The Affection Spell

Chapter Two: That Did Not Go As Planned

a/n Hello everyone! I hope you enjoy the story. Let me know if you have theories or ideas in the comments. Please add and vote if you like it.

Arthur's POV

I stumbled into my chambers and just got the doors shut before I collapsed. My head cracked on the stone floor, but the pain I expected didn't come. I didn't dwell on my good fortune and moved on.

Everything hurt. It was a dull ache, and I could've dealt with that, except every breath I took filled my body with glass shards. The stinging was unbeatable, and it was all I could do to keep my eyes open. My afternoon with Gwen was a total bust. She was nice with her words, but her subtle avoidance to my attempts to hold her hand stung, literally.

Merlin's face appeared in my line of sight, a frown plastered on his lips. I missed his smile. He knelt next to me. "What do you need, Arthur?" I opened my mouth to say, 'I need affection, Clotpole,' but a moan of pain escaped my lips. Shock was evident on Merlin's face. He took a deep breath and rethought his approach.

"Ok, blink once for yes, and twice for no. Do you want me to move you to your bed?" I blinked once. Anything was better than this stone floor. Merlin tugged me up from the ground, something I didn't think he had the strength to do. I let him take my weight as he walked me to my bed. I collapsed on top of the covers, exhausted from moving. The stinging went down as Merlin adjusted my legs to lie on the bed. His touch soothed my pain, like a balm to a burn.

"Thank you," I murmured. Merlin sat on the bed next to me, shifting from side to side in his usual awkward manner.

"Do you want me to hold your hand or something?" The uncertainty in his voice was sharp, but I just blinked once, not wasting energy with a verbal response. Merlin picked up my hand and held it in both of his, rubbing the back with his thumb. That simple action dropped the pain level. He didn't meet my eyes. "How much did it hurt, Arthur?"

I took a shaky breath. "Too much. Please don't make me do that again." Merlin nodded.

"I won't. Get some rest. Do you want me to stay here or finish scrubbing the floor?" The thought of losing contact with him was unbearable. Merlin was the only one who didn't cause me pain, actually being able to reduce my pain as well.

"Whatever," I said. Merlin smirked at me like he could read my mind.

"You have nothing to do this evening, so take a nap. I'll wake you up for dinner." My eyelids got heavier when he said the word 'nap.'

I squeezed his hand. "Will you stay here?" Merlin brought the hand he held close to his chest and drew an x over his heart.

"Cross my heart; Hope to die." I chuckled, though it hurt, and closed my eyes fully.

Merlin did indeed wake me for dinner, and I enjoyed the chicken. The stinging turned into a dull ache, so I shook my head when Merlin offered to hold my hand again. He went back to scrubbing the floor.

After I got ready for bed and laid down, Merlin was still working, trying to make up for lost time in the afternoon. The clock tower chimed the hours by, and I watched Merlin in silence as he polished my chain mail. The pain was still a dull ache, and I hoped I could get some sleep tonight.

On the stroke of midnight, my hopes were dashed. Every one of the twelve chimes wrecked my body with pain. Pain shook my limbs as I lost control of them. I clenched my jaw as tight as I could to keep from screaming.