Out of Time

Chapter 18

Arthur spent his day trying to come up with things to say. Danny's lack of appetite worried him, and he didn't want to see him outside in the cold if he was ailing. And of course, no male, boy or man, would admit to weakness, so he frequently had to be the one to lay down the line, and demand that his men rest. At least, that's what he kept telling himself.

But some part at the back of his mind kept telling him that Danny was different, special. He couldn't deny Danny held certain skills that made him valuable, but Arthur always felt like he was lying to himself every time he thought such things.

And he couldn't for the life of him understand why his eyes seemed constantly drawn to the boy's chest. It was like a mystery he couldn't quite sort out. Every time he found himself looking, he would spin around and head in the opposite direction in the small room, wondering what had drawn him yet again.

Though Danny had managed to put some meat on his bones since arriving in Camelot, he certainly wasn't brawny, nor really scrawny now. At least, not in any way that would make a person stare. Truth be told, he looked about as large as any other boy his age. Tall, but without the muscles that came with time and training.

So why did his gaze keep returning to that one spot?

#

Dani let out a sigh of relief when Arthur finally released her from service for the day. She just wanted to run out into the yard and keep running into all her energy was spent. She'd never been overly fond of being idle, tending to pace across the front of the classroom when teaching, and standing or walking around her office when she couldn't avoid holding office hours. She would wave her arms around and write things on the big white board there to help explain topics to her students.

Now, she had become accustomed to the activity. She enjoyed going for walks, practicing her archery, and tolerated sparring, even if it fairly terrified her. Sitting in Arthur's office all day, she felt like the combination of the not moving for hours on end and the tension from not knowing if he knew just wound all her muscles up until she felt like a spring ready to be released.

She passed the Great Hall without a second look, pushing the doors to outside open with an aggressive thrust, and almost running across the bailey. She didn't stop until the trees started to engulf her. The cold tickled at her senses, but after the stifling tension of the little office, it felt like bliss, like freedom.

#

Innes watched her little friend as she made a mad dash out of the keep. She watched over her as she kept running, not slowing until she hit the trees, which engulfed her and cloaked her in darkness. Innes watched for a few minutes more, but when she could sense no one nearby, and Dani seemed to just meander in the woods without going too far, she turned and headed back to the castle.

She wanted to learn more about her mystery man. It took no time for her to sense and track down the much older, powerful being among the humans surrounding him. Innes found him sitting on the castle wall, looking out into the distance. She wished to ask him what he was looking at, but that classic Fae shyness overcame her, and she hesitated in exposing herself.

So she leaned against the cold stone, taking in his features as if drinking in the most beautiful sunset. But it wasn't the youth or fine features that drew her, but the way his face seemed to hold all the cares of the world. Pensive and deep, she could feel his thoughts like a cloud hovering over them both.

She wondered what could cause his thoughts to be so heavy. Was there a danger on the horizon? Was her Dani in danger here? Well, if she was, Innes would take her away, protect her from all the trials and cares of the world. She would not let anyone hurt her.

#

As Merlin descended the castle wall, he couldn't shake the feeling of not being alone. He'd reached out with all his senses and magic, but encountered nothing. And yet, the feeling lingered. He didn't discount the feeling, because he knew there were things out there beyond normal comprehension and perception. After all, he was one of them.

He just couldn't wrap his head around the whole feeling but not feeling sensation. It was disturbing. And it left an uneasy feeling in his gut even though his perception of the presence didn't seem negative or malicious in any way.

Merlin tried to shake it off as he entered the keep.

"Ho there, Merlin," Arthur called across the boisterous crowd.

"Arthur." He smiled at the man he considered a son, even if he did look substantially younger than him. A memory flickered across his mind, and he cringed. That was the cost of introspection. It invariably led to bad memories. As he moved across the Great Hall, his mind wandered to the sin that had brought Arthur into the world. Though he could never truly regret any action that brought Arthur into his life, he often regretted how Arthur came into this world, and his own part in helping Uther to accomplish it. Had he realized Uther's intentions, he wouldn't have aided him.

And yet, if he had known the outcome, he supposed he wouldn't have changed a thing. His power had not been as impressive back then, and Uther had always had a way of disguising his intentions and goals. Even when he sensed Uther's future, he had seen Arthur—not necessarily how Arthur would come into this world. When he'd tried to sense Uther's intentions towards the request, he'd sensed only what Uther wanted him to.

In the end, Merlin had learned a very important lesson—never let someone pull the wool over his eyes. Dig deeper and deeper until he found the root of the issue, until he could get to the heart of the issue, to the heart of the person himself.

#

"Uncle?" Mordred said, looking sheepishly at Arthur.

Arthur tipped his head up from his meal and the light conversation he'd been sharing with Merlin on the state of the kingdom. "Yes, Mordred."

"May I?" Mordred motioned to the seat beside him.

Arthur nodded. "Of course. Have a seat."

A servant placed some food in front of Mordred and he began to eat. "Might I ask you a favor, Uncle?"

Arthur smiled at his nephew. They'd rarely spoken before. He knew so little about that side of his family. He had be a bit nervous and excited and the idea of Mordred visiting. He had no family left, really. His father had distanced him from his mother and her family, and when he died, it left him with no one. "You needn't ask."

Mordred nodded and ate a few more bites of food before continuing. "If it wouldn't be a great inconvenience... if... if..." Mordred dug his face back into his food once more, busying himself with the chore of eating. Then he blurted it out all at once. "I would like to be one of your knights, like my brothers before me." The words spilled out of his mouth in one slur.

It took Arthur a moment to register what Mordred had asked. Then a light lit up his face and he reached an arm out to embrace the boy. "I would be honored to have you as one of my knights, Mordred."

Mordred smiled, and cleaned the rest of the food from his plate. "Then I will leave on the morrow. I need to return home so that I can tell my mother and collect my things."

"I look forward to your swift return."

Author's Note: Work is on the cusp of calming down.  I took a 4 hour break in the middle of the day and am going back in later today to try to catch up the backlog.  Ah, the fun of being a manager.  Sometimes you just have to suck it up and do whatever it takes to get the job done.

Still, after 3 work fiascos inside of a week, I'm really praying it doesn't happen again.  I really need some downtime.

Happy Holidays, everyone.