"Merlin! Are you in your chamber? I have to tell you something!" Arthur yelled form outside her window looking up at the first floor window. There was a rustling paper in his hand.
Merlin woke up and was suprised to hear Arthur calling her so late in the knight. She got up from her bed and went to the window, there was a table below the window on which was a book and a candle and a chair at the side. She knelt on the table and looked down at Arthur. Her hair was left and it flew with the wind.
"Arthur? It's the middle of the night! What is it that can't wait till tomorrow? Merlin asked him. To her biggest suprise Arthur didn't speak but sang!
"The spell you got on me, it’s like magic
Got me feeling like falling in love
Got me feeling like I’ll never give up"
Merlin blushed as Arthur sang his made up song. She heard her chamber door open and in came Gaius holding a candle stand in his hand.
"Merlin? Would you like to explain to me why is the prince of Camelot singing declarations of love at your window in the middle of the night?" Gaius asked.
"Errrm." Merlin replied as he kept on foot down from the table.
"See, I told you."
"Gaius."
There was a knock on the main door.
"That must be my future nephew-in-law." Gaius said and walked out of Merlin's chamber and walked down the stairs. Merlin followed him. Gaius kept the candle stand on the table and answered the door. As Gaius expected Arthur was standing outside the door.
"Can I see Merlin?" Arthur asked Gaius. Merlin was standing behind Gaius. Gaius turned around and looked at Merlin standing there.
"She's there." Gaius let Arthur in and he saw her standing there in a blue long sleeves night dress with her hair left. Arthur was amazed when he saw her in a completely different form. Never had he seen her with left hair before.
Arthur walked towards Merlin and because he was staring at her he didn't see that table between them.
!BANG!
"Ouch!" Arthur groaned.
Gaius sighed and Merlin looked at him in disbelief. Arthur stood upright and dusted his clothes. He gave her a nervous look and laughed a bit.
"What brings you here, Arthur?" Gaius asked.
"Oh, I, ah, have come to see." Arthur looked at Merlin and the latter looked nervous.
"Oh so you do like her."
"I don't like her." Arthur's these words made Merlin heartbroken.
"What!?" Gaius said.
"I don't like her." Arthur said and looked at Merlin. "I love her."
Merlin felt her heart jumping up and down and out of her body. Gaius gave her a happy look while she smiled.
"But why did you-"
"I know you're mad at me." Arthur interrupted Merlin. "I acted like that because I didn't want anyone to know. I want to tell father at the correct time."
"I-"
"Please?"
"Alright fine."
"Thank you." Arthur prepared to leave. "And I promise to get you the best gift for your birthday."
"You know it's my birthday in a week and few days?"
"Ofcourse I do."
The next morning they told Uther about Excalibur. He praised his son but few seconds later he tasked his son to travel to any one of the far villages along with his knights as part of training. Arthur, Lancelot, Gwaine, Leon and Percival sat on the benches in the training area to decide the place to go.
"Arthur, where did you say Merlin was from?" Leon asked.
"Ealdor." Arthur replied.
"We can go there. There's a chance we can find her mother there and suprise her." Lancelot said.
"It's a fifteen days journey from here and we won't be in time for Merlin's birthday." Arthur stated. "I promised her that I'll get her the best gift for her birthday."
"What do you want to give her?" Percival asked.
"A pendant, a sapphire one because she loves the colour blue." Arthur stood up.
"Than we should go to the riverside villages as they have the best jewelry." Gwaine said.
"Good idea!" Arthur exclaimed. "I'll find a great present for her and we'll be back in, how much time, Gwaine?"
"Three days."
"Three days." Arthur said happily. "Three days!?" He said suprised.
"Yeah, or do you want to go for fifteen days?"
"I'll stick with three."
"Brother, I heard you're going to be away for a few days." Morgan said as she and Gwen walked up to them.
"Yeah, three days." Arthur replied.
"Where are you all going exactly?" Gwen asked.
"One of Gwaine's known places." Percival replied.
Morgan gave them all a seriously!? look and they gave her a blank look in return. Gwaine is trustworthy but not with maps and locating places and whenever he led them they always found themselves in the wrong place and Arthur was on the run to get Merlin's present, finish training and be back in time for Merlin's birthday.
Arthur instructed them to start packing right now so that they could return as soon as possible. Lancelot went and informed Gwen that he would be gone for three days time. Arthur had to tell Merlin.
"Merlin!" Arthur yelled in the corridors. "Have you seen Merlin?" He asked few servant.
"No, sire." They replied.
"Merlin?!"
He went on calling out to Merlin like a maniac for over fifteen minutes and finally he found her dozing near the place where she was washing his socks. Arthur sat down next to her and brushed away the loose hair on her face.
"Merls." Arthur said softly but Merlin still didn't get up. "Must have been thinking about yesterday night. Merlin."
Merlin jumped slightly and yawned. She was confused to find Arthur sitting right next to her and looking at her with a smile.
"What are you doing here?" Merlin asked him.
"Just watching my sleeping beauty."
"Enough with your romance. You said not in the castle."
"Meh, I don't care. Anyways I'll be gone for about three days time for training-"
"And you're telling me this now!?"
"Realx, I came to know now. I'll be back don't worry."
"Where are you going?"
"Gwaine is taking us somewhere. The knights and I are going together."
"What about me?"
"You'll be staying here."
"I always accompany you."
"Not this time."
"Why?"
"Because it's ordered by my father. He may have his soldiers watching us."
"Three days is a lot!"
"Days will fly soon and you'll get time to prepare for your birthday. And you better not follow us." Arthur said holding a spoon at her.
"You're threating me with a spoon?" She asked him.
"How much will I miss your sass and sarcasm."
"Than take me along."
"I can't. Try and understand I'll be back soon."
"Yeah, whatever."
Arthur knew she was still mad but let it go as for now and that maybe once he's gone she'll miss him and eventually forgive him.
"Come back soon." Merlin said as Arthur began to walk away.
Arthur turned around and gave her a smile, "I'll be back soon. Can you?"
"Pack your clothes? Sure." Merlin replied and went to Arthur's chamber.
Merlin packed all of Arthur's clothes and shoes and whatever else he would need for the next three days. She found a lot of dirty socks in the room and decided to wash them as well. She packed his bag and went back to wash deal with his armour. On way she found Uther.
"I have heard suspicious things about people from Ealdor." Uther said as she passed him.
"You suspect me, your majesty?"
"You could also be well educated in magic."
"Your majesty I come form a place with atleast fifty people and how could I possibly be educated. Gaius never has time for me and Arthur, what would Arthur teach me anything? He's more concentrated on making me do all his work."
Uther stayed quiet.
"Can I go now? I have to wash your son's dirty socks."
"Um, yes, you may proceed."
Merlin did lie to Uther. She was the greatest sorceress to ever walk the earth and was well versed in every possible form of magic. She did study at Hogwarts as Slytherin but she wasn't evil. She'll never be evil. Merlin went on her way with a smirk that she even managed to outsmart the king.
Back to Arthur, he went to his chamber and found his things ready to go. They checked to see if everything he needed was there and put some extra things, such as paper, a quill and ink in there.
"Where's my armour?" Arthur asked himself. "Merlin must have polished it."
Arthur picked his armour and left along with his knights. Merlin returned to Gaius' chambers and slipped on the Gaius' tank which she had left the dry but the water still hadn't. Gaius walked in and saw her laying down on the floor and didn't know that she had actually fallen down.
Gaius had been making her clean that leech tank ever since she knew to do her own work and didn't want it dirty like that. He thought Merlin would have finished cleaning it by now.
"Merlin on your feet. Arthur may be away but I'm not and why is my leech tank still dirty? Where did you get the idea to sit around all day doing nothing?"
This triggered Merlin. First the anger she had on Arthur, than all the over work she had to do made her sass levels trigger even more. She looked at him in disbelief.
"Wha.... Do you think I sit around here doing nothing?" Merlin asked while still on the floor. In a haste she got to her feet and boy did she begin a rant,
"I haven't had chance to sit around and do nothing since the day I arrived in Camelot, I'm too busy running around after Arthur. "Do this Merlin. Do that Merlin." And when I'm not running around after Arthur I'm doing chores for you and if I'm not doing that I'm fulfilling my destiny. Do you know how many times I've saved Arthur's life? I've lost count. Do I get any thanks? No. I have fought Griffins, Witches, uh.. Bandits. I have been punched, poisoned, pelted with fruit and all the while I have to hide who I really am because if anyone finds out Uther will have me executed. Sometimes I feel like I'm being pulled in so many directions I don't know which way to turn!"
Gaius was taken aback by this sudden irruption. He didn't expect her to react in this way, he came to know about how hard her life also was and thought that he made a mistake in anger. Merlin went outside and took her magic book along with her. As her birthday approached she felt her powers growing within her. Gaius followed her and apologized and Merlin did forgive him.
Merlin sat under a tree and began to read her book until she spotted Gwen coming her way and quickly hid the book. Gwen was walking with a basket filled with all kinds of flowers and another basket covered by a cloth.
"Merlin, can I ask you a favour?" Gwen asked.
"Yeah sure." Merlin replied and got up.
"Could you put these flowers in the queen's grave for me? I have to get this to the castle and won't be in time."
"Yeah ok. Where's that grave?"
"It's on the other side of the corn field."
"Ok."
Gwen handed over the basket of flowers to Merlin and they went on their ways. The corn field wasn't far from Gaius' chambers, just adjacent to the market and opposite that was the royal burial ground. Merlin passed the market and walked parallel to the corn field.
"I wonder whether I should tell the cook to make corn soup for Arthur when he returns." Merlin said to herself as she changed her direction.