The next morning Arthur shoulders his way into what should be his own chambers, arms full of clean laundry. He opens his mouth, ready to tell Merlin that if he thinks he is going to make the bed as well, he has another thing coming. Only Merlin isn't in the room.

'Huh,' he says and walks over to the bed. At least it has been slept in. Idly he pulls at the sheets and blankets before picking up one of the pillows. He fluffs it up a little, looks at it from ever angle and sighs. He'd forgotten how soft exactly his pillows are. He presses it to his chest and leans his cheek against it, sighing more deeply. Sleeping in this bed again … he'll never take it for granted.

He stands there for a moment, maybe contemplating toppling over onto the mattress and having a nap when the door opens behind him. Merlin gives him a quizzical look and Arthur has to glance down before he remembers he is still hugging the cushion.

'Where have you been, Merlin?' he demands, as he sends the pillow flying over his head where it drops on the bed. It is only then that he notices Merlin is looking the worst part of worn out and his eyes widen. 'Merlin,' he repeats. 'Tell me where you were and please, please tell me you were there alone.'

'Hmpf-' is all Merlin has to say before flopping down in a chair.

'Oh no. No, no, no. She's done it again, hasn't she? Hasn't she! I hate that woman. If it wasn't a woman I'd challenge her to a dual and kick her from here to the back of the Kingdom. Merlin!' Arthur grumbles between clenched teeth when the boy just stares at the wooden table, picking at the grains with a nail. 'Tell me. What happened.'

'I think you better sit down,' Merlin lets him know with a mumble, his chin almost resting on his chest. With a sense of dread, Arthur pulls out a chair and lowers himself down, elbows resting on his knees. 'You could've told me you know,' Merlin says, not taking his eyes off the table and he sounds a little disgruntled. 'So I'd've known what to expect.'

'This is going to be bad, isn't it? What did she make you do this time?' he nervously wrings his hands. Merlin gives the table a long suffering look before sighing and shifting his gaze to Arthur.

'Ugh,' Arthur grunts, standing up again. 'On the other hand, I don't think I want to know.' He walks around the table, picks up an apple from the fruit tray, looks at it for a while and puts it back again. He breathes heavily through his nose, kicks a chair, picks up the apple again and bites into it. Merlin follows him with his eyes the entire time, without actually lifting his chin. 'No, tell me anyway.' Arthur commands with his mouth full of the fruit, sinking back into the chair.

'She kissed me.'

He almost chokes on the apple at that, accidentally spitting a piece of it out. It lands on Merlin's knee and they both stare at it. 'What?' Arthur mouths almost inaudibly before finding his voice again and adding; 'That dragon did what?', while putting the half eaten fruit on the table.

Merlin pulls a face where the left corner of his lip arches up in mild disgust before he flicks the piece of apple off his knee with one finger.

'You could have told me she's a bully Arthur,' he tells the prince resentfully, who is pacing back from the bed, clutching the cushion again, not listening.

'Please tell me you didn't do anything that will make me have to marry the hag.' He goes to stand beside Merlin's outstretched feet and waits for him to make eye contact. When he does, he speaks very slowly, and deliberately, kneading his fingers into the velvety fabric. 'Please. I have never begged you for anything Merlin and I very likely never will again, but I am begging you now. Tell me, no - promise me - nothing inappropriate happened. Promise me I don't have to spend the rest of my life with her.' He grabs the pillow with both hands, one on each end, folds it over his head like it was a hat, ready to disappear into it if he has to and scrunches his eyes shut.

'Nothing inappropriate happened.' Merlin mumbles, casting his gaze down to the table again.

'Thank goodness,' Arthur exclaims with a giddy laugh, letting go of the cushion so it pops to its intended form and flops to the ground. He presses the palms of his hands into his eyes and then allows them to drag down over his face. When they pass over the sharp cheekbones, Arthur seems to remember whose face exactly he's rubbing and quickly drops the hands to his sides.'Thank heavens for that Merlin, you have no idea what she's like.' Arthur's voice actually sounds a little shaky in relief.

'Oh I think I do,' Merlin tells him, and he explains everything, remembering the way she had cornered him in the corridor on his way back from the dragon's cave -leaving the dragon bit out. Okay, so his brain had temporarily shut down when she had whispered all those lovely things and what harm is there in one kiss, really? Maybe, yes, maybe he should accompany her to her room because the castle is so cold and dark at night. (Did it occur to him, she had found her way around in the dark fine before 'accidentally' stumbling upon him? Of course not.) And yes maybe he should go inside and check no one was hiding under the bed…

Arthur is laughing by now and Merlin sinks back into sulky silence.

'Go on,' Arthur sniggers. 'Tell me the rest.'

And Merlin does tell him the rest and it ends with Merlin's arm being twisted behind his back, made to repeatedly yell promises along the lines of; 'Never! To anyone!' and 'To my grave, I swear!'.

They both sit at opposite ends of the table for a long time after that, stubbornly not talking because everybody knows that is how you solve things. So it is Arthur who speaks first in the end because he is aware-.

'- I should have warned you, I'm sorry. I should have seen it coming.'

'Is that what happened last time?' Merlin asks him, quietly.

'Yes, and I had to go on letting everyone believe it was because I liked her.' He emphasizes the word with a look of disgust. 'Instead of being afraid to leave her alone in case she'd tell everyone she bullied me into … you know. What else could I do?'

'You could have told me.' Merlin says, his bottom lip still sticking out in a sulky way.

'I know, I know all right? I said I'm sorry, I'm not going to say it again. Let's just, forget about it and never mention this again. Ever. She's leaving as we speak and hopefully she'll be possessed by a Goblin or something.'

'That'd be an improvement,' Merlin mutters and their eyes accidentally meet at those words. Arthur is the first to smile, and then Merlin can't hide his smirk any longer and next thing they know they are laughing so hard, they have to clutch their stomachs because surely something is going to pop soon, while tears stream down their faces.

A/N: I'm a bit nervous about this chapter because I know I am being evil in withholding the info on why exactly Elli deserves to be kicked to the back of the Kingdom and why Arthur is so embarrassed Merlin had to be sworn to secrecy, but I also think it is kind of fun not to tell you. *hides*