TWENTY-NINE: PREJUDICE (280 days)
Kerenza and Merlin walked aimlessly through the marketplace. The last druid performer - a young woman who had used her magic to rapidly and skillfully to create a beautiful tapestry for the castle - was just leaving the platform. Kerenza and Merlin were simply browsing through the booths. Neither of them had a particular destination in mind. They were enjoying one of the few spare moments they'd had all week.
"Kerenza. Are we…" Merlin trailed off almost as suddenly as he'd started the sentence. He seemed to be struggling with his words, so she waited patiently for him to decide what he wanted to say. Finally, he blurted, "Are we courting?"
She laughed. "What a silly question," she told him, because of course they were courting. After the kisses they'd shared, and the flowers he'd brought her the day before, how could they not be courting? Then she saw his face, and how serious it was. Her own smile faltered. "Oh. You're serious?"
He nodded.
"Why are you…Oh." A sudden, devastating thought hit her. "You don't want to court, do you?"
"No," he sighed.
She looked down at her feet, willing herself not to tear up. "I see."
"No! I mean, yes," Merlin rushed to say. He pulled them both to a stop, turning her to face him. He put his fingers on her chin and gently lifted her face. He was smiling. "I do want to court. I just wasn't sure if we were, even though Gwaine insisted that we were because he thinks he's an expert on women and relationships, so I had to ask you to be certain. Because I really think you're amazing, and beautiful, and - ngh!"
Kerenza leaned up and covered his mouth with hers, if only to silence him. When he started rambling, it could be difficult to get him to stop. She pulled away, just slightly. She let her lips hover near his, not quite touching, as she whispered, "Merlin. Shut up."
"That's Arthur's line," he muttered.
Groaning, she stepped away from him. "Merlin, do you know when you should not mention your best friend, the king? When I'm kissing you. It's not the least bit romantic." She began walking again, lacing her fingers through his. "And for your information, I had already been under the impression that we were courting. It seemed quite obvious to me, as well as Ma. She is over the moon about it, about us. You're the first boy that she's approved of."
Merlin scratched the back of his neck and admitted, "Well, you're the first girl that my mother's known about."
She arched an eyebrow at him. "Oh, really?" she asked, in a devious voice. She knew that he hadn't meant it in the way it had sounded, but she had to tease him. Sometimes, he simply made it too easy.
"Kerenza! Not like that!"
She just laughed, enjoying the heat that was filling his cheeks. "I know, I know. What did you mean, then?"
"Well, in Ealdor, I was the outcast. Nobody - except Will - knew about my magic. But they all knew there was something different about me. Girls weren't interested in me. Then I moved to Camelot, and became Arthur's servant. I never had time for girls. And then there was Freya." He stopped talking suddenly, looking worried.
"You loved her," she stated. Was he worried she would be jealous?
He glanced down at her. "Does that bother you?"
She shrugged. "Not really. You're human, Merlin. As powerful as you are, you're still human. Humans full in love, sometimes more than once. It's a natural part of life. What happened, if you don't mind me asking?"
"She died." His voice was sad, but not quite as sad as she might have expected it to be. "She was cursed, to turn into a dreadful beast at night. Arthur killed her one of those nights, while she was in the form of the beast. He didn't know that I was going to leave everything for her. He still doesn't know. I told him, just recently, that I was the one who freed her and hid her. But I didn't tell him my feelings for her."
He stared at the sky, and a cloud above them began to change shape. It took the form of a ferocious-looking feline, with bat-like wings. The brief golden glow in his eyes told Kerenza that Merlin was the one forming the shape, in memory of the girl he had lost. "A Bastet," she whispered. She'd heard of the curse, of course, but she had never known anyone who suffered from it.
He nodded. "She had been cursed because she defended herself. I did love her, but not as much as I once thought I did. In hindsight, I hardly knew anything about her. I think the hardest part of losing her was the idea of what could have been. We could have been very happy together."
"I'm sorry, Merlin."
He shrugged. "It happened years ago, before Arthur became king. I've had plenty of time to accept the loss. And she's not entirely gone. She's bound to the Lake of Avalon now, as the Lady of the Lake. I used to visit the lake every few days, to try to talk to her."
"What did she say?"
His grin was sad. "Nothing. Most of the time, anyway. I was ignored for several months. Then she appeared and told me, 'Have peace, Merlin. Let go of the past.' And that was all that she said. My visits became less frequent until I stopped going altogether. It was for the best. I was pining, when I shouldn't have been."
Kerenza didn't say anything. She simply leaned into his side as they walked.
"Arthur believes we should thank him," Merlin said suddenly, after several minutes of comfortable silence. "He's convinced that, without him, we wouldn't be together."
"He can be very arrogant sometimes."
Merlin snorted in agreement. "I told him he's an arrogant prat and to stop meddling in my love life. He then had the audacity to tell me he hadn't been meddling."
She rolled her eyes. "If he wasn't meddling, then we have nothing to thank him for."
"Precisely! His logic is so skewed sometimes. I told him that as well, but he was insistent that it was because of him that we are now romantically involved with each other, despite the fact that he supposedly wasn't meddling." He rolled his eyes in obvious irritation. Kerenza knew, though, that he still loved Arthur. They may not have shared any blood, but the king and his sorcerer were as close as any brothers.
"You know this means we have to get revenge. We can't let him think that his meddling is acceptable."
"We shouldn't."
"When has that ever stopped you?" she asked. She'd watched him give the king a hard time, on several occasions. Merlin had no qualms about tormenting King Arthur.
"What were you thinking?" he questioned, giving in.
She smiled at the thought of how they could annoy the king, without really doing much. It was so simple, it was brilliant. "Well, since he seems intent on seeing us happy together, I say we show him just how happy we are together. Sickeningly happy."
He grinned. "Finally, someone who is willing to help me torment Arthur. Not even the knights are that bold."
"It should be fun."
"We should keep it subtle until after the festival is officially over, though," he said thoughtfully.
She glanced up at him. "Today is the last day, Merlin."
"Yes, but your mother and the other druids aren't leaving until tomorrow. Not to mention everyone else isn't leaving until the day after tomorrow. We should wait a few days."
"Good point. I'm not sure that Ma would approve of my antics."
Merlin laughed at that. "I doubt my mother would approve, either. Let's wait a few days to start any mischief."
She sighed dramatically. "If you insist. But I suppose you have a point. We shouldn't be quite so intense immediately. Let's make it a gradual thing."
"You two look positively devious," a voice said behind them. Merlin and Kerenza both turned. Princess Mithian had joined them. She was smiling. "What are you plotting against Arthur this time, Merlin?"
Kerenza studied the princess curiously. She was beautiful, with ivory skin and rosy lips. Her brown hair had been pulled partially back, with a small gold crown nestled in it. Her brown eyes sparkled. "What makes you think he's plotting against Arthur?" she asked.
"He's always plotting against Arthur. Mostly out of fun, but sometimes he does it for Arthur's benefit. Sometimes, his plotting ensures that the right people are in the right places in Arthur's life. But regardless of the reason behind it, he's always plotting."
Merlin looked a bit sheepish at that comment, and Kerenza felt there was a story to go with it. She would have to ask him about it later.
Mithian gestured to the marketplace around them, where the people of Camelot were interacting peacefully with the druids. Most of the people, at any rate. One woman, walking with her pre-adolescent daughter, was looking on in disgust. But she was one of very few. "This festival has opened the eyes of many, my own included, to the true nature of magic. My father has already told Arthur, but I wanted to inform you as well. Merlin, Camelot will have the full support of Nemeth in this. We support the welcome of magic."
Merlin's face broke into one of the biggest smiles Kerenza had ever seen. She was sure her own smile was almost as large.
"And Kerenza?"
"Yes, Your Highness?"
With a small, slightly mischievous smile, she pointed at Merlin. "Watch out for this one. He can be rather sneaky." Her smile became a little more serious. "But also take care of him. I consider Merlin a friend. He can always be counted on to help those in need, but he sometimes forgets to take care of himself."
Kerenza inclined her head. She'd already seen Merlin's selflessness. He would risk his own safety in a heartbeat if it meant saving those he cared about. He wouldn't hesitate. "I will, Your Highness."
"Please, just Mithian. I hope that I can consider you a friend as well?"
Kerenza smiled. "I would be honored, Mithian."
Arthur stepped onto the platform. The last performer had finished nearly an hour earlier, but he hadn't quite been ready to bring the celebrations to a close. He was glad that the festival had been a success. He felt that Camelot would truly prosper from the return of magic. And he had the full support of Annis, Godwyn, and Rodor. He was also glad of the chance to form an alliance with the druids.
He cleared his throat, drawing attention to himself. He waited until the marketplace was quiet before he spoke. "As the celebrations wind down, I hope that we can all reflect on the wonderful things we've seen this week. I understand that there will always be some who will abuse magic. With any kind of power or authority, there are always some who will abuse it. And with our new Court Sorcerer, they will be dealt with accordingly. But we now have an opportunity to utilize sorcery for the good for which it was intended. To heal, to protect, to create. For those who would dare to attack us with magic, we will now be able to counteract those attacks. We will able to truly defend ourselves, in a way that we haven't been able to for many years.
"But before the festivities end, I have one more announcement to make. It is cause for even more celebrations throughout the kingdom. I am quite pleased to say that the queen has conceived an heir to the throne of Camelot! There will be a child to carry on the legacy of this wonderful kingdom."
The crowd cheered, looking at their beloved queen with all the adoration that Arthur felt for her. Guinevere ducked her head slightly, but her smile was unmistakable.
He joined his wife, pressing a swift but loving kiss to her cheek.
"Congratulations," Elena told both him and Guinevere. "That is very exciting."
The queen smiled. "Thank you. We -"
Some sort of commotion erupted from near the platform. Arthur looked over to see a crowd forming around a young girl, about ten or eleven years old, who was lying on the ground. From the muttering of the people, it seemed as if she'd fallen and had been kicked by a horse. The horse was rapidly being calmed and led away.
He watched Kerenza rush toward the group, pushing them out of her way so she could get to the girl. A woman, most likely the child's mother, stood several feet away, frozen in fear.
Merlin felt Kerenza release his hand. Then she was running toward the fallen girl, the same girl they'd seen earlier, walking with her mother. Merlin didn't see the mother as he rushed after Kerenza. She dropped to her knees, beside the girl's shoulder, just as Merlin caught up to her. She let her hands hover over the child, obviously using her magic to sense the extent of her injuries. There was no visible blood, but that kick had not been gentle. Merlin was sure there would be internal bleeding, at the very least. The girl's eyes were unfocused, and she looked on the edge of losing her consciousness.
"Stop!" the girl's mother yelled, causing Kerenza to freeze as the woman stormed toward her. "I forbid you to use that vile sorcery on my child!"
The girl's eyes fluttered shut as she lost consciousness. Kerenza stared at the woman. "Your daughter has blood pooling under her skull, with nowhere to go, putting pressure on her brain. If I don't use a healing spell within the next -"
"Get away from her, sorceress."
Kerenza narrowed her eyes. Merlin could see the fury she was struggling to hide. "Are you going to let your daughter die because of a stupid prejudice? Either I do this spell, or she dies. If you refuse to allow me to save her, then her death is on your conscious, not mine. I can save her, but we are wasting valuable time."
A tense minute passed. Then the mother gave a hesitant nod.
Kerenza began chanting, her focus entirely on her task. Merlin knew she would save the child - she was more talented at healing spells than he was. She understood the body better than he did, allowing her to control the magic better. He was powerful, but his healing magic had never been strong because he just didn't have the same understanding of the internal workings of the body, despite all his years with Gaius. He didn't understand the structure of the body as well as he should for healing magic.
This was the side of Kerenza that he liked the most. Her fierce and stubborn protectiveness of life. She would make sure that the girl survived.
The ending might seem a little abrupt. But I really needed to show that side of Kerenza from Merlin's POV, and this is what I came up with. I hope it didn't seem too random or anything.
And I always thought it was weird how, in the show, Merlin didn't seem to be all that great with healing spells. It always seemed to take him several tries. Maybe, despite him working with Gaius, he just doesn't know enough about the internal structure of the human body? I don't know. Because he does seem to know his herbs pretty well.
To akuryoyakuza: He does tend to get a lot of crap from the knights. You're welcome for updating!
To mersan123: Let's hope Gwaine doesn't get too involved, though. Yeah, for some reason, it's almost impossible for me to imagine Hunith in Camelot. But I figured Merlin would at least offer.
To guest: Thank you! I'm really glad that the chapter read well.
To NerdGirlAlert: There will definitely be more Merlenza. Don't you fear.
To SisterOfAnElvenWannabe: Thanks! And I totally thought that you had used the chapter title on purpose. Naming chapter titles, and even just titles in general, is probably my least favorite part of writing.
To BlueIceFire995: Welcome aboard! I'm very honored that mine is your first Merlin fic. Aithusa is coming, don't fret. And Gwaine asking for water to be turned into wine…Hmm. Excellent idea. I may use that sometime in the future. You are very welcome for the fic.
To xxxLeanniexxx: I am totally calling Arthur that in my head from now on. And Merlin is definitely going to use that spell at some point. Maybe not in this fic, but I do have a vague idea for a sequel, and it may pop up in that one.
