Love, Faith and Family

Chapter 23

Miriam's head was pillowed on Arthur's vest as Merlin cleaned her wounds and tipped some water down her throat, her body lying next to the fire in an attempt to keep her warm.

"I'm surprised you would undertake such a rescue mission, just the two of you," Lancelot remarked as he sat next to Gwen around the fire, Arthur as close to Miriam as he dared.

"My father would not have us risk the lives of our men to save people he considered servants," Arthur said sadly, wishing he could've gotten there sooner to prevent her injury had he not had to go around his father.

"And yet you disobeyed him?"

Arthur's eyes hit the floor.

"Miriam is Merlin's sister and he's about the only half-decent servant you could find in Camelot. I couldn't have him killing himself on a suicidal rescue mission," Arthur admitted, making Merlin smile before the prince sent him a look that told him to shut up.

"Mira just has to wake up now. There's nothing more I can do. I'm going to get some more firewood," Merlin said, so very unsuspiciously as he wandered off, his gestures to Gwen and Lancelot meaning absolutely nothing at all.

"I think I'll get some rest," Gwen said as she took a position against a tree, Lancelot shedding his vest to cover her with it.

"I'll make sure Merlin hasn't gotten lost," he said before wandering off in the same direction as Merlin, leaving Arthur alone with Miriam much to his confusion.

Arthur just continued poking the fire with a stick.

"They're loony, the lot of them. Also, I'm not fond of talking to your unconscious body. It scares the living hell out of me because I never know if you're going to wake up."

"Aw, you care about me."

Arthur flinched, using his half-burnt stick as a weapon until he saw bright blue eyes staring back at him.

Throwing the stick away, Arthur moved closer to Miriam, one hand cupping her face.

"Of course, I care about you. How are you feeling?" he asked because he could see the dizzy look on her face.

"I've been better," she admitted before a small smile spread across her face. "You came after us. I half thought Uther wouldn't let you after you found Morgana."

Arthur scoffed.

"He didn't. Said it would take a small army to rescue you from Hengist."

Her eyes grew droopy as she replied, "But you and Merlin came anyway."

Arthur began to grow worried.

"Miriam! I don't think you should fall asleep! Miriam, can you hear me?" Arthur urged as he lifted Miriam's torso, cradling her head in his arms.

"Mira," she muttered.

"What?"

Her eyes fluttered open, the girl looking more awake this time.

"I think you've earned calling me Mira by now," she grinned as she looked up at him and Arthur smiled down at her.

"I'm glad you're ok, Mira," he said.

"I'll be better if you help me up. I wanna see Merlin."

"Of course," Arthur said quickly as he stood, taking her hands and gently pulling her to her feet and discovering that she wasn't nearly as dizzy as she thought.

Arthur still held one of her hands in his, a supportive hand on her back as they walked, Miriam's head still aching but less so now that she was moving.

"Mira!" Merlin exclaimed once he saw his sister walking towards where he and Lancelot stood talking as they leaned against trees, a pile of firewood on the floor between them.

Her face lit up as Merlin ran towards her, her hands letting go of Arthur as she hugged her brother who lifted her off the ground.

"You're ok," he said in relief as he set her down and looked over her, namely the purplish bruise left around the skin of her temple. It was significantly better than it had been after his magic had healed most of the wounds on her.

"Thanks to you. Thanks to you all," she said to the three boys.

"Of course, we'd come after you," Merlin said as he squeezed her again.

"I would, however, like to put as much distance between us and Hengist as possible and we have a long walk to get back to the horses," Arthur said, and the siblings nodded but Lancelot hesitated.

"I cannot return with you," he said finally, and Miriam remembered that he'd been banished from Camelot for pretending to be a noble.

"But what about Gwen?" Merlin asked, Miriam biting her lips as she felt Arthur's presence behind her.

"I cannot bear to say goodbye to her a second time. Tell her that I'm sorry and that maybe things will be different in the future."

Arthur then moved around Miriam and held his hand out to Lancelot.

"They will be," he promised, the same promise he made to Miriam that made her stomach flutter with butterflies.

"Farewell Merlin, Miriam."

With a nod in goodbye, Lancelot was gone.

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The journey to the horses had indeed been long, and Miriam had blushed when she saw only two horses.

The boys had insisted that the ladies take the horses, and they'd walk but both of them refused and since there wasn't any way that Gwen was comfortable to ride with Arthur, she held onto Merlin as he rode them towards Camelot.

Arthur was ever the gentleman though as he held onto Miriam's hips as she led the horse, hands never straying too low or too high as her back was pressed to his front, truly content he to stay that way forever. Even though he did have to get off before they arrived so no one would see them that way.

She and Gwen followed Arthur up the stairs and into the castle though.

"Morgana," he said, and Miriam's smile returned. "There are some people who would like to see you."

And he moved out of the way to reveal the two women.

"Mira! Gwen!" she sighed in relief as the three women wrapped each other in a hug. And as Miriam's eyes opened over Morgana's shoulders, she met Arthur's eyes, nothing more than longing in his gaze and Miriam mouthed something to him.

"Thank you."

And somehow, in that moment, everything he went through seemed more than worth it.

His answering expression was warm as he mouthed something back.

"You're welcome."