Author's notes: The reveal is not too far away, my lovelies, so don't feel putout. Love ya! The chapter title is from Gin Blossom's Hey Jealousy, which I recommend you listen to, not that it has anything to do with the storyline, I would just like to give it some attention. It's a great song.
Arthur was getting more and more excited as the time drew nearer for law to be passed. Sometimes, if he had been thinking about it for a while, he began bouncing in his seat, or walking with an extra pep in his step, and being uncharacteristically nice. Not that he was not generally nice, but his plans made him so happy he could hardly contain all that joy all the time. He once found himself relieving Merlin of his duty in favor of the two taking a long lunch and then just sitting around his chambers, talking and laughing about nothing of importance. Merlin was not the only person he was being nicer to, though. He started making small talk with servants in the corridors, and making more trips to the lower town so that he could mingle and help where he could. Everyone was falling more and more in love with the king. Everyone: skeptic, criminal, maid… manservant.
Arthur approached Merlin while he was making his bed. He stopped right behind Merlin's back, barely a foot away, and quietly said , "Merlin," as a way of announcing himself.
Merlin jumped violently, swearing and stumbling back into Arthur's chest. "Jesus, Arthur. How long have you been standing there?" Merlin asked, his breathing heavy, and heart beating out of control.
Arthur had caught Merlin with his hands on his back when he stumbled, and when he knew Merlin was steady, he turned him around, hands resting just above Merlin's elbows. "Not too long. I have something to ask you."
"Yeah? What's that then?" Merlin asked, not unaware of Arthur's warm hands still on him.
Arthur cleared his throat and lowered his arms, to Merlin's disappointment. Arthur rubbed the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly. "Well, it's favor, actually. You see, I don't think we should just pass the law, and BAM! suddenly magic is legal. We should celebrate is somehow, right? So I was thinking, there should be a festival, the night everything becomes official. And I was thinking that you could organize it, since you did so well with organizing a Court Sorcerer and all." Arthur ended, looking down so Merlin could not see his slightly nervous expression.
To say Merlin was surprised would be an understatement. "You want me to organize a festival? Don't you have people who are paid to do that?"
Arthur huffed a sigh, "So you don't want to-"
"No, Arthur- I mean yes! Of course I want to do this for you. I was just shocked you would even ask. But, yes I will do it. Shouldn't be too difficult, right?" Merlin smiled.
Arthur sighed, relieved. "No it shouldn't be too hard for you to handle, and you could always consult those who are paid for this, they'd be happy to help, I think."
"Anything special requests? Fire breathers, storytellers, contortionists?" Merlin asked, smirking.
The examples made Arthur smile, too. He chuckled and said, "No, just make sure that there are magical performances. It will be a festival celebrating magic, after all."
"Should be no trouble, I'll get right to it. When I finish in here, that is."
"You have a month, Merlin. Make it spectacular," Arthur said, patting Merlin on the back in what was supposed to be a reassuring gesture.
Merlin balked a bit. "So no pressure then?"
Arthur slapped Merlin's shoulder and went to leave his room, "None at all. It just has to be perfect." Arthur threw a cheeky grin over his shoulder as he left.
"Prat," Merlin mumbled.
"Heard that!" Arthur said closing the door.
"Good!" Merlin shouted at the empty room, hoping Arthur heard him through the thick wooden door.
Merlin, Arthur, and Mordred sat around the Round Table discussing the upcoming Festival. Well, Merlin was thinking aloud, and Arthur and Mordred were catching up. Merlin had asked them here to help, but now he was doing it alone, it seemed, as he had fallen silent over twenty minutes ago, and the others did not seem to notice. He tapped his quill on the table and glared at the two men across from him.
He found himself glaring more at Mordred than Arthur, though. Sure he expected Mordred to be more helpful, and was disappointed when he was shown otherwise, but that was not the reason for Merlin's intense gaze. Arthur and Mordred had been spending a lot more time together, and not all of it discussing business. Merlin had walked into Arthur's chambers to find the two laughing so hard that Arthur actually snorted. The only other time Merlin had heard that was when a visiting dignitary was strolling about the castle and Merlin had whispered a truly offensive- albeit hilariously honest- remark about the man into the then-prince's ear, and Arthur had tried to keep his laughter quiet, but it ended up with him snorting instead. Merlin had not been able to make him do it again, sadly.
Arthur and Mordred had been having meetings that Merlin was not invited to, being told by Arthur that it was Court Sorcerer business, and Merlin need not bother. Which hurt, because Arthur brought Merlin practically everywhere, even on his first dates with ladies Sophia and Elena. 'And Lady Mithian?' Merlin thinks. Whatever the answer, the fact was that Arthur had only excluded Merlin from things when he was a prince and was to meet in private, under Uther's orders.
Merlin sighed sadly. He looked between to two, and tried with all his being to not feel jealous. He tried to feel just upset or a little mad, but his overbearing emotion was jealousy. It did not feel too good. It made his chest tight, like grief did, and his eyes hot like when he was furious, and his magic tingle like when he felt trapped. It was such a complex emotion that Merlin started focusing on what it felt like instead of what was causing it and it calmed him for a moment.
That is, until a new round of obnoxious laughter roused him from his thoughts. The jealousy washed over him again, more intense now that he had began to break it down and identify each component as they affected him. With one last look between the two laughing men, Merlin quietly gathered his things, leaving the hall trying not to bother them. He slipped out the door unnoticed, or so he thought. He was not aware of Arthur's eyes flicking to his back when he saw Merlin open the door, and his smile falter, but he fixed it to continue listening to Mordred, his heart a bit heavy.
Merlin made his escape to his room in the physician's quarters, hoping to actually have a layout of the festival by tonight.
He already planned on the entire thing to span the whole courtyard and parts of the upper town. In the courtyard would be the performers, and those selling wares- or prophesies, or whatever- would set up in the first third or so of the upper town. Merlin thinks that they should expect to see at least three thousand people that night, and he planned on extending the invitation out to the druids. He didn't think Arthur would have an issue with it, but he'd run it by him anyway; if he ever decided to quit fooling about with Mordred, that is. Merlin shook his head to clear those thoughts away. They were disrupting the rhythm he'd had going.
Merlin started a checklist of the types of people he would seek out. He included the fire breathers, storytellers, and contortionists that he had joked about earlier, and added illusionists, psychics, palm- and tea leaf readers as well, and then just wrote 'sorcerers', wondering how many people would be willing to showcase their talents, doing small things to impress an audience.
With his checklist made, and a rough outline of a setup complete, Merlin felt satisfied for the the night. He put the papers aside and laid back on his bed. He was thinking about Arthur and Mordred again. How happily they got along even though Arthur used to think that warlocks were evil. Merlin wondered if he would ever be able to make Arthur laugh again like Mordred had been able to do today. He sighed, and closed his eyes, deciding to go to sleep instead of dwell on his thoughts.