See Chapter 1 for info & warnings
Over time, Julien resorted to using the drugs less and less often. His newest acquisition was surprisingly docile. Merlin had considered running away at first, but he had nowhere to go. Returning to Robert would put the former knight's life in danger. He refused to do that. Arthur had been very clear about not wanting him anymore, and Merlin knew that he could never face his mother after all that had happened. Instead he resigned himself and sat at Julian's feet like the pretty toy that the man wanted.
Resigned was perhaps too simple a description. Though Merlin was uncomfortable with the idea of being anyone's sex slave, the conditioning worked none the less. When Julian purred his name or beckoned the sorcerer into his bed, Merlin hardened on cue. He felt nothing for Julian emotionally, but his body craved the man's touch as fervently as he had ever craved anything.
After a quiet meal in his own room, Merlin waited, wondering if his master would have need of him for the night.
Julian clutched the invitation in one hand as he made his way to the rather luxurious quarters he had had allocated for Merlin. If he accepted-and the boy had no other choice but to do so-it would make for an interesting trip. Especially as there were all sorts of implements that could be bought in the seedier back alleys of the kingdom. "It's about time I showed you off," Julian declared as he stepped inside Merlin's room. "How do you feel about a little trip?"
Merlin didn't bother to hide his uncertainty. While he didn't mind, exactly, he
was hesitant to agree without knowing what would be expected of him. "It...
might be nice, Sir," he finally allowed after a long pause. The decision wasn't
up to him in any case, and Merlin wondered just what his master had in mind for
them.
Merlin truly had no choice in the matter, but Julian was pleased his prized
acquisition was willing to go along with him. "We shall be attending a wedding,"
he informed Merlin, shifting closer to the beautiful boy whose presence drew him
in. "A royal wedding, in fact. Truthfully, I care little for such affairs. But,
it gives me an excuse to attend to some business in Camelot."
Merlin's gaze raised immediately at the word. He paled visibly. "Camelot?" Had
Uther finally found some girl foolish enough to fill the shoes that the queen
had left vacant? The alternative filled him with such pain that Merlin felt ill
at the very thought. He couldn't have. Arthur had done him a terrible wrong, but
surely the prince couldn't have moved on so quickly and thoroughly. He just
couldn't.
Having noted the effect mentioning Camelot had had on Merlin, Julian's curiosity
was well and truly aroused. "Do that name mean something to you, my pet?" the
older man purred, stroking a finger along Merlin's jawline. "Is that your home?"
If so, then it would make a very interesting trip for them indeed.
Merlin swallowed hard and allowed, "It was once." He could see from the
expression on Julian's handsome face that the man was intrigued by the idea, not
sympathetic. "Sir, I can't go back there. I would be arrested or worse." Julian
was not a man who appreciated losing his investments, and Merlin prayed that the
new tactic would prove somewhat more successful in dissuading him.
Julian quirked an eyebrow at Merlin, realization dawning. "Oh, so that's what's
worrying you?" He caressed the boy's cheek as if to soothe his troubles away,
assuring him, "You have nothing to fear. Even if you were to go to the nearest
soldier and turn yourself, there is absolutely nothing they could do. You are in
my province and fall under my jurisdiction now." Julian brushed his lips close
to Merlin's ear, adding, "And I'm not about to let you go.
Merlin let his eyes fall closed and nodded. It wasn't his only fear, really, but
he couldn't voice his true concerns. Julian already knew most of his secrets.
There was no reason for him to know Arthur's as well. "I trust you, master." And
he did as far as it went. Merlin knew that if Julian promised to keep him safe,
the man would follow through on the promise. He just wished that he could stay
as far as humanly possible away from Camelot instead. The last thing in the
world that Merlin wanted was to watch Arthur moving on while his own heart was
still broken.
"That's good," Julian purred, clearly pleased. "Stay close to me, and you will
have nothing to fear." He continued to stroke and pet Merlin, unable to draw
away from the boy's magnetic presence. "Now, we really must do something about
your clothes. If we're to attend a royal wedding, then you must look smart on my
arm."
Merlin forced a smile. The last thing he wanted was for Julian to know the real
reason that he felt sick at the thought of Camelot - let alone the idea of
seeing Arthur married. "Of course, Master." Though Merlin didn't care a great
deal what he wore, he hoped that it might include something a little more modest
than his usual attire. The whole thing would be mortifying enough without Gaius
and everyone else seeing him dressing as well as acting the part of Julian's
personal whore.
Having sent out for a resplendent wardrobe for Merlin, Julian arranged for a
carriage to drive them across the land toward Camelot. The ride would be long
and they would have to stop over for a few nights, but that only meant that
Julian could toy with his pretty plaything. As the countryside passed by, he
reached over and dragged Merlin into his lap. "Are you still worried?" he asked
huskily, nuzzling the boy's ear.
"A bit," Merlin confessed, resting his head on Julian's shoulder. Though there
was no illusion of real feeling between them, he found the straightforward
nature of their relationship somehow comforting. "When we're closer to the
city... while we're there, I mean... I'd like to take something. Something like
you gave me when I first came." Since he became accustomed to his new station,
there had been no real need for the drugs that dampened his senses and his
magic. But with the threat of Camelot looming larger... "I just want to be sure
that... that I can keep control."
"You have nothing to fear," Julian assured him, caressing Merlin's thigh with a
chaste touch. "Your... special talents have been suppressed ever since you first
came to me. A little something in your food and drink." He smiled as his fingers
hovered dangerously close to the leather strips tying Merlin's trousers
together. "Perhaps I should have kept that a secret? Oh well, there's no harm in
you knowing..." Julian paused, his tone seductive as he added, "Not when you
belong to me, right?"
Merlin felt a flash of annoyance. His head had felt so much clearer that he
hadn't even realized his master was still keeping him on a leash. "No harm," he
echoed dully. At least it meant that he would have no trouble in Camelot with
his magic. It was a small worry to cross off the list but an important one.
Angry and hurt as he was, Merlin had no real desire to hurt anyone, to do
anything at all but survive the experience and be gone again as quickly as
possible.
While his fingers hovered at Merlin's groin, Julian shifted with the boy's
weight resting on his lap and made a soft, placating sound. "Now, now-you
mustn't be angry with me, pretty. If I hadn't kept you drugged, then we both
know you would have used your talents to escape. And-" Julian paused, giving in
to the irresistible temptation to molest the boy. "-I'm not about to let you
go." His digits made swift work of the leather binding Merlin's trousers
together, and the older man's hand disappeared inside the fabric and closed
around the prize he'd been searching for.
At least some of Merlin's annoyance ebbed at the insistent touch of the man's
hand. Whether he cared for Julian or not, the man knew how to press all the
right buttons. A soft sound of pleasure escaped the sorcerer almost at once, and
he buried his face against Julian's neck once again. "Yes..." In the man's warm
hand, his cock began to fill and swell at the memory of what Julian had done to
leave him gasping the night before.
Julian purred with delight as Merlin melted into his touch. As the carriage
jostled their bodies together, it proved the perfect opportunity to indulge his
deepest, darkest desires on the beautiful bundle in his lap. He was already
achingly hard by this point, and Julian marveled over how it would take very
little friction on Merlin's part to bring him off.
Merlin gasped as a particularly rough jolt accentuated the grip that Julian had
on his hardening cock. Beneath him, he could feel Julian, just and hard and
ready throbbing beneath his trousers. It was easier to indulge than to think
about all that had gone wrong - and all that still could once they got to
Camelot - so Merlin turned his head and found his master's lips. He hoped that
he could remember their surroundings enough to stay quiet. The driver might
suspect precisely what they were up to, but it was embarrassing to think of
being too obvious about the fact.
Merlin's lips tasted sweeter than sugar, and Julian's ravenous desire for the
younger man rose that much higher. He was painfully hard as Merlin's lovely
bottom jostled in his lap; his rigid length flexing within the tight confines of
his trousers. "Do you feel what... you do to me...?" Julian panted, openly
stroking Merlin's impossibly long, slender cock. "We've barely... scratched the
surface... you and I..." He nipped at the boy's bottom lip, adding, "So many...
things... I'm going to do to you..."
While he knew that it would never be the same as being with Arthur, that
touching Julian would never set him on fire the same way, Merlin still relished
the distraction. He hated himself for it at times, but he needed to be lost in
the other man's body. "Show me," Merlin pleaded quietly against his master's
lips. He usually remembered to call the man "sir" or "master," but it was
difficult to remember propriety when all the blood in his body happened to be
pooling below the belt. "Please..."
How could anyone ever deny such sweetness? Julian certainly could not, and with
a kiss that left him breathless, he was pushing Merlin over onto the opposite
carriage bench. "On your knees," he ordered between panting breaths. Julian's
eyes were murky with sexual hunger, and he dove forward and wrenched at Merlin's
trousers, tugging them down and exposing that succulent ass. "You'll be
surprised at how good I can make you feel, Merlin..." Julian knelt before the
boy's backside, reaching out and caressing the irresistible moons. He spread
them apart, leaning forward and flicking his tongue across Merlin's perfect
little rosebud.
Merlin gasped at the contact and his nails scrabbled against the leather of the
seat in front of him. Something told him he really wouldn't be surprised. Julian
knew how to play a man's body the way a musician could coax beautiful notes out
of an instrument. Even knowing that he was being played, Merlin could do little
but enjoy it. "Yes... yes, master..." The word felt strange on his tongue still,
but he knew how it inflamed Julian at the right moment.
One tiny flick of his tongue and Julian not only had Merlin quivering, but also
submitting for more. "Feels good, doesn't it?" he purred, his breath gusting out
and teasing the boy's delicious little opening. "It's going to get even better,
I promise..." Manhandling Merlin's gorgeous ass, Julian spread the firm cheeks
even wider and buried his face between them. His tongue swirled and probed,
tasting and devouring.
The young man gasped and squeezed his eyes shut as Julian devoured him. "That...
is... better..." he managed between broken gasps. In fact, it was absolutely
brilliant. Whether it was the drugs in his system or entirely to what Julian was
doing to him, Merlin was doing anything but think. All he could do was remember
to breathe as the man played his body like an instrument. "Ah... master...
m-more!"
Julian went wild, mauling Merlin's firm ass with his powerful hands while twisting his tongue deep inside the boy's delicious opening. With each twitch of that supple ring, Julian could feel the pleasure singing through Merlin and groaned at the thought of his slave's cock spasming and weeping between his quivering thighs. He was aching himself, and he knew it wouldn't be long before he would have sink himself inside of that warm, inviting space.
Merlin knew that Julian felt nothing for him beyond the physical, and yet somehow the man was willing to do things to and with him that Merlin wondered if Arthur ever would have considered. The prince had desired him for a moment, yes, but he'd run just as quickly. Julian returned to his bed night after night and continually found new ways to make him moan and beg. The feeling of the man's tongue plunging inside him reminded Merlin vividly of how good it felt to be forced open by Julian's thick cock, to cum with his master buried inside him.
Dangerously close to spilling himself from the act of pleasuring Merlin alone, Julian was once again struck by the potent effect the beautiful boy writhing before him had on his senses. He drew back, but not before giving Merlin's delectable ass a playful nip. "We can't have you losing yourself too soon now, can we?" the older man gasped, unable to hide his deep need for his slave. He reached with trembling fingers into his coat pocket and produced a vial of an amber-colored oil. Julian leaned in close as he pressed the item into Merlin's hand. "Use this on me," came his whispered ordered, "and get me ready to take you..."
Merlin was loathe to suffer the separation, and though he knew that his heart pounded and his cock throbbed thanks in part to the drugs and not entirely his own desire, it didn't matter. He wanted Julien so fiercely that he would have allowed nothing to stop them both from getting what they needed. "Yes... yes, sir," he murmured almost absently while hurriedly and somewhat awkwardly slicking his hand so that he could stroke the pulsating column of his master's cock. The oil smelled of potent spices and the heady scent left Merlin feeling even more than he was caught in a strange dream instead of a swaying and bucking carriage.
Julian shivered and hissed out his pleasure with each caress of Merlin's hand on his aching cock. His swollen length twitched and jerked, the tip flaring and oozing with glistening fuck-honey. He thrust shallowly into Merlin's welcome grasp, reaching down to stroke his fingers across the boy's beautifully flushed cheek. "You want this, don't you? You crave it more than anything, I know you do..." Julian whispered, closing his eyes and relishing the wonderful feelings sweeping over him.
"Yes... yes... master," Merlin managed, just barely remembering the honorific at the last moment. He couldn't really think while contemplating how good it was going to feel when Julian was thrusting into something other than his hand. Shivering, he gripped the man harder as if that might somehow inspire him to hurry things along and take him the way he longed to be taken.
Desire ravaging his senses, Julian tugged himself free of Merlin's grasp and
promptly tugged the boy into his lap. His length trapped between Merlin's
perfect ass cheeks, the older man groaned as he devoured that lovely mouth. With
a forceful thrust Julian was pushing his way inside his slave's eager bottom.
"Ohhhhhhh..." He moaned against Merlin's lips, shivering all over with
pleasure.
Merlin cried out, uncaring in that moment whether the driver heard or not. He
just needed Julian to take him and make him forget where they were going or what
might happen when they arrived. He began to move as much as Julian's grip would
allow. If Julian didn't like it, after all, the man would say as much or simply
take what he actually wanted. In the meantime, Merlin intended to enjoy every
last movement, every last inch of Julian's cock that he could fit inside.
Julian had never enjoyed a slave as much as he did Merlin. His large hands closed over the boy's quivering thighs, lifting him effortlessly up and down, impaling him mercilessly on his swollen length. He could barely control himself, wanting to give as much pleasure as he was receiving. "What... is it... about you?" Julian panted, his mouth roaming over one of Merlin's ears. "I can't... get enough... of you..."
Oddly Merlin didn't want him to. He didn't want to be put aside. He knew that if he wasn't the focus of Julian's aggressive passion he'd have nothing but time to think about everything that he'd lost and how far away he really was from home whether they were going back to Camelot or not. Instead he wanted to be lost in pleasure, in the drugs that Julian had been slipping him. There was safety in that oblivion, and Merlin clung to it desperately as he did everything he could to aide in Julian's efforts.
Julian gripped Merlin that much tighter as he plowed brutally into his slave's supple body. Uncaring of the marks and bruises he might leave behind, the nobleman barely allowed Merlin to catch his breath as he recaptured the boy's mouth and plunged his tongue deep inside. The carriage rocked along the road, crushing Julian and Merlin together, their combined flesh flushed and glistening with exertion. His free hand itching to fill itself with more of the beautiful boy writhing against him, Julian reached for Merlin's straining length, masterfully stroking him in time with his thrusts.
Merlin whimpered at the touch, at the way the carriage itself seemed intent on making the experience all the more intense. "Please... Master, please, may I...?" He'd learned from experience that his master didn't always appreciate it when he came without the action being cleared and approved beforehand. Holding back when it all felt so good was one of the hardest things he'd ever done. His whole body seemed to reverberate with the force of each delicious thrust and the force of his master's thick cock tearing him open.
It pleased Julian more than he dared to express over Merlin's easy acceptance of his mastery. He recaptured that luscious, panting mouth once more before whispering his acquiescence, "Of course you can, pet... and when you cum, I want you to scream... scream my name..." Julian, close to the edge himself, thrust even harder, faster in an effort to force his pretty slave into losing himself completely. He was determined to feel Merlin's climactic release before he'd allowed himself to follow.
It was good thing that the man had specified the last. At times Merlin still found it difficult to remember who he was screaming for. Try as he might to get Arthur out of his mind and out of his blood, the prince was rooted there too firmly still. At times he had to bite his lip to keep from crying out Arthur's name. A whimper escaped the sorcerer as he arched against Julian's muscular form, and the sound turned into a moan that sounded very much like his master's name. Despite his thoughts of Arthur, Merlin's body had no such reservations, and his legs locked tightly around the older man as he rode out the climax.
Of all the slaves Julian had owned he had never experienced one as intoxicating as Merlin. Not only was the boy luminous in his beauty, but he also exuded an innocent sensuality that fairly demanded to be exploited. And as Merlin writhed and moaned in ecstasy, Julian drank in each and every one of the sorcerer's reactions. "That's it," he hissed, trembling as Merlin's body flared around him. "Cum for me... only for me..." The pleasure far too great, Julian erupted without warning, filling Merlin deeply with his seed.
That was true enough. Only Julian could give him release... though that had less to do with his attraction to the man and more to do with Julian's complete control over his situation. Merlin let that slide, let the thought of it slip from his mind so that he didn't have to do anything but savor the aftermath. As his breathing slowed, Merlin found his unease creeping in once more. Soon they would be in Camelot. Soon he would see Arthur again, for better or for worse.
As Julian's senses returned, he lifted Merlin from his lap with a deep groan and laid him down on the carriage's plush bench seat. He was all over the sated boy in the next instant, kissing, licking nibbling every inch of his sensitive body. Taking Merlin's spent length into his mouth, Julian nursed until every inch of that velvety flesh was clean. Smiling wolfishly, he crawled back up to his slave's panting mouth and, kissing him soundly, murmured, "I have so many dirty things planned for you once we reach Camelot."
Despite having been breathless with pleasure only a moment before, the words still made Merlin flinch. The idea of seeing everyone again but being so much less, so obviously fallen, was enough to hurt even Merlin's small store of pride. "Yes, Sir," he murmured under his breath, unable to muster any more enthusiasm than that. In a small voice, he ventured, "Are we close?" After he'd been taken, Merlin lost all sense of how far or fast he'd traveled.
Julian's brow furrowed as he peered curiously at Merlin. "Are you really that concerned about Camelot?" he wondered, tracing the boy's jawline with elegant fingers. "You needn't be. Whatever might have happened there, you are mine now and no one can touch you." He nuzzled beneath Merlin's chin, lapping at the boy's passion-marked throat as the carriage continued to jostle them along closer and closer to their destination.
Merlin had no idea how to explain it. He wasn't worried about the touching, he was worried about the seeing, worried about simply being in the same place as Arthur. The idea of it made his stomach twist. And what would Gaius think? The young man gave a shake of his head without being sure at all of how he was going to explain himself. "It's... complicated, sir," he finally ventured.
Julian considered that, and then replied, "I still say you have nothing to worry that pretty little head of yours about." His hands were one more roaming all over Merlin's naked body, caressing him possessively. "We shall return home after the wedding, I promise. Until then, enjoy yourself with me. When you're screaming my name again, it will make you forget everything." His lips seeking out Merlin's, Julian kissed him hungrily as the carriage entered the environs of Camelot.
Merlin hoped that was true, but he doubted it. No amount of drugs or sexual persuasion could make going back to Camelot any easier. When their lips parted, Merlin chanced a glance out of the window and was horrified to realize that he recognized their surroundings very well. He looked very nearly panicked for a moment before trying to get himself under control. They were almost to the castle, and it would hardly make him feel better about it to hyperventilate and pass out.
As the carriage traveled closer to the magnificent castle, Julian redressed and then helped Merlin back into his own clothes. Of course they both appeared completely wanton and the scent of sex covered them. However, Julian wore both with pride. On each and every trip to Camelot he had paraded his pretty slaves around the Kingdom unashamed. He and his old friend Uther had even enjoyed trading servants for the night... Glancing out of one of the carriage windows, Julian smiled at the sight which greeted them and he gave Merlin a gentle nudge. "Uther has sent us a welcoming committee."
Merlin felt his heart sink, and he responded by drawing further back into his seat as if being out of view of the window would somehow hide him from what was to come. He felt hopeful that Arthur would be too busy to be part of the welcoming committee - prayed that he would be - but that didn't mean that Gaius or Morgana or Gwen might not be among those assembled. And if Uther was as good a friend as Julian said, perhaps it didn't even excuse the prince. Only pressing his lips firmly closed kept Merlin from actually whimpering at the thought. He jumped when the carriage stopped and the footman opened the door to their greeters.
As Julian stepped from the carriage with Merlin in tow, he immediately noticed the glances of surprise from many of the servants as they made their inside the castle. /So, he is known well here.../ He took Merlin by the arm, keeping a firm but gentle grip as they were escorted to the guest room that had been prepared. "There, you see, nothing untoward has happened," Julian said, turning to kiss his lovely slave's lips. "Why don't we both have a bath before the King receives us?"
Merlin wondered what the man would say if he said no. Deciding it really wasn't the time to test the waters no matter how he felt, Merlin simply nodded. He could feel the eyes of the other servants. He knew many of them well, and the judgment in their faces was easy to read. They looked at him as less than - and why wouldn't they? They were servants, but he was something far lower. "When the King receives us," Merlin finally ventured, needing to know just how bad it would be, "will the Prince be there as well?"
Julian arched a quizzical brow. "I honestly have no idea," he replied, peeling off his coat and shirt. The nobleman continued to gaze at Merlin, taking a step closer and resting his hands on his slave's slender hips. "Tell me: is that what has really been troubling you? The prince?" Julian realized how little he knew of Merlin's relationship with Camelot. He had only assumed the boy was on the run due to his powers. "Is there something I should know? About you and Arthur?"
Merlin debated about how much he should reveal but finally decided that it would do no real harm to tell most of the truth. "I suppose. Yes, sir. I was... I was Arthur's servant and the assistant to the court physician," he explained as calmly as possible. "The prince and I were... friends." That was mostly the truth. Certainly if Arthur had thought of him as honestly more than that - or even really as a friend - things would have ended quite differently. "There was a misunderstanding and I was... I left with a friend of the king's to work at his court. We were attacked in an inn, and that's when I used my power."
Now Julian understood more clearly. Having never allowed himself to develop feelings for his slaves other than desire, it therefore surprised the nobleman to find himself genuinely concerned for Merlin. He reached up and stroked a thumb over one of the boy's chiseled cheekbones. "If this is too painful for you, we can always leave," he offered, searching Merlin's eyes. It would be easy to make up an excuse and return home. "No one would dare touch you, I promise that. Uther might rant and make proclamations, but he has no power now that you belong to me."
For a moment Merlin was taken aback by how kind the man was being. He could leave, go back to Julian's household, and never see Arthur again. It was that moment when Merlin realized that he didn't want that, not exactly. If he could only see Arthur one more time, even if it was at the prince's wedding, he wanted to take the chance. Holding fast to that idea even though it hurt, Merlin gave a slight shake of his head. "No, there's no need to leave. You... you should pay your respects, sir. I'm fine."
Julian was highly skeptical of that. Seeing Merlin in such an agitated state continued to worry him. Not only that, but the boy would never be able to fully let himself go and surrender to the pleasure Julian ached to give him. "As soon as we've bathed and we're properly attired, I think we should see the King," the older man decided. "Once that is over, perhaps things will be easier for you?" Taking Merlin by the hand, Julian led him into another room where servants had already filled an enormous tub with steaming water. He finished undressing, and then aided Merlin in peeling off his clothing.
Merlin wasn't sure that Julian was right, but he agreed just the same and followed the man into the room. The truth was that the bath looked heavenly. He was still sticky from their romp in the carriage and dusty from the road. When they sank beneath the hot water together, Merlin let out a sigh. It actually did take some of the edge off of his nerves even though the sorcerer knew it was only temporary. "Thank you, sir," he said automatically, reaching for a cloth to begin washing his master.
"Mmm, how is it you always feel so good?" Julian murmured close to Merlin's ear, drawing him back into his body. "You're much too beautiful, too perfect... I could spend the rest of my life ravishing you and still never get enough." He meant every word, and it startled the nobleman to confess such a thing. As badly as he ached to take Merlin again, to bend him over the side of the tub and slide into the welcoming heat of his body, there simply was no time to indulge. "Tonight we shall go to a special little shop I know of," he promised. "They have all sorts of... interesting things. You will love it."
Merlin wasn't so sure, but he nodded just the same. "Yes, master," he agreed readily enough as they washed one another. Though Julian was obviously aroused, it said something about his respect for Uther that the man wasn't suggesting they do anything but finish washing. /How close are they?/ he wondered. Apparently Julian was either truly a good friend of the king's or he was working hard to curry favor by rushing to the rendezvous. Time would tell which it was. "Shall I dry you, sir?"
"Please," Julian replied, with a gentle nod of his head. He loved the sensation of Merlin's hands on his body, even if they were obscured by a towel. He watched his slave carefully; the bath seemed to benefited Merlin, who appeared to be a little more relaxed. Julian decided there was simply no need in mentioning his and Uther's habit of trading slaves during his visits. After all, he seriously doubted his old friend would have any use whatsoever for the boy. So, there would be no point in adding another worry on Merlin's head. He smiled warmly as Merlin finished his work. "Now, it's my turn," Julian said, taking the towel and letting it roam all over the younger man's body.
Merlin sighed and let his eyes fall closed as the man dried him off. Julian was rarely so indulgent, and he appreciated that the man actually seemed to be trying to ease his nerves. It was strange being cared for by someone who openly viewed him as property, but Merlin accepted the gesture just the same. What more could he do? His lot in life was set now. He could fight it or try to find what pleasures he could until Julian tired of him. "Thank you, sir," he added as the man stepped away again. Merlin felt rejuvenated after the bath. "What would you like me to wear for the meeting?" The more covered he could be the better he would feel, but Merlin knew well that Julian enjoyed showing off his purchases, so he doubted much modesty would be allowed.
Under normal circumstances Julian would have wished for Merlin to be dressed in next-to-nothing. He loved parading his acquisitions for all to see, and Merlin happened to be his most treasured prize. However, indulging himself was out of the question what with the boy's current worries. He would dress Merlin accordingly, making him as comfortable as possible. "Let us select something appropriate, shall we?"
Moving back into the bedchamber, Julian perused the clothing he had brought along in trunks. "Now, I think this would be nice," he decided as he lifted out a ruffled white shirt, a pair of brown breeches and a red coat. "Yes, indeed. You will look quite the young gentleman in this."
Merlin was not just surprised but actually shocked by the choice... and pleased. "Thank you, sir." The gratitude in Merlin's voice was genuine, and he dressed feeling far better about the whole thing. At least he wouldn't be facing Uther with more skin exposed than he cared for the man to see. That was a small favor but a favor none-the-less. He took care to look as polished as possible, wanting to show himself off the best he could manage to do justice to Julian's kindness, and finally joined his master by the door.
Julian escorted Merlin from the room and down the hall toward the royal audience
chamber. He proudly strutted along with his beautiful prize on his arm, uncaring
what Uther's reaction might be. When they reached the doors, Julian leaned in
close to whisper a word of encouragement to Merlin. "Take a deep breath, and
think of you and I alone tonight."
Arthur unhappily stood by his father's side as they waited to greet the first
wedding guests. Usually the prince would not have bothered for the King's old
friend but, as Uther had pointed out, this was a special occasion. When the
doors opened, Arthur's eyes went wide in shock and he felt his heart stop.
"Merlin?"
Uther paled as he took in the sight of Julian's latest acquisition. Then anger
reddened his face as he called out, "Guards!"