04: Somerset House
Arthur didn't sleep very well last night. He'd had nightmares of running through woods while being chased by men with torches, swords, and crossbows. It was hard for him to concentrate all day and the only thing he could look forward to was meeting Guinevere around five o'clock. He'd text her in advance to suggest wearing something warm and when she opened the door, he wasn't disappointed. Her hair was hidden beneath a knitted red hat, a red scarf protected her neck, and similar knitted gloves poked out from her thick black jacket. Fuzzy black boots covered her feet, a pair of dark denim jeans tucked into each one. She appraised Arthur with a smile.
"Did I dress the part?" she wondered, slightly nervous.
Arthur leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "Beautifully."
After securing her arm in his, Arthur steered her towards his red nineteen ninety eight Corvette which he'd parked just outside her complex. Guinevere hesitated when Arthur stopped in front of it and opened the door for her. Seeing her expression, Arthur swallowed nervously.
"Too much?" he guessed.
Guinevere hid her surprise though her eyes remained wide. "No, no, it's fine. I've just never been in a Corvette before."
"Oh, well, I confess it is one of my favorite cars to drive," Arthur smiled as Guinevere slipped into the passenger's seat. Taking a deep calming breath, the law student moved around and got into the driver's side. He noticed Guinevere was sitting rather stiff, almost as if she were terrified to touching anything. "You know, it's just a car," he lightly chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.
"A very expensive car," she amended.
"True but you don't have to be afraid to relax, Guinevere," Arthur assured as he started the engine.
"Sorry," she muttered with a slight chuckle, "I'm just not used to this."
Arthur squeezed her hand. "That's alright. Just forget you're in a Corvette."
"Too late for that," she grinned. "So, where are you taking me tonight, Mr. James?"
Arthur grinned. "Well, I know I promised dinner and I'll stick with that promise but I also wondered how you felt about ice skating."
Guinevere's eyes widened. "I've never been."
"Would you like to try it?"
She bit her lip but she was smiling. "Sure, as long as you promise not to laugh if I fall all over the place."
"Deal," Arthur promised, elated.
Ten minutes later, Arthur found a parking spot and opened Guinevere's door. The two made their way towards the large ice rink located outside, surrounded by the beautiful architecture belonging to Somerset House. A large Christmas tree greeted them, its blue lights complimenting the soft atmosphere coming from the rink where many people were already zooming around. After getting a bite to eat in the nearby lounge, Arthur and Guinevere found themselves on the ice.
While Arthur could practically skate with his eyes closed, Guinevere barely managed to stay on her feet. One of her hands was clasped with Arthur's in a death grip while the other held on to the wall on her right.
"I don't think I can do this," she muttered, eyeing the people who were flying around on the ice without a care in the world.
"Of course you can," Arthur encouraged. "It's all about balance."
"I'm sorry," she sighed after another five minutes of hugging the wall and slowly scooting along, her form wobbling all over the place.
"It's alright," Arthur smiled. "You can't expect to be like those people when it's your first time." He motioned towards a couple who were skating backwards.
"Can you do that?" she wondered, staring in awe over how effortless they made it seem.
"I'm not that good," Arthur answered, "though I can manage that particular maneuver for a couple of paces before falling over."
"Great, I'm with a professional," Guinevere mock groaned.
Arthur laughed. "You're doing fine Guinevere. Come on, why don't you let go of the rail. I promise I won't let you fall."
Her eyes widened comically and she shook her head. "No, I think I like the rail, thanks."
"Guinevere."
She closed her eyes and sighed. "Alright, but if I fall…"
"You won't."
She looked up at him uncertainly before slowly letting her hand fall away. Her body shook a little as she cautiously propelled herself forward, her grip on him tightening – if it were possible – even more so than before. Arthur graciously didn't allow his wince to show on his face.
"There, you see," he complimented, "You're skating!"
Guinevere's smile could brighten a room. "Well, I haven't fallen yet," she laughed.
The two were interrupted as someone came to a sudden stop right next to Arthur. "Well, fancy seeing you here, princess!"
Arthur inwardly groaned. "What are you doing here, Gwaine?"
"What does it look like? I'm skating." The man said, holding out his arms with a large grin on his face. He then caught sight of Guinevere and his grin deepened. "Well, what have we here? Hi, I'm Gwaine. And you are?"
"Guinevere," she answered, a little preoccupied with making sure she didn't fall over.
"Are you here with Arthur?"
"Yes she is and you'd be wise to leave us in peace," Arthur somewhat snapped.
Gwaine didn't heed his small warning in the slightest. "Where did you two meet? Last I heard princess wasn't seeing anyone."
"Will you stop calling me that?!" Arthur demanded, mortified that this man had interrupted what was once a wonderful evening.
Ignoring him, Gwaine waited for Guinevere to answer his question.
"We met the other day," she answered finding the way he teased Arthur to be rather amusing. "Arthur's being kind enough to teach me how to skate."
"Are you sure you want to be learning from him? He isn't that great of a teacher."
"Gwaine," Arthur ground out, "if you have any sense of self preservation you'll be gone by the time I count to three."
Flipping a loose lock of long dark hair from his face, Gwaine burst out laughing. "Fair enough, princess, I can see why you want to be alone. You've found a gem amidst the coals. I envy you. I was about to leave anyway… it's as good a time as any to get some ale."
And with a small wave and a wink directed towards Guinevere, Gwaine skated away, gracefully wrapping his arm around an unsuspecting girl and kissing her cheek. He spun her in a circle before making his way for the exit.
"Git," Arthur murmured under his breath as Guinevere laughed.
"Well, he certainly is interesting."
"Indeed," Arthur groaned, pinching his nose. "I'm sorry. He's my neighbor."
"And your friend?" she guessed.
Arthur stared after the long haired man. "So it would seem," he admitted.
Before Guinevere could say more, Arthur froze. Sitting at one of the tables Gwaine passed by -with a mug of hot chocolate in his hands- was a man Arthur hadn't seen since he'd left America. Leon Young was a man in his late twenties, six years Arthur's senior, and was loyal to the Head family to a fault. But Leon was the head of his father's security. What was he doing here?
"Arthur? Are you alright?"
Arthur turned his attention back to Guinevere. "I'm fine," he smiled. "Say, why don't we take a break and get some hot chocolate? I don't know about you but it's pretty cold out here."
Guinevere was all too happy to get off the ice, leaping at the opportunity with an eagerness that left Arthur inwardly chuckling. Helping her along, the two eventually made it to the exit and removed their skates. After replacing their shoes, Arthur took Guinevere's hand and started making his way to the nearest hot chocolate stand, his gaze occasionally flitting towards Leon who hadn't moved from his chair.
Joining the line, Guinevere pulled away. "I'm going to find a bathroom. I'll be right back," she promised.
Arthur smiled at her. "I'll be right here."
He watched her until she disappeared inside before checking to see if Leon was still there. The man hadn't moved, his gaze wandering across the crowd, seeming to be a simple observer. Arthur scowled. He had a pretty good suspicion as to why Leon was here. His father had sent a babysitter; clearly he was afraid of leaving his son in a city that seemed to be the target of unknown terrorists. But nothing had happened since the bridge accident and Arthur didn't think anything else was going to occur any time soon.
No sooner had the thought gone through his head that someone let out a bloodcurdling scream.
Arthur whirled around just in time to see a jet of green light fall from the sky, slamming into a woman on the ice who fell right where she stood. She didn't get up. A moment of silence and then full blown panic; everyone started screaming, pushing, and shoving each other to get as far away as possible for further jets of green light began to rain down at angles from the balcony structures surrounding the rink.
Arthur traced the trajectory and watched in horrified fascination as he counted ten people clad in strange black robes. Each was brandishing a thin stick which appeared to be the source of the green light that was attacking the innocent.
"Arthur!"
The young law student was suddenly shoved roughly in the side, crashing to the ground. A jet of green light exploded the cement he'd been standing on not even a second before. Arthur registered the face of Gwaine as his neighbor pulled both of them to their feet.
"Gwaine! What the heck is going on?" Arthur demanded.
"I don't know but we've got to get out of here!" Gwaine shouted over the screams of terror.
Popping noises sounded all around them and Arthur's eyes widened as people seemed to appear from thin air but, unlike the attackers, these strangers were dressed in various colored robes, some even sporting pointed hats. They pulled their own sticks from out of their robes and immediately started waving them through the air. Strange lights varying from blue, purple, and red flew through the air and the black-robed terrorists had to cease in their attacks of green light to shield themselves from the onslaught.
Arthur watched as one jet of blue light transformed into a string of chains, lassoing one of the attackers. They lost their balance and fell from the balcony they were perched upon, a scream coming from their lips as they tumbled towards the ground. Another stick wave from a woman to Arthur's right produced a whip of fire which was met in midair with one of ice, the two slamming into each other with a force that caused the air to tremble.
"Mr. Head, we need to leave!"
"Leon!" Arthur cried as the man grabbed his arm. How he managed to find him in this chaos was a miracle.
"It's not safe here, sir!" he persisted, yanking on Arthur's jacket to make him move.
It was then that Arthur realized someone incredibly important was missing. "Guinevere! Leon, Gwaine, we have to find her!"
"In this?" Gwaine shouted, gesturing to the bizarre fight occurring all around them. "Arthur, she's likely to have run out on her own!"
"You don't know that," Arthur countered. "I'm not leaving her. Whoever these people are, they're dangerous! I'd never forgive myself if we left her behind and something they did caused her harm!"
Gwaine swore, running a hand through his long locks. "Fine!" he snapped. "But if we die, I'm blaming you!"
Arthur, Gwaine, and Leon started making their way towards the lounge, pushing and shoving terrified people out of their way while avoiding streaks of light flying in all directions. One actually slammed into the ice rink, causing it to explode. Chunks of ice flew everywhere, one actually ramming into Arthur's shoulder. Arthur winced and rubbed at the offended area, knowing that it was definitely going to bruise. They had almost reached their destination when a deafening crash of thunder rattled their eardrums followed by a flash of lightning which illuminated the middle of the rink.
Arthur didn't know what compelled him to turn around and freeze but he found his body unable to move, his eyes trained on the man who had magically appeared on the ice. Gwaine and Leon had also stopped moving, seemingly in the same trance as he. The young man that captured their attention radiated a power that caused Arthur's very soul to quiver. His short black hair was tousled about on his head over a pair of rather large ears. His lanky frame seemed to hold just fine considering he was standing in the middle of a half demolished ice rink. But what impressed Arthur the most was that the other men and women holding sticks had ceased their attacks on both sides.
The man on the ice raised his hands, his palms pointing on either side towards the attackers in black. "Abanatae!" he shouted, his voice echoing around the square as if he'd spoken into a microphone. His eyes flared gold as he yanked his arms against his body. As if seized upon by some invisible cord, the black-robed assailants flew through the air, their bodies zooming towards him like a fish being dragged through the water by a fishing line. A foot away from the man, their bodies slammed into an invisible barrier and the attackers fell like flies around him. They didn't get back up.
Arthur's jaw had dropped and he fought to be able to get a better view as the few straggling citizens in the attack ran as fast as they could away from the scene. The men and women clad in colorful robes eyed the man in the middle of the rink before turning their backs to him and waving their sticks at random people rushing past. A silvery-like substance flew from the tip of the sticks, making contact with their intended targets. Those who experienced this anomaly froze in place, their eyes suddenly glazing over before gently falling to the ground.
Out of pure instinct Arthur knew he needed to hide. Grabbing Gwaine and Leon by the shoulder, he shoved them down on their hands and knees.
"Geez, princess!" Gwaine protested.
"Quiet!" Arthur snapped. "Though I don't think those people mean to harm us, I don't think we should get hit with that silvery stuff their creating, do you?"
Gwaine and Leon had to agree with him. The three men crawled forward until they were up against the barrier to the rink, peeking just barely over the edge.
"What do you think they're doing?" Leon whispered, watching as more and more people gently fell after being hit with the silver haze.
"I don't know but I don't like it," Gwaine mumbled.
"Quiet," Arthur commanded.
Gwaine glared at him but Arthur wasn't paying attention. Instead he was straining his hearing towards the conversation taking place between the man on the ice and a woman with bubblegum pink hair.
"Lucky you showed up when you did," the woman was saying.
"I happened to be in the neighborhood," the young man answered. His face was one of disapproval as he witnessed the others hit people with the silver mist over the woman's shoulder. "They know it's pointless to even attempt to obliviate them, surely?"
"It's protocol," the woman shrugged.
"It's wrong," the man snapped.
The woman sighed. "Merlin, I know that you don't approve of it but muggles can't know about us."
"Magic isn't something that should be hidden, Tonks," Merlin argued. "There was once a time when it existed just fine with those of the nonmagical community."
"Well you'll have to forgive the rest of us who have never experienced that," Tonks replied in a strained tone. "The world isn't ready to know about us yet, Merlin."
"I'm not sure I agree with you," Merlin sighed. "But I have other things to do besides arguing about altering muggle memories."
Tonks observed him for a moment. "Have you found him yet?"
Merlin's shoulders slumped. "No, not yet. London is a pretty big place. But don't worry, Tonks. I won't stop until I do. That prat of a king can't hide from me forever."
"I hope you're right," Tonks smiled.
Merlin gestured to the unconscious men and women around him. "Can you take care of these guys for me?"
Tonks nodded. "I'll see to it they make it to Azkaban. Ten more of Voldemort's followers. Are you sure you don't want to help with the Death Eater clean up? This is the second round you've taken down."
Merlin shook his head with an exasperated smile. "Don't worry, Tonks. Once I've found my king, I'm sure I'll be able to join you in a few more rodeos."
Tonks laughed, clapping him on the shoulder. "Take care of yourself, Merlin."
He returned the gesture, "You too."
Arthur watched as the young man then proceeded to walk off the ice - until he slipped. He managed to catch himself after pinwheeling his arms a couple times but Arthur couldn't help the light snicker followed by a small insult. "Idiot," he whispered.
Gwaine and Leon looked at him curiously but Arthur ignored them as confusion and a slight headache began to pound behind his eyes. Something was just beyond his grasp, something he felt was so incredibly important, but he couldn't reach it. Shaking his head, he decided to ignore the nagging feeling and turned his attention back to the rink.
Despite the man's near fall, the other men and women with sticks were gazing upon him with what Arthur could only describe as awe, each of them watching him until he had left the area. The moment he was gone Arthur felt the need to follow him but he couldn't risk exposing himself to these people. So he stayed put; as much as it irked him. It was a long time before he and the others removed themselves from their hiding place. Arthur's thoughts were traveling so fast in a blur of confusion that he didn't know how to process anything at all.
I know it was short but this was a great place to stop. Yay! Arthur saw Merlin! Even though our favorite warlock was so troubled by finding his king that he didn't even realize he was right there! Oh, Merlin. Don't worry, you'll see him soon. Maybe. Unless my muse says otherwise...
Leave a review please! I'll try to have the next chapter up in a couple of days.