Merlin stared into the pouch of gold, eyebrows raised sceptically. "You want me to pay him off with this?"
Arthur, leaning against his desk with his arms crossed, smirked at his manservant's baffled expression. "Problem?"
Merlin held up a large gold coin, twice as thick as the common currency of the land and embossed with a dragon's head. "What kind of money is this? I've never seen this sort of coin before."
"You wouldn't have. It's part of the Pendragon hoard," Arthur informed him. "Minted upon my father's coronation and stashed away in the royal treasury ever since. A reserve fund, if you will."
"Won't this make Lucan suspicious?" Merlin asked. "He must know I can't have got this legally. It stands out!"
Arthur rolled his eyes. "That's the whole point. It needs to be easily traceable. He'll believe you stole it from me, which makes sense. We both know you've got enough access for that."
Merlin ducked his head a little, Arthur was gratified to see. A bad conscience would do the idiot good, make him think twice about keeping things from Arthur again.
"What makes you believe he'll use this? Won't he be afraid to get caught with it?" Merlin cautioned.
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "He's a gambler, one who's resorted to blackmail and frequenting an illegal den. I doubt he or anyone else will care what kinds of money he's bringing to the table, as long as it's worth something."
Merlin put the coin back into the purse and tied it up neatly. "So, just hand it over?"
"A bit of acting, if you please," drawled Arthur. "Make it convincing. You've just stolen official funds directly from the Crown to get him off your back. That's a capital offence, Merlin. We're talking treason, far worse even than nicking a couple of silvers from the Prince's personal moneybox."
"Right, sorry," Merlin murmured and Arthur almost felt bad for reminding him again. Almost.
"Yes, well," he said. "Just, don't make a mess of it. I'm counting on you to get this right."
Merlin's eyes sought out his. "I won't disappoint you, sire."
The again went without saying, and Arthur only just kept himself from reaching out and ruffling Merlin's hair. It shouldn't be so difficult to hold a bit of a grudge against one's fool of a manservant. He settled on a light punch for Merlin's shoulder instead. "You remember the meeting point?"
Merlin glared a little. "How could I possibly forget that alley?"
"Off you go, then," Arthur said and pushed Merlin towards the door. "Report back at once. I'll be awake. He might be tempted to gamble it away tonight."
Arthur settled down at his desk to work away at some letters, though he found himself repeatedly looking out of the window to track the moon slowly rising above the citadel towers. Finally, the midnight bell rang, telling Arthur Merlin would be meeting Lucan right about now.
Before long, Merlin had returned, walking in through the antechamber. "It's done," he said, but he looked pale, even in the low, flickering light of the candles.
"Everything went well?" Arthur asked with a frown.
"Yes. Got all kinds of excited about the gold. Called me a sneaky little bugger to have got my hands on it," Merlin reported.
"Told you he wouldn't mind," Arthur said but still, Merlin seemed oddly tense, considering their scheme had been a success so far. "Are you all right? Did he threaten you again?"
Merlin gave Arthur a weak smile. "Same old. Wants me to get more money until next month, or he'll show you proof of my sorcery."
Arthur huffed. "Well, that was only to be expected. Of course he'd want to milk you until the end. Yet another reason why you should have come to me at once instead of…" He made a waving motion, trying to encompass all that had happened.
"You're right," Merlin agreed, though he remained subdued as he made his excuses and left.
His attitude gave Arthur pause. Shouldn't Merlin be as relieved as Arthur that the secret was finally out and that he had nothing to fear? Arthur supposed it had been a trying time for Merlin, more so than for Arthur himself. Perhaps once Lucan was dealt with for good, Merlin would be back to his old self and they could put all of this behind them.
With the money planted on Lucan, it would only be a matter of time until the knight would go gambling again. Arthur had half-expected him to run off to the boarding house right away, but it was one night later that a guardsman knocked at Arthur's door, jolting him awake.
"It's time, my lord," came a muffled voice.
Arthur jumped from the bed already half-dressed, slipped into his boots, grabbed a cloak and his sword and made for the door.
In the courtyard, Leon was already waiting with a group of guards. Leon had hand-picked the lot, knowing they could keep their mouths shut and weren't in the habit of tipping off the likes of Lucan.
"Sire," Leon greeted him. "He's gone in. Your informant said he looked so eager to play he was all but rubbing his hands together."
"Good. Everyone prepared?" Arthur asked, eyeing the guards as he pulled on his gloves.
Leon inclined his head. "Ready when you are, sire."
They were off to the lower town a moment later. As they approached the boarding house, Arthur had some of the men split off to guard possible exit routes in case anyone went out the back or a window during the raid. On the opposite side of the building, a man was leaning against a wall, arms crossed. Arthur had to do a double take. Harlan had trimmed his beard and his long hair had been shaved off. He was wearing decent clothes now, including a warm cloak, undoubtedly thanks to Arthur's money. Arthur stepped closer, which had the man hurriedly abandon his pose for a lower-than-necessary bow.
"Harlan. Almost didn't recognise you," Arthur said good-naturedly, then grew more serious. "He's in there for sure?"
"Aye, m'lord," Harlan confirmed. "Didn't take my eyes off 'cept to go tell 'em guards about him."
Arthur nodded, then gave Leon the signal to start the raid.
They didn't bother knocking. Without warning, eight guards, along with Leon, entered the boarding house. Arthur's hands twitched towards his own sword. He dearly wanted to join in as he heard the commotion and sounds of a struggle from the inside, but they had decided against it. Instead, Arthur was waiting outside, eyes alert as the guards finally started to escort out whom they had found gambling in the cellar: two men dressed like merchants, a well-off freeman, three dubious-faced ruffians who might very well be bandits or raiders, a man whose pointless pleas for mercy revealed him to be the owner of the establishment and, finally, Lucan, who was led out by Leon.
Lucan was arguing with Leon as he was pushed past the entrance, beseeching the First Knight to sweep the whole thing under the table out of some sense of knightly brotherhood. He immediately snapped his mouth shut when he recognised Arthur, however. The Prince suppressed a triumphant smirk, aiming for an air of grim disapproval instead.
"Sir Lucan," he said sternly. "A knight of Camelot? Gambling in this sort of establishment?" Lucan averted his eyes, embarrassed, and curved his back in an apologetic sort of bow. "Leon, relieve the man of his weapon for the time being and bring him to the dungeons with the rest of them."
"The dungeons?" Lucan exclaimed, though he didn't put up a fight when Leon removed the sword from his belt. "Sire, on what grounds?"
"Anyone connected to this establishment is to be held overnight, nobleman or not," Arthur told him.
"Your Highness, surely, if you'd let me explain—"
"You'll explain yourself to the King, come tomorrow," Arthur dismissed him coolly.
Lucan was smart enough to keep his mouth shut from that point on.
"He used the gold?" Arthur murmured into Leon's ear as one of the guards lead Lucan away.
Leon nodded. "Found a couple of coins on the table already." He discreetly showed them to Arthur, then led the guards and their prisoners up to the castle. The other patrons were looking anything between angry (the ruffians), disgruntled (the merchants) and scared (the owner), though all of them ducked their heads and stayed silent when they realised the Prince was handling the matter personally.
Arthur went to thank Harlan, then followed, watching Lucan hang his head as he was led into the citadel and directly to the dungeons. Arthur would have loved to let the man stew there for a couple of nights out of sheer malice, but a nobleman had the right to address the King in a timely fashion.
The next day, when Uther was holding court in the grand throne room, Lucan was brought up from the dungeons, rumpled-looking and unwashed but none the worse for wear. Arthur had come prepared, with both a pale Merlin and an apprehensive-looking Gareth waiting amongst the crowd.
As Lucan was brought before the King by Leon, Arthur stepped down from his place on the dais to address his father from the floor.
"Your Majesty," he said. "Last night, I had Sir Leon lead a raid on a gambling den in the lower town. Among the patrons of this establishment, we found Sir Lucan."
Lucan – a nobleman currently uncharged of any serious crime – was not in chains or on his knees, but had come to stand before the throne, fingers laced loosely behind his back, looking embarrassed rather than worried.
"What say you, Sir Lucan?" Uther addressed the knight.
"Your Majesty," Lucan replied, bowing his head respectfully. "It is true. I was there last night, playing cards. It is, I must admit, a weakness of mine." He looked appropriately shame-faced at this admission and the members of the court murmured their disapproval.
"Conduct unbecoming of a knight of Camelot, no doubt," said Uther, but Arthur heard what he didn't say. Unbecoming, but not necessarily a matter to be brought before the King.
Arthur's cue. "Sire, I must regrettably inform you that the issue runs far deeper than that." The hall hushed, all eyes turning on him. "It has come to my attention that Sir Lucan has resorted to blackmail and threats to fund his addiction to gambling."
Lucan's eyes went wide, but he didn't speak up. Meanwhile, Uther had leaned forward in interest.
"I know of at least two people Sir Lucan has been extorting for money for several weeks. His squire, Gareth of Nemhain—" Gareth stepped forward, bowing nervously before the King. "—as well as my own manservant, Merlin." Merlin left his usual spot at Gaius's side, bowed low and made to stand a step behind Gareth, as was proper. From the shocked look on Gaius's face, the physician hadn't known about Merlin's troubles. "Both have confided in me."
Lucan turned his head to stare at them both. His mouth became a tight line when he realised Arthur knew more than he had led on last night. Undoubtedly, he was already racking his brain, trying to come up with a defence.
"These are serious accusations," said Uther. "Squire, what do you have to say?"
In front of the crowd of staring and whispering courtiers, Gareth gave a quick recount of all that he had told Arthur. Merlin, in contrast, only confirmed he had also been threatened, knowing as well as Arthur did that his word bore little weight here, and understandably unwilling to mention accusations of sorcery in front of the King if it could be avoided.
"Your Majesty," Lucan spoke up when Merlin had finished. "As much as I respect the Prince, these allegations rely entirely on the testimony of a wayward squire and a commoner." He glared at Gareth for good measure. "Young Gareth here is clearly trying to save his neck, knowing that I was about to approach Your Majesty about his terrible misconduct. The boy isn't fit to be a knight. As for the servant, I don't know what the fool is talking about."
Uther turned towards Arthur expectantly. "You have further evidence, I hope?"
"I do," Arthur confirmed. "As Your Majesty will see, the patrons of the gambling den were handling rather unusual currency last night." He gestured at Leon. "Sir Leon, could you show the King what you found?"
Leon nodded and reached into his pocket. "These coins were found on location and promptly confiscated, Your Majesty."
The knight handed the money to Uther, who held up one of the thick, gleaming coins for inspection. "This is Pendragon hoard coin," he informed the court with a frown. The crowd promptly broke out in murmurs.
Arthur looked at Lucan, who had started to shuffle nervously on the spot. "Sir Leon, would you relieve Sir Lucan of his purse?"
Leon stepped forward. Lucan tensed and for a moment, it looked like he would put up a fight, but then he let Leon remove his purse and hand it to the King as well. Uther opened the pouch and removed a gold coin. His face darkened. "Sir Lucan," he growled, causing another stir amongst the courtiers. "How did you get your hands on money that is supposed to be locked away at the royal treasury?"
Sir Lucan went pale behind his beard. "Your Majesty— I—" he stammered.
Arthur would have loved to see him squirm some more, but wanted the matter dealt with. "Sire," he intercepted. "After hearing about Sir Lucan's extortion, I asked my manservant Merlin to play along and pay Sir Lucan off with gold I had personally retrieved from the royal treasury. Money that is quite distinct and thus easily traced back."
Arthur turned a little, making a show of addressing the court at large. "There is no valid reason why Sir Lucan should carry this kind of money. It's either he stole the coins himself, or he accepted them from Merlin's hands." Over the rising murmurs of the courtiers, Arthur announced, "This proves beyond a doubt that Sir Lucan has indeed stooped to blackmail."
Uther nodded gravely, handing back the pouch to Leon.
Meanwhile, Lucan's eyes had gone wide and beseeching, fixed on the King. "Sire, I—" he spoke up, but Uther held up a hand and he promptly fell silent.
"Sir Lucan, I can hardly believe it," he said, his voice hard and merciless. "Blackmail? Extorting your own squire? Have you got no honour?" He paused and it was clear only his glare was still keeping the fidgeting Lucan quiet. "The Knight's Code is clear on this matter. Gambling is a weakness I could have excused. But extortion? Lying to your King before the entire court?"
"Your Majesty, please," Lucan finally dared to intercept. "I'm entirely innocent in all of this! This must be the boy's doing!" He pointed at Merlin, who stiffened on the spot. "Sire, that servant is a sorcerer. I know this for a fact. He must have bewitched the Prince and hexed those coins into my purse! I admit to being a gambler, but I never blackmailed anybody and I didn't bring that money to the table, either, I swear it!"
Unbelievable, Arthur thought. Lucan was not going down without a fight and Merlin, the fool, didn't even speak up to defend himself, but had resorted to staring at his feet.
Arthur, however, had him covered. "Please, spare us your tales," he scoffed. "I have investigated this matter thoroughly and there is no doubt that you are guilty. Sir Leon vouched for it as well. Has he been bewitched by Merlin, too? Your squire as well? There is no sorcery involved and you know it!"
"I have proof for his sorcery, my lords!" Lucan insisted, eyes flying between Arthur and Uther. "I swear it on my honour! Let me take you to my chambers—"
"If," Arthur interrupted, "you did indeed have proof that my manservant is a sorcerer, it would have been your duty to come to the King or I with that information at once!" Lucan opened his mouth to reply something, but Arthur talked right over him, addressing his father, "Your Majesty, he's trying to make a fool of all of us, lying to our faces to try and save his skin. Why didn't he speak up at once? Why not during Merlin's testimony?" He looked at Merlin, who was still ducking his head. "My servant isn't a sorcerer; we've heard those kinds of baseless accusations against him before. He's been nothing but loyal to Camelot and I, as Crown Prince, personally vouch for his integrity and good character."
Fortunately, Uther seemed to agree. He didn't even spare Merlin a look, once more addressing Lucan.
"The Prince is right. You should have accepted my judgment with the humility and remorse befitting a nobleman, instead of adding even more lies," he said, voice filled with nothing but disdain. "You are no longer fit to call yourself a knight of Camelot. You are to be stripped of your title and banished from this court, effective immediately. I won't have you sully these halls for longer, either. You shall be escorted from the city this instant. You will be allowed the use of your horse so you can return to your family's estate, where you will undoubtedly be received in disgrace. Any belongings remaining within the castle will be sent after you." He waved at the door. "Guards!"
Lucan sank to his knees. "Your Majesty, please, I swear I can prove my innocence!" But two guards had already stepped forward and he was dragged from the throne room under the scandalised eyes of Camelot's courtiers and petitioners.
"An unfortunate matter. Let it be a lesson to us all!" Uther announced to the court at large.
"What would you have us do with the owner and other patrons of the gambling house, sire?" asked Leon.
"The establishment has proven to be disruptive enough to tempt a sworn knight into addiction and turn him into a liar and blackmailer," Uther replied. "Have the owner flogged and banished from the city. Fine the patrons and put them in the stocks to make an example of them."
"What of Gareth, sire?" asked Arthur.
"A new knight will be appointed to train him in due time after consulting with the boy's family." Uther looked at Gareth. "Squire, it's a shame your training so far has been conducted by a dishonourable man. Sir Leon, as First Knight, will see to you for the foreseeable future until other arrangements have been made."
With the whole matter satisfactorily resolved, Arthur stepped back onto the dais to sit at his father's side and hear petitioners. From his seat, he let his eyes wander, looking for Merlin. He wanted to enjoy the servant's relief and throw him a told-you-all-will-be-fine-you-idiot look in return. But Merlin hadn't returned to Gaius's side. In fact, he was nowhere to be seen for the rest of the day's hearings.
Arthur later found him in his chambers, scrubbing the floors.
"There you are!" he exclaimed. "Where did you leave to so quickly after the hearing? Making sure Lucan was escorted from the city?"
"Someone told me to muck the stables as punishment," Merlin muttered towards the floor.
Arthur laughed. "Well-deserved punishment, too. I hope you learned your lesson, you great oaf. Next time you're in trouble, tell me at once. I will take care of it." He pointedly nudged Merlin's leg with a boot as he passed him. "Understood?"
"Yes, sire," Merlin sighed and went back to scrubbing. More quietly, he added, "No need to be such a supercilious prat about it."
Ah, there's the cheek! Arthur thought with some satisfaction and sat down at his desk, putting up his feet and crossing his arms behind his head. "You really ought to thank me, Merlin."
"I will start thanking you if you stop walking over my freshly washed floors with your dirty boots!" Merlin told him with a glare.
Arthur grinned back at him. Yes, normalcy was returning already. Before long, they would have put the Incident at rest, too, and things would be as they had always been.
"You're right though," Merlin added, and the bite had disappeared from his voice. He had straightened up a bit to sit back on his heels and was looking up at Arthur from the floor, clutching the brush in his lap. "Thank you for taking Lucan down, Arthur. I know you went out of your way to help me and I'm more than grateful for that. I mean it."
Arthur waved his hand at him, suddenly uncomfortable in the face of Merlin's sincere gratitude. "Don't flatter yourself. I didn't do it just for you. We can't have a man like that among the knights."
"Of course not, sire," said Merlin drily, but threw him another grateful look all the same before going back to his scrubbing.
For the rest of the day, Arthur found himself in a fantastic mood, only enhanced by the plentiful dinner – consisting entirely of Arthur's favourites – which Merlin served him that night, and the hot, pleasant-smelling bath he got drawn on top. A grateful Merlin made for a fantastic manservant!
However, long after Arthur had climbed into bed that night, he found himself tossing and turning, filled with a sudden, inexplicable sense of unrest. An insistent voice at the back of his mind didn't let him fall asleep, telling him that things didn't quite add up. He let the day's events pass through his mind once more. Finally, he frowned, got up and dressed himself again.
It was a hunch. Perhaps he was completely wrong about this. But his gut feelings and inklings had served him well in his dealings with Lucan and Merlin this far, hadn't they?
He would go and investigate just one more time. Just to make sure he really had this all figured out.