A/N: Hello all! Now I know a few of you sent me a message when I didn't post the next chapter last Monday… well to be completely honest I totally forgot it was Monday. I'm on vaction and the last thing from anybody's mind is what day of the week it is. So when I got a few messages in my Inbox asking me why I hadn't posted I was shocked that I could even forget that a Monday had come and gone. Now instead of posting the chapter randomly in the middle of the week I am going to try and post two chapters today, effectively getting myself back on schedule. One chapter now and one later tonight. I hope everyone is satisfied with this solution.
Now for this chapter I needed to have a little fluff between Arthur and Merlin… Therefore, the second part of the trial is going to be in the next chapter, not this one.
Again, sorry for the delay and I hope you enjoy this chapter.
*This story is set during season 4. Arthur is king but Gwen is banished and Lancelot is dead.
Disclaimer: Any disclaimer issued by me is subject to change without notice.
Chapter 11 (Out Of Favor)
A light rapping on his door alerted Merlin that it was time for supper. After slowly picking himself up off his small cot, the warlock combed his hair with his long fingers and painstakingly trekked across the room to the door. Pulling it open laboriously, he found Arthur on the other side. Gaius was nowhere in sight.
"Arthur?" Merlin questioned, his voice hoarse. "Where's Gaius?"
"Someone in the lower town sent for him. He passed me in the hallway and asked if I could wake you and make sure you eat some supper."
"Oh." Merlin nudged himself around the royal and lightly snapped the door shut behind him. Glancing around the deserted chamber Merlin spotted a pot hanging over the fire. The young servant shuffled over to the hanging vessel and peered inside. Just as he assumed, it contained a small bit of stew, not the heartiest of meals but it certainly would do. This winter had been particularly harsh on the old physician and his ward. Yes, a regular stream of patients kept Gaius busy but the townspeople just didn't have the means to pay him. Being the kind man that he was, Gaius told his poor patients that he would accept payment when they could afford it; he didn't pressure anyone into paying him his dues. Because of this, the two had been living off of the meager wages that Merlin made as a manservant. But it just wasn't enough for two people to survive, especially in winter. Occasionally Gaius would treat a noble and would be paid but sick nobles were few and short coming. It had been a hard winter.
Sighing, Merlin grabbed a clean bowl from a cupboard and began to gingerly lower himself down next to the pot. Arthur stopped him from bending over, saying, "Here, let me." The fair-haired royal took the spoon and bowl out of Merlin's hands. "You shouldn't bend over and possibly aggravate your injuries."
"Thanks?…"
Arthur shrugged. Then, with the long wooden spoon, he scooped Merlin's supper into his bowl, carefully scraping the bottom of the pot to ensure that he had gotten all the stew.
Merlin, who finally seated himself at a table, grinned stupidly at the king when the bowl of steaming stew was placed in front of him. "I could get used to this," Merlin commented, playfully.
Arthur just shook his head. "Don't get to used to it. Once all this business is over everything will go back to normal and it will be you waiting on me." Merlin just kept grinning and slowly began to eat. Arthur placed himself on a similar stool across from his servant and silently watched Merlin eat. The king said nothing as he scrutinized the young man before him. Unable to determine what Merlin was thinking or feeling Arthur finally asked, "Are you alright?"
"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Merlin complained, exasperated.
Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"I'm fine, I guess," Merlin responded, finally answering Arthur's question.
The fair-haired monarch nodded.
"So why are you here?" the manservant curiously asked.
Arthur uncomfortably shifted in his seat. "Ummmm. I…uh…"
"That's what I thought," Merlin smirked. "The prat just can't live without me. You actually care about-"
"Don't be absurd," Arthur scoffed. "I simply don't have the time to train a new servant."
Merlin's smile grew at the king's lame excuse. "Uh huh."
"It's true!" Arthur asserted, throwing his hands up into the air with disbelief.
"What about George?" the secret sorcerer teasingly inquired.
Arthur groaned. "He's so boring, dull, dreary, monotonous, tedious, mind-numbing… I could go on!"
"Oh, I believe you."
The two companions paused their conversation. Merlin went back to eating his supper, which unfortunately had grown cold, and Arthur went back to watching his manservant eat. Silence reigned over the room. After a few more mouthfuls of stew Merlin looked up at the young king. Perplexed as to why Arthur had not left yet Merlin concluded that the king was actually concerned about him. Grinning, Merlin goaded in a sing-song voice, "You sooooooo missed me."
At this playful comment Arthur practically exploded, unable to hold in his emotions any longer. "Of course I did!"
"Wait. What?" the warlock asked, shocked and bewildered by his master's fiery response.
"You don't understand, Merlin. You where dying… I though you were dead! And the worst part is that you didn't trust me. You don't trust me."
"I trust y-"
"No! You don't trust me, Merlin. You didn't come to me about Lord Harris. You came to me as a last resort. A last resort! You waited; you waited too long. Because of that you almost died in my arms," The frantic, emotional king exclaimed. Looking down at his hands, Arthur could visualize the blood that covered them only two days before. Holding back tears, he went on in a small voice, saying, "I thought I lost you."
The thud of a wooden spoon hitting the floor was the sound that broke the silence that ruled over the room. Open mouthed and bugged eyed, Merlin was overtaken with a multitude of emotions: shock, sadness, compassion, misery, sympathy, concern, and, most prominently, guilt. Merlin tried to catch Arthur's lowered eyes. The manservant tried to discern his master's own feelings, but Arthur's face was not visible from its bowed position. Struggling to respond appropriately, Merlin said, "Arthur, I-"
But the king interrupted him, his faint reply overpowering Merlin's own admission. "Just never do that again." Arthur looked up; his eyes shining with unshed tears. "Promise me."
"I promise."
Arthur nodded. Then, suddenly, he stood up from his seat position. And, with the swish of moving clothing, the young king strode across the room. He swung the chamber door open and, just as he was about to exit, he turned to face his still seated friend. "Good night, Merlin."
Merlin was shocked and confused about his master's sudden departure. He rushed to his feet, ignoring the tensing of sore muscles and the irritation of injury against cloth. "Arthur? ARTH-" Merlin's throat seized. His raised voice strained the throat and vocal muscles. A tickle rose in his throat. Merlin coughed, trying to ride the itch from his esophagus. But coughing only brought about more irritation, which, in turn, caused him to cough more. Spittle and blood expelled itself from Merlin's mouth. The bandages that were wound around the adolescent's neck began to redden. Merlin panicked. Déjà vu overtook the juvenile servant; the taste of copper in his mouth, the helplessness of choking on his own blood.
Merlin's body couldn't take any more stress. He collapsed.
Injured rubs hit the ground, unprotected. A strangled shout emitted from between the raven-haired warlock's blood stained teeth. Another bout of coughing left Merlin drained. Just as he was about to pass out, the secret sorcerer heard the sound of rushing feet. Merlin heard someone scream – not realizing it was him that had yelled in pain. A muffled shout responded. Another voice began to franticly whisper words into his ear.
"Ar'tur?"
More stifled noises. More hushed words.
But all feel on the deaf ears of an unconscious Merlin.
"Arthur! ARTHUR!"
The king turned to see a frenzied Sir Gwaine come running around the corner that Arthur himself had just turned. Spotting Arthur at the end of the corridor, the commoner knight rushed to the young monarch's side.
"Gwaine, wha-"
"You must come quickly!" Gwaine exclaimed between gasping breaths. "Its Merlin."
"What about Merlin?" Arthur inquired, concerned. Only something truly horrible could have rattled Gwaine so.
"He's collapsed! Gaius is with him now."
Needing no further explanation, Arthur ran down the hallway back towards the physician's chambers from which he had just departed. Arthur could hear Gwaine following right behind him, keeping pace with his king. Eventually the two reached the determined destination. Bursting into the room Arthur called out, "What's happened? Where is he?"
Gaius looked up from his kneeled position next to a prone figure. "Sire."
"What's happened?" Arthur repeated. Crossing the room in three great strides, the king came to be next to Gaius. Looking down at his felled friend Arthur witnessed a slow trickle of blood coming out of Merlin's agape mouth. The young man's breaths came out as strained wheezes.
"He seems to have stressed his vocal chords and throat," Gaius said. "I know not if it was something as simple as talking or as dramatic as yelling. The laceration on Merlin's neck have reopened and caused both external and internal bleeding. Shock and lack of oxygen must be the real reason for his collapse. When he fell he cracked two more ribs on his right side. Luckily Gwaine and I returned from the lower town or else Merlin could have drowned in his own blood. I was able to clear his airway and his breathing is better but I need to reexamine and bandage his neck."
"Will he be alright?"
"He should be…but-"
"But?" Gwaine interrupted, startled.
"But I do not know how well he will be to speak at tomorrow's trial, if he can even speak after this ordeal."
Arthur's hands anxiously brushed through his hair before traveling down and rubbing his face. "What can I do to help?"
"Please, help me move him into his room."
The king nodded. Arthur bent down and, placing one arm underneath Merlin's shoulders and the other beneath the crook of his knees, scooped up to the gangly serving boy into his arms. It shocked Arthur just how little Merlin weighted. The young monarch assumed that his servant had some sort of muscle on him but it appeared he had been wrong. Merlin was quite literally a sack of bones. Trying to ignore the obvious malnutrition that Merlin has suffered, Arthur followed Gaius into the attach ed chamber – Merlin's room. It was as messy as Arthur thought it would be. It appeared that every single garment that Merlin possessed – not the he had many – was thrown on the floor. The cot in the far corner was unmade and only sported two thin blankets. No pillow was in sight.
Now, Arthur had been in Merlin's chambers before; once or twice to wake him up because he was late and a few more times when he was prince to search the chambers for sorcery, as per his father's orders. But in all the times he had entered, and searched, Merlin's room he had never noticed its meager qualities: a single cot, a small dresser, a rickety stool, and clothing. There was nothing personal, nothing luxurious, nothing in excess.
The room was cold. A bitter draft fled in to the room from a crack in the shutter covering the small window above Merlin's cot. Arthur frowned. He did not like that his manservant was living in such horrible conditions. Arthur made the resolution that once the whole trial was over he would find a better chamber for Merlin to live; a room that would be warmer, funerished, and closer to Arthur's own chambers as opposed to ones on the other side of the courtyard.
After finally setting the unconscious Merlin on his bed, Arthur turned to face the other two men in the room. Then, addressing both Gaius and Gwaine, Arthur asked, "How is Merlin to testify at the trial if he cannot speak?"
"That is a good question, Sire," Gaius repsonded as he knelt next to his ward, removing his bandages to assess the damage and treat the lacerations.
Instead, Gwaine came up with a possible solution for the predicament. "Can Merlin write? Perhaps he could write his testimony and have someone be his orator and read Merlin's statements on his behalf."
Arthur nodded. "That could work." He turned to Gaius and asked, "Is Merlin literate?"
"Yes, Sire. His mother taught him to write at a young age."
"Excellent! Do you have any parchent and quills that he could use when he wakes up?"
"None that I can spare, Sire."
Arthur waved his hand. "That's fine. I have pently of spare in my room. Gwaine, stay and help Gaius. I will go fetch the supplies from my room."
And without waiting for a response the young king scampered from the room. The halls were mostly deserted, Arthur only passed three patroling guards while walking to his chambers. It took several minutes to locate the spare parchment and quills Arthur's recently cleaned desk. Arthur liked to live in organized choas, Merlin understood this. Piles that looked like clutter where actually neatly ordered stacks of speechs and treaties. Heaps of clothing on the floor did not automatically mean that they were dirty, despending on where they were located determined their cleaniness. But no matter how many times Arthur told Geogre this, the brown-noser just could not seem to grasp the concept. As a result George simply cleaned and orangized eveything his own standards, not the king's. This frustarted Arthur to no end – just another reason in the long and growing list of reasons about how Arthur detested the gangly servant. And thus, the young monarch was forced to search his desk for several minutes trying to find his spare supplies. He could just never find anything after George cleaned.
Arthur eventually emerged from his room with the desired objects in his posession. The king carefully walked back towards the physcian's chambers as not to drop anything or spilled any ink from the fountion he also grabbed. But a few corridors away from his destination Arthur was sidelined by a concerned looking Sir Leon.
"Sire," the fair-haired knight called out.
Arthur turned to see Sir Leon approach him from an adjecent hallway. "Yes, Sir Leon? Is something the matter?"
The knight nodded. "It seems word of Lord Harris' arrest has reached his lands and manor. A courier just arrived bearing a letter sealed by Lord Harris' crest. It appears the Lady Gwendolynn is upset with her husband's detainment."
Arthur bit his lip, he had completely forgotten about Lord Harris' wife. Sighing, Arthur said, "Walk with me, Sir Leon. Do you have the letter with you?"
"Of course, Sire." And, with the restle of clothing and jingle of chainmail, the bearded knight withdrew a bulky wad of parchment from a pouch attached to his belt. Sir Leon noticed Arthur wearily eyeing the extensive, multipaged letter and meekly smiled. "She seems to have gotten a little carried away with her wording."
The king raised an eyebrow. "A little?"
Sir Leon grinned and joked, "You would think her a 12-year-old girl writing a love letter to her courter."
Arthur chuckled. "It would seem so."
The twosome then turned another corner and found themselves just outside Gaius' chambers. Sir Leon opened the door for his king before following behind Arthur into the room. Both encountered Gwaine in the main room anxiously hovering around the door to Merlin's room. The commoner knight looked up when the two men entered the room and paced over to them.
"Has something happened?" Arthur inquired, concerned.
"Nothing too serious…I think," Gwaine responded, uncertain. "Gaius examined Merlin's neck and muttered something before shooing me out of the room. He won't let me back in. I don't even know what's happening!"
Dumping the supplies from his desk on a nearby table, Arthur marched up to the door and knocked. After three rapid, hard knocks he called out, "Gaius, its Arthur. What's going on? Please open up!"
Seconds ticked by before the door cracked open to reveal an exhausted looking Gaius. Slipping out of the room and snapping the door shut, the older man folded his hands in front of himself and said, "Merlin has woken up and I have explained to him what has happened. He has agreed to write out his testimony for tomorrow's trial. I have repaired all damage that he sustained but I don't think he should attend tmorrow's trial. Any unneeded stress could cause further damage."
"But Merlin is the key witness!" Gwaine exclaimed.
Leon questioned, "How could this effect the outcome of the trial?"
"The trial could fall apart without Merlin," Arthur attested. "He needs to atleast make an appearance."
"No," Gaius stated clamly, folding his hands in front of his person. "I forbid it."
There seemed to be no arguing with the old physician. So after several minutes the three knights left Gaius to his own devices. Gwaine went his separate way after bidding his king and fellow knight farewell and good night. Meanwhile, Arthur and Sir Leon proceeded to Arthur's chambers to read the letter sent by the Lady Gwendolynn. And, placing himself in the chair at his desk, Arthur demanded, "Open the letter, Sir Leon. We shall read what Lady Gwendolynn wished we read so eagerly and urgently."
"Yes, Sir." Leon drew out the letter and broke the seal. Unfolding the bundle of parchments carefully he began to read: "Your Excelency, it troubles me most that I must hear from anyone other than yourself of my husbands arrest. I am shocked that such a simple visit to Camelot could produce such alligations and grievences against Lord Harris. My heart breaks to think of my husband being locked away like a common criminal. I trust he is getting the proper treatment that someone of his status deserves. Is it wholly possible that my husband could have commited the crimes of which he is charged? I myself will set out to Camelot hours after I have sent this letter with one of my most trusted, speediest messengers. I pray that you will prepare for my visit and alert my husband of my empending stay. However, even with the arrest and detainment of Lord Harris, I wish to know if the agreements and treaty that my husband originally embarked to Camelot for will hold true. And I expect, dispite all that has happened, all arrangements of the treaty will holdfast for the benefit of the citizens of Camelot and my husband's manor and lands…" Sir Leon's voice drifted off as he scanned the rest of the parchement before looking at the next few that followed. The fair-haired knight then informed his king, "The rest of the letter appears to be about the treaty. Sire, I do not see the arrest of Lord Harris mentioned again."
"Very odd," Arthur commented from his seated position. "You would think she would be more hysterical, especially with a letter so long."
Still silently reading over the letter, Sir Leon stated, "Sire, it seems she is actually more concerned about the treaty than her husband. In fact, she seems curious to if the charges against Lord Harris will condemn him. But she hides her curiosity well; she writes as though she must appear loyal to her husband on paper."
Arthur sat up straighter at the idea and stroked his chin in a thoughful manner. "Perhaps she knows of Lord Harris' abusive nature. Think about it! This couldn't possiblly be the first time he has abused a servent…maybe even his own wife."
"It seems entirely possible, Sire."
"I am still interested to see what the rest of the letter says. Leave it here with me and I will finish reading it. Thank you for directly bringing this to my attention, Sire Leon. You are dismissed." Arthur waved his hand at the knight in a shooing fashion. Sir Leon bowed just after he placed to bulky letter on Arthur's desk. But as he was about to leave the room, Arthur called out to him again, "Sir Leon!"
"Yes, Sire?"
"Please don't speak of the letter to anyone, even if you are asked about it."
"As you wish, Sire."
"Thank you. You may go."
As the door snapped shut behind the departing knight Arthur fully relaxed in his chair, allowing his body to spill gracelessly over the sides. Sighing heavily, Arthur pulled the letter toward him and began to read where Sir Leon had left off. The more and more the distraught king read, the more and more he began to worry about the continued trial tomorrow. The trial seemed to no longer be in Merlin's favor - especially having a written testamony as opposed to a verbal one. Even everything said today had been twisted and undermined by Lord Cabot. The offense was beginning to crumble and it seemed less and less likely that Lord Harris would be justly punished for his abusive actions against Terrance and Merlin.
The trial was definatly no longer in Merlin's favor…and Arthur was fearfull for what that could mean.
A/N: Another chapter done with another yet to come… I hope you all enjoyed this little filler chapter and the introduction of another orgininal chaparcter, the Lady Gwendolynn. (I really need to stop adding characters and sub-plots or else this story is going to last forever.) If all goes as planned, I expect that Lady Gwendolynn will appear in person later in the story. Do you think this is a good idea? Or should I have her just be a mentioned name in the sidelines?
Anyway, look for the next chapter (The Trial part 2) later tonight…
Please Review!
