The midmorning sun beat down on the Northumbrian town the next day as Arthur stood against by Rachel's side. The sultry heat of the sunshine and the pouting look his warlock boyfriend had given him as he left to meat with the princess after breakfat had conspired together to make him feel uncomfortable and out of place in the fine red tunic he was wearing, which was gilded with gold lace, that said warlock boyfriend had magicked from the air in preparatin for their visit, but hadn't got to fit quite right, because "Magic is not for wasting on silly things, Arthur!". Arthur losened the tunic's collar as Rachel smiled at another townsperson proffering her their wares.

Rachel, despite her lizardly obsessions had all the advantages of growing up royal and Arthur found himself hoping to not burn the bridge between them, that led both to her father and also her as the future ruler of this kingdom, when he rejected the woman as his soul mate. It was clear from the morning that she would make a useful and friendly ally once he became ruler of Caelot, and she of Northumbria. Beneath the sheen that she only cared for animals, he could see she was astute, observant and percentpive, and her people loved her.

Arthur sighed in light bordem as Rachel smiled at another stallkeeper and got dragged into a long conversation about a bottle green dress, A-line and corsetted, with a sweetheart neckline and wide flared sleeves that ran the full length of the arn, it was, to Arthur, indestingusable from the one Rachel was already wearing except it was green instead of peacock blue.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Rachel asked a disinterested Prince Arthur, who stood staring blandly at the pots of creams and herbal remadies on the store next to them. He blinked and looked at her with a fake smile"it's the same colour as the bottle-nosed grass snake! It'll suit me so well for the ball father wants to throw!"

Arthur grinned politely with a nod and a 'mmhmm' sound. His eyes roamed the markt place, flittering to a small figure peaking his little face out of the gown stall. Arthur's heart lifted at the realisation it was his furry feline friend from the day before. Bending down hie beckoned the cat close and he came willingingly rubbing his face and head against Arthur's strongly blunt fingers.

The cat chiruped at Arthur, tempting him closer and enjoying the attention until the cat suddenly turned and pounced at Rachel's dress hem.

"Mew" meowed the cat, swiding its little black paw at Athur's face as he picked him up from the floor for a cuddle.

A glitter in the corner of his eye; Arthur saw the stall next to them was covered in jewellry. At first he looked at in out of boredom, not interested in the trickets before him, before his eye was caught by a pair of rings - like twins, the same in style but different designed. They were both made of silver and pewtwer metals and shows two dragons twinign together, cast in the metals and looping around one another to hold the ring together. the ended facing the same way, one behind the other, pointing upwards as if to soar into the sky. The dragons eyes were imbedded with precious stones - rubies on one ring, topaz on the other, with gems of the same colour inlaid like scales along their bodies at random.

The rigns called to Arthur, toxically hypnotic, he was overcomb with the imagined image of the ruby ring glitter on Merlin's delicate finger, the blood red a striking contrast ot the pale skin. He fancied that the blue of the topz would compliment his tanned skin prettily too. The cat purred from his shoulder is what Arhtur decided to interpret as an agreement.

"For you and your...friend" Rachel said and Arthur jumped, he didn't realised she was watching him. He felt a blush flame in his face as he stammered.

"I...I mean, my friend - My friends is, well...he's, uhm-" Arthur faltered over his words, Rachel was looking at him with pericing green eyes like she knew exactly what Merlin was, and why else would he be looking at rings for his friend?

"It's okay" Rachel broke into a smile

"It's sweet! Friends are important. Were you looking at those two dragon ones? I think they're lovely, I love dragons, they're just huge lizards!" She pointed at the rings on the shopkeepers stall, her red hair falling over her shoulder, and Arthur thought again maybe she was much more astue than she seemed.

As Arthur purchase the shining rings, the cat's purring increase its volume and Arthur started to plan how he would be able to coax the little fellow home with him to Ealdor. The cat flexed his little paws relaxingly into Arthur's strong should, tail up behind him for balance. Arthur reached to the cat and brought the rings up to his face, as if he were seeking the approval.

"Do you think he'll like them?" Arthur asked and gave the cat a long scratch behind the ear. In response the cat nuzzled at Arthur again, attempting to roll on his back to have his little white belly fussed, he rolled unceremoniously from his peach, falling with faliling paws and legs and a self-pitying mewl and he landed with a jingling crash amongst the jewellery on the stall.

The stall keper glared deeply at the cat as he haughtily stood and glared back, as though his fall were deliberate, and Arthur surpressed his giggles to scoop the creature into the safety of his bisepts.

As the cat settled into a purring snooze, warm against the prince's chest in the November aira that was crisp, Arthur's stomach made its presence known with a loud rumble. He grinned, sheeplishy and embarrassed, at Rachel, who grinned in return, white teeth reflecting in the shining mid-day sunlight. The sun, slung low in the sky, dressed in milky white with clouds, its weak yellow rays cut through the whitness with a gold strength that the sun had no right to so late in the year as it was, casting a glow of light over the town, was shining.

"Follow me," Rachel said beckoning with both her hand and her delicate head and heading off towards a large stall laiden with fruit, bread and passtries. Behind the stall stood a tall woman whom seemed wizened despite her youthful face, her skin the colour of the bark of the oak tree, brown ears dancing with amusement at the sight of the cat.

"Awight, Rachel. You 'ere wiv your bow. I didn't fink I'd evver see the day!" Rachel blushed but smiled nervously.

"Er, Martha, this is Ar-Arthur. He's my...the once and future king" She stuttered in reply. The woman turned her beaming smile to Arthur, who noticed how knowing her eyes were looking.

"Any friends of Rachel is a friend of mine! Help yourself" she gestued broadly to her stale and its stock.

The cat mewed - a black puff of fur, a pillow of darkair on Arthur's shoulder as he plucked a juicy red apple from a stack on the stall of food and opened his mouth wide, crooked teeth on display, in anticipation of biting. Before he was able to get his jaws around the delicacy, the apple was wrenched from his hand and flew into the air and into the mud. Arthur was shocked.

"what on earth?!" he said, confused. Rachel had not noticed, she wa discussing recipes for custard wi Martha, who's brown eyes watched him laughingly.

"I'm so sorry i have no idea what happened" Arthur said to her, flabberghasted.

"At's alright me love, 'ave an eclair!" she said in a cheerful tone not matching a darkness which Arthur couldn't place in her eye as she wafted her hands above her pastries in a gesture inviting Arthur to dig in. He reached for the creamy cake with strwaberrys on top, but the cat scampered down his arm, light on his little paws and swift as a corsing river, he took the little cake in his mouth and dropped it on the muddy gournd. Arthus scowled at him.

"Bad cat!" he said and MArtha chuckled while Rachel cast him an indulgiant eye.

"Lady Martha, I can only appologise. I'll pay of coure" Arthur looked up with a bashful grin and assued the women.

"Oh lawd I ain't been called a lady in year, luv. I like you. 'ave anovver" This time she handed the eclair to Arhtur, rather than ricks the cats mischef. He smiled widely and brought it to his mouth savouring the sweet treat when suddernly, in a puff of smoek it was gone. Arthur blinked once in confusion and then again, noticing as he did that the little cat's once blue eyes, where it sat now purched among the bakeries on the stall, where fading from a glittering gold back to their normal aquamarine colour. Suddenly he recognised it. Merlin had followed them and disguied himself as a cat to disrupt his and Rachel's time together: did he really not trust him?! They needed this allience to protect his peope and Merlin's jealousey was putting everything at risk!

"Shall we return to the castle mi lady?" Arthur said turning to Rachel and grabbing the cat by the scruff of its neck, tucking it firmly under his jacket and ignoring the indignant little squark it made.

Rachel agreed with a smile and They headed but towards the castle as the sun was setting, even though it was early, submitting to the cold November evening as darkness and cold approach driving people back into their homes for the long nights until the mid winter party In December.

As they neared the front of the castle a flash of black caught Arthur's eye and attention. Sitting watching him was the fluffy blued eyed minx of his fealine soul mate. Before the cat had a chance to move he punced, and scooped it into his arms with an aspirated 'ah hah!'.

"You really like that cat" Rachel obversed as Arthur scowled when the cat started squirming violently.

"Yes uhm. He reminds me of a cat I used to have. When I was young" Arthur lied, he couldn't let Rachel know about the cat, or she would tell her father.

She smiled at the blacksmith prince.

"I know how important childhoof pets can be. You should keep him" she said.

"Oh, I intend to" replied Arthur, his voice full of dark promise as the cat squirmed against his side petunantly.

Merlin continued to wiggle and swipe right at Arthur's golden face with his talonlike claws as they went through the front door nad Arthur headed back to his chambers, hands firm on the cat.

"Merlin! Stop it! You're just making things worse for yourself" he hussed to the cat in a whisper as soon as they were alone. The cat answered with a hiss of his own and refused to stop his violent fidgetting. Arthur was glad when he reached their room, and allowed Merlin to leap from his arms and fling himself onto the bed, where he hissed at the prince once more for good measure, before settling hismelf in a curl as Arthur loomed over him and began to bellow: his frustrations finally coming out of him.

"Merlin! Arthur shouted and the cat looked up at him and blinked it's wide blue eyes.

"How could you?! don't you trust me? you know this is importnat...if Alfred doesn't give us his suport we can't stop the Mad King! I'm not spending time with Racehl for fun!" The cat did not reply, just stared at Arthur blankly, and he threw up his hands and began to pace, trying to use up the angry energy in his chest.

"She's not my soulmate, you are! we did the spell...I love you! I can't belive you'd do this Merlin! after all we've been through together! How can you not know that you mean more to me than anything?!"

"This is all very sweet, but I'm over here." Arthur head snapped up at the sound and saw the brgight flash of Merlins eyes fade as he transformed back from a cat into the inky-haired warlock Arthur knew.