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Chapter 23: The Rising Sun

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It was two days before Jada saw Arthur again. According to the talk around the castle, the Prince had returned late the previous night, but it wasn’t until morning came that all his fellow conspirators met in his chambers to hear his tale.

“The meeting went off rather smoothly, in the end,” Arthur told them. “We arrived to find some of the Druids already waiting there for us, and then he just went off home with them.”

“Well, that’s good,” Jada said. “It’s all over and done with now.”

“Mhm,” Arthur agreed, then turned his attention to Morgana. “Did my father suspect anything while he was with you?”

“He threatened that if he ever found out I was involved in the boy’s escape, I would live to regret it,” Morgana replied bitterly. “But he can’t charge me with anything, so I imagine this will pass soon enough.”

“And there’s been no lead for the guards to follow?” Jada asked.

“They found the grate pulled off its hinges,” Arthur said. “But my father believes the Druids did it. As far as he’s aware, the boy used magic to break out of his cell and then met some of his people at the grate. He’s angry, but there’s little he can do about any of it now.”

“When isn’t Uther angry about something?” Morgana joked with a mischievous wiggle of her eyebrows. Arthur rolled his eyes at her, but it seemed more in jest than protest.

“So, all’s well that ends well, then?” Jada said, relaxing now that it seemed the incident was finally over.

“I don’t suppose any of us are going to get a reward?” Merlin prodded, giving Arthur a hopeful look.

“Your reward, Merlin,” Arthur began, “Is not being executed for treason.”

“Ah.” Merlin pressed his lips together and sighed.

Now that everybody was informed, they all began to make towards the door, each of their moods seeming lighter now.

“Oh, there was one more thing,” Arthur said, calling their attention back to him. “The boy told me his name. I don’t know if any of you would find it particularly important, but he was called Mordred.”

“Mordred,” Morgana repeated, smiling, but Jada felt her blood run cold.

“Mordred?” she said, her voice rising in pitch.

Arthur seemed not to notice, and Morgana had already passed through the door, but Jada could feel Merlin’s eyes on her as he followed her into the hallway.

“Hey, are you all right?” He dropped his voice low, tugging on her arm slightly to turn her towards him.

“Yeah, fine,” Jada said distantly. She couldn’t understand; she was supposed to save Arthur, but Mordred was supposed to kill him. She’d just helped save Mordred’s life. Morgo had told her to save Mordred’s life. “I have to go do something.”

She wished she didn’t sound so vacant, but she needed answers, and she needed them now. She turned away from Merlin’s confused gaze and headed down the corridor, out of the castle and into the woods.

Morgo had no reason to come back, she knew, now that he gotten what he wanted from her. But she had to try. She had to know.

She’d only been in their meeting-spot for a few minutes when he stepped out of the brush, his brows furrowed and a cautious expression on his face.

“What the hell are you playing at?” Jada blurted, but she had no intentions of stopping herself. “You send me all the way back here, away from my family, away from my friends, to stop Arthur being killed, and then you have me save Mordred? What the hell, man? What do you want from me?”

Morgo hesitated, those eyes watching her steadily.

“If Uther had executed him, Arthur would never even be wounded by him! Everything would have been fine! I don’t understand what kind of game you’re playing, but I want no part in it.”

“You would be content to let Uther murder a ten-year-old boy if you knew who he was?” Morgo asked. His voice was steady, his gaze focused, and whatever he was thinking or feeling, his expression was utterly controlled.

“I…” Jada began, though she couldn’t find the words to finish.

“He has done no wrong. His only crime so far was to be born. Would you really punish him for that?”

“If he’s not going to kill Arthur, then why am I here?” Her voice was back under control now, matching Morgo in focus.

“You were not brought here as an assassin.”

“Then why am I here?”

Morgo regarded her for several long moments, his jaw set almost as stubbornly as Jada’s. Then, he seemed to slump, the tension leaving him suddenly and the fire in his eyes dying away.

“I have tried,” he said, a strangely hopeless note in his voice now. “I have tried everything I can think of to change his fate. He is my best friend. I’ve looked after him ever since he arrived in our camp.” He gave a fond smile, though it was tainted by sadness. “If there was anything I could do to rewrite destiny, I would do it. But I cannot.”

He looked up at her now, his tear-filled eyes a sudden reminder of how young he was. “All I can do is try to right the wrongs that he is going to commit. But I need your help for that. My magic may be strong, but it only allows me to see the future. I cannot fight with it—we Druids are pacifist—and I cannot even master the basic healing spells that our people are known for. I cannot save Arthur.”

“Neither can I,” Jada said, her voice softer now. “I have no magic. None.”

Morgo gave her a small smile. “But you do happen to know the most powerful sorcerer who will ever walk the earth.”

She folded her arms defensively, hesitant to either confirm or deny his statement.

“You do not need to fear me,” Morgo reassured her, then tapped his temple. “Remember, I can already see him.”

Jada hesitated, then asked in a quiet voice, “What do you see?”

Morgo sighed, passing a hand over his eyes. “Too much. It’s all very confusing. You might not believe me, but I would love for none of this to happen so I can just go home, too.”

Jada gave a soft snort. “Adventuring’s cancelled. Everybody go home.”

Morgo laughed, a gesture which made his face seem much younger. It must have been a terrible weight, Jada thought then, to be able to see the future in a place such as this. He looked tired, and older than she’d first thought, though from what Iseldir had told her, it didn’t sound like Morgo slept much.

“All right, then, fortune-teller,” she teased, putting her hands on her hips. “What do I need to do? How am I supposed to help you set things right?”

He smiled, dropping his hand from his face at last and inhaling. “Honestly, I’ve no idea.”

“Wow. I think I want my money back.”

He snickered at that. “I told you I can’t control it very well. Just do as you please for now, I suppose.”

“But what if I accidentally rewrite history by doing something wrong?”

“I think you underestimate time. From what I’ve read and what I’ve seen, the universe has a way of protecting itself from things like that. Besides, what you consider history has already happened with your influence. You were always meant to come here, so your actions won’t change anything. I hope.”

“Well that fills me with confidence,” she joked. “But I don’t remember ever reading about a Jada in any of the legends, so I’m going to assume I don’t mess anything major up that badly.”

“There’s the spirit,” he laughed. “Now, if you’re done shouting at me, I expect not to see you again for some time. I’ll find a way to let you know if I learn anything about the portals, or if anything pressing occurs that you’d need to know about. If you want to find me, however, just come here. I’ll see you coming, one way or another.”

“I’m assuming that the owl is some sort of magic spy, right?”

“An informant. When I can get her to cooperate.”

“Sure. That makes perfect sense, and isn’t odd at all.”

“Albion has its own idea of normalcy,” Morgo said. “You’d probably go mad if you questioned everything.”

“Oh, believe me,” Jada replied, eyebrows raised. “I know.”

Once back in Camelot, Jada returned to her chambers. She was supposed to meet Morgana for training at noon, now that everything had returned to normal, and she had just finished getting ready when there came a knock at her door.

Opening it, she found Merlin on the other side, and he greeted her with a cheery smile. “I’m not disturbing you, am I?”

Jada couldn’t help but smile back warmly. “I was just on my way to train with Morgana, but actually I was hoping to see you today. I wanted to apologise for losing my temper last night.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” he said, shrugging it off. “I can walk you down there, if you want? If you’re in a hurry.”

She grinned, grabbing her training sword and shutting the door behind her. Merlin fell in step beside her, and Jada liked how natural it felt to have him there now. “Are you sure Arthur’s not going to miss you?” she asked.

“No, I’m on a break right now,” he replied.

“And you chose to spend that break talking to me?” she teased. “I’m surprised you’re not sick of my face by now.”

Merlin snorted, his grin widening. “I actually wanted to ask you if you wanted to do something with me tonight. But, if you’re sick of my face, that’s fine.”

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “Well, what exactly did you have in mind?”

“Well, I thought that you should really get to experience Camelot life while you’re here,” he began.

“And dodging attacks from magical beings isn’t the true Camelot experience?”

She loved it when he smiled like that. It was so open and warm. “Maybe, but I thought going to the tavern might make you fear for your life a little less.”

“Oh, uh…” Jada slowed, all that warmth suddenly gone.

It only took a second for Merlin to notice, and he turned to face her. “What is it?”

“I just…” She tried to think of how to word it. “I’m just not very comfortable around drunk people.”

“Oh.” She could see him processing it, but then a hint of his smile returned. “Well, most people don’t really get that drunk there, anyway. You remember Lancelot’s feast?”

Jada nodded.

“It’s just like that, really. Most people can only afford the mead, and there’s hardly any alcohol actually in that. Occasionally, there’s some wealthier people who come in and drink the wine, but they don’t really get rowdy, or anything.”

Jada was still uncertain, and Merlin softened again. “We can do something else, if you want. I just thought you might like the music. That’s what most people go for, anyway.”

“I…” She frowned, feeling torn. “I’ll have to think about it.”

Merlin relaxed, giving her another warm smile. “Okay. Just let me know.”

He turned and began walking with her again, chattering easily by her side all the way to the training yard, where Morgana and Gwen were waiting.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you later, then,” he said. “Let me know what you want to do.”

“I will,” Jada replied, giving a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

“It’s nothing, really.” He waved it off, though one side of his mouth was turned upwards, and made to leave. He gave Gwen and Morgana a wave before he departed, and Jada watched him head back through the castle gates.

When she turned, Morgana greeted her with a barely-restrained smirk, her eyebrows quirking at her playfully.

“What?” Jada asked, hurrying into position.

“Nothing,” Morgana sang innocently. She turned to exchange a look with Gwen, who was doing a much better job at hiding whatever it was they found so amusing.

“Ugh, just get to beating me up already, would you?” Jada scoffed.

Morgana twirled her sword, a cocky tilt to her head now. “If you insist.”

It wasn’t until after training was over that Jada remembered Merlin’s offer. She was no closer to deciding whether to accept it or not, and she felt a bubble of anxiety at the thought of being surrounded by a crowd of rowdy drunks.

Although, Merlin had said that nobody really got themselves that drunk. She’d even tried the mead herself, and that certainly only barely counted as alcoholic. She’d enjoyed Lancelot’s feast, too, even if she had technically been there to work. She just didn’t know what to do.

“Is something the matter?”

She looked up to find Gwen looking softly at her, and Jada realised that she’d stopped gathering her things up in her preoccupation. Morgana had already headed off.

Jada tried to laugh it off. “Sorry, just miles away.”

“You looked like you were worried about something.” She wasn’t pushing Jada, not really, but her warm eyes were encouraging.

Jada deflated. “It’s nothing, really. Merlin invited me to go to the tavern with him, but I’m not really sure whether I should go. I tend to get a bit nervous around… well, those sorts of places.”

“If you don’t want to go, I’m sure he’d understand,” Gwen reassured.

“It’s not that I don’t want to…” She paused, once again torn. She did want to spend more time with Merlin, and the teenaged Skyrim-fan within her was secretly dying to see what a real tavern was like, but… “It just makes me nervous.”

“You could always go for a little while, and then leave if you don’t like it.”

She considered this, then nodded once. “Yeah, I guess I could. And if I don’t like it, at least I’ve tried it, and I’ll never have to go again.”

Gwen beamed at her, and Jada wondered how the entire season of spring could be embodied by just one woman. “There you go.”

“Thanks, Gwen. I’ll go tell him.” She began to head back towards the castle, but spun on her heel suddenly. “Uh, you wouldn’t happen to know whereabouts he’d be, would you?”

Gwen started walking with her, and gave a soft laugh. “Probably fetching Arthur’s lunch. If you’re quick, you might catch him in the kitchens.”

“Thanks Gwen, you’re the best!”

Merlin was in the kitchens, as Gwen had predicted, and seemed to be having some sort of disagreement with the cook when Jada poked her head round the door. She couldn’t make out what the woman was saying to him, since her back was to Jada, though from the tenacity of her ladle-waving, she didn’t seem too pleased. Merlin responded by nodding, though his lips were pressed together and his eyebrows raised, and the second the cook turned her back he was scowling at her and muttering under his breath.

He headed towards the door with Arthur’s plate of food, his scowl splitting into a grin when he saw Jada.

“Are you giving that poor woman a hard time again?” she teased.

“Poor woman?!” Merlin scoffed, flabbergasted. “It’s not my fault it’s ruined. Maybe if she didn’t have such a sour face, the cream wouldn’t have curdled.”

“Merlin!” Jada reprimanded, giving him a smack. It was half-hearted, though, and she could tell by his fake offense that he knew it.

“Well, it’s true!” he defended. “What are you doing down here, anyway?”

“I just wanted to come and tell you that I’d like to go out tonight. But, um…” She hesitated, running a hand through her hair. “I don’t know how long I’ll be able to stay there for. I haven’t been out in ages, and I might, um…”

“It’s okay.” His smile was understanding, and he nodded once. “If you don’t like it we can go and do something else. I don’t mind.”

Jada sighed, relieved. “Okay. Thanks. Thank you.”

“It’s not a problem. Now I, uh…” He gestured down the hallway with one thumb, glancing down at the plate. “I’ve got to go give this to Arthur, before he gets mad.”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Jada replied. “That was all I wanted, really. I’ll see you later.”

“Okay.” His grin widened, showing a dimple on either side. “See you tonight.”

The tavern was called The Rising Sun, but the depiction of the sun on their sign outside did not look like it was all too thrilled about rising. It was a bright yellow, except for around the eyes, which were much greyer and looked to Jada as though it was suffering with its own hangover.

The building itself was bigger than Jada had expected, particularly as it was situated in the lower town and surrounded on either side by much smaller, one-roomed houses. It was, however, the main hub of city life—a place where people from all across the kingdom could gather and mingle, and travellers could stay in the rooms upstairs for a few gold coins.

“Remember, we can leave whenever you want,” Merlin said as they approached. “Just let me know you want to go, and we’ll go. How are you feeling?”

Jada tried for a smile. “A little nervous. I definitely wouldn’t do this on my own.”

Merlin put a hand on her shoulder, reaching out for the door. “Don’t worry, I’ll look after you.”

He pulled open the door and held it for her, but kept a hand on her back as she passed through. Jada was glad of it as she stepped inside, a reminder that she wasn’t alone as she scanned the room warily.

To her surprise, it really wasn’t as busy as she’d been expecting. There was a fair amount of people there, sure, but where she’d been expecting a mass of people confined in one place, in reality most people were sat peacefully at their own tables. There was a space cleared in the centre where a handful were dancing, but overall the atmosphere seemed more jovial than outright chaotic.

Merlin scanned the room beside her for a moment, then gestured towards a table in one of the nearer corners. “Is that one okay?”

Jada followed his gaze, then turned back to him and nodded.

He led her over there, carefully weaving through some of the other people, and flashed her a smile as they sat down. “How are you feeling?”

She looked over her shoulder at the room, then back to him. “Okay so far. It’s a lot quieter than I was expecting.”

“Yeah, it gets a bit busier later on, but it’s still nothing too hectic. I thought coming earlier might be better to start off with.”

“Thank you,” Jada said, her tone sincere. It meant a lot to her that he would consider something like that.

Merlin gave her a crooked smile. “It’s not a problem. Really. Now, what do you want to drink?”

“Um…” She pressed her lips into a line as she thought. “I think I’ll probably just stick with mead.”

He nodded, pulling a bag of coins out of his pocket and beginning to count them out. Just as he seemed to finish, a young-ish girl maybe in her mid-twenties appeared, wiping the table down vigorously.

“Afternoon. What’ll it be, then?” she asked cheerily.

“Two mugs of mead, please,” Merlin replied, sliding one of his coin heaps over to her. Jada fumbled with her own purse, but Merlin shook his head. “It’s all right, I’ve got it.”

“Merlin…” Jada began. Like he hadn’t already done enough for her.

“It’s fine, really. I’ll let you get the next round.”

She sighed, shaking her head at him but setting her purse down. The barmaid scooped the money into her pouch, and disappeared.

“You do far too much for me, you know,” Jada said.

Merlin chuckled. “Why? I don’t mind. I like helping.”

“Just when I start thinking I’ve paid you back, you go and do something else.”

He shrugged. “You don’t need to pay me back.”

“I feel like I’m taking advantage of you.”

“I’m offering.” He nudged her knee under the table with his own. “You worry too much.”

Jada laughed, dropping her head to try and hide it.

“You do pay me back, anyway,” he continued. “It’s just not in physical things.”

Jada frowned slightly. “What do you mean?”

Merlin shrugged again, leaning forward on the table. “I like being around you. I can just… be myself. I don’t have to worry that I’ll say too much, that I’ll give something away. I’ve not really had this that often before, especially since coming to Camelot.”

“What about Gaius?”

He sighed, his gaze on the rest of the room. “Gaius, is… I can tell him some things, but then sometimes I think that keeping things from him is for the best. I don’t want to worry him.”

He traced a knot in the wood of the table with his thumb, pushing down on it distractedly. “I don’t know. Like with the boy; I knew he’d lecture me on risking my own life for a stranger, and being stupid enough to do it right underneath the guards’ noses. I know it’s because he was worried about me getting myself killed, but… I don’t know. I don’t know what else I could have done.”

“I think you did what you thought was right,” Jada said. “I think Gaius probably just wishes that it didn’t have to be you that does it all.”

He gave a soft laugh. “He’s not the only one.”

“Definitely not.”

He looked up at her, seeming surprised, then gave a soft smile.

The barmaid returned, appearing suddenly beside them with a handful of drinks. She set two of them down on their table to a duo of “Thanks,” then bustled off to a group on the other side of the door.

“Did you really mean what you said yesterday?” Merlin asked quietly over his mug. “About Uther.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t have said it otherwise.”

“You’d really do that for me?”

“Call me an idiot,” Jada laughed, looking down for a moment. When her gaze returned to his face, she was serious again. “But yes, I would.”

He smiled, though it was a small, gentle movement, before worry entered his eyes. “You shouldn’t.”

“Camelot would be boring without you,” she joked. “Besides, who else would I get to pay for everything?”

He snorted, shaking his head. “I should have known you were just using me for all my riches.”

“How could you have been so blind?”

He looked up at her through his lashes, a smirk across his lips, and Jada grinned.

Just at that moment, the minstrels burst into a livelier tune, snapping Jada’s attention to them. Suddenly, an idea struck her.

“Do you dance?” she asked.

Merlin looked shocked, and gestured down at himself. “Have you seen me? Do I look like a dancer?”

“You look like you’ll be gangly and awkward,” Jada admitted, standing up. “But I can’t dance, either. So come on, it’ll be fun.”

“You and I have very different ideas of what the word ‘fun’ means,” Merlin replied.

“Oh, come on.” She held her hands out for him to take. “I don’t even know how to dance in this era, so you’ll have to teach me. Please?”

He looked around as if searching for help, but upon finding none, he sighed, downed the rest of his drink, and took her hands. “You’re definitely going to owe me for this one.”

Jada giggled as she led him towards the central space, her adrenaline surging. “You’ll almost definitely be better at it than me, so at least you won’t be the worst dancer in the room.”

“Thanks,” Merlin replied sarcastically.

They joined the circle that had formed around the space, and were quickly swept up into the dance. It wasn’t what Jada had expected, consisting of the entire circle sidestepping one way a few paces, then back the other, and then the man to the left would lift the woman on his right across to his left, and the dance would begin again. It took her a few tries to get it right, but before long Jada had been spun halfway around the circle and was grinning from ear to ear.

She looked back at Merlin as she landed, just managing to catch sight of him whirling a small slip of a girl around to his left and grinning just the same. He still looked a little ungainly as they sidestepped, but Jada didn’t imagine she looked much better herself, and all his reservations seemed to have been forgotten.

At last, she’d made it almost all the way around the circle, and now Merlin was to her left.

“Hello, stranger,” he greeted as she landed, clasping their hands together.

“Fancy meeting you here,” she replied.

First to the left, now to the right, then turn to your partner and—She jumped into the air, Merlin’s hands at her waist, and he twirled her round to set her gently down again on his other side.

The minstrel directing the dance clapped for all the participants, beginning a round of applause all through the room, and then another song sprung from their instruments and the circle dissolved.

“Thanks for not dropping me,” Jada joked, nudging Merlin with her elbow. “See, I told you it’d be fun.”

“Can we go and sit back down now?” he asked. “I’m tired.”

Jada snorted, prodding him in the side with a finger. “Wow, you really need to get in shape.”

“Hey, you weren’t lifting half the people on the floor!” he pointed out, pouting a little.

“You were barely lifting us, we jumped.”

He pouted more now, his lower lip jutting out as he rubbed a bicep pitifully.

“God, you’re so dramatic.” She rolled her eyes at him, though she couldn’t keep her grin hidden for long. “Come on, then. Do you need to go all the way back to Gaius and ask for a remedy, or will the table do?”

“The table is fine,” he grinned, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her back to their corner, all arm pain now miraculously cured.

He sat beside her this time, between Jada and the rest of the room, and peered into her mug before sliding it over to her. “You didn’t drink much,” he commented.

“No. You can have some of it, if you want.”

“Do you not like it? I can get you something else, if you want.”

“No, it’s fine. It tastes like honey,” she replied. “I just thought it might save you getting another.”

“You wouldn’t be trying to get out of your debt, would you?” he teased, one eyebrow quirking upwards.

Jada grinned, lifting the mug to her lips and taking a swig. “Not at all. Here.” She pulled her coin purse out again, tossing it onto the table in front of him. “Get what you like. This’ll probably do me, for now.”

“Sure you don’t want to try any of the others?” he asked, already counting out coins again.

“I’m sure. Just don’t get wasted.”

“Wasted?” he frowned.

“Super drunk. I’m not carrying you home.”

“Oh, I see, so you’ll commit treason for me, but you won’t carry me home if I get too drunk?” He tutted, shaking his head. “What kind of friendship is this?”

Jada laughed, unable to stop herself from beaming at him. “I’m only here for your riches, remember. I’ll just drag you back to the castle by your ankle.”

A laugh erupted from his chest, his grin turning his eyes into almond shapes with little crinkles at the edges. He turned away to call the barmaid over, a taller girl this time with darker skin, and ordered another mead.

“Are you not going to have one of the other things?” Jada asked once he’d paid and the girl had headed off.

“No,” he replied, turning back to her. “I tend to get drunk quite fast, so I’ll just stick to the safer stuff for tonight.”

He didn’t want to make her nervous, Jada realised as she took another mouthful of her drink.

“You’re so sweet to me,” she said. “I’m not surprised you’re a lightweight, though.”

His expression somehow managed to mingle amusement and confusion. “What do you mean by that?”

“Well, look at you. You look like a stiff wind’d blow you over.”

He bit back another laugh, his tone sarcastic once more. “Again, thanks.”

“It’s not a bad thing,” she remarked. “It’s just a thing. You pull it off.”

Her brow furrowed as she tried to figure out whereabouts in her brain that had come from, lifting her mug to her mouth again.

Merlin looked like he was trying to figure out whether it was a compliment or not, too. “Um, thanks? I think? You’re not getting drunk off of mead there, are you?”

Jada a made a ‘pfft’ sound. “No, it’s just the adrenaline from coming here wearing off. Jim and Izzy say Sleepy Jada always sounds like she’s drunk.”

“We can go home, if you want,” Merlin offered, his expression softening.

“Not yet.” She gave him a sly smirk. “I want to get you to dance some more, first.”

He scoffed, but looked behind him at the circle anyway. “I don’t think there’s a group dance on again yet. They probably won’t do many more until towards midnight.”

“I don’t care,” Jada said. “I want to dance with you. Please?”

“I’m not very good at it,” Merlin warned. “Really.”

Jada peered past him, over his shoulder to the pairs already leaping and spinning about together. “How hard can it be? Even if we make a fool of ourselves, we’ll just pretend we’re really drunk and don’t remember it.”

Merlin shook his head, sighing in defeat. “I really have to stop listening to you,” he said, getting up anyway and offering her his hand.

She grinned, taking it and rising to her feet. “Am I really that bad an influence?”

“Let’s find out.”

They made their way back to the circle, trying to examine the technique of the other dancers. From Jada’s perspective, it looked very much like the way the Hobbits had danced at Bilbo’s party, or when Jack and Rose had gone to the party below deck in Titanic. One hand in your partner’s, the other on their waist or shoulder, and then what looked like a combination of skipping and spinning and hoping for the best.

“Ready?” she asked, taking a breath and looking up at Merlin.

“No,” he replied, offering her his hand, anyway. “I don’t suppose I could change your mind, though.”

“Nope.” She took his hand, resting the other on his shoulder and grinning.

Merlin put his free hand on her waist and drew a nervous breath. “If I die through dancing with you…”

“I’ll make sure your memorial is fitting. Now, 3… 2… 1…”

They jumped into the space, and the current from the other dancers immediately swept them away. An exhilarated cry escaped Jada as they spiralled away, whirling and twirling together around the floor. Merlin looked simultaneously thrilled and terrified, clutching tightly onto her hand and giggling ecstatically. The rest of the room was a blur around them, and Jada could only hope that they didn’t crash into anything or anyone in the chaos.

Despite the both of them being complete beginners, so far neither of them had managed to trip, stumble, or get their legs tangled together, and as they continued to spin Jada felt both of them relax into the energy of the music. They held onto each other as though they would fly off across the room if they let go—which Jada wasn’t entirely sure wouldn’t happen—their knuckles white and their faces beaming. It was exhilarating; like Jada imagined riding water rapids would be for people who weren’t deathly afraid of still ponds. She trusted Merlin not to let her be lost to the current, and he was counting on her not to do the same.

When the music ended, the two of them were so out of breath that they had to just stand for a moment, still in position and grinning at one another wildly.

“Okay,” Merlin said, chest heaving. “Maybe I’ll let you talk me into things more often.”

“See?” Jada panted, the two of them separating now and stepping back slightly. “I told you it would be fun.”

“I need a drink.” He took her hand, leading her back to the table and settling in beside her again. One of the barmaids had brought a new mug while they were away, and he took a long swig of it.

“Thank you for inviting me here,” Jada began, resting her chin on her hand and letting her eyes shut for a moment. “This has been the most fun I’ve had in a while.”

“I’m glad.” She opened her eyes to see Merlin smiling at her, drink still in hand. “Thank you for joining me. Do you want to head back?”

She nodded, the exhilaration wearing off now and leaving her sleepy.

“Okay. Just let me finish this, and I’ll walk you back.”

They finished their drinks in content, tired silence, then headed back out onto the streets of Camelot.

“Are you warm enough?” Merlin asked, touching the back of his fingers to her arm.

Jada nodded.

“Gosh, how are you always so warm?” he remarked. “Every time I touch you you’re almost burning up.”

She gave a groggy shrug. “I just run hot. I always have, I think.”

He touched her arm lightly again. “I’d hate to feel how hot you are with a fever. I think you might burn my hand.”

She chortled. “Maybe. But hey, nice warm hugs!”

Merlin gave a chuckle, the crooked smile appearing again. “Well, that’s definitely one benefit.”

“We should hug more often. I like hugs.”

He eyed her sideways, his expression amused. “Are you sure you’re not drunk?”

“No, I told you. I just get like this when I’m sleepy.”

“All right. Well, you’ll be back home soon, and then you can sleep.”

“Not home. Not really.”

She’d said it casually, and not really thought about it other than the semantics, but she could see it had had a different effect on him.

“No, I suppose not. Sorry. I just meant you’ll be back in your chambers.”

She watched him for a few moments, at his downcast eyes and downturned mouth. “When I get back, I’ll have to do the spare bedroom up for you. It’s a bit full of junk at the minute, but I’m sure I can sort it out. Then you’ll have a place to stay when you come visit us.”

He gave a soft laugh, some of the sadness lifting. “Good, because I’d miss you otherwise.”

“I’d miss you, too. Plus, I’d have to prove I didn’t imagine this whole thing, or else they’ll probably try and put me in a hospital. So I can take you back as evidence.”

His laugh was louder now, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders to pull her closer. “I’m starting to think you might have a few secret motives for keeping me around.”

“Not secret ones. Just the money and the evidence.”

“Of course.”

Before long, they had arrived at the castle and reached the door of Jada’s chambers. Merlin leant against the doorframe as Jada stepped inside.

“Thanks for coming out with me tonight,” he said. “I had a lot of fun.”

“Me too,” she replied. “Thanks for inviting me.”

“So, now that you’ve been and experienced it, would you do it again?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I’d like to.”

He widened his eyes, giving her a hopeful look. “Would you… do it again with me sometime?”

Jada grinned. “Definitely.”

His face burst into a bright smile. “Okay. Okay, good. I’d like to do it again sometime, too. With you. Um…” He gave a shy laugh, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Go on,” Jada laughed, gesturing with her head for him to go. “Before Gaius starts to wonder where you are.”

“Right,” he said, straightening up. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“As if you even have to ask, at this point,” she teased. “See you tomorrow, Merlin. Sleep well.”

“You too.”

He turned and headed off down the hall, and Jada waited for him to disappear from view before she shut the door. She changed quickly into her nightgown and all but fell into bed, settling into a deep and peaceful sleep. She hadn’t been this happy in a long time.

Chapter 24 ->