Thank you to Paralelsky for beta-ing! She's such an overachiever, she edited this on vacation!
And thank you all for reading, you really don't know how much I appreciate that :)
o}O{o
"Yes!" Mordred shouted and punched the air. But immediately he sobered and looked in the cheering stands to see if anyone had seen him. When it seemed like no one was looking, he allowed a small smile to form on his lips. The way Arthur and the other knight fought had excitement coursing through his veins. He wished he knew how to fight with a sword. Cheers broke out in the stands when the prince took off his helmet and acknowledged them. With a quick nod to the king, Arthur strode toward the gates. Mordred drew back and denied to himself that he was disappointed when Arthur passed him without a word. That made it easy for him to not say anything in return but he followed his master out toward the tent anyway.
Arthur set down his helmet, shield and sword before turning to Mordred. "Tighten my gauntlet," he ordered and held out his left hand.
"Yes Sire." He fumbled with the strings at first but made sure they were retied in no time. His ice blue eyes glanced fleetingly at Arthur and he stepped back while asking a question. "Are you not happy about your victory?"
"It's the first round," Arthur answered. "Put this in order." He motioned toward the rack he had just put his battle items on and strode back to the arena to better see the match. Mordred scowled at his back, but did as he was bidden hurriedly. He wanted to see the other matches too.
It was nearing sunset when the tournament was concluded for the day. Arthur and Mordred were standing outside the red and gold tent, the prince just having won another match. He was catching his breath as he watched Sir Valiant win his own fight within minutes. Mordred stared beside him still holding the prince's helmet and shield.
"Sir Valiant seems like a strong contender," Mordred noted. He stared for a bit longer while Arthur turned to inspect his sword, only getting a move on when the prince glanced at him. So Mordred set about getting Arthur's things, but was distracted again when Valiant approached them.
"May I offer my congratulations on your victory today," he greeted with a smug grin.
The prince nodded and replied in a bland tone. "Likewise."
"I'll see you at the reception this evening." He departed after considering Arthur with his steel blue eyes.
Mordred could not hold back a derisive scoff as the yellow clad knight parted, which caused Arthur to laugh. The young servant looked at Arthur with a smile but the prince hastily looked away.
"Uh, for tomorrow you need to polish my shield, wash my tunic," he said and began to walk away, "clean my boots, sharpen my sword and polish my chainmail."
Mordred gaped after him and stared at his retreating back. The boy huffed and resumed his task with a petulant frown on his face. He was left to haul the armload of armour back to the physician's chambers by himself, and by the time he got there, it felt like he was the one who fought in a tournament. Merlin seemed to know he had arrived and opened the door when Mordred started to wonder how he was going to open it. The boy gave him a bright grin and stared as Mordred let the armour fall from his arms. He gave a tired sigh and brushed the sweat away from his brow, but he turned to Merlin and smiled.
"Merlin!" He greeted happily. Merlin was only too happy to engulf him in a tight hug. A laugh escaped Mordred. "Did you miss me?"
The boy nodded and contented himself with wrapping his arms around Mordred's neck. A small chuckle had Mordred looking to the table where Gaius was gathering ingredients for dinner.
"Hi, Gaius," Mordred called and stood up, being forced to carry Merlin who would not let go.
The physician smiled. "Did you have fun today?"
A gleam entered Mordred's eyes as he inspected what was to be for dinner. "Yes, I did. I wish I didn't have to do work though. I hope Merlin was good today."
Merlin answered for Gaius in an enthusiastic nod. "Yes, he helped me quite a bit," the old man smiled at Merlin. "Now supper won't be ready for a little while, so why don't you take that to your room?" He motioned to the discarded bits of armour on the floor.
"Right," Mordred nodded and put Merlin down, "come on and help me, Merlin." The eleven year old grabbed the heaviest pieces and the sword while Merlin hurried to grab Arthur's cape and helmet. Gaius watched them with a fond smile as they marched to the back room.
Once it was all in a pile at the base of the two beds, Mordred remembered that he needed water. He groaned and told Merlin to wait with Gaius and he would be back shortly. He snatched a bucket from the main room and headed out the door. As he jogged out the physician's chambers and to the well, a thought occurred to him that instantly had him changing direction. Mordred arrived at the library out of breath, and he took off his cloak to cool down.
He hesitated a moment, before setting down the empty bucket, then he pushed open the doors and walked forward slowly. His eyebrows climbed at seeing row upon row of shelves piled high with books. The smell of ink and old parchment caused Mordred to think of Tynan's tent and his lip curled at the thought. A deep cough sounding from further inside had him starting in surprise. His wide eyes sped to meet the old ones of Geoffrey, he presumed.
Mordred swallowed at receiving such a stern gaze but he smoothly approached the court genealogist who was seated at a grand desk. "I was wondering where the knight's code would be?"
"And who might you be?" The old man asked instead of answering.
"I'm Mordred. The prince's servant," he replied and waited.
Geoffrey favoured him with an appraising glance before giving a curt nod. "Just in that row, you might need a ladder. There are many books that contain it. Be careful with them, as boys your age neglect to do." He pointed four shelves down.
Mordred thanked him and walked with haste to where Geoffrey had indicated. He didn't think many boys his age traversed the library at all, but wisely kept that thought to himself. The guardian walked slowly between the walls of books, feeling rather dwarfed and intimidated. But he had his mind set, so he squinted his eyes at the covers and picked one up with the title The Song of Sir Medraut. It was large, and Mordred hauled it over to a nearby table covered with scrolls and books. He rifled though it quickly and was more than pleased when he found a page containing what he needed. It listed the vows of the knights and while it had different wording to what was hanging on the prince's wall and no first code of Camelot, it was essentially the same. Mordred did some quick thinking and smiled when an idea dropped into his head.
He was glad that this was one of many copies or he might have felt bad at what he was about to do. Mordred cast an eye around for Geoffrey and upon finding the coast was clear, he knocked the books beside him to the ground. As soon as they hit the floor, Mordred ripped out the page from the book, masking the sound behind the heavy thump of the large volumes hitting the ground. With lightning speed, he folded it and stuffed it into his pocket. Just as he stepped back, Geoffrey rounded the corner with his impressive eyebrows furrowed.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
"Out!" Geoffrey ordered at once.
"But-"
"Now! Look at what you've done," he said crossly.
Mordred wanted to smile. "I haven't even found it yet."
"I don't care, you will leave and you won't come back. You are welcome here no longer."
The servant's mouth dropped open at the unfairness of the old man and he protested on principle. But when Geoffrey rose from gathering the books off the ground, Mordred swiftly scampered away. Only when he was outside he did allow himself to laugh. Mordred pulled his cloak back on and ran for the well, patting the pocket that contained the page. When he arrived back home, Gaius looked at him for an explanation as to his tardiness. Mordred thought of lying but, he was sure the old man could see right through him. "I wanted to go to the library first." Merlin was sitting on the window ledge and abandoned his toys there to follow Mordred.
"Whatever for?" the physician queried. He was stirring what smelled like leek soup in the pot over the fire.
"Um, just-" Mordred waited until he had lugged the full bucket up the stairs before replying, timing closing the door perfectly. He sighed in relief and chose to ignore Merlin who glared at him for almost shutting the door in his face.
"Sorry, Merlin," he couldn't resist saying after he gratefully put the bucket down. Mordred smiled to himself and drew the paper out of his pocket, bringing it to the end table and placing it on top of it. That would have to do until he could find some way of sticking it to the wall.
His smile faded upon scrutinizing all the items on the floor waiting to be tended to. Merlin shifted in boredom while Mordred considered his options. He needed to practice magic, and here was a perfect opportunity. Gaius was outside so Mordred felt safe in retrieving the spell book. When Merlin realized what he was doing, the boy sent him a very disapproving stare. Their blue eyes met and Mordred smiled before hopping onto his bed. Before he opened the book though, he regarded Merlin. "Don't you dare give me away."
The younger boy frowned and crossed his arms, making a fair imitation of Mordred when he was trying to show his displeasure. But unlike Merlin, when faced with it, Mordred didn't cave so easily. He opened the book and placed it in his lap. "Read it with me, Merlin," he invited. But Mordred was doing something he wasn't supposed to and Merlin knew that was bad. It didn't matter that Merlin would have done the exact same thing if he could lift the floorboard, but Mordred disobeyed first so he was free to judge.
Merlin marched over and tried to tug the book from his guardian's arms. It didn't budge and Merlin looked to find Mordred frowning at him. The younger warlock huffed and looked to the door. Mordred, anticipating that Gaius would soon be alerted, quickly reached his hand out to Merlin's nose and pulled slightly. He withdrew his hand to reveal the tip of his thumb between his index and middle fingers.
"I got your nose," Mordred informed him. Merlin's hands flew to his nose and he scowled heavily at Mordred. "And you aren't getting it back unless you stay in this room."
Merlin angrily stomped his foot but Mordred just turned back to his book and kept Merlin's 'nose' firmly in place. The child skulked over to the corner and sat down, his back facing Mordred who was trying to get the armour to clean itself. He stared at the stacked pile of baskets with a pout and did not turn until at last Mordred let out a triumphant laugh. Merlin turned curiously to find a hammer working on the shield. "I did it, Merlin!"
And because Merlin was feeling mutinous, he consciously used his magic to dump Arthur's cape in the bucket of water then ordered the brush to clean it. After that, he levitated all of Arthur's things. He directed a smug smile to Mordred as they floated leisurely and then turned his head back around, tilting his head up.
"That wasn't very nice," Mordred declared.
Merlin turned around and pointed to what he thought was lack of a nose. Mordred sighed lightly and decided for a little manipulation. "Alright, I'll give you your nose back. And then you can try too." The child looked at him in consideration before sidling to the older boy. Mordred grinned and tapped Merlin's nose. "There"
Merlin promptly inhaled through his nose and was confused when Mordred laughed. To avoid seeing Merlin sulk again, Mordred quickly moved on. "Now you tr-"
Both boys jumped in surprise as the door opened and in their shock, released their spells. Gaius stood in the door way, looking at the mess and then Mordred who had the spell book flattened against his chest.
"Were you trying spells?" he asked with an accusatory glare.
"...No," Mordred tried innocently at the same time Merlin nodded.
Gaius raised his eyebrow at him. And Mordred's gut squirmed. There was silence before the physician relented.
"I just came to tell you that supper is ready." As soon as the door shut behind him, Morded breathed a sigh of relief. He caught Merlin's eye and at once he started to laugh- Merlin grinned and his smile grew when Mordred ruffled his hair.
"Let's go, I'm starved!" Mordred carefully secured their spell book back under the floor boards and grabbed Merlin's hand. They both rushed to the dinner table and Mordred was glad his work was well and truly done for the night. That was of course, until Merlin took one taste of the soup and refused to eat it. Not even Gaius' and Modred's combined might was enough to budge Merlin. Morded quickly tired of this familiar affair and was all too happy to retire to his room after he was done and let Gaius deal with the boy. Luckily Merlin trudged in an hour later with a disgusted look on his face and Mordred was free to tuck him in and go to sleep. The child used the other bed for the first time, since he was angry but quickly calmed down when the night wore on. He soon clambered beside Mordred and settled under the covers. Without missing a beat, the servant smiled tiredly and adjusted the blankets around the boy. That night he dreamed he was being knighted.
o}O{o
Ringing bells signaled morning in Camelot, scaring the birds into fleeing toward the clear blue sky. Outside the main doors to the grand, pale castle, the courtyard of Camelot was buzzing with early morning workers. Many were on their way to the stalls in the side streets to barter their goods and some were trying their luck within the castle. A young boy, tall for his age but with a childish face was heading for the armoury which was attached to the courtyard, but near to the training grounds. Another older servant followed him, yawning at the early morning. "Aren't you tired?" Morris asked, "You had a busy day yesterday."
Mordred glanced at him questioningly. "No, how could you be tired? This is exciting."
"Oh yeah, I forgot you like all this." Morris waved his hand vaguely.
As they entered the halls leading to the short distance to the armoury, Mordred ventured a question nonchalantly. "Hey, Morris, has anyone that wasn't nobility ever become a knight?"
Mordred's attempt at casualness was successful because Morris did not even look curious. "Oh no," he laughed, "the farthest someone can get is a soldier- a general or some such. Or captain of the guard I suppose. I don't know."
The younger servant made an unhappy grunt and that certainly captured Morris' attention. A dark eyebrow was raised and he would have questioned Mordred, but the boy walked faster upon arriving at the armoury.
He glanced at the equipment belonging to the knights participating in the tournament, but quickly sought out the only set that concerned him. Arthur's was on a red clothed table designated for his specific use. Mordred strode to it and began to gather everything Arthur would need. Morris helped him and grabbed the prince's shield, something Mordred would not be able to handle along with everything else. Just as the older servant hefted it up, what sounded like a hiss echoed in the cool chambers. Morris' breath exhaled in a surprised cloud.
"Did you hear that?" Mordred asked, putting down Arthur's gauntlets and starting to search for the sound.
Morris frowned in alarm when Mordred wasn't stopping. "Uh, Mordred?" The boy ignored him and stopped just past a hanging rack of swords. His breath pooled in front of him in a faint fog as his eyes drifted to the shield at his feet. It was Valiant's. Mordred's features tightened and he knelt to look at the snakes painted on the pale yellow wood. One of the eyes flashed scarlet and Mordred jumped. He leaned in, despite Morris' yelp of surprise, which he ignored, and reached to touch the glowing eye.
Light flashed at the corner of his eye and suddenly the sharp point of a lustrous sword was pressed against his chest, right above his ivory elm pendant. Mordred swallowed and looked up the blade to see cool sunlight reveal Valiant's shadowed face. The young warlock slowly rose, not breaking his spooked gaze from the knight's.
"Can I help you with something, boy?" Valiant drawled quietly. The tip of the sword was far too close for Mordred's comfort and gleaming brightly in the dimly lit armoury. The reflection from the blade danced on his face and coloured Mordred's eyes silver.
He gulped, feeling a flash of fear in his gut but he tried to contain it. "N-no. I, er, was gathering the prince's armour." Mordred said and hurried to the table. He paused and glanced down to the sword which had followed his steps. In a move that surprised Mordred, Morris sidled forward so he was fractionally in front of him, with Arthur's shield grasped nervously in both hands.
The knight eyed the quivering servant before speaking harshly to the both of them. "Well you best be on your way."
The servants nodded and rushed out of the armoury with the prince's things. Mordred ducked his head down enough to disguise his glare. He got the feeling that Valiant was up to no good.
By the time Mordred had gotten Arthur into his armour and was standing outside the tournament gates, thoughts of Valiant disappeared. Mordred was eagerly awaiting the first match. And he was not the only one - the crowd's cheers seemed louder than yesterday, and he spotted Morgana and Gwen talking excitedly. The lady must have sensed his gaze for she turned away from the handmaiden to peer where Mordred was standing. Mordred immediately smiled and waved, and Morgana quickly returned the greeting. Gwen hailed the boy, as well.
"Where is Merlin?" Demanded a familiar voice from right behind him. Mordred was startled for the second time that day and stared wide eyed at Gaius. "Well? I thought he was with you."
Mordred was quick to allay the worry the physician was hiding. "I've left him with his...large friend." His turquoise eyes looked at Gaius.
"Mordred!" The physician's voice was low with reprimand as he got his ward's hint.
"What? He can't watch the tournament and you have to be here this time. Merlin is safe with the dragon."
"I've warned you about him. He cannot be trusted."
The servant looked at the arena and then frowned at Gaius. It was nothing he hadn't heard before, ever since Gaius had found out of their meeting with the dragon. "But Merlin's safe. I certainly won't trust anyone else with him. What else could I have done?"
Gaius frowned deeply but stopped to gather his thoughts. Mordred looked away, not liking the irritation the physician was exuding. He could tell the old man had much more to say on the matter, but Arthur won his fight, something Mordred wished he had seen but it saved him from Gaius' ire. The prince walked past with a nod to Gaius and his servant rushed to follow him.
Arthur stopped before his tent and breathed out deeply, taking off his helmet and giving it to Mordred. As he took off the coif a startling thought occurred to him. "Where's Merlin?" He looked at Mordred to see a calm expression on his face.
"He's with one of Gaius' acquaintances. I trust him to look after Merlin."
"Hm." If Arthur was surprised that Mordred actually let Merlin out of his sight, he did not show it. Roars from the crowd had them looking at the arena and where Valiant was locked in a heated match with Sir Ewan. They looked on as Valiant pinned the other knight under his shield and then hit him with the hilt of his sword. Mordred winced beside the unruffled prince. Valiant discarded his sword and raised his helmet to the crowd, and still Ewan was lying motionless on the ground. Mordred frowned as Gaius hurried forward, readying his medicine bag.
The servant met Gaius' gaze and worked quicker to put Arthur's things in place for his next match. "I should see if he needs help," Mordred said.
The prince nodded. "Don't be long."
Mordred acquiesced and ran toward the courtyard where guards had carted Ewan towards the physician's chambers on a stretcher. But instead of going home, he dashed through the halls on the way to the dragon's cave. He hurried down the steps, knowing he did not have to worry about the guards as they had mysteriously vanished during the tournament hours. He grabbed a torch and lit it, taking care to not trip on his way down the steps.
His arrival was noted by Merlin and the dragon, and the child hurtled toward Mordred. The greeting Mordred so desperately wished to hear from Merlin went unspoken, but he received a tight hug in its place. The boy did not seem to want to let go and contentedly held on to Mordred while he grinned at Kilgharrah, letting the magical flames twirling above the dragon dwindle.
"Hello, Kilgharrah. Thank you for watching him," Mordred nodded to the great dragon.
"I told you before, I am not a baby sitter," Kilgharrah frowned. He eyed the remaining flames twirling around the dark cavern and they too faded into the blackness. "If he was not the warlock of legend..."
"You wouldn't have been entertaining him," Mordred said around smiling lips. But because the dragon scowling down at him was much, much older and bigger, he ducked his head. "All the same, thank you. It won't happen again, I hope."
Merlin frowned up at him and tugged at his cloak. But then he beamed at Kilgharrah which made Mordred stiffen. "What did you tell him?" he demanded.
The dragon's golden eyes narrowed, but Gaius' warning to Mordred was ringing in his head. "That remains none of your concern."
Mordred's pale eyes burned in the shadow wrought cave. "Come on, Merlin, say goodbye."
The young warlock faltered, but Kilgharrah's voice boomed like thunder in the cavern, echoing into its depths and scaring loose rocks to tumble into the watercourse below. "Who do you think you are, boy?"
Merlin pressed himself closer to Mordred and looked at Kilgharrah in alarm. "The guardian," Mordred spat, "just like you told me. And I'm going to protect Merlin from anyone or anything that means him harm."
"You have nothing to fear from me," the dragon growled.
"Oh? So you wouldn't use Merlin to get out of this cavern? You've been here seven years, surely you want revenge."
Affronted silence sprang into being before smoke gusted out of the dragon's nostrils. "And how exactly will the boy help me? He is hardly powerful enough to break these chains, no matter how hard I wish it."
Mordred grinded his jaw and swallowed. He was being pulled in two different directions and did not know who to believe. Gaius could not be ignored, yet Mordred did not know how the dragon could use Merlin.
"My time for freedom has not yet arrived," Kilgharrah bit out. "You would be wise to understand who your allies are, Mordred."
The young sorcerer nodded but was too proud to utter an apology. He spared a conflicted glance at the dragon and turned toward the exit. But Merlin whined and let go of Mordred, letting him know that he wanted to stay.
"We have to go, Merlin. Please."
"I will see you another time, young warlock," Kilgharrah said, and looked at Mordred as if daring him to contradict his statement. The servant just stared at Merlin and waited for him to move.
The boy nodded and waved to the dragon before leading the way up the stairs. When his back was turned, Mordred glanced to the dragon and felt as if Kilgharrah would forgive him his transgression, but got the sense that a friction was born between them. Mordred left without a goodbye and was all too relieved to reach the top of the stairs. A relieved sigh softly scratched the silence and he extinguished the torch with magic and put it back.
Merlin immediately seized his hand and gave him a brilliant smile, something which elevated his sudden low mood. He gave his own smile to Merlin before leading the way back to the physician's chambers. When they arrived, Gaius was hovering over Sir Ewan and looked like he didn't even notice their entrance. Mordred did his best to block the unconscious knight from view and quickly led Merlin to their room. The door closed behind him and Mordred withdrew his hand from Merlin's. The child looked on curiously as Mordred fetched Merlin's toys that were strewn around the room. Before the boy's hopeful smile could grow, Mordred gave them all to Merlin.
"I have to go now," Mordred told him regretfully, "you stay in here and don't bother Gaius." He ruffled Merlin's hair but just as he retreated to leave, the toys clattered to the ground and the boy wrapped his arms around Mordred's middle and squeezed. "Oh, Merlin, I have to go."
Merlin shook his head and looked up with bright eyes. Mordred sighed and knelt down. "I'll be back before you know it," he smiled and gave Merlin a strong hug. The child's lips formed a large pout but he let go of Mordred and allowed him to leave. The older boy shut the door behind him and informed Gaius of Merlin's presence as he left the chambers to get back to the prince. His guilt at leaving Merlin made him quieter than usual and Arthur must have miraculously taken pity on him. Mordred was allowed to leave right after Arthur's match, not even having to get him ready for the dinner with his father and remaining knights. But he was happy to hurry to the armoury and drop off some of Arthur's armour and bring the rest back to the physician's chambers.
Mordred rushed through the door, more eager to get back to Merlin than to see how Sir Ewan was doing. He was actually wishing the tournament would end soon so he could be with Merlin during the day again. Both Gaius and Merlin looked up at his entrance, the physician staying where he was beside the knight, but Merlin climbed down from the window ledge. Mordred dumped the few pieces of armour that Arthur needed cleaned and strode to Merlin and lifted him from the small table below the window so he didn't fall trying to get down. The child would have smiled at him but he gazed forlornly at Sir Ewan who had made no signs of wakefulness. It wasn't the first time Gaius had a patient since they had been here, but none had been unconscious.
"How is he?" Mordred asked.
The physician glanced at Merlin before frowning at the older boy. Merlin got the hint, and with a sigh he headed towards their room. The sight brought a small smile to Mordred's face but it faded when he walked closer to Gaius and his patient. Sweat glistened on Ewen's dark brow, and the knight was still. Mordred's frown only deepened as Gaius explained Ewan's condition.
At the physician's proclamation that Ewan was going to die without an antidote, a recent memory occurred to Morded. In the armoury, he had witnessed a snake's eye glow on Valiant's shield. And now Ewan was dying of a snake bite after a sword match.
He was fighting Valiant, Mordred thought to himself. Gaius returned to his attention to Sir Ewan and Mordred swiftly departed the chambers without a word.
o}O{o
Second part done! What do you guys think? What will happen since Mordred isn't able to do advance spells? Cough- like revealing snakes from shields- cough, cough. Stay tuned to find out!
Please don't forget to review :)
DP- Hey, thanks a lot!