Merlin often took time to ponder about the introduction of his mother and father. He had believed as a child that the story would drawl out like every fairy tale. A damsel in distress, Hunith watched silently as people were being brutally punched and thrown back and forth. She was waiting for her knight in shining armor. Balinor would eventually disrupt the predicament and save Hunith without a single word, leaving the rest as history.
History.
That's all Merlin's mother ever was anymore.
The brunet wondered what it was like to have your name written down in the history books for all of the future to see; to have your name inscribed in papers instead of a carved stone. Would it be worth it to die without knowing of your fame in the future?
"There you are," Arthur's voice called out from a distance. The brunet heard the elder's footsteps patter until they sat side by side, staring at the stream that gurgled delicately for all to hear. Arthur gave a small smirk, picking up a twig. "It didn't take long to find you, considering your foot trail was more conspicuous among all the creatures I've hunted before."
Merlin let a smile drip from his expression. He had ran off without Arthur knowing, and that resolved with disastrous consequences. He would not let Arthur loose sight of him so easily from now on. The younger man clearly knew the art of being discrete, but he would allow the blond a pass. "How far is Camelot from here?" Merlin tried as conversation instead. After the episode last night, he would attempt in consuming comfort until things went back to normal.
"About three days." Absentmindedly twirling the twig in the collected dirt, he continued. "I know a place to stay on the way there. Better than sleeping on the cold ground."
Merlin nodded.
Arthur bit his lip at the brunet's reply, dropping the stick to the ground to edge closer. "We'll find him, Merlin. If you need time to be alone, I completely understand."
Feeling his cheeks heat, Merlin took a breath. "Thank you." A moment passed, and the emitted sound from the stream seemed to soften, the dimmed morning sky beginning to dissipate into bright blue.
He tried to recollect his thoughts. Optimism should be the main bloodstream flowing through him, not guilt. Merlin couldn't help but feel that small pull, telling him this was all his fault. Was his father right?
Reaching out to gently grasp onto Arthur's hand, he let the comfort ease his rebounding thoughts. He knew it clearly now. His father was wrong. Merlin could prove himself right in his accusations.
"I'm not okay, Arthur," he confessed quietly, as if afraid to become an open book to another. "I don't want to be alone, though." Looking up to gaze into the elder's eyes, Merlin realized he was an imbecile for assuming the worst. He felt ashamed for not putting enough trust in Arthur, for when he stared into the symmetrical, azure orbs in front of him, no malice was detected, but rather of affection and hope.
Giving a warm smile, Arthur tugged gently on the younger man's hand to bring him closer. "I think I know how to help with that."
___________________
"This is not what I imagined," Merlin stated, dumbfounded at the sight. "The tavern? I thought you would only down those foamy drink thingees."
"Mead," Arthur corrected. "And yes, this place provides not only mental comfort, but also physical comfort, incase you were wondering."
"I gathered such," came the younger man's feeble reply.
The blond frowned upon seeing the sight, pulling the brunet closer by a hand around the waist. "It'll be fine, I promise. Just don't make direct eye contact with them."
"Thanks," Merlin grumbled. "Helps me a lot."
Upon entering the building, Arthur took notice to his partner's tense posture. Those trembling hands couldn't have been the cause of anything else, right?
"Room for two, please."
Merlin's eyes widened when a handful of gold coins made their way onto the table as an offering. The younger man wondered if money could realistically solve all his problems. He ended up voting yes as a confirmation.
The keeper kept a calm, steady gaze with Arthur for a moment before taking a glance to the brunet. A hint of confusion crossed Merlin's features when the stranger settled on a raised brow accompanied with a filthy grin.
"Through the tavern, down the hall, two doors on your left," the foreigner answered, an undertone of trepidation in the deep voice making Merlin's skin crawl.
"Thank you," Arthur quickly responded (clearly insincere), grabbing the younger man's arm to keep him close. "What did I say, Merlin," the blond hissed once they were out of earshot of the keeper.
With a glance towards the awaited bar filled with Merlin assumed were brute men ready to punch him hard enough to break wood, he took an audible gulp. "You said of avoiding eye contact with them," he mumbled, blinking several times to rid of the sight of future pain. He softly shook his head. "I was merely gazing at the wall behind him-"
"Merlin, don't be daft." The brunet was then aware of fingertips grazing the nape of his hair, gently pulling him closer to feel Arthur's breath on his cheek. "These people are dangerous, Merlin. Don't let my warning pass by your ears."
Lacing his brows, the younger man instantly felt a wave of ice-cold water flush through his veins, almost as if warning him of a future predicament.
"Promise me you won't use your magic on them if they intervene in any way."
It was hard to lie to Arthur. After all they had been through Arthur had been wanting trust.
Merlin gave it to him.
Just in a...different way.
"I promise," Merlin smoothly lied. He had practiced the sentence many times over before with his father. The words itself seemed like a printed script he could execute with languid movements along with an apathetic face. But Merlin understood that Arthur was close-minded, not dumb.
Sternly drawing fingers under the younger man's chin, the elder pulled the other's face to greet his, staring confidently into Merlin's eyes. "Are you telling the truth?"
"No."
A long second of silence passed over the two, as only clanks of mead cups and heavy laughter were heard from a distance. Rolling his eyes, Arthur then dropped the topic, clasping his hand with Merlin's in a laced fashion, before beginning to tread towards the tavern. "You are incorrigible."
The brunet smirked. "That's my speciality."
Entering the tavern confirmed the worst of Arthur's suspicions. Eyes scanning over the calamity of drinks being passed about and loud shouting, the blond subtly tried to blend in, edging his way past the room to get to the hallway beyond. Halfway through and they were still in one piece. Arthur was often considered as an anxious person when it came to scenarios like these, but being careful always proved to be better than laying back rest-easy. He wouldn't let it happen again.
"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!