Battle Wounds
Marayna looked over her shoulder as she made her way down the long, dark staircase that led to the belly of the castle, a torch held tightly in her hand. She hoped she had remembered the right way to the Dragon's cavern. The first time she had arrived had been on accident, trying to find her brother, the second was with Merlin leading her. And if she ended up getting lost in catacombs or something she was going to rip her hair out. She was rather terrible with directions. It wasn't till she felt a cold rush of air that she realized she had indeed reached the cavern.
"Hello?" she called, not seeing the dragon there. Honestly, where was he even able to go? He was chained to a rock!
"Ah," she head a voice reply as the Dragon flew from below and landed before her on the small rock in the middle of the cavern, "The young witch returns, though quite unexpectedly. Why have you come?"
"You don't know?" she asked him, raising an eyebrow, he always seemed to know everything.
The Dragon laughed, "Unlike the Lady Morgana, I cannot always see the future."
Marayna's eyes widened, "Morgana can see the future?!"
He nodded, "Though she is just beginning to come into her powers."
They were silent for a moment, "The future," she whispered softly, "That is what I wish to speak to you on."
"Yes?"
She took a breath, "You said Merlin and Arthur were two sides of a coin…"
"I did."
"I understand," and she truly did. They seemed to balance each other out, sword and sorcery as it were, "And I understand how I may be the inscription that effects both their destinies…but I don't understand how I could possibly be Arthur's wife!"
THAT was really bothering her. For more reasons than one, there was just...so much wrong with that future. She knew the likelihood of her getting married was slim, especially among her village, even less when she went to her Aunt Elaine. Her Aunt had been the youngest of three with her mother as the eldest, her uncle, Gaius, as the middle and only boy. The younger siblings had gone on to do so much while their mother remained back in Ealdor to care for their parents, hers and Merlin's grandparents, and their home. It didn't bother their mother, that she hadn't gone on to become a physician or some other learned woman, like their aunt, who had married a very minor noble in a neighboring kingdom, their mother loved her home and hadn't wanted to leave.
But it had left HER knowing that prospects of any sort of marriage were almost nonexistent. Yes, she would have loved to have found a man who loved her and who she loved back. Yes, she would love to start a family of her own. But she had accepted since she was very small that it wasn't going to happen. She'd come to terms with it, and now...to hear the Dragon tell her she WAS going to marry (even it if was Arthur) well...that was just a cruel prophecy, to give her hope like that. Because she knew there was just too much in the way of her and Arthur wedding. Uther, her magic, Uther, her station, Uther, her parents marital status, and did she mention Uther?
To her...it was impossible to marry Arthur, even more so because he was just...he wasn't what she thought of in a husband. He was arrogant and rude and...well, he did have SOME redeeming qualities, yes, he genuinely DID care about his people in a way his father didn't, but...she didn't know him, he hadn't made the best impression on her. Not that she could really say she hadn't done the same to him, speaking of incest and then punching him...but still. She just...couldn't picture it, her and Arthur, and she just wanted to say that, that it was impossible. She wanted the Dragon to take back whatever prophecy he thought there was and tell her it was a joke.
It had to be, because she couldn't marry anyone...she just...wouldn't be a proper wife for them.
"Not only am I a servant, but a peasant, and a sorceress!"
"Witch," the Dragon corrected.
"What?"
"You, young one, are a witch, not a sorceress."
She frowned, "What's the difference? They both use magic."
"Ahh but a witch, as with a warlock, are born with the gift of magic, the talent for it, that need only be nurtured and practiced, many of the druids are similar. A sorcerer and sorceress are those who learn to use magic, who study it and, through incantation and practice, become magic users."
Marayna blinked, "So...anyone can use magic?"
"Not always," the Dragon warned, "But with time, many can become proficient in it."
She shook her head, realizing she was getting off topic, "The point was...Uther would never allow a marriage like that, and even if he somehow agreed to let Arthur marry a servant, there's no way he would allow his only son and heir to the most anti-magic throne to marry a witch!"
The Dragon chuckled, "Who said Uther would be there to disagree?"
Her eyes widened, "Uther will die?"
"We all shall die at some point, young witch," he mused, "Everything, all things, must die. Even I cannot avoid that fate," he looked down at the girl who seemed a bit lost in sad thoughts, "I did not say Uther will die before you marry, the future is always changing. However, you and Arthur could never be free until his reign has ended and Arthur's begins."
"But...if Uther's reign ends, that means he's dead, doesn't it? And the future couldn't change that drastically if my destiny is to marry Arthur, could it?" she asked, looking up only to see the Dragon spreading his wings about to fly away, "No! You didn't answer the question!"
That didn't stop the dragon from flying off and leaving her alone though.
"Erg!" Marayna groaned, nearly throwing down her torch.
He was really no help at all. He gave an inch of clear help...and then an entire mile of cryptic replies.
~8~
"Sorry I'm late," Marayna mumbled as she dropped to her knees to join her brother in scrubbing Arthur's floor.
He smiled, shrugging it off, "S'ok, how'd it go?"
She scowled, viciously brushing the floor as though it had wronged her, "No. Help. At. All."
"What else did you expect?" he smirked, "This is the Dragon we're talking about, when is he ever a help?"
She shook her head, "The only thing he told me, besides the fact that I'm supposed to marry Prince Prat, is that Uther may or may not be around to give his consent to his son marrying a witch."
"Makes sense," he mumbled, "No offense, but I don't think Uther would allow anyone with even a bit of magic in them to go near Arthur."
She looked up at her brother who looked at her seriously for only a moment...before the both burst out in laughter. If only Uther knew…
"What's this?" a voice said behind them, they looked over their shoulders to see Arthur leaning against the doorframe, "Are the chores too easy for you?"
Marayna opened her mouth to speak when Merlin firmly clasped his hand over it, "Not at all sire," he gave a meaningful look to his sister, begging her not to say anything that would undoubtedly double their work load.
"Oh yes," she rolled her eyes, pulling Merlin's hand off her mouth, "It's back-breaking, truly it is."
Merlin groaned and hid his face behind his hand, here we go…
But unlike the response he was expecting from Arthur, namely him rambling off a list of endless, meaningless, yet trying chores for them to do before nightfall just because of his sister's minor mock, the prince simply laughed and shook his head. Merlin let out a breath of relief at that, praying that it meant Arthur was getting used to his sister's humor. He hoped so, because half the time HE didn't even get his sister's humor, it was...quite the mix of sarcasm and offense.
Arthur glanced down at his servants, resting on their knees and staring up at him, and his eyes narrowed just a bit, "Who gave you those flowers?" he asked, a bit of humor in his voice as he eyed the small pink impatient by Marayna's ear, "Your marketplace love?"
"No actually," she smiled, taking the flower out of her hair and looking at it with a fond smile, Merlin internally groaning, "Secret admirer this time."
"Secret…what?" Arthur blinked, his eyes bugging slightly.
"Oh yeah, I woke up to find this just outside our door with a beautiful poem attached to it, lovely really," she twirled the blossom in her hands, "I love poems."
Merlin sighed seeing Arthur's reaction, the man clearly believing her, so...not used to it then, "She's joking again sire," he replied, seeing Arthur doing his impression of a fish once more, "She picked it herself before, when we were collecting herbs for Gaius."
"Oh, yes," Arthur straightened, trying to ignore Marayna's musical laugh, "Of course. I knew that."
"Did you?" she asked casually, raising a brow as she stared at him. She couldn't help but laugh, she always seemed to be one step ahead of him. He'd made a valiant attempt to jest with her and she was certain that, when he finally learned how to handle her humor and teasing, he would be quite fun to exchange witty remarks with.
"Of course I did," he replied a bit smugly, crossing his arms once more, "It's my job as the Prince to know what is going on within the castle. I would know if anyone was giving you flowers."
"I see," she nodded, "Of course you would know the ins and outs of the castle," Arthur nodded as well, smirking down at her, "Then you also know that your father requested your presence for the mid-day meal?"
Arthur's eyes widened but a moment later he was calm again, "I do know. Now, continue on with your chores, I shall expect my room to be spotless by the time I return," he turned and immediately left the room, though the siblings could hear him walking a bit faster than normal down the halls.
Merlin turned a questioning gaze to his sister, "I thought Uther was inspecting the guards at noon today?"
Marayna smirked, "He is."
"But Arthur's on his way to…" his eyes widened in realization and a smile made its way onto his face as well despite the situation, "Oh, Aya!"
She doubled over, grabbing her sides as she cried with laughter at the thought of Arthur's face when he realized, after rushing into the dining hall all flustered, that it was all for nothing, she could imagine a scowl would cross his face quite quickly and wondered if it would be possible to hear the shout of 'Marayna!' from there, "It's not my fault he's so easy to fool," she replied when she was able to breathe again.
Merlin chuckled a bit as well, "You do know he's going to double our work now, don't you?"
She nodded, "But wasn't it worth it?"
The look on his face told her it was. He glanced down at the half done floor, "Come on, let's try to get this finished before Arthur comes back. Maybe we can escape before that and he won't be able to find us for the day."
Marayna nodded in agreement and began to quickly scrub the floor with her brother.
~8~
Just as luck would have it, Arthur returned only moments before they had finished the room and had, in fact, doubled their work for the day. Marayna didn't think it fair that Arthur had doubled Merlin's work though, he wasn't the one baiting the prince, it should have just been her. Though she also knew her brother would have helped her if it had just been her so it wouldn't have really been 'double the work' at all. Which was why she found herself in Arthur's stables that night. She had told Merlin that she would take the last of his chores so he could get some rest. He always seemed to get more of the manual labor than she did so he was much more exhausted than she was by the end of the day. It was like Arthur didn't think her capable of lifting a shovel or hefting a sack or something. She grew up in Ealdor! It was nothing but manual labor and tending fields and other things.
Though, after mucking out Arthur's stables, grooming the horses, and picking out all the bruised apples (one of Arthur's more meaningless punishment tasks) from the barrel used to treat the horses, she was quite tired herself. She patted an older chestnut-colored horse with a long, black, frizzy mane, as she left the stables, securing the lock and making her way back towards the castle.
She was nearly at the edge of the rows of stables, one for Uther, one for Arthur, one for guests and other random horses to use, and a rather large one for the knights...when she saw a small glow coming from Uther's stables. Knowing that he king was asleep by then, Gaius had been sent to inspect his shoulder and give him a sleeping draught, she wondered who else could be in the king's stables at such an hour. As the rules went, only Uther could enter his stables (or Arthur or Morgana), his own servants could only enter in the presence of their king, and the only other man left to enter at will was his personal stable hand, a rather lovely old man, but she knew he'd gone home for the night, he'd waved at her as he passed on the way.
She debated whether or not to look into the matter, if she was caught in the king's stables, she would most likely be punished. But then again, if it was another servant, a newer one who didn't know the rules, she didn't want them to get into trouble either. Sighing, she turned and made her way to the stables. She paused though when she heard a rustling coming from within followed a moment later by a sharp crack and a frightened neigh. Her eyes widened as she realized whoever was in there was hurting one of the horses!
She quickly dropped the small bag she had been carrying and ran into the stables, but she didn't see anything at first, it was quite dark...and then she heard it, another crack and a pained neigh. She slowly walked towards it, seeing the glow of a lantern at the end of the row of horse stalls. She reached out and patted another horse that was leaning over its stall, trying to keep it calm as she walked. She leaned around the corner of the end stall and peered over its gate...only to see a beautiful, golden-colored mare with a stunning white mane jumping on its hind legs as it tried scurrying away from whoever was hurting her. As it passed her, she could see several scratches of red on its hide contrasting greatly with the horses coloring. It wasn't until the horse moved a bit more that she saw who it was that was hurting the poor horse.
"Urry!" she shouted, staring at the man who was glaring at the horse, holding a rather crude riding crop high in his hand, the edges frayed and looking like it was one intended more for true harm than discipline, the man looking like he was about to strike again, "What do you think you are doing?!" she quickly unlatched the stall and entered, rushing over to the horse to inspect it more closely. She had just reached out a hand to calm it when Urry grabbed her by that very wrist and yanked her back, pulling her right out of the stall.
She pulled her wrist from his bruising grip and glared at him, "How dare you!?" she continued, blocking the entrance to the stall as though expecting him to attempt to enter again, "This is Uther's stable and not even the knights are allowed here without him present. And striking one of his horses?! The king will have your head for this if I have anything to say about it."
She turned, about to storm out of the stables and run to the castle to alert the guards...when Urry grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back. He held it so tightly that if she struggled, even the slightest bit, a shooting pain raced up her arm, "You won't have anything to say about it, not if I can help it," he growled into her ear, mocking her own threat, "As though Uther would believe the word of a servant over a knight. Didn't you learn with Valiant?"
She could practically hear the smirk in his voice, she jerked, trying to free herself but he twisted her arm even more.
"I suppose not," he muttered, pushing her forward, back down the row stalls, towards the entrance, "I shall have to teach you then."
Her eyes widened in fear as he shoved her against a wall. This could not be happening. She had all the power in the world to stop him, yet she couldn't. If she used any magic short of killing him, he would alert the king and not only would she be executed, but the king would link her and Merlin together and execute him as well and maybe even Gaius too!
Her thoughts were cut off when she felt a piece of cold metal clasp around her twisted arm. The next thing she knew, both her hands were chained to the sconce above her head. She felt the cold hands of Urry reach the nape of her neck, shoving her hair to the side before she heard the sound of fabric tearing. She swallowed hard, now half-dangling from a sconce, her back exposed to him, and she had no idea what he was going to do. She couldn't turn her head to look as her arms were secured rather tightly.
She flinched as she felt breathing on her neck, "No respect," Urry mumbled, "You have no respect for the knights of Camelot. Make a fool out of me, will you?"
She held her breath, letting it out only when he moved away from her. So that was what this was about? Because she had bested him in a challenge? It had been his own fault! If he hadn't been so arrogant he would have most certainly beaten her!
"Make a fool out of me, just like that horse," she could hear him spit, grimacing when she felt bits of it hit her back, "Throwing me! Refusing to move for me. Horrible horse to have, an embarrassment. I was doing Uther a favor breaking it."
It was then that she realized what he was about to do, a split second before the riding crop struck across her back. She winced in pain and bit her lip to keep from crying out. She would not give him the satisfaction of screaming like she knew he wanted. He was relentless in his attack, fiercely hitting her, mumbling curses at women and horses and any other thing that had ever crossed him. With each strike, she flinched, she could feel her eyes tearing as her skin split but she refused to let the tears fall. She didn't know how long he had been hitting her, or how she could remain conscious with all the blinding pain coursing through her back.
She was breathing heavy, shaking terribly, when Urry finally decided she'd had enough, "Stupid wench," he muttered, spitting at the ground by her feet before stalking out of the stables, leaving her dangling there still.
She held her breath so that she could hear the sound of his boots crunching his way up to the castle. When they faded she let out a shuddering breath and closed her eyes, resting her head against her arms a moment. She took a breath and glanced up at the manacles chaining her to the torch, "On…Onlucan," she whispered, then fell in a heap to the ground, whimpering in pain as the manacles unlocked. She should have thought of a different spell, as soon as the manacles released her, her arms dropped to her sides, the movement causing a searing pain to shoot though her body as it too hit the floor. Black spots danced in her vision as she lay on the hay and dirt covered ground of the stables.
She didn't want to move, not at all, but she needed to get back to the castle. Not only because, knowing Urry, he would probably alert the guards that there was someone lurking in the king's stables, and they would find her, but also to see her uncle. He never seemed to sleep well until she and Merlin were both back from the day's chores, he would see her back, yes, but he would be able to help her.
Drawing a deep breath, she srunched her face and pushed herself to her feet in one quick motion. Perhaps too fast, she swayed and leaned heavily on the stable wall. Luckily, Urry had chained her near the main door which was only a few feet away. She stumbled to it, resting against its frame for only a moment when she heard guards in the distance, most likely coming to inspect the stables. She steeled herself and ran as fast as she could towards the side of the castle, where she could enter Gaius's chambers.
~8~
Gaius was pacing the room in worry as he waited for Marayna to return from her chores. Merlin had explained, when he arrived, that his sister was just finishing mucking out the stables and would be back soon…but that was an hour ago. Even if Arthur's stables were filthy, if she was nearly done she should have been back by now.
He was just about to wake Merlin and have him help search...when he heard a thud by his door. He stood still as he listened, a moment later there was a faint thud-thud, like someone was feebly trying to knock on the door. Hastily walking across his study, he threw open the door but saw no one standing there. It wasn't until he felt a tug on the bottom of his robes that he looked down...and gasped at the sight before him.
He promptly fell to his knees, seeing his niece, his little Rayna, kneeling by the door, her clothes stained red from the wounds on her back, "Please," she whispered, her voice horse, tears falling from her eyes, "Help…"
"My god!" he exclaimed, reaching out to gently help her to her feet, "What happened, child?"
He led her to a cot and had her lay down while he went to fetch a bucket of water and cleaning cloths. He pushed her hair away from the wounds and began to clean them as quickly and carefully as he could. He frowned as he felt his niece shaking beneath his hands, she was far too pale and had lost too much blood for comfort.
"Rayna," he began sternly, moving around her to lean in and look her in her eyes, "What happened?!"
She scrunched her eyes shut, she knew that tone, he wanted to know and he wanted to know now, "I…was leaving Arthur's stables and…I s-saw a light coming from Uther's."
"But the king wasn't there. I waited till he fell asleep to ensure the draught had worked."
Marayna tried nodding but winced, "I w-went to warn them, not t-to be there, thought it was a s-servant. I heard a h-horse being beaten. It...it was Urry," she flinched at the name, "He was h-hurting a golden horse and…"
"Golden you say?" he cut in gently, pausing in shock. There was no way Urry would harm that horse, any horse but that one. It was practically a death sentence when it came to the king! "With a white mane?"
"Y-yes," she looked up at her uncle's shocked face, "It's important?"
Gaius nodded, "That was Aurora," he explained, "It was Queen Ygraine's favorite horse, given to her by Uther and named after her sister, who died before Arthur was born. He would not dare harm that horse."
"He did," she whispered, "I tr-tried to st-stop him…he chained me t-to a wall and…well…"
Her gaze traveled to her back and Gaius knew what had happened. His grip on a bandage cloth tightened to the point where his knuckles turned white, he was absolutely livid. How dare that…that monster lay a single hand on his niece?! If anything, he would go straight to the king, wake him and demand the man be executed! Or banished and stripped of his knighthood at the very least.
A small sob reached him and he looked down to see Marayna silently crying. He sighed, moving to her side, he could not go to the King, not now. His niece needed him. Tomorrow though...tomorrow he would see to it that the man suffer, even if he had to brew a poison himself.
~8~
Marayna did not sleep much that night, the pain was too great despite the numbing salve Gaius had used on her back and the potions he'd made her take. Soon enough it was dawn and she pushed herself up and off the cot, having been lying on her stomach the entire night, her arms curled against her chest. Sitting gingerly on the edge of the bed she quietly made her way out of the room she shared with Merlin and over to her uncle's small bedside. She shook him gently and he awoke nearly instantly.
"Rayna?" he groaned, yawning as he spoke, "What…what are you doing up young lady!?"
Rayna winced at the volume of his yell, it was a miracle Merlin hadn't woken up to the sound, though, knowing her brother, he could sleep through a raid if he was tired enough. Which brought her back to her reasons for waking him, she didn't have much time before she usually woke up her brother so this needed to be done quickly.
"I need help with the bandages," she mumbled, standing slowly, "I need to make sure they won't unravel during chores..."
"Chores!" he cut in, jumping to his feet rather spryly for an old man, "There is no way in heaven, hell, or earth I am letting you do chores in your condition!"
"I have to uncle," she pleaded, "If I…"
"Marayna this is serious! Your wounds were just caused hours ago, you've lost too much blood, you've barely rested or eaten…"
"Uncle, please," she rubbed her head, he was not helping her rapidly forming headache, "I must complete my chores. I'll not let Arthur load everything on Merlin again, especially when it was my fault he gave us so many. Now I am asking you for help, to make sure the healing salve is applied properly and the bandages remain tight, because you know as well as I that I will do it myself if I must."
Gaius looked at his niece, staring her in the eyes, trying to make her back down, but all he saw was steely determination. He sighed and shook his head, reaching out to pick up a fresh mess of bandages and a bowl of the salve. Marayna gave him a small, thankful smile and went to sit so her uncle could work. It only took a few moments for Gaius to have securely wrapped the bandages around the freshly salve-covered wounds. He had treated many wounds in his past and so it was only natural that it be done as quickly as it was.
"There," he whispered, resting a hand on her shoulder, "Rayna, please, if you will not listen to me and forgo your chores, at least try and take your time. Do not overstress yourself and don't try more than you can handle."
Even as he said it, they both knew it was a lost cause. Marayna would push herself through it as though it were just a normal day. It went without saying that she did not wish anyone to know about the incident with Urry. She had half-begged him last night not to go to the king, he could not deny that her reasons (that Urry would twist her words and make it seem like she deserved the punishment or that he had done nothing to her) would be more accepted by the king coming from a knight than the word of a servant. It was times like these where he truly hated the class system.
"I shall prepare breakfast," he mumbled, stepping away, "You'd best wake your brother."
Marayna nodded and closed her eyes, concentrating. Merlin had somehow built up an immunity to being woken up in any sort of manner short of her screaming her head off in his mind. It was a pity, she had taken quite a bit of pleasure out of throwing a pail of cold water on him to startle him awake, that and banging metal together, and throwing curtains aside to let light in, and other things.
'Merlin,' she spoke softly this time thought, sometimes she was able to wake him without screaming and...she didn't really want to have to yell again, her head hurt enough already. It seemed like her luck might have started to change though as it appeared to be one of those times she felt him stirring without the shouts, 'Merlin, you need to wake up. Arthur is expecting us bright and early. He wants to go hunting.'
She could hear her brother groan in her mind and smiled softly at that. Just as she heard him getting up from bed, Gaius had finished preparing breakfast, basically just heating up the never-ending supply of white mush he seemed to have stored and stockpiled somewhere. They ate in mostly silence, as Merlin was not the best morning person and she had little to say, really...she was just trying to save every last bit of strength she had to face chores that morning.
~8~
'Are you alright?' Merlin whispered as they made their way towards Arthur's chambers, 'You look a bit pale.'
'I'm fine,' she replied, smiling brightly, if a bit forcedly, at her brother, 'Just a late night, didn't get much sleep.'
Merlin nodded and left the subject there as they quickly entered Arthur's room and set about their average daily routine of curtains and bedding and clothes and dressing. It wasn't until Arthur was fully dressed and turned to face her, awake, that he noticed something was off about her as well.
"Are you sick Mara?" he asked, eyeing her critically as she finished making his bed in actual silence, no snide remarks at all.
'Mara?' Merlin shot a smirk at his sister for it.
Marayna shook her head at him, "No, sire," she replied, sighing a bit.
Arthur's eyes narrowed, even HE was able to tell she was lying, he was certain of it. She didn't look well at all. She was far too pale, there were bags under her eyes, and her eyes appeared a bit red though he could find no sign of tears to support his thought that she had been crying. Had his chores been a bit too much the day before? He paused to think on the list, but shook his head at himself, no, nothing out of the ordinary.
He looked at her again, but...he didn't really know her so if she said she was fine, there WAS a chance that she was and he was just...worrying unnecessarily, "Well, are you both ready for hunting?" he looked at them, his gaze landing back on Marayna, "I should hope that you are a bit more competent at stealth than your brother?"
Marayna smirked tiredly, "Of course not."
He laughed a bit at that and left the room, Merlin and Marayna following behind him.
~8~
Marayna clenched her teeth, setting her jaw as she trudged after Merlin and Arthur. She should have taken the extra vial Gaius had been trying to slip her this morning. The numbing effect of the salve had worn off a long while ago and the draught to dull the pain had worn off not long after. She could really use that vial of draught right now. She had been hiking after the boys for hours now and with all the ducking below tree limbs and jumping over stones in pursuit of prey, her back felt as though it were on fire. She was sure that the one time she fell, tripping over an upturned root, she had reopened a few of her wounds and was grateful that Arthur had let her wear her tunic and leggings this time, since they'd be rushing about, she'd selected her only black shirt incase that happened so no one would see the red leak through.
But she refused to show how much she was suffering.
She made certain to hide her grimaces when they were speaking to her. Smiling at them and nodding, wincing as soon as their backs were turned. She tried walking less stiffly when she was ahead of them, but had thankfully ended up behind them most of the time, using the trees to help support her as she walked. Thanks to a bit of magic, and her brother's natural clumsiness, Arthur hadn't managed to catch all that much, so she hadn't had to carry anything too heavy.
It was nearly late afternoon when they returned to Camelot, Arthur had to do a bit of training with the knights before dusk so they needed to be back while there was still light. As Arthur headed off in the direction of the courtyards, where the training was that day, Merlin and Marayna headed towards Gaius's chambers.
"Oh!" Merlin exclaimed, stopping dead in his tracks. Marayna turned to face her brother, a questioning look on her face, "I forgot, I left some armor with Gwen and Tom to be mended yesterday. I promised to pick it up today."
Marayna nodded and held out her hands for the 2 small rabbits her brother was carrying, "Thanks Aya," he smiled, patting her on the back, "I'll be back soon."
And then he ran off towards town, not noticing how stiff his sister had become at his patting. If she thought her back was on fire before, it was nothing compared to now after someone actually touched it. It was her own fault, she reasoned, as she made her way to Gaius's chambers. Merlin didn't know about her back otherwise she knew he would have never patted it…actually if he knew, she was fairly certain that Urry would be dead by now and Merlin would be set for execution as a sorcerer.
She walked as briskly as she could without moving her back much, nodding a quick hello to Morgana as the young ward exited Gaius's chambers and she entered. Morgana paused and gave her a curious look which she ignored. She entered the chambers, laying the rabbits on the table just as Gaius turned around to face her. He immediately knew something was wrong by the look on her too-pale face, "What happened?"
"I…I think I might have reopened some of the um..." she shuddered, resting a hand gently on her lower back, not wanting to say it.
Gaius sighed, "Come here, let me see."
She did as she was told and Gaius explained that she had indeed reopened a few of the cuts. He ordered her to lie down in hers and Merlin's room while he got another batch of salve ready. She didn't hesitate, knowing it would take Merlin a bit of time to collect the armor and deposit it in the armory. But still, the sooner they finished, the sooner she could pretend that everything was fine again.
She mentioned to Gaius that the rabbits were to go to the kitchens and he promised to have a servant come collect them for her, which he had. He had just finished brewing the salve when Merlin strode through the door, a happy grin on his face, "Merlin!" he exclaimed, though not loudly enough to alert Marayna to his presence. This was a blessing in disguise, "Merlin, I need a favor from you."
"Sure," the boy replied, "What is it?"
"The king called upon me to examine his shoulder," he handed his young ward a bowl of salve and a wad of bandages, glancing at the back door meaningfully, "While I see to him, I need you to change her bandages."
Before Merlin could even ask who he was talking about, Gaius was out of the room. Merlin turned, quite confused by Gaius's actions, but made his way to the back room nevertheless. Perhaps Morgana had been injured and was waiting in the back to be treated, or perhaps a servant or something.
Well, he was right, it was a servant, just not one he was expecting because there, laying on her stomach, was his sister, with her back exposed, angry red welts and cuts glaring up at him.
"Oh my god," he gasped, dropping the salve and bandages, but having enough sense to magically freeze them midair.
Marayna quickly turned her head at the sound of her brother's voice, only to see him standing there, mouth open, eyes wide and shining with a mixture of horror, shock, worry, and anger.
"What happened?!" he demanded, setting the supplies on the stool next to her.
"Merlin!" she yelped, "What are you doing here?"
"Gwen and Tom delivered Arthur's armor earlier," he replied, his expression serious, "Now tell me what happened Marayna!"
She winced at that, when he used her full name...it was a sign he was not in a joking mood. She sighed, reaching out to grasp his hand and closed her eyes, opening her mind and allowing him to witness what had happened to her. It was something they had learned they could do as children, share memories as well, it helped when one was too upset or tired to speak. It only took a few moments but it was enough. Merlin pulled his hand away as though he'd been burned and stood up, fury coursing in is blood, the promise of a slow and painful death for Urry flashing in his eyes.
Marayna's eyes widened at the look on her brother's face, she didn't need to hear his thoughts to know what he was thinking, "Merlin, don't!"
But her cries were ignored as Merlin ran out of the room...
~8~
Arthur frowned as he watched his knights training. He hadn't been able to focus on the exercise as his thoughts kept returning to Marayna. There was something...off...about her today, but he just couldn't tell what it was.
He wasn't able to think on the situation much more as a shout resounded behind him.
"URRY!"
He quickly spun to see Merlin stalking towards the training arena, quite shocked because that shout had been so angry and deep that he hadn't associated it with Merlin at all. Had he not seen the red neckerchief that was Merlin's trademark, he would have wondered who the fuming young man was. In his rage, he looked nothing like the clumsy oaf that Merlin was.
"I'LL KILL YOU!" he threatened, before launching himself at the knight. He barely made it within a foot of him before the other knights were stepping in to defend their comrade. Arthur reacted to the blatant display of violence as well, rushing forward to restrain Merlin, locking the boy's arms behind his back as he dragged him, kicking and screaming obscenities, away from the courtyard.
Merlin hadn't calmed any by the time Arthur had dragged him all the way back to Gaius's chambers, "What is the matter with you?" he demanded, pushing Merlin away and into the wall.
Merlin made to get around him, but Arthur blocked him, "Move," Merlin ordered.
"I'm the one giving the orders around here," Arthur replied, his eyes narrowing at the lack of respect and audacity of his manservant.
"Move."
"Not until you tell me why you're after Urry," Arthur answered, blocking another escape.
"I'm going to kill him," Merlin stated, dead serious.
"Then I can't let you by," Arthur crossed his arms.
"You don't know what he did to my sister!" Merlin snapped, glaring at the prince.
Arthur dropped his arms and looked at Merlin, startled, "Mara? What's he done to her?"
Merlin took a few deep breaths, before shaking his head, he didn't want to say it, saying it, describing the state of her back would make it far too real, would only force him to admit he hadn't been able to protect his baby sister, "See for yourself."
He turned and opened the door to Gaius's chambers, leading the young prince through the room to the smaller one in the back. He hesitated by the door and it took Arthur a moment to realize why. Just on the other side he could barely make out the sound of muffled sobs. He was just about to push Merlin out of the way and barge into the room to check on (what he assumed to be) Marayna when Merlin slowly opened the door.
"Aya?" he called softly, all traces of anger leaving his voice as he looked upon his sister.
"Merlin!" she gasped, looking up, revealing her tear-stained face, but relieved eyes. Merlin immediately rushed forward to take her hand in his, his body blocking her sight of Arthur, "I was worried you'd done something stupid and…"
"Shhh," he whispered, wiping her tears away, "I didn't do anything. Didn't get the chance to…"
She looked at him questioningly, "Wha…"
"What the bloody hell happened?!" a voice demanded from the doorway.
Marayna winced, pushing herself up more to see Arthur standing there, staring in horror at her back. She nearly dropped her mouth in shock at the sight of him, at the horror and worry in his eyes, but managed to restrain herself. She sighed, "I'm tired of explaining."
Merlin nodded as she laid back down and turned to face the back wall. He silently got up and moved out of the room, pulling Arthur out with him. As soon as the door was shut again, Arthur rounded on him, "What happened?" he repeated, his eyes hard with an emotion Merlin had never seen before.
"Aya was finishing up chores last night and saw a light in Uth…the king's stables," Merlin began, "When she went to look, Urry was there whipping a horse, I think Gaius said its name was Aurora," he recalled from Marayna's memory as Arthur's eyes widened at that bit of information, but Merlin continued "She tried to stop him and I guess he didn't like it," Merlin was now growing angry and his words took on a more vehement tone, "He chained her to one of the torch sconces and whipped her back instead. Something about her humiliating him and ordering him around."
Both men stood there for a moment, hands clenched into fists at their sides, jaws locked in fierce anger. Arthur nodded, "I shall look into the matter," he informed his servant, which Merlin understood to mean he was going to get evidence so the king would believe him this time, "I promise you both justice."
Merlin nodded and slipped back into the room to tend to his sister's back while Arthur left the room with purpose and a bit of regret.
He should have let Merlin at the knight.
~8~
Arthur deftly made his way to his father's stables. He was the only one in the kingdom, besides Morgana, who was allowed to enter them without the king's escort or permission. He slowly made his way past the various stallions towards the very last stall. He had often been told stories of Aurora, of how it had been a gift to his mother by his father after her sister had died by bandit attacks about five years before he had been born. His father had often let him come visit the mare, a last reminder of his mother. She was a very old horse, nearly 25 years old by now, yet still thriving.
He had never been allowed to ride her or do anything to her. His father treated this horse with particular care. There was only one stablehand allowed to tend to the horse, an old man who had been taking care of it since it had arrived there. She was well fed, well groomed, and well cared for. No one was to ride her or harm her or even touch her without the king's permission. She was allowed to graze wherever she wished, sleep when she wanted, and gallop freely within the area. For Urry to even think of laying a hand on her…for him to do that to Marayna for defending the poor horse made Arthur shake with anger. If Marayna's story proved true…he didn't want to think of the repercussions.
He started to a stop just outside Aurora's stall, his eyes widening as he took in the angry red marks that contrasted greatly to the gold of her hind. His fist clenched in anger at the marks, the marks that were exact to the ones on Marayna's back, the ones that also represented the blatant disregard of his father's law. He looked away, down to the entrance when something caught his eye. He strode to the end of the row and saw a pair of manacles lying in the small bits of hay that lined the floor. Even more disturbing was the flecks of red he could see, Marayna's blood. A knight was not supposed to treat a woman, even a servant that way.
He would see to it that Urry would pay for his crimes.
~8~
"Why have you called court this time?" Uther asked his son as he strode into the Main Hall, up to his throne, nodding his greeting at Morgana who sat in her small decorated chair. He glanced at his son, an eyebrow raising as he took in his tense appearance. He was obviously very angry about something and trying to remain calm, it was a stance that the boy had inherited from him it appeared, to stand so still with one's hands fisted so as to avoid moving and lashing out at the thing that made you angry.
He was failing miserably.
Which left the king to wonder briefly what could have bothered his son so much. Whatever it was, he doubted he would like it very much.
"I have come across some rather disturbing evidence of a grievous crime committed in Camelot," Arthur started, Morgana frowned at that, able to see him shaking with barely controlled rage, "I wish to have Sir Urry stripped of his title and banished from Camelot."
There was a stirring among the knights, as cries of protest flared within the court. It wasn't until Uther raised his hand did silence resume, "And what 'crime' has he committed to warrant such a punishment?" Uther inquired, it was a very serious request.
"My servant Marayna..." Arthur started, when grumbles began again.
"Your servants again, Arthur?" Uther cut in, clearly disappointed in his son for bringing up his servants.
"Yes father," he replied stonily, "She was brutally tortured by that man!"
Morgana gasped as he pointed at Urry, who looked at the king in shock and outrage, "I have done no such thing my Lord!"
"So you deny that you chained my servant to a sconce in the stables and beat her with a riding crop?" Arthur demanded, striding up to the knight, whose eyes widened in fear.
Obviously he hadn't thought the girl would say anything.
Uther leaned forward in his chair, clearly disturbed by the information, while he himself was considered a brute by many, a harsh master, he did not believe in torment like that, in brutal beatings for a servant. He may threaten it, but to do so...and to someone who was NOT your servant was bad form, "Is this true, Sir Urry?"
Urry glared at Arthur before turning to the king, "I punished her, that is true, sire," he explained, "But she deserved it!"
"No one deserves that," Arthur argued, when Uther held up his hand again and Arthur backed away.
"Explain," Uther commanded.
Urry nodded and took a step forward, "I was merely training one of the horses who had yet to be broken. She ran in and demanded that I stop my ministrations. Actually had the cheek to order me to stop and threaten to get the guards after me. I was merely teaching her to respect her superiors, majesty."
Uther leaned back in his chair, while he didn't exactly agree with the man's methods of teaching a lesson, he could not deny that a servant speaking out of place did warrant a punishment of some sort, he was about to speak again when Arthur stepped forward, "Why don't you tell my father the name of the horse you were 'breaking?' And how Marayna was merely stopping you from beating it senseless!"
"I don't know what horse it was," Urry rolled his eyes, "A horse is a horse."
Arthur glared one final time before turning to face his father, knowing his next words were sure to send the knight away for a VERY long time, if he was not beheaded before hand, "The horse he was 'merely training,' father, was Aurora. I saw the marks on her hide myself."
"What?!" Uther demanded rising from his seat as Urry looked at his king, confused for a moment before realizing that the horse was clearly important to the man, "How dare you?"
"Majesty," Urry stuttered, "It refused all direction and needed to be broken."
But Uther was seething, "That horse was my wife's!" and then something dawned on him, "What were you doing in my stables to begin with?"
"I…I…" Urry was at a loss, he hadn't really known what he was thinking going into Uther's stables that night. He'd just...he supposed, wanted to ride a horse that as worthy of him, needed to feel powerful once more and what better horse to ride for that then one worthy of a king?
"And when that girl Maria…"
"Marayna," Arthur corrected.
"Whatever her name is," Uther waved him off, "When she forced you to stop, you hit her with the riding crop instead? Since you could not continue with the horse?" he didn't give Urry a moment to reply as he turned to the guards, "Guards! Seize him. You, Sir Urry, are forthwith stripped of your title. I want you to leave this kingdom and never think of returning or it shall be your head!"
The guards quickly left the room, dragging a stunned Urry between them.
Uther returned his attention to his son, "Arthur!"
"Yes father?" Arthur asked, glancing at his father from where his glare had been following Urry out.
"Your maidservant tried to stop him?" he confirmed, Arthur nodded, "We shall...hold a small feast in her honor, tonight."
Arthur's eyes widened, he hadn't quite expected that much of a reward from his father. At most he was hoping his father would simply say 'thank you.' But he understood though, the horse...anything that belonged to or related to his mother was cherished by his father and loved with more care than anything. For Marayna to have defended the horse (even unknowing of how important it was to the king) it was...something that most certainly raised his father's view of her.
He nodded and turned to leave, Morgana quickly standing and joining him with Gwen. She wanted to check on the girl and make sure she was alright...not to mention, she would have to help the girl prepare for the feast, she was, no doubt, in no shape to dress herself.
~8~
Marayna stood outside the doors of the Main Hall, shaking slightly, though more from nerves than her back. She had taken a stronger dose of Gaius's draught to dull the pain so that wasn't the issue. To say she had been shocked when Gwen and Morgana burst into her room with news that Uther planned to honor her with a small feast would be an understatement. She had actually asked them immediately if Uther was enchanted...but they'd just laughed and explained exactly HOW important that horse was to the man. However, she was even more shocked when Arthur told her of Urry's title stripping and banishment. She was happy about that last part, she didn't ever want to see Urry's face again, but the feast…the feast she could do without.
She had tried to get out of it, of course. Tried every excuse under the sun really. Her back was healing, she was tired, she was sore…she had even gone as far as to say she had nothing to wear...which she realized too late had been the trap Morgana had been waiting for her to fall into. As soon as the words left her mouth Morgana immediately helped her to her feet and whisked her away to her chambers.
And now here she was, standing just outside the doors, waiting for a pair of knights to open them for her. Morgana had quickly gone though the proceedings of the night. The doors would open, Arthur would be standing there to escort her to the king, Uther would nod, she would bow or curtsy or what have you, and the feast would begin. Simple enough, though she knew, she just knew that the family clumsiness would flare up and she would make a fool of herself.
Her thoughts were cut off by the doors opening, making her stiffen when she saw the small crowd of people gathered, not quite as many as there had been during the tournament before, but still a good amount to make her nervous. She stepped forward slowly, seeing Arthur standing there, smiling slightly at her. He held out his arm, which she took and he led her down the aisle of people to his father.
Uther nodded his head and she dipped into as good a semi-curtsy bow thing as she could manage, her back stiff as she couldn't yet bend it a great deal. When she stood again, she noticed the king staring at her curiously, "If I may," he gestured to the side, "A word?"
Marayna quickly looked at Arthur, startled and ready to beg for help to not let her go, only to find he was looking just as shocked as she was. He nodded to her nonetheless and Uther held out his arm. She took it gingerly, her skin crawling just a tiny bit at the thought of linking arms with the man who had murdered so many magic users, and he led her a few feet away from the guests who were now gossiping and staring at her.
"I noticed your dress is rather open," he muttered casually.
Marayna merely glanced down at her dress. It was a stunning dark blue dress with long flowing sleeves, a box cut neckline, that flowed to the floor, swirling from her hips. The back however, exposed most of her back, from her neck to lower back, giving everyone who looked a grand view of her healing scratches that had been left visible. It didn't help that Morgana had put her hair up in some sort of fancy bun so her hair wouldn't irritate the cuts.
"I apologize, um, my Lord," she replied, "My Uncle recommended I allow my wounds exposed to fresh air. I could not wear a normal dress as the fabric would irritate the cuts…" Uther nodded, he had noticed the dress immediately as one of Morgana's old ones and knew of the back without looking at it. Marayna took a breath and continued, "I also felt I should expose my wounds to view as well."
"Why so?" he eyed her, most young women would be rather repulsed by the wounds and try everything to cover them up.
"If you will, Majesty, allow me to answer with a question?" he nodded, "When you are in battle, and secure a victory, do you not return to Camelot exposing your wounds for your people to see?" Uther nodded again, not quite sure where she was heading, "I feel that my wounds are like those you would sustain in battle, or at least I'd like to think they are," she had to, because she was quite certain she'd go mad with disgust at herself for having gotten caught in such a predicament, "Because of my actions and my wounds, a man who could have marred the image of Camelot was banished, and for that, I shall wear my wounds proudly."
Uther stared at her a moment, a barest hint of a ghost of a smile on his face. Her words, her passion for the kingdom...it reminded him of someone else he had known and loved a long time ago. When his Ygraine had gone into labor with Arthur, the surgeons felt they had to cut Arthur from his mother's womb. He had gone to tell her that, warning her that there would be a terrible scar marring her flawless skin...but she had simply laid a hand on his and told him it was 'a wound I shall be proud to bear.'
Sadly she had never gotten that chance.
Uther nodded his head, his smile sadder than before as he thought on his wife, and led her back towards her escort who had been standing with his manservant, observing them closely. He watched as the girl stepped to Arthur, noticed how his son's smile widened just a bit more than it had been.
He had to sigh at that, he could recognize that look and, while he felt (or at least might possibly be starting to believe) that this girl, perhaps, might be good for his son, if nothing else she was brave and would likely help protect him, he knew that the look in Arthur's eyes could never be realized.
Had the girl been a noblewoman, it may have been different, she might have had the first small makings of a...rather extraordinary Queen.
Sadly though, she was merely a servant.
A/N: I felt so bad for Marayna in this chapter :( But who loved protective brother Merlin? :) I'm not sure if Uther is quite in character to throw even the smallest feast for Marayna for what she did, but I sort of got the impression from the show that Uther was greatly affected (to the extreme) by either magic or the memory of Ygraine, so to have one of the last living creatures she cherished (besides Arthur) saved by Marayna might explain that moment/slip :) I can say this won't be the last we see of Marayna's 'battle wounds' or her doing things that shock even Uther ;)
I made up the difference between Sorcerer/Warlock for this story, I don't think they ever said anything about that in the show ;)
Also...threw in a tiny little shout-out to my one DW story in here for anyone who's read Angel ;)
Onlucan - Open/Unlock
Oh, to anyone who might be reading my TAOSAT spin-off, it won't be updated today :( I fell a bit behind in writing that chapter to get my Sherlock transcript finished, but it WILL be up tomorrow :)
Some notes on reviews...
We'll have to wait and see who will get poisoned by Nimueh }:)
There's a note on my FF profile (and on my tumblr's Upcoming Stories page) about Sherlock lol, it'll be continued with Welcome Holmes on January 19th :)
We may just see a slightly different Morgana in this series ;)
There are many more bonding moments for Arthur and Marayna no worries ;) But, since I do have this entire collection (all 5 series) written out already, I can say Marayna won't have any exceptional riding skills or bond that way with a horse, we will see Aurora again and another horse, but nothing like that ;)