Chapter 14 - Invitation
Willow retrieved Arthur's shirt and helped him put it on as he continued to give orders. As she gathered her supplies up to leave, a plate of food was brought for Arthur. He gestured for the serving-man to put it on the table as he continued to discuss battle plans.
Willow wondered that Arthur's dinner had come without Merlin to assure them that it hadn't been tampered with. Willow tried to grab the serving-man to question him, but too many bodies were in the way. The man slipped out of the room before she could stop him. She didn't want to leave the food unguarded to go after the man, in case it was poisoned and Arthur got hungry. She stood next to his food and wished for Merlin to materialize. After waiting for a long time–Arthur had apparently forgotten his dinner–Willow decided to take the food with her. She casually carried Arthur's plate out of the room unnoticed by the soldiers or Arthur. Once outside she tried to figure out what to do. She needed to find Merlin or find out why he hadn't returned. The plate of potentially poisoned food smelled good. She headed toward the kitchen. Should she return the food complaining it was too salty? While there may be she'd find Merlin. She was halfway down the stair when she met Merlin coming up. "Merlin! Where have you been?"
He held aloft his plate of food lifting the lid to show her. "Nobody tampered with it. I even tasted it for him on the way up to make sure."
Willow smelled the delicious chicken and savory squash but saw that the food was less than a normal portion. "Tasted it or ate half?"
Merlin grinned. "I had to be sure." He closed the lid.
Willow held up the plate she carried. She didn't lift the lid. "A serving-man delivered this to Arthur a few minutes ago. You must have tipped them off and they tried to circumvent you. I took it away untouched before Arthur even realized that it was gone. You can put that on his table and he'll never know the difference. He'll see half of it gone and know you've verified it's safe. Then we'll track down whoever tampered with this plate of food."
Merlin lifted the lid of her potentially poisoned food to look. She grabbed the napkin beside it and spread it over top. "We don't want anyone to confuse the two plates. I'll head down to the kitchen and see if I recognize the girl or the serving-man."
Merlin closed the lid and nodded. "I have Sir Tobias detained. I fear the girl will be long gone, but give it a try." He started up the stairs then stopped. "Make sure nobody else tastes that food. On second thought I'll stow it in your room," he reached over and took the plate from her, "for safekeeping until after I deliver Arthur's dinner. Perhaps we'll threaten Sir Tobias with it to get him to talk. Or the girl if we find her. After I deliver Arthur's dinner, I'll take this to where Sir Tobias is. Will you be okay looking for the serving girl or the serving-man alone until I can get to you?"
Willow nodded and headed down the stairs to the kitchen empty-handed. She was fairly sure she knew the way but paid careful attention to make sure she didn't get lost. While she paid attention she tried to figure out her excuse for being in the kitchen. Her stomach growled and she realized she had the perfect excuse. She moved with a quicker step at the thought of getting her own dinner. That chicken had smelled exquisite.
The kitchen was a madhouse. People coming and going, cooking and dishing out food. It smelled delicious but sounded like a battle. Pots slammed. Knives chopped. Cutlery scraped together. People yelled and yelled. The head cook, Audrey, yelled the most. She was a large burly woman with a permanent scowl. Willow tried to avoid her. If Audrey saw Willow lurking she would chase her from the kitchen with no information or dinner.
Willow looked for any girl of the right height. The girl's shape earlier had been hard to judge in the dim light of the downstairs hallway. She didn't see any matches, so she watched for any young girl. The girl's height may have been easy to misjudge beside Sir Tobias, a tall man. Willow still didn't see any candidates. She listened for the voice. That much Willow remembered clearly, but with all the commotion she struggled to hear any single voice at all. She was thoroughly frustrated when Merlin arrived. "I'm so sorry, Merlin. I've turned up nothing. And I'm unlikely to find anyone in this commotion."
Merlin snagged two plates of food and led the way out of the kitchen. He turned and smiled as he handed Willow a plate. "Sir Tobias confessed and said that his accomplice, a serving girl named Marigold, was long gone by now. I checked with the guards at the gate. She left an hour ago. Soldiers have been sent out to capture her." Merlin led Wilow up to Arthur's room.
When they arrived, Arthur stood in his hallway outside his room. "There you two are! I've been waiting to hear about the poisoning. Someone delivered food to my room. But I didn't know if it was safe to eat. Ah! Good man, Merlin. You've brought warm replacement food for me. I'm starving." He took the plate from Arthur's hands and walked stiffly back into his room. He was only halfway in when he started to wobble.
"He's going to–" Willow began.
"Whoa!" Merlin caught him and relieved him of the plate. He handed the plate to Willow and helped Arthur back into bed.
After they got Arthur settled, Merlin gave him back the plate of warm food and with a sigh sat beside the plate of cold food. While they all ate, Merlin caught Arthur up on the details of the attempted poisoning.
Before they were finished eating, Uther burst in. "I just heard about Sir Tobias's assignation attempt, Arthur. Are you all right?"
Arthur made a big show of giving Willow the credit for foiling the attempt. When Willow tried to protest that it was mostly Merlin, he just winked at her.
Uther said, "I apologize for ever doubting you. Please dine with me and the royal family at my table tomorrow evening, with or without Arthur, depending on his condition by then."
Arthur and Merlin smiled at her while Willow stammered a thank you.
Uther also complimented Willow on the swift improvement in Arthur's health and her skill as a healer. After he left the meal was finished. Merlin cleaned up. Willow tended Arthur's wounds. Once he was asleep for much-needed rest after a long exhausting day for a recovering patient Willow left the prince's side to return to her own room.
Merlin waited for her in the hallway. He escorted her to her room while they discussed Uther's change of heart and Willow's sudden popularity. She thanked Merlin for generously allowing Arthur to give her all of the credit.
Merlin smiled. "I hope your time here will be more pleasant now that Uther is no long suspicious of you."
She nodded and plopped on her bed suddenly very tired.
"You look exhausted." Merlin observed. "I suppose now wouldn't be a good time to point out that I won our little wager."
Willow looked up all tiredness instantly gone. She remembered finding Arthur standing in his hallway. Outside of his room. On his feet. She licked her lips. "Um, yes. I suppose you did."
Merlin moved closer until he stood beside where she sat on her bed. She stood up too fast. She didn't want to imply that her bed was a good place for anything.
Merlin smiled and took her hand as she stood up next to him. He raised it to his lips and kissed it. "When can I expect you to pay up on your wager?" He smiled.
Starting at her hand where his lips had touched her skin, Willow's whole body tingled. She looked into his eyes. They were amazing. Blue with small flecks of brown that sparkled. She felt like she could fall into them and never come out again. She felt her mouth open, but no words came out. He moved closer.
She stepped away. Panic seized her. What of her work as a healer? What of her plans for spinsterhood? Didn't she care about healing at all? She sighed.
Merlin raised an eyebrow but stepped away. Hurt and disappointment on his face for just a moment. He turned away while gesturing to her trunk. "I decided you needed a new dress regardless of the outcome of the wager." He glanced back to give her a sweet smile. "If you don't like it, I can get another one made more to your liking. You can tell the seamstress exactly what you want."
Willow looked from Merlin to the trunk and then back to him. She felt her eyes start to sting. This man was too generous, too kind. Too good for her to hurt and reject over and over. "Merlin…" she was at a loss for what to say.
Without looking at her, while fiddling with her ink well on her table he waved his hand and the trunk opened. A blue dress more beautiful than any Willow had ever owned or even worn and far more lovely than any she had hoped to win rose into the air and hovered there.
Tears willed in Willow's eyes. Without moving, Willow whispered. "Oh, Merlin, it's beautiful."
He turned to grin.
Willow couldn't believe he was over his hurt so quickly. How could anybody be that forgiving? She didn't deserve his affection. She at least owed the man a kiss. He'd won it fairly. She turned toward him to rush into his arms, to apologize for being such a frightened ninny, for–
He caught her up in his arms before she had taken two steps. His lips were on hers, warm and soft and delicious. She felt light as air, didn't know what was happening, didn't want there to be any more space between them. His body pressed against hers. It felt more right than anything she had ever known.
There was a knock on the door. They sprang apart. Willow covered her face with her hands. What had just happened? She felt like she'd been ripped in half.
The knock came again. Willow looked up. Merlin smiled at her sheepishly. A third knock. Willow collected herself and opened the door partway.
Lady Morgana stood in the hall. Willow wasn't sure whether or not she'd done something wrong kissing Merlin in her room. She barely knew Lady Morgana. She hadn't even been introduced formally to her yet. She didn't want the first impression of her to be that she was a loose woman that took boys into her bedroom. But she had. Willow tried not to blush.
Morgana smiled. "Hello. We haven't been introduced yet. I'm Morgana, the king's ward. I was told you'd be joining us at table tomorrow evening and wanted to offer you the pick of my gowns if you would like. Uther wants you to feel at ease and welcome."
Willow felt weak in the knees with thankfulness for the beautiful gown floating in the air behind her and the mostly closed door. Willow thought about the amazing man who'd held the dress up magically with the flick of a wrist. A man whose mouth and breath had just been hers, who she wanted to be hers again. She wished Morgana would melt away.
"Willow? Is everything all right?" Morgana asked.
Willow sighed and pretended it was a yawn. "I'm sorry, my lady. I've very sleepy. It's been a long day."
Morgana blushed. "Of course. I'm so sorry. Your first day at Camelot and you had so much excitement saving Arthur's life twice over. Forgive me for not considering that you might be on your way to bed. I'll talk with you again in the morning."
Willow thanked Morgana and closed the door as she left. Willow turned to rush back into Merlin's arms. The dress no longer floated.
Merlin stood with his hands behind his back. "Forgive me for not considering how tired you must be. I'll see you in the morning."
As he made to slip past her to get to the door, she grabbed his hand. "Stay?"
His mouth opened a little and his eyebrows shot up. He smiled and blushed. "I shouldn't. You're tired and–"
Her mouth was on his. She was lost once more. He smelled like trees after a rain.
He pulled away prying her fingers off of his arm. His smile was big and goofy. "Willow," he moved her away from him. "If I stay any longer in our current state of exhaustion one or both of us may do something we regret. I like you far too much to risk that, however much I'd like to..." He blushed scarlet. "I'll see you in the morning." He pecked her on the cheek and slipped out the door, closing it behind him.