Someone asked me at some point how long this story would be and I said 8 chapters. Well, turns out I lied, because my planned chapter six got way too long, so I split it in three, meaning it'll be 10 chapters long. Enjoy :)
Arthur was the faster one of the two, and swung his sword at the intruder, who only barely dodged. Arthur was quickly out of his bed, and with nothing but his dagger to defend himself, Arthur won the fight easily, disarming his opponent and knocking him out with a blow to the head.
Arthur called for his guards who entered his room alarmed, and surprised to find a man unconscious on the prince's floor. Arthur looked around to figure out how the intruder had entered and found that his window facing the courtyard was wide open - even if Arthur explicitly remembered closing it. But at least it explained why the guards outside of his room hadn't come to help him.
The intruder was taken to the dungeons, a guard went to the king to inform him of what had happened, while Arthur was told to stay in his chambers and wait for Gaius to examine him even though Arthur insisted that he hadn't been hurt. There wasn't even any blood, whether from him or the intruder.
It took Gaius a while to get to Arthur, the physician's chambers being at the other end of the castle, and Arthur was not surprised to see Merlin right at Gaius' heels.
"How are you, sire?" Gaius asked concerned, and Arthur resisted the urge to sigh and just yell that he was fine.
"I'm fine. He didn't even scratch me."
"I am pleased, sire," Gaius said relieved but decided to examine Arthur's head anyway. Arthur let him do it if it would put his mind at ease.
Meanwhile, Merlin took a look around the room, undoubtedly coming to the same conclusion as Arthur had about the windows being used to enter the chambers. He heard Merlin mumble something about the security of the room before he went deep into thought. Arthur would ask Merlin what he was thinking about, but Merlin spoke first.
"How did he get so close?" Merlin questioned, almost to himself, "In order to even go through the window, he would have had to enter the courtyard which is under heavy guard during the night. But no one saw anything. It doesn't make sense."
"He could have killed the guards?" Gaius wondered, but Arthur shook his head.
"There were no reported deaths, and the few guards who have reported back to me at this time, all claimed to have seen nothing."
"Then how, sire?" Gaius continued to question.
"Magic, perhaps," Arthur answered off-handedly, "At least I'm sure my father is going to think that. I was thinking of just asking him myself."
"Just be careful," Merlin warned, and Arthur rolled his eyes.
"I'm going to interrogate a man, locked in a cell and chained to a wall, I hardly think there is anything to worry about."
"You never know," Merlin muttered, and that seemed to be the end of that, as Gaius declared Arthur good to go, and left with his ward.
The next morning found Arthur in the great hall with his father and his uncle, who was supposed to have left the city that morning, but had delayed his travels with a day after the assassin had been caught.
"We must execute him immediately," Agravaine declared sternly, "We cannot allow people to think that anyone can get away with threatening the life of our prince."
"Let's not make hasty decisions," Arthur interrupted, knowing that his father would readily agree with the proposal, "Let me interrogate him first, and then find out what he knows. Gaius said that based on his equipment he was likely a bounty hunter. If that is the case, then we should find out who he is working for instead of waiting for them to strike again."
"Honestly, Arthur, it seems perfectly obvious who would send someone to kill you," Agravaine said harshly, the name Morgana hanging in the air.
"Even so, we cannot be sure that it is her-"
"Enough," his father cut in, silencing the both of them, making them turn towards the king who had been silent so far, "I will give you three days, Arthur. If you have not gotten any information by then, then I will execute him regardless. And you should be careful as well. It is likely that he got past our defenses with the use of magic."
"Yes, my lord," Arthur said, not mentioning the fact that if the assassin should have magic, he would likely have used it to escape – or at least attempt to escape – seeing as he could be executed at any moment. Both Arthur and Agravaine moved to leave the room, but his father held him back.
"Arthur, stay," he commanded softly, and Arthur stayed, listening to his uncle's fading footsteps and the door that closed behind him.
"What is it father?" Arthur asked, but his father merely gestured for him to take a seat.
"There is something we must discuss, Arthur," his father began, and Arthur braced himself for some bad news, "It is soon time for you to be king."
"Father?" Arthur questioned alarmed, but his father merely patted him on the arm, and smiled, humored.
"I am not dying," his father reassured, "But I can no longer lead the kingdom as I have in the past. Morgana... it hasn't been easy, I know it hasn't been for you either, but your uncle, he told me how you acted after her betrayal, how you lead the kingdom and never wavered. You are ready, my son."
"No," Arthur whispered, so softly that his father only barely heard it, "Not yet."
"Do not worry, Arthur. You will not be king tomorrow, but even if that should happen you are ready, more so than you realize. I just want for you to be prepared. If I could make it so, I would wish for your crowning not to happen on cause of my death. I would like to see the king you will become."
"But not yet," Arthur urged, holding his father's hand.
"Not yet," his father agreed, "But soon."
Arthur didn't give their conversation more thought as he walked to the dungeons. He still wasn't quite ready to be king, even if his father thought so, but he could accept that his father couldn't go on for much longer. Even if he preferred that it didn't happen in the near future, he would happily lift his father of the burden to allow him rest.
Arthur took a small detour to pick up one of his knights to go with him – he much preferred to have a trusted knight than a simple guard with him as he interrogated the potential assassin. He ran into Elyan first and he followed Arthur dutifully to the dungeons.
The prisoner was under heavy guard, and Arthur doubted that he would have been given permission to enter had it not been for the fact that he was the crown prince. Arthur ordered the guards out of earshot and entered the cell to have a better conversation with the prisoner. Elyan closed the door behind Arthur, but stayed in the cell with him, ready to draw his sword should anything happen. Arthur sat down before the man who was chained to the wall – though with enough freedom to both stand and lie down – and looked him in the eyes.
"How have you been?" Arthur began, "I assume you have been given food and water?" Arthur didn't ask about his accommodations, because that much he could see. There was a blanket, thin, but warm enough for this time of year. The stone floor was softened with some straw and old potato sacks. It wouldn't have been comfortable, but it was good enough for someone who was currently considered a criminal.
"Yes," the man answered, his voice deep, but oddly soft and comforting, "Your guards have been kinder than I had anticipated."
Arthur nodded curtly, taking in the person in front of him. Arthur had confronted many bounty hunters, murderers, thieves and a dozen other types of criminals, but the man in front of him hardly resembled the ones before him. Other than the somewhat hard lines in his face and his calm demeanor when talking to someone who could become his executioner, Arthur found the man before him different from so many others whom he had had this conversation with. There was no malice in his eyes or his voice, and it made Arthur curious. However, he was here on official business, and he would begin with the most important questions.
"For what purpose did you attempt to take my life?" Arthur asked, and looked as the man's face almost turned delightful. As if Arthur had humored him.
"I did not attempt to take your life," he merely answered, and once again Arthur found it hard to detect a lie. Arthur shook the thought from his head. He was usually better at interrogations, especially when the evidence was as clear as in this case. Arthur blamed Merlin for this. Lately, Arthur's mind had been so filled with Merlin and his lies, having slowly learned what to look for to tell if his servant was lying or not. Perhaps that was why the man before seemed truthful. Because Arthur was looking for different tells.
"Say you are telling the truth," Arthur continued, "Why were you in my room, hovering over me as I slept?"
"You were a complication," the man answered, "I was going to knock you out."
"I was asleep."
"A sleep you could be woken from, young prince. I knew I could not defend myself against you, so I wanted to make sure you wouldn't wake for a long time. However, I can assure you that you would not have been harmed."
"If I was not the target, then who was? The king?"
"No."
"A lord? A knight perhaps?"
"No."
"Then who?"
"I do not believe that it would help my situation, should I tell you."
"That is fair," Arthur said, knowing that trying to force answers at this point would get him nowhere. At the very least he knew that there was a target. He changed topic.
"Did you act of your own accord or are you merely doing the job for someone else?"
"I would never kill someone, whom I believed to be completely innocent," the man answered cryptically, which still, somehow, both answered the question and didn't answer it at all. And that was probably the point. Arthur felt that this man was walking a thin line between truth and lie, possibly aware that it was hard to lie to the prince, or simply too proud to utter a lie. But also knowing that telling the truth would incriminate him, and if he did work for someone, it would only make it harder for them to get the job done, should Arthur found out who the target was and who he was working for – if anyone at all.
Arthur rose, knowing that if he kept questioning him, he would likely ruin all chances of getting anything out of him eventually.
"Thank you for your time," Arthur said politely, "I will be back tomorrow. I will see to that you are given a larger supper for your cooperation."
As Arthur and Elyan left the dungeons, the knight had an idea.
"This might seem crazy," Elyan began, but Arthur let out a small laugh.
"With all the recent events, I doubt I'd think that."
"Well," Elyan continued, clearly still convinced that Arthur would find his suggestion insane, "I have kind of been thinking about this since you started asking about Merlin's scars. It wasn't anything I thought we should do, especially because we probably don't have the skill, and it almost feels wrong-"
"What is it?" Arthur interrupted, knowing that Elyan was just stalling at this point.
"As I traveled, I encountered many things. As someone who worked as a blacksmith, I often socialized with people who also sold some kind of craft. In one of the towns I stayed at, there was a physician who was very skilled with making potions, and one of the things they showed me how to make was a truth serum."
Arthur's eyes widened, realizing where Elyan was going with this, but as he didn't want to be the one to suggest it, he let Elyan finish talking before chipping in with his own opinion.
"Obviously, I never attempted to make it, but I remember every ingredient and method to making it – it's sort of a talent of mine. It would have felt wrong to use it on Merlin, he's a friend and all, but I've been talking to the other knights, Gwaine especially, and he gets hurt a lot. More than we realize. I think that friends should take care of each other, have each others' backs, but Merlin doesn't allow us that. We don't need to use the potion to make him tell us everything. Just everything we need to know in order to protect him best," Elyan shook his head, "But it still feels wrong. Perhaps there is a reason he isn't telling us. And it certainly isn't the most noble thing to do. I'm sure that at least Lancelot would be against it. Leon and Percival probably would too."
"And you are telling me because you think I would do it?" Arthur questioned, half-joking, half curious as to what Elyan wanted from this conversation.
"You aren't the only who's been thinking of Merlin since our trip to Mercia," Elyan confessed, "I find myself thinking about him more often than not, and I assumed that if I and the others were feeling like that, it would be even worse for you."
"Why?"
"You two are so close," Elyan laughed lightly, "You spend more time with each other than any other person, and we all know how worried you got when Merlin got hurt. Try as you might Arthur, we all know that you couldn't bear to lose him and the fact that he is keeping secrets from you hurts."
"Since when did you become an expert in reading people?" Arthur jabbed friendly, and punched Elyan lightly in the shoulder, getting a laugh as response.
"I am just naturally gifted, sire."
Arthur spent the rest of the day thinking over Elyan's proposal – if it could even be called that. It was tempting, that much was certain, but as Elyan himself had said: it felt wrong. Merlin was their friend. A friend they could trust with their lives, and he did not deserve to have his free will stripped from him like that. No, it simply wasn't right. At least not until hiding the truth became too dangerous. Which, when Arthur thought about, was already the case. How many scars, injuries and horrible moments could Merlin have avoided had he merely been honest with Arthur? How many enemies could Arthur have helped him get rid of? How many mornings would Merlin have avoided Arthur's anger, as he would no longer be in the dark as to why his servant had been up all night? Wasn't hiding the truth already hurting Merlin more than it was saving Arthur? Especially as the prince sat by his desk, unable to focus on the paperwork in front of him, constantly thinking about his servant and how to best protect him from himself.
Arthur thought that the only thing stopping him from carrying out the plan was honor, but Arthur saw no reason to resort to drastic measures just yet. He would keep asking Merlin questions, and if he continued to deny Arthur the answers he was looking for, he would decide whether or not using the potion was a good idea. He also wanted to ask the rest of the knights for their opinion. A part of him urged that he should go to Lancelot - Lancelot who was noble and honest, and one of the people closest to Merlin - but knowing that the knight would surely disapprove, Arthur didn't. Besides, Lancelot was preparing for his travels with Agravaine in the morning, he didn't want to burden him with 'what if' scenarios. No, he would keep Lancelot in the dark.
The next morning, Arthur went to Elyan, and told him to gather the things they would need to make the potion.
"You're going to use it on Merlin?"
"I don't know yet," Arthur confessed, "But we have a prisoner in the dungeons who won't talk, and I figured that if - if - we were to ever use it on Merlin, we should at least test it first. I won't give him anything that I don't know what is."
"Of course, sire," Elyan answered, "I'll begin immediately."
"Take Gwaine with you," Arthur added before Elyan got to leave his chambers.
"Why? I don't trust that he would be able to keep this a secret. I'm not even completely sure he would be on board with this idea."
"As I said, I don't know if we're going to use it on Merlin, but even so, don't tell Gwaine what you are gathering ingredients for. Just take him and then send him to me when you've finished."
"Yes, sire."
After Elyan, Arthur went to the courtyard where Agravaine, Lancelot and a handful of other knights were getting ready to ride out. Arthur saw as Merlin was chatting to Lancelot and laughing about something, and Arthur went directly to them.
"Shouldn't you be in my chambers, doing your job?" Arthur said as he came up to them, and Merlin rolled his eyes.
"I was just giving Lancelot a couple of first aid tools, you know, in case something happens."
"I don't see why Gaius couldn't just do that. Just admit that you'd rather spend time with Lancelot than clean my room."
"I think that is true for literally anyone. Lancelot is much better company than your smelly socks."
Arthur snorted and shook his head, "Get back to work, you idiot."
"Yes, sire," Merlin bowed slightly, hiding a smile, and began walking away, but not before wishing Lancelot luck on the mission.
"Before you leave," Arthur said as soon as Merlin had disappeared back into the castle, "I want to ask your opinion on something. On Merlin specifically."
"He's a good man," Lancelot smiled and secured the small first aid kit to his horse, "I'm glad that he is my friend."
"Yes," Arthur agreed, "But in the light of recent… revelations, I can't help but notice that you've been quite silent on the matter. In fact I think that the only time you've contributed to this whole mess, was when you told Merlin that we had talked about his scars. I'm not saying that is wrong. It's not part of your duty as a knight to talk about these things. But I wanted your input, since you and Merlin are close."
"You are closer to him than any of us, sire."
"And yet, it is still different," Arthur pointed out, "I merely wish to know your opinion of him keeping secrets. Everyone has a secret or two, but Merlin has some that could get him hurt. Do you think it is wrong of him to not confide in him. As you said, he's a good friend."
Lancelot pondered the question for a while before answering: "Merlin never does anything without reason. Although he can sometimes be a little reckless, I trust that if it was truly important, he would tell us. Perhaps he will share his secrets eventually."
"And what if it's too late then?"
"I don't know, my lord," Lancelot said, almost defiantly, although Arthur couldn't understand why, "I can't see what the future will bring."
Arthur couldn't say more to that. It had been the right choice not to tell Lancelot about their potential plans of using a truth serum. He would definitely try to talk them out of it. Not that it was sure to happen. But if Arthur deemed it necessary, then Lancelot would be against it and Arthur didn't want to pull rank in this matter. This wasn't a matter of state, this was a matter of trust between friends, and Arthur hated himself for how seriously he was considering abusing Merlin's trust. He could only tell himself that he did it for Merlin. That it was perhaps the only way to protect him. But that was still all still speculation. If Arthur really had his way, Merlin would never drink the truth serum. It was merely an insurance.
Arthur watched as Lancelot lead the small group out of the courtyard and began their journey. It would only take them two days to reach Agravaine's old fort, but they would be there for at least ten days to help with the harvest. That meant that Arthur had at least two weeks to make Merlin talk, because when his uncle came back, Arthur needed to know what to do with him.
Arthur picked Leon and Percival up on his way to the dungeons, and repeated what he had done the day before; ushering the guards away, sitting down in front of the prisoner inside his cell, Leon and Percival both standing guard inside the cell, which had been locked behind them, trapping all four of them in the cramped space.
"How have you been since we last spoke?" Arthur asked, his voice soft enough to make him sound reasonable and somewhat friendly, but still stern enough to show that he was the one in charge.
"I have been treated well, sire," the prisoner asked respectfully, "I was given a large and tasty supper, as you promised, and I was also given a warmer blanket. You treat your prisoners well."
"And in return for that kindness, will you give me the name of your client?" Arthur tried, gambling on the fact that the prisoner was not working of his own accord.
"I cannot."
"You cannot or you will not?" Arthur asked, wanting clarification.
"I cannot," he then clarified, "I do not have the name of my client, only the money I was given and a description of my target."
That struck Arthur as interesting.
"You got a description of your target and not a name?"
"I do not live in Camelot, sire, and, as I said yesterday, my target was neither you nor the king, and I cannot claim to be familiar with the rest of your population."
Arthur still couldn't tell whether or not he was lying, but if he was, at least his story had no holes. However, to be fair, there wasn't much of a story to fill in, so just because it made sense, still didn't mean that it was the truth.
"Can you describe this target for me?" Arthur questioned, hoping the man would speak more than yesterday. So far he had already given more information.
"In the event that I should fail my mission, it would be dishonorable of me to speak of my target. My client already paid me half of the money, insuring my silence."
"You speak of honor, yet you would have killed an innocent person just because you got paid for it."
"Without knowing the target, how can you know my target is innocent?"
"Are you suggesting that we do not punish criminals in Camelot."
"Of course not, sire, you strike me as a just person. However, you cannot claim to know everything about everyone in your kingdom, can you?"
Arthur decided to ignore the prisonerøs taunts, maintaining a cool head, "Do you believe you target to be innocent?"
"I do not."
"Why?"
"I will not say."
And that seemed to be what Arthur could make him say for now. At least he could leave knowing that he had made some sort of progress.
"You only have one try left, sire," Leon said when they were out of the dungeons, and Arthur had to reign himself in to not snap at him.
"I know," he said instead, "But people are always more willing to talk on the last day."
"You've done this many times?" Percival asked, and Arthur nodded.
"We used to only have the guards questioning them, but it rarely got us what we wanted. I began questioning prisoners myself a couple of years ago, and while it's not always fruitful, it gets us better results."
"Ever thought about letting some of the knights try?" Percival suggested, "We don't quite have your authority, but I'm sure just our status is more intimidating than the guards. Not meaning any disrespect of course."
Arthur snorted, "I have tried persuading my father, but ever since the prisoners started talking, he wants the information to stay with me," Arthur shook his head, "For someone who preaches that the reason only nobles can become knights because of our sacred bond, he sure doesn't trust them a lot."
Both Percival and Leon stayed quite at that statement, probably not wanting to call the king a hypocrite out loud, but it was clear from their faces that they thought it. Arthur couldn't blame them. He had basically just done the same thing.
Arthur dismissed his two knights after they had both given him a short status report, and he had learned of their plans of the day - which was mostly just training and, in Leon's case, helping some aspiring knights with various basic techniques. It was nothing Arthur would feel bad for taking them away from if the need arose. Although, Elyan's voice in his head reminded him that they would likely not approve of their little maybe-plan, so perhaps, they too should be kept in the dark for now.
As Arthur returned to his chambers, he found Merlin washing his floor, and decided to not pry him away from that task, and let him finish. However, he would need to get Merlin out before Gwaine reported back him. Arthur merely tiptoed around Merlin - not actually being that much of jerk - avoiding all the newly washed floor. He then sat by his desk to go through whatever paperwork there was to go through, periodically checking up on Merlin.
"Do you want something?" Merlin said, not quite finished with the floor.
"What makes you think that?" Arthur said and forced himself to keep his eyes on the paper in front of him.
"You keep looking at me," his servant pointed out innocently. Arthur pressed his lips together.
"You must be imagining it. Shouldn't your eyes be peeled to the floor."
"Of course, sire," Merlin said quickly and went back to scrubbing the floor. Arthur looked back at him. Merlin's back was turned to him, so he wouldn't notice, but since Merlin was almost done, Arthur needed to come up with things for him to do. He needed to keep Merlin out of his chambers, but he also needed to keep him relatively close by. Who knew what kind of trouble he could get himself in if he went too far away from Arthur? The prince wasn't willing to take even the slightest risk.
As Merlin finished, probably hoping to get the rest of the day off, Arthur gave him the quickly assembled list of new duties he needed to attend. He gave Merlin three tasks. Repair the hole in his white shirt, buy him a new set of formal wear (that should take Merlin at least three hours, and that was only if he was smart enough to ask Guinevere for help as soon as he began), and then he wanted Merlin to clean Agravaine's chambers.
The task all served their purposes. Stitching together a shirt would likely take Merlin to Guinevere's place, where he would find the supplies he needed, and probably also gain some help with the second task. The second task would keep Merlin out of the castle, but still close by as well as not alone, assuming he took Guinevere with him. The third task would allow Merlin to go around in Agravaine's chambers, undisturbed and free of suspicions, and it would likely also keep him from running into dangers outside of the castle as he got something to investigate. And most importantly, Merlin would not be in Arthur's chambers until it was time for dinner.
It wasn't long before Merlin had left with the torn shirt that Gwaine entered Arthur's chambers - without knocking or making himself known upon entering, merely strolling inside like he owned the place. Arthur hated that he was getting used to that.
"You wanted to see me… sire," Gwaine said, always reminding himself to address Arthur properly when there weren't others around who actually cared about that stuff. Of course that still didn't stop Gwaine from calling him 'princess' half of the time anyway.
"Sit down," Arthur said. If it had been any other knight, Arthur would have added on a 'make yourself comfortable', but if he said that to Gwaine, the knight would most surely put his feet up on the desk and Arthur really did not want that.
Gwaine plumped down in a chair, whipped a stray lock of hair out of his face and send Arthur a smile, "So," he said, "What's this about? Finally admitting that I am the most handsome man in Camelot?"
"I'm still not sleeping with you," Arthur merely said, and Gwaine shook his head in fake disappointment.
"Worth a try. But what's it about then?"
"It's about Merlin."
"Of course it is," Gwaine said smugly, "You are worried about him, and you came to me, because I'm his best friend."
"What? No, I-" Arthur didn't know why Gwaine calling himself Merlin's best friend bothered him, so he composed himself and got back to the topic, "Look, Merlin keeps getting hurt, and if what we talked about is true, it's likely because he's trying to protect us. However-" Arthur said before Gwaine could say anything, "He is not telling us what he is doing, or informing us when he senses any danger. I have tried to question him, but he has more or less told me that nothing I can say will make him tell me. First I have to ask you, do you know anything about this which I don't?"
"I can't say I do," Gwaine answered honestly (although in all fairness, Gwaine was the most useless as lying).
"Do you think Merlin would tell you anything if you asked him about it?"
"Probably not, but I could give it a try."
Arthur nodded at that, "And if he doesn't speak, do you think we should keep investigating?"
"Princess, I don't know what you want from me, but I can tell you this. Merlin is my friend and I don't want to see him hurt just because he refuses to let me in on what's going on. If you're planning something, I want in."
"We are considering," Arthur put a lot of emphasis on considering to not give Gwaine the wrong idea, "Using a truth serum."
"And with 'we', you mean you and Elyan," Gwaine questioned, clearly understanding what was happening, "and I assume it's pure coincidence that you are carrying out this plan now that Lancelot is away."
"It is a coincidence."
"Of course, sire," Gwaine said, and Arthur thought that the knight had picked up on how to say sire from Merlin, "And does this operation involve just the three of us, or is Percival and Leon in on it too? Perhaps Gwen is part of it as well?"
"For now it is just the three of us, and I'd prefer that it remains that way. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sire."
"Did Elyan finish his task?"
"Almost. He said that he would report back as soon as he was done."
"Very well," Arthur nodded, "In the meantime, go find Merlin, if he's doing what I told him to, he's at Guinevere's or with a capable seamstress. See if you can make him talk, I'd rather not resort to… desperate methods."
Gwaine got up, bowed lightly and left Arthur's chambers to find Merlin.
One lunch later, Elyan knocked on his door - because unlike Gwaine he had manners - and came by to inform him that all the materials and ingredients needed had been obtained. Under Arthur's orders, they would meet later in Elyan's quarters to begin developing the serum.
Arthur felt slightly detached to the whole reality of the truth serum. It had started out as a thought, an idea which probably shouldn't have been carried out, and these preparations seemed somewhat redundant. Arthur wasn't really going to use the truth serum on Merlin. That would be ridiculous. The only reason they were going through with this was because they had a prisoner in their dungeon, and perhaps as a failsafe if Merlin should wound up hurt again… But wasn't that reality a given? Every time Arthur thought about it, the reality where Merlin kept secrets, was also the reality where Merlin got hurt in secret. He stopped thinking about it. They would make the serum, and then figure out where to go from there.
As it got dark, Arthur prepared to go to Elyan's chambers, but was startled as Merlin barged into his chambers, carrying what was probably the prince's dinner.
"Are you leaving?" Merlin asked as he looked at Arthur, and Arthur cursed his servant for knowing him so well. It wasn't even as if he were dressed for going outside, since Elyan's chambers were just on the other side of the castle.
"I did not go to the training grounds today, so I was going to get a report from sir Leon," Arthur lied more or less effortlessly. Merlin looked reluctant to accept his lie though, but ended up letting it go.
"Will you eat now or later?" Merlin then asked, and began setting Arthur's table.
"I'm guessing you want my answer to be 'now'?" Arthur joked, as Merlin began to plate the food.
"If you want your food to be warm, then yes."
"Fine, but if I end up disturbing sir Leon's sleep, I'll blame you."
"Of course, sire."
Arthur complied with Merlin's wishes and sat down to eat. Since Merlin hadn't brought up an abundance of food, he assumed that his servant had already eaten and didn't invite him to join him.
"Did you finish your chores?" Arthur asked absentmindedly, as Merlin poured water into his cup.
"I still haven't cleaned Agravaine's chambers," Merlin confessed, "I ended up spending most of my day with Gwaine, who wouldn't let me get anything done."
"I can imagine," Arthur huffed, "But I expect those chambers cleaned by tomorrow."
"Why?" Merlin questioned, "He won't be back for another two weeks, and by then his chambers will be covered in dust. Why not let me clean them next week?"
"Because I told you to do it now, and I'm your prince."
"Yes, a prince who doesn't know anything about cleaning."
"Because it's not my job, it's yours."
"Which is why you should listen to my expertise, saying that it would be better to wait."
"Merlin," Arthur said to close the conversation, "Just do as I say."
Merlin looked displeased, but agreed to do it anyway.
Arthur finished his dinner in relative silence, and was soon on his way to Elyan's chambers, feeling paranoid for continuously looking over his shoulder to make sure Merlin wasn't following him.
Arthur did stop by Leon's quarter's first to get that report, just so that his lie would be… not a lie.
"My lord?" Leon said surprised as he opened his door to find Arthur. Arthur was quick to ask for the report as to not invite any unwanted questions, but of course Leon easily sensed something was up.
"You haven't been attending training lately, my lord," Leon pointed out, "Is anything the matter?"
"Well between council matters, the assassin and regular duties of mine, it has been a busy few days."
"Of course, my lord," Leon said slowly, and Arthur looked at him intently.
"What's on you mind?"
"I just thought it was Merlin who was occupying your mind," Leon said quickly, and Arthur kind of wished he hadn't asked.
"Well," Arthur said slowly, "There is that too," Arthur knew that he couldn't lie to Leon. He didn't elaborate, and Leon left it at that too, bidding Arthur a good night, not knowing that Arthur had somewhere else to be.
"You're late," Elyan said as he let in the prince, who stepped in to see Gwaine already having arrived.
"I didn't want Merlin to get suspicious. Besides, you look like you have already begun," Arthur noted and gestured to the cluttered table that had a pot brewing in the middle.
"Yeah, we've already made one, but it's not right. There might be a few failed attempts."
"I thought you said you knew how to make it."
"Mostly," Elyan confessed, "But it's not like I'm an expert."
Elyan returned to work on the potion, while Arthur sat next to Gwaine at the table, as he followed Elyan's movements closely.
"You know," Elyan said on his fourth attempt at making the serum, "There's really no point in you being here, if you're just going to look at me do it."
"Moral support," Arthur and Gwaine said together, and Elyan just rolled his eyes.
"I know you said you were considering giving this to Merlin," Gwaine said after a while, not being able to shut up for long, "But if you're undecided, why are we making it?"
Elyan cleared his throat.
"I'm sorry, why is Sir Elyan, brother to the future Queen, making it?"
"Because if we decide to use it, we should at least test it first to make sure we don't accidentally feed Merlin poison or anything, and right now we have the perfect test subject locked in the cells."
"So we're gonna make this truth serum, test it on an assassin, and then maybe not use it?"
"Precisely."
"You're going to make an interesting king," Gwaine said as he turned his attention back to Elyan, but Arthur didn't like the comment. Gwaine was right. He would be an interesting king. One who couldn't even gain the trust of those most loyal to him. Arthur wondered, not for the first time, what Merlin really thought of him.
It was almost morning, when Elyan knocked over the chairs his friends were half-sleeping in, startling them fully awake and told them that the serum was done. Elyan had two vials with a clear potion inside of them.
"Meet me in the dungeons at noon," Arthur said, "And bring the serum."
I am a complete sucker for truth serums fics. However, I do promise that it will be different from "a drop of truth" for those of you who have read that.
