Love, Faith and Family

Chapter 39

As much as Miriam loved Arthur, he could be really stupid sometimes.

They'd journeyed to a tavern in Engred, Arthur keeping Miriam rather close to his side with all the drunk old men. Drunk old men he'd tried to pay to find Balinor, and he'd shown the money to a man who had no clue where he was.

You never show how much money you have in a place like this.

They'd now settled into a room for the night, deciding it would be safer for them all to share a room than leave Miriam on her own, but that left the problem of beds.

There were three of them and two beds.

One of them could've slept on the floor, but they were all too tired for that and they'd left the bedrolls with the horses.

Merlin had already sprawled himself across one bed which left Miriam to share one with Arthur. Strangely, they were all fine with it because Arthur was injured, Merlin was in the room and they were tired and cold from a long day of riding in the rain.

"Take your shirt off," Miriam ordered as she rummaged around in her bag for something.

"Mira," Merlin said warningly as Arthur complied.

"Oh, shut up, will you? I'm going to check his wound," she retorted as she pulled a roll of bandages out from her bag.

"What is wrong with you today?" Arthur exclaimed as Miriam began to undo the bandages on his chest, not liking the blood that stained them.

"What?" Merlin asked.

"It pains me to admit it but I do enjoy your surly retorts. In fact, it's probably your only redeemable feature, next to your flawless sibling that is," Arthur flirted and Miriam smacked his head. "Ow!"

"He may be your servant, but he's still my brother. Be nice," she admonished as she observed the wound, Merlin smiling at the moment.

"What's the diagnosis?" Arthur asked.

"Bleeding stopped, so you shouldn't need stitches so long as you don't do anything to reopen the wound. But for now, I'll clean it, give you a fresh set of bandages and a pain drought."

"Pain drought sounds nice," Arthur groaned as Miriam began to clean his wound again. "So what is it, Merlin?" the Prince asked.

"Nothing."

"It's something. Tell me," Arthur persisted and Miriam was glad Arthur wasn't looking at her face right now as she thought about the fact that she was going to meet her absentee father.

Merlin stayed silent though.

"Alright, I know I'm a prince, so we can't be friends, but if I wasn't a prince -"

"What?" Merlin cut in.

"Well, then, I think we'd probably get on," Arthur admitted and Miriam couldn't help but smile at him.

"So?"

"So that means you can tell me."

"That's true, but if you weren't a prince, I'd tell you to mind your business."

"Merlin!" Arthur said as Miriam began to wrap him in bandages again, his eyes closing as he enjoyed the feeling of her fingers brushing all over his skin. "Are you missing Gaius?"

"Something like that," Merlin said.

"Well, what is it then?!" Arthur asked as he threw his pillow in Merlin's face like a child.

"Hey!" Miriam scolded as Arthur apologised, the girl having to restart as Merlin threw back the pillow.

"I'll tell you. I'm worried about everyone back in Camelot. I hope they're alright," he said quickly, part of the telltale sign that he was lying.

"So do I," Arthur admitted as Miriam tied his bandages tight before moving back over to her bag. "Will you come to bed now?" he asked as she pulled another bottle out.

"Well someone's eager," she smirked as she handed him the bottle and he downed it, setting it aside before they lay down.

It seemed like the most natural thing in the world, as if they'd been doing it all their life as they both lay on their sides, blankets drawn over them as Arthur's injured arm wrapped around her stomach, both of them pressed together to fit on the small bed, Miriam still in her tunic and trousers as Arthur inhaled the scent of her hair and sleep claimed them.

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"What's going on?!" Merlin exclaimed as Miriam was jerked awake and drew her sword, Arthur already awake as he held his dagger to the heart of a man who'd broken into their room.

"Do you know what the punishment is for theft?" Arthur snarled as he pushed the man down onto Merlin's bed.

"Please, I've got children to feed," the man whimpered, his explanation for trying to steal the money Arthur flaunted earlier.

"Tell me where to find Balinor!" Arthur ordered.

"Balinor?"

"What do you know of him?"

"Nothing, I -"

Arthur only dug the blade in deeper.

"Do you value your life?"

"It's been many years since I saw him."

"Where does he live?" Miriam spoke as she stood next to Arthur.

"You must travel through the forest of Merendra, to the foot of Feorre mountain. There you will find the cave where Balinor dwells," the man answered and Arthur got off of him. "But don't get your hopes up."

"Why?" Merlin asked.

"He will not welcome you. He hates everyone and everything. A cave's the best place for him."

And with that, the man ran from the room.

They left straight away, not really wanting to risk more people coming after them, though now they were walking alongside their horses, the sky grey as the wind blew.

"It's alright," Arthur then said from his position at the rear, Merlin having turned around when he heard the prince groan and they came to a halt.

"See the whole point of bringing me on this trip was to tell me when your wound hurt you idiot," Miriam reprimanded as she gave her horses reigns to Merlin and approached the prince.

"It's just a scratch," he assured her as Merlin tied down their horses.

Miriam, however, had only just peeked under the bandage when Merlin urged them to get down.

Arthur was quick to pull Miriam down with him as they all hid behind a log, Cenred's guard walking by them.

But while Merlin and Miriam were more concerned with remaining hidden, they didn't notice Arthur slip into unconsciousness as he rested his face on the log.

"Arthur?! Arthur?! Mira do something!" Merlin exclaimed in a hushed voice.

"I can't!" she replied, panic rising in her voice as she looked at the wound. "It's not the wound. I mean the dragon caused it, there might be magic in it and I can't heal a magic wound!"

"We have to get to Balinor! Help me get him up!" Merlin said as they lifted Arthur onto the horse, Miriam climbing on after to hold him steady, Merlin guiding her own horse as well as his as she steered Arthur's.

And when they finally reached their destination, Miriam stayed with Arthur as Merlin went to find the cave.

"We really have to stop meeting like this," she said to Arthur, praying he could hear her as she eased his body off the horse, sliding to the ground as she rested his head in her lap. "Now you said that I don't have to pretend that I don't love you in life or death situations. This seems pretty life or death to me," she muttered as she cradled his face, using the sleeve of her shirt to wipe the moisture from his face. "So Arthur, I love you. I love you and I need you to come back to me. You hear me? Come back to me, Arthur."

Miriam didn't have a chance to say more or to let the tears fall from her eyes as Merlin reappeared.

"Balinor agreed to help heal Arthur! Help me move him."