Merthur - The King and His Guardian Angel

Chapter 10 - The Seed of Doubt

The king leads his newly acquired manservant through the winding halls of Camelot's citadel. By now, the torches are already lit along the wall, shedding light along the darkened path ahead. Windows line the opposite side, staring down at the now quiet courtyard below. The moon sheds a faint light through the glass, allowing the orange of the torches and the white of the moon to intermingle in the centre of the hall.

"...And you will stay until I dismiss you for the night," Arthur says, finishing the last of Merlin's long list of chores.

Merlin groans, grumbling under his breath about lazy royals. "More than half those tasks you can perform on your own!" Merlin complains, throwing his arms up in the air in exasperation. "Why do you need me to help you dress?!"

"Dressing is not as easy as it looks." Arthur argues.

Merlin rolls his eyes. "Anyone with half a brain can perform such a task. Then again..." he smirks, "it seems you don't quite meet the standards." Merlin snickers, eyes trained on Arthur's tunic.

The king looks down, face flushing at noticing that his tunic is on backwards. The king turns his head away, arms crossed over his chest as he glares out the window, feeling a little more than slightly embarrassed he had walked through the castle with his shirt on backwards.

Merlin laughs, finding much amusement at watching the king squirm. He doesn't notice Arthur stopping in front of him until he walks straight into the man's chest. Merlin staggers back, almost toppling to the floor before a hand reaches out to steady him. He feels the hand holding his waist, can feel the calloused fingers brush against his skin when the king rushes to move his hand away.

Heat rises to Merlin's cheeks as they stand before each other awkwardly. Merlin keeps his gaze trained on the ground, partially to hide his embarrassment at his own clumsiness and partially to avoid staring at Arthur's broad chest. He's sure ogling the king is a punishable offence.

Arthur coughs into his fist, turning towards the door with a hand now covering his red cheeks. "These will be your chambers," he says, the words a low mumble behind his hand.

He pushes open the door to reveal a room of decent size. It contains a single bed that faces the door with a window above it. A small desk and chair sit to one corner against the wall to the left while a wardrobe stands tall beside it. A stool rests alone by the door while a small trunk for personal belongings is pushed against the foot of the bed. There's another door on the right wall, to where it leads Merlin is unsure. Perhaps a small storage room?

Arthur smiles, "I hope you like your new chambers."

Merlin glances around, inspecting the room. The walls and ceiling are made of stone, already an upgrade compared to his old home in Ealdor. The floor is made of polished wood and the window gives a splendid view out towards the town. This is much more than he could ever ask for.

"It's wonderful. Thank you," he says, giving his most sincere smile.

Arthur smiles back. "I'll be expecting you at work tomorrow. I suggest you get a good nights rest."

Merlin nods, watching with a quizzical expression as Arthur shuts the door behind him and heads for the door on the right wall. "Where are y-"

Merlin's jaw drops before he can finish his sentence. Arthur opens the door to reveal, what Merlin assumes, is the man's own chambers. He looks back at Merlin, scrunching his eyebrows as he wonders why Merlin is staring.