HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMILIEXOX! I hope you're having a good day! 18 at last! Here's your present, it may seem unfinished but remember Christmas is coming ;). Enjoy!
For everyone else this is slash so if you don't like don't read. Also this is a strong T (I don't think it quite makes M) in the next part just to warn you now. It's just a bit of silliness so I hope you like it. There is another part to come. :D Enjoy!
I feel I should introduce myself; to most people I am Merlin, sorcerer for King Prat...I mean Arthur. Though if you ask the druids then I am Emrys the most powerful warlock in the whole of Albion. However if you ask Arthur I'm just an idiot. Many of you probably know me as an old man with a long beard and pointy hat. I for one think this image of myself is highly unfair. I mean why does Arthur always get portrayed as the handsome king whilst I get to be the greying old man in the funny hat?
Personally I blame Arthur.
Why you may ask. Well other than the fact that everything is always his fault, though everyone else would tell you differently due to him being king and all (which in my opinion is a rubbish excuse), it all really started with The Hat (yes it does deserve capitals, it's that terrible). I mean his obsession with The Hat was unnatural, even for Arthur. Seriously that man can get obsessed over the smallest things for days on end whilst the rest of us just sit and watch in confusion. I've never understood how he manages to stay that obsessed, rule a country and unite all of Albion. Well all of Albion except for Tintagel but we're pretty sure that it's Morgana behind their resistance and it's only a matter of time till they fall really...but that's another story.
Anyway it is really down to The Hat that this image of me is going to end up as the one that sticks. How do I know this when I'm writing hundreds of years before this is going to happen? Well I was scrying to try and see how the ambush Arthur insisted on mounting against Tintagel (despite my warnings) was going to end. I thought if I could show him some hard evidence then he might listen to me for once, (you'd think being made his chief advisor would mean that he listened to me, but some things never change).
However my scrying abilities are...well rusty to say the least. I've never quite gotten the hang of it, Morgana was always much better than me at it, which is not great when she's the one we're mounting the attack against. And I got the calculations a little off (Gaiuswas always telling me that I should double check them before I started anything but it just takes so much time) and ended up seeing way too far into the future. Which was quite intriguing in some ways, but also confusing in others. I mean why would people travel around in metal boxes? And how do they even work? It must be some form of sorcery; though that's the only trace of it I've seen so far. Anyway I ended up coming across the legend of King Arthur and Merlin, and I am not pleased at how I am being portrayed. I've managed to track it back to its origin, which brings me back to my original point; it's all Arthur's fault.
x-x-x
"Merlin!" Arthur bellowed impatiently.
"What is it sire?" Merlin asked wearily as he entered the prince's chambers.
Merlinwaited for the inevitable rant from the prince. Arthur had been in a foul mood all day and so far Merlinhad managed to successfully avoid him, preventing the prince from venting his anger on his manservant. However there was no way he could escape this time. Arthur moved round behind him, closing the door, preventing any means of escape for the younger boy. Merlin sighed, making sure to keep Arthur in his sights at all times, not trusting him when he was in this mood.
He knew exactly what was wrong with Arthur and it wasn't even anything that the prince could realistically blame on him. Ever since Arthur's wedding to Elena had fallen through Uther had been determined to find a suitable bride for his son. Despite Arthur telling him that he would only marry for love Uther remained hopeful that his son would choose one as his bride. He seemed to be of the opinion that if he introduced Arthur to enough women then eventually he would 'fall in love' with one of them.
This had caused some tension, to say the least, between the king and the prince. Uther's frustration that Arthur still hadn't chosen and Arthur's annoyance that Uther insisted on throwing these women on him. There had been rumours that Arthur had already chosen a woman that Utherwouldn't approve off, however Merlin knew better. There was no woman in the prince's life.
The most recent female at court was the Irish princess, Isolde. It seemed she had made it her mission to spend as much time as possible with Arthur, much to his disgust. Her simpering and cooing over him had made him much more irritable than he normally was when a potential suitor was in the castle. Merlin actually found it quite amusing to watch the prince suffer through a conversation with the princess who just prattled on whilst Arthur tried, and failed, to look interested. Or to see him hide from her as he spotted her wondering through the castle.
Needless to say Arthur did not find this whole thing nearly half as amusing as his manservant and he was less than pleased about Merlin's reaction to everything. What he really wanted was sympathy and help to avoid her from his manservant. However Merlinseemed to be having great fun directing the princess in Arthur's direction. Frustrated the prince had decided he'd had enough of all this, if he had to suffer then so did Merlin.
"Where have you been?" He asked the brunette innocently.
Arthur watched the guilty look cross Merlin's face and knew he had been right, Merlin had been avoiding him. However he tried to keep his face impassive and waited for Merlin to speak. A smirk crossed the prince's face as he watched his manservant start to squirm under his penetrating gaze. He enjoyed the unease that was seeping from Merlin as he wondered how Arthur was going to react. Arthur briefly wondered whether he should put Merlin out his misery but decided that this was good payback for the enjoyment Merlin had been getting out of his discomfort.
"Mucking out your stables?"
Arthur snorted at the uncertain note in Merlin's voice. Even if he hadn't known that Merlin was lying, his tone would have given it away. Arthur marvelled at Merlin's complete inability to tell a convincing lie.
"I've just been down there and Conner is doing that." Arthur replied smugly at being able to catch Merlin out.
"Polishing your boots?" Merlin tried.
"My boots are here Merlin." Arthur sighed, pointing at the pile of boots in the corner of the room that Merlin had yet to clean.
"Well then I was walking your dogs." Merlin replied adamantly.
Arthur scoffed at the complete ridiculousness of Merlin's words.
"Merlin there is no way you would voluntarily walk my dogs just to avoid me."
"I wasn't avoiding you!" Merlin exclaimed quickly.
"Of course not." Arthur replied sarcastically causing Merlin to glower at him.
"Well if you hadn't been a moody prat all week then I wouldn't have felt the need to avoid you." Merlin protested stubbornly.
"So you're saying that it's my fault that I had some girl deliver my lunch who was so nervous that she spilt it all over the floor and that my room is a mess and that I've had to put up with Isolde practically hanging off my arm all day when I'd much rather be spending time with my useless manservant?"
Arthur stalked towards Merlin as he spoke so that he was standing mere inches away from him. Merlin gulped as he felt Arthur's warm breath ghosting across his skin. Arthur smirked at the response he stirred in his manservant. From this position he marvelled at the way the light reflected of the younger boy's skin and the brilliant blue of his eyes. Though Arthur would never tell Merlin, he loved the other boy's eyes. There was something about them, as if he was seeing more of the world than everyone else.
"No?" Merlin whispered hesitantly, unsure if that was the answer Arthur was looking for.
If truth be told he was having problems making his brain work properly with Arthur this close. The blondeaffected him in ways that no one else ever had. The only problem was that Arthur knew exactly how he affected Merlin and constantly used it to his advantage.
"Are you sure about that?" Arthur asked in a low voice.
Merlin gulped again as he tried to control himself, fighting the urge to grab the front of Arthur shirt and crash their lips together. He gave up trying to formulate a sensible reply, deciding to let his eyes rove over the blonde rather than fight to make his brain work. It was a far more appealing option.
He flicked his tongue out to moisten his dry lips and saw Arthur's gaze drop to his lips, following his movement. Merlin smiled, realising that he might have managed to gain the upper hand. However his smile snapped Arthur back to his plan, giving in to his crotch was not going to help punish Merlin as he would definitely enjoy it way too much.
"Because I think you have been avoiding me. And I think you need to be punished for it."
Arthur's voice was low and he leantforward, whispering the last sentence into Merlin's ear. Merlinmoaned as Arthur warm breath tickled him and his lips brushed against his ear. He felt rather than saw Arthur pull back and start to move round him. However instead of continuing round him Arthur moved away and Merlin let out a noise of protest that he didn't really want to admit sounded quite like a whimper.
He turned around to see that Arthur had disappeared behind the open wardrobe door and seemed to be rummaging around inside of it. Merlin frowned as his brain tried to process what Arthur could possibly be doing. He heard the prince curse under his breath as he was seemingly unable to find what he was looking for.
"Arthur?" Merlin asked, his voice sounding a lot breathier than he would have like but at least he wasn't whimpering anymore, "What are you doing?"
Arthur however decided not to reply as he continued to rummage through the wardrobe, making a mess that Merlin would no doubt have to clean up later. Merlin took a step forward to help Arthur out when the prince straightened up with a triumphant smile on his face.
"Found it."
What he held in his hand brought Merlin firmly back into reality with an unpleasant crash. He took a couple of steps back from the blonde, shaking his head violently.
"No Arthur. No way." The young warlock protested adamantly.
The smiled never left Arthur face as he started to move back towards Merlin.
"What makes you think you've got a choice?" Arthur replied.
The tone of his voice made Merlin realise that Arthur was completely set on this and it was going to take him a hell of a lot to get out of this.
"Please Arthur, I'm not wearing that. Once was bad enough."
His back connected with the wall behind him and Merlin realised that he had run out room to escape the prince.
"Well you should have thought of that earlier then shouldn't you?" Arthur replied calmly, reaching Merlin.
With nowhere to go Merlin had no choice but to allow Arthur to place The Hat on his head. The feather dangled annoyingly in his face as Arthur adjusted it, a smug smile on his face the whole time.
"Perfect." Arthur said, smiling fondly this time as he surveyed him.
He brushed the feathers out of Merlin face with a smile and leant to capture Merlin's lips with his own, wiping the disgruntled look off his face. He pulled back slightly to see that Merlin's eyes had softened, although he still looked mutinous.
"Beautiful." Arthur whispered.
Merlin's eyes widened in surprise. That was the last thing he had expected Arthur to say. He searched the prince's face for some sign of teasing but found none. He smiled back fondly and Arthur, relishing the moments they had together.
However Arthur had to go and ruin the moment by flicking the feather back into Merlin's face making him sneeze, clearly deciding it had gotten too personal for him. Merlin didn't take it personally, he knew that Arthur wasn't exactly comfortable at expressing his feelings. What he did take personally was the fact that Arthur had moved away and seemed to be preparing to leave.
"Arthur? Where are you going?" He asked.
He had not been expecting Arthur to leave. In fact what he had expected had involved Arthur much closer to him than he was now and wearing much less clothes. Much to Merlin's despair however Arthur seemed to be putting more on as he slipped his arms into his jacket.
"I have to be at dinner with father and Isolde because father seems to have decided that, seeing as we're spending so much time together, he should get to know her better, which for some reason involves me being there." Arthur said causally.
He caught sight of Merlin's pout as he turned back to face the warlock.
"Don't look at me like that Merlin, this is all your fault." Arthur smirked, "Oh and I expect you to be serving me. Make sure you remember the hat."
"And if I accidentlyforget it?" Merlin asked mutinously.
"Well I can't force you to wear it." Arthur said with an evil smile, "But abstinence is always an option."
Merlinglared defiantly at the door that Arthur had just exited out of. It seemed that Arthur was going for total revenge. He considered his limited options; wear The Hat or suffer without Arthur until the prince decided to give in, which, if Arthur put his mind to it, could be a while. Merlin knew he deserved this as he had been making sure to point Isolde in the direction that he knew Arthur would be all week but that didn't mean he had to be happy about it.
"Sometimes I really hate you." Merlin muttered rebelliously at the closed door, knowing that there was no way Arthur could hear him and that he was just talking to himself.
-x-
Merlin stormed down the corridor to Arthur's room angrily. He was in a foul mood after the meal he had just had to endure. He had gone for wearing The Hat, deciding it was the lesser of the two evils. However the moment he had entered the kitchens he had wondered whether that was actually true. Gwen had taken one look at him in The Hat and had nearly dropped the platter she was carrying she was shaking with laughter so much. It seemed that his appearance was no less amusing the second time round. Everyone's reactions had mirrored Gwen's and he found himself flushed crimson with embarrassment by the time he entered the Great Hall carrying Arthur's food.
He had approached Arthur's side and placed the plate in front of him without making eye contact with anyone. However the snort he heard coming from his left made him look up just in time to see the king choke on the mouthful of drink that he had just taken. He closed his eyes in despair as he backed away, but not before he heard the squeal of shock that Isolde let out.
Moving to take the jug from the serving boy struggling to keep a straight face, Merlin had taken up his position behind Arthur ready to refill his glass. He threw a glare every now and again at Gwen who was stood opposite him and still shaking with suppressed laughter.
The meal had continued like that with Utherand Isolde shooting Merlinamused glances every now and again and his blush deepening. He managed to avoid Arthur gaze until he got up to leave and dismiss Merlin. Merlinhad expected amusement and smugness to be plastered over the prince's face however what he actually saw made him angrier than the others would have. Arthur smiled at him in complete self-confidence as if he knew absolutely that Merlinwas going to do as he asked. So frustrated that Arthur seemed to think that he knew everything about Merlinand could make him do whatever he wanted, Merlin missed the deeper look in Arthur's eyes as he smiled at him fondly.
So he had helped tidy up in the kitchens and was now storming towards Arthur's room, ready to give him a piece of his mind. In all his anger he had forgotten to take The Hat off and so was still wearing it as he burst into Arthur's rooms. However he was stopped in his tracks by the sight that greeted him. Arthur had been stood staring out of the window but had turned to face the door as Merlin came barging in. The young warlock's eyes travelled across the prince's body as he took in his shirtless state. However that was not what had stopped him.
The expression on Arthur's face was so open and loving that Merlin felt the anger draining out of him. He had never seen Arthur this open and it shocked him slightly. He saw the fondness in Arthur's eyes as they flickered up to The Hat.
"You're still wearing it." He stated simply.
Arthur smiled as he saw the faint pink tinge creep up Merlin's neck. He stepped forward as Merlin reached up to pull it off. Reaching him Arthur stilled Merlin's hand. He took in Merlin's appearance before reaching up and pulling The Hat of himself. Merlin was about to ask Arthur why he was so obsessed with The Hat but before he could he felt Arthur's lips press against his as he was manoeuvred towards the bed.
-x-
Lying tangled together in the sheets with his head resting against Arthur's chest, Merlin had to ask the question that had been bugging him all evening.
"Arthur what is it with you and that hat?" He asked.
Arthur paused for a moment, trying to find a way to put it into words.
"I don't know how to explain it really." He murmured into Merlin's hair, "I just like you in it, it suits you."
Merlin pulled a face, which Arthur couldn't see, and scoffed, which he definitely heard.
"Don't scoff at me." Arthur scolded lightly, "You look cute in it."
Merlin's frown deepened at that, he didn't really like the sound of it.
"Cute? Well that settles it; I am never wearing that hat again." Merlin said adamantly.
"Merlin." Arthur whined, "I like it."
"Well you can't always have everything you like." Merlin admonished.
"You forget Merlin, I'm the prince of Camelot."
"And?"
Arthur poked Merlin in the side at his response causing Merlin to wince. Arthur frowned, his poke hadn't been that hard. He shuffled round, rearranging his position so he could see Merlin's side. He noticed that the young warlock had bruises along his hip and side. He sighed, Merlin was the clumsiest person that he knew but he had promised that he was being more careful. Clearly the evidence on his skin spoke otherwise.
"I thought you were being more careful."
"I am!" Merlin protested, "But your table hates me. I walk into the corner of it every morning."
Arthur sighed. He had seen Merlin in the morning and knew that he blundered around half asleep before he was able to function properly.
"I'll tell you what, when I'm king we're going to have a round table so that you can't walk into any corners."
Merlin smiled happily as Arthur started to trace delicate patterns across his hip. He closed his eyes, drifting off. But not before he had heard Arthur mutter.
"And a new hat to replace this one as you hate it so much."
x-x-x
You may all be thinking how sweet and caring Arthur is (and yes I suppose you would be right if you're thinking of the end) and wondering how this relates to anything at all. But it's all important. The events that follow are closely related to this I promise you (unlike what Arthur will tell you I am not getting old and losing my memory), and it is definitely Arthur's fault. Though to give him credit he did move that cursed table out of the way so that I didn't walk into it in the mornings. However (back to the point) this may not seem like much, but it is only the beginning...