Not Now, Not Ever

by JulieGee

Chapter 9

A year had passed since Uther's death. The country had finished mourning the loss of one King, and celebrating the ascension of another. A picnic in the summer sun was just what the busy rulers needed.

A warm wind caressed Merlin's skin as he played with a blade of grass. Arthur's head rested on his stomach. He was snoring softly. Morgana and Gwen... the Lady Gwen, he reminded himself, nibbled on an assortment of snacks from the basket. Sir Kevin and Sir Chris, formally Uther's guards and now Arthur's, lay on the blanket looking up at the sky. Merlin's maidservant laughed as her boyfriend tickled her feet lightly. She had the day off, but she often chose to spend it with Merlin and Arthur, if they weren't too busy ruling.

Some children ran by tossing flowers at each other. A yellow petal from a rose drifted in the air. Merlin grabbed it, memories flooding back. He put it in his palm and blew on it lightly. It drifted on the wind and landed on the blanket beside Gwen. She promptly picked it up as he knew she would. As she had done more than a year ago. She paused as she looked at him in surprise. He winked back, a smile spreading across his face. Gwen laughed. Finally, the missing piece of the puzzle. She would be sure to tell Morgana once they were back in the castle.

Suddenly a dark shape blanketed the sky. With a soft "whooosh" the dragon landed beside them. Much like Uther, It's hatred had disappeared with the healing power of the golden wave. Much had been forgiven in the following days. It walked over to them, stomped really, and tapped Arthur on the stomach with one of it's massive claws. Arthur stretched sleepily and opened his eyes.

"BOO," said the dragon.

Arthur screamed as his eyes opened wide with terror. After he caught his breath, he yelled "I told you not to do that!" It was the same snort that had woken him up that morning, and it had the same effect. It was hard to remain calm when a huge dragon nostril was pressed up against the open window, breathing in and out, turning the bedroom into a brimstone-scented hurricane.

"AND I TOLD YOU I DON'T CARE," the dragon boomed as everyone in the park covered their ears, laughing. "HMM... PERHAPS YOU'D LIKE TO PLAY ANOTHER GAME?"

Arthur paled. He most certainly did not!

A few months ago, at a picnic much like this one, the dragon scampered about on the grass playing with some children. It was surprisingly nimble for such a huge creature. The children laughed as they ran towards the trees. Just before they reached them, the dragon's hand slammed into the ground around them, making a cage with it's claws.

"CAUGHT YOU!" it said, it's laughter nearly deafening.

The game complete, it wandered over to the picnic area. "I'LL BET I CAN CATCH YOU, PENDRAGON!" Arthur was intrigued. He glanced at the trees. If he dodged as he ran, he might just make it.

"Sure," he said with a smile.

Unfortunately for him "Catch the Children" and "Catch the Pendragon" were VERY different games.

As Arthur plummeted towards the tiny towers of Camelot for the fourth time, screaming like a little girl, he prayed the dragon was very good at catch.

His friends watched them from the park, laughing uncontrollably as the dragon caught him and started to climb into the sky again. Merlin turned to the Dean.

"Gaius, has the Academy calculated the speed of a flare spell?" he asked.

Gaius looked thoughtful. "Yes, about two thousand feet per second." He raised his hand and shot a ball of white light into the air. About five seconds later, the dragon ate it as it continued to climb.

"Well, that must be quite a view," Gwen mused as the dragon drew back its arm and hurled a tiny speck of red towards the ground for the fifth time.

Eventually the dragon tired of the game. It flung Arthur towards his group of friends and caught him a few feet above the ground, putting him down gently beside them. The hysterical King continued screaming for several seconds. The dragon studied him curiously.

"I DIDN'T KNOW A HUMAN MALE COULD MAKE THAT SOUND," it said.

Morgana laughed. "No one knew a human male could make that sound, Dragon."

The dragon's chuckle brought Merlin back to the present. "PERHAPS ANOTHER TIME, PENDRAGON."

Merlin closed his eyes as he lay on the ground with a wistful look on his face. Some of his fondest memories were of that day.

The King hadn't enjoyed himself as much as the others. Little girl, indeed! Arthur had clearly needed to reassure himself of his masculinity. He thrusted into Merlin with far more vigor than usual. Merlin thanked his massive friend profusely the next morning.

The sorcerer noticed the light beginning to fade. A warm rain started to fall on them. The women laughed as they frantically gathered up the blankets. The knights joined them in their laughter as they packed the picnic basket.

Merlin smiled. He could have raised a shield to protect them from the rain, but he was the one who brought in the first place. What fun was a picnic if they didn't get wet at the end of it?

He sighed contentedly, remembering his dinner appointment with the Lady Hunith. They'd have to hurry if he was going to be on time. The picnic basket packed up, he kissed Arthur, grabbed his hand and headed for the castle at a run.

A few hours later, Arthur and Merlin sat in their chambers playing a game of chess as they discussed the events of the day. Gradually, Arthur focused more and more of his attention on the board.

Merlin had already beat him three times, and appeared well on the way to a fourth victory. He tried to think several moves ahead as his father had taught him, but Merlin was always a step ahead of him. He grew increasingly frustrated as piece after piece of his white army disappeared from the board. Then, for the fourth time, Merlin checkmated him with his queen.

Arthur lost his temper. He picked up the queen and threw it at Merlin. The Archmage had anticipated this. Uther had never taught his son to accept a loss graciously. He dodged. The queen flew through the air before it shattered a window and flew off into the night. A few seconds later they heard the sound of ivory striking some unfortunate guard's helmet. A loud string of very creative curses followed.

The symbolism of the piece's flight was lost on neither of them.

"Maybe we shouldn't play chess anymore. I never win," Arthur grumbled as he tried to hide his smile.

Merlin agreed. "Something makes me think if I win again, I'll be the next queen to go flying through the window."

Both laughed so hard they fell out of their chairs and rolled on the floor.

What Arthur might lack in patience he made up for in stamina. As their lovemaking entered it's fourth hour Merlin was very glad Arthur was on top. He was tired, but he had to make sure he didn't fall asleep yet. The only time that had happened before, Arthur stomped around the castle fuming for two days. He did NOT like his skill as a lover being called into question.

Arthur switched positions as their lavender-oiled bodies slid against each other. Merlin gasped with pleasure as he raked his lover's back with his fingernails. He decided even a fifth hour wasn't out of the question.

Time passed as it does, and everything must come to an end. Centuries after their deaths, a powerful magic no one could have foreseen moved against Camelot. All fought valiantly, but in the end the city was destroyed, even the dust of its stones blown away by the wind. Until the last of the chronicles burned in the onslaught, one true illustration of their time remained.

Sunlight poured in through the windows of the throne room. Arthur sat upon his throne in brilliant battle armour, Excalibur shining in his hand, his golden crown gleaming in the sunlight. Morgana stood beside him, resting her arm on his shoulder.

On the throne at Arthur's right side, always at his right side, sat Merlin, Archmage of Camelot. Gwen's hand rested on his shoulder. A dark blue robe embroidered with silver stars flowed around him, accented by a red scarf at his throat. Upon his brow rested a halo of soft white light, tipped at a rakish angle.

The picture might have been one of many others illustrating the historical Kings and Archmages of Camelot. The one great difference was the arms of their thrones. There was only one armrest between them. It was all they needed as they held hands, bonded by their love.

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The End

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A/N: I hope you enjoyed this story. Please let me know if you did. I love reviews. Don't worry if you read it months after this chapter's published. Reviews let me know if I've done something right, or if I should do something different in the future.

I'd also like to draw your attention to another story I've just started. It's called "Unending Passion." It's a very different kind of story. It's set in the present day (give it a chance!) and follows the lives of Merlin and Arthur through their first meeting at the age of four, their high school years, the birth and growth of their children, and the achievement of their destiny.

It's darker, it's intense, and it's funny. I think many of you will enjoy it as well. I've posted the first chapter of the new story at the same time I posted the last chapter of this one. You can find it by searching under the name "Unending Passion." It's rated 'M'. You can also find it by clicking on my bio and selecting it from the list of "My Stories" at the bottom of the page.

I hope you'll like reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it.

Cheers!

JulieGee