To one of the guests who reviewed: Your comment sparked an idea for part of the conversation in the beginning of this chapter, for which I want to thank you. You'll see what I mean.
And to UnfortunatelyShattered: I do have a vague plan for Merlin's scars. They will be brought into the story at some point. Thanks for the suggestion, though. I may just use part of it. I always love it when people give me ideas. Even if I don't use the exact idea given, a lot of times it can spark another idea.
SEVENTEEN: SERVANTS (293 days)
Merlin hummed quietly as he read through a spell book that Kerenza had given him, sent from her mother's camp. Well, it was just a magical copy that he had created. He'd given the original back to her the very same day she'd lent it to him. The humming helped block out the noise of the dragon enclosure being built off his chambers, but only slightly. The men were not very quiet as they built Aithusa's future home. Merlin only hoped that it wouldn't take them much longer. If he'd had his way, he would have just magicked the room into existance. But Arthur was worried about how the other residents of the castle would react to an act of magic that large.
He was laying on his back on his bed as he read. A basin of water sat near the fireplace, several items of clothes washing themselves. It was a simple spell, easy to maintain while he focused his attention on the book in his hands.
This book had several spells that would be good for the upcoming -
The door opened suddenly, and Dera walked in with a stack of parchment and a few vials of ink. She squealed when she saw his clothes floating in the air - he didn't let her reaction interfere with his hold on the spell. She dropped everything she was holding, shattering the ink vials. She stared at the clothes, still scrubbing themselves clean.
Merlin grinned. "You really shouldn't get into my bad habit of not knocking. I could have stopped the spell so it didn't startle you."
She stared at the floor. "S-sorry," she muttered. She knelt down, most likely to try to clean up the mess.
"Don't. I can clean it up in no time," he told her gently, even as his magic repaired the damage. Within seconds, the vials were back together, once again full of liquid, and sitting on the desk. The parchment was neatly stacked beside the vials. "I didn't want you cutting yourself with that glass. Have you seen Ennis today? It's nearly midday, and he hasn't arrived yet."
She shook her head.
Merlin sighed, setting the look down on his pillow. "He better hope Arthur doesn't find out," he muttered. Ennis had been arriving later each day.
He glanced at Dera. She was standing there, her body language tense and awkward. "Sit. Rest. I would dismiss you for the day, but Arthur would be furious if I did, and frankly, I don't like dealing with the clotpole when he's furious."
She gasped. "You just…"
"Called the King of Camelot a clotpole?" he finished for her. "Yes, I did. I do it often. I usually prefer prat, though. He can also be a dollophead, and I make sure to tell him whenever he starts acting like it."
She continued to stare at him.
Merlin continued talking. He knew, from experience, that she wasn't likely to say much. "He finds ways to retaliate, usually by throwing something solid at my head. He also calls me an idiot and a girl. It's what we do. The very first time I met him, I called him an ass. He was acting like one. Of course, I didn't know who he was at the time. Once I realized, I told him he was a royal ass."
She bit her lip, and she seemed to be struggling with her words. Finally, she said, "I'm really sorry."
He arched a single eyebrow in her direction. "Sorry about what?"
"The food. I shouldn't have…I realize now that you're not evil. I may not understand magic, but I can see that you aren't using it for evil purposes."
Well, that was certainly an improvement. "No, I'm not. But I can understand why you would fear magic. It's easy to fear that which we don't understand. And most people don't understand magic. Do you mind if I show you a spell?" Her eyes widened. "It's a simple one, to…create something beautiful."
She hesitated briefly, then nodded.
Merlin whispered into his palm. "Ye-wircan leef." A butterfly materialized just above the palm of his hand. He gently blew on the creature. It flew to Dera, landing on the tip of her nose. She gave a surprised laugh. Then it flew out the window.
The girl smiled. "Amazing."
"It is. Magic can be used for wonderful things." She nodded. There was less fear in her stance than there had been before. That was good. It was progress. Perhaps this little...punishment would turn out to be a good idea. For Dera, at least. "Would you be willing to bring us both some food from the kitchen? We can eat in here today, if that's all right with you." He didn't want to ask her to do anything that she was uncomfortable with. She and Ennis usually chose to eat their midday meal in the kitchen, away from him.
"Yes, my lord."
He cringed at that. He didn't like the sound of it. "No. Don't call me that. I might be a council member, but I'm not a lord. Just Merlin will do. Or Emrys, if you really insist on some sort of formality. Try to find Ennis as well, please. I'd really rather he didn't get himself into trouble."
"It's a bit late for that," the king's voice called. He entered the chambers, with a scowling Ennis at his side.
Merlin swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Oh, Arthur. You found him. I had sent him to gather some herbs for me," he lied easily. "He must have gotten lost."
Ennis frowned at the warlock.
Arthur narrowed his eyes. He knew Merlin was lying. "Oh, he knew exactly where he was. Buried deep in a cup of ale."
"I told him to take a break before getting the herbs. He's been working very hard this morning."
"Stop lying for him, Merlin. I know he was shirking his responsibilities."
"He wasn't."
"Merlin -"
"Aren't you supposed to be choosing a new manservant for yourself right now?" the warlock interrupted. "It sounds to me like you're the one who's shirking his responsibilities, sire."
Arthur's lips pulled into a scowl. Since Merlin's promotion, Arthur hadn't been able to keep a servant for more than a week. He either sacked them, or they decided to quit. He hadn't been satisfied with any of Merlin's replacements, apparently. The ones that he didn't fire were too scared of him to stay on. "They're all boring," the king whined.
Merlin resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "They all act the way servants are supposed to act. They all act the way you always wanted me to act."
"Well, I've found that servants who act the way they are supposed to are boring."
Merlin shook his head. "From what I understand, half of them have quit, because you keep throwing items at their heads and they fear for their lives."
The two servants were watching the exchange with interest. They had probably never seen their king argue with someone else in this way. Nobody else was brave enough to stand up to their king, not in the way Merlin was. What could Arthur do to him anyway? Lock him up? He could destroy the dungeons with a flick of his wrist.
"It's not my fault they can't duck quickly enough. And who even told you that?"
"Gwen, of course." Merlin smirked at his friend. "You could always hire George as your manservant. We both know that he's very efficient."
The king grimaced. "George? Brass George? No. I will not…Wait." Arthur narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "Efficient, proper, punctual George may be just what I need. You were quite well-behaved after your little talk with him. Only for a day, but it was an improvement while it lasted. I'm sure Ennis would benefit from a chat like that."
Merlin shuddered at the memory. "Don't. Nobody deserves that."
Rolling his eyes, the king said, "Don't be dramatic. George's lectures aren't that terrible. Just like everything else he does, they're efficient."
"They are that terrible. They are much worse than his jokes about brass. I would rather be tortured than listen to one of George's lectures. Now, would you please let me handle my servants while you go choose yours?"
"Your servants? I'm the one who pays them."
"You gave them to me. Until the week is up, they're mine to order around as I please. Now, shoo! I have very important reading to finish." Merlin kindly, but firmly, pushed Arthur into the corridor and closed the door.
Ennis stared at him, as though he couldn't figure him out. "Why did you lie for me? I was at the tavern, drinking."
"Nobody deserves a lecture from Brass George."
"You lied before George was even mentioned."
Merlin shrugged. "If he gets angry enough about it, he may increase the amount of time you're required to assist me, and I know how much you would hate that. Forcing you to be surrounded by the very thing that you hate is not going to make you hate it any less. I can't force you to see the good in magic when you don't want to see it. So there's no reason to give the king a chance to extend your punishment."
Arthur entered his own quarters just as a servant left, carrying a stack of laundry. The king frowned at Guinevere, who sat at the desk. She was reading a piece of parchment. "Who was that?" he asked.
"Rolan. He's your new servant." She didn't look up as she spoke.
"I didn't assign him as my personal servant."
"No. I did. You weren't there to do it for yourself. You seemed to be avoiding the task."
"I was dealing with Merlin's servant," he muttered. He had been trying to avoid the task of choosing another manservant - and he absolutely refused to give George the position. He missed having Merlin as his servant, even if he had been quite useless at the job.
Guinevere looked at Arthur then. "Let Merlin deal with Ennis and Dera."
"I would, if he was actually doing something about them. Dera seems to be doing well. But Ennis is walking all over Merlin, and the idiot is letting him!"
"I'm sure Merlin will be fine. Just leave him be. And please try not to fire Rolan. He's been working in the castle for nearly ten years and has proven himself to be a very good man and servant. He's very dedicated to his work. You need to realize that you won't have another servant quite like Merlin, and that it's all right. You still have him as your friend. Stop getting rid of all of your personal servants because they don't meet your expectations of being just like Merlin."
Arthur huffed slightly. "Fine."
She smiled warmly at him. "Thank you. I received a response from Hunith."
Arthur had been waiting to hear back from Merlin's mother for several days. He sat in a chair near the table, turning to face his wife. "Oh? Will she be coming for the celebrations?"
The king was hosting a week-long festivity to celebrate the defeat of Morgana, in addition to the lifting of the ban on magic. He wanted a chance to show his people the good side of magic. Merlin was supposed to be preparing a couple of performances, though Arthur had no idea what his sorcerer planned to do.
Arthur had also invited some of his allies, the ones a little more open to the return of magic in Camelot. Queen Annis had already accepted the invitation, as well as Princess Elena and her father. He hadn't heard from Princess Mithian yet.
"Hunith replied that she will be here. She hadn't known about the celebrations. She also hadn't known that Merlin is the Court Sorcerer, or that magic is no longer illegal here. She was quite surprised to learn about those details in our message to her. Apparently, word of these changes hasn't reached any of the outlying villages of Lot's kingdom."
"Merlin didn't tell her?"
"Apparently not. He doesn't know that she's coming. She said that she wanted to surprise him with her visit."
Arthur nodded, wondering at Merlin's reasons for not telling his mother about any of the recent changes in Camelot. Wouldn't Hunith be happy to know her son was no longer in danger of being arrested for practicing sorcery?
He looked at Guinevere, his eyes flickering to her abdomen. He couldn't see it, of course, obscured as it was by the desk. He knew he wouldn't be able to see any evidence of the child growing within her at any rate. Not yet.
His child.
He smiled. They hadn't announced the pregnancy to the kingdom yet. They would wait until the queen began showing signs of the conception, as there was always a chance of losing the child early on in the pregnancy. But Arthur was happier than he'd been in a long while. He wasn't worried about Guinevere's health, or the child's health. After all, Treasa seemed convinced that this child would grow up to a fine…something. Merlin still hadn't told him what she'd been about to say.
Sir Brennis and Sir Geraint sat in Brennis's rooms, nursing full goblets of wine. Brennis paced back and forth. "I am tired of seeing that disgusting creature walking around this castle," he muttered, looking briefly out the window as he passed. Merlin was out there, carrying a basket full of herbs - probably for a nasty potion of some sort. His two temporary servants were trailing along behind him.
Geraint scowled into his goblet. "He's a council member now. The king would chop off our heads if we harmed his precious pet sorcerer, even if we are knights."
Brennis smirked slightly, stopping to look out the window once more. His gaze fell on the male servant, the one who clearly hated Merlin.
Almost as much as Brennis and Geraint hated the sorcerer. "We won't do anything."
Ye-wircan leef-Create a life
