Thaumaturgy

Chapter 12

Arthur topped in his track and turned to the other man.

"Camelot?" he hissed, looking at his soulmate sharply through the corner of his eye. He looka round bewilded. "It can't be Merlin, it's so... So grey." said Arthur, struggling to come to terms with the poverty and desolution that twisted through the kingdom that should have been his and had once been so frand. When he responded, Merlin spoke gentle, holding Arthur's hands in his.

"The earth speaks of Camelot, I have heard rumours of the tyranny of Uther's reign from every corner of the world. Look into your heart, Arthur, you know this to be true." Merlin said to him, looking about him to ensure none of the paupers begging for money were eavesropping.

"We have to do something to help these people. To put a stop to they're suffering," said Arthur Merlin, in a voice lanced with emotions as thick as the sheet of ice that frosted over the singular greystone well in the centre of Ealdor in the long winter moths; but his voice wasfar more warm. Merlin's responding smiling was blinding in its sunny brightness, he went on his tip toes so he could kiss Arthirs nose.

"Goddess, Arthur, I love you. You're such a sweet guy, and once the people find out you're the rightful heir, they'll have to be on your side! He said, lacing his fingers into the much blunter fingers of the other man as he spoke, his eyes burning with awe and convict. Arthur blushed bright red and tried to hide his answering grin.

"But first we need to find our way home!" exclaimed Merlin happily.

"Lets get out of this pig sty it smells bad." Arthur replied, wrinkling up his nose in emphasis at the badness of the smell of the pig sty. Melrin nodded in agreement and pulled a grimacing face. They laced their hands together and then they peered around the door to insure the guards has past. They looked at each other with exaleted grins and left the sty for the muddy srteets of the township. They kept their eyes down so as not to attarct attaention and heaed fro the part of town with less people to come up with a plan.

Soon the pair found themselfs in a small courtyard with a dried-up well, empty of people except for a stray dog.

"Now what?" Arthur asked, feeling a bit more conformtable with less people around.

"I'm going to have to see if I can find another portal and hope it takes us home. They're powerful magic, so whoever made it will be strong" Merlin said with a casual shrug, but he was trying to cover up the fact that he was a bit scared by such powerful magic.

"I've been thinking Merlin...what if It's a trap? Wy else would there be a wormhole in the middle of nowhere, that leads to Camelot?"

"Maybe it was an accident. Nothing bad has happened to us so if it's a trap it's a bad one!" Merlin said with a cheeky grin.

"I don't know..." Arthur frowned and bit his lip; Merlin's heart melted at the sight. As much as he hated to see Arthur worried, he just looked for freaking cute!

"Look, I'll look for another portal, if I can't find one, we'll try something else. We'll get home, I promise." Merlin and Arthur's gazes met, blue eyes on blue, refracting each pthers love like the way the blue of the calm sky is reflected in the hues of the vast ocean, ewith a strong undercurrent of emotion, like the undercurrant of a stormy sea: always so close, right necxt to eachothrr, but never to meet lest the sky fall down from the heavans.

"Okay" Arthur took Merlins hands in his own and they smiled softly at eachother.

"Okay" Merlin said and closed his eyes. "Ostende mihi ianuam" he chanted and opened his eye again. They glowed gold. Suddenly Merlin doubled over in pain with a gasp.