Woods Around Camelot, Friday Morning

[bitchprince]

Arthur was in an excellent mood.

Father's favourite nobles had finally abandoned the castle once more, which meant that Arthur could at last leave the castle to do things that were more physically taxing than sitting in a chair pretending to be interested in some elderly Duke's stories.

A perfect time, one would say, for a hunt-- which is why Arthur had just ordered some men onto their horses and dragged Merlin along into the woods. Quietly. In theory, at least.

They'd left the horses behind close by, and now Arthur was pressed against a tree, crossbow in hand, peering between the branches in order to get a good line of sight on what actually appeared to be a bloody nice deer.

[[ for he who is there ]]

Comments

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

Which meant Merlin was going to be right behind him, peering over his shoulder. "Did you find something?"

[bitchprince]

The deer ceased her idle poking around and perked up at the sound of Merlin's voice, searching the brush with her eyes.

"Quiet," Arthur hissed, elbowing him in his quest to raise his crossbow at the creature. "You're startling it."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

Starting back, Merlin frowned and rubbed his chest. He wasn't the hunter here, you know. Not as though he knew all the silly little signs.

"Am not," he muttered quietly.

[bitchprince]

"Yes, you are," Arthur shot back, which was ruinous for his concentration.

The deer almost seemed to frown. Dammit. He only had one shot.

The crossbow went up further. He took aim.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"No, I'm not."

[bitchprince]

... and with that, Arthur's crossbow bolt went sailing straight past the deer and into the leaves covering the forest floor a few feet away.

The deer sprang up and dashed away gracefully, far out of sight. "MERLIN!"

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"You're the one shouting now," Merlin replied, holding up both hands as he took a step back.

[bitchprince]

"Because you spooked the deer!"

Well, technically Arthur's bolt had, but the fact it had gone off-target was entirely Merlin's fault.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"You missed!"

[bitchprince]

"Because you keep talking!" Behind them, a few knights sighed, shot each other looks, and raised their shoulders.

This was pretty much part and parcel of hunting for them, now.

"Were you just born loud, or do you work at it?"

You know, Arthur, you could just not drag him along on hunts.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"Why do you keep dragging me along then?"

[bitchprince]

... Dammit, Merlin, don't ask logical questions. "...Because it's good experience," Arthur blustered. "I keep hoping one day you'll actually learn how to act like a man."

Oh shut up. You just liked having him around.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

Merlin's face went pinched for a moment and he glanced back toward the knights before huffing. "I do just fine with that on my own."

[bitchprince]

"Hardly," Arthur said, sighing and getting up. "Though the faces you make are a good second."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"Second?" Merlin asked warily.

[bitchprince]

"Reason, do try and keep up," Arthur said, with a slight sigh. "Right, you lads, chase it on ahead, will you?"

The small smattering of knights got up, crossbows in hand, and began to sneak past.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

Once they were gone, Merlin fiddled with his jacket. "The faces I make?"

[bitchprince]

"You do pull rather ridiculous ones while we're hunting," Arthur said, slanting a dry look in his general direction.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"Do I really?" Merlin replied with an equally dry look.

[bitchprince]

"Mm. Like a particularly intent deer that doesn't actually know what it's doing there." Arthur reached over to pat him on the shoulder.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Aren't you supposed to be waiting for them to flush the stag out?"

[bitchprince]

"You spooked it well and good, you nonce," Arthur said, casting a look past him into the woods. "It'll be a bit." He reached down to check his crossbow.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

Waiting on a hunt. Oh, be still Merlin's heart. "Did you bring food?" he asked with a sigh.

[bitchprince]

"The idea is that we kill the food, Merlin," Arthur pointed out, leaning his shoulder into the tree next to him. "Oh, come on, you can't tell me you wanted to stay in the castle after the past few weeks."

He'd been getting... more than jittery.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"Rather than go hunting?" Let's think on that...

[bitchprince]

"Exactly!"

Asking Arthur to think on that was stretching it a bit much.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

Merlin just nodded in an attempt to not roll his eyes. "Go find your deer."

[bitchprince]

"Don't look so glum, Merlin," he said, grinning slightly. "Who knows, you might even get a tan."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"You mean burn?" Oh, pasty Irish skin.

[bitchprince]

"This is what I mean by glum, Merlin," Arthur said, still grinning. He was feeling the 'outside again' buzz, and very little was going to encroach on it. "But I'll find someone to hold a leaf over your head if you believe the sun will be that terrible."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"...you're the one who always mentions it," Merlin replied, giving him a confused look.

[bitchprince]

"Whatever."

Arthur, still grinning, glanced aside and leaned over to kiss him briefly.

"Cheer up, is my point."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

Merlin's eyes went wide and he looked around to make certain there were no knights milling about. "I'm cheery!"

[bitchprince]

"Oh, please, you've got a face like a wet sock," Arthur said, pulling away so he could, at last, follow after the knights. "They should be making some headway now..."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"I... right." Try to keep up, Merlin. "The deer."

[bitchprince]

"The deer," Arthur agreed, then shot him another glance, and sighed. Loudly. "We'll go down to the river after the hunt and have some food, yeah?" he said. "It's just nice to be outside."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"That sounds suspiciously like a picnic, Arthur."

[bitchprince]

"And that's where you'd be wrong," Arthur informed him. "It will be 'eating what we kill'." Beat. "I kill."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"I suppose that means I'll have to build a fire," Merlin replied.

[bitchprince]

"And then kick yourself into the river," Arthur decided, stretching. "This is not a time for indoor baths."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

Merlin sniffed himself. "I don't smell!"

[bitchprince]

"Of course you don't smell anything," Arthur said, lightly, "You've been walking around in your own stink for days. Time to get your kit off and take your first dive of the season."

Also, free ogling time.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"If I have, then so have you," Merlin pointed out.

[bitchprince]

"Are you asking me to prance about in the river with you?"

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"Like you'd prance."

[bitchprince]

"Fair enough," he said, grinning, "But you would."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"Hardly."

He so would.

[bitchprince]

"Oh, you would," Arthur repeated, sounding amused, flicking at his ear. "I look forward to it."