Here is a Brighter Garden (3/3)

[one_dreamery]

Here is a brighter garden,
Where not a frost has been;
In its unfading flowers
I hear the bright bee hum:
Prithee, my brother,
Into my garden come!
- Emily Dickinson

"Arthur Pendragon." Nimueh gazed at him imperiously. Beside her stood Morgause, who was staring at Morgana, and behind her awaited Nimueh's collection of magicians from the far reaches of her territories.

Arthur leaned back on his throne and tried not to think of where Merlin could have disappeared to. "I see no carnage, no spells of destruction. If you are not here to take over Camelot, why have you come, Nimueh?"

Her glare turned icy and her entourage shifted nervously. "I seek a unicorn."

Though Arthur's heart skipped a few beats, he maintained his demeanour. "I had heard you eliminated them all from the lands. How can one still exist?"

Her lips drew into a thin line. "This one is different," was all she said before changing topics. "I cannot yet take over Camelot, as we both know, because of the wards your mother instilled before she passed. You cannot expel me or mine from Camelot, either, because your magicians' magic is no match for mine."

Arthur drew a deep breath and Gaius glanced at him worriedly. Neither of them liked the way this was going.

"We will stay until we find it."

With raised eyebrows, Arthur stared at her incredulously. "You will stay until you find it," he repeated slowly, questioningly.

Her eyes narrowed. "It is special."

Arthur laughed without mirth. "What of your sorcerer?" he asked. "The one you sent all your men out to find, the one in the prophecy you cling to so desperately? Where is he to lend you the power you need to take over my kingdom? Where is he to find this special unicorn for you?"

Sneering, eyes dead and full of hatred, Nimueh turned and snapped directions at the magicians behind her.

As they dispersed and left his throne room, Arthur frowned and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Turning to his trembling servants, he began to plan.

Merlin carefully balanced a tray while walking down the winding staircase in the north tower.

"Merlin," Arthur called behind him, and, startled, he stopped to wait for the king to catch up to him.

"Days," Arthur said. "It's been days since I last saw you."

Looking away, Merlin continued down the stairs. "I did my duties," he muttered.

"Yes, you did." Arthur half-grinned. "I feel as though I am being served by a ghost." He darted quickly in front of Merlin, blocking his way. "Merlin," he said reproachfully. "You've been avoiding me. Did--"

While Arthur was talking, Merlin had been staring at the stairs beneath them. A strange, sudden flicker ran through the step beneath Arthur, and Merlin dropped the tray to the side, yanking Arthur up. Food flew everywhere and Arthur landed hard on Merlin, knocking his breath out and crushing him to the painful steps behind him.

Merlin whimpered in pain and Arthur gasped, raising himself by his arms on either side of Merlin. "What--"

Looking behind and below him, he saw that where he had been standing no longer existed, and a rectangular hole instead opened to the moat below the castle. Staring at the hole, he dropped back down, arms weak from vertigo and adrenaline.

Belatedly, he realised he'd dropped back down on Merlin, but ignored that thought to say, "You saved my life again. What happened to that step?"

Merlin's face was inches away, and as he grimaced, shifting beneath Arthur gingerly, Arthur mirrored his expression. "Curse. It was tailored for you. When you stepped on it, it recognised you and turned into that."

Arthur stared at Merlin's lips as he spoke. "Was it Nimueh's?"

Blinking once, Merlin shook his head. "No. This was someone else. Morgause, maybe."

Dragging his eyes away from Merlin's lips to focus on his eyes, Arthur frowned. "You know Morgause by name. That's...odd. Very few people do. Not any villagers from Camelot, surely."

Glancing away uneasily, Merlin didn't respond.

Arthur stared at him for a few moments longer before becoming fully aware of their positions. "Thank you," he said awkwardly. "Can you fix that?" he asked, waving at the hole.

Closing his eyes, Merlin stretched out a hand. The step returned, but he kept his eyes closed, breathing slowly.

Just once, Arthur thought, and leaned forward to press his lips lightly against Merlin's. And then, ignoring the trembling that coursed through him, he murmured, "If you must keep avoiding me, I understand. Well, no, I don't. But I won't hold it against you."

Merlin's eyes snapped open as Arthur began heaving himself up. As they both straightened and Arthur tentatively stood on the step Merlin had fixed, he looked back up at the other man one last time before dragging his eyes away and walking down the steps.

The first ball took place that night. As per custom, a tradition so old that even Nimueh could not break it, she was required to attend and to call a halt to her people's search for the unicorn.

She seethed when she was told of the balls, calling Arthur out on his machinations, but he only smiled sweetly at her before innocently asking what she would wear, so that he could match it.

Nimueh hurled a spell at him that caused the castle to shake warningly as her spell dispersed into nothingness.

Camelot could only be stolen by Nimueh, but only if she was powerful enough.

"This ruse will not foil my plans for long," Nimueh spat. "You can only have three of these distractions, and then your castle is forfeit."

Arthur watched her fume, amused. "If that is the way you wish to see it, by all means," he said, spreading his hands in front of him.

"But I still want to know what colour I should wear."

Merlin stared dismally at the note in his hand telling him his services were not required that night. He had heard of the ball; Guinevere had explained to him the importance of these in light of Nimueh's arrival. And so he knew that Nimueh would be attending.

Yet he still stared at the mirror before him, clutching the bag he'd kept tied around his neck and holding a mask in his other hand. He stared at his lips, slightly parted as he remembered.

His eyes fluttered shut, and he made his choice.

Opening the bottle and ignoring the burning shine that was released, he tipped it to his mouth and swallowed.

Morgana had entered in a fiery gown, beautifully bedecked with stolen rubies and red sapphires. Guinevere complemented her in a golden dress of the finest of silks a pirate could loot.

Arthur gave them a small grin. "That better not have come from my treasury," he said to Morgana, who tossed her head and smirked.

"Of course not," she retorted. "Only the best for my Gwen."

Arthur's mouth fell open and he almost laughed, but then the door opened again and that light--

"Who..." he trailed off as he stood up and walked up to the masked man who stood near the entrance, staring at him. He was - there was no other word to describe him - golden, with soft, unruly hair that shined brightly like gold, with skin that glowed beautifully and clothes that gleamed, enhancing the light that surrounded the man as if the very sun shone on him and from him.

And then Arthur stared past the mask at the man's deep blue eyes and found himself relaxing.

"Have we met?" he asked almost lazily, a slow smile spreading across his face.

The masked man shook his head, his lips echoing Arthur's smile.

"Such a strange person," Arthur mused aloud, watching the masked man's lopsided grin appear. And then he grabbed his hand and took him to meet "honest, they're real pirates and they're women."

He enjoyed his time with the masked man so much that he didn't even notice he hadn't danced at all during his own ball, that the masked man never spoke, and that he had ignored all of his guests except for Morgana and Guinevere. He was thus unprepared when Nimueh finally appeared at midnight, fulfilling her obligation to the old traditions as late as she possibly could. (She came in black.)

When he turned to return his attention to his companion, he found that he had disappeared.

Arthur stared knowingly at Merlin as he moved silently around his room, cleaning it and putting things to order. "So," he said, "did you enjoy last night?"

Merlin glanced up at him. "I did. Thanks for giving me the night off. It was...restful."

Arthur almost beamed at him, but stilled at Merlin's next words.

"I took the time off polishing your armour. And I thought about - what if--" He stopped, swallowing and re-wording carefully. "If I'm not around, I won't be able to see if one of Nimueh's people casts another spell on you. So I won't hide any longer. Not from you, at least."

Frowning at Merlin, Arthur scratched his head. "But I could have sworn..."

Merlin blinked at him.

Still frowning, Arthur left it alone but rubbed his temples in confusion.

At noon there passed a message amongst Nimueh's people that made them tremble in excitement and made Camelot's people tremble in fear.

Unicorn blood had been found in Camelot's forest.

Nimueh eyed the blood suspiciously, studying the spot where it abruptly stopped.

A magician disappeared during midday meal while carrying a parchment, and Nimueh gave Arthur a smile that chilled his bones.

That night, Merlin had to lean against the wall to keep his body from falling to the ground and to still his frightened nerves. He had almost been seen by Nimueh, and it had only been the fortuitous passing of another servant that had blocked him from her sight.

She may not know his new name and couldn't cast a spell to simply locate him, but she knew what he looked like.

He stared dolefully at the bottle on the table. It could lead to his enslavement. If Nimueh were to even glimpse...

He reached for it anyway.

Arthur stared at the entrance, waiting impatiently to see if the masked man would come again. He spared a brief moment to think that it might not be a good thing if he didn't recognize him, because that would mean he was one of Nimueh's, but Guinevere's question at his side brought him out of that.

He smiled at her, praising her beautiful, deep purple gown and Morgana's matching suit, and then the door opened and he drew away mid-sentence to approach the masked man who stared at him from across the room.

Arthur almost stopped in puzzlement. The man still wore a mask but his hair was silver, a silver so bright it was almost white. His skin glowed a different hue this time, though still beautiful, and his clothes shone as brightly as the moon above them.

But his eyes. His eyes were the same and Arthur reached forward to touch the man, and yes - he was the same, with that smile that was lopsided and at the same time so right.

Arthur lost track again that evening, even forgetting to ask the man's name.

Yet after midnight came, Nimueh appeared, and the man was gone, he frowned as he saw a different man, hat pulled down, speak quietly to Nimueh in the corner of the room.

He could have sworn that man had been watching them earlier with cold eyes and a hard-set mouth.

"Aredian," Arthur said early the next day, and the man nodded.

"I was asked here by Nimueh. There is urgent business of hers that only I am able to assist with."

"Hm," was all Arthur replied, but his eyes narrowed on the man, and he was not appeased.

Arthur was about to drink from his goblet when Merlin snatched it from him and flung it out the window. He then turned to make Arthur's bed.

Arthur couldn't help laughing. "I take it that drink was poisoned?"

Merlin turned red and grinned. "Yes."

"Oh, you speak," he teased. "Always nice to have some explanations for when my life is saved, especially since you do it so often."

Merlin hid a small smile as he patted Arthur's pillows and smoothed out the blanket.

Drawing his eyes away from Merlin's tasks - he felt light-headed whenever Merlin was in that part of his room - he stared hard at the parchments regarding castle business in front of him.

"Merlin, whatever happens - no matter what happens - I will protect you."

Merlin's hands stilled and he grabbed hold of one of the bed posts.

"I know there must be some reason you're hiding so many things, including yourself," Arthur added, "but when you need me, I'll be there." And then he grinned. "I saved you once, and you keep repaying me. But I'll protect you, not as king, but as..."

He raised his head and locked eyes with him. "Even if it means from Nimueh."

In the face of that, Merlin fled.

Arthur watched him leave with eyes sad but understanding.

That night, the final night, Merlin swallowed the last bottle without a second's pause.

Arthur had no time to even look at Morgana or Guinevere that night. The masked man had come earlier than usual, and as Arthur strode forward, his breath caught in his throat.

The man's hair glimmered with magic. His skin held the secrets of the universe, and his clothes cast the light of thousands of stars on him, so that Arthur's eyes almost hurt to look at him.

But their eyes met and Arthur was about to reach forward when the other man suddenly tugged him close. Their foreheads rested against each other and the man whispered, his breath ghosting across Arthur's lips, "Ask."

And Arthur's arms came up to grip his tight. He ignored the stunned silence surrounding them and swallowed thickly.

"What is your name?"

The man closed his eyes and smiled sadly. "They call me Emrys."

As Arthur's heart broke, Emrys was pulled roughly away from him by Aredian, who held him as he summoned Nimueh and she entered.

"At last," Nimueh said before seizing him by the throat. Her magic spun out in tendrils as Morgause chanted behind her, and Emrys rose above them as they forced his magic open.

Arthur stood in stunned disbelief until Morgana slammed into Morgause and they rolled on the floor. Nimueh faltered, and in that moment Emrys' eyes stopped emitting light and focused on Arthur.

"Your claim is nothing," Arthur said, the words bursting from his lips as he drew his sword. "He is no longer Emrys, and you will come through me and Camelot before you can reach him."

Nimueh raged. "So shall it be." And in her anger, she forgot, summoning her power and hurling it at him.

Arthur turned his head to Merlin - I love you - and then he was hit.

A scream tore from Merlin, echoed by the shaking of Camelot, and he threw himself at Nimueh.

When Merlin woke, he stared up at the ceiling for a long moment before he shoved himself up and crawled toward Arthur's body.

Stunned, he laid a hand on his chest - you're breathing - and flung himself on the king.

Arthur laughed, a sound so carefree his subjects would remember it forever. He removed the mask from Merlin's face and said, "I understand, now, why the prophesy always shifted. You look like yourself again. Will you be--"

"Yes," Merlin replied, and grinned. "You'll need a court sorcerer when you take back the lands Nimueh conquered."

Arthur dragged him up and kissed him, and this time, they both gave into the trembling.

07 January 2011: This was originally locked about a day after I had first posted it to tobreakthespell, because I felt dissatisfied with it. I just re-read it now and it turns out that I'm fond of it in an odd sort of way. So here it is again for those who'd wanted to read it for themselves but couldn't. ♥