Out of Time

Chapter 12

Arthur found himself returning to his duties with renewed vigor after his walk with Danny—invigorated, and yet slightly unnerved. He'd quite enjoyed the blunt honesty and utter lack of deference Danny had applied to his speech patterns. Whether that was a matter of his unfamiliarity with the language or just his way, Arthur didn't much care. For the first time in a long time, he could talk with someone other than Merlin as if he were just an ordinary man.

And Merlin hadn't exactly been the best of compatriots of late, which was probably why he found himself wanting to ask Danny his thoughts on every little thing. Never before had he felt a need to ask the opinion of another so frequently. He could and did make decisions for his kingdom on a daily basis, but now Danny popped into his head whenever a decision had to be made. What would Danny think? What would Danny say? It was both refreshing and unnerving.

But not near as unnerving as how many times he'd found himself staring at Danny's butt during their walk. As he sat in him office, rubbing his face with chagrin, he had to admit the boy had a very feminine butt. And a feminine face, he supposed as well. He certainly had a few years before he would start to grow into his own. Tall and lanky, Arthur could see Danny becoming a fine soldier once he filled out a bit.

Now if only he could overcome his fascination with the boy's butt.

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In a moment of inspiration, Dani decided to go for a walk in the woods. She'd always loved hiking, communing with nature, and couldn't help hoping that she might be able to forget just how far away from home she was, if only for a little while.

As the trees engulfed her, birds chirped in the distance as if greeting her in welcome. She fell into a pattern that felt so familiar, she wanted to cry, one foot in front of the other, moving with an ease and grace that came naturally after hundreds, if not thousands, of hikes. Dani travelled along the path she'd taken with Arthur a few times now.

What an odd man. Odd, but not in a bad way. Like with so many people, he didn't know what to do with himself when he started to get what he wanted. Ambition and drive made it difficult to appreciate those things. But he was also kind, reserved, selfless, and intelligent. Even something as personal as marriage was another responsibility he saw as nothing more than a means toward helping others.

She shook her head. The man had to start thinking of himself for once.

Then she walked into a spider web, the gossamer strands sticking to seemingly ever inch of exposed skin, including her face and hands. She stopped, swatting and grabbing at the places she could feel the invisible netting, but couldn't seem to get them all.

With a sigh, she continued on, and tried to regain the purpose of this outing—forgetting about Camelot for a little while. But it wasn't more than a couple minutes before she walked into another spider web.

"Gah!" This time, she flailed a bit, frantically trying to get the stuff off her. How she hated spider webs! She bet wizards didn't have to trouble themselves with spider webs.

She sighed, sagging her head as she realized her mind had gone full circle again, as thinking of wizards only made her think of Merlin, who seemed to think she was some sort of threat or villain. At least, that was the only conclusion she seemed to be able to come by, seeing as he seemed to watch her and follow her all the time. He hadn't approached her since she told him to stay away from the Lady of the Lake, but nor had he let her be. She could feel his presence most times, all times really except for when in the woods.

Which was about when she walked into another spider web, this one with a spider still in it. Seeing the spider dangling from her hand, she squealed, jumping up and down and flailing her arms frantically in an attempt to get the little beast off her. But it clung desperately on, the strong strands holding on for dear life to her fingers, just making the panic escalate further.