Title: A Prince's Journey
Film prompt: A Knight's Tale
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin, (slight) Lancelot/Gwen
Rating: PG-13 (not what I thought it would be, but there you go)
Warnings: Um, not much, maybe fluff? Jousting and sword play. AU.
Spoilers: None for Merlin, based on A Knight's Tale so slightly spoilerish for that.
A/N – Written for the reel_merlin challenge. Huge thanks to my beta, ash_1212 for going over this a few times. I didn't think I'd actually get this finished. But, yay!, proven wrong.
Summary - It may be the end of the line for Sir Kanan, but for his young squire, Arthur, it is only the beginning (based on the movie A Knight's Tale)

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Prologue

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"Balinor, you must take him!" the woman said, thrusting the bundle into the knight's arms.

"Your majesty, I can't," Balinor replied, adrenaline pumping through him, as he looked over the Queen's shoulder, seeing the broken carriage, the men he had slain to save her, the men who were supposed to be protecting her slain beside them.

"You must," she said, gripping his arm tightly, almost to the point of pain. "Listen to the noise, Balinor, there are too many for you to fight. They will kill us all. You must take him, raise him as one of your stable boys, keep him safe."

"I will take him to the King," he said immediately, pulling the bundle closer to him, relieved that the boy had somehow managed to sleep through all the commotion.

"No," the Queen said, shaking her head. "No, Gaius … he told me that he would be in danger, to hide him away until he was older, but I didn't listen. They'll try again; he needs to be a man when he comes back, in order to take the throne. That's what Gaius said, said that he can't survive without the person his destiny is entwined with."

Looking down into the young Prince's face, the knight swallowed hard, the Prince's hair already golden like his mother's, his eyes, when he was awake, as blue as hers too. If he did take him, he would have to make him a servant. Any nobleman who looked closely would see the resemblance to the Queen, and so would know who he was. But if they thought he was just another servant, they would barely look close enough to notice he was a boy. The young Prince could never return to Camelot, not until he was old enough to defend himself.

"We'll all go together," he replied desperately, trying one last time to convince the Queen.

"No," she whispered, shaking her head, eyes filling with tears. "They … they will find us. I must stay here, protect you and ..."

She trailed off as the sound of hooves grew louder. Taking a step closer, she muffled a sob as she ran her fingers through her son's hair, leaning down and laying a gentle kiss to his brow.

"Go," she said, stepping away and picking up a bow and arrow, threading the bow. "Now, before it's too late."

"He will know you, your Majesty," Balinor said, as he mounted his steed, his heart clenching at the sight of his Queen with the weapons in her hands. Looking at her, he could see why the King had fallen in love with her, had fought so hard for her hand. She was everything they could ever hope for in a Queen.

Every part of him was telling him to stop, to stay and fight; he was a knight after all. But he knew what she said was the truth, and if he couldn't protect the Queen, he would protect the young Prince, until the time was right for him to take his rightful place.

"Goodbye, Arthur," he heard her whisper, as he stirred the horse to gallop.

It wasn't until he got to the woods that he turned and saw a sight that would stay with him for ever; his Queen shooting down the men who came to take her life, strong and brave until the very end, when one of the men managed to close enough to capture her.

He didn't have long now, not long before they realized that the Prince wasn't there. They wouldn't think to look for him if he managed to escape. He hadn't been traveling with the party officially, had come across them on the road, just after they had been attacked, and had managed to slay the men who had been about to kill his Queen and Prince.

Galloping away, he decided that Arthur could stay with Lancelot and his mother. The woman would treat Arthur like one of her own, and he would become his squire when he was old enough.

"Welcome to your new life, Arthur," he whispered.

The baby slept on.

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A/N - As always let me know what you thought :D