Favorite by Astolat, commentary by Paceus (2)
Favorite by astolat
Arthur had obviously lost his mind, and he had a mulish look which suggested he wasn't interested in finding it again, either. Merlin argued without a pause for breath through the entire process of getting Arthur back into his things, and might have saved every word for the good it did.
"Look, can't I just keep on being your-manservant with benefits?" Merlin tried, while he laced up the sides of Arthur's padded tunic.
"No, you can't," Arthur said, and shivered as Merlin's fingers slipped by accident and brushed against his ribs, and then Merlin had to unlace the sides all over again.
The sex scenes between the lines really work -- the first one at the beginning of the fic already had all the necessary context for the reader, the sudden surge of compelling desire that had them taking off their clothes and having sex in the middle of a hallway. Now all the reader needs is a sentence saying that Merlin unlaces what he's just laced up, and we know what's happening.
"But," Merlin said, a while later, panting damply into Arthur's shoulder.
"Stop arguing, Merlin," Arthur said, muffled, his head still buried in his folded arms on the mattress; he was bent over the side of the bed. He pushed himself up with a groan, tumbling Merlin off him. "One chambermaid walking in on us and everyone will know anyway. It's a miracle no one but Gaius has caught us already."
"So they'll know; I don't care!" Merlin said, slumping to the floor.
Arthur rolled his eyes and stood up. "Because you're an idiot who doesn't understand anything about the royal court. You'd be eaten alive in five minutes. Now clean me up."
The context of their relationship is what (well, one of the things that) makes it interesting: their relationship has consequences -- and it's also a relationship between a royal prince and a servant, even if Merlin doesn't seem to be particularly worried about that when he speaks to Arthur.
"You can't just order me to be your mistress!" Merlin argued, two rounds later, after he'd finally gotten Arthur back into his mail.
I really like this passage: how they negotiate their relationship in the midst of having lots of sex.
"I just did." Arthur settled his cloak more firmly, dragged Merlin in for a final kiss that made his head spin, and shoved him back down onto the bed. "Now get moving," Arthur said, and swirled out of the room.
Merlin opened and shut his mouth a few times, uselessly, to the empty air. All right, so the last three weeks had been one long dull grey stretch of boredom, and if pressed he would allow that he was glad Arthur was back; and at swordpoint Merlin might even admit that it wasn't completely horrible to face the prospect of fantastically good sex on a regular basis.
Wow, Merlin, really? *g* His reluctance to admit he missed Arthur is charming.
But that was one thing, and a far cry from signing on to be Arthur's-paramour. He could stand being thrown in the stocks once a week or so; he didn't let any of the painful things hit him, and it was as good a way as any to decide when it was time to take a bath. He wasn't going to be turned into some odd between-stairs creature, too high to eat downstairs and too low to do anything but make a fool of himself at the high tables. Not so he could avoid errands or gossip, or so he and Arthur could have at it more conveniently.
I really like that Merlin has his own view of what life would be like if he carried on with Arthur like they have until now without moving into Arthur's chambers: he thinks there would be some negative consequences but he's willing to take them (and magic, of course, helps). He also takes into account what Arthur hadn't thought of -- how difficult it would be for him to be too high on the one hand, too low on the other. And of course even if Merlin will become comfortable eating at the high tables, it'll be a huge change for him nonetheless.
He wasn't having any of it. Prancing about in fine clothing like he thought really well of himself, being curtseyed-at by the serving girls-lolling about with no real work to do except wait for Arthur to pop in demanding blowjobs-waking up every morning with Arthur stretched out next to him, with his golden hair tufted up ridiculously in the sunlight-kissing Arthur over breakfast and probably falling back into bed with him as often as not-curling up in Arthur's arms all the long, cold nights of the coming winter -
Merlin paused and forcibly reorganized his thoughts back to the point, which was that he was not going to be Arthur's mistress.
Hee! I love these occasions where a character's train of thoughts leads somewhere other than the character had had in mind!
Besides, if he was forced to do anything that horrible and extreme, he could not possibly be responsible for his self-control, and he would probably go and fall in love with Arthur. Given that so far Merlin had already killed some ten people, three monsters, and wrested the power of life and death from an evil priestess, all for Arthur's sake, Merlin was a little bit anxious about how much further this could possibly go. Also, Arthur would probably notice the magic at some point.
This is wonderful: Merlin being worried about what he will do if he really falls in love with Arthur! I agree, that's an alarming track record right there.
Merlin lunged off the bed and burst out into Gaius's chambers. "He'll notice the magic!" he gasped.
Gaius looked up from the blackened cauldron he was trying to scrape clean. "If you mean Arthur, I think he will first notice the absence of clothing."
Lovely dry manner of speaking!
"What?" Merlin said. "Gaius, don't talk nonsense, don't you understand? Arthur wants me to move into his chambers."
I'm endlessly amused by conversations like this -- where a character is so passionate about something that he expects everyone else to read his mind, and when they don't, he's all, "Don't you understand?"
Gaius didn't show anything like what Merlin felt was the appropriate level of sympathy. "I am beginning to think you had better."
Oh, I love this! Gaius clearly thinks it would be easier for him if Merlin did. I don't blame him! Hee.
"He'll catch me in five minutes!" Merlin said desperately.
"On the available evidence," Gaius said dryly, "I should say you will be too preoccupied to be doing much magic. Please go put on some trousers."
Other points of view always make me go "Ooh!" and this line would be one of them, or at least a glimpse of one of them. Now I'd like to know what this story would sound like if Gaius was telling it. The main focus would of course be on his research or discoveries (does he do some research here?) or possibly his personal life, which would be interesting to learn more about!
"What?" Merlin said. "Oh."
He is a bit slow! But I guess in the circumstances it's understandable.
He washed up a little and put some clothing back on, and then he gathered his courage and went to wait in Arthur's rooms. His heart was pounding. Obviously, telling Arthur was the only thing to do. And then-and then Arthur would-or he would-or else he might-well, at the very least, he would see how utterly impossible it was for Merlin to share his chambers, and then Merlin could find a spell to make all of this go away, and perhaps they could pretend none of it had ever happened.
His inner monologue makes me go "Aww," mostly because of the confusion, and also because he naively thinks it would be possible to pretend nothing ever happened and forget about it. Poor Merlin. He has no idea what kinds of terrible things will happen to him yet...
Merlin was sorry now that he hadn't worked this out back when they'd been in his own quarters. It-it would've been easier to tell Arthur there. His room was far up and away from the rest of the castle. No one could hear through the walls or anything, or out the windows. Merlin did close the window, and pull the curtains, just to be cautious. He paced in front of the fire for a while, and then he relaid the fire, even though really it was going just fine; and then he swept the floor, by hand, even though it didn't need sweeping, and then he tried sitting in a chair for a bit, but that was no use, so he was back to pacing again when Arthur finally swept back in.
"Where are your things?" Arthur demanded, kicking the door shut, and already slinging his cloak over a chair.
Merlin cleared his throat. "I can't move in," he said, desperately. "You don't want me to move in."
The dialogue in the whole fic is just fantastic. Arthur is such a brat and Merlin sounds so distinct too, every word and line he says. It sounds very life-like too, for example here when Merlin is trying to explain that he's a sorcerer and Arthur won't want to have anything to do with him, but he hasn't quite got to the explanation part just yet...
Arthur groaned and let his head tip back as he unbuckled his vambraces. "Listen, you idiot," he said, "do you think I am enjoying the prospect of parading you before the court as my ideal? My father is probably going to think my brain was affected by the poison." He paused and said, reflectively, "I suppose that would explain it."
We're still toying with the idea that there's a curse, spell or some other kind of influence behind this! And I love the ambiguity of Arthur calling Merlin his ideal but saying in the same sentence that it's fake and in reality he still thinks of Merlin as an idiot.
"It wouldn't explain it for me," Merlin said.
"It's hardly a great mystery why you would fall all over me," Arthur said. "Come here and get my mail off."
Ever so modest, this Arthur! *snickers*
"I don't want this any more than you do!" Merlin said.
"'Oh, Arthur,'" Arthur mimicked, muffled, as Merlin pulled the mailshirt off over his head. "'Please, Arthur, you're so-'"
Oh, that's so unfair of him! But it's still funny.
"D'you want me to start quoting, too?" Merlin dumped the mail on the table.
"I'm not responsible. My brain has been affected," Arthur said smugly.
"Didn't take much, did it," Merlin sniped, folding his arms. Arthur glared at him. "Your brain's not affected! There's nothing wrong with us except for-what's wrong with us. And I can fix that."
"You just finished telling me Gaius said there was no cure," Arthur said, "so-"
"There's no scientific cure," Merlin said, and gulped again. "But there could be-I'm quite certain there's-that is, I haven't looked yet, but I can find-" He stopped, took a deep breath, and said, "-a spell."
Arthur sighed and sat down in his chair and took off his boots. "Merlin, go and get your things."
Poor Merlin -- it took a lot for him to say that and Arthur doesn't get it at all.
"You don't understand," Merlin said. "Arthur, I'm a sorcerer."
"And I'm the Emperor of Rome," Arthur said.
Merlin stared at him. "I'm not joking!"
This works so well because I'm simultaneously amused by the dialogue and Arthur's humorous reply, and feel for Merlin who's trying to tell something very important to Arthur, and who's no doubt dismayed that Arthur doesn't seem to listen, or doesn't seem to believe what Arthur is saying.
Arthur looked up at him exasperatedly. "Very well, go ahead and do something magical."
"Er. What?" Merlin said. He hadn't actually expected Arthur to make him prove his confession.
Arthur stood up and approached him, waving a hand around the room. "Come on, then. Show me your great and wondrous powers."
Merlin looked around blankly. He'd already swept the room, twice; the fire was burning, the clothes were all put away; the armor needed cleaning, but he didn't have any of the brushes or oil up here for that. He didn't think Arthur would really appreciate a windstorm in his quarters, or Merlin setting the bed on fire. He could've summoned a light, but the room was bright, so that wouldn't look particularly impressive-
Merlin would probably have liked to think of something immediately here and make Arthur feel sorry for his earlier disbelief, but I infinitely prefer this version where Merlin figures out what to do... a little later. *g*
Arthur rolled his eyes and shoved Merlin backwards onto the bed. He climbed on and kissed him. Merlin wound his arm automatically around Arthur's neck and kissed him back, his legs already falling apart to cradle Arthur's hips. "I'm not-I'm not joking," he insisted, breathlessly, between kisses.
Their bodies doing something when their minds are still preoccupied with something else is one of my favourite story telling kinks!
"Mhm," Arthur mumbled, against Merlin's jaw, blindly groping between them, trying to get Merlin's trousers unlaced.
"Look, here," Merlin said, in desperation, and stared down. Their lacings promptly undid themselves, tangling around Arthur's fingers.
"I don't believe your insolence," Arthur said, without even glancing down, and shoved the mess of lacings out of the way and took hold of Merlin's cock. "Do you have any other demands you'd like to make?"
"No, I just-I did that!" Merlin said, incoherently, his hips thrusting up into Arthur's hand.
"You aren't doing anything!" Arthur said. "If you imagine that being my favorite means you now just get to lie there and moan at me uselessly-"
Their talking at cross purposes makes me laugh out loud! I'm tickled especially by Arthur's enviable abilities to ignore what Merlin is trying to say.
"Aahgh!" Merlin said wildly, and flipped them over.
No wonder he's frustrated! Hee.
"Better," Arthur murmured, still busy nuzzling at the crook of Merlin's neck. "I didn't know you had it in you."
Merlin jerked free and sat up over Arthur's hips. "I have magic in me, you ass!" he said, and then he pinned Arthur's wrists flat to the bed, and stripped all the clothes off him with a single hot-eyed glare.
The proverb (wish?) about looks being able to kill is definitely onto something, because doing magic via (or while) looking is really hot.
Arthur stared up at him, open-mouthed. "There!" Merlin said. "D'you believe me now? Do I need to hold you down and-" Arthur's cock jerked hard, skidding slickly against Merlin's thigh. Merlin paused and stared down at it. "What are-are you-you like-"
I love that little "Yes, please!" answer to Merlin's question about holding Arthur down. *g* I also love how Merlin is going on about something when Arthur probably can't even hear him because he's so turned on. Oh, and it's so nice that Merlin gets to demonstrate how he's got power: Arthur may be able to simply tell Merlin to move into his chambers, but Merlin can do this!
Arthur losing his arrogance this quickly (after talking about how he doesn't even like Merlin, and how it's understandable that Merlin has fallen for him!) is a bonus, and an extremely satisfying one at that.
"Shut up!" Arthur said in a strangled voice, and Merlin had one stunning, dazed, impossible moment where he imagined everything they could do together, and then he flung himself onto Arthur, body and magic both. Arthur writhed and bucked up into him, wildly, and Merlin was sucking on his mouth desperately, biting at Arthur's lip, both their cocks in his hand and Arthur's legs locked around his thighs while Merlin kept his wrists and shoulders pinned.
Arthur strained up against the hold and couldn't break it; his head fell back and he groaned in a shocked, deep voice; said, "Oh, gods, oh, Merlin, Merlin, Merlin, you absolute idiot," and came everywhere. Merlin whimpered helplessly and spent also, and collapsed limply over Arthur's chest.
Wow, okay. Bondage, as in someone being tied down and straining and trying to get free but unable to do so, and finding out that it's really, really hot... is definitely one of my favourite things in sex scenes. This one is also wonderfully written. I like that the first sentence of the paragraph is so long, and the semicolons. "Came everywhere" is also a favourite. It's no wonder I like this fic so much!
(I wonder if Arthur's "You absolute idiot!" means this time that Merlin was an idiot for not telling him before, so that they could use magic in this very specific way...)
***
"So it is a spell," Arthur said, after he caught his breath. "I knew it. You've ensorcelled me." He tried to sound convinced, and also angry, which he was; he was very angry. It was just remarkable how difficult it was to be properly angry, right after you'd had a spectacular and not entirely physically possible climax, after three weeks of horrible deprivation. The four-five-times in Merlin's room had barely taken the edge off.
Astolat writes Arthur's voice so well, it fills me with glee. Here it was the addition "He was very angry." Oh Arthur. He's so good at being convinced that he's feeling something -- or not feeling something, as it were!
"Have not," Merlin mumbled groggily against his shoulder.
"You're an evil lying sorcerer," Arthur said. "I can't trust a word you say."
"Yeah, better call the guard on me," Merlin said, without moving.
Arthur was starting to get irritated at Merlin's utter lack of concern. Then he noticed he was petting Merlin's hair. He stopped at once. "I'm going to! What sort of a lunatic are you, anyway? What possessed you to come live in Camelot?"
I love that his actions and words are so conflicted! I'm glad Merlin is good at reading his body rather than listening to what he says.
"I dunno, my mum knew Gaius?" Merlin said, proving he was a complete lackwit. "'S my destiny, anyway."
"What are you blithering about?" Arthur said.
"Protecting you," Merlin said. "What my magic's for. Takes some bloody doing, too," he added, and he even had the gall to raise his head and give Arthur a blearily accusing look.
Arthur glared at him outraged. "Protecting me-"
I like their arguments! Good thing, too, since they argue so much... there's just something appealing about it: I understand them both (Merlin knowing more about this destiny thing than Arthur, on the other hand Arthur getting irritated precisely because he doesn't know about it), and I hope and believe they're going to agree about it at some point, but until then it's entertaining that they're bickering and being so passionate about it, too.
Then he turned his head as a soft tap came on the door, and then one of the chambermaids came in with a bucket and mop. She froze and stared at them. Above him, Merlin made a small choked noise.
"Oh," she said. "Forgive me, sire!" she said, and curtseyed her way back out the door very fast.
I kind of would have liked to see what she saw... *g* I hope she wasn't too traumatised, either! At least she's probably going to be popular among the castle gossips for a while.
"Stop her!" Merlin squeaked out.
"And do what?" Arthur said. "Are you planning to turn her into a frog?"
"What are you talking about? Just-tell her not to tell anyone!" Merlin said.
"Yes, because that's likely to work," Arthur said.
"Half the castle's going to know by dinnertime!" Merlin said.
"Don't be absurd," Arthur said. "All the castle's going to know by dinnertime." He shoved Merlin off the bed. "Now go and get your damned things."
The dialogue keeps being marvellous!
Merlin thumped over the edge flailing, then sat up and stared at Arthur over the side of the bed with a horrified expression. "Did you miss the part where I'm a sorcerer? Aren't you even a little bit angry?" Merlin said desperately. His hair was sticking up like a mink's pelt, and he looked as unhappy as a wet cat.
"I am extremely angry," Arthur said slowly, with vengeful satisfaction. "And I intend to punish you extensively."
Merlin swallowed visibly. "Oh," he said.
"Yes, precisely," Arthur said. "Go."
Merlin went.
Hee! I love that Arthur gets his message through, and the short lines and the short paragraph at the end match the tone perfectly.
***
It was an absolute nightmare. Merlin looked sadly around his tiny room, and packed up his small sack of clothes. He stuck the spellbook on top in a sort of last-ditch attempt, but Arthur just threw it aside onto the table and began to dump the whole satchel out on the bed.
"Unacceptable," Arthur said, tossing the first shirt on the bed. "Unacceptable, also unacceptable, actually disgraceful, and-" he paused, holding up Merlin's feast-day tunic, "-hideously ugly. This is going to take some doing."
The story suddenly turning into a makeover by Arthur is a surprising development, yet very entertaining!
"What's wrong with them?" Merlin said. "You never minded my clothes before."
"You have appearances to maintain now," Arthur said horrifyingly, throwing Merlin's best pair of trousers on the bed after the rest.
It's not too surprising though -- this is what Merlin was afraid of: change.
"Can I go back to my room now, please?" Merlin said faintly.
"No," Arthur said. He turned, looked Merlin up and down, and beckoned. "Those, too."
"What?" Merlin said, crossing his hands over his chest. "I don't have anything else!"
"Good," Arthur said. "Otherwise this would take all day." He pulled Merlin in by the kerchief. That came off and went on the bed, too, followed by Merlin's tunic, shirt, second-best trousers, and finally Merlin himself, shoved face down onto the pile.
"No, don't get up," Arthur said, sliding a firm, possessive hand onto the back of Merlin's neck as he climbed on, pressing Merlin's legs apart.
"But what am I-oh-what am I supposed to wear if-oh," Merlin said, muffledly, and moaned into the pile of clothing as Arthur slowly pushed into him. "Oh. Arthur-"
I can't get over how perfect Merlin's lines are: they're great characterisation and convey how he's feeling beautifully. I love that they both say each other's names a lot when they're having sex; it makes it so personal and sweet, despite all their declarations that they don't like each other, not one bit.
Arthur fucked him leisurely, using rather a lot of oil, stroking Merlin off ruthlessly twice in the process. Afterwards, he drew out, came all over Merlin's back, and rolled him over to kiss him. "But," Merlin started to protest again, except he got distracted by Arthur kissing him some more, and didn't remember until after they'd spent the next half-hour rolling around.
Arthur finally yawned and stretched and got off the bed. Merlin staggered off and stared down at the wreck of every piece of clothing he owned in the world. "Look what you did!" he said. "D'you want me walking around naked or something?"
"Hm, tempting," Arthur said, "but a little advanced for the more conservative minds of the court, I expect." He went to his wardrobe and took out a shirt and a pair of trousers and tossed them onto Merlin's head. "Put those on, have all those others thrown in the rag bag, and go summon the tailors."
"A little advanced" -- hee! I'd love Arthur to have meant that it was tempting because he likes looking at Merlin when he's naked, but I suspect he means it as a punishment for Merlin. ...which is not, now that I think about it, such a bad mental image either. *g*
"No!" Merlin said, throwing Arthur's clothes on the floor. "These are my clothes, I don't want others. I can still clean them-"
"I don't care what you want," Arthur said, advancing on him with glittering eyes. "You've been lying to me for a year."
Merlin swallowed. "Arthur," he said.
"Shut up," Arthur said. "If you really are my loyal servant, you're going to follow my orders, and be quiet about it."
Merlin opened his mouth to argue that he'd been lying for extremely good reasons, like not having his head cut off or being burned at the stake or getting run out of Camelot; also to point out any of which fates would have meant his not being around to keep saving Arthur's life; and for illustration he readied himself to list off the dozen times he'd saved Arthur's life, soul, and/or future kingdom, all the while shouting down any of Arthur's attempts to argue.
Then he shut his mouth and went to get the tailors instead, because really, that seemed easier.
I think he's right -- it is easier to just do what Arthur tells him to do! Still, it's also an interesting moment when Arthur really has the power to tell Merlin what to do. Arthur saying that Merlin has been lying to him and that he doesn't care what Merlin wants makes my knees kind of weak, but I don't feel that their situation is as simple as that.
He was reconsidering the wisdom of that decision after Arthur proceeded to deck him out in silk and leather, and wool so fine that it felt soft instead of scratchy, even brand-new. Arthur, sprawled back in his chair watching, even examined a rich bolt of velvet, the sort of thing Morgana might use to make a dress. Merlin gave him a sidelong anxious look while holding very still so the tailor wouldn't stick him with pins. Again.
This is almost the same kind of thing that their earlier reluctance to have sex: Merlin's new clothes are soft and comfortable, but Merlin is horrified to use them. Still, I also feel a bit sorry for him -- the clothes he had before were his as he said, and these are not. I do appreciate the humour in the situation too though, Arthur inspecting some fabric that he knows Merlin doesn't want to wear, just to keep Merlin on his toes.
"I don't need three shirts," Merlin tried.
"Certainly you do," Arthur said. "Let's make it four, in fact. Unless you'd prefer robes?" He held up a corner of the velvet. "Ceremonial robes, floor length-"
"Four shirts would be splendid," Merlin said quickly. "Really just-um-magnificent."
"I thought so," Arthur said.
He's cruel but efficient!
***
It was amazingly satisfying to see Merlin looking elegant, well-groomed, and utterly miserable in his new clothing. Arthur basked in the reproachful look as he adjusted the collar of Merlin's tunic so it showed the fine linen of the shirt beneath. His fingers brushed Merlin's throat, and Merlin stopped looking quite so reproachful and began leaning towards him, but Arthur had steeled himself to meet temptation by wanking off three times just before Merlin had come back from errands to get dressed.
It would be interesting to know if he was thinking about Merlin pinning him down with magic when he was doing that...
"No, don't even try," Arthur said, pushing Merlin firmly back. "You're not getting out of dinner again."
"Arthur, I can't," Merlin whined pitifully.
"If you manage not to spill anything, I'll suck your cock when we get back," Arthur said, turning him around and shoving him at the door.
"You'll do that anyway!" Merlin said, trying to balk.
"True," Arthur said. "But if you do spill anything, I'll-buy you a present. A golden clasp, perhaps. It would look handsome with the cloak. I'll be sure to spend a good deal of time in the town looking for just the right thing-mention to all the tradesmen how special it has to be-"
Their game is a bit baffling (does Merlin show great displeasure towards too fancy clothes and things like that in canon? Or is this threatening-with-jewels-and-presents thing merely in context of this story?) but clearly Arthur knows exactly how to make Merlin do what he wants, and that I approve of!
"You are an utter bastard," Merlin said, morosely.
Arthur did have a bit of a swallowing moment when he beckoned the steward to have a chair put next to his, and Uther turned his head and raised a rather baffled eyebrow as Arthur shoved Merlin into it. His father had never had anything to say about any of Arthur's past liaisons, but then, Arthur had never set up a favorite before, much less one who'd previously spent almost as much time in the stocks as on his duties.
Much much less one who was also a sorcerer, and Arthur was being very careful not to think about that, because it alternately made him want to strangle Merlin and hide him somewhere safe.
Aww! I love that. I like my fictional feelings ambiguous but strong! And protectiveness is always good.
He glared at Merlin, who had no business being magical, and was probably responsible for all of this in the first place, in some dark evil sorcerer sort of way. And who was holding his fork as if he meant to stab someone with it, but wasn't quite sure which end to aim.
"Like this, idiot," Arthur hissed.
Merlin abandoned it instead. "What's wrong with spoons!" he hissed back. "I like spoons! And my fingers are perfectly fine-"
"If you want to eat like a barbarian," Arthur said, grabbing Merlin's hand and putting the fork back into it.
"Maybe I do!" Merlin said, and tried to put the fork down again.
Uther must be facepalming at this point. *g*
Arthur had just put paid to that attempt, and then the servants began to bring around the platters of food; Merlin stared a bit round-eyed at the haunch of venison in sauce as it was set down between them, and then stared at his fork helplessly. Arthur rolled his eyes and cut a portion for him and put it on Merlin's trencher.
Merlin glared at him, and Arthur belatedly realized what that would've looked like to the rest of the court-as though he'd been serving a noblewoman.
He beamed at Merlin. Merlin glared even more.
I love that Arthur didn't even realise how infuriating he was being, and then when he does he's pleased!
The rest of that week proved equally enjoyable. Merlin squalled protests over every bit of special treatment: the ones Arthur really did need to insist on, and the ones he made up just to enjoy Merlin's complaining. "I'll catch a cold! and probably an ague! and then I'll die!" Merlin said, clinging fiercely to a bedpost as Arthur tried to drag him over to the bath the servants had brought up just for Merlin, scattered with heaps of dried rose petals and lavender. "I shared your bath just yesterday!" Merlin added.
"Yes, but this one's yours," Arthur said, and suckled kisses onto Merlin's neck until his fingers loosened enough to be pried off.
That did backfire to some extent, as Merlin turned in his arms halfway to the tub and slid his hands under Arthur's shirt, which had somehow come loose from his belt. Arthur opened his mouth to inform Merlin that this pathetic attempt at dodging his fate was not going to work, and then Merlin licked Arthur's teeth, which was a little silly and oughtn't have been at all exciting, and the upshot of the whole thing was that Arthur spent the rest of the day with his hair smelling like lavender.
It's just like Arthur to think of that as an upside! Hee.
After three days of dining with the court, Merlin tried to sneak away to dinner in the servants' hall instead. Arthur had been watching for escape attempts, however, and knew perfectly well where Merlin was. Arthur skipped dinner in the hall himself, waited until the late bell had rung, and went downstairs just as the servants were starting their own meal. And just in time; he could see some of the stupider ones getting ready to start in on Merlin, likely thinking he'd been cast off already. Everyone got to their feet as Arthur swept in, except Merlin, who stared up at him open-mouthed in horror.
Poor Merlin who has no idea what's about to happen! The story seems to say that Merlin would be ripped to pieces in the servants' hall even though he himself thinks of it as a home, or at least a place where he's with friends. It does feel sort of inevitable that Merlin would spend more time with the upper class when he's a powerful sorcerer.
"Merlin, I do realize it's a large castle, but I would've thought you could find your way to the Great Hall. Now we'll have to eat in my chambers," Arthur said cheerfully, and collared him. He waved a lordly hand to the other servants and dragged Merlin upstairs, basking in the rising tirade about how unreasonable Arthur was for demanding his attendance all the time, and why couldn't Merlin have an ordinary dinner with ordinary people once in a while, instead of mad princes who wanted to make him eat with unnatural implements like forks, and how he was going to stick Arthur with one.
"-and I don't believe you did that in front of everyone," Merlin finished wrathfully, as Arthur pulled him back into his chambers, and then added, "No! I don't want to! I don't even want to look at you!" as Arthur shoved him onto the bed. However, Arthur's clothing was coming off by itself, so he gave the pathetically obvious lie all the credence it deserved.
I love how Astolat uses magic as something that reveals a person's true feelings -- there's at least one other story where it's used that way. Here it's especially funny when Merlin is complaining with words. Merlin and Arthur's relationship feels comfortable in the way that they pretend not to like/love/want each other mostly because it's more fun that way.
"And I'm hungry," Merlin whinged, squirming on Arthur's fingers, "oh, and, I, Arthur," and Arthur slid into him triumphantly, and dear god this was good, Merlin writhing beneath him and complaining at the same time, hips rising into Arthur's thrusts.
"Shut up," Arthur said, because that was the surest way to keep Merlin yammering on.
They're clearly made for each other!
"I'll make someone bring us up food after, you impossible wretch; didn't you realize they'd think I'd done with you?"
"I wish-I wish you had done with me," Merlin said, arching and scrabbling at Arthur's shoulders. "I wouldn't care what they said-"
Merlin still has no idea what Arthur means! His insincere wish makes me snicker.
"Idiot," Arthur said, deeply satisfied, and bent down to kiss him.
Afterwards he rolled off and got out of bed to stick his head in the hallway and send a passing servant for food. "There seemed to be several people lingering in the corridor," Arthur said, sprawling back on the bed and draping a leg comfortably over Merlin's limp body. "I think they might have heard you begging and moaning."
Merlin gave a small grumble into the pillows that might've been, "Ass." Arthur smacked his rear as punishment. Merlin squirmed a little but didn't manage to move until the knock came on the door and Arthur called, "Enter," at which point Merlin jerked up and windmilled frantically off the far side of the bed with a thump as the kitchen maid came in.
That last sentence is perfect! "Windmilled off" -- the best expression I've heard in a long time!
"Leave it there," Arthur said, smugly. "Merlin will serve me."
"Yes, sire," she said, curtseying.
"You're a monster," Merlin said, getting up and trudging over to the table after she'd gone. He didn't let it stop him from diving in, though.
"Thank you, Arthur, for seeing to my every comfort and desire," Arthur said. "I am deeply honored by your attentions and indeed humbly grateful mmprh-" One of the pillows leaped up and tried to smother him. Arthur fought it off and got up, and he swatted Merlin across the back of the head with his shift before he pulled it on and sat down. "Give me the roast duck."
It must be really weird to be around a person who can magic objects to do things like that! Arthur seems to be doing well, though.
Merlin slid it over and poured them both wine. Arthur propped his legs up over Merlin's thighs and said, "Where were you all afternoon? Did you really think that hiding was going to keep me from guessing what you were up to?"
"Sorry, didn't realize how deeply committed you were to my endless torment," Merlin said. "I was in the library, I wanted to be sure of avoiding you."
Arthur snorted. "You certainly chose well. What on earth did you do in the library for hours? I'm surprised Geoffrey didn't throw you out."
"Oh no," Merlin said, venomously. "He was really polite to me. Recommended me some excellent books. He even let me borrow one."
"I can just see you, hunched over in some dusty corner like him when you get old," Arthur said. He stretched. "We'll go hunting tomorrow morning; you need an antidote."
Merlin probably will be like that when he gets old! I have no idea who Geoffrey is so I'm sure I'm missing a lot about this exchange.
"Why is it I don't get to do any useful work anymore, but I can still be dragged hunting?" Merlin said.
"I still let you manage my armor," Arthur said. "And hunting is for sport and pleasure."
"Your pleasure, maybe," Merlin said sulkily. "I'd as soon spend the day reading."
Having spent the whole day today in front of the computer, I certainly sympathise!
"I'm whose pleasure counts," Arthur said smugly, except in the morning it was dim and grey as January, and gusting cold rain; Merlin lifted his head from the pillows, looked out the window, and heaved a small pathetic sigh.
Arthur rolled his eyes and shoved Merlin out of bed. "Go fetch me some breakfast."
Merlin actually obeyed an order at speed for once, and came back with fresh bread, stuffed eggs, sausages, smoked trout, apples, dried grapes, candied filberts, a fig pie, and also the book he'd absconded with from the library. He brought the tray over to the bed. "I could read to you," he suggested, transparently planning to lure Arthur into an orgy of gluttony and sloth just so he could avoid a little bit of rain.
Still, obedience deserved some reward, and actually the book was quite interesting, all about the Romans poisoning one another and having fantastic civil wars and conquests all over the place. And it was unseasonably cold, and the bed was warm, and they had a lazy round after they finished eating, and then somehow it was afternoon already, and Arthur had to get up for patrol.
This description of their slow, lazy morning sounds wonderful. The breakfast, the book, the warm bed -- everything! Arthur's rationalisation that Merlin deserves this is also wonderful.
"This is all your fault," Arthur informed Merlin, who yawned up at him unrepentantly out of the cozy nest of blankets and said, "So I'll just stay here, shall I?"
Merlin makes such a good mistress!
Arthur spent all the long hours of patrol-and yes, it was cold and wet and ugly out-trying to come up with some sort of really unpleasant task that he could still assign Merlin now that mucking out the stables or scrubbing the latrines or sculling for the cooks were all right out. He hadn't succeeded by the time he got back, which left him in an irritable mood, except then he walked into his chambers and found mulled wine and a hot bath waiting, a clean woolen shift warming by the fire, dinner on the table, and Merlin, bright-eyed and well-rested.
After Arthur had been taken out of his armor, thoroughly fucked-it was amazing how it unwound the muscles, really-and had bathed, eaten, been fucked a second time, and was lying sprawled in bed with his head pillowed on Merlin's thigh, he was feeling remarkably in charity with the world.
"I was just thinking, this afternoon," Merlin said, his fingers stroking pleasantly through Arthur's hair, "you can't make me muck out the stables anymore."
"I'll think of something," Arthur muttered.
"I suppose this isn't all horrible," Merlin said contemplatively. "Do you want me to read some more?"
"Yes, all right," Arthur said.
They end up having compatible interests after all!
***
Part 3 of the commentary
Arthur had obviously lost his mind, and he had a mulish look which suggested he wasn't interested in finding it again, either. Merlin argued without a pause for breath through the entire process of getting Arthur back into his things, and might have saved every word for the good it did.
"Look, can't I just keep on being your-manservant with benefits?" Merlin tried, while he laced up the sides of Arthur's padded tunic.
"No, you can't," Arthur said, and shivered as Merlin's fingers slipped by accident and brushed against his ribs, and then Merlin had to unlace the sides all over again.
The sex scenes between the lines really work -- the first one at the beginning of the fic already had all the necessary context for the reader, the sudden surge of compelling desire that had them taking off their clothes and having sex in the middle of a hallway. Now all the reader needs is a sentence saying that Merlin unlaces what he's just laced up, and we know what's happening.
"But," Merlin said, a while later, panting damply into Arthur's shoulder.
"Stop arguing, Merlin," Arthur said, muffled, his head still buried in his folded arms on the mattress; he was bent over the side of the bed. He pushed himself up with a groan, tumbling Merlin off him. "One chambermaid walking in on us and everyone will know anyway. It's a miracle no one but Gaius has caught us already."
"So they'll know; I don't care!" Merlin said, slumping to the floor.
Arthur rolled his eyes and stood up. "Because you're an idiot who doesn't understand anything about the royal court. You'd be eaten alive in five minutes. Now clean me up."
The context of their relationship is what (well, one of the things that) makes it interesting: their relationship has consequences -- and it's also a relationship between a royal prince and a servant, even if Merlin doesn't seem to be particularly worried about that when he speaks to Arthur.
"You can't just order me to be your mistress!" Merlin argued, two rounds later, after he'd finally gotten Arthur back into his mail.
I really like this passage: how they negotiate their relationship in the midst of having lots of sex.
"I just did." Arthur settled his cloak more firmly, dragged Merlin in for a final kiss that made his head spin, and shoved him back down onto the bed. "Now get moving," Arthur said, and swirled out of the room.
Merlin opened and shut his mouth a few times, uselessly, to the empty air. All right, so the last three weeks had been one long dull grey stretch of boredom, and if pressed he would allow that he was glad Arthur was back; and at swordpoint Merlin might even admit that it wasn't completely horrible to face the prospect of fantastically good sex on a regular basis.
Wow, Merlin, really? *g* His reluctance to admit he missed Arthur is charming.
But that was one thing, and a far cry from signing on to be Arthur's-paramour. He could stand being thrown in the stocks once a week or so; he didn't let any of the painful things hit him, and it was as good a way as any to decide when it was time to take a bath. He wasn't going to be turned into some odd between-stairs creature, too high to eat downstairs and too low to do anything but make a fool of himself at the high tables. Not so he could avoid errands or gossip, or so he and Arthur could have at it more conveniently.
I really like that Merlin has his own view of what life would be like if he carried on with Arthur like they have until now without moving into Arthur's chambers: he thinks there would be some negative consequences but he's willing to take them (and magic, of course, helps). He also takes into account what Arthur hadn't thought of -- how difficult it would be for him to be too high on the one hand, too low on the other. And of course even if Merlin will become comfortable eating at the high tables, it'll be a huge change for him nonetheless.
He wasn't having any of it. Prancing about in fine clothing like he thought really well of himself, being curtseyed-at by the serving girls-lolling about with no real work to do except wait for Arthur to pop in demanding blowjobs-waking up every morning with Arthur stretched out next to him, with his golden hair tufted up ridiculously in the sunlight-kissing Arthur over breakfast and probably falling back into bed with him as often as not-curling up in Arthur's arms all the long, cold nights of the coming winter -
Merlin paused and forcibly reorganized his thoughts back to the point, which was that he was not going to be Arthur's mistress.
Hee! I love these occasions where a character's train of thoughts leads somewhere other than the character had had in mind!
Besides, if he was forced to do anything that horrible and extreme, he could not possibly be responsible for his self-control, and he would probably go and fall in love with Arthur. Given that so far Merlin had already killed some ten people, three monsters, and wrested the power of life and death from an evil priestess, all for Arthur's sake, Merlin was a little bit anxious about how much further this could possibly go. Also, Arthur would probably notice the magic at some point.
This is wonderful: Merlin being worried about what he will do if he really falls in love with Arthur! I agree, that's an alarming track record right there.
Merlin lunged off the bed and burst out into Gaius's chambers. "He'll notice the magic!" he gasped.
Gaius looked up from the blackened cauldron he was trying to scrape clean. "If you mean Arthur, I think he will first notice the absence of clothing."
Lovely dry manner of speaking!
"What?" Merlin said. "Gaius, don't talk nonsense, don't you understand? Arthur wants me to move into his chambers."
I'm endlessly amused by conversations like this -- where a character is so passionate about something that he expects everyone else to read his mind, and when they don't, he's all, "Don't you understand?"
Gaius didn't show anything like what Merlin felt was the appropriate level of sympathy. "I am beginning to think you had better."
Oh, I love this! Gaius clearly thinks it would be easier for him if Merlin did. I don't blame him! Hee.
"He'll catch me in five minutes!" Merlin said desperately.
"On the available evidence," Gaius said dryly, "I should say you will be too preoccupied to be doing much magic. Please go put on some trousers."
Other points of view always make me go "Ooh!" and this line would be one of them, or at least a glimpse of one of them. Now I'd like to know what this story would sound like if Gaius was telling it. The main focus would of course be on his research or discoveries (does he do some research here?) or possibly his personal life, which would be interesting to learn more about!
"What?" Merlin said. "Oh."
He is a bit slow! But I guess in the circumstances it's understandable.
He washed up a little and put some clothing back on, and then he gathered his courage and went to wait in Arthur's rooms. His heart was pounding. Obviously, telling Arthur was the only thing to do. And then-and then Arthur would-or he would-or else he might-well, at the very least, he would see how utterly impossible it was for Merlin to share his chambers, and then Merlin could find a spell to make all of this go away, and perhaps they could pretend none of it had ever happened.
His inner monologue makes me go "Aww," mostly because of the confusion, and also because he naively thinks it would be possible to pretend nothing ever happened and forget about it. Poor Merlin. He has no idea what kinds of terrible things will happen to him yet...
Merlin was sorry now that he hadn't worked this out back when they'd been in his own quarters. It-it would've been easier to tell Arthur there. His room was far up and away from the rest of the castle. No one could hear through the walls or anything, or out the windows. Merlin did close the window, and pull the curtains, just to be cautious. He paced in front of the fire for a while, and then he relaid the fire, even though really it was going just fine; and then he swept the floor, by hand, even though it didn't need sweeping, and then he tried sitting in a chair for a bit, but that was no use, so he was back to pacing again when Arthur finally swept back in.
"Where are your things?" Arthur demanded, kicking the door shut, and already slinging his cloak over a chair.
Merlin cleared his throat. "I can't move in," he said, desperately. "You don't want me to move in."
The dialogue in the whole fic is just fantastic. Arthur is such a brat and Merlin sounds so distinct too, every word and line he says. It sounds very life-like too, for example here when Merlin is trying to explain that he's a sorcerer and Arthur won't want to have anything to do with him, but he hasn't quite got to the explanation part just yet...
Arthur groaned and let his head tip back as he unbuckled his vambraces. "Listen, you idiot," he said, "do you think I am enjoying the prospect of parading you before the court as my ideal? My father is probably going to think my brain was affected by the poison." He paused and said, reflectively, "I suppose that would explain it."
We're still toying with the idea that there's a curse, spell or some other kind of influence behind this! And I love the ambiguity of Arthur calling Merlin his ideal but saying in the same sentence that it's fake and in reality he still thinks of Merlin as an idiot.
"It wouldn't explain it for me," Merlin said.
"It's hardly a great mystery why you would fall all over me," Arthur said. "Come here and get my mail off."
Ever so modest, this Arthur! *snickers*
"I don't want this any more than you do!" Merlin said.
"'Oh, Arthur,'" Arthur mimicked, muffled, as Merlin pulled the mailshirt off over his head. "'Please, Arthur, you're so-'"
Oh, that's so unfair of him! But it's still funny.
"D'you want me to start quoting, too?" Merlin dumped the mail on the table.
"I'm not responsible. My brain has been affected," Arthur said smugly.
"Didn't take much, did it," Merlin sniped, folding his arms. Arthur glared at him. "Your brain's not affected! There's nothing wrong with us except for-what's wrong with us. And I can fix that."
"You just finished telling me Gaius said there was no cure," Arthur said, "so-"
"There's no scientific cure," Merlin said, and gulped again. "But there could be-I'm quite certain there's-that is, I haven't looked yet, but I can find-" He stopped, took a deep breath, and said, "-a spell."
Arthur sighed and sat down in his chair and took off his boots. "Merlin, go and get your things."
Poor Merlin -- it took a lot for him to say that and Arthur doesn't get it at all.
"You don't understand," Merlin said. "Arthur, I'm a sorcerer."
"And I'm the Emperor of Rome," Arthur said.
Merlin stared at him. "I'm not joking!"
This works so well because I'm simultaneously amused by the dialogue and Arthur's humorous reply, and feel for Merlin who's trying to tell something very important to Arthur, and who's no doubt dismayed that Arthur doesn't seem to listen, or doesn't seem to believe what Arthur is saying.
Arthur looked up at him exasperatedly. "Very well, go ahead and do something magical."
"Er. What?" Merlin said. He hadn't actually expected Arthur to make him prove his confession.
Arthur stood up and approached him, waving a hand around the room. "Come on, then. Show me your great and wondrous powers."
Merlin looked around blankly. He'd already swept the room, twice; the fire was burning, the clothes were all put away; the armor needed cleaning, but he didn't have any of the brushes or oil up here for that. He didn't think Arthur would really appreciate a windstorm in his quarters, or Merlin setting the bed on fire. He could've summoned a light, but the room was bright, so that wouldn't look particularly impressive-
Merlin would probably have liked to think of something immediately here and make Arthur feel sorry for his earlier disbelief, but I infinitely prefer this version where Merlin figures out what to do... a little later. *g*
Arthur rolled his eyes and shoved Merlin backwards onto the bed. He climbed on and kissed him. Merlin wound his arm automatically around Arthur's neck and kissed him back, his legs already falling apart to cradle Arthur's hips. "I'm not-I'm not joking," he insisted, breathlessly, between kisses.
Their bodies doing something when their minds are still preoccupied with something else is one of my favourite story telling kinks!
"Mhm," Arthur mumbled, against Merlin's jaw, blindly groping between them, trying to get Merlin's trousers unlaced.
"Look, here," Merlin said, in desperation, and stared down. Their lacings promptly undid themselves, tangling around Arthur's fingers.
"I don't believe your insolence," Arthur said, without even glancing down, and shoved the mess of lacings out of the way and took hold of Merlin's cock. "Do you have any other demands you'd like to make?"
"No, I just-I did that!" Merlin said, incoherently, his hips thrusting up into Arthur's hand.
"You aren't doing anything!" Arthur said. "If you imagine that being my favorite means you now just get to lie there and moan at me uselessly-"
Their talking at cross purposes makes me laugh out loud! I'm tickled especially by Arthur's enviable abilities to ignore what Merlin is trying to say.
"Aahgh!" Merlin said wildly, and flipped them over.
No wonder he's frustrated! Hee.
"Better," Arthur murmured, still busy nuzzling at the crook of Merlin's neck. "I didn't know you had it in you."
Merlin jerked free and sat up over Arthur's hips. "I have magic in me, you ass!" he said, and then he pinned Arthur's wrists flat to the bed, and stripped all the clothes off him with a single hot-eyed glare.
The proverb (wish?) about looks being able to kill is definitely onto something, because doing magic via (or while) looking is really hot.
Arthur stared up at him, open-mouthed. "There!" Merlin said. "D'you believe me now? Do I need to hold you down and-" Arthur's cock jerked hard, skidding slickly against Merlin's thigh. Merlin paused and stared down at it. "What are-are you-you like-"
I love that little "Yes, please!" answer to Merlin's question about holding Arthur down. *g* I also love how Merlin is going on about something when Arthur probably can't even hear him because he's so turned on. Oh, and it's so nice that Merlin gets to demonstrate how he's got power: Arthur may be able to simply tell Merlin to move into his chambers, but Merlin can do this!
Arthur losing his arrogance this quickly (after talking about how he doesn't even like Merlin, and how it's understandable that Merlin has fallen for him!) is a bonus, and an extremely satisfying one at that.
"Shut up!" Arthur said in a strangled voice, and Merlin had one stunning, dazed, impossible moment where he imagined everything they could do together, and then he flung himself onto Arthur, body and magic both. Arthur writhed and bucked up into him, wildly, and Merlin was sucking on his mouth desperately, biting at Arthur's lip, both their cocks in his hand and Arthur's legs locked around his thighs while Merlin kept his wrists and shoulders pinned.
Arthur strained up against the hold and couldn't break it; his head fell back and he groaned in a shocked, deep voice; said, "Oh, gods, oh, Merlin, Merlin, Merlin, you absolute idiot," and came everywhere. Merlin whimpered helplessly and spent also, and collapsed limply over Arthur's chest.
Wow, okay. Bondage, as in someone being tied down and straining and trying to get free but unable to do so, and finding out that it's really, really hot... is definitely one of my favourite things in sex scenes. This one is also wonderfully written. I like that the first sentence of the paragraph is so long, and the semicolons. "Came everywhere" is also a favourite. It's no wonder I like this fic so much!
(I wonder if Arthur's "You absolute idiot!" means this time that Merlin was an idiot for not telling him before, so that they could use magic in this very specific way...)
***
"So it is a spell," Arthur said, after he caught his breath. "I knew it. You've ensorcelled me." He tried to sound convinced, and also angry, which he was; he was very angry. It was just remarkable how difficult it was to be properly angry, right after you'd had a spectacular and not entirely physically possible climax, after three weeks of horrible deprivation. The four-five-times in Merlin's room had barely taken the edge off.
Astolat writes Arthur's voice so well, it fills me with glee. Here it was the addition "He was very angry." Oh Arthur. He's so good at being convinced that he's feeling something -- or not feeling something, as it were!
"Have not," Merlin mumbled groggily against his shoulder.
"You're an evil lying sorcerer," Arthur said. "I can't trust a word you say."
"Yeah, better call the guard on me," Merlin said, without moving.
Arthur was starting to get irritated at Merlin's utter lack of concern. Then he noticed he was petting Merlin's hair. He stopped at once. "I'm going to! What sort of a lunatic are you, anyway? What possessed you to come live in Camelot?"
I love that his actions and words are so conflicted! I'm glad Merlin is good at reading his body rather than listening to what he says.
"I dunno, my mum knew Gaius?" Merlin said, proving he was a complete lackwit. "'S my destiny, anyway."
"What are you blithering about?" Arthur said.
"Protecting you," Merlin said. "What my magic's for. Takes some bloody doing, too," he added, and he even had the gall to raise his head and give Arthur a blearily accusing look.
Arthur glared at him outraged. "Protecting me-"
I like their arguments! Good thing, too, since they argue so much... there's just something appealing about it: I understand them both (Merlin knowing more about this destiny thing than Arthur, on the other hand Arthur getting irritated precisely because he doesn't know about it), and I hope and believe they're going to agree about it at some point, but until then it's entertaining that they're bickering and being so passionate about it, too.
Then he turned his head as a soft tap came on the door, and then one of the chambermaids came in with a bucket and mop. She froze and stared at them. Above him, Merlin made a small choked noise.
"Oh," she said. "Forgive me, sire!" she said, and curtseyed her way back out the door very fast.
I kind of would have liked to see what she saw... *g* I hope she wasn't too traumatised, either! At least she's probably going to be popular among the castle gossips for a while.
"Stop her!" Merlin squeaked out.
"And do what?" Arthur said. "Are you planning to turn her into a frog?"
"What are you talking about? Just-tell her not to tell anyone!" Merlin said.
"Yes, because that's likely to work," Arthur said.
"Half the castle's going to know by dinnertime!" Merlin said.
"Don't be absurd," Arthur said. "All the castle's going to know by dinnertime." He shoved Merlin off the bed. "Now go and get your damned things."
The dialogue keeps being marvellous!
Merlin thumped over the edge flailing, then sat up and stared at Arthur over the side of the bed with a horrified expression. "Did you miss the part where I'm a sorcerer? Aren't you even a little bit angry?" Merlin said desperately. His hair was sticking up like a mink's pelt, and he looked as unhappy as a wet cat.
"I am extremely angry," Arthur said slowly, with vengeful satisfaction. "And I intend to punish you extensively."
Merlin swallowed visibly. "Oh," he said.
"Yes, precisely," Arthur said. "Go."
Merlin went.
Hee! I love that Arthur gets his message through, and the short lines and the short paragraph at the end match the tone perfectly.
***
It was an absolute nightmare. Merlin looked sadly around his tiny room, and packed up his small sack of clothes. He stuck the spellbook on top in a sort of last-ditch attempt, but Arthur just threw it aside onto the table and began to dump the whole satchel out on the bed.
"Unacceptable," Arthur said, tossing the first shirt on the bed. "Unacceptable, also unacceptable, actually disgraceful, and-" he paused, holding up Merlin's feast-day tunic, "-hideously ugly. This is going to take some doing."
The story suddenly turning into a makeover by Arthur is a surprising development, yet very entertaining!
"What's wrong with them?" Merlin said. "You never minded my clothes before."
"You have appearances to maintain now," Arthur said horrifyingly, throwing Merlin's best pair of trousers on the bed after the rest.
It's not too surprising though -- this is what Merlin was afraid of: change.
"Can I go back to my room now, please?" Merlin said faintly.
"No," Arthur said. He turned, looked Merlin up and down, and beckoned. "Those, too."
"What?" Merlin said, crossing his hands over his chest. "I don't have anything else!"
"Good," Arthur said. "Otherwise this would take all day." He pulled Merlin in by the kerchief. That came off and went on the bed, too, followed by Merlin's tunic, shirt, second-best trousers, and finally Merlin himself, shoved face down onto the pile.
"No, don't get up," Arthur said, sliding a firm, possessive hand onto the back of Merlin's neck as he climbed on, pressing Merlin's legs apart.
"But what am I-oh-what am I supposed to wear if-oh," Merlin said, muffledly, and moaned into the pile of clothing as Arthur slowly pushed into him. "Oh. Arthur-"
I can't get over how perfect Merlin's lines are: they're great characterisation and convey how he's feeling beautifully. I love that they both say each other's names a lot when they're having sex; it makes it so personal and sweet, despite all their declarations that they don't like each other, not one bit.
Arthur fucked him leisurely, using rather a lot of oil, stroking Merlin off ruthlessly twice in the process. Afterwards, he drew out, came all over Merlin's back, and rolled him over to kiss him. "But," Merlin started to protest again, except he got distracted by Arthur kissing him some more, and didn't remember until after they'd spent the next half-hour rolling around.
Arthur finally yawned and stretched and got off the bed. Merlin staggered off and stared down at the wreck of every piece of clothing he owned in the world. "Look what you did!" he said. "D'you want me walking around naked or something?"
"Hm, tempting," Arthur said, "but a little advanced for the more conservative minds of the court, I expect." He went to his wardrobe and took out a shirt and a pair of trousers and tossed them onto Merlin's head. "Put those on, have all those others thrown in the rag bag, and go summon the tailors."
"A little advanced" -- hee! I'd love Arthur to have meant that it was tempting because he likes looking at Merlin when he's naked, but I suspect he means it as a punishment for Merlin. ...which is not, now that I think about it, such a bad mental image either. *g*
"No!" Merlin said, throwing Arthur's clothes on the floor. "These are my clothes, I don't want others. I can still clean them-"
"I don't care what you want," Arthur said, advancing on him with glittering eyes. "You've been lying to me for a year."
Merlin swallowed. "Arthur," he said.
"Shut up," Arthur said. "If you really are my loyal servant, you're going to follow my orders, and be quiet about it."
Merlin opened his mouth to argue that he'd been lying for extremely good reasons, like not having his head cut off or being burned at the stake or getting run out of Camelot; also to point out any of which fates would have meant his not being around to keep saving Arthur's life; and for illustration he readied himself to list off the dozen times he'd saved Arthur's life, soul, and/or future kingdom, all the while shouting down any of Arthur's attempts to argue.
Then he shut his mouth and went to get the tailors instead, because really, that seemed easier.
I think he's right -- it is easier to just do what Arthur tells him to do! Still, it's also an interesting moment when Arthur really has the power to tell Merlin what to do. Arthur saying that Merlin has been lying to him and that he doesn't care what Merlin wants makes my knees kind of weak, but I don't feel that their situation is as simple as that.
He was reconsidering the wisdom of that decision after Arthur proceeded to deck him out in silk and leather, and wool so fine that it felt soft instead of scratchy, even brand-new. Arthur, sprawled back in his chair watching, even examined a rich bolt of velvet, the sort of thing Morgana might use to make a dress. Merlin gave him a sidelong anxious look while holding very still so the tailor wouldn't stick him with pins. Again.
This is almost the same kind of thing that their earlier reluctance to have sex: Merlin's new clothes are soft and comfortable, but Merlin is horrified to use them. Still, I also feel a bit sorry for him -- the clothes he had before were his as he said, and these are not. I do appreciate the humour in the situation too though, Arthur inspecting some fabric that he knows Merlin doesn't want to wear, just to keep Merlin on his toes.
"I don't need three shirts," Merlin tried.
"Certainly you do," Arthur said. "Let's make it four, in fact. Unless you'd prefer robes?" He held up a corner of the velvet. "Ceremonial robes, floor length-"
"Four shirts would be splendid," Merlin said quickly. "Really just-um-magnificent."
"I thought so," Arthur said.
He's cruel but efficient!
***
It was amazingly satisfying to see Merlin looking elegant, well-groomed, and utterly miserable in his new clothing. Arthur basked in the reproachful look as he adjusted the collar of Merlin's tunic so it showed the fine linen of the shirt beneath. His fingers brushed Merlin's throat, and Merlin stopped looking quite so reproachful and began leaning towards him, but Arthur had steeled himself to meet temptation by wanking off three times just before Merlin had come back from errands to get dressed.
It would be interesting to know if he was thinking about Merlin pinning him down with magic when he was doing that...
"No, don't even try," Arthur said, pushing Merlin firmly back. "You're not getting out of dinner again."
"Arthur, I can't," Merlin whined pitifully.
"If you manage not to spill anything, I'll suck your cock when we get back," Arthur said, turning him around and shoving him at the door.
"You'll do that anyway!" Merlin said, trying to balk.
"True," Arthur said. "But if you do spill anything, I'll-buy you a present. A golden clasp, perhaps. It would look handsome with the cloak. I'll be sure to spend a good deal of time in the town looking for just the right thing-mention to all the tradesmen how special it has to be-"
Their game is a bit baffling (does Merlin show great displeasure towards too fancy clothes and things like that in canon? Or is this threatening-with-jewels-and-presents thing merely in context of this story?) but clearly Arthur knows exactly how to make Merlin do what he wants, and that I approve of!
"You are an utter bastard," Merlin said, morosely.
Arthur did have a bit of a swallowing moment when he beckoned the steward to have a chair put next to his, and Uther turned his head and raised a rather baffled eyebrow as Arthur shoved Merlin into it. His father had never had anything to say about any of Arthur's past liaisons, but then, Arthur had never set up a favorite before, much less one who'd previously spent almost as much time in the stocks as on his duties.
Much much less one who was also a sorcerer, and Arthur was being very careful not to think about that, because it alternately made him want to strangle Merlin and hide him somewhere safe.
Aww! I love that. I like my fictional feelings ambiguous but strong! And protectiveness is always good.
He glared at Merlin, who had no business being magical, and was probably responsible for all of this in the first place, in some dark evil sorcerer sort of way. And who was holding his fork as if he meant to stab someone with it, but wasn't quite sure which end to aim.
"Like this, idiot," Arthur hissed.
Merlin abandoned it instead. "What's wrong with spoons!" he hissed back. "I like spoons! And my fingers are perfectly fine-"
"If you want to eat like a barbarian," Arthur said, grabbing Merlin's hand and putting the fork back into it.
"Maybe I do!" Merlin said, and tried to put the fork down again.
Uther must be facepalming at this point. *g*
Arthur had just put paid to that attempt, and then the servants began to bring around the platters of food; Merlin stared a bit round-eyed at the haunch of venison in sauce as it was set down between them, and then stared at his fork helplessly. Arthur rolled his eyes and cut a portion for him and put it on Merlin's trencher.
Merlin glared at him, and Arthur belatedly realized what that would've looked like to the rest of the court-as though he'd been serving a noblewoman.
He beamed at Merlin. Merlin glared even more.
I love that Arthur didn't even realise how infuriating he was being, and then when he does he's pleased!
The rest of that week proved equally enjoyable. Merlin squalled protests over every bit of special treatment: the ones Arthur really did need to insist on, and the ones he made up just to enjoy Merlin's complaining. "I'll catch a cold! and probably an ague! and then I'll die!" Merlin said, clinging fiercely to a bedpost as Arthur tried to drag him over to the bath the servants had brought up just for Merlin, scattered with heaps of dried rose petals and lavender. "I shared your bath just yesterday!" Merlin added.
"Yes, but this one's yours," Arthur said, and suckled kisses onto Merlin's neck until his fingers loosened enough to be pried off.
That did backfire to some extent, as Merlin turned in his arms halfway to the tub and slid his hands under Arthur's shirt, which had somehow come loose from his belt. Arthur opened his mouth to inform Merlin that this pathetic attempt at dodging his fate was not going to work, and then Merlin licked Arthur's teeth, which was a little silly and oughtn't have been at all exciting, and the upshot of the whole thing was that Arthur spent the rest of the day with his hair smelling like lavender.
It's just like Arthur to think of that as an upside! Hee.
After three days of dining with the court, Merlin tried to sneak away to dinner in the servants' hall instead. Arthur had been watching for escape attempts, however, and knew perfectly well where Merlin was. Arthur skipped dinner in the hall himself, waited until the late bell had rung, and went downstairs just as the servants were starting their own meal. And just in time; he could see some of the stupider ones getting ready to start in on Merlin, likely thinking he'd been cast off already. Everyone got to their feet as Arthur swept in, except Merlin, who stared up at him open-mouthed in horror.
Poor Merlin who has no idea what's about to happen! The story seems to say that Merlin would be ripped to pieces in the servants' hall even though he himself thinks of it as a home, or at least a place where he's with friends. It does feel sort of inevitable that Merlin would spend more time with the upper class when he's a powerful sorcerer.
"Merlin, I do realize it's a large castle, but I would've thought you could find your way to the Great Hall. Now we'll have to eat in my chambers," Arthur said cheerfully, and collared him. He waved a lordly hand to the other servants and dragged Merlin upstairs, basking in the rising tirade about how unreasonable Arthur was for demanding his attendance all the time, and why couldn't Merlin have an ordinary dinner with ordinary people once in a while, instead of mad princes who wanted to make him eat with unnatural implements like forks, and how he was going to stick Arthur with one.
"-and I don't believe you did that in front of everyone," Merlin finished wrathfully, as Arthur pulled him back into his chambers, and then added, "No! I don't want to! I don't even want to look at you!" as Arthur shoved him onto the bed. However, Arthur's clothing was coming off by itself, so he gave the pathetically obvious lie all the credence it deserved.
I love how Astolat uses magic as something that reveals a person's true feelings -- there's at least one other story where it's used that way. Here it's especially funny when Merlin is complaining with words. Merlin and Arthur's relationship feels comfortable in the way that they pretend not to like/love/want each other mostly because it's more fun that way.
"And I'm hungry," Merlin whinged, squirming on Arthur's fingers, "oh, and, I, Arthur," and Arthur slid into him triumphantly, and dear god this was good, Merlin writhing beneath him and complaining at the same time, hips rising into Arthur's thrusts.
"Shut up," Arthur said, because that was the surest way to keep Merlin yammering on.
They're clearly made for each other!
"I'll make someone bring us up food after, you impossible wretch; didn't you realize they'd think I'd done with you?"
"I wish-I wish you had done with me," Merlin said, arching and scrabbling at Arthur's shoulders. "I wouldn't care what they said-"
Merlin still has no idea what Arthur means! His insincere wish makes me snicker.
"Idiot," Arthur said, deeply satisfied, and bent down to kiss him.
Afterwards he rolled off and got out of bed to stick his head in the hallway and send a passing servant for food. "There seemed to be several people lingering in the corridor," Arthur said, sprawling back on the bed and draping a leg comfortably over Merlin's limp body. "I think they might have heard you begging and moaning."
Merlin gave a small grumble into the pillows that might've been, "Ass." Arthur smacked his rear as punishment. Merlin squirmed a little but didn't manage to move until the knock came on the door and Arthur called, "Enter," at which point Merlin jerked up and windmilled frantically off the far side of the bed with a thump as the kitchen maid came in.
That last sentence is perfect! "Windmilled off" -- the best expression I've heard in a long time!
"Leave it there," Arthur said, smugly. "Merlin will serve me."
"Yes, sire," she said, curtseying.
"You're a monster," Merlin said, getting up and trudging over to the table after she'd gone. He didn't let it stop him from diving in, though.
"Thank you, Arthur, for seeing to my every comfort and desire," Arthur said. "I am deeply honored by your attentions and indeed humbly grateful mmprh-" One of the pillows leaped up and tried to smother him. Arthur fought it off and got up, and he swatted Merlin across the back of the head with his shift before he pulled it on and sat down. "Give me the roast duck."
It must be really weird to be around a person who can magic objects to do things like that! Arthur seems to be doing well, though.
Merlin slid it over and poured them both wine. Arthur propped his legs up over Merlin's thighs and said, "Where were you all afternoon? Did you really think that hiding was going to keep me from guessing what you were up to?"
"Sorry, didn't realize how deeply committed you were to my endless torment," Merlin said. "I was in the library, I wanted to be sure of avoiding you."
Arthur snorted. "You certainly chose well. What on earth did you do in the library for hours? I'm surprised Geoffrey didn't throw you out."
"Oh no," Merlin said, venomously. "He was really polite to me. Recommended me some excellent books. He even let me borrow one."
"I can just see you, hunched over in some dusty corner like him when you get old," Arthur said. He stretched. "We'll go hunting tomorrow morning; you need an antidote."
Merlin probably will be like that when he gets old! I have no idea who Geoffrey is so I'm sure I'm missing a lot about this exchange.
"Why is it I don't get to do any useful work anymore, but I can still be dragged hunting?" Merlin said.
"I still let you manage my armor," Arthur said. "And hunting is for sport and pleasure."
"Your pleasure, maybe," Merlin said sulkily. "I'd as soon spend the day reading."
Having spent the whole day today in front of the computer, I certainly sympathise!
"I'm whose pleasure counts," Arthur said smugly, except in the morning it was dim and grey as January, and gusting cold rain; Merlin lifted his head from the pillows, looked out the window, and heaved a small pathetic sigh.
Arthur rolled his eyes and shoved Merlin out of bed. "Go fetch me some breakfast."
Merlin actually obeyed an order at speed for once, and came back with fresh bread, stuffed eggs, sausages, smoked trout, apples, dried grapes, candied filberts, a fig pie, and also the book he'd absconded with from the library. He brought the tray over to the bed. "I could read to you," he suggested, transparently planning to lure Arthur into an orgy of gluttony and sloth just so he could avoid a little bit of rain.
Still, obedience deserved some reward, and actually the book was quite interesting, all about the Romans poisoning one another and having fantastic civil wars and conquests all over the place. And it was unseasonably cold, and the bed was warm, and they had a lazy round after they finished eating, and then somehow it was afternoon already, and Arthur had to get up for patrol.
This description of their slow, lazy morning sounds wonderful. The breakfast, the book, the warm bed -- everything! Arthur's rationalisation that Merlin deserves this is also wonderful.
"This is all your fault," Arthur informed Merlin, who yawned up at him unrepentantly out of the cozy nest of blankets and said, "So I'll just stay here, shall I?"
Merlin makes such a good mistress!
Arthur spent all the long hours of patrol-and yes, it was cold and wet and ugly out-trying to come up with some sort of really unpleasant task that he could still assign Merlin now that mucking out the stables or scrubbing the latrines or sculling for the cooks were all right out. He hadn't succeeded by the time he got back, which left him in an irritable mood, except then he walked into his chambers and found mulled wine and a hot bath waiting, a clean woolen shift warming by the fire, dinner on the table, and Merlin, bright-eyed and well-rested.
After Arthur had been taken out of his armor, thoroughly fucked-it was amazing how it unwound the muscles, really-and had bathed, eaten, been fucked a second time, and was lying sprawled in bed with his head pillowed on Merlin's thigh, he was feeling remarkably in charity with the world.
"I was just thinking, this afternoon," Merlin said, his fingers stroking pleasantly through Arthur's hair, "you can't make me muck out the stables anymore."
"I'll think of something," Arthur muttered.
"I suppose this isn't all horrible," Merlin said contemplatively. "Do you want me to read some more?"
"Yes, all right," Arthur said.
They end up having compatible interests after all!
***
Part 3 of the commentary