Lancelot
Marayna had slept the better part of the day following her trial in the woods. Arthur had stepped in quite often to check on her and ask questions about what exactly had happened. She gave the same story as she told Merlin to give him and things went back to normal. Her ankle had healed fine even with her putting her weight on it to complete chores.
Weeks had gone by and everyone fell back into the swing of things with only one or two differences. Arthur's room had, somehow, actually remained fairly clean which meant neither Merlin nor Marayna had to clean it daily, just straighten some things and polish others. Marayna also noticed that her brother returned later and later on days when he delivered Morgana's sleeping draught, though she pretended to be asleep when he returned. She said nothing to him about it, the blush on his face whenever he locked eyes with the noblewoman was enough to tell her everything.
Currently the siblings were at the edge of the forest, picking some mushrooms for Gaius...when an awful screech echoed behind them. They looked up just in time to see a winged monster running at them. Merlin quickly grabbed his sister's hand and pulled her away, running as fast as they could towards the castle. Unfortunately the family clumsiness flared as it always seemed to do when they DIDN'T want it to, and they both tumbled to the ground, the beast looming down above them. Merlin was about to call out a blasting spell when a dark-haired man they had never seen before charged forward, swinging and lunging with the sword in his hand, trying in vain to attack it. His last jab at the monster resulted in his sword shattering which was just wonderful because, despite it being what appeared to be one of the normal monsters that attacked Camelot, the fact that swords were useless meant, likely, that only magic would work against it.
The man quickly turned and ran towards them, leaning down to pull them up as he moved, "Run!" he shouted, rushing away with them, "Run!"
They ran through the forest, jumping over a log and hiding behind it as the creature flew over them and away into the sky, not having seen them thankfully. Merlin looked to his right at the stranger and then past him towards his sister, sitting on the other side of the man and let out a breath, "It's gone," he turned to face the stranger again, "You saved our lives!"
"I'm Marayna," his sister spoke, drawing the stranger's attention to her before nodding it back to her brother, "And that's my brother, Merlin."
The man nodded, "Lancelot," was all he got out...before he promptly, well, fainted.
Marayna stared at him before a moment before standing, "How many unconscious men am I going to have to lug back to Camelot?!" she huffed, exasperated, as Merlin chuckled at her, earning a glare from her, "You can drag him this time."
Merlin shook his head as he stood.
~8~
Merlin and Marayna managed to get Lancelot back to the castle fairly quickly. Marayna couldn't help but grumble about Merlin's magic on the way though. He'd managed to magically carry Lancelot a good distance through the forest before setting him down to carry him the rest of the way. Apparently, Marayna had barely the power to lift Arthur onto a horse with her magic let alone magically carry him back to Camelot. But then again, that had been after she'd dragged him through the woods, completely forgetting that she could have magically lifted him at the time, and she was also still had been a bit weak from the poison. According to Gaius, that was normal, since it was an enchanted potion, their magic had been what was fighting most of the effects off rather than their strength, not to mention helping Arthur, even while unconscious apparently, had tapped their power a bit too. When Marayna had been affected more than Merlin from the poison, it of course would take her longer to build up her magical strength again. Luckily though, she was back at full power now.
"The wound itself is superficial," Gaius had explained as he examined Lancelot's side, "The fever will pass. He should be fine by the morning."
And so when morning came, it would find Lancelot fit as a fiddle, staring out the window at Camelot while Merlin and Marayna sat against the wall.
"Ever since I was a child I've dreamed of coming here," Lancelot breathed as he looked back from the window to them, "It's my life's ambition to join the Knights of Camelot. I know what you're thinking, I expect too much. After all, who am I? They have their pick of the best and bravest in the land."
"Lancelot?" Marayna called, getting his attention.
"Yes?"
"They're going to love you," Merlin finished, smiling.
"They are?" the man asked uncertainly.
"We've seen your skill with a sword," Marayna explained, a smirk on her face, "You could shame the great Arthur himself."
"I hardly think so," he smiled back modestly.
"Believe me. It's not that hard to beat him."
And it wasn't…if you counted a game of wits. So far, she had managed to talk Arthur into a lot of things he wouldn't normally do, as well as getting away with various offenses she shouldn't have been able to by just talking quicker than him or talking him in circles and confusing him. It was quite a lot of fun. She had only ever really been able to verbally duel someone in her joking way with one other person besides Merlin, and he was far off in another kingdom...probably causing some sort of commotion in the tavern or something.
"In fact…" Merlin trailed, getting up, "You know what we're going to do. We're going to talk to him right now," Marayna nodded, standing as well.
Lancelot looked between the two, clearly surprised, "You know Arthur?"
"Oh, yes," Merlin smiled.
"Unfortunately," Marayna added, though she was smiling as well, "A word of advice, Lancelot, don't ever save his life."
And with that, they walked out of the room, calling for him to follow over their shoulder. He had to admit as he followed them, he was utterly confused.
~8~
They managed to find Arthur standing before the other knights in the courtyards this time instead of the training arena. He walk walking before them as one man stood back a bit, swinging two swords around as he prepared for the fight.
"Right you drummed up dung beetle, this is it," Arthur turned to face his opponent, "The final test, pass this and you're a knight of Camelot. Fail, and you're no one. You'll face the most feared of all foes, the ultimate killing machine...you face me," a snort could be heard from the sidelines and Arthur glanced over to see Marayna holding a hand to her mouth, hissing apologies to Merlin as they watched the proceedings. He began to smile at that, at seeing her having come to watch as she didn't often come to the knights training if she didn't have to, preferring to watch from his rooms or a window of the castle. He was still trying to get her more comfortable around the knights, while she didn't have an outward issue with them since Urry, he could tell she wasn't entirely comfortable with them as she should have been, Urry truly had marred the reputation of the knights in her eyes to do what he had done. But then...he noticed another man standing behind the two, and his smile turned into a bit of a glare, "Your challenge, to last one minute, free combat," he continued, turning back to face the knight in training, "Grument, second son of Wesex, you're time starts now."
An hourglass was turned and Grument went after Arthur, swinging his swords in the process.
'This can't end well,' Marayna heard Merlin comment in her mind.
Marayna flinched as Arthur ducked under Grument's arm and elbowed him in the stomach before dealing a blow to the face that had his opponent on his back in just...seconds. Well that was rather short-lived and disappointing.
Arthur sighed as he stepped up to take the knight's sash, symbolizing his failure to make it into the ranks, "Take him away," he ordered the other knights as he left the courtyard.
Merlin and Marayna gave a comforting smile to Lancelot, instructing him to return to Gaius's as they went after Arthur.
~8~
"Grument's the third to fail this month!" Arthur complained as he began handing various bits of armor to Merlin and Marayna, "How am I to defend Camelot with rubbish like that?"
"Well, I think we might be able to help," Merlin began, when Arthur turned and stopped walking.
Arthur started at him, an eyebrow rising in amusement, "You, Merlin?" he laughed and continued walking, "You haven't the faintest idea of what it takes to be a knight. Courage, fortitude, discipline. And Mara clearly couldn't..."
"No, no, of course I don't," Merlin continued, stuttering over his words a bit, "I wasn't talking about US becoming knights!"
"We someone else who just might have what it takes," Marayna finished.
"Yeah?" Arthur turned again, this time a bit curious.
Merlin nodded, "He saved our lives."
"That's blowing it for starters," he mumbled, before looking at his servants. He could see nothing that would indicate they were harmed, but felt the need to ask anyway, "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, course we are," Marayna waved him off, "But really, Arthur, he's quite good."
"That's great," he rolled his eyes, a bit put off by her praise for this mysterious man, "I'm sure he's terrific, but you forget the first code of Camelot."
"The what?" Merlin frowned, glancing at his sister but she shrugged, apparently she had never heard of it either.
"The First Code, only those of noble blood can serve as Knights," Arthur explained, "So unless your friend is a nobleman..."
"Oh, he is a nobleman," Merlin assured Arthur with a grin...while Marayna mentally smacked herself at her brother's idiocy to proclaim something like that. She didn't know much about nobles, but her time with her aunt had taught her that they had proof of their blood status, seals of nobility...which Lancelot did NOT have.
"Is he?" Arthur questioned, uncertainty in his voice.
"Absolutely," Marayna confirmed, a strained smile on her face. Oh well, if Merlin got them into this mess, she might as well join him in it. It wasn't like she wouldn't be helping him clean it up later and it was always FAR more fun to be a part of something than to sit by and watch.
"Well, very well, bring him to the training ground tomorrow and make sure he brings his seal of nobility," Arthur ordered, walking off.
"Thanks!" Marayna shouted after him.
"You won't regret it," Merlin added, smiling.
~8~
Lancelot jumped out of his seat when Merlin and Marayna burst through the door of the physician's chambers.
"Well?" Lancelot asked, rushing up to them, "Did you speak to him?"
"Yes," Marayna started, solemnly.
"We spoke to him," Merlin finished, frowning a bit.
"And?" he added, growing apprehensive at the two's sorrowful looks.
"And…" Marayna trailed, shaking her head with an apologetic look on their face.
Lancelot's face fell. He should have known this was too good to be true. He knew there were SO many obstacles in his way, he was an unknown man, he wasn't from Camelot, he wasn't…
"He said he would like to meet you," Merlin continued quickly, grins breaking out on both their faces.
"Yes!" Lancelot cheered, reaching out to shake their hands, "Thank you, thank you!"
Marayna smiled at that, he looked so much like a little boy who had just received a gift he'd been wishing for for ages, which she knew he had been.
"Hey, look, it's no problem really," Merlin smiled, trying to calm down the thanks, before looking away and trying to ask casually, "You're...not a nobleman by any chance, are you?"
"A nobleman?" Lancelot repeated, looking down at himself, at his commoner clothing, and laughing, "No, good lord no, why'd you ask?"
"It's just that…" Marayna started, before her uncle cut her off.
"The first rule of Camelot states only those of noble blood may serve as a knight," Gaius explained from where he was working on a tonic at his work bench, "Uther created the knights to protect this kingdom from those that wish to destroy it. He knew he would have to trust each of his knights with his life. So he chose them from the families that had sworn allegiance to him."
"Nobility," Merlin nodded, frowning.
"And thus the First Code of Camelot was born and, ever since that day, only the sons of noble families have served as knights."
Lancelot sat down on a bench heavily, as though all his dreams had just been dashed for something he had no control over. Which, in fact, it seemed it had.
"It's not fair," Marayna protested. She could think of dozens of nobles that hadn't what it took to be knights and here was a man who did. And now he wouldn't get the chance to just because he hadn't been lucky enough to be born into a noble family? It was ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous! Oh this is why she disliked nobles.
She...hadn't always been as brash and open with her words as she was now. Not at all! She'd actually been quite terrified of the nobles, had almost...revered them when she'd gone to stay at her aunts, but...she'd started to become disillusioned by them, due in large part to a few friends she'd made along the way. She'd started to see them not as these magnanimous rules but...selfish, arrogant, biased and prejudiced. And it seemed Uther was all those things. Arthur...he was too but...he was almost...slowly mind you...getting a bit better, little by little. After she'd realized that though, she'd found that she truly didn't care what happened to her for what she might say to them. If they had her executed, well that just proved her point and, having lived her entire life fearing that one wrong move would have her outed as a 'sorceress' and that she'd be sent to Camelot and hung...or burned...or beheaded, well...she wasn't much afraid of death any more. She just...didn't care to hold her tongue anymore. If she was executed it proved her point, if she wasn't then there was a chance of a noble proving her wrong.
Most of the time though, she was just ignored because apparently her opinion both as a peasant and a woman weren't worth anything.
Pompous, arrogant men.
"Fair or unfair, that's the way it is," Gaius stated, before turning to Lancelot, "I'm sorry, Lancelot, truly I am."
Just as Gaius turned to leave, he left a lingering look at his niece and nephew, warning them and pleading with them at the same time not to do anything stupid.
~8~
That night as Merlin was lighting a candle and Marayna was setting up the bed for Lancelot, Marayna glanced up at the man, "Why do you want to be a knight so badly?" she asked, curiously.
"When I was a boy, my village was attacked by raiders from the northern plains," he began, staring at the wall as though he were remembering tat very day, "They were slaughtered where they stood, my father, my mother, everyone, I alone escaped. I vowed that day that never again would I be helpless in the face of tyranny. I made sword craft my life, every waking hour since that day I devoted to the art of combat. When I was ready I set forth for Camelot. Now it seems my journey ends. Everything I fought for...wasted."
Merlin stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder, "I give you my word, whatever it takes, we'll make this right," he swore as his sister nodded determinedly beside him.
~8~
Merlin peered over the titles of various books in the library, well it was really more like an archival, dusty room full of books no one read than what should probably be a library, though Marayna had no idea what her brother was trying to do. He'd simply walked out of the room that morning with purpose so she had gone along to make sure nothing happened.
Merlin must have found what he was looking for because he pulled a large, leather-bound book off the shelf and cracked it open. The caretaker of the library, Geoffrey, glanced up at him, a demanding and questioning look in his eyes, "Homework," Merlin replied.
Marayna could only catch a bit of color on the pages before he snapped it shut, emitting a cloud of dust, "Ah-choo!" she sneezed, glaring at her brother as she wiped at her nose with the sleeve of her dress.
He simply smirked at her and went to take a seat at one of the tables, his sister sitting beside him. He flipped through the pages and she could see they were crests of various noble families. He stopped on the last page of the fourth son of a lord in Northumbria and she watched her brother curiously as he pulled out a roll of blank parchment and placed it next to the crest. He held out his hands and whispered, "Ic us bisen hræd tán hwanon."
Marayna smiled, seeing another crest appear on the paper, stating Lancelot as the fifth son. 'That was just brilliant!' she thought to him as he rolled the paper up, 'You're a genius Merlin!'
'Finally, someone sees it,' he shot back, smiling at her.
There was a clearing of a throat to their left as Merlin quickly shut the book and handed it to Geoffrey, "It's a real page turner," he grinned, rushing out of the room with his sister, both hoping that the man hadn't seen Merlin's magic.
~8~
"What's that?" Lancelot eyed the rolled up scroll in Merlin's hand as the man and Marayna rushed back into the physician's chambers.
"Your signet of nobility," Marayna smiled proudly at her brother, making him blush just a bit.
That was something she hated about Camelot and about Ealdor, how people treated Merlin, what they thought of him. In Ealdor they were always treated oddly, like there was something just...not right about them. Camelot though seemed to favor treating Merlin like he was an idiot, calling him that as well, which was terrible. He was brilliant! He had always been the one to teach her things when she was younger. He had taught her how to read even! Most people seemed to forget that there was more than just learned knowledge that came from books and lessons but that it existed in other forms, in wisdom, which Merlin really did have in abundance. The worst part was that Merlin seemed almost ready to believe what others thought of him, and she refused to let that happen.
"I don't understand," Lancelot shook his head, standing up.
"Ladies and gentleman, I give you Lancelot, fifth son of Lord Eldrid of Northumbria," Merlin announced as he unrolled the scroll for the man to see.
"No," Lancelot protested, "Merlin, no."
"Ok," Marayna shrugged, "Seems he doesn't want to be a knight anymore," she moved to take the scroll and leave, Merlin about to protest it when Lancelot beat him to it.
"Of course I do!" Lancelot shouted, making Marayna smirk.
"Well, the rules don't allow it," Merlin added, catching onto his sister's game, "So damn the rules."
"The rules are wrong," Marayna agreed.
"But it's a lie," Lancelot sighed, "It's against everything the knights stand for."
"But not every knight follows what they are meant to represent," Marayna countered, a bit bitterly.
Merlin looked at her sadly, knowing she'd moved past what had happened to her to being angry at Urry. He looked over at Lancelot to see him eyeing Marayna in concern and shook his head, signaling him NOT to ask, before he continued, "You have as much right to be a knight as any man. We know it."
"But the rules!" he tried again.
"It's not like we're breaking them or anything," Marayna countered, "We're just...getting you a moment to try."
Merlin nodded, "You get your foot in the door and after that, you'll be judged on your merit alone."
"And when you beat Arthur, and please, do make it a good show, you'll be a knight and it's because you earned it on skill alone, not on blood. Do you have any idea how many nobles possess no talent to be a knight?"
"We can't change the way things are done around here," Merlin finished, "But you can if you let us help you."
~8~
That morning, Merlin and Marayna were rushing around, trying to prepare everything for Lancelot's training. They had managed to collect a few good pieces of armor from the armory to dress him in, now all they needed was a tunic with the 'family crest' to go over it...and they knew just who to go to.
"This is very kind of you, uh…" Lancelot began as he looked down at the woman taking his measurements.
"Gwen," she answered.
"Gwen?"
"Short for Guinevere."
"Ah, then thank you Guinevere," he smiled at her and she couldn't help but smile back.
"Don't thank me, thank Merlin and Rayna," she glanced over at them leaning against the wall of her house, watching her and Lancelot with smiles on their faces, "They would do anything for anyone wouldn't you?" she beamed at them as they shrugged and turned to face Lancelot's back, "Sorry can you raise your arms?" he did so and she reached across him to get his measurements, "Sorry," she mumbled, blushing, she'd gotten a rather good feel of his muscles, "I think it's great that they've got you this chance," she reached up to measure his neck, smiling softly to herself as she added, "We need men like you."
"You do?" he breathed, staring down at her, never having been told that before.
She felt her breath catch in her throat when his eyes caught hers, "Well, not me personally, but, you know, Camelot," she could hear Marayna giggling behind her and stuttered out, "Camelot needs knights. Not just Arthur and his kind but ordinary people, like you and me."
"Well I'm not a knight yet, my Lady," he smiled gently at her.
"And I'm not a lady," she replied back with a soft laugh.
They stood there a short while longer, getting lost in each other's gazes...before Lancelot spoke again, "Sorry I…"
But Gwen cut him off, feeling a blush rise even more in her cheeks, "Ok, we're done, I should have these ready in no time," she held out her hand for him to shake, "It's nice to meet you Lancelot."
But instead of a hand shake, Lancelot quickly brought her hand to his lips and kissed it before rushing off with Merlin and Marayna, leaving an entirely red Gwen behind.
~8~
"She seems lovely?" Lancelot sighed as he thought back on the kind woman, "Guinevere..."
"Oh, she is," Marayna smirked at the dreamlike expression on the man's face.
"And the best seamstress in Camelot I promise," Merlin continued, oblivious to the man's obvious smitteness with their friend.
"Are you two?" he looked at Merlin, "You know…"
"Oh, no! No. J-just friends," Merlin answered quickly, finally catching on as his sister laughed at him, knowing full well her brother himself was smitten with another woman.
~8~
Marayna smirked as she helped Arthur prepare for the training with the knights. Merlin and Gwen were helping Lancelot so she was stuck dressing Arthur by herself.
Oh joy.
"So this man," Arthur began, looking across the field at Merlin and Gwen fussing over the man he could only assume was the new noble ready to test his worth, "This Prancegot…"
"Lancelot," Marayna corrected with a roll of her eyes.
Arthur scoffed, "Lancelot, what sort of name is that?"
Marayna raised an eyebrow, "I don't know, Artie, what sort of name is it?"
"I thought we agreed you wouldn't call me that," Arthur nearly glared at her.
She glared right back at him, "Maybe, when you stop being a prat, I will. Lancelot's a good man who just wants to prove himself as knight worthy. The least you can do is get his name right."
Arthur sighed, he hated when she was right, "Do you think he's knight worthy?"
"He did save my life," she answered thoughtfully as though it answered the question, but then she smirked evilly, "But then again...so did you."
"Hey!" Arthur cried indignantly, but actually managing to see the hidden joke in her words. He was getting better at understanding her humor it seemed.
"In all honesty though," she continued, ignoring his outburst, "I think he'd make a fine knight. He's brave and loyal and determined, far too noble for my tastes but handsome nonetheless."
Arthur's jaw clenched at her praises for the man, unconsciously...so did his fists, "Very well," he spoke, though Marayna could detect a strain in his words, "We shall have to hope he passes the test then."
Before she could reply, he stalked off towards his men who were awaiting their training. Marayna shook her head and went to join her brother in helping him prepare Lancelot as they watched the training commence.
Arthur ran his men through various drills and sword positions for a majority of the practice, as Lancelot wasn't a knight yet he was forbidden to join in, "1, 2, 3, 4," Arthur counted as his men struck their positions, "1, 2, 3, 4."
"Well, you certainly look the part," Marayna commented to Lancelot, trying to calm the poor man down.
"Doesn't he just?" Gwen nearly gushed.
"I don't feel it," Lancelot admitted.
"Ok, that'll do for the day," they heard Arthur call as he dismissed his knights, "Well done."
"Here's your chance," Merlin whispered as Arthur moved to put his sword away, "Go for it."
Lancelot took a breath and marched up to the prince, "Yes?" Arthur demanded as he looked up to see a man standing before him, dressed in chainmail.
"Lancelot, fifth son of Lord Eldrid of Northumbria," Lancelot replied, hoping he pronounced everything correctly, trying to stand as straight and noble as he could.
"Lancelot?" his eyes narrowed as he recognized the name, "My servant mentioned you," Lancelot nodded and moved to speak when Arthur cut him off, "Got your seal?" he simply held the scroll to him, "Bow."
But as the man did so...Arthur lashed out and struck him in the head with enough force to knock him over and onto his back with one firm punch.
"Arthur!" he heard Marayna yell angrily, which did nothing to help his mood.
"Sluggish reactions," he commented, staring down his nose at the man, "On the battlefield you'd be dead by now. Come back when you're ready," he turned to leave when Lancelot stumbled to his feet, his hands on his sword.
"I'm ready now, Sire," the man called, this time ready for any attack.
"You are, are you?" he sneered and Lancelot merely nodded, "Fine, you can start by clearing out the stables," he turned and left, not wanting to see the look of anger he knew was on Marayna's face. For some reason, the idea that she was angry at him bothered him more than it should.
~8~
"I'm sorry about Lancelot," Gaius sighed as he looked over at his niece and nephew, mixing herbs for him with distant expressions, "I can see that you're upset."
"Oh you know, that's life," Merlin commented.
"Sometimes you win, and sometimes you murder a prince," Marayna shrugged nonchalantly, making Merlin chuckle.
"You're taking it very well," Gaius eyed them with an eyebrow raised in suspicion, "I have to say. Very mature."
"Thank you, Gaius" Merlin smiled just as the door to the chambers opened to reveal Lancelot, streaked with mud and dirt from his time in the stables.
"Rough time?" Marayna guessed, grimacing at his filth.
"Ergg," he groaned before heading into his temporary room to try and clean up even slightly.
Gaius immediately turned to give them a meaningful look.
"He decided to stick around as the new stablehand?" Marayna offered.
"I see," Gaius replied tensely...and they immediately knew they were about to be in big trouble, "And the truth? Before I lose my temper."
"He's, uh, trying out for the knights?" Merlin answered, though it sounded more like a question than anything.
"The First Code of Camelot has never been broken for any man! What have you done?"
"We may have...fibbed a bit," Marayna confessed, understanding her uncle's anger more than anyone as she seemed to share the trait, "But that stupid code is totally wrong!"
"You 'fibbed a bit?' Did you use magic?!"
"It was nothing, honestly, it was more of a trick than actual magic," Merlin defended, squirming under his uncle's gaze.
"Your magic is not a toy!" this time Gaius really did shout, making Merlin and Marayna flinch, "It is not for you to use or abuse as you see fit."
"We know, we know..."
"Then why'd you do it?!"
"Lancelot saved our lives," Marayna spoke, her own anger starting to rise, "And we are trying to repay that debt any way we can!"
"By giving him the opportunity he deserves," Merlin continued, "If you want to punish us for it, go ahead."
Gaius simply narrowed his eyes, shooting them angry looks, but said no more.
~8~
The next day proved to be quite eventful as, apparently, Lancelot and Arthur had duked it out in the marketplace with Lancelot proving his skill and earning a place in basic training with the other knights, just needing one final test against Arthur to be deemed one. Merlin and Marayna hadn't discovered this little feat, however, until long after it had happened. The winged monster that had attacked them had gone after another village and they were helping those that survived find refuge in Camelot. It had been a long day and each of them were ready to sleep till next week, and seemed intent to do it for they nearly collapsed onto their cots and fell right asleep.
But that didn't seem the case for Gaius, who sat at his small work table, a single candle illuminating him as he turned another page in a book, searching for the monster.
"I don't think you'll find it there," a voice said behind him.
He turned to see Marayna standing there, watching him work, "Why do you say that?" he asked, already closing the book at her words. He had learned a long time ago that sometimes when Marayna spoke, it was with a knowledge she should not have possessed. She knew things some times, had feelings about things, that often proved true. It was more small things though, nothing ever really too important.
She shrugged, "I don't know. Just a feeling."
"What are you doing up?" he changed the topic, trying to steer away from talks of beasts so late at night.
"I couldn't sleep. I was about to ask you if you had a potion I could use, but I saw you working."
"Ah," he nodded, getting up and rummaging through is drawers for a small vial of red that would help her sleep, "Here you go, it's very late, so I would only take half the bottle. Don't need you sleeping through Lancelot's test tomorrow."
She smiled softly at her uncle, thanked him, and turned to return to her room as Gaius sighed, watching her disappear before he turned and moved the book back to its proper place. He sighed, if Marayna said it wouldn't be in that book, then he was quite sure it wouldn't be.
Now he just had to figure out which book to check next.
~8~
Arthur glanced over to see Merlin and Gwen dressing Lancelot again while Marayna dressed him to prepare for Lancelot's trial the next day. He glared at the man for a good long while...until Marayna noticed that is and promptly smacked him upside the head. Thankfully, no one had noticed that slight abuse against the prince by his maidservant.
"Ow!" Arthur shouted, turning to look at her over his shoulder, completely startled that she'd actually had the nerve to hit him like that, "What was that for?!"
"That was for the other day," she shot back, "What you did was completely unfair to Lancelot."
"I was testing his reflexes," Arthur defended, though they both knew that wasn't entirely the case, "It's not my fault he's sluggish."
"Really?" she scoffed...before flicking his ear.
"Stop it!" he waved at her hand, but just a moment after the flick had occurred, getting to his feet to turn to her so she couldn't do it again.
"Oh sorry," she mocked, "Did that hurt? I was merely 'testing your reflexes.' It's not MY fault you're sluggish, is it?" she returned his very argument back at him, before continuing, not letting him have a single chance to continue to make his rubbish defenses, "And anyway...it's not his fault that his attacker was a prat. Why he wants to serve you is beyond me," Arthur opened his mouth to say something but she quickly shoved his helmet into his gut, "You're ready my Lord."
And with that, she walked away to help her brother and Gwen. He sighed and shook his head, he really needed to find out how she managed to make him feel bad without even saying anything truly chastising.
He strode before his knights as Lancelot stepped out to meet him, "Well here we are, you're final challenge. Succeed and you join the elite. Fail and your journey ends here," Arthur turned to face him, "Lancelot, fifth son of Lord Eldrid of Northumbria, your time starts now."
Both men quickly donned their helmets and went at each other and, no matter how angry she was at the prince, Marayna couldn't help but flinch as Lancelot dealt him a heavy blow to the face with his sword. But her nerves were nothing compared to Gwen's. The poor girl was standing there, switching between praying and grabbing their clothes as she watched Lancelot fight Arthur.
It wasn't until Lancelot fell to the ground from a blow to the face that they were able to breathe again. They watched Arthur walk over to the man and stare down at him, Lancelot appearing unconscious, "Shame," he muttered before reaching down to take the man's sash.
When suddenly, Lancelot grabbed the prince's arm, swiped his feet out from under him and brought him crashing to the ground. Arthur would later recall wondering, for the briefest moment, if Lancelot had been taking lessons from Marayna as that seemed to be a move she favored using herself, knocking someone's leg out from under them...when he saw a sword pointed at his chest.
"Do you submit, Sire?" Lancelot asked from above him.
The knights immediately pulled Lancelot away from the prince as Arthur stormed to his feet. He looked so angry that now it was Marayna's turn to grab Gwen's clothes in fear, "On your knees!" Arthur snapped, his voice deep, as the knights forced Lancelot to the ground...with Arthur's sword pointed at his chest.
~8~
Lancelot had been knighted that very night! Much to Merlin and Marayna's relief and now there was to be a feast in his honor, apparently it wasn't often that Arthur deemed a noble worth to be a knight of Camelot.
"Look at him Gaius," Merlin commented as he watched Lancelot and Arthur joke and drink, the two men sitting on a table beside each other, "Does Lancelot not deserve this moment?"
"I never said he didn't, but destiny and desserts are not the same thing," Gaius commented, before giving Merlin a look, "You and your sister played god, Merlin. You set him on the path of your choosing. Tonight you brought him triumph, but who knows what the future may hold."
Not liking where the conversation was turning, Merlin quickly smiled at his uncle, "Yeah, I don't know what it said on your invitation, but on mine it said celebration."
Gaius laughed, shaking his head, "Point taken, don't come back too late."
"Alright," Merlin agreed as he watched the old man walk off. He glanced around, trying to spot his sister who, as soon as the banquet had been announced, was whisked away by Morgana and Gwen...literally. They had had to drag her off nearly kicking and screaming as his sister knew just what the two women wanted her for and was trying to avoid it.
He couldn't help but smile as he caught a glimpse of her entering the room with Gwen, both women behind Morgana. He chuckled to himself, he should have known like she had just why Morgana had stolen her away.
~8~
"Here's trouble," Arthur muttered, taking a sip of ale as he saw Morgana walking towards him, before spitting it out as she turned towards a table to reveal Marayna and Gwen walking behind her. Both Arthur and Lancelot's mouths dropped open at the sight of the women. Morgana, of course, was lovely, in the stunning dress she had worn to Lady Helen's performance, but it was not her that drew their attention so, but the servants.
Gwen was dressed in a simple pale pink dress with a simple white corset, but to Lancelot she had never looked more lovely. Marayna stood beside her, her arm locked with the girl's, matching the girl's outfit except that her dress was light blue with a dark blue corset. Arthur briefly considered making the wearing of pale blue dresses banned.
"Tell me," Arthur began as he watched the three women converse for a moment before something caught Morgana's eye across the room. She said something to the girls, who nodded and walked away. Arthur's eyes followed their steps to see them walk towards Merlin and say something that obviously had him very happy. He smiled, nodded his thanks, and walked away in the direction they had come from, but the girls didn't move, just stood there, talking, "Do you think her beautiful?" he asked finally, his gaze resting on Marayna, laughing at something Gwen had said, though he could see she wasn't quite happy with having been made to wear a different dress (oh the horror, 2 dresses in one day!) but that she was trying to keep things light for Gwen.
Lancelot smiled softly as he followed the prince's gaze, but to Gwen instead, "Yes sire I do," he answered honestly.
"Yeah, I suppose she is…" Arthur trailed as his jaw clenched again, perhaps he should have Gaius look into that? The clenching couldn't be good.
Just a ways away, Gwen and Marayna stood speaking, each taking small peeks at the prince and his newest knight sitting on a table, "I think..." Marayna smirked, "That our dear Sir Lancelot might fancy you Gwen."
"Don't be silly," Gwen blushed, ducking her head as she peeked to see that Lancelot was indeed staring at her.
"You can't deny that you don't fancy him back though," Marayna laughed.
"He's not really my type..."
"Really?" Marayna rolled her eyes playfully, "Then I didn't see you both flirting and blushing when you took his measurements then?"
"Rayna!" Gwen nudged her, laughing and blushing once more.
"So come on then, tell me...if you had to pick..." she nudged her, "Arthur or Lancelot?"
"But I don't have to and I never will."
"Spoilsort," Marayna stuck out her tongue, getting the other girl to laugh again.
"Besides, it's not like there's really much choice in it. Arthur's been staring at you for the last five minutes."
"He has not," Marayna countered, only to look up in time to see the prince look away from her, "Or perhaps he has," she murmured, unable to completely stop, despite her best efforts, the smile that made its way onto her face or a faint blush from reaching her cheeks. She looked over again to see that Morgana and Merlin had joined Arthur and Lancelot at the table and that her brother was now, very sneakily, trying to switch his empty goblet of ale for a full one.
"Oh no," she sighed before marching over to him.
Just as Merlin was about to bring the now-full cup to his lips, he felt it being pulled away from him, "Hey!" he nearly whined as he saw his sister place it on a servant's tray to be carried away.
"Oh no you don't Merlin," she pointed at him warningly, "I know how you are about your ale. No more."
"But Aya it's just one cup and…" she gave him a fierce look at that, "But it's a celebration and…" and raised an eyebrow, "I just…" and then tilted her head, "Oh bugger it. Fine! No more ale for me tonight," he huffed, "Happy?"
She smiled, "Very, thank you."
Merlin grumbled something indistinguishable under his breath and glared at the prince and knight as they laughed. Luckily though, he didn't have to suffer through it for long as his sister rounded on them, "And how many cups of ale have you had tonight Arthur?" she demanded, eyeing him.
"Uh...um…" Arthur began, sweating under Marayna's gaze...and firmly blaming the ale he'd had before she'd stepped over for his slipping tongue, "Not many."
"Not many as in..."
"Not many as in…too many?" he half-asked, not sure if that was the correct answer.
"Too right you are," she smirked, reaching out to take his goblet as well and hand it to a passing servant before looking to Lancelot, "And you?"
Lancelot, prepared for her to turn on him, smiled politely, "Just this one," he held up his goblet, "I know my limits in the realms of ale. On my honor, I shall not push it."
Marayna nodded, satisfied, and walked off with Morgana and Gwen, the two women laughing and asking her to teach them how she did that. They heard her mention something about disapproving mothers before they disappeared in the crowd.
Lancelot went to take a sip of his ale...only to pause when he noticed both the prince and Merlin glaring at him. He turned and quickly placed it on a passing servant's tray, watching it be carried off.
~8~
The next morning would find Gaius grumbling to Marayna about ruining his fun. It seemed he had been hoping to brew the most disgusting hangover potion for the boys to drink, to teach them a lesson about drinking, but she had prevented them from getting drunk enough to need it.
"Are you ready for your first day on the job Lancelot?" Gaius asked.
"That's Sir Lancelot if you don't mind," Merlin joked...when two guards came bursting into the room and grabbed the knight in question.
"What are you doing?!" Marayna demanded, jumping up.
"King's orders," one of them replied, pulling Lancelot out of the room.
"Stop!" Merlin cried, but his calls fell on deaf ears.
~8~
They had been informed later that Uther had discovered the treachery of the false signet and had Lancelot imprisoned. Merlin and Marayna, not ones to take things sitting down, went to visit him, to see if there was anything that they could do to try and help the man.
"I don't know what to say to you Lancelot," Merlin shook his head as he looked at their friend, sitting on the cold cell floor.
"You're not to blame," Lancelot replied grimly.
"We are though," Marayna sighed, "We were the ones who talked you into lying."
"Ah, but the choice was still mine," Lancelot countered, "And so the punishment is mine to bear, and mine to bear alone."
"I wish there was something we could do," Merlin mumbled, once again feeling horrible for the predicament the man was in.
"There is," Lancelot spoke, offering them a sad smile, "You can stop blaming yourselves."
If only it were that easy.
~8~
When they returned to Gaius's chambers Merlin plopped down on an old stool while Marayna sat beside him, facing him on the table, self loathing pouring off them in waves.
"Merlin," Gaius called, "Rayna."
"Whatever you do, don't say 'I told you so,'" Merlin grumbled, his head in his hands.
"I have no wish to gloat Merlin. What's done is done," Gaius answered wisely, "Here, come and take a look at this," Merlin and his sister got up and moved over to the book Gaius was looking at, "I realized by mistake, I've been looking for the creature in the wrong place, in the record of all known living things in the kingdom. And then I thought, what about creatures only recorded in legend, in myth? And I discovered this…" he turned the page to show a sketch of a winged creature.
"That's what attacked us!" Marayna gasped, "That's the creature!"
Suddenly a horribly familiar screeching resounded just outside the room from the courtyard. Merlin and Marayna glanced fearfully at each other before rushing out of the room just in time to see the monster descend. Marayna watched in horror as the creature fiercely attacked the knights, managing to knock Arthur to the ground a few times. She saw Merlin looking around for something to help...but the creature was already starting to fly away, Arthur watching it flee with a torch in his hands.
~8~
Uther strode into the Main Hall with Arthur at his side, "You said your knights were the best in the land," he began, patting his son on the back, "They proved that today."
"All I know is that it's still out there," Arthur replied, his jaw set, a grim expression on his face as his father led him into the center of the room. He glanced over to see Marayna and Merlin standing to the side with Gaius and couldn't help but soften his expression just slightly, at least no one had been harmed during the attack.
"Let's not wait for it," he heard his father speak and focused his attention back to him, "The kingdom has been menaced by this creature for too long. We finish this, now."
"Sire, if I may?" Gaius called, stepping up, Merlin and Marayna following.
"Gaius?" the king turned to him, seeming to have just noticed him standing there.
"I've been researching this creature, Sire. I believe it to be a Griffin."
"A Griffin?" Uther frowned, confused, he'd never heard of such a thing, "What's in a name?"
"A Griffin is a creature of magic," Gaius continued, stealing himself for what was to come for, as Marayna had mentioned and challenged him once before 'just mention magic around the king' and now he had...
"I don't have time for this physician!" Uther seethed, already growing angry at how magic was a part of this.
Gaius flinched, sensing that, knowing the king's ire wasn't from the lack of information he'd provided about the Griffin, but because of WHAT it was, "It is born of magic, sire, and it can only be killed by magic."
"You are mistaken," Uther spat, "It's a creature of flesh and blood. Like any other, Arthur proved that today."
"I'm not so sure father," Arthur interrupted as though coming out of serious thought, critically recalling ever moment, every movement, and every attack featuring the Griffin, "I think there might be some truth in what he says."
"What truth?" Uther glared at his son.
"The creature was unharmed, sire," Arthur reported, slipping into a more formal speech and addressing of his father at the rise in the man's temper, "Our weapons seemed useless against it."
"Useless?" Uther scoffed, "I think not. No it's tasted our steal once, the next time will be its last! When will your knights be ready to ride again?"
Arthur sighed, already knowing it was a lost battle to argue against his father, "An hour, maybe two."
"Good," Uther nodded, before storming out of the room, "We finish this tonight."
Arthur shook his head and turned to glance at his servants, only for Marayna to roll her eyes, "Oh by all means," she gestured at the door Uther had stalked through, "Go ride to your death. It's not like the servants are ever right about anything."
Gaius looked sharply at his niece for a moment before grabbing her arm and pulling her out of the room, Merlin following behind as Arthur watched them go. He knew enough to know it wasn't her 'humor' leaking through just then but her annoyance. And he was annoyed as well, he was...starting to see that he was...just as bad as his father in that regard.
There was Gaius, a man he had known all his life, a man whose loyalty to Camelot was unquestionable, who had offered sage counsel and wise advice for decades. He was also a man learned in mystical happenings and creatures, one had to be when tending those wounded in such occurrences. If Gaius said it was a Griffin, that only magic could wound it...HE believed Gaius in that. But his father did not.
Because, no matter how good of 'friends' the two might be, his father truly did see Gaius as a servant of Camelot also. And he was starting to think that that...was wrong. And seeing Marayna's reaction to it, to her uncle, her beloved uncle, the Court Physician, the wisest and most clever man she knew, the one deserving of the utmost respect...being disregarded because of his station...
He didn't want to be like that.
He didn't want to ignore help no matter where it came from.
Now he just had to implement his own thoughts, maybe...maybe he should learn to trust Merlin and Marayna more.
~8~
Gaius grumbled the whole way back to his chambers about his niece's complete lack of respect. Needless to say, when she replied that it was 'just Arthur,' Gaius hadn't been too pleased. He was of the impression she was getting far too familiar with the lad, to speak to him in such a way. Merlin, while unable to hold his tongue most of the time, his words came out more jesting, light-hearted, thoughtful...whereas his sister was more harsh, biting, and sarcastic...which would NOT be a good thing for the king to hear her speak so with his son, her master.
"Is it true?" Merlin cut into their arguing over protocol and titles, "The Griffin can only be killed by magic?"
"Yes," Gaius sighed, rubbing his head, "I'm certain of it, if Arthur rides against it, he'll die."
"Then we need to find a way to stop it," Marayna agreed, seeming to forget about their argument, "Preferably before Arthur stabs it full on with his sword and does no harm to it," she added in a mutter, "Uther will only see reason when his son is brought back dead."
Hindsight always was seen in perfect vision.
"Where magic is concerned our king is blind to reason," Gaius admitted, "And yet magic is our only hope," he looked at them meaningfully.
Merlin shook his head, "You're not suggesting…"
"It is your destiny," Gaius answered, looking between the two, "The true purpose of your magic."
"You DID see the size of that thing, didn't you?" Marayna blinked, speaking dryly, "We face that, WE die then. And if we use magic and don't die...then we STILL die for using magic after it's killed."
"If you do not, then Arthur will surely perish," Gaius countered.
"No, this is madness," Merlin shook his head furiously, stepping next to his sister, "We don't have magic that powerful. There must be another way."
"This is the only way."
"Do you hear yourself?" Marayna demanded, "You've been telling us, day in and day out, 'don't use your magic, hide your magic, do magic and it'll be your head!' And now you want us to USE it?! It's like you don't even care what happens to us right now," she added, ignoring the hurt look that flashed on her uncle's face.
"Oh, just, 'Do this, Merlin,'" Merlin continued, getting worked up as well, it was true, all that time Gaius hadn't wanted them to use their magic and now he was essentially telling them to do just that...in front of all the knights for how else would they be able to stop the Griffin besides facing it, "'Do that, Rayna, go and kill the Griffin. I'll just sit here and warm my feet by the fire!'"
"Merlin! Rayna!" Gaius cut in, frowning at the two of them, "You are the only things I care about in all this world. I will give my life for you without a thought. But for what? I cannot save Arthur. It is not my destiny. You know this"
Merlin looked at his sister to see tears in her eyes and realized she was truly scared of the Griffin, of it hurting them. It was...the same thing he knew she'd felt when he'd been asked to drink the poison. For so long they had only ever had each other and their mother, mostly each other. They were the only other person who understood what it was like to grow up the way they had, where they had, around the people they had. They had always depended on each other and always swore to never let the other face anything alone. To face a Griffin...one of them could be hurt and then the other would be as a result, distracted by their sibling in pain.
Marayna swallowed and looked up to see the same fear in her brother's eyes. They looked at each other a long while before he took her hand, squeezing it in reassurance and promise. If they faced the Griffin, they would do it together yes, but...they would protect each other as well.
They sighed, turning their attention back to Gaius, "We're sorry," they said as one.
"I don't know what else I can say," Gaius lowered his head, still a bit hurt.
"Then we'll say it for you," Merlin nodded determinedly.
"We've only got till the knights are ready to find a spell that can kill that thing," Marayna finished.
~8~
Unbeknownst to them, at that very same moment Arthur strode into Lancelot's cell, "I should have known," he yelled, glaring down at the man stumbling to his feet, "How could I have been so stupid? You don't sound like a knight, you don't even look like a knight."
"I'm sorry," Lancelot replied, bowing his head in shame.
"I'm sorry too...because Lancelot you fight like a knight," Arthur admitted. He was so furious at the whole situation. Here was a great fighter who wouldn't be able to offer his strength and skill because he was locked in a cell, all for lying in an attempt to defend Camelot. How was that fair? How was that right or just? He took a breath, "And I need…Camelot needs..."
"The creature?" Lancelot asked, seeing what the prince was trying to say without him saying it.
"We could not kill it. I've...never faced things like it."
"I faced it myself, sire, some days past. I struck it full square. I wondered how it endured."
"There are those that believe this creature, this Griffin is a creature of magic," Arthur scoffed. Of course it would be, in a way it could be a genius plot by their enemies, if the Griffin had been sent by them, use a creature that can only be killed with magic...when magic cannot be used back, "That only magic can destroy it."
"Do you believe this?" Lancelot tilted his head as he eyed the prince.
"It doesn't matter what I believe, the use of magic is not permitted. The knights must prevail on steel and sinew alone."
"Sire?" Lancelot began, hope rising within him at what Arthur might be offering him.
Arthur clenched his jaw and opened the cell door, "There's a horse waiting outside."
"Thank you, thank you sire," Lancelot beamed, rushing forward to thank the prince for this chance to help defend Camelot...but Arthur merely stepped away.
"Lancelot, take it and never return to this place," he ordered, turning away as the former knight's face fell.
"No, no please. It's not my freedom I seek. I only wish to serve with honor."
"I know," Arthur nodded. Once again, Marayna had been right. The man truly would make a fine knight, he truly was a good and honorable and noble man.
"Then let me ride with you sire," Lancelot begged.
"I cannot," he turned to face him once again, "My father knows nothing of this. I release you myself, but I can do nothing more. Now go, before I change my mind."
Lancelot hesitated by the door for a moment before leaving. Arthur looked around the cell and took a breath. Perhaps one day, he could prove himself as good a man to those around him as Lancelot was.
~8~
"There," Gaius pointed to a spell in the book, "You must do this for Arthur."
Merlin frowned as he read the spell, which made Marayna frown at his frown, "I've never cast a spell of enchantment this powerful," he mumbled as she reached out and took his hand in hers, squeezing it supportively.
"Nothing less will kill it," Gaius simply handed him a small dagger, "Here, try. You have it within you, I know you do," he looked at them, "Both of you."
Merlin held the dagger out before him, squeezing his sister's hand as he stared at it, "Bregdan anweald gafeluc," he chanted.
...nothing happened.
He sighed and turned to his sister, who smiled encouragingly at him.
"Don't worry," Gaius added, trying to smile as well, "You've plenty of time."
Marayna just scoffed at that one.
~8~
"Bregdan anweald gafeluc," Merlin stated firmly, staring at the dagger but it still did nothing so he turned, running a hand through his hair, passing it off to his sister.
"Bregdan anweald gafeluc," she tried, but still...nothing.
"Don't worry," Gaius comforted them, "I know you're trying."
"And failing," Merlin mumbled, taking the dagger from his sister.
"And if we fail out there, then Arthur..." Marayna trailed off, not willing to think about it. It...unsettled her actually, to think of Arthur...dying. She had seen a sort of...change in the prince since she and Merlin had been poisoned. It was like he'd received a shock of some sort, that had just changed his perspective of things or made him realize something. She had no idea what but...she honestly didn't want to experience the same. She didn't want to see him die.
"Rayna," Gaius began only to be interrupted by the door clashing open and Gwen running in.
"Merlin! Rayna," Gwen gasped, half out of breath, but knowing they were the only ones who stood a chance of helping stop the Griffin if what Gaius said was true and that only magic could kill it, "Lancelot's riding out to kill the Griffin."
"He's what?!" Marayna stared at her, eyes wide.
Honestly, how stupid could boys be?
...and then Merlin ran out of the room.
Apparently, very stupid.
Marayna sighed, dropping her head for a moment and shaking it, before she too ran after him, ignoring her uncle's calls.
~8~
"We're coming with you," Merlin demanded as he managed to find Lancelot preparing his horse at the stables.
"No, you're not," he replied, seeing Marayna running up as well.
"Like you could stop us?" she countered, taking her brother's hands, putting up a united front.
"You're not soldiers," he stressed, as though that answered everything, "You could get hurt."
"So could you," Marayna counted, moving to prepare another horse, "So could Arthur. So could anyone at all in any sort of way. You can trip on a brick tomorrow and hurt yourself!"
"You said it yourself Lancelot," Merlin cut in, helping his sister, "Arthur needs all the help he can get," he swung himself up on the horse, holding out a hand for his sister to help her on behind him as they looked down at the would-be knight.
"So..." Marayna smirked, "Care to join us?"
Lancelot shook his head but quickly mounted his own horse, and they were off, following the sounds of screeching and shouting in the woods.
~8~
The three of them quickly made their way out to the forest where the sounds of battle reached them. Marayna glanced over at Lancelot, dressed in full armor, before her focus changed to scour the bodies lining the forest floor as a result of the Griffin attack, not even realizing she was looking for one in particular...until a brief flash of gold hair drew her attention.
"Arthur!" Marayna gasped, jumping off the horse before it had even stopped and running over to the fallen prince with her brother close behind her. They knelt down on either side of him, Merlin checking him as Lancelot rushed to them.
"Well?" the man asked, his concern for the prince clear in his voice.
"He's alive," Merlin smiled as he took his sister's hand, squeezing it. He could hear the brief flash of fear in her cry before though he knew she would never admit to feeling it.
The relieved moment was broken by the screech of the Griffin returning. Merlin and Marayna's head snapped towards the misty forest while Lancelot ran back to his horse, grabbing a lance he had brought just in time as the Griffin appeared. Lancelot charged, raising his lance and bracing himself for what he knew would be the end for if the mighty knights of Camelot fell against the beast with their swords and spears and their own lances...his hardly stood a chance...but he had to TRY.
Merlin stood as Marayna continued to kneel by Arthur, his head in her lap though she hardly even realized she'd done it, "Alright, it's now or never," she could hear her brother mumble before he held up his hands and concentrated, "Bregdan anweald gafeluc."
Nothing happened.
Time seemed to slow as Merlin watched Lancelot charge at the beast, getting closer and closer, "Bregdan anweald gafeluc!" he tried again.
Still nothing.
He turned to his sister desperately, "It's not working!"
Marayna reached out a hand, taking hold of her brother's as she too concentrated on the spell, "Bregdan anweald gafeluc," she chanted, closing her eyes as her brother joined with her, his gaze locked firmly on Lancelot's lance, "Bregdan anweald gafeluc!" they shouted.
The lance suddenly began glowing blue with the combined strength and focus of their magic. And just in time too as Lancelot proved his skill yet again, pushing his weapon forward and striking the Griffin dead in its chest, turning just in time to see if fall to the ground, defeated.
Marayna jumped to her feet and rushed to her brother as he pulled her into a hug, spinning her around in the process. They cheered for their job well done, laughing in glee that the spell had worked! The Griffin was dead and Camelot was safe once more!
A groan reached them and they glanced over to see Arthur being to wake. Their eyes widened in shock as they comically looked at each other for a single moment...before making a mad dash back for the castle, not wanting to be seen. The only thought in their minds was that they wouldn't mind someone taking the credit for their success for once.
If it helped Lancelot reclaim his position as a knight, it would be well worth it.
~8~
Gaius immediately stood upon seeing his niece and nephew enter his chambers, not a scratch on them, "You did it."
"We did it," Merlin nodded, smiling in confirmation as his sister moved forward to hug their uncle.
"Thank god," he whispered as he hugged them both close, just...SO relieved that they were alive.
"Can't get rid of us that easily uncle," Marayna joked.
~8~
It was only a short while later, when they had gone in search of Lancelot, knowing that the first thing Arthur saw upon waking would be the man on his horse with his lance and the Griffin dead, that they found him standing outside the Main Hall, pacing. Uther's shouts of anger could be heard even though the thick wooden doors.
"What's happened?" Marayna asked as they drew closer to him.
"They are deciding my fate," he sighed.
"…the code is wrong!" Arthur's yell could be heard, which made Marayna smirk as, it seemed, Arthur was finally growing a backbone when it came to his father even if it was in something as small as a single code.
"They'll restore your knighthood," Merlin tried to assure the man.
"They HAVE to," she nodded, "You beat a Griffin!"
Lancelot just glanced at them, a knowing smile on his face, "But I didn't kill the Griffin…you did."
"That's ridiculous," Merlin shook his head, trying to brush the whole thing off.
"'Bregdan anweald,'" Lancelot whispered to them, careful to keep his voice low enough where the guards by the doors wouldn't hear him, "I heard you, I saw you," they looked at each other in alarm but he chuckled, "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. But I cannot take the credit for what I did not do. There'll be no more lies, no more deceit."
"What're you going to do?" Merlin frowned, relieved that Lancelot was willing to bear the burden of their secret with them. He realized though, that the more (trustworthy) people that knew about it...the lighter he felt. First with Gwen, now Lancelot. It was...a heavy burden to bear and sharing it...well, it certainly made things easier and to have people keep such a thing quiet in Camelot of all places, well it truly spoke of their character, of their belief in a person being good at heart and...it made them all the closer for it.
Marayna smiled, sensing the direction her brother's thoughts were headed, though for a different reason. While he was pleased Lancelot was sharing their secret, taking the weight off of them...SHE was more pleased that Gwen and Lancelot had another thing in common.
"The only thing I can do," Lancelot replied before taking a breath and striding towards the Main Hall. He had pushed the doors open and entered before the guards even knew what he had done but they immediately went to restrain him.
"What is this?!" Uther demanded as the guards tried to pull the man who he had just learned saved them all out of the room.
"Let me speak," Lancelot requested, struggling to stay on his feet lest he be dragged out.
"Wait," Uther commanded, waving off the guards, "I'll hear him."
Lancelot nodded at the king, bowing before him and the prince, "Forgive me sire, I've come to bid you farewell."
"What is this Lancelot?" Arthur frowned, confused, here he was trying to get the man to be a knight again, just about succeeding too when he storms in saying he's leaving?
"I lied to you both and now there is conflict between you. And I cannot bear that burden, as you should not bear mine. I must start again, far from here. And maybe, one day, fate shall grant me another chance to prove myself a worthy Knight of Camelot."
"But Lancelot, you've already proved that to us," Arthur shook his head. He was actually starting to like the man (despite a small, rather annoying voice (that sounded FAR too much like Morgana) in his head saying that wasn't entirely true because Marayna liked the man as well). There was finally someone who offered him a challenge.
"Then I must prove it to myself," Lancelot bowed again, "Your Highness, prince Arthur."
And with that, he walked out of the hall, the doors closing behind him as Merlin and Marayna watched him go sadly.
~8~
"Gwen?" Morgana called as she saw her maid, no, her friend, staring forlornly out the window, "Guinevere?" that seemed to get her attention as she turned her head to face her Lady. Morgana smiled softly at seeing the distant look in the girl's eye, "Lancelot?"
Gwen blushed at having been caught watching the man prepare to leave from the window, but nodded, "Yes."
Morgana nodded as well in understanding. She moved forward and hugged her friend, "I'm sure he'll be back one day," she whispered soothingly. She hugged the girl tighter as she imagined what she would feel if..well, if Merlin ever left. But those thoughts quickly lead to the memory of the poisoned chalice and she did not want to think on that, to think on him leaving in THAT way, "Until then," she pulled back, "We've a busy day ahead."
Gwen smiled, knowing what her Lady was trying to do, get her mind off it, "Yes, my Lady."
~8~
"Perhaps you were right Gaius," Merlin commented as he and Gaius watched Lancelot leave from the castle wall, "Perhaps Aya and I should never have gotten involved."
Gaius simply shook his head, "No Merlin, I was wrong. Lancelot needed you two and you both needed Lancelot. Your destinies were entwined."
"Will he ever return?" he tilted his head as the image of the knight faded into the distance.
"That I cannot say."
"Well that settles it then," they heard a voice behind them, and turned to see Marayna walking away towards the castle from where she had been standing behind them, "This is going on the list."
"What list?" Merlin questioned as he turned to lean on the wall and watch his sister.
She stopped in the doorway to the stairs and turned to face them, "If I am to be Queen, things are going to change around here," she stated with finality.
Merlin smirked, "So you finally accept that you're to marry Arthur?"
He nearly laughed at the faint blush streaking her cheeks, but held his tongue. He knew that seeing Arthur half-dead had terrified his sister more than she was willing to say, it was something he felt...though he could be wrong as he'd been a bit delirious from having woken from a poisoning at the time...he had seen mirrored in Arthur when Marayna had failed to wake up after Gaius bestowed his cure for the poison they'd drunk. That sort of fear couldn't come from anything short of love or at the very least, the first stirrings of love. He wouldn't go so far as to say that she was IN love with Arthur at the moment, but...he could tell she felt something for the prince, that she was open to the idea of loving him in a way. And, if his sister ever did come to truly love the prince...then Arthur was in for some trouble.
His sister had an uncanny way of getting what she wanted.
He had briefly considered subtly threatening the prince about any intentions that may form towards his sister, but decided against it. His sister could handle herself and if Arthur even put a toe out of line, she wouldn't hesitate to let him have it, as she had proved many times before.
"And what shall you change?" Merlin continued, changing the subject slightly.
Marayna smirked, "Firstly, magic shall be returned to the kingdom."
"Of course," he nodded, "Can't have the queen executed now can we?"
"No we can't. I rather like my head where it is thank you very much," Merlin just laughed at that, "I want housing for orphans set up in other provinces of the kingdom," she continued, ticking items off on her fingers as she spoke, which made Merlin curious if she had just thought of this list now or if, perhaps, it had been flitting about in the back of her mind since the Dragon gave his prophecy, "Women shall be allowed to fight," Merlin snorted and she rolled her eyes, "Or at least be trained to defend themselves. Not all knights are honorable you know. There should be some laws protecting servants," she frowned at that, "We can't let servants die just because their masters are too stupid to understand what 'it's poisoned' means."
Merlin shook his head at that, those were just the sort of things his sister would concern herself with, "And what shall you do because of this?" he nodded over his shoulder at where Lancelot had disappeared.
"The nobility will not be the only ones allowed to be knights," she smiled, "Anyone who proves themselves worthy, regardless of station, shall be allowed to train."
Merlin smiled as well, he was just about to comment when Gaius, who had been nodding along with the various things Marayna would wish to see changed in the kingdom, suddenly tensed. His eyes widened as he gaped at his niece, "What do you mean you're to marry Arthur!?"
Merlin and Marayna looked at each other for a moment before laughing, taking their uncle's arm to lead him inside and explain a very important set of destinies that an overgrown lizard had told them about.
A/N: Lol, I hope you enjoyed this chapter :) I really wanted someone to sort of put Arthur in his place about how he treated Lancelot. I like to think of this chapter and the Poisoned Chalice as a parallel. Arthur saw Marayna 'dead' and here Marayna saw Arthur 'dead,' they both felt that flash of fear at seeing it and...it sort of kicked them into noticing the other more ;)
I love Gaius's reaction ^-^
Some notes on reviews...
Aww thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far :) I don't think I'll ever stop writing, I love it way too much ^-^ I hope one day I can be a published (actual books lol) author, that's my ultimate dream :)
Oh the Marayna/Arthur...(Marthur? Maraythur? Arayna? no idea about this pairing name lol)...kiss, well, let's just say one member of the couple won't be expecting it when it happens ;)
Marayna will try to visit Aurora, but since it's the king's stables she's REALLY not supposed to be there, so if she does it would only be mentioned in passing ;) Arthur won't tell his father, mostly because of the whole 'no one can enter the stables' thing, he doesn't want her to get in trouble :( But nope, he didn't see her use magic. He wasn't in the stables till she was already near Aurora's stall and he was knocked out when she used magic after ;)