AN: Hello! Yikes, my first ever fic! It's been a while since I wrote anything so I thought this might be a good way to get back into it. I'm having a lot of fun writing this so far so I hope you enjoy it!
Do cities never stop? Arthur thought as he listened to the traffic go by outside his hotel room window. Ordinarily he would be used to it but after a full day of work and then all the hassle of their flight from London getting delayed, he just wanted the noise to go away.
"Well, this place has…charm," Merlin said as he entered the room. Arthur rolled his eyes; trust Merlin to still be going after a day like today. "What do you think, should we check it out?"
Arthur sighed. "We have a lot of work to do Merlin, there's no time for harassing the hotel staff." They had four meetings with different diplomatic groups tomorrow and if Arthur wasn't prepared his father would have his head. Groaning, Arthur shifted from the bed to the table where Merlin was already laying out the files they would need.
"So first, we are meeting with the French, as they are hosting, and…" As Merlin went on, Arthur settled back into his chair. This was going to be a very long night.
Sunlight was already streaming through the gauzy curtains when Arthur woke. He rolled over to check the clock. 8:35.
"Merlin!" Arthur threw his pillow across the room to hit Merlin square in the face.
"Hm wha-what?"
"It's eight thirty. We're late!" Arthur snapped as he ran to jump in the shower. They had twenty minutes to make it to the meeting or he would be off the project and sent back to London that afternoon. As this was the first diplomatic conference that he had been invited to outside of the UK, he was determined not to mess anything up.
By some miracle both Arthur and Merlin made it to the ballroom set up for the meeting with two minutes to spare. Two hours had passed since then and Arthur was having a difficult time paying attention. He and Merlin had stayed up so late reviewing he was having trouble hiding his yawns. He snuck a glance at his watch. They would be ending any minute now. Thank God. Arthur thought. He sifted through his files for the one he would need next with the party from Dubai. It wasn't there. Trying not to panic, he leaned over to Merlin.
"Do you have the files for the Dubai meeting?" He asked. Merlin rifled through his papers.
"Nope, sorry," he whispered back. "They must still be in the room."
Of course. Arthur groaned. Finally, the closing remarks were made and as the different groups moved about the table, Arthur ducked from the room and ran for the elevator. He was so preoccupied that he didn't even realize that the hotel room door was wide open when he arrived. A cart full of linens and towels stood outside. Not having time to care, he strode into the room.
Gwen was just finishing changing the sheets on the bed next to the window when a man burst in. Without speaking, he started rifling through the file folders she had straightened on the table. Unsure of what was happening, Gwen decided to address him.
"Excuse me? Can I help you with something?" Instantly she mentally kicked herself. Not everyone speaks English, especially in France. She opened her mouth to repeat her question in French when the man cut her off.
"There were some papers here, what have you done with them?" Taken aback by his curt words, Gwen took a moment to answer, replying in an equally frigid tone.
"I've done nothing, sir, but place everything on that table as you see it now so I could do my job." Finished with the room, Gwen made to leave but something made her turn back as she reached the doorway. The man was running his fingers through his blond hair, making it stand up on end. Now that she actually paid attention, she noticed he looked harried. Sighing, Gwen went back over to him.
"What exactly are you looking for?" She asked. He turned sharply, shocked to see that she had returned before recovering an instant later.
"A folder stamped Dubai," he replied. Gwen took the stack from the table and handed him half. Together they quickly searched the files.
"Here, is this it?" Gwen held the folder apart from the rest.
"Yes!" The man grabbed the folder and bolted from the room.
"You're welcome," Gwen muttered irritably to the empty hallway.