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The thing about Arthur accepting his magic after the battle at Camlann, and even going as far as to make him Court Sorcerer, was that it was making Merlin wonder if Arthur might accept other things too. Like the fact that Merlin was hopelessly in love with him. Like the fact that, after coming so close to losing him, Merlin realized he needed him like the air he breathed. Like the fact that, every time they got close now, Merlin had to stop himself from grabbing his face and snogging him mercilessly. Like the fact that he wondered if Arthur might feel the same way.It was a totally new feeling. Merlin was not used to the idea of wondering if Arthur had feelings for him in return. But being told, “Just hold me,” raised a lot of new questions. Of course, it could have just been a reaction to dying. Arthur could have no feelings for Merlin. In fact, that was highly possible. But for the first time, a wonderful ‘what if’ was there. What if he did? What if they could be together? What if he felt the same way about Merlin as Merlin did for him?“You need to act on it,” Gwen urged him. Their weekly brunch was different now, at least in terms of food and setting. After marrying Lancelot in the wake of Camlann, Gwen had effectively become a lady of the court. She had been Camelot Spymaster long before that, but as Gwen mentioned, there were perks of being a servant and living in the lower town when it came to that job. She had not wanted to become a lady until she was sure the perks of being a lady outweighed the perks of being a servant and living in the lower city.“You need to act on it,” Gwen repeated, watching Merlin from across the finely decorated table in her chambers. “I can’t tell you how, but Yule is coming up. It's the perfect time. What were the courting traditions in Ealdor?”Merlin popped a dumpling in his mouth and realized she was right. He did need to act on it. It was terrifying, of course, but now that there was a possibility Arthur felt the same, he wanted to risk this. He had to risk this. “In Ealdor, you would get the person you loved a gift,” Merlin said. “Something specific and perfect for them. It shows how much you know them and how much you care.”Tapping his fingers on the table, Merlin paused. “But what can I get Arthur? He’s the king. He has everything.”“I honestly don’t think he’ll care what you get him,” Gwen told him.Merlin nodded. “Maybe not, but I care. I want this to be perfect.”Gwen watched him with understanding brown eyes. “I have ideas, but I won’t tell you. You’ll want the idea to be from you.”Merlin gave Gwen a half grin. “How do you know me so well?”“We’ve been best friends for about ten years,” Gwen reminded him dryly.The idea came to Merlin that night while he was helping Arthur out of his armor. “You're oddly quiet Merlin,” Arthur observed.“Hmmmm, what?” Merlin did not process Arthur’s words right away. Not when he had gotten this brilliant new idea!“I said, you're oddly quiet, But you don’t seem to be in a mood. So obviously, you are thinking about something. Why don’t you tell me? Perhaps I’m thinking about the same thing.” Arthur's voice wavered ever so slightly as he spoke the last sentence.“I’m thinking about a new spell I’m working on,” Merlin lied immediately. “It's an important spell, very important; it will get rid of all the bedbugs in the castle. I hate bedbugs, don't you?”With the armor removed, Arthur moved to his bed and just stared at Merlin as he sat down. “Bedbugs?”“Yes, bedbugs,” Merlin rambled on without thinking. “They are horrible and gaining more and more ground. If I don’t finish my spell, no one will be able to sleep, and we’ll all be at each other's throats because lack of sleep does that to you. Well, intense lack of sleep. I had to deal with a lot of lack of sleep before, but I was fine. Well, I was not fine, but I didn’t lash out at anyone. Except there was that one time I snapped at Gaius. But that doesn't really count.”As he spoke, Merlin backed out of Arthur's chambers. He had something to do!“You never change, do you, Merlin? Even with your magic revealed.” Arthur shook his head.“Not really, no,” Merlin told Arthur and shut the door.The library was the first place Merlin had to go to enact his brilliant idea. “Geoffrey!” He grinned at the old man. “I need any book you can get me about lost artifacts of Camelot’s royal family.” Geoffrey raised a brow and then shook his head. “I do not need books for that. The only object in question would be the crown of King Bruta, the founder of Camelot. It was said to be enchanted by Cornelius Sigan to give the wearer immunity to poison. Of course, when Sigan defected, the crown was lost. Even after Sigan was executed, it was never found.”Merlin sighed. He couldn't just talk to Sigan’s soul. His magic was strong enough that he could have withstood anything the soul threw at him from its crystal prison, but both soul and the gem were gone. They had been thrown through the veil just in time to stop Lancelot from sacrificing his life to mend it.That left him with one option: the horn of Cathbhadh. But chances were Sigan would refuse to tell him anything, and in the spirit world, it was not like Merlin could use his magic to make him. Then it dawned on Merlin. Perhaps he didn’t NEED the horn. He rushed out of the library without so much as a word to Geoffrey and into his new rooms. On one shelf was his new seeing crystal. Merlin rushed over to it and removed the cloth he used to cover it so it would not try to give him random visions.He knew he was seeing into the past instantly. A giant green dragon stood before a very different-looking Cornelius Sigan than the one Merlin knew. The man had light green eyes mixed with black hair and an arched nose. He looked nothing like Cedric—but then, he wouldn't.“Why do you come here, human sorcerer?” the dragon asked. “I care little for the power games you play.”Sigan pulled a beautiful crown from a feathered bag at his side., It was somewhat like the one Arthur already had. However, the bits of metal rising up from the circle were in the shape of coiled dragons. “I give you this artifact,” Sigan told the dragon. “And ask only one thing: that you help me destroy Bruta and rule Camelot in my own name. He may have the means to stand against me, but he cannot stand against the both of us.”The dragon looked at the crown with amber eyes and used magic to lift it. He hooked it over one massive claw.“Then you agree to my proposal?” Sigan smiled triumphantly“I agree to nothing,” the dragon replied. “But I will take this.” Immediately, it flapped its wings and rose into the air. Sigan screamed in rage and threw lightning at the dragon. The beast turned and laughed at him.“You are not a Dragonlord, sorcerer; your magic will not work against me!” the dragon said before flying off with the crown. Merlin used his magic to guide the vision to follow its short flight; the dragon moved through the clouds and then dove and flew into a cave with a winding cliff leading up to it. A human figure in robes and with dark, messy hair waved the dragon inside with a smile.Merlin used his magic to pull back until he could recognize the area around the cave. Below the cliff that led up to the cave was a village with a river running through it. He knew the village: Stonerun, near the Feorre mountains. They had passed through it on the way to Longstead during the Lamia incident. And that was all he needed to know. Merlin covered up the crystal again and began to pack. His best guess was that the man who had been with the dragon was a Dragonlord. He would be long dead, as would the green dragon in the vision, but with luck, the crown would still be there. He could find it and present it to Arthur when he confessed. While he told Gaius his plan before he left Camelot, he left it to his mentor to come up with an excuse to tell Arthur. Merlin was bursting with excitement and nerves. He didn't want to risk Arthur seeing that and trying to guess why it was. The sooner he got the crown and came back, the better. Yule was approaching fast. Besides that, Merlin preferred to stay near Arthur when possible, especially after the very near miss at Camlann. He rode out the next morning, bundled up against the cold and with plenty of provisions stored in his saddle bags. It was just his luck that the worst blizzard of the year descended when he was halfway to the village. Merlin HATED blizzards. He hated the cold. He hated this.Snow swirled around him, making his path invisible. Merlin had to use his magic to find the way ahead. The downside of this was, of course, he couldn’t ALSO use his magic to warm himself.As the wind blew and he forced himself onward against it, he could feel the chill descending down to his bones. The only time Merlin had been colder had been when the veil broke and the Doracha attacked him. He was also worried for his horse. But the horse had more fat and muscle than Merlin did, so hopefully, it would be alright. He just had to endure it. To distract himself from the chill, Merlin went over every song he could remember in his mind. He was shivering violently with chattering teeth by the time he reached the village. The first thing Merlin did on arrival was pay for his horse to be kept in their stables. Then he let himself warm up slightly by the inn’s fireplace.The people of Stonefall were kind, if shocked by his determination to head up to what they viewed as a “cursed road, to a cursed cave.” Merlin assured them he would be fine and stuffed himself with warm food and liquids to prepare. He also bought and paid for a few more layers of clothing. As he stood at the bottom of the cliffside road, Merlin realized the storm had turned the path up to the cave into prime avalanche territory. Again, he couldn’t use his magic to warm himself. Instead, he reached out with his magic as he started to trudge upwards. There were perks about being as connected to nature as he was. Like the fact that, with very little magic, he was able to tell when each avalanche was coming and where it would land in plenty of time to get out of the way. As they started to fall, Merlin realized that they came in certain places; the cliffs were shaped so that they always would. While he expected the villagers would mostly not travel this path, he also knew that there would likely be young people who would dare each other into it once in a while. It was really for the best if he did something in case that happened. To this end, Merlin decided to use his magic to create signs of warning in the areas where it seemed avalanches would be most common in winter. It wasn’t hard. Raise rocks from the earth and use magic to carve them. Simple.Unfortunately, it also meant that he was absolutely freezing again by the time he reached the top of the path. Merlin could feel his teeth chattering, and his body had started to shiver violently. As he staggered into the entrance to the cave, he had to take a moment to remember why he was here. Crown. He was here for Bruta's crown! That was it. Merlin summoned fire in one hand to illuminate the area before him and then threw it into a brazier nearby. He would warm up by the brazier before heading back down, he decided. It would be good to rest; after all, he was exhausted.Merlin looked around, noticing the ornate carvings of dragons on the wall; if he went deeper into the cave, perhaps he could learn more about the Dragonlord and dragon that had lived here. That would be nice, though bittersweet. He had never actually been to a true Dragonlord lair before… BUT the crown! The crown came first.Lucky for Merlin, the crown was on a pedestal near the entrance of the cave. In retrospect, he should have seen what would happen next coming a mile away. But he didn’t. Merlin moved up to the pedestal, slightly in awe of the crown he had first seen in his visions. It was truly a marvel and fitting for Arthur. This close, he could see how it had been engraved by an expert hand to depict events in the very early history of Camelot. He could even see a round table. Merlin reached out a hand and lifted the object.Immediately, Merlin noticed the stone the crown had been sitting on list slightly. That wasn’t good. Then Merlin heard the oddest clacking sound above him. He looked up to see a multitude of large ivory bones heading straight for him. Merlin raised a hand and called on his magic to create a shield. The bones fell though it was nothing. His last thought before they buried him was that dragon bones must be resistant to magic.Merlin woke with a moan of pain. His entire body, except for his head and one reaching arm, were covered by the dragon bones. He tried to wiggle and free himself but broke off, gasping as a sharp, burning ache struck his chest. Broken ribs. He had at least one broken rib, and wiggling had done nothing but make that worse. He was pinned helplessly to the cold cave floor. The weight of the many bones pressed down on him. His entire body was being compressed mercilessly, and it was starting to get hard to breathe. And the cold—the cold was worse than before.Merlin gasped out a spell to lift the bones off of himself, but like before, nothing happened. He couldn’t use magic on the bones. He took deep breaths, trying to think straight despite the cold and pain. It was not an easy task. He turned his head to look at the still-burning brazier. That was good; that could keep him warm enough to survive this. He hoped.Finally, he became aware of the sharp pain in his free arm. He lifted it slightly to get a better look and noted a slight greenish color to the cut there. Poison? How had that happened? Perhaps one of the smaller bones? Or had there been a retracting dart he had not noticed? Either way, it was likely poison, But it would have to be ancient if it was. And if it was ancient perhaps it would not be fully potent. If so, he might be able to survive it. Well, as long as it did not make him convulse so much that the bones stabbed him. Shivers were one thing, but if he jerked too much, the bones could shift. He was lucky none had stabbed him when they fell. He didn’t think he would get lucky a second time.The poison started with weakness that spread through his entire body; it became harder to breathe, but none of his organs were shutting down—or, he didn’t think they were. When he started to twitch, Merlin threw himself into his magic, wrapping it around his body to hold himself still. He needed to survive, and that meant controlling any major jerks. He squeezed his eyes shut, fell into the magic, and grew distant from everything else. He might have passed out. He was not sure. When he opened his eyes, he tried to remember where he was, despite the fact that the world was a blur and he couldn’t feel parts of his body. Cave! he thought. He had been in a cave? Yes, he was in a cave.Merlin desperately tried to think… Survive… he needed to survive… what was important to survive… warmth! Staying warm... There had been a brazier… Where was the brazier?… Merlin looked around only to realize he couldn’t find it in the blur that surrounded him. Fire, then… he needed to stay warm…and he was not warm, he was cold… cold and exhausted. Why was he exhausted?… He couldn’t remember anymore… something about overcoming poison? Either way, he had to make himself warm again.Merlin murmured the words to summon fire to his hand. If he stayed awake, he could keep the fire going, right?But he was so tired… His eyes were drooping even as he fought to keep them open. It was a losing battle, he realized, even as he struggled. What would happen if he actually died here?… Arthur… Arthur would never know… He would never have told him something important… something important… That he loved him… Merlin had been about to tell Arthur he loved him. Now, he never would. Gaius, he remembered dully. Gaius might tell Arthur… tell him something important. Something that might save Merlin. He couldn’t remember what it was. Save him from… save him from… he didn’t know. He also didn’t remember why he was trying to stay awake… It was important though, important… stay awake… stay awake… stay awake… stay…. “Your Majesty, you cannot mean to go up that cliff!”Sir Panore looked up the road the villagers had pointed out.“I’m not forcing you to come with me,” Arthur snapped back to the knight. “In fact, why don’t you go intercept Leon and Lancelot as they come back from their patrol and send them this way?”The cliff was dangerous, especially in winter. Arthur knew that. He would not force his knights to come with them, but he was tired of them trying to hold him back.The knights he had brought were new recruits, not out of choice but because many more senior knights had tried to finish their patrols and come back in time for Yule.Leon and Lancelot would understand the importance of saving Merlin from his own stupidity, and the fact that Arthur wanted to kill him himself at this point.Arthur began to stalk up the cliff without waiting for a response; when the knights did not follow him, he expected that they had gone to find Leon and Lancelot as he had ordered.For a supposed “cursed” road, there were plenty of useful signs. The blizzard was gone, and conditions were better, but even so, there were one or two avalanches. He was able to avoid them easily using the signs. All things considered, he made the journey up to the cave in good time. Now, to find his idiot.“Merlin!?” Arthur called into the mouth of the cave. “You better be alright. If you’re not, I will kill you myself!”When he received no reply, Arthur's heart started to pound harder in his chest. It had been easy to hide his worry under anger up until now. But getting no response was bad. Very bad. As he peered into the cave, he couldn't see a thing. “Merlin!?” Arthur used flint and iron to light the only thing he could see, a nearby brazier.Immediately, light lit the cave room, letting him see a situation that made the bottom drop out from his chest.“MERLIN!” Arthur ran forward toward the mop of black hair and outstretched hand he could just see under a pile of giant bones. Arthur fell to his knees beside his sorcerer. He reached out a hand to cup Merlin's face; Merlin’s skin was cold and pale, his eyes were closed, and his lips were blue. NO… NO, he couldn’t be dead! Panic welled up inside him. He felt like someone had stabbed him in the heart. No. No! He couldn’t think. He couldn't breathe!Arthur moved his other hand to Merlin's face. “MERLIN! Merlin!” Air, faint warm air on his hand. Through the panic, Arthur managed to register what that meant. Breathing. Merlin was still breathing. A faint stream of air against his hand. Much too faint, but there. Merlin was breathing. He was breathing. He hadn’t left Arthur. He was alive.But he wouldn't be breathing for long if Arthur didn’t do something, Arthur realized. And Arthur couldn’t do anything to help with just Merlin's head and arm visible.Breathe, Arthur reminded himself; deep breaths. Do not panic. Panicking will not help. He stood and faced the giant pile of bones. He had to do this carefully, very carefully.Arthur removed bones from the pile as swiftly as he dared, making sure he did it in order so that nothing would re-collapse on Merlin. The pace was torture when Merlin was dying right in front of him. But he couldn't risk doing it another way. He didn’t know how long it took; time seemed to blur.The moment he could, Arthur pulled Merlin’s limp form from where it had been trapped and into his arms.“Merlin?” He held him close. “Merlin!?”Merlin’s breathing was even worse than before; Arthur could barely feel the air from his nose now. And though his body was cold to the touch, he wasn’t shivering. That was bad, very bad. Arthur tried to remember what he had learned about dealing with situations like this, anything that would keep Merlin alive and with him. Don’t warm them too quickly. That can cause more danger. Fine, Arthur would not move him close to the fire. Focus on warming the torso and neck first. Don't start with the arms and legs; that can cause the heart to stop. Okay, he would not focus on Merlin’s limbs. Skin-to-skin contact is often the best way when you don’t have anything else .Alright. Arthur knew what to do.Arthur rushed to remove the furs he had brought from the bag he had lugged up with him. Then he removed his upper clothing, ignoring the bite of the cold. He removed Merlin’s clothing next, and finally, he pulled Merlin to him, chest to chest, before wrapping the furs and discarded clothing around them firmly. Arthur kept one of his arms around Merlin and used the other to track the much, much, much too weak pulse at his wrist. Merlin's head fell sideways on his shoulder, and Arthur could feel him breathe faintly against his neck. His body was like ice, but Arthur was too frantic to even truly notice discomfort at the moment. What was the chance of survival once someone got his cold!? “If you die from this Merlin, I can and will kill you,” he whispered. “I order you to be alright… Don’t you dare die… Don't you dare.”Merlin didn’t respond, and Arthur continued to hold him, praying it would be enough. The only time he had felt like this had been the previous two times he had thought Merlin was dead: the time when he was injured during a fight with mercenaries, and the time when the Doracha got him. But he wasn’t dead now, Arthur reminded himself. He wasn't dead. He could feel breathing and a pulse. He just didn’t know how long they would last. Arthur prided himself on his courage, but this was different. “Don’t die. Don't die,” Arthur pleaded softly. “I need you alive… I need you... Don’t die… recover… Merlin, I order you to recover.” He should have told him he loved him, Arthur realized. Forget waiting for Merlin to do it. Why didn’t he do it himself? Perhaps then Merlin wouldn’t have gone on this stupid, dangerous adventure for a stupid crown. Arthur should have started courting him first; he should have confessed. Arthur was such a fool. He should have confessed.Arthur rocked Merlin gently, still holding him to his own body. “Recover… recover… don’t die from this… Please, Merlin, don’t die,” Arthur begged him. “I love you. I can’t believe you did this… Don’t die…”Arthur started bargaining, making promises. If he doesn't die, I will never take him for granted again. I will spoil him… I will still call him an idiot and other insults. But I will spoil him, too. Give us a chance… a chance to be what we should have been all along. Don’t take him. Don't take him from me. It took much too long for Merlin to start shivering, but finally… finally, he did. That was a good sign, Arthur knew. Definitely a good sign. A quick check on his breathing revealed it was getting better, and his pulse was stronger under Arthur's touch. But it wasn’t enough. Arthur needed Merlin awake; he needed Merlin talking to him, teasing him, though he would have settled for even a grunt at the moment.“You’re going to be okay. You’re going to be okay, Merlin. You’re going to be okay,” Arthur told him, as if saying it enough would make it true.
Please don’t take him, don't let him seem to be getting better and then die anyway. I need him.
Day turned to night, then to morning, and Arthur set down Merlin only to keep the brazier going. There was plenty of scrap wood. When he rushed back to Merlin the third time he did this, Merlin’s eyes were open. He looked dazed, but they were open.Arthur’s heart leapt into his throat. He fell to his knees and pulled Merlin into his arms again, this time so he could see his face and his beautiful, beautiful eyes. “Merlin?” Arthur stroked his cheek, overwhelmed by emotion.Merlin just blinked for a moment; then, as Arthur was losing hope, he spoke. “—thur,” Merlin's teeth chattered. “Cold… hurt…what?”Arthur couldn’t help it. He laughed in relief. “Not nice… laughing.” Merlin frowned at him.“I’m not laughing at you.” Arthur laughed again, giddy that Merlin was awake and talking. Then, the anger came back in a flash. How could Merlin have done this? How could he have put himself in this sort of danger for a crown ? “I’m furious with you!” he snapped. “ MER LIN, what were you thinking!”Merlin blinked up at him. “Going… back to sleep… then… instead… of listening to lecture.”“NO!” Arthur told him, his voice filled with panic. He just stopped himself from shaking Merlin. “I mean, no, don’t go back to sleep yet… You mentioned hurting… What hurts?”“Chest… body… arm… mostly chest,” Merlin muttered. “Like you holding me though…”There was a shallow gash on Merlin's arm, and Arthur guessed that being trapped under heavy bones would make anyone sore. He moved his fingers to Merlin's chest, checking as gently as he could, and found two broken ribs. Merlin hissed in pain.There was not much Arthur could do about his ribs, but it meant they couldn't go down the cliff road right away. Not that they were going to do so anyway, with Merlin in this uncertain a condition.“Can you use magic to heal your ribs?” Arthur asked him. “Oh,” Merlin frowned, and his eyes flashed gold. “Feels… better now,” he told Arthur. “Just sore…”Then Merlin’s eyes flickered close. “Tired,” he whispered. “NO! Merlin!? Merlin! Merlin!” Arthur shook him helplessly.But Merlin did not wake. Arthur had to watch, forcing down panic as Merlin lay in his arms, pale and unresponsive. At least he was less cold. Slowly, Merlin’s lips started to return to their normal color, and Arthur was able to convince himself that Merlin was recovering… not getting worse. He was recovering. The next time Merlin woke, the cave was no longer blurry around him. He was shivering and ached pretty much everywhere, but his teeth were not chattering anymore. Arthur was holding him still, he realized. “Merlin?” Arthur stroked his face. “Merlin!”“Yes?” Merlin asked, trying to remember what had happened when he had woken before. He remembered Arthur being there, but nothing else. His attempts were broken off abruptly, however, as Arthur leaned down and pressed his lips desperately against Merlin’s.Oh, Oh. For a moment, all he could do was breathe, eyes wide with shock, then he kissed Arthur back deeply. Merlin closed his eyes and breathed in the man he loved. Then he tilted his head to deepen the kiss. It was everything he had ever imagined and more. The pain and cold were gone in an instant. There was just Arthur. His Arthur. Kissing him. Finally . The kiss felt like home, like sunlight, like need; it was pure, unadulterated joy. It seemed Arthur was very alright with Merlin having feelings for him. When they finally pulled apart, both of them were breathless.Arthur looked down at Merlin, breathing hard. Then, slowly, a smile formed on his face. “I’ve actually… wanted to do that for a while. How are you doing?”Merlin stared up at Arthur, panting and trying to gather his wits. Finally, he managed to say, “Well, I think that ruined my confession plan.”Arthur's brows snapped together. “By confession, do you mean your insane idea to come all the way here in a blizzard for a crown? Oh, and how can I forget being buried in dragon bones while you slowly freeze to death? “Merlin frowned. “Yule gifts are important, and gift-giving is part of how to court someone in Ealdor. You’re a king. I had to get a bit intense with things… I was not expecting the dragon bones.”“ Mer lin!” Arthur retorted. “None of this was necessary! Ever! All I need for Yule, you idiot, is you, alive and healthy!”Merlin’s heart sped up, thumping pleasantly in his chest. Had Arthur really just said all he needed for Yule was Merlin?“I uh… er… I… I’m still getting you a courting gift,” Merlin finally managed.Arthur sighed and stoked Merlin’s face again. “Fine. Just, next time, don’t kill yourself over it.”“No promises,” Merlin told Arthur, and then, seeing his face, he hurriedly added, “I’m joking. For an amazing king, you have a rubbish sense of humor.”“I have a fine sense of humor,” Arthur snapped. “You were the one who just made a joke about dying after nearly dying.” Merlin winced. “Er, yeah… I see now how that was not the best timing.” Arthur stared down at Merlin like he wanted to snog him senseless, and also couldn’t believe him and thought he was the most stupid being ever to walk the earth.Merlin grinned up at him. “Kiss me again?”Arthur leaned over and pressed his lips to Merlin’s again. This time, he didn’t hold back; his tongue pushed instantly at Merlin's lips until Merlin gladly opened them. He felt Arthur's tongue enter his mouth, and a happy rush ran through his body. Merlin met Arthur’s tongue with his own, wrestling and dancing with it. Merlin's hands moved greedily over the man he loved. His fingers traced over the planes and mountains of Arthur's body, and Arthur shifted Merlin in his hold. Merlin's ribs protested, but not much, and this was worth it. They clung to each other's hands, exploring as the brazier furs and clothing wrapped around them kept them both warm.“We shouldn’t,” Arthur finally interrupted as Merlin's fingers traced low between his legs. “You’re injured… and we just started courting.” Despite his words, desire burned in his eyes as Merlin met them with his own.“I have suddenly, mysteriously decided I don’t care about courting. Well, I do, but things are not in the order they are supposed to go in,” Merlin told Arthur. “And I’m fine.”Arthur's fingers traced between Merlin's legs, sending a shiver of desire up his spine. “If you’re sure…”Merlin didn’t respond with words. “Sire!?”Arthur opened his eyes to see Lancelot and Leon staring. As he sat up quickly, he did not let go of Merlin and pulled him with him. That was when he realized that they were both naked under the furs. He looked up at his knights, blushing furiously and unsure of what to say. He looked at Merlin. Merlin was shivering. All embarrassment fled from his mind in an instant. “MERLIN?!” He shook the sorcerer frantically. Merlin’s eyes shot open; he flailed. “AHHH? What's happening!?”“You're shivering!” Arthur immediately grabbed Merlin's clothing from the nearby pile and tried to pull it on his sorcerer.“Sorry,” Merlin offered, then added, “This feels a bit backward,” and began to pull on his clothing himself. As Arthur sat there trying to even out his breathing again, Merlin touched his shoulder. “Arthur. I’m alright.”Arthur pulled the now-clothed Merlin into a hug. Then, he forced himself to let go and start getting dressed.“Oh.” Merlin had noticed the two knights. He grinned at both of them. “Hello!”Arthur got to his feet, still red in the face. He cleared his throat a few times as Merlin chatted with the knights shamelessly. “Oh yes, it seems we’re together now! Yes, we had sex! Oh, I’m fine.”Leon looked like he might faint from relief. Lancelot looked, if anything, amused.“We should start heading back to Camelot,” Arthur interrupted. “With you both here, we can get Merlin out of the way of the avalanches quickly if we have to….”Merlin interrupted him, summoning fire to a hand as he raised it up. “I want to explore the cave first. Arthur debated what would happen if he just picked Merlin up and left anyway. “You. Are. Injured.”“And this was a Dragonlord’s home,” Merlin retorted and started walking deeper into the cave.As Arthur followed Merlin with the knights, he was forced to watch sadly as Merlin's face fell and he started looking so disappointed Arthur could hardly stand it. The cave revealed nothing about Dragonlords besides some carvings on the walls. For the most part, it looked like an old and rotted version of the home anyone else might make in the cave.That face stuck with Arthur even as they headed back to Camelot. The sheer disappointment and lost hope.On Yule, after Merlin handed him the stupid crown, Arthur handed him something in return. “Here,” he held out a new book, “I had Geoffrey gather all the known locations of Dragonlord dwelling places from the records of the Great Purge and anywhere else. We can go check them… Together.”The smile on Merlin’s face was the best gift Arthur could ever have received. The frantic kisses were not bad either.