"Strange Satisfaction" (Rose)
I was highly certain that I knew more about the goblin than I thought. However, considering my knowledge of goblins was only ever passed verbally, I had to see it to be sure. Right though I was, I have a strong sense that there is more to goblins that I don't know. I am willing to bet that we are not about to come across an issue of Uther's health.
My suspicions are confirmed as Arthur turns around just before entering the guarded doorway of the king's bedroom and says, "I should warn you. If you value your lives, do not even think," he points at Merlin directly, "About laughing."
Both Gaius and Merlin clearly are perplexed, but Merlin shows this far more than Gaius ever would. They look at each other as I take a few steps forward. Arthur is still eyeing them. "Are you boys coming or shall I take these guards with me instead?" I ask in a light, teasing voice. Without a word, they trail behind me as I let Arthur take the lead once more.
Arthur steps through the inner door slowly while we stay back a few paces. The prince looks around the room, "Father?"
"I'm behind the screen," Uther replies, and his tone is anything but pleased.
Arthur's mouth opens a tad, but he closes it, finding it better not to say a word. He pauses, and then motions to Gaius to move forward into the king's hiding spot. The four of us exchange short glances, every face saying something different as we all walk forward.
As we round the corner of the curtain, I now know that the suspense surrounding Arthur's comment on laughter is completely warranted.
The thing that is forcing this strange satisfaction into my gut that would normally cause me to smile is not the fact that the king's head is somehow more bare than a field of wheat in a famine, but that he sits on a regal chair, arms folded, and lips in a pout.
To add to the difficulty of not showing my rude, but understood compelling to burst into laughter, Merlin and Gaius's jaws drop. For once, neither one of them knows what to say. Merlin would not dare say a word, and Gaius looks utterly baffled. Uther, humiliated beyond belief, barely meets anyone's gaze.
The situation surveyed, we promptly leave without a word exchanged further.
In the hallway, Gaius breaks the silence. "Only an enchantment could cause Uther to lose his hair like that." I can see quite plainly that Merlin's ability to keep a straight face is fading, and fast. "I have no doubt the goblin is to blame. We must catch it before it does any real damage."
On that note, Merlin loses it. He laughs hard and quiet. "Did you see Uther's face?"
Gaius turns to him with an almost scornful tone, "Merlin, what do you think Uther will do to the person responsible for releasing the goblin?"
Merlin's face goes immediately back to serious. "We need to catch it." Now I start to crack. "How do we do that?"
"We need to set a trap," Gaius begins walking once more. "And for that, we need gold, and plenty of it."
A plan is taking form in my brain, but is hindered slightly by the overwhelming urge to laugh so forcefully, I may burst.
"The Last Laugh" (Merlin)
As soon as our chamber door shuts behind us, Rose's laughter resounds and my own joins it in harmony mere seconds later.
Gaius turns about with an appalled look on his face, "Shame on you two."
"I'm sorry, Gaius," Rose says between giggles. "But I do take comfort in the fact that you found it just as funny as we did."
"I did no such thing," Gaius denies.
"You didn't have an inkling of laughter within you at all?" I press.
"If I did, I hardly see how admitting that to the two of you will get us anywhere closer to a solution to what is, regardless of the possible humor involved, a serious matter," he says, holding a straight face and an arched eyebrow.
I raise my hands in submission and nod as Rose says, "Fair enough."
"So, Gaius," I begin bringing up the inevitable, "You mentioned the need of gold … I don't suppose you're secretly wealthy or related to royalty?"
"Unfortunately for you, I am not," Gaius replies. "However, what is lucky for you is that you work for someone who is both wealthy and royal."
"Are you actually suggesting he steals gold from Arthur?" Rose gapes.
"I am simply saying that he has the option to borrow what is needed from a sure source," Gaius grins.
"I do know where he keeps a smaller amount of valuables inside his room," I add.
"But if Arthur catches you, you won't be able to know anything ever again due to the damage to your brain," Rose reminds.
"True as that may be, Merlin has put himself at that risk," Gaius's tone sounds ever so paternal.
"Alright," I concede. "I'll sneak into his highness's quarters tonight and temporarily relieve him of the burden that is his overabundance of money."
As our conversation ends and the day quickly fades into darkness, I find myself hearing Rose wish me well. With that, I exit the physician's chambers and lightly tread through the castle halls and into Arthur's room. Crossing over to where he sleeps, my heart begins trying a few new beating patterns. I slowly lower myself to the cold ground and peer underneath for the treasure.
Upon spotting it, I reach for and slide the small chest out from underneath Arthur's bed. I examine it briefly, making sure I keep quiet. I wince at the squeak the hinges make as I gently pull back the lid to inspect the contents in the trunk.
Just as I hoped, there lies within a considerable amount of shimmering gold coins. I smile, satisfied with the outcome of my task. But my joy is short lived as Arthur grunts and flops over onto his stomach, scaring the happy right out of me. Now worried that I will wake him, I rise from the floor and tiptoe towards the double doors that will be a barrier between his line of vision and me.
I'm so close now, but, naturally, it's just my luck that I knock over the dishes I was supposed to put away earlier. I look over at Arthur, who is waking. I need no further encouragement to duck behind the nearest chair. Poor cover, but necessary.
"Who's there?" Arthur demands. Of course, I don't answer. When he receives no reply, he springs from the covers, stands on his bed and grabs his sword. Standing haunched in a defensive position, he awaits whatever will come.
Not wanting to come up with any sort of explanation and for my own personal pleasure, I softly mutter a spell, sending the bed's canopy down atop of the bewildered prince. He struggles under the fabric with muffled cries of confusion and the swinging of arms. He begins to stumble and finally finds himself flat on the hard floor.
I'm more mastered at containing laughter from this day, so I get up to leave with a grin and gold in hand. I take a couple of steps and find that Arthur is now standing once more with the canopy still wrapped around him.
He grunts and clanks his sword into the ground and random objects around him. He then trips into his wardrobe and a few stray pillows conk him in the head. He falls over again, my laughter escaping my open mouth ever so slightly. But it vanishes just as quick when Arthur yells, "Guards!" This would be my queue to get out.
I don't wait around to say hello.
As a matter of fact, I run all the way back to my chambers, praying I don't crash into any more noisy things.