CHAPTER 7 : DAYS OF YORE
It was already dark and supper would be understandably late, by the time Arthur woke up. He smiled at the tousled head on the pillow beside him and kissed Merlin's shoulder. He was hungry and Merlin was still asleep. Finally, Arthur decided to make himself something. He wandered into the kitchen and opened the fridge, he wanted something but couldn't make up his mind. Suddenly, he decided upon an American grilled cheese sandwich with bacon and sliced tomatoes, that was if he had any bacon or tomatoes.
He stopped and tried to figure where his panini grill was. He found it and put enough bacon rashers for two sandwiches in the microwave. He started to assemble the sandwiches while the grill heated. He placed the sandwich on the grill and slowly closed the lid, trying to keep the sandwich upright. He locked the machine and smiled.
He checked on Merlin who was still asleep and gave up on the idea of having him join him. He grabbed a cold drink and waited for the sandwich to toast, he opened the grill to check on it and tried to get some of the cheese oozing out of it on his finger which he immediately regretted as he got burnt. It was ready so he used a spatula to slide it onto a large plate. He was never going to be able to eat it neatly so he grabbed paper towels and a fork. He turned on the news, sat at the counter and thoroughly enjoyed his home made meal. Looking at the mess he'd made of the grill, he decided next time he'd just use a frying pan.
Tired and full he made his way back to bed. Merlin was still asleep so he just slipped in beside him and fell asleep. It was after midnight.
He was awoken by a persistent whispering in his ear. "Arthur? Aren't you hungry?" He felt someone tapping his shoulder, "I'm hungry, Arthur!" He just grunted and rolled over.
He was conscious of Merlin leaving the bed but he seemed to return almost immediately. He then proceeded to carry on a one sided conversation about the mess in the kitchen and how he had decided just to have a bowl of dried granola cereal and would Arthur like to share.
Arthur had experienced sharing dry cereal or even potato chips in bed with Merlin and he wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Merlin had lost control of the bowl and they were both covered in rolled wheat, dried cranberries and sunflower seeds. It was funny until they got out of bed and left trails of cereal everywhere.
"Good thing we didn't have any clothes on," Merlin had commented positively, "or we would have to do a wash when a shower will suffice!"
"Well, shake off all the bits before you get in the shower or we'll block the drain."
"I can't reach all of them!" So Arthur took a hand cloth and flicked Merlin until he was non-cerealised. Of course, Merlin had to reciprocate but halfway though he forgot the task at hand and devised a very enjoyable alternative which even later caused Arthur to smile whenever he remembered it.
Arthur came out of his sleep long enough to tell Merlin to be careful and then was out again like a light. Merlin marvelled at how a tiny crumb of cereal could feel like a rat gnawing on your back, not that he had ever experienced a rat but he felt it was a suitable comparison.
It was four o'clock, he was wide awake but unfortunately Arthur wasn't, so he made sure that there were no cereal pieces in the bed and went into the living area to get a bottle of water. He decided that he should really encourage Arthur to have a bar fridge in his bedroom. He flicked on the TV and watched the four o'clock Early Morning News! The weather looked passable for the weekend but the Spring Bank Holiday might be rainy. He decided that rain wasn't necessarily a damper on bank holidays if anything…in some circumstances it could prove quite interesting.
He was bored sitting by himself so he went off to see if he could get Arthur interested in something other than sleeping.
Arthur was willing but only after saying, "That had better be you, Merlin, or we have an intruder in here!"
Later on Merlin said sleepily, "If it has been an intruder I would have saved you!"
"How?"
"I would have used my wiles to distract him from you and you could have hidden under the bed!"
"Lovely, but how would you have got him to leave?"
"I'd have shown him the door once I had decided that I had no use for him."
"Merlin, you do understand what you just implied?"
"Yes, well they say that variety is the spice of life! Don't they, Arthur"
"Not that kind of variety!" Arthur said as it flashed through his mind what would happen to him if Merlin ever stopped wanting him. He couldn't see himself moving on; he would just fade away and become a pathetic memory to the people he had previously known.
Merlin could tell that Arthur was a little annoyed and that usually made for some interesting sex. "Are you cross with me for even thinking of doing that?"
"No, disappointed maybe…"
"Well then, I've got a brilliant idea…you be me and I'll be the intruder." Arthur could see this getting out of hand but he had to agree as it might be fun. Merlin continued, "Come on Arthur, let's spice up our life!"
Of course Merlin had to get fully into it, arriving in the hallway outside their bedroom with a flash light, an egg whisk and a paper towel tied over half his face. He kept on addressing Arthur as "Mate!" which made it very difficult for him not to laugh.
"Stand and Deliver!" the pretend intruder said.
"Merlin, that is what Dick Turpin said and he was a Highway Man. Not really suitable is it?"
There was a moment's pause and Merlin came back with, "Shiver my timbers, I believe we have a scholar in or midst!"
By then Arthur gave up, he grinned at Merlin and said, "You're enough spice in my life, come here…" If anyone had asked them what they had done on Saturday, they would have looked at each other and grinned then Merlin would have blushed and said, "Don't be personal!"
-0-0-
Merlin decided to get up early. He glanced over at Arthur who was dead to the world. He remembered telling him that he was meeting Tina at St. Thomas More's for Mass as her sister was in from Paris for a few days. He doubted that he would remember so he would leave notes in prominent places so he wouldn't worry unnecessarily.
He showered, then chose something suitable to wear. He remembered his mother telling him that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Clean shirt, slacks and a jacket as the day was supposed to be coolish. He was running late and just had time to leave one note for Arthur which he propped against the little lamp on the hall table. He pocketed his keys and opened the front door causing a slight draft; the note fluttered face side down on the floor before Merlin had even completely shut the door after himself.
-0-0-
Arthur woke up forty-five minutes later and seeing no Merlin in bed figured he was making breakfast. He dozed another fifteen minutes then hauled himself out of bed to go to the bathroom. He realised that Melin must have showered as the glass tiles were still wet and his towel was on the floor in the corner.
He walked into the living room calling, "Good Morning, Love! Did you make any breakfast?" He was greeting by silence. He looked around and saw that there were no signs of anyone having cooked anything this morning or even having had juice and cereal.
He said, "Merlin, I'm not coming to look for you as I'm going to make myself breakfast." He was half surprised that Merlin hadn't commented upon that. He grabbed some eggs and scrambled them taking time to throw a couple of slices of bread into the toaster. He couldn't be bothered with bacon or sausages, anyway he didn't even know if they had any. His mind was miles away, fridges should have computers which kept check on what was in them. A message could be sent to your phone and you could then buy whatever was running low so there would be no annoying surprises when you came to make a meal. He figured that somewhere in the world such a system was already in existence but not in his fridge in Oxford.
"Merlin, it's ready!" Brought no response and Arthur was beginning to worry that something might have happened, he walked back and checked his bedroom and the guest room. He really didn't think that he would be there but he put his head in Laurence's room and his ensuite, nothing. He decided that he'd only been up for about an hour and twenty minutes and if Merlin had gone out to get bacon or a couple of coffees, he'd probably bumped into someone and was sitting drinking coffee instead of coming home, there was no need to worry.
He finished his eggs and then decided that Merlin's wouldn't be very appetising if they were sitting around any longer so he ate his as well. Where in heaven's name would he go on Saturday morning? He rinsed off the eggy dishes and decided to watch the news on TV. He was surprised to hear that it was Sunday. He laughed at himself and then remembered that yesterday had actually been Saturday and he knew where Merlin was, he'd gone to church.
Oftentimes, Arthur went to church with him but as he had been asleep when Merlin had left, he had obviously not wakened him. Shame really as he would have liked to have met Tina's older sister Joanie who had completed her first year at the Paris School of Architecture which was the only architectural school in Paris to teach courses in English and then transferred to École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Paris-Belleville and was now finishing her degree and intended to continue with her masters.
Merlin came in well before noon with a bunch of flowers. "Look what I bought, I think they will go lovely on the dining table," he proudly unwrapped some daffodils, "they were selling them outside the florists on Edge Street." He walked over to one of the lower cupboards and took out a tall vase. He filled it with water saying to Arthur over his shoulder, "Did you have a guest for breakfast?"
"No! Why?"
Merlin looked at the two plates and laughed, "You forgot that I was going out for breakfast with Tina and her sister, didn't you? The proof is in the sink, two knives, two forks and two plates. Didn't you see the note I left on the hall table."
"There was no note so I thought you were hiding."
"Now, Arthur, would I do that?" Merlin asked with raised eyebrows.
"Yes!" Arthur said from experience, "…on many occasions."
"But you always find me, don't you?" Merlin added with a grin. He then traipsed out into the hall and came back waving the note. "It must have fallen off the table…"
Suddenly Arthur became serious, "Merlin, if ever you decided to leave me, you wouldn't just walk out on me or bolt off, would you? You'd explain to me what had gone wrong with us and why you wanted to go your separate way. If you really wanted to leave, I wouldn't force you to stay, it's just that for a second this morning I wondered if this was what it felt like to be abandoned…"
Merlin dropped the note and went over to stand in front of Arthur and smiled, "…and where, Arthur, would I go?" He wrapped his arms around him and pulled his to his chest, he kissed his forehand saying, "Sorry, Arthur, I think…you're stuck with me for the duration."
Arthur smiled looked up at him and said. "Thank God!"
-0-0-
Sunday afternoon, Arthur did meet up with Tina and her sister as Merlin had offered Arthur who had a good knowledge of Oxford and surrounding country side as a guide for a trip around Oxford, which would also include a late tea at the Quilley's so Toby also came along.
"You're not cross are you? It's just that the local bus tours are repetitive and annoying and they have already visited most of the colleges on foot. If you don't want to do it, that's all right as I told them it would depend on your being available." He grinned at Arthur and said, "You are available aren't you?"
"For you, yes, and you can even bring your little friends along."
"Joanie is closer to you in age and she's really nice. You'll have fun and we could even manage to go to Stratford?" Merlin asked hopefully.
Arthur nodded, how could he refuse his boyfriend a little thing like an afternoon drive. Anyway Stratford was just over an hour away depending on the traffic and he always felt that it was an interesting town for people to visit. He even knew a cute Shakespearean tea house where they could stop for a bite to eat. Joanie was returning to London that evening.
That night as they got ready for bed, Merlin said, "I like bank holidays as they give me an extra night with you."
"Well, every weekend could be a bank holiday if you moved in with me next year."
Merlin smiled sweetly, "…and would you guarantee that my averages would remain at their current level. I think I would be too distracted to get serious studying done."
"What's so distracting here?"
"You, Arthur, you sometimes drive me out of my mind!"
"As it should be…" Arthur said with a smile as he slipped into bed.
-0-0-
Arthur was up early on Monday, "Merlin if you want breakfast before we leave, you"d better get up right now." They were joining the others and going to a jousting exhibition. Dr Quilley had arranged the tickets and given Arthur detailed directions to the equestrian centre which was hosting the event.
The weather was perfect for driving and soon Arthur was on his way to get Toby, Tina and Beth. There were two sessions per day and Arthur was pleased as he drew nearer to see the way marked by pennants to announce the event. Merlin was thrilled that he'd brought his camera.
The jousting lists were set up outside in a wooden enclosure. The horses were stabled at one end and could be visited before and after the display.
The first part of the exhibition included a history of the sport and an introduction to the breed of horse most commonly known as an destrier or a Knight's Horse.
Merlin glanced at Arthur, he had never seen him so mesmerised by anything. He was sitting on the edge of his seat and almost devouring everything the commentator said. He turned and smiled as he realised Merlin was watching him. Merlin nodded at him and smiled back determined that he would get at least one shot of Arthur being so intent.
Then two costumed young squires entered the arena was pennants. It was explained that as this was an exhibition the riders would be in regular riding gear and the horses used would be regular riding horses or what were known as palfreys in medieval times, the destriers being closer to our present day heavy horses.
The announcer mentioned that the weight of a knight in full battle armour together with the weight of his horse's tack necessitated a strong solid horse. He added as an aside that historically it is believed that the horses did not get out of a trot. He explained that even in the movies, the horses used were lighter weight than actual destriers and certainly the armour which looked authentic was much lighter. As well, all movements were choreographed and hopefully none of the battles were real.
Six riders did routines with the horses then dismounted as half of them picked up shields and the other lances. The next routine was done on foot while the commentator explained positions and areas where hits would result in points if this were competitive. Four riders rode back into the arena and each one rode on either side of a little fence and carried out the movements they had been demonstrating.
It was interesting and you couldn't help but clap when each horse and rider arrived at the end of the list intact.
The second event was younger riders on their ponies. They each carried a different coloured pennant and trotted around as they were introduced much to their parents' delight before returning to canter down the lists against another young rider. Toby was sure that every child in the audience wanted not only a pony but also a pennant.
As the last pony left, a falconer entertained the spectators who were then invited to enter the indoor riding arena set up as a list. Pennants hung from standards and there were even fir trees in tubs, someone had gone to a lot of trouble.
The audience was seated. Trumpets sounded and two destriers entered the arena. Merlin was blown away, the horses were big and muscular.
Their riders were in chain mail and armour. The contestants trotted slowly around once and took their positions at the end of the lists. Squires handed the knights lances and shields.
There was silence and as the knights dropped the visors on their helmets, the audience seemed to inhale in unison. The horses were chomping at their bits, the grooms stood aside and suddenly they lunged forward and were barrelling down the arena, their thundering hoofs better than any fake sound effect.
Merlin felt their power as they cantered by and the ground shook. He was transported back in time and understood the damage that a wrong step or fall would make dealing with such horses. He was torn between taking photos and watching it unimpeded by a view finder. He chose the latter.
The grooms held onto the excited horses until it was time to release them for each run. The second round, he took photos. They rode the lists four times before bowing to their competitor and lifting their lances high in recognition of their audience. The knights made one tour of the arena and left. The announcer said that the knights and their horses could be seen on the lawn outside following the show. He thanked everyone for coming and reminded them that this was only a taste of a Jousting Match and one was being held in late August with more than twenty professional riders at the local fairgrounds along with a Medieval Fayre, for which tickets were currently available.
Merlin was impressed by the amount of work that it must have taken to get a horse and rider turned out. He decided it must take hours to clean the tack and then in addition, the cleaning of the armour must have been exhausting. He laughed to himself realising that in the times of old, the knights had squires, grooms and servants to do the work. They had to just concentrate on the actual challenge. It was the present day riders in front of him who probably did more manual work.
It wasn't until the knights had left that he realised he was holding Arthur's hand. "Worried, that I might jump up and join them, Merlin?" he'd said with a smile. Merlin couldn't remember taking his hand, it must have been in the excitement of the moment.
"We have to get to the next jousting event," Toby insisted, "just think twenty knights. This was fabulous, it made me want to find my riding helmet and join in.'
"On foot?" Tina said.
"No, in full regalia with a well trained horse, I'd be a hit!"
"Or be hit!" Merlin ribbed him.
-0-0-
By the time Merlin and Toby got back to residence they were still high on jousting. Drake who was on duty asked if they had enjoyed their Bank Holiday and they explained that they'd gone to a jousting exhibit.
As they walked up the stairs, Merlin made Toby promise that he wasn't going to spend the night charging anyone who came into their corridor.