Woo, I finally got around to writing another chapter! I'm trying to get the ball rolling in this chapter, now that everything is set up. I'm really sorry for the long wait, I hope it's okay! Please let me know if there's anything I can do to improve it, I hope you enjoy it :)
Merlin flopped down onto his bed, trying to formulate a plan in his head. If I just act normal – no, if I act normal then people will know something's wrong.
Arthur paced back and forth in his chambers, thinking things over. It's a distraction, one I'll have to deal with for now. But it's Merlin - this is completely his fault. He must have cast a spell on me. Maybe he's a sorcerer. All right, now I'm jumping to conclusions. Well done Arthur, you've peaked at a new level of stupidity. Off to bed I go. Without Merlin... GOD'S SAKE. Arthur slammed himself into his bed, rubbing his eyes, willing his mind to shut down.
X
Dawn approached far too soon for either Merlin or Arthur to pull themselves together, which put an interesting spin on the beginning of their day, to say the least.
"Merlin!" Gaius called, opening the door to his room, and motioning towards the window. "You're supposed to be helping the king prepare for next week, and a council meeting, for heaven's sake!"
Merlin groaned, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He gasped when he remembered the previous day's events, which prompted Gaius to ask him, "My boy, what's the matter?"
"Nothing, bad dream," Merlin responded. Gaius stared at him until he added, "I'm slow to react sometimes."
"I will find out what's going on eventually, you know," Gaius told him knowingly, stalking out of the room. Merlin sighed, leaning back in his bed, staring at the ceiling.
Merlin was ready in no time, and all too soon he found himself rooted to the floor in front of the door to Arthur's chambers. He tried to convince himself to walk in, to act professional. He realised he'd never been professional in his life, he couldn't do it, and sighed heavily.
"Merlin?" a voice behind him queried, which made him jump a mile.
"Leon!" he cried, "What brings you here?"
"I was wondering where the king is," he explained. "He is due for a council meeting shortly." He regarded Merlin's startled appearance and began a new line of questioning. "Is something the matter, Merlin?"
"No, no, not at all!" he stammered. "I'm... checking for woodworms. That's what I'm doing." Merlin suddenly smacked his ear to the door and began softly knocking on the wood. He raised his eyebrows at Leon to make a point.
"Woodworms? In the door?" Leon asked, bewildered.
"Oh, the door is always a hotspot for woodworms, especially at this time of morning."
"Woodworms?" Leon asked again, crossing his arms doubtfully.
"Yep," Merlin nodded, unplanting himself from the door and swaying his arms distractedly. "Anyway, I'd better get old lazybones ready!"
"You do that, Merlin," Leon nodded to say farewell and left Merlin standing there once again.
One. Two. THREE! Merlin flung Arthur's door open and rushed into the room, blurting "Up you get, sire!"
Arthur groaned and pulled the covers over his head.
"Come on, you have a council meeting," Merlin urged Arthur, daring to pull the covers back from his head.
Arthur looked up at Merlin in shock and the two of them stared at each other like a rabbit would at a dragon.
"Councilly things!" Merlin squeaked. At this, Arthur said, "You moron," reached his hands into Merlin's hair, and pulled him down into the sheets with him.
X
"Gwaine, I just spoke to Merlin," Leon said as the two of them walked across the castle grounds. Gwaine stopped dead in his tracks.
"Is there something you're not telling me?" Leon asked, picking up on this immediately.
"Well, what were you going to say?" Gwaine went, "I mean, is Merlin all right?"
"He was just acting strangely is all..." Leon shrugged, before honing in on Gwaine's own behaviour, "what do you know about Merlin? Is there something I should know about?"
"Not really," Gwaine replied automatically, trying to sound nonchalant.
"Not really?" Leon repeated. "Gwaine, something's going on and I know it."
Gwaine couldn't hold it in any longer. But he didn't want to betray Merlin... he wasn't so bothered about Arthur, though...
…
…
…
"Percival and Arthur slept together."
"Arthur and Percival?" Leon gasped, shocked. "I didn't have Percival down as Arthur's type... but good for them, I suppose."
"You mustn't tell a soul about this," Gwaine begged Leon, "or I'm dead."
"Absolutely," Leon agreed. "I respect their wishes for this development to be kept secret."
"Merlin's just keen to keep it a secret, so naturally he raises all the alarm bells," Gwaine added, for Merlin's defence.
"I won't mention it to him," Leon nodded.
"Probably best for the blighter," Gwaine smiled. With that, Gwaine excused himself to go and find Percival. Maybe I should tell him what I just did. He then had a change of heart, deciding it would be more fun this way.
X
Merlin and Arthur tried to dress as fast as they possibly could. The awkwardness could be felt hanging thick in the air, which was made worse by Arthur's inability to dress himself. Merlin sort of stared at him struggling with his shirt, trying not to collapse in a fit of nervous laughter.
"YOU'RE A COMPLETE AND TOTAL CLOTPOLE!" Merlin said to Arthur suddenly.
"What did you just call me?" Arthur whipped around, staring at Merlin with wide eyes, pointing at him accusingly.
"...I just wanted to know if you needed help getting dressed," Merlin said at almost a whisper, turning bright red.
"Oh."
"Do you?"
"Um, go on then."
"This shirt?"
"Yes."
"Ok, sire, I'm going to put this shirt over your head."
"Yes, Merlin."
"Ready?"
"Yes, Merlin."
Merlin carefully pulled the shirt onto Arthur and helped him into the rest of his clothes too.
"Anything else?" Merlin asked.
"That's all. Thank you, Merlin,"
"I will clean these clothes for you."
"I should hope so,"
"They're all dirty."
"Very, very dirty."
"I'm going to have to scrub them really hard."
"Yes, throw your all into it."
"Oh I will, sire," Merlin assured him, scrambling around to grab as many dirty clothes as he could find, before running out of the room.
He kept running as fast as he could, finally ending up in the armoury. Nobody else was around, thankfully. He dropped Arthur's clothes to the floor and decided to get started.
X
Arthur stepped into the throne room, where the meeting was being held.
"Your Highness," he was greeted.
The king sat down in his seat, only to be immediately bombarded with the one question he did not want to hear today.
"Where's your servant?" one of his men asked, adding "he normally accompanies you to these meetings."
"My servant," Arthur repeated, staring at the table for a second, before raising his head to answer the question, "can't make it today. He is exceptionally busy – in fact, I don't think I will be seeing him at all for the rest of the day. Barely saw him this morning."
"Fair enough."
"I mean it," Arthur continued, "I have no clue where he is, why would you ask?"
"Just curious," the man stared at Arthur suspiciously.
"Well then! Let's get this Merlin – I mean meeting, started!" Arthur flushed bright red. This was going to be a long day.