• New Year's Eve, Roses and Wine •

By Maddy de L'Aurore

It was on the eve of the new year that Merlin came up with the idea. Or rather, he was alone in his room, flipping through his spell book when he stumbled upon it. It was an awful idea. A terrible idea, in fact, but Merlin was determined to put his mind to rest once and for all, for the sake of a fresh start next year. Or at least this is what he told himself.

What he told Gaius, however, was that a girl named Mary had asked for a certain potion and he needed Gaius' help preparing it. Gaius had protested at first but after much pleading, he gave in and agreed to help. The potion took hours to prepare and it was well past midday when Merlin was to complete the last part of the task. He knew he was to leave it under the pillow or it would not work but he was having second thoughts. Maybe it was best he didn't know. Yes, perhaps that was best.

Merlin was scurrying past Arthur's chambers with his hands suspiciously wrapped around some object when Arthur spotted him.

"What's that?"

"What's what?"

"That." Arthur stared at the rose clutched tightly in Merlin's fingers.

"Oh, this?"

"Mm."

"Well, it's a- a- rose! It's a rose, Arthur." Merlin added a little smile, the mischievous kind that irritated Arthur to end.

"Merlin," Arthur warned.

Merlin gulped.

"Sorry."

"I'm not going to ask you again. So tell me, Merlin, why on Earth do you have that in your hands?" Arthur hissed in the most fearsome voice he could manage as he gazed at Merlin's hands, slender fingers stroking the rose's stem absent-mindedly.

"I'm just running an errand for Gaius. At this time of the year, he gets a lot of requests for... potions." Merlin stared at his boots and fidgeted with the rose in his hands.

"Doesn't he get requests for potions all year round?"

"Yes but–"

"And what kind of potion requires roses?" Arthur frowned and studied Merlin's face. His gaze turned to Merlin's lips as he bit them nervously, pausing every now and then to lick away the tiny droplets of blood.

"What happened to your lips?"

"Oh... that." Merlin blushed.

Arthur raised an eyebrow, silently demanding an answer.

"Well..." Merlin glanced at Arthur for a split second before he shifted his gaze back to his boots. Arthur caught his eye and wondered why the idiot looked a wide-eyed deer that had just been shot by an arrow.

"Well?"

"I, uh, the thorn pricked my lips..."

"The rose's thorn?" Arthur looked slightly bewildered and very much exasperated. What the hell was going on? He didn't know the answer to that question yet but he was most certainly going to find out.

"Yes."

"The rose's thorn pricked your lips?"

"Y-Yeah."

"And how did the thorns..." he paused and allowed himself a lingering glance at Merlin's rosy lips. "How did the thorns manage to reach your lips, exactly?"

Merlin swallowed and his eyes widened, looking like a startled deer again.

Arthur cocked his head to the side and waited for an answer.

Merlin gulped again and mumbled through stutters "It happened when I – he-held it in my, uh, mouth."

"What?" Arthur couldn't get the image out of his mind. Worse still, it made his heart race faster and faster.

"What were you really doing?" Arthur used a cautious tone that Merlin had never heard before. It gave him goosebumps all over and he couldn't help but shiver just a little.

"My hands were full, that's all. I had your washing pile in one hand and mending in the other so I had no choice but to –"

"Wait a minute."

"What? Arthur, I have chores to do. I can't just stay here and talk all day."

"Wait, wait, wait. You were in my room?"

Merlin paled immediately. "What? How did you –"

"You were in my room with the rose?"

"Ye-yes but it was only because Gaius needed me to get–"

"The ingredients for a potion. Yes, you told me. But that doesn't explain why you were in my room with a rose in your–"

"Merlin, where have you been? I thought I made it clear that if you didn't place the rose under the target's pillow within an hour of having him consume the potion, there would be no effect."

"Hello, Gaius."

"Ah, good morning, sire. I didn't see you there." Gaius exchanged a nervous glance with Merlin then turned to leave. "Well, you'll have to excuse me, sire. A very busy day today."

"Of course. I hope I haven't kept Merlin too long. I just need him for another half hour."

Gaius nodded and rushed away.

"What do you need me for?"

Arthur narrowed his eyes, staring Merlin up and down.

"You'll find out."

"Arthur I've got to–"

"It can wait."

Arthur dragged Merlin by his arms inside his chambers. "Don't move."

Arthur walked over to his bed as Merlin watched in confusion. He started to flip over his pillows, inspecting each carefully. He paused when he reached the second one, staring at it intensely before his lips curled into a wicked grin.

Merlin looked frightened. Very frightened. And rightly so.

"A- Arthur?" He stuttered nervously, walking over to the prince who seemed to be losing his mind.

"It was a love potion, wasn't it?" Arthur asked casually.

"Gaius was requested for one, yes."

"No, I mean the strange tasting wine you gave me in the morning."

"What? No! No... That was... just wine sweetened with honey... and a dash of vanilla, a bit of apple and strawberry juice, a little basil and rosewater for extra flavour..."

"Is that so?" Arthur smirked as he shut the door.

"Okay. What about this?" Arthur held up the pillow in his hands.

"What about it?"

"See the tiny little blood stain?"

Merlin gasped with realisation.

"And you said the rose pricked your lips, Merlin?"

"No– Yes–"

"Go on. Tell me. Say it." He whispered as he walked closer to the boy.

"Say... what?" Merlin managed as he pressed his head against the cold stone walls as Arthur's warm arms pinned him there.

"The truth, Merlin."

"I– It was a mistake... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have tried to trick you but it's not like a love potion can make anyone fall in love anyway– no magic can do that – but it would just make your feelings for me apparent, if you had any, which you don't because – why would you? I mean, you love Gwen and I'm just your servant and it wasn't my place to do what I–"

And that was when Arthur shut him up by pressing their lips together in a slow, sweet kiss.

Merlin panted as they parted from the kiss, his cheeks rosy and his eyes wide in surprise.

Arthur cocked an eyebrow and grinned devilishly.

"Didn't need a potion for that, you idiot."

"Wha... I... You... Me?"

"Merlin?"

"Yes, Arthur?" Merlin panted as he tried his best to resist the urge to tangle his fingers in those golden strands and lose himself in the infinite blue of Arthur's eyes.

"You should really try to keep your... abilities... secret if you value your life. You know my father."

"You mean you knew?" Merlin gasped.

"You mean you thought I didn't?" Arthur replied, drawing the curtains.

"I–"

"You really are an idiot, aren't you?" Arthur teased, his left arm sliding around Merlin's waist and his right arm around his neck, fingers tangling in Merlin's dark, dark hair as he stared right into the golden fire burning in Merlin's eyes.