1: Introductions
Arthur Pendragon hated his life. Well, that wasn't necessarily true. He didn't hate his life, but he wasn't particularly enjoying it either. Arthur was the son of one of the wealthiest men in the paper industry. He never had to worry about money, and had a broad array of admirers. So why was he depressed? The answer was simple, his job. Arthur got on well with his co-workers, but he was ashamed. Ashamed that he was the regional manager of the Camelot paper industries branch. He should be up in corporate, but no. Uther, (Arthur's Father) had insisted that Arthur proved himself worthy. How was Arthur supposed to do that? According to Uther, it meant that Arthur needed to work his way to the top. He would start as regional manger, then if he succeeded, he would be promoted to corporate, then to taking over the business.
Sweat trickled down the bridge of his nose. It felt like it was one hundred degrees inside the cramped coffee shop. Arthur was running late for work, but he couldn't bring himself to care. It took twenty agonizing minutes for Arthur to get his coffee. It was busy today. Holding the boiling cup, he made for the exit. He was almost to the door when he was elbowed in the stomach. His fingers unwrapped themselves from the cup he was holding, causing the scorching liquid to fall on his shirt. It burned. "Ow!"
"I am so sorry." Arthur wheeled around to face a dark skinned man.
"What the hell did you think you were doing?" He shouted. It was barely past eight in the morning and his day was already going downhill.
"It was an accident, I swear." The man pleaded, worry written across his features.
"I don't care if it was an accident or not!" Arthur snapped. "Do you know how much money this shirt cost?"
"He said it was an accident, leave him alone." A raven haired man with pale skin spoke up. His dark blue eyes were stern, and focused completely on Arthur. He was very unusual looking. His cheekbones were abnormally pronounced and his ears were too big for his small frame.
"He ruined my shirt!" Arthur stated the obvious.
"It wasn't his fault." The raven haired man replied.
"I beg to differ." He folded his arms across his muscular chest. It felt good to take his anger out on someone.
"It was an accident. Now get off your high horse and move on." Arthur's jaw dropped. No one had ever spoken to him in such a manner.
"Excuse me?"
"Stop being an ass and move on. He didn't mean to make you spill your coffee. Stop being such a prat." The man retorted. Arthur prepared himself to throw out insults, but the young man left the shop before he got the chance to speak his mind.
"Idiot." He muttered to himself. Grudgingly, Arthur stormed out of the building and headed off to work.
Gwen scanned the room with mild interest. She was bored. Being a receptionist wan't the most exciting job in the world. Arthur was late, again. This was starting to become a frequent occurrence. Gwen liked Arthur, he was a good manager. He always knew exactly what to do, and exactly what to say. He was also exceptionally handsome. However, he could be very ignorant at times. She sighed. A loud bang yanked her from her thoughts. Arthur marched into the room fuming. His white button down shirt was stained and his eyes were cross. This couldn't be good.
"Gwen, go buy me a new shirt." He commanded.
"But…" She began to speak, yet Arthur cut her off before should could get two words out.
"Just do it Gwen!" Their fingers brushed against each other as he passed her his credit card. Getting up from her seat, Gwen did as she was told. It would be a dangerous thing to get on Arthur's bad side. She supposed that Arthur wanted her to buy him a shirt because a new employee was arriving today. Arthur usually tried to look nicer whenever a new person was added to their team. The new employee was some guy who was transferring here from the Ealdor branch. Putting on her purple jacket she left the room. Hopefully Arthur would be in a better mood when she got back. In the parking lot, she collided with someone. She fell onto the pavement.
"Oh my God! Are you okay?" A pale hand with long fingers reached out to help her up. Gwen gladly took the hand and sprung to her feet.
"I'm fine. I just wasn't looking where I was going." Her dark eyes locked onto the blue eyes of the stranger she ran into. He was tall and extremely skinny. Yet, he was beautiful in his own way. "Are you the new employee?" She asked tentatively.
"Yeah, I'm Merlin."
"It's nice to meet you Merlin, I'm Gwen." They smiled awkwardly at each other. Finally Merlin broke the silence.
"I should probably go inside, I'm already a little late." His eyes darted toward the door. "I'll see you later then?" He asked, his thin brows arching slightly. She nodded and waved goodbye before entering her car. She had a feeling that Merlin and her would become good friends.
Merlin watched as Gwen's car left the parking lot. She seemed nice. fidgeting with his blue shirt, he walked into the building. He was nervous about transferring here, but his mom insisted that it would be good for him to escape from the small confines of Ealdor. He subconsciously held his breath as he entered his new working environment. It was oddly quiet. Several desks were pushed together. Everyone seemed to be working effortlessly. He wondered if Gwen was the receptionist considering that the receptionist's desk was empty. Who was he supposed to let know that he was here? Cautiously he marched up to the nearest desk, tapping the shoulder of its occupant. "Hi, I'm Merlin. I'm the transferee from Ealdor." The man at the desk looked up at him. He was incredibly handsome, with dark hair and dark eyes.
"I'm Lancelot." Merlin shook his hand in greeting. "I guess I'll let Arthur know you're here."
"Thanks." Merlin grinned. So far everyone he had met was pleasant enough. He drummed his fingers on his leg waiting for Lancelot to return. Within a few minutes he spotted him walking next to a golden haired man. Merlin felt like he recognized him, but how? It hit him like a gust of wind. That was the man he called an ass at the coffee shop earlier. Crap! Why did he have to be so unlucky? He anxiously chewed on his bottom lip as they approached.
"I'm Arthur, the regional manager." Arthur reached out his hand for Merlin to shake.
"I'm…" He was interrupted before he could continue.
"Wait a minute, you're that idiot from the coffee shop earlier today!" Arthur withdrew his hand.
"Um…Yes." Merlin could feel Arthur's piercing gaze. "But in my defense, I would have never said anything if I knew you were my boss." At these words, several pairs of eyes turned to watch them.
"You're the transferee from Ealdor?" Merlin nodded in response.
"Unfortunately…" He mumbled, quiet enough that Arthur couldn't hear him.
"I can't believe this." Arthur threw his arms in the air in exasperation. Merlin was instantly regretting leaving Ealdor. Will was right, he should have never come here. The air was stiff as both men glared daggers at each other. Arthur spun around, and marched back into his office, slamming the door behind him.
"I have a feeling that I'm really going to love it here." Merlin remarked sarcastically. A few people laughed.
"What did you say to Arthur earlier today?" Lancelot inched towards Merlin, obviously curious. Merlin cleared his throat.
"Nothing important." Deciding it would be best if he changed the subject, he continued. "Anyway…where's my desk." Lancelot grinned.
"Right across from mine." Merlin followed Lancelot to his desk. This was not a promising start.