Things will all make sense in the end,dear readers.
I feel cruel doing a twist,since all your reviews are mentioning that Merlin wouldn't leave Arthur. But,I did mention that Morgana would be having a terrible dream...
...also,the dragon's little riddle plays a part as well which arrives in further chapters,so I hope my dear readers have kept that in mind.
Anyway,just read it. I hope the twist isn't too cruel.
A red flower...a rose,or a dahlia. The flower was shown,being held gently between two fingers - to whom those fingers belonged to was not certain,but the flower was passed over to another person. This person was recognized from the grimy fingernails of hard labour being set by the prince. Merlin.
Colours everywhere: orange,black,red and yellow. But,these were not flames. They were the colours of emblems,yet they were unclear: a blur of colours mixed,until suddenly the colour faded and went black.
One word was spoken amongst the colours: 'yes'
Sobbing - there was quiet sobbing in the distance,then it stopped and was replaced with a frustrated shout.
Merlin lay on the ground,his eyes closed and the flower gripped in his hand. Yet,he was not sleeping. No breath passed his slightly open mouth.
The flower; something was happening to the flower in the male's hand. It was wilting,turning a placid grey and losing it's once vibrant petals. The flower curled up and crumbled in Merlin's open palm,yet the male did not stir to see such change.
Morgana awoke with a start after the flower crumbled in her dream,her eyes widening briefly. The dream left her feeling solemn,and she had to walk around her chambers after falling asleep in her chair near the window.
Her body shook slightly as she lent against the wall,the dream effecting her worse than any other she had. It was so sorrowful,and unforgiving that she could feel tears lining her eyes.
Something bad was about to happen,and it was to do with Merlin. Morgana had known Merlin for just as long as Arthur had,yet she was quick to befriend the young warlock and help him,much to the disappointment of Uther and other royals,who thought a lady like herself shouldn't be mingling with a mere manservant.
Morgana wiped the tears from her eyes and made it out of her chambers,down the hallway and towards Arthur's chambers. She had to tell him her dream,as she knew that the two male's had a friendship as strong as metal and Arthur would surely pay mind to her dreadful dream that had shaken her so.
But,as she made it across the hallways,she spotted Merlin walking towards the courtyard with a bundle of hay in his hands,making it towards the stables to tend to Arthur's horses.
"Oh,Merlin!" Morgana called out,but Merlin didn't seem to hear her as he carried on with what he was doing. She followed after him,holding up her blue dress as she tread carefully whilst walking amongst the stables. Two horses were in the stable this evening,since the others were being used for hunting later today,which Arthur would be leading alongside Merlin.
Morgana found Merlin again,placing down the hay near one of the pens and collecting some of it to spread across the horses's eating bay. The horse poked it's head out from the pen and instantly worked on the hay,nearly biting Merlin's hand in the process."Hey!" Merlin said,laughing afterwards before stroking the horses's long face.
"Merl-" Morgana was about to call out when she saw another person enter the stables. It was one of the contestants from yesterday,which she thought odd: all the contestants had traveled back home,since they needn't be in Camelot anymore. Morgana had only briefly seen this knight,but hadn't spoken to him and so didn't know his name,or where he was from.
Morgana watched as they talked. Merlin continued to work as he spoke to the knight,but stopped when he was told something. Morgana couldn't hear them too well from the place she was standing,but her heart stopped when the knight withdrew a red dahlia from behind his back and shown it to Merlin.
She needed to find Arthur - and fast.
Morgana didn't know whether Merlin accepted the dahlia or not as she rushed out of the stables,back towards Arthur's chambers. It seemed like miles before she reached his door and she had to catch her breath.
Merlin was busy feeding the horses hay,stroking the horses's every now and again as they chewed on the straw. This was the only part he enjoyed,as he didn't have to clean out the pens,but feed the horses instead. It wasn't a difficult job,it was just the carrying of the hay that took a while since hay was quite heavy after a while.
Merlin hummed as he worked,even though the hay was starting to make his hands itch everytime he shredded the straw and spread it in the horses's feeding bay. But,soon,he got the rhythm of it and was nearly finished when he heard somebody behind him.
He was surprised to see Laurence walking up to him with a soft smile."Laurence?" Merlin asked as he sorted out some of the horses's hay.
Laurence stopped near Merlin,his hands behind his back."I think you know why I've come to find you,Merlin." He spoke,and Merlin stopped feeding the horses to look over at the knight.
Merlin didn't reply as he looked over at the horse in the pen he was stood in front of."I know." He said,quietly as he petted the horse on the top of it's head,earning a low whinning noise from it."I've thought it over,but I have to refus-" Turning around,Merlin's sentence was cut short when he noticed that a red dahlia was being presented. Merlin looked down at the flower,before at Laurence's face.
"Well," Laurence spoke."You've spoken,but I'd appreciate it if you accept this flower." He explained,"It would make me happy if you did." He added,feigning sadness as he looked at the young warlock.
Merlin felt a tad guilty as he noticed the sad expression on the knight's face,but he knew that a person should accept any gift graciously,no matter what it was. It was only polite,after all. Merlin reached out and took the dahlia.
"Are you sure I can't change your mind,Merlin?" Laurence spoke softly,his hand holding Merlin's gently for a moment,before releasing the male's hand as the dahlia was passed over.
Two things happened at once: the first was the horse behind Merlin let out a great whine,lifting up on it's hind legs as it seemed troubled by something unseen,it's eyes flaring up with panic as it let out a neigh. The second was Merlin felt something stir inside him until it suddenly kicked at his lungs and made him gasp,like waking up from a dream where a person is falling and the suddeness awakes them with shock.
Merlin's head was pounding as he stared at Laurence,who was apparantly talking as his mouth was forming words,yet Merlin couldn't hear them. The dahlia in Merlin's hand seemed to grow more vibrant with colour,and a small warmth spread across the young warlock's hand from the stem of the flower he was gripping.
When Merlin came to,he could hear Laurence clearly now."Merlin?" He asked,reaching out to hold Merlin's shoulders as his face was written with worry.
"Yes." Merlin whispered,looking up at the knight once his head had cleared. Everything seemed to be running normal and the horse behind him had eventually quietened down. He stared up at Laurence with a smile.
Laurence frowned lightly,"Yes what,Merlin?" He asked,but if anyone was to look on,they would be able to see the slight smirk on the knight's face as he asked the question.
Merlin only laughed and gripped the knight's arms back as he spoke again."Yes,I'll be your manservant." He sounded excited as he couldn't help but smile. He didn't know why he hadn't accepted sooner - he would be able to use magic in this new kingdom,and he was foolish enough to think it over.
The dahlia in Merlin's had lost one of it's petals after Merlin spoke,the red petal floating down to the ground of the stable.
Morgana was about to burst into Arthur's chambers when her name was called out."Ah,Morgana!" Morgana growled under her breath and turned to see Uther walking towards her."I was looking for you everywhere." He explained.
"Were you?" Morgana asked,hoping that Uther had little to say. She needed to speak to Arthur,and her heart was hammering as the time ticked by.
Uther finally reached her,placing a gentle hand on her shoulder and started to guide her away from Arthur's chambers,but the lady refused and stood back a little."Morgana?" Uther asked,frowning lightly."I need to talk to you about-"
"Please,we must talk later." Morgana interrupted."I need to speak with Arthur,and it's urgent." She explained.
"I beg your pardon,Morgana?" Uther spoke,shock clear as day across his hagged face. He was about to say something else when he started to cough - and it wasn't a slight cough,but a deep,almighty one that made Morgana forget about speaking to Arthur and found great concern for Uther as he continued to cough.
"Are you ill?" Morgana asked as she patted the king on his back,trying to stop the coughing but Uther didn't stop coughing until a long while later,where he was on the brink of tears from the force of the painful coughs that sent a sharp pain in his ribs.
"I'm fine." Uther replied,although his breathing was rugged. Morgana could tell he was having difficulty breathing,and she decided to send him to Gaius for examination."Please,sire,we need to get you to Gaius." She explained,but Uther dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand.
"I'm fine,Morgana." Uther replied,but his comment failed as he started coughing again.
Morgana had no choice but to guide the king towards Gaius's quarters,evidently forgetting to tell Arthur about her dream as her concern over-ruled her panic. As they left,Morgana thought she heard a loud whinning from a horse,but quickly ignored it.
Hearing commotion outside,Arthur opened up his door to look,just as Morgana had left with his father. Even though there was nothing to see,Arthur left his chambers to find the other knights that were accompanying him on the hunting trip later this evening. They were to hunt in the forest lining Camelot,heading East as there was a greater population of animals in that area. The horses for the hunting trip were already saddled and stood near the gates,ready to be taken out.
The knights that Arthur had chosen were stood near the horses,laughing about something and sharing banter as they held the reins of the horses. When Arthur approached,they stopped laughing and greeted him with a small bow and a quick 'sire'.
"Where's Merlin?" Arthur asked. Merlin was meant to be joining with the hunting party,to carry the prince's equipment and use a sharp eye to spot animals that the knights usually never spotted. Arthur always took Merlin with him,since he could never have a general conversation with the knights. They weren't relaxed around him,and to Arthur,it was like talking to puppets that acted on your command. Whereas,the prince found with Merlin, the conversation was casual and they even shared a few laughs here and there as they camped out in the night,ready for hunting the next day.
The knights all shrugged,annoying the prince as he scanned the village from where he was stood,hoping to spot the male. He was always dawdling around somewhere. When he couldn't find him,Arthur decided to go search for him,instead of sending a useless messenger: they never seemed to do their job properly,and Arthur always found himself doing the job in the end.
Merlin was long gone when Arthur came round to the stables,with Laurence nowhere in sight. Arthur searched the stables,but his manservant was nowhere to be seen.
Arthur was about to leave when he noticed something red on the floor of the stables,drawing his attention. For a moment,he thought it was blood and he had to feverishly walk up to it in hopes that it wasn't. But,it was a petal. A measly petal.
Picking the petal up,Arthur examined it. There were no flowers near the stables for a while around,so he concluded that somebody must have brought it in when dealing with flowers,accidentally dropping a petal.
Yet,that idea seemed absurd."Why would there only be one petal? Surely,there would have been more dropped." Arthur said. He was going to drop the petal and leave it where he was,when he noticed that the petal was changing colour,from red to pallid grey. "Hm.." Arthur hummed,intrigued,then watched as the petal crumbled and turn to a small pile of ash. This,Arthur thought,wasn't the normal reaction of a petal,surely. It would take a while for a petal to wilt and rot,yet the petal simply..died in a second.
Arthur released the ash as his mind turned to the thought of magic. Somebody was using magic. Looking about the stables,thinking somebody was with him,he frowned. He couldn't just dismiss this act of magic,but he had a hunting trip to commence and a certain manservant to find.
Walking of the stables,Arthur made his way through the castle to get near the gates quicker,but when he heard laughter,he had to stop. That laugh had always been etched in his mind,and heart.
It was Merlin,and somewhere nearby by the sounds of it. Arthur rolled his eyes,"Doesn't he know he has a hunting trip to attend to?" He muttered,following the sound of Merlin laughing.
His stride stopped when he heard another laugh,nothing like Merlin's. It was more deep,and short-lived. Arthur shook his head,knowing full well who Merlin was with."Laurence.." Arthur muttered as he made it towards the place where the two were. He ended up in the gardens,where he had previously seen them talking.
Laurence was sat too close for comfort near Merlin for Arthur's liking,and - whatever they were talking about - he didn't care as he sauntered over,grabbed Merlin's forearm and started to drag him away,ignoring the comments from the knight.
Merlin seemed cheerful,which only made Arthur angrier at the thought of Laurence making him be that way.
"Arthur?" Merlin asked,alarmed as he was dragged away from a pleasant conversation."What are you doing?" He asked,looking back over his shoulder to see Laurence looking back at him."I'll see you later!" Merlin called out.
"Come along,Merlin." Arthur said,pulling Merlin all the way back to the gates where the knights instantly stood to attention,worriedly looking at the young warlock. They daren't say anything as they checked their saddles and mounted their horses as they waited for their prince to sort everything out.
Arthur waited until Merlin was on one of the horses,before he got on his own horse."Let's go." Arthur said,before pulling at his reins and guiding his horse into a run out of the gates,followed by the other knights and then Merlin.
Lady Morgana had brought Uther to Gaius's quarters where the old man instantly sat the king down and asked what had happened. Morgana explained how Uther had been coughing badly moments before,and was mentioning of a pain in his chest.
Gaius nodded."Right,I see." He said,before placing two fingers on the king's wrist to check his pulse. The pulse had sped up,even though Morgana walked slowly to Gaius."And this has just started,sire?" He asked.
Uther briefly looked at Morgana before shaking his head."No." He began,seeing the saddened look on Morgana's face."I've had this dreaded coughing for a while now,but the pain in my chest is new." He explained,and both Gaius and Morgana could hear how wheezy his voice was,and how long the gaps were inbetween the king's words. It wasn't pleasing,so Gaius gave the remainder of the day trying to find out what was wrong with Uther.
Morgana had forgotten entirely about her dream,until Gaius produced some sort of herb from a drawer. This sparked off her memory,even if it was a herb,it still reminded her about the flower in her dream. She stood up from the chair she was sitting on.
"What's the matter,my dear?" Gaius asked,noticing the panic look in the lady's eyes.
"Has Arthur left for the hunting trip yet?" Morgana asked. She knew that Merlin must have accepted the flower,since it was quite a while ago when she seen him with the knight.
"Yes." Uther replied,instead."He should have left a while ago with three other knights,and his manservant. Why do you ask,Morgana?" He questioned,until Gaius told him not to speak as much so that he could get an accurate reading on the test he was doing.
Morgana muttered,'Oh God..' under her breath. Gaius looked at her with a small frown."Why,what has Merlin done this time?" He asked,making Morgana smile briefly. Merlin was always getting into trouble,and she found it humorous that,at the mention of Arthur,Gaius instantly thought that Merlin had done wrong.
"Nothing,Gaius." Morgana said,quietly. She wouldn't be able to catch up with them,even if she would have to tell Arthur when he got back,since Merlin would be with him. She,however,didn't know the exact moments when the second half of her dream would set: the moment where Merlin was lying on the ground.
The hunting party had arrived in the middle of the forest: Arthur with Merlin besides him in front,and the three knights behind them for a second opinion whether Arthur or Merlin should spot an animal.
They had spotted a few animals along the way,stopped to kill them,but the animals out-smarted them and would run off quickly,leaving all the men frustrated with impatience. The forest had alot of animals running about this time of year,making it perfect for a hunting day.
After a while,Arthur noticed how happy Merlin looked."What are you smiling at,Merlin?" Arthur asked, deliberately bringing them both further away from the knights behind them,so he would be able to have a conversation with Merlin without them over-hearing.
Merlin shrugged."I just am." He replied,but that didn't do it for Arthur and he let out a long sigh.
"You do frustrate me sometimes,Merlin." Arthur commented,staring ahead as they both trotted along through the forest lining,a speed that wasn't recommended for hunting. But,Arthur didn't care as he had matters to settle with his manservant.
"And you too,Arthur." Merlin replied,laughing as he took his prince's comment as a joke.
They trotted on for a while longer,silence like lead between them as they searched through the lining of the trees to spot any animal. Merlin spotted a deer,and alerted everyone.
They all stopped their horses and dismounted,instantly getting the crossbows out to aim at the deer. Arthur was to aim first,then Merlin if he missed,then the knights.
The deer bent it's head down to eat some grass,unaware of the sudden attention to it's right. It didn't notice how quiet the forest had become,which it thought was normal as it moved to a fresh patch of grass. A whistling noise split through the air,and the deer had no time to react as it was hit by an arrow in it's side,making it panic and try to run,but a second arrow hit it.
"Well done,men." Arthur said as he watched the deer collapse."Collect it." He ordered to one of the knights. The deer was soon tied down across one of the knight's horses,and they all went on their way.
Over six hours had gone by and the hunting party had only scarce animals. Arthur noticed that his men were getting annoyed and restless,so he decided upon camping out for the night,then progressing at first light towards East. The knights agreed thoroughly and began to set up camp.
Soon,tents had been set up and the horses tied around the trees,with the equipment set inside the tents in case any stranger should steal them whilst they were asleep.
Merlin was collecting dry sticks to create a fire,only going so far as the lining of the trees where they'd set up camp,since he didn't want to stray too far and get lost. He got the fire going easily and the knights all huddled around it,since the night was drawing cold and the warmth of the fire relaxed the hunting party,resting their aching limbs from riding their horses hours on end. The knights had all taken off their armour,but Arthur remained with his on: it was better safe than sorry in the dead of night.
Arthur made to sit down on a trunk when he noticed that Merlin's back was towards him,standing near the edge of the trees and completely ignoring the warmth of the fire.
"Merlin?" Arthur asked,walking over to him when he knew the other knights were too busy talking to notice them. He stood near his manservant and noticed that he was holding some sort of red flower in his hands,staring down at it."Where ever did you get that flower from?" Arthur asked,noticing the colour of the flower,reminding him of the petal he found in the stables - but he dismissed that.
Merlin finally looked up at his prince."Laurence gave it to me." He answered,not knowing the effect it had on Arthur at the mention of the knight's name.
"Really?" Arthur said."How ridiculous." He commented,noticing the smile playing on Merlin's lips,which he frowned at.
Merlin had seemed different throughout the whole trip,Arthur noticed. His manservant seemed almost absent throughout the travel,and he didn't seem as interested as he usually was on a hunting trip. He didn't even look over at Arthur once.
There was something different and Arthur didn't like it,since he knew Merlin's personality like the back of his hand,and Merlin had definitely portrayed another side of himself. The usual glimmer in Merlin's eyes had snuffed out,replaced with an almost dull colour that Arthur didn't like,either. Although Merlin smiled,Arthur could see there was something going on. There had been no usual banter between the two,which the prince was mostly hoping to achieve.
And then Arthur thought back to the tournament,when Laurence mentioned he'd made an offer on Merlin which the manservant wouldn't be able to refuse."Merlin." Arthur spoke,taking Merlin's arm and guiding him further away from the knights who were too busy laughing to notice,anyway.
"Hm?" Merlin asked,his attention on the flower as he was guided away.
Arthur didn't know how to put his next question,so he watched as Merlin ran a finger across the dahlia. Merlin's expression was that of calm as he examined the dahlia.
"Are you.." Arthur began,his voice lowering,even though they were away from the knights." Are you happy in Camelot?" He asked,his voice casual to reassure his manservant that the truth was needed.
"Sometimes." Merlin replied,looking up at Arthur."But,a change is always nice." He added,smiling lightly.
"What do you mean?" Arthur asked,watching as the flames from the fire flickered across Merlin's eyes,highlighting the dull colour that seemed permanent. Arthur had never seen Merlin's eyes like this.
Merlin seemed hesitant as he looked down at the dahlia again."Laurence offered to make me a manservant in the kingdom he lives in." Merlin didn't mention the fact that Laurence was the prince there."And I accepted,because a change is always nice." He explained.
Merlin looked up again,failing to notice how one of the petals on the dahlia had fallen,floating to the ground near the young warlock's feet. The dahlia had only six petals left on it,with two gaps showing.
Arthur stared at Merlin with an unbelieving expression,his mind refusing to take in what his manservant just said. Instead,Arthur remained with a bored expression after he looked away from Merlin."Well,then." He began,his voice quiet as he stared out amongst the trees where the moonlight streamed silver through the gaps."..I hope you find it better." He added,refusing to meet Merlin's eyes as he turned away and walked back to the camp fire.
Another petal fell from the dahlia,leaving a further gap in the flower. Five petals remained,though the young warlock took no notice as he walked over to the camp fire and sat down himself.
The fire eventually died down and the three knights went off to sleep,along with Merlin who hadn't spoken since to his prince.
Arthur remained outside,his gaze intent on watching the fire dying down,leaving slight coloured embers amongst the wood as it finally snuffed out,the grey smoke rising up into the cold night sky. He sat with his elbows on his knees,and his hands clapsed together,pressed under his chin as he continued to stare at the now-dead fire.
It was a while before Arthur stood up and made his way over to where he and Merlin talked before-hand. The petals from the dahlia were still there and Arthur picked them up carefully,lifting them up to see them in the moonlight.
'No..' Arthur thought. 'Merlin simply wished to leave. Magic has no use.' He theorized as he placed the petals in the pocket of his pants. Arthur sighed - he suddenly felt sad all of a sudden,yet his cool demeanor took over and his mask was placed firm with a bored expression.
"It's Merlin's decision." Arthur spoke."..I don't need him anyway." He added with difficulty. His heart was telling him that it wasn't true,but his demeanor told him otherwise,saying that he could get another manservant.
The night drew colder as Arthur went to sleep.
The scene played out before the eyes of a figure that stood over a stand of water,her hands sweeping over the pure water as she focused on Arthur's thoughts. She could tell that the prince had a heavy heart,but his usual mask hid those feelings. She knew how his mask had slipped during the past couple of days - disappearing his normal bored and uncaring attitude,to be replaced with a jealous and love-stricken mind. This was where she wanted him: in a weak state,where he was unable to decide. How she found it interesting the way love could turn a strong man weak.
Her plan was working.
"And so it begins,Merlin." She whispered,smirking. The plan to rid of the young warlock was running smoothly,and the plan to leave the prince in an unsound mind and beaten heart availed.
Yes - and the fool had no idea what was happening.
"Merlin has accepted the flower as you wanted." A male voice behind her spoke."The spell has worked. He has accepted my offer,and I will be bringing him to you tomorrow morn,Nimueh."
"Thank you,Laurence." Nimueh spoke,the smirk growing colder as she heard the news she wanted."The poor prince thinks his manservant no longer wishes to be around him,and has found better interest - love,maybe." Nimueh mocked,laughing afterwards."And so the prince see's no danger in letting his little love-focus go."