Since Birth

Chapter Fifteen

"What's a delicate flower doing far from home?" a musty, masculine voice suddenly called out in malice.

Arthur inwardly sighed. Of course he'd jinx it. He'd always have. Turning, he kept Merlin close, hoping the brunet wouldn't do anything rash. The elder was aware of the younger man's life. Merlin had never learned of the dangers of the outside world—of what it could be capable of. Would he even understand the complexity of what the savage who just spoke was trying to imply? Arthur let himself give a mental scoff. He knew Merlin was smarter than what most believed to be, but would that stop him from doing anything too dire? Another step further was all they could do before being stopped by a rather bulky man. Not stereotypical, but rather overweight with a puffed, patchy beard to compliment his downtrodden appearance.

"Let us through," Arthur spoke with a faked calmness that only repeated practice could create.

"Oh? Is that anyway to speak to a man prone to beating you on the battlefield."

Arthur suppressed a smirk by the egotistical aura the foreigner was giving off. Alas, he didn't speak a word, just waited for the stranger to move.

"I don't recognize either of you," the man spoke, not reaching either of the conclusions Arthur had craved. "Is the boy your slave? Must've paid a fine price for him," he then asked, nodding once towards Merlin. The blond had wanted to growl from anger. He held back the seething rage that wanted to make him blade the man right then and there.

"C'mon, boy," the man taunted. "'Lemme see those pretty eyes."

Arthur couldn't help but let a small sigh of relief escape his lungs. Merlin had listened to his orders afterall. Grinding his teeth, the elder then raised his head level to the stranger's. "Let us get to our room," he grit through failed attempts of serenity.

"I wanna know how much you're selling him for," another man intervened, cracking his knuckles nonchalantly but still managing to send the message.

"He's not a slave-"

"Arthur?" a small, familiar voice spoke. "We should leave."

"No, we already payed-"

"Surely that's not better than keeping our heads."

Running a finger over one of Merlin's fingers as a contemplative action, Arthur started at his opposer in the eye. They would be fine. Once they get to the room, they can sleep. The hard ground could be lost in a sea of memories, and one day both of them would laugh back on this scenario.

"C'mon, Muriel, leave them be," a feminine voice decided to retort. "There are plenty of other willing people that are open for the night."
Giving a silent blessing to the woman, Arthur was aware of the influence that she had on the aura of the room. With a spit to the ground, the man along with his supposed sidekick backed off, stepping aside. Several obscene gazes from the two directed at Merlin didn't go unnoticed to Arthur as they passed, though. As the blond guided the brunet to the room with the tightest grip he could muster, all he could think was, 'May the Gods think of me as a fool.'.

__________________

"When you said room for two, I figured you meant two people, not two beds," Merlin mumbled, tripping to his bed.

"All of the beds at this place are too small for the two of us," came Arthur's reply, kicking off his boots before taking a solid glance to the younger man. What on earth was the younger man thinking after such an incident? He couldn't bare the thought.

Making his way over to the taken bed, he lifted the single blanket before wrapping his arms protectively around the younger man.
Merlin gave a soft, yet oppressed chuckle. "I thought you said two people couldn't fit in one bed? Aren't you wasting your money if we're only using one bed?"

"Shutup, Merlin."

"Whatever," he mumbled, dazed by fatigue. "I'm not complaining."

A couple minutes of solid silence passed, and Arthur was on the verge of sleep, the faint smell of lavender and rosemary still apparent among the essence of soil soothing his senses. It wasn't until his ears twitched that two sentences spoke.

"I was scared, Arthur. Was he really going to...?"

Arthur huffed a somber breath. Of all the things to experience...

"It doesn't matter." The elder responded gently, taking raven locks into his grasp. How they managed to remain the same silky texture as before, Arthur wasn't sure. "I locked the door. We'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" the younger man's whisper echoed quietly.

Arthur inhaled the scent of floral fragrances once more. "Yes, they won't hurt you. I promise you that."

Merlin gave a soft smile against the blond's arm, moving his face towards more warmth. "I can protect myself, you know."

Arthur usually would've said something as a retort, a sarcastic response, but he did otherwise. He wasn't sure if it was the hazed events that happened earlier or the fatigue finally catching up to him or his realization that Merlin was absolutely everything to him, but he managed to let the words slide past his lips. "I know, darling, and I love you for that."

A/N: Hello everyone! I know it's been a...*checks date* snAP it's been t h a t long? *awkwardly laughs* uh—oOpSiEs? I'm terribly sorry I basically abandoned y'all for such a long period of time, but now that this transition chapter is out of the way, more fresh ideas along with my previously planned plot are progressing quicker now so don't worry! My next semester of school is also less stressful than the last one, so I promise you more updates will follow (I'm aiming for one or two chapters a week). Second, thank you all sO MUCH for 2,000 reads! It means so much to me that people enjoy my book, and it absolutely made my day when it happened!
Anyway, if y'all have enjoyed this book, please make sure to leave a vote or comment! Thank you all so much! Bye!