Chemistry 10b
Author: archaeologist_d
Title: Chemistry part 10b
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/s: Merlin/Arthur
Character/s: Merlin, Arthur, Morgana
Summary: The scrawny kid knew more about chemistry than Arthur did. Who knew he’d fall in love with the idiot?
Warnings: none
Word Count: 314
Camelot Drabble Prompt bingo 512: spring
Author’s Notes: there is no such natural spring in Merlin’s cave. People do get caught inside and drown so it’s a bit of a dangerous place at times.
Disclaimer: I do not own the BBC version of Merlin; They and Shine do. I am very respectfully borrowing them with no intent to profit. No money has changed hands. No copyright infringement is intended.
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He was just putting on the last of his clothes—he really needed to do laundry at some point—when Morgana called out to him. “Are you finished? I need food, you toad, and while I’m sure you can microwave something, I want real food, so hurry up.”
The shower had revived him a little, not that he wanted to deal with Morgana right now, but he thought he should put to rest any further stupidity about springs and visions and magic, and that meant talking to her about it all.
He didn’t say much as they walked down to the pub. It was mostly full of tourists, but Morgana managed to find them a table in the back overlooking the sea and the Tintagel ruins beyond.
There wasn’t much choice in food, but Arthur didn’t really taste anything anyway. Choking down his pasty, chasing it with a pint, he just sat there, looking out into the ocean, listening to the waves and the raucous sound of people on holiday.
Finally, he said, “It didn’t work. He’s not coming back.”
“What happened in the cave? I thought you’d drop the item into the bowl, say what you had to say, and then come out again. But you were in there for hours.”
Not wanting to talk about it, he knew she would not leave him alone until he got it all out. Not that it wasn’t insane, him seeing Merlin in the water, but maybe he was just wishing so hard that he made himself see someone who wasn’t there.
“Look, Morgana, just don’t… it wasn’t magic, all right?” Arthur took another gulp of his pint, then setting it down and playing with the moisture on the outside of the glass, he said, “Don’t make too much of it. It was just a trick of the light or maybe I saw something I wanted to see. It wasn’t real, you know.”
Frowning, watching him follow the droplet sliding down the glass, then use his thumb to smear it, finally she said, “You saw something in the spring?”
“Forget it, it’s not important.” Arthur finished up his pint and moved to get another, but she grabbed onto him and pulled him back into the chair.
“He was there, wasn’t he,” she said, sharp and uncompromising. “Arthur, tell me exactly what you saw.”
Letting out a long sigh, Arthur said, “It’s been a long day and I almost drown. Can we do this some other time?”
“Now, Arthur,” she insisted.
He knew she’d hound him until he told her, and he wasn’t about to have it hanging over his head.
“Fine. When I looked into the spring, I thought I saw him behind me, looking over my shoulder. But there was no one there. And… he talked to me, reminding me of how much he cared, then increasingly warning me of danger, but the image vanished, and you were shouting into the cave like the harpy you are.” When she looked at him, speculation in her gaze, Arthur rolled his eyes. “It was just a trick of the light and now that I think about it, I was crazy to even go along with this… this rubbish.”
“It worked,” Morgana murmured. “It worked. For all his powers, maybe love can get past his barriers after all.”
“Wait, what?” When she looked guilty a moment, then put on her I-don’t-know-what-you’re-talking-about face, Arthur scowled at her. “What do you know? You know something, don’t you?” She didn’t say anything, just shook her head but Arthur was getting more and more annoyed with all the evasion. “Fuck it all, just tell me.”
Arthur’s voice must have travelled because several of the other people eating there looked toward them both, then hastily away as if not wanting to get involved.
Gesturing at him to quiet down, Morgana sat there, watching him, then she must have come to some kind of decision. Wiping her mouth, she nodded toward the door, then got up and walked away.
Arthur stomped after her.
When they got outside, she linked her arm with his and started walking slowly toward the cottage. “Remember when you introduced Merlin to me while you were in uni?” When Arthur grunted, she said, sounding as hesitant as he’d ever heard her, “We’ve been communicating a bit since then.”
Arthur jerked away, glaring at her, unable to believe what he was hearing. “You knew how I felt about him, and you let me think… how could you?”
At least, she looked sorry, but Morgana also didn’t deny it. “He asked me not to tell you anything and gave me good reasons to keep quiet. Besides, I really thought you had moved on and were just nursing a bit of pique about getting dumped.” Reaching out, she let her hand fall when he glared at her. “I had no idea that you were actually in love with him. Certainly not to this extent.”
Head spinning, trying to take it all in, his sister conspiring against him, he hadn’t thought she hated him that much. Snarling at her, he shouted, “Then you know where he is, and you let me play the fool. Tossing charms into a spring? What the fuck? That is beyond anything I would have thought you capable of.”
“Arthur, it wasn’t like that,” she said, looking guilty but resolute, too, as if his feelings hadn’t come into it. “He’s disappeared. We can’t find him either, and we’re worried.”
Arthur just stared at her. He had to wonder if he knew her at all. Even growing up, with the screaming matches they sometimes had, he could never have pictured her as hating him that much.
“Great, so you’re worried. And sending me into that cave and almost drowning was an acceptable sacrifice? I’m your brother. You’d see me dead over this?” Arthur snarled.
“And I’m High Priestess and our leader is missing because of you,” she snapped back, then her face softened as if she really was feeling guilty. Arthur didn’t believe it for a moment, not now, not when she knew where Merlin was and hadn’t told him.
But she kept talking, oblivious or maybe she didn’t care about what he was feeling. “Look, you were just supposed to go in and out. And I suggested it because you kept complaining about the trash-filled, tourist-trap ruins. They are still sacred, trash or not.” He glowered at her, but she didn’t stop. “Merlin’s cave is one of the most powerful springs in Cornwall. If anything, outside the stone circle at Avebury or maybe the Ring of Bodnar up in Scotland, this area is rich in magic.”
Shit, she used the magic word. He stepped back, watching his sister turn into a complete stranger, still looking the same but had he ever really known her at all?
Morgana didn’t follow, just stood there, watching him. “From what you’ve told me, it worked. He showed up in the spring and understood what you wanted, even told you about the danger you were in. I expect him to contact you at some point. If he does, could you tell him to get his head out of his arse and call me?”
Arthur didn’t know what to say. His head was whirling, his chest tight with anger. He wanted to shake her until his sister came to her senses, but it would appear she was too far gone down that ridiculous magical rabbit hole. And High Priestess? What the fuck was that?
It was too much, it was all too much. He turned away, stomping off, muttering to himself about getting drunk and forgetting that he’d ever met Merlin or Morgana for that matter. When she called after him, he gave her the two-fingered salute and kept walking.
She didn’t follow.
If you want more, I'm posting separately now on Archive of our own. https://archiveofourown.org/works/40610217/chapters/101747856
Title: Chemistry part 10b
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/s: Merlin/Arthur
Character/s: Merlin, Arthur, Morgana
Summary: The scrawny kid knew more about chemistry than Arthur did. Who knew he’d fall in love with the idiot?
Warnings: none
Word Count: 314
Camelot Drabble Prompt bingo 512: spring
Author’s Notes: there is no such natural spring in Merlin’s cave. People do get caught inside and drown so it’s a bit of a dangerous place at times.
Disclaimer: I do not own the BBC version of Merlin; They and Shine do. I am very respectfully borrowing them with no intent to profit. No money has changed hands. No copyright infringement is intended.
------------------
He was just putting on the last of his clothes—he really needed to do laundry at some point—when Morgana called out to him. “Are you finished? I need food, you toad, and while I’m sure you can microwave something, I want real food, so hurry up.”
The shower had revived him a little, not that he wanted to deal with Morgana right now, but he thought he should put to rest any further stupidity about springs and visions and magic, and that meant talking to her about it all.
He didn’t say much as they walked down to the pub. It was mostly full of tourists, but Morgana managed to find them a table in the back overlooking the sea and the Tintagel ruins beyond.
There wasn’t much choice in food, but Arthur didn’t really taste anything anyway. Choking down his pasty, chasing it with a pint, he just sat there, looking out into the ocean, listening to the waves and the raucous sound of people on holiday.
Finally, he said, “It didn’t work. He’s not coming back.”
“What happened in the cave? I thought you’d drop the item into the bowl, say what you had to say, and then come out again. But you were in there for hours.”
Not wanting to talk about it, he knew she would not leave him alone until he got it all out. Not that it wasn’t insane, him seeing Merlin in the water, but maybe he was just wishing so hard that he made himself see someone who wasn’t there.
“Look, Morgana, just don’t… it wasn’t magic, all right?” Arthur took another gulp of his pint, then setting it down and playing with the moisture on the outside of the glass, he said, “Don’t make too much of it. It was just a trick of the light or maybe I saw something I wanted to see. It wasn’t real, you know.”
Frowning, watching him follow the droplet sliding down the glass, then use his thumb to smear it, finally she said, “You saw something in the spring?”
“Forget it, it’s not important.” Arthur finished up his pint and moved to get another, but she grabbed onto him and pulled him back into the chair.
“He was there, wasn’t he,” she said, sharp and uncompromising. “Arthur, tell me exactly what you saw.”
Letting out a long sigh, Arthur said, “It’s been a long day and I almost drown. Can we do this some other time?”
“Now, Arthur,” she insisted.
He knew she’d hound him until he told her, and he wasn’t about to have it hanging over his head.
“Fine. When I looked into the spring, I thought I saw him behind me, looking over my shoulder. But there was no one there. And… he talked to me, reminding me of how much he cared, then increasingly warning me of danger, but the image vanished, and you were shouting into the cave like the harpy you are.” When she looked at him, speculation in her gaze, Arthur rolled his eyes. “It was just a trick of the light and now that I think about it, I was crazy to even go along with this… this rubbish.”
“It worked,” Morgana murmured. “It worked. For all his powers, maybe love can get past his barriers after all.”
“Wait, what?” When she looked guilty a moment, then put on her I-don’t-know-what-you’re-talking-about face, Arthur scowled at her. “What do you know? You know something, don’t you?” She didn’t say anything, just shook her head but Arthur was getting more and more annoyed with all the evasion. “Fuck it all, just tell me.”
Arthur’s voice must have travelled because several of the other people eating there looked toward them both, then hastily away as if not wanting to get involved.
Gesturing at him to quiet down, Morgana sat there, watching him, then she must have come to some kind of decision. Wiping her mouth, she nodded toward the door, then got up and walked away.
Arthur stomped after her.
When they got outside, she linked her arm with his and started walking slowly toward the cottage. “Remember when you introduced Merlin to me while you were in uni?” When Arthur grunted, she said, sounding as hesitant as he’d ever heard her, “We’ve been communicating a bit since then.”
Arthur jerked away, glaring at her, unable to believe what he was hearing. “You knew how I felt about him, and you let me think… how could you?”
At least, she looked sorry, but Morgana also didn’t deny it. “He asked me not to tell you anything and gave me good reasons to keep quiet. Besides, I really thought you had moved on and were just nursing a bit of pique about getting dumped.” Reaching out, she let her hand fall when he glared at her. “I had no idea that you were actually in love with him. Certainly not to this extent.”
Head spinning, trying to take it all in, his sister conspiring against him, he hadn’t thought she hated him that much. Snarling at her, he shouted, “Then you know where he is, and you let me play the fool. Tossing charms into a spring? What the fuck? That is beyond anything I would have thought you capable of.”
“Arthur, it wasn’t like that,” she said, looking guilty but resolute, too, as if his feelings hadn’t come into it. “He’s disappeared. We can’t find him either, and we’re worried.”
Arthur just stared at her. He had to wonder if he knew her at all. Even growing up, with the screaming matches they sometimes had, he could never have pictured her as hating him that much.
“Great, so you’re worried. And sending me into that cave and almost drowning was an acceptable sacrifice? I’m your brother. You’d see me dead over this?” Arthur snarled.
“And I’m High Priestess and our leader is missing because of you,” she snapped back, then her face softened as if she really was feeling guilty. Arthur didn’t believe it for a moment, not now, not when she knew where Merlin was and hadn’t told him.
But she kept talking, oblivious or maybe she didn’t care about what he was feeling. “Look, you were just supposed to go in and out. And I suggested it because you kept complaining about the trash-filled, tourist-trap ruins. They are still sacred, trash or not.” He glowered at her, but she didn’t stop. “Merlin’s cave is one of the most powerful springs in Cornwall. If anything, outside the stone circle at Avebury or maybe the Ring of Bodnar up in Scotland, this area is rich in magic.”
Shit, she used the magic word. He stepped back, watching his sister turn into a complete stranger, still looking the same but had he ever really known her at all?
Morgana didn’t follow, just stood there, watching him. “From what you’ve told me, it worked. He showed up in the spring and understood what you wanted, even told you about the danger you were in. I expect him to contact you at some point. If he does, could you tell him to get his head out of his arse and call me?”
Arthur didn’t know what to say. His head was whirling, his chest tight with anger. He wanted to shake her until his sister came to her senses, but it would appear she was too far gone down that ridiculous magical rabbit hole. And High Priestess? What the fuck was that?
It was too much, it was all too much. He turned away, stomping off, muttering to himself about getting drunk and forgetting that he’d ever met Merlin or Morgana for that matter. When she called after him, he gave her the two-fingered salute and kept walking.
She didn’t follow.
If you want more, I'm posting separately now on Archive of our own. https://archiveofourown.org/works/40610217/chapters/101747856