Merthur oneshots

A rainy day in Camelot

It was cloudy and rainy today in Camelot, but that's okay because Merlin loved rainy days. He liked to run around and splash in the big puddles crated by the uneven cobblestone of the citadel square.

He had his boots tightly fastened today to keep the biting cold away from his toes. And he had two pairs of socks on to keep the wet rain from seeping into his bones. He shivered as he pulled his jacket around himself tighter. He wished it was thicker but had to live with what he has.

He was currently making his way across the square to the castle steps as the sun was just peaking over the horizon. He was almost late to wake up the crown prince but that was nothing out of the ordinary.

He makes his way first to the kitchen where he can hear the loud boisterous laughter of the head cook. And what a wretched woman she was, always laughing at other's misery and seeming suspicious of Merlin, she used to say he, 'looks shifty', like she even knew the true meaning of the word. When he entered the kitchen, intending to quietly receive the food intended for Arthur, he was met with a sneer as well as a harsh clap on his bony shoulders. The cook, she immediately noticed him and apparently wanted to have a conversation. He was not willing to humor her but did not particularly want to make her mad so he bore through the usual bullying. Annnnd great, now he actually was late.

Soon he sauntered down the big castle corridor towards his master's chambers and mumbled a quick greeting to the guards who snicker at his usual lateness.

When Merlin opens the heavy door he quickly surveys the room to see if the prince is awake and angry. Luckily he is not. So he sets the recently acquired platter on the sturdy oak table.

The prince still had some time before he really needed to wake up and Merlin was not ready to deal with the grumpy prince anyway. So he decided to start warming up the room for the day's activities, he started a fire in the fire place and hung the prince's clothes for the day in front of it on some conveniently placed hooks (that is exactly what they are supposed to be used for, well that and stockings at Christmas). And then he decided to wait for a bit.

He sat himself down in front of the fire and held his hands out toward the fire and rubbed them together gaining some feeling back. As his blood flow improved, his hands stung because of the prolonged chill in them. Boy he wished he had the proper attire for the cold. But he had little to complain over compared to the people of the lower town, at least he got to stay inside the warm castle most of the time.

Speaking of a warm castle the room was sufficiently warm now and he thought it a fitting time to wake the grumpy royal. He quietly made his way across the room and slowly opened the curtains. Then after the room was filled with light (dim though because of the dark clouds outside from the rain) he finally made his way to the once and future king's bedside.

"Wake up m'lord." He said softly only receiving a grumble in response. He tried again, "Sire, it's time to wake up." He was still relatively quiet but added a hand on the prince's shoulder to try and jostle his drowsy mind from the depths of his slumber.

His response was a gravely voice that only he got to hear saying, "you never call me sire. What's wrong?" That was a more coherent thought than Merlin thought his master could create even when he was awake!

"Everything is just peachy Sire, I've no idea what you're talking about!" Merlin responded.

Suddenly the royal's head was lifted out of his pillow and he fixed his servant with a concerned look, his hair also a mess from sleep, "There it is again! Are you sure you're not dying or something?" As he said this he grabbed Merlin's arm and pulled him closer to the bed and dragged his eyes across the scrawny man's body, checking for injuries.

Merlin rolled his eyes, a glint of happiness in them at the thought of Arthur worrying about him. "Your Majesty I am just fine, I promise. Just a little tired." With that said Merlin went to pull away but was stopped by the shirtless knight once more and pulled back even closer to him.

Arthur's brow furrowed. "This.... This is not good. You need to rest because I need a healthy and well rested servant to work for me." With a determined face he once again pulled on the servant's arm and brought him to lay down next to him. "There, today we will rest and continue work tomorrow." He said this with a tone of finality and who was Merlin to deny that order? Plus the bed was really comfortable.

Arthur then got up and quickly made his way to the door. And having opened the door, he told the guards to inform his father of the change in schedule and that he would not be accepting no for an answer. In addition to this he stated that he not be disturbed at all today.

Then he promptly made his way to the curtains. He quickly closed them concealing the room from the wet and muddy town below. Once his tasks were complete he turned back to his bed and saw a very cute manservant waiting quietly for him to come back to bed. And he did just that.

He padded over to the edge of the bed and sat down his back facing the man in his bed. He hunched over deep in thought, then suddenly he sat upright and turned to Merlin. "Merlin why is it so warm in here? It's early in the morning it should be much colder than this."

"Oh. I started a fire about fifteen minutes before I woke you. I thought you might like it if the room was warm rather than cold but now it's just making me sleepy" Merlin said and yawned.

Arthur nodded. "Indeed that is correct, thank you. Now you need some rest." He stated as if this was a regular routine. He laid himself down next to the boy and got comfortable for sleeping.

But he could feel how cold Merlin was, even with the foot of space between them. "Merlin, go put on those clothes you hung up in front of the fire." Arthur said.

Merlin was slightly confused by this but did as he was told. The freshly warmed linens felt nice and soothing and warm on his clammy skin. When he came back to the bed the covers were pulled back and Arthur looked up at him expectantly.

Merlin slipped under the covers. He had taken off his boots when left in the bed the first time. After he was under the covers, Arthur pulled Merlin into his side and hugged him closely to his body.

As they both drifted off to sleep in the comfort of each other's arms Arthur kissed the top of Merlin's head and Merlin nuzzled closer to him. It was cloudy and rainy today in Camelot, but that's okay because Merlin loved rainy days.