Gwaine and the Necklace:
Healing
By
Aranna Undomiel
Okay, so this is written in response to Mrs. Bonners challenge to write a story about the origins of Gwaine's necklace. This one will compete in the One-shot competition, so if you liked it, please leave me a signed review, as those will count at the end ;D
I have heard the rumour that the necklace belongs to Eion Macken, so if it does, this story was not meant to be insulting in any way, it is just written to make my muse be quiet again, as she's been bugging me constantly since I read the challenge…
Hope you'll enjoy!
Slowly opening the door, the heat and the smell of sweat, beer and baked meat and grease assaulted his nostrils, as he scanned the faces of the people inside the bar, until his gaze landed on the person he was looking for. It had been quite some time since he had been here. But after everything that had happened the last couple of weeks, Merlin figured he shouldn't have been too surprised. And he hadn't been, not really, after all, with Gwaine, nothing was ever regular in the way things went. But it was the look on the face of the tavern's serving boy that had made him hurry here. When the boy explained why his mother had sent him to get Merlin, he had immediately grabbed his jacket and followed him back to the tavern.
Gwaine had been drinking more than usual, even going so far as harassing some of the other visitors of the tavern. Merlin sighed, things had been difficult lately. Not only the attack on the castle and Gwaine having been captured, or more to the point, having let himself get captured so Merlin and Arthur could escape from Morgana and her men. But even before that, their friendship had dwindled; things were not as easy as they were at the beginning. Ever since their encounter with the Lamia, their friendship had changed, and Merlin knew he was as much to blame as Gwaine. But he could not help but remember the fear he'd felt when Gwaine had threatened him; he knew the other man had been under a spell at the time, but his body continued to respond in fear every time Gwaine came near him after that…
Moving closer to the table in the corner Gwaine was sitting at, he caught the man's eye, seeing them widen in surprise before the familiar scowl from the last weeks returned to his face. Gwaine slammed his tankard down on the table and stood up, swaying slightly as he did so, before moving past him, roughly pushing him aside. Merlin tried to get a hold of him, but Gwaine simply shrugged his hand off and walked out. Merlin hesitated for a moment, nearly able to feel the anger coming in waves of the Knight, before his hand closed around the object tucked safely inside his pocket. Stealing himself, he followed the other man outside, startled to find the road in front of the pub empty…
Groaning, Merlin scanned the area; leave it to Gwaine to make things difficult. Finally his gaze fell on the darkest corner of the square, or more precisely, the bench standing there and the person on it, head buried in his hands. Moving over slowly, he tried not to startle Gwaine into action. He had heard the stories of Gwaine's fights for his life with Morgana's men, in order to get some food for Elyan and Gaius. The dark-haired Knight had defeated every man Morgana had thrown at him, taunting and teasing them as he engaged them in fight. At first, Gwaine had resorted to knocking them out, or wounding his opponents so they could not continue the fight. But according to the stories Merlin had heard, during one fight, as Gwaine had jumped back from a wild swing of a sword, the tip of the sword had slashed across his chest, cutting through everything before reaching the Knight's flesh. The sword has also cut through the metal chain Gwaine had been wearing. The items hanging on the chain had been scattered, rolling away across the floor of the Throne Room.
Witnesses of the moment said Morgana's men had tried to stop Gwaine from collecting those items, paying for this with their life. They said a cold fury had seemingly consumed the Knight, his eyes lifeless as he killed 10 of his attackers and wounded 5 more, before Morgana knocked him into a pillar…
Since that moment, Morgana used the items that used to hang on the chain to turn Gwaine in every way she wanted. The Knight changed during all those fights, he distanced himself from the world, fighting and killing to get them back, but never reaching his goal…After being freed from prison, Gwaine had distanced himself from the other Knights, spending many hours in the Throne Room, staring at the ground. Anyone who dared to interrupt him could expect a snarled answer, at the least, and after one day of this, the inhabitants of Camelot knew to stay away from him, Merlin including. He felt slightly guilty for this, knowing something was wrong, but he saw in Gwaine the same coldness he had seen when he had been under the spell of the Lamia and so he stayed away too. Until now…
He stopped when he was a few metres away. "Gwaine?" Getting no reaction, he inched closer. "Hey, Gwaine!" The dark figure raised his head at this, grunting something that sounded vaguely like "Leave me alone". "Come on Gwaine, let's get you home, I think you've had enough for today" Merlin placed a hand lightly on the Knight's shoulder, startled as Gwaine stood up swiftly, coming up in front of him. "Oh so now you care? What changed since the last couple of weeks?" Anger was clear in his voice, as he stalked past Merlin.
"Yeah, you're right" Merlin agreed "And I'm sorry Gwaine, I really am. It's just, since the Lamia…I know it's not fair to blame you, you were under her spell when you threatened me, but to me it didn't feel like that. You threatened me Gwaine, I was afraid to even move a muscle, scared that you would hurt me. And I know you don't remember anything that happened, but I do…" Merlin sighed, finally looking up from the ground, to see that Gwaine had stopped and had turned back to him. "Merlin…" Gwaine came closer, trying to catch his gaze. "You should have said something! I've been wondering for weeks what I had done wrong, why you were acting so strange around us, around me…I'm sorry for what happened, for what I did then, Merlin, even if I can't remember it. You know I would never intentionally hurt you, don't you? You're my first and best friend…" The light of the moon shone on their faces and Merlin could see the sincerity on the Knight's face. Merlin nodded, feeling a little lighter somehow. He grinned at Gwaine, earning himself one back, but he noticed it never reached the other man's eyes. He took in the slumped shoulders, the dark circles around Gwaine's eyes, the lines of pain and fatigue etched into his face. Merlin wondered if Gwaine had slept at all since the castle had been taken over a couple of days ago, but he guessed not. "Gwaine, are you alright?" Gwaine shrugged, turning around and walking back towards the castle. Startled momentarily, Merlin started a short jog to catch up with him, feeling the contents of his pockets bouncing along with his movements. He had forgotten about it! Reaching inside his pocket, he called out to Gwaine: "Gwaine, wait!" Gwaine clearly hesitated, but stopped nonetheless, waiting for Merlin to catch up. "Here…" Merlin held out his closed hand towards Gwaine, who looked at it with a confused frown on his face. "It's yours…" Gwaine's confusion only grew, but he held out his hand, palm opened. Merlin turned his hand and carefully placed the contents on the outstretched palm. Moonlight caught the two objects in Gwaine's hand and the Knight's eyes grew large, staring at the chain holding a silver crescent and a golden ring…
Slowly tracing the forms with his other hand, Gwaine looked at Merlin, who was shocked by the many emotions he could see swirling around in those dark, now slightly moist, eyes.
Suddenly two strong arms encircled him, hugging him fiercely. "Uhm Gwaine, air?" Gwaine laughed at this, thumping him on the back once before letting him go. The bright smile on the Knight's face almost outshone the moon above them and Merlin couldn't help but grinning along. "How…what?" Gwaine stammered, staring at the pendant in his hand. Merlin laughed, feeling almost ridiculously proud he had rendered the most talkative Knight speechless for a few moments. "I found the ring and the crescent when I was searching through the rubble from the roof that fell on Morgana. I guess she must have lost them as that happened and didn't think to pick them back up. I couldn't find the chain, so I asked Elyan to make a new one, I hope that's okay?" Gwaine nodded, shaking his head at the same time, in disbelief. He breathed out slowly, "I thought I would never see these things again…Thank you, Merlin, I'll never forget this!" Merlin just shrugged at this, happy to see his friend being back to his old self, the spring back to his step as he walked towards the tavern. "Come on Merlin! This round's on me!" Merlin grinned, shaking his head at the Knight's antics, before following his friend back inside.
Sounds slightly diminished as Gwaine re-entered, the owner looking up from behind the bar, waiting to see in what mood the Knight had returned. But at Merlin's two raised thumbs as he stepped in behind him, she returned to polishing the surface of the bar in front of her. Gwaine had taken his seat at the same table from before, staring at the chain in his hand, turning the ring and crescent over and over, still not believing them to be really there. Merlin took a seat opposite of him, as two beers were placed in front of them. Gwaine raised his tankard, clanking it against Merlin's in a cheer, before taking a long sip. "Thank you Merlin" He said once again.
"Why are they so important, Gwaine" Merlin asked, curiousness getting the best of him. Gwaine studied him for a moment, the internal debate on whether to tell him or not clear on his face. Gwaine sighed, taking another sip of his drink, rubbing a hand across his face, shoulders slumping slightly. "Fine…but you spill any of this to anyone else; there will be hell to pay. Understood? Wouldn't want to damage my rep with the ladies…" Merlin nodded vigorously, huge smile spreading over his face.
"Well, remember last time we talked about family, I told you my father was a Knight of Carleon and that when he died he left my mother with nothing?" Merlin nodded again, remembering their conversation over the polishing of many, many boots. Gwaine continued, "My father was a Noble alright, but I never said that my mother was too, or that she was his wife, for that matter. My mother, Alys, lived in the village next to his castle. She always said he swept her off her feet…" A wistful smile appeared on Gwaine's face. "And he did, quite literally…She was walking towards the market one day, when my father came barrelling around the corner, knocking her over. It was love at first sight for both of them, but there were so many reasons they could not be together. First off all, he was already married, an arranged wedding for strategic matters, but married nonetheless. And then there was the difference in class, which would have prevented him marrying her either way. But that did not stop them from trying to defy the odds…my mother always said that had been the happiest time of her life; the both of them sneaking off into the woods, spending every minute my father could get away, together…
And then, a couple of years later, I was born. But since my father could not openly admit that he had another, illicit son; he already had a son and daughter with his wife at the time; he gave my mother this to hold on for me until I was old enough to understand its meaning…" He reached for the silver crescent on the chain, turning it over between his fingers. "It was meant to be my coat of arms…You know about those right?" Merlin nodded, nearly groaning as he remembered all those hours Arthur had made him study the coats of arms of Camelot's Nobles and their successors, so he would know how to properly address them during councils and meetings. "The crescent stands for the second son of the family"
Gwaine nodded. "It had to be hidden, so he made it so I could wear it; it would be covered by my clothes if it hung on a chain. He had it forged in silver, because he said that metal stood for sincerity. He said it would show his sincere love for his second son, the only son from the woman he loved, even though he would never be able to say this out loud to anyone else…Or so my mother used to tell me" Gwaine scraped his throat, shrugging. "And then, just before my first birthday, he was sent out to battle and never came back home again. And without him, my mother had nothing left. She tried to find work to support us, since my father had always taken care of that. But the townspeople were under orders of my father's widow and so my mother was shunned everywhere. Apparently, they hadn't been as inconspicuous as they thought…" Gwaine laughed bitterly at that, tipping the last contents of his beer back in one fluid motion. "We left the village soon after that…"
He shoved his seat backwards, making his move to get away. Merlin rose as well. "Gwaine…?" He beckoned, softly, trying to get his friend's attention back. "I'm sorry for asking…?" Gwaine sighed, rubbing a hand across his face, before slumping back down in his seat, signalling for the waitress to bring him another drink. "No it's fine Merlin, don't worry. I'm sorry, I'm not being the most entertaining company right now." Merlin studied his friend, once again noticing the lines in his face, the tiredness stretched over his whole body. He waited until the news drinks had been brought and Gwaine had taken a long sip, hesitant if he should ask the next question, not wanting to make his friend live through more painful memories, but in the same time, rather curious to find out more about his normally so closed up friend. "Gwaine…what about the golden ring?"
Gwaine shook his head, a small grin tugging at the corners of his mouth, as he raised his head to look back at him. "You just keep going, don't you?" But it was said without malice or heat, the twinkle in his eye finally reminding Merlin of the Gwaine he first met all those months ago. Merlin shrugged, feeling a goofy grin spreading across his face, not bothering to hide his pleasure.
"You really want to know…?" Merlin, hearing the almost uncertain tone in the Knight's voice, nodded. "Yeah, I do. You know you can tell me, right?" Gwaine searched his face for a moment; seemingly finding what he was looking for a he took another sip, before starting again. "The ring….it belonged to my little sister, Ethne. She truly lived up to her name, she was a spirit no one could tame and had a temper even grown men feared" Gwaine grinned brightly at this, the smile lighting up his face and Merlin couldn't help but smile along again. "Ethne and I differed 8 years in age, but she would always follow me around, wanting to do the same things I did. And well, let's say no one could refuse those pleading green eyes anything. I think that we gave our parents many early grey hairs!" Gwaine belted out a laugh, raising his glass as in a salute, before catching Merlin's puzzled expression. "When I was 7, my mother married another man" Gwaine explained. "He was a travelling salesman, who one day came to sell his things in the village we had moved to. I think she never loved him as she did my father, but they were happy together. My mom used to blame him for me wanting to travel the world, because of the exciting stories he used to tell me before I went to bed every night. One year later my mother gave birth to my little sister and our new family was complete." A soft smile flit across the Knight's face, clearly remembering those happy times together; Merlin couldn't help but think back to his own happy memories with his mother in Ealdor.
"The ring was a gift to her from my mother when she turned seven. Ever since she had been a baby, she had been intrigued by it. She could stare at it for hours as it hung on the chain around my mother's neck, giggling loudly when we dangled it in front of her face, trying to grab it with her little fingers. When she grew older, she would always ask my mother if she could wear it, and sometimes my mother would allow her for a little while. I don't think I've ever seen a face light up that much when she saw what was in the package on her birthday…" Gwaine smiled, own face lighting up too at that memory. Motioning for another keg of ale, his finger traced the lines of the golden ring in front of them; expression falling as he continued…
"When I was 17, I got into trouble with a couple of guys from another village. Our father got them to leave our village and we thought everything was over. A few days later, Ethne wanted to go pick flowers in the woods for our mother's birthday, but when we reached the woods, it turned out those 6 guys were waiting for us, well, for me, ganging up on me. Ethne tried to help me, trying to get them to stop hitting me, but she was too small….I don't know exactly how it happened, but suddenly I heard her scream. I think one of them got tired of her trying to hit them and he hit her in the face with the hilt of his sword. He knocked her out I guess and they kicked me until I passed out too. When I woke, it must have been a couple of hours later, but Ethne still hadn't moved. Her whole face was ashen, with one side covered in bright red blood. I carried her home the best I could, calling for help the whole way until it finally came…
The doctor said she probably had been bleeding in her brain and they didn't know if and how she would wake up…But thankfully she did, 3 days later…"
Gwaine cleared his throat, draining his beer, rubbing a hand across his face, leaning back in his chair. Merlin gently asked. "She woke up, that's good right?" "Yeah you're right, everybody was so happy, until we realised she would never be able to see again…I couldn't stand the looks of pity people kept throwing her and our parents' way…or the different looks they threw my way. I packed my bags and left as soon as I knew that she would be okay, to go looking for the guys that did this to her. I wanted revenge, wanted to put the guilt on them I guess, so I wouldn't have to feel it anymore… She gave me her ring, as a sign that she did not blame me for what had happened; I guess she knew that I would blame myself either way…"
"So how is your family doing now?" Merlin asked, curious to know what had happened since. Gwaine shrugged. "I don't know really, I haven't seen them in all those years since…Things happened, things I did that I'm not proud of, things that forced me to leave Carleon. It would be too dangerous to go back there…" Gwaine coughed, moisture clear in his eyes and Merlin sighed, feeling deeply for his friend. He knew there had to be a story to tell behind Gwaine's happy-go-lucky attitude, but that it would be this, he would have never imagined. He suddenly felt very blessed with his own mother and his life growing up in Ealdor; he had just realised that there were always people who had it worse, unfortunately.
But at the same time, he also felt honoured; honoured that Gwaine trusted him enough to tell him this, for he doubted that he had ever told anyone before. Merlin coughed softly; waiting until he was sure he had Gwaine's attention, before saying just that: "Gwaine…thank you for telling me this." Gwaine searched his face for a moment, before nodding at him, smiling sincerely. "You're very welcome, Merlin"
Their conversation left the topics of family and feelings after that, returning to safer and more familiar grounds as the evening wore on, their laughter and banter dissolving the last remaining tension between them. As Merlin supported Gwaine's body, and vice versa, as they stumbled their way back to the castle, and towards one very impressive headache in the near future; he couldn't help the big grin etched on his face. Things had finally gone back to normal…
Or at least, as normal as things could get in Camelot…
THE END
Wow, this took me so much longer than I had expected! I've been rewriting and tweaking this for ages, but I think I'm finally happy with it. And well, then there is the deadline off course ;P
Please let me know what you think of this, I'd love to hear from you! Reviews make my day :D