"Have you seriously never done this before?" Gwen asked, her eyes wide.
"No," Merlin said shaking his head, "on account of me not being a girl."
"Come on, it's great!" Gwen enthused gesturing to the bowl of cold water and the burning candle next to it where they sat on the table in her house which Gwen had excitedly lit in such a way to create a 'spooky' atmosphere.
"What am I supposed to do then?" Merlin sighed having accepted that this was one of those ideas that Gwen could clearly not be talked out of.
"You're supposed to hold the candle to your heart and wish for it to show you the name of your soul mate, then you pour the wax from the candle into the cold water and it'll form the name of your soul mate." Gwen instructed with a gleeful smile.
"That sounds a little too much like magic for Camelot doesn't it?" Merlin asked arching a dark eyebrow.
"Don't be silly, it's just a game that kids play." Gwen said rolling her eyes.
"No Gwen, it's a game that girls play. I'm not a girl, why am I even doing this?" Merlin said feeling exasperated.
"Because I asked you to, and you promised you'd come over tonight." Gwen said sternly with her hands on her hips.
"But I didn't promise to do th-" he started protesting until Gwen shot him a stern look. When Merlin fell silent she smiled and with a deep breath clutched the candle to her chest before pouring the wax into the water with her eyes shut. Slowly she opened her eyes and looked down at the lumpy blob of wax in the water.
"That doesn't look like any letter I've ever seen." Merlin said flatly.
"Hush. Maybe… maybe it's a portrait of him. If you squint or something." Gwen said tilting her head sideways and squinting at the wax.
"Well I wish you and your horribly disfigured future husband all the best." Merlin snorted.
"Oh shut up. It's your turn." Gwen grumbled shoving the candle into Merlin's chest and fishing her still slightly warm wax out of the bowl.
"Oh mystical candle, show me my soul mate." Merlin said with at least six different layers of sarcasm as he held the candle above the bowl.
"With your eyes closed Merlin." Gwen ordered. Merlin sighed and closed his eyes before tipping the candle. If he hadn't have known better he'd have sworn that he felt the light behind his eyes flare up ever so slightly. He heard Gwen gasp and his eyes clicked open.
"I didn't burn you did I? My co-ordination isn't great." Merlin asked worriedly, fearing that he'd klutzily poured hot wax all over his friend, but Gwen was just staring down wide eyed into the bowl. Merlin stood up and looked down to see the perfectly formed letters 'AP' floating in the bowl.
"AP?" Merlin asked confused.
"Do you know anyone with those initials?" Gwen asked excitedly.
"Uh, not that I can think of." Merlin murmured as the words Arthur Pendragon whispered in his brain.
"Try again! Try again! Maybe you'll get a whole name!" Gwen squealed excitedly. Merlin briefly considered protesting before conceding to the point that it was Gwen and therefore much easier to just indulge her rather than not. Merlin closed his eyes again and poured the candle for a little longer into the bowl.
"Oh my god!" Gwen squeaked pointing into the bowl. Merlin leaned forward to see, in perfectly neat gothic script, 'Arthur' floating in the cold water. Merlin's eyes widened and irritatedly he tipped the candle up again and felt the same flare behind his eyes as the wax again resurfaced with the word 'Arthur'. Merlin growled and poured again as Gwen watched open mouthed. This time the word Arthur resurfaced with an exclamation point added to it for good measure.
"I'm going home." Merlin grumbled slamming the candle down and leaving without a backward glance to the stunned Gwenivere.
Merlin fumed as he stomped through the castle on the way back to his and Gauis' quarters, it was enough that he had to deal with the damn Prince and that stupid dragon every day but did the whole world have to rub the fact that he and Arthur were bound together for all time in his face? As if to mock him further the Prince Arthur himself appeared around the corner at just that moment, he looked up to see Merlin and smiled and waved a hand in greeting.
"Merlin!" He grinned at his servant.
"Go away! Stop following me!" Merlin snapped as he ran past the incredibly confused prince.
"Hey! You can't talk to me like that!" Arthur called after his retreating manservant.
"Get lost sire." Merlin shouted over his shoulder as he slammed the door to his quarters. Arthur stood in the hallway with his hands on his hips unsure of what exactly he'd done to put Merlin in such a foul mood but very certain that he'd make Merlin regret it the next morning when it came to Arthur giving out the jobs for the day.
