Chapter two: Let me show you his heart.
Morgana followed instructions Gwen had given her to the letter and found a lovely little cottage at the end of the directions, the small cottage was situated in a tranquil clearing and surrounded by a well tended herb and vegetable garden.
With a soft smile to herself the dark haired young woman approached the cottage, she raised her hand and knocked on the door of the cottage.
After a while the door opened, Merlin peered out round it, his eyes widened as he saw Morgana standing there, the kings ward smiled at the warlock warmly and then spoke. "I hope you don't mind Gwen telling me were to find you, I wanted to see you, may I come in."
Quickly the dark haired young man opened the door and gestured the lady into the cottage, Morgana stepped inside and looked around, it looked quiet cosy and well kept. "Umm it looks nice in here."
"Thank you, and no I don't mind Gwen telling you were to find me, just as long as Arthur doesn't find out were I am." The young man said nervously.
"I'm not going to tell him, Gwen made me promise." The dark haired lady said seriously as she sat on a chair and looked back at Merlin.
Merlin also sat down he smiled across at the lady. "So Morgana what did you want to see me about?"
"Before all that I brought you something to read." Morgana handed the case of Arthur's poems to Merlin. "Here, you read those and I'll make us something to eat."
Before the dark haired young man could object Morgana had swanned off to the kitchen, with a sigh the man servant opened the boxes of poems, he sat back and began to read them.
When Morgana returned to were she had left him, Merlin was sitting staring at the poems, there were tears still running down his face and he looked a little surprised. "Are you all right Merlin?" The dark haired young woman asked him softly a little worried.
Slowly the man servant turned round and gazed at Morgana. "Did you write these?" He asked her softly.
"No Merlin, I didn't but I know who did." Morgana smiled at the young man affectionately as he wiped away the tears.
"When I read them, the poems made me think about me and Arthur, I haven't stopped loving him and I can't stop thinking about him you know."
"Well I thought that might be the case, that is one of the reasons I came to see you, I thought you might like to talk to some one else that knows Arthur well and I thought you might want to now what has been going on at the castle."
Merlin grinned at her widely it really was nice of her to think of him like this. "So what has been going on at the castle?"
"Well lets see, Uthar is being his usual idiotic self, Gwen misses you that is evident most days in some small way and Gaius has simply told every one that you had to go home suddenly as there was some sort of family problem."
Merlin gulped slightly before asking. "And what about Prince Arthur?"
"Well that's the strangest thing, the prince has been quiet down recently, he misses you that much is quiet obvious I know Arthur went looking for you, he was really sad when he couldn't find you and keeps hoping your going to come home. I also know that he doesn't believe what Gaius is telling everyone and that Arthur is actually quiet worried about you."
Merlin sat back in the chair and absorbed this news quietly. "I'm not going to make you come back that is not fair on you or right. All I am saying is maybe you should let him know some how that your all right."
"Yes, your right I should at least let him know I am safe some how, the question is how with out giving away were I am?"
A few minuets of silence past as they tried to think up a way to achieve this goal and then suddenly Morgana was hit with what had to be divine inspiration. "I have an idea, why not write to Gaius and then he can show Arthur the letter. You don't have to put on the letter were it came from only who it's going to."
Merlin smiled at the lady. "That is a great idea Morgana!"
Morgana returned tot he kitchen and a short while later she brought them over lunch and they sat together talking and eating whilst Merlin wrote the letter to Gaius.
When Morgana finally left Merlin and returned to the castle it was with a light heart, she was now sure that things between Merlin and Arthur would become easier and that with luck Merlin might return home to Camelot soon and cheer the brooding prince up.
About two weeks after her visit Gaius received a letter from Merlin he read it and then showed the letter to Gwen, who told Morgana about it and with a wide smile she went to see Arthur. "Morning Arthur."
The prince smiled back at his fathers ward. "What has you in such a good mood?"
"Oh, didn't you know? Then again they probably thought it best not to tell you."
"Tell me what?" The prince Asked rising from his chair with concern.
"Why simply that Gaius has had a letter from Merlin." There was a flurry of movement behind her and Morgana turned round to find Arthur gone, the dark haired lady smiled to herself quiet content with the blond princes reaction to her news.
Quickly Arthur made his way to Gaius's quarters, he was about to knock when the elderly physician opened the door, he saw the prince before him and smiled softly at the prince. "I take it you heard about my letter from Merlin then your highness?"
The blond flushed guiltily but spoke. "Yes Gaius I did."
The court doctor smiled at him with understanding in his old eyes. "Would you like to read it?"
Prince Arthur beamed a wide smile at him. "Yes please if you don't mind."
Gaius went into his rooms he returned with the letter and handed it to Arthur. "Here, take your time."
Arthur took the letter. "Thank you."
Quickly the prince left and found some were quiet to read the letter, the contents consisted of the assurance from Merlin that he was safe and well though he was careful not to mention were he was. The young man went on to ask how Gwen and Morgana were, if Gaius himself were well, his fond hopes nothing to bad had happened since he had left. Assurances that he missed them all, then just as Arthur was about to give up he spotted his name and read that part of the letter. "And Gaius how is Arthur? I hope he is well, I miss him so, though I am sure the prince of Camelot has long forgotten about me or if he does remember me it is as the worst man servant he ever had the misfortune to serve him. How I love him and how it hurts to be away from him. Those angry words keep going round and round in my head, part of me wishes I had never said anything but it's too late now. Oh Gaius I wish that I knew what to do, part of me wants to stay away from Arthur forever as he told me and another part of me just wants to come home, to be with him again to be were I feel I belong."
Arthur sat staring at the note for a long while unshed tears glittering in his eyes, gently he ran his fingers over the words and whispered softly to himself. "Please come home Merlin I need you back here more then you'll even know."
Some while later the prince returned the letter to Gaius. "Thank you for letting me read it. I truly hope that Merlin does come home, if he has told you how to answer the letter and before you ask no I didn't look to see if he did, please would you tell Merlin for me that I am deeply sorry and would also like him to return to Camelot."
"I will sire."
"Thank you." Quietly Arthur left, he was relived and happy to know that Merlin was safe but now the prince longed more then ever to have the one he had come to realise he loved returned to his side.
The realisation he loved Merlin had come to the prince when he returned from a way of looking for him, the fact that he had not been able to find the dark haired young man had hurt, the pain had been so intense it had forced the blond prince to truly look at his feelings for some one for the first time in a very long time.
What Arthur had discovered hiding in the corner of his own heart had been a very delicate scared little flower of a feeling that has finally had enough of not being aloud to bloom and had finally made it's presence felt this feeling was love.
At first the blond haired prince had assumed it was just friendship, but the pain, the loneliness and the desire for Merlin hadn't faded at all, in fact it only seemed to grow more and more every day.
The prince had even caught himself going out for a ride every day just to see if he could find Merlin, looking around all the time in case he was there some were and this had helped to prove to Arthur once and for all that he really was in love with merlin.
Now all that Arthur wanted was for Merlin to return back to Camelot back to him, so that he could apologise and tell him that he loved him too. . . but all the prince of Camelot could do at the moment was wait and Arthur hated to wait he was a man of action. . .