Authors Note:
Oh my gosh! This is sooo NOT MY FAULT! My Muse hijacked my body...or at least my fingers... and went to town. 5,543 words, not counting the A/N
This was just supposed to be a short filler chapter while I figured out how to integrate Merlin into the story. (Yeah, the "Merlin Deserves to Know" camp won out)
Sometimes, I just hate my muse. My fingers are tired.
BTW, this chapter is a break from "The Story"
Arthur rushed through the castle and up the steps leading to the physician's chamber. He was about to slam open the door, then thought better of it. What if Gaius were stitching up Leon, or measuring exact amounts of potions, he wouldn't want to startle him. He slowly pushed open the door to find a beehive of activity. He entered, closing the door behind him. Arthur took in the sight before him. Gaius was pouring up a potion while Guinevere was sponging blood off Leon's face. Gwaine was cutting off the unconscious knight's shirt and Percival was stoking the fire. The door opened behind him and he turned to see Lancelot and Elyan bringing in pots of water then pouring them into the large kettle over the fire.
Gaius turned around and looked at Arthur, then on past him then around the room. "Where's Merlin?"
Arthur turned around expecting Merlin to be behind him. Then he remembered he left him back in the room with Horatius. He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by the door crashing open and Merlin running in. The boy slid to a stop just before running into the prince.
Merlin held his arm around his ribs as if he had a stitch in his side and winced out a "Sorry, I had to see to Horatius".
"I need you over here Merlin" Gaius said without anger, but stopping any further excuse coming off Merlin's lips. "Guinevere could you see to the young lady?"
Arthur frowned. Young lady? What young lady? He watched Guinevere get up and walk over to a young woman sitting quietly in a chair against the far wall, back away from where all the action was occurring. He had totally missed seeing her when he came in.
The girl had her head down and appeared frightened. Guinevere, knelt down and looked up at the girl, talking to her in hushed tones. The young woman raised her head to speak to Gwen. Arthur could see that her face was badly bruised and her light brown hair was mussed up, with a leaf or twig sticking out here and there. Her clothing disheveled with rips in various places and smudges of dirt or mud from where she apparently fallen or had been pushed down.
Arthur wanted answers. Unfortunately any who could answer them were currently busy, except for the girl. In her current state, however, he didn't think she would be of much help. He turned and watched Merlin. Merlin was sitting on a high stool bent over Leon. He was using a small metal tool in one hand that was holding the skin and muscles open and some sort of small tongs in the other hand digging inside Leon's shoulder. Arthur had to turn his head away and swallow hard to keep bile from rising in his throat.
Gwaine, having finished his job, got out of Gaius' way and walked up to Arthur. The knight had blood covering his chainmail. Arthur wasn't sure if he was hurt, or if the blood belonged to Leon.
"Are you injured? Or is all of that Leon's blood?" The prince asked, indicating the blood covering most Gwaine's tunic and chainmail.
"No, I'm fine, this all belongs to Leon" the Knight replied.
"What happened?" Arthur asked, finally glad to get some answers.
Gwaine's response was cut off by Merlin barking out a rather crude expletive. One that would have garnered him a slap up against the back of the head by his mentor in any other circumstance. As it was, the only thing the elderly physician did was rush up to his side.
Merlin looked up at Gaius. "I've sutured the cuts in his vein, that part is take care of. But there are pieces of metal imbedded where the blade broke off. I've gotten a fair few out, but these others are crumbling into dust when I touch them. The blade must have been rusted."
His mentor looked over his shoulder into the wound and hummed in agreement.
"And see here, and here" the boy continued using a new pick type instrument as a pointer "infection has already started setting up. Not only that, what if any of that rust got into his vein before I closed it?….." Merlin trailed off shaking his head uncertainly.
Gaius patted Merlin on the shoulder. "You are doing fine, my boy. Get as much out as you can." The physician had a contemplative look on his face. He walked over to the shelves and grabbed a couple of bottles, a vial that held blue liquid, and a several containers of herbs, and took them to a small desk. He called Gwen over and asked her to crush the herbs. He then brought the bottles of what Arthur now recognized as alcohol over to the table where Leon was lying.
Merlin looked up at him. "I've gotten out as much as I can"
"Good." The physician nodded. "We are going to do a couple of things here. We are going to irrigate out the wound, first with water, then with alcohol." All the knights winced at the thought of the latter part. Gaius then turned to Merlin. "We are then going to pack it with that salve that the druid healer showed you". Arthur saw Merlin's eyebrows shoot up, then the man quickly schooled his expression. "Lastly, we will loosely stitch him up. I don't want it done too tightly until we are sure we won't have to go back in."
Merlin shot a quick glance around the room then focused back on Gaius. He worked his mouth for a moment or two, but no words came out. The physician and his ward just stared at each other for a few moments, emotions playing on each face as if they were debating a topic. Finally Gaius sighed. "It is necessary, Merlin. You were right. The infection is much further along than it should be. I believe it is due to the rust. If we can't get it all out, it could easily become fatal. So we are going to have to neutralize it with the salve."
Merlin gave the old man a short curt nod. The physician handed him the vial. "Go on up to your room where it is quiet and modify the potion." The physician said pointedly.
His ward started to rise from the stool and winced. It was not lost on the physician or the prince who glanced at each other in confusion. Merlin just smiled at them through gritted teeth and turned to go up to his room with his elbow clenched against his ribs.
The two men watched him as he disappeared behind the closed door. The 'catch' that Arthur thought the boy had earlier might have been an injury instead. However he focused on another question. "Why does he need to do that in his room?" He asked the court physician.
"We have delicate herbs which we store in Merlin's room. They can't be stored near other herbs as they can become corrupted and ineffective if even a small amount of dust from some of the other herbs get into them" the old man lied effortlessly.
A minute or two later Merlin came back out of the room holding the vial of green liquid which seemed to be steaming. Arthur started for a moment. Green? It was blue when he took it up to his room, and it definitely hadn't been hot enough to be steaming. Gaius caught the prince's confused expression and hastened to answer. "The new herbs cause a reaction that heats and changes the color of the potion."
The physician then called most of the knights over. "This is going to be painful. Even if he is unconscious, his body might react. Percival, I want you and Gwaine to hold his legs down. In addition, Gwaine, I want you to keep the lower part of this arm immobilized. Elyan, I want you to hold down the other arm from shoulder to wrist. Lancelot, give Merlin any help he needs with mixing the salve. And Arthur, it is imperative that you keep Leon's head steady. His head injury is more severe than the shoulder injury, but we have to handle the shoulder first. So, just keep his head as still as you can."
"Gwen? Are you finished with the herbs?" At her affirmative nod, Gaius continued "very well, go back to tending the young lady."
Gwen walked back over to the young woman and was speaking in low reassuring tones. The girl, however was staring almost awestruck at Merlin. Arthur had to smirk if even for just a moment. It seemed his manservant had an admirer.
The knights and prince clamped down on Leon as Gaius used waterskin with a strange type of small spout on it. It made the water come out with more pressure as it washed out the injury. Arthur watched for a moment as blood…and stuff…came out of the hole in his knight. He wasn't a squeamish man, still, bile wanted to rise in his throat. He distracted himself by looking over at Merlin as he prepared the salve.
Lancelot was handing the herbs to Merlin as he asked for them. The prince saw his manservant give a furtive glance around the room, then say something to Lancelot. Lancelot stepped back and all but blocked the view from everyone in the room. Arthur, however, from his vantage point could still see Merlin's profile. Merlin had started stirring the salve quickly and was muttering something but Arthur couldn't make out what he was saying.
Arthur was abruptly brought back to his task as Leon's body lurched. The unconscious knight's torso arched up as Gaius used another waterskin with alcohol to rinse out the wound. Arthur, was having a hard time keeping Leon from moving his head. He finally placed his forearm over the knight's head to hold it steady and used his other hand to hold him down at the top of his shoulder near the neck.
He noticed that the other knights were also having a problem holding Leon down. Finally Gaius finished washing out the injury and Leon's body relaxed back on the table. The knights relaxed their grips and stood back.
Gaius called for Merlin. Merlin walked over still stirring the salve and set it down next to Leon. The physician then used the remainder of the alcohol to pour over Merlin's hands. Merlin rubbed his hands together as if he were washing them, then dried them off on a towel. He picked up the salve again bent over Leon and started packing the wound with the salve using his fingers.
Arthur turned to Gwaine while Merlin treated Leon. "Ok, so what happened?"
"Well," the roughish looking knight began, "We were coming back from patrol and quite literally came across a group of bandits attacking Merlin and that young lady over there."
"Merlin?" The prince exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes, apparently he was out picking flowers" the knight paused then corrected himself "I mean herbs, and heard the girl yelling for help and went to investigate. By the time we got there, Merlin was facing down five of them, keeping himself between the bandits and the girl. There were a few more dead or unconscious bandits on the ground.
"When we arrived, Merlin pulled the girl to safety and let us take over the fighting. They weren't very skilled, so it wasn't a hard fight. But apparently one came up on Leon unawares. I heard Merlin yell and saw Leon turn and the guy got him with is sword. Leon lost his footing and fell down a small escarpment and hit his head."
"Do you know why they were attacking the girl? And, how did the others die?" The prince inquired.
Gwaine looked hard at the prince. "Well, I can't be absolutely positive of their motives, but, even bruised up you can tell that she isn't unattractive." The prince and knight shared a knowing look.
"As for how the other's died, the girl said that a couple of them were fighting each other. I am presuming they were fighting over who would get the first go at her." The knight paused for a moment. "I do know that Merlin took out at least one of them"
"How?" The prince asked, surprised.
"Throwing knife. After the fight I saw Merlin walk up and pull it out of one of the bandits. He wiped it off and sheathed it in a scabbard on his belt. So it was definitely his."
"No way, he is absolutely rubbish at fighting." The prince quietly scoffed. "Maybe the bandits took it off of him."
"That is always a possibility" The knight agreed, "But I don't think so. He seemed too familiar with it. He even flipped it before he sheathed it." The knight thought for a moment. "He is totally rubbish at a sword and hand to hand. But he isn't half bad with a longbow. Have you checked him out on knives?"
"No, I never even thought to." The prince admitted, "But knives are so…personal. I mean swords are too, but a knife or dagger, even more so. Merlin is so meek, I can't even imagine him with one."
Gwaine huffed out a silent laugh. "As much as you would like to disagree, Princess, Merlin is not a girl. A man has to do what a man has to do to defend himself."
Their discussion was interrupted by the old physician walking up. Arthur looked over Gaius' shoulder and saw Merlin sewing up the cut on Leon's shoulder.
"Well, Gaius, how bad is it?" The price asked worriedly.
"I think he will be okay." The physician responded. "The salve should work wonders on Leon's shoulder. It is actually his head injury I am worried about. He is definitely concussed, and rather severely too. There is swelling, but not so much as to suspect that there is any significant bleeding inside his brain. But I will have to watch it closely."
"And his shoulder?" The prince asked.
"Like I said, the salve should help greatly. However, it is lucky that it is not his sword arm. The muscles were cut rather severely. It may take a while for them to recover. They may never recover completely, but only time will tell. The salve has remarkable properties, so he may yet fully recover. We were very lucky to come across it."
Arthur stepped closer to Gaius and lowered his voice. "Yes, the salve. Um, you said you got it from the druids. It doesn't have any um…" Arthur glanced around furtively and bent closer to Gaius and all but whispered "magical properties does it?"
The prince backed up to see the physician's eyebrow slowly rising. Gaius let his eyebrow raise to its fullest height before responding. "Sire….Merlin is the one who mixed up the salve." As if that answered everything.
In spite of himself, Arthur barked out a laugh, then quickly slapped his hand over his mouth. After a moment he lowered his hand and still amused said. "I see what you mean. Sorry for the stupid question."
Gaius clapped him on the shoulder fondly "The only stupid questions are those that go unasked, my boy".
Arthur smiled and felt warm inside. It has been years since the old physician referred to him as 'My Boy'. He missed it.
The prince and physician watched as Merlin got up from tending Leon and carried the salve and a few vials over to the cupboard. He sat them on a counter and began putting them away. He reached up to place a vial up on an upper shelf and stopped suddenly mid-reach. He stood there like that for a moment, but even from behind they could see him shudder. He slowly lowered his arm and placed the vial back on the counter.
The physician hummed in disapproval. "Merlin, come here for a second." Merlin turned towards them and walked up, raising his eyebrows in question.
"Let's see your injury" The old physician ordered.
"What injury?" the young man asked innocently.
The prince crossed his arms. "The one that you didn't tell anyone about. The one you are trying to hide."
The warlock chuckled. "It's nothing. Leon is the one who needs help."
"Leon's been sorted now. So let Gaius have a look at you." The prince ordered.
"This is stupid. It's nothing. Just some slight soreness, that is all."
Gwaine had been talking to Lancelot and Percival when he heard Merlin arguing with Arthur. Merlin hurt? He walked over, stood next to Arthur and looked Merlin over. "You okay, mate?" The other knights came closer as well.
Merlin nearly growled "I. Am. Fine."
Gwaine crossed his arms in an eerie imitation of Arthur. He smiled at merlin in a way that wasn't exactly showing amusement. "You see mate, here's the deal. The more and louder you claim that you are 'fine', the more I suspect that you are anything but."
Arthur grunted and nodded his head in agreement.
Gwaine continued "So why don't you just prove me wrong and show Gaius your minor injury"
Merlin huffed out large sigh which turned into a wince. He looked around for an ally, resting his eyes on Lancelot. Lancelot only gave him his 'they're going to keep harassing you until you show them, so you might as well do it' shrug.
Merlin grumbled "This is stupid", but slowly raised his tunic to where it only covered the top of his chest.
The knights winced as they saw the red swelling and some purple bruising already starting to spread around his ribs on both sides of his body.
Gaius tutted and pulled out a chair. "Come here and sit, my boy. Let me have a good look at those bruises." Merlin slowly walked over and sat with his head lowered so he wouldn't have to look at anyone.
As the physician poked and prodded on Merlin's ribs, Arthur started asking questions. "How did it happen? What did that to you?"
"Boots, mostly" his manservant tried to joke weakly as he looked up at his prince. However he couldn't hide the blush of embarrassment that covered his face.
"Why didn't you say anything?" the prince asked softly. Merlin growled. Arthur wasn't sure if it was because of the exam or because of the question.
Merlin finally spoke. "Arthur, you have a critically injured KNIGHT that needed immediate help. Not this" the boy gestured up and down indicating his ribs "This is nothing. This will heal in a few days. This is not important."
Arthur looked at his manservant dumbfounded. Was Merlin really saying 'this is not important'? Or was he saying 'I am not important'? He was saved from having to respond when Gaius stood up and cleared his throat. Arthur was thankful, because he truly did not know what to say.
"I believe two of the ribs are probably cracked. The rest are severely bruised. The outer bruising will spread over the next day or so." The physician looked down at Merlin. "It will need to be wrapped".
Merlin nodded his head and let the tunic fall. He slowly stood up and started walking towards his room. Gaius walked over to the cupboard and grabbed some ointment and bandages. "Lancelot, could you help Merlin?"
"I'd be happy to, Gaius." The kind knight took the bandages and ointment from the physician and followed Merlin up to his room.
Gaius turned around to the other knights. "Well, everything seems to be in order now. I am sure you all have things to do, so off you go."
The knights grumbled as they left the room, but Gaius assured them that he would send word should there be any change. Gwen walked up and introduced the young woman. "Sabine, this is our court physician, Gaius."
Gaius nodded to the young woman. "I'm sorry that I didn't get a chance to look you over properly. Would you like…"
The girl cut him off. "I am fine. Gwen, here, put some type of ointment on my bruises. They hardly hurt at all."
Gwen got the woman's attention again. "And this is Prince Arthur. He is the Crown Prince of Camelot."
The woman awkwardly curtsied. "It is a pleasure, Your Highness. Your knights are so brave! Had they not come….had that young man not come…" She paused to gather her composure "Those men, they would have done terrible things."
Arthur smiled down at her. "I'm just glad that my knights were able to be of assistance. I am rather shocked that bandits were so close to the city. I can assure you we will double our patrols."
Sabine smiled. "Thank you, Your Highness. I just feel so terrible that they were hurt because of me. I feel like it is all my fault". She glanced at Leon, then to the door that Merlin and Lancelot had disappeared into earlier.
Arthur and Gwen exchanged smiles when they saw her gaze linger on Merlin's door. Gwen finally cleared her throat and brought the attention back to herself. "If it is alright, I am going to take Sabine to get some food and find her a room. She was originally on her way to Camelot sell items at market. But her horse got spooked and bolted when the bandits attacked."
Arthur frowned "I'm sorry to hear that. Do you live in a nearby village? We can send word. I don't want your family to worry"
The young lady looked at the floor. "I have no family. My father is long dead, and my mother and brother died a year and a half ago when raiders attacked our small hamlet. After that I traveled. I have now come to Camelot looking for an apprenticeship…or a job if I cannot be apprenticed to someone."
Arthur looked at Gwen. "Guinevere, check with the steward to see what positions are available. Perhaps he can find Sabine the apprenticeship she is looking for."
Gwen beamed up at him and curtsied. "Yes, Sire." She then took the young lady's arm and guided them out of the room.
Arthur smiled after them until they left. He then turned around in stared pointedly at the physician.
"Is there something else you need Sire?" Gaius questioned.
"Yes, you can explain Merlin to me." The prince huffed.
"Sire?" The physician asked, confused.
"His behavior. Why didn't he want anyone to know he was injured? He has done this before, I have seen him hiding injuries. I want to know why he does it!"
"Ah, I see" was the physician's response. "I think possibly you should discuss that with Merlin himself, Sire"
"You know that will do no good." The prince growled out. "When it comes to something he doesn't want to talk about he is slipperier than a greased pig. I'll ask a question and before you know it we are talking about unicorns and dandelions!"
The physician laughed but Arthur continued. "No. I'm serious! One time I asked a question we ended up talking about unicorns and dandelions!" The prince threw his hands up in the air and shook his head in exasperation. "And I don't even know when or how he redirected the conversation!"
This made the physician laugh even harder, but he soon calmed himself. He looked at Leon to make sure he was still unconscious then looked up to his ward's door with a contemplative expression on his face. He motioned the prince to come to a small table that was furthest from the boy's room.
"I can only hypothesize Sire" Gaius said in a hushed voice so as not to be overheard. "Merlin's mother said that he would often hide certain types of injuries from her."
"What types?" The prince wanted to know.
Gaius sighed, "Types that came from the hand of another. You see, Arthur, Merlin had a rather hard childhood. He was the object of much ridicule and scorn. He had few friends, save for his friend Will. Many of the children picked on him and beat on him. They would gang up to beat on him."
"I don't understand" Arthur looked mortified "Merlin is one of the nicest – if not the nicest – person I know. Why would they do that?"
"Arthur, you know that Merlin grew up without a father, correct?"
"Yes, he told me he had never known him" The prince replied.
"Well, he did actually meet him once a couple of years ago. But his father died within days of their meeting. His father never knew he had a son until then."
Arthur was shocked. First, that Merlin had not told him. Secondly, well, he just couldn't imagine Hunith as the type of woman who would not tell a man about his child. He had figured that the man had just run off and left them.
Gaius picked up on his misgivings. "Merlin's father was on the run. He had apparently made someone who was extremely powerful angry. When news came that they were coming there to look for him, he left. He didn't want Hunith to have to live a life on the run. Neither knew at the time that she was carrying his child.
"As you are probably aware, when it comes to small villages, such children are considered the absolute bottom of their society. Even slaves have a higher ranking. They are spat upon and made to do the hardest and most demeaning jobs. They are the first to be denied food when the crops go bad. When it would get so bad that food had to be rationed, they would only give enough grain for Hunith, and none for Merlin. Hunith would split her ration with him. At feasts, he would be the last to be served and by that time, it was only good for slop.
"Then there was the bullying. Merlin was always a gangly boy. That made him a prime victim for beatings. The sad thing was that he could defend himself. Unfortunately, he gave the wrong boy a black eye once. When that happened, the boy's parents took it out on Hunith. After that, Merlin never fought back.
"He knew his mother would be upset every time he would come home beaten and bruised, so I believe he learned to hide it. It broke his heart to see his mother cry. He is very protective of those he loves. I believe the behavior he learned then is what makes him hide injuries now."
Arthur was angry. Very Angry. He wanted to deny Gaius' words. After all, how could someone be so kind and compassionate after being treated so badly as a child? How could someone be as outspoken as Merlin when the treatment he received should make him afraid of people?
"But when we went to Ealdor, the people didn't seem to mistreat him then…" the prince said, grasping at straws to make what Gaius said false.
"Sire, he was in the company of the crown prince of Camelot." Gaius pointed out "Do you really think they would mistreat him under such circumstances?"
Arthur had to agree. And thinking back on it, Merlin had tended to stay with their group. The only person he spoke to other than his mother was his friend Will.
Arthur sighed and looked at the old physician. "So how do we break this….habit?"
The old man just shook his head. "I don't know, Sire. I wish I did, but I don't"
Gaius stood up and walked over to Leon to check on the injured knight. Arthur also stood, but just leaned back on the table with his arms and legs crossed. The door to the upper bedroom opened and Lancelot and Merlin emerged.
Merlin limped down the stairs. "I think it is too tight, Lancelot. I feel like a woman all trussed up in one of those ridiculous dresses that they wear at feasts. How do they even sit down?"
"It has to be tight Merlin, you know that" The amused knight shot back.
Gaius walked over and indicated for Merlin to raise his tunic. The young man complied without argument this time. The physician looked closely and tugged at the bandages, then nodded his approval. "Good job Lancelot. Stop complaining Merlin, he did it correctly."
"It still hurts" Merlin whined.
"Didn't you just say a little while ago that it was 'nothing'?" The prince drawled.
Merlin gave him a dirty look…and was that an obscene gesture he made behind his back? Lancelot laughed and patted the manservant lightly on his shoulder. "I've got to go Merlin. I'll come check back on you later." He walked towards the door and stopped next to Arthur. "If you want me to stay with them tonight and help Gaius out, let me know."
Arthur smiled at the knight. "I'll see how things are going this evening and let you know. Thank you."
Lancelot left, closing the door behind him. The prince leaned back on the table again crossing his arms and looked his manservant up and down. "So, are you feeling up to a little work? Or do you need to go lie down and rest your dainty, trussed up body?"
Merlin sputtered indignantly. Before he could say anything, Gaius interrupted. "Sire, I would recommend for him to rest. He isn't up to any heavy lifting."
"Don't worry, I don't have anything strenuous planned. Do you think he will be able to walk if he rests every so often?"
"He should be able to" the physician regarded him suspiciously.
"Good!" The prince stood up straight and clapped his hands together. "Let's get going then shall we?"
Gaius went to the cupboard and pulled out three vials. "Hold on a second, Sire." He handed the vials to Merlin. "Take two now, and then one for later if you need it. They are for pain." He then turned to the prince. "Don't let him near anything too dangerous, the medicine could make him slightly unsteady."
The prince nodded his head in understanding. "I'll keep an eye on him"
Merlin gulped down the two nasty tasting potions and drank a cup of water to wash down the taste. He pocketed the last potion. Arthur opened the door and ushered the grumbling manservant out.
They got to the bottom of the stairs near Gaius' chambers. Merlin turned and looked at his prince. "What is this about Arthur?"
"Well, I thought we would have a little talk" the prince replied calmly. But the predatory smile on the prince's face made Merlin uneasy.
"Really? About what? We couldn't have talked up in my room?" Merlin asked as he leaned up against the wall to rest for a moment. The pain medicine hadn't kicked in all the way yet, so he was still a bit sore.
Arthur watched Merlin as he rested against the wall. His manservant was leaning in such a way that it brought his tunic taut across the front of his body. He could clearly make out the outline of bandaging around his ribs and lower, a very noticeable outline of a knife scabbard at his hip.
Arthur stepped closer to Merlin about to demand that the boy explain why he never told Arthur that he could use a knife. But he stopped himself. He looked hard at his manservant. Merlin apparently had picked up on his mood and was looking downright skittish, especially in such close quarters. The uncomfortable question came unbidden to Arthur's mind wondering if this was the look Merlin had on his face when the boys in Ealdor would gang up on him.
Arthur took a step back. Then another. He looked down at the ground and took a cleansing breath to calm himself. He looked back up at Merlin who was still watching him warily, but not quite as frightened looking. Arthur let out a sigh and ran his hands through his hair.
"On second thought, I think we will put it off for right now. It has been a long day." Arthur looked up at the darkening sky. "Come on, it is getting to be past dinner time. Do you remember where Horatius went to this afternoon?"
"He said he was going to go for a walk, but that was some time ago" The manservant replied quietly, still uncertain as to the cause of the prince's changing moods.
"Well, let's go find him" The prince spoke out more cheerfully as he gently pulled on Merlin's arm to follow.
"What is it about Horatius that has you so enthralled" Merlin asked as he sped up to walk beside his prince.
"He is a great storyteller" Arthur smiled.
Merlin laughed, "I never knew you would get excited by bedtime stories…Sire"
"Not bedtime stories, you idiot. He has been telling me about the time just before my father became king. More specifically, he has been telling me a story about a specific man" the prince said mysteriously.
"Who?" Merlin asked, playing along. Whatever would put Arthur in a better mood, Merlin was more than willing to go along with.
The Prince turned around and had a huge grin on his face. "Balinor."