And we finally get one of the future scenes Merlin saw during his first peak at the crystals during "The Crystal Cave". Two more to go!
"Arthur!"
The prince turned with a smile to see Guinevere gesturing him into an alcove. He slipped in with her and cupped her cheek. "Hello there."
She pushed his hand away. "Arthur, we have a problem. Morgana knows about our relationship."
He glanced her over for injuries. "Why do you think that? What happened?"
If Morgana had had someone else kidnapped…
"She spoke to me earlier, said she knew how I felt about you and how you felt about me. I denied it, but I don't think she believed me."
That was concerning, but also a little relieving. If Morgana knew Guinevere was onto her, she wouldn't have spoken to her about it.
"It's okay, she's your friend. She won't want to risk getting you into trouble," Arthur said and Morgana held in a snort.
Did her brother really think he could get away with trying to turn another of her friends against her and she'd just sit back and do nothing? That he could hand Gwen - who had been her friend long before she was Arthur's - her crown and she would just smile? She'd rather see Gwen burn than lose her to Arthur and his pets!
"We just need to be more careful from now on. No more daylight meetings."
That could be a problem. Uther would probably feed himself some lie about women seeing romance when there was none if Morgana couldn't shove the proof right in his face.
"What about the picnic tomorrow? Freya and Merlin have worked so hard getting everything together," Gwen said, proving herself to still be a loyal friend.
For now.
"That should be okay. It will be outside the city," Arthur said and she rolled her eyes at his naivety. "Just be careful about the excuse you give her. Say… you're spending time with your brother. I'm sure Elyan will cover for you if asked. And at breakfast, I'll say Leon and I are going out to investigate the woods for bandits. He won't ask too many questions if I tell him to cover for me."
Thank you for telling me your entire plan, Brother.
"Are you sure?"
"It will be fine. I should go before we're spotted. I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow."
Mordred was grinding herbs when he heard Freya call his name. Yes?
Please tell me Gaius didn't have a lot of work for you to do tomorrow.
Mordred thought over the list of chores he'd been given. As long as I get these herbs ground up tonight as planned, then I'll only need to pick up a package from the apothecary in the morning. I was going to spend most of the day cleaning Arthur's chambers and taking down the laundry.
Perfect! The steward wanted me to watch over a new chambermaid, but I told him you'd be free to do it.
What? Why?
Because we're going on our picnic tomorrow and Gwen was the only other person I could think of to pass the job off to. I told him she'd be more comfortable with you because you're around the same age. Please, Mordred, she just needs to shadow you. All you have to do is have her help with the cleaning and correct her if she does something wrong. It's not hard. Please!
He groaned. First they stole Leon away so he couldn't spend the day working on his sword fighting, then Arthur gave him a list of chores to do while they were gone, and now he had to babysit! You owe me.
Thank you! Go to the steward after servants' breakfast and he'll introduce you.
Morgana smirked as Freya and Gwen met Merlin at the edge of the woods.
The boy took his girlfriend's hands and whispered something to her before kissing her cheek and turning to Gwen. "You look lovely."
"Thank you, Merlin."
He smiled and held out his arms to the girls. "Shall we go meet our prince?"
Morgana carefully kept back from the group and stayed on a higher path as she followed them until they reached a small creek. She rolled her eyes when she spotted her brother using a plate as a mirror on the bank next to blankets and furs set up for a picnic.
When Merlin made a bird noise, the idiot fumbled the plate and spun around as the trio giggled at his expense.
"Guinevere, you look…" Arthur started as they came down the hill towards the creek.
There was a pause where he just stared at her before Merlin said, "I think he's trying to say you look nice."
The women giggled again and Arthur shot him an annoyed look. "Thank you, Merlin."
Merlin just gave him a smile before helping first Gwen, then Freya across the stream.
Morgana stayed just long enough to see Arthur press a kiss to Gwen's cheek before turning her horse to leave.
Had she stayed a second more, she would have seen him do the same to Merlin.
Mordred shuffled up to the steward's office with a plan. He'd get his chores done as fast as possible with the help of the girl, then pawn her off on the first chambermaid he came across. After that, he'd hide out in the library's secret room so the steward couldn't find him. He'd already gotten Gaius's package picked up so, hopefully, it could all be over by lunch and he could grab something to eat on his way to the hidden spot.
With a nod, the boy knocked and pushed open the door.
"Ah, good, Mordred. Right on time. This is Kara."
The world stopped as Mordred's eyes met familiar blue ones.
Kara!?
Mordred!
"Kara, this is Mordred. You're going to be shadowing him for the day. Mordred, you need to show her the basics. Sweeping, dusting, scrubbing the floors, preparing the fires, emptying the chamber pots, etcetera. Understood?"
"I, uh, under-Yessir," Mordred stuttered, blinking then forcing his gaze away from the druid girl in front of him.
The steward looked between them with narrowed eyes. "Am I going to have a problem with you two?"
"No sir," Mordred said quickly and Kara shook her head.
"Good. I want her trained properly. None of that nonsense you and Merlin like to pull, understand?" the steward growled and Mordred nodded frantically.
One of the first things Merlin taught him about working at the castle was the three very different ways to go about his chores depending on who was giving them. For Arthur, it was okay to slack some so long as it wasn't in front of the prince and it didn't involve his armor or weapons. For Gaius, it was okay to take it slow, just as long as it got done and the medicine was prepared exactly as instructed.
For the steward though, it was a very delicate balance. He didn't actually command them like the normal household servants since they were in Arthur's personal service, but it was best to keep him happy for the sake of those under his command. At least as much as possible. He and Merlin had definitely ticked off the man plenty of times over the years.
"Excellent. Off you go then. Remember, she needs to be down in the servant's hall for lunch."
"Yessir. Of course, sir," Mordred said, quickly grabbing Kara's hand and pulling her out of the office. What are you doing here?
She smiled at him as he led her through the halls. I was looking for you. I overheard some of the chieftains talking about you being here. I wanted to see you again.
He turned to smile back at her, but something caught his eye. He stopped and stepped closer to the window.
Morgana and Uther were climbing atop their horses for a ride.
Mordred's eyes narrowed. Uther was supposed to be with the council. If Morgana was dragging him out… had she found out about the picnic? Cavall?
A presence entered his mind.
Can you watch out for Merlin? I fear Morgana is up to something.
The presence left and Mordred could only hope the daimon would decide to help. They could be fickle in their familiar duties. Freya said it had something to do with letting Merlin grow into his power.
Mordred?
He turned back to Kara. Sorry, I got distracted.
She took his hands. It's so good to see you.
I never thought I'd see you again, he said, stepping closer.
What are you doing here? You're a druid. You don't belong in Camelot. If you were discovered…
I have to be here. It's Prince Arthur. He's the Once and Future King.
Kara shook her head. I can't believe you'd say that.
It's true.
He's a Pendragon.
You don't know him. He squeezed her hands. He spotted a servant looking at them and turned to continue to Arthur's chambers. He's a good man.
He's your friend? She gasped.
Yes.
She was quiet until they reached Arthur's chambers and Mordred didn't push her.
Emrys looked over when The Queen picked up a plate, setting down the flowers he'd been weaving into a crown. "I'll do that."
The King took it from her instead. "None of you are here as servants."
"You won't be saying that when it's time to clean all this up," Emrys muttered and picked his flowers back up.
The King threw a grape at him, but Vatn-Freyja caught it. As she fed it to Emrys, The King said, "Just play with your flowers, Merlin. "
Emrys tied off the ring and tossed it at The King, using magic to ensure it landed on his head. "Your crown, Sire."
The girls laughed and he shot Emrys a glare.
"It feels different, doesn't it?" The Queen chuckled. "Being away from Camelot?"
The King turned back to the plate with a solemn face and started filling it. He lowered his voice so only she could hear. "I love Camelot more than I can say, but when I'm there, sometimes I feel I can hardly breathe. Everyone expects so much of me. Being here with you all? I can be myself."
"I like that, you being yourself."
"Sometimes I dream of leaving Camelot."
"Really? Where would you go?"
"I don't know. Somewhere where nobody knew who I was. I'd get some land and become a farmer."
The Queen giggled and the other two looked at them curiously. "I can hardly see you toiling away in the fields all day." She glanced at them. "Can you imagine Arthur as a farmer?"
"Would make me do everything," Emrys muttered to himself.
"Obviously I'd take Merlin with me; he can do all the hard work."
He gestured towards The King, giving Vatn-Freyja a pout and she kissed his cheek.
"Clearly he loves that idea," The Queen chuckled.
The King handed her the plate with a smile and she thanked him. "Get over here, Merlin, before you faint from hunger."
Emrys helped Vatn-Freyja to her feet and led her from the flower field. "You know, some people are actually capable of surviving without eating a three-course meal every few hours."
"Shut up, Merlin."
The four ate then Emrys and The King cleaned off the blanket so they could all settle on it. Vatn-Freyja basked in the sunlight with her head on Emrys's lap. He was carding his fingers through her hair, occasionally weaving a flower into the locks as he reclined against the pillows they'd brought. The King and Queen laid their heads on the pillows as well, facing each other.
"So what kinds of things would you have on your farm?"
The King hummed and tucked some hair behind her ear. "Definitely raspberries. And chickens."
"Pickled eggs," Emrys muttered and The King elbowed him. "We'll need plenty of flowers too. I want a beehive."
"No one asked you."
"If I'm doing all the work, I should get some say!"
"Cows," Vatn-Freyja hummed teasingly. "And strawberries."
"Of course, love."
"How about some sheep?" The Queen offered.
"That sounds lovely, Guinevere."
"Oh, so she gets to pick what we have on our farm, but I don't?"
"It's my farm. Get your own farm."
"Gladly."
The King turned to glare at him and Emrys pressed a kiss to his nose with mischievous eyes.
The Queen laughed and reached over to poke Emrys's cheek before cuddling closer to The King. "We should be heading back to Camelot soon."
"We could stay a while longer. I don't know when we'll have the chance to do this again with Morgana on our tail."
"Perhaps when you become a farmer we can be together more often."
"That's just a dream. I fear I will never leave Camelot…" The King frowned and began to lean up. "Stay still."
She froze. "Is it bandits?"
Vatn-Freyja's head shifted to listen and Emrys looked up as The King grabbed his glove and swatted away an insect.
"A wasp."
"Prat," Emrys huffed, laying back down as Vatn-Freyja shifted her head back into a comfortable spot.
The King smirked and The Queen snorted before leaning over to snog him.
"Don't reward bad behavior."
He pulled away to glare at Emrys, then smirked. He hooked a hand behind Emrys's head and pulled him forward. He stopped when they were just a hair's width apart, breaths mixing for a moment. Then The King let him go and turned back to The Queen.
Emrys gave a confused whine.
"Don't reward bad behavior."
"Clotpole." He grabbed The King and pulled him back over into a chaste kiss.
The sounds of horseshoes on river rocks sounded through the clearing as a pair of horses came through the trees just on the other side of the stream. The horses paused at the bank, the human letting his drink while The Enchantress glanced about the clearing.
"How about we follow the creek to the fork, then head up to the western gate?" the human asked. After a moment he turned to The Enchantress. "Morgana?"
She hummed and gave the clearing one last look over before turning to him with a forced smile. "Yes, of course."
"Everything okay?"
"Yes, I thought I heard something. Must have just been a bird."
He smiled and turned his horse.
She scowled and glared over the clearing as she followed. "An annoying little merlin, I'm sure."
High above the clearing, Wyllt yawned and began cleaning himself. Fóstring was going to owe him for this. He deserved the good cheese, or maybe some blueberries.
Mordred looked up when he heard hissing to see Kara jumping away from an angry Cavall.
It's okay, she's a friend, he called, holding out his hand.
They glared at her for a moment before coming to his side, placing themselves between the two druids.
Sorry, Mordred said, kneeling down to pet them. They're usually not like this.
It's fine. "Hey there, kitty," she said, holding out her hand.
Cavall ignored her, looking up at Mordred.
Mordred tasted blueberries and cheese. Are the others okay?
The taste grew stronger.
Yeah, I'll get you something. He stood up and said to Kara, We should head down to lunch now.
Alright. She put the rag she was using to scrub the floors in her bucket and stood up, brushing off her skirt. As they started towards the servant's hall, she wound her arm around his. They were almost there when she said, I have to tell you something.
What is it?
I wasn't completely honest. I did come here to see you, but that wasn't the only reason I wanted to come here.