Disclaimer: If I owned Merlin, Wildren and Gaiaberries would be a staple to any diet. Yum.
Authors Note: Quite frankly, I'm surprised on how fast I got Part Two up. Updating quickly is not my forte.
Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, favorited, or followed. It really made my day to see all these messages in my inbox. Perhaps that is what made me update so quickly. Notsosubtlehint! Notsosubtlehint!
Merlin awoke to have the most delicious smell tickle his nose. He instantly ruled it out as a dream for several reasons. First, he was the only one who cooked food, so unless he mastered the art of "sleep-cooking," none of the other knights were surely going to touch that grimy old cooking pot. Second, it must have been a dream, because the smells coming from whatever it was were far more pleasant than anything Merlin had ever made. Only in his dreams could the warlock make something that literally made his mouth water. The third oddity completely cinched it for the boy: Percival was hovering over him with the most bizarre expression. The usually stoic man's face seemed to be split in two with a boyish grin as he pushed something towards Merlin.
"Merlin! Wake up!" Percival was saying. Or at least that was what Dream Percival was saying.
The boy squeezed his eyes tighter and rolled over. "Mrrmmm… Lemme sleep…" Merlin drowsily mumbled. This dream was too weird already, but he wanted to see how it unfolded.
"Merlin!" A sharp prod at the boy's shoulder caused to him to briefly break the veil of unconsciousness. "Wake up."
"Wha…?" Merlin grumbled, back still facing the eager knight. "Tell Arthur to find his own damn firewood." The boy was still too sleepy to care about his "impertinence." In fact, he hoped Arthur was there to hear him say that. He had gotten little to no sleep already, and after his rant about the food last night, he was eager to find more reasons to yell. Merlin would be the first to admit that he enjoyed the clearance his fellow travelers gave him after that. For once, they finally looked at him more than a silly servant.
"I made breakfast."
What? One of Merlin's eyes popped open, and he rolled back over to see what form of dark magic had possessed Percival this time. The brawny knight was offering a silver serving dish to the boy, the demonically bright smile still on his face. Merlin was definitely awake now. Clearly this is a trap, he thought as he warily eyed the steaming brown liquid with light, pale chunks of meat. If it was a trap, certainly it was the most enticing one he had ever come across. His stomach rumbled loudly. Temptation was a nasty monster.
"Percival, what is that?"
"Your breakfast."
Merlin tilted his head, one side of his smile pulling up slightly. "No, really. What is that?"
"Your breakfast."
A man of few words.
Merlin sighed loudly. This enchantment was a tricky one. "Percival, do you feel alright? What is this for?"
Percival smiled slightly, the warm expression looking very out of place on his normally blank face. "You didn't eat much last night."
Ahh... I knew something was going to come from my, er, rant last night. Merlin eyed the hearty soup again, his suspicions rekindled. I bet they poisoned it. They want to kill me.
The large knight suddenly looked worried. "Do you not like it?"
Merlin shook his head. "It just seems weird that you would do this for me. It looks delicious," Merlin reached for a spoon. If I'm going to die, at least I'll get one last decent meal in. He shoveled some of the stew and a chunk of the meat in his mouth. Instantly the boy's posture crumpled. As he had imagined, it was one of the most delicious things he had ever consumed. It even rivaled Gaius's roasted chicken. Merlin chewed slowly, savoring each mouthful and praying that the poison was slow acting.
He wanted to eat the whole pot before he keeled over. This food was worth dying for. A loud moan escaped the boy's mouth as his shoulders drooped in pleasure. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until then.
Percival looked pleased by the manservant's reaction to his dish. "Do you like it?" Merlin was only able to spare a spastic nod as he reached for another bite. "My mother made it often when I was a child." The knight paused. "Sorry for not being nice to you, Merlin."
That was the most Merlin ever thought he heard the giant say at once, and he was touched. Setting down the empty spoon, Merlin looked at Sir Percival. "I think that's the nicest thing I think I've ever heard you say," he swallowed. If Merlin was the sentimental type, he probably would have cried.
Just then, Elyan crashed into the clearing with an armful of something. He stared at the empty serving dish at Merlin's side, and a horrorstruck expression flashed across his face. Merlin's own gut contracted painfully. Did Percival really poison me?
"Oh no!" Elyan was lamenting. "I thought I was getting breakfast."
Merlin frowned. If he still couldn't taste Percival's delicious, albeit possibly deadly, stew on his lips, he'd have probably still been under the impression that he was still in the most bizarre dream he had ever had in his short life.
Elyan walked over and sat down next to the two men. Merlin could finally see what was in the young man's arms. Every sort of berry and nut was there, including a few that Merlin had never even seen before. He made a mental note to tell Gaius about those if he ever made it home. Seeing the ripe, plump fruit and the dark nuts made Merlin twist his lips to the side. They looked good.
"I was going to give you this for breakfast, but I guess Percival already made you something." Elyan sounded…disappointed. Merlin blinked. So many people trying to make him breakfast at once was starting to become overwhelming. And he still wasn't sure if he was dying or not. If he ate fast enough though, he might be able to sneak in a few of those fruits before the poison set in.
"I'm still hungry," the manservant added helpfully. It certainly wasn't a lie; dessert would be nice to finish off the great meal. Elyan looked extremely pleased as he tried to shove all of the various fruits and nuts into Merlin's arms.
"I've gotten pretty good at foraging while I was off on my own," Elyan explained. Merlin was too busy trying to hold everything to really pay attention. Elyan held out a greenish purple bunch of berries towards him. "Here, try these." Not even stopping to inspect the weird fruit, he stuffed the entire bunch in his mouth, grinning at the sweet and tangy taste. After eating more than what was in a royal fruit basket, Merlin finally had the strength to stop eating. He was stuffed; never before had the boy ever eaten so much.
Chewing thoughtfully on one last of those greenish purple berries, the manservant finally decided to ask about the knights' sudden (and quite peculiar) change of heart.
Elyan looked surprised by the question. "Didn't you know? We're sorry for treating you so badly. Even though Prince Arthur says you're worthless, if you weren't around, we'd starve to death."
Merlin raised an eyebrow. Both men just proved that they were more than capable cooks.
Elyan shifted uncomfortably. "Well, we wouldn't stave, but we'd get tired of cooking every day."
"Right." The manservant yawned and stretched. His eyes were slowly starting to drift close. The delicious food settling comfortably in his stomach was as effective as any sedative Gaius could make. Even though he knew he had a lot of work to do, Merlin didn't feel very motivated to move anywhere. Suddenly a hand was on his shoulder, pressing him back onto his still warm bed mat. His thin blanket was over him, and he could barely stay away. He mumbled something, but even he had trouble making out what he was saying.
"Shh… Just take a break, Merlin." Elyan's voice sounded as if it was coming across an ocean, despite the fact that the knight was only a foot away.
"Sleep," Percival added. Somehow he was able to make the gentle suggestion sound like a forceful command.
Merlin sighed contently and shifted in his little sleeping spot. It's not like he could defy a knight's command, after all.
When Merlin woke up, he was painfully reminded of the best dream he had ever had. There was so much food… He sluggishly sat up and was shocked to see the bright sun high up in the sky. He had slept past noon. Oh no. Arthur is not going to be happy. Panicking, the manservant struggled to his feet, tripping as he rushed to the fire. The black cooking pot was already on the fire, and strangely enough, something was already bubbling in it. Merlin blinked at the cauldron, trying to grasp what was going on. He couldn't have been dreaming; there must've been a suitable answer for this madness going around. Perhaps we have been found by sirens. They wish to please us before they suck out our souls. Merlin stared dumbly at the fire until he heard hearty laughter behind him. He jumped to see Sir Leon and Lancelot emerging from the woods. Lancelot had several fish on the end of a makeshift spear while Leon was holding a handful of green leaves.
What is going on…? Merlin was now starting to wonder if everyone in the camp was possessed.
"Good, you're up," Lancelot said with a grin. "I hope you like fish."
The boy stared warily at the two knights. He was trying to find proof that they were imposters. Two of the bravest knights of Camelot were cooking fish. For him, Merlin, manservant to Prince Arthur. Something clearly was wrong. This was too bizarre for even a dream.
"Elyan helped us find some potatoes and some greens to eat with the fish," Leon lowered his arms so Merlin could see the deep green leaves.
"I think this is going to be pretty good," Lancelot agreed. He had already started to prepare the fish. He took out a sharp dagger and neatly gutted the bright trout. Merlin shivered at the action. Am I next…? Right about this time, Elyan and Percival returned with a bucket of water and some firewood.
"What's going on?" Merlin couldn't stand it any longer. Everyone was acting so weird. They were being nice for once. It wasn't that Merlin minded, since it was nice to be appreciated for once, but it felt just so…not right. He was more frightened than he had ever been when going up against Morgana or another rouge sorcerer. At least he knew they wanted to kill him. Here, it was his best friends who had suddenly changed. He didn't know if he could ever hurt them to defend himself if the time came.
"What do you mean, Merlin?" Sir Leon looked confused.
"I-Wha-Yo—Why are you being so nice to me?!" Merlin all but shouted at the four men. "First Percival made me breakfast, and Elyan came with all these fruits. Then you guys let me sleep for hours, and now you're making lunch! What's going on?!"
Lancelot lowered his blade and smiled warmly at the young warlock. "We were ashamed of how we've been treating you. You were right when you yelled at us last night. Knights of Camelot should treat everyone with kindness and respect. You especially deserve to be treated well." Merlin wasn't sure if that had actually been in his speech, but he was still too confused to mention it.
"I guess what Lancelot is trying to say, is we're sorry for being so selfish, and we want to make it up to you." Elyan smiled at the uncertain boy.
He glanced around the campsite and noticed two knights were still unaccounted for. "Where's Gwaine? Where's Arthur?" All this kindness was starting to get a bit excessive. He needed someone to call him an idiot or make fun of his feminine traits (which he would deny vehemently).
"Don't worry. Gwaine's making dinner for us."
"Oh...kay…" Merlin started slowly. He wasn't particular thrilled about that idea. Things were already crazy enough; he didn't need Gwaine "flavoring" his meal with some smuggled cider. "Well, where's Arthur?"
Lancelot shot a long look at Leon. "Prince Arthur wasn't particularly…thrilled about what we wanted to do for you. He said you're his manservant, and it's your job to do all these things."
Leon nodded his agreement. "After we told him that you deserved to be treated nicer, he got sort of angry."
"He went off in the woods with his sword a few hours ago, and we haven't seen him since," Elyan finished. Percival nodded as he was stirring the simmering potatoes in the cauldron.
"You should've seen his face," Gwaine's loud laugh behind Merlin caused the boy to jump. The most carefree of the knights burst through the forest and settled down next to Merlin. He grabbed the younger boy's shoulders with one arm, pulled him to his chest, and delivered a horrible head rub with his knuckles. Merlin struggled to get out of the hold and threw a baleful glare at the knight. He was clearly drunk.
"You wouldn't believe what I found!" Gwaine slurred slightly. Sir Leon eyed him with a disdainful look. "Just a few miles from here is the most quaint little tavern." He waved a darkened bottle in the air. "For dinner," he grinned while taking a gulp from the jug.
Leon rolled his eyes. "Let's just hope Prince Arthur might've softened, and he's bringing dinner."
Arthur? Soften? Merlin surprised the urge to snort as a plate of freshly cooked fish and vegetables was set before him. His mouth watered, and he hastily picked at a hot potato. He didn't even care that the spud scalded his fingers. Everything was too good to wait the extra second for it to cool. This was quickly shaping up to be one of the best days of his life. And he hadn't even done anything.
Arthur was chagrined to find out that his knights and manservant had so little faith in him. When he arrived with a very magnificent roasted boar, Merlin wasn't the only one to ask if Arthur was under the influence of dark magic. The prince merely scowled.
"No, Merlin, I am not being controlled by Morgana, so stop looking at me that way."
"But, Arthur…you've cooked!"
"Yes?" Arthur was starting to become annoyed. "So what?"
"But-? You can't! Remember that time with Gw—"
Arthur cut him off sharply. "She made me learn." Merlin smirked as Arthur's face took on a reddish shade. "It's entirely your fault, Merlin, that I was forced to cook for you."
"Oh?"
"Yes," Arthur brushed nonchalantly at invisible dirt on this tunic. "If you didn't go around being so pathetic, I wouldn't be forced to feed you. Princes shouldn't have to cook for their manservants, but if I didn't, I dread what would happen. You'd probably end up killing us or something like that. Besides…you're too skinny. I've heard complaints from neighboring kingdoms when they come to visit. They criticize me for having a too thin servant; it's beyond embarrassing for me. "
Merlin's lips parted into a toothy grin. "So you're saying that I've somehow managed to guilt you into making dinner for me? Because I'm too skinny…?" I'll have to thank Gwen later for forcing him to learn how to cook. If his food doesn't kill me, first. "Honestly, Arthur, I'm touched."
"This is only to preserve my dignity," Arthur insisted. "If I had my way, you'd eat a lot less than you already do."
Now the other knights were starting to smile. "Whatever you say, Sire." Merlin glanced at the roasted boar in front of him. "It does look good, though."
"Really?" Arthur perked up then scowled. "Just eat it, Merlin," he commanded. If anyone ever heard of this, he was sure to be the laughingstock of the Five Kingdoms. A prince feeding his servants. Really.
For once, Merlin obeyed an order without hesitation. He cut a sliver in the boar and brought the steaming piece of pork to his mouth. He chewed on it thoughtfully.
"Well?" Arthur's subtle eagerness to please was perhaps the best part of the meal. He refused to act like he cared, and yet it was so obvious to the others that the future king of Camelot was worried about his dish.
"It's interesting…" Merlin started slowly. He chewed a few more times and swallowed. He cut another sliver off. "But it's pretty good." He grinned at Arthur. "You sure you didn't get this from the palace kitchens too?"
Arthur glared at his manservant. "No."
"I'm surprised then," Merlin shrugged with a lopsided grin.
"Why do you doubt your future king?" Arthur actually sounded offended that his manservant was wary of his cooking.
"Let's just say," Merlin's grin widened, "that if I wasn't around, you'd probably already be dead. You can't even dress yourself—I'm amazed that you can cook this well." The manservant wiped a finger across the plate to catch some of the runoff sauce. "I've never had this before. What kind of sauce is it?" He stuck his finger in his mouth to sample the unique liquid.
"Gaiaberry sauce," Arthur stated proudly. "I came up with the recipe myself."
The reactions of the men were terrible. Elyan's eyes widened, and his lips parted in a limp "O." Sir Leon cringed, staring at Merlin as if he had the plague. Lancelot gasped, instantly knocking away the plate as if that could save the boy. Even Percival looked slightly panicked, and Gwaine stopped his drunken chuckles, a look of horror stretched across his face.
"I thought you were kidding…" he murmured, turning to face Merlin. Arthur's happy expression faded.
"What do you me-?" Arthur looked back to his manservant and froze. The boy was grabbing at his throat, his breath coming out in pained gasps and chokes. Already his skin was taking on a bluish hue. Arthur felt his stomach drop as the boy's extremities went from shivering weakly to trembling violently. Merlin tried to gag himself to rid his body of the toxins, but it was too late. With sweat beading across his icy skin, the boy fell collapsed into unconsciousness, leaving behind a deathly silent clearing.
Poor Merlin. Just can't get a break, can he?
So...uh...yeah? Thanks for reading :D The last part should be up sometime soon!
