Krysia tried not to squeeze the snake's head in her hand as she watched Gaius and Merlin whispering frantically in the back of the room.
"As you can see, my lord," Valiant said, "it is just an ordinary shield."
"He's not going to let everyone see the snakes come alive," Arthur reasoned.
Uther countered, "Then how am I to know what you say is true?"
"I have a witness," Arthur replied confidently. "Knight Ewan was bitten by one of the snakes from the shield. Its venom has made him grievously ill, however, he has received an antidote. He will confirm that Knight Valiant is using magic."
"Where is this witness?" Uther prompted.
"He should be here," Arthur said slowly, turning to look at Gaius and Merlin, who were still frantically whispering. "Where's Ewan?"
"He's dead," Merlin said, and Krysia almost dropped the snake head, which caused Uther to glance at her, but she caught it before it hit the ground and straightened up, keeping her face schooled although her eyes welled up with tears.
"I'm waiting!" Uther demanded.
"I'm afraid the witness is dead," Arthur relayed, and he looked a bit sick.
"So you have no proof to support these allegations," Uther said, clearly unimpressed. "Have you seen Valiant using magic?"
"No," Arthur admitted, "but my servant and Krysia fought the snake..."
"Your servant?" Uther demanded, outraged. "You made these outrageous accusations against a knight on the word of servants?"
"I believe they're telling the truth!" Arthur argued. "Krysia, after all-"
"My lord," Valiant interjected, "Am I really to be judged on some hearsay from a boy and a serving girl?"
"I've seen those snakes come alive!" Merlin countered, and Krysia shrank back slightly.
"How dare you interrupt?" Uther said, outraged. "Guards!"
The guards moved forward and made to move Merlin to the jail.
"My lord," Valiant said.
"Wait," Uther ordered, and the guards stopped.
"I'm sure he was merely mistaken," Valiant said, looking up at Krysia with glittering eyes. "The girl as well. I wouldn't want either of them punished on my account."
"You see?" Uther said, impressed. "This is how a true knight behaves - with gallantry and honor."
"My lord," Valiant continued, "if your son made these accusations because he is afraid to fight me, then I will graciously accept his withdrawal."
Krysia nearly dropped the snake's head again, but caught herself more quickly this time, and Uther was too focused on Arthur and Valiant to notice.
"Is this true?" Uther asked his son. "Do you wish to withdraw from the tournament?"
"No!" Arthur exclaimed immediately.
"Then what am I to make of these allegations?"
Arthur looked up at Krysia with angry eyes and she did give the head a little squeeze, knowing she would be well informed later of his anger.
"Obviously there has been a misunderstanding," Arthur said with a firm voice. "I withdraw the allegation against Knight Valiant. Please accept my apology."
"Accepted," Valiant said, shaking Arthur's hand, but glancing up at Krysia with those same glittering eyes.
This had been a terrible idea.
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Krysia and Merlin were with Arthur in his chambers, bracing themselves for his ire. Merlin didn't seem as prepared for this as Krysia, but that was to be expected. He didn't know Arthur like she did.
"I believed you," Arthur began. "I trusted you, and you made me look like a complete fool."
"I know it didn't exactly go to plan," Merlin said, obviously trying to reason with Arthur, but anyone who knew about Arthur's temper could have told him that was a poor idea.
"'Didn't go to plan?'" Arthur roared. "My father and the entire royal court think I'm a coward. You humiliated me!"
"Arthur, perhaps there is still a way we could expose Valiant," Krysia said softly, but Arthur wasn't listening to her.
"I no longer require your services, Merlin," Arthur said bitterly.
"You're sacking me?" Merlin asked, confused. He looked over at Krysia, who just winced at him.
That was fast.
"I need a servant I can trust," Arthur seethed.
"Arthur," Krysia said gently, touching his arm, but he brushed her away roughly.
"If you aren't both out of my sight in ten seconds, Krysia," Arthur said coldly, "then I'll see to it that you are dismissed as well."
She hurried Merlin out of the room, but her throat felt incredibly constricted.
Apparently servants couldn't be friends with their masters after all.
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Krysia followed Merlin down to the dragon's cave, but she had no heart in it. She wanted to go and help Gaius make the arrangements for Ewan's body. She wanted to think of ways to regain favor and keep her job.
"Merlin," she said as they were just outside the cave, "I'll meet you in the square, all right? I just... I need some air."
He nodded, hugging her as an apology before lighting her another torch for the walk up and going into the cave.
Krysia made her way to the steps leading to the square and sat down as gracefully as she could in her emotional state.
She thought about going to check on Ewan, but Gaius would have finished everything she could help with by this point. Part of her wanted to apologize to Arthur, but he would still be too angry, too raw to approach with reason.
It had been so foolish, she thought, the cool night air stinging her tear-filled eyes. Thinking that they could outwit Valiant like that, it had been so foolish. Whatever happened to keeping her head down, staying quiet?
If they knew, if they knew who she was, they would have listened to her. Uther would never have handed her a snake's severed head. Valiant would be burned for his treachery.
But if they knew, she would be burned as well, perhaps before she even had a chance to testify.
She wiped her eyes with her sleeve, then rubbed her forehead with the heels of her palms.
And Merlin had gotten fired.
No, it hadn't been worth it. It had been foolish. There must have been some better way, some loophole they missed.
Merlin came and sat beside her.
"No answers again," he sighed. "Just riddles. Probably more productive out here."
"I doubt it," Krysia whispered.
She sounded like she had a head cold, so much had she cried since the tournament had gone sour. Merlin wrapped a comforting arm around her.
Krysia heard footsteps approaching and saw Gwen, who had also been at the court when Arthur had looked like a fool.
"Hello," Gwen said, smiling at them sadly.
"All right?" Merlin replied, and Gwen sat on the stair below Krysia, placing her hand on Krysia's lap.
"Is it true, what you said about Valiant using magic?" she asked. Krysia and Merlin nodded. "What are you going to do?"
"Why does everyone seem to think its down to us to do something about it?" Merlin groaned.
"Because it is!" Gwen insisted. "Isn't it? You've got to show everyone that you were right and they were wrong."
Krysia snorted.
"How are we supposed to do that?" she whispered. "Arthur won't listen anymore, and if I tried I'd be sacked. What am I supposed to do?"
"I don't know," Gwen admitted, giving Krysia's leg a gentle, comforting squeeze.
"That's it," Merlin said softly, and Krysia followed his line of sight to a large stone dog across the courtyard. He got up and began to walk toward it.
"What are you talking about?" Krysia called.
"Have you got a wheelbarrow?" Merlin called back.
Realizing what Merlin planning, following him across the courtyard with Gwen.
It took about twenty minutes, a heavy-duty wheelbarrow, and a lot of effort from all three of them, but they managed to get the dog wheeled into Gaius's chambers not too long after.
Gaius raised his eyebrows at them.
"What are you doing with that?" he asked, pointing at the dog.
"I'm going to let everyone see the snakes for themselves!" Merlin said happily.
Krysia and Merlin moved the statue to their room and put it between their beds. Merlin took the book of spells from underneath a loose floorboard and they flipped through the pages until Krysia found a spell she thought should work.
"Bebay odothay arisan quickum," she read.
Merlin turned to the dog to try the spell.
"Bebay odothay arison quickum," he said. "Bebay odothay arison quickum."
They frowned at each other.
This plan might take a bit longer than originally anticipated.
/-/
Merlin was still attempting to get the dog to even twitch an hour later, with Krysia trying to pull off the spell every once in awhile. There was no change, no matter how they tried. Finally, Krysia got up, muttered something about getting a snack, and took off across the castle to Arthur's rooms.
"I thought I told you to get out of my sight," Arthur said sharply.
So he was still upset.
Krysia sighed, sitting down across from him.
"Please don't fight Valiant tomorrow," she said softly. "He'll... he'll use the shield against you and... Please."
Arthur looked up at Krysia, his eyes sad and slightly red.
"I know," he whispered.
"Then withdraw!" she urged him, moving to a closer chair, taking his hand in hers. "Don't fight!"
"Krysia, I have to," he muttered, looking down at her hand and covering with his other hand. "You know I have to."
"But you'll die," she choked out. "You'll die."
"I have to fight," he whispered. "It's my duty."
"I already have to bury Ewan," she managed to say through her shaky voice. "I don't want to bury you, too."
She began to cry with full force and Arthur hugged her tightly, letting her face rest against his chest and resting his own head on top of her head. She could feel his tears fall like a dripping cloth onto her hair and they just cried together for an hour.
/-/
Krysia watched Morgana sit down beside her, ready to watch once more as both Arthur and Valiant put on their helmets and began to fight. Morgana presented her hand to Krysia, who knew her friend was asking her to hold her hand, although she had not made the gesture in about seven years. Still, Krysia grasped Morgana's graceful hand tightly, giving it a comforting squeeze, and she received one in return.
As they fought, Valiant's helmet fell off, so Arthur took off his own for honor's sake. Krysia sat up a bit straighter, nervous. She could feel the king beside her, monitoring her, but she was too terrified to care.
Both of the knights lowered their mail coifs, then the fighting began again.
Krysia gasped when Valiant knocked Arthur down, stepping on his shield, then disarming him. She thought it was all over in that moment, but Arthur managed to stop the blow.
A few moments later, Valiant had Arthur pinned to the wall, but Arthur managed to shove him away, and in that moment, Krysia, and the rest of the crowd, saw the snakes on Valiant's shield come alive.
Many people stood and gasped, and Krysia saw Merlin across the way, looking at the snakes with grim satisfaction.
"What are you doing?" Valiant asked the snakes. "I didn't summon you!"
"He is using magic," Uther said, dumbfounded, looking over at Krysia for a moment with surprise before turning back to the snakes and Valiant.
"And now they see you for what you really are," Arthur snarled.
Valiant sent the snakes to the ground and it was then that Krysia realized that Arthur was still unarmed, his sword too far away to retrieve before the snakes got him.
"Kill him!" Valiant cried to the snakes, an order.
Arthur began to back away as the snakes readied themselves to attack. Morgana, panicked, grabbed a sword off a nearby knight and cried out, "Arthur!"
She tossed the sword and Arthur caught it, swinging it once at Valiant before swiftly killing the snakes. Turning his attentions back to the cheating knight, Arthur managed to disarm the stunned Valiant, then run him straight through.
As Valiant dropped, the crowd began to cheer, and Krysia cheered along with them.
Arthur had been vindicated.
Krysia was also pleased to note that as he left the stands, Arthur clapped Merlin on the shoulder. She couldn't be certain, but she wouldn't be surprised if Merlin had his job back.
She cheered all the louder.
/-/
At the banquet that night, not long after Krysia learned from Merlin that he had regained his job, she was stopped by Uther, who was still looking at her with consideration and confusion.
"Yes, my lord?" she asked, heart pounding.
"You killed the snake, Arthur tells me," he said quietly. "The one whose head was given as evidence at court."
"Yes, m'lord," Krysia responded, filling another cup of wine for Morgana.
"Turn your head a bit to the right, Krysia," Uther ordered her.
Krysia could feel her heart freeze in her chest again, but she did as she was asked, terrified that he would recognize her, as Gaius had been afraid for years that he eventually would.
"My lord?" she asked, as he just looked at her with a frown in silence for what felt like a long minute.
"It's just that... I, I thought you looked a great deal like someone," he muttered, furrowing his eyebrows. "Oh, I must have been mistaken, though," he said dismissively. "You can go back to work, Krysia. Take the night off when the banquet's done. I'll see that someone else covers your duties. You've had a rough few days."
"Thank you my lord," she said softly, finishing with Morgana's wine and not feeling fully relieved that he hadn't called her out and ordered her head taken off on the spot.
He'd noticed the resemblance. If he'd begun to think about it, it was only a matter of time before he learned he was right, that she was who he thought she might be, and that her trial would be the next on the docket.
Krysia gave Morgana her wine, which she started on immediately. Apparently she and Arthur had had one of their frequent fights, and she was none too pleased.
Too nervous to pay it too much attention, Kryisa made my way over to Merlin and Gaius, who were enjoying themselves.
"I hear you're re-employed," she said with a grin. "Congratulations."
"Well, it was really thanks to you," Merlin replied with a shrug. "I can't imagine that I would have mastered it in time if you hadn't picked out which to practice."
Gaius gave him a warning look, knowing that there were too many ears who might be able to discern that Merlin was talking about spells.
"Gaius, I need to speak with you in private," Krysia said softly. "The banquet's winding down, I won't be missed for the few moments it will take."
He followed her into a nearby store room and she locked the room and deadened the sound with a wave of her hand, mentally incanting the spells. Gaius gave her a solemn look.
"What's got you so nervous?"
"Uther has started paying attention to me," she muttered frantically. "He took a long look at me, thought I looked like someone he knew. He said he must have been mistaken, but that doesn't mean he wasn't lying. Gaius, what if he knows? What if he's thinking about it?"
Gaius frowned and whispered darkly, "We need to be more careful now more than ever. I knew this would happen the day I realized you were beginning to look like your mother."
"He knew her well, Gaius," Krysia said, beginning to feel panicked. "What am I going to do?"
"You can start by wearing your hair differently," he said, pointing at her bun. "She always wore it like that."
"I'm a serving girl," Krysia argued. "I don't have many options."
"You have some," he reminded her. "No more swordplay. You have your father's technique, and very few people fought that way. And whatever you do, no magic."
She could still hear her father in her ear, saying those very words to her. No magic. They had been his last words to her before leaving her, alone, in the woods to be found by some knight days later, someone who would not recognize her.
In truth, few would have been able to recognize her after a week alone in the woods, the daughter of Lord Marcial and Lady Zosia, eldest child of six, covered in mud, rough dress torn by brambles, gaunt, tangled hair, and terrified.
She had been fair haired, then, as so many children are.
She was the only survivor.
Zosia's sister, Marzena, the younger daughter of the late Lord Inthorn, had been a famous sorceress. Not the evil sort, but a woman who was known far and wide for her mastery of magic.
During the Great Purge, she was killed, and not long after the Purge was over, accusations were leveled on her sister, Zosia, whose peasants reported to Uther strange happenings.
Those happenings were not, actually, Zosia, but her eldest child, Krysia, who was too young to understand the dangers her barely-controllable magic posed. As with a handful of truly talented, untrained people possessing magic, she would have bursts of magic coming at the worst possible times.
And so her mother and brothers and sisters were all sentenced to death in absentia for practicing magic, despite the fact that baby Garethane was not even old enough to chew her own food.
Lord Marcial was sentenced to death for aiding and abetting practitioners of magic.
And Gaius helped smuggled little Krysia, the only child old and strong enough to survive the plan, into Camelot for safekeeping until she would be old enough to take care of herself.
And the rest of Krysia's family were slaughtered.
As agreed upon, Krysia said she could remember nothing of who she was or where she came from, just her name and that she had been in the woods for days. It was a common enough name that no one questioned it, and they never did figure out the name of the child they'd missed at the purging of her household. Creating an elaborate lie for a young child would have ensured her death, but she could remember not to remember, and the lie had worked.
The lie had worked for almost her entire life, and now, now that she was barely twenty two years old, it was about to fall apart.