Love, Faith and Family

Chapter 82

Though they were still bedridden, the knights were awake and talking, Gaius' remedy having healed them.

And while everyone gathered around them, Miriam sat on a fence at the edge of the town, her hair blowing with the wind as she took slow breaths trying to be calm in the moment as she watched the sunrise.

"Miriam."

Her heart skipped a beat as her breath hitched and she almost lost her balance on the fence.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," Arthur said.

"What do you want Arthur?" she asked tiredly.

"You were almost killed today. I wanted to see if you were alright."

Miriam scoffed.

"Now you care?"

"I know I deserve that, but I don't want to fight with you, Miriam."

"And I wanted the man I loved to be the one to save me from Morgana's torture, but we don't always get what we want because he didn't trust me or love me and believed that I betrayed him."

Her heart hammered in her chest as she jumped down from the fence, voice rising in time with her anger.

"I may have been fooled into believing that you betrayed me but never, for one second, doubt my love for you," Arthur said softly, surely, without an ounce of hesitation. "I said that I would give up my throne for the chance to be with you and I still would. Because you are the only person I've ever loved that didn't end up betraying me. So, please," Arthur asked as he took small steps towards her, only continuing when she didn't back away. "Please, I'm only asking for a chance. One chance to prove that I trust you absolutely because these last few days without you have been the worst days of my life. Please give me a chance to prove my words."

Her bottom lip trembled as she debated the choice before her.

It technically wasn't his fault.

Arthur had been influenced by Agravaine, but he still chose to believe him.

Honestly, it could go either way.

"One chance," she relented, slightly intrigued at how he was going to prove this.

His shoulders sagged with relief as he exhaled.

"Thank you. I promise I'll make it up to you."

"I'll believe it when I see it," she shrugged.

Arthur said no more as he then escorted her towards their horses.

"Mira? Where are you going?" Merlin asked as he walked out of the knight's room.

"I have no idea, but we'll meet you back in Camelot."

"Are you sure about this?" Merlin asked, glancing at Arthur.

"I guess we'll find out."

And Miriam spurred her horse forward after Arthur.

******************************************************************

The silence was heavy.

Neither had said a word as they rode through the woods and Arthur was quite surprised Miriam had lasted so long without asking where they were going.

For several hours they rode until eventually, they came to a stop when the sun was high in the sky.

"Why are we stopping here?" she asked, finally breaking the silence as they arrived at a cliff's edge, the highest cliff in all of Camelot. "Did you make a wrong turn?"