Notes: And there you have it, the Epilogue, it's shorter than the rest, but it has a nice dose of Merlin/Arthur to make up for it. Featuring speechless!Uther, and conniving!Gaius...and a convenient crook in the hall xD. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it. Please enjoy!!

Miscommunication

Arthur/Merlin:: Everyone is horribly misguided and thinks that Arthur and Merlin are a couple. Arthur and Merlin, armed with nothing but fierce denial, set out to prove everyone wrong..or die trying.

-

V. Epilogue: A Misfortune

-

"Arthur, this is ridiculous..." Merlin anchored both of his hands on Arthur's waist as he arched into the prince's heated touch, to say he wasn't enjoying it would be to lie outright, but as it was sort ofa celebratory banquet in Arthur's honor, Merlin had his doubts about the wisdom of necking with Arthur in a snug crook in the hallway. Granted, they had tested this spot a couple of times, and found it blissfully satisfactory in terms of how it kept them conveniently hidden from prying eyes. "Mph...Arthur! Someone might see..." It was hard to form coherent words when Arthur was doing strange and wondrous things with his tongue.

...Granted, they weren't very princely things, but still nice. Merlin was not going to complain.

"Relax." For the guest of honor, Arthur didn't sound worried at all about missing his own banquet, "They're all old sods, anyway, I'd much rather be here with you." He claimed Merlin's lips in a lingering kiss, "Besides, it's not like they will find us." He tipped Merlin's head back and planted kisses on his neck, light ones. "You're so tense."

Yes, they'd tested this crook, time and time again in the last few weeks, and while Arthur had complete faith in the fact that their hiding place foolproof; Merlin liked to think that he wasn't so quick to succumb to the throes of passion like Arthur. He also liked to think that he was somewhat logical and that no hiding place used primarily for necking would be completely hidden...especially if the Crown Prince of all of Albion was making excessive use of it with his manservant. The crook had never been tested when an entire party (which was to say a legion) of nobility from Northumberland was there for a weeklong banquet.

"Of course I'm tense...anyone could find us!"

"No, they will not." Arthur made short work of the buttons on Merlin's shirt and tossed it aside, unfortunately, his servant was weighed down by ceremonial garb tonight and those were always a pain to take off. "They won't even notice our being gone."

His skin was bare, and it seemed that Arthur's lips were everywhere at once, and it was getting impossibly hot, and impossibly-- "Arthur, Arthur please stop." He moaned quietly, trying to hide the sounds that betrayed him in Arthur's shoulder. "I can't take this...not here..."

But it wasn't until Merlin finally resorted to fisting a handful of blond tresses and Arthur pulled back with an annoyed hiss, "Arthur!"

The Prince's eyes were glazed over with heat and wants unfulfilled. Merlin had to, he just had to pick the most inconvenient of times to try to be a logical, practical idiot. "Merlin, what the bloody hell?"

"You marked me!" There were marks sprinkled on Merlin's skin. "We have to get back to the banquet, they might not miss me, but people can spot my ridiculous hat you insist that I wear miles away. And the fact that your seat is at the head of the round table kind of makes you hard to miss. Did you forget that the banquet is in your honor?" Of course, Merlin realized how hard it was to sound convincing when he was straddling Arthur's lap with a flushed face. "What would your father say?"

"Did you forget that you shooting your mouth off while I'm just trying to get something productive done annoys me to no end?" Arthur glared at him, "Of course I mark you, you're mine." To prove his point, he sank he teeth down savagely and Merlin gasped.

"That's a lot better." Arthur smiled at him, "You started it, you shouldn't have given me that look over the table. My father is probably too drunk to think anything...I wouldn't worry too much about him."

"...Umm." In the end, Arthur's lips convinced him and Merlin protested no more.

--

King Uther Pendragon was certainly not drunk, far from it. He had a strict policy about how much liquor he could consume in the public during lavish banquets such as this one. It was not fit for a monarch to get so drunk and stagger on his feet, how much he consumed within the privacy of his own chambers with private company was another story. Uther Pendragon was, however, shocked speechless... a phenomenal feat that Gaius hadn't seen the king manage in thirty something years.

However, the sight of his son, the Crown Prince of Camelot, snogging the lights out of his all too willing servant boy...

It was the sight that made Uther want to sway on his feet and pass out. But that wouldn't be very kingly. And Uther made a note to tell Arthur that snogging the lights out of a servant in the middle of a hallway was decidedly unprincely in every sense of the word (had it existed.)

Gaius, who stood quietly approving beside Uther, gave his king an infuriating grin. "There's your proof, sire. No more trying to worm out of it. Come on now, a bet is a bet." He held out a wrinkled palm.

Uther grudgingly dug around and came up with five shillings, he dropped them all in Gaius's hand. He was not looking forward to paying everyone in Camelot five shillings, at all. It was a misfortune indeed.

Chapter V End:: 5/02/09 ~ Complete