A/N: So here it is. The last part of Valiant. I've got a baby schedule/deadline in mind so it shouldn't take as long to get from update to update to update to update...to update.
Random bit of sharing time. I have plans to post like song lyrics with a chapter or possibly make a playlist and be like 'Hey go listen to this for this chapter to get a whole bunch of feels'. But all the songs I have planned are related to well...things that will come many chapters for now. Anyway I just felt like sharing that...I am really digging the Bastille album. It's fabulous. I've listened to obviously Pompeii and Things We Lost in the Fire, both of which give me Merlin feels, and I recently heard Laughter Lines on an 8tracks Merlin playlist. So I figured I'd just give the whole album a listen through. But seriously. This album. This. Album. It is amazing and 99% of the songs I can correlate to my lovely characters in some way. So. Look forward to seeing them in the future in this fanfic.
Sorry. Long story time. So anyways, the chapter. Read, review, and enjoy! Next update to come soon! *fingers crossed*
Valiant: Part 3
The mood in the chambers was tense when Adrielle arrived. She had a terrible feeling that nothing was going as planned.
"Let me see the shield," the King commanded. Valiant picked up his shield and held it out in front of him. Merlin, who was near the front at Arthur's side, leaned in and whispered something to his master.
"Be careful, my lord," Arthur said warningly as he drew his sword. The King looked over the shield, let his fingers glide over the images of the snakes, and yet nothing happened.
"Merlin," Adrielle called out quietly. She could see her brother growing concerned and fidgety at Arthur's side. Both men turned to look at the young girl who stood nervously in the council chambers.
"We need Ewan. Find out what's happened," Arthur whispered to Merlin. He nodded and moved to where his sister stood.
"What is it, Adrielle? Where's Ewan?" Merlin asked.
"He's dead," Adrielle sighed.
"What? How? Did the antidote not work?" Merlin continued, his voice hushed but becoming more urgent.
"No, it worked beautifully. Ewan was alive and well. He was recovering brilliantly. Gaius went out to get herbs to help Ewan get back on his feet and I went out to fetch him some fresh water. One of the snakes must have followed us back. I was gone nearly thirty seconds and when I come back the snake had bitten him again! I tried to give Ewan some more antidote but nothing worked. The second dose of venom must have been too strong for his body to take. It killed him instantly," Adrielle recounted quietly. Her voice was quiet and fast.
Merlin stared at his sister for a second before folding his face in his hands.
"You absolutely sure he's dead?" Merlin asked once more, hopeful that there had been some sort of mistake.
"Positive. I checked for a pulse myself; nothing. I'm sure Gaius would have stormed in here by now had I been wrong," Adrielle confirmed. "I'm so sorry."
"What are we going to do now? Curing Ewan was our only foolproof way to convince the King. He's never going to believe us now," Merlin sighed. The two twins pulled their bottom lip in to chew on it almost in unison.
"Where is this witness?" the King asked. Adrielle met her brother's
"He should…be here," Arthur stalled. He turned to look at his servant and Adrielle, both of whom shared similar looks of disappointment. Arthur turned and quickly made his way to the twins.
"Where's Ewan?" Arthur pressed. Adrielle looked from Arthur back to her brother. She wasn't sure why, but she just didn't have the heart to break it to Arthur. By some miracle he had trusted Merlin on his word alone, possibly the abnormally large snake head too, and he had let him down. We let him down, Adrielle thought. It was their shared destiny to protect Arthur and they had both let him down.
Adrielle looked at Arthur quickly before averting her eyes to the ground. She shook her head miserably.
"He's dead," Merlin said disheartened. Adrielle looked back up to see the light and fire fade from Arthur's eyes.
"I'm waiting!" Uther ordered. Arthur glanced at the siblings before turning back around to face the court. He could feel his confidence draining through his body and pooling around his feet. He approached his father slowly before speaking.
"I'm afraid the witness is dead."
"So you have no proof to support these allegations? Have you seen Valiant using magic?" the King demanded. Arthur fumbled for a second to find words.
"No, but my servant fought one of the snakes-"
"Your servant?"
"His sister was also there as a witness!"
"You make the outrageous accusations based on the words of your servant and his sister! You take the word of two commoners over the word of a knight!" Uther blared. Adrielle could see the base of his neck growing redder and redder.
"I believe they are telling the truth," Arthur cried.
"My Lord, am I really to be judged on some hearsay from a boy and his sister?" Valiant sneered.
"I've seen those snakes come alive!" Merlin interjected, taking a step forward.
"Merlin," Adrielle warned.
"How dare you interrupt us!" the King screeched. "Guards!" Two guards marched forward and grabbed a hold of Merlin's arm and began to drag him away.
"Please, my Lord, what he says is true," Adrielle said despite the nervous shake her vocal chords gave.
"Hold your tongue girl or I will have it cut out for you," Uther snarled, turning his attention to the young girl. Adrielle shrunk back into the crowd and ducked her head down. She couldn't let Arthur be killed at the hand of this snake, but what was she to do now? They had no evidence that the King would believe and Merlin was being dragged off into the dungeons. Adrielle couldn't help but feel nearly two feet tall as the King berated her and her brother.
"My lord," Valiant interjected. The King held up his hand to halt the guards. "I'm sure the boy and girl were merely mistaken. I'd hate for them to be punished on my account."
"You see?" The King said, speaking directly to Arthur now. "This is how a true knight behaves. With honor and gallantry." The colour seemed to slowly drain from Arthur's face. Adrielle wasn't sure if she was good at catching the subtle change or if it was just that obvious. A muscle in Arthur's jaw twitched and then tensed.
"My Lord, if your son made these accusations because he's afraid to fight me then I will gladly accept his withdrawal."
"Is this true?" the King asked, astonished. He would never believe his son to act in such a cowardly way. Another muscle in Arthur's face twitched.
"No!" Arthur objected angrily.
"Then what am I to make of these allegations?" Uther roared, still staring hard at his son. Arthur swallowed hard and hesitated a moment trying to regain a solid composure. He looked around the council chambers once; at Morgana and Gwen, at his father and Valiant, at Merlin and the guards, and lastly Adrielle.
"Obviously there has been a mistake," Arthur started slowly. "I…I withdraw the allegations against Knight Valiant. Please accept my apology."
"Accepted."
Arthur re-sheathed his sword and made his way quickly to the door, making sure to grab Merlin by his jacket on the way out.
~xx~
Adrielle didn't follow after Merlin and Arthur to wait for them nor did she go back to her chambers. She wasn't sure if Gaius had removed Sir Ewan's body or not yet, but it didn't matter. She didn't want to sit in that room right now. Adrielle had never experienced this sort of disappointment, this level of being let down before. She was at a dead end and couldn't find another way out. There had been so much tension building up to this point. The tournament and Knight Valiant's victories, Merlin discovering Valiant wasn't all that he seemed. They thought they had all the evidence they needed, but they were really just grasping around for proof. And what for? The few strands they had managed to grasp slipped through their fingers without much of a fight and now they had nothing.
Adrielle was sitting on one of the sets of stairs within the citadel when felt a gentle presence sit beside her, followed by Gwen's soft voice.
"Hello, Adrielle."
"Hi, Gwen," Adrielle responded.
"Is what Merlin said about Valiant true? Is he really using magic?" Gwen asked in disbelief. Adrielle nodded in confirmation. It even seemed to baffle Adrielle. "I can't believe it."
"I know, I can hardly believe it and I've seen it first hand,"Adrielle responded. She pulled her knees to her chest, rested her arms on her knees, and her head on her arms. She had to admit, it was a crazy accusation to make.
"What are you going to do?"
Adrielle let out a soft chortle. "Why is it me who has to do something about it?"
"Well, someone has to. Either you or Merlin or the pair of you. You're the only two who have actually seen Valiant using magic. If someone can't stop him before tomorrow well..." Gwen started. She trailed off unable to finish her own sentence.
"Arthur will die."
Even as Adrielle said it her voice sounded distant from herself. Arthur had said it himself only yesterday; most people wouldn't show him any special treatment in the arena, mainly because they wanted him dead. She absentmindedly wondered how often these things happened to Arthur. How often did people impersonate as someone they really were not just to get close enough to Arthur to kill him? And how often was magic involved? Maybe that was the reason King Uther despised magic so much. Maybe someone with magic used it against either him or his son, threatening their lives. There must have been something that set him off.
"I'm sure you'll think of something, Adrielle," Gwen said, touching Adrielle's shoulder softly. "I'm afraid I must attend to Lady Morgana. Good luck, Adrielle, I'll see you later." Gwen stood and ascended the stairs once more.
Adrielle was left to her thoughts once more. It had seemed hard enough before to come up with a solution for unmasking Valiant, so to say, the first time. Now that their plan involving Sir Ewan was out their task seemed almost inevitable impossible. They had to do something to save Arthur; it was their destiny after all.
Another body came and sat down next her on the steps, this time it was Merlin.
"How are you then?" Adrielle asked. She had an idea of how his response would go. She could see his foul mood on his face.
"Just great. Arthur says he was a fool to trust me, he's sacked me, I tried to go to the dragon for help but he was useless. Just gave me another riddle that makes absolutely no sense," Merlin sighed resentfully.
"Lovely," Adrielle said. "What are we going to do?"
"We? What do you mean we?"
"I mean you and I, numskull. We have to do something to fix this."
"Why does it have to come down to us?"
"Because it does! It's part of our destiny! We have to show everybody that we were right and they were wrong."
"Right, our destinies," Merlin mocked. "Whatever the dragon said about our destinies is rubbish. How can we save somebody who hates the pair of us? Every time I try and ask him for help he just answers with another riddle!"
"So our destinies are riddles, wrapped inside mysteries, inside of enigmas. We could spend our entire lives trying to figure out logically what we're suppose to do and while we're off pondering all day enemies will sneak in and try to kill Arthur. Whatever our mystical destinies are I know one thing; it's to save Arthur. I can't give you more explanation than that, I'm sorry. Our gifts are to help us save Arthur," Adrielle preached.
"That was a brilliant speech but how do we use our gifts to save Arthur?" Merlin cornered. Adrielle slumped back down into her arms.
"I don't know. You're the one who's had the most time with that book. You must have seen something that could help," Adrielle replied. She watched as Merlin scanned the courtyard trying to rack his brain for something that would be helpful. His eyes narrowed on an object behind Adrielle as an idea came to him.
"Actually, I think I might have an idea," he said, standing up slowly, eyes still focused behind his sister. He hurried over to a dog statue that stood behind her. Merlin wrapped his arms around the middle of the statue and struggled to lift it. "Do you have a wheelbarrow?"
"Did you see me carrying a wheelbarrow when we came here just a week ago? No, I haven't got a wheelbarrow. Merlin, what are you on about? What's this idea of yours?" Adrielle questioned.
"Help me carry this," Merlin said, pointing to the statue, "and I'll tell you when we get back to our room." Adrielle stared at her brother a moment before joining him at the statue. The two groaned and struggled to lift the bulky statue. After a few minutes of arguing and complaining the two siblings reached a compromise and were able to lift the statue and shuffle their way towards their chambers.
~xx~
By the time they had reached their chambers, Adrielle's body felt like it was on fire. With Merlin's cooperation they had been able to lift the statue without much trouble, but having to carry it halfway across the castle was the real challenge. The muscles in her arms, shoulders, lower back, and legs all burned and ached from excess strain. They set the statue down in the corner of their shared bedroom by Adrielle's bed. She sighed with relief and collapsed onto her bed.
"Now what is your genius plan?" Adrielle gasped. She watched Merlin pull out the magic book and starting flipping through the pages.
"We're going to let everyone see the snakes for themselves," Merlin said, eyes still focused on the pages he was flipping through.
"And how exactly does our magic come into effect here?"
"I think I remember seeing something," Merlin started. "Aha! Here it is! The animation spell! If we can animate the snakes ourselves without anyone knowing, then we'll be able to expose Valiant ourselves!"
"And save Arthur!" Adrielle added.
"Yeah, yeah," Merlin acknowledged. "Okay, I found it. The spell is berbay odothay arisan cwicum." Merlin and Adrielle looked up at the dog expectantly.
Nothing.
"Here let me try," Adrielle said. She peeled herself off of her bed and sat back down next to Merlin. "Berbay odothay arisan cwicum."
Again, nothing happened.
"Maybe we just need a little practice," Adrielle suggested.
For what seemed like hours the twins sat on the bed and took turns reciting the animation spell with no success. They tried pronouncing it differently, changing how they stressed the words, changing the tone in their voice. Nothing they did seemed to work. The only thing that changed were their moods. As the night came and progressed the twins only became grouchier and more restless.
"This is hopeless," Adrielle sighed, letting her face fall forward so she was laying face first on Merlin's bed. Long ago Adrielle had changed out of her dress into her trousers and tunic to sleep in. For some reason she had anticipated mastering this spell before they retired for the night. She had at least imagined learning it! The dog was still a stone statue and had refused to yield at all.
"We just need a little more practice, that's all," Merlin said. Although he tried to say it in a positive light, Adrielle could still hear the frustration in his voice. Adrielle let her body relax as she lied on the bed. Her muscles were still sore from carrying that statue. They were supposed to be these great big sorcerers with an enormous destiny riding on their shoulders, but they couldn't even manage a simple animation spell. She didn't actually know if it was an easy spell for someone at their level to master, but you would think with two people practicing it something would have happened by now. She racked her brain once more for any other sort of solution to this problem. She had an anxious feeling that this plan wasn't going to work out well.
Adrielle sat up suddenly, a thought striking her, and headed towards her cupboard.
"What are you doing?" Merlin asked.
"I'm going to go try and talk to Arthur. See if I can convince him to drop out of the tournament," she answered. She pulled out a simple dark cloak and threw it around her shoulders, tying it at her neck.
"He's not going to listen," Merlin nagged.
"I have to try. We might not be able to master this animation spell in time. It's the only other option." Adrielle pulled her hair back so it was behind her shoulders and pulled the hood up over her head.
The walk to Arthur's chambers was short and quick. Maybe it was her black cloak that made her feel swift. She seemed to disappear into the shadows and move within them. When she reached his door it was open. She paused in the doorway and watched as Arthur stood pensive in front of the blazing fire. He glanced up shortly when he noticed her presence.
"I thought I told you to get out of my sight," he snapped halfheartedly. His gaze had returned back to the flames that burned before him.
Adrielle furrowed her eyebrows at him, confused. She realized suddenly that her given appearance probably closely resembled that of Merlin's. She was wearing her male clothing, the hood of her cloak shielded her face, and her hair was still pulled back behind her face. She sighed as she pulled her hood down and revealed that she was not her brother.
Arthur watched as the person he thought to be Merlin pulled down their hood and suddenly transformed into a woman. He recognized Adrielle as her dark locks came flowing out from underneath her hood. It was strange to see her in a man's attire. Her dark cape had disguised her pleasant features perfectly. He might not have even known it was her until she spoke.
"What are you doing here, Adrielle?" Arthur asked his voice much more civil now.
"You can't compete tomorrow," she said taking a step out of the doorway and into Arthur's room.
"Did Merlin put you up to this?" Arthur scoffed.
"No, he didn't. In fact he doesn't think you'll listen to me."
"Looks like he finally got something right," Arthur said a bit bitterly.
"Arthur, you can't compete tomorrow," she repeated. She took a couple steps into the room until she stood almost right next to Arthur. "If you fight against Valiant tomorrow he will use the shield against you and… and kill you."
"I know," Arthur said with a deep breath.
"Then withdraw! You have to withdraw," Adrielle pleaded.
"Don't you understand? I can't! The people expect their prince to fight. How can I lead men into battle if they think I'm a coward?"
"Arthur," Adrielle continued. "If you fight you'll die. How can you lead men into battle if you're dead?"
"If I die then I die," Arthur said almost calmly. He looked over at her and their eyes met once again. Adrielle could see the struggle within him clearly. He honestly did know the dangers he would face tomorrow in the arena. He knew that there was a very good chance he wouldn't walk out of there alive, and yet he found a way to compose himself for the most part. It baffled Adrielle. She felt like she wore her heart on her sleeve. Every emotion she encountered showed on her face and in her personality like she were an open book for everyone to read.
"How can you go out there and fight like that? Knowing what's going to happen in the end?" she asked seriously.
"I didn't know you cared so much, Adrielle," Arthur joked lightly.
"Don't flatter yourself, sire," she retorted flatly.
"I have to go out there, it's my duty," he said softly. "Who knows? Perhaps I'll be able to take down Valiant before his snakes have a chance to finish me off." He tried to keep the mood lighthearted but was unsuccessful.
"Perhaps," Adrielle whispered. She noticed Arthur's clear blue eyes were still focused on hers and felt a shiver run the course of her body. She swallowed hard before placing what she thought to be a comforting hand on Arthur's upper arm.
"I'm sure you'll be fine tomorrow. I've watched you, you're a skilled fighter. Valiant...he's no match for you. Good luck and be careful." Adrielle pulled her hand away quickly, suddenly wondering if it was proper etiquette for her to just touch him like that. She ducked her head and nodded before pulling her hood back up and leaving.
"Adrielle," Arthur said suddenly before she could exit through the door. "It's disturbing how much you looked like you brother when you came in." Adrielle felt her lips quirk up slowly to form a soft but sincere smile.
"I'll try to keep that in mind," she replied. "Goodnight, my lord."
Arthur watched as the girl turned back around and exited his room. He hadn't moved his body the entire time she was in there. He could still feel the spot on his arm where Adrielle had touched him. She had surprised him at first; he hadn't expected either her or her brother to come to him and talk him out of competing. He hadn't expected Adrielle to get so worked up about his life being in jeopardy. She would never admit it, especially not to him, the prince, but she was genuinely worried about his well being. Arthur couldn't seem to figure out why though. Sure his subjects came to care for their prince and grew a sort of attachment to him, but that generally was gradual. Both Adrielle and Merlin had only been in Camelot for a week or two and yet they seemed to show more loyal compassion for Arthur than many of the people who had grown up in Camelot.
~xx~
Neither Adrielle nor Merlin got much sleep that night. They stayed up for as long as they could trying their hardest to master the animation spell. At some point during the long night Adrielle had drifted off to sleep. The two were seated on the floor in front of the still solid stone statue. Adrielle's head rested on her brother's shoulder while Merlin continued to desperately recite the spell. Adrielle was jolted from her deep sleep as a wet tongue came sliding across her cheek.
"Ugh, Merlin, what do you think you're doing?" she groaned disgustedly. She brought her hand up to her face and wiped it clean.
"What are you talking about?" Merlin asked. He too was about to fall asleep. The magic book laid open on his lap while his head slowly came to rest on top of his sisters. Another slobbery kiss came streaking across her face.
"Seriously, Merlin, stop!" she cried, eyes still shut tight. "You're being obnoxious."
"I'm not...doing...anything," Merlin sighed. Hot, wet breath came blasting into her face. Ugh, she groaned internally. Merlin you really need to brush your teeth more often. Suddenly something in front of her barked sending fresh slobber onto her cheek. Both siblings woke up abruptly and were face to face with a real, live, breathing Rottweiler.
"Oh my gosh! Merlin!" Adrielle cried happily. "You did it!" The twins looked at each other, bright grins plastered on their faces. They hugged each other happily before turning their attention back to the dog.
"I did it!" Merlin repeated, still astonished.
"Come on! We have to go now! The tournament is due to start soon!" Adrielle cried while jumping to her feet. The dog wagged his tail and jumped up with her putting his front paws on her thighs.
"You stay here. You can't go out like that, you're not wearing proper clothes!" Merlin criticized. "There's not enough time for you to put on a dress."
"No! I'm not gonna just sit here and wait for things to maybe go wrong. I'll just put my cloak back on and no one will notice. If I pull my hair back right they'll just think I'm another boy. Now come on!"
Adrielle pulled her cloak on quickly and tied her hair back. The pair bolted from the room, making sure to trap the dog in their room. The dog, sad that he could not join his new friends, began to whine and eventually bark desperately. The trek to the tournament grounds wasn't too lengthy, but with time being of the essence combined with their sprint it seemed to take twice as long. When they reached the grounds, panting and out of breath, the final round was already in place.
Both knights fought with renewed ferocity. Arthur, despite having accepted the fact that his death was likely, would not go down quietly without a fight. Valiant, on the other, was furious that the simple minded siblings had found him out. He had no idea how. He assumed it was that nosy servant boy of Arthur's, Merlin, that was to blame. He had been snooping around where he shouldn't. Valiant should have taken care of him when he had the chance. He would not make that mistake again. When he moment was right he would take out that snarky Prince Arthur. He would die and no one would suspect magic was the cause.
Arthur and Valiant were equally matched in skill. They matched each other blow for blow. When one would advance the other would recoil. Arthur was able to sneak in a blow and knock Valiant's helmet clean off. Valiant backed up to regain himself while pulling off his mail coif. The crowd cheered as Arthur discarded his own helmet and pulled down his coif as well.
Valiant was the first to strike this time. He slammed his foot down onto Arthur's to distract him while he used his shield to punch Arthur in the face. The crowd gasped as their prince fell to the ground. Valiant stepped on Arthur's shield to pin him to the ground so he could deliver his final blow. Arthur struck Valiant's shield with his sword and rolled out of the way just as Valiant's sword came slamming into the ground, striking just where Arthur had been. Arthur quickly stood up and tried to regain his balance but Valiant came at him too fast. Valiant disarmed Arthur and shoved him against the wall, pinning him there with his shield. Adrielle gasped and clutched onto Merlin's arm as Valiant pressed his shield closer to Arthur's neck. Arthur brought his knee up sharp into Valiant's side and was able to push him far away from himself.
When Valiant was a good distance from Arthur Adrielle tugged on her brother's arm and whispered a hasty 'Now!'. Merlin stuck his hand out and quietly enchanted Berbay odothay arisan cwicum. In an instant the two remaining snakes sprung to life from Valiant's shield. Everyone apart of Merlin and Adrielle looked shocked to see the knight using magic. Valiant, on the other hand, was confused as to why his pets were attacking.
"What are you doing? I didn't summon you!" Valiant hissed angrily.
"And now everyone can see you for what you really are," Arthur said proudly. Valiant looked at Arthur and smirked.
"Kill him," he commanded. The snakes obeyed and slithered out from his shield onto the ground towards Arthur. They hissed menacingly and struck at him.
"Merlin!" Adrielle shrieked suddenly. "What do we do? We didn't plan this far ahead?" The pair of twins looked around hurriedly and tried to rack their brains for a solution. They had succeeded in revealing the snakes and proving that Valiant was using magic to cheat, but they had been foolish to believe that he would simply give up the competition and turn himself in. His main goal was to kill Arthur. It mattered not if he ended up in prison or dead as long as Arthur was exterminated.
Long before either twin could come up with a plan, Morgana had jumped into action. She withdrew the sword from the knight next to her and threw it to Arthur. He caught it swiftly and was easily able to behead the two remaining snakes. He turned his attention next to Valiant. Their swords stuck once and then twice before Arthur disarmed Valiant and aimed his death blow. He buried his sword deep inside Valiant's abdomen and pulled him closer for good measure.
"Looks like I'll be going to the feast after all," Arthur whispered through gritted teeth. He pulled his sword back out and let Valiant fall to the ground. The crowd began to cheer with renewed satisfaction. Their prince had successfully won the tournament and narrowly missed another scrape with death. Arthur acknowledged the crowd which only caused them to cheer louder. Arthur turned to leave glad that he finally had a chance to relax after literally fighting for his life. He noticed Adrielle and Merlin both standing at the exit of the arena sharing similar looks of relief.
"What did I tell you? Nothing to worry about. Piece of cake," Arthur said to Adrielle as he passed and clapped Merlin on the shoulder.
~xx~
The following evening was the celebration banquet for the tournament champion. Which, of course, ended up being Prince Arthur thanks to the help of Adrielle and Merlin. The crowd chatter aimlessly amongst each other while they waited for the feast to begin. Merlin hadn't originally wanted to attend. He may have saved Arthur's life but he still seemed upset about being sacked. Gaius hardly passed up the chance to eat the assortment of fine food that was provided during these meals. Adrielle was always up for nice food and it was her only chance to eat tonight unless she wanted to prepare her own meal. Merlin, feeling his stomach grumble in anticipation, begrudgingly agreed to attend.
"My honourable guests," Uther called to the room. "I give you Prince Arthur, your champion!" The crowd erupted into applause and cheers. Adrielle smiled and clapped along with the others as Prince Arthur entered into the hall. It was the champions pleasure to escort the Lady Morgana to the feast. Arthur offered her his arm and escorted her to the main table.
"See, I told you. He gets all girls and the glory," Merlin noted quietly to Gaius and his sister.
"And he owes it all to you," Gaius noted.
"Let's just hope Adrielle can contain her jealousy," Merlin remarked.
"What is that suppose to mean?" Adrielle countered defensively.
"I just don't want you to be jealous that every other girl in Camelot seems to be doing a better job at vying for Arthur's hand than you."
"That is one competition I will bow out gracefully from, thank you very much," Adrielle replied. From their position Adrielle could clearly hear the conversation that passed between Arthur and Morgana.
"Has your father apologized for not believing you yet?" Morgana asked.
"He'll never apologize," Arthur admitted. "I hope you're not disappointed that Valiant's not escorting you."
"Turns out he wasn't champion material," Morgana trilled.
"That was some tournament final, wasn't it?"
"Tell me about it. It's not every day a girl gets to save her prince," Morgana replied with a bright smile.
"Uh, I wouldn't exactly say I needed saving," Arthur prattled. "I'm sure I would have thought of something."
"You're too proud to admit you were saved by a girl!" she accused.
"That's because I wasn't," Arthur continued.
"You know what? I wish Valiant was escorting me!"
"Me too! Then I wouldn't have to listen to you," Arthur remarked annoyed .
"Fine."
"Fine!"
Adrielle could hear the two turn and walk in opposite directions of each other. It was funny how quickly the conversation had gone from playful to annoyed. It reminded her a lot of her relationship with Merlin.
"Can you believe it? Morgana says she saved me," Arthur whined grumpily. "Like I needed any help."
Merlin and Adrielle looked from one another almost confounded. Arthur had turned from his conversation with Morgana to whine and complain to them. Adrielle was sure that Arthur had many other actual friends he could complain and gossip with besides these two servants and yet here he was. Maybe they were just the two closest people to him that he could turn to to and vent. The trio stood there for a second in awkward silence.
"I wanted to say that I was sorry and I made a mistake. It was unfair of me to sack you," Arthur said to Merlin. It caught both twins off guard, again, for a second. So the noble Prince Arthur had sought out Merlin to apologize to him in person. Adrielle had assumed Arthur to be just like his father, unable to apologize and accept when he was wrong. She was pleasantly surprised, for now, to see she was wrong about him.
"Don't worry," Merlin shrugged. "Buy me a drink and call it even."
"Uhm, I can't really be seen buying drinks for my servant," Arthur scoffed.
"Your servant? But you sacked me," Merlin reminded.
"Well now I'm rehiring you," Arthur shrugged nonchalantly like it was nothing. Like sacking and hiring new servants was an old pastime of his.
"Y'know you could still buy me a drink," Adrielle suggested.
"I'm not buying you a drink," Arthur shot down.
"Well that's rather rude."
"I'll need you to restart immediately, of course," Arthur directed. "My chambers are a mess. My clothes need washing. My, uh, armour needs repairing. My boots need cleaning. My dogs need exercising. My fireplace needs sweeping. My bed needs changing. And someone needs to muck out my stables."
"Still glad you have your job back?" Adrielle teased while playfully shoving her brother's shoulder.
