Chapter 13

Scimerian Bæl

Disclaimer: I do not own either Danny Phantom or Merlin

Danny scowled, frowning as much as he could as he padded through the bustling corridors of Camelot. He was very much unhappy with the current situation, but Merlin wouldn't be persuaded. He let out a deep breath as he stared down the cold stone staircase, noting how very much bigger it was all of a sudden. Steadying himself he jumped down, scarcely maintaining his balance as he practically tumbled down the spiralling staircase and out into the main courtyard. He shook his head, slightly dazed from this new standpoint as he cautiously made his way across the main courtyard and up the staircase that led into the main castle.

He paused as he mounted the top step, gazing down miserably as his foot – paw – sunk into a puddle of water. He stared dejectedly into the reflective water, half willing the image to go away even though he knew it wouldn't. Merlin was counting on him, and hadn't really give him the opportunity to say no before the warlock had let his magic take hold. Like the first time out in the woods Danny had felt a strange shimmer settle over his skin before his stomach lurched and a new set of instincts overrode his mindset. He shook his head sadly at the image reflected back at him, bearing half a mind to paw at the reflection just to make it go away.

But that wouldn't change the fact that he was currently staring into the face of a blue eyed black cat.

He made a handsome cat as far as it went; solid black aside from the white socks that surrounded his paws. And his eyes were still his own shade of icy blue, just shaped differently. He couldn't quite get used to the ears though, or the tail.

It was weird.

And it was uncomfortable. He could feel Merlin's magic pulsing through his veins, beating and full of that strange warmth that was so overpowering that it drove him to distraction. It wasn't quite unbearable, at least not yet. But having warmth pumping through his veins – let alone the tendrils of golden fire that were Merlin's magic – was something he'd virtually lost around the same time he'd gained his cold core. And the fact that Merlin's magic was confining him to this shape was irritating. He'd barely been a squirrel for five minutes before he'd changed himself back, but he couldn't exactly do that here what with how many people were bustling around him.

Danny sneezed, scrunching up his eyes and shaking his head before plodding onwards. His tail flicked distractingly behind him, catching in his peripheral vision like a foreign shadow. The main entrance was always large, but from this angle it looked huge and it made him want to run back to Gaius' chambers so he could safely switch back to the comfort of his human form. Usually he didn't mind facing things bigger than him; ghosts frequently used size as an intimidation tactic. But usually he could use his ghost powers, and he got the distinct impression that a 'magic' wielding cat would go down about as well as finding a sorcerer.

Danny stuck to the walls, using the cold grey stones to afford him a little extra protection as he ducked into a side corridor. The pads on his paws tapped softly against the floor as he padded towards a small staircase. His nose twitched, picking up the chilly scent of metal as a blue clad knight in heavy chainmail walked by, his heavy footsteps sending vibrations that he felt all the way to his core. Danny flicked his tail distractedly, trying not to be concerned with how much the animal instincts were already melding with his own.

Instead he plucked up his courage and jumped up the staircase, making his way cautiously towards the guest wing. It probably would have been easier if he'd just snuck through the castle invisibly, rather than resort to being turned into a cat, but apparently ghost powers weren't good enough from the warlock's point of view. It was Danny's own fault, really; encouraging Merlin to extend himself with his magic. And now he was stuck wandering around the castle on four paws because that was really the best way to investigate things without being caught in the act. He even sounded sarcastic in his own head.

Danny shook his head once more, triangular ears flattening slightly as he dodged around a dark clad pair of legs and ducked around a corner. His nose twitched as he picked up a strange scent, tickling the back of his nostrils as he moved through the corridor past various guest rooms. A barrage of overwhelming scents met him, the intermingling bodily smell of too many people gathered in the one place. It was like stepping into the boy's locker room in Casper high after the jocks had decided to have a spray deodorant fight; the slightly cloying smell of sweat and synthetic fragrances that mingled together to make a repulsively gagging odour. Then again, since all his senses currently seemed to be working in overdrive, that was probably to be expected.

Although it was another reason to add to the growing list to never let Merlin turn him into a cat ever again.

Danny paused out the front of a large pair of heavy brown doors. As a human he'd have gone through them easily. And he knew the layout of the room behind them by heart, since he'd had to take luggage up to the rooms for the Daobethan delegation under a week before. The problem was that at the moment his eye line was under a foot off the floor and the doors seemed to stretch endlessly up above him. Even stretched to his full length he wouldn't be able to reach the handle, let alone try to force the doors open.

The distinct lack of opposable thumbs on his paws didn't help either.

He looked helplessly down the corridor, seeing a number of servants milling around as their masters and mistresses gradually left their rooms. None of them seemed to notice him, but he doubted he could get away with pulling an intangibility trick to slip through the doors. The castle cats might generally pass unnoticed, but he was pretty sure a cat using 'magic' wouldn't go undetected. It was frustrating, especially because in either of his own natural forms he probably could have done this so much easier.

Danny drew back as the door before him came open, sliding back into the shadows as a black cloak swished past. He hid as best he could as the heavy footsteps paced down the hallway before darting through the open door before it had a chance to swing closed. He let out a tense breath as the solid click sounded behind him, realising just how much his hackles had risen – and wow did it feel strange to think that literally – as his breath evened out. There was still something really off putting about the fact that Pariah Dark was in the same castle as him. More so was the fact that occasionally the man seemed to be watching him, almost like the talent scouts studied the football players back at school.

When his heartbeat had slowed down to something manageable he looked around. The room was mostly the same as it had been when he'd dropped off the trunk earlier in the week, although it was hard to tell for sure from this angle. Putting his cat's nose to work he sniffed around, struggling to restrain the growing instinct to mark the place as his. When he got back to their room he was going to have to ask Merlin to fully explain that spell, especially since the cat-like instincts seemed to be growing the longer he stayed on four paws. Hurriedly he got to work, sniffling through the room in the hope that he could find anything useful.

The trunk Danny had carried up was placed at the foot of the bed, heavily covered with the thick scent of the man who'd just walked out of the room. Danny had only really caught a whiff of it as the man passed out the door, but it lingered at the back of his nose unpleasantly. However it wasn't the only scent in the room; there was a whiff of dirt and subtle sweat that he immediately attributed to the servants, and another, stronger one that had a strangely metallic undertone. It wasn't Pariah's – Eadric's – but it had such similar notes to it that it probably belonged to Eadric's knight and advisor. Danny hadn't paid much notice to the man, didn't even know his name, although now he realised he should learn it.

Danny followed the scent around the room, trying to figure out if there was anything amiss. The scent was strongest around the table, and Danny was halfway through rubbing his cheek against the table leg when he caught what he was doing and stopped himself from marking anything in Eadric's rooms.

Yep, he was definitely asking Merlin about the specifics of that spell.

Danny shook his head, forcing his mind back on task as he followed the scent over to the large wardrobe. The doors were shut, but Danny sensed something strange emanating out from behind the closed wooden panelling. Danny scowled at the piece of furniture, irritated that two pieces of wood kept him completely out when his thumbs were taken away. But he wasn't just a cat, and this room was completely empty.

Without a second thought Danny jumped up, phasing through the wooden wardrobe doors without fear of being caught. Inside it was dark and he quickly coiled his tail around himself for lack of space. The strange something was much stronger now, to the point where Danny couldn't tell if he was really smelling it or feeling it in the depths of his soul. His eyesight was unhindered by the dark, although he didn't know whether to attribute that to his ghost genes or his recently cat eyes. He sniffed hesitantly, nosing through the bottom of the wardrobe until he found a small silvery box. It looked ornate, decorative runes were etched onto the sides, but he couldn't discern their meaning.

Gently he worried off the lid, gently pressing his paws against it until the silver top slid away. Instantly he drew back as a surge of warm energy raced past him. It didn't seem to affect anything other than him though, and Danny quickly realised that it was his cold core reacting to the strange heat source. His eyes instantly fixed on a golden scale, taking a moment to place the energy that surrounded it as draconic magic. That scale had belonged to a dragon, and was far more recent than the muted whispers that came off the scale Gwaine wore on his necklace.

This one still oozed fiery energy, and it took far too long for Danny to remove his eyes from the golden scale and focus on the other things in the box. His eyes creased in confusion as he studied the other contents, trying to figure what they had in common. There was a lock of brown hair and two small vials of red that could have been blood. He knew that lovers sometimes gave each other a lock of hair as a token for when they were separated, but Danny really doubted that either Eadric or his knight had a lover secreted away back in Daobeth.

He didn't think Pariah Dark was even capable of love, so it stood to reason that the man who preceded his ghost was the same.

But that still left the question of what anything in the little box was for. The dragon scale was obviously magic, but that didn't have to mean anything. According to Merlin it was common for people to carry certain magical objects without realising what they were. Certainly nobody had ever noticed that the sigil on Gwaine's necklace was really a dragon scale; although Danny knew better than to ask about it. He didn't know what anyone would actually do with a dragon scale, it seemed as redundant as a ship in a bottle to him. His own experience of ghost powers said that people couldn't use it; you couldn't just pick up a glob of leftover ectoplasm and turn it against ghosts. And he doubted that a dragon scale was any different.

Danny let out a rumbling sigh as he struggled to put the lid back in place. All he could do was report back to Merlin and try to figure out what was going on. In a way it was harder than anything he was used to. Ghosts had simple motives, and figuring out their obsession pretty much meant that he could figure out what their next move would be. But that didn't translate across onto humans, or magic. The lid back in place he phased out of the wardrobe, landing easily on the floor and crossing the chamber.

He froze; his eyes wide as the door opened. Danny quickly raced across the room and threw himself under the bed as a hiding place. He heard movement, someone bustling quietly around the chambers. He withdrew further under the bed, hoping desperately that he wouldn't be caught. Whoever it was moved throughout the whole space, their footsteps echoing lightly off the walls. It didn't sound like Eadric or his knight either. But he didn't know who it was and he couldn't see anything from his vantage point. He settled down, curling around himself as he prepared to wait out whoever it was that had come into Pariah's guest chambers. It wasn't such a bad place to be hiding. In fact it was quite comfortable with the bottom of the bed hanging protectively over him.

Danny let out a wide yawn, sharp pointed teeth bared as a wave of tiredness washed over him. He felt nice and cosy here, and the warmth of Merlin's magic seemed to be settling nicely. It wasn't overbearing now, just warm enough to make him feel fuzzy and dozy. He wet his lips, settling down comfortably with his chin resting on his paws. He'd just keep an ear out until he was alone and then sneak out when nobody was looking. His eyes flickered closed and he let out a contented purr, the vibration rolling comfortably through his chest as he settled down in wait. His tail twitched lightly as he settled down, feeling happy and comfortable and sleepy as he lay in wait.

"Oh," a loud voice called, and Danny jerked violently as he saw a worn face peek under the bed. "What are you doing under there?"

Danny blinked dazedly, taking a moment to place the face as one of the servants who worked in the castle. She was youngish, probably around his age, but her face was already worn by years of hard work. Duana – "but call me Anna" – had helped him out that first week when he was struggling to adapt to being in Camelot. Danny probably wouldn't even have noticed her if it weren't for her going out of the way to help him out.

"Here kitty." Anna called, rubbing her fingers in his direction in an attempt to tease him from out under the bed. "Come out now." And before he knew what was happening he was being tugged out from his cosy hiding spot and out. He let out a plaintive meow that seemed to elicit a smile from the girl as she picked him up and carried him across the room. She pushed the door open one handedly and set him firmly down outside the chamber doors.

"Off you go now, kitty." She commanded, looking sternly down at him. "King Eadric wouldn't be best pleased to find you in there. And I'm sure a handsome cat like you can find a nice yummy mouse for lunch." She nudged him gently with the side of her foot. Danny looked up at her briefly, mourning the loss of his comfy sleeping place as the girl shook her head at him. "Go along," she urged. "Shoo."

Danny sunk his head and plodded off, feeling strangely dejected for having been caught out. His paws felt cold against the stone floor as he wound his way back through the castle, aiming back towards the relative safety of the physician's chambers. Judging by the angle of the shadows coming through the windows he'd lost more time than he'd planned on. He'd planned on just waiting for the room to empty and instead had fallen solidly asleep. He never wanted to be a cat again. Ever.

Such was his distraction that he didn't notice a dark shadow fall over him. A startled mewl escaped his lungs as two solid arms wrapped around him and lifted him bodily into the air. Danny struggled helplessly for a moment, but flopped helplessly when he realised that his captor's grip was too tight. A small meow escaped him as he looked up into a pleased smirking face.

He sent a silent curse at Merlin for even thinking of turning him into a cat in the first place.

Arthur yawned, barely concealing his widened mouth behind his hand as Merlin bustled around him. It had been a long day, and the talks had broken for an hour before returning to continue the discussion later in the afternoon. At the moment they were still dealing with treaty lines and some of the smaller land concessions. Lot wanted to claim a couple of villages near the Camelot borderline in the south-east, and Annis wanted to withdraw some of her lands to the west. It was all proving to be very complicated, and those were only the disputes most related to Camelot. With ten kingdoms all bargaining and discussing boundary lines like this, it was all Arthur could to follow, let alone lead the discussions.

The addition of a tournament to the schedule was a factor that he hadn't originally planned on, and made the discussions that bit more involved on his part. Not to say that he didn't enjoy it and it did add a valuable break to constant discussions about the complexities of the treaty, but arranging such a thing at short notice was havoc to an already overworked staff.

"You look like you're about to doze off." A half amused voice commented, disturbing Arthur from his musings as he looked into the annoyingly cheerful face of his manservant.

"Well we can't all be layabouts like you, Merlin." Arthur retorted, sending the dark haired man a scowl.

Merlin frowned briefly before breaking into a wide grin. "I'll take that as a compliment." He grinned. "Just because you don't see anything happening doesn't mean that it isn't, and since I have got everything running so smoothly you don't even notice, it seems like I actually have less to worry about than usual."

"I think you need to check your logic." Arthur returned. "You see, having things running so efficiently that I don't even notice would suggest that you were actually being helpful, rather than standing around uselessly when there's still work to be done."

"Everything is done." Merlin dryly reported his eyes hastily scanning the chambers before nodding assuredly to himself.

"Really?" Arthur pressed, raising a sceptical eyebrow. "The chambers are moderately tidy, yes, but have you...?"

"Walked your dogs?" Merlin rudely interrupted. "Yes"

"Mucked..."

"Out the stables, done." Merlin confirmed, the beginnings of a smile working onto his face.

"Polished..." Arthur continued, trying to catch Merlin out.

"Your armour, done twice, and the spare mail as well." That smile widened insubordinately.

"Sharpened..." Arthur asked, knowing that something had to be left out. Merlin had never completed all his tasks early, not in the entire time he'd had the man as his manservant. And the smug grin growing on the man's face was just begging to be cut down.

"Your sword and your dagger set." Merlin beamed. "The ceremonial sword is polished and ready and your practice sword is oiled and awaiting its next use. I also took the liberty of polishing your boots, washing out your feast clothes and repairing the wear on your ceremonial cloak. I read over your speech for tomorrow, I think you meant 'first strides towards equality' in the second paragraph though, and have alerted the knights for your plans for lunch."

Arthur blinked for a moment, temporarily stunned. It took a moment for him to get back in stride after Merlin's surprising bout of competence. "Well done, Merlin." He commented, allowing an element of dry sarcasm to sneak into his voice. "It's only taken seven years and gaining a second shadow for you to finally become a half-decent manservant. Tell me, how much of that list did you relegate to your young ward?"

Merlin mumbled something about stables and dogs, and armour. Arthur barely managed to conceal the smile that threatened to grow on his lips. "I see." He added, keeping his voice even. "Well, Merlin. If Daniel keeps this up you may just find yourself out of a job. It seems he is far more efficient than you at this, maybe I should promote him; he can be your keeper."

Arthur grinned at Merlin's stunned face, watching as the younger man's mouth opened and closed twice in complete disbelief. He wasn't being serious, of course, and both of them knew that. Merlin meant far more to him than just his job as manservant. Not that he would ever say it, but Merlin was irreplaceable, and nothing would change that.

Merlin broke into a grin after a minute, his blue eyes lit with delight. "Well, if that's what you really want, sire, I shall of course step aside. Although I'm not sure how long he'd be able to put up with your prattishness before he decided to about face." Merlin paused considering. "Actually he'd probably last two days before defecting to Gwaine and then you'd be stuck with George. Not that I'd mind having a break, could go back to Ealdor and visit mother for a short while, or attend to Gaius properly, you know, since I was supposed to be his apprentice in the first place, and really..."

"Merlin." Arthur interrupted, entertaining though Merlin's rambling might be, it did become circular if he let the young man go unchecked.

"Shut up?" Merlin guessed, that wry, irritatingly knowing smile creeping back onto the man's face.

"Exactly." Arthur affirmed. Merlin hadn't won their little argument, he never did. Arthur simply chose to close the discussion pre-emptively before the dark haired man could dig himself into an even deeper hole. "The talks will resume within the half hour, I expect you to attend me."

"Like I've been doing the entire time?" Merlin rudely interrupted as the two walked out of his chambers. Arthur chose not to acknowledge that comment. It was almost unusual how attentive Merlin had been during the last few days. Usually when they had foreign dignitaries visiting he seemed to become strangely distracted, either that or obnoxiously clingy like he had the previous year during Mithian's first visit. This time he'd been dutiful, but not objectionably so. It was possible that Merlin had simply decided to pull up his socks, but part of Arthur suspected that Merlin's current behaviour was more due to the presence of a ward to take under his wings. And Arthur chose to take that as proof that giving Merlin a ward was a good way of teaching the man responsibility. He should have thought of it years ago.

"Where is your young ward up to now?" He asked, glancing across at the younger man. Like always Merlin walked right beside him, like an equal, rather than behind him like any dutiful manservant.

"Settling in." Merlin replied, although Arthur could have sworn he heard a hint of deflection in that answer. He sent an inquiring look at Merlin as they continued walking towards the council chambers. "He misses his home, I think." Merlin continued. "But at the same time he seems to be finding Camelot welcoming. He fits in with the knights, and I know Gwaine wants to take him on as a squire."

"He's not the only one." Arthur noted. "Percival and Elyan have both commented, and Leon has suggested as much as well."

"He's had a rough past." Merlin supplied. "From what he's told his home was victim to a large number of assailants, he had to learn how to defend himself and, more than that, what was worth fighting for."

"He's too young for that sort of life." Arthur rejected, frowning in distaste. His childhood hadn't been the best, his father cold and distant while ensuring he learned how to be both prince and first knight. But he'd been safe. Camelot had always been a safe haven for him, and he'd been well prepared for the day when he finally had to face that the world was darker than the portrait his father had painted for him. He had grown up seeing sorcerers killed, but they were all evil and didn't count. He'd been nearing his eighteenth year before he'd had to see that everyday people could be truly evil too.

"He's not that much younger than us, Arthur." Merlin replied "He is seventeen."

"And he shouldn't have been forced to grow up so fast." Arthur replied wearily. "You may not see it, oblivious as you are to the ways of warriors, but he is always on his guard. You don't get to be able to fend off knights the way he can by chance, it takes years to learn. It takes a lot to be able to combat any of the knights, more so to impress them and he's done that. It is worrying that he fights so well for his age."

"You did." Merlin pointed out dryly.

"I have been trained to kill since birth, as is befitting the son of a king." Arthur retorted, irritation flaring at the jab. "Leon, a noble's son, started training as a page at seven, and was a squire before he even came close to having that kind of skill. It wasn't until his third year of knighthood before he was able to fight with the deliberate intention that Daniel does, as is the same for many of the noble's sons who become knights."

Merlin frowned beside him. "That doesn't have to mean anything." Merlin supplied. "Danny comes from a different place; they have different customs and probably different expectations. And Danny isn't a noble either, life is a less sheltered for the lower classes."

"I know." Arthur replied. "It is all the more reason to want to change things. A united Albion would mean that people like Daniel weren't forced to grow up fast. A kingdom should protect all its people, not just the nobles, and it's the king's responsibility to ensure this."

"That's what you're doing now, Arthur." Merlin assured. "You're building that kingdom, that world. Already your people are happier and safer than they ever have been before, and it's all because you care so deeply for every one of them."

Arthur paused, looking briefly at Merlin. It wasn't often that the man offered words of encouragement like this; their relationship wasn't really about that. But hearing the words from the man sent a wave of warmth down his spine, and the smile on Merlin's face made it even better. The man always seemed to know just what to say when he needed to hear it, although he would deny that to the last out loud. It was just one of those irreplaceable things about the young man that made him so endearing, and made him willing to look over the many social transgressions and societal blunders that the man made as his manservant.

He was saved having to respond when a familiar figure rounded the hallway. The red Camelot hung cleanly over his broad shoulders, and rakish brown eyes glimmered cheerfully beneath untameable brown hair. Gwaine was one of those people that pulled attention, no matter where he was. Predictably the man was eating an apple, although it was always a puzzle as to where the man found his seemingly endless supply of his favourite fruit. That wasn't the surprising thing about him. What was unusual was the ball of black fluff that was entrapped in the man's right arm.

"You have a cat." Arthur pointed out bluntly, sending a querying glance in the knight's direction. The cat was mostly black except for its four white socked paws, nestled snugly into Gwaine's arm. By the looks it had given up hope of escaping, given the strangely defeated look of its scrawny frame.

"Yes." Gwaine answered, rather insufficiently as he stuffed the finished apple core into a deep pocket.

"Why do you have a cat?" Arthur pressed, simultaneously curious and desperate not to know. Gwaine had a strange sense of humour, and there was a wicked glint in his brown eyes as he rubbed a hand behind the cat's black ears. Briefly the cat looked up, startlingly blue eyes fixing on the knight with a strange almost scowling expression. If cats could scowl that is.

"Why not?" Gwaine replied. "It was just wandering in the halls, and I have need of a mouser."

Arthur shook his head tiredly. "Somehow I doubt that you intend to use him as a mouser." He emitted. "Whatever it is, just keep it out of the way."

"Oh don't worry, Princess. I fully intend to... mostly." Gwaine replied, smirking. "Speaking of out of the way, what have you done with our young Danny, Merlin? Merlin?"

Arthur frowned, looking at his manservant, who currently seemed to be having a staring competition with the cat. The cat stared back at Merlin, unblinking, with an oddly irritated look in its too bright blue eyes. Merlin seemed happy to continue his little staring competition, proving once more how simple minded he was. Honestly, only Merlin would consider getting into a staring contest with a cat a worthwhile occupation.

What was disturbing was that it was the cat that ended it, fidgeting in Gwaine's arms until the man was forced to grab onto the little beast with both hands. The animal's black tail flicked in irritation until it was half wrapped around Gwaine's arm, the man settling it with a calming scratch behind black ears.

Merlin blinked, as though suddenly realising where he was and shuffling awkwardly. "You back from playing with the fairies Merlin?" Arthur asked teasingly.

"What?" The man replied, his eyes confused.

"We were just asking what you've done with Danny." Gwaine repeated, offering the manservant a helpful hint that Arthur would have refused him. On principle, of course. Merlin needed to be attentive, not be coddled over everything.

"Danny?" Merlin asked, his eyes darting briefly to the cat before looking up at Gwaine.

"Yes, Danny." Gwaine responded patiently. "You know the one, tall, dark hair, looks a lot like you but without a bizarre attraction to neckerchiefs."

"He's not here." Merlin replied disconnectedly, his eyes darting back to the cat. "He's off... picking herbs..." The cat looked at them briefly, and Arthur could have sworn the animal was smirking at the raven haired man.

"Picking herbs?" Arthur sceptically questioned, immediately picking up on one of Merlin's usual excuses for failing in his duties. He lifted his gaze away from the cat's strangely intelligent eyes to fix a stern glare at the young man. "You'd better not be teaching him bad habits Merlin. The purpose of letting you have a ward was so that you'd learn to be responsible, not encourage the boy to spend all day in the tavern like you do."

Gwaine issued a brief snort, but Arthur's attention turned briefly to the cat which seemed to exude appalled shock. It was as though the animal could understand everything they were saying... and Arthur didn't even want to follow that train of thought. Cats were cats; they made good mousers and attracted the attention of the sometimes too doting court ladies. Instead he turned his focus back to his manservant, whose mouth hung open dumbfounded.

"Come, Merlin." Arthur insisted. "I won't let you or your apparently absentee ward run us any later. Gwaine, whatever it is you're planning, please do keep it away from the guests. And don't hurt that animal too much. You know how Merlin gets about cute and cuddly little things and I don't want to be dealing with a stroppy manservant for the next few weeks."

Gwaine sent them a salute before turning back through the corridor. "Oh," The man commented, just as he was about to turn around. "Merlin, if you do see Danny, please send him my way. I have a... surprise lined up for him."

And then he was gone, Arthur just shook his head tiredly, feeling that it was too late in the afternoon to be dealing with Gwaine's antics. Unfortunately he still had several hours of treaty talk ahead of him, and an apparently distracted manservant as company until he got there. Merlin was silent the rest of the way to the council chambers, and Arthur struggled to get his head back into the right place to deal with ten dignitaries disagreeing over boundary lines.

The wooden doors opened and Arthur strode inside. Merlin trailed closely behind him, taking his usual place against the wall behind him like a dutiful servant should. But Arthur could still feel the distracted buzz radiating out from the dark haired man. It was even distracting him, enough so that he barely noticed that he wasn't the last person to arrive back. Three minutes after Arthur had settled (and halfway into a discussion with Princess Mithian about the welfare of Gedref) King Eadric sauntered in.

Strangely his knight and advisor, Sir Kilian, wasn't with him. The advisors weren't required to be there, but until now all the Kings and Queen Annis had been present alongside their advisor. Arthur certainly had both Guinevere and Sir Leon present for every discussion since it made it easier to ascertain that every decision was what was for the best of the kingdom. A second opinion made things easier to keep track of as well as to discuss later. But Kilian wasn't necessarily needed, and if Eadric had determined that he was happy to engage in the talks alone, that was no problem.

No doubt the Daobethan knight would simply join the other visiting knights in training, which was probably wise given that he was one of only two knights who had come to the talks as an advisor as well as a knight. It was nothing to worry about; Arthur was no doubt still just feeling off balance thanks to Gwaine and his new pet. Merlin's distraction certainly wasn't any help and he only hoped that he could get through the rest of the day's discussion in one piece.

He took a deep sip of wine, trying in vain to dispel any thoughts of rambunctious knights and abnormally intelligent cats. Instead he let the red liquid burn pleasantly against the back of his throat as he settled in for a long haul. Even though the ghost of two abnormally bright blue eyes still firmly refused to leave his mind.

Gwaine beamed as he walked through the corridors, angling back towards the training grounds. He wanted to see if he could rope Percival in on this, and if he could it would be brilliant. He had big plans, and they just got bigger as he walked through the corridors. It wouldn't be too hard to set up, a bit of rope and a decent hook... the hardest part would be getting their target into place given how wary the boy tended to be. But the end would be so worthwhile, especially now that Gwaine had his hands on a suitable cat. The cat in his arms squirmed, but didn't struggle too much when rewarded with a nice firm scratch behind the ears.

Actually, the cat was unusually tame, refusing to draw its claws no matter how hard it fidgeted. Most other cats Gwaine had come across wouldn't tolerate being held for so long, and were fierce with their claws. He'd prefer to go three rounds with a wilddeoren than deal with an irate cat. Nasty things they could be. But this one was being particularly good, and had an almost human look in its eyes. It seemed, at least, to know that it wasn't about to escape his firm hold, and didn't want to risk hurting him in the process of escaping.

Quite considerate, for a cat.

Gwaine absently petted the cat's ears, smiling when a deep rumbling emitted from the animal's small chest. The cat seemed to be settling down a bit, and the irritated flicking of its tail slowed to a steady contented sweeping motion. Gwaine continued petting as he wandered through the castle, the beast in his arms settling down contentedly into a drowsy half sleepy state. He smiled as he sifted the cat's small weight so the little animal was sitting in the crook of one arm. Blue eyes peeked tiredly at him, but a gentle rub under the chin settled the little critter back to sleep.

By the time Gwaine reached the training ground the cat was happily sleeping, apparently completely contented in his arms. He slowly sauntered over towards the smaller circle, where Percival was going through some of the movements in quiet seclusion. Percy preferred to spend some time practicing alone, but had never seemed to mind when Gwaine came along to watch. This time however he interrupted the man with a small cough, drawing the taller knight's attention over to him.

"You have a cat." Percival stated, digging his sword into the ground so he could scratch under the cat's black chin.

"You're the second person to say that." Gwaine commented. "And in exactly the same tone too. What is it about me that says I can't be around cats?"

Percival pointedly raised an eyebrow at him, and Gwaine had the grace to be the one to look away. He didn't exactly have the best history with animals of any kind, and there was a reason that most of the castle cats tended to avoid him. He couldn't help that they seemed much friendlier when he was drunk, and if maybe he was a bit too persistent in chasing them it wasn't really his fault. Little critters were fiercer than a blushing maiden in defending her honour. "Fine." He acknowledged. "But I have plans for our favourite not-squire."

"With a cat?" Percival pressed, and Gwaine smirked at him.

"It's perfect," Gwaine continued, his smirk widening. "Danny will walk right into it and won't suspect a thing. It's the perfect prank." Gwaine launched off, explaining the specifics while Percival added a few criticisms, and more additions. Percy was perfect for this since he didn't mind getting involved in a prank war, and was just as keen to give Danny a big Camelot welcome as Gwaine was after how well the boy had performed against him his first day in the city. Elyan was more timid when it came to pranking, and Leon was completely out of the question since it somehow offended his honour to even think about it. But Percy had never minded, and was apt to give just as well as he got.

Percival smiled, gently picking the cat up out of Gwaine's arms and moving it into his own. The cat stirred slightly, but settled back down with a contented purr as Percy rubbed the back of its ears. "Where'd you find this one, Gwaine?" Percival asked, seemingly content to rub the cat's chin. The man was a big softie, easily the cuddliest of all the knights. At least that was according to the children of Camelot, all of whom swarmed around the big lug whenever they went into the lower town. Something about the man just seemed to make them all feel safe and protected. But Gwaine didn't mind, Percy could have the affection of the children as much as he liked, the ladies of Camelot focused on him, and that was more to his taste.

"He was wandering around outside the guest chambers," Gwaine replied. "No doubt looking for something to eat up there."

Percival nodded, still patting the drowsy animal's black head. "Think we should find him something to eat before setting him on Danny?" The man suggested, and Gwaine nodded.

"Think we'll be able to snag something from the kitchens?" Gwaine asked, taking Percival's sword so the larger man could continue coddling the cat as they headed back towards the castle.

"If not there'll be something else around." Percival replied. "The little one here probably smelled some of the leftovers from all the guests' food."

The two headed in through a side entrance to the castle, heading towards the kitchens via Merlin's favourite route. Being friends with the kings manservant had some perks, one of which being that they knew the fastest route to the kitchens from anywhere in the castle. Gwaine sent another glance towards their passenger, still dozing happily in Percival's arms. It was probably warmer there; Percival didn't wear armour over his arms so the cat was in direct contact with the man's warm arms. Gwaine smiled at the docile cat, glad that it was being so obedient.

They reached the kitchens, and Gwaine knocked on the doors before pressing them open. It was busy inside, flaring with the heat of whatever the staff was cooking for tonight's dinner. Gwaine was about to ask one of the younger cooks for something suitable for the cat, but was interrupted by a loud clanging as an immense pot tumbled loudly to the floor.

The loud metallic clamour rang through the room, startling the cat awake. A loud meow emitted from the cat's chest, remarkably loud for such a small pair of lungs. The cat looked around wildly, blue eyes fearful as it was torn to awareness. Barely a moment passed before the little beast leapt out of Percival's arms, tearing rapidly around a corner before disappearing from sight. Gwaine chased after it, hot on its tail as the beast scampered away. But after the third corner all he could see was its tail, and by the fourth he'd completely lost track of the little white socked black cat.

Gwaine cursed under his breath, disappointed that the best part of their prank had gotten away on them. "Cat didn't hurt you, did he?" Gwaine asked when he felt Percival catch up to him.

"Nah, didn't draw a claw." Percival answered, offering him a smile and showing off his surprisingly unmarked arms.

"He was a good cat." Gwaine remarked, feeling deflated now that the little critter was gone.

"He'll turn up again." Percival assured. "It's only a matter of time."

Gwaine let out a tight sigh, regretting the fact that his prank had escaped right out from under him. The cat hadn't even made it to the performance, and it had been such a perfect cat too; docile enough to just give a startle and tame enough not to hurt anyone. You really couldn't work with animals. They should make a saying to that effect.

"Want to raid the kitchens anyway?" Percival offered, a knowing smile pulling at the taller knight's face.

"Why Sir Percival, it's as though you read my mind." Gwaine replied, allowing a smile to creep back onto his own face as the two headed straight back to the kitchen doors. He could always devise another prank for Danny, and there were always more cats in the castle. He wasn't one to let something like an escaping cat get him down, and instead he decided to slip into the kitchen and grab a mid-afternoon snack for Percival and himself.

The two walked away smiling, plotting other ways to ensnare Danny in a full out prank war, which was perfect because it meant Percival wouldn't be interested in playing pranks on him. Soon enough thoughts of the strangely intelligent blue eyed cat slipped out of his mind, replaced by plans to ruffle the younger boy's feathers.

Now all they needed to do was find Danny. But given that he was helping Merlin with his job, surely that wouldn't be that hard. After all, it wasn't like Danny could vanish just as assuredly as that strangely tame black cat had managed. Was it now?

AN; I'm back... sorta. Sorry for the wait. I got bogged down with Uni stuff, and then decided that I wanted to write something really fluffy before the drama really starts.

But here begins the strange dance where protagonists and antagonists slide around each other, catching up just enough to be left behind when the other twirls away.

Translation;
Scimerian Bæl – Flickering Flames

Cheers,

Bluerose