CHAPTER 6 : A NOT SO PLEASANT INTERLUDE

Arthur's body was markedly relaxed; they sat as in old times propped against each other without a problem in the world.

Merlin wanted to speak. He wanted to tell Arthur how hurt he had been over the last ten days and how he had misgivings about Arthur's trust in the knight. However, he could sense that Arthur would probably pull himself away, sit upright prior to standing and waiting sullenly while Merlin helped him undress and get into bed saying stiffly 'Good Night!' and then turn his back and leave Merlin alone wanting so much to feel Arthur's arms around him and know that all was well with the world.

So, he said nothing, just enjoying Arthur's warmth beside him and the knowledge that at this moment in time, they were together.

Arthur shifted and removed his hand from Merlin's knee. He reached for his chin and turned his head so that they were facing each other. Softly, he kissed Merlin's lips and waited. Merlin let his forehead touch Arthur's and he whispered the words which for him, were truth beyond any doubt, "Arthur, I really love you!"

The smile an Arthur's face reaching to his eyes, told Merlin wordlessly that he felt the same. He could wait for Arthur's explanations about his behaviour. He knew that the Arthur he knew and loved was still there, just slightly pre-occupied on some occasions.

Arthur again claimed his lips and Merlin responded. He had hated being at odds with him and he was willing to let bygones by bygones, well for the immediate future until he had figured some way of righting the mess they had found themselves in. Trust was paramount for a relationship and whereas Merlin's trust had never wavered, he didn't feel completely confident that Arthur's hadn't.

Finally as things became more passionate, Arthur said, "You are I would be better off in bed." He stood and pulled Merlin to his feet, demanding another kiss before walking to where Merlin usually helped his undress.

Merlin smiled as he undid Arthur's belt. This everyday happening might be very enjoyable. Everything about Reginald was gone from his mind, replaced completely by the man standing before him smiling. Placing the belt behind him on the table, he ran his hands up Arthur's chest to the laces at his neck, he leant in and kissed him as he undid the knot and released the material. He changed tactics and ran his arm under the tunic enjoying the feel of Arthur's warm skin.

Arthur whispered, "Merlin, how can we sit in front of the fire for ages and your hands are still chilly."

Smiling he said, "Arthur, have you never heard of the saying 'cold hands warm heart'. I know you can't feel it but my heart is toasty warm…simmering…no boiling with love for you."

"You'd stop at nothing to get your way, wouldn't you, Merlin? Does it mean perchance that with warm hands, I have a cold heart?"

Merlin pulled back from him saying, "That is the furthest thing from the truth. Your heart is warm and cuddly and fluffy and…mouth watering!"

"You make me sound like a meal."

"Well, to me you are my sustenance and my desire. Promise me, that regardless of what happens during the day, once we lock the doors at night, we can revert to ourselves with no recriminations or doubts."

"I promise and I hold you responsible to remind me of this promise should I ever forget and allow something or someone to cloud my mind."

Merlin made quick work of getting Arthur ready for bed, he removed his boots and sat back on his heels, "All done now, Sire!"

But Arthur stood up and said, "Allow me…?" Merlin nodded and Arthur carefully divested him of all his clothes. Scattering kisses along the way, until Merlin stood before him in the buff. He then took Merlin's hand and said, "Let's go to bed. You need your beauty sleep…"

Merlin smiled, knowing full well that it would be some time before there'd be any asleep. "Arthur, I need you to keep me sane and healthy in mind and in body."

Arthur grinned, "So, what are we waiting for!"

The fire was practically out and the nightstand candle was spluttering before they were asleep.

Arthur woke with a start. Merlin sounded in distress. His sobs were painful to hear and he kept repeating only one phrase.

Merlin happily hurries along the corridor to his chamber. He's not late just in a hurry to see Arthur again. Spenser and Leon are standing outside the door. The looks on their faces, give Merlin a jolt out of his happy frame of mind.

"What's wrong? What's happened?"

"Nothing!"

"Then why are you standing here? If you want to see Arthur, knock and request entry. He isn't going to bite."

Merlin knows that something is wrong and that until he opens the door the others are going to stand in the corridor like a couple of penguins. So, opening the antechamber door, he steps inside, nothing unusual. There's an uneaten snack on the sideboard and the door to their bedchamber is ajar. Merlin steps forward and freezes; the room is empty, no bed, no chest, no window coverings. The fireplace is empty, dark like a cavern. He backs up and opens the door to the manservant's room off the antechamber and realises that only his clothes are hanging on the pegs. Arthur's wardrobe is empty its door flung open, reminding him of only one thing, a vertical sarcophagus.

He knows that his heart is beating too fast but he has to return to the bedchamber. Is there a note?

Are there any clues? What do Spenser and Leon know? He turns to them but they have changed into vultures now perching on the back of Arthur's and his double bench in front of the dead fire, shoulders stooped, bent over as two predatory undertakers.

Spinning around, he exists the chamber at a run bumping into Thomas. He grabs him and yells in his face, "Where is he?"

Thomas always unperturbed says, "But, Merlin, you must know that he is moving in with Sir Reginald. His Majesty gave you notice, he no longer wants you or has any need of you. You must realise that blood is thicker than water! He said that you may continue to reside in the castle but that you should take your belongings and relocate to your old room at Gaius's."

Merlin throws him to one side and races to Reginald's chambers to be met by a sneering Neville. "Well, whom do we have here a little lamb who has lost his way or should I say, something abandoned by its owner?"

"Where is he? What have you done with him?"

"He's found his family…acknowledged his cousin, his mother's sister's first born child who has now rightly come into his own."

"Never!" screams Merlin. "Where is he?" He grabs Neville by the neck and squeezes tightly, the man chokes but manages to say, "They're…"

"Where?"

"In the royal chamber, his father's chambers. Where he should have been all along! Not trying to lower himself to be one of the gang with a pesky manservant and a whole brood of insubordinate knights. Things will be changing for Camelot, I can assure you."

Merlin shoves him away and takes off. He realises he is not alone any more, Gawaine is on his left and Gaius his right. He races to the royal floor past their chambers and enters Uther's old chambers. Guards are on the door, Merlin requests admittance and they stand aside, closing ranks to prevent Gaius and Gawaine from entering. He leaves Gawaine arguing and steps into the antechamber to be met by Uther himself.

"Ah, my son's bed servant! You are no longer needed here. My son has found family; he has no need for any pseudo romantic relationships."

Merlin walks through the spectral Uther knowing that he is incapable of stopping him. He makes his way to the sitting chamber and confronts Reginald who has grown to twice his normal size and if it hadn't been that he is fighting for Arthur's and his love, Merlin might have been cowed. "Where is he?"

"He's sleeping. You can see him if you want but he won't recognise you as you mean nothing to him any more. You are a persona non gratis in our eyes."

Feeling his blood boiling Merlin raises his arm and points it at Reginald, "You are a fraud and I will prove it to Arthur and the court. Just remember this with your dying breath, 'He is mine!' I will fight for him to the end, I will never abandon him and wait forever until he once again returns to me."

Merlin pauses one moment to make sure that the message has got through and then he repeats in a broken voice but with increasing volume, "He is mine! He is mine! He is mine!"

He doesn't stop until he is engulfed in someone's arms, holding his closely saying, "Merlin, he is yours! He is yours! I am yours!"

-0-0-

Arthur held the shuddering man in his arms. Merlin's sleeping undisturbed had become a thing of the past. Arthur knew how much pressure he was putting on him by the way he often turned and mumbled and even thrashed in bed. He felt guilty, there was no doubt as he knew his constant harping about and his continual insistence that Reginald accompany them was eating into Merlin. He shifted so he could see Merlin's face, it was beginning to relax, lines of horror and fright were leaving. His own heart was beginning to return to its normal beat and his shock at being awaked under such stressful conditions was slowly fading away.

Merlin seldom woke following a nightmare if he did, he was unable to explain what had happened so Arthur never tried to rouse him, allowing him to relax as he held him and keeping watch over him for the remainder of the night or until he also fell into a fretful sleep.

In the light of day, Merlin might make reference that he had not slept well but never tried to fully explain what he had been experiencing and Arthur was not even sure that he could. He only heard the muffled words which Merlin sometimes said and this time, in the light of their coolness of the last couple of weeks, it was clear to him that he was the 'He' in the Merlin's cry of 'He is mine!'

Merlin never knew the heartache he put Arthur through when he had these nightmares. He mind was so taken up with the horrors he had experience that for the longest time even once he had woken, they seemed real.

-0-0-

Merlin opened his eyes. He was warm and safe. He felt arms and a chest: he didn't question whose. He turned his head. Arthur was asleep his eyelids fluttering as if he was reacting to something he was reviewing in his mind. He suddenly snorted and began to wake up.

For once, Merlin vaguely remembered the main points of his nightmare so if Arthur asked, he could if he wished tell him what had happened. He began to realise what an opportunity would be offered to the man as a relative of the monarch. He realised that Geoffrey had to increase his efforts in finding more information about the knight.

Arthur stirred and opened his eyes. He smiled and Merlin's heart melted. It was the smile reserved only for him. "Good Morning, my love!" he said gently.

Merlin basking in his love's smile and kind words said, "'Morning, Arthur…did you sleep well?"

Smiling but with a slight frown, Arthur said, "Yes, and how about you?"

"You're lying, Arthur. I know I had another nightmare and you have never slept through one so you had a disturbed night. I'm sorry…"

"Merlin, there is no reason to apologise. It's just your thoughts of an active day revisiting you in your sleep and then your imagination takes over and blows everything out of perspective. I'm sorry that I can't do anything to alleviate them. They've been more frequent since the tournament."

'I wonder why!' Merlin thought bitterly as if it wasn't obvious to everyone but Arthur. 'Maybe your current infatuation with Reginald, has something to do with them.' However, he didn't want to fight so he said, "Arthur, it's my mind which causes the problem, there's not anything you can do. Anyway, it had something to do with your father's chambers." Deciding to take Arthur's mind off the nightmare he continued, "You know, they are bigger than yours. You might consider having them cleaned and updated and maybe we could relocate there."

Arthur looked up surprised; true they were much larger chambers including a small meeting cum reception room for important guests. He had thought at one time of moving there but his father's death still caused him anguish. He had no desire to live where he had, however on second thought, Merlin was right they were more spacious and really better suited as the accommodation for a reigning monarch. It also had a second private bedchamber with additional servant quarters, presumably for a reigning partner. For a second, it flashed through his head that that was where his mother had stayed. "Merlin, if I moved, would you move with me?"

"Well, I wouldn't want to stay here all by myself, now would I, Arthur? I'd die of loneliness…"

Merlin allowed himself to smile. He had given Arthur something to consider. He sat up and said, "Get up, I'll get the breakfast which I'm sure Thomas has already delivered. You have a busy day ahead. You were considering observing the final year squires in training this morning, so Sir Malcolm will be expecting you. You then have a lunch meeting with the chairmen of the various committees including castle maintenance before lunch. You might sound that chairman out about your proposed chamber move."

"I don't think, I could cope without your highly organised mind. What is on for the afternoon?"

"Well, we might take the time to snoop around the king's chambers. We'll need a few things from here to make it like home. Then, you had planned a private supper with your friends." Merlin purposely avoided naming the guests and luckily for him Arthur didn't notice the omission.

Arthur nodded, "Sounds as if you have everything in hand…and after a busy day, we will be able to retire to bed."

"Right, and as we'll only be next door you can drink to your heart's content and maybe I will as well. We'll just crawl back to bed together."

Arthur started to laugh; Merlin loved hearing him so relaxed and happy. "Only one problem though…" Merlin's heart plummeted but Arthur continued, "You don't drink! So that won't be happening."

"Not a problem, should you feel you have to have a partner to crawl with, I'm sure that Gawaine would be willing!"

"As long as he realises that he would have to continue crawling right out the door as he's not going to join us in bed…" Arthur said putting a finger to Merlin's lips, "…is he?"

Merlin snuggled into Arthur. He knew that keeping him in a happy frame of mind all day would be in his favour tonight. He had to get him up and on his way as he had yet to notify Spenser, Simon, Romney, Leon and Gielbert that they were to dine with Arthur and make sure that they kept secret the fact that it had been so hastily organised.

"No, Arthur, there will never be anyplace for Gawaine in our bed, just you and me." Merlin said standing up.

-0-0-

Arthur returned from the squires' display with a smile on his face. He was pleased and had paid special attention to the six squires in their last year who were candidates for the knighthood and who this coming June would be invested. "Things bode well for Camelot if we can keep up with that calibre of squires."

Merlin laughed saying "Wait until Treva reaches that stage. He's such a livewire that everyone will have to keep their wits about them."

"Oh, by then he will be toeing the line and able to differentiate between his life as the king's ward and a humble squire. You know who was a real hellion as a youngster, Leon. He spent more time being called up in front of the ladies who look after the pages and the junior squire master. He was always in trouble. On more than one occasion he was threatened with expulsion."

Merlin was shocked and sat down beside Arthur at the table, "Our Leon?"

"The same Sir Leon of Berwick, my second in command! I think the studies were insufficient to keep his mind and body occupied but once he hit that senior year as a squire he was a changed character…and look at him now!"

"Tell me what he did?"

"Gawaine has nothing on Sir Leon. In his last but one year, he arranged a surprise celebration for the candidates to the knighthood and smuggled into the senior squires' wing 'two of the lovelies' who worked in the local alehouse. My father was furious but in retrospect I think that he envied the boy his expertise with people.

Supposedly nothing happened but who knows, at that age squires are all so tight lipped. I asked Gaius about him and he just laughs, saying that he always was a live wire as was his father Sir Baldwin." Arthur was now in storytelling mode and he continued. "You know Rodick was the same. He was almost not invested as he smuggled mead into the squires' wing and when caught insisted that it was a gift for the Squire Master following the investiture. It was unopened so his explanation was accepted."

"…and what about you, Arthur, what did you get up to?"

"Nothing! I was the epitome of a good student. I had no choice…but during the holidays, I had the run of the castle and things were different."

Merlin never got to hear anymore as Thomas knocked and entered, mentioning that Sir Leon had come with some papers for Arthur. Arthur gave Merlin the eye and he kept quiet making no reference to what he had just learned.

-0-0-

The luncheon meeting with the council members was as boring as usual. However following it, Humphrey the one time manservant of Arthur as he was growing up and now the assistant to the Lord Chamberlain stayed behind and Arthur shared with him the idea that he might like to move into the late king's chambers.

Humphrey always a stickler for tradition, smiled. The King's Chambers were a step up from those usually occupied by the Crown Prince and Humphrey approved the move. Geographically, it was just further down the corridor but he felt that Arthur should be in residence there. "Leave it to me, Sire, I will do a preliminary check and have it cleaned and then you can visit and tell us what changes are to be made. The Lord Chamberlain is going to be pleased with your decision."

"Thank you, Humphrey, Merlin and I will wait for your news when it is ready to be visited." Arthur noticed Merlin's face dropping. Humphrey bowed and left and Arthur turned to Merlin saying, "You're having second thoughts?"

"No but I thought we were going to snoop around this afternoon."

"We are but it will make Humphrey happy to get it cleaned up before we see it officially. He doesn't have to know that we jumped the gun."

Merlin laughed, "Am I seeing shades of the young Arthur?"

"I assure you, Merlin, this is nothing compared to what I got up to as a child when no one was around. Poor Gaius, I ran his life ragged but it kept him on his toes and he didn't have time to become a really old man, to retire and spend his days reading in the library. He enjoys an active life now because of me."

Merlin grinned, "I think I'd like to hear his opinion of that…"