Chapter 8: Fight

They reached the market from the other side and wormed their way through the nervous, anxious masses of people towards the arena. Arthur stood there with some of his men, swords pulled, looking around, alarmed. Lots of people had gathered around them, which made it quite difficult for the knights to stay calm and overview the situation.

As the prince noticed Merlin, he compressed his lips, ran towards his servant with an angry face and screamed: "Where have you been? Chaos is taking over and you run away? I thought something happened to you!"

Merlin had stepped back and stared at Arthur with widened eyes and slightly surprised.

"You were worried?", Merlin asked with a sneaky undertone. "About me?"

Arthur slapped him to the neck.

"No", he replied. "Gwen said Mary went with you and then both of disappeared. If something had happened to the Lady it would have been your fault. And mine because I'm responsible for you."

He reached out for Mary's hand and pulled her to the knights for safety. Gwen was already there.

Suddenly Mary saw the gleemen coming out of the streets, looking around. Seeing Mary and Merlin they started running towards them. Weapons in their hands plain in sight.

"Oh, Arthur?", Mary said tapping the prince's shoulder. "Those guys over there want to break my neck." She pointed towards their attackers and Arthur looked that way. Immediately he straightened himself, took his sword up and yelled at his knights. Shortly he turned to Mary and Merlin saying: "You will explain this to me later", he was murring.

Then the fight started.

It was three gleemen versus one knight. They lashed about, one party aiming to cause as much damage as possible while the other tried to prevent it.

Mary had pressed herself close to Merlin. Straight in front of them Arthur was fighting four enemies, he fought in circles but still the gleemen always came close enough to hurt the prince. Arthur was already bleeding on his arms. He was not in his full armour to allow him to move better during the exhibition fight. But this was his doom now.

Still he made sure that no one passed him.

Mary nudged Merlin, looking hauntingly into his eyes, trying to convince him to help and knowing exactly how dangerous that would be. But the prince was risking his life for them. If she could she would do something herself.

"I can't", Merlin whispered desperately.

"You have to", Mary replied. "Can't you try to use magic inconspicuously?"

Surprised he looked at her.

"Using magic inconspicuously? Three words I would never use in one sentence", he said grimly, looking at Arthur again and Mary noticed that something was working in the head of the magician.

Then she had an idea.

"Do it like you did before", she said excited and earend a confused look. "Like you did at the exhibition fight", she clarified.

Merlin's eyes widened. He understood.

The prickeling running down her spine made Mary smile cheekily.

Merlin raised his hand a tiny bit, pointing to the ground underneath the feet of the gleeman who was closest to Arthur, focused and the attacker fell over.

The others stopped confused. Arthur turned to Merlin and Mary for a second to make sure that they were alright.

"Slippy ground", Merlin said grinning and for a moment the Lady felt like the prince was about to hit his servant with his sword.

But there was no time for that. The gleemen overcame their shock quite quickly and started fighting Arthur with all their might. The prince's strength seemed to vanish slowly.

"I can't do this the whole time", Merlin whispered to Mary after he had dropped a second gleeman.

Mary pondered. They had to come up with something else really soon. Arthur would not be able to hold his grounds against four attackers and the other knights had a simliar problem. But if they could help one of the other knights so that he would be able to aid his prince …

Mary looked around, got an overview of who was fighting whom, where and how many enemies.

A young knight was trying to fight just two attackers. Next to him some barrels were stacked.

Mary pulled Merlin's sleeve, explaining her plan to him quickly and he understood right away.

While pulling the knight back the sorcerer untied the holder of the barrels to roll over the attackers.

The knight looked around confused, saw the gleemen lying on the ground, the barrels rolling through the yard. He shook his head, rubbed his eyes, got up and finally saw the danger his prince was in. He went to aid immediately.

With full force the knight and Arthur fought the attackers back, one step after another, to get Mary and Merlin to safety.

Finally they reached the big staircase.

"Run", Arthur screamed to both of them because right away five attackers ran towards them.

Merlin and Mary turned around running up the stairs.

They had almost made it to the door when all of a sudden the leader of the gleemen was stood in front of them.

"I won't let you use magic against me again", he grunted angrily, raising his sword and charging at Mary.

Suddenly the air behind him flickered, a shadow became visible, became a clear human being within seconds, reaching out with one hand.

The gleeman stood there like frozen.

Mary stared at Merlin on who's face a wide grin became visible.

"Come on", he said and relaxing he took Mary's hand and passed by the attacker, who was not able to move, calmly and easily. And right beside the gleeman Merlin whispered slightly arrogantly: "And as soon as you can move again, you call your men back and get out of here."

Before stepping through the door Mary turned back to see the shadow. It was a young woman, a blessed smile on her lips and as their eyes met, she twinkled to the Lady.

Mary's heart made a little jump, then Merlin pulled her to safety.

"That was Lilia", Mary stated and Merlin nodded, still grinning. "I did not sense her magic", the Lady continued.

"Mabye because you just saw an illusion of her", he tried to find an explanation.

"But she practised magic right in front of us", Mary responded, not confused or surprised but more full of curiosity and happiness about this new thing she had seen.

"You should ask her yourself one day", Merlin said.

"I will", Mary said bursting into laughter. "I most definitely will."

Merlin looked straight at her.

"That only can end in a catastrophy", he mumbled while shaking his head.

They went to the great hall in which Uther and Gaius alredy were waiting.

"Merlin", Gaius said relieved and embraced his protégé. "Thank god that you're alright."

Then he also embraced Mary. "And you are ok, too?", he asked while examining her halfway.

"Yes, yes", Mary said quickly, looking at Merlin searching for help but he just stood there grinning.

"What is going on?", Uther's commanding voice sounded through the hall.

"A fight", Merlin answered and glimpsed the King's punishing look.

But before anyone could say anything Arthur entered the room. He was bleeding even more from his arms and his face showed signs of pure exhaustion. He went straight to Merlin, nudged his shoulder and screamed: "What was going on? What the hell did you do and why the hell did you disappear during the exhibition fight?" Merlin retreated far from the angry prince until the wall stopped him. Desperatly he was searching for words.

"It was my fault", Mary's voice sounded suddenly and everyone turned to her. "Just mine", she repeated feebly, looking down at the ground. But she could not hide her tears.

Uther came to her, took her hands and looked at her trying to calm her down.

"Why do you think this, my dear?", he asked softly.

Mary raised her head. Now tears were running down her red cheeks in little rivers.

"It was the family of this boy", she stuttered weepy. "They were out for revenge. Revenge on me because I saw him committing his crime. Because I delivered him to you." And even though the last words were meant as critisicim to the king he just embraced her for solace.

"It wasn't your fault. You did the right thing", he said calmly, letting go of her and went to his throne, but did not sit down.

Arthur first stared at Mary then at Merlin.

"I just wanted to bring her to saftey when the chaos broke out", Merlin explained shrugging. "And then there were the gleemen."

Arthur boxed his servant to the belly.

"You should have come to me right away", the prince said and this time you could hear how worried he was. "I'm sorry for just now", he said contritely. "I have been a bit upset."

Merlin could not help smiling all over his face.

Finally Arthur went to Mary and embraced her for a second.

"It really wasn't your fault", he confirmed the king. "You do not know life in Camelot. And the consequences it can have." He gave her kiss on her forehead and turned to his father: " What shall we do with the gleemen?" he asked.

Uther pondered.

"Chase them. If you can get ahold of them, lock them away", he finally ordered.

"And the boy?", Mary asked. "What of him?"

Uther looked at her thoughtfully.

"He used magic. The punishment for this is death."

"But he is only a child", Mary shouted. "He doesn't even know what he is doing."

Uther clenched his fists, sat down on his throne. As if he would make a statement with this, that he was the king, Mary thought.

"But that he isn't anymore", an agreeable, amused voice of a woman sounded in her head. Mary took a look around in surprise, staring at Merlin, who only nodded at her with a smile on his face. From the corner of her eye she could see Gaius watching them.

"He will die", Uther commanded.

Mary looked at him in shock, but before she could say anything Merlin was at her side, nudging her arm and shook his head a bit as she looked up to him.

Finally she straightened herself, looked down at Uther disgustedly and said cool, but sure: "I will not stay at this unholy place for any longer."

Then she turned around, left the hall and ran, as no one could see her, to her chambers, threw herself on the bed and eventually fell asleep under rivers of tears.