A/N: Wow... So many of you think Uther is the cause of the bruise... I almost changed this chapter just for them but this is the last of the truly humorous chapters... The rest are going back to dramatic. So yeah. LittleMissUnPerfect, lol... It's something I say to my brother all the time... Thanks for your review and I'll keep writing if you keep reading! bubzchoc, thanks XD Distressed Clover, if a prince was glaring at me and shouting, I don't think I'd personally be listening to his words... And plus, that was the 'child' part of the chapter... hehehe... gorgeousangel, I like the four of them together... makes me happy... just a bit. IndiaMoore, Updated! And you too with the Uther thing? LoL...

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the errors (which I fixed the ones I found after I posted in the last chapter... A few of the words disappeared because for some reason, there was no space between the words and the full stop... Oh and there's one where it should say 'one' but just says 'on'... I fixed that but it didn't upload... Or it just hasn't showed up on FF yet that I fixed it... Either way, it's still there... and I own it.)

Learning How to Fight

It had been a week since the incident by the lake and Arthur was more than certain that Merlin needed to be trained to fight. Maybe not trained to the level of a knight, but at least to that of a semi-descent squire. Or one that didn't trip over his own feet…

Merlin himself had announced his birthday was fast approaching, and that he would be thirteen, a fact he chose to gloat to Morgana who had turned into a bigger brat since her thirteenth birthday, and it was around that age most nobles started their quest as squires to become knights.

He would be training his own batch of first year squires soon and he thought to himself, quite smugly, there was no better way to start training himself than to start training Merlin.

The first few lessons included no one but Merlin, a blunt sword, a helmet, a shield and of course Arthur.

When the prince had first dragged Merlin to the large field just behind the castle outside the palace walls, Merlin had made a face. "Are you bringing me here to kill me?" he asked, still unsure of what they were doing. Arthur had of course told him they were training but never told Merlin that Arthur was training him on fear the boy would back out.

"No Merlin." Arthur sighed then took the shield from him and shoved the helmet down on Merlin's head, receiving a cry of indignation as it pulled down his ears. "You are going to learn how to use a sword."

"What?" Merlin squawked, pushing the helmets visor up until two bright blue eyes shone through. "No I'm not."

"Yes. Yes you are."

"I don't think you understand. Will has tried this before. It didn't end well."

"I'm not Will."

"Arthur, I don't need a sword." Merlin insisted, clambering his fingers around the edge of the helmet but not quite pulling it off. "Trust me. I'm clumsy enough. Hand me a sword and people will start losing limbs. It happened."

"That's the – You chopped someone's limb off?"

Merlin blushed. "Technically, it was a finger and Nathaniel's hand had come out of no where…" Maybe that's why the Old Man disliked you, Arthur thought but didn't speak it aloud.

"Well then. I guess that will be the point of our lessons." Arthur said, slapping Merlin's fingers away and readjusting the helmet on his head so it wasn't creeping up his neck. "You are more than capable of cutting someone's limb off. I'm just going to teach you how to do that on purpose."

"But why?" he moaned.

Arthur slammed down the front of his visor and grinned. "Because I said so, that's why."

If Arthur thought that Merlin was a hopeless manservant, he was fast on believing he was a hopeless fighter. He could barely lift the sword properly and swung it around wildly without any care or thought. When he did manage to get a blow in, his feet would betray him and somehow Merlin would end up just hurting himself.

Arthur prided himself on bringing the helmet, especially when the sword was swung around and somehow Merlin managed to clobber himself around the head. "I think that's enough for today." Arthur said, quickly taking the sword from Merlin before he could accidentally kill himself or take one of his fingers. Gently Merlin pried the helmet off his head and looked up at Arthur in utter defeat, his bright blue eyes begging him to stop the heedless torture.

It seemed Merlin's pout had finally found the line it couldn't cross. Arthur.

So each afternoon when he was free, he took Merlin to the clearing and tried to teach him how to fight, but all the younger grasped was how to hold the shield and that these training sessions were quickly becoming the bane of his existence. Arthur's too.

Determined not to give up, Arthur asked Leon to join them (help him).

"Arthur!" Merlin cried indignantly when they arrived to their usual spot and Leon and Elyan were both there. "It's bad enough you're forcing me to do this, but an audience? How much do you wish to humiliate me?"

"I am attempting to train the untrainable, Merlin. I asked Leon for help. I didn't invite Elyan."

Leon raised his hand. "I did. He was curious as to what I was doing so I told him he could come along. Elyan is an excellent fighter and often trains with the knights and myself. That is of course between preparing our swords."

Merlin groaned and Arthur couldn't help but chuckle. He did improve. Arthur definitely saw an improvement. But he couldn't really count the fact that Merlin had successfully hurt himself less as an improvement for his fighting skills. In fact, Arthur believed they somehow got worse.

A few days later, Morgana seemed to be suspicious of where Merlin and Arthur disappeared to every afternoon so followed them out with Gwen. "Them too!" Merlin cried, outraged she the girls showed up to their training - or as Merlin liked to call it, his daily beating.

Arthur frowned at Morgana and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I got bored of being in the castle by myself and followed."

"You shouldn't have. This is men's business."

"Swordplay? I can beat you with a sword, Arthur." Morgana challenged.

He rolled his eyes. "No. You can't Morgana."

She drew her shoulders back and took Merlin's sword from him. "I challenge you to a duel."

Arthur scoffed and Leon and Elyan both snorted. "Morgana..." Arthur started but Morgana lunged at him and he was forced to defend. Merlin backed away, staggering into Gwen who clutched his hand in fright. He looked down at their interlocked hands then up at Gwen but she paid no attention as she watched the ward and son of Uther spar.

Arthur had no chance to deter Morgana from fighting, as the two were a flurry of sword. Arthur was no doubt stronger than Morgana but she was far quicker and had more tact. She backed him up against the wall of Camelot, leaving Arthur to wonder how she had gotten so skilful and then lunged and stabbed the stone right next to his head. "Give up?" Morgana asked.

Not wanting to be defeated by a girl, Arthur swung his sword around and Morgana only just defended herself. He forced her back, away from the wall and the incline behind her was enough that with one false step, Morgana fell over and on her back.

She landed with a thud and looked up at Arthur with glistening eyes. "Do you give up?" he panted and the girl stayed down, her head slightly titled to her shoulder. Arthur was about to laugh when he heard Morgana whimper. He looked at her properly and saw her hair fanned out underneath her and tears threatening to spill. "Oh no... Please don't cry... Morgana?" He slammed down his sword and peered at her, wondering what to do next.

Thinking of what Gaius would do, Arthur kneeled down to help her up and was winded by Morgana throwing herself on his chest, twisting him over and pinning his hand down with her knees. She pressed her sword underneath his neck just as Arthur realised she was not hugging him but attacking him and his sword was discarded a ways away. "I win." she said, grinning.

Arthur looked around and saw Elyan and Leon applauding Morgana and Gwen just pulling her timid head from out of Merlin's neck as he laughed. "You cheated!" Arthur accused.

Morgana huffed, getting off him. "Did not."

"Did too! You cried. I thought you were hurt!"

"I used my feminine nature as an advantage over your strength. That's not cheating. It's like telling you to stop using your muscles." Morgana flounced away from Arthur and to Gwen. Gwen threw her arms around Morgana and hugged her tight. "I'm fine Gwen." she hushed her.

"Still. Cheating. If I'd seen a man cry, I wouldn't have been so concerned."

Morgana glared at him. "And if you'd seen Merlin cry?"

"That's different too. Merlin's practically a girl with the way he fights."

Merlin frowned. "Thank you for those words of encouragement."

"It's true." Elyan said. "You're not much in the sword department."

Arthur saw the hurt cut across Merlin's face, as did Leon. The latter spoke up. "I actually think we just haven't found yet what Merlin is good at." Everyone turned and looked at him puzzled. "Well I am much better with a crossbow than I am with a sword and absolutely no good with a mace. The things would be the death of me. But... Merlin might be."

Arthur smacked his head. "That's right Leon. Just give him a deadlier weapon to knock himself out with."

"No, no I get where Leon is coming from. Milady, if I could just borrow Gwen." Elyan bowed at the future Lady of court, knowing her shot temperament, and she nodded to dismiss Gwen.

The brother and sister ran off and returned fifteen minutes later with an array of weaponry they took from their fathers work shop. "Will this do?" Gwen asked, eagerly handing Merlin the mace.

Five minutes later there was a chance Merlin had broken his toes and Arthur was rifling through the weapons for something else.

Long swords were worse than normal sword and his footwork was atrocious. They tried an axe, a spear, and even a wooden baton like thing with spikes on it that lasted two minutes in Merlin's hand before Arthur deemed it too dangerous and knocked the thing aside.

"This is hopeless." Arthur deemed. "Not a weapon has been invented yet for you Merlin."

Merlin looked annoyed and hurt and turned his back on all of them before storming towards the forest, muttering angrily under his breath. "Can't do anything? Huh... Sure I can't. Because I'm such a girl... I'll bloody show them…" but the rest sounded like the ramblings of a mad man.

"Now look what you've done." Morgana hissed. "Arthur, you've hurt his feelings!"

Arthur was honestly too annoyed to care but his heart softened and panicked as Merlin looked as though he was going into darkling forest alone. "Merlin, come back here!" he shouted, unsure of what how many things laid in the forest that could potentially kill his clumsy manservant.

Merlin didn't reply but his muttering seemed to increase as he reached a tree and pulled out his dragon dagger, carving a giant 'X' on it.

He put his back to the tree and walked twenty paces up from the tree, still muttering and shaking his head on the occasion, tutting his tongue. "I'll show them." Arthur caught some of Merlin's mutters, but they left him more confused.

"What is he doing?" Arthur asked.

Merlin was a little ways ahead of them and watched as Merlin lined up a shot with his dagger and threw it as hard as he could. They all watched as it flew across the clearing and embedded itself straight in the middle of the X.

"No weapon has been invented." Merlin scoffed, just loud enough for them to hear but more to himself. He started heading back down to the tree, but Arthur collected a crossbow and a few daggers and grabbed him by the shoulder. "Do it again." he ordered.

Merlin frowned but then threw his chin up arrogantly. "Only if you collect my daggers and arrows."

Arthur laughed. "Only if you get your target, every time."

Merlin smirked, taking a dagger from Arthur. "The top right corner of the cross." he said. Arthur watched as Merlin lobbed the dagger and it hit just where he said it would. He turned his body a little, picking up another dagger. "Bottom corner of the cross." Again, the dagger hit its target. "Care for me to continue?"

Arthur passed Merlin the crossbow. "Now try with this."

Merlin had deadly accuracy when it came to long range it seemed and could easily use the light daggers. He accredited it to long hours of him and Will knocking over tin cups with rocks on the farm fences. When they got older, they started playing with knives, and both were quite good at throwing daggers.

His bow work was slightly off target, Merlin not used to the kick back of the heavy weapon but after his fifth skewed target, he adjusted himself accordingly and managed to hit the rest just fine.

As Merlin and Arthur cleared up, the others went back home, congratulation Merlin on finding his calling. When everyone had their backs turned, busy with something else, Morgana squeezed Merlin's hand and kissed his cheek, sending the boy into a daze. He wore a stupid grin on his face until Arthur smacked him over the head.

"What are you smirking about?"

"Nothing." the younger boy replied quickly.

Arthur made Merlin collect all his own daggers and arrows but did wait for him at the top of the hill. Merlin handed all of the blacksmith's equipment to Arthur as he put his dragon dagger back into its sheath and pocketed it. "Where did you get that?" Arthur asked curiously as they started to walk back up to the castle.

Merlin looked at the dagger then back up at Arthur. He shrugged and said, "It was my fathers."

Arthur frowned. "Was he a noble?"

Merlin shrugged. "Dunno. I 'spose with a dagger like this, he could have been. I never really thought of it."

"Your mother said he was from Camelot."

Merlin froze at what he said and turned to face Arthur. "My... My mother spoke of him? To you?"

Arthur realised he had said the wrong thing and shrugged. "Just to say he was of Camelot. To give me reason to bring you. That was all." he lied.

Merlin looked down at the dagger. "She... She never told me he was from here. She's never told me anything of him. Only that he was a good man and would have stayed if he could."

Arthur pushed him along. "I'm sure she is right."

Merlin frowned. "What kind of man leaves his wife and child and never returns?" They entered the city and Merlin looked around with wide eyes as if seeing it for the first time. "Maybe he returned. Maybe he hated me and came back here for a new family."

"Maybe your mother lied to me and he's not from Camelot."

Merlin dismissed this. "My mother doesn't lie. Ever. She's always told me the truth or said nothing at all. She would say, 'lying only breeds liars.' then proceed to tell me truths I didn't wish to know." He winced at the thought and Arthur believe Merlin was thinking of some horrible truth his mother had told him, while Merlin was questioning his own lies to his friends.

By the sounds of it, Arthur knew more about Merlin's father than even Merlin did. She is most likely protecting him from the truth that his father was some sort of fugitive. And if he had such a fine weapon, he was most likely a noble of some sort...

"Arthur? Are you even listening?" They were back in Arthur's bedroom and he had found himself wandering his own mind in thought. Merlin was apparently talking to him. "Arthur?" he shouted, waving his hand in front the prince.

Arthur swatted his hand away and glared. "Really Merlin, I don't need to pay any attention to you and your babble. Anyway, the answer is no." He started to get on with taking his armour off.

Merlin frowned, "So you won't be wanting your dinner then."

Arthur frowned right back. "Of course I want my dinner."

"But you just said..." Merlin scratched his head. "You're really confusing sometimes, Arthur."

"Keeps you on your toes." he said, punching Merlin's arm.

Merlin winced and punched Arthur back but then waved his arm about. "Ouch!" he said, jumping about. "That hurt!"

Arthur laughed, tilting his head back. "You punch like a girl, Merlin."

"And you fight like one seeing as Morgana beat you today."

Arthur snorted. "Morgana didn't... I mean... She cheated!"

"Keep telling yourself that. Anyway, I've never punched anyone but that boy at the lake before... Never had a need to."

Arthur frowned. "Didn't you say you got into fights in Ealdor?"

Keeping an absolutely stoic and calm face, Merlin replied, "I had other ways of dealing with them."

Arthur shook the cryptic Merlin from his mind before he clotted it up with cobwebs of confusion and said, "Well then. No wonder you can't use a sword. You can't even throw a punch."

Merlin groaned but before he could argue Arthur had thrown down the equipment he carried onto his bed and made Merlin do the same not even listening to his protests as Merlin cried out he would have to clean the sheets.

He turned Merlin around into a fighting stance, deliberately ignoring the annoyed expression on his face. "Now. Pull your hands up into fists." Merlin squished his fingers together in a fist and held them up in guard in front of him, with his wrists bent and his thumbs wrapped over his forefingers. "Pathetic." he muttered.

He tightened Merlin's fists so that his wrist was aligned with his forearm and his thumb was wrapped over his three fingers and not his pinky. "Now hold that tight." Arthur instructed. Merlin did so and Arthur lifted up his own arms. "Watch me and copy." In slow motion, he showed Merlin how to punch and a proper follow through.

He watched as Merlin repeated the action the straightened up his arms and showed him how to properly bend his elbows without jarring them. "That's good, Merlin. Now here is the fun part."

Arthur grabbed one of his pillows and held it out in front of him. "Merlin, meet punching bag. Punching bag, Merlin."

"It's a pillow."

"Punching bag." Arthur corrected the sceptical sounding Merlin.

"Pillow." he deadpanned.

Arthur gasped. "Oh my. You are right! This is a pillow, Merlin. Your perceptiveness astounds me!" He hit Merlin over the head with said pillow then stood up straight again. "Now punch the ruddy thing."

After sighing, Merlin started to attack the pillow, punching it properly. He wasn't as weak as Arthur had always thought and managed to get some descent blows in before Arthur went to call it quits.

He pulled the pillow down to speak to Merlin, but his young manservant didn't seem to notice and threw another punch...

That got Arthur in the eye.

Merlin gasped, pulling back the rushed forward to apologise. "Arthur, I am so... Oh no. Let's take you to Gaius."

It's almost over, it's almost over... It was the mantra he kept repeating to get himself through the most humiliating dinner of his life. It occured to him briefly that since meeting Merlin, he'd taken up mantras as a successful way of calming his nerves. Just another thing he could blame the boy for. Said raven haired manservant stood by, holding the jug filled with wine for the king and kept looking nervously at Arthur.

He tried not to think of Morgana's smirking face across the dinner table but on the fact that he was keeping his right eye as far out of Uther's sight as he possibly could.

Because Merlin had in fact learnt how to punch. In fact, he was quite good at it. Or at least good enough to give Arthur a black eye.

He had been hiding it from his father and they would soon be dismissed from dinner, or so Arthur hoped. His father was going on about some new legislation Arthur couldn't care less about when he finally had finished his meal and him and Morgana were allowed to leave with Merlin.

He jumped like a rabbit to leave but when he was almost at the door, Uther stopped him. "Oh yes and Arthur... How did you acquire that bruise over your right eye?" he asked calmly.

Merlin froze just beside Arthur and he looked up at him, panicking. Arthur was alarmed too and Merlin had pleading eyes to not throw him under the horse carriage. He shrugged at him, unsure of what to say. It was his honour on the line. "I am waiting, Arthur." Uther said, impatiently and now a nudge from Morgana, who knew the truth, got Arthur to turn around and face his father, his blue and purple eye facing him for the first time.

"I... Woke up like this?" he offered, Arthur never being the most adept at lying on the spot to his father.

"Hmm... Interesting. If I were a fool, I would believe you, but alas I am not." Uther's gaze hardened. "Try again, this time with the truth."

Arthur swallowed. "I umm... Got into an accident whilst training."

Uther's calculated gaze did not shift. "Training? Training with whom?"

Arthur thought about this for a moment.

If he told a lie, Uther would know. He was honing his lying abilities to his father but had not yet perfected them. He rarely got away with things and even he knew this time he wouldn't.

If he told the truth - highlighting the part where he was simply just trying to teach Merlin how to defend himself and it was to help him train young squires - one of two things could happen. Uther could find the whole thing funny and laugh and Arthur could have his pride deflated or Uther could be unreasonable, grow angry, throw Merlin in the stocks or goal or possibly even have him killed.

Arthur thanked every deity known to man it was the former and not the latter, and for months to come Arthur was forced to listen to Uther's recount of how his son was injured by his gangly untrained manservant to all the nobles, wounding his pride. One of the times he caught Merlin smirking and glared at him so fiercely, Merlin never smiled at the story again.

A/N: Now to the Drama! Review, please and thank you.