A Hungry Prince

[Prince Arthur Pendragon]

Prince Arthur was alone in his dining room, waiting- a little less than patiently, for his dinner which was supposed to have arrived a fair while ago. He sat drumming his fingers on the table, head in one hand and a glum look on his face.

His private chambers were the finest in the castle -with the exception of the Kings- and although beautifully decorated and furnished, he often wondered if the sheer size was necessary. Visitors were rare, and those that did visit were received in his fathers quarters rather than here. Arthur sighed and pushed himself back from the table. There were no windows in the dining room so he passed through the ornate archway to his study where he stood and looked down to the courtyard. Many of the castle's servants rushed about with various foods and other goods for himself or his father while guards set off for night duty. Cooks, maids, stable boys, all passed Arthurs window and then he finally spotted Merlin, his trusted friend who seemed to be struggling to keep the Prince's dinner from ending up on the cobbles!

[Merlin Emrys]

"Sir, I am so sorry!"

Merlin began to apologise before he was even through the door.
"There was a mix up in the kitchens with your dinner, then when I finally had the right dish it was cold, and I asked for it to be reheated on the fires, then tried to do it myself but... well, it's still luke warm..." he trailed off with a feeble smile. Placing the platter carefully before the Prince with one hand, he removed the lid in a sweeping 'tadaa' gesture with the other. His own face fell when he saw the aesthetically displeasing slop inside. The meal, quite simply, resembled vomit.

"It's a rabbit stew." Merlin added, as if to reassure the Prince that the congealed lumps were infact edible. Backing away from the table, Merlin wrinkled his nose and quickly attempted to change the subject, hoping to leave Arthur no time to complain about the food.

"Did you want your armour polishing, your highness?"

[Prince Arthur Pendragon]

"You polished my armour only yesterday my friend!" Arthur smiled. Merlin did too much for him, and although of course he was very grateful he often wondered whether Merlin would ever get used to being a friend of the prince.

"The stew looks...well I'm not going to lie, it looks revolting." Arthur sat down at the head of the table and signalled for Merlin to join him. He picked up a fork and gently poked a large lump of meat? Satisfied that it wasn't going to eat him he put it in his mouth and chewed slowly. It tasted better than it looked, but could do with being hot.

"Merlin any chance you can re-heat this?" Prince Arthur had never quite grasped how Merlins magic worked, he often asked things of him that he had no hope of ever being able to achieve, yet other times he wasn't sure if Merlin could do the simplest of tasks. Magic was just too complicated.

[Merlin Emrys]

Merlin breathed a sigh of relief. It was very difficult being friends with a royal and heir to the realm. He often struggled to maintain the divide between friend and servant, as the boundaries so often blurred. But Arthur was in a good mood today. Merlin sat where he had gestured, watching the Prince sample his food.

He smiled in response to Arthur's question- reheating the food would be a simple task for a magician such as he.
"Of course sire," he replied, replacing the platter over the dish. Touching the silver metal with one hand, he reached for the magic within him, muttering alien words under his breath as he directed the flow to the food before him. His eyes shone a brilliant copper. The platter responded in turn by glowing white hot, almost vibrating on the tabletop. As Merlin removed his hand, the glow lessened, then disappeared altogether. This time, when the platter lid was removed a puff of smoke escaped, and it was only after a few seconds when it had dissipated that Merlin could observe the results.

"Just a bit of steam!" he choked, flapping has hands to and fro over the stew and coughing into the crook of his arm.

Well, he had certainly heated the food, that was for sure. Merlin pushed the charred dish back towards Arthur with a raised eyebrow. Wisps of smoke still spiraling from the blackened and smoking blobs.

[Prince Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur watched as Merlin placed the lid over his dinner and began to cast his strange spell. The alien words he muttered and the brightness in his eyes made Arthur shiver, some part of this just didn't seem natural to him. As the platter glowed brighter and brighter, so Arthur leaned further and further away from it, scared.

"Erm, Merlin..." He began as his friend removed the lid. The food was black and it looked possibly worse than before. Thick 'steam' was billowing across the table and making Arthurs eyes sting. But despite the ashen remains of his dinner, Arthur had to laugh. It was typical Merlin to make something worse when attempting to improve it, and it was one of the reasons he was his closest friend.

Pushing the dish away he smiled, letting the young wizard know he was not angry.
"So Merlin, anything knew happening in the kingdom?" He had an invite to King Uthers rooms later on, and it was always better if he had something to impress him with.

[Merlin Emrys]

"Anything new?" Merlin repeated, as he picked up the dish and walked towards the open window with it.

"Well, I haven't heard anything out of the ordinary around the castle." he began, pulling back the thick embroidered curtain and hurling the contents outside. After a brief pause, there was an angry yell.

"S-sorry!" Merlin cried sheepishly out of the window. He hurriedly banged the panes closed with a grimace, hoping the footman he had covered in burnt stew hadn't caught a glimpse of his face. Turning back to Arthur he continued:
"Although, there does seem to be a buzz in the servants' quarters, talk of some kind of tournament? A joust, or a hunt? Something involving the best warriors of the realm. I'm not sure if there's any truth in it though, perhaps you could ask King Uther?"

Merlin paused, his thoughts switching to an entirely different subject altogether.

"So has your father tried to set you up with any eligible wealthy ladies or maidens that I should know about?" he widened his eyes as he asked, in a failed attempt to look innocent. After several failed courtships, Arthur did not like talking about the enigma that is womankind. Nor did Merlin now that he considered it... but the look that would surely grace Arthur's face when questioned was always priceless.

[Prince Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur struggled back a laugh as he heard the yell. Someone had just had a rabbit-stew-shower, trust Merlin.

Arthur listened as Merlin explained what he had heard from the servants.
"A joust? Well I haven't heard my father speak of it, although in all honesty i have been trying my hardest to avoid him. Perhaps i shall visit him later on. I quite fancy proving my worth, especially if that fool Lancelot is competing..."

Arthur detested Lancelot. He was much better with the ladies than Arthur was, and they both knew it. He lorded it over the prince everytime they sparred and he also knew how much it bothered him.
Therefore Arthur loved being able to show off the fact that he usually beat Lancelot in a fight. However part of him did worry it was simply because he was the prince.

He groaned as Merlin seemed to read his thoughts and asked about his recent love life.
"No, I think he may have just given up, I know i have!" he grimaced as he thought of the fool he had made of himself last time, when Lancelot had of course been there to pick up the pieces. Damn him!

"So how about you Merlin, my man. Have you had any luck in the love department recently?"

[Merlin Emrys]

Merlin grinned as Lancelot's name was mentioned. He found Lancelot and Arthur's rivalry highly amusing, especially when it concerned the fairer sex! Although he did agree with Arthur, Lancelot was just so perfect it was sickening. And his floppy hair made him look like a twit, even if the ladies at court swooned whenever he flicked his shiny locks and flashed them his prized smile.

"The love department?" Merlin was caught off guard as the conversation took an unwanted turn back to him.
"Well, you know how it is!" he said, laughing in spite of himself. "I think I've given up as well! I don't think I'll ever be able to get a girl interested without charming her first... magically of course!" he joked. "And even then I'd probably get that wrong..." he added, thinking of the burnt stew. If there was one thing more complicated than magic, it was women.

"Although I've heard some new ladies are arriving at court, what with it being hunting season and all... and where there's nobility there'll be new maids!" he gave Arthur a boyish grin, and waggled his eyebrows.

[Prince Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur laughed at the thought of Merlin somehow casting a misguided spell on an innocent girl, it would be typical. Still it probably wouldn't be any worse than what Arthur often managed to do. One time he had actually knocked a possible suitor into the river Kinver, needless to say neither she or her father were very impressed, and King Uther hadn't found it too amusing either.

He laughed again as he saw Merlins dancing eyebrows and then he stood up from his chair. It was dark outside now and he wanted to go and speak with Uther about the possible joust coming up.
"Shall we meet tomorrow Merlin?" The prince asked hopefully. His princely duties got boring very quickly and he was hoping to sneak off for a drink or two later on.
"Well I best be off, you know where to find me if you need to!" He smiled warmly and bid his friend goodbye before heading through to his fathers chambers.

[Merlin Emrys]

"Of course sire" Merlin replied, standing up as Arthur did. He did know when to find him the next day, the training grounds most likely. Merlin looked around the now empty room, it was relatively clean and tidy...

"Rest of the afternoon off then!" he said gleefully to himself, then left Arthur's chambers closing the heavy oak door behind him, wondering what to do with himself for the rest of the day. He could make himself useful and help Gaius or the other palace servants, he could visit the Guild... Camelot was his oyster!