Hey everybody! I'm back with a lovely story for everyone to enjoy. This one is going to be more serious than my other stuff, so be warned.
Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.
Uther stared blankly out the window onto the courtyard below. One month. It had been one month since his daughter, Morgana, had betrayed him and turned to magic. It had been one month since Arthur had found out he had a half-sister. It only took one month for Camelot to become bleak and cold. Arthur had tried his best to keep the people optimistic. He had tried to make the transition of power as smooth as possible. However, so many changes had happened in the past month, from Morgana's betrayal to the knighting of commoners, that people were afraid. People did not react to change well. And with so much bad change making its way into their lives, it was safe to say they weren't taking the differences well.
Arthur stood in the doorframe of the room, staring at his father. He wanted desperately to help his father through this depression, to return to his normal self. Arthur had tried during the first two weeks after the battle to heal his father. He tried and failed. Gaius said to give it time. But Arthur was tired of waiting. He knew it was selfish of him to want his father to stop grieving, but his father still had one child who wasn't crazy! Arthur heard Merlin come up behind him.
"He hasn't even moved," Arthur said quietly to Merlin.
"I've seen this happen before," Merlin said from behind Arthur. This got Arthur really upset. He felt bad for taking it out on Merlin, but sometimes, Merlin could be such a know-it-all. He didn't even seem upset that Uther was comatose and barely functioning.
"Don't pretend like you know what's going on," Arthur snapped at Merlin. Merlin looked up at him and sighed.
"A farmer in Ealdor had a daughter that he treasured more than anything in the world," Merlin began.
"If it doesn't end with her going crazy and attempting to kill her father, then I don't want to hear it," Arthur said, pushing past Merlin and attempting to out pace the man so he could shut himself in his room. Sadly, Merlin had longer legs and easily kept pace with Arthur.
"She died in a violent attack with some bandits. The man was just like your father afterwards," he said quietly.
"This is supposed to make me feel better?" Arthur growled. Usually Merlin was much better at cheering up Arthur. He must have been losing his touch.
"The man did return to normal eventually. Your father will get better too, trust me," Merlin responded. Arthur sighed and entered his chambers. Merlin was just trying to help. It wasn't fair of Arthur to take out his anger on him.
Arthur continued to think about what Merlin said while he got ready for bed. Merlin didn't say how long it took the man to return to normal. Arthur hoped it would be soon. Still, he had to give it time. Uther had lost a child, and Arthur a sister. It would take awhile for everyone to get back to normal. For now, all Arthur could do was wait and see what the morning would bring.
Merlin made his way through the quiet halls of the palace with Arthur's breakfast balanced in his hands. He was still a little offended from Arthur's mood yesterday. He knew Arthur was stressed, suddenly finding out you had a sister who was trying to kill you and your father wasn't exactly calming, but Arthur could at least try to be more patient. It seemed the more Merlin tried to help, the more Arthur pushed him away. Merlin felt slightly guilty about not being to heartbroken over Uther's current state of being, but he felt justified in his response. Uther basically hated everything Merlin was, and Arthur was a better leader than Uther could ever be. But it was safe to say that ever since Morgause had set foot in Camelot, things had changed for the worst. Now, all Merlin could do was continue to keep Arthur optimistic and vanquish threats in the shadows. It was the least he could do, after all.
Merlin sighed as he reached Arthur's chambers and took a second to plaster a smile onto his face. He had a good feeling about today. Perhaps Uther would make some progress, border disputes would be settled, or he would be saved from mucking out the stables. Merlin chuckled at the idea of Arthur not making him muck out the stables. That would certainly be the day. Merlin straightened his back and pushed open the door. Of course Arthur was still sound asleep. Merlin doubted if he ever did manage to make it on time Arthur would notice. Merlin quietly closed the door and made his way over to the table, placing down the breakfast. He prepared himself for the next bit. Arthur was never pleasant in the mornings, waking him up was actually Merlin's least favorite past time. Merlin snaked a sausage from Arthur's plate and munched on it while walking over to the curtains. Having waited a few minutes to finish off the sausage, Merlin decided that it was definitely time to get Arthur up.
"Rise and shine," he said happily, throwing open the curtains. Arthur groaned and pulled the blankets up over his head.
"Now we can't have you lazing about. You have to settle another sheep dispute today," Merlin said in mock cheer. Arthur sat up and threw a pillow at Merlin's head. Merlin, surprisingly, dodged the flying projectile with relative grace. The moment was ruined when Merlin's foot found an upturned corner on the rug, causing him to crash onto the ground.
"Honestly Merlin, if you were any more a danger to yourself, we'd have to put you in a protective circle and cover you with pillows," Arthur scowled as he stood up and made his way over to the table.
"Did you eat one of my sausages?" Arthur snapped. Merlin went over to the bed and began straightening out the covers.
"No. But you have put on some weight, perhaps not eating one sausage will do you some good," Merlin said innocently, not bothering to look at the prince. If he did, the game would be over.
"I am not fat!" Arthur cried out in alarm. Merlin sniggered and continued to fluff up the pillows, his ill feelings towards Arthur disappearing rapidly as the friendly banter continued.
Arthur's breakfast had been eaten, the room had been cleaned up, and now came the list of chores Merlin needed to complete.
"After that you can polish my sword, polish my boots, fix my armor…" Merlin stopped listening to the list after the first twenty things were mentioned. He instead focused on dressing the prince for a series of council meetings he was going to have to attend today.
"Merlin, are you listening?" Arthur snapped as Merlin absent-mindedly handed him his coat.
"Of course I am, prat," Merlin said back. Arthur snorted and put on his coat. The two were about to get on with their respective jobs when a knock was heard at the door. Arthur and Merlin stared at each other. Arthur wasn't expecting any company this early in the morning.
"It better not be those idiots again," Arthur said under his breath. He was really starting to doubt his reasoning behind knighting Gwaine, Percival, and Elyan. Those three always seemed to be getting into some kind of argument. Why couldn't they be more like Leon and Lancelot? Arthur thought as he attempted to make himself more dignified.
"Come in," Arthur said. The door opened revealing a very happy looking Leon. Actually, happy didn't really begin to describe Leon. In fact, Leon was positively bouncing with joy. Merlin snickered. He had never seen the normally serious knight look so childish.
"Ah, Leon. What news do you have for me?" Arthur said with a quirked eyebrow. Apparently he had also seen Leon's behavior.
"Wonderful news, sire!" Leon said as he closed the door and made his way over to the table. Merlin didn't think it was possible, but his smile grew even larger, showing most of his teeth. Arthur was thinking along the same lines. Merlin didn't even smile this much, and the idiot was always happy.
"Well are you going to tell us what it is, or are you just going to stand there looking like Merlin?" Arthur said impatiently.
"That's not very nice!" Merlin said. Arthur merely reached up and cuffed him in the back of the head.
"Well, you know how I was on patrol?" Arthur nodded and motioned for Leon to continue. "There was a young lad who was delivering a message from Cenred's former lands. Naturally, we offered out services to ensure his safe arrival to Camelot. The message was from one of the more powerful lords there. Curious, I asked why he was sending a message to Camelot," Leon paused and smiled even wider. Seriously, how was he not breaking his face? Merlin thought to himself.
"Did he tell you anything?" Arthur asked, wondering why his head knight appeared to be merrier than Gwaine after three tankards of mead.
"Well, it turns out that Sir Darian is coming to Camelot for a visit," Leon finished happily. Merlin sensed an immediate change in Arthur's demeanor. His once scowling face had pulled back into a smile matching Leon's. Leon, for his part, continued to nod excitedly. Merlin furrowed his brow and glanced between the two men. He was hoping they would give some sort of explanation, they didn't. So, Merlin took matters into his own hands.
"Why are you so happy about a knight from Cenred's former lands visiting Camelot?" Merlin asked. Leon and Arthur turned to him with their smiles getting wider.
"Sir Darian isn't really a knight of Cenred's kingdom, or of any kingdom for that matter," Leon began to explain. Merlin just felt more confused and stupid for not know who this 'knight in shining armor' was.
"No one really knows that much about his past life. His village was slaughtered by bandits, so he made it his personal mission to help bring peace across the five kingdoms," Arthur added.
"Think Lancelot, but without the banishment," Leon said.
"Then why is he called 'Sir Darian'?" Merlin asked.
"He is the epitome of the Knight's Code. He is honorable, brave, loyal," Arthur listed.
"He's not technically loyal to any one king or queen. He is loyal to those he feels deserve it. I think you will like him Merlin," Leon said. Merlin sat there for a minute, taking in the information and the two men's reaction to it. He then had an idea.
"Should I fetch some flowers, sire?" Merlin asked, his face breaking out in a similar smile. It had been awhile since he had seen the two men genuinely happy. Perhaps this visitor could do some good for Camelot.
"Why on earth would you do that?" Arthur asked, his smile falling a bit as he tried to figure out Merlin's reasoning behind the strange request.
"Well you're obviously in love with this man," Merlin sniggered. Leon failed to suppress a chuckle.
"It's not that we are in love with him," Leon began to explain, rescuing Arthur from his sputtering. "It's just this man is really hard to dislike. Everyone is a better person when he's around. Master's are nicer to their servants, husbands to their wives, and kings to their people. He makes people want to be better." Merlin smiled at this.
"I look forward to meeting him," he said honestly.
"Good 'cause you'll be tending to him," Arthur said, returning to some paperwork. Merlin's smile faltered.
"Why me?" he asked, his voice shaking ever so slightly.
"Because it would be rude of me not to extend my servant for his use," Arthur explained. Leon's smile had also fallen slightly at Merlin's reaction.
"Could there be a reason you don't wish to serve a visiting noble?" Leon asked. He suspected Merlin probably had some trouble in the past, perhaps now the boy would actually speak up.
"No, I just don't like getting pawned off to visitors," Merlin spat. Leon noticed how he touched his wrist lightly. That was a good indication that something in the past had happened.
"For God's sake, Merlin. You're just a servant! Get over it," Arthur spat. Both Leon and Merlin were taken aback by the prince's sudden outburst. Merlin's smile was not completely gone from his face. Instead there was a mask of fury.
"I'll just polish your armor then," Merlin snapped as he rushed out the door, leaving the two men behind, no longer happy about the impending arrival of Sir Darian.
"I'll alert your father and the other council members," Leon said quietly before also leaving the room. Arthur waved disinterestedly before returning to the stack of paper on the table.
Merlin, for his part, couldn't get over what Arthur had said to him. He never felt so unwanted in his life. Well, there was that time with Cedric, but Merlin was still mad at Arthur. What right did that prat have, pawning him off like some possession that didn't have feelings? Merlin knew he was being a girl, but he really didn't care. Sometimes he felt as thought he and Arthur were friends. And then that clotpole would do something like this and completely wipe away those thoughts. Maybe Arthur really did just see him as a servant. Maybe all that they had done together wasn't enough to let Arthur think of Merlin as more than a servant. Merlin slumped down and began polishing Arthur's armor, continually cursing under his breath about stupid princes.
Lancelot stepped softly into the armory. Leon had caught him in the halls and explained the situation. He was hearing it second hand, so Arthur may have been joking, but all the same the comment had upset Merlin. Understandably so, Merlin and Arthur were practically inseparable. To hear from someone Merlin considered to be a friend that he was just a servant, was probably causing the young man a lot of grief. Lancelot's eyes fell on the man who was sitting in the corner, furiously polishing armor with a string of curses falling from his lips.
"Merlin," he said softly. The sudden noise caused Merlin to jump. He smiled warily as he noticed Lancelot in the door.
"I didn't hear you come in," Merlin said.
"You don't have to put on a fake smile for me, Merlin. I know when you are pretending," Lancelot scolded gently as he sat on a bench and began sharpening his sword.
"Leon told you what happened?" Merlin said, his smile falling from his face far too quickly for Lancelot's liking.
"Yeah. You know Arthur doesn't mean it," Lancelot said, offering his own smile as a source of support.
"Doesn't he though?" Merlin snapped. "I mean, he's never even told me that he likes me. The closest he's come is saying that I'm not 'completely incompetent'," Merlin said, putting air quotes around 'completely incompetent' to emphasize his point.
"You have to understand, Merlin, Arthur comes from a very different world. He probably hasn't expressed his feelings because he doesn't know how," Lancelot looked up to see Merlin had stopped his furious polishing and was now listening to Lancelot intently.
"You're not a knight, and those are the friends he's used to interacting with. I'm sure he just doesn't understand to express his feelings towards you in a manner that is entirely appropriate," Lancelot finished. Merlin chewed on his lip thoughtfully. Lancelot could still see he had misgivings about the prince's true feelings.
"You haven't forgotten what happened with the bandits," Lancelot teased.
"I was unconscious, and you know how Gwaine likes to exaggerate," Merlin snapped, however a smile was beginning to grace his features.
"Arthur was distraught over your injury. I don't think I've ever seen him so territorial and worried over you," Lancelot laughed. Merlin's face broke out into a true grin. Just like that, Lancelot had repaired Arthur and Merlin.
"He's just excited, that's all," Lancelot continued. He didn't want to risk a backlash later, if Merlin and Arthur got into another argument.
"Have you ever met this Sir Darian?" Merlin asked, picking up a sword and beginning to sharpen it.
"I've heard of him. He sounds like a nice guy," Lancelot answered thoughtfully.
"Leon said he was basically you," Merlin said brightly. Lancelot blushed at the compliment. From what he had heard, Sir Darian was like a godsend to most people. He was always spoken of highly wherever Lancelot traveled. No one had any issues with the man.
"I still don't want to be pawned off to him," Merlin muttered. Lancelot caught every word though. His lips tightened as he remembered the last lord to visit Camelot. Merlin was to serve him, out of courtesy and respect, and Lancelot had a feeling it hadn't gone very well on Merlin's end. He knew how an injured man walked, and despite Merlin's protests that he had fallen down some stairs, Lancelot and Gwaine had a feeling it was the lord that was inflicting the injuries. Merlin glanced up at the uncomfortable silence and saw Lancelot's face.
"Not you too," Merlin groaned. Lancelot looked down at his friend questioningly. "Leon's already interrogated me so there's no use in you trying. Nothing happened with Lord Cadwell," Merlin snapped.
"If there was, would you have told me?" Lancelot asked, knowing what the answer would be.
"No," Merlin replied honestly.
"Merlin, if anything happens with Sir Darian, at least let Gaius patch you up," Lancelot pleaded. He knew Merlin probably wouldn't use magic since it would be questionable as to why there were no more bruises or scrapes. But the least Merlin could do was get the injuries treated. Merlin pursed his lips and didn't answer. After several minutes of silence, Merlin spoke.
"Don't you have training to get to?" he asked.
"I think Arthur wants you there as well," Lancelot smiled, standing up and offering a hand to Merlin. Merlin smiled and took it willingly. Lancelot mentally reminded himself to be more attentive during this noble's stay. By the time he suspected something was amiss with Cadwell, the man was already preparing to leave.
The two men walked out of the armory and down to the training field, chatting happily about nothing in particular. Lancelot could pretty much always make Merlin feel better, no matter what. They turned a corner to a less traveled corridor when a sight greeted them that made both men gasp.
"Sire?" Merlin asked uncertainly. Lancelot just stood there with his mouth agape.
"Ah, Sir Lancelot, did you hear of our visiting guest?" King Uther asked happily. Gone were his sorrows and self-pitying. Instead, here stood a happy, healthy king. He did not look at all like the man Merlin and Arthur had sat with the previous evening.
"You're up," Lancelot said, unsure of how to handle this new version of Uther.
"Of course I'm up. I need to make sure everything's in place for Sir Darian's arrival. He's meant to be here some time tomorrow," Uther replied happily. He took no notice of the two men's shocked faces and continued on his merry way.
"What the hell is going on?" Merlin said. Just yesterday, King Uther had been comatose. He wasn't eating, speaking, or moving. Today, he was bright and cheerful, not at all like a man who just lost a child to evil. Lancelot merely shrugged his shoulders and continued onto the training field.
"Lancelot, Merlin! Where have you two been?" Arthur shouted as they jogged over to the target dummies.
"We saw your father," Merlin replied.
"Why were you in my father's chambers?" Usually Arthur delegated the caretaking to Gwen. There was no reason for Merlin to be over there.
"We weren't. He was up walking around. As happy as could be," Lancelot explained. Everyone stopped and stared at the knight.
"He said he had to help prepare for Sir Darian's arrival tomorrow," Merlin added.
"Well, that's good that he's doing better," Percival said. Everyone merely nodded their heads and prepared to start the exercises.
Sometime later, the training had been complete and the Knights of the Round Table, along with Merlin, were sitting around the armory, enjoying each other's company.
"Sir Darian is an absolute delight. You're going to love him," Elyan said animatedly as he and Leon continued to gush over how great 'Sir Darian' was. Merlin and Percival chucked at the response. Elyan had been here the last time Sir Darian had visited and remembered it all too well. He and Leon had continued to talk about Sir Darian and the great deeds he had done, while the other's just listened patiently.
"I still don't know. Sometimes a man seems nice, but he's really a prick," Gwaine said as he took a swig from a water skin that smelled suspiciously unlike water.
"Normally I would agree," Leon stated, gently taking away the skin and handing Gwaine actual water. "However, Sir Darian is actually a leader for a total equality movement. He guilts nobles into treating their people better," Leon explained. Gwaine rolled his eyes.
"Sometimes you just have to look close enough," Gwaine murmured, glaring at Merlin. It was as if he was trying to see the bruises through his shirt. Merlin clenched his jaw and looked away. Ever since Lancelot had pointed out Lord Cadwell's possible abuse, Gwaine had become increasingly observant of Merlin's behavior. It was starting to grate of Merlin's nerves.
"You know," Percival stated thoughtfully, "this man sounds a lot like a tale the elders used to tell me and the other children of my village."
"What was this tale, you speak of," Gwaine joked, dropping his threatening tone of voice.
"Sir George the Brave or something like that," Percival said with a shrug. Merlin gasped and turned to Percival with a big smile on his face.
"You're right. He does sound like Sir George," Merlin laughed. He had completely forgotten about the bedtime stories his mother used to tell Merlin and Will.
"I've never heard of such a story," Leon said.
"Must be a village thing," Percival said with a shrug. "Everyone used to love hearing about Sir George and how he would save the day with his trusty white stead." Gwaine sniggered in the background.
"Why would they tell you such a story?" he asked.
"One of the elders of my village, the old crone was older than the Earth itself, swore that she knew Sir George," Percival explained.
"Perhaps when you meet Sir Darian, you can draw more comparisons," Gwaine replied. Leon swatted him on the head before leading the group out of the armory.
"Come on now, we all have work we should be doing. Can't have Arthur get to mad at us," he said, much like a mother trying to control her rowdy kids. Everyone grumbled and groaned but was smiling nonetheless. A visitor was coming to Camelot. Something interesting always happened when a visitor came to Camelot.
Who is this Sir Darian everyone speaks so highly of? Is Gwaine being rightfully cautious, or is he just overreacting? So many questions and lots of answers will be coming your way. Cheers!