Crossfire

"It's Destiny, Afterall"

Arthur

He was like stone. Cold and distant. Whenever he was with the others, a neutral, expressionless façade would come over his face. Everyone was respectful of him—they would bow when in his presence. Merlin wouldn't react, though; for he would just stand there and watch.
When he would come in the tent at night, his shell would crumble as he would then fall to the ground, mumbling incoherent apologies to the air as if he had disturbed another's mood. I would hold him and whisper words of reassurance to him.
It seemed as if Merlin had been more angry than sad. His father had passed, but that's not what really triggered his emotions.
It was the kingdom.
"How do I just...go from nothing to a king?" He sobbed harsh tears, his hand gripping one of my fingers for calmness.
"It's a lot of pressure, I know, Merlin," I replied. I held him close every other night alike after the dim funeral, kissing his soft curls, then deciding to rest my chin on them. "You let the people guide you. You gain their trust and they'll obtain yours." I sighed. "Merlin, you'll be a great king. The people will love you."
Merlin shifted his head, looking at the flaps of the tent, a soft breeze making an entrance every so often. A distant rumble of laughter could be heard outside. Cups were bouncing off eachother in sloppy motions, the clinks emitting from them in a delirious fashion. Scrunching my eyebrows, I then stood up, as Merlin looked up to me in confusion. "Arthur?"
"If you are going to be King, Merlin, you have to gain the loyalty of your people." I gestured my head to the others outside. "That includes the knights."
Giving a collected sniff, he slowly made his way to me, looking to the ground for further directions. He sighed. "You're right. A king shouldn't have emotions."
I closed my eyes, clenching my teeth together. "No, Merlin. You guide them with your feelings." I pulled him to face me, gently resting my hand against his heart, letting my eyes meet his. "Right here. Got it?"
He licked his lips. "Yeah," he replied after a moment of hesitation.
"Good." I let my lips touch his forehead, giving him a gentle kiss. "Let's go."

Merlin

Their faces were calm with an undertone of shock. They weren't expecting my presence so soon after my father's death. They thought it was my father they had to blame. My eyebrows laced. Now that I look back on it, I had hardly known the man. I had been with him for only several days. My eyes traveled to the ground, frustrated. I suddenly felt a small nudge in my side.
"C'mon, Merlin. Gain their trust," Arthur's voice whispered against my ear. Small bumps made an appearance on my body, as I gave a soft nod in reply.
Clearing my throat, I began. "Everyone..."
All of the knights looked my way. Kylan then decided to step forward, dropping one knee to the ground, his head now bowed. "Milord."
I sighed. "Please do not call me that, Kylan. I am your friend." My head pushed up, a newfound confidence flowing through my veins. "That goes for everyone here. We are friends; not servants and royals. You will treat me with such respect as you treat the other knights with. Is that understood?"
The cracking of saliva could be heard beside me. Arthur was smiling.
All of the knights gave the same look of joy, tilting their head slightly as to show agreement. Then, slowly returning to my stage before, my shyness returned, as I then looked down, a blush now appearing on my face. My feet began to travel back to the tent, before Arthur pulled me back, one hand on my shirt and the other grazing against my hand. "You never give a speech then disappear. Gain their trust. Sit with them and have a conversation."
I raised an eyebrow. "I thought that's what made it more dramatic and entertaining, though."
Arthur sighed. "Merlin, just join them." Gripping on to my hand, he then pulled me to the others, sitting me down alongside him. The atmosphere was warm—welcoming. The knights were having a decent conversation, slapping each other on the back when a joke was shared, more mead being tossed around. I awkwardly shifted, letting my hands feel the grooves of the log I was sitting on; each curve and edge irregular and displaced. An organized mess.
"Merlin?"
I shifted my head towards the voice. "Yes, Gwaine?"
Although he was drunk, the man still managed to pull sincereness. His mouth tugged up into a tight, sympathetic smile, his eyes soft and compassionate. "I'm sorry about your father."
I sighed, clenching my nails against the log. "It's alright. That's why we're stopping Morgana, afterall." I locked my jaw. "Once we find her, I'll make her pay."
Gwaine's eyes fluttered down to the bottle he was drinking, his mind placed on to the words I had just said. "Mead?" He stuck out the bottle for me to take. After a moment of hesitation, I accepted, grasping onto the half empty bottle. I took a large gulp, letting the liquid flood into my system, my mental state beginning to deteriorate. I forgot how good this felt sometimes. My eyes rested in the bottle as the knights continued to have their conversation. I didn't speak a word.
Arthur snugged an arm around me. "Are you alright?" he asked quietly.
I nodded.
Arthur sighed in reply. "Do you want to go back to the tent?"
I let my eyes meet his. "Is that okay?"
He gave a soft smile. "Yeah. Let's go."
Arthur guided me back to the tent, and upon noticing my drunken state, he started helping me down onto the ground, placing the thin blankets around my body.
"Are you comfortable?" he questioned in a gentle tone, smoothing the strands of disarrayed hair from my face, giving me a look of concern.
"I'm fine," I breathed, closing my eyes. It was nice. The blankets were wrapped up against me, the ground soft enough to fall asleep on, Arthur's hand raking my hair.
But it was too cold.
"Arthur," I tiredly mumbled. "Lay with me."
A soft shifting was heard, as I was then replaced to a position on Arthur's chest. His heartbeat could be heard, the soft thumping guiding me to unconsciousness.
"Did you really mean it?" I whispered after a while.
Arthur paused in confusion. "Mean what?"
"Mean that I'll be a great king."
Arthur's hands pulled me closer to him, his breath breezing gently against my skin, causing me to give a slight shiver. He exhaled. "Ofcourse I did. It's destiny, afterall."
I let the words echo off in my mind, repeating endlessly.
He was right.
It was destiny.
My destiny.

A/N: So yes this was updated late. Yes, this was also a fill-in chapter. No, this chapter isn't that great. Yes, next chapter will be better. I try, bois, I really do. If you have liked this book so far, though, please show some appreciation and drop a vote or comment! It means a lot to me! Bye!