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!

58. Chapter 58

The two snakes were deadly venomous, and probably had the most potent venom on the entirety of this side of Camelot. The way their green scales practically glowed seemed as if it was screaming 'danger, do not touch.' They had red eye's that seemed to almost imitate the doorway to hell. They were snakes, there was no other emotion in their eyes except for hunger. Their tongues flicked out at the air, as if wanted to be able to taste the fear that lingered. Their long bodies seemed to stretch out endlessly, able to wrap themselves around a man two-fold to hold their prey still as they feasted. And as if to make things worse, their jaws snapped at the air to invoke fear in their prey as well as to show off their fangs-as long as small daggers and positively drenched with that potent venom of their's. It would take just one small nick on the body for the venom to enter the system of their intended meal, and the person's natural blood flow would do the rest to spread it. And then it would all be over.

That was where Arthur found himself now as his head whipped around back and forth and the two snakes just kept closing in on him. He had nowhere to go, pinned here against this wall as he was forced to wait to see which of the snakes would strike first. Or if they would just attack together, clamping their iron jaws onto any piece of flesh they could reach. It would have to be his head, the majority of him was at least covered with armor. But his face was completely vulnerable, and maybe his hands because he wasn't sure the gloves he'd worn was thick enough to escape the penetrating fang if they tried to bite through the cloth.

But he couldn't go left because then he'd be attacked by the snake on that side, it would leave his back vulnerable to the second one coming at him from behind. And he couldn't go right because the end results would just be the same. With him being attacked from the front by the snake on the right, and also leaving his back unprotected as the first of the snakes would strike out at him. But there was no way for him to go back, the wall he'd pressed himself against was far too smooth for his hands to cling there. It had nothing for him to get his fingers into, no footholds for him to try and climb up the wall before he would get attacked from behind. And the wall was just two inches to high for him to be able to jump and grab onto the rail to drag himself over the ledge and get to freedom as the two snakes hissed dangerously at his heels just before he was over the ledge. There was also no chance of him going forward and trying to make a break for it between the two snakes as his sides would be unprotected. He'd be caught in their fangs before he had any kind of chance to get passed them.

Arthur had also made some huge mistakes during his fight with Valiant that had led him into this situation in the first place. The biggest of them all was that he had lost his weapons. Arthur had no shield to try and push them back, to block them as they rammed their bodies against its metal framework to get to him. And he didn't have his sword to fight them off, he couldn't just chop off their heads and be done with it all. There was nothing but sand around him so he couldn't even find a stone that would be large enough for him to pick up and do it the old fashion way: to try and smash in the two fragile snake skulls that laid beneath all of the sharp scales covering their bodies.

Arthur had never been particularly scared of snakes before, but he did find that this was a whole new experience altogether. He and the snakes seemed to have gone into some kind of stand off, as if waiting to see who would be the first to make a movie. If Arthur tried then the snakes would attack with hesitation. But if Arthur did nothing and tried to wait the two out, they would surely get bored and go in for the kill anyway.

Valiant was their master-was that how magic worked-so he had control over them. He had ordered them to kill him. Either way, he was obviously not going to get out of this without fighting off a couple of snakes. And anymore mistakes on his part...it'd cost him his life. He couldn't afford to make any mistakes, he had to think about this strategically. But he wasn't fighting against an opponent in a tourney that he could study and analyze their moves, have the time to form a plan that would be able to combat whatever was thrown at him. He was facing two beasts-creatures-snakes, and he had no idea if they were like regular snakes or if magically summoned snakes were different somehow.

He didn't know what to do.

Luckily, Arthur's answer seemed to come to him straight down from the heavens, or more precisely, right above his head.

"Arthur!" The sound of his name seemed to echo throughout the hollowness of the quiet stadium as the citizens of Camelot watched in horror at what was probably going to be the death of their prince. The guards tried to make their way down, but the stadium would have to be built oddly. The only way into the field was to go all the way around the building and to enter through the Knight's quarters, it would take far to long to get to him. And they could try to jump from the ledge, but it was just high enough to most likely break a limb and really, what help would they be to him then?

But as it would turn out, Arthur didn't need the guards to save him. He just needed his father's ward. Arthur's head snapped up at the sound of his name, the hissing of the two snakes even louder then they were before as they rose up to the height of three feet as if they were preparing to attack him now. But it was background noise to him, as he threw his hand up to catch what was being thrown to him.

Morgana had snatched up the blade from the knight that always guarded her, and jerked it out of the scabbard. Then she was dropping it over the railing, Arthur situated underneath her in the perfect position to retrieve it.

Arthur caught the blade with only the ease of somebody who was used to working with any kind of sword could, his hand wrapping in a firm grip around the handle. With a practiced ease and swift precision, Arthur spun back to the snakes and sliced the blade through the air.

There were two loud thumps as the snakes fell to the ground. They had struck out at him just as he had been turning, leaving him with the perfect positioning to cut their heads off their bodies. The disembodied snakes spread out on the sand, no blood pooling from their bodies because they were nothing more than art. They weren't made out of skin nor scales like real snakes were. They were made out of ink and maybe a bit of residue from the metal they had been painted on top of.

Arthur hadn't given them a single second of his attention after they were on the ground. It was he who stepped over the snakes, and he who spun his new sword around his hand just to build up his momentum as he then made his move straight for Valiant.

Valiant clearly panicked when he saw that his 'secret weapon' had fallen so easily under the swift power of Arthur's blade. He did try his best to retaliate, swinging his sword out with a failed attempt to attack the prince. But just as Arthur had said earlier, one who attacked based on their emotions were prone towards making unfounded mistakes. Arthur was able to easily evade the blows, knocking the blade out of his path with several quick swings of his own. Valiant's shield was of no help as the prince easily managed to get through those weak defenses.

And then Arthur moved faster than he'd had this entire fight, throwing himself so that he was chest to chest against Valiant. And there was a horrible gasp in his ear from the other knight as Arthur's blade went straight up into the vulnerable part of the armor, striking the knight up through his belly and into his ribs.

Arthur grunted harshly, the blood from his earlier split lip coating the inside of his mouth as he forced the blade further up the Knight's belly as he gutted him. Valiant's body shook and spasmed around his blade, gurgling into Arthur's ear as a stream of blood slid down the corner of his mouth as the prince seemed to hit something quite important on the inside

A self-satisfied smile seemed to grow on the prince's lips, the blood from his split lip had coated his teeth and made him look nearly feral as he forced the blade up higher before giving it a sharp twist for good measure. The other knight choked and spasmed, his hand clenched reflectively around his own blade so tightly that it may as well be stuck in his own hand.

Panting, Arthur could see the light starting to leave Valiant's eyes, and he just wasn't able to resist what would be his last opportunity to rub his win into the other Knight. He leaned in and hissed dangerously into Valiant's ear, all the while twisting his blade further up inside of the Knight's belly, "I guess I get the boy."

There was no doubt in Arthur's mind that this win also meant he was stuck with the boy for the rest of their lives, as if their marriage had not been the big indicator. But this was when it really seemed to sink in for Arthur, that he'd be there and it was Arthur's job to make sure that Merlin stayed. After all, Merlin was his to control, his to hate, and his to protect. Valiant had made his mistake going after Merlin the way he did, and it was the last mistake that the knight was ever going to make. He was stuck with the boy, and he was not okay with that. But for as long as they were married, for the rest of their lives probably, Merlin was his.

His to control. His to hate. His to protect. And there wasn't a soul on this planet that would change that.

Arthur jerked his blade out of Valiant's belly with a sickening sound of blood and guts that coated the blade and spilled out of the body just as he had pictured it. Valiant's corpse hit the ground with a crunch of broken bones as they snapped without Valiant there to move into a safer position, the weight of his body to much to withstand the fragility of the bones.

There was a moment of silence where the entire crowd was hushed, watching as Prince Arthur defended himself and subsequently the kingdom at large. The prince threw his borrowed sword into the sand, nearly burying it up to the hilt as he held onto the hilt so to keep him steady and on his feet. He painted rapidly because his entire body was aching in pain after the vicious fight. His aches and his new bruises had aches and bruises building up on top of them. His legs felt shaky and he almost wasn't sure if he'd be able to walk out of here straight.

But that didn't stop him from spitting a large mouthful of forming blood at Valiant, landing somewhere with a disgusting slap against his tunic. And then Arthur was left there as he tried to catch his breath, leaning heavily on the blade to keep his balance.

The sudden uproar of the crowd seemed to almost startle him, his head snapping up as the sound came from almost nowhere. They were so loud, screaming and stomping as the townspeople cheered for their prince, as they cheered for their champion. Arthur could only watch as they got louder and louder, and his own breathing getting harsher and harsher as he tried to calm down the adrenaline that was spiking harshly in his body.

Now, this was exactly the kind of place where he belonged. To be the center of attention as his people showered him with all of the love and admiration their bodies were capable of carrying for him. He could revel in this kind of attention, he should raise his fist around the bloody sword into the air and really give them something to scream about in excitement. He could mark this day as the one day that went right after everything had gone wrong. He wasn't going to be seen as a coward who would use underhanded tricks just to try to get himself out of a simple fight. He wasn't going to be seen as some kind of failure like he wouldn't be able to protect his own people. He could definitely see getting stuck down here with those two snakes and Valiant while he had been weaponless as one of the most scariest experiences of his life. But it had also worked in his favor, because it had secured his spot in front of the people. It had restored the faith they had in him that may have been shaken after the failure of a council meeting.

He should be proud of himself, he should just start screaming himself hoarse as he allowed this much needed attention to soak through into his skin. He could even see his father, he had risen during the snake's appearance, but was now returning to lean back in his chair as he watched his son with a little smirk. It was a kind of smirk that clearly spoke of how proud he was, as if he hadn't had a shred of worry at all and knew his son was going to make it out on top. That alone should have made the whole experience practically euphoric. But it didn't.

He didn't have any of those feelings of pure excitement or adrenaline that he would usually get when he won a tourney. When he had been showing off in front of his people to show just how great a prince and swordsman he was. It wasn't the feeling of relief as his growing and horrible anxiety dropped when he realized he had made his father proud of him.

He was just tired. And really, really sore all on his body in every place imaginable, and some places he didn't even know he could get sore at. The only satisfaction he had got out of the fight was when he had stuck his sword right through Valiant's belly, and torn up through the flesh and bone like a hot knife through a stick of butter. But now that he had finished the fight and Merlin was safe from those kind of advances from an evil man, all he really did want to do was rest. He didn't want to parade through this field as if he was some kind of prized show horse and allow his people the chance to shower him with admiration as if he had just won some kind of horse race.

What he really wanted to do was rest. He just wanted to disappear up into his room and be able to take off the princely 'facade' that he'd put on every time he left. He wanted to take off this blood covered, dirt smeared, sweaty disgusted armor off and drop it right onto the middle of his floor for Morris to get back into pristine condition. He then wanted to be able to sink straight into a hot bath that Morris would most likely have prepared for him by the time he arrived to his room. Morris knew he liked his hot baths after a tourney, but it did take him a little while to get back to his room since he usually did celebrate his win by showboating in front of the crowd. To just be able to show them that Arthur Pendragon was a prince they could all have strength and faith in to keep them safe from threats that could show up at their boarders.

Not today though. He wasn't in the mood for any of it, and didn't think he had any of the strength left to put on a good show of victory. It was just time to get some rest and for him to recover after defending and marking down his territory...Merlin.

Arthur gave this awkward glance around because this was usually the moment he'd be tooting his own horn and letting everybody in the crowd know that he'd won, as if they were unable to see that themselves because he was the only one still standing. But not today, it just wasn't going to happen. So, with him having nothing left to hold him down to this field, Arthur started limping off the field.

Well, he would call it a manly strut, working it as he marched himself over to the quarters of the knights. But most other people would no doubt call it a limp and suggest he had Gaius come look at it. But it was fine, Arthur didn't need to call the physician. It was just a pulled muscle after such a strenuous fight.

Arthur stopped walking halfway down the field when he lifted his head, and blinked in a dumb fashion when he saw Merlin was still standing there. He was a few feet away, and Arthur had almost forgotten that he was still there. Of course he hadn't forgotten about him, this whole fight had been for him, and he had still been lingering there in the back of his mind.

But seeing him now...it was almost like seeing a different person. No, not a different person because it was the same Merlin. Wearing the same stupidly cheeky grin that he would just flash in Arthur's direction during moments of teasing. The rest of the crowd screaming his name just kind of slipped away, and had just been replaced with a sharp whistle as Merlin brought two fingers up to his mouth.

Merlin wasn't some kind of prize to be won like Valiant clearly thought he was, not caring if Merlin wanted to be won that way or not. It would still make Arthur's day to get rid of the boy, to put him someplace where he'd never have to see him again. But he had thought of more like sending him away to live on some far off estate where he wouldn't be a concern any longer. Clearly with some of Arthur's own trusted guards to look after him after this whole situation. He had no plans to trade the boy away as if he was cattle, to put a price tag on him and give him away to a man like Valiant.

But for this one moment in time, just this one second, Arthur allowed himself to feel what Merlin was giving him. Because Merlin was finally rooting for him, in a way he had with all those other men that Arthur had battled with before. And it felt great.

X

Off in the Knight's quarters, standing by the doorway, Merlin was screaming his little heart out in excitement. He had felt his heart drop like a stone to his belly so many times during the fight, that seeing Arthur winning almost made him wish one of his gifts was to fly. He certainly felt much lighter than he had before.

Valiant was gone. He wasn't going to be able to bother anybody else ever again. He didn't have to worry rather or not the knight would be waiting to jump him behind every wall that he passed. He wouldn't have to sleep by his connecting door and wonder if Arthur would come bursting in if he heard somebody was attacking him, or if he'd just ignore it and go back to sleep. He didn't have to worry about those vile lips of Valiant's ever coming into close contact with him again. It was over, this whole thing was truly over. And that was both partly because of Arthur, and because of him as well.

That was another reason Merlin felt as high as he did now. Because he had finally gotten to do something right. Maybe he couldn't be the consort the king wanted him to be, being unable to 'talk the talk' when a consort would be needed. But he was able to do something like this.

He had used his magic to save Arthur's life, had been able to show everybody that he'd been telling the truth. Even if he couldn't tell anybody that the snakes hadn't came out just because Valiant was incompetent, but they'd came out because Merlin summoned them to do so. It was still a great feeling to be able to realize something.

That maybe he could do this after all. Maybe he could become this 'silent protector' that the dragon had been harping on about. He could use his magic to help, to do some real good in this world. Even if it was just to keep a selfish prince alive, not even Arthur was so bad as to deserve death. He definitely wasn't worse compared to Valiant.

He may not know how to be a consort but he could do this, he could help Arthur out in this other way. Could keep to the shadows and to the background as much as possible, he'd be able to keep his magic under wraps as many people only saw what they wanted to see. He was already considered a fool after that awful council meeting, and maybe that wasn't the worse thing either.

It would keep him safe as he spent his time keeping Arthur safe. The prince had almost died for the second time! In less than this one month that he'd been in the city. Who knows if that was a common occurrence, but if it was then it seemed as if he had found a real purpose. He wasn't just ideally living through his life anymore. He had something that was actually meaningful to do with his life. So yes, he would keep the prat alive, and hope he'd be able to without just killing him himself on their worse days. And maybe someday, if he was lucky, he'd be able to see the future that the dragon had prophesied about. An era in life where magic wasn't feared but flourished, a life where he wouldn't have to hide who he was just to survive.

Nobody would have to know what Merlin had done here today, nobody would have to know that the prince hadn't fought alone today. He had Morgana to throw him a sword, and he'd had Merlin in the background performing the feat of magic that would give him a chance at surviving. But Merlin would know what he had done. And for the first time in a really long time, he hadn't felt like the monster he'd sometimes thought he was during his darkest and deepest moments.

He could just be Merlin, the fool of a consort that nobody took seriously...it wasn't the best thing but if anything, at least the failure of a council meeting had provided him with some kind of cover today. After all, nobody in their right mind would ever see a sorcerer in place of a fool. And that would keep him alive, so that he could keep Arthur alive.

It wasn't the best solution, but for someone in his situation...it was the best he could hope for. He could do this, he knew he could. He'd be Arthur's 'protector' if he had to, and wait till the day he wouldn't have to hide who he was any longer. He just had to hold out until that day came...if it ever did.

But that was a worry for another time. For now, he would just enjoy this moment today, and scream his heart out because he didn't have to worry about Valiant ever again. The prince had taken care of that with his violent display of strength.

X

Arthur didn't stop walking until he had been able to duck just out of the crowd's sight, into the Knight's quarters. Where he stopped his limping walk right in front of Merlin, giving his boy a sort of indestructible look.

Merlin, riding off the high that everything was going to be okay now, kind of froze up. He'd been wearing a smile, but now it seemed as if it was stuck on his face. Like a stiff wind had blown by and froze it there for the entirety of the world to see, just like his mother had said his face would freeze when he was a small bit of a child and had been going through a kind of phrase where he'd done nothing but made goofy faces at anything and everything.

Arthur supposed he should have just kept on walking. He should have ignored the boy and disappeared up into his room where he could pretend the last few days had never actually happened to begin with. His bones were very weary so nobody would have blamed him for leaving, not even Merlin. But he had just killed a man for the boy's safety, it just didn't feel all that right for him to just leave it at that. There was this feeling that he should do something else...maybe he should apologize to the boy for not believing him in the first place.

Yeah, an apology. That was something Arthur could do...how did one go about apologizing to someone? He had never had to apologize for anything in his life, other than to his father when he had made a dreaded mistake. Those apologies though-were not only few and far between-but were always so much more stiffer and worded properly with all the grace a monarchy should have. Somehow, he didn't feel right giving Merlin the political kind of an apology. But when he opened his mouth for him to say something, the words that weren't there got stuck in his throat, and his tongue felt kind of heavy and thick. As if it really was his tongue, but not his actual tongue at all, if that made any kind of sense.

...How did one go about apologizing! Arthur hadn't realized that apologizing would have been so difficult. But Arthur had enough self-awareness to know that he had to be able to say something! He had been the one in the wrong this time! He had been the one that'd accused Merlin of being petty and making all of this up, had yelled in his face for it and had treated his consort as if he was some kind of common criminal. And the boy had still went out of his way to try and warn Arthur about the shield even when he had to have known that he wouldn't be believed. So, come on, he tried to give himself some kind of metal pep talk. It's just two words: I'm sorry. It shouldn't feel as if he was about to go out into another fight, with the way his heart was now going off in his chest like some kind of jackrabbit.

After all, Merlin was his to control. And his to hate. And his to protect. He should be able to talk to him without this much of a struggle!

But luckily, Arthur didn't have to take charge of the conversation because that would have been a disaster. Merlin spoke up, "...Arthur?" With simply his name. Arthur thought he had just flinched more than he had when Valiant had thrown him against the wall, and his head jerked up as his heart lurched in his chest.

"Yes?" He asked a little too fast. And he really wished that he could have just swallowed his own tongue when he saw Merlin looking at him oddly. Arthur swallowed. He was unable to help it. He wanted Merlin to somehow gain the ability to read his mind for just this one moment, so that he would know exactly what the prince was trying to say. Then he wouldn't have to actually say it out loud, to admit that he had been wrong to treat Merlin like he had. Like he was a liar, when he had been the only one to tell the truth. Merlin could look at him with soft eye's and go 'I know.' And then all would be forgiven. Arthur could go back to ignoring him now that he was safe, and Merlin could go back to doing...whatever it was he did when the prince wasn't around.

But Merlin couldn't read his mind, that was just an impossible thought in his mind. Merlin instead nodded his head down to the prince's throat where the thin cut against his jugular was still leaking the tiniest trickle of blood on his neck. "You should probably go and get it checked out."

Merlin, after he had gotten his bearings back around him, didn't exactly want to see Arthur drop dead from infection right after he had sworn an 'oath'-was that the right word for the realization he had after Arthur's fight? Whatever. What he'd done was swore to himself that he would do whatever it took to keep Arthur Pendragon on the living plane, and see if the dragon and his prophecy had any truth to it. One could call it his own curiosity, or say he was just doing all of it because it gave him some kind of goal to use his powers for. But even if one could say he was only doing it for his own good, for his own selfish reasons, Merlin was still going to do this.

He was going to see that Arthur Pendragon lived long enough to get himself onto the golden throne of Camelot. Even if he had to drag him there kicking and screaming as he fought Merlin every step of the way. So if the prince dropped dead because he allowed the cut to get infected or something, then all of this would be for nothing on Merlin's part.

...Maybe he should really start studying some of Gaius' medical journals instead of giving them just a flip through when he was getting bored. It was clear that Arthur needed more help then just the magical-hidden inside of the shadows and never seen-kind of help. If only so Merlin would know what to do the next time Arthur showed up with a giant cut across his neck as if someone had just tried to decapitate him with a sword...which Valiant did just try to do...

Arthur brought his hand up to the cut that was in question, and pulled his hand away with a small hiss at the sting. Sand was on his glove and had gotten onto the cut, but when he looked at his glove, he could see that he had only a small trickle of blood on the tips of his gloved fingers. Nothing to be of any real concern about, nothing a simple bandage for a day or two couldn't fix. And that was just to keep things like dirt off of it until it had healed itself enough to go without. He could clean it up himself. In fact, he almost preferred to do just that.

"It looks a lot worse than it is." Arthur said in a gruff tone as he looked away. Merlin followed his gaze with a frown, but just saw the prince staring at a stone pillar beside them as if it was the most exciting thing on the planet. As if his neck didn't have a gorge in it dripping blood down the column of his throat, as if he wasn't covered head to toe in dirt, sweat, and blood. Most of it was probably Valiant's, and Merlin hated how that actually made him feel good.

He shouldn't be happy that Arthur had been coated in another's man blood. But when he considered the other person was Valiant, well he found it too hard to care much after that.

"...If you're sure." Merlin told him, his own words had came out a little stiffer than they usually would. Where the hell were they supposed to go after this? The last time they had seen the other, Merlin had been begging Arthur not to fight, and the prince claimed he was still lying about the whole thing. It left an awkward air of somewhat unfinished business around them.

Arthur's head whipped around to glare at the boy, because wasn't Merlin supposed to be the talker? He should know what to say right now, should make some kind of stupid joke or show surprising wit in a sarcastic comment. It should not be Merlin sounding all stifled, as if he didn't know what to say for the first time in his life. Arthur was supposed to be the one who didn't know what to say! He should be the one that was being 'emotionally constipated.' Not Merlin.

"So, where were you this whole time?" The prince asked in a sharp tone. "Don't think I didn't know you showed up late." And Arthur wanted to bite his tongue right afterward. He was supposed to be giving the boy an actual apology, he was supposed to be trying in vain to make some kind of amends so it wouldn't feel as if they had this unfinished business as it lingered between them when they would go back to acting as if the other didn't exist. Not yelling at the boy as he demanded his time or his attention. But he had just killed a man for him! The least Merlin could do was bother to show up on time.

Merlin blinked dumbly at the sudden change in tone. And felt uncomfortable with Arthur's eyes so insanely focused on him, like he was trying to somehow punish him with just his eyes alone for showing up late. Showing up late...Merlin froze. What was he supposed to say to that? He couldn't tell Arthur that the only reason he was late was because he had been practicing turning a stone statue into a live statue so that he could have a better shot of doing it to the shield. Was this what being a 'silent protector' meant? Was Merlin going to have to lie his way out of this, to lie his own way out of any future problems that may try and crop up overtime? To just let people form their own conclusions while Merlin lingered in the background, the power at his fingertips going unnoticed?...he really hoped Arthur did not find himself facing these life sacrificing obstacles often.

"Well?" Arthur asked gruffly when Merlin did not answer him at first. And he really did want to backtrack and make this right. To restart the entirety of this conversation all over again so he wouldn't feel like a fool himself getting all riled up over what was probably nothing.

But he didn't know how...

Merlin smiled awkwardly, deciding to forgo any of the witty comments that had just shot through his head. Now wouldn't be the time for any of those. It wasn't like this would be the first time he lied in order to hide himself, to keep himself safe. "...I overslept." Merlin said sheepishly, after a heartbeat of silence had passed between them.

Arthur blinked dumbly at him as he took that in. Merlin had nearly missed Arthur avenging him because he had actually...overslept? He wondered if he would be able to lift his sore arms enough to start throttling the boy long before he grew a brain and tried to make an escape attempt?

But in the end, after forcing his eye to not start twitching-because seriously? Here he was fighting on Merlin's behalf, and the idiot had been in bed asleep!-Arthur just shook his head with an annoyed scoff. "Lazy fool." He'd grumbled under his breath, just loud enough for Merlin to hear before he started walking to the curtained exit on the other side of the room. Well stomping was more like it.

He didn't have much strength left to keep up with Merlin, and a hot steam bath sounded to great right now compared to sitting around and lecturing the boy on how some things were just a little bit more important than sleep.

Arthur ignored Knight Justin-standing right outside the doorway on guard duty-watching him curiously as he left. And despite how he tried to fight them, his earlier thought on the boy returned to him. Vile thoughts that Arthur knew shouldn't be in his mind, but there they were all the same. Like a pounding drum into his temples that he couldn't escape from for this brief moment in time as he stomped off down the hallway...

Merlin's was his to control. It was this thought that stuck in his head that should have been more greatly disturbing than all the rest. It was something that was supposed to be a driving force to get Merlin out of mind. But it wasn't. He didn't feel as if it was disturbing. Merlin 'was' his to control in his own way. He was the one that should be able to decide certain things-like who the boy kissed. Valiant had clearly overstepped in a huge way to think that he was in any way a match, or possibility. If Arthur didn't want the boy to kiss anyone ever again for the rest of his life, then he wouldn't. Because Arthur did not want him to. He was 'his' husband, even if Arthur wasn't going to give Merlin any of his own kisses.

Merlin was his to hate. Make no mistake, the prince still felt a burning hatred for Merlin by the boy just being in his space. In his castle. In his home as a whole. But this kind of deep hatred only had room for two, for himself and the boy. There wasn't room for a third in this equation, and that had been Valiant's mistake as he tried to insert himself where he wasn't allowed to be. Arthur hated Merlin, but he'd be the only one allowed to mistreat the boy all he wanted.

Merlin was his to protect. This was the one that actually disturbed Arthur the most, the one he wanted to ignore and act like that one thought had never came to mind. But it was there all the same, and he couldn't just shove it into a box and throw it into the back of his mind as if it was never there. It was this deep seated need in his very core that Valiant had awoken inside of him, a part he didn't realize was even there. Merlin was his, like this kind of pet or possession, to take care of. If that dratted boy was going to get himself into this kind of trouble, then clearly Arthur was going to have to put a stop to it. And put a sword to the throat of any man who thought he had more of a right to Merlin then he did.

If only Arthur knew then just how far his dark and unnatural and twisted obsession for the boy was. Or how far he'd go to keep the boy named Merlin Pendragon by his side. Maybe there wouldn't have been so much heartache and pain forming in the coming months if he had just accepted this new part of himself so much earlier then he would. If he hadn't tried to bury it down and act like it didn't exist.

Back in the Knight's quarters, and unaware of the dark turn Arthur's mind had gone, Merlin ignored the roar of the crowd behind him as he smiled to himself. Hearing Arthur call him a 'lazy sod' hadn't been all that offending to him. It almost made him want to laugh when he thought of just how much work he had put into keeping the 'real' lazy sod alive.

Maybe he was just grinning because of the exhilaration at knowing he would never be bothered by Valiant again. Or maybe he was just pleased that Arthur had acknowledged him in a slightly different way then their usual fights. Whatever it was, Merlin was just happy that things were over with. And who knows, it may even be some kind of progress that he'd made with Arthur. Maybe Merlin had cracked a hole in that shield the prince always kept up to keep Merlin at a distance. He didn't even care about the favor anymore. Merlin was just ready to move on with his life, to be happy as he accepted his new role as Arthur's 'silent protector'. And if he managed to get close to Arthur because of it, well...maybe that would not be such a bad thing if he and Arthur did manage to 'bury the hatchet'.

Well, a boy could dream, right?

X

It was an hour later that found Merlin bloody Pendragon in his royal suite, looking down at his bed with a forlorn expression. He was not pleased in the least, and anybody who wasn't blind, deaf, and stupid could have seen that from the way he was standing. Everybody of course, but his own manservant.

George was standing beside him with this ridiculously pleased expression on his face as he fiddled what was laid out on top of the bed. "I think it is absolutely marvelous, Sir Merlin." George said happily as he fixed up the already straight articles of clothing.

Merlin blinked again, his sour expression did not dim at George's praise. He still thought it was bloody ridiculous. He hadn't known what to expect when George had shown up as he had been leaving the stadium, but his servant boy had insisted Merlin come up to his rooms with him. And right now, Merlin really did wish that he had just turned around and continued walking when he had seen George coming.

He hadn't, and now he was stuck here. That had been his first mistake. Apparently, after every tournament, there was some kind of banquet/party to celebrate the winner. Just another excuse to make Arthur's head swell as this party was going to be all about him and his victory. Merlin huffed, feeling maybe just a little bit miffed because he knew that Arthur wouldn't have been able to do any of it without him. And Merlin was expected to be attending this 'soirée'.

...wearing that.

"You can tell that Madame Teresa did just an excellent job while deciding what to make for you." George said brightly, with that stupidly pleased smile growing on his face as he took his time to smooth down the collar of the top.

In retrospect, there was nothing really 'wrong' with the outfit, Merlin considered as he raised an eyebrow at the outfit spread over the top of his bed waiting for him to slide into, a pair of equally as good boots sitting at the foot of the headboard. But still, he turned away from the outfit to address George.

"I am not wearing that." He declared, and the manservant didn't seem to surprised by his declaration. As Merlin had said, there wasn't anything actually 'bad' about the outfit. There was a slate grey top that was made out of the material called...cashmere...whatever that was supposed to be. It had felt all soft, kind of silky when he ran his hands on the pretty material. It probably wouldn't feel nearly as itchy or as uncomfortable as the outfit he'd worn on his wedding had been. And it had a pair of dark brown pants, thickly made and would not rip nearly as easily as his normal pants had over the years, settled down right beside it. He almost wanted to feel the soft material against his skin, just to experiment a little and see if the rich cloth annoyed him as much as it had the first time he'd worn an outfit that cost more than his own life actually had.

And that was probably the real reason he did not want to wear it. Madame Teresa clearly knew what she was doing when she'd made it, but it was also very...pretentious looking. It had been made with the idea in mind that it'd be worn by royalty...him...a royal now. It was a strange thought he still couldn't quite get his mind wrapped around. And the outfit itself wasn't exactly helping.

It had many embellishments sewn into the cloth as a way of showing wealth and certain status. Two things that Merlin himself did not possess just because he had married into the family that did. There were gold buttons that were sewn on all down the side of the chest and it was clear that they were only meant for show and not because the actual shirt would need them. They didn't button into anything, and did he mention that they were gold? This shirt had eight golden buttons down the side and just one button probably could have fed a family for at least a month, two if they knew how to stretch a meal. And the dark brown pants were no better, with a row of neat little golden buttons going down one leg as they tried to match the shirt. The belt laid out on top of it was no better, with a golden buckle that was the size of his fist. And Merlin swore that if he angled his face in the right direction then he could have caught his reflection in the shining piece of metal.

It was just not feasible for him to wear these kind of clothes. His own mother wouldn't be able to recognize him if he did. And he also worried that maybe he would feel as if he'd started to turn into one of...them, if he'd worn something like that. As if he was becoming a royal, instead of the awkward commoner that he was. He wanted to be a good consort, but he was a failure at it, so the clothes seemed to be a touch too far for him. Even the boots hadn't been spared from being as far as what a commoner would be able to afford to wear.

They would have gone right up his calves. He had never worn boots that high before and the higher the boot length, the more wealthy somebody was. The boots he usually wore never went higher than his ankles. He'd probably feel smothered to have some of his leg covered up like that.

George didn't seem to see anything wrong with the outfit as he said with a wave of his hand, "There is absolutely nothing wrong with it. It's quite a beautiful outfit, absolutely fit for a Royal Consort to wear during such an important event for your husband."

And therein laid the problem. He was a Royal Consort, but did he really have to dress like Arthur to show that? Even the least monetary costed outfits Merlin had seen the blonde in had to have cost a pretty penny.

Merlin picked up the grey shirt and held it up so that he could see it better, his face went a little scrunched up as he saw a glimmer of his reflection in the golden buttons. "This is just not working for me." He grumbled with a brief hint of disdain in his voice. The prince already knew that he won the tourney, had looked as if he had-literally-ripped Valiant into two with his sword in the most violent display that he'd seen from the prince yet. Did he really need to have Merlin all dressed up, and put out on display like the 'good, little Consort, that he was supposed to be. He didn't like it. He did not like it one bit. He may be willing to let go of the 'favor incident' in light of Arthur killing Valiant after all, but he wasn't about to dress up for the prat. Because yes, he was still this prat even after he'd killed a man.

It felt too much like Merlin was trying to dress to impress. And he was not in the mood to go all dressed up as if he was some kind of doll that was made to look all pretty for Arthur's big night. It had Uther written all over it, the man wanting nothing more than to create the illusion that he and his son had fallen in love together naturally.

He should be happier now that everything was said and done. Now that Valiant wasn't an issue any longer, now that Arthur couldn't run from the truth and claim that he was a liar or just being petty. But remembering that his place was as a Royal Consort, and being that he was expected to 'act the part' it made him feel a lot more downtrodden then he should.

Besides, Merlin thought to himself as he had dropped the shirt into a heap on his bed. His 'husband' did not need him showing up while wearing this to 'congratulate' him. The prince was being celebrated tonight not only because Arthur was still the undefeated champion, but also for surviving undeniable odds that had been stacked against him. Merlin just knew that his head was going to get even bigger after all of this attention. But if Arthur had just listened to him in the first place, then things wouldn't have been as dire as it had been. Arthur may not have had to fight Valiant at all if he hadn't turned Merlin away so many times.

Like when Merlin had offered to help him with a game plan before what he would call it 'the council meeting catastrophe'. Or when Merlin had came to him, begging him not to go into the fight, and he had insisted on doing it any way.

George gave a little bow to the consort, with his arm bent over his stomach, before he said "Do you require my assistance in helping you get dressed, Consort Merlin?"

Merlin still always turned George down when the manservant expressed an interest in him dressing, wanting to help. Every morning was the same, where George would ask for him to be given the 'honor' of helping Merlin with his dressing. And every morning Merlin would be turning him down. This night wouldn't be any different than all of the mornings that came before it had, because it was the one thing he refused to compromise on. His ability to get himself dressed.

Merlin didn't answer him at first, taking his place on the edge of the bed. He then looked down at the clothing on the bed, a frown on his lips as he shook his head. "They sure do have a lot of events around here, don't they?" But he was talking more to himself then he'd been to George. Merlin had already been to more parties and such since he'd arrived in Camelot then he had his entire life back in Ealdor. Just another reason the two places were so...different.

George's smile seemed a little more stiff now as he observed Merlin's downtrodden look as the consort started to toy with the edge of his new shirt on the bed. "...Of course," the manservant answered a bit hesitatingly. "Our fair city is quite prosperous. We have much to be thankful for, and these celebrations are to show that prosperity. Prince Arthur survived against a sorcerer! It really is wonderful news and deserves to be celebrated."

Merlin had to stop himself from pointing out that Valiant wasn't an actual sorcerer. He had no actual magic himself, and couldn't have done any actual spells if he wanted to. Knight Valiant had just been lucky enough to find the magical object that already had the magic it needed embedded into it. But how would he be able to explain how he knew anything that had to do with magic.

Gaius had been right about one thing back when he had insisted Merlin wasn't able to tell Arthur anything about Valiant without the proper proof. He needed to be more careful about what he said to avoid suspicion from falling onto him. The king already hated him, he didn't need to give him any reason to suspect that he'd lied that first day he came into Camelot and told the king 'no, he didn't have magic.'

"Consort Merlin," George addressed him again with a bow of his head. "Your dressing?" Because Merlin hadn't given him an answer on rather or not he would like his help. And it would please George greatly if the consort gave him the greatest honor of finally being allowed to help his master dress. It was quite frustrating that Merlin did not allow him to.

Merlin looked up as a slow smirk appeared on his lips as he mulled over what George had said earlier. About how this party and others like it was to celebrate just how prosperous their kingdom was. It made him wonder just how many people invited were people that didn't have their own estates. Or their own personal tailors, or had fresh food delivered straight to their bedsides. In other words how many of the people invited were commoners? Or at least how many commoners had been invited that wasn't working at the party like the servants nobility treated them as.

"No, George." Merlin said as his smirk started to grow as he dropped the piece of silken cloth back onto his bed. "I don't believe I will have any need for you tonight. You can leave now, please." He remembered to tack on the last part. He may be George's 'boss' because he refused to use the word 'master' but the least he could do was treat the guy like he was a person.

George frowned as acute disappointment was flooding his system. He ducked his head as he inwardly pouted over what he considered to be a lost opportunity, "If you are sure, Sir Merlin." He said, still hoping that the boy was going to change his mind and allow George to dress him, as was his duty.

Merlin snorted and pushed himself off of the bed. He put a hand on George's shoulder and started to guide him out of the room, "Don't worry George, I think I have this covered." If he was able to save Arthur's royal hide with using magic to reveal somebody evil, without being caught himself, then he was sure that he could get himself dressed.

Merlin ended up having to close the door in George's face, cutting off his stammering or protesting. Once he'd got the door shut, he slumped against the firm surface, relieved he was able to have this one moment alone. He stayed there for a second before he pushed off of it. Merlin gave the clothes on his bed one more look before he snorted and turned away from them.

Merlin may not get any of the credit as being the one that saved Arthur's hide, but he was okay with that. It wasn't like he could just try to explain what had really happened there on the field. And he knew that Arthur was going to be there tonight, celebrating how he had so 'graciously' taken out the big, bad, giant of a monster that had threatened his consort.

Merlin wanted to scoff again. But he didn't, if only because he was grinning to himself. If he wasn't going to get any credit for his part in saving Arthur's life, then there was one thing he could do that he knew was going to end up irritating thr hell out of Arthur.

Which was perfect. Merlin deserved to have what little amusement he could get out of the day they had all had.

Ignoring the clothes on his bed, Merlin went to his wardrobe and pulled open the door to reveal the golden ornate mirror that hung on the inside of the door. He got to work trying to smooth his hair down. If he wasn't going to wear the clothes given to him, the least he'd could do was not look like a total moron. Even if all he did was make his hair more messy as the thickness of it did absolutely nothing to help make it lay straight.

Whatever, Merlin thought grumpily as he was staring at himself in his reflection. If he did end up looking like a fool, then he could just blame Arthur for causing him to go through a deep 'emotional trauma.' That was believable, right? People would think Merlin had been so 'distraught' after nearly losing Arthur, that he couldn't be bothered to brush his own hair...

Merlin wondered if he would end up spending his entire time hiding out by the food table as he had during their wedding.

X

Several floors down, the party was nearly in full swing. The doors to the grand hall were wide open as people wondered in and out of the room, and the announcer was having just a bit of trouble keeping everybody straight as he tried to announce the presence of those that were entering. But many people came in groups and didn't wait for the announcer to state that they were there, to high off of the party fumes and the feel of exhilaration that spread out all across the room.

Arthur hadn't gone inside quite yet. He had been dressed to impress by his manservant quite nicely. With his rich clothing, his tunic and pants formed to fit quite nicely against his body. He wore a red cape that fell down over his shoulders to where it stopped just above his ankles so that he wouldn't be able to step on the edge, as it had been tailored perfectly to fit his height. His blonde hair was smoothed down without a single cowlick to disrupt it. Well...he did have one cowlick that was in the center of his forehead, but it had been taken care of by his crown. The golden piece of rounded metal rested perfectly in the center of his forehead, custom built as to fit snugly on his head so that it wouldn't slide down his forehead or squeeze it in what was an uncomfortable way, holding the cowlick in place as to make it nearly unnoticeable.

It wouldn't do for a prince to look so out of place during his own celebration party. But Arthur did look out of place, if only because he had yet to join the actual party inside. He had taken to standing outside the doors, with a smile as he greeted the guests who tried to stream in through the door, but would stop at him to offer their congratulations.

He always gave these people a generous thank you and saw them off into the party itself. Morgana didn't look nearly as false as he did, standing by his elbow as she played with her nails, examining the rich blue color she had painted them to match her dress for the evening.

"You know, Arthur dear." His father's ward said in a drawled out voice without looking at him. Arthur's ears perked up even though he didn't turn to look at her, to busy nodding his head to one of his father's guards who had stopped by to personally congratulate him on his winning. Only when the guard had gone did she continue to speak, still examining the color of her nails. "You didn't have to lie to me."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Arthur said as he shifted his attention to her, giving her the side eye. Arthur had arrived at the party mere minutes ago, and he had been joined by Morgana only seconds later. As the prince was the winner of the tourney, he had an obligation to escort her into the party and bring her to his father's safe keeping. He had instead told her that they would have to wait a few minutes so that he could spare a few minutes to talk with his 'adoring public'. That had been nearly ten minutes ago, and they'd still stood here. It was clear that Arthur had a smile that was growing more and more false as the seconds ticked by, and Morgana was looking no better.

"You can just admit that we are only out here because you are waiting for Merlin to show his face." Morgana drawled out. It didn't take a genius to know why Arthur had yet to take her arm and escort her inside. Nor did it take her long to guess why Arthur's words with his guests became just a bit shorter and more of a tight lip the longer they had stood there.

Morgana was smart enough to hazard a guess as to why Arthur was tapping away with his fingers against his side. Or craning his neck to look this way and that as he tried to catch sight of blue eyes and dark hair. But it was clear that Merlin was not among many of the people that had shown up. But they'd also came in droves, so it was quite possible for the boy to show up at any moment now.

Not that this helped alleviate Arthur. If anything, he was convinced that the boy was not going to show up on purpose. And he'd be the one left standing here looking like the fool that he was.

"I'm not waiting for Merlin." Arthur hissed at her as his pleasant smile dropped from his features completely. "It's my duty to welcome my people into the castle." Even though that was the words he said, Arthur vehemently ignored the clawing forming in his chest the longer it took for Merlin to show up. As if he wouldn't be allowed to relax and enjoy his own festivities until he knew the boy was safe and in his line of sight.

Morgana tutted at Arthur's poor deniability as she looked greatly amused by this, "You are allowing yourself to show, Arthur dear. Which you really shouldn't. Camelot might just show shame when they notice their prince isn't the royal they think he is. They might just start to think you have actual emotions."

Because heaven forbid the people of this fair city ever realize that their prince, king, and now consort, was just as human as they were themselves.

Arthur blinked at her, "Wait? Are you saying I don't have feelings?" He demanded, almost offended by this. If he didn't have feelings for anything, he surely would not have gone into that fight as hard as he had. There would be no way that he would have gutted Valiant like the pig that he was instead of simply giving in and stabbing the man with one swift slice of his blade across his gut. Quick and it would have been to the point, instead of drawing in the pain as he twisted his blade inside of him. If he didn't have feelings, he wouldn't still be standing out here waiting for Merlin to show up. If only so he could be rest assured that the boy would stay in his line of sight, and he could make sure for himself that the threat had been truly diminished. As long as nobody else tried to approach Merlin with an offer as horrific as Valiant's had been, then he could rest for the evening and enjoy his party.

Which he couldn't do because Merlin took his sweet time to show up to anything. God, how did the boy get anything done if he was never where he was supposed to be.

Morgana shook her head, not at all angry that she had yet to join the festivities. She was having way to much fun teasing the prince for waiting for someone. In all her life, Morgana had never known Arthur to wait for another as he was. "You know," she said teasingly as she moved on. "A girl could get jealous when her escort is looking for another."

Morgana's eye's twinkled up at Arthur as she gave a little secretive smile. The blonde may not be the one she would have picked out for herself, but she did admit that he did have his moments. Merlin would truly be a lucky man if Arthur ever realized that his consort being a man may not be as much of an issue as he thought it was. After all, Morgana had never seen Arthur show as much violence in a fight as he had with Valiant. And she knew that it had to be in part because of how close the consort had been to the issue.

Arthur didn't take the bait like she had hoped he would. There was no flushing or outright anger and denial at her words. No claims that she had no right to be jealous because they knew the truth, and knew there was no lost love between Arthur and his consort. Instead, Prince Arthur smirked down at the lady by his side and said, "You can always go in without me." He said with a wickedly teasing grin in his eyes. "We all know that father would be thrilled if you showed up unescorted."

Morgana scowled at him because they both knew that she couldn't leave his side. Uther would never allow it. Ever since Morgana had reached the age of majority four years ago, Uther had been almost a warden with a great need to keep her reputation clean so that she could find a good marriage match of her own once Uther decided she was ready to make such a step. Honestly, she should have been married off as soon as she reached twenty one, but Uther was so insanely protective of her that one may have mistaken her for his actual daughter. It was why she was now at twenty three and still unmarried. It was also why Arthur had been her 'designated date' for the last two years. To keep any unworthy suitors away from her so that Uther would be able to keep his naive notion that Morgana was still a pure maiden. It was why Uther had made a declaration that the winner would get to accompany her to the party. It was almost rigged in a way, since everyone knew that the prince was going to win. And sure enough, he hadn't been brought down even with magic making an appearance.

She had hoped that things would be different now that Arthur was married, but apparently some things would never change. Uther just didn't trust anybody else to keep their hands to themselves when in her company. As if she was going to throw herself at the first man to not fear Uther's wrath by granting her their attentions.

Morgana smiled up at Arthur with a thin lip kind of smile, as if she was trying to pull herself back together so that she wouldn't throttle him. "Well Arthur, we also know that your father would be mighty disappointed if your consort was seen unaccompanied. You do have two arms, I'm sure Merlin would be thrilled to be on the other one."

She raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to deny that Merlin would be in their company soon enough. Arthur's cocky smile dropped in an instant as he scowled at her. "Well, I can rest assure you that Merlin will not be on my arm anytime soon."

Merlin could just walk in behind them, Arthur was thinking to himself. He would walk in with Morgana and lead her to his father's side and have fun at his party without being an escort this time. And Merlin would just walk in right behind them. Still a member of the family and where Arthur could keep an eye on him, but it would be better to keep the distant between them lest Merlin go getting any of those weird ideas of them being actually together.

Yes, it was best to keep those ideas firmly clipped in the bud, where it belonged so that it wouldn't be an issue any longer. But still, he found his neck craning to see over Morgana's head. He couldn't exactly go into the party if he didn't know where Merlin was...

X

On the other side of the hall, Gaius smiled as he spotted Arthur and Morgana conversing The two stood to the side of the door, looking as if they were in a world entirely of their own.

Neither of them looked very pleased with the other but as far as Gaius was concerned, that was a good thing. Because Arthur was able to stand there and talk with Morgana. He was able to scowl at her, and smirk, and talk, and he was allowed to just...be. If it wasn't for his nephew, then the prince wouldn't be having a party. None of these people would be here as they dressed in their finest outfits as they planned to dance the night away. No. They'd instead be standing together outside with a solemn air as they watched the king throwing a torch onto Arthur's body to help his soul as it descended into the next life.

Camelot would no doubt fall to ruin as fights among the nobles started to break out, and everybody trying to figure out what to do now that the prince had fallen. There would have been many people vying for the throne as the children of noble families of age tried to make themselves the next king of Camelot. People would start questioning Merlin's role more as some tried to prepare him to take over Arthur place as future king. And others would try to have him overthrown or deemed incapable of ruling a kingdom and have him confined into one of those awful asylums people had to be dragged and carted off to when they proved to be mentally unstable just so they could get rid of him. And thus, the fighting among all of the noble families would continue until none still stood.

Arthur being alive tonight meant that the kingdom was thriving, and it meant that the crown and with it-their future-was safe. And that was because of Merlin, his nephew the sorcerer...Camelot's Consort. If only Merlin could see for himself that he had done exactly what a consort should do. He had put himself forth and protected the kingdom with a great personal cost to his own if he'd been caught. And Gaius didn't doubt that this was not going to be the only time he did it.

"Well done, Merlin." Gaius said to himself as he had no idea where his nephew was. But he should be down here, and celebrating his win and his victory. This party may have been for Arthur, but Merlin deserved to be apart of it just as much.

After all, Arthur owed his life to Merlin. And it may not be known to the prince, Arthur may never know what Merlin had done here today, but Gaius could only feel a swell of pride start to build up in his chest.

His nephew really was something special, he was going to grow into something even more special. Gaius could only wonder what other great things Merlin could accomplish once he had the chance to grow and mature some.

X

Back on the other side of the room, Arthur had still yet to find Merlin. But he did see that Gaius had just made his way into the hall. He pulled himself away from Morgana's side, as there was something that he knew he had to do, had been meaning to do, but this was the first opportunity that he'd gotten the chance to do so. "Morgana, I am sure that you'll survive without my company for a few minutes. I just need a moment of time to speak to someone without you nattering in my ear."

"Don't worry about me," Morgana waved him off with a thin lipped smile. "I'm sure I will be able to find better company as I wait for your husband to join me."

Arthur rolled his eyes at this as he detached his arm that had been hooked through one of hers. He knew what Morgana had been trying to do with that move. She had been trying to get under his skin, to rile him up because of what he said about her nattering. But Arthur didn't know why...the term 'husband' when it referred to him now having one, didn't make him flinch as it once had. It didn't make this ugly something form in the pit of his stomach as he fought the urge to be sick every which place. Now, the idea of actually touching the boy with anything more than a harsh shove to get him out of his way made him still feel as if something, some little part of her soul, had shivered up and died. But the word itself, he didn't know when it had happened exactly, it no longer made the bile he once had rise up in his throat. He supposed, maybe just a little, over the last few days he had gotten used to hearing the term. Although he did doubt that anything in this world word make him want to voluntarily touch the boy...at least he did not feel as if his stomach was trying to eat up his esophagus. At least now he could stomach the boy's mere presence.

Arthur wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Or if this was just the start of something else he didn't want to think of.

Arthur left Morgana's side, feeling as if it was now her presence he could no longer stand. It was the lady who had made her views on his consort very clear, although Arthur didn't know what Merlin could have done to have Morgana defend him as she had in his dressing chambers just before he had gone to fight. Arthur just supposed it may have been whatever Merlin had done to him, that had inspired him to go out fighting with all of his strength.

Arthur shook his head of those thoughts, as he wanted to get rid of them, quickly striding away from Morgana's side.

"Don't hurry back!" She called after him with a chipper tone. Before she turned her back to him and started, in his place, welcoming the guests as they arrived to the grand doors of the grand hall.

Arthur didn't stop, acting as if he had somehow managed to not hear her shout. He didn't stop until he reached the grey haired physician who had decided to make a brief appearance at the party before retiring back to his chambers. Gaius felt as if he was to old and had far to much work to do to party with the youth of the kingdom for more than was necessary.

"Gaius." Arthur said when he stopped in front of the physician, his voice overly polite as to not give away the true meaning of what he'd wanted to discuss. "May I have a moment of your time, please?"

Gaius stopped and lifted a curious eyebrow at the prince. "Well, it would be remiss of me to say no to our prince and champion." Gaius said dryly. But he followed the prince who led him off to the side, next to the large windows that overlooked the courtyard, where less of the people had gathered. So that they could get away from prying eye's and all who'd may try to listen in on their private conversation. It definitely got Gaius' attention, if the prince or his strange behavior hadn't already, "Is there something the matter, sire?" Gaius asked the young prince. There was no reason for Arthur to bring him over to this side of the entrance hall unless there was something wrong. But did it have something to do with Valiant, even though the man was dead? Or did it have to do with somebody more lively...like Merlin, perhaps.

Arthur was quick to shake his head before the physician could get so concerned, "No, no. It is nothing like that." For the first time in almost a month, there was nothing that was actually wrong. Everything was almost, in it's own kind of way...perfect. Well, except for this one thing, Arthur thought as he scanned the crowd one more time for the still missing Merlin. Arthur shook his head and turned to look back at Gaius. He rubbed his sweat filled palms down the front of his pants but he did know that he had to do this. It was only right after all. "I just wanted to thank you, while I'd had you here."

It took a surprising amount of strength for the prince to thank the physician. Usually he got away with just commanding people to do his command, and they listened. But this whole thanking people for what they had done was entirely new to him. Arthur blamed Merlin for that. He wouldn't be here thanking the man if Merlin hadn't somehow gotten himself on the good side of their physician. He knew that his family physician was a strict man who'd rarely get into affairs of the court unless he'd been required to be.

Gaius lifted a curious eyebrow at him, having no godly idea why Arthur had dragged him over here, or why he was thanking him all of a sudden. "Thanking me, sire?" Gaius asked the young Pendragon. "Whatever for?" It was not like he had treated Arthur with any actual ailments. Unless one counted the ointment he had passed to the prince on his way out of the stadium earlier, to rub onto his split lip as well as the cut on his neck to prevent it from getting infected. He could see, with his own trained eye, that the cut on Arthur's lip didn't look nearly as bad now that all of the blood had been cleaned up. And he could see a hint of bandages peeking out from under Arthur's cloak, the red cloth hiding the majority of the bandage around the prince's throat to keep the wound on his neck clean. But that hardly seemed like something to thank him for. He was just doing his duty as a physician.

Arthur cleared his throat, and scratched at the back of his neck in an awkward manner. He had been hoping that Gaius would have just taken what he said at face value, and not ask him too many questions about it. But that was apparently not going to happen, so he'd steeled his nerves and carried on anyway, "I'd been told what you did...Merlin told me what you did for him during all of this."

Gaius just stared at him with confusion, as he did not understand what the prince spoke of. What he had done for Merlin? He had given a lost boy a place to practice his craft, and he'd given him a safe space to go to when he had wanted to get away from the inner palace. He had only done what any uncle would do for a newfound nephew in his life, by watching out for him as much as he could allow himself to do. Which was difficult on it's own as the boy was an adult, married and all. It wasn't like he was a child who had to listen to Gaius. Merlin was a man who could make his own choices and his own mistakes, no matter how much Gaius had done to try and effect the outcome by giving him advice when he could. But the physician did not believe that this was what Arthur was talking about. Those, if the prince even knew of them, were not things that one should be thanked for. They were just things that an uncle would do for his nephew.

Arthur appeared to sense his confusion, and clarified himself. "I meant that he told me that he confided in you." The prince said, and he remembered how Merlin, back when he had first told him that Valiant had tried to assault him, had said Gaius was the only person that he had told. Even before Arthur himself. "He went to you as a confidante." Arthur said as he allowed himself to give Gaius a generous tilt of his head, showing grace. "I wanted to be able to thank you in person, for being with him when I wasn't."

It burned Arthur up on the inside to know that Merlin had turned to another in his time of need. That he thought Arthur couldn't have been trusted to help him, that he thought that Arthur would condone what treason Valiant had just committed by attacking someone he knew was under Arthur's care and his protection. Arthur had proven Merlin and his doubts right when he had turned away from him at the first hint of trouble that happened during the council meeting. So the least he could do was show some grace for the man that was there when he refused to see what was the truth lying right in front of him. He'd could only hope he'd shown Merlin that it was alright to come to him if he was being treated like that, if he was being threatened, with his actions on the tourney field.

"That was why you came to me during the semi-finals, right?" Arthur asked. He'd came to the conclusion after some thought during his warm bath after he'd returned to his room and had been mulling over everything as it'd happened over the last few days. And Gaius who had came to see him just before the semi-finals had stood out to him. And to think that Arthur thought Gaius had been there to tell him Merlin was seeing Valiant off on the side. Oh, how wrong he had been about all of this. "You were trying to warn me about what Valiant was doing, you came to me trying to protect Merlin."

Gaius seemed to finally understand what the prince was trying to say, because he seemed to set his shoulders back into place to make himself appear taller, sterner. "I was, sire." He said, although he didn't think that he should be thanked for it at all. If Merlin knew that he had gone behind his back and approached Arthur, even if things hadn't gone the way he had planned. The boy may not forgive him for doing so in the first place, even if Gaius stood firm that it was best for him to try. "Although," Gaius stated. "Perhaps I should have tried just a little bit harder." After all, Arthur had all but turned him away, refusing to listen to any reason because he was set in his own mind of what he thought had been going on.

Arthur laughed at this, although it was really a laugh that was only half amusement. The other half was more bitter than the prince would have liked, but it was there all the same. And it deserved to be there, after how much of a colossus mistake he had made with his deductions. "Yeah." Arthur said as he nodded his head. "I suppose the next time he has a problem, it may be best to listen before I just dismiss it lest it get out of hand all over again." The last thing Arthur wanted was to have a repeat of what had just happened, or for things to not turn out as good as they had this time. The next time...Merlin may not be as lucky as to get away if someone got it into their heads that Merlin could be an object to play with as they wanted. Merlin was Arthur's to control...the thought settled into his mind before he could finish the rest of the saying, and rested into his very bones before Arthur shook it off and dismissed it. As much as it pained him to admit this next part, Arthur still did it with his head held up, "I will learn to do better."

If anything, this whole entire experience had actually taught Arthur something. He could be man enough to admit that Merlin had been the one to teach him that sometimes, it would be best to hear someone out rather than just outright dismiss them from the get-go. Like if he had taken two seconds to listen to what Gaius was trying to tell him, then he'd could have gotten rid of Valiant so much earlier. For all Arthur knew, the reason Merlin had ended up oversleeping before the finals could have been because he'd spent the entire night in a panic, thinking that Valiant was going to try to come back and finish the job. He'd probably spent the entire night cowering in a corner of his room, Arthur shook his head with a tut at this. Merlin must have spent the entire night flinching at every sound, thinking that Valiant was going to throw his door open and make himself at home with whatever-or whoever-he wanted at any second. If Arthur had been bothered to learn the truth when Gaius had came for him that first time, then maybe he could have learn the truth hours earlier than when Merlin had gotten desperate enough to approach him. Those few extra hours could have been enough to change some things around. Like maybe Arthur wouldn't have had to fight against two poisonous snakes as well as a maniac.

At least now Merlin could rest easy, Arthur thought with self-satisfaction. There was no reason for the boy to be cowering in corners while waiting for a hero to save him. Arthur had done the saving, and now the prince was able to celebrate the death of vile man.

Gaius nodded his head at him, unaware of the thought's Arthur's mind had overtaken of wondering how much cowering Merlin must have gone through. "Well," Gaius noted to the prince. "I will be sure to do my best to be able to care for the boy when you cannot."

Gaius didn't doubt that this strange Arthur would end up going back to normal sooner or later. It was just to strange to think that this new Arthur was here to say.

Arthur opened his mouth to protest, "That will not be necessa-" before he abruptly cut himself off as he mulled this over inside of his mind. He had been about to protest that he'd didn't need the help to keep his consort in his line. That Arthur could keep the boy alive and well on his own, or at least out of the grips of other people that wanted to do away with him. He had been almost offended that Gaius had thought he needed the help, but he had stopped himself...he supposed that it would not hurt for an extra pair of eyes to be kept on Merlin. Gaius could be the one to deal with all of the emotional stuff, he was sure that his consort was probably traumatized after this whole ordeal. He'd clearly need someone to talk to and work through this issues with. And Arthur could take care of the more physical nature. Like sending threats to spend all of their days away in the dungeons. And when that didn't work, a good sword to the gut did seemed to do the trick. "You know," he decided to amend his previous statement. "I think that will be acceptable." It was almost a relief in a strange way, to know that he wouldn't be the only one looking out for Merlin. God knew he would need every bit of help that he would be able to get with a husband like Merlin in the picture.

Gaius looked partly amused by this, as if he knew the boy exceedingly well and could see why Arthur would need the help with keeping an eye on Merlin. He didn't seem to have his own self-preservation in mind if what had just happened this week was going to become a common occurrence.

Arthur decided that he was done with what he had set out to do, and gave Gaius one last generous tilt of his head, "Thank you, Gaius. I must be getting back to Morgana, the girl is helplessly lost without me." He said with this teasing smirk on his face.

Gaius gave a brief smile as well, but when he saw Arthur stepping away, the physician was quick to follow. "Sire, if I may, there is just one more thing I would like to ask you myself."

Arthur stopped in mid-step and turned back to the physician. "Of course, Gaius. You may speak freely to me." He looked serious, as if Gaius was about to deliver to him some bad news that he had yet to hear of. But he did have to wonder, what on earth Merlin could have gotten himself involved with in such a short amount of time. The boy had seemed find when he had left him at the stadium, but still...Arthur felt his eyes shoot out so that he could dart his gaze from person to person as more people started to arrive. Merlin still had not arrived. Was there a reason for that? Just perhaps Arthur had underestimate how much Valiant had affected Merlin. And despite there no longer being any danger, maybe the boy was upstairs crying his eyes out because he was still scared of something. Or maybe it turned out that Valiant had an accomplish and he now had Merlin...Arthur's eyes shot back to Gaius, looking almost wild.

Gaius answered him with the one thing that he expected the least. "I just wanted to know if you have given any thought to when you'd tell Merlin of male relations in the sexual kind of sense."

Gaius said it so matter of factly, clinically, as if it was nothing more than a physician as he talked about matters with his patient. Or as if it it was just any old conversation that was to be expected to have. It succeeded in making Arthur choke on the spit in his throat. And it was a really good thing that he wasn't trying to swallow anything, or it would have gotten caught in his airways. Gaius just watched him choke as if it was normal, and nothing to be worried about.

"I-I..." Arthur stopped for a moment to allow himself to regroup, his eye's shooting across the room towards Morgana as if he thought she would be able to hear on the far side of the room. "I think-" he cut himself off again for a different reason this time. Merlin. Merlin had shown up at some point in the last few minutes, and he was talking to Morgana with this bright smile on his face, not noticing that Arthur was watching him. And he was clearly not traumatized. Or he was at least really just that good at hiding it. Arthur felt as if he had this tightness in his chest, but he could feel it easing up now that he had his eyes rested on the boy. Arthur shook his head as he looked across the room at him. In light of everything that had happened, it would be best for him to take Merlin aside and explain what exactly Valiant was planning to do to him, to explain what Arthur himself was supposed to do the night they had married. To fill in the blanks in his education that never should have been left empty. But...Arthur didn't feel like giving the boy anymore traumatizing news, as he wasn't sure Merlin could handle it after being assaulted by Valiant. And now as Valiant was no longer a threat, Arthur did not have to actually tell him anything. He found it surprisingly easy to say, "I think that we can wait a little bit longer before I say anything."

Arthur saw-out the corner of his eye-that the physician opened his mouth as if he meant to protest this. But the prince interrupted Gaius just before he could, because this was going to be his decision to withhold this information from Merlin...for just a little bit longer.

"If you excuse me, Gaius. I believe that I am needed elsewhere." And then Arthur walked away from him, brushing his hands down the front of his tunic to get rid of any imaginary crinkles.

Yes, Arthur thought as he strode across the room towards where Morgana and Merlin was still talking away, not seeing him coming near them from behind. This had been his choice to make, and he had decided to not tell him anything. Not yet at least. Merlin didn't need to be anymore traumatized then he already was by Arthur bringing sex into his orbit.

Arthur shook his head as he watched Merlin trying so hard to be brave in light of all that had happened. The way his smile was so big and the way he was waving his arms around as he described something to Morgana, the boy acted like he usually did. But to Arthur, in his own delusional mind, all he could see was a boy who had been traumatized greatly and clearly needed Arthur to protect him.

If only Arthur knew then what he was getting into with Merlin Pendragon now in his life. Or how everything was going to change one day at a time.