Hey guys,

Sorry it took me so long to finish this chapter. Valiant was never one of my favorite episodes so I struggled to write out this chapter. Most of the episodes I don't like are going to be replaced with original ones but Valiant was an important episode character wise so I figured I had to include.

Overall I'm happy how this one turned out. Granted it took me forever, but I ended up with about 2,000 more words than the last one.

Hoping that Evie starts to warm up a bit. Please tell me if she comes off a little Mary Sue and if you have any suggestions on where this story should go please put them in the comments. I have a good idea where this is going but I'm always open to new ideas.

Special thanks to Hpuni for being a incredible motivator for me to finish this chapter and Tinkywinky for looking it over. And thank you to everyone who followed, favorited, and most important left a review. I live to be critiqued.


Merlin wasn't entirely sure what to expect when he was awarded his new job as Prince Arthur's manservant.

But it certainly wasn't this.

When he showed up at the prince's chambers this morning. The prince was already dressed, and in the middle of eating breakfast. Based on the quick briefing Merlin was given this morning Merlin was supposed to help him complete those tasks.

Merlin of course had expected Arthur to start yelling at him. But instead the prince just gave him a sadistic smile, threw him a couple pieces of armor and told him to put it on.

So after fifteen minutes of struggling and the humiliating experience of having Arthur dress him Merlin stood in a small field behind prepared to get his ass kicked.

"Ready" Arthur asked as Merlin struggled to get his sword into the scabbard on his belt.

No, he really wasn't. "Would it make any difference if I said no?"

Arthur spun his sword skillfully "Not really"

Merlin scrambled to put his helmet on as the prince stepped forward. He could hardly see through the slot in his helmet and when Arthur called out different places he was going to strike, Merlin struggled to deflect them with his sword or block them with the shield.

"Head" Arthur called

"Head?" That was an option?

The sword struck his helmet sending a loud clanging through his skull. It hurt. A lot, and Merlin grabbed his helmet in an attempt to stop the blossoming pain.

"Come on Merlin" the prince complained smacking Merlin on his butt with the sword "you're not even trying"

"I am" Merlin protested

The onslaught continued. With Arthur calling left, and right instead of body or shield until he eventually struck his helmet again.

This time Merlin almost fell over, as his brain was still clanging from the first blow.

"Come on" The prince encouraged "I've got a tournament to win."

"Can we stop now, please" Merlin asked politely

Arthur just continued and Merlin was forced to react to him. He kept the dance up defending himself from Arthur's sword for about twenty seconds. Then two more blows to the helmet sent Merlin staggering backwards until he fell flat on his back side. Knocking the helmet off of his head.

"You're braver than you look" the prince admitted looking down at him "Most servants collapse after the first blow"

"Is it over?" Merlin asked hopefully, his head still pounding from the last hit.

"That was just a warm-up" Arthur held up Merlin's least favorite weapon. "How's your mace work coming along?"

By the time Merlin got home Arthur managed to do a number on him. In fact he'd never been so sore and achy in his life. Not when he had to work for hours in the field during harvest season. Not even when he was eight and broke his arm after being thrown ten feet off of a horse.

His head was pounding. His felt like they had been stretched out of their sockets and his legs were as limp as noodles. His back ached and he was sure that tomorrow morning his skin would be littered with bruises.

As soon as he walked through the door, still half dressed in armor he was met by Gaius who him a smug smile. "So how was your first day as Arthur's servant?"

His head gave a particularly nasty pound causing his ears to ring. He pounded against his head trying to get it to stop. "Do you hear clanging?"

Gaius laughed helping Merlin out of the rest of the armor. As soon as it was off Merlin collapsed onto the bench by the table.

"It was horrible!" Merlin complained as Gaius began working the knots out of his shoulders "And I still have to learn about tournament etiquette by the morning."

He noticed the etiquette book Gaius had bought him last night across the table and decided to try a spell he found in the magic book the physician had given him "Onhríne achtung bregdan"

The book slid across the table, snapping open to the page on armor and unraveling the diagram. Merlin smiled smugly to himself, pleased that he was able to complete the spell on the very first try.

"Oi!" Gaius smacked him across his head. "What have I told you about using magic like this?"

"If I could actually feel my arms, I'd pick up the book myself." Merlin argued.

"Never mind your arms. What do I do if you get caught?" The old man countered.

Merlin never considered that before. If he got caught Gaius could be in danger too. Harboring a young sorcerer would certainly be a crime in the eyes of Uther, and he doubted Gaius's serviced past would give him any leeway in a trial involving magic. From what he had witnessed and what he'd been told around town, Uther was blinded by hate when it came to dealing with magic

"What would you do?"

The old man sighed "Well you just make sure it doesn't happen, for both our sakes"

Gaius grabbed his right arm and pulled it back pushing against his shoulder. Merlin could feel several little pops at it settled back into place. It felt wonderful.

"I save Arthur from being killed and I end up as his servant." Merlin complained. "How is that fair?"

"I'm not sure fairness comes into it" Gaius explained. "You never know it might be fun."

"You think mucking out Arthur's horses is going to be fun?" Merlin asked as Gaius switched shoulders. "You should see my list of duties."

"We all have our duties." Gaius stated "Even Arthur."

"It must be so tough for him" Merlin sassed. "With all the girls and the glory."

He felt a special twinge of jealousy when he thought of the Lady Morgana. How could such a lovely woman be attracted to such a prat? Even if said prat was a prince.

"He is the future king. He is under a lot of pressure."

Gaius pushed against his shoulder causing his arm to pop into place with a painful "crack"

"That makes two of us."

Merlin was really not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow. As far as he could tell he was going to really hate his job.

ooOoo

Evie on the other hand loved her job. Especially when she got to ride.

Due to the King's tournament, the stables got an influx of horses. This meant each of the horses spent less time getting worked by the Knights. Usually it was a rarity that the horses had taken out for the sole purpose of exercise. The Knights and nobles spent enough time riding them whether it for leisure or for patrols that the stable hands didn't have to work the horse's them themselves. But with the tournament in town the knights were busy competing and the rest of the nobles watching.

So Evie and the other stable hands got to ride.

Evie had taken a young stallion out this morning. He was a gorgeous horse, a palomino thoroughbred by the name of Angelo. He of course held the stubborn hot-blooded temperament of most young stallions. Angelo was also bigger than most horses and he knew it too, often using his size to bully his more inexperienced riders around. Over the past few years he'd caused a number of young knight's trouble while they were on patrol. He was a horse that required an experienced rider with a firm hand and the ability to give him constant attention.

Boy he was fun to ride.

There was a small meadow about half mile outside of town. The small valley was by far Evie's favorite place to ride. In the fall it was an excellent hunting ground, a great open area that often harbored large herds of deer, and during the summer it was gorgeous. The entire field became covered in wildflowers watered by a small creek that trickled back into the forest.

Coming up onto the opening Evie kicked Angelo sending him into a full canter. She took him out bareback, the way she'd learned how to ride as a child. In her opinion it was a much better way to ride. While bareback Evie could feel the warmth of the animal, the muscles of the horse moving as they rode. It made her feel closer to the beast, like she and the animal were companions rather than Angelo being just a mode of transportation.

She moved with him, shifting with his gait as they crossed the field allowing his full range of motion. He was fast and she smiled as she raced against an invisible opponent. With a stride of his length he was able to cross the field in a matter of seconds and in her eyes this was the closest she'd ever get to flying.

When they reached the other end of the meadow she pulled the horse to a stop, giving time for Lucy to catch up. The wolfhound was just as excited as her owner on these morning rides. There was nothing the dog loved more than running free outside the city.

She leaned forward against the horse's back, stroking his mane and letting him catch his breath before turning around and trotting towards the city.

Halfway through the lower town Evie heard her name, spinning on around on the horse she was met with and overly ecstatic Gwen with a beaming smile on her face.

The moment Lucy saw her friend Gwen she jumped into a little happy dance and raced over to see her friend. As usual Gwen treated the animal with her signature kindness, stroking her head and flopping her ears as the dog wagged her tail excitedly.

"Guess what?" She said to Evienne after pampering the pooch.

"I'm actually a princess and there is a gorgeous knight on his way to take me back to rule my kingdom" Evie guessed flatly dismounting the horse careful not to lose her grip on the reins.

"Um, no" Gwen stated giving a little nod "I talked to Merlin this morning."

"An incredible accomplishment" Evie interrupted with a smirk.

"I wasn't done" Guinevere glared disapprovingly "I talked to Merlin this morning, and he mentioned he was learning tournament etiquette. Specifically how to help Arthur's armor and I mentioned that I was the black smith's daughter."

"And..."

"He's coming over today, so I can teach him how to put on armor." Gwen gave a little hop.

Evie wasn't sure what the socially appropriate reply to that was. Mostly because wasn't sure if she approved of Merlin. He seemed like a good enough guy. Sweet and goofy, Merlin was the type of guy that Evienne could see Gwen ending up with. Evienne also didn't want to put a damper on her friend's good mood. It'd been awhile since Evie saw Guinevere this excited about anything. That last thing she wanted to do was take away that happiness from her friend; however, judging by Merlin's stupidity and talent for magic Evienne didn't expect that the boy would have a very long life expectancy if he stayed in Camelot.

Which of course meant Gwen's heart would be broken.

So the choice was she either state her disapproval and hurt Guinevere now, or bide her time and deal with Merlin's impending demise later.

After an awkwardly long moment of consideration Evienne decided to play the long game. She went with a simple "That's great."

Gwen smiled broader, obviously pleased with the answer "I was also going to ask for a favor."

"What?" There were two people in Camelot that Evie wouldn't hesitate to do anything for. Gaius, the old physician and of course Guinevere.

"Can you come over tonight?" She gave a nervous smile.

This baffled Evie. "Why would you want me to come over? Isn't the whole point of him coming over is for you two to be alone together?"

For Evienne, the whole courting process was incredibly confusing. She was someone who struggled with starting and keeping platonic relationships, so romantic relationships were way over her head. Apparently there was an art to it, some sort of strange dance that everyone but herself knew. It was completely illogical. Something that came from the heart, based on sentiment that followed a series of social customs that made absolutely no sense. Basically a collection of things that Evie couldn't understand.

When it came to love, Evie was clueless. Something she despised being about anything, especially something everyone else seemed to understand.

"Not exactly" Gwen explained "The point of him coming over is so we can get to know each other better. And I really don't want it to be awkward."

"So you're inviting me to make it less awkward?"

"Yes"

"I'll make it less awkward?" Evienne lacked social skills and Guinevere of course was well aware of this.

"Mhmm" Gwen nodded patiently

"Why?"

"I don't want him to feel like there is too much pressure. Sometimes it's weird when it's just the two of us all alone. I want to get to know him, not make him feel like he's obligated to do anything."

"Why would he feel obligated? You're helping him."

Guinevere just sighed. "It's complicated. Can you come over? I don't want you to feel obligated too of course. But it'd mean a lot?"

Evienne could come over. Of course she didn't have any plans, Gwen was the only person she ever really made plans with. She could say she was going for a hunt. It wouldn't be a total lie that was what she was originally planning for this evening. She knew that Guinevere would take it as a plausible excuse. The last thing that Guinevere ever wanted was to be was an inconvenience to anyone. Just the fact that she was asking for help meant that this meant that this meant a lot to her.

"Yeah I can make it" Evie decided "What time?"

"Merlin's coming over at around seven, so do you think you can make it over at around six-thirty?"

"Works for me." she forced a smile

Evie really wasn't looking forward to tonight.

ooOoo

Merlin had no idea just how heavy armor was.

Just carrying the stuff was making his shoulders ache. He had no idea how Arthur and the other knights wore it around all day. Yesterday he could barely stand after a few hours wearing it, yet The Prince almost never wore anything else.

He still had no idea how to put any of the stuff on. Thank the gods for Gwen. There was no way that he was going to be able to figure out how all the armor worked without help. Honestly he was starting to panic a little. He didn't want to get sacked after a single day of his job.

He may have hated his first day, but he didn't want to get fired right away.

He didn't want to seem like a failure.

Merlin was about ten minutes late when he got to Guinevere's, Arthur didn't like the way that he folded his clothes so he made him redo it. But when he knocked on the door Guinevere answered it with a smile.

"Hey Guinevere" He greeted her "Sorry I'm late"

"Merlin. No problem at all" she opened the door wider allowing access through the door "Come in"

She had a small house, about the size of the home he and his mother had in Ealdor. It had a homey feel, a couple of beds in the corner, a stove in the back and a kitchen table. The walls were covered in swords and armor, which made sense given that it was the blacksmith's house.

Suddenly he was pushed forward with a shove against back. Looking down he saw two big white paws on his shoulder and was met with a wet nose and tongue to his cheek. Standing on its hind legs the animal was taller than he was, and he struggled to keep himself from toppling forward.

"Lucy down" he heard someone command seemingly annoyed.

The dog jumped off his shoulders and he turned to see Evienne in the corner.

She was sitting on top of a table, back against the wall with her arms wrapped around her knees keeping her dress from showing more than intended. Her signature braid sat over her shoulder and her signature glare on her face.

According to The Great Dragon part of his destiny was to befriend the girl. But so far he hadn't put much effort into it. It was a whole other hurdle for him to jump, and he was currently more worried about the first part of his destiny and protecting Arthur.

If he was being truthful with himself, part of the delay of his befriending Evienne, was that he wasn't entirely sure if he wanted her as a friend. Every interaction he had with her was entirely unpleasant. She was sarcastic, rude, and the death glare that she was currently wearing almost never fell from her face.

She wasn't someone Merlin wanted to spend a lot of time around.

"Hello, Merlin" She greeted him simply, not bothering to move from her spot in the corner.

"I hope you don't mind" Guinevere smiled "Evie's here"

"It's no problem at all" Merlin forced a smile onto his face "Hey, Evienne"

Her dog Lucy, barked. Unlike her owner, the hound was extraordinarily friendly. Despite her jumping he didn't mind the gigantic hound. In fact he found Lucy to be quite likeable. She reminded him of the dogs that roamed the village back home. When he was little used to save little bits of his dinner, and feed them to the starving animals, much to his mother's irritation. He often got in trouble for it. His mother always complained that they could be dangerous and he shouldn't attract them to the house, but couldn't bear to watch them go hungry. There was something innocent about dogs, a purity that he felt was often dishonored. To this day he was extraordinarily fond of the creatures and went out of his way to feed any stray.

"Hey, Lucy" He reached down and stroked the dog's giant had. Receiving a satisfied wag in return for his attention.

"Well you ready to get started?" Gwen asked smiling as she clasped her hands together

"Sure"

Learning from Guinevere was a whole lot more effective than learning from the book that Gaius bought. Her instructions were much clearer, and she could show him the action so he didn't have to decipher the books vague directions.

She helped him slip on two pieces of the armor, showing him in detail how to work the clasps on each piece.

"So you've got voiders on the arms" Gwen explained placing her hands on his shoulder. He turned to face her and she tapped the piece around his neck with both her hands. "The hauberk over your chest."

He repeated this to himself; although he was pretty sure he could remember it, he didn't want the wrath of Arthur because he couldn't remember something so simple.

"I guess you know what to do with the helmet" she held one out towards him.

He smiled. "Yeah, yeah that was the one bit I'd figured out."

He looked over to Evienne realizing that he'd set himself up perfectly for an insult but surprisingly she said nothing, just continued to observe his lesson from her corner.

Deciding not to worry about it he took the helmet from Guinevere and placed it atop of his head. Gwen gave a little laugh and judging by the way it flopped around it probably looked more like an oversized bucket than a helmet.

"How come you're so much better at this than me?" He joked.

"I'm the blacksmith's daughter" she reminded him. "I know pretty much everything there is to know about armor which is actually kind of sad"

"No, it's brilliant" He smiled, incredibly impressed by her knowledge. Not a lot of people knew about armor and even less of them were woman. She really was someone special and he was excited that he could call her a friend.

"Absolutely brilliant." Evienne agreed uncurling herself from the corner, and sliding off the table. "I'd better get going. I have to get up early tomorrow. We've got a lot of extra horses at the stable and it's going to be a long day."

"Alright" Gwen smiled at her friend "I'm guessing I'll see you at the tournament tomorrow."

"Yeah" Evie said flatly "I'm super excited"

Merlin gave her a look. So far she was the only person in Camelot that didn't seem to looking forward to the tournament.

She caught his look. "What? Watching a bunch of oversized men whack each other with swords isn't really my definition of a good time."

To be honest that didn't really seem like Merlin's definition of a good time either. Yet he was still excited for tomorrow's tournament. It may have just been the hype surrounding the surrounding the event, or an odd desire to prove himself as a capable servant to Prince Arthur.

"Night Evie" Guinevere smiled as the girl headed for the door, her dog right behind her.

"Night Gwen" Evienne smiled. Then her smile dropped as she looked at Merlin. "Merlin"

"Goodnight." Merlin responded.

He waited a few moments after Evienne left before turning to Gwen. "Do you want me to leave too?"

"No, you're free to stay as long as you want." Guinevere said politely. "My dad will be home in a few hours, in case you wanted to meet him."

He probably wouldn't stay that long but he could hang out with Gwen for an hour or so. It might actually be productive. Guinevere and Evienne seemed pretty close, he may be able to get information about the girl from Gwen.

"Hey Gwen can I ask you a question?"

"Sure" She shot him her usual friendly smile.

"Evienne, why do you hang out with her?" As soon as he said it he realized just how rude it probably sounded.

Gwen raised her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"It's just that she's a little... She seems like she's..." Merlin struggled to find the right way to put it.

"She seems like a cold bitch" Guinevere said frankly.

Merlin didn't see that comment coming. Not that he didn't disagree with it. The vulgarity just didn't sound right coming from the seemingly sweet Guinevere's mouth. Distinctly in regards to another person.

"Her words not mine" She clarified having seen his astonished expression. "And she really isn't like that."

"What do you mean?"

"When I first met Evienne I didn't really like her either." Gwen started "She can be a bit blunt, and ninety-percent of what she says is sarcastic. But once you get past that, she warms up on you. I've never had a more loyal, or caring friend." Gwen smiled to herself "Although I doubt I could get her to admit to the caring part. I think she enjoys her icy reputation."

Merlin wasn't really sure how to respond to that. He usually saw the best in people, but so far he couldn't really see much of the caring friend that Guinevere claimed Evienne was.

"Give her a chance" Gwen said after a short pause. "I bet she'll warm up on you"

Merlin really hoped that was the truth. But for now he figured he'd worry about Prince Arthur. Someone Merlin really doubted he'd warm up to.

This theory was seemingly proven correct the morning when it was time for Merlin to put his lessons on armor to the test.

Merlin was honestly proud of himself. He was able to piece together the Princes armor quite well only struggling a bit with the cuff links around his arms. He was doing a lot better than he expected he would,

The Prince on the other hand didn't seem too impressed. He stood stiffly seemingly annoyed that this buffoon was helping dress him.

"You do know the tournament starts today?" The Prince reminded him stiffly.

"Yes, sire" Merlin just smiled. Straightening the armor on top of his shoulder and making sure a clasp was all the way together. "You nervous?"

"I don't get nervous" Arthur said clenching his jaw.

"Really I thought everyone got nervous?"

"WILL YOU SHUT UP?!" The Prince shouted causing Merlin's heart to leap in his chest.

Not nervous Merlin's ass.

Merlin grabbed the prince's cloak. For a second he struggled with the weird buttoning devices before he finally figured it out. He handed the Prince his helmet then stepped back to admire his work.

"Great, I think you're all set"

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Arthur growled.

Merlin looked the prince over. Helmet, check. Voiders, check. Halbert, check. It seemed he had everything.

"My sword" The Prince pointed out.

"Oh, yeah" That was something that was kind of important. Merlin quickly grabbed the sword and handed it to Arthur.

Arthur snagged the sword roughly from Merlin. With a clenched jaw he stormed away towards the tournament leaving Merlin standing there awkwardly.

Still, it went better than expected.

ooOoo

After a long morning of shoveling horse poop Evienne was forced to go to the first day of the tournament.

It wasn't a de jure law. Rather a social contract the Evie signed just by living in Camelot. If she didn't go people would notice. If people noticed, they would talk. People talking was a bad thing for Evie. People talking meant they were watching her, and when you have as many secrets as Evie the last thing you want is to be watched.

One of the biggest challenges of these events is finding a place to sit. She always kept Lucy with her at these things, and getting the dog into the bleachers, especially the upper levels was an incredibly difficult task.

She was about a half hour early, yet most of the stands were already filled.

"Evie" Gwen grabbed her by the shoulders causing Evie to jump.

"Guinevere" Evie complained. "You scared me half to death"

"Sorry" she apologized honestly.

It was then that Evie noticed that Guinevere wasn't alone. Standing next to her in a gorgeous blue dress, a fur wrap around her shoulders was the Lady Morgana.

"Milady" Evienne immediately curtsied towards the noblewoman.

"There's no need for that." Morgana laughed kind heartedly. "We're all friends here."

Evie wasn't sure what to say to that. Despite both of their relationships with Gwen she'd never talked to the lady before.

"I'm guessing you're the famous Evienne" The Lady Morgana gave a brilliant smile "Guinevere had told me much about you."

"She has" Evie wasn't sure how she felt about that.

"All good things of course." It was then that Lucy made her appearance. Luckily she decided not to jump on the King's ward. Deciding to instead sniff her feet. "And this must be Lucy."

She held out her hand allowing the hound to sniff it. Before stroking the animal's head. Lucy's been having a wonderful few days with all the attention.

Evienne just kind of stood there awkwardly. She never really knew how to react in these situations. Meeting new people was difficult enough. But with the Lady Morgana's standing this situation was on a whole other level.

Guinevere sensing her friend's discomfort decided to intervene. "Why don't we find out seats?"

"It was nice meeting you" Evie stated. Still not entirely ready to begin the struggle of finding a spot.

"Why don't you sit down in the front with us?" The Lady Morgana invited. "Always more fun with more company.

This caught Evie off guard. "Is it inappropriate for a stable hand to be sitting with a Noblewoman?"

"Only if you think it such" Morgana smiled scandalously and began walking towards the stand.

Admittedly it was a lot easier to get Lucy in the front row and her view was much better from down here. The three settled in their seats with their mutual friend in the middle, the large hound lying at their feet.

For about twenty minutes Evie eaves dropped as Gwen and Morgana chatted about the various knights. None of it was particularly interesting, mostly just small talk about where everyone was from, who was single, a bunch of pointless stuff like that.

Drumming filled the air, and the crowd strained there head to see the competitors enter the arena. They marched in two by two faces serious, ready for battle. When they reached the middle they stood in two lines, facing the king as he entered the arena.

"Knights of the realm" King Uther addressed the competitors. "It's a great honor to welcome you to the tournament in Camelot. Over the next three days you will come to bring your bravery to the test, your skills as warriors and of course, to challenge the reigning champion. My son prince Arthur."

He paused for a moment, and Evie noticed Arthur take a deep breath. "Only one can have the honor of being crowned champion. And he will receive a prize of one thousand gold pieces."

Quiet murmurs filled the crowd at the announcement of the prize. The King's treasurer opened a small chest filled to the top with gold coins.

That was more money than Evie had ever seen in her life. Whoever won that was going to be a rich man. If Evie was noble and well a man she would have definitely taken up a career in knighthood.

"It is in combat that we learn of a knight's true nature" The King's continued silencing the crowd. "Whether he is indeed a true warrior or a coward"

The King thrust his fist up into the air. "The tournament begins."

Most of the knights left, leaving Prince Arthur and Sir Jonathan on the field. Arthur walked up to his father who leaned up to his ear.

"I trust you will make me proud." He whispered. If Evienne wasn't in the front row she probably wouldn't have heard it, but she cringed slightly at his words. The King gave him a tap on the shoulder walking away and leaving Arthur with an uncomfortable expression.

Evie felt a bit of pity for the kid. He had a lot on his shoulders. Having a father like Uther couldn't have been easy.

The knights put on their helmets, handing over their capes to two of the palace guards causing the audience to cheer with excitement.

Both men drew their swords and the battle began.

Although Evie stated before that pointless tournaments like this weren't her type of entertainment, a good fight like this one was admittedly fun to watch. It was almost like a dance, each man stabbing and stepping to the beats of the swords. Arthur seemed to have a bit of a shaky start. Hesitating between each strike, only his quick reflexes were allowing him to stay in the match.

But then Evienne realized his strategy. The Prince suddenly came forward striking firm and strong forcing his opponent backwards. Having used the first few minutes of the fight to watch his opponent he knew exactly how to take him down.

Stepping into Sir Jonathan's strike Prince Arthur elbowed him in the face, knocking off his helmet and handing Arthur the fight.

After that most of the fights seemed to blur together. There were a couple notable ones, Prince Arthur of course, a giant knight in purple, an easterner with two swords, and a man with snakes on his shield and a particularly aggressive fighting style; but, most of the knights and their battles just seemed to smudge together in a day of saturated testosterone.

By sunset the last fight of the day came to a close and Evie was glad that it was over.

"My money's on Knight Valiant and Arthur for the final" Morgana stated as they exited the arena.

Guinevere laughed "Why do you say that?"

Morgana smiled. "Out of the knights Arthur and Valiant are obviously the most skilled. Sir Benjamin might have a chance at it, but an injury to his leg will make it difficult for him to perry, something he will definitely need against Valiant. Valiant has the tenacity to get himself to the final and Arthur has the skill."

"How would you know?" Evie realized that it probably sounded smug the moment it came out of her mouth but uninformed people making assumptions got on her nerves.

"My father taught me how to fight when I was young" The Lady asserted her credentials. "In fact I used to beat Arthur when we were little."

She gave a smug smile. "Not that he'd ever admit it"

Evienne was impressed. If what she was telling her was the truth than maybe The Lady Morgana was more than just the pretty face she seemed to be. Although she hadn't had much interaction with The Lady, Evie was actually liking the girl. She had a certain ardency to her that Evie hadn't seen in many people.

No wonder she was Guinevere's friend.

"I wouldn't discount Sir Terrin" Gwen added "I've never seen a man that can strike with such force. He dropped Sir Ulrey with a single hit."

"But he's slow" Morgana pointed out "Arthur will run circles around him"

"What do you think, Evie?" Gwen asked.

Evienne had no idea how to respond. She honestly hadn't been paying enough attention to know who was who, nevertheless make a proper analysis.

"I need more information before I can come to a conclusion." Evie stated confidently

This made the other girls laugh.

"Well I certainly hope its Valiant that escorts me to the feast." Morgana admitted. "I don't think I could take a night of Arthur's blabbering"

Gwen laughed. "On the subject of tonight, Morgana we got to get ready for the reception."

"But we're having such fun." Morgana rolled her eyes before sending Evie a charismatic smile "The struggles of being the King's ward. All these balls are so exhausting."

The Lady's smile grew. "It was a pleasure meeting you Evienne, hope we can do this again."

Evienne nodded in a agreement. "The pleasure was all mine."

Despite the heat and the redundancy of the battle Evie was pleasantly surprised that she has a pretty good time.

Maybe these tournaments weren't so bad after all.

ooOoo

Merlin was also surprised, he didn't know that being the Prince's servant could be this satisfying.

He wouldn't admit it but he found himself cheering for his new master. An odd sense of pride filling him when he saw Arthur won. In a way he felt that they shared the victory, that when Arthur won he won as well.

Arthur has succeeded into qualifying for the quarter finals. After watching Arthur win the first fight Merlin didn't doubt he would but it was still a relief in knowing that he would make it into the next rounds.

He was undoing the Prince's armor when he saw Knight Valiant walking towards them. Truthfully he didn't like the man. He wasn't entirely sure why, the man had been polite enough to him but there was something in his manner that reminded him of a bully. An overabundance of aggression and hyped up masculinity that Merlin found aggravating.

"May I offer my congratulations on your victories today?" The knight said although his words didn't seem entirely sincere.

"Likewise" the Prince replied with a pinched expression.

"I hope to see you at the reception this evening." Valiant added before prancing off. There was something off about the way he said it, something that made Merlin's inside churn.

"Creep" Merlin muttered mostly to himself

The Prince gave a short laugh, it seemed like he and Merlin agreed on something. Maybe there was hope for a friendship between them after all.

The Prince's small smile dropped. "For tomorrow, you need to repair my shield, wash my tunic, clean my boots, sharpen my sword, and polish my chainmail."

Never mind about the friendship. Merlin sighed, annoyed that the Price thought that he'd be able to get it all done in one night.

He beat Gaius home that evening, finishing his household chores about an hour before he and Gaius usually ate supper. Which meant that he didn't have a lot of time to get any work done. There was only one way that Merlin was going to be able to finish all chores Arthur gave him before tomorrow. Especially if he wanted to get any sleep tonight.

Use magic.

He found a couple of spells in the book Gaius gave him. They were incredibly simple, at least for him, and after two minutes of messing around he had a hammer repairing Arthur's shield, a bucket washing his tunic, a cloth polishing his helmet, a brush scrubbing his boot and a stone sharpening his sword all floating in the air finishing his chores for the night.

He smiled satisfied with himself. Grabbing his book off the table he laid back on the bed and opened the book to a section on Love Spells.

About fifteen minutes later his door flung open sending a pulse of adrenaline through his body. Instinctively he stopped the spell, the floating objects crashed to the floor with a loud clang.

His stomach dropped.

In the doorway stood a young girl with a long copper braid and a cold stare.

Evienne. And she had just saw him use magic.

"It wasn't me" he stammered out. Realizing a moment after the words slipped out just how dumb an excuse that was.

She strode delicately into the room, her steps not making a sound as she walked towards his bed. "But you're the only one here."

Merlin suddenly felt like a rabbit being hunted by a hound. She stalked closer, eyeing him with a predatory gaze, like she was just waiting for the right moment to make the kill. He froze against the bed. His mind racing for an excuse yet every time he thought of one he couldn't make his voice work.

"You were using magic" She spoke without emotion "You could be put to death for that"

The image of the man's head rolling off a chopping block flashed through his mind, as he was reminded of the execution he witnessed his first day in Camelot. Now there was a good chance that the rolling head could be his.

"If you're lucky they'll just chop your head off." She leaned her forearms against his bed allowing her face to get uncomfortably close to his. "If not you'll face the flames. That's a real terrible way to go. Believe me I've heard the screams, and from what I've seen you may burn for nearly an hour before death offers you mercy. "

"Please don't tell anyone" he managed to stammer out. "I swear it was just once."

She moved away, standing straight up and looking him in the eye. "Why shouldn't I? I hear the King will pay handsomely for a sorcerer, and well, I'm not a rich girl."

"Please don't. I'm sorry I won't do it again." He sat up in his bed. "I promise. If you keep it a secret I will do anything."

It was getting harder to catch his breath. The realization of his imminent demise further hardening his stomach.

Evienne's expression relaxed. Eye's dropping the predatory glare and changing to a look that was almost...sympathetic. "Relax Merlin, I won't tell the king."

He pushed himself up farther surprised by her words "What?"

"I won't tell the king." She repeated firmly. "No reward is worth a man's life."

At that Merlin allowed himself to collapse back on to his bed. A shaky laugh pulled from his chest at the realization that he wasn't going to die. "I thought I was a dead man."

"You still may be, if you continue to use magic." She insisted. "Most people in Camelot aren't nearly as lenient on the matter as I am. And judging by what you just did, that that wasn't the first time you've used"

"No" he admitted "It wasn't"

He couldn't judge her expression. Couldn't get a read on what she was thinking and it bothered him. He wanted to believe that he was no longer in danger but deep inside he knew there was still a chance she'd turn him in.

It was then that Gaius stuck his head through the door. "What going on in there?" He noticed the extra inhabitant. "Evienne?"

Evienne shot Merlin a look silently asking if his guardian knew.

"Evienne, well she, uh, she caught me using magic" Merlin admitted hesitantly figuring it would be better if he admitted it to Gaius than Evienne.

He watched the color drain from the old man's face.

"I won't tell anyone" Evienne promised solemnly "I swear."

Gaius shook his head closing his eyes. "I swear Merlin. You're trying to give me a heart attack"

"Sorry, Gaius" He meant it. Seeing the flash of fear in the old physician's eyes had sent a pang of guilt through his chest

"Well I guess we have a lot to discuss." Gaius turned towards the huntress. "Would you like to stay for supper?"

Evienne stood there for a moment. "I left Lucy outside, I don't want to leave her out there too long."

"Bring her in" Gaius insisted. "I'd like to have a discussion about Merlin. Answer any questions you may have."

They were talking like Merlin wasn't in the room and Merlin wasn't sure he was okay with that.

"Lucy's not supposed to be in the palace." Evienne stated. "But I do have questions"

"I'm sure it'll be fine just this once. I'll have Merlin set an extra place at the table and I made plenty for all of us."

"Alright" The girl nodded "I'll be right back.

She left the room as quietly as she had entered and Merlin was pretty sure that he wasn't ready for whatever conversations supper would hold.

"You're lucky Merlin" Gaius warned. "That it was Evienne and not someone else who discovered your magic."

"I know."

"And we just have to pray that she keeps on her promise of keeping your secret."

Merlin gulped. He didn't know Evienne very well and her spilling the beans felt like a very real possibility, but there wasn't anything he could do about it now.

"Merlin" He continued. "After she leaves me you and I are going to have a conversation of our own."

The rest of the tonight was going to be rough on Merlin.

ooOoo

Evienne wasn't expecting to walk in on Merlin doing magic. Actually she wasn't expecting to walk in on Merlin at all.

It had been a couple of months since she had last visited the physician's chambers and the room that Merlin was still a storage space last time she was there. When she first started bringing herbs for Gaius he had told her to just stick them in the back and over time she grew accustomed to just walking in and placing them back there herself.

It became a habit. She hadn't considered the fact that when Merlin moved in, he turned the wreck of a storage space into a bedroom.

So it was a shock when she opened the door and saw floating objects instead of shelves. Judging by the look on Merlin's face it was a shock to see her as well.

She felt a little bad for scaring him like that. The moment she started talking he looked like a cornered animal. But she knew what would happen if he got caught using. She knew what his punishment would be. She knew how his death would affect Gwen.

So she figured if she gave him a good scare he might hesitate to use again in the future. Mean? Probably. Effective? Hopefully.

Sometimes one has to be cruel to be kind.

She hesitantly accepted Gaius's invitation to dinner because she honestly did want to know more about having the gift. Judging by how effective Merlin was in completing his chores with magic Evie figured that he had some practice with his. Although she herself was never going to use her own ability, she may be able to learn just what she may be capable of and if Merlin has gone through the same things as herself.

The moment Evie opened the door to let Lucy in, the wolfhound raced into the room sniffing around excitedly before jumping up on to Gaius's bed and making herself comfortable.

She was going to tell the dog to get down, but Gaius stopped her with a "It's fine"

"You sure?" Evie asked. "You know what she did to the King's"

Merlin shot her a curious look. He was already sitting down at the table ready to eat when she had come in. "What'd she do to Uther's bed?"

"She peed on it" Evie admitted. It was quite an embarrassing experience not something she liked to talk about. Lucy had only peed on one bed in her life, and of course that had been the King of Camelot's "Why do you think I got sacked?"

Merlin's face broke out into a giant grin. "Seriously?"

Evie shot him a look and he broke out laughing. "That's brilliant!"

"Uther didn't think so." Evie raised her eyebrows.

"Just keep an eye on her." Gaius stated glancing at the dog. "I'm sure she won't do it again."

Evie took a seat next to Merlin, and Gaius sat opposite of the boy. There was an awkward moment of silence before Gaius stated "I hope you like squirrel stew. Though being a hunter's daughter I'm quite sure you do."

She gave a little smirk. Taking a bite from her bowl "I grew up on stew, and squirrel was always a hearty meal."

It wasn't the worst she'd ever eaten. Way too salty to be the savory stuff her father made but it was edible. Well… mostly edible.

After a few minutes of silence as they enjoyed their meal, Gaius brought up the elephant in the room. "So what do you think about Merlin having magic? I know it can be a shocking to see something like that. But I assure you he is no danger to you or Camelot."

"I didn't think he was." She stated earnestly "Only a danger to himself."

Merlin frowned. "I'll be careful."

Evie looked at him. "I don't know if you understand what careful means. Less than a hour ago I walked in on you doing magic. Magic is illegal in Camelot, Merlin. Illegal and basically a guaranteed death sentence. And nothing as senseless as the practice of magic is worth your life"

The boy sighed heavily sitting back into his chair. "You wouldn't understand, neither of you would understand."

She understood perfectly. She knew the temptation of magic. She understood how it felt to have a gift that was condemned by the law. But he didn't understand. He doesn't seem to fear getting caught. He just didn't understand that magic isn't worth the risk.

Evie wasn't about to share anything about her own magic, not even with Merlin having magic of his own. She couldn't trust them. If given the chance they'd use her secret against her. It was simply human nature to use knowledge for personal gain.

She had learned that lesson the hard way. It was one she wasn't about to forget.

No, she was going to keep that card in her hand. And she had no intention of playing it anytime soon.

Gaius looked at his ward. "Merlin"

Merlin didn't say anything just continued to eat to his meal with a pinched face. The table sat in an uncomfortable silence before Evie decided to ask a question.

"How long have you been studying magic?"

"I don't study magic." he muttered not looking up from his soup.

That didn't make sense. Evienne has never had any control of her magic. When she was eight and it presented itself was the only time she had access to it. Even then she had no control over the random fire and flying objects. She didn't know much about magic, but it was common knowledge that magic had to be learned. It was a skill to be developed not something that people could just do.

"What?"

He looked her straight in the eye clearly annoyed he had to explain. "I was born with it"

Evie glanced at Gaius, incredibly confused by that statement. Weren't a most sorcerers born with the gift? Evie was but that didn't mean she could use it automatically.

"Merlin has an exceptional gift." Gaius explained with a glint of pride in his eyes "He could be one of the most powerful sorcerers to ever live."

"Merlin?" She argued pointing to the oaf sitting next to her. "That duntz"

"You do realize I'm right here." Merlin groaned. Evie glanced at his annoyed face before looking back to Gaius.

"I think Merlin has more potential than you realize" Gaius defended his ward. Standing up from the table. "Sometimes people are more complex than we think."

Evienne analyzed the man's face. He looked sincere, one hundred percent sure in the faith that he had for this boy.

She looked at Merlin. He still didn't look like much. With the pout on his face he reminded Evie of a toddler who had just had his favorite toy taken away. Obviously he was reckless, having picked not one but two fights with the Prince of Camelot. One could even go as far as to say childish. Merlin could be considered brave, Evie had to give him that. But there is a fine line between stupidity and bravery and in Evie's opinion he spent more time dancing in the side of stupidity.

Yet, Gaius seemed to have total faith in him. Gaius who seemed to have the answer for everything. Gaius who had wisdom collected from seventy hard years. Gaius who was arguably the wisest man in Camelot had faith in this seemingly foolish boy.

Maybe there was more to Merlin that she realized.

ooOoo

Last night had been undoubtedly one of the scariest experiences of his life.

He'd never gotten caught before. Never had his secret known by anyone who was practically a stranger. The closest that he'd ever had to this was when he told his best friend Will. But then it was his choice, it was a controlled circumstance. He trusted Will.

He didn't trust Evienne.

For now he was pretty sure she'd keep it a secret. There was no reason that she had to turn him in. But he figured the moment that it would benefit her, the moment she could gain something from revealing the information she knew she'd throw him to the King.

He could go back to Ealdor. That was an option that he and Gaius discussed after Evienne left. But he didn't want to leave, and he had a duty to fulfill in Camelot.

So he guessed he'd have to live with that impending doom over his head.

What's changed really?

Still he couldn't stop thinking about Evienne as he went to pick up the Prince's armor from the armory the next morning. It was still early and admittedly he was still half awake as he made his way to the table to gather the armor.

A quiet hiss filled the air causing all the hairs on his skin to stand. He turned around slowly attempting to see anyone else in the room.

"Is anyone there?"

Of course there was no reply.

The hiss sounded again. It seemed like it was coming from a shield below him. It was bright yellow, with three green snakes entangled on top of it. He recognized the coat of arms. It belonged to the boneheaded Knight Valiant.

One of the snakes red eyes blinked and Merlin's heat gave a little leap. Moving in closer he went to touch the shields paint, there was something off about it. Something that seemed, powerful.

Before his hand could reach it he felt a sharp poke his neck. He looked down heart racing to see the tip of a sword resting in the swoop of his neckerchief. Looking up he noticed his attacker was Knight Valiant glaring at him with suspicion in his eyes.

Slowly he stood up to full height, eyes not leaving the knight's gaze.

"Can I help you, boy?" The knight asked not bothering to remove the sword at his throat.

"Nope" Merlin forced through the lump in his throat. "I'm good."

He tried to give a smile but the Knight stepped forward forcing Merlin to step backwards. "I-I was just gathering my master's armor."

Valiant slowly retracted his sword, holding it up farther from Merlin. "Best be on your way"

"Right, yeah" Merlin took his escape. Quickly and quite clumsily he gathered up the armor. Stammering out he hit his shin on an old shield, causing a burst of pain to shoot up it and a loud clang to fill the room.

He didn't bother stopping. Rather he just ran out and up into Arthur's room.

Merlin reached the chambers with no problem. Opening the door he realized the Prince wasn't in his room, so he prepared for his master's arrival.

Fifteen minutes later the Prince appeared, apparently groomed at ready to dress for the competition. Entering the room he noticed his armor presented neatly on the table. Merlin standing submissively by the table.

"You did this all on your own?" The Prince sounded mildly impressed.

"Yes, sire." Merlin confirmed.

"Now let's see if you can get me into it without forgetting anything." The Prince challenged.

Merlin, for lack of a better phrase, rocked it. He managed to get the Prince fully dressed in a matter of five minutes without forgetting anything. The armor went on without pinching the Prince, he put Arthur's head through the chainmail the first try, and he remembered Arthur's sword presenting it to the prince before placing it in its sheath."

"That was much better" Arthur stated his approval causing Merlin to give a small smile. "Not that it could've gone any worse."

Merlin shrugged. "I'm a fast learner."

Arthur looked him straight in the eye "I hope for your sake that's true"

"Good luck" Merlin said sincerely

He walked Arthur out to the arena, although he was pretty sure that Arthur didn't even realize that he was there.

When he got to the entrance he saw the crowd cheering, Arthur raising his helmet encouraging their support.

He watched in awe a smile breaking on to his face. He'd never see anything like this in Ealdor.

"Is it my imagination" he turned around to see a smug looking Gaius "Or are you actually starting to enjoy yourself?"

"It isn't totally horrible all the time" he admitted hesitantly earning a satisfied nod from his guardian.

The fights today were a lot more exciting than they were the day before. Of course this was expected, this was the second round, and the ante had been upped.

Merlin cheered from the sidelines, encouraging Arthur as he landed blow after blow. A surge of pride filled the boy as Arthur won round after round. Until he eventually landed himself a spot in the semi-finals.

The only other battle that Merlin found remember able was between Knight Valiant and Sir Ewan. It was a close match, both knight's about equally matched it skill. Lasting over three minutes it wasn't a quick round, but it ended with an unconscious Sir Ewan being brought back the Infirmary.

Despite that it had been an incredibly fun day. Just what he needed to take his mind off of Evienne.

The more time he spent at this job, the more he thought that it just maybe bearable.

ooOoo

Evienne ditched the tournament this morning.

Admittedly it wasn't the most well thought out move. People saw her the first day so she hoped that they would just assume that she was there the second day even if they didn't see her themselves. Plus there wasn't as much of a social contract to go the second day. As long as you made it to the first and the finals, you would be considered normal to at least most of Camelot.

She went by foot of course, if she brought a horse people would notice it missing from the stables. So she couldn't go too far outside of the castle walls, plus she didn't feel like making a long hike back. Still it was nice to get away, the peace, quiet and lack of people was always welcome.

Lucy of course was ecstatic to be out hunting again. She was doing her job sniffing the ground in search of prey as she wagged her tail in a mad frenzy.

Knowing she couldn't take any large prey Evie made her way to a small stream that lead to a pond hoping to find water fowl.

She got lucky the moment she and Lucy spotted the pond a flock of geese took the air. She drew an arrow, notched it purely from muscle memory and aimed at one of the slower birds in the flock. She fired. Arrow flying true she hit the animal knocking it out of the air.

Lucy, having trained for this since she was a puppy raced off to collect the fallen bird. A few seconds later she returned with a decently sized goose and dropped it at Evienne's feet.

For a second she considered having it for dinner herself. It was too big for just her and Lucy to eat in one sitting, and goose was always difficult to divide up with the butcher. She could get some jerky out of it and no matter what she was keeping the feathers to fletch arrows but there was probably a better use for the kill.

She could give it to Merlin and Gaius. Being city folk, and commoners they probably didn't get a chance to eat such expensive birds very often. Plus she knew that the goose fat was often used for medicinal purposes by Gaius. Evie was honestly thankful for their hospitality the night before, it had been a long time since she had a proper home cooked meal. She figured giving them the goose would be a good gesture, and may help fortify more trust between her and the two men.

She was pretty sure Merlin didn't trust her. She didn't blame him, she didn't trust anyone with her secret either. But she understood how it felt to live in fear all the time, and maybe gifting the goose would reassure him that she was honestly on his side.

Evienne got to the Physician's chamber later in the evening. She had hung out in by the pond, lost in her thoughts until it was midday and she was sure the tournament was over.

She got to the door, holding the dead goose in one hand as she prepared to knock.

"Why are you here?" Asked an annoyed voice.

She turned to see Merlin scowling, his arms full of armor.

"I came bearing gifts" she tried and failed to not match his tone "as a thank you for dinner last night."

She held up the carcass by its feet, dangling it in front of Merlin's face. Merlin wrinkled is nose as he looked at the dead creature. For a second she thought he wouldn't accept the gift.

"Can you open the door for me?" He asked.

She opened the door following the boy into the physician's chambers. He placed the armor on the table and raced over to Gaius who was sitting by an occupied cot.

"How is he?" Merlin asked

"It's most odd" Gaius stated examining the fallen man's neck "Look at this."

Evie glanced over Merlin's shoulder noticing two inflamed puncture wounds on the man's neck.

"See these two small wounds" he pointed to them on the man neck "I looks like a snake bite."

It was then that Gaius noticed Evie in the room. She held up the goose. "I brought dinner"

"How could he have been bitten by a snake?" Merlin asked ignoring Evie's subject change. "He was injured in a sword fight?"

The physician grimaced. "Yet his symptoms are consistent with poisoning, slow pulse, fever, paralysis."

"Who is he?" Evie asked still having no idea what was going on.

"Sir Ewan" Gaius stated simply "He was injured today during the tournament."

"Can you heal him?" Merlin sounded legitimately concerned over the fate of the fallen stranger.

Gaius wandered over to a table, cleaning up a mess he made earlier. "I need to extract venom from the snake that bit him in order to make an antidote."

"What happens if he doesn't get the antidote?" Merlin asked. Evie thought that answer was quite obvious, no wonder people thought Merlin was an idiot.

"Then I'm afraid there's nothing more I can do for him." The old man stated grimly "He's going to die."

Merlin drew his eyebrows together a weary gaze filling his eyes. It was strange to Evienne that the boy cared so much for the life of a stranger.

"Who was he fighting?" Evie asked, intrigued by the mystery.

"Knight-" The boy's eyes grew wide "Valiant"

Without saying anything the boy turned and raced out of the room. Evie shot a glance at Gaius who looked just as confused as she did.

"Watch my dog." Evie stated quickly before racing after the boy. It was meant as a question but came out as more of a command.

She caught up to Merlin half way down the hallway. He was pacing quite quickly and with her shorter stride she had to almost jog to keep up with him.

"Knight Valiant's chambers"

"Why?"

He ignored her question simply continuing down the hallway.

Suddenly he reached out and grabbed her wrist spinning her around and pulling next to him against a stone pillar. He looked at her before peering around the pillar. Evie followed his lead. She saw what or well who he was looking at.

Walking back towards his chambers, presumably from a training session was knight Valiant carrying his shield.

Strange most knights left their shields in the armory between battles or training sessions. Evie wondered why he had it with him.

As soon as Valiant disappeared from view Merlin nodded his head telling Evie to follow as her turned and quietly followed the knight.

He disappeared into his chambers, but lucky for them didn't close the door all the way. Merlin walked straight up to it and keeping himself hidden behind the door slowly pushed it open so he could peek inside. Evie tip toed next to him, taking care to stay behind the view of the door as she settled in to take a peak.

At first it looked like the room was empty, but then Valiant suddenly appeared into view causing Evie to flinch back into Merlin's shoulder. He looked down at her mildly concerned before reverting his gaze back to the knight.

Peering back in Evie noticed a small cage, slowly she watched as Valiant opened it grabbing a small white mouse by the tail and lifting it from the cage. The mouse twisted, squirming and squealing in terror desperate to free itself as Valiant watched the poor creature with a sadistic smile.

He held the mouse in front of the shield and slowly the snakes began to animate. They seemed to crawl out of the shield morphing from two dimensional drawings into three dimensional living creatures.

Huh, guess that explains the snake bite.

As Valiant dangled the mouse above them the three serpents lunged at their meal. Valiant prolonged the torture, pulling the mouse away from the reaching fangs earning more squeals of terror.

Finally Valiant dropped the poor creature into the mouth of one of the snakes.

Merlin grabbed her wrist, before turning and dragging her away from the room. The sound of footsteps echoed from behind them, near Valiant's chambers and they did the only logical thing to do.

They ran.

The hall was slippery and when Evie turned a corner she slid; hitting a wall in the process. Luckily Knight Valiant was far enough behind them that he wasn't able to catch up to Evie during her little faux pas.

Suddenly she heard a sword slipping from its sheath. Quickly, she grabbed Merlin's wrist spinning him around and pulling both of them behind a pillar.

Heart thrumming in her chest Evie listened as the knight walked around the room. They turned around it as Valiant approached, keeping themselves hidden.

Slowly his footsteps began to fade as the Knight walked back towards his chambers. Evienne let out a breath and shared a look with Merlin. He was still trying to steady his breath and his eyes were wide.

Evienne couldn't be sure but she thought they were thinking the same thing.

Valiant was using magic, meaning Arthur could be in trouble.

ooOoo

Merlin wasn't sure what he expected, but the animated snakes definitely wasn't it.

It made sense of course. Sir Ewan was fighting Valiant when he got bit. Valiant had snakes on his shield. Part of Merlin was slightly frustrated that he hadn't put two and two together.

The moment he raced back into the Physician's chambers he stammered out what he knew about Valiant.

"We've just seen one of the snakes in Valiant's shield come alive" Gaius looked up at him eye widening "He's using magic."

"Are you sure?" Gaius asked.

"The snake ate a mouse- one swallow straight down." Merlin continued

"It was gross" Evie added

"Ewan was fighting Valiant when he collapsed" Merlin stammered "It must have been one of the snakes."

Arthur. If the tournament was going the way he expected Arthur was going to fight Valiant.

He was in danger, Merlin shouted before he made a dash for the door.

"I have to tell Arthur!"

"Is there any chance you may be mistaken?" Gaius stood up stopping Merlin before he reached the door.

"I know magic when I see it, and Evie saw it too"

"Perhaps" Gaius countered. "But do you have any proof?"

For some reason that struck a chord "Don't you believe me?"

"I fear you'll land yourself in trouble" Gaius scolded. "How will you explain why you were in Valiant's chambers?"

"What does that matter?!" Merlin was astonished. Gaius was obviously missing the point. "Valiant is using magic to cheat in the tournament."

"You haven't spent much time around nobility have you?" Of course, Evie took Gaius's side "You're a servant Merlin. Valiant's a knight. Right now it your word over his and there is no way The King will take the word of a servant over a knight."

"So what I say doesn't count for anything?" Merlin glared at her.

"Nope" she agreed "Not in the eyes of the king, it doesn't."

"Why?" Merlin asked angrily

"That's just the way it is." Gaius explained.

His blood was starting to boil. If there was one thing he hated it was feeling helpless, and by what Evie and Gaius we're saying that's just what he was. Deep down he knew it wasn't their fault, they were just reminding him of a harsh truth. But right now he connected their faces to his frustration, and he knew he had to get out of the room before he lashed out at either of them.

Of course Arthur made it to the finals, and of course his opponent was knight Valiant. This was just the kind of luck Merlin had since moving to Camelot. Honestly, part of Merlin was wishing that Arthur would have lost in an earlier round. Then he wouldn't have to worry about him getting murdered at the hands of Knight Valiant. But no, Arthur had to be one of the best warriors in Camelot. He had to make it to the finals.

Who knew that Arthur being a great warrior would make it more difficult to protect him?

Later in the evening he watched over Sir Ewan, thinking about the poor knights fate, how there was a good chance that was going to be the fate of Arthur and most disheartedly how there was nothing he could do about it. Gaius came in late at around eight o'clock and to his surprise Evie followed behind him.

"Merlin, about what we said yesterday." The old man started "Look, Uther wouldn't really listen to you, or Evie, or me... But you are right. We can't let Valiant get away with this."

He wondered what led to his mentor's change of heart. "But we don't have any proof."

"We considered that." Evie stated. "And we had an idea."

"If we could cure Ewan, he could tell the King that Valiant was using magic" Gaius explained "The King would believe another knight."

"But" Evie interrupted. "How we get the antidote is another matter. We need to come up with a plan on how to get venom from the snake without running into Valiant"

Merlin thought for a minute. He had overheard Arthur talking about some sort of feast tonight. Some sort of feast that was happening right now.

They had an opportunity, and you bet Merlin was planning on seizing it.

Without saying a word Merlin stood up, and raced to go get the cure from Knight Valiant.

ooOoo

Evie should've expected that Merlin would go barreling out of the room the moment he heard that Gaius was on board with saving Arthur. Although, that didn't stop her annoyance the moment that Merlin left without a plan.

"Watch him." Evie said referring to Lucy. It was meant as a question but came off as more of a command. Gaius gave a quick nod and Evie went racing off after the oaf.

"Merlin" she whispered just loud enough that he could hear her "What are you doing?"

"I had to help Arthur prepare for a feast." He said once she caught up for him. "A feast for the knights"

Meaning Valiant won't be in his room. Bloody hell.

"So you're planning on waltzing into Valiant's chamber and doing what?"

He shrugged "I'll figure that out when we get there"

"Merlin." Evie protested "We need a plan."

"We have one." Merlin argued "Go to Valiant's chamber and get the snake venom to cure Ewan"

"Merlin that's not a-"

He took off down the hallway before Evie could finish her thought. They quietly but swiftly made their way across the castle careful to avoid being spotted by any of the servants who were still working.

Evie couldn't remember exactly where Valiant's chamber was, but luckily it seemed that Merlin did. So she let him lead the way. Finally they came across one of the better guest rooms and Merlin came to a stop.

Evienne grabbed the door handle gently attempting to open it, it didn't budge.

"Locked" she whispered "Do you have something to pick it?"

Merlin held his hand up to the door "Alliesan"

His eyes flashed gold as he cast the spell and Evie listened as the door unlocked itself. She gave him a glare; although his little trick worked she still didn't approve of the use of magic.

He shrugged and slowly opened the door.

The shield was perched on a chair, but for some reason it seemed more like a trophy than a tool. There was something eerie about it. Not just that it was magic but something else. Something that made her stomach turn.

Merlin must of felt it too. He suddenly held his arm out preventing Evie from proceeding forward and placing himself between her and the shield. He noticed a sword hanging on the wall near him and grabbed it, holding it in front of him ready for whatever the shield was going the throw at him.

"What are you going to do with a sword?" Evie asked. Judging by the way he was holding it, he seemed to be about as good with that weapon as she was.

And let's just say, there was a good reason Evie stuck to a bow.

Merlin ignored her slowly stepping forward towards the shield. He touched the tip of his sword to it. Accepting it wasn't going to animate he leaned over inspecting the shield as if attempting to figure out how to make the snakes appear.

The sound of footsteps down the hall suddenly sent Evie's heart pounding. Merlin spun around looking the door.

She needed to think fast. Think of an exit strategy. A way to get out of the chamber's without running into Valiant in the hall.

Window.

When she turned around to look for one when she noticed the snake crawling out of the shield. Quickly it made across the floor, rearing up within striking range of Merlin's leg.

"Merlin!" She warned in a forced whisper slamming her foot on the snake and pulling it backwards.

The snake turned on her, preparing to strike its attacker when the swish of a sword separated the snake's head from its body.

She looked at Merlin who was reaching down and grabbing the snakes decapitated head. Huh, he was better with a sword than he thought.

He dropped the sword and flicked his head towards the door signaling for her to follow. Listening for the way that Valiant was coming they raced in the opposite direction.

It was a dangerous strategy, not one that Evie would have picked herself but luckily it worked.

By some miracle they were able to make it back to the physician's chambers, without getting impaled.

ooOoo

Merlin decided that snake venom was disgusting.

He always knew it wasn't pleasant, given the fact that the secretion had the ability to kill a full grown man, but watching the milky liquid ooze down the sides of the glass Merlin caused Merlin's stomach to churn.

Gaius on the other hand seemed to have no such feeling for the liquid. In fact he milked the snake head with a satisfied smile and a strange look of fascination.

"I'll get started on the antidote" he stated eagerly walking across the room to his work bench.

"I'll tell Arthur." Merlin figured he should get started on that.

"You'll need this" Gaius handed him the severed snake head. "And Merlin, what you two did was very brave."

Merlin took a quick at Evienne who was sitting casually on a stool seemingly lost in thought as she stroked her dog's head. He wasn't entirely sure why she was still here, maybe she had decided to help Gaius with the potion, or maybe she was just too lazy to walk home. Either way he decided he didn't care. Her company was slowly beginning to grow on him.

He even was slightly disappointed Evienne didn't follow him to the Prince's chambers.

When he explained his story he had no idea what the Prince was thinking. He was completely stone faced, listening intently to every word that Merlin had to say. This surprised him. He figured this whole explanation was going to be a struggle, based on his last interaction he thought that Arthur would be continuously interrupting him.

When Merlin finished the Prince's eye brows shot up his forehead "You?" he asked skeptically his face growing into an amused smile "You chopped its head off."

"Ewan was bitten by a snake from the shield when he was fighting Valiant." Merlin explained fervently "You can ask Gaius to show you the puncture wounds where the snake bit him."

The Prince still looked unconvinced.

"Ewan was beating him." Merlin continued. "He had to cheat."

"Valiant wouldn't dare use magic in Camelot" Arthur countered.

"Ewan was pinned under Valiant's shield" Merlin argued. "No one could see the snake bite him"

"I don't like the guy" Arthur admitted standing from his dinner table "but that doesn't mean he's cheating."

"Gaius is preparing an antidote to the snake venom. When Ewan's conscious he'll tell you what happened. If you fight Valiant in the final he'll use the shield. It's the only way he can beat you. Look at it" Merlin grabbed the snake head off the table. "Have you ever seen any snakes like this in Camelot?"

The Prince took the snake from Merlin, examining it closely.

"I know I'm just a servant, and my word doesn't count for anything." Merlin looked Arthur straight in the eye, praying to the gods he'd believe him. "I wouldn't lie to you."

"I want you to swear to me. What you're telling me is true."

"I swear it's true"

"Then I believe you"

Merlin never thought he'd hear those words out of the Prince's mouth. The arrogant, loud, jerkass of a pompous Prince had just taken the word of a lowly servant.

And for a second. Maybe for the first time, Merlin wondered if maybe just maybe there was a great king buried deep inside of Arthur's heart.

ooOoo

In all honesty, Evienne wasn't entirely sure that Merlin's plan was going to work. Truthfully she was surprised that they had made it this far.

The trial was at midday, and because Merlin had named her as a witness she was required by law to be there. She wasn't exactly ecstatic about that. It was in her opinion, a terrible idea to be upfront while being involved with courtly affairs. Politics was a game of subtlety, a game of pulling the right strings, and Merlin naming her as a witness put her front and center of the whole things.

Not to mention the added attention from the King. The King who very much had the power to make her extra-crispy if he felt like it.

Valiant, being the man on trial, was being led in by several palace guards. He didn't make eye contact with anyone in the room, he held his head high and Evie could see an angry glint in his eyes.

Merlin was standing next to the prince. He looked across the room making eye contact with Evie and giving her a quick, nervous smile. She figured it was meant to comfort her, but in truth she wasn't that nervous. Her confidence in the plan wasn't very high, and she figured if this failed they could always come up with another plan.

Merlin on the other hand didn't share her composure. He was dancing on his feet, eyes darting around the room as he waited for the trial to start. Arthur had to have been getting annoyed with his fidgeting, but he didn't show it. In a way he seemed just as nervous as Merlin. But instead of fussing he was completely still, like he was strategizing as her prepared for his next battle.

Despite her calmness Evie's heart rate shot up the moment she heard the King enter the room. He walked in hurriedly, seemingly annoyed with having his routine thrown off by this matter.

"Why have you summoned the court?" The King asked, and Evie was surprised he didn't already know of the matter.

The Prince stepped forward. "I believe Knight Valiant is using a magic shield to cheat in the tournament." He spoke confidently, perfectly comfortable talking in a room full of people

"Valiant, what do you have to say to this?" The King asked the man on trial

"My lord, this is ridiculous I've never used magic." He sounded offended by the acquisition, glaring at the Prince with disgust as he spoke. "Does your son have any evidence to support this outrageous accusation?"

"Do you have evidence?" The King asked his son

"I do"

He motioned to Merlin, who walked forward obediently and handed the snake head to the king.

Uther examined it carefully, before asking a knight if he could see the shield. Merlin whispered something to the Prince that Evie couldn't make out

"Be careful my lord" Arthur warned drawing his sword. Evie found the act unnecessary, no way Valiant was going to summon the snakes in the middle of his trial; but touching, it amazed her how much the Prince cared for his father

It was then Gaius entered the room, without their most important piece of evidence Sir Ewan. Judging by the expression on the old man's face the news wasn't good.

"As you see my lord it's just an ordinary shield" Valiant proclaimed

"He's not going to let anyone see that snakes coming alive" Arthur seemed a bit more agitated.

"Then how am I to know that what you say is true?"

"I have a witness" Arthur confidently told his father "Knight Ewan was bitten by one of the snakes in the shield. The venom made him grievously ill. However, he has received and antidote. He will confirm that Knight Valiant is using magic."

"Where is this witness?" The King asked

"He should be here" Arthur turned to face Merlin and Gaius who were conferencing in the back of the room.

Arthur ran to the back. After a few seconds of quick conversation the King lost his patience.

"I'm waiting" he snapped.

When Arthur turned around it was obvious that they had just lost the case. She wasn't sure why Ewan didn't show up, but judging by the Prince's panicked look it didn't seem he was going to make it to the trial.

Guess they need to think of a plan B.

"I'm afraid the witness is dead" Arthur stated solemnly. Which explains why Ewan couldn't make it.

His father strode forward. "So you have no proof to support these allegations. Have you seen Valiant using magic?"

"No" The Prince admitted "But my servant, and the maid Evienne fought the snakes-"

"Your servant, and a woman?" Uther's voice had a horrid ability to resonate around the room. "You make these outrageous accusations against a knight on the word of your servant and a peasant girl."

"My Lord, am I really judged on some hearsay from a couple of children?"

"I've seen those snakes come alive" Merlin eagerly rushed forward

"How dare you interrupt!?" The King snapped making Evie cringe backwards. She figured she's have to add this moment to the list of "Stupid Decisions Made by Merlin." A list that despite her having known him for a few days was longer than that of anyone else she knew.

"Guards!"

Two men rushed forward grabbing Merlin by both arms and dragging him out of the room. Evie's stomach dropped. She tried to remember the proper punishment for disruption of court. But judging by Uther's beet red face the punishment Merlin was about to face was definitely one that did not meet the crime.

"My lord" Valiant stated towards the king.

"Wait." The King stopped the guards.

"I'm sure he was merely mistaken. I wouldn't want him punished on my account."

Although thankful for Valiant's clemency Evie knew that it wasn't just an act of honor. Valiant was playing the King. Portraying himself as the heroic knight to the Prince's coward. It was really a brilliant move.

"You see?" The King turned to his son "This is how a true knight behaves, with gallantry and honor."

"My lord, if your son made these accusations because he's afraid to fight me then I will graciously accept his withdrawal."

Evie knew that comment was going to strike a chord with Arthur. The very last thing the Prince ever wanted to be perceived as was a coward.

"Is this true?" The King growled "Do you wish to withdraw from the tournament?"

"No" The Price proclaimed

"Then what am I to make of these allegations?"

The room grew tense with an uncomfortable silence. Everyone watched as Arthur, face filled with shame attempted to think of an excuse for his actions. "Obviously there has been a misunderstanding. I withdraw the allegations against Knight Valiant."

The Prince put his sword back it in its scabbard in a gesture of defeat. "Please accept my apology."

"Accepted"

Then the Prince left, leaving most of the room to wonder what the hell just happened. A couple of people wondering what to do next. And a dishonest knight smug with the fact that he just got away with murder.

ooOoo

Merlin had never felt so guilty before in his life.

He knew logically that he had done nothing wrong. That this whole situation was created from a corrupt knight and some rotten luck. It wasn't his fault that the trial went the way that it did. That now Arthur's father looked at his son with such. That most of the court thinks that its Prince is a coward.

But the moment that Arthur looked into his eyes all that logical thinking went out the window. They were filled with such hurt. Such betrayal. And even though Merlin understood the situation logically, guilt had lodged its way into his heart.

He followed the Prince as he rushed up to his room in shame. Merlin wanted, no needed to be by the boy's side as he coped with what happened. Arthur didn't kick him out of his room, but rather sat down on top of a table keeping his back towards his servant.

"I trusted you." Arthur spoke after a long moment of silence. "I trusted you."

"I know it didn't exactly go to plan" Merlin tried.

"Didn't go to plan?" The Prince snapped around standing up from the table. "My father and the entire royal court think I'm a coward. You humiliated me!"

The Prince blew up at him. In most situations Merlin would meet anger with anger of his own. But Arthur seemed to be so full of sadness, humiliation, that Merlin couldn't help but to feel pity for the Prince.

Pity which of course led to more guilt.

"We can still expose Valiant." Merlin had to fix this. He had to find a way to right this whole mess that he had created.

"I no longer require your services" The Prince said simply

A weight grew in Merlin's chest. "You're sacking me?"

"I need a servant I can trust."

"You can trust me"

"And look where it got me this time. Get out of my sight!" Arthur snapped.

So Merlin left.

For the next few hours Merlin wallowed. He sat on his bed. Not reading, not studying, and not even attempting to devise a new plan. Merlin just laid feeling bad for himself and wondered if there was any way he could go back home to Ealdor.

It was after nightfall when he heard the dragon call to him. For a second he considered not listening. He really didn't feel like getting out of bed. But after a short debate with himself he decided that maybe the dragon could give him some answers to get out of this situation.

So he traveled to the cavern. Dodging guards and walking quietly across the palace. When he reached the top of the stairs he lit a candle, holding his breath as he began his descent to the dark.

When he reached the bottom no one was there.

"Where are you?" He shouted annoyed. The dragon was the one who had summoned him to the cave. Merlin though it was rude that he didn't show up. "I'm just here to tell you. Whatever you think my destiny is, whatever it is that you think I'm supposed to do. You've got the wrong person!"

He looked around the cavern. It felt quite, empty. But he knew the dragon was listening, he could feel it, "That's it. Goodbye."

Just as he turned to leave the cavern the flapping of the Great Dragon filled the cavern. The dragon descended from a ledge above where Merlin was standing. "If only it were that easy to escape one's destiny."

"How can it be my destiny to protect someone who hates me?" Merlin argued.

"A half cannot truly hate half of what makes it whole" The dragon answered cryptically. "Very soon, you shall learn that."

"Oh, great." Merlin sassed "Just what I needed another riddle."

"That your and Arthur's path lies together is but the truth."

Well that made it so much clearer. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You know, young warlock. This is not the end. It is the beginning."

It still didn't answer his question, but it gave Merlin a bit of hope. But there was one more thing that had been bothering him.

"And what in the world does Evienne have to do with this whole thing?"

The dragon smiled conspiratorially. "That young warlock, is something you'll enjoy uncovering on you own."

Then without saying goodbye the dragon flew away.

"Just give me a straight answer!" He shouted across the cavern. The dragon of course ignored him and he left.

Merlin was entirely frustrated with the beast. It seemed to enjoy messing with him, and right now he really wasn't in the mood to be messed with. But the dragon had given him hope. Hope that maybe there was some way to fix this.

ooOoo

The morning after the trial Gaius invited Evienne over for a cup of tea.

Evie of course had no idea what this was really about. When someone like Gaius invited you over for a cup of tea it was rarely just to make conversation. Especially when the Prince's life was on the line.

Although, she saw their loss coming she was still bummed. They needed a plan and soon, Arthur was scheduled to fight to Valiant tomorrow morning. If the rumors she had heard were true, and the Prince had sacked Merlin, their current problem had just gotten all that much harder to solve.

Gaius was ready for her when she knocked the door. The second she knocked the door flung open. Lucy who was sitting next to her immediately raced and jumped on Gaius's bed, which was quickly turning into her favorite place to sit.

"Can I come in too?" Evie asked slightly embarrassed by her dog's misbehavior.

Gaius smiled "Would I have invited you over if I wasn't going to let you in?"

"Good point" Evie found a seat at one of Gaius's work benches. "So a cuppa tea?"

"I need to talk to you about Merlin." He state seriously. Which answered her question as to why she was invited over.

"I promise I won't tell anyone about his magic" Evie swore. "I don't think that magic should be treated as a crime. Despite my insistence that he should avoid using it, I disagree with punishing such a thing with death"

"I agree with you wholeheartedly there." The old man sighed. "And I trust you'll keep his secret. Actually it's more Merlin himself that I need to talk to you about."

"What do you mean?"

The old man sighed. "I am going to do the best I can to support Merlin. But I am his guardian, and there will be some things that he won't want to tell me. Believe me when I say that the destiny of that boy is a great one and a great destiny is never an easy one to achieve. There will be struggles, and there will be pain. I don't want Merlin thinking that he has to bear any of this burden on his own."

"What do I have to do with any of this?"

"Sometimes we all need a friend. Someone to tell secrets too. As you already know Merlin's greatest secret it may not be hard for him to confide in you." He seemed to notice Evie was still confused. "Can you watch over my boy for me? Make sure he never has to bear any burdens alone. I know it's a lot to ask. But if there is anyone in the world with a destiny worth protecting its Merlin's"

Gaius seemed to look into her soul, there was something desperate in his wise eyes. Like he knew his ward was going to need more support than he alone could give.

"I don't know."

Gaius looked defeated.

"It's not that I don't like Merlin." Evie said. Truthfully she was developing a fondness for the boy. "It's just I don't think he's very fond of me."

That caused Gaius to give a knowing smile. "I think he's fonder of you then you think. Probably even more than he thinks."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

It was then that Merlin himself decided to make an appearance. The door opened slowly and Merlin stumbled in pushing a wheelbarrow filled with a giant statue of a dog. Evie recognized that statue, it was supposed to be resting outside of the castle's main entrance.

"Hello Evienne" He said half-heartedly as he wobbled into the room.

Evie shot a look to Gaius who looked just as confused as she felt.

"What are you doing with that?" The old man asked his ward.

"I'm going to let everyone see the snakes for themselves" Merlin turned the wheelbarrow around preparing to haul in into his room.

"What?" Evie asked,

Merlin just shot her a big goofy smile and disappeared with the statute into his room.

She looked at Gaius who was wearing a slightly amused smile. "Why don't you go see what he's up to?"

"Is there anything else we need to talk about?" Evie asked. It felt like their conversation wasn't quite finished.

"I think we're good for now." Gaius gave her a knowing smile.

Evie quickly followed Merlin to his room. He was sitting cross legged on top of his bed hunched over an old book, searching fervently through the pages for something.

"What is that?" Evie asked.

Merlin's head shot up. "A book"

"A book on what?"

"Magic" he said returning to the pages

"Do you know dangerous owning that is?" Evie complained. Merlin just ignored her. Much to Evie's annoyance. "Where did get it?"

"Gaius"

"Gaius gave it to you?"

He seemed to find the page he was looking for, quickly reading it to himself before looking at the dog statue he had perched in the corner of his room.

"Berbay odothay arisan quickem"he chanted. His eyes flung to the dog expectantly.

Nothing happened.

"What's it supposed to do?" Evie asked, although she didn't approve of what he was doing this had peaked her interest.

"Animate the dog"

"Well, the dogs still inanimate" She stated. "Good try, now let's think of a plan to save Arthur."

He sent her a glare. "This is a plan."

"But it's a terrible one"

"Berbay odothay arisan quickem"he tried again ignoring her comment.

Again nothing.

"Berbay odothay arisan quickem"

"Merlin, I don't think that that's going to work."

"Berbay odothay arisan quickem"

Merlin glared at the dog, before letting out a huff of frustration. Evie walked over to the bed looking over his shoulder and reading the book.

"Are you sure you're pronouncing that right?" She asked

"Of course I'm pronouncing it right." Merlin narrowed his eyes

"You sure"

"I'm the one with magic not you" he argued. Which Evie found to be both a terrible argument and hilariously ironic.

Merlin stood up, sticking his nose right up to the nose of the dog and staring directly into its stone eyes "Berbay odothay arisan quickem"he whispered quickly.

Nothing happened.

"Merlin" Evie raised an eyebrow. "You're wasting our time."

He then climbed up on top of a table glaring down at the statue and pointed at it before commanding "Berbay odothay arisan quickem"

Again it didn't work and Merlin growled in frustration.

Evienne rolled her eyes. This kid really was an idiot. "Yes, Merlin standing on top of a table and yelling at the statue is going to make the spell work. And you could be louder too, I don't think the entire neighborhood could hear you practicing magic"

Merlin climbed down. "At least I'm trying"

"Obviously not hard enough"

He ignored that.

"Berbay odothay arisan quickem"he chanted quickly. Before collapsing onto his bed in frustration.

She watched him as he laid there thinking. Gaius had asked her to be his friend, a confidant, and to look after him. It seemed like a lot to ask. At first thought there wasn't any good reason that Evie should even bother with the boy. He was basically still a stranger.

But then Evie thought about her first few months in Camelot. She remembered how alone she felt. What she would have given to have a friend, someone to talk to, someone that was looking out for her. Someone who knew what she was going through.

She sighed. Guess, she now had someone other than Gwen to look out for.

"Berbay odothay arisan quickem"he chanted sliding the top of his head over the edge. Losing his balance, Merlin flipped over the side and flopped undignified onto the floor.

Of course nothing happened and it was then that Evienne realised just how much work she had cut out for her.

ooOoo

Merlin had given up.

He was finally convinced that this was not going to work. It had been hours since his first attempt and for the love of the gods he had to have tried the spell at least one thousand times.

Evienne had gone home stating it was late and she needed to feed Lucy. At first Merlin was glad she left. He had thought he could concentrate better without he constant quips, and her negativity was getting on his nerves, but as soon as she left he just felt lonely.

Now he was lying on his bed. Thinking about the fate of the Prince Arthur. The thoughts of his earlier failure still crushed him, and the idea of what was going to happen to the prat of a Prince if he didn't do anything froze him to the core.

He was pretty sure he still didn't like the guy. Arthur was arrogant, rude, bossy, mean, and all around a unlikeable person. But Merlin was starting to see something in the Prince. He was a man of honor in his own way. And maybe just maybe Merlin could see the King that Camelot both needed and deserved.

But that man wasn't there yet. And if Arthur died tomorrow he would never exist.

Merlin had to do something.

He had to convince Arthur to withdraw from the tournament.

To his surprise Arthur was awake when Merlin arrived at his chambers. The door was open and he walked in. Arthur was standing over a table, seemingly deep in thought as he stared into a candle.

When Merlin entered Arthur noticed him with a look of disgust "I thought I told you to get out of my sight". The Prince's tone was harsh but solemn, as if he resented feeling the way he did.

"Don't fight Valiant in the final tomorrow" Merlin pleaded. "He'll use the shield against you."

"I know" The Prince stated

"Then withdraw" Merlin had no idea why Arthur was so determined to fight. Yes, this tournament was important maintaining Prince's pride. But it couldn't have more important than his life. "You have to withdraw."

Arthur shook his head. "Don't you understand? I can't withdraw. The people expect their prince to fight. How can I lead men into battle if they think I'm a coward?"

"Valiant will kill you." Merlin argued "If you fight, you die."

"Then I die"

"How can you go out there and fight like that?"

"Because I have to" The Prince stated solemnly "It's my duty."

It was in that moment that Merlin realized Arthur was a man of honor. Granted he still had a long way to go before he was going to be the King Camelot needed but for the first time Merlin didn't have a doubt that that man was there.

Merlin left the Prince's chambers without saying another word to the prince. But he left with a renewed sense of motivation. Camelot needed Arthur as its King and it was up to Merlin to guarantee that happened. Arthur had to survive his the fight tomorrow.

Merlin stayed up all night making sure that would happen.

By the time the sun had rose Merlin's eyelids felt like weights. He kept trying to pry them open but they kept fluttering close.

"Berbay odothay arisan quickem" Focusing was getting more difficult and he could feel himself slowly drifting off. He hadn't been this tired since he was a child, and Will and he tried to stay up all night just to see if they could make it. They of course did not, and honestly Merlin was surprised he had made it this time.

"Berbay odothay arisan quicken" His eye's had fallen closed and he doubted he was going to be able to open them

"Berbay odothay-"

Merlin heard a low growl from the corner of his room. Opening his eye's a large living rottweiler sat in the corner of the room, exactly where the old statue used to be sitting. Merlin sat up suddenly feeling a whole lot taller.

"I did it!" He exclaimed to himself, a smile bursting on to his face.

He then realized the dog was growling baring its teeth and it slowly crawled forward. Merlin's heart leapt as the dog let out a loud bark, before charging forward. Merlin took the hint and raced out of his room, slamming the door behind him, trapping the savage dog inside of his room.

Merlin knew there wasn't much time until Arthur had to fight. So he took off towards the door running into Gaius on the way out.

"Arthur's fighting Valiant" Gaius warned

Gods he didn't have any time "I know I'm on my way."

He almost made it through the door before he remembered the dog in his room "Whatever you do, don't go into my room. I'll deal with it later."

Gaius's eyebrows scrunched together, before sending a look to Merlin's door. A bark resonated from his room proving Merlin's point before Gaius nodded in agreement and Merlin made a race for the door.

Running towards the arena Merlin prayed to the gods that he wasn't too late.

ooOoo

Evie was panicking.

She had thought of a plan, or at least enough of a plan to at least stall the match. Giving them more time to think of a better plan.

All she needed to do was ring the warning bell. At the sound of the bell all of the knights of Camelot were required to report to their stations until the threat had been identified and cleared. No matter what the occasion all the knights were held to this rule.

All of the knight's including Prince Arthur.

Maybe just maybe it would give her enough time to get access to Valiant's shield. She wasn't sure if it would work but she wondered if they could paint over the designs on the shield and disrupt the magic. It was a long shot, and she didn't have a clue if it would work. But so far it was the only plan they had.

But the match started an hour early and Evienne hadn't had time to inform Merlin, nor put the plan into action. Unfortunately only the knight's and their personal servants had access to the keys that led to the bell room. Being the personal manservant of Prince Arthur Merlin had these keys. But Evie being a stable hand did not.

So now Evienne was racing towards the Physician's' chambers with the hope that she would be able catch Merlin and somehow stop the fight that was already taking place.

Halfway there she saw Merlin running in the opposite direction.

"Merlin" She stopped in her tracks. "We need to go to the bell tower"

Merlin right past her. "Arthur's fighting Valiant!"

Evie rolled her eyes. Gods Merlin was helpless. "That's why we're going to stop them."

Evie turned around chasing after the idjit. He wasn't the fittest boy in Camelot, so Evie was easily able to catch up with him within a few seconds. "We need to stop the fight."

"We need to expose Valiant" Merlin countered still racing towards the arena.

"How the hell do you expect to do that?"

"It worked."

"What worked?"

It was Merlin's turn to roll his eyes "The spell Evie. The spell worked."

Evienne could hear the cheers of the crowd before she could see the tournament. Luckily when they reached the arena, neither of the knight's had won. The battle itself looked evenly matched. Or at least Arthur wasn't dominating the round like he did with most of the other battles.

Suddenly Arthur landed a strike against Valiant's head. It didn't end the round but rather knock the helmet off of Valiant's head. The crowd fell silent. Being the honorable knight he was Arthur removed the helmet from his head, earning a thunderous applause from the crowd.

Evie looked at Merlin. He look impressed at Arthur's nobility, but ready to intervene at a moment's notice. She wondered if he was going to have to. There was a chance that Valiant could win this fight fair and square. If that happened Valiant would have no reason to use the shield, and Arthur would come out of this fight with only his pride damaged.

Knocking Arthur to the ground Valiant stepped on top of Arthur's shield, pinning him in place. Valiant raised his sword ready to strike but at the last minute Arthur unjammed his arm and rolled out from underneath the other knight.

Valiant forced the now shield less Arthur backwards towards the wall, disarming him in the process.

Merlin seemed to decide that this fight has gone on long enough. Evie watched as he raised his hand preparing to cast his spell.

"Berbay odothay arisan quicken" The sorcerer's eyes flashed orange as he unleashed his magic, and Evie could feel flicks of power radiating from the seemingly powerless servant.

The spell worked. The snakes on the shield animated, crawling out of the paintings and hanging on to the shield in front of all of Camelot to see.

"What are you doing?" Valiant's voice shook as he yelled at the snakes. "I didn't summon you."

Evie could feel a smirk grown on her face. There was a certain edge of satisfaction knowing that a cheater had been revealed. Evienne had a feeling that Valiant would have been able to win this match without the use of magic, but since he cheated to make it this far she knew it was just for him to lose this match.

"Now they see you for what you really are." Arthur proclaimed eyes trained on the serpents who had their heads pulled back prepared to bite.

Valiant just laughed "Kill him"

The snake's leapt from the shield and on to the ground and an unarmed Arthur clamored backwards away as they lunged fervently at him. They back him into a corner, underneath Morgana and Guinevere. Thinking on her feet Morgana stole the sword from the guard next to her father.

"Arthur!" Lady Morgana shouted as she tossed the sword to the currently unarmed Prince. He cut the snake's heads off in a single stroke of the sword before turning on Knight Valiant.

This time it wasn't much of a fight. The Prince threw two blows which were parried by the knight before Arthur ran him through with the sword. The knight slumped dead to the ground, and the crowd stood up in a round of thunderous applause.

Evie sent a look at Merlin who now had his signature goofy smile plastered on his face. His blue eyes were gleaming, and Evie noticed how they stood in contrast to his raven hair.

Suddenly he reached out, pulling Evie into a celebratory hug. Not seeing it coming Evie fell awkwardly towards him, feeling suddenly self-conscious and he pulled her tightly against him. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, as she wasn't entirely sure how she should react in this situation.

"We won!" he proclaimed as he released her from his bear hug. His beaming smile grew larger on his face.

"I guess we did" Evie was hoping that her cheeks weren't too red. That was a lot more physical contact than she was used too. Physical contact from an admittedly good looking boy. She wasn't entirely too sure how she felt about it. Merlin was probably one of the most impulsive, potentially self-destructive people that she had ever met, and she had recently taken it upon herself to look after the idjit; but with Guinevere's crush on the boy Merlin was off limits to any kind of romantic attachment.

Not that she had any desire for any. Evienne suddenly grew very disturbed at her previous train of thought. It shouldn't matter if he was off limits because Evie had no feelings for the boy. No such feeling what so ever.

She had already decided there was no way she would ever be able to form a romantic attachment to Merlin. She just didn't feel that way and Evie could never do that to Guinevere.

It was never going to be a problem.

ooOoo

Merlin was looking forward to tonight's feast.

He was going to be allowed to go as the ward of the court physician and he was looking forward to see a banquet that didn't end with an assassination attempt.

He wasn't disappointed. Just like the previous banquet everyone was dressed in their best clothes. The smells of a decadent feast filled the air. Tonight had a special sense of celebration, there was a special sense of pride from everyone in Camelot towards Prince Arthur. He had won the tournament, in an extraordinarily dramatic fashion. But one in that room could feel that culminated pride as much as Merlin.

No one but Merlin knew just how much of a victory tonight really was.

"My honorable guest, Prince Arthur" The King suddenly announced as the crowd parted down the middle making a walkway for the victor. "You're Champion."

Merlin felt a smile creep onto his face as he watched the prince enter the room. It was admittedly joined by a tinge of guilt as he watched the Prince lead the Lady Morgana in on his arm. But in truth he felt that Arthur had earned the right to accompany such a beautiful lady to the ball. Well for tonight at least.

"See" Merlin whispered in Gaius's ear "I told you he gets all the girls and glory."

"And he owes it all to you" Gaius whispered back.

Merlin smiled at that thought. He watched as Arthur and Morgana made conversation before suddenly splitting up. Morgana left to talk to Guinevere and to his surprise Arthur came straight to Merlin.

Merlin wasn't entirely sure how he was supposed to act. His last interaction with the Prince wasn't exactly a pleasant one.

"Can you believe Morgana?" Arthur complained "She says she saved me. Like I needed any help."

How ironic. Merlin didn't make eye contact with Arthur. He wasn't sure what he should do. This was his Prince, and he was no longer his servant. Yet, Arthur was talking to him like they were old friends.

"I wanted to say I made a mistake." Arthur apologized "It was unfair to sack you."

Merlin felt a smile creep onto his face. "Don't worry about it. Buy me a drink and we will call it even."

"I can't really be seen buying drinks for my servant" The Prince said with a smile

Wait, what?

"Your servant? You sacked me."

"Now I'm rehiring you." The Prince said nonchalantly and Merlin let out a relieved laugh. "My chambers are a complete mess, my clothes need washing, my armor needs repairing, my boots need repairing, my dogs need exercising, my bed needs changing, and someone needs to muck out the stables."

When he finally finished Merlin was suddenly trying to remember why he wanted his job back in the first place.

ooOoo

Evie had spent the evening out on a hunt.

Being a servant, with no ties to anyone inside of the royal court Evienne did not have an invitation to the celebration. Not that she was very broken up about it. She was more than happy to spend the evening out in the woods, in her element where she knew exactly how to act.

Tonight's hunt was particularly fruitful. Within an hour Evie and Lucy were able to kill three rabbits. More than enough to make rabbit stew for tonight's dinner.

She was making her way through the lower town when she saw Merlin. He was lugging the Prince's armor and it looked like he was struggling to make it without dropping any or run into anything.

Lucy noticing Merlin ran towards him, and with a wagging tail barked excitedly at her newly found friend

Merlin jumped dropping the armor with a loud clang on to the floor. He looked down at the mess and sighed in defeat. Before reaching down and stroking the hounds head with a smile.

"Aren't you supposed to be at the feast?" Evie said in way of greeting

"Arthur gave me a list of things I needed to do tonight."

"But didn't you get sacked?"

"He un-sacked me."

"Is that a good thing?"

"I'm not entirely sure." Merlin smiled. "I see you went for a hunt."

"Want a rabbit?" she held out the smallest of the three carcasses.

"I'm good."

There was an awkward pause. Evie wasn't entirely sure why, this wasn't any different from any other run in she had with the servant.

"I guess I should say thank you." Merlin broke the silence

"For what? I barely did anything. You're the one who saved Arthur"

"I don't know" Merlin admitted. "It just helped having you there. And you did help me get the snake head from knight Valiant."

"Which didn't do anything at all."

Merlin suddenly started laughing. At first it was a little giggle but soon it grew into a roaring laughter. At first Evie was startled, but then his laughter was contagious and she found herself laughing along with him.

Why she had no idea?

"What's so funny?" Evie asked trying to catch her breath.

"This could have ended so badly" He stated making absolutely no sense and cracking himself up even farther. "There was a bloody shield that had bloody snakes pop out of it. The Prince almost died. We could have died trying to save him"

Suddenly Evie found that idea hilarious. In an odd way she was just happy that everybody she cared about was alright.

"Does this kind of stuff usually happen in Camelot?" Merlin asked slowly catching his breath.

"Only since you got here." Evie joked. And their laughter surged again.

After a few moments the two of them finally caught their breath.

"But seriously Evienne" Merlin said placing his arm on her shoulder "Thank you"

Evie didn't respond but she could feel her heart leap in her chest. Merlin looked down at the armor gather around his feet. "I guess I should get going on these chores. If I get sacked again, I think it will be for good this time.

"Alright" She helped him pick up the armor, stacking it in his arms so it would be easier to carry this time.

"Night Merlin." She said as he started back towards the castle.

"Night Evienne" Merlin replied not looking over his shoulder.

"Hey Merlin" Evie shouted and Merlin turned around. "You can call me Evie."

That sent a smile to his face. "Alright, Night Evie"

With that they went their separate ways, and Evie was more than happy to know she had a new friend in Camelot.


Hope you enjoyed this super long chapter!

Please review and I'll have the next chapter up as soon as possible. I'm super excited about doing the Mark of Nimueh so hopefully I'll have it finished quicker than I did with Valiant.

Adios for now.