A/N: I post this chapter in dedication to PoemWriter98 and LadyFromPoland.
Chapter 6
Arthur paced in the main hall while his father read off the reports. A town to the East was experiencing an infestation of field mice. The western towns were in a drought. The main city of Camelot was short on food by one field which had been eaten by a wandering pack of deer in the night. Arthur rolled his eyes at that one. Merlin chuckled. As Arthur walked back and forth, he got increasingly closer to Merlin's position. Every time, Merlin thought to himself that, if he reached out, he could touch Arthur easily.
"Send the knights out to find where the deer are hiding. Their meat will take the place of the crops they've destroyed," King Uther ordered. Just then, Arthur's arm collided with, and went through, Merlin's arm.
"What? All of them?" Merlin exclaimed in shock. Arthur seemed to stumble in his walk. He looked around the room twice and then at his father. Uther gave his son a curious look.
"Is something wrong?" he asked. Arthur furrowed his eyebrows and swallowed.
"We kill all of the deer?" he asked. Merlin looked over at Arthur incredulously. Were they linked at the mind now?
"Of course," Uther replied. "They stole from Camelot."
"They were following instinct. Besides, the meat will spoil before it can all be eaten. Three deer will be more than enough to make up for the one field," Arthur pointed out. Merlin smiled.
"Wow, Arthur," he commented. Arthur was showing his wiser side. It was nice to see since Merlin was usually absent for Arthur's bold and just comments such as these.
Uther regarded his son curiously for a moment. Arthur stood silently for what seemed like forever, giving his father a determined stare. Then Uther lowered his gaze. Arthur's eyes did a quick glance over the room, as if scared someone was hiding nearby. When Uther looked back at Arthur, the prince's eyes snapped back forward and all fear left his features. Now he looked slightly curious as to his father's reply. Uther sighed.
"Perhaps you're right. Fine then. Take the knights and kill three deer. Then try to… push the rest of the herd onward and away from the fields," the king ordered. He nodded as if to agree with himself. Arthur nodded as well.
"I'll get right on that," he said and began to stroll from the room.
He got as far as the door before his father's booming voice called his attention back.
"Say, I haven't seen your manservant around lately…. Has something happened? He never used to leave your side," Uther pointed out. Arthur nodded and shrugged simultaneously. Merlin was pleasantly surprised. The king had noticed.
"Merlin's…. having a bit of trouble right now. I gave him a leave of absence," Arthur lied… sort of. "Don't worry. I can survive without him for a few days."
"I'm sure… Carry on," Uther dismissed and turned from his son. Merlin shrugged and followed Arthur from the room. The doors almost closed on him and it made Merlin wonder if he could walk through them.
Maybe he should test that once…. Later.
-- -- -- -- -- -- --
Later turned out to be when Arthur got back to his room. He shut the door so quickly that Merlin didn't have a chance to follow him through. The prince seemed… agitated. Merlin glared at the door's wood grain. Arthur had some nerve to shut him out like that… not that he knew Merlin was following, but it still counted!
The young sorcerer frowned and put his hand up to the door. Normally, he could just touch the door and walk in, but ever since Gaius's house…. Well Merlin hadn't tried to touch anything. He was too scared that it wouldn't work. So now he sort of hoped he couldn't touch things. He reached his hand forward and felt it press firmly against the wood.
Merlin let out a sigh and smiled. He could touch it. Wait. He could touch it? Merlin frowned. That meant he couldn't walk through it! If he opened the door, Arthur would surely notice, but Merlin didn't want to just stand out here and wait. Arthur could be in his room for hours!
"Ready or not, I'm coming in," Merlin announced and turned the handle. The door opened easily and he stepped inside. As thought, Arthur turned to see who was barging in on him, but saw no one. He furrowed his eyebrows together as he watched the door close on its own.
Arthur strolled over and examined it carefully. That's when the door flew open and smacked him in the face.
"Arthur!" Morgana called out as she pushed into the room. Arthur let out a cry as he was slammed into the floor. "Oh! Arthur! Are you alright?"
Arthur growled and pushed himself back to his feet. He grabbed his door and slammed it shut.
"For goodness sake, Morgana, do you not know how to knock!?" he yelled.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were still by the door," the lady apologized. Arthur rubbed his head and grumbled.
"Sorry? You knocked me to the floor with a door!" Arthur complained and walked to his table. He sat down and kept checking his head as though expecting it to bleed.
"Excuse me," Morgana snapped back. "Maybe if you didn't stand next to your door, you wouldn't get hit."
"I don't! You're the one who tricked me into walking over," Arthur accused. Morgana gasped.
"Me? I saw you come in here so I rushed over because I was worried!" she exclaimed, motioning toward the door. Arthur snorted.
"Yeah, I bet. Did you just not decide to come in the first time?" he asked snidely. Morgana looked confused.
"What on Earth are you talking about?" she asked. Merlin kept a safe distance from them both. He was invisible and silent to them but he still didn't want to be between them when they fought. It was best to duck and cover at a time like this.
"Oh forget it. What did you want to talk to me about?" Arthur grumbled, feeling his head again.
Merlin frowned. Arthur could be such a baby about injuries. He always boasted about being a great warrior, but if he got hurt at home, all he did was complain until the injury completely healed. Merlin reached out his hand and mumbled a spell – though he could have yelled it and no one would have known. Arthur's face grew curious and then pleased. Merlin smirked and nodded. Yep. Magic was good for some things, especially healing.
"I was just wondering how you were getting along without Merlin here," Morgana replied after a silent moment. "I know last time he was away from work, you're room was a mess. Sometimes I wonder how your room stayed clean without him."
Arthur snorted. "I wonder how it stays clean with him. His room is worse than mine," he grumbled under his breath, but he was smiling.
"What was that?" Morgana asked.
"Nothing. I was just saying I can make it a few days without him. I'm not a child," Arthur reminded her. "But if you're that worried about me –…"
"I'm not," Morgana interjected quickly. Arthur gave her an exasperated look and she closed her mouth.
"If you're that worried, then go see Gaius and figure out if there's anything you can do to help," Arthur finished.
Morgana set a curious and surprised look on her prince. He'd seen that she was truly worried about Merlin and not about him. It was unusually intuitive for Arthur. Morgana bowed her head to him and walked to the door. There she paused to look back at him once more.
"Um… You know," she began, turning from the door. "I saw what you did down there."
"What ever are you talking about, Morgana?" Arthur asked lazily.
"I mean down in Gaius's house. We both saw it. We both heard it. I'm just not sure Gaius noticed it," Morgana replied. Merlin looked almost as confused as Arthur.
"Sorry?" Arthur asked. Morgana sighed in frustration and shook her head.
"Look, Arthur, I'm not going to play your games. You can continue to deny it, but I know the way you feel about him," she said and walked from the room. Arthur looked like he wanted to call her back, but he didn't. He froze.
Merlin quickly looked from the door to the prince. He didn't want to miss any expression Arthur might show. Arthur's face dropped into a frown, and he rubbed it down with his hand. The prince then leaned his head against the table and let out a groan.
"Damn," he sighed out. Merlin quickly walked over to Arthur and put his hands on the table.
"Was she saying what I think she was saying?" he asked.
Of course, Arthur wasn't able to hear him and didn't reply. Merlin frowned. He felt himself growing angry at being ignored. He didn't want to be ignored, and if Morgana was right then Arthur shouldn't be capable of ignoring him! Yet Arthur just sat here in his room and did nothing. He did nothing. He didn't see Merlin. He didn't hear Merlin. He had no idea Merlin was here, nor did he know what Merlin was going through. But if Morgana's words were true, then why was Arthur just sitting here? Why was he not down with Gaius and helping him? Why?
"Arthur, if you care so much, then why? Why are you doing nothing?!" Merlin's voice grew in volume. Still, Arthur did nothing. Merlin pulled a hand back and brought it down as though he thought it would actually connect with Arthur's head. Instead it went through the prince's head like air. "Don't ignore me!" he screamed.
Arthur jumped up to a sitting position and looked up at where Merlin was with wide and startled eyes. He looked around the room. Then Arthur jumped to his feet and hurried for the door.
"Merlin?" he asked as he looked into the hallway. No one was around, not even Morgana. Arthur frowned deeply and walked back to his chair slowly. Merlin's anger had dissipated and he now regarded Arthur with shock.
Had Arthur been able to hear him - even if just for a moment?
