A/N: It's been raining a lot where I live and I had this sudden idea.
Take care and happy reading.
"I hate these types of days," Arthur said as he looked out the window to the courtyard he could barely see through the blurry glass. "Raining. Everything- wet." He made a face as a group of servants hurried out the doors holding their hands over their faces as if that would help in the heavy rain and wind.
Not hearing the expected reply he turned to find Merlin frozen at the table, halfway through cleaning up after Arthur's dinner. Through the loudness of the howling wind outside Arthur hadn't noticed the absence of the sounds Merlin always made in his clumsy efforts to do his job.
"Merlin."
Merlin's face stayed down. Rolling his eyes Arthur drew closer. Did the idiot fall asleep while standing?
"Merlin."
Merlin drew in a sudden breath, swayed on his feet, blinked twice at Arthur and smiled with all his teeth. His pupils were blown overly large in the candle light.
Arthur scowled. "Have you been chugging that jug of wine while I've been talking to you?"
"I'm not drunk, Sire." Merlin shook his head hard and went back to roughly stacking the dirty dishes and trays.
He sounded way too cheerful to support his claims and Arthur scoffed. "One of these days Merlin, you'll learn to actually admit to your little mischiefs. In fact, I insist that you do. It would save me the pain of watching you attempt at subterfuge."
Instead of an offended retort all Arthur got was a heartfelt laugh. "What were you saying again?" Merlin was at his bed now collecting mud stained breaches and a tunic. He proceeded to the wardrobe, dumping everything in the basket at its foot and threading an arm through the handles.
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Arthur followed Merlin with his eyes as he moved from the wardrobe to the table again and used both his hands to clutch the dishes to his chest, the laundry basket bearing hard on his forearm.
"Got to get home before that gets any worse." Merlin bobbed his head towards the rattling windows, eyes lingering there sluggishly. The tureen at the top of the pile in Merlin's arms wobbled, looking like it might scatter it's remains all over the floor. Arthur did not fancy bits of the beef stew he had for dinner decorating his chambers no matter how much he liked it. Merlin raised his eyebrows in question. He wasn't smiling anymore but his eyes still held that cheerful shine to it.
Arthur scowled some more. "Nothing." He waved a dismissing hand. "Go on. Go."
Merlin bustled out the door.
It was criminal that Merlin was feeling all cheerful while Arthur suffered the day of inactivity. "Oh and Merlin," he called, raising his voice to carry to the hallway.
"Yes, Sire," came the distant reply.
"Be sure to come back to stoke the fire."
A telling silence. Then, "Alright."
Now that was more like it. Smiling slightly, Arthur turned back to the window. Maybe he could make Merlin find a sufficiently empty guest chamber to practice some sword work if the rain didn't let up by tomorrow.
"So, have you been searching? Have you found anything?" Merlin asked as he burst through the door to Gaius's chambers.
From where he sat at a table cluttered with dozens of books Gaius looked pointedly at Merlin's dripping clothes. "Get yourself dry first. Why do you look like you've run a mile?"
Merlin snatched a piece of cloth hanging on the nearest bench, sniffed it and made a face. "Because I did? Come on, Gaius. Tell me you found something." Looking around and finding nothing else he could use for the task at hand he stared at the cloth in his hands for long seconds, shrugged and started to wipe his face. "I've been dying to know all day," came Merlin's muffled voice. "Can't you feel the magic in the air? It's been getting stronger every hour."
"Yes. I can tell you've been lost to it the whole day." Gaius replied, giving Merlin a critical look as Merlin dropped the cloth on the puddle of water on the floor and came to sit opposite him.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Merlin took the book Gaius handed to him.
"Nothing. Here, I think this must be it," he pointed to a section on one of the yellowed pages. "It talks about a cleansing rain, a rain that promises plentiful harvest and prosperity. A rare but natural phenomena that occurs due to the mingling of the magic in the land and the cycle of water. The reason you can feel it quite so heavily while I can only feel a refreshing vigour to the air is frankly because your- you."
Merlin smiled brightly at Gaius. He traced the paragraph Gaius had indicated in the book. "I'm glad it's nothing dangerous."
"Quite."
"Can you imagine, Arthur's been complaining about the rain. He can't feel even a lick of what's been buzzing like lightning under my skin all day…."
Merlin was rain. He had been swept on the wings of magic, taken beyond his body to seep into the crops growing in the outskirts of the lower town, to drip into the earth and fill the reservoirs flowing beneath everyone's feet. He had become the clouds above, pouring down in tiny crystal droplets to cover everything in a cloak of magic. To saturate the air with it. To fill everything with life.
Merlin was magic.
When he muttered contentedly and rolled over in his sleep, eyelids fluttering, the peak beneath showed solid gold.
A/N: And that's a wrap.