"Brother"
Swords clashed together viciously as Holly watched from the bench. Arthur forced the other young man to stumble backwards, and soon he was on the ground with Arthur's sword at his neck. The match had been a long one, surprisingly so for one involving Arthur. As usual however, the Prince of Camelot had come out victorious.
Arthur lowered his sword and reached down to help the man up. Taking off their helmets, the two knights grinned broadly at one another, and Arthur clapped his friend on the back.
"Good match, Sir Lyle," he complimented.
"And you, Prince Arthur," said Lyle in return.
Taking a rag from Merlin, Arthur wiped the sweat off his brow as he spotted Lady Holly. Strutting over, he smiled as she clapped for him.
"Come to watch the knights practicing?" he asked.
"Yes!" she answered cheerfully.
"Oh? Are you sure you didn't come to see me practicing?" he asked, smirking.
Holly was momentarily unsure how to respond to his rather irksome assumption.
"No, I merely wanted to-"
"Oh it's alright Holly, I understand," he interrupted, still wearing a condescending smile. "Do you like what you see?"
Having become moderately familiar with Arthur's conceit, Holly channeled her annoyance towards a way to reply that was less abrasive than snapping at him.
"If you mean that dashing knight over there, then yes I do like what I see. If you seek my attention however, you'll have to work a bit harder. You, sir knight, are getting sloppy!"
With that Holly grinned and tweaked the Prince's nose. Arthur was dumbstruck. No one tweaked the nose of the King's son!
A grin burst onto Arthur's face and he roughly ruffled Holly's hair, becoming more amused as she protested in good humor.
Close by, Merlin looked over at Arthur and Holly standing together, laughing and playfully shoving each other. As he watched, Merlin's stomach twisted in knots. Dropping the rag, Merlin briskly walked away.
"Merlin!"
"Yes?" he responded.
"Where on earth have you been?" cried Arthur. "You were supposed to be out in the field assisting me."
"Uh, Gaius needed me," said Merlin. "Then I came here to clean up your room. You know, it really wouldn't kill you to learn a thing or two about cleanliness or hygiene."
"Well why would I need to do that when I have you, Merlin?" mocked Arthur.
"I knew you'd say that."
"Oh?" said Arthur innocently. "Then I suppose you also know what I'm going to say next."
Arthur strode across the room and shoved his armor into Merlin's arms.
"Have your armor clean and polished by tomorrow?" said Merlin.
"Exactly!" exclaimed Arthur with a mocking smile. "Well done Merlin."
Arthur exited the room, leaving Merlin alone with his chores and thoughts.
Scrubbing away at the armor only minutes later, Merlin's head shot up at a knock at the door.
"Uh... come in!" he called out. Immediately a red head popped into the room, smiling brightly. Holly pushed the door open and gently closed it behind her, coming into the room. A pain shot through Merlin's insides and he looked intently back down at the armor, trying to concentrate on anything at all rather than her.
"Arthur's not here," he stated.
"Yes I see that, thank you Merlin" teased Holly as she sat down beside him. "I was looking for you."
"Do you need something?" Holly glanced at him in surprise, but Merlin continued to focus on his work.
"Well... no, I just thought it'd be nice to see you. Do you need me to leave?"
Merlin felt angry with himself for letting his feelings affect their friendship. Obviously his hurt was coming across as hostility, and he didn't want her to feel like he disliked her. Faking a smile, Merlin finally met her eyes.
"Not at all Holly. I'm sorry, I'm afraid I just got a bit sucked in by all the work. Please feel free to stay if you wish, I would certainly enjoy the company."
Merlin and Holly shared a pleasant conversation as Merlin finished up the chores. At the end of that time, Holly flounced away, saying that she was going to go spend the rest of the afternoon with the Lady Morgana. Merlin inclined his head politely and she was gone when he looked back up again.
Figures, he thought. It's stupid to fall for a woman of nobility anyways. They'll always be nobility, and to them I'll always be... nothing more than a servant.
A part of Merlin knew that his thoughts were unkind and unjustified, after all she had come to spend time with him specifically, but his logic could not rule out over his feelings. More than anything, Merlin wanted to curl up in his room until Lady Holly left so that he could not come to care for her even more. But also more than anything, Merlin wanted to spend every second left of Holly's stay with her. The conflicting feelings created a struggle in Merlin that he had never known before, and he found himself entirely at a loss for what to do.
"Mother, can we talk?" asked Holly.
"Of course!" her mother responded kindly. "Come, sit next to me here." Obligingly, Holly sat beside her on her mother's bed.
"It's about Arthur," Holly began to say.
"Oh yes, I've noticed you two spending all your time together," her mother said excitedly. "Very well done my dear. He truly seems smitten with you, just like we wanted."
"Well it's about that," said Holly nervously. "I don't know that he has those sorts of feelings for me..."
"Don't be silly Holly! The whole kingdom can tell how you two feel for each other. Clear as day."
"Yes but I don't think it is," insisted Holly, "because I also do not like him in that way." The Lady Clarissa looked sharply at her daughter. "I love Arthur very much, but... more like a brother. I don't feel that sort of affection for him. And if you could see the way we interacted, I think you'd find that he finds me much more like a sister than a lover."
"Well that's not ok," said her mother harshly.
"But why not? You and Uther have been getting along wonderfully!" Holly pointed out. "If our title and money really mean so much to you, I'm sure it will still be alright, for you and the King seem to be working out. Since that is true, you have no need for Arthur and me to be together."
Lady Clarissa stared deep into Holly's eyes.
"This is not for the title and money. I want the best for you, my child."
"Well then you should not mind that I do not see Arthur in that way. Maintaining our noble status is of minimal importance to me: certainly not important enough to enter into a marital contract where I will not be happy." The Lady Clarissa thought for a moment before turning back to her daughter with a smile.
"I understand. As you wish."
"Thank you Mother!" said Holly gratefully. "Your understanding truly means the world to me. I hope things continue to go well between you and Uther."
Lady Clarissa continued to smile at her daughter as Holly exited the room. When the door closed behind Holly, the smile vanished and was replaced with a look of cold, calculating planning.