CHAPTER 9 : CHIVALRY, RIVALRY AND REVELRY
Merlin and Arthur played knights, squires and kings for the next few days. Gaius smiled at himself as Arthur had insisted that Merlin kneel before him as he wielded his training sword and clunked him on the shoulders before announcing, "Arise, Sir Knight!"
Then it was Merlin's turn and Arthur became the candidate as Merlin tapped him on the shoulders and said, "Arise, Sir Knight!"
Gaius watched in case things got out of hand as although Arthur's sword was proportionate to his size and blunt, it could hurt if swung with too much effort at Merlin's neck. During lunch, their manners were perfect as they referred to each other as Sir Merlin and Sir Arthur.
Arthur however became carried away and decided he wanted to be called King Arthur instead and Merlin could be his manservant. That didn't go over very well as Merlin had no intention of being demobbed from knight to servant. Arthur was adamant. He became overpowering and very bossy so finally to keep the peace Merlin agreed only if he could be called Sir Servant.
"That makes no sense, how could a servant be a knight?"
"Well…because, I'd…I'd be a very special servant, so there!"
Arthur finally gave in and Sir Servant followed him around, helping him to take off his jacket, pulling out a chair so that he could sit and placing plates and goblets before him on the table.
"…but a servant wouldn't have to do your homework for you."
"Yes, he would because then you would be as clever as I am and we could talk about important things which have to do with Camelot and the people."
"Alright but only if I can sit on your throne as well."
"Merlin, only the king can sit on the throne. You know that! You could stand beside me and pass me food and things."
Merlin got a rebellious look in his eyes, Arthur saw it and not wanting the fun to stop, he conceded that maybe when no one else was around he would let Merlin sit on the throne and even eat his dinner with him.
Gaius laughed but had a uncanny sensation that he was privy to something which held more truth than two boys mimicking their adults.
-0-0-
Colourful pavilions were being set up on the perimeters of the various training fields in preparation for the Summer Tournament. Arthur was so excited that during their riding lesson, he had to be stopped from cantered head on at Merlin and Ghellie pretending he was jousting. Sir Richard finally stated that if he intended to keep that up, his lesson was finished and he could return to the stables while he and Merlin continued riding.
Merlin caught Arthur's excitement and Gaius was bombarded with all sorts of questions regarding knights and play fights and the squires whom Arthur had told him would be putting on a training exercise for everyone to watch. Gaius smiled remembered his first tournament and realised that Merlin was going to get very little sleep over the next couple of days.
The excitement filtered down through the castle and even the scullery maids and the youngest of the kitchen spit turners were looking forward to seeing some part of the celebrations. The castle was packed to capacity with guests and competitors and one wing had been reopened to house important visiting knights and their servants.
Gaius had warned Merlin to stay close to their quarters. He was worried that he would get caught up in the hubbub and get lost. He was responsible for the lad and intended to keep him safe. Strange things often happened over tournament week and he didn't want Merlin's head filled with promises of fame and fortune if he would go off with someone who had come into town for the holiday. He thought it unlikely but it was not uncommon for young men and even boys to go missing lured away by a life other than that to which they were accustomed. Tournaments could also, depending upon the knights entered, get out of hand with personal fights and many times fatalities. He wanted Merlin to have pleasant memories of his first tournament and not be witness to the darker side of such events.
The market was more hectic than normal as peddlers who followed tournaments and carnivals had arrived in town. There were trinkets and baubles from far away lands and many of these peddlers were also entertainers, competent tumblers, acrobats and singers. There was also a lot of drinking and fighting.
Arthur was not allowed to wander by himself either and one of the senior squires called James was assigned to him for the duration. Merlin liked the eighteen year old and Gaius who was on call, agreed that as long as he stayed with Arthur and James he could go out.
-0-0-
The boys attended the squires' training exhibit and were thrilled. Arthur as was befitting, sat in the stands with James while Merlin watched with the castle staff. Luckily, Charles was there so the royal manservant hoisted the youngster up on his shoulders so he could see what was going on. Gaius noticed him and smiled, sometimes it was beneficial to be small for your age. Merlin's expression was for Gaius, more interesting that the actual training sequences.
Merlin was mesmerised by the sounds and the colours. He literally shivered when the heralds with their long trumpets announced the arrival of the king. The coloured standards paraded by the squires before each competitor hypnotised him. He felt as though he had fallen asleep and awoken in a new world. Never in the innermost part of his mind had he ever imagined the sharpness of colour and texture which he was now seeing. On occasion, he had seen the ladies of the court and visiting knights but not so much colour at one time. It was almost information overload and he wished he could have slowed everything down to take it in more thoroughly.
Because Arthur was going to be ten in a few days he would be allowed to attend the Tournament Supper when all the awards would be announced. The newly invested knights would also be introduced to the assembly. He promised Merlin that he would tell him everything which happened.
As the days progressed, Merlin slept less and was more excited. He knew that the final competition was the jousting and the chance of seeing it was slight as it was by far the favourite event. He had seen the 'mêlée à pied' with teams of knights fighting on foot and also the 'mêlée à cheval' when the teams were mounted, during which he had worried about the safety of the horses. To him both events looked like a brawl, with no holds barred but as some of the Camelot knights were successful, he presumed it was acceptable.
On the day of the jousting, Gaius was as usual on call. Fatalities though rare were possible and Merlin had witnessed some really nasty falls in the preliminary bouts. Gaius decided that Merlin would be safer with him in the physician's tent. He could be of help keeping the place tidy and he'd be able to keep on eye on him.
When the trumpets sounded for the beginning of the finals in jousting, Gaius could see that Merlin's mind was miles away.
During some of the preliminary sessions, he'd sat in the stands with Arthur and James and now he was in a stuffy tent, picking up bandages, far away from all the action. Sir Rodick came by as he was unable to compete following his injuries and Gaius suggested that he take Merlin and get him something to eat. The two of them went off as they were crossing between pavilions, Merlin saw the most wonderful sight. Arthur's father rode by in full regalia on a beautiful grey stallion also dressed in ceremonial red and gold. The breaching was intricate open woven leather. He was attended by five knights all equally well attired but whose horses looked less spectacularly turned out.
Merlin was thoughtful, he had never seen horses dressed for battle but these seemed more dressed for a procession. He turned to Rodick, in his red cloak and said, "Will your horse be dressed like that one day?"
The young knight laughed, "Not for a long time but maybe one day. The bardings and blankets on those horses are only for the very rich."
Rodick was joined by some of his friends and somehow, Merlin was detached from the group.
-0-0-
Wandering around by himself, Merlin felt quite safe as he could always see the castle so he knew that he was close to Gaius and his current home.
Someone grabbed his shoulder, a man dressed in blue handed him a snapped lance, saying, "You're not busy, Boy, take this to the blue and white pavilion." Behind the man, he could see a knight also dressed in blue and white.
Figuring that he always ran messages for Gaius and on occasion for Sir Geoffrey, he took the broken weapon and headed back to the pavilion. There he was given a length of leather and told to take it back to the man. He did so and then hung around. He could hear the noise of the cheering and gasps of those watching the jousting and he felt more involved than when he had been picking up in Gaius's tent.
Time passed and he was told to hang around as there would be more for him to do when the knight returned.
He never figured out who the knight was beyond that he rode a chestnut and his standard colours were white with a blue line not unlike the battlements of the castle and red sticks or maybe antlers.
In the meantime, Sir Rodick turned to ask Merlin what he wanted to eat and realised that he was not tagging along behind him. "Where's Gaius's kid?" he asked the others but there were so many young pages and squires around that most of his friends had not even realised that Rodick had had one specific child with him.
"Help me find him. He's Gaius's ward and Prince Arthur and he often hang around together. You must know him! He's small, dark haired with a big grin."
"Is he the one who sat with you when you were hurt?" Rodick nodded, remembering Merlin's attention.
Nigel also newly invested said, "He's the kid from the courtyard whom the prince was sitting on when the king bellowed at him." The others smiled as they remembered the incident.
"I have to find him; my life will be worth nothing if anything happens to him. He's only seven! Come on guys, a quick look around is all that it will take."
"Alright, I'll look but I want an ale if I find him," said one enterprising soul. Rodick nodded in agreement.
Hunt they did, however their prey was curled up quite happily in the blue and white pavilion listening to the knight talking about his misfortune at having met Sir Rupert in the final. Merlin blushed as he listened to the knight saying rude things about the Camelot knight whom he liked and trusted.
He was hungry and he suddenly realised that Rodick was supposed to get him something to eat so he decided to try to find him. When he went to leave, the knight's servant asked him where he was off to. Merlin explained that he was on his way to get something to eat when the man had asked him to run a message.
"Your parents live in Camelot?" the man asked. Merlin shook his head. "Are you hired by anyone in particular?"
Merlin thought, he was really not working just living with Gaius until his Mam returned. So, he shook his head again.
The knight said, "Give the lad something to eat if he's hungry, he won't eat much and he's useful to have around. But I know you, Jack, don't get him drunk. No repeats of that fiasco!" The Jack man laughed.
Merlin didn't think that it was a kind laugh but the bread and cheese persuaded him to stay where he was until later and he would go back to Gaius's tent.
A groom came by to say that the horses had been stabled. The knight left and Jack started cleaning up the little blue and white pavilion. Merlin helped. Lances were placed in the racks and various other things in a big chest with an iron padlock. "That can stay until tomorrow. Pick up that furled standard and extra bridle; follow me back to the castle." Jack closed up the pavilion by wrapping the flap over the entry and securing it with buckles. Merlin did as he was told after all he lived in the castle didn't he… Maybe, he and Arthur should have their own pavilion once the tournament was over, it would be fun.
As they were pushing their way through the crowd on their way back to the stable tents, he thought that he heard someone call his name but Jack told him to keep up so he did. Again, he turned as he was sure that someone had called him but there were so may people and he was so short that he wouldn't have been able to see even if someone was waving at him. So, he obediently followed Jack up to the castle.
-0-0-
Rodick sheepishly made his way back to the physician's tent, Gaius was cleaning up and packing away his supplies. It hade been a relatively easy day for him and he was looking forward to having a snooze before attending the Tournament supper.
"So, did he get anything to eat?" There was silence, Gaius glanced at Rodick and repeated the question. He looked beyond him expecting Merlin to dance in at any minute. "Where is he…Rodick?"
"Gaius, he was with me and then we got separated and I've been looking for him with some of my friends and we can't find him." Seeing the look on Gaius's face, Rodick felt sick. The light had gone out of the physician's eyes and he held onto the tent pole as he swayed.
"Sit down. It's the shock, I'll get something for you to drink."
But Gaius was looking stronger again. "I'll give you something to drink! Where is he? Rodick, you knew I was worried about him and you stupidly let him wander off. If anything…do you hear me? Anything happens to him, I'll have your hide." Never having seen the friendly court physician so riled up it was Rodick's turn to look shocked.
"If I asked you to get Sir Martin, do you think you could get him back here, without losing him as well?" said Gauis sarcastically. He felt sick, one innocent, friendly seven year old was wandering around in this large crowd unaware of the dangers which he faced. "Go now, Man! Don't stand there looking stupidly at me!"
Rodick took off.
Merlin was tramping up to the castle with the standard and a man called Jack. They passed the guards who hardly glanced at them. The castle had so many guests that it was impossible to keep track of everyone's coming and going.
The two of them accessed the guest wing by entering one of the towers to the left of the main courtyard. Merlin knew basically where he was in relationship to Gaius's chambers but became a little disoriented when he finally reached the reopened wing and made his way through its corridors and up a half flight of stairs.
The chamber was large but crowded with clothes, armour and chests. There was a bed with curtains, a wash stand with a ewer and pitcher, a table, chair, armoire and fireplace. Jack told him to lean the standard up against the wall and gave him a few other things to lie on the bed. He'd never been in any knight's bedchamber before and he was impressed. The bed was certainly better than his but not a big or comfy looking as Arthur's.
Suddenly, he felt hands on his hips and Jack saying in a whisper, "Ready to have some fun, Little One."
Merlin froze, instinct warning him that something was not right. "Come on; don't tell me you got this far in life without…"
Someone bellowed, "Jack!" and Merlin felt himself being pushed across the room. He caught the edge of the bed and lost his balance crashing into the wall and everything went black...
-0-0-
Rodick found Sir Martin and brought him up to date with what had transpired and how Gaius wanted him immediately.
The knight followed him to the jousting area. Gaius was pacing up and down in front of his tent and Rodick realised that Merlin was still missing. As he had been making his way over to him, he had been asking castle staff he recognised, pages and squires if they had seen Gaius's assistant but none had except one red-head who said that he had seen him carrying a bridle and following a man in blue.
Gaius told Rodick to go to the stable tent as Merlin liked horses and was maybe hanging around there. No Merlin but one of the grooms remembered seeing a lad trying to manage a destrier's bridle. He didn't know whom he was with or where he was going but the decorations on it seemed to be predominately white and blue.
Gaius realised that any plans for a snooze would never materialise. The horses were all stabled and slowly the tournament field was clearing except for groups of visiting staff who were gathered around bonfires drinking and merrymaking. He had seen Arthur and the squire James making their way back to the castle earlier in the afternoon but he was certain that Merlin hadn't been with them.
Hoping that he would be waiting for him in his chambers, he made his way back to the castle with Martin helping him carry his supplies. He asked one of the guards on duty whose wife he had recently tended if he had by chance noticed his little assistant. However, the man had said that so many people had been in and out that he really had no recollection of the lad.
Gaius sent Sir Rodick to get James, not quite the correct procedure for summoning a squire but Gaius figured that Rodick deserved anything coming his way for misplacing Merlin. The two of them returned together and James said that he had not seen Merlin since noticing Arthur waving at him earlier in the day.
Gaius, once he was dressed for supper, made his way to Arthur's chambers. Wanting to have a word with Charles, he took Rodick with him. He knocked remained outside the door sending Rodick in to request Charles to step outside. Charles was shocked, "Better not let his lordship hear about it as he is stressed enough having to go to the dinner and he keeps telling me that he intends to tell Merlin everything that happens."
Gaius smiled, but it did nothing to appease the chills which seemed to be travelling through his heart. He let Charles return to Arthur and made his way slowly down to the dining room intending to continue mentioning to anyone who would listen that Merlin had gone missing during the jousting and had not yet turned up.
-0-0-
The young man in question had been picked up and dumped on the bed. The knight turned to his servant threatening, "Touch him and your days as my servant are over. I'll toss you out on your ear, regardless of the number of generations that your family has served ours. Now, get out of my sight! I have no further need for you tonight!"
As the servant left, the knight threw a blanket over the boy after ascertaining that he was breathing. Drawing the bed curtains to cut the glare of the sinking sun, he went about getting dressed to attend the Tournament Supper as one of the winners. He glanced back at the bed and thought surely someone would be worried about the lad.
An hour later, Merlin came to, it was dark and he was so very tired. His bed seemed more comfortable than usual and he was warm so he just fell back to sleep dreaming of colourfully decked out horses and lances, courageous knights and lethal weapons.
Arthur finally left the banquet following the award ceremony, he had seen Sir Rupert toasted as the overall winner of the jousting and the pennant would remain in Camelot this year. He saw Prince Reginald accept the trophy for the overall winner of the tournament and take that pennant back to Sherwood. There were so many winners but one that was loudly applauded was Prince Michael, the third and youngest son of King Lludd of Wales.
Arthur decided that when he grew up he would want to be like that young man who was so courageous and well-mannered. He had come second in the jousting quite a coup to place over all the more experienced knights. Michael saw Arthur's interest and had bowed at him as he passed thanking the Crown Prince for his congratulations.
Finally, the king left the banquet hall and all the senior knights with him. Gaius had left the banquet immediately following the meal, determined to continue the search for Merlin. He sent a squire to check his chambers and report back to him. Nothing! The news had gone round the younger knights that the boy was still missing.
Sir Richard came over and asked what exactly had happened and Rodick gave a sign of relief as Gaius said that Merlin had wandered away, from 'someone who was keeping an eye on him' and hadn't been seen since. His name had not come up in the conversation.
"He's probably forgotten the time and is with the horses and grooms. He'll be in your chambers, thirsty and hungry when you return."
The worried look on Sir Richard's face as the father of twin boys around the Merlin's age, brought home to Rodick once again the seriousness of the situation.
-0-0-
The celebration continued well into the morning when the sideboards would be loaded again with food as the serving staff offered breakfast to any guests still awake and hungry. Few of the knights would rise before mid-afternoon when the revelling would start again before the final banquet.
Michael returned to his guest chambers in the royal wing. Hopefully, the lad was still asleep. He was going to have to do something about the Jack situation. The man seemed unable to keep away from young men and boys. This was the last time that he was going to use him as a manservant in any other castle but their own.
He opened the door and went into the chamber, sliding back the bed curtains to see the young boy still curled up on the bed. He touched his neck to find his pulse and the boy's eyes sprang open. "It's alright…it's me. Who are you and where do you live? I think it's high time that you went back to your parents. How's your head? You gave it one almighty bang."
Merlin knew that he had nothing to fear from this young man, he might have been rude about Sir Rupert's winning but he wasn't going to harm him, so he said yawning, "I'm Merlin and I live in the castle."
"I'm Michael. Won't your parents be looking for you?"
Suddenly, Merlin really woke up and realised that Gaius and Rodick didn't know where he was and he started to cry.
"There there! There's no need to cry…we'll find your mother and you'll be fine."
"But I'm not with my mother anymore I'm with Gaius."
The name sounded familiar to the prince. He's been coming here for tournaments since his eldest brother was first competing and suddenly he remembered a broken leg and the kindly court physician who had splinted it and insisted that they stay in the castle until his older brother was able to ride home. "Are you Gaius's grandson?"
He had said the right thing as Merlin chuckled and said that no, his mother was a friend of Gaius and he was staying until the end of the summer. Then his eyes filled up again and he said, "Please, let me go to Gaius now as he will be worried about me and Arthur will also wonder where I am?"
"You're a friend of the crown prince?" Michael asked and Merlin nodded. "You're lucky as he seems a very nice young man."
"He is!" Merlin assured him.
"Well then, let's get you down to Gaius so the prince won't be worried. I don't know my way around but if you take me I'll explain everything which has happened so you won't get into any trouble."
"But, I don't know where we are either. I have never been in this chamber before. Where is it?"
"It's on the royal floor."
"You're royal like the king and Arthur?"
"Well, yes and no, as I am a prince but not an important one."
"Well, I know this floor as Arthur's room is near the stairs and the king is even further along. I must know where I am."
There was a tap at the chamber door and a voice said, "Jack…Sire!" Merlin flinched and almost bolted out of the bed, it hadn't been a nightmare. There was someone called Jack.
Michael said, "Go away! Don't come back until I am dressing for dinner!" He turned to Merlin and said, "It's alright, young man, time you took me down to Gaius. Are you ready?"
Merlin nodded and slipped his hand into the prince's and thought, 'Will Arthur be kind like this when he grows up?'