I met Arthur by his tent early the next morning, the armour he'd had someone else help him remove already placed on the table outside. He was watching me intently as I readied him for the next stage of the tournament, worry lining his face.
I knew I looked like crap, my lip was swollen and the bruising along one side of my face and around my neck had darkened considerably overnight, matching the dark circles under my eyes, perfectly. I had tried to hide it all with makeup, applying a thick layer over my face but it was easy to see if you looked as closely as Arthur was looking at me.
"So who are you up against next?" I asked, trying to distract us both. Arthur gave me a slight smile and pointed to a man that was the size of a bull, a servant having to use a step ladder in order to place the helmet atop the Knight's head.
"Sir Baldwin." Holy cow! I would have been shitting myself if I had to go up against that! Arthur just seemed to be taking it in his stride, seemingly unbothered by his opponent's size.
"You're telling me, you've got to fight that?" He smirked toward me, clearly confident in his own abilities.
"Yes and he's as strong as a bear. But he's slow." I passed him his shield, smiling as I realised what he was getting at.
"And you're fast." He struck quicker than anyone else I had seen throughout the tournament, as precise and swift as an adder.
"Exactly." He gave me a crooked smile and I found myself smiling sweetly in return as I passed him his helmet. My face dropping the second his back was turned. My mental comparison to a snake reminding me of everything I stood to lose if I couldn't prove Valiant was using magick.
Arthur made his way into the arena, mentally preparing to face his opponent, as I scanned the crowds, spotting Morgana and Gwen murmuring to each other from their place beside the King. I couldn't help but notice how nervous Morgana looked as she kept her eyes locked on Arthur, her eyes darting between the two men as they struck swords before getting into position.
Arthur let Baldwin attack first, easily dodging the blow, that would have cleaved him in two from the sheer strength behind it, before kicking him square in the back. Arthur could have taken him down right there with a single strike but he didn't, I doubted he would ever attack a man with his back turned. It was dishonourable and cowardly. Arthur was neither of those things. I began to lose focus as I watched the battle play out in front of me, Arthur clearly the better swordsman, and felt my gaze drifting around the rest of the arena. My gaze locking itself on the opposite entrance, Valiant stood against the wall there, watching me with a smirk. When I met his eyes I felt none of that overwhelming fear I had felt before. This time all I felt was the rage brewing inside of me. Rage at what he had tried to do to me, at what he had already done to Yuwin, and what he was going to do to Arthur. I felt my lips curling back in a silent snarl as I stared right back at him, pulling myself to my full height.
I was not a pet, nor a doll, not an animal. I was a survivor, and I was strong. I would not be weak, or helpless again. I would not, could not be broken. Tamed. I wasn't prey, I wasn't a mouse. I was a wolf and the next time he came for me he was going to see just how hard I could bite when cornered.
"How are you getting on?" Gaius' voice sounded from beside me, breaking me from my thoughts and my stand-off with Valiant. My head automatically spun in Gaius' direction before I turned my attention back to the Knight who had aroused such a fury within me that I could barely think. He had already begun skulking off and I forced myself not to go after him.
"Fine," I snapped at Gaius, my blood still running red-hot through my veins. "Just doing my job. Minding my own business." I knew it wasn't fair to take out my anger on Gaius, he didn't really deserve it. All he had done was tell me the truth. To try and stop me from getting myself into more trouble. But he was there and I was furious. At Valiant. At Camelot. At the world, in general.
I hated all the politics in this damn place! All the rules and social standings, the prejudices and discrimination. Everyone subject to the whims of one man! It was ridiculous! Cendred's Kingdom had been the same but his kind had rarely bothered visiting the outline villages, in Ealdor we were all equal. No one holding more power than another. And yet... even there I hadn't really fit in, had I? I had still been an outcast, even back home.
They had been afraid of me... maybe, they had been right to be.
Gaius didn't attempt to speak to me again, both of us watching the rest of Arthur's fight in silence. Lost in our own thoughts.
Arthur took his opponent out quicker than any of the others, proving his point as to how speed was just as important as strength, more so in fact. I filed that bit of knowledge away for training. I would never be as strong as the majority of men but I could be faster, a skill that could save my life in future. Or Arthur's. A skill I could use against Valiant if we were to face each other again.
They both won each of their fight's that morning and I felt my fury ebb away with each of their victories, replaced by a bone-deep weariness and all-consuming worry. I would have much preferred Valiant to lose but by Arthur's final match I would have settled for him to be knocked out, instead. Anything that kept him from facing Valiant tomorrow. My last shred of hope disappeared as Arthur stood victorious, further evidence that Valiant would not be able to defeat him without using magick. If I couldn't find a way to stop this, Arthur was as good as dead.
"Valiant is going to fight Arthur in the final. He'll use the shield to kill him." I said quietly to Gaius, my legs feeling weak at the thought, before walking away.
Arthur hadn't commented on my unusual silence as I'd removed his armour but he'd watched me. No doubt searching for a sign as to what was wrong but Gaius had made it perfectly clear the night before that I wasn't to say anything to him. So I had remained silent, lost in my thoughts and pondered how I was going to get him out of this. I didn't stay to talk with him as I usually would, leaving him to make his way to the banquet hall for lunch, and went straight back to Gaius' chambers. I wasn't hungry but I needed time to think, something I struggled to do when Arthur was around.
I had barely walked through the door when Gaius stood from beside Yuwin, turning to watch me with a mixture of sympathy and concern. I didn't meet his gaze, turning to watch Yuwin instead, his breathing shallower than when I had left this morning. He was getting weaker, the venom taking its toll on him. It wouldn't be long now before it reached his heart. A fate Arthur would share if I couldn't figure out a way to stop it.
"Merlin, about what I said yesterday… look, Uther really wouldn't listen to you or me, but you are right. We can't let Valiant get away with this." That still didn't solve our problem.
"But we don't have any proof." I reminded him, my voice defeated. Gaius looked from me to Yuwin and back again.
"Well, if we could cure Yuwin then he could tell the King that Valiant was using magick; the King would believe another Knight. But how we get the antidote, well that's another matter." I just stared at him, already knowing what he was getting at. He certainly wasn't putting himself forward to go against Valiant. Which meant I was about to do a very stupid thing. Again.
"Leave it to me."
I made sure to take a route that passed the Banquet Hall on my way to Valiant's guest chambers, peeking through the double doors long enough to spot him inside talking and eating with the King and other Knight's, Arthur looking as though he'd rather be anywhere else as he listened to the two of them. I hurried away, not wanting to be spotted and also not knowing how long it would take for them to finish their lunch. With that thought in mind, I practically ran, holding back just enough to not draw the attention of any guards or servants that might be passing, before coming to a halt at his chamber door. I reached forward to unlatch it, the bolt refusing to move.
I quickly looked around, making sure the hallway was empty, before focusing on the lock.
"Haliasan," I whispered, feeling my magick flow through me before a quiet click came from the door. I couldn't help the small smirk that began pulling at the corners of my mouth. Sometimes, being a Witch had its perks. I pushed the door open silently, stepping through and shutting it behind me before making my way to the shield, picking up a sword from its place against the wall, unsheathing it before stepping closer to the shield. Now, the hard part. How do I make them come out?
I debated just stealing the shield, it would certainly stop Valiant from using it against Arthur but... where would I hide it? There was no way I would get out of the Kingdom or even back to my chambers without someone seeing I had it, it was too big to conceal beneath my cloak and the fact it was bright yellow would make it obvious to anyone that it wasn't a Camelot shield. Valiant would be sure to go to the King when he discovered it missing, knowing he wouldn't be able to win without it, and it wouldn't take long for someone to come forward and tell them they'd seen me with it. I didn't know any spells that would help me to disguise it, either. I really hadn't thought this through.
A commotion from the hallway had me spinning towards the door, holding the sword out in front of me in case it was Valiant on his way back. Not that it was much protection under the circumstances. Even if he'd only brought the one sword with him to Camelot, the one currently in my hands, he would likely be able to disarm me in no time and then I would be really screwed. With no choice but to let him do what he wanted with me or... use my magick and risk exposing myself. I didn't want to kill him! Or did I? After what he'd done to me... could I really end his life, though? It didn't escape my notice that this wasn't the first time since coming to Camelot that I had been in a position where I'd had to debate such a thing; my life or theirs, but it was the first time I had hated the person enough to even wonder if I wanted to do such a thing.
Movement from the corner of my eye had me looking towards the wall, my shadow standing motionless in the sunlight streaming through the window but it wasn't my own shadow that had drew my attention, it was the one moving beside it. I didn't think as I spun back towards the shield, sword swinging through the air as I moved, barely even seeing the snake before the blade struck true, removing its head in one swipe. The other two snakes began hissing madly and I lunged for the one I had killed, dropping the sword and scooping up its head before backing away. I only spared a quick glance at the hallways before darting out of Valiant's room, hiding behind the column across from it that I had used the day before and taking a moment to catch my breath and calm myself. I heard the clanking of armour coming from down the corridor and stayed completely still as Valiant passed me. Going into his room. The second he shut the door behind him, I ran.
I had been lucky. If he'd remembered locking his door... well, who knows if he'd have found me. It would only take a moment for him to realise that someone had been in his chambers, the snakes had still been going mad when I'd ran out and I'd left the sword where I'd dropped it in the middle of the room. I ran faster, not caring if anyone saw me as I made a mad dash for Gaius' chambers and the safety it offered. Whatever the consequences of Valiant knowing someone had been in his room, I had succeeded. I had my proof. And a way to save Yuwin's life. Valiant wasn't going to get away with this. He wouldn't be a threat for much longer.
I watched Gaius as he milked the venom from the snake's fangs into a glass jar, a thick milky liquid oozing out and making me cringe. The thought of that going through someone's body... I shuddered. It was lucky Yuwin was young and healthy, if he wasn't... well, he would have died by now. But he was strong, fighting back and refusing to succumb to death. I couldn't help but wonder if there was something he was fighting back for, someone that made him want to live so much as to keep suffering instead of letting himself fade away.
"I'll get started preparing the antidote." I nodded at Gaius' words, barely hearing what he had said. I stood up from my perch beside Yuwin, already heading for the door.
"I'm going to tell Arthur," I warned Gaius, uncompromising will clear in my voice. I didn't look back as I said it, not wanting to see his disapproval.
"You'll need this." Gaius offered, not arguing and I turned back to face him, accepting the snake's head he held out to me. "And Merlin, what you did was very brave." I smiled a thank you at his peace offering, surprised to feel a sense of pride at his words. I would never have put myself in such danger when I'd lived in Ealdor, never been in a position where I'd had to, but I had become stronger from one week in Camelot. I had learnt how to stand up for myself and for others, had realised that I might be braver than I had ever considered myself to be. Maybe I had always been that way, maybe I had needed Camelot as much as it, apparently, needed me. That didn't mean I wasn't afraid, I was terrified the majority of the time, but I had begun to learn how to master that fear. Perhaps, Camelot was the place I had needed to be in order to discover who I truly was.
Maybe, just maybe, I could carve a life for myself here. With Gaius. With Arthur, Morgana and Gwen. I could have friends and a job and be a better version of myself. Better than I had been the past nineteen years.
Of course, that could all disappear if I didn't stop Valiant before the final tomorrow.
I began racing for Arthur's chambers, wondering if there would come a time when I didn't have to keep running.
"You?" He just stared at me, incredulous. I nodded. "You chopped its head off?" Oh for heaven's sake! Why did men always seem to get stuck on the non-important details?
"Yuwin was bitten by a snake from the shield when he was fighting Valiant; you can talk to Gaius, you can see the puncture wounds in Yuwin's neck where the snake bit him. Yuwin was beating him, he had to cheat!" Arthur just shook his head as he took another bite from his plate, clearly still hungry even after his lunch, thoughts of me decapitating the snake forgotten.
"Valiant wouldn't dare use magick in Camelot." Why not? I did it all the time. As long as you timed it right, it was easy to hide. Valiant knew that as well as I did.
"Yuwin was pinned under Valiant's shield. No one could see the snake biting him!" Arthur started shaking his head again before I'd even finished speaking. Why did he have to be so damn difficult?! Were all men this blind?
"I don't like the guy but that doesn't mean he's cheating. Besides, I'm pretty sure you have other reasons for wanting him dead but this isn't the way to do it, Merlin." He stood and placed a hand on my shoulder, lightly trailing my bruised neck with the other hand.
It was times like this that Arthur drove me insane. He wasn't listening to me, was denying everything I said and whilst he was stood this close to me, with his hand of my bared skin, he was making it almost impossible for me to keep fighting him. I shook his hand off, letting my anger fuel me, furious that he'd think I'd make it up just because of what Valiant had tried to do to me.
"This isn't about me, Arthur! It's about Yuwin and your safety! Gaius is preparing an antidote to the venom; when Yuwin's conscious he'll tell you what happened!" Arthur didn't respond, not showing if he'd even listened to a word I'd just said. He didn't attempt reaching for me again but he hadn't moved away either, meaning I was forced to crane my neck in order to look into his face. Damn, he was tall. "If you fight Valiant in the final, he'll use the shield, it's the only way he can beat you!" He raised an eyebrow at my last words and I bit my tongue to stop from screaming at him. Okay, so I might have just complimented him. That wasn't the point! I reached for the snake's head lying on the table behind him, thrusting it between us. "Look at it! Have you ever seen any snakes like this in Camelot?" He slowly reached to take it from my hand and silently studied it for a moment, neither confirming nor denying it. Just staying quiet as I released a defeated sigh. He didn't believe me. Gaius had been right. He would never have believed me if I'd gone to him without proof. Hell, I had proof and he still didn't believe me. "I know I'm just a servant and my word doesn't count for anything," his head shot up, now studying me instead of the snake, "but I wouldn't lie to you." I finished. Well, not about this anyway. I had no choice but to lie about being a witch. Not unless I wanted to end up dead, anyway. Arthur put his hand back on my shoulder, staring intently into my eyes.
"I want you to swear to me that what you're telling me is true." I met his gaze and nodded seriously, letting him see the worry that had been plaguing me for the past two days.
"I swear its true Arthur." He nodded back, releasing me.
"Then I believe you." I smiled up at him, grateful for his trust, and he returned it. Both of us elapsing into silence as he sat back down at his table, lost in thought. No doubt trying to figure out a way to convince his father. It was no secret that Uther had become fond of Valiant and convincing him that he was dishonourable wasn't going to be easy. I just cleaned Arthur's room as I waited, following close behind him when he began arranging the council meeting.