So sorry about the late update! Editing this chapter was, for some reason, more difficult than usual. Also, this may become a regular thing because as i've probably mentioned school has started up again. Three assignments, exams and my future lay ahead so I need to keep that as first priority. I will still be updating, but maybe once - twice a week, maybe more...
who knows what the future holds? But, I apologise in advance if it reverts to that...
Lancelot and Guinevere:
Merlynn loathed mucking the stables. If there was anything she'd rather not do, it was mucking - to scoop the dung from the hay, spare bits dropping onto clothing and then shove it into a wagon in which would be carried out to a specific section. Also, there was the small additions of the flies, the odour and the incessant gas the horses emitted as she passed them.
This particular job was one that Arthur had specifically circled and underlined - git. Despite her love for the man, he really was an insufferable royal prat sometimes.
Her eyes drooped as she finished up the duty, and she hurriedly threw the shovel down to the now-clean (yet for not very long) hay and rushed back to her chambers for a few, short hours of rest before she had to go back to the rest of the brand new list he had given her.
It had taken a week to finish up the first list, and then - after a short break of her simply spending time cleaning his chambers to spend time with him - he decided to make a new list. This particular piece of parchment was shorter, yet still tired her out immensely.
Luckily, she brought up two dishes to Arthur's chambers some nights so they could dine together, and Merlynn had forgiven him...eventually.
Gaius stormed up the small flight of stairs to Merlynn's chambers. He hadn't seen her at dinner, and was slightly relieved to see her collapsed, splayed over the small, single bed, snoring softly - she only ever snored when she was very tired. It seemed as though she had simply shut her eyes where she fell, which she truly had.
"Merlynn!" he barked, smacking her with the firm stick he always kept nearby for these occaisions. "Wake up. You need to get to work and I know you aren't finished with your duties! You also need to have breakfast, Merlynn. Working on an empty stomach will get you nowhere."
"Five more minutes, Gaius," she groaned in reply and snuggled up into her blankets.
Gaius frowned and poked her harshly. "No. Get up! Ugh. You are insufferable sometimes."
"Thank you," Merlynn murmured.
"Get up," he emphasized and, using both of his hands, shoved her off the bed. She hit the hard surface of the floor with a startled cry and glared up at him.
"What was that for?" she exclaimed indignantly.
"You need to get up, so I woke you," he answered airily, without a care for the slight pain he may had just put her through.
There may have been a bruise on her thigh by the afternoon, she thought to herself scathingly as she rubbed the sore area. "All you needed to do was ask politely," she retorted.
"I tried, but -" he sighed. "Do we really have to do this today? This is the third time this week I've had to force you awake, and you say the exact same thing. Get to work, Merlynn, and stop wasting our time."
Merlynn pouted, but tied her hair up and stormed out of her chambers toward Arthur's immediately. She wouldn't need breakfast until later, because the prince would begin to whine when he didn't get his meal in the morning. Merlynn also knew that his chainmail needed to be re-scrubbed and his room had to be cleaned.
It was becoming rather annoying and embarrassing that Gaius was waking her (throwing her off the bed) every morning, but she was a 'hard-worker'. Hard-workers needed their sleep, she reminded herself.
When she finally entered Arthur's chambers, his breakfast in hand, she was the least bit disappointed to find that he wasn't in the room. Shrugging, she set his food down and began to clean. Every once and a while, however, Merlynn couldn't help but pinch a grape or two from the pile everytime she passed.
"He'd never notice," she reassured herself, plucking a strawberry from the plate instead. As the sweet, juicy fruit slid down her pallot, she couldn't help but reminisce on the kiss that she and Arthur had shared not too long ago, when she had been cured by 'hay fever'. It had been a short, yet sweet embrace that sent shivers right down to her toes.
She smiled and finished up with his chambers and, bashfully, the plate of fruit. Merlynn then grabbed Arthur's shield and crossbow, and wandered back down to the Square where she noticed Arthur already there, helping Morgana onto a bay horse. She set the equipment down onto the pillar beside the stairs and glanced up just to see Gwen struggled getting onto Arundel.
Merlynn rushed over to help. "There you are, Gwen," she grunted as she leveraged her friend up with a beaming grin. "Can't have you falling off the horse now, can we? You haven't even left Camelot yet!"
Gwen smiled back sheepishly. "The dress is making it hard to remain steady, but I'm sure I'll manage. Thank you, Merlynn."
"No problem. Why are you heading off, anyhow? It hasn't been long since Morgana's kidnap. Are you sure it is wise?" she inquired curiously, eyes flickering over to Morgana's as she mentioned her. The two shared a brief glance before Merlynn once more glanced away.
"Morgana's on a pilgrimage to her father's grave," Gwen explained and tightened her grip on the reins. "It'll be fine. Uther has required at least a dozen men to keep watch of her."
"Okay, be safe, Gwen," she instructed with a small smile and petted at the horse's flank.
"I promise," she teased.
Arthur finished fixing Morgana's cloak so it rested over the horses back like a blanket and turned to the guards. "Make sure you return to Camelot by dusk," he ordered.
"Yes, Sire," Sir Roberts replied curtly and began to lead the party out of the gates of Camelot and toward the grave.
His eyes lit up unintentionally at the sight of Merlynn as she came toward him with his arrow-decorated shield and crossbow, then returned his attention to the party that was disappearing from view. Arthur retrieved the crossbow from her.
"They'll be fine, Arthur," she soothed quietly, sliding her fingers over the top of his hand softly for the briefest of moments before coming back to rest on the shield.
"I still cannot help but worry. After Morgana's kidnap, who knows what else lies out there for her to face?" he sighed.
"The world," she responded. "That's what's out there. The best knights of Camelot are protecting her, so nothing could get through those wards."
Arthur's eyes remained on the rapidly fading view of the pilgrimage party. "I'm not out there. I cannot protect her if anything goes wrong."
"I'm sure she will be alright," she repeated. Merlynn decided to change the subject. "Now, where would you like me to put these?"
He shook his head. "In the armoury. Come and get me when they return. I will be in my chambers." Arthur opened his mouth once more to say something, but clenched his fists tighter, handed over the crossbow and walked up the stairs.
Merlynn watched after him with a soft sigh; he was so worried for Morgana, and it wouldn't deplete until Morgana was safely returned. Arthur had such love for the dark-haired ward, such care and it was one that she understood. She could never feel jealous of Arthur and Morgana - they had a bond, just as she did with either respective individual.
As the party became disguised by the treeline, Merlynn carried the crossbow and shield toward the armoury. She handed the shield to Jared, the blacksmith, and hung the weapon up on the wall. He had taken the job after Tom's unfortunate death those many months ago.
After directing Jareth as per to Arthur's requests, she decided to head back up there. Worry would soon overcome him if he was left alone, restless and tense in his room. She flexed her fingers nervously; Merlynn had done this to both Will and her mother when they were stressed, so – hopefully – he would allow her to do so.
He stood by the window, hand just below his lip, finger stroking the soft skin slowly as he gazed out of the glass toward the Square.
"You know, no matter how hard you try to glare at the gate, it won't bring back Morgana any faster," she remarked with a small smile, and watched as his head turned toward hers. "I told you not to worry."
Arthur frowned. "How can I not?" he countered. "If Morgana was injured and I wasn't there..."
She swallowed slightly at the passion in his words, but smiled reassuringly and forced him to sit. "We'll worry about that if it happens, which it won't. Relax yourself, Arthur." Merlynn rested both her hands at his shoulders from behind and began to knead them softly.
As soon as her long, nimble fingers touched his shoulders his body immediately became pliant and he slumped. The tension quickly left his body from her skill, his eyes shut and his throat released a small groan of pleasure. "Thank you, Merlynn," he muttered, placing his hand on hers for a brief moment.
"It is fine. I used to do this for Will and my mother all the time when they were stressed," she answered airily, pressing a rather sensitive spot at the nape of his neck. It took all of his willpower to not shutter at the sensation. "You could call it an art, perhaps."
"I do say, Merlynn, that you are finally good at something," he drawled the slight bit teasingly.
Merlynn chuckled. "Oh, har har. You're so amusing. Really."
"You could call that an art."
After a few more minutes, she finally withdrew her fingers from his shoulders and stepped away. Arthur looked relaxed just like she had hoped, and gave her a lazy grin as she took the seat opposite him. "How did you get so good at that?" he asked.
"Like I said, practice. If you had to deal with Gaius, you'd be halfway off your chair to avoid the pain," she chortled. "I learnt a lot of things back in Ealdor."
"Oh, really?" he replied.
Merlynn nodded. "Uh huh. Many things that may blow your mind away." Her tone held a flirtacious lilt to it. However, she may had been overcompensating the statement. She had learnt many things, but nothing that would surely blow Arthur Pendragon's mind away. But he didn't really need to know.
"I'll have to see them sometime," Arthur said, leaning foreward.
She leaned foreward and pressed a quick, bold kiss to his lips. As she withdrew, Merlynn couldn't help but giggle at his dazed expression. Standing, she stepped toward the door and gave him a smile. "You will. I best tend to the horses," she announced, forcing back another giggle as his face turned the tiniest bit irritated. "Oh, don't pout. I will return when I heard word of Morgana's appearance. Have a nice day, Sire."
Arthur released a breath he didn't realise he was holding and a small, yet absent smile slid over his lips. Merlynn – an enigma, and infuriating, hypnotising servant who held his heart in her long, pale fingers. And she didn't even know it yet.
oOo
It was well after dusk by the time Arthur realised that Morgana hadn't returned. Neither Merlynn or any of his knights had come up to tell him that they had arrived. Immediately, a rush of concern washed through him and he called for a meeting with his father.
Merlynn was worried. Well, more worried than ever, because both Gwen and Morgana were not back. She would have come up with the conclusion that they were simply running late, but there was that foreboding feeling she always felt when something was amiss.
"Morgana's party hasn't returned to Camelot. There's no sign of her anywhere," Arthur informed Uther, watching as his father's expression turned tight and distressed.
"Send riders to the outlying villages. I want every guard, every sentry looking for her," he instructed curtly.
"Dispatch them immediately." Arthur, Merlynn and the two guards that were with them headed off to set out the orders and search for Morgana.
oOo
They arrived at the scene of the first attack. Merlynn's eyes widened at the sight of all the dead knights splayed about the dirt valley and dismounted Firefoot slowly to survey the men. Arrows and swords protruded from their chests, gleaming with the sticky, crusted blood that pooled on the dirt beside them.
"Check to see if anyone's alive! It's Mercian craftsmanship," Arthur announced, also dismounting from his stallion.
Merlynn's footsteps were hesitant as she stepped over toward a particular knight, where a piece of parchment was stuck to the tip of the blade. "Arthur," she exclaimed, standing quickly. "It's a ransom note! They've taken Morgana hostage."
Arthur froze. He noticed footprints in the dirt leading to the far right. "Tracks lead off this way."
Unsheathing their swords, Arthur's party rushed off into the woods. As they creeped through quietly, he could suddenly hear the sounds of running footsteps over the leaves and debris – he exchanged his sword for a crossbow and hid behind one of the thick trees. Merlynn stepped slowly toward him but made sure she was unseen by whoever was out there, and waited for them to show themselves.
Arthur swung his crossbow around, but was shocked to see Morgana, only in her long, white shift, shaking as she stared at them. Merlynn ran over and looked around for Guinevere, but was distressed when she had no sight of her.
"Where's Gwen?" she asked worriedly.
Morgana simply cried and shook her head. Arthur and Merlynn shared a glance.
oOo
Merlynn slipped into Morgana's chambers slowly, and saw her in a warm bath by herself, still bawling her eyes out. "Morgana?" she called softly, watching as her head snapped to face her. There were cuts and bruises lining her forehead, cheeks and chin.
"Oh, Merlynn. Hello," she whispered. Her knees were drawn up to her chest, and her face rested against them. The warm water was doing nothing to soothe her.
"Do you need any help with those injuries?" she asked.
"It's really no trou -"
"No, it's fine." Merlynn picked up the cloth and winced at the particularly large graze on her shoulder; she pressed the material against it and gently wiped the blood away. "I'm sorry about Gwen."
Morgana frowned. "Hopefully Uther will send out a search party. Gwen is my best friend, and she sacrificed herself for me. You should have seen how brave she was."
"She's always been brave and strong," she agreed. Dipping the cloth into the water, she moved down toward her arm and began to clean the wound there. "I'm sure Uther will agree; he's seen how loyal she is, how worthy she is of being saved."
Morgana sighed and flexed her shoulders, feeling the pain dim as the dirt and small rocks fell away from the exposed skin. "Thank you for doing this, by the way."
"No problem. Whenever I am worried, it helps that I'm doing something with my hands or I get frazzled and sleep for hours," she explained with a small chuckle. "I should be worried more often; I'd actually get things done."
She smiled slightly and turned her head so that Merlynn could wash away the blood from her face, then she released a short breath of concern. "I hope they aren't hurting Gwen. I couldn't bare knowing that I left her alone with those monsters, and she was harmed by them."
"I'm sure that, when we find her, she'll be fine. If Uther refuses, you know I'll be doing something about it."
oOo
After the meeting with Uther, which was unsuccessful when it came to the search-and-rescue mission for Gwen, Merlynn immediately rushed up to Arthur's chambers. If Uther wouldn't listen, then it would have to be the next in line. She only hoped he would listen.
When she entered, he was resting in his chair as usual. "We must go find Gwen," she begged as soon as she stepped foot inside his chambers, and stepped up to the table.
"You heard what my father said – a servant just isn't much worth for a small army to rescue," he responded, yet there was the smallest amount of doubt in his tone that he was trying to hide from her.
She raised her brow dubiously. "So, what? If I was there, held hostage by those men, you'd do nothing? You'd only sit here in wallow in your lack of compassion," she snapped.
His fists clenched as the thought of her disappearing from his life shot through his mind and glanced up at her beseechingly. "What would you like me to do, Merlynn? My men won't listen to me after the order from the King. I disagree with him completely, as you should know."
"Then we'll go tonight and alone – we can just grab Gwen, maim a few of 'em and come back to Camelot," she said.
Arthur stood. "You make it seem so easy, Merlynn."
"Or, you know, I could go alone and, since I'm not exactly the best swordsman, I may get kidnapped and possibly put in the same situation as Guinevere," she suggested, trying to pull him in.
In seconds, she was thrown up against the wall with his body pressed into hers threateningly. "If you so as mention that again -" he stopped himself before he could continue and clenched his fists tightly. Once more, there was that flash of helplessness when he could only imagine Merlynn in that situation. "Go pack, Merlynn, and we'll go rescue Gwen, alright?"
She gave him a beaming smile, slid away from the warmth of his chest and left his chambers. As she shut the door, she noticed Morgana storming up the stairs to the door determinedly. "Morgana? As much as interrogating and heavily insulting Arthur is very fun and amusing, you don't need to. We're leaving effective immediately. I pleaded it out of him," she said, resting a hand on her arm.
Morgana smiled slightly. "Oh. I was looking foreward to pushing Arthur in the right direction, but oh well. Merlynn? Bring Gwen home for me."
"I promise," she swore and continued down the stairs to her own chambers.
oOo
She slid her satchel, her warm, comfortable, familiar and old satchel that she had received from her mother before she left. Merlynn smiled sadly at the remembrance of her mother; the satchel was like her in a way, no matter how confusing the comparison was. Warm, comfortable, familiar. Running the pads of her thumb over the straps, she stepped down the small flight of stairs to the main chambers and noticed Gaius there.
Preparing herself for a lecture, Merlynn took a deep breath.
"I suppose you and Arthur are going after Gwen," he stated, seemingly cool. But she knew that it was always the calm before a storm that would blow her ears off.
She held up a defiant hand. "Gaius, do not even tell me not to go. Gwen is my friend, and there is and never will be anything that you can say that can stop me."
"I wasn't going to try and stop you, Merlynn," he told her with a small smile. "All I ask is you make sure you come back safely, too."
Merlynn hugged him quickly and headed toward the door. "Don't worry, when have I ever not been safe?"
"If you didn't want me to try and stop you, I would refrain from making statements like that," he called after her.
oOo
Later that night, Merlynn and Arthur hid behind a cart, staring at the guards that stood watch at the gate.
"I'll fetch the horses, you distract the guards," he instructed quietly.
Her eyes widened and she turned to him in frustration. "And how do you expect me to do that?"
"I don't know. I'm sure that in that pretty head of yours, there is a brain," he retorted and sneaked off quickly.
"Prat," she muttered under her breath and peeked around the cart once more to gaze at the two men thoughtfully. Merlynn noticed the barrels in front of her and smiled, and idea coming to mind. "Binne tófléon."
One of the barrels began to roll toward the guards, and they looked fearful as they approached it warily. She chuckled at the expression on their faces. "Alíese," she muttered, and almost burst into laughter as the barrel stood upright out of seemingly nothing and the guards jumped back in surprise. "Swéor þá."
In her defense, she was truly only meant to send another, but instead, three came tumbling toward the guards and crashed into them. Merlynn winced and came out of her hiding place; she was the tiniest bit proud of her handiwork, crossing her arms over her chest. There was a smug smile on her lips as Arthur returned.
"What did you do?" he asked, but didn't sound amazed, he seemed annoyed. "I said distract them, not knock them out!"
She gave him an exasperated look. "There's just no pleasing you sometimes."
"Stop whining. Come on, we need to go."
oOo
Merlynn let Firefoot walk foreward freely and she leaned down, resting her arms on the andalusion's neck. Her head followed – she just wanted to sleep for a little while, and knew that Firefoot wouldn't buck her off or disobey.
Arthur glanced over at his servant and patted her arm gently. "Merlynn? What are you doing?"
"Sleeping. I'm so exhausted," she grumbled, slumping her shoulders and allowing her elbows to rest either side of the front of the saddle.
"We'll stop in a little while for a break, but keep moving," he encouraged. "Every moment you slow down, your friend is closer to mortal peril."
Her head shot up. "I'm not feeling as tired anymore." She kicked Firefoot into a gallop. "Come on then!"
Arthur couldn't help but chuckle and brought his own stallion into a fast gallop. It was a breath of fresh air that a woman could keep up with him on a horse and, though he'd never publicly admit it, best him in a race.
oOo
By the time they had stopped, Merlynn's determination to save Guinevere hadn't faltered, but the exhaustion had kicked in. As soon as she got off Firefoot, her body collapsed into the roots of a nearby tree and she relaxed for a few moments.
Arthur handed her her satchel and a blanket. "Go to sleep, you'll be needing it," he instructed softly.
"Mkay," she murmured and snuggled down to sleep.
He snorted and rolled his eyes, but grabbed his own blanket. Taking a spot right next to Merlynn, Arthur settled down and put his arms behind his head as a cushion. His eyes strayed over to his servant, who made a strange noise and pulled the blanket closer. Merlynn had his royal self wrapped around her little servant finger, and if she jumped, he jumped too.
Arthur failed to get a few hours of sleep like he hoped he would; nightmares plagued his mind, horrid thoughts of Merlynn with the Mercians. Every moment his eyes shut, he could hear the screams, the pleads for release, his servant crying out his name for help. Every moment his eyes opened, he was reassured by the sight of her next to him and fought back the urge to bring her into his arms.
He really was a sap, he muttered to himself as he ran fingers through his ragged, blonde hair. Arthur stood and collected his belongings, mentally cursing his brain for putting those thoughts in his mind, and cursing his mind for reacting so badly to them. He released a sigh, realising that he was getting carried away with his thoughts and there was a chambermaid to rescue.
She awoke with a gasp and wiped the water from her face. Merlynn glared up at Arthur as he put away his flask of water, but stood anyhow, rolled up her blanket and packed away her satchel. "Well, let's get moving," she announced and mounted the black andalusion.
"What, no whining this morning?" he asked.
"No. Not when Gwen's life is in the balance."
oOo
About two hours later, they had stopped to take another glance at the map. The two had stopped by large tunnels that blocked them from moving ahead.
"The ransom was supposed to be delivered to the Veil of Danaria. If they're holding Gwen anywhere, it has to be there. Which means, it'd save a day's riding if we cut through the tunnels of Andor," Arthur, said but there was the look on his face.
The look, another of Arthur's variety of looks, was the one when he knew something she didn't, and when she did figure it out, Merlynn certainly wouldn't enjoy it. She pursed her lips at that look and glared at him.
"Oh no," she groaned. "There's something bad down in those tunnels isn't there? What's in the tunnels? Come on, we're going to be heading through them anyway. I'd rather be scared now then when in those tunnels."
"They're...infested with Wilderen," he explained hesitantly.
She raised her brow. "What are Wilderen and what do they do?"
"Well, they are like giant..." he noticed Merlynn's expression and motioned his hands like he held the creature in his hands "...baby rats."
Merlynn knew it didn't sound too bad, but there were always bad things happening when it came to the look. "Baby rats? They don't sound so bad."
"They feast on human flesh," he told her.
She laughed without humour and gestured toward the map again. "As fun as that sounds, let's go over the mountains."
Arthur rolled his eyes at the comment and, after staring intently at a bush for a few seconds, walked over to it. Merlynn feared for his sanity for a few moments. "Arthur, what exactly are you doing?" she asked worriedly.
"Wilderin are completely blind, they hunt by sense of smell. Gaia berries will put them off the scent. So, if we smear ourselves with them, perhaps we can pass through the tunnels undetected," he replied and began to rub the berries over his face.
Merlynn shrugged. As she followed suit, she exclaimed in disgust at the horrid odour of the fruit and stepped away from the bush. "Eugh! Oh! These things stink. How can these things be considered berries? They're disgusting!"
"Perhaps you'd prefer to be eaten alive," Arthur suggested airily, spreading more of the berries.
Immediately she straightened and came over to him with her hand held out. "Pass me some more, will you?"
He collected some of the berries in his hand and rubbed it into her face; over her cheeks, chin, forehead, nose and even some of her neck. Arthur grinned at the now-purple face of Merlynn. "You look the part of a berry, and you smell like one too."
"Oh, great," she muttered. "I'm a berry monstrosity." Merlynn grabbed some of the gaia berries and smeared it all over his face, too, in revenge for her own treatment. "Now we look like a pair of freaks covered in smelly fruit."
Arthur's nose curled at the odour, but chuckled heartily, withdrew his sword and began to walk toward the tunnels.
oOo
Torches in hand, the two trekked through the damp, yet spacious tunnels and followed the dirty path. Merlynn made sure to stay behind Arthur instead of next to him, because she was fearful of the giant baby rats which infested the tunnels of Andor. Suddenly, there was a shuttering growl from the darkness and she shuffled closer to Arthur.
The noise had made her unsure of what lay ahead, and, gripping the back of his chainmail, Merlynn made sure she was a hair's breadth away from him.
"Merlynn, let go," he said slowly, and pulled her hand away.
She flushed. "Sorry, just a bi – ah! I just stepped on something." Merlynn had the sudden urge to leap into his arms to stay off the ground.
"That was my foot," Arthur responded.
"Oh, sorry. How much furthur is it?" she asked.
He suddenly gripped her hand and froze. "Sh! Wilderen are coming this way." Arthur threw their torches to the ground, dimmed them and forced her behind a rock. He put his arm around her shoulder and, both ducking, he whispered in her ear, "Whatever happens, do not move."
She nodded. Wilderen, massive, mole-like creatures crawled through the tunnel and, while one turned away and continued on, another came toward the two of them. Merlynn kept perfectly still as the aroma of rotten flesh hit her nose when the Wilderen's jaw pushed near her face. She felt Arthur's arm tighten around her as the creature sniffed at her skin.
Merlynn hoped the berries had worked, for she wasn't in the mood to become giant baby rat chow. Finally, the Wilderen seemed satisfied that she was nothing edible and went off after the other one. She sighed in relief, but clambered up and quickly rushed through the left tunnel without another word.
oOo
Merlynn had never been so happy to see the colour blue before. The colour of the sky gleamed down at her, and she wished she could cry up at it like it was an old friend. However, she kept her mouth shut until they reached a small stream, and washed the berries off of the skin of her face.
She knew the potent odour of the berries would linger, but she was glad the colour wiped off just fine.
"Gaia berries worked," Arthur remarked in surprise. "Huh."
Merlynn froze and turned accusatory eyes to him. "You didn't know if they worked?"
"Not for sure," he defended, but knew that when she jumped up, he would be faced with a very angry Merlynn.
"Now you tell me? What is your problem?" She faked a thoughtful expression to express her anger. "Oh, what's that giant baby rat eating over there? Don't worry, it's only Merlynn. You know, sometimes I think you're trying to get me killed! The both of us killed!"
There was that flash of emotion once more, and the tight clench of his fists. "I'm sorry. Risking your life wasn't part of my intentions, I swear to you." His face was tense, as was his body. "I didn't think that you would end up being so close to one. If that Wilderen had even tried to touch you, I would have killed it straight away despite the circumstances."
She frowned at his expression. "Hey, it's alright. Don't get angry or anything. I'm fine, just a bit frazzled and overreacting, but perfectly fine." Merlynn stared at him for a few moments intently. "Why'd you decide to help me rescue Gwen? I mean, you aren't exactly close with her or anything? Right?"
"No, of course not. I just," he sighed. "I just figured that if you were the one they had taken, then I would have left straight away without a care for what my father said. I probably would have gone after Gwen anyway; she's obviously close to you and Morgana, and is worthy of being saved."
"Thank you," she said gratefully. "I never would have gotten this far without you here."
"A very honest statement," he agreed. At her look, he grinned. "Oh, shut up, Merlynn, I was only joking." Arthur's arm wrapped around her shoulders and he began to lead her in the direction of the hideout. "Come on, then. We have to go rescue a certain chambermaid and get back home before father truly panics."
Merlynn nodded and gripped the wrist that hung just by her collarbone. "I hope she's okay. Morgana will kill me if there's even a smudge on her skin, or worse, dead."
"We'll give her a good wash, eh?" he joked, trying to cheer her up. He smiled when she chuckled the slightest bit. "I'm sure she's fine. Alive and well. Maybe a bit scared. Guinevere always comes out okay, you know that."
"God, I hope so," she sighed.
oOo
By nightfall, they had arrived at the fortress where Gwen was being held hostage, the Veil of Danaria. It was just about the same size of Camelot and probably had more hideouts than the castle could ever imagine.
"We'll have to scale the walls," Arthur stated from their hiding spot in the thick bushes.
Merlynn frowned. "Maybe there's another way in."
He gave her a look, which clearly defined her stupidity. "Why don't you go an knock on the front gate? I'm sure if you ask nicely, they'll hand Guinevere over to you."
She shrugged. "It could work. You never know, they could be generally nice people."
"You really are an idiot sometimes."
oOo
Climbing, Merlynn soon discovered, was not one of her strong suits. And then, Arthur had ordered her to scale a castle wall which reached around thirty feet above ground. She knew that if she fell, then she would be dropping to her death and even Arthur couldn't save her then.
Arthur was certainly ahead of her; looking at his boots for the last ten minutes had confirmed her thoughts. "You really do suck terribly at this, don't you, Merlynn?" he commented, glancing down at his struggling servant.
"I – it's harder than it looks," she grunted. He grinned down at her and began to climb more expertly, obviously showing her up. Merlynn rolled her eyes. "Oh, now you're just showing off, you arrogant prat."
"Hey. What did I say about the name calling?" he called down to her.
"I don't give a Wilderin's hairless arse about the damn rules of royalty. I am hanging off of a thirty foot building with nothing but death beneath my feet, so excuse me if I'm a little distraught," she snapped back at him and scrambled up the wall.
Finally, they made it to the top and over the wall. "You're pathetic," he laughed, patting her back.
"Let's just find Gwen and get out of here. I think I scraped three layers of skin from my palms," she said in a calm voice and suddenly pushed him back. "People." They hid into the darkness as they passed and continued on.
They rounded a corner, and noticed two other men seated at a table playing cards. "You distract them, I'll knock them out," Arthur said quietly.
She gave him an annoyed look. "How do I distract them?" He only grinned, wrapped his arm around her and shoved her further into the room in direct sight of the men.
"What are you doing there?" one bandit asked angrily, and stood. The two men unsheathed their swords and raised them threateningly.
"Nothing," she replied and shifted so that they stood in the way of the exit. "Actually, it's quite a funny story which probably won't be very funny. See, I was walking and I got lost, now I am here. Do you happen to know the way to the Veil of Danaria?"
The other bandit growled, then looked her up and down. "And who are you? She's quite pretty, ain't she, mate?"
The other bandit chuckled and grabbed at her wrist. "Yeah, tell us your name, lass. You can be a nice notch on my belt."
Merlynn glared at him and attempted to struggle in the man's grasp. However, it was tight and wouldn't relent. "Me? Oh, I'm just a pretty lass with no name." She glanced behind them and sighed in relief. "Yeah. But, you know, it's him you should worry about." She pointed behind them.
As the two idiots turned stupidly toward the person behind them, Arthur knocked them unconscious with swift punches to the back of their heads. Merlynn released her wrist and smiled at him. "I think that went pretty well," she remarked, rubbing at the raw skin slightly.
"Are you alright?" he asked, taking her wrist in his own hands to observe it.
"I'm fine. Let's hide these prats before anyone takes notice of them," she said. Merlynn grabbed one by the feet and began to drag him toward the darkness.
Arthur took the other. "Merlynn, we have to blend in. Change into his clothes."
"Really? You do realise that me being a woman might deter them for a moment? There are no women here except for Gwen."
"Well, grab the darn hat over there, will you? I'll turn around."
Merlynn changed quickly, not wanting Arthur to see her body, and didn't exactly want to see his at that moment. The idea was appealing, but they were not in any sort of signifying relationship in which they could see the other's private parts. She kept her own breeches on because she was never going to wear a bandit's pants, as well as her boots.
However, she threw on his breastplate and chainmail. Merlynn grabbed the hat off the table and, after bunching her hair so it sat on top of her head, stuffed the hat on top.
The pale, soft skin of her neck was revealed to Arthur once more, which he realised was one of the parts of her body that he was drawn to. However, he ignored the urge to press his lips to her throat and instead made sure that all her hair was kept underneath the hat.
"There, you look like a feminine male," he commented.
"Great," she breathed, grabbed the man's sword and let Arthur lead the way.
oOo
They reached a large room, where mocking chants could be herd by the Mercians. As they slipped through the doorway, Merlynn noticed Gwen and Lancelot in a rather large cage with a very big Wilderen circling them. Arthur and Merlynn shared a glance and, after he stole her sword, climbed over and into the cage.
"What are you doing here, Lancelot?" Arthur grunted as the two fought off the Wilderen.
"I came to save Gwen. What about you?" he replied, slashing at the giant baby rat's side.
"Likewise. Get behind us." He pushed Gwen so they shuffled toward the tunnel.
Outside of the cage, Merlynn noticed the big, bulky man who was obviously the superior out of the Mercians, pick up a crossbow and aim it at the three in the cage. "Ic bebíede fealle," she whispered, and cursed when the man rushed out of the way of the falling chandelier.
"The tunnel, that's our only chance," Arthur told the others and glanced around wildly. "Merlynn! We're leaving!"
Merlynn nodded and clambered up the cage side, stumbling as she dropped down. She almost ran straight into the Wilderen and would have been chomped on, but Arthur grabbed her arm and pulled her away just in time.
"After them!" the heavy-set man roared.
As they made their way down the stairs to the tunnel, Lancelot suddenly stopped and turned back to them. "Take Guinevere! I'll hold them off."
"No!" she cried desperately.
Merlynn nodded and gently pushed Gwen in Arthur's direction. "Go, Gwen."
"Come on, we have to go!" Arthur announced and, grabbing Guinevere's arm, began to tug her down the stairwell.
She turned back to the gate and hissed a spell which lowered the gate, locking the man inside with the Wilderen.
"Open the gate!" the man begged, then froze as the beast growled behind him.
Lancelot and Merlynn watched as he was viciously ripped apart and eaten with grimaces on their faces. "I see you're still up to your old tricks, Merlynn," he observed.
"Yeah. It would be fantastic if you wouldn't tell anyone about that, thank you," she responded and the two rushed down the stairs after their significant other.
They suddenly stopped running when they reached the end of the tunnel, where an iron gate sat in there way. Arthur tried to break the chain with his sword.
"Good to see you both," Lancelot greeted as they waited for Arthur to cut the chain open. "Where are your knights?"
"It's just us," Merlynn informed him.
Arthur finally broke the chain and the gate swung open. "We've got to keep moving."
"Thank you, Arthur," Lancelot said and gripped Guinevere's hand in his. "We owe you our lives."
oOo
An hour of walking later, the four decided to set up camp for a bit of rest. They were a good way away from the Mercian, and Arthur was sure that they wouldn't come after them anytime soon. Merlynn stripped off the breastplate and chainmail of the bandit's and left it by the two swords that were stuck in the ground.
"I'm surprised you would undertake such a rescue mission...with just the two of you," Lancelot announced with a hint of curiousity.
Arthur nodded and poked at the fire. "My father would not risk a knight for the life of a servant."
"And yet you disobeyed him and came here anyway," he added.
Merlynn chuckled. "Believe me, Lance, it took a whole lot of begging from me for him to finally pack. Morgana would have chewed his ear off had I not made my way there first." She glanced over at Gwen. "That's a really pretty dress, Gwen. Wasn't Morgana wearing the same one when she left Camelot?"
"Yes. The, er, Mercian dressed me up in it to make me look like her," Gwen explained.
"It suits you," she commented.
She smiled. "Thank you." Her hand linked with Lancelot's, and he gave her an admiring smile. "I should get some rest."
"We should all get some rest," Arthur agreed, walking off.
Lancelot pressed a kiss to Gwen's lips and let her wander off to get some sleep. "I'll keep guard. Have a long rest, you've been through a lot in the past through days."
Merlynn was left by herself by the roaring fire. "Well, then. I'll just...sit here and wallow in my boredness."
A few minutes of sitting by herself, she decided to head over to Lancelot, who was the only person who was actually awake and willing to talk. Merlynn smiled and took a seat on the log next to him.
"So, how much begging did it take to get the Prince of Camelot to come after Guinevere?" he asked curiously, but there was a teasing tone to his voice that made her suspicions rise.
"Um, just the regular questioning his compassion and the small matter of what he'd do if I was in Gwen's situation," she responded airily.
He chuckled. "And he immediately shot off into the night, eh?" he hinted.
"No! Wha – don't look at me like that." She slapped his arm.
"Admit it. You have feelings for him, and he has feelings for you."
"There is no feelings. I am his servant, and he is my master. See? Nothing to be mixing emotions into it. Besides, he never agrees with his father. Maybe he wanted to rebel and I was there to shove him in the right direction."
Lancelot turned to her. "He wouldn't have come after Guinevere if you hadn't have asked, or have come with him. I can see it in his eyes – Arthur loves you."
"Whatever, Lance. There is nothing going on between us," she insisted.
"You can't lie to me, Merlynn. I've kept one of your secrets to myself since we last saw each other, what's another going to hurt?"
Merlynn sighed. "Even if there were feelings, nothing will ever happen with us. In reality, we're forbidden to be together. Uther would never allow a relationship, let alone marriage."
"You want to marry Arthur?"
"No – no, not yet, anyway. I'm only at least twenty years of age, so there is a lot of time for that to happen," she stammered.
Lancelot smiled. "I would love to marry Guinevere one day. For her to be Mrs Cabrera."
"Oh, you're a sap! Gosh, those thoughts are for women to have."
"Please. I am a man of many feelings, and I am not afraid to express those whenever they come to mind," he defended proudly.
Merlynn grinned and put her elbow on his shoulder. "And that is why you are such a good person."
"I know."
"Modest, too," she teased.
Arthur had awoken a couple of hours later from rest to see that neither Lancelot or Merlynn had been to rest. He could see Guinevere resting not too far away, but there was no sight of them anywhere. Suspicious, Arthur followed the trail of broken twigs and small snapped branches which was obviously Merlynn's trail, until he found the two of them together sitting on a log.
Lancelot had his arm around her shoulder as the two laughed about something or rather. Arthur couldn't help but feel the smallest flash of envy at them being so freely close together, despite the fact that he knew he had nothing to worry about. He didn't need to be concerned, but that small plucking at the back of his mind sent him walking toward them briskly.
"Come. We have a long walk ahead of us," he announced, watching as the two jumped and turned his way. He gave Lancelot a withering glare and stormed off back to camp, leaving Merlynn to stare after him in confusion.
She brought her eyes to Lancelot's. "What's wrong with him?"
"That, my dear friend, is the cold, harsh truth of jealousy," he told her with a cackle of glee. "I told you."
oOo
They finally reached their horses once more, where they had been loosely tied to the tree and stamping impatiently for them. Lancelot hefted Guinevere up on Firefoot, and put himself behind her. He gave Merlynn a pointed look as he began to nudge the andalusian in the direction of Camelot. She looked awkward, and walked after them.
"Merlynn, where are you going?" Arthur called after her, hands gripping the reins of his stallion.
"I was just going to wal -" she began.
"Get on the horse," he interuppted her, pointing toward it.
Merlynn frowned. "It's really no -"
"Merlynn, do not make me tell you again. You will not be able to make it to Camelot on your two feet before collapsing, so get on the horse."
"But, what about y -"
"Yes, I will be riding the horse also."
"Bu -"
"Merlynn! Get on the horse now."
Merlynn sighed and mounted the horse, shuffling as far foreward on the saddle as possible. As Arthur swung up behind her, she tensed but let his arms rest either side of her so he could grip the reins.
"This is so awkward," she muttered to herself as she was forced back against his chest to make the seating arrangement more comfortable.
Arthur's head was almost on her shoulder. "Just stop being so tense. This is just as uncomfortable for me as it is for you." Merlynn was comfortable in his arms, and released a content sigh. "Or maybe you're feeling more comfortable than I am."
She blushed and straightened slightly. "I – er – well – shut up, Arthur."
He chuckled deeply by her ear, and it sent a shiver down her spine, which made his smile widen. "I do believe you're enjoying this experience, Merlynn."
"I – well – um – maybe," she sighed, defeated. There was no point in lying to him.
Arthur pulled her closer. "You amuse me. I see that Gwen and Lancelot seem to have formed a bond."
She smiled. "They deserve each other. They're both such good people, and they love each other a lot. Lancelot's jokingly told me that if they ever had kids, then I would become the children's godmother."
"Oh, the thought of you being a godmother to some poor, innocent child." He laughed.
"I will be a fantastic godmother, and they will praise me for how fabulous I am," she sputtered, crossing her arms over her chest.
"You'd never be allowed alone with them," he teased.
Merlynn slapped his arm. "Shut up, Arthur, you insufferable clotpole."
"Again with the clotpole?" he said in exasperation.
"Please, don't dish it out if you can't take it," she retorted. "I can't help but tell the truth. I cannot lie."
Arthur nudged her arm. "And that, my dear, was a lie."
Merlynn smiled slightly; she settled back into his chest and sighed in content. She loved this close moment between them, and hoped she would be able to stay like this forever. But, she sighed suddenly. "When we get closer to Camelot, Lancelot has to stop and leave so that will be the opening chance for me to get off."
He frowned. "Of course. Is it entirely wrong that I don't want you to?"
"Yes. But then I'd be a hypocrite," she retorted.
Arthur chuckled and tightened his grip around her, trying to enjoy this closeness between them for the time being. It wasn't fair - but he knew that he would rather spend secretive time with Merlynn instead of watching his father punish her.
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