Chapter Eight: When the world comes crumbling down (I've got you to piece it back together again)
Merlin woke with a start. His magic was buzzing under his skin. The sun’s rays poured through his window, casting a golden light across the room. Merlin rolled over and sighed. He’d been up until the early hours going over and over his conversation with Morgana, trying to figure out what her deal was. There was more to it, he knew that, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.
He knew he needed to be worrying about making the arrangements for Gawain’s funeral and sorting out the books for the pub, but he couldn’t focus on anything else. He needed answers.
He pushed his covers back and threw on his dressing gown, padding into the kitchen to make himself something for breakfast. The fridge was sparse, but Gwen had made sure he had milk, toast, and jam, but he knew he’d have to do a proper grocery shop sometime soon. It had been something he’d done with Gawain, the two of them fighting over what went into the trolley and trying to one-up each other by sneaking all kinds of random items in, designed to embarrass the other when they finally made it, an hour later, up to the checkout.
As he was spreading jam onto his toast, Merlin was struck by a thought. Throwing the piece of toast into his mouth, he fumbled his way through the mess in the lounge and out the front door, intending to head down to his magic room to find the book he needed.
Taking the stairs down three at a time, Merlin almost tripped on a broken vase. He wasn't sure when it had fallen, possibly when he had come in the night before, but honestly it didn’t matter right then. He righted it and continued on his way.
Merlin tripped again on the door jam he used to hold the pub door open on hot days. He wondered when that had gotten there. Perhaps he really had been too distracted after his discussion with Morgana. Something about her really didn't sit right with him.
She had a venom in her eyes, and he knew that she couldn't hate him so much for not wanting to sell her the pub. Anyone could see that he loved the place, that he and Gawain had made it their own after Gaius had passed on, adding their own personality quirks to the pub through posters, furniture, and glassware. It was theirs and they had kept it because they loved Gaius and their family, and Merlin wasn't about to give that up now.
Turning the handle between the pub and the staircase leading to the basement that housed the replacement kegs, and behind another door, his magic room, Merlin was surprised to find it unlocked. He could unlock it without a key, but anyone else in the pub that had access to the cellar needed the key housed in the office. Merlin made his way past the boxes of wine and kegs of beer to another door, hidden by a bookcase. Pushing the bookcase with his mind, it shifted sideways, revealing another door. He unlocked it, his eyes glowing gold and stepped through.
The room was chaos. Books, trinkets, and furniture were in upheaval. Someone had been in there, that much was clear, but who? And why? Merlin climbed around the mess, his hands and breath shaking, looking for a sign that something was missing. There were ripped pages and glass everywhere and he could barely formulate his thoughts. He couldn't see anything glaringly obvious missing, but he'd have to have a closer look when it was tidy.
"No time like the present," he muttered, and channeled all of his energy and focus into cleaning the room as quickly and quietly as possible. He watched as broken things repaired themselves and furniture righted itself, wood that had been splintered moments ago, now fixed and back in it's rightful place. The books had catalogued themselves in alphabetical order again, and Merlin knew all he'd have to do would be to look at them in order to find what was missing, if anything.
He'd poured over the items in this room so many times, trying to understand why he had magic and trying to learn what he could do with it. It was the best thing Gaius had ever done for him, leaving him all this stuff and helping him to understand his abilities. He wished Gaius was still there, he'd have perhaps been able to help ease the sting of betrayal. The room was so personal for Merlin and it made his skin crawl knowing that someone had so easily damaged it without his permission. Taking one final look about at the reorganized chaos, he left the room, ensuring it was locked and reinforced with magic he'd not yet experimented with, magic he didn't even know would work.
After spending most of the day on the phone making arrangements for flowers and a casket, Merlin finally made his way downstairs to the bar where it was busy, but not chaotic. He didn't have to look far to know Arthur was there; he could feel the other man's eyes on him almost instantly. He could feel everyone's eyes on him and it made him wonder why he'd thought it was a good idea for him to come down. Maybe it was too soon. He gave Freya a small wave and turned to leave again.
"Merlin!" Arthur called, making his way across the room, almost barreling into another patron who's arms were laden with drinks for himself and friends. He watched Arthur raise an apologetic hand to the man, who laughed and kept moving. Merlin stepped out of the busy bar and into the office, gesturing for Arthur to follow him.
"Thanks for dropping the car off," he said, sitting on top of the desk and folding his arms. Arthur was watching him carefully, with the same look he had seen everyone giving him over the past few days.
“It’s fine. Anything I can do to help...” Arthur added, leaning against the door frame
