Chapter 10- The Feast
"Merlin? Merlin?" Arthur kept on repeating these words night after night, days after his outburst at the king, while Gaius sat on the side, sobbing for his lost ward. Finally, deciding to follow the king's orders, a few hours into Arthur's depression, Gaius started to walk over to Merlin, regretting that he had to end Merlin's life.
"STOP!" Arthur said, grasping Gaius's hand, forbidding him to kill Merlin. "Wait! He has to live. I can feel it!" Arthur screamed, trying to convince himself he was right. He sighed and waited for a few more hours, with still no sign of life in Merlin. He finally went to bed in Merlin's room and waited until the morning, hoping for the best.
The next morning, Arthur slowly stepped down the stairs, nervous to see the results of last night's cure. He saw Gaius hustling and bustling around the kitchen, trying to make Arthur breakfast. As soon as Arthur reached the last step, Gaius turned around and his eyes perked up, sparkling with glee.
"Arthur, you won't believe it!" Gaius said, Arthur unable to decipher the emotion behind his voice.
"What-What- is it?" Arthur asked, tensed and scared to hear the news.
Gaius paused for a second, then spoke. "Merlin is alive."
Unable to hear the news, the prince walked over to Merlin's temporary bed and pressed his hand to Merlin's heart- and heard a pulse! He gently shook Merlin- and the most amazing thing happened to Arthur- Merlin's eyes fluttered open. Arthur stood back as his manservant awoke, confused and dazed as to what happened.
"Arthur?" Merlin spoke in a scared voice.
"Merlin! You have no idea how glad I am to see you moving! My father- well, we'll talk about that later. This whole place has been in a depression since you fell ill. The people of Camelot will be so relieved to see you up and about." Arthur spoke slowly, wanting to savor the sweet moment of seeing his best friend alive again.
"Arthur! Calm down. I'm fine- I can even start working for my favorite prince again tomorrow!" Merlin said sarcastically, and then spoke seriously, "But I have a lot to tell you- meet me tomorrow, in my room."
"Sure, Merlin. Anything you want. Take the day to rest- you won't believe the things I've learned. Gaius, you take the day off too. Take Merlin to my chambers in the night, and I'll have a special surprise for the two of you." Arthur stated, then rushed off to his room to prepare for the night, leaving Gaius and Merlin alone.
Slowly, Merlin got up to embrace Gaius. "Thank you Gaius for curing me. I would be dead without you."
"Merlin- you saved yourself. You got the cure for yourself by taking that stone. All I did was mix a potion together." Gaius said.
"No matter. You still searched through every book for a cure," Merlin gestured to the room full of books around him.
"Arthur was even more miserable than me Merlin. He tossed and turned in his bed every night and came to my chambers every day to look for a remedy."
"He was probably just feeling guilty for taking me on that stupid trip. It's not like he cared or anything." Merlin stated, blushing.
"Merlin, when you were unconscious, Arthur told everyone that you were his friend, and his best friend at that."
Merlin sighed, defeated and went up to his room to get some sleep, jittery about the surprise Arthur was planning for him.
Merlin woke up a few hours later and got dressed for the prince's big surprise. He walked down the stairs with sore bones from the arrow. He saw Gaius with his dress shirt on and chuckled at the sight. Wearing his servant clothes and his bandana, Merlin walked to the prince's chambers, not looking forwards to making dinner again. After what seemed like hours of walking and talking with Gaius, they reached the huge familiar brass doors and Merlin knocked and walked in. He gaped at the sight before him- a long wooden table filled with dozens of different dishes- without the signature of the castle's cooks!
"Arthur?" Merlin asked, shocked.
"Dig in Merlin- it's my secret recipe!" Arthur stated, amused at the confused expression on Merlin's face.
"You cooked this" Merlin shouted.
"Well, of course. While you were unconscious and stubborn enough not to wake up, I refused to replace you with another manservant. So, I had to learn how to dress my self, clean and take care of my own horses, and learn how to cook- better than you!" Arthur said proudly.
Merlin, unable to believe the amount of food, devoured the food, hungry after almost 2 months of unconsciousness, drooling over the delicious food. He relished every bite, smelling the sweet aroma of the deserts Arthur cooked. The best part of the dinner was that no servants were there to distract them from their dinner- Merlin and Arthur were talking like normal friends, ignoring and forgetting the fact that they were of different class. They laughed and Arthur told stories of what the kingdom was like without Merlin. Then, Arthur cleared his throat and touched on a serious matter.
"Merlin- you should know, my father may be cross with you because of my little outburst a few days ago. My father told Gaius to- to pull the plug on you, but I wouldn't allow it- not because you're my friend of course, but because you were hurt on my quest, so it was my responsibility to make you feel better. I don't know how my father will act, but I will make sure he doesn't punish or react too harshly."
"You stood up for me? Oh thank you Arthur! I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you!" Merlin exclaimed gratefully. Arthur nodded, and they continued to tell their adventures. Merlin enjoyed the whole night, trying not to think about the following day. Tomorrow, their friendship would be tested. Tomorrow, Merlin would have to tell Arthur an unbelievable secret.
A/N- Sorry if the story is dragging on a bit. Tell me in the reviews if you would like Merlin to tell Arthur about his magic, Morgana, or his magic and Morgana! Will update as soon as I get reviews. Hope you like the next chapter! Plz review! Byeee