Chapter 12: His Ball, Her Arrival

Summary:

The ball begins and the guest of honour arrives

Notes:

Back again! A new day and a new chapter. Thanks again to my wonderful beta for editing this chapter for me. Hope you all having a fabulous day and enjoy this chapter. Please don't forget to feed the dragon.

TinyDragonRoar!

Stepping outside into the cooling afternoon air, Merlin already felt drained even after the nap and relaxing bath he took in preparation for the evening ahead. Next to him, Gwaine stood. Merlin felt better with the rugged man at his side.

A car pulled up in front of them at 5 on the dot. Merlin opened the door and hopped inside, and the car pulled away taking Merlin and Gwaine with it.

Inside the vehicle, Merlin stared out the window as they travelled though Camelot towards the castle. The closed they got the more Merlin squirmed, nervousness filling him.

"Relax Merlin, everything's gonna be fine," Gwaine said, grabbing Merlin's hand and giving it a squeeze. "You've got nothing to worry about. You'll be fine with the fantastic Sir Gwaine at your side."

Looking at Gwaine Merlin smiled, relaxing against the seat. "Thanks, Gwaine," Merlin replied, then turned back towards the window as the car turned into the long winding driveway of the palace.

Releasing Gwaine's hand, Merlin stared in awe at the beautiful grounds of the castle and the closer they got the more amazed he became. He gasped as the castle came into view with its gleaming white walls and winding towers. He couldn't believe how tall the spirals were and how beautiful this castle looked. Merlin momentarily forgot his dread of entering this building and was actually looking forward to exploring it.

The car pulled to a stop and Merlin took a deep breath, preparing to exit and greet the king he could see even from inside. Taking another breath, Merlin opened the car door and exited the vehicle with Gwaine following behind him. Walking up the steps, Merlin bowed in front of the king, smiling as he straightened up.

"Your Highness, your palace is absolutely wonderful," Merlin said, continuing to smile at the king. "I didn't expect you to be here yourself. I'm honoured that you came to greet me personally."

"Oh, it's my honour to greet such a beauty and welcome you to my palace," the king replied, lifting Merlin's hand to press a kiss to the back of it. "Unfortunate that Arthur couldn't be here. He's leading training but you'll see him tonight," the king continued. "And this is my daughter, the Lady Morgana," he added, gesturing to the dark-haired woman that stood behind him.

Stepping forwards Morgana held out her hand to Merlin. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Merlin, you're as beautiful as the king claimed you were." She smiled at him.

"You're not so bad yourself, my lady," Merlin replied, also kissing the back of Morgana's hand.

"You were supposed to shake it," Morgana said, smirking at Merlin's blushing face. She liked him. She could tell he was honest and she liked that. "Don't worry about it. It was cute."

Stepping back, Merlin continued to blush until he heard a cough from behind him. Turning his head slightly, Merlin could see Gwaine in his line of vision, looking at him.

"Your Highness, this is my loyal knight, Sir Gwaine of Avalon," Merlin said, gesturing to the man stood to his left. "He is one of the best fighters I know and I wouldn't be here without him."

"It's an honour, Your Highness," Gwaine said, bowing to the king.

"I'm glad to have you in my palace," the king said, holding out his hand to shake. "I'm happy to house such a fine knight, to protect my fine guest." Uther gripped the knight's hand, giving it a strong shake.

"We'll just have to see how good a fighter you really are, won't we," Uther said, tightening his grip on Gwaine's hand, glaring at him.

"Yeah, we will, my lord," Gwaine said, glaring back.

Sensing the tension, Merlin placed his hand on the king's arm, trying to distract him. "So, Your Highness, are you going show me around?" Merlin said, smiling at the king.

Releasing Gwaine's hand, Uther turned to face him, dismissing Gwaine instantly for better company. "Unfortunately, I have a meeting with my advisors before the party and won't be able to give that tour, my little warlock, but I will leave you in the capable hands of my darling daughter," The king replied, smiling down at Merlin. "I will see you shortly, sweetness." With that the king spun around, leaving them to it. "Well then, follow me to your rooms," Morgana said, smiling and turning towards the main doors. Gwaine and Merlin looked at each other before following.

Trailing Morgana through the corridors of the palace, Merlin couldn't help but consider where he was. He knew he still had to sort all this out with school and contact his father about this development. He shuddered at the thought, knowing he was supposed to go straight to school. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of punishment his father would give him if he was here.

Trying to banish that thought from his mind Merlin couldn't help but smile as he watched Gwaine flirt with Morgana. He thought it was hilarious and knew he didn't stand a chance with a lady such as Morgana.

"What a lovely palace you live in. Although nothing in here could compare to the beauty of your smile," Gwaine said, smirking at Morgana's face. "Your eyes could outshine any emerald, my lady," Gwaine continued to compliment the lovely lady in front of him.

"Why, good knight, you flatter me," Morgana replied, smirking back.

Turning back to Merlin, Morgana ignored Gwaine walking next to her. "So, Merlin want do you think of the palace?" Everything you expected?" she asked.

"It's lovely, my lady. Absolutely beautiful and much bigger than I expected," Merlin replied.

"Please call me Morgana, Merlin. My Lady is so stuffy and pretentious," Morgana said, smiling. "I never really liked to be called that. It makes me feel like an old lord's wife." Morgana giggled at the thought and Merlin couldn't help but smile, too.

"You definitely don't seem like the type, Morgana," Merlin replied smiling.

"Oh darling, I like you. Not just a pretty face," Morgana laughed.

Merlin smiled. He could tell they were going to get on like a house on fire.

"Well, here we are," Morgana said, suddenly coming to a stop in front of a large double door. Opening the door, Morgana stepped into an immaculately designed room, with huge bay windows. Dying sunlight streamed through the window and there was an enormous four poster bed, decorated in Camelot's colours.

"I do hope that this room is to your liking," Morgana said, looking around at the specially decorated room. "This room is only really used for our most special guests, visiting kings and the like."

"Nice digs, Merlin," Gwaine said, looking around Merlin's room

"This is too much, Morgana. This can't possibly be my room. It must be a mistake," Merlin stuttered, shocked by the magnificence of the place.

"If you don't want it we can always change places," Gwaine said, sitting at the massive table near the window, putting his feet up and popping a grape in his mouth from the bunch on the table.

"Merlin, this is your room. You deserve this, darling," Morgana said, placing her hand on Merlin's arm, looking into his eyes. Morgana suddenly saw what everyone else had before. The innocence, the kindness, the beauty. She knew why everyone wanted him and would do anything to possess him. She saw why her father had given him this room, treated him to a personal greeting and invited him to stay in the palace. She didn't fully trust her father with this boy and wanted to ensure he was safe from whatever plan he had for Merlin.

"You mean the king really wants me to stay here? I'm not even royalty. Just a kid from the countryside," Merlin said, looking into Morgana's eyes.

"You know that's not true, my friend," Gwaine said, from his seat at the table. Standing up, Gwaine walked over to the boy he had grown to care about even in the few days he had known him. "You're special, my friend."

Looking at Gwaine, Merlin smiled, happy to have such a loyal friend.

"Thank you," Merlin said, beaming at the pair in front of him.

"Well now that all the mushy stuff is out of the way how about you show me to my room, my lady," Gwaine said, bowing to the lady in question.

"What did I say about calling me that, Sir Gwaine?" Morgana said, glaring at the scruffy man in front of her.

"Well maybe I like calling you that, my lady," Gwaine said, smirking at Morgana's angry expression.

Huffing, Morgana spun around, storming towards the door again. "Well come on, you stubborn man. Let's go," Morgana called over her shoulder. Stopping in the doorway she turned back to face the duo in front of her. "Well Merlin your clothes are hung up on the changing screen. I hope they look good, though I don't doubt they will," Morgana said to Merlin, winking at him. "Gwaine will be back to pick you up in an hour. See you tonight, darling." Morgana then left the room.

"Well Merlin, my friend. I have some business to attend to," Gwaine said, grinning before following Morgana from the room.

Sighing at the silence in the room, Merlin looked around. He started to explore the room. He really couldn't believe he was here, standing in the palace in Camelot. Stopping in front of the window Merlin gazed out into the city, admiring the beauty of it all. Looking down into the courtyard below, Merlin spotted the prince standing in front of what looked to be a group of knights, all dressed in heavy metal armour, fighting as Arthur stood with his hand on his hip in front of them.

Merlin continued to watch the prince as he instructed his knights. As if sensing the eyes on him Arthur glanced up at the bay window Merlin was standing in front of. Smirking when he saw who was watching Arthur saluted Merlin and turned back to face his knights, continuing to snigger, knowing he had some ammo for later.

Turning back from the window, not wanting to look at the prince any longer, Merlin made his way over to the bathroom, thinking that a shower may be good even after the long bath he had had that afternoon.

Exiting the bathroom, Merlin had only a towel wrapped around his waist as he made his way over to the changing screen. He knew he had spent a long time in the shower, probably longer than he should have done, but he couldn't believe how amazing it was. There were like five shower heads and the pressure was fantastic. He could have spent so much longer in there.

Removing the towel from his waist Merlin started to dry his body and rubbed the towel against his head to dry his dark hair. He had to start getting ready.

Looking at the clothes hanging on the changing screen, Merlin couldn't believe the beauty of the clothes and the fine craftsmanship of the outfit. Geoffrey sure did have a way with cloth. The splendour of the clothes, although not his usual style, was lovely and true testament to the wealth of Camelot.

His outfit consisted of tight brown leather breeches, a dark red tunic, golden cape and tall black boots with a slight heel. Golden clips decorated the tops of the boots and clipped the belt around his waist at the front. The tunic had a low neckline with a golden statement dragon clip attaching the cape to each shoulder with rubies acting as eyes of the dragons on the clips. A red dragon was delicately embroidered on the back of the golden cape.

Draping the wet towel over the changing screen, Merlin began to dress in the luxurious clothes, enjoying the feel of the soft material against his skin. Once dressed, Merlin glanced around for somewhere to check his reflection to make sure he had put everything on right. Seeing a mirror standing near the table, Merlin made his way over to it.

Merlin looked at himself in the mirror. He couldn't believe he was looking at himself. He looked - dare he say it - good. The outfit was a little revealing, not something he would choose at all. He could tell that the king had personally picked out the fabric he was wearing. It was quite sheer and skintight, showing off his neck, shoulders and small portion of his chest.

Blushing at his own reflection Merlin fiddled with his hair trying to tame it, knowing he had to be ready very soon. Sighing as his hair continued to bounce back to wildness, Merlin threw his hands up, giving up on his impossible hair.

Turning around, Merlin took a deep breath. Looking at the clock, he knew it was time to leave and he couldn't remain in his room any longer. He walked towards the door, not stalling any more.

Merlin mentally prepared himself for the evening ahead, before leaving the room he was in to find Gwaine standing outside his door, with his hand raised to knock. Gwaine continued to stare at Merlin, entranced by his beauty and how the outfit he was wearing really enhanced how wonderful he looked.

Slowly lowering his hand, Gwaine searched for something to say. "Wow-, You look- Wow," Gwaine stuttered.

"Articulate as always, Sir Gwaine," Merlin said, laughing. "Thank you by the way."

Smiling, Gwaine held out his arm for Merlin to take. "Ready Merlin?" Gwaine asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be Sir Knight," replied Merlin, taking Gwaine's arm, knowing he could face anything the night could throw at him with Gwaine by his side.

Arthur hated these balls. They were always full of stuffy old men and their boring wives. Standing with several of his knights surrounding him, Arthur couldn't help but wonder if tonight was going to be any different to the usual dull events of balls.

"And he said unless you want to be that blackened tree, you'd better leave and Kanen ran away like a child from a storm. It was brilliant!" One of the knights said, continuing his story of the battle in the woods. All the knights around him laughed, Arthur joining in thinking back to the look on Kanen's face when Merlin zapped the tree in the forest.

Looking over his shoulder, Arthur could see his sister standing next to the king's chair at the main table. Arthur could see her beauty and could understand why all the guys practically worshipped at her feet. However, her beauty was nothing in comparison to Merlin. Boy that young man was magnificent. He really was a diamond in the rough. He was just a country boy but had the beauty of a god. He was like an Adonis of each, an angel sent from the heavens.

Turning away from Morgana, Arthur glanced at the entrance to the hall and gasped. "God have mercy," he whispered.

There was the boy who had been running through his head all day. He looked absolutely ravishing, an angel that graced them all with his heavenly presence. He couldn't believe that this beauty was here and walking towards him. And walking past him.

Arthur quickly turned, watching, slack jawed, as the boy flowed past him, completely ignoring him.

Walking up to the main table, Merlin bowed to the king still sat at the head.

"Good evening, Your Highness. What a lovely ball you're hosting. I'm honoured to attend," Merlin said, rising from his bow.

"Merlin, my little warlock, you look absolutely gorgeous in that outfit. My tailor really knows what will look good. And what I like," the king replied, leering at Merlin in Camelot's colours.

Blushing, Merlin replied. "Tha-ank you, my lord." Merlin looked away and towards Morgana, who had taken a seat beside her father. "Lovely to see you again, my lady," Merlin said, smirking.

"Merlin, what did I say about calling me that?" Morgana replied, scowling playfully at Merlin.

"I apologise, Morgana. I thought that this was quite a formal occasion," Merlin said, smirking in reply.

"I do believe I also had words with you about calling me Your Highness," Uther said, drawing Merlin's attention back to him.

Blushing once again, Merlin apologised to the king as well.

"Forgiven and forgotten, little one," Uther said, pushing out the chair next to him. "I do believe this seat is for you. Your loyal knight can sit with the other nobles tonight. I want your company all to myself," Uther said, smiling at Merlin, then turning to glare at Gwaine stood just behind Merlin's left shoulder.

"Very well your- Uther," Merlin said, quickly correcting himself.
Turning to face Gwaine, Merlin looked him in the eye, smiling, "Don't worry about me, Sir Gwaine, I'll be fine with the king. You go and have fun, my friend."

Smiling, Gwaine replied, "Of course, Merlin. Just give me a call if you need me." Giving the king one last look, Gwaine made his way over to a seat at the table further down the hall, next to lovely young lady and began flirting, even if he couldn't help but worry about Merlin with the king.

Sighing Merlin walked around the table and took a seat next to the king as the prince made his way over to the main table as well.

"Father," Arthur nodded to the king. Looking at Morgana, Arthur smiled. "Sister."

Smiling back, Morgana nodded to Arthur, "Brother."

Turning to Merlin, Arthur smirked, "Merlin, lovely to see you again. You realize you're in my seat," he said, secretly glad that he was. He really liked the thought of sitting where Merlin once had, strange as it was.

"Not tonight, son," Uther said. "I think Merlin will be much better company. You can sit on the other side of him."

Huffing, Arthur stormed around the table and dropping moodily into his seat next to Merlin.

"Wow, way to be mature about it, Sire," Merlin said snarkily to Arthur.

Straightening up, Arthur glared at the beauty sat next to him. "Well at least I'm not a creepy little stalker, Mer-rlin," Arthur replied, smirking at Merlin's reddening face.

"I am not a stalker. I just happened to be looking out the window when you rudely got in the way of my admiration of this beautiful city," Merlin said defensively.

"Now who's the immature one," Arthur retorted, continuing to mess with Merlin.

"That's enough Arthur," Uther said, glaring at his only son. "You will not insult our dear guest." Turning to Merlin, Uther's glare dropped from his face, instantly being replaced by a smile. "Now, my little warlock, how are you enjoying your room?" Uther asked.

Giving Arthur a smirk, Merlin gave him the cold shoulder, facing the king. "It is absolutely lovely, Uther," Merlin said with a smile. "I have never stayed in such luxury. You didn't have to go to so much trouble."

"Nonsense, only the best for my little warlock," Uther said, with a leer.

"Now I do believe we have some entertainment ready for this evening," Uther said, facing Morgana. "Is our guest here yet, Morgana?"

"Yes, Father," she replied.

"Well then let's get everyone settled, shall we?" Uther said standing up, the hall falling silent in respect.

"Welcome all to this wondrous occasion. We are all gathered here to celebrate, my son," Uther said, gesturing to where Arthur still sat. "He has served as this kingdom's heir since his birth twenty-one years ago. He has rescued damsels, stopped monsters and protected this kingdom from opposing forces." The hall burst into cheers and Arthur turned to Merlin and smirked.

"This is how the royal subjects are supposed to act, Mer-rlin," Arthur said, smirking at Merlin's glare.

"Well-" Merlin began, only to be interrupted by Uther's continued speech.

"He will be honoured tonight with a wonderful performance, then crowned prince of Camelot," Uther said, smiling proudly.

"Now, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my privilege to announce the finest lady this side of Avalon, the mistress of magic, high priestess of the Old Religion and lady of the court, Nimueh!"

TO BE CONTINUED!