Merlin: In Modern Times

Chapter 2.3: Heirlooms

                 
"MERLIN!" Arthur yelled and his assistant cursed under his breath.

"Coming!" Merlin shouted and grabbed another lance before bringing it to Arthur, who seemed to be in an excellent mood. Old traditions such as jousting could take his mind off of the things and worries that bothered him. Especially now, since his opponent was none other than McGwaine, the dollop head. Despite Arthur's endless asignments, even Merlin seemed glad to have something to take his mind off of things. Nevertheless with Merlin being Merlin, he got into trouble carrying the lances since they were both very long and heavy in both ends. Unlike Arthur, Merlin didn't have a lot of physical strength to brag about - and it caused some slightly humorous attempts to pass them on to Arthur. McGwaine made sure to laugh every time it didn't succeed and Merlin stumbled to his feet in embarrassment.

Arthur raised an eyebrow as he watched Merlin do that a handful of times. "Should I be worried about you, Merlin?" he asked.

"You know," Merlin said, trying to catch his breath. "I don't understand why this sport was invented in the first place. It's too heavy, too complicated and in all cases ANCIENT." He wanted to fall over in exhaustion now.

Arthur chuckled. "I thought you were fond of traditions, Merlin. You said they were fun."

Said man scowled. "Poking holes in other people's armors is not something I'd categorize as fun."

Arthur shook his head with a chuckle. "Ready for another round, McGwaine?" he asked over a small radio in his helmet. Both Arthur and McGwaine were wearing full armor and other protective gear.

McGwaine raised his right thumb. "Always, Sire. I'm certain you won't be so lucky a second time."

Arthur smirked. "Let's see, shall we?" he answered and closed the front of his helmet. Then he kicked off and McGwaine did the same not a second later. Merlin made sure to stay out of their way and watched on in excitement. He did like traditions – especially if they involved Arthur falling on his backside. Merlin might even find himself cheering for McGwaine to knock Arthur off of his horse this time around.

Only a few seconds later, Merlin seemed to have his wish; McGwaine had been just a split second faster than Arthur and knocked the soon to be king of to the ground, breaking his lance into a million pieces. Trying not to laugh, Merlin sprinted over to help Arthur get to his feet. Arthur drew a sigh, but the look on his face was, surprisingly enough, a cheerful one.

Merlin raised an eyebrow. "You do realize this is the first time you have lost to McGwaine in years, right? And you're smiling? Is there something on my face?" Merlin said, mock-worried, and Arthur rolled his eyes. He gave Merlin a single pat on the shoulder, before going to meet McGwaine halfway on the field to shake hands.

"So the champion loses," McGwaine commented with a smirk. "I thought you only used that tactic with the ladies."

"Haha," Arthur said. "No, I think that's your trick, McGwaine."

Said agent took a bow, still grinning. "Touché, Sire."

Then he and Arthur parted and Arthur went to get changed for dinner. But before he went completely out of sight, he passed by Gwen. She was sitting at a tea table with a thick book in her hands and her cheeks flushed red when Arthur planted a little kiss on her forehead. Merlin smiled and gathered Arthur's things to carry them inside. He was thankful he had already laid clothes out for dinner tonight. Otherwise Arthur wouldn't be happy. Feeling the tiredness wash in over him, Merlin detected a sob coming from the other end of the hallway. Furthest from Arthur's rooms. As far as Merlin knew they came from Elly's rooms... Taking a look around, Merlin quietly made his way there to figure out what was going on. There were two voices coming the room. Merlin pressed his ear to the door so he could get to hear what they were saying.