Merthur Fanfic
Duo Latera Ejusdem Coin
Chapter One: Snowy Days in Cheery Times
Arthur sighed. He was having your average husband problems this Christmas. Well, if average consisted of finding the perfect gift for the Queen of Camelot. It was their first Christmas together and he wanted to get Guinevere something special. Something meaningful. But that's difficult when you're trying to get the Queen something. She had all the money in the world and she could have anything that she fancied. Arthur looked out the window. He could see the children of a visiting nobleman playing in the snow in the courtyard. The snow was so beautiful, it glistening sunlight off its white colour. The sunset was casting a bright orange and pink hue in the sky. It looked absolutely brilliant. It was getting close to dinner time. Since Gwen was out with friends this evening (most likely drinking fine wines and gossiping about womanly things such as dresses, jewelry, and knights), he would be eating alone. That didn't sound appealing. Maybe he could invite Merlin to dine with him when he came around. He knew it would be selfish to let the old man Gaius eat all by his lonesome but it would be okay, right? It's not like he was taking Merlin away forever. Just for one night. So that was it. As if on cue, Merlin came bursting in, whistling and in a joyous mood. Wait, he wasn't…he wasn't skipping, was he? "Well aren't you in a boisterous mood? What happened with you?" he asked. Merlin blushed a bright red. "Oh, um…it doesn't matter, not really…" the boy mumbled. "Come on, Merlin, the one time I'm actually interested in hearing about your simple life, and you don't want to tell me. Out with it." Arthur inquired. Again, the manservant blushed. "Well, now that you ask…it's, umm, well… I met this boy! He's really sweet and kind and funny and smart. He offered for me to come to his house tonight and he wanted to make me dinner!". Immediately Arthur was filled with anger. What was he doing with Merlin! Doesn't he know not to mess with the King's manservant! My manservant! Wait, where was all this coming from? Why would I care about who Merlin took interest in? "Oh, so that's why you're so giggly. Well, I see that you really like him. Go have some fun, it's been awhile since you've gone out. I'll clean this mess myself. Just go get my dinner from the kitchens and you can leave for the night." "Really? Thanks, Arthur, you're really too nice." This made Arthur's chest tighten. What was going on with him? Merlin walked out the door and Arthur walked over to his boots. He picked them up and put them near his bed. This is good for Merlin, he thought. Meeting new people and finding men. Merlin was so nervous when he first told Arthur. Merlin was so afraid that he would reject him for his sexuality that he packed his bags! Arthur, though, did not mind at all. He explained to Merlin that, even though he never admitted it, he was his best friend and he wasn't going anywhere. Merlin was so relieved that he actually hugged Arthur. He was reluctant at first, but then embraced Merlin, like he needed. It was actually nice, Merlin's skinny but warm arms around him. It was different.
Christmas was coming in 15 days. It might seem like quite a bit of time but for Christmas, it feels like last minute. Arthur still didn't know what to get. Maybe he should ask Morgana. She's a girl, she should know these things. Plus, Guinevere was her maidservant for a long time. They were and are close friends. Arthur finished up his dinner, wonderfully cooked pork chops with stewed vegetables and sweet cinnamon buttered bread. He walked out the door and went on his way to Morgana's room. She may be mischievous but when it comes to the important stuff, she's very helpful and caring. He strolled down the corridor and arrived at the Lady Morgana's door. He tapped on it four times. From inside he heard a scream. "MORGANA!" he yelled as he burst into the bedroom. Morgana was standing, looking as if she saw a ghost. "Morgana! What happened?" he asked. "It's…it's nothing. I just…I had a dream last night. There was a strange voice. It said 'He will knock four times'. It was about a lonely man's 'song ending'. I'm sure it was nothing. But it felt so real…" she whispered. "I hope it was nothing. Anyway, I needed to ask you something." Arthur said. "As you know, Christmas is coming." Morgana shot him a sly smile. "Is the King having troubles on a present for his Queen?" "Yes, he is. Now I need your help. What should I get Guinevere?" "Hmm, well, I think this is a puzzle to solve on your own. You can't come here expecting me to tell you what to gift her for Christmas, or when to remind you of your upcoming anniversary. Don't you have Merlin help you with these things anyway?" I groaned. Ugh, Morgana is evil. "Oh come on, he can't help me. He's not a girl…fully." "Oh leave the poor boy alone. He's already had enough teasing from the knights. And Gwaine's even worse." She stated. "What do you mean 'worse'? He's a great friend to Merlin." "I mean that Gwaine will go after anything he can get his hands on. Including the one and only, the Innocent Merlin. God, do you pay attention to anyone but yourself?" "Wait, he's what! He isn't going after Merlin! Thanks for telling me so soon!" Arthur snarled sarcastically. He ran out the door and down the corridor. Before he knew it, he had arrived at the training grounds. He saw Gwaine in a sword fight with Lancelot. "GWAINE! GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE! NOW!" Arthur roared. This surprised Gwaine so much that he dropped his sword. Lancelot took note of this and kicked at Gwaine, who fell to the ground with an "Oof!" Gwaine had never seen Arthur this mad before and was immediately taking back whatever the hell he did. Did he flirt with Gwen and not even notice? Arthur was seething with rage. He didn't know why he cared so much but he did. He had to protect Merlin, consequences be damned. Gwaine got up from the ground, but in vain as Arthur pushed him on the ground. "Leave him alone, or I swear, you will find yourself unable to flirt anymore when your head is on a stick." Arthur growled. Gwaine swallowed. "Wh-who might you mean, sire?" "You know who, you pervert. Merlin! If I find you have touched him in any way, you'll wish you were dead." Arthur shoved him back to the ground. He stormed off, leaving Lancelot and Gwaine stunned.
The next morning, Arthur woke to a flash of bright light. "Rise and shine Arthur!" "Ugh, Merlin, are you trying to blind me? Just give me 5 more minutes." "Nope, I can't. You've got to meet with Sir Dulac today. You would just fall back to sleep for a century!" Arthur sat up. He saw his manservant, with his dark raven hair and vampire pale skin. It might look a bit strange to others but Arthur was…drawn to it. It looked so- Stop it, what am I thinking? He mentally shook his head and got out of the bed. Merlin had the room looking very clean and had his breakfast waiting on the table. Mmm, French Toast, sausages, bacon, and eggs, my favorite. He sat down in the chair, picked up his fork, and picked up and took a bite of one of the wonderfully seasoned and juicy sausages. He was about to chomp on one of the bacon pieces when he saw Merlin was about to leave, and he remembered about his confrontation with Gwaine last night. "Merlin?" Merlin turned on the spot, slightly annoyed since he still had work from Gaius (stupid leeches). "Yes, Sire?" "I wanted to ask you about…Gwaine" Arthur drawled. "Umm, Gwaine? What about him?" "Has he been giving you…trouble?" "Uh, what do you mean by that?" "I mean, has he been, well, you know…touching you?" "Oh God no, Arthur, no, he hasn't at all!" The boy was blushing furiously and had a smile on his face. There was an uncomfortable silence for some time that felt like hours. "Oh, okay then…What about this…boy you met? Because I think you should be really careful about people and you never know what's up their sleeve and he might try to force you into do things that I think you shouldn't be doing and-" "Arthur, enough! I don't want you inquiring about my love life and I'm sure as hell have no idea about why you even care!" With that, Merlin ran off. "Merlin, wait! Please-ah, fuck it. He's already gone." And I'm not sure why either
