Arthur and Merlin had slept for days in the physician's chambers. Neither of them had woken up much over the course of a week or two. Gaius was sure to make sure that they were properly medicated and, when they weren't dead as a rock, Gwen and the knights would visit them for comfort. Most of what they got from them were some weak, droopy smiles or a whisper of encouragement not to worry. Once or twice throughout the duration of the time they were fully awake, always to Gaius's inconvenience for they seemed to be more prone to wake up during the early hours of the morning. During such time, Gaius would ask Merlin questions about his kidnapper. Arthur did not do much talking. Gaius had grown awkward near the man ever since Merlin had told him that he knew about his magic.

"He knows," he had said blissfully, a smile delicately painted between his cheeks, "and he's okay with it, Gaius. He's seen all the things I've done for him."

Arthur was ready to move out of the physician's quarters as soon as possible. Between the inopportune tension amongst them and Gaius's snoring, Arthur found them unsuitable for a king the moment he was awake enough to be bothered by anything.

"I swear," Arthur stated, "if I have to spend one more night in this dull, old place I'm going to tear my brains out."

Merlin rolled his eyes. They'd been better for a day or two now so, when Gaius was out, all they had for company was each other, not that they had nothing to talk about. Despite Arthur and Merlin both having many questions to ask of the other, Arthur lost comfort in being near Gaius ever since Merlin had revealed that he divulged his secret.

"You can't very well leave," Merlin protested. "You can't even cross the hall without collapsing if I'm not to follow you."

"Well," Arthur sighed, "you'll have to come with me then." He then proceeded to march up to Merlin's bedroom.

"What are you—?"

Arthur found a satchel and put it on Merlin's bed before he began filling it with what little clothes Merlin had in his wardrobe.

"Wow," Merlin marveled, leaning up against the doorframe, arms crossed. "You're actually doing work. This whole soul thing must have really changed you, Arthur," he joked.

Arthur huffed. "You," he said, "are going to have to sleep in my chambers. We'll divide the room in two, maybe even hang up a curtain and, if worse comes to worse and Gaius doesn't find a cure for us, then I'll order for renovations to be made and we will have joint rooms."

Merlin scoffed as he unfolded his arms and stood up straight. "I didn't know you were smart enough to devise such a plan."

Arthur grunted in disapproval. "Just help me pack, will you, you lazy oaf? These are your belongings."

Merlin marched over to his bedside and removed one of the floorboards, revealing his spell book and staff. He hefted the staff up and out of the way, placing it up against the wall, so that he could easily slip the book out from beneath it. When he placed it on the bed, next to his satchel, Arthur eyed the ancient, worn bindings strangely.

"What is that?"

Merlin took a deep breath and said, "The spell book Gaius gave me."

"Oh, right," Arthur acknowledged, recalling faint memories of it from when he ventured inside Merlin's head. With that, he stuffed it into the pack. Merlin took the blanket from his bed and rolled his staff up in it, prepared to carry it discreetly by his side.

The two of them left without telling Gaius of their intentions, knowing that he'd protest against them. After all, Merlin still wasn't entirely healed; his wrists were still bandaged and raw from being strung up across that room.

A few servants were ordered to carry some of Merlin's furniture up to Arthur's chambers on their way up. They looked at Arthur questioningly but he shot them a look that shut them up before they could even begin. Merlin, of course, protested. "Arthur, isn't that a bit much. I don't think I'll need everything."

Arthur shrugged and they continued on their way. When all of Merlin's things had been taken to the room, the two of them began to rearrange things. Arthur claimed the side of the room that his bed was already on and moved most of his belongings nearer to it.

Merlin had to drag his bed across the floor to the other side with no help from Arthur, naturally. The servants had also brought up his desk, chair, and a small chest filled with trinkets of his. Once Merlin had arranged the works so that it looked moderately like a bedroom, Arthur ordered him to put his clothes in the wardrobe and help him move it to the center of the wall. It would become the boarder of division for their sweet.

Sighing with exhaustion when they had finally finished, Merlin plowed onto his bed, arms and legs aching.

"Oh," Arthur teased, "get up, you lazy imbecile."

Merlin groaned. However, before he could retaliate, Gaius burst through the door and Arthur and Merlin looked at him like two startled deer.

"There you are," Gaius said, a tone of worry hiding beneath the scolding manner of his voice. "What are you two doing up?"

Merlin let out a long sigh. He really hadn't wanted to get up out of bed. It was all Arthur's doing, really.

"I thought we needed something more permanent if we are to be restricted to such a short distance apart," Arthur said, placing his hands on his hips.

Gaius gave Arthur a sharp stare before he turned to Merlin. "Have your wrists healed yet?"

"They're getting along," Merlin replied.

"Are you tired?"

"Yes," Merlin scoffed.

"Neither of you should be out of bed," Gaius stated.

"Gaius," Arthur nearly spat, "we're fine."

Arthur's and Gaius's eyes locked and they seemed to scowl out at each other while Merlin sat between them, utterly perplexed by the situation.

"I'll be back to check on Merlin's wrists later," Gaius all but warned. With that, he left.

"What was that?" Merlin asked once he thought Gaius was a safe distance away.

"What?" Arthur questioned, turning away and pretending to busy himself.

"That."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Arthur replied.

"What's going on between you two?" Merlin inquired.

"Nothing," Arthur said bitterly but it was all too much of a lie. He sat down in his chair with a heavy sigh and stared at the wall. "I don't think Gaius trusts me with your secret," he finally admitted.

Merlin raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"I don't know!" Arthur said, his voice slightly elevated. He turned to Merlin as he said it.

It was silent for a moment. Then Merlin smiled. "I'll talk to him," he offered.

"No," Arthur rejected. "You need to keep working with him to figure out who the sorceress was. Don't bother him with that."

Merlin looked down at the floor as silence smothered them. All Merlin had ever dreamed of from Arthur had come to pass but no matter how hard he wanted things to be perfect, there was always something.

"I suppose we'll have to come up with an explanation as to why we'll be sharing a room," Arthur said suddenly, having pulled all the frustration out of his voice as if nothing happened. "No doubt they'd be suspicious."

"Well, we'll tell them the truth," Merlin quipped.

Arthur cocked an eyebrow.

"Save the bit about me having magic," Merlin added.

Arthur nodded, slowly looking away from Merlin a blank look in his eyes. It was almost as if he wanted to feel sorry for Merlin, only he wasn't quite sure how. Even though he had seen all there was to see in Merlin's mind, he still had no clue as to how it must have been like to live with magic under a Pendragon's nose for so long, especially being so close with one of them. He felt a knot form in his stomach at all the pain he'd put Merlin through. Though unknowingly, Arthur still thought it cruel in his mind. However, he pushed the feeling away for his own sake.

A decision had been made and Arthur called the knights to his audience. Merlin stood behind him, hands clasping each other behind his back, as usual. Once the knights had all arrived and Gwen too was by his side at the throne, he stood and all eyes became instantly attentive to him. None of them had heard their king speak for an entire fortnight.

Arthur stood above the loyalist of his subjects and eyed them all, perceiving each of them slightly different than they had before. Not only did Arthur know their relation to him, but now he also knew all of their associations with Merlin as well. As he looked, his trust in each knight did not waver, for he saw that they were kind to his servant for the most part. He suddenly became aware of the brotherly relationship they all had with Merlin. He smiled at the thought for a brief moment, but then his scrutiny was lain upon Mordred. Whispers and echoes of prophecies clouded his mind as he evoked all the warnings Merlin had ever received. Then he thought of the magic, the secret he and Merlin had shared. But, somehow, it was different. His heart twisted and turned with all the emotions Merlin felt for the boy and yet they all seemed to be held at bay by his own trust towards him. It was a strange concoction of emotions to say the least.

When his mind was done surveying Mordred, Arthur's head swiveled to Merlin, who too had been glaring at the young knight. They shared a look and Merlin knew Arthur was conflicted and confused. However, he also knew that Mordred was not the subject at hand. So, he took a deep breath and nodded for Arthur to continue.

Arthur told the knights and his queen a fantastic tale of Merlin being tortured by the sorceress for information about Camelot. He spoke of the war against Morgana and how she had sent this woman after Merlin, thinking he would be a weak link, easy enough to snap allowing her to break through the chain of Camelot's defenses. However, Arthur assured his knights that Merlin had not given in and Merlin nodded along as if he complied with these matters in whole truth.

Once the knights were finally satisfied, they all filed out of the council chambers, talking amongst themselves. Some came up to Merlin and pat him on the back in pity before they left. Merlin would thank them or give them an awkward nod in return. When Arthur and Merlin were finally alone again, it was as if their lies were a heavy fog and the humidity of it all was finally venting out of the room.

Merlin and Arthur accompanied each other to retrieve their lunch from the palace kitchens. It was a strange experience for Arthur, it being that he'd only ever really been in the kitchens once or twice to retrieve Gwaine when he pestered the cooks for too long. Once they'd gotten back to Arthur's chambers, the sat down on opposite ends of the small dining table.

"I think we need to talk," Arthur said suddenly, through his food.

"About what?" Merlin questioned as he swallowed a hunk of bread.

Arthur shook his head. "Everything," he exhaled, "Your magic, mostly," He paused,
"and Mordred."

Merlin's head shot up and his eyes met Arthur's. He's rather being doing anything else than talking about Mordred, to be frank. One of Merlin's greatest hopes and dreams had finally come to pass and he despised the thought of Mordred entering the picture and tainting the beauty he had achieved.

Arthur seemed to see his reluctance in his eyes for he let out a prolonged sigh and said; "I need to know what I'm supposed to do with him."

"You don't trust him," Merlin spat, almost instantly. It was not a claim, it was a demand. He glared at Arthur for a moment longer before returning to his food, hoping the subject would drop. It didn't.

"Merlin," Arthur addressed, disregarding his food, "all that you have against him is from pure telltales. There's no say in whether or not all the things you've been told will actually happen."

"No," Merlin denied. "They will happen and there's nothing I can do about it." Merlin's fists were clenched as they rested on the tabletop. "You saw him all out of order. What I've lived through is different. No matter how hard I try to break his stride towards Morgana, he always ends up closer and more entwined with his destiny than before."

A memory struck Arthur as he listened to Merlin's words. He recalled leaving Mordred's fate in Merlin's hands back when his life was threatened by the Disir. "You've tried to kill him," Arthur stated.

Merlin replied with a solemn nod. "More than once," he added. "But it never works, Arthur. Destiny had foretold that he is your downfall and fate is working alongside it, ensuring the future that is predicted to come."

Slowly, Arthur nodded his head. He'd never seen Merlin so serious in person. It was unsettling, like there was a great wisdom inside him that seemed to seep through. But it was not a sweet honey that oozed from Merlin's words. It was tar. It was bitter. It fell heavy upon his tongue as if it were a burden. It were as if Merlin wished he was not the wise man that he was.

"I still do not think that this is reason to be prejudice of him," Arthur persisted. "I believe that Mordred has good intentions and perhaps—"

"As did Morgana," Merlin snapped. There was a darkness in Merlin's eyes that Arthur had rarely seen before. "Was she not our friend and kind of heart? Fate is sweeping everyone away and there is nothing we can do about it, Arthur. Trust me. The only way to stop him from joining Morgana is—"

"Perhaps," Arthur interrupted, desperate to get back to his point, "we can guide Mordred, keep him from straying off the path he is on now. He truly is loyal, Merlin. I think that, if we watch him closely, there is a way to prevent him from wondering down Morgana's path."

"He's already on Morgana's path!" Merlin spit. "It is the same, single trail with no forks or detours. It is inevitable that he will land in the clutches of Morgana and you must see that!" Merlin sat back, seemingly shocked by his own outburst. He took a deep breath and murmured words of apology that Arthur paid no mind to.

He had clasped his hands over each other and pressed his knuckles to his lips, his brow furrowed in deep thought. He sat forward, arched over the table, eyes staring blankly out of focus. After a moment, he sat up and lowered his hands from his face and decided calmly, "Then we must set down our own path for him."

Merlin had a wondrous look on his face then. It appeared envious, like he craved the hope Arthur had for the future, the same hope that was slowly slipping away from Merlin, leaving him desperately clawing at it to keep hold, despite it being just out of his reach. However, in this moment, he was able to latch onto that hope, just barely keeping his grip as he dangled from it.

Arthur let loose a long, exaggerated sigh of boredom as the silence dragged on and, feeling confident that his servant was satisfied for the time being, he planned to move onto a topic that further interested him.

Just as Arthur had hoped, Merlin eyed him questioningly.

"There's something else," Arthur said, a sleek smile twitching at his lip.

Merlin cocked hi eyebrow, taking after Gaius so very well.

"I haven't actually, really, seen you do magic before," he hinted, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Head tilted to the side and eyes squinting into a curious gleam, Merlin smiled in a way that made his lips disappear, leaving behind a thin line of a mouth that was almost sarcastically curled into a smirk.

Arthur averted his eyes for a few moments in embarrassment before looking back towards his friend, and eager glow emanating from his expression.

"You want me to show you my magic," Merlin mused, his teeth poking out and his smile stretching into an amused grin.

Arthur gave Merlin a single nod, struggling to suppress his informal excitement and nerve racking discretion.

Heedlessly, Merlin stood up, the legs of his chair rubbing against the floor as he pushed it out from under him. "Alright," he breathed, his chest sticking out for a brief moment. "What do you want to see?"

Arthur found himself precipitously gapping for words as he looked about the room for inspiration. But he was too eager to think of something. "I don't know," he shrugged.

Merlin sighed and turned his head to find his own source of creativity, something that Arthur obviously lacked. Merlin chuckled at the thought. Then, having spotted something, he turned back to Arthur with a slanted smile.

The sun was low in the sky and blared over the distant trees like the forest was on fire. Seeing this through the stained glass window of Arthur's chambers, Merlin strode slowly towards the site, his back to Arthur. He inhaled audibly through his nose and gazed down at the golden square, speckled with the few figures of those who were still out on errands or passing through on their way home. His eyes then lingered upward until they were set upon the line of trees, beyond which he knew of a clearing near a lake.

Merlin huffed when an idea slowly crept into his mind like a cat wondering in a door ajar. Then sly eyes turned to look at King Arthur.

Hobbling over root and stone, the two ventured into the setting sun, waves of anticipation repeatedly smothering the both of them.

"Just tell me where we're going, you dolt," Arthur shouted ahead of him.

Merlin smiled to himself at how annoyed Arthur was and continued on walking. As they got nearer to their destination, Merlin only picked up speed, making it harder and harder for Arthur to follow as he weaved through the thick trees. So much so, that Arthur nearly ate the very soil he tripped on trying not to run straight into Merlin's back.

Arthur groaned at his servant's impudence as he found his footing and stood beside a highly amused Merlin who was smiling out at the lake, glistening with the fiery colors of the setting sun.

"Alright, Merlin, where are we?" Arthur asked. When his servant didn't answer he looked out at the lake, Merlin having been so transfixed on it. A vibrant feeling of recognition came over him as he gazed out upon it and he suddenly felt entirely sad. His heart sank to his toes and his fingers felt numb. Eyes glazed over and breath shaking, Arthur admired the reflection of the sun as it danced on the surface of the water. After they shared a long moment of utter fixation on the water, Arthur spoke again; "Merlin," he uttered, "why are we here?"

Merlin closed his eyes for a brief moment and his smile broadened, though his lips still remained closed. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" he asked, opening his eyes again and taking in the image in question. When Arthur didn't answer, he looked at him to insist that he did.

Swallowing hard at the lump in his throat, Arthur nodded. "Yes," he said, though anything but beauty was what clouded his mind at the moment. Memories of Merlin's being at this very lake ran past his eyes like a ghost. He'd come here, he had, though only once before, and Arthur pondered why he would ever return, especially with him of all people, after what he had done.

Merlin let the moment drag on just a bit longer before he slowly crouched down and sat on the grassy floor. Arthur looked down at him and, with one look from Merlin, knew he was to sit down beside him, and he did.

"I've never seen the sunset here," Merlin said in a quiet voice, calm, smooth, and just above a whisper. "I've only ever seen it rise."

"I know," Arthur said, his eyes burning from the memory that never should have belonged to him. It was Merlin's. He should not have stolen it from him. However, no matter how hard he tried, the fair face of a young, beautiful girl and that of Merlin's wrinkled in an invisible pain from deep within him would not leave his mind. And their figures held hopelessly close to each other at the edge of the thick waters could still be seen, crying there, like a memory come to life.

"Merlin," Arthur choked, "why do you want me to see this?"

A warm smile was put on the servant's face again and he almost seemed to laugh a small laugh through his nose. "To me," Merlin said, "this place isn't a grave. It is . . ." he pondered for a moment, "a memory, though not of death, but of life. It's one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. And I want to share it with you."

"But I—"

"I know, Arthur," Merlin stopped him. "But how were you to know? I know how you feel. Ever since we were brought back home, you've been looking at me differently. You look at me with sorrow and fear, both of and for me. You look at me as if I am your hound and you've hit me and think that when you next call me to your aid, I will limp and hesitate. You see me now as if I am something larger then I was before. But I'm not. I am the same person, in body and in soul. And I know you feel guilty and how hard it is to accept yourself after all the things you've put me through. But that is all past, Arthur.

"I will not hesitate to say that you have killed people that I love and I do not want you to feel as though it is something that turns me against your favor. I believe that you have always done what you thought was best for Camelot and I would put my life on those words." Merlin swallowed and gathered his words before continuing. "I brought you here, because this was a difficult loss for me. Something that once brought me happiness and made my heart fly was slowly ripped away from me like a bandage over a fresh wound. And, even though there are many who would not have, I forgave you. You were not to know who she was and, in your eyes, there was but a monster, killing your people.

"Though, this memory is one I tend to keep in the back of my mind, I do very rarely let it return to me, if only to remember the bright pleasure that had been given to me before I came here. I have moved on, Arthur. I left all the anger and the sorrow here on the beach and let is slowly but surely go. And I wish that you might do the same. I want more than anything for you to leave it behind. Throw away all the memories you are not proud of that I have burdened you with. Leave them here with mine. I cannot bear to see you struggle beneath the weight of my own misfortunes. Though they may seem to be, they are not your fault. It pains me more to see you hate yourself in this way than it does to remember my own wounds. Because, Arthur, that feeling, that feeling of pure and utter weightlessness I felt all those years ago, I feel now, from you. I wish only for you to succeed, be happy, and become the incredible thing you are meant to be. I am nothing but proud of you, my king. No one mistake, nor no thousand, could cause me loose that trust in you."

When Merlin turned to look at Arthur, his eyes were stained with the salt of his eyes which were glistening with the fires of the sun's image on the lake. Arthur fell into Merlin, mumbling incoherent apologies and pleading his forgiveness. Merlin did nothing but embrace him. It felt good, to the both of them, to just let all of this go. It was an outstanding thing to see a noble cry. In a strange way, it was brilliant and almost beautiful in its own way; to see someone, who had bottled their feelings for their pride for so long, allow themselves to expose themselves and feel utter and pure emotion.

Their tears together falling, they felt a sort of twisted peace, twisted not in a way of corruption but like that of a braid, neat and bliss. Merlin stood, slowly and gradually, carrying Arthur up with him. And they walked to the lake. As they grew closer, they steadied until they were no longer in need of the support from the other and were only in touch by the way they each clutched tight onto the other's sleeve.

As the sun sunk deeper and deeper below the surface of the mountains in the distance, the sky grew a more vibrant red and the lake looked less and less like water and more like lava. Without hesitation, Arthur and Merlin walked into the water steadily, crying at each other with smiles on their faces and laughter rising up in their throats. Their grips on each other lessened with each step, slowly letting go of the burdens they had carried for the one another as the water climbed up their skin and darkened the cloth of their clothes. The bands around their hearts snapped as their claps on each other slid away. Just as their fingers brushed away from the other's, the sun vanished beneath the earth and everything was dark for a long moment as their hearts soared.

Lost in the peace of the moment, each one of his tears carrying another pointless burden or worry out from within him and dumping it into the lake, Arthur thought he heard Merlin say something in a hush. He saw a flash of gold amongst the black of night and then, in an awful, magnificent display, the moon burst out from the other end of the sky and lit up the world again. The lake was blue and the moon's reflection danced around them. Arthur looked up and saw droplets of water fluttering around him, twinkling in the moonlight like a star up close.

The laughter within them burst through and a hearty song bellowed into the night.

Soaked and cold but not caring in the slightest, Arthur and Merlin slumped up the palace steps and made their way back to the royal chambers. However, it was not the comfort of sleep they were greeted with, but the worrisome wrath of Gaius who burst through the doors shortly after they had entered.

"Where are you coming from?" Gaius asked with haste, not bothering to knock or announce himself in any way.

"Gaius," Arthur addressed him, trying to restore formality to the conversation. It did not work.

"Why are you back so late?" Gaius asked in an accusing tone.

The smiles on their faces loosened, though did not disappear completely. Merlin stepped forward and said, "Sorry, Gaius. We forgot. We went out to the woods to—"

"Merlin," Gaius interrupted sharply, "this is serious! The two of you are incredibly unstable and to go out alone could have been disastrous! What if you had been separated?"

Merlin cringed as he remembered running ahead of Arthur and suddenly realized that it could have been a major risk had Arthur not kept up. They shared a look and he knew Arthur was recalling the same thing.

"Why is it that you both seemed to have been drowned?" Gaius questioned, breaking the silence. He smoke more calmly now but still with an underlying vigor.

The two of them stammered for an explanation. When Gaius realized that neither of them were any bit willing to confess to what they had been doing, he cut them short and announced that it was time that he had checked on Merlin's wrists.

He led Merlin to his bed, now strangely stationed in Arthur's room, contrasting with all the high quality possessions that belonged to Arthur, and had him sit. Gaius pulled up Merlin's chair and sat across form him. Merlin held out his arms for Gaius and he pulled them close and rolled up the sleeves of his jacket.

Merlin cringed as the physician slowly unwrapped the bandages from his arm. The skin was pink and fleshy, obviously having healed little since they were last checked on. Gaius let out a hum of disapproval towards the sight. "It should have scabbed over by now," he stated. "I'll have to give you some medicine to help it along."

Having been prepared, Gaius pulled out some yarrow and some honey from his medicine bag, which Merlin only just then noticed he had with him. Then he took out new bandages before packing Merlin's arms in them.

All the while, Arthur stood awkwardly to the side, arms folded across his chest, sneaking glances at Merlin's wrists and feeling sorry for him.

Before Gaius left, he instructed Merlin to remove the bandages by midday and wash them in clean water. He then took his leave, insisting that any questions regarding the sorceress would have to wait until the next day, it being far too late for the two of them to be up in the first place.

By then, Arthur and Merlin were far too tired to even think of doing anything else. So, they both dried off and put on their night clothes, one at a time seeing that hopeless Arthur needed Merlin's help, and slunk into their beds feeling renewed.

Somehow, Arthur convinced Merlin to trudge all the way out to the training ground early the next morning, when the sky was still gray. Arthur and Merlin stood a few feet apart, facing each other, squared off. Neither of them were wearing armor or chainmail. Nor did they have swords or weapons. Instead of dueling or getting fit, Arthur, for once, wanted to answer a question; perform an experiment, perhaps.

"Why are we doing this?" Merlin moaned, knowing that some sort of pain would be involved.

Arthur huffed. "We need to know exactly how far apart we can go without hurting ourselves."

"So, what?" Merlin questioned. "We're just going to walk away from each other until we feel something?"

"Exactly," Arthur said confidently. Though, now that he heard his plan out loud, it did seem somewhat childish.

Regardless, the two of them slowly began to pace backwards. It was a truly uneventful and most boring activity for the first few minutes. But they both stopped short once they were about ten yards apart. A sort of twang caused them both to shudder, a cold feeling arising in their chests.

"'You feel that?" Arthur called.

Merlin nodded. "Yeah."

Much to Merlin's dismay, Arthur continued to backpedal and he took it upon himself to do so as well. As the distance between them got larger and more agitating, rivets of strange feelings seemed to vibrate through them, starting as strange sensation only to grow into pain that caused their limbs to shake with each step they took.

"Arthur," Merlin called out in worry.

"You're feeling it?" Arthur answered, though Merlin could hardly hear over the morning winds.

They continued to slowly back away from each other. Arthur watched Merlin, wondering if the feelings between them were entirely mutual. His knees were weak beneath him and the corners of his vision began to blur, turning Merlin's figure into nothing but a shadow in the distance.

His sight fading away and his legs giving out from underneath him, Arthur could just barely catch a glimpse of Merlin's dark figure collapsing across the field.

"Merlin!" Arthur cried, but it only just escaped his lips, nothing but a whisper. He stumbled forward only for his legs to buckle underneath him. He crawled a few paces, frantically trying to climb back to his feet. When he finally did, he staggered towards his friend, finding him on his back with his eyes closed, almost peacefully.

"Merlin," Arthur said through a panting breath, "are you alright?" He crouched over Merlin with his hands on his knees.

Merlin brow furrowed and he replied; "Yeah."

"Can you get up?" Arthur questioned.

"Yeah," Merlin said again, not opening his eyes.

Arthur looked down at him questioningly. He didn't move.

Merlin let out a long sigh and turned his head so that his cheek rested softly against the grass. "Though, I don't really want to."

At that, Arthur smiled and sat down next to him, letting his breath steady. The dreadfully awful feeling that had arisen in him like bile seemed to have evened out, thinning until it was gone completely. It was silent for a while, the morning cool rushing over them. Then Merlin lifted his head up, opening his eyes to look at Arthur. "But Arthur," he said. "Don't ever have me do that again."

Arthur scoffed, but he took the words kindly, internally promising himself that he never would.