Notes:
You will start to see Arthur act a little possessive at the end of this chapter and the first part of the next, no worries he will return to normal or as normal as he can under a spell.
Chapter 13: The Alliance
Merlin slowly stirred underneath the sheets. He sleepily raised a hand to rub at his eyes and, after a few seconds, finally opened them. He moved to sit up; Arthur was still fast asleep next to him in the bed. He lazily looked around, but could barely see more than a few inches past the bed. The curtains had not been closed so they provided some moonlight, but it wasn't much. Merlin moaned slightly as he moved towards the edge of the bed, his body ached all over and muscles he didn't even know he had were completely sore.
Throwing the sheets off of him, he gently pressed his bare feet to the cold floor. Merlin ignored the chillness of the room and moved to the nearest piece of clothes that belonged to him. He stumbled on one of Arthur's boots and landed flat on the floor. Cursing under his breath, he quietly rose and looked back to the bed. Arthur didn't even stir an inch; he could really sleep through anything at times.
Merlin smiled at Arthur's sleeping form and turned back to his clothes still on the floor. He began to dress, making sure to tighten the bandages on his arm. Once he was fully dressed he made his way carefully to the fireplace. After a few attempts, he managed to light it and then he made his way around the room lighting the candles.
Tripping a few more times he made his way to the window. His legs were still wobbling, the reason for that made his cheeks turn a slight red color. He then looked around the room again to inspect it and he cringed. The room was a mess; the plates were still sitting on the table half uneaten. Merlin moved about the room setting things upright. Arthur had managed to knock quite a few things down when they had been in the heat of the moment. With the reminder of their love making still evident in the room and his body, Merlin couldn't help but stare back at his sleeping King one more time with a worried look on his face. What was he to do now? He had really complicated things.
Arthur's clothes were also still scattered all over the room, he managed to gather them up and drop them into a basket located in a corner of one of the walls. He then laid a new set of clothes near the edge of the bed and made his way to the door. Merlin wanted to see how Gwaine and Percival were doing. Also a bath wouldn't be half bad, he really craved one after spending a night stuck under a tree and another one unconscious. Before heading out of the room, Merlin managed to gather his coat and with one final look back at his King he closed the door behind him and walked down the corridor.
After a few turns, he found himself completely lost. He walked into another corridor, with yet not a single guard in sight, and hesitated whether he should try to find his way back or continue forward. After a slight pause, he decided on the latter and walked further down the empty corridor. There was bound to be a guard he could ask for directions at the end of it.
Suddenly, Merlin stopped and quickly turned around; he looked down the corridor trying to make out if any of the shadows cast by the lit torches on the walls belonged to actual people. He was sure he had heard someone else. Then when he was about to reach the end of the corridor, Merlin heard two sets of voices, he recognized them for some reason. He couldn't remember why they sounded so familiar but they were coming from behind one of the doors.
Merlin glanced around again and spotted a vent that looked like it could provide a good means to peek inside. He moved towards it and climbed onto a small table, located just underneath it. He pressed his hands against the wall for support as the table was barely wide enough for his feet. After balancing himself, he slowly raised his head to peek in. Inside he could barely see two figures.
