Gwen had settled on the stairway leading to the physician's chambers, she had done what her friend had instructed, it was better than doing chores, she wouldn't be able to think straight, over the excitement- and joint danger.
It had gone relatively quiet, and she assumed Merlin and Morgana had come to some sort of truce –whatever that meant -though she believed it was rather suspicious the way he was acting, by the sound of it. She was surprised how sharp he was being- despite already confirming he knew of Morgana's magic. For some reason he wasn't letting on he was the most scared. Why?
Gwen's chin slipped off her palm when she was startled by a male presence rushing up the stairs. "Gwen." They announced coming to a sudden stop at the obstruction on the stairs.
"Sir Leon." She didn't rise straight away, she wanted to give the occupants upstairs time to talk. "Hello." She knew he wasn't here to chat, it was obvious where he was going- but she needed to stall him. "How's your lady?" It was common knowledge he had been seeing a lady at the court.
"My lady is very well." His voice edged suspicion and he graciously indicated to the steps that lay above her. "Why do you litter the stairway?"
The maid bit her lip, she hadn't thought that far ahead, but soon as a simple excuse came to mind it left her lips casually. "Gaius is examining a patient, they're in a state of undress."
"I see, why does this require you, surely a room divider would be more sufficient?"
Damn, he had her there. She sucked in her lips, and gave a dry cough. "Err there is more than one patient."
A look of understanding crossed his face, before that ever so professional composition returned. "I see, well please inform-"
The sentence was never completed, for it was crudely interrupted by a shriek of surprise, it rung around the upstairs quarters, Guinevere's head snapped round, she heard Leon unsheathe his sword, a typical knight trait which would have had her heart aquiver, had she not been concerned for the now raised voices upstairs. She tried to make a grab for Sir Leon before he tore up the stairs, but she was far too slow, his cape was already flapping wildly and disappearing around the corner, leaving her gapping at his agility, and her failure.
She scooped her skirts and hobbled up the tower. "Sir Leon!" She called, her anxiety giving her the energy to run, yell, and think at the same time, for she knew he would soon find out she was lying...at least she hoped she was; She would blush if she were to find a disrobed Merlin and Morgana running around the physician. "Sir Leon be careful!" It was more of a warning for her friends than for the knight. She was pleased to hear the silence, apart from the chime of chainmail ahead of her coming to a sudden halt at the physician's door.
"Gaius!" Sir Leon announced barging through the door, Gwen caught up immediately to hear him follow with. "What goes on in here?" Gwen made it in the doorway, scanning the scene before her to see what had caused the commotion. It wasn't that bad. Okay, well that was a lie, it didn't look to good from her perspective, and Sir Leon had clapped his eyes on this.
Morgana was frozen halfway up the ladder/stairs on her side, clutching a book and holding it up as some sort of shield, Merlin appeared to have caught up with her on the ladder, and was brandishing...some kind of stick, it was poised in midair and looked quite threatening, and the oldest member in the room was trying to seize it out of his charges' hand. All faces turned towards them as Leon spoke again with more conviction. "What are you doing?...How dare you strike a lady!"
Merlin gulped, he felt his veil of unadulterated frustration slip away. He was nauseas that not only had the darker shades of his psyche let lose in substitution for his lack of sexual interest in Morgana, but he had been caught; trying to punish the girl in question. Luckily Gaius was at hand, for his voice box had stopped working.
"Ah Sir Leon. " He tried, using the distraction to his advantage by snatching the unruly stick out of Merlin's grasp, Merlin merely smiled guiltily. "I see you have caught us..." The boy began to sweat, Gwen didn't have an inkling of what would spill from the highly intellectual man. "...preparing for the festival dance." Gaius puffed out, Merlin and Morgana shared an astonished glance, before realising they were still annoyed with each and quickly returned their gaze to the knight, who was frowning.
"What kind of dance...requires hitting a lady?"
Merlin was a little nervous on where this apprise was going, plus the Morgana hadn't said anything, and he was certain it wouldn't be long until she blabbed what had really happened. Gaius continued. "Well certain traditions, during the harvest period, require dancing-"
"Well I am aware of the harvest festival very well-"
"So you would have heard about the dance with the sticks?- Where we pretend to hit each other." Leon returned a ludicrous look, maybe he was embarrassed he had no knowledge on such a tradition.
"Err...but of course, there are so many dances, this one I have misplaced in my memory, but...may I ask, why does the lady look so bemused, and frightened?" Everyone stared at Morgana, poised. Merlin slowly got up so he wasn't crowding her, and made to help her up, but she beat him to it- nearly knocking him over, her gown sweeping past his legs. Gaius looked gormless as the lady opened her mouth.
"Sir Leon, this misunderstanding-" The servant reversed, preparing to run if need be. "-You and I will find highly amusing." She added a chuckle, and the knight visibly relaxed. "I am unfamiliar with the dance, and Merlin chose this moment to demonstrate it, it was all good fun."
Merlin was speechless, he wiped his hands on his trousers and stepped forward, gaining his voice in the process. "Yes, a misunderstanding. The dance of sticks...and bells." He was stupid, they'll expect another demonstration. "...Invented by a man...who...was...a sword maker." Gaius was giving him an exchange which suggested he wanted him to immediately shut up and stop improvising. Morgana was just nodding along, he nearly forgot Gwen was in the room, until he spotted her covering her face to stifle a laugh, or a look shame. "The dance was to ensure a rich harvest for the following year, and to ward off evil spirits."
By then Sir Leon looked intrigued. "Like the other dances."
Merlin jestured. "Yeah, like them. But not." His finger came up to a certain extent dramatically. He might as well keep going. "It was believed it would improve a woman's... fertility." He raised his brow at Gaius, who had to commend his young apprentice. Her ladyship's face felt incredibly warm at the mention of fertility, and shifted back to conceal her embarrassment.
Gaius had time to add. "And gave people awareness of carnal pursuits, but responsibly." Merlin rolled his eyes at this point.
Sir Leon was bloated with this new knowledge, and smiled greedily. "Well that's something, you would have to introduce this to the king, another dance won't hurt."
The servant's heart leapt into his throat. "What...now?"
"Well there is another meeting later on, maybe you could bring it up then?" Gaius and Merlin shared a look.
"Yeah." Merlin concluded gloomily. If it wasn't one thing to worry about, it was another. He was just pleased the get away with it, and prayed Morgana would forgive him. Though it was still her fault. He believed he was imagining the heat radiating off her frustrated form behind him, and never dared to look back to confirm this.
Guinevere entered the room fully, obligated to change the subject. "Sir Leon, wasn't there another reason you were on your way here?" Everyone seemed to perk up.
"Indeed there was, first there was the meeting, and then I wished to discuss plans with Merlin." Oh hell not now, can't people forget what they promised! Merlin nodded half heartedly. "Arthur tells me you are enthusiastic." It was more of a question, and Merlin was to answer it silently, not giving anything away to the two women watching the exchange with curiosity.
If anything Merlin looked even more angelic. "Yeah, let's make plans." He wanted to be out of everyones presence, he gambolled out the room, gesturing profusely for the knight to follow, he quickly grasped the younger man wanted a little modesty.
He left behind a miffed audience, Morgana turned on Gaius immediately after the door clicked shut, Gwen stayed behind to listen. "What in the hell just happened?"
"Morgana-"
"Thank the heavens I am forgiving, and willing to let go of that indiscretion!" Morgana exclaimed, hoping she wasn't squirming. "Why?" Gwen darted to her mistress, worried something was going to explode and take out the physician.
Gaius began hesitantly. "You should really ask Merlin, he is under a lot of stress, you were being a little unreasonable." Morgana gapped, and Gwen held firm. "Try to refrain from slapping me as well." Forcing himself back into a table.
So far Gwen had arranged snippets of what had gone on, and it sounded highly humorous, though at the end of the day she was on Morgana side, whatever Merlin did must have been bad to deserve a slap. As she had foreseen, he had tried to... "What exactly did he do?"
Morgana and the physician had almost forgot they had company, the princess looked brazen. "He was beating me with a stick."
"My lady, you slapped him first."
"I had my hand, he fetched a stick." She reinforced her point by grabbing the offending weapon. "This stick!" She tried to ignore the fact she could still feel the warmth from where he was holding it just moments ago.
"He wasn't beating you." Gaius flinched when she waved the stick at him. Gwen was forced to take a step back when Morgana twizzled it. He held his hands up in defence. "My lady, if you noticed he didn't just randomly aim at you, he was aiming at your skirt." This stopped the aggravated lady in her tracks, Gwen announced the revelation for her.
"He spanked her?"
Merlin wondered if he was about to be given the grim details, he drew in and exhaled louder than necessary, with dread, and because he was still jittery from earlier on. If he wasn't mistaken, he would say he had his hormones, just the angry ones.
On the way to where ever he was going to conduct this meeting, they had picked up a couple of stragglers – well... other knights; Sir Kay and Sir Bedivere. They seemed like respectable men, harmless when in conversation. Merlin waved vaguely from a corner, ushering Leon and the other two over, he realised immediately that was no way to summon knights, but to his astonishment, they sighed and shifted towards the young warlock, sensing his apprehension. "So what's the plan, tavern...tonight?" Folding his arms to give him the upper hand.
The knights looked from one to the other, Merlin bit back a grimace. Sir Kay the youngest appeared to be the decision maker, and that unnerved him. "Yeah, first the tavern." The others grinned.
"First?"
Sir Leon filled the gap. "Well there's the mini trial."
He undid the arm fold. "I knew it!" Moving out of the secluded spot, and pivoting around to face their very carefully composed faces. "There's always something, let me guess... a little humiliation which will be used to blackmail me in future, right?"
Sir Bedivere let out a bark, and nudged his counterpart knowingly. "This is why Arthur likes you." Merlin was flattered for about a second, before shrugging it off.
"Don't change the subject."
Sir Leon's comrade arm began to creep around him again, and Merlin just allowed it to happen, he couldn't bodily shove him off. Anyway Leon was a decent bloke. "Come now Merlin, every initiation requires a few regrets, they're character building."
"Meaning they'll scar me for life." Merlin mumbled sullenly, but gave a half hearted smile when Sir Kay gave him a knight's manly display of affection... a hard punch in the arm. Boy, how he missed that stick.