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Arthur lies awake on his bed; face plunged sideways with his arms tightly circling his bolster. He can’t sleep and no matter how hard he tries, sleep is hard to come por at the moment. Sighing deeply, he recalls back the events of today. How happy he had been with her. The día started off pretty well and he had been looking adelante, hacia adelante to many más afternoons with Guinevere, only to be short lived por those ruffians. But they are blessings in disguise because he found out about Guinevere’s father after that and that led to many más revelations between them. Whether it was a good sign o not, Arthur doesn’t know, but he believes there’s reason behind it. How will the reason affect his life o hers, he couldn’t say.
He turns on his back and blinks away his unhappiness. Everything seems pitch black and for the first time in his life, he is glad of his blindness. He doesn’t want her face to pop up around him, tormenting and piercing his heart. He doesn’t want anything to do with her. He just wants to forget everything that happened and reboot his life; like a computer CPU where tu just click the button and everything sort of restarts fresh. How he wishes his life were like a computer CPU. One click and tu can restart everything from scratch. He sighs sadly and blinks again. Though he has bravely stated to Merlin that he stands por his decision, deep down in his corazón he wonders if he could have taken a look at other alternatives. He likes her, that hasn’t changed a bit and it never will either, but he is hurt because he can’t give her the life she deserves. He would have taken the challenge and dado their relationship a try if she had nothing to do with the accident. Unfortunately, she does, and that knowledge triggered his uncertainty and insecurity about their future. He has taken away her father and turned her into an orphan; if that isn’t grieving enough he couldn’t even save her from troubles let alone fight one. Best, he’s been her burden since they’ve met. Arthur feels he could have dado the last two choices a quick wave and still consider giving their relationship a try but it’s the first reason that keeps popping up, like a reminder in his head.
‘After all the hard times you’ve dado her, are tu still considering your future with her?’ his inner corazón voices out. He swallows and lies still. ‘Is it fair she should suffer for you?’ it still questions. ‘You took away her father, that’s bad. tu can’t fight for her and let her be hurt, that’s very bad… but what’s worst is you’re a burden, Arthur! You’re her burden!’ it tells him.
“No!” he tells himself and rolls to his side, clutching his pillow, biting the edges in anger. His corazón weeps at the condemnation, and though it hurts, he knows it’s the truth. He has been her burden since they’ve met. Though she tries denying it, he knows that’s the truth. “I won’t be a burden.”
‘Really? Then why not get the operation done, so that tu can see her?’
“I promised to honour her father”
‘That’s rubbish! That’s an excuse, Arthur, to gain sympathy from her. tu just want to use her and when you’re finally done with her, you’ll cast her away like all rich men do.’
“I will not do that to Guinevere!”
‘How do tu know that… tu are Arthur Pendragon. All Pendragons treat the rest the same way, like they always do… like a slave. Why should tu be any different?’
“Do not compare me with my father!” Arthur hisses.
‘Fine, if you’re different than your old man, tu would have backed yourself away from Guinevere even before tu knew about her father. tu wouldn’t make her suffer with you. tu would have been interested in her well being, but tu weren’t. tu like her and are willing to give this doomed relationship a try. No one with a sane mind would consider such an option, Arthur, but tu did. Do tu think it’s fair to her? If she marries you, she’ll be with a blind man for the rest of her life, she’ll have to earn while tu sit and collect her earnings. She’ll run the house while you… tu can barely run your own life, let alone the house. She’ll have to be content with what she has when she clearly deserves better… do tu think this is fair for her?’
“Stop it!!”
‘What tu did a while hace is a Valiente attempt. Stick to it; do not change the course of your attempt. She deserves better and tu can never give her that, understand? tu have taken her family and this is what tu can do in return for that loss: ignore your feelings and allow her to have a better life with someone else. Don’t think about yours, think of others… think of Guinevere’s’ the corazón tells him.
“Stop it!!”
‘In life, sometimes we have to give más than we can take. Let your life be an example to others out there…’
“Shut up!!!” Arthur screams and sits up. He searches and manages to grab a book beside him on the coffee mesa, tabla and throws it forward. It lands straight on his table, crashing along with his other stuff arranged neatly on the table. “Shut up, shut up!!” he keeps shouting.
Gwaine and Merlin rushes into the room, each looking startled.
“What happened, Arthur?” Merlin asks, looking around before finally settling at the mess beneath the table. He tugs Gwaine’s sleeve and the latter finds out what Merlin’s been interested in.
“Arthur?” Gwaine asks, looking back at the distraught Arthur, who sits on the bed, holding his head. “Are tu allright?” he steps closer while Merlin heads to the mesa, tabla and picks up the book Arthur has heaved at his table.
“No… No…” Arthur repeats, still clutching his head, rocking back and forth. Gwaine closes in and looks at his friend, worried.
“Arthur?”
“No, get out my head… no!”
“Arthur!” Gwaine reach out and grabs Arthur’s shoulder, shaking him from his thoughts. Arthur stops rocking and lifts his head, his face flushed and perspiring. His hair is matted with sweat. “Arthur, what is going on? Are tu all right?” Gwaine sits beside Arthur and asks gently. Merlin looks at them from where he stands, cleaning up the mess Arthur made.
“Gwaine?”
“Yes, what happened? Why did tu throw that book away?”
“I did… I didn’t…” Arthur is confused. He didn’t realise he threw a book and now he is worried por the damages he made. “Did I break anything?”
“I’m not sure,” Gwaine says and turns at Merlin. “Merlin?”
“No, just his Braille book is damaged, a few torn pages but that is all there is to it. We’ll need to get a new book,” Merlin informs. Gwaine turns back to Arthur.
“Damn… what did I do?” Arthur holds his head again.
“Are tu in some sort of trouble Arthur?” Gwaine asks. Arthur keeps silent. Gwaine sighs and waits patiently.
“I’m sorry, guys… I was having a nightmare, that’s all…” Arthur says after a while. Gwaine quickly looks at Merlin who in turn shrugs his shoulder, prompting he doesn’t believe in Arthur’s explanation.
“Really?”
“Yes, sorry to have tu worried. I am fine. Maybe tu should get back to sleep. I will,” Arthur says and tries to lie back on the cama but Gwaine holds his arm, holding him back.
“Gwaine?”
“Arthur, something is bothering tu and I’d like tu to share it with us. We are your friends and please do not leave us in the dark, again.”
“I don’t…”
“Don’t lie, Arthur. I know what happened and we are just trying to help.”
“Gwaine…”
“Arthur, please!”
Arthur sighs and blinks again. What will he tell Gwaine? That he misses Guinevere o that he wish he never made her unhappy today? o that his mind has been poisoning him against his wishes to reconcile with her? What will he tell him when he isn’t sure of anything himself.
“Arthur?”
“Gwaine, please, I’ve been emotionally drained today and I’d like…”
“Fine, I will let tu be but I will come back to tu on this tomorrow, o the día after o after that…”
“Why are tu torturing me, Gwaine? Don’t tu pity me?”
“No.”
“What?”
“No, I don’t… not after what tu did to Gwen.”
“What? I don’t believe this! I’m your friend, Gwaine, and you’re on her side?”
“You broke her heart, Arthur!”
“What the…”
“Look, I know she lied to tu and when I first heard it from Merlin I was angry. I hate lies and especially when they come from those we know. So I was pretty gutted about it the first time I heard but it dawned upon me that she has her reasons. And they’re pretty valid as well, so I think I can forgive her. But what I can’t forgive is you, Arthur. tu and your stupid reasons! What were tu thinking? I thought tu were smarter than that, Arthur.”
“You don’t know what…”
“Yes, I’m not in your shoes and I don’t how tu feel and blah, blah… Listen, Arthur, she likes tu and she made that clear, very clear indeed. She was Valiente enough to admit her feelings to tu and she wasn’t ashamed about it. She likes tu for you, Arthur. She likes tu as the person tu are right now and not what tu have been before o will turn out to be in the future. So I think tu should man up and confess your feelings to her too. Hiding o denying your feelings from her isn’t…” Gwaine stops abruptly and sighs. “Isn’t something I’d encourage.” he finishes.
“I made the decision for her, Gwaine, for her future.”
“That’s bull, Arthur. Her future lies with yours and she made it obvious to you. por denying your feelings, tu think you’ve made it easier for her?” Gwaine asks and shakes his head. “No, tu made it even worse for both of you. Let me ask tu something, genius… tu dicho tu kept her best interests in mind before tu made your decision, so… do tu believe she’ll be happy with someone else when she made very clear that it’s tu she likes?”
“I don’t care…”
“You do, Arthur, tu do and it hurts you, which explains all this…” Gwaine says looking around. Merlin listens on patiently.
“What are you…”
“Listen, Arthur… tu think tu made a smart mover but it’s one made with stupid, illogical reasons. I don’t trust any of it, none. Because I know tu and tu are my friend. I know tu like Gwen and we don’t have to hear tu say it to find that out. We can see and we all did. But what we didn’t understand is your decision today. It baffles every one of us. I think you’re pretty puzzled with your decision too, Arthur, only you’re far too proud to admit it. But… like it o not, this is what I have to say. You’re stupid for letting go someone like Gwen from your life. She is different, Arthur, way different than Elena. tu can buscar high and low but you’ll never meet someone like her again. She understands tu as well as appreciates your thoughts, but best, she makes tu smile and that is one rare subject in your life as far as I know. I know she makes tu happy, so… I think this is a mistake, a very stupid mistake. If I can find anyone like Gwen for me, I’d never let her out of my sight,” Gwaine says and pouts.
Arthur didn’t want to answer Gwaine because he is right. In every sense of the word, Gwaine is spot on. Only Arthur didn’t want to admit it. Just like his father, Arthur is too proud to admit his mistakes, so he handles it the only way he knows how: por keeping silent. Arthur’s silence irks Gwaine.
“Fine, Arthur… this is your life and it’s your decision. I have nothing más to say. tu can go ahead and run your life as tu wish.” Gwaine adds.
“Don’t tu want to add anything, Merlin?” Arthur teases wryly, his anger erupting in him like a volcano. Merlin looks at Gwaine and arches his brow, smiling at his friend. Gwaine smiles back.
“I have nothing to say, Arthur, tu told me to hold my words and I’m doing exactly that,” Merlin respuestas as short he can and it upsets Arthur further.
“Fine, I don’t need to listen to anyone… not you, Merlin, o you, Gwaine. This is my decision and I stand por it. End of story.”
“Good for you, Arthur… bravo!” Gwaine claps his hand, furious. Arthur clenches his cheek.
“This is the smartest mover you’ve made in your life, bravo. Look, I don’t know why I’m wasting my breath for you, Arthur. If tu choose to screw your own life, why should I care? I have my own life to run. Come on, Merlin…” Gwaine drags Merlin away before Arthur can say anything.
As the door closes, Arthur pounds the cama in anger and blinks away both his sadness and anger.
Gwen lies on the bed, thinking about Arthur. Like him, she too couldn’t sleep. Lying awake blinking at the ceiling, she recalls today’s events. What an eventful día it has been? When she woke up this morning, all she wanted was to head of to another bright and cheerful day. It almost turned one. Until…
“God, please don’t come back again,” she tells herself, shaking off the thoughts which have been clouding her mind all day. She cannot endure the hurt anymore. She is done crying and cannot afford to shed any más tears. Her eyes hurt and they’re all swelled up. Thankfully, Elyan isn’t at home. If he has seen her like this now, God knows what could have happened. He has left for Carleon last night with Percival to get back to his business. Though his holiday was nearing its end, Elyan was reluctant to leave his sister behind, but unfortunately work was calling both him and Percival to its aid.
Percival’s absence back at Carleon has caused some friction between the company’s executives and with Elyan not around as well, things have gone from bad to worse recently. Elyan’s girlfriend, whom Percival have appointed as their temporary stand in manager, called in last week to reportar on the happenings at the company. And Percival isn’t happy with the way things are and decided to head back all por himself. But Elyan insisted on joining him because he knows Percival could use his help. But he was división, split on leaving Gwen behind because he knows she’d be all alone in this house. But she forced him to leave, saying it was important he took care of his business right now and she’ll be fine here. Elyan promised to return soon and he will bring his girlfriend along this time. Gwen had been excited por the news then but she isn’t at the moment. Right now, she isn’t interested in anything. Gwen turns to her right and her eyes catches the sight of her mobile phone. She has switched it off, fearing Morgana might try to get into contact with her again. Morgana’s been trying to get her all afternoon and though Gwen has ignored the calls and the messages, Morgana isn’t keen on backing down. The phone’s been ringing all evening and into the night. Gwen switched it into silent mode and tossed it away. As determined Morgana was in getting her, Gwen is equally determined to avoid her friend. After battling for hours, the battery went flat and Gwen switched it off. Morgana isn’t going to be happy with this and Gwen will have a lot of answering to do tomorrow.
“Tomorrow is another day,” Gwen reminds herself and sighs deeply. She turns on her back again, her eyes darting to the ceiling once again. She thinks about Arthur.
‘Why did he react like that?’ she thinks, her mind still puzzled por Arthur’s reaction today. He has been very quiet, something Gwen isn’t accustomed to. He should have dicho something, at least dado some sort of reaction, but alas, he’s been exceptionally quiet and Gwen is really bewildered por his silence.
‘What did I say?’ she thinks again. Blinking away the hurt, she sighs sadly. ‘Was he angry with me?’ she asks herself again. pregunta after pregunta plagues her mind, seeking respuestas but she didn’t have any. She didn’t know.
She wants to find out the truth. Why was he reacting like he did today but whom she shall find out from? Merlin? The rest of his friends? Gwen is clueless. She really wants to know why Arthur had been silent, but she knows Merlin will not tell her anything. por now, Arthur would have requested Merlin to keep his silence and his friend would have promised to honour Arthur’s word, so Gwen has no chance with Merlin. But there are the other guys, Arthur’s friends… will they know anything about Arthur’s silence? Gwen doubts they will, but even if they find out, Arthur would have shut them up, too. Gwen has no chance in finding out the truth about Arthur’s silence, unless… unless she finds out from him in person. But he will never speak to her, not after what has happened.
“Damn you, Arthur!!” Gwen pounds her almohada in anger as she thinks of Arthur. “Why didn’t tu talk to me? Why?” she asks again, choking back her tears. “This wasn’t supposed to happen… not like this,” she tells again. A tear rolls down her cheek. She thumbs it off.
Why did she decide on taking Arthur for lunch? And why that diner? There are plenty of other diners around but she chose this one in particular, why? If only she hadn’t done things like she did, all this could have been avoided. Gwen sighs and thumbs off más tears rolling down her cheek. It was supposed to be a lunch date, just the two of them. Gwen decided on that cena, comedor because it holds important meaning to their relationship. The Sunshine Diner’s where they met each other under difficult circumstances and eventually it played a prominent role into their future relationship. And to mark her appreciation, Gwen decided to take Arthur there. And what a bad choice it had been. The arrival of those hooligans, the injuries and pain Arthur and she endured, the aftermath of the incident, Arthur’s silence… everything seems to play like a movie. It’s as if they were in some kind of play, where everything goes according to the script. The only unscripted part of this play is Gwen’s hurt, because she didn’t expect any of this. And it hurts like anything. Clutching her heart, she tosses and turns on the bed. She just wishes she can rewind the clock so that the incident can be avoided. How nice if she had a time machine?
“God, please end this,” she prays to herself and finally, not being able to sleep, she sits up. She pulls the almohada close to her chest and leans on it. She remembers Arthur’s face, all stony and blank. He was expressionless. Gwen couldn’t read anything from his expression and she wonders why. Suddenly as if being pinched, she sits up. Her eyes widen and she clasps her mouth. “Oh my God, can it be…” she asks herself. Could it be the reason why? But he didn’t even flinch when I dicho it, so? Gwen didn’t want to believe it but everything seems possible from all angels. She cups her cheek and sighs, shutting her eyes. “No,” she shakes her head. “No, maybe… perhaps he doesn’t like me the way I do him and… that is why he’s been quiet,” she guesses. It makes sense, all of it. And perfectly, too.
Gwen feels like a fool. There had been a reason behind Arthur’s silence today and maybe this is it. He saw her as a friend but Gwen made the situation worse por confessing her feelings to him. That silenced him because he didn’t know how to tell her that he has no such feelings for her. ‘Crap!’ Gwen feels like knocking herself out. This is embarrassing. Humiliating. How will she ever face him after this? Not that they will cruzar, cruz path anymore but if they do, how will Gwen react? He must be laughing at her right now, thinking how stupid she’d been. Gwen lies back on the cama and bites her lips in frustration. Why did she confess in the first place? She should have kept her mouth shut and walked away from the apartment. She should have listened to her heart. Now look what she made herself. A fool. A bloody fool.
Gwen closes her eyes to shut the ridiculousness she puts herself into and when she reopens them, Arthur’s face pops back up. She smiles through her pain. She misses him already. How will she cope with his absence, how will she forget him? She can’t. She can never do that. It took her a mes to recover from her father’s demise and it will take longer for her to forget Arthur. But he must’ve forgotten her already. Gwen’s corazón aches with the agony of missing him and though she tries to comfort herself saying they were not fated to be together, she wishes fate would do a U-turn and makes him like her like she does him. Gwen sobs softly and blinks away her pain. Sleep is still hard to come by, but she closes her eyes tightly, forcing her sadness to envelope her and take her away.
The siguiente morning …
Aredian stops por reception and leans against the counter, smirking at the receptionist. The receptionist, a young woman in her thirties, smiles at him and stands up courteously.
“Can I help you, sir?” she asks politely. She is a bright young lady with straight hair, cleverly tied into a bun and face beautifully made with minimum make up. She wears the official uniform of the company into which Aredian walked. Aredian smiles at her.
“I’d like to have an audience with Uther Pendragon, he is around?”
“Yes sir, he is, but I’m afraid he is currently engaged in a meeting. tu might need to wait o perhaps tu can leave a message and we will let him know of your arrival?”
“No, I want to meet with him,” Aredian insists.
“But sir, he is in a meeting and…”
“I think tu didn’t hear me very well, I’d like to meet him,” he says again, still smiling. The receptionist becomes unsettled but she remains calm. She is alone at the counter and wishes her partner hasn’t left for his breakfast.
“Then in that case sir, tu might…”
“Now!”
“Sorry, sir?” now the girl is confused.
“I want to meet with him now, sweetheart.”
“But sir…”
“Look, here…” Aredian leans closer and looks at her badge on her uniform. “Cindy, is that your name?”
“Yes, sir,” she is afraid now. Clearly Aredian isn’t one to take no for an answer and Cindy wonders what else he may do if she keeps refusing him the entry.
“Sweet, now… Cindy. I want to meet Uther por any means at all, understand. I don’t give a bloody shit if he’s in the office, meeting, conference… whatever. I just want to meet him and tu are going to arrange that, get it?” he trails his finger along Cindy’s jaw line. The girl shivers. Aredian smiles. He removes his fingers and strokes her cheek instead. Cindy trembles. She just wishes her partner will return. But he hasn’t and there is no one else she can turn for help as well. She is alone and will have to deal with this madman and the situation on her own.
“But, sir…”
“No buts, sweetheart, just get this done for me, all right… I have a very bad temper, and when I get angry I don’t like myself, so… imagine what I might do to tu if I don’t get what I want, understand?”
“Yes, sir… very well, sir. I will get this arranged as soon as possible… if you’d please have a seat…”
“Sure, sweetheart, for tu I will, but don’t tu dare to out smart me, yeah?” Aredian says and flicks Cindy’s nose.
“Of course not, sir,” Cindy says with a forced smile and picks up the telephone, dialing the numbers with trembling fingers. Aredian smiles and walks over to the sofa and sits down. He keeps his eyes fixed on Cindy as she speaks to someone over the line. She says something about Uther and nods and avoids eye contact with Aredian all throughout her conversation. And after five minutes, she gestures for Aredian.
“So?” he asks as he nears her por the counter.
“Please follow me, sir,” Cindy respuestas and circles the counter and leads Aredian ahead to a room on her right. Aredian follows her from the back, his hands casually tucked into his jeans. He looks all around him and smiles only at the female workers while nodding at the male workers. He follows Cindy straight until they reach a glass door. Cindy fishes out a card from her chaqueta pocket, swipes it on the left hand side of the door where a small reader is placed. A beep is heard and the door unlocks. Cindy pulls the door back and steps in, Aredian following closely behind. She leads him to a small flight of steps, they descend it and she walks into a large area, with only two rooms occupying the area. One on the left is empty at the moment but the one on the right has a very familiar figure which makes Aredian smirk. Since it was a glass room, Aredian can see Uther isn’t alone. Cindy walks ahead and as she reaches the room, she gestures for Aredian to wait while she taps on the door. The man with Uther turns around and nods for her to enter. Cindy tosses a quick nervous look at Aredian and walks inside.
“Excuse me, Mr. Pendragon, Mr. Aredian here would like to meet with you.”
“Hmm, so I’ve heard… send him in,” Uther says without looking at her. She nods and walks back outside. Uther flips the document and pouts. He looks up.
“I don’t like the way tu finished the letter, Henry. It has to be a statement, we are running the mostrar and we don’t take orders from anyone, get it? Your letter here merely sounds like we are asking for permission… I don’t like that, understand?”
“Yes, sir, I do. I will get it rewritten.”
“Good, and let me see it the moment tu finish them. And what about the agreement with the Balorian Corps? Have tu done it?”
“Halfway through, sir.”
“Good, I like to read what you’ve done so far.”
“Sure, sir, is there anything else tu need?”
“No, but I’d like some privacy while I speak with my friend, so no interruption until I’ve let tu know.”
“Sure, sir,” Henry respuestas and walks out, clutching his documents tightly as Aredian walks in. Henry waits for Aredian to step in before closing the door behind him, giving the guys inside full privacy.
“You have a very nice office, Uther, I like it,” Aredian says, looking around in awe. Uther slams a heavy book on the table, getting Aredian’s attention. Aredian pouts teasingly.
“I thought I made it very clear that I don’t like tu here, Aredian. We have a place to meet and until I say so, tu don’t demand any audience with me… what’s the importance?” Uther clearly didn’t like this meeting and he isn’t afraid to mostrar it.
Aredian laughs, wipes his glasses and takes his asiento on the sofa, facing Uther. “Nice to see tu too, Uther,” he says.
“Look Aredian…”
“I am not here to waste your time, Uther, but to provide tu very valid information.”
“About whom?” Uther asks uninterestedly.
“Your son.”
“What about him?” Uther sits up straight, his brow arching in confusion.
“Don’t tu know?”
“What?” Uther is getting scared por now. What is Aredian trying to tell him, he wonders. This man here is ill news and if he’s here to meet him, it can surely mean he brought bad news with him.
“Your son was hurt in a fracas at the Sunshine Diners yesterday, he was beaten up quite badly, I came to learn.”
“What?” Uther stands up. His face is startled. He reaches for the telephone.
“Relax, he is all right,” Aredian assures. But Uther isn’t convinced. He dials for his receptionist.
“Get me Merlin, now!” he orders and slams the receiver down. He turns back towards Aredian.
“What happened? How… why?”
“No one told tu about this?”
“No, how and what happened?” Uther pesters. Aredian swipes the speck of dust on his sleeve and takes his time before answering Uther. “Spit t out Aredian!”
“Two ruffians created mayhem at the Diners and meddled with Arthur and his girlfriend, so… in the commotion he was hurt. I thought tu knew. Surprised, usually this sort of news doesn’t elude you, considering your position.”
“I didn’t know! No one told me, not even Merlin!”
“Can’t blame anyone here, Uther, it was shocking news, after all,” Aredian checks his fingernails.
“How do tu know?”
“A little bird told me…”
Uther slams his fist on the table, stopping Aredian’s tease halfway. “I’ve got no time for your games… How do tu know?” Uther hisses, his face dark with anger.
“How wouldn’t I know Uther… I sent those guys,” Aredian says calmly. Uther staggers back in shock.
“What the… WHY?” Uther can barely complete a sentence.
Aredian laughs loudly. “Why? Because tu told me too, that’s why!”
Uther is confused. What in the world is Aredian blabbering about. When did he give orders to harm Arthur? He will never harm his own son, let alone give out instruction which will put his son in harm’s way. Aredian has clearly lost it. “What rubbish are tu talking about, Aredian? When did I tell tu to harm my son?”
“Not him… but the girl,” Aredian corrects Uther.
“I didn’t ask tu to harm her.”
“Oh, Uther, Uther, Uther,” Aredian gets up and sighs deeply. “You are getting old, tu know,” he says and walks towards Uther. “You told me, well let me rephrase what tu said… tu said, Aredian… my son is seeing someone and I don’t approve of that relationship. So, get her off him.” Aredian reminds Uther. “Remember?” he stands opposite Uther with his hands firmly on his hips.
“I dicho get the girl off my son, that is all. Not hurt him!”
“You dicho use any means possible… and I used the one I knew well. tu did not think I was going to sit down with Arthur and propose a deal, did you?” Aredian snorts.
Uther becomes speechless. He didn’t know what to say. He turns back and walks to the bar counter, uncorks a decanter and pours himself half a glass of brandy, drains it down in a gulp and turns back to meet Aredian. Why in the world did he trust this nut to get the job done for him? And why didn’t Aredian consult with him before he set his plan in motion? Why? Uther closes his eyes and sucks in his breath. He feels faint. He reopens his eyes. They are bloodshot.
“You idiot! They could have killed my son!! What in the world were tu thinking?” he shouts with all the strength he can muster. He walks back to his table, pounds his fist angrily on it.
“Relax, Uther… they wouldn’t. They knew their instructions clearly. Besides, they are professionals, so… they didn’t. They only had to hurt him a little harder than usual to make it believable, that’s all.”
“This is madness, Aredian! tu went way over the line this time,” Uther hisses angrily. Aredian laughs.
“Uther, tu told me what tu wanted and get it done por all means so… I’m just following your request, that’s all. And now you’re angry with me because I did as tu asked?”
“You could have spared my son!”
“Your son was in the way, Uther, so believe me, it was difficult for us as well, not just you.”
“Why didn’t tu talk this out with me?”
“And spoil the plan? No way, sir… I got this all planned out well and will not jeopardize my men merely for your son’s safety… look; Arthur isn’t badly hurt, all right? We didn’t mean to harm him at all and if he endured worse then it was from his own doing, not ours.”
“And that girl… what did tu do to her? tu didn’t harm her, did you?”
“Are tu concerned about her, Uther?”
“I don’t want to answer the police if they come looking for me, that’s all. I’ve enough trouble on my hands when Arthur killed a man at the cena, comedor so any más trouble will spell disaster for my reputation. Tell me tu didn’t harm her, please.”
“Don’t worry, we just went in there to scare her and could have succeeded if it wasn’t for your son’s heroics. I think that boy has his corazón set on her, Uther. tu should have seen him fighting for her and considering his blindness, he fought rather bravely, I must say. And that girl… I think she reciprocates his feelings because she was willing to fight for him as he does her. Quite a match they were,” Aredian informs Uther.
“It was exactly like I feared,” Uther says, shaking his head.
“I think they complement each other quite well, Uther, why do tu hate them o the girl? She seems to match your son and I can see why he is drawn to her. She is quite a beauty, though Arthur can’t see her, and…”
“Did your plan… work?” Uther interrupts Aredian, his voice annoyed. He hates Gwen and sent Aredian to make sure she doesn’t get anywhere near Arthur and now Aredian is praising her.
“Sort of, I think.”
“What do tu mean por that?” Uther is getting annoyed.
“You told us to get her off him and we went in there to do just that. The plan was to run her off somewhere, threaten her and let her free, but your son’s intervention sort of changed our plan and we ended up hurting them both.”
“That’s all?”
“Yeah”
“That’s all tu and your men could muster? And is that why I paid a fortune for?” Uther snorts and throws his hands up in the air in frustration. “Your actions will not get the girl off him but tighten their relationship further. Do tu have any idea what tu may have helped to create, Aredian? tu didn’t help me, but them! tu helped them to merge closer… and I paid tu for that!” Uther shouts angrily. He picks his crystal goblet from the mesa, tabla and smashes it on the ground.
“Look, Uther, I know it isn’t what tu had in mind but I think there is still chance of tu getting back in your son’s good book right now. Use this situation as your springboard to his heart.”
“What do tu mean, Aredian?”
“I understand tu and your son share a very cool relationship, but right now he is hurt, and he could use family right now. tu are his only family and I am sure if tu mostrar him a bit of amor and care, tu can make him forget that girl.”
“Carry on,” Uther orders. Aredian licks his lips and tilts his head.
“Talk to him like a father. Make him your best interest and ask him what happened and how can tu rectify your past mistakes. Earn his amor and respect and give him what he craves most from you. And when you’ve earned his trust, tu can slowly make your point with him. tu can ask him to do anything in the world and he will do it, once he’s earned your love. He will forget that girl and become whoever tu want him to be. Isn’t that much better than all this?”
“Good, Aredian… very good indeed!” Uther smiles. He likes the plan and he can see what Aredian’s talking about. Uther knows his son wants his father’s amor and craves it all this while, only Uther hasn’t had the time to give it to him. But now is the right time and Uther doesn’t want to waste any más seconds. But there is one problem, though.
“But what about the girl? What if she’s there and Arthur wants me to accept her? After all, tu brought them closer didn’t you?”
“If Arthur does that than, we will have to switch to plan B”
“What’s plan B?”
“Send her to heaven, off course.”
“No, Aredian! I will not have blood on my hands. tu have to find another way to rid her but no más death!”
“Fine, but why not convince your son first and then we will discuss about the girl?” Aredian suggests.
“Fine… but the siguiente time tu decide to harm anyone, please let me know first.”
“Right, boss,” Aredian salutes Uther.
“Where are your men now?”
“Where they are expected to be, in the cells of course.”
“They’ve been caught?”
“Don’t look too scared, Uther, they will not spit a word, not even if their lives at stake. Besides, they don’t know tu are behind this… they only know one name and that’s mine. So, tu should only be worried if I get caught,” Aredian smiles.
“Are tu threatening me, Aredian? Remember whom tu are speaking to,” Uther reminds Aredian.
“Of course I do, Uther. tu are my good friend and one whom I can rely upon financially, but I’m just saying tu should be worried if I get caught because I have such a lousy big mouth… and the only thing that shuts it is money. tu take care of me, Uther, and all your secrets are seguro with me. Please don’t think I’m threatening, my friend, I will never do that, not to you. It’s a friendly reminder, that’s all.”
Uther opens his mouth to speak but gets interrupted when the telephone rings. Uther glares at Aredian and clicks on the loudspeaker button. The receptionist on the other side of the line speaks.
“Merlin is on the line, sir. Shall I put him through?”
Uther looks up at Aredian and smiles. “Yes,” he respuestas shortly.
Arthur lies awake on his bed; face plunged sideways with his arms tightly circling his bolster. He can’t sleep and no matter how hard he tries, sleep is hard to come por at the moment. Sighing deeply, he recalls back the events of today. How happy he had been with her. The día started off pretty well and he had been looking adelante, hacia adelante to many más afternoons with Guinevere, only to be short lived por those ruffians. But they are blessings in disguise because he found out about Guinevere’s father after that and that led to many más revelations between them. Whether it was a good sign o not, Arthur doesn’t know, but he believes there’s reason behind it. How will the reason affect his life o hers, he couldn’t say.
He turns on his back and blinks away his unhappiness. Everything seems pitch black and for the first time in his life, he is glad of his blindness. He doesn’t want her face to pop up around him, tormenting and piercing his heart. He doesn’t want anything to do with her. He just wants to forget everything that happened and reboot his life; like a computer CPU where tu just click the button and everything sort of restarts fresh. How he wishes his life were like a computer CPU. One click and tu can restart everything from scratch. He sighs sadly and blinks again. Though he has bravely stated to Merlin that he stands por his decision, deep down in his corazón he wonders if he could have taken a look at other alternatives. He likes her, that hasn’t changed a bit and it never will either, but he is hurt because he can’t give her the life she deserves. He would have taken the challenge and dado their relationship a try if she had nothing to do with the accident. Unfortunately, she does, and that knowledge triggered his uncertainty and insecurity about their future. He has taken away her father and turned her into an orphan; if that isn’t grieving enough he couldn’t even save her from troubles let alone fight one. Best, he’s been her burden since they’ve met. Arthur feels he could have dado the last two choices a quick wave and still consider giving their relationship a try but it’s the first reason that keeps popping up, like a reminder in his head.
‘After all the hard times you’ve dado her, are tu still considering your future with her?’ his inner corazón voices out. He swallows and lies still. ‘Is it fair she should suffer for you?’ it still questions. ‘You took away her father, that’s bad. tu can’t fight for her and let her be hurt, that’s very bad… but what’s worst is you’re a burden, Arthur! You’re her burden!’ it tells him.
“No!” he tells himself and rolls to his side, clutching his pillow, biting the edges in anger. His corazón weeps at the condemnation, and though it hurts, he knows it’s the truth. He has been her burden since they’ve met. Though she tries denying it, he knows that’s the truth. “I won’t be a burden.”
‘Really? Then why not get the operation done, so that tu can see her?’
“I promised to honour her father”
‘That’s rubbish! That’s an excuse, Arthur, to gain sympathy from her. tu just want to use her and when you’re finally done with her, you’ll cast her away like all rich men do.’
“I will not do that to Guinevere!”
‘How do tu know that… tu are Arthur Pendragon. All Pendragons treat the rest the same way, like they always do… like a slave. Why should tu be any different?’
“Do not compare me with my father!” Arthur hisses.
‘Fine, if you’re different than your old man, tu would have backed yourself away from Guinevere even before tu knew about her father. tu wouldn’t make her suffer with you. tu would have been interested in her well being, but tu weren’t. tu like her and are willing to give this doomed relationship a try. No one with a sane mind would consider such an option, Arthur, but tu did. Do tu think it’s fair to her? If she marries you, she’ll be with a blind man for the rest of her life, she’ll have to earn while tu sit and collect her earnings. She’ll run the house while you… tu can barely run your own life, let alone the house. She’ll have to be content with what she has when she clearly deserves better… do tu think this is fair for her?’
“Stop it!!”
‘What tu did a while hace is a Valiente attempt. Stick to it; do not change the course of your attempt. She deserves better and tu can never give her that, understand? tu have taken her family and this is what tu can do in return for that loss: ignore your feelings and allow her to have a better life with someone else. Don’t think about yours, think of others… think of Guinevere’s’ the corazón tells him.
“Stop it!!”
‘In life, sometimes we have to give más than we can take. Let your life be an example to others out there…’
“Shut up!!!” Arthur screams and sits up. He searches and manages to grab a book beside him on the coffee mesa, tabla and throws it forward. It lands straight on his table, crashing along with his other stuff arranged neatly on the table. “Shut up, shut up!!” he keeps shouting.
Gwaine and Merlin rushes into the room, each looking startled.
“What happened, Arthur?” Merlin asks, looking around before finally settling at the mess beneath the table. He tugs Gwaine’s sleeve and the latter finds out what Merlin’s been interested in.
“Arthur?” Gwaine asks, looking back at the distraught Arthur, who sits on the bed, holding his head. “Are tu allright?” he steps closer while Merlin heads to the mesa, tabla and picks up the book Arthur has heaved at his table.
“No… No…” Arthur repeats, still clutching his head, rocking back and forth. Gwaine closes in and looks at his friend, worried.
“Arthur?”
“No, get out my head… no!”
“Arthur!” Gwaine reach out and grabs Arthur’s shoulder, shaking him from his thoughts. Arthur stops rocking and lifts his head, his face flushed and perspiring. His hair is matted with sweat. “Arthur, what is going on? Are tu all right?” Gwaine sits beside Arthur and asks gently. Merlin looks at them from where he stands, cleaning up the mess Arthur made.
“Gwaine?”
“Yes, what happened? Why did tu throw that book away?”
“I did… I didn’t…” Arthur is confused. He didn’t realise he threw a book and now he is worried por the damages he made. “Did I break anything?”
“I’m not sure,” Gwaine says and turns at Merlin. “Merlin?”
“No, just his Braille book is damaged, a few torn pages but that is all there is to it. We’ll need to get a new book,” Merlin informs. Gwaine turns back to Arthur.
“Damn… what did I do?” Arthur holds his head again.
“Are tu in some sort of trouble Arthur?” Gwaine asks. Arthur keeps silent. Gwaine sighs and waits patiently.
“I’m sorry, guys… I was having a nightmare, that’s all…” Arthur says after a while. Gwaine quickly looks at Merlin who in turn shrugs his shoulder, prompting he doesn’t believe in Arthur’s explanation.
“Really?”
“Yes, sorry to have tu worried. I am fine. Maybe tu should get back to sleep. I will,” Arthur says and tries to lie back on the cama but Gwaine holds his arm, holding him back.
“Gwaine?”
“Arthur, something is bothering tu and I’d like tu to share it with us. We are your friends and please do not leave us in the dark, again.”
“I don’t…”
“Don’t lie, Arthur. I know what happened and we are just trying to help.”
“Gwaine…”
“Arthur, please!”
Arthur sighs and blinks again. What will he tell Gwaine? That he misses Guinevere o that he wish he never made her unhappy today? o that his mind has been poisoning him against his wishes to reconcile with her? What will he tell him when he isn’t sure of anything himself.
“Arthur?”
“Gwaine, please, I’ve been emotionally drained today and I’d like…”
“Fine, I will let tu be but I will come back to tu on this tomorrow, o the día after o after that…”
“Why are tu torturing me, Gwaine? Don’t tu pity me?”
“No.”
“What?”
“No, I don’t… not after what tu did to Gwen.”
“What? I don’t believe this! I’m your friend, Gwaine, and you’re on her side?”
“You broke her heart, Arthur!”
“What the…”
“Look, I know she lied to tu and when I first heard it from Merlin I was angry. I hate lies and especially when they come from those we know. So I was pretty gutted about it the first time I heard but it dawned upon me that she has her reasons. And they’re pretty valid as well, so I think I can forgive her. But what I can’t forgive is you, Arthur. tu and your stupid reasons! What were tu thinking? I thought tu were smarter than that, Arthur.”
“You don’t know what…”
“Yes, I’m not in your shoes and I don’t how tu feel and blah, blah… Listen, Arthur, she likes tu and she made that clear, very clear indeed. She was Valiente enough to admit her feelings to tu and she wasn’t ashamed about it. She likes tu for you, Arthur. She likes tu as the person tu are right now and not what tu have been before o will turn out to be in the future. So I think tu should man up and confess your feelings to her too. Hiding o denying your feelings from her isn’t…” Gwaine stops abruptly and sighs. “Isn’t something I’d encourage.” he finishes.
“I made the decision for her, Gwaine, for her future.”
“That’s bull, Arthur. Her future lies with yours and she made it obvious to you. por denying your feelings, tu think you’ve made it easier for her?” Gwaine asks and shakes his head. “No, tu made it even worse for both of you. Let me ask tu something, genius… tu dicho tu kept her best interests in mind before tu made your decision, so… do tu believe she’ll be happy with someone else when she made very clear that it’s tu she likes?”
“I don’t care…”
“You do, Arthur, tu do and it hurts you, which explains all this…” Gwaine says looking around. Merlin listens on patiently.
“What are you…”
“Listen, Arthur… tu think tu made a smart mover but it’s one made with stupid, illogical reasons. I don’t trust any of it, none. Because I know tu and tu are my friend. I know tu like Gwen and we don’t have to hear tu say it to find that out. We can see and we all did. But what we didn’t understand is your decision today. It baffles every one of us. I think you’re pretty puzzled with your decision too, Arthur, only you’re far too proud to admit it. But… like it o not, this is what I have to say. You’re stupid for letting go someone like Gwen from your life. She is different, Arthur, way different than Elena. tu can buscar high and low but you’ll never meet someone like her again. She understands tu as well as appreciates your thoughts, but best, she makes tu smile and that is one rare subject in your life as far as I know. I know she makes tu happy, so… I think this is a mistake, a very stupid mistake. If I can find anyone like Gwen for me, I’d never let her out of my sight,” Gwaine says and pouts.
Arthur didn’t want to answer Gwaine because he is right. In every sense of the word, Gwaine is spot on. Only Arthur didn’t want to admit it. Just like his father, Arthur is too proud to admit his mistakes, so he handles it the only way he knows how: por keeping silent. Arthur’s silence irks Gwaine.
“Fine, Arthur… this is your life and it’s your decision. I have nothing más to say. tu can go ahead and run your life as tu wish.” Gwaine adds.
“Don’t tu want to add anything, Merlin?” Arthur teases wryly, his anger erupting in him like a volcano. Merlin looks at Gwaine and arches his brow, smiling at his friend. Gwaine smiles back.
“I have nothing to say, Arthur, tu told me to hold my words and I’m doing exactly that,” Merlin respuestas as short he can and it upsets Arthur further.
“Fine, I don’t need to listen to anyone… not you, Merlin, o you, Gwaine. This is my decision and I stand por it. End of story.”
“Good for you, Arthur… bravo!” Gwaine claps his hand, furious. Arthur clenches his cheek.
“This is the smartest mover you’ve made in your life, bravo. Look, I don’t know why I’m wasting my breath for you, Arthur. If tu choose to screw your own life, why should I care? I have my own life to run. Come on, Merlin…” Gwaine drags Merlin away before Arthur can say anything.
As the door closes, Arthur pounds the cama in anger and blinks away both his sadness and anger.
Gwen lies on the bed, thinking about Arthur. Like him, she too couldn’t sleep. Lying awake blinking at the ceiling, she recalls today’s events. What an eventful día it has been? When she woke up this morning, all she wanted was to head of to another bright and cheerful day. It almost turned one. Until…
“God, please don’t come back again,” she tells herself, shaking off the thoughts which have been clouding her mind all day. She cannot endure the hurt anymore. She is done crying and cannot afford to shed any más tears. Her eyes hurt and they’re all swelled up. Thankfully, Elyan isn’t at home. If he has seen her like this now, God knows what could have happened. He has left for Carleon last night with Percival to get back to his business. Though his holiday was nearing its end, Elyan was reluctant to leave his sister behind, but unfortunately work was calling both him and Percival to its aid.
Percival’s absence back at Carleon has caused some friction between the company’s executives and with Elyan not around as well, things have gone from bad to worse recently. Elyan’s girlfriend, whom Percival have appointed as their temporary stand in manager, called in last week to reportar on the happenings at the company. And Percival isn’t happy with the way things are and decided to head back all por himself. But Elyan insisted on joining him because he knows Percival could use his help. But he was división, split on leaving Gwen behind because he knows she’d be all alone in this house. But she forced him to leave, saying it was important he took care of his business right now and she’ll be fine here. Elyan promised to return soon and he will bring his girlfriend along this time. Gwen had been excited por the news then but she isn’t at the moment. Right now, she isn’t interested in anything. Gwen turns to her right and her eyes catches the sight of her mobile phone. She has switched it off, fearing Morgana might try to get into contact with her again. Morgana’s been trying to get her all afternoon and though Gwen has ignored the calls and the messages, Morgana isn’t keen on backing down. The phone’s been ringing all evening and into the night. Gwen switched it into silent mode and tossed it away. As determined Morgana was in getting her, Gwen is equally determined to avoid her friend. After battling for hours, the battery went flat and Gwen switched it off. Morgana isn’t going to be happy with this and Gwen will have a lot of answering to do tomorrow.
“Tomorrow is another day,” Gwen reminds herself and sighs deeply. She turns on her back again, her eyes darting to the ceiling once again. She thinks about Arthur.
‘Why did he react like that?’ she thinks, her mind still puzzled por Arthur’s reaction today. He has been very quiet, something Gwen isn’t accustomed to. He should have dicho something, at least dado some sort of reaction, but alas, he’s been exceptionally quiet and Gwen is really bewildered por his silence.
‘What did I say?’ she thinks again. Blinking away the hurt, she sighs sadly. ‘Was he angry with me?’ she asks herself again. pregunta after pregunta plagues her mind, seeking respuestas but she didn’t have any. She didn’t know.
She wants to find out the truth. Why was he reacting like he did today but whom she shall find out from? Merlin? The rest of his friends? Gwen is clueless. She really wants to know why Arthur had been silent, but she knows Merlin will not tell her anything. por now, Arthur would have requested Merlin to keep his silence and his friend would have promised to honour Arthur’s word, so Gwen has no chance with Merlin. But there are the other guys, Arthur’s friends… will they know anything about Arthur’s silence? Gwen doubts they will, but even if they find out, Arthur would have shut them up, too. Gwen has no chance in finding out the truth about Arthur’s silence, unless… unless she finds out from him in person. But he will never speak to her, not after what has happened.
“Damn you, Arthur!!” Gwen pounds her almohada in anger as she thinks of Arthur. “Why didn’t tu talk to me? Why?” she asks again, choking back her tears. “This wasn’t supposed to happen… not like this,” she tells again. A tear rolls down her cheek. She thumbs it off.
Why did she decide on taking Arthur for lunch? And why that diner? There are plenty of other diners around but she chose this one in particular, why? If only she hadn’t done things like she did, all this could have been avoided. Gwen sighs and thumbs off más tears rolling down her cheek. It was supposed to be a lunch date, just the two of them. Gwen decided on that cena, comedor because it holds important meaning to their relationship. The Sunshine Diner’s where they met each other under difficult circumstances and eventually it played a prominent role into their future relationship. And to mark her appreciation, Gwen decided to take Arthur there. And what a bad choice it had been. The arrival of those hooligans, the injuries and pain Arthur and she endured, the aftermath of the incident, Arthur’s silence… everything seems to play like a movie. It’s as if they were in some kind of play, where everything goes according to the script. The only unscripted part of this play is Gwen’s hurt, because she didn’t expect any of this. And it hurts like anything. Clutching her heart, she tosses and turns on the bed. She just wishes she can rewind the clock so that the incident can be avoided. How nice if she had a time machine?
“God, please end this,” she prays to herself and finally, not being able to sleep, she sits up. She pulls the almohada close to her chest and leans on it. She remembers Arthur’s face, all stony and blank. He was expressionless. Gwen couldn’t read anything from his expression and she wonders why. Suddenly as if being pinched, she sits up. Her eyes widen and she clasps her mouth. “Oh my God, can it be…” she asks herself. Could it be the reason why? But he didn’t even flinch when I dicho it, so? Gwen didn’t want to believe it but everything seems possible from all angels. She cups her cheek and sighs, shutting her eyes. “No,” she shakes her head. “No, maybe… perhaps he doesn’t like me the way I do him and… that is why he’s been quiet,” she guesses. It makes sense, all of it. And perfectly, too.
Gwen feels like a fool. There had been a reason behind Arthur’s silence today and maybe this is it. He saw her as a friend but Gwen made the situation worse por confessing her feelings to him. That silenced him because he didn’t know how to tell her that he has no such feelings for her. ‘Crap!’ Gwen feels like knocking herself out. This is embarrassing. Humiliating. How will she ever face him after this? Not that they will cruzar, cruz path anymore but if they do, how will Gwen react? He must be laughing at her right now, thinking how stupid she’d been. Gwen lies back on the cama and bites her lips in frustration. Why did she confess in the first place? She should have kept her mouth shut and walked away from the apartment. She should have listened to her heart. Now look what she made herself. A fool. A bloody fool.
Gwen closes her eyes to shut the ridiculousness she puts herself into and when she reopens them, Arthur’s face pops back up. She smiles through her pain. She misses him already. How will she cope with his absence, how will she forget him? She can’t. She can never do that. It took her a mes to recover from her father’s demise and it will take longer for her to forget Arthur. But he must’ve forgotten her already. Gwen’s corazón aches with the agony of missing him and though she tries to comfort herself saying they were not fated to be together, she wishes fate would do a U-turn and makes him like her like she does him. Gwen sobs softly and blinks away her pain. Sleep is still hard to come by, but she closes her eyes tightly, forcing her sadness to envelope her and take her away.
The siguiente morning …
Aredian stops por reception and leans against the counter, smirking at the receptionist. The receptionist, a young woman in her thirties, smiles at him and stands up courteously.
“Can I help you, sir?” she asks politely. She is a bright young lady with straight hair, cleverly tied into a bun and face beautifully made with minimum make up. She wears the official uniform of the company into which Aredian walked. Aredian smiles at her.
“I’d like to have an audience with Uther Pendragon, he is around?”
“Yes sir, he is, but I’m afraid he is currently engaged in a meeting. tu might need to wait o perhaps tu can leave a message and we will let him know of your arrival?”
“No, I want to meet with him,” Aredian insists.
“But sir, he is in a meeting and…”
“I think tu didn’t hear me very well, I’d like to meet him,” he says again, still smiling. The receptionist becomes unsettled but she remains calm. She is alone at the counter and wishes her partner hasn’t left for his breakfast.
“Then in that case sir, tu might…”
“Now!”
“Sorry, sir?” now the girl is confused.
“I want to meet with him now, sweetheart.”
“But sir…”
“Look, here…” Aredian leans closer and looks at her badge on her uniform. “Cindy, is that your name?”
“Yes, sir,” she is afraid now. Clearly Aredian isn’t one to take no for an answer and Cindy wonders what else he may do if she keeps refusing him the entry.
“Sweet, now… Cindy. I want to meet Uther por any means at all, understand. I don’t give a bloody shit if he’s in the office, meeting, conference… whatever. I just want to meet him and tu are going to arrange that, get it?” he trails his finger along Cindy’s jaw line. The girl shivers. Aredian smiles. He removes his fingers and strokes her cheek instead. Cindy trembles. She just wishes her partner will return. But he hasn’t and there is no one else she can turn for help as well. She is alone and will have to deal with this madman and the situation on her own.
“But, sir…”
“No buts, sweetheart, just get this done for me, all right… I have a very bad temper, and when I get angry I don’t like myself, so… imagine what I might do to tu if I don’t get what I want, understand?”
“Yes, sir… very well, sir. I will get this arranged as soon as possible… if you’d please have a seat…”
“Sure, sweetheart, for tu I will, but don’t tu dare to out smart me, yeah?” Aredian says and flicks Cindy’s nose.
“Of course not, sir,” Cindy says with a forced smile and picks up the telephone, dialing the numbers with trembling fingers. Aredian smiles and walks over to the sofa and sits down. He keeps his eyes fixed on Cindy as she speaks to someone over the line. She says something about Uther and nods and avoids eye contact with Aredian all throughout her conversation. And after five minutes, she gestures for Aredian.
“So?” he asks as he nears her por the counter.
“Please follow me, sir,” Cindy respuestas and circles the counter and leads Aredian ahead to a room on her right. Aredian follows her from the back, his hands casually tucked into his jeans. He looks all around him and smiles only at the female workers while nodding at the male workers. He follows Cindy straight until they reach a glass door. Cindy fishes out a card from her chaqueta pocket, swipes it on the left hand side of the door where a small reader is placed. A beep is heard and the door unlocks. Cindy pulls the door back and steps in, Aredian following closely behind. She leads him to a small flight of steps, they descend it and she walks into a large area, with only two rooms occupying the area. One on the left is empty at the moment but the one on the right has a very familiar figure which makes Aredian smirk. Since it was a glass room, Aredian can see Uther isn’t alone. Cindy walks ahead and as she reaches the room, she gestures for Aredian to wait while she taps on the door. The man with Uther turns around and nods for her to enter. Cindy tosses a quick nervous look at Aredian and walks inside.
“Excuse me, Mr. Pendragon, Mr. Aredian here would like to meet with you.”
“Hmm, so I’ve heard… send him in,” Uther says without looking at her. She nods and walks back outside. Uther flips the document and pouts. He looks up.
“I don’t like the way tu finished the letter, Henry. It has to be a statement, we are running the mostrar and we don’t take orders from anyone, get it? Your letter here merely sounds like we are asking for permission… I don’t like that, understand?”
“Yes, sir, I do. I will get it rewritten.”
“Good, and let me see it the moment tu finish them. And what about the agreement with the Balorian Corps? Have tu done it?”
“Halfway through, sir.”
“Good, I like to read what you’ve done so far.”
“Sure, sir, is there anything else tu need?”
“No, but I’d like some privacy while I speak with my friend, so no interruption until I’ve let tu know.”
“Sure, sir,” Henry respuestas and walks out, clutching his documents tightly as Aredian walks in. Henry waits for Aredian to step in before closing the door behind him, giving the guys inside full privacy.
“You have a very nice office, Uther, I like it,” Aredian says, looking around in awe. Uther slams a heavy book on the table, getting Aredian’s attention. Aredian pouts teasingly.
“I thought I made it very clear that I don’t like tu here, Aredian. We have a place to meet and until I say so, tu don’t demand any audience with me… what’s the importance?” Uther clearly didn’t like this meeting and he isn’t afraid to mostrar it.
Aredian laughs, wipes his glasses and takes his asiento on the sofa, facing Uther. “Nice to see tu too, Uther,” he says.
“Look Aredian…”
“I am not here to waste your time, Uther, but to provide tu very valid information.”
“About whom?” Uther asks uninterestedly.
“Your son.”
“What about him?” Uther sits up straight, his brow arching in confusion.
“Don’t tu know?”
“What?” Uther is getting scared por now. What is Aredian trying to tell him, he wonders. This man here is ill news and if he’s here to meet him, it can surely mean he brought bad news with him.
“Your son was hurt in a fracas at the Sunshine Diners yesterday, he was beaten up quite badly, I came to learn.”
“What?” Uther stands up. His face is startled. He reaches for the telephone.
“Relax, he is all right,” Aredian assures. But Uther isn’t convinced. He dials for his receptionist.
“Get me Merlin, now!” he orders and slams the receiver down. He turns back towards Aredian.
“What happened? How… why?”
“No one told tu about this?”
“No, how and what happened?” Uther pesters. Aredian swipes the speck of dust on his sleeve and takes his time before answering Uther. “Spit t out Aredian!”
“Two ruffians created mayhem at the Diners and meddled with Arthur and his girlfriend, so… in the commotion he was hurt. I thought tu knew. Surprised, usually this sort of news doesn’t elude you, considering your position.”
“I didn’t know! No one told me, not even Merlin!”
“Can’t blame anyone here, Uther, it was shocking news, after all,” Aredian checks his fingernails.
“How do tu know?”
“A little bird told me…”
Uther slams his fist on the table, stopping Aredian’s tease halfway. “I’ve got no time for your games… How do tu know?” Uther hisses, his face dark with anger.
“How wouldn’t I know Uther… I sent those guys,” Aredian says calmly. Uther staggers back in shock.
“What the… WHY?” Uther can barely complete a sentence.
Aredian laughs loudly. “Why? Because tu told me too, that’s why!”
Uther is confused. What in the world is Aredian blabbering about. When did he give orders to harm Arthur? He will never harm his own son, let alone give out instruction which will put his son in harm’s way. Aredian has clearly lost it. “What rubbish are tu talking about, Aredian? When did I tell tu to harm my son?”
“Not him… but the girl,” Aredian corrects Uther.
“I didn’t ask tu to harm her.”
“Oh, Uther, Uther, Uther,” Aredian gets up and sighs deeply. “You are getting old, tu know,” he says and walks towards Uther. “You told me, well let me rephrase what tu said… tu said, Aredian… my son is seeing someone and I don’t approve of that relationship. So, get her off him.” Aredian reminds Uther. “Remember?” he stands opposite Uther with his hands firmly on his hips.
“I dicho get the girl off my son, that is all. Not hurt him!”
“You dicho use any means possible… and I used the one I knew well. tu did not think I was going to sit down with Arthur and propose a deal, did you?” Aredian snorts.
Uther becomes speechless. He didn’t know what to say. He turns back and walks to the bar counter, uncorks a decanter and pours himself half a glass of brandy, drains it down in a gulp and turns back to meet Aredian. Why in the world did he trust this nut to get the job done for him? And why didn’t Aredian consult with him before he set his plan in motion? Why? Uther closes his eyes and sucks in his breath. He feels faint. He reopens his eyes. They are bloodshot.
“You idiot! They could have killed my son!! What in the world were tu thinking?” he shouts with all the strength he can muster. He walks back to his table, pounds his fist angrily on it.
“Relax, Uther… they wouldn’t. They knew their instructions clearly. Besides, they are professionals, so… they didn’t. They only had to hurt him a little harder than usual to make it believable, that’s all.”
“This is madness, Aredian! tu went way over the line this time,” Uther hisses angrily. Aredian laughs.
“Uther, tu told me what tu wanted and get it done por all means so… I’m just following your request, that’s all. And now you’re angry with me because I did as tu asked?”
“You could have spared my son!”
“Your son was in the way, Uther, so believe me, it was difficult for us as well, not just you.”
“Why didn’t tu talk this out with me?”
“And spoil the plan? No way, sir… I got this all planned out well and will not jeopardize my men merely for your son’s safety… look; Arthur isn’t badly hurt, all right? We didn’t mean to harm him at all and if he endured worse then it was from his own doing, not ours.”
“And that girl… what did tu do to her? tu didn’t harm her, did you?”
“Are tu concerned about her, Uther?”
“I don’t want to answer the police if they come looking for me, that’s all. I’ve enough trouble on my hands when Arthur killed a man at the cena, comedor so any más trouble will spell disaster for my reputation. Tell me tu didn’t harm her, please.”
“Don’t worry, we just went in there to scare her and could have succeeded if it wasn’t for your son’s heroics. I think that boy has his corazón set on her, Uther. tu should have seen him fighting for her and considering his blindness, he fought rather bravely, I must say. And that girl… I think she reciprocates his feelings because she was willing to fight for him as he does her. Quite a match they were,” Aredian informs Uther.
“It was exactly like I feared,” Uther says, shaking his head.
“I think they complement each other quite well, Uther, why do tu hate them o the girl? She seems to match your son and I can see why he is drawn to her. She is quite a beauty, though Arthur can’t see her, and…”
“Did your plan… work?” Uther interrupts Aredian, his voice annoyed. He hates Gwen and sent Aredian to make sure she doesn’t get anywhere near Arthur and now Aredian is praising her.
“Sort of, I think.”
“What do tu mean por that?” Uther is getting annoyed.
“You told us to get her off him and we went in there to do just that. The plan was to run her off somewhere, threaten her and let her free, but your son’s intervention sort of changed our plan and we ended up hurting them both.”
“That’s all?”
“Yeah”
“That’s all tu and your men could muster? And is that why I paid a fortune for?” Uther snorts and throws his hands up in the air in frustration. “Your actions will not get the girl off him but tighten their relationship further. Do tu have any idea what tu may have helped to create, Aredian? tu didn’t help me, but them! tu helped them to merge closer… and I paid tu for that!” Uther shouts angrily. He picks his crystal goblet from the mesa, tabla and smashes it on the ground.
“Look, Uther, I know it isn’t what tu had in mind but I think there is still chance of tu getting back in your son’s good book right now. Use this situation as your springboard to his heart.”
“What do tu mean, Aredian?”
“I understand tu and your son share a very cool relationship, but right now he is hurt, and he could use family right now. tu are his only family and I am sure if tu mostrar him a bit of amor and care, tu can make him forget that girl.”
“Carry on,” Uther orders. Aredian licks his lips and tilts his head.
“Talk to him like a father. Make him your best interest and ask him what happened and how can tu rectify your past mistakes. Earn his amor and respect and give him what he craves most from you. And when you’ve earned his trust, tu can slowly make your point with him. tu can ask him to do anything in the world and he will do it, once he’s earned your love. He will forget that girl and become whoever tu want him to be. Isn’t that much better than all this?”
“Good, Aredian… very good indeed!” Uther smiles. He likes the plan and he can see what Aredian’s talking about. Uther knows his son wants his father’s amor and craves it all this while, only Uther hasn’t had the time to give it to him. But now is the right time and Uther doesn’t want to waste any más seconds. But there is one problem, though.
“But what about the girl? What if she’s there and Arthur wants me to accept her? After all, tu brought them closer didn’t you?”
“If Arthur does that than, we will have to switch to plan B”
“What’s plan B?”
“Send her to heaven, off course.”
“No, Aredian! I will not have blood on my hands. tu have to find another way to rid her but no más death!”
“Fine, but why not convince your son first and then we will discuss about the girl?” Aredian suggests.
“Fine… but the siguiente time tu decide to harm anyone, please let me know first.”
“Right, boss,” Aredian salutes Uther.
“Where are your men now?”
“Where they are expected to be, in the cells of course.”
“They’ve been caught?”
“Don’t look too scared, Uther, they will not spit a word, not even if their lives at stake. Besides, they don’t know tu are behind this… they only know one name and that’s mine. So, tu should only be worried if I get caught,” Aredian smiles.
“Are tu threatening me, Aredian? Remember whom tu are speaking to,” Uther reminds Aredian.
“Of course I do, Uther. tu are my good friend and one whom I can rely upon financially, but I’m just saying tu should be worried if I get caught because I have such a lousy big mouth… and the only thing that shuts it is money. tu take care of me, Uther, and all your secrets are seguro with me. Please don’t think I’m threatening, my friend, I will never do that, not to you. It’s a friendly reminder, that’s all.”
Uther opens his mouth to speak but gets interrupted when the telephone rings. Uther glares at Aredian and clicks on the loudspeaker button. The receptionist on the other side of the line speaks.
“Merlin is on the line, sir. Shall I put him through?”
Uther looks up at Aredian and smiles. “Yes,” he respuestas shortly.
