Hello my dear readers!
So, yeah, one day late. Really, really sorry! Can I be excused by saying that it was because I spent a whole afternoon caching up on The Fall ? You know, Colin Morgan and stuff? (and if you haven't watched this show, I'm strongly advising you to. It is awesome, terribly well made, desturbing and addictive.).
What more to say? I'll just get sentimental (once more) and thank you all for still keeping up with me and my writing. Once more, you cannot imagine exactly how much this helps me in my day to day life. I'm not at all a self assured person and I sent most of the time doubting everything and everyone and I think that writing is my only interesting feature (and even that I am doubting more often than not). So yeah, thank you for your support, for adding this story and the others in your favorites or following. And even more adding me! I probably don't deserve it but THANK YOU!
And also a very huge thank you to my Beta who puts up with me too :)
I hope you'll enjoy this little chapter!
Chapter 5:
Arthur tapped his fingers on the wooden table before him, ignoring his wife's annoyed look.
It took another half an hour of that before Gwen finally lost her temper and put her hands on his.
"Go look for him if you must but for god's sake Arthur you're making me anxious!" She exclaimed and the king looked at her sheepishly, feeling like a young boy being scolded.
"Sorry." He said. "I just have a bad feeling…"
And how ironic that sentence was, Arthur thought.
Gwen nodded and gestured towards the door.
"I love you." The king said as he kissed her wife on his way out.
"Me too, now go find our court advisor." She called after him.
And with that he was out of the room, hoping his gut was mistaken and Merlin was alright. Maybe he had just fallen asleep on the job again.
It took him almost no time to arrive in front of Merlin's chambers and, as ever, entered without knocking, a retort already on his lips.
Only to be disappointed as the room was empty.
"I swear Merlin, only you can make a king search his own castle for a former manservant." He grumbled to the air as he turned back to the corridor and towards his next destination.
If Merlin wasn't in his own chambers, there was every chance he was in the physician's. Turning left, Arthur followed the crowded corridor, answering the many greetings he received before he finally arrived at the end of the staircase leading up to the physician's chambers.
He heard a cry from above him and concluded that his guess was probably right and that he would indeed find his friend working when he was supposed to be relaxing – and eating – with his king and queen.
He quickly went up the flight of stair, annoyance building up at Merlin's lack of concern for his own health.
Once more, he didn't bother knocking as he opened the door in a wide movement.
"Ah! There you are!" He exclaimed, not even trying to hide how irritated he was.
He expected Merlin to respond with some choice words of his own and scold his king for interrupting him with a patient, but he didn't even move.
In fact, his already straight back seemed to tense even more and Arthur noticed his tightly clenched hands on his knees.
"Merlin?" He added, knowing that something was terribly wrong and feeling an old worry ignite again in his gut.
Long minutes passed before the king saw his friend inhale deeply and then answer him in that cold, falsely unemotional way that the king had come to hate in the past months.
"I think we will have to cancel our lunch, Arthur. Sorry." He announced and proceeded to jump out of the chair he was sitting on and almost run to the door with his head bowed low, hiding his face from his friend.
As if lunch was still the first thing in the king's mind!
"But where are you going? I thought you were with a patient…" He asked, feeling utterly confused at Merlin's strange and worrying attitude.
But his friend didn't answer, didn't even seem to hear as he took off running the minute he was in the corridor, his footsteps quickly fading away.
Arthur just stared at the open door, not knowing if he should run after Merlin or let him be. Turning back to the inside of the room, he eyed the other occupant of the room.
It was an old woman that also looked a bit confused by what had just happened but he could also see the fresh tear tracks on her cheeks and the unveiled grief in her eyes.
"I apologize for Lord Merlin's behavior. Is there any way I can help you?" Arthur proposed awkwardly.
"No… Thank you sire." The woman answered, her voice rough but it did ignite a small spark of recognition in him.
He frowned, trying to recall where he could have met her.
"Have we met? You seem familiar…" The king asked.
Panic seemed to spark in the woman's eyes as her mouth opened and closed in search of an answer.
And then, out of nowhere, Arthur remembered. A gasp escaped him.
"Oh my god! You are her! Gaius' fiancée!" He explained.
Suddenly Merlin's behavior made far more sense. Dread filled Arthur.
"What did you do to Merlin?" He questioned, aware that he was sounding pretty menacing and not feeling particularly bothered by it.
"Nothing." She answered defensively.
"Then what did you say to him?" He asked, knowing that words can be just as painful as any action, especially to Merlin.
He saw Alice hesitating, her mouth opening and closing before she sighed.
"Only the truth: that he should have protected Gaius as was his duty as ward." She answered, her voice hard with lingering anger.
Arthur managed to bite back the curse that wanted to erupt from him only thanks to years of training in council but he couldn't stop the tightening of his fists at his side.
"How dare you." He all but gritted out through clenched teeth. "How dare you judge him when you can't even imagine how much he suffered? You don't have any idea how guilty he felt and still feels about this! He was just getting better and now you come and ruin that!"
After his rant he breathed deeply, trying to regain his calm. He wanted to go out there and find Merlin but he couldn't leave Alice alone. After all, she was officially a fugitive In Camelot. He turned towards the door and called for a guard.
"You are to keep an eye on her." He instructed the man. "She is not to leave Camelot. Put her in the cells if she tries anything."
He looked back to the woman in the room who returned his gaze with a pensive look.
"I hope for you that Merlin is alright." He said before leaving the room, stalking purposefully towards his friend's chamber, hoping the man was there.
He arrived in front of the wooden door and, for once, took the time to knock softly before entering.
He found the room cold and empty. Just to be sure, and because he knew his friend could hide very well if he so wanted, he carefully searched each corner before admitting that Merlin truly wasn't there. He cursed under his breath despite the fact that he should have known his friend would make things difficult.
Not about to let himself be deterred by such a small contradiction he went out of the room again and decided to climb the eastern tower knowing that the ex-servant had a liking for the place when he felt down.
It was an out-of-breathe but hopeful king that opened the door only to be attacked by a gust of cold wind. Drawing his cloak more tightly around himself he quickly made his way around the tower and concluded Merlin wasn't there either.
"Damn it Merlin where are you?" He said out loud as his worry returned full force.
Feeling slightly discouraged, he made his way back to the main part of the castle just as the bell chimed. He wanted to go and look for his friend but he was already late for a meeting with a merchant from the south. Catching sight of Gwaine at the end of the corridor he called out.
"Arthur." The man said, his usual smile already in place. "Shouldn't you be with Guthred?"
"Indeed but something's happened..." The knight sobered at the king's unusually dark tone. "It's a long story but in short Merlin's run away… I need you to find him."
"What? But why? What did you do to him! I swear..."
"I did nothing Gwaine!" The king interrupted, trying to rein his frustration in. "Gaius' fiancé came here and I fear what she told him might have... affected him..."
The knight observed Arthur for a moment, obviously still a bit skeptical about the king's non implication, before nodding.
"Right. I'll find him. Don't worry."
"Thank you Gwaine. I already checked his chambers and the eastern tower."
With a final nod, the knight left, straight-backed and purposeful.
Arthur felt just a tiny bit better.
If he could trust anyone to find Merlin, it was Gwaine.
So what do you think? Up to your expectations?
Do not hesitate to leave me a little comment. It would make my day!