the swan princess, arthur pendragon

031. the price he paid

    And as he watched her pass out food she had scavenged to begging children, the elderly and the sick from his chamber window▬those who could not manage to gather provisions for themselves▬Arthur also realised that just like the forest, and the birds, and the flowers and the animals, people loved her just as much. Children hugged her, the elderly blessed her and even the guards she passed some bread out to who had been standing out in the courtyard all night to stop looters smiled and chuckled at whatever she had said▬a mere servant that for so many, had become so forgettable ... to everyone else, she was more memorable than she even realised.

    She, who must be hungry and thirsty▬just as much as the rest of them were▬did not give any of what she found to herself. She who picked up a bird that was pecking at the old dried puddles near the well and sat down with it in the shade, giving it the left over bathwater tea Merlin had complained to Arthur about this morning.

    And out of everyone, she was the last person who deserved any of this. And it was horrible, how magic was trying to destroy someone so truly magical in a way the evil of sorcery could never even try to compare to.

    Arthur watched her, and they were playing hide and seek all over again. Except all he could do was hide, and never be able to stand with her▬pass out food with her at his side. Be able to gaze at her smile in each others company. And it hurt. Ever since Ealdor, Arthur found himself gazing after her more often. Found himself downing his drinks quickly just so he could ask her to refill it whenever he had a luncheon with Morgana. She had changed something between them in Ealdor▬in such a way that it had never been changed before. And, now, Arthur could not stop thinking about it, about her, about what they could never have. How she had been right: that she will always scrub his floors and clear his plates, and he was always going to ask her to refill his goblets.

    He heard Merlin wandering about behind him like some bad smell▬he heard his boots snuff the stone floor and accidentally kick into Arthur's furniture and walls. His servant huffed, thirsty and hungry▬and annoyed▬as he gathered up his clothes and threw them over his shoulder. Though he quickly noticed Arthur's lack of comments about his loud complaining. Merlin arched a brow, staring at the Prince strangely who hadn't looked away from the window, "What are you looking at?" he asked him suddenly.

    Arthur blinked. He did his best to try and make it seem like his manservant hadn't startled him. He cleared his throat and placed his hands on his hips, turning away from the gaze he had fixed on the young handmaiden in the square. "Er▬nothing."

    He pushed past his servant who leaned back, annoyed at his lack of consideration to where he stood. Merlin eyed him as he went, curious. He smacked his lips and went back to his work, hoping it would distract him from how dry his tongue was getting. Arthur sat down on the edge of his bed, reaching for his boots as he pushed himself to get ready for the day. However, his foul mood doubled the moment he felt something strange on the shoe leather▬he gritted his teeth to see his finger poke through a hole, eaten straight through.

    "That▬" he held back many curses, "▬rat!"

    He rushed to his feet and shoved his boot in Merlin's face, "Look!" he told his manservant angrily. "It has eaten through my boot! Look at it!"

    Merlin wasn't amused by having the stench of Arthur's socks right under his nose. He stared back at his master blankly, "I suppose the rat is as hungry as the rest of us," he replied in a dead-panned tone.

    Arthur clenched his grip around his boot. He lowered it to sneer at his servant, "You think this is funny?"

    Merlin managed a tight smile, "Moderately."