The cake. Oh boy, the cake. It was a beautiful cake, it really was. It matched the paper plates and napkins perfectly. Once Merlin saw it, it no longer felt to him as if this birthday party might be for the Little Mermaid, but now it made perfect sense, this party was for Gwen. The cake was white, two tiered. Almost a smaller looking wedding cake, and on top of it was a giant peacock made out of modeling icing. It had a teal body and a long, purple and teal tail that went down the side of the cake. It was very pretty.

"Oh," said Arthur, when he saw it. It was pretty. "Merlin probably loves it, he loves birds..."

"I love a puffin, that's a peacock!" Merlin retorted to him, kind of in his ear, as he was standing between him and the wall, sort of pinned there by all the other people. Arthur looked over at him with a raised eyebrow. Not in the dangerous way, like he had earlier, but more in a way that said Merlin probably ought to shut up.

"Thank you for that information, Merlin," said Arthur dryly. He blew out the candles and Gwen cut the cake, as she did love to cut cakes that weren't hers. The inside of the cake was blue velvet, at last that's what Gwen said. The icing itself was cream-cheese and there was a layer inside that was cream-cheese, with whole blueberries mixed in. It was gross...

"I got it from the same little shop that made my wedding cake all those years ago," Gwen explained to anyone who would listen. "They really make the best cakes. I'll give you the store name."

The girl she was talking to, who Merlin didn't think she actually knew, only nodded and continued pushing the cake around on her plate. Merlin had enough at this point. He was all 'partied' out. Arthur had also disappeared somewhere just after the cake was cut and Merlin didn't see any reason to still be there either.

"I'm going to go out in the garden for some air," he told Gwen, who happily cut Leon a second piece of cake. He was a brave, foolish man. Who Merlin thought, assumed Gwen was single. Merlin kept the door cracked, not a big gap, but big enough where he could still hear inside, in case he was being called upon. He assumed he wouldn't be though. He sat on the steps by the door for a good ten minutes, just thinking about this party and who it was really meant to be for...

It didn't feel like a party Arthur would want to have. It felt more like a party Gwen wanted to have. And the fact that she hadn't even told Merlin when it would be, when she knew his schedule, she knew he would be at Uni at that time. Again, who starts a party at 1 PM? It was all very petty. Another five minutes passed now, and inside he heard Arthur talking suddenly. Merlin listened a little harder now. He hadn't been paying attention before, to Gwen and Leon's jabber back and forth. But he did for Arthur.

"Where's Merlin?" asked Arthur and before Merlin could even stand up, to show Arthur where he was.

"Oh, I think he left, he said he had to get something," said Gwen.

"Air...I said I was getting air!" complained Merlin to himself.

"Well...when he comes back tell him I went for a walk," said Arthur then. "I'm going to walk off some of this cake."

That was a lie, because Arthur hadn't ate any cake. Arthur's voice was gone now, and the jabbering between Leon and Gwen continued. It took Merlin three seconds to decide, and he swore his brain hadn't made any choice at all. He suddenly shut the backdoor all the way, which probably went unnoticed, and then jogged around the house to meet Arthur in the front. He was standing in the middle of the driveway, glaring at Merlin's car that was parked in it, meaning he obviously haven't left. Gwen just either didn't care where he had gone or didn't pay attention. Arthur noticed Merlin coming toward him before Merlin even had to say anything.

"What are you doing?" asked Arthur, obviously confused. "Gwen said you left."

"I was in the back garden getting air..."

"That's what I'm doing out here," said Arthur then and once Merlin got next to him, that was when he began walking. He hadn't even asked Merlin if he was going on this walk too, he just assumed and walked. Merlin followed, because obviously he was going, it was better than staying here. They walked for a moment or two in silence, before Arthur spoke again. "A peacock...really?"

"It...it was very pretty."

"Yes..." said Arthur, with a nod. Merlin smiled at this, shoving his hands into his jean pockets and watching Arthur try to find the words to say. He wanted to be nice, Merlin could tell. But it was hard. "Pretty for an eighty year old woman!" Merlin laughed at this. "I love Guinevere, I really do...she is a kind, thoughtful woman who I am sure did her best to plan this party...but what the fuck?"

Merlin pouted at this, at Arthur's words. Because he didn't think she was kind or thoughtful, not anymore. She hadn't been since long before Merlin had even said 'I Do.' He shrugged. "I had wanted to do a red and gold theme..."

Arthur looked over at him, confused. "Why didn't you?"

Merlin stopped walking. They had walked a good street or two away from their house at this point. Arthur stopped too, when Merlin did, and turned to face him. "Why do you think I didn't, Arthur...?"

Arthur sighed, "You should've done it anyway."

"I was warned not to," said Merlin, sadly. He wanted to do these nice things for Arthur, he really did. "I had wanted to get a cake shaped like a footie and the inside would be chocolate with cookies and cream. Because of your secret love affair with Oreo's you think I don't know about..."

Arthur smiled at this, leaning forward, he grabbed Merlin's wrists and pulled his hands from his pockets. He took Merlin's hands in his own now and still smiled at him. "I would've liked that," he said, and even if he was lying Merlin knew he was saying these things to make him feel better. Arthur could see the sadness in Merlin's eyes. Merlin knew this, because he could feel it there. This was one of the reasons Merlin wanted to do nice things for him, because Arthur was nice. Most of the time, anyway. He deserved to be shown kindness, a party thrown actually for him. But Merlin couldn't do these things, even though he wanted to, because Gwen would never allow him to. So, either he did them in secret or he didn't do them at all...Merlin would have to pick. He would have to chose, either his relationship with Gwen or his relationship with Arthur, there could be no in between even if Merlin wished there could be. There couldn't be though, because Gwen wouldn't let it happen.

(A/N: I figured I'd update again tonight because why not? So, I was thinking of ending this story when they do the interview, since I have been building up to that and then continuing the story in another, which would be the third part of this, story? I mean I guess I would like to know you guys' thoughts on that? Would you mind if I break it up again? I already did this once because I wanted the first part to be a stand-alone. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!)