Okay, well, this sequel is now officially: OUT! Hope you've had a great start to 2015, God bless you, and as always, WE OWN NOTHING! WRITTEN WITH VANILLAJ1967 check out her stuff if you can, she's got a couple fics up you might just enjoy! ;)
Another thing: Say Cheese got 50 reviews... That is the most reviews I have ever gotten on one story.
I LOVE YOU GUYS!
Merlin spread the curtains apart, beaming at the prince. "Good morning!" He walked around the bed, stumbling over a shirt left in the floor. He hopped to keep from falling, and spun around, quickly snatching the shirt from the floor and 'elegantly' folding it, walking to the drawer and shoving it in with the other shirts.
Arthur sat up with a sharp grunt, and swung both of his arms in surprise, looking utterly exhausted. "MERLIN!" he shouted, then schooled his features, and his wild hair. "You may be the most..." he quieted, "...powerful warlock on this planet," then got louder again, "But you're the WORST servant. At least it's good to see some things never change," the prince gripped.
He stood up, and padded across the room to the table. Arthur sat down in the chair at the end, flopping into it with very little poise, and no grace whatsoever. "Where's my breakfast? Keeping a secret is hard work, Merlin... I have to eat you know," he teased, turning to look at Merlin. He pursed his lips and looked at Merlin through tired ocean-blue eyes.
Merlin jogged across the room, snatching a plate off of where he had set it down when he came in. He deposited it in front of Arthur, looking down at it with an amused expression. "I think Audrey was experimenting with the food this morning," he whispered, staring down at the mostly-normal appearing food. "Good luck, Sire." Merlin put one palm on the table next to the plate, and his other hand on the back of Arthur's chair.
Arthur's lips turned almost completely upside-down in a sneer and he picked up the plate, sniffing it with uncertainty. "Oh... I see. Then you test it... you know, to ensure that it's all right. Have a seat." The prince stood as he spoke, and pulled his chair out, widening his eyes and nodding to it, gesturing for Merlin to sit.
"Oh- I'm sure it's fine. It must be great, really." Merlin took a step away from the chair, grinning. "You should eat your breakfast. You're not scared, are you, Arthur?"
Arthur's lips turned sideways and his eyebrows arched upward. "Yes, I'm sure it is perfectly safe, and no, Merlin, I'm not scared... that's why I'm having you eat it. I'm being... what is it? Humble, and kind to my equal... eat up." He grinned.
Merlin sat down slowly, the chair creaking. With trepidation, he reached forward to take something from the plate, quickly snatching up the fork and-with equally as fast speed- shoveled a bite into his mouth. The taste was bitter and harsh- zingy. And that was just the mashed potatoes. Keeping anything from showing on his face, he forced it down his throat in one loud gulp. "It's good," he said tightly, smiling, then hastily tried to get out of the chair.
"That's the smile you used for the potion Gaius gave us when we were sick... and it was disgusting," Arthur stated, half smiling, half grimacing. "Just..." he sighed and ran a hand back and forth through his hair. He sighed and let Merlin 'escape' the chair, then sat down in it himself. "I'll eat it, but be warned, if it's as bad as I'm assuming it will be... There will be payback... My armor does need a good polishing." With that, he smiled-more like smirked up at Merlin, and picked up a spoon, still smiling.
"Doesn't it always," Merlin grumbled under his breath.
"Yes... but I don't normally have you polish the knights armor as well, do I?" the prince asked, still grinning that cheesy grin.
"Arthur!" Merlin groaned, looking at the prince with complaint in his eyes. "There are a lot of knights! When am I supposed to do that?" he asked, his voice going into a slightly higher pitch. He frowned. Changing the subject, he asked, "What do we have to do today?"
'I see that answers the question of how bad the food is,' Arthur mused to himself. Arthur wouldn't be put off so easily. "You'll find the time, I'm sure. And, for what we do today... There will be guests arriving, nobles or royalty... I don't recall. Father told me, but I hadn't been paying attention," he stated with a shrug.
"And naturally I have to be there to keep fillling your cup?" Merlin half stated, half asked. His fingers fiddled with the edges of his sleeves as he looked around the room, then moved to start cleaning up, starting with fixing the blankets and changing the sheets.
"Naturally..." the prince answered. Merlin wasn't actually such a bad servant. Okay, sometimes he was, but at least he was actually smart, unlike some of the others, who seemed to have a brain that only did what it was told...
Arthur picked at the food on his plate, not really interested in eating it, as he knew it was probably horrid. Instead, he turned to face Merlin. "Merlin... when I was..." he paused, coughing and nodding slightly, "...A mouse," cringe "and you healed me... what did you think I would do?" he asked.
Merlin stared. Where had this come from? "Well, I am a terrible servant, I thought you'd take the chance to rid yourself of me," Merlin said with a light tone, quirking a smile. It faded. "Arthur, I didn't want you to be in this situation- you have to know that. I never wanted you to have to choose between my execution, or lying to your father."
Arthur's eyes softened a bit. "You kept it secret so that I..." he stopped for a moment, letting out a humorless laugh, "...wouldn't have to make that choice?" He almost couldn't believe it, yet... for some reason, it actually made sense. "I... Sometimes, you really are the most selfless person I've ever known."
Merlin smiled, a more, genuine smile. It had been three or so months since the whole, incident, with Kalian, and they'd brought it up on several occasions, but not within the last month. It was good to actually talk about it again, as if, finally, they could fully understand each other, and each other's actions.
Arthur stood up, crossed the room toward Merlin, and stopped beside him, placing a hand on the warlock's shoulder. "I meant what I said, about us being equals..." he stated. "And... Prince or not, I do consider you my friend."
"And I you," Merlin felt the emotions stirring, mostly just one: pride. He was proud of Arthur, proud of the man he was becoming. "I would willingly die for you, not because of destiny or who we're meant to be, or do. You are my friend, and you're a good man, Arthur."
Arthur felt a bit inadequate to answer what Merlin was saying. He nodded slowly. "Thank you... I could say the same for you. You're a better man than anyone else I know, and you don't get any credit from anyone... nor do you ask for it, even though you do deserve it."
A moment later, there was a knock on the door. "The guests have arrived!" the call came.