Of Kings and Clotpoles [Arthur]

[em]

The words had rung clear and true all day. ‘Long Live The King’. Arthur was King, now was the time that everyone had been waiting for – including Merlin himself. The circumstances that had surrounded and brought on this whole event had not yet left his mind, but as Arthur had said to him before. It was a new day. And a new day meant knew challenges for them all to face.

Merlin wasn’t going to admit it to Arthur, but he was proud of him and what he had achieved. Yes Arthur had unknowingly had his help along the way – some ‘help’ that Merlin wished he could forget about – but everything had been down to Arthur’s decisions and strong judgement. His friend seemed to be currently embracing his new found status with such a calm manner that Merlin surprised that he hadn’t been nervous before hand. Arthur had always said that he never got nervous but Merlin now knew him better than anyone else. Even if Arthur had been nervous before the coronation – would have never had admitted it to Merlin.

He was currently leant up against the wall casually in a quiet corner, whilst friends and courters around him laughed and drank until they were merry. It was a joyous occasion and one that Merlin himself should be taking advantage of – but there was always the threat of something happening, and Merlin needed to make sure that nothing did.
He watched as people danced and smiled to himself. Who knew what tomorrow would bring?

Tagged:Arthur Pendragon
Timeline: S4
Setting: Great Hall – Mid Afternoon[/color]

[Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur was not sure how to describe what he was feeling right now. A mixture of emotions . . . from guilt, devastation, heartbreak . . . to pressure, gratitude, and hope. Pressure from what this new position would entail. Gratitude to all those who had supported him. Hope . . . to a future. A brighter future. Arthur was nowhere near self forgiveness. For he would always blame himself for what happened. He would not let anyone else tell him otherwise for he knew it was his fault. He also knew that his night of mourning, was the last he could shed tears on the subject . . . in public anyway. He was now king, and he needed to approach this role with confidence and strength, even though internally he was massively lacking in both. He needed his father here; he needed his guidance and council. His support his encouragement . . . he just needed him.

While Arthur grieved for this loss, he was not blind to those who he had around him now. His uncle, who Arthur would have been lost without. The knights, his brothers in heart who had the utmost loyalty and honor. But there were two specific people, incomparable to anyone else. Guinevère was one of them. The woman he loved; the woman that he would one day marry. And that day was near approaching. With the death of his father, and he now as king it was time to put a queen at his side to further strengthen the kingdom. So the day they had been waiting for for years, was only a matter of months, or perhaps even weeks away. And then there was Merlin. While Arthur called his knights his brothers, Merlin was the strongest brotherly figure he had in his life. His loyalty, and friendship was something Arthur valued a great deal. More than he was capable of describing. Arthur was not sure how he would have gotten through these past few days had it not been for the woman he loved and his brother.

Both were so very dear to his heart, and noticing how many loved ones he has lost . . . he feared more than anything, losing these two people. Most were busy conversing among others, but Arthur was not in an overly jovial or socializing mood. Of course he did not isolate himself, for he had to remain respectful and embrace the role as others expected him to. So he remained composed and engaged in what conversations he could. His eyes sought out his friend though, noticing Merlin in a corner by himself. Arthur took this opportunity to speak to him, on this momentous day. Trying to casually make his way through the crowd, he approached Merlin, now standing in front of him. "Not joining in the celebrations?" He asked, not quite in a teasing way, but more of a curious way. Making sure that he was alright; that nothing was troubling him. But really, Arthur just felt like he needed to be in the company of his close friend.

[em]

Just as Merlin was considering calling it a night, Arthur appeared – he looked all warm and fuzzy (not that Merlin could tell what fuzzy even looked like) from the celebrations. Oh to be King and have everyone adore you. He’d got Arthur this far – that alone was a big achievement.

“I was…but I was just deciding on going to bed actually – mead makes my head funny” Merlin told him. He was exhausted by the events of the last week or so, Arthur –of course – wouldn’t know just how tired he was doing all the ‘background’ work and trying to make everything better. For Arthur it had got better, yes – but for Merlin the circumstances had got worse. He still blamed himself for Uther’s death, even if it was brought on by Morgana. But it was at Merlin’s hands.

Merlin scuffed the ground with his boot, unsure as to what to say next. “So…King eh? BIIIIIIIIIG responsibility”.

[Arthur Pendragon]

Well that was interesting. Arthur wondered how much of an influence Gwaine was having on Merlin. First, he'd spent his night at the tavern -- when he had needed his assistance to bring Dragoon into the castle -- and now he was getting drunk all over again. "Perhaps you should try to stay sober for a little while. God knows you spend too much time at the tavern as is." He still could not get over that Merlin had gone straight there. While Arthur would never hunt him down and drag him back, he often plotted revenge for when Merlin returned to work. Half hungover by the likes of it. But this time, Arthur had not plotted his vengeance. He had far too much burdening him as it was, and he had strongly appreciated having seen Merlin sitting outside the room, for the night. Knowing he had not slept for the entirety of the night either.

"So…King eh? BIIIIIIIIIG responsibility." Arthur gave him a look. It was not a glare but one of subtlety, as if to question his sobriety. "How much did you have to drink exactly?" He inquired. Arthur supposed it was a good thing that people were enjoying today, even though he wished things could have been different in the circumstances that led up to it. He was king now though. And he had to set aside his weaknesses, and focus on strengthening the kingdom.

[em]

Merlin looked at Arthur a little irritated. “I haven’t drunk that much – just one actually – I’m too busy watching out for you in case you end up falling on your sword.” As much as Arthur would like to put him down for being a drunk – he wasn’t. In fact he hardly spent any time in that body tavern at all. Not as much as Gwaine did anyway.

Merlin leant back against the wall and smirked at the King. ”Honestly, I haven’t had much, the question is how much have YOU, had?” he queried, deciding to turn the tables on Arthur. He frowned at his friend, “you don’t look so steady on your feet…and, are you swaying slightly?”

Taking two goblets from a passing tray he handed one to Arthur, studying the contents of his own before taking a small sip – he was fully aware that Arthur was watching and adding up in his mind that he was indeed the next Gwaine. “So…as I said, King eh? How does it feel? Now you can have even more girls and glory than you did before.”

[Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur refrained from rolling his eyes when Merlin claimed to be sober to make sure Arthur did not fall or anything. He recalled saying that the last time he wished he fell on his sword . . . was before walking down the aisle to marry Elena. How long ago that seemed. Since so much had changed since then. He was now walking down the hall as king. As the only Pendragon in this castle. He had felt the pressure and fear of all this responsibility. He also knew that this day was unavoidable. It was the path laid out for him since the day he was born. "If you see me swaying, then clearly you are not sober," he told him, keeping up with the teasing, though with not as much ease for he knew there were still eyes on him. Even if it was just a glance.

"For I have had nothing to drink." And that was when Merlin extended a goblet of wine to him. He took it in his hands, slightly raising it as if to endorse a silent toast. After taking a small sip, he glanced around the room before looking back at his friend. "Are you sure you should be drinking another?" He asked, just making sure as to how much Merlin could handle before he needed to be carried out of here. "So . . . as I said, King eh? How does it feel? Now you can have even more girls and glory than you did before." His words truly showed how much had changed. Had Arthur been king years ago, he would have sought out both these things. Enjoying the attentions of glory, and women. But no more. Now, it was not about the glory.

And he certainly didn't want the attention of women. Especially not when he already knew who he was going to marry. The things Guinevère told him about what other women said about him . . . were almost frightening. Not quite flattering, but more, surprised that women would gossip about such things. "I seek neither," he told him, taking another small sip of wine. "Truthfully, I would rather dismiss the glory and girls." He'd rather not celebrate when he had killed his own father just a day or so ago. "But you should be pleased. You have just been promoted from personal manservant to the prince. To personal manservant of the king." A comment meant to encourage the light mood that he knew Merlin was trying to maintain.

[em]

Merlin looked up from his drink as Arthur questioned whether he should be having another. He;d have to have a word with Gauis about his alibi's, and to tell him that he was NOT in the tavern all the time. Gauis really was useless when it came to covering for him.
"I'm not drunk!" Merlin insisted, "if I was then i'd be on the floor by now". How long would it take to make Arthur see that he was not as big of a drinker as Gwaine was?!

Merlin drained his goblet and put it down on the table nearby. Arthur was going on about his 'girls and glory' question. The Arthur that he first met all those years ago would've been in his element at the fact that everyone was watching him and that all the girls would fall at his feet, but the Arthur he'd grown to know now didn't care about either of these. In the years that had gone by, he'd grown into his own person - making the choices that he thought were right for him and Camelot, and learning if they were not. There was so much that Arthur had overcome that Merlin felt his work to get him to where he was today had paid off. Of course there was still the question of magic in Camelot and whether (being partially the cause of Uther's death) it would be allowed to return again.

"Im glad" Melrin smiled at both Arthur's answer and manservant statement and looked to Arthur knowingly. "Does this mean I now have your crowns?"

[Arthur Pendragon]

"I'm not drunk!" Right. Arthur had heard that one before. "If I was then I'd be on the floor by now." Thank god he wasn't. That would have just been embarrassing all around. It had been Arthur's first thought when Merlin had passed out at a feast a few weeks ago. He had just collapsed to the ground and the first thing Arthur had thought about, was that he was drunk. Which really, would not come as a huge surprise. "I think your tolerance for drink is growing significantly." Since he spent so much time at the tavern. He was probably starting to be able to hold his own . . . hopefully not as much as Gwaine. That would just be terrible. The last thing Arthur needed as a constantly drunk servant.

Especially on the day of his coronation. Not only because he needed the support of his close friends, but also because it was far too formal to have people passing out on. "Does this mean I now have your crowns?" Arthur gave him a sarcastic look, but it held an element of amusement to it. "It means you will have more crowns to polish," he informed him. And bigger ones too. As the king's crown was larger than the one he wore as prince, which was a band around his head. "And you will need to make sure they are polished thoroughly," he added with slight teasing as he casually took another sip of his drink.

[em]

He rolled his eyes at Arthur's comment and then looked down at his goblet, swirling the liquid around a little. "I am not an alcoholic" he told Arthur stubbornly, "and i don't drink that much - and I didn't spend two days in the tavern." he emphasised to show Arthur that he really wasn't who Gauis was painting him to be.

A small groan escaped Merlin's lips. "ergh, but they're so pointy and fussy to polish" he replied, "can't you just not wear one and say that your big head wouldn't even allow it to fit?" Merlin drank the rest of his drink down and leant back casually against the wall, watching Arthur's expression and smirking. At least now he could still joke despite the change of rank.
Merlin had thought that his friend would change ever so suddenly with the death of Uther, but was pleasantly surprised when he'd emerged from the hall after a night of moarning his father , and had said that it was a new day. It had been, and Arthur had seemed to have done a lot of thinking that night. Merlin had just slept outside the door waiting for him. He knew his role, he knew his duty. It had been a new day, but the same Arthur.

"I might go for a walk soon, being in here with a room full of drunken knights and nobleman is putting me on edge" he shifted himself from the wall and turned to Arthur. "And you know what i'm like when I have soooooooooooo many friends offer me drinks" he chuckled.

[Arthur Pendragon]

He wanted to roll his eyes at Merlin's protests. Arthur strongly disagreed, having evidence that Merlin was enjoying his drink far too much. "Who said you did?" He asked when Merlin told him that he had spent two days in the tavern. "I should certainly hope you do not spend two days in the tavern," he added, more as a warning than anything else. "Trust me. You do not want to find out what the consequences of such neglect for your duties would be," he said in that same warning tone. He would find the most severe punishment for Merlin. Of course nothing like sending him to the stocks or dungeons. Arthur was well beyond that point. He valued Merlin a great deal so that the 'revenge' that he took out on him came out either in the training field, exercising his dogs, and so on.

Arthur glared at Merlin when he continued to complain about his crown; calling his head big. "You do realize I am king, right? Unless in your drunken state you missed the entire ceremony," he retorted sarcastically. When Merlin spoke of going for a walk soon, Arthur just continued to look at him, before casually looking away, at the crowd in front of him. "You cannot leave Merlin. Have your years of being a servant not taught you anything?" He questioned, only half rhetorically. "You are my manservant. You can not leave unless I do. Besides, who do you think will be cleaning up at the end of the festivities?" He asked, this time looking at Merlin with a rather cheeky smile, reminding him that he had a long day and night ahead of him. Of cleaning up after all this . . . as well as performing his duties as the king's personal servant.

[em]

Great. Now he'd dug himself a big enough hole for Arthur to bury him. "Of course I didn't!" he rolled his eyes, "What do you take me for? Actually don't answer that because I already know" he sighed, "an idiot." Yes, Merlin the idiot servant who apparently was an alcoholic. Merlin would make Gauis regret saying that he was in the tavern when he was told not to! "Oh I already know the type of consequences. I'd be used as an attack dummy in training, get mauled by your dogs while excercising them - oh, and you'd kill me." he smiled, knowing exactly what levels of punishment Arthur would bestow on him.

"You do realize I am king, right? Unless in your drunken state you missed the entire ceremony,"

"I hadn't noticed" Merlin smirked, "but then again that crown is kind of a giveaway..." He grabbed another goblet of wine and passed it to Arthur, "There you go, drink up! It is your coronation you know." he smiled. Coronation. Thank goodness! "right, now for that walk" he rubbed his hands together. "You cannot leave Merlin. Have your years of being a servant not taught you anything?" Merlin raised his brows, "a fair few things...but I won't go into those" he smiled, "You are my manservant. You can not leave unless I do. Besides, who do you think will be cleaning up at the end of the festivities?"

Merlin groaned, "now that's not fair! Im a 'personal' manservant." He could see that this conversation really wasn't doing him any justice. "But what if I need to pee?! I'll have to leave then!" but seeing the expression on Arthur's face made him think twice. "It's ok! I'll hold it..." he quickly answered his own question. "and i'll stay until you leave...sire." No early night for him then.

[Arthur Pendragon]

"What do you take me for?" Arthur had opened his mouth to answer but Merlin did not leave him with the opportunity to do so and instead answer his own question. Causing Arthur to give a bit of a smirk. Even more so when Merlin went on to list the consequences. "Well, at least I'm happy to see that you did learn something after all you years of servitude after all." Meaning, that he knew what punishments he would suffer. Some of Arthur's favorites if he did say so himself . . . including, mucking out the stables. Arthur took the goblet of wine that Merlin offered him, though did not yet take a sip. It was just something to hold so that no one else would need to offer him one. But he did not wish to drink excessively either. While every feast was a formal one, this one was especially so. Merlin then seemed rather fixated on his walk, even groaning when Arthur had said that he needed to stay. It wasn't quite the attitude Arthur had been expecting . . . then again, Arthur hadn't been expecting Merlin to try and leave the event as early as possible.

He was one of his closest friends, and Arthur suddenly felt rather disappointed that the was standing here, having to convince him to stay on one of the most important days of his life. Looking away from his man servant, Arthur did take that sip of wine. "Just go Merlin," he told him, slight irritation in his voice for the lack of support from a man he regarded as a brother. "I should not have to stand here and give reasons for you to stay." It wasn't about the duties. Arthur had just been teasing . . . but Merlin had seemed so set on walking out. "Clearly you have better things to do, so go for that walk. Or get that extra sleep. Whatever you want to do." He was dismissing him, and would act like he didn't care in doing so. When in actuality, he never thought he would have to convince his friend to stay on the day of his coronation. No matter. He wasn't going to dwell on it, as he now gave him the opportunity to make his leave . . . something that Merlin seemed rather eager to do.

[em]

Merlin looked to Arthur and smirked. "You would think that after all my years of being stuck with you, you'd know when im actually joking." he smirked at his friend. That had got him! If Arthur really thought he was going to just leave his coronation party then he was wrong! "You really thought i'd just take a walk during the most important night of your life?" Merlin gave a very small chuckle - there was no way he'd miss this evening for the world. "Like it or not, im afraid you're going to have to put up with me." Because Arthur blatantly could bear to be rid of him. It made Merlin laugh inside his mind.

Merlin leant back against the wall and looked at Arthur and smiled. "I know you'll probably think im a total idiot for saying this, but..." he paused, he had no idea how to pu this without it sounding wrong. "I'm proud of you...of today and stuff." he admitted, "You're going to make a great King Arthur - everyone can see it, everyone knows it - and before you ask no I haven't been drinking that much." he smirked. It was the truth, and Merlin very rarely said things to this extent to Arthur.

"So..." he clapped his hands together and rubbed them. "Tomorrow's a new day." he smiled lightly, "What does it hold for King Clotpole?" Oh yes, tomorrow was the start of something new indeed, and for once, Merlin couldn't wait to see what was in store. A hangover? Most likely but apart from that...well, that was left for destiny to decide.

Note: Apologies for the 'blah' post!