Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin
A Camelot Calamity
The Hassassin entered Camelot with the last load of visitors just before the gates closed for the night. Now, all he had to do was wait, and when Arthur made a single mistake, he would kill him.
XX
"I don't undershtand Merlin. She was young, hic, she was preddy, and she clearly, hic, liked you. What wash wrong with her?" Gwaine slurred drunkenly on the way back up to the castle.
"I know she was pretty, and I know she liked me. But that doesn't mean I'm going to jump in the sack with her just because I like her." Merlin said mildly while he counted his winnings.
After it had become clear that he wasn't interested in any of the girls in the tavern, Percival had suggested that they play cards. While he had lost the first two rounds, he had soon got the hang of it, and was now considerably richer, having cleaned Gwaine and Elyan out of their week's pay.
"Maybe it was all a cunning ruse, put us off our guard so you can trash our wallets." Elyan said suspiciously and Merlin laughed.
"Yeah. Are you sure you haven't played before? You cleaned Gwaine and Elyan out, and took half my pay, and you dented Gareth's earnings too." Percival said as they headed for the gatehouse, suddenly walking closer to Merlin.
Merlin gave him a curious look until it dawned on him why he was sticking so close. After all this was where he had been stabbed.
"He's a natural. Um, does Gwaine usually get like this?" Gareth asked as Elyan had to steer the drunken knight away from a trough of water belonging to some pigs.
"You kidding? This is tame for him." Elyan said as Gwaine started swaying to music only he could hear.
"Oh dear." Gareth said, watching with a grin as Gwaine tripped and had it not been for Percival and Merlin grabbing him, he would have taken Elyan down with him.
"But sheriously, what was wrong with her Merlin?" Gwaine cried loudly, making Merlin roll his eyes.
"Maybe the rumours are true..." Percival mused, and Merlin stopped suddenly, looking at him in alarm.
"What rumours?" he demanded, wondering how anyone could know about him and Morgana.
Percival grinned.
"I'm sure there's nothing to them Merlin. But kings are known to have, shall we say, eclectic tastes." He said with a wicked grin.
Merlin looked at him curiously, until it suddenly dawned on him just what he was implying.
"What? NO! Hell no. Besides, I thought you knew me, you could credit me with better taste than that." Merlin scolded, slapping Percival's arm, which he regretted, after all, the hulking knight was a lot more muscular than he was.
The knights, aside from Gwane, all laughed, while all he did was hiccough.
"Or maybe there already is a special someone in Merlin's life?" Gareth asked, and Merlin stopped again, turning to Gareth in alarm.
"No there isn't." Merlin said with dignity, and Gareth smiled.
"I believe you." He said with a wink, and Merlin felt a squirm of uneasiness in his stomach.
"Well regardless of Merlin's lack of girlfriend, and if Arthur tells you off for not getting one you're on your own by the way, it was a good night." Percival said.
"Yeah, aside from for our coffers." Elyan said grimly and they all laughed again.
"Perhaps we should make cards night a regular thing. And don't worry Merlin, wooing a young girl is completely optional." Gareth said with a grin.
"Wait, you want me to join you?" Merlin asked the newest knight.
"Obviously. What, just because you're a servant we don't invite you?" Gareth asked in confusion.
A feeling which was further exacerbated by Percival, Elyan and Merlin all avoiding each other's eyes.
Unfortunately for them Gareth was filled in by a drunken outcry from Gwaine.
"No, it's because we were all ignorant, insensitive louts to Merlin, because of a lamia!" he called as they climbed the stairs, and he tripped and promptly fell out of Elyan's arms and fell face first onto the stairs.
"Ow." He said, and a second later a loud snore disturbed the corridor.
"I see." Gareth said musingly, while Gwaine snored.
"But we're over that now, we try and include him as much as we can. Besides, even if we didn't want to its not as if we'd have any choice, Arthur's very protective of him." Percival said, suddenly wanting to justify himself to the new knight.
"Good. So shall we say my rooms, same time next week?" he asked cheerfully, and they all nodded.
"I might have problems with Arthur though." Merlin said.
"More so than usual you mean?" Gareth asked, and Merlin sniggered.
"Yeah."
"Well we'll invite him too, then he can't stop you." Gareth said, and Merlin again reflected on the knight.
Yeah, he was jealous of his relationship with Morgana and the fact that she spent nearly all day with him, but he also couldn't help but like the newest knight. Strange.
"Thanks." He said with a grin, and laughed as he watched Elyan try to pull Gwaine up, to no avail.
"Can't we just leave him here?" he asked tiredly, pointing to the comatose knight.
"Knowing our luck someone will trip over him and we'll get the blame." Percival lamented.
"Want me to take him?" Merlin asked, but Percival shook his head.
"Nah its alright buddy, there's no point in you going all the way up to take his drunkness home and then coming all the way back down to go to bed. We'll deal with him." He assured him.
"Are you sure we can't just leave him here?" Elyan whined.
"That would be improper I'm afraid. But, doesn't meant we can't have a little fun." Gareth said with a wicked grin, using his foot to roll Gwaine onto his back.
"Drag him?" Elyan asked in delight.
"May as well, why should we put our backs out because he's a lush? Look at Merlin, he had three ales and stopped." Gareth said, inclining his head in respect.
"Don't be under any false illusions. We've seen him drunk." Elyan said with a grin, and Merlin shot him a dirty look.
"That's because I foolishly entrusted you to put my water bottle on my horse and Gwaine's mead bottle on his horse and you got them mixed up. I thought it tasted funny. Next thing I know I'm singing songs." He growled and Gareth and Percival laughed.
"He was completely wasted. Told Arthur he was a cabbage pole." Percival said, making them all snigger.
"Alright, let's get him up the stairs." Gareth said in finality, taking one arm while Percival took the other.
"He's going to be mad with you guys in the morning." Merlin warned cheerfully.
"Oh, its not us you need to worry about." Elyan said, clapping Merlin's shoulder.
"What do you mean?" he asked, and Elyan smiled.
"Imagine how annoyed he'll be when he finds out it's your fault he can't go to the tavern for another week." Elyan said, and the knights laughed, leaving Merlin sniggering in the corridor.
XX
The morning dawned bright and early, the sun streaming into the windows of the castle. However, all was not well with the denizens of the castle.
Arthur and Gwen had a council meeting, which always tended to make them grumpy and usually meant they were short with Merlin when he came to tend to the two of them in the morning. The fact that Arthur had convinced Morgana to also sit in on the meeting this morning meant that she also was in a rather bad mood, and had totally ignored Merlin when he had seen her, leaving him confused and resentful. The fact that she was attending the meeting had slipped out, and now Carrigan was also going around in an absolutely foul temper, scaring a young serving girl into hysterics when she brought him cream instead of milk for his morning cocoa. Gwaine was also rather grumpy, he had a splitting headache, and according to the note Elyan had left him, Merlin had totally trounced him at cards and had cleared out his savings for the week. Alymere and Safer were grumpy as usual, and Gaius was also grumpy, as Merlin had been meant to clean the floors the night before and as he had gone to the tavern, hadn't done it.
As a result, Merlin was also not in the best of moods. Dealing with Arthur in the morning was bad enough, but when he was in a grouchy mood, and when his wife was the same it felt like he was walking on eggshells and that nothing he did for them was good enough. Also, being totally blanked by the woman he was in love with hadn't improved his mood any, and the shouting match he had had that morning with Gaius had just made things worse. He had been angry that Merlin hadn't cleaned the floor like he was supposed to, and Merlin had lost it. Between dealing with Arthur and Gwen, looking after the knights, helping Percival, Morgana, protecting Camelot, studying his magic on his own and helping Gaius out, he never really had time to do anything other than eat and sleep. It wasn't that he was opposed to helping Gaius, far from it, but he thought it was a bit much him having a go at Merlin for having a night off, one he had had very little say in the matter of anyway. Due to him not having cleaned the floors, Gaius had started yelling, accusing him of wasting time with his friends when he ought to be doing his chores, and Merlin had lost it, saying that with everything he had to do it was a wonder he even had time to think about other things, and that if he didn't find some way to have a tiny little bit of time to himself, he was going to lose it completely, and he had stormed out of the room before Gaius could say anything else.
The goodwill in the castle was low that morning, and Merlin thudded down goblets in front of a stony faced Arthur, Gwen and Morgana as the entire council traipsed in, Carrigan's eyes narrowed at the sight of Morgana, who still hadn't even acknowledged Merlin.
The meeting dragged on, with Carrigan barely keeping a respectful tone in his voice towards Morgana, who seemed to delight in making him speak to her directly. It transpired that she actually knew a fair bit about the inner workings of the kingdom, and was also better informed than even Arthur and Gwen about things that were going on. And she also didn't tolerate any of Carrigan's posturing, and quickly dismissed any ideas he might have, especially when they seemed to increase his own earnings considerably.
An hour later, the council left, Carrigan storming out, and Arthur and Gwen's bad moods were mostly gone.
"Morgana, you're amazing, thanks." Arthur said cheerfully, watching as his sister watched Carrigan's retreating back distastefully.
"You're welcome." She said, still glowering at the obnoxious lord's back.
"Does this mean that you three will start behaving like mild mannered human beings again rather than bad tempered boars?" Merlin asked resentfully, and Gwen blushed a little.
"Yeah, sorry Merlin. I know we're a pain on the days we have a council meeting." She said sheepishly.
"Bad tempered boar? You never get close enough to a boar, you don't like it when I go hunting, you don't like me killing the cute little animals." Arthur teased, back to his normal self.
"Yeah well I hardly think its sport hunting animals that can't fight back. At least when you do tournaments or jousting you have a chance of getting knocked on your backside." Merlin grumbled, and Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"You're extolling the virtues of jousting now? You always said I was a prat for competing."
"I second that." Gwen said mildly, earning her a tight grin from Merlin.
"I don't like either of them, at least in a joust the opponents have a fair chance." Merlin said irritably, and Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked.
"Maybe I don't have a miraculous turnaround like you do." Merlin said, before taking a tray of empty goblets out of the room.
"What's his problem now?" Arthur asked irritably, slightly stung by the accusation that he was fickle with his moods, and on a council day that accusation was more true than he would like to admit.
"Rumour has it he had a fight with Gaius this morning. Morgana, go and talk to him." Gwen said, picking up her things.
"What, why?" she asked, coming out of her reverie, and Gwen noticed that Morgana, quite uncharacteristically recently, didn't seem to want to see Merlin.
"Because I have to go on a tour of the town, and Arthur wants to go hunting. Besides, he dealt with Merlin last time, it's your turn." She said, eyes boring into her sisters with the message clearly being 'talk to him'.
"How did you know I wanted to go hunting?" Arthur asked, not listening to their conversation, and Gwen smiled.
"For a start, your eyes lit up when Merlin mentioned it, secondly, it will annoy Merlin and thirdly, I'm your wife it's my job to know." She said, and kissed him on the cheek before giving Morgana a pointed glance after which she left the chamber.
Morgana sighed mutinously. She strongly considered ignoring what Gwen had said and not go and find Merlin. After all, he says he loves her, sleeps with her and then goes out to try and find a woman in the town. Why should she care about him?
But deep down, she knew that wasn't the sort of person Merlin was. He was too kind and sweet to do anything like that. So what was she missing? And besides, he did seem fairly down, and even if he didn't want to be with her (though she desperately wanted him to want that), even then she would still want to be friends, and friends looked out for each other. Shrugging her shoulders, she swept out of the room to go and find her man.
XX
Carrigan was furious as he entered his rooms. So now the witch of Camelot was also sitting in on the council meetings was she? That was just intolerable. Uther would never have allowed it, and Carrigan sure as hell wouldn't allow Arthur or anyone else to let the witch into the inner workings of the kingdom. Camelot was declining, and it was all the fault of their new king. Say what you want about Uther, he knew how to rule in such a way that everything kept spinning, and that no one got ideas above their station.
He couldn't allow Camelot to be destroyed. Sitting down at his desk, he began to draft a letter.
XX
Morgana finally found Merlin on top of the ramparts, looking angrily out at the city.
"Merlin?" she asked, and he turned and glowered at her.
"Oh, you're talking to me now? Have I paid penance for whatever it is I've done?" he asked bitterly, and she narrowed her green eyes angrily.
"Don't take that tone with me Merlin. It wasn't me who went out to try and pick up girls in the tavern." She said waspishly.
Merlin looked at her, astounded for a second, then burst into laughter, leaving Morgana feeling very wrong footed. If most boyfriends were caught out in such a situation, laughing was hardly the right response. Merlin stopped laughing and grinned up at her, and Morgana couldn't help but smile a little when he did so. He was cute when he smiled.
"Is that why you've been giving me the cold shoulder all morning?" he asked, looking a lot cheerier than he had earlier all of a sudden.
"Well...yes! I overheard you and the knights going out last night to try and get you a girl." She grumbled and Merlin laughed again.
"Honey, I wouldn't do that to you. I'm in love with you remember? And I don't want to lose that for anyone. And besides, there's also a certain bit of self preservation as you're the only one in the city other than Gaius who knows I'm a sorcerer, so I ever betray you, you can drop me in it. Last night was your brother's idea. I didn't want to go. There was a girl who liked me but I was totally uninterested. We just stayed out and played cards, hence why Gwaine is so grumpy because I cleaned him out." He said proudly, and Morgana blushed.
"So you weren't out hitting on girls?" she asked sheepishly, and he shook his head.
"Of course I wasn't. I'm in love with you remember?" he asked softly, and kissed her forehead.
"I'm sorry. Was it because I was ignoring you that you were so bad tempered?" she asked softly, stroking his cheek and he scowled a little.
"Partly, you've ignored me since training yesterday. I mean we can go about our business, we don't need to be attached at the hip but blanking me completely might arouse suspicion remember?" he growled, and she flushed in embarrassment.
"Yeah sorry, I lost track of things when I was catching up with Gareth, and when I went to find you, you were being whisked off to the tavern on the orders of my idiot brother." She said reluctantly, and he rolled his eyes in amusement.
"Forget it ok. And yeah, I was a bit pissed off this morning. Servants are allowed to be grumpy too you know, on a council day. In fact, we have more right than our masters, because we're the ones who have to put up with our foul tempered masters." He said with a slight grin, and she kissed his cheek.
"I know. I take it Arthur and Gwen were also a delight this morning?"
"Yeah, you weren't much better, I had to calm down some poor girl Carrigan frightened into hysterics, Safer and Alymere were pricks as usual, and I had a fight with Gaius this morning."
Morgana remembered the last time he and Gaius had fought. She had been trying to bring down Camelot at the time, but she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Merlin when she saw how miserable he had been. Especially when he had been right all along anyway.
"That's not like you. What was it about?" she asked tenderly, taking his hand in hers and pressing her body up to his, allowing him to rest his forehead on hers.
"He had a go at me for not doing my chores last night. For a start, I didn't have much choice when I went out and secondly, I can't even remember the last time I did something just for pure enjoyment. Actually, I can. Do you know the last time I went out for a drink to relax? It was the day I met Gwaine. I can't even remember the last one before that. I need to look after Arthur and Gwen, attend to them virtually all day, doing chore for Gwen, mucking out stables, polishing armour and so on. I also need to help the knights. I help Percival vet the new knights. I also quite like seeing you as well. I need to allow myself such luxuries as eating and sleeping. There's also my job of saving the kingdom from evil every other day. Then I have to help Gaius with his patients too. And when I've done all of that, I still need to try and develop my magic, and after all that, there's still chores from Gaius to do! I'm only one person, I can't keep doing it all myself! So last night, I was ordered to go and relax and I did, and I got pulled up for it this morning because I neglected one of the multitude of jobs that I have to do, it's ridiculous. I just want to have something closely resembling a normal life, but no, I'm fricking Emrys, I don't get to have a normal life because my bloody destiny gets in the way." He ranted, at least until he was cut off by Morgana pressing her lips to his.
He did have to admit though, it did calm him down slightly.
"Feel better?" she asked with a coy smile, and he nodded slightly.
"Yeah, a little. Sorry, it's just..." he began, but she put her finger to his mouth to quiet him.
"Hush my love. It's ok to feel a little overworked, I don't blame you. You must be the busiest person in all of Camelot. Talk to Gaius. If he wants, I can get him a servant, give you a chance to relax before you either implode and kill yourself or explode and kill the rest of us." She said huskily, and he smiled at her, kissing her neck.
"Thanks. I will go and have a civil chat with him later. I mean I like my job, but with everything I've got to do, I'm just perpetually exhausted, I never get any time to myself. Or to be with you." He lamented, and she smiled, stroking his cheek.
"Talk to Gaius. Talk to Arthur. But, look at it this way. Now that I know of your magic, why not let me deal with some of the problems around the city? Give you a break. And if you want I'll study magic with you, then we can kill two birds with one stone. After all, Morgause's education was fairly limited in some areas." She said seductively, and he bent and kissed her deeply.
"Yeah that does sound good." He admitted when they broke for air.
"Oh don't flatter yourself, it's merely self concern. After all, you're not much good to me overtired." She whispered mischievously, and he was just about to kiss her again when Tristan barged out onto the ramparts.
Merlin immediately took Morgana's arm, as if to save her from falling, while she looked up at him with alarm in her green eyes.
"Thank you Merlin." She said in false relief, and he steadied her.
"Where's Arthur?" Tristan demanded, not having noticed anything, thankfully.
"He went out hunting. And I'm fine, thank you for asking." Morgana said tartly, making Merlin grin. Even surprised nothing could catch her completely off balance.
"He went out hunting? Why?" Tristan demanded, and Merlin began to feel worried.
"Tristan what is it?" he asked, the ever present concern for Arthur becoming stoked.
"I've been out in the seedier parts of the kingdom, listening around the taverns. Rumour has it that Odin has hired the Hassassin." He said worriedly, and Morgana's eyes widened in fear.
"The Hassassin?" she demanded.
"Who's he?" Merlin asked, knowing the look on Morgana's face couldn't signify good news.
"The best assassin in the land." She explained, and Merlin groaned. The last 'best' assassin had came all too close to killing Arthur too.
"Well apparently, he's here in Camelot, and gunning for Arthur. Looks like Odin still hasn't forgiven him for killing his son. And if he came in last night, he will definitely make a move today." Tristan said darkly.
There was a trumpet call from below, and Merlin looked down in alarm as Arthur and the rest of the knights headed down towards the gates of the city.
"He's just left...we'll never get to him in time, if the Hassassin sees Arthur, he'll take the opportunity to strike, Arthur won't know what's hit him." Tristan said worriedly.
"But they change their route every time, surely..." Morgana began hopefully.
"We can't take that chance. We need to make sure he's alright. See what I mean? I can't leave him unattended for two minutes without someone trying to kill him!" Merlin grumbled, and Tristan headed for the door.
"Where are you going?" Morgana asked, taking Merlin's hand.
"To save Arthur." He said in confusion, but Morgana took his hand too.
"Don't be silly, by the time you got out the castle it could all be said and done. Come on." She said, and Tristan gave Merlin an alarmed glance.
"What's she doing?" he asked worriedly, and it suddenly dawned on him what his girlfriend was planning on doing.
"Oh, Morgana, no, don't!" he pleaded, but in a swirl off of white smoky magic, they were gone.
XX
Arthur was chatting cheerfully to Leon as they took the central route down towards the outskirts of the city. A day of hunting was just what they needed, a break from the city. The new knights were joining them for the first time today, and so far Alymere was behaving himself, as was Safer. Dagonet and Lucan were talking to Elyan and Percival, and Gwaine was moaning about his lost earnings to Gareth. Arthur smiled at the thought of Merlin clearing the knight out of his money. True he hadn't gotten over Morgana, but it had at least taken his mind off things. Arthur was just about to tease Gwaine when suddenly an arrow shot across the sky, flinging a net out behind it, that cascaded down on top of Elyan and Percival, knocking them from their horses. The net glowed blue and with a scream of pain the two knights passed out. Another arrow then fired, knocking Safer and Alymere off their horses, somehow managing to bind them together, leaving them totally unable to move. Dagonet and Lucan rushed to their kings side, but a fiery rope that looked like a snake bit Dagonet on the arm, and he swayed off his horse. Another arrow then hit Lucan in the chest, pitching him off the horse and to the ground, groaning weakly. Arthur drew Excalibur, but it would be no use against a long range assassin, who had now knocked Gwaine and Leon from their horses with two more arrows.
"Arthur, get out of here!" Gareth yelled, before his horse reared as an arrow flew too close to his muzzle, knocking him from the mount. Arthur was on his own, and leapt from his horse, just as an arrow shot into a gap in his armour.
Arthur staggered, feeling his blood suddenly burn white hot. He held his head, and the world started to spin around him. He could hear people yelling and screaming as the knights tried to defeat their assailant, but some were trapped, and others were poisoned just as he was. Arthur groaned, and the worlds colours began to shift into a kaleidoscope, swirling all around him. Arthur was trying hard not to throw up, as the world span around him, screams coming from everywhere and nowhere at once. He then saw a big black mass draw a sword, and Arthur feebly raised Excalibur to try and fend the attack off. It was no good however, and he staggered backwards, his eyes rolling in his head as he crashed to the floor, shivering and shaking from the poison. This was it, he was about to die. Merlin was right, he couldn't let him out of his sight for two minutes. Arthur breathed in, prepared to die, before someone else jumped in front of him, taking Excalibur from his hands. Arthur squinted his eyes, and watched as a young boy swung Excalibur into a backward grip, and raised the blade to block the assassins swing. Arthur watched in hallucinogenic amazement (stars were erupting all around him, as were rainbows), as the young boy with the backward grip forced the assassin back. He blocked the assassin's swing, turned around, and jabbed his fist upwards. The assassin took a couple of steps back, and collapsed to the floor, yellow liquid gushing from what Arthur assumed was his neck. He tried to say something, but then a very familiar and very comforting voice was right beside him, lifting him up and holding him too their body tightly.
"Arthur, are you ok?" Merlin asked, and he could dimly hear his sister curse as she arrived also.
"It's a hallucinogen, a nerve toxin from the southern lands. Helios used some. Hang on, I've dealt with it before." Morgana's voice said, and a second later, the world was restored to its normal colours and balance.
Arthur looked around as the all the knights sat up groggily, all weak, pale and shivering, just like he was. However, there were some benefits to being a king, as Merlin had him wrapped tight both with his cloak and with his servants own body. The horses were being corralled by Tristan, while the boy who had killed the assassin stood around nervously, fingering Excalibur while the assassin bled to death at his feet, and dozens of curious onlookers stared at the scene.
"Everyone all right?" Morgana asked, and Gwaine shook his head as he was pulled to his feet by Tristan.
"No, I feel bloody awful, what was that?"
"A drug. It burns up your blood, makes you feverish so you can't concentrate, everything starts spinning. Basically it warps everything, immobilises you so the assassin can strike." Morgana said, helping Elyan up and propping him against a wheezing Percival.
"We were no match for him...he nearly killed us all." Alymere said weakly, while Morgana gave him the once over.
"A clever attack. He must have had some degree of magic to be able to attack the way he did, but even so he was still a very deadly opponent. You're lucky to be alive." Morgana said, exchanging a dark look with Merlin.
"You ok?" Merlin asked worriedly, placing his hand on Arthur's all too hot forehead.
"I'll be fine. Who was he?" he asked, nodding his head down at the dead assassin, as Leon threw up.
"Formerly the best assassin in the land. Odin hired him to kill you. I heard on the grapevine. We barely got here in time to save you." Tristan said with a frown, checking Dagonet and Lucan.
"You need to sit down?" Merlin asked in concern, and Arthur waved him off.
"I'm fine." He said grouchily.
"Really?" Merlin asked with a small smile, and stepped away from Arthur, letting him stand on his own two feet.
He lasted two seconds before the world started spinning again, and Merlin caught him as he fell, grinning widely.
"Alright, so maybe I'm not fine." Arthur admitted weakly, shivering.
"You'll all be fine once we get you into a hot salt bath, counteract the toxin. It was close though. He knew exactly where you were going to be, he staged his attack perfectly." Morgana said worriedly.
"That guy nearly took down all of the knights. We couldn't stop him. Who poisons people first, that's just dishonourable?" Arthur moaned, and Merlin squeezed him tighter, and Arthur felt so ill and weak and horrified that he didn't even mind that Merlin was hugging him, but whether it was because of the attack, or because of what happened to his father, he didn't know.
"I can't let you out of my sight for ten minutes can I?" Merlin said, his tone slightly amused.
"Obviously not. We all look like crap." Gareth said croakily, patting his horse.
"We feel like crap." Elyan said, trying valiantly not to imitate Leon, and looking very pale while doing so.
"At least the assassin's dead. Thanks guys." Percival said to Morgana, Merlin and Tristan.
"We're not the ones you should thank. You lot might have survived but fine excuses for knights you'd be if the kid hadn't saved Arthur, the assassin was about to kill him." Merlin said, smiling at the young boy, who was looking at Merlin guiltily, having taken a small dagger from the neck of the assassin and put it back in his belt.
"What's your name?" Arthur asked the boy curiously, from his seat on a wall.
"Um, Kay sire. I didn't do anything wrong did I?" he asked worriedly, and Arthur gave him a small smile.
"Not from my point of view. Odin's yes, but mine no. From what little I saw of you, you're a pretty good fighter. Where did you learn to fight like that?" Arthur asked, tugging on Merlin, and the servant helped him stand up again.
"My father was one of your father's soldiers when he conquered Camelot. He then retired and opened up a forge, and we trained every day. Now I still try to train every day, but since my uncle died, business has been slow and not very many people come in anymore." The boy explained, looking very nervous to be before some of the most powerful people in the kingdom.
He was just about the same age Merlin had been when he had first arrived in Camelot. Tall and gawky, with a young, trusting face, he was just starting to get a light blond fuzz on his chin. His hair was a straw blond, slightly long, and fell into his bright blue eyes. In fact, if he hadn't been polite, Merlin might have thought he was Arthur's little brother.
"You're pretty good. You just took down a very deadly assassin, and saved the king and the knights of Camelot in the process. For that you ought to be rewarded." Arthur said, and Kay blushed.
"No my lord, it doesn't matter, I just wanted to help, I couldn't really let him kill you." He said bashfully, but Alymere waved away his objections.
"Nonsense lad, you just saved the day. Name your reward." He said, and Merlin looked at him in surprise, and to his greater surprise, Alymere nodded respectfully at him. Maybe some humility had been in his particular bit of toxin.
"I already have a reward in mind Kay, if you're willing." Arthur said, fighting down the urge to be sick.
"Yes sire?" Kay asked nervously, and then handing Excalibur back to the king with a blush of embarrassment.
"I saw you fight. You're good, if unorthodox. How do you feel about being a knight?" Arthur asked, and Kay's mouth dropped open.
"Seriously?" Merlin whispered into Arthur's ear in surprise.
"Yeah, seriously." he muttered back.
"Really sire?" Kay asked excitedly, and Arthur smiled slightly.
"Kay, I'm about to collapse, I don't have much time to make jokes. Really."
"Well, I'd be honoured sire." Kay said, bowing with an ecstatic grin on his face.
"Good, that's that settled then. I'll see you on the training field tomorrow, Sir Kay." Arthur said with a smile and a nod.
"Come on you, let's get you back to the castle. I can't keep you from your wife's inevitable wrath any longer. Kay, could you help us please?" Merlin asked, and the boy nodded, taking Arthur from him and helping him onto the horse, and the people began to flock to them all as protection, escorting the king and knights, plus their new member, back up to the castle.
"Nice kid." Merlin commented as he and Morgana headed back up to the castle together.
Morgana sighed.
"Yeah he is. He's also a potential problem." She said worriedly, and he looked at her, frowning.
"How can he be? Morgana, he just took out a very powerful assassin, he saved Arthur and the knights, and impressed them all so much that Alymere isn't acting like a jerk and Arthur made him a knight. How on earth can he be a problem?"
"Because he has magic." She whispered, and Merlin stopped short to look at her.
"Wait, what?"
"When he was fighting the assassin, I saw his eyes glow. That's how he spun so quickly and stabbed him, he used magic. And the best part of it is, I don't think he had any clue that he was doing it either." She said sadly, and Merlin groaned.
The boy, who had just done what all the knights had failed to do, protected Arthur and killed the assassin, the one who had just become a knight of Camelot, despite Camelot's policy towards magic users, was a sorcerer.
"Aw crap."
XX
A few hours later, dusk had fallen on the land. Arthur had been given a tongue lashing from both Merlin and Gwen, but he was feeling fine once more, the salt in his nice warm bath having completely driven the toxin from his body. The other knights were all in the same boat, fully recovered from the attack that had very nearly been the end of them all. Kay had been moved into the castle with a lot of help from Merlin, who had volunteered to help the boy after Gwen had sent Arthur to sleep. Merlin had been watching Kay all day but he hadn't performed magic of any sort. Maybe Morgana was mistaken. He had also talked to Gaius, who had apologised for having a go at Merlin, and everything was back to normal.
Except on the Isle of the Blessed, where Nimueh was standing in front of her scrying mirror, watching intently.
"What did your agent have to say my lady?" Agravaine asked, watching her as she viewed the mirror.
"That fool Odin sent an assassin to kill Arthur, and he nearly succeeded, until a boy stepped in and killed him, saving Arthur and the knights in the process. He said he had never seen fighting like what the boy was capable of before, and now, I'm slightly curious." She admitted.
Agravaine knew she had been in Camelot that afternoon, meeting with her agent. But what could attract such interest from the High Priestess?
"May I ask why?"
"We all sensed an awakening of power, a great power. Not quite as powerful as Lady Nimueh, Mordred, Emrys or his whore, but still considerably powerful." Alvarr explained, peering into the mirror.
"And you think the power you felt is something to do with the boy who saved Arthur?" Agravaine asked, and Mordred nodded, transfixed as he watched Nimueh cast spells on the mirror, changing the shapes and the colours within.
"Ah...there it is. Look!" Nimueh said in excitement, pointing to the mirror.
The boy had appeared in the mirror, a pulsing blue aura surrounding his form, and Mordred grinned.
"He's powerful." He said admiringly, and Nimueh stroked the mirror gently.
"Better than that, he is a latent sorcerer." She said dreamily, and Agravaine looked at her in confusion.
"What does that mean?" he asked, and she turned to explain.
"It means that his powers have just awoken, he's just coming into them. As such, he is at a crossroads in his life." She explained.
"The forty eight hour window." Alvarr supplied.
"In which a latent sorcerer decides which path to follow, the one in which he serves others, or serves himself." Nimueh said smugly, heading to her throne.
"Basically, he decides between good or evil." Mordred explained.
"And this boy has yet to choose?" Agravaine asked, smiling a little.
"Indeed. The problem is, Merlin is sure to know of him, and will be looking to protect him, make sure he adheres to his side. We cannot allow that to happen. Latent sorcerers are some of the most powerful. We must get him for our side." Nimueh said, and Alvarr frowned.
"I agree my lady, but we will not be able to reach Camelot within the window, unless you yourself plan to go, and that risks exposing your existence to Merlin." He pointed out.
"I agree Alvarr...which is why you will go in my place. Lancelot can continue Mordred's training. Go to Camelot. Tempt the boy, bring him to our side. You know what to do. And try to avoid encountering Merlin if you can, we don't want him any more on watch than he already is. I will alert one of my agents, get them to help you. Bring me this boy Alvarr. And if you can't, kill him." She ordered coldly, and flicked her wrist at Alvarr, and like that he was gone.
Hello again!
Here we are with the latest chapter, and our knights for this story are now complete! But as you can see, Nimueh is after young Kay, and Alvarr is bound for Camelot, so what will happen next? The next chapter is the last part of this section of the story, and next time we shall see things start to heat up, as Nimueh gathers allies, Arthur prepares for the summit, and above all, a new enemy!
But until then, please read and review as always!