Love, Faith and Family

Chapter 112

Miriam had been very reluctant to part with Arthur since the prediction of his death and Morgana's proclamation of war.

And since then she'd become very brazen, going so far as to send raiding parties into Camelot and steal the contents of a weapon shipment that was headed for the citadel.

The king and queen had then dispatched extra patrols as a safety precaution. Leon was tasked with leading the patrols, a fact Miriam was reluctant of as the last thing she needed on top of all of this was one of her friends, one of her knights, to die as well, but it had to be done.

However, a new patrol still needed to be mapped, and despite it being a bad idea for the king, the queen and a lord of Camelot to be out and about together in the midst of war, the was no arguing about it.

It was a slightly overcast day as they walked through the woods, Arthur's hand in Miriam's as Merlin tethered the horses.

Every time they'd go out, he'd teach her how to track. She'd been average at tracking the odd rabbit as she'd sometimes have to when food was scarce in Ealdor, but she knew nothing about hunting big game like a deer or a boar, or a person. So her husband took it upon himself to teach her, just as he taught her to dance, an activity they still engaged in frequently.

"So, tell me, what do you see here?" he asked as he stopped and Miriam observed not just the ground in front of them but the trees and plants as well.

"Broken branches. Something's been through here recently because the leaves are still green," she answered as she gently lifted the broken branch that was hanging onto a tree by a thread.

"Very good. Anything else?" Arthur praised, his hand rubbing her back, a gesture she still felt through her armour.

She was a little unsure as Arthur leaned closer towards her, the soft skin of his lips brushing her ear.

"How about the size?"

Miriam bit her lips as she smirked.

"Big. So it was either a human or a big animal," she answered softly but in the same tone Arthur had whispered his words in as her head turned towards him, their eyes meeting.

"So, you do listen to me after all," he mused as his hand slid from her back to her hip as he pulled her to him.

"When I feel like it," she teased as her husband's grip on her tightened. She would never get tired of referring to Arthur as her husband.

"You're supposed to be the ruling monarchs of a kingdom that's at war and instead you're flirting in the middle of a forest where we could be attacked at any second! I thought you had more respect for Camelot than that," Merlin reprimanded, his sister laughing while his brother-in-law remained unamused.

"Alright, then, Merlin, if you know everything, tell me what you see then," Arthur challenged as Merlin approached them and Arthur knelt on the ground.

"I see a pair of breeches that need cleaning," Merlin said, Miriam covering her mouth with her hand as Arthur stood and placed a hand on Merlin's shoulder, allowing him to walk past and have a look, but Merlin merely knocked the broken branch that Miriam had identified onto the ground.

"Look closer," Arthur instructed as he stopped Merlin in his tracks before pushing him onto his knees. "Now what do you see?"

Merlin only sighed as he stood, brushing the mud and dirt from his pants.

"Two pairs of breeches that need cleaning."

"He meant on the branch, Merlin," Miriam laughed.

"It's broken," he replied.