Overwelming
Merlin went out to take some fresh air. It was so overwhelming. He read not even a quarter of all he had to and the meeting would be in two days. Meanwhile, in Camelot, he had to help Arthur organize the visit of princess Mithian and his work was double than usual. And he'd promised Sefa he would meet her tomorrow evening. He hadn't seen the dragon-pies. And on top of everything was Morgana. He was afraid she would do something stupid. The warlock wondered if he'd done the right thing sending her to share the room with so many people. Maybe, he should keep an eye on her.
"How am I going to keep an eye on her when I can't find enough time to throw my eyes on all those papers?"
The night was chill and it helped his mind relax a bit. He went to the lake and sat down next to the lake. A few birds flew as they sensed his presence. Aithusa noticed him and came next to him. Her leg was much better and she'd put some weight on her.
"How many cookies have you eaten?" Merlin asked her as he noticed her nose was red now.
"They are so tasty and nice." She watched him with puppy eyes. "The tiny dough dragons. They wanted to sell some in the neighboring kingdoms, too." Aithusa continued. "You are worried. Why?" The dragoness noticed.
"I don't know how to deal with everything. I like it. I love my life in Camelot. I'm happy with the knights and Arthur. I miss the dinners with Gaius. He didn't cook well, but I miss those conversations. I don't want to leave the town, but...I feel I can't do my job here as I should and... I don't know how long I can carry on. "
"You can visit them. Sometimes. Write letters. This is your dream. You should follow it. If they are really your friends they should understand that and encourage you, shouldn't they?"
"I guess so. I'm sure Arthur will deal just well without me, but I can't help feeling worried. He's changed so much. All of us have. You should have met Morgana then. She was the nicest person I've ever known. And beautiful and brave."
"She's still wonderful, Merlin. But you need to know her better. She's just scared."
"What should I do? About her, I mean. Sometimes, I feel like she's acting like a spoilt child "
"Then treat her like a child." Aithusa laughed.
"Please, tell me you're not going to become as cryptic as Kigharrah."
"Maybe. When I'll reach the first thousand years."
"I'm glad that I'm not going to be here." Merlin laughed.
"Merlin." Sefa cried as she noticed him sitting on the bridge with the white dragon. She was carrying a basket full of wild roses.
"Hello, Sefa. Nice flowers. From someone special?"
"I'm hungry." Aithusa announced out of the blew. "I think I should check the kitchen. Maybe, someone left something for me there." Then she added. "I'm Aithusa. I'm very glad to meet you, Sefa. I'll let you two speak. I'll save you a tiny dragon."
"Thank you, Aithusa." Merlin answered. "Do not get too fat. And do not eat all the food, please. I haven't had dinner and the dragon isn't enough for me." The dragoness bowed and then flew away.
"I didn't know you are friends with a dragon. She seems nice." Sefa said friendly.
"She's been through a lot. But it has helped her become stronger and wiser. What about you? What have you done all this time? Let's have a walk, shall we?"
The time passed quickly and the two of them hardly noticed how late it was. Merlin's papers were forgotten in his office while the tiny dragon waited for them in the kitchen.
"You're going back..to Camelot, aren't you?" He nodded. " But you'll come back won't you?"
"Of course." Merlin said. "Let's find that little dragon. I'm starving. Do you need help with the roses? Where do you have to take them?"
"To lady Lavander."
"I'm not going there. Too dangerous." He put on a face as if he were to face a dragon. "I hope you're not her servant. She really needs to grow up."
"She's not that bad." she declared.
"Really? I guess you know better."
"What are you doing? I haven't asked you and your clothes look...expensive." She pointed out.
"I guess they belonged to a nobleman or even to the king. Someone found them among the old stuff in this castle. Magic could do wonders. I am...a ...servant to this country." she looked at him, confused. She didn't know how to react as she wasn't sure she'd got the meaning of his words.
"Though," he continued, "some may tell you I'm the king. They are right, too. I am Emrys. Yet deep down I'm still the Merlin you met in Camelot. So, do not treat me any differently."
Morgana was woken early by the gossip of some young serving girls who were laughing and chatting right next to her bed. She was really furious, but as she was about to throw some not-very-lady-like words at them, she realized that she was the only one who hadn't woken up yet. Everybody had already made their beds and had put on their daily clothes. The witch had been too tired to hear them. However, those girls' giggles were too loud not to be noticed.
She'd fallen asleep quite quickly considering the emotions of the former day. But now, as the time to get up had come she wished she could stay longer. She wasn't ready to face whatever the new day would bring to her.
As she finally managed to push away her fears, Morgana realized she had nothing to do and no other clothes except those she was already wearing. She would have to talk with Merlin about that. Why Merlin? Probably because he was the only person she actually knew there. She couldn't go and tell a soldier that she didn't have clothes, could she? She could have asked those girls, but she was just too proud to admit that she was poorer than they were.
As she had nothing better to do and she couldn't sleep either, Morgana just listened to their conversation. To her surprise, the girls, who seemed to be around 16- 17 years old, were talking about Emrys.
Well, talking about him wouldn't have been a strange topic if they had talked about his kindness or if they had debated the laws or something like that. However, the girls were debating about how handsome he was and how he had helped one of them to carry a basket of vegetables.
The girl told her friends over and over again how he had smiled at her and she had felt her heart beating and that he had actually touched her hand and she had felt she was about to faint and was unable to say a word. And all the girls seemed to envy her and told her she had been so lucky.
Morgana felt she was going sick. Emrys was around eighty years old and those girls were debating how "charming" he was. It was quite disgusting. It was clear to the witch that those girls were stupid. However, she was the only one who thought like that. Even the older women seemed to agree with the girls, but they were less noisy about how handsome and charming he was and they were quite convinced that the one he would choose as queen would be a very lucky girl.
One of the girls declared that if she were to meet him she would go to him and tell him that she was his and that he could do anything he wanted with her. Yet her friends said nothing and the young woman noticed that they were insistently looking at something behind her. She didn't have time to turn as she heard Merlin's cheerful voice.
"And who's the lucky one?" Obviously, she hadn't expected the king would be behind her and obviously she didn't dare to say those words to him. Instead, she let her head down as she felt that her cheeks were on fire. They were all in shock. They forgot any etiquette and were just looking at him with pleading eyes. He smiled and took a glance at Morgana, but he then turned to the other people from the room, greeting and smiling at them. Morgana was still lying in bed.
"Have you slept well?" Merlin tried to change the topic and helped the girls to regain their courage. He couldn't understand why they were so afraid of him. He had never wanted something like that. The only person that should have actually been afraid of him was Morgana and yet she was the only one that was actually relaxed.
"What do you want, Merlin?" She asked, her voice laced with boredom, while every single glance was directed towards her. She had spoken rudely to the king.
"I just wanted to see how everything goes. Are you alright?" The question wasn't meant to be only for Morgana, yet, the witch thought he was adressing to her.
"What do you think? Those stupid girls kept talking all night while those idiot kids were either running all over or were complaining and…" He didn't allow Morgana to finish.
"Fine. I've got it. I am really sorry that I can't offer you all the comfort you need, but I will try my best to have the city built as quickly as possible so you will be able to have your own room." He really meant it although Morgana kind of deserved all the noise and discomfort. Morgana, on the other hand, thought he was mocking her.
"Morgana, try to be more cooperative, please." Merlin continued. "You will have to become friends. It's for your best." The girls nodded, but they obviously didn't want to be friends with Morgana. "Thank you." He said his farewell and left the room while everyone kept watching him.
"How did she dare to speak like that?" One of the girls said after he had left. Even though Morgana was still there.
"Be quiet." Another added. "I think she knows him. I heard she spent the evening with him yesterday."
"What is so special about her? Why will someone like him look at a girl like her? I heard her magic had been taken because she had done a lot of bad things. Is it true?" They asked her.
"That's not your business." Morgana threw at them, but she was obviously annoyed by their question.
"She bitts." The girls burst into laughter. Morgana couldn't help attacking the girl who had started it. She may not have magic, but she had nails and the girl would pay for trying to laugh at her.
None dared to intervene while the poor girl tried her best to escape alive from that battle. Morgana decided to give them a lesson and she showed no mercy upon the one who had dared to insult her. However, to the girl's fortune, Merlin, followed by a couple of soldiers entered the huge room. The two women were separated by the guards and Morgana was taken away from the poor victim. The girl was taken care of by the other girls while Merlin watched them, waiting for an explanation. None dared to speak. They let their heads down and stood in silence…..
Eventually, a girl started to speak and then other girls added different kinds of arguments against Morgana, some true, but many invented. Considering their story, Morgana had attacked them without a reason. Their friend had just asked her something quite innocent and then Morgana had answered violently, insulting them and hitting their friend.
In vain did Morgana try to explain that they had insulted her and as a result, she had decided to protect herself; none believed in her story.
Merlin was impenetrable. He didn't let a single gesture betray his fury. So, everybody waited for his reaction.
"I will let Lady Miriam judge it." He declared in a cold tone. Upon saying that, a woman in her forties came in front of him. She was Lady Miriam, the one responsible for supervising the serving girls and dealing with any type of problem they may face. For most of them, she was a motherly figure, protecting the young girls and offering them comfort when necessary.
From the moment he accepted to rule the country, Merlin had been aware that he would need all the help he could get, so he gave responsibilities to each of his council members over some of his subjects. They would have the liberty to decide upon the issues that might appear while the king would only deal with the important matters that concerned the country. His representatives would only give him a daily report of the main problems, so he wouldn't have to waste his time on tiny issues.
"I'll deal with them immediately. You shouldn't worry about such petty stuff, Merlin. If there's something else I could do for you..." She responded immediately, her hazel eyes fixed on him. Morgana threw a glance towards Merlin. She couldn't help wondering why everybody was so polite to him. He was just a servant, wasn't he?
"It's alright. Thank you, Miriam. You have all the liberty you want."
However, both knew that "the liberty" he had spoken about was relative as Lady Miriam, as well as anybody else, had to follow the law which actually gave her very little freedom upon deciding the punishment.
Soon, Merlin left. He had a lot of work to do. And, after all, deciding upon such a small matter would only alter the rules he had already established. He didn't want to interfere with the job of somebody else. He'd already done enough damage by coming in the morning. And he had a prat to wake up in Camelot.
"Good morning, Sir Mordred. Lady Kara." Merlin uttered as he passed by Mordred and Kara who were hidden behind an alcove. Mordred looked surprised as he couldn't explain how Merlin had managed to see them there. Merlin's relation with Mordred had improved a lot lately and, so, Merlin couldn't help teasing him everytime he got the chance.
"I think we should find him a queen. Any idea?" Mordred suggested to Kara.
"I think he could find one himself. But he may need some help, indeed." Kara answered. "I'll deal with it."
"No, thank you." Merlin refused as if it were a mushroom, not a future wife. Everybody had been sick of mushrooms lately. Including Merlin. "I thought you were in Camelot." He addressed Kara.
"And miss the feast in the honor of the king. Nope. Someone has to ruin his birthday, doesn't it?" She went on.
"My birthday? I've completely forgotten."
"You should decide who you are going to accompany to the party. All the ladies around here wait for your invitation. Of course, not me. You should leave them enough time to recover from the shock of having to wait for someone else."
"I don't know who to invite. The party is in three days."
"Don't worry, I helped you. I sent your invitation already."
"You did what? To whom?"
"You shall see. Now, go. I and Mordred wanted some peace, Merlin."
"Mordred, please."He begged the knight.
"I can't disobey her, Merlin. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to condemn myself to a life of misery. Have a nice day!"