AN: Hello! I'm still on the road but I managed to get one chapter done! Sorry it is a bit short. The exciting stuff really starts happening in the next chapter, I promise.
Anyhoo... In other news, I have been beginning work on my next fic as we drive (I really don't like going back and forth once I've got something started on a computer, so when I leave my computer I usually start something new... Plus I don't have to constantly be watching parts of Mirror Mirror for this one ;)) and would like to know if there is anything you lot would like to see in a Thief!Merlin fic. It is going to be rated T and it will be Merthur, but if there is anything any of you are interested in that fits with that I could try to get it in. I have a pretty good idea of how it is going to work, my plan exists (so I have a basic layout for the chapters) and I have written most of the first four chapters. I really like it, but I want to make it good for everyone, so if you want to give me some advice, now would be a great time to do it! You can review or PM any suggestions, whatever you feel most comfortable with.
So, I will be travelling a bit more, so there probably won't be much more of this before I get home... Sorry about that, but it won't be long now. I think there will be three more chapters-ish? Thanks for all the reviews and support! There aren't a whole lot of people reading this fic, but I love every one of you!
And of course, I don't own Merlin or Mirror Mirror. That takes a lot more money than I have...
Chapter Six: Dog Days
Alined had been having a rather good day. That was before Prince Arthur and the soldiers he had brought with him came back to the palace, all in only their undergarments. Arthur looked especially ashamed, seeing as this was the second time he had appeared before the king like this.
"Prince Arthur," Alined sighed, "we must stop meeting like this."
Arthur shuffled slowly, looking completely embarrassed as he said, "The bandits took us by surprise."
"So you went out looking for them," Alined said with an exasperated tone, "and they still took you by surprise?"
"Yes." Mumbled Arthur, looking down at his bare feet and trying to cover his chest as much as he could with his arms alone. "I must admit we were out skilled. Their leader was incredibly ruthless and cunning, and he used magic."
"He used magic?" Alined replied, "Are you sure?
"Yes. He was Prince Merlin." Arthur said, sounding quite certain.
Alined burst into laughter. The prince had to be mistaken. Merlin was dead, he was certain of it. As he stopped laughing he heard Trickler say, "That is impossible. Merlin is dead."
"No." Arthur said looking around at the men with him for support, "He's not. It was definitely Merlin."
"You were in the forest, it was dark, I think we should open ourselves up to the possibility that it was just someone who looked a lot like the late Prince Merlin." Trickler said, sounding much more nervous than Alined liked. And Arthur looked so sure of himself, could it be possible that his most trusted servant had betrayed him for the lousy, waste-of-space, Prince?
"What a fun surprise." Alined murmured, as Trickler whispered, "Agree to disagree."
"You told me he was dead." Arthur said, stepping forward and looking quite angry.
"He said he was dead." Alined said, gesturing to Trickler and getting more and more frustrated by the minute.
"I wish I was dead." whispered Trickler, but he went ignored as Arthur said, "You said he was mad."
"He is mad, not as mad as I am right now" Alined growled. He needed to talk to the mirror. It should have told him Merlin was still alive.
"Well, what is it, he's mad or he's dead? He seemed completely sound of mind to me as he led his troop of dwarfs-"
"Dwarfs?" Alined asked, cutting Arthur off mid-sentence. "I thought you said they were giants?"
"They are." Arthur said, blushing a brilliant red as he tried to cover up his mistake. "They're giant dwarfs. They're big, but sometimes small." Arthur mumbled out the last bit.
"Well I feel I have been deceived." Alined said. He was going to continue but he was cut off by Arthur shouting, "NO! I have been deceived. I am being misled, either by you or Merlin, and I want to know what is really going on, NOW!"
Alined glared at the prince who would have been perfect if it wasn't for his constant digging around in things that were definitely not his business. He needed another love potion, damn the consequences. He took a deep breath and said, "Very well. Come to my chambers this evening and I will tell you everything."
"Really?" Arthur replied, apparently he hadn't expected to get a positive answer so easily.
Alined just nodded before leaving the throne room and rushing back to his chambers. He only had a few hours to get a love potion from the stubborn piece of glass and make certain Merlin would not live to see the morning.
When he reached his chambers, he didn't hesitate, rushing into the secret room that held the magic mirror. He whispered the words that were required to allow him to pass through, and walked through the rippling glass, not even glancing around at the sudden change of scenery as he walked into the shack that housed the man in the mirror.
"You knew Merlin was alive!" He shouted, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I thought it would be more fun for you to find out this way." The mirror said in an infuriatingly calm voice.
"I want him dead. And I want Trickler dead." Alined growled.
"You shouldn't kill Trickler, where would you be without your executive bootlicker?"
"You're right. But he needs to suffer for betraying me for that sniveling, pale brat."
"There will be a price." The mirror replied cryptically.
"I don't care, I want it done!" Alined shouted.
The mirror faded for a moment, showing Trickler as he drank something in one of the halls of the palace. The mirror snapped his fingers, and suddenly Trickler shrunk and started growing extra arms. When the spell was complete, his servant was nothing more than a cockroach, scurrying across the clean palace floors. Alined smirked. That made him feel slightly better, but there still was the matter of Prince Arthur to sort out.
"I need more of the love potion, the one I used on Merlin's mother." Alined said.
"You used that all up." The mirror replied quietly.
"I don't care, make me some more!"
"You ask for too much, do not forget that there will be a price to pay for using magic every time you want something you cannot have."
"I know, I know. Just give me the potion, or I will break you into a thousand little pieces!" Alined shouted. The mirror just laughed quietly and said, "Very well. But do not be angry at me when the time comes you must pay for your misuse of my powers."
A small vile appeared on the table at the center of the hut, which Alined grabbed greedily, tucking it away in the safety of his coat before leaving the mirror. He was sick of the constant condescending tone and incessant warnings. Didn't the mirror understand that he was its master, and it had to obey him? Maybe after he got the prince to marry him, he could break the infernal thing, and finally be free of its nagging.
Arthur didn't want to be alone with the king, but he wanted to learn to truth, so he found himself entering the large chambers that belonged to the king just after the sun set. King Alined was waiting for him wearing some horrid flowing robe that Arthur was afraid would not cover him completely if he made any sudden movements. Arthur coughed slightly to announce his presence and said, "You said you would tell me the truth, your highness."
"Yes. I did, didn't I?" Alined said, gesturing to the seat on the couch next to him and holding out a silver cup. Arthur moved to stand next to him but did not take the offered seat or drink. "No thank you." Arthur replied quickly, "I only came here to learn the truth about Prince Merlin and this kingdom."
Alined smiled at him, but the smile did not look completely genuine, as he stood to be closer to Arthur. "It is quite the long tale. Merlin lost his father at a young age and never really was quite right after then. I remarried his mother of course. Are you sure you wouldn't like something to drink? I feel it is only right we offer some tribute before we speak of the dead."
Arthur was beginning to think he would need some alcohol just to get through this conversation, so he gave in, taking the silver cup from Alined's extended hand and downing it in one gulp. It felt miraculous. No drink had ever worked quite so quickly, as he felt a strange warmth spread through his body and he began to feel a slight dizziness. Unfortunately, the dizziness quickly became stronger, till Arthur fell, knocking himself out on the hard ground.
Alined waited patiently for Arthur to rise. He really should have made sure the prince was sitting before he drank the potion, the same thing had happened with Hunith. The power of the potion knocked the drinker out momentarily before they woke with a newfound love of the intended subject of affection, in this case, Alined.
"Prince Arthur?" Alined called out quietly. He could just see Arthur's extended feet as he sat down on the bed, spreading his robe out suggestively. If all went right he would be able to use the prince's body to relieve some of the stress that had been building ever since he learned Merlin was still alive. He frowned briefly as he thought of his stepson, before he smiled again as he saw Arthur's legs begin to twitch. Suddenly he heard a strange panting. That certainly hadn't happened with Hunith. When Arthur shot up, sitting on all fours, Alined knew something was wrong. His suspicions were confirmed as Arthur jumped on top of him shouting "MASTER!" and began licking his face.
"Stop!" Alined cried out, confused and slightly disgusted by this sudden behavior. On a strange hunch he yelled "SIT!"
The command worked, Arthur was sitting at the edge of his bed, looking as if he was having quite a hard time staying still. His legs were shaking and he was letting out a strange whimpering noise. Alined reached into his pocket to pull out the empty bottle that had held the love potion. As he turned the small glass vial from the side that said 'love' in loopy letters, and noticed the picture of a tiny dog on the opposite side.
"Puppy love?" Alined said, he was going to get that mirror for this. "What am I supposed to do with a puppy?"
Arthur turned towards him, looking quite excited and said, "Oh, you could rub my tummy, or take me on walks, or, or, you could throw sticks, and I could retrieve them! We are going to have so much fun master!"
Alined rolled his eyes and said, "Yes, but what I really need you to do is marry me."
"Yes." Arthur replied quickly, causing Alined to turn towards him in surprise. "I will do that. I will because I love you to the ends of the earth. I love you across the seven seas. You're my master!"
Alined found himself with a lap full of Arthur once more as the enchanted prince tried to lick his face once more. Alined groped around, feeling for something he could use to distract the prince. His hand landed on a pillow, which he flung from his window. Arthur sat up as the object dropped down, watching its descent with wide eyes.
"Go get it." Alined said, gesturing towards the window. Arthur rushed to the window to look down at where the pillow had fallen, and turned back to Alined, who gestured him away. Arthur took off down the halls, leaving Alined alone to ponder this new development.
"Well, there are pros and cons to this." Alined mumbled before collapsing onto his large bed to think about his upcoming wedding.
Merlin sat around outside with his new friends. They had decided to eat outside as it was a beautiful night, even if it was a bit chilly. They had been laughing and joking until Gwaine ran back with news from the village.
"The king's getting married!" Gwaine shouted, taking his set at the table.
"To who, the Lady Catrina?" Merlin asked, laughing a bit as he imagined Alined with the troll-like woman.
"No." Gwaine said, as he tried to catch his breath.
"Who else would want to marry Alined?" Merlin said, completely confused.
"He's marrying that prince you fought. Arthur, right?"
"What?" Merlin mumbled. That couldn't be right. Arthur wouldn't marry his stepfather, would he? He had thought the prince loved him, could he have been so mistaken. He barely heard Percival ask for someone to pass the potatoes as he was lost in his grief-stricken mind. "Why would he do that?"
"Why would you care?" Gwaine replied sounding quite confused and receiving glares from both Lancelot and Leon, who seemed to realize something the others hadn't. Merlin did his best to hold back tears as he asked, "When's the wedding?"
"Tomorrow, down by the lake. It's going to be a private little affair." Gwaine muttered. He seemed ashamed of being the bearer of the news that had Merlin so miserable.
"I'm sorry, I have to go." Merlin muttered leaving the table and heading into the woods. He didn't go too far, just far enough that the dwarfs wouldn't hear him crying at the loss of the man he had thought he loved. He knew it was stupid, Arthur hadn't promised him anything, but to lose his first love so quickly was a little difficult for him. He could just hear what the dwarfs said as Elyan asked, "What's the matter with him?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Lancelot replied. "He loves the prince."
"Loves him? They were trying to kill each other yesterday." Elyan said, chuckling slightly.
"What do you think love is?" Lancelot replied, softly.
"Love is someone passing the potatoes." Percival said. Merlin would have smiled at that if he wasn't so depressed.
"I love you, Perce." Leon said, and Merlin heard a brief thud and Lancelot say, "Thanks, Leon."
"I was aiming for Percival." Leon replied, making Merlin think Leon must have thrown a potato at Percival, and had missed, hitting Lancelot who was sitting next to the hungry dwarf.
"Of course." Lancelot replied. Merlin ran further into the forest, he needed to get away from the seven men discussing his failed crush.
