Authors Note:
Chapter 10 is up! (as you can see). I hope it doesn't bore you to tears. My Muse is sitting over in the corner all huffy singing "They are going to hate it" over and over again in that sing-song voice of hers. It is very irritating.
The next chapter probably won't be up until the middle of next week, or possibly even that weekend. So please stick with me.
Enjoy!
Horatius thought for a second. "I believe we left off with Balinor going off with Kilgharrah. He had been very upset after the meeting. I hoped that Kilgharrah could help him.
"Balinor returned six days later. He was considerably calmer. More 'at himself' than he had been when he left. Within an hour of his arrival, we received word from one of our scouts that an emissary from Vortigern was en route with a contingent of about 10 soldiers, and that they would arrive in about two hours time.
"We had the people go back to their homes, however many decided to send their women and children to the forest to be safe. Balinor had five of the dragonlords call their dragons. When they arrived, he had them rest out in the fields surrounding the manor. Sort of a 'show of strength' if you will. Kilgharrah was still there so that made six total. By the time the contingent arrived, the dragons had spread out, but had lined up, three on each side, of the path leading up to the manor." Horatius laughed "They looked like really, really big sleeping guard dogs. Balinor told me he hadn't told them to line up like that, but the intimidation factor was priceless.
"I don't even remember the name of the idiot they sent to make demands. He was short, fat, balding and wore ridiculously expensive clothes. You know the type, pompous minor lord who found himself in the favor of the new ruler. He strutted around like the only cock in the henhouse. Sort of looked like one too.
"He had barely gotten off his horse before he started asking questions. Said he saw that we had taken in the harvest and had we already sent part of it to the 'king'. I told him we wouldn't talk until we got to the council. He also said that he wanted to talk to whomever was in charge of the dragonlords. I told him that the dragonlords would be there as well.
"He brought five of the soldiers with him and left the rest outside. I can only feel that he left those outside to be intimidating instead of worrying about security. He was insulting and infuriating. We finally got to the room I was using as the council chambers. In all there were about twenty-five of us there. The council we had created the week before, the dragonlords, quite a few of the knights, several of the farmers who were well respected, then of course the idiot lord and his soldiers.
"After introductions were made, he started spouting out demands like grain and men for Vortigern's army. He had been speaking for a while when I noticed Balinor look up startled. He looked like he was listening hard to something, then a small smile spread across his face. A couple of minutes later, the other dragonlords seemed to be looking at each other with a look of satisfaction on their faces. I tried to catch Balinor's attention, but he just shook his head indicating 'not now'.
"When the emissary finally stopped talking, I told him that we did not recognize Vortigern as the rightful king and we would send no tax, no grain, and no men. I told him when Prince Aurelius, the rightful heir, was crowned king, I would be happy to comply.
"Then that horrible little maggot smiled. With great flourish he said that both Aurelius and Uther were dead.
"My heart dropped to my stomach. By the looks of the others on the council, theirs did too. All except Balinor.
Balinor just looked at the man and smirked and asked him "When did this happen, My Lord?" real sarcastic like. The lord apparently thought that Balinor was a peasant, and acted like he wasn't going to answer. Finally he did and told us they died the week before. Balinor then said something like "Oh, I see" but was still acting like he was amused. Then he asked him where they were killed. The man couldn't answer that. Then demanded Balinor identify himself. Balinor wouldn't. But he did continue to talk. He told the little maggot that he had it, on very good authority, that both princes were in excellent health.
"The lord kept insisting that the princes were dead. But the fact that Balinor, and all the dragonlords it seemed, thought that they were alive gave us hope.
"After that, the cockroach turned to the subject of dragons. He demanded to know who was in charge of the dragonlords.
Balinor stood up and told him that he was and asked him what he wanted. The man asked if he were Sir Lucan. Balinor told him, no, that Sir Lucan was his father. Well, the lord said he would only talk to Lucan. Balinor walked up to the man – he was a good foot taller than the lord – and bent down and looked in his face. He said "In order to see my father, you will need to be a ghost. Would you like me to help you with that?"
"The man backed away from him and started stammering. Balinor had, by that time, had enough. He asked the man again what he wanted from him. Finally they man pulled out a parchment and started spouting off some sort of flowery speech about how there was an agreement between the crown and the dragons, and that the dragons would not interfere in wars, or attack the kingdom.
"When the man finished, Balinor ripped the parchment out of his hand and threw it on the floor. He told him that there was no agreement between dragons and rulers. Dragons did not interfere in human wars because it didn't concern them, not because there was an agreement.
"When the man finally started to look relieved, Balinor added in a "But…"
"He said that since Vortigern was stupid enough to attack the dragons, then it did now, indeed, involve them. That the dragons were angry. That the only reason that Camelot Castle was not a smoldering pile of rubble was because the dragonlords had commanded them not to attack. And the only reason that the dragonlords had so commanded was for the welfare of the innocents who lived there. Then he got right up in the little man's face and said very low and dangerously "I suggest you go back to your master and tell him that it would be best for him not to leave his castle. While the castle and the town are safe, if a dragon sees him outside the walls…he'll be lucky not to be turned into a roasted dragon snack."
Horatius laughed "By the time Balinor was finished with him, he was pale, sweaty, and cowering up against one of the soldiers accompanying him. After that, Balinor went back to his seat. It was obvious that no more discussion was needed so we told them to leave.
"We made sure they had gotten past the last of the dragons before we went back inside. Once we got back to the council chambers, Balinor told us that two of the dragons had found Aurelius and Uther.
"We planned the rest of the day on how to get to them undetected.
"We retired that evening with only preliminary plans. Earlier, after Balinor said that the dragons had found the princes, I sent several of my fastest riders with word to several of the lords that I knew were on our side. Balinor sent two of the dragonlords to Prince Godwyn and King Leodegrance, respectively. Godwyn was here by nightfall – on the back of a dragon, no less." Horatius chuckled at that, then continued. "As you know, he and Uther were childhood friends.
"King Leodegrance sent word that he could not send troops, however, if we could get the princes back, he would give them safe haven.
"By noon the next day, we had representatives from the lords we had contacted. Some offered men, others offered other types of support. Those were the ones with land too close to Vortigern, and it would be obvious if their men started riding out.
"We decided it would be best for just a small group to go after the princes, less obvious that way. A larger group would head in another direction towards Essetir. We hoped that they would lead Vortigern's men on a wild goose chase.
"We left out at midnight. There were five of us on horseback. Myself, Godwyn, Lyndius, Ector, and Sir Liam. Balinor had two dragons and their dragonlords follow the group heading for Essetier. Another group stayed near the Manor to protect in while we were gone. Then he and Taishi followed us with Kilgharrah, Marabba, and Isaoryu. The last one was Taishi's dragon. He was different than the other dragons. He was very long and narrow, almost like a serpent with wings and legs."
"Taishi? That is a rather uncommon name" The prince mused.
"He was a foreigner from an island far east from here. He was also unique in his appearance. Very tanned but his skin was more of a bronze golden color. His clothing was also quite different. He was a good man." Horatius sighed sadly.
"I'm sorry, please continue" The prince softly urged.
"Balinor rode Marabba. I think Kilgharrah was still somewhat nervous to have someone ride him after what happened with Lucan. Of course he had told Balinor that it was because Marabba needed to learn to carry a human rider." Horatius laughed softly "I don't think anyone actually bought it.
"We rode all day and finally stopped for the night. We found a rather large clearing on the shore of a lake. I didn't like being in the open, but we needed it for the dragons. We set up near the tree line and left the clearing for the dragons in hopes that if anyone were looking, they would only see the dragons.
"As soon as Taishi took the saddle off of his dragon, it flew up into the air and then dived into the lake. Taishi laughed at our expressions. He said that Isaoryu spent most of his time in the water when not flying, that it was his natural habitat. About five minutes later, the dragon came back to the surface with two large fish in his claws and threw them up on the shore for us. I have to say I was thrilled. We were all tired and didn't feel like hunting.
"We cleaned and cooked the fish and discussed our plans for the next day. We were still three days away from where we needed to be because we had to circumvent a gorge to get to the hill on the other side where the princes were.
"The dragons, of course, had no problem with that. But we didn't want to give Aurelius and Uther a heart attack by sending them without us." Horatius chuckled.
"Yes, having a dragon, let alone three, land in front of you is a terrifying experience. I would not like to imagine my father messing his pants" The prince agreed.
Merlin let out a snort, but quickly covered his mouth. His shoulders however still shook, betraying his silent laughter.
"It wasn't that funny, Merlin" the prince growled at his manservant.
Merlin, for his part, had given up any pretense of not laughing. "I'm sorry, Sire, but truly, it was" he was able to say before going into another fit of laughter. Arthur glared at him then looked to Horatius who was studiously staring at the floor. His lips quivering in an attempt to hide a smile.
Horatius coughed and cleared his throat and schooled his expression and continued with the story. "Um, yes, well, like I said, we were planning our route for the next day. After that, we sat around for a while sharing stories. Taishi told us about his homeland. Liam talked about previous battles. Lyndius treated us to a few ribald stories. Things like that. Then we settled down to sleep.
"Sometime deep in the night, I heard the dragons stirring. Balinor and I both got up and saw a new dragon coming in to land. We walked over just as Isaoryu slithered out of the water and up to the other dragons. Taishi came up behind us. Apparently the commotion has woken him too. For a while they were all silent, apparently using their mind-speech. I gently jabbed Balinor in the ribs to remind him I was there. He looked a bit sheepish then told the dragon to speak out loud. The dragon said that a large group of Saxons were nearing the mountain where the princes were hiding out. He also said that he saw some men that wore Vortigern's colors. So the odds that they were there for any other reason were slim.
"Balinor asked how far away the Saxons were from Uther and Aurelius. The dragon said a day's ride, perhaps more, but not likely. I told Balinor that I would rouse the men, but he told me to wait until he got back. He asked the dragon if he would take him to show the Saxons and where the princes were. The dragon agreed and they flew off a few minutes later.
"They came back a couple of hours later. Dawn was approaching with just a slight hint of color in the east. Balinor told us to wake everyone and have breakfast while he went over the maps. By the time the sun had risen, Balinor had gone down to the sandy shore and taken a stick and drew out sort of a map in the sand. He quickly ate his breakfast and called everyone over including the dragons. Taishi and I had already told everyone what had happened the night before, so Balinor went straight into his reconnaissance report. He pointed to one point on his sand map and told us that was where the princes were high up on the mountain, along with two or three other people. He then showed where the Saxons were at the base of the mountain and that two groups were camped out, each at the beginning of the two trails that lead up the face. There was no way for the princes to get back down without being caught.
"Then Balinor pointed to a way off corner of his sand map and said that is where we were, then traced the route we had planned the day before. Obviously we would not get there in time. Then he pointed to a mountain that was directly opposite of the mountain the princes were on, and traced us another route that would take only a few hours to get to the base. And the trails were easy to ride with a horse, albeit slowly. We would arrive at the point directly opposite the group by early evening.
"Lyndius asked what good it would do to be on an opposite mountain, we still couldn't help them. That is when Balinor gave a big smile. "I have an idea" he said. He glanced at Kilgharrah hesitantly but told us that he had heard of a sorceress, a high priestess of the Old Religion who could create a mist…like a fog or cloud. The mist would allow the princes and their group to ride across it as if it were solid and get to our side. The mist would then settle and none of the Saxons could follow.
"Kilgharrah was not happy about the plan. Apparently he did not trust the sorceress. Balinor asked if he thought the sorceress would betray them to the Saxons. Kilgharrah said no, but that association with her would do Camelot no good and they would come to regret knowing her in the end.
"Balinor told Kilgharrah that the only other option would be for the dragons to fly the princes and their parties across. The dragons did not like that idea at all. In the end, Kilgharrah flew off to find the sorceress."
Merlin interrupted before Horatius continued. "Do you know the name of the sorceress?"
"Nimueh" the goldsmith said tersely.
Merlin and Arthur stared at each other knowingly. They looked back at Horatius.
"I take it you have heard of her?" the old man inquired.
"Yes, she caused some problems a few years back. But we have not heard from her lately. I sincerely hope she doesn't join forces with Morgause and Morgana." The prince said while running his hand through his hair.
"I doubt it, My Lord. I have heard rumor that she has perished." The goldsmith responded.
"Really?" the prince asked hopefully. A smile playing on his lips.
The manservant, Horatius noted, had gone completely still. His eyes wide and looked almost fearful. The old man considered this and placed it in the back of his mind to ponder upon later, then spoke. "Like I said, it is rumor, however I take the source as being a reliable one."
"Who was the source?" The prince pressed.
"A Druid Chieftain by the name of Iseldir." The goldsmith said simply.
Merlin and Arthur looked at each other. Arthur knew the name, but couldn't place it. Merlin bent over and quietly said "The Cup."
Arthur's eyebrows shot up as he realized who Horatius was speaking of. "How do you know the Druids?"
Horatius looked at the prince somewhat confused. "Sire?"
Arthur noted the look of confusion on the goldsmith's face, which in turn confused the prince. "How do you know Iseldir and the druids?" he asked again.
"Through Anna, of course." The old man responded, still confused as to why the prince was asking. Then realization seemed to strike the goldsmith and he exclaimed "OH!" He then smiled at the prince. "I'm sorry, Sire, I just presumed that you knew. My wife, Anna, was born a Druid."
Arthur's eyebrows shot up. "No, I didn't know that."
Horatius frowned slightly. "I'm sorry, Sire, I thought it was common knowledge."
"So that is how you knew Iseldir?" Merlin asked.
"I had met him quite a few times over the years. Sometimes they would stop by when moving camp or we would join them for the Beltane feast when their camp was in the vicinity, although that wasn't often." The goldsmith smiled at the memories.
"So how did you find out about Nimueh?" Arthur asked.
Horatius smiled sadly "Three years ago, come next month, he came to visit Anna on her death bed, to give her the final rites of their people. He stayed with us for several days, until the end. She kept asking him if 'the cup' was safe. He told her that it was. While she was sleeping, I asked him what she was talking about. He said that there was a powerful cup that had been entrusted to Nimueh. That he himself had felt the call of the cup. The only way that could happen is if Nimueh were no longer alive. That he had gone to the Isle of the Blessed and searched for both Nimueh and the cup. The cup, he found in some sort of cave. He found nothing of Nimueh except for a scorch mark near the alter."
"So she is gone then, as in dead" The prince asked.
"That is the general consensus, Sire." The goldsmith answered.
"I wonder how she died. Did you find out?" Arthur inquired.
Horatius started to speak but was interrupted by Merlin. "This is all very interesting, but, um, wouldn't it be good to get back to the story?"
"I'm sure it will only take a few minutes, Merlin." The prince rolled his eyes.
"No, Merlin is right" the old man stated "We can ponder the demise of Nimueh – at length – another time. It will give me an excuse to come back!" The goldsmith smiled brightly. The warlock let out a sigh of relief.
"Let's see," The goldsmith continued "Kilgharrah flew off to find Nimueh and we headed towards the mountain. A couple of hours later, Balinor flew down and said that Kilgharrah had spoken to her and that she had agreed. She would be there by the time we reached the summit.
"Balinor sent Taishi and the other dragon to keep an eye out on the progress of the Saxons and to slow them down if need be. He had told them to stay out of sight if at all possible. That wasn't much of an issue for Isaoryu as he could move through the trees easily, but it was a bit harder for the other dragon. However, he did a pretty good job of it. They uprooted trees along the paths to slow down the troops.
"By the time we reached the summit, it was night time and a heavy fog was starting to roll in. Well, I thought it was a fog. Nimueh was chanting something. I didn't understand the words. But she kept repeating them over and over. The fog started at the summit and rolled down the mountain side and then started rising the other side.
"On the other mountain, the Saxons had all but reached the princes' party. Kilgharrah and Marabba flew over and laid down a line of fire so the Saxons couldn't get through. By this time, of course, Aurelius and Uther were well aware that there were dragons around. Balinor had called Marabba back to take him over to where the princes were. Well, of course as soon as Balinor dismounted and Marabba had gone back to helping Kilgharrah, Uther attacked him."
Horatius sat back and began to laugh heartily. After a minute he calmed himself and attempted to speak "Even from where we were, all the way on the other mountain, I could hear Balinor yelling out 'Can't you see we're here to help you, you supercilious prat!'" Horatius burst out laughing again. This time Merlin joined him. Arthur shook his head in amusement and again understood why his manservant had reminded the old man of Balinor.
Horatius calmed himself down again and continued. "Apparently, Aurelius intervened and Balinor was finally able to tell them what was happening and what the plan was. Uther was still suspicious that it was a trick by the Saxons. Finally Balinor sent Marabba back to bring Godwyn over. After talking to Godwyn, Uther was finally appeased. "
"I thought dragons didn't like for people to ride them. I mean, non-dragonlord people." Merlin left the obvious question unasked.
"Horatius drummed his finger on the table for a moment. He was obviously considering whether to tell them something or not. Finally, he sat forward. "What I'm about to tell you is not common knowledge. It would be best for it to remain that way….Godwyn's uncle, his mother's eldest brother, was a dragonlord. Remember what I said earlier about children of dragonlords having an affinity with dragons, even if they won't ever become dragonlords? Well, apparently, in this case, it also extended to the grandchildren. Godwyn's mother grew up around dragons, but her father died before Godwyn was born. His uncle died when Godwyn was around ten or eleven years old. He had no male heir. Godwyn holds no sway over dragons, but they seem to welcome him around. I don't know for sure, but I figure it has to do with his uncle and grandfather."
"I understand, you can be assured we won't tell anyone" the prince promised.
"Okay, so back to the story. Godwyn calmed Uther down. The dragons kept the Saxons at bay for another hour until Nimueh completed her spell. The fog covered everything below us. It was so thick you couldn't see anything through it. It looked like clouds…but like from above as opposed to below.
"Balinor had told them that they would be able to ride across the divide between the mountains. To say they were skeptical would be an understatement. I can understand that. Finally Balinor took one of the horses and rode out over the fog for a short distance to prove it would work, then rode back and gave them back the horse.
"Kilgharrah told Balinor to have them hurry, that he sensed something that wasn't right. So the party started across. They had made it half way when the fire line broke and someone stepped out. The Saxons – or rather Vortigern's men with Saxon backing – had brought a sorcerer. He started casting spells at the fog and it started to dissipate. Kilgharrah and the other dragon started breathing fire at him, but he had some sort of magical shield. But at least he had stopped casting his spell. The fog floor was still disintegrating, but luckily from it was going from one side to the other instead of the whole floor dropping out at once. But it was still going faster than the horses were riding. The party got across just as the fog dissipated. Balinor and Godwyn lifted off on two of the dragons. Godwyn came back to us and told us to start heading down the far side of the mountain, out of direct line of sight of the sorcerer. Balinor had stayed behind to give Kilgharrah support. The other dragon, after he dropped Godwyn off, went back to Balinor.
"Nimueh dropped the rest of the spell so that the other sorcerer couldn't rebuild it, then we all started down the path. After Balinor was sure we were all safe, he called Kilgharrah off. The dragons flew off in different directions so the sorcerer would have a harder time attacking. They met up with us about a half hour later at a clearing. We rested for a while and chatted. Oh, by the way, the party consisted of Aurelius and Uther, of course, as well as Gorlois, Gaius, and a young man named Uban. He and Gaius got the princes out of the manor they were visiting when Vortigern's men attacked. Goloris met up with them sometime shortly after.
"We only rested for a short time before we had to continue. We wanted to be well clear of the mountain before the Saxons could get down the other. It took us a week to reach Cameliard. It shouldn't have taken that long, but Vortigern's men were everywhere…."
A knock at the door interrupted the story. Merlin got up and opened the door. Gaius walked in. "Merlin! There you are. I was wondering where you got away to. You didn't come back to have your wraps changed." The old physician admonished.
"Sorry Gaius." The prince said as he stood up. "We were talking with Horatius".
Horatius glanced at the window and noticed the darkening sky. "I'm sorry Gaius. The time slipped by. I hadn't realized it had gotten so late." The goldsmith turned back to the prince and manservant. "Gaius and I had planned to get together this evening."
"I can come back later…" the physician started to say. The prince cut him off. "No, Gaius. We have taken up enough of Horatius' time for today. I know the two of you have a lot of catching up to do."
"Thank you, Sire. We can finish tomorrow." The goldsmith said, then turned to Merlin. "I promise." He smiled.
The prince and manservant started to leave but Gaius interrupted them. "Sire, Sir Leon has been released and is back in his quarters. A manservant has been assigned to him for the evening and morning. The girl Sabine will tend him during the day. I have found she has training in medicine, she is also very knowledgeable about exercises after injuries."
"Very good." The prince replied.
"One other thing, Sire. May I speak with Merlin in private for a moment? I need to go over a few things with him."
Gaius and Merlin walked a short way down the hall and spoke softly to where they couldn't be overheard. "Merlin," Gaius began "the girl, Sabine, has been trained in medicine. Druid medicine."
Merlin's head shot up. "You mean she's a Druid?"
Gaius nodded his head. "Yes. The story she gave yesterday appears to be true. She just declined to say that she was from a druid camp."
Merlin shook his head "Does she know how dangerous it is for her to be here?" He then got closer to Gaius "Do you think she might be a danger?"
Gaius shook his head "No, I believe her story. But it still would be best to keep an eye on her."
Merlin shook his head in agreement then glanced back at Arthur who was watching them with a detached expression. "I better get back before he starts asking questions"
Gaius smiled and clapped his hand on the manservants shoulder. He spoke up louder to be overheard "and don't forget to get your ribs rewrapped. I also left out two vials of medicine should you need them." He said as he and Merlin walked back to the prince and goldsmith.
Arthur and Merlin took their leave of the two older gentlemen and headed back to Arthur's chambers.
"So, what was that about?" The prince enquired.
"Oh, you know, reminding me of things that I 'forgot' to do." The manservant lied.
"And did you forget to do them?" The prince asked with a smirk.
Merlin gave him gave him a side eye. "Of course not." He smiled. "At least I don't have to clean the leach tank now".
As they got closer to the prince's quarters, Merlin stopped a young servant and told him to have someone from the kitchen bring up Arthur's dinner. The young man gave Merlin a dirty look, but did as he was told.
"Ah, I see you are finally learning to delegate responsibility." The prince laughed.
"Yeah, well, they aren't too happy when I do so." The manservant grumbled.
Arthur laughed as they walked into his chambers. Merlin automatically started picking up around the room. Arthur sat down at his desk looking at papers that had piled up, and sighed. "I think I'll start locking the door when I leave, that way they can't come in and pile more of this on me" pointing at the stacks of parchment.
"You could always leave a basket out in the corridor that they could leave the papers." The manservant replied.
"Too public" The prince quipped. He paused and thought for a moment. "I could have them put it on a table just inside the door."
"That would work, that way it wouldn't get mixed up with what you are already working on." The manservant agreed.
A knock came to the door. Merlin opened it to find a servant carrying the tray holding Arthur's dinner. The young man came in and placed the tray on the table, bowed to the prince then left.
Merlin sighed and started taking everything off the tray and started setting Arthur's table.
"Couldn't the servant do that?" the prince asked.
"Apparently not" Merlin winced. "At least I didn't have to carry it."
Arthur came over and sat just as Merlin finished setting the table. Merlin poured him a goblet of wine then stepped back. "Would you like me to sort out your papers for you while you eat?"
"Would you?" The prince looked up smiling. If there was one thing he hated, it was paperwork. At least this way it would all be sorted into piles.
Merlin snorted. "You realize, you will be dealing with paperwork and reports when you become king."
"No I won't" the prince shot back.
"And how is that?" The manservant wanted to know.
"I fully intend on outlawing all forms of reports and paperwork. It will be my first act as king." Came the response.
Merlin laughed. They sat there in silence for a while as the prince ate and the manservant shuffled through the parchments. "Arthur," Merlin began. "It would be so much easier if they would write at the top what the parchment is about. That way you wouldn't have to read halfway through it to just find out….could you, you know, maybe suggest it at your next council meeting?"
Arthur chewed on his meat and thought about it. "That isn't a half bad idea, Merlin. I'll run it by them."
Merlin came over to refill Arthur's goblet. Arthur noticed him wince as he reached for the wine pitcher. "Ribs bothering you?" he asked.
"A bit. Gaius said he left out some pain medicine for me. I'll take it when I get back to my room." Merlin responded.
"Well, you could go take it now" The prince suggested.
"Nah, I'll wait. If I know Gaius, he probably left something that will knock me out. Besides, I really don't feel like walking all the way over there, then all the way back….tend to you, then have to walk all the way back over there again."
"Lazy" the prince laughed.
"Pain" the manservant corrected.
"Fair enough" the prince allowed.
"So, would you like me to have someone fetch water for your bath?" Merlin asked.
"No, I'll just sponge bathe tonight. I want to go spend some time with my father before he goes to sleep. I'll take my bath tomorrow after practice." The prince replied.
Merlin just nodded his head.
"Merlin?" Arthur said as he stood up and walked around to where he was facing Merlin.
"Yes Arthur?" the manservant asked.
Arthur crossed his arms and started rocking slightly on his heels. He stared at the floor. "These last couple of months have been hard, with my father's illness…and everything. I'm expected to do all these things plus ensure the safety of Camelot….and…" he trailed off.
"Arthur, you are doing a wonderful job." Merlin tried to assure his prince.
"Only because someone has been helping me. Giving me pep talks. Going over reports, and writing notes for me. Writing speeches for me. Sorting my paperwork for me. Checking my agenda for me. Making sure I know who I am talking to when I have to meet with people. Making things a little bit easier for me." The prince finally looked up and stared Merlin in the eye.
"It is all in a day's work, Sire." The manservant replied softly.
"No, Merlin. What you have done goes far beyond what your duties call for you to do." The prince responded.
"I don't do it for duty. I do it for a friend." Merlin paused, with a slight smirk "Well, am much of a 'friend' as a peasant can be with a royal prat."
Arthur's lips quirked for a moment then he gathered himself and said with all seriousness "And I thank you, as a friend." He paused and took a deep breath "Well, as much of a 'friend' as a crown prince can be with a complete idiot of a manservant."
Both men looked studiously at the floor with amused smiles playing on their lips. But each realized that their moment of bonding had ended.
Merlin cleared his throat, "Well, I had better get these dishes gathered up." He turned and walked to the table.
"Yes, I need to get looking at these papers" Arthur stated as he walked to his desk.
A few minutes later, Merlin had gathered all the dishes and placed them on the tray. He then placed Arthur's night clothes at the end of Arthur's bed and turned the sheets back.
Arthur looked up. "You can go on and leave. Go back, take your medicine and try to get some sleep."
"If you're sure." The manservant replied.
"Yes, I'm leaving anyway to go sit with my father this evening." The prince replied.
Merlin smiled and headed towards the door. He paused before he left. "Goodnight, Arthur."
Merlin walked out into the hall and towards his quarters. A smile slowly forming on his face.