You all won't believe me but this fic has been in progress since like 2013. I know. I know.
Anyway. I honestly need to get it out of my system so I finally finished it. I honestly can't believe I haven't seen this done already. I mean, the Sword in the Stone movie is right there, haha.
This is a Golden Age! AU and basically a feel-good fic, with lots of family and brotherly feels. I can't believe it's been ten years. It's been an honor, honestly. And I love you all so much.
If any of you are looking for recently-written recs I definitely recommend Captain Ozone's new brilliant series, 'Forbidden Fruit,' 'Far From the Tree,' 'Taking Root,' It's a brilliant take on a magically-sensitive Arthur AU! Also, there's another brilliant multi-chapter I've been enjoying immensely, Gingeraffealene's 'Roaming the Magical Wilds.' Just, absolute beautiful work.
The titles for these chapters are taken from Julius Caesar, when Casca says,
'And yesterday the bird of night did sit
Even at noon-day, upon the market-place,
Hooting and shrieking. When these prodigies
Do so conjointly meet, let not men say,
These are their reasons; they are natural;
For, I believe they are portentous things
Unto the climate that they point upon.'
Anyways, enjoy!
And Yesterday The Bird Of Night Did Sit
"He became restless to embrace their example, but he was shy. Perhaps their family groups, he thought, would resent his intrusion: yet he wanted not to be lonely: he wanted to join in, and to enjoy the exercise of morning flight, which was so evidently a pleasure to them."
― T.H. White, The Book of Merlyn
...
"O, my friend,
What fitting word can I say?
You, my chum,
My companion of infinite talks..."
-Edgar Lee Masters
King Arthur knew that, had he been quicker, he might have stopped the whole problem before it even started. He could have very well ordered Merlin to take the thing back to where it belonged or just burn it for safety's sake. But- and he cursed himself for it- he'd let Guinevere and knights all rush out before him, reach Merlin before him, embrace Merlin before him- so that he would have no one interrupting him when he welcomed the idiot home again.
Once Gwaine was done hugging Merlin and he caught his warlock's eyes through a gap on those that were crowded around him, and the lopsided smile paired with that particular affectionate gaze that was directed at him and only him he cleared his throat to announce it was his turn and skipped down the last few steps that led to the courtyard. But he stopped dead when Percival stepped aside, and he saw something perched on Merlin's shoulder.
"What on earth is that, Merlin?"
"This, Arthur…" Merlin said happily, using his finger to rub the thing's feathers. "…Is an owl."
The thing blinked at Arthur and Arthur stared back.
"Yes," Arthur answered patiently. "I know that. What I meant is 'why on earth did you bring that thing to the castle'?"
Merlin rolled his eyes and then said, very slowly and deliberately. "Archimedes was on his own when I found him. The poor thing got shot down by a hunter." He looked pointedly at the High King and Arthur found it very alarming that his glare was followed by everyone else's. "…That's probably the reason why he gets really nervous when he hears loud noises- I decided to take him in. He could be useful someday, you know?"
"Right." He said flippantly, wanting to pat Merlin in the back but not really daring to do it, which frustrated him even more. "Get rid of the thing Merlin."
Merlin started to protest very loudly- which was expected, and Arthur could very well deal with it. What he didn't anticipate was Guinevere's high pitched, "He will do no such thing!" and then Gwaine's obnoxious tirade of how he 'had no heart'. Not to mention Gaius' pointed glare and the frowns he received from his Round Table.
"What the-"he stood there, gaping like a fish out of water. "You can't possibly agree on keeping that thing here?"
"I don't see what the problem is, princess." said Gwaine as he rubbed the thing's head. "It's perfectly fine by me."
"I'm certain someone mistook it for some other bird." Leon added, and as Arthur's disbelieving eyes turned towards him, he didn't quite manage to look impassive. "Owls hardly make a good game, sire."
"He will harm no one if he stays." Guinevere said and Arthur looked in horror as she petted the thing's head at it closed its eyes contentedly. "Isn't he just adorable?"
"We can teach him how to hunt, can't we?" Percival commented quietly and The High King couldn't repress a flinch. "I've always wanted to see one in action."
"Oh, yes!" Gwaine agreed wholeheartedly, grinning as if all his dreams had suddenly come true. "And Elyan can make a little band with his name, and we can put it on his leg so that if he gets lost everyone knows it's ours!"
"That's actually sort of brilliant." Elyan said lightly, placing a hand on Merlin's other shoulder.
And up to the castle they all went, leaving Arthur on the wake of a realization that he would fear later.
At first the bird was the picture of a passive night-hunter that for some unexplained reason (perhaps only to annoy Arthur more.) did not sleep at all during the day. Merlin said it was because Archimedes was 'special' but Arthur was very strongly starting to suspect that dark sorcery was involved.
But he had to agree- reluctantly so- that the thing was doing nothing wrong (yet.) It merely followed Merlin around like some sort of flying canine with that stupid dopey look on its feathery face and it wasn't too long before all of the knights took turns to pet it and the maidservants cooed at it whenever the thing flew by. It even won Mary's sympathy when it gobbled down a mouse that was terrorizing the kitchen staff.
Arthur was almost fooled himself but the council meeting that happened one week after the thing's arrival stopped him from making such mistake.
It had started normally enough. The Round Table sat around him, Gwen held his hand from his left side and Geoffrey was reading the report on that month's taxes. But a little squeak once in a while reminded Arthur that Merlin, sitting on his right side as always, had that thing perched on his shoulder.
When Geoffrey said, "and the lower town physician thanks you sire for your generosity with his debts…" Arthur reached out for his goblet and drank, intending on leaning towards Merlin to thank him for his suggestion on the physician's situation only to see the owl looking straight at him with its unblinking eyes and remember that he could not.
So, he let down the goblet with frustration and, before he knew what was going on, there was a long screech that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and then Merlin was shouting uselessly and so was Gwen before there was something perched on his hair, pulling-
He cried out and reached for his sword, but Merlin grabbed his wrist before he could do anything with a loud, "Arthur no!" and Gwen followed with a "Stop it! Would you just keep still?" but Arthur could hardly hear them because the bird was squeaking as if it was being massacred instead of massacring the King! The thing screeched and squawked without mercy and Arthur tried to shake Merlin's arm off, but the idiot wouldn't let go, saying something about 'murdering innocent beings!'
In the end it took about five minutes and half of Arthur's remaining sanity to get the thing off, still sporting a few of the High King's blond strands on its clutches.
Arthur could feel a vein popping out of his forehead.
"That's it!" he bellowed, "That thing goes away now! NOW!"
Not only did no one listen to him (the thing had apparently won the guards heart as well) but they looked horrified at his order. Merlin gasped and placed both of his hands on the sides of the owl's head, where the ears would've been. Guinevere frowned and crossed her arms. The knights narrowed their eyes at him and even Geoffrey looked appalled.
"Sire, honestly…" Lancelot said after a while. "You scared him."
"I scared him?" The High King repeated and if his voice was high pitched no one dared say anything. "I scared him? Look at what that thing did!"
Silence followed as Arthur panted in his rage and then Gwaine said, kicking back his chair and putting his feet on the table. "Disgruntled and slightly mauled by a bird suits you princess. You've never looked handsomer."
About to retort, Arthur's gaze settled on the bird. Both Gwen and Merlin were crowded around it, the animal was nuzzling Merlin and his wife was petting the thing! As if he hadn't nearly taken Arthur's head off!
As The High King narrowed his gaze the bird puffed its feathers and did not look away.
...
"Look, Arthur!" Bedivere said, screeching to a halt when he reached the High King, not even bothering to wait for a reply but shoving a circular thing similar to a ring into Arthur's hand. "Elyan finally finished it! It even has a little Pendragon seal!"
Arthur might have just thrown it to the ground and stomped off if it hadn't been for that last part. As it was, he squinted and looked closely at the little band and saw the engraved dragon on the side, right where the name 'Archimedes' ended.
"Do you see it?"
The High King scowled. "Yes, I see it."
"Gwaine and I are about to put in on Archimedes leg." Bedivere continued merrily. "And then we're going to train him with the hawks at first light tomorrow."
Arthur didn't even need to look away from the band to grab his youngest knight by the scruff of the neck and stop him on his tracks. "You-" he wanted to leave it very clear and so he looked directly at Bedivere's eyes as he spoke. "-have training tomorrow at first light with the rest of the knights."
Though most people were intimidated by that particular look Arthur was giving him, Bedivere did not even register the King was mad with him but rather directed Arthur the brightest smile he could muster. "That's not what Leon said."
Arthur stared for a moment, trying to process what he was hearing. He could not.
"That's not what Leon...what?!"
"There will be no one there to train with." Bedivere explained, as if it was obvious. "All of us want to be there when it happens. Merlin said he would do something 'brilliant' with it."
"Merlin is supposed to bring me breakfast tomorrow." Arthur said, not without a small pout. "We are going to discuss the annexation of Ealdor to Albion."
He said nothing of how he hadn't been able to have a single peaceful moment with his Court Sorcerer since the thing had begun flying around or of how Merlin had been smiling with the thing perched on his shoulder, smoothing back its feathers or of how, whenever he wanted to walk next to Merlin as they used to, the owl would rotate its head in a truly chilling way.
" I think he said he would catch up with you later." commented Bedivere distractedly, waving with one arm as if he was the lone survivor of a shipwreck and calling out for Arthur's gentlest and strongest knight. "Percival, Gwaine told me we should have ale for tomorrow!"
He began running away and as he went, he said, "You should come too sire!" but Arthur did not hear him for he was already stomping towards the knight's quarters.
As if the stars had aligned to make his mood worse, they were all there, joking and smiling like there was naught wrong with the world, as if things were not utterly unacceptable for as long as Merlin had that thing perched on his shoulder.
"I heard." he said in the tone that he used to address the most arrogant of lords. "-that there's not going to be any practice tomorrow."
All of them raised their head and Arthur waited for their apologies, 'sire we were wrong to think that animal would be a priority, no sire that will not be the case, we are very sorry.' but they never came. Instead, most of them broke into smiles and Gwaine even went as far as to clap him in the back and force him to sit beside Lancelot.
"Princess, you've been angrier than a bear with fleas recently." Gwaine said loudly and Arthur's eyebrows shot above his hairline. "But luckily for you I know just the thing to get you sorted out."
Arthur shrugged the knight's hand off. "No. We are not going to the tavern, Gwaine."
Gwaine snorted. "Why do you always assume it's the tavern? I was talking about getting you acquainted with our new friend Archimedes!"
"That thing is not my friend!" Arthur exclaimed before he realized how much like a whiny child he sounded.
"'…says every spoiled brat before they give their new friend a chance." Gwaine answered with a wink.
Arthur tried not to smack Gwaine across the head and instead regarded his knights with an icy glare, knowing that it would do no good to answer his boisterous friend because he was not, in any way, a spoiled brat. Nor was he ever going to befriend the thing.
"I'm still waiting for an answer." He reminded them, narrowing his eyes and tapping with his foot.
Leon leaned back with a smile and said, "Sire, we didn't think it would be necessary to train tomorrow. After all, we all want to see Archimedes in action."
Arthur could feel his eye twitch when all of his Round Table nodded at once. "And you forgot that a knight had the obligation and duty to protect his people at all times and that not training for one day could very well mean that-"
"And did you forget-" Gwaine interrupted loudly, standing up as well and smiling obnoxiously. "That we are practically the best swordsmen in your lands? One day without practicing won't kill anybody."
"It might!"
"Oh, my mistake. Perhaps you might die of a heart attack." Gwaine rectified with a shrug. "But I don't see any other lives in danger."
Before Arthur could do anything but stare at Gwaine in outrage he marched out saying 'the drinks are on me, mates!' and the knights followed behind him, laughing and talking.
As he stood there, gaping and growing red, Lancelot clapped his back. "Sire."
He attempted to go after the other members of the Round Table but Arthur's hand on his arm stopped him. "Tell me the truth Lancelot." said the King with a frown. "Am I being unreasonable?"
"With all due respect, Arthur." answered Lancelot with a twinkle on his eyes and a knowing grin. "I think you're just tackling the wrong problem for the wrong reasons."
Before The High King could say something more than, "What are you talking about?" his noblest knight was already out on the field.
…
Arthur may or may not have been awoken by laughter and cheering right outside his window the next morning. He tried to convince himself that, indeed, that was the case but truly he had been dreading the morning with every fiber of his being and a part of him wanted to go down and put them all in the stocks (except for Guinevere of course.) so he had opened his eyes wide when the sunrays came through the window.
But he stayed put and told himself to start with his reports until it was all over, and he could yell at Merlin all his frustration the moment he walked through the door with Arthur's breakfast.
About two hours later someone knocked on the door and a boy walked in saying, "Lady Guinevere asked me to bring you this, Your Majesty." before leaving a tray full of Arthur's favourite sausages on the table.
'Very well.' Arthur thought, stabbing the paper as he put the dots on the 'i's'.
When he popped the very last grape into his mouth and tied his royal cloak around his neck the door suddenly burst open, and a grinning Merlin walked in.
"Later than usual, Merlin." said the High King, trying to hide the smile that split his face in two and doing his best to appear annoyed. "I was beginning to think you'd forgotten."
Merlin reached over to ruffle his King's hair clumsily, looking younger and healthier than Arthur had seen him in years, and, from that moment on, all of his anger vanished away.
"Sorry, Arthur." he said with an apologetic grin. "I got caught up in something else."
'That thing.' Arthur all but grumbled with his thoughts.
"But now Archimedes is with Gwaine and Percival so we can begin to sort this out." Merlin continued, sitting down, cracking his neck and starting to chew on what was left of Arthur's cheese, like he always did, before picking up a paper. "Did you get the-"
Arthur had all but closed his eyes in contentment at the familiarity of the situation when the door creaked open, and a guard stepped in.
"Your Majesty," he said, "Lord Collins demands your presence immediately."
Arthur looked at Merlin and Merlin looked back. Though he said nothing he was sure that the disappointment and frustration was palpable. The High King suddenly realized that he hadn't had a moment of peace with his best friend in what could very well be two weeks.
"I'm sure that Lord Collins can wait for an hour or two." he said quickly. "Right?"
The guard didn't look too reassured but before he could say anything another man came in, bowed and said, "My Lord, Gaius requires Merlin's presence at once."
"We could finish this later." Merlin said soothingly, leaning over to place a hand on his King's shoulder. "You shouldn't keep Lord Collins waiting."
Arthur, as Merlin stood up and brushed away the bits of food from his robes, wanted nothing more than to throw a tantrum at the unfairness of it all. But he settled for smoothing his features and adjusting his own clothing as well.
"Yes. Yes, of course."
"Here, Arthur." Merlin said, amused. "You still can't tie a ribbon properly, can you?"
With that he reached over and re-did Arthur's clumsy attempt of a ribbon to keep his royal cloak in place, as he'd done so many times when he was a manservant. For a short moment The High King thought about ruining it as soon as he walked out the door and run back in claiming that he needed Merlin to do it again.
Merlin finished and tapped his shoulders, directing him a sunny smile. "There you go. Not as good as Gwen's but at least Lord Collins won't be asking why a five-year-old is permitted to help the King on the mornings."
"Very funny, Merlin."
"I'm glad it you think so, My King."
And all too soon, with a 'swoosh' of his cloak and one last squeeze of Arthur's broad shoulders, Merlin was gone.
"You can have that if you want." said the High King to the guard who had brought the message from Lord Collins, pointing at the food that he intentionally left for Merlin in the mornings-untouched and uneaten- and marching out of his chambers.
Lord Collins, it turned out, wanted to ramble about his right to the northern borders, sugar coating every single thing he said and exhibiting such a great amount of the bootlicking that Arthur despised so much that once or twice the High King let his head fall on the table with a small 'thud.'
To make matters worse he could see the training field from where he was and not only were his knights not training even though it was midmorning already, but they were all crowding around an unmistakable feathery ball of treacherous cuteness.
"You are dismissed Lord Collins." he said suddenly, stopping the man in the middle of a particularly heated rant.
"My Lord?" he blabbered.
Arthur did not wait to give him an answer but simply stood up and left, caring little of what Lord Collins thought and knowing that his beloved wife would've probably resolved the matter for him were she not petting the thing with the knights.
'If you can't defeat your enemies…' he'd heard someone say once, perhaps one of the knights that trained him when he was a boy. '…join them.'
And Arthur planned on putting that particular piece of advice to work. So, he whistled and smiled as he went down the stairs towards the courtyard, trotted towards where all of the people he loved best were crowding around an animal, and looked on as Lancelot fed it something that looked utterly disgusting.
"Look who decided to appear!" Gwaine said joyfully, patting him in the back. "Here to join the fun, princess?"
Guinevere smiled brightly at him as she petted the owl's dark feathers and so did everyone else.
"Well," Arthur said, "It was getting a bit boring up there on my own."
"Because you were brooding?" Gwaine offered helpfully.
"...No."
"We're very happy you're here sire." Leon said lightly, stopping Gwaine from saying anything else. "Archimedes turned out to be quite a hunter."
Arthur risked a glance at the thing and the owl glanced back with those gigantic eyes wide open and that dopey look on its face. Lancelot stepped closer to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing lightly. "He managed to kill two rabbits in about a half hour sire."
"Really?" said the High King good naturedly, "That's impressive."
Apparently, openly complementing the owl was all that he needed to do for the knights began nodding enthusiastically, all of them talking at the same time and trying to explain to their King the reasons why Archimedes was so incredibly special.
However, Gwaine- as always- managed to be the loudest.
"Say, who wants to see the princess pet Archimedes?"
Arthur said nothing but promised himself that he would make training especially rough for Gwaine the following morning. To his dismay all of the knights cheered and even Guinevere clapped with them.
"It's not going to bite you, princess." Gwaine said with a rough smile. "Come on, you can do it!"
The High King squared his jaw and looked at the owl, perched innocently on Leon's arm. Leon shook his blond curls as he nodded, smiling encouragingly. "Come on, sire. Look, it's not that hard, see?" to demonstrate he rubbed the owl's feathers right below its chin.
Gritting his teeth, Arthur extended his hand and touched lightly the top of the thing's head….
Archimedes jumped off with a screech that would've suggested someone was wringing its neck and flew towards the King at an alarming speed as Arthur threw himself to the ground on pure instinct. But even so, the animal managed to graze the top of his head with its talons.
There was a pandemonium as the knights sprung to action and tried to capture the vicious animal and a few minutes later it was all over with Archimedes perched, quite calmly, on Lancelot's shoulder.
King Arthur raised his head and looked back at the stunned faces of his knights and his wife.
"Guess I was wrong." Gwaine said finally.
That was when Arthur understood. Oh, the bird was clever alright. Cleverer than all of his subjects put together it seemed. He looked all dumb and innocent but behind that innocent look there was an evil scheming mind.
Arthur narrowed his eyes, and the owl rotated its head.
What he denominated as a 'checkup' so that Gaius could see if the scratch that the bird had left on Arthur's cheek and the soreness of his scalp were something to be worried about was, in truth, nothing of the sort. When Gaius raised an eyebrow and turned around to look for his glasses the High King grabbed his physician's wrist and leaned over.
"That's not why I'm here Gaius." He said in a hushed whisper as the old man's eyebrow went higher than ever. "I need you to help me."
He was talking in such a way that the old physician could only stare at him- until Arthur's eye twitched.
"Well, I don't see how sire."
"Have you ever heard of sorcerers possessing beasts?" said Arthur, leaning over in anticipation. "Sorcerers able to shape-shift into animals perhaps?"
"I can't say I haven't sire." Gaius replied slowly and carefully while scrutinizing him, as if trying to decide if the High King was in his right mind. "But that is very old and very ancient magic. Only a few have been able to ever master it."
"Then if- hypothetically- Morgana mastered such magic she could turn herself or any of her henchmen into an animal at her will?"
Gaius's eyebrows touched when he frowned. "Hypothetically, it can be possible, yes."
"Is there any way to counterattack something like that?" Gaius' frown deepened when he noticed the way Arthur rubbed his hands together but as soon as he narrowed his eyes to look again at his King, Arthur stopped.
"I will have to look into it, sire." He said at last, alternating between frowning and raising his eyebrows all at once. "I'm sure I can find something in the older texts we've recovered from the vaults."
"Brilliant!" said Arthur and Gaius looked taken aback that the manic smile that appeared on his bearded face as he rocked back on the stool. "Thank you, Gaius!"
…
That evening, when Guinevere had all but forced him to stroll around the lower town with her so that he could, 'wipe the scowl off his face,' Arthur had only agreed because if he hadn't Gwen had offered to look after the owl for Merlin in their chambers.
That's how he found himself frowning at an indefinite point somewhere around the newest fountain by the blacksmith's shop while his wife gushed about a new iron-bending tool. He made a conscious effort not to scowl and decided instead to try and figure out how to best frame the owl's death as an accident. He supposed that the owl, ( it was obviously enchanted- what kind of owl cooed around horses?! What kind of owl settled into a spot by the fire and chirped goodnight?! Honestly,) had enough treacherous information already to be as good as sentenced to die, so he might as well just… help it along.
Guinevere shot him an appraising look and smiled. Arthur waved at her. Apparently thinking about the owl's impending demise was a sure way to keep the scowl off his face so he imagined it boiling in the cook's cauldron next.
He was very close to smirking thinking about gifting the owl to Bayard when he was stunned out of his reverie by a cloaked group of Druid elders spotting him and crowding around him before he could so much as blink.
"My Lord," Gilfrith said, bowing so low that he could've touched his toes. "We are most fortunate to find you here tonight."
Arthur cleared his throat and plastered the widest smile he could muster on his face. "Indeed? You must know that I love Camelot dearly, I wouldn't miss such an opportunity to be around my people for the world."
He felt Guinevere's slender hand on his shoulder and he didn't need to look to know the look she was sending him.
"We just had the most wonderful talk with Emrys, My Lord." blabbered a young man that Arthur couldn't quite place. "He told us all about the newest wards around Nemeth. We've also met his new companion. It is no wonder such a special night-bird has taken a likeness to Emrys, after all."
All of them murmured their agreement, not unlike the councilmen often did when they wanted Arthur's favor. The High King felt his fingernails dig into his palm and flexed his hand repeatedly, but still the urge to punch something persisted. "Did he, now?" He managed through clenched teeth, "And here I thought Merlin had been kept all day by the court physician, but apparently he'd just forgotten about our meeting-"
Guinevere's hand found his and her thumb rubbed over his closed knuckles.
"Arthur…" she murmured warningly.
The youngest druid stared at him, open-mouthed, and Gilfrith exchanged a fleeting, nervous glance with his companions.
"I'm quite sure that's not the case," Gilfrith began uncomfortably, shifting his gaze towards Guinevere. "We wouldn't possibly know what Emrys does with his time, my King. Besides, it was just mere minutes that he spent with us, isn't that right?"
All of them murmured their consent in chorus again and Arthur thought it was a wonder they couldn't see smoke come out of his ears. "-and I suppose the owl wasn't the source of my Court Sorcerer's distraction, was it? After all, if he has not, indeed, been distracted by the owl then I must assume he is abandoning his duties because he can. Which shouldn't be surprising, after all, taking into account the years he spent being the worst manservant in the whole of Albion-mmph!"
The men before him looked gradually more alarmed but the High King couldn't bring himself to care. He would've continued his rant for as long as he still had breath but Guinevere's palm over his lips stopped him. He glared at her but she glared back and Arthur had no choice but to merely huff his displeasure.
"You'll have to excuse the King ," Guinevere said calmly, directing a smile at the gathered druids, secretly kicking her husband's shin lightly with her foot. "He's had a bit of a fever as of late. Ramblings like these are common. I took him out because I thought some fresh air would do him good."
Beneath her palm, Arthur could feel his scowl returning with a vengeance.
"Of course, of course!" Gilfrith agreed hastily and his eyes roamed about once again. It suddenly occurred to Arthur that the druids could mind-speak and that they were probably asking Merlin how they should cover the idiot's tracks next.
If it wasn't for Guinevere beside him he thought he'd kick the nearest barrel over.
"We'll take our leave then, my lord." said Gilfrith, bowing once more, "my lady,"
Gwen smiled as she saw them leave, dropping her hand once Arthur's own rested over hers. "What was that about?" She asked him, although by the tone of her voice she already thought she knew the answer.
"What?" The High King retorted waspishly, "Do you condone such behavior?"
Gwen arched an eyebrow. "What behavior? Missing one meeting hardly warrants this, Arthur."
She said it lightly, and grasped Arthur's hand firmly with hers, tugging him in the general direction of the castle. The King merely muttered beneath his breath for a few moments, groaning internally when he saw Gilfrith glance back at him with amazement written all over his features.
"For what is worth," Gilfrith called timidly before they parted ways, cupping both hands over his mouth to make himself heard. "We are very glad to see Emrys adopt such a loyal companion. He was quite delighted with it; I've hardly seen him so happy. It is as Bruta said: 'companions make loneliness more bearable.'"
Arthur didn't need Guinevere's hand squeezing his to know that his jaw was twitching. He managed a terse nod at Gilfrith before overtaking the group at entering the courtyard, leaving Guinevere to express their goodbyes for him.
"You've been quite tense today, love." Guinevere told him with a frown as they made their way through the castle. "I think it's lovely that they think so highly of Archimedes. They are right, after all."
"Let's see the owl lift the ban on magic then," Arthur muttered venomously under his breath.
Gwen narrowed her eyes at him. "What?"
"What?"
"I'm going to pretend I did not hear that." Gwen said as they entered their chambers, "but you truly need to talk to Merlin."
"I don't need to do anything," Arthur snapped, "and in case you haven't noticed, I am not the one skipping our meetings."
Gwen looked at him oddly as they changed into their nightclothes but Arthur couldn't bring himself to care. When he blew the last candle, all he could think of was that in an odious part of his heart he'd actually wished for the druids to mind-speak with Merlin, even if it bought him a lecture.
...
The next morning, after Gwen had kissed him goodbye before going out for her stroll in the gardens and George had finished scrubbing the very last tile behind Arthur's oldest chest, The High King was doubly pleased to find George had a message from Lancelot awaiting him, which read: "We apologize for having skipped practice, sire. Today, we'd like you to oversee our new efforts to counterattack Merlin's offensive spells. I know you've been strategizing to that end for some time. Please join us when you can."
He all but skipped in place while George had helped him into chain mail in what must have been some sort of record. The High King was so gleeful that he even found the heart to tell him so.
'You know, George, you surprise me every day. When I possibly think that you cannot be more of an exemplary servant you surpass my every expectation."
George straightened almost beyond human attainability, blushing fiercely with pleasure at the praise. "sire," he managed, looking as if he'd been throttled. "You must know that is all I hope to achieve in life. I thank you."
But Arthur wasn't listening. He'd spied Merlin's slightly hunched gait outside his open door and trotted over with a smile that was at odds with the anger he'd felt only the day before.
"Oi, idiot!" He called out, falling into step beside his best friend easily. "I'm surprised to see you here. I thought you'd forgotten about the annexation…again."
But Merlin did not raise his eyes to meet his. He was reading a book as he walked, clearly lost in thought- enough to not even hear him, and Arthur all but felt the smile slide off his face. He snapped his fingers in front of Merlin's eyes so strongly that Merlin took a step backward and almost tripped over air.
"Hmm? Oh, sorry, Arthur." Merlin said, looking up from the page momentarily to shoot him a fond look. "I was on my way to the training grounds. Lancelot said they had something to show me. I've been reading about Archimedes' particular species. Did you know they are called athene noctua, after a Greek Goddess?"
The scowl that filled Arthur's face was nothing if not murderous.
"No, I didn't." He all but spat out, "but I was tutored enough in Latin to know that noctua means night or something like it. And there is something extremely wrong with an owl that does not hunt at night and will rather sit beside the fire."
Merlin raised an eyebrow at him, smiling slightly. "Good job, sire. It's good to know Geoffrey's tutoring wasn't all wasted. And I agree. Archimedes is special. He's remarkable."
Arthur did not stay to hear the rest. He made a mental note of the book to order it burnt later and stalked his way towards the training grounds, noting with a sinking heart that Merlin did not call after him or ask what was wrong.
But he was King so Arthur shook his head, schooled his features and made his way towards the center of the field to meet his knights and shake Lancelot's outstretched hand.
"Sire," Lancelot said, and his eyes slid briefly towards Merlin, who'd found a seat at the edge of the training grounds. His kind gaze seemed to fill with relief for a moment before he looked at Arthur again. "I am happy you've made time for this."
"It's not like anyone else remembered any other urgent matters," The High King muttered spitefully. "Very well. As I was saying, men, we must counterattack power with speed. A sorcerer's blasts might be powerful but if we move beyond the firing line, we can ensure a fighting chance."
He took his position in front of Gwaine and used Excalibur as a makeshift spell. As he thrusted the sword in the open air and Gwaine zigzagged around it, he risked a glance at Merlin. The idiot was sitting there, elbows on his knees, absolutely engrossed in the book. He felt as if someone had punched him.
And a mere second later Gwaine did hit him lightly with the hilt of his sword to signal he'd won the exercise, and though the knight hooted with his victory Arthur couldn't possibly care less. He saw Lancelot look nervously at him and then shift his gaze to Merlin and in a second he understood it had all been a ploy to make him even more of a fool than he already was.
"That was great!" Gwaine said brightly, patting his back, "don't you worry princess, next time you'll get me. Now, whose turn is it? Percy, I want to see how you move away from the blast without knocking out someone else in the process…"
But Arthur wasn't listening. He sheathed Excalibur and stomped his way towards where Merlin still had his nose buried in his book, stopping only when his shadow fell across his Court Sorcerer. Merlin raised his eyes almost reluctantly and had the gall to look surprised.
"Are you alright, Arthur?" He asked, wide-eyed, "you're a bit red. You don't have a fever, do you?"
"You-" the High King said, barely managing to stop himself from screaming, "are going to polish every single piece of armor and weapons in the armory."
Merlin blinked, as if he couldn't quite understand it. "What? Why?"
"Because you swore fealty to me, or don't you remember, you idiot?" And the word came out as much more of an insult than the affectionate nickname it had passed for in the last ten years, "your magic and soul, wasn't it? Well, I want you to work in the armory today. Or is working in the armory too lowly for Emrys?"
Perhaps if Merlin had not been all but shaken away from his reading, he would've reacted more strongly. As it was, he simply blinked in astonishment and watched Arthur all but trample away, probably killing about a dozen dandelions as he made his way out of the grounds and into the shade of the castle.
When Lancelot reached him, looking as if he was torn between talking to him or following after Arthur, Merlin sighed and began to make his way towards the armory, snapping his fingers so that the knights' swords followed after him like a group of ducklings.
Lancelot swiveled in place and placed a hand on his shoulder, falling in place beside him. "Let me help, Merlin."
Merlin shot him an incredulous look. "What? I don't need help, Lance." He glanced at the swords as they flew obediently into their places inside the armory. "I have magic, remember?"
Lancelot seemed to wince as Merlin made his way inside, and he muttered, "not with that," but Merlin was too busy snapping his fingers again and making all the shields rise in place to hear it.
And when Lancelot entered the armory after his friend, he saw that Elyan was already there and shot him a grateful look. Though Elyan had been reluctant to go ahead with their plan (truly, it was Lancelot's plan,) he'd nevertheless shown up, even if he fidgeted more than a squirming child.
"Hi, Elyan!" Merlin greeted him happily, and Elyan smiled at him, though it was more of a grimace. Merlin didn't notice, and Lancelot could see in the warlock's eyes that he was already kingdoms away, thinking of the book or whatever else - although the shields and axes were fluttering around obediently.
"Merlin," he began cautiously, taking a step towards his friend. "Have you talked to Arthur lately?"
Merlin hummed distractedly. "He's been busy. And so have I. But that's alright, I suppose. And honestly, with how much of a prat he's been lately I think it's better if I don't make it any worse."
Lancelot felt his mouth drop open before he waved Elyan forward.
"Erm, Merlin." Elyan began, clearly out of his depths. "I, I'd like to tell you a story."
Merlin raised his eyebrows at the knight, "Um, sure." He paused and then said, "why?"
"Merlin, you don't have any siblings, do you?"
Merlin's eyebrows shot higher. "No..." He answered, drawing out the word.
Something clicked in that moment in Lancelot's mind and he found himself leaning closer to Elyan and whispering, "neither has Arthur."
Elyan groaned. "This is going to be more difficult than I thought." He muttered back.
Before him, Merlin cleared his throat. By his expression they could tell he was beyond confused and a bit alarmed. "Is something wrong? Is it Gwen?"
"No, um. Well it is Gwen. Or at least it is about Gwen. Gods, this is difficult. Well, Merlin, you see…"
"You're scaring me, Elyan." Merlin said sincerely. The swords and shields had stopped floating mid-polish and clattered to the floor.
"Merlin, nothing is wrong." Elyan reassured him hurriedly, thinking of how much he'd rather be at home with a good book. "I was just thinking that I needed your…um, advice." He stole a fleeting glance at Lancelot and saw him nod his approval. "You see, when we were children and Gwen started her apprenticeship from the castle's seamstress, she could no longer play with me as frequently, or-or have lunch with me in father's workshop. That really angered me, and I began to spend even more time with my father, learning the trade, and refused to talk to her when we did have time together. I told myself she deserved it but the truth is…I missed her. And when Lady Morgana somehow got Gwen a brand new sewing kit, I…I destroyed it in a rage. I buried it and told Gwen someone had stolen it."
He took a deep breath and eyed Merlin carefully, knowing that Lancelot was doing the same. Merlin's gaze had softened considerably but the flash of understanding that they were hoping for still hadn't appeared.
"I'm so sorry, Elyan. It must be really hard to suddenly share your sister like that, when you've grown up together. I'm sure Gwen has forgiven you. So…" Merlin said at last, looking between them with wide eyes, "what do you need my advice for?"
"What? Oh, right." and Elyan thought furiously for a moment before making something up on the spot. "I bought her a new one for her birthday. Do you think you could spell it to work better?"
Merlin smiled widely, and sprang up from his seat to embrace him. "You don't even need to ask, my friend."
Above Merlin's cloaked shoulder, Elyan directed a dismayed look at Lancelot, who scrunched up his nose before venturing softly, "Merlin, does Elyan's story remind you of…of anything?"
Merlin all but jumped away from Elyan and swiveled to look at Lancelot. His eyes became almost comically large. "Oh, right! That I haven't gotten Gwen's present, yet!"
"Sure," Lancelot said impatiently and pushed forwards, determined to try a different tactic even though Elyan was shaking his head at him in a gesture that clearly meant he should abort the mission. "Merlin, where do you think jealousy stems from?"
Merlin frowned. "That's a good question. I suppose it's hard to give up something you thought you had for granted." He said, and Elyan was subtly impressed that Lancelot knew Merlin so well as to slip into abstract subjects randomly without making him suspicious. "Even if you're not really giving up anything, I guess it can feel that way," he glanced at Elyan with a knowing look, who merely grimaced. "Especially when you've been that person's center of attention for so long."
And then he put a soft hand on Elyan's shoulder and smiled blindingly. "Gwen loves you so much, Elyan. She's told me before how she took care of you after your mother passed; you were the most important person in her whole world. I mean- she's told me you two did everything together. It must have been hard, then, to have that simply disappear…but I'm sure that she never meant to make you feel left out back then. Maybe you should talk to her about it? Don't tell her I told you this but she's planning an outing for both of you; apparently there's a new blacksmith in Nemeth that can make wonders with metalwork."
Elyan stared at him, open-mouthed. He'd never truly thought of any of it that way, and he felt oddly touched, and yet somewhat brave, as if he could actually tell Gwen about her sewing kit without fearing she'd kill him. "I-er, thank you Merlin. I-I needed that."
Merlin grinned at him, "You're welcome!" He said, and hummed as he all but tripped his way out of the room.
Elyan stood there for a long while, deciding with a potent lurch of his heart that he'd make Gwen a new sewing kit personally.
"I can see why Arthur made him High Advisor." he commented, sounding impressed.
But Lancelot was too busy dragging both of his hands down his face. "That didn't tip him off?!"
So here you have it folks! I'll try to have part two up in a week or so.
All my love, as always,
Ocean.