A/N: So this is my first Merlin fic, and I thought I'd give this idea a go. I've seen tons of fem!Merlin stories, but hardly any fem!Arthur ones. I figured I'd change that, and try my best to make a believable female Arthur story. This might go AU during/after season four, as I need my happy ending! As well as the fact that there will have to be some changes due to Arthur being a girl, but I'll try to make it realistic :) Let me know what you think!
P.S.
The absolutely stunning cover was made by the lovely songbird at TDA :)
! #$%^
"Arthur," Uther Pendragon's voice called out from across the hall, stopping Arthur as she was making her way to the courtyard.
"Father." She nodded her head in acknowledgement, and walked forward to be by his side.
"The Lady Helen will be arriving tonight, and it would be a good show of respect to have you there with me to greet her," He spoke.
Arthur frowned slightly.
She hated the politics of being a Princess, and would much rather spend her time training with the knights than greeting 'Lady Helen'. She'd see her at the feast, wouldn't she? She'd be there, sitting beside her father and listening as the Lady Helen sang.
"Father, with all due respect for Lady Helen, I expect that my training will keep me from being able to attend." She spoke briskly, clasping her hand behind her back as she stared up at the figure before her.
Her father frowned.
"But surely your training won't take you all day?" Uther spoke.
"Well, some of the knights are getting rusty on their footwork, so I believe that it will take longer than usual. And I'll be too tired by the evening. Perhaps I could drop by Lady Helen's chambers tomorrow morning to wish her well instead?" She reasoned.
Her father made a face, but then quickly nodded.
"Yes. I suppose a personal visit would show more respect for her performance. Very well, Arthur, I'll let you get back to your duties." He gave a nod of the head, before walking off in the opposite direction.
Arthur sighed, and adjusted the armor on her chest.
Better get to it.
She pivoted on her heel, and began walking towards the courtyard where the rest of her knights would be.
! #$%^
"Where's the target?" Arthur drawled, her lips turned into a slight smirk as she watched the servant boy in front of her begin to panic.
She had only been practicing with her knights for an hour when she had gotten fed up with this inadequate serving boy's behavior, and decided to have some fun with him.
"Right there, ma'am." The boy spoke cautiously, pointing at the wooden target off to his side.
The knights that stood behind Arthur began to chuckle, and she couldn't help but to mock the boy even further.
"It's into the sun,"
The serving boy paused, before frowning slightly.
"It's not that bright," He said, looking unsure of his words.
Arthur let out a small bark of laughter, her hands finding their way to her hips as she stared at the serving boy in disbelief.
"Bit like you, then!"
The knights laughed once again at Arthur's words, and the boy looked towards the ground.
"I'll put the target on the other end," He muttered softly in defeat, setting down the basket he held in his hands.
A smirk found its way onto Arthur's lips as an idea popped into her head, and she quickly turned to the knights that stood behind her.
"This will teach him," She spoke, and grabbed a dagger from the belt around her waist.
As the boy picked up the target and began to move across the grass, she pulled her arm back, aimed carefully, and hurled the dagger straight toward the target.
With a dull thud, it embedded itself slightly to the left of the center.
Arthur grinned as the serving boy's head popped up above the wooden target, his eyes wide and his mouth open in disbelief.
"Hang on!" He shouted, his voice high pitched with panic.
But Arthur merely held up her hands, and having no sympathy for the boy, grinned even wider.
"Don't stop!" She ordered, finding herself mildly amused by the situation.
The boy was a horrid servant, and didn't know anything about treating his superiors with the proper respect their title's commanded, so she took it upon herself to teach him a lesson. And she supposed there was no harm in laughing a bit while she was at it.
The serving boy scrambled to the left, before looking back at Arthur.
"Here?" He asked.
Arthur simply raised her eyebrows.
"I told you to keep moving." She spoke, before reaching for another dagger.
She took the silver weapon from a knight's outstretched hand, aimed, and once again threw the dagger at the target. This time, she noted with a smile, the knife hit dead center. The boy looked up at her with frantic eyes as he tried to figure out what to do, but Arthur just motioned for him to move.
"Come on then, run!" She egged him on, watching in amusement as he dashed to the side, lifting the target up slightly as to protect his face.
Arthur threw another dagger at the running target, though now she was much more interested in mocking the boy than practicing her throws. The knights catcalled the panicked servant, some of them laughing and one of them even patted her on the back as she continued to chuck daggers at the target.
One of her throws was particularly powerful, and caused the serving boy to lose his grip on the wood, sending it rolling across the ground. He scurried after it on all fours, making Arthur burst into laughter.
As she wiped the mirth from her eyes, she noticed another boy put his foot on the target, stopping it from rolling any further.
The boy was tall and scrawny, with raven hair and clothes that identified him as part of the lower class. He looked over at her, and shook his head slightly.
"Hey, come on. That's enough,"
His words shocked Arthur, and her eyebrows shot upwards. Just who did he think he was? Her face scrunched in confusion and disbelief, and she stepped forward.
"What?" She asked as she walked towards the boy, hoping that she had heard wrong.
"You've had your fun, my friend," He spoke, completely dispelling any hope that her ears were failing.
Arthur scoffed under her breath, and turned her lips up into a confused smirk.
"Do I know you?" She asked, finally stopping in front of the boy.
He smiled slightly, holding out his hand as if he wished for her to shake it.
"I'm Merlin." He spoke.
Arthur just stared at him.
"So I don't know you?"
The raven haired boy paused, his next words cautious.
"No,"
Arthur stood face to face with this so called Merlin, squaring her shoulders in order to seem taller. She tilted her head to the side, ignoring the locks of golden hair that fell from her ponytail.
"Yet you called me friend."
The boy stared down at her with a tight smile.
"That was my mistake."
Arthur nodded, and her smile turned condescending.
"Yes, I think so," She drawled.
The boy called Merlin looked at the ground for a moment, before glancing back up at her with a strange glint in his eyes.
"You're right," He spoke. "I'd never have a friend who could be such an ass," The boy turned, and started walking away.
Arthur was frozen in place for a second, shocked at the gall this boy had. Was he trying to get himself killed?
Anger bubbled up into Arthur's thoughts as she stared at his retreating back, and she placed her hand on the sword still strapped onto her belt.
"Or I, one who could be so stupid."
Because honestly, Arthur had yet to meet another person who could be that dull.
The boy stopped in his tracks, and Arthur stalked towards him, fully intending on making a fool out of him.
"Tell me, Merlin," She drawled. "Do you know how to walk on your knees?"
Merlin turned to face her, not a trace of fear or panic in his blue eyes.
"No." He spoke, his tone making it clear that he wasn't backing down.
And as much as he made Arthur want to stab something, she had to admit, he was brave. He was standing his ground, and that was something Arthur admired.
But she was still annoyed.
"Would you like me to help you?" She kept a smirk plastered on her face as she spoke, her amusement beating out her anger for the moment.
But Merlin let out a muffled sort of laugh, obviously not taking her threat seriously.
"I wouldn't if I were you,"
Arthur gaped at the scrawny boy in front of her, her grip loosening on her sword as she took in his words.
Was he being serious?
"Why? What're you going to do to me?" She let out her own bark of laughter.
He was a scrawny little boy, and she was, well, she was Princess Arthur! One of the most reputable swordsman in the Kingdom, no matter the fact that she was a woman! Merlin wouldn't be able to land a single blow, and she was completely surprised that he thought he could.
"You have no idea,"
Arthur was baffled at the confidence in his voice, and raised her eyebrows at the absurdity of it all. The poor boy was actually convinced he could stand a chance!
Arthur laughed once again, before she held her hands out to her side.
"Be my guest!" She spoke, noting the crowd that had gathered to watch them.
But Merlin hesitated, glancing about as if looking for a way out of the situation he had gotten himself into.
Arthur narrowed her eyes, anger welling up in her chest at the thought of him hesitating because of the simple fact that she was a woman.
"And don't be afraid to hit me, because I won't think twice about hitting you." Her words were blunt, and she found herself longing for him to say something that would give her reason to teach him a lesson.
But still he hesitated.
"Well, come on then!" She practically shouted at the boy. "Come on," She leaned forward, her blue eyes taunting him.
And she got her wish.
As she leaned back, Merlin's body tensed, and he threw out a fist.
It was comical, really, how absolutely pathetic his punch was. It was slow enough that Arthur didn't even have to try to stop him. She reached up with honed instincts, grabbing his wrist and twisting so that Merlin's arm was locked behind his back.
She leaned forward to speak in his ear.
"I'll throw you in jail for that,"
Merlin scoffed.
"Who d'you think you are? The King?" He asked, his tone mocking in nature.
It was then that Arthur realized that he didn't know who she was. She had thought that her shoulder and chest armor would have given him a clue, or maybe the group of knights that stood to the side, but he obviously had no idea who he had gotten involved with. Well then. She'd better teach him.
"No," She smirked. "I'm his daughter, Arthur."
She emphasized her words with a twist of his arm, sending him down onto his knees.
It was remarkable how dull some people could be, and though he was brave, Merlin must have been dropped as a child. Arthur couldn't think of any rational reason why he would talk to her in that manner, other than the fact that he must be of very low intelligence.
She raised her hand, and in seconds there were several guards at her side, ready for her orders. She looked down at the raven haired boy, and shook her head.
"Take him to the dungeons. He can spend some time there to think about how he treats his superiors." She said.
Arthur let go of Merlin's arm, and motioned for the guards to take him away. She watched with an awed sort of expression as he was carried off into the distance, still not believing what had happened.
A serving boy had stood up to her? Had the gall to call her an ass?
That boy was brave, she'd give him that.
! #$%^
Arthur walked through the halls of the castle, trying to find her way to her room. She stretched out her shoulders, trying to rid them of the knots they contained. She had worked harder than usual that day, taking all of her frustration out on the knights.
They really did need some tuning up, and it was harder than she had originally thought to get them back in shape. But she had tried, and it showed in the soreness of her muscles.
She was almost to her room when she heard someone call her name.
"Arthur!"
She turned, and smiled when she caught sight of who had spoken.
"Morgana," She smiled at the other woman, who had appeared by her side.
Morgana grinned at Arthur, but not the usual happy to see her type of grin. Arthur groaned softly as she recognized the look on Morgana's face as the is-it-true-something-embarrassing- happened-to-you? type of look.
And sure enough, she was right.
"So, Arthur, is it true a serving boy stood up to you?" She asked, her green eyes alight with amusement.
Arthur's smile turned into a scowl, and she turned to walk away.
"He was an idiot." She spoke, not wanting to have this conversation right now.
Morgana put a hand on Arthur's shoulder, stopping her.
"Arthur, come on. You have to admit, it is pretty funny," She grinned.
Arthur turned back to her.
"What's funny, is that he's currently spending the night in the dungeon. That's what I find funny," She spoke.
Morgana rolled her eyes, and gave Arthur a pointed stare.
"I didn't mean to offend you, Arthur. I was just curious," She gave a soft smile.
Any anger Arthur felt towards her friend disappeared with every word she spoke, and she found herself smiling back at the dark haired woman.
"I know," She shook her head at Morgana. "But I'm exhausted, so if you'll excuse me, there's a bed just waiting for me to fall into,"
Arthur gave a small wave, and left for her room. She fell asleep within minutes, and only opened her eyes once the daylight streamed through her window.
Arthur spent the first part of her day talking to Lady Helen, but upon realizing that she did not wish to be bothered, she instead gathered some of her knights and took to roaming the town's streets, occupying her time by watching her people go about their daily lives, all without the stress of being a Princess.
And so it was that Arthur ran into Merlin once again.
Arthur honestly didn't believe her luck as the boy walked toward her, and couldn't resist the urge to taunt him.
"How's your knee walking coming along?" She laughed, turning to watch his reaction.
But Merlin didn't respond to her jesting, and instead continued walking in the opposite direction. Arthur raised her eyebrows, slightly disappointed that he wouldn't reply in his idiotic way.
"Oh, don't run away!" She shouted after him, holding her hands out to her side.
There was a slight pause as Merlin stopped walking, before he spoke.
"From you?"
Arthur grinned, glad she finally provoked him.
"Oh, thank God. I thought you were deaf as well as dumb," She said.
Merlin gave a small chuckle, his back still facing Arthur.
"Look, I've told you, you're an ass," He turned to look at her. "I just didn't realize you were a Royal one."
Arthur's eyebrows shot upwards. Was he being serious? After everything that happened the day before, he still chose to act like that? Arthur gaped at the boy, and turned to her knights to see if they were as shocked as she.
Merlin's voice cut in.
"Oh, what are you going to do, get daddy's men to protect you?"
Something in Arthur's chest tightened at his words, and she forced a laugh out of her mouth.
"I could take you apart with one blow." She said, and she knew it was true.
The boy was skinny and had little to no muscle on his bones, Arthur wagered that a simple push would knock him over.
But Merlin continued speaking as though he was an equal match.
"I could take you apart with less than that," He gave a smile.
Arthur tilted her head.
"Are you sure?"
Merlin paused for a moment, thinking over his next move. After a second on contemplation, he began removing his jacket.
Arthur couldn't contain her laughter any longer, and she shook her head in slight pity for the boy. She turned to one of the knights, and held out her hand. They gave her a mace, which she promptly tossed over to Merlin.
"Here you go, big man,"
Merlin reached for the weapon, but hesitated, and found himself flinching back. The mace dropped to the floor in front of him, and he shot Arthur a glare. He picked up the mace, and Arthur immediately knew that he had never held one in his life, based on the way he held it.
"Come on, then," She shook her head, and began twirling the mace by her side. "I warn you, I've been trained to kill since birth,"
Merlin's facial expression changed to one of amusement.
"Wow, and how long have you been training to be a prat?" He spoke freely.
Arthur dropped the weapon to her side, shaking her head at the boy.
"You can't address me like that!" She said, hoping that Merlin took it to heart.
But Merlin just chuckled, and looked down at his hands.
"Sorry," He said. "How long have you been training to be a prat, Milady?"
Arthur couldn't believe this. She honestly couldn't believe that this boy had survived this long with a mouth like that. Annoyance bubbled up, and she tightened her grip on the mace in her hand.
She gave Merlin a warning glare, before swinging the weapon slightly above his head.
The swing wouldn't have hit him anyway, but Arthur smiled as Merlin dropped to the ground. Oh, this would be fun. Arthur stalked forward, watching in amusement as Merlin backed up, trying not to run into the crowd that had once again gathered around them.
"Come on, then, Merlin!" She shouted. "Come on!"
If this boy was willing to talk to her in that manner, then he had to back it up with his weapon.
Merlin somehow got his mace stuck in something, and tried to hurriedly release it.
This was too easy.
Arthur gave a semi-powerful swing, and watched as Merlin dodged around it, completely forgetting his mace. As she followed with another swing, he dashed to the left, leaving her mace to smash into the food cart behind him.
He was fast.
Arthur swung the mace over her head, realizing the fact that she was showing off, but not really caring in the slightest. She swung and missed yet again, this time because Merlin rolled clumsily onto the other side of the cart. She rolled her eyes, and leaped over the wooden stand after him.
She followed as Merlin stumbled backwards into a stand, and raised her eyebrows as he fell onto some sacks of hay, his back up against the wall.
"You're in trouble now," She shook her head, a small smirk on her lips.
Merlin scrambled to find a way out, his raven hair sticking every which way.
Arthur continued swinging her mace, and was about to step forward when her weapon wrapped itself around a sickle that was hanging from a nearby stand. What? Of all times, of course it would be now.
Arthur tried freeing her mace, and nearly stomped her foot on the ground when Merlin scurried away. Her weapon came free with a clang of metal on metal, and she sprinted after the boy. She swung her mace more carefully now, and kept her eyes on Merlin.
She wasn't paying attention to what was on the ground, though, and let out a pained cry as she stepped into a wooden box. She grumbled under her breath, and stepped forward with renewed motivation. She swung her mace at the boy again, this time not holding back any of her strength.
Merlin dodged, and her mace slammed into a basket of fruit, successfully sending pieces of wet mush flying about. Arthur frowned, and followed after him.
And promptly fell on her face.
Arthur slammed her fist into the ground as she realized that she tripped. Of all of the times and places, now she tripped. She glanced backwards to find what she tripped over, but saw nothing. Arthur shook her head.
Now it's personal.
She leapt to her feet, and found herself face to face with an armed Merlin. Somehow Merlin had managed to get his hands on her mace while she was down, and was currently swinging it by his side.
"D'you want to give up?" He asked, his lips turned up into a confident grin.
Arthur scoffed. He took her mace, and now he thinks that he's some sort of weapons master?
"To you?" She smirked.
Merlin just spoke louder.
"Do you? Do you want to give up?" He taunted, his blue eyes bright with excitement.
Arthur moved so she could see him better, but instead found herself falling backwards onto some sacks of flour. Oh, come on! Anger seeped into her thoughts. This was a serving boy! I am Arthur, Princess of Camelot!
While Merlin seemed distracted with something, she grabbed a nearby broom and jumped to her feet. She hit the inside of his knee, buckling it, and as he turned around, she thrust the handle forward into his stomach.
As he doubled over from the blow, Arthur put the finishing touch and smacked him over the head with the sweeping end of the broom. Merlin fell to the ground with a groan, and Arthur couldn't help but to mockingly sweep some dirt by him.
Two guards immediately rushed to the boy's side, each one grabbing an arm and pulling him to his feet. They began to carry him away, but she held up a hand.
"Wait, let him go," She spoke up, walking forward.
Arthur looked him up and down, trying to see what it was that made him this way. He was a boy, a simple serving boy, and yet he had stood up to the Princess of Camelot. No ordinary boy would have done that, so what was different about him? Arthur made a noise in her throat, and nodded slightly.
"He may be an idiot, but he's a damn brave one," She spoke.
She moved forward, and stared at Merlin with an odd expression.
"There's something about you, Merlin," She said, before shaking her head. "I can't quite put my finger on it."
Arthur gave Merlin one last look, before turning on her heel and heading back to the castle.
! #$%^
Arthur was in a bad mood. She was currently standing around chatting at the feast for Lady Helen, speaking to people who wanted nothing more than to suck up to her. She had spent the rest of the day preparing for this, fighting against several of her maids who wanted to draw on her face with paint and oils.
She was close to banging her head against the nearest wall when she heard his voice.
"Well, well, look at you, Arthur! All dressed up for the occasion, are we?"
Arthur turned to see one of her knights, Alistair, standing a few feet away. She glanced down at the dress she was wearing, and immediately flushed from embarrassment. Arthur hated dresses, she hated them with a passion. How was someone supposed to move in one? And breathe? And what was the point, anyway? To look good?
Alistair laughed and shook his head.
"No, it's lovely. You look absolutely beautiful, Milady." He spoke, making Arthur's white cheeks flush with color.
"You'd best keep your thoughts to yourself, Alistair." She grumbled, fidgeting as she glanced around the room.
"Here, Arthur. This'll help,"
She looked back at him to see that he had a glass of ale in his outstretched hand, and she couldn't help but to grin.
Alistair had been one of her knights for as long as she could remember, though he was only a few years older than herself. Arthur loved the fact that he treated her the same as any other, never once caring that she was a woman.
Arthur took the glass of ale, and nearly downed it in one gulp.
The drink helped her to forget the fact that she was in a damned dress, and soon enough she was laughing and talking loudly with all of her knights. She briefly noted the fact that Merlin was there, standing off in a corner and pouring drinks, but she was too immersed in conversation with her friends to truly care.
"And then this woman over here, she runs in front of the damned beast and starts screaming at it!" Alistair grinned, waving his hands around to emphasize his words.
Arthur laughed.
"Well, what was I supposed to do? You're the one that tripped over her cubs! She was going to tear you to shreds, Alistair!" Arthur shook her head at the man.
"Well, you could have stabbed it! But no, you stood there and shouted at the beast until it scampered off with its tail between its legs!"
The knights burst into laughter, and Arthur was going to say something else when the trumpets sounded. Arthur rolled her eyes.
"This conversation is not over!" She warned them, before grabbing her glass of ale and heading to her seat at the main table. She stood, hiding the drink behind her back as her father walked through the doors and down the aisle.
He stopped in the middle, and turned to speak to those at the feast.
"We have enjoyed twenty years of peace and prosperity," He began. "It has brought the kingdom and myself many pleasures, but few can compare with the honor of introducing Lady Helen of Mora!" He motioned to the other side of the room, where the singer had moved onto the stage.
Uther moved to sit by his daughter, shooting her a disapproving glare when he saw her hidden cup of ale. Arthur cleared her throat, and set the glass back onto the table. With a small sigh, she focused her attention on Lady Helen.
And when she opened her mouth and began to sing, Arthur was enraptured. The notes that came out of her mouth seemed beautiful, even verging on angelic. She couldn't look away, and she couldn't think of anything else.
She hardly noticed her eyelids beginning to droop shut, or her mind starting to fog with sleep. The notes drifted through her mind, softly singing her to a deep sleep. Sleep? What? Her head fell back onto her chair, and her eyes closed to the sound of beautiful music.
Suddenly, there was a loud crash, and Arthur jolted awake.
She tried to wipe the sleep from her eyes, but grimaced when she saw that her hands and face were covered in cobwebs. Cobwebs? She tore the material off of her, and looked around to see that everyone else shared in her situation, all of them waking up and covered in the sticky matter.
She frowned as she saw Lady Helen on the ground in front of her, crushed by the chandelier that was on the ceiling the last time Arthur saw it. What had happened? She then remembered the music, and the trance-like state it had sent her into.
Magic.
And then Arthur saw that Lady Helen was no longer Lady Helen, and instead was an elderly woman. Wait, was that-? Arthur startled as she recognized the old woman as the mother of the man who was executed several days before. She hadn't attended the actual beheading, but she had passed by a window when the woman vowed to get even with her father.
Arthur never thought it was a serious threat, but had obviously been proven wrong.
Arthur jumped slightly when the woman raised her head, and her eyes locked with the old woman's. There was no pity in her expression, just a fierce determination. The woman's arm raised, and Arthur's eyes widened when she caught sight of the silver dagger in her hand.
Arthur was frozen. Years and years of training should have made dodging the dagger easy, but she remained frozen in horror as the lethal weapon sailed towards her, aimed straight at her chest.
But before it could sink into her flesh, two hands latched onto her shoulders and pulled her to the ground.
Arthur grunted as she landed on the cold floor, but quickly shot back into a sitting position. She stared at where she was sitting just a moment earlier, and saw the dagger embedded in the chair she ad been pulled out of.
A sigh of relief found its way out of Arthur's mouth, but when she turned to see her savior, her breath caught in her throat.
It was Merlin.
She stared at him in awe, not believing that Merlin, the serving boy, had just saved her life. There was a strange gasping sound, and Arthur turned in time to see the old woman collapse, and she knew that the woman had died.
Arthur quickly got to her feet, and turned once again to look at the boy who had saved her life. Her father stumbled over to her side, placing a hand on her shoulder to make sure she was okay. Arthur nodded, and Uther turned to Merlin.
"You have saved my girl's life," He spoke, the gratitude in his voice sincere enough to make Arthur's throat tighten.
"A debt must be repaid," He continued.
Merlin shook his head and held up his hands.
"No, it woul- well…" He trailed off, a small smile on his lips as he clasped his hands behind his back.
Arthur's eyes narrowed as she turned to her father, wondering what he'd grant the serving boy.
"Don't be so modest," Uther spoke. "You shall be rewarded."
Merlin shook his head slightly.
"Honestly, you don't have to, Your Highness," He smiled.
But Arthur knew her father wouldn't let something like this go unrewarded.
"No, absolutely. This merits something quite special."
Oh, no.
That meant that her father wasn't going to give him gold or jewels, which would be by far the easier route to take. Arthur tensed, waiting for her father's next words.
"You shall be rewarded with a position in the Royal Household," Uther spoke.
Arthur relaxed, knowing that he'd end up as a servant to some noble. That wasn't so bad.
"You shall be Princess Arthur's manservant." Uther clapped her on the shoulder, and began walking away.
What?!
Arthur choked on the air she was breathing, her wide eyes swiveling from her father to Merlin, who stood beside her with a similar look of horror.
"Father!" She gasped out, trying to get him to take back his 'reward'.
But Uther had already made his way out of the room, and the people attending the feast began clapping in celebration. Arthur glared at Merlin in accusation, even though it wasn't actually his fault, before turning her head aside.
Her eyes locked with Alistair's, who was currently giving her a knowing smile. He knew all about Merlin standing up to Arthur, and he made sure to convey it through a small smirk. Arthur glared at him, and quickly swept out of the room.
Merlin being my manservant?
Merlin?
Well, this'll be just brilliant, now won't it?
! #$%^
A/N: So that was the first chapter, about 5,250 words long. So yeah. Alistair is an original character, just thought since we don't see a lot of Arthur's POV in the show, and that's ALL there is here, I'd add some more depth. Oh, and most of this story will focus on the developing relationship between Arthur and Merlin, so there'll be a lot of scenes with the two of them. But let me know what you think of this chapter, the next one will be Vailant and the tournament. Let me know what you think in a review!