Heartquake

Heartquake 20

“Put it away.”

He deserves it, a loss without his weapon, he’ll take it; he’ll take anything Merlin is going to give him. But Merlin does not draw his hand to cast a spell, no, he runs towards Arthur, covers the little distance that broke them apart before and wraps his arms around him.

He melts into the embrace and, when Merlin pulls away, he can see tears in his eyes.

“Don’t be such a girl, Merlin,” Arthur wipes away the tears with his thumb.

“I don’t think it wise to insult me right now,” Merlin chuckles. He grows serious as he says, “I accept you, too, Arthur Pendragon.”

Arthur is hesitant to kiss him, he’s too scared if Merlin will let him or not, but he can see it in his eyes, knows Arthur needs this, so Merlin does it. He leans forward, almost painfully slow, and kisses him.

Merlin must have cast some kind of magic in this kiss because he’s never felt anything like it. The touch of Merlin’s lips against his is felt throughout his entire body, every vein and nerve feels it, until it almost short-circuits his brain. He presses hungrily for more, more magic, more Merlin, just more.

They pull away and smile at each other. Emeline jumps off the stool she was sitting on before and rushes towards them, hugging their legs, until Arthur picks her up and swings her in his arms. Merlin’s arms go around them and he presses a kiss on both Em and Arthur’s forehead.

This is the kind of family story books portray, the unconditional love, the care, the eternalness of it. Uther is his father forever, as well as Morgana being his sister, but Merlin is his love until time runs out, until the skies fall, and the sun refuses to shine, Merlin is his, and Arthur his, until the time claims them.

He wants this forever, life between Merlin and Em, intertwined by magic or not, he wants this forever.

Eighteen Years Later

“Will you stop fidgeting?” Morgana tells her as she brushes hair off her face.

“It’s my wedding day. Surely I’m allowed to be a bit fidgety, Morgana,” Emeline says.

“Merlin and Arthur weren’t this nervous, neither were me and Leon,” Morgana smiles as Em sits back down in her seat.

“Gwen, though, she was a bundle of nerves. She kept jumping around like a frog,” Em laughs, recalling the incident where Guinevere had worried that her dress was dirty, that Lancelot could surely find another one better than her, until Arthur came in and calmed her down. As King, he did that quite easily.

“Rowan must be calmer than I am at this point,” Em sighs.

“He’ll be calm because he’s sure he loves you and wants to be your husband,” Morgana says reassuringly.

“So am I!” Em retorts. That second, the door opens and Gwen comes in, holding a glass of fluids. “Thanks, Gwen.”

“What is that?” Morgana asks.

“Em asked me to get it from the workroom. It’s supposed to calm your nerves, supposedly,” Gwen shrugs.

“It’s mead, Gwen!” Morgana smells it.

“How was I supposed to know? Em’s the Court Physician, am I not supposed to trust her judgment?”

“She used to trick us all the time when she was a child.”

“Yes, well.”

“How are the boys?” Morgana sits down, patting her growing belly. Her second child, her first is currently with his father, probably knocking over trinkets as they speak.

“Lancelot is with them,” Gwen says, as if that’s all the explanation they need because it is. Lancelot is one to be counted on, so he’ll be the one to calm everyone down and make sure the ceremony is fine.

“Now, come, let’s have a look at you. Arthur and Merlin will be arriving soon,” Gwen says to Emeline.

The young woman stands up from her seat, and lets Gwen survey her, from her blonde hair that is tied loosely enough from strands of it to fall to her face and shoulders, her blue eyes that people always say she inherited from her father, the rosy cheeks, to the flowing, white dress that Gwen insisted she would make for her.

“You’re beautiful,” Gwen says and hugs her.

“Yes, she is,” a voice says. It’s Arthur, who has entered the room with Merlin at his side. Merlin rushes to his daughter’s side and embraces her.

“Ready?” Arthur asks, kissing her cheek.