Duelling it out.
Notes:
Hello!
Just informing people who might have missed- There is a first part to this book and I hope all of you that are reading this book have read that one too, because this book is going to be very complicated if you have not read the first part. It is not a standalone.
The first book is called This Time Around Part one and you can find it on the author's page.
Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!
Chapter Text
Merlin woke up with a much better mood than he had been in last night, which means that he didn't feel the urge to kill someone. At least not currently.
Although he did have a headache to remind him that no matter his ability to hold alcohol had increased tremendously- his magic and his body did not agree with it. He drank the water on his bedside and got off the bed to freshen up.
Today was the day his duties towards Arthur and Camelot resumed fully- 'resumed' because he had never stopped working for this land and his King.
His King… Merlin's eyes fall to the floor and his heart lurches with the longing he feels. He missed his Arthur.
Arthur who had been Merlin's best friend and who hadn't hated him even when the warlock had irritated the life out of the royal. Merlin used to be very irritating, remembering the multiple times Merlin had left Arthur with too tight clothes, flatulent problems and even diarrhoea for a day. He had teased him, called him fat and even teamed up against him with Morgana and Gwen.
The warlock laughs as his mind provides him with several more moments when Arthur had wanted to kill Merlin- bring him back to life and then kill him again, but the Prince had never...hated him.
Anyway, Merlin breathed out and thought, he was too old to hold grudges. He couldn't in good faith act like a child even after 1500 years of maturity, destiny had given him another chance and he was going to make sure that this Arthur will learn who Merlin was- and maybe then he won't dislike the warlock so much.
He would also try to spend more time with Gwen- see if he could somehow become a better friend.
There was though, a person that Merlin was unsure how to handle… Morgana.
He sighed and decided that it was perhaps for the better if he maintained a good distance between himself and the Lady.
He was going to be respectful towards her and be civil to her but he couldn't allow himself to affect her so strongly ever again. He had learnt his lesson when he had seen how negatively she had reacted last night- and how strongly he had affected her… maybe if he distances himself from her, she won't be as affected by him. Hopefully.
He splashes water on his face and then continues thinking- he knew that couldn't let the words that had been spoken last night bring him down… especially because those words had been muttered in anger... but it still stung.
Breathing deeply, Merlin shook his head and looked up at the window and closing his eyes…. He didn't know how he was going to make them realize that he was not the enemy and he didn't know how he was going to make Arthur un-hate him, but he was going to do it.
He hadn't waited for a thousand years just to fail again and that too only because he was too… sensitive.
Merlin got off the bed and put on a deep-blue tunic- Ambrosia's colour- and black trousers before putting his boots on. He freshened up a bit, ran a customary hand through his hair and opened his chamber door—Only to come face-to-face with Gaius who seemed like he had been about to knock.
Merlin nodded at the Physician and said, "I'll be heading out now Gaius, duty calls. Re-heat the food I cooked last night if you feel hungry-,"
"Merlin," Gaius interrupts him mid-sentence and Merlin stops to look at Gaius, who continues, "I know you might be wondering why I didn't tell you about last night-,"
Merlin sighs and interrupts the old man, "Gaius can we have this chat later, I'll get late."
But Gaius wasn't ready to let the young man leave before he explained himself so he just shook his head and said, "You have never been on time before, Merlin- there is no need to start now."
Merlin stares at the old man for a second before letting an involuntary huff of laughter escape him, making Gaius smile a little smile.
Merlin breathes in deeply and starts before Gaius can, he knew the old man had lost sleep- evident from the deep circles around his eyes and wanted to put him at ease,
"Yes, I was… upset that you didn't think to tell me what the King had planned for the feast- if I had known then maybe I could have told Morgana and Arthur myself than let them hear it from the King." Merlin says and grimaces a little at the memory of the look of betrayal and disbelief on the face of the younger royals.
He looks at Gaius then- reminds himself that Gaius was the man he trusted over all others and continues with a smile, "But, I also know that you must have done it for a reason, Gaius. You could never harm me."
Gaius blinks rapidly, trying to clear the sting in his eyes only to make it worse.
His chin wobbles and he replies, "There had been reasons but none… that can justify the words that they said to you last night. I am sorry, my boy, that you had to listen to them because of my mistake…" Merlin shook his head but Gaius continued, "No matter what anyone says, I am proud of you, Merlin and I love you as I would my own son."
Merlin smiled and enveloped Gaius in an embrace- and the physician clutched at Merlin's back, patting it alternatively- as if trying to soothe the hurricane of emotions inside the warlock but at the same time making sure to hug him tightly- putting all the love and apology in that action rather than countless words.
They parted and Gaius pulled something out from the pocket of his robes.
"Here." The physician sniffles and hands Merlin something- a letter. The warlock frowned.
"This was the letter you brought with yourself on the day you entered Camelot, the one written by your mother. I think you need to read it after last night."
Merlin was still confused but took the letter anyway and kept it in his leather jacket to read later on.
He smiled at Gaius and made for the door, before leaving he turned for the last time and said, "And Gaius, no more secrets, alright. Trust goes both ways."
Gaius looked at Merlin with serious eyes but the warlock could see that something was stopping the physician from promising. The warlock's eyes widened at the realization that there was still something else that the physician was hiding.
"You have more secrets, don't you?" Gaius didn't answer but he did look down and Merlin knew.
"Something… you can't tell me? What could be so important Gaius?" Gaius still didn't speak a word and Merlin experienced another wave of pain at being excluded but he disregarded it and continued asking.
"What is this secret that you can't tell me? Is it about the Prince… the lady Morgana- wait hold on- is this about Alice?" Merlin huffed and smiled, "If the secret is about Alice… then I really don't want to know…. Gaius." The physician looked up at Merlin seriously- no humour on his face.
Merlin sighed and suddenly knew by the contorted look on the physician's face. There could only be one reason why Gaius was not being able to tell him, "You have sworn an oath, haven't you?" Gaius again didn't say anything but his face confirmed that Merlin was right. The warlock gritted his teeth but nodded, Gaius was not telling him this secret because he physically couldn't- that consoled him a bit and he sighed saying, "Fine, then. Just no more secrets apart from that one. Ok?"
Gaius finally smiled and said, "I promise."
Merlin smiled, nodded and left to see if Arthur was ready to start the day.
Arthur had actually woken up quite early- more because he had been having trouble sleeping- but yes, he was up before Morris had even delivered his breakfast.
Which was bad, because a hungry and tired Arthur, made for a jittery Arthur.
For a second he thought that maybe he should just go down to the Kitchens himself instead of waiting for Morris- but then… he thought. Why doesn't he just go and see if Merlin had even woken up? Arthur planned to train as soon as he had eaten and he wasn't going to wait for his…. Whatever Merlin was- his personal guard? Body protector? Body…guard?
Huh, that didn't sound too bad –Bodyguard. Merlin was his… Bodyguard. Well, yes.. he wasn't going to wait for his bodyguard to show up before he started his training.
He made his way down the corridor that led to the Physician's chambers.
Outside Gaius's chambers, Arthur could hear voices coming from the door-they weren't loud, it was only Arthur's keen hearing that made him be able to listen and catch slight murmurings. He stuck his ear to the door, careful to not make any sound- remembering the way Merlin had interrogated Morris.
Soon he heard the conversation taking place.
'Gaius, you could never harm me.' That was Merlin's voice- Arthur would recognize the timbre of it anywhere. There was a pause before another voice- Gaius's pitched in-
"There had been reasons but none… can justify the words they said to you last night. I am sorry that you had to listen to them because of my mistake…No matter what anyone says, I am proud of you, my boy and I love you as I would my own son."
Arthur knew what Gaius was apologizing for, it was for not telling Merlin about the announcement the King had been about to make- He knew it! He knew Merlin hadn't been ready for it, the shock and panic on his face had been clear enough to tell Arthur of that.
The Prince blinked, but tried to stop himself for feeling anything- but a small smile formed on his lips.
Arthur had wanted to take that lost look that had overcome Merlin- but it seems like he didn't need to. People around Merlin just couldn't bear to see man sad, could they?
Arthur huffs a laugh at that- instantly regretting it.
He froze at hearing the silence on the other side he- for a second- fearing that he had been heard confirmed a minute later when he heard Gaius say,
"Here." Arthur was busted wasn't he?
He quietly started moving away before someone could come out but then Gaius started saying something and his fears were halted, he quickly stuck his ear back to the door again and heard,
"- the letter you brought with yourself on the day entered Camelot, the one written by your mother. I think you need to read it after last night."
That piqued Arthur's curiosity even more... now he wanted to read it too. The Prince hadn't failed to notice that his curiosity had reached an alarming level since Merlin had arrived in Camelot.
From the first moment he had seen the man he had wanted to know more but… he had also not failed to notice that Merlin kept all knowledge about himself very close to his heart- multiple people had spewed their life stories to Merlin at the feast last night without even realizing it whereas Merlin had only smiled and spoken a few words in reply.
A little voice in his head said that 'you know this information because you had been staring', and he ignored the stupid voice but the voice was almost as insistent as Morgana, so-
The voice spoke up again, 'This act is even worse. Now, you are spying… such a low thing to do, especially for a Prince.'
Arthur conceded to the point, yes- spying was quite a bad habit- look what had happened to Morris, BUT a minute more won't hurt anyone, surely.
On the other hand, Arthur thinks- as he hears footsteps coming his way- that it would hurt him a lot if he didn't run now. Merlin was coming towards the door, he was sure of it.
He straightened up and ran to the closest alcove because he didn't have time to run for his chambers, the door opened and Merlin came half outside before stopping….
SHIT, Arthur cursed.
Merlin knew he was here, didn't he? Why else would he randomly stop on his way- so close to where Arthur was.
He waited for a second and considered coming out of hiding and confessing… he had a foot half out before he saw Merlin turn inwards towards the room again and Arthur stopped, not knowing what was happening.
His instincts were telling him to not come out from the alcove but his eyes had seen Merlin stop.
His relief knew no bounds when he heard Merlin speak again,
"And Gaius, no more dangerous secrets, alright? Trust goes both ways."
Arthur sighed with relief but didn't emit any sound this time, Merlin continued and Arthur could see him make sure that no one was in the corridor before speaking again- his voice tighter than before,
"You have more secrets, don't you?" There was silence on the other side of the room but Arthur knew that was answer enough.
"Something… you can't tell me? What could be so important Gaius?" The silence continued but this time Arthur could detect a hint of pain in Merlin's voice…
"What is this secret that you can't tell me? Is it about the Prince, the lady Morgana- wait, hold on- is this about Alice?" Who was Alice? Arthur thought but didn't linger on the name much as Merlin continued, "If the secret is about Alice… then I really don't want to know…. Gaius."
A second later all humour fades away from Merlin and in a sombre voice he hears the Witchfinder say, "You have sworn an oath, haven't you?"
How the hell did Merlin figure that out?! Gaius hadn't even uttered a word... Arthur shook his head.
He kept forgetting that Merlin actually had to be intelligent to be a witchfinder.
Arthur focused back on his bodyguard- who was nodding. Merlin sighed and said,
"Fine, then. Just no more secrets apart from that one. Ok?" Arthur finally hears Gaius say something this time. Another oath in itself.
"I promise."
Arthur saw Merlin leave and then waited until Merlin had completely disappeared around the corner before coming out of his alcove.
He waited for a second before his eyes widened and he realized a second too late that Merlin was probably headed towards his chambers right now- Arthur needed to get back to his chambers before Merlin did.
Arthur growled and looked up at the ceiling in exasperation- this was too much exercise without any food in his stomach but he will have to. Arthur sprinted making the maids turn to look at him and the guards became alert seeing the crown Prince rushing but he ignored all of them.
He took the shortcut, knowing that thought it had around 100 more stairs- it was also the fastest way for him to get back to his chamber.
He jumped 5 steps at a time- accidentally making a maid drop her bucket filled with water, in his defence he did shout an "Apologies!". He snaked his way through the servants and the guards and when it became impossible for him to move any quicker- he stopped. The corridor was too full.
He won't get to his room on time if he didn't think of anything soon…
Arthur breathed hard and thought got a second before smiling and raising his voice- infusing authority in his voice.
"Make way for your Prince!" the people turned to look at him in surprise but in about three seconds people had parted and provided him with a quick way to the opposite end, people bowing as soon as he passed them and heard multiple, 'My lords'.
He smiled at them but didn't stop running—until… until he finally made it to his room. He stopped to look at the guards who gazed back at him steadily.
He nodded at them, praising them at their lack of expression, knowing how he must look panting and windswept, they opened his chamber doors for him but he paused at the threshold for a second to say, "Not a word,", in his most authoritative voice.
He waited until the guards nodded nervously before moving into his chambers.
He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that they were empty and started making his—
"Where were you? You were gone for ages!"
Arthur whipped his head towards the voice and came face to face with Merlin- munching on a fucking apple and he did not even look a little winded, much unlike Arthur!
Merlin had been standing just beside the door and that is why Arthur had failed to see him when he had first entered the chambers.
Arthur gritted his teeth and remembered that he was the Prince- hence Merlin couldn't question him, "None of your business! And don't… don't tell me that's my apple, Merlin. From my breakfast!"
The stupid- excuse for a man- smirked and replied, "Fine, I won't then. And it is my business, my lord…since keeping tabs on you is a part of my job."
Arthur glared at him- he already knew he wasn't going to like this situation very much, what had his father been thinking?
And his apple! He didn't love apples, per se, but they were his apples!
Merlin rolled his eyes and pushed away from the wall he had been leaning against and came towards Arthur, taking another bite of the same apple.
"You don't even like apples, do you?" How did he know? How did-
"Of course, I do. I love them." Arthur said, using his most compelling face.
Merlin smirked at the blatant lie- out of all fruits, Arthur would probably rate Apple on the 49th number- how did Merlin know this? Because Arthur had once recited the whole list of his favourite fruits and foods- so, from experience Merlin knew that Arthur loved Apple pies but hated apples.
He raised his eyebrows at Arthur, the same way Gaius did and he saw Arthur frown and turn his head away after a minute, he then mumbled something.
Merlin tilted his head and said, "I beg your pardon?"
Arthur gritted his teeth, turned back to face the irritating man and said, loudly this time, "I said, Fine, you can have the apple."
The Witchfinder bit his lips and brought up the already eaten- leftover stalk of the apple as if to show it to the Prince.
"Thank you for your permission, Sire. Better late than never, I suppose." Merlin smirked and Arthur suddenly remembered last night… he wanted to apologize but he didn't know how to breach the topic, especially since Merlin seemed to be pretending that last night hadn't happened.
That was Arthur's way of dealing with such situations too- pretending that they didn't happen… but it bugged him this time. He wanted to clear the air, so to say…but he couldn't. He could not give away the reason for his change of heart, he could not break the oath he had made last night.
His face must've reflected his thoughts because Merlin's smile dipped a little.
Arthur went closer to the man and saw him grit his teeth.
This close, Arthur could see Merlin's eyes again, the eyes that had gone suddenly blank- they showed him no emotions, no feelings. Merlin's mask was back in place and this time the mask was without any cracks.
This close Arthur could also feel the signature static that he always felt when he was anywhere near the Witchfinder. Usually, it was warm and inviting if not a little overwhelming, but today… today the static felt more like a warning and sharp as a whip.
Merlin turned away and started talking about the knights that had arrived from different kingdoms, the strengths and weaknesses of many. Arthur listened but also realized that this was Merlin's way of evading. The Prince regretted the loss of the easy environment that they had established but moved to the table to look at his schedule today. He looked at the bed and noticed the lack of clothes.
Arthur had dismissed Morris from dressing him- but he had said nothing about laying the clothes out! He sighed and looked at Merlin who was throwing away the apple skin and looking around the room aimlessly, the previous bad mood seemed to have evaporated.
He sat down to have breakfast and said,
"Could you lay my clothes for today, Merlin? Morris has been remiss." Merlin nodded and moved towards Arthur's cupboard, absentmindedly.
With an ease that looked practised, Merlin took out appropriate clothing and set them on Arthur's bed before frowning and looking at Arthur's sword.
"This hasn't been polished properly," Merlin said, glancing at Arthur once who had just started on the blueberries. The prince paused and nodded,
"It hasn't been polished, yet. I was to do it early this morn but now that I think about it… I won't have time to do it before tomorrow."
Arthur shook his head regrettably and went back to his breakfast.
"You polish your own sword? Why not make Morris do it?" Merlin asked remembering that Arthur had made him polish his sword on a daily basis and Merlin had loved to do it too- this weapon protected his Prince- letting the duty go remiss was putting his Prince in danger. No matter how angry he was at Arthur, he had always made sure that Arthur's safety always came first- even before himself.
"Don't be an idiot, Merlin. I can't let a servant deal with my sword- I do it every night but last night… I was too tired, as you can guess."
Merlin just stood stiffly for a moment, both at the slight mention of last night and the knowledge that Arthur had let him handle his sword, always. And, yet… here he was, stating that the Prince handled the sword himself and did not let any servant do it.
The realization filled him with warmth for some reason but he didn't let it show, instead he braved on and asked.
"Can I, do it? Since… you're busy. It should be done before you finish looking at all your reports." Arthur looked at the man in front of him and though it was a reasonable question, he couldn't help but hesitate.
That sword was a part of him, it had to be polished to his expectations and his…. The sword was personal. But he also saw the sense in the sentence, Merlin was right. It was better to have some polish on the sword rather than none before training and since he was busy it was obvious to let someone else do it.
That logic was what made him nod after a minute, he saw Merlin beam and sit down with a cloth and a whetstone.
Arthur watched for a while before starting to eat again and yet his eyes repeatedly wandered to the man who looked so at ease handling Arthur's sword. Merlin didn't stop once, reverently polishing and sharpening the sword that wasn't even his.
Arthur finished his breakfast and brought out the reports he had to do for the council meeting, the familiar and continuous noise of the whetstone over the sword lulling him into peace and quiet.
Finally, when his reports got over Arthur looked up to see that Merlin had now moved onto his armour and chainmail. Polishing it and checking it for loose links- this part of the job was Morris's to do but Arthur couldn't bring himself to stop the man who looked so content just doing what he was doing. The Prince leaned back in his chair and just watched Merlin for a while, not caring that he was staring. Again.
His hand unconsciously moved to the piece of charcoal and the other grabbed a spare sheet, then without moving his eyes from Merlin- unless it was to look at the sheet of paper- Arthur started sketching. His hand started moving of its own accord, uncaring that if someone saw this piece of parchment... it would lead to a lot of misunderstandings.
Merlin was ethereal, the Prince noticed, much like the first time he had seen the other man.
A fae amongst men.
He had an angular nose and high set of cheekbones that looked almost as sharp as Arthur's sword. Long, thick lashes framed the eyes that the Prince knew were deep blue with a ring of golden yellow on the inside- as if the sun was finally meeting the sea inside those eyes.
The funniest thing and probably the most endearing thing about Merlin was his ears… Arthur hadn't been lying when he had said that Merlin looked fae- it was all in the ears. They were pointed and big, peaking from Merlin's thick mane of slightly curly hair.
The long-ish length of the hair had probably been the raven-haired man's attempt at hiding those ears. Arthur smiled at the ears, paying special care whilst sketching them- he wouldn't want to make them small, now would he?
Arthur moved to the next part of his face, the lips and the jaw… the lips were like a woman's… Arthur licked his own as a reflex and looked at his portrait which- right now- was looking more of a woman's than a man's… but then Arthur drew the jaw- and that was what prevented Merlin from looking feminine. That strong jaw and the slight scruff of facial hair.
The jaw was angular- much like his muse's whole face.
Merlin would make a pretty girl, Arthur couldn't stop himself from thinking and then blushed at his own thoughts.
He only had to move lower to prove himself wrong- Merlin was all muscle and raw power corded into a lithe body. The sharp lines could never belong to a woman, Adam's apple and the slight smattering of visible chest hair that peeked from the tunic… there was everything and yet nothing womanly about the Witchfinder.
Merlin raised a hand to brush away the hair that were preventing his vision and looked up to see what Arthur was doing- the prince's head was leaned over something and his eyebrows were drawn- still busy then. He picked up another piece of armour- hauberk- to polish and went back to his own work.
Arthur looked up as soon as Merlin got busy with his armour again and he continued his art… the next to cover was the neck. It was long- was Arthur's first thought. Long and corded. His next thought was that now that he had looked at the neck, he wasn't sure he could stop looking at it. It was perhaps the most skin Merlin was showing- there was a lack of any garment to cover the swan neck and the tunic that other man wore was also cut quite low. Arthur mentally traced a finger from Merlin's neck to his Adam's apple and to the dip of the shirt's neck.
Arthur drew it all, copying a perfect imagery of Merlin on this piece of paper- he had never drawn anyone apart from his mother and maybe a half Gwen- but Merlin… he couldn't stop drawing.
He remembered his nurse- who had taught him how to draw- once saying, that every man was an artist on the inside- especially if there was a perfect muse.
Arthur drew Merlin's strong hands busy with his armour, the nimble, long fingers that treated his armour with a shocking familiarity and gentle carefulness…he drew the legs that were so graceful, yet sometimes they stumbled- mostly on air. Another smile appeared on the prince's face.
Another flaw in the perfect muse of his.
Lastly, he drew the sun reflecting off of Merlin's hair, casting a shadow of his form on the stone floor and then looked at his finished portrait.
For a second he just stared at the picture he had drawn and when his hand started to shake a little, he opened his drawer and buried the drawing deep within, below his other works- hoping to all gods that, that picture never saw the light of day. Ever.
He breathed deeply once and released it- trying to bring himself back to equilibrium.
Arthur stood and walked to the clothes that Merlin had laid on his bed. He whipped his shirt off, over his head and threw it to the ground. He hesitated before removing his trousers, glancing at Merlin to check and confirm that he was busy, before removing them too. He picked up the underpants and went behind the screen to change those and came out again.
He was determined to get ready by himself today- he had dismissed Morris from doing this for him after… after last night.
He wanted to prove that he could manage the dressing by himself or at least learn how to do it. He was of age- he should know how to dress by now…..
Arthur sighed and pulled on the trousers, fiddling with the laces but only ending up making them more tangled. The prince gritted his teeth and tamped down the urge to tear the whole thing off but he let them remain tangled and moved onto the tunic. He pulled his shirt over his head- struggling with the many different holes.
How did people do this on a daily basis?! And how did they know which side was the right side?
He managed after a few minutes of grunting, breathing hard from the effort- trying his hand at the laces again- this time of his shirt's- before giving up after 3 minutes of utter confusion.
Arthur sighed and sat on the bed, regret coursing through him at dismissing Morris.
He heard a voice close to him ask, "Where is Morris?" Arthur turned to look at the man who was to blame for this situation.
His mind immediately providing him with an image in which Merlin was looking at him with disapproval when Morris had confessed looking for the Prince last night- to help him with his night clothes.
If Merlin hadn't looked at him like that last night- Morris would still be here and he would already be in his armour.
He was the Prince goddammit! he had been dressed and readied by a flurry of servants since he was a toddler- he didn't know how to dress himself! So what?
Who was Merlin to judge him anyway?
Arthur gritted his teeth, denying any kind of expression from appearing on his face and replied, "I dismissed him from dressing me, after… after last night."
Merlin looked confused for a bit until understanding flooded his eyes and his mouth formed an 'o'. Arthur looked away when Merlin came closer.
The Prince was expecting some mocking words about his incapability at dressing himself and thus his defences went up as soon as Merlin opened his mouth to say something.
"Come here, Arthur." The voice was more gentle than he had been expecting- not registering the words, Arthur opened his mouth to reply with a ready retort- wait, what?
He finally registered the words and that was not what he had been expecting, he had been prepared for mockery...but nonetheless, he stood up automatically and went to Merlin, while his mind continued posing questions.
Who was Merlin to order the Prince and why was Arthur following those orders?!
Merlin smiled a small smile at him and slowly raised his hands to untangle the shirt laces and tie them swiftly, moving onto the trouser laces next- Arthur tried to move away but it only led to his trousers tightening more than necessary and made him gasp.
Merlin pressed his lips in order to remain serious and rolled his eyes- he loosened the laces until Arthur was comfortable and tied them too.
Arthur didn't move after that- he let Merlin dress him and make him presentable for training.
The Price kept looking at the Witchfinder, who was invading his space and being so casual in the presence of Royalty. No one was allowed to touch Arthur's person without his explicit permission but he had never met anyone who was so…..uncaring of who Arthur was. He was the future king, on his word people could get executed, he held power unlike anyone in the Kingdom but for Merlin... he might very well be a farmer.
"Hand."
Arthur comes out the daze and pushes his hand through the arm of the gambeson. Merlin starts lacing whilst saying,
"You shouldn't take things that people say or do in anger, to heart. They usually never mean it." Merlin raises his eyes for a second before dropping them again to his work- making everything comfortable for Arthur.
The Prince knew that they weren't just talking about his dressing habits anymore. They were talking about last night.
"You are correct- for once. Should I take it that you are willing to forget about last night? Because, what Morgana said last night was in anger too." Arthur replied, making sure his voice was pointed but gentle.
Merlin took a deep breath and sighed.
"That is different on so many levels but of course I will forgive Arthur, I completely understand why both of you reacted this way… but do you expect me to forget everything that was said last night?" Merlin finally looked at Arthur and plopped the chainmail on him before he could reply.
"No..." Arthur's voice came out muffled until his face emerged from the chainmail and Merlin guided his arms through the respective holes.
"No," Arthur repeated, swallowing, "I don't expect you to forget. In fact, I will completely understand if you never want to share anything about yourself and your past with us… but, Morgana felt sorry for all she said last night…. And." The Prince came to a stop after that, leaving the sentence unfinished.
Merlin stood still for a second before moving again. Arthur was mentioning that Morgana had felt sorry but Arthur himself hadn't….?
"I want to get to know you, Merlin. We will be spending unhealthy amounts of time in each other's company and yet I know nothing about you. I don't hate you- of course not- I don't know you well enough to have any opinion regarding you."
Arthur spoke in a rush… trying to get his point across- that he didn't hate Merlin. He was just as much irritated by him as he was intrigued.
The Witchfinder looked at him for a long time before nodding once- retreating back into his carefully placed mask.
"I will speak to Morgana when the time is right."
That's it. That was all he said. He didn't even acknowledge Arthur… the Prince had been hoping for something more- he didn't know what, but something…Arthur didn't say anything, just gritted his teeth.
Next, the man brought a comb and ran it through Arthur's hair while the Prince couldn't help but marvel at the level of ease with which Merlin handled him.
It held care and comfort in every action. Every single movement was made keeping Arthur in mind.
Merlin nodded a second later, saying "You're ready, my lord."
Arthur nodded too- surprised a little at how easily and quickly Merlin had dressed him- and lead the way outside the room.
Merlin had been quietly watching Arthur train with his knights before the tournament started when he felt someone nudge him. He turned to see Gwen and smiled, nodding at her and greeting her with a half-hug.
He moved his eyes a bit further behind Gwen and saw Morgana watching them. He immediately let Gwen go- remembering how people took different actions to mean something very different in Camelot and bowed his head in greeting to Morgana. He hadn't forgotten Morgana reminding him of his place last night either- he had been drunk, not dead.
The Lady nodded back and Merlin moved his eyes back to Gwen.
"Gwen, what are you doing here, shouldn't you be along with the welcoming party?" Gwen smiled back and shook her head, "We already welcomed them- as you can see, some of the knights are practising along with the Camelot knights while some are getting settled."
Merlin nodded and cocked his head, "Yes, but what are you doing here?" he asked with an innocent smile, already knowing the answer. Gwen blushed and slapped his arm.
"Just watching our Prince train for the upcoming tournament, Merlin. And my lady wanted to watch the knights train." Merlin smirked- knowing that the last part was a complete lie. Morgana most probably wanted to train with the knights, not watch them.
So, he nodded sagely and after a pause said, "You mean, you came to see your Prince train? I am sure you already know how he handles his sword, though." Merlin said, smiling lewdly at Gwen, just to get his point across.
Gwen, if possible turned even redder and exclaimed in embarrassment, "Merlin!"
The warlock laughed and reminded the maid, "What? I don't remember you being shy at all, last night. I and my lady have been scarred for the rest of our lives." He made his voice higher and breathy, in mimicry of the maid and whispered "Oh, Merlin! It was amazing. Arthur is so considerate and so good with his-," Gwen smothered his next words with her hand on his mouth and his shoulders were shaking with the laughter.
Gwen's hand was still on his mouth and he was still pressed pretty close to her when he heard a shout-
"Merlin!" An angry voice called his name and both his and Gwen's eyes widened at this. Gwen immediately removed her hand from Merlin's person- who had stopped laughing as soon as his name had been shouted, he looked at Gwen and whispered,
"I wasn't flirting with you Gwen, please tell him."
Gwen swallowed and Merlin turned to look at Arthur who might very well be a stone statue, going by the stiffness in his features.
"My lord, I wasn't-,"
But Arthur cut him off and in a deceptively calm voice said, "Come here, Merlin. Sir Bedivere, pass Merlin a sword will you." The knight nodded and looked at Merlin with sympathetic eyes.
Merlin caught the sword the knight threw at him and he turned to look at Arthur.
Arthur had been doing fine. His training had been going well, he had defeated all of his father's knights and he had been sparring with Sir Bedivere when he had seen Gwen and Morgana enter the training field.
He had felt the weight of Merlin's eyes move away from him- for the first time since the training had begun- just as he was defeating Sir Bedivere for the 5th time.
He won't lie- he had been showing off… just a little, for Merlin's sake and only because he had wanted to show the Witchfinder that he was no damsel in distress, that he could very well protect himself. But then he had turned again to see Merlin hugging Guinevere…and even though it had only lasted for a short while, the problem was that it had happened at all in the first place.
He had watched silently for a while- watched as Guinevere had casually bestowed multiple lingering touches on a man she barely knew, had seen the maid blush scarlet at something Merlin had said-possibly of a sexual kind- Arthur's grip had hardened on the pommel of the sword and then…
He had seen both of their heads bowed together- Merlin laughing hard at something whilst Guinevere tried to muffle his next words with her hand- bringing them infinitely more closer than was considered proper.
Arthur's jaw had hurt by how tight he had clenched it. Every knight was now looking at the striking duo and perhaps the only one who wasn't admiring them together was the Prince himself.
Arthur couldn't hold in the rush of anger he felt, towards Guinevere, towards his knights and his father for employing a Witchfinder. Towards- Arthur shouted, "Merlin!"
-
Merlin was innocent.
Honest to god, Merlin thought, Camelot hadn't been this sensitive in the past?
Or had it been and he had just failed to notice it? And had Arthur always been this possessive? The Warlock tried to derail Arthur. Merlin didn't want to fight the Prince- there were multiple ways in which this could go wrong.
That was why when Arthur asked him to attack, Merlin just shook his head and didn't raise his sword.
Arthur came closer to him, "Attack me. Come on!" The prince lowered his voice and continued, "We both know you need this- you have needed this since last night. I saw it in your eyes-,"
Merlin's eyes glared at the Prince- why couldn't Arthur just leave last night the fuck alone?! Why did he want to talk about it or want to fight about it in this case?
Merlin still didn't raise his sword. Arthur was looking for a fight, well, sorry to disappoint but he wasn't going to give him one. He just gritted his teeth and pursed his teeth.
Arthur's eyes flashed with frustration, anger and something else Merlin couldn't place…. The Prince nodded and turned away, seemingly giving up and making Merlin breathe in relief— only a split second later the attack came, quick as a whip and Merlin's sword defended in reflex to the attack.
Arthur smiled in victory while Merlin's eyes flashed in warning, he pushed his sword increasing distance between them and gritted his teeth once again- at the rate he was gritting them nowadays, he wasn't going to have many teeth left in a few years.
They circled each other for a while… and to his chagrin, people started gathering around them… probably amused by the idea of the Witchfinder sparring with the Prince.
Merlin started feeling a bit conscious at the stares, he didn't want to fight the Prince but also… he couldn't afford to seem weak in front of the people... only yesterday he had taken the responsibility for their safety.
Arthur knew this- he knew what he had to do in order to make Merlin genuinely fight him, he used his knowledge "Fight me, Merlin. The people and I need to see if you are indeed worthy and capable enough to protect us. For all I know, you're just a worthless peasant trying to be someone you are not… a tortured man who couldn't even protect himself- leave alone someone else."
He heard Sir Geraint's group cheer at this and saw Merlin's jaw tighten at his words. He knew his goading was working as Merlin's face was not what Arthur would call friendly. at all. The Witchfinder turned to see who had been cheering, leaving himself open to attack.
Arthur used this distraction to make an underhand attack at Merlin.
His sword slashed the side and the Witchfinder jumped back- shocked at when he touched his side it came touched with blood.
Merlin pressed his palm onto the wound- it was just a scratch, he felt no pain but it would bleed.
He glared at the Prince before nodding once. Fine, Arthur was not going to let this spar go so Merlin might as well use this opportunity to blow off some steam. He did have a few things he needed to work through.
This time it was Merlin who attacked first and not the other way around—Arthur saw the attack coming and though he was felt shocked that Merlin was finally attacking, he had also not been expecting the power behind Merlin's attack. He tried to push Merlin away with his elbow but the man stayed put like a bull and instead, swiped a leg under Arthur, making the Prince lose his balance but he still managed to stay on his feet.
They engaged in another round of intense thrust and parry- where Arthur tried to gauge and sense a pattern in Merlin's style so as to predict and plan an attack with his next move but with every round… his opponent's style changed. There was absolutely no pattern. None.
The problem for Arthur now, was that Merlin seemed to predict his pattern quite easily – and attack and defend at every possibility. This was why he was not able to get any hit on Merlin while the other man had managed to draw blood- from his arm.
More people had gathered, bets were being placed and even the knights from other realms stopped their own training to watch.
People were cheering loudly. Merlin's new friends cheered for him whilst the Knights cheered for Arthur. The women, on the other hand, seemed torn on who to cheer for so they shouted both of their names... alternatively.
Both Merlin and Arthur were deaf to the utter excitement they were eliciting in the public around them.
Both of them were breathing hard and sweat was starting to slide down their heads, falling to the ground, some slid down their neck and onto their backs.
Arthur had never met someone so well matched to him- he had started copying Merlin, keeping his fighting style fluid, not creating or sticking to any pattern- just going with what came to him instinctively.
And Arthur realized something- being unpredictable was hard.
At one point Merlin attacked again- shocking Arthur (as he had been on defence for a long while) and came close to overpowering the prince.
Arthur fell on his knees, his sword still raised above him pushing Merlin's sword further away from his face. Silence echoed around the training grounds- no one dared to even breathe.
Arthur was grunting from the effort it took to keep the Witchfinder away- the pain in his shoulder had flared up too.
Merlin had the force of his shoulder behind the attack whilst Arthur knew that he had mere moments to decide his next course of action- otherwise his sword arm would give. The pure adrenaline that was coursing through Arthur's body was probably the only reason he was still holding a sword.
It had been years since the Prince had been challenged in this way. Merlin's face was blank but his eyes… Arthur could see that Merlin was using the pent-up frustration and anger from last night. Finally.
Arthur grinned- shocking Merlin and the Prince used the split-second distraction and applied the last of his strengths to push Merlin away and ducked to roll away.
As soon as Arthur got free from under Merlin, he stood up.
People started cheering again and both Merlin and Arthur started circling each other- this time with a smile on their faces.
This had started as a way for Arthur to work through his jealousy but it was benefitting both of them differently. Merlin was already looking lighter, the mask nowhere to be seen and Arthur... well let 's just say he had found a new sparring partner.
The next few minutes were Arthur's, he had almost overpowered Merlin once but the Witchfinder had managed to get away, although, he had managed to draw blood from Merlin's other side, too.
If this duel had been about first blood, Arthur would have already won.
They both circled each other again and took the opportunity to look around to see what was happening. People were watching their duel very carefully... Merlin was surprised to see that even Uther had at some point joined the spectators and had an approving smile on his face.
It seemed like all knights had stopped practising and were now just watching them, same went for the servants and the courtiers.
The spar had managed to diminish the differences amongst people as he could see that the servants were betting with the Knights and the Lady of the courts were betting with handmaidens. At one point, he was even sure he saw Uther exchanging some money with his advisor- a cheeky smile on his face.
The warlock even saw Knight Valiant in the corner, sneering, but he didn't pay him much attention.
Arthur had never seen his father like this- in such light mood. He knew that the King enjoyed a good duel- it had the ability to entertain and keep people's morale up. It didn't hurt that such displays increased the people's confidence in them as rulers and since Merlin was a part of the royal household too...
Perhaps they should have more such duels, being strong reflected on their ability to rule and gave their authority more meaning. Even Morgana looked interested, holding hands with Guinevere, but her eyes seemed to be focused on Merlin rather than on him.
Arthur huffed a laugh, breathing hard and turned back to look at his opponent- who, the loon that he was- was smiling. The Prince frowned and asked a question with his eyes.
Merlin's reason for smiling was that he knew that they weren't going reach a conclusion soon with swords and that was why when he looked at Arthur…. he dropped his sword to the ground and kneeled to take out the knife he usually tucked into his boots.
Arthur watched each of his movements carefully and when he understood what Merlin intended, he smiled and nodded approvingly. He dropped his sword too and extracted his own knife. They were moving onto close combat.
The fight would be much more dangerous now… more chances to get hurt but this would also help Arthur practice with more than one weapon.
The crowd went crazy once they realized what was happening. The knights and the servants had given up on propriety and were cheering together.
Merlin saw Arthur smirking and remembered the first time he had met Arthur-both time, he had been throwing knives at his servant. Merlin shook his head and Arthur smirked harder realizing that Merlin was thinking about the same moment that he was.
They moved closer and started their dance again- a very dangerous one but the smile didn't leave either of those faces. Punches and kicks came- but both of them were masters at the ability to dodge and deflect.
There was no end to it… even after good half an hour, their duel continued and the people that had placed bets were tiring of the wait.
It was also very clear that both- Arthur and Merlin were at the end of their strengths, so, someone had to either lose or give up, soon.
Knowing both those hard headed bulls, the latter was unlikely.
The King smirked and formed a plan, he whispered something in the ears of one of his advisor, making the man smile who nodded and went to do as the king had commanded.
There was this moment in the duel that both Arthur and Merlin were in each other's touching distance and then they were distracted by someone shouting their names close to them-
"Arthur! Merlin!" Merlin knew that voice- Gwen. Both Arthur and Merlin turned to look at Gwen simultaneously- who was standing a few steps away from them and she blew them a kiss, blushing bright red whilst doing it too.
Merlin understood quicker than Arthur… a cheap trick but an effective one, almost always.
He did the first thing that came to his mind, Merlin lunged at the Prince - pinning Arthur's hand which held the knife to the ground, he held the Prince down with his own body and held his own knife to the Prince's throat, heaving with the effort to breathe.
Silence reigned the field, even Merlin was shocked. How did that—
Merlin's breath hitched when he felt something sharp digging into his already injured side, he looked- only to see Arthur's other hand, which Merlin had stupidly left unrestrained had risen to dig a dagger straight at his heart.
Once people realized that it had been a tie, they shouted first but sighed later for their lost bets, still making some 'awed' noises. Never had they seen a more invigorating duel.
He looked down at the Prince who seemed to be smirking and panting at the same time. Merlin shook his head- he didn't know how Arthur had managed to get the knife to his left hand but he had.
It was a tie- both of them had proven equal, even after being distracted in the best way.
Merlin laughed and shook his head once again, Arthur followed him with a huff of laugh of his own and the people around them started coming towards them to pat them on their back and some to resume their own training.
Merlin looked down at the Prince once again, only to see that Arthur's eyes had widened. The warlock realized only after a second that he had literally been straddling the Prince! Merlin shot up quickly, a bit of red tinting his cheeks and after a second's hesitation, he offered his hand to Arthur, who looked at it for a second before taking it.
They were patted on the back by many of the knights, then the people came- some of them looked terrified of both Merlin and Arthur but most of them just seemed awed. Gwen and Morgana came over too, Arthur and Merlin both looked over at Gwen- wearing similar expressions of narrowed eyes and a promise of revenge. Gwen blushed but laughed, "It's like you both are the same person."
Arthur looked at Merlin and the warlock changed his expression completely.
Arthur turned back to Gwen and said, "I will teach you a lesson, Guinevere… later." Gwen's eyes widened and she blushed, making the Prince smirk. Arthur looked at Merlin meaningfully before dragging Gwen to her and kissing her full on the mouth, not moving his eyes away from the Witchfinder.
Merlin felt like gagging but instead, he said, "Yes, Gwen. I will join Arthur in teaching you… some lessons of my own." He finished with a wink.
Gwen choked and looked at him, eyes blown and swallowing- Arthur, on the other hand, had some red tinting his cheek but he didn't look like he appreciated the idea as much as Guinevere did. The prince turned to Merlin with a murderous look and was probably about to hit him when Morgana intervened, "Oh! Come-on Arthur, Merlin is just trying to make you jealous and you are falling into the trap."
Merlin smirked and looked at Arthur with eyes that clearly said, 'Or am I?'
Arthur looked murderous for another second before he controlled his emotions and said,
"Sure, Merlin… you can join us tonight. I am sure your height is the only thing that is big about you." Arthur looked so proud of himself with this retort… really, Merlin had never seen him preen so much. Merlin just shook his head and laughed.
Gwen still looked lost in some daydream, but then he leaned closer to her, noticing how Arthur went stiff as a board as he kissed a dazed-looking Gwen on the cheek before turning and heading back towards the castle.
Arthur looked at Morgana who was pretending not to be hurt by Merlin's barely there acknowledgement. He was still wanting to strangle Merlin for his closeness to Gwen but somewhere on the inside he also knew that the Witchfinder was only looking for friendship and was a natural flirt.
His eyes moved back to Morgana who was still looking where Merlin had been standing mere moments ago, Arthur took a deep breath and glanced at Guinevere meaningfully, who nodded and left both the royals together to have some much-needed chat.
Arthur cocked his head to the side to indicate that they should move away from the field and they started walking together. He delayed the inevitable talk by massaging his shoulder with his free hand, only wincing when the pain flared.
"You should get that seen to." Morgana said and he nodded, "I keep meaning to... but then something else usually comes up."
Morgana nodded and they stopped when they came to a secluded spot.
"Have you spoken to Merlin, yet?" Arthur popped a question and Morgana turned to face him, "I don't know if you have noticed, Arthur but Merlin is avoiding me like a plague. He bows his head when he sees me, calls me 'my lady' and doesn't even meet my eyes. So, no. I have not spoken to Merlin, yet." The lady finished harshly.
Arthur stared at her for a while, noting the carefully hidden dark circles around her eyes, the less than straight posture and noticed how Morgana kept patting her dress as if flattening imagined creases.
"Have you?" Morgana asked with a whisper, gritting her teeth which made her voice sound resentful. Or maybe that was just Morgana.
"No. I tried to but… that man is more guarded than a fortress." Morgana scoffed and spat, the unfairness of the situation nagging at her. Merlin had completely ignored even when she tried to stick up for him against Arthur. And such blatant flirting with Gwen... it was hardly seemly in the presence of a lady.
"You spent the whole day with him! The duel was nice by the way- seems you have found your match." Morgana said off-handedly, still sounding a bit off.
"I don't actually spend all my day with him, you know! He reveals nothing and seems to notice everything about me." Arthur's voice leaked with frustration, "I don't blame him for not telling us anything- he saw how we used the knowledge about his past against him."
"You didn't Arthur. I did-,"
"Yes, but I could have stopped you and I didn't. Today during the spar I could almost feel his frustration… he is not angry, not anymore. We duelled the anger out but I don't think he is willing to trust us anymore, Morgana."
The lady nodded and sighed, Arthur decided to say something he had been meaning to since last night, "Listen, Morgana-," The lady looked up at Arthur and he breathed in deeply, "You know I love you like a sister and that I want to support you in whatever you do but… you have to think before you act!"
He saw as Morgana's eyes flashed with anger and as she gritted her teeth but he continued before she could say anything, "The other day you slapped me for no reason. Then… we both know what happened yesterday and-,"
"You don't need to remind me what I did yesterday! If I remember you were not very kind to Merlin either- you've hated him ever since he entered Camelot- so don't you dare lecture me, Arthur!" Morgana spat and turned on her heel, walking away before Arthur had even a moment to utter a word.
Arthur wanted to call out to her but instead, he pressed his lips together and breathed deeply.
He turned again when he heard Leon call his name and waited until the Knight caught up to him.
"Sire, your father requests your presence in the dining chambers."
Arthur smiled and nodded in gratitude before heading towards the castle. Refusing to blush when he heard a particular sentence and an image being repeating in his head.
'" I will join Arthur in teaching..."'
Notes:
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