Wow guys my chapters keep getting bigger and bigger this one is 3670 words! YAY! Might be a while before I can update again I am going camping this weekend so I won't have my laptop to write with. Have a good weekend guys and enjoy the chapter! Also please review they mean so much to me and my heart leaps in my chest everytime I get a new one! Thank you all so much!
P.S. I need some names for knights and lords, give me some names and I may use them! Descriptions are welcome to!
When Leon woke the next morning, he was the first to do so. He walked over to where Percival was keeping watch quietly, trying not to wake the others.
"Morning" he greeted the large knight. The quiet man just nodded in response. Leon was piling firewood onto the fire when Percival suddenly broke the silence.
"You should talk to him" Leon tensed.
"What do you mean?" he asked, feigning ignorance. Percival huffed as he sat across from the blond knight.
"I mean that believe it or not, you two are friends and that while I know you feel like you hate him, you don't. You're just angry at him. And while I wasn't there that day and I don't know what you went through I can tell you this: from what Merlin said it truly does sound like he had no choice, and while that doesn't excuse what happened maybe it can lead you to forgive him. Fighting won't get us anywhere" Percival said, stealing Leon's own words from when Elyan first found out that Merlin had magic. "and revenge will take you to dark places, trust me on that friend." Leon looked at him in shock, he wasn't sure if he had ever heard Percival say that much at once, he also silently wondered at the last part of his speech. More than that, he was right. Somewhere along the way, Merlin had become more than Arthur's servant, he wasn't sure when, but at some point, Merlin had become a friend; not to mention like a little brother to all the Knights of Camelot and in his anger, he had forgotten that. Leon sighed as he sat on a log, giving up on starting a fire.
"You're right," he said, running a hand through his locks "and I don't hate him I just-I just lost a lot of friends that day, I forgot that he lost friends that day too."
"I still shouldn't have yelled at you," a voice said from behind him and Leon whirled around to see Merlin standing there looking sorrowful.
"Merlin I-" Leon began but Merlin cut him off.
"I shouldn't have yelled at you Leon, you have every right to hate me."
"I don't hate you, Merlin," Leon quickly said, "I just, I let my anger take control for a minute and, and I am sorry." Merlin shook his head, walking to sit over next to Percival so that he was facing Leon.
"There is nothing that you should be apologizing for, you were justified in your reaction. It is I who should apologize to you. I am sorry for yelling and I am sorry for what happened that day. I meant what I said, not a day goes by that I do not think about the people who have died because of me" He said sadly.
Leon decided to let the conversation end and simply nodded before changing the subject.
"So, when do you think Richard will be well enough to ride again?" he asked, anxious to finally reach Aria. Merlin pondered a minute.
"Depending on how he is feeling I think we can go today" he answered.
"Today it is then," a new voice said and the three turned to see Richard walking towards them, looking healthy and without pain. Merlin nodded.
"Very well, but if you at any point feel the need to stop tell us," he said, a warning in his voice. Richard nodded his consent. "All right, then I suppose we should pack up camp" Merlin declared, rising to do just that.
"Um, Merlin" Leon interrupted "As eager as I am to get going don't you think we should eat breakfast first." Merlin blushed before answering.
"Yes, um I suppose so."
VVVVVVVVV- I'm BAAACCCCKKKK! -VVVVVVVVVV-Line Break is awesome Line break is awesome-VVVVVVVV-DO THE LINE BREAK DANCE-VVVVVVV (AN: I am very sorry; the line break is very drunk right now)VVVVVV
*Richard's POV*
Richard rode at the front of the group, his king riding beside him chatting happily. He smiled at the man's constant chatter, it certainly helped distract him from the pain in his ribs. While Merlin's magic had done wonders in helping his ribs heal faster he was still in a good amount of pain, not that his king needed to know that of course, it would only worry him. Besides, he was eager to reach Aria as soon as possible, They were supposed to have been back by now and the sooner they got to Aria the safer his young king would be. Unfortunately, they still wouldn't reach the city until at least late afternoon of the next day. If they kept a good pace that night however they would reach the small village of Tassi where they had a small inn that would hopefully be able to hold the group.
"We should reach the village of Tassi by dusk tonight hopefully the inn there can hold us all, especially if we double up." Richard said, voicing his thoughts, interrupting his king mid-sentence.
"Very well, but I would like to keep my identity a secret from the villagers there" Merlin agreed. Richard nodded.
"If not by your true name, what do you want us to call you?" he asked, worried that someone would slip up and let the young royal's identity slip.
Merlin considered for a moment "Myrddin, that way if you start to say Merlin you can easily change it." Richard nodded and Merlin fell back so he could tell the others the plan.
A few hours before they reached the village Merlin turned to the Camelot Knights, his face full of concern.
"You four should take off your capes. If anyone in the village recognizes you as Knights of Camelot they may panic." Leon scowled and the others simply frowned.
"With all due respect, Merlin, we will keep our capes on" Leon replies, visibly upset "To deny who we are and where we are from is a cowards move" He stated simply, not realizing who he had just said that too until it was too late. Immediately he felt bad upon seeing Merlin's sad and slightly hurt expression "Merlin I didn-" He tried to say but Merlin cut him off with a sad smile.
"It's fine Leon, I expected for you to say something of the like, don't worry." He said, his voice carrying a note of pain in it. He turned forward and urged his horse on, ending the conversation.
When they finally reached the village after a long day of riding they were all exhausted and hungry. All of them wanting to eat and go to bed, this was making tensions run high and everyone was frustrated and tense.
They rode up to the inn and after a minute of discussion, it was decided that the Knights of Aria would go in first as they were more likely to be welcomed, while the Camelotian Knights stayed outside with the horses.
The five knights entered the inn and the inn keeper looked up, his expression turned into one of shock at the sight of so many knights.
"Good evening," Richard greeted kindly, "We were hoping to get some rooms for the night, we have five more companions outside as well"
"Good evening sirs" the man greeted back "I only have five rooms at the moment so you would have to share, but you are more than welcome to stay here." Richard nodded.
"Sharing will not be a problem though I should warn you, four of our companions are Knights of Camelot, they are here as friends so I trust that it will not be a problem." He said, his voice allowing no argument. Normally he would be kinder but at the moment he was exhausted and the sooner he got to sleep the better. The Inn keeper's expression was now one of fear and Richard felt guilty so he spoke again. "We will also be wanting dinner and breakfast, we will pay whatever is needed." He emphasized the last part, implying that he would pay extra for the rooms. The man seemed to debate for a minute before finally nodding in agreement.
"All right, but I don't want any trouble." He said, his voice wary.
"I give you my word as a Knight of Aria no harm will come to you or anyone in your inn." The man relaxed, the word of a knight carried a lot of weight.
"Out of curiosity who is the last of your party?" the man asked, worry in his voice. Richard cursed himself for disrespecting his king as he answered.
"He is a servant." Richard inwardly cringed but didn't allow it to show on his face.
Meanwhile, outside of the inn, the Knights of Camelot along with Merlin waited, the villagers that had seen them had practically run away in fear and it was beginning to get on their nerves. Already tense and tired from riding all day now almost all of them were scowling.
Across the street, one of the villagers watched the group nervously, his wife at his side.
"Are there more inside?" she asked her voice filled with fear. The man looked at the five rider-less horses and shook his head.
"I-I don't know, probably." He said his voice filled with worry "I think they're headed to the capital" His wife looked at him in fear.
"Oh! Do you really think so? What could such a large party be going to the capital for?" She asked, wringing her hands.
"I don't know but whatever it is it can't be good. Someone has to send them a warning." He replied, his voice filling with steely determination.
"Don't!" his wife cried, realizing what he planned to do. He turned to her sadly before kissing her head lightly. "I have to love, it's the only way to get a warning to the capital in time. She nodded sadly and he went to retrieve his horse, he was one of the few villagers that had a horse that could go the distance he needed it too and swiftly. He would have to use magic to give him and his horse more energy of course and though it may kill him from using the much at once, he had to try. Before he left he picked up his daughter from where she had been playing and hugged her kissing her on the head before leaving, determined to save his daughter from the fate of so many during the great purge. As he left the young girl conjured a flame and giggled as it danced on her hand.
-Merlin POV-
Merlin breathed a sigh of relief when Richard finally emerged from the inn, grateful that the group could now escape the looks of fear and hate.
"They only have five rooms so we have to double up but it's only for one night." Richard reported walking over to lead his and Merlin's horse to the stables. Merlin glared at him.
"I am perfectly capable of taking my own horse to the stables." He pouted. Richard just smirked at him and took the reins of his horse. "Where are the others?" he asked, giving up as he dismounted his horse. The Knights of Camelot all grabbed one of the others horses as they lead them to the stables.
"They are checking the inn and our rooms for any dangers." Richard replied Merlin rolled his eyes as he walked beside the head knight but said nothing.
Later when they were sitting at the tables in the inn eating the stew the innkeeper had prepared they began discussing sleeping arrangements.
"The twins can share a room, Nathan and Owen can share another." Richard said as he pulled a spoonful of stew towards himself. Leon spoke up next.
"Elyan and I can share a room and Percival and Gwaine can share." He said. Merlin nodded.
"Which leaves me and Richard sharing a room." He said, taking a sip of his ale. Once everyone was agreed on rooms and the food was eaten the group sat and chatted while drinking ale. Owen and Gwaine were chatting and both were on their fourth ale while everyone else was on their first or second. The twins were chatting away with Leon and Elyan about fighting technics while Percival and Nathan had an arm wrestling contest, Percival was winning, for the third time. Merlin sipped his drink as he sat next to Richard both silently watching the group. He smiled at the sight of all his friends getting along and laughing, it made him happier than they could know. After a while, he turned to Richard.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, referring to his injured ribs.
"A little sore but nothing serious." The older man replied. Merlin narrowed his eyes.
"You're lying." He accused, the large knight shifted uncomfortably.
"It's nothing I can't handle." He said, shrugging.
"I'll change your bandages once we get to the room." He said, ending the conversation there. After several minutes of silence, he sighed "We should all go to bed, it's getting late and we need an early start tomorrow." Richard nodded in agreement and soon the group headed to their various rooms, everyone happy to finally be getting some sleep.
"We should have someone keep watch." Richard frowned as they went up the stairs to their room. Merlin shook his head, yawning.
"There's no point whoever we put on watch would fall asleep. Besides we're safe here" when Richard still looked doubtful Merlin spoke again "if it will make you feel better I will put an alarm charm up, that way if anyone passes a certain threshold my magic will alert me." Richard nodded to this plan. When they reached the corridor that the rooms were in Merlin chanted in the Old Religion and as he did so he felt the magic well up inside of him, eager to get out. When he was finished his eyes flashed gold and a shimmering barrier appeared at the edges of the corridor. "There, now if anyone tries to come through this hall I will be alerted." Richard nodded in satisfaction and the two entered the room they were sharing.
Merlin looked at the single bed and decided to give Richard the bed but before he could voice his decision Richard spoke.
"You take the bed, I'll sleep on the floor." He said moving to lay his bed roll on the ground. Merlin shook his head.
"That's not fair, you take the bed, I'll take the floor."
"It is perfectly fair, you are the king, besides," he said, raising an eyebrow at Merlin "how is me taking the bed and you on the floor any fairer than me taking the floor and you taking the bed." Merlin frowned but then remembered something and grinned.
"Well, I'm supposed to be the servant, right? Therefore, I should be taking the floor while the gallant Knight gets the bed." He said, smirking at his own cleverness. Richard scowled.
"You may be playing the servant in front of the villagers but not in here, you are sleeping on the bed, either that or I will leave the room all together and take watch." Richard threatened. Merlin frowned, knowing he had lost the fight.
"Fine." He grumbled, fully aware that Richard really would leave the room just to get Merlin to sleep on the bed. Richard smiled.
vvvvvvvvvv – shhhh- vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv- oh my head-vvvvvvvv (AN: *smugly* that's what you get for getting drunk last night) vvvvvv ow! Don't talk so loudly vvvvvvv (AN: IF YOU DON'T WANT A HANGOVER DON'T GET DRUNK!) vvvvvvvv line break: *glares* vvvvvv (AN: How are you glaring? Hell, how did you even get drunk? You're a line break!) vvvvv
Early the next morning as the sun began peeking up the villager that had taken off the night before finally reached the capital of Aria. As he arrived at the city gates, he and his horse exhausted the two knights at the entrance eyed him warily.
"I need to get in." he panted, afraid that he would pass out before he could get his message to the castle, he had used up all his magic energy and feared the coming backlash.
"What is so urgent that it cannot wait until the city gates open?" The knight asked, a hand on his sword. The man shook his head.
"I cannot tell you, I have to speak to the head knight." He could not just tell anyone, he had to make sure it reached the right ears. The knight shook his head.
"Our head knight has gone on a mission, you will have to tell me or be on your way." The man huffed in frustration but told him anyway.
"I hail from a small village a day's ride from here, the village of Tassi, A group of knights rode in last night, a group of Camelot knights." The blue clad knight paled and turned to his companion.
"Get Sir Robert." He said and the other nodded before running off. The knight turned back to the peasant. "Come with me." He said, leading him towards the gate and motioning for the gate keeper to open the gates. The knight led the man through the quiet city to the castle. The man stared at the majestic castle in awe. It was made of white stone that looked orange in the early morning. The castle was massive and very well fortified, the fact that the false king had managed to take it was purely because of the unexpected betrayal of one so well trusted. That the Knights had managed to take it back was a miracle. He was snapped out of his reverie by the Knight's rough voice.
"Dismount and come with me, your horse will be cared for." The villager hadn't even realized that they had entered past the castle gates and were now standing in an impressive court yard, obeyed the order and before he could properly look around the court yard the knight began walking and he had to hurry to catch up. As they entered the castle he caught glimpses of giant, gorgeously woven tapestries, each one telling a story, large statues, and magnificent paintings. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to gawk at them as the knight lead him through what seemed to be a maze of hallways and to two huge ornately carved wood doors. Two soldiers stood guard outside the room, the knight nodded to them as he walked forward and rapped on the door. A second later a voice called to enter and the two guards pulled the doors open, straining under the weight. The man was nervously wringing his hands as he walked in behind the knight and bowed deeply when he saw the knight bowing.
In the room was a large table, carved of beautiful red wood and finally crafted, in the seats were a group of men some old some younger, all of them looking angry at being awoken at this early hour. Several knights stood around the room as well and at the end of the large table, two seats sat empty. One was the largest seat there, trimmed in gold and decorated with dragons carved into the side one on either side, their heads facing upwards as they breathed fire. The fire curled up to create the head rest of the chair and the dragon's tails created the arm rests, the chair was altogether breath taking, obviously built for a king. The other chair was to the right of the throne-like chair and looked similar to the others except on the sides of it was a beautifully carved sword, this chair was likely meant for a warrior, maybe the head knight, the villager wasn't sure.
"Why were we woken up this early?" one of the older council members asked, glaring at the knight.
"Forgive me, my lord. This man comes from the village of Tassi and brings urgent news." The knight said, bowing again.
"Well? What is the news?" another, younger councilor asked haughtily. All eyes turned expectantly to the villager and he swallowed before telling his tale. When he was done, there was silence, finally after several minutes one of the councilors spoke.
"You said that five of the horses had no riders and that they were likely inside the inn correct?" he asked, turning to the villager again, he nodded his confirmation. The councilor turned back to the others. "it is possible that Sir Richard has finally returned and is bringing aid, and perhaps the fifth man that wasn't wearing armor is the prince." He said wisely but another councilor objected.
"It is more likely that Sir Richard's request angered King Arthur and they were taken prisoner, he is late after all. These Camelot Knights are likely coming to demand ransom, as for the man with them? He is probably either an ambassador or a servant." Arguing broke out among the councilors until finally one of the knights who was standing to the side stepped in. The man had dirty blond hair that was cut rather short, bits of his hair were turning gray but he still looked fierce as he stepped forward, several council members fell silent to hear what he had to say the others continued to argue.
"My lords." He said loudly, his voice calm but commanding attention. The villager was shocked when the councilors began to fall silent one by one and look at him expectantly. "I believe that we should prepare for the worst. Lord Gransley is right, it is most likely that Camelot is planning to attack or demanding ransom. However, I doubt that Richard and the others we sent are even alive. My advice is that we stop them before they reach the capital." He finished, looking at the councilors expectantly.
"And how do you propose we do that Sir Robert?" the councilor who had spoken first asked.
"Give me three dozen men and some knights I will handle it."