SKAM Merlin

Friday Night

The music was loud and Arthur did not want to be there. He found himself hiding in the bathroom, just for a moment. Someone would surely come looking for him at some point; it was his party after all.
Gwaine really pulled some strings to make this happen. He had rented out a local tavern for the celebration. There was even a small band hired to play.

His birthday was never a happy time for him. It always brought back feelings of his mother that he couldn't quite shake. Arthur had so many questions about her that he knew would never be answered.

His head was pounding. Maybe he had had too much to drink.

It wasn't as though he wanted to take this particular moment to reflect upon what little he knew of her, it was more so that his thoughts were swirling in his brain and everything was just kind of coming up. Arthur couldn't help it. She haunted him.

Gwaine stumbled in to his hiding place drunkenly. Arthur pushed these thoughts down and put a smile on his face.

"What'r you doing all by yer lonesome in here?"

Arthur shrugged. "It's probably better in here than it is out there."

Gwaine paused, left, and returned just as quick with a full pint of ale and Percy followed close behind him.

"C'mon mate, here ya go." Gwaine handed him the glass

Percy and Gwaine watched with amusement as Arthur nearly knocked back the whole mug in one gulp.

He was buzzed before Gwaine barged in, now he had to admit, he was a little drunk. He managed it well. Arthur had gotten vaguely tipsy at every event his father had thrown since he was twelve and not a single person had ever reprimanded him for it. He made it a game to see how many glasses of wine or pitchers of beer he could consume without anyone noticing, and he had gotten good. One might say that he knew how to hold his drink.

"Gods, Arthur- Why don't you come'n out with us, there's lots of cheeky girls out there."

"Why am I not surprised, you like the devilish ones?"

"Well you 're what you eat!" Percy nudged him.

Arthur laughed, "I'm sure I don't know what you mean."

The door creaked open. The music grew loud again. Two women stepped in. through the door. The blonde one looking a bit fresher than the other.

The knights hardly took notice.

"Well what kind of woman d'you fancy then, my Prince?"

The girls made their way to the wash bucket on the ground in the far corner, the blonde dunked a handkerchief in the not-so-clean water. Her friend, looking a bit sick, sat and washed her face.

Arthur edged near the wash basin. "Is she alright?"

"Oh, yeah she's grand. Just had a bit too much to drink really." The blonde didn't face him and didn't smile. She remained, next to her drunken friend, holding her hair.

Arthur continued with his previous conversation.

"Well Sir Gwaine, I tend to like them stubborn and thin" Arthur smiled, looking at the woman and speaking more to her than anyone else, "and blonde."

The woman glanced over him, regarding him with vague interest.

He leaned towards her, still at a comfortable distance half whispering "did you catch that?"

She snorted and returned her attention to her sick friend.

If Arthur had remembered any specific detail of that conversation in the morning, he would've kicked himself.

"Can I take you out for a drink sometime?" He crouched to make himself level with the woman.

"I've had enough drink for now, thanks" She eyed him, trying to hold back a smirk.

"Oh, Gwaine, you'd like her," Arthur laughed looking back at her, "very mischievous."

They stared at each other for a minute.

"I'm not interested in him." She stated.

The prince stood, graciously accepting his defeat. She stood too, a few inches shorter than him.

With one of her hands gracing his cheek, she kissed him.

He could taste a bit of drink on her too.

Eventually, she pulled away. "Find me later if I'm still here," she gave him a few gentle playful slaps and smiled.

"Com'on" she helped her friend up and she glanced back at Arthur before the two left.

The three were silent.

"Oy mate, how d'you do that?" Gwaine laughed.

Arthur shrugged like it was no big deal, but his stomach burned with pride.

He smiled to himself.

Saturday, an hour passed Friday's midnight

When the band left in the small hours of the morning, the remaining party strolled drunkenly to the lake just beyond the wood and Arthur strolled along.

He was significantly less drunk by then, but he was still hollering and singing and dancing down the lane, hand in hand with his new friend.

Some of the folks decided to go for a midnight swim but Arthur and Vivian opted to stay dry on shore.

People could hear the two laughing from a half mile away.

After an hour or two, he walked her back almost completely sober and still happy. She kissed him goodnight and he sauntered home grinning to himself.