Unbelievable
When the traveling performers came to Camelot, the newly crowned King Arthur thought that now would be a good time for a celebration and invited them into the castle. During Dinner, the acrobats leaped and tumbled, dancers danced, and two singers sang ballad after ballad for the audience.
The singers were a beautiful pair, one tall and fair with pale grey eyes and a deep blue gown and the other petite and dark, with vibrant green eyes and a vivid red dress. They were lively and funny, often telling short stories and jokes between acts. It was obvious the blond was the troupe's leader, as she often announced the upcoming performances. Both singers also flirted with Merlin in an overly familiar way that was beginning to irritate Arthur. Merlin, for his part didn't seem to mind the singers' advances, remaining completely oblivious to the underlying meaning of the women' words.
Finally dinner was drawing to an end and the lead singer stood before her audience and announced "Traditionally, our troop's final act is a story. Tonight we wish to tell one of our favorites, a tale so unbelievable that it can't not be true."
A quiet murmur ran through the crowd at that bold announcement, and many nobles leaned in just a slight bit. The other singer tugged Merlin to the front of the room to sit with her for the tale as her fair companion backed up to sandwich him between them.
The dark singer surprisingly was the one to begin the story. "I grew up in a small village near Yr Aran. You may recall some years back the false king, Vortigern attempted to set up a keep there."
Growls and angry murmurs spread through the audience at the thought of Vortigern, who staged a coup and for a time was false ruler of a minor kingdom. The crowd quickly quieted however, to allow the singer to continue her story.
"The land Vortigern attempted to build on is cursed, nothing lives there, nothing stands there, and nothing will ever stay there." She continued. "But Vortigern would here none of it. He wanted his keep there and he would have it. So he summoned his wise men, his prophets, and his magicians and they all said the same thing, 'Find the bastard son from the ancestors and sacrifice him on the mountain and the curse shall be lifted.' Now, my village knew that wasn't true, and I think most of his people knew this wasn't true, but Vortigern is gullible and so he sent out men to find the boy. Amazingly they actually found one."
At this time the storyteller elbowed Merlin in the stomach rather hard. Glaring at her Merlin elbowed back and opened his mouth to speak.
"So these riders come into my village looking for a bastard son, and I have no problem admitting I never knew my father, nor did he marry my mother. And they just pick me up and throw me over a horse and ride off."
At this point Merlin had to stop to let the audience settle. Arthur, too was shocked, but he knew how well Merlin lied, and could tell that Merlin spoke the truth.
"They take me to Yr Aran and present me to Vortigern. Now the men that grabbed me were very talkative and between being kidnapped and reaching Vortigern, I knew the whole story of what was about to happen to me, a little more since I had heard the legend on how to lift the curse of Yr Aran. I don't wanna die, and I didn't then, so when we reached Vortigern I did what I am good at, talked him out of it."
Arthur snorted in amusement along with most of the room's occupants. Talking was about the only thing the manservant did well.
"I don't even remember what I said, but he was convinced, a little too convinced, he wound up thinking I was a sorcerer or a seer because I knew everything and was going to give me to Uther. At the time I didn't know who that was, just that Uther was not my mom and I was twelve and wanted to go home please."
The audience chuckled again with the irony of Merlin as a sorcerer there was no way the boy was a sorcerer. Merlin inclined his head to the blond singer to continue the tale.
"I arrived in the town maybe half an hour before Merlin. I had been traveling with another troupe, but recently had quit and was looking for work. Then this commotion starts in the main square and everyone goes to check it out and there is Vortigern with a boy standing before him telling him about how a sacrifice won't save the keep and some other stuff about not killing the boy. So I turn to the girl next to me and ask what's going on."
"And I explain about Vortigern trying to build a keep on cursed ground" the dark singer chimes in.
"About the time she finishes her story," The fair singer continues, "Vortigern announces what he's going to do with the poor boy he somehow thinks is a sorcerer. I mean everyone could see he wasn't but I believe he was trying to save face on the fact that he kidnapped a little boy. I, unlike young Merlin, knew exactly what was going to happen to the poor boy and didn't want to see him die over Vortigern's stupidity. So I march right through the crowd and throw my arms around Merlin and scream 'where have you been?' which startles the whole crowd. Vortigern wants to know who I am and I tell him I'm a traveling singer and this is my younger brother, he plays the part of wise magician in my troupe."
"Now I think Jenny here's insane, but I agree that saving the boy is the thing to do" the Dark Singer picks up. "So I push my way through the crowd and stand next to them and go 'Thank god you found him' like I'm part of the troupe too. The big surprise is I'm not the only one who thinks this and a few other people push through the crowd, enough people to start a troupe. And so now there is a troupe of 'players' protecting this boy from Vortigern, and calling his men liars for abducting one of our 'members'. None of this is true, but Gullible Vortigern don't know that."
Merlin picks up the story there with "I was just relieved there were people between me and him, and they actually sounded convincing. So I kept my mouth shut, because we know what a terrible liar I am."
This got another laugh from the audience, who knew quite well how poorly Merlin lied. Some of the court sat a little straighter then realizing that Merlin wasn't lying now, meaning this fantastic story was true.
Jenny finishes the tale from there. "The entire 'troupe' was then asked to leave the area, for making the king look like a fool, and we just stuck together as we brought Merlin home. Turns out we had some real talent in the group with musicians, singers, dancers, and even a tumbler so we actually stuck together. By the time we arrived in Ealdor, the Troupe was finalized so we said goodbye to Merlin and have been Players ever since. This unbelievable story is the basis for our toupee's name, Unbelievable."
The hall was quiet with awe, until Arthur shook his head and asked "Merlin, how do you get yourself into these messes?"
Merlin's mouth quirked, "I'm just lucky I guess."