Forbidden - A Merthur fic

Chapter 10

If asked, Arthur wouldn't have been able to describe what occured during the latter half of the ride on the dragon. The only thing he was focused on was Merlin in his arms. One hand presses down firmly over the wound in Merlin's stomach, attempting to staunch the blood that pumped out of it, and the other holds Merlin's hand tightly. Arthur forces Merlin to talk to him the entire time, though what was said held no real relevance, and was merely Arthur's way of assuring that Merlin didn't leave him.

When the dragon finally descends in a strange place (which Merlin informed him was the Isle of the Blessed), Arthur immediately slips off, carrying Merlin in his arms. He stumbles, the insides of his thighs rubbed raw from the friction against the dragon's rough scales. He turns about, looking around frantically. "What do I do?" He asks, then quickly looks down to Merlin in his arms, giving him a little shake. "Merlin!"

Merlin's eyes force themselves to stay open, and they find Arthur's with a pained sadness. "Hold me," he whispers. He'd known from the beginning that it was futile. He knew that he was dying, and that there was nothing that he could do about it. His last request to Kilgharrah was to bring him here, but not because this place held any remedy for his wound. Simply because it put him at ease to be away from the forest, away from Camelot and people staring.

Arthur's face goes slack. "What?" A knot of dread forms in his stomach. "No, no, Merlin, tell me what to do! The d...dragon brought us here for a reason! Tell me how to help you!!" Panic rises in his tone and he involuntarily clutches Merlin tighter to him. "I can't loose you, Merlin!" Despireation clings to his voice now, and his vision blurs as he looks down on Merlin's pale face. "I can't. Sorcerer or not, I don't care. I can't loose you. I....I need you, Merlin." His voice breaks.

Merlin looks up at him sadly, tears welling up in his own eyes. He raises a shaking hand to Arthur's cheek, brushing away the tears that had escaped his eyes. "Don't cry, Arthur....no man is worth your tears."

This nearly undoes Arthur, and his tears fall rapidly now, langing on Merlin's face and shirt. "Shut up. Shut up, you idiot, shut up!!!" He's crying now; he feels so damn helpless. "Merlin, tell me how to help you. There has to be SOMETHING!"

An odd, choking sound escapes Merlin's lips, and a bubble of blood forms between them, swelling for a moment before popping and splattering red across his white face. "Just hold me..." he repeates, his voice weak. "Please."