The fresh smell of warm coffee trickled with the sting of old battered parchment filled the air of the tiny little bookstore in the middle of downtown. Inside the little store was just light enough for people to see while they were inside because the light bulb was on the last of its juice and the stubborn owner refused to let any of his worker's change it.
Towards the front of the store, near the window, was a little refreshment stand where a young coal haired boy invented all kinds of delicious creations. Across from that was the checkout where a strawberry haired girl greeted the customers with such a smile that could warm the coldest heart. In the back, was an old storage room that the owner stayed in most days keeping himself to his books. But the mystery of the Avalon Bookstore was not any of these people, in fact it was the raven haired man that drifted between the shelves placing the books gently next to their neighbors.
As the church bell rang, the mixed sound of the bell on top of the door caused the two younger workers to look up towards the door. Normally they would of started to close up, and the face at the door would of helped him.
"How was work today?" The brunette smiled, placing a bag on top of the counter next to the girl. The girl's name was Guinevere, although she preferred the shortened version Gwen, and she worked down the street at the bakery.
"Exhausting." The girl at the counter laughed, reaching her hand into the bag to pull out a treat. It had become an unspoken tradition that after her shift Gwen would come by with treats for the three hard workers, the owner tried to convince them that it was bad for their health but of course they didn't listen.
Just as the door was closing a loud thud caused the three heads to turn towards the entrance. In the doorway stood a tall man with golden blonde locks that sparkled with the sweat from his forehead. He smiled sheepishly apologizing for the noise, and when the girl crossed to him she greeted him with that infectious smile of hers.
"Good evening, sir." She said.
"I'm sorry to bother you but, I'm looking for this book on Medieval Ages and I've been absolutely everywhere in town. Are you still open?" He asked with hopeful blue eyes.
"Sorry we've just closed." She said, switching on her feet.
"Oh, thank you anyway though." He said, hanging his head and turning to the door. She grabbed his arm lightly pulling him back towards her with a smile across her face.
"I'm joking, darling. Why don't you have Casper brew you a cup of coffee, I have to go get my brother." She said, directing him towards the boy making coffee.
"Thank you." He said, nodding his head. Casper was the youngest of the three siblings, spent most of his time brewing new beverages or cooking new recipes, so not many got the chance to know he was actually quite humorous.
"Isn't she just the sweetest?" Gwen asked sitting down next to the man.
"Yes she seems quite sweet." The man nodded, turning towards the boy to tell him his order.
"Why don't you let him guess, Prince Charming." Gwen said, nodding her head to Casper.
"Prince Charming?" The man asked.
"It's a Gwen thing. She gives everyone a nickname." Casper said.
"Everyone?" The man asked.
"Baby Blue." Casper said.
"Little Red." The girl's voice carried through from the back of the store.
"And Merlin's Magic Man." Gwen finished with a smile.
"So you got a name, Prince Charming?" Casper ran the towel over his hands after placing the freshly made cup of coffee in front of the man.
"Arthur." He said, bringing the cup to his lips. After taking a sip, he licked his lips in thought and then let an audible moan, relaxing back into his chair.
"What did I tell you?" Gwen said, before Casper placed a cup in front of her.
"For the Queen." He said, pretending to bow.
"Ah, you're the sweetest." Gwen said, leaning up and pressing a kiss to the boy's skin.
"You know it." He winked, turning to clean the counter as his sister returned with the raven haired man on her arm. She cleared her throat causing the two in chairs to turn to look at her.
"This is Merlin, he'll be able to show you where that book might be." She said, sitting down next to Gwen. Arthur nodded, following Merlin towards the back of the store.
"So Medieval Ages, huh, got a paper due?" The raven asked in a sheepish voice.
"No, just some free reading." The blonde replied.
"Right." Merlin said, turning the corner to the right section.
He pointed to the shelves that would hold the book, and he watched the blonde man start from the bottom. He tried his best not to stare, it was rude after all, and as his blue eyes started to scan over the higher shelves they lit up with excitement. He reached his hand up, his fingers just short of it, and Merlin decided to help lifting his own hand up to grab the book. Their fingers brushed each other as they pulled the book down, and Merlin blushed pulling away.
"Thank you, very much." Arthur said.
"Here, let me ring it up for you." Merlin said, brushing past him once more on his way to the counter. Arthur ignored the warm feeling that spread through him as he followed the raven to the checkout.
"Find it alright?" The girl asked.
"You could of found it." Merlin mumbled.
"Yes but since you're an expert on the topic, I figured you'd enjoy finding it for him." She said, leaning over the counter.
"An expert?" Arthur asked.
"Eloise's exaggerating. I'm not an expert." Merlin said.
"Oh, right." Arthur nodded as Merlin handed him the bag with the book inside it. He stood there awkwardly for a minute, before nodding and heading toward the door.
"Have a good night." Eloise said, waving to him.
"You too. It was nice meeting you all." Arthur said, looking across the store. Casper gave him a wink, Gwen smiled at him, Eloise nodded her head, and Merlin waved sheepishly. After exiting the store, Merlin turned to his little sister with an annoyed glare across his face. Gwen laughed, as Casper whispered something in her ear.
The next day was bustling, Merlin had never seen so many people in the bookstore at once. Gwen had come to help early in the day as it was her day off, and even then they were still packed. The thing that made it even more odd was that the customers not only were coming in by the minute, but they were striking up conversation with the staff asking them about how long they've been there or why they decided on a bookstore.
At 5:00, when the church bell rang, everyone remaining in the bookstore was disappointed to be pushed out the door. Gwen had picked up something from a customer and as she waltzed back into the store, she had a huge grin plastered on her face.
"I've never made so much coffee in my life." Casper stood behind the counter while Eloise sat on top of it, and Merlin was dusting the shelves.
"We sold so many books, I'm out of change." Eloise said, motioning to the cash register.
"So guess what I found reading this week's edition of Camelot's Club?" Gwen sang, plopping it down in front of Eloise. The red head picked it up.
"What?" Casper asked, as he leaned over to look over his sister's shoulder.
"Page 15." Gwen said, pointing to the book. Eloise flipped through the book to get to the page, scanning it over with her eyes as she read and then she let out a laugh. Merlin turned to watch his sister show her younger brother the page.
"What is it?" Merlin asked, tossing the rag aside. His sister hopped off the counter backing away from him, but he followed her, so she started to read the page out loud.
"In a world of touch screen TVs and cars that can take cell phone calls, it's always nice to take a step back from the world of technology and just enjoy what used to be. This week I, CEO of Camelot's Club, took a trip to a little bookstore in downtown London. The best part wasn't the siren's smile that greeted you at the door, or the finest coffee my thousand dollar lips have ever tasted served without even taking my order. It was the calmly atmosphere that the raven haired wonder brought as if you were walking through your study at home with your best friend. I, Arthur Pendragon, highly recommend you take a stop at Avalon Bookstore and experience the homely atmosphere for yourself." Eloise laughed.
"No way, that dude was Arthur Pendragon." Casper said, in surprise.
"Whose Arthur Pendragon?" Merlin asked.
"The CEO of Camelot's Club. They keep up on the hottest things in town from clothes to people." Gwen said, jumping up and down in a giddy way.
"That was awful nice of him to write that then." Merlin said.
"Oh, Merlin didn't you listen?" Eloise hit him over the side of his head.
"Ow! What?" Merlin asked.
"He called you a raven haired wonder. He's totally into you." Eloise said with a smile.
"I'm sure he was just being nice." Merlin said, blushing slightly.
"Sure, and I'm the Queen." Eloise said, waving her hand around in mock way.
"Either way, if this continues then you guys are going to need some help." Gwen said.
"Well we made enough for Gaius to hire someone else. I mean, he doesn't pay us anyway." Casper said, and Merlin hit him over the head. The boy apologized or else he might have gotten another lecture about how much their Uncle Gaius has done for them.
"Ooh, idea! Let's hire Gwen!" Eloise said, jumping up and down.
"Gwen already has a job." Merlin said.
"She could quit, I mean she's our friend and she's a great employee, plus she could make snacks." Eloise said.
"I do love your snacks." Casper nodded.
"Well, you make some good points. Gwen do you-" Merlin didn't even get to finish his statement because he was already being pulled into a deep hug with the brunette.
"Oh I'd love to!" Gwen shouted.
"Alright, tomorrow, seven am." Merlin said.
