The Search ➳ Merthur

chapter ten

aaaaaaaaaaa

alrighty here we are

Mordred is the same age he was in season 5, so he's not a child

-

Merlin tried to cuddle up to Arthur more than he already was. They were sitting in his bed, just enjoying each other's presence for the afternoon, and it was the most calming thing Merlin had experienced in a while. He didn't have to worry about anything, and being with Arthur allowed him to forget about the outside world for a bit. Arthur had his arms wrapped around him lazily and his head on Merlin's shoulder, falling asleep. Merlin, however, was reading a book and trying to stick the memory of how adorable Arthur looked into the back of his head.

They'd been "courting" (as if they could really call it that) officially for a few weeks now, and Merlin thought it felt like the best few weeks of his life. He was probably exaggerating, but it definitely felt like he was in love. Since all it had taken them to build up to the point they were at, he thought it was most certainly plausible that he could consider himself in love with Arthur. After what happened that first night, Merlin had refrained from going further with him than kissing, no matter how much he wanted to. There was no way he'd be able to control what would happen to his magic if he'd tried.

He knew he would have to address it somehow, either find a way to control his magic when they finally had sex, or reveal himself. The first option seemed to be the better one, even if it was impossible. Merlin didn't want to tell Arthur if he didn't have to, but it also made him feel guilty for lying. However, if he didn't lie, his secret would be out in the open and he had no idea how Arthur would react to it. He knew the other man cared for him, but he didn't know how far it went. Would he willingly keep a sorcerer around, or would he sentence Merlin to death for lying to him?

As Merlin was thinking, Arthur opened his eyes and let out a groan. He pulled Merlin down to lie next to him and then opened his eyes and smiled at the face in front of him. Tugging Merlin closer to him, Arthur planted a kiss on his forehead, and then on his nose, only to follow with one on his lips. Merlin kissed back eagerly, loving how Arthur was always so gentle and caring.

"You're awfully affectionate today." Merlin said after they'd pulled apart, smiling. Arthur could only grin brightly back at him before rolling on his back and taking Merlin with him, so he was laying his head on Arthur's chest. His arm stroked up and down Merlin's back, sometimes moving up to his hair and raking through it.

"Merlin," Arthur sighed wistfully, "I think-," But he couldn't finish his phrase because there was a very hard bang on Merlin's door, making both of them jump. Before either of them could move fast enough to get it, it swung open and revealed three very sweaty and tired knights. Gwaine, Lancelot, and Leon entered the room, As soon as the three of them saw Merlin and Arthur's position, they all had very different facial expressions.

Gwaine was smirking, Lancelot was glaring at Merlin, and Leon just looked very, very confused. However, they didn't have the time to make sense of what they saw, as they shook themselves out of their daze, and Leon spoke.

"Sire," He began, breathing heavily, as if he'd just chased after bandits in the forest, and then had had to fight them. It looked like he'd been to hell and back, they all did. Gwaine looked like he was going to fall over at any moment, so he held onto the table to steady himself. His legs were wobbly, and he was trying to control his breathing, to regulate it again. Lancelot had proceeded to sit by the fire, relieving his cold fingers from the cold they'd witnessed outside. His armor of his sword arm looked as if it had been sliced through, leaving a hole for the cold air to get straight through to his skin. It left him freezing.