CHAPTR 18 : RELEGATED TO THE PAST

Merlin woke to sun streaming into the room. He smiled, Arthur must have realised he was awake as a voice said, "So, how did I perform as a thirteen year old?"

"Well, you certainly punched above your weight level?"

"You say the nicest things, Merlin. Are you insinuating that as a twenty-one year old I am not up to par?"

"Arthur My Love, I have no one to compare you with but the way you make me feel, I think you are probably of olympic calibre!"

"A gold medal winner?"

"Most certainly…are you hungry?"

"Starved but remember that you left all the dishes soaking overnight."

"No problem, you have lots more plates and we can just fry up the leftovers and have them, maybe, with a couple of fried eggs?" Merlin suggested,

"I don't know that I could face a fry-up of mixed vegetables, and fisherman's pie. I'm sure we can find eggs and bacon in the fridge."

"Well, you helped prepare the meal, which by the way was delicious and as Laurence never turned up last night I bags the left-overs and I'll also have eggs!"

-0-0-

Neither was in any hurry to get out of bed and the idea of breakfast was put on the back-burner. Merlin made sure that Arthur was lying comfortably. "Any pain last night?"

"I'd be lying if I said it didn't, but at a certain point I was beyond any consciousness of pain."

That gave Merlin the opening he needed, "So things are back to normal. Good?"

"That is unless you manage to tear the internal stitches and I bleed out in my lovely bed!"

"Now you've got me second guessing my suggestion for tonight."

"I'm kidding, I don't think I would want anyone poking in there but otherwise, I'm progressing nicely. Anyway, I guess, I'll have to trust you. Maybe, just in case I should make a will. Pass me my iPad, I'll jot down a few things and have it drawn up by my solicitor."

Merlin grinned but when he read what Arthur had written he felt very emotional.

"I Arthur, leave you, Merlin, all my worldly possessions
in gratitude for three of the happiest years of my life.
Our friendship is not a binding contract, it is a freely
given promise to which I will be faithful until the day I die.
Merlin, I love you!"

Arthur looked at Merlin and said, "What's the matter is it too soppy, do you think my solicitor will laugh?"

"No, it is beautiful and from the heart and if anyone should laugh it will be because they don't understand as they have never experienced true love. I love you, Arthur!"

They heard Laurence arriving and he called, "Don't tell me the two of you are still in bed. It's gone eleven and I'm here to invite you to come and stay in the caravan tonight. It sleeps eight and we have five empty places."

Merlin looked at Arthur who was shaking his head and laughed as he remembered his words of wisdom about never being able to take him camping!

-0-0-

Arthur supervised Merlin's minimal rearrangement of furniture in his college room. "I think it will help me settle in here if I move the desk and the chair if I don't like it I can always move it back." Arthur noticed that no longer would Merlin's back be to the door when he was seated now he faced it head on. "I'll feel more in charge," he said as he tried it out, "in my mind, I hope that Baxter never shows his face again and this will help me with a new start."

"I'll be surprised if he comes back."

"Arthur, that was what we thought after my room was trashed. I'm sorry I can't feel that confident." He then went to the shelves to put his camera which he had retrieved from the Porters, in its usual place. However before putting it down he took a couple of photos of Arthur looking out the window. "You know, in ten years we'll look back and remember the wonderful times we've had here."

"Or not!" Arthur said seriously,

"Arthur, I don't intend to allow one miscreant to darken my memories of my time at Oxford. I want my memories to be sun filled and positive."

"I have a feeling that miscreant is rather harsh, how about misguided?"

"You can call him what you want but I believe that what he did was criminally motivated. However, I am not going to waste energy thinking about him. He is a persona non grata in my life."

Arthur didn't want to argue the point but he knew that in the future, Merlin would probably have to face Baxter's actions if not Baxter himself should the college decide to press charges. Magdalen would not stand back and let one character ruin its reputation as a safe place for students to live.

"You look sexy when you are annoyed!" Merlin said as he snapped a few more pictures.

"I'm not annoyed, well not annoyed with you, I just want to head off at the pass anyone who might be considering causing you any harm."

"I love it when you speak American," Merlin said, putting down his camera and coming forward to wrap his arms around Arthur's neck.

Arthur had to laugh and said, "Well it's useful being multi-lingual."

Merlin raised his head and said, "Me too!"

"You too what?"

"I'm multilingual!"

"You're not…!"

I am! I can speak Scouse fluently!"

Merlin was satisfied with his room. As they went to leave, Arthur made Merlin laugh as after kissing him, he'd said, "If I was ever organising a residence, I would make sure that all rooms were spacious doubles and it would not be frowned on, should a student want to cohabit with the person of his choice, even triples if the need arose. Sound proofing would be optional!"

Merlin laughed as he replied, "Shades of Walton Gaol with an added incentive." He put on a strong Scouse accent speaking with a blocked nose and raising the inflection at the end of each sentence.

Grinning at Arthur he said, "The Gaoler called out, 'Lines yurselfs up 'ere to get your cellmate of choice!' A loud insistent voice immediately yelled, 'I'll 'ave 'im there, with the good teeth and the gold-like hair!' "

Arthur not to be outdone added, "One equally rough-looking chap said, 'Oye, I wants the dark 'aired chap stood over there!'" Merlin laughed and Arthur added, "Not the best but I tried…"

Merlin's mind flashed back to home. He'd been playing on the street with the kids from next door and when he'd come in his mother had said, "You sounded a little rough around the edges out there. I hope you don't speak like that at school"

"No," Merlin assured her, "The teacher would have a fit!" His mother was always insisting that he spoke correctly. "Anyway, what about Mrs Casey, you can hardly understand her?"

"Exactly," said his mother, "but she insists that her boys speak properly."

He'd remembered saying, "I guess, she's just too old to learn how to talk any another way." And he had missed his mother smiling over his head to Gaius. In bed that night, he thought to himself that Mrs Casey sounded lovely especially when she was singing to her young ones.

-0-0-

For ten days, life was great, no interruptions, it was how Merlin imagined that college would be. He saw Arthur regularly and enjoyed the company of his friends. The term was halfway through and a long weekend for the Early May Bank Holiday was coming up.

Laurence was staying in Oxford but Arthur thought that three days away might be fun before the final push to the end of the year. He'd heard through his father's secretary that his father was going to Edinburgh with business associates and then on to stay with friends in the Highlands. Therefore he decided that it was time to introduce Merlin to his family home, Cadogan Manor.

He notified the manor staff that he would be spending time there, "I'll be staying in my quarters so could they be aired and prepared for the three day weekend?" Manscombe said that he would see that it was done and would Mr. Arthur be entertaining large numbers. Arthur assured him that there would only be him and a friend. He also asked if he could tell Rob at the stables that he would want two horses for riding.

Now, all he had to do was to convince Merlin that three days at a manor in Wales was exactly what both of them needed. They were sitting in the residence, Arthur on the love seat and Merlin on the windowsill.

"No need to get up during the day if we don't want to. All meals can be served in my private dining room and the staff are most discreet," he laughed adding, "as their jobs depend on it!" He added as an aside, "My father will be no trouble as he lives in another wing and there are plenty of corridors we can skedaddle down if we see him approaching."

He let that sink in and looked at Merlin who was looking most uncomfortable. "Arthur, I don't think I'm ready to meet your father. I'll do something wrong and maybe even get you disinherited."

"Not too worry as my money comes from my mother's estate not my father's. He just gives me an annual allowance before tax time if I haven't screwed up. Anyway, what can he say, we're of age to make our own choices and I know that…" He glanced at Merlin and decided to put him out of his misery, "…and I happen to know that he will be ensconced in a house in the wilds of Scotland for the weekend. Mind you, if you would rather he was with us, I know that Glenkandrun House is large, and The Laird would be only too happy to have us join him."

Merlin grinned at him, "That was unkind, as you really had me going, I even thought that I might have had to let you go off by yourself and I'd stay in residence all weekend."

"I wouldn't have let you do that, I would have at least insisted that you stay at the condo. Come here!"

"Are you sure your father won't mind your staying at Cadogan when he's not there?"

"Merlin, would your mother be annoyed if you stayed at your home with a guest if she was away?"

"Yes…if it were Gawaine as we'd probably have wrecked the place!"

"And if it were just two adult types like you and me?"

Merlin gave him a big smile and said, "Of course not Arthur, it's my home and anyway, she's crazy about you."

"So the same goes for my home, just that my father is maybe not as crazy over me as your mother is!"

"Doesn't really matter does it, as I can make up for that?" Merlin said laughing as he pushed Arthur back on the love seat and gave him a resounded kiss then whispered in his ear, "Actually the bed is better suited for canoodling…"

"How do you know?"

"Had experience!" Merlin said as he pulled Arthur across the room.

"With anyone I know?"

"Don't think so…a blond god-like chap, who showered me with love and who introduced me to the wonders of sex."

Arthur laughed, "Lucky fellow! Nice job if you can get it!" and smiled to himself. He and Merlin would go to Wales and he would introduce him to his family home as well as showing him just how much he loved him…and his father be damned!

-0-0-

The term was more than half way over. Arthur had been seen by Dr Caruthers who never actually acknowledge the college's part in what had happened but had stated that the committee was pleased to see that he had suffered no lasting injuries and assured him that it was still working on the situation. He also suggested that the final recommendations of the committee might not be available before September as now the police were involved.

"Subsequent to the preliminary report, we have received further important information and will be scheduling meetings to deal with it. Residents, we would like to interview, will be notified. The matter is most serious as it reflects on the students and the college."

Arthur returned home deciding not to mention it to Merlin when he saw him on Thursday. They'd been invited to Toby's parents for supper and he didn't want him worried. He seemed to have bounced back so well that a step in the wrong direction would ruin their upcoming weekend.

Arthur had also heard from his father that he expected him to work for the company for the month of August. He did not state the location which didn't go over well with Arthur. He decided that if he were based in the UK, he could make arrangements for Hunith, Gaius and Merlin to spend some time in Bruxelles. He could spend a weekend with them. It was also the year of the Flower Carpet in the Grand Place and he remembered telling Merlin about it. If he could get everything organised it would be a nice break for everyone.

-0-0-

Merlin was getting more excited as the weekend approached. As long as he could keep Uther out of his mind, everything was wonderful. Arthur and he would be driving to Wales on the Friday after tutorials and return late Monday.

He was surprised when Arthur instead of taking the A40 west, drove north to Kidlington and they found themselves at the airport. Surprisingly, Laurence was there talking to some chap in a uniform. He came over and Arthur handed him his keys saying, "Thanks for coming, take care of the car and please, pick us up on Monday around four. I'll phone you. "

Merlin was shocked, Laurence had been in on it and had kept it a secret. The man in uniform came over and said, "Mr Arthur, we're ready when you are. The weather is clear and we should be there in one hour."

"Thank you, Matthews. Did you get your flight plan listed?"

Matthews grinned, "Yes, Sir." He helped unload their luggage and led the way across the tarmac to a sleek white, plane with a red and gold trim. Merlin said quietly to Arthur, "Who do you know who owns a plane?"

"It's my father's, well actually PenD's. The company uses it for business, my father cannot stand airports with long queues. He alway flies out of London City as opposed to Heathrow or Gatwick. It took my father to Scotland mid-week and will pick him up Thursday. You don't have any aversion to flying do you?"

"No, love it."

Arthur looked at the private jet proudly, "It's a Learjet, a six-seater used mainly for short hops. My father usually has his car sent ahead and his driver picks him up wherever he lands. Used to be lots of fun as he'd sometimes allow me to take a friend with me during the holidays if he was going on a day trip."

Merlin couldn't believe his eyes, seeing the little stairs up to the cabin door and the luxurious interior. His mother would be flabbergasted. She would have had so much to tell her friends.

They chose seats facing each other so they each had a window. Seat belts were buckled and a disembodied voice said, "Ready for take off!"

Arthur said, "First, we have a little treat. Happy Sightseeing!"

The plane took off and banked to fly around Oxford. Merlin was unable to say anything. Finally he spluttered, "The Deer Park, Magdalen... Look, Arthur, the Bodleian, Radcliffe Camera…Oxford Castle, Carfax Tower…Christ Church, Oriel, the Newman Centre, this is great!"

Arthur smiled, he remembered when his father had done the same thing with Laurence and him in their first year.

Suddenly, Merlin was saying, "The Condo, Arthur, your condo!"

The plane swung away heading west over Blenheim Palace. Arthur laughed, "Next thing on the list is the Welsh coastline, the beaches are spectacular, then we'll be landing in Swansea.

"I could stay up here all day and night. It's wonderful."

"Well, we'll have run out of fuel by then and I'd rather be stretched out on a comfy bed than floating in a choppy sea with the crew in a life raft! If you get my drift…!" Arthur couldn't help laughing as he thought he had been so clever.

Merlin grinned at him and leant forward to kiss him only to be almost cut in half by his seat belt, which he had forgotten to undo.

Arthur leant forward and quickly released it but not Merlin's jacket as he pulled him toward himself and kissed him.

"Are there any security cameras on the plane?" Merlin asked.

"I believe so but only in the cockpit. Can't have pilots and the like snogging while they are at the controls can we?"

As Arthur had promised the flight over the coastline was magnificent. Too soon the industrial area and Port of Swansea came into view as well as the ruins of Swansea Castle.

-0-0-

There had been one of the family cars at the airport and Arthur grinned as Merlin happily slipped into an Austin Healey Sprite. Arthur explained this was the car that he'd been allowed to drive on the estate before he got his license, "I have always made sure that it has been kept in good condition, so that when I'm here out it comes!"

Merlin could see Arthur's home in his mind as the painting had been hanging in the hallway until it was replaced by the Gormley. His first introduction was the walled property, the huge iron gates and the immaculate gravelled drive. They pulled up in front of the house as the drive led directly to the front door. The wings on either side were more prominent than the main part of the house which was recessed and Merlin remembered Arthur saying that from the air it resembled an H. The facade was perfectly balanced. It was even more attractive than in the painting.

The front door opened and an older man came out accompanied by a younger man who took their luggage, the older man stepped forward and welcomed, Mr Arthur home.

"Thank you, Manscombe, let's hope the weather cooperates as I'd like to show my friend the area." He turned to Merlin saying, "Merlin this is Manscombe, he and his wife have been with us for nearly forty years."

Manscombe said, "Welcome, Sir! I hope you have a pleasant weekend."

Arthur led him into the house and explained the staff quarters were in the East wing and the main reception room in the central block and the bedrooms across the second and third floors. I believe when my mother was alive there were many parties and the house was almost always full of people. In the really olden days, guests would move in for months at a time, bringing with them their servants, children horses and dogs. It must have been wild."

"I'd hate that but then again I guess you could go and become a house guest at one of your guests' empty houses," Merlin said, "sort of like house-swapping during the holidays."

They walked up the stairs as Arthur pointed out various rooms saying, "That wouldn't work because some of the houses were practically closed down with just an old retainer living on the property. You know some guests even arrived with their own beds and favourite chairs." Arthur continued, "The house is a bit ostentatious and I think with some renovating it could make a lovely hotel or even really expensive condos. It's too big for just my father and me and let's face it, over a year, the staff live here more than we do. It's a problem with many old family homes."

Merlin grinned before adding, "If it were closer to Oxford, you could bequeath it to Magdalen as a student residence and retain a suite of rooms for yourself and any friends you might have when you get older."

"That's not going to happen as I really like the house and would prefer to see it lived in by people who would appreciate it."

"Should you turn it into a hotel, it could be called Cadogan by Pendragon."

"Thank you, Merlin, I'll take that under consideration." He slipped his hand into the small of Merlin's back and directed him through a door which he then kicked closed with his heel saying, "Welcome, to my private quarters!"