Dismantle The Sun

Chapter 16

The grey smoke setted tersely between the King and the Star. The didn't speak: both lost in their own words of thoughts. An ode of words hung between them unspoken. Arthur staring into the middle distance, unsure of what to feel, how to feel, now his world, his universe, his guiding light, had been upended. Merlin awkwardly shuffled from left foot to right foot and back tot he left again trying to think of the words that he could say that would make anything better between the two of them - at a loss and adrift as they were like two ships bobbing on separate currants in the sea of Arthur's cataclismic revletaions of his heredirtray.

"You're Polaris" Arthur started, breaking the silence with the smallest of his concerns -a bitesize chunk he could digest most easily out of the earth shattering discoveries. Merlin smiled his familiar lopsided smile, this time more cautiously irradiated than normal.

"I go by many names..." Merlin smiled mysteriously. Arthur did not smile in return; now was not the time for Merlin's casual jokes, feelings were clawing and gnawing at his insides like a swarm of rats writhing in a wooden pale.

"But Polaris is one of them?" Arthur confirmed, his voice as flat as the plans of Aite Còmhnard. Merlin nodded softly, his eyes looking winsomely at the blonde captain with something like to worry as though he thought the other man would make him leave at any moment.

"It is." he confirmed certainly.

"I... I told you how I felt about Polaris, what it meant to me. And that was you, all this time. Did you... did you seduce me from the sky?" he spluttered, unsure whether to be in awe or haughtily offended, or just to let the star cause the upset he'd caused. There was little to commend any option but the torrent of feelings he felt would not let himdecide.

"No, Arthur. How would I do that? I was gas. Do you find gas sexy, Arthur?" the raven haired star joked. Arthur bit bake his fond smile, turning his face away to hide it, determined not to let the star- his guiding light all these long years- weasel his way off the hook with such adorable ease.

"Bold of you to assume I find you sexy" he responded, letting a slice of minx slither into his still hurt voice, a small smile that mad Merlin's heart trill with hope like a emerging songbird in the earliest throws of spring after a long cold snowed winter of ice.

"You're the one going around accusing innocent stars of seducing you!" Merlin rejoindered. The pair smiled at each other, the casual banter returning, light shining in both of their eyes- twinkling with recognition and familiarity as if they were two molecules of stardust separated at the beginning of the universe, finally reunited - and Merlin's skin resumed it usual sheen of Arthur's presence and attention. The mirth died down gently.

"I'm the king." Arthur muttered, staring this time at his hands rather than Merlin, sinking to a sit on a small stool nearby.

"I'm the king of all this..." he gestured around at everything that surrounded them: the entire universe. His emotions were a swirling torrent of confusion and betrayal. And yet, a current of something else ran through it, as if the disparrot parts of his life werre slotting together into place, like a solved jigsaw puzzle. Every question he'd ever asked seemed answered in an overwhelming way - for what is life without mystery? He glanced at Merlin - one mystery he could never solve in ten thousand lightyears: the mystery of the heart.

"You are." Merlin said gently, treating Arthru as if he were a startled deer, entraptured by a set of headlights on a dark night in the middle of a desolate country road, either to go bucking off skittishly at the drop of any hat, or be struck, lying dead amongst the forest litter to let nature reclaim him. He lowered himself next to the captain gently. His spindly legs were stretched out in front of him as he turned his neck to watch the blonde man with cautious glowing cerulean eyes.