Merlin Fic: Not a clotpole (1/2)
Title: Not a clotpole (1/2)
Author: dk323
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Merlin, Arthur, Morgana
Spoilers:
Merlin ~ Episode 2x01
Disclaimer: The show Merlin is property of the BBC. No money being made.
Summary: Merlin doesn’t know what has overcome Arthur.
A week after the Cedric incident, Merlin entered Arthur’s chambers with his lunch. Arthur was seated at the table, looking up as Merlin came in.
And then, Arthur gave him this sort of searching look like he was trying to find something on Merlin’s face.
“Do I have something on my face?” Merlin asked carefully as he set down the tray with the prince’s lunch.
Arthur shook his head and his gaze shifted to the food before him. “No, of course not. Be sure to polish my armour, would you? The tournament is tomorrow--”
Merlin sighed and nodded. “All right. Is that all, Arthur?”
Arthur appeared to be considering something for a moment before he asked, “Merlin?”
“Yes?”
“Remember when I sent you to the dungeons after you attacked Cedric?”
Merlin’s expression darkened. He really didn’t want to be reminded of that incident with Cedric. Or, really, it had been Cornelius Sigan possessing the man, but it did not matter much in the end.
The sting of Arthur’s disbelief in his words still bothered him no matter the peculiar developments lately in Arthur’s behavior toward him. Merlin noticed that since the incident with Cedric, Arthur was taking it easy on him - being more patient and tolerant of him than even before the Questing Beast incident. Merlin didn’t know what had overcome the prince. Merlin figured at first that it was Arthur’s way of apologizing for his treatment of him a week ago.
But then - well, Merlin really didn’t want to know what Arthur’s game was, but the prince had suddenly developed a penchant at discussing magic in Merlin’s presence in wake of the Cedric incident.
Merlin thought nothing of it because Arthur wasn’t condemning magic necessarily, just contemplating what could be done with such gifts. And anyway, Merlin didn’t see anything in the prince’s countenance that would give him a reason for alarm. So all Merlin could conclude was that this was all just innocent talk, just to fill the silence.
Since killing Nimueh, Merlin felt less like himself in some respects. He didn’t know what to do anymore. Holding the power of life and death in his hands, the very balance of it, had changed him. In what way, Merlin himself wasn’t sure. Yet.
He had tried not to think on it any further. Instead, he had focused on doing his job. And while doing that, Merlin had distanced himself from Arthur. He didn’t even recognize he was doing it, so wrapped up in his thoughts, his uncertainty about what lay ahead of him. Of what sort of person he would become and what that would mean.
Arthur had given him rather odd, piercing looks after Merlin had returned from the Isle of the Blessed. But then the prince’s interest tapered off after a few days. Merlin was too preoccupied to notice the shift anyway.
“Merlin, did you hear me?” Arthur’s voice shook him out of his thoughts.
Merlin nodded. “Yes, about being in the dungeons? What do you want to know? That was a week ago…” Merlin reminded him, feeling puzzled as to why Arthur chose to bring this up days later.
Arthur took a drink from his goblet and then set it down. “Yes, I know,” He agreed casually as if he usually brought up week-old matters on a whim. “The bars of your cell - they were blasted outwards. Strange, don’t you think?”
Merlin tried his best not to appear startled or give any indication that this observation affected him.
“Yes, Arthur. I agree,” Merlin quickly replied.
“Huh,” Arthur said, looking thoughtful for a long moment.
Then Arthur looked up again at Merlin. Merlin saw how Arthur’s eyes moved up and down his body as if Arthur was surveying an intriguing specimen.
“Merlin, go back to the kitchens. Ask them for another plate of food for me.”
Merlin stared at him, shocked. “What?” He managed to breathe out.
“I’m feeling hungry. Go on,” Arthur said, waving his hand to dismiss him.
“All right,” Merlin could only say.
He left Arthur’s chambers, wondering what in the world that was about. Arthur had never made such a request before.
When Merlin came back with Arthur’s requested second serving, the prince directed him to take a seat at the table.
Merlin did as he was told and set the plate on the table as well. He looked at Arthur who stared right back at him.
Then he said, “You don’t look well, Merlin. You’re so thin; I fear a strong wind will blow you away. Eat,” The last word was an order.
“But it’s your food…” Merlin pointed out, feeling puzzled.
“Merlin, I can’t have a servant who isn’t doing their job properly - not that you ever do your job properly -- because they aren’t taking care of themselves. And I most certainly can’t have others seeing my manservant looking ill. You need meat on your bones. Eat,” Arthur insisted, moving the second plate closer to Merlin.
Merlin sighed and decided to just follow Arthur’s order. He didn’t feel like arguing and really, this was one order he didn’t mind following at all. He hadn’t eaten lunch yet, and he could admit that he was feeling hungry.
“And Merlin?”
“Yes, Arthur?”
“Eat everything on that plate.”
Merlin nodded and started eating a piece of bread.
They ate in companionable silence thereafter, only broken by Arthur bringing up the topic of magic again.
~ * ~
A week later:
“THAT’S IT!” Merlin exclaimed. He just managed to keep a grip on the plate he was carrying despite nearly tripping over a bowl on the floor.
He glared at Arthur who appeared not to be concerned with Merlin’s outburst.
“It’s not my fault you’re such a klutz,” Arthur remarked.
“You! That’s the fifth time you’ve tried to trip me today! What is this?! I know you’re doing this-- don’t think I’m an idiot!”
Arthur shrugged, waving his hand carelessly. “Oh, I think you’re very much an idiot. I don’t know what you’re on about. Why would I be trying to trip you?”
Merlin groaned. Arthur was right. He hadn’t the faintest clue as to what reason the prince had to do that to him. Other than a rather stupid prank. He wouldn’t put it past Arthur, the royal prat.
Then Merlin grinned, realizing what he could pin on Arthur. “Then how do you explain you moving your goblet, still full of drink, so close to the edge of the table that it would spill? And then when it did spill, I’d have to clean it up! Well?” Merlin gave him an expectant look.
“You’re seeing things.” Arthur answered, leaning back in his fur-throw chair.
“I’m what?” Merlin spluttered, feeling incredibly confused.
How could Arthur just say that? This was ridiculous!
“You’re seeing things. Clearly, you’re imagining a situation that hasn’t happened. Maybe you’re coming down with something.”
Merlin narrowed his eyes. He stared at Arthur. Did he hear that right? Had Arthur just told him that he was hallucinating? Gone mad?
Arthur nodded at the seat across from him. “Dine with me. Have you had dinner yet?”
“I was planning to have it with Gaius,” Merlin told him, barely managing a civil tone.
“Well, now you’re having it with me. Take a seat. There’s more than enough here for the both of us.”
Merlin sat down reluctantly and started tucking into his dinner.
Almost half an hour passed before Merlin looked up at Arthur -- cutting into his opinion on a certain knight or other during training that day -- and he asked, realization dawning on him, “You haven’t brought up magic once today. After you’ve been on about it for the last two weeks.”
Arthur stroked his chin in thought. “I guess you’re right. I suppose I’ve exhausted the topic. A person can’t talk about magic all the time.”
“Arthur--” Merlin started, feeling uncertain.
“Yes?” Arthur asked, an inexplicable look in his eyes.
Merlin shook his head. Arthur was acting weird and Merlin was sure it would drive him insane trying to get to the bottom of it.
“Nothing,” Merlin said with a sigh.
Merlin had to clean up the spill from two fallen goblets that evening. Arthur, irritatingly, denied he had anything to do with it.
He wondered if Arthur really thought Merlin was blind because there was no way, no way that the prince had any grounds for denial.
~ * ~
The week wore on and Merlin was now absolutely certain that he wasn’t “seeing things” as Arthur put it.
Arthur continued to knock things -- not just goblets anymore but plates, vases, bowls - off of his table and strategically place objects so that Merlin would trip over them while carrying something heavy.
What Merlin found curious was that Arthur only did these things in his chambers, not anywhere else in the castle. Merlin supposed he should be grateful for this as he would rather not have others see him make an idiot of himself tripping over things.
But then that didn’t quite explain the “knocking things off of tables.” If Arthur really wanted to amuse himself at Merlin’s expense, then why didn’t Arthur do that outside of his chambers?
Merlin really wouldn’t have minded. It was Arthur who was doing it after all, so he would only be embarrassing himself.
Ah, now he had figured it out. Of course, the clotpole of a prince didn’t want to risk his reputation by doing something as silly and unbefitting as knocking items off high surfaces for no good reason.
But then again, Arthur could just as easily blame the mishap on Merlin and everyone would believe the prince. After all, a prince’s word against a servant’s - there was no contest.
Either way, Arthur was being a royal prat.
~ * ~
Merlin knocked on the door to Morgana’s chambers. He had found out from another servant that Gwen was attending her there. And he really needed to talk to her about the “Arthur is being more of a prat than usual” situation.
“Come in,” He heard Morgana’s voice from inside of the room.
Merlin entered the room. “Hello, Morgana. Uh, I was looking for Gwen… is she not here?”
“You just missed her. Why did you need to see her?”
Morgana waved her hand at a chair suggesting Merlin should take a seat.
He did and then he explained, “I needed to talk to her about Arthur. Complain about him, more like it.”
Morgana gave him an interested look. “Really? What has he done now?”
And so Merlin told her about Arthur intentionally trying to trip him, about him knocking over goblets so that their contents would spill and it would fall to Merlin to clean it up…
Merlin was about to say something else, but he cut himself off.
Morgana caught his hesitance though. “What else is it?”
“Nothing. I don’t think it means anything.”
Morgana sat down in another chair across from him. “Well, Arthur is certainly acting strangely. I’m sure he has a reason for it, but I can’t deny he is, at times, rather annoying and a bit of a brat more often than not.”
Merlin agreed.
“I know that my dreams aren’t a fluke, Merlin. I figured it out,” Morgana said suddenly.
Merlin’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, honestly. Don’t look so surprised. I’m smarter than you think. And I know about your magic too. So whatever you need to tell me, you can.”
Merlin stared at her. “Uh,” he managed to say. He was finding it hard to form words. “How did you know about me?”
“I have eyes, you see. I was watching you.”
“But if that were the case, then everyone would know!” He said firmly, refusing to believe that he’d be so easily found out. “And they don’t - no one has suspected a thing.”
Morgana tried to reassure him. “Let me rephrase that - I knew what I was looking out for. Others just don’t know what they should be watching for or, for that matter, that they should be observing you more carefully at all.”
He nodded mutely, still uncertain how to take this abrupt revelation from Morgana. “Right, uh…well,” Merlin started again. “It’s just that a few weeks ago, Arthur, out of nowhere, started talking about magic to me. Not condemning it as his father is likely to do, just considering the possibilities of magic. But then, the same day he started tripping me and knocking objects off of his table, Arthur stopped all together. Just like that,” Merlin snapped his fingers to emphasize his point.
Morgana nodded. “He just stopped bringing up that topic?”
“Yes! I don’t understand. He’s just acting so - Arthur’s more infuriating than usual. I don’t know what point he’s trying to make by driving me insane. And he accused me of hallucinating! That, of course, he wasn’t the one knocking goblets off of the table! But I’m not blind.”
Morgana placed her hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture. “I’m sure Arthur will come around. There must be something he’s doing right…”
Merlin rubbed the back of his head, remembering something. “Well, he seems to be unusually concerned about my health. He makes sure I always eat with him so that he could see me eat everything off my plate. It’s disconcerting.”
Morgana smiled. “There you have it. It’s not all bad.”
“Do you have any idea what could be the cause?” Merlin asked her, looking at her hopefully.
Morgana shook her head, but Merlin was positive he saw a smug, knowing look on her face for a fleeting moment.
He left Morgana’s chambers, feeling more confused than ever.
Well, at least Morgana knew his secret, he told himself.
That thought kept him going until the next day when he just restrained himself from turning Arthur into a toad.
~ * ~
Part 2
Author: dk323
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Merlin, Arthur, Morgana
Spoilers:
Merlin ~ Episode 2x01
Disclaimer: The show Merlin is property of the BBC. No money being made.
Summary: Merlin doesn’t know what has overcome Arthur.
A week after the Cedric incident, Merlin entered Arthur’s chambers with his lunch. Arthur was seated at the table, looking up as Merlin came in.
And then, Arthur gave him this sort of searching look like he was trying to find something on Merlin’s face.
“Do I have something on my face?” Merlin asked carefully as he set down the tray with the prince’s lunch.
Arthur shook his head and his gaze shifted to the food before him. “No, of course not. Be sure to polish my armour, would you? The tournament is tomorrow--”
Merlin sighed and nodded. “All right. Is that all, Arthur?”
Arthur appeared to be considering something for a moment before he asked, “Merlin?”
“Yes?”
“Remember when I sent you to the dungeons after you attacked Cedric?”
Merlin’s expression darkened. He really didn’t want to be reminded of that incident with Cedric. Or, really, it had been Cornelius Sigan possessing the man, but it did not matter much in the end.
The sting of Arthur’s disbelief in his words still bothered him no matter the peculiar developments lately in Arthur’s behavior toward him. Merlin noticed that since the incident with Cedric, Arthur was taking it easy on him - being more patient and tolerant of him than even before the Questing Beast incident. Merlin didn’t know what had overcome the prince. Merlin figured at first that it was Arthur’s way of apologizing for his treatment of him a week ago.
But then - well, Merlin really didn’t want to know what Arthur’s game was, but the prince had suddenly developed a penchant at discussing magic in Merlin’s presence in wake of the Cedric incident.
Merlin thought nothing of it because Arthur wasn’t condemning magic necessarily, just contemplating what could be done with such gifts. And anyway, Merlin didn’t see anything in the prince’s countenance that would give him a reason for alarm. So all Merlin could conclude was that this was all just innocent talk, just to fill the silence.
Since killing Nimueh, Merlin felt less like himself in some respects. He didn’t know what to do anymore. Holding the power of life and death in his hands, the very balance of it, had changed him. In what way, Merlin himself wasn’t sure. Yet.
He had tried not to think on it any further. Instead, he had focused on doing his job. And while doing that, Merlin had distanced himself from Arthur. He didn’t even recognize he was doing it, so wrapped up in his thoughts, his uncertainty about what lay ahead of him. Of what sort of person he would become and what that would mean.
Arthur had given him rather odd, piercing looks after Merlin had returned from the Isle of the Blessed. But then the prince’s interest tapered off after a few days. Merlin was too preoccupied to notice the shift anyway.
“Merlin, did you hear me?” Arthur’s voice shook him out of his thoughts.
Merlin nodded. “Yes, about being in the dungeons? What do you want to know? That was a week ago…” Merlin reminded him, feeling puzzled as to why Arthur chose to bring this up days later.
Arthur took a drink from his goblet and then set it down. “Yes, I know,” He agreed casually as if he usually brought up week-old matters on a whim. “The bars of your cell - they were blasted outwards. Strange, don’t you think?”
Merlin tried his best not to appear startled or give any indication that this observation affected him.
“Yes, Arthur. I agree,” Merlin quickly replied.
“Huh,” Arthur said, looking thoughtful for a long moment.
Then Arthur looked up again at Merlin. Merlin saw how Arthur’s eyes moved up and down his body as if Arthur was surveying an intriguing specimen.
“Merlin, go back to the kitchens. Ask them for another plate of food for me.”
Merlin stared at him, shocked. “What?” He managed to breathe out.
“I’m feeling hungry. Go on,” Arthur said, waving his hand to dismiss him.
“All right,” Merlin could only say.
He left Arthur’s chambers, wondering what in the world that was about. Arthur had never made such a request before.
When Merlin came back with Arthur’s requested second serving, the prince directed him to take a seat at the table.
Merlin did as he was told and set the plate on the table as well. He looked at Arthur who stared right back at him.
Then he said, “You don’t look well, Merlin. You’re so thin; I fear a strong wind will blow you away. Eat,” The last word was an order.
“But it’s your food…” Merlin pointed out, feeling puzzled.
“Merlin, I can’t have a servant who isn’t doing their job properly - not that you ever do your job properly -- because they aren’t taking care of themselves. And I most certainly can’t have others seeing my manservant looking ill. You need meat on your bones. Eat,” Arthur insisted, moving the second plate closer to Merlin.
Merlin sighed and decided to just follow Arthur’s order. He didn’t feel like arguing and really, this was one order he didn’t mind following at all. He hadn’t eaten lunch yet, and he could admit that he was feeling hungry.
“And Merlin?”
“Yes, Arthur?”
“Eat everything on that plate.”
Merlin nodded and started eating a piece of bread.
They ate in companionable silence thereafter, only broken by Arthur bringing up the topic of magic again.
~ * ~
A week later:
“THAT’S IT!” Merlin exclaimed. He just managed to keep a grip on the plate he was carrying despite nearly tripping over a bowl on the floor.
He glared at Arthur who appeared not to be concerned with Merlin’s outburst.
“It’s not my fault you’re such a klutz,” Arthur remarked.
“You! That’s the fifth time you’ve tried to trip me today! What is this?! I know you’re doing this-- don’t think I’m an idiot!”
Arthur shrugged, waving his hand carelessly. “Oh, I think you’re very much an idiot. I don’t know what you’re on about. Why would I be trying to trip you?”
Merlin groaned. Arthur was right. He hadn’t the faintest clue as to what reason the prince had to do that to him. Other than a rather stupid prank. He wouldn’t put it past Arthur, the royal prat.
Then Merlin grinned, realizing what he could pin on Arthur. “Then how do you explain you moving your goblet, still full of drink, so close to the edge of the table that it would spill? And then when it did spill, I’d have to clean it up! Well?” Merlin gave him an expectant look.
“You’re seeing things.” Arthur answered, leaning back in his fur-throw chair.
“I’m what?” Merlin spluttered, feeling incredibly confused.
How could Arthur just say that? This was ridiculous!
“You’re seeing things. Clearly, you’re imagining a situation that hasn’t happened. Maybe you’re coming down with something.”
Merlin narrowed his eyes. He stared at Arthur. Did he hear that right? Had Arthur just told him that he was hallucinating? Gone mad?
Arthur nodded at the seat across from him. “Dine with me. Have you had dinner yet?”
“I was planning to have it with Gaius,” Merlin told him, barely managing a civil tone.
“Well, now you’re having it with me. Take a seat. There’s more than enough here for the both of us.”
Merlin sat down reluctantly and started tucking into his dinner.
Almost half an hour passed before Merlin looked up at Arthur -- cutting into his opinion on a certain knight or other during training that day -- and he asked, realization dawning on him, “You haven’t brought up magic once today. After you’ve been on about it for the last two weeks.”
Arthur stroked his chin in thought. “I guess you’re right. I suppose I’ve exhausted the topic. A person can’t talk about magic all the time.”
“Arthur--” Merlin started, feeling uncertain.
“Yes?” Arthur asked, an inexplicable look in his eyes.
Merlin shook his head. Arthur was acting weird and Merlin was sure it would drive him insane trying to get to the bottom of it.
“Nothing,” Merlin said with a sigh.
Merlin had to clean up the spill from two fallen goblets that evening. Arthur, irritatingly, denied he had anything to do with it.
He wondered if Arthur really thought Merlin was blind because there was no way, no way that the prince had any grounds for denial.
~ * ~
The week wore on and Merlin was now absolutely certain that he wasn’t “seeing things” as Arthur put it.
Arthur continued to knock things -- not just goblets anymore but plates, vases, bowls - off of his table and strategically place objects so that Merlin would trip over them while carrying something heavy.
What Merlin found curious was that Arthur only did these things in his chambers, not anywhere else in the castle. Merlin supposed he should be grateful for this as he would rather not have others see him make an idiot of himself tripping over things.
But then that didn’t quite explain the “knocking things off of tables.” If Arthur really wanted to amuse himself at Merlin’s expense, then why didn’t Arthur do that outside of his chambers?
Merlin really wouldn’t have minded. It was Arthur who was doing it after all, so he would only be embarrassing himself.
Ah, now he had figured it out. Of course, the clotpole of a prince didn’t want to risk his reputation by doing something as silly and unbefitting as knocking items off high surfaces for no good reason.
But then again, Arthur could just as easily blame the mishap on Merlin and everyone would believe the prince. After all, a prince’s word against a servant’s - there was no contest.
Either way, Arthur was being a royal prat.
~ * ~
Merlin knocked on the door to Morgana’s chambers. He had found out from another servant that Gwen was attending her there. And he really needed to talk to her about the “Arthur is being more of a prat than usual” situation.
“Come in,” He heard Morgana’s voice from inside of the room.
Merlin entered the room. “Hello, Morgana. Uh, I was looking for Gwen… is she not here?”
“You just missed her. Why did you need to see her?”
Morgana waved her hand at a chair suggesting Merlin should take a seat.
He did and then he explained, “I needed to talk to her about Arthur. Complain about him, more like it.”
Morgana gave him an interested look. “Really? What has he done now?”
And so Merlin told her about Arthur intentionally trying to trip him, about him knocking over goblets so that their contents would spill and it would fall to Merlin to clean it up…
Merlin was about to say something else, but he cut himself off.
Morgana caught his hesitance though. “What else is it?”
“Nothing. I don’t think it means anything.”
Morgana sat down in another chair across from him. “Well, Arthur is certainly acting strangely. I’m sure he has a reason for it, but I can’t deny he is, at times, rather annoying and a bit of a brat more often than not.”
Merlin agreed.
“I know that my dreams aren’t a fluke, Merlin. I figured it out,” Morgana said suddenly.
Merlin’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, honestly. Don’t look so surprised. I’m smarter than you think. And I know about your magic too. So whatever you need to tell me, you can.”
Merlin stared at her. “Uh,” he managed to say. He was finding it hard to form words. “How did you know about me?”
“I have eyes, you see. I was watching you.”
“But if that were the case, then everyone would know!” He said firmly, refusing to believe that he’d be so easily found out. “And they don’t - no one has suspected a thing.”
Morgana tried to reassure him. “Let me rephrase that - I knew what I was looking out for. Others just don’t know what they should be watching for or, for that matter, that they should be observing you more carefully at all.”
He nodded mutely, still uncertain how to take this abrupt revelation from Morgana. “Right, uh…well,” Merlin started again. “It’s just that a few weeks ago, Arthur, out of nowhere, started talking about magic to me. Not condemning it as his father is likely to do, just considering the possibilities of magic. But then, the same day he started tripping me and knocking objects off of his table, Arthur stopped all together. Just like that,” Merlin snapped his fingers to emphasize his point.
Morgana nodded. “He just stopped bringing up that topic?”
“Yes! I don’t understand. He’s just acting so - Arthur’s more infuriating than usual. I don’t know what point he’s trying to make by driving me insane. And he accused me of hallucinating! That, of course, he wasn’t the one knocking goblets off of the table! But I’m not blind.”
Morgana placed her hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture. “I’m sure Arthur will come around. There must be something he’s doing right…”
Merlin rubbed the back of his head, remembering something. “Well, he seems to be unusually concerned about my health. He makes sure I always eat with him so that he could see me eat everything off my plate. It’s disconcerting.”
Morgana smiled. “There you have it. It’s not all bad.”
“Do you have any idea what could be the cause?” Merlin asked her, looking at her hopefully.
Morgana shook her head, but Merlin was positive he saw a smug, knowing look on her face for a fleeting moment.
He left Morgana’s chambers, feeling more confused than ever.
Well, at least Morgana knew his secret, he told himself.
That thought kept him going until the next day when he just restrained himself from turning Arthur into a toad.
~ * ~
Part 2