Fiction: A Change on the Wind
Title: A Change on the Wind
Author: CrabbyLioness
Main Characters: Merlin, Arthur, Uther
Summary: immediately after The Poisoned Chalice.
Disclaimer: If I owned them, they'd have different plot holes.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 769
Spoilers: I've only seen through Episode 4.
Arthur looked around slowly, carefully schooling his face into an expression of calm to mask his growing unease. Something was different, and he had yet to put his finger on it.
Not that this was his first time in the stocks, goodness no. The first time he'd had to stand on a crate. Only the youngest or boldest of children would dare to throw anything at the Prince, but most of the commoners had talked and laughed behind their hands, or thown him looks of pity. This time things were different. The adults still talked behind their hands, but the looks they gave him held no mockery, scorn, or pity. They were measuring looks, assessing looks, mixed with a certain wary respect. They were the kinds of looks he was used to seeing from opponents on the field or from strangers to the court, not from servants and subjects. And no one threw anything. The few children who tried were stopped by their neighbors.
Arthur had never seen anything like it on the streets of Camelot, and it made him nervous. Only a lifetime of training kept him from jumping around like an alley cat on a leash.
A shock of black hair on top of a lanky frame broke from the crowd, and his Problem Child sauntered forward with a sack on his back and a grin on his face. Merlin held out a bottle. "Water?"
"Thanks." His new manservant carefully tipped the bottle so he could drink from it. Arthur took a few swallows and pulled back. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine, fine." Merlin said. "Just thought I would check on the damage. I'm going to have to clean that surcoat after all." He looked Arthur over carefully. "I guess the nobles aren't treated to salads."
Arthur ignored the dig. "How's things today?"
"What kind of things?"
"Just things. Everything."
Merlin looked around and shrugged, too new to town life to spot the differences in the street. "Everything's fine." He looked paler than even his usual and shivered slightly in the breeze. Arthur wanted to send him home and have Gaius make him rest, but he couldn't figure out how to say it. "Make sure my quarters are clean," he ordered brusquely, hoping the lazy dolt would take a nap on his bed.
Merlin nodded. "Yeah well, can't loiter around all day like a noble. Some of us have jobs to do." He tried and completely failed to adopt an innocent expression on his face as he reached into his sack. 'I didn't want you getting feverish or anything, so I brought you a hat." He plunked the feathered confection on Arthur's head and scampered back into the crowd.
"Hey!" Arthur cried at Merlin's swiftly retreating form as laughter floated back to him. He felt the hat start to tilt, and to his surprise found himself jerking his head to seat it properly instead of knocking it off. The pressure of the band brought with it ghostly reminders of Merlin's fingers brushing his face, reminders that along with the sound of his laughter, the memory of his grin, and the view of Merlin's backside stirred up feelings in Arthur he did not yet know how to name or want to. "Idiot!" he wanted to cry out but didn't. "Be careful. Don't do any magic while I'm not there to cover for you." But of course he couldn't say that on the street even if the fool wasn't so stupid he wouldn't trust Arthur with his secret. Like anyone who was around him for a few hours couldn't notice; if he'd gone to work for anyone else he'd be dead by now. And that was the thought that disturbed Arthur the most. Things were changing, and he wasn't sure what to do about them.
___________
Uther looked down at the square and sighed. "Oh, go let him out. We don't have time for this foolishness." After the soldier departed he paced away from the window and then back. A good leader could read the environment around him, figure out what his opponent was up to, and act before his enemy could organize his attack. Uther was a good leader. He could tell that something around him was changing. Something was disturbing both the young people and the commoners, and he could not put his finger on it. Anything Uther couldn't understand was an automatic invitation for disaster, chaos, and war. He wouldn't tolerate that. Somehow he had to find the source of this new -- thing, whatever it was, and stamp it out for the good of Camelot.
Semi-sequel: Arthur's Favorite
Author: CrabbyLioness
Main Characters: Merlin, Arthur, Uther
Summary: immediately after The Poisoned Chalice.
Disclaimer: If I owned them, they'd have different plot holes.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 769
Spoilers: I've only seen through Episode 4.
Arthur looked around slowly, carefully schooling his face into an expression of calm to mask his growing unease. Something was different, and he had yet to put his finger on it.
Not that this was his first time in the stocks, goodness no. The first time he'd had to stand on a crate. Only the youngest or boldest of children would dare to throw anything at the Prince, but most of the commoners had talked and laughed behind their hands, or thown him looks of pity. This time things were different. The adults still talked behind their hands, but the looks they gave him held no mockery, scorn, or pity. They were measuring looks, assessing looks, mixed with a certain wary respect. They were the kinds of looks he was used to seeing from opponents on the field or from strangers to the court, not from servants and subjects. And no one threw anything. The few children who tried were stopped by their neighbors.
Arthur had never seen anything like it on the streets of Camelot, and it made him nervous. Only a lifetime of training kept him from jumping around like an alley cat on a leash.
A shock of black hair on top of a lanky frame broke from the crowd, and his Problem Child sauntered forward with a sack on his back and a grin on his face. Merlin held out a bottle. "Water?"
"Thanks." His new manservant carefully tipped the bottle so he could drink from it. Arthur took a few swallows and pulled back. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine, fine." Merlin said. "Just thought I would check on the damage. I'm going to have to clean that surcoat after all." He looked Arthur over carefully. "I guess the nobles aren't treated to salads."
Arthur ignored the dig. "How's things today?"
"What kind of things?"
"Just things. Everything."
Merlin looked around and shrugged, too new to town life to spot the differences in the street. "Everything's fine." He looked paler than even his usual and shivered slightly in the breeze. Arthur wanted to send him home and have Gaius make him rest, but he couldn't figure out how to say it. "Make sure my quarters are clean," he ordered brusquely, hoping the lazy dolt would take a nap on his bed.
Merlin nodded. "Yeah well, can't loiter around all day like a noble. Some of us have jobs to do." He tried and completely failed to adopt an innocent expression on his face as he reached into his sack. 'I didn't want you getting feverish or anything, so I brought you a hat." He plunked the feathered confection on Arthur's head and scampered back into the crowd.
"Hey!" Arthur cried at Merlin's swiftly retreating form as laughter floated back to him. He felt the hat start to tilt, and to his surprise found himself jerking his head to seat it properly instead of knocking it off. The pressure of the band brought with it ghostly reminders of Merlin's fingers brushing his face, reminders that along with the sound of his laughter, the memory of his grin, and the view of Merlin's backside stirred up feelings in Arthur he did not yet know how to name or want to. "Idiot!" he wanted to cry out but didn't. "Be careful. Don't do any magic while I'm not there to cover for you." But of course he couldn't say that on the street even if the fool wasn't so stupid he wouldn't trust Arthur with his secret. Like anyone who was around him for a few hours couldn't notice; if he'd gone to work for anyone else he'd be dead by now. And that was the thought that disturbed Arthur the most. Things were changing, and he wasn't sure what to do about them.
___________
Uther looked down at the square and sighed. "Oh, go let him out. We don't have time for this foolishness." After the soldier departed he paced away from the window and then back. A good leader could read the environment around him, figure out what his opponent was up to, and act before his enemy could organize his attack. Uther was a good leader. He could tell that something around him was changing. Something was disturbing both the young people and the commoners, and he could not put his finger on it. Anything Uther couldn't understand was an automatic invitation for disaster, chaos, and war. He wouldn't tolerate that. Somehow he had to find the source of this new -- thing, whatever it was, and stamp it out for the good of Camelot.
Semi-sequel: Arthur's Favorite