A/N: So, this came to me while reading a Michael Scott book and I just couldn't push it away... *Laughs* I hope you enjoy, feedback is always wonderful!
Sometimes, Arthur smelled peppermint. Not just peppermint, but the kind of minty scent that burns deep into the back of your sinuses and leaves your eyes watering and your nose longing for something mild to smell instead. He realized over the years that oddly, this smell seemed to emanate from magic-users. He remembered a time when one woman had been taken to the stake to be burned, and as she was led through the courtyard the fragrance wafted all the way up to the balcony where he and Uther stood. It was strange, yes, but he hadn't spent too much time questioning it. That is, until it happened more often, one time it was a young boy, sometimes it would be as he talked with a specific person, so on and so forth until he wondered if there was something wrong with him because sorcerers didn't smell like anything but normal people.
Then, he smelled sulfur. It made his stomach twist and lurch, threatening to dump all of his breakfast, lunch or dinner (whichever had been closest to each time he smelled the rotting eggs) onto the ground. The nasty smell would be overwhelming and usually came just before something terrible happened, and usually the terrible thing was related closely to a sorcerer. The putrid aroma was distracting and confusing, considering that it had no reason to be there and come on as sudden as it always seemed to. So, over the years, he noticed these smells coming on out of the blue and always in the company of someone with special abilities.
There were times, though, when one or both of these scents came at random moments when there was absolutely no sorcerer around.
So what if Arthur had started making a journal of all the times he smelled peppermint or rotten eggs? It wasn't odd, it was simply an observation. One of his tutors, Mr. Fley, who had taught him the science of the stars, had always said to him, "Experiment with everything, trust nothing". That is exactly what he did, but the conclusions he came to were inconclusive and ridiculous. He really, really didn't understand the dynamics in these circumstances, but he was willing to try to change that.
He wasn't sure if his findings would make Mr. Fley proud or would make him cry from shame.
He picked up his quill pen and went to write his first journal entry.
Day One
Scenario one: Merlin And I In The Hallway.
I was walking down the corridor in the east wing after a meeting with Father.
Merlin, bumbling idiot that he is, was trailing along after me with the same load of laundry I had made him carry from the morning until well after lunch time, because, well, who wouldn't enjoy seeing him struggling to haul around a pile of laundry bigger than his whole torso while tripping over his own feet, peeking over and around the pile to make sure he was still on Arthur's tail, and falling down stairs?
It was the highlight of my day.
...I digress.
At any rate, I smelled that blasted peppermint.
There was no one else in the corridor, just myself and my manservant.
There was no sorcerer. Still, I smelled peppermint clearly, and therefore went to searching every inch of the hallway. Merlin fell over (Very funny) at least three times during the minutes that I searched for the reason that I could detect mint. (Very very funny.)
I actually, at one point, may have sniffed the man's face. The scent was stronger there. Maybe Merlin spoke with a sorcerer and didn't know it? Worse - what if they kissed him? That smell was awfully close to Merlin...
Not that anyone would kiss Merlin.
They must have slapped him.
That was more likely.
(Side note, Merlin looked both terrified and disgusted by the fact that his master had taken to sniffing his cheek. Another highlight of my day, unnerving him. Come to think of it, most of the highlights of my days involve Merlin. Not to say I'd say so.)
Either way, I just couldn't figure this one out.