The clockroom

trolls and silent nights

AN.:// Chapter 8 has been edited

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If anything was weirder than the whole love- clockroom situation, it was watching Uther Pendragon fall in love.
Apart from the fact that the more you said 'clockroom' the more you stumbled over the word 'clock'.

For a man who always insisted that Arthur shouldn't let his own life be directed and controlled by love, the king was utterly lost for lady Catrina.
And what made the whole thing even worse -
Merlin seemed interested in her as well.
Arthur didn't know what to think anymore. Merlin... in love...
Again.

Arthur held his head. If it was going on like this, the he really didn't have any reason to feel guilty anymore. That boy fell in love with everything that moved. Merlin's didn't SEEM like the type, but Arthur was noticing it more and more.

Arthur didn't want to think about the fact that both Merlin and his father who were like – 30 years apart, if not more, had the same love interest.
And met their love interest somewhere in the middle, apparently.
Or... was Merlin perhaps immortal already and therefore didn't care about her age?
In that case, he may as well fall for Uther himself. What the hell.
What other reason could Merlin have to watch her like that.
Arthur had caught him with a mirror hanging from a line from Arthur's window. Her room was right underneath his own.
What else could Merlin want with a mirror at his window?

Arthur knew Merlin for many things. Spying and stalking women was new. That was downright disgusting. What the hell, Merlin?
She was – admittedly, beautiful. Just a bit old for either of them. Maybe a bit too young for Uther. But he was the king – Arthur had nothing to say to that.
That didn't mean Arthur wasn't surprised, when Uther suddenly announced their engagement. 
What the hell had happened to duty?
Sure, she was noble but... Oh for god's sake, of course his father had every right to fall for her and then marry her.
She may not be a princess, but she was certainly a worthy subject of his affections.

Arthur tried not to gag. That was still his FATHER.
Arthur got himself dressed in his chambers. Pondering what this would mean for his future.
Maybe he would actually get a younger sibling now? He grimaced at the idea. Wasn't Catrina a bit old for children? Now that he thought about it, probably not.

And Merlin? He had affections for Catrina, for Morgana, for this Freya girl, apparently and also Arthur and apparently, he was open for suggestions. For 'open relationships'.
If... and only IF his dreams showed him SOME kind of truth. Or was this just Arthur's own, secret perception of the man?
Was he misinterpreting things?
Merlin was surprisingly dirty for someone so innocent.

Wasn't there a time, when Merlin had run around with flowers from Guinevere as well?
Arthur startled himself with that memory. The shoe he was about to put on fell from his hands.
'No way'.
No, Merlin wouldn't. He wouldn't take her from him. Of course not. Merlin was too loyal and too considerate for such things.

He shook his head. Maybe Arthur just needed to watch how things unfolded themselves.

There was no knock at the door, when the devil himself walked into the room. Well – with the devil, obviously Arthur meant Merlin.
Arthur had just decided to ask him some questions, when he noticed the way Merlin was fidgeting in his stance.

Merlin looked hesitant.

"Yes?", Arthur asked, knowing whatever was coming now, he wouldn't like.

"Arthur. I'm going to tell you something. It's not going to be easy."