Chapter 21 - Arthur

The lobby of the hotel was far nicer than their own, which was bizarre considering how impressed Arthur had been with the decor in the hotel Merlin had booked for them. Percival was currently stationed near the bar, which has a good view of the entire room, and Arthur was near the front door, leaning casually against a wall and attempting to appear inconspicuous. Merlin had to be the one to touch Gwaine, and he had explained that it would be harder for him to have the opportunity if the three of them all jumped on him at once.

Merlin himself was seated on a couch in the center of the room. He was wearing what essentially amounted to a modern version of what he'd worn virtually every day in Camelot. It was odd, Arthur mused, to see Merlin look so similar and yet so different all at once. The deceptively young man was wearing brown slacks, brown boots, a blue button-up shirt, a brown leather jacket, and a red neck scarf. Somehow the warlock had managed to hang on to all of his original neck scarfs without them being damaged by time. He looked good, and he looked even more like the man of two worlds Arthur knew him to be.

Arthur was distracted from his focus on Merlin by the ding of the elevator. He had already seen Gwaine once, on the television, but watching the man walk out of the elevator and glance around looking for Merlin was surreal. Gwaine's eyes passed right over Arthur without stopping, finding Merlin seated nonchalantly on the couch. It was clear from the attentive posture Merlin held that he knew Gwaine was there, but he didn't look up to acknowledge the knight's arrival until the man was almost on top of him.

Catching Percival's eye, Arthur inclined his head slightly, raising an eyebrow to indicate that he wanted to move closer. The large knight gave him a warning look, but seemed to sigh and nod in agreement. Carefully they moved forward, meeting halfway and inching closer to the couch Merlin now stood next to, greeting Gwaine. Thankfully they were not in the warlock's line of vision, so he couldn't scold them. Arthur simply wanted to hear what was going on, and was relieved as soon as he was close enough to hear Gwaine greet Merlin.

"Hullo, there!" Gwaine said, his voice unnecessarily loud and jovial. "You must be Mr. Smith then, yeah?"

Merlin seemed amused as he replied, leaning forward with a hand outstretched. "Please, call me Merlin."

Gwaine's brow furrowed at the name he knew was not what he had been told over the phone, but he was already halfway towards joining hands with Merlin and didn't abort the motion.

Arthur could see the change in Gwaine's eyes the minute his skin touched Merlin's. Arthur didn't hear Merlin say the spell, but he could see the effects. Gwaine's eyes went wide and flashed as though lightning was reflected in them. He stared uncomprehendingly at Merlin for a moment before stumbling backwards, seeming to be in shock.

Arthur moved forward without reserve now, joining Merlin at the couch. He could feel Percival behind him, all three of them focused on Gwaine and the knight's confused expression.

"You lot need to learn how to stay put," Merlin said idly, not actually sounding particularly upset.

Arthur shrugged, not feeling remorseful. "I wanted to hear what happened. Is he all right?"

"Arthur?" Gwaine asked incredulously, his eyes going wide again as he stared at the men before him with newly cleared vision.

"Sir Gwaine," Arthur greeted him warmly. "Are you feeling well?"

Gwaine looked bewildered by the question and his gaze immediately shifted to Merlin. He seemed startled, looking back and forth between the two men before seeming to become aware of Percival behind them. "I..."

Percival stepped forward and took Gwaine's hand in his firmly, bending down to be closer to the confused knight's level. "Gwaine, you died, but you are alive once more." His voice was deadly serious, and Arthur remembered with a pang Merlin mentioning that Percival had Gwaine die very nearly in his arms, not unlike what Merlin had been forced to endure when Arthur himself had died.

Gwaine gripped Percival's hand tightly in response, blinking rapidly before sitting up and shaking his head a little to clear it. He focused on Merlin again, tilting his head slightly. "Merlin," he said.

"Yes, my friend?" Merlin asked with a smile. Arthur was pretty sure that Gwaine counted as one of Merlin's closest friends. He was likely second only to Arthur himself, though the former king was still not entirely sure he deserved the top spot Merlin assured him he occupied.

Gwaine groaned slightly and rubbed at his forehead with his free hand. "You're going to have to explain all of this to me," he deadpanned. "What on earth is going on?"

Arthur started suddenly, wondering if Gwaine knew Merlin had magic. Given that the knight had died the same day as his king, it was unlikely. Arthur glanced at Merlin, noticing that the warlock seemed hesitant, as though not sure where to start.

"Should we return to our hotel?" Arthur suggested. "This conversation is not one I'd suggest having in a location where we can so easily be overheard."

"Good plan," Merlin agreed readily, leaning forward to grip Gwaine's arm. "Do you need help standing, or has the shock worn off?"

Percival used his grip on Gwaine's hand to help pull the knight to his feet. Gwaine tested his balance for a moment before letting a grin slid onto his face. "I seem to be fairly steady," he acknowledged. "Not that a spot of ale wouldn't go a great way towards helping with that."

Merlin rolled his eyes and Arthur couldn't help but chuckle. "Same old Gwaine, then," the former king muttered, amusement colouring his tone.

"Let's get going," Merlin urged. "We've got a lot to discuss."