I'm sorry this has taken so long to write but I have very little time available which is incredibly annoying when I have lots of ideas rattling around in my head! Unfortunately, because of the lack of time this chapter might not be as good as the first.
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Chapter 2
The majestic rise of the stone walls and turrets of Camelot above Merlin took his breath away. He had never seen anything so awe inspiring and extravagant, his own village was a squalor compared. The endless streets that twisted through a maze of buildings meant that Merlin lost his way more than once and he found Gaius' apartments hours after he was supposed to have arrived.
The shock of Merlin's arrival caused the old man to fall backwards off the balcony in his room. Merlin saved him from his fall using his instinctive magic but instead of receiving the expected thanks he got a reprimand instead. Gaius told him there was no place for magic in Camelot and if it were ever discovered that Merlin could perform magic he would be executed. From then on Merlin decided he would perform as much magic in Gaius' apartments as possible, to the amused annoyance of his guardian.
The same day, Gwen was yet again beating Morgana's rug outside her window when she noticed the new boy, Merlin, unwisely picking a fight with Prince Arthur. Gwen admired Merlin's bravery but it was all too obvious how the encounter was going to end and she grimaced when Merlin was forced onto his knees. At least it seemed he would only be facing the stocks for his 'impudence'. Gwen determined that she would go talk to him. Merlin intrigued her. His bravery and his desire to do his 'duty' or at least what he thought was right, reminded her of herself in days long past. Those days were ancient history though and she hated the cowardly subservient person she had become.
"No one has ever stood up to me before," Arthur mused as he returned to the castle following his 'fight' with Gaius' new assistant. Granted the young man, who had introduced himself as Merlin, hadn't known who he was but he admired his tenacity. Although he would never actually admit it, Merlin's questioning of Arthur's actions had been a breath of fresh air. Arthur was sick of everyone agreeing with him all the time and laughing along to his jokes just because they thought it would improve their chances of promotion! He bumped into Morgana's maid as she rushed down the stairs past him. She bumbled a quick apology before shooting off but Arthur barely noticed. No doubt she was going to see Merlin in the stocks, servants always 'stuck together'.
As she approached Merlin, Gwen suddenly felt very self conscious and nervous. Immediately aware of a loose hair in front of her face she twisted it behind her ear and almost sheepishly walked up to the stocks. Before she could back out Merlin had noticed her, smiling at her in between a tomato and leek attack.
"Hi, I'm Gwen." Gwen thrust her hand out for him to shake and then quickly realised her stupidity.
"I'm Merlin," Merlin replied after a face full of cabbage. "You shouldn't stand too close or they'll hit you as well!" Gwen took a step back, half tripping down the steps to the stocks.
"You're Gaius' new assistant aren't you?" Gwen asked not knowing what else to say. Merlin however couldn't reply except to nod as he was too preoccupied with flying fruit. "I thought...well...standing up to Arthur was very brave." She knew she was bumbling like a teenage girl with her first crush but she couldn't pull herself together and nerves, for some strange reason, jangled around her stomach. Merlin managed to mumble a thank you and something else which sounded like 'but I'm also an idiot'. Gwen laughed involuntarily.
So she couldn't say anything else to embarrass herself Gwen quickly said goodbye and stumbling slightly, walked away straight back to Morgana's chambers, along the way cursing herself for being so cowardly.
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Ahead of her in the street, Gwen spotted Merlin but she groaned inwardly when she saw that yet again he appeared to be picking a fight with Arthur. Did the boy not learn? Only yesterday he was in the stocks for questioning Arthur's form of target practice! Gwen watched from a distance as Arthur 'borrowed' two brooms from a nearby stall and promptly separated the handles from the bases. He tossed one handle to Merlin which he dropped earning him a jeer from Arthur's minions. Arthur didn't let Merlin collect his thoughts and lunged at him before Merlin had full grip of the handle he was picking up.
Dodging from right to left, Merlin had no hope of beating Arthur. Arthur was skilfully backing him into a wall and eventually when Merlin was completely at his mercy Arthur jabbed Merlin full in the stomach. He doubled up with the force of the blow, coughing and gasping for air as all the oxygen rushed out of his lungs. Before she really knew what she was doing, Gwen found herself striding through the crowd to stand between Arthur and Merlin.
"Stop! What do you think you're doing?!" The blood was boiling insider her. So much so that when she spoke it was if someone else was controlling her mouth. In her anger Gwen forgot who she was and who she was addressing.
"Aww! How brave Merlin. You get a girl to rescue you!" Arthur taunted. The words rang in Gwen's ears – she was not going to let him get away with this without a fight.
"And you're so brave yourself?" Gwen retorted. "Picking on people less skilled than you. You haven't even been in a proper battle!" Gwen sneered at Arthur.
"And you have?" Arthur replied. Gwen opened her mouth to answer back but this time she held her tongue. God knows how she'd be punished if she said the wrong thing. "Come on then," Arthur continued, "prove yourself." He bent over, picking up Merlin's abandoned broom handle and threw it to Gwen who caught it deftly. "Impressive," Arthur commented sarcastically, "you're already better than the weasel," he said pointing at Merlin who had clambered back to his feet. At the jibe, Merlin made as though to grab Arthur, but Gwen held out an arm to stop him. She didn't know where this newfound confidence had come from but she liked it. "That's it let the girl tell you what to do!" Merlin started forward again. Gwen checked him.
"Don't! I'll be fine." She had turned to look Merlin in the eyes to make him understand and when she turned back towards Arthur, Arthur took the opportunity to attack.
He lunged forwards with the handle and Gwen only just managed to dodge the well placed effort. It had missed her left shoulder by an inch. His next few blows were quick and skilfully executed. Gwen just about parried them all. The fight was faster than she remembered, she soon realised she had lost much of her speed and agility through years of not training. Arthur was stronger, fitter and instinctive. As he rained blow upon blow against Gwen's feeble blocks she found her muscles straining. It had not been like this before and she thanked God that none of Arthur's hits landed on her.
Slowly but surely her body began to remember what strikes to make, how to take opportunities when her attacker was at their weakest and how to react instinctively. Suddenly, she started her own attack. Arthur was taken by surprise. He thought he had had her on the defensive but as she placed a well aimed jab he only just managed to block it. Neither heard the gasps from the substantial crowd.
The fight was no longer one sided. Gwen had come into her own; it was her time to take the fight to Arthur. Arthur may have had years more practice than Gwen but she had a hunger to prove herself. Arthur parried stroke after stroke confidently but fear was building in his eyes. No one had ever fought him this long. Usually people acquiesced to his superior skill in under a minute. As he became more anxious to end the fight he took increasingly foolhardy chances. Gwen smiled as she realised that his desperate lunges were opening him up to an attack and Gwen could take advantage of his momentary weakness.
As Arthur swung his handle around to the left Gwen dodged it and placed all her strength behind the perfect jab. Her broom struck Arthur in the stomach and he partially doubled over from the blow. He didn't fall to the floor; he was too strong for that, so Gwen aimed another jab at his crotch. This time Arthur fell to the ground groaning in agony.
The sight of the Crown Prince of Camelot rolling around in the dirt in considerable pain brought Gwen back to her senses. In shock she dropped the broom handle and turned to run. She grabbed hold of a stunned Merlin and dragged him, running as fast as she could back to the castle and Morgana's chambers. She needed to put as much distance between her and Arthur as possible. Uther would kill her for this.
