MERLIN - CONTACT

AN: Hey everyone. So so so so so so sorry for not updating as soon as I said but some things have gone down. A tragedy in the family can really put you in a funk until God knows how long. And then I wanted to wait until my birthday last week when I got my new laptop to work my fanfiction on. But anyway I have finally got this typed up and I hope you like it and it has been worth the wait.. Please review afterwards because I live off feedback :) enjoy.

...~~C~~...

It wasn't until the evening Arthur saw Merlin again when his father requested he dine with him. Occasionally, when he got a chance, he'd glance at her standing near the edge of the dining hall holding a pitcher. He tried to catch her eye but it seemed she was determined to look anywhere but him. She was back in her over-sized brown-red tunic with the sleeves turned several times over to fit her, and her separate greyish long skirt that was a gift from Guais when she first become the prince's servant.

He did feel bad about what he said to her earlier. He hated making his friend feel degraded and small, unimportant, and least of all unattractive, because he did admittedly deny she was any of those things. He wondered if he could have put what he meant into a different context to make it sound less harsh, but there was nothing to be done now.

Arthur wanted to tell his servant that the real reason he didn't want her wearing those dresses was because he didn't want other men to start chasing her. Granted, the prince hadn't really noticed until recently how much Merlin had become a woman right in front of his eyes since they met. He always knew though, deep down, that when the time came like many women in the kingdom, Merlin would be approached by men, and not always the honourable kind. Merlin was the most compassionate, moral, innocent person Arthur had ever known. He couldn't allow that to be lost because she had to eventually grow up, and wasn't used to the flirtatious attentions of knights and tavern folk. The dresses, the...figure, which he hadn't noticed... the hair, the absence of the neckerchiefs... To the contrary of what he had told her that morning, when that attention comes, he would be the first person to act. Protect her. Not own her as such. Just...she was his, in a way. He knew one day Merlin would indeed marry and have children with someone, and that thought bared him an odd, sad feeling in the pit of his stomach. But until then, the prince just didn't want to share his best friend, or lose her. He just wished now that he had said all this in the first place.

The thing that made him angry at himself the most was that he had forgotten Merlin's birthday. Another thing was that when Merlin had asked for the day off, she never got it. If she had said it was her birthday, he would've given it to her. Then again he should have known in the first place. He vowed to himself that in the next couple of days, he WILL make it up to Merlin. And to not just give her her much deserved time off, but to also get her a really wonderful gift. But what?

Looking back up at his maidservant's glum and bored-looking face while his father rambled on in the background, the young man was brainstorming on ways to get the old Merlin back, and bring that dearly missed smile back to her face.

...~~C~~...

She was deeply hurt.

When Merlin asked Arthur on the off chance if she could have a day off a couple of days ago, she didn't honestly expect to be given it. She hadn't expected to get any gifts, or even be wished a happy birthday. From Guais, her favourite meal. From Colin, her brother figure, a new neckerchief (which was actually one of his own, but she loved it). From Lady Elise, a beautiful silver hand mirror. And from Gwen, the wonderful light blue dress with white trimmings and silver flowers dancing around on the bodice, hem, neck and sleeves. It wasn't the first dress Merlin had ever worn while living in Camelot, but it was the most fancy and ornate dress she ever owned. And the best part was that her friend made it herself. The first time Merlin actually got to wear the dress, it was the morning Arthur had to ruin it.

Recently Merlin had felt the differences. Her chest and hip shape wasn't as hidden under her big tunics anymore. Since arriving in Camelot, Merlin never had her hair cut anymore, so with its new length she could do more with it. And long hair was the in-thing, not that she tried to keep up with the latest trends. She has somewhat matured. She was not of age yet, but with these small, slow developing changes, came the subconscious wanting of showing them off a bit more.

However, to have her master and friend of all people to cut her down and tell her that he'd prefer her in unflattering over-sized old boy's shirts and breeches because he would otherwise seem like a lousy prince and master, and/or because she wasn't pretty enough to dress nicely, that just made it even more painful.

But, alas, she had to obey him. He was still her better, and she couldn't risk doing anything that could get her fired or prevent her from fulfilling her destiny (if she couldn't be in Arthur's presence). She wouldn't leave until the gods themselves dragged her away. Even if it meant looking like a scruff bag when they arrived.

...~~C~~...

After dinner, Arthur didn't manage to catch Merlin before she hastily left the hall. Staring at her fleeing figure until she turned the corner out of sight, the prince headed back to his chambers to think up an apology present plan for the maidservant he thought of mostly fondly.

Merlin went back to her own room within the chambers shared with the court physician and prepared for bed, since she didn't need to serve her master again until the morning. She opened the cupboard in her private room to get her night attire (which was really a very large light grey shirt that ended at the top of her knees).

She had the tunic in her hand but paused to look at the other contents of the cupboard somberly. She had split up her clothes into two sections. On the left were her tunics and breeches and clumpy boots worn for when she had to do practical work or going on hunting trips, and on the right was just a very quaint collection of simple dresses that she hoped would grow over time. But now due to lowered self esteem, that side would just be for display and gather dust. Poor Gwen's work won't be seen as appreciated.

Sighing, the girl shut the cupboard door and resumed getting changed. As she laid awake in her cot, she made plans to cut her hair again and give away her dresses over the next few days. Then she will finally get her master's approval.

Trying not to think anymore about the matter that night, the young sorceress rolled onto her side and tried to get to sleep.

...~~C~~...

AN: I hope you like this. Sorry it's a bit short but I hope to make the future chapters longer later. That is if there will be future chapters, that is up to you :) Now, I have a little request. Arthur needs to find a gift for Merlin to cheer her up. I need your help and opinions on what you think it should be. To leave this as a feel good one-shot, you could suggest something wonderful that does the trick, OR it could be something that Arthur gets totally wrong and draws the story on dramatically longer. It's up to you. Please give me your ideas and opinions in your reviews or private message me. Thank you for reading, and I will hopefully update soon :)

BTW: I apologize also for any spelling of grammar mistakes I might have made, and also I forgot to disclaim Merlin as my own (apart from the fem version) so... there I disclaim it :P See you!