To Reveal What's Already Known

To Begin, End, and Begin Again

Secrets are as complex or as simple as you make them out to be – just like life. Everyone tells you: "YOU have a choice!". Truth of the matter is sometimes you do sometimes you don't. Sometimes its up to you, sometimes its up to others. Today my secrets were laid wide open with my simple dirty laundry, a washing board, and of course, poor judgment.

Three days earlier:

"MERLINNNNNN!"

Merlin ran for his life with long lanky legs and his loud mischievous laughter could be heard throughout the castle. The commotion brought many stares from newer servants. The older more experienced helpers smiled good-naturedly. A rampaging Arthur followed. Merlin much more accustomed to the castles passageways then Arthur lost him by ducking into one of the servants tunnels. He hid as Arthur passed barely stifling his laughter. Just another day in the strange friendship; to which neither would admit that they had, between the Royal and the Manservant.

Merlin was simultaneously washing clothes and polishing armor – part of the long list of chores Arthur gave him after the whole fiasco earlier – when Gawain entered the chamber. Naturally, he had been drinking ale... or that is what Merlin thought. In actuality Gawain noticed something in the servant. The other day he saw Merlin with his sleeves rolled up as he was washing clothes, a rare sight indeed, and what Gawain saw on Merlin skin was what looked to be scars left by shackles. He wasn't sure but he needed to check. So he plotted...

"Merlin I need a favor."

The servant in question answered hesitantly, "Yes?".

"Don't worry."

Merlin gave the iconic Gaius eyebrow raise.

"Don't give me that! I promise it's nothing bad."

Merlin went back to cleaning, "Is this going to be like the time you asked me to give a note to the girl you liked and she ended up attacking me screaming bloody murder?"

"No nothing like that!"

"Sure."

"Well kind-of like that but without the bloody murder part. I need you to go on a double date with me!"

Merlin thought about this for a moment. It had been a long time since Freya's death and while he didn't think he was ready to move on he figured a meeting the girl Gawain had in mind wouldn't hurt. Arthur kept bugging him about never having a girlfriend. If a there was even the slightest chance that meeting with this girl would shut him up he was going to take it.

"I'll go."

Gawain then started his long speech of why Merlin should come along due to his sureness that Merlin would have said no, "Merlin don't be like that! You haven't even met the girl, how do you know she is the one for you?! You need to get out more – wait did you say yes?"

Merlin was bursting with laughter. "I said yes!"

"Oh."

The look on Gawain's face made Merlin laugh even more.

"Oh shut up mate!"

Merlin's laughter quieted, "So when is this happening?"

"Tonight! At the tavern!"

"I should have known."

This was the first step in Gawain's master plan. By getting Merlin on a date he would have to look nice. This meant insulting Merlin's clothes and making him change into something nice from the castle that he has from being a knight. Merlin would change shirts Gawain would peek and he would know once and for all if the scars he saw from a distance was true! If this didn't work he would just get Merlin really drunk. Then spill something nasty on his shirt. Drag him home and take off his shirt to get him a new one (as a great friend would). He would just have to avoid Gaius. To do that he would send a fake note saying there was a mother giving birth in the lower town to send him on a wild goose chase. He realized it was a bit sneaky and Gaius would kill him; but, he knew Merlin. Merlin would divert all his questions gracefully and with great haste and he would never get an answer. In Gawain's mind this was the only way.