onceandfutureprat | .034 - backdated to the end of port

[Strangely enough, Merlin doesn't know how that sounds - but he knows exactly what Arthur sounds like when he can't find the breath to let out more than one word at a time, and it's still the worst sound he's ever heard.

He's still bone-tired and aching from his own experiences in port, but he finds the necessary reserves of energy to go looking for his friend, eventually finding him half-upright on the deck.

There's blood on his chainmail. Merlin runs the rest of the way.]

Arthur-!

[Arthur flinches a little, like the sound of Merlin's voice pulled him out of a daze that he was falling into. He is not going to pass out (well he might pass out) but he can't remember the last time he hurt like this.]

Took you long enough. [If he can tease Merlin, then he's still fine, right? Right.]

[Merlin laughs, but it looks pained.]

You could've given me a clue where you were, you great prat. This isn't really a time for games.

[He crouches down alongside Arthur, pressing his hand over the wound.]

Ic pe purhhæle pinu licsar.

You can't use your magic to do that? [Arthur huffs out at him, wincing hard when Merlin even just so much as brushes his wound. But the pain starts to fade soon after and he can actually draw a breath without wanting to cough out his good lung.]

[The technical answer is 'kind of' but not when he's panicking.]

No, I'll just have to put a bell on you.

[He lets go and rocks back on his heels.]

Better?

[Laughing still hurts a little but he manages a small one at that, pausing for a moment before he finally nods. Yes, it's better.]

Yes, thank you.

[The whole thing had left her more than a little shaken, and she hadn't known how to help him - Arya knows how to hurt, she knows how to kill quickly and painlessly or slow and agonizing, but she doesn't know how to heal. She doesn't know anything about fixing people, so when they come back, and Arthur's hurt, she sits tight with Nymeria, clinging to the direwolf's fur without realizing it.

Only when Merlin comes and does his eye-glowing thing does she push herself up, and when Arthur laughs, she - will she manages not to fling herself at him, what with the recent injury, but she does duck in for a very quick hug.]

I'm sorry, I'm sorryI'msorryI'msorry!

[At least they don't have to track Arya down.

Any pain that he's feeling is mostly residual after Merlin works his magic, and he might stiffen a little when she hugs him but it's easily ignored as he moves an arm around her too.

She's safe and he'll recover. She saw the truth before it was ultimately too late. The rest doesn't matter.]

It's alright, Arya.

[That's when she realizes she's still crying, that her face is probably a wet, dirty mess, and she doesn't care about that so much right now, but she still doesn't want to be seen crying. Choking back a hiccup, she just buries her face against his shoulder, trying not to let Arthur or Merlin see.]

[But it's obvious enough, and Merlin hardly needs to be a master of subtlety to tell that this is now officially a moment that he's intruding on.

He straightens and gives Arthur a nod which effectively communicates 'you'll be fine and we'll talk later', because they've known each other long enough now to be that eloquent without saying anything. And then he's heading away to leave them to it.]

[Arthur nods back, promising to come find Merlin when he's done here with that simple movement.

He tightens his grip on Arya, it is clear she's crying but he won't point that out. He's touched really, that she is crying over him, and apologizing for something that wasn't really even her fault. It was that place, those things.]

Are you going to let me get up?

[She knows when Merlin leaves, and lifts her head enough to see him go. She should thank him, she knows, but the words aren't there, now. No words are, and it's a long moment before she lets go of him, sits up on her knees with a sniff and a swiped arm across her face. She almost doesn't care that she's crying, because she can't stop and can't hide it, and it sucks.]

I guess, [she mumbles, but immediately her eyes dart to his again.] Robb wouldn't've, [she blurts out.] Robb - the real Robb, he wouldn't...he wouldn't have...

[Arthur pushes himself to his feet, slowly because he's still kind of adjusting to the fact that Merlin healed him, even though he asked for it. It's not that he's afraid of Merlin's magic anymore, but it's still weird to have a punctured lung one moment and then be able to walk it off a moment later.]

I know that. I'm just glad that you realized those shades for what they were before it was too late.

[She gets up slowly with him, looking like she's ready to catch him if she has to (because that would go so well). She sniffs, and wipes her nose on the back of her hand.]

I wanted to stay with them. [Her voice is small, because she's afraid of what that means: she would have stayed, if Robb hadn't attacked, she would have stayed with them forever.]

[Arthur doesn't doubt that she would have tried to stay with them if Robb hadn't attacked. But she probably underestimates how much he, Jesse and hopefully Toshiko would have done to keep that from happening.]

Jesse and I wouldn't have let you stay with those monsters, Arya.

[She underestimates a lot of things about Arthur and Jesse - and probably Toshiko, too. She looks down and away, out over the rail.]

They didn't look like monsters. Not at first. [She looks almost sheepish when she glances back up at him.] I feel stupid.

You shouldn't. [Even the best of them do stupid things because of magic.]

You should feel strong. You saw them for what they were eventually. And you fought them off.

I stabbed her. [Not her mother, but - it was, at the same time. She rubs her hands against her breeches, uncomfortable.] I killed her.

I think it's safe to assume whatever that thing was, it was already dead.

She was in the water. [And she doesn't want to look at him, now, because she can still feel where her clothes are wet from hugging it, and it makes her shudder.] They cut her throat. What happened to her face?

[The gouges had been deep and bloodless when she'd finally seen them, and she wonder how she'd ever known it was her mother at all.

Nymeria had known, in her dream. When she pulled her from the water. She scrusb at her face.]

I wish I knew.

[Arthur could probably guess but he doesn't particularly want to. Especially if it'll only make things worse for her.

He reaches out and puts a hand on her shoulder.]

Come on, let's get you out of those wet clothes.

I can change my own clothes, [she mutters, because it's something that feels natural to say. But she leans into his hand, too, because she's too empty to push away kindness.]

...Arthur?

[Please, he's not going to change you. He can't even change himself out of his chainmail. But he is going to insist and drag her to her room if he must.]

Yes?

[The message comes quite a ways after Arthur's post happens, because Charles has spent most of the immediate time after port making sure Zane wasn't going to die or sleeping. He still sounds worried and worn out when he does manage to reply.]

How are you feeling?

Better, thank you.

Are you alright?

I'm fine. [Which is still weird to hear himself say out loud, but. It's true.]

My inmate had a close call nearing the end, but he's alright, and Erik and the kids are safe, so I'd call that a success.

How's Cat?

I think we've all come to call those a success.

Shaken up, understandably. The port showed her her family. Or what she thought was her family.

[Charles lets out a slow breath.]

I can't imagine what that must have been like for her.

[It's much later, after he separates from Arya and goes back to his room to change out of his bloody clothes (Merlin can heal wounds but he didn't fix his clothes ~~yet~~). The king leaves his chainmail and his shirt in a pile on the floor, either he'll get to them later or Merlin will, it doesn't matter right in that moment.

He makes his way up to Merlin's deck, and knocks on his door once before letting himself in.]

Merlin?

[Not here bro, try the Infirmary.]

[Oh my god, Merlin this isn't how their relationship works. You're supposed to do all the running.

But the Infirmary is the next stop on his list when he realizes that Merlin isn't in his room.]

Merlin?

[Fortunately he shows up in good time to coincide with a lull in Merlin's work, and he smiles over at Arthur when he comes in. It's a relief to see him on his feet and walking, the colour back in his skin and his clothes clean.]

Arthur. [He cracks a faint smile.] She let you go, then.

[Arthur spreads his hands for a moment, almost like a shrug.]

The shade of her brother is what attacked me. That's why she thought it was her fault.

[His smile vanishes, then.]

That's awful. Will she be alright?

Edited 2013-06-05 17:08 (UTC)

[He has to take a moment to answer that, to think it over before nodding slightly.]

It'll take some time, most likely.

.034 - backdated to the end of port

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