Chapter four; part two
Title: It doesn't matter what you wish - you'll never cease being who you are
Author:JennnyJ
Pairing(s): Arthur/Guinevere, Guinevere/Lancelot, slight Merlin/Morgana and perhaps some Merlin/Freya
A.N. All the characters belong to BBC, I'm just borrowing them for a while
Thank you so, so much for reviewing this story, you guys makes my day. But I'm sorry to say that school starts on monday and then I won't have so much time writing - therefor, it might take some time 'til next part is up. (if you don't review like never before, making me skip my homeworks to write instead)
"Arthur, where have you been?" Ygraine scolded him the moment Arthur opened the front door. The smile that had been playing upon his lips died and he looked like a small boy being caught doing something he really shouldn't. "You have been gone three days, three days – I don't even know if you have recovered from your illness yet. Have you any idea how worried we have been?"
Arthur didn't know what to do or what to say, he just stood there with a confused look in his eyes as he scratched the back of his head. "I'm sorry mother-"
Ygraine's face softened and she walked though the room to pull her son into a hug.
"Do you never scare me like that again", she whispered with closed eyes. "You could have been attacked by bandits, creatures – god knows what."
"I had Merlin to help me", Arthur said as he suddenly remembered something, he carefully ended the hug and turned his head with a smile. "That reminds me, mother, this is Merlin."
Ygraine raised her eyebrows as she studied the thin boy standing behind Arthur.
"My goodness", she said and gave her son an angry look. "You could have warned me or something, the dinner-"
"It is okay, miss", Merlin said with a gentle smile where he stood in the doorway, not daring to enter the house. "Don't think of that, I'll probably go to some inn."
"Oh no you won't", Ygraine said hands on hips and returned to the kitchenette. "Please step in, Arthur why do you let him stand in the door like that? Help our guest."
Arthur grimaced but nodded for Merlin to enter, the two boys sat down at the table and watched as Ygraine walked through the house, opening hatches and wickets whilst she mumbled to herself.
"Where is father?" Arthur asked to break the silence. "Is he very angry at me?"
"He is at the pub", his mother answered and added some meat to the soup. "I'm so sorry Merlin, but I hope soup is okay for you? If Arthur had told me sooner I might have been able to cook something better."
"It is perfect", Merlin said with a smile. "My mother always makes us this porridge-"
Arthur tried not to laugh, coughing loudly instead. "Yeah, the porridge"
Merlin raised his eyebrows with a confused look.
"Have you tasted it?" He asked before he smiled, suddenly remembering that there was another time, another world, when the blond boy actually had lived at his place for a while. "Oh, I see."
"We'll go and see Gaius later", Arthur said as Ygraine poured them some soup. "I think you'll like each other-"
The door opened and Uther Pendragon entered the little cottage, his eyebrows drawn together as he saw his son, he didn't say anything. He just walked over and kissed his wife hello before he sat down round the table.
"Darling, this is Arthur's friend – Merlin", Ygraine said as she sat down beside him, a friendly smile playing upon her lips.
"Will he be staying here for long?" Uther asked without looking at his guest.
"You and your son are just as rude!" She scolded him with an angry look. "Merlin is our guest for as long as he wants to, if you think differently please leave the dinner table and do not return before you can act as an adult."
Arthur tried not to laugh, filling his mouth with soup, as he saw the redness in his father's face before he grunted something that sounded like 'welcome' to their silent guest.
Merlin didn't answer; he just smiled vaguely as he ended his soup.
Half an hour later, Arthur and Merlin where walking up the street towards Gaius' chambers.
"So, what is he like?" Merlin asked as he pulled a hand through his messy hair and re-tied the handkerchief around his neck.
"The Gaius I know is kind of giddy", Arthur answered and knocked on the physicians door. "But he is nice, he actually is."
They heard a loud crash before the door opened to reveal Gaius with his eyebrow raised as he watched the two young men. "What is it? Is someone ill?"
Merlin smiled and reached out a hand. "Hello, my name is Merlin – I believe you know my mother and father?"
"Merlin?" Gaius asked as he let them in so that he could take care of the broken piston and the potion that had spread over the floor. "I know no Merlin? Who did you say your parents were?"
"Hunith and Balinor?" Merlin said as he reached him a broomstick. "From Ealdor"
Gaius nodded slowly. "Yeah, I think I remember those names. What are you here for?"
"He is here with me", Arthur said and smiled. "I wondered, 'cause the inns are quite messy, perhaps you have some room for him?"
"Ah, Albin", Gaius said with a surprised look. "How is the fever? Gone now, I hope?"
"It's Arthur", Arthur said with a vague smile. "And yes, the fever is gone, thanks to you. Now, what about Merlin?"
"What about him?" Gaius asked, turning to the black haired boy who looked in some books with shining eyes. "Is he ill?"
"No, I'm not", Merlin looked up with a goofy smile. "I don't mean to be rude, but I wonder if you have a room for me? Perhaps I can give you a hand with the potion making?"
"Potions?" Gaius asked and walked over to him. "Do you know anything about potions?"
Merlin shrugged. "I'm a fast learner, I believe."
Arthur who recognized the look in the physician's eyes grimaced and said that he had to go some errands for his mother, leaving the two men alone. He didn't feel like listening to potion making in two hours nonstop.
"Pendragon!"
Arthur was walking over the courtyard when the voice called and he spun around to meet Lancelot's brown, judging eyes. "Where have you been? You have missed three days of stable mocking."
"A knight do not mock out stables", Arthur answered calmly. "Why don't you send a servant to do that job?"
Lancelot's eyes darkened as he stopped before him with his arms crossed. "As I told you before: you are no knight of Camelot."
"I won, didn't I?" Arthur asked with his head held high, feeling more and more like his usual, princely self. "I thought that was the only thing I would have to do."
"The queen will have to accept it", Lancelot said with a frown. "Good luck with that, she is a busy woman, I doubt she would take time to talk to you. A commoner."
"We'll see about that", Arthur said and walked past him back towards the castle. He would show him – before the day was over, he would be a knight of Camelot yet again.
Slowly he walked down the corridors towards the crown room, his blue eyes travelling over the familiar sights.
"Hey you, no commoners in the castle", a bright voice called and Arthur turned around, immediately recognizing whom the voice belonged to.
"Morgana", he said with a broad smile. "Why are you here? How are you? Your father lives, doesn't he?"
She raised her eyebrows as she looked at him; there was a kind of fright in her eyes that everyone but Arthur would have missed. He knew her too well. "Who are you, how do you know about my father?"
"Well, I-", Arthur didn't know what to say, he trusted Morgana with his life but could he tell her everything? "I'm Arthur Pendragon, we are like-"
"Pendragon? The boy Sir Lancelot was talking about?" Morgana asked, a cold smile taking place upon her lips when talking about the knight. "Follow me, I'll take you to my sister."
"Your sister?" Arthur echoed as he followed Morgana into the crown room where he found himself staring into a pair of bright eyes belonging to Camelot's queen. Morgause.
Leave a review? Again, I have to apology for the time that probably will pass before next chapter is out, but meanwhile you might want to read my other (finished!) Merlin story: Angel my guardian Angel. It is a story in which Arthur travels through time 'til todays London where Angel helps him. (crap at summaries, I know)
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