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!

49. Chapter 49

Arthur felt as if he should have known there was something more going on. It hadn't made any sense back then, because he had that question hovering in the back of his mind: who wouldn't want to kiss a prince? It was probably something that most people had on their bucket lists as one of the things they wanted to do before they died, it would be something that very few people under a certain tax bracket: if any, could actually say they have.

But while Arthur had his questions, he even played around with the idea that Merlin may think desiring a kiss was just as important as Arthur thought consent was, so he hadn't put to much of a fight about it. Other than his initial shock where he tried to wrap his mind around the idea: Merlin didn't want to kiss him, which he definitely should, right?

Actually, he should have been demanding Arthur's attention, trying to force his eyes on him when Arthur didn't have a spare moment to give him any. But Merlin didn't do any of that, did he. He had just-point blank-insisted that Arthur never kiss him again unless that one stipulation was met: him desiring it.

Maybe he should have questioned it more when it first happened, maybe it was Arthur that should have demanded some answers to some very tough questions. Like why he was just bringing it up now, or why it was such a big deal to him. And while he was at it, he could have thrown in his other questions, like why Merlin was so interested in the guards and their schedules. Hell, he even considered Merlin might be some evil master mind with a plot to overthrow the crown by getting in on the inside.

If he had asked any of those questions back then, would Merlin have told him any of this earlier? Or would he had kept it a secret even when he knew Arthur could have something done to crease Valiant's inappropriate behavior in less than a heartbeat. Which also brought him to a new question: did Merlin think that Arthur would just let this slight made against their family go?

Merlin, as messed up as it was, was a Royal Pendragon. Arthur would do the same for him as he would do it for say...if somebody would have been hassling Morgana.

"Of course it was about him." Merlin spoke up, looking at Arthur as if he were a bloody moron. Arthur would have been aggravated about this, if the situation they had found themselves in wasn't so dire.

Arthur brought his hand up to rub it roughly through his blond locks, a troubled expression on his face as he stared down at the floor in thought. Hearing it confirmed, knowing that Merlin had been dealing with this fallout while his biggest concern had been if he'd fail his father in front of the entire city by losing out in the tourney...it didn't make him feel any better. In fact, he would almost say that it made him feel even worse than he had been before.

"So why didn't you just tell me then? Why did you wait until now?" Arthur asked. And sure, he had already asked a similar question just earlier, but Merlin had returned his answer with a cocky quirk, thrown out there in the heat and height of their emotions. This time, Arthur was a lot less pissed-he could still feel a good bit of pissed off running through his veins-but he was also more thoughtful as well. Or at least a lot more than he had been before, more willing to listen instead of being fueled by his anger.

There was a serious and solemn air to the room that even Merlin seemed to pick up on, because he straightened up. Nobody would say that Merlin was the embarrassed or shy type, but he sure did masquerade as one by the way he subconsciously wrapped his arms around his stomach, as if he was trying to form some kind of barrier to protect himself from whatever Arthur would do next.

Merlin shrugged helplessly, "I suppose...I just wanted to see..." he trailed off, not sure if he wanted to finish this sentence. How was he supposed to tell Arthur that the only reason he'd brought up the topic last time was to find out rather or not he and Valiant had been cut from the same spoiled cloth.

But apparently, there was no reason for him to go into the details. If anything, his silence was actually the most telling part. It was as if Arthur had been able to read his mind, and it was obvious that the blonde seemed to know exactly what Merlin had been doing if his face was anything to go by.

"You...you...did you really think that I was going to do the same thing to you that he did!" Arthur shouted at him, his eyes so wide they they felt as if they were going to fall out of his face. Even though he was angry, that had more to do with their entire situation then with this particular revelation.

Merlin seemed to sense his agitated shock, if his reaction was anything to go by. Merlin, he threw his arms down by his side, his own spark of irritation gleaming in his eyes, "Well you can't exactly blame me for wanting to know!" Merlin spun around so that his back was to Arthur to cut off any of his protests, and he crossed his arms defiantly over his chest. "It's not like I know you enough to tell the difference."

He grumbled this just loud enough for Arthur to hear him. And Arthur opened his mouth to yell at him again, to tell him that he should know him well enough to know that Arthur would never go so far as to force something like that onto somebody else. But just as he was going to, he was closing his mouth back just as quick, with an audible click of his teeth.

It kinda hurt, just a little, to know that Merlin had been comparing him to Valiant, had all but been testing him to see if he were. It was clear that was what it had been, some kind of weird test. But at the same time, Arthur wasn't even able to fault the boy. Despite the fact that they were married, they'd only known each other for about two weeks at this point. And half of that was arguing while the other half had been ignoring the other-mostly on Arthur's part than Merlin's, but that was beside the point!

The point was, Merlin didn't know everything he'd been doing for him. He didn't know of the lengths Arthur had gone through to make sure that they wouldn't have to do something that was much worse than Valiant attempting it. But then again, Arthur grudgingly admitted to himself, he'd only started doing it in the first place because he couldn't stomach the idea of their consummation. And maybe he just didn't want to give Merlin the wrong idea, not after the whole favor incident, but he was not going to be start confessing any of this to him.

Merlin had every right to question him.

Arthur looked away, although he didn't need to as Merlin already had that covered, having his back still turned to him. But that didn't stop Arthur from bringing up a hand to rub it awkwardly over the nape of his neck.

"So," Arthur cleared his throat, trying to think of something to say. What was he supposed to say to someone who had been the victim of an assault, even if said victim didn't realize just how bad it could have gone. It may actually explain why Merlin was always so 'in his face'. The boy must have been so fragile, scared and not knowing what to do, it almost made Arthur feel bad for him. "...Was it really a test? You were just trying to see if I was... like him?"

He only said this for the lack of anything better to say, although he already figured that it was, it would be better to have it confirmed. And he made sure not to say Valiant's name, trying to be 'sensitive' even though he had no idea what he was doing. Arthur didn't know how bad Merlin's mental state was after living through such an ordeal, and didn't want to say anything that may set him off. He was already being erratic (asking questions and making Arthur unknowingly go through hoops with his little tests, maybe passing him that favor had also been a hint of his growing erratic behavior? Not to mention how he had just came bursting in here without even a curtesy knock to announce his presence).

Arthur froze when he saw how Merlin-his back still to him-had stiffened as well. The boy's shoulders were tense and hunched over, and he almost looked as if he was about to start crying. In a panic, and positive that he had said the wrong thing after all, Arthur's head whipped around as if he was going to find somebody that he could pass his weepy consort onto while he did the man stuff, and went to beat the living shit out of Valiant for making them 'both' suffer through this.

Arthur had forgotten that they were in his room, completely alone. Nobody was coming unless Arthur called for them, and did he really want somebody in his room as Merlin was crying inconsolable. What if they thought it was Arthur that had caused this reaction.

Arthur looked back toward's Merlin, still all hunched over, and he bit down on his lip, not sure what he was supposed to do. He didn't even know how to comfort a crying girl! He left that kind of stuff up to Morgana, what did he know about comforting a guy? But if he wasn't going to get somebody, then he should really do...something...shouldn't he? It wasn't like he could just leave the boy to stand there, he'd already been alone for long enough. Like when he was in the armory and Valiant had approached him, or when he had retired to the safety of his room only to find out that it wasn't safe at all when Valiant tried to come in.

Arthur cleared his throat again, "Er...Merlin...I know that you must be going through a very tough time right now," he started awkwardly, and after a minute of hesitation, walked just a bit closer and reached out his hand. His hand hovered over Merlin's shoulder, prepared to give him an awkward clap to it just like he would to one of his men when they had lost their first person. "But, just know that I am here-"

He was interrupted when Merlin suddenly let out a loud shout, his back straightening up from his hunched over position, "Of course it was a bloody test, you absolute arse." Merlin started to wail, his 'teary eye's' that Arthur had been expecting were lit up with a spark of fire as he spun around to face him so quickly that it knocked Arthur off balance. "I wasn't going to just sit around and wonder if you were the same as-"

He was cut off as Arthur and him collided heads in the crossfire of his yelling. He had spun around so fast and sudden, and Arthur had been standing way to close that he hadn't been able to back up fast enough to avoid his clumsy consort. They both cried out as they grabbed at their aching foreheads.

"What was that for, you clumsy oaf!" Arthur growled, diggers his fingers into the soft skin in between his eyes where they had collided.

"Me!" Merlin exclaimed, bent over in front of Arthur at the waist, rubbing his own aching head. "This was all your fault! Why were you standing so bloody close to me? You're lucky I didn't knock my eye out!"

Arthur opened his mouth to argue back, he even started to say, "Why, you ungrateful little brat-" but he cut himself off in mid-sentence. How could he justify yelling at a boy who was going through all of this. He was better than that. All he'd been trying to do was comfort the moron, even if it turned out that he was just gearing up for a fight instead of crying his 'poor, little, eye's' out.

Merlin seemed to realize his train of thought though, and planted his hands-curled into tight fists-at his hips. "What was that?" He demanded, looking at Arthur without a single tear in his eye. There was just anger, and high amount of distrust and caution in his eyes, as if Merlin thought Arthur was going to attack him now.

Arthur bit down his sharp retort before he snarled, "Will you just tell me if I passed your damn test or not?" He didn't know why he wanted to know so bad, but he felt as if he may rip somebody's throat out (preferably Valiant's) with his teeth if he didn't get the answer.

Merlin frowned at this, because Arthur had to know that he'd passed his test. Why wouldn't he had passed? He was good at his swords fighting, he was much better at talking than Merlin was-like when that Knight back in the knight's quarters had tried to duel with him. It wasn't a big leap to make that Arthur wasn't as crass as Valiant was, but those were just the few good things that Merlin did know about Arthur. He had a list of about a dozen or so more of bad things, which should have completely knocked Arthur out of the running in terms of compatibility.

If only he had bothered to realize that before he had humiliated himself with the favor.

Merlin licked at his lips before he said, "With flying colors." But his tone was flat and dry, it didn't sound as if he was pleased about it in the least. Because it was just a big reminder that Arthur was nothing like Valiant in some ways, but just like him in others. They were both snooty, and arrogant, toe rags. But one Knight didn't see a problem with trying to force himself on someone, and the other got pissed when told it had happened.

Arthur didn't get the chance to be pleased with his results to that ridiculous test, he was still pissed that he'd been tested because of this whole situation, but at least he could understand why he had been. But Merlin's tone of voice kind of ruined it for him, it didn't make him feel good about himself at all. Like maybe he should do something just to get Merlin's confidence in him to rise a notch. He didn't like being seen as if he were on the same playing field as Valiant, as if he was just as bad as him. It left a bad taste in his mouth, to think that Merlin may leave this room and think-in the back of his mind-that Arthur may be just the same, that he may just be waiting for a better opportunity before he tried the same thing that Valiant had.

After all, Merlin's dry lilt made Arthur feel as if the boy was doubting the results of his own test.

Arthur's eye's shot this way and that, trying to think of something, anything. But his mind was strangely blank of what he could do, and Merlin was still glaring at him which definitely didn't help matters.

Well, he could think of something, but it was pretty radical. In fact, it made his heart jump in nervous spasms just thinking about it, and he cast a glance towards his door as if he thought somebody might burst in on them at any minute. But of course, nobody did, the door was still as silent and as still as it had been since he'd kicked Morris out the hour before.

Fuck, he was really going to do this, but he felt as if he had no choice.

"Er, Merlin..." Arthur started, his eyes looking anywhere but at the boy, feeling as if his hands were starting to grow clammy. Which was just strange, because it wasn't like he was going to do anything weird to the boy! It was just talking, it shouldn't make him feel as if he'd just been ran over by a jackrabbit!

"What?" Merlin asked him when Arthur said his name, his tone clipped and decisive. As if he'd already decided to himself that whatever Arthur said wasn't going to be worth his time. And Arthur's head shot up to glare daggers at him, but Merlin hadn't given up on him and decided to just leave yet, so at least that was something.

"I'm trying to tell you something, the least you can do is listen." Arthur hissed, his tone just as clipped as Merlin's was. Merlin didn't realize how hard this was for him, how much of a struggle it was for him to get something as simple as this out. But it wasn't his fault! It wasn't like he was a girl! He wasn't used to talking to people about their emotions, or...or feelings!

Merlin crossed his arms over his chest again, but it wasn't defensive or like he was trying to protect himself like it had been earlier. It was more like Arthur was in trouble, and he better tread carefully because whatever he did next was going to determine Merlin's next move.

Arthur bit back the urge to toss him out for that alone, but no. Things were just a little different now, he couldn't go tossing him out when he had came to 'him' looking for him to help him out. "I was just trying to tell you that you don't have to worry about something like that from me! I won't touch you like he tried to...ever!"

Arthur's eye's were dead serious as he finally connected them to Merlin's, trying to convey that while Merlin may call him a prick, at least he wasn't a vile and perverted one. But the problem was that he had said all of this a little to fast, trying to get it all out before he chickened out because he knew it needed to be said. It was just something that he needed Merlin to-if he knew anything at all about him-to know this.

Merlin's arms tightened around over his chest as he scoffed loudly, not looking the least bit amused by Arthur's declaration. It wasn't like he hadn't figured that much out already, it was pretty easy to tell that Arthur didn't want to touch him even if he had a ten foot pole to do it with. At least Valiant wanted something to do with him, even if it was creepy and weird and made his skin crawl...okay, scratch that. "It all your going to do is rub it in, then I can go-"

"You're not going anyway!" Arthur said quickly, but unlike the last time Merlin had threatened to leave, the boy didn't make for the door.

Merlin turned his head away, his chin pointed upwards a little in mockery of Arthur's more snobby traits, "You couldn't stop me if you tried." He said boldly, knowing full well that he could have made it passed Arthur easily the first time he had stopped him from trying to leave. If only he was allowed to use certain gifts of his to do that...

Arthur growled, throwing his hands down at his sides in frustration. But this wasn't getting them anywhere, their little back and forth argument wasn't going to solve the problem that was at hand. He had to take a deep breath to soothe his nerves, before he had Merlin ordered away to the dungeons or something. At least some time away would teach the boy to quell his tongue.

But no, he couldn't do that because as loathed as Arthur was to admit it, he still needed him. At least at the moment, and who knows if Valiant would 'conveniently' have a reason to be down there when Merlin would have no means to escape. No, it would be better to keep him in his sight, even if it was apparent that he didn't believe him when he said he wouldn't touch him.

Arthur just didn't know what he was doing that was wrong! He had thought Merlin would be excited, pleased, to know that his stupid test results hadn't just been a fluke and he really wouldn't touch him like Valiant had tried to. But all he had done was make Merlin angrier, and upset with him. Maybe he would need to try a new strategy, something just a little different that would show Merlin how serious he was being.

"Merlin..." Arthur tried again, barely able to hold back a flinch when Merlin turned his cold eyes back to him. They were much more harsher than before, the blue in them looking almost as if it could masquerade as a tundra during the worst snow storm in a century.

"If your going to tell me something stupid again, then you might as well bloody forget-" Merlin started to snap, his true feelings that he had been pushing down all this time we're starting to rise up. He didn't want to be mad just because Arthur had turned him down, it wasn't right to be angry because he'd been rejected. Wouldn't that make him just like the piss-poor excuse for that Knight, when he had turned vaguely threatening when Merlin had turned him down back at the armory? He just couldn't help it though, he had been sad and heartbroken. But now he was starting to get angry, and the object of that anger was standing right in front of him, practically bragging about how Merlin wasn't worth wanting to touch, or to kiss, or to do any of that romantic junk Merlin had always wanted to have someone to do with.

But Merlin had been cut off when there was a sudden hand, warm and calloused cupping his cheek gingerly. He froze, his mouth falling open in a soft part of his lips, when he felt the rough pad of Arthur's finger trailing under his eye again, like he had been when he had tried to rid Merlin of whatever 'Valiant germs' may remain on him. He wasn't even able to think, his brain just as frozen as the rest of him as wondered what Arthur's next move would be.

"Merlin," Arthur tried again, for what must have been the umpteenth time to get the words out. He steadfastly ignored the fact that he was holding Merlin's soft cheek in his hand. He had just seen him there, watching as he seemed to shift from the coldest of frozen winters to a crackling flame, prepared to burst into an inferno. And then he was moving on his own, unable to resist the small but lingering doubt that he hadn't gotten all of Valiant off the first time around. And this was what he was supposed to do, right? Just touching somebody was a good way to convey one's feeling's...right? "I know that this might be hard for you to understand," he started, and quickly hurried on when he saw Merlin's eye's start to narrow. "But I really do want you to know, I'm not like him. I won't be forcing you into anything, or trying to make you...make you do weird things that you may not like. I know we've already decided on the whole 'no kissing' thing. But I do want you to know...it's not something that you have to worry about me pressing the issue with. It's a hard no boundary for you, and I get that."

And then Arthur was nodding, looking self-satisfied and pleased with himself. There, this should do it just nicely. It was a little more wordy than he had originally been going for, but it would do in a pinch just the same. And it would get his message across, impress on Merlin just how serious he was being. That he would truly never have to worry about Arthur showing any inappropriate behavior towards him.

And speaking on inappropriate behavior, he almost could have forgotten that he was still rubbing on Merlin's cheek, under the wrong delusion of trying to get rid of the final traces of Valiant. His eyes dropped down to where his hand was on the other boy's cheek, and he frowned as he felt an odd flop in the pit of his stomach, almost similar to how strange it had felt when he'd been leaving his dressing room the second time Merlin had gotten him prepared. Only, it was exasperated because now he had Merlin staring at him with that dumbass expression on his face, as if he had no idea what was going on and was trying to put the pieces together in his head.

Was a boy's skin supposed to feel this soft? His definitely didn't.

It felt different somehow, his hand on Merlin's face, than it had the first time when he had been trying to scrub Merlin's face clear. For one thing, he wasn't being fueled by his own rage. Oh, it was still there, but it had lowered down into a shimmer as his rational mindset made a return. Or as rational as it could be, considering he was still touching Merlin...

It happened quickly, that Arthur almost didn't realize it had at first. Not till he felt the sharp stinging on his hand, and Arthur jerked his hand back with a startled hiss, looking up at Merlin baffled.

"Weren't you just saying something about not touching me?" Merlin hissed, his eyes bright as he glared at the prince. "Don't tell me your gonna break your word in the same sentence?" If Arthur didn't want to touch him, then Merlin would make sure that he kept to that. He didn't want to touch him, he didn't want to kiss him, he apparently wanted to go after Valiant more than he had ever wanted Merlin's company.

This guy really wanted to make Merlin feel like he was welcomed, didn't he?

"I-of course I'm not!" Arthur spluttered, still holding his hand from where Merlin had slapped it off of him, and staring at the other boy in surprise. Wasn't Merlin in love with him? He would have thought the boy would be happy, grateful even, to know that Arthur was having no qualms about touching him at the moment. Would have thought Merlin was smart enough to take he was being offered, to know that this wasn't something Arthur was going to do often and should just take whatever he could get while it lasted.

Was this how people acted when they were in love with somebody? Slapping their hands away as if it was offending to them that their love was touching them. Or maybe this was what peasants did, some form of trying to play 'hard to get.'

"Are you sure about that?" Merlin shot back in the irritating snappy tone of his, as if it was obvious to everybody but Arthur, that he had done something wrong. "Cause I'm not sure you know the difference between preaching your own words, and actually doing them."

And then Merlin was looking at Arthur's hand with an expression of veiled disgust. If any of this had happened earlier, Merlin may have been happy that Arthur was touching him, he may had even thought that this was only the start of something real between them. But it was after the favor happened, and Merlin was not interested in having Arthur anywhere near him at the moment. It hurt enough just being near him when he hadn't had the time to process his feelings, to busy trying to save Arthur's life. He definitely didn't want to get confused because of how Arthur was getting so free with his touches all of a sudden.

Arthur, seeing where Merlin was staring, was quick to drop his hand by his side. He would never admit it, but he was almost the grateful one. If Merlin hadn't slapped his hand away, if he hadn't broken whatever spell Arthur had fallen under, he didn't want to know just how long he would have stood there and touched on his cheek. It wasn't his fault that he wasn't used to touching somebody who actually felt that soft!

Arthur didn't answer Merlin for half a minute, quickly stepping back as to put a more respectable space between them. He cleared his throat, his brain strangely fuzzy as he jolted when he kept backing up straight into his desk. "Uh, so...what should we do?" He asked, once again doing whatever he could so that he wouldn't meet Merlin's eye's again.

Merlin puffed his cheeks out, shaking his head because Arthur was acting strange again. "That's why I came to you. Shouldn't you have some kind of idea what our next step is?" If Arthur didn't know what they were supposed to do next, then what was the whole point of him coming here? What was the point of reliving his humiliation if he was going to be stuck doing all of the heavy lifting? He could of done that himself, without telling any of this to Arthur!

"Right, right." Arthur said, putting a hand on the desk behind him to steady himself, but he also sounded distracted. But as if he felt the weight of Merlin's eye's on him, he was quick to straighten up, "Right." He repeated, but he also sounded a lot more focused. "You're right, I know exactly what to do." Which he didn't, but he did have a few ideas that were starting to run through his mind as his brain jump started. And if most of them included maiming Valiant in some way, well, he was just going to keep that little secret to himself.

Merlin cocked his eyebrow at him, "Careful there, admitting I'm right for once might have an adverse effect of your self esteem." He still wasn't entirely sure telling Arthur what Valiant had done to him was the best call, he didn't think he'd be able to stomach being called a liar and shoved out of the room, but that hadn't happened yet, so he was waiting to reserve judgement. Although, he probably could have convinced Arthur of what Valiant was doing in the tourney, without telling him about his own issues if he had kept working on him.

Arthur gave him a look that said, don't be a moron, before he finally seemed to brush aside whatever was making him act strange. "Right, well. I'm going to handle everything, it won't be a problem and Valiant won't bother you anymore." Especially after he was done with him, Arthur thought spitefully. If only he got a room and free access to do whatever he wanted to Valiant for just five minutes. He could almost hear an echo of what the man's screams would sound like roaring in the back of his ears after he had taken his time to cut off the knight's (the man's, because Valiant wasn't worthy of the title Knight) balls with a rusty dagger.

But there was something about the way he had said his last statement that just rubbed Merlin the wrong way. He sounded just like a prince, which he was but that was beside the point. He sounded like a prince in the old tales his mother used to tell him when he was a child to help him sleep: of the gallivant prince who traveled eons to save the beautiful Princess who needed her Knight in shining armor to protect her.

And as Merlin had been learning over the last few days, life was definitely no fairy tale and he was starting to doubt that he would be getting his own happily ever after. After all, even if his mother had tried to drag him away from where Old Men Jenkins would tell his own stories to entertain the village children, it would still have snippets coming to him when he managed to get away from her. In all of Old Men Jenkins stories, it was the sorcerer that never got a happy ending.

"I didn't come to you for you to save me, or anything stupid like that." Merlin made sure to tell him. Although he didn't need a savior, or some kind of pseudo protector like he was trying to be, it would have been nice to know that he cared. But Merlin had a feeling that Arthur's reaction was less about it happening to him, and more that it had happened at all. "I told you so that you could save yourself. I just wanted you to know...Valiant has to go."

Merlin wasn't going to settle for anything less than that. He didn't care if Valiant would be banished from Camelot, or made to spend his life in the dungeons of the castle. He just knew that there was no place for a man like Valiant within these walls. Not while he was in them as well.

"And he will." Arthur agreed, pushing himself away from his desk. Now that he knew what Valiant had been doing behind closed doors, Arthur would see to it himself personally that it never happened again.

"So you believe me?" Merlin asked, an almost flicker of a smile gracing his features before it was gone just as fast. He could still vividly remember Gaius warning him that while he may be a consort, he had yet to earn his own place among higher society. So he had came here not knowing if Arthur would believe him or not, rather he had the snakehead as proof or not.

Arthur raised his eyebrow at him, "Did you lie to me?" He asked, bluntly. He didn't think he had, Merlin's reaction when telling him about it had been to real and vulnerable for it to be something he just made up, and he had no reason why somebody would make up such an outlandish story if it wasn't true. But his father had always taught him to take what he heard with a grain of salt, to doubt whatever story graced his door unless he knew it to be true.

"Of course not!" Merlin practically shouted, it was the look of offense on Merlin's face that sealed the deal for Arthur. He may not know Merlin well yet, but he doubted the boy was a good enough actor to pull off that expression of outrage.

Arthur nodded, "Okay then." And that was that. He knew in his gut that Merlin had been telling the truth-he would have been spending his afternoon trying to convince his father to reestablish the old punishment where they hung liars by their tongues if he didn't believe him-so now the ball was in his court. It was up to Arthur to get the ball rolling, to do something about Valiant, not only because it was his duty to protect his citizens, but it was also his duty to protect his husband. Valiant hadn't just made an offense to Merlin with his actions, he had made this offense against the entire Pendragon clan. It would be known to Valiant very soon, that his fatal mistake had been choosing a Pendragon for his depraved desires.

"Wait, 'okay then?'" Merlin asked blankly. "Is that it? That's all you have to say?" It seemed kind of anti-climatic, considering how hard it had taken Merlin to come clean in the first place. But now, Arthur was acting like it was just an everyday conversation. It almost made Merlin long for Arthur's earlier reaction, when he had been dead set on using wine to get Valiant off of him. At least then there had been some actual emotion behind it.

Arthur didn't look as if he had said anything wrong, "You spoke the truth to me. I will keep the people in my care safe." And he may not like it, may even have moments where he completely detested the idea, but Merlin was under his care. That was an irrefutable fact that wasn't going to go away anytime soon, if Arthur wasn't going to do his 'husbandly duties' then the least he could do was make sure Merlin wasn't being harmed under his own roof.

But Arthur's seriousness didn't convey so well to Merlin. In fact, the boy scoffed and he looked downright ill. As if he had managed to somehow screw up again, and said the wrong thing completely. "Your care, right." Merlin said in a low tone, looking as if he didn't know rather to scream or start swinging.

Merlin glanced away from Arthur with a small bit of disgust on his face. Here Arthur was, claiming to be his 'protector' and how he was going to stop this from happening again. And sure, that was exactly what Merlin had wanted in the first place. He should be happy, and working with Arthur to come up with a plan, to decide what their first step would be to getting Valiant thrown out. But the truth of the matter? He just wasn't happy. Arthur was going out of his way to help him, but was he doing it just because it was his duty? Or did he actually care that it was his husband who was having this type of issue. And in any case, where was this attitude when Arthur was ripping his heart out in front of the entire city? Rather anybody had realized what had happened or not, the sting of humiliation was still to fresh for him to process properly.

"...What was that?" Arthur asked, frowning. It was becoming clear to him that he may be needing some kind of manual or instruction booklet on how to talk to Merlin. It was as if everything he said to the boy just made him more and more mad. He was agreeing with him! Showing him that he wasn't alone in this fight of his anymore! And yet, Merlin was now avoiding his eye and glaring at the ground as if it had offended him somehow, with his lips pursed in anger.

"Don't worry about it." Merlin said, and he finally raised his head, only to go waving his hand dismissively. He wasn't about to start another argument with Arthur, his favor and the unspoken problem between them could wait until later. Right now, they had bigger fish to fry. He shouldn't be so concerned with what had happened when he should be more worried about their current situation. He was sure that he could just put the favor off to the side, still not forgotten but waiting off in the background of his mind. At least until this Valiant situation was handled.

Then when Arthur thought he was safe, when everything had been resolved, Merlin could really let him have it. He wasn't going to forget his pain so easily, wasn't going to just brush it aside like nothing happened. But he could admit that this wasn't the best time, or moment to bring it up when they'd already been going into such heavy topics. And their talk wasn't over yet.

"So, what are we going to do?" Merlin asked as he clapped his hands together, as he pushed down the lingering anger. He couldn't afford to let his emotions get the best of him right now, he was willing to work with Arthur-if he had to-so that they could come up with a plan. He was ready to get cracking, and to finally get something done. He just could not stay in this stasis that he'd been in ever since Valiant had made his first move against him. It was time to strike back, and it may even get him to feeling better again, if he was given something to occupy his time with.

But Arthur was looking at him confused, as if Merlin had suddenly started talking in some other language that he didn't understand. He raised a baffled looking eyebrow at him just before he said, "Do?" He asked this slowly, as if he didn't have any actual plans to do anything about the situation they were both in.

"...About Valiant..." Merlin said slowly, his face looking pained as he said this. He felt as if he was force-feeding Arthur facts that he should already know. "...What are we going to do? Do you just call for the guards and tell them to go and arrest him? Or do we go find the King first and let him know what's going on?"

Although Merlin did feel as if he would literally die if he had to recount this story again, in front of the same man who claimed that he would be a burden. Maybe, even with everything else that was going on, he was still a bit bitter about that one.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow your roll." Arthur said, lifting his hands in a 'calm down' kind of gesture, before Merlin could get to excited about anything. "First off, we're not going to bother my father with this just yet. It's late, so it'll be best to wait till morning at least."

And, Arthur thought in the privacy of his own mind, waiting till morning would give him a little time of his own to prepare what he was going to say. He wasn't so sure what his dad would say when Arthur started speaking out again Valiant. Arthur knew full well just how protective his father was with the knights. He had often gone on in Arthur's childhood, how it was their job to stand up for their army. Like how could their soldiers be expected to fight for them, if the crown didn't do the same in return when something happened? Well, this Knight in particular had stepped over the line, it wasn't something that could just go amiss. His father would understand when he told him what was going on, he was sure of that.

"Right, of course. He probably needs all the rest he can get, busy life being a king and all." Merlin said awkwardly, rambling a little as he lowered his hands. He supposed, grudgingly, that Arthur did have a point. It was probably close to midnight by this point, and most of the castle would be asleep. It was probably best to wait so that everybody had a clear head instead of the fogginess that one was left with when woken in the middle of the night. Even if it made him anxious to wait, to have no choice but to wait to see what would happen next.

"And second of all," Arthur spoke up again. "I don't think 'we' are doing anything. I am the one that's doing it." Although Arthur didn't really know yet exactly what he was going to be doing. As much as he wanted to take a sword to Valiant, dreamed about it actually, it would cause a lot more political problems then it was worth. The last thing he wanted to be known as was a tyrant, who was destined to be a king who killed without a just cause, if he didn't explain why he had taken Valiant's head as his trophy. But he also had to do something, he needed it to be known that sexual violence was not going to be tolerated in Camelot.

"What?!" Merlin wailed, his jaw dropping open just a little in disbelief as he felt as if he were 'essentially' being sidelined. "Are you really trying to sit me out of this! You? Who wouldn't know that any of this was going on if I hadn't came to you in the first place!"

Merlin wanted to be apart of the process, to see with his own eyes, and know that Arthur was taking this seriously. He couldn't just be parked off to the side like some helpless little Princess waiting for her 'Knight' to save her from the evil dragon. Or in this case, snakes, which come to think of it-weren't they some kind of cousin to each other? They both had scales...oh well, that was something Merlin could contemplate on later. When the snake wasn't trying to attack him.

"And while I commend you for that," Arthur said dryly. "I have this situation under control, alright?" He really didn't, but he wasn't about to tell Merlin that. He'd just want to get even more involved than he already was just by still being here.

"You do not!" Merlin protested, loud and aggravatingly noisy. "You just don't want to admit that you need help! We can do this together, and we can nail Valiant to the wall if we have to. And I know I don't exactly know much about your whole justice system or whatever," he waved his hand around as if he was talking about any little thing. "But I do know that I can help. Just tell me what you need."

Merlin winced as those last words left his mouth, but he couldn't take them back now. Not that he wanted to, but he did wish that he had phrased it a little differently. It just made him sound kind of desperate, which hadn't been what he'd been going for. He just wanted to show Arthur that he could do this, that he didn't want to be 'the princess' who waited around. He wanted to be in the action, to do something and know that he had made a difference.

Arthur looked him up and down, as if trying to determine if Merlin would really be able to do anything. It made Merlin straighten up as he tried to look bigger than he was, and he was left wondering if there was going to be a fight. Not the tourney fight tomorrow, but an actual fight where Arthur and himself would be jumping Valiant. And the longer it took Arthur to actually say something, it made Merlin think of something else: what exactly did the blonde see when he looked at him? Did he see a poor farm boy who had only came to Camelot because of mere chance that it was he who was the firstborn child of Hunith and his father? Or maybe he could see right under Merlin's skin, and could see the power brimming unnoticed, the one thing that would have indicated that he were a sorcerer. Or it could have been that Arthur saw a victim, a person that was scrawny and couldn't defend himself so Arthur would just have to do it for him. And fuck, didn't that just piss him off far more than he was a second ago. Merlin doubted it, but he really wanted Arthur to be looking and see an equal, somebody who could do the things that were needed of him, if only given the chance.

"...Do you still remember how to punch like I showed you?" Arthur asked him bluntly. He was talking about a few days ago, when he'd had no choice but to have Merlin tag along with him for his first training session. Arthur had used it to get a little bit of training in for the tourney, but he had also taught Merlin a trick or two. Like how to throw a proper punch, and how to stand correctly when he were using a sword.

Merlin frowned, the thought that they might try to tag team Valiant becoming just a little more valid. "Of course I do! I can remember the things I'm taught, you know." Merlin said, lifting up his hand to show Arthur the proper way to hold one's fist when throwing a punch. With his thumb on the outside over the top of his fingers, instead of tucked away on the inside like he'd been doing before he was told differently.

He may not know what he was doing on the 'duties of a consort' front, but he also hadn't been taught anything he could use. At least he could imitate a proper punch though, that was something...he guessed.

But Arthur just looked mildly unimpressed with Merlin's display. The fist itself was good, or at least it was the right way to do it. The only problem came in when Arthur studied Merlin's form. With just how scrawny his shoulders were, Arthur doubted that Merlin would be able to put enough force behind the punch to do any damage. Well, maybe if he got into an altercation with another peasant, he would have a good chance at coming out on top. But a trained Knight like Valiant had the muscle power that one could only get if they had years of intense training to better themselves, under the supervision of the best hand-to-hand combat teachers.

That was an advantage that Merlin was clearly lacking in.

They just didn't have the time needed to bulk Merlin up some, not if Valiant tried again any time soon. Well...at least he could get some good kicks in, Arthur thought because his shin was still throbbing from where Merlin had been kicking at it. If worse came to worse, Merlin could always just aim that power kick between Valiant's legs and take off running. Wasn't that what peasant girl's were taught to do if somebody got handsy with them?

"Maybe we should just forgot the punch altogether." Arthur said gruffly, shaking his head. It wasn't like he was going to be letting the boy out of his sight after all of this, so did he really need to go about punching people.

Merlin's jaw dropped open, "I can punch somebody if I have to! I know what I'm doing! Valiant wouldn't stand a chance against me if I could really let loose!" And then Merlin was biting down on his lip. It was true, Valiant wouldn't have anything on him if Merlin was able to use magic. But that didn't mean he had to come close to telling Arthur that.

Arthur rolled his eyes, dismissing this as nothing more than Merlin just playing bravado again. Like he had been in the courtyard when he had claimed he could take Arthur on with less than one hand. He almost had, but that was beside the point, it wasn't Arthur's fault that Merlin had been a slippery opponent, scrawny enough to get around things in the way faster during their fight in the marketplace, than Arthur's bulkier form had been able to.

"It doesn't matter either way." Arthur decided as he watched Merlin lower his fist with what seemed almost like a pout. He sighed. All this time, Arthur had been looking at Merlin like he was demanding things from him, trying to force their relationship in ways that Arthur just didn't want them to go. But he hadn't been demanding it, had he? He'd just made an offer and Arthur had rejected it. But this was different, Valiant was demanding things from Merlin. Things that did not belong to him, and things he had no right to even ask for yet alone try to take them by force. And rather he wanted them or not, those things were Arthur's right as a husband to take, not Valiant's as an unwanted member of the party. This was personal.

"Of course it matters!" Merlin exclaimed as he threw his arms out in front of him. "If you think I'm doing something wrong, don't hold it back just because your feeling sorry for me or something!" If that was the reason Arthur was saying his knowledge of punching didn't matter, then there was going to be hell to pay. He could do all the things that Arthur could do! ...And better! "Besides, I've already punched Valiant when he first tried in the armory,"

"One," Arthur said gruffly, "I don't feel sorry for you." In all of his anger and frustration, he didn't think that he had once felt 'sorry' for the boy. It was just an unfortunate fact that had happened to him, and it was now up to Arthur to make it right.

Merlin blinked, surprised at that. Arthur seemed as if he were telling the truth, but he could also see that the blonde was leading up to something else.

And true enough, "And two," Arthur gave him a curious look. "How did it go?" He had been the victim of Merlin's punches, and he knew how wild and untrained they were. Anybody with even a hint of self defense training would have been able to block the blow as easy as they could breathing. It was why he was so confident in Merlin's ability to not be able to protect himself.

Merlin blinked again, realizing that he may had just talked himself straight over the edge of a cliff. After a minute of hesitation, he said, "Oh, it went marvelous. Didn't you see the large bruise spreading out over his chin? It was huge, my handwork of course. Just one quick pop to the chin and I guess he decided I was to much trouble and left me alone just long enough for me to escape to my room."

Well, Arthur thought dryly, Merlin was right about one thing. He was a lot more trouble then most people would think at first glance.

"...He caught it, didn't?" Arthur guessed, already able to see how it had gone. Arthur had been able to catch Merlin's fist the first time he'd tried to punch him with so much ease that it had been ridiculous. The only way Merlin would have landed a hit was if the man had been incredibly distracted and Merlin had been incredibly lucky.

"...No! I really got him, and I bet this whole thing is pointless because I scared him away on my own." Merlin said dryly, tone sarcastic as he gave up on the act.

There was a moment in time where they just stared at each other. And then Merlin started to crack a sheepish grin, they both knew that Merlin hadn't landed the hit. And in some odd and strange way, despite the dire situation, it was something that they could find amusement in. Even Arthur gave a little quirk of his lips into what looked like it could have passed as a smile. Then Merlin's grin started to grow larger, more cheeky and innocent at what was happening.

For just this one moment, things between them seemed to be different. They weren't Merlin, a common farm boy/secret sorcerer that had been forced into a role as consort, a title that his birth would dictate he could never take on. And they weren't Arthur, the prince of Camelot, who had always known that all of the decisions in his life would be chosen for him as he prepared himself in his youth to one day take on the mantle of king.

They were just Merlin and Arthur, two boys that were thrown together by an unfortunate circumstance, and forced to co-exist in a life that neither of them wanted to be apart of. It was amazing that they could find this simple moment of peace despite it feeling as if the world around them could have been burning to the ground.

And just like that, the moment was gone.

Arthur's smile dropped and he coughed into his fist, clearing his throat as if he'd just been caught doing something wrong. And the way they were standing, the space between them because of how far Arthur had backed away, as if he thought he would catch something by standing to close to Merlin, felt like a chasm.

Merlin's smile dropped in an instant, as his reality came crashing down on him. This was not the moment to be happy, or to be making memories. This was the moment they should have been making plans, discussing what would happen once the sun rose and the king had woken. Merlin was supposed to be getting himself involved in the process, to be sure that he knew everything that was going on so he wouldn't be left out of the loop. He shouldn't be standing here smiling away at... at Arthur of all people. Not at the man that had shown him cruelty and harshness, and just being plain mean in his delivery of a rejection. Not at the man who...had shown a clear anger on Merlin's behalf, and whose voice had spoken of a promise to seek his rightful retribution's on Valiant.

No, Arthur didn't deserve his smile. He should be lucky that Merlin was trying to help him out instead of leaving him to figure it out. Because honestly, Merlin didn't think Arthur would have ever figured out that Valiant was planning to kill him in the finale, with it being just the next afternoon.

"Well," Arthur said, his voice sounding strange and strung out, casually moving back some more, easing himself behind his desk. It wasn't exactly the most dignified moment of his life, it felt as he were trying to hide from Merlin. "I don't suppose you can be much help to me. I mean, you don't really know of the council, or the members of the court, or how one goes about making such allegations like this."

Knights had been stripped of their ranks before, and it was a huge dishonor for them and their family name to have it done. But it was also something that was rare, and there must be undeniable evidence that the Knight had knowingly done something wrong, or criminal. Arthur supposed trying to forcibly plant a kiss (and later break into their room) on a person that was now so high up in their society, would count. Well, it wouldn't be such a big deal if it was a peasant the knights had done this with, as long as the peasant in question didn't get grievously injured. The Knight would be reprimanded and probably sent back to basic training. Not exactly the worst punishment Arthur would have drolled out, especially since the Knight had the opportunity to work their way back into the king's good gracious.

But the Prince's Consort was a different rank entirely. It would be taken a lot more seriously and Valiant could possibly be facing either a banishment or execution, depending on the king's mood and what kind of family Valiant came from. If he came from a respected and well-known family, then he may just be faced with a banishment, never to grace the land of Camelot again. But if his family was a lesser known branch of nobility who remained to themselves, then he could be given an execution depending on how severe the king considered this claim.

Arthur trying to step away seemed to not be noted by Merlin, because he was walking back across the length of the room, but at least he stayed in the other side of the desk, "You can teach me." He said firmly, his eye's looking dead serious.

Merlin was going to take this as the chance that it was, a chance for him to actually learn some of what was going on. If this gave him a more of an idea of what was to be expected from him as consort, then he wanted to learn. If learning about this was going to show him what happened when someone made this kind of 'accusation' towards a Knight, then he most definitely wanted to learn.

Arthur lifted an eyebrow at him, looking up from where he had been fiddling with the items on his desk. Which he definitely should not have been doing, and he had to force his hands to still, because a prince did not waste their time or look childish by 'fiddling' with things. "You want me to teach you?" He said to the boy. His tone was dry and verging on saying 'are you ridiculous.'

"Yes!" Merlin said, leaning forward as he planted his hands on Arthur's desk. Each boy now stood on either side of the desk, their hands planted firmly on the wooden surface and staring each other down. "I want to learn, and I want you to teach me whatever you can."

Merlin may have serious doubts about the blonde's intelligence, but he still had a huge advantage over Merlin. Arthur had been born here, he knew the castle inside and out, and he knew exactly what he was doing in his day to day life. Merlin didn't. So he was willing to swallow his pride and ask for this lesson.

But Arthur shook his head, as impressed that he was that Merlin actually wanted to learn something, he knew that he couldn't, "I don't have time to teach you everything by morning." Not if they wanted to do this right, to have everything done the proper way and iron clad tight so that Valiant wouldn't be able to escape his dues.

But his statement didn't deter Merlin in the least, "I'm a fast learner." He didn't care if they had to stay up all night to do it, he would if that was what it took to put Valiant behind bars like he deserved.

Arthur took in a shallow breath, before he was pushing himself off of his desk. "Maybe another time." He said. He could almost see it now though, Merlin bent over his desk as he flipped through one of the many books Arthur would have brought up for him on the laws of Camelot or some such. It would definitely be fun to force him into completing so much homework, and would get Merlin out of his hair for a while, but that was best for another time. This whole Valiant situation was a little too precarious for Arthur to play around with.

"But-" Merlin started to protest, pushing off of the desk as well, and watching to see what Arthur was going to do next.

"But nothing," Arthur interrupted before Merlin could argue his case. "Although," he said slowly, giving Merlin a serious look as he rounded the table so that the boy was in an easier reach. "There is just one thing that you can do for me, if you can."

He said this mockingly and challenging, as he tried to get his bearings back in order. He never did like being this close to Merlin, it was just always one big reminder of the life they had been forced into. And he always had to keep an extra eye on the boy, sure that one of these days Merlin was just going to up and kiss him. And the other boy had yet to bring up the favor incident, so Arthur wasn't even sure if he realized what had happened. But Arthur definitely wasn't going to bring it up first.

Merlin seemed to recognize the tone in his voice, because he straightened up, "What is it?" He asked, eager and sounding ready to please. Arthur sighed, wanting to blow his brains out right about now as he resisted the urge to rub his new headache out. Fuck, he could tell already that he was going to have to keep an extra good eye on the boy. If that was how he always sounded when he wasn't busy fussing at Arthur, it was no wonder that he had ended up in this situation. And Valiant was just one man, who knew who else was in the castle that would try their luck at bedding their Consort.

"For one thing, you can start by being more aware of certain things." Arthur said, already thinking how much more simpler things would have been if Merlin had known that Valiant was dangerous long before any of this. Then he could have done a better job at avoiding the Knight, and none of this would be happening.

Merlin's shoulders sagged as he scowled at the prince, "Well, I'm definitely more aware than you are, Mr. I don't know what's going on in my own castle or you would have figured things out long before I came in here."

"Why, you little-" Arthur started before he abruptly cut himself off and clenched his jaw shut. He 'knew' that Merlin had better not be trying to blame him for this mess! It wasn't Arthur's fault that Merlin looked like...that, or that he sounded like...that, or that everything he said could be misconstructed as anything other than what he meant. And while Arthur still couldn't see how somebody could want to chase after 'Merlin' of all people, he could at least understand why people that...shared, Merlin's inclinations towards the same gender may at least attempt it. Plus, with his sudden raise in status, that may him look even more appealing than he would have been as a simple peasant.

"Oh, no, go on. Please finish what you were going to say." Merlin said dryly, that damn hand on his hip as he started jutting it out some as he leaned against the desk. Arthur really just wanted to rip that damn hand off that hip, wondering if this was how he had been looking when Valiant approached him. It would at least make some sense to Arthur, how an 'esteemed Knight' would have risked it all for such a stupid boy.

Arthur had to take a deep breath before he started cussing out the consort. He was a prince, he didn't need to use the foul language that Merlin seemed to favor to get his message across. He changed what he was going to say at the last second, knowing that he would probably give in and just start yelling at the boy if he didn't.

"There is one thing that I know you can do, but you are going to find very hard to do. It's something that doesn't involve staying up all night to study on the ways of our justice system." Arthur grunted, still taking in a deep breath as to control himself from doing something so incredibly stupid. Like banning Merlin from putting his hands on his hips and glaring at him like he was.

"And what's that?" Merlin asked, "And I swear, if you start in with some crack about my heritage or something-" he could already see Arthur trying to send him to the barn to milk the cows or something the stable hands should have been taking care of. And while Merlin was more than capable of doing it, he had always hated milking their one cow in the village. But then again, Bessy just seemed to hate him on sight, and always tried to run him over when he went out to her with a fresh pail bucket for the milk.

Arthur rolled his eyes, and then he was poking Merlin in the chest. Firm and hard pokes as he enunciated what he was saying, looking pleased with himself when he noted that it had forced Merlin to drop his hands from his hips and down to rest at his sides.

"You can make sure that you. Are. Never. In. A. Position. Where you are alone with him." It was what had gotten them into this mess in the first place, because Merlin had been where he wasn't supposed to be. As consort, with no skills towards weaponry if their one lesson had been anything to go by, there was no reason for him to be down there at all. Then Valiant would have never had the opportunity to go as far as he had managed to.

Merlin's jaw dropped as a spike of anger shot through him, "Do you think that I did it on purpose!" He exclaimed, throwing out his arm in disbelief. "That I what, went down to the armory and just waited on the off chance that somebody may come along and did what he did!"

Well, Arthur had briefly played around with the idea that it was Merlin's fault. But he knew it wasn't, he had just wanted to get under Merlin's skin like he was doing to Arthur without even knowing it. But considering the circumstances, it probably wasn't the best time to make such statements.

But like hell Arthur was going to admit that. He even went a step further when he pointed out, "In fact, I don't think I want you leaving my sight at all." As fun as it would be to chain Merlin to his desk, he didn't have the patience to listen to the consort yelling at him about it as he tried to get free. Nor did he have the patience to actually hold Merlin down long enough for him to get the chains on him.

Merlin stiffened, feeling a familiar dread start to dawn on him, "And what does that mean?" He demanded, not sure he liked where this was going. Not for the first time, he found himself questioning rather or not it had really been a good thing to bring this to Arthur's imminent attention.

Arthur smirked, already imagining Merlin's reaction as he said, "Tomorrow, you are going to spend the entire day by my side." Arthur may value the short moments of his time when he didn't have Merlin near him, but he figured this was a little more important. If he wasn't going to chain Merlin up where he would know that he wasn't getting himself into another bad situation, then the least he could do was keep the boy in his eyesight. It would be hard, having to hear his nattering all day long instead of in short doses, but it would be better than wondering all day long rather or not Merlin was safe or off being raped somewhere while Arthur was doing his own stuff.

No, it would be better to keep him at his side, at least until this whole thing blew over. And since Valiant was such an 'important Knight' and considering one of his guards had 'apparently' abandoned their duty at some point in the night, he wasn't entirely trusting any guard he put on the boy to keep him out of trouble. Some things, Arthur had learned, just needed to be done by himself if he wanted them done right.

"I am not spending all day with you!" Merlin exclaimed, looking horrified at the prospect. It was tough enough being here now, he just knew that he wouldn't be able to keep his mouth shut if he had to spend all day with the prat. They wouldn't last long together, not when Merlin gave in and started shouting at him, asking how he could have been so cruel as to reject him so harshly. And things would only be made worse when Arthur no doubt started making up a dozen and one excuses over why what he had done was the best action to take.

Arthur would have been insulted by Merlin's reaction, if he hadn't also found a touch of amusement in it as well. He was starting to find it an amusing past-time, riling Merlin up after everything he'd done to Arthur since the first day he walked into the kingdom.

"This is non-negotiable." Arthur said, waving a hand as if to say 'what's done is done. "You will spend tomorrow with me as we sort out this problem, and then everything can go back to normal."

But Merlin felt a spike of panic going through him, knowing that this was going to be a bad mistake. "I can't! I have...things to do, and... so do you?" He finished this off as if it were a question, clearly trying and failing to make up a passable excuse.

Arthur rolled his eyes, he could add that to one of the things he knew about Merlin. He was an absolutely awful liar, it was a good thing he didn't have any real secrets to keep or the entire city would know about it. It was amazing to him that the entire city wasn't abuzz yet with news of their marriage only being because of an ancient contract older than they were. So, he supposed Merlin could keep his mouth shut about some things at least.

"I do have things to do." Arthur said bluntly, his lips thinning at Merlin's argumentative tone. "And you are going to be doing them with me." He wasn't going to allow Merlin to talk himself out of this one, not by a long shot. He did have what seemed like a hundred things to do come morning, with everything that's come to light, but he could also admit-even to himself-that he would be distracted and unfocused if he wasn't for sure that Merlin was safe.

"No, I'm not!" Merlin protested loudly. "I have my own things to do!" He really didn't, but if Arthur wasn't going to teach him, then Merlin was just going to have to do it himself. Maybe Gaius knew where he could find some books he could look at, give him more of an idea of what to expect. "And it doesn't include just following you around like some kind of lapdo-"

"Merlin!" Arthur interrupted, shouting over his endless excuses as he felt what little of the patience he'd been holding onto thinning so completely that it could have snapped at any second. "I told you what was happening, now for once, just do what your told!" He didn't know where the urge had came from, but he did feel this anxiousness and clawing going on in his chest area. But he knew that he would regret it if he allowed Merlin to just do his own thing tomorrow, he knew that something awful was going to happen if he wasn't there to stop it. He felt guilty enough to know Merlin had been in this situation and he hadn't even known it, he wasn't going to allow this situation to develop into something worse.

"I don't know when your head became bigger than it already was," Merlin drawled out as he narrowed his eyes on the blonde. "But you're not going to boss me around like I'm one of your subjec-"

Merlin was cut off as that thin little string that was holding Arthur together seemed to snap into nothingness. Arthur's eye's seemed red with rage as he threw himself forward. Merlin didn't even have time to scream before the prince was grabbing him by the front of his shirt, jerking him so hard that he came off his feet and had to balance himself on the tip of his toes.

"Do you not see what is going on!" Arthur was shouting in Merlin's face, shaking him so hard that the boy's head was rattling back and forth as if he were a modern day bobble head. "You are not going to argue with me for once! When morning comes, I will be waiting for you right outside your door, and you won't say a word about it when I do." The last thing he felt like was Merlin's cocky attitude when he saw Arthur waiting for him. "And then we are going to nail Valiant to the wall with his crimes against the crown. But to do that, I am going to need you somewhere I know that you're safe at! Do you understand me!"

He finally stopped shaking Merlin, but the grip on his shirt remained as strong as ever. It left Merlin reeling, blinking in a dumb manner as he wrapped his mind around what Arthur had been screaming at him. Safe...he wanted him safe? He wasn't so sure how 'safe' he would be around Arthur, not emotionally safe for sure, but he wasn't sure how to process this information. But just one look into Arthur and his eyes-wide and mad with anger-even Merlin was forced to admit that he was being serious.

"Okay, okay, I'll stay with you tomorrow." He agreed, before he had even realized he was talking. Let along before he realized he was agreeing with Arthur. As a way of distancing himself, trying to look as if he hadn't just did what he did, he was quick to add in, "But I can't promise I won't say anything about it in the morning."

That seemed to relax something in Arthur, he could literally see his shoulder start to sag. It was then that Arthur shook his head, with the slightest glimmer of a smirk on his lips before he was letting Merlin go. Merlin had to catch himself when he nearly fell, all of his weight going back to his feet instead of being held up by Arthur's grip on him.

"I didn't think you would." Arthur said in a gruff tone, turning away from the boy. He just couldn't stand to look at him any longer, they both have had an extremely tiresome day and he didn't want to have another emotional outburst. It was best to get Merlin to go to bed, even if he had to use false reassurances for him to get there. It was clear that Arthur wasn't going to get any sleep tonight. No, he had to think and plan and go over every possible scenario that may happen after the sun finally rose.

"Of course not, somebody needs to keep you on your toes, after all." Merlin said, his tone dry and off sounding. He studied Arthur like he would if he had a fine tooth comb, trying to ignore the flood of warmth in him. He just didn't understand Arthur. One minute, he was taking pleasure in wrecking Merlin's heart, he had gone out of the way to make sure Merlin knew he wasn't important enough. Or at least not important enough to tell in person that he didn't want to become a real couple. But then the next...he was coming up to bat. He had shown anger on Merlin's behalf, had gone out of his way to make sure that Merlin wasn't going around with any piece of Valiant still on him. And then he was screaming that he was trying to keep Merlin safe...it just didn't make any sense.

Who was Arthur Pendragon?

Was he the man who picked fights, and tried to hurt him on purpose? Or was he the man that would start something on Merlin's behalf, to help him? It was confusing, and he didn't like not knowing the answers. Everything was swirling around inside of him, and he wanted to know the answers, but he was also scared of being disappointed again. It made him want to pull away, and act like Arthur was just this arsehole he would never acknowledge if he didn't have to. But it also made him want to dig deep, sink his hooks in, and really find out what Arthur's game was.

Merlin just didn't know what path to choose, or which would be the best. To give in or not to give in. He only knew one thing, he wasn't fit to make such a decision right now. He didn't think he could forgive Arthur for what he had done so publicly, and he really didn't want to. Arthur didn't deserve his forgiveness but he supposed, for just this one moment, it would be okay to work with him.

At least until Valiant was gone. And then Merlin could watch as Arthur went back to ignoring him like he had been the first two weeks they'd been married. He could forget that Arthur was actually showing-in this moment-that he was human as well, and was capable of showing compassion.

Arthur...showing compassion? Now, wasn't that a scary thought.

"And what, are you the person for that job?" Arthur asked dryly, looking almost mockingly at him. As if he really didn't think that Merlin could handle the kind of job. Or maybe he was just nervous, if the way he was rubbing at the back of his neck was anything to go by.

But what could he possibly be nervous about, was Merlin's question. Although he didn't think he would get an answer to it, not for a very long time at least. It took him a minute to snap out of his thoughts and realized what he had just said to him. And it took him a second longer to remember what he had said in the first place: about how he was going to keep Arthur on his toes. He felt something in his chest swell up, yes actually, he was the best person for the job. He would spend the rest of his life making sure that Arthur knew this. The blonde could hurt him all he liked, but it was Merlin that would be there making sure that Arthur wouldn't forget what he'd done to him.

"You bet your damn arse I am." Merlin said in a bold tone. And then he hesitated, because now would have probably been the best chance to bring up the favor. To try and get Arthur to see sense while he was in this... agreeable...mood. Was that what this was? It wasn't something he was entirely sure of, but he didn't dare open his mouth. At least not this time, the pain of it was still too raw for him to be able to get out what he wanted to say without sounding like he was whining. It was next time, when Merlin had some time to sleep on it...next time, he promised himself, it would be when he gave in and let himself go.

It wasn't a conversation that he wanted to have, but he didn't think he could just ignore it and pretend that it wasn't a pressing force weighing him down-both in the back of his mind and deep in his chest.

Arthur had been looking towards the door in a nervous manner. He was fully aware that he and Merlin had been in his room for quite some time, and it hadn't been the first time either, their wedding night still vivid in his mind. It shouldn't be bothering him as much as it did, it was to be expected for his consort to be in his room as much as he was in his own room. And nobody was probably out there anyway, he knew Morgana and his father had retired to bed hours ago, so it wasn't like there was anybody standing out there waiting for them to come out. It still caused him to get an uncomfortable itch that he couldn't quite shake. The kind that was more internal than it was physical.

But Merlin's bold statement caused him to glance away from the door. And he sighed, a putout and very heavy sounding sigh as he brought his hand back up to his hair, "You aren't going to make thing's easy for me, are you?" He found himself asking. He felt silly, and ridiculous for being so concerned with appearances with everything else that was going on. Here Arthur was, stressing out over something that was probably just in his head when Merlin had an actual problem. He was already married to the guy, so it wouldn't be a stretch for people to see them spending so much...alone time...in his room. It would be more shocking if anybody realized they had yet to do anything significant with the other.

He had so many other problems to deal with, things that needed his attention. His own problems could wait until after he'd dealt with Merlin's. Besides, once he fixed everything, it wouldn't be an issue any longer. There would be no reason for Merlin to seek him out...not unless he tried something new in his odd and often weird attempts to gain Arthur's unreal affections.

"Nah," Merlin's voice broke in through his thoughts, an easy going smile that looked just a tad bit to forceful for it to be as easy going as he'd been going for. "Life would get real boring for you real fast if I did."

Arthur shook his head, the briefest hint of a smile daring to make it's appearance. When he had said his earlier comment, about Merlin not making thing's easy for him, he hadn't been talking about their situation with Valiant. No, he had been referring to how they were stuck with each other, and how problematic their marriage was going to be if this set the tune for how the rest of their lives were going to be.

Apparently, Merlin had picked up on that as well. Maybe he was just a tad bit smarter than Arthur gave him credit for...nah, it wasn't that. Couldn't be, that would make things a little easier and like Merlin said, Arthur'd get bored if he did.

"Alright, come on." Arthur said. "We've been discussing all that needs to be. I think it's time for some much needed rest." And then he was glancing at the door, and then back at Merlin. How was he supposed to do this? The last time he had escorted Merlin out of his room, he had literally tossed the boy out on their wedding night. But he couldn't do that now, thing's between them had shifted just a little bit. Well, maybe not so much, but they at least had a common goal to work towards at the moment.

Should he dismiss him as he would one of his knights? He wasn't to comfortable with the idea of Merlin walking to his room, there was no telling where Valiant was at the moment. It wasn't something he was to keen on finding out in the morning that Merlin had been attacked again. So that was out. Besides, he wasn't one of his knights so it would just feel weird doing it.

Should he hug him goodbye? They were married so it wasn't like it would be the most outlandish thing on the planet to do. But he also didn't want to give Merlin any unwanted ideas. Something like a simple hug may be dangerous and encourage those feelings of his.

He definitely shouldn't throw him out like he'd done on their wedding night...right? Besides, that came right back around to Arthur not wanting Merlin to walk to his room alone in the middle of the night. Anything could have happened between Arthur's room and his own.

"So, um...there's a lot of things that I still need to do. So I think you should retire to bed for the evening." Arthur said awkwardly. And then he was reaching out and giving Merlin a very light-no idea what he was doing-fist bump to his shoulder. Kind of a lighter version to how he would punch one of his friends in the shoulder as he was leaving after they'd spent the afternoon messing around.

He regretted it as soon as he did it.

And not just because Merlin was looking at his own shoulder with a 'what the fuck did you do that for' expression...oh, who was he kidding. That was exactly the reason. Oh, he really hoped his fist bump hadn't been an encouragement to Merlin's feelings. Surely the boy knew that a fist punch was the least romantic handling that somebody could do!

"Alright," Merlin said slowly. He considered protesting, but after that weird thing Arthur just did to his shoulder, he figured it would be best to get out while he still could. "If you want to do all of the work yourself, even when you and I both know that I'm smarter than you and can help, I'll just leave you to it."

It was a true testament to how anxious Arthur was when he didn't say anything. Just waved his hand at Merlin as a silent 'get on with it' gesture towards the door. Merlin scowled, looking displeased with this because he'd been trying to get some kind of reaction out of the prince. But it was like he were a statue, firm and unmoving.

Maybe Merlin was uncomfortable with the way Arthur was behaving, the fist punch to his shoulder a vivid thought in his head. He'd never been given a 'friendly punch' before, and honestly thought they were idiotic. Why would friends go about punching each other?

Merlin was almost to the door when he turned back around, startling Arthur who had been close behind him. "Wait, I've changed my mind! I'm not done here ye-" he stopped when he realized how close Arthur had been, the prince nearly running him over because of how sudden he'd stopped. "...What are you doing?"

Arthur wanted to pull his hair out, to start screaming at the boy to just get out of his room. He already had a long night ahead of him, he didn't have all the time in the world to entertain him. But he didn't, and maybe it was because he was still feeling guilty for not knowing what had been going on. Something like this had happened while under his watch, so listening to Merlin for hours on end was clearly his penance.

"What is it now?" Arthur asked gruffly, as he reached up to pinch at the bridge of his nose.

"What about the snakehead!" Merlin demanded, reaching down to pick up the snakehead in question. It had been dropped on the ground at some point in their talk and Merlin had just seen it on the way to the door, reminding him of the original reason for him coming here in the first place.

Arthur looked down at the offending snakehead as Merlin waved it about in his face. Right, the snakehead. The thing that was apparently 'not' an unheard of peasant tradition where they brought the head of an animal to their intended in some uncivilized way to show that they could provide. It was apparently 'proof' that Valiant was carrying around a magical shield with plans to kill him in the final.

"Okay, I give. What about the snakehead?" Arthur asked him tiredly, still rubbing down the bridge of his nose.

Merlin was looking at him now, as if he were seriously thinking Arthur was a dumbarse. Well, it definitely wouldn't be the first time tonight that Arthur felt as if he were one.