This is a part of my Merlin Golden age series, which I named as Golden Age of Magic and Mayhem. The updates for this one would be out of order, and ill be writing them as inspiration hits. Currently this is the forth instalment according to the chronological order of the fics that I've written, check out the first three fics in my profile. :)
IDOM.
Rays of sunlight filtered through the cracks of his windows as Merlin basked in the warmth in his room. Rare were the days he would get to snuggle underneath the blankets in his bed, and even rarer were the times he would get a day off for himself. A sigh escaped his lips as Merlin rolled off to the other side, and drifted once again into a pleasant slumber.
Something curled around his ankle, tightened into a deathly grip, and Merlin's eyes snapped open in panic only to be pulled out of his bed along with the blankets wrapped around his torso. With a thud, he landed on the stone floor, as his fall cushioned by the pillow he had a deathly grip on. Groaning, Merlin pulled himself up, coming face to face with a grinning King Arthur in all his glory. Merlin's sleep-addled mind did not appreciate seeing his friend's face that early in the morning.
Merlin felt a reverse sense of déjà vu as he glared at the King. "What do you want- you clotpole?" He grumbled, letting his head fall back onto the soft pillows that came with him down to the stone floor. But all he got in return was a face full of his blue tunic, which Arthur had thrown at him with a smug grin.
"Come' on" the Prat said, going through his humble selection of clothing and throwing another pair of breeches at his face. "Get up Merlin! But if you miss it, I don't want to hear your complaints for the rest of the day."
"Oh sod off Prat, it's my day off"
Merlin closed his eyes. Maybe if he pretended that he was still asleep-
Once again, a hand grabbed his ankle and pulled, snapping him out of his peaceful slumber. "Get up you idiot," the Prat huffed, but Merlin didn't even open his eyes. He was too busy drifting off into sleep. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you're worse than your apprentice."
Well, that woke him up like a slap to his face.
"Frida? She's in trouble?" Merlin pulled himself up from where he laid, his backside digging painfully into the stone floor. Arthur wouldn't mention her unless it was very important, and Merlin could only imagine what trouble she'd lured in.
"Err- well, I wouldn't say no but-"
Merlin scrambled onto his feet, completely ignoring Arthur's attempts at speaking and hurried out of his chambers, only barely managing to save himself from falling face first into the floor with all the blankets wrapped around him.
When he emerged from his tower, dressed in his faded sleeping breeches and the blue tunic Arthur had graciously thrown at his face- and the King following directly behind him, Merlin did not have any idea where he was supposed to look for his mouthy apprentice.
A hand gripped his arm, stopping him just before he stepped into the courtyard, and Merlin turned to glare at Arthur, who greeted him with sparkling eyes and a grin on his face.
"Arthur what-"
"Shhh- look!"
The dollophead got a hold of Merlin's ear and pulled before Merlin could say anything, but the complaint was forgotten as soon as Merlin saw who was standing in the middle of the sleepy courtyard.
A youth, no older than fifteen summers with blond curls held what looked to be a glowing blue stone the size of a paperweight. An object that Merlin was very familiar with and was quite sure came from the vaults of Camelot.
"You Prat!" Merlin complained, still sour because he wasn't able to sleep in on his day off. "I cannot believe you woke me up for this! So what, your son broke into the vaults. Big deal-"
"Shut up Merlin," Arthur bristled, his elbow coming up to rest on Merlin's shoulder, as they leaned on the wall of the tower that led to his Workhouse. It was the perfect place to- well, keep a lookout on the courtyard, and certainly not a place to spy on a certain blonde Prince. "Amhar simply asked me if there was any way to get into a girl's good graces, so I simply guided him on the right way."
They watched as a girl, dressed in brown breeches hurrying her way towards the youth, her usual dark hair now a corn yellow, and an angry frown marring her usually friendly face.
"I'm pretty sure he'd have to do a lot more than gifting back her own invention if he was responsible for that," Merlin pointed out, gesturing to his apprentice's change of style. Arthur winced, a hand reaching to the back of his head.
"And by doing the complete opposite of what you said, given that I was the one who helped you out of all those miseries with Gwen"
"Shut up, idiot. I didn't ask him to break into the vaults. It was his own idea."
Merlin chuckled. "Doesn't surprise me. You both have terrible ideas. Like father, like son."
Across the courtyard, the two youths, the Prince and the Apprentice bickered, but unfortunately the King and the Court Sorcerer were too far away to hear what they were saying.
Merlin saw the exact moment Frida's patience snapped, and the next instant, she ripped the glowing blue stone from the Prince's hands, brown eyes glowing gold as magic swirled at her fingertips.
The next, a light emitted from the stone, hitting the Prince in the chest making him stumble back with its force. It was only because Merlin knew the magic was harmless that he managed to hold both himself and Arthur back from reaching to the Prince's aid.
When the mist cleared, among the blond curls on the top of his head, the young Prince had sprouted a pair of donkey ears, just like the pair his father used to have more than a decade and a half ago.
An involuntary laugh escaped Merlin's lips and from the corner of his eyes he watched Arthur's face turn a bright shade of red. Merlin had to stuff his fist in his mouth to muffle the sound of his giggling at that glorious moment. Arthur was right, he definitely would have regretted not witnessing this late that day.
Well, it could have been worse, Amhar could have turned into a toad and Merlin would have had to have an awkward talk with Frida about the counter curse to that enchantment.
Besides, Merlin thought, as he heard the desperate brays of the Prince that filled the courtyard, Amhar might learn not to mess with his Apprentice from then on.
But then again, Merlin's eyes flickered to the Prince's father, who was also trying to hold back his laughs, Amhar might not.
Written for Land of Myth Dialogue Melee Prompt 5
The dialogue: "I cannot believe you woke me up for this."
The narration: It could have been worse. (Or It could be worse. - if you want this verb tense instead)
Choose one object: Fabulous feathered hat | a suspicious paperweight from the vaults | Gaius' collection of pots