Sir Kay briefly looked over the sketches. “This will be a help. Thank you, My Lord. I will keep you informed.”
“It’s not too bothersome?”
Sir Kay spared Britt a rare smile. “Anything that further protects you and your welfare is never too bothersome, My Lord.”
Sir Kay bowed and took his leave. Britt stretched and considered her options. “I could sit up on the throne, where even Morgause dare not bother me, I could chance walking around—but she’ll dog my every step and I’ll have to listen to my knights swoon over her,” Britt groaned.
Across the room Morgause, ringed by young knights, started walking in Britt’s direction.
“I need to decide quickly,” Britt said. Merlin happened to walk by the throne room doors at that moment, carrying a bundle of flowers.
“Cavall, come,” Britt called to her dog before hurrying after her counselor. “Merlin,” Britt called as she bolted into the hallway.
Merlin turned, barely visible over the pile of flowers. “What? Oh, it’s you, Arthur. Looking to escape the harpy?”
“You don’t need to say it so loudly,” Britt said, catching up to him.
“I’ll say it as loud as I please,” Merlin snorted before starting off again.
“Actually I did have something I wanted to ask you.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, did you talk to Sir Ulfius about the Round Table?”
“Are you still going on about that? No, I haven’t. I’ve been quite occupied since Morgause arrived, if you haven’t noticed,” Merlin said as they started climbing stairs.
“Could you ask him? It’s important,” Britt said, slightly out of breath by the time they reached the floor Merlin was looking for.
“It means that much to you, does it? Very well, I shall speak to him.”
“Where has he been anyway? I haven’t seen him at all since Morgause arrived.”
“I’ve been closeting him away. He’s loyal to me, but I’m not sure how loyal he is to you. It would be a dicey thing to have your chamberlain in love with Morgause.”
“Ahhh,” Britt said, blinking when they stopped outside a set of doors. “This is my room.”
“It is,” Merlin confirmed before he struggled to open the door. He entered it and kicked Cavall’s blanket aside as he stomped over to the vase of flowers. He took the old flowers out and struggled to arrange the flowers he carried into the vase.
“You’re the one who has been putting flowers in my room?” Britt asked. “I thought it was a maid.”
“Nonsense, do you think I let many people prance through your rooms? It would be dangerous indeed,” Merlin said, cutting a flower stem shorter with a belt knife.
“Why have you been bringing me flowers? I mean, I love them. They’re the only part of the whole room that I like besides my bed, but you didn’t strike me as the flower type,” Britt said.
“I am most assuredly not a flower man,” Merlin said. “But you said you love flowers.”
“What? When?”
“The night we spent on the castle walls. You said you and your sister visited a specific flower shop whenever she came into town, and you always wanted a house with a garden so you could grow your own flowers.”
“You actually paid attention?” Britt blinked.
Merlin paused in his flower arranging and turned to face Britt with a furrowed brow. “Do you really have such a nasty image of me? Of course I paid attention. You are important, Britt, and I would like for you to be comfortable, if not happy,” he said, reaching out to briefly rest his hand on Britt’s shoulder. He leaned close to study her face. “Are you alright?”
“I’m, I’m fine. I’m just, surprised,” Britt said, biting her tongue to keep from crying. She smiled ruefully. “You are forever catching me off guard.”
“Good,” Merlin said, turning back to the flowers with satisfaction. “As an enchanter it is my duty to push people off their guard,” he said, gathering up the old flowers.
Britt and Cavall followed Merlin back into the hallway. “What are you going to do now?” Britt asked as they started walking.
“Throw these and find Sir Ulfius to ask him about your blasted circular table. What will you do?”
“It’s the Round Table, and I’m not sure,” Brit said when they started down the stairs. “Any news from King Ban, King Bors, or Sir Bodwain?”
“The company has arrived in Leodegrance’s lands. King Ryence was starting to shift his troops, but nothing beyond that.”
“Perhaps he will leave now that extra soldiers have arrived.”
“It’s possible. He is a spineless mouse of a man,” Merlin said as they exited the staircase.
“He can’t be that spineless if he rallied against Leodegrance,” Britt said. She paused and took several steps backward. Gawain, Agravain, Gaheris, and Gareth were all seated on stone benches in front of a window.
“Not necessarily. Are you coming?” Merlin called from further down the hallway.
“No… I think I’ll go outside to check on Roen,” Britt said.