Chapter 10 – Tread Carefully

"Merlin, my boots," Arthur demanded.

Willow struggled to help Merlin keep the still wobbly from his sickbed prince upright. But he was determined to look at the village for himself. Oh! The pride of royalty!

They set Arthur down in a chair. Merlin grabbed his boots and squatted to put them on Arthur's feet. Arthur spoke while Merlin struggled. "How many people live in Crab Tree?"

Granny answered. "In Crab Tree proper, Some 40 people, counting men, women, and children. And another 30 or so in the outlying forests and fields."

After Merlin finished with his boots, Arthur motioned for Merlin and Willow to help him stand. They hobbled him outside. Willow tried to pull the cloak around him more for better coverage. At least it was a warmish day for early spring.

Arthur surveyed the area as a crowd gathered. He called out, "Could someone draw me a map of the village?"

A lad stepped forward, then hesitated and looked at his elders for approval. A few of them nodded, so the boy squatted down and drew a map of the village in the sand at Arthur's feet. "This is what the village looks like from a bird's eye view, Prince Arthur, your Highness. I've seen from the top of a very tall tree."

"Thank you, son. What's your name?"

The boy smiled. "Aaron, Your Highness."

"Thank you, Aaron. Is this square you've drawn here the common house used for meetings?"

"Yes. It's that one there." He pointed to a smallish building with a thatched roof.

Arthur nodded. "Do you have any weapons?"

"None," Willow said.

"We have pitchforks and axes, Your Highness," called a big man from the back of the crowd.

Arthur looked around. "I can not leave soldiers here. Your simplicity is your best defense. Build shelters in the woods and move your foods and livestock there."

Someone from the back called, "King Uriens's men will torch our houses."

"The truth is, they won't pay much attention to your village without people, food, and livestock here, but just to be on the safe side, douse your houses well with water before you leave. It will mean burning your village is more work than it's worth to King Uriens's army and they'll move on quickly. After they've gone you can come out of the woods and put out any successful fires and rebuild with no loss of life. Just make sure they're truly gone.

"Also, I am taking your young healer, Willow, with me, but once I return to Camelot, I will do what I can to convince my father to send a battalion of soldiers to this area to dissuade King Uriens's army from coming this way at all. After I've fully recovered Willow will return to you, safe and sound."

The crowd cheered. Gaius beamed. Granny nodded. Merlin and Gaius helped Arthur back to bed. In the kitchen, Granny held Willow back until everyone was out of earshot. She whispered, "Let's hope you are returned a maiden and not carrying a prince's bastard in your womb. Or his servant's for that matter."

Willow looked down her nose at Granny. "Aren't you the one always trying to matchmake for me? You're very hard to please, old women. And besides, you agreed with Arthur that I should go."

"And so you should. The kingdom needs Arthur as healthy as possible in this time of crisis. But I mislike this lover's triangle brewing between the three of you. Two's company. Three's a crowd. Make sure you do not come between the two of them. They need each other. I can feel it in my bones."

Willow nodded. "I will be careful, Granny. And I'll make you proud."

Granny patted Willow's cheek. "You do that already, my dear. All the time. All the time."

Merlin fed Arthur. Willow took over when Arthur wanted to quit with his meal half done. "If you are going to be traveling tomorrow with a head cold, you need to build up your strength. You lost a lot of blood with that wound and tomorrow will be painful. You won't want to eat at all, then"

Arthur smiled grimly. "And let me guess. Tomorrow you'll be scolding me for not eating as well?"

Willow grinned. "Most likely. That is the wisest course. You decided to bring me for my wisdom, did you not?"

Arthur raised an eyebrow, "Are you planning to punish me all the way to Camelot for forcing you to come with me?"

Willow laughed. "This isn't punishment, Prince Arthur. This is my natural personality."

Arthur smiled. "You're beautiful when you laugh."

Willow held up another spoon of stew. "You know it's common for patients to grow fond of their healers."

Arthur sighed and glanced away. "I'm not an idiot, Willow. Don't patronize me."

She continued as if he hadn't said anything. "It happens all the time. For me, once you're well, there will be another patient and another heart to break. That's why I'm planning to remain unattached for the rest of my life. Emotions are a hindrance in my profession."

Arthur raised an eyebrow, "You certainly use emotions to great effect to manipulate your patients."

Willow blushed. "That's different."

Arthur sat back. "It's amazing. You get prettier and prettier with every new revelation of your personality. You certainly do make it hard for your patients to keep their heads straight around you. I think that's your magic touch, why you're so good at healing."

Willow frowned. "It couldn't have anything to do with my training and knowledge." She shook her head. "No. Knowledge and pretty are incompatible to men."

Arthur smiled. "No, they're compatible, but only if they come with a sharp tongue, apparently."

Willow grinned. "No, that's just an added bonus. It helps to keep the patients humble and biddable."

Arthur sat forward and opened his mouth. "Am I?"

Willow spooned in a huge scoop. "Are you what?"

"Biddable?" he said around a mouth full of food that he struggled to chew.

"Hardly."

He managed to swallow. "Good. It ill befits a prince to be biddable."

Willow refilled the spoon. "A fair statement. But a prince should be wise and recognize good advice when he hears it."

"Ah! Here is where your training falls short." Arthur crossed his arms over his chest, winced, and settled them more gently. "Healers rarely have to deal with the situations where another's good advice is actually veiled manipulation. They are usually the ones employing that tactic. It's rare that others employ that against them."

Willow snorted. "Apparently you don't hang around with groups of healers very often." She lifted the spoon to his lips. "We have to learn to cooperate with people who need to be good a manipulation to be good at their jobs. Do you think we don't use that on each other?"

Arthur smiled. "Are you saying healers are all treacherous connivers?"

Willow hesitated. "Well, no."

Arthur grinned. "Exactly. Your power games with each other are usually for better reputations and placements. Healers are usually at heart kind and generous people. Some my be corrupt, but they are few in number. Leaders are usually power-seeking men prone to violence and corruption. The manipulations of such people are far more dangerous and with more far-reaching consequences for the citizens under them. Biddable is a dangerous trait for a leader. Even being overly prone to listening to the advice of others is fraught with danger. Power can corrupt even a leader's closest and longest known advisers. A stubborn leader is more likely to rise and fall on their own merits. If they are a good leader, then their citizens are better protected. If they are a bad leader, then everyone is at least secretly arrayed against them. So you see dear Willow, your advice to listen to good advice is not necessarily good advice. So you must forgive me if have a tendency toward stubbornness. It has its reasons."

Willow nodded. "You make several excellent points. I will have to reflect on them. And now, with the well-intentioned advice of a healer, I suggest you sleep, Prince Arthur. You have a long, cold, painful journey tomorrow."

Arthur smiled. "On one condition."

Willow raised an eyebrow. "Go on."

"You must agree to call me Arthur. No more titles."

Willow rolled her eyes. "You drive a hard bargain, Arthur, but you have a deal. Now go to sleep. Arthur."

He smiled and laid his head down. And with a yawn, he closed his eyes. "Deal."

Willow smiled, gathered up the bowl and spoon and left.

Merlin was outside the door waiting. "Well?"

"Well, what?"

Merlin shifted from foot to foot. "Are you going to Camelot with us tomorrow?"

Willow nodded. "Arthur is most persuasive, being a prince and all."

Merlin didn't smile. "I'd noticed. And?"

Willow stopped trying to get past him and looked him in the eye. "And what?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Will you be able to deal with his fondness for you?"

Willow smiled. "He is quite charming."

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Willow, he's a prince. Uther will never let him marry a commoner. Regardless of how talented a healer they are."

Willow bristled. "I've no intention of marrying anyone." She pointed to herself. "Spinster remember?" She shrugged. "I'm a passing fancy. No more. He'll soon bore of me. I've no delusions to the contrary. He just makes good thoughtful conversation is all I was implying."

Merlin groaned. "Girls always assume that is a reasonable stopping point for a man. There's always an underlying motivation."

Willow raised an eyebrow. "Is there with you?"

Merlin looked at her in confusion. "Haven't I been most transparent about that?"

Willow blushed. "I suppose. But you are easy enough to put off. Are you saying Arthur won't also be a gentleman?"

Merlin grinned. "I haven't been put off. I play the long game. I hope to win your affections by dazzling you with my wit and bravery."

Willow smiled and shielded her eyes. "You are truly dazzling."

Merlin grew serious, "But you see, dear girl, I come to this playful friendship as an equal to you in status. Arthur does not. At some point, his patience may give out. He may give way to the greater power his greater status affords him. He may behave less gentlemanly with you as you continue to flirt with and tease him as you do with me. I haven't known Arthur to ever behave in such ways with girls, but in truth, I haven't had much opportunity to observe him thus. He hasn't developed a fondness for many girls. And you're the first of lower status than him. I worry, only because I have seen many men of greater status abuse such situations. I hope Arthur is up to the test."

Willow sighed. "I have seen this abuse also. Perhaps you're right and I shouldn't go."

Merlin stayed silent. Willow looked at him doubt reflected in her eyes. She sighed. "He'd never allow me to back out now. I'll just have to be on my guard."

Merlin snorted. "Your sharp tongue will sabotage that."

Willow sniffed. "Wit puts off men."

Merlin grinned, "Stupid men. Arthur isn't stupid." His grin widened. "Most of the time."