Disclaimer: I do not own any BBC characters or TV series'. AKA 'Merlin' or 'Doctor Who'
Merlin was in the stocks. Although he and Arthur were friends now, it didn't mean that the other nobles didn't have the "right" to put him there. It was around noon, getting hotter every moment. There was a crowd of people in front of him, all holding their fair share of rotten fruits and vegetables. They were all aiming for his head. At that moment, a very rotten, very juicy and very squishy looking tomato came soaring towards his face. He scrunched his eyes and turned his cheek, readying himself for the impact. Juice and seeds seemed to explode everywhere as it hit his face. The crowd laughed in delight when this happened, seemingly pleased. The superb shot of the little boy who'd thrown the fruit brought more cheers from the crowd. Everyone had started throwing things again when Merlin first caught sight of the strangers.
Out of the three, the two extravagantly dressed people seemed very out of place. The lady's ginger hair bounced slightly as they walked towards the castle gates. They spoke quietly to one another and Merlin had no chance of hearing them. Occasionally Merlin would wince or jump when something made contact. He would cringe and sometimes groan when something particularly hard hit, but mostly he kept his eyes and mind on the newcomers. Something about them just seemed so different. The way they walked, the way they held themselves as if they weren't used to the attention. But most of all, their aura seemed different.
Arthur's voice brought him out of his pondering, jarring him back to reality.
"What did you do this time?" he asked apparently oblivious to Merlins troubles.
"Huh?" Merlin blundered. "Oh, ah, I kind of slipped and spilt dirty washing water all over Lord Agravaine." Merlin grinned sheepishly. Although it had been an accident, Merlin hadn't been entirely (barely a tiny bit) displeased by the outcome of his clumsiness. That was until he had been thrown into the stocks. Ever since he had found out about Agravaines true loyalties, that he was in league with Morgana, things had gotten worse. Agravaine was becoming more problematic than ever, he just seemed to be popping up everywhere. It was harder to keep secrets. Arthur was like a ring wrapped around Agravaines finger, relying on his every word. More innocent people were getting blamed for the things he, Agaravaine, was doing himself.
Arthur chuckled, now that it was said, it sounded like exactly the thing Merlin would do. He called off the crowd of children and adults to an audible groan from the crowd.
"Looks like you've finally gotten yourself some fans" Arthur teased, unlocking the stocks.
"Ha ha," Merlin said. "That is so very funny." He groaned as he stretched his stiff muscles.
"Yes, I thought so too." Arthur chuckled again when he saw the expression on his servants face.
Merlin changed the subject to his earlier thoughts.
"Who are they?" he pointed to the group who were now at the palace gate. They were speaking with the guards and within a few moments they were walking through the gates. Arthur followed his gaze and saw who he was talking about.
"Huh, never seen them before in my life. Best go and find out who they are. You've got five minutes to clean up and get changed, that should give us all enough time to prepare ourselves for our unexpected guests. Any longer and I just might put you back in here." He walked away before Merlin could argue. He didn't mind though, he was glad to get away from the people who wanted to pelt food at him.
Merlin ran towards his shared chambers, making sure to take all of his shortcuts. He also stopped by the wells to get some fresh water. All the while people on the streets laughed and yelled in amusement at his mad rush. He grabbed some fresh clothes from his wardrobe, setting them aside, and grabbed some soap. He glanced around, making sure he was completely alone, before saying the single word that would make the water warm. His eyes glowed gold and a few bubbles rose from the bottom of the bucket.
He scrubbed up as fast as he could and dried off when all the muck was gone. Merlin swapped clothes and, just to make sure the entire stink was gone, he walked over to Gaius' herbs, spices and fragrances. He tried to pick more of a manly scent but it was hard. Most of them were things like lavender or rose scent. He could only imagine what would happen if he walked into the throne room smelling like a lily. Eventually he found what he thought might be acceptable and spread the essence around where he thought he would smell the worst and he left for the throne room.
"Good, you're here." Arthur said when he arrived. As Merlin glanced around he saw the surrounding noblemen and councilmen looked thoroughly twitchy, it wasn't every day that unknown wealthy people turned up out of the blue. "They're about to enter. I'm going to get you to take their identification to Geoffrey of Monmouth. He should know if it's authentic or not." Merlin nodded trying to spot the man in the crowd, it seemed he was absent. It was likely he was hiding away in the library, consumed in the endless tomes.
"What if they don't have anything?" Arthur looked uneasy at the question.
"Then we improvise." He said. Merlin understood, even if these people seemed nice, they could be planning anything. Just like Morgana.
At that moment the doors to the throne room were opened by the men standing guard. The three strode in, a woman and a man at the front and a manservant trailing just behind. The leading man didn't seemed surprised or concerned about the many curious and nervous faces staring at them. However the man behind him seemed quite uncomfortable with all the attention. The lady just looked around curiously with a smile on her face. They would have looked normal for any other onlooker, but then Merlin caught the gaze of the noble in front.
His eyes were old, older than all but one pair of eyes Merlin had seen before. This man was so full of age and memories that Merlin felt it overwhelming him. The man had seen so much yet his appearance was young. He had witnessed the foulest of evils and the truest innocence of life.
Merlin blinked several times, finding himself with a slight headache. All Merlin thought he had seen was impossible. None at the age of the young man before him could have seen and done so much. The man's gaze flickered away, resting on the king's face. He seemed to put on a mask of happiness and excitement. He introduced himself and his companions. "I am Sir Doctor of Thetford and this is m'Lady Amelia of Thetford. This is our servant Rory; he is of the same home as us." As he said this, he nodded his head towards the manservant a smirk pulling at the edges of his mouth. He turned his gaze back to Arthur.
Arthur didn't look impressed. "I have never heard of this place, Thetford, you call it? Where is it?" Sir Doctor did not look surprised.
"Oh it is very far away," he said. "We have travelled many a league. I am not surprised that you have not heard of our home." Sir Doctor smiled when he admitted that, suddenly looking very tired.
Arthur smiled in return. "I understand completely that you are tired. I must insist that you take up quarters within the castle walls until you wish to leave." The three looked pleased by this and the woman spoke up.
"That is most generous my lord." She said and bowed her head. "It is with our greatest thanks that we accept." Arthur nodded but held up his hand making it clear that he wasn't finished speaking.
"I hate to ask this but, in the past, we have had trouble with sorcerers and assassins trying to bring down Camelot. Do you have any proof of who you are and where you come from?" Amelia and Rory glanced at Sir Doctor. He smiled.
"Of course, of course!" he said. He pulled out a leather wallet and handed it to the nearest guard who passed the item on to the King. Arthur looked it over; apparently he was ready to believe whatever was written there.
He turned to Merlin. "Like we discussed." He handed Merlin the wallet and the sorcerer left the room. He heard Arthur explaining what was happening as he left. He didn't pay attention, he just kept walking. About halfway down the corridor he stopped and glanced at the wallet in anticipation. He wanted to see what was so convincing about the identification. He opened it in intrigue and confusion flooded his system as he was met with blank parchment.