right; he really was in love with Merlin.
Lord Hector led the way again, with Arthur and Merlin behind, close enough to each other that they could touch if they wanted, and the two loyal knights were behind them. He could hear them talking in low voices, but didn't catch a word. He looked back to see that they were riding close to each other as well, heads bent toward each other, smiles on their faces and looking all cozy. Arthur wondered if their main topic was he and Merlin or each other. He found he didn't mind either way.
They stopped for lunch, and this time it was Arthur and Merlin doing the hunting. Arthur felt as if he needed a bit of privacy with Merlin, and hopefully being on a hunt would discourage Hector from following. He doubted the fat nobleman ever hunted for himself, and although he was tempted to let the man starve it would set a terrible example for his knights (not to mention his father would never forgive him for letting a lord of Mercia die of starvation).
"You do realize that we need to talk about it, don't you?" he said the moment they were far enough away from camp.
"It?" said Merlin, crouching low beside him.
"Yes, you know," Arthur waved a hand in exasperation, "IT!"
"Oh!" said Merlin. "You mean what we did in the tent and at the waterfall?"
Arthur sighed. "No, not that, Merlin. Although, why would we need to talk about that? That's expressed through mostly actions and looks, not words."
"Ah," Merlin said, not sounding at all convinced; they both recalled Arthur's declaration of love, but thankfully Merlin didn't bring it up. "So that's not the ’it’ that we need to talk about."
"No," said Arthur, lowering his voice because he thought he heard something. "Shut up a second…" He got his crossbow ready and Merlin did as asked and stayed silent. There was a soft rustle, and then a doe appeared in their line of sight. With practiced ease, Arthur aimed and pulled the trigger. The doe screeched in pain, tried to run off, but was too injured and fell to the ground. As they stood, he saw Merlin wince.
"Don't tell me you care about the beast?" Arthur asked him.
"Well, the poor thing was just minding its own business and then…"
"We do have to eat, you realize," said Arthur.
"Yeah, I know. So why can't we fish or hunt for… I dunno… berries?"
"Meat is good for you, Merlin," Arthur sighed as they made their way to the poor, suffering animal. "Don't be such a girl."
"I'm not…" Merlin began, his ears growing red, but then he stopped short at the sight of the deer still twitching on the ground and his eyes took on a sad look.
Arthur sighed again and then put the thing out of its misery. "There. Happy?"
"No," Merlin said. "Anyway, what exactly were you saying before? What is this 'it' that we need to talk about?"
"What do you think I mean?"
Merlin seemed to be deep in thought, and it was a wonder that Merlin could function well enough with half a brain. He spared Merlin some agony by twiddling his fingers in a gesture that should indicate what he meant.
"Oh, that!" said Merlin, finally catching on.
"Yes, that," said Arthur. "You don't expect me to not want to talk about it now that you're leaving."
Merlin looked away, his eyes going glossy, and he prayed that Merlin wouldn't start crying again. He didn't want to get into this kind of emotional ride while they were hunting, and especially while they were lugging a deer carcass through the forest.
"I-I suppose we should… I mean that I should tell you everything that's happened since I arrived at Camelot."
Arthur nodded, pleased. Together, they slowly carried the deer back to camp, and Merlin recounted the times he had used magic to save Arthur and/or Camelot. When Merlin finally finished, the campsite was just in sight, and Arthur understood that yes, he was very much different from his father in this issue. Merlin hadn't been using his magic for anything diabolical at all; he'd been trying to save lives and help others. A lot of things that happened since Merlin arrived now made sense, too.
"Magic is like a weapon-a sword," Merlin explained quickly and quietly as they entered the camp. The two knights were standing a few feet away and Lord Hector was on the other side of camp tending to his horse. "It's all on how you wield the weapon, not the weapon itself. If the person has bad intentions then they'll use their knowledge and weapon for bad purposes."
"I concur," Arthur whispered. "A sword, or any man-made weapon, isn't evil just because it's being used by a murderer; it's the person doing the evil."
Merlin nodded frantically, happily smiling. "That's exactly it."
Arthur dumped the deer on soft grass and took out his knife to skin it. Gawain and Gareth joined him in the work, looking surprised that he was doing it instead of Merlin. Well, Merlin wasn't supposed to be his manservant anymore, and he'd skinned deer plenty of times, so he didn't see what was the fuss. He was glad for the help, though. He thanked his knights, and they shrugged off his thanks as it being their duty to their prince, which made his heart swell in pride. Merlin was stroking the fire and got everything ready to start cooking. That was one thing Merlin wasn't too bad at, so he was going to let him take care of it.
Everyone ate in near silence. It was mostly Gawain and Gareth that talked, and Arthur didn't really understand half of what they were saying so he ignored most of it. He was sure it had to do with him and Merlin or maybe even something personal between the two. Lord Hector kept to himself a ways from the fire after getting his share of meat, and when Merlin was done he dug out some cheese and berries he'd freshly picked that morning. He offered some cheese, and Arthur took it without a second thought. Merlin looked rather pleased by that, and he also didn't seem to care when Arthur snatched a few berries from him.
They traveled along again once everyone finished eating and used the bushes. Arthur calculated that once they'd finally reach Mercia's borders it would be close to dinner. Arthur was just thinking on how he could convince Hector to let them all stop for dinner before having to say his final goodbyes to Merlin when Merlin was suddenly looking ill. They were only two hours away from Mercia now.
"Merlin, what's wrong?" he asked.
"Dunno," said Merlin, curling in upon himself in his saddle. "I don't… feel so well."
"Was it the berries?" Arthur said, trying to keep the worry from his voice but was probably failing.
"If it was then you should be feeling ill too," Merlin grumbled. He was starting to shake violently now so Arthur reached a hand over and laid it on Merlin's lower back and rubbed it in a comforting gesture.
"Lord Hector, halt!" he called out. Hector, thankfully, did as asked and turned his horse around in confusion. Everyone stopped their horses.
"What's wrong, sire?" Gareth asked when his horse stopped right behind his.
"Merlin's unwell," Arthur said. "We must stop and see if we can do something."
Hector took out his parchment and started to jot something down quickly. Arthur waited for him to finish with as much patience as he could, keeping a steady hand on Merlin. Then, once finished, Lord Hector handed the parchment over to Arthur to read.
"'We have experienced physicians in Mercia, they can look him over.'" Arthur raised his head and gave a not so amused glare at the lord. "I understand what you're saying, but I fear Merlin can't go any further today. We must set up camp."
"I agree," said Sir Gawain. "If we don't, Merlin might die of mistreatment."
Lord Hector looked as though he wanted to write an argument to that, but Arthur took his quill away and stashed both it and the parchment into his saddlebag. Hector looked shocked and then irritated.
"I'm sorry, Lord Hector, but majority rules, and I am the prince. I say we make camp now and see what's wrong with Merlin. It won't do you much good if he winds up dead, would it?"
Hector conceded, even though he looked as if he were still not happy. While Gareth and Gawain set up camp, with Hector's help this time, Arthur helped Merlin off his horse and then took out a bedroll immediately. The first tent that got put up was going to be Merlin's and his, and he led Merlin carefully into it.
Merlin was sweating as if it was the middle of August, but it was only May. He had Gareth fetch some water and Gawain helped in getting Merlin comfortable then got out the medical kit they brought along in case of emergencies. Arthur found a rag in it just when Gareth arrived with some water.
"Luckily we're by the river," he explained when Arthur looked shocked by his quick return.
Arthur wet the cloth, wrung it out, and then placed it on Merlin's forehead. "It was just… so sudden. What could have caused this?"
"Food poisoning?" Sir Gawain suggested. "Or possibly the flu. I had a grandmother that got hit with a bad flu once, and it had been sudden just like this."
"Did she get better?" Arthur asked.
"Yeah, once her fever broke. I'm sure that will happen with Merlin."
Arthur hoped he was right. Losing Merlin to this damned flu, or whatever it was, would be worse than having to give Merlin up to Lord Hector. With Merlin in Mercia at least he'd still be alive and could visit him once in a while, but with this… Merlin may never recover.
Sir Gareth knelt beside Merlin and started to check him over as if he were a physician himself. Finally, with a gruff voice, he said, "Sire, I might have seen this kind of illness before…"
Arthur looked up sharply. "Oh?"
"Yes, sire," Gareth said. "I'm no physician so I can't be sure, but I've seen people drop dead from sudden diseases like this without warning. It wasn't pretty."
"Merlin's a fighter," said Arthur, his voice breaking but staying strong. "And he's… he's not your average commoner. He'll get through this."
Sir Gareth only nodded, and Arthur knew he was only humbling him. Still, Arthur knew he was right; Merlin had magic, so his body should be able to fight off this disease. It had to be enough. Arthur laid a hand onto the wet cloth on Merlin's forehead and then slowly trailed it down along the side of Merlin's face. Merlin stirred slightly, but stayed asleep.
"If you die on me, Merlin, I'll never forgive you." His words sounded strong and promising, but to his own ears they were weak.
Part 7
Author: lunadeath02
Fandom: BBC Merlin
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin
Rating: NC-17
Warnings/contents: Arthur POV mostly, possessive and protective Arthur, slight humor, sex, some violence and angst
Notes: My first Merlin fanfic. The title for this fic is a Beatles song, which is located on the Anthology volume one. This may be slightly AU because the last episode is being excluded.
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, the lovely BBC does (Bless them).
All Parts.
~**~
The night air was crisp, the water gently beading on their skin while they touched and kissed, slowly, tenderly, as if any movement too hurried would ruin the mood. Their erections pressed next to each other between their bodies, throbbing, but they didn't thrust their hips or move any part of their lower area; they just held each other tightly, hands caressing and mouths savoring each other.
When they finally did move, it was Arthur who gingerly guided Merlin to lie down on a smooth rock that was angled into the pool. The height was perfect, and Arthur wasted no time in gently pushing into Merlin, who barely made a sound except a small huff of breath over Arthur's cheek. Merlin widened his stance on the sloping rock and raised his arse higher, and then Arthur was sliding in all the way and Merlin gasped softly into Arthur's ear.
"It's all right," Arthur murmured. He dragged a hand down the side of Merlin's shivering body as if calming down a mare. Merlin began to pant more heavily when Arthur moved, toes clenching at the smooth surface below, a hand gripping the base of Arthur's skull. Arthur trailed small kisses along Merlin's jaw line to his neck, and then sucked on the skin there below his ear. When Arthur found that one spot in Merlin that made him go crazy, Merlin clamped his legs hard around Arthur, and Arthur could feel them shaking as he held.
Arthur didn't know how long they'd been at it, but he was starting to perspire now. The ends of his hair were damp and his lower back pooled with sweat. Merlin met him thrust for thrust now, their movements more inelegant. Arthur reached down and tugged on Merlin's cock, and it only took a few strokes before he was coming. They kissed as Arthur's own orgasm shook through his body and he emptied himself into Merlin, hips still moving softly even after he'd finished, emitting small whimpers from Merlin. They lay there panting, holding each other, and it took a while for them to find the energy to return to camp.
~*~
Sir Gareth and Sir Gawain were asleep in their shared tent when they arrived, and Lord Hector was by the fire, poking it with a stick. When they caught sight of one another Hector gave them a knowing, lewd smirk. Arthur hoped that that look wasn't what he thought it was, because if that sleazy son-of-a-bitch had followed them and had seen…
Arthur shook himself; he dared not to even think it. He led Merlin inside their tent and then they prepared for bed. They didn't strip down completely straightaway; they just laid beside each other in companionable silence, staring up at the canopy. The campfire was still flickering brightly outside, Hector still sitting beside it, so he didn't dare move much or say anything; the idiot's ears still worked fine even if he couldn't speak.
Then Merlin was curling against him without a care, and Arthur found he was relieved to feel him there. He wrapped his arm around Merlin in a possessive and protective manner and laid his cheek atop Merlin's head. Eyes heavy, he found sleep almost instantly, and so had Merlin.
Sometime in the middle of the night, he woke up to find that Merlin decided to lay right on top of him, chest to chest, and his head was jammed between his jaw and shoulder. Merlin was also, to his surprise, naked and hard, and his hips would thrust once in a while as if he were dreaming, which he probably was. Arthur's own cock was answering in kind, wanting some friction as well, and what his mind didn't fully comprehend when he opened his eyes was that the campfire was still going outside, as if it had been restarted. His body and lusts didn't care about the details, only that he had a naked Merlin lying on top of him and that Merlin was rubbing his cock on him. Arthur then grabbed Merlin's hips and pushed up against him, and that was when Merlin's eyes fluttered open.
"Arthur?" Merlin's voice was rough.
"You started it, Merlin," Arthur explained. "Now I'm finishing it."
Merlin didn't complain, and why should he when the friction was so delicious. Unfortunately this time Merlin was having a hard time staying quiet. Arthur kissed him as often as he could, but Merlin kept tossing his head back, moaning Arthur's name and sounding like a whore in a brothel. In one, strong movement, Arthur had Merlin pinned below him and settled between his legs. Merlin was still loose and all Arthur had to do was nudge his opening softly with the head of his dick and he was in. Merlin threw his head back and cried out; the sound went straight to Arthur's groin.
They're casting a silhouette through the thin fabric of the tent, and there was no mistaking what they were doing. Arthur's bigger body build over Merlin, lower half pushing and pulling against Merlin's slighter form beneath. Merlin's legs rose to wrap around Arthur and Arthur lowered his body down; soft kisses were heard, quieting some of Merlin's cries, and suddenly Merlin tilted his head back and gave a sharp gasp; Arthur sped up then threw his own head back and grunted as his thrusts slowed and then finally stopped. They kiss leisurely afterwards, rolling onto their sides and tangling their limbs.
The second time they made love in the tent was right around dawn, when the campfire was nothing more than smoking ashes and the light was filtering orange. This time Merlin was on his hands and knees, and Arthur's behind him as he fucked him hard like a wild stallion, wringing out every whimper and cry from Merlin. Arthur's hips and knees were aching, sweat getting into his eyes, and Merlin gripped the bedroll under him, face smashed into it as his body got rocked from Arthur's forceful thrusts. Then Arthur lowered his face down to press his forehead between Merlin's shoulder blades as the first shudder ran through him. He gasped Merlin's name, and then Merlin's toes curled and his body clenched as he reached climax, pulling Arthur with him.
When the sun was more in the sky, Arthur and Merlin slowly dressed and then packed their things. When they exited the tent, Sir Gawain and Sir Gareth were waiting patiently outside by their horses, their things already packed. Arthur felt a blush creep into his cheeks when he realized that his knights knew what he and Merlin had just done; Merlin hadn't been quiet after all. He forced himself into nonchalance while he and Merlin took their tent down, Merlin's cheeks pinking. Arthur nearly laughed at Merlin's embarrassment, but he was too mortified himself to do so. He trusted his knights, and they had seen him and Merlin holding hands, so he tried not to let this exposed information bother him.
"We should hit the borders in a day, sire," said Sir Gareth respectfully.
Arthur nodded his acknowledgement, seated securely on his horse. Merlin was just packing away the last of the camping equipment on his own horse and Lord Hector was already on his, looking too amused for Arthur's liking. He wouldn't put it past the perverted nobleman to have heard him and Merlin, either; and quite possibly he listened in on purpose too.
Arthur had taken to wear his blue tunic with the leather and the red on the shoulders, along with his leather gloves, and Merlin opted on wearing his red neckerchief instead of his grey one. Arthur wished there was time for Merlin to shine his boots, but seeing how Merlin wasn't technically his manservant anymore it wasn't like he could order him out of good conscious. During this, their last excursion together, they were only lovers, plain and simple. Well, other than the fact that he was a prince and Merlin was a sorcerer.
That was something Arthur hadn't had much time to dwell on. The fact that he was actually okay with it felt a little odd, because he'd been taught most of his life to hate any and all magic no matter what, but Merlin didn't seem to have an evil bone in his body. He could have talked to Merlin about it last night at the waterfall, instead of devouring him like a starved man, but he knew he wouldn't change it for the world. He wouldn't wish to change Merlin for the world either, and that thought made his chest tighten. The old court physician was right; he really was in love with Merlin.
Lord Hector led the way again, with Arthur and Merlin behind, close enough to each other that they could touch if they wanted, and the two loyal knights were behind them. He could hear them talking in low voices, but didn't catch a word. He looked back to see that they were riding close to each other as well, heads bent toward each other, smiles on their faces and looking all cozy. Arthur wondered if their main topic was he and Merlin or each other. He found he didn't mind either way.
They stopped for lunch, and this time it was Arthur and Merlin doing the hunting. Arthur felt as if he needed a bit of privacy with Merlin, and hopefully being on a hunt would discourage Hector from following. He doubted the fat nobleman ever hunted for himself, and although he was tempted to let the man starve it would set a terrible example for his knights (not to mention his father would never forgive him for letting a lord of Mercia die of starvation).
"You do realize that we need to talk about it, don't you?" he said the moment they were far enough away from camp.
"It?" said Merlin, crouching low beside him.
"Yes, you know," Arthur waved a hand in exasperation, "IT!"
"Oh!" said Merlin. "You mean what we did in the tent and at the waterfall?"
Arthur sighed. "No, not that, Merlin. Although, why would we need to talk about that? That's expressed through mostly actions and looks, not words."
"Ah," Merlin said, not sounding at all convinced; they both recalled Arthur's declaration of love, but thankfully Merlin didn't bring it up. "So that's not the ’it’ that we need to talk about."
"No," said Arthur, lowering his voice because he thought he heard something. "Shut up a second…" He got his crossbow ready and Merlin did as asked and stayed silent. There was a soft rustle, and then a doe appeared in their line of sight. With practiced ease, Arthur aimed and pulled the trigger. The doe screeched in pain, tried to run off, but was too injured and fell to the ground. As they stood, he saw Merlin wince.
"Don't tell me you care about the beast?" Arthur asked him.
"Well, the poor thing was just minding its own business and then…"
"We do have to eat, you realize," said Arthur.
"Yeah, I know. So why can't we fish or hunt for… I dunno… berries?"
"Meat is good for you, Merlin," Arthur sighed as they made their way to the poor, suffering animal. "Don't be such a girl."
"I'm not…" Merlin began, his ears growing red, but then he stopped short at the sight of the deer still twitching on the ground and his eyes took on a sad look.
Arthur sighed again and then put the thing out of its misery. "There. Happy?"
"No," Merlin said. "Anyway, what exactly were you saying before? What is this 'it' that we need to talk about?"
"What do you think I mean?"
Merlin seemed to be deep in thought, and it was a wonder that Merlin could function well enough with half a brain. He spared Merlin some agony by twiddling his fingers in a gesture that should indicate what he meant.
"Oh, that!" said Merlin, finally catching on.
"Yes, that," said Arthur. "You don't expect me to not want to talk about it now that you're leaving."
Merlin looked away, his eyes going glossy, and he prayed that Merlin wouldn't start crying again. He didn't want to get into this kind of emotional ride while they were hunting, and especially while they were lugging a deer carcass through the forest.
"I-I suppose we should… I mean that I should tell you everything that's happened since I arrived at Camelot."
Arthur nodded, pleased. Together, they slowly carried the deer back to camp, and Merlin recounted the times he had used magic to save Arthur and/or Camelot. When Merlin finally finished, the campsite was just in sight, and Arthur understood that yes, he was very much different from his father in this issue. Merlin hadn't been using his magic for anything diabolical at all; he'd been trying to save lives and help others. A lot of things that happened since Merlin arrived now made sense, too.
"Magic is like a weapon-a sword," Merlin explained quickly and quietly as they entered the camp. The two knights were standing a few feet away and Lord Hector was on the other side of camp tending to his horse. "It's all on how you wield the weapon, not the weapon itself. If the person has bad intentions then they'll use their knowledge and weapon for bad purposes."
"I concur," Arthur whispered. "A sword, or any man-made weapon, isn't evil just because it's being used by a murderer; it's the person doing the evil."
Merlin nodded frantically, happily smiling. "That's exactly it."
Arthur dumped the deer on soft grass and took out his knife to skin it. Gawain and Gareth joined him in the work, looking surprised that he was doing it instead of Merlin. Well, Merlin wasn't supposed to be his manservant anymore, and he'd skinned deer plenty of times, so he didn't see what was the fuss. He was glad for the help, though. He thanked his knights, and they shrugged off his thanks as it being their duty to their prince, which made his heart swell in pride. Merlin was stroking the fire and got everything ready to start cooking. That was one thing Merlin wasn't too bad at, so he was going to let him take care of it.
Everyone ate in near silence. It was mostly Gawain and Gareth that talked, and Arthur didn't really understand half of what they were saying so he ignored most of it. He was sure it had to do with him and Merlin or maybe even something personal between the two. Lord Hector kept to himself a ways from the fire after getting his share of meat, and when Merlin was done he dug out some cheese and berries he'd freshly picked that morning. He offered some cheese, and Arthur took it without a second thought. Merlin looked rather pleased by that, and he also didn't seem to care when Arthur snatched a few berries from him.
They traveled along again once everyone finished eating and used the bushes. Arthur calculated that once they'd finally reach Mercia's borders it would be close to dinner. Arthur was just thinking on how he could convince Hector to let them all stop for dinner before having to say his final goodbyes to Merlin when Merlin was suddenly looking ill. They were only two hours away from Mercia now.
"Merlin, what's wrong?" he asked.
"Dunno," said Merlin, curling in upon himself in his saddle. "I don't… feel so well."
"Was it the berries?" Arthur said, trying to keep the worry from his voice but was probably failing.
"If it was then you should be feeling ill too," Merlin grumbled. He was starting to shake violently now so Arthur reached a hand over and laid it on Merlin's lower back and rubbed it in a comforting gesture.
"Lord Hector, halt!" he called out. Hector, thankfully, did as asked and turned his horse around in confusion. Everyone stopped their horses.
"What's wrong, sire?" Gareth asked when his horse stopped right behind his.
"Merlin's unwell," Arthur said. "We must stop and see if we can do something."
Hector took out his parchment and started to jot something down quickly. Arthur waited for him to finish with as much patience as he could, keeping a steady hand on Merlin. Then, once finished, Lord Hector handed the parchment over to Arthur to read.
"'We have experienced physicians in Mercia, they can look him over.'" Arthur raised his head and gave a not so amused glare at the lord. "I understand what you're saying, but I fear Merlin can't go any further today. We must set up camp."
"I agree," said Sir Gawain. "If we don't, Merlin might die of mistreatment."
Lord Hector looked as though he wanted to write an argument to that, but Arthur took his quill away and stashed both it and the parchment into his saddlebag. Hector looked shocked and then irritated.
"I'm sorry, Lord Hector, but majority rules, and I am the prince. I say we make camp now and see what's wrong with Merlin. It won't do you much good if he winds up dead, would it?"
Hector conceded, even though he looked as if he were still not happy. While Gareth and Gawain set up camp, with Hector's help this time, Arthur helped Merlin off his horse and then took out a bedroll immediately. The first tent that got put up was going to be Merlin's and his, and he led Merlin carefully into it.
Merlin was sweating as if it was the middle of August, but it was only May. He had Gareth fetch some water and Gawain helped in getting Merlin comfortable then got out the medical kit they brought along in case of emergencies. Arthur found a rag in it just when Gareth arrived with some water.
"Luckily we're by the river," he explained when Arthur looked shocked by his quick return.
Arthur wet the cloth, wrung it out, and then placed it on Merlin's forehead. "It was just… so sudden. What could have caused this?"
"Food poisoning?" Sir Gawain suggested. "Or possibly the flu. I had a grandmother that got hit with a bad flu once, and it had been sudden just like this."
"Did she get better?" Arthur asked.
"Yeah, once her fever broke. I'm sure that will happen with Merlin."
Arthur hoped he was right. Losing Merlin to this damned flu, or whatever it was, would be worse than having to give Merlin up to Lord Hector. With Merlin in Mercia at least he'd still be alive and could visit him once in a while, but with this… Merlin may never recover.
Sir Gareth knelt beside Merlin and started to check him over as if he were a physician himself. Finally, with a gruff voice, he said, "Sire, I might have seen this kind of illness before…"
Arthur looked up sharply. "Oh?"
"Yes, sire," Gareth said. "I'm no physician so I can't be sure, but I've seen people drop dead from sudden diseases like this without warning. It wasn't pretty."
"Merlin's a fighter," said Arthur, his voice breaking but staying strong. "And he's… he's not your average commoner. He'll get through this."
Sir Gareth only nodded, and Arthur knew he was only humbling him. Still, Arthur knew he was right; Merlin had magic, so his body should be able to fight off this disease. It had to be enough. Arthur laid a hand onto the wet cloth on Merlin's forehead and then slowly trailed it down along the side of Merlin's face. Merlin stirred slightly, but stayed asleep.
"If you die on me, Merlin, I'll never forgive you." His words sounded strong and promising, but to his own ears they were weak.
Part 7