Crossfire

"To Accept My Destiny"

Merlin

Waking up to a warm sensation, I cracked my eyes open, meeting the fresh face of earth. I inhaled a breath of morning air, as I then looked down to see Arthur's chest. Had I slept on him? I laid there, feeling the softness and heat that radiated from Arthur. But I was craving for more. Softly groping the ground, I suddenly came in contact with his hand, gently grasping it to feel the touch of his skin. I let a blush crawl up my cheels as I gripped onto his hand. Fingers eloped perfectly, as I let out a happy breath, letting my eyes close once again.
"Merlin?" a voice croaked out.
Instantly breaking from the moment, I quickly rolled off Arthur, feeling the warmth leave both my body and hand. "Yes?" I shakily replied. Watching him wipe the tiredness from his eyes, I scooted away to itch my head and pat down the unkept hairs. My eyes scanned over to the rest of the group. The knights weren't fazed by our interactions over the course of the night.
"How're you feeling?" Arthur asked, pulling himself up to sit beside me. The two of us watched the others sleep soundly, free from the world, not stressing about a single predicament.
"Decent," I replied. I cleared my throat, making an attempt to not sound awkward. "Thank you for helping me last night." My gaze fell on to him. "It means a lot."
His eyes found mine. They wandered, searching for a certain emotion—something I didn't know he was grasping for. "Did you resolve your problem?"
I gave taut, forced smile. "Not yet."
A few minutes passed, as I first dismissed Arthur's soft banging to the head; but then after several times, I took action.
"Are you alright?" I questioned.
"Yeah; it's just that I have a headache. Hangover." As if breaking himself from the pain, he let out a banterous smile. "That was your first time drinking?" He breathed a laugh. "How do you manage? You must be hurting a lot right now."
"Actually, not so much." I then waited a quick moment to say the oncoming joke that entered my mind. "It must be your pratness. I've heard that those types of personalities could cause severe problems."
A chuckle flicked off the silence, as that was all I could hear—the sweet, sharp laugh that escaped him. My heart lept out, wanting to wrap my arms around him, to hold him and never let go.
"At least you've got your sense of humor back!" Arthur laughed. He then got up, wiping himself of any blemishes, before sticking out a hand for me to grab. I reluctantly grasped onto it. Once the two of us were up, we traveled to the horses, preparing them for the upcoming journey.
"How long do you believe the ride to Aeyland will be?" I questioned.
"At least a minimum of three days. Luckily we found Balinor so soon." He smiled. "Of all the villages he was rumored to be in... Must've been nice visiting your mother, right?"
My eyebrows twitched upon the words, quickly and casually shifting, before answering. "Yes, of course." I looked down. I hadn't even paid a goodbye to her. I was just so frustrated. She hadn't told me of any of these things before, and then she suddenly expects for me to accept my destiny. Giving a wistful smile, I looked back on my memories. Kiligarrah had once told me of the same acceptance too.
"Merlin?" a voice echoed. "Merlin?" It called again.
"Y-yes?" I whipped up my head, seeing Arthur stare at me with concern. After giving him one of my signature grins, he breathed a concealed sigh of relief, rolling his eyes to play the previous scene off.
He sighed. "You pompous idiot. The knights are packing up. Prepare the horses."
The smile managed to stay on my face longer than intended. The force wasn't needed anymore. We were almost back to normal. I just needed to do one more thing...

Arthur

Packing up the current blanket I was holding onto the mare, I heard hushed voices—their conversation profound to only eachother. I pretended to keep packing the luggage on to the horse, tying and untying straps so I could hear the voices play out.
"I'm sorry. Let's start over—if that's okay with you," a quiet voice sounded off. His voice was deep, and filled with concern and remorse, almost like he had been confessing something he'd been wanting to say for years. "I-it's just that you've been trying to welcome me, but I continue to shut you out. I've been blocking your offers. I'm sorry. I just want you to know that." His voice now sounded cracked. No doubt tears were streaming down his face.
"I'm glad you're finally accepting. I didn't want to leave you, know that. But I couldn't just leave the kingdom to stay with you or your mother." Silence then followed. The sniffing and wiping of tears were distantly heard. I quickly tied up the final strap, walking back over to the knights, joining in their conversation. Watching one figure approach from the scene I had eavesdropped, I nonchalantly glanced over, seeing who would enter from the shadows.
I then saw him. A tear-streaked, but pleasantly happy face broke out into the sun's rays, his posture now more comfortable than it had been before. It had looked like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. His eyes shone a new light, which made him look even more beautiful.
My face scrunched from upmost confusion. Boy did I have questions for Merlin.

A/N: Hello y'all! I hope you're enjoying my story so far! I'd really love if y'all would leave a vote or comment below! It really helps me a lot when progressing with the story! See y'all soon—bye!