Chapter 1

It had been a week that could only have been born of nightmares and it had left Merlin exhausted and ill.

Camelot was hosting several of the nobles who held estates nearest to the city and each had brought along their sons, partly to strengthen their ties to Camelot, but also to better acquaint the young men with the future King.

Five young men, the Lords Pytor, Graham, Michael, Samuel and Kendrick, had arrived with their fathers and were immediately handed over to Arthur. It would be his duty to keep the young men entertained over the course of the visit.

As the men-at-arms, servants and horses that made up the entourage milled about the courtyard in a scene of controlled chaos, Uther greeted Lords Alan, Richard and Darvil and their offspring. Gesturing to Arthur, who stood at his father's side, Uther announced that the prince would take charge of the five young men and show them around the castle before the welcome feast that was to be held that evening.

Arthur glanced over towards Merlin, who was standing a little behind him to his left and whispered with a smirk, "And so it begins again!"

Merlin had to smother a laugh at Arthur's comment – the last group of visiting nobles, who had only left the previous week, had been … interesting … to say the least. Those two lords had arrived with entourages large enough to rival a king's and felt no qualms about demanding they be treated in a manner equal to, if not better than, Uther himself. By the time they were waved out the castle gates, Uther was frustrated, Arthur was annoyed and Merlin was ready to collapse and sleep for 24 hours straight.

This gathering, though, was already starting off better. The three older men were trusted allies who had stood by Uther through thick and thin. As well, they were also old friends and Uther was looking forward to spending some time with them.

Their sons were of an age with Arthur, and over the course of the past few years Arthur and one of the young lords, Pytor, had become quite friendly. Arthur had met the others once or twice, and he was looking forward to getting to know each of them better.

"Arthur!" cried Pytor after he bowed to Uther and took leave of his father. "It's been too long."

"Pytor," responded Arthur, clasping the other man's arm. "It's good to see you. How are you?"

"I'm well, Arthur, very well indeed. I was sorry to miss the last tournament Camelot hosted, but I was escorting my sister to her new husband's home in Aldrich." Pytor then turned to a slightly-built youth about 3 years his younger and gestured him forward. "Arthur, I don't believe you have met my younger brother, Kendrick."

Kendrick stepped forward, bowed to his prince, and said, "It's an honour to meet you, Prince Arthur."

"The pleasure is mine, Kendrick. Welcome to Camelot!"

"Thank you, m'lord."

The other young men approached and soon the six of them were chatting and laughing. Merlin stood back and watched Arthur interact with the young nobles. He was impressed at how his master was handling himself, as Merlin knew all too well that these types of gatherings were never a favourite with Arthur. Of course, it helped that they all knew each other slightly, and from a first glance it seemed that the visiting young lords were quite easy-going.

Caught up in his thoughts, Merlin didn't hear Arthur call his name. It was only when he felt a light smack on his shoulder that he focused his gaze and saw Arthur standing in front of him with a fond and slightly exasperated look on his face.

Turning back to the young men, Arthur said, "This rather inattentive fellow is my manservant, Merlin. While he may not be the brightest light in the room, he is relatively capable and quite well organized. If you require anything in the coming days, I know he will be pleased to provide whatever assistance he can."

Merlin sent a rather pointed look in Arthur's direction before bowing to the young men standing before him. "I will arrange to have your things placed in your rooms," said Merlin, "if you will just tell me which bags belong to whom."

While they men had been getting reacquainted, seven or eight different bags had been placed in a pile at the bottom of the stairs; the bags obviously belonged to the young men but unfortunately there were no distinguishing markers to show who owned which bag.

A chorus of "that's mine there" and "the black satchel belongs to me" and "I've got the two smaller ones" came at Merlin so quickly that he didn't have the chance to match up the face of the owner with each bag. And then, without another word, Arthur and his guests headed up the stairs into the castle proper.

Merlin watched, annoyed but not surprised, as the men disappeared into the castle and he was left facing a pile of baggage with still no idea of who owned which bag. "Well," he muttered to himself, "I can at least get them into the castle and to the rooms. I can figure out where each bag goes later." Fortunately, the young men had been given rooms near Arthur's chambers, so at least Merlin wouldn't be forced to travel the length and breadth of the castle to deliver the luggage.

With a sigh, Merlin began gathering up the bags while at the same time looking around to see if he could find someone to give him a hand. While he could manage four or even five pieces of luggage, eight was out of the question. Unfortunately, it seemed that everyone had returned to their duties, because the only people left standing in the courtyard were Merlin and one of the stable lads who had his hands full with the reins of three horses.

The clatter of heels sounded as someone made their way down the stone steps and voice said, "Merlin, is it? Here, let me help."

Looking up, Merlin saw that the young Lord Kendrick had returned and was in the process of picking up the last three bags.

"Thank you, my lord, but it's fine. I can handle it," responded Merlin.

"I'm happy to help," responded Kendrick. "After all, I'm sure you didn't catch who owns which bag and after two days of traveling, I am intimately acquainted with the luggage. Who do you think was in charge of ensuring that it was delivered each night and then packed up again each morning?"

"Oh, um ... well, thank you my lord," said Merlin. "You are absolutely right – they all spoke so quickly and over each other that I have no idea which bag belongs where," added the young man with a laugh.

"If nothing else," said Kendrick with a smile, "I can at least prevent you from having to make two trips and also ensure everyone gets the correct luggage. So, lead the way Merlin; I am ready to follow."

Merlin grinned at the other man as they turned their feet towards the stairs and, eventually, the bed chambers.

Kendrick was indispensable, as not only did he make sure Merlin delivered the proper bags to each room, he also gave the young warlock some "insider information" on each of the young men that were now accompanying Arthur on a tour of Camelot.

As was obvious from their initial introduction in the courtyard, Kendrick was Pytor's younger brother. Graham and Michael were twins and Samuel was the only boy in a family of 6 children.

"You all seem to get along very well," said Merlin as he placed Pytor's bag in his chamber. Kendrick had already dropped his bag at the far side of the large bed and had collapsed across the covers.

"Yes, well, Pytor and the others have been friends for years. Fortunately for me, they never seemed to mind when I tagged along after them so, yes, I guess we do rub together nicely. I know Samuel is always happy to spend time away from his five sisters – all of whom are younger than him. But you have to watch out for Graham and Michael; they are great fun, but sometimes go a little far with their pranks. Oh, they never mean any harm but they seem to egg each other on with little provocation and it's never a good thing if you end up in their cross-hairs!" said Kendrick with a chuckle.

"Well, my lord, shall I leave you to rest or would you rather try to locate Prince Arthur and the others?"

"First off, Merlin, please … my name is Kendrick. When we are alone, please call me by my given name. The whole 'my lord' thing has never sat well with me; especially as my father is not one to be swayed by titles. He judges every person on their worth, not on their name, and he has taught Pytor and myself to treat people in the same manner as he does. I understand that when we are around others, we must be formal – but can't we be friends otherwise?"

Merlin grinned at the young man and said, "Thank you, Kendrick; I'd like that. But you still didn't answer my question. Shall we go find Arthur or will you wait to see them at the feast?"

Kendrick was just about to reply when the door to the room opened and Pytor and Arthur stepped in. "And this is your chamber, Pytor," said Arthur.

On hearing the two young men, Merlin turned and nodded his head towards Arthur and Pytor.

"Ah, there you are Merlin," said Arthur, "I was wondering where you'd gotten to. Have all the bags been delivered … to the right rooms?" asked Arthur with a grin

"Yes, Arthur," answered Merlin in a rather put-upon tone. "Everything has been delivered and to the right rooms."

Just then, Kendrick sat up and said, "Honestly, considering the way we all spoke over each other outside, I'm surprised Merlin remembered anything we said. He didn't even need my help," he added. A bit of a white lie, but Kendrick had found that Merlin was a kindred spirit and he wanted to stand up for the other man.

"Kendrick," said Pytor with a start. "I thought we'd lost you along the way. I should have realized that you'd latch on to the one person who could point you to the nearest bed so you could have a nap!" Turning back to Arthur, Pytor added, "Kendrick was very ill with pneumonia over the winter and has only just begun to regain his strength. He is doing very well, but still tires easily."

On hearing his brother rambling on about his recent illness, Kendrick flushed red, partly in embarrassment and party in anger and said, in a short tone, "I'm fine, Pytor. And I'm sure Prince Arthur doesn't care about whether I was sick over the winter or not. Honestly!"

"Kendrick, please don't be upset," said Arthur in a calming tone. "I'm sorry to hear you weren't well, but you look to be in fine shape now. I'll leave the two of you to rest. I'll send someone to direct you to the Great Hall when it's time for the feast. Come along, Merlin. Leave our guests alone. I'm sure Kendrick has had enough of your blathering on for one day!"

Kendrick sent Merlin a raised eyebrow and Merlin grinned back at his new friend as if to say, "Nothing unusual here. I'll see you later" and quickly headed out after Arthur, gently closing the door behind him.


Merlin had to scurry to catch up with Arthur who was already half-way down the hall and apparently had begun issuing orders to his manservant without realizing that the man was not behind him.

"…and so I need you to make the arrangements. We'll be leaving right after breakfast," concluded Arthur.

"Hunh?" said Merlin

Arthur stopped short and turned towards Merlin. "Were you not listening? Honestly Merlin, sometimes I think you should have your hearing checked!"

"Oi," responded Merlin rather indignantly. "You would have missed half the conversation if I had been talking to you when I was at least half a hallway ahead of you!"

"Hmm," said Arthur, rather embarrassed, though he would never admit it aloud. This wasn't the first time he had begun talking to Merlin without realizing that the other man was not even there. Arthur had grown so used to Merlin's presence at his side that it often never occurred to him to check the servant was actually there before he began issuing instructions.

"Well," continued Arthur, "what I said was that I am planning a two-day hunt for our guests and we'll be leaving tomorrow. We won't be going far, so it will be just me, the Lords Pytor, Kendrick, Graham, Michael and Samuel, and you of course, to take care of the horses, set up the camp and handle the cooking duties. We'll be departing immediately after breakfast tomorrow, so you'll need to get everything organized tonight.

As well, you'll be serving Pytor, Kendrick and I at the feast tonight, so please arrange to have someone available to serve Michael, Samuel and Graham. And speaking of Kendrick … I didn't realize he had been ill. You seemed to have spent a bit of time in his company this afternoon; does he seem well enough to come on the hunt with us?"

"It certainly wasn't apparent he was recovering from any illness, at least not that I could tell. He offered to carry his own bag and seemed to do so without any difficulties, so I shouldn't worry, Arthur. Besides," added Merlin with a grin, "it seems like his brother is very concerned for his welfare so I'm sure Lord Pytor won't let him get away with anything that could prove to be harmful!"

Arthur snorted and said, "I do believe you're right on that point, Merlin."

By this time, the two had arrived at Arthur's chambers. "Merlin, I would like to have a bath before dinner, so please arrange it. Also, lay out my clothes and ensure my boots are polished. I've got to have a quick word with my father before I ready myself for the feast. I won't need you before dinner, so I'll see you later. And make sure you're on time for once! I don't need to be embarrassed by your usual tardiness."

Merlin watched his master stride down the hallway towards the Small Hall, where Uther was meeting with the senior nobles. "I'll take care of everything, Arthur," he called. A negligent wave of a hand was the only response he got.

Pushing open the door, Merlin stepped into Arthur's rooms and began to lay the man's clothing on the bed, mumbling to himself all the while. "I don't know how he thinks I'm going to get everything organized before tomorrow morning. I've only got an hour before the feast is to start. I'll need to make a list of the supplies for the hunt, and get myself cleaned up before the bell rings for dinner."

Realizing that it was going to take several hours to get everything in place for the hunting trip, Merlin moaned aloud, "It's going to be a long night!"