Title: The Mad Prince
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Chapter Thirteen: Her Honesty (Part 1)
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Morgana awakes to the feeling of a hand on her cheek. It's soft, tentative, almost hesitant. When she opens her eyes, she finds herself staring up at the Prince. He's sat beside her on their bed, staring down at her with a contemplative expression.
She smiles. "Good morning."
He doesn't say anything as he removes his hand from her cheek and looks away. Heat rises along his neck as he clears his throat and nods his head once.
She sits up next to him, looking around their chambers for a few moments. There's a sound of running water coming from the bath chambers, and the smell of soap in the air. She looks at the Prince, noticing that he's already dressed for the day in a simple red tunic and dark trousers. "Will you be training with the dragons today?" She asks.
Merlin looks at her and mumbles incoherently.
Morgana squints at him and shakes her head. "Sorry, I didn't quite catch that."
He looks at her and shrugs, "I thought— maybe you'd like to start back up on your lessons again with me..." He trails off and looks down. "If you want to, of course."
It takes a moment for her to register what he's saying; what his eyes are telling her. A smile widens on her face. She doesn't need to ask him if he's sure. He's brought it up and she's taking advantage of it. "I'd love that." She tells him honestly.
He nods, and for a fleeting moment, she thinks he smiles. She's not sure, but she'll take it. "Good." He says softly. "I have something to speak to my father about first, so while I meet with him, you should get ready and have breakfast before meeting me in the library."
Morgana looks at the bath chambers and back at him. "Did you draw my bath?" She asks curiously.
The Prince looks away as he slips out of bed. "My manservants apparently have the immune systems of mice. Your maid, however, is helping out in the kitchen, as most of the servants have fallen ill."
Morgana immediately feels concern for the servants. "What is their ailment?"
Merlin purses his lips. "Don't concern yourself with that." He tells her. He looks back down at her and then blinks several times, as if unsure of what to do now. "I will see you soon." He nods briefly at her before leaving.
Morgana stares after him as she bites her lip. If Anna is helping out in the kitchens, then they must be extremely short on staff members. And if all the servants are sick at the same time, then they must all be suffering from the same ailment. She stores that information away for later. She'll have to speak to Merlin again about it. For now, she must get ready.
She's almost giddy as she goes to the bath chambers. She finds the water running like she'd thought, except there's no source, as it's running from thin air. The depth of the water in the tub even stays the same. She smiles. Magic. He used magic to run me my bath. She bites her lip excitedly as she strips out of her night gown.
When she dips her fingers into the water, she finds it at the perfect temperature. Steaming, but not too hot that it's scorching. Immersing herself inside, she lets out a long groan of relief as she lets the water relax her muscles. When she's done bathing, she quickly dries off before heading over to her dresser.
She chooses one of her blue dresses, as it's one of the few that she can put on without assistance... also, it reminds her of the Prince's eyes. She blushes at that last thought as she goes behind her changing screen to put it on. With slight difficulty, she manages to get it on before she moves to sit in front of her mirror to fix her hair.
A knock at the door alerts her, and she rises from her seat to answer it. She finds Freya on the other side, smiling up at her with a tray of food in her hands. "Good morning, Milady." The maid smiles and bows.
Morgana smiles as she takes a step back. "Good morning, Freya." She points to the stand by the bed. "You can set it down over there."
Freya does as she's told before turning to leave. She stops when she sees Morgana pick up her hairbrush and begin running it through her damp curls. "May I?"
Morgana looks up at the maid's reflection behind her. She watches her nod at her hairbrush, and she smiles. "If you don't mind."
Freya smiles widely as she crosses the room and takes the brush from Morgana's hand. She immediately begins working on brushing out the tangles in the lady's hair.
Morgana smiles to herself, remembering when Gwen used to do this for her back in Camelot. Back when things were so simple. Back when all she worried about, was what to wear, and how she can get to the training grounds without being seen by the guards. She used to love going into the city with Gwen. They would discreetly smuggle out food in baskets and pass it around to the poor. Life was so simple there.
She thinks about all that's been going on since she has arrived in Drogomir, and all she will have to do in the near and distant future. History lessons, questions, kidnappings, rituals, runes, marriage, duties. It's all so overwhelming... but perhaps, it doesn't have to be that way. She'd always loved helping people out. The sick servants could probably use her help.
"Freya?"
"Yes, Milady?"
"What happened to the servants?" She pauses at the confused look on the maid's face. "The ones who are not working today."
"Oh." Freya averts her gaze for some reason. She probably feels bad for them. "They're— they seem to have caught some sort of illness. No one knows what it is, but I saw Gaius on his way down to the city this morning. I think he's looking into it."
Morgana purses her lips as she thinks. Maybe she'll go and see what's going on after her lessons with the Prince. The Prince, she thinks. Maybe she'll take him with her as well. It will be good for him to spend time in his Kingdom, seeing his people and his servants. Yes, she thinks.
"Should I put it up?"
Morgana looks up at Freya's reflection, unsure of what she means. "Sorry?"
"Your hair, Milady." Freya nods down at the brush in her hand.
"Oh." She shakes her head and smiles. "No, I think I'll wear it down today."
Freya nods as she hands her back the hairbrush.
"Thank you, Freya." Morgana smiles. "You may leave if you wish."
Freya stares at her for a moment longer before nodding her head quickly and leaving.
Morgana rises from her seat and moves towards her breakfast. She must hurry if she wants to get through lessons and then go down into the city later on.
...
When Morgana pushes the door open, she's startled by four guards, standing directly in front of her. "Oh." She blinks at them as she sidesteps and lets the door close behind her. "I— excuse me." She goes to walk past them, but the guards move in unison with her, causing her to stop abruptly. She blinks up at the closest one and asks, "What's going on?"
The guard clears his throat and bows his head. "Prince Merlin gave us orders to escort you where you need to go, Milady."
Morgana blinks rapidly at the guard as annoyance rings in her ears. "What— everywhere?"
The guard shakes his head. "No, Milady. Just everywhere he is not present."
Morgana narrows her eyes at the guard. "And when did he tell you this?"
"A little over a week ago."
Morgana stares confusedly. "A week ago?" What?!
The guard nods. "Yes, Milady. He told us to keep our distance until this morning."
Morgana looks up and down the corridor suspiciously. "And why until this morning?"
The guards exchange nervous looks before the one nearest her answers. "Because there are rumors of an unknown presence within the Kingdom."
Morgana blinks rapidly. "An unknown presence... could it be Morgause?"
The guards yet again exchange nervous looks. "We are unsure of who it is."
Morgana nods. That's really all she needs to know. It must be Morgause... or someone working with her. "Fine." She begins walking down the corridor as she says over her shoulder, "We'll be heading to the library then." She'll ask the Prince herself.
...
She finds the Prince reading silently to himself in the back corner of the library. He dismisses the guards with a nod before gesturing at the chair across from him. "Sit."
Morgana does so. She only allows a moment of silence before she asks, "Why am I being escorted by guards?"
The Prince sighs as he closes the book he'd been reading. "Would you rather a tracking spell be put on you?"
Morgana glares. "I'd rather not have anything or anyone following me around."
The Prince narrows his eyes at her. "Alvarr may be gone, but as long as you are alive and fated to become Queen, you will always be in danger."
Morgana furrows her eyebrows at him. "I didn't need guards before."
"Yes, well you weren't kidnapped and nearly raped before."
She shakes her head. "Those are two different things. Alvarr did what he did for his own selfish reasons. Not because I was to become Queen."
"Alvarr acted on his desires, and nearly got away with it because you were unguarded."
"I was with two guards." Morgana points out. "And he knocked them out with magic."
Merlin turns to face her directly and stare intensely at her. "Which is why the guards I chose, are perfect for the job." He gets up and goes to a shelf, looking through the books as he continues. "I handpicked them, and made sure they were previously trained in combat with magic. They know what to do, what to expect, and how to protect you as best they can."
Morgana rolls her eyes at that. "I don't think that's necessary."
"I think you should just let the guards do their job..." He pauses and pulls a large, leather bound book from the shelf. "It gives me a peace of mind, knowing that you are safe."
She stares at him then, waiting for him to turn around and make eye contact. When he does, she raises her eyebrows at him in question. She still doesn't like the idea of having guards follow her every move, but she won't fight the Prince on this.
He rolls his eyes and huffs. "Yes, I admit that I worry about your safety."
She grins smugly at him. "That's the first time you've admitted to caring."
He says nothing as he nods.
"It feels good, doesn't it?"
Merlin makes a face at her. "What? To worry about you all the time?" He asks incredulously.
Morgana laughs softly. "To care." She corrects.
The Prince swallows hard as he averts his gaze back to the book in his hands. "Oh... Well, it's not a foreign feeling."
"I know." Morgana continues to smile at him. "But its something you're not used to feeling for people outside of your family."
"Gaius is not related to me." He quips.
"Gaius is practically family to you." Morgana points out.
The Prince sighs, raising a hand to rub his temple. "I see your point... but that doesn't mean I'm going to go around caring for everyone."
"And why not?" Morgana asks, baffled by his words. "You are the people's Prince."
"Prince or not," Merlin says sternly. "... people will follow whomever they want if they have something to gain from them."
Morgana shakes her head at the Prince, truly amazed at his obliviousness. "Between you and the people of this Kingdom, you're the one who holds the power to do anything... your people are only waiting for you to show them that you deserve their loyalty."
Prince Merlin squints at her as he goes back to the table and places the book in his hands, down on it. "A King shouldn't have to gain the loyalty of his people."
Morgana stares at the Prince in utter bewilderment. "I've only been here a few weeks, but I can say with confidence that your father earned the loyalty of his people by being a good, fair, kind, and caring King to them."
Merlin says nothing for several long moments as he stares at her.
Morgana decides to continue. It's important to her that he understands what she's trying to tell him. "Your mother," she pauses, silently noting the way the Prince's body tenses up at the mention of his late mother. "She was loved by the people, wasn't she?"
Merlin's face has gone a shade whiter, but he nods. "She was."
"And I'm guessing it has a lot to do with how devoted she was to them? She made time to spend with them, right?"
Again, the Prince nods. "Yes."
Morgana nods triumphantly. "Then I rest my case. People are fiercely loyal to those who treat them with kindness, respect, and love."
Prince Merlin then raises an eyebrow at her. "So you're suggesting I be kind, respectful, and loving towards the people?"
Morgana chuckles as she replies jokingly. "Baby steps. You're a Prince, not a saint." Merlin's lips twitch into a small, teeny tiny resemblance of a smile at that. "You don't have to go up to each and every one of them and hug them, or tell them that you love them. What I'm saying, is that
you should start showing to your people that you do, at the very least, care for them. It will take time and patience on your part as well as theirs, but it's a huge step in the right direction."
Prince Merlin contemplates her words for several long moments, his expression set in an all too serious frown. When he makes up his mind, he finally nods his head as he looks at her. "I will try."
Her heart swells at those three words. Trying, is the only thing she had hoped for from him.
"Now," Merlin's face returns to its usual stoniness. It's the face he makes when he's about to say a whole bunch of things that she usually won't like. "You've said your piece, now let me say mine."
Morgana swallows hard as she stares expectantly at him. "Your piece on what?"
The Prince then points at the book he'd pulled from the shelf and set on the table. Morgana glances at it, seeing the familiar, yet foreign letterings of The Old Religion. "I've made a list of rules."
Morgana's eyebrows shoot up her forehead as she stares at the Prince in disbelief. "You're joking, right?"
Merlin's face remains impassive as he replies, "I hardly ever joke, especially not about rules."
Morgana resists the urge to let out an obnoxiously loud groan of annoyance. "Rules for what?" she asks instead. She's trying her best to keep from going off on an angry tirade.
Squaring his shoulders back, Merlin takes a deep breath and closes his eyes briefly. When he opens them, he replies with a soft voice. "Rules that you are to follow, if I am to teach you magic."
…
Their lessons continue just past noon, by which Morgana thinks is the perfect time to stop. Prince Merlin, however, has other plans. He pulls another large, leather-bound book from a different shelf and begins flipping through the pages. Morgana huffs as she runs a hand through her hair. She should've let Freya put her hair up, because now it's just all over the place, and she doesn't think Merlin is ready to go just yet.
"I need you to study these terms and their definitions." Merlin says as he sets the book down in front of Morgana. He points to a whole page of complex, foreign terms, then turns the page over and points to the rest of it.
Morgana blinks down at the numerous words, meanings, and translations. When Merlin first told her that he would be teaching her magic, she'd been excited and borderline jumping with joy. Now, she's beginning to think that learning a new language and new skill such as magic, is going to be like when she was but a toddler, trying to learn how to say full sentences. It's frustrating to say the least. The Prince must've noticed the look on her face, for he folds his arms across his chest and raises an eyebrow at her.
"Is this not interesting enough for you?"
She's quick to defend, though she's not sure if she's defending her ability to learn, or his ability to teach. Maybe it's both. "Wha— no, it's not that. I'm just— I haven't— I mean, I—".
"You were expecting to go straight into learning spells and hexes, curses and potion brewing."
Morgana sighs softly as she shakes her head at him. "Of course not… My eyes are just tired from reading a bunch of terms I've never heard of, nor know the meaning to."
Prince Merlin nods as he unfolds his arms from his chest. He closes the book in front of him as he says, "Fine. I'll tell you what. I'll end our lessons here for today. But tonight, before bed, you'll study at least the first ten of those terms. And tomorrow, we'll start on your first spell. Deal?"
Morgana could honestly feel just how much the Prince has changed. Had he been teaching her magic on her first day in Drogomir, he probably would've thrown her out the window before she could complain about her tired eyes. She smiles widely up at him as she nods. "Deal."
As they head out of the library and to their chambers, Morgana stops the Prince with a hand on his arm. He gives her a questioning look.
"I wanted to check on the servants who are ill… care to join me?"
Merlin blinks at her. "Join you on checking on the servants?"
Morgana nods in reply. "Yes."
Merlin looks around, as if expecting a more thorough explanation to fall from the sky. "Why?" he asks curiously, looking her up and down.
Morgana almost laughs. "Because I wish to see how they're doing, and you need to start showing to your people that you care about them."
The Prince looks uncomfortable as he stares at her. "I don't think this is a good time—."
"Fine." Morgana cuts him off, a small smile on her face. "I'll go alone then."
At that, the Prince's eyes widen at her. "What was my number one rule?!"
Morgana rolls her eyes at him. "To never go anywhere alone."
The Prince nods in an exaggerating manner. "And you're going to break my first rule on the first day?"
Morgana shrugs at him. "No... because you're going to come with me."
"I am not." Merlin scoffs.
"Then send your guards to accompany me."
"It's noon. The guards are having lunch." He returns.
Morgana stares up at him. She takes a step closer, watching the way his eyes flicker up and down at her. "The guards told me that there is an unknown presence in the city..." she pauses, gauging his reaction. There is a subtle hint of concern in his eyes. "Is that why you don't want me out there?"
"I told you not to worry about what's going on in the city."
Morgana's expression is set. She stares sternly at him. "I am your betrothed, Merlin. There is only a week and a half before I become your wife. And when you become King, I will become your Queen. The people's Queen."
"What are you getting at?"
"It's difficult for you to understand and express your emotions to your people. That's fine. I get it... but I am not the same as you. I cannot stand by and enjoy the luxuries I am offered when there are people out there, fighting for their lives!" She takes another step towards the Prince. He's now looming over her, his face turned down to stare at her upturned one. "I want to do as much as I can to prove my worth to the people, and I really wish you would do that with me."
Merlin sighs softly, shaking his head at her. "You really are a pain in the neck."
Morgana bites her lip as she grins up at him. "Does that mean you'll accompany me?"
The Prince rolls his eyes as he nods at her. "Yes... but you owe me."
Morgana raises her eyebrows at him. "And what exactly am I to give you?" She bats her eyelashes for a single moment, and it's enough to make the Prince blush and look away.
He clears his throat as he looks around the corridor. "That's for you to decide." He murmurs.
Morgana smirks as she raises her hand places it on his chest. "In that case," she pauses to fist the front of his tunic and pull him closer. The Prince's eyes widen in surprise at her, and he swallows hard. Morgana leans up on her toes, her lips stopping just a quarter inch from the Prince's before she veers off to the side and whispers in his ear. "... I'll decide what to give you by tonight." She lets go of his tunic and takes a step back with a cheeky grin on her face.
...
She expected a reaction from the people at seeing their Prince out and about in the city, but this... this is insane.
Prince Merlin turns his head towards her to ask, "Is it just me, or do they all look sick? Perhaps they've contracted whatever illness the servants caught."
Morgana looks up at him as they walk side by side. "They're not sick." She answers softly. She looks around at the pale faces, wide eyes, the terrified looks. "They're afraid." She whispers.
"Of me?"
Morgana raises her eyebrows at him. "Well they're not afraid of me. I'm just the foreigner to them. You're their Prince who they've probably never seen out in public without notice."
Merlin purses his lips for a moment before he shrugs. "That's good."
Morgana stops abruptly and turns to face him. "How is that good?"
The Prince folds his arms behind his back. "Fear makes them loyal."
Morgana blinks at the Prince, wondering how one person could be so oblivious. "Fear doesn't make them anything." She hisses quietly. "Fear just makes them terrified of seeing you."
Merlin nods at her. "Yes it does. It also makes them terrified of betraying me."
"It could also make them resent you, which in the long run, is not a good thing." Morgana deadpans.
The Prince sighs and rolls his eyes. "You're being dramatic."
"You're being insensitive." She returns with a disbelieving look. She reaches forward to rest a hand on his chest. People are now just staring directly at them. She shakes her head at the Prince as she lowers her voice to a whisper. "These are your people, Merlin... when you are King, these are the people who will support you and stand by you."
Merlin shakes his head at her as he asks, "What are you asking of me?"
She looks around, prompting him to do the same. She looks up at his face and whispers, "I'm not asking you anything... just— give them a chance."
He doesn't look the least bit interested in doing such a thing, but he nods anyway. "Fine." He points towards a small wooden house just a few yards away from them. "My manservant lives there."
Morgana smiles as she looks the house over. "We'll start there then."
Merlin nods. As they make their way over, he asks. "How would you have found the servants on your own?"
She raises an eyebrow at him and gestures to some of the people still staring at them. "I hear that when you ask someone a question, you usually get an answer."
The Prince scowls at her teasing tone as he follows her. They can hear the people murmuring amongst themselves. Whispering, asking, wondering why the Prince is in the city. It is a rarity.
They arrive at the home of Merlin's manservant, Will. Morgana knocks three times and waits. When the door swing opens, she's met with the sight of Gaius. "Oh.. Gaius." Morgana smiles.
Gaius stares confusedly at the pair. "Prince Merlin. Milady." He nods. "What brings you here?"
Morgana tries to peek over the Scholar's shoulder. "We're here to see how Will is doing."
Gaius continues to stare at her, and then confusedly at the Prince. "Really?" He asks skeptically.
Merlin huffs, "Yes, Gaius. Contrary to popular belief, I am not a heartless person. My manservant is ill, and I've come to see how he's faring."
Morgana smirks up at him with raised eyebrows. He is so full of it. But in this case, she'll let it slide. She smiles as she turns her eyes back to Gaius. "May we come in?"
Gaius blinks rapidly and inhales sharply as he snaps out of his state of disbelief. "Oh, right. Of course." He steps back and lets the Prince and his betrothed in.
Morgana immediately looks to the corner where a young man around her and Merlin's age, lays on a cot.
The man turns his head towards them, then widens his eyes when he sees the Prince. "Sire." He goes to sit up, but Merlin waves him back down.
"Save your strength, Will."
The manservant looks around cautiously as if afraid that he's lost his mind. Sweat beads his forehead as his breathing labors. Gaius hurries to his side and calms him with a spell. When he's done, he leans back. "You're not going mad, Will." He mutters. "The Prince is simply here because he's worried about you."
Will makes a face. "Perhaps the illness has spread to him too."
Merlin scoffs and rolls his eyes. "I'm right here, you know?"
Gaius throws him a sheepish look. "My apologies, young Prince... just trying to assure the lad that he isn't hallucinating."
"Hallucinating?" Will asks under his breath. "I thought I'd gone mad."
"Still here." Merlin says in annoyance. "Still hearing you."
Morgana reaches over instinctively and touches his arm. She looks up to see him calm down some. She offers a small smile before looking at the manservant again. She takes several steps towards him. "We're just here to see how you're doing." She turns to look at Gaius. "Any improvement?"
Gaius shakes his head. "It was caused by some sort of magical concoction."
Morgana's eyebrows furrow as Merlin comes forward to stand beside her. "A poison?" He asks confusedly.
"Yes, and no. Whatever it is the servants ate or drank, it's rendered them weak, incapable of standing. But, their symptoms are not worsening."
Merlin's eyebrows furrow slightly as he thinks. "Who do you think is behind this?"
Gaius sighs, "I don't know."
Morgana chews her lip as she tries to think of anything or anyone out of the ordinary. She shakes her head, finding none. "Whoever it is, did it for a reason... but why the servants?"
Gaius nods. "That's what I've been trying to figure out."
"Perhaps it's a servant." Prince Merlin interjects. He looks at his manservant and asks, "Have you seen anyone suspicious in the servants quarters?"
Will begins to shake his head then stops. "There's the new girl."
All three other occupants look curiously at him. "Which one?" Gaius asks.
Will shrugs, "Well, she's not that new... but, a few weeks ago, I saw her going through some of Anna's things."
"A few weeks ago?" Morgana asks as the wheels in her mind begin to turn rapidly. "Exactly how many weeks ago?"
Will shrugs again. "About 6 weeks ago?"
Morgana's eyes narrow and Merlin catches the look. "What is it?"
Morgana rubs her chin as she tries to piece her thoughts in order. "Are you talking about Freya?"
Will immediately nods. "Yes. That's the one. Just a few nights ago, I saw her leave the servants living quarters in the middle of the night. I'd spent the night there because I'd had a little too much to drink. After I saw her leave, I didn't think much about it, but now I'm not so sure. I fell asleep before she returned."
Morgana frowns as she thinks back to her encounter with Freya. She didn't seem especially nervous, or like she's hiding something, but she did for a moment, look a little uncomfortable when she was asked about the ill servants. Turning to Gaius, she asks, "How long ago did you leave to check on the servants."
Gaius thinks for a moment before replying, "About 4 hours... why?"
Morgana frowns. That doesn't add up at all. "Freya told me earlier this morning that she saw you leave the castle to check on the servants."
Gaius shakes his head. "I didn't leave my chambers at all until just a few hours ago."
Merlin's jaw clenches as he looks between the scholar and Morgana. "It's clear then... she is to be interrogated."
...
Gaius leaves to take word back to the King on their suspicions about Freya, while Morgana and Merlin continue onto the other servants homes. They check on each of the servants who, like Morgana had suspected in the morning, all seem to have the same ailment.
Morgana shakes her head as she and the Prince walk through the streets of Drogomir. "If Freya really is the one behind all of this, what will happen to her?"
The Prince does not hesitate at all. "She will be beheaded."
Morgana looks up at him with an alarmed expression. "What if she's under someone else's influence like Anna was?"
Merlin shrugs. "Anna was your maid and you wanted her to have a fair trial. We gave her that. Freya on the other hand, now that I've come to think of it, is a stranger. A foreigner. Someone with no ties to Drogomir."
"So you're going to just behead her? Just like that?"
Merlin stops to face her and frown. "We're still unsure of whether or not she is the one behind the ailment that's befell the servants."
"But if she is?"
"Then we'll punish her accordingly."
"You still haven't really answered my question though." Morgana points out. "What if she was under some sort of spell?"
Merlin sighs heavily and shakes his head at her. "We cannot pardon everyone who breaks the law because they were under the influence of a spell. If that were so, we wouldn't be a Kingdom, we'd be a monastery. And the last thing our Kingdom needs, is for outsiders and other Kingdoms to think that we're soft."
Morgana scoffs at that. "I thought the opinions of others didn't matter to you."
"They don't." Merlin says with an air of annoyance. "But I'm not going to go around letting everyone who betrayed this Kingdom run free."
Morgana can tell that he's beginning to lose his cool. If she keeps pushing him, he'll explode, and while going through an argument alone with him is terrifying, it's definitely not something she wishes for the people to see. She touches his arm, hoping that the contact will assure him that she's not trying to attack him. "I know you mean well for your Kingdom. But I'm not asking you to release everyone in your dungeons. All I'm asking, is that you at least try to get Freya a fair trial."
Merlin blinks at her, then down at her hand. He looks back up at her with a curious frown. "Why do you care for her?"
Morgana shrugs her shoulder. "It's not her in particular. I care about the people who are good and innocent."
"And you think this girl is good and innocent?"
Morgana shakes her head. "I just think she deserves a chance... everyone does."
The Prince stares at her for a long moment before he shakes his head and sighs. "I will speak with my father."
Morgana smiles at him and wishes she could just lean up and kiss him. But now is probably not the best time for that. She thanks him as she leads him into the marketplace. She needs a few oils and things before they head back to the castle.
They stop at a small stand, filled with oils, fragrances, and medicine. As she looks around, she loses focus of the Prince, who is beginning to notice some of the men staring at his betrothed.
Merlin's jaw clenches as he catches one man in particular, letting his eyes trail too far down Morgana's back.
Morgana is just about to pick out the oils she needed from the stand when she's startled by the sound of something— or rather, someone, crashing into another stand just a few yards away from her. She looks up just in time to see three or four men scurrying to help up their friend as they stare fearfully at someone standing directly behind her.
She resists the urge to groan out loud as she turns to find Merlin's golden glowing eyes, glaring daggers in the direction of the man he'd attacked. "Merlin." She hisses under breath. "What—".
Merlin cuts her off with a loud, booming, angry voice. "If I see one more man look at my betrothed inappropriately, I will cut their eyes out and feed it to them!" He shouts.
Morgana blinks rapidly at the Prince, then looks at the man he'd attacked. "He—" She turns her eyes back at the Prince, taking note of the rise and fall of his shoulders as he breathes heavily. He's livid, she can tell. She takes his hand this time, squeezing it gently. "Merlin, please calm down." She whispers softly.
The Prince looks down at her as his breathing begins to calm. "He was staring at you too long."
She bites back a grin. "And you were upset by that?"
Merlin glares at her. "I am simply protecting you from the likes of them."
"The likes of them is men." She says softly. She's not teasing. She just needs him to understand that men will be men. "Please don't send anyone else into a shop stand. The owners of the stands worked hard to set them up."
Merlin nods slowly. "Fine. I'll just send them into a pile of horse manure."
Morgana opens her mouth, then closes it when she realizes that the Prince was already looking around for someone else to attack. Perhaps it's time they leave. She quickly buys the oils she needs before thanking the shopkeeper and asking Merlin to go back with her.
She shakes her head at him as they walk slowly back up towards the castle.
He looks at her and raises his eyebrows. "What?" He questions.
Morgana sighs as she gestures behind them. "We nearly made it without you hurting someone."
Merlin rolls his eyes. "He overstepped his boundaries."
"He was looking."
Merlin stops and stares at her. "And will you let any man look at you?"
Morgana stares back at him. "I can't help that men look at me, but that doesn't mean I like it. However, that also doesn't mean I'm going to attack every man who looks at me."
"So you would have me stand by and let them look at you?"
Morgana smiles softly at him. "You could simply speak to them, you know? You don't have to attack and conquer."
Merlin makes a face at her. "Speaking is not my thing. I would rather do what comes to mind."
Morgana huffs and continues back up towards their destination. "And that's why people are afraid of you."
Merlin follows behind her as he asks. "Then what do you suggest I do?"
She glances over her shoulder and smiles. "Think."
...
A/N: God, I am so sorry for this extremely late update. I was on a month long trip for work and I have not had time to write a single thing until I got back a little over a week ago. I'm sorry, guys. But I hope you like this chapter. I know it's kind of off, but I promise it will flow better next time. Thank you so much for reading and please leave a review!
-McDiggin'It