PART TWO : WORK OUT BRILLIANTLY OR FAIL EPICALLY
It was mid-day, Merlin and Gaius was on the tournament grounds, looking around at the competing knights. Unknowingly, Merlin kept looking around for a familiar mop of blonde hair.
Gaius looked down at his ward knowingly, "Is it my imagination, or are you beginning to enjoy yourself?"
"It..." Merlin sighs somewhat deeply. "It isn't totally horrible all the time." He conceded reluctantly.
The young warlock watches with excitement as Arthur fights his opponent.
"Yes!" Merlin shouts loudly, clapping his hands.
Valiant fights in the arena. He knocks down Sir Ewan, whose helm rolls off. Valiant pins him down with his shield. No one in the crowd could see him ordering the snakes on his shield, that came to life, to strike Sir Ewan. Valiant hits him for show and stands up to show his victory. Crowd cheers, excitement erupting and spreading among them. Arthur and Merlin see Sir Ewan lying motionless on the ground.
"I think he's badly hurt." Merlin commented. Gaius nodded before he enters the arena with his medical bag.
MERLIN
Gaius, the court physician of Camelot, was well and truly gobsmacked by his patient, Sir Ewan. Nothing about his case made sense. He was knocked out by a shield, but he has all of the symptoms of being poisoned.
"How is he?" Merlin asked in concern, looking down at the knight.
"It's most odd. Look at this." Gaius gestured his ward closer. "See these two small wounds. Looks like a snake bite."
Merlin himself was confused as well, "How could he've been bitten by a snake? He was injured in the sword fight."
"But the symptoms are consistent with poisoning: slow pulse, fever, paralysis." Gaius insisted.
Merlin asked, stomach pulling with dread as he asked the question. He didn't really want the question but he needed. "Can you heal him?"
"Well, if it is a snake bite, I'll have to extract venom from the snake that bit him to make an antidote." The white haired man answered, a little resigned. How and where would he even begin to search for the snake that bit Sir Ewan? The knight doesn't have enough time for Gaius to make antidotes to the all of the snakes on Camelot.
"What happens if he doesn't get the antidote?" The young man asked, stomach pulling in dread.
"Then I'm afraid there's nothing more I can do for him. He's going to die."
Suddenly, everything fit together. The snake eye blinking from the shield. Sir Ewan's poisoning. The snake bites. "He was fighting Knight Valiant," Merlin muttered to himself.
"What's that?" Gaius asked, having not heard what Merlin said.
"Nothing."
After dinner, Merlin left Gaius' Chambers to go and snoop around in Valiant's guest chambers. Merlin suppresses the urge to throw up when he sees Valiant holding out a nice to the snake.
"Dinner time. Come on." Valiant feeds it to the snakes in the shield. Merlin scurries away, but Valiant hears him and follows. Merlin hides in an alcove of the Criss-cross Corridor and Valiant gives up the chase.
Making his way back to Gaius' Chambers, Merlin was buzzing with adrenaline and anger. But mostly answer. Anger because Valiant was cheating to win, because he couldn't accept not being good enough. "I've just seen one of the snakes in Valiant's shield come alive. He's using magic."
Gaiud looked at him, only partly skeptical. "Are you sure?"
"The snake 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." Then his heartached when a certain blonde fat flashed across his mind. "I have to tell Arthur."
"Is there any chance you might be mistaken?" Gaius asked, this time because he had to, not because he doesn't believe Merlin.
"I know magic when I see it." Merlin answered firmly, unflinching.
"Perhaps," Gaius agreed. "but have you any proof?"
"Don't you believe me?" Merlin's face fell at the mere thought, his insides twisting that the person closest to him didn't believe in him.
"I fear you'll land yourself in trouble." The physician quickly explained. "How will you explain why you were in Valiant's chambers?"
"What does that matter? He's using magic to cheat in the tournament!" Merlin was outraged. Riches didn't make you an honest person.
"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." Gaius said. It was sad, but it was the way it is.
Merlin swallowed. "What? So what I say doesn't count for anything?"
"I'm afraid it counts for very little as far as the King is concerned. That's the way it is." Gaius gave him a sympathetic smile.
It wasn't fair, Merlin thought. So what if he wasn't of royal or noble blood. What did that have to do with being an honest and honourable person? Just looked Valiant - he was so noble blood and yet he was a cheat.
And Merlin could do nothing about it.
MERLIN
The next day, Merlin and Arthur was standing at the training grounds. The duo was looking at Arthur's opponent. Well, Arthur was looking, Merlin was gaping.
"You're telling me you've got to fight that?" Merlin asked, mouth going dry with fear and concern in his eyes.
Now, he was confident in Arthur abilities and trusted in Arthur, but this guy was huge.
"Yes," The blonde confirmed, fuzzy warmth spreading through his chest when he noticed the concern in his servants eyes. "and he's strong as a bear." He grinned at the brunette. "But he's slow."
"Ah, and you're fast."
"Exactly." Arthur said, looking down at Merlin. Noticing the lack of space between them, his heart started thundering in his chest. He swallowed as he watched Merlin's fingers work. His mind flashed with images of those same fingers ghosting against his skin when Merlin helped him dress or undress.
Merlin finishes helping Arthur with his armour, not noticing the way the blonde's chest heaved up and down slightly quicker than usual and how Arthur's cheeks had a nice rosey tint. It was silent between the master and the servant for a long while before the blonde Prince broke it.
"Aren't you going to wish me luck?" Arthur absolutely hated to ask this, it was evident in the way the flush in his cheeks deepened. But he needed to hear it. For some reason, he needed to hear those words from Merlin.
"I thought you don't need luck, Sire." Merlin teased with an easy going smile.
Arthur huffed. "Nevermind." The Prince started to walk away, chin jutted out and pride in his entire being.
"Good luck." Merlin called after his retreating form. Arthur thought that it was a good thing that his back was turned to Merlin. His servant would have never let him live it down if he was the blinding grin on the Prince'd face.
Merlin looks around and sees Valiant put down his shield. Gaius approaches Merlin.
"How're you getting on?" The physician asked his ward.
"Fine. Just doing my job. Minding my own business." Merlin answered, still somewhat bitter over their conversation the previous day.
His eyes flickered back to Arthur, watching the Prince fights the bear knight and wins. Valiant wins his next match as well. Merlin and Gaius look at the final brackets, dread filling ever inch of his body.
"Valiant's going to fight Arthur in the final. He'll use the shield to kill him." Merlin breathed, eyes worriedly seeking our his master.
MERLIN
"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 said when they were in his chambers after the day's fight.
"But we don't have any proof." Merlin protested, reminding the physician of their conversation the previous day.
"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..." Gaius trailed off. "Well, that's another matter."
Getting an idea that could either work out brilliantly or fail epically, Merlin gets up and leaves the room.
"Merlin?" Gaius called after his ward but the boy was long gone.
Merlin makes his way to the Council Chambers and peeks through the door. He watches as Valiant eats with the King and fellow nobleman. Sure that the nobleman is occupied, the young warlock made his way to Valiant's Chambers.
Merlin casts a spell and the door unlocks. Merlin enters and takes a sword from a rack, approaching the shield. Merlin turns to the door when he hears someone approaching. A snake slithers out of the shield and poises to strike. Luckily, Merlin sees the shadow of the snake and turns around to cut off its head. The other snakes come out, but Merlin drops the sword, grabs the first snake head and runs out of the room.
He ran back to the physician's chambers, chest heaving as he breathed heavily. He hands Gaius the snake head. "I'll get started preparing the antidote."
"I'm going to tell Arthur." Merlin said, his tone set with determination.
"You'll need this." Gaius hands Merlin the snake head. The brunette heads to the door, but before he could leave, the white haired man stopped him. "And Merlin, what you did was very brave."
Now he just hoped Arthur believes him.
As fast as his legs would carry him, without running and causing a scene in the palace, Merlin made his way to Arthur's chambers. He didn't even bother to knock before he entered the room.
"Merlin!" The Prince exclaimed, clearly shocked and frightened - but he would never admit it. "What are you doing here?"
And so, Merlin started telling his story. About seeing the snakes on Valiant's shield come alive, about sneaking into his room and getting the snakes head for Gaius to created the antidote for the venom. Arthur regarded him sceptically, "You? You chopped its head off?"
"Ewan was bitten by a snake from the shield when he was fighting Valiant. You can talk to Gaius, you can see the puncture wounds in Ewan's neck where the snake bit him. Ewan was beating him, he had to cheat." Merlin explained, praying to every God out there that Arthur believed him.
"Valiant wouldn't dare use magic in Camelot." Arthur said, half doubtful, half afraid that Merlin is right.
"Ewan was pinned under Valiant's shield. No one could see the snake bite him." Merlin retorted desperately. The warlock didn't know what he would do if Arthur didn't believe him.
"I don't like the guy, but that doesn't mean he's cheating." Arthur tried to reason, but the churning of his stomach told him that it was just for arguments sake.
"Gaius is preparing an antidote to the snake venom. When Ewan's conscious, he'll tell you what happened. If you fight Valiant in the final, he'll use the shield. It's the only way he can beat you. Look at it!" Merlin picks up the snake head and holds it towards Arthur. "Have you ever seen any snakes like this in Camelot?" Arthur takes the snake head and looks it over.
"I know I'm just a servant and my word doesn't count for anything. I wouldn't lie to you." Merlin spoke softly and Arthur looked into Merlin's eyes.
Those darl blue eyes locking on clear blue. Stomachs fluttered and hearts felt warm as they starred at each other, neither knowing that the other's thoughts was going in the same direction.
Arthur snapped out of the reverie of his thoughts first, but didn't move his eyes from Merlin's sincere ones. "I want you to swear to me what you're telling me is true."
"I swear it's true." Merlin breathed, now looking into those steady blue eyes with hope.
"Then I believe you." Arthur told him and Merlin smiled, making Arthur feeling like he accomplished something magnificent as a fuzzy warmth spread in his chest for the second time that day.
MERLIN
They were in the Counsel Chamber after Arthur requested an audience with the King and Knight Valiant. Merlin was by his side, as he is the one that started this whole thing. Now Merlin just hoped that the King would believe them. For the first and last time in his life, Merlin hoped that Uther's hatered for magic would be enough until Sir Ewan could testify for them.
"Why have you summoned the court?" The King asked, clearly displeased and cutting to the chase.
"I believe Knight Valiant is using a magic shield to cheat in the tournament." The moment the Prince uttered those words, Valiant's heart stopped beating for a second.
The eldest Pendragon turned to the accused knight. "Valiant, what do you have to say to this?"
"My Lord, this is ridiculous. I've never used magic. Does your son have any evidence to support this outrageous accusation?" For a split second, the knight panicked, wondering if the snake was caught before he could finish Sir Ewan off.
"Do you have evidence?" Uther asked his son.
"I do." Arthur confirmed before he motions for Merlin to come forward. Merlin hands Uther the snake head. The King looked at it with disgust, clearly not happy with having to handle it and if it was any other situation, Merlin would have laughed at the expression on his face.
"Let me see this shield." The King demanded.
Merlin leans forward and whispers to Arthur. "Don't let him get too close."
"Be careful, My Lord." The Prince warned his father.
Arthur draws his sword, both at the shield and the knight. Uther inspects the shield while Valiant wondered how exactly the servant boy managed to convince the Crown Prince of Camelot that he is using magic to win, when clearly he had no evidence. Not really. Gaius enters the room and calls out of his ward in a whisper. "Merlin."
Arthur turned to the brown haired boy. "We need Ewan. Find out what's happening." He whispered, eyes full of believe - believe in Merlin and his word. Merlin nods before conversing with Gaius.
"As you can see, My Lord, it's just an ordinary shield."
"He's not going to let everyone see the snakes come alive." Arthur pointed out and glared at the knight.
"Then how am I to know that what you say is true?" Uther questioned and Merlin barely resisted the urge to say, 'because he is your son and you can trust him'.
Arthur wondered why his father couldn't just take his son's word. Then he remembered that his father is King and has to look at a story from all the sides. "I have a witness. Knight Ewan was bitten by one of the snakes from the shield. Its venom made him grievously ill, however, he has received an antidote. He will confirm that Knight Valiant is using magic."
"Where is this witness?" Uther asked, he was always willing to listen when magic was mentioned and more than ready to execute someone.
"He should be here..." Arthur tells his father before he turns to Gaius and Merlin.
"Where's Ewan?" The blonde asked.
With dread pulling his stomach down to his feet, Merlin answered the Prince. "He's dead."
"I'm waiting!" The King called out and if anyone wondered, Arthur's lack of patience comes from his father's side.
"I'm afraid the witness is dead." Arthur told his father through clenched teeth.
"So you have no proof to support these allegations. Have you seen Valiant using magic?" The King questioned, wondering where this was all coming from.
"No. But my servant fought one of the snakes from..." Arthur starts explaining, only to be cut of by his father.
"Your servant? You made these outrageous accusations against a knight on the word of your servant?" Uther was gobsmacked. What has gotten into his son? Never before has he even had a proper conversation with his servants and now he is making allegations towards a skilled knight based on the word of his man-servant? It was absolutely preposterous.
"I believe he's telling the truth!" The blonde objected because Merlin swore to him that he is telling the truth.
"My Lord, am I really to be judged on some hearsay from a boy?" The knight in question asked, wearing a mask on calm on the inside and on the outside. There is no way the King would ever believe some servant boy over a knight.
"I've seen those snakes come alive!" Merlin quipped, interruping the conversation between the toyals and the nobleman.
"How dare you interrupt?! Guards!" The King shouted, enraged that the servant had the nerve to talk to him. Guards begin taking Merlin away and panic gripped Arthur's heart at the sight of Merlin being taken away.
"My Lord." Valiant called respectively.
"Wait!" Uther ordered, making the guards halt in their steps.
"I'm sure he was merely mistaken. I wouldn't want him punished on my account." Valiant said, but it was more because he knew the boy was right. He just wondered how he escaped from his snakes when no one else has.
"You see? This is how a true knight behaves - with gallantry and honour." The King told them and Merlin resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the King and Knight Valiant. There isn't a drop of honour in someone that cheats to win.
"My Lord, if your son made these accusations because he's afraid to fight me, then I will graciously accept his withdrawal." Knight Valiant interjected in their conversation and Merlin glared at him. The nerve of this man!
Uther turned to his son, disappointment in his eyes. "Is this true? Do you wish to withdraw from the tournament?"
"No!" Arthur bellowed. Apart from the fact that he is stubborn to the point of irretation, the Prince is also to proud to ever walk away from a fight. He is a lot of things - arrogant and a prat being the most prominent of his traits - but a coward is not one of them.
"Then what am I to make of these allegations?" The King asked.
The Prince grit his teeth before speaking. "Obviously there has been a misunderstanding. I withdraw the allegation against Knight Valiant. Please accept my apology."
"Accepted." Valiant said, hiding his smug grin.
Arthur fumed silently, humiliated and feeling betrayed, leaving the throne room but not before giving Merlin one last heated glare.
Author's Note: I hated this chapter. And I'm going to hate the next chapter. Uggghh. My first merthur fight. My heart is breaking already.