AN.: Anyone still waiting for this? I know, this is ridiculously late and I'm so sorry and I have no excuse. I was stuck and didn't know were to go with this, but I have figured out what I want to write for the next couple of chapters :)
Their footsteps echoed through the hallways as Arthur and Merlin were on their way outside to attend the knight's practice and combats. They were in awkward silence, Merlin's eyes constantly landing on the bouquet Arthur held firmly in one hand. Soon, they were out in the open, passing by busy servants and pages on their way, who stopped to bow respectfully to the king.
"I want to arrive unnoticed at the fighting ground to avoid any distraction." Arthur suddenly said to Merlin. Merlin nodded and they took a different route towards the practice field which helped them stay in the shadows and out of sight. Merlin greeted that idea with open arms. Sounds of cheering and the clang of metal against metal filled the air and reached their ears as they rounded the corner to the practice field and stood in the shadow of one of the stands they had built up for their guests. Fortunately, their arrival was unnoticed as the center of all attention was the fight currently unfolding on the fighting ground. Merlin saw a flash of a red cape, brown locks and light glinting from a sharp blade. Gwaine. The corner of Merlin's mouth turned up slightly as he witnessed one of the best fighters in Camelot execute a graceful yet striking series of attacks to put his opponent on the defensive. Said knight wore a blue cape matching the rest of his blue attire. He had silver armor plates on his shoulders and equally silver gloves. His arms were protected by heavy chainmail and after performing a spinning move to avoid a direct slice from Gwaine, Merlin was able to make out a flash of yellow on the knights chest. He fought with a sword and a shield. Gwaine was fighting a knight from Mercia; The delegates from Mercia must have arrived in Camelot while Merlin was busy making a mess out of everything he touched. The relationship with Mercia was still stained but there was willingness and effort on both sides to put the past behind them. Arthur whistled in appreciation next to Merlin.
"That knight is holding up well against Gwaine. It has been a while since I last saw a bead of sweat on Gwaine's forehead during practice." He looked at Merlin who was immersed in the fight as well. "Do you think I should be worried about how capable Mercia's knights are?" Arthur asked with a soft smile on his lips. Merlin merely shrugged before concentrating on the fight again. It always struck him hard out of nowhere seeing Gwaine fighting like this; The seriousness, determination and the breathtaking display of skilled swordplay made Gwaine appear like a different person from the usual bragging, loud, boisterous and sly knight Merlin knew so well. It was always a joy to witness the other side of the coin that made Gwaine the knight he was. Merlin leaned in closer to get an even better look.
Gwaine was going in for another slash with his sword, but therefore left his left side open to his opponent, who managed to spin out of Gwaine's reach while going in for an attack to Gwaine's unprotected side himself. Only through cheer experience and a round of luck, Gwaine managed to avoid his opponent's unforgiving strike. Gwaine took a few steps back and wiped the sweat off his face with part of his cape. The fight had taken on a more serious note now; Gwaine could clearly see a trace of annoyance in the knights fighting style, posture and face in front of him. Gwaine was a little annoyed as well, not because of the fight, but because of something in his mind which wouldn't leave him alone and kept him distracted, causing him to make mistakes while fighting.
Merlin, Gwaine thought while raising his sword again to fend off an attack from the knight cladded in blue. Gwaine had thought the incident with Merlin today over and over in his head but couldn't seem to find a reasonable explanation for the sudden gust. After Merlin had entered Arthur's chambers, the knight had gone back to the hallway were Merlin's face had greeted the floor and took his time to check the windows in closer proximity. They were all closed except for one, but even standing in front of it, Gwaine could barely feel the wind touching his skin. There was no way a wind current like the one that had rushed through the hallway could originate from this tiny, open window. Gwaine's brow had furrowed in worry as he thought back to how Merlin behaved towards him immediately afterwards. The only explanation left to Gwaine was that the wind had been conjured by a person present at that time, a sorcerer… The only person who had behaved strange though, was Merlin. Even the explanation Merlin had provided about the draught had seemed way to rushed to be at least convincing. If Gwaine's train of thought was right, it meant that Merlin was a sorcerer. At that, Gwaine had to swallow down the lump in his throat and took some time to take in that assumption. Suddenly, Gwaine had to face a possibility he would never have thought of before. Which consequences it might have for his friend left him dizzy. Only Merlin would dare to be a sorcerer in Camelot.
Gwaine had accepted the challenge from the knight from Mercia in the hope of getting distracted from his mental dilemma, but instead ended up distracted by said dilemma during the fight. It didn't help him that, while turning, his eyes fell on his king and the bumbling servant standing on the line next to a stand, observing the fight. His eyes lingered a moment too long on his friend's face, looking into those clear blue eyes, because he suddenly felt a dull pain explode in his side and flew to the ground with a thud as his opponent thrust his shield into Gwaine's unprotected side. Gwaine moaned and quickly rolled over onto his back to be able to face the knight in blue while fruitlessly searching the ground next to him for his sword that must have flung out of his hand while going down.
"Not so tough anymore Sir Gwaine?" the knight spat while hovering above Gwaine, the edge of his shield ready to be rammed in Gwaine's abdomen. Gwaine was only able to curl a bit in on himself to protect his sensitive ranges when the shield came crashing down and seemingly met its target. Gwaine blinked in shock, wondering if the pain was so intense that he was numb to it and would feel it a few seconds later, but nothing came. The shield was brought down on him again and this time Gwaine had turned to see that the edge connected with his body, even a sound of the shield connecting filled the air, making the audience gasp in sympathy, but Gwaine didn't feel a thing. His body kicking back into action, Gwaine struck out his legs to kick the equally stunned knight into the shin, making him stumble and fall onto his back on the dusty ground. He leapt to his feet like a cat and grabbed his sword with another fluid movement. Putting one foot onto the knights chest plates and his sword against his opponent's throat, Gwaine went out of the match as the victor. The audience, which had not expected such a sudden turn of events in the match, was roaring in excitement. His friends, the other knights, came to him to pat him on the shoulder or to ask him if he was alright or needed assistance, but Gwaine's focus was on someone else. As soon as he had put the sword against his opponent's throat, Gwaine's head had snapped into the direction Arthur and Merlin were still standing. Arthur was applauding with a look of respect and satisfaction on his face, but Merlin… Merlin had a look of sheer surprise and panic on his face. The thing that sucked the breath out of Gwaine's lungs though, was the fact that Merlin's eyes were glowing. They were glowing gold and to Gwaine, it was the purest and most beautiful thing he had ever seen. As soon as their eyes met, Merlin gasped and shielded his eyes by slightly turning his head and holding a hand up to block Gwaine's line of sight.
In that very moment, Gwaine knew that Merlin was a sorcerer. He had all the proof he needed. Merlin had magic and for Gwaine, it was… It was fine. A lot of things suddenly made a lot more sense; Why Merlin always persisted on coming along on their missions, why he could be present in their fight without armor and not have a single scratch afterwards. Why he assisted in defending Camelot against magical threats together with Gaius and why so many convenient branches decided to fall on enemies during their fights. Gwaine suddenly saw Merlin in a different light; He saw him as the brave young man he had always been, but now with the addition of what a huge idiot Merlin was. He performs magic openly like that? What is he thinking? He is literally standing half a meter away from the king of Camelot! It took me one day to figure out his secret… A secret that might cost him his life! Gwaine groaned internally, mentally looking at the huge pile of problems that he was going to face from now on.
One thing was for sure though: Gwaine would do anything in his power to protect his friend. He knew why Merlin had kept his magic a secret from him and probably from everyone else. It was obvious the second he thought about it. Just being in Camelot for all those years meant that Merlin had put his life on the line day in and day out. Gwaine could only imagine what kind of weight that must have put on Merlin's shoulders. Nevertheless, Merlin had only used magic to protect his friends, family and Camelot, he had even saved Gwaine just now, proving that as a fact. The truth was, Merlin being a sorcerer and therefore a valuable, secret advantage to the kingdom, was probably something that only Gwaine could appreciate without hesitation. If anyone found out, there would be prejudices and resistance, no matter which direction they would turn. Therefore, Gwaine took it upon himself to keep his friend safe and help Merlin saving everyone's butts in the process.
The knight from Mercia had stood up and dusted his armor off before he stomped away, muttering under his breath. The other knights from Camelot were congratulating him as Arthur and Merlin approached Gwaine on the practice field.
"Well done Gwaine." Arthur boomed. "I'm proud to have such skilled knights fighting by my side. Knights who apparently can take quite a hit. Are you alright?" Arthur's gaze wandered over the knight before it stopped on his face again.
"I'm alright, princess. I can take such a hit with no problem at all." Gwaine said cheerfully, earning him a disapproving look from Arthur because of the nickname.
"Gwaine, we have guests." Arthur hissed, his gaze nervously wandering over the audience. Gwaine chuckled softly at that. His attention soon landed on Merlin who was standing next to Arthur. The manservant was very pale and nervously stepping from one foot onto the other while avoiding eye contact. Maybe he suspects that I saw him performing magic? He must be scared… Gwaine thought. Without hesitation, Gwaine closed the little gap between himself and his friend and slung his arm over Merlin's shoulder in a brotherly manner. Merlin's body tensed up immediately and he looked at Gwaine in surprise. Gwaine only looked at Merlin with a warm and soft smile on his lips serving in calming Merlin's nerves down as the manservant returned the smile gratefully. Elyan suddenly pointed at something Arthur was holding in his left hand.
"A present for Gwen or a present for you from a secret admirer?" There was a teasing smile on the knight's face while looking at his king. All eyes in the little group of people landed on the beautiful bouquet Arthur was still holding onto.
"Actually, it's a present from an admirer, but not that secret." Arthur answered them in a slightly stuck-up manner. There was a chorus of questions, asking for the identity of the admirer while a certain someone started to squirm within Gwaine's grip. Gwaine looked at Merlin because of his sudden eagerness to get away from them and saw that Merlin's face was slightly flushed while Arthur answered: "Why don't you just ask Merlin about the identity?"
"Merlin…?" The knights of the round table all asked, a smile evident in all their voices.
AN.: Meh. ;w;