Chicken Surprise
Merlin entered the King’s chambers to find Arthur sitting at his desk waiting for him and looking down at a chicken in front of him. A very dead chicken “This can’t be good”he thought to himself
“ Why’ve you got a dead chicken?” He asked, wondering if there was any way a chicken could be thought of as magical or some such thing.
“I killed it”Arthur told him
“Why? What did it do to you?”Merlin joked
Arthur ignored him, and said “As you know it is mine and Guinevere’s first anniversary today”
“Yes I remember, I reminded you about it yesterday actually”Merlin said
“Yes, I know that” Arthur said, scowling and waving his hand, as if he didn’t need the reminder that he’d had to be reminded.
“And I want to do something special for her”he continued. “Remember that time when I stayed at her house when I was fighting in the tournament pretending to be a farmer? And one night I cooked her dinner?”
‘Umm, you didn’t cook her dinner that night, I brought you a meal from the kitchen if I remember correctly”
“Yes, yes,” Arthur waved his hands again “But not this time, tonight we’re going to have this chicken!”Arthur said triumphantly waving it around.
“Oh, so you want me to tell the kitchen not to prepare you both a meal as you’ll be cooking then?”
“No, I want you to tell the kitchen staff not to prepare us a meal as you’ll be doing the cooking”
“What”Merlin exclaimed
“Well, you can’t expect me to skin the animal and cook it do you, I’m the King and have to attend the council meetings, train the knights and I’ll just be too busy”
“You don’t skin a chicken Arthur, you pluck it”
“There you go then! Have fun”
“So what’s the surprise then?”Merlin asked wearily
“She’ll think that I cooked it, she won’t know the difference, just don’t use the the kitchen plates will you? Last time they were a dead giveaway”
“Fine” Merlin grabbed the chicken off the desk and went to leave
“Remember Merlin, it’s a surprise, so I don’t want her finding out”
“She’ll figure it out” Merlin warned him
“No she won’t”Arthur assured him, “as long as you don’t blab or anything to her”
“Fine”Merlin stomped out of the room with the dead chicken swinging from his hands.
“Great” he mumbled to himself as he made his way to the palace kitchens, “as if I didn’t have enough to do already, now I have to pluck and cook a chicken”
He went to the kitchens where he plucked it, stuffed it, trussed it and roasted it, along with vegetables and Gwen’s favourite pudding. He even managed to decorate the table with some flowers and candles.
“This looks lovely”Gwen said as she walked in with Arthur.
Arthur blinked in surprise but recovered nicely and said to her “yes I did everything myself, Surprise, Happy Anniversary”
Gwen smiled knowingly
Merlin served the dinner as normal, both King and Queen tucking in heartedly, and stood back, waiting to see the reaction to dinner
“If that is all” he prompted
“Oh, yes Merlin, you can go”
“ Oh and Merlin” Gwen added smiling at him “Delicious chicken as always, thankyou”
“ Hey, I cooked it” Arthur exclaimed
“ Did you?, what did you put in it then” Gwen asked sweetly, but somewhat sceptically , Arthur thought.
“ Errr, Chicken” Arthur replied
“ and” Gwen prompted, still smiling sweetly
“ and.... stuff” Arthur replied, lamely, knowing that the gig was up. “ All right, I didn’t cook it, but how did you know?”
He turned to Merlin “ You blabbed, didn’t you?”
“ I certainly did not! ” Merlin said defensively
Gwen laughed, “ Didn’t you know that Merlin’ s chicken is well-renowned throughout the Palace? It’ s even better than the head cook’s. I thought everybody knew. I’m sorry Arthur, there is no way you could have cooked this”
“I had no idea” Arthur muttered
“ Surprised?” Merlin asked, feeling rather pleased with himself.
‘ Yes, I suppose I am” Arthur admitted “ Next time I’ll make you cook something you’re no good at, now you can go and get pudding”
“ Yes, Sire” he left the room, and said under his breath smugly and just loudly enough for Arthur to hear, “Good luck with that then"
“ Why’ve you got a dead chicken?” He asked, wondering if there was any way a chicken could be thought of as magical or some such thing.
“I killed it”Arthur told him
“Why? What did it do to you?”Merlin joked
Arthur ignored him, and said “As you know it is mine and Guinevere’s first anniversary today”
“Yes I remember, I reminded you about it yesterday actually”Merlin said
“Yes, I know that” Arthur said, scowling and waving his hand, as if he didn’t need the reminder that he’d had to be reminded.
“And I want to do something special for her”he continued. “Remember that time when I stayed at her house when I was fighting in the tournament pretending to be a farmer? And one night I cooked her dinner?”
‘Umm, you didn’t cook her dinner that night, I brought you a meal from the kitchen if I remember correctly”
“Yes, yes,” Arthur waved his hands again “But not this time, tonight we’re going to have this chicken!”Arthur said triumphantly waving it around.
“Oh, so you want me to tell the kitchen not to prepare you both a meal as you’ll be cooking then?”
“No, I want you to tell the kitchen staff not to prepare us a meal as you’ll be doing the cooking”
“What”Merlin exclaimed
“Well, you can’t expect me to skin the animal and cook it do you, I’m the King and have to attend the council meetings, train the knights and I’ll just be too busy”
“You don’t skin a chicken Arthur, you pluck it”
“There you go then! Have fun”
“So what’s the surprise then?”Merlin asked wearily
“She’ll think that I cooked it, she won’t know the difference, just don’t use the the kitchen plates will you? Last time they were a dead giveaway”
“Fine” Merlin grabbed the chicken off the desk and went to leave
“Remember Merlin, it’s a surprise, so I don’t want her finding out”
“She’ll figure it out” Merlin warned him
“No she won’t”Arthur assured him, “as long as you don’t blab or anything to her”
“Fine”Merlin stomped out of the room with the dead chicken swinging from his hands.
“Great” he mumbled to himself as he made his way to the palace kitchens, “as if I didn’t have enough to do already, now I have to pluck and cook a chicken”
He went to the kitchens where he plucked it, stuffed it, trussed it and roasted it, along with vegetables and Gwen’s favourite pudding. He even managed to decorate the table with some flowers and candles.
“This looks lovely”Gwen said as she walked in with Arthur.
Arthur blinked in surprise but recovered nicely and said to her “yes I did everything myself, Surprise, Happy Anniversary”
Gwen smiled knowingly
Merlin served the dinner as normal, both King and Queen tucking in heartedly, and stood back, waiting to see the reaction to dinner
“If that is all” he prompted
“Oh, yes Merlin, you can go”
“ Oh and Merlin” Gwen added smiling at him “Delicious chicken as always, thankyou”
“ Hey, I cooked it” Arthur exclaimed
“ Did you?, what did you put in it then” Gwen asked sweetly, but somewhat sceptically , Arthur thought.
“ Errr, Chicken” Arthur replied
“ and” Gwen prompted, still smiling sweetly
“ and.... stuff” Arthur replied, lamely, knowing that the gig was up. “ All right, I didn’t cook it, but how did you know?”
He turned to Merlin “ You blabbed, didn’t you?”
“ I certainly did not! ” Merlin said defensively
Gwen laughed, “ Didn’t you know that Merlin’ s chicken is well-renowned throughout the Palace? It’ s even better than the head cook’s. I thought everybody knew. I’m sorry Arthur, there is no way you could have cooked this”
“I had no idea” Arthur muttered
“ Surprised?” Merlin asked, feeling rather pleased with himself.
‘ Yes, I suppose I am” Arthur admitted “ Next time I’ll make you cook something you’re no good at, now you can go and get pudding”
“ Yes, Sire” he left the room, and said under his breath smugly and just loudly enough for Arthur to hear, “Good luck with that then"