Merry Christmas! Hope everyone is enjoying their holidays :) I know I am!
Thanks to Paralelsky for beta-ing and all you lovely people for reading and reviewing
o}O{o
Night had stolen over Camelot, taking away the light but leaving a trace of the day's warmth. As Gaius shut the open window he could smell the stone of the castle. Dozens of lit candles flooded the chambers with flickering shadows and shone warmly on all of Gaius' possessions. The sound of humming persisted from the far end of the chambers where Mordred was taking inventory of some potions and thereby practicing his numbers. Merlin was in their room, still cross with Gaius for being forced to eat his turnips and denied the chance to see Arthur. He would bet that the boy was sleeping by now though.
"Alright, what's gotten you so happy?" Gaius wondered with a smile. He started ambling toward the young sorcerer who fell quiet at once.
Mordred looked up at Gaius. "I can't be happy?" he smiled.
The physician gave a light laugh. "Of course you can, but you have never hummed so much as a note in the three weeks you have been here."
A flush coloured Mordred's pale cheeks. He quirked his lips in thought before stating childishly to Gaius, "You can't tell anyone."
That certainly captured Gaius' interest and a silver eyebrow rose upon his forehead. The old man stopped before Mordred and glanced to his work before looking at the servant. The paper was mostly filled with doodles rather than numbers. All of them little black strokes Gaius recognized as swords.
A wide grin took residence on Mordred's lips and his pale eyes sparkled excitedly. "Prince Arthur is teaching me to use a sword," he announced proudly.
Silence flittered into the room after Mordred's statement and Gaius' features cleared of all expression. "And why is he doing that?" the physician questioned evenly.
Mordred seemed deaf to Gaius' tone and carried on blithely. "He said that if we meet bandits on patrol I'll be an easy target since I'm so young. We started this morning."
When Gaius offered no words of praise, the smile started to fade of Mordred's lips. The physician sighed. "While I cannot fault the prince his reasons, you should not be going on patrol at all. You aren't a squire."
"I'm the prince's servant, it is expected of me," Mordred said with a touch of petulance buried in his tone.
Gaius was going to tell him that he had no business learning the sword but then his conversation with Selwyn three weeks ago rang inside his mind. The tall druid man had said that it was the Guardian's destiny to fight alongside the once and future king. He never expected that it would start so soon though.
The physician frowned unhappily. "You must be careful, a sword is not a toy."
Mordred grinned brightly. "I will. The prince won't even let me touch a real one until he thinks I'm ready."
Gaius nodded approvingly and for some reason remembered when Arthur was but a child, learning the sword for the first time himself. He had been a blonde menace then.
The old man smiled a bit sadly. "Just don't get any lofty ideas, Mordred."
"What do you mean?" the boy asked a bit too innocently.
Gaius snorted. He was learning that the moment Mordred tried to act innocent, was the moment when something was up. "Don't think I haven't noticed the knight's code in your room."
Mordred looked away and when Gaius thought that he would not speak, the boy opened his mouth. "I can become a knight," he stated. The boy stared at Gaius with those earnest eyes of his.
Gaius shook his head slowly. "You are a peasant," he reminded the boy, "and you know the first code."
Mordred frowned at him and his eyes became cold. "So? The prince is teaching me himself. By the time I can become a knight, he will see how good I am. He will have to knight me!"
"He will, will he? You are not the first low born scamp to try for a knighthood and you won't be the last," Gaius said harshly.
The silence following Gaius' statement was broken by the sound of glass shattering. He jumped and turned to where a clay bowl had been sitting on a stool. It was left in tiny pieces and the quills Gaius had placed in it were rolling across the floor. Gaius regarded Mordred in surprise but the boy was glaring at the floor.
"I will become a knight. No stupid code is going to stop me," he declared quietly. Mordred brushed past Gaius and went into the broom cupboard. The physician went to pick up the fallen quills and Mordred came back with a broom. He started sweeping but did not say anything and kept his gaze to the floor.
When Mordred had swept the pieces into the corner to clear away in the morning, he made to stride into his room but Gaius called him back tiredly. He met the physician's gaze slowly.
"Look, Morded," Gaius began and walked closer to him. "I do not doubt that you have the skill. I just fear that you will be disappointed when the time comes."
Mordred's anger left his ice coloured eyes and he smirked impishly. "I won't be disappointed. Because I'll become a knight."
Gaius gave a short laugh and did not have the heart to try and convince him otherwise. "If you do, I shall be very proud of you."
"I'll make you proud, Gaius."
The physician squeezed Mordred's shoulder. "I already am, my boy."
There were not many times that Mordred would grin a care free smile, but Gaius' words invoked one such.
o}O{o
Grey was the colour of the day. The midmorning sky was overcast and pale but the day was warm enough. People crowded the streets so Gwen kept a tight hold of Merlin's hand. The boy skipped along beside her, looking with interest at the market stalls they passed. Merlin looked up at her adoringly and she didn't remember why she ever was nervous about him having magic. Besides the obvious fear of him getting caught, of course. Gwen laughed when she saw that there was a stain on Merlin's nose. Earlier, the fragrant smell of baked fruit drew the two to a vendor crying out, "Plums! Baked plums! Plums!"
The woman had spotted the two in the crowd and had pressured Gwen over. The maidservant had feared that she would have to buy one before Merlin batted his eyelashes at the vendor and had somehow received a free treat. Gwen had thanked the cooing lady profusely before drawing Merlin away.
She now crouched on the dirt road, wiping away the last of the plum from Merlin's nose with her sleeve. "There, all clean now," she laughed. Merlin grinned at her in thanks. "Come on then," Gwen said while standing up, "I just want to get a new shirt for my father before we go back to the castle, you can help me pick out the fabric."
Merlin nodded enthusiastically and hung on to Gwen as she weaved gracefully through the market. Many people hailed her and stopped to exchange a few words and Merlin watched them curiously. He would blush when they paid attention to him and hide behind Gwen. Eventually they arrived at the stand that Gwen wanted and she tried to coax Merlin into helping her pick one of the coarse wool fabrics. But after a single minute passed, the child became bored and was content to fiddle with his dragon pendent. Gwen glanced at it as the boy stroked the small stone piece reverently.
As she was deciding between a grey or brown wool, three middle aged wives bustled to the stand. They did not seem to notice Gwen who smiled at them or Merlin so the boy was free to watch them. Gwen barely leant an ear to their conversation, dismissive of their gossipy whispers.
"Did you hear? Gretta's daughter were exiled for being a witch!" Said the stout woman with a voice as thin as a reed.
The youngest woman, a few years older than Gwen made a shushing noise.
"Gretta, with the farm and lout for a husband?" the tall, handsome woman whispered back.
The stout one nodded enthusiastically. "That one, but Mary, she says it's Gretta who's the lout."
"You're both wrong," the youngest stated quietly, "Gretta's daughter ran away with some sheep herder boy from two farms over. Exile's no punishment for people with magic, besides."
All the women tutted and the stout one leaned toward her friends. "Oh you're right o'course, Leeann, the king has the right of it. Them people are all evil."
"Hold on, a sheepherder you said?"
"Here, what do you think of this one, Merlin?" Gwen held up some dark green wool but her smile disappeared upon seeing Merlin. The boy had gone white and was staring horrified at the gossiping women.
She forgot about the wool and shoved it back onto the stall, seizing Merlin's hand and pulling him away. He went along without resistance and Gwen didn't know where she was leading him until she was in her house. She was appalled with herself for not whisking Merlin away when she first heard the word 'sorceress'. But it was not the first time peasant women would gossip like that and magic was usually the initial reason everyone had for when things went wrong. It was common place but Gwen had forgotten it would not be to Merlin.
Merlin who had tears running like rivers down his cheeks. He gazed desperately up at Gwen and was heaving in great breaths of air. Every small object in the house started to rattle, from the candle on the table to the dusty crates in the back room. Gwen knelt in front of him and cupped his face with her hands. "Merlin," she began firmly, "you're not evil, you're not."
The boy only started sobbing in earnest and ducked his head, wrapping his hands around his blue neckerchief- an action he only did when greatly distressed though Gwen did not know why. "Oh, Merlin, listen to me," Gwen pleaded, the rumbling of the possessions in her house fueling fear of Merlin being caught. "Magic isn't evil, that's a lie!" The treasonous words spilled from her lips, words that would never have been uttered or genuine had she not met the weeping boy. "People are scared of it, and when people are scared they believe horrible things. Untrue things. Don't you see?"
Merlin shook his head and continued crying, clinging onto Gwen when she wrapped her arms around him. She hugged him fiercely before drawing him away so he could see her eyes. "Merlin, you are not evil. Do you think I would lie to you?"
That had Merlin pause and he stared at her- the things in her house ceasing to rock where they rested. His large eyes were like weeping sapphires between his long lashes. "You are not evil," she repeated. "Do you like to hurt people? Do you like to be mean to them?" The boy shook his head in answer and Gwen smiled. "You see? You like when people are happy don't you?"
Merlin nodded his head and his sobs were starting to die down. Gwen brushed a comforting hand through his tousled hair. "That means you are a good person. Promise me that you will remember that always."
Merlin hesitated before he nodded and Gwen grinned brightly at him. "Good." She then turned Merlin's sad frown into a smile when she kissed his forehead.
Merlin's eyes were still red when they arrived in the kitchens so his head was directed downwards as Gwen gathered things for Morgana's lunch. She knew the lady was not feeling well so Gwen only got her soup and some chilled wine. As she was pouring a pitcher of the rosy liquid, a figure loomed at the corner of her vision. Gwen set it down, noticing that Merlin had hid completely behind her.
A middle aged servant with a sour expression stood before her and Gwen hid her disappointment. "Hello, Ivor," she greeted politely even though the man never went out of his way to be nice to her.
The thin man only glared past Gwen's hips, where Merlin's head would have been if he was standing in front of her. "Ah so he's leeched himself to you, has he?"
Gwen blinked rapidly at his tone. "Pardon me?" she asked shortly.
Ivor eyed her sordidly. "Should he not be with his wet nurse?"
"He's five years old," she responded coolly, missing the barb to Mordred. "Do you have a problem?"
The greying servant's eye brows shot up. "Five eh? Well if that's the case the ovens need cleaning, he's old enough to be a scullion."
"What is it to you?" Gwen demanded, suddenly very angry. This man had no right whatsoever to presume what Merlin should or shouldn't do. Her voice had risen and had gathered stunned looks from everyone in the kitchens.
Ivor scowled. "If the leech isn't pulling his own weight, no one wants him he-"
The middle aged servant was suddenly gaping at her with chilled wine dripping down his face and cascading from his thinning hair. Gwen was too angry to feel guilty over what she had done. Her fingers clamped tightly around the pitcher of wine meant for Morgana and she stared down the servant until he walked away, trying to keep his pride intact. Gwen calmly refilled the pitcher with some more wine before gliding from the kitchens, people making way for her and shouting out praise.
Though she was blushing, she did not let her embarrassment touch her features. Only when she was in an empty corridor did she bite her lip and look down to Merlin.
The child was staring at her in quiet amazement and Gwen felt a smile growing on her lips despite her mortification. Even though she threw wine all over the older man she could not help but giggle. "Did you see his face, Merlin?" Merlin gave a shy smile and nodded his head, and Gwen laughed again. "Wait until I tell Morgana, she won't believe it!"
o}O{o
Puffy white clouds were scattered across the crystal blue sky and a light breeze made the green tree tops sway in the wind. The scent of pine drifted from the trees and the needles littering the trail to the knights of Camelot on patrol. Prince Arthur was leading them, scanning the dirt road and forest around it with keen blue eyes. Everyone was mounted on their horses and made a long rocking trail along the road. Mordred was riding behind the prince, very much enjoying being part of their number. Some of the knights were even getting used to him since he was proving himself to be a capable servant.
Somewhere in the distance, a hawk screeched and Mordred looked in its direction. He found the bird flying under a cloud that looked like a dragon. But then the cloud shifted and took on the shape of a donkey, causing Mordred to breathe a short laugh as he imagined Kilgharrah would not appreciate the comparison.
"Think patrol is a game, do you?" asked a voice to his left. Mordred looked to find Sir Lloyd slightly ahead of him and handing him an unsavory look.
Mordred still remembered the knight being mean to him and Merlin in the armoury three weeks ago so his reply was quite rude. "I just saw you riding ahead and couldn't help myself," Mordred said snidely.
Sir Lloyd's dark eyes widened in indignation and he slowed his horse down. The young sorcerer shifted in his saddle and glanced to Arthur who was chatting absently with Sir Owain and not paying attention to the road behind him.
Lloyd had drawn up beside him and the knight's gelding tried to nuzzle Mordred's shorter mare. Mordred said nothing as the knight glowered down at him. Their horses glanced to each other and Mordred's nickered. "Do you think you're funny?" Lloyd sneered.
"Do you only know how to ask questions?" Mordred sniped back, becoming quite impatient.
The knight's lips twisted into an unpleasant smile, making his square face more intimidating. Mordred kept his own face devoid of emotion and he refrained from looking to Arthur again. Lloyd opened his mouth and drew in a breath but before he could speak, someone cleared their throat ostentatiously behind them.
The knight's mouth snapped shut and Mordred looked around to find Sir Leon riding directly behind them. His azure eyes were narrowed at Lloyd.
"Is there a problem?" Leon asked.
Lloyd jumped at the chance. "Yes! He-"
"-Is a child, grow up." Leon rolled his eyes and stared at the other knight until he picked up his pace to ride alone.
Mordred was a little unnerved when Leon rode up to take Lloyd's place. "Thank you, Sir Leon," he said quietly.
The way Leon looked at him made Mordred feel as though he was being weighed on one of Gaius' scales. "I think you are a bit too clever for your own good," Leon finally said.
Mordred fought off a pleased smile but it faded when the knight's expression remained stern. "You have no business talking to a noble like that, you aren't doing yourself any favours."
The young servant held his tongue and nodded, averting his light eyes.
"You are a servant and would do best to remember that."
"Yes, my lord," Mordred said demurely.
"Good, I'm sure you will do well around here if you don't get yourself dismissed," Leon told him before he fell back to his place.
Mordred restrained himself from looking back and he succeeded, staring at the horizon in faint confusion. He wasn't quite sure if he should feel chastised or complimented. After thinking on it, he realized he was a bit of both. Mordred felt stupid now, for allowing his dislike of Sir Lloyd to get the better of him. Even though the broad faced knight deserved it, Sir Leon was right- Mordred was only a servant.
And servants, Mordred remembered with disdain, were only possessions that could talk (but not too much). He glared at the back of Lloyd's head and thought that when he was a knight, he could speak his mind all he wanted. Until then though, he'd have to endeavour to keep his anger in check. But Mordred could be patient, and they couldn't hear what he was thinking anyway.
Up ahead the prince remained straight backed on his horse surveying the surroundings, and Mordred stared at him for a little bit. Sir Lloyd had taken Sir Owain's place and was speaking in low tones with Arthur, and Mordred liked that not at all.
When the prince turned back and handed Mordred a look, the boy liked it even less. Arthur turned back and nodded to something the knight said before Lloyd fell back. Mordred only stared at the knight when he glanced back with a smirk upon his lips and frowned when he turned away. For the remainder of the patrol Mordred was wondering what lies Lloyd had fed Arthur. He didn't have long to wait for when they arrived in Camelot fifteen minutes later, the prince addressed him.
Arthur stared down at Mordred with a bored expression on his face while giving him the reins to his horse. "You can muck out the stables and rub down Sir Lloyd's horse as well as mine. When you are done that he says that his chambers need cleaning." Arthur paused to sigh and then drawled, "He also wants an apology for your insolence."
"Yes, Sire," Mordred forced himself to say politely. His eyes nor his face gave his fury away but his voice was a little strained. "Would he like a written apology as well?" Mordred couldn't help but add tartly.
Arthur frowned at him unimpressed. "Mordred, next time you speak out of line it's the stocks. Your behaviour reflects on me."
Mordred had no choice but to nod. "Yes, Sire."
"Don't be late with my lunch," Arthur reminded him before turning around and walking up to the castle.
"Of course not, Sire," Mordred called after him. He then spun on his heel and led the horses to the stables. The boy was fuming under his calm facade. Arthur didn't even ask his side of the story, he didn't know that Lloyd scared Merlin. Every time the two boys would see Sir Lloyd from a distance Merlin would immediately dive behind Mordred. Perhaps if Arthur knew, he would have been a bit more understanding. But he had been there one of the times and had not noticed a thing. As Mordred saw to the horses, he became almost as angry with Prince Arthur than he was with Sir Lloyd. Arthur never noticed anything which was both a blessing and a curse. More of a blessing though since Merlin sometimes made mistakes. As soon as Merlin got tired in the presence of the prince, Mordred would immediately cart the child back to either Gaius or Kilgharrah so his slip ups would not be noticed.
The fact was that weird things happened when Merlin was around; breezes flittering through a closed room, objects breaking or mysteriously vanishing to reappear somewhere else, doors opened if they were closed and closed when they were open, the temperature fluctuating occasionally. Admittedly the instances were fairly small when they happened, but Mordred noticed every single one. But Arthur... he noticed nothing.
Which was a miracle, Mordred reminded himself and started on mucking out the stables. But he would have liked Arthur to see that Sir Lloyd was a great bigot. As he shoveled through the hay and manure, he wondered what made him so angry. Lloyd's existence for certain but the prince did not even think to give Mordred a chance to explain. And Mordred wondered what Arthur would do if he had a choice between a noble or Merlin. He thought he knew but did not want to believe it. Did not want to think about it.
Mordred sighed and tried to recall the twelve uses of Rainseed, something Gaius was going to quiz him on later on when he was done with his servant duties. Unfortunately the day was far from done. The sigh Mordred let rang out in the stables was more of a groan.
o}O{o
So to everyone who is wondering when Merlin will talk (I know, I know it's been 23 chapters), he will soon. I swear! Because realistically in the show, I've only covered three episodes. Just another episode to go and then he will start opening that gob of his. But until then, I hope everyone enjoys the ride.
Thanks so much for reading, and please don't forget to review.
Happy Holidays!