Alaia Skyhawk: Double update! I had today off work, so I've been indulging my Merlin addiction XD
Hehe, someone noticed I tweaked the time-line a bit. I figured for them to hold the sword tournament just the 2nd day after the festival was a bit soon, so I put it on the 4th day after. Giving Merlin a realistic amount of time to start at his new duties... and start to drive Arthur up the wall XD
Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.
Music: The Forged Seal (Merlin OST)
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Chapter 6: Settling In ~Part 3~
It was a wonder, really, just how Arthur could build up such a pile of clothing in such a short space of time...
Now you would think that carrying a basket full of clothing would be an easy thing, and usually it would be, but try doing that when you're carrying twice as much as is normal.
Merlin peered over the top of the pile, which bulged up from within the basket in his arms. Bern clearly had let the stack of cleaned items build up at the laundry rooms, with both Arthur's festival outfits as well as what he'd worn the day after, probably as petty payback for losing his job. Add to that yesterday's items, and the ones from this morning, and it was really a wonder he could see where he was going at all.
The warlock sighed, wishing his chores were over for today. With the tournament starting tomorrow, Arthur had given him another book to read, but the only book he was interested in right now was the one that Gaius had given him.
He now began to smile, thinking of some of the easy spells he'd already tried out. Gaius had walked in when he'd been practicing last night, and to say he'd been shocked was an understatement. Not shocked to see Merlin using magic, although he'd reprimanded him for 'improper usage', but because he hadn't expected his ward to be able to master even simple incantations that fast.
The smile changed to a frown, that uncomfortable 'freak' feeling setting in again. Magic, the magic he'd been doing for years, was already easy, so to learn that the simple spells were just as easy hadn't been a surprise for him. Learning that normally even the easy ones usually take weeks to fully master had only resulted in uncomfortable silence between them. They were still learning boundaries, still trying to figure out what was 'normal' for him compared to what was normal by the standards Gaius knew. So far they weren't doing too well on that.
A faint trumpet call could be heard from outside, but Merlin ignored it. He'd heard it a few times over the past few days, to announce the arrival of various knights coming for the tournament. That this time an additional bit was added to the end meant nothing to him, at least until a guard approached him as he was nearing Arthur's chambers.
The guard stopped him, Merlin continuing to peer over the pile of clothing while he listened.
"Prince Arthur wants you in the central courtyard immediately. To see to the horses of the knight about to arrive."
Merlin nodded in understanding, letting the guard walk away. He then continued on towards Arthur's chambers at a deliberately slower pace. If Arthur thought he was going to leave this in the middle of a hallway and be reprimanded for it later, it was wrong.
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What on earth was taking Merlin so long? How hard was it to actually come when he was told to?
Arthur resisted the urge to pace, and also the urge to tap his foot in impatience. When he'd heard the trumpet call announcing that Sir Tarven of Ulwin was about to arrive, he'd hurried to wait on the stairs in the courtyard to greet him. To do anything less for the son of his father's most trusted friend would be an insult, and that meant that Merlin needed to hurry up and get here before it turned into a farce.
Sir Tarven rode in through the castle gates, his servant riding behind and leading a third horse on a lead-rein. Both dismounted as soon as they came to a stop, the servant taking charge of all three horses while his master strode forward to greet the prince descending the stairs to do likewise.
Arthur arrived at Tarven's side, clapping the dark-haired knight on the shoulder whilst smiling.
"It's good to see you could make it, Sir Tarven. I was beginning to wonder, what with the tournament starting tomorrow."
Sir Tarven lifted his chin a little, a faint haughtiness in his tone as he smiled in return.
"And I remind you that I'm here only because if I did not come then certain people would question my strength. In Ulwin, my position as commander of the garrison, with over two dozen border battles under my belt, makes my skill unquestionable. It's unfortunate though that many do not take them into account, especially seeing as I left as late as I could and still arrive her in time, to ensure the border remains secured in my absence."
Arthur winced, feeling a surge of both frustration and sympathy. In Camelot, knights were best known for their victories in the arena. Battles on a distant border, while more impressive in a tactical sense, rarely came to the forefront of peoples' minds. Tarven had seen far more front-line combat than him, and yet he had seen far more glory in the arena. In a one-on-one fight, there was no doubt he would win. But in a large scale battle, with numerous warriors to command, it was certain the outcome would be the opposite.
Trying to turn away from that awkward subject, he looked around for something else to talk about. The third horse they had with them snorted restlessly, held in place as it was by some red-headed servant who had a vacant and dim-witted expression on his face. Honestly, the man looked as though he had barely the intelligence to remember to keep hold of the reins.
Arthur turned his attention back to the gelding that had snorted, taking a step towards it so he could get a better look. It seemed another gift had been sent by Lord Hargren.
"Another of your father's horses? There's nothing wrong with the one I received three years ago, in fact it's the best horse I've even owned."
Tarven glanced at the horse, before folding his arms across his chest. He had a faint hint of amusement in his eyes.
"It has some flaws, which mean it doesn't meet the standards my father expects before one of his horses be placed for sale. When he got word of the... incident... at the feast a few days ago, he decided that if your personal manservant continues to accompany you as they always have, it would be prudent for them to ride a horse that will not panic at an inopportune moment if you are attacked while out in the open. If they can manage its quirks, you are free to keep it to be used as their assigned mount."
Arthur raised his eyebrows, reaching out to place a hand on the gelding's nose.
"And what quirks would those be?"
That moment he was greeted by the sight of some rather large teeth being bared at him threateningly, as the gelding's lip peeled back in warning. The half-wit holding the reins gave them a tug to make the horse stop, though his eyes were looking elsewhere. He must have done it as absent as he looked.
Tarven cleared his throat, explaining while Arthur eyed the horse warily.
"It's rather picky about who it will let ride it. Using a firm hand will make it allow you to tend to it, but so far the only person its liked enough to let them ride it is our chief trainer. My father informed me of how disappointed he was, since Trainer Yale takes great pride the horses, and would hate to see this one go to waste."
Eyeing the gelding for a second time, Arthur now turned to face the knight and let out a small snort. Merlin being able to control this horse?
"Then I fear bringing it here was a waste of time... My new manservant is an idiot. That horse is more likely to kill him than be a benefit." A figure came into view, Arthur starting to frown as they hurried down the steps from the castle entrance. "And speaking of which... Merlin! You're late!"
Merlin approached his master, resisting the urge to do more than roll his eyes slightly. Even if he had come here right away, Arthur would have still been a prat about it.
He came to a stop and gave a half-bow, keeping his tone polite but allowing a hint of mirth to show in his eyes. There was no way Arthur would miss it.
"I'm sorry, Sire... I was in the middle of taking your cleaned laundry back to you chambers. I didn't think you'd want them left in the middle of a hallway."
Arthur glared at him, frowning, before pointing to the nearby gelding and speaking sharply.
"You're to take that to my personal stable, and inform the stable master that it is assigned for your use. You got lucky, it seems, because you've become my manservant just in time to get the chance of riding one of the finest-trained horses you're ever likely to come close to."
Merlin hesitated for a moment before doing as ordered, having picked up on the edge in Arthur's voice. Was there something wrong with that horse? Deciding there would be nothing for it but to find out, he walked over to it and accepted the lead-rein that was handed to him by the other servant. And then the gelding took a few steps towards him, letting him pet its nose before it nuzzled the front of his shirt and whuffled contentedly.
He started to smile.
"Nice horse."
Arthur stared, gaping for an instant. That horse had threatened to bite him, and yet it liked Merlin? This had to be some sort of fluke.
"Pass him here for a moment."
He reached out to take the rein from Merlin, but had to yank his hand back when the gelding whipped its head over the servant's shoulder and tried to take his fingers off. The red-headed servant stepped out of sight behind their horse, but neither Arthur nor Merlin noticed.
No, Arthur was too busy staring, while Merlin glanced over his shoulder at him and eyed the prince's hair. He was the only person present with hair that colour.
"Maybe it just doesn't like blondes..."
There was a choking noise from behind the horse, the dim-witted servant coming back into view shortly with a blank look on his face. Arthur ignored him, livid, before pointing sharply to the main gate while glaring at Merlin.
"Stables... now... And take the other two horses as well."
"Yes, Sire."
Merlin waited for Tarven's servant to unload the bags from the horses, before taking the reins of all three and leading them out of the gate. He followed the walls around the side of the castle to the stables, passing the first two to one of the stablehands before leading his horse to Arthur's private stalls.
The man in charge of the stables came over to see what was going on, eyeing the horse with some surprise given he knew a well-bred mount when he saw one.
"Another gift for our prince?"
Merlin was about to smile at the man, Merik, but then winced when something occurred to him... This might just make things in the castle a bit more uncomfortable due to a thing called jealousy.
"It's from the knight who just arrived, I think his insignia was Ulwin's. Apparently they sent this horse for Prince Arthur's manservant to use. Probably a political thing."
Merik stiffened, turning to him sharply.
"You mean this horse if for you to use? But the horses bred and trained by Lord Hargren are some of the finest known in the lands. Such a horse for a servant, even the prince's..."
"Yeah, well, I assume he had a reason."
Merlin watched as Merik reached out to take the rein, the horse baring its teeth again until the man grabbed its lip and gave it a pull. The gelding submitted for a moment, but then tried to kick out at him with a foreleg, whinnying agitatedly until the stablemaster's firm hand on the halter made it settle.
He was now looking a bit less shocked.
"Ah, I can see now why he sent it. A horse that behaves like this could never be sold, it would be a mar against Ulwin's standards." The gelding turned its head, to lip at Merlin's hair gently. Merik just shook his head at the sight of it. "And it seems it just so happens to like you. Just as well really, Lord Hargren has his horses trained for battle. This fellow will be capable of kicking a man's head off."
Merlin flinched, gulping as his eyes moved to look at the horse that now seemed to be searching his pockets for tidbits of food.
"I'll make sure to remember that."
He led the horse into the stable, securing it with the others and then heading back into the castle. He still had Arthur's laundry to put away. But it was no sooner than he entered through the prince's door that Arthur gave him a smile that made the warlock very nervous... He already knew that Arthur, plus him smiling, was sure to equal pain and/or humiliation.
Arthur picked up a sheathed sword from his table, tossing it to Merlin who fumbled to catch it.
"Seeing as it's the tournament tomorrow, I think it's time you help me get a little practice in." He headed for the door, striding out past Merlin. "I want you down at the armoury within the next fifteen minutes. I'll get someone to help you into some armour."
Merlin turned and stared after him in total disbelief. It was one thing making him muck out the stables or stand bored outside the council chambers as payback, but beating the crap out of him with a sword?
"You have got to be joking..."
"Hurry up, Merlin! Get moving!"
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Alaia Skyhawk: And there you have it, with a direct lead-in to Arthur beating Merlin up at the start of episode 2. As for the cranky horse, those who have read Whom History so far will know the story behind it, and the jokes behind the 'red-headed half-wit' that Tarven has with him hehehehehehe XD