Two days after Arthur had chased Merlin into the woods, Arthur was sitting at the table in his chambers. In front of him was the normal extravagant breakfast that his manservant George prepares for him every day. Arthur had a fork in his hand, but the food on his plate was barely touched. He seemed to be staring intently at the blank wall in front of him.
"Is something the matter, my lord?" The servant girl, Guinevere, asked "You seem distracted".
"Hhm? Oh, yes. I'm fine." Arthur responded distantly and set his fork down. Arthur glanced at Morgana's maidservant and a glint of gold caught his eye. His eyes zeroed in on the gold chain around her neck. It was a modest little necklace, but still far above the pay grade of a servant.
"Where on earth did you get that necklace?" Arthur exclaimed, getting up out of his seat. It looked like something Morgana would wear, but Gwen seemed too loyal to Morgana to steal from her. Not to mention, too smart to wear it around the castle.
"Oh, well… someone left it for me" Gwen said, hand unconsciously reaching up to finger the beautiful purple stone piece on the necklace. It was a round amethyst piece no bigger than a candle flame with an intricate golden design on the front. It fit her. It was small and so easily overlooked; but when you actually take the time to look at it, it's more beautiful than a diamond and you find it hard to tear your eyes away. Even the color complements her.
"Left it for you? What do you mean? Who left it?" Arthur questioned, suspicions turned into unabashed curiosity. Gwen suddenly noticed that she was stroking the purple stone and quickly clasped her hands behind her back. She looked to be telling the truth, but that was an expensive gift from an admirer.
"It was sitting with my clothes when I awoke, my lord. There was a note with it, though. It just said 'It fits you' signed Emrys. I'm afraid I don't know him, my lord, though I would like to thank him. He left a few silver coins for my father as well. He was very kind."
"Of course" Arthur said "I'm off to practice my jousting. Goodbye, Guinevere."
"Good luck, my lord." Gwen said as Arthur exited his chambers. Gwen replaced her hand on the stone.
She decided not to mention the dark haired young man she saw leaving her house last night.
Over the five days since Arthur and Merlin's 'meeting' in the forest, many people had received spontaneous contributions: a dagger left for a young man on his birthday, two gold coins and a silver bracelet for a newly widowed mother, four silver coins were left for a man who was just sacked. Even Gaius found a few silver coins and a constantly replenishing supply of healing herbs. Each had a note with it, "for your loss" or "I hope this helps", all signed "Emrys".
That night, Arthur was strolling around his kingdom, unable to sleep. First, the thief Merlin shows up, then Emrys follows bearing gifts. Arthur had inkling that there was a connection between the two, but neither the bracelet nor Gwen's necklace was reported missing. Also, no one was seen wearing Morgana's missing emerald necklace. It seemed unlikely that the stolen goods were the same as the gifts. The cold night wind blew and brought a chill to Arthur. He crossed his arms in an attempt to contain his body heat and glanced around the empty street and darkened houses. Arthur had been walking for a while, pondering the situation around him, and barely noticed as he passed into the lower town.
If it weren't for the severely low temperatures, Arthur would believe he was dreaming. He was staring at the familiar figure of the young man who had been troubling his thoughts for days now silently exiting the house of a seamstress. Merlin. Arthur had assumed that he never stole from towns-people; preferring to take the money of the castle's inhabitants. Also, Merlin seemed fond of taking the object straight off of the individual, not sneaking into their houses while they slept.
Arthur quietly approached the house, but it didn't seem to matter. Merlin turned and saw him anyway, grin and all. Arthur truly believed that if this man were to frown, his face would crack.
"My lord" Merlin said, and bowed slightly. Arthur scowled at the disrespectful mocking behaviour, though he was unsurprised. "What brings you out of your warm, fluffy bed at this time of night?" Merlin continued in his childish banter. Sometimes, Arthur thought Merlin seemed to mimic a younger brother, bratty and idiotic with a gift for screwing Arthur's world over.
"I'd come to see if you would like to have an extended stay in the castle dungeon." Arthur said with a smirk "Room and board is free. I thought you might appreciate that seeing as you seem to be having monetary issues at the moment."Arthur motioned towards the house Merlin had just left. Arthur wasn't about to let Merlin go free this time. He drew his sword and pointed it at Merlin's chest; quickly dismissing the little cynic in his head that said the sword didn't help him last time. Merlin raised his hands in mock surrender.
"So nice of you to think of me, my lord, but I'm doing quite well on my own, thank you." Merlin said jokingly, and then turns more serious (but only slightly). "I didn't take anything from the house. Check my pockets, they're empty." Merlin said, reaching into all of his pockets to show he was telling the truth. "I don't take from people with little to give."Merlin paused and seemed to be thinking about his next words "Her daughter is wedding soon in another town but she didn't have the money to travel there. She was going to miss her only daughter's wedding" Merlin said earnestly. Arthur didn't miss the past tense in which he referred to the seamstress's poor situation, or the details that he seemed to know about this woman. Merlin's smile had dimmed slightly when he spoke about the woman's seemingly hopeless situation. Arthur wouldn't admit it, but he was a little sad to see it go, like watching the last light die out in a ghost town. As if sensing this, Merlin's smile rebounded to its usual obnoxious size.
Arthur edged between Merlin and the door to the woman's house, keeping his sword at Merlin's chest. Arthur opened the door and glanced in, keeping one eye on Merlin. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he'd know it when he saw it. There! There was a neat small pile of gold coins on the table. Odd, if Merlin was going to steal something, that would have been be it. Also, these people wouldn't leave money lying out in the open, especially someone who was in need of more. Arthur had a strange feeling that he was only seeing the corner of a painting.
Arthur quietly entered the house, forgetting about his captive for the moment. He walked over towards the gold coins on the table, careful not to wake the woman sleeping not too far away. As he neared the coins, he realized that they weren't alone. On the table next to the pile was a note. It read "Safe travels". Under the writing was a signature.
Sudden realization spread across Arthur's face. He quickly turned around, looking out the door to where he had left Merlin.
"Emrys"
Merlin was nowhere to be seen.
AN- So many people! (yes, two favorites excite me. I just learned how to post a second chapter a minute ago). As always, reviews are appreciated, critiques are welcome, and flames are promptly ignored. School is slow at the moment but will be picking up soon, so bear with me. Sorry for any late updates I may have in the future, I'm not known for my work ethic. Anyway, Thanks for reading
