Gwaine received a similar interrogation when they arrived in the kitchen and met Hunith cooking with her usual enthusiasm. Uther did employ some caterers to produce some of the food for the party, but Hunith told them what to do, and made her own contributions. The freezer had been slowly filling with them for a week. Hunith hugged Arthur, then Lancelot and Leon as they were first in, then Gwen and Elyan and as Gwaine ambled over the threshold he was slapped on the wrist as he tried to steal a sausage roll and then Hunith hugged him, as she pulled back she looked him up and down.
"Are you eating properly?"
"Yes," Gwaine said, with a slight edge. Hunith glared at him, lifting his hair off his face and staring at him. Gwaine reared back but he made no attempt to get away from her.
"You've lost weight. How much have you been drinking? Are you really looking after yourself properly?"
"Yes," Gwaine announced his voice tightening, eyes flashing with irritation. Hunith glared back but let his hair drop and she stepped away.
"You can all have lunch after the marquee is put up. Stop that!" Hunith snapped putting more force into the slap as Gwaine pinched a neatly cut sandwich from a tray. His good humour appeared to have returned, Arthur took him by the collar and pulled him away.
"Come on, marquee," Arthur ordered. Gwaine grumbled through the sandwich which he had stuffed into his mouth in one go. Merlin trotted along with them, latching his free hand into Arthur's belt to keep close to him. In the end to help put the large marquee up he had to detach Merlin who instead pottered about with his watering can, although he watched the action as the group of men attempted to organise themselves and get the marquee up. All of them commenting and making suggestions.
"If we do this..."
"If we move that way slightly..."
"Is that a bit of the side or the roof?"
"Who folded these bits up last year?"
"Give me the pegs."
"God these weights are heavy!"
"They're weights Gwaine, what did you expect?" Leon eventually snapped.
"Pull your side up Leon, you're flagging!"
"I am not!" Leon snapped back at Gwaine.
"Can you reach that bit of roof, it's not over properly," Uther announced.
Gwaine attempted jumping up and down while pulling the canvas roof, in the hope of easing it over. A few of them, now hot, sweaty and irritable watched with amusement, then all of a sudden a gust of air lifted the canvas and as Gwaine pulled it neatly settled over the top of the marquee's structure.
"Oh," Gwaine said, looking around.
Arthur had already turned his head, meeting Merlin's gaze as he paused from his watering, eyes fading from golden.
"Thank you Merlin."
Gwaine turned and looked, just catching the same glitter in Merlin's eyes.
"That's helpful."
Merlin grinned and looked up at Arthur. Arthur smiled back.
"We also need to get the sides on, probably only the back and the right side," Balinor announced to mumbled agreements. Morgana came out, carrying two chairs stacked together. Her hand wrapped around the backs and she had them propped against her side as she also walked out holding a video camera, pointing it at the group erecting the marquee.
"It gets better and better every year. On YouTube, 'How Many Men Does It Take To Put Up A Tent?'"
Hunith, carrying out some more chairs smiled.
"It's a marquee," Leon corrected.
"Yes, think big, men!" Morgana giggled.
"The soup is almost ready," Hunith informed them.
"Gimme!" Gwaine announced trying to snatch the camera from Morgana. She flung her arm away and turned, swivelling so the chairs she carried moved with her and one of the legs caught Gwaine on the shin causing him to yelp.
"OW! You cow!"
"I didn't do it on purpose!"
Gwaine hopped off swearing loudly and Morgana dropped the chairs she carried violently, then all of them turned as they heard a shattering crash. A large terracotta pot suddenly exploded into fragments and Merlin shuffled backwards, sitting down the edge of his growing area. He clutched at his watering can sloshing water on the floor around him and on himself.
"Merlin, it's all right," Arthur said moving over to take the watering can out of Merlin's hands and gently pick him up. "It's all right, Morgana and Gwaine are always like this. Don't you worry."
"I'll get an ice pack for that," Hunith said as Gwaine, who had been hopping and moaning, stopped it to sit down on a nearby garden chair. He lifted his pant leg to look at the damage on his shin. There was a thin trail of blood and the area was already swelling. Merlin whimpered, Arthur rocked him in his arms.
"Don't do that, just ignore them," Arthur said.
Morgana shut the camera off and rushed over to Merlin. "It's fine sweetie. Me and Gwaine are the best of friends. Be good!" she hissed at Gwaine. He looked up.
"Shut up, you started it."
"Be quiet, the pair of you!" Uther snapped. Gwaine looked down concentrating on probing the swelling. Hunith came out with a small bag of peas in her hand.
"Here, put this on it."
Gwaine pouted but looking up he encountered Uther's laser beam stare and turned to concentrate on the ice pack. Merlin stretched out a hand to scrabble for Teddylot. Uther picked him up and put him into Merlin's hand. Merlin yanked him close and hid his face into Arthur's chest and brought Teddylot up to hide himself.
"Come on, you can help me with the fairy lights, okay."
Merlin gave an uncertain murmur, but he eventually nodded his head.
"After lunch," Uther announced sternly.
"I've set up in the dining room," Hunith said.
"Come on then, I'd better put you in a fresh tee-shirt first," Arthur said. Merlin snuggled tighter too him. Getting up and limping over Gwaine patted the back of Merlin's head, ruffling his hair.
"Sorry, little fella, didn't mean to upset you."
Merlin gave a little grizzle but didn't lift his head.
"You stick with me Merlin, everything will be fine," Arthur added walking into the house somehow answering a question that hadn't even been asked.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxX
"Shall I take it then?" Freya offered holding out her hands to take the inflatable dolphin that Percival held.
"Yeah, I feel a bit stupid now, but I suppose the litte guy might like it."
"It's nice," Freya said taking it from him and putting it in her lap, turning to smile at Percival. He smiled back but rather self-consciously. He was out of his depth socially in many ways. They were going to this party, in a taxi the fee of which was being paid to Uther Pendragon's account. Arthur had phoned him a few days earlier, using the number he had given Hunith, to tell him that travelling was no issue, quite often Uther used his taxi account with the local firm to ensure guests could make their way without hassle. Percival was welcome to use the same service. Arthur gave him the phone number and account code needed.
Percival had been torn between feeling affronted and grateful.
It was the other out of depth scenario that made him book the taxi. Will had invited Freya. Percival didn't even get a chance, Will had brought it up during a coffee break, Freya had accepted eagerly which left Percival angry and confused. He was angry at Will for forcing the issue, but not, when he probed the emotion, that angry. Percival knew he would never have asked her himself, which Will seemed to also know.
Going alone would have been easy, Percival could have got the bus and walked, but now, with Freya, he couldn't make her do that, so he had phoned the taxi firm and he didn't have to pay for it. It rankled a little but Percival took it.
"Wow!" Freya said as they pulled into the driveway. Percival worried as to whether he should give the cab driver a tip. The fare had been paid but he didn't know beyond that. Freya took his hand and pulled him out of the cab, Percival turned to offer the man something, still wondering if that was right but Freya had closed the door and it drove off. She stared at the house nervously.
"Do we knock on the door or not?" she asked.
"I don't know. I guess so."
Percival jumped as Freya, clearly feeling just as out of her depth as Percival, tightened her grip on his hand. As they hesitated Arthur appeared from the side of the house.
"Hi, I thought I heard a car," Arthur said. Percival relaxed a little and led Freya across the gravel driveway to Arthur.
"We're a bit early," Percival said. It was only half past one and Arthur had hinted at a two o'clock start. Arthur grinned and shrugged.
"I should have invited you earlier, you'd have been good help putting up the marquee and fairy lights."
Freya giggled, which diverted Arthur's attention fully to her. Percival saw the appraising look and it was his turn for his hand to tighten slightly on hers.
"This is Freya."
Percival heard the definite possessive hint in his tone. Arthur and Freya clearly did as well. Arthur grinned knowingly and Freya smiled brightly also holding up the plastic dolphin.
"Percival mentioned a pool, so we brought this for..." Freya completely blanked on the name. Percival actually felt sure he hadn't mentioned it.
"The Little Guy," he said, using the nickname he had come up with for Merlin. Arthur looked at it, his grin widening.
"I'm sure he'll like it, whether or not it gets into the pool remains to be seen. Although I think it might be wise to keep it away from Gwaine."
"What?" Gwaine asked loudly bouncing along behind Arthur like a human version of Tigger. He paused as he saw Freya and he beamed.
"Hello!"
"Gwaine, heel!" Morgana snapped before he could go any further. She walked into view and pointed to a spot by her side. "Heel! Sit!"
Gwaine responded by bounding over to her, panting and jumping up and down next to her. Freya giggled as she watched them, Percival pulled her a fraction closer.
"Don't worry, we are completely normal," Arthur assured them while he watched Morgana push Gwaine away. He bounded off around the back again, almost knocking Uther over as he appeared around the corner.
"Go and help Balinor set up the bar area," Uther ordered him.
"Gladly!"
"And no helping yourself," Uther informed him, knowing full well even if Gwaine didn't totally behave himself, he would certainly stay under control. Balinor would help keep him in line. Arthur turned to his father.
"This is Percival, from the supermarket, and Freya his... girlfriend?"
Percival blinked, and glancing at Freya uncertainly found that she had no intention of contradicting that assumption, so he decided not to either, especially if Gwaine was likely to be about for the afternoon.
"Hello," Freya said. She pulled free of Percival and handed him the dolphin so she could shake hands with Uther. Percival tucked the inflatable under his left arm and put out his own hand in greeting.
"Nice to meet you two, and thank you, for what you did," Uther said to him. Percival flushed a little.
"I wish I could have done a bit more."
"You did enough, come through to the back, although you might get dragged into the last parts of us setting up."
"That's fine," Freya said. She reacquired Percival's hand and as he turned to look at her she smiled up at him.
Percival smiled back. It actually felt very fine.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxX
He felt nervous in his swimming trunks, although they were baggy enough and thankfully he was already in the pool when Freya came out of the beach house. She wore a light purple one piece that looked demure compared to some of the bikinis on show but her slim figure still showed. She slid into the water, grimacing a little as she got used to the mildly lower temperature of the water and she swam over to Percival.
"Did everyone understand the rules?" Lancelot asked.
"I didn't hear them!" Freya announced in alarm turning her gaze from Percival.
"Don't worry, they don't mean anything. Basically just whack the ball if it heads your way and as a girl the boys won't dare dunk you. Certainly not since you are with a man who looks like he breaks people in half for fun," Elena announced brightly as she stepped out from the little pool house and almost slipped as she got to the pool. Thankfully she steadied herself in time.
"Ooops," she said with her arms spread out while she looked carefully at the floor between herself and the pool.
"Also duck if Elena comes close," Morgana advised, grinning from ear to ear. "Isn't that right Leon?"
"Oh, don't start Morgana. I am so sorry about that!" Elena wailed.
"What happened?" Gwen asked, already swimming about the pool, having turned both Arthur and Lancelot into babbling idiots with a white bikini.
"Couple of years ago, she landed against Leon trying to get the ball and his face landed against the side of the pool. He got a broken nose and concussion," Gwaine said brightly.
"Thank you!" Leon snapped putting his hand to his face, touching his nose. Elena shuffled the rest of the way to the pool and slowly lowered herself in.
"If I'm a danger, feel free to disqualify me."
From a sun lounger Vivian snorted and went back to the magazine she was reading. There was no way she was going to enter the pool, letting her carefully styled hair get messed up and quite frankly, Morgana thought, the scraps of material and string that made up her bikini had no chance of standing up to a game of water polo.
"How many do we have," Lancelot mused. "Me, Gwaine, Leon, Elyan, Gwen, Percival, Freya, Morgana, Elena, God help us and...where's Arthur?"
"Here," Arthur said walking out from the house in his swimming trunks. Vivian took a good look but half the view was hidden by Merlin and his armbands, and Teddylot. Merlin whimpered and tightened his grip as Arthur took him close to the pool.
"All right, you sit here, put Teddylot there."
Merlin's grip tensed, refusing to allow the teddy from his grip.
"Here, what about this," Freya bobbed over to the side of the pool with the dolphin, who had been batted around the pool a little. Merlin blinked and looked at her. Arthur took advantage and removed Teddylot, putting him on the nearby chair.
"He can sit there, so he doesn't get wet and Hunith will look after him."
Hunith turned from arranging the buffet table with a few of the barmaids from the local pub, who always came to help, and smiled at them both.
"Of course."
Merlin then instead, without the anchorage of his comfort toy grabbed the inflatable dolphin. As it rubbed against the plastic of his armbands, which looked huge on his skinny arms. it squeaked a little and Merlin gave a little gasp as Arthur resolutely deposited Merlin at the side of the pool. By instinct Merlin drew his legs up, holding them out of the water. Arthur slid easily into the pool, putting his feet onto the smooth tiles, while he took one of Merlin's ankles to try and get him to put his feet into the pool. Merlin scooted back and tried to pull his foot away from Arthur.
"Don't be silly," Arthur said. He let his arm go with the tug of Merlin's let to make sure he didn't hurt him, but Arthur didn't release him. "I'm in the water and it's fine, one foot?"
Biting his lip and staring with wide eyes Merlin let Arthur put his foot into the water.
"There you go, now you watch and cheer us on!"
XxxxxxxxxxxxxX
"He's so sweet," Mary said to Hunith as she handed out another drink.
"Yes," Hunith said turning to smile at the woman who ran the local pub. Local people were invited to the party but most of the time Uther always got them to help muck in. Most of them didn't mind, and none of them refused the invitation this year. They were quite used to the Pendragons being there, and hadn't seen them over the last few months, because of Merlin they had kept themselves particularly distanced.
The local gossip had stirred, before the party had been announced and arranged, as to whether it would go ahead. Very few people were surprised that Uther did go forward with it, but the talk beyond that announcement debated Merlin's presence. They were naturally curious, but no person in the local village was surprised by the fact that Uther had taken in a small child without anyone in the world to care for him, or the fact that he had investigated and torn down an institution that dealt with those who others regarded with such suspicion. Despite the ruthless business reputation Uther had, everyone in the local village knew him far better.
All of them turned to watch the pool as the game of water polo started. Merlin watched with wide eyed shock as the group of youths dodged around the pool. It was always a tradition to christen the pool with such a game. Arthur could not really remember how it came about, it probably became water polo when Lancelot got involved at fifteen, before then it was just flitting around the pool.
As he thought that he shifted, reaching out to punch the ball, sending it flying past Gwaine and his eyes widened as it also passed Percival, who despite his size, couldn't always match speed and was on his turn as goalkeeper. Arthur grinned, although he glared as he realised Lancelot was about to pick him up on the slight foul. The confrontation never happened as everyone's attention diverted dramatically at the sound of rapturous applause.
There was squeaking involved as well as Merlin tucked the dolphin close, still wore his arm bands and clapped enthusiastically as he smiled brightly, looking utterly ecstatic. For a moment a few people looked confused and Gwen answered for them, talking to Lancelot.
"He heard you running through the rules that last time."
And how could Lancelot argue over a mild foul on Arthur's part as Merlin clapped and clapped, looking so happy. Lancelot wanted to because Arthur looked so smug, until, as they set up to start again, he realised why Arthur looked so smug. It was because Merlin had understood exactly what had been said. Merlin had finished clapping and seemed to have forgotten some of his fear of the pool. Sitting back on the edge he had settled without his feet in the water, but he didn't seem to want to move away. There were people around him who could have looked after him, but Arthur was in the water, so Merlin stayed close. He wrapped his arms around the dolphin again and waited expectantly.
A while later Arthur tried not to snarl as Lancelot 'accidentally' slipped and Gwen scored the next goal. It was for Arthur's team but the way Lancelot moved meant that he was flirting with her. However, Arthur couldn't be mad when Merlin, who still sat at the edge of the pool watching avidly, went into another round of round of applause, clapping his hands together because he was pleased for Gwen.
Gwen smiled at him and waved. Merlin tried to do the same until he almost lost the dolphin and he scrabbled to retrieve that and cling onto it tightly.
"So, swap positions and who is starting, Freya?"
"Me?" she said nervously, but the rest of them looked at her quite expectantly. "Okay," she said taking the ball and batting it into play.
Thirteen minutes later her team mate Gwaine slammed it into the goal.
"Yey and..." Gwaine paused and looked around. All eyes drifted to Merlin, who stared at the scene with a frown on his face. Arthur watched Gwaine's face drop, and a glimmer of something started to surface in his friend. Arthur was about to tell Merlin that he had to be fair but that might just force Merlin into something. He didn't know Gwaine so perhaps that could pass it off. However, as Arthur debated that Merlin and Gwaine didn't break eye contact as they stared at each other and then slowly Merlin started to smile, until he beamed and he went into the third round of furious clapping. Gwaine waved his arms and looked victorious.
"Yey!"
Four minutes later Uther cleared his throat and the game stopped as everyone paid attention. "Excuse me, this is Mithian."
The dark haired girl looked a little wide eyed and nervous. This was the bitch, Morgana thought to herself.
"Put your gear on, come and join us," Morgana said. Mithian smiled.
"We can fit her in," Lancelot said seriously. "Maybe add her to..."
"She can take my place," Arthur said. "I think I am required elsewhere."
A few people turned to look to see Merlin sat on the edge of the pool, arms out, hands clenching and unclenching demanding Arthur complete and utter attention.
As always, he received it.