So, this is my first (and possibly only) Merlin story, and is my version of a reveal story. It's been in my head for about a year, and mostly written out for about as long. This is set between season two and three, after Morgana is taken by Morgause. I may not be updating it all that much; but will try for one every three weeks or so. I hope you enjoy. Each chapter will be from a different character's point of view. This one, is Leon's.
It had been a successful hunt, despite Merlin's clumsiness. Sir Leon looked over the fire at the food as it cooked. The haul had consisted of four plump bunnies and a grouse. The rabbits caught by Prince Arthur and Sir Leon were now in a stew, that was slowly cooking in a pot thanks to Merlin, who had somehow caught the grouse. He may be clumsy, but the young man knew how to cook. Must be because of growing up where he did in a small village. The grouse had been slowly roasted over the fire and eaten while waiting for Merlin's wonderful stew. They would have had a deer as well, but Arthur had only wanted enough for the three of them. If they happened upon another deer before they had to return tomorrow, they would take it back for the kitchens. Or the lower town if Merlin complained too much about carrying it (which would totally be the point of said complaining).
Sir Leon turned from the fire and looked back behind him as he heard footsteps. Merlin came into view with an arm full of sticks and thicker branches. Once he got the fire going and the food prepped, he had headed off to find more wood. Arthur had tended to the horses in the absence of his manservant.
Leon smiled to himself as he watched the Prince give his horse a final pat on the nose. Eighteen months ago, Arthur would have done nothing but sit in front of the fire and issued orders. It seems having Merlin around back-chatting him and calling him a, what was the word he had used, a dollop-head, had sat Arthur back on his haunches. Finally having someone who wasn't a bootlicker and told him what he needed to hear and not what he wanted to hear was making a better man out of the young prince.
It was also making the future king take on more duties as more and more often, much to the annoyance and worry of King Uther, it was just the Prince and Merlin that headed into the woods with no extra guards or servants. And despite the prince's words that Merlin was often found in a daze or on the ground after an ambush, Arthur would praise the younger man for not only warning him of someone coming from behind, but most important of all, not running away, like others had in the past. And sometimes the untrained servant would be seen with a sword in his hands, and a man dead at his feet. Leon knew he would never let Merlin know how pleased and proud he was to have someone like Merlin as his servant.
The only reason that Leon was with them now was that Merlin knew that the area Arthur planned to hunt in that day had reports of bandits. Leon had been in the stables giving his horse a treat when Merlin had come in to saddle his and the prince's horses. At first Arthur had been annoyed at Merlin for interrupting the knight's day. Once he said he had nothing planned and hadn't been on a hunt for some time, Arthur was pleased to have him along, if only so Merlin would have someone else to annoy with his endless prattle.
"How's it looking Sir Leon?" Merlin asked as he dumped the pile of wood next to the fire.
"Good, I think, though you'll tell me otherwise."
"Nope, looks just about done, I'll just toss in these mushrooms I found, and it'll be ready in ten minutes."
"If you think I'm going to eat something you found out in the woods, Merlin," Arthur started to say as he came back from the horses before Merlin cut him off.
"Where do you think grouse came from Arthur?" Merlin turned his head to look at his master, and Leon swore there was a look of 'really Arthur?' on his face along with a cheeky grin. After a moment, he turned back to the pot and gave it another stir as Leon and Arthur shared a look.
It was while Merlin was washing the plates and pots in a nearby stream, that Leon asked "Arthur, may I ask why you keep Merlin around? The man talks back to you, insults you." Leon wanted to hear his Prince's answer, "Not to mention you are heard repeatedly saying he is the most lazy servant of all time."
Arthur didn't answer right away. He gazed in the direction his servant had gone and thought about it a moment. "Every other servant I've ever had has always sought to please me in every way because I am the Prince, to the point where I can't stand to have them around. Merlin, as you've pointed out, doesn't see me as the Prince, he sees me as 'an arrogant clot-pole'."
"What is that by the way?" Leon asked.
"No idea," he tossed the stick he had been playing with into the fire, watching the embers fly into the night sky before continuing, "point is, he tells me what needs to be done, not just agreeing to what I'm told to do. You've seen him, he makes me see what is the right thing to be done. My father has lost touch with his people a little. Merlin helps me to see them and knows what they like to see their Prince do."
"Yes he is just about the worst servant I've ever had, but he's a good adviser, and possibly, the best friend I've ever had. You tell him that, and I'll have you in the stocks for a week." Arthur looked pointedly at him as he stood and moved around to another part of the fire.
Leon smiled. Merlin really was changing the prince, as not too long ago, he would have been thrown out of the kingdom. On the other hand, not too long ago, Arthur would have never thought a servant could ever be his friend. As the third member of their party returned and put the dinner dishes away, they settled down and got comfy for the night, the night sounds of the forest settling with them.
As soon as they got sorted, Merlin and Arthur got into it over something that had started earlier that day. As he expected, it was Arthur that started it. "See Merlin, I told you there was nothing to be worried about. The reports were just that, reports, nothing to them."
"There could have been. The King would have been furious with me if something had happened and I didn't ask Sir Leon along. At least I managed to convince you to put on the mail."
Leon tuned them out a little and looked around. He noticed that Merlin always called him Sir Leon. He guessed it was because he had always been kind to the boy.
He thought back to the first time he had met him. From what he knew, Merlin had been serving the Prince about six months. He, himself had been at Camelot for several years; when Arthur had asked him along on a patrol one week. It was the second night that Leon noticed it. Once again Merlin had returned from looking after the horses, seen that there was no dinner left and pulled something from his saddle bag to eat. Leon went over and asked him if he had anything, at first the boy denied it.
"Merlin? Have you had any supper?" Leon pressed, placing a hand on his shoulder gently.
"No. I was ordered to see to the horses and when I got back, the pot was empty." Leon heard the sound of resignation in his voice. Clearly it was something that happened a lot.
Leon asked, "Who ordered you?" As he knew it hadn't been Arthur.
"I don't know." Merlin answered, but he was looking over at the other knights.
Leon nodded and was about to say something when one of the others spotted his second helping still sitting next to the fire.
"Hey Leon, you going to eat this?"
"Actually, I was saving it for Merlin, he hasn't had any yet since he had to look after the horses again." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the younger man look at him in astonishment. He had added the last bit on to see Arthur's reaction; he was rewarded when he saw Arthur snap his head up and look at his servant. As Leon made his way over to his plate he noticed Arthur had turned his attention to Sir Blewett.
On his return to Merlin with the plate, he heard Arthur say "Since Merlin has looked after us and the horses before himself, he gets out of dish duty. Blewett, gather them up and clean them, and once Merlin's finished his, clean and return Leon's plate as well."
After that, Leon had noticed that Arthur always made sure that he set a plate aside for Merlin and that someone attended to the horses while Merlin started dinner. That was also around the time when the Prince started to leave the castle on hunts with just Merlin. He tuned back into the conversation when Merlin called Arthur's name in a low voice. Leon looked over at the servant, as the tone was worried.
"Merlin, is this another one of your funny feelings?" Arthur replied in an exasperated voice, clearly another thing that was long standing.
"No, Arthur, look out!" Faster than Leon thought possible, Merlin leapt up, crossed the clearing and leapt over Arthur. The clatter of leather armour and two grunts of pain alerted the two men that someone was there as both Merlin and the assailant disappeared over the small rise behind the prince.
Leon and Arthur jumped up with Arthur's cry of "Merlin!" Leon drew his sword and saw Arthur go to draw his own, only to realise that somehow Merlin had grabbed it as he flew past. Racing across to where Merlin's gear was, he pulled the spare sword kept with it and attacked the man coming toward him. The group consisted of a dozen men, and with only the two of them, neither could spare a thought for the servant. The fighting was fierce, but as both he and the Prince were well trained, it wasn't long before the men left alive were fleeing. Leon heard a noise behind him and looked for a second and saw Merlin scramble over the rise, Arthur's sword still in his hand, though it now had blood on it.
Seeing that the lad was ok, he finished off the bandit he was fighting. As the man hit the ground, he heard two sounds he wished to never hear again.
The first was the shattering of metal. The second was of Merlin's cry.
"Arthur!" It was full of anguish as Merlin raced toward his master. Leon turned and saw that one of the men had managed to shatter the spare sword and in the moment of Arthur's confusion, had speared him. Merlin attacked the man and pushed him back a couple of paces, enough to collapse next to him.
"Arthur!?" Merlin cradled his head and before Leon could take two steps to finish off the bandit, Merlin let out a cry of anger, anguish and terror, his eyes flashing gold. The bandit flew several dozen metres before hitting a tree, the sounds of broken bones and the fact the man never moved again making it clear he was dead.
Leon froze a moment as he wrapped his head around what had happened. Merlin had flung the man with magic; but more than that, he had done it without uttering a single word. He took a couple of steps toward the younger men, Merlin looking up at him in terror. Whether at the thought that Arthur was dead, or what Leon himself would now do, he didn't know. What he did know, was that Merlin was the only one who could save him.
"Merlin? Can you save him?" Leon laid his sword down and saw a little of the terror leave the servant's eyes. He nodded and looked for his bag. Leon headed to it and brought it over.
"The only way is with magic, you ok with me using it on him?"
"Do it." Leon left the man to it and hauled the bodies over the rise that Merlin had vanished over earlier. He looked at him every time he passed with another body. Of the twelve that had attacked them, only five had escaped. After Leon had dumped the last one, he returned to Merlin's side. "Anything I can do?"
Merlin looked at him a moment before shaking his head and focusing again on Arthur. He hadn't stopped saying incantations since he got to work. At least the bleeding had stopped, and some colour had returned to the Prince. Leon, now at a loose end, simply watched.
It had been almost half an hour since he had gone down when Leon noticed Arthur's eyes flutter open, just as Merlin's own eyes glowed gold as he finished his latest spell. Leon was about to tell Arthur not to be afraid, but the Prince moved faster. His hand still held the shattered end of the sword and as he rolled away, he brought it up to ward Merlin off. As the blade came up, it sliced open the servant's arm.
