Fic - A Quiet Decision
Title: A Quiet Decision (1/4) Completed
Author: Zafra
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: nothing, except possible sweetness-factor :)
Beta: casualtheatrics thank you for cheerleading me and grammar picking! coldpoet as always, wrestled my sentences into order and beat me into doing better! (I love the abuse, of course!)
Description: Arthur, in a fit of boredom, seeks out Merlin and makes some decisions along the way.
A/N: This story was supposed to end-up entirely different. But I left it for a month and completely forgot what I was intending until it was too late! I'm happy with the new result, though. Another thank you to coldpoet for unintentionally titling this for me. She described it as a 'slow, fun, sweet story' or something to that effect. So if you hate the title, still blame me. :D
Merlin often accused him of being a prat, and just this once, Arthur would admit to feeling like one. It had been months of being stuck in the castle walls after his injury, listening to the knights practice daily without him. He knew they were in good hands with Sir Leon, but he had taken to hiding in the most out-of-the-way place possible, far enough not to hear the clanking of swords. His fingers itched to pick up a weapon again. Several times he had tried to goad Merlin in to going off with him to the woods and practicing, but to no avail. His manservant really was bloody useless. So useless, in fact, that Arthur took another long-suffering look out at the courtyard and stormed out of his room on a mission to find him. He was slow at just about everything - mending, polishing, dressing, drawing his bath. There was only one part of Merlin that didn’t ever seem to be slow and it was the one reason (not really) he kept Merlin around.
Merlin’s brain could run circles around Arthur without him even realizing it. Merlin would manage to look stupid, incompetent and confused in the same moment he was delivering a rather pointed and vital piece of information. Normally, there was so much going on that Arthur let it go. He had official business to attend, patrols to ride, knights to train - puzzling out his bizarre servant just wasn’t high on that list, most days. Of course, then he had to go and get injured. He wasn’t terribly accustomed to it and the boredom was driving him completely stir-crazy. Unfortunately, his usual side of distraction wasn’t around as much. Intellectually, Arthur realized Merlin really *wasn’t* around that much - only when the Prince requested him. The chores he was given to do by both himself and Gaius did not allow him to be idle and the general needs of running a castle were not small. But fuck all - Arthur was *bored*. And if he had to deal with all the little inconsistencies that naturally came with having Merlin for a manservant, then he figured it was only fair he get to avail himself of the one thing he liked most about him. Dressing in his hunting attire, Arthur headed-out of his rooms on a mission.
It wasn’t hard to find him. When he wasn’t in any of the places Arthur saw other bustling servants, he checked his room, whereupon Gaius politely informed him he’d sent Merlin on an errand to pick some herbs in the nearby woods. Nodding briefly at the physician, Arthur set off for the outskirts of the town. He knew the eyes of several of his knights followed his every step - he just hoped they left him in peace. This was something he didn’t need a retinue for. In fact, it was something he hoped to keep quiet just awhile longer. Forever, if he was honest with himself. He had enough people fawning over his every need - it was expected.
If he was being honest, Merlin was the first person to show him how much he was missing. There had been a few sons of Lords and visiting royalty in his boyhood, but Arthur had been alone for some time now; Morgana notwithstanding. Age dictated he spend more time preparing to be King and less time being, well, Arthur. Truth was, ‘being Arthur’ was more fun. He wasn’t King yet - surely highbrow posturing and distance could wait just a bit longer? For the sake of his sanity, he hoped it could at least wait the span of an afternoon. He went to the stables and saddled his horse by himself. The fewer people who knew he was riding off, the less chance he’d be followed. Pointing his steed in the right direction, he galloped out from the gates of Camelot feeling freer in that moment than any other in recent memory. As he passed the settlements outside the main walls, he allowed his horse to slow down and just enjoyed being outdoors. Normally there was a fixed plan - game to catch, bandits to investigate. It was not long before Arthur urged his horse along the path toward where Gaius had sent Merlin. Now that he had managed his escape, he was once again moved to get on with - whatever it was he needed to do.
Part 2 - http://zafra.livejournal.com/133778.html
Author: Zafra
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: nothing, except possible sweetness-factor :)
Beta: casualtheatrics thank you for cheerleading me and grammar picking! coldpoet as always, wrestled my sentences into order and beat me into doing better! (I love the abuse, of course!)
Description: Arthur, in a fit of boredom, seeks out Merlin and makes some decisions along the way.
A/N: This story was supposed to end-up entirely different. But I left it for a month and completely forgot what I was intending until it was too late! I'm happy with the new result, though. Another thank you to coldpoet for unintentionally titling this for me. She described it as a 'slow, fun, sweet story' or something to that effect. So if you hate the title, still blame me. :D
Merlin often accused him of being a prat, and just this once, Arthur would admit to feeling like one. It had been months of being stuck in the castle walls after his injury, listening to the knights practice daily without him. He knew they were in good hands with Sir Leon, but he had taken to hiding in the most out-of-the-way place possible, far enough not to hear the clanking of swords. His fingers itched to pick up a weapon again. Several times he had tried to goad Merlin in to going off with him to the woods and practicing, but to no avail. His manservant really was bloody useless. So useless, in fact, that Arthur took another long-suffering look out at the courtyard and stormed out of his room on a mission to find him. He was slow at just about everything - mending, polishing, dressing, drawing his bath. There was only one part of Merlin that didn’t ever seem to be slow and it was the one reason (not really) he kept Merlin around.
Merlin’s brain could run circles around Arthur without him even realizing it. Merlin would manage to look stupid, incompetent and confused in the same moment he was delivering a rather pointed and vital piece of information. Normally, there was so much going on that Arthur let it go. He had official business to attend, patrols to ride, knights to train - puzzling out his bizarre servant just wasn’t high on that list, most days. Of course, then he had to go and get injured. He wasn’t terribly accustomed to it and the boredom was driving him completely stir-crazy. Unfortunately, his usual side of distraction wasn’t around as much. Intellectually, Arthur realized Merlin really *wasn’t* around that much - only when the Prince requested him. The chores he was given to do by both himself and Gaius did not allow him to be idle and the general needs of running a castle were not small. But fuck all - Arthur was *bored*. And if he had to deal with all the little inconsistencies that naturally came with having Merlin for a manservant, then he figured it was only fair he get to avail himself of the one thing he liked most about him. Dressing in his hunting attire, Arthur headed-out of his rooms on a mission.
It wasn’t hard to find him. When he wasn’t in any of the places Arthur saw other bustling servants, he checked his room, whereupon Gaius politely informed him he’d sent Merlin on an errand to pick some herbs in the nearby woods. Nodding briefly at the physician, Arthur set off for the outskirts of the town. He knew the eyes of several of his knights followed his every step - he just hoped they left him in peace. This was something he didn’t need a retinue for. In fact, it was something he hoped to keep quiet just awhile longer. Forever, if he was honest with himself. He had enough people fawning over his every need - it was expected.
If he was being honest, Merlin was the first person to show him how much he was missing. There had been a few sons of Lords and visiting royalty in his boyhood, but Arthur had been alone for some time now; Morgana notwithstanding. Age dictated he spend more time preparing to be King and less time being, well, Arthur. Truth was, ‘being Arthur’ was more fun. He wasn’t King yet - surely highbrow posturing and distance could wait just a bit longer? For the sake of his sanity, he hoped it could at least wait the span of an afternoon. He went to the stables and saddled his horse by himself. The fewer people who knew he was riding off, the less chance he’d be followed. Pointing his steed in the right direction, he galloped out from the gates of Camelot feeling freer in that moment than any other in recent memory. As he passed the settlements outside the main walls, he allowed his horse to slow down and just enjoyed being outdoors. Normally there was a fixed plan - game to catch, bandits to investigate. It was not long before Arthur urged his horse along the path toward where Gaius had sent Merlin. Now that he had managed his escape, he was once again moved to get on with - whatever it was he needed to do.
Part 2 - http://zafra.livejournal.com/133778.html