ayoungboy | Spellbound

This week has been fucking exhausting. He'd been consuling all week and dealing with a threat over in Norway. Somebody trying to brew mind control potions, again. Why couldn't everybody just get along and stop fussing? He's finally back home, in England, heading up the wizarding council while they go over worldwide news, and he gets an invite - no, it isn't that. It's more of a demand, from King Pendragon.

He's a bit tired, really, and didn't feel like dealing with it. "Not now, thank you. Politely decline, for me?" He told the runner. "Send him some magical candy."

He just wanted to go home and finish his book, thank you. He didn't ask for these powers, but if he took a holiday the world would flip out. People held him in high regard for some reason - he wasn't that wise, or old. He was just a young man trying to do right. Yet somehow the King was demanding his presence.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

ayoungboy

"Sometimes." Merlin shrugs again, gesturing for the hallway. "Lead the way."

From:

royalpratness

"Sometimes?!" This is modern England. Nobody should have to go hungry anymore. Arthur opens a door for Merlin, leading him up to flights of stairs to his private chambers. "This is unacceptable, Merlin. If we're going to form an allegiance, I'll make sure you'll receive adequate payments for your work."

From:

ayoungboy

"Yes. It's a word used to refer to a specific frequency. No need to shout." Merlin glances around Arthur's room curiously. "Payment? Arthur, I'm not a salary."

Merlin sighs, pulling off his kerchief. "Just take off your shirt."

From:

royalpratness

Arthur has no intentions of leaving it at that, but Merlin's sudden order to undress takes him by surprise. "You don't beat around the bush, huh?" Grinning, he does as instructed and takes off his shirt.

From:

ayoungboy

Merlin flushes a little and rolls his eyes, glancing perfunctorily over Arthur's chest before he's undressing as well, setting his kerchief aside and shrugging off his jacket, finally pulling off his shirt. "Right. I'll need a bowl of water..."

From:

royalpratness

Arthur sneaks a glance at Merlin's bare chest as he makes his way into the ensuite bathroom, returning after a minute with the requested bowl of water. "There you go. What now?"

From:

ayoungboy

"Lie down, flat on your back. May I?" Merlin asks, requesting to sit on the bed as he gratefully takes the bowl of water.

From:

royalpratness

"I usually don't do this until after the third date." Arthur climbs onto his bed, lying down. "Yeah, sure." He gestures at Merlin to sit wherever he likes.

From:

ayoungboy

Merlin laughs, shaking his head and dipping his fingers in the water as he sat cross-legged on Arthur's bed. "You wait till the third?" Merlin teases, waiting for Arthur to lie down. He touched his now-damp fingers just under Arthur's ribcage. "Here?"

From:

royalpratness

"Of course I do. I'm a gentleman." Arthur grins and nods, glancing down at where Merlin is touching him. "Right there, yes."

From:

ayoungboy

"I'm sure." Merlin draws his fingers over the area, dampening the skin in a swirled pattern. "Alright. I'm going to start the spell. It should feel a little funny, but it shouldn't hurt."

From:

royalpratness

"Okay. Go ahead." Arthur keeps lying still, his eyes fixed on Merlin.

From:

ayoungboy

Merlin dipped his hand back into the bowl, closing his eyes for a long, silent moment. Then, he started murmuring the spell, swirling his hand in circles. The bowl began to darken, a deep, red color - the color of the Pendragon pendant.

"..Hider eft funde. On þisse ne middangeard," Merlin chants, slowly raising his hand back out of the water. It was dripping with the red water, somewhat grotesque in nature as the sorceror opened his eyes, gold with magic, and slowly lowered his hand onto Arthur's chest. "Ætíe mé þá þé ic séce - "

From:

royalpratness

There's a tingling feeling where Merlin is touching him but it's not uncomfortable. He had seen Merlin's eyes turn gold before but never so up close. Arthur keeps still, observing Merlin while he works the spell.

From:

ayoungboy

The water dripped from his hand onto the King, moving slowly around the dampened area, arranging itself in the mark that would take shape. Merlin continued chanting, and when he was finished, the water seeped into Arthur's skin. A wave of magic surrounded them, absorbed into the King as well, binding them.

From:

royalpratness

Arthur looks down at the slowly forming mark on his skin as it takes the form of a dragon. "That's it? All done?"

From:

ayoungboy

Merlin didn't answer, eyes still glowing. His fingers tightened on Arthur as his own mark took form, searing the magic into him. Only a soft sound escaped, and then his eyes returned to normal. Merlin smiles kindly. "...yeah, that's it."

From:

royalpratness

Arthur sits up, inspecting both their marks. "I like it. It's like a tattoo, but better."

From:

ayoungboy

"Yeah? Glad you like it." Merlin chuckles, gently removing his hand from Arthur and hovering it over the water bowl. With a murmur and flash of gold, the water returned to the bowl, slowly turning back to normal.

From:

royalpratness

"Thanks." Arthur scratches his head sheepishly. "For agreeing to this in the first place, I mean."

From:

ayoungboy

"If it can help," Merlin shrugs a little, glancing down at the marks and observing the way his own ripples across his skin. "I'm happy to. Sorry about...before. I was a little stressed out..."

From:

royalpratness

"No, don't apologise. It was rude of me to summon you like that." Arthur pulls a face, looking genuinely apologetic.

From:

ayoungboy

"It's alright." It wasn't like people didn't do it all the time anyway. Exactly why he couldn't keep a job, yeah? "Well, I suppose I should be off."

From:

royalpratness

"Yes, it's getting late. Sorry for keeping you so long." Arthur takes his shirt and starts putting it back on. "How about you drop by at some point this week to pick up your phone? I should have it here by Tuesday."