Breaking The Rules

Chapter 12: Stay With Me Tonight

"Merlin?" Leon barges into Gaius' chambers with a frightened smile. "The King wants to see you in his chambers." Gaius averts his eyes as Merlin looks to him with perplexity. "Err—okay...?" He gets up, awkwardly stepping around Leon who is standing in the doorway, bolting towards Uther's chambers.

"You asked for me, sire?" Uther turns around from where he's standing by his window. "Yes. I wanted to speak with you about Arthur." Merlin purses his lips as he looks down. "A-again?" Uther nods quickly, gesturing for Merlin to sit in a dining chair near where he's standing. "Is something wrong, sire?" Uther leans against the wall, squinting his eyes suspiciously. "What is it about you, Merlin?" Merlin looks up to him with slightly panic-stricken eyes. "I'm sorry...?" "There's something about you, specifically." He raises a finger, looking up as if to be deep in thought. "Do you remember the whole debacle with Morgana's serving girl?" Merlin nods, inhaling sharply. "Do remember how he would look at her?" Merlin nods again, still not understanding the point of this conversation.

"He looks at you the same way." He takes one step forward, shaking his head conflictingly. "You two are close. Closer than I will ever begin to understand. He...really cares for you. You know that, right?" "Yes, I mean—I am his servant." Uther shakes his head, leaning forward and sitting in the chair beside Merlin. "No, no, it's not just that. He's your friend, and you are his. I-I don't know how it happened, but it's getting to the point where it's unacceptable." Merlin looks away, afraid to make eye contact. "What," he scoffs, "what are you saying, sire?" 

"I think you should stay away from my son. He cares for you too much, and frankly, it's keeping him from his full potential. He needs to focus on being The Prince of Camelot and being the best husband he can possibly be to Alice. You understand where I'm coming from, right?" Merlin nods quickly, still avoiding eye contact. "Of course, sire." "Now, I'm not kicking you out of the Royal Household—that would be unjust. But if you are to continue to be Arthur's servant, that is all you will be. His servant. You hear me?" Merlin nods once. "And if I find out you have broken this unspoken rule that we are currently discussing, I will banish you from Camelot." Merlin finally makes eye contact with Uther, hiding the indescribable pain that is piercing his chest. "You may go." He leans back in his seat as Merlin springs up, racing out of the room and as far away from the Castle as he can get until his legs give out.

As Alice is strolling down the hall, she gasps as a blur whips by her, so quickly that it takes her a couple of moments to comprehend what just happened. But once she does, she turns her head around to see the shoes of a well-known servant pummeling down the hall, so she decides on a whim to go running after him, heels digging into the ground as she moves as fast as she can.

"Merlin!" Alice calls out to him once they're far enough from the citadel. Merlin finally stops running and they both stop, panting loudly as they regain their breath. "Okay." Alice finally speaks as they stand there, staring at each other with knowing frowns. "Mind telling me what's going on? And—if it's any consultation, I promise I won't tell Arthur." Merlin sighs heavily, sitting on a nearby bench and putting his head in his hands. "It's Uther." She pouts, sitting beside him and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "What did he do?"

"He's noticing how much Arthur...cares for me. He said it's getting in the way of his—his full potential. So he said I have to be his servant, and his servant only. That means I can't be around him unless I'm desperately needed. And Uther said if I ever disobey his order...he'll banish me from Camelot." Alice glares at him in awe, jaw dropped, and eyes widened. "Wow. Th-that's...that's horrible, Merlin. I'm so, so sorry." She leans into his side, wrapping her arms around his waist in a congenial hug, and they just sit there; holding each other without saying a single word.