Chapter 3 [Camelot—Hours Later]

The stars twinkled in their dark backdrop above. Icy breezes swayed torch fires in various directions and even slightly beat them down a bit. Shadows danced across the granite alongside and underfoot. Sentry knights watched the terrain outside of the walls. They flanked the citadel's door as well.

Pity not all knights were as responsible on that evening….

[Rising Sun Tavern]

Gawain sat at the bar trying to shut out the world around himself. His mouth absently took a frothy draught from the pint in his hand. Rather than carouse with the other revelers, his eyes focused on the worn grain of the hard surface. His fingers tapped a terse Morse code across that aged wood. His ears registered none of the rather boisterous affair all around. Sorrow weighed more so across his consciousness than normal. His usual poker face failed to hold it in on that particular night. Worse still, he could care less. He still rode patrol and maintained watch when needed. He endured Arthur and Gwen's assemblies.

Everything had frankly soured. More than that….it flat out sucked bollocks…

He coughed at that particular insight. His hand mechanically raised the aforementioned pint to his mouth for another draught to wash it down with. Disdain pushed out a massive belch for everyone and nobody in particular to hear. He'd endured far too much change for his liking. Percival endured his own court politics in Mercia. Leon stifled the knights with new regulations supposedly from Arthur. (More than likely though, the mood killers came from the First Knight's own stiff-arsed ego than anything else.) And that wasn't counting how their high and mighty King treated Merlin. His eyes narrowed almost to slits at that point.

Arthur had frankly made it his mission to make Merlin miserable. Granted some payback was in order for the whole nun deal. Still the response had overreached any reasonable bounds. He'd embarrassed his servant at the banquet. He'd demoted Merlin to the stables and every menial task known it seemed. He never addressed Merlin directly choosing instead to send his wishes through that brown nosing moron, George, or Gwen. Occasionally he'd rouse Merlin from sleep shortly after midnight for some stupid task that could've waited until midday.

Wish I could just break Merlin out of here. We'd ride off and find some adventure. We could forget. Maybe he could poof us some place. Gawain shook his head. If Arthur didn't hunt us down, Mith would…or worse she'd send Brit after us. His heart skipped a beat eliciting a sour frown. She is going to be the death of me. Nag. Nag. Nag. At least she won't come around usually. He rolled his eyes at the thought of her last trip there. Yeah she did get Merlin a picnic. Still did she have to rat on me to Gwen about the bloody dice? He gulped a big portion of the glass. Maybe I can get Merlin to Nemeth before heading north. Then Merlin would be a prince rather than the 'crap boy'. He grimaced at the derogatory name he'd overheard around the court….

…heard that is before his fist forced an adjustment in the speaker's mindset….

"You want another, Sir Gawain?" the bartender, a tall swarthy-complexioned man, inquired.

"Yeah why not? Helps with stuff." Gawain conceded a shrug. He dug into his pocket. With a curt motion, he flipped a shilling coin at him. "That should do you."

The bartender nodded and stuck it in his breeches' pocket. Then he produced a dark bottle from behind the counter and refilled the knight's pint. "That should be good for what ails you."

"Thanks, Mate." Gawain raised the tankard. By now, an almost looking grin had reappeared on his face. "Cheers." He set the pint down on the bar. "Almost makes the day better."

The bartender looked off to his right. "Think you're being summoned." He motioned in that direction.

Gawain rolled his eyes. "Bloody hell! Who'd ruin…a perfectly good time? I…." He turned to find Merlin watching him. "Merlin! Just the guy I wanted to see!"

Merlin allowed a small smile to spread across his face. Given his friend's usual exploits in that establishment, he expected to find a far greater mess. Relief washed through him relaxing him. "Well here I am. I wish we could drink away our troubles. Got to get back."

"Aww….you don't mean that! What have you got…'sides the stables to muck? Stupid Princess makes you do that," Gawain groused. He guzzled down a few gulps from the new drink. "Arthur this! Arthur that! Arthur…Arthur…Arthur…."

Merlin bit back a response. Due to the King's recent bile toward him, he could well understand Gawain's issues. Frustration boiled up inside of his heart. Still he remembered how proud his Princess was about his resolve…that he could be the bigger man. "Gawain, not here. If you want to talk, we can go to Gaius' chamber."

"Yeah well ol' Arthur might have a spy there too. Aw hell!" Gawain stood. He finished the drink and set the glass down on the bar with a resounding thud. "Gwen sent ya, didn't she?"

Merlin shrugged. "At least she got me out of silver polishing duty."

Gawain gagged overly loud. "I'd throw that Prat out the window first. Arthur calls you an idiot? Really?"

Seeing several sets of eyes turning toward them, Merlin tugged with a bit more urgency on Gawain's arm. He had no wish to give Arthur any more grist to grind on any front. "Come on, Gawain. People are listening."

"So? Let 'em."

Merlin considered giving his friend a magically-enhanced aide. Then he thought twice about it considering the other's buzzed mental outlook at the moment. "Gwen's worried. Arthur might throw both of us in the stocks. Please. Let's go."

Gawain stiffened. Rebellion reared in his head wanting to spit in the Establishment (that being Arthur's) face at that particular moment. "Yeah well…I still might dig in. Ain't nothing you can say that'll make me move."

"I could get Princess Mithian to bring a reason," Merlin insinuated/threatened. "And I know how certain maids feel about certain knights being in taverns."

"Last thing I need is that one lecturing me again. All right. Fine." Gawain hustled out the door nearly pulling Merlin with him in tow.

While he didn't care to be yanked along in that way, Merlin went with the flow. After all, he did get his friend to come willingly. That in the end counted for something…..