Back from Cardiff. Was pretty cool. Stayed with my sister in her house with her uni friends. :)

Managed to watch Merlin and - I may be the only one strange enough to notice - but didnt Merlin change his scarf like five times? It was odd. Anyhoo, cant wait til Saturday!

Thanks to Lady Clark-Weasley of Books, Ikchen, Glittery-excuse-for-a Fae, xXStephRheaXx and Siany-T for reviewing the last chapter! Sorry this chapter is quite short!

The two of them shook hands, it was an oddly formal gesture, and they both felt quite awkward. It was then that Merlin was reminded of his job as he spotted Arthur striding across the yard towards him. He was aware he probably looked idle and hurriedly jerked to attention, trying to look as if he was doing something. Bedivere looked at him, perplexed.

Arthur reached them, brushing his blonde locks out of his eyes, and staring at Merlin with raised brows. His expression was unreadable.

"So, Merlin…finished?" His voice was amused – the manservant relaxed, knowing by the tone he wasn't in too much trouble.

"Yes, sire, I was just coming to find you when…."

"You decided to have a little happy chat, I get it and it doesn't matter. Anyway, my father is interested in Fabien's wares and wants the wagon unpacked in the Great Hall."

"He does?" Merlin groaned inwardly, looking at the heavy cart laden with furniture and then at the horse he'd just stabled. How was he supposed to get the stuff up into the Great Hall without breaking his back?

"Yes, so chop, chop, Merlin," Arthur grinned and headed back up to the castle, a smug look on his face.

"I'll help," Bedivere offered.

Merlin inspected the puny boy; his arms were so skinny they looked as though they could break at any moment, the manservant was sure there were no muscles to speak of. Still, the child had been kind in offering his help so Merlin should acknowledge him by accepting it.

He gestured for Bedi to come round the other side of the cart and then the pair lifted the handle and began pulling. They moved slowly but the young warlock was surprised by the youngster's actual strength, he was definitely pulling his weight – what little there was of it – and Merlin wasn't feeling too much strain on his shoulder. Soon they were only about a foot away from the castle door and the older boy set down his side of the cart handle bringing the wagon to an abrupt halt.

"Let's stop here. We can carry the stuff in."

After a lot of heaving and lugging and dragging, Merlin and Bedivere had brought the entire contents of the wagon into the castle and laid it out in the Great Hall. The tradesman's son had instructed the servant on how to lay it all out perfectly so it looked professional and accessible. Now all they had to do was slump onto a couple of chairs and wipe their sweaty brows before the King and his party entered. Merlin assumed they had held the meeting in the throne room. It was not long before Uther appeared, Arthur and Fabien with him. His eyes widened when he saw the treasures before him – his gaze immediately was captured by the precious mirror, glinting in the sunlight that flooded into the room. Even Arthur looked impressed and he wasn't usually one to care for trinkets and such preferring his weapons.

Fabien immediately stepped into the role of tradesman, leaping to stand beside his son and facing his potential clients. A huge charming grin spread across his face. Merlin was sure his teeth sparkled.

"Your Majesty, I present to you my wares. I have accumulated all these wonderful objects through years of travelling and trading in several hundred countries. I come to you now and ask you to take your pick." Fabien gestured for the King to browse his collection. Uther wasn't about to decline the offer heading straight for the mirror. "Anyone else in the room may also peruse at their will but the King gets first choice." Suddenly the entire assortment was surrounded by people. Merlin had to battle his way out of the crowd if he wanted any breathing space. Once at the edge of the flock he could survey the scene properly.

Uther was still staring at the magnificent mirror in front of him, a hungry look in his grey-blue eyes. The warlock could tell immediately that the King wanted this mirror and would do anything to acquire it. To be honest, Merlin couldn't blame him; there was something enchanting about it. It was obvious Fabien had noticed his majesty's interest because he had sidled over to him and was muttering something in the King's ear. Then the man turned to his subjects and called over the hubbub, "I ask you all to leave now so I can share a private word with the tradesman. I am sure you can come back later if you wish to trade anything." There was an almost silent collective groan as the group shuffled from the room until only Uther, Fabien, Bedivere, Arthur and Merlin were left. The manservant wasn't sure if he should leave but none of them had noticed him in his shadowy corner behind the columns so he stayed to watch.

"What do you want for the mirror? One hundred gold pieces?"

"No."

"One hundred and twenty?"

"No."

"One hundred and fifty?"

"No, my lord…"

"Two hundred gold pieces and that is my final offer."

"My lord, you do not understand, I say no because I do not want money," Fabien smiled, "I give you this mirror to you as a gift. All I ask in return is that you allow me to stay in your castle for a few days so that my son and I can recuperate before moving on."

"Y-You are giving me this mirror for nothing?" Uther sounded incredulous. He was expecting to pay even more than he'd offered. To him the mirror looked priceless.

"Well not nothing exactly," Fabien paused, a strange expression creeping onto his face before he quickly schooled it, "As I said I wish for your hospitality in return."

"Sure, that is fine. That is excellent. I look forward to having you around for a bit," the King of Camelot clapped his hands together, "Well, I am sure you must be hungry. Let us eat."

"Of course....I am famished." The party left the room. Merlin slipped out quickly after before the doors could be locked on him. He didn't fancy having to explain to Arthur why he couldn't do any of his duties as he was trapped in the room after practically spying on a private exchange. He was glad to see that the guards hadn't yet arrived to protect the place from thieves. The warlock hurried down the corridor towards Gaius' chambers. He needed to check on Elsu.

In the empty hall the clear surface of the mirror rippled.