Merlin and Arthur-Two Sorcerers

An Act of Caring

It had been a rough week. Camelot Knights had chased Merlin and Arthur all the way to the border of Cenred's Kingdom, and they had been relentless, only giving up the chase when the pair actually did cross into foreign territory. They had been lucky to escape with only the few scrapes and bruises they had.

The trip had taken its toll on the both of them and their moods had been spiraling down for the worse. Merlin's visions had only increased, now that there was nothing to occupy him but his misery. Neither had been up for much conversation since the third day, when Merlin was almost killed by a rogue arrow, and Arthur had yet again been forced to use magic to save his life. It had left them both shaken to the core.

Now, they were heading west, taking a detour through Cenred's Kingdom to get to the White Mountains, where it was said that a Druid camp was located.

They had stopped for the night in a small forest near a local village named Paldor, but had avoided it, the hunting still very much at large. Both had been offered up for a large sum of money from Uther himself, and the message between the lines had been clear enough. All ties between father and son had been all but forgotten, and such a gesture, to order the capture of your own son, only to kill him yourself once you got a hold of him, was a betrayal Arthur was having trouble facing. Uther's irrational hatred of sorcery had corrupted all that he had once shared with his only son.

Arthur's power was still developing and growing rapidly, and with the bounty over both of their heads, it was becoming more difficult to find time to train. On several occasions, it had burst out of him, like when he had originally injured Merlin, and the situation was becoming increasingly  dangerous. Without proper training, his magic would soon spiral out of control and get them both caught. They needed to find someone who knew what was happening, hence searching out a Druid encampment.

/-/-/-/-/-/

Ever since Merlin's near death experience, Merlin had been the start of all conversations, which had been given glares or annoyed looks by Arthur, all throughout the week. This was just one such attempt at talking.

"Arthur, shouldn't we take a different route? This is the main road, it's dangerous. We could be seen." But Arthur was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to care. Fear and anger. Those were his more prominent emotions at the moment. Fear that they would be caught. Fear that the people who truly cared for them would betray them. Fear that Merlin could very well be dead right now, if it weren't for his reflexes from all of those hard training days on the practice field in Camelot.

God, how he missed that place. With its bustling marketplace, it's familiar, welcoming walls, his warm chambers with that window right in the corner where he could see the whole of the Kingdom that was to be his one day. The late night drinks at the tavern with the rest of the Knights. Merlin's cheery grin that always seemed to be with him wherever he went, except now it wasn't there. It was gone, and he couldn't help but feel that it was all his fault. He had dragged him into this mess, and despite Merlin's protests that it was his choice, it did little to abash his fears.

And then there was Guinevere. It was probably her he missed most of all. She was his constant, his light in the dark. His unofficial second advisor (Merlin was undoubtedly his number one) and lover, whom, upon his father's death, he had wished to one day marry. He had wished for children one day, a family, a safe environment where he could watch them all grow up and become the people they were destined to be.

  But that life seemed like more of a distant, abandoned dream than anything else now. How was he supposed to care for the ones he loved most when on the run for his life on decree by his own damned father? He was a failure to his people. To Guinevere. To his Knights. His father. To Merlin. The thought made him sick to his stomach. He was no prince. He was a coward.

Abruptly, his servant's, no, his friend's, he amended, head jerked up, eyes locking on his unerringly.

"Don't you ever thing that, Arthur Pendragon." Merlin growled, and his eyes damn near glowed in the half light. "You are anything but a coward. I have seen the way you lead your men, the way you care for them, and they you. You are special. To Camelot. To Gwen. To your people. To me. And one day you'll realize just how much you are loved." As if realizing what he just said, his eyes suddenly widened and he stared down at the forest floor, a furious blush creeping up his cheeks.

Arthur stared at him in shock. Never before had someone expressed to him that they actually cared. It left him feeling slightly ashamed, and yet oddly enlightened. Did others truly care for him so? Did they not care that he was a sorcerer? He remembered the day spent with his Knights by the campfire. He was happy then. Assured in the fact that he was surrounded by those who genuinely cared for him. Where did that trust go?

A delicate hand rested on his shoulder, gently turning him to face the other. "I mean it Arthur, every word." There was a fierceness in his gaze that Arthur had never quite seen before, a sort of unveiled protectiveness that could never have developed overnight. "You are loved and I'll be damned if you go another day without knowing that."

It seemed Arthur would be surprised twice today.

Beautiful, crystalline tears filled his eyes, try as he might to stop them. Gently, Merlin brought him into a tight embrace and Arthur buried his head in his friend's shoulder, returning the embrace just as tightly. Was this what it was like to be loved?

"I want to go home, Merlin." He admitted quietly, voice muffled slightly through the woolen shirt.

"One day soon, my friend." He replied softly. "One day soon."

~~~
A/N

This is probably all rubbish but oh well I haven't updated in a year and I'm having trouble remembering the plot. Also, it's likely that most of you think that there was some sort of MAJOR plot hole because Merlin READ ARTHUR'S MIND but that's all next chapter stuff. I actually remember writing most of this like last year and reading it today like: Oh my God. This is awful. Soooo, I completely edited the whole chapter but there is still probably little bunnies hopping around everywhere. It happens. I should be able to update this soon (note the "should") since I got out of school Friday, but don't count on it. You might have noticed the change in POV. It seems that I find it easier to write in third person. Weird right?🤔

~gracieq2001

Just do you know, I'll be changing my username soon to match my Instagram so don't get confused please.