Albion AU: Manipulating Merlin
Sometimes there's only one way to force Merlin into taking a break: trickery.
It had been weeks since King and Kingdom had witnessed the dramatic revelation of Merlin's magic. The battle on the field was won. Morgana and her Saxons had been soundly trounced and driven away. Wounds were healing and Camelot had accepted her unlikely looking savior and his powerful, protective magic.
The battle fought later behind closed doors in the healing chambers had not been pretty but had also ended well. Not that it had been much of a battle. The fight between two stubborn friends weakly shouting at each other from their respective sick beds in between bouts of fevered unconsciousness and sickening worry for each other couldn't really be considered epic. Not long after the king and his best friend reconciled, the king noticed that Merlin had hit a plateau in regaining his health and strength.
Merlin had insisted on being back at work as Arthur's manservant although with truncated duties. Stable mucking, floor scrubbing and facing Arthur's dirty socks were now a thing of the past for him. But he'd loaded new responsibilities upon himself in place of the old. He'd enthusiastically thrown himself into the process of researching ancient magical laws in order to help with drafting new ones, as well as magically fortifying the castle's defenses and still helping Gaius in his duties as Court Physician. Although Merlin seemed chipper, Gwen mentioned to Arthur that she'd spoken to Gaius and knew that Merlin was once again regularly skipping meals and keeping terrible hours. He was disregarding his own needs again in favor of his work. He needed to take a break before he broke. But how to get him away without triggering his stubbornness?
Arthur, being an excellent tactician, realized he had to make Merlin's stubbornness work for them. He enlisted the knights' help with the secret mission to get Merlin to take a break and get some rest.
...
Leon strode into the council room with an air of urgency just as the Round Table began their meeting. "My Lord, we have the latest report from the Chandleigh Region. It seems that there is a rumor of a rather ruthless bandit camp moving into the area."
"Strange. We've always held that area clear of bandits quite easily. Hmm. I wonder how accurate the reports are."
"Your Majesty, I received the report just today."
King Arthur seemed to take the news with less seriousness than usual. At Merlin's raised eyebrow and concerned look Arthur casually motioned to Sir Leon. "Very well, Sir Leon. Send a patrol of Knights to check it out."
"Yes, Sire. We will leave at first light tomorrow." The meeting then wound on to more mundane matters.
When Merlin brought dinner, Gwen invited him to sit down and eat with them. He tried to beg off. "I was going to go check the reinforcements and wards I placed on the southern wall.."
"Oh Merlin, Please? I miss you. We never get to spend time together anymore! Please? The southern wall will still be there after dinner, I'm sure." She was pleading with her sweet brown eyes and it was true, they hadn't had any time together in so long. How could he refuse? Gwen smiled brightly as he settled himself across from her at the table and she began to load a plate for him. "Truly Arthur, if I'd realized how little time I'd have with my husband and my best friend I'd have perhaps thought twice before becoming queen. I definitely saw more of Merlin when I was a servant." she teased.
Arthur grimaced, "Then it's just as I suspected... the peasants have all the fun."
"I was hoping to coax you into going out for a ride, just for a tiny bit of fun. Too bad about the rumors of bandits. I'd love to ride out to that beautiful area by Chandleigh. It's so lovely there, one of the most restful picnic spots in Camelot. Spending a day there would be heavenly." She sighed wistfully.
Arthur reached for her hand and said "You're right, Guinevere. We've earned a bit of a rest. Tomorrow, I shall take you on a private picnic to the loveliest spot I know near Chandleigh. It will just be we two. No knights. Just us. I'm sure those reports of bandits were inaccurate. Besides you'll be well protected if I'm with you. We won't tell anyone where we're going. It will be as private a picnic as you could ask for."
Merlin was listening and growing more stone faced and more aggravated by the minute. Finally he could no longer restrain himself. "Arthur! What are you thinking? You can't risk your safety and Gwen's just for a little jaunt out of the castle. You both need to take your safety more seriously. Pick a different spot. The hill just outside the walls is a fine place for a picnic."
"Butt out Merlin. The point of leaving for a private picnic would be completely negated by setting up a blanket just outside the castle where we'd be endlessly annoyed by you, the knights and the guards spying on us from the walls." He turned to Guinevere. "Tomorrow we are taking the day for ourselves and I'm taking you to Chandleigh."
Merlin practically shouted, "No! No way are you two going without me. It'd be just like you to lead Gwen into a bandit camp. If you won't take the Knights then I'm coming along."
"Merlin. What is it about the term 'private picnic' that do you not understand?"
"Shut up, Clotpole. I'm coming whether you like it or not."
The next morning the king and queen rode out, talking and laughing with a very grumpy warlock trailing along behind. After a couple of hours riding, Arthur led them to a grassy, sunlit meadow in a rather large clearing in the middle of the woods. Arthur secured the horses while Merlin set out the blanket and the food in the shade of the trees. Gwen prepared plates for them all and warned Merlin to eat every bit before he wandered off.
"Wander off? Gwen, I'm not going anywhere. I'm here to watch over you both."
Arthur responded, "No need. I told you I'm absolutely sure that those reports of bandits were inaccurate."
"Is this some kind of stupid feeling you're mistaking for instinct or are you just off your.."
Arthur interrupted his tirade. "Merlin! I'm absolutely, completely sure that there are no bandits for miles around!"
"But the reports.."
"...are wrong! I know because I made them up."
Merlin spluttered, "What?! Why!?"
"Because you need a break and this is the only way we could get you out of the castle to take one." Gwen said gently laying a hand on his arm.
Arthur smirked at him. "That patrol I sent out just set up a perimeter around us and we are perfectly safe. So, set up some wards if it'll make you feel better then wander off and leave us in peace for a bit."
Merlin looked askance at his friends and stalked off to do just that. Gwen watched him leave with some concern written across her lovely features. "He didn't eat his lunch."
After a while Merlin reappeared at the edge of the woods at the other end of the meadow. Arthur and Guinevere watched as he meandered slowly to the middle of the meadow and plopped down in the sunshine. He was half concealed from their view by the lush grass but a moment later they saw him blow dandelion seeds that chased each other through the air in a swirling, dancing line only to be magically joined by leaves and flowers creating high twisting curls that swirled randomly before floating apart and returning softly to the ground. Guinevere smiled in delighted wonder and Arthur commented drily, "How kind of him to provide entertainment for our picni..Aah!" Without warning Merlin's lunch leapt into the air beside him and zoomed out to the apparently hungry warlock in the meadow. A few minutes of quiet passed and Merlin's empty plate reappeared beside Arthur with a soft 'pop'.
Suddenly a warm golden wind rushed from the center of the meadow like a sigh and refreshed the whole valley. Flowers began to bloom across the meadow and the greens of the waving grasses and forest trees were somehow deeper and more vibrant.
"What just happened?" a stunned Arthur asked his gently smiling wife.
"I think he's finally relaxing." she replied softly. A small gasp escaped her moments later as they spotted several deer timidly stepping out from the cover of the trees, making their way over to Merlin to begin grazing around him. After appearing to talk to them and pet them he laid down in the grass and was no longer visible to his friends.
Swirling movement above caught their attention as a few clouds swiftly formed in the formerly cloudless sky. As they watched, open mouthed, the undulating clouds thickened to form shapes that began to tell a story as they morphed into pale pictures of a castle and people and creatures that looked very familiar. At one point in the sky story Arthur squinted and shouted in annoyance, "Merlin!" He swore he heard quiet snickering floating back across the meadow as the cloud prince with donkey ears dispersed and shifted into something new. The story slowed until the clouds were once again merely clouds that soon disintegrated under the glow of the sun. All but one, that is. One small, thickly fluffy cloud descended and determinedly floated in place over the center of the field creating an unmoving shadow on the grass below.
When nothing else happened for several minutes Guinevere chuckled, "Well, that's one way to avoid a sunburn."
Arthur and Guinevere enjoyed their time alone kissing and conversing softly until the sun drew lower in the west. "We'll need to go soon if we're to make it home before dark. Let's go fetch our warlock." He stood and held out his hand to Guinevere who took it and rose gracefully. As they left the cover of the trees the gentle deer fleetly bounded back to the safety of the forest. The king and queen slowed their steps as they neared Merlin's shaded spot and quietly approached his sleeping form. What a sight met them there. Merlin lay on his side nestled in the soft grass in a deep slumber, his hand resting on a fat, equally sleepy rabbit snuggled against his stomach. A pillow of grass and flowers cushioned his head. Absolute peace radiated from his features. Assorted butterflies were perched on his shoulder, his hands, his cheekbone, and in his hair. They appeared to be resting quite contentedly either staying still or slowly waving their wings.
"Mission accomplished." Arthur whispered to his wife. "I'll start to gather up camp and ready the horses. You get to wake the warlock."
He turned and walked swiftly back toward the picnic spot. There was only just so much adorableness he could take in one day.