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“What the hell do you mean you left the castle grounds alone?” Arthur raged as he paced the physician’s chambers. “You were almost hurt!”
“Well I wasn’t!” Merlin yelled back. “And I’m allowed to leave the grounds, sire,” Merlin seethed bitterly before turning his attentions back to the unconscious man lying on the cot behind him.
Arthur could tell Merlin was more than angry based off his scent, but he wasn’t about to back down, this was serious. “Merlin, don’t ignore me,” he growled stepping closer.
“Don’t treat me like this, not right now,” Merlin ground out without turning around, as he began helping Gaius treat the man.
“Like what?! Like someone I care about and don’t want to get hurt? Why don’t you tell me exactly how you want me to treat you?” Arthur checked refusing to let this go.
“Listen to me, you arrogant prat,” Merlin hissed lowly as he turned and closed the distance between them. “I went out into the woods to gather herbs for Gaius and it’s not the first time either, you need to get it through your thick skull that I am capable of handling myself if needed.”
“Oh, like today, yeah, this is what you call handling yourself? Nearly getting eviscerated by some bird monster in the woods?” Arthur stopped for a second when Merlin clenched his fists and took a deep breath through his nose, he’d fallen right into that one, the idiot. “Go on, explain to me how you nearly died until that – that,” sniffing the air for a moment Arthur worked to identify the man’s dynamic. The scent was subtle, he wasn’t an alpha but he wasn’t an omega either. “Until that beta over there saved your life?!”
Merlin remained silent; however, his scent kept intensifying. It had a hint of something familiar mixed in just underneath the surface. Arthur had smelled it before, but when? Thinking fast Arthur tried to remember, and then it hit him. That day in the woods, when they’d first met, Merlin had been injured and scared. It was a different kind of fear he’d smelled then, one born from lack of trust.
The realization hit Arthur like a bucket of cold water. Merlin was upset, but more than that he was questioning their bond. That hurt more than he could ever imagine. Overcome with an ache he could barely handle, Arthur stumbled backward to try and get away from the overpowering scent. Without waiting, he ran out of the room, Merlin may have called after him, but he didn’t stop to find out.
Practically running down the corridors Arthur made his way towards the one place no one would come looking. The original part of the castle had an unused section left over from when his mother was alive. After her death Uther had closed its doors and never looked back.
Carefully picking his way through the dusty and dark rooms he searched out the place he used to hide in when he was a child. Arthur hadn’t been back here for a long time, it was a testament to his state of mind that he’d sought this place out. Collapsing on the floor with a heavy sigh Arthur replayed the interaction with Merlin in his head.
Why couldn’t Merlin understand that he was only looking out for him? His mate was an omega, and Arthur had to take care of him, omegas were special.
His mother had been one, not that he’d learned the fact from his own father. Gaius had been kind enough to tell him. Arthur was innately worried for omegas, not really knowing the details regarding his mother’s own death he could only assume his father hadn’t been able to protect her.
Some part of Arthur’s brain knew that Merlin having magic meant he was able to defend himself better, but that didn’t stop his alpha tendencies from shining through. Unfortunately, Merlin didn’t see it the same way as he did. Remembering that scent, the sign of Merlin’s distrust only sent Arthur spiraling further.
Someone else, some other beta, had to rescue his omega today and that didn’t make Arthur feel good at all. He’d failed as an alpha; maybe Merlin saw that and was reconsidering his options. Arthur didn’t even know the name of the poor fellow who’d gotten injured helping Merlin. Gods he was a mess, what kind of king would he make one day, he didn’t even know how to properly handle this situation.
Realizing how childish he was being Arthur reluctantly stood up and trudged over to the door. He had things to do; hiding in his mother’s old rooms wasn’t going to solve a damn thing.
Arthur was only allowed a few moments of respite once he’d made it back out to the main part of the castle. The sound of his name bouncing off the corridor walls made him wince, the voice was strong and there was a hint of anger. Morgana had found him.
“Arthur, will you stop walking, I need to talk with you,” Morgana huffed as she caught up and came to stand next to him.
“We can walk and talk, unless you think me unable to complete the task,” he sighed.
She threw him a confused look and rolled her eyes, “Don’t be an idiot, just tell me what happened.”
“Um – what happened with what?” Arthur tried hoping Morgana would just go away.
“I specifically told you to not be an idiot, clearly, you don’t listen. What did you do to Merlin?”
“Nothing apparently,” Arthur huffed, “I can’t seem to do anything right for my omega.”
“Arthur, don’t be flippant, this is serious, he’s very upset.”
“Yes, I am aware of that!” Arthur yelled. “I could tell from his scent earlier that things weren’t going well.”
“If you knew then why did you run off like an idi--,”
“He doesn’t love me anymore!” Arthur angrily cut in, “I could tell based off his scent, Merlin had the same scent as the day I met him. When he didn’t trust me,” he added defeated.
“Oh, you are thick headed, he still loves you.”
“You didn’t see his face, he was so mad at me and all I did was tell him to be careful.”
“I don’t think that’s how he sees it,” Morgana offered with a sigh.
“Why do you even know what happened, I’ve only been gone for an hour at most.”
“A lot can happen in an hour; this is Merlin we are talking about after all.”
“Okay, so enlighten me what has happened aside from my mate wanting to get rid of me?”
“Arthur! Will you stop it!” shouted Morgana. “Merlin doesn’t want to get rid of you, he’s just upset.” She held up her hand when Arthur took a breath to reply and shook her head. “Let me finish, Merlin thinks you want him to stay inside the castle forever, he doesn’t understand the concept of alphas wanting to protect their mate.”
“What? No, I never said that,” Arthur paused racking his brain, what had he said? He’d only gotten mad about Merlin almost getting hurt and he’d yelled about him going out – dear gods he was an idiot. “I didn’t mean for him to think I wanted him to stay inside for the rest of his life I was only worried,” he admitted sheepishly.
“Perhaps you should go and tell him that, he was a little frantic trying to look after Lancelot and handling his emotions over you.”
“Who the hell is--.”
“The beta that saved Merlin in the woods, he woke up right after you left.”
“Oh, the beta,” Arthur mused absentmindedly, still thinking about Merlin, “Was he nice?” he asked with a scowl.
“Don’t get jealous, he was too busy talking with Gwen for me to find out much,” Morgana admitted with a smug look.
“I’m not jealous,” Arthur defended, “I’m only looking out for my ome – Merlin, I’m looking out for Merlin. Is he still with Gaius?”
“He went off searching for you, so your guess is as good as mine, and he’s still your omega, don’t be so dramatic.”
“You didn’t see how he looked at me, he wasn’t – he might not want – it doesn’t matter. What do I even say when I find him? Morgana, he was so mad,” lamented Arthur.
Morgana sucked a breath in through her teeth, “You are so difficult, he wasn’t mad when we got there. He was very, very rattled. Will you please go find him?”
“I will – but, why were you even there, how’d you know to check? Are you ill? Is Guinevere alright?”
“Gods, you are insufferable,” Morgana grumbled. “If you must know, I was simply walking in the vicinity with Gwen and I smelled poor Merlin having a rather massive panic attack. So, I went to investigate and we were regaled with a story about how ‘pig headed Arthur’ didn’t want his omega to ever leave the castle grounds again. You can imagine my shock at hearing such a thing,” she finished with a raised eyebrow.
Caught between wanting to defend his viewpoint, and the rather unkind name calling Arthur gave up and shrugged helplessly instead. “I didn’t know he’d take it that way, I’m his alpha, he should know I want to protect him. It’s my duty.”
“Have you told him that?”
“Told him what, all of that?” Arthur asked incredulously.
“You dolt, you said one thing, that you want to protect him. Go tell him and see how the conversation goes this time. He doesn’t understand how you feel Arthur. What exactly makes you think ‘farm boy Merlin’ gets the finer nuances of alpha behavior?” Morgana questioned.
“Um, everyone does? Don’t they?”
“No, they do not, he grew up in a small village and I’m sure none of the alpha’s there wanted to protect him like you do. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have left.”
Arthur felt his eyes widen, he had heard stories from Merlin about how the other villagers treated him, and it wasn’t kind. Nothing terrible had occurred, but Arthur was glad Merlin had left home when he did.
“I should go thank, what’d you say his name was? Lannnce --,”Arthur tried to remember and failed.
“Lancelot, and then you need to go find Merlin. He doesn’t deserve to be this upset over nothing.”
“Easy for you to say Morgana, you’re not the one he’ll yell at if he disagrees with that notion.”
“Well, only one way to find out, talk to your omega.”
Arthur hummed in agreement and let his shoulders slump. He didn’t need this kind of stress right now, but neither did Merlin. Taking a deep breath Arthur prepared himself for what was to come. Trailing behind Morgana as they entered the physician’s rooms once more, Arthur barely had time to react when Merlin appeared before him.
“Where did you go!?” Merlin asked with concern, despite aggressively poking him in the chest with a long finger.
Taking in the sight of his mate, now, with bloodshot puffy eyes, Arthur closed the distance between them without thinking and pulled Merlin into a tight embrace. When two wiry, but strong arms wound around his back Arthur felt a spark of hope. Maybe Morgana was right, perhaps Merlin wouldn’t leave him. So of course, “Don’t leave me,” was all Arthur could think to whisper in Merlin’s ear as they hugged.
Merlin flinched and tried to pull back, Arthur reluctantly let go and waited. Thankfully, Merlin hadn’t fully released his grip, and had only wanted to see Arthur’s face. “I’m not gonna leave you, I just – you can’t say things like that, or you shouldn’t. I can take care of myself, try and believe me.”
“I do believe you, I only wanted to protect you, it’s what alpha’s do,” he managed as an answer.
“What – what do you mean it’s what alphas do? Why? None of the other alphas I’ve met ever acted like that. They’re all hot headed – wait, is it because we’re mates?” Merlin pondered with a confused look, tilting his head in a manner that almost sent Arthur chasing after his lips for a kiss.
“That’s part of it, I mean alphas are supposed to take care of anyone who needs help, but it doesn’t always work out that way,” Arthur admitted.
“So, you didn’t really mean it when you said I can’t leave the castle?” Merlin hedged.
“Gods no! I only – I just wanted you to be safe and I wasn’t able to – can we save this for later?” Arthur was only now becoming aware of how many people were outright staring at them as they talked. Morgana had a knowing smile, Gaius had the eyebrow of doom raised but he didn’t seem mad. Guinevere had both her hands clasped over her chest and looked a little glassy eyed. The new comer Lancelot was even smiling.
Merlin nodded and leaned in for another hug, “You scared me, but yeah, we can talk later.”
“Good, now why don’t you introduce me to the man who saved your life?”
“It was nothing sire,” Lancelot offered quickly from where he was sitting. “It was the right thing to do.”
Ah, so Lancelot knew who he was already. “That was a brave thing you did standing up to a monster no less, to help my mate out.”
“I hope to never see that thing again, it was definitely angry,” Lancelot admitted. “I’m not even sure how one would slay it.”
“Well, thank you for your assistance; it was very noble of you.”
Lancelot gave a sad smile but didn’t say more.
“You must be tired. Is your injury great?” Arthur asked trying to steer the attention away from Merlin and him.
“No, I believe I was simply exhausted from my travels when I fought the beast. It scratched me but I think that was enough to send my body into shock.”
“You are welcome to stay here as long as you need to recover, Camelot has many splendors to offer travelers,” Arthur rambled. Wanting to talk more with Merlin in private, Arthur didn’t exactly know how to leave without being rude. Blathering on about what Lancelot could do seemed like a good option. His patience was rewarded a moment later when Guinevere offered to show Lancelot around the lower town.
Morgana understood his intentions and quickly shooed them away, “I’m sure Gwen will keep Lancelot busy until dinner. Why don’t you two go talk,” she offered with a stern look.
“Shouldn’t I --,” Merlin began looking back at the others.
“No, you shouldn’t,” Morgana chirped as she bodily shoved them out the door, slamming it shut for good measure.
“You never answered me, where did you go earlier?” Merlin asked once they had started walking away.
Taking a chance Arthur reached for Merlin’s hand before he replied. Thankfully, his omega didn’t pull away. “I went to my mother’s old rooms.”
“Well, no wonder I couldn’t find you, I’ve never been there before. Is it pretty?”
Arthur couldn’t help but bark out a humorless laugh. “No, not any more, maybe when she was alive but father sealed them off after her death and now they are a dusty, decaying mess of old memories.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I went everywhere trying to find you I was so --.”
“Angry, livid, furious, done with me?” Arthur asked cautiously.
Now it was Merlin’s turn to laugh, “No Arthur, I’m not done with you, I just couldn’t believe you would say that kind of a thing to me. I know we are mates but I can take care of myself, mostly!” Merlin added when Arthur went to interrupt.
“And I know that,” Arthur replied, “but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m going to worry, its part of being an alpha. Any normal feelings I have about protecting people get amplified when it comes to you. You’re my omega, that is, if you still want to be?”
Merlin tsked and narrowed his eyes. “Don’t be like that; I’ve already said I’m not leaving you. If I can survive dealing with your father I think I can handle a miscommunication like this.”
“Thank the gods, I really don’t want to go through that again,” Arthur sighed tugging Merlin closer so their shoulders bumped.
“And you won’t, providing you let me be.”
“I’ll consider it, but you did almost die in the woods today,” Arthur threw back. “Care to enlighten me on what happened? I only saw you struggling to carry a half conscious, wounded man back to Gaius’ before we got in a fight.”
Having finally arrived at their rooms Arthur was able to listen to Merlin’s story of the great monster in private. It sounded terrifying and Arthur realized he’d have to thank Lancelot again for his efforts. Wondering why such a beast was in the woods surround Camelot Arthur nearly missed the last thing Merlin said.
“What? Say that again, you want me to make Lancelot a knight?” Arthur asked fully turning to face Merlin as they sat by the fire.
“He fought bravely and he mentioned his desire for such a position, plus it would be a nice way to say thanks for saving me,” Merlin offered with a hopeful look.
“I’d have to test him myself, you do understand that? Not that I don’t believe you,” Arthur added before Merlin could argue. “Do you know what family he is from? Only noblemen can be knights.” Arthur knew instantly that Lancelot wasn’t a noble when Merlin’s face fell.
“I am grateful for what he did, but I can’t change the laws. I’m not king yet,” Arthur sighed.
Merlin shook his head in defeat. “I know there’s no way your father would bend the rules, he’d probably even question Lancelot’s judgment once he found out I was the one who got rescued.”
“Hey, don’t, I know it’s awful how my father treats you but don’t think like that. It’s been a hard road to travel so far but we are making progress. Father did allow us to court officially and --.” Arthur stopped when images of his father’s sword lunging forward to cut him down resurfaced. Almost dying by Uther’s hand had been very unpleasant, but Merlin had saved him. Absentmindedly rubbing the place where the sword had pierced, below his heart, Arthur didn’t realize he’d spaced out until Merlin shook his shoulder.
“Nothing good ever comes of you looking like that, what were you thinking?” Merlin questioned with furrowed brows.
“Our trip to Ealdor, sorry, I got side tracked.”
“He was aiming for me,” Merlin pointed out. “He does love you, that much is clear.”
“I know, but it doesn’t change the fact that I’m still powerless until I become king.”
“You must be able to do something for Lancelot though? Training maybe or I dunno, he just wants to be a knight.”
“Yes, well, one extreme act of bravery isn’t going to cut it I’m afraid. At least not in the eyes of father.”
--
“Merlin, I don’t know if this is such a good idea,” Lancelot supplied as they headed out towards the forest.
“You want to be a knight right?”
“Sure, but I don’t want to die first,” Lancelot huffed.
“You won’t die; I’ll make sure of it.”
“Right, like you almost didn’t die in the woods two weeks ago when we met.”
Merlin stopped walking and glared at him, “Seriously, I was caught off guard, I’m more prepared now.”
“More prepared huh? How so?”
“I can’t tell you, now lets go, we have a griffin to find.”
“You know what it’s called now?!” Lancelot exclaimed.
“Yeah, I went through Gaius’ books a few days ago and found it. Nasty winged lion thing with the head of a bird. A griffin.”
“I’ve barely worn this new suit of chainmail in; I’d rather not get any holes in it. I don’t think Gwen would appreciate that very much.”
“Oh, Gwen, eh? You two getting along nicely then?” Merlin cooed with a teasing smirk.
“Come on Merlin, she’s very sweet and she doesn’t have to help me with all this nonsense but – hey you’re changing the subject!” Lancelot shot back defiantly.
“Will you trust me? I have a plan.”
“I hope your plan doesn’t involve trying to slay a magical beast all by yourself,” a new voice cut in startling Lancelot.
“Arthur?!” Merlin all but yelled. “You’re supposed to be in a council meeting.”
“Well, I’m not. So, now what?” The prince replied smugly.
Merlin instantly deflated and stomped off like a petulant child. Lancelot swore he heard Merlin grumble under his breath about trying to help out but it was hard to hear.
“Did you know about his plan?” Lancelot asked of Arthur.
“I had an inkling,” said Arthur. “He was trying to forge you a family seal earlier until I stopped him. No offense to the idea but our librarian would have figured out it was a fake sooner or later.”
Lancelot felt himself going a little red, “Yeah, I wasn’t sure that was going to work but Merlin sounded so confident.”
“He does that on occasion, get used to it.”
“I do not!” Merlin shouted from where he’d taken up residence on a large boulder.
“Look, I’m all for getting rid of the giant angry bird monster, but this is dangerous. We need more men and an actual plan,” Arthur replied.
“I have a plan,” Merlin trilled from his spot.
“Oh, do enlighten us great omega, what is your plan?”
Merlin scoffed but slide off the giant rock to walk back over. “I was going to try and find out where it sleeps so we could come back with re-enforcements and kill it.”
Arthur raised an eyebrow at his mate, “Are you serious? You’re not just saying that because I found you are you?”
“No, I do have good ideas, sometimes,” Merlin added before Arthur could comment further.
“Wait, you weren’t going to try and have me kill it then?” Lancelot checked, feeling relief at finally hearing a sensible plan.
“No, no, no, I only wanted to do a scouting mission, but I had to make it sound exciting otherwise you weren’t going to leave Gwen alone.”
“Taken a shine to Guinevere have you?” Arthur cut in smiling devilishly.
“Not you too, you both need to leave me be, we’re only friends.”
“I’m going to tell her that,” Merlin chimed in.
“No! Merlin don’t!” The pure look of glee on Merlin’s face made Lancelot realize he’d been duped. “Are we going to find where this thing sleeps or not?” he blurted hoping to deflect any further discussion about Gwen.
“You’re changing the subject,” Merlin chided.
Sighing in defeat, Lancelot rolled his eyes and held up his hands, “Fine, you caught me, I like Gwen.”
“That wasn’t so hard now was it?” Arthur commented before slapping him on the back and continuing on the down the trail in the woods. “Come on, we need to find this thing before it gets dark so we can report back the king.”
Confused as to how this would help his journey to knighthood Lancelot attempted to revisit that topic as they walked. “So, back to the original plan, how is this going to help me?”
Merlin spoke up before Arthur, “I thought maybe if you went to the king with the information about where it was hiding that he might let you go with a hunting party to slay it.”
“So you do want me to kill it,” Lancelot confirmed with a slight smile.
“Not alone,” Merlin countered. “But if you were the one to deliver the message and go along to help, then maybe Uther would change his mind about commoners being knights.”
“I’m not sure that’ll do it, love,” Arthur commented without turning around.
Lancelot waited to see what Merlin’s response would be but the omega had gone uncharacteristically quiet. Looking closer he realized Merlin was sporting a slight blush and smiling like a loon. After a second Lancelot figured out the small endearment Arthur had so casually thrown out had mildly broken Merlin. It was sweet to see that side of the pair. They were both obviously very much in love.
--
“I’ve heard similar reports regarding this monster,” replied Uther coolly. “I do appreciate you coming forth with the information regarding its lair. Is there anything else?” the king asked of Lancelot with a sigh.
Merlin watched nervously as Lancelot opened his mouth to speak. His new friend was supposed to ask the king to go along on the hunting party he was sure would be assembled. Arthur was standing nearby but had adopted a look of indifference. Most likely in hopes of not swaying his father’s decision. Uther was a difficult man, and if he thought Arthur had gone behind his back in any way the only place Lancelot would be going was the stocks.
“I was hoping I could join the other knights on the hunt, my lord,” Lancelot managed.
“I see you are either a fool or a warrior. Though, I do not wish to find out the answer to that question at the expense of my trained knights. Again, the information you have given is very helpful. However, unless you are of noble blood, and wish to begin training after we have killed the beast then this conversation is over.”
“Sire,” Lancelot answered with a bow before turning to leave the throne room.
Following closely behind Merlin caught up easily. “We can find another way to convince the king,” he offered in a rush.
“It’s not worth it anymore Merlin, the king has made a good point. I’m not trained like the knights. I wouldn’t want to impede the hunt by being the weak link.”
“What are you going on about? You saved me that day, you aren’t weak!”
“Merlin, I really appreciate the help but maybe we shouldn’t try and force this anymore. I’m not meant to be a knight,” Lancelot sighed.
“But, we could --.”
“It’s alright Merlin, trust me,” Lancelot said holding his hands up in defeat. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
“Fine, but don’t do anything stupid and just up and leave, alright?”
“I think Gwen might be upset with me if I did that.”
Trying for a teasing smile and missing by a long shot, Merlin waved off his friend and headed back to find Arthur. Not allowing commoners to be knights was dumb, but Merlin couldn’t change the laws. Returning to the throne room, he was nearly trampled when the door violently swung open and Arthur stormed out.
Without so much as a word his alpha took hold of Merlin’s arm and drug them away down the corridor.
“Arthur, what’s gotten into you?” he asked trying to keep up, the grip on his arm almost bruising.
“I’ve been tasked with killing the thing tomorrow, and --.”
“I can help,” blurted Merlin before the prince could even finish.
“No, you can’t, not this time,” Arthur answered with a frown.
“Wh--.”
“Not for the reason you think, come on we need to prepare, I’ll explain more when we reach our chambers.”
Forced to wait until they were behind closed doors Merlin felt his anxiety flare up. This was his fault; if only he’d stopped trying to make a point of helping Lancelot then maybe Arthur wouldn’t be in this situation. The griffin could have been passing through the area and left after a bit. Now, he’d signed its death warrant and endangered his alpha.
The walk was a blur as Merlin became lost in own thoughts. It wasn’t until two calloused hands were gripping his face did he realize they’d stopped walking. When had they arrived at their rooms?
“Hey love, what’s wrong? I can tell your scent is off. Talk to me.”
“M’sorry, this is all my fault, I started this whole stupid mess and now yo--.”
“No, no, no, none of this is anyone’s fault,” Arthur interjected. “We’d have to go out and fight it eventually. I didn’t want to tell you in the corridor but father has selected a different group of knights for me to accompany. They don’t know about your magic so if you went with me, which father expressly forbade, it wouldn’t end very well.”
“Does he not understand that I can help?!” Merlin huffed.
“That may be my fault on that one,” Arthur admitted shyly. “I sort of demanded that you go with me since you could use magic. He did not like that idea.”
“You wanted me to go? You’re not telling me to make me feel better?”
“No, why would I? You saved me back in Ealdor. I know you are capable, despite having had that bad day in the forest, well two bad days if you count the attack when we met, but that was – never mind, we need to come up with a plan,” rambled Arthur.
Smiling at how Arthur would let his guard down around him, Merlin shoved his mate toward the fireplace. “Sit down, so we can talk more comfortably.”
--
What had in theory seemed like a bright idea was fast turning into a nightmare. Half of the knights Uther had sent out were already down for the count. Fighting the griffin was not as simple as they’d hoped. With sharp talons and a nasty mood to match the beast was not an easy target. It was a small wonder that Lancelot had survived his prior encounter.
Having followed Arthur and the party of knights that afternoon into the woods, Merlin could only hide behind a tree trying to surreptitiously use his magic as they fought. So far he’d kept Sir Odwin from getting impaled by a talon, Sir Roland from being crushed, and Sir Gerard from having his head bit off. So much for not needing any magical help, if only Uther knew what he was doing, the king would personally murder him. Not that he’d told Merlin not to go; the message had been delivered through Arthur.
Continuing to throw blasts of innocuous magic around Merlin barely managed to keep up with the fight. He really wanted to run out into the battle and blast the griffin away but the knights would most definitely tell Uther about that. His days in Camelot would be numbered for sure. Thinking they might stand a chance Merlin was taken by surprise when the griffin took to the air and disappeared.
Arthur and knights were all shouting to stay on high alert. However, it did no good when the creature returned dive bombing them all in one fell swoop. The speed with which it had descended back to earth wasn’t something Merlin had anticipated. Looking on in horror as the griffin crashed into the knights, knocking them down with its giant wings.
Realizing Arthur wasn’t standing up anymore Merlin stumbled out from behind the tree and scanned the area. The griffin had taken to the air once more, most likely for another attack. Frantic about his mate Merlin ran towards the men, uncaring of his own safety. Then, he spotted a head of blond hair. Rushing over Merlin tried to assess Arthur’s wounds. The alpha wasn’t conscious but he also wasn’t bleeding either.
“Arthur! Can you hear me?! Wake up!” Merlin tried as he shook Arthur’s shoulders. His mate groaned but didn’t fully rouse. “Where does it hurt?” he asked hoping for some sort of acknowledgment. Deciding he couldn’t wait any longer Merlin held his hands over Arthur’s chest and recited the only healing spell he knew. It had saved Arthur before, no reason it wouldn’t help now.
Merlin knew he’d done something when Arthur’s eye’s opened minimally. “You need to wake up!” he hissed, “Otherwise I’m going to have to face this thing alone.”
Arthur groaned again and to his credit did attempt to sit up. The action was aborted half way through and Arthur flopped back down on the grass. “Need a minute,” he rasped.
“We don’t have a --.” Stopping in a panic when horse hooves sounded Merlin looked around to see who’d arrived. Feeling his mouth hanging open Merlin couldn’t help but let out a laugh of relief. Lancelot was there. “Careful it’s coming back around, don’t let it knock you down with its wings.”
Lancelot nodded and road closer to them, his eyes trained on the darkening sky. A looming shadow zipped across the forest floor a second later, followed by a piercing shriek. The griffin was back.
When Lancelot repositioned his horse Merlin finally noticed what the beta had brought with him, a jousting lance. It was an odd choice but still clever. Lancelot had thought of a way to get in a strike without getting too close.
He had no time to think more on the matter when the griffin appeared. It had landed and was galloping toward Lancelot and his horse. Watching in awe as Lancelot spurred his animal forward Merlin immediately reacted. Leaning over Arthur protectively Merlin acted more on instinct than anything while he called out a spell and let his magic flow to enchant the lance.
Lancelot’s skill allowed him to drive the weapon home, straight into the griffin’s chest. It let out one more ear splitting shriek before collapsing to the ground. Realizing what he’d done Merlin looked around quickly, for better or worse all the remaining knights were still knocked out. No one had seen him perform magic.
Overwhelmed by what they’d just survived, Merlin couldn’t think of what to do first. Lancelot seemed to be of a similar mindset as he road back over breathing heavily and looking to be in shock. “Is he alright?” Lancelot asked in alarm once he got closer.
Quickly turning his attentions back to his alpha Merlin was relieved to see two mostly alert blue eyes staring at him. “Are you in pain? Do you need me to heammph.” Merlin couldn’t finish his sentence due to the hand clamped over his mouth.
“Shhhh, you can help me when we get back to Camelot. Where you should be right now, yeah?” Arthur replied while slowly removing his hand.
“But are you okay to ride? I should check on the others, at least,” Merlin whined.
“Make sure they are stable and then go,” he ordered.
Nodding Merlin went to stand but Arthur reached out and pulled him down to give him a sloppy kiss. Grinning despite the seriousness of the situation Merlin stumbled away to check on the other knights. Thankfully, his efforts in keeping the griffin at bay earlier had helped. None of the men looked to be seriously injured. Sir Odwin was even beginning to stir. Taking that as his cue to leave Merlin took one last look at Arthur, who was being helped up by Lancelot, before heading back to the castle.
He had to make it to Giaus’ without being seen by the king. That way he could warn the physician about what he would have to treat when the hunting party returned. Assuming they wouldn’t be too delayed since they had their horses to ride. Merlin literally ran all way back.
Exhaustion was starting to take hold as Merlin neared the main castle entrance. Unsure if it was the pace he’d set while running or the use of magic earlier, Merlin worked to fill his burning lungs with air. Slipping through the side door he set off for Gaius’.
Barely having made it two steps Merlin cried out when a figure lunged at him from the shadows. In a flash his right arm had been wrenched behind his back in a painful manner. Gasping at the twinge of pain it sent up his arm Merlin attempted to escape the hold.
This simply resulted in the grip becoming tighter. “I thought we talked about you not causing trouble omega,” a very familiar voice growled in his ear.
Life was not fair. Uther had found him, or rather had been lying in wait for him. Wanting to defend his actions Merlin opened his mouth to reply but couldn’t seem to find the energy. Still out of breath and trying to combat the pain from his arm he couldn’t think straight. Uther was so close he could feel the man take a big breath, no doubt to berate him again. An overpowering alpha scent filled his nostrils next, Uther was angry.
However, the little black spots dancing into Merlin’s vision meant he wasn’t paying any attention to what the king ended up saying. Groaning quietly Merlin felt his knees go weak right before he lost the fight with gravity. The grip on his arm changed almost immediately. Two strong arms were quickly wrapped around his torso stopping his fall.
“Omega, Merlin, wake up boy!” Uther ordered.
Merlin never understood why Uther used influenced speech when he called him omega. It never worked. Supposing it was a side effect of having magic Merlin tried to gain his footing. He didn’t think Uther liked having to hold him up.
“M’awake,” Merlin mumbled.
Uther simply sighed in response before shifting his hold so he could sling Merlin’s left arm over his shoulder. It was almost like he knew the right one was sore, the bastard. The angry scent from before had changed as well. What the hell had happened?
“I take it you were heading to Gaius’,” Uther grumbled as they walked together.
“Have to tell him what to do, the knights are coming back,” he uttered weakly.
“Did they kill it?”
“S’dead, they didn’t even see me,” Merlin slurred. “Well, Arthur did, and Lancelot did but no one saw me using it,” he finished knowing that Uther referred to his magic that way.
“The commoner was there?!” Uther raged.
“Yeah, he killed the thing, but – shit – I shouldn’t have said that,” he whined. Now Uther would never believe Arthur when he retold the tale.
Having reached Gaius’ Uther unceremoniously kicked the door open. Merlin pointed to a chair in the corner, and Uther headed over and eased him down.
“Why shouldn’t you tell me?” asked Uther with a raised eyebrow.
“Because you won’t believe anyone else when they tell you the same thing, you never believe anything I say.”
“That’s not true, tell me --.”
“Sire, is everything alright?” Gaius asked as he entered the room. “What’s happened? Merlin dear boy are you hurt?”
“M’fine, you need to prepare for the knights coming back. They’ve got bruises and maybe a concussion or two,” Merlin answered before Uther could butt in.
“What of Arthur?” Gaius queried with concern.
“He wouldn’t be here alone if Arthur’s injuries were severe,” Uther answered dryly.
Merlin waved a hand toward the king indicating his agreement with the statement. He could tell that Gaius wanted to press further but he decided to let the subject drop.
“Do carry on, I’m not done talking with Merlin,” Uther announced after a second when it appeared no one was willing to make a move.
Preparing for the worst Merlin was surprised when Uther calmly asked him to retell his version of events. No one was back yet so Merlin used the rare moment of privacy to tell the truth. He was so tired of hiding his true self and it was oddly cathartic to tell the king everything.
Merlin had just finished describing the death of the griffin when a cacophony of sounds rang out in the corridor. Stomping boots, metal scraping against metal, and muted grunts of pain only grew louder until a party of alive but slightly worse for wear knights appeared. Arthur was in the lead and shot him an alarmed look before announcing the success of their mission.
Bodily dragging Lancelot forward Arthur nearly shoved him in Uther’s face. “This man saved us all father; he arrived after we’d all gotten knocked out and killed the beast.”
“How exactly did you see this great feat, if you were unconscious?” Uther asked carefully.
“I didn’t stay down the whole time father, I came too when Lancelot arrived.”
Merlin could tell that Arthur was worried the king wouldn’t believe him, which was why Merlin nearly fell out of his chair when Uther stepped forward, and reached out to shake Lancelot’s hand.
“It seems my preliminary judgment of you didn’t hold true.”
“It was the least I could do, sire, the beast was a menace,” answered Lancelot humbly.
“I suppose you’ll want a reward for your efforts?” Uther asked coolly.
“I defer to your judgment on the matter sire; again, I was only trying to help.”
“Why on earth would a man like you decide to risk your life for Camelot? You have no ties here.”
Merlin was confused at first when Lancelot began blushing faintly. Then he remembered Gwen.
Lancelot cleared his throat twice before answering, “I have taken a liking to the maid of Lady Morgana my lord. She told me how they were worried for Arthur after hearing about the hunting party. I wanted to help and did what I thought was right at the time sire.”
Uther snorted softly, “Love will make men do interesting things,” he mused giving a quick side glance to Merlin. “It seems your intentions were noble, perhaps if you are able to survive training I may consider your request at knighthood.”
Smiling at the sudden burst of pleasant scent coming from Lancelot, Merlin knew the beta was beyond happy.
“Thank you sire, I won’t let you down.”
“I expect nothing but the best, do see that you commit fully to this endeavor.”
Before Lancelot could reply Uther started to walk away. He briefly paused to clap a hand on Arthur’s shoulder. “I’m grateful you all made it back alive. Get some rest we’ll talk more tomorrow.” Then, he was gone, striding out of the room like a king.
Merlin tried to stand so he could help Gaius but Lancelot came over and shoved him back down. “I’ll watch him, go and let Gaius examine you.”
Arthur nodded his thanks, though he did step closer to kiss him once on the cheek before walking away.
“Why don’t you take credit for what you did?” Lancelot asked lowly.
“Huh? What do you mean? I didn’t do --.”
“I heard you Merlin, I didn’t kill that griffin on my own, you made it possible.”
Merlin felt his eye’s going wide. Licking his lips he thought of what to say, maybe Lancelot was referring to something other than his magic. “I – I ,” giving up on trying to find an excuse Merlin simply ducked his head. A soft grip to his shoulder made him look up.
“Hey, I’m not going to say anything, you’re secret’s safe with me.”
“Thank you,” Merlin breathed out in a relieved sigh.
“Does Arthur know?”
Merlin nodded, “Yeah, he does.”
“Good, I look forward to hearing more of your adventures then, it seems like you get into far more trouble than me.”
“Don’t remind me,” he groaned. “I’m fine, why don’t you go find Gwen and tell her you’re alright, I’m sure she’s worried.”
“You don’t mind?”
“Not at all, I’ve got my alpha here I’m safe.”
With a quick bow Lancelot gave him a smile before slipping out to find Gwen. Merlin sincerely hoped his friend would be able to earn his knighthood. He deserved it.
--
Much later that night, when the moon was at its highest, and the castle had once again calmed and gotten quiet. Arthur lay relaxed on his bed. He was so sore from getting thrown around by the griffin, but it could have been so much worse. Hugging his mate closer Arthur was happy to be able to provide some relief for Merlin.
After hearing what his father had done to the poor omega, Arthur had wanted to confront the man but Merlin talked him out of it. Uther was being abusive but he’d apparently changed when Merlin nearly passed out. If he’d meant to truly harm his mate Uther would have let Merlin fall. It was still wrong and he’d make sure to bring it up when they talked the next day.
Tilting his head to the side Arthur planted a soft kiss to Merlin’s forehead. He was fast asleep and comfortably burrowed under the blankets while clinging to Arthur’s side. It had been an exhausting few weeks. Having to navigate their own emotional ups and downs, plus nearly getting ripped to shreds by a beast in the woods had been a struggle.
With everything that had occurred Arthur was having a hard time making his mind still. Pulling Merlin even closer he began to gently rub the omega’s back. Merlin moaned softly but didn’t wake. After a minute Arthur was rewarded with the one thing he’d been hoping for, Merlin began purring. The deep rumbling noise cleared his head of any unwanted thoughts and Arthur felt himself drifting off.