A Marriage that Started a Legend

by IJustShowedUp

Follows canon but with my own arranged marriage spin on it. What happens when Hunith makes a mistake and is forced on the run with her infant son? What happens when Camelot knights find her twenty years later? What happens when Arthur learns he's betrothed to a peasant boy? Will Merlin be able to stand among royalty? Will these two different boys survive each other? Review!

44. Chapter 44

In Arthur's experience, everything had a need to be met, a specific protocol that had to be followed to the letter. If it wasn't, then things tended to blow up around him, until it was drilled into him by his tutors and his father that he would need to do better. Which didn't help him when there was a protocol for every single thing on the planet.

But protocols and his lessons growing up had come hand in hand with each other, so twisted around the other that it was impossible to tell when one ended and the other begun.

He had studied several languages on the off chance that somebody outside the five great kingdoms would come to Camelot. He had gone through great pains so that he could learn his extensive vocabulary, which had been a must when he was younger and still trying to be seen as a man when he was clearly nothing but a boy. But maybe that had just been his focus because he was trying to impress his father, and his allies who would one day plea an alliance with Arthur himself.

It had also taught him what was probably the most important protocol: what to say. Certain events needed a specific dialogue, and any misspoken word-even unintentionally-could be looked to as an insult to the wrong person.

He'd also learned geography and the history of dozens of places that had no relevance to himself, but it was a necessity that came with being a prince. How could he be expected to lead his people if he didn't understand where their allies were coming from? It was why he was always so involved when foreign allies came to Camelot, why he'd been introduced and included in the conversation and the negotiations since the day he had turned eighteen, as a way to prepare him for the day that he would become king.

He'd studied his maths and economics for the sole purpose of needing to know how he was going to run this kingdom. He needed to know their finances, and all the little tricks and turns that would make sure that his kingdom would continue to thrive even long after his father stepped down as king.

And each of these lessons had protocols attached to them, a way for Arthur to behave when he was among his own kind. Things that had to be done, things that he had to say at a certain time-they had been so ingrained into Arthur from such an early age that it felt strange not to have then done.

He had to stand a certain way: poised and with importance. He had been commanded by his tutors to always stand straight with his shoulders back (which he had-as cliche as it sounded-learned by balancing several books on his head). As his tutors had instructed: he needed to know that he was the most important man in the room so that everybody else would believe it when they saw him. It was a lesson that had followed him well into adulthood.

His voice needed to remain strong and each word he said loud enough to be heard from everywhere in a room. It wouldn't do if he was giving some grand speech just before an important event and those in the back were unable to hear what he said. A leader needed to be heard, so that those under his charge would have no reservations about following him into battle.

And speaking of battles, Arthur had been trained extensively when it came to being battle hardened. For hours, every day there had been a time set aside where the best fighters had been instructed to teach their young prince everything he would ever need to know. He'd been taught how to wield a sword properly from the moment he had been big enough to hold his old wooden practice one. He'd upgraded to a real sword when he was ten, a solid two years before most would be trusted with one. But even though his main focus was with his sword, he'd been trained in other aspects as well: daggers and crossbows and the like. He'd learned hand to hand combat, and knew at least ten different way's to kill a man with limited contact.

But with all of those skills at his disposal, he took the greatest pride in his skills with his sword. It was the one thing that he had never floundered at, the one thing that made him feel as if he wasn't just a prince but a man as well. It had a way of giving him the powerful confidence boost that he needed (something that he would never admit because nobody needed to know their prince was struggling if he didn't have a sword in his hand).

Among those skills, he'd also been trained in battle strategies. He would spend his later years studying by candlelight at his desk late into the evenings, learning about the battles of their past. He'd figure out the things that had worked and the things that hadn't, come up with his own strategies that he thought would have won them a lost battle.

He knew how to survive in the woods just as easily as he could survive in his castle. When things would get to be to much for him, when the pressures of his responsibilities and duties were getting to him, he would gather his things and retreat for a few days into the woods surrounding their kingdom. Some times he would bring a hunting party along with him, but more often than not he would go alone.

He liked being in the woods, with nothing more than his solitude and his trusted, solid crossbow at his side. He often brought home some kind of meat, as a way to placate his father for being gone for day's at a time. He'd learned through trial and experience what not to eat when he was out there, certain berries and the like that would get one sick. Or at least the kind that grew in the woods around his home, he would probably be completely lost in foreign territory. He did know how to use a trap to catch a rabbit as easily as he could entertain his royal guests.

Although there was a gap in his knowledge he could admit, he didn't know much about medicines. While he knew what not to eat, he didn't know which herbs or flowers would heal the sick or injured. He didn't know how to fix a broken leg other then using broad sticks to make a splint so that the injured party could make it to Gaius for a real treatment. He knew how to wrap a wound to keep it clean, but he didn't know what to put on it or how to make said cream if he didn't have access to a physician.

And even what limited knowledge he did know had been self taught because it was always entirely possible for a member of his group (when he would gather a hunting party together) had gotten injured. These men that accompanied him on these trips were under his command, and he needed to do what he could to make sure they returned home to their family safely.

And although it had never really been his focus of study, he also knew-from the few other princes who'd visited at one point or the other-that he knew more than most had bothered to learn.

Why bother to learn when the odds were so low that somebody as high up as Arthur, wouldn't have a physician handy. Or at least that was the mindset of many nobles-even in battle or when there was war (which hadn't in many years) that there would be a physician set up nearby to take care of the wounded.

Most nobles who had a worth as high as he did, more often than not, rarely left the safety of their homes where they were guarded at every moment of every day...not Arthur, who enjoyed his trips into the forest more than he did anything else.

But to the point, all of that was just the big things, the tip of the iceberg so to speak. He had all of this knowledge under his belt-no matter how broad or how small-there was a thousand little protocols that needed to be followed in every aspect of his life.

Anything that one could think of, Arthur knew that he would be able to rattle off a thousand different protocols that were related to that one subject. It could feel suffocating when he was feeling particularly stressed, but in a strange way, he could feel himself relying on it with the upmost certainty. Because he knew exactly what was going to happen, how it was supposed to be, and when the move would be executed.

Even the way he needed to eat was a certain way. He needed to sit up straight for every meal, with his back not allowed to touch the back of his chair (which was probably why he took most of his meals in the privacy of his room so that he could at least relax). It was something that was second nature to him now, but he had learned it at a young age by being tied to his chair by a cloth around his shoulders.

Every dish that was brought out to him needed to be consumed in a certain order (from left to right in an almost circular motion), each bite small enough to fit snugly on his eating utensil. Each meal he ate would always come with multiple things to eat with (several forks and spoons for one course) simply because it was protocol and had been far longer than he'd been alive. Not one serving on his dish was allowed to touch the other as certain things just weren't meant to overlap, or at least that was how his etiquette tutor had explained it to him as he had been learning proper table manners.

And there were a dozen other regulations for different things that he hadn't yet bothered to think of. From the knights and how they operated: and Arthur had made sure he had drilled these protocols into their heads when he trained them. How they should behave in certain situations, what to do if their was an emergency, how they treated their criminals and looked after those that needed their help during a crisis.

Hell, even the clothes he wore needed to be chosen specifically within the parameters of the protocols the prince needed to follow to a T. It was comforting to Arthur, if not stifling, to have it taken out of his hands with all of his princely business keeping him busy.

One might be wondering at this point why Arthur was so consumed with his thoughts about his knowledge and the protocols that were mixed into them.

All of these things cumulated in what was Arthur's heritage and where he came from, these rules and regulations and restrictions were all things that a commoner would never be able to understand just how important they were to the upper crust of society.

Which brought Arthur to one of his many current dilemmas: not only had Gaius had the nerve to bring up their deal, something that Arthur thought they were done talking about. But he had also shown up to talk about this while Arthur was still struggling to take in the fact that a favor had just been forced upon him.

There were heavy protocols involved when it came to gifts, and to courting, and favors were something that fell into that category easily. It was probably the most important lesson that needed to be taught when one was old enough to show an interest, because nobody wanted to be accused of being inappropriate with somebody else.

Many women-or their parents-in his upper class world, were even known to reject suitors because they didn't follows things to the letter.

As far as Arthur's knowledge went-because while he knew how important it was to do certain things right lest the parent themself rejects your interest towards their child, he'd also never had any interest in courting somebody himself-he knew that favors were high on the list of desirable objects to be given among the circle of knights.

Favors were a way of showing interest to a member of their society. It was something that was usually done by the women who had gotten interested in a knight. It was one of the only times it was acceptable for a woman to approach a man and broach the subject of a possible courtship. In any other situation, it was the man's duty to make their interest known to the female.

Arthur wasn't sure if he could recall one time where he had seen another man giving a knight a favor, it was just one of those things that was sorely done by the womenfolk. Kind of like how it was only the woman in his world that wore the dresses while the men wore the capes and armor.

It just wasn't done where one would cross over into the other.

Usually, a woman would approach one of the many knights and hold out her favor to the lucky man. Most women followed the same pattern from his experience: she would be all dewy eyed with a faux expression of innocence on her face as she kindly asked him if he would do her the honor of wearing her favor.

The knight could object of course, reject her and send her on her way because he might not have the same interest in her. But more often then not-even if it was only as a date for the evening-the knight would accept the favor and let her know it would be an honor by holding out his arm. Then the woman would tie it carefully around the upper half of his arm, while thanking him profusely for showing an interest in her.

The knight would later march out to his fight with the slim favor wrapped around his arm, showing everybody that he was now-even if it was just temporary-spoken for. After that, rarely would another woman approach the same knight as it was against the 'girl code' or whatever rules it was that only women seemed to know amongst themselves. Kind of like the 'guy code' when nobody spoke up if they saw a married man fooling around with another.

It had happened of course, when a knight had accepted a favor only to toss it aside later on when another more desirable woman approached him. But it also wasn't a good look for the knight in question when word got out that he was so fickle as to change favors for another so easily.

It was why Arthur had never accepted a favor after he'd already accepted the first woman to approach him. It was why he grinned and bared it when said woman would cling onto his arm at the after party when a tourney had been completed, convinced that she had somehow won the heart of the prince when it was the first time they had even talked and he had no intention of making her his Queen.

But this was different.

For one thing, not a single protocol had actually been followed when he was given this favor. Let's temporarily forget the fact that Merlin was a male so Arthur shouldn't have had to even consider the idea that the boy would have given him a favor in the first place, and focus on how Merlin hadn't done a single thing right.

He hadn't approached Arthur and asked him for the honor of his favor. At least then, the prince could have rejected him with no harm done, even if it would look a little weird considering they were married. But Arthur probably could have just used the excuse that he preferred their 'romantic life' to be more private than a favor would allow.

Arthur hadn't accepted this favor, it had been forcibly given to him. And while most favors did send out a silent message to other women that this knight in question had been spoken for, the one that Merlin had given him seemed to send out a different message.

With how large and bold it was, it spoke of a claim that Arthur's was his. It was the equivalent of Merlin putting a collar on him, or maybe something even more horrifying: like an extra large hickey on his throat high enough for every member of the court to see and get the message loud and clear.

It was unsettling and something that Arthur never would have been able to accept if his frozen brain had been quick enough to respond before Merlin had left him with it.

And none of this was getting into the fact that Merlin was in love with him, and was apparently expecting the same sentiment from Arthur. But even Arthur had to admit that might have been his fault, he should have lain some clear boundaries down that first night.

Instead of kicking Merlin out of his room when they should have been consummating their marriage, he should have sat the boy down at his desk and gone over how things were going to go. How even if they were 'married', nothing between them was ever going to happen. That this was nothing more than an arrangement done between their parents and that they would just have to live with it for the rest of their lives. Merlin could go off and do his own thing, as long as it didn't disrupt the life that Arthur knew.

But it was to late for that now, because somewhere in the last few weeks that they'd known each other, Merlin had fallen for him, and now Arthur was actually gonna have to do something to drill the message into his skull, it was gonna have to be something bigger than Arthur privately removing his own ring.

He was gonna have to break Merlin's heart.

But all of that was for a later moment, when he had more time to actually do something about this. When he didn't have Gaius all up in his face, demanding things from him when he was busy with his own crises.

"Sire, I don't think you understand just how serious all of this is." Gaius was speaking up in a firm tone, looking at Arthur. "If somebody else is showing an interest in Merlin, then it is your sworn duty to explain that to him."

Arthur resisted the urge to roll his eyes, but only just, and only because he had actually respected Gaius since he'd been his father's royal physician long before he had even been born. "I said that I would explain things to him when and if it was necessary." The prince said, struggling to ignore the firm pressure of the neckerchief around his arm. "Somebody showing an interest in him is not what I'm concerned about right now."

At this point, Arthur would almost be grateful for it if it got Merlin off his hands. At least that way, it would be somebody else that had to deal with the daily stresses that Merlin had brought into his life. But Arthur, grudgingly, knew that this wasn't going to happen, not since Merlin had now made it clear that he was in love with him. The boy wouldn't dare to go behind his back with another, not when Arthur was wearing his favor.

"It's exactly what you should be concerned about!" Gaius argued back to him. "I fear that time is running short and Merlin is going to need all the knowledge he can get!" He was fearful about just how big of a treat Valiant was, none of what Merlin had expressed to him was something done by somebody who wasn't a lunatic. And if Valiant was actually planning something, then Merlin needed to know of the danger that he was in.

Arthur didn't have time for this, especially not when he knew that Valiant's fight could end at any minute and he would be stuck going out there before he could come up with a solid plan for what he was going to be doing with this thing around his arm.

"Even if one of these knights did show him an interest," Arthur said forcefully. "None of them are regulars around these parts. They live in several different areas throughout this kingdom, and will all be leaving in the next few days. That's not exactly enough time for a proper courtship."

Besides, even if one of these knights were dumb enough to show a clear interest in the prince's consort, none of them were dumb enough to make that known. They would be ostracized to their society if word spread of how they had stolen something-somebody-from their own prince. Their standing in society would fall to the brinks, and nothing would have helped to bring them back up from the dredges.

Not only was Merlin not worth that trouble, but as he was in love with Arthur, he was obviously not going to be running off with some mystery knight in the dead of night.

Therefore, he didn't need to know what this 'mystery knight' might be expecting from him at some point. Or might not care enough to explain even if he realized how dumb Merlin was...

"What you need to do is open your eyes," Gaius said, sounding almost disappointed in Arthur for not jumping at the chance to do his solemn duty and explain things properly for Merlin. No wonder the boy always seemed so frustrated, if this was Arthur's response when he would speak to him. "Because this isn't just a knight having a crush, this is a lot more than just that. Valiant is-"

He was about to finish off with 'dangerous' to try and impress onto Arthur just how serious this was. But before he could finish, the prince was stiffening and looking at the aged physician as his eyes narrowed sharply.

"Wait, Valiant, you say?" Arthur demanded harshly, casting a glance over towards the entranceway. Of course, he couldn't actually see the knight from his position but he did know that Valiant was still out there on the field fighting off that scrawny dude.

"Yes!" Gaius said quickly, nodding his head because it seemed as if Arthur was aware of the problem. Maybe Merlin hadn't realized that he knew, or maybe Arthur had seen something that caused him concerned.

That was when Arthur turned away from the entranceway, the hint of a sneer on his lips, "I'm not surprised." He grumbled. His jaw was clenched tightly, and his fist had closed up at his side.

The blonde was glaring down on the floor in front of him, and he was scowling. His first instinct had been to march out of the room and track Merlin down. Then drag the boy back to the knight's quarters and sit him down someplace away from Valiant but where Arthur could keep an eye on him, lest he do something to encourage whatever infatuation Valiant had with him. And Arthur was all to well versed in Merlin speak, the way the boy would say something but meant something completely different. Valiant, he would be all over him if given the chance.

But he quelled his urges, practically trying to-metaphorically-squash it under his boot. The tightness of the favor around his arm was a pretty good reminder of what he had to do. If Merlin was showing an interest in another, then that would give Arthur some kind of out. It would be the perfect excuse as to not wear this favor, or to entertain the boy ever again.

He forced his hand to unclench, a mask of nonchalance undergoing on his face as he tried to push down his conflicted feelings. He almost had to take a breath, to force himself to just let it go.

Things would be better this way. If Merlin got to be with somebody else then Arthur could move on with his life, even if he had this sort of clawing motion happening in his chest at the thought.

Gaius frowned at the blonde's lack luster response but he pushed on, "So, then you understand. Valiant's interest in Merlin is verging, if not all out-"

Arthur interrupted before Gaius could give him a proper reason for doing what he had sworn he'd do and tell Merlin 'the birds and the bee's', "I know all about Valiant and his interest in Merlin."

He even rolled his eye's this time, not doing anything to stop it or to hide the motion from Gaius, to show just how little he cared about any of this. It didn't matter if the clawing in his chest has grown as he remembered the way Valiant had kissed the back of Merlin's hand at the meet-and-greet. All that should matter was Arthur managing to get some proper distance from the boy.

Gaius narrowed his eye's, not looking as if he was pleased by how this conversation was doing, "And you aren't going to do anything about it?" He demanded harshly. If Arthur wasn't going to do anything, then obviously, it was clear that he wasn't the man that he thought he was.

"Do what?" Arthur demanded, throwing out his arm with his growing agitation. It took him less than a second to realize that arm was the one with the neckerchief tied around it and he was quick to drop it back to his side, as if Gaius hadn't already seen it. "There is nothing I can do about a knight showing an interest in him!"

Or, there was nothing that Arthur was willing to do. He supposed he really could always keep the brat at his side, because at least then he would know for sure that Merlin wasn't off causing him issues...or being off with somebody that he wasn't supposed to be. But he nixed that idea as soon as soon as it had returned to him. He was bound and determined-not after having this thing out on his arm-to stay as far away from Merlin as possible.

If that meant Merlin was going to be getting entertained by other guys-Arthur's fingers twitched as if it wanted to curl them into a fist before he forced his hand to relax-then so be it.

Gaius scowled, "You are his husband, aren't you? You have every right to do something!You would think you would be more concerned about another man giving Merlin this inappropriate attention!" He couldn't believe that Arthur actually had no intentions of stopping this, that he cared so little about the boy that he wouldn't put a stop to any of this.

If Arthur had approached Gaius properly and asked for Merlin's hand, if things had gone as if they were supposed to in a courtship, then Gaius would have denied Arthur any right to wed Merlin if he knew he was going to act like this. Merlin's parents may had signed the contract that started this whole mess, but as Gaius was the only male relative for miles, it was up to him to make sure that Merlin was being properly taking care of since he wasn't able to contest for an annulment of the marriage itself. Merlin's parents signing that right away was stronger than his uncle trying to protest it.

Arthur felt that muscle in his jaw starting to jump, because as time was drawing nearer for his fight, the less time he had to actually do something about his favor. "You and I both know that my marriage to Merlin is just-" he stopped to give a subtle glance around but nobody had even glimpsed in their direction, "An arrangement."

As Gaius was on his father's council, he was one of the few that had been privy as to know the truth. But even then, only a handful of the council had actually been privy to any of this, the most trusted out of the group. His father had tried his best to keep the arrangement under wraps, the true nature of it at least.

"So if Merlin wants to attract the attention of somebody else, then who am I to stop him?" The blonde asked, forcing himself to sound as nonchalant as he could. He looked away from Gaius, knowing that his irritation might show if the physician looked to closely. To be honest, Arthur didn't know what he would do if he walked in on Merlin and Valiant together, even now he could feel the cold wisps of anger stirring in his chest at just the thought.

And realizing that...it was probably what was making him feel as freaked out as he was.

Gaius frowned, looking at Arthur with narrowed eyes, "I don't believe that Merlin is as appreciative at the attention like you seem to think."

He didn't know what Arthur's problem about this was. He knew enough to say that the boy was a bully, but he had also never thought he would sit back when one of his own citizens was being sexually harassed. Especially when said citizen was so close to him both by law and by presence.

Arthur scoffed, impatiently tapping his fingers against the outside of his thigh, it was a motion that drew Gaius' attention straight to it. "Maybe Merlin just needs to appreciate that anybody is showing him an interest! Tell him to give it a chance, at least it'll keep him busy."

At this point, Arthur didn't even care what it would look like to his people if they saw his consort stepping out on him. He didn't care if people thought he was lacking something so he couldn't even keep that boy that had been forced on him content. Let the boy find some body who actually wanted him, somebody who didn't feel this cold rage building under his skin at the idea of anybody taking something that was supposed to be his.

Gaius swallowed back his sharp retort, even though he did nothing to hide the disgust he had growing on his face the longer that this conversation went on, "Since it's obvious that you are showing your consort no concern-"

"He doesn't need my concern!" Arthur said in a barking tone, almost forgetting (or maybe not caring at this point) who he was talking to.

"I suppose that I will just have to take matters into my own hand." Gaius finished sharply, his disapproval of Arthur's actions clear on his features.

Arthur felt a hint of shame mixing into the rolling anger that had been swirling in his veins, "And what exactly, is that supposed to mean?" He demanded as his head shot up to look at him.

He didn't know if Gaius meant he was just going to let Arthur off the hook and give him the talk for him, or what. It would definitely be one less thing for him to have to be worried about. On one hand, he didn't want to be anywhere in the vicinity of Merlin's reaction, but at the same time, Gaius had also been right. He had made the deal, and it was only right for him to carry it through.

Just not right now...or in the next week...or month...or ever...

"Oh, don't worry, you'll have you're chance to explain things to him." Gaius said, speaking in an eerily calm tone. It was as if all the anger that had been growing in him had just been leashed, held in with an almost impressive amount of force. It made the blonde's head spin with confusion and a growing suspicion. "You go on, be concerned with your next fight. It's obviously so much more important than the virtue of the man you have married."

He said all of this very dryly, in an almost startling tone of sarcasm that made Arthur want to flinch in surprise as it sounded far to similar to Merlin for his liking. It made him feel guilty, not because of how he was treating Merlin (he deserved it after putting this thing on his own) but because Gaius had clearly came to him for a reason. But as the reason was because of Merlin, Arthur forced that guilty feeling aside.

Arthur glanced around one more time just to make sure that nobody's attention had been drawn to them before he dared to speak up again, "His virtue is intact. As Valiant will be leaving soon, I doubt that is going to change anytime soon."

Arthur didn't really know much about Merlin, but he doubted the boy's first thought if the other knight actually approached him would be to open his legs. And since Valiant would be gone, along with all of the other knights, within the next few days he found no reason to be concerned about a possible affair. And besides, Merlin was such a girl, he probably wouldn't give it up the first night anyway.

Or at least that was what he told himself, to calm down so that he wouldn't either kill Merlin for going to another, or to kill Valiant for thinking that it was acceptable to go after somebody with the Pendragon name.

"You've disappointed me, Arthur." Gaius said bluntly, making Arthur flinch as the physician started walking passed him. He didn't know what Gaius wanted from him, he had made himself very clear when he had said that the boy didn't need him to explain anything to him. Just because somebody else had a crush, didn't mean that Merlin needed to know anything.

The boy wasn't nearly dumb enough to risk facing Arthur's ire by flaunting a newfound romance in his face...right?

"Yeah, well Merlin's disappointed me as well," Arthur said quietly. He made him feel things he didn't want to feel, caused him problems just by being in the kingdom, did things that would force Arthur's hand. Everything would have just been so much better off if only that stupid contract had never came to light.

Gaius stopped in his step, hovering just in front of the curtained walkway, "So, you'll just leave him to his fate then?" He asked in a solemn tone. He glanced over his shoulder, looking at Arthur's back, the blonde refusing to turn and face him.

"You make it sound as if he's going to die if I don't tell him." Arthur said, feeling his fists clenching tightly at his side, his nails biting into the palms of his hands almost straight through his gloves. "A brief infatuation is not something I'm concerned about, he will be fine for a little while longer." He said all of this in a very dismissive tone.

Gaius shook his head with disappointment, feeling his own jaw start to clench up, "If you are not going to do anything about this, then you might at least be interested in updating your security system. Strangers shouldn't exactly be able to roam freely around your living quarters."

"What are you talki-" Arthur started to say, but Gaius had already taken his leave, tossing the curtain aside and storming out. If Arthur wasn't going to take care of Valiant, then it was clear that Gaius was just gonna have to do something about it himself. But first things first, he had to track Merlin down and make sure that he was still alright.

In the knight's quarters, Arthur shook his head with growing frustration. But he didn't have the time to concern himself with the cryptic words that Gaius had said. He wasn't going to waste his time trying to figure out mysteries and puzzles when all the physician had to do was stay and explain things to him properly.

And despite the flaws that Merlin had pointed out back when he'd been getting him ready earlier, there was nothing that was actually wrong with his security. It had been the same for years, and unless something happened, there was no reason for Arthur to make moves to change it.

Arthur turned away from the curtain and looked back to the crowd of knights that were standing in the entranceway as they were watching Valiant's fight. He felt his jaw clench up as he remembered that Gaius had said it was him who was showing an interest in Merlin.

But after a moment, Arthur forced his jaw to relax and turned away. No, he didn't care that Valiant was showing an interest, he definitely did not care if Merlin was going to show the same sentiment. He didn't care that Merlin might be up in the crowd right now (his fists clenched up before he had to literally force them to relax) being impressed by Valiant's skill in a way that he refused to be about his own. And there was no way in hell that he cared if he did end up eventually walking in on Merlin showing Valiant just how impressed he had been.

Or at least that was what he chanted over and over again in his head as he looked back down at the favor on his own. Right, he had more important things to worry about, more concerns than whatever it was that Merlin was off doing in his endless amount of spare time.

It wasn't like he liked the brat or anything, he was just pissed because of course Merlin was probably just trying to taunt him by shoving Valiant in his path. Hell, he had probably sent Gaius in here just to bring it to his attention.

But no matter, two could play at that game.

Merlin could wave Valiant in his face all that he wanted. He could have his temporary knight on the side, and do whatever the hell he wanted. But Arthur, Arthur would just have to show him that he wasn't going to sit back and be played.

Arthur brought his hand up and tugged on the end of the favor in disgust. First off, he was gonna have to find a way-an excuse that he could give to anybody who found out-for taking this off. But this wasn't as easy as it was for Merlin to possibly fool around with somebody else.

Merlin was a consort, nobody was going to ask him questions without bringing it to the prince's attention first. If people asked, then Arthur could always just claim that Merlin was just playing some kind of game, trying to rile him up and make him jealous. It would be all to easy for Arthur to claim that he wasn't a jealous person, so Merlin's attempts were just going to be in vain.

But Arthur was the prince, he had to worry about politics and relationships, and how it would look if he took off something given to him by his new consort. A favor was actually something very significant to their culture, and to take it off when he and Merlin were supposed to be newly weds, that was a bit more complicated.

But he could figure this out, and before it was time for him to go out there. He could always just take it off if he got desperate enough, he might be able to claim that he had an allergic reaction to the material if need be. At least nobody would actually see him with this thing on, but it might be better to just switch it with something else and claim that it had been Merlin to give it to him. It wouldn't be the best option, and people would obviously still believe that he was wearing a gift from his male lover, but it was a possibility.

As long as he didn't have to wear this original favor.

Besides, if he did actually manage to find something that he could use in the next several minutes, Merlin would be falling to his knees and thanking him for not embarrassing them both by wearing this thing.

X

At the exact same time that Arthur had been having his conversation with Gaius, there was another conversation that had been going on, on the other side of the stadium. It happened in the darkness of the hallway, and there was two people who were being shrouded by the shadows. The only light they were able to use to see the other came from the torchlight on the wall just above their heads. They were sitting together, their knees pressed against the other as they sat against each other tightly.

There was the sound of sniffling loud enough that it would have echoed down the hallway, if only there was somebody nearby to hear the sound. But nobody was, everybody else had long since entered the stadium and was enjoying the fight between Knight Valiant and his opponent.

"I am so sorry about this, Sir Merlin." Mary said, practically blubbering. She was using a faded white handkerchief that had been tucked away into the folds of her skirts to dab daintily under her eyelids, at the over flow of tears that were streaming down. "I mean, after everything that happened with Madame Clara, you shouldn't be comforting me as well."

Mary had been sure that the guards would have arrived at any minute to have Madame Clara arrested after the way she had tried to accuse Sir Merlin of theft and had attempted to steal his wedding ring right off from his finger. But as the morning sun had risen and the day had continued on into the late hour of the afternoon, no knights had shown up. The head of the kitchens had worked like she always had, apparently convinced that Mary had believed a random ruffian who had made up lies about being the Consort. Mary could only assume that this meant that Sir Merlin hadn't reported the Madame for her truly awful behavior the other night.

"I'm not concerned about Madame Clara right now," Merlin said, leaning back against the wall as he watched Mary, with a solemn expression, crying her eye's out. "I just want to make sure that you're going to be alright after what you told me." And true, maybe Merlin was still shaken up about what had happened with the Madame, but after what he'd been dealing with regarding Valiant, it wasn't exactly his biggest concern on the list.

Mary dabbed carefully at her eyes, trying not to smudge the bit of kohl she had been using earlier in an effort to hide the bags under her eyes. It wasn't often that she would use her meager earnings for something as hard to get as makeup, but she had been in a dire situation. She hadn't gotten much sleep in the last few weeks and everything was just starting to catch up to her.

"I just, I've gotten better you know." Mary said, blabbering as she lowered the piece of cloth down to her lap. "I used to spend hours crying, it was so bad that Madame Clara had actually sent me home one day and with how strict she is, she never sends anybody home early! These last few days I haven't been out crying as much, but then this tourney comes up..."

Merlin nodded, as if he understood exactly what she meant, even reaching over to pat comfortingly on her shoulder. "It's okay, I'm sure that she would want you to be happy, I'm sure she wouldn't begrudge you just for having some fun when she can't."

Merlin, after leaving his uncle behind, had intended to walk back to the bleachers and find his spot with Morgana and Gwen. But his plans had shifted when he'd only gotten half way there, and had found Mary hiding herself in the hall and bawling her eye's out. And well, he couldn't have left her after having seen that.

"She would have loved this, you know." Mary said shakily, looking like she was about to fall to pieces all over again. "She just loved going to parties and being in the excitement, even if she was just working it and wasn't an actual guest." Her fingers clenched inaudible around the handkerchief she was clutching onto like it was her lifeline. "And I just keep thinking... what if I had been able to do something? If I had said something, or started looking for her earlier...could I have stopped it."

Merlin tightened his grip on Mary's shoulder, knowing that even while he was trying to give her comfort, he would never truly be able to understand. He hadn't lost his best friend like she had, Merlin (while knowing he was most likely never going to see his friend Will again, at least he knew that he was still alive and out there) had never gone through the traumatic experience of losing someone that close to him before.

"It wasn't your fault," Merlin said, the guilt he spoke with tasted like ash on the back of his tongue. "You couldn't have known what was going to happen." Just like Merlin couldn't have known that it was going to happen, but somehow, the words didn't comfort him as much as he meant for them to comfort Mary in her time of need.

"I know it's not my fault, I mean I understand that it's not. But still..." Mary shook her head quietly, her blonde braids flapping around her ears and they fell somewhere behind her shoulders. Even if she knew that it wasn't her fault, she still felt as if there was something that she could have done differently that would have changed things. Survivor's guilt, as it would be called in a more modern day society.

Merlin sighed, releasing his hand from her shoulder and leaned himself against the wall made of stones. He brought his legs up so that he could rest his arm on top of his knees as he stared blankly at the wall that was in front of him. He knew that there was nothing he could have done for Mary or for her friend, but that didn't stop his heart from aching at the news Mary had just informed him with.

"I'm sure she's in a much better place now," Merlin said with a wry smile. "Or at least that is something I hear you're supposed to say after somebody passes."

If only he had known that Mary-the witch that had been impersonating Lady Helena before Merlin had dropped a chandelier on her head, and not the Mary sitting beside him-had been going after Arthur earlier. Maybe then he would have been able to stop Browen from going to her death. This was the first time Merlin had heard of this, of how Browen-the serving girl Mary had been looking for to help her with serving the drinks during his wedding dinner-had been found the next day in what had been the room's 'Lady Helena' had been staying in.

Merlin had offered to help her look for the girl he'd never met before, but had been turned down. How were any of them to know that Browen was already dead, and would be found the next day by the cleaning girl's several floors above their heads as everybody was partying to celebrate his marriage.

Mary nodded shakily, giving Merlin a very wobbly smile before allowing it to drop as if it had never even been there. She had honestly thought that she was getting better, she no longer spent her entire day crying her eyes out. She didn't want to say that she was able to move on, but she was starting to get back into her normal rhythm. But then the tourney started and being here, knowing that this was the first event that she wouldn't have Browen at her side, she just hadn't been able to stomach going.

She had gotten the news of who was winning from the other girl's, but she hadn't wanted to go in during all of the previous matches because she knew that Browen wouldn't be gigging away at her side. But now that the semi-finals were happening, Mary had given it a shot and had tried to go in. She had made it only as far as the doorway before she had spun around and left crying. She hunkered down in this spot to cry herself in peace, just waiting for it to be over with, but then Merlin had come across her first.

"You know," Mary said shakily, breaking the silence that had fallen between them. "There is somebody that I blame for this, I put all of this-my pain and Browen's death-directly at his feet."

Merlin lifted his head, feeling the tension that was starting to build up under his skin. It did not matter that he had taken care of Mary Collins later on, had taken her life by his own instinct just as easily as she had been trying to take Arthur's, he was still positive that the serving girl was going to claim that it was all his fault. And maybe in a way it was, he was a sorcerer, he should have been able to see that there was another one roaming the halls of Camelot Castle. Hell, it was just by his own pure dumb luck that he managed to realize that Valiant-while not an actual sorcerer-was still using magic as he was.

"And who is that?" Merlin asked, feeling as if his throat was dryer than a desert at this very moment. Mary's next words though, were the last thing that he had been expecting and it sent a sudden shockwave throughout his system.

At first, Mary glanced around as if she had been thinking that somebody was hiding in the shadows with every intention of listening in on their conversation. Merlin frowned at this, and found himself glancing around as well. But they were well and truly alone, the only company around them were being the shadows that danced off of the walls around them.

And then Mary was leaning in, bringing up one of her hands to cup around her mouth as an added safety precaution in case she had missed somebody standing in the shadows, Merlin had to lean in close to be able to hear her.

"It's Morris."

And then she was leaning back, looking as if she thought Merlin may have her punished for suggesting such a thing. Merlin sat there with a frozen expression, his eye's opened wide and his mouth was doing a pretty good expression of a dying fish. He didn't know what to think at first, hell, he still didn't know what to think when his mental faculties finally booted back up.

Merlin wretched himself away from where he'd been leaning toward's her, looking at her confused, "Morris?" He exclaimed, and he didn't do anything to hide the loudness of his voice like Mary had been trying. "What on earth does he have to do with any of this?"

Remembering the scrawny male-Arthur's manservant-who had always been trying to 'warn Merlin' or whatever he thought he was doing since he got here, it seemed almost outrageous to consider that he might have had something to do with what happened with Browen.

Mary looked as if she was about to start her crying all over again as she started wringing her hands in the skirts of her dress, "I know, I know!" She wailed, finally giving up on the idea that they could have been caught by a newcomer stumbling upon them. "I know that it's not right for me to accuse him! He may be just as much as a servant as I am, but he's also been given the great honor of being the manservant to the prince! And you are the Consort, you have much more important matters I'm sure then just a serving girl's suspicion!"

"Mary, Mary, calm down!" Merlin had to shout over her blubbering, and grabbing her by the shoulders to shake some sense into her. "It's alright, just tell me, what makes you think this is because of Morris?" It was hard to imagine Morris, as annoying as he was, could have anything to do with something so sinister. It didn't matter that he already had his hands full with Valiant, and waiting to see what the blonde haired prince would say to him when they got a few minutes alone to address what Merlin had given him, Mary was clearly in distress.

Mary, startled but not scared when Merlin had suddenly grabbed her, her wails died down into light sniffles as she looked up at the consort kneeling in front of her, "He was the reason that she was there. About a year ago, Browen was late preparing the prince's dinner, which made Morris late in bringing it to him. He was really upset about it, and he managed to get Browen regulated down from her kitchen duties to delivery duties. She was delivering something to Lady Helena, to that.. that imposter, she was only there because of Morris doing that to her!"

Merlin stared at her awkwardly, his eyebrow raising as he stared down at her before he slowly let go of her shoulders, "That's uh... well I'm sure Morris didn't know that one of the guests was going to end up killing one of the servants...Browen." As much as it pained him to say anything good about a sleezeball like Morris was, the boy wasn't exactly evil personified.

But Mary just shook her head at him again, looking almost terrified when she saw him defending Morris. "Oh, I should have known this was a bad idea!" She whimpered, looking away from the consort. "Of course you aren't just going to believe the word of a serving gi-"

"Hey, hey!" Merlin interrupted her before she could finish that sentence. "In case you may have forgotten, I was a commoner, long before I was also a consort and I do believe I still am despite what others may say. I really do want to hear you, I just don't understand why it would be Morris' fault. It was a tragedy, but to blame him just for getting her to work that job..."

Mary shook her head in a jerky motion, while looking almost like a modern day bobble head, before she carefully arranged how she was sitting. She moved to be on her knees, her skirts fanned out around her on the floor, "It isn't just about Browen, there were other things that are just...off, about him."

Merlin copied her movements, moving back so that he was sitting on his knees, "Tell me."

He didn't exactly see how Morris could elicit this kind of response out of Mary, but he was willing to listen to more. Even if Mary was completely wrong, it was more than obvious that she just needed somebody to talk to.

Mary cleared her throat, "It's all about how Morris got Browen regulated to delivery duty all those many months ago. It all came down to when Browen was running late with the prince's meal. It happened a few days after that, and most everybody had already moved on after witnessing Morris' getting all, as she called it, 'prissy."

Merlin nodded his head, showing her that he was listening. He knew all about the way that Morris had his fits, or at least the kind which would leave Merlin more annoyed every time they came in contact.

"Well," Mary continued talking. "As I said, a few days had already done passed after the incident between them, and a nobleman was here to visit the king. Browen was the one to put his lunch together and bring him his meal as he was to dine with the king."

"Okay," Merlin said slowly, feeling as his own eyebrows were starting to come together to show his confusion. "So what, Browen gave this guy his meal...?"

Mary nodded her head jerkily, looking almost impatient with herself, as if she couldn't get the words to come out fast enough, "This nobleman came down with what appeared to be a severe case of food poisoning after the meal, only it wasn't food poisoning."

Merlin straightened up in his position, looking much more interested now, "What do you mean? What was it?"

"After he got sick, Gaius was brought to him to see what was going on. Some of the other servants were brought in to help him gather what he needed, and they said that Gaius got the food bowl and did some kind of weird test on it to see what was on it."

"So what were the results?" Merlin asked, as he paid very close attention to the story she was telling him.

Mary leaned in closer, planting her hands on the floor to keep herself balanced, "It was water hemlock." She hissed to him urgently, looking scared to be talking about this so openly to somebody else for the first time since it all went down.

Merlin's eyes widened as he recognized the name from one of the books he'd been going through when he would spend his time holed away inside of his uncle's. He remembered it only because he had recognized it instantly, as the type of plant that grew on the very edges of the river back in Ealdor.

Everybody knew not to touch that type of plant because of the effects it had: it often caused nausea and stomach pains that were greater than even a woman during her cycle of the month, or at least that had been how it had been explained to Merlin when he had been warned away from it as a small child by his mother.

But all of that was just by touching it and then touching your face and getting it into your body. If it was actually eaten by somebody, it could cause death, which made it a good thing that it was growing on the dredges of the river and not actually in it. Some of the elderly had claimed that it could ruin their entire water supply if the poisonous substance got into it.

At least now he had the actual name it went by to go along with the memory of that plant in his head.

"And the nobleman, he didn't die?" Merlin asked. Old man Jenkins who lived by himself on the other side of Ealdor was the only one he knew of that had ever survived ingesting that particular plant, and that was only when he realized a second to late just which plant he had tried to make his snack. The story went that he shoved his fingers so far down his throat, he had thrown it all up in seconds.

He had still experienced symptoms for the next few weeks, but he'd eventually made a full recovery and dedicated the rest of his life to warning the children to never go near that plant in particular.

"Now, bear in mind that this is all speculation and rumors as people talked and pieced together the puzzle," Mary said. "But I know the truth of what happened, I know I do! You didn't see the grin Morris had on his face as the knights stormed the kitchens to investigate who had slipped it into the soup."

She'd been having nightmares all week over what had happened to Browen, and many of them had included that cold, cold smile that Morris had been wearing that day. She didn't know if he had somehow known the knights would be coming that day and that was why he'd been lingering for so long in the kitchens when he should have just taken the prince's lunch and left. Or if it had just been a really weird coincidence and she was just over-thinking things, although she didn't think that she was either.

"And so the knights, they determined that it was Browen?" Merlin said quietly, looking as if he was musing on this situation than he was actually asking her.

Mary nodded shakily, "They did. Luckily the water hemlock hadn't been a whole lot and it came up when the nobleman started getting nauseous, which probably saved his life. It was made obvious that whoever had done it didn't know that he should put in more than just a leaf so that the soup itself would get poisoned."

"And you think that person was Morris?" He asked, trying to figure out what could have been going on in Morris' mind that he would deliberately try to poison somebody.

"I know it was." Mary said, her tone of voice sounding the strongest it had been during this entire conversation. "And it was only luck that the knights somehow determined that it was an accident. Instead of being executed, Browen spent an entire month in a jail cell-to make sure she would look better at what she was handling-before being released and told that she was no longer allowed to be in the kitchens at all. Morris poisoned that soup, and then he pinned it on Browen. I know he did, and so do many of the other servants, of course. Only, I think that he meant for the nobleman to die, and it threw off everything when he pulled through."

Merlin leaned back so that he was sitting down on her arse and not on her knees any longer, "He did that for something as small as Browen being late with Arthur's meal?" It just seemed so...petty. If somebody was running late, who's first thought was to jump straight to poisoning somebody? But if he really had, it made Morris' little mention of 'helping Merlin' by mentioning the pyre-back when Merlin had first finished getting Arthur prepared for the first round's of the tourney-a lot more dangerous.

Mary nodded her head, moving back herself so that she could drag her knees up to her chest, her long skirts were still covering everything that they needed to. "Morris is the kind of person that won't hesitate if he thinks that somebody is getting in the way of what he wants."

"And what does he want?" Merlin asked her, his eyes narrowed.

Mary's lips thinned so hard that they looked almost white as she pressed them together tightly, "Oh, Sir Merlin, I do not believe that you wish to know!"

"Mary," Merlin stopped her before she could start crying herself silly again, "You have already told me this much, it isn't going to hurt if you tell me a little more."

Mary swallowed hard before shakily nodding her head, "Some say...some of the servants I mean...they think that he want's Arthur! As in more than just being his manservant!"

Merlin's eyes boggled at her in disbelief, it was something that sounded so silly but it also sounded just as real. He had seen the way that Morris practically clung himself around Arthur, always trying to touch him and looking up at him with dewy eye's. But he had also seen Arthur paying him no attention, the affections of a manservant to below him to bother with.

"And Arthur hasn't fired him yet?" He asked, because he didn't think that Arthur would be tolerating a manservant that held affections towards him.

"Morris is very good at his job," Mary said dryly. "As long as he doesn't overstep, then I honestly don't think the prince will bother to notice it for more than it is."

Merlin nodded his head, looking incredibly disturbed the more this conversation went on, "Okay, so let's back up. If everybody, if all of the servants knew that it was Morris that did this to that nobleman then why didn't the king do anything? Didn't anybody approach Uther about this?"

"Of course we did!" Mary exclaimed, looking horrified that Merlin would suggest that none of the servants cared enough for the fate of their kingdom that they would just allow a would-be murderer to be so close to their prince. "And by the guards, Morris had been throughly investigated before I guess they determined that he was innocent, and turned their sights on Browen afterwards."

"But if they determined that he was innocent, why are you so sure that he's not?" Merlin found himself asking, trying to get down to the bottom of this and figure out the mystery that was Morris.

Mary reached a hand up and tugged harshly on one of her braids, playing roughly with the ends of it, "Because I know Morris, and I will admit that he never felt dangerous before-he was always just there trying to make himself known, and I've known him my entire life, we both grew up in the servants wing of this castle-so that's how I also know that he will do anything he has to so that he can get ahead. And Browen messed that up by for putting a mark on his record by making him late."

"Even try to kill somebody and pin the blame on somebody else?" Merlin asked with eye's narrowed into little slits. He had thought that there was something off about Morris, just a weird feeling that he would get whenever he talked to him sometimes, but he had just brushed it off without a second thought. He had bigger concerns that Morris trying to get into his mind with his weird words, but maybe he should start paying attention to the boy a lot more than he had been.

"Morris was trusted enough to be Prince Arthur's manservant." Mary pointed out, the blond of the hair she was playing with falling through her fingers, "So I don't think that the guards really looked at him as seriously as they should have been, so he got away with it. And who knows, maybe I really am just projecting and looking for somebody to blame after what happened to Browen, this whole thing might just be in my head." But she had an expression of doubt on her face that didn't entirely convince Merlin, "All I do know is that all of the servants kept an extra eye on Morris, but as the months started to pass and nothing else happened, everything started to go back to normal as if it had never even happened."

Merlin stared down at the ground around his feet, "That isn't right, nor is it fair." He said in a quiet tone. If Morris really had done what she had said he did, then he shouldn't still have free rein as he worked under Arthur, not especially if he really did want Arthur the way that Merlin had him...sort of had him.

"I might just not know what I'm talking about, maybe I'm just looking for smoke when there is no fire." Mary said, her tone not only just as quiet as his had been but solemn as well, "But you have been so kind to me when you have no reason to be. I thought it was only for the best that I warn you, so that you can keep a weary eye on him in case he tries to make an attempt on you next."

Merlin stiffened, his head snapping up so that he could look at her with an extremely baffled expression on his face, "Me?" He exclaimed, "Why do you believe he would try the same thing on me?"

"Morris is a man that craves more power than he actually has." Mary said, her voice almost eerie with the ways the shadows were cast across her face, making her look almost as if she were demonic with the shadows making her eyes look pure black. "He could be the most powerful man around, and he would still desire to have more. And if somebody were to jeopardize that," she stopped talking just long enough to nod her head in Merlin's direction, "Then that somebody might just get hurt."

X

Back in the knight's quarters, Arthur found himself pacing back and forth along the back wall of the room. He was thinking hard, trying to come up with a reasonable plan to get rid of the neckerchief around his bicep. But he was nixing everything he could come up with, finding some kind of fatal fault in it that left him unable to execute it.

He had calmed down some since Merlin had originally put it on. He was a prince, as well as a warrior on and off the field. He learned from experience that the best thing to do was to put all of his emotions into little boxes so that he could think things through a lot more clearly. This might not be him in a fight where the stakes were a lot higher than not winning a tourney, but looking at it that way was the best thing for him to do so he could get his thoughts organized with a clearer head.

Arthur made it to one corner of the wall when he realized that he couldn't go any further. So he turned around and started going back the other way, the sound of the knights by the entranceway cheering was like white noise to him. This was probably why he didn't notice the woman that had just entered in through the curtains, and it was only through his quick reflexes that stopped him from running her straight over.

"Ah, and so you must be Prince Arthur." The woman said, looking not put out in the least that she had almost been made a pancake because of said prince. She glanced up from Arthur's chest, where she had been looking at the golden insignia on the red cloth that was to indicate his family and where he came from.

Arthur, having jolted to a stop, looked down at the shorter woman with a frown. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" He found himself glancing towards the curtains, not entirely sure how the woman had managed to get passed the guards. Only the knights were allowed back there, the only reason that Merlin had been able to come in at all was because he was 'his' consort. Any of the other knights-if they were married or not-still wouldn't have been allowed to have their partner with them.

"Oh, I don't believe that we've have the pleasure as of yet." The woman said in a very thick and accented tone of voice that spoke of having grown up far from Camelot's inner city. "But I know of you, of course, your highness. And I have hoped that we would be able to get better acquainted."

She held out her hand to him, flashing him a very pretty smile that showed off her perfect teeth and pale pink lipstick. Her skin was the perfect shade between white and coco, her skin looked as one may picture when thinking of a modern day Latino. Her hair was less Latino, and was more of a blonde color though, which fell like a straight waterfall down to her waist, curling at the ends. Her pale purple day dress was the perfect outfit to show off every curve that she had, while still being modest enough to tease. Especially the stretch of white lace at the top that barely covered the hint of her cleavage poking through.

In other words, if Arthur wasn't so twisted up with everything that was going on in his own life, she would have been the perfect woman for him.

But as it was, Arthur still had a distracted air around him as he glanced back towards the curtains, briefly wondering how she had even managed to get back there in the first place. And then he was glancing towards where the knights were, but they were so engrossed in what was happening on the field that they had yet to notice the stranger in their midst.

But then his Royal training kicked it, and the blonde forced his own troubles to the back of his mind long enough for him to do what was his duty. He took the woman's hand in his by her fingertips and raised it up to his mouth to give it the softest of peck to the back of her knuckles. It was completely professional of him.

In other words, the exact opposite of the way he'd laid a heated kiss to Merlin's ring. Arthur nearly dropped the woman's hand in his as a brief spike of panic shot through him as he thought this, doing whatever he could to not allow it to show on his face.

"As I'm sure that you can see," Arthur said calmly when he was anything but, he could feel his own ring set aside in the pocket of his cape pressing against his thigh and his heart picked up the pace at feeling it so near. "I am getting prepared to participate in my next match, so I really do regret having to cut this short. But could I have somebody escort you back to your seat, it won't take but a moment to gather one of the guards."

He lifted his hand, as if he were about to call for one of the knights that were standing guard just outside the curtain. The woman, from the thick looking clothes her dress was made out of, was clearly a woman of worth and it was his duty to make sure that she was well taken care of.

"Oh, that is no need Prince Arthur," the Lady said with an almost teasing smile, bringing up her dainty hand to her mouth as she gave a very lighthearted laugh. "I found myself down here, I am more than sure that I am capable of finding my way back. I just wanted to meet the Prince of Camelot, and find out if you live up to the hype about yourself."

Arthur found himself straightening up, those words almost sounded as if something Merlin would say. Only there were two things that were different: Merlin probably would have added in that he didn't live up to the hype, and these words were being spoken to him by a gorgeous woman.

"And do I?" Arthur asked her softly, even as he furiously pushed all of his thoughts of his consort to the back of his mind. He couldn't spent all of his time thinking about that pest, not when he had more important things to do, like showing this woman that he really was as great as the stories said that he was. Heaven forbid somebody of worth, who most likely had her noble father's ear, find him to be lacking in some way. "Live up to the hype, I mean."

The woman's smile widened as she lowered her hand to rest on her bosom, an obvious act that was designed to bring Arthur's attention to it, which it succeeded easily in doing, "I find myself unaware yet, my prince, we may need to get better acquainted before I find myself able to decide."

"Of course," Arthur agreed, nodding his head down to the woman, although the shoes that she wore at least gave her a few extra inches, she was still half a head shorter than Arthur himself. It felt nice to have to look down at somebody to talk, instead of having his eyes lifted that extra inch so that he could look his consort in the eye's when they talked. "It would be my pleasure to entertain you one of these days, Lady..." he trailed off when he seemed to realize that he still didn't know her name, and he found himself studying her features as he held out his hand like a proper gentlemen would.

"Beckett," The Lady filled in for him, smiling as she placed her hand back in his, her knuckles were trucked up towards the ceiling and her fingertips were curled inside the palm of his much larger hand. Her slim hand was not nearly the same size as his own like Merlin's were. "My name is Clarissa Beckett, sire."

Arthur nodded his head, an almost weary smile on his lips when he found himself once again thinking of the tragedy that was his consort's very own presence. "Beckett, you say?" He asked, clearing his throat and nearly dropping her hand all over again. He had to work to fight off the flush that was trying to build up on his cheeks when he realized he wasn't acting like the proper man he should be when he was entertaining a new female guest. "I do believe that I know a Beckett..."

The name itself was very familiar, but Arthur was so scattered brain because of his Merlin induced thoughts that he found that he was unable to recall just where he had heard the family name. And now that he was thinking about it, the woman herself actually did look pretty familiar...in a strange way. He didn't think that he had actually met her before, but there was just something about her features that stood out to him.

It might have been the slightest upturn of her lips that made him consider where he had seen a similar smile. Or it might have been the way her eye's were shaped, looking up at him like glittering jewels-as if he had seen a similar shape but possibly a different color than what they were. It could have been her cheekbones, looking as richly defined as they were, a clear indicator of her noble birth.

He still considered that Merlin's cheekbones were higher, and more refined in a different way entirely. A way that didn't speak of a noble birthright, but maybe of somebody who would carve out their own path, just like their cheekbones had been crafted onto their faces.

The thought was gone before he could even contemplate that he'd had it.

But no matter how hard he tried, he could not imagine where he may have seen the woman before. It was always possible that she had been a guest at one of their many functions, but no. Arthur had met all of the young ladies that were in their circles of society, and she had definitely not been one of them.

"My Uncle is Carlton Beckett," the woman said with a pleased smile, as if it charmed her that Arthur remembered the name of her family. "He's one of the guards that works in your kingdom. Others have said that we do share many of the same features that it is very uncanny. It's entirely possible that you recognize them yourself."

"Ah, that must be it." Arthur nodded, acting gracious for the reminder. Knight Carlton Beckett was somebody that Arthur had met a fair few times, but he was also not somebody that he had spent an abundant amount of time interacting with. He often guarded the outer rings of the castle, which didn't exactly give Arthur much in the way of knowing him, but he had heard that the man had been nearing his well deserved retirement and had taken to staying in his estate, which was located in the inner city.

But no, even though he had agreed with her, he did not believe that was where he had seen her from. Not her specifically, but the features that she wore with pride were something that he could imagine that he had seen on another. And it wasn't on her uncle, that was for sure, but he brushed all of that aside and dismissed it to the back of his mind as she started to talk again.

"Yes," Lady Clarissa said breezily, waving her small hand in the air as if she was trying to bat something away, or maybe it was just to bring Arthur's attention to just how slim and delicate-feminine-her wrist was. It worked far to easily. "Well, I don't get to see my uncle very often, so I thought it would be a good idea to visit him during the early months of his retirement. My sister decided to stay back at our family estate, so it's just myself looking for some fun with people closer towards my age while I'm in the city."

And she actually was his age, all twenty one modest and womanly years of hers. She was mature looking, and spoke with a confidence that was not her own. Completely different from Merlin's soft nineteen years, where he was still trapped in between the harsh and rough transformation where one was no longer a boy but still trying to find himself as a man.

Arthur felt himself start to smirk, finding himself greatly amused at her false sense of modesty. It was something that he could recognize with ease, something that many of the young ladies in his court had tried to pull on him. Often times he found himself playing along, allowing the girl to lead him into where it was that they wanted.

"If that is so," Arthur started, feeling almost like his old self in that moment, of what he had felt like before Merlin had shown up and rocked his entire world on it's axis. But his voice got caught in his throat as he watched the way Clarissa's eyes seemed to twinkle at him. They were blue as well, just the same as not only his own, but they were also similar enough to a certain brat of his. They did have their differences from Merlin's as well though: hers were seductive while his were more playful, hers seemed to be shaped more sharply while his were more rounded, her's spoke of false modesty while his bore every emotion for the world to see without care.

"Prince Arthur, may I be so kind as to ask you if something were the matter?" Clarissa said, looking at him with a kind expression. But the blonde had trouble understanding if she did really care, of if this was just her trying to get close to her prince.

Arthur found himself clearing his throat as his cocky smirk dimmed down to a subtle frown as he remembered his situation. It wasn't so easy to flirt, and to be as free as he once was when he knew well that he was 'technically' unavailable for such attention anymore.

"I feel that it may be better suited for one of my many friends to show you around while you are visiting the city," Arthur said, making sure to choose his words very carefully as to not offend her. "With the tourney, I find that I have very limited free time this week to do it myself, as I'm sure that you can understand."

He couldn't imagine what the reaction of his father would be if Arthur was seen roaming the halls of the castle with a new woman on his arm. It was one thing when he was on the market, the people would just believe that he was looking around for a potential partner in marriage. But that decision was taken out of his hands, and it was just another aspect of his life that he couldn't get back.

But Clarissa's pleased and demure features seemed to dim down at his proposal, and Arthur winced because he knew that he had already screwed this up. Knight Carlton may not be a knight that Arthur knew well, but he did know well enough about him that he did deserve the respect of the crown. He was a strict and proud man who did his duty with honor, no matter if it conflicted with what he was supposed to do. It wouldn't do for him to go insulting his niece.

"I can of course, hand pick out myself who the best man for the job could be." Arthur said quickly, already thinking that he could possibly ask Markus to take lead on this. But after Arthur had shoved him into the wall just a little earlier, he didn't think the other knight was looking to give him any favors, despite how he seemed to have just brushed it off later on. But maybe he could try Leon, he may not mind accompanying a beautiful woman around the kingdom, showing her the sights and what the city had to offer while she was there.

"Oh, I think I can occupy myself just fine," the Lady Clarissa said, lowering her hands to tug at her layered skirts-another sign of her great wealth-brushing at it as if she were trying to get rid of lint that wasn't there. "But I do think that I will be interested in finding you again, I am going to be in the city for quite some time so I can busy myself until you are done with your...little tourney..."

She said that as if she wasn't entirely sure what to cal it, and it was clear that she was not all that thrilled about a tourney. But it was not all that surprising, despite it being great entertainment for the people, some noble women just found it below them. Rather they just found disdain for the roughness of the play between knights, or the dirt that would coat their gowns by the time it was over, or maybe even because they did not want to risk being able to see any blood should an unfortunate accident happen.

Some noblewomen were just to delicate for the roughness of the real world, which the tourney could often be mistaken as a cheap imitation of.

Arthur's smile was a little more weary now, almost cautious as he considered her. This was probably a bad idea, he knew that this was a bad idea, but he was also comforted by the thought that he was only doing this to pay his own respects to her uncle, "Yes, if you can hold out until the end, I do believe that this could be agreeable."

Lady Clarissa nodded, giving a soft bow to her head, and Arthur thought that this may have meant that their conversation had ran it's course and was now done. But before he could offer his arm and lead her to the door so that one of the guards outside could take her to a seat, the Lady let out a twinkle of a little laugh, nearly startling him and throwing him off balance.

Arthur's smile dropped in an instant, born more out of confusion instead of insult. But the woman answered his unasked question by stepping forward. And while in an another lifetime-or just a month previous-he would not have minded, he found himself stiffening as she neared. He cast a glance towards the curtains that led to the hall, almost fearful that his father-or worse-Merlin, would seem to stumble upon him even though he had done nothing wrong.

And then he froze as he felt the ladies fingers on his arm, giving a little tug onto the edge of the favor tied around his bicep so tightly that it could have been mistaken for cutting off his circulation. He knew that it wasn't that tight, but it still made him feel as if he were on a leash, just like his ring had made him feel just before he had forcibly taken it off with the hopes of buying himself some time before he was forced to wear it again.

"I don't know who gave you this, and I hope that you do not mind my own opinion on the matter," Lady Clarissa said, knowing that it was not always a good thing for a woman to insert herself in a matter for men. But this on the prince's arm was clearly some kind of failed attempt at a favor, so she allowed herself to speak freely. "But this is absolutely ridiculous. Was it a small child who gifted it to you?"

The awkward way it was tied, made the-already large-cloth even larger certainly did seem to indicate that. If it was a child-and it was probably a peasant one from how cheap the cloth felt under her fingers-it was quite sweet that a noble of Arthur's high statue would entertain the idea of actually wearing it.

Arthur could feel the flush building on his cheeks and he was quick to look away, doing what he had to so he wouldn't snatch his arm out from under her hands. "Er, no...it wasn't a child..." he trailed off, feeling more awkward than he should ever feel when he was in his element. But that was just the thing, wasn't it? He wasn't in his element, despite talking with another highborn noble. Merlin had been sure to make sure of that by gifting him this ratty old thing.

Clarissa, who had been playing with the ends of the bow, seemed to realize the sudden drop in the prince's mood, and she allowed the favor to drop from her fingertips, "Then it is clear that somebody needs to teach her what should be given to a prince."

Arthur didn't bother to correct her, he didn't think he could be bothered to correct her if he even wanted to. It was public knowledge, and practically the whole world now knew it-although that did depend on rather or not the other kingdom's had yet to receive the word of his nuptials, as well as apologies for not being invited due to the suddenness of it all-but he still found it hard for him to say that he actually had a male lover.

Not a lover on the side, somebody that he, that Arthur could actually hold an attraction to but could hide, while his fanciful Queen did whatever it was that she did. This was a 'male lover' that was out in the open, and would certainly be questioned by the people of the city-questions that they couldn't answer-and would now be involved in the every day matters of his life.

"Forgive me, my prince," Clarissa spoke up, not fearing that she may be speaking out of turn with her next words, "I have heard that you have been taken in marriage?" She didn't speak again, hesitating just slightly as she was finishing off her question.

Arthur swallowed hard, his eyes shooting to look down at the favor wrapped around his arm, "You have...heard right." He agreed, his words sounded stilted. It wasn't like he could lie to the Lady, not with just how public his marriage had been, it would be all to easy to know that he hadn't spoken the truth. Not only was his marriage in the records, but any person within Camelot's borders could have-rather they had been allowed to attend the festivities or not-spoken of just how excited the people had been. Rather they approved or not of the marriage (rather that reason be because Merlin was a boy who could not give him heirs, or a peasant who would never be able to understand the complexities of his life) was insignificant.

"Well, I don't seem to see any sign of luck given to you from your...Consort..." Clarissa trailed off, apparently she was classy enough to not mention a gender. It was a rarity, or it might not had even been a possibility before, for a prince next in line to take his throne to marry of the same gender. And Clarissa let her eyes drop to look at his arms, as if she were searching for another favor to decorate them.

Although it was commonplace for a knight wearing more than one favor to be cast out for a short period of time-seen as fickle-for not being able to choose a single maiden, perhaps she thought Arthur deserved some leeway being who he was.

Arthur didn't know how lucky he was, if the Lady actually knew the truth and was just playing dense to save face, or if she was just being clueless and ignoring the fact that the odd favor around his arm would obvious be from his Consort.

Whatever the reason for it may be, Arthur took to it like a fish took to water, "My new consort had been to...out of sorts to give me something proper." He found that he wasn't lying about this either. Merlin was definitely out of sorts (by being a boy, a peasant, and by having the personality of somebody that didn't know he should show a prince such as himself with the proper respect). And the favor he had been given wasn't even proper as well, and that was simply because it was something the boy apparently grabbed up on the way out of his rooms this morning. It hadn't been carefully designed or crafted by one of the best tailors in the city like a real favor was supposed to be.

"I can see that," Clarissa said, her lips starting to curve up into a pleased smile, and Arthur was relieved to see it. It was the smile that could only be given from a real woman, the shining concoction that covered her lips were most obviously something only a woman of gentle birth could afford. And it was small, barely teasing him with the hint of what a larger one may look like.

It wasn't so wide that it could break a face in half if they weren't careful, it wasn't cheeky as one spoke out of turn and made their presence known in the most inconvenient way possible, nor was it teasing while daring silently for the prince to try and contradict him.

"Sire, this may be impudent of me, but I do not think that I can allow you to go out there with such a thing on your arm, not if it's from somebody who is not a child nor if it is not from your consort," the woman said, reaching out to touch playfully at the edges of the red neckerchief around his bicep.

Arthur felt his throat dry up, fearing that he may know what she wanted after all, but all he did was swallow hard before he spoke with carefully placed words, "What..." he stopped just long enough to lick at his dry lips. "What would you suggest?" He asked, if only to buy him a minute's worth of time for him to think.

If the woman did what he thought she was going to do, then she would be either a devil in disgust, or a godsend depending on if he messed this up. And he may be seen as fickle if the word got out and started to spread of what he had done today, but he also found himself not caring for just this brief moment in time. Just like when he had felt freer when he had taken his ring off, he wanted to feel that feeling again-like a modern day drug addict who was desperate for his next fix.

"I would be most honored if you would please exchange this favor given to you and accept a new token from myself, for luck with this next match of yours." And then Lady Clarissa, bold and beautiful, was pulling out a nice and floral looking sheer purple piece of cloth, the delicate looking fabric being exactly what a prince should wear on his arm.

"...Yes..."