Page 61 of Kings and Monsters

She casually placed a cushion over his face.

"And then what happened?"

"One of the nobles had bought acyfarwyddiaid, a storyteller, with him who also considered himself a magician. The nobleman started to make loud boasts about the man's talents."

"Because he was fucking him," Merlin mumbled from under the cushion.

"Naturally, as the only other magician in the hall, drunken warriors started to compare him to Merlin," Arthur said over the top of him. "The lad was handsome by all accounts, lots of golden hair and a charming manner, so rare a talent amongst magicians. Our dear Merlin was very drunk at this stage."

"Why am I not surprised?" Rosa said. "Let me guess, Merlin called him out on it."

Arthur shook his head. "Actually, it was the other way around. The lad, full of praise and encouragement, offered to give an example of his skills but wanted Merlin to get up and put on an entertaining show for everyone."

"Like I was some kind of petty conjurer," Merlin huffed, pushing the pillow away.

"He was too busy flirting with some court maiden or another, I can't remember her."

"Brenna," Merlin said, a filthy smile on his face, "and she was no maiden."

"Irrelevant. The lad got up in front of everyone and started showing off his skills and became very full of himself at the applause he was getting," Arthur said. "He wasn't bad. He got loud and insistent that Merlin join him. Honestly Rosa, I think the boy just wanted his attention and acknowledgment. Cai started to goad Merlin to get up, and no one could irritate Merlin like Cai."

"As intheCai?"

"There is another?" Arthur frowned at her, but she waved him on. "So Merlin, finally over the game and eager to get back to the challenge of trying to get under Brenna's skirts, decides to put the boy in his place. Merlin gets his cocky, arrogant face on, you know the one, Rosa, and says, 'Very well, you show me your most impressive trick, and I'll try to outdo you.'"

"And this guy took him up on it? Mistake! You baited him, Merlin." Rosa pinched him.

"It wasn't my fault he was too stupid to realize it."

Arthur shushed them. "The lad wasn't bad. As I said, he decides to levitate six feet off the ground. The hall went wild. People were up in seconds, checking for ropes, walking underneath it, you name it. The boy was the real thing. 'Get off yer arse and show us what you got Glitter Fingers!' Cai shouted at Merlin."

Rosa burst out laughing. "Glitter Fingers! I think I would've liked Cai."

"Oh, aye, and he would've liked you too, probably a little too much." Merlin's eyes turned vicious. "Tell her what happened next."

"Merlin gets up with that smile he's wearing now and looks up at the floating lad, congratulating him on his trick." Arthur's eyes brightened. "And then he lets go of his magic and his self-control, and turns himself into a dragon."

"A dragon!" Rosa laughed. "You're not half extra."

"But he's drunk, and he overdoes it and keeps on growing. In seconds, everyone is screaming and racing out of the hall as he rampages, breaking his way through the roof and setting everything on fire." Arthur glared at the laughing Merlin. "It took him two days to sober up enough to turn himself back into a human, and the day was forever known as the Black Feast."

"Everyone learned their lesson never to provoke me while I was drinking, or bring upstart, sniveling magician fledglings to Court to challenge me," Merlin said smugly. "I don't know what you are still complaining about, Arthur. I fixed the Hall."

"You should've taken the higher ground and been mature about it," Arthur said.

"That's where you are wrong." Rosa and Merlin shared an identical grin. "We Wylts don't do maturity well when we are drinking. To be honest, I'm more annoyed that I haven't been taught how to change into a dragon."

"Stop making death gods fall in love with you, and I'll teach you."

"Whatever you say, Glitter Fingers," Rosa snorted.

"Don't make me turn into a dragon right now and bite you, brat."

Arthur shook his head at them. "Jesus, help me survive you two."

CHAPTER TWENTY

By the time it came for Merlin to cross back over into Seelie lands two days later, he had forgotten all about Rosa and Arthur's warnings about keeping his magic and temper in control.

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