Chapter 28

                                    

                                          


                          
The sun dawned the next morning, late in the sky in respect of the winter. Frost had crept its sneaky way through the grass of Ealdor and sat icy on the bare trees, like an icicle snake. Merlin stretched sleepily in bed as he and Arthur woke up and looked at each other with delicate smiles on their faces, matching. The cold sun streamed thought the windos.
                          
"Good morning sleepy head" smiled Merlin, with a rough voice from sleeping . Arthur's grin grew wider.
                          
"Moring Dollop head" he responded, rolling away from Merlin and stretching. 
                          
"Do you want some breakfast?" asked Merlin, getting out of bed and heading towards the fireplace "Tea?" he asked.  Arthur smiled happily, so content to b able to wake up with his soulmate. 
                          
"That sounds fantastic." He said. Merlin looked at hin and grinned. Good light shone in his eyes as he bent down to light the fire. A small gold spark sparked out of his pointing finger and fritzed out with a fizzle. A shivering shudder ran through him and he collapsed to the floor by the harth. 
                          
"Merlin!" Arthur cried, flying across the room to his collapsed soulmate, pulling him into his arms. 
                          
"I'm fine" Merlin said and waved a hand "I just.....stood up too fast" Arthur frowned but didn't push. He knew Merlin's magic was suffering more and more as the time went passed, but he seemed determined to continue as sif nothing had changed and he was bound to get himself hurt. Still Arthur didn't want to remind him. He helped Merlin to the chair by the table and lit the fire the old fashioned way.
                          
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and Gwen's cheerful voice filtered through the wood.
                          
"Are you decent? Can we come in!" she called. Barely waiting for an answer, the door swung open, revealing Gwen: rosy cheeked in the cold and Lancelot, looking dark and mysterious, but deeply content. 
                          
"We...well we have something to tell you" Gwen said, fighting a smile a blush all over her face.

"What is it?" Merlin asked, a puzzled frown warry with a smile across his pallid face.

"Well, I mean, we thought that uhm, we should, you know....Lancelot?" Gwen babbled flaling her hands in front of her face befoe turning to her partner stood next to her as a comforting presense, smiling comfortively.

"We decided to get married" He supplied and Gwen turned back to the par with an abeaming grin, looking nervously between the two.

"Ohmigosh Gwen!! That's amazing!" MErlin shreiked and grabbed her in a hug then pulled Lancelot in as well, squishing them together in his zealot.

"Merlin...." Arthur said amidst the happy squeals.

"When are you thinking? Do you have anything to wear? i can try and magic something for you...." Merlin continued.

"Merlin!" Arthur said, louder, to no affect.

"Have you told your dad? Is he giving you away? What plans have you made?"

"MERLIN!!" Arthur yelled at him and Merlin looked over his shoulder at him in surprise. "You are choking Lancelot" Arthur finished. Merlin let go of the hug suddenly and the man in queistion rubbed his throat.

"I'm so sorry!" Merlin said apologeticly but Lancelot wave him off.

"No harm done" he said, even a brus with dead by excitable warlock could wipe the smile from his face.

"We don't want to wait. We don't need much, just some flowers and a grove....we were going to ask Gaius, so it's blessed by the old and new religion!" Lancelot explained, as Arthur shook his hand before pulling him into a hug and slapping him on the back.

"Welcome to the family!" he said, then dropping his voice down low "Hurt her and I'll throw you in the dungeons o Camelot" Gwen overheard and rolled her eys.

"Calm down, baby brother" she said patting him on the shoulder. "If he hurts me, I'LL throw him in there myself" she grinned wickedly, while holding Lanelot's chin and giving it a quick squeeze of affection.
                          
"We wanted to ask you something too, Merlin" said Gwen turning into him. Arthur glanced between then.  
                          
"Oh?" he asked.
                          
"Yes, Merlin. I've always considered you my closest friend, and I'd be honoured if you'd stand up for me at the cermeony." The bride groom said, slightly embarrassed.
                          
"Really?! Be your best man!? Even though I encouraged stealing all those times?!" Merlin squealed. "Lance, I'd freaking love to!" He smiled happily with glee, glad for his friend.
                          
"I'm going to ask Morgana to be my maid of honour!" revealed Gwen, sliding her hand into Merlin's "come on, I've got so much to plan! We need food, and music and I need a dress - I want one embrodened with swans: they're a symbol of an everlasting bond" and she dragged him off, looking bemused. Arthur and Lancelot, left together, shared a look.
                          
"You don't need much?" Arhtur asked: brow raised sarcastically. Lance rolled his eyes with a grown.
                          
"It's lucky it's the wrong seasons, else we'd have real swans." Arthur joked.

"Oh gosh, don't speak too loud, she'll get ideas," responded Lancelot. There was a moment of pause before they both burst out laughing raucuously.

Arthur didn't see Merlin for the rest of the day, he was so busy with Gwen making plans for her wedding. The date was set for two dates time so many plans were to be made in a short space of time, but when he stumbled back into the house, he was pale and drawn and staggered on a chair and collapsed, exchausted.

"Merlin!" Athur cried in alam and rushed over to him. The inky haired man gave him a week smile.

"I might have over done it" he said wantonly, with his eyes glimmering dully over the deap purple bags beneath them.

"Why would you do that you know it's hurting you!" Arthur scolded him rubbing his hands, cold for excertion.

"I wanted Gwen to have nice things" He replied, looking down sadly. Arthur sighed, he couldn't be mad about that.

"What did you do?" He asked gently crouching in from of him in his chair.

"Her dress. Not from scratch she had a lovely one already, we just added some decorations. And a train. And...some flower that will never die."

"What else?" Athur said probingly, he knew Merlin wouldn't just stop there if he could help himself.

"That was it!" Merlin protesting, eyes wide in innocanece.

"Merlin." Arthur said stenly with a indulgant smile.

"I may have bloomed her flowers. And put them in stasis and decorated the grove." The jet-haired man muttered, rolling his eyes to avoid looking at his partner.

"..." Arthur said.

"...I might have tried to create swans, but then I couldn't, and I gave lizard wings." Almost on queue, a small scaly head poped up over his shoulder "He is called Frank."
                          
"Merlin..."Arthur sighed "What am I going to do with you?" Mrerlin's only answer was a cheeky grin. Frank fluttered on his shoulder.