2
"Merlin, what is taking you so long?"
Merlin started. He had been staring out the window at the rainy London day. He had been cupping a mug of tea in his hands and had lost track of time.
"Coming uncle." He called, placing the cup carefully on the counter.
He walked into the next room where is uncle had spread out many beakers and tubes and bottles of every shape, size and color. Notes and books were strewn all over the place.
"What did you need me to do again?" He asked, yawning a little.
"For goodness sake, Merlin. What am I ever going to do with you." His uncle sighed, shaking his head as he smiled slightly. "Could you please help me move this table closer to the counter? I need a place to put the dry ice tank."
As the worked to move the table across the room, Merlin surveyed the mess. It wasn't half as bad as it had been when he had moved in with his uncle a few months ago. The dishes had been stacking up and it looked as if a tornado had blown through. Merlin's mother had sent him to live with her brother, a professor of Chemistry at a top end University, as a kind of babysitter, because the man would have forgotten his own head if it hadn't been connected to the rest of him. So here he was, right from Northern Ireland, new to London.
After they had finished moving the table, Merlin's uncle sat down at the counter and handed Merlin a piece of scrap paper with some things scrawled across it.
"I'm doing some very important research for the university today. I'd like if you could keep out of my hair for a bit so that I can concentrate. Here is a list or errand that I'd like you to run this afternoon."
Merlin looked at the list:
Grocery Shopping:
Eggs
Milk
Helium
Bleach
Bananas
Fig Newtons
2. Pick up post at office
3. Drop off suit jacket at dry cleaners.
4. Buy Lightbulbs
"Oh." His uncle added. "And Gwen called. She was wondering if you could pick her up at home and take her to do some errands as well and then take her to her fathers shop." His uncle paused and threw him an amused smile. "Maybe you can take her out for lunch as well?"
Merlin blushed. "Uncle! Gwen and I are just friend."
"That's what they all say. I used to be your age. I know." His uncle laughed. "Now off with you. She's expecting you in about ten minutes. You don't want to make her wait."
Merlin slammed the door of his beat up old brown car. It used to be his mother's, but she had given it to him to use when he had moved in with his uncle. She had insisted that she wouldn't need it, claiming to have picked up a cycling program.
As he drove down the street, he started thinking about the months he had spent in London. Before this year, he had never even left Ireland. The shock of the change in scenery was amazing. The huge city of London was so different from the little country town he had grown up in.
Originally when he had moved, he had sent the car over a head of time so that he could drive from the airport straight to his uncles house, but he had received a call only minutes before boarding his flight that the car wouldn't start. When he arrived in London that afternoon, he had expected his uncle to be waiting for him. Instead, he found a beautiful girl with skin the color of coffee and wavy black hair waiting at the gate holding a piece of paper with "Merlin Emrys" Written in bold letters on it.
"Hello." He said, walking up to her. "Merlin Emrys. That's me."
"Hello." She said, holding out her hand. "It's nice to meet you! Your uncle asked me to pick you up because he's in the middle of teaching a class."
"Thank you so much for taking the time to so this." He said, shaking her hand. "And you are?"
She blushed, looking a bit flustered. "Oh yes! I'm sorry. You're never going to believe this with your name. Not to say your name is a bad name. It's very nice. " she added hurriedly. "But anyways, my name is Gwen. Short for Gwynevere."
"Like Queen Gwynevere in the Arthurian Legends!" Merlin laughed.
"Yes!" She said smiling. "And you're Merlin, the Sorcerer!"
"I hope it doesn't disappoint you too much that I don't have magic." He answered smiling.
"No. Not at all. I think you're wonderful, magic or not." She laughed before quickly adding. "I mean, I've only just met you, but you're very nice."
From the beginning, the stuck a very quick friendship. Merlin often saw Gwen and they enjoyed each others company greatly. She often checked in on them to see if they needed anything. She had a spare set of keys to Merlin's uncles house, so it was almost like having a woman in the house.
Merlin was so lost in these memories that he almost didn't see the stop sign in front of him. A man with a hat on was crossing the street. Merlin stomped on the breaks, and was able to slow down the car and stop, but he knocked over the man. Merlin put the car into park and flew out of the car.
"Are you alright? Are you injured? I'm so sorry! Sir?" He called, running to the front of the car.
The man sat there rubbing his back end.
"Ow! You idiot! Haven't you ever seen a stop sign before?"
"I'm so so sorry! Are you alright?"
"I was fine until you hit me with this hunk of metal." The man said kicking the front of the automobile. He had had is hat knocked off of his head and his blond hair was sticking up in different directions.
"Here. Let me help you up." Merlin said, holding out his hand.
The man grabbed hold, but when Merlin made I contact with him, he was dropped on his back end again.
"Y-y-y"
"Oh bugger." The man cursed.
"You're... You're.
"Yes, yes. Spit it out." The blond man growled, rolling his eyes. He put his hand to his aching head
Merlin stopped, and stared for a minute before saying anything.
Finally he spoke.
"First of all, you're Arthur. You're the prince of Wales, Heir to the Throne of England. Second of all, you're head is bleeding."
"No crap." The prince said sarcastically, before passing out on the pavement.
