A/N: Happy New Year everyone! This fic has nothing to do with the New Year but I still hope you enjoy it! :)

"What do you want to do today?" Merlin asked Arthur brightly.

"Don't know," Arthur grumbled. "Back in Camelot I would always-"

"Go training with the knights," Merlin finished, rolling his eyes. "I think you may have told me that before Arthur. Every time I ask you that question in fact."

Arthur sighed. "Well, what do you want to do?"

"I need to go to the shopping centre," said Merlin, shrugging. "I don't know if you want to come with me? You've not been there yet, but I think you'll like it."

"Well, it would help if I knew what a shopping centre was," said Arthur with a roll of his eyes.

"It's basically somewhere you can go to buy things," Merlin explained. "Sometimes there are places you can eat in too, and there are lots of different types of shops."

"Fine, I'll try coming and see what it's like, if I have too," said Arthur wearily. "How do we get there?"

Merlin groaned inwardly as he realised the challenge that was about to come his way. "By car."

Arthur's eyes widened. "Do you mean that smelly machine thing that you sit in?"

Merlin nodded. "But Arthur, it's perfectly safe-" he began quickly.

"No," said Arthur firmly. "We'll walk there. Or go by horse."

"For the last time, Arthur, we can't go by horse! And if we walk there, we'll have to walk for about thirty miles!"

Arthur shrugged. "Well, I guess that means we can't go, doesn't it?"

"We can go!" said Merlin in frustration. "Arthur, all you'll have to do is sit in the car. It will be fine, I promise!"

Arthur sighed. "Okay, but if anything happens to us Merlin, I'm holding you responsible!"

"Quite right," said Merlin seriously, pushing himself to his feet. "Come on, let's get going."

Xxx

By the time they arrived at the shopping centre, Merlin was exhausted. Arthur had spent the whole of the journey fidgeting and flinching whenever another car drove past, clutching hold of Merlin's elbow whenever they rounded a corner, and shuddering whenever he looked out of the window, which eventually prompted him to keep his eyes shut for most of the journey. Merlin had kept up a smooth line of talk, attempting to calm his friend; however, this had failed miserably, as Arthur had remained just as anxious and tense throughout the journey as before. In fact, Merlin wasn't sure if Arthur had even been aware that he had been talking, as Merlin had constantly found himself being interrupted by a panicked Arthur, demanding that Merlin needed to take him back home. Right now, Merlin didn't even want to think of the journey back.

"Where do we go now?" Arthur's face was pale and his skin was coated with a thin sheen of sweat. Merlin felt a pang of sympathy and he took Arthur's clammy hand in his, squeezing it lightly.

"You'll be fine, Arthur. And we got here, didn't we?"

Arthur nodded slowly. "I'm alright," he said shakily.

"Do you want to go into the shops now, or would you rather sit down and rest for a while?" Merlin asked kindly. "I don't mind."

"No, I'll go into the shopping centre place," said Arthur at once. "I don't need to rest!" He laughed weakly. "It wasn't actually all that bad."

"Good!" said Merlin with a smile, deciding to at least pretend to believe Arthur. "Come on then."

Arthur followed him into the centre, a bright smile pinned onto his face. However, Merlin could tell he was nervous, if his clenched fists and fast breathing was anything to do with it, but, being Arthur, he was trying not to show it.

"This place is perfectly safe," Merlin told him once they had entered the building. "So where do you want to go first? A clothes shop?"

Arthur shook his head in evident disgust. "Clothes nowadays are weird."

"Book shop?"

"No, I won't understand any of the books there."

"Food shop?"

Arthur frowned. "I don't know. Do they have-"

"They sell food," said Merlin simply. "Come on, I needed to go to the supermarket anyway."

"Is that a type of food shop?" asked Arthur warily.

Merlin nodded. "Come on."

They made their way through the shopping centre, Merlin keeping a tight grip on Arthur's arm. He was pleasantly surprised that Arthur wasn't glaring at him and wrenching his arm from Merlin's grasp, although admittedly Arthur looked too nervous to even think of doing such a thing.

"There are so many people," Arthur whispered. "And what's that loud noise?"

Merlin forced back a laugh. "Music."

"Well, it's stupid," said Arthur bluntly.

Merlin smiled. "Some of it isn't very good, I agree. In here," he added, steering Arthur into the supermarket.

"So is this basically a place where you can get food?" Arthur questioned.

"Yes," Merlin answered, heading over to the back of the shop where the biscuits were kept. Arthur walked beside him, staring around the shop in wonder.

"Do you want any chocolate biscuits?" Merlin asked Arthur, picking up one of the packets. "Remember, you tried some yesterday - you liked them."

"Okay," said Arthur eagerly. He seized the packet from Merlin and tore it open.

"No!" said Merlin hastily, grabbing them back. "You have to pay for them first, Arthur!"

"Oh." Arthur's face fell.

"Don't worry about it," Merlin reassured him. "There's no harm done – we were going to buy these anyway, after all. Just remember never to eat food in the shop – always buy it first."

"Right," said Arthur in confusion. "I'll remember that."

Once they had left the supermarket, Arthur turned to Merlin, looking eager. "Can we go now?"

"I need to buy a pair of jeans," said Merlin apologetically. "So we need to go and look in a clothes shop."

"Okay," said Arthur wearily.

They entered the nearest clothes shop and headed over to the jeans section. "I'll just be a minute…" said Merlin, grabbing the nearest pair of jeans. "This is in my size," he murmured, "…yes, that'll do." He made his way over to buy them, closely followed by Arthur.

"Wait, what is that?" he heard Arthur say behind him in horror.

Merlin glanced round. "Oh, that's a skirt."

"A skirt!" Arthur spluttered. "It's a bit of cloth!"

"Yes, skirts have changed a great deal from before," said Merlin, smiling wryly.

"But…but girls actually wear this!" said Arthur in horror.

"Some of them do, yes," said Merlin.

Arthur gaped. "I can't believe it…it's basically…you would be able to see their…" His voice trailed off as he shook his head, apparently lost for words.

"Don't worry, they don't all wear those type of skirts," said Merlin, struggling not to laugh at Arthur's scandalised expression. "Come on, let's go and pay for the jeans." Arthur followed him slowly, casting the skirt one last look of disgust.

Merlin had almost reached the checkout when he heard Arthur gasp in outrage. "What now Arthur?" he asked wearily, not turning round.

"Look!" Arthur spluttered. Merlin turned round, and a small dress was promptly thrust under his nose.

"Look at that!" Arthur exclaimed. "No dignity at all-"

"Arthur, not all girls wear this," Merlin pointed out. "Anyway, these are the kind of things that are sold now."

"I can't believe it!" Arthur seethed. "Those hoodies and jeans were bad enough…"

"Come on," said Merlin kindly. "Just forget about it." He continued on his way, Arthur closely behind him, muttering under his breath about all the ridiculous fashions nowadays. Merlin made his purchase and left the shop, sighing with relief.

"Are we going to go home now?" Arthur asked him as soon as they were outside the shop. "I need to recover after witnessing those horrifying…abominations!"

"Well, I need to buy a book," Merlin explained. "So we need to visit another shop."

Arthur sighed. "Right. Great." Merlin entered the nearest book shop, Arthur trudging beside him.

"It should be somewhere over here," Merlin murmured, heading over to the fiction section.

Arthur stared around at all the books, his eyes large. "This is marvellous!" he burst out. "There are so many books!" He picked up the nearest book and began to read.

Merlin hid a smile. Considering the fact that Arthur hadn't wanted to visit the book shop in the first place, he seemed to be rather enjoying himself. His smile was replaced with a look of consternation as Arthur tore a page out of the book he was holding.

"Arthur!" Merlin hissed.

Arthur looked up, surprised. "What?" He held the page out for Merlin to see. "It has a nice illustration on it, look."

"That doesn't mean you can tear the page out!" Merlin protested. He groaned. "Now we'll have to buy the book!"

"Sorry," said Arthur quickly.

"Doesn't matter," Merlin sighed. "Give it to me, I'll buy it."

Arthur handed him the book, before wandering off, picking out another book and reading the back cover.

"Don't tear it!" Merlin yelled after him, causing a nearby shopper to frown at him in displeasure. "Sorry," said Merlin hastily, "it's just my friend, he's…"

"Torn a page out of that book, I assume," said the man in disgust, glancing at the page in Merlin's hand. "Ridiculous beha-"

"It was an accident," Merlin interrupted. "I'm just off to buy it now."

His only answer was a disapproving sniff, before the man moved away.

"A good day to you too," Merlin muttered, turning away to buy the book.

Xxx

"So, can we go home now?" Arthur asked Merlin expectantly, once they had left the shop.

"We might as well get some lunch first," said Merlin, glancing at his watch. "It's one o'clock."

Arthur frowned. "How do you know that?"

Merlin held out his wrist so Arthur could see his watch. "This is called a watch. It tells you the time, remember? I've shown you this before."

"Oh yeah, I remember," said Arthur, swatting Merlin's hand away in evident disapproval. "That weird circle thing with all the little numbers and marks on it."

"Yes, that," said Merlin. "Anyway, do you want and get something to eat? We can go to a café."

"Okay," said Arthur agreeably.

Merlin hesitated. "The only thing is; we'll have to go up something called an escalator to get to it."

Arthur's eyes narrowed. "What's an escalator?"

"It's kind of a…moving staircase," said Merlin, struggling to find the right words to explain it.

"No!" Arthur exclaimed, taking a step back.

"It's perfectly safe!" Merlin protested. "And you only have to stand – it takes a few seconds and that's all! Think of all the things you've faced before – an escalator is nothing compared to swords and battle!"

Arthur squared his shoulders. "You're right. I'm being a coward, and I am never a coward. Am I?" he added, looking slightly anxious.

"No – you're many things but not a coward," said Merlin solemnly. "Come on, it's this way."

Arthur followed him, holding his head high. That was, until he saw the escalator.

"No!" He stopped abruptly.

Merlin glanced at him. "Arthur, it's fine," he said feebly, coming to a halt beside him. People jostled past them, annoyed at their sudden stop.

"I'm not going up there," said Arthur firmly. "No way. Never. Never ever."

"Look, Arthur-"

"Where are the people going?" Arthur stammered, his earlier bravado all but forgotten. "What's happening to them?"

"The escalator carries them up to the second floor," Merlin explained. "Look at them, Arthur. Nothing is happening to them. Everything is fine."

Arthur took a deep breath. "I'm King Arthur, I'm brave," he murmured, taking a tentative step forwards.

"Yes, that's right!" said Merlin encouragingly, deciding that it wouldn't be a good idea to mention that Arthur was no longer the King. "Let's go."

They walked slowly in the direction of the escalator, finally reaching it. Merlin smiled brightly at Arthur. "Come on!" he said kindly. "Just step onto it. I'll get on behind you and keep hold of you so you won't fall. Not that there is any chance of that anyway," he added.

Arthur stared down at the moving staircase, seemingly frozen with horror. "I…" He took a deep breath, swallowing hard. "All right, then." He stepped forward, one foot on the stair, and almost fell over. He jumped back in shock, treading on Merlin's foot and causing him to stumble backwards into the crowd of people gathered behind them.

"Sorry," said Merlin quickly, shifting awkwardly under the stares he and Arthur were getting. "Come on Arthur." Arthur stepped forward onto the escalator, Merlin keeping a tight hold of his arm - he could feel his friend shaking slightly.

Eventually Arthur managed to balance on the stair where he stood as straight as a poker, one hand gripping Merlin's wrist so tightly it hurt. Merlin, foreseeing a disaster when they reached the top, stepped onto the same stair as Arthur.

"When we get to the top, you'll need to take a big step to get off the escalator," he told Arthur, who shut his eyes briefly in apparent disbelief and nodded jerkily.

Merlin waited with growing nerves as they approached the top of the escalator. "Now!" Arthur took a lame step forward, and Merlin, stepping off the escalator himself, pulled Arthur over, off the escalator to join him.

"You okay?" he asked his friend anxiously. Arthur nodded slowly.

"Come on." Merlin moved Arthur away from the escalator. "Let's sit down where you can relax, and have something to eat."

Xxx

Much to Merlin's surprise, things went better than expected in the café. Although it took Arthur a little while to fully calm down after his escalator trauma, everything else went fine. Arthur only managed to eat a small amount of food, but at least he didn't complain about the fact that it wasn't medieval and protest that he'd never had it before. It was a start, Merlin decided.

"Are we going to go home now?" Arthur asked, once they'd left the café.

"If you want," said Merlin as they passed the cinema.

"What's that?" Arthur asked, pointing at it.

"It's called a cinema," Merlin explained. "You go there to watch films – kind of like a giant television screen. It's quite fun, depending on the film you're seeing."

"But what's it doing here? I thought you could only buy things here – can you buy a cinema?"

Merlin smiled. "No. Some shopping centres have them you see." He hesitated. "Do you want to go?"

Arthur's eyes widened. "Me? Go to the cinema?"

"Yes, both of us. There might be a good film on."

Arthur groaned. "Can you promise we'll go home after this?"

"I promise," said Merlin at once. "We don't have to go to the cinema if you don't want to. I don't mind."

"No, if you want to go, we'll go," said Arthur firmly. "I'm not scared of anything."

"I never said you were," said Merlin brightly. "Come on."

Xxx

"Merlin!" Arthur hissed through the dark. "What's happening?"

"We're waiting for the film to start," Merlin whispered. "It should start in a minute."

"I don't like this," said Arthur nervously. "It looks suspicious. All dark and creepy."

"It's fine," Merlin reassured him. He'd lost count of how many times he'd said that today. "All you do is-"

He was interrupted by the screen turning on. Arthur let out a sharp intake of breath as the music started.

"It's fine, it's fine, it's fine…" Merlin murmured as Arthur grasped his hand in fear.

"But those people – they're trapped in the screen!" said Arthur in a panicked whisper. "Come on Merlin, we need to go and help them!"

"Arthur, we're not in Camelot now," said Merlin gently. "Just because you think something is strange doesn't automatically mean that someone is in danger. Anyway, this isn't strange, it's perfectly normal. Remember my television? Well, this is basically the same, only bigger."

Arthur didn't reply, however, Merlin took his silence as a positive sign. At least he had stopped panicking, for now.

As the film wore on, Arthur remained relatively calm, only jumping with fright occasionally. Merlin had been careful to pick a comedy, as opposed to an action film, which would undoubtedly freak Arthur out even more. Things seemed to be going well, Merlin noted with pleasure, Arthur had even smiled at some points!

Xxx

Arthur ended up keeping his cool throughout the entire film, much to Merlin's delight. As they left the cinema, Arthur actually admitted to Merlin that it wasn't as bad as he thought it was going to be.

"I mean, it wasn't exactly good, but it was okay," he told Merlin eagerly. "I would still have preferred to go training with the knights, though."

"Well, who wouldn't?" Merlin replied brightly, smiling to himself. "Come on, let's go home now."

Arthur stopped short. "I…I won't have to go in the car or on the escalator again, will I?"

Merlin groaned. "Yes Arthur, I'm afraid you will."

Arthur opened his mouth in horror, about to protest, but Merlin cut him off. "Arthur, listen. It. Will. Be. Fine."

Arthur shook his head jerkily. "It won't. I know it won't." Merlin sighed as he began to rant about 'all those stupid new inventions.'

Honestly, Merlin thought to himself, whoever said going to the shops was easy?

A/N: Hope this was okay! If any of you is reading my other fic, The Inventions Of Modern Times, I've basically written this one shot because I like the idea of Arthur visiting a shopping centre for the first time, so if you're reading my other fic, I won't write anything to do with Arthur discovering a car, escalator etc. Just thought I'd include this in case anyone wonders why I'm not writing anything to do with cars and all that in The Inventions Of Modern Times as they're quite obvious things to write about, and because I know these fics are both quite alike. Okay, I'm confusing myself; I'm going to stop now!

Anyway, I'd be very grateful if anyone reviewed this! :)