It was the first day of the tournament and I was stood with Arthur beside his tent, just outside the tournament grounds, trying to get his armour on him. I wasn't sure whether it was because I was in such close proximity to him, more than I had ever been before, or because the armour was just plain fiddly, that it was taking me so long to do the fastenings on his hauberk.

"You do know the tournament starts today?" He snapped. He had been agitated all morning, quick to bark commands or make snarky comments. More so than I had come to realise was normal for him, anyway.

"Yes, Sire," I replied, not wishing to rile him up any further. Plus, he did look very... Knightly... in all his armour. Dressed the same as when I had first seen him. My heart had been hammering so hard when I'd looked at him that first day, before he'd opened his mouth, anyway. "Are you nervous?" I asked, trying to distract myself.

"I don't get nervous." His voice was sharp when he answered and I barely managed to suppress rolling my eyes at him.

"I thought everyone got nervous?" I asked, trying to break through the hard wall he'd barricaded himself behind.

"WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP!" He shouted, causing me to jump. I could have sworn I'd seen a flash of regret in his eyes before he covered it up with a scowl. Or maybe I was just seeing what I wanted to see, something I had accused him of doing only a few days before. I finally finished tightening the hauberk, choosing to remain silent, before grabbing his red cloak, reaching my arm up behind his neck to grab the fastening on the other side. That split second had made my stomach begin to churn, my heart pounding against my chest, as we stood like that. I knew how our position would look to someone who didn't know what I was doing, standing almost in a lovers embrace. I looked away as I felt my cheeks beginning to heat, grateful I had been able to fasten his cloak quickly, and going to fetch his helmet off the table. Keeping my eyes downcast as I handed it to him.

"I think you're all set," I told him, not meeting his eyes as I took in my handiwork. He truly did look good in his armour. Even if he was an ass.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" What now? I began running my gaze over him, marking off the different parts of armour on my mental checklist, not able to determine where I'd gone wrong. "My sword!" He shouted again, thankfully not as loud as the first time. I cringed at my own stupidity. I had been so focused on his armour I'd somehow managed to forget the most important thing. He couldn't fight without a weapon.

"Yeah, sorry." I hurried to collect it from the rack, wincing when my arms protested at the weight, before handing it to him. "You'll be needing that." He snatched it from my outstretched hand, storming towards the arena without so much as a thank you. Not that I had expected one.

I watched as all the Knights walked together, coming to a standstill in front of the royal box, facing the King, Morgana and the empty seat beside them where Arthur would usually sit. Uther began to stand so that he might address the men gathered before him, the crowd listening with rapt attention.

"Knights of the realm. It's a great honour to welcome you to the tournament at Camelot. Over the next three days, you will come to put your bravery to the test, your skills as warriors and, of course, to challenge the reigning champion; my son, Prince Arthur. Only one can have the honour of being crowned champion and he will receive a prize of one thousand gold pieces." Morgana opened a chest that had been resting on the table beside her, the sun glinting off the gold within. Hell! If I'd known there was that much money involved I may have competed myself! The dead weight of my arms brought me back to the reality of how outmatched I would have been, even if it had been permitted, which it wasn't. This was a tournament for Knight's. Not servants and definitely not women. "It is in combat that we learn a Knight's true nature. Whether he's indeed a warrior or a coward. Let the tournament begin!" I politely clapped with the rest of the crowd, my hands going still as I felt someone's eyes on me.

My gaze searched over the gathered Knight's as they began to make their way from the arena, only Arthur and his competitor remaining in the circle, at last coming to rest on the Knight who had been watching me. He was only a little bulkier than Arthur, with brown hair and a slight roughness around his face showing that he would need to shave soon. His armour was just as well made as Arthur's, coupled with a yellow cloak and shield that bore the symbol of three entwined snakes; either his family crest or the crest of the family he served. My mind whirled as I tried to place the symbol, I had been forced to look up the houses that were to be fighting today, but all I could remember was that it was from the Western Isles. The family name completely lost to me.

In my defence, I had been falling asleep even as I'd read the damn book, it was no wonder I was struggling to remember all the details. But it wasn't his looks or his crest that had me on edge, it was the look in his eyes as he stared at me, seemingly unbothered to have been caught looking. There was a maliciousness to him that he couldn't hide behind a fake smile, his gaze sending chills down my spine as he claimed me with his eyes. I looked away, feeling dirty, searching for an escape as he headed in my direction, my eyes landing on one of the Knight's I'd noticed sending me pitying glances when Arthur had ended up taking me down with a broom.

I went to stand beside him, answering his questioning look with a shrug and quick flick of my eyes to the Knight that was still heading in our direction.

"Guessing you're not as interested in him as he seems to be in you." He said, chuckling, as he spotted the foreign Knight still advancing.

"You could say that."

"I'm Sir Leon." He introduced, putting his hand out. I went to shake it, surprised when he lifted the back of my hand to his mouth and placed a gentle kiss upon it as he bowed, winking up at me, laughter dancing behind his blue eyes.

"It's good to meet you, Sir Leon. I'm Merlin." I giggled, blushing slightly.

"I think every Knight, Servant and Courtier knows who you are, Merlin." He laughed, letting go of my hand and rising.

"Right, yeah, of course." I realised, shaking my head at myself, I had almost managed to forget that I had saved the Prince's life and been made his servant in front of nearly the entire court. I practically leapt out of my skin when I felt someone's hand brush my arm, automatically spinning around to find the foreign Knight there, clearly unconcerned with interrupting. Sir Leon stood forward, putting a hand on my shoulder as he stared down the stranger.

"I would recommend you keep your hands to yourself for the rest of your visit, Sir Valiant." Leon's voice had gone deep in warning, all signs of his earlier humour forgotten, as he warned Valiant to back off. At least I knew his name now, it could make it easier for me to avoid him whilst he was here.

"I meant no offence, Sir Leon, I did not realise you had already set your sights upon her." Valiant chuckled, mockingly, as he released me.

"It has less to do with my sight," Leon almost spat, still glaring, "and more to do with you learning to respect people's personal space. I don't know how things are done in the Western Isles but the girl made it very clear she didn't welcome your advances." I looked between the two of them, thankful that Leon had neglected to use my name, but not having wanted to cause an altercation between them. I briefly debated whether or not I was supposed to say something but thankfully I didn't have to as Valiant raised his hands in surrender, taking a casual step backwards.

"As I said, I meant no offence." He was still smirking as he walked away and I couldn't help the chill that began to settle in my bones. I didn't know what had attracted his attention to me, the simple black dress I was wearing ill-fitting compared to my other dresses, but I did know that there was much more to Valiant than met the eye. I also knew that I didn't want Arthur going up against him in the tournament, there was a viciousness to him that couldn't be hidden by polite words.

"I'd do your best to avoid that one in future, Merlin. I wouldn't put it past him to try something if he caught you alone." I nodded at his warning, too shocked to speak, but grateful that he had stepped in and helped me. Sometimes being a girl seriously sucked. Leon threw a small smile my way before nodding towards the arena and I turned to watch Arthur's first fight, Leon remaining by my side.

I had turned just in time to watch two guards vacating the arena, having handed the two men their shields and taken their cloaks. The crowd began to cheer as Arthur and his competitor both donned their helmets, beginning to square off against each other.

"That's Sir Aglovale de Galis," Leon informed me just before, said Knight, lunged at Arthur, forcing him to immediately take the defensive. Arthur didn't stay that way for long though, suddenly striking back at a speed I hadn't expected, spinning around Aglovale and using both sword and shield as a weapon. Leaving Aglovale no choice but to hurriedly back away or risk getting hit in the face, Arthur used his retreat to his advantage, getting past his defences and shoulder-barging him, forcing him to back up further, almost into the wooden barrier that had been set up in front of the cheering crowd.

Aglovale must have realised he was very nearly trapped and began rushing forward, swinging his sword ferociously, his shield swinging out the opposite way as he struggled to balance himself with the force of his strikes. I couldn't help but notice, thanks to Morgana's training, how easy it would have been for me to swing myself under his blade and strike his exposed chest. One of the few perks of being a woman was that we were naturally more agile than most men. And a smaller target for them.

Arthur was forced to duck under his blade at one point, unable to back up quick enough, but couldn't get enough momentum to swing around and use it to his advantage. They parried back and forth for several minutes, each of them getting in some strong hits to each other's shield but neither able to gain the advantage, before backing away from each other. Taking a moment to breathe, readjust their grips and try to work out a strategy.

"GO ON ARTHUR!" I shouted, surprising myself and Sir Leon, who looked down at me in shock before laughing and beginning to cheer the Prince on himself.

It was Arthur who acted first this time around, making wide sweeps with his sword and keeping his shield tucked tight to his chest, protecting himself better than Aglovale had been when attempting to do the same. Aglovale dodged one of the hits, not meeting the sword with his own, causing Arthur to spin with his blade, forced to follow through or risk jarring his shoulder and leaving his back exposed. Aglovale took the shot, darting forward only to find his sword suddenly pinned beneath Arthur's as he predicted his next move. Arthur's back was still to him and he used his position to send an elbow flying straight at Aglovale's head. Well, his helmet. Regardless, it must have hurt because Aglovale hit the ground. Hard. His helmet flying off and rolling across the arena floor.

I stared at Arthur in shock. He had just used the same move I'd made on him. Minus the elbow to the face. Yesterday, when he had gone to take a swing at my backside for the second time, I had already known what he was going to do and had my sword in place before he could connect. Maybe Morgana had been right, perhaps I did have some natural ability if Arthur had chosen to use the same manoeuvre. His smile was beaming when he removed the helmet, reaching a hand down to help Aglovale rise to his feet and slapping him on the shoulder good-naturedly as they both evacuated the arena.

"He's looking for you," Leon informed me, noticing the way Arthur's eyes darted around and with a quick, grateful smile, I began hurrying to Arthur's tent, his eyes landing on me before I got to him. It took me a moment to realise why he looked so taken-aback at the sight of me; before I realised that I still had a huge smile on my face. I let it drop, for the most part, but couldn't lose it completely as I took Arthur's helmet off of him. Placing it on the table before going to stand with him as we watched the rest of the Knight's fight. Arthur wouldn't have to go up again for a while yet so we both stood together in comfortable silence. He seemed calmer after his fight, at last, able to release some of his frustrations in a way that didn't include yelling at me.

I had noticed Leon's eyes continuously scanning the area around me when I was alone, Arthur winning each time he went up, and I couldn't help the immense relief I felt each time I noticed it. Knowing that I wasn't completely alone and if Valiant did try to corner me again, Leon would be beside me in an instant. Unfortunately, Valiant seemed to be winning all of his fight's, too. I didn't want him here any longer than he already had been and I definitely didn't want Arthur going up against him. I had just watched him take down another Knight, the poor guy unconscious before he even hit the ground, and looked up to see what Arthur made of him, his gaze fixed on the Knight, analysing him just as much as I had been.

"Knight Valiant seems pretty handy with a sword," I admitted, begrudgingly. As much as I hated to admit it, he really was a skilled fighter, his opponents falling in quick succession as he fought his way up through the ranks. Arthur just nodded, distracted, before turning to me; probably only just remembering I was even there. He began walking back to where his tent had been set up and I followed, beginning to remove his armour when he stopped, both of us content to stay in the sun instead of going inside the humid tent. Arthur stiffened under my hands as I began removing his hauberk, causing me to look up at him, wondering what I was doing wrong but he wasn't looking at me, he was focused on something behind me. I stopped messing with the fastenings, turning to see what had caught his attention and felt my own body start to stiffen as I noticed Valiant heading in our direction, his gaze bouncing between the pair of us. There had been a time when I 'd hated the thought of only being seen as Arthur's servant, not worth a second glance, but I began to change my mind. With the way Valiant was looking at me, I'd much rather be ignored.

Arthur must have noticed the way his eyes lingered on me because he stepped forward, placing himself between us.

"May I offer my congratulations on your victories today." Valiant complimented, nodding his head in respect as his eyes continued to dart towards where I stood. I forced myself to keep my back straight, staring him down as Leon had, instead of hiding behind Arthur like I wanted to. I wasn't a weak little girl, I was a Sorceress and I didn't need a man to protect me; I had nothing to be afraid of. So why did I feel like I was going to be sick?

"Likewise," Arthur responded, his tone sharper than I had expected. At least he didn't plan on becoming friendly with the man, a thought I hadn't even considered before. Valiant's eyes turned back to me, noticing that the Prince was uninterested in him, and Arthur moved into his line of sight, blocking his view. He didn't even seem to notice he was doing it, just reacting instinctively, like I had done when I'd saved him.

"I'll see you at the reception this evening." Arthur didn't respond and I could hear Valiant beginning to leave, I sighed in relief, my body relaxing its stance.

"Creep." I cursed, not meaning to say it out loud, Arthur chuckling lightly at my analysis. He had a nice laugh and I couldn't help smiling up at him as he turned back to look at me. His own smile dropping immediately when he caught sight of mine.

"For tomorrow, you need to repair my shield, wash my tunic, clean my boots, sharpen my sword and polish my armour." He continued to list off jobs as he walked away, forgetting I hadn't even finished removing his armour yet, and I hurried to pick up his helmet and cloak before chasing after him. Why was it that every time we started to get along he would either insult me or give me additional work? And how did he expect me to get all of that done in one night!?

I had my magick book open in my lap as I sat against my headboard, finally back in my own chambers, giving my body a well-deserved break from everything I'd put it through over the past couple of days and keeping a mental hold on my magick, my chores getting done without me having to lift a finger. There was a hammer banging out the dents in Arthurs shield, his tunic rubbing itself against a washboard, a polished rag rubbing down his boots, another doing his armour and, lastly, a whetting stone resharpening his sword. I had never tried to do so much at once before and I couldn't help but be a little proud that I could use my magick like this, especially whilst only half-concentrating. The rest of my concentration on the book in front of me.

My bedroom door burst open, Gaius storming in and I looked up, dropping the hold on my magick and letting everything clatter to the floor. I just stared at him, knowing I'd been caught.

"Are you using Magick again?!" He asked, exasperated.

"No." I lied, not sure what he expected me to say.

"What's all this then?" He pointed to the fallen objects and I shrugged. With a great sigh, Gaius made to leave. "I just came to tell you that supper's ready." He shut the door behind him and I released a sigh of my own. We needed to have a serious conversation about knocking. It was one thing for him to catch me practising magick, it was another to risk him walking in on me getting changed.