Disclaimer- I don't own any part of BBC Merlin... except my love for it.
A/N- Thank you guys for the brilliant reviews and ideas :D I got some gems.
2: Cooking- Merlin seems to have lost a fairly significant item of Arthur's, and thinks that being on the prince's good side today would be beneficial to his health. So Merlin decides (and hopes) the only way he can do that is to cook Arthur's lunch for him.
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When Gaius came back from his morning rounds, he did not expect Merlin to be in the chambers. "What is this?" Gaius' surprised exclamation resounded in the room, making the other occupant look up.
Merlin grinned at him and resumed stirring the pot over the fire. The physician breathed in the mouth-watering scent and felt his stomach rumble. "I'm making Arthur's lunch," Merlin proudly declared and shot Gaius a brilliant grin.
The physician felt his eyebrows draw downward but he dared not show his indignation as he set his bag down on the work table. "What did you do?" he asked warily.
"Nothing," Merlin said sheepishly. The warlock cleared his throat and avoided eye contact with Gaius.
"Well, I don't think I care to know anyway," Gaius sighed and strode over to peer into the pot. "And since when do you know how to cook?" Simmering inside was a thick soupy mixture of what looked like vegetables, chunks of meat, and other questionable looking ingredients.
Merlin shrugged. "I just know how to do this. It's my mother's recipe, a favourite in Ealdor."
"You are going to serve a peasant's dish to Arthur?" Gaius asked him.
"Yep," Merlin chirped happily, "he'll love it."
Gaius breathed in the savory smell and felt his stomach whine. He noticed the proud and eager look in his ward's eye which prompted Gaius to sigh. "And I suppose you are bringing the whole pot to him?"
Merlin looked up at the disappointed note in the physician's tone. Gaius nearly grumbled at the crooked grin on the warlock's lips. "Don't worry, I don't think he'll notice a bowl or two go missing."
Gaius cleared his throat and pretended like he was not pleased. "Well you have certainly made enough."
Merlin nodded absently and glanced to the door. "Do you mind looking after this for me? I just have to go fetch a tray and some bread for his royal highness."
"Of course."
"Don't eat any," Merlin warned with a smile on his face.
Gaius just shooed him on his way and Merlin skulked out of the chambers suspiciously. Fifteen minutes and three stolen tastes later, the warlock came bounding back into the room. Merlin set aside the empty tray and examined the stew, giving Gaius a mistrustful glance as he did so. The physician adopted a cool expression and went to fetch two bowls. After returning to the cook pot, he held them out patiently to Merlin who obligingly filled them.
"Alright," Merlin breathed before balancing the tray on the cook pot. As Gaius set the bowls on the table, Merlin muttered a spell to cool the pot down so he could grab it. On his way out the door he called back a goodbye to the physician. "Let's hope this is a good enough peace offering!"
"For what?" Gaius barked after him.
The physician barely heard his ward's reply but from what he gathered, Merlin had lost Arthur's crown.
Arthur was having a good day. His father had allowed him to go hunting later and Morgana was no longer in one of her moods. The only thing that could possibly set back his day was a late lunch, something that appeared to be a possibility. Arthur paced from one end of his chambers to the other to look out the window and judged that Merlin would be late in... five, four, three, two-
The door crashed open and Merlin blundered through with an annoying grin on his face, like he knew that he had robbed Arthur of an opportunity to berate him by a single second. "Lunch is here!" the servant proclaimed brightly.
"Finally," Arthur groused and pretended not to notice Merlin's ridiculously good mood. He was going to ask what took so long but he looked at the pot Merlin was carrying and faltered. The scent made his mouth water and he trailed after his servant with his nose in the lead.
Merlin was busy placing his burden on the table to notice Arthur, so he was surprised by his close proximity when he turned around. "I made it myself," he announced proudly and pulled the prince's chair out for him with a flourish.
The prince paused at the admission and sat down heavily with a cautious expression settled on his face. With an impatient fidget Merlin ladled out some of the thick stew into a bowl and set it in front of Arthur. He fought off a sigh- all the prince wanted was lunch, not an ordeal.
"Do I need to be aware of anything, Merlin?" Arthur asked as he peered into the bowl. Thick brown stew stared up at him and was home to hearty vegetables and gorgeous chunks of meat. It smelled a whole lot better than it looked and Arthur swallowed to stop his mouth from watering.
"No," Merlin answered unconvincingly. "Can't I do something nice one in a while?"
Arthur let Merlin see his raised eyebrow but was too hungry to bother getting to the bottom of the Merlin cooking mystery. He delved into the bowl with a spoon but before he took a mouthful he breathed in the warm smell. "You made this? As in cooked?"
"Yes!" Merlin said exasperatedly. "Now don't let it get cold."
Arthur shrugged and decided to get it over with. He blinked in surprise when he tasted the stew and found that it was one of the best things he ever had the pleasure of tasting. The prince turned an incredulous look to Merlin only to find that the servant was leaning toward him and watching entirely too avidly. A gleam was lit in his unblinking blue eyes and an intense look of anticipation strengthened his narrow features.
Poison! Arthur's brain supplied loudly and at once. The mouthful of stew came flying out of his mouth and splattered back into the bowl and onto the table. He straightened in his chair and stared at Merlin, waiting for an explanation.
Merlin looked crushed, like Arthur had kicked both a kitten and puppy in front of him. He was staring downward at the mess Arthur had made with a devastated expression and the prince felt doubt stirring in his gut.
What the hell was he thinking? Merlin trying to poison him? Humiliation and a strange sense of poignant guilt made themselves known as antagonism. "Why are you watching me like that?" Arthur demanded and pointed his spoon threateningly at Merlin.
In an action Arthur thought only reserved for small children, Merlin scuffed his boot on the floor and looked down. The prince could not hear his mumbled response.
The prince nearly groaned at the guilt that coursed through his veins. "What?" Arthur's question was devoid of the pity he was feeling.
Merlin sighed. "I only wanted to know if you liked it," he answered quietly, "I can get you something else, Sire."
He made to retrieve Arthur's bowl but the prince waved him off. "You only startled me is all," Arthur told him. "I thought it might be poison the way you were looking at me."
Merlin blinked rapidly and then donned a confused expression. Arthur was suspiciously relieved that he did not look hurt. "Me try to poison you?"
Arthur rolled his eyes. "Yes, well, what do you expect when you stare at me like that when I'm eating?"
"I told you," Merlin defended. "So... you like it after all?"
In answer Arthur took a mouthful, chewed and swallowed. His stomach gave a whine and the prince began to inhale the thick stew. Normally Merlin would be commenting on how pig like Arthur was behaving but he was too busy rocking on his heels like a proud peacock and the prince was too busy eating to notice his expression.
After the initial ecstasy of devouring the first half of his meal, Arthur turned to his servant. "Merlin! This is- this is... amazing," he said while chewing.
Merlin's grin was like sunshine. "Yeah?"
"Mhm" Arthur nodded. When his bowl was empty, Arthur ripped off a piece of bread and sopped up the remnants before eating it with gusto. He then pulled the pot toward him and began eating out of that to Merlin's delight.
"Oh!" Merlin uttered, "I'll go get you something to drink. I- uh- forgot."
Arthur waved his hand dismissively and completely ignored Merlin as he started out the chambers. But before the servant left he turned to the prince and said, "Also, your ceremonial circlet appears to be missing. But I'm looking into it."
Arthur nodded distractedly and kept his attention on his stew. Merlin suppressed a smile before heading to the kitchens with a veritable spring in his step. When the door opened again, Arthur was still eating though at a more sedate and leisurely pace. But he realized that there had been a knock on the door and upon looking up he found a fidgeting maidservant.
"Um, hello, Sire," she squeaked, "Merlin asked me to bring you this."
In her hands were a pitcher and a goblet. "Alright then," the prince said. This situation was decidedly odd. Arthur smelled that Merlin was up to no good, but was too intent on his meal to care.
She bowed and drifted over, her skirts whispering across the floor. The blonde girl poured him wine but froze when she straightened. Arthur looked up curiously at the change.
"My lord!" she gasped, "I am so sorry!" The maidservant grabbed the cook pot and was going to take it away if Arthur didn't seize it with lightning quick reflexes.
He blinked at her with a shocked and slightly wounded expression. "What are you doing?" Arthur asked.
"Th- that's peasant fare, my lord. It's unworthy of you, I'm so sorry, there must have been some confusion!" she appealed and did not let go of the pot.
Neither did Arthur. "I like it. Merlin made it for me," he said simply.
The girl hesitated and let go of it slowly. There was a blush on her face and she looked horribly confused. "I- I see? Erm, I shall leave you to your lunch then, my lord." She wavered before drifting back to the door. Arthur waited until she left before digging in again.
By the time Merlin returned Arthur was laying on his bed looking extremely content. The door opened without warning so Arthur knew that it was his servant. "How much did you eat?" Merlin laughed when he came in.
The prince made a vague noise. "More than I should have, I suppose."
Merlin went to investigate and found that the stew he had made was half gone. A grin popped onto his lips and he tried not to look pleased. The way Arthur glanced at him told him that he was unsuccessful.
"That girl you sent up with the wine told me that your food was peasant fare," the prince informed him.
"Well yeah. It's my mother's specialty," Merlin said pleasantly while beginning to clean up the dining table.
Arthur looked up with interest. "Can she cook better than you?"
"She's my mother," the servant said in answer.
The prince thought while Merlin cleaned up and his thinking must have been loud for the servant sauntered over and grinned at him. "Why, do you want to go to Ealdor now?"
Arthur laughed despite himself. He remembered what Guinevere had said about the hardships of living in a small village and changed his answer. "No I think I might be set. As long as you keep that whatever it is coming."
"We call it pottage," Merlin said. "Though my mom's is the best I've ever tasted. And I'm too busy to cook for you everyday."
"Oh, yes, what were you saying about my crown earlier?"
Merlin froze and looked slowly at the prince. From his tone, he knew that there was a warning somewhere buried in it. "That crown?" Merlin nodded to the table where Arthur's circlet was sitting.
"And where did you leave it?" Arthur asked blandly.
The servant scratched the back of his head and looked around evasively. "In the stables..."
On a usual day, that sort of news would make Arthur very irate but he was still pleasantly full from the pottage. "The stables?" he deadpanned.
Merlin cleared his throat in embarrassment and took a breath. Arthur headed him off before the servant could feed him some long winded story meant to entertain rather than enlighten with truth.
"Never mind, just don't lose it again. Honestly, Merlin, what were you thinking? No I don't want to know."
Merlin tried not to laugh as he went back to cleaning the table. "So you liked my cooking?" he wheedled.
"Do you want a prize?"
"I won't say no," Merlin grinned.
"Nonsense. You can wash the floor, clean the windows, sharpen my sword, pick up my clothes, dust off my boots, polish the table..."
Merlin tuned Arthur out and sighed dramatically as Arthur carried on with his list which the servant ultimately did not end up doing.
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Sorry this took so long to get out, I kept looking at it and thinking it wasn't what I wanted. But then I bit the bullet and published. I hope you guys enjoyed it :)
Please remember to review, and I'm always taking prompts. Until next time!