At first, the room was filled with stunned silence, then, the three other ladies exploded into cheers and squeals, taking the princess into a bizarre hug. She looked over to her fiancé, who was being glared at, good naturedly, by the prince. Merlin, however, was just grinning, happy by all that was occurring. If Arthur knew that his sister had magic, and now knew that he and Isabel had magic, then they would be safe in Camelot. The dragon was right about Arthur bringing back magic.
The room slowly, but surely fell back into silence as everyone gathered there looked at the happy, and now reunited, couple. Arthur could see the pure joy in his sister's face, and for that reason alone, he wouldn't tell their father this sweet secret.
Everyone dispersed, leaving the happy couple in Genevieve's room. Merlin and his sister made their way to their uncle's chambers, silently communicating with each other about all that had been shared. Having another magic user in the castle would be good.
Two more competitors arrived at Camelot, to be greeted by Arthur and Merlin. "Sir Oswald! Didn't think you'd be brave enough to show up," Arthur teased good naturedly.
"And miss the chance of putting you on your backside?" Sir Oswald returned, almost menacingly. Arthur looked at him before dismissing the notion that something was wrong.
"Ha-ha. You've never managed it before," Arthur confidently, but cautiously, told the knight standing in front of him.
"That was then. This is now," the knight grunted.
Arthur noticed another knight standing slightly behind Sir Oswald. "Sir Ethan," the knight introduced himself. Arthur greeted the man as if he were a brother-in-arms, clasping the man's arm in his.
Arthur motioned towards Merlin. "This is my servant, Merlin. He loves hard work so, anything you need, just give him a call." He didn't notice the glares that the two knights sent to his poor, unsuspecting servant.
The two knights made their way into the castle, menacing grins ensuring that they were left alone. Arthur and Merlin made their way to Arthur's chambers. When they entered, it was Arthur who closed the door instead of Merlin. "So, Merlin," he drawled, "when were you going to tell me that you have magic?"
"Uhh," Merlin couldn't think of what to say.
Arthur let out a laugh. "Don't worry about it, Merlin. I know how my father is, and why there is always fear with magic users. You can't even begin to imagine what my sister's childhood was like," Arthur informed his servant.
"But, if you don't have a problem with magic users, why do you help your father hunt and kill them?"
Arthur sat in silence before responding. "I would rather have myself hunting them, who will do everything possible to help them survive. If any of the others here, with the exception of a very few, were to go after magic users instead of myself, the magic users would be in true danger."
"So why were you hunting for the druid boy?"
"Honestly, I wanted to talk to him and his people. Find out if they had been in contact with my sister."
The two young men sat in silent contemplation yet again before a bellow for Merlin echoed through the castle. They exchanged looks before Arthur became his haughty self again. "Well, go on Merlin!"
As Merlin scampered through the door, Arthur followed more sedately behind him, verging away from the scrawny young boy and made his way to his sister's chamber. He knocked gently at the door and heard for his sister to "Come in!" Followed by a giggle. He shook his head at her antics, but walked in anyways. He saw Gwaine and his sister sitting comfortably at the large table, eating what looked like lunch. When he saw the food, his stomach began to rumble. He realized that it was lunch time, and Merlin was too busy to bring him lunch.
"Arthur!" His sister greeted brightly, sweeping up gracefully from where she had been sitting. "To what do we owe the pleasure?" She asked, her grin so bright it was almost blinding. It was infectious, and Arthur found himself grinning as well.
"Just wanted to check on my little sister," Arthur told her with a smirk. Genevieve put on an affronted look before returning his smirk with one of her own.
"Arthur, you and I both know that it is uncertain which of us are older." Arthur let out a bark of a laugh.
"Oh, how I have missed you," he replied before wrapping her in a hug so tight that she struggled to breathe. "And Gwaine, I know that I have you to thank for keeping her safe," he said as he released his sister and turned to the man in question.
"I can assure you, Arthur, that it was my pleasure." Gwaine shot a flirtatious smile to Genevieve, who winked at him. A loud grumble filled the room, followed by the melodious laughter of the princess.
"Arthur, would you like some lunch? There is more than enough here," she offered. Arthur gratefully begin loading up a plate, with plenty of protein. He sat at the table and begin digging in, much to the amusement of the engaged couple.
So, the three of them sat there, enjoying lunch, when someone knocked loudly at the door. Genevieve called out for them to enter, and to her delight, Isabel walked in. She wanted to get to know the younger girl better, especially following the revelations of yesterday. With no preamble, Isabel informed the princess that her father wanted to see her. Both men shot up, worried about the possible encounter between father and daughter. Genevieve motioned to her two protectors to sit down as she swept out of the room, Isabel following close behind.
Genevieve confidently made her way through her childhood home to the throne room, where her father was pacing imperiously, and impatiently. "You wanted to see me, Milord?" She asked as demurely as she could.
"I wanted to properly welcome you back to Camelot," he managed to say as he studiously looked at her. She looked more like him than she did his wife, but all he could see was his beloved, all but glaring back at him. He knew, no matter what he did now, he could not repair the relationship between him and his daughter. But, he would try.
"Well, I feel properly welcomed, Milord," she coldly replied. She may be related to this man, but she wanted nothing to do with the monster stalking in front of her. She began to feel the familiar sense of fear as he drew closer. She tensed as he raised her arm, only to be caught by surprise when he uncharacteristically hugged her, drawing her close.
"I worried about you during your travels, Genevieve," he said, his voice quivering slightly at how cold his daughter was treating him. He had distanced himself from what he had done to her when she was young, and had hoped that sending her away would allow her to do the same.
"Why should you have been worried, Milord? You sent your best knights to protect me," she said, a warning in her voice, almost daring him to admit that he hadn't cared about her safety at all.
Uther, wisely, moved away from the young woman standing before him. He no longer saw any of Igraine staring back at him, he only saw his past, coming back to haunt him in ways he could never imagine. Instead of answering the question, Uther moved the conversation along to what he had called her to discuss. "I was wondering if you planned on joining me tomorrow to watch the melee," he said as he swiftly moved to his throne, feeling the need to be powerful.
"I had hoped to join the melee tself, Milord. I figured that the Lady Morgana would provide plenty of companionship for you. Besides, she is more inclined to sitting and watching than I am, Milord." While she was talking, she had been making her way around the room, seemingly disinterested with the conversation she was holding with her father. No matter what he said, she would be participating in the tournament tomorrow, if nothing else than to prove to her father that she could protect herself now and that she no longer feared him. Her time with Gwaine, his obvious disdain for nobles, had rubbed off on her. Any respect, or fear, she had for her father had died out long ago, but the knowledge that he wouldn't hesitate to kill her caused her to train as if her life depended upon it, and it did.
"I would prefer if you stayed in the box with me, Genevieve," he growled. He voice gave the warning to not argue, but Genevieve was tired of always stepping aside when her father grew angry. Now she had control, now she could fight back.
"I don't think I will, Milord, unless you want the entire kingdom to know what you did to me, or, for that matter, all our allies and enemies. You sent me away, and while I was away I made many friends, who wouldn't hesitate to come to my aid should I call for it, even against you," her voice had taken on the steel that her father was famous for. "So, I will participate in the melee, and you will not stop me. Have I made myself heard, Milord?" She asked, having finally approached the throne where her father had previously been sitting regally but was now cowering, like the coward that he had become following his wife's death. Without waiting for an answer, she turned around gracefully and left the throne room. Uther sat there in fear for a few moments longer. He couldn't let her get away with such insolence, but he knew that it wasn't an empty threat that she had made. He couldn't go after her. So, what could he do?
When Genevieve finally made it to the safety of her chambers, she began to cry. She felt so alone. Despite being surrounded by people that she loved, she felt so alone. She slid down the large doors, her dress pooling around her as she just cried, letting herself truly feel all that she had locked away ages ago.
In another part of the castle, Merlin and Isabel were racing to finish all the chores that Sirs Ethan and Oswald had given Merlin. They entered into the shared room of the men and began to tidy things up. Merlin began to examine one of the two swords in the room, wanting to make sure that everything was perfect for the melee tomorrow. He was unpleasantly surprised when the seemingly dulled blade cut his finger He cried out in pain, prompting Isabel to move to her brother, when a voice rang out in the room.
"What are you doing with that, boy?" Sir Oswald didn't even pay attention to Isabel, who had shruken away from her brother at the loud voice.
"Wha... Er..." Merlin struggled to find the words that would explain what he was doing there.
"We were just tidying," Isabel stated, drawing undesired attention to herself. Sir Oswald glared at her before snatching the sword from Merlin.
"Keep away from things that don't concern you," he growled menacingly to the siblings. They quickly left, making their way to Gaius's chambers, Merlin cradling his cut finger.
When they arrived at Gaius's chambers, they were surprised to find Gwaine there, already in a deep discussion with their uncle. The politely interrupted the conversation and Merlin asked Gaius if he could bandage his finger. Gaius immediately began to gather his supplies. The twins began to catch their breath, preparing to share what they had discovered in the men's chamber that they had just run from. As Gaius returned to his table, his door slammed open, revealing a very disheveled princess. Gwaine immediately jumped up and gathered his distraught love in his arms, soothing her. And she stayed there, in his arms, enjoying the comfort that he provided. He moved them to sit at the now crowded table and motioned for Merlin to explain why him and Isabel were out of breath and scared.
"To the eye, the sword appeared blunt, but when I touched it..." Merlin finished his story with a grimace, gesturing to his now bandaged finger. Isabel sat where she was, arms wrapped around her.
"You were lucky," Gwaine whispered to the boy, not wanting to disturb the sleeping woman he was holding, and couldn't stop staring at her. He was still astounded by her beauty, and the fact that she could love a man like him. "I've seen those blades in action. They're forged using sorcery," he informed the room before gently moving some hair out of Genevieve's face.
"What would they want with such a blade?" Gaius questioned.
"I think they mean to kill Arthur in the melee," Merlin stated, loud enough that he woke up Genevieve. She sat up, knocking Gwaine in the jaw, causing them both to grimace in pain.
"Who's trying to kill Arthur now?" She asked as she rubbed her sore head.
Merlin quickly repeated the story to the Princess, who silently listened, and contemplated what was being said. All sat quietly until Gaius asked why they would want to kill Arthur in front of all those people.
"It's the perfect cover," Gwaine responded. "If they succeed, nobody will suspect it was intentional."
Merlin jumped up from where he was sitting. "I need to warn Arthur!"
"Merlin," Gaius cautioned, "Sir Oswald's a knight. He comes from a well-respected family. You can't accuse him without proof."
"Genevieve could!" Isabel stated from where she had been quietly seated. Everyone turned to look at the Princess, who was already shaking her head no.
"Father and I got in a fight earlier, I can't approach him on anything currently," she quietly explained as she seemed to shrink into Gwaine. Everyone in the room nodded, knowing how terrible the King's temper could be.
"Then we need that blade," Merlin decided.
"I'll get it," Gwaine volunteered as he stood up from where he was seated with Genevieve.
"What if they catch you? What reason would you have to be in Sir Oswald's chamber? No. It's safer if I do it." Merlin was firm in his choice. He had already decided that he wouldn't even allow Isabel to help him that night.
When night fell, and most of the palace was asleep, Merlin snuck in the guest chamber. He made sure that they were both asleep before moving to the trunk where the blades were stored. As he approached the trunk, he noticed a strange crystal around Oswald's neck. He went to investigate, because he knew that crystals were used in magic and he was curious why a knight would be using a crystal in Camelot of all places. What he saw, though, truly surprised him. In the crystal was the bandit from the tavern! He let out a small, almost imperceptible gasp, which was enough to wake the man he was hovering over. The bandit woke up and grabbed Merlin, stalking off with the young man.
Gwaine returned to Gaius's chambers after escorting Genevieve back to hers. Isabel was up the stairs, currently sleeping thanks to a draught made for her by Gaius. Him and Gaius had been sitting there, waiting for Merlin to return with the sword. "Merlin should be back by now," Gwaine said gruffly, taking no steps to hide his obvious concern. Genevieve had revealed to him her plans to join the melee the next day, and now he was even more concerned that Merlin hadn't returned.
"I know," Gaius said shortly. He too was concerned that his nephew, who always seemed to be in trouble, hadn't returned.
"I'm going to see what's going on," Gwaine said as he stalked out of the room.
"Gwaine," Gaius said to an empty room.
Back in the guest chamber, the fake Sir Oswald threw a dagger just above Merlin's head. "I was just rearranging the bed clothes, that's all" Merlin protested as a second dagger came his way.
"You here that, Sir Ethan? He was just rearranging the bed clothes," the fake Sir Oswald said to his companion. Both men were still dressed for bed as they tormented Merlin, who was genuinely afraid for his life. The fake Sir Oswald delivered a third dagger towards Merlin.
"My mistake. He's not the snivelling thief I thought he was," the other man stated. Sir Oswald began to attack Merlin with a sword. Merlin dodged the incoming blade as it rang against the wood.
"I thought you might be cold!"
"Of course you did," the bandit condescendingly said, before taking another poorly aimed swing at Merlin, who once again dodged the incoming attack. Suddenly, Gwaine burst into the chamber.
"Is there a problem here?" He charmingly asked.
The main bandit turned to face Gwiane. "No," he said through gritted teeth. "Now, leave."
Gwaine ignored him. "You alright, Merlin?" He turned his focus on the magical servant, who was shaking his head and mouthing "No."
"I thought I told you to leave?" The bandit was clearly upset that Gwaine was ignoring his order to leave. He remembered Gwaine from the fight in the tavern and was unhappy to see him interfering again.
"I wasn't talking to you," Gwaine said smoothly as he moved closer to Merlin.
"How dare you speak to a knight like that!" The other bandit all but shouted before attacking the unarmed Gwaine. Gwaine quickly disarms the man, catching his sword, before the leader attacks him.
"Careful" Merlin calls out.
"Don't worry," Gwaine responds confidently. "I can handle this thug." Gwaine continues to fight the leader, clearly in control of the fight, until the fake Sir Ethan attacks him from behind. Gwaine, without missing a beat, knocks the other man down hard and is once again attacked from behind, this time by the leader. Merlin again gives a cry to Gwaine, this time to watch out, and Gwaine disarms his opponent.
Suddenly, Sir Leon enters the room. "What is going on?" He asks as he looks at the disarray. Gwaine turns to look at the knight and is backhanded to the floor by the fake Sir Oswald.
"This man attacked me!" He passionately cried. "I demand an audience with the King!"
The royal court was summoned, along with Genevieve and Arthur. Everyone entered into the council chamber, many upset to have been woken from pleasant dreams. Uther was pacing the chamber, displeased to have been woken up at such an hour, especially the night before the melee where both his children would be fighting.
Gwaine was brought before the council in shackles and roughly pushed to his knees. Genevieve gave a small cry of horror as she saw her fiance kneeling there. Arthur placed a restraining hand on his sister, not wanting to anger their father even more. "Sire, this man attacked me, with a sword, tried to kill me!" Sir Oswald loudly stated, much to the continued annoyance of the king.
"Is this true?" He asked the man shackled before him, his patience already thin from the fight he had with Genevieve earlier that day and the fact that he wanted to be in his bed sound asleep.
"I stepped in to protect Merlin," Gwaine calmly, and softly, stated, not focusing on the raging man in front of him, but on the woman who had his heart standing not too far away.
"I tried to talk to him. He was like a man possessed! I'm sure that Sir Ethan will back me up."
"Indeed, I can vouch for his every word," Sir Ethan stated.
"He's a liar!" Gwained roared as he attempted to stand up, only to be shoved back down. Arthur had to physically pull his sister back, her anger nearly causing her eyes to flash gold.
"I will have your tongue! How dare you speak to a knight that way?!" Uther roared back to the man.
"Nobility is defined by what you do, and not by who you are," Gwaine all but spat to the king. "And these men are anything but. They are arrogant thugs!"
"Gwaine," Arthur gently cautioned, bringing Gwaine's attention to Genevieve who was trying not to cry.
"Well, you see, Sire, how he behaves," Sir Oswald haughtily said, knowing that Gwaine had signed his own death warrant.
"I've heard enough. For a commoner to attack a nobleman is in violation of the Knight's Code." Uther walked around the room, his attention being grabbed by the tears threatening to fall down his daughter's cheeks. Why would she cry for this man? He wondered.
"I couldn't agree with you more, Sire. He must be made an example of."
"Sir Oswald, please," Arthur pleaded as he shielded his sister from the pair's view.
"Nothing less than his execution will give me satisfaction," Oswald said, hammering the final nail into Gwaine's coffin.
"Father," Arthur began to reason, not wanting to see the man who made his sister smile be executed. "I understand how this must look, it's an embarrassing situation. Sir Oswald is a dear friend, and our guest here in Camelot. But Gwaine is my guest, and Genevieve's guest, here, too. And he may not be of noble birth, but I can vouch that he has a noble heart." Genevieve had slowly been moving towards Gwaine during Arthur's impassioned speech.
"How can you say that when you see the way he behaves?" Uther questioned, his attention turned away from both Gwaine and Genevieve.
"Gwaine risked his life to save mine. I beg you, please, if a knight's word if his bond, then I give you my word. Gwaine is a good man. He deserves clemency."
Uther turned to face the man in question, noticing that his daughter had moved closer to him while Arthur was making his plea. "You are banished from Camelot," he decisively stated, ignoring the look from his heartbroken daughter. "If you ever return, you will pay for it with your life. You have until dawn to leave the city." Uther stalked away from the proceeding's, not noticing the tears finally fall on his daughter's face, or the satisfied smirk shared between Sirs Oswald and Ethan. All left the chamber, Genevieve being supported by Arthur, who was whispering to her that he would do everything he could to reverse their father's decision. Everything short of revealing the relationship between the two, that is.
After Gwaine quickly packed his belongings, he made his way to Genevieve's chamber, happy to see that there weren't any guards around to ask him what he was doing. He knocked gently at her door and was grateful that she was still awake and let him in. He rushed in and, closing the door behind him with a swift kick, began to kiss his love. Genevieve began crying again, begging Gwaine not to go, or, at the very least, let her go with him.
"Gen, we both know that Uther will never let you leave here again, especially to run away with a handsome fellow like myself. Besides, if we both go, who will protect Arthur when he is too stubborn to listen to Merlin? Genevieve let out a small laugh at those words. The tears had finally abated. Gwaine reached for a chain that was only visible to the two of them, gently drawing it out from where it was hidden in her dress. Around the simple chain was the simple band, her engagement band. It was a promise, and one that Gwaine had kept as best as he could. He began to cry this time, hating that he was about to leave Genevieve, after promising that he wouldn't. When Genevieve saw him crying, she began to kiss him with everything in her.
They spent the night together, alternating between cuddling together on the spacious bed and developing a plan to save Arthur during the melee in the morning. When they had finished devising their plan, Gwaine said good-bye to his love, promising to return, before leaving the castle, and heading to where a friendly servant girl lived, who should be willing to give him a place to stay until the melee was to begin.
Morning came all too quickly. Everyone excited, and a tiny bit apprehensive, for the melee that was about to begin. Uther visited Arthur before the event began, assuring both himself and Arthur that Arthur was ready for the melee. Uther didn't dare reveal to his son that Genevieve would be joining the battle, still hoping that she would change her mind and stay with him in the box.
The crowds were gathered, all ready to see the melee, which promised plenty of violence and the possibility of unintentional bloodshed. All those participating in the melee were getting ready, including two royals. Genevieve was prepared to do whatever it took to keep her brother alive, and bring honor to Gwaine.
Uther entered into the box, when Morgana was already seated. Gwen had filled her in on what had occurred the night before, and she was angry at Uther, yet again. She couldn't even look at the king as he signaled for the melee to begin. Mass chaos ensues. Riders are being thrown from their horse with a stunning quickness, many a knight is being felled by a cursed blade. Genevieve has no qualms about using magic in the melee to ensure that herself, and those she loved, returned safely. When all but four fighter had been eliminated, two of them began to target Arthur, ignoring the fact that there was still someone fighting. The two bandits began to circle Arthur and Genevieve, who had rushed over to defend her brother. Suddenly. Genevieve was hit, enough for her to be called as out. She left the arena, looking around desperately, as another knight came running into the arena, helping Arthur. They both fought against the two bandits, Arthur simply wishing to strike enough to end the battle, while the other fighter fought very aggressively. He stabbed one of the two opposing knights with the knights own cursed blade that he had caught after disarming him, and killed him much to the surprise of the crowd. The other knocked Arthur down and was going for the kill when the mysterious fighter blocked the blade and stabbed him, ending his life with another gasp from the crowd.
Arthur stood up, sword in hand, and faced the latecomer. "They'll expect us to fight to the end now," he said in between pants. Then, he removed his helmet, forfeiting with cheers in the background. "You fought bravely. The field is yours." He told the other knight, thankful that he had come when he did. The knight stuck his sword in the ground before lifting his visor. "I should've known." Gwaine removed his helmet. "Nobody fights like you do."
Gwaine turned to face the King's box, causing Uther to recognize him. "Guards, seize him!" Uther cried out.
"NO!" Came the feminine cry as Genevieve rushed back out to the arena, causing silence to reign over those gathered. Uther, surprised to see his daughter running out, began to turn red in the face. Arthur, seeing his father's reaction, quickly caught his sister, keeping her from running to Gwaine.
Uther and Gaius were standing over the bodies of Sirs Ethan and Oswald. Gaius knealt down to check for pulses. "Is there nothing you can do for them?" Uther asked.
"I'm sorry, it's too late for them," Gaius told his king.
"The prisoner is responsible for their deaths," he hissed to Arthur who had joined them after passing his sister off to Merlin and Isabel. "I want him executed immediately."
"You might want to wait before you pass judgement. I fear that," Gaius pulled the crystal from Ethan, "Sir Ethan," and repeated with Sir Oswald, "And Sir Oswald are not all that they seem." He removed their respective helmets, revealing their identities.
"Sorcery!" Uther barely breathed.
"And once again, I owe Gwaine my life," Arthur simply stated.
Uther and Arthur immediately rushed back to the council chamber to discuss what to do now, especially with the newly uncovered knowledge. They were surprised to find Genevieve already in there. "Leave us," she commanded all who had gathered. Soon, it was the three Pendragons all standing around. "Father," Genevieve began. "You will not execute Gwaine. You will rescind your previous judgement on him. He will be allowed to remain in Camelot." Her tone brokered no argument. Uther looked at his daughter in surprise.
"And why would I do that?" He questioned.
"Simple. You want me happy, right? The best way to do that is keep Gwiane here." She held out her hand for her father to examine, and when he saw the ring he nearly cried out with rage.
"I will not allow you to marry a commoner!" He yelled at her.
"Gwaine is not a commoner," she softly, but venomously, stated. "He is the son of a knight, and is therefore a member of the nobility. And, if you dare to even attempt to harm him, I will count it as an attack on me. So, do we have an agreement, Father?" Arthur watched the exchange with baited breath, hardly believing that his timid sister had the guts to stand up to their father.
Uther fumed, but realized that he couldn't do anything. His hands were tied. "Fine," he muttered before storming out of the council chamber. Arthur and Genevieve exchanged looks before running off to share the good news. Gwaine would be allowed to stay in Camelot, but his identity had been revealed.
When Arthur told Gwaine the result, Genevieve not able to because she couldn't stop hugging Gwaine, Gwiane wasn't upset or disappointed that Genevieve had told. She was a strong and fierce woman, and she would do whatever it took to defend those that she loves.