Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.
Chapter 11 – The Beginning of the End
It was not only Arthur who began mobilizing his army upon hearing that Morgana and the Saxons were approaching; every man each monarch had brought was told to prepare for departure at dawn. After seeing all was well at hand, Arthur retreated to his chambers intent on spending his remaining time before departure with his wife and son. However, voices in a hidden alcove near the guest quarters stopped him momentarily.
"We can't." The first voice Arthur knew well having grown up listening to the voice of his friend, manservant and now Court Mage. "My Lady, please."
"Tell me truly, Merlin." Mithian spoke. "Do you not love me? And no lies, or saying what you think you ought to. Tell me the truth." Merlin was silent for a moment and it was not only Mithian that awaited his answer.
"Yes, alright? I love you. But we can never be you and I. Our destinies could not be more different."
"I think you're wrong about that." She said, joy evident in her voice at his admission. "But I can work on that now that I know for certain you love me."
"Mithian we can't." Merlin pleaded again.
"You go to war tomorrow, Merlin, and you may not return. I may never see the man I love again. Please do not leave me without at least one kiss." Arthur heard no more and rightly assumed that Merlin had given in. So The King of Camelot continued on his way, confident that Merlin would not allow things to go too far and so he need not intervene. Reaching his chambers, Arthur opened the door and was greeted by sight of his wife pacing with a sniffling baby who turned his big blue eyes on his father.
"He won't settle down." Gwen explained.
"Here, let me." Arthur said and took William from her, beginning to pace himself, and it wasn't long before the babe's head fell onto Arthur's shoulder as he fell asleep. "See? He just needed to be in his father's arms."
"Clearly." Gwen said with a loving smile as she followed Arthur into their bedchamber where he carefully put William down so as not to wake him.
"You leave at dawn do you not?" Gwen asked as they returned to the antechamber where the dinner Arthur had not had a chance to eat was laid out.
"Yes. I fear this is it, Gwen. This will be Morgana's final stand. I fear one of us will not come out of this alive."
"Then God willing let it be her, for I could not bear to lose you." Gwen murmured as she took a seat in Arthur's lap and ran her hands through his hair, bringing them around his neck.
"How am I supposed to kill her Gwen?" He asked as he too wrapped his arms around her to hold her close. "Even after her betrayal all those months ago, how am I to kill my sister?"
"You must not think it is your sister you kill. Any trace of the Morgana we knew and loved died the day she betrayed that love."
"It is not that simple-"
"Perhaps not, but you must make it that simple for the battle to come. You cannot afford to hesitate, Arthur, it could be the end of you if you do." Arthur sighed but nodded, knowing she was right. "If you face her and feel like you are about to hesitate all you must do is look into her eyes. Remember the cold hatred we saw in them the last time. There was no trace of our Morgana there. Look into her eyes, Arthur, and you will see it, you will know that whether or not the woman who stands before you bears her name and her face, it is not our sister."
"I know you are right. I only wish I knew what happened. How did things go so wrong, Gwen? When and why did she begin to hate us so?"
"I think we all know the 'when' was when the Saxons took her captive."
"If she really was a captive." Arthur imputed.
"I believe she was in the beginning. Whatever happened to her during her weeks there is what turned her against us."
"But what happened? Even all these months later we still do not know. All we do know is that she wasn't under an enchantment!"
"Remember what Kilgharrah said." Gwen reminded him gently. "There is more than one way to break a person's mind, non-magical ways."
"But then she is not truly herself. Whether broken through magic or otherwise she is still broken and it is not her fault."
"Perhaps not entirely. But if all our years together could be wiped away in a matter of weeks and without magic then the potential had to have been there. There had to have been something inside Morgana that wanted to believe we were as bad as Uther and that the throne of Camelot, or even all of Britain, was rightfully hers."
"It is not rightfully hers." Arthur nearly spat. "I am Uther's son, his only legitimate child, and the rightful heir to Camelot. Though she did have a strong claim to the throne should I have died childless, being of Uther's blood, even if she is illegitimate. But we have William now and should I die he would become King with you as Queen Regent until he is of age."
"That is assuming she follows the proper path and…and does not also try to kill our son." She gasped at the thought of her barely one month old child dying.
"That will never happen." Arthur's voice was deathly quiet and promised a great deal of pain to anyone who thought to stand in his way on this.
"Arthur promise me you will not die!" Gwen whispered, burying her head in her husband's shoulder as tears began to fall. "I could not bear it if I lost you. What would William and I do without you?"
"You would go on as you know you must, for our son and our kingdom." His arms tightened around her. "I cannot promise you that I will not die, Guinevere. That is something that is in God's hands. What I will promise is to do all I can to stay alive. I do not want to leave you, Guinevere. Not you and not our son. I will do everything in my power to return to you both." Gwen nodded her head though made no move to pull away. "I love you, Gwen. With all my heart."
oo00oo00oo
It was a few hours before nightfall when Arthur and his fellow Kings and Queen decided to make camp, knowing that with as many men as they had between them it could take those few hours just to set up camp. They chose a spot at the bottom of Badon Hill, which offered them the most protection, and opportunity to spot an attack. A large tent for the monarchs, their advisors and generals was set up at the very centre of the camp with each kingdom's army laid out around them, the King or Queen's personal tent being set up in the centre of their own army's encampment. The monarchs met in their communal tent that evening for dinner and to discuss tactics. Some, like Arthur and Cenred, would be leading their men into battle, while a few others, like Annis and Alined, would not, knowing they would be of no help in an actual battle. Still, the monarchs who would remain behind would never sit back in their castles and send their armies to do their bidding, they would always follow them even if they did no fighting themselves. They were half way through dinner when the shouts started. Those trained soldiers immediately armed themselves and ran to investigate while the others huddled around the tent's entrance cursing their age, gender or infirmity that stopped them from having been trained to fight, or from being able to fight any longer. It did not take long for Arthur to discover the cause of the shouts; their camp was under attack. Calling his men to arms as he ran into the fray, Arthur began what he hoped was the last battle against the Saxons and Morgana. He was quickly joined by Leon and Percival who took up positions on either side of him, intent on protecting their King at all costs. They fought their way through the Saxons hoping for a sign as to where Mordred was, if he was even here, knowing that if they cut off the head, the rest of the Saxons would quickly follow. Their search, however, was interrupted as a bright light illuminated the sky. He and the others turned to see Merlin and Morgana facing off against each other in the manner sorcerers did best: with magic. The battle between the two appeared fierce with neither side the clear victor, though Arthur did not have time to stop for longer than that as more and more Saxons came upon them. He and his two best Knights fought as hard as they could but the sheer number of Saxons that had appeared was overwhelming. Eventually they were surrounded and it was a gloating Mordred to stepped forward; apparently he'd been searching out Arthur just as Arthur had been searching him.
"Drop your weapons and I may let you live." He said with a sickening grin.
"I will never surrender to the likes of you!" Arthur hissed as his tactical brain worked on overdrive to find them a way out of there.
"Then you will perish, Arthur Pendragon. Your refusal will leave Camelot ripe for the taking. Not that it wouldn't have been anyways. Morgana can have her precious crown she covets and with you gone, none shall stand in my way as High King."
"You're a fool, Mordred, if you believe for one second that Morgana will quietly retreat to Camelot and not try for all of Britain. And you're a fool even more if you think getting rid of me will make you The High King. Either you are, or you are not. I have nothing to do with it."
"So you say. But Morgana says otherwise."
"Morgana is using you. Can you not see it? She was always good at getting her own way, and it appears that that has not changed. She will use you, Mordred, and discard you the moment your usefulness runs out. If she lives that long." Arthur nodded behind Mordred to where Merlin had managed to push Morgana back and was quickly gathering his magic in the hopes of hitting her before she could get back up. "It would appear that Merlin has gotten the best of her, and once she is dealt with he shall turn his sights on you. Emrys, The Immortal Mage, shall come for you whether I be alive or not. So strike me down, Mordred, and seal your fate to not even live long enough to find out whether or not you are The High King, let alone actually claim the crown." His words had the desired effect of enraging Mordred enough to cause him to lash out blindly. It was Arthur's last hope that this would make Mordred clumsy enough to give them a chance, no matter how small of one given the men he had with them. However, it seemed that Arthur himself wasn't without men for as soon as Mordred and his men raised their swords did six of Arthur's come barrelling in. The six fought with no fear and the skill that only came with years of training, though the quick glance he had had told Arthur that these six were not Knights of Camelot. With their help, Arthur, Percival and Leon renewed their own fight and it wasn't long before they had the Saxon's on the run, Mordred at their head.
"Ha!" Arthur let out a bark of laughter at the sudden and unexpected turn of events. That was not the only turn of events, however, for it appeared that the battle was over and the Saxons were in retreat. Arthur looked to Merlin and saw him standing alone, though without Morgana's body at his feet, telling Arthur that she had escaped. Seeing the fight was over, Arthur sheathed his sword and turned to his savours.
"Thank you. All of you." He said, offering his hand to each in turn.
"Our honour, Your Majesty." One of them said while the others murmured similar sentiments, one of them accepting a dagger from Percival who had pulled it out of the Saxon it had been imbedded in and cleaned it on his cape before returning it to the man who was just as big and brawny, if not more so, than Percival himself.
"What are your names?" Arthur enquired, seeing new Knights before him if ever there were some.
"I am Lancelot, Your Grace." The man who had spoken previously said. "This is my friend Gwaine." Lancelot was quite tall with short brown hair and appeared to be about Arthur's age. The same could be said for Gwaine, though he was slightly shorter and his hair was longer.
"My name is Galahad, Sire, and this is my brother Tristan." Said the shortest and apparently youngest of them all, if his more boyish looks were anything to go by. Tristan was clearly the older brother and appeared a bit reserved, offering his King a bow in greeting, but saying nothing.
"This is Dagonet, and I'm Bors, Your Majesty." The big brawny man finished the introductions. Both he and his companion lacked any hair to speak of, though Dagonet did have a bit of a beard. They were also clearly the oldest of the bunch, having at least a several years on the others.
"Well gentlemen, it would appear we owe you a debt of gratitude."
"We are far from gentlemen, Sire." Gwaine said with a laugh. "We all come from poor outlying villages of no consequence, and families of no name."
"Why did you enlist?" Arthur asked.
"Likely the same reason most men enlist." Dagonet answered. "We wanted to protect our families, our friends. At one point or another, the Saxons forced us all from our homes. We sought refuge in the city, where we all met, and saw too many others like us who had lost everything thanks to this war. We know the damage the Saxons can and have done and want to put an end to it."
"That is quite commendable of you." Arthur praised. "What are your professions?"
"Our family were farmers, Sire, before the Saxons destroyed our crops and took our livestock for themselves." Tristain said of him and Galahad.
"Dagonet and I share a profession, My Lord. We were both our villages' blacksmiths." Said Bors.
"While Lancelot and I were swords for hire, Your Grace." Gwaine said.
"I can understand your skill then," Arthur directed to the two swordsmen. "But all of you fight as well as most Knights of Camelot, and with a bit of polishing could no doubt rival even my First Knights." He nodded to Leon and Percival who both wore scowls at his words.
"As always, your confidence and praise honours and astounds us, Sire." Leon deadpanned while Percival muttered something under his breath about wiping the floor with Arthur should they live through this battle to see the training fields again. Arthur quirked a smile but otherwise ignored them, keeping his attention on the six newcomers.
"Why have none of you presented yourselves at the castle to face the Knights' trials?"
"We are not of noble birth, Sire. The law forbids it." Lancelot said with a raised eyebrow. Arthur sighed and nodded, remembering now his father's law.
"This was true during my father's reign. But I am not my father, that law was repealed shortly after I became King."
"We did not know, My Lord."
"I am certain most do not know. I was so busy with magic returning to the kingdom and Morgana's betrayal that I did not put much thought into spreading the word." Arthur unsheathed his sword and held it in front of him, raising himself to appear every inch the king he was. "But my error can be rectified here and now if you so wish."
"Sire?" Galahad asked.
"What you have faced here this day far surpasses anything you would face in the knights' trials. I would be proud to call you Knights of Camelot." The six men looked to each other unsure what to think. They had not expected such when they had intervened. In truth, none had seen that it was The King who was in danger when they had stepped in, merely that three of their fellow soldiers were outnumbered. Learning that it was The King had made them fight harder, but they had stepped in thinking him another common man like themselves, not in the hopes of any reward.
"I would be honoured, Sire." Lancelot was the first accept. "As a boy I dreamed of being a Knight of Camelot, but did not allow myself to keep that dream as I grew, knowing of King Uther's law." As had been the case for years, where Lancelot went, Gwaine followed, and it wasn't long before the others had accepted as well. Each man knelt before their King in turn as Arthur touched his sword to each of their shoulders and proclaimed them Knights of Camelot.
"Arise, Sir Gwaine, Knight of Camelot."
"Arise, Sir Bors, Knight of Camelot."
"Arise, Sir Dagonet, Knight of Camelot."
"Arise, Sir Tristan, Knight of Camelot."
"Arise, Sir Galahad, Knight of Camelot."
"Arise, Sir Lancelot, Knight of-"
"Your Majesty, look out!" Lancelot cried suddenly and launched himself forwards, catching Arthur around the waist and knocking him to the ground in time to protect him from the sword that was coming his way. None had noticed that one of the Saxons they thought dead had begun to stir as they talked and the man had taken the time to gather his wits and his sword and strike at The King of Camelot. Lancelot's cry was followed not one second later by the swing of both Leon and Percival's swords as they reacted to the threat, their swords both hit their mark and the force of the swings cut the Saxon clean in half.
"Sire!" Both First Knights yelled rushing to their King's side, quickly followed by the newly minted knights. They pulled Lancelot off Arthur and were glad to see he was unharmed, both knights laughed as Arthur cursed and swore that he was alright, until he noticed Lancelot was not moving.
"Lancelot!" Arthur's cry brought the attention back to the man who had saved him, and the large pool of blood that was beginning to stain his tunic.
"Get him to a physician, now!" Arthur shouted as he, Gwaine, Leon and Percival lifted Lancelot and began carrying him towards the medical tent. "Merlin!" Arthur shouted again as they went, looking to the warlock who had still not moved from where he had been fighting Morgana. "Merlin, for God's sake get your lazy ass over here and save him!" Merlin rushed over and began examining Lancelot when they placed him in an empty cot.
"He's lost a lot of blood." Merlin mumbled.
"No, really, Merlin? I could not see that for myself. Can you heal him?!" Arthur's biting sarcasm was noted but Merlin did not say anything in return.
"I can close the wound but it has to be cleaned first or any dirt will allow for infection to set in." Using all the, admittedly meagre, skill he had learned from Gaius over the years, Merlin carefully cleaned the wound before using his magic to seal it shut. "I've done all I can. The physician will have a potion to try and increase his strength, but it is really up to him now." The others nodded and began filing out, knowing they were only in the way of the physicians' work, huddled in the tent as they were. Only Arthur and Merlin were left.
"He saved my life." Arthur said. "If he had not seen the attack I would be dead now."
"I will ensure the physicians do all they can to save him. Even if I have to summon Aithusa and fly back to the castle for Gaius, nothing will be spared to ensure he lives." Arthur placed his hand on Merlin's should in thanks before taking a seat next to Lancelot, intent on staying until he awakened, or until the war could no longer wait. A few hours later Arthur was nodding off when he heard a groan. His eyes flew open and immediately went to Lancelot who was beginning to stir.
"Lancelot. Lancelot, can you hear me?" The man groaned again, though he did nod his head, much to Arthur's delight. After a few minutes in which Lancelot fully awakened and insisted on sitting up, though Arthur tried to stop him, The King again spoke.
"I owe you my life, Sir Lancelot. You have but to name your reward and it is yours."
"Am I truly a knight if you didn't actually get to proclaim me as such?" Out of everything Lancelot could have said Arthur was not expecting that and could not stop the laugh that escaped.
"I believe so, but if you have doubts I shall of course oblige." The King stood and unsheathed his sword once more, moving quickly to place it atop Lancelot's shoulder to stop the man from kneeling as he attempted to do. Once confident that Lancelot would not move further, Arthur lifted his sword and brought it from one shoulder to the next. "I would tell you to rise, but that would defeat the purpose. So, instead I offer both my thanks, and my congratulations, Sir Lancelot, Knight of Camelot."
A/N - And the other Knights have finally been introduced. Yes, I took them from the 2004 movie King Arthur, save for Gwaine and Lancelot who were also in Merlin. More on the new Knights to come!
