CHAPTER 6 : A LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Arthur went down the stairs and out into the courtyard, Merlin was now surrounded by a group of children who were fascinated by whatever he was holding. One of the nursemaids saw Arthur approaching are whispered to her charges, "The prince…!" The children immediately pulled back leaving a clear path for Arthur who smiled at them recognising them as the young sons and daughters of Camelot knights.

"What have we got here?" he said.

One little mite explained, "Merlin has a baby swan and he says that Gaius is going to make it all better."

Arthur smiled, Gaius might be the court physician but since Merlin had arrived his skill had been called upon in healing a few unfortunate individuals which Merlin had the habit of rescuing. Ordinarily all animal injuries were seen to by the stockmen or in the case of horses the head grooms but there were a few instances of hedgehogs, baby goats and even little rabbits receiving care from Merlin and indirectly Gaius. Life was hard in the woods, as if you couldn't keep up you were left behind to the mercies of the wild dogs and local hunters. You might only be small but if a family were hard up and starving, a baby rabbit stew was better than no meat at all.

The animal sitting on Merlin's lap and encircled by his arms was a cygnet the size of a goose. Arthur gauged it to be around five months, born in the Spring. It was frightened and although it had been checking out the little children, as he approached it hid its head in Merlin's armpit. Arthur smiled, even a bird knew that it was safe with Merlin.

The little chap Goodwin who had first spoken was joined by his sister who said, "We're not going to eat it, are we, Merlin?" She turned to Arthur and said seriously, "Gaius will make it better and then Merlin will put it back on the lake. Won't you, Merlin?"

"That is right, young Lady Marion, if everything goes well, we will return it to the lake and its family." Merlin assured them.

The nursemaids collected their charges and walked away leaving Merlin and the crown prince to talk in private.

"Do they always do that?" Merlin asked.

"Do what?"

"Make way for you?"

"I've never thought about it, whenever I arrive there seems to be a clear path ahead of me and I just walk towards the action. Why?"

"Guess, it's the perks of the job!"

"What does that mean? Doesn't sound too nice"

"It means that in your position you are entitled to certain luxuries which would not normally be offered to another person. Such as having to wait it line, you get to go right to the head of the queue."

Arthur shrugged, "Next time, I'm pushed to the front because of my position in life and what awaits me at the end is not pleasant, I'll remember that and insist that you precede me and deal with any negativity on my behalf."

Merlin laughed and stood up and they walked towards Gaius's chambers however, they were intercepted by none other than the king and his entourage. Uther eyed the cygnet in Merlin's arms and said, "Great! What a lovely thought, young swan this evening!" He motioned to one of his guards.

Arthur seeing the panicked look in Merlin's eyes, interrupted and said, "Father, it is injured, it is going to Gaius to be treated."

Uther glared at his son for daring to interrupt him, "Silly idea! Gaius does not work here to waste time on animals…" He motioned again to one of the guards to take the bird which immediately went into defence mode and snapped at the man giving him a nasty cut to his cheek. The guard struck out at the bird and unintentionally hit Merlin who still managed to hang onto his patient.

Seeing comedy in the situation, Uther laughed and a burly guard wrestled the bird from Merlin and dispatched it with one mighty twist to its neck. He bowed at Uther, swung it over his shoulder and made his way to the kitchens behind the castle.

Arthur was shocked but at the same time glad that the children had left the courtyard. He glanced at Merlin and wanted to rush forward and wrap his arms around him. He didn't deserve to be treated that way, the smack to the side of his head was bleeding and he had tears on his face. For a second, Arthur was worried that he was going to barrel into his father as he had his hands clenched at his waist but as he watched him, he seemed to gain control and let his head drop down in submission to the wishes of the king and stood there.

Before walking away, Uther said to Sir Rupert who was beside him, "Join me, we shall dine well tonight!" Sir Rupert bowed in acceptance but Arthur could tell that he was less than happy at being singled out for such an invitation.

Uther got in a parting shot as he said to the still bowed head in front of him, "Maybe your time, young man, is wasted with Gaius I should have you as my personal swan hunter!" There was a smattering of reserved laughter from the knights surrounding their king, then the group crossed the courtyard

Merlin and Arthur were left alone and Merlin sank back on the bench. Arthur said quietly, "I'm sorry! "

Merlin smiled weakly and said, "At least he went quickly…better than starving on a river bank or being used as a target by village boys with stones or torn apart by hunting dogs." He paused and turned his face to Arthur, "He wasn't doing anyone any harm and Gaius could have fixed his wing…"

"I'd apologise for my father's actions but…"

"Don't even try, he's not a bad man just that he thinks of himself before anyone or anything else. He was raised that way…" his voice lowered as he added, "however, you Arthur…you will be different."

They sat on the bench in the sun Merlin thinking of what might have been and Arthur reliving what had happened.

Suddenly, Arthur said, "You and Gaius should eat with me tonight."

"I feel that I won't be very good company!"

Arthur stood pulling Merlin to his feet saying, "Let me be the judge of that…!"

-0-0-

Gaius was unavailable for supper so Merlin made the trip to Arthur's chambers by himself. He explained that Gaius was on call as he had been asked to attend the Lady Bettina the wife of Sir Wickworth. She was in labour with her fifth child and after last years' loss of twins, her husband wanted Gaius to be in attendance.

"She almost died you know," Arthur said. "Martin's wife is one of her maidservants and she was vey upset. To loose two little boys and then possibly their mother was very difficult for everyone."

Merlin was used to Gaius returning from a laying in and if he just shook his head, he knew not to ask about the well-being of the new arrival. His mother Hunith was the midwife in Ealdor so he was well aware that many children did not survive those first few weeks or even being born for that matter.

"Let's hope that this time the news is good," he said smiling at Arthur. "Don't you usually eat with the other squires?"

"I usually join them after I've had breakfast and then have classes, lunch and training with them. Supper is up to me. Sometimes I am expected to join my father if he is entertaining and be present for the meal. Not unlike, being called out to perform, I am just expected to look the part of the crown prince and show deference to my father's utterances, be pleasant to his guests and converse intelligently with the people on either side of me.

"If I am lucky I might be seated next to someone interesting but one evening, I sat beside an elderly visiting knight who mumbled on and on abut his lands on the eastern coast and how he was forever battling the invading Gauls. He told me more than I would ever need to know of river fortifications and weir fishing traps." He paused before adding, "…and I managed to keep a straight face throughout and was more than relieved to hear my father say that the ladies might leave, which meant that I was no longer needed and I made a beeline for the door."

"Hopefully, Arthur, tonight will not be as stressful; however should I go off on an uninteresting tangent, I give you full permission to tell me to shut up."

Arthur smiled, Merlin was so easy to like. He decided that tonight's supper would be no hardship and the conversation would be not only interesting but also informative and amusing even.

There was a tap on the door as Martin followed by another manservant entered the chambers with platters. Soon the table was set, Martin said as he left, "I have left the sweets and extra wine on the sideboard and will return to collect the platters later."

Arthur stood up from where he was sitting near the fire and walked to the table saying, "No need, have an early night as I can manage until tomorrow."

Martin bowed and withdrew, he hoped that the covers would be carefully placed on all the platters and bowls of uneaten food as otherwise the mice would have the time of their lives. Mice and rats were a regular occurrence in any chambers where food was served. If no food was available, they happily gnawed at leather and wood until they decided to move on to richer pastures.

The kitchens were paradise for any mice which managed to evade the cats which hung around. Martin was sure that over the years, mice had fallen into cauldrons and pots and been cooked along with the ingredients of the meal. The refuse heap outside the kitchen was a great place for the village children to sharpen their hunting skills as large rats were also found there.

Years ago, he had started checking exactly what it was that he was putting into his mouth and to this day he was careful. His grandfather had instilled this into him as he would tell stories of the kitchens attached to the barracks and how regularly one of the guards would swear an oath before flinging a cooked mouse at the wall.

His mood brightened as he thought that he had the whole evening and night ahead of him as he would only need to be up in time to get Arthur's breakfast. Not that his lovely wife would be joining him as she would be spending the night with the Lady Bettina and the midwife.

-0-0-

The meal was to Arthur's liking and he smiled as Merlin kept pace with him as they ate the fish pottage followed by roast venison, seasonal vegetable and thick coarse bread. It was filling and nutritious. Growing up Merlin had survived on wild game and fish as had the other villagers but sometimes a hunter might stumble upon an elderly deer no longer able to bound away or one injured by a fall. He would kill it and return to the village to get willing hands to being it home. Any meat was considered a gift and they would take advantage of it by dividing it among the villagers with the choicest parts going to the lucky huntsman, the village headsman and the men and boys who had helped carry it back to the village.

Nothing was wasted. The hide would finally be made into boots, mittens and jackets, the bones boiled to make marrow soup and the antlers if any to decorate the huntsman house or bartered for something at the market in one of the neighbouring larger village.

Merlin smiled, his mother was often the recipient of gifts for the work she did helping to alleviate suffering and mend the wounded. She might not be paid but when things were bountiful she often opened the door to a child dropping off some food from his thankful parents or a young man seen busily replenishing her wood pile.

Noticing his smile, Arthur remarked, "The food is to your liking?"

Merlin nodded, "Brings back memories of home," and he told Arthur how his whole village would benefit when hunting was good.

Arthur was fascinated by Merlin's stories, he made his friends and the other villagers into real people, for the prince whom over the years had little to do with villagers apart from those whom he saw his father honouring for their good works or belittling for their laziness. He also saw others being tried for their transgressions whatever they might have been, hunting in the king's forest for one.

Areas were set aside for commoners to hunt but the king's reserve was off limit regardless of how hungry you and your family might be. In the depth of winter, poaching was often a necessity for even the best intentioned villagers. It usually started with laying a few rabbit or squirrel snares but in some cases progressed to lying in wait for the king's deer or purposely chasing them out of the king's reserve and onto common land so they could be killed within the parameters of the law.

Poaching was so frowned upon that many times the guilty party was returned to the castle in much worse condition than when he had been apprehended. What belonged to the king was the king's whether deer or boar. Merlin had heard stories of one repeat offender being blinded as a punishment.

Knowing that Merlin had lived with his mother prior to coming to work for Gaius, he would have loved to have asked him more about his extended family. He had made reference to the fact that he did not know his father and Arthur was afraid that if he asked too many questions, Merlin might tell him that it was none of his damn business and stalk away leaving him all alone.

He liked company while he ate. Real company, someone to talk with not just a servant standing by the wall waiting for him to finish so that he could clear away the dishes, return to the kitchen and then turn in. As he grew, it had been ingrained into him that he was not to talk to the servants except to ask them to get him something. He could talk to his personal manservant in reference to his family but nothing more personal that that.

If he wanted to have conversations, he could talk to his tutors, his fellow squires and Gaius. Time permitting, he used to have chats with Gaius. He had even dared to broach the subject of his mother, whose name was never mentioned except by his nursemaids when he was little. It was as if she had never existed in Camelot.

Gaius had explained that his father had been heartbroken when she had died and even to this day missed her. It just hurt him too much to be reminded of her. Arthur could understand that but also had a feeling that given the choice Uther would quite willingly have exchanged the life of his newly born son for that of his beloved wife.

He came back to the present as Merlin was talking about woods and their inhabitants.

"Do you hate people killing your deer?"

"My deer, they're not mine, they belong to the king and indirectly the kingdom, not me!"

"If they were your deer would you let people kill them if it were an emergency or would you expect their families to starve to death?"

"I've never thought of it like that. My father says people go hungry because they are too lazy to work...I've never thought about it before."

Merlin suggested that some villagers might be lazy but others work hard even if they sometimes failed. "I wouldn't want to be a villager," he concluded.

"But you were!" Arthur gently insisted.

"Yes but if I had known about Gaius and the castle, I would have been here sooner."

Arthur smiled although his rational was strange, he liked listening to Merlin's take on the ordinary things in life. He had ideas which none of the squires would have come up with and he was looking forward to introducing the same ideas in conversations he had with tutors just to see what their opinion would be on the topic.

"You know my father does look after the poor who come to Camelot. When times are bad such as when summer crops fail and an early winter is upon us, hundreds of people line up daily for their quota of grain. I don't think it is easy ruling a kingdom."

"I am sure he does his best but not all hungry people are able to get to the castle, the grain needs to be taken to them. Just think you were a widower like Jack Sliplish…" Arthur grinned at him and raised his eyebrows, "…with five mouths to feed. You can't jut pack up and leave all those youngsters on their own to travel to Camelot for one meagre portion of grain. If necessary you must pack up and move lock stock and barrel to the town."

"Maybe you might be a widower with five kids but not me, I don't intend to get married and certainly not have any children," Arthur insisted.

"You'll be expected to get married and produce at least one child or your family line will die out and then who would be the King of Camelot?"

That set Arthur thinking about who would take over after him. It would seem funny to be king but that was what he was being trained for every day whether he liked it or not. He wondered if his father had always wanted to be king or if he sometimes wished that he was just any ordinary member of the nobility without any pressing problems or responsibilities. He raised his goblet to his mouth and drained his remaining wine.

"Would you like some more wine? Merlin asked him.

"Only if you do."

"No, to be honest, I don't like the taste. Given my choice, it would be water then a pale ale like the Widow Snoud used to make in Ealdor. She was most popular as everyone wanted to be on good terms with her especially during the holidays. She was ancient must have been in her sixties and due to an accident in her late twenties got around on crutches. She was excellent at brewing and sometimes gave my mother a hand with her batches of herbal remedies."

Arthur was fascinated by Merlin's experiences that he knew a lady brewmaster or should that be brewmistress or just plain alewife even though she was widowed. He decided there and then that one day he would visit this village of Ealdor and meet for himself all the interesting residents.

They heard the guard in the courtyard call out that all was clear and Merlin stood up and said formally, "Thank you, Your Royal Highness, for an enjoyable evening. The meal was excellent as was the company.

Arthur almost fell off his chair laughing, not something he expected to hear a boy from a village say,

He was to learn later that Merlin had many hidden talents.

Merlin laughed and explained that he had to return to Gaius's or he would never be able to get out of bed in the morning. However, he first insisted on clearing off the table and piling everything on the side board.

"There is so much good food left, do you think I might take a little of the venison for Gaius? He probably won't be in until early tomorrow and he'll appreciate the chance to have something to eat."

Arthur insisted on filling a bowl with the remaining food and sent Merlin on his way. He smiled to himself. He'd found a friend all by himself, not one who had been pushed on him because his father felt that it might be beneficial in the future. He was glad that Merlin had come to Camelot.

He lay in bed later that night thinking of the various things which Merlin had said. Maybe in bad times, the commoners should be allowed to hunt on the king's land and possibly wagons of grain could be delivered to villagers in need…maybe he would have to get married and produce a child.

He then thought of the happy look on Merlin's face as he clasped the bowl of uneaten food to take to Gaius and thought of all the food that was returned to the kitchen's following feasts. He decided to find out what happened to it. Having listened to Merlin he hoped that it went to the servants of the castle and wasn't just thrown out.

He had so many questions he wanted to ask him about his life growing up and he hoped that he would be in Camelot with Gaius for a long time. He smiled to himself thinking of how their hands had touched in the woods and the effect it had had on him…if Merlin would let him, he would like to be his friend.

THE END

A sequel to this story entitled 'LASTING IMPRESSIONS' will be posted shortly.