A/N This chapter did not seem to want to show itself, but with a lot of help from my beta LyricalSinger, and from my daughter, we've managed to coax it out of hiding. I hope you enjoy it.
Merlin practically ran to the Small Hall, and as a result got there before Master Randall had arrived. Excited about what he might learn in the coming weeks, the young warlock resolved to give the Master no opportunity to change his mind about keeping Merlin on as a servant.
Just as he had the previous day, Merlin looked around the room uncertainly, wondering where he should start. 'What would George do?' he asked himself, thinking about 'the world's greatest servant'. George would be prepared for anything, he decided, and so armed with that obvious answer, Merlin went down to the storeroom at the end of the hallway and took one of the water-filled buckets that were always available.
Sticking in a finger to test the temperature, he pulled it back with a hiss. The water-carriers had obviously just replenished the stock, because it felt like it was straight from the well.A quietly breathed heating spell and a slight flash of gold later, the warlock tested again and was pleased to discover that he'd managed to heat it just enough to take off the chill. His control using incantations was getting better and better, and in spite of Gaius' frequent admonitions about using his magic for trivial things, Merlin knew that these small opportunities to hone his skill had greatly helped.
With the water taken care of, Merlin added a brush, a broom and some cleaning rags to his collection and headed back to the Hall.
Still seeing no sign of Master Randall, Merlin wondered if he should get started on the windows. In the early morning light he could see some definite streaks and spots left from the light rain that had fallen late in the night. But he hesitated, remembering that the Master had brought his own cleaning concoction for the floors. Maybe he had something special to use on the windows too. After all, there was that other bottle of some unknown liquid still on the table where Merlin had unpacked it.
No, starting on the windows would be too risky, the young servant reasoned. And he did not want to get a meal for the Master, since it was somewhat late and chances were that the man would already have eaten by the time he arrived.
Finally he decided to start on the floors. Even though they'd just been done the day before, at least he knew how the Master liked them to be cleaned. Carefully he added the floor-cleaning mixture to his water and began to scrub, starting in the corner of the room.
He'd been at it for around ten minutes when Master Randall finally arrived.
"Ah, Marvin, I am glad to see that you are punctual," said the musician when he entered the room.
Merlin stood and said, "Yes, Sir. I came as soon as I got the message."
"Good, then you will have been told that I have requested your services for the duration of my stay."
"Yes, Master Randall, I was told," replied the servant. "I've gone ahead and started on the floor; do you want me to keep on with that, or do something else?"
The Master looked at him intently for a few moments while Merlin tried not to fidget. He hoped he had not made the musician angry by taking some initiative and asking rather than waiting quietly for orders.
Well, he behaved the same way with Arthur, so he certainly was not going to turn into a subservient bootlicker for some musician, not even for a chance at music lessons!
The Master eventually said "Peace, boy," and seemed rather amused at the servant's eagerness. "I do have some things that I need you to do before you get to the floors, as I have my own routine while I am teaching and it includes the steps I want taken in order to keep my classroom maintained."
The Master smiled to himself before continuing. Merlin did not need to know that although the musician did indeed have a routine, it did not usually require a servant to be present for more than an hour or so per day. He and his wife had adjusted it quite substantially so that they could find a believable way for the young servant to remain not only close by, but also to be in a position to hear and possibly even participate in some of the lessons.
Oblivious to the shakeup made on his behalf, Merlin waited for the Master to explain his duties. He stifled a moment of panic when he suddenly remembered Arthur's warning about chamber pots, but soon relaxed again since Master Randall had clearly talked about maintaining the 'classroom'.
"Come over to the table and I will explain what I want done," said the musician, crossing the room and placing the lute he'd brought with him on it.
Not knowing exactly when he'd need it again, Merlin carefully put his bucket in corner of the room where it was unlikely to be kicked over by the coming students, before joining the Master who stood beside the table.
"Now, here is how it will work," began Master Randall, hoping he would remember his carefully laid plan.
"First, you will start each morning by cleaning the windows," he said. "They must be slowly polished with a soft cloth. You must use water that has been brought exactly to the temperature of the room, into which 3 measures of this cleaning liquid has been added."
As he had been speaking, the Master had turned towards the supplies on the table, his hand hovering above them until he spotted the bottle he was looking for. Pulling out the one with the mystery liquid, he handed it to Merlin saying, "It is of utmost importance that my students benefit from unhindered sunlight. This bottle holds the finest peppermint oil, which will not only open the senses but also lift the spirits, allowing in the inspiration from the muse."
Merlin widened his eyes in disbelief for a moment at this statement, hiding a snicker in a cough before forcing his eyebrows back down into his original expression of attentive interest. In Merlin's experience, it was not sunlight and mint that invoked 'the muuusse', it was concentration and listening. But what did he know, maybe the muse chose never to visit Ealdor…..
"Yes Sir, I understand," answered the young servant, hoping he had managed to mask his brief indiscretion. "Would you like me to start that right now?"
Unfortunately, the Master had not missed the boy's skepticism about the peppermint. But although Master Randall had tried to look affronted, he was secretly glad. The ridiculous approach to the window cleaning was among the Master's 'keep the servant close' strategies. The musician actually held that a true talent did not try to rely on external forces to provide motivation. It needed to come largely from within, or even the most gifted student would not progress very far.
"Patience, patience, I have not finished my instructions yet," said the Master, his glare holding Merlin in place when it looked like the young servant was about to head towards his cleaning supplies.
"Before each group of students arrives, you are to ensure that the room is adequately lit," Master Randall instructed. "Use only the candles I have brought for the purpose and be sure to relight any that have gone out, and also to replace any that are sputtering."
Merlin nodded his understanding. He had recognized the candles as pure beeswax, and could well understand why Master Randall would want to use smokeless sources of light when teaching his singing classes.
"Also, you are to bring a fresh pot of tea between each of the classes, and make sure that my honey is close by to use in it," the Master continued, looking back over at the table to see that the pot of golden liquid was still there.
"I will not be offering the students refreshments. However, I may sometimes require one or two of them to take a cup in order to soothe their throats. I cannot risk their voices after all," he explained.
"Yes, Sir," answered Merlin again. So far his duties did not seem very onerous, and other than the reason given for the window cleaning, nothing seemed particularly eccentric either. He wondered what else the Master would have in store for him though.
Taking a seat before looking back up towards the servant, Master Randall pointed out towards the middle of the classroom and said, "Naturally, during the actual lessons you may not walk about, as it will disturb the students. You may use this time to scrub the floors. In any case, I find that the soft, repetitive sound of the brushing can be a help to the students. It provides a small distraction such as they will need to learn to rise above if they wish to gain their mastery."
"In fact, even if the floors have been completed, you may find I will ask you to do them again for this very reason," he added, watching to see Merlin's reaction.
At first, Merlin could not help letting a small sigh escape at this news. He soon perked up again and eventually began to smile when he realized that the prospect of unnecessary floor-scrubbing in the classroom did not dismay him as much as it would have during his usual duties for Arthur. Merlin realized that he would be able to easily listen in on the lessons during that time, and neither the Master nor any of the 'real' students would be any the wiser.
Little did the servant know, but that was precisely what Master Randall had hoped by keeping him at the chore, and when he saw the young servant smile he knew Merlin had drawn the right conclusion.
Satisfied, the Master added his last instruction, "And other times, I may require silence." Pointing over to the chairs that they'd arranged in the middle of the classroom the day earlier, he said, "So I would like you right now to take yourself a chair and place it in the very back of the room. When I ask it, you will wait in that chair quietly unless I call for you."
Merlin turned towards where the Master was looking and said, "Of course, Master Randall," before heading over and doing as he'd been asked.
Once he had placed the chair, Merlin came back to the table where the Master was tuning up his lute and said, "Sir, should I get started on the windows?"
At the quirk of the Master's eyebrow, Merlin rushed to explain, "I mean I know you said I should do it first each day, but I was not sure if your students were about to arrive. I mean, since it is the first day, maybe we are later getting started than usual and it is too late to do the windows and you'd prefer me to get on with the candles and the tea."
"No, Marvin, we have plenty of time," the Master said slowly. "Just do as I've asked, as I do not want to repeat it all again."
"Right away, Master Randall," answered Merlin trying to sound responsible, "You don't have to repeat it; I remember everything. I'll go to the store room for the water and cloth and will get started then."
And so began Merlin's first day of service to Master Randall.
Over the next few days, Merlin's routine was exactly as Master Randall had instructed. He would clean the windows, and by the time he had finished, Master Randall had arrived and was usually either playing his lute softly to warm up, or looking over his collection of parchments to decide what to teach that day.
Sometimes, if he had time before the students arrived, the musician would sing more loudly, running through some of the exercises he intended to use during the day.
Once the students arrived, he would relentlessly put them through their paces, leaving them with barely a moment to take a breath during the lesson. Merlin thought it was no wonder the Master needed the tea nearby! Several times a girl or boy would come and gulp down the sweetened cup that Merlin would prepare and hand to them.
Between the lessons, while Merlin was refreshing the candles or fetching tea for the next group, Master Randall made notes about his students. Occasionally he even asked Merlin to supply a name or asked the young servant if he remembered whether the singer had faltered at the high or the low end of the scale or in the middle of the arpeggio. A few times, to Merlin's pleasure, the Master even asked him to repeat an exercise, letting on that he needed Merlin to show him where the student had made a mistake.
The musician smiled to himself that the boy always did seem to recall exactly what he'd heard, and could already sing some of the more complicated exercises with ease. It was no doubt time to put the second part of his plan into place.
So one morning, just after Merlin had returned from emptying his window-cleaning bucket, Master Randall called out, "Ah, boy. I'm glad you are back. Come over here - I need a favour from you this morning."
"Yes, Sir," Merlin replied, coming over to the desk to stand before the Master, "Did you need me to get you a meal or something?" he asked with confusion. Usually Master Randall had already eaten by the time he came to the Hall.
"No, nothing like that," said the musician with a small shake of his head. "I'd like you to sing something for me," he explained. "I've got a new drill of long notes that I may want to use with some of the groups today, and since you are handy and have a decent voice for a peasant, I thought you might give it a try first. That way I can refine it before the real students arrive."
Real student or not, Merlin smiled brightly at the opportunity, "Of course, Sir. I'd be happy to help," he answered.
"Stand straight then, shoulders back, chin up," he instructed, beginning the introduction with his lute as Merlin hurried to comply.
"That's it. Now it goes like this," the musician added, singing out the pattern twice. "Now, deep breath…..now…..you try," he said, hardly needing to bring Merlin in at the right time.
Merlin began to sing, causing Master Randall to secretly admire the boy's control, especially since he'd probably had little training.
Stopping the servant a couple of times to explain where best to breathe during a pattern of such long notes, the Master had Merlin repeat it higher and higher until the servant had just reached the point where his voice wavered.
"Thank you, lad, I think that will do for now," the musician said at that point, causing the boy to stop suddenly and open his eyes, obviously disappointed that he could not continue on for longer. As much as he would also have liked to keep on, the Master reasoned that it would not do to have the boy think he was getting lessons, so reluctantly he put down his lute. Gesturing at the servant to get back to his usual work, the Master picked up a quill and began to write a few notes.
Merlin hesitated for a few moments, hoping that the Master would want try out another drill, but when it became apparent that this was not going to happen, the servant gave a soft sigh and headed over to the small table where he had left the candles. He had suggested bringing in a second table to put at the back of the room near where he had been asked to put his chair. That way it was easier to carry out his duties, including serving the tea when needed, without disturbing the students or Master so much.
The rest of the day continued in the usual manner until the third group of students were in place for their class.
Merlin had been told to scrub the floor during this lesson and so had prepared his bucket before the group arrived. He knelt to begin his work just as the Master started to demonstrate the new long note exercise that Merlin had briefly sung that morning.
Just as the young warlock was about to put the brush to the floor, he had a moment of horror when he realized that he smelled peppermint instead of pine. He had evidently added the wrong cleaning liquid to the water.
Not wanting to disturb the class nor, he admitted to himself, draw attention to his mistake, he wracked his brain for a spell to undo it.
Finally he decided to try a summoning spell. He had tried them before, although never to draw one liquid from another liquid. Turning towards the corner of the room to hide any flash of gold, he gave it a try. Luckily the spell did not even need an incantation, only a focus on the container that he wanted to move the liquid to, so no one in the room was aware of the magic going on in the corner.
Merlin was pleased when the spell worked although it took him three tries to get all of the peppermint back into its bottle.
That done, Merlin had been about to try to magic the pine mixture into his bucket in the same way, when he realized that the master was calling him.
"Marvin," the man called sharply, leaving the young servant in no doubt that this was not the first time he had tried to get Merlin's attention.
"Yes Sir?" Merlin squeaked out as he jumped to his feet, almost kicking his bucket over in his haste. The warlock's heart was hammering with the worry that he had been caught using sorcery.
But the Master seemed to be more amused than horrified, and a few of the girls were giggling, so he soon guessed it was not that.
"Have I got your attention at last?" Master Randall chastised. "I did not realize that floor-scrubbing could be quite so absorbing, although I am sure that even kitchen servants must find something to focus their attention on."
Merlin gritted his teeth at the reprimand, although he stopped himself from retorting. He did not want to be dismissed for speaking out of turn in front of a room full of young nobles, especially since it was true that he hadn't been paying attention.
"Is there something you wanted, Master Randall?" he said politely, once he had calmed enough to speak.
"Yes indeed, and you would have already known what that was if you'd been attending me as you are supposed to," answered the Master. "Well, it is of no matter now," he added, settling back into his chair and beginning to strum his lute.
"I want you to demonstrate to these ladies the long-note exercise that I showed you this morning," the musician explained, nodding towards the ten or so young girls at the front of the class.
"All…right…," Merlin said slowly, not really understanding why Master Randall needed him to do this when surely any number of the other students would have been more than capable. Still, Merlin was glad for any opportunity to sing, so he waited for the Master to play the introduction and then he began.
After just one note, Master Randall said, "No, no, NO, Marvin. I've just told you that I want you to demonstrate for the GIRLS… You need to sing it one octave higher than that."
Merlin stopped in confusion. Surely the Master must know that this would be far too high for him to sing properly. "But," .., he stammered, stopping when he saw the Master's raised eyebrows and look of expectation. "Yes, I understand," he said in resignation, although really, he didn't.
Master Randall held the servant's eye a moment longer to be sure the boy would obey, before playing the introduction again.
Merlin took a deep breath and began to sing, but as he had expected, his voice cracked from the very first note. Luckily the Master spared him from too much embarrassment by stopping him after only two repetitions of the pattern.
"That's enough, boy," he said, gesturing that Merlin should return to his bucket, which the servant hurried to do, happy to get out of sight.
"There, ladies," he heard the master say, "Ignoring the atrocious quality of the sound, if even a kitchen boy is able make his way through this exercise, I expect you to be able to do the same with ease.
"Now, from the beginning if you please..."
The master began his introduction yet again, but Merlin had stopped listening by then. Angry at being intentionally made to look bad, the servant practically attacked the floor with his brush, not caring about the water he was splashing.
Fortunately, probably for both Merlin and the Master, the servant was not called on to sing any more that day.
By the time the last group had left, Merlin's anger had turned more towards resignation. However much he would have loved to sing more seriously, the barrier between nobles and commoners was just not going to allow it. It was probably for the best anyway he knew, since his destiny would definitely not permit him to do very much with a training that would take him away from Arthur's side.
So, subdued, Merlin gathered the candles, and brought the tea things back to the kitchen. Finally, his daily chores completed, the servant stood by the table where Master Randall sat reading his notes, and said quietly, without looking the Master in the eye, "Is there something more you need me to do, Sir?"
"No, boy," the musician answered, "I have everything I need for today, so you are free to go."
Master Randall had of course noticed that the servant had been unhappy about being humiliated, and although he would have liked to keep the boy in order to have him sing through some exercises, he decided that it would be better to let him go home and work through his feelings instead. The Master had not enjoyed hurting the young servant, but he had needed to see how Marvin would react to being belittled about his skills. The musician also knew that he would need to do it again. If he could somehow manage to take Marvin on as an apprentice, unfortunately the servant could expect to receive that type of taunting often, both from the nobles he trained with and even from those he eventually served as a musician, and Master Randall needed to be sure the boy could handle himself.
So, saying no more, the Master could only watch as Merlin left the room.
Merlin was still melancholy even after he'd eaten a quick dinner and prepared the drafts that Gaius had put in his charge. He liked to work on a few each evening to make sure he would have plenty ready when he went to the Lower Town to make his deliveries.
As usual, once he'd finished the medicines, he put away his supplies and then headed towards Arthur's chambers to get him settled for the night. Although neither young man was willing to admit it, they had missed their usual daily camaraderie, so when Merlin had offered to attend Arthur in the evenings, the Prince had rapidly agreed.
But tonight, Merlin was not very good company. Although the servant had tried his best to hide it, even Arthur could see that something was not right with his friend.
"What's the matter with you tonight?" asked the Prince, as Merlin started to help him remove his tunic, albeit a little too forcefully. "You've hardly said two words all night. Not that I miss your inane chatter or anything, but it's very strange."
When Merlin just sighed and did not tease back, Arthur started to become worried. He batted his servant's hands away so he could stand up straight and look him in the eye. "Merlin, really, what's wrong? Are things not going well with Master Randall?" he asked.
"If he is treating you poorly I can always tell my father that I need you back," Arthur offered.
Merlin widened his eyes in surprised at Arthur's concern. He hadn't wanted to let Arthur know about his disappointment, especially after all that the Prince had done to set up Merlin's opportunity.
"No, it's not that," said Merlin, "It's just that he only sees me as a servant."
Arthur's mouth quirked up in a slight smile at that. "Um, Merlin," he said, "I hate to break it to you, but you are a servant."
Merlin scrunched his face in annoyance. "I KNOW that. But I hated it when he made me feel less worthy than those students because of it."
Reaching back down to grasp Arthur's tunic again, Merlin began to help the Prince remove it. Without really watching what he was doing, he added, "Some of them can't even sing. They couldn't even get the easiest little exercise right."
Punctuating his words with a hard tug on Arthur's sleeve, which only caused the Prince to get his arm stuck, Merlin continued his complaint. "And, I mean, I knew he only taught nobles so I knew what I was getting myself into, and he has let me sing a few times, and I have heard a lot of lessons and that's all I really wanted anyway."
Arthur tried to make a sympathetic reply, but it went unheard since Merlin had now pulled on the Prince's other sleeve so that not only both arms but also his head was stuck inside the shirt. In any case, his servant was in a full rant by this time, so Arthur decided that the easiest thing to do if he ever wanted to escape his clothing was just to wait Merlin out.
"This other stuff, I can rise above it," the servant carried on. "I can show him that I can take it and it will just make me better! Yes, that's it! I certainly can't give up."
Merlin nodded to himself in satisfaction, and with yet another tug on the tunic said, "So tomorrow I will go right back as if nothing happened."
Excited by his resolution, the servant apparently forgot about what he had been doing and said, "Thanks Arthur! You've made it all clear to me," before turning and heading determinedly towards the door.
"Umm glad to have been of help…?" mumbled the Prince from somewhere in his shirt. "Now, … CAN YOU GET THIS OFF OF ME?"
Merlin stopped in his tracks and rushed back to extract the Prince. "Oops, Sorry! I guess I got carried away!"
A few moments later and Arthur was safely in his nightclothes. With his dignity restored, he was able to get back to his servant's problem and said, "Seriously, Merlin, if you have had enough of Master Randall, you can come back to your usual duties for me. I could use a servant, truth be told."
Merlin looked up, "Oh? I thought you were happy to be rid of me for a while!" he added with a smile.
"Well, yes, I am. But father has me entertaining the sons of some of the visitors, and honestly, some of them are real prats, Merlin!"
Arthur was happy to see the huge grin that his comment had put on his servant's face.
"I can believe that!" Merlin answered. "Hmm, hunting with prats– singing – hunting with prats –singing," he said holding up first one hand then the other in time with his words, "Whatever should I do?"
Becoming serious again, the young servant said, "Arthur, honestly, thanks for the offer, but I want to keep at it. I really am enjoying the chance to sing, and as for the other, well, I have something to prove to those students, and to myself too."
Arthur nodded his understanding, secretly glad, although not really surprised, that Merlin had courage enough to accept the challenge.
"All right then. As long as you are sure," said the Prince, looking Merlin in the eye to be sure his servant knew Arthur meant it.
Merlin smiled back, touched at Arthur's concern. "I am, Sire," he answered, and doing a last round of Arthur's chambers to put out the candles, the secret student headed back to his own room.