Love, Faith and Family

Chapter 52

"Mira!" Merlin exclaimed as the girl burst into Arthur's chambers in search of Arthur or her brother. "Where've you been?! We've been worried sick?!"

"Are you ok?" Arthur asked as she pulled away from Merlin.

"I'm fine," she promised before wrapping her arms around Arthur, the prince relieved to have her back and reluctant to let her go.

"What happened to you?" Arthur asked and Miriam's expression was grave as she faced the two men.

"Cenred. He took me and Gwen."

"Why? What for?!" Merlin asked.

"Did he hurt you?" Arthur questioned at the same time, a hand still on her back.

"He got way too close to me than I was comfortable with but no, he didn't hurt me," she answered, her hand resting on Arthur's arm as he pulled her back to him for another hug, Miriam taking comfort in the sound of his beating heart.

"What did he want from you and Gwen?"

"He doesn't just have Gwen, he also has her brother," Miriam answered, her cheek still pressed to Arthur's chest as she looked at her brother.

"Why did he let you go?" Arthur asked and Miriam pulled away from him.

"I have a week to bring you to him or he kills them both," she said to Arthur, eyes misty with worry and guilt.

"Sit down and tell us everything," Arthur said as he guided her to a chair and so she did.

And so they came up with a plan to rescue Gwen and her brother.

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Later that very same afternoon, Miriam had changed into her armour after reuniting with Gaius. They'd also discovered that the only way Cenred could've known about Arthur and Miriam's feelings for one another was from Morgana, Gwen probably having told her. Morgana was feeding information to Cenred which shouted out more than ever that they were heading into a trap, but Arthur was all for it.

So they'd geared up and were ready to leave only to discover that Morgana was accompanying them, and while Merlin could voice his protest, Miriam couldn't.

Not even as they made camp and Morgana went off by herself to get firewood.

"Go get some more firewood, would you Merlin?" Arthur ordered his servant as he gave up trying to light the fire with the flint he had.

"I thought Morgana was doing that," he said as he unclipped his saddlebag and threw it over his shoulder, preparing to take down his bedroll next.

"Go and see if she's alright," Arthur insisted.

"Why wouldn't she be?" Merlin chuckled.

"I don't know. Maybe there are wolves in these woods," Arthur said and Miriam laughed from where she was unclipping her own saddlebag, drawing the boys attention to her.

"Can't you tell, big brother, that Arthur is asking you to leave so he can spend time alone with me?"

Arthur then went bright red as Merlin smiled.

"I should probably go and check on Morgana. The wolves," he exclaimed as he set his things down before running off.

"Could you at least let me think that I was being subtle about it?" Arthur asked.

"Are you going to help me or not?" Miriam asked with a sweet smile as she gestured to the saddlebag on her shoulder.

Arthur shook his head as he walked over, taking the back from her as she began to unstrap her bedroll and Arthur returned to attempting to start the fire.

"Are you worried about Gwen?" he asked as she get her bedroll off the horse.

"Of course, I'm worried about Gwen. She's my friend," Miriam answered before taking a seat next to Arthur. "I can't stop worrying about her."

"When Hengist kidnapped you both, were you worried for her then?" Arthur asked as he turned to her.

"More so than for myself."

"And what happened?"

Her smile was small as her eyes flitted from Arthur's to his lips and back.

"You and Merlin came and saved us."

"And just like last time, we will save them. So stop worrying," he said as she smiled at him again before he went back to attempting to light the fire.

"Give it to me. I can't bear to watch you struggle any longer," she said as she dropped to her knees and took the flint from him, two scrapes of it and the small pile of wood and grass burst into flames, Arthur giving her a look and Miriam could only smirk.

"I grew up on a farm where we didn't have anyone to light our fires for us. I could do that with my eyes closed."

"No one likes a bragger," Arthur said and Miriam laughed before meeting Arthur's eyes and watching as he shamelessly stared at her lips.

Like magnets they were drawn to each other, the distance between their lips growing smaller and smaller, but just as Arthur's brushed hers, they sprang apart as Merlin and Morgana returned, Miriam pretending to look busy as she placed a pot over the fire.

"I think I dropped a twig back there. Would you like me to go and get it?" Merlin asked, a bundle of firewood in his arms as his sister smiled but Arthur was just annoyed. So business as usual.

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"I don't understand why we're not dead already," Merlin said as he, Miriam and Arthur sat with their backs against the wall of the cell in Cenred's dungeon, the group having been ambushed on their way in through the tunnels. They were only captured, however, because all the guards that swarmed the labyrinth went for Miriam, knowing Arthur would surrender as they held a blade to her throat.

"Cause Cenred will want to torture me first, find out what I know," Arthur answered, and Miriam's eyes snapped to him, her having been seated between the two boys.

"Aren't you afraid?" Merlin asked.

"No, not in the slightest."

"You're not afraid of pain?" Miriam asked with a raised brow.

"I am afraid of pain, there's just not going to be any," Arthur said and Miriam seemed to follow his thinking as she finally understood why he wasn't looking at them, he was analysing the room.

"Right. So you go into some sort of trance?" Merlin asked and both of them gave him a weird look.

"What are you talking about?" Arthur asked.

"Because he's talking about how we're going to escape and rescue the others so no one feels any pain," Miriam filled in as Arthur stood and Merlin smiled.

"You've got a plan."

"Not as such," he answered as he looked from the door to the ceiling.

"Well," Miriam said as she stood, dusting off her pants and hands. "I don't know about you boys, but I'm ready to get the hell out of here."