Thaumaturgy

Chapter 15

The next morning, dawns cold and bright, sunlight filtering through the boughs of the greenery, and the tree tops. Birds sang a delicate tune from their twig nests. A lazy swallowed swope through the air, weaving its way through the motes of dust that swirled and waltzed their way through the airly morning shafts of snulight.

Merlin stretech out his long limbs, languidly in his and his lovers large bed. He glanced from the window and smiled lazily, expression turning less graftified when he reached out his pale and delicate hand to the other side of the bed, only to find it empty of the golden muslcar form he was reaching for. He sighed a nd pouted a little, knowing Arthur was always early to rise to get his morning abolitions out of the way before breakfast. Waking up more, Merlin could hear the other man pottering around in the bathroom, he idly hoped his blacksmith-prince would bring him breakfast in bed.

Arthur finished in the bathroom and paced back into their shard bedroom, small grey towel, slung low on his hips, and rivlets of water cascarding down the coulmn of his neck from his soaking hair. Merling gawked at him paplably, stunned at just how attarctive his partner was.

"Honestly Merlin, you'd think you were raise din abarn" Arthur said and pushed his jaw shut for him.

"Oo ou 'ant somm?" Merlin asked, around a mouthful the breakfast he'd magiked himself of smoked salmon, rye bread and strawberry jame.. Arthur scrunched his nose up in his distaste.

"No thanks. Honestly, Merlin, the things you eat. You're worse than a pregnant women." He griped, as Merlin stuck out his tongue in a cheeky response.

"Not that I'd go near that concoction of yours agin, but I've already eaten, and saddled the horses. Everyone's packed and ready to go, lazlybones." He said, pulling on clothes from where they weer scattered around the room from the night before and its activities.

"Come on" he threw Merlin's trousers and they hit him in the face narrowly avoividing his breakfast, which he quickly transported to the kitchen with a wave of his hand

"We need to get a move out." With an overdramatic groan Merlin pulled himself out of bed and dressed, then they both went outside to meet the others. At the summit of the rop ladder Gwaine was just lowering the last of their supplies to the ground using there pulley system.

"Top o' the morning to ya!" He said joyfully and grinned when Merlin glowered at his perkiness.

Merlin's a bit of a grumpy goose things morning, Arthur joked, Gwaine grinned wickedly in repsonse. Auddenly from below came Wills voice:

"Hurry up0 Merls we've got a world to save!" Merlin rolled his eyes and stepoped poff the endge of the tree house plaftrorm, using his magic to descend to the ground slowly.

"Merlin" Arthur sighed and climbed down after him, followed by Gwaine.

"Show off" Will scoffed at his friend. Lancelot, Gwen, Elyan, Will, Gwaine and Merlin and Arthur all mounted their hourse and set off through the early morning mists swirling arounf the legs of their mounts.

----

The squad had pushed hard through the day on their horses towards Northumbria, and had some to rest in a mossy clearing for the night, as the fire flickered and danced in the darkenss, moths circling as though drunk above it, Arthur stared pensively into its alluring flames. From a corner, came the sound of Will crooning the same song he'd been singing the whole day's ride, in nothing that resembled the correct tune. Arthur felt, rather than saw, Merlin's mishiveous smirk as a bolt of playful magic flew from his fingers hitting Merlin's childihood friend and causing him to yelp.