by Emrys Apollo
Lance nodded and did as Merlin said.
A brilliant green glow enveloped Lance’s body and Merlin grinned.
"Ok Lance, I want you to reach out and touch my arm. It's right in front of you. Just a finger at first and then you can put on the whole hand. I just want to make sure it works like I think it works."
Lance nodded and reached out for Merlin's arm. One finger gently touched the mage.
Merlin's eyes fluttered, power filling his body slowly from Lance’s form. "God, I can feel it surging through me."
Lance stopped himself from opening his eyes and focused on the image in his head.
Merlin watched Lance’s face scrunch up in concentration. "You're not feeling weak?"
Lance shook his head. "No, not at all. I mean, I can....I can feel my energy being drawn, but I don't feel weak from it."
Merlin grinned. "Good. Now open your eyes, so you can see what it looks like when you focus your power."
Lance’s eyes fluttered open and he gasped. "My god, I'm green!"
Merlin chuckled and removed Lance’s hand from his arm. "That's because you were totally focusing. Haven't you ever noticed that I glow blue when I drain an enemy's power?"
Lance flushed. "Oh right, yes I have."
Merlin watched Lance look back at the ground again. "There's just one more thing I want to test. And that's if I can touch you without draining you like I do to enemies. Unlike when you touched me, I wasn't focusing. Now I will be."
Lance swallowed hard. "What if you start to drain me? Um, more than what just happened."
Merlin sighed. "Then I'll remove my hand and you'll have to touch me first when I need your power."
Lance nodded, hands twisting in his lap. Merlin's voice fluttered into his ears. "Just relax."
The room filled with a brilliant blue light.
***
Lance closed his eyes, teeth biting down on his lip.
Merlin licked his lips and took in the handsome man before him. Long brown hair flowed down his bulky shoulders, pale pink skin stretched tightly over his face and body, dark brown eyelashes pressed lightly on the skin below.
Merlin's eyes couldn't help staring at Lance’s lips. So red and pouty, ready and willing for someone to kiss them. He hesitated before bringing his hand up to hover just alongside Lance’s face. If he'd had his way, the first touch would be a kiss, so light and delicate on his welcoming lips.
Instead his hand brushed against the side of Lance’s face, just one finger at first to be sure he wasn't draining Lance’s energy, and then most of the hand.
Lance moaned softly, Merlin's small fingers caressing his baby-soft face.
Merlin bit his lip. "You're still focusing?"
Lance nodded and swallowed the lump in his throat. "Yes...I am."
Merlin leaned in closer to Lance’s body, his face within six inches of Lance’s face. "And you're not feeling drained?"
Lance licked his dry lips, Merlin's breath washing over his face. "N-no. I feel what I felt before when I...um, touched you."
Merlin's eyes drifted shut, body leaning in for a kiss.
A knock on the door caused them both to jump. Lance’s eyes flew open and Merlin backed away.
Merlin got up from the bed and opened the door.
Tristan's eyebrow rose when he spotted Lance behind him. He turned back to Merlin. "Sire, I just wanted to make sure we were heading out in the morning."
Merlin sighed and nodded. "Yes, that's correct. We'll head for the mountains to the west."
Tristan nodded. "We should probably pick up a few supplies before we head out. I am unfamiliar with this part of the journey so I don't know if we'll encounter any more towns along the way."
"There might be a few more, but I would have to consult a map. Maybe there is one at the library or the store?"
Tristan nodded again and moved away from the room. "I'll check with the locals before heading to bed to see if they might know. Good rest, sire. Try not to stay up too late as tomorrow will be especially long."
Merlin snorted and shut the door. He turned around and found Lance standing right beside him.
Lance shuffled his feet. "I should....I should probably head to bed. It's getting late and like Tristan said, it's going to be a long day."
Merlin sighed and opened the door again to let Lance pass. "Yes, I am tired, I guess."
Lance turned around once he stepped outside of Merlin's room. "Good night, sire."
"Good night, Lance."
Merlin shut the door and rested his head against it. His hands came up to spread out on the wooden frame, a sigh escaping his lips when his eyes drifted shut.
CHAPTER FOUR
A hail of arrows flew around them, pelting them from all sides. The five hacked and stunned any who came at them without question. Their duty was simple - take out the bad guys.
Merlin grimaced and stretched out his hand to take out another group of five creatures to their left. He gasped for a breath, the madness sapping his energy and state of mind.
Lance glanced over at Merlin when he had the chance, making sure the mage was still fighting alongside him. He frowned when Merlin stopped to gather himself again, knowing full well that Merlin got weaker with each passing minute.
Hector's eyes searched the trees for anyone trying to get a jump on the group. His aim was true when he let his arrows off into the dense trees. All he needed to sense was movement and nothing more.
Gareth and Tristan slashed down the surging army coming for the other three. Both kept their cool and avoided exerting themselves too hard in order to save their energy for Merlin.
Merlin hunched over and pushed his hands to his chest to get air back into his lungs. His body shook with need, the need for energy to fuel his fight. He resisted reaching out to Lance in the beginning, hoping the army would die out beforehand. He glanced over at Lance who was busy switching blows with a large creature and sighed.
Hector turned to Merlin, a frown crossing his face. "Sire, are you feeling alright?"
Merlin nodded and readied his powers again. "Yes, I'm fine. Just tired, that's all."
Hector shot off a volley of arrows and moved closer to Merlin's position. "Sire, if you're running out of energy, why not use Lance?"
Merlin shook his head and stunned another group coming from the right side. "I don't want to do that unless we have no other options."
Lance slashed down his enemy and walked over to Merlin. "Sire, do you need my power?"
Merlin scoffed and took out another enemy running around Tristan's sword. "Will you two stop worrying about me and do your jobs?"
Lance sighed and looked back at the field. His eyes widened at the gathering of twenty men coming through the trees. "Sire, I think we have a problem."
Merlin glanced forward and grimaced. "Dammit, why must these enemies keep coming? We're not even remotely close to the Dark Lord's tower."
Lance grabbed Merlin's arm. "Sire, use me. You could take out all of these creatures with one blow."
Merlin hesitated, eyes taking in the creatures surrounding them on all sides. His eyes drifted shut and his hand reached out for Lance’s bare arm.
Lance closed his eyes and focused his energy, feeding it into Merlin's form piece by piece.
Green and blue light filled the clearing. Tristan and Gareth turned around just in time for Hector to yell out the words "Get down!"
Tristan and Gareth dived for the ground, praying that Merlin knew what he was doing. Energy crackled around them, hair on their heads and arms rose to attention.
The force of Merlin's power leveled all of those standing before him with one solid blow. Enemies who had been running for Merlin, blades high in the air, dropped to the ground in a heap.
Silence rocked the battleground. The sounds of steel and wood reverberating were gone.
Merlin gasped for a breath and turned to Lance. Hands grabbed a hold of Lance’s shirt and pulled him against his shaking body. He only hesitated for a sec
ond before capturing Lance’s lips in a kiss. Every last bit of energy Merlin had went into the kiss. Every passion, every lust, every moment.
Tristan got up from the ground and stared at the brilliant green and blue lights surrounding the area. He grinned at Hector and walked toward them.
Merlin and Lance broke apart, the green and blue lights entwined around them fading away.
Lance stared at the ground and bit his lip. "Well, that worked pretty well."
Merlin gave Lance a pained smile and patted him on the arm. "Indeed. You're not feeling weak?"
Lance shook his head, eyes still focused on the moaning bodies of their enemies. "No, I'm fine."
Tristan rolled his eyes and walked over to Merlin and Lance. "Right, and you can't even look the sire in the eye."
Lance licked his lips. "I...I'm at a loss what to say. I just...I don't know."
Merlin sighed and frowned at his protector. "It's fine, I understand."
Hector stared at them. "What is wrong with you two? We won the battle with both of your skills. Why are you not happy for our victory?"
Lance glanced up at Hector. "I am happy. I just....I don't know about what happened afterward. I...." He walked away from the group and into the trees.
Merlin watched him leave and sighed.
Tristan turned to Merlin. "Sire, do you want me to follow him?"
Merlin shook his head. "No, let him be. He'll come back once he figures it out."
Gareth snorted and walked into the trees to follow Lance.
***
Lance stopped walking and leaned against a tree. He sighed and reached up to touch the aged bark with his hand.
Gareth appeared to his right and echoed his sigh. "Lance, I know you want to be alone, but I don't think that's wise. You need to deal with whatever you have going on in your head now. Otherwise, it will distract you in the future on the battlefield."
Lance frowned and stroked the tree. "I don't know what to do. I don't even know what to say."
Gareth patted Lance on the arm. "Sometimes you don't need to say anything. Actions speak louder than words, so they say."
"I kissed him back."
Gareth smiled and nodded. "Yes, I noticed that. And your arms were wrapped around his body as well."
Lance bit his lip. "Is it wise to have feelings for someone like him?"
Gareth laughed. "Probably not. Though most times you can't choose who you feel for, it just happens."
"I don't....what happens if my feelings for him make me do something foolish?"
Gareth snorted. "You've already done that by taking an arrow to the chest. Even if you didn't know it yet, you already had feelings for him then. We all do."
Lance glanced up at Gareth. "Is that why you follow him?"
Gareth cocked his head to the side. "Maybe. Though fate has more of a pull than our love for him."
"That's true. I just....how can I face him again when I have so much confusion in my heart?"
Gareth gripped Lance’s shoulder hard. "Be strong, Lance. I have faith that you will be able to carry on."
Lance scoffed. "I'm glad someone does."
***
Merlin drained the creatures one by one, his mind filled with doubt and Lance. He sighed and focused his energy once more to take another life.
Tristan and Hector watched him from afar with frowns on their faces.
The mage's blue energy wrapped around his arm, pulling the force from their bodies and refilling his own. He sighed at the lifeless body of his enemy on the ground, face contorted in horror at the moment of death.
He would never get used to that aspect of this journey. Taking the lives of so many to defeat a supreme evil. It had to be done, but sometimes he wished to just be free of this burden and live like others did. Without fear or death, just working the land and enjoying the comfort of family.
There would never be a family in Merlin's future. Fate had him marked for death. Even if he defeated the Dark Lord, his end would follow.
Lance and Gareth walked through the trees and over to Tristan and Hector.
Merlin knew they watched his every move, ready to help or defend him at a moment's notice. Sometimes he wondered if he would have traveled this far without them. Their care, their defense, their friendship.
He sighed and drained the last creature's energy. The battles would only double once they finished their journey through the Forbidden Forest. In the Badlands, there were no trees to provide cover, everything was out in the open.
Tristan watched Merlin's shoulders hunch over in defeat. "Sire, do you want to travel more today or set up camp?"
Merlin stared down at the fallen enemy, the frown never leaving his face. "We should keep moving. More will be on their way if we stay."
Tristan nodded and motioned for the others to gather up their gear.
Lance stopped to stand beside Merlin. He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out.
Merlin sighed. "I'll understand if you think badly of me for doing that."
Lance shook his head. "It's not that, I just....I'm afraid."
Merlin glanced over at Lance with a raised eyebrow. "Afraid?"
Lance bit his lip and nodded. "Afraid that I won't be able to protect you, that you'll...you'll perish."
"Like your family did in the fire?"
Lance nodded and swallowed the lump in his throat. "I couldn't protect them and they died because of it. I don't...I don't want that to happen to you."
Merlin put his arms around Lance’s body and pulled him closer. "I have faith in you. Nothing has changed that, nothing will change that."
Lance blushed and ducked his head down. "Thanks, sire."
Merlin embraced Lance and then let go. "Believe in yourself, Lance. You will find the power inside, like we all have."
Lance nodded and followed Merlin through the trees.
***
Hector stirred the pot filled with herbs and meat. He sighed into the cool breeze around the campfire.
Lance walked through the trees and sat down by the fire to warm his tired body. "Hector?"
Hector glanced up. "Yes?"
Lance bit his lip. "How...how did you get over seeing your family die before your eyes?"
Hector sighed. "I never have. It still pains me."
Lance nodded and stared at the fire. "But...but I want to make it go away. I don't....I don't want to see them in my dreams anymore."
Hector shuffled over to sit beside Lance. He reached up and pulled him into his arms. "It takes time. Years, sometimes, but it will lessen a little bit. I'd be lying if I told you that it would just disappear....it never does."
Lance sighed into the warmth. "Did Tristan help with it?"
Hector smiled. "Yes, he wouldn't let me go. I....I ran away once, but he still found me and brought me back."
Lance frowned. "So there's no escaping our fate? We will perish for the sire?"
Hector nodded. "No, we can't escape. Believe me, Lance, I've tried. It took almost a year for me to be resigned to my fate."
"But I don't have years. We're nearly to the Badlands, and then the Dark Lord's tower awaits. How...how can I push on with them haunting me every night?"
Hector sighed and petted Lance’s head. "I can't give you the answer you're looking for, but I can tell you that it does subside a little. It took me six months to speak about it, or anything else after it happened."
Lance frowned. "I don't understand."
Hector stared at the flames underneath the pot. "I never spoke to them when I was first with them. I hated them; they were the reason that my family had to die."
"But...but it was fate."
Hector nodded. "I know that now, but back then all I wanted to do was die. To be rid of them and be back with my tribe where I belonged. I tried....I tried to escape in many ways but...I was brought back every time."
Lance swallowed the lump in his throat. "Did you try to take your life?"
Hector bit his lip. "Once, ye
s. And I still awoke the next day. God wouldn't let me take my own life so foolishly. I was put on this land to aid the sire, nothing more."
Lance sighed. "I....I don't want to lose him. I don't know....I can't lose him."
Hector frowned. "He's going to be angry at me for telling you this, but you need to know."
"What?"
Hector sighed. "He's fated to die too. The only one to defeat the Dark Lord died afterward."
Tears weaved down Lance’s face. "I won't let that happen."
Hector smiled sadly. "You can't change fate."
***
Merlin's eyebrow rose as he walked into the clearing. "What is all of this?"
Hector blushed and released Lance to go back to stirring the pot. "We were just talking, sire."
Lance wiped the tears off with the back of his hand. "Yes, talking."
Merlin sat next to Lance and frowned. "About?"
Lance picked at the bottom of his shirt. "I've....I've been having nightmares of my family dying."
Merlin sighed. "It's the Dark Lord's doing. We're close to the Badlands, it's only going to get worse."
Lance stared at him. "But how is he doing that?"
Merlin shrugged. "I have no answer. He's a powerful mage who can manipulate anyone to do his bidding."
"But why me?"
Merlin snorted. "You should know the answer to that - you're with me. He will do anything to break our group up so I'm left defenseless in the end. Even if he has to manipulate your dreams to fill you with doubts."
Lance shook his head. "I'm not having doubts....I just...seeing them screaming for me and knowing that I can't do anything to protect them hurts."
Merlin laid his hand on Lance’s shoulder. "That is filling you with doubts. You're now thinking about these nightmares instead of what's to come on this journey. Don't let him win, Lance."
Lance nodded. "I'm sorry. I...you're right."
Merlin sighed. "No one ever said it was going to be easy. This journey is meant to test us in every way possible. The key is to never let anything get you down."
"That's easy for you to say, you've had years to prepare. I've only had these past months."
Merlin snorted. "You think it's easy for me? Knowing that my friends will die very soon? It's hell for me!"