Chapter 2

About 100 different thoughts went through Arthur's head at once. First was that he was in trouble. Second was, what kind of trouble was he in exactly?

He didn't know anything about this old man—he could have been a pedophile or a murderer.

Or a cannibal.

He had to get out, maybe get his friends' attention somehow. None of these thoughts, however, could have prepared him for what happened next.

"Would you like some tea?"

Arthur started, shocked.

"What?" was the only thing he could gasp past his dry throat.

"Tea," Merlin repeated. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

"Umm—"

"Excellent," without awaiting a reply, the old maybe-pedophile-maybe-murderer turned and went to the kitchen and without a moment of hesitation Arthur turned and ran to the window, pushing dusty curtains aside. Pressing his face to the cold glass, he hastily scanned the front yard for his friends, praying they hadn't heard the crash and ran away. Relief rushed through his chest to his feet, making him a little weak in the knees when he saw Leon, Gwen and Percy waiting on the sidewalk.

Desperately Arthur began waving his wands, trying to draw their attention to the prisoner-keeping window and if they saw him, they didn't give any indication before Arthur felt rather than heard a presence behind him. Sharply, he turned and saw Merlin coming back into the living room carrying a tray.

"Sit," he said. Hesitantly, Arthur sat on the edge of the chair he had fallen into only moments before and awaited his fate.

"There's no need to be nervous," the old man continued speaking. "If I was going to kill you, I'd have done it the moment you fell through my ceiling," he glanced upward to the gaping whole. "I guess I'll have to get that repaired,"

Arthur didn't relax. Everything was too strange to be relaxed.

"I assume you like tea?"

Arthur looked up at the old man.

"Yes..." he said skeptically.

"Help yourself," Merlin set the tray on the small table in front the chair—Arthur was surprised he hadn't noticed it before—and walked to a china cabinet standing against the opposite wall.

Arthur began preparing himself a cup of tea, thinking it best to humor the old man, and lifted the lid to the sugar bowl to find it empty.

"There's no sugar," he said closing the bowl.

"Isn't there?" Merlin replied without turning around. "Why don't you look again?"

Again humoring him, Arthur checked the sugar bowl and found it to be completely full. Confused, he looked to the old man and saw him grinning like a child in a candy store.

"How'd you do that?" he asked.

Instead of answering, Merlin began to walk from the living room. "I think it's time your friends joined us, don't you?"

At this point Arthur was seriously considering the possibilities that he was being pranked, or was simply going crazy and wasn't sure whether to laugh or scream as he listened to the strange old man open the door and invite his friends inside. Slowly, unsurely, Leon, Gwen and Percy trickled into the eerie fortress and stood uncomfortably in its keeper's living room.

"Would you like some tea?" Merlin asked, gesturing toward where Arthur sat in the arm chair.

"Actually, we should be going," he said jumping from to his feet. "It's getting late, after all and—"

"Nonsense, it's only 3 in the afternoon."

"Yeah, Arthur," Percy said, smirking at Arthur's shocked face. "We can stay a little while."

Annoyed, Arthur sat and he and his friends made their tea.

"After you," he said when he and Gwen reached for the sugar at the same time.

"What a gentleman," she joked. Then, seriously she whispered, "Do you think we're safe here? I mean, do you think Merlin's…harmless?"

Somehow Arthur thought old Merlin wasn't at all helpless, but he didn't feel threatened by him—albeit discombobulated, perhaps a bit scared, but not like he was in danger. More like meeting a new teacher on the first day of school, and wanting to go back home.

As soon as everyone was comfortably seated with their tea, Merlin began talking and asking them questions about school and their social lives, and things of the sort. Gwen answered openly and honestly, if a little nervously, while Percy, Arthur and Leon answered with more distrust and hesitation. After a while, however, they relaxed some and spoke more willingly. Despite his strangeness, this old man was trustworthy.

"Oh, look at the time," Merlin said looking at a clock hanging on the wall, beside the china cabinet. "You three should get home before it gets too dark."

Almost grudgingly, the kids agreed and Merlin showed them to the door.

"It was nice meeting you," Gwen said with a smile.

"And you, Milady," Merlin said giving a flourish of his hand and bowing to her. "I hope to see you all again soon."

Several good-byes rang out, and smiles linked as the friends took their leave.

"Wait," Arthur said, turning back to Merlin. "What did you mean when you said I was late? Late for what?"

"For tea, of course!" and then he slammed the door.