Chapter Two

Previously:

"Come on, Merlin, we've been summoned," Arthur announced.

"Who would summon you? Arthur, half of the castle is asleep."

"And the other half has just been summoned to the throne room. Prince Urion of Anglia has arrived."


"I still don't understand why it is necessary to wake half the cast at such an ungodly hour of the night," Merlin said.

"Technically you were never asleep, therefore not woken," Arthur corrected him, striding through the long hallways of Camelot. Merlin hopped a bit to catch up.

"I'm serious, Arthur," Merlin said, rubbing the sleep - or lack thereof - from his eyes. "What is happening?"

"What's happening, Merlin, is that Uther is doubling his efforts to find potential suitors for Morgana. My father wants a powerful political ally, as well as one who can be relied on to adequately care for Morgana, aid his war on magic, and secure a financial partner for Camelot."

"And how does Morgana feel about this?"

"Morgana will have some say in this," Arthur swatted at the younger man's arm. "The most likely scenario will probably be that my father will pick two or three suitors, pressure her to accept the other, and Morgana will naturally choose whoever suits her needs. That's how she is anyway."

Merlin grinned. "You sound resentful."

"Over what?" Arthur said stubbornly. "I'm not jealous, if that is what you're suggesting. I just want what's best for Camelot. And Morgana."

"Of course, Sire." Sarcasm oozed from his words.

"Merlin!"

"I didn't say anything," Merlin said innocently. "However, that still does not answer why you came barging into my quarters at the bane of time to disturb my sleep."

"Well, you can hardly expect them all to arrive at once. Our guests from Anglia did not anticipate the time it would take to travel to Camelot, and, despite that they were expected directly after supper, they have only just arrived. There was mention of bandits in Escentir. Now that they are here, however, it is tradition for the royal household to greet potential allies and suitors. I am the prince, and you are my manservant. Therefore." Arthur gestured around generally, indicating their current state of exhaustion and the lack of proper lighting.

"Anglia," Merlin mused. "That's the one bordering Mercia and Tir Mor, correct?"

"And Escentir. My father thought Anglia's water trade could be invaluable to Camelot, but we do not have good political footing, due to the location. Any news of Camelot that reaches them has been twisted by Bayard or Cenred."

"So Uther wants to get on better political and trading terms with Anglia, and that's why he invited . . . "

"Prince Urion."

" . . . Prince Urion to interview as a potential suitor for Morgana," Merlin summarized. "All the same, that does not forgive his interruption of my sleep."

"No one cares, Merlin."

"Merlin cares!"

"Merlin does not count," Arthur dismissed, smirking as they approached the throne room. Merlin knew he could not retaliate so close to the king and foreign dignitaries, so instead shot Arthur a glare and an internal promise of revenge.

The doors to the throne room swung open grandly, and Arthur strode through the double doors.

The Hall was decorated with the finest drapery and decor in Camelot, the color and liveliness offsetting the dark, wooden gradient of the room. The men littering the room were similarly colorful, though less tastefully. Merlin slipped off, taking his place beside a small table adorned with wine and goblets. A few dozen men voiced enthused greetings to the crown price. However, it was only one that Arthur acknowledged.

"Good evening, Prince Urion," Arthur greeted.

"It is indeed," Urion said, smiling slightly.

Anglia was a kingdom bordering Albion's western coast, full of wealthy merchants under the king's thumb. The present king had never journeyed to Camelot himself – it was rumored that the man was ill and weak of age, so travelling the distance was nigh on impossible – but was a cautious and wise king, difficult to anger and unlikely to involve himself in the conflicts of other kingdoms. He did not cow to the whims of other rulers, but thoroughly considered how any decision would influence his people. Anglia's wealth made it a kingdom draped in comfort and ease.

Urion was a surprisingly young suitor, particularly in contrast with the vast majority Uther had invited in consideration. Urion had a strongly constructed face; his chin was sharp, his eyes dark and narrow, cheekbones high, and skin tight. There was some feature about Urion, however, that painted him to be a likable enough character, if not exuberantly merry.

"How is your father?" Arthur asked, nodding to Merlin. The manservant supplied both princes with well-aged wine, ordered to the kitchens by Uther himself.

"Quite well, thank you," Urion accepted the glass from Merlin without any acknowledgment. "I would ask about yours, but as he and I have already spoken that hardly seems necessary."

They both laughed, if a bit uncomfortably.

"I trust your journey went well?"

"There was a spot of conflict in the forest of Escentir, but it was no issue. It was a bit difficult to manage without a servant, however."

"Oh, have you not brought any help with you?" Arthur was surprised, as most ambassadors traveled with a minimum of three slaves or servants.

"I traveled with only a small group as to be less conspicuous to bandits. Clearly, it did not work," Urion joked.

"You would be assigned a servant as quickly as possible, though they are in heavy demand due to the business of the castle. I am sure that we will find one well-suited to your needs."

Urion nodded. "Thank you very much, Prince Arthur. Although, if I may be presumptuous, I would prefer to select my own. My father always said, 'servants are the backbone of a nation, and therefore must be chosen with great caution.'"

Merlin held back a snort.

"Sound advice," Arthur said. "Not quite applicable to my own, though."

"Your manservant?" asked Urion.

"Yes, he's, ehm. Merlin has been working for me for less than a year now." Somehow, Arthur made this a derogatory statement, despite the fact that the longest record as the prince's manservant (excluding Merlin) had been fifteen days. Urion, though, took this news pleasantly.

"Is he skilled?"

Arthur looked uncomfortable. "He's functional, at times – "

"In that case," Urion said, "would it be quite alright for me to borrow him for the duration of my stay? After all, there would be no one more aware of the castle's goings-on than manservant to the prince himself."

Arthur was, almost for the first time, speechless. "I'm not quite sure – he was injured less than –"

"Oh, no worries. It would not be incredibly strenuous work. Choosing clothes, preparing baths, escorting me through the castle, that sort of thing," Urion said swiftly. "I would simply like to have an ear in Camelot."

Arthur smiled tightly. "Then it's quite a large ear you will get. Merlin, come here. This is Prince Urion of Anglia, and you will be serving him during his time here."

Merlin took the stance of a submissive servant, bowing slightly. Urion appraised him with approval. The pair agreed – without Merlin's input, naturally – that his services would not be necessary until the following morning. Merlin would tend to Arthur in the evenings. This ended this conversation, inviting a number of other nobles to come forward to introduce themselves.

Arthur tugged minutely on Merlin's sleeve. Quietly, the slipped out of the conversation, retreating to the corridor. The prince set a brisk pace toward Gaius's chambers, forcing Merlin to try to catch up.

"I do not like that man," Arthur said, stalking off angrily.

Merlin was surprised. After all, Arthur rarely spoke ill of the royal guests of the castle without spending a painful amount of time with them. "Why not? He seemed like any other arrogant, assuming royal to me."

"There's just something about him," Arthur said. "I don't like it."

"You're just annoyed that you're out of a servant for an unknown amount of time," Merlin grinned.

Arthur halted suddenly, whirling around. "Listen to me, Merlin: I want you to be careful around that man. Alright? Be quiet, be fast, be anything but your normal self," he waved his hands about with agitation. Something about Urion made Arthur's skin crawl with distrust, and he knew that his instincts were very seldom wrong. "I want you to report to me every evening, even if it's long past dark, and tell me what he's been doing during the day. If anything happens, come to me. You answer to me first, Merlin. Do not tell anything to Urion that you wouldn't tell to a stranger in the street."

Merlin nodded seriously. "Yes sire."


Author's Note: I'm back! I am so very sorry about the long wait, but I am finally updating this story because you all deserve it. Last night I was suddenly struck with inspiration and mapped out this whole work in its entirety, which is very unusual for me. I love the direction it went and I hope you do as well!

I am hoping to finish writing it soon and I will post a new chapter every time I finish writing the next two. For example, I'm posting this now because I'm done writing up to chapter 4. According to my outline, this story will be ten chapters long, but I expect it will probably 1) end up with more chapters, or 2) have very, very long chapters. So have no fear, the wait will be worthwhile and substantially less!

Thank you for your patience, and I hope you liked the chapter! Let me know what you're thinking with a follow, favorite, and/or review. Thanks for reading!