Chapter 3

Merlin spotted Arthur and Lancelot sitting in the crowd as the Rejects played their set. He was at first startled that the Prince of Camelot was sitting in a dingy bar eating common name-brand beer. He luckily didn't let his surprise show and continued to play the set.

During the second set he noticed the intense stare Arthur was giving him. If Arthur had been his kind of guy, Merlin would have sworn Arthur wanted him, but that wasn't possible. Arthur was straighter than an arrow; his relationship with Sophia was attest to that. Why Arthur was looking at him like that was strange to him?

The next song started and Merlin didn't even have to think on the notes. His fingers glided up and down the strings of his guitar. He knew the song by heart. He wrote it after all. It was an older song, one of the first he had written but it still had meaning to him. This was probably why he never threw it away and kept revising it until it became the song it was now.

"I got this feeling on the summer day when you were gone.

I crashed my car into the bridge. I watched, I let it burn.

I threw your shit into a bag and pushed it down the stairs.

I crashed my car into the bridge.

I don't care, I love it.

I don't care.

You're on a different road, I'm in the Milky Way

You want me down on earth, but I am up in space

You're so damn hard to please, we gotta kill this switch

You're from the 70's, but I'm a 90's bitch

I love it!

I love it!"

Gwen sung the song perfectly, as always. She never missed a beat and could somehow change pitch. In one song she was an alto and the next a soprano. She was a talented singer but her dream was to go into fashion design. Merlin had no doubt that she would take the world by storm. Her designs were so detailed and modern that it would be impossible not to wear them.

They finished the song and waved as the audience applauded.

"Okay, everyone," said Gwen in the microphone. "We're going to take a short break to let the jukebox spin a bit. Everyone have fun and don't forget to tip your waitress."

A few customers laughed as Gwen hopped off stage and went to the bar where Kilgharrah set out three bottles of water for them. Merlin grabbed the nearest one, twisted off the top and took a deep drink.

"Did you see who's here?" asked Kilgharrah.

"Yeah," said Merlin looking over at Arthur's table. Elyan had joined both jocks and they were laughing loudly.

"What's he doing here?" asked Gwen annoyed.

"Paying," said Kilgharrah. "And that's all I care about. If he causes any trouble Rhys'll throw him out."

"Why did Lancelot bring him here?" asked Will. "This is our place. Why can't he stay on his side of town and out of ours?"

"Let's not think about him," said Merlin. "Gwen, how is your project coming?"

"Slowly," she said with a sigh. "I don't know how I'm supposed to have a portfolio for the next class. The assignments Nimueh give are impossible."

Will patted her on the back.

"You'll get it," he said. Gwen groaned and depressed noise. Will turned to Merlin. "Do you still have that function to work for next Friday?"

"Yeah," said Merlin with an exasperated sigh. The Pendragons were holding a charity function at the hotel ballroom, but Merlin knew it was just another way for them to look good for the papers. It was a masked ball and everyone was going to wear masks, even the servers. "Any chance you can bust me out of there."

"Maybe you'll meet Prince Charming," said Gwen with a teasing tone and giggled at the deep blush on Merlin's face.

Two months ago Merlin "met" someone at the school board's chat room. They had never officially met in person but Merlin and he had been talking to each other ever since. Merlin knew it was a guy because of the way he wrote despite the deep philosophical connotations that popped up. The guy was a reader which was big in his book for the perfect partner. Merlin knew it was stupid but he was slowly falling for a guy he had never met.

His phone beeped and he dug into his pocket to dig it out. The name Excalibur flashed across his screen and he grinned.

"Speak of the devil," said Gwen as Merlin pulled up the message.

You'll never guess where I'm at.

Merlin frowned a little as he typed.

Where?

Albion Bar.

Merlin gaped and looked around the bar, trying to spot his online friend but saw several people with their cellphones out and typing.

So am I!

Merlin looked up, hoping that someone would look around for him, but again a lot of people looked up from their phones. His phone beeped again.

Did you see the band? They are pretty good.

Merlin stifled a laugh.

I think they're pretty good too.

I think the guitarist was amazing.

Merlin blushed a fierce red and his brain froze. His cyber friend thought he was amazing. He had seen Merlin and thought he was amazing.

"Uh, Merlin, still in there, man?" asked Will snapping his fingers at Merlin.

"I think he's broken," said Gwen worriedly.

"He thinks I'm amazing," said Merlin in a daze.

"What?" asked Gwen surprised.

"He's here, and he thinks I'm amazing."

"Well, that's a good thing, yeah," said Will.

"But he doesn't know who I am. He doesn't know that it's me on the stage. He just knows me as Wizard. He doesn't know me."

"Merlin, calm down, breathe," said Gwen gently and Merlin did as she told him. When his heart rate sufficiently went down she spoke again. "Merlin, you've been talking to this guy for two months. You've told him a lot. Obviously he likes who you are or he wouldn't still be talking to you."

"But I haven't told him that I'm…"

"Don't you think you should? If you want to meet this guy one day, you're going to have to tell him."

Merlin looked down at his phone a fiddled with it.

"What if I don't want to," he said softly.

"Don't want to what?" asked Will.

"Meet him? What if I tell him I'm gay and that scares him off? I could ruin one of the best things that happen in my life. Maybe this relationship's better in cyberspace."

"You don't mean that," said Gwen in surprise.

"Maybe I do."

Gwen and Will looked at each other worried. Ever since Merlin had meet Excalibur they had never seen him so happy or animated. Merlin had finally found someone he could connect with and yet was worried on whether the man would reject or accept him.

"Merlin, that's a chance all of us have to take," said Gwen. "And no one deserves to be happy more than you."

He scoffed as his phone went off again.

"What did he say?" asked Will.

"He asked why I didn't reply back," said Merlin typing. "I'm telling him I was talking with my friends." He sent the message and turned back to them. "Next set?"

They nodded and hopped off their stools to go back to the stage, picking up their instruments and Gwen tapped the microphone to get the attention of the audience.

"Hello, everyone," she said. "We're back from our break and I hope you tipped your waitresses. Let us continue our set of Lying Cheating Bastard!"

The audience cheered and they started the next song. As with the theme of the bar, it was an American country song. Gwen lifted the microphone to her mouth and started to sing.

"I laid there feeling sorry for myself

In a bed of Kleenex

Stuffing chocolates in my mouth

On the phone with my best friend

Cussing my ex

He broke my heart

Felt like the world had ended

I cried myself to sleep

Thinking I can't get over him

Strange, talk about luck

I woke up and the sun was shining

Strange, I ought to be in bed

With my head in the pillow crying

Over us, but I ain't, ain't love

Strange."

Again, Merlin felt eyes on him and he turned to find Arthur looking at him. Again, Merlin wondered why the blonde was paying so much attention to him.

Deciding to ignore the man, he continued to limit his world to the guitar in his hands and the music playing in his hand. The rest of the world faded away.

XXXXXX

Arthur's phone vibrated over the music as the band paused and he picked it up to see the name "Wizard" flash across the screen. A smile spread on his face.

"Lover boy," asked Lancelot teasingly. Arthur jabbed his elbow in his gut as he brought the message up.

Friends gave me a random question; If you got caught in a zombie apocalypse who would you take with you, a family member or a stranger?

Arthur looked at the question curiously. That was a random question. He typed back.

Watch a lot of zombie movies, do you?

His phone messaged back.

Hey, Zombieland rules!

Arthur laughed. He saw the movie a few times and liked it but it didn't beat The Walking Dead. He texted back.

Stranger. My family's dysfunctional as it is. Don't need to add zombies to the mix.

I said I would save my mom. She's the only family I have left.

What about your dad?

Died before I was born.

Arthur felt like he could kick himself. That was the most stupid question he had ever asked.

I'm sorry.

Don't be. I never knew him. Mom talks about him all the time through. She misses him.

She never met anyone else?

Too busy raising me.

His answer was completely opposite of Arthur's upbringing. His mother died giving birth to him and his father was too busy with his companies to give five minutes to his son. Instead he was raised by nannies that only cared about their next pay.

When he was younger his father had taken him to a cottage by a lake. There was an area around the lake that would lose all cell signals and for forty-five minutes Arthur had his father all to himself. But Arthur got older and Uther took over more companies. They stopped going to the lake and father and son grew apart.

Returning to his phone he typed his message.

What's your mom like?

lol Like a mother.

I wouldn't know. My mom died when I was born.

Oh. Sorry.

It's all right. I didn't know her and my father never talks about her.

There was a long pause, as if his friend was thinking over what to say to him.

Mothers are like sunshine. When they hug you, you feel all warm and safe and you know that you're loved.

Not all mothers are like that though.

Arthur remembered hearing a story on the news where a mother beat her son to death. The reason was because the boy was hungry and wouldn't stop crying. Arthur had been appalled after hearing it.

True, but most mothers are. My mom loves me more than anything.

Arthur was glad his friend had a mother that loved him, and a little jealous. How did Arthur know that his mother loved him? He had never met her.

Then he remembered a photo he found at the bottom of a box in the attic. He had been hiding from his latest nanny not wanting to eat her disgusting veggie food when he decided to peruse the boxes around him. He found a box unlabeled and when he opened it he found pictures of his mother pregnant and sonograms. He also found maternity clothes and a teddy bear with a blue bow. Lastly he found a picture of Ygraine holding him, her face damp with sweat and she looked exhausted but there was the biggest smile on her face. He guessed it had been taken hours before she died.

Remembering the picture, he knew his mother wanted him and in the few hours of having known him, she loved him. The subject of his mother was a touchy one in the Pendragon household but from what he gleaned from the servants that worked while she was still alive, his mother was joyously anticipating his arrival, as was his father. It was only after Ygraine died that Uther turned into the workaholic he was now.

The band went up for another number and Arthur turned to watch. He noticed that Wizard didn't talk during the band's songs. He guessed it was because he liked the band.

"Why don't you meet him?" asked Elyan.

"What?" asked Arthur turning to him.

"This Wizard guy. Why don't you meet him? It's been two months."

"I'm not ready to meet him yet," said Arthur. "I want to know if he'll like me for who I am, not my money."

"It's been two months," said Lancelot. "That should tell you if he likes you or not."

"And what about Sophie?"

Arthur paused at his so called girlfriend's name. He didn't know why he went out with her. She was a grade-A bitch. All she cared about was her looks and him on her arm as her eye candy. She was flaunting that she got the richest and handsomest guy on campus. Worse was when she tried to control everything he did, like earlier when he wanted to go out with his friends and she didn't approve because she wasn't included.

The only reason Arthur went out with her was because he couldn't tell his father the truth. Arthur knew his father. If Arthur told him the truth then he could kiss his inheritance goodbye.

Not that Arthur wanted the money. He'd rather earn his money all on his own but until he could do that he needed his father's money.

His phone vibrated and he looked down to see Sophia's name flash across the screen.

"El diablo," said Lancelot as Arthur answered.

"Hello?'

"Are you over your rebellion yet?" she asked.

"Who's rebelling?"

"You know very well what I mean. You've had your fun so come home. Now."

Arthur sighed as she hung up on him. He knew by the tone of her voice that she wasn't asking. He turned to his friends to see their scrupulous faces.

"The hell bitch ordering you home?" asked Elyan.

"Yeah," said Arthur draining the last of his beer. "Shame. They really are good."

"Told you," said Lancelot. "Need a ride?'

"Nah," said Arthur pulling up a taxi service him and his father uses all the time. "You guys have fun. The rest is on me."

"Sweet!" said Elyan. "Too bad Gwaine and Percival didn't want to come. It turned into an interesting night."

"It's their date night," said Arthur. "We'd be getting an eyeful if we walk in on them now."

Lancelot and Elyan shuddered.

"No thanks," Lancelot. "I love the guys, but if I see Gwaine's hairy ass one more time I'm going to go permanently blind."

"When did you see Gwaine's hairy ass?" asked Elyan curiously.

"You do not want to know."

This time all three friends shudder.

"I better go before I'm put through the Spanish Inquisition," said Arthur. He turned to the bar. "Hey, Kilgharrah, the rest are on me."

"No prob," said Kilgharrah handing a beer to a customer before grabbing another.

Arthur grabbed his coat and with one last look at the band, and the cute guitarist, he left the bar.

TBC

The songs were "I Love It" by Irona Pop and "Strange" by Reba.