Title- "I just want to go home!"
Description- It was cold,wet and all Merlin wanted to do was go home away from the horrible snow and the horrid hunting trip indoors where it's just that little bit warmer. ONESHOT.
It was snowing in Camelot when Merlin woke up rather happy for someone who only had a few hours sleep after running around after a "know-it-all" King. Arthur had decided to make poor Merlin clean the stables, all the chambers ( other than the servants), and then decided to make him polish all the armour Arthur owned and even the pieces which were way too damaged to be used ever again.
Normally someone who had to do all that on just a few hours after and before would be very, very miserable and wouldn't want to move but it seemed that Merlin was just too tired to even care anymore. So he did his usual routine of dressing, eating a little, getting Arthur his breakfast and trying to wake the King up all in a good mood until Arthur decided to say the words "Let's go hunting". Those 3 simple words made Merlin's mood go rock bottom.
"But it's snowing! How are we supposed to hunt while the ground's thick with snow?!" Merlin put as much annoyance in his voice as he possible could but all Arthur did was roll his eyes.
"It's easier to hunt in the snow, you can see the animal prints so it's easier to track them and also I like the snow so stop whining like a girl who's going to get their dress wet and go get the horses ready will you!" Merlin groaned before turning around and walking to the stables while imitating all what Arthur had just said but in a more high pitched, nagging voice than the one that was actually used.
By the time Merlin had made his way down to the stables he was shivering like a leaf in the wind. The cold wind was biting at his skin making it sore and making his body shiver like never before as his feet sunk at least 3 inches down into the snow.
"Arthur must be mad letting the horses go out in this, the snow is at least 3 inches deep! And it's still snowing! That utter prat," Merlin said to himself while preparing the horses, only just finishing before Arthur arrived, surprisingly already dressed and with his cross bow ready.
"Who got you ready then?" Merlin smirked, wondering if it was the boot-licker George.
"I did- I'm not a child Merlin, I can get myself dressed at least." Merlin laughed just a little before biting his lip.
"Explains why your armour's on back to front...You really can't do anything without me, can you?" Arthur began turning around as if to see if Merlin was actually serious about the shirt being the wrong way round.
"Merlin! My shirt is the correct way round you idiot."
Merlin burst into laughter clutching his sides before looking at Arthur's face which wasn't even mildly amused and looked like he could kill Merlin at any moment. Merlin ran to one of the horses, mounted it, and pulled himself off and then he and the horse rode out to the main gates.
"Hurry up your royal pratness," Merlin glanced back to see Arthur only just leaving the stables on his own horse.
Arthur finally caught up with Merlin when they began to enter to forest yet Merlin was only trotting so it was easy to catch up with him. When they were in the "perfect hunting spot", as Arthur had called it, the two young men jumped down from their horses tying them up to some nearby trees.
Arthur untied his cross bow and arrows and they both headed through and around the trees.
Merlin's feet were freezing, the thin fabric he had for shoes were soaked from the snow and his teeth were chattering away like they were talking to someone at a really high speed. There was a thin layer of snow on this black hair making it wet which made him shiver even more while Arthur looked pretty warm to be honest. He wasn't shivering like Merlin was and his teeth weren't chattering in the slightest.
"Arthur, it's too cold! Can't we do this another day?" Merlin moaned to Arthur who just turned around to face Merlin.
"Oh stop being a girl will you." Merlin huffed before following Arthur who had spotted some rabbit tracks deep in the snow.
Arthur quietly yet quickly turned around to face Merlin before whispering "Try not be be the clumsy idiot you are will you, this rabbit looks bigger than the others so if you think you're going to do anything to frighten the rabbit then just walk away, got it? Good." He then turned around not even letting Merlin reply and carried on following the tracks followed by Merlin who was now hugging himself to keep warm.
Arthur came to a halt and ran behind a tree as Merlin followed suit, leaning on the tree as Arthur looked over to him glaring and putting a finger to his mouth while Merlin looked clueless, he hadn't made any noise had he? That's when Arthur placed a finger under his own chin so his mouth shut and Merlin realized his teeth had been chattering this whole time and by the sounds of it pretty loudly. He closed his mouth in an attempt to make his teeth stop hitting against each other but didn't succeed very well as his teeth only quietened a little.
Arthur positioned the weapon so that the snow-white rabbit would be killed instantly just below the head and it wouldn't feel a thing, Arthur found this most effective because secretly he hated seeing things suffer- if they didn't harm people, that is. Just as Arthur shot the arrow Merlin slipped as he was trying to move further away and ended up landing hard on his behind as he slipped on some frozen mud which had made the rabbit jump and run but the arrow had found it's mark just in time.
"For heavens sake Merlin, you were still able to frighten the prey away but lucky for you I have good timing and was able to hit it before it could even run, now get up and get ready to go to the next area." Arthur picked up the rabbit and walked straight past Merlin who was now soaked in cold water from the snow and was shivering even more and felt like he was stuck on repeat.
"Arthur, can't we just go home? It's cold, wet, and all I want to do is go home." Merlin actually sounded like he was begging now, but Arthur just ignored him and continued to the next spot with a gloomy Merlin in tow.
After an hour or so, Arthur had caught 4 rabbits and 2 hares although he could've caught 3 times as much if Merlin didn't keep on sneezing and groaning all the time.
Just as Arthur was about to scold Merlin for being "such a clumsy idiot", he stopped and took in the younger man's appearance, he was pale in the face yet his cheeks were pink, his nose was red and his eyes were pink like he'd been rubbing them. His clothing seemed to be soaked all the way through and his teeth just wouldn't stop chattering.
"Fine, we'll go home, but only because you look like you have a cold and I can't have you frightening all the animals away with your coughing and sneezing now, can I?" Arthur patted Merlin on the back who didn't seem to take in much of what Arthur said other than "We'll go home" because those were the words he'd been wanting to hear the whole time.
END
Writers note-
Well I've never been the best at one-shots but anyway, this is what happens when I rush a story at 1AM.
I hope you enjoyed, please review e.c.t
Thankies to Beta Fury Seven Kerrigan.