The Exile

   -Guinevere Alone-

          Interlude 1

This was wrong. Merlin woke with that thought on the second morning of Guinevere's exile. It stayed with him as he got out of bed, washed-up, dressed, got Arthur's breakfast and hurried to the King's chambers to wake him. Merlin had decided that it was best not to dwell on the subject for Arthur's sake and to behave as if life were normal for the moment.  He entered Arthur's receiving room breakfast in hand, prepared to wake the King and found him up, dressed and ready for the day.

              "Ahhh Merlin perfect timing." Arthur shut the door to his inner chambers and straightened his jerkin. "I've already reviewed my schedule for the day and I'm heading for the council chamber. Find my uncle and send him to him to me."

              The king strode across the room, took his breakfast from the tray and headed down the hall whistling.

              Merlin watched the King stride down the hall mouth agape. Of everything that he had planned for he certainly hadn't expected this. With Arthur already dressed and ready for his day Merlin had a little extra time. He found a page in the hall and told him to send Agravaine to the King in the council chambers and went to straighten up Arthur's room before joining Arthur in the aforementioned hall.  It took nothing to straighten up the King's receiving room, Arthur's taste were Spartan in nature and though he was not the neatest man her really left very little mess behind. So Merlin was only expecting make Arthur's bed, gather a few items for the laundry and maybe put away a few scrolls. He wasn't expecting the wreck in he found in the King's private chambers.  Every piece of furniture save the four-poster had been turned over, the drapes had been pulled down and destroyed, papers and scrolls were strewn everywhere. It looked as of the room had been destroyed for the sake of pure chaos. Worried suddenly Merlin hurried to the council chamber to make certain nothing had happened.

              -"The Picts your majesty?"

              Merlin heard Agravaine asking as he entered. Everything looked normal so nothing had happened to Arthur.

              "Yes it's very important all of the people of this Kingdom need to know how their King values them."

              "The Picts are nothing, but bog dwellers!"

              "That's as may be, but if you're serving Camelot Uncle that is where you'll be serving Camelot from otherwise you're free to leave my service and my Kingdom."

              "But sire surely I'm of more help to you here."

              Arthur's eyes met Agravaine's and Merlin felt the chill of that cool blue gaze.

"Your King has given you an order. Are you objecting to that order Lord Agravaine?"

Agravaine's face paled.

"Of course not sire." Agravaine bowed.

"You're dismissed." Arthur waved his hand casually and Merlin watched the other man walk away.

              "You're sending Agravaine away?"

              "Yes. The bog-dwellers as he so eloquently put it need a representative of the crown and I'm sick of looking at him who better than my Uncle."  Merlin said nothing pleased that Agravaine was finally gone.

              "Sire your rooms are-"

              "Yes I had a little accident sorry for the mess."

              "Little?"

              "Little."

The edge in Arthur's voice told Merlin the subject was closed.