I am so sorry for the long delay between posts. This chapter has turned into a bit of a monster so I'm going to post this episode in two parts. I am still interested in Merlin and this story, I just have a lot of things up in the air and the moment and my 'muse' has not been cooperating.
I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has read this story and taken the time to review it. It means a lot and any advice is gratefully received.
The Moment of Truth.
In the three weeks since his coronation, Arthur's life had got significantly busier. And tedious. Although he had been attending most council meetings and audiences with the king for years, he now found himself taking on more of what had been his father's duties whilst learning and observing others.
He had always known that his father worked hard but now actually seeing the everyday life of the King and the responsibilities laid on his shoulders he began to realize just how hard. His respect for his father had grown and much to his relief, the tension that had been part of their relationship for so long had now dissipated as the two men spent more time together.
The only downside was that he had less time to focus on the knights. And less free time. He hadn't been on a decent hunt in an age. At that moment he was down in the market with Glyndwr, searching for inspiration for Morgana's birthday gift. His father's ward had excelled herself preparing his own feast and he knew he had find something special in return.
Glen had suggested he ask Merlyn for ideas but Arthur had dithered, deciding to look himself first. He and Merlyn had been subtly avoiding each other since… the incident. He had only seen her at meals when she was serving Morgana, or occasionally in the hallways where she would quietly acknowledge him, sometimes with a small smile which still warmed him in a way nothing else had. But she tried her best to be the perfect servant, silent and invisible. Arthur hated it. He missed her, her sarcastic wit and the way she would forget herself and banter with him. In a way he was thankful to have been kept so busy, so he could not dwell and berate himself further for his appalling behavior that necessitated this distance.
His eyes strayed, bored from the glass ornaments he was admiring, uncannily finding Morgana's maid servant as she walked to the fresh water pump in the square. He watched as she waited her turn, talking with the other court servant's. Because he was watching her, he saw the moment her eyes fixed on someone behind him. The momentary shock then joy, made her face light up and something in his stomach flip. She abandoned the line, rushing a few paces toward him.
"Mother!" She called out, just as someone jostled him in their own rush forward. He caught his footing quickly and looked back in time to see Merlyn in the arms of an older woman, the pair holding on tight.
Unable to help himself, he watched the reunion with a smile until he saw Merlyn's face darken with worry and anger. Concerned he moved forward in time to hear Merlyn…
"Who did this to you?"
"Merlyn…Everything ok?"
The two women spun to face him, and he got his first look at Merlyn's mother. She was a half a head taller, her hair more than a few shades lighter but this was beyond a doubt Merlyn's mother and the source of her daughter's distress was clear. On the right side of the older woman's face was a large darkening bruise that colored her otherwise pale cheek.
Somebody had struck her.
He listened, his heart aching as his father gently refused Hunith's request for assistance. He knew from the look on her and Merlyn's faces that the Kings refusal was an almost certain death sentence.
Afterward he stood on the battlements, watching the townspeople packing up for the day, his thoughts heavy. He did not realize how long he had been stood there until his manservant approached him.
"Will you be wanting supper, my Lord?"
"No, Glen." Arthur let out a long sigh. "I don't have much of an appetite."
His manservant nodded, understandingly. He too was unsettled by Merlyn and Hunith's distress. Even more so, by his recent conversation with his friend. He had been surprised when he was given entrance to the physician's chambers, to find Merlyn packing her bags. He had attempted to change her mind, but the young girls mind was made up. She was to return to Ealdor with her mother.
"Me neither. Merlyn has also spoken so fondly of her home…their farmers not fighters. They don't have a hope of fighting these raiders. I don't know why Merlyn is going back there…"
"She's what?" Arthur nearly shouted in surprise, spinning round to face Glen who'd jumped at his masters raised voice.
"She's leaving…going to Ealdor with her mother..."
"The hell she is." Arthur muttered angrily. Storming passed him to the stairwell. A quick visit to Gaius' revealed an empty chamber so he went to the next likely place. Morgana's chambers. Sure enough he found Merlyn tidying the Lady's chambers.
"What is this I hear about you going back to Ealdor?" He said furiously as he closed the door loudly behind him, belatedly realizing they were alone in the chambers. "Tell me you are not seriously leaving."
Merlyn had jumped in surprise at his entrance and turned to face him.
"I am." She told him simply. "I have to help."
"How can you help?" Arthur said exasperated. "You barely know which end to hold a sword!"
"I can help my mother." Merlyn persisted. "The village will probably have to evacuate. I can help there. And I will not leave my mother to face this alone."
"Your mother could stay here…"
"It's my home, Arthur." She said, calmly. Her gentle reasonable tone chasing away his anger and leaving the worry exposed. "It's where I was born, where I grew up. I have to do what little I can."
Arthur paced frustrated. If only Ealdor was on this side of the Ridge of Essetir. In Camelot's land. He would have enjoyed bringing the full force of his knights on Kanen and his men.
"I'm sorry." He said sincerely. "If it were up to me…I wish Camelot was able to help people regardless of how far away they lived."
"I understand his majesty's decision. He's not unjust. My mother knew it was a long shot. But we had to try." She said soothingly.
He couldn't understand how she was so calm, so accepting when she was facing such danger. She was returning to a stricken village and could be attacked or killed or… He doubted barbarians like Kanen would leave beautiful women like Hunith and Merlyn untouched. The very thought made his blood boil.
"Merlyn…" The plea was in his voice. "Don't do this…" But she shook her head, resolute.
"It has been an honor." She told him tearfully.
"You are coming back." Arthur told her firmly, again she shook her head.
"Well, she's my mother. I have got to look after her before anyone else. You understand?"
He didn't want to. But he did. He was about to argue further when the door opened admitting the Ladies Morgana and Guinevere.
They stopped surprised to see the prince and the maidservant in deep conversation.
Arthur, annoyed at the interruption, knew he had to leave so spun on his heel and left the room, growling at Morgana.
"Maybe you can talk some sense into her."
However Morgana didn't even try. Although suspicious of Arthur's reaction to Merlyn's decision, she had made plans of her own. She was very fond of her maidservant and owed her a great deal. She would not let her leave unprotected.
Merlyn had many friends in Camelot. Glyndwr had borrowed some of his father's swords, chain mail and tools and asked Arthur for leave. He was not a soldier he told Merlyn but he had watched his father and knew how to mend chain mail, sharpen swords and make weapons.
Gaius had made as many medicines as he could spare, thanking the gods that he had taught Merlyn as much about battle wounds as he could. It was a difficult goodbye and one they both hoped was not the last.
The real surprise came the following morning when Merlyn, Hunith and Glyndwr left Camelot and entered the forest…only to see a small party waiting for them. Lady Morgana, Lady Guinevere and her maid Eira, had snuck out of the castle and intended to join them. A small argument ensued but the Lady Morgana's will was solid.
"We know how to fight." She said gesturing at herself and Guinevere who was indeed a fine swords woman. Merlyn had seen her sparing playfully with her brother Sir Elyan. "And…you don't. Merlyn, you helped me get the druid boy out of Camelot. I owe it to you."
"You have been invaluable to me since I arrived." Lady Guinevere added. "I cannot just stand by whilst this atrocity unfolds and no nothing."
Despite Hunith and Merlyn's protests, they had company.
Hunith sat staring into the flames of the fire as the younger folk around her settled down for the night, fear for her daughter rife within her. She should never have ventured to Camelot. Merlyn had obviously started to settle there with a good job, a home with her uncle and great friends. Friends that had come to her aid when needed. Merlyn hadn't even had to ask.
The two ladies especially shouldn't be here. The King would go mad if he knew where they were headed. And would he blame Merlyn for their madness. And what of her beautiful child. She knew Merlyn was powerful, but her safety was in her secrecy. Hunith could not risk her exposure.
"They shouldn't be here." She whispered to her daughter when the others had turned in. "Especially the Lady Morgana. Isn't she the King's ward?"
Merlyn sighed and shrugged.
"Not that you'd know it. She's the only person I know who isn't frightened of him. But I couldn't talk them out of coming."
"It won't make any difference to Kanen that your women, Merlyn. I'm sorry I should never have come…"
"No you did the right thing. He can't get away with this Mother, the village won't survive." Merlyn brushed the healing bruise with the back of her fingertips. "I want to make him pay for what he did to you."
"Promise me you'll be careful." Hunith caught her daughters hand and clung. Reminding her fiercely, "No one can find out about you."
"They won't." Merlyn promised a sad confidence in her voice. "They never do."
It had been a restless night for Arthur. He had tossed and turned unable to settle. Ealdors fate replaying over and over in his mind. He had seen villages slain before. Men, woman and children, young and old, run down and slaughtered for resources, greed or revenge. He was reminded of a patrol almost two years ago, riding through an old village in Greensward that had been plundered. They had caught and brought the bandits to justice, but most of the village folk had been wiped out.
Closing his eyes he remembered the horror of that day. They had been too late. Men, woman and children who had been running for their lives, now lay cold, still on the ground. Some had been begging, others had gone down fighting with pitchforks. Blood soaked the muddy ground, pooling around the fallen in dark red puddles against the saturated earth. The scent of blood was a bitter tang hanging in the air, mixing with the scent of burning wood and flesh. It had been a slaughter.
He saw Glyndwr's still body propped against the wall of the nearest cottage, and hurried over, only to see the long jagged cut across the young man's thin throat. The door to the cottage was ever so slightly ajar. He did not want to look, but he moved anyway and with a shaking hand pushed the door open. It swung with a groan, granting him admission, and hesitantly stepped in lifting his torch…to see Merlyn and Hunith huddled together watching the door. It wasn't until he had called her name that he realized those eyes were unseeing, and that the blood on floor once belonged inside them…
Tearing out of the nightmare, Arthur gasped as his heart race, the all too real disturbing images morphing into faces of his friends. Getting up he splashed his face with water and studied his reflection in the window glass. Was he really going to stay here and do nothing?
After a full day of traveling, even Glen's chatter was drying up. Although he had initially been shy around the two nobles, he had been unable to keep quiet for long and was soon gossiping with them. Morgana especially seemed thrilled with all the downstairs servant's gossip.
Now all the weary trailers where sound asleep. Except for Merlyn. Although her eyes were closed. Her senses were on high alert. There were sounds of a horse approaching at speed. She slowly stood up, sword at the ready and went to investigate, the threat pushing her magic closer to the fore in self-defense. But she held it in, not wanting to blow her cover so easily. She would see who was out there first.
"I'd ask you for money, but I know you don't have any." Merlyn jumped at the sudden interruption but instantly recognized the voice instantly, a spontaneous smile erupting on her face and she swung around, forgetting the sword.
Arthur managed to jump out of range, but so unused to wielding the rather heavy sword in such a manner, off-balanced the girl who, despite having dropped the sword to prevent falling, still tumbled to the ground. Or would have if the prince hadn't just as quickly stepped forward and caught her.
She laughed at her own clumsiness and beamed up at him, meeting his own exasperated smile for a second before both realized, almost at the same moment, just how close he was holding her. Arthur froze in surprise at having her so close for the first time in what felt like an age. He quickly set her on her feet and moved away, dropping his arms from around her and clearing his throat uncomfortably. Merlyn swallowed her own discomfort and smiled again, although this time the grin did seem a trifle forced.
"Hello, Sire." She said. "It's good to see you but…why are you here…."
"I'm on a hunting trip." He told her. "At least that's what my father believes".
"You shouldn't be here…"
"It's the right thing to do." Arthur interrupted. The certainty in his voice silencing any opposition. "I can't stand by and do nothing. I owe you, Merlyn. And I have to do what little I can. I'm no army."
"No," Merlyn agreed, touched by his gesture. "But your help is invaluable nonetheless. Thank you."
To her amazement, the prince seemed to blush and gestured for her to follow him back into the trees. There tied to a long branch was Arthur's horse, Warrior, who greeted the pair with indignant snorts. Merlyn grinned as she whispered to the dark Stallion, rubbing his long nose as he nuzzled at her shoulder. Taking his reins she led the way back to the camp.
"Is it much further? Ealdor?" He asked falling into step with her, slinging his pack over his shoulder.
"Not far, a few hours maybe."
"Do you know how many men Kanen has?
"I'm not sure. I think, from what my mother said, maybe as many as forty."
Arthur nodded, taking it in, his tactical mind already whirling. He smiled and gestured to the blanket she had abandoned to investigate his arrival.
"You should get some rest. It's going to be a long day tomorrow."
Merlyn nodded and started to sit when she looked at him intently.
"Thank you. Arthur. For being here." Not waiting for a response she laid down and turned away from him, sinking into the oblivion of sleep.
Arthur smiled at her back, touched at her words. She'd called him Arthur. He could easily count on one hand the times she had used his given name. The last time it had been used was in that mists of that fateful argument. She did not despise him, as he had imaged. Relieved he tore his face away from her back and turned back toward the fire finally finding a measure of peace.
The presence of Arthur around the campsite in the morning was a welcome boost to the travel weary party. The Lady Morgana was not used to such conditions. For as much as she liked to fight and verbally spar with the Prince and the other male nobles, beating most with her intelligence and good sense, roughing it on the forest ground with a mere blanket was not something she had ever had to do before. And the experience was not one that agreed with her. Lady Guinevere fared better, enjoying the rustic adventure. To the rest of the party, sleeping rough was not out of the ordinary.
With an impressive speed, three in servants and Hunith had prepared an adequate if not appetizing breakfast and broken camp whilst the nobles were still getting breakfast.
The morning was cold and dark but the travelers pushed on, Merlyn and Hunith in the lead, sharing the dark horse that was one of Arthur's best.
"I am surprised to see you here, Arthur."
Morgana pulled her horse alongside his and Arthur inwardly sighed at the questions in her eyes.
"I could say the same, my Lady." He parried back in attempt to deflect the conversation but his father's ward would not have it.
"I couldn't just stand by." She told him. "I like Merlyn. She has been a friend to me. And she had never asked me for a thing."
"I myself owe her my life a couple of times over." Arthur agreed as they watched the young girl in question riding with her mother. "And what is happening in Ealdor is wrong. If I can help…"
"I feel the same." Morgana agreed. "Hunith begged for help, Arthur. She got down on her knees and Uther still turned her away." Arthur was surprised at the anger in her voice. He knew that things between herself and the King were still fraught but the strength of her disgust surprised him.
"He didn't want to." Arthur defended his father, remembering how the King had, gently for him, had refused Huniths' plea. His father had wanted to help, disgusted with Kanen and even with Cendred. For all his faults, Uther looked after the outlying villages as much as the local settlements, knowing a strong border only strengthened his kingdom.
"He could have done something." Morgana asserted firmly. "Look at you. You're here. He just didn't care!"
"And do you see identifying marks? Any flags? Or Army?" Arthur demanded. "The King wanted to help, but if he made any move, it could be seen as an act of war. The peace treaty between Camelot and Cendred's Kingdom is a fragile one. It wasn't the wrong decision."
Morgana let out a sound of disbelief and nudged her horse forward to join the two woman in front. Arthur sighed at her sulky behavior surprised when Lady Guinevere spoke up.
"She is still very angry." She observed as she drew level with the Prince. "First when Merlyn was poisoned, then the druid boy."
"I didn't agree with my father on either of those issues." Arthur pointed out. "But I had to accept that whilst he is King, they are his decisions to make. I act in a way to assure my own conscience whilst I have the freedom. It is easy to sit back and judge when the responsibility is on someone-else's shoulders."
"It sounds like your new role has been enlightening." Lady Guinevere said approvingly. "Yet you are still here."
"Because this I can do." Arthur said simply. His eyes returning to the path before him and fixing on Merlyn's back.
And I couldn't live with myself if something happened to her and I did nothing.
The thought was fleeting, springing from nowhere. Its implications uncomfortable but as he looked at the young woman in question, he acknowledged it, accepted the truth in it and moved on.
It had not been the introduction he had expected but it was an effective one. Kanen had rode off furiously, his angry words leaving terrified village folk quaking in the aftermath of the brutal scuffle and four of the bandits lay dead on the ground.
Looking around he surveyed the small village and its inhabitants. It was in a poor state. Crates and boxes turned over, doors broken and supplies strung across the floor. He heard Merlyn give a small laugh and turned to see her in the arms of a young man who had picked her up and spun her around in his arms. His gut clenched a little at the affection in Merlyn's eyes. But it was the look in the young man's eyes that twisted his innards. He did not like that young man, he decided.
The thought cemented when he attempted to talk to the village leader Alun.
"Am I the only one wondering who the hell this is? He's made things worse. Kanen will be back, and when he is, he'll be looking for revenge. You've just signed our death warrants."
"He saved Matthew's life!" Hunith interrupted the young man spiel with a quelling look.
"That's alright, Hunith." Arthur said trying to keep calm. "This is his village. What would you have us do?
"We can't fight against Kanen. He has too many men."
"So what's the alternative?"
"Give him what he wants." The villages reacted negatively to the young idiots plan. They knew it wasn't as simple as that. Mutterings rose and heads shook in disagreement.
"Then what?" Arthur asked derisively, "Those of you who don't starve to death will face him again next harvest! And the harvest after that."
"We'll manage. We'll survive." The boy had no clue.
"How?" Said one man. "We have children we can't feed now. We can't spare anymore."
"The only way he can be stopped is if you stand up to him." Arthur told them. But the boy wasn't finished.
"You just want the honor and glory of battle! That's what drives men like you! Look, if you want to fight, then go home and risk the lives of your own people, not ours!" The words were furious and even though the angry haze part of Arthur knew there was more behind the words. He swung round to challenge the upstart but Merlyn got there first.
"Will! You don't know how wrong you are!" His little protector had rounded on her friend eyes flashing with anger on his behalf which defused his own. "He's not like that."
"I'd follow him." Hunith told the gathered villagers firmly. Looking the leader in the eye. "If I'm to die, then I want to go out fighting."
One by one the villagers followed her and Alun nodded. The young man let out a snort of disguised and leveled a glare that encompassed both the Prince and Merlyn before storming off.
"Thank you, your highness." Alun said his eyes tired and burdened as he offered his hand to the Prince. "Any help you can give us is welcome."
Seeing her mother lead the other weary travelers into the small room they called home, Merlyn followed Will. She found him sitting at his table, gazing at an old stand displaying the chain mail and old tabard his father had once worn.
"He knows what he's doing." She told him softly, announcing her presence. "You've got to trust him. Look, when I first met Arthur, I was exactly like you. I hated him. I thought he was pompous and arrogant…"
"Well, nothing's changed there, then."
"But, in time," She talked over him. "I came to respect him for what he stands for, what he does."
"Yeah, I know what he stands for: princes, kings, all men like him." Will said bitterly.
"Will, don't bring what happened to your father into this."
"I'm not. Why are you defending him so much?" He asked, finally turning and walking toward her, meeting her eyes. "You're just his servant."
"He's also my friend." Merlyn said "Sort off."
Will snorted. An unattractive habit of his. "Friends don't lord it over one another.
"He isn't… He is a Prince, Will."
"Yeah well let's wait until the fighting begins and see who he sends in to die first. I guarantee you, it won't be him."
"You've got that so wrong, Will. So wrong, I trust Arthur with my life."
She should have seen it coming.
"Is that so? So he knows your secret, then?" Will took a small flash of pleasure at the uncomfortable look on her face.
"Look, face it, Merlin You're living a lie. Just like you were here. You're Arthur's servant, nothing more. Otherwise you'd tell him the truth."
"Merlyn!"
The pair jumped as Iain suddenly entered the room, engulfing his childhood friend in a bear hug.
"I am glad to see you." He told her, a wide grin across his face. "I couldn't believe it when Bryn said you were here. Did you bring any Knights?"
"I brought the best." Merlyn assured him. Shooting a furious glare at Will before taking Iain's arm and pulling him from the house.
XxXxX
Lying down on a makeshift mattress, Arthur stared at the inside of Hunith's thatched roof. Merlyn's childhood home consisted of one room and one poor excuse of a straw mattress. The room where the two woman had slept, eaten and lived in was less than half the size of his private chambers.
It was a cold, colorless room. Small holes in the wall otherwise known as windows let little light in, but let cold air out. There was a small hearth, a table with two chairs and some cupboards. The ladies Morgana and Guinevere had taken the bed at the bidding of Hunith who had refused to hear of them resting on the floor. But there was no where else for the rest of the party but the floor.
Thankfully the chickens had gone to sleep. The nobles and even Glen and Eira had watched in disbelief as Merlyn and her mother had brought in the chickens and for a moment Arthur thought Morgana was going to have an apoplexy when they lead the goat inside and tied him to the corner of the room. He had watched in thoughtful silence as the others chatted whilst Merlyn wedged straw and twigs into the cracks of the door and some of the cracks in the wooden hatches over the window spaces leaving the one nearest the hearth open to act as a chimney in the smoky room.
It had been eye opening. After the excitement of their arrival, he had spent hours with Alun, who showed a keen and tactical mind. He had admitted to having served briefly in Cendred's army and the basic training showed. He laid out the few resources the small village had left and what he had observed of their enemy.
He and Alun had returned to Hunith's little home to find a small meal being prepared. His traveling companions were crowded round the table as another young man regaled them with local tales.
"Sire, this is my friend, Iain." Merlyn had introduced them absentmindedly as she set the table then stepped round him to hug Alun.
"Hello, little dreamer." The older man said with a fondness in his voice that Arthur had observed in Gaius. "It is good to see you."
"It is good to see you." Merlyn's voice had been muffled into his shoulder, but the sincerity was strong.
She had missed her home and her people. Perhaps she had been surprised by how much because she had come alive in a way that he hadn't seen in a while. He had sat back and watched as she teased and bantered with the others. Glen had tried to get Iain to spill some stories about their mutual friend who had obliged despite heavy threats from the girl in question. She then had no problem retaliating with other embarrassing tales much to the others amusement.
Plans had been made and night crept in. Which lead to him lying sleeplessly on the ground amidst the snores and slumber of the others. Closing his eyes he mentally went over preparations for the next day. He must have fallen asleep for when he opened his eyes, the room was lighter and less crowded that it had been. Hunith had some bowls on the table which the two ladies were finishing and Eira was tidying the blankets they had slept on.
"Morning, sleepy head!" Morgana called, seeing him start to rise off the floor. "Enjoy your lie in, your highness?"
Arthur scowled, the responding giggles only souring his mood.
"Where's Glen. He should have woken me."
"We have not long been up ourselves." Lady Guinevere assured him.
Hunith came over with a bowl and handed it to him.
"It was my doing, Sire. You joined us so late the night before, having ridden most the day and night that Merlyn and I thought to give you a lie in." He could not stay mad at Hunith and he thanked her as she told the bowl. He looked down at the unappetizing grey mush and grimaced. Thankfully Hunith had turned away but both Guinevere and Morgana had seen and scowled.
His day did not get much better. He and Alun gathered the men together and started training them with broom handles and wooden swords. Glen and some of the older, less able folk had started fashioning swords and weapons. The woman carried on with the daily chores but Arthur could feel them watching and taking everything in. Morgana and Guinevere were watching, assessing as they sharpened the swords they had brought.
He was honest with the men, "I won't be able to teach you everything there is to know about fighting with a sword, but you can learn the basics: the stance, how to parry a blow, how to land your own."
Arthur and Alun demonstrated the steps and counter attacks, over and over, talking them all though.
"Now you. On my count! One! Two! Three! Four! Now, you may have to watch for the feint. So, keep your feet moving, and only stay in range long enough to land your blow. And again. One! Two! Three! Four!"
Arthur sighed as one of the men tripped over his own feet and almost pierced himself on a sharpened broom handle.
"Matthew!" He drew the clumsy man away from the training line and to his horse. "I want you to organize sentry duty to keep an eye out for Kanen and his men, take my horse, he's a fast beast".
"I'm honored!" Matthew exclaimed as Warrior accepted his gentle pat on his neck.
"If there's any sign of attack, I want you to ride straight back here. I don't want you fighting all on your own!" He joked and the other man laughed weakly obviously glad to leave the men fighting.
The day continued in a similar vein and Arthur strived to stay optimistic, but the sobering reality was apparent.
He didn't see Merlyn till that evening. She had been busy with her mother all day it seemed. The wood pile was full, vials and pots of remedies and salves had been mixed and prepared. Bandages made and rolled. Seemed healing was a family trade as Hunith followed her Uncle into the profession. Gaius had taught his niece all she knew when she had come to live with him after her father, his brother's death. She in turn had taught Merlyn and for some reason sent her to Gaius.
Was he looking at Merlyn's future? A healer in a small village? It didn't seem right. There was so much potential around her. Like she was born to do more. But what?
When the evening meal had been consumed if not enjoyed, he followed her out to the pen at the side of the house where the animals where enclosed during the day.
"So…this is where you grew up?" He asked her awkwardly as he helped her open the gate.
"Yes…I was actually born a few miles into the woods. My mother had gone to the next village to aid a birthing mother. She shouldn't have gone really, but she did and went into labor on the way back. I was quite early."
"She gave birth on her own?"
"No. My uncle was coming to Ealder to assist my mother for a few weeks. Luckily they happened upon each other."
"So Gaius was there when you were born?" Arthur asked astonished. Merlyn nodded she started to gather the hens and persuade them into the small cage with the air of a professional.
"It must have been hard. Growing up here."
"Mmm… Not really. I didn't know any different. Life's simple out here. You eat what you grow and everyone pitches in together. As long as you've got food on the table and a roof over your head, you're happy." She leant down to pick up the crate but he beat her to it. She smiled in thanks and turned her attention to the goat, tying one end of a rope to his neck.
"Sounds...nice." It made sense. And he could see what she meant. The people were friendly here. Everyone knew everyone and seemed to get on for the most part.
"You'd hate it." Merlyn said grinning and he couldn't truly disagree. This was not the world he had been raised in. It was very different to Camelot. He wondered what her first impression of Camelot had been. They walked back toward the light of the house, the night closing in.
"Why'd you leave?" He asked curiously, but received only a shrug.
"Things just...changed." She said, a bit awkwardly. What was she hiding?
"How?" She differed so he laughed and nudged her gently, "Come on, stop pretending to be interesting. Tell me."
"I just didn't fit in anymore. I wanted to find somewhere I did."
"Had any luck?" He asked,"
"I'm not sure yet." She replied softly as they reached the house and any further attempt at conversation was lost. Unaware that someone had been listening.
Will stewed in his thoughts long after he had blown the candle out in his small hut. He had watched the day's events with disgust as the spoilt Prince made the gentle farmers practice and practice ways to disarm and kill someone over and over. Pendragon would not be on the front line, of that he was sure. And neither would he.
But Merlyn would be.
He had finally caught up with her when she'd wondered into the forest, axe in hand. He had snorted in amused disgust at the sight.
"We both know that you don't need an axe to fell a tree."
"And I remember the trouble it got me into." She had remembered with a small smile and a gleam in her eye. "I nearly flattened Old Man Simmons."
That was true. He could still remember that day he had dared her to fell a tree with her magic. Her surprise then mild terror when she had managed it. They had been nine at the time and Will had not understood why Merlyn was so afraid of her abilities. Why Hunith had panicked when she realized he knew.
Simmons close call was the last time she had ever played around with her magic. It was the last time he had dared her too. Uncomfortable he laughed nervously. He had wanted to clear the air between them. It hadn't been the same in Ealder without her. He missed her.
"Ha. Yeah, well, he deserved it, stupid old crow."
"Mmm. He never did like me anyway."
"Well, even less after that."
For a minute it had been like old times. But reality would not be ignored. Their laughter faded into an uneasy quiet.
"Why are you being like this?" Merlyn had asked him, helplessly, her eyes bright and shining making him feel like a jerk.
"You know why. Why did you leave?" There it was. The hurt. Will was perhaps the only person other than Hunith to know Merlyn's reasons for leaving the village. And to his regret he was one.
He hadn't been sure when his feelings for his childhood friend had changed. She had always been right beside him and Iain. Elbow deep in the mud, racing though the forest or jumping into the river that ran through the woods. She soon became the girl he compared all others to and found them lacking. Unfortunately so had Iain. They had both sort to impress her, to win her over to no avail. When Merlyn had announced she was leaving to stay with her Uncle to learn the healing trade, he had taken it personally. They had fought and he had pleaded with her, maybe said a few things in the heat of the moment that he didn't mean.
He had tried to make peace with her choice, making sure they did not part on bad terms. But the hurt still smarted. She did not want to be his wife. To make a home here in Ealder. But when the village was threatened she returned at once. Maybe she was more attached to the place that he originally thought? There was genuine pleasure in her eyes when she had seen him there.
"It was time. My mother had always said I would live with my uncle for a bit. And when she found out you knew, she was so angry."
"I wouldn't have told anyone. I didn't. I'd known for years…" He trailed off, not wanting to rehash an old argument. Merlyn turned to walk deeper into the woods, looking for firewood.
"You'd be able to defeat Kanen on your own, wouldn't you?" He blurted out. She stopped in her tracks back to him. She turned her head slightly but did not look at him.
"I'm not sure. Maybe."
"Well, so what's stopping you? So what if Arthur finds out?" He watched as her back snapped and she straightened with tension at the mere mention of his the Princes name.
"I don't expect you to understand." She said in a tight voice that was somehow deceptively soft. "It's not as black and white as you make it.
"Try me." He challenged her, bitterly.
She had turned to face him, eyes earnest.
"One day Arthur will be a great king, but he needs my help. And if anyone ever found out about my powers, I'd have to leave Camelot for good."
"Are you telling me you'd rather keep your magic a secret for Arthur's sake than use it to protect your friends and family?" Incredulous he has almost missed the conflicted and hurt look on her face as she turned quickly and marched into the forest.
He hadn't followed her.
He had mulled all day and realized he was being a bit of a jerk. So he went to apologize, only to see her and the moronic Prince. He had ducked into the shadows and listened to their conversation. What did the prat think he was doing? Why would he be talking to her, helping her? He sat there anger burning in his gut.
Why was Merlyn telling him all these things? He did not like the easy tone of their conversation, the way Arthur had changed when it was just the two of them. There was no sign of the arrogant, regal soldier that had been ordering men around all day.
He spoke to Merlyn as if they were equal. And Will did not like the way the Prince looked at her with fondness and a genuine interest in her words. His distrust in the noble grew.
Was that why he was here… to make Merlyn indebted to him…What was his agenda? He needed to find out.
The boy was beginning to annoy him now. Arthur tried to ignore the sullen glare Will had fixed on him since he had appeared at the training. Not that he was joining in, or even helping the rest of the village prepare for the oncoming battle. No. He just stood, propped up against the building, starring daggers into Arthur's back.
His fellow villagers glared back at him, annoyed at his behavior toward the Prince. But Arthur chose to ignore the penchant performance.
He called the men to him. Ready to share the plan that had formed over night when he had struggled to sleep.
"We're not going to be able to defend Ealdor with sword and sinew alone." He told them, honestly. "We're going to need a plan. We need to find some way of limiting their mobility and drawing them into a trap. If we fight them on their terms, then..."
A horrified scream pierced the air, followed by the crash of hooves. Warrior came changing into the village toward Arthur, Matthew limb in his saddle, an arrow in his back.
"Get him down from there!" Arthur ordered, moving to help. The man was still alive, clinging to the reins of the horse. It took a minute but he convinced the wounded man to relax his grip. Hunith and Merlyn were and with the aid of a few men managed to move him to their home and expertly evicted everyone so they could work.
Everyone got to work, half an eye trained on the closed door of the healers. It opened sometime later and revealed a tired Merlyn who spoke to Matthew's intended who had not moved from her spot. The other woman gave a little shriek of joy before rushing into the house. Arthur parted from the group who had stopped practicing at Merlyn's reappearance.
"He's doing well." She told him. "He is seriously wounded but providing he does not develop an infection he will live."
The men around him slumped in relief, until Merlyn held out a piece of parchment covered in blood.
"This was attached to the arrow." She said softly as Arthur took it. His jaw hardening as he read it.
"What does it say?" Alun asked, concerned.
"Make the most of this day, it will be your last."
The crowd of men shifted uneasily, murmurings rippled through them, concerned voices overlapping each other. Until one voice broke above the din.
"You did this! Look what you've done!" It was him, the boy.
"This wasn't his fault, Will."
"If he hadn't been strutting around, treating us like his own personal army, this would never have happened!"
"Of course it would have you fool!" Another voice answered and Iain stepped forward. "Kanen was never just going to go away. You can kid yourself all you want, Will. But its fight or die. Whether in battle or starvation. I know which one I would choose."
Alun clapped the young man on the shoulder proudly and Arthur nodded his approval. Iain had impressed him with his eagerness to learn, his focus when in even mock conflict. And now a wisdom that others lacked.
"These men are brave enough to fight for what they believe in, even if you aren't!" Arthur kept calm when he responded to Wills attack. But the other man would not be perturbed.
"You're sending them to their graves! How many need to die before you realize this a battle that can't be won? When Kanen comes, you haven't got a chance. You're gonna be slaughtered!"
Will turned to storm off and Arthur was content to let him go. But a red faced, extremely angry Merlyn was not, she was hot on his heels. He followed her, leaving the group of men, catching up with her as she turned down a small gap in between the houses.
"Merlyn!" He reached out and grabbed her arm, spinning her around. "Don't. It's not worth it." He was struck dumb for a second as she turned her blazing eyes on him, glittering with fury. He was hypnotized by the stormy deep blue her eyes had changed to in her wrath. Her cheeks where flushed with color and her anger radiated out from her, a palpable sensation. She was magnificent.
"He can't get away with this. Arthur. We've made allowances because of his father but that was completely unjustified. You have done nothing but help us. You deserve better. And he can bloody well start doing his part!" She tore her arm from his frozen grip and stormed off, leaving him speechless. He shook himself out of it and went to follow her when he heard a whistle from behind him.
He turned to see that they had had an audience. Glyndwr, Morgana and Lady Guinevere stood also open mouthed and a little amused at Merlyn's rant.
"I don't think I've ever seen her so mad." Morgana commented, impressed. "I almost feel sorry for the idiot."
"Almost." Glen agreed shaking his head. "Should we go after…"
"No." The Lady Guinevere said assertively. "I think we should just give her some space."
"I'm actually a little bit scared." Glen said as he left. Arthur looked back down the empty passage way before following them.
Merlyn really was beautiful when she was angry.
Later that day he took a moment to sit and rest, sharpening his trusty sword as his mind worked though plan after plan in his head, finding the flaws and fixing them. This is what he did. What he had been trained to do since he was a mere boy. If it weren't for the very real consequences for this little village he may have even enjoyed it. But reality was brutal. He did not hear her approach, so absorbed was he in his thoughts. But he acknowledged her when she sat beside him on the crate.
"Williams father was killed fighting for King Cenred, so he doesn't trust anyone of nobility." A spark of pity for the young man lived and died. It explained some of his behavior but it not excuse him.
"Do you think the villagers believed him?" He asked uncertain. The mood in the camp had been even more fraught with poor Matthew's injury.
"No. He's always been a troublemaker. They're used to ignoring him." The easy way Merlyn said this did not fool Arthur.
"And if he's right?"
"He isn't."
"I'm treating these men like soldiers, and they're not. You've seen them fight. They...they haven't got a clue! You need to tell them all to leave the village before Kanen returns."
"No, we're going to stay. We're going to fight, and we're going to win." Merlyn's calmness in the face of his defeatism annoyed him. He huffed in exasperation at her.
"Merlyn, it can't be done. The odds are too great."
"It can. We're going to make Kanen rue the day he ever came to this village. All you need to do is get the men ready for battle, and the rest will take care of itself."
"How?" He couldn't believe she was talking him in to this. She was the real trouble maker. He had known it since the moment he had set eyes on her. When she had unknowing challenged his mistreatment of his servant. She never had any problem confronting him when she thought he was wrong. It was infuriating. But he always listened.
"You've just got to believe in them. Because if you don't, they'll sense it, and the battle will be lost before it's even begun." She stood then and left him to his troubled thoughts.
He turned over her words as he watched the men continue to train. They did not have the skill and experience of his knights, but they certainly had the heart. Over and over they practiced. If they got knocked down they got back up. They were made of hard stuff, Arthur realized. To live the way they did, to work the land they needed strength, endurance and the ability to keep going through the hard times.
He headed back toward Hunith's and stopped dead. There was Lady Morgana and Merlyn, fighting with swords. It seemed wrong somehow, to see Merlyn with a sword but there she was holding her own against Morgana. Morgana was definitely the better swords woman, handling the sword with a ladylike grace. Merlyn did not move as gracefully, did not look as relaxed, her posture was a mess, her footwork shoddy, but she fended off Morgana's blows and kept hold of her sword despite Morgana's attempt to disarm her.
"What do you think you are doing?" He demanded when they had broken apart a little, to avoid any inadvertent injuries.
"What does it look like," Morgana challenged him, putting her sword away and gesturing round at the crowd of women who had been watching intently. Then men had joined them, having disbanded for the day and looked as unsure as he did.
"I know you want to help. The women can't stay here. It's too dangerous."
This time the Lady Guinevere stepped forward. "The women have as much right to fight for their lives as the men do!"
"But none of you know how to fight."
"The more of us there are, the better chance we stand!" Morgana spoke up again. The woman spoke out in agreement, all standing forward determined.
Arthur looked at them for a long moment. They would nearly double the numbers and they all looked ready for a fight. He looked at Merlyn and her mother, both standing first in line. As they would be in battle he knew.
"This is your home. If you want to fight to defend it, that's your choice. I'd be honored to stand alongside you. Kanen attacks tomorrow. Kanen's brutal. He fights only to kill, which is why he will never defeat us. Look around. In this circle, we're all equals. You're not fighting because someone's ordering you to, you're fighting for so much more than that. You fight for your homes. You fight for your family. You fight for your friends. You fight for the right to grow crops in peace. And if you fall, you fall fighting for the noblest of causes: fighting for your very right to survive! And when you're old and grey, you'll look back on this day, and you'll know you earned the right to live every day in between! So you fight! For your family! For your friends! For Ealdor!
The villagers raised their swords and broomsticks, pitchforks and scythes. United. They spoke as one voice…
"For Ealdor! Ealdor! Ealdor! Ealdor! Ealdor! Ealdor! Ealdor!"
The woman joined the men in the last hours of daylight, either practicing with sticks or finishing the traps and obstructions ready for the morning. Arthur saw Merlyn leave the house where she had been finishing the last of her assignment and head for the wood, axe in hand.
Uneasy at the thought of her alone, some distance from the village he followed her. When he caught up with her she was hacking at a felled tree, gathering fire wood. He took a moment to watch as she expertly handled the axe. Smiling he decided on a stealth approach, slowly he crept toward her, staying out of her line of sight, three yards, two…one…
"Bored, Arthur?"
Her voice took him by surprise, and he stumbled, overbalanced and fell on to the downed tree. Merlyn turned and snorted with laughter as he quickly attempted to right himself as if to erase the moment.
"Oh haha. How did you know…".
"Woman's intuition." She told him, smugly, turning back to her task.
"You don't have to fight tomorrow." He said. "You should go with the elders and the children into the woods."
"I will be of more use here." She answered, not turning her attention from her task. Dismissing him. It stung his pride and he felt himself get a little angry.
"You're not a soldier, Merlyn."
"I'm staying here," she insisted, "Arthur this is my home. I grew up here. I just know I will be more use here than I will be in the woods."
"You can't fight!"
"I can! Morgana showed me some moves…"
"Morgana's not me!" He finally shouted angrily, striding away.
"No." Merlyn said quietly, "She's not." Arthur turned back.
She was standing there, a long thin branch in her hand, out stretched toward him.
"So teach me. Where do we start?"
He studied her for a long moment before taking the branch. They looked around for a moment before finding another make-shift weapon.
"Your stance." He said, his voice now the military commander that had been barking orders all day. "Your feet are too close together. Widen your stance."
She did as she was told, receiving a brisk nod in acknowledgement.
"You need to keep moving, it's your best defense. Sidestep, duck, dodge and slip. Do not be where the blow lands. But don't just dance around. Cover and close in, be aggressive. The goal is to put your opponent down quickly."
He pounced, attacking her, she blocked him with her branch but he was twice her size and disarmed her quickly.
"Don't block. Deflection would work better for you. Attack me." She lunged for him, he side stepped and aimed a blow at her. She dodged and used her sword to deflect the blow. She stepped closer so he could not use his sword…but she couldn't use hers either. She froze.
"Ok, that was good, but you should have used your free arm to hit me or kicked me. An elbow to the nose or throat could incapacitate me, giving you time to finish me off with the sword. Again…"
She attacked him again and he was impressed with her. She copied his moves, followed his advice. She was still thinking too hard and concentrating too much but for a first lesson she was doing well. They sparred for a while, he made her duck, dive and jump. Tiring she stepped unevenly whilst on attack and fell into him, grabbing onto his arms to remain upright.
"Whoa, I think that's enough for today." Arthur said with a laugh, dropping his branch and hugging her against him as she found her footing.
"Sorry." She said giggling, putting her hand on his chest and looking up at him with smiling eyes. Both knew they should move. Neither did. They just stood there for a time, in each others arms, watching the others face. At long last Merlyn dropped her face into his chest and let out a long sigh. Arthur squeezed her tightly in response, finding himself slowly rocking her side to side.
"Everything's going to be alright." He said. She nodded against him, her heart heavy at the thought of the next morning. She would do what she had to do and then…well. If these were the last of the precious moments she would have with him like this, then she was going to enjoy them.
His thoughts were equally as troubled. As he tried to offer the comfort and reassurance that she had offered him many times before. He dropped his lips onto the top of her unruly hair and breathed in the unique scent. Kissing the top of her head he stepped back and bent down to pick up some of the firewood, she had gathered.
There was no awkwardness as they walked side by side back to the village.
TBC...
Hope you enjoyed it. Sorry about the wait. Will update when i can.