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!

114. Chapter 115

Arthur Pendragon, scowled dangerously down at the smaller boy after recognizing his manservant, doing nothing to push back and remove his arm from where he had it pressing into the manservant's throat. Just hard enough for the servant to feel the danger, and knowing Arthur could've easily crushed his windpipe if he wanted too. But he didn't, even whenever he felt the disgusting sensation of Morris trying his hardest to swallow through his choking, unable to get the lump pass where Arthur's arm was resting. The manservant beat on his arm frantically, seeming to be trying to say who he was, as if Arthur knowing it was Morris would cause him to back away from him and release him. But Arthur had been having many mixed feelings about the other boy lately and he did not find putting him down to be very high on his list of priorities.

Many weeks ago, Morris had done one of the worse things he could have done, and that was lying to him. He had made up some stupid thing about Merlin taking his liberties to do what he wanted with the servants. Asserting his power over them, by making them do ridiculous things or running them ragged for his own amusement…bossing his own servant as if it was his own, and dragging Morgana's maidservant into the situation. It had caused quite a stir with Arthur, and the consort had denied it vehemently when Arthur had taken a moment to confront him about it. It was only later that the prince realized he was-shuddered-given false information to the situation at hand. And it caused an immediate red flag to raise up in Arthur when it came to his servant.

Morris hadn't just gotten his information wrong, or had been misinformed about the situation. He had deliberately lied to him about it, had used Gwen being in jail against him as the reason why Arthur wouldn't just go and get another account from the only other witness in the room, and had tried to do his best to deny it when Arthur had first realized the truth of the matter. Not only all of that, but Morris had intentionally pulled Arthur's mind away from the sickness that had tore a hole through his city within days. Hundreds of people could have died in those hours where Arthur had stopped his work long enough to yell at Merlin for it. Hundreds of people more may have died because Arthur was too busy being worried if Merlin's new found-nonexistent, as it turned out-attitude for his new life was something he needed to nip in the bud. And there was no telling-even if it wasn't hundreds-rather or not a couple of extra people had died when the prince had split his thoughts between the two situations. And those people-and the dozens of others-had their deaths resting surely on Arthur's shoulders.

The only reason Morris was still breathing free air right now, and not rotting in a hole somewhere after being executed in front of the entire city, was because that had been the only major incident Arthur had ever had from the servant. Arthur was willing to excuse it as a serious lack of judgement from Morris. Arthur didn't know what it was about Merlin, but the boy seemed to be bringing out the worse in people. He had Morris making up lies for some godforsaken reason. He had learned Gwen apparently-for some strange reason-seemed to think she could not say anything if his servant was doing things Arthur should know about. And Arthur himself, well…he had never been as wound up as he was now before that consort of his had arrived in the city. Merlin seemed to act as if he was this bad smell that lingered in the air for weeks on end, refusing to go away no matter how somebody tried to clean it up. But Arthur hadn't forgotten Morris' part in all of this, and basically had him on a probation period, making him work for his position in Arthur's household.

The first week after had been particularly brutal, Arthur was sure he hadn't given his manservant reprieve enough to get a proper night's rest the entire time. The prince had ran him ragged with the most ridiculous request he could think of at the moment, yelling himself hoarse if Morris hadn't finished it in half the time it would usually take. Arthur made sure not a single moment of Morris' time had been spent idle. Having him do tasks three or four times before Arthur was satisfied with the results, even if it had been find the first time. Eating his meals had been a chore for Morris, as Arthur decided to order what he wanted rather then Morris bringing him what the kitchen had already prepared. And then changing up his choices just enough to where Morris would have to go back down to the kitchen to get him what he wanted. And Arthur would change his mind after Morris returned, and say things like 'he was no longer in the mood for it'. Anything he could do to punish Morris, making sure the manservant would not overstep his bounds and get involved in his marriage again.

And Arthur liked to think that Morris had clearly gotten the message, if the horrid bags under his eyes and the draining weariness of his face every time the prince called for him. It had taken some time, but Arthur had gradually loosened up and was only now starting to treat Morris as he had before it had all happened. But that didn't mean Arthur had forgot of it. In fact, the mood had struck him the day before, and he'd decided 'spur of the moment' that tonight, he wanted to put on the same outfit he had worn for the Beltane feast, one of the many events he had attended the year before. As most feasts tended to end up, in Arthur's experience, a food fight had started up. And Arthur knew his clothes from that night had been buried in a closet somewhere, never to see light of day again, coated with rotting foods that had been growing old in the months since. Arthur could only imagine just how horrendous the smell would've been when Morris had first found it. And Arthur had most definitely not waited till the night before the celebrations before informing Morris that he expected it to be found. And throughly washed till there was no smell lingering behind him as he walked. Morris had to work on such a task for hours, and might still not be done in time for the feast. But Arthur did have a back up prepared just in case. And had a speech on how useless Morris was if he failed to deliver it to him by tonight. Which, it looked as if it wouldn't be, it Morris was up here running around as if he was a chicken with his head cut off. And not downstairs in the laundry room, rubbing his fingers to the bone as he tried to scrub out the filth Arthur remembered coating the outfit.

Arthur finally got tired of hearing all the choking that made it sound as if Morris had a frog in his throat and dropped the boy onto his feet with a heavy roll of his eyes as he stepped back from him. It was absolutely no fun, Arthur noted when he did, holding Morris up against the wall when compared to Merlin. Merlin would have been wiggling a bit more frantic in his hold then Morris had. Would have managed to spit out a few words despite the weight against his throat, even if the words ended up being a variety of curses that Arthur would honestly say he had never heard used that way before. The consort might have even actually tried kicking him-he might no longer hurt between his legs where Merlin had once took pleasure in kneeing him, but his manhood still had phantom throbs of pain when he thought of it. And this might've been just his imagination, but he could have sworn his royal jewel looked misshapen, a bit off centered, ever since-where the manservant in front of him haven't even tried. Pathetic, the prince thought as he mentality compared the two boys that he knew. Morris would have allowed him to choke him out in such a way, only tapping him because he needed Arthur to know he wasn't an enemy trying to kill him as the prince had first thought. Merlin, on the other hand, wouldn't have cared rather or not Arthur was the one doing it. Merlin would have fought as if he had suddenly been possessed by a dozen or so wildcats.

He would have used those blunt nails of his to leave Arthur with his parting gift, faint scratches all up and down himself that would heal in a matter of days. But until they did, Arthur would be left feeling them pulling and tugging, not allowing him to forget the ferocity that could be seen hidden inside of the boy's skinny packaging. Merlin's tongue would often be as harsh as any whip against fair skin, telling Arthur thing after thing that he did not want to hear. But since when had his consort ever given into Arthur's annoyance. Hell, the boy would have thrusted his hips up into Arthur's to try throwing him off, not giving Arthur one inch to feel as if he'd been the obvious superior being in the relationship. It wouldn't always work, of course, because Arthur was skilled in fighting. The clumsy attempts of a boy who wiggled more then he'd ever stood still was hardly a challenge. But still, at least that boy of his had a bit of fire swimming in his eyes that kept him at least interesting-though Arthur would hardly ever admit that out loud. Merlin's reactions was far more preferably then his manservant, who Arthur watched as he landed on his feet to keep balance. Was bringing up a hand to hack and cough up a lung it sounded like.

Arthur's face contorted into the most disgusted expression he could manage, as if he had smelled something foul, and took a step back away from the choking man. Morris made spittle fly from his lips, larger globs sticking to his lips that he failed to wipe away. Arthur wanted to never see the man again if he was going to go getting spit all over his shoes in his misconceived attempt to breathe again. Which was quite iron, Arthur failed to notice, considering he had seen much more spit clinging onto Merlin's lip just earlier that day. That was completely different though, the prince would've been reasoning out in his mind if he had thought of it. Because he thought Morris sounded as if he was a dying horse, laying to the side and waiting for the sun to bake him into the next life as he heehawed until the end of his day. And when it'd been Merlin doing it…Arthur had almost been fascinated, and had literally been unable to drag his eyes away from the sight of it. The consort's lips had literally been changing color, going from a soft petal pink to looking as if he had put on some of that rouge Morgana sometimes used to color her lips. It was obvious that Merlin didn't need the extra help from the more girlier products to get his lips to the intense shade of red to stand out in contrast to his pale skin. And don't even try and getting Arthur started on how they went from thin to a more plumper looking texture that made Arthur want to press one of his thumbs against the bottom lip, just to test and see if it was really as plump as it looked…Merlin's would have never compared to Morris' in the least.

"What the hell do you think you are doing, trying to sneak up on me like that? One would think you wanted me to kill you if this is how you are going to behave." Arthur said, to the other boy, sneering with disgust dripping off from his features when he saw Morris finally starting to get control of his breathing. The prince cast a fleeting glance towards the window they stood near, looking at the position of the sun in the sky before estimating the time. Arthur still had a little bit of wiggle room to work around-if he forgo doing anything on the list of things he had mentally marked down inside of his head-to look for Merlin. Before Bayard possibly found him, if that was what the king was going to do after Uther finished his personal meeting with the man. Arthur's stomach made a swoop of anxiety and impatience, to get his hands planted firmly on Merlin. Bayard couldn't 'put the moves' on his little moronic consort, if Arthur had this grip around Merlin's wrist that was so tight, he would need a crowbar to remove him…leaving shapes that resembled Arthur's fingertips in the soft and malleable flesh when he finally released him. But all that time dwindled away, seconds feeling as if hours had passed him by, where he was wasting his time with whatever Morris thought he was doing. Instead of devoting every second he had to track Merlin down. "Shouldn't you be downstairs and doing my laundry right about now? Or should I just go find a new servant if my current on is incapable of doing what I've ordered him to do!"

This was another threat Arthur had taken to doing each and every time Morris had don't been fast enough with a chore he had been assigned-mucking out the horse stalls became a personal favor of Arthur's when he was tired of looking at the servant-or when he hadn't anticipated Arthur's needs to have what he wanted done before Arthur even had to speak it out loud. It really drilled into Morris' mind how replaceable he was, and how Arthur could have another servant within a matter of minutes if he wanted too, one who wouldn't try to start drama where there was no drama to be started. One of the many other servants in the castle who would take pride in their job, and knew working directly under Arthur was the prized position that all servants should stride towards. One more 'screw up' from Morris, could jeopardize his standing in Arthur's household. And god help the servant if the King of Mercia thought he could do any 'funny business' towards his consort when Arthur was currently engaged with Morris of all people. Not a soul alive would be able to stop Arthur if he gave into the urge to skin Morris alive, section by bloody section, if something ended up happening that Arthur could have prevented if he had been there.

"No, no! Of course not sire! I've been hard at work all night to make sure everything is in order for your celebrations as soon as nightfall hits!" Morris sputtered out, his eyes going wide with panic-as it always did-when Arthur said he would replace him. "I am sure you will be very pleased with all the results that I bring you! The stains came out quite nicely and I've got it soaking in some strong smelling liquids that'll get the smell ou-" Morris was interrupted when Arthur rolled his eyes so hard, it felt as if they were going to fall straight out of his head. Arthur didn't hesitate to spin around on his foot and started striding away from the manservant with his long steps. Morris seemed to panic and gave chase, breathing all hard and frantic as he tried to keep up and gain back some of Arthur's attention. "But sire! I'm not here to tell you about your clothing! I mean, I was washing them when I overheard something from some of the serving girls! And I believe that it requires your upmost attention!"

But Arthur only sped up his steps, his face pinched together to reflect his irritation. He did not want to hear another word from Morris, did the manservant really think he would care a wit about whatever the servants filled the days gossiping on about? Arthur could already fill his irritation starting to wane when Morris started talking about bringing him his clothing that night. It made him think of something else that Morris-a piece of clothing-had brought to him. That stupid red cloth Morris had found weeks ago…the red thing that should have been a dishrag rather then something his consort desired to wear. The stupid neckerchief that had been haunting its way into Arthur's dreams ever since the prince had thrown it like trash in his nightstand. Arthur swore, at least once a week-it had been getting worse and was starting happening nightly as the days had worn on-he was waking up because of that stupid thing. Arthur almost wanted to fetch the thing before throwing it at Merlin's dumb face. Getting rid of it would've been enough to stop the dreams-he hoped-and Arthur was more than happy to deal with Merlin being all grumpy and all angry at him, as long as the dreams finally stopped. It would probably be one more reason as to why Arthur was being so snappy and in a mood this week, his sleep being affected on a daily schedule would do that to a person.

Arthur hadn't even realized he had been dreaming about the cloth at first. The first night it had happened, Arthur could barely remember anything more then that fleeting color of red, hovering on the wisps of his memory. Arthur thought it had been the remnants of some battle he'd fought in that'd left his enemy gravely injured, blood coating him. So, Arthur had continued his days as normal. Even when he ended up having the same dream later on, only a bit more clearer. He could see it wasn't the thick consistency of blood as Arthur had first thought, but he still hadn't been able to make out what it was. It was only after a dozen of the same dream did it become clear enough for Arthur to see. It didn't help that he'd been feeling this tightening sensation, snug around his left arm, that had made him jolt out of his bed several times already because he thought he was being attacked while he was sleeping. Arthur would find out later, that he had been dreaming of that day, when Merlin had first tied that stupid neckerchief around his arm and tried to pass it off as a favor Arthur should wear with honor. Please…if Arthur knew that it was going to be such a hassle, he would have burned it the first time he saw it. The only reason he didn't go ahead and toss it into his hearth now, was…because he was a little bit terrified of what he would see if he looked directly at it. The nightmares getting even worse? Coming up with something new, rather then something he had already lived for? Arthur didn't want to take the chance that his nightmares would be changing into burning cloths, the smell of smoke lingering in his nose as he woke……it was better then having his dreams shift to start including the blue neckerchief Merlin had took to favoriting after Arthur failed to return his red one. Not by much, but…at least Merlin himself hadn't made any kind of appearance in his head. Arthur could be thankful for small favors.

"Really, sire! If you would wait just one moment so that I can tell you what the word that is being passed around has been this pass day!" Morris was practically pleading as he tripped and stumbled over his own feet, begging for Arthur to give a moment of his time towards this. He was desperate, Morris 'needed' Merlin to know this! True, his last scheme had not worked out, but this wasn't even a scheme of his own. And yet, it was the most perfect thing that could have happened to him. Merlin had literally caused his own ruin, Morris only had to wait until the consort screwed up on his own. "I am sure that you will not regret this if you pause! It really is of the upmost importance! I swear, I would not waste your time with trivial matters if I did not think it was something you'd need to know!"

Arthur rolled his eyes up towards the heavens, as if to ask the gods why he was stuck with such an idiot for a servant…did he really not see that Arthur was not in the mood for any of this! He needed to be making a stop by the cells to see if there was an extra pair of handcuffs hanging around for him to use on Merlin. But Arthur wasn't going to do such a thing with Morris following behind him. The last thing he needed was for Morris to catch wind of Arthur being connected with 'handcuffs' and Merlin. The manservant would start thinking he and his consort was into weird things, things that would be far weirder then anything Arthur's 'odd thoughts' would go near. If Arthur did end up handcuffing Merlin to him, then it was going to be without an audience to watch and make a spectacle out of them. Somewhere private, and away from prying eyes…Arthur wouldn't even allow Morris inside of his room to clean if he was really going to do this. It would have been just as humiliating for Arthur-to be chained to that wild child-as he was sure it would be humiliating for Arthur to be caught doing the chaining. As if he didn't want Merlin to be more then two feet away from him…well, he did want Merlin to be no more then two feet away from him. But not for the reasons Morris would probably think.

But Morris was still pleading for Arthur to stop, following the prince down a side staircase they had came across, leading the pair of them onto the ground floor. And Arthur could feel his head as if it was about to explode, and he just wanted to see the irritating boy shut his mouth, and let him continue to his searching without being stalked through the castle by a boy who was no more then a lunatic to Arthur, right now. So, when Arthur got to the foot of the stairs, Morris' ramblings had finally seemed to tip him over the boiling point, and he stopped walking. Morris clearly hadn't seen him stopping as the serving boy ran smack into his back. Once again, Arthur gritted his teeth as he compared the serving boy to Merlin…the prince probably would have grabbed Merlin by his collar and shook him around a little, tell him to watch what he was doing and where he was going. Arthur wouldn't always have been there to catch him if he ended up falling straight down the stairs the next time, ignoring that it would have been his own fault entirely. With Morris though, Arthur just wanted to send him away. He had no interest in bothering Morris, there was no interest to see how riled up he could get the boy. No desire to see how hard he had to push his buttons before he finally hit his own limit.

"Sire-" Morris started, and Arthur whipped around, his eyes going into narrowed slits that were so sharp, Morris' mouth snapped shut within an instant. Nearly quivering in his boots when he saw that angered look being so focused on him. He felt it was a look that should never be cast in the direction of his most loyal servant, but Arthur clearly did not see this the same way that Morris did. And Morris forcibly swallowed his own spit, trying to get rid of the dryness in his throat. If the news he wanted to share with Arthur wasn't still hovering on the edge of his tongue, he might've regretted coming to the prince right away.

"What?!" Arthur practically shouted into the air between the two of them, preventing Morris from even attempting to get another word out. But Arthur did not step closer, nor did he try to get anywhere close enough to his manservant, or near his face, as he would have if it wad Merlin. At least the blond prince could be fairly certain-from what he noticed down in the caves, when Merlin smiled at him for only a brief second and Arthur had seen how straight and clean his teeth stood in the firelight-that Merlin took care of himself. Arthur could honestly say he had never noticed Morris', and could say he had no desire in the world to pry Morris' mouth open to see his teeth for himself, as if he was looking over a prized horse he was interested in purchasing. There was no telling what kinds of diseases his manservant could be carrying if Arthur dared to venture too close to uncharted territories. "What is it that you think I could possibly be interested in!"

Arthur arched his eyebrow half off his forehead, and he was literally daring Morris to give him an answer that would force him to stop his search for Merlin long enough to listen to the details of these 'rumors'. Perhaps somebody thought all the talks of a treaty was only Mercia's way of getting close only for them to enact a war from the inside? Perhaps talks were going around that there was a mass killer running loose and nobody was safe. Or maybe even a witch was running amok the castle, and needed to be stopped before they could pull off some dastardly scheme? You know, the big things Arthur would have no other choice but to stop for. And unless that something was the one thing that could lead to complete or utter chaos….then Arthur didn't need to hear one word of it.

Morris opened his mouth to say something-to blurt out all the words that would have had Arthur turned around so he could leave in a heartbeat-but he seemed to think better of his response, and closed his mouth with a sharp clank of his teeth on teeth. Arthur saw this, and scoffed loudly, watching as his manservant seemed fluster. One would have thought, after Arthur had been gracious enough to keep Morris under his service-if only so he had ample opportunity to do all the torturing he wanted, after his last stunt-that Morris would've known better then to approach Arthur unless the prince had called for him. But it seemed Morris had yet to learn a thing that Arthur had been trying to teach him…perhaps this only meant Morris would need to be visiting the stables again for the afternoon, to muck out the stalls as well as still getting Arthur's clothing to him on time. Preferably without carrying the stench of horse manure lingering on him all the way up to Arthur's room. But Morris finally seemed to have gotten what he wanted to say together in his head, and the face of his servant got serious, as if he was about to give Arthur the gravest of news, "…It's about your consort."

It was almost pathetic, how fast the expression on Arthur's face seemed to drop at the mere mention of his consort. It was no surprise there though, as anything that went wrong in his kingdom, seemed to have his consort tied into it one way or the other. But that didn't stop the dread from filling up Arthur's entire system, as if he had ate several bows of the emotion. This was clearly, no laughing matter, and not something he could punish his manservant for. Anything in the world that involved his consort, Arthur needed to know it. He craved to know it. And if this was as serious as Morris made it sound…Arthur was desperate to know it, as his own theories flew through his mind faster then even he could've kept up with.

"…What about my consort?" Arthur demanded, his voice low and dangerous, anxious, with not knowing something about his consort that others did. The worse scenarios popped in his mind, and Arthur cursed at every single one of them. His idiot boy would not be-bleeding out on the ground after the skilled assassin finally made his move and stabbed him right in the spot in his side that could kill a man instantly-if Arthur had managed to grab him, instead of allowing him to run off as he had. His consort would not be-being arrested and had been brought down to the cells by his own men, because his boy made another bad deal with the wrong people, and lost epically-if Arthur had taken charge, and demanded that the boy not leave his side for the duration of his treaty. And his consort would not be…had Bayard managed to find him first and violated him? As Arthur had been wasting his time with wandering the halls because he simply did not know Merlin well enough to know where he would go if he wasn't back in his rooms. Treaty or not-king or not-there were some things that would not stand in the name of peace. And Arthur was going to cut off each finger the man had laid upon his idiot boy. Cut off the king's own cock if things had developed this far, and feed it down the man's throat for thinking he would get away with this. But first…Arthur was going to cut off one finger after the other-his useless servant's fingers-if Morris didn't bloody well tell him what was going on. "And god help you, if you do not know the details of what has happened to him."

Logically. Arthur knew if Morris knew all the gritty details of whatever horrid fate had befallen his consort-because fuck, if Arthur had allowed his anger to get the best of him, so his brat could just wonder off into the first dangerous thing he'd come across-then this would have to mean most likely, all of the kingdom had to know. Which brought Arthur to only one question…why the hell had his guards not came and sought him out immediately. If something that big had happened in some other part of the castle involving his consort…his men should surely know that Arthur was to be informed. Even to only have him on scene to mitigate the situation. But Arthur couldn't think straight, or 'logically', at the moment. For the prince was a bloodthirsty man, the wisps of possessiveness so fierce, it could have shocked Arthur into a vegetable like state if he wasn't so desperate to know what had happened in his absence away from Merlin, starting to work its way out through every vein in his body. Urging him to stalk, urging to shred the lifeblood of whoever-Bayard?-thought they would get away with this. And if Morris wasn't going to tell him this second, it would be the manservant's blood that coated the blade of his daggers.

"…I fear that this is going to be quite difficult to tell you, sire, I am not sure how exactly I should say it." Morris said slowly, behaving the dutiful servant as he bowed his head, playing along with what he thought was the charade Arthur needed to put on for the world, to make them think he was madly in love with his consort. But, and Morris held onto the talks he had once overheard going on between Uther and Arthur that day many weeks ago, princes who fell in love with peasants from the streets did not have to 'make their peasant believe they had really fallen in love with them'. One day, Morris was going to find out the truth behind that conversation, but that day was not today. And Morris would continue playing along with whatever role Arthur needed from him…for now. And all of this would have usually required a more…delicate touch if one wanted to inform the prince of such horror. Though, not even he could hide the eagerness buried deep in the depths of his eyes at being the one to inform Arthur. "But I do know that I must, because you yourself once told me to bring you any news that I might hear if it concerns your consort."

And Morris bowed his head down further, lowering his eyes to the ground in front of him as any dutiful servant would've known to do. But the sight only made Arthur want to gnash his teeth in, his eyes narrowing sharply, remembering what Morris was talking about. Back when Morris had first sought to inform him about Merlin's 'interactions' with the servants under his care, and how Merlin was 'mistreating them', he'd believed the manservant without question. And told the boy to keep him updated on anything Arthur-working too hard to keep up with the day to day activities of what his idiot would be doing when Arthur wasn't near-may have missed. But the prince knew better now, then to blindly trust the fool in front of him. Surely, Morris wasn't dumb enough to once again try doing the exact same trick-only a different verse-on him? If he was, then clearly Arthur had been wrong to try and teach him a lesson all these weeks. He should have had him fired from his position, and banished from Camelot if he would do nothing but cause problems that were not there. Arthur had not seen one shred of proof since he discovered the truth of Morris' deceptions, that Merlin had ever done anything that was excessive to a servant. Hell, the boy was the same boy that made 'friends' with them…what a joke that had been for Arthur to listen to in the first place.

"Morris, I swear to god, I will end you right here and right now if this is another stupid ploy of yours to start trouble up with my consort. I do not know what issues you have with it, but you do not get a say in what my marriage is like." Arthur said in a carefully contained voice, anger still buried deeply inside of it. With Morris bringing up what Arthur had said on that day so many weeks ago, it was starting to look less like Arthur had to find the most rusted sword he could get so he could cut off the limp cock of any man who might have tried to push inside his consort's struggling body. And looked far more like Arthur was going to be sending off a missive right to the quartermaster, requesting he be given a new servant as the last one has seemed to…mysteriously disappeared at some point during the night. "So, I am going to give you only one chance to tell me now, and walk away from this before I do something that will cause 'you' to regret ever coming to me with this. If this is anything like that situation where you lied about Merlin being verbally aggressive with Gwen…"

Arthur should have known that was a lie, considering how good 'friends' they were. But the prince was willing to allow Morris to walk away now, to prove he wasn't as stupid as he looked for trying this again. If he did, then, why…there would probably be nothing wrong with the consort, when he finally came across him. Merlin was probably off picking flowers or whatever it is that 'girls' did. Maybe Gaius was fostering that stupid interest in medicine he had, and they were both off to do something with that. Maybe Merlin was actually getting a head start on Arthur, and was working with Madame Teresa to get his own clothes together for tonight, so Arthur would not have to deal with that. That last one seemed as if it was asking for too much, but hey, Arthur could at least hope that Merlin was taking a bit more initiative with his appearance.

"No, no, no! I swear it to you, sire! This is not anything like it at all! In fact, I have had not one part in doing this! All of the servants have been talking about it for hours, and I fear that the news might have even spread of the upper court. On my quest to find you, I have seen any nobles or knights talking in small groups. It's been really quite unsettling!" Morris was saying in a rushed tone. He was bending forward even more then he had been before, looking as if he wanted to get onto the floor so he could press his nose against it, to grovel only before his prince. "I have learned my lesson, sire. I wouldn't dare try to interfere in your marriage again, despite my own …personal issues, with the man you have chosen. But really, I would not have came if I did not think this was something for you to be aware of! Please…sire…"

And Morris fell silent, waiting for the prince to give him the permission he needed to carry on. But Arthur could look at him only in disbelief, one of his eyes twitching violently with the notion that this might actually be something. But Merlin was clearly not lying dead in a ditch somewhere, Morris was the type who would have started with that. There would be a solemn air around the castle-as there always was-when a noble died. Merlin wasn't a proper noble, but he would have still be given the same funeral rights that any noble had on their deathbed. But there was also no chance that this boy of his, was off doing whatever he did to whittle away all the hours of his day until he was needed, if there was a buzz in the castle. Arthur could feel a hot drop of sweat making its way slowly down the nape of his throat, disappearing down into his shirt. And he swallowed hard, feeling the presence of his adam's apple as it bobbed.

"…Spit it out, Morris." Arthur said, in a tone that was rough and guttural, when it became clear that Morris wouldn't be speaking without permission. But…Arthur's face felt tight as his expression pinched together…what exactly, could Merlin have done in the past couple of hours Arthur had looked for him, that was so bad, the entire castle was talking all about it? Arthur tried to remember rather or not he had seen any person during his searching-he was sure he had-but there was no chance of him remembering rather or not anybody had been talking in groups, or behaving strangely. But…the prince had been so entirely focused on Merlin during all of this, that his search seemed to have became nothing more then one endless blurs. Nothing but hallway after hallway, the vague recollection of seeing people, but no faces came to mind…Merlin had really messed Arthur up. Arthur would have liked to say he had a great memory. He needed to have one, to be able to recall the slightest of things that could've turned out to be a threat later on. But…fucking Merlin…

Seeing that he now had permission, Morris straightened up his spine and eagerly got to work, spinning his story before the prince as a spider would her web, "Several people have been saying there were eyewitnesses to this, so it's not just a rumor that has been brushed aside as a falsehood. People are treating it as if it's the truth, and I honestly believe that it is, as well. It's no secret that your consort is a bit of an..odd sort." Morris paused here, as if he was half hoping for Arthur to agree with him. But Arthur only narrowed his eyes sharply as he resisted the urge to throw Morris out of a window. The prince though, was keenly focused on every word spoken by the servant, determined to not miss a single word. So Arthur would know just how bad this was. And when Arthur did not seem eager to agree with him, Morris cleared his throat and hastily continued, "Nobody has came forward as being one of the eyewitnesses though, which is regretful. I do suspect they might think they could face repercussions if your family decides to go after them for spreading the word, instead of coming straight to your royal highness instead…" which was a fair point. Because if this was as major as Morris made the situation sound, Arthur would probably have whoever it was placed in the stocks. If things really were bad, it should have been brought to his attention. Not passed around as if it had been nothing but gossip fodder from the start. But he didn't make any verbal agreement with Morris' statement, and the prince bared his teeth at Morris, silently telling the servant to once again 'get on with it'. Seeing that Arthur's patience for him had reached the end of its rope, Morris practically spat out the final words, "People are saying that they saw Consort Merlin being…intimate…with another man!"

Morris practically shouted the sentence into the air that was standing between them, but Arthur could barely hear them…it felt as if the air had just escaped his lungs. As if the blood in his brain had flowed out, straight to his feet. Arthur could struggle to understand what he had just heard for his entire lifetime, and yet…Arthur could not understand it. It repeated in his mind, like a wisp he was trying to touch but could not quite catch. Intimate…intimate…intimate…Merlin? The…him? Being intimate…with another man? That…could not be right …had he heard Morris right? Nothing made sense to Arthur, he couldn't even imagine Merlin being intimate with another man. Being forced into it, sure. The boy was scrawny and he could probably be taken down by a child. But being intimate also implied somebody was getting sexual gratification from somebody that they wanted too. But…Merlin….the name did not belong anywhere near the words 'sexual gratification' or 'intimate'. It didn't fit right, didn't stand together, didn't…the prince had not once considered this was the type of rumors Morris was talking about.

When Morris had said there were rumors concerning Merlin being spread, he had thought it would be embarrassing and horrifying. Perhaps people had noticed Merlin had started to get into medicine-was that still a thing? Or had Merlin went ahead and dropped it as Arthur told him too, now that all the sickness had passed it's course-and was discussing exactly how odd a royal was to be wasting their time learning things they would never have to know. Perhaps Merlin had fell right down a set of stairs-he was always a klutz-and while he had not been injured, had split his pants. And had unfortunately, flashed a group of courtier ladies, and gave them one hell of a sight on his bottom. Perhaps Merlin had gone down the far more crazy path, and decided to release the horses living in the stables so that they could run amok the entire city. And Arthur would have to waste his manpower on having each of them found and returned before they were lost. All of these things were problematic, things that would give Arthur one hell of a headache as he tried to fix them, but they were also things that were fixable. Things that Arthur could put back together. Tangible things that Arthur would have every right to punish Merlin via handcuffs, to keep Merlin from trying to do something as outrageous as those would have been.

But Merlin…and some other guy…that was not something he could fix. That…Arthur did not see it as something tangible, it just…it just didn't make sense with what he knew. Did not make sense with the very few things Arthur could say with absolute confidence, that he knew about Merlin. Merlin was a…he was a freak. In the oddest and most weirdest of ways that wasn't entirely off putting, but just strange enough that it made Arthur want to lash out. Simply because he had not ever seen anything like Merlin in all the twenty summers he had been living. The guy thought a fucking neckerchief was a good substitute for a proper favor, for crying outloud. Who in their right mind would even want Merlin hanging off of his arm, if that was the kind of gift he could give to someone he liked. Arthur was still embarrassed by the fact that the other boy had a crush on him at all, but it seemed as if that crush had passed it's course already. For real…had Merlin moved to somebody else? Because Arthur hadn't wanted to return any of those affections…no. Arthur was being stupid. Merlin was not…he hadn't…these rumors were obviously false, but it was damaging enough to cause trouble if Arthur didn't do what he could to contain it. His father alone would go ahead and hit the roof if he thought Merlin was doing anything like this. There was nothing in the contract that said Merlin was going to lose something if he was the cheater-Uther had it looked over several times, but as the peasant family had not had much to offer other then their family's continuing to be devoted to the castle as long as their sons were wed (Arthur didn't know why his father had cared for the loyalty of only one peasant family, but it had been there) there hadn't been much they could do to trick Merlin into falling into the same penalties that Arthur had. But none of that really mattered in the long run, because Arthur knew Merlin…knew the kind of idiot that he was.

"None of that is true!" Arthur barked, his voice coming out of him like a punch to the gut, sharp and growling. Enough that it startled Morris into jumping back, as he hadn't been expecting such an intense reaction. But Arthur didn't care on bit about what Morris thought, he needed to put a cap on this immediately. Morris had said the word was spreading at a fast pace, which meant he needed to work at it even faster if he was going to stop this. Before his father could hear any word of it. Before Merlin could hear anything of it, there was no telling how detailed Merlin could hear of it. Arthur would never be free of his weird questions. Hell, Arthur was pretty traumatized still after that one time-not long after they had been married-and Merlin had been asking him a dozen and one questions about what married people did afterwards. It was horrifying, and while Arthur had managed to get out of it then, if it came up again like this…Merlin was never going to let go of it. "I need you to tell me who has been spreading these vicious lies! I need their names, where they work and what they do. Are they peasant or noble? How many people have you heard talking about this? Is it mainly down around the laundry room, or has it already worked it's way up higher to the upper floors?"

Arthur could see Morris blinking at him dumbly, the endless questions seeming to stump him into silence. But Arthur did not care if he was speaking too fast for the servant to keep up with him. What he did care about was the pulsing vein he could feel in the side of his neck, beating along with his own heart, and felt as if it was trying to burst from his skin. It was rumors like this that made Arthur hate the castle sometimes and it was why he much preferred spending what days he'd been able to get away with it, in the woods. Away from all of the court politics, and the lies, and the rumors that could-if harsh enough-ruin a man. Arthur might have even believed these rumors if they had happened after he and Merlin had first married. But things had changed in the last two or three months, and Arthur knew a few things about Merlin that the prince wished he had never known. Had seen a few things in that time, that Arthur knew would never be unseen again. At least not for as long as he lived.

How many times had Merlin asked him awkward questions he did not know the answer too-Arthur had once punched the Knight Tristian in the face, because Merlin told him that Tristian had been making inappropriate and confusing jokes about his mouth. How many times had Arthur misinterpreted something Merlin had said, thinking it had been meant to be sexual in nature. Only for Merlin to blink at him in confusion, not knowing why Arthur looked as if he was about to have a conniption. Hell, when Merlin had tied the neckerchief snug around his bicep, Merlin had been turning redder then even his cloth had been. A man who went around cheating on any royal, would not blush as if he was trying to pass himself off as some kind of virgin maiden. Even though that seemed to be exactly what Merlin was. How many times had Arthur did the impossible, and use the stupid one time crush he had on him to coerce answers out of the boy? And how many times did Merlin fall prey to it in the beginning, all flushed face and innocent. Before he started kicking Arthur directly between the legs for getting too close. How many times did Arthur go out of his way to protect Merlin-from his father finding out, or from Merlin realizing exactly what Valiant had wanted to do to him-only for it all to fall prey to a bunch of unfounded rumors.

"Um…sire…I don't think you quite understand." Morris spoke up in a slow tone, looking hesitate and unsure how exactly he was supposed to proceed with himself. He would have thought Arthur would use this as an excuse to finally get rid of the boy. So he didn't have to do whatever his father was wanting from the boy. But…that was not how things turned out at all. There was a fine line between acting in some kind of charade for something Morris wasn't privy to the details of, and…whatever this behavior from Arthur was now. "I do not wish to be the bearer of bad news, sire. But surely you can see for yourself, can see that this…" Morris swallowed his tongue, and changed his words, to not elude to Arthur that Morris might know a bit more then he had been letting on this entire time. "Consort, you have chosen. Is a cheater. And needs to be dealt with like one."

Arthur's back went ramrod straight, stiffening so tightly that his spine cracked, when he heard this. No, Arthur thought in a sure tone that surprised even him. He would not ever want to force Merlin through that miserable experience. He might care poorly for the boy, but the way Camelot handled those lower noble people-who did not have the backing of a more powerful family-was abhorrent. Arthur had only ever seen it a handful of times himself, and always done to women who had been caught in the act. Never the men who made their wives hide their affairs behind closed doors, turning away their heads as if they didn't know what their husband was doing with the fresh, young thing in his office. But should a man ever catch his wife in the same position…they were not opposed to dragging the woman across the entire castle to throw her on her knees in front of the king, and demand the woman have some kind of penance against her for her crime against her husband. Sometimes, even with her bodice still untied, a husband too angry to allow her to fasten it proper, so her breasts wouldn't flash in front of eyes that should've never seen it. The punishment for adultery was a steep one, one even Arthur was bound by because of the terms of the contract, not even being a prince could shield him from the repercussions. But at least Arthur wouldn't have his shirt be ripped down his back, at least he wouldn't be held down by his arms by two strong men so that another could flog him across his back until he was bleeding from wounds so deep they would scar. If he was lucky to not have the wounds he infected, if he was lucky enough to get to Gaius on time. He would at least not be shunned by the community, forced to wear a scarlet A on his tops for several weeks before he was sent away to live the rest of his life in shame. In some estate in the country where he would never be seen again. No, that was not going to happen to Merlin.

Arthur might have some issues stopping these rumors, but he was not going to allow some ill-trained man with a whip too long for them to handle properly, within even a spitting distance of his consort. How many times have Arthur been the one wanting to lay the lick of a lash across the fair skin of the boy's back, to watch as it blistered and bruised right under his watchful eyes. Keen on making sure he would go as far as he wanted, but not so far that it would permanently damage Merlin. Arthur would kill the man who thought that he could do the prince's job, long before he managed to get out his whip. Nobody was going to be leaving any scarring or bruising on Merlin…nobody but him. And if the prince got the chance to 'ever' lay a whip against fresh skin, then that would be because Merlin must have done something foolish and dangerous enough to deserve it. Not because the idiot had somehow ended up on the accused end of adultery.

"That is not going to happen." Arthur said, voice coming out sharp and leaving no room for somebody like Morris to ask questions. This whole situation would simply be out of the question, and should Arthur ever find whoever started these vicious rumors in the first place…hell hath no fury like a man pissed as hell. Arthur didn't believe that there were any kind of 'witnesses' to this 'crime'. There was no crime, so how did anybody see something that Arthur knew had no chance of happening. Arthur leveled his gaze back onto Morris, daring him to try and convince Arthur it was okay to have a random and talentless man lay multiple lines of red across the fresh canvas that was the back of his consort, until they would be splitting open and leaving scars in their wake. "I do not want to hear another word about how I should handle my consort, is that understood?"

Arthur supposed he couldn't blame somebody as stupid as Morris for believing these rumors. But Arthur could also say he knew them to be false, because he knew the one thing in the world that very few people could say…his Consort was a bloody virgin. A man did not sit as calm as Merlin had, onto the edge of Arthur's bed on their wedding night, and ask all manner of questions about what they were going to do now. A boy like Merlin didn't have Arthur jumping through all the hoops he had in the beginning-convincing Gaius to lie right to the king's face to protect Merlin from Arthur being forced to rape him to satisfy his father-if he wasn't an actual virgin. And a stupid one at that. A boy like Merlin didn't ask Arthur odd questions, or say things that could have been taken out of context and sound sexual, but blink at Arthur as if he did not understand why the prince was freaked. A boy that was like Merlin, did not develop a crush on someone like Arthur, and then start behaving like a pre-teen, with the shy smiles and the innocent favors and the hopeful atmosphere he had once eluded. A boy like Merlin did not run off and try to find the first man they could just because Arthur had rejected an unfortunate offer of possibilities for something else made to him. A boy like Merlin did not…drive Arthur completely up a wall, if he wasn't as innocent as he had been portraying him to be.

Trust Arthur, he would know if there had been something to his consort that was different. And sure, he had been quite the odd sort with how little protest he had been giving when Arthur had been fussing at him earlier, but the prince could easily assume it was only because Merlin was unfortunately, still in awe over fucking Bayard. But that, Arthur insisted on, would be nothing more then idolizing the new king standing in their midst, and nothing more on the boy's part. He would know if there had been something going on with Merlin, and so what if Arthur hadn't really seen Merlin at all during these past few weeks. He would 'know' if something as drastic as it was to lose one's virginity, had happened to Merlin. There would be some kind of sign hanging above Merlin-inside of Arthur's mind-if he had. Merlin would look different to him, as one would when they had completed the transformation from boy child, to man. Merlin would still look as if he was a bumbling man-child, if he was off doing adult things behind Arthur's back. So no, Arthur was positive that Merlin wasn't at all clever enough to hide his newfound 'adulthood' out of Arthur's sight. Hell, the boy still accused Arthur of cheating on him with Lady Clarissa, even though nothing had gotten to happen before Merlin had busted in on them that night so many nights ago. If Merlin had been doing adult things with another man, then he would have probably tried flaunting it in Arthur's face, just to show off and prove he could do the same thing Arthur had never actually done.

So no, Arthur could say with complete confidence, that not a word Morris had been trying to peddle him was true. Not a chance in hell would it ever be true. Merlin would not smile a stupid smile, the one he used to give to Arthur when he was still harboring that stupid crush, to another man. Merlin was not leaning forward and pressing sweet and soft and dainty innocent kisses into the harsher mouth of another man. The consort was not being grabbed and forced into harsher and more adult-like kisses by a man with more experience, who had no patience to entertain Merlin's more innocent quality that would probably translate into his abilities as any kind of lover. Merlin had not been stripped of his clothing by clumsy hands of a man who wouldn't take the time to go slow like a real man should when easing a first timer into their first real adult relationship. Merlin wouldn't be flopped onto his front, bruises and love bites littering all across his skin, by a man who would not be patient enough to explain he was about to play with Merlin's rectum area. Merlin would not arch up his back and scream as an unsavory man pushed his cock into a small hole, unprepared properly to take it, innocence and virginity being stolen by a man who wasn't even generous to do it with Merlin facing him. So Merlin would at least feel as if his first time could have been with a lover, instead of him being taken on his knees by some kind of brute seeking only his own gratification.

No, no, no. Arthur could not believe any one of those things had somehow happened to Merlin, of all people. And he had not known about it. Arthur would know…he knew this almost more then he knew Merlin was an actual blushing virgin. The prince knew he would know, more then he actually knew him himself. Arthur would know if there was any new man trying to hang around Merlin. Merlin might be an odd sort, but if he did have a man coming after him, he would have been seen. Who in the world would bed a royal consort, and then leave as if nothing had happened…most people would have tried to use that fact to their advantage. To gain something from Merlin, rather that be something as unsavory as having a bit more bedroom activity. Or trying to blackmail Merlin to get the kind of wealth or power only a royal could've bestowed onto them. And that was the kind of blackmail that wouldn't ever end, this unsavory man coming back time and time and time again to get more of what should have never belonged to them. Only being stopped when the truth came out which would bring about Merlin's ruin as well…so, it was definitely a good thing Merlin wasn't running off with god-knows-who it could've been.

"But…but…but sire!" Morris started to stutter in front of the prince, reminding Arthur that the manservant was still right in front of him. His manservant, who was apparently going against his orders, and once again trying to convince Arthur that his consort would do something as crass as 'cheating' on him. Because real relationship or not…running around on him like some cheep whore would definitely be the one line not to be crossed. After the fit Merlin had thrown after him walking in on Arthur and Clarissa…the boy wouldn't do that. Hell, probably wouldn't even know the first thing to do, even if he wanted too. "I know that you probably are in a state of …shock, right now. But if you can only seen things clearly, if only for a second, I am sure that you will start seeing that all of this is true! I don't want you wasting time with a boy who would turn his back on everything you have given to him. To a boy who is not even grateful that you made a peasant like him into something he could've never otherwise becam-"

Arthur scoffed before Morris could dare finish his sentence, and the other boy clamped his mouth shut with an audible click of teeth against teeth. Rolling his eyes, the prince was already turning around and walking away before Morris had even realized he was. Arthur could hear Morris when he was scrambling to catch up with the prince's long strides, but he did not stop walking. Arthur had to catch hold of Merlin, and demand to know what he knew about these rumors. And he would need to now coach Merlin on how he should behave for the next few weeks, especially during tonight's events, if there was a brave soul attending who would have decided to speak of it out loud. Merlin would need to know what to say, if they were going to work together and put these rumors to rest. And if Merlin tried to push back with those little acts of rebellion he was always doing, then the prince would simply have to point out what would happen to Merlin if he wasn't going to play along. Surely Merlin would've much preferred to-somehow-step up the show they have been doing for the people, then being whipped half to death in front of half the court. Arthur might not allow it to happen, but Merlin might need a little more incentive if he was going to play his part right.

"Sire, please!" Morris was once again by his side, doing the babbling he was so prone to doing when Arthur cared not a thing for it. "I know this is difficult, but people are saying he was being escorted into one of the many bedrooms around the palace by a noblemen-" Arthur knew that it wasn't true in the least, just more lies being spun around by those who were bored by their own lives and lived to make the lives of others miserable. By Arthur felt it when his eyes narrowed to slits, his jaw hardening, his pace quickening to escape from the annoying gnat at his side. It might not be true but Arthur found that he did not much care for his consort to be talked about in such a manner. As if he was nothing other then just a cheap harlot, wooed away so easily by another. It was not as if Merlin could find another man that was richer then the prince was. It was not as if Merlin could find another man in the world, that could give him anything Arthur couldn't give him himself. Merlin was too-as fucking irritating as it could be most days-fucking innocent to do the things Morris tried to say he did. Morris might as well have been talking about a child, given how innocent the boy was. And still, Morris kept up his irritating nattering, "Prince Arthur, please! There have been servants claiming they walked passed the room during this time, and heard noises coming from within! Noises one shield never hear coming from a married man when they are in the presence of somebody whose not their husband…."

Morris was getting desperate now, tripping over his feet as he struggled and struggled to keep up as Arthur walked on faster and faster. He was wondering if he should just tell the prince that he knew more then he was letting on, let Arthur know whatever his father was forcing him to do with the boy he had been forced to marry…let him know that Arthur had to put on a show and for some reason, make Merlin think he was in love with him…that he didn't have to pretend about it with Morris. Morris could win over Arthur's trust if he could become a confident, if he could fish out the details from the prince about the real story behind the marriage…then Arthur wouldn't be looking as if he 'trusted' Merlin, more then he'd trust the mouths of hundreds of people going around. But it was his trump card, something he planned to use on Merlin if he got desperate…had he really gotten so desperate right now? …No, he hadn't. And Morris darted his eyes around his space to try and come up with something else that would've garnered Arthur's attention, biting down on the corner of his lip as he did. And Morris burst out the first thing that hit him in the head, something any lover would've surely been upset to hear.

"His lips! There was something going on about his lips!" the manservant blurted out. He didn't really know where he was going with this, but wouldn't any lover-even a false one-be more upset then what Arthur was currently showing him, if Morris gave him something that was a bit more substantial, based on fact then just rumors. "One of the girls down in the laundry room, she ran across Merlin earlier this day. And she mentioned he was looking a little nervous…Mary, that is her name. He kept biting his lip. And between you and me, I will have to say that I've seen it myself. What man bites down on their lips, unless they are thinking about something specific. I bet you anything that he was thinking about this man of his and what they've been doing. I bet if you ask him, Merlin will try turning this whole thing around and lying about it. Since I have never met a man that does tha-"

Morris yelped when he ran straight into Arthur's back, after the prince froze in mid-step when Morris had tried to lie to him through his teeth. Morris had seen Mary in the laundry room, delivering something to the matron. And Morris had overheard her talking to Gwen, who was gathering the last of her load of clothing, whispering about how Merlin was an absolute sweetheart-sickening to Morris-but she worried as his lips would surely grow chap if he kept biting along them as he did. Morris had only embellished on this, added a bit of flair to the story to really get the prince'a mind turning in the direction that he wanted it to be. But now, Morris had to rub his aching nose, calling out for Arthur because he didn't expect for him to suddenly stop in the middle of the hall like he had. His nose was throbbing, but…it was nothing when it was compared to the look on Arthur's face. Arthur looked as if he was absolutely…baffled. As if he was trying to put all of the pieces together, but was having trouble making them be sticking like they should.

"…Biting his lip, you say?" Arthur finally croaked out, and not looking at Morris who moved to stand beside him. This may not have meant anything to a normal person, but Arthur saw many things his consort did. And one thing Merlin had taken to doing, that Arthur couldn't recall him doing back when he had first arrived in the city, was biting his lip. Arthur did not think he would be forgetting anytime soon, the way the dark haired boy had practically been feasting on his own lips as if they were a succulent dinner meant for one instead of being nibbled on by two. The color shifting in response to it being constantly stimulated by flashes of white teeth, and the hint of a pale pink tongue. "…Are you sure that's what you heard being said? Merlin was biting on his lips earlier?"

Arthur had always assumed that this whole lip biting thing his consort did, was some kind of nervous habit. Rather this habit was one he had since childhood-like when Arthur was stressed, and started biting on his thumbnail when he would need to think on things clearly-or if it was something that he had only developed after arriving in Camelot, it didn't really matter. What mattered was…Arthur had always assumed the consort had only ever done it in front of him. Maybe it was a coping mechanism, something to stop Merlin from trying to jump on him and wrestle him to the ground, as he had once been prone to doing. It hadn't occurred to Arthur that it was something his consort could be doing in front of others. The motion, Arthur thought…was something that should be done in private. Something nobody else should be allowed to see …it could be seen as indecent, if the wrong man had seen it being done. But Arthur had allowed Merlin to continue doing it without stopping him, they were married, were they not? It made sense that Arthur would see a few sides of his consort that others would never get to see. Others may assume that meant Arthur got to see him naked when they wouldn't, and while that obviously wasn't something Arthur would ever get to see-nor did he want too-but for Arthur…Merlin biting on his lip had the same significance.

It…Arthur clenched his jaw and lowered his eyes down to the ground…he was feeling pretty stupid right about now. It was something so little to be upset about, but…Arthur found that he was definitely upset about it. Nobody else should've gotten to see Merlin chewing on himself like that. Not some random maid down in the laundry room, not any man others seemed to think his consort was having sex with. The blond prince should have known Merlin wasn't just waiting around till Arthur showed up so that he could do it. The idiot boy, he was free to bite down on his lips whenever he damn well felt like it. And this was one thing Arthur couldn't control, even if he damn well wanted too. Merlin should've only felt comfort enough to do it in his presence. Because the consort should know with confidence, that Arthur wouldn't be looking down at them, imagining improper scenarios. He wouldn't see the consort biting down on them, and think of it as being a one time invitation to stick his manhood between the soft pillow things Merlin called his lips. Merlin could do…whatever the consort wanted to do, and know that Arthur wouldn't try to take advantage of it. Would know Arthur would not even be attracted to it. But still…why would Merlin choose to bite on his lips…obviously, because he really was the virgin maiden that did not see what others-not Arthur-might see.

…Unless he did know what he was doing. Unless Merlin did know exactly how it would look…knew it would catch an eye from the unsavory sort. Arthur was pretty sure it was some kind of nervous habit Merlin did, so why would he be doing it in a corridor where Arthur wasn't. As fun as it was to know Arthur made Merlin nervous-it was a big switch compared to Merlin's usual anger-it wasn't as fun knowing there was something else that made Merlin nervous. Or eager…like his manservant had said. Why would Merlin have been doing it when he was on his own? Perhaps he was trying to attract the company of a man…Arthur shook his head, vehemently trying to deny the sinking dread and crippling doubt when it started to hit him. No, he was being ridiculous. Merlin didn't know what he was doing. Didn't know what it looked like to others who had seen him biting his lips-since Merlin'd been apparently doing it freely all over the castle-there was really no telling who had seen him doing it. Had Morris also saw it being done…Arthur didn't think he could have him continue to work under him, knowing his servant had seen something as intimate as the whole lip biting thing was supposed to be.

But how was it, really, if Merlin felt free to do it to the entire castle…that was another ridiculous thought. Just because Merlin didn't share the same sensibilities that Arthur found he did, did not mean he was doing it on purpose. It was just a habit…not one that was meant to attract a male's attention to him. It would be a weak trick, if Merlin thought it would be something that would work. Merlin had dead set told him his crush on Arthur was non-existent, and yet, he continued to use his little 'trick' in his presence. Unless…Arthur felt a trail of something going down his spine. It wasn't a cold fear that Arthur had came to associate whenever the prince had been forced to think of himself being involved in anyway that was inappropriate with Merlin. It was something warmer then the cold had been, but wasn't full on heat either. Arthur couldn't say for certain what it was, but it was simmering heat below the surface…Arthur brushed it off and resumed his thinking pattern. Was it possible that Merlin really did still have that crush on him, was it possible that Merlin had been doing it to try and catch his attention? Had Merlin really thought the cheap trick would be enough to turn his head, even though they had already had this conversation, and Merlin knew it was never going to happen.

But that didn't make sense either. Because why would the consort have been doing it earlier, where someone must've seen it for Morris to know about the habit, if Arthur wasn't even there. Unless he was practicing his technique…but in all honestly, who sat around and practiced at biting down on their lips? Who taught themselves how to chew on their lip until the bottom one was puffier. Who practiced turning the color different? Who trained themselves to gain maximum attention drawn down to what could be arguably-the most interesting part of a person's face…for something that they knew was never going to happen. Unless…Merlin had not been practicing to try and catch Arthur's eye. Perhaps, and the prince was sure he felt the sudden cold chill shoot down his spine, making every hair on his body stand on end, even his heart seemed to freeze in his chest…Perhaps Merlin had not been alone. Perhaps he had not been practicing, maybe he didn't need to practice it, because it had already worked it's magic. Maybe Merlin had lured a guy-some random guy who would not know how to treat somebody as delicate as Merlin was-to some random room in the castle.

But if that was true…then Merlin wasn't really as delicate as he had portrayed himself to be. No blushing flower of virgin would be able to carefully sweep a man off his feet…Arthur felt a sudden craving to know exactly what had been going on when his back was turned. Arthur hadn't seen Merlin in weeks before Bayard had arrived. It was very possible that something had been going on behind his back, something he would not know because he'd had no desire to see Merlin in these last few weeks. But the question remained…exactly how much of this rumor was true, and how much of it was a falsehood. The lip biting habit of Merlin suddenly had Arthur asking questions he had denied asking when he'd been first told these ridiculous accusations. And the prince knew that there was no chance of him returning to his rooms without getting proper answer's straight from the horses mouth.

From Merlin.

"…I need to see Merlin." Arthur suddenly said, his voice was sounding hoarse even to his own ears, not waiting on rather or not Morris would answer his earlier question. The prince didn't care how, or where, he just knew he needed to have Merlin within his sights right this moment. Needed to have him close enough to touch, close enough to pull on…close enough to whip if all the doubts Arthur suddenly felt he was having was true. And nothing was going to stop Arthur from finding out the truth that would determine how he would be treating Merlin after he found him. "I need to see him Now."

Morris must have heard the rawness in Arthur's voice, since he didn't ask any questions. He simply nodded his head, but Arthur barely paid him any attention. He was too busy trying to wrap his mind around the new version of Merlin that tried to erase the one he had in his head. Merlin was innocent but what if he wasn't? Merlin was a virgin who didn't know what to do with his own cock, yet along knew what to do with any other cock. But what if he did know what to do…was it even possible that Merlin had been playing him for a fool all of the time? Making himself look innocent in front of Arthur, but he had been off doing god-knows-what whenever Arthur would take a break from him…no. There was no way that Merlin, of all people, would have been that good of an actor, to pull off the level of innocence Arthur had seen in him. To be such a good actor, that Arthur would literally lie to his father's own face to try and preserve that kind of innocence. But did that innocence really belong in this world…Arthur didn't think so, and yet…it had.

Or had it not existed at all…

But perhaps this was only a new development instead…and Merlin really had came to Camelot as innocent as a newborn babe would have been. And this whole new side of Merlin he was seeing, had only developed because Arthur hadn't kept a close enough eye on him. Or any eye…he had thought the boy would do fine on his own. Neither of them wanted to do anything with the other, it was their break getting away from each other. But Arthur 'knew' Merlin had the worse habit of getting himself entangled with something that he shouldn't. And Arthur felt his chest grow tight. This scenario would've been only marginally better then the first one. The first one made Arthur out to be a fool, for believing anybody could be as naive as Merlin had shown him to be. But the second one meant Arthur had failed to keep Merlin safe again, if he and his innocence had been taken advantage of. The truth of the matter was…Arthur didn't know what to believe. And as he'd said before…he wouldn't know anything unless he could get his hands on Merlin. And drag the answers right out through those teeth bitten lips of his. And then possible have a long talk with Merlin about what 'decency' meant, and how there were certain activities that should only be done whenever it was just him alone. Or with Arthur. Because yeah, the prince would allow it, if it kept Merlin from complaining too much.

Ignoring Morris at his side, Arthur strode ahead with a new determination to his step. He was not going to get answers by standing around here. He was going to find Merlin and he was going to discover rather everything thought he'd known about the boy was a lie, and thus something Arthur wouldn't ever let go. Arthur would burn with the righteousness of one thousand suns, and burn Merlin to the ground if the boy had made a fool out of him. Or if this whole thing was simply one more odd misunderstanding, and Merlin needed him to be a bloody husband, and protect him from the stupidity of other people believing this stupidity. One would leave Arthur with a burning rage, where he could feel the traces of starting to stir in his veins, any wrong move could step him off. And the other…might leave Arthur allowing the boy into his space, so he could recover from any confusion this rumor might have caused him. But either direction this would go…only Merlin would be able to decide that. But only if he could find him…

"Sire," Morris said helpfully from behind him, but Arthur did not stop. He had no interest in hearing one single thing his meddlesome servant would say. He had already caused the prince enough trouble with getting himself involved with the royal affairs of the royal family. Arthur was already down the hall halfway, thinking about the quickest ways that could get his hands on Merlin. Perhaps he could get together a legion of knights to spread out across the castle. Surely one would be able to find him and have the boy brought straight to him where he would be thrown onto his knees so that he'd have a chance to explain himself to Arthur proper. Morris' voice trailed to him from back down the hall, "I think I have found your consort."

And for the second time that day, Arthur was forced to stop walking by something Morris had said. There was a pause in the air, and Morris had barely blinked before Arthur showed up at his side. Morris had been standing in front of this large window, one of many going up and down this hallway, and it was a tight squeeze for Arthur to fit beside him but that was practically fixed when Arthur shoved him out of his way for a good look out the window. And there…he could see him…the prince would recognize that backside of Merlin's body from anywhere. He had stared at it enough times, glaring at it for the most part, whenever Merlin got cocky and would storm off ahead. As if he thought Arthur wasn't going to drag him right back to where he begun, just to show him who was the one really in charge here.

The only problem was…Merlin was miles down below, and it was too far away for Arthur to be able to catch him before he got out of view. But he knew where he was going…Merlin was running full speed towards the marketplace. One would think his very life depended on him getting out of the castle walls, with his hair flopping messily as he made his escape. This caused Arthur to narrow his eyes sharply, and he dug his fingernails into the stone windowsill he had his hands planted again. If anything…this only seemed to prove Morris had been right about what he said. Why else would he see his consort running away as fast as he did, unless he knew he was in trouble. Unless he had heard the rumors going on as well, and knew it was only a matter of time before Arthur caught up to him.

"…Merlin…" Arthur breathed out, but there was something so much darker brimming under his tone. Something angry and it only seemed to grow more dangerous-like a single spark of a flame igniting the kindling-and one wrong move would have it bursting into an inferno. Arthur was already angry, he could feel it swirling around-hot and heavy-in his veins. The consort could say whatever he wanted, but Arthur knew that he was already gearing up for a fight. Unless Merlin had one damn good excuse for what was going on, Arthur was going to beat the living shit right out of him. And Arthur seemed to finally snap when Merlin disappeared out of sight, going out the bridge that led into the lower town.

Oh…hell no! Now that the prince knew where where his little consort was deciding to seek shelter-though seriously, why in the world did he think the marketplace would have been a good idea?-he wasn't going to allow Merlin to get away from him as easily as he thought it would be. In the next moment, Arthur was shoving himself away from the windowsill and he took off running as fast as he could down the hall. The man was more determined then ever to get his hands on Merlin, and nobody was going to stop him. He would have burned hell itself to the ground if somebody tried getting between his consort and him. This, Arthur thought, was between the two of them. The gossip fodder might have fed into the talks going around, but as Arthur had learned, most of the time, a rumor usually had a small grain of truth buried inside of the stories somewhere. And Arthur would find out which words he'd heard was truth, and which was fiction.

Arthur, as he hopped down a set of stairs three at a time and nearly broke his neck when he misjudged his jump at the bottom, didn't know where he had gone wrong with the consort, if any of this was true. Arthur had been extremely patient with the boy, doing what he could to keep him safe from those that wanted to take advantage of him. Listened to him when he went off on one of his crazy tirades that had made no sense, but in the end had turned out to be nothing other then the truth. Had offered him things people from his position could only ever dream of having within their reach, and he had continued to turn his nose up at him. So where'd Arthur go wrong? What had he done that was so bad, Merlin had decided to risk his new position on….what? Having one-had it only been once, or had Merlin gone out and decided to sleep with, and touch on, and fuck multiple men…the boy could have some kind of flesh rotting disease for all he knew of-moment of sexual gratification?

Arthur didn't know-already thinking as if everything he had heard was the god honest truth-when Merlin had turned the leaf. When he had gone from the innocent boy Arthur felt he had no choice but to go out of his way to protect. To being nothing more then a common slut-filth staining the ground with every step he took-that needed to be taken care of in a much different way. And trust Arthur…he would not allow his consort to make a fool out of him. Merlin would rue the day he'd been been. Merlin would never again take another lover after the punishment that Arthur fished out for him…Arthur Pendragon would make sure Merlin would never be able to look at another man without thinking of what Arthur would do to him in response. Arthur swore it…

X

Back on the landing where Arthur had left Morris, the young manservant did not even try to follow Arthur. Even though it would be quite a show to see. He would love to watch Arthur putting Merlin into his place, but…he didn't need too. It was enough just knowing that Arthur was finally seeing things he wanted him to see. It was nice to know that Arthur would be finally putting Merlin into his rightful place. And who knows, maybe this would be the final straw. Maybe this would end up being the push Arthur needed to finally send his consort away, so that he could no longer be a thorn digging into the side of the royal family. No longer a thorn getting in the way of Morris getting closer to what he wanted…

Morris did wait though, by the window, until he saw Arthur making a mad dash across the courtyard to the bridge. It'd been several minutes of silently waiting-the castle was large and took quite some time to get around-but the wait Morris knew, had been well worth it. The manservant smirked only to himself, knowing things were about to take a turn within Camelot, and he thrived on this knowledge. Morris turned away from the window, and he started to whistle this eerie tune under his breath as he walked his way back down to the laundry room. Arthur's outfit for tonight still needed to be dried out if he was going to deliver it to Arthur on time.