Fireheart (A Merlin Love Story)

Chapter 11, Part 2

Eric's P. O. V:

That night, Arthur, Merlin and I lie awake, while the girls and Hunith sleep on the other side of the room.

I ask Merlin, lying next to Arthur, "Have you always slept on the floor?"

Lying the opposite way to Arthur and I, Merlin replies, "Yeah. The bed I've got in Camelot is a luxury in comparison."

Arthur murmurs, "It must've been hard."

Merlin mumbles, "Hm. It's like rock."

"I didn't mean the ground. I mean... for you, it must've been difficult."

"Mmm, not really. I wouldn't know any different. Life was simple out here. We're able to grow and everyone pitches in together. As long as you've got food on the table and a roof over your head, you're happy."

I mumble, "Sounds... nice."

Merlin scoffs as he says, "You two hate it."

Arthur and I say in unison, "No, duh!"

I ask, "Why'd you leave?"

"Things just... changed," Merlin responds vaguely.

"How?"

Arthur and I turn our heads to look at the ravenette. Arthur taps his foot against Merlin's face as he says, "Come on! Stop pretending to be interesting! Tell us!"

Merlin shoves his foot away as I chuckle slightly, and he says, "I just didn't fit in anymore. I wanted to find somewhere that I did."

I had a feeling he was referring to the fact that he has magic, and something must've happened that'd made him leave because of it. I quickly glance at my sleeping sister, her back to us. Ari has told me she'd always felt out of place at home because of her magic, so I get where Merlin is coming from.

I ask, "Had any luck?"

"I'm not sure yet," Was all Merlin says.

Arthur and I roll over as the blonde tells him, "Start training the men tomorrow. It's going to be a long day. Get the candle."

Merlin puts out the candle before the three of us drift off to sleep.

Ariella's P. O. V:

The next morning, I get dressed and fix my gauntlets to my arms as Morgana and I smirk at Arthur, who is getting his jacket put on by Merlin.

Morgana asks, "You still don't know how to dress yourself?"

"And, yet, he's supposed to be a man, not a baby," I say sarcastically, causing Morgana to chuckle.

"You don't have a dog, you fetch the stick yourself. No offence, Merlin!" Arthur quickly adds.

"None taken!" Merlin says.

Hunith says as she goes up to Arthur, holding out his bowl of half eaten food, "Arthur, you didn't finish your breakfast."

"Didn't I?" He asks with widened, stunned, light blue eyes. Beside him, Eric smirks. I'd caught him about to abandon his own half eaten breakfast and threatened to spoon feed him the rest myself if he didn't eat the whole thing, which he'd ended up doing.