[✔] Sides (a merthur soulmate au fanfiction)

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Not BBC, Johnny Capps, Julian Murphy.

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Chapter 2

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Arthur woke up with a slight jolt.

He found himself staring at total darkness as he willed his heartbeat and his breathing to slow down. When the echoing shouts and the shrill screams from his nightmare didn't cease, Arthur grind his teeth together as he hissed, "shut up!"

He shut his eyes, holding his breath as he continued to calm himself. It was his first raiding– there was news of Druid encampment invading Camelot's borders, and rumors stirred that they were preparing for some kind of annual ceremony. Uther hadn't been in Camelot at the time, fighting another enemy of Camelot on the eastern borders, but he had been notified of the news and the order he had sent back was clear: annihilate every single one of them, prevent the ceremony from taking place.

Growing up being taught by Gaius, Arthur knew that Druids were peaceful people. The ceremony could be anything– Gaius himself couldn't really determine what sort of ceremony the Druids were preparing; they did it all the time and none of them were done to cause harm to Camelot so far. But with a man like Uther, Arthur knew he wouldn't see sense from the exact moment he heard the word sorcery. But magic was evil, that much Arthur knew, and he couldn't exactly refuse a clear order from the King when he was desperate for his approval, and so he raided the Druid camp.

The last echo of a child screaming rang in Arthur's ears and he gasped. He had ordered his men to spare the women and children, but there were too many fights happening. He himself saw some of the women and adolescents using magic to help the male Druids, it would be difficult for them to stand their grounds without attacking some of them. It was six months ago but, as Arthur tried to brush off the ever-present question of whether or not he had made the right decision, tears began escaping his eyelids.

When he found out that he had soaked his night shirt with sweat all the way to his covers and pillows, he rolled sideways and moved to the other side of the bed, welcoming the coolness of the fabric against his skin and, eventually, sleep.

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The first rays of sunlight had just started to find their way into the Court Physician's wing and Merlin was jolted out of his sleep when he splashed the cold water on his face.

Really, being employed by the most arrogant royal in Camelot was far from easy. Yesterday, he had helped the Prince with his daily exercise, meaning he had felt the other end of Arthur's quarter staff for most of the morning, and then he had to muck out the stables during the afternoon, and he had to be ready when Arthur gave him a job for the rest of the day, and even after the Prince had gone to sleep he still had to polish Arthur's armors until late at night.

And of course this he could not do with the help of his magic because it would cost him his head.

Closing his eyes, Merlin leaned his forehead against the edge of the bucket and groaned. These chores would be the death of him one of these days, he swore. He barely even got any sleep! It was fortunate that Arthur was a late riser, although how that particular prat could sleep for that long was yet another mystery to Merlin. Well, at least it wouldn't hurt anyone if he could just close his eyes for a moment...

There was a low thud as someone tried to push open the locked bathroom door and Merlin straightened up.

"Oh, sorry, I thought you're still asleep," he heard Gaius voice from the other side of the door before the shadow of his feet from the gap under the door retreated.