A King with No Title

He got arrested

Merlin wiped his face, where the tears had left trails, and looked up at Arthur who seemed just as dumbfounded as he was.

After a bar fight got out of hand today police were called to the scene; where they have made an arrest. Four people have been hospitalised but are expected to make a full recovery. Police have taken this man into custody [a picture of Gwaine sits in the corner of the screen].

"He got arrested... for a bar fight?" Merlin stammers, as he sits down resting his head in his palms, "Well what a way to return. I would expect no less from him." Arthur watches Merlin with great focus as he speaks. He tries to focus on his face as a whole, but his hands cover the most part. So Arthur focuses on his lips.

When Merlin finishes his small speech he looks at Arthur who seems to just be zoned out, staring at him. He clicks his fingers and Arthur snaps out of it. Merlin couldn't help but question this behaviour because it was so unusual for Arthur, he knew he had been gone for so many years but it was still unnerving to Merlin because he couldn't read what Arthur was thinking. Despite Merlin's great talent he was not telepathic, although sometimes he thought this ability would certainly make life easier.

...is where he is currently being held. Police are urging anyone with any information on the man to come forward.

"He's not being held too far from here. I'm going to go and get him, are you coming?" Merlin asks going to grab his coat. Arthur looks shocked by the invitation, and looks around the room as if he were wondering if Merlin was actually talking to him. "Yes or no?" Merlin pushes Arthur for an answer.

"I'll wait here." Arthur says, looking at the room, basically anywhere Merlin wasn't. He didn't exactly understand why but he couldn't get over the fact he had been caught staring. Merlin nods and walks out of the door, in the matter of seconds after hearing Arthur's response. Arthur being side tracked he had not noticed Merlin's confusion as he left.

Arthur decided he should help out and started picking up the biggest smashed fragments of the beer bottle Merlin had thrown earlier. He had never seen this side of Merlin before, yet he found it oddly intriguing. Maybe time had changed him after all, the sassy and strong Merlin he once knew, was even stronger, but more full of anger than he had once been. He had no one to turn to for so long, Arthur didn't want that to be the case ever again.

While he was thinking he ended up cutting his hand on the beer bottle and he placed all the smashed pieces on the kitchen side in a small pile, instead of shattered across the floor. He rinsed his hand under the tap water after a few seconds battling a tap.

Arthur continued to look around the house, and enters Merlin's room, he sits on his bed and lays down. His mind whirring in a string of random thoughts; yet he had no clue what he was actually thinking or what he should be thinking of. He was just confused, he had lost his nerve and was losing himself.

Merlin had arrived at the police station in his car, it was only a small car, that he had owned for years, and he never really used. When he walked into the police station he went to the desk, he asked to talk to whoever was in charge of Gwaine's case. "Right this way, Sir." The receptionist said as he was taken to a small desk a small walk from the reception.

After a nearly an hour of talking he was able to arrange bail for Gwaine so he could take him back to his house, with it being his first offence to their knowledge he was allowed off with a warning and a fine, that Merlin was luckily in a good enough position to pay for. As he was being escorted to Gwaine's holding cell, the officer decided to give him a warning about Gwaine. "He is mental this one, believes he is a knight of the round table and serves only King Arthur."

"I would not use mental to describe my friend." Merlin says through gritted teeth with slight anger, which makes the officer bite his tongue, "He was drunk and talking nonsense, as we all do from time to time. With respect, officer." Merlin smiles sarcastically, as they reached Gwaine.