Arrgh! I hate writer's block. I'm sorry but this was all I got for the time being, I'm trying to get in 'a little into Merlin's head'. It might be a little weird. Tell me you how think later, yeah? Thanks to comments and reviews! I love you all. I'm so very sorry for being late. I just done taking trial exams and a little bit distracted from the story. Enjoy!
CHAPTER 2: PLANS AND MANOEUVRES
DISCLAIMER: I wish I own something from this show but I don't. Minus this idea, it was little bit mine. I hate doing this, and I knew a lot of people hate it too, Merlin is not mine at all, so does the songs and the lyrics I'm about to put (if any). But I kept wishing Colin Morgan would be mine, uhucks. :p And I'm so very sorry for late posting... Seriously, I do. It's writer's block. And exams. I know I should've built a forum or anything about this... I love y'all!
Previously on Take Me Away on a Night Mare...
"Then would you, Lady Morgana le Fay, accept my humble invitation to dance with me?"
"I accept your dance, Sir –"
"Then I would like you to have this as a token of my gratitude. No man could promise me a night just as fabulous as this just yet. Thank you, Emrys."
"I'm sorry, milady. My Night Mare waited long enough for me."
"Emrys!!!"
"How on earth did this lucky piece of thing get here?"
"Are you planning to watch me change?"
"Well, is that an invitation?"
"Your Emrys would have your handkerchief in his keep."
"See you at dinner tonight."
'What had gotten into Arthur?'
"Emrys," there was the voice again, the female voice that had been calling him last night. Merlin turned around but to found nobody was around. There was only him and Arthur in the room. Merlin casted a weird look to himself. 'That was strange,' his mental commented. "Am I going to be needed tonight?" Merlin broke the silence.
Arthur seemed he had been snapped out from his thought. "Were you always with me at dinner?" he questioned Merlin back. Right, so things weren't very well went around with Arthur. 'Why?' he asked himself.
"I take that as you'll be dining with the King tonight." Merlin said, feeling a bit disappointed. Odds are, he wasn't very sure why. Perhaps it was Morgana. What did Morgana have to do with his disappointment? 'Okay, perhaps I'm a little over the top.' Merlin berated himself mentally. There was perfectly no reason why he should feel or disappointed Arthur dining with Morgana and Uther like they used to since before Merlin came to the town. Even if Arthur and Morgana were meant to be together, there's nothing Merlin should be sad about. Arthur was his best friend, even he's the biggest bully Merlin had ever met and Morgana is... 'Not mine. She is not mine.' Merlin could hear his mind knocking him back into the reality.
"Wish me I won't make a prat of myself, then," Arthur let out a sigh. He settled down on his grand chair. Well, it seemed everything in his room is all grand and princely. So Arthur-ian. Even in the brink of nothingness, as in, out of trouble, Arthur seemed troubled. 'Because you never stopped thinking of small matters and takes your scheme with Morgana a little too seriously.'
"Then I would suggest it would be the best if I were to serve for you at dinner tonight." Merlin said, hiding his relieved tone as he found another way to tail along.
"Wh- Why- What does that has anything to do with dinner?" Arthur asked while scowling. 'Argh, why does going to dinner have to be a trouble now?' he grunted.
Merlin saw the scowl and heard the grunt from Arthur. He was, silently pleased with himself. He did nothing verbal to reply but to cast Arthur knowing look.
"Fine." Arthur made an exasperated groan. "Perhaps you're right." He said, exiting his room.
***
Things hadn't been easier for Gwen as her Lady Morgana still seemed to lose half of her sanity. "Milady, seriously, you need to stop sounding daft and start sounding saner." She finally said to Morgana when her heart could not contain any more of the madness.
Morgana shot her maidservant a semi-dangerous look. "Gwen," she said. There was difference in her tone now. There was maturity, less girlish and also seriousness tone.
Gwen noticed Morgana's change of expression. She looked thoughtful and serious. Gwen could almost swear she had lost her breath waiting for the next word that would come from Morgana.
"You believe in me, don't you?" she asked. Now, that was quite a strange question Morgana found herself asking. She somehow started to doubt her manoeuvre of letting Gwen know her secrets. Including her secret of being a Seer.
"Of course I do, or else I wouldn't be here with you for long." Gwen said. She was rather hurt Morgana would ever doubt her loyalty and honesty. "Why the sudden question?"
Morgana planned nothing to answer Gwen. Instead, she closed her eyes and drew a breath. Gwen was right, she needed to stop sounding so daft and be herself again. There was just one thing she saw out of the darkness; Emrys. "Merlin is a cute boy, isn't he?" she asked. Morgana was herself shocked at the question she asked. She was herself unsure why she asked the unexpected question, nor what Merlin had anything to do with it. And now that she had brought the comment, she felt more uneasy. What would Gwen think of her? 'Come on, Morgana. What happened to you?' her mind told her. 'You know what happened to you. You felt something. There's something more beyond Merlin than you knew.' Another voice told her. She knew the voice. It came from her very heart. It's best to get closer to him later on.
"I thought you had your eyes on Arthur?"
"Gwen—"
"I meant half of the girls in this kingdom are after him." Gwen joked. "Despite of what he is." She added.
"What, a crown prince? A handsome one to add to the fact. Uh-huh. He sure got a lot of fans." Morgana agreed. Arthur may be a bully, for all those things he did to Merlin, he could be as dense or thick-headed as anyone might be, but he's the charm every girl would dream to have. Including Gwen no matter how hard she tried to conceal the fact. Morgana could see right through her. He wasn't all that bad. There's more to Arthur than the big, annoying royal prat.
"Anyway, now that you got your heart for Emrys, why Merlin?" she asked, slowly getting into seriousness. For the sake of sanity, since Gwen served Morgana, she faced and went through nothing but nightmares with her. Morgana had dreamt about a man. She was half insane already about that. That could only mean two things, either Morgana was really into Emrys, or that dream is a beginning of another disaster. Gwen gave herself a muted scowl as she did not want anything bad happen to her lady.
"That's the problem. I— I honestly don't know." Morgana shifted her position. "Gwen, could it be in any situation Emrys could be anyone who I've seen everyday? He didn't say he was a knight, nor did he claim to be royalty. Or could this all be just an intuition?"
Gwen, who has been tending the room, for once stopped her chores and walked towards Morgana. "Milady, even if it's an intuition, it's an early sign for you, right?" she said, subconsciously soothing Morgana. "Have your intuition ever been wrong? Have your dreams never once come true? Even if it was Arthur's death. It always happens, in a way or another round." Gwen told her, recalling those hard times. "You're a Seer, you've never been wrong. Never yet."
Morgana was a little relieved to hear that. At the very least, there was a friend beside her ready to catch her when she's about to topple over the edge. "Gwen, seriously, I know this is going to sound sentimental, but I don't know what to say. Clearly, you're the only one who spoke to me like no one else does yet. I couldn't thank you enough, Gwen." She said, hugging her maidservant.
"And I don't believe I'm about to say something sentimental too, but here goes. Just do me one favour at the moment, keep your senses to the present surrounding. As you said, your Emrys could be there." Gwen told her. "Now, come on, you're almost late for dinner."
***
The dine table was pretty stiff. It seemed like everyone was lost for words, or in their own thoughts. Arthur seemed more relaxed than he had been today. He's a little to over the schemes by now. Morgana looked tense on the other hand, as she was trying to keep to her senses and avoid herself from drifting back to Emrys. Uther, well, anyone might likely say he looked more thoughtful than he would at dining table. He had been staring his plate for quite a long time by now. Merlin and Gwen could almost burst into laughter imagining Uther's stare would conjure a laser light and split the plate into half.
"So, have we nothing to talk about tonight?" Arthur broke the silence. He also gained himself blatant attention from everyone in the room. Not that there was many people there, there's just the three of them, plus Merlin and Gwen, and a couple of guards on station. Arthur could handle this stiff attention rather easily, much better than Merlin would the very least. He is the crown prince, after all. "Have you no news about the town, Father?" he asked.
"I thought it was your responsibility to make sure everything's fine and report it to me, not the other way around." Uther cast his son a disbelieving look. In this state, he wouldn't want to believe his son had become a forgetful prince. Too much strange things happened today.
Arthur was gobsmacked. 'I didn't expect this to come,' he said to himself. Now he had gave away his fault of making a prat of himself. 'Morgana would love this.' He berated himself. Odds are, Morgana seemed as if she hadn't been paying any attention to him. 'That was something new,' He noticed the look Merlin gave him from where he stood behind Morgana. Arthur understood the message to play cool and not making himself a continuous prat. "Of course. I was just wondering if you've heard anything concerning the people in your way in and out." Arthur said casually.
That claim had gained Arthur a surprised look from Morgana. Perhaps she was paying attention after all. There was hardly the time she was amazed by Arthur. Now that she was, Morgana couldn't help herself but to give Arthur a smile, before turning away as he caught her eyes. 'This is strange. Why did I felt like his gaze was different today?'
"Wise move. Speaking of in and out, I've been thinking. Morgana, isn't your birthday coming up?" Uther asked, in which he was replied with a curt and meek nod. "I would be out of town for a while. Until then, I would like you, my son, take the town a good care, will you? I'm not leaving the kingdom, and I won't be gone for long." He said.
"Of course, Father. Anything you said," he accepted. This was quite normal. His father went out of town, even if he went out of kingdom, it had been an annual routine for Arthur. And he never had any trouble taking a good care of his place. There were always the knights and the lords to help him. Most importantly, there's Merlin and Morgana, beside Gwen, who kept him from acting too childish. Although Morgana had always said it wasn't really his duty taking his father's place as his father hasn't yet leave the kingdom, Arthur felt it's a start of a good practice to become a king.
"Then in the time I shall return, we would be planning for your birthday." Uther noted towards Morgana. "Or do you have something in mind already?"
"A masquerade ball would be nice. Don't you think so, Arthur?" she suggested, which earned a clueless look from Arthur. "All those masked face, the music, dancing."
"Ah. A pretty outcome, my dear. A mysterious ball." Uther agreed, impressed by the choice of his ward.
'Masquerade? What was she thinking? If this ball was meant to be a part of Emrys-hunting, she's blowing it.' Gwen gave a small cough of warning to Morgana. 'If she wanted a chance to make this right and her dream come true, this is it.'
"What's your preference of guest? Or the themes, perhaps?" Uther cut in before either Morgana or Arthur could say a word.
Morgana knew she had made a mistake as she heard the kind of warning code Gwen gave. Perhaps this was her chance. The only chance to find her Emrys. "I like the sound of inviting everyone."
"Everyone?"
Morgana thought back her decision. Emrys did not claim to be royalty. He even said he was lower than the commoner. But that could probably just a joke. "Yes, meaning anyone who could attend the ball is invited. Should it be slaves or commoner, royalty or traveller."
"Your ball would turn into a circus, Morgana." Arthur said in antagonizing her, despite the fact he had just comprehend what his father and Morgana were talking about.
"Be as mad as it may sound, but that was exactly how I imagined. What do you think, sire?" Morgana said, rising to the challenge.
"Unique. Might as well to give it a try. And Arthur, I would like you take the chance to get closer to the people. I've made many mistakes, but I don't want you to take my wrong leads." He said.
Morgana let out a satisfied sigh as she heard the king. She casted Arthur a gleeful look. Her face even wore the triumphant smile she used to wear when they were both young, signifying she had won the challenge. She somehow made no verbal reply.
When the two people beside him made no verbal reply, Uther thought it was best for them to settle down with their dinner. "Well, what else are we waiting for? Help yourself out."
***
"May I walk you to your room?" Arthur asked Morgana as soon as they were out of the dining room.
Morgana couldn't find the right word to describe this, but she knows that this was really awkward. If Morgana had not known better, she would have said that Arthur might finally have a thing for her. At which point, she really doubted that. 'I meant, come on, Morgana, you've been all over for him all these years, you would know the look if it was anywhere near the truth.' She commented to herself. She took a deep breath as she finally decided to reply the crown prince. "Of course," she nodded. She let Arthur takes the lead.
As they walked through the long hallway while getting to Morgana's room, neither of Morgana nor Arthur had said anything to pass the time. It even seemed like they did not even have the intention to start a conversation. Morgana finally felt she couldn't take anymore of this absurdity, for once in what seemed to her as hours, while it was actually a fair few minutes, decided to say something. "Well," she started. To be honest, that was the only thing she could think of right now, and she does hope for Arthur's wit to continue or at least say something in return, even if she know it wouldn't result in much success. But it would worth the try. "You sounded as if you were to say something that was likely urgent."
Arthur casted Morgana a dubious look. It was obvious that he himself had been lost in his own thoughts. Apparently he had forgotten what he intended to discuss along his escort towards Morgana's room. "Huh?" is the only thing he reacted with.
"You volunteered to walk me to my room, remember?" Morgana reminded the blonde crown prince. "The way you said it like you were going to something that was likely urgent." She repeated her previous line before she reminded him of the volunteer. Morgana did not skip the look in Arthur's eyes for once. She saw it, the difference. There was something that was likely bothering Arthur, if not more. "Is something wrong?" she asked.
"I was just thinking." Arthur said, and it gained him a pretty attention from his father's ward. "Okay, look, I do think," he added.
"I did not say anything to negate your perception." Morgana retorted with a smirk.
"You intended to turn your birthday ball into a town square circus, what are the odds?" Arthur started. "I have pretty question here, why?" he asked.
"Well, that was a pretty much of your pretty question." She replied. Surely Arthur had not been hoping she would confide into him? 'Morgana Le Fay won't confide into the royal prat. Nor anyone. No matter what it takes to keep it secret.' She told herself. 'Excluding Gwen, of course. She would've known after all.' "Do you suppose that I will tell you?" she asked him back.
"I do suppose you would give me an answer, not a returned question." He said. Arthur could not believe it, after all this time, Morgana was just keeps getting better at the little schemes of hers. Whatever she was up to, he ought to know.
"Wise manoeuvre, your Highness." She curtsied. Morgana felt that Arthur, in his awareness or not, was doing better in persuading her. Perhaps she should tell him something close enough to cover her story. After all, if there was more questions likely to come from Arthur, he will bound to figure she was... well, in love. And that fact is what Morgana wanted him to be amongst the last people on earth to know, for some guilty pleasure.
"Well?" he asked.
Morgana sighed before she had anything. She looked at Arthur in hope he could say something that would please her. 'Probably, "You don't have to say it, I don't want to know what scheme you had in mind." Yeah, that will do greatly.' She muttered in her mind. "I intended to search for a certain person, that's all." She told him.
"And you risk your chances of finding the person in easier way? Morgana, that was the stupidest idea I've ever heard from you." He chided.
"Well, at least when they know they were invited, they will come, won't they?" Morgana replied with her expression remained the same.
Arthur could almost gape right there if he hadn't thought of maintaining his impression before Morgana. 'That made sense,' he thought. Somehow, he was not about to give in. "How can you be so sure he or she will be coming to the ball?" he challenged.
"Let's just say, we were expecting each other." Morgana replied with a cool tone.
Arthur's face fell. He could merely sense there was something going on here. 'Now's not the time to be sentimental. It's just not you.' He decided it was the best if he just drops the topic off the conversation. Arthur felt as if he had lost his mood for anything right now. "Well, if that's that, it pretty much made sense." He said.
Arthur's last sentences gained himself a mere stare from Morgana. This is pretty unexpected. Morgana was no fool in this kind of matter. And she was certainly no fool in any matter when it came to Arthur. She had known him like the back of her hand. Well, at least, symbolically. She could almost swear she saw disappointment in his eyes. Did he actually hoping on her? She couldn't tell. She was a Seer, but she was no psychic. Then when she saw the look in his eyes, she could not believe even half of this. Arthur Pendragon she knew does not back off of her without an argument. That was what made their friendship special.
As if sensing the uneasiness in the air, Arthur cleared his throat and brought them both back to reality. "Well, good night then," he said, turning his heels around. He made his way without turning back, like he always does.
Morgana had done nothing than just watched him went by. There was something that she said bothered him. 'He got the look of a poor boy. A mere dreamer.' She thought silently. She remembered the last time she went crazy for him, chasing him down the steps just to stop him from getting to his death. She must've have looked miserably disturbed. And she recalled the looks of Merlin and Arthur upon her that very day. None of them took her seriously. She felt like she would have smacked Merlin that very moment if she hadn't been too worried about Arthur's matter of life and death. And yet, right there she got it now. The almost same look of hers on Arthur's just now. And the disappointment she saw was the disappointment of the fact she could not believe him enough to confide into him. Morgana brought herself back to the present with a little mental knocking. "This might need a little get-to-used-to," she shook her head and entered her room.
***
"Merlin, if you don't mind me asking, is there anything happening between the sets of you boys and girls?" Gaius asked as he was having his breakfast with Merlin in their quarter.
Merlin's head shot up in instance as he heard the question. He sat there, holding his spoon and stared at Gaius with a blank look for a certain while, until he finally decided it was a silly thing to do and replied, "Huh?" well, that was not brilliant reply either.
"For goodness sake, Merlin. Is there something bothering you? You looked like you hadn't been sleeping last night." Gaius said, sensing the strange reaction from Merlin. It had been a long time since the last time he saw that look on that boy's face.
Merlin gave his 'teacher' a smile. If only he had known. He did slept, but only to find it was filled with pretty weird and disturbing dreams about a certain girl that he knows. "It's just Arthur I'm worrying about. He's been acting quite strangely around Morgana lately, don't you think?" he stated.
Gaius returned to his breakfast as he put down the book that was in his hold. "Yes, yes, in fact, he did look a bit awkward lately. Did they have another scheme?" he asked in between his talk and breakfast.
"Only the best," Merlin let out a small laugh as he settled with his breakfast. "Do you think, by any chances that Arthur might be... well, in love?" he asked. It had hurt him to ask such things about Arthur. 'Supposing I should be asking about me,' he berated himself.
Gaius paused from his actions and looked at Merlin. He gave the boy the kind of look like he could read the boy's mind. But that's silly. Gaius is not does not telepath, he is just a genius. "I've never thought of that. Now that you've mention it," he said, rose from his seat. "He might as well is," he added.
Merlin rose from his seat as well, heading to the exit. If anything Gaius had said was true, he had only one thing left to do, at least for now. 'Best hope he wasn't in love in Morgana.' He told himself. But then again, why would he care? 'I meant, Arthur has every right to fall in love to someone as... indescribable as her.' He berated himself non-stop. This is getting silly by the moment. Merlin couldn't figure out why he could be so... sentimental about things like these. Perhaps it was jealousy. 'Now, why would I be jealous?' he heard his mind asking. He got his hand on the door handle, ready to step out of the quarters and face another day, and maybe meet awkwardness between Arthur and Morgana. Still, he seemed to refuse something that was so obvious to him. 'Because you love her first.' He said in his heart.
"Where do you think you're going?" Gaius' voice brought him back like a wakeup call.
Merlin did not turn to reply. He just opened the door. "I couldn't be late again, today, now could I?" he asked, exiting the room. "It's time to make move, Merlin." He said, bearing a plan in his mind. Perhaps it is time to give Morgana the hint how he had been feeling.
THERE! The next chapter. And I'm soo terribly sorry this one was very very late... I had exams... schools...homeworks... not to mention lack of idea, a.k.a. writer's block. So, I'll make this one up for you guys out there. Hit me back with some reviews and I'll be on my way for the next chapter... like I'll be starting tonight??? Anyhow, I love your reviews, and thank you soo much!!! MWAH!!! ;)