Love, Faith and Family

Chapter 33

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Miriam muttered to herself as she approached Arthur's tent, walking smoothly past Gaius, and the sight of Arthur brought a lump to her throat.

"Ah! Have you finally come to wish me luck, cause I really don't think I need it anymore," Arthur asked as he pulled his shirt down, Gaius having examined the wounds beneath it.

"Prats deserve no luck."

"Well, that's rather rude," he said as he began to tuck his shirt into his pants.

"Then allow me to make amends," Miriam said before her confidence faltered as she surged forward, pushing a confused Arthur back against a support pole before she pressed her lips to his.

For all of two seconds, the longest two seconds in the world, Miriam's hands were on Arthur's shoulders as her eyes shut and she kissed him, his lips unmoving.

But that third second?

During the third second, Arthur began kissing her back.

His eyes closed as his arms wrapped around her, dipping her body as he kissed her with every bit of love he had.

Miriam swore that kissing Arthur felt better every time.

Words may not have been said, but they didn't need to be as they pulled away, Arthur still holding Miriam in a dip as her hand caressed his cheek and there was nothing but love in both their eyes and the pieces of Miriam's broken heart seemed to fuse together.

However, once they both stood straight, Arthur was hit by a wave of pain as he groaned, holding heavily onto Miriam.

"What am I doing?" he asked as he regained his bearings.

"You're in a fight to the death. And you're losing," she informed the prince as his eyes widened in horror.

"But -"

"There's no time to explain right now. Live through this, live for me through this and then we'll talk," she promised before she pecked his lips as the fanfare started and Merlin rushed inside to help Arthur into his armour.

Miriam then took her place in the stands, near Morgana and Gwen as Arthur emerged into the arena and turned to Merlin, Miriam wishing she could hear what was said.

She wished she could hear Arthur say, "If anything should happen to me, make sure Miriam is alright."

Merlin was pleasantly surprised and relieved to hear the request after not having the time to hear if the kiss worked, if the kiss even happened.

"I imagine I put her through enough pain as it is, I can't bear to put her through more. She means everything to me."

And Merlin beamed at the prince as he handed his helm, nodding in promise.

And so the sword fight began.

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If Arthur loving Miriam again wasn't proof enough that Arthur was himself, the fact that Arthur won the match but still spared Olaf's life in a gesture of peace was.

It was one moment though that had Miriam's heart fluttering.

The moment where it seemed like Arthur was going to lose, and then he looked to Miriam, almost as if reminding himself of what he was fighting for - who he was fighting for. And he bested Olaf with a new surge of strength.

Her heart warmed even more when she returned to Gaius' quarters to find a single rose lying on the table along with a note, this time in Arthur's handwriting and not her brother's.