First Meetings
Author: 
ajsrandom
Title: First Meetings
Rating: G
Pairing/s: none
Character/s: Merlin, Arthur, Gaius, Morgana
Summary: Merlin goes to work for the physician of the Earl and meets a couple of interesting people in the course of his duties.
Warnings: none
Word Count: 790
Prompt: 366, Historical AU
Author's Notes: At first I was going for Victorian, but it seemed more Regency the further I went. I'm not sure I achieved either and I know very little about the nobility and the use of titles. So sorry.
........................................
Merlin looked up as the mansion house rose before him. The Pendragon’s home seat was very large compared to the small houses in the small village he came from. Of course, anything looked bigger than those small homes. He readjusted the pack on his back and kept walking.
The man who answered the door directed him to his Great Uncle Gaius’s rooms. He found his way there without too much trouble and knocked on the door. He heard a “come in” from inside the room and opened the door to look in on a whole different world.
“And just who are you?” An older man asked as Merlin closed the door behind him.
Merlin walked forward and stuck out his hand. “I’m Merlin. You must be Uncle Gaius.”
“Merlin? But you’re not supposed to be here until Wednesday.”
“It is Wednesday.”
“Oh,” said the man. At last he took Merlin’s hand. “Yes, I’m your Uncle Gaius. Please to meet you, my boy.”
Gaius showed him to the small room he’d be sleeping in, then explained the duties he’d have as the assistant to the Earl’s physician. “You won’t have much to do with the earl or his son, but you’ll be taking this sleeping medicine to his daughter, Morgana. She gets terrible nightmares.”
And with that, he sent Merlin off to deliver various medicines to other servants and members of the household. For one, he had to go to the stables, which meant going outside. On his way there, he witnessed a group of young men throwing knives at a servant holding a wooden target.
One of them, who seemed to be the leader, yelled at the servant. “We want a moving target, so move!” The servant began moving and the young man threw a knife at him.
“Hey!” The servant yelped, but the young man and his cronies just laughed. The servant took off in the other direction, and the young man threw another knife. The servant zig-zagged while the young man threw knives, never missing. At one point, the servant dropped the target and it rolled to Merlin’s feet.
He stepped on it to stop it rolling, and said to the young man, “I think you’ve had enough fun, my friend.”
The young man came closer. “I don’t know you, yet you call me friend. How is that?”
“It appeared the young man was rude as well as mistreating of his servants. “That was my mistake. I’ll be going now.”
“Oh come on, you can’t leave like that,” the young man called after him.
Merlin turned. “And why not?”
“We haven’t gotten properly acquainted.”
“I don’t think I want to know someone like you.” He turned his back and began walking away. The young man caught up and tugged Merlin’s arm until they faced each other.
“I wasn’t finished with you yet,” he said in a hard voice.
“Listen, you don’t want to mess with me.”
“And why not?”
“You don’t want to know.” Merlin turned but the young man spun him around again. Merlin’s other hand curled into a fist and he swung, but the young man was ready for him. He grabbed Merlin’s fist and twisted it up behind Merlin’s back. “Ow!” Merlin protested, “Who do you think you are? The Earl?”
“No,” the young man twisted a bit harder, “I’m his son, Arthur.”
“Would you stop playing with your food, Arthur?” Merlin heard the woman’s voice behind him.
The pressure on Merlin’s arm ceased and Merlin turned to see who had dared speak to Lord Arthur. She had dark hair, almost black, and jade-colored eyes. Her skin was the color of porcelain and she was beautiful. But what stunned Merlin the most was how familiar she looked.
Lord Arthur had turned too and now addressed the woman. “Morgana, I was not ‘playing with my food.’ I was merely trying to teach this peasant a lesson.”
The Lady Morgana sought out Merlin’s eyes. A shock of recognition seemed to pass over her face before she schooled it. “I am glad to hear it. Please let him go on about his business.”
Lord Arthur made a mocking bow. “As you wish, my lady.”
Lady Morgana resumed her walk to the house. Merlin turned to walk away but a heavy hand clapped on his shoulder. “The next time I see you, you won’t get away so easily.” He gave Merlin a shove.
Merlin stumbled away and hastened his pace toward the stables. He couldn’t forget the shock of recognition at Lady Morgana’s face. He was sure they’d never met, but yet she looked so familiar. How could this be? He puzzled over it the rest of the day and long into the night until he finally fell asleep.
ajsrandomTitle: First Meetings
Rating: G
Pairing/s: none
Character/s: Merlin, Arthur, Gaius, Morgana
Summary: Merlin goes to work for the physician of the Earl and meets a couple of interesting people in the course of his duties.
Warnings: none
Word Count: 790
Prompt: 366, Historical AU
Author's Notes: At first I was going for Victorian, but it seemed more Regency the further I went. I'm not sure I achieved either and I know very little about the nobility and the use of titles. So sorry.
........................................
Merlin looked up as the mansion house rose before him. The Pendragon’s home seat was very large compared to the small houses in the small village he came from. Of course, anything looked bigger than those small homes. He readjusted the pack on his back and kept walking.
The man who answered the door directed him to his Great Uncle Gaius’s rooms. He found his way there without too much trouble and knocked on the door. He heard a “come in” from inside the room and opened the door to look in on a whole different world.
“And just who are you?” An older man asked as Merlin closed the door behind him.
Merlin walked forward and stuck out his hand. “I’m Merlin. You must be Uncle Gaius.”
“Merlin? But you’re not supposed to be here until Wednesday.”
“It is Wednesday.”
“Oh,” said the man. At last he took Merlin’s hand. “Yes, I’m your Uncle Gaius. Please to meet you, my boy.”
Gaius showed him to the small room he’d be sleeping in, then explained the duties he’d have as the assistant to the Earl’s physician. “You won’t have much to do with the earl or his son, but you’ll be taking this sleeping medicine to his daughter, Morgana. She gets terrible nightmares.”
And with that, he sent Merlin off to deliver various medicines to other servants and members of the household. For one, he had to go to the stables, which meant going outside. On his way there, he witnessed a group of young men throwing knives at a servant holding a wooden target.
One of them, who seemed to be the leader, yelled at the servant. “We want a moving target, so move!” The servant began moving and the young man threw a knife at him.
“Hey!” The servant yelped, but the young man and his cronies just laughed. The servant took off in the other direction, and the young man threw another knife. The servant zig-zagged while the young man threw knives, never missing. At one point, the servant dropped the target and it rolled to Merlin’s feet.
He stepped on it to stop it rolling, and said to the young man, “I think you’ve had enough fun, my friend.”
The young man came closer. “I don’t know you, yet you call me friend. How is that?”
“It appeared the young man was rude as well as mistreating of his servants. “That was my mistake. I’ll be going now.”
“Oh come on, you can’t leave like that,” the young man called after him.
Merlin turned. “And why not?”
“We haven’t gotten properly acquainted.”
“I don’t think I want to know someone like you.” He turned his back and began walking away. The young man caught up and tugged Merlin’s arm until they faced each other.
“I wasn’t finished with you yet,” he said in a hard voice.
“Listen, you don’t want to mess with me.”
“And why not?”
“You don’t want to know.” Merlin turned but the young man spun him around again. Merlin’s other hand curled into a fist and he swung, but the young man was ready for him. He grabbed Merlin’s fist and twisted it up behind Merlin’s back. “Ow!” Merlin protested, “Who do you think you are? The Earl?”
“No,” the young man twisted a bit harder, “I’m his son, Arthur.”
“Would you stop playing with your food, Arthur?” Merlin heard the woman’s voice behind him.
The pressure on Merlin’s arm ceased and Merlin turned to see who had dared speak to Lord Arthur. She had dark hair, almost black, and jade-colored eyes. Her skin was the color of porcelain and she was beautiful. But what stunned Merlin the most was how familiar she looked.
Lord Arthur had turned too and now addressed the woman. “Morgana, I was not ‘playing with my food.’ I was merely trying to teach this peasant a lesson.”
The Lady Morgana sought out Merlin’s eyes. A shock of recognition seemed to pass over her face before she schooled it. “I am glad to hear it. Please let him go on about his business.”
Lord Arthur made a mocking bow. “As you wish, my lady.”
Lady Morgana resumed her walk to the house. Merlin turned to walk away but a heavy hand clapped on his shoulder. “The next time I see you, you won’t get away so easily.” He gave Merlin a shove.
Merlin stumbled away and hastened his pace toward the stables. He couldn’t forget the shock of recognition at Lady Morgana’s face. He was sure they’d never met, but yet she looked so familiar. How could this be? He puzzled over it the rest of the day and long into the night until he finally fell asleep.