Sorry it took sooo long. I just tried to make them wait with the sex, but they wouldn't listen. Ah, well.

And always thanks for the wonderful reviews!

With Arthur gone for a while, Merlin starts to feel the uncomfortable position, the places the wood chafes his skin at his neck and his wrists, and the cold, at least everywhere his body is sheltered from the fire. Especially his bum, which reminds him of his pants that are still cut open at his backside. He contemplates magic to mend them, when he hears steps. They come from a different direction than Arthur is due back, and Merlin stills completely to listen.

The steps come closer and halt somewhere behind him, safely out of sight.

'Arthur, is that you? Back already?' Merlin thinks it clever to mention the imminent return of the prince.

The person huffs a laugh and steps a little closer.

When Merlin feels a hand on his shoulderblade he flinches.

'Arthur, that's not funny. Stop it- you are being a prat.'

He is fairly certain it isn't Arthur, Arthur is not cruel. But he still tries his royal-manservant-joker, mainly because he can't think of anything else that doesn't involve magic.

The hand starts to gently massage his shoulders, which would be quite nice on his aching muscles, but it isn't. It isn't at all.

He forces himself to think of Arthur. He will be here any minute now. He will save him. Merlin is going to hold out as long as he can, it would be such a shame to be burnt for magic now, with the new development between them.

The hand is joined by another and the massage moves down a little. Merlin tries to squirm out of the way, but he doesn't have much leverage.

It's a good massage. This person must have some practice, the hands easily find the knots in Merlin's back and ease them out.

Or they try, Merlin is far too tense for any easing.

When they reach the small of his back, Merlin is ready to give in to his magical self defence impulses, but then – finally – he hears Arthur come back.

The hands on his back are removed, but the person doesn't walk away.

Stupid git, Merlin thinks, he will regret that.

Arthur comes striding toward them, one hand on the hilt of his sword, torch in the other, dangerous expression on his face. Merlin thinks him beautiful, not just because of relief.

Arthur walks straight past his head and puts himself between Merlin and the intruder, one of his hands assuredly on his back.

Merlin is reduced to listening once more.

'I expected better of you Gwaine.'

Merlin is shocked. Gwaine! He expected better of him, too.

Gwaine chuckles, which is surprising and even more disgusting.

'Easy Arthur, I was just teasing. Morgana sent me.'

Merlin is relieved, and pleased. He seems to have more than one dashing royal offspring to defend his honour.

Arthur is not so easily appeased.

'So Morgana told you about Merlin's little predicament, and you thought you should come here and take advantage, is it?'

He still sounds dangerously calm.

'No no, my liege, she told me about Merlin's little predicament and told me to guard him. I just couldn't withstand the chance to scare him a little, to see if he would trust you as much as he said. Which he did.'

He came round to Merlin's head and knelt down.

'Not that I would be averse if the circumstances were different' he says, his eyes twinkling, and he placed a courteous little kiss on one of Merlin's bound hands.

'Very different of course.' he says to Arthur.

'And now he is safe in your capable hands, I take my leave.'

He bows and disappears out of sight.

Arthur still stands next to Merlin's back, his hand low on his back, the light of the torch flickering.

Merlin wonders why he doesn't say anything when he feels Arthur's fingers slowly moving.

The atmosphere shifts suddenly, where Merlin was just relieved and giddy he is now extremely sensitive and breathless.

Arthur's hands moves a little lower still, toying with the frazzles of Merlin's trousers.

'Arthur, are you ok?' Merlin finally asks, because he can't stand the silence anymore.

Arthur's voice is husky when he replies.

'I forgot that he did this. We should cover you up somehow. You look so... vulnerable. Touchable.'

And with that his hand wanders and touches Merlin's skin.

Again Merlin finds he has too little leverage. But this time he is trying to lean into the contact.

Arthur runs his hand over Merlin's buttocks and down to his thigh. Over to the other thigh, just avoiding his balls, and up again on the other side, with a little more pressure.

'Your skin is so cold. You must be freezing.'

Coldness is the last thing on Merlin's mind right now, though the heat of Arthur's hand is more than welcome.

'Tell me to stop, Merlin.'

No, Merlin thinks. 'No' he says. 'Don't stop. Please.'

Arthur's hand skims the top of his crack. Merlin escapes a groan. He wishes he could turn around and touch Arthur. Show him how he feels. At the same time it is incredibly arousing not to be able to move. To let Arthur do this to him.

One finger runs down his crack, slowly and deliberately.

'Oh. You're not cold here.'
Merlin can here Arthur's smile, and when he pictures him standing there, staring at his arse, at his finger skimming over Merlin's hole, he gets even harder.

Suddenly the hand is gone and Arthur is moving, but before Merlin can protest, he realizes Arthur is crouching down behind him, putting the torch down.

Carefully his cheeks are pulled apart. Merlin feels wonderfully exposed, the cool air in places that are not used to that.

Arthur's hands are trembling ever so slightly, and then he starts to let his thumps slip closer to the little ring of muscles that feels like the centre of Merlin's whole being right now.

Just when Merlin thinks he is going to get what he wants most, Arthur's fingers inside him, he suddenly feels a warm breeze.

It's Arthur's breath on him, and Merlin lets out a desperate moan.

He is ready to explode when Arthur's lips are on him, only just touching him, holding perfectly still.

When Arthur speaks, Merlin can feel the movement on the insides of his cheeks.

'Merlin. Tell me you want this.'

He sounds breathless and a little insecure and Merlin would love to use his magic now to take away Arthur's inner turmoil.

Instead he tells Arthur exactly what he wants.

'I want your mouth on me. I want you inside me, your tongue, your fingers, your cock. Please, Arthur, don't stop now, I'm so, I need this, I need you. Arthur, please do-'

He can't talk anymore because then Arthur puts his tongue to him. He licks over his crack, his cheeks, and then finally, finally over his hole. After circling it a couple of times he breaches inside, just a bit, and withdraws again.

Merlin can practically feel Arthur's eyes on him again and tries to relax and open up.

'God Merlin, look at you.'

And Arthur dives in again, this time much deeper.

Merlin is faintly aware of the noises that come out of his mouth, but he can't bring himself to care. The only thing important right now is that tongue, thrusting inside him again and again.

He could get lost in that feeling, it's so intimate and bone-melting. He comes back to his senses when Arthur uses his teeth on the tender skin around his hole.

'You are letting me do this. You could get out of these stocks in an instant, you choose to stay there and let me rim you. You let me put my tongue inside you.'

Merlin suspects Arthur has to say that out loud because he is still hung up on this whole stocks-thing, but it is so hot to hear him use those words.

Arthur gets back to business, and now he uses a couple of fingers too, first to pull his hole apart, then he sinks one of them in along his tongue.

Merlin has had sex before, has been fucked before, but it has been a long time since, and he has to force his body to relax and let Arthur in. The finger reaches much deeper than the tongue, and it feels so gloriously tight.

Arthur moans and Merlin feels the vibration up to his spine. A bit of saliva runs down his crack to his balls.

Arthur moves his mouth to one of Merlin's buttocks and bites him at the same time he pushes a second finger inside him.

Merlin very nearly screams. He didn't know he liked biting but apparently he did. Maybe because of Arthur's perfectly imperfect fangs.

The two fingers slip in and out, the stretch nearly painful.

Without meaning to Merlin starts talking again.

'Yes Arthur, your fingers inside me, that feels so good. Open me up, give me more, give me-'

Merlin stops again because Arthur has just found his prostrate and everything goes white for a moment.

'Keep talking, Merlin' Arthur says and actually stops moving until Merlin can focus again.

'I want three fingers, or four. I could cum just from this, but I don't want to. I want to cum on your cock, tied up in the stocks, I want you to fuck me, me being unable to move, just taking whatever you give me, go on, Arthur, please.'

Arthur stops with a sop, he moves to the side and presses his head against Merlin's ripcage.

'I shouldn't, Merlin, this is not right. Not like this, not here. I want to have you, god I do, I want to have you in my bed, where I can treat you right. This is so undignified. I have wanted you so long, this is wrong, you see?'

Arthur awkwardly hugs Merlin's torso and rubs his face in Merlin's tunic. Again the teeth, this time in Merlin's shoulder.

Merlin thinks he could get used to being bitten. All over. Covered in crooked marks.

'Come here, Arthur, please'

Arthur moves around the stocks, on all fours, and goes straight for Merlin's lips.

They kiss and it's hard and rough. Teeth again, this time Merlin's on Arthur's lips.

There is still wetness on Merlin's arse, and it feels cold.

'Listen to me, Arthur.'

Arthur stops the kiss and moves his mouth to the bit of Merlin's neck he can reach despite of the wood of the stocks.

'If you want, we wait. I want that with the bed, too, I want it all. And if you want to, we stop now, but I don't feel undignified right now, I just feel ready. This is really hot somehow, me being tied up, and it's still us. Arthur and Merlin.

Nothing bad here.'

It's not the most elaborate explanation Merlin has ever given, but it's all he is capable of right now. And he means it. If he gets to have sex with Arthur later, he would wait.

Arthur is very still right now, breathing behind Merlin's ear.

When he whispers the words, Merlin can barely hear him.

'I love you. Merlin.'

And a bite again, Merlin's ear, placed so carefully, Merlin gets the impression Arthur has thought of doing exactly that for a long time.

The next words are spoken louder and with a very firm royal-prat-tone.

'First I'm going to feed you my cock, and you will take it as good as you can. You have to, you can't move back now, can you.'

Merlin shudders in his confines as arousal spikes through him.

'And you better get my cock as wet as you can, because then I'm going to fuck your ass as hard as possible and you won't get any more lubrication than that.'

Arthur stands up and undoes his breeches quickly, his erection jumping out.

It's not an ideal height, the position of Merlin's head, but they manage. Soon Arthur places his dick on Merlin's lips and Merlin obediently opens his mouth.

Arthur slides in and it's good and hot and thick.

The prince doesn't give him any time to adjust, he just starts to thrust inside, and Merlin loves it.

Arthur has both hands braced against the stocks, his cock the only place of contact, and it's so decadent. Merlin wills his throat to relax and sucks whenever he has the chance, but mostly he can only keep his lips tight around Arthur's length and hold still. It's wonderful.

After a while Arthur has to grip his cock and press tight to stop himself coming, but he thrusts a couple of times more.

When pulls out Merlin gasps for air, but still tries to get back to Arthur's dick, which is just out of reach.

'God, you really like this, don't you. I will remember this, tie you up in bed as well, keep you there for hours, use your pretty mouth whenever I feel like.'

Arthur falls to his knees again, but he doesn't kiss Merlin, he just licks of the saliva and precum that has run down Merlin's chin.

'The things I am going to do to you, Merlin. You should be scared.'

But Merlin isn't scared. Just incredibly turned on.

Arthur places one hard kiss on Merlin's lips before getting up.

He walks around the stocks and stands behind him.

Merlin feels once again his cheeks pried apart, and a couple of probing fingers on his hole.

'Maybe we should use some oil. You are so tight. I don't think you will ever be this tight again, I will take care of that. You will always be loose and open and slick, for me to take you whenever I want. And I will want you often, I have wanked to the thought of you at least twice a day lately. And that was before I knew what you like. What I like. What you let me do.'
'Arthur, just do it already. I don't mind if I'm tight, or if it hurts, I can take it. I will always take it.' Merlin is whining, he knows.

Arthur's words are probably the hottest thing he has ever heard, another thing he didn't know he was into, but Arthur saying things like that in that voice is really getting to him.

'Allright, then. You want my cock, you take it.'

And with that Arthur slides in. He is careful enough not to do Merlin any serious harm, but forceful enough for it to burn.

As soon he is fully sheathed he pulls out again, only to push in even harder.

At first he holds Merlin's hips to keep him in place, but after a few thrusts he lets go and Merlin feels every movement on his neck and his wrists. He tries to hold himself steady, but Arthur now fucks him in earnest, and it's no use. Merlin will have some very sore spots later. Not that he minds.

It won't take long, they both know that.

Arthur leans forward and says quietly:

'I won't touch you now, you know. I will just fuck you, and as you can't reach your cock you better try to cum like this.'

Merlin can only just answer.

'I don't think I can, Arthur, please'
'Oh but I think you can. Just cum on my cock, you are close already. I can feel that inside your arse. You are already clenching around me.'

And he puts his fingers to Merlin's hole, just touching the stretched skin.

'Not that I care. I just use your little ass to fuck into.'

Those words do the trick. One more thrust deliberately pointed against Merlin's prostrate and Merlin is coming.

Arthur fucks him through it and then he concentrates on his own relief.

Merlin just hangs on, enjoying the feeling of his sore and oversensitive insides.

Arthur is quiet now, but he speeds up, until he finally stills deep inside him and spills.

They stay connected for a moment, Arthur just circles his hips lazily, until he finally slips out.

He quickly walks around and falls to the ground next to Merlin's head, where he grips Merlin's hair with one hand and presses their cheeks together.

When Gwaine reports to Morgana, she is relieved. Uther steps up next to her to join the view out of the window down to the dying campfire in front of the stocks, with two figures huddled in the shadow that currently look like one.

'I knew it would work.'