[Fic] Flower Chains - for egotists
Title: Flower Chains
Author: Anonymous
Recipient: egotists
Pairing(s)/Character(s): Arthur, Merlin, and Gwen
Warnings: None
Spoilers: Set post Series 2
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1311
Summary: Arthur wanted to know what could possibly be more important than attending the prince, but before he could find out, he walked headlong into his shield which was hovering a good three feet in the air in the entrance of Merlin's room.
Author's Note: egotists, I took your prompt of Arthur finding out about Merlin's magic and ran with it. I hope this doesn't disappoint! I'm sorry for the lack of porn! ♥
Thanks to 'A', 'M', and 'S' for holding my hand tightly and to 'C' for being a fabulous beta of the first degree
Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction - none of this ever happened. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is made from this work. Please observe your local laws with regards to the age-limit and content of this work.
The knowledge did not strike Arthur like a bolt of lightning. It didn't hit hard and fast and drive him to his knees, make him lash out or make him wish to kill. The knowledge came a week after the dragon's departure on a perfectly boring afternoon when he had nothing better to do than go stalk after his errant manservant. Arthur wanted to know what could possibly be more important than attending the prince, but before he could find out, he walked headlong into his shield which was hovering a good three feet in the air in the entrance of Merlin's room.
The shield clattered to the floor with a clang that reverberated through his feet. Arthur brought a hand to his forehead, touching it experimentally but felt no lump forming.
"Sire."
Arthur startled, turning with a stiffness he couldn't shake. He lowered his hand and nodded. "Gaius. I was looking for Merlin."
"He's not here."
Wincing, Arthur took a step forward and gestured toward the open door where his sword was polishing itself. He hadn't noticed that upon entering the room and he swayed, unsteady on his feet for only a moment. Unfortunately, it was long enough for Gaius to notice and move toward him, either feigning blindness to the obviously magical occurrence happening in Merlin's room or too busy fussing over Arthur's appearance to notice.
"I can see that. I'm fine," he added, stepping around the table toward the door. "Is he still in the castle?"
"I'd certainly hope so. I sent him out with medicine for Lord Melbin. His knee has been-"
"Thank you, Gaius. I'll show myself out." Which he did, ignoring the arched eyebrow at his abrupt departure.
Finding Merlin proved more difficult than Arthur anticipated. Lord Melbin's private chambers turned up nothing more than a grouchy older man who was deeply unimpressed withArthur's intrusion. In the kitchens there was just a bunch of startled maids and an irritated cook, and in the stables he found only some horses. And the armory, well, needless to say, Arthur had peeked through the doorway and immediately turned around, face heated and eyes squeezed shut.
People skirted the edges of the halls as Arthur stormed past them, pausing in their work to watch their prince move angrily about the castle.
It wasn't until he was moving across the courtyard that he found anyone helpful at all. "Guinevere!"
She turned in surprise, and as she dipped into an uneven curtsey, her water bucket tipped just enough to slosh water over the edge. "Yes, my lord?"
"Have you seen Merlin?"
"He came to visit me just a short while ago." She readjusted her hold on the heavy wooden bucket and frowned. "Is he in trouble?"
Arthur waved off her concern. "No."
"Well, he mentioned something about picking more herbs for Gaius down at the meadow. He was heading toward the southern gate when I left him." Gwen smiled uncertainly. "Are you all right? You look pale."
"It's not me you should be concerned about," Arthur muttered, bending forward to give her a gentle kiss on the cheek, already eying the gate in the distance with some skepticism. "Will you tell my father I won't be able to join him for dinner this evening?"
"Of course, I-"
Arthur bowed, short and swift, and then squeezed her arm. "Thank you, Guinevere."
Gwen's gaze remained bewildered when he pushed past her to resume his furious pace, no calmer or more certain than he had been earlier. It wasn't a long walk through the woods to the fields and like Guinevere promised, Merlin was sitting in the tall grass, wrestling with a particularily stubborn plant, his face and arms covered in mud.
Arthur stayed in the shadows of the forest, resting against a tree, and kept an eye on Merlin while glancing around to see if anyone else had followed. No one had, but he wasn't terribly surprised. What irritated him was Merlin's complete lack of sense of surroundings. They were not that far from the main city or the castle and Merlin was sitting here plucking flowers and...
A half-dozen purple flowers floated in the air, dancing in a slow circle in front of Merlin's face. Merlin's expression brightened, and at a distance Arthur could see the familiar, deranged grin appear as if this was an excellent reason to be smiling. It was most certainly not. Slowly, the flower stems linked together to form a chain that trailed in the air and settled above Merlin's head, falling in a circlet.
Laughter echoed across the open meadow and bore right into Arthur's chest. He sucked in a strangled breath and let it out to ease the tightness.
"Merlin!" he snapped, stepping out of the forest without thinking. Stepping out into the blinding sunlight without his blasted sword because his lazy, no account manservant could not be arsed to stay in his room and finish the job himself. Stepping out into the blinding sunlight without a sword, with only a dagger and his outrage that Merlin thought he could get away with this, that he could betray Arthur in such a manner without some type of reckoning.
Merlin shrank into the grass, all laughter and smiles long gone by the time Arthur was beside him. Arthur grimaced, digging the heel of his boot into Merlin's stomach.
"Arthur, I-"
"Don't speak."
Merlin fell quiet, a blessing. Arthur's gaze swept along Merlin's prone form, from the flowers in his hair to the muddy tips of his boots.
"Arthur, please, you've got to understand, I couldn't...You weren't meant to ever... I'm so sorry, I meant to-What're you doing here?"
Arthur hissed and clenched his fists. "Do I need to beat you into silence?"
"No," Merlin whispered. His eyes shuttered under Arthur's heated glare, and Arthur could feel Merlin gradually falling into submission beneath his foot. But it wasn't enough.
"Then shut up." Arthur crouched over Merlin's still form and grabbed a fistful of dirty jacket. "Do you know, can you imagine, how disappointed Gaius is in you?"
Merlin opened his mouth to speak, but what came out was not the sure denial he had been waiting for. "I-What?"
"He sent you on an errand this morning. One errand, Merlin and what do you do? You run off to play in a meadow and braid flowers."
"Arthur…?"
"What kind of servant are you?"
"Um."
Arthur released Merlin with a rough shove and stood up, wiping his hands along the seams of his trousers. "When we get back to the castle, I expect an apology for leaving Gaius to tend to your chores. It is not his duty to polish my armor, and I shouldn't have to hunt you down in the middle of the day when I need you."
"I'm sorry?"
"You had better be." Arthur folded his arms and inspected Merlin's prone form one last time, satisfied. "Or you'll find yourself covered in rotten cabbage."
"Right."
Merlin climbed to his feet with a surprising amount of caution, more caution than the situation warranted. Arthur gave Merlin a light push to the shoulder to set him in motion and they were off, heading back to the city and castle at a fast pace.
It wasn't until later that evening, long after Merlin had set about heating Arthur's bathwater, fetching his dinner and preparing him for bed, that Arthur wondered if Guinevere had passed along the message to his father and how much trouble she had endured for her efforts. He would go and properly apologize to her later, perhaps with a nice chicken.
That sounded about right to him.
Arthur hummed, content with himself and the fact that Merlin was sitting in the corner of the room, polishing all of Arthur's boots with a fierce scowl.
Yes, everything was exactly as it should be.
Author: Anonymous
Recipient: egotists
Pairing(s)/Character(s): Arthur, Merlin, and Gwen
Warnings: None
Spoilers: Set post Series 2
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1311
Summary: Arthur wanted to know what could possibly be more important than attending the prince, but before he could find out, he walked headlong into his shield which was hovering a good three feet in the air in the entrance of Merlin's room.
Author's Note: egotists, I took your prompt of Arthur finding out about Merlin's magic and ran with it. I hope this doesn't disappoint! I'm sorry for the lack of porn! ♥
Thanks to 'A', 'M', and 'S' for holding my hand tightly and to 'C' for being a fabulous beta of the first degree
Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction - none of this ever happened. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is made from this work. Please observe your local laws with regards to the age-limit and content of this work.
The knowledge did not strike Arthur like a bolt of lightning. It didn't hit hard and fast and drive him to his knees, make him lash out or make him wish to kill. The knowledge came a week after the dragon's departure on a perfectly boring afternoon when he had nothing better to do than go stalk after his errant manservant. Arthur wanted to know what could possibly be more important than attending the prince, but before he could find out, he walked headlong into his shield which was hovering a good three feet in the air in the entrance of Merlin's room.
The shield clattered to the floor with a clang that reverberated through his feet. Arthur brought a hand to his forehead, touching it experimentally but felt no lump forming.
"Sire."
Arthur startled, turning with a stiffness he couldn't shake. He lowered his hand and nodded. "Gaius. I was looking for Merlin."
"He's not here."
Wincing, Arthur took a step forward and gestured toward the open door where his sword was polishing itself. He hadn't noticed that upon entering the room and he swayed, unsteady on his feet for only a moment. Unfortunately, it was long enough for Gaius to notice and move toward him, either feigning blindness to the obviously magical occurrence happening in Merlin's room or too busy fussing over Arthur's appearance to notice.
"I can see that. I'm fine," he added, stepping around the table toward the door. "Is he still in the castle?"
"I'd certainly hope so. I sent him out with medicine for Lord Melbin. His knee has been-"
"Thank you, Gaius. I'll show myself out." Which he did, ignoring the arched eyebrow at his abrupt departure.
Finding Merlin proved more difficult than Arthur anticipated. Lord Melbin's private chambers turned up nothing more than a grouchy older man who was deeply unimpressed withArthur's intrusion. In the kitchens there was just a bunch of startled maids and an irritated cook, and in the stables he found only some horses. And the armory, well, needless to say, Arthur had peeked through the doorway and immediately turned around, face heated and eyes squeezed shut.
People skirted the edges of the halls as Arthur stormed past them, pausing in their work to watch their prince move angrily about the castle.
It wasn't until he was moving across the courtyard that he found anyone helpful at all. "Guinevere!"
She turned in surprise, and as she dipped into an uneven curtsey, her water bucket tipped just enough to slosh water over the edge. "Yes, my lord?"
"Have you seen Merlin?"
"He came to visit me just a short while ago." She readjusted her hold on the heavy wooden bucket and frowned. "Is he in trouble?"
Arthur waved off her concern. "No."
"Well, he mentioned something about picking more herbs for Gaius down at the meadow. He was heading toward the southern gate when I left him." Gwen smiled uncertainly. "Are you all right? You look pale."
"It's not me you should be concerned about," Arthur muttered, bending forward to give her a gentle kiss on the cheek, already eying the gate in the distance with some skepticism. "Will you tell my father I won't be able to join him for dinner this evening?"
"Of course, I-"
Arthur bowed, short and swift, and then squeezed her arm. "Thank you, Guinevere."
Gwen's gaze remained bewildered when he pushed past her to resume his furious pace, no calmer or more certain than he had been earlier. It wasn't a long walk through the woods to the fields and like Guinevere promised, Merlin was sitting in the tall grass, wrestling with a particularily stubborn plant, his face and arms covered in mud.
Arthur stayed in the shadows of the forest, resting against a tree, and kept an eye on Merlin while glancing around to see if anyone else had followed. No one had, but he wasn't terribly surprised. What irritated him was Merlin's complete lack of sense of surroundings. They were not that far from the main city or the castle and Merlin was sitting here plucking flowers and...
A half-dozen purple flowers floated in the air, dancing in a slow circle in front of Merlin's face. Merlin's expression brightened, and at a distance Arthur could see the familiar, deranged grin appear as if this was an excellent reason to be smiling. It was most certainly not. Slowly, the flower stems linked together to form a chain that trailed in the air and settled above Merlin's head, falling in a circlet.
Laughter echoed across the open meadow and bore right into Arthur's chest. He sucked in a strangled breath and let it out to ease the tightness.
"Merlin!" he snapped, stepping out of the forest without thinking. Stepping out into the blinding sunlight without his blasted sword because his lazy, no account manservant could not be arsed to stay in his room and finish the job himself. Stepping out into the blinding sunlight without a sword, with only a dagger and his outrage that Merlin thought he could get away with this, that he could betray Arthur in such a manner without some type of reckoning.
Merlin shrank into the grass, all laughter and smiles long gone by the time Arthur was beside him. Arthur grimaced, digging the heel of his boot into Merlin's stomach.
"Arthur, I-"
"Don't speak."
Merlin fell quiet, a blessing. Arthur's gaze swept along Merlin's prone form, from the flowers in his hair to the muddy tips of his boots.
"Arthur, please, you've got to understand, I couldn't...You weren't meant to ever... I'm so sorry, I meant to-What're you doing here?"
Arthur hissed and clenched his fists. "Do I need to beat you into silence?"
"No," Merlin whispered. His eyes shuttered under Arthur's heated glare, and Arthur could feel Merlin gradually falling into submission beneath his foot. But it wasn't enough.
"Then shut up." Arthur crouched over Merlin's still form and grabbed a fistful of dirty jacket. "Do you know, can you imagine, how disappointed Gaius is in you?"
Merlin opened his mouth to speak, but what came out was not the sure denial he had been waiting for. "I-What?"
"He sent you on an errand this morning. One errand, Merlin and what do you do? You run off to play in a meadow and braid flowers."
"Arthur…?"
"What kind of servant are you?"
"Um."
Arthur released Merlin with a rough shove and stood up, wiping his hands along the seams of his trousers. "When we get back to the castle, I expect an apology for leaving Gaius to tend to your chores. It is not his duty to polish my armor, and I shouldn't have to hunt you down in the middle of the day when I need you."
"I'm sorry?"
"You had better be." Arthur folded his arms and inspected Merlin's prone form one last time, satisfied. "Or you'll find yourself covered in rotten cabbage."
"Right."
Merlin climbed to his feet with a surprising amount of caution, more caution than the situation warranted. Arthur gave Merlin a light push to the shoulder to set him in motion and they were off, heading back to the city and castle at a fast pace.
It wasn't until later that evening, long after Merlin had set about heating Arthur's bathwater, fetching his dinner and preparing him for bed, that Arthur wondered if Guinevere had passed along the message to his father and how much trouble she had endured for her efforts. He would go and properly apologize to her later, perhaps with a nice chicken.
That sounded about right to him.
Arthur hummed, content with himself and the fact that Merlin was sitting in the corner of the room, polishing all of Arthur's boots with a fierce scowl.
Yes, everything was exactly as it should be.