Merlin |Confusion [Merlin & Morgana]

Chapter Seventeen - The Cave

_

Everything hurt. The back of his head, his neck, his arm, his left leg; everything. When he inhaled, he could taste the dirt and staleness of the air. He must be in a cave, or underground somewhere, but he couldn't be sure. He tried opening his eyes, but they seemed crusted shut. 

Wincing, he reached a hand up to feel his face. His gloves were stiff, as if they were encased in rock. He pulled them off with his teeth, and tasted the bitterness of leather polish, mixed with the metallic tinge of blood. As his fingers reached his eyes, he felt a sticky moisture around them. 

It was blood. 

It seemed to be coming from above his hairline, but had trickled down across his face. He wiped at his eyes, almost pulling his eyelids apart so that he could see. When they eventually opened, his vision was blurry and distorted, and it took him a minute or so to work out what shape was which, and whether there was actually an object in front of him, or if it was just his eyes creating illusions. 

As his sight returned to him; slowly, reluctantly; he realised that the dark shape in front of him was actually a person. He squinted, and tried to get his eyes to focus.

"Arthur." A voice said, and his heart clenched as he realised who the person must be.

He opened his mouth to speak, but his throat was so dry; caked in dust and dirt. 

"Merlin." he eventually croaked out, before licking his lips and swallowing thickly. The saliva stuck to his throat, making him cough and splutter. 

Something hard and cold was pressed against his lips, and he frowned down at it; it was a water bottle. He pulled his head away, trying to escape from it. What if it was poisoned? Perhaps this was a test?

"Arthur, drink." Merlin insisted, his voice sounding urgent. 

Arthur felt a hand cup the back of his head, and he felt too weak to writhe away from it. Merlin pulled his head up while simultaneously tipping the bottle upwards. Cool water slipped through Arthur's parted lips and trickled down his throat. It was delicious. Immediately, he felt his internal pains start to diminish, and his head began to de-fog. 

Merlin paused, as if intuitively knowing that Arthur needed to take a breath, before tipping the bottle again. Arthur drank thirstily, no longer caring if the water was poisoned - it tasted so damn good. 

"You were out for a few hours." Merlin was saying, talking as if nothing had happened between the two of them. His tone was soft, quiet; the kind of tone you would use if you were talking to a small child. 

Arthur swallowed again, then pushed the bottle away from his face. He grunted, and tried to sit up. Merlin seemed to realise what he was trying to do, and made a move to help him.

"Stop." He groaned, not wanting the help from someone who had betrayed him so severely. "Merlin, please." 

Merlin sighed and leaned back, crossing his legs in front of him and surveying Arthur with a complicated expression that he couldn't quite read.

"I'm sorry Arthur." He murmured, once Arthur had managed to pull himself to a seating position. "I know that you must hate me, but please understand that I have nothing but love for you."

Arthur set his lips in a tight, firm line in an attempt to prevent the abuse that threatened to escape from inside him. Instead, he settled for a mmm noise, that sounded strained and a little disgusted. 

"It had to be like this though." Merlin leant forwards, his voice taking on an undertone of desperation. "You just don't understand."

"No." Arthur growled, "What I don't understand... is how... you could... do this."