Seven; Looks Like A Snake Bite
Lynette had a death grip on Merlin's jacket as she stood in between the servant and the court physician. Merlin found it amusing to see his cousin so worried about a born fighter, but Gaius felt differently. As he watched Lynette's face contort in fear and worry he couldn't help but wonder if she realized just how much she wore her heart on her sleeve.
"My dear would you rather not attend today's matches?" Gaius asked. "Perhaps you could collect herbs in the forest."
Lynette glanced up at him, "And not support Arthur? I'll never hear the end of it if I'm not there to at least see one or two matches."
Merlin chuckled, "You just enjoy the view."
"Is that a bad thing?"
Merlin choked on the apple he had brought with him, "I guess not."
"Good. We will leave the discussion there then."
The man worried for his daughter and he worried for the prince as well. Neither of them hid their feelings well as the physician would watch the prince glance over at Lynette in a similar fashion, after every battle. The two were smitten and Gaius was no fool when it came to witnessing the first blossoms of young love. He was overjoyed to know his daughter would experience love as he had, but feared what others would use it for.
"Can you even call that a man?" Lynette asked as a giant of a man entered the arena to face Arthur.
Merlin just gaped at his size, "I'm pretty sure that's cheating."
"Size is cheating now?" Gaius asked.
Lynette gestured to the two as the fight began, "Well look at him."
"You can't deny that he was built to fight, my dear. It's not within his power to control how he grows." Gaius said.
Merlin laughed, "But he does know how to use it."
As she looked on at the prince's battle Lynette was relieved to see Arthur use his own strength against him. However, she knew the tournament wasn't over as once again Arthur found himself the center of attention this time with a Samurai as his opponent. Lynette stood next to her cousin as they both cheered on Arthur. who seemed to get the upper hand in his current battle. The two were so engrossed by the current battle that neither noticed the court physician smiling at the two.
"Is it my imagination, or are you beginning to enjoy yourselves?" Gaius asked with a knowing look.
Lynette laughed at her father's comment, "I always enjoy a good fight, but I do wish this was a melee instead of a normal tournament. I just hope no one is seriously injured today."
Merlin shrugged, "It isn't totally horrible all the time."
The boy turned his head to glance over at Arthur, who had just defeated his opponent in a stunning display of unmatched skill. Lynette smiled as her cousin cheered for the future King of Camelot. Arthur looked over at her and winked with a proud smile spreading upon his lips. Lynette simply returned his cheeky smile with one of her own, but not before feeling a light blush spread across her cheeks.
The arena erupted in another round of applause as Knight Valiant entered and began his fight. His opponent was a relatively new addition to Arthur's knights, Sir Owen. From the small interaction that Lynette had had with him he seemed like a kind man. However Arthur rarely had the time to introduce her to every new knight in his regiment. As she watched on it was hard to gauge who was the better soldier, but Valiant soon had Sir Ewan on his back, pinned down with his shield.
Lynette couldn't get a good view from where she was standing, but knew that Valiant had won the match. However, from the whispers from the crowd and the concerned look on Morgana's face, something terrible had occurred when Valiant stood up to claim his victory. Sir Ewan wasn't moving as Lynette finally got a good look at him. She shared concerned looks with her father and cousin as she bit the inside of her cheek.
"I think he's badly hurt," Merlin stated, looking at Gaius who wore a grave expression.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Lynette added as the three of them walk over to attend to Ewan's injuries.
Lynette and Gaius made their way onto the field with all of Camelot looking on. She was quick to check for any outward injuries, while her father checked for signs of internal bleeding. Lynette was puzzled by the look of one wound, until she realized what it was. It was definitely the work of snake fangs.
"Father." Lynette hissed. "We need to get him out of here. I think he was bit by a snake."
It took everything in Lynette not to throw up her lunch in front of all those people. She was terrified the slithery creature may still be near and the last thing Lynette wanted was to make a scene. The girl waved over a pair of knights standing guard and together they brought Ewan back to their chambers for further treatment. Although Lynette was glad to be away from prying eyes, she still felt as if the snakes were far too close to home for comfort.
It didn't take Lynette and her father long to realize that Ewan had not sustained a normal injury. She knew Valiant was no ordinary knight with the way he brutally attacked his opponents. He also didn't act like a normal knight. His indecent manners being reserved to the serfs and his esteem decorum being used around people that had status. This included the King, his heir, and his ward.
Lynette looked down at the knight in front of her. He was so young and definitely not deserving of Valiant's wrath. She placed a cool rag into the bucket of water beside her, thankful that Gwen had been kind enough to fetch it for her. She rang out the excess water before draping it across his forehead in an attempt to counteract his rise in temperature.
Lynette was so held up in trying to keep Ewan away from death's door that she didn't hear Merlin enter, "How is he?"
Gaius shook his head, "It's most odd. Look at this. See these two small wounds. Looks like a snake bite."
The physician motioned for his nephew to come over and pointed to the odd puncture wounds on the knight's neck. Lynette looked away, refusing to believe there was a snake slithering around so close to the castle. Instead she refocused her efforts on a cut on his temple, which had finally stopped bleeding a couple hours ago.
"How could he have been bitten by a snake? He was injured in the sword fight." Merlin asked.
"Can we please not use the 's' word?"
Both men nodded, "But the symptoms are consistent with poisoning: slow pulse, fever, paralysis."
"Can you heal him?" Merlin asked.
"Well, if it is a snake bite,-"
"Father!"
"My apologies darling. If it is what I believe it to be, then I'll have to extract venom from the thing that bit him to make an antidote." Gaius finished sending an apologetic look to his daughter.
"What happens if he doesn't get the antidote?"
Lynette shook her head, "We have to find it. If we don't then there is nothing more that we can do."
"He's going to die." Gaius stated.
Merlin looked between the physician and his daughter in disbelief. Lynette didn't want to believe the reality of the situation, but she wouldn't lie either. Ewan's chances were not promising and Lynette had made a silent vow to make the knights final hours as comfortable as possible. She owed him that much.
"He was fighting Knight Valiant."
Lynette looked up from where she had wiped his brow, "What?"
Gaius looked at Merlin, confused, "What's that?"
"Nothing." Merlin stated before leaving the chambers.
Part of her wanted to follow, but she knew her father would need all the help. Ewan was not the only knight injured in the tournament and at some point one of them would need to make their rounds to check on the others. Lynette stood from her stool and made her way over to her father's work table, grabbing the ingredients for a politico that would take away some of the man's pain.
"My dear I can do that."
"No, I want to." Lynette answered not looking up. "He deserves peace. His final moments should be ones of peace."
Gaius crossed the room until he stood in front of the girl, grasping her hands and stopping her work. Lynette felt fresh tears threaten to spill as she set the ingredients down. Slowly she allowed herself to be pulled into her father's arms who shushed her softly. She felt like a small child as he began to rock her back and forth. She allowed the calming scent of cedar wood to wash over her as he placed a gentle kiss to her temporal lobe.
"You are doing all you can. No one could ask for a better nurse."
"But it's not enough." Lynette said, pulling away to look at her father. "Ewan is so young. He has everything to live for. Arthur had told me that Ewan was even in line for a new promotion from prison guard to courtyard duty and eventually patrol. The man was going to get his wish of fighting alongside his prince someday, but Valiant had to go and snuff it out."
"Life can be unpredictable my dear. It's why you should always live in the presence and enjoy thoughts around you. You never know when it could be your last."
Lynette nodded and finished with the ingredients for the poultice. She made her way back over to the dying knight and placed the poultice where the cut sat on his forehead. She then replaced the wet rag with a fresh one just as Merlin burst into the room. His loud and unexpected entrance made her jump and slosh some of the water onto herself as she turned to stare at her cousin.
"I've just seen one of the snakes in Valiant's shield come alive. He's using magic." Merlin stated.
"Merlin!"
"Sorry."
Gaius ignored Merlin's blatant use of the 's' word, "Are you sure?"
"The animal ate a mouse - one swallow, straight down. Sir Ewan was fighting Valiant when he collapsed. It must've been one of the snakes from the shield. I have to tell Arthur."
"Is there any chance you might be mistaken?" Gaius asked.
"I know magic when I see it." Merlin replied.
"Perhaps, but do you have any proof?"
Merlin looked between Lynette and Gaius slightly hurt, "Don't you believe me?"
"Of course we do, Merlin." Lynette said, standing and making her way to Gaius's side. "The trouble is getting others of a more noble status too."
"I fear you'll land yourself in trouble. How will you explain why you were in Valiant's chambers?" Gaius asked.
"What does that matter? He's using magic to cheat in the tournament!"
The physician sighed, "But you can't go accusing a knight of using magic without proof. The King would never accept the word of servant over the word of a knight."
"What? So what I say doesn't count for anything?"
Gaius nodded, "I'm afraid it counts for very little as far as the King is concerned. That's the way it is."
Lynette could tell he didn't want to talk about it anymore and stormed off into their shared room. Gaius wasted no time in collecting some supplies and making his rounds for the evening. Lynette kissed her father on the cheek, before returning her efforts back onto Ewan. That night the young girl barely slept as she did everything she could to keep Ewan from leaving the world of the living.
The next morning Lynette woke to find a blanket draped around her shoulders. She shifted uncomfortably from her position on the ground with her head resting on the cot where Sir Ewan lay. His breathing seemed more labored as she felt his forehead. His temperature had not changed, but it had not decreased either. The sound of Gaius opening the chamber door caught Lynette's attention as he brought her some bread for breakfast.
"How long was I asleep?" Lynette asked.
"Long enough. I kept watch while you got some rest." Gaius patted her back gently as he sat on the stool beside her.
"Thank you for the blanket."
Gaius smiled, "That wasn't me. Merlin draped it over you before leaving to see Arthur."
"Oh."
Lynette stood and stretched, listening as her bones popped and her muscles relaxed. She knew the soreness would come later as she hobbled over to the water basin and drank some water relishing in the taste. She looked back over to see her father taking care of Ewan and took it as her time to get ready for the day. She made her way to the room she shared with Merlin and put out a dress of soft moss green that brought out the golden flecks in her eyes.
Outside her room she heard the sound of the chamber door open and close, but paid no attention to it as she finished getting ready. She assumed the person to be Merlin back to collect them for the next round of tournaments, but when she descended the stairs she was surprised to see Morgana and Gwen.
"I hope we are not interrupting." Morgan said.
"We wanted to check on Sir Ewan. See if there was anything you needed." Gwen added.
Lynette shook her head and offered a warm smile, "Not at all. He is resting now. I'll be up to check on him after the tournament ends this afternoon."
Morgana nodded, "Well let us know if there is anything you need. Anything at all."
"We will, my lady." Gaius replied.
Morgana smiled at the old man before facing Lynette, "I was wondering if you might join Gwen and I for today's matches? You can see them better from where we sit than if you stand with Merlin at the side lines."
Lynette glanced over at Ewan, "As long as I come back straight after. I don't want to leave him alone for too long."
"Then it's settled."
Lynette grabbed her worn down cloak and placed a gentle kiss on top of her father's cheek before following the ladies towards the grounds. She walked with Gwen two steps behind Morgana as they entered the stands with Uther smiling at his ward in greeting. Lynette sat to the right of the noble lady as Gwen to her place to the left. As the first round of matches were displayed Morgana absently began to stroke Gwen's cloak.
"You're not worried, are you?" Gwen asked, looking over at Morgana.
"No."
Lynette raised her eyebrow, "You answered that a little too quickly."
Morgana refused to amuse Lynette further and focused her attention toward the tournament as the first set of matches began. Lynette laughed at the woman's avoidance of the topic, but didn't press the subject. She knew that should she try the tables would turn on her and the last thing she wanted was to be teased by the women next to her. Lynette looked across the field towards where Merlin and Gaius were cheering on Arthur just as much as she was.
When Arthur was declared the victor he stood in front of his father proudly. All of Camelot cheered, but for Lynette it was the piece of cloth tied around Arthur's wrist that made her blush proudly. She smiled at him when his gaze caught her and did a mock bow before returning back to Merlin. Lynette sat back down and steeled herself for Valiant's last match. Finding it hard to sit still as the man came at the knight in full force.
In the end Valiant was once again victorious in his endeavors and he was moved to the final match. Lynette felt a sense of dread set in as she left the stands, uttering a quick goodbye to Gwen and Morgana. She wanted to check on Ewan and see if Merlin had found out more about Valiant's abilities. If he was using magic then he would surely use it on Arthur and Lynette knew mercy wasn't in his vocabulary.
She entered the small chamber and replaced the warm rag on Ewan's forehead with a fresh damp one. He didn't seem to be getting worse, but he wasn't getting better either. Lynette sat in the stool and tried to soothe the knight as Merlin and Gaius entered after her. Merlin was quick to settle on the bench scrubbing at Arthur's armor while Gaius rearranged his potions.
"Merlin, about what I said yesterday... Look, Uther wouldn't really listen to you or me, but you are right. We can't let Valiant get away with this." Gaius admitted.
"But we don't have any proof." Merlin said.
"Well, if we could cure Ewan, he could tell the King that Valiant was using magic. The King would believe another knight. But how we get the antidote...Well, that's another matter."
Lynette looked over at Merlin, "Get the proof Merlin. I'll take you to someone who will believe you."
Merlin left the room and a comfortable silence fell over the family duo. Gaius took stock of any necessary herbs they may need and Lynette looked after Ewan. The blonde kept herself busy as she changed his bandages and replaced his rag. She even fluffed up the man's pillow because she was afraid he may be uncomfortable.
Outside their chamber came a gentle knock followed by one of the guards entering, "Arthur is requesting your presence Lynette."
Lynette offered the man a smile, "I'll be right there."
Lynette does one more once over before leaving Ewan in her father's hands. She wasn't surprised that Arthur was summoning her that afternoon, but he normally came himself. Especially when one of his knights were ill or injured. The golden haired servant could only hope that Arthur was just as cautious of tomorrow's match as the rest of the kingdom as she made her way up the stairs.