Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters
This is a sequel to "The End?"
Sorry this chapter is a bit short, will get more exciting in the next chapter.
Merlin sat in his room, trying to get through the massive pile of armour Arthur told him to clean. After that he had to clean Arthur's chambers, muck out his horses, walk his dogs, do his laundry and about a hundred other things. Over the last couple of days, things had been the same between the two men, except that Merlin's workload increased daily. Merlin wasn't sure why (or how) Arthur made so much work for him; he just assumed it was more evidence Arthur didn't need him. The prince had spent a lot of time each day going hunting, but this time not taking Merlin along.
More drastic changes came the next day. Merlin spilt a glass of wine in Arthur's chamber and earned an unexpected whack around the head. Not a playful clout like he was used to from the prince, but a full-on blow which sent him crashing to the floor.
"Clean up that mess, idiot. You are the most useless servant ever!" Merlin hurried to wipe up the wine, using his scarf as a cloth. Arthur shouted at him to get out, aiming a kick at him when the servant wasn't fast enough for his liking. Over the next few days the blows rained down, until Merlin was covered in bruises. Arthur would suddenly flare up at the smallest mistake, shouting at and hitting the warlock until he followed out the man's orders precisely.
Merlin's friends became worried as the warlock grew daily more despondent. Gaius treated Merlin's bruises but could do nothing to heal his spirit. Gwen tried to talk to him about it but all she got in reply was that she wasn't to worry, and that Arthur was just in a bad mood that day; all said with false cheeriness. Morgana went straight to the source.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Morgana shouted, standing right in front of where Arthur sat.
"I'm eating my dinner. What does it look like?" he replied calmly, picking up a grape from his plate.
"Can't you see what you're doing to Merlin? He's wasting away!" Morgana began to pace up and down.
"Why should I care? He's only a servant." Arthur watched her, his lips twitching as he suppressed an evil smile.
"We both know that he's more than your servant. He's saved your life so many times, and now you're ruining his!" With that Morgana stormed out.
In a cave not that far away, the real Arthur watched everything in despair. It looked like he was going to lose his friend all over again.
Please read and review. Sorry for what I'm doing to Merlin but it's got to get worse before it gets better.
