7. Good Luck
Giles stood in the armory, waiting for someone to help him, when the boy that was named Merlin approached him.
"You need armor?"
Giles hesitantly shook his head in the affirmative, not quite believing that one of the most legendary people of all time was about to hand him armor. He said nothing as the young man looked through some of the shields and then handed him one.
"Here…this one should work for you."
Giles slid it onto his arm, testing the weight of it as he lifted it into the air.
It was relatively easy for him to maneuver, so he merely nodded and placed it back on the table in front of him.
However, a sword in the corner of the room caught his eye. Even though his own sword had been sharpened and was ready for him to use, this one, for some unknown reason, had drawn his attention. Moving carefully, so as not to draw the attention of Merlin, he reached across and gripped the sword's handle, drawing it quickly and easily.
It had almost perfect balance…that was very hard to accomplish in these times, especially with their methods.
He swung the blade a couple of times from his left hand, but inadvertently caught Merlin's attention and a panicked look entered the boy's eyes.
"No! That's Arthur's sword..."
He reached for it and gently took it from his hand, placing it back where it had been only moments before.
At the way he was treating the sword, Giles was able to deduce why he was acting that way around the weapon. The only explanation was that the sword that he had just held in his hands had been the sword…Excalibur.
He took a moment to catch his breath, unable to believe that he had been holding Excalibur.
Merlin seemed unaware of this, and instead started to pull out armor and chainmail, having been charged with the task of getting him set for the competition.
He watched with some fascination as Merlin quickly and efficiently put the armor on him, as if he had done it plenty of times before.
That was when he realized. Merlin was Arthur's manservant which meant that he did this for Arthur every single time he went into any sort of combat, serious or not. It still amazed him that Merlin was merely a servant in the king's household, but he realized that true stories were very often lost in legend for more fantastical stories.
Soon, he was suited up, and ready for a fight.
For the first time in his life, he was actually looking forward to a sword fight. Unlike fighting with Buffy, where she could always win with her superior strength, he would be the superior fighter.
A slight smirk crossed his lips at the idea. He was the superior fighter.
He walked out and made his way towards where the competition would be held, nodding at some of the knights milling about, preparing for the fight.
There were a few women about, and he found himself looking for his Slayer. She would be rather distinctive with her bright blonde hair and forward personality, and he had a sudden need for some reassurance. Reassurance that he was sure that he could receive from her.
Suddenly, there she was in his field of vision, standing next to…yes, that was Morgana.
He paused slightly, but then Buffy spotted him, flashing him a bright smile that seemed to falter.
Buffy had been waiting for Giles to show up, and now that she saw him, she felt her heart pause for a few long seconds…and then finally start up again.
Good lord…when had her Watcher become so, so…so deliciously handsome?
It was a strange feeling, but one that she couldn't deny. The armor was light armor, so all it did was show off the fact that, yes, his shoulders really were that broad, and, yes, he really was that tall. How had she never noticed how tall he was?
Then she realized that he was standing up straight, the armor forcing him into a more correct posture, much in the same way her corset was.
He slowly approached her, and she smiled somewhat shyly.
"Hey…nice armor there, Giles."
He gave her a pointed look, silently trying to remind her that there were people watching and listening. She quickly amended her greeting.
"I mean, good to see you, Sir Giles."
She gave a slight curtsy and she smiled, trying to hide her amusement at what she was having to do. He, too, had to hide a grin at her actions, knowing that her friends would have been shocked to see her acting like such a proper lady. He knew that she was probably itching to grab a sword and show these knights a lesson.
He gave a slight bow to both her and Morgana.
"Excuse me, Lady Morgana…I'd like to have a word with Lady Elizabeth, if I may pull her away from you for a few moments?"
Morgana gave the two of them a knowing look, arching an eyebrow at Buffy, and merely nodded, walking over to where some of the knights were milling about.
Buffy blushed and moved in closer so that no one could listen in on their conversation.
"I, uhm…I kind of forgot to tell her that we're not exactly, uh, engaged. So she thinks…well, you know."
He suddenly realized what she was implying and she watched with some amusement as his face flushed an interesting shade of red. He began to stutter slightly as he tried to respond to her, but only managed to spit out a few consonants.
He finally gave up and she flashed him an understanding smile.
"Well, it's not that bad. I mean, according to the rumors that have been going around, my man is quite the catch."
She winked at him, and watched with even more humor as his flush deepened even further.
She was secretly having fun turning him into a fumbling mess, but she knew that he hated feeling that way. She then gestured towards his sword, trying to find a more neutral subject, one that wouldn't leaving him scrambling for words.
"So…want to practice a bit beforehand?"
At this, he gave her another look, one eyebrow raised.
"Are you trying to give them a heart attack? Seeing any woman wielding a sword would be akin to a knight suddenly deciding to clean his own armor."
She gave him a devious grin, one that caused his heart to skip a beat. What he wouldn't give to have her looking at him like that in a much more personal and private situation, but he knew that that had next to no chance of ever happening.
"Yeah…but I bet I could show them a thing or two about fighting."
He gave her another look, one that was decidedly serious, and she felt something inside of her spark. Seeing him so serious while wearing the armor of a knight caused her to have an interesting reaction. It was such a unique look, and she found herself secretly looking forward to the upcoming competition.
Suddenly, Giles felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned around to see Arthur standing behind him.
"Good luck, Rupert."
Giles simply nodded and did that certain tilt of his head that Buffy knew indicated that he was uncomfortable.
"Y-Yes, and to you, Prince Arthur."
With that, he began to walk away, and Giles watched in fascination as Buffy's face went slightly pale. She took a deep breath, as though trying to collect herself, and Giles deduced that something about the encounter had made her significantly uncomfortable.
"Did you just call him Prince Arthur? As in…the Arthur?"
Giles nodded, and he watched as she ran a hand over her face, seemingly embarrassed.
"Buffy? Are you alright?"
She shook her head.
"Oh, yeah, sure I am. I'm great, actually, now that I've just found out that the person that I asked to tie up my dress in the hallway happened to be the future king of Camelot. Oh, yes, I'm just fine and dandy."
He looked at her, chuckling, and then realized that she was serious.
"You what?"
Part 7/?
