There was never anything quite as beautiful as Camelot in the morning. It was something, Merlin usually thought with vigour, which was a drastic and sometimes a rather uncomprehending contrast to the dangerous edge of the battlements, the glint of grey and harshness, the painful constriction of binding laws. And something surely invented by a higher power for the sweetest simplicity of firsts.
Say for example;
The highest reaches of the castle walls bouncing with the first, and most precious, of sunlight.
The first stirs of people. Milling around and yawning, already into the labour for the day. Eating the first of their food, earning the first of their money.
And, Merlin thought, inwardly sighing (a possible silent tick he had recently acquired), the very first, and the very worst of Arthur's temper.
Merlin, anointed in his usual neckerchief (red this time), rubbed his long fingers against his temples again. He didn't feel like the latter 'first.' He didn't think he could handle the crummy and vague duties thrown at him along with a golden goblet and a half chewed apple. You see, the pain had started around three weeks ago, and had grown steadily worse. It had been easy to ignore when it had begun. He could smile it off. Pretend it was just his imagination or his impatient magical blood bubbling at the veins in his head, eager to pool golden light into his eyes. But now it was too insistent. Too nagging, like the prince's voice ebbing away at the walls of his skull. Chipping each bit of skeletal frame till there were only words and pain.
He hadn't time to ease it away. He was too busy, always much too busy. Everyone needed him for something. But still the pain was there, pulling the smiling strings of his lips down from their usual goofy grin. When had his brow held so many lines?
''Come on,'' he told himself, head over a dish of water, trying to wash away the hour of sleep and discomfort, ''time to wake a prat.''
Just a little short write for myself. Please ignore any grammar or punctuation errors. If anyone is interested in this story, I will continue it. Thank you :)
