CHAPTER 9 : OLDE LONDON TOWNE
Merlin didn't remember much about Saturday, in the afternoon they'd gone to the British Museum. He did remember marvelling at the modern architecture in the extension and the mummies in the Egyptian Halls but it was Arthur at every turn who caught his eye. The three of them chatted as they wandered. Merlin mentioned the number of parents with children. Arthur said, "Well, you should see it during the school year, there are always busloads of kids here with teachers and supervisors."
Merlin said, "I once went with my uncle Gaius to Warwick Castle and I think I enjoyed it more because of the children. The looks on their faces were matchless. They thoroughly enjoyed all the exhibits and the comments made between them and their teachers were really amusing. I think that maybe if I hadn't gone into the legal side of finances, I might have liked being a teacher. If you get a sympathetic class, it must be really great fun…"
"And, if you don't?" said Lance.
"Hell on earth!" said Merlin with a smile.
"Sir, Sir, Johnny is pulling my hair, Sir!" added Arthur.
"Sir, I need to pee right now!" Lance insisted in a childlike voice. Merlin laughed as he noticed an older couple give the man a strange look in passing.
"I'm hungry! I want to go home! My Nan says all teachers are a load of crap!"
Merlin swung on Arthur and said, "They are not! I had a great teacher when I first came to Swansea, Miss Mansfield was so kind and helped me catch up to the others as I was advanced for my age group and just needed a little nudge to be in the next level."
Arthur said, putting his arm across Merlin's shoulders and looking deeply into his eyes, "If you give me the chance, I can help you catch up!"
Merlin checked that Lance wasn't listening then said pleadingly, "Oh Sir, would you? Yes, please."
"It might entail some after school tutoring and possibly homework," Arthur said with a grin.
"Sir, I would quite happily put myself into your capable hands." Realising what he had just said, he pulled away saying, "Arthur, that came out wrong, didn't it?"
"No, it sounded fine to me but don't worry, just like with your teacher, you and I'll take little steps…"
Lance turned around and said, "Come on you two, we'll never get to Tower, at the rate you're dawdling."
-0-0-
Merlin had enjoyed the Tower; he hadn't told either of the others but in many of the areas, including the scaffold site and the Lower Wakefield Tower, he had a continual feeling that he was not in the present but in the past. He wouldn't have been able to explain it but he had experienced the feeling before, most strongly at Stonehenge and again in a field in Wales. It didn't frighten him per se, it just make him super conscious of what had happened in these places almost to the point of feeling that he'd been there and would be able to answer questions about the people involved. It was just a little unusual but had figured that maybe everyone felt this way one time or another.
"Earth to Merlin! Earth to Merlin!" Arthur said to him finally.
Lance added, "You're miles away. It's getting spooky…"
Merlin grinned, "I'm all right, just sort of overwhelmed by everything. Did I miss something? Anyway, I'm hungry and I want to go to that little pub on the Thames near Execution Dock, where smugglers were chained against the lower dock walls until three tides had come in over them."
"That sounds macabre. If they survived the first, were they left chained there until the second and third?" Lance asked.
He shrugged, "I guess so, after all they were there to die!"
Arthur said, "You, Merlin, have a very warped sense of adventure. As it happens I know where the dock is and you're right, there's a pub there. Let's go."
Merlin insisted on going down the steps to see the rings. He could see that the steps disappeared into the murky water. He shivered; his mind rebelling at the idea that men were left chained as the tide came in. The pub food was good but it did little to quell his over active imagination.
-0-0-
That evening they sat around watching old television shows until Lance said that he was tired and turning in.
Merlin said, "I want to see one more show."
Arthur said, "I'm game to watch the next episode too. Lance, do you want something to drink. Chocolate milk?" He saw Merlin drop his head and blush.
Lance refused and went off quite happily as he intended to phone Libby to give her the time of their arrival in Paris.
Arthur moved over and sat closer to Merlin his arm across his shoulder and played with his hand twining and untwining their fingers. During the commercials, he leant over and kissed him, Merlin turned into the kiss and responded. When they broke off, Arthur said, "Quick learner, are we, Merlin?"
Merlin smiled mumbling, "Took to it like a duck to water!" He kissed down Arthur's chin and along to his ear. He hummed against it driving Arthur crazy. "How long have you known you liked me?"
"From the first time I sat opposite you at Jack's. I couldn't take my eyes off you. I had been asking around about you after I gave you the lift, as I knew you were at work but never bumped into you. Then you appeared in the pub, my lucky day…and you?"
"I had hoped you'd pick me up again in the rain but it never happened and then you suddenly walked across the floor in the pub and everyone else went out of focus and I could see only you."
The television show went on regardless and Arthur was driving Merlin crazy but making circles on his back. Merlin suddenly realised that Arthur was kissing his shoulder and making his way lower onto his chest. He shifted his weight and Arthur said, "Ow! Your elbow is razor sharp. Move over a little." Arthur managed to move Merlin so the two of them were lying side by side on the couch. He still had his arm around him and had no intention of letting him go. Merlin snuggled into him and sighed.
"Arthur, I never thought it would be this peaceful in London."
Arthur smiled, "Merlin, you brought the peace with you." He kissed him and continued, "Life won't always be this peaceful you know."
Merlin snuggled even closed to Arthur, driving him crazy by playing with the buttons on his shirt but not going any further. Arthur tucked Merlin's head under his chin resting his head on his hair. Smiling he thought, 'Good things come to all men who wait!' then he thought, 'But how long can I wait?' He smiled, he was happier than he had been in a long time… He finally sent Merlin to bed around three.
"Can't we move into your room?"
"No, not yet! Anyway we might waken Lance. I think we need a little time together before we make it public. Don't you?"
"But my bed will be cold; we could just cuddle couldn't we?"
Arthur knew that if he had Merlin in a bed that only cuddling would be out of the question. He pushed him out of the lounge and down the hallway, stopping half way to give him another kiss and say, "It'll be something to look forward to in Paris."
-0-0-
Merlin tossed and turned but couldn't fall asleep. He felt bereft of company. He was missing arms around him and he realised that he had fallen hard for Arthur.
He was being hustled forward. He was cold and the river air did nothing to help him. He felt himself pushed, arms chained in front of him toward a flight of stairs,. He had hoped that his good looks might have persuaded some of the more comely members of the crowd but not so and a mouldy cabbage hit his ear, leaving a trail of slime. Slowly they descended; the steps were now slime covered, there was a shelf and he was shuttled along it. A man roughly padlocked his chained hands to a ring in the wall beside him Gawaine was also attached. They were up to their knees in water and he knew that it was low tide on the Thames.
With much joviality, the crowd left them. Someone said sarcastically, "We'll check on you later tonight."
An old lady cackled, "See you, my beauties, tomorrow morning…or not!" The sound of the cackling faded away as did the crowd. There would be nothing to see but two men straining at their chained hands until at least eleven o'clock.
Merlin looked at the slime on the wall. It was two feet over his head but bone dry, however at shoulder height it was damp. He figured that at that height it was possibly that he wouldn't drown tonight and have to wait until the following noon tide. The water was now up to his thighs. He looked at Gawaine who remained composed, smiling cheekily saying, "We're in a pretty pickle! But, it's been great knowing you and we did have some runs of good fortune!"
Merlin said, "Can't say, that I'm going to miss all the bad things in life, but friends and family will be a sad loss." He could feel the water seeping into his trousers. It was cold and he involuntarily shivered. The water was now sloshing around his waist and spraying his face as each wavelet hit the wall in front of him. He heard a splash and a rat swam by stopping momentarily to walk across his shoulders as if to dry its feet.
He turned and watched it make its way to Gawaine but he shrugged his shoulders and it lost its footing slipping beneath the water to appear a little further along before scaling the wall up to the steps. Gawaine smiled at him saying, "Keep your chin up, Merlin!" and he meant it literally.
The water was now neck deep and as each wave carried it higher, he thanked his luck that this night was to be a high tide. He knew that there were people above him and on the steps just beyond the tide line. He was floating held down by the chains on his wrists. He tried stretching his head as far as he could. The blood was pounding in his ears and he screamed allowing water to fill his mouth, he tried blowing it out but the Thames wouldn't cooperate…
He woke to Arthur, pulling the covers off his face saying, "Merlin! Stop it! It's a dream…you're safe in bed." He felt arms around him and he relaxed gasping for air.
"What was it, mate?" asked Lance.
Merlin suddenly looked up at them and said, "Gawaine…did you get Gawaine?"
Arthur looked at him saying, "It was a dream, Merlin, Gawaine wasn't there just you and some blankets."
"I couldn't breath…we were chained and being drowned by the tide." He continued taking deep breaths.
Lance said, "It was your choice to go down the stairs to see the rings. I told you not to…"
Merlin looked sheepishly and said, "Guess, I learned my lesson." He liked having Arthur sitting beside him on the bed but he said, "I'm all right now. Go back to bed, what time is it?"
Looking at his watch, Arthur said, "Five thirty…go back to sleep."
"Don't worry, about him, Arthur, I'll throw a pillow at him the next time he starts to scream."
Merlin grinned, he'd got over the shock of the dream but would have liked for Arthur to have said that he'd slip in beside him to keep him company. He didn't, he just stood and said, "See you in the morning…" but Merlin felt that by the look in his eyes, he had wanted to say more…
-0-0-
He woke to the sun filled room for a second a little disoriented until he realised he was at Arthur's. Lance came out of the bathroom shaking the water out of his hair. He said, "It's already eight and we have the noon train to catch so you'd better get up."
Merlin rolled out of bed; he vaguely remembered having a bad dream but couldn't at that moment have told anyone what it had been about. He stretched and grabbed for his toiletries, smiling at the bag with the knights and dragons motif which his mother had got for him in Tintagel. That has been a wonderful holiday and the feeling had remained with him for months.
Lance spying the bag had said, "Aw, Merlin, still hoping to find a knight in shining armour?"
Grinning he said, "Well, do you think you have found your princess in Libby?"
Lance said seriously, "Yes, I think I might have!"
"My sincere congratulations, Sir Knight!" he said as laughing he made his way to the bathroom. When he was showered, dressed and had his hair almost under control, he made his way to the kitchen. Lance and Arthur were at the table both with their heads in the Sunday papers.
Without looking up, Arthur said, "There's cereal in the left cupboard but if you want a cooked breakfast there's only eggs, help yourself, bread and toaster on the counter."
Merlin said, "And good morning to you too, Arthur…" Arthur looked up at him and winked making Merlin overfill his cereal bowl. What was wrong with him that a solitary wink from another man could make him feel weak in his knees and lose control of his hands? As Arthur wasn't looking at him he took the time to study him. He was certainly above average looking. When he smiled, it lit up his face and he looked kind and welcoming. He realised suddenly that Lance was watching him and he coughed and pulled out a chair to join them at the table.
After a second coffee each, they packed their bags and waited in the hall for Arthur to do a last check of the flat. He explained that it had belonged to his great aunt but it had been one of two properties left to his sister and him in her will. His sister wanted nothing to do with it, preferring the little cottage in the Cotswolds so they had each signed off the other's choice. Arthur unknown to her was undyingly grateful. It suited his lifestyle, a place to escape from the family and entertain whomever and whenever he wished. He locked up and dropped the extra key in the flat below. The owner a retired Air Force pilot always kept an eye on things for him, forwarding his mail and every now and again, putting different lights onto automatic systems to ensure that the flat didn't look abandoned.
Merlin thought the idea of a cottage in the Cotswolds sounded rather romantic. It would have been a lovely country escape, however, he stopped thinking of it in case he blurted something out about it, embarrassing himself in the process. Arthur hailed a cab and the trio from Paris set out for St. Pancras.
Across the concourse they saw Tom and the four of them checked in at the Eurostar Terminal. Passport and Immigration passed, they sat talking until they could board sitting in reserved seats across a table. After loading their bags in the overhead compartments, Lance waited for Tom to sit next to the window and then slipped in beside him, nodding for Merlin to sit opposite Tom and next to Arthur. Arthur turned to Merlin smiling and in return Merlin shifted his knee to make contact with Arthur's all the time watching other passengers board the train.
