This was meant to be the Arthur-centric chapter, until Morgana showed up and booted him out of the spotlight. Yet another instance of this story taking on a life of its own. Still, Arthur has his moments. He's also a bit of a prat. Sorry guys - I really do like Arthur, honest!
Things were changing in Camelot, and Prince Arthur (who wasn't nearly as dense as Morgana believed) had noticed. It wasn't simply that the long war with Dagon had ended - Camelot was always making and breaking alliances with the other kingdoms of Albion; their politics were constantly in flux. But they had never had an ally quite like Merlin.
On the first morning of their stay, he and his men had joined the knights of Camelot for their regular training session. Everything had gone well until Leon disarmed and cornered Merlin, at which point the warlock - who had been gamely avoiding using magic because he knew it made people nervous - had turned the dry ground beneath Leon's feet into a puddle of thick, sucking mud; the knight sank into it up to his ankles and was trapped for a long, uncomfortable moment until Merlin realized what he had done and reversed the spell.
"He did it on purpose!" Arthur had complained loudly the instant Merlin was out of earshot. "He knows the people of Camelot are still scared of magic, and I'd wager he's having a laugh at us!"
But, "I can assure you he isn't," Lancelot, who had overheard Arthur, said quietly. "He didn't mean to create that mud-trap; it was an accident."
"How can you tell? You're no sorcerer."
"No, I'm not, but I do know Merlin. He isn't like most sorcerers - he didn't learn magic, he was born with it. It's instinctive in him. When Sir Leon was bearing down on him, I'm sure he just reacted."
Arthur hadn't wanted to admit it, but he had been shaken. All his life he had held the view, taught to him by his father, that sorcerers chose to be what they were, that they deliberately toyed with the unnatural forces of magic. He had never heard of anyone being born that way, and knowing that some of the people who practiced magic might not have a choice had challenged his perception of the world in ways he didn't much care for.
Learning about Merlin's innate magic wasn't what bothered Arthur most, though; it was an incident that had occurred just a few hours ago. On his way to have breakfast with his father, Arthur had witnessed Merlin tripping and nearly falling down a flight of stairs - not that there was anything very strange about that. What was strange was that he had been saved from falling by Morgana, and as he thanked her, she had smiled at him. Not the smirk or sneer that visiting noblemen usually got from her, but an actual, genuine smile! Arthur didn't know what to make of it. He did, however, decide it was time he had a little chat with Merlin...
...Which was why they were now out riding, just the two of them, unaccompanied by even their servants. Merlin probably wondered at the reason for that but hadn't said anything about it, making Arthur wonder what was going on inside his head. It seemed not to have crossed his mind that Arthur could have brought him out here to attack him, which seemed rather stupidly trusting of him - or maybe he was simply confident that if that were the case, he would be able to deal with Arthur easily. And maybe he could at that; they had come close to finishing each other off on the battlefield several times, but something - a stray arrow, or spell-fire, or another man coming between them, or, most recently, a dragon falling out of the sky - had always stopped them from going through with it. Fate? Or merely a string of coincidences? If asked, Arthur would pick the latter. He didn't like the idea of anything bigger than himself controlling his destiny.
When they stopped to let their horses drink from a stream Merlin asked, "So, are you going to tell me why you suggested riding out alone, when you normally have that Cedric fellow following you everywhere like a lost puppy?"
"There is something I must ask you - a private matter - and I demand an honest answer."
"All right." A moment of silence, then: "Well, are you going to ask me anything or not? Contrary to what some of the more imaginative townspeople are saying about me, I can't actually hear what you're thinking!"
Arthur raised an eyebrow in a manner reminiscent of Gaius. "You can't?"
"One of the books in our library back home did mention a spell that would let you hear anyone's thoughts, any time, but the only sorcerer ever known to have tried it ended up hearing so many voices in his head that he went mad...but that's beside the point. Your question?"
"Oh, right." Arthur put on what he fancied was an intimidating scowl. "I want to know what there is between you and the Lady Morgana."
"Nothing."
Arthur was still suspicious. "You aren't courting her, then?"
"No." It was true; unsure of how to win Morgana's affections and not wanting to undo whatever progress he might have made toward convincing her not to hate him, Merlin hadn't attempted any romantic advances.
"Oh...well...good," Arthur muttered, feeling foolish now that his suspicions had turned out to be unfounded.
"Why would you think I was?"
"Because even though Morgana is completely insufferable once you get to know her, some men who don't know any better find her...attractive." He grimaced, showing his disgust at the idea of anyone being attracted to Morgana.
"I don't think she's insufferable," Merlin said in his best neutral tone.
Arthur gave him a sympathetic pat on the back. "That's because you don't know her very well."
Merlin pulled away from him. "It's getting late; we should return to the castle." As he remounted he leaned forward to whisper in his horse's delicately tapered ear, "Arthur is a prat, isn't he?"
The stallion snorted and bobbed his head as if in agreement.
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Gwen slid the final hairpin into place in her mistress's dark locks, then stepped back to admire her handiwork. "There! You look beautiful."
Morgana peered into the mirror, tilting her head this way and that in order to examine her face from every angle. Her gray-green eyes were outlined in black, her lips painted a luscious, seductive red, and she was wearing her most revealing dress, which she had been saving. That was the advantage to having guests stay for the whole week: Uther held feasts every night to entertain them, so Morgana got to wear all her very best dresses rather than having to pick just one.
At last, she declared her appearance satisfactory. She and Gwen proceeded downstairs to the room off the dining hall; Gwen slipped away to join the other servants, but no one noticed her taking her place on the crowd's fringes. All eyes were on Morgana, as had been the case every evening since the peacemaking celebration had commenced four days ago - and no one was disappointed tonight.
Several men's mouths were gaping wide enough to catch flies, and their eyes almost looked to be in danger of popping free from their sockets. Even Arthur murmured, "God have mercy," as he took in the smooth, creamy skin exposed by Morgana's dress - and she had thoughtfully worn her hair up so that even it didn't cover her outrageously bare shoulders.
She paused for a moment to savor the admiration before allowing her eyes to seek out the one person whose reaction she really wanted to see - and there he was, with Arthur; they must have been talking before the sight of Morgana rendered Merlin speechless. Now he was staring at her with something like wonder. Morgana approved, and decided that she would grant him the privilege of escorting her to her seat when the feast began.
Every night she had arrived in the dining hall's entrance chamber alone and chosen someone different to accompany her to the royal table and pull her chair out for her. On the first night - the night Mary Collins had tried to assassinate Arthur - her escort had been Sir Leon; the night after that it had been a knight from Dagon she thought was called Sir Belvedere, then Sir Pellinore, and last night it had been Sir Lancelot - never Arthur (he became so amusingly irritated when she ignored him), and never Merlin...because her feelings toward the sorcerer prince were still an utter mess.
On the one hand, she had detected nothing in him to cause alarm, nothing at all to suggest that he was unworthy of her heart; on the other, she was not yet prepared to fully give it. She definitely didn't despise him with every fiber of her being, as she had planned to before meeting him, but she couldn't tell whether her attraction to him was destined to be short-lived, or if it might develop into love over time.
She hid her confused emotions behind a coy smile and curtseyed. "My lord."
Merlin shook off the fog that seeing Morgana had created in his mind and acknowledged her with a slight bow. "My lady." A trumpet blast summoned them to the dining hall, and he politely offered her his arm. "Shall we?"
Arthur watched through narrowed eyes as his foster sister linked arms with Merlin and followed a step behind them as they entered the hall, scrutinizing their movements much as he would those of an animal he was hunting. He believed Merlin's assurances that he wasn't courting Morgana - indeed, he didn't appear to be fawning over her the way all of her previous suitors had - but there was something between them. Arthur sensed it but couldn't define it, which troubled him. Morgana was practically his sister, and as such it was his duty to protect her, both from physical harm and harmful influences. Although he had no evidence yet, he was beginning to suspect that Merlin might fall into that second category.
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Morgana was bored. The food had been delicious, the jugglers had been rather amazing...and then Uther got up to make a speech. Morgana had listened to the first few words, and then her mind had wandered. Having heard Uther say much the same thing on several previous occasions, she felt no need to pay close attention - until she heard herself mentioned.
"...It is the great pleasure of both myself and King Balinor to announce the royal engagement of Prince Merlin to my own ward, the Lady Morgana." He raised his goblet and toasted, "To Merlin and Morgana!"
"To Merlin and Morgana!" the guests echoed, raising their glasses high and then drinking deeply. Only three people refrained from joining in: the subjects of the toast themselves, and Arthur. Upon hearing the words 'engagement', 'Merlin', and 'Morgana' in the same sentence, Arthur slammed his hand down beside his plate, inadvertently hitting the handle of his spoon and catapulting a gobbet of vegetables in cream sauce through the air to hit Cedric in the face.
Morgana rolled her eyes at him, then glanced sideways at Merlin...who was watching her apprehensively, his blue eyes wide as he waited for her reaction to Uther's announcement. When their gazes met, he gave her a hesitant half-smile. She smiled back, trying to show him that this wasn't an unpleasant surprise to her. It seemed to reassure him; he relaxed, and his expression warmed slightly, became a little less guarded.
He may not be easy to read, but I think I can at least be sure our engagement does not displease him. Suddenly Morgana wasn't ready for the feast to end - she felt like celebrating. To her delight, Uther called for the court musicians to begin playing, and some of the courtiers got up to dance.
She and Merlin looked at each other; then he swallowed nervously and asked, "Um...would you like to dance, my lady? With me?"
"All right." She took his hand and let him lead her into the center of the hall, where there was a dance floor of sorts bordered on three sides by the tables.
Dancing with Merlin was easy, effortless; it was almost as though they belonged in one another's arms...Morgana banished the thought from her mind as soon as it formed - it was entirely too fanciful.
"What's on your mind, my lady?"
Morgana dropped her gaze, thankful that the top of her head only came up to his collarbone; he couldn't make eye contact without bending down or forcing her chin up. "Nothing that would be of any interest to you, I'm sure."
"I am interested, believe me."
Merlin sounded so sincere that Morgana was startled into meeting his eyes and for a moment couldn't think how to respond. Very few people had ever shown much interest in her thoughts. In fact, she suspected that most people - with the exceptions of Gwen, Arthur, and Uther - saw her chiefly as a pretty, living ornament to decorate the court of Camelot. Still, although Merlin's interest pleased her, she didn't feel like sharing with him, especially since her current thoughts centered on him more than she cared to admit. "Be that as it may," she said at length, "my thoughts are private."
"Fair enough. Tell me, did you know my father and King Uther intended us to marry? Your guardian's announcement seemed to surprise Prince Arthur more than you."
Morgana grinned. "Things frequently surprise Arthur; he's so habitually oblivious. Sometimes I've wondered whether he would notice if his closest friend were practicing magic right under his nose - not that there is anything wrong with practicing magic," she hastily added, mindful of who she was talking to. Deciding it might be best to steer their conversation away from the potentially volatile subject she'd stumbled onto, she answered his previous question. "Yes, I knew of the kings' plans for us."
"And you're okay with it?"
"I am now." She gave a one-shouldered shrug. "I was furious at first, but you aren't as horrid as I had imagined you'd be."
Merlin blinked. "Thanks...I think."
The song ended and they quickly stepped back from each other. As the musicians struck up another, slower tune Morgana opened her mouth to tell Merlin she wanted to dance again, but before she could say anything Arthur popped up in the small space between them. "May I cut in?"
"All right." Merlin shuffled off to join his father at the high table, happy to have an excuse not to dance anymore.
Morgana placed her right hand on Arthur's shoulder and her left hand in his right, wondering what he was up to. He had a look on his face that she had come to associate with imminent prattishness. They danced, and as they did he steered her over to the edge of the hall, until he was able to discreetly pull her into a servants' passage leading down to the kitchens. Then he released his grip on her hand and waist and hissed, "Are you mad?"
"What? You dragged me out of a celebration that I was quite enjoying just to question my sanity? You'd better have a very good reason for this, Arthur Pendragon."
"And you'd better have a good reason for agreeing to marry a man you've known less than a week! Really, Morgana, what were you thinking, accepting him?"
"Now I know you have a dried up, shriveled pea for a brain, Arthur. Do you honestly think I would have accepted if he had simply proposed to me? Uther arranged this match before Merlin and I even met - I had no choice!"
"He what? No...no, he wouldn't do that to you..."
"I assure you he did." Morgana folded her arms across her chest. "I know what you're thinking, Arthur, and I'm afraid you have no chance of persuading him to change his mind, not after he's announced in front of the whole court that I will marry Merlin. He cannot go back on his word now."
"We'll see about that! I'll get you out of this mess, don't worry." Arthur strode determinedly back into the hall, intent on confronting his father at his earliest opportunity.
Next time: Arthur has a 'talk' with Uther (and Morgana's probably gloating over causing our favorite leather glove-obsessed king a little headache), and Freya attempts an impossible mission: extracting Gwaine from a tavern! And I'm sure there will be more M/M moments - the ship is officially up and running, I think.