CHAPTER 7 : BESEIGED BY RULES AND REGULATIONS
Merlin never woke him, Arthur did, an Arthur who had had a little drop more to drink than he usually did.
"Gaius...wake up."
"Merlin...? I was worried," mumbled a half asleep Gaius.
"Gaius, wake up. I want Merlin."
Realising that it was the other one bothering his sleep, he opened his eyes. Arthur was dressed in a loose shirt and trousers with a belt but with no jacket or boots.
He was making little sense and couldn't get into his head that Gaius didn't have Merlin hidden somewhere on his person. "He's not here, Arthur. I haven't seen him since I spoke to you last evening."
An unsteady Arthur sat down on the cot and said, "Bosh!"
Gaius thought. 'Well, at least his language is better when he is drunk!' He decided that Arthur would probably be there for the duration, so he got up, started a fire and put on the kettle. Going over to the table, he got a mug and taking a hangover remedy decided to incorporate it into a soothing herbal mixture. Arthur would need it in the morning, so he might as well start taking it now.
Arthur couldn't get it into his brain that Merlin was not in these chambers at nighttime. Gaius was being a fool by not telling him where he was. It was still his birthday and Gaius was playing silly games.
Finally, Gaius managed to get the drink down him and helped him to the extra cot near to the fire. He had the hardest time convincing him that he needed to remove his belt as it would dig into him when he was asleep. He wanted none of that, as he told Gaius in a conspiratorial whisper, "My trousers will fall down!"
Gaius assured him that the laces on his trousers would keep them up.
"OK!"
But when Gaius again tried to get him to part with his belt he wouldn't. He confided, "Gaius, Old Friend, I can't because, I will need it for my sword when I save Merlin."
In desperation Gaius said, "Suit yourself, but if you wake up tomorrow with the imprint of a belt buckle on your bottom, don't come crying to me."
"That sounds like a good plan and Gaius...if you see Merlin...tell him..." He toppled onto his side, dead to the world and was soon snuffling like a baby. Gaius got up and took a blanket and laid it over him tucking it in, in case he fell off the cot as he was now used to the royal sized bed.
Gaius thought, 'One down and one to go.' He smiled sadly, he realised that if Merlin had been in bed in his little chamber, everything would be alright with the world. He hadn't been, so it wasn't!
He lay down again and thought, 'He'll wake me up as he comes in.'
Apart from the servants in the kitchens and those looking after animals, the castle slept in late. Many of the knights wouldn't wake until afternoon as the celebrations had gone on into the early morning. Today, the squires started their summer holidays for a fortnight. The newly invested knights started their holiday for a month and for many it was considered the end of the year.
Gaius was up when the worried face of Daniel poked itself around the door. He breathed a sign of relief seeing the prince on the cot and Gaius mimed drinking to convey his master's condition. He whispered, "He'll be out for a few hours yet. Merlin and I will bring him back to you when he's able to walk straight."
Daniel left and Gaius realised that Merlin hadn't woken him up. He tiptoed up the stairs and peeked into the room, as empty as it had been the night before. Now, he had an unsettling feeling, Merlin was sensitive and his magic could make him highly strung. He knew there had been something wrong yesterday. He should have advised him to skip the banquet and turn in early.
Merlin was chilled and damp. He had spent the night curled up under the royal stands. He knew of nowhere else to go. He had wanted to curl up in Arthur's little gold, red and white pavilion but he was worried about the impropriety, the forwardness of occupying a prince's personal pavilion. Why was life so hard!
It was the sound of the men walking over his head, removing the throne, which had woken him. He had no idea what time it was but at least he knew where he was. He knew the when and the where but he was a little confused as to the how, the what and the why?
He crawled out the back and knelt pretended to fix the strap on his boot. One man glanced at him but paid him no heed. He walked back across the tournament grounds to the pump, got the water running and put his head under it. It was cold and woke him up. Some old chap said, "Good Morning, you must be one of the few without a hangover after the prince's birthday celebration. Heard it was a right royal party!"
Merlin smiled at the old fellow. The majority of the citizens of Camelot were friendly souls. He was feeling a little better and very hungry. He still had a job, well, he hoped he did, and he would just stay out of Arthur's way. That decided, he made his way to Gaius's chambers.
Coming up the last flight to the chambers, he thought he saw Daniel on his way down the corridor. He decided that as he was going to be in Gaius's bad books that he should tap on the door and wait for a command to enter. He tapped softly and heard a hushed, "Come in!"
He cracked open the door and put his head in ready to make a quick exit if something was thrown at him. Nothing was, so he slowly slid the rest of his body into the room. As soon as he saw the look on Gaius's face, he was shocked. Gaius looked so sad and only a little relieved at seeing him. He felt guilty.
Merlin reacted, as he would have to that look on his Mam's face, he walked across the room and allowed Gaius to hug him. It felt good. He'd been forgiven and Gaius still wanted him in his life.
At that exact moment, Arthur snored and Gaius, if he hadn't still had his hand on Merlin, would have lost him out of the door. "Sit! You and I have some talking to do before the sleeping beauty over there, wakes up."
"What happened? You seemed so happy here, always bubbly and in good spirits. I watched you at the tournament. You were really enjoying it until Arthur made eye-contact with you and you refused to look at him, ignoring him and dropping your head. What was that about? It was rude, Merlin."
"How did you see that?"
"I was standing at the end of the arena and could see both of you. Arthur looked for a second as if you had slapped his face, then regained his composure and left the arena. He swung around when he dismounted and tried again but you were looking back towards the castle.
Then, at his birthday celebration, you were beside me and I know that you saw him coming." Merlin went to say something but Gaius brushed him off, "Don't lie to me. You must have walked away. Merlin, what are you playing at?"
"Nothing. I don't want his attention. It's too difficult. I just want to be with you and learn from you. I don't want to be considered to be acting beyond my station and of being too forward, if I am with Arthur."
"Merlin, Arthur has been through some really rough times recently. Never, had he forgotten you. It was always 'that Merlin boy'. You were in so many of his conversations. Where did I think you lived? Would the two of you every meet up again? Would you still like him? Did you still grin? Why couldn't he find your village? Listen to me! Don't turn away from him now. Give it time, if it is supposed to be a friendship let it grow; if not let it die slowly and don't walk out on him as you did yesterday."
Gaius swung him around, "Look at him, he came here last night half dressed and drunk, worried about you. He accused me of hiding you away from him. He even talked about protecting you. Look at him!"
Merlin glanced at the sleeping Arthur, one hand thrown behind his head, the other across his chest, tucked into bed like a baby. Before he realised what he was doing, the nine year old in Merlin had walked forward smiling and brushed the hair off the sleeping eleven year olds forehead.
Turning to Gaius, his hand on Arthur's head, he grinned, "He's not so bad when he's fast asleep, is he?"
Gaius smiling to himself, poured some hot water in a pot and added oatmeal. Breakfast as usual.
Arthur finally stirred in time for lunch. Merlin watched him as he woke up. He opened his eyes saw where he was and sighed, closing them again. Then they flashed open and he sat up. He put his hand to his head and said, "Ooh!" and promptly closed his eyes and fell back.
Merlin walked over and sat on the cot. "Rough night, Arthur?"
Arthur turned and his face lit up. "I thought you were gone!" He closed his eyes, thought for a while and then continued, "What was wrong yesterday, Merlin? Were you disappointed with me when I didn't win the jousting? Is that why you dropped your eyes and didn't return my smile? That hurt. I'd done my very best..."
Merlin swallowed, "I thought that you were brilliant but I have to be careful as I am a servant and you are the crown prince. You shouldn't look at me like that, it will cause people to talk."
Gaius decided to let them work it out by themselves. He just kept working at his table, they both knew he was there and obviously trusted him.
"But, I am allowed to have my own friends."
"Not from my class! Your father would send me packing or even worse... Your friends must come from the knights like Romney and the senior squires like Spenser."
"But I feel that you are the friend I want, can't we just keep going the way we have. Gaius, Daniel and Sir Leon don't see anything wrong with your eating in my chambers."
"True, but some other people do."
"Who?"
"...people who know all about protocol and propriety. Arthur, they don't want me to call you by your name. It has been suggested that I call you Sire or Prince Arthur. I may only use your name when I am with certain people like Gaius and Sir Leon."
"Fuck them! It's my name and if I want you to use it, you will! No one can tell me, whom I can allow to call me by my own name! How would you like it if I called you Boy or Servant? It's not your name, you are Merlin now and forever. Unless I get cross with you and then I might call you..." He thought for a minute and said, "Peregrine. Get it Merlin, Peregrine another falcon?"
"I got it. But knowing you, it would more likely be Buzzard!" Merlin smiled happily. Arthur it was! He would be careful but forever, he would be Arthur to him. No Sire or Prince Arthur, yes, he might have to sometimes hide behind those titles but when they were with friends, he would be his Arthur.
Gaius shook his head, he recognised Merlin's references to the people who had told him to be careful. It was Geoffrey and he. He now knew what had caused all the troubles, Merlin had felt that they were forcing him to pull back from Arthur. They hadn't intended that, they were trying to forestall any future problems. If the boys felt so strongly about names, let them make the decision and just be careful.
Merlin's life settled into a routine with Gaius. He ran messages for him, delivered salves, tonics and the like. He accompanied him when he went to pick herbs from his little section of the kitchen vegetable garden or further afield when they collected wild varieties.
He was now quite comfortable in the castle. He knew many of the shortest routes between two points, thanks to the coaching from pages like Daffyd. He usually came back in the quickest time that was unless he was distracted and sometimes he was.
One day after dropping off books at the library, taking an article of clothing to the laundry, chatting with some of the laundry maids and getting caught by guards as he made his way on a shortcut through the bowels of the castle, he heard a pitiful crying. Being Merlin, a truly loving soul, he stopped and located the sound. He walked into a tiny dead end corridor and found a little girl, sitting in the corner, crying her heart out.
He walked over and not wanting to frighten her unduly, started to hum. The sound penetrated her brain and she looked up. He smiled and that gesture of kindness caused her to start crying again. He plonked himself down on the ground beside her and said, "I'm sure that together, we can right, what is wrong." She looked up at him and shook her head. "Well then," Merlin continued, "You tell me what it is and maybe, I will think of an idea."
In fits and starts, she told how her mother had been accused of sorcery and the king had had her burned at the stake. She wasn't a sorceress, just a woman who helped deliver babies and looked after children and people."
Merlin felt a shiver go down his back, she was describing his mother, "But, how did you get here?"
"I came with my big brother but we were separated during the tournament and I can't find him."
Merlin stood up. "Come along, I know someone who can help find your brother." He put out his hand and pulled the girl into a standing position. She was really small and he figured she was no older than eight. "I'm Merlin and whom do I have the honour of addressing?"
She giggled, giving a shy smile and said, "Dove."
"Well, there you are then, we were meant to meet as we are both called after birds."
Putting his arm around her shoulders, he led her to the one person he knew who could solve all problems.
"Gaius!"
"Merlin, what in heaven's name has taken you so long? Three people have been searching for you. Spenser obviously has nothing to do and wanted you to join him, presumably to also do nothing. I told him I didn't know where you were. Then Sir Romney is going to Eaglescrag this afternoon and wondered if you would like to tag along as he has three pages with him. He said to tell you that the scenery is great and he wanted some adult company and finally Daniel dropped by to say that the prince was bored and could he see you."
Gaius, looked at Merlin and smiled, "Didn't realise that my assistant had such a busy social calendar."
Merlin shrugged. In order of preference, he'd like to join Sir Romney on an outing, maybe taking Spenser with him and last but not necessarily least, deal with Arthur. Then he got a brilliant idea. Maybe Arthur and Spenser would like to get away from the castle with Romney. He knew he'd like that. Then he remembered the little girl, he had left standing outside Gaius's door. He realised she'd be frightened by herself.
"Gaius, I have a problem can I bring her into the chambers?"
"Not, if it's alive and covered with feathers or even fur. I am a human physician. Arthur always brought me all sorts of injured and sick things, why one day we had a kid in the little courtyard as its mother had died and the farmer had wanted to dispatch...
As Gaius droned on, Merlin had gone to the door and pulled in the little girl and stood her in front of him and then looked up at Gaius.
Gaius's jaw dropped. "Oh, Merlin, not you too!"
"Gaius, it's not what you are thinking." Merlin smiled and shook his head at him. "I found her downstairs. She's been separated from her brother and is lost."
Merlin thought it had probably seemed strange to see him standing with a little girl but really, did Gaius think he was stupid. His Mam had taught him well. That was one thing in which he had absolutely no interest. He had thought that Gaius knew him better than that after all these months. A wife and the married life were not in his future, well, not in his immediate future.
Gaius then recognised the girl. She and an older boy had been in the courtyard, months ago when another innocent woman was killed because she was a healer. They had caught his attention as they had clung to each other never speaking a word, eyes huge and faces vacant of emotion. He'd tried to find them later but they had wandered off with the crowd.
He beckoned the girl over saying, "...and who do we have here?"
"Dove, sir."
"And what is your brother's name?"
Dove's eyes filled up with tears and she whispered, "Tommy!"
"Well, Dove, sit by the fire and we are going to see about finding your Tommy. What does he like to do?" Gaius knew that during the summer tournament, lots of jobs were available for young people who wished to earn a few coppers.
"He likes horses. He wanted to work for a knight."
Gaius smiled and thought, 'Didn't every kid who liked horses want to work for the knights?' He turned to Merlin and said, "Go to the stables and see if any extra boys were working there over the last couple of days, who might still be hanging around. Then find Spenser and the two of you visit all the stables in the lower town, inns, alehouses and even blacksmiths and see what you can turn up. Go, now."
Turning to the little girl, he said, "You my dear, look as if a big bowl of oatmeal might be just what you need."
Dove looked up and smiled.
Just after lunch, Spenser and Merlin returned with one very quiet boy in tow. Dove jumped out of her seat and threw herself at 'her' Tommy.
Gaius said to Merlin, "If you and Spenser still want to go off with Romney, you've got time. Go to the stables and meet him there. I'll look after these two.
"...and Arthur?"
Gaius said knowingly to Merlin, "If the crown prince can't find something to amuse himself in all of Camelot, why does he think that you might be able to?"
Merlin and Spenser left and Gaius mixed some more oatmeal for Tommy.
By the end of the afternoon, Gaius was feeling quite pleased with himself. He had found a job as a Castle Farm stable boy's assistant for Tommy, advancement was guaranteed for a capable lad and food and accommodations were provided.
Dove had been introduced to Lady Elizabeth's maidservant who was a friend of Tilly. She had her hands full with the arrival of her mistress's twin boys. She agreed that she could use all the help available and was pleased to have the opportunity to train a young girl to her standards. Dove would also receive accommodation and food. More importantly, they knew where each other was working and they could see each other.
Feeling exceptionally pleased with himself. Gaius poured a little mead and took himself out into his courtyard to enjoy the late afternoon sun. He couldn't bring back their beloved mother but he was able to give them a safe place to live and opportunities which many other young people would have loved.
Merlin returned to find Gaius setting the table. He had had a wonderful afternoon, loved the company of the knight, the squire and the pages, who were hilarious. He'd also been very impressed with the horse he had ridden. A little chestnut gelding, so much more responsive than the big farm horse which he had sometimes ridden bareback in Ealdor. He decided that he might ask Arthur if he could borrow a horse and do some more riding.
He was pleased to hear that Gaius had been able to find placement for the two children. He reminded himself that if ever in the future, he should have a problem which he felt was way beyond his abilities to fix, he knew someone who had problem fixing down to an art.
He smiled at Gaius and went to get the trays from the kitchen worker when he tapped on the door. He was hungry. Then he momentarily wondered, if Arthur had found anything to alleviate his boredom...
