Blimey! If it's not one thing it's the other! Now I got wasps invading my room! D: Makes it a bit hard to write when every twitch and itch I feel, I have to stop and wonder if it's a wasp crawling on me or not. Brr.. (Might put em in a fic if they keep it up..) Anyways... Update time, and it is a monster of a chapter, I know. I considered trimming it, but then..just didn't have the heart to do it. However before you jump ahead, let me WARN YOU, yet again that this is SLASH. (or at least it's trying to be) So for those of you liking the genre, enjoy and hope you like it, don't be sparse with feedback ;) As for those not in favor of it, I can suggest you go over sooner and read the lovely April29Roses's fic called "In Every Drop of My Blood".. because it's sheer brilliant! ;)
A very huge thank you to TeganL74 for Beta-reading this for me. *squeeze*
And so.. on with the fic~
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Arthur strode across the hallway with confidence and for the first time since his return to Camelot, he actually felt lively and motivated. It wasn't just mindless training; it wasn't playing the perfect son to his father or the perfect prince to his knights; he had a purpose this time.
"Sire?" Sir Leon was no fool, he noticed immediately that something has happened, once he spotted the blonde man in the corridor with some bundle of cloth and two old books, looking almost.. happy.
"Sir Leon." The prince turned towards the man.
"You didn't show up for training." The knight said, scrutinizing the younger man. "I was worried."
"Ah.. I apologize, Sir Leon." Arthur just remembered he was heading towards the training field when he caught news of Merlin, and had since completely forgotten about sword practice. He looked at the tall man apologetically. "Something came up.."
"Is everything alright, milord?" his right-hand man was wary; even though he thought if the prince is looking this cheery - which he hadn't seen him like in.. well, quite a while actually - then it can't be something bad.
"Of course. However, I will need you to take over today's training for me, and report to me in the evening."
"What's going on?" The tall man stepped a bit closer to the prince, lowering his voice.
"Nothing. I will be training a new manservant, is all."
The knight's eyebrows slowly wandered towards his hairline; never before had Arthur bothered with servants. Leon was pretty sure he wouldn't even be able to guess his current – well, former - manservant's name either. And now he was training one. Personally. It all seemed very odd.
"New manservant?" He was puzzled.
Arthur realized that Leon was probably having trouble understanding his sudden change of attitude, and he had to admit he hadn't been too interested in the staff before, so the prince thought, at least his right-hand man deserves an explanation.
"The man who saved my life," he said at a lower tone. "He is here in Camelot. And he will stay here. As my manservant."
"I see." The knight eased up and smiled. The two of them had had their own, more private discussions about Arthur's absent days, when the blonde felt he needed a talk; and the knight had learned about the 'healer wild man' from the prince; in a bit more detail then what the younger man had told the council and his father, and he felt honored at the trust the future king of Camelot showed towards him. The prince was dear to him, like a younger brother. And despite their different statuses and the knight's flawless behavior when it came to respecting titles, the prince seemed to trust him and consider him to be the closest to a friend a royal born could have.
"I'll have the training report ready in the evening." Questioning no further, Leon gave a nod and a smile, and left. Arthur felt grateful. He looked after the man for another second or two, then remembering what he'd been doing, he turned to hurry towards his destination.
However, upon arriving at the physician's chamber, he was met with a rather odd, yet comical scene. On one side stood a lanky caveman holding a chair up in front of him and seeming in much distress, on the other side stood the elderly physician, in just as much distress and a pair of scissors in hand.
"It's only hair!" he pleaded anxiously, but apparently the warlock was far from convinced.
Kilgharrah might have taught Merlin about many things, but Arthur too was skeptical about the cleanliness part. He seemed to blend in well, back in the cave, but now that he was in the castle, where servants rushed about to keep the place neat and tidy for their rulers, Merlin's appearance drew more attention then the prince saw as healthy. Add to that the way that the warlock was obviously frightened by many things, the blonde feared he might reveal himself if something scared him, or people poked at him. Thus, a little cleaning up was mandatory.
Arthur set the books and the clothes down and moved to handle the situation, taking the scissors from Gaius.
"Merlin, I promise you, there's nothing to be afraid of.." The warlock eyed him suspiciously running his gaze between the blonde's face and his hand with the pointy object in it. "We're just going to cut your hair a bit." It took him some coaxing, but eventually Merlin lowered the chair, and a little while later Gaius was cutting the messy locks away, which had gathered dirt and leaves and just about anything a forest could produce. The old man thought he wouldn't have been all that surprised to find a bird's nest as well in the mess.
The prince walked up and down in the physicians chamber for a while, checked the clothes he had brought to be the right size, then suddenly declaring the servants weren't quick enough with the bathwater, he went to personally check on them.
Soon the physician's chamber was busy with servitors readying the tub and water, giving odd glances towards the dirty young man; who on the other hand kept looking at them wide eyed; having Gaius force his head back from time to time to have him sit still and facing forward, while he finished trimming his locks. By the time Arthur returned again, the bath was steaming and ready; but he stopped in his tracks at the sight in front of him. Merlin sat on a small bench, shoulders a little tense, looking down at the floor while Gaius stood behind him, and there was a layer of dark mess of hair on the floor at their feet.
They both looked up when they noticed the prince come in.
„Well.. you sure look different." Arthur found his voice to comment, after a moment of staring. The dark haired boy, now had a short cut and trimmed facial hair, looking more like stubble than a full grown beard; and if it wasn't for the sea blue eyes, he probably wouldn't even have recognized him to be the same person he left in the physician's care a little while ago. He didn't want to imagine how Gaius convinced the warlock to let him cut his beard, and from a glimpse of the old man he could tell it took yet another load of coaxing. It made him feel a little guilty for tasking the elderly man with such a chore, but he was grateful nonetheless.
Merlin smiled sheepishly, reaching to his hair, and for some reason the prince felt he couldn't take his eyes off of the young man. He really looked so different.
„Makes quite the difference, doesn't it?" Gaius echoed the blonde's thoughts, quite pleased with the result as well; unaware of Arthur's musings.
"Indeed." The prince nodded in a daze.
"Makes him look rather young too.." the physician went on. Arthur tried to recall if Kilgharrah said anything about the warlock's age, but looking at him now, Merlin couldn't have been older than he was; in fact, he looked to be a few summers younger.
The warlock stood smiling at him and rolled his head from side to side; amazed at the feeling of lightness with his hair no longer weighing on his neck and shoulders. He shivered a bit, the locks not warming his nape, but he liked the change. He looked at the prince, who still stood eyeing the young man in front of him.
Merlin was tall; a little too skinny, however it wasn't something a few good meals wouldn't fix; but he wasn't hunched, or crippled, or any other reason that would have people leaving him in the forest on his own. 'And still he had to endure living in the wilderness,' Arthur's thoughts drifted back again as to just why the young man had to go through that; of what he was and what his parents had done. The prince felt something tighten in his chest looking at the young man. He didn't deserve to live like that.. And somewhere deep down he made a promise to himself that he would look after the warlock and make up for the suffering he had to go through. Mend the unseen wounds he no doubt carried in his soul.
The prophecies spoke of the warlock protecting the Once and Future King; but it said nothing against said king looking out for his protector. For Arthur, it felt like something self-understood and natural; and he felt confident in his decision.
Merlin still seemed to be distracted by his new haircut, completely unaware of the prince's musings and Arthur just marveled at his slender form as he stood in the physician's chamber with a bare chest, arms raised, hands running through his short hair, and wearing a wide grin on his face; gangly and goofy; yet somehow adorable.
Next up was getting him to take a bath, which proved to be more difficult than Arthur would have thought; more so since the old physician left to tend to a patient he was called to in a rush, leaving the royal born alone with the warlock. The prince was used to servants hurrying about when he was taking a bath; however he had no idea what he was supposed to do now. At least Merlin seemed to ease up a bit, now that it was just the two of them in the room.
The warlock found the old man had a scent of faint magic on him, but he figured it could be the large amount of herbs and potions he worked with day in and day out. Merlin also didn't fail to notice the vast collection of scrolls and books on the shelves or in piles on the windowsill and tables. He liked how the place looked and smelled.
He also liked his new haircut and wondered what Kilgharrah would say to it. (He could almost hear the dragon's laughter). Last time he got a haircut was when he was still a little boy, and a druid woman cut it for him; but that was so many summers ago he had nearly forgotten about it. He felt a little silly now for getting spooked by the old man when he took the scissors in hand. But a sharp object is a sharp object, he reasoned.
However his thoughts drifted back to the woman. He couldn't recall her face, just that she had a gentle hand and a kind voice; and an embrace, he imagined how a mother's should be. But then he remembered the camp, and his thoughts inevitably went to the sight after that tragedy had happened to those people. All the blood, the massacre; how shocking and sickening it had felt, yet was something his young mind just couldn't understand.. why? - And now, the perpetrator of that incident was right here in the castle, so very near to him. And he felt terrified of it.
"Merlin? Are you alright?" He picked his head up to the prince standing close to him. The warlock hadn't realized the grim thoughts were showing on his face as he stood staring at the floor, with sight lost somewhere in the distance. He gave a weak smile and a nod.
'Arthur's here,' he thought, and recalled the prophecies the great dragon had told him. 'When he is king, everything will be different.' When Arthur is king, such horrible things will never happen again. And the prince had been perceptive to the dragon's teachings, and was surely on the right path. Merlin thought about serving and protecting him with determination. Even if the things they were doing now seemed a little odd. He understood he would need to blend in with the rest of Camelot's citizens; he just wasn't sure how that would happen.
"Good." Arthur returned the smile, and even though he still felt awkward around the young man looking so different all of a sudden, he carefully took his hand at the wrist and started leading him towards the bathtub. "Now, it's time to get all that dirt off of you." He said, but soon realized it wasn't going to be that easy. Merlin instantly flinched away from it, once he felt the water was a lot warmer then the creek he would go to, even on the hottest summer days. It reminded him of a boiling cauldron of liquid a boy managed to pull on himself while they were chasing each other around in the druid camp, and oh that boy screamed and cried and his skin got red and obviously hurt. Arthur wouldn't want to burn him, right?
"One would think, living with a dragon would get you used to a hot bath.." the prince mumbled to himself, while trying to coax him into the tub of warm water. "What are you afraid of?" he asked, a little irked, even though he knew he wouldn't get an answer. He figured something was upsetting the warlock, who just kept shaking his head as he backed away.
"Want me to leave?.." Arthur then asked.
Merlin pressed his lips together and gave another determined headshake. He figured he would have to do this.. somehow. He really didn't want Arthur to leave. He glared at the water worriedly, and the prince somehow got the idea.
"You think it's too hot?" The warlock looked at him. "Let's have a look" the blonde said and rolled up his sleeve, and before Merlin could rush forward to stop him, he dipped his hand almost elbow deep in the water and waved it around a bit.
"See? There's nothing wrong with it. It is a bit warm, but it will do you good. After a night in the dungeon you need a bit of warming up."
Merlin bit his lip. He wasn't all that convinced. But it was Arthur asking, and he wanted to do as he asks. So after a little more internal struggling, he stepped forward.
"Y-you should.. uhm.. you should take your trousers off too.." Arthur mumbled and tried to look anywhere but Merlin's waist as the warlock looked at himself then reached to untie the string of the garment.
The prince walked around the tub to distract himself. Even when turning his head he couldn't help but steal a glance at the slender young man; and started getting irate as to why he felt that way. 'Nope, definitely not born deformed,' he concluded, feeling his cheek burning a little.
He decided to add some lavender scented bath oil, knowing it would have a calming effect on the warlock, as well as smell nice.
Merlin splashed the water tentatively then dipped his toes in it, then his whole foot, but suddenly deciding the water to be too warm, he took a sharp breath and tried pulling out. The prince, however, caught his wrist and held him firmly over the tub, forcing him to put weight on his submerged limb.
"Easy.. easy. I know it feels too hot, and you might have gotten used to the chill of the dungeon, but you need to get warm. We wouldn't want you getting ill now." A whimper was the only response, and Merlin bit his lip, looking like a child again. Arthur couldn't hold back his smile, despite the man making it all look like a very unpleasant situation.
"Your body will get used to it.." he said, and still holding onto the man's wrist, he reached into the water with his other hand. Focusing hard to look at the man's leg and nothing else, he ran his palm along Merlin's shin and foot. He knew all too well how a warm bath could feel like burning after a long, cold day out training or hunting, but it was the best way to get warmed up. "See? It's not that bad."
He eventually managed to convince Merlin to sit in the tub, though it felt like reached behind him, dipped his hand in the warm water, and scooped up a little; keeping the edge of his palm close to the young man's back and then letting the water flow over his shoulder and arm. The dark-haired man watched attentively as the prince talked to him; continuously and in a low, calming tone. Arthur grabbed a cloth, dipped it into the tub and washed along Merlin's back with it.
It was something the warlock had never felt before. It was soothing and soon the tension in his chest settled, making his shoulders sag and a small smile settle on his lips. Arthur was glad to see it, realizing just how much he'd missed it, and his own widened when the warlock looked up and their eyes met.
"Feels good, doesn't it?"
Merlin returned the smile and nodded. He had to agree it felt nice, a lot nicer then the cold river. He started feeling a little dizzy from the steam and drowsy from the warmth; but the bath was a good thing indeed, he decided, and felt a little silly yet again for being wary of it before, thinking maybe not everything was as bad as it seemed at first glance in the castle.
The prince then took another vial in hand. "This will get all that dirt off you," he explained, and pouring some in his palm, with the young man observing, he rubbed it on his shoulder and across his back. "Smells nice too." He motioned for the warlock to hold his palm out and poured some for him, then observed the young man studying it.
"Merlin, no!" But he was too late, the warlock's face was already scrunched up from the taste of the soap once he stuck his tongue out in curiosity, and the prince couldn't help but laugh at his expression. "It's not for tasting!" he added. "Here…" The prince motioned. Taking his wrist and leading it up to his head, he made the young man rub it on his head instead.
"Uchk!" He grimaced, trying to wash his mouth of the taste with his other hand. It certainly was a different texture from what he recalled the druids used for washing, though this one didn't taste any better.
"Yes," the prince laughed, "soap usually doesn't taste good. But we can get you some food later." He realized the man must be hungry too. The dungeons were legendary for the cold, but not the meals; and if his father had forgotten about the man, as he'd heard from the guards, no doubt no-one gave him a bite to eat since he'd been tossed in the cell.
"Let's get you washed up first," he said, and putting the jest aside, he rinsed the cloth and started to wash the man's back. He marveled how the graying hair turned dark between Merlin's fingers; and the bubbles became muddy. His skin gave off a considerable amount of dirt as well. He was about to make a joke about it when the warlock flinched and hissed as Arthur moved to scrub along his side. The prince backed off and the young man raised his arm a little to reveal a large, darker patch on his side along his ribs that obviously wasn't a smudge of mud and had remained unseen under all the grime covering him up until now. Concern grew in the prince, recalling Gaius' words about 'a few bruises'.
"Who did that to you?" the blonde asked tensely. His immediate thought was that someone had raised a hand to the servant, - his servant, - but Merlin just shook his head and shrugged, moving to wash the bruise more tenderly. Arthur grimaced at the gesture, wondering if the guards were a little too rough when throwing him in a cell. No doubt they were, or was the warlock just used to getting bruises? Perhaps he should find out who was responsible and deal some punishments out, but then again, Merlin didn't seem to mind, and Arthur too figured he could forgive if the warlock could. He was just glad the man was safe and sound and there with him.
Merlin dipped his head under water; rinsing his hair well and washing his face in the warm water. 'Oh, it definitely feels different from the river.' - He ran his hand along his head, fingers digging into his raven black hair, forcing the water out and smoothing it back. When he looked up he met a pair of surprised blue eyes.
The prince looked at him with bewilderment. The man that looked back at him bore no resemblance to a savage any more. 'On the contrary! His skin is fair!' Fair as a noble woman's, and with the dirt washed away, his pale complexion and dark hair complemented his sea blue eyes and full lips, which had the color of a blushing sunset. 'He looks so perfect', registered somewhere in the back of Arthur's numbed mind. He reached up to the only imperfection he noticed - a slight scratch and bruising across his left cheekbone - and gently caressed it with the back of his fingers.
"W-we'll..get something for that.. when Gaius returns.." he mumbled, but their eyes held each other captive. Merlin just nodded with a small smile, and something unreadable in his eyes. "Such soft skin.." Arthur added, more to himself, and fondled along the servant's neck with a thumb; feeling as the young man swallowed and took a breath, slightly parting his lips as he did so.
"Look at you..!" The prince laughed, still not fully snapped out of his daze. "Who would've guessed you had such features hidden under all that dirt?" he scoffed, running his hand along the boy's arm. His skin was warm and wet and smooth. Quite unbelievable for someone who'd lived in a cave up until then. It showed scars here and there, but mostly it was smooth, and Arthur felt he couldn't stop himself. Touching him; his shoulder, his arm; even if his hand no longer had business there, no dirt left to scrub off, no grime to remove.
Merlin felt his ears burn for some reason. It was something he'd never felt before. It was warm and soft; a kind touch of another human being that was different from that of a mother figure; a tingling in his stomach. He felt safe with Arthur, and he realized he liked to be touched like that.
The Prince just smiled and moved to fondle his other cheek as well – just because. Yet he was a little surprised when Merlin reached up; slowly grabbing his hand and leaning towards it. He pressed it against his cheek, nuzzling it to feel his touch more.
"You like my touch, don't you?" the prince asked, and his voice seemed low to his own ears as the servant just looked at him.
Arthur let the cloth sink into the tub and reached with his other hand as well, soon he found himself holding the warlock's face between his palms and the man's hands calmly rested on his, feeling natural to do so. Such a treasure he had found. He wanted to keep it close, he wanted to mark it to make it his own and he wanted to keep it safe.
He slowly leant close, smiling to himself at the way Merlin tensed a little, but he didn't stop and the warlock didn't interrupt him. He leant closer taking in the scent of the lavender, and the blue of his eyes, that quick little breath..
"Gaius..?" And there, the moment was ruined when the chamber's door swung open and they both looked up to find the king himself walking in.
After some exchanged glances of surprise as King Uther took in the scene of a young man in a bathtub, and the prince just standing up from crouching next to him; some wet patches on his shirt and his sleeves rolled up; all his might and fury came forward.
"What on earth are you doing?!" he bellowed, and smashed the door closed behind him.
"Father.. it's not what it looks like," Arthur said in a breath, then wondered if it really wasn't what it looked like. Uther, for one, wasn't convinced.
"Isn't it? Because to me it looks like the crown prince of Camelot is bathing a servant!" he spat. "Have you lost your mind, boy? What if someone was to see you? People would start to talk.."
Arthur looked at the soaked warlock, and had to agree it could very well start gossip, but wondered what good is a closed door, when his father was yelling so loudly probably the lower town could hear it.
"Perhaps it's my own choosing," Arthur chanced, trying to find his voice.
"This is outrageous!" Uther hissed, and his face was red as wine from fury. "First you want a savage to be your manservant, now you are giving a peasant a bath! What next?"
"Father.. he is the savage man you're talking about.."
The king took a double look at that and Merlin couldn't help but pull back into the tub, wanting to make himself as small as possible, as if the water could keep him safe while the king took a few threatening steps towards them.
Then the yelling began as Arthur tried to prove his point and Uther was having none of it, and it was all getting too loud and too scary and the next moment Merlin suddenly stood up; successfully drawing both of their attention. They turned to him; silent for a moment. Not wanting to wait until the shouting began again or to find out what would happen next, - and he was pretty sure it would involve something unpleasant, - Merlin hastily staggered out of the tub and made a run for it. Ripping the door open he was out in the hallway in a matter of seconds and vanished.
It only took a moment for the other men to snap out of their amazement.
"Merlin!" Arthur was out the door first with Uther on his trail.
"Arthur!"
The shouts resumed, but Merlin decided destiny be damned, he'd had enough of it. All the time that the king was yelling, he kept getting flashes of that horrible camp; of all the dead druids, chopped off heads and limbs, gutted bodies; thinking the ones committing the crimes took pleasure in doing so. Arrows pointing out of small piles of lifeless flesh (flesh that not so long ago was of a child of his age, and they had run around together on the fields with laughter in the air); now unmoving, yet still warm.. and the air was filled with a stench instead of careless laughter. A bloodbath if there ever was one, from so long ago, but still livid in his mind. The images were now sharper than ever, and it all lead to one notion: that it could have been him, and it could still happen if he stayed in Camelot. The king was blind, mad and ruthless, and until Arthur was sitting on the throne, nothing would change; the killing would continue..
His body felt heavy and he felt dizzy, his stomach rumbled and the sudden cold air on his bare body felt anything but good, yet he wouldn't have stopped for the world.
He dashed across the hallways as maids shrieked when they saw him and jumped out of his way. He slipped on the smooth stone floor whenever he took a curb. He had no idea where he was going, he just knew he had to keep moving and get out before that loud king caught up to him and chopped his head off like that man yesterday.
Destiny be damned!
He dodged surprised patrolling guards and he could hear the heavy footsteps behind him.
"Catch that man!" someone shouted, and the footsteps were joined by more and more, along with chainmail clanging. The warlock felt that if they didn't kill him, his own heart would just give out in fear.
Arthur dashed ahead, feeling his own life depended on getting to the warlock before anyone else; Gods forbid he use magic to make his escape, then there would be no saving him from his father's fury. He could hear the guards and the king behind him, and he was certain the man wouldn't stop until he got away.. or got caught. He could only hope by the right person.
And as he thought of that, two caped figures turned around the corner. The warlock peered behind him, and the prince was sure he didn't see them appear in the hallway. By the time Merlin looked ahead again, it was too late to stop, and Arthur saw him crash into them.
"Grab him!" he shouted, but only after recognizing Sir Leon to be one of the knights the servant knocked over. Merlin of course fought valiantly; shaking of the gloved hand of the other man and delivering an unexpected punch to the other knight, who stumbled back, but Arthur's right hand man was ready for him, and without much effort grabbed the man's hand. Twisting it behind him, he had the warlock efficiently immobilized; his other arm reaching around in front of the naked escapee.
"Sire?" he looked up as the rest caught up to them.
Merlin struggled against the muscular arms, but either his shoulder felt like it was going to pop out of place, or the arm in front of his Adam's apple threatened to cut off his access to air. So he resolved to staying relatively still; something rather hard to do as more and more people showed up and he felt his dread rise. Added to that, he felt exposed and vulnerable.
"Thank you, Sir Leon," Arthur said to the man holding him. "What's gotten into you?" Arthur hissed at the servant the moment he stopped.
"Father.." Arthur turned around to the approaching steps.
"Enough, Arthur!" the man growled, panting from the run, giving his son only a glance before turning to the man holding the warlock still. "Sir Leon! I want that man put in a cell! He will be flogged for disrupting the castle.." The king wavered and the prince quickly caught on, his father probably wouldn't add 'taunting the prince' to the accusations, not in front of the knights, anyway. Appearances were of course important under any circumstance, but he still felt his blood chill and Merlin too paled at the words.
"What's going on?" They all turned to the court physician showing up on top of a nearby staircase. Gaius approached them, while trying to make sense of the scene unfolding in the hallway; with the king, the prince, and half a dozen knights all gathered around a very scared and very much naked young man. He stopped next to the Leon-Merlin pair and looked at the sovereign with surprise.
"Physician!" Uther turned to him. "I want you to examine my son. I believe he is still suffering some aftereffects of his ordeal and injuries.."
Arthur didn't like where this was going. Luckily, Gaius caught up quickly enough.
"I will do that, my lord." The old man bowed slightly, then turned towards Merlin. "What of the young man?"
"He will be flogged," the king spat, taking a few threatening steps forward. "And if I find out he has something to do with the prince's condition, he will be executed."
Arthur definitely didn't like where this was going and once the taboo word 'execution' was spoken, he really started to fear what would become of his savior; more so when the startled warlock opened his mouth and started yelling. Needless to say, none understood what he said, except for Gaius maybe, who had his palm clamped over the dark-haired man's mouth with surprising speed; looking just a little bit nervous.
Merlin tried to shake his hand off, but no use; so he resolved to huff through his nostrils.
Language of the old religion.. or dragon-tongue perhaps.. Arthur wondered but only for so long. They still needed to get out of this mess, and he was getting a headache from trying to think something up.
"What was that..?" Uther hissed. "I thought you said he is mute."
"He.. uhm.."
"Sire, if I may," Gaius cut in, and the prince was grateful, because he had no idea what to say. "I have examined the boy previously. He cannot speak our language, but he is capable of learning, for now only mimicking our words. Well, more or less.. However, he can also learn proper manners and learn to work. If you would allow me, sire, I would very much like to teach him. It would be most valuable to my studies as well, to observe the process of.."
"Enough, Gaius." The king waved his hand. He had no mood for enthusiastic speeches about science.
"That is, of course, if you allow me to, after the punishment you've seen fit be given.."
Uther took a heavy breath, regarded him for a moment, then looked over the startled young man. His skinny frame still wet and shivering, being held by the knight and muted by the physician. Observing him now, in the better lit hallway and proper daylight coming in from the windows, he could somewhat understand why the prince took an interest, and would cling to a prize like this boy; even if he didn't want to think any further about it. Eventually, he came to the conclusion that rather than the temptation of serving girls and 'little accidents', it wouldn't be all that bad to have the prince spend his 'frustrations' on something that wouldn't produce any problems in the future. He could always have the servant removed once a suitable marriage was arranged.
"For pity's sake, cover the man.." he huffed, then turned to his son. He was determined to lecture him later on, about morals and duties and heirs to the throne, but yet again a commotion drew his attention away.
The knight standing next to Sir Leon removed his cape and moved to cover Merlin, but when Leon released his grip, the warlock saw it as an opportunity and decided to chance an escape again. He managed as far as pushing the other knight away and almost got rid of Sir Leon again, but a knight's training proved to be useful once more, and the young man soon found himself pinned to the wall; with his hands raised above his head, and even kicking seemed useless against the taller man.
"Perhaps silencing him would work.." the physician said quietly and winced, knowing what was to follow.
Leon didn't stand around waiting for permission. He knew Arthur wanted this man safe, and if Gaius was trying to protect him too, it was enough for him to act. After a mental apology, he wasn't even sure the man would understand, he punched his right fist into the man's stomach, efficiently knocking the wind out of him, and a moment later, Merlin was quiet, limp and very much unconscious.
Gaius helped the knight maneuver the cape around the boy's body, then Leon lifted him over his shoulder without much effort, and only then turned towards the king.
They still needed to wait for the king to speak, see if he had changed his mind about the flogging. Somehow Gaius' presence, looking as if nothing was wrong and only waiting to be dismissed, once again decided it for him. Almost.
"He will be flogged in the morning. Take him to the physician's quarters. Dismissed," Uther said, almost disgusted, then turned to his son. "Come," he barked, and sparing no more time on the matter, he started walking.
Arthur only glanced at Leon and Gaius, hurrying along the corridor with his limp servant, then moved to follow his father, bracing himself for the onslaught of lectures and verbal storms he knew were coming once they reach the royal quarters. The knights as well stepped in to follow the king, as the guards continued their patrol.
Only one man stood looking after the peculiar boy, in awe and disbelief. He looked different now, but he was certain he had met the man before. He also knew the dragonlord would fetch a pretty price and generous reward for him, once the king found out just who his son's little pet was.
The knight smirked and turned to walk away.
.*.
Thanks for guest reviews to Nance and Guest 9/4/13.. And to Princess Falling Star.. sorry it's taking so long~ :(
Update-galore continues.. next up is.. a surprise little oneshot.. ;)