A/N So many wonderful reviews! Thanks to saroura92, The Lord Writer, ProcrastinationIsMyCrime, , Charlesthehammer, and weepingelm!
Merlin was tired. Arthur had spent the entire night drinking and laughing with his friends, being a visible presence and strengthening his connections to members of the court. But it was the wee hours of the morning and she had had a long day.
Their eyes met across the room. She raised an eyebrow and tilted her head towards the door. He nodded once in response.
"Well chaps," he clapped them on the shoulder, "It's been great, but I think I'm off to bed."
His knights and friends groaned in disappointment, calling him to stay and not be such a wet blanket. When he walked to Merlin and followed her out, the groans turned into catcalls.
Merlin wanted to shock them all where they were sitting. How dare they not respect her? She had killed a man, a sorcerer, easily in front of the entire court. What would it take to earn respect in the court at Camelot?
Scowling, she stalked in off towards where she thought Arthur's room was.
He jogged a bit to catch up with her, "Ignore them. They're just drunk." He giggled, "but then again, so am I!"
Merlin just rolled her eyes.
"Where're we going Merlin?" Arthur slurred.
"To sleep Arthur."
"Then why're we going to the kitcha–kitchens?"
"By all means," she gestured, "lead the way."
"Very well, my Lady." He sing-songed and bowed ridiculously; bending over so far she was certain he would fall. But he didn't; he straightened and offered her his hand.
She took it cautiously as he led them down a new corridor, hiccupping occasionally.
How had this become her life.
Several minutes he stopped in front of a door.
"Here we are." He stood stock still.
God, couldn't she just start tomorrow? Wasn't there a manual for this? What was the protocol for when both of them felt awkward and Arthur was drunk and she just wanted to go to sleep.
Right. She opened the door and gestured for him to step inside the apartments.
"No, no, after you my Lady Merlin."
Drunk Arthur was so obnoxious, she thought, like a more affected and concentrated version of himself.
"If you insist, dandelion."
"What'd you call me?"
"Nothing, my liege. Where's my room?"
He walked to the left of his bedside bureau and pressed his palms to the wall. He began pushed his palms up and down the wall in irregular patterns, moving his torso as he did so. It almost looked like a sort of dance.
Alcohol, Merlin decided, was a bizarre and terrible thing.
Then, she heard a click and Arthur triumphantly straightened up.
"There it is!" A section of the wall swung forward to reveal a new room. Merlin stepped forward to take in her new accommodations.
She was reluctantly impressed. There was a well-stocked miniature-armory in her room. Her small bed was pushed against the wall bordering Arthur's bed, so that her sleep would be disturbed by anything in the next room.
"What'd'ya think?" Arthur poked his head around the door frame.
"I think," Merlin said, "that it's time to go to sleep." She pushed his head out of her room and went to shut the door.
"But Mer-lin I need your help!"
She sighed and stepped back into the room.
"What do you need, my Lord?"
He raised his arms up, expectant.
". . ."
"Well don't just stand there Merlin come undress me."
"That is so not my job." She grumbled. Arthur's eyelids began to droop and she guided him towards the bed.
"G'night Merlin." He said as she laid him down.
"Good night Arthur."
She shut the door between them and fastened the latch, finally falling asleep.
There was no window in Merlin's room. Which made sense with it being a hidden room and all that, but it also made it impossible for her to tell what time of day it was.
Subsequently she had woken up too early and was seated in Arthur's window seat, watching over him and his city as he slept.
She had opened the curtains to look out the window, considering the changes that had dictated her life since arriving at the urban center. It was not yet dawn, but it would be soon. She took these precious moments of solitude to evaluate her mission thus far.
If she were honest with herself, she felt out of control. She had wanted to remain anonymous and now she was so past the point of no return on that one. She still hadn't spoken to Gaius and needed to go to Tom.
And now she had practically lost her freedom too. She wanted a bathe, some food, and the privacy of her cave in the woods. She could go get food, but for some reason she didn't want to Arthur to wake alone. She startled. What an odd thought.
Morning glow began to warm the window and wash through the room, cracking open Arthur's eyelids as it did so.
"Merlin? What're you doing in my rooms?" he sat up and groaned, "Ugh what happened last night?"
"You don't remember?"
It came back to him. "You're my Protector."
"You do remember then."
He fell back into bed and groaned, "I feel terrible."
"It's your own damn fault."
"Thanks for the sympathy, now make yourself useful and fetch me some breakfast, would you?"
"No I will not. I'm here to protect you not babysit you. First with the clothes and now with breakfast it's not my job to take care of your every need, just make sure you don't die."
"What do you mean 'first with the clothes'?"
"You asked me to take your clothes off last night."
Arthur's face flushed pink.
"No I didn't."
Merlin smirked, he was embarrassed!
"You sure did. Raised your arms up like a child and asked for help!"
"Well that explains why I'm still in them then." Arthur sighed in relief. So he hadn't propositioned her then, thank God.
"Besides I don't even know where the kitchens are."
"Come on," he stood up, "I'll show you."
Before they could leave though, the door opened to reveal a boy with a tray of food.
"Begging your pardon my Lord, my Lady, but the court genealogist has requested your presence as soon as you have broken your fast."
"Thank you Gordeg, you are dismissed."
The boy bowed and backed out of the room.
"This is surreal," Merlin told Arthur as they sat down to eat together.
"What is?"
"Everyone calling me 'my Lady' or 'The Lady Merlin' it's bizarre."
"Why? It's your title."
"Titles are bizarre."
"Well how else would we refer to one another."
"By name. . .?"
"Do they not have court titles where you come from?"
"Finish your breakfast." She deflected his question.
"Why don't you ever speak of your home?"
"The woods are my home."
"Yes but where in the woods? And I mean before you came to Camelot. You use strange phrases, wear odd clothes, and somehow learned to fight like a soldier. You are from somewhere, you didn't just drop out of the sky so tell me, Merlin, where are you from?"
"We should go to the library."
"Merlin! I am ordering you to tell me where you are from."
"Fine: here's your first hint. You can't order me to do anything because you're not my prince. I was born and raised in another's kingdom."
She stood up and left clearly going to the library and after a few minutes, Arthur followed her.
"The Royal Protector," the court genealogist (and apparent historian) explained, "is an ancient role usually taken up in times of war or extreme distress to ensure the safety of the heir or heirs to the throne in this case, Arthur.
"You will be sworn in to protect Arthur and any of his or Uther's future offspring. For now, though, you are to focus solely on Arthur. You must know where he is at all times of the day and night and may be called upon to report back to the King at any time.
"You may only leave Arthur for periods of up to half an hour. Leaving the prince is defined by being outside of his perceptive fields, ie he must be able to hear, see, or perceive you in some way.
"At night, you will notice that the wall separating your beds is uncharacteristically thin to allow you to easily speak with one another to communicate any possible threats.
"Any action you take that the King perceives to put his son in danger is grounds for your execution. This includes threatening the legitimacy of future heirs.
"Have I made myself clear?" He lowered his glasses and glared at her. She wanted to spit in his face.
"You mean I can't bear any of his bastard children or you'll kill me before the babe has quickened. Yeah I get it."
Arthur gasped, "Surely that wasn't necessary Geoffrey." He turned towards Merlin, "Please don't refer to yourself or I in such a crude manner; it dishonors both of us."
"My apologies, my Lord," Geoffrey bowed, "Your father requested I discuss it."
"Sorry, sire." Merlin felt her face warming up. She needed to work on her temper.
Arthur nodded stiffly. Sometimes he wished he weren't prince so that everyone from the scullery maids to Geoffrey the court genealogist wouldn't spend their days wondering about the fruit of his loins. He wasn't an animal, for God's sake, he could control himself!
With that, he turned and left the library, Merlin trailing five paces behind him as they made their way to the Great Hall for the ceremony.
The swearing-in ceremony was essentially a formalized version of the genealogist's list of responsibilities with Merlin solemnly swearing to uphold each of them upon pain of death. Officially installed as the Royal Protector, Merlin took her place standing behind Arthur.
After a couple weeks at court, Merlin and Arthur had settled into a routine. She would wake before him, dress, update him on anything he missed during the night as they ate breakfast, and then attend his father in the Great Hall until Arthur was ordered by the King to do this or that. If there wasn't anything for them to do, she would follow him to the training fields.
He had invited her a couple times to train with them, but none of the knights wanted to fight her, and Merlin still felt uncomfortable with the idea of Arthur knowing all of her strengths and weaknesses so she declined and watched from the sidelines making sure none of the other knights got too invested in their training with Arthur.
It was strange for Merlin to be there, but also not there. Her opinion was occasionally asked but mostly she stood quietly behind Arthur, surveying, thinking, protecting.
One day, they were in the court when Gaius came to report a new illness infecting the village. Merlin could sense the magic as soon as they laid the corpse down on the cold ground.
She made eye contact with Gaius above the body and wondered if he knew. She made her eyes briefly glow golden. A flash of something contorted his face for half a second before he schooled it back into his regular expression.
The King had decided, correctly, that it must be sorcery but there were no leads on how to cure the victims.
Gaius left the hall and Merlin made to follow him.
"Where do you think you're going?" Arthur asked.
"I'll be right back."
He grabbed her wrist, "Merlin, everyone is watching to see how you perform as my Protector, you can't just go running off at the first sign of something more interesting happening in town."
"I'm not running off. I'll be back in 10 minutes."
"Then where are you going."
"Lady troubles."
He pulled back his hand and coughed awkwardly, "Right well then. Right."
Merlin resisted the urge to laugh and exited the Great Hall, running to catch up to Gaius.
"Gaius! Wait! I can help you."
He turned around and quirked an eyebrow.
"That was very dangerous, what you did in the Great Hall!"
"I wanted to see if you knew."
"I did know! And I also know that your father did not spend his entire life raising you so that you could get executed for carelessly using your gifts!"
Merlin reeled.
"My father would still be in Camelot if it weren't for you!"
"Your father would be dead if it weren't for me."
"You are a traitor to magic. You may have helped my father to escape, but it was people like you who could have persuaded Uther away from the Great Purge, or just killed him, God knows we would be better off."
"Merlin!" he gasped, "It's a wonder you are still alive, girl. You cannot go around saying things like that, it is treason!"
"It is truth!" she spat. "I will protect Uther as long as Arthur desires it and no further."
"And what exactly is your connection to Arthur? Have you bewitched him?"
"How dare you! I would never use magic on Arthur." She straightened. "It is my destiny to protect him."
"Destined? Did he tell you that?" Was this puppy love, Gaius wanted to ask, or was it something far more sinister?
"No. The last dragon did."
"The dragon? You foolish, arrogant girl your recklessness dishonors all the sacrifices Balinor has made for you. He did not send you to Camelot to get executed."
Merlin laughed bitterly, "Uther could not kill me even if he tried."
The sheer arrogance of it! How could this be Hunith's daughter, he wondered. This girl needed a good spanking, not promotion to one of the highest offices in the royal court. He harrumphed.
"Even if you can defend yourself, others will not be so lucky! Your actions have consequences, ones that you may not even realize when magic is involved. You must be more careful."
"Magic can save this town from the new illness."
"That is not sustainable. We must find the root of the disease."
"Have you found anything?"
"I believe it is emanating from the water source based on its indiscriminate manifestation among courtiers and farmers alike."
"I'll go tonight when Arthur's sleeping and find the source."
"Merlin! You can't put Arthur in danger, it's grounds for your execution!" His voice was desperate.
"Gaius, I thought you would know, somehow. I'm Emrys."
His eyes widened comically.
"I can't die," she continued, "And it's not like Uther can punish me by killing someone I care about since I have no friends here in Camelot." She looked at him meaningfully, and Gaius understood her reluctance to bond with anyone at court other than Arthur. To do so would be to put them at a terrible risk.
"Very well. I will not stand in your way."
"Thank you Gaius," she turned to return to court, "my father still speaks of you. He says you were a good man."
A ghost of a smile came over Gaius' face as he said simply, "I like to hope that I still am."
Merlin nodded once and they went their separate ways.
It really was like babysitting she thought, as she waited for Arthur to fall asleep. She had to wait around making sure he was fed and happy and sleeping. They had spent the day canvassing the town. When she suggested that the disease was coming from the water supply, he had merely scoffed at her.
Now that his breathing had evened out, she cast a spell of deep sleep and another of an impenetrable force field that went around his room, protecting him from any who would harm him and praying he would not wake before she returned.
After a brief encounter with the monster, Merlin returned to the castle more confused than ever. She went straight to Gaius' quarters not caring about the late hour. She pounded on the door.
"Gaius? Gaius! Please let me in!"
Groggy, "He opened the door. What is it child? Have you been found out?"
She rolled her eyes.
"No, nothing like it. I found the source, it's a monster, I've never seen anything like it."
After listening to her description, he pulled out an old book, flipping through the pages.
"Ah! Here it is, a creature of clay—earth and water. This is very powerful stuff, Merlin."
"How can I destroy it?"
"Well perhaps with the remaining elements: fire and wind."
She nodded. "Thank you for your help Gaius, the water supply will be clean by the day's end."
She got up and sprinted back to Arthur's room before he could wake. As the door closed Gaius responded, "No, Merlin, thank you."
She may have been reckless and headstrong, he reasoned, but she would certainly be a great boon to Camelot and her citizens.
Merlin bounded into Arthur's room and threw the curtains open.
"Good morning starshine! The sun says, 'hello!'"
"Ugh is that considered normal where you come from? Not that anyone knows where that is. . ."
Arthur rolled over and went back to sleep.
"I have foo-ood!" she sang, hoping it would get him out of bed. And it did. Blearily, he rubbed his eyes and sat down across from her.
"You're finally getting the hang of it." He said, digging into his breakfast.
"No, I just wanted to get you out of bed and I knew the only thing you love more than yourself is food so." She gestured to the spread she had laid out, "here we are."
"Are you calling me fat?" he asked through a mouth full of porridge.
"Yes."
"That's very rude."
"Indeed. But I have bigger news (no pun intended) for you: I have discovered the source of the illness."
"You have? How?"
"Research." She lied, "I got some books from the library and looked up the symptoms of the illness. The creature is coming from the water supplies, it is an elemental monster made of earth and water. It can be killed using fire and wind."
Arthur straightened. Finally, a chance to redeem himself after the botched tournament.
"We must go immediately!"
"Well as long as it's your idea."
"What do you mean?"
"I've sworn not to endanger your life, but if you were to rush into danger all of your own accord and I merely followed you in to help protect you, then I will not be breaking my oath!"
Arthur grinned at her and she grinned back.
They grabbed their supplies and headed out of the castle.
When they emerged from the caverns victorious, Arthur wiped his mud-covered sword on the grass in disgust. He had brought back two of the creatures fangs, proof that he had killed it and the only recognizable feature that remained.
They had somehow emerged from the caverns outside the city in an open field and he laid down on the ground, exhausted. Merlin sat down beside him.
He held up the fang and inspected it in the sunshine.
"Just another confirmation." He decided.
"Of what?"
"That my father is right. About magic, about everything. It breeds corruptions and abominations."
"That's not fair."
"What do you mean?" Arthur looked genuinely curious and Merlin struggled to explain. This was an extremely delicate situation and anything she said could tip the balance on how Arthur decided to regard magic.
"Magic," Merlin explained, "is like a sword: the sword itself does not kill, the knight does. The sword is just the tool he uses." She broke off and shook her head. "But no, never mind that it is a terrible metaphor because swords are made to destroy and magic is not."
Merlin took a deep breath, collected her thoughts and began anew, "Magic is like a quill: it can be used to write down bad things like declarations of war, or beautiful things like declarations of love or even practical, neutral things like recipes or directions."
Arthur looked increasingly skeptical. "And how do you know so much about magic?" He asked.
Merlin shrugged. "I don't," she answered, "It's just that I grew up in the woods in Cenred's kingdom. It's not illegal there, you know, and you meet magical folk."
Arthur shook his head, "No. It's a pretty metaphor Merlin but magic corrupts. It must've been a trick. You don't know what you're talking about. You've admitted it yourself."
"And you do?" she was getting agitated, "you're raised to fear this thing you've never even seen except when its users are being executed!"
"Or when they're trying to kill me!" Arthur stood.
"Because your father killed their families! If a man killed your entire village simply for the way they were born, killed everyone you ever loved, wouldn't you believe him to be evil for doing that?" Merlin followed him as he began to stalk away from her.
Arthur was livid, "Don't you dare speak of my father that way. He is a good man. I could have your head for saying something like that."
"You're only angry because you know in your heart of hearts that it's true!"
He kept walking or rather, stomping away from her. She needed to stop, she knew. She was only making it worse but she couldn't seem to get her mouth to listen to her head.
"What could possibly justify the murder of children?" she yelled after him, "Killed because their parents could do magic!"
Arthur felt hot tears of shame prick at his eyes and he blinked them back as he continued away from Merlin, leaving her in the meadow.
"Tell me!" she screamed after him.
An epiphany hit Arthur and the wind fell out of his sails. He turned around to see her running towards him.
"You were raised by druids." He accused when she neared him.
"Partially."
"My Protector. . . is a druid."
"No. I'm not. That's something you're born into. They just helped my father. They are a peaceful people."
"You have to leave. Tonight. You have saved my life and I will do the same by keeping your secret, but Merlin you are in grave danger in my father's castle. Any hint of an association with druids would be grounds for your execution."
Merlin scoffed, "Everything that I have done since I arrived has been 'grounds for my execution'! And look," she gestured up and down her body, "my neck is still on my shoulders!"
She held up an arm and pulled back the sleeve, "Look! My skin is unburnt! Arthur, believe what you will about me, but do not dismiss me so easily. It is my destiny to protect you. Allow me that much at least."
"Your destiny?"
"The druids have prophecies. They had a few about me."
"And what were they about?"
"You, mostly. My fate is to protect you."
"So that's what you meant the night of the tournament. That you would always be there to save me."
"Why you?"
"I don't know, Arthur, I don't know."
They walked back to the castle side-by-side in silence. The sweetness of victory soured by Merlin's revelation. Merlin was a druid, if not by birth then by association. Arthur couldn't believe it. She could never know if the raid, he decided, she would hate him forever if she knew he had acted without orders from his father.
Uther was pleased at their victory, awarding his son with a rare smile when his son simply explained the facts of the situation, uncluttered by bragging or self-aggrandizing statements. Maybe Merlin was good for the boy's maturity. Uther felt please with his decision.
There were no apologies. Just awkward silences the next morning at breakfast. Both pretended that the previous night had simply never happened.
"Are you nervous?" Merlin ventured.
"Being around a druid? No, if you wanted to kill me you've had plenty of chances."
"I didn't mean me, I meant about Lord Bayard." She decided not to point out (again) that she wasn't a druid. Druids didn't have non-magical members of their tribes and he still thought she was mundane.
"Oh. Well, no I'm also not nervous about him either. We have the advantage if he tries something as foolish as attacking us, they'll be dead in seconds. Besides," he looked over at her and spoke in falsetto, "you'll protect me won't you Merlin?" he batted his eyelashes flirtatiously and she threw a bread roll at him.
"I don't know. . ." she ventured, "I saw them coming in yesterday. Bayard's men are pretty handsome. I like their blue uniforms it's a nice change from all this red." She retrieved her bread roll and bit into it, "I like a man secure enough in his masculinity to wear pastels."
"I'll have you know that the Knights are plenty secure! We even have tea parties sometimes! Don't blame us for our house colors."
She rolled her eyes. Everything was back to normal, then it would seem.
"But, with a tongue like yours I suppose you'll have to cast your net as wide and far as you can to find a man to put up with you."
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
"Well I'm your charge, for all intents and purposes, and you say very rude things to me! Can't imagine what you'll end up saying to your husband."
"What've I said that was rude?"
"You called me fat!"
"Oh come on, we both know I was joking."
"I don't care." He sniffed as they left his bed chambers and joined Uther in the Great Hall.
The reception was, typical of Camelot, very dramatic. Actually, she noticed Bayard's men do the same bird flock formation as Uther's and wondered if it was just an affectation of nobles to be ridiculously theatrical.
Yes, she decided, that must've been it.
After they were dismissed, she and Arthur stepped out of the Great Hall. They were going on patrol, but Arthur realized he had forgotten the list of shop-keepers he was supposed to visit.
"Wait here," he instructed Merlin and she did. Leaning patiently against the wall as she waited for Arthur to return.
One of Bayard's manservants passed by tripping on, apparently nothing as he did so.
"Sorry!" the man apologized from the grounds, "so sorry, my Lady."
Taking pity on him, Merlin crouched down to help him gather up his things. She looked up and they made eye contact. He was gorgeous. With dark hair and blue eyes to rival her own, Merlin wondered if she had ever seen such a beautiful man. Her mind flickered briefly to Arthur, but that faded away when he offered his hand.
"I'm Caradoc."
He was tall. Taller than Merlin, or Arthur for that matter, and broader too. He must have been a stable hand with muscles like that, she mused. He smiled dazzlingly at her as she offered him her hand.
"Merlin." He kissed her hand. It was strange, she thought, for a manservant to be so familiar with a member of the court, but she tried not to react. Maybe things were done differently in Bayard's kingdom. Maybe it was a sign of respect.
He gasped in realization, "You're The Lady Merlin! Prince Arthur's sworn shield and protector! It is an honor to meet you." He bent a knee, still holding her hand, "It must be an honor to serve the great Arthur Pendragon."
"It is." He was laying it on a bit thick. Merlin was skeptical. But, she looked at his face one more time, she supposed she could forgive him. Was she now going to be the most common route for men to try and become closer to Arthur? She supposed it was one pathway to power.
"Merlin!" It was Arthur returning from his chambers. She realized the manservant was still holding her hand and pulled it out of his grasp.
"Merlin." He repeated looking more than a little bit taken aback looking between his Protector and the strange man, "I know I said cast your nets 'far and wide' but I didn't mean you had to include servants for goodness' sake."
He turned towards the servant, "You are dismissed. Do not bother us again."
Caradoc bowed and left them.
"That wasn't necessary." She chided, still curious about Caradoc's motives and wishing she could investigate further instead of Arthur-sitting.
"I was only joking before, you know. If you're that worried my father or I will arrange a marriage if need be, no need to get desperate."
"If you must know, the manservant approached me. I was just being nice."
"Nice? Nice! When have you ever been nice?"
"Apparently, only when I'm not with you."
"Apparently. Oh and by the way, you'll need to wear an official garment tonight. So it's either a dress or chainmail."
"Give me chainmail or give me death."
"And you say I'm dramatic."
"I won't have drunken lechers staring at my barely concealed body all night just because of some outdated Camelot tradition."
"Fair enough. I'll send for women's armor and a cloak."
"Thank you."
He nodded.
"I need to get ready. I authorize you to go check out Bayard's men, if you so desire, but only to assess them for threats in case this treaty for peace is false."
She nodded and left to search for Caradoc. Not because he was attractive. Although that didn't hurt. But because her alarm ward had been bothering her since she met him and she had a feeling he was behind it.
She found him leaving the royal guest chambers. She inhaled sharply as she saw his reflection on a sconce. It seemed Caradoc was another Lady Helen, parading as a young man when what lay inside was an old woman. Kilgarrah's voice echoed through her mind Nimueh.
Merlin felt her heart begin to beat unbearably fast. A priestess of the old religion. She must have caused the water-illness. And now she was here to kill Arthur once and for all.
She had to stop her—him—whatever! Nimueh had to be stopped, but how? Merlin didn't even know Nimueh's plan.
She returned to the dungeons.
"Kilgarrah! Please! Help me."
She could hear the beating of his wings before she saw him.
"Young witch, what has caused such distress?"
"Like you don't know, you're the one who revealed Caradoc's true identity. Nimueh. What does she mean to do?"
"What she always does; sow the seeds of mistrust and chaos."
"What does that mean? How can I stop her?"
"You must protect Arthur at all costs. You and he are two sides of the same coin."
"But what steps can I take to protect him? Please, Kilgarrah, I'm desperate."
"Why should I tell you?"
"I'll do anything, please, I can't confront her directly. Not yet."
"You are right, you are not strong enough yet. Not without help. But there is one thing that can defeat Nimueh."
"What is it?"
"A sword forged in dragon's breath."
"Please, Kilgarrah, I'm desperate." Merlin repeated, unsheathing her sword and holding it up.
"You must promise me something."
"Anything."
"You must right the sins of the father."
"My father? Kilgarrah as much as I want to, I cannot resurrect your brothers and sisters."
"Be that as it may, you must promise to free me."
"Swear on it."
"I so swear on my magic."
"No, swear it on your father's life."
"I so swear it on my father's life." A swirl of golden magic wove itself around Merlin and Kilgarrah and she felt the oath bind to her soul.
"You must also swear that you, and only you will use this sword."
"I so swear it."
The sword rose into the air and Kilgharrah imbued it with his breath. She grabbed the sword out of the air, surprised by the intricate new engravings down the blades shaft. She returned it to her sheath.
"Is there anything else you can tell me?"
"Nimueh has laced Arthur's goblet. Go to the banquet, be swift and subtle."
"Thank you Kilgarrah, I will not forget this."
"I know you will not, Merlin, your oath guarantees it."
With a nod, she took off, running up past the sleeping guards and to the banquet hall.
There, Lord Bayard and his men had only begun to sit down. Merlin stood on the edge of the room, her magic scanning the room for the box containing Arthur's ceremonial goblet, looking for traces of magic.
Morgana's handmaiden, Gwen, she remembered walked over to her.
"She looks so beautiful, doesn't she?" she gestured towards Morgana.
"Mmm." Merlin hummed noncommittally as she continued to look for the goblet.
Gwen looked searchingly at Merlin's lackluster response and decided to probe further.
"Some people are just born to be queen." Gwen watched Merlin for a reaction.
Merlin looked confused, "Mhhmm." There! Merlin thought, there was the goblet.
It was tempting to switch Arthur and Uther's goblets. Kill two birds with one stone, or one particularly pesky king to be more accurate. But Arthur wasn't ready yet. She banished the poisoned chalice, replacing it with a goblet from the kitchen's silver cabinet, emblazoning Bayard's coat of arms on it. Hopefully Bayard wouldn't notice the difference.
"I almost feel sorry for her. Who would want to marry Arthur?"
Merlin stayed silent. Caradoc-Nimueh, was moving towards her.
"It was nice to see you, Guinevere, if you'll excuse me."
Gwen watched Merlin and the handsome young manservant step into the hallway. Life at court could be so convoluted at times.
"Merlin I-I didn't know who to tell, but I trust you and—" His voice broke off as he looked around wildly.
Part of her wanted to tell Nimueh to drop the act. Her palms itched with small traces of crackling magic in reaction to forced calm when standing so close to a confirmed enemy.
"Slow down, Caradoc. Tell me what happened."
"I-I don't know. I went to bring Bayard's dinner tray, you see, he wasn't expecting me. He'll kill me if I tell!"
Merlin was incredibly proud of herself for not laughing at Nimueh's act. How was she supposed to react? She tried to imagine what Arthur would do in her position with a beautiful maiden.
Reaching out to touch Caradoc's shoulder she said reassuringly, "Just tell me what happened. I will deal with the consequences. You will not be harmed."
Caradoc's face smiled.
"It's the chalice, it's poisoned."
"Is it? Why would Bayard take such a risky move? He surely knows that such an obvious display of aggression will only result in the slaughter of his men. He's outnumbered, out-armed, you must be tired, Caradoc."
"No! Merlin, I know what I saw. If you don't do anything, Arthur will die!"
"Good. He's a prat to work for anyways." Caradoc's jaw dropped open.
"But if he dies, Uther's spirit will be broken and Camelot will fall!"
"No, Caradoc, if you're right then your king has done us all a favor. With Arthur out of the way, then I could marry Uther, and finally be the Queen of Camelot."
Caradoc looked horrified, "I-I misjudged you Merlin. I thought you were a woman of honor. I thought your oaths meant something to you!"
Merlin heaved a great sigh, "You're right Caradoc." Caradoc's bright blue eyes gleamed with hope, "You did misjudge me. Now come on," she gestured back towards the hall, "let's enjoy the show."
Nimueh numbly followed Merlin back into the Great Hall. This was, well, unexpected. Merlin was even more conniving than Nimueh herself! Well at least Arthur would die and the kingdoms would be thrown into chaos. Nimueh would get Merlin eventually; even if it wasn't the perfect plan it had been. She resumed her place with the other servants and watched as Bayard and Uther made their toasts.
Merlin ducked behind a column and whispered a notice-me-not spell sneaking around the border of the room. Just as Arthur took a long drink from his goblet, Caradoc -Nimueh straightened, standing on his tiptoes, breath quickening in anticipation, not noticing the change behind him.
Merlin raised her sword and plunged it through his back, twisting it as it came through his stomach.
Her notice-me-not spell failed and suddenly every man in the room was pointing a sword in her direction.
"Merlin!" Arthur shouted.
"This is an outrage!" Bayard declared, "Your guard has killed my manservant!"
"Calm down Bayard, you are outnumbered. Now Merlin, what is the meaning of this?" Uther asked.
Merlin smirked inwardly, now Uther would be in her debt forever.
"This is no man." She removed her dragon's-breath sword and Caradoc crumpled to the ground, transforming into a middle-aged woman.
"Nimueh!" Uther cursed and looked at Merlin in awe.
"How did you know?" He asked.
"Bayard's 'manservant' tried to seduce me," she said coolly, "and convince me to join his-er-her plan to take over yours and Bayard's kingdoms. She wanted me to poison Arthur at the banquet." Merlin lied.
"I see." Uther was pale. He gestured more guards over, "Burn her body," he instructed, "and bring me the bones. I don't want to take any chances that she escapes. She is-was a dangerous sorceress."
The guards exchanged looks, but did as they were told.
A/N: This chappie is over 6.5K words! This will probably be a pretty long novel, going forward with the independent forces in the show until this Merlin irrevocably changes its pathway.
This will probably end up being a pretty long fic. Right now I kind of just want to get Merlin and Arthur used to each other and then later I will focus on complicating the story with more characters.
Read, review, and have a wonderful day!