I wanted a fic where Arthur and Merlin have a medieval date. I wrote purely for merthur. Not the best title, I know.

Courtship and romance were not foreign to the Blond Pendragon. He just had trouble determining what activities his partners would enjoy. Arthur paced, his eyebrows were furrowed, and he was beginning to develop migraine. He had his boots thoroughly shined and he was wearing his best doublet; courtesy of Merlin. The clicking of the heels of his boots echoed throughout his chambers. He wanted to do something nice for Merlin. He had always been told time and time again to look his best when pursuing a love interest. There was something about his manservant, Merlin. Maybe it was his eyes that seemed to shine with joy and mischief, or maybe it was his smile that made his eyes crinkle, his chin and his cheekbones stand out. It may be that this feeling had come from Merlin's unwavering loyalty, or his playful bantering. In any case, Arthur cared about Merlin and that was all there was to it. He desperately wanted to please him.

No ideas had come to his mind, so he decided to ask for ideas on what would appeal to Merlin. He couldn't bring himself to ask Gaius for advice, or his father. He considered asking his knights, but had decided against it. He needed to appear strong to his men and refused to reveal a possible vulnerability. The only two people that he thought would be helpful.

Thankfully he caught them while they were in a secluded part of the castle gardens. Morgana and Gwen looked at each other after he finished his explanation. Morgana smiled at her maidservant, "I knew it! Gwaine owes me 20 pounds! If he doesn't have it, then I will accept three shouts of 'My luscious locks need me!'"

Gwen sighed, "Did you at least give him a day off? He's always complaining about that."

An incredulous look from Arthur suggested not, "then how would I have been dressed this morning?"

Morgana tried to determine if the prince had been joking. Gwen gave an vexed sigh. How can Arthur be so foolish? Surely it wasn't that hard to think of things to please a potential sweetheart, right?

Gwen raised her eyebrow, "Arthur, there are plenty of other servants in the castle that would consider it an honor to dress you and shine your boots."

"But are they Merlin?" Arthur countered.

"You're a lost cause! You say you want to something nice for Merlin, but you haven't the slightest clue because you haven't been listening to him!" Morgana added, "I hope all goes well for you, Arthur, because I don't think you stand much of a chance to win Merlin's affection now! He'll just want to go back to his quarters! Not that I blame him!"

"Lady Morgana, if I may, I think Prince Arthur isn't at a total loss. The situation can be mended! I would suggest a nice foot rub, a night off, and dinner. A way to a man's heart is his stomach, or so I've been told. Flowers is always a nice touch," Gwen said excitedly, "Lady Morgana, what do you think?"

Morgana smiled as she turned to address her maidservant, "flowers are a wonderful Idea, Gwen. Do you remember when I was the one that brought you flowers?"

"The violets were so beautiful, My lady. How could I forget?" Gwen blushed, but she smiled so wide that Arthur could have sworn there was a twinkle in her eye.

Morgana turned to Arthur and raised an eyebrow, "THAT'S how you do wooing, Arthur. I'm just saying you should learn from the best!"

Arthur gave an annoyed groan, "What do you suggest I do now?"

"I would suggest a wine aged to perfection. Keep your chambers clean, too! Nothing is more off putting than the smell of sweaty feet," Morgana scrunched up her nose and added "And don't make Merlin do all that. What's a bigger turnoff than doing your own wooing while smelling your body odor?"

Morgana turned and started walking away. Gwen chuckled, but before she followed her mistress she said, "Good luck! I'm sure he'll feel the same."

Gwen followed Morgana back to her mistress's chambers; leaving Arthur with quite a few ideas. He stood there for a few more moments deciding what kind of flowers to get before walking back toward the castle to put his formulating plans into action.

That night Arthur called his manservant to his chambers. Merlin waltzed in without knocking, he saw the prince sitting at a table with a bouquet of red roses on the center and a pitcher resting next to it. "Ah, Merlin," Arthur smiled and pointed to the chair next to him, "have a seat."

Merlin crossed the room and sat down awkwardly, as if expecting a reprimand from a previous transgression. Merlin as if he was about to speak when several maids came with trays carrying food and as they were placing the platters down, Arthur announces, "Don't bother returning it to the kitchen, Merlin can do it."

After the maids departed, Arthur spoke to Merlin again, "I had no idea what you liked, so I told the cook to bring in some quail, pheasant, and chicken. Red wine is in the pitcher for you to drink."

They ate in silence and every so often, the two boys would make eye contact. The wine helped loosen their tongues, though. They talked about the gossip from the kitchens, how the horses were doing, and what types of shenanigans went on among the knights. When they finished what they could of the enormous meal, Merlin made a move to take the trays and Arthur stopped his arm, "Maybe in the morning, Merlin."

Arthur's heart beat so fast that he could've sworn that Merlin was able to hear it. He took one of Merlin's hands in his own and looked at him in the eyes, "Merlin, I want to say to you what I've wanted to say to you for a long time. I have feeling for you and I want to thank you for being with me day after day. The question is, Merlin, do you feel the same?"

Merlin took in a deep, steady breath before smiling and answering, "Yes."

Arthur kissed Merlin's hand, " Lay on the bed."

Merlin complied with the prince's wishes. Merlin felt the silk of the sheets and the velvet of some pillows. Arthur tugged off Merlin's boots and started massaging his feet in small circles. Merlin made small groans of appreciation and Arthur smiled. Merlin laughed like a drunken fool, put his other foot close to Arthur's face, and asked, "You like my smelly feet, clotpole?"

Arthur scoffed, Wasn't it mentioned to him that smelly feet was a big turnoff? He grabbed Merlin by the ankle and placed the leg next to his other, "yes, very nice, dollophead."

Arthur heard Merlin muttering something about 'stealing his word' and smiled. It seemed like no time had passed when he noticed that Merlin was fast asleep. After a considerable amount of time, untangling Merlin from the bedspread was no easy task, Arthur managed to get his Merlin under the covers and tucked in. He placed a soft, chaste kiss on Merlin's forehead and laid down next to him looking at Merlin's soft smile as he succumbed to sleep.

Arthur may have been asleep, but he did notice the mattress dip and a kiss placed on his forehead.

I wanted Arthur to get Merlin some swan to eat too, since it was common for royalty to eat the birds, but that would mean death for Merlin and death isn't a great way to pursue a potential lover. Yeah, I did some research. Come fight me.

UPDATE: I fixed typos, added words and letters. I also wanted Morgana and Gwen to be a thing. I made it lengthier too, see?