I'm back! Ready for regular posts? Great! Then enjoy chapter 2! It's a bit of a filler but I promise next week the pace will pick up! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed/favourite/followed the opening chapter!
CHAPTER 2
It had been an ordinary day at Cambridge for Merlin Holmes. He had woken up to the sound of his roommate and best friend's loud snoring as per usual, although that soon stopped after Merlin poured water all over the blonde boy's face.
"Merlin!" Arthur spluttered, scowling at the grinning teenager.
"Good morning your Highness, enjoying your beauty sleep?"
"I was, until you decided to tip half the ocean on my face! Idiot!"
"Clotpole."
"Dunce."
"Dollophead."
"That's not even a real word Merlin."
"Is to."
"Are you suggesting that if I looked in the dictionary I would find the term 'dollophead'?"
"Yep, the definition of which is Arthur Pendragon. Now hurry up and get dressed or we'll miss Gaius' lecture."
"Because that would be such a shame," Arthur muttered, but he grudgingly got out of bed and began getting dressed. Much as Arthur loved to complain about his lectures, he really didn't want to be on the receiving end of one of Professor Gaius's famous eyebrows. The nineteen year old glanced over at his seventeen year old roommate, who had just tripped over his own feet, for the umpteenth time this year. He recalled how much he had hated the kid when they had first met, after Merlin had yelled at him for being a bully, before realising they would have to share a room. He had then persistently grated on Arthur's nerves for the next week, until Merlin had saved Arthur from nearly being run over by someone who had a grudge with his father. After that, the pair had become thick as thieves, much to the amusement of their family and friends.
"Earth to Arthur, come in prat!" Merlin yelled, waving his arms in front of Arthur's face, causing him to snap out of his thought trail. "Hurry up dollop head, we're going to be late for the lecture, again!"
The pair left the apartment and hurried toward the lecture hall. "You know we would have gotten here on time if somebody had woken up on time," Merlin huffed. "You're a right arse sometimes Arthur Pendragon, did you know that?" The younger boy handed over the battered textbook he had borrowed off his roommate the previous evening, before the pair finally entered the auditorium as quietly as possible, not wanting to draw attention to their arrival. Although Arthur had been at the university for a year longer than his younger friend, he had changed his degree from business to history that year much to the annoyance of his father, and therefore the pair often shared lectures.
As the pair finally settled in their seats, they revelled in the fact they had arrived before their teacher. "Could you imagine how unbearable Gaius would be if we were late to his lecture again!" Arthur whispered.
"I imagine it would be something like this Mr Pendragon, and may I add what a pleasure it is that you could finally join us," said a voice from just behind Arthur's ear. Arthur froze, before turning around to face the elderly professor, wincing when he saw the dreaded raised eyebrow on his face. Merlin laughed at the sheer look of dread on his friend's face, with some of the other students joining in.
"I'm glad you find this amusing Mr Holmes, I presume I can begin my lecture now that you are quite comfortable."
"Sure, go ahead Uncle Gaius," Merlin answered cheekily, not looking bashful in the slightest for his answer. His uncle sighed at his nephew's blatant cheek, before walking to the centre of the lecture hall.
"Right then, now that all of us are settled," he gave a pointed look in Arthur and Merlin's direction before continuing, "Perhaps we should begin our lecture. Today we will be delving deeper into the Arthurian legends." He ignored the groans coming from Arthur and Merlin, as well as the snickers from their classmates. "We will be comparing how the legends relate to what records we have of famous Arthurs throughout history," Merlin snickered at that, punching his friend's shoulder, who was currently burying his face into the palms of his hands, "And by the end of the week I expect all of you to have written a two thousand word essay on your findings." There were more than just the two groans about that statement. "Now, Arthurian legend states that..."
Merlin zoned out of the lecture, already knowing all about the Arthurian legends. Honestly, what was his mother thinking when she thought of that name. And his brothers thought their names were bad, try living with one related to an ancient warlock. Speaking of his brothers.
Merlin sighed. Although Mycroft kept constant tabs on him, Merlin secretly believed that it was more for his mother's sake than his, and his other brother Sherlock was dead. He was distraught when Sherlock had died, he'd been fifteen at the time and had taken the news very badly, as would any child.
Although Merlin had only been seven when Sherlock had moved out, declaring life in the Holmes house was 'boring', he had been much closer to Merlin than Merlin was to Mycroft. Then, when John Watson had begun writing a blog about the consulting detective who outwitted police and solved the most unusual of crimes five years after Sherlock had left, Merlin was in even more admiration of his brother. But when Sherlock died, that all fell apart.
Merlin had gone down a route of drinking in the park and picking fights, before it had all become too much and had been about to jump off the top of his school, when suddenly he saw a man stood below that looked exactly like Sherlock, who shook his head and mouthed 'No.' It was at that point that Merlin realised wasting his life away wouldn't bring Sherlock back, and so he had instead buried himself in academics and got top grades in all his GCSE's and A-Levels a year early, before securing a place at a prestigious university, with some help from his favourite uncle and his stellar results.
"Excuse me Sir but can I help you?"
Gaius' polite but firm question jolted Merlin out of his stupor. There was now a man stood in the middle of the room, dressed in what Arthur would refer to as a 'men in black' suit and tie. He was holding a Blackberry phone in one hand, the red light on it persistently flashing.
"I need to have a word with," he said, pausing to look down at his phone, "A Mr Holmes, first name Merlin." He looked up, and caught sight of the raven haired boy. "If you could come with me," he asked, although his tone suggested refusing was not an option.
Confused, Merlin looked at Gaius, who gave a slight shake to show that he didn't want Merlin leaving with the strange man, and looking to his left he could see Arthur did not look sure of the man either.
"May I inquire as to why you wish to take away my student?" Gaius asked, looking suspiciously at the man and pondering whether to call the university's security.
"I'm afraid that the matter is private business."
Business.
Suddenly it clicked with Merlin. "Tell Mycroft if he wants me he'll have to wait until after class," Merlin said, which eased both Gaius and Arthur now that they understood the situation.
"I'm afraid Mycroft doesn't want to he kept waiting," the man replied, and with that he walked over to where the teenager was sat, before grabbing him and carrying him out of the room.
"Hey, let me go! You can't do this! It's against the law!" Merlin yelled as the man strolled out of the room as though Merlin weighted no more than a feather.
"You should know by now Merlin that your brother is the law," said a voice just out of Merlin's vision but he'd recognise it anywhere.
"Anthea, tell this lug to put me down, right now!" Merlin screeched, drawing attention from several students wandering the campus.
"I'm afraid I can't do that, you see Mycroft specifically gave me orders not to give you any chance of escape," she replied smugly, provoking a hiss of anger from Merlin.
"Put him down," a new voice said, and Merlin groaned as the world stunned with the movement of Mycroft's henchman. And on top of that, Arthur had gotten himself involved. Just great.
"I'm afraid I can't do that, now scram," the man replied, tightening his grip painfully on Merlin, causing him to yelp.
"I said put him down!" Arthur yelled, running at the man with his fist outstretched. Unfortunately for Arthur, the man simply lifted one of his own meaty paws, and gave Arthur a quick right hook that knocked him out cold.
"Great, now we'll have to take him too, nice going," Anthea sighed, pressing her fingers against her forehead.
"What, no!" Merlin yelled, but it was no use, the man merely adjusted Merlin's weight into one arm, before picking up Arthur and putting them both in the car. Anthea slid in afterwards.
The car journey was mostly spent in silence, with Merlin trying to figure out ways to free both himself and Arthur from their captives.
Suddenly, two things happened. One, the car jolted to a halt, and two, the motion caused Arthur to wake up, looking very confused.
"Wass happened?" he groggily asked, before the door swung open and the bodyguard appeared again.
"We have arrive," he stated bluntly.
"I'll help this one, you focus on that one," Anthea said, pointing him towards Merlin.
"Hey, wait!" Merlin protested, before he was once again lifted. "Put me down! I have legs! I swear I'm going to kill Mikey when I see him!"
He was carried into a large country club, one of Mycroft's many favourites. Within minutes, they were inside, and Merlin could hear the sound of Mycroft growing louder. He bit the wrist of the man holding him, before turning to yell at his brother.
"What the hell Mikey, I was in the middle of a lecture when this clotpole grabs me and kidnapped me, plus he knocked out Arthur which meant he came along too! If you wanted to talk to me couldn't you just have called? And -Sherly?"
Suddenly the world stopped for Merlin. Because there was no way that Sherlock Holmes was stood before him. Because Sherlock was dead! Wasn't he?
"Sherlock? But how- you were dead? But you are dead! I saw you die! You did die! I-"
Merlin's head began pounding with each word, as well as his heart thumping at a speed unknown to man. His chest felt clammy and he couldn't breathe. Because Sherlock couldn't be alive.
There was really only one sensible thing to do.
He fainted.
I hope you enjoyed Chapter 2 so read and review! Now I'm in the process of writing Chapter 7, and I can tell you now the story is going to be longer than I had originally anticipated, so it's looking now to be about 10 chapters long. Therefore, if there are any characters from either genre you would like to see in this, feel free to let me know, and I'll consider it! There is only one character I won't be adding, and that's Molly, due to a concept I am toying around with as part of a sequel (I know, getting ahead of myself here) :) Also I I'd like to thank my awesome new beta Abbyembers for betaing chapters 1 and 2.
Finally I'd like to thank Jules.a, Abbyembers, gucia, aurora-dawn69, Lady Ningrum, Lianarias, Merthur1, Guest, Mergana Pendragon, Justanotherfanagain, Sahba and superwholockvengerson- serinity for reviewing. And to all my followers and favouriters, thanks you too! See you next week with Chapter 3 and virtual cookies to anyone who reviews (and yes I am bribing you)!