Merthur - The King's Champion

Chapter 4 - Catch me When I Fall

The moment Arthur realizes he's starting to spend more time in a tavern, or at least in one particular tavern, than Gwaine he has a few seconds of panic in the middle of the streets of Cambria. He didn't think much of it at first, after all he never chose to visit the tavern on his own accord. His legs tended to move on their own, telling him that they're only bringing him out for a walk before leading him to the front steps of the little bar. By the time he registers where he is he finds himself inside and seated at the front counter, looking at the smiling face of the warlock and at that point he doesn't have the willpower to leave so he stays to chat. It's not that he didn't enjoy his more than frequent visits to the tavern, quite the contrary actually. He enjoyed them a lot, enjoyed them way more than he should, and yet when the realization hit him in the middle of town he couldn't help but flush with embarrassment. How often had he gone? It must be at least once everyday for the past four days, maybe even twice on some days. He wonders what Merlin must think when he sees the prince appear at the tavern almost everyday to bother him. Merlin must see him as a pest at this point.

Despite these thoughts running through his head, somehow he still manages to find himself outside the door to Merlin's tavern, staring up at the sign that sways back and forth in the wind. A parchment, stuck on the front of the tavern, reads 'away', meaning Merlin's most likely busy today - or perhaps he's trying to keep Arthur out. That's an option as well.

The prince sighs, not knowing what to do now as he walks back the way he came, kicking a few pebbles along the way. Pent up energy bubbles inside him, wanting to burst out from the seams as he starts to fiddle with the sword at his belt. His body has grown so accustomed to training in the morning that he always grows agitated when he doesn't head out to the field after breakfast and today is no exception. These last few days he's managed to nab Merlin as his sparring partner and he had been hoping that today would be no different. Sparring with the warlock has given the prince some of the best few training sessions he's had in a long while because, unlike many of his knights, the warlock is able to put up a good fight, a fight that actually requires him to put in more effort than usual. Unfortunately, with Merlin gone that means he'll have to return to the castle in order to find someone else to train with and he doubts they'll even hold a candle to Merlin's abilities.

With another sigh Arthur trudges on, debating whether or not he should come again later in the day when he spots a certain dark haired warlock coming down the road. Immediately, Arthur finds his mood lifting and he quickly weaves through the crowd. "Merlin!" he calls, a smile on his face as he bounds over to find the boy holding two barrels, likely filled with ale, in his arms, struggling a little under the weight of them both. The warlock jumps a little at his voice, almost tripping over his legs before catching himself. He looks up to find Arthur and a smile spreads across his face as he attempts to wave at the prince.

"Good morning, your highness," he says when Arthur approaches, and as usual the prince is amazed at the boy's abilities to make even 'your highness' sound mocking. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"I didn't expect to see you either," he says with a smile, "here let me help." He takes one of the barrels from Merlin's arms, hoisting it over his shoulder while ignoring the warlock's protest.

It doesn't take long for Merlin to give in with a sigh and turn to lead them down the road back to his tavern, much to the prince's surprise. He had expected more of a fight from the young warlock, perhaps a few teasing insults thrown his way before the boy would finally relent. Yet, here Merlin is walking away without another word, his shoulders slumped a little as he walks along the path. Arthur frowns as he walks behind Merlin, finding the warlock's silence strange. He may have only met the boy four days ago, but during that time he's always known him to be rather talkative, easy going, and hilarious. However, this Merlin here is different. He's quiet, stoic, and Arthur swears he looks nervous, as though someone would pounce on him at any second. That would explain why the warlock jumped when Arthur called out to him earlier.