First Times: Speed
"Seriously? Again? We just went hunting two days ago!" Merlin exclaimed incredulously.
"Merlin. I will remind you once again. I am the Prince. We do what I want and what I say when I want it and when I say it. Besides," he muttered, "we had such rotten luck we didn't get anything besides one skinny rabbit that you couldn't even manage to make into a decent stew."
Merlin groaned. "But five days! Five days, traipsing around in the cold wet forest. It'll be a nightmare."
"Ah! We won't be hunting in the 'cold wet forest' this time. We'll actually be hunting in the northern plains."
Arthur looked up at Merlin's unusual silent acceptance of his statement. The servant was standing frozen in the act of picking up dirty laundry with an outraged look on his face.
"What?" asked Arthur after a moment.
"At the ..at the...the northern plains?! How do you expect me to carry the gear that far?!"
Arthur rolled his eyes. "You won't carry it, Idiot! We strap it on the horses."
"I'll still wear out my boots walking that far just for your fun!"
"Don't be ridiculous Merlin! You'll be riding as well."
There was a moment of silence.
"I'll be riding? As well?" Merlin's tone changed to sounding reticent.
"Of course. We'll be moving fast so we can spend more time hunting than travelling. You can't possibly think I'd keep a slow pace just for you."
"But.."
"What is it now?"
"I.. I've only ridden a horse once."
"So?!"
"So, I don't know much about horses besides what I've learned from mucking out their stalls!"
"Where have you been living? Under a rock? Honestly! You don't seem able to do the simplest things!" Once again Arthur wondered what his father had been thinking awarding the coveted position of prince's manservant to this annoying, inexperienced, gormless peasant.
"I grew up in a small village that had one old workhorse and it wasn't for joyriding, Prat!"
"Well, no problem. It's really fairly easy and if you don't pick up on it we'll just strap you on with the gear." Arthur turned away grinning in high amusement.
Merlin's face showed what he thought of the prince's idea.
"Enough of your arguing Merlin! You're going. Now hurry up and get those chores finished so you can get to work. We'll need to be ready to leave at first light!"
Merlin straightened up with the basket of laundry in his arms, a disgusted look on his face. Shaking his head, he left the room murmuring heatedly, "..finish your chores so you can get to work! Do you even listen to yourself…"
First light found the horses saddled and waiting in the courtyard. Arthur and the other knights watched, smirking at each other as the clumsy manservant finished tying the last of the bags and gear to the rather tame, but trusty old mare the prince had selected for him. The knights snickered as the young man pulled himself rather gracelessly onto the horse and sat stiffly with a white knuckled grip on the reins and the saddle horn. Little did they realize that the boy was silently contemplating whether or not to risk magically binding his behind to the saddle.
Arthur guided the group through the town and the front gates along the road toward the forest. After a few minutes he dropped back and, noticing his servant's death grip on the saddle, took pity on him and tried to give him pointers. Leon kindly added a few helpful comments as well.
Merlin rode well enough the first day at a quick walking, sometimes trotting, pace...besides suffering from a sore backside and complaining much of the way. "I hate trotting! You go further up and down than forward!" The next day he was so sore he could barely stand to ride or walk. When they reached their destination he gladly set up the camp and cared for the horses while the other men headed out to hunt for some dinner. After looking about and reassuring himself that he was alone, Merlin magically started a cheerfully popping and crackling fire and prepared some vegetables and water for a stew. Then he lay back and stared up at the clouds to give his aching backside and legs a rest. This wouldn't be so bad if they left him behind every day while they hunted.
No such luck. Merlin was kept busy fetching and carrying the downed animals all day every day. He was quite grateful to finally, once again, secure the gear along with several animal carcasses to his faithful mare for the return trip.
His backside was only just beginning to get sore again when the shrieks and yells of bandits spooked him and his mare. She jumped sideways and sent Merlin tumbling to the ground. Very unfriendly men began pouring from the trees. Merlin managed to avoid the dancing and stamping legs of his mare and pick himself up as he heard the Prince cry, "There're too many! Run for it!" Merlin was sure he was abandoned and doomed as he heard the knights' horses galloping away when suddenly the man who was about to run him through fell to the ground with a dagger protruding from his chest.
"Grab ahold and get up here!" Shouted the prince with his arm extended toward Merlin. Merlin threw himself toward the prince. Arthur grabbed his manservant, hauled him up behind then they galloped madly away from the bandits. No one but the bandits were behind them to see Merlin's eyes glowing gold as he looked over his shoulder and the robbers' weapons flew from their hands to embed themselves deeply into trees and the ground.
Arthur urged Hengroen, his prized steed, into a full out gallop and felt Merlin grip him hard around the waist. After a minute or two, the panicked hollering from directly behind Arthur became a crazed whooping.
At last they slowed down as they approached the waiting knights, and took stock of the party. It looked like everyone was safe and they were the last to arrive. Merlin sat upon Hengroen, breathing heavily, beaming a gigantic smile, exhilarated, hair blown back from his forehead and looked down at Arthur who'd slid from the saddle and was staring up at his insane manservant. Merlin laughed giddily.
"That was amazing! Fantastic! The ground was flying past our feet like we were going up stream in a river! We were going as fast the birds! Ha! It was so fast the air felt like wind! Why don't you do that every day! That was GREAT! We were going so fast! Ha!"
The knights glanced at each other shaking their heads. They'd just run headlong from peril and the young man had been having the time of his life. As Merlin continued to laugh and run his hands through his hair making it stand even taller, Arthur and the knights also began to laugh.
-*M*-
"Leave it alone Arthur."
"I'm not a child, Merlin. I don't require a restraining harness."
"It's called a seat belt. And yes, you do. Everyone does. I have the car spelled for safety, but wearing a seat belt is the law and it's a habit everyone should have."
Arthur stared moodily out the window as they slowly navigated the neighborhood before turning onto streets with heavier traffic. Merlin started giggling rather evilly. Arthur turned to survey his friend suspiciously and began to worry as the warlock regarded him with an openly mischievous look. Merlin put the top down, pulled out onto the motorway, and threw the convertible into high gear.
"Hold on Arthur! You thought galloping on Hengroen was fast? Don't throw up!"
After a few minutes, Arthur's panicked hollering became a crazed whooping. Merlin joined in, laughing and whooping wholeheartedly.
-Fin-
A/N: Sorry to anyone who hurt themselves trying to read through the gobbledegook that posted yesterday. I think I angered the technology gods at work on Friday when I accidentally knocked over my circulation computer and cracked the screen. (I was taking down the Book Fair, alright?! I'm not an out of control, rambunctious person!) I didn't realize they had cursed me until I uploaded this chapter and it looked like aliens were trying to make first contact.