See Chapter 1 for warnings & info
The sun was bright in the crisp autumn morning. Gaius, as usual, had been up as dawn broke busying himself amongst potions and prescriptions waiting to be filled. He decided that the sleeping drought he'd given to Merlin had done its job too well, and the physician moved into the other room to wake the slumbering warlock. "Merlin?" Gaius shook his gently. "You'd best be up before the prince starts looking for you."
"Right." Merlin got up with a bit more pleasure than usual. He wanted to see Arthur again. The novelty of simply seeing the prince would wear off to some extent soon enough and Merlin would groan at the idea of polishing armor for an hour again, but for the time being, he was happy. The sorcerer fairly glowed with the thrill of having a sense of purpose again as he got ready for the day and set himself to rights. Gaius again seemed happy that his wound continued to improve and that only added to the silent list Merlin was making of reasons he was enjoying the day.
By the time he was rushing out into the courtyard to get Arthur's horse ready for its customary morning ride, there was a smile on his face and a spring in his step. He paused at the sight of Robert just outside the stables with his own horse. Overcoming a momentary bout of hesitation about what Arthur would say if he saw them together - it wasn't *alone*, really, in such a public place - Merlin offered the man a smile. "Beautiful morning."
"Indeed it is," Robert returned Merlin's smile with a warm, welcoming grin of his own. "It seemed a shame not to seize the day." He patted his horse, Alys, and lead the beautiful chestnut mare out of the stables. When Robert glanced back at Merlin, he caught a brief flash of gold at his neck and took the liberty to conceal the chain beneath the boy's shirt. "Did you rest well, Merlin?" he asked, marveling at how lovely the servant appeared in the light streaming through the trees.
"Yes, I did... thank you, Sir," Merlin answered. Though he considered a less formal tone, they were out where anyone could hear. The last thing he needed was someone going back to Uther with stories about him being too familiar with the guests. "My shoulder's feeling a lot better. Even up to getting Arthur's horse ready," he added with pride, one hand resting briefly on the horse's neck before he went back to settling the saddle properly. "Stupid being excited about it, but it's nice being out of bed."
Robert really did not want to imagine Merlin in bed, otherwise he might have lost all self control and made a move on the temptation standing before him. "Yes, well," he was suddenly flustered, "you take care not to injure yourself." Having been in Merlin's presence far too long than was beneficial to keeping himself together, Robert wished him a "good morning" and then climbed atop his horse.
Arthur was striding across the courtyard, fairly seething at the scene he'd witnessed. His jaw set, his whole body tense, he approached Merlin, and without so much as a welcome said angrily, "I thought I told you to stay away from him."
Merlin looked guilty for only a moment before his lips set in a thin line. "I was getting your horse ready, *Sire*, and I couldn't exactly throw out one of the king's guests because you don't like him." If Arthur wanted to pick a fight with Uther, he'd have to do it himself. He'd come close enough as it was to feeling the king's wrath a time or two. Merlin wasn't the least bit anxious to explore what it might be like to have him even more upset. Taking a deep breath, Merlin added in a more even tone, "I didn't know he'd be here."
Arthur was being completely unreasonable, and he knew it. What he should have done was swallow his pride and offer Merlin an apology, but finding Sir Robert and Merlin together blinded him with something more than simple anger. Arthur opened his mouth to admit to overreacting, only to close it again when he noticed the golden chain peeking out from Merlin's shirt. He reached out and fingered it, echoing Sir Robert's earlier actions. "Did he give you this?" Arthur pulled the locket free, recognizing it as belonging to the former knight. "He did, didn't he?"
Fear made Merlin feel lightheaded, and he knew he probably looked like a rabbit staring down a wolf. "Um." After that first genius reaction, he managed, "No. I mean, yes. But it was just a token of thanks for my looking after him," he hurriedly added. If Arthur were to open the locket, to see the picture... there was no way to explain that. Arthur would be furious. He'd probably be dismissed - if he was lucky. The plethora of terrible things that could happen made Merlin's heart pound and his head swim, and he honestly felt as if he might pass out if he weren't willing himself to stand his ground.
"And you're wearing it?" Arthur couldn't believe it. He'd ordered Merlin to stay away from Sir Robert, and come to find out he'd not only accepted a gift from the older man but he was wearing it too. Furious and barely containing himself, the prince released the chain and rounded on Merlin. "Why do I even bother giving you instructions if you're not going to obey them? Do you honestly think Sir Robert gave you that out of the kindness of his heart? He has other motives, Merlin, or can't you see that?"
Merlin was nearly in tears, and he felt doubly foolish because of it. He should have been angry and shouting in return. That would have been normal. Instead the young man stood with his head hanging, unable to look up into Arthur's face. The prince hadn't seen the picture, but Merlin wasn't sure for the moment if the man's anger was any more comforting. "Sire, I honestly..." Merlin took a breath to remove the quiver from his voice and finally looked up, shoulders squared. He'd managed to blink away the tears and hoped he appeared at least marginally more confident. "I don't know what his motives are, Sire, but I appreciate that he's kind to me." That was the truth of the matter whatever other complicated feelings might be woven into it all. The words sounded a touch accusatory, but Merlin wouldn't apologize for that. Why shouldn't he spend time with Sir Robert if the man was willing to give him a bit of attention, a few kind words? Where was the harm in it?
Arthur's anger had pushed him too far if the pain in Merlin's eyes was any indication. Even as he tried to calm himself and behave more rationally, his repressed feelings only caused the prince to boil over that much more. Words poured out of him that he did not mean, and before he realized what he had said, it was too late to take them back. "If you appreciate his kindness so much, if you're so willing to ignore my wishes, then maybe you should indenture yourself to Sir Robert instead!"
The words went through Merlin with more force than the arrow. He felt an ache at once that had nothing at all to do with the healing wound at his shoulder. "Perhaps I should, Sire," he snapped in return, though the tears were already spilling over onto his cheeks and somewhat spoiled the effect of his righteous anger. Merlin turned on his heel and stalked off without any idea of where he was going. He stumbled through the crowds on his way to the gate without stopping to acknowledge a single person. He was crying openly but quietly, planting one foot resolutely in front of the other. It didn't matter where he ended up, it just needed to be away from people, away from Arthur.