Thaumaturgy

Chapter 21

"It's okay" Rachel broke into a smile

"It's sweet! Friends are important. Were you looking at those two dragon ones? I think they're lovely, I love dragons, they're just huge lizards!" She pointed at the rings on the shopkeepers stall, her red hair falling over her shoulder, and Arthur thought again maybe she was much more astue than she seemed.

As Arthur purchase the shining rings, the cat's purring increase its volume and Arthur started to plan how he would be able to coax the little fellow home with him to Ealdor. The cat flexed his little paws relaxingly into Arthur's strong should, tail up behind him for balance. Arthur reached to the cat and brought the rings up to his face, as if he were seeking the approval.

"Do you think he'll like them?" Arthur asked and gave the cat a long scratch behind the ear. In response the cat nuzzled at Arthur again, attempting to roll on his back to have his little white belly fussed, he rolled unceremoniously from his peach, falling with faliling paws and legs and a self-pitying mewl and he landed with a jingling crash amongst the jewellery on the stall.

The stall keper glared deeply at the cat as he haughtily stood and glared back, as though his fall were deliberate, and Arthur surpressed his giggles to scoop the creature into the safety of his bisepts.

As the cat settled into a purring snooze, warm against the prince's chest in the November aira that was crisp, Arthur's stomach made its presence known with a loud rumble. He grinned, sheeplishy and embarrassed, at Rachel, who grinned in return, white teeth reflecting in the shining mid-day sunlight. The sun, slung low in the sky, dressed in milky white with clouds, its weak yellow rays cut through the whitness with a gold strength that the sun had no right to so late in the year as it was, casting a glow of light over the town, was shining.

"Follow me," Rachel said beckoning with both her hand and her delicate head and heading off towards a large stall laiden with fruit, bread and passtries. Behind the stall stood a tall woman whom seemed wizened despite her youthful face, her skin the colour of the bark of the oak tree, brown ears dancing with amusement at the sight of the cat.

"Awight, Rachel. You 'ere wiv your bow. I didn't fink I'd evver see the day!" Rachel blushed but smiled nervously.

"Er, Martha, this is Ar-Arthur. He's my....the once and future king" She stuttered in reply. The woman turned her beaming smile to Arthur, who noticed how knowing her eyes were looking.

"Any friends of Rachel is a friend of mine! Help yourself" she gestued broadly to her stale and its stock.

The cat mewed - a black puff of fur, a pillow of darkair on Arthur's shoulder as he plucked a juicy red apple from a stack on the stall of food and opened his mouth wide, crooked teeth on display, in anticipation of biting. Before he was able to get his jaws around the delicacy, the apple was wrenched from his hand and flew into the air and into the mud. Arthur was shocked.

"what on earth?!" he said, confused. Rachel had not noticed, she wa discussing recipes for custard wi Martha, who's brown eyes watched him laughingly.

"I'm so sorry i have no idea what happened" Arthur said to her, flabberghasted.

"At's alright me love, 'ave an eclair!" she said in a cheerful tone not matching a darkness which Arthur couldn't place in her eye as she wafted her hands above her pastries in a gesture inviting Arthur to dig in. He reached for the creamy cake with strwaberrys on top, but the cat scampered down his arm, light on his little paws and swift as a corsing river, he took the little cake in his mouth and dropped it on the muddy gournd. Arthus scowled at him.

"Bad cat!" he said and MArtha chuckled while Rachel cast him an indulgiant eye.

"Lady Martha, I can only appologise. I'll pay of coure" Arthur looked up with a bashful grin and assued the women.

"Oh lawd I ain't been called a lady in year, luv. I like you. 'ave anovver" This time she handed the eclair to Arhtur, rather than ricks the cats mischef. He smiled widely and brought it to his mouth savouring the sweet treat when suddernly, in a puff of smoek it was gone. Arthur blinked once in confusion and then again, noticing as he did that the little cat's once blue eyes, where it sat now purched among the bakeries on the stall, where fading from a glittering gold back to their normal aquamarine colour. Suddenly he recognised it. Merlin had followed them and disguied himself as a cat to disrupt his and Rachel's time together: did he really not trust him?! They needed this allience to protect his peope and Merlin's jealousey was putting everything at risk!

"Shall we return to the castle mi lady?" Arthur said turning to Rachel and grabbing the cat by the scruff of its neck, tucking it firmly under his jacket and ignoring the indignant little squark it made.

Rachel agreed with a smile and They headed but towards the castle as the sun was setting, even though it was early, submitting to the cold November evening as darkness and cold approach driving people back into their homes for the long nights until the mid winter party In December.

As they neared the front of the castle a flash of black caught Arthur's eye and attention. Sitting watching him was the fluffy blued eyed minx of his fealine soul mate. Before the cat had a chance to move he punced, and scooped it into his arms with an aspirated 'ah hah!'.

"You really like that cat" Rachel obversed as Arthur scowled when the cat started squirming violently.

"Yes uhm. He reminds me of a cat I used to have. When I was young" Arthur lied, he couldn't let Rachel know about the cat, or she would tell her father.

She smiled at the blacksmith prince.

"I know how important childhoof pets can be. You should keep him" she said.

"Oh, I intend to" replied Arthur, his voice full of dark promise as the cat squirmed against his side petunantly.

Merlin continued to wiggle and swipe right at Arthur's golden face with his talonlike claws as they went through the front door nad Arthur headed back to his chambers, hands firm on the cat.

"Merlin! Stop it! You're just making things worse for yourself" he hussed to the cat in a whisper as soon as they were alone. The cat answered with a hiss of his own and refused to stop his violent fidgetting. Arthur was glad when he reached their room, and allowed Merlin to leap from his arms and fling himself onto the bed, where he hissed at the prince once more for good measure, before settling hismelf in a curl as Arthur loomed over him and began to bellow: his frustrations finally coming out of him.

"Merlin! Arthur shouted and the cat looked up at him and blinked it's wide blue eyes.

"How could you?! don't you trust me? you know this is importnat....if Alfred doesn't give us his suport we can't stop the Mad King! I'm not spending time with Racehl for fun!" The cat did not reply, just stared at Arthur blankly, and he threw up his hands and began to pace, trying to use up the angry energy in his chest.

"She's not my soulmate, you are! we did the spell....I love you! I can't belive you'd do this Merlin! after all we've been through together!! How can you not know that you mean more to me than anything?!"

"This is all very sweet, but I'm over here." Arthur head snapped up at the sound and saw the brgight flash of Merlins eyes fade as he transformed back from a cat into the inky-haired warlock Arthur knew.