A Prince from Another World Chp4
Chapter Four: Ripping the Fabric between two Worlds
“Balinor…?” Merlin said in disbelief and relief as he took in the man standing in front of him and the hand outstretched towards him.
Balinor pulled Merlin to his feet, his jaw tensing as he noticed the handcuffs, bruise marks on the boy’s neck, and the tears still wet on his cheeks. He forced himself to release Merlin’s hand and placed his rough hand over the handcuffs, his eyes turned gold once more and the cuffs fell to the floor with a single clang. Balinor didn’t ask if he had come in time, couldn’t bring himself to say anything. He quietly took Merlin’s things and moved out of the room down the hallway towards the exit, with every intention of giving the boy a few minutes to compose himself.
Merlin reached for his torn jacket, his fingers failing to grab the material in the first two tries, and followed him out. He stepped clumsily around the unconscious bodies, eyes wandering to the retreating back of the man who had saved him, the man whose eyes had turned a golden color. Both remained silent until they were outside and at the end of the street, a few ways off from the rundown apartment complex.
“He didn’t get to…I wasn’t,” Merlin started to explain, he felt like he needed to tell Balinor, to reassure him that he had saved him.
“I believe this little fellow would be happier with you.” Balinor cut in as he paused and turned back to Merlin, Kilgharrah in his hand.
Merlin took the lizard and leaned against the wall closest to him, his legs threatened to give way under him. His chest heaved up and down heavily, his entire body ached, and his wrist stung from the bruising of the cuffs. He looked up and gave the older man a small shaken smile.
“Thanks…”
Balinor felt a pang of guilt and anger rise from the pit of his stomach. He could tell Merlin was struggling with the realization of what had almost been about to happened. He moved back to Merlin, grabbed him by the shoulder, and led him down the sidewalk increasing their pace as police sirens sliced through the calm air, too close for comfort. Merlin didn’t struggle. He walked, his feet moving on their own as his mind replayed the events in that dinky room, and soon reached the stairs leading to his porch.
“It might be best if you stay here for tonight and then head over to your friends tomorrow.” Balinor stated as he handed Merlin his bag and moved the bike up the stairs to lean it against the door. He gave him a final nod and started to walk off.
“Wait, your eyes, they turned gold and how did you know I...” Merlin asked, unable to specify his question further.
Balinor seemed to have a faraway look about him. “Let’s just say your mom was right about this little fellow being lucky in more ways than one.” He said, the hint of a smirk disappearing to show a sad serious look again. “Take care of him, will you. He is a very special friend and I wouldn’t want to have to say goodbye to him.”
“He is yours?” Merlin said in surprise as he moved further down the steps towards Balinor.
“Kilgharrah really doesn’t belong to anyone. Look Merlin I will explain everything to you I promise. But right now I have to get going, just stay inside your house for tonight.” Balinor said.
“Wait! Please...” He called out to the older man, but found himself alone.
Merlin walked up the steps and pushed his bike inside, before locking the door behind him. He gripped his shoulder strap tighter and rushed up the stairs to his room with Kilgharrah on his shoulder, his feet stomping loudly against the carpet. Once his door was closed as well, Merlin leaned his back on it, his shaken fingers turning the nob locking it.
Letting the now useless jacket fall to the floor along with his bag, he slid down to the carpet and muffled his cries against his hands. Merlin pulled his knees up close to his body and let his mind get filled with the many questions he had. He tried to understand what he had just seen; knowing now that his mother finding Kilgharrah had been more than a coincidence, and how close he had come to being raped. Max’s breathe against his neck, the feeling of his tongue against his skin, and Balinor’s golden eyes all swirled in his mind. He rested his head on his knees in an attempt to push back the dizziness that followed.
Magic! That one word jumped out at him as his pet lizard rushed to his cage, the word kept repeating in his head over and over like a broken record and he started to shake. Magic was real, he had seen it, felt its sparks tingle against his skin and all the crazy things happening to him since he was a child finally started to make sense, fitting together like a lost forgotten puzzle. He wasn’t crazy, he never had been. But what did the dreams and images he kept seeing mean?
His phone rang, bringing him back to his feet. He let it ring in his hands and die back down before sending Will a message. Merlin didn’t trust his voice to let his friend know that he would stay home for the night and that they could meet up tomorrow. Setting the phone on his bedside table, he grabbed his medication and flushed it down the toilet before tossing the empty bottle in the trash pin along with his tattered clothes. Merlin took a shower and went to bed to tired and afraid to stay awake, his dreams seemed like a great place to escape.
Merlin opened his eyes as the sound of crickets and birds chirping woke him from his slumber. He starred up at the stars in the sky, trying to debate whether he was awake or dreaming again. Glancing around Merlin found himself at the park, lying on the edge of the lake. He slowly sat up, removing his hand that had been slightly submerged in the water, and moved back in complete surprise.
“How did I get here?” Merlin said out loud running a hand across his hair as he got to his feet, dried his damp hand on his clothes and moved towards the bridge.
He leaned against the railing and looked around frantically as if the trees and grass held the answer; there was no one else in the park and though it was in the middle of the night the moonlight plus a few post lamps provided enough light for him to see clearly. His attention was pulled back to the lake as the reflection in the water glowed and changed to reveal Arthur. The young prince was leaning against a wall of a cave; his face was turned slightly downward, his back to Merlin.
Merlin could see he was wearing his armor again, but something was off. He looked at the reflection closer, Arthur was holding onto his side and a speck of red could be seen between his pale fingers. He was hurt and bleeding. Then a shadow fell upon Arthur’s back and Merlin gasped.
He yelled out a warning before he could catch himself and Arthur turned around. The blonde prince brought his sword upwards and pointed it at the direction of the shadow. For some unexplained reason Merlin knew the sword was useless against the creature that was casting it. The shadow moved closer, but it never appeared anywhere in his line of vision.
Time seemed to slow down as Merlin leaned forward. “No, Arthur run away or you will die.” He yelled to the glimmering image in the water, his eyes flashed a golden hue and he fell into the water with a loud splash just as the shadow jumped at the prince.
Everything sped up again back to normal as Merlin trashed in the dark water trying to get out. It was like in his dream, Merlin was quite tall and the water in the lake wasn’t supposed to be deeper than a few more feet. But yet his feet couldn’t touch the bottom as Merlin tried to kick himself upwards. He looked down and his eyes fell on something shining in the black depths.
For some reason Merlin felt a strong desire to get it out of the water along with himself. Swimming towards it, he quickly wrapped his fingers around the large object and found it would not budge. He moved his arms further around it, securing his grasp on the smooth metal and pulled hard as his lungs started to give way. Merlin’s eyes turned gold once more and a great light flashed through the water encircling him in its glow.
A great force of water started to swirl around him, pushing him towards the surface. He found himself on the side of the lake, spitting out water and gasping for air in the complete darkness of the Lunar Eclipse. Merlin didn’t quite understand how he had gotten out, but he was very relieved to feel damp grass beneath his fingers. His lungs strained to take in more breaths and he crawled further away from the edge of the lake, before stumbling back down on the grass soaking wet.
His mind tried to grasp what had made him fall in, he hadn’t been leaning far enough; it had felt more like someone had pushed or pulled him in. Merlin shakily got to his feet; the eclipse was already starting to pass. He looked back at the lake, banging slightly the side of his head at the ringing in his ears. The water was calm, nothing out of the ordinary.
Dripping from head to toe, Merlin made his way to the entrance of the park, more confused than ever as his eyes took in what he was actually wearing. The slightly oversized red shirt held in place by a brown slim belt, brown trousers that seemed to have seen better days and an even thinner jacket the same color as his own clung to his thin frame. The brown worn boots reaching past his ankles added to the last item he wore that were not his own, but they were the same type of clothes he appeared with in his dreams, all he was missing was the blue handkerchief.
Merlin froze when he heard coughing behind him, another pair of lungs gasping for air. He looked back to where he had emerged from the lake and this time fell backwards onto the grass, finger pointed outwards in front of him. Merlin’s eyes seemed transfixed on that one spot and tried as he might to blink and make the image disappear he couldn’t. There lying on the grass was none other than Arthur, the young prince from his dreams, his armor shining brightly from the moonlight reflecting through the trees.
Arthur’s hair clung greedily to his wet forehead and his body shook with the shock from the cold air suddenly stabbing at his damp skin. He continued to press against his wound with his numb fingers as he painfully reached for his sword lying in the grass next to him. Arthur turned to his back, his sight slightly cleared for a moment and he stared at the stars; he groaned and finally managed to pry himself from the dampened grass using his sword as support.
The realization that he was no longer in the cave brought a sense of relief, if only for a short moment before the pain from his wound became excruciating. It shot up from his side to his head, and the young prince stumbled back to the ground with a loud thump. Arthur tried to rise to his feet again. A small rustle in the grass in front of him had him tighten his grip on his sword, well aware of the advancing figure. The soft footsteps picked up their pace when Arthur’s legs buckled under his full weight, the sword no longer supporting him. Before he could hit the ground again a firm arm wrapped around his waist and a pale hand grabbed his arm firmly but gently, holding him upright.
“Are you ok? Let me help you.” The warm soft voice echoed in his drumming ears and Arthur felt a strange feeling course through his entire body, gripping onto his heart and refusing to let go.
“Don’t touch me,” Arthur lashed out, unsure of what that feeling was, and pushed the arm away.
“You’re hurt, you need help.”
The voice sounded so familiar and his mind tried to make the connection. Everything around him started to spin and Arthur found himself accepting the support offered to him; he could feel the warm breath against his cold neck as the person shifted their weight to accommodate his. An immense heat spread from his chest to his lower belly and further down, making his breath increase in pitch and rhythm.
Arthur could only stare at the hands still clinging to him before slowly turning his gaze upwards, instantly taking in another quick breath. His heart skipped a beat when his eyes met a set of unforgettable blues, finally connecting the voice to its owner. He tried to straighten up and managed to only trip himself with his sword. Arthur fell back down dragging Merlin with him.
He heard himself say something that sounded like an apology and his face started to turn a red color as the lack of blood failed to keep his body from reacting to the body underneath him. When he tried to get up, his hands accidently raised Merlin’s shirt up and his fingers grazed the soft wet pale skin. Arthur fought back the moan threatening to rise from the back of his throat.
“Merlin?! Your Merlin,” Arthur half stated, half asked as he forced himself to tear his gaze from those beautiful eyes to only regret it as they landed on the soft lips just inches from his face.
He struggled to his feet with some help and licked his suddenly too dry lips. Merlin looked even more beautiful since the last time he had seen him, he had thought him dead the memory of what had happened still fresh in his mind. Arthur found it hard to keep his feet moving and had to lean fully into Merlin for support, pressing his hand harder against his wound as blood started to drip to the ground beneath him.
“I need to be taken to Gaius, Camelot’s court physician.” Arthur managed to say.
“Camelot…?” Merlin repeated with a puzzled expression on his face, finding it harder to hold up Arthur while trying to move them down the path towards the metal gates. “I don’t know where that is, but there is a hospital not far from here.”
Before Arthur could say anything else his vision turned black. Strange noises around him started to overwhelm his thoughts. He could make out the squeaking sound of the metal gate being pushed open and then he lost full consciousness.
Merlin was thankful that the gates weren’t locked and half dragged half carried the prince through them. He lay Arthur on a bench and looked around. It was quite late and no cars were in sight, worry started to creep up on him as he realized no taxi was going to pull up next to them. How exactly was he going to get Arthur to the hospital? Merlin quickly checked for pockets and found no cellphone, no change, only a piece of paper which was quite dry compared to the clothes he wore.
Could it get any weirder? He thought to himself as he shook his head and jammed the paper back into the small pocket inside his jacket. Merlin tried to keep his mind off the blood smeared on his own hands and soaking into his jacket. He could smell the blood very clearly now and it looked like Arthur’s wound was starting to bleed heavily.
Merlin turned back to Arthur noticed that his eyes were partly opened and his breathing had slowed. He raised one of the prince’s eyelids and quickly stepped back, Arthur’s eyes were completely black.
“Arthur, I don’t know what is happening to you but I will get you some help. Just stay with me.” Merlin whispered into his ear.
Standing Arthur up once more and eyeing the sword Arthur still clung on to tightly, he moved down the sidewalk hoping to catch a car, anyone passing by. The hospital please, I need to get him to a hospital, Merlin thought over and over in his head as his heart started to feel heavy with the idea that Arthur might now make it if he didn’t get help soon.
An energy surge ran through him up to his eyes and Merlin found himself standing in a completely different street with Arthur still leaning against him. Merlin moved a step to the side as he tried to get a better grip on Arthur and bummed right into an orderly, his white matching pants, shirt, and shoes the greatest sight Merlin had ever seen.
“Please help me, he is badly hurt.” Merlin said noticing the entrance to the hospital just behind the orderly.
Arthur was saved, for some reason the thought of never seeing the blond prince again made his heart ache and his chest hurt to the point that he was finding it hard to breathe. He tried to rub the tears forming in his eyes with the palm of his hand not sustaining Arthur, but the young prince had his hand tightly over his own and refused to loosen his grip on it. It took only a moment for the orderly to get past their appearance to understand the situation and he waved his comrades over.
Two more orderlies came rushing past the automatic doors towards them. Merlin loosened his grip on Arthur and managed to pry the sword from his motionless fingers. Arthur was quickly whisked off into the emergency room before another word had the chance to be exchanged. A female cop on duty came up to Merlin, her eyes on Arthur as he disappeared behind some double doors. She turned her hazel eyes accusingly at Merlin, notepad flipped open and pen in hand.
“I will need your full name and contact information.” The cop stated, her lips turning thin as her eyes fell on the sword and Merlin’s attire.
Merlin quickly gave her his information. “Look I don’t know how he got his wound; I found him a few minutes ago at the park and brought him straight here.” He added, leaving out the part about magically being transported to the ER.
“Take a seat; it would be best if you waited in case any more questions arise.” The cop looked up at him from her notepad, eyes still as accusing as before. “In the meantime I recommend you call your mother or someone who can come pick you up.” She walked off and made her way towards the direction the orderlies had taken Arthur.
Merlin washed the blood off from his hands in the public bathroom and then removed the bloodied jacket to wrap it around the sword. He returned to the waiting lobby and set the bundled sword on a small table next to him. The waiting was exhausting and straining. Merlin kept banging his knee against the sword every time he rose to his feet when the double doors opened. It clanged loudly against the hospital floor defeating the purpose of concealing it. Another hour passed before someone called out to him.
“Merlin, what are you doing here?” Mandy, one of the female nurses, asked stopping in front of him.
“I brought in a guy I found hurt and thought I wait and see how he is doing.” Merlin replied, recognizing the nurse as a friend of his mother’s.
“I’m going to have to call your mother.” The nurse stated noticing the blood stains on his hands and jacket.
“Please don’t, she is in a very important business trip and she really needs this contract. I’m not hurt and I already gave my statement to the cops. Everything is fine really; I’ll just call Will and have him pick me up.” Merlin quickly pleaded, giving her the best fake smile he could muster.
“Fine, but make sure you call him.” Mandy said and left, leaving Merlin to debate whether to actually call Will or not.
Back in the emergency room the hospital staff moved around frantically doing everything they could to save their patient, from inserting needles into Arthur’s arm and connecting the machines to read his vitals. They struggled to remove Arthur’s armor and had to call in one of the male orderlies for help. It was surprising to them how heavy it really was. With the armor finally off, one of the female orderlies cut into the prince’s shirt, tugging at the torn material to expose the wound. When the same orderly tried to inject Arthur with a pain sedative, he regained consciousness and began to trash around, sending the needle crashing to the floor.
“Get off me, Where am I?” Arthur yelled as he tried to rise from the operating table, stumbling to his feet, one hand pressed against his wound. “Where is Merlin, what have you done with him?”
“We are trying to help you.” The male doctor told him, resting a hand gently on Arthur’s shoulder to push him back to the operating table. “You have lost a lot of blood son. We need to operate.”
The doctor signaled for one of the nurses to inject the sedative, but before it could be administered Arthur pushed the doctor off him and staggered to the door. The room started to spin and he fell to the floor, losing consciousness before his head even hit the cold tile. He was quickly placed back on the operating table. Black blood started to ooze from his wound, thick droplets splattered to the floor. His body shook violently as the blood spread upwards.
“What is happening to him?” One of the nurses asked as she reached for another needle and injected the medication into his arm to stop the convulsions.
“I’m not sure,” the doctor replied. “But we better hurry. He’s slipping.”
Merlin woke up, a worried sensation coming over him. The sword clanged loudly against the hospital floor again. He rubbed his tired eyes and picked up the sword, evading the odd looks from other people still in the waiting room. Slipping it back under the jacket, he rose to his feet and made his way to the public phones. The black stands a clear opposite to the peach colored walls and light brown chairs.
He looked at the clock above them, it had been two hours already and no one had come to let him know about Arthur’s condition. His fingers were dialing Will’s number before he knew it and he quickly hung up. He moved back to the jacket and pulled out the dry paper he had found earlier. Opening it up, he stared at the name and number written on it, the letters clearly written in black ink. Merlin dialed it, thanking the invention of collect calls, and waited for the flat tone of the phone to turn into a ring. On the third ring he got a reply.
“Hello?” A male voice on the other end answered and Merlin almost dropped the phone. “Merlin, is that you?”
“Merlin?” Balinor asked again at the silence that followed.
“I need your help I don’t know who else to call,” Merlin spoke into the phone, tears spilling onto his cheeks as the shock finally hit him. “Something weird happened.” He explained, moving his hand through his hair, ruffling it, and cleared his throat.
“I found your number on my jacket and…” he moved the phone away, hesitating before bringing it back to his ear. “Please can you come get me? I am at Saints Margaret hospital.”
“I will be right over.” Balinor declared as a single click followed and soon all Merlin could hear was a dead tone.
Merlin set the phone back on its stand and moved towards his seat. The sliding doors opened to allow Balinor through. A look of surprise crossed Merlin’s face, recalling that just moments ago the older man had been on the other end of the line. Then he remembered that he had also just appeared like nothing in front of the hospital with Arthur. Merlin walked over to meet Balinor half way, tightening his shaken grip on the sword.
Balinor’s attention fell on the sword, the elegant and intricate details on the hilt and smooth design made him glance around the room. “Where is he?” He asked meeting Merlin’s eyes when the person he was looking for failed to be found in the waiting room. “Where’s Prince Arthur?”
“He is in the emergency room.” Merlin said. His voice strained, worry seeping into his face. “He was hurt pretty bad and lost quite a lot of blood.”
Balinor hurried towards the double doors Arthur had been taken through; pushing them open with ease he made his way down the empty corridor. Merlin quickly followed before the doors closed, the receptionist yelling behind them.
“You can’t go in without being called.” The black haired middle aged woman called out to them.
She ran to the doors but was forced to rush back to her desk; the doors had already automatically locked. She pushed the button to unlock them. Once she was through, the empty corridor was all that greeted her. The receptionist shook her head and returned to the front desk to call security.
Balinor entered the room in which Prince Arthur was being kept in and moved towards the bed. He stared at the closed eyes of the sleeping prince and then back at Merlin, his expression a mixture of anger, worry, and confusion. Merlin moved into the room and quietly closed the door behind him, trying to not attract any staff that might be passing by.
“How did this happen? Why did you bring him here?” Balinor asked a hint of frustration on his face. “He isn’t safe here.”