Chapter 4
Merlin woke to a soft thud. Normally inaudible but Merlin trained himself to hear even the slightest sound. Immediately he was out of bed, not caring that he was only in his boxers, and ran out of his room. He ran down the stairs, nearly sliding on the threadbare rug on the bottom.
"Mum!" he called.
Hunith Emrys knelt on the floor surrounded by smashed eggs. Her face was slightly flushed, a stark contrast to the faded cotton bathrobe she wore.
"Oh, Merlin," she said with a shaky voice. "Did I wake you? I'm sorry. I was just about to make you breakfast."
"Mum, you should be in bed," said Merlin going to his mother and helping her up. He guided her around the egg shells to a chair.
"Nonsense, I have to work in an hour and I wanted to make my son breakfast. I haven't for a long time."
"Mum, you're on remission. The doctor said no strenuous activity."
Hunith scuffs. "Strenuous activity. For goodness sake, Merlin. I'm making breakfast, not having sex.'
"Ew! Mum!"
Merlin knew he was scolding her, but she had given him a scare. A couple of years ago, Hunith had become seriously ill, and they were still paying the hospital bills.
Hunith laughed at her son's disgusted look.
"Oh, honey, where do you think you came from?" she laughed.
"The stork! The orphanage. I fell from the sky. Anything to keep me from thinking that. And now I have that image ingrained in my head! Bleach! I need bleach!"
Hunith laughed again. "Such drama."
Merlin went to the broom closet and got out the mop and bucket.
"I'll clean up," he said and went to the bathroom to fill the bucket with hot water in the tub. He put in some floor cleaner and went back to the kitchen to find his mother on the floor cleaning the eggs with a rag. "Mum!"
"Honestly, dear, you worry more than your father did when I was pregnant. I'm fine. A little cleaning isn't going to kill me."
Merlin sighed. He now knew where he got his stubbornness from. Setting the bucket near the mess he started mopping as Hunith started making pancakes with the eggs that were left. He had to admit he missed his mother's cooking. Through Merlin was a good cook his mother was even better.
Ten minutes later they were enjoying pancakes with maple syrup and slices of apples. Merlin had a cup of coffee while Hunith a cup of tea. Both were dressed for work. Hunith worked in a veterinary clinic as a vet's assistant. It was a Saturday so Merlin got to work earlier. When they were finished he picked up the dishes and put them in the rickety dishwasher. It still worked if Merlin kicked it just right. Other than that it worked just fine.
"When will you be home, honey?" she asked.
"Late," he said. "I have to help get ready for the Pendragon's charity benefit tomorrow night."
"Oh, what's this one for?"
"Funding for third world education," said Merlin walking to the coffee machine to pour himself a cup. "But it's just a hype for them to be in the papers. 'Philanthropists'. More like 'egotist'."
"It's still for a good cause," said Hunith.
"The cause it to up their publicity."
"You always see the worst in people."
"People like them," said Merlin angrily. "People who let Dad die and didn't have the decency to admit it was their fault."
Hunith sighed. How she wished Merlin had known Balinor but he had died a month before Merlin was born. He had been a construction worker and was happy with his job. He died after the scaffolding he was standing on collapsed and fell fifty feet, boards and pipes crushing him to death. Hunith was in too much shock to even see the body and the funeral was a closed casket. For a month Hunith was on autopilot. Getting up, going to work and going to bed. Her friends and family helped out and made sure she ate but other than that she was a zombie. The only thing that shocked her out of it was when she went in labor. If it hadn't been for Merlin's arrival, Hunith wouldn't be here right now.
An hour later, Merlin walked into hotel's restaurant. He picked up a platter bin to bus when Anna stopped him.
"Merlin, Carla called in sick. She got engaged and drunk last night, can you take her shift?"
"I keep her tips?" asked Merlin.
"Yeah, you deserve it. How's your mum this morning?"
Merlin grabbed a waiter's apron. "She had a dizzy spell and insists she's fine.'
"Well, a dizzy spell may just be a dizzy spell."
Merlin laughed. "Thank you, Freud."
Anna laughed with him.
"It's still early, Merlin. She may be okay."
"I pray that she is."
Picking up an ordering pad, Merlin walked in to the restaurant. He groaned when he found his first table was with Arthur and his cronies plus his girlfriend and her cronies. Schooling his face to impassive he walked over.
"Good morning, Mr. Pendragon, what can I get for you this morning," he asked.
"What can I get that has no sugar, no carbs and fat free?" asked Sophia.
Merlin paused for a moment.
"Hmm, water," he said failing to suppress his snarkiness.
She glared at him.
"Are you making fun of me?" she asked. "Because if you are I can get you fired."
"No, ma'am," he said. He didn't want to tell her that she couldn't get him fired. "If you like, we can have the chef make you some crepes. We have a variety of fruit…"
"That'll be all right if it's all you got. Strawberries. Arthur, what would you like?"
"The pancake special, thank you, Merlin," he said without even looking at the menu.
"Of course, Mr. Pendragon."
"Arthur, please, Merlin, and where's Carla?"
"Sick today. I'm taking over."
"Can you tell her I hope she gets better soon?"
Merlin gives him a surprised look before nodding.
"I'll do that, Mr…Arthur. Anything else?"
The rest of the group gave Merlin their orders and he wrote them down before walking off. As he walked into the kitchen his phone went off and he quickly took it out. It was from Excalibur.
I'm surrounded by people and yet feel alone. Wish you were here to keep me company.
He giggled a little before typing.
Wish you could save me. Just met the most horrid person.
He sent the message and it wasn't long before he got a reply.
Do you have pie? You could shove it in their face.
He laughed.
lol
He sent it. Going to the hot plate he gave his order and took an order to the table it ordered. When he finished he fished out his phone to read his message.
I wish I could hear you laugh. When can we meet?
Soon.
"Lover boy?" asked Anna as he picked up an order.
"Why do people keep calling him that?" asked Merlin exasperated. First Gwen and now Anna.
"Because every time you get a message from him, you get giddy. Honestly, Merlin, I've never seen you so happy."
"I've never even met him."
"So meet him," said Anna as Merlin's phone went off. "And turn it off. You're at work."
"Yes, boss," said Merlin as he took his phone out.
How about tomorrow?
He typed back.
Where?
There was an instant reply.
I'm going to a charity even tomorrow night. I can get an extra ticket.
You can do that?
I have connections. If you agree, meet me in the middle of the dance floor at eleven. Masks are required so we have to wear something so we know who we are.
Merlin thought for a moment. What can they both wear that would stand out from the rest?
How about roses?
What color? Red is too cliché.
Blue.
Blue roses?
So? What's wrong with blue roses?
Nothing. We'll definitely stand out.
Merlin thought for a moment. Was he really agreeing to meet with Excalibur tomorrow? He remembered Gwen's words on meeting with him. Why not? They got along well, at least in cyberspace, and had the same interests. Both of them could be really good friends.
Quickly, before his courage was lost to him. Merlin sent a quick reply before going back to work.
Okay. Tomorrow night. Eleven at the dance floor.
XXXXXX
Arthur stared at the response on his screen and grinned. He was going to meet Wizard! His stomach was suddenly tied up in knots. He didn't know why he was nervous about meeting someone he had never officially met. And he wanted that more than anything. He wanted to meet Wizard, and possibly date him.
Arthur knew since he was a teenager that he was gay but he could never come out because of his father. Uther hated homosexuals to almost biblical proportions. He barely tolerated the gay staff members. If he found out his own son was gay he would have had a heart attack. Arthur wisely kept his mouth shut and had a girlfriend at least every three months to please his father. So far his father never knew the difference.
Sophia was the longest relationship he had with a woman. A full six months. They met at one of his father's vacation business functions where he also met her father. Within three days she attached herself firmly to his hip and within a week and a half they were officially "dating." Arthur just never bothered to correct her.
The only people who knew about Arthur's sexual preference were Lancelot, Gwaine, Elyan and Percival and all four would rather die than betray Arthur. They had seen too many times in the locker the gay remarks coming from the rest of their teammates either in jest or in scorn. A former teammate came out during a practice and was immediately harassed until he was forced to quit the team, and left the college.
Arthur could never reveal his sexuality, just like he couldn't tell his father the career he really wanted. Arthur struggled with the business degree his father wanted. While he had been immersed in business his whole life, it wasn't something he wanted to do. He was more than happy to give the company to his half-sister Morgana and live the way he wanted, but his father was king of the castle. What he says goes and he told Arthur he was getting a business degree.
For years Arthur didn't have anyone he could really talk to, until he met Wizard on the college chat room. He immediately knew he liked his new cyber friend and told him everything, spilling secrets he hadn't even told Lancelot, such as what he really wanted to do with his life.
But to meet Wizard, he had to get rid of one thing, or person. Opening the door to the men's room he walked back to the table and sat back down. Sophie was talking about the sweater Gwen was wearing at school yesterday, saying how tacky it was and that a decent woman wouldn't be caught dead wearing it. Arthur didn't have to look under the table to see Elyan's hand clenched white. Elyan, like the rest of his friends, refused to hit a woman but the man did have a low tolerance for anyone making fun of his family. Arthur decided to rescue his friend.
"Sophie, can I speak to you for a moment, alone?" he asked.
"Arthur, you know anything you say you can say in front of my friends," she said in her sophisticated obnoxious tone.
"Okay," said Arthur, not really wanting to say it in front of her friends but it was better to get it over with than to have it linger. "I want to break up."
"WHAT?!"
The shriek in his ear was not something Arthur needed. Both of Sophia's friends gaped with the same shocked expression as her and his friends grinned. Lancelot laughed.
"What did you say to me," said Sophia.
"I said I wanted to break up."
"Why the hell do you want to break up with me?"
"Do you want me to write a list?"
Sophia gasped in shock. A butler walked up to the table.
"Mr. Pendragon, your father wishes to see you," he said.
"Did he say what about?" asked Arthur.
"No, sir."
"Tell him I'll be a few minutes." The butler nodded and left. Arthur turned back to Sophia. "Soph…"
She held her hand up to silence him.
"Don't," she said. "Go see your father. I'll ignore this lapse of stupidity and meet you at the benefit tomorrow. You'll be fine as soon as you've cooled off. All right? And when everything is right, I want to talk to you about your choice of friends. I blame Gwaine and Percival."
She didn't even wait for him to answer. Just grabbed her bag and left, her two cronies following her. As soon as she left his friend erupted in laughter.
"Damn, man! That took balls," said Elyan.
"And what was that about blaming me and Percival?" asked Gwaine. Percival sat next to him with an arm across the back of Gwaine's chair, lightly rubbing his lover's arm. "What have we done to you?"
"It's not you, Gwaine, it's me," said Arthur grabbing his jacket as he stood. "I'll go see what my father wants. Enjoy the rest of your meal. My tab."
"Will you be okay?" asked Lancelot. Arthur smiled down at his friend in appreciation.
"I'll be fine," he said.
Walking to an elevator he took out a key, put it in the lock, turned it and pressed for the top floor where his father's penthouse office was. Elevator music played as he waited for it to reach the top floor. He had to talk to his father about changing the music on the elevator.
Finally the doors opened and he walked into his father's office. Immaculately furnished he walked into the entrance room where people would wait as he held meetings. Pictures of land and cityscapes hung in walls and vases on tables. A blonde secretary sat behind a desk typing furiously on a computer. She glanced up as he walked in.
"He's expecting you," she said without pause in her typing.
"Thanks, Virginia," he said and walked to the door leading to his father's office. He knocked sharply on the door.
"Enter, Arthur."
Arthur entered his father's office. Decorated the same as the entrance room Uther sat behind a desk looking over reports with a frown that said he was furious over something.
"You wanted to see me, Dad," he said nervously.
"I just spoke to your teachers," said Uther. "You're failing your classes."
"Just a few."
"Business and Accounting, Hotel Management, political business. Those are not a few, Arthur. Those are serious classes. And don't even get me started on your other classes. The one's you insist on taking."
"What's wrong with my classes?" asked Arthur.
"American and British Literature, Creative Writing, Composition. Those are the classes of someone studying to be a publisher."
"What do you care? I'm paying for those classes from my own money."
"Which is my money that I give to you. I will not have you squander my money on frivolous pursuits." Uther looked up at him with a stern stare. "I want you to get your grades up. I'm hiring you a tutor."
"I don't want a tutor!"
That at Uther more irritated.
"Fine, then I'm canceling your extracurricular activities."
Arthur looked at him in shock.
"What?!"
"No more literature courses, no more soccer, no more going out with friends…"
"You can't do this," said Arthur with gritted teeth.
"I can and I will unless you will have a tutor."
Arthur growled as he racked his brain on how to get around this. His father won't stop until he got his way.
Then Arthur thought of something. The band Uther had scheduled for the benefit had canceled and he'd been unable to get another set up so far. Uther only scheduled prime bands but if Arthur played this right, if he could set it up in his favor.
"I will hire myself a tutor, if you do something for me," said Arthur.
"What?" asked Uther.
"You need a band. I happen to know of one. I know the members. I can have them play for you tomorrow."
"What's the band?"
"The Rejects. I've heard them play and they're very good."
"Why should I use this band, these Rejects?" asked Uther.
"It's a benefit to show how nice a family we are." He shrugs. "Why not use an unknown local band?"
Uther paused in thought and Arthur knew he was weighting the pros and cons on having a band that's doesn't have a recording contract but Arthur knew Uther would agree. He needed a band desperately and would even use a local one.
"Very well," he said. "Talk this band and tell them to set up at seven. The benefit starts at eight. Clear?"
"Yes," said Arthur. "May I be excused?"
"Go."
Arthur hurried out and tried to calm his breathing after he closed the door. He couldn't believe that worked. He threw himself a lifeline and caught hold. Now all he needed to do was see it through.
TBC