All was quiet for once in Camelot. Birds were whistling their melodious tunes. Farmers were displaying their wares at the marketplace while a group of noblemen were getting ready for a hunt. All was quiet for once, or so it appeared…
'Thunk'
"Keep your guard up, you idiot!"
"How are you ever going to be able to defend yourself if you can't even hold a sword?!"
Merlin looked downright annoyed. "I didn't ask for any defence training, besides I know perfectly well how to defend myself."
Arthur looked down at his manservant, laying on the hard dirt of the training ground with his hair dishevelled and his sword carelessly dropped next to him. If he were attacked right now, he wouldn't even stand a chance.
"And how, pray tell, do you plan to defend yourself without your sword, Merlin?" He asked, kicking the offending sword just out of Merlin's reach.
Merlin looked up defiantly, no doubt wanting to argue that he didn't need to protect himself or that this was all a waste of time. Before he had any chance to open his mouth though, Arthur pointed his sword at Merlin's neck.
Seeing Merlin flinch, he adopted a hard look. 'Merlin, no doubt you have some qualities that may enable you to stay alive, such as your lucky clumsiness at certain times, but that will not save you every time. As I see it you have two choices. One: you continue to complain about training and end up getting killed some day or Two: you at least try to pick up a sword and learn from me. If your choice is One, please tell me, because that will save me a lot of time and energy that will be better spend training my knights. If the choice is Two, however, I want you to pick up that sword and stop complaining."
Merlin seemed to consider his words. Brow furrowing as he makes his decision. Before he could share it though, they were interrupted by a messenger requesting Arthurs presence on an important matter in the throne room.
Arthur knew his duty but he didn't want to let this go either. "Look, whatever you decide, I won't bug you into practice anymore. There are still some dirt plates littering my room and my clothes need washing. I expect them to be finished after I've talked to my father."
Sheathing his own sword he started for the castle.
"This training sword will probably have to be polished for the next training session too, right sire?"
Arthur stopped and smirked, not that Merlin could see his face.
" Quite right, Merlin. Add that to your list of duties before I've finished talking to my father."
Merlin couldn't see the smirk on the prince's face as he left the training field, but he most certainly heard it in his words.
"You called for me, father?" Arthur asked, entering the throne room.
Uther looked up and nodded briefly. "Arthur, this man has requested a royal audience." Uther said, indicating a young man kneeling before the Dias. The indicated man looked up briefly, startled green eyes meeting his own before quickly lowering them to the ground in front of him again. Arthur raised an eyebrow briefly but schooled his expression a moment later and went to his seat next to his father. " You may speak" Uther commanded after Arthur had taken his seat. " My highly esteemed lords," the youth began nervously. " I am called Ainsley and I have come here on the behalf of the village of Kentra"
Uthers expression shifted slightly at the mention of the village and Arthur started to pay a little more attention to the man kneeling in front of him. He had noticed the young features and soft voice. Definitely not older then 23, he concluded, and not in a very high position in the village, judging from his almost reverential address and monumental fidgeting as he talked. It almost rivalled Merlin's fidgetness, the prince thought grinning inwardly.
His attention was firmly claimed again by the man, Ainsley, as he started speaking again. " my village, Kentra, is only a small village, governed by baron Haritts." The man started explaining. " I know of all this, baron Haritts governs many villages in that area, he is doing an excellent job in keeping the villages connected." Uther said, sternly.
The man looked abashed but continued anyway. Arthur had to give him this, he may look like an insolent fool, but Ainsley was quite courageous to be prepared to face his fathers wrath for his careless words. " Of course, of course, sire, I meant nothing of it. It is just that recently there have been disputes among some of the village counsellors. They are all honourable men who have devoted their lives to instil fair judgement and rightful ruling."
Uther looked down at the youth now, somehow managing to look both sarcastic and interested. " Well, tell me what the problem is then. And why you could not propose this to the baron himself." Uther proposed, sitting back in his chair, his back relaxing once more. " Well, the problem is, that these counsellors and the baron are in dispute over how to handle several patrons who have stolen from the stored grain harvest. However they will not say where they have hidden the stolen grain. As it is a considerable amount of grain, the counsellors want the thieves to admit to it's hiding place while the baron want justice to be served immediately." Ainsley stopped here, as if debating to utter his next words, but then continued. "We need the grain to feed our people and to be able to supply food to your army, as the baron is involved in this dispute he sent me, as an independent person to relay the message"
Uther looked pensive at his words. " It is true that grain is needed for food and payments to the crown, however the amount petty thieves steal to sell on the black market is hardly something to be so worried about." Uther pondered aloud. Ainsley eyes quickly shot up " Oh, but my lord, it is not a small amount of grain, stolen by petty thieves at all…" He said before quickly lowering his eyes to the ground again at his hastily spoken words.
But Uther had been jolted out of his pensive mood by the words and was critically assessing the youth. "Would you happen to know an estimate of the amount of grain that was stolen by these… thieves?" Uther asked, slightly annoyed.
Arthur smiled inwardly though, he was right this man had some courage, or was just a plain fool. Though judging from the calculating look the other man now tried to send up at Uther inconspicuously, he doubted that was the case. He sensed that if he were ever to be in his prolonged acquaintance, that he would have to watch his words. How this man could come over to him as on one side a complete idiot and on the other as a threat, he did not question. He believed to have infallible intuition in this area.
"I do my lord" The youth continued. "They have taken two thirds of our grain supplies" Ainsley said, not looking up this time. Uther appeared confused "Two thirds of a granary?" He asked frowning.
At this Ainsley did look up and while he looked Uther in the eye he replied, carefully: "No sire. Two thirds of our entire grain stock."
Both Uther and Arthur looked at him, first dumbfounded then disbelieving and finally seeing that the man meant his words, quite angry on Uthurs part. "You mean to tell me," He started angrily "That petty thieves have stolen almost two thirds of your entire grain stock, good for a year of feeding several villages, which is not only divided over a dozen villages but also partially stored in the heavily guarded castle of baron Haritts. And..." Uther continued livid, "That this grain is now nowhere to be found, while these petty thieves will not yield under most persuasive of techniques, I´m sure, where they have hidden this copious amount of grain." By the time Uther finished his speech he looked practically murderous rising from his seat to properly stare down at the man kneeling before the dias.
Arthur knew his father was livid while he felt mostly curiosity and wonderment which overpowered his anger. 'How had those thieves done that?', was the most prominent thought on his mind. He also knew, however, that even if the man was courageous, he would end in the cells if he didn't issue the right answers right now. Anyone angering his father in this state would meet their fate in a dirty cell for the rest of their lives, if they were lucky. It seemed that the only thing he could do was step in.
"How many thieves are we talking about?" Arthur asked with his no-nonsense voice trying to calm his still furious father by taking the reigns in the inquiry. Ainsley looked up at him and Arthur saw that the young man was not so unaffected by the full brunt of his fathers wrath as he had previously thought. His hands were shaking and he gulped nervously before answering. "Fifteen men have now been apprehended but the baron suspects accomplices. Also some accusations have been made towards nobles living in the area." Ainsley briefly flung his gaze at the still livid Uther Pendragon but stayed otherwise focused on the prince as he pondered this new news. "How long has it been going on?" Arthur asked eventually. When Ainsley looked at him uncomprehending, Arthur sighed and explained. "Either the thieves had many more men then claimed, or they did not steal the grain on one night but rather spread over many days, which would also be less inconspicuous considering the amount of grain and lack of witnesses." Ainsley had a gleam in his eye by the time Arthur had finished speaking, eagerly awaiting his turn to explain. "The thieves did indeed steal the grain gradually over the last month, always making sure that another granary was hit before the first even noticed the small amount that missed, but it seems as if they grew steadily bolder. The baron had heard of small thefts occurring in some granaries but until last month none were so severe. There was instead an enormous amount of grain, about one forth, moved in one night. The baron said there was no explanation for it." At this both Arthur and Uthur frowned again deeply. Then Uther looked at the young man again and started his speech: ' I believe your villages are indeed in need of help. My son will accompany you back at first light tomorrow. You are dismissed'
As Ainsley left the room , looking very relieved, Arthur turned to his father.
"You know what this means, Arthur. Find out what is happening there. We need that grain back to support our armies and to feed the people. We don't want any riots occurring there. The baron and Pendragon families have always been on good grounds with each other. The baron holds a powerful position and it would be suicide to let that position be taken from him." Uther said, looking at Arthur pointedly at that last sentence. And Arthur understood all to well. Uther had power over the baron, probably based on years of culturing trust and past arranged marriages. To lose an influential baron because the people did not trust him to do his duty or because of inner struggles for power would be a waste. "I understand father. I will get to the bottom of this." Arthur replied. Uther smiled faintly at that. "I believe you will my son, but I do not rule out the possibility of magic. I would have to consult Gaius, but no one can move these amounts of grain from several granaries in one night with only a handful of men." Uther said, gazing at his son and hoping that Gaius would be able to soothe his worries over this subject at least somewhat. Arthur looked at his father. He had expected that his father would turn to magic for the explanation of this occurrence but he hoped that what he would find would be something that did not involve magic.
They briefly discussed the specificities of his journey and then Arthur made his way towards his chambers.
As soon as he opened the door and spotted his manservant diligently polishing his armor, his previous sulky mood disappeared and he announced happily: "Merlin, pack our bags, we are going on a trip!"
The subsequent pouty expression of his manservant only served to increase his happiness even further.
A/N: Hey Everybody, It's been awhile since I last published anything, but this story just did not want to stay locked in my head. Just as a fair warning, this is only a prologue, the real story still needs to begin and considering the fact that this chapter alone is already over 2000 words, well, yeah, I guess you get the point. Please review!!