Note: this is before Mordred came to Camelot, so Merlin was single and ready to mingle.
Merlin, as everyone knew, was a very friendly person. Almost everyone was attracted by her charm. No one was surprised when the new knight, Romulus, took a fancy to her.
He first spotted her as she sharpened Arthur's sword. He sat down next to her and started up a flirtatious conversation, which had the servant girl giggling by the end.
Unfortunately, his royal pratness walked in, and Romulus hopped up abruptly, giving Merlin a wink as he strutted out. She blushed.
The next time they met was at training. Per usual, Merlin was doing simple tasks, running this over to them, tossing a handful of grass at Gwaine when he good-naturedly teased her. When a knight was injured, she was supposed to attend to them (she was technically the physician's apprentice). Romulus smirked as he called her over.
"Can you heal this cut for me?" he asked, pulling up his chainmail to reveal a very well-muscled arm. Merlin flushed.
"Sure." She got out her bandages and antiseptic (apparently a physician's assistant always carried them). Gulping, she pressed the pad to his cut.
"Hmm…stings a little," the knight noted with a smile.
"Yeah, it will do that." She wrapped a bandage around it. "Done. Don't get too chopped up out there."
He smiled charmingly. "For you, I'll try not to." And he was off.
Little conversations like that lead to bigger ones, which led spending time together. After about a week, Romulus decided to kiss her. A month after that, they were going steady.
Merlin's friends knew she was seeing someone. With a little spy work, they found out who it was. Romulus seemed nice enough, so they let him slide.
Of course, that's what Romulus wanted.
A few weeks after Romulus walked into Merlin's life, the unofficial Knights of the Round Table had gathered outside Arthur's chambers, hoping to surprise Merlin when they knew she would walk out. One of the many perks of being Merlin's friend; she jumping easily and her reactions were fun to watch.
Merlin, however, did not appear from the chambers within. She ended up coming from behind, almost crashing into Percival. She apologized quickly and scurried away, head down the whole time. Looks of confusion were thrown around the group of friends. Merlin always stopped and chatted, no matter how busy she was. Something was up.
They pondered it for a while, thinking of possibilities, when Gwaine suddenly remembered they had training (not a formal one, just one with them. Sometimes, the Knights of the Round Table just needed to bash each other with swords for the fun of it) and Arthur would be expecting them.
Without words they set off the field, where Arthur was, and Merlin, ever his shadow. She still had her head down, as before, and wouldn't meet anyone's eye.
"Alright," said the king. "Training. Let's start with some basics. Merlin, my sword –"
The servant rushed forward with it, but tripped on her way. She sat there for a moment, then slowly stood. Something was wrong. When she usually fell, Merlin would laugh then hop to her feet as if she didn't just prove how clumsy she was. Yes, something was wrong.
"You alright, Merlin?" asked Arthur.
She glanced up, then quickly look away. "Fine."
Looks of doubtfulness were thrown around. Gwaine stepped forward. She flinched.
"Merlin?"
No answer.
Gwaine took another step towards her and put a hand under her chin, forcing her to face up. Everyone gasped.
Big purple bruises were on her left cheek, and all were in the shape of fingers. She stepped back, eyes wide, and ran.
One thought was running in unison through the men's heads.
"Romulus."
Who else could it be?
Heading in the direction of where she was going, they followed in pursuit. They found themselves at the armory.
"What did I tell you?!" a harsh voice asked. There was a slapping noise and gasp. "You idiot! I told you not to tell!"
That was all they needed to hear. Wordlessly, they ran in, swords out and faces angry. Romulus stood to one side of the room, Merlin clutching her face in front of him. Somehow, Leon was the first to react.
He was over there in no time flat, punching the newest knight in the face. The others soon joined him.
"You bastard!"
"How dare you?!"
"You disgust me!"
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
Percival, not one for words, spat on him.
Panting slightly, Arthur went full king mode. "Sir Romulus," he said to the huddled mess on the floor. "I'm stripping you of your knighthood."
A whimper was heard in return.
Death glares, sent to the now un-knight, they turned to Merlin.
"You alright?" asked Gwaine.
"Yeah," she breathed. "Thanks."
They all nodded. "How long had that been going on?" questioned Elyan.
Her jaw tightened. "A few weeks."
"Merlin, you idiot, why in the seven hells didn't you tell us?" Arthur glared at Romulus again.
She sighed. "I thought I could handle it."
"Just…tell us next time, if something like this happens again, alright?" the king huffed out. He was still angry that someone had hurt Merlin.
She nodded.
"Now, c'mon," said Gwaine. He placed an arm around her shoulder and led her away, the others trailing behind. "Let's get away from this scum."
Romulus was left there.
Dammit, he knew he shouldn't have messed with their little sister!
A/N: Hey bros! This was requested by youwannabekate (I hope I wrote it to your pleasing). So...umm...yeah! (I never have any idea of what to say at this point).
Thanks for reviewing, favoriting, and following everyone! Unicorns for you!
Until next time...