"Merlin, keep up," Arthur barked as the pair made their way through the crowds of people. Merlin tried to look every which way to see everything, but his head wouldn't turn fast enough. There were people on stilts, colorful tents, performers, and competitors. Some of them looked evil. Some of them looked nice. All of them looked cool. Merlin stumbled over the ground, trying not to drop Arthur's armor. He had done a spell earlier that made it lighter, though Gaius wasn't too happy he did agree to let Merlin keep the spell, since George was too busy serving other nobles to help him carry it all. The pair arrived at the tent and Merlin ducked inside. He dumped the armor on the floor and began to put it on Arthur.
"Could you at least try to put it on the table?" Arthur groaned, helping Merlin fasten a glove.
"Are you nervous, Arthur? I would be nervous. But then again, I haven't fought a lot like you have. But you're still allowed to be nervous," Merlin rambled.
"Merlin, princes don't get nervous. We are always on top of our game," Arthur said haughtily. Merlin giggled.
"Yeah, but Leon was telling me that before your very first tournament you—"
"I don't need a reminder," Arthur groaned. "Besides, that was my very first tournament. I was only fifteen. So I wasn't crowned prince, therefore I was allowed to be as nervous as I want," Arthur said.
"Oh, I see," Merlin said before continuing to dress Arthur, humming a merry little tune as he did. In truth, Arthur was very nervous. Not for the tournament, no. He could probably win this thing with his eyes closed. It helped that Leon wasn't participating since he had too many things on his plate as is. Most of his worry came from just being around Morgana. She was jumpy there for a while, though Arthur had a strong feeling it had to do with Ulric. But Ulric was gone now and Morgana still acted like the world was going to end. She refused to tell Arthur anything and Gwen wasn't much better. She didn't appear to know a lot more than Arthur or the others, but she knew something. Arthur didn't like his prospects of winning this tournament. He was too distracted by everything that was going on. He would just have to do his best and hope that he would do his kingdom proud.
"Tada! Done," Merlin said, stepping back to admire his handiwork. Arthur looked in the mirror and sighed. It was better than the last time Merlin had done it. Though, to be fair he couldn't really reach a lot of the fasteners so the top half of Arthur's armor was almost completely undone.
"Thank you, Merlin. Why don't you try and find Guinevere or George to see if they want to help with anything?" Arthur asked. Merlin was really trying his best. But really, the kid barely reached Arthur's waist. Arthur would have allowed Merlin to stand on a chair to reach the top half of the armor, except the last time he did that Merlin ended up on the floor with a concussion. And Arthur ended up receiving a very hot-headed speech from Morgana about how Arthur couldn't treat Merlin like one of his bone-headed knights. Arthur seriously questioned Leon's sanity when he arranged this.
"Okay," Merlin said before skipping out of the tent. A few moments later he skipped back in with Morgana.
"I said Guinevere, Merlin," Arthur hissed. Morgana let out a laugh.
"You can court her later, brother dear. But you look like you need some help," Morgana said.
"I did the armor by myself," Merlin stated proudly. Morgana let out another laugh. This one was much more evil than the one she had given Arthur.
"I see that, Merlin. You did a very good job. I'm just going to check the fastenings and make sure they are nice and tight," she said. She swept over to Arthur and began finishing securing the armor in place. Arthur glared at her. "What's the matter, wishing I was Gwen?" Morgana snickered.
"I wish you would be less annoying," Arthur growled.
"Oh, is someone nervous? Will this be like the time you threw up all over Lady Eleanor's shoes?" Morgana said.
"No it will not. I am the crown prince of Camelot and I will not embarrass anyone," Arthur hissed. Morgana smiled and shook her head.
"Well, good luck. Come on, Merlin, you can sit up with me and Leon in the stands."
"Awesome, bye Arthur," Merlin said, skipping out of the tent with Morgana. Arthur sighed and picked up his sword before walking out of the tent as well. He wasn't competing until later, so he could watch to see how some of his knights were doing.
oOoOoOo
Valiant nervously made his way to the registration booth. He could see tents that held the nobles and hoped to one day have his own as well. He glanced around nervously, looking for either Nimueh or someone who was onto his mission. He couldn't look this nervous for much longer. People would start to get suspicious. The line moved forward and Valiant stepped up.
"Name," the man said.
"Valiant," he said. The man wrote it down on a plaque before sticking it in a slot next to another name.
"You'll fight in an hour. Be down to the field ten minutes before, otherwise you forfeit. Here are the rules for the tournament. Read them and make sure you follow them," the man said, handing Valiant a scroll. Valiant nodded and took the scroll out of the man's hand. He pushed his way through the crowd and into an alcove.
"Well, you're doing fine so far." Valiant whipped around to see Nimueh standing there. She was leaning against a pole, arms crossed, looking dangerous as ever.
"You scared me," Valiant gasped, some of the tension releasing from his shoulders. Nimueh laughed.
"Just win the tournament. Or at least get far enough for Uther to notice you, in a good way. I might help you out here or there, if it looks like you need it. But remember, your ultimate goal is to kill Arthur Pendragon," she said, almost hissing the last part. Valiant nodded.
"I fight in an hour. I will be prepared." Nimueh tossed him a bag. Valiant opened it and to his delight found it stuffed with coins.
"Just a small token of gratitude. You do this well, and the reward will be a lot bigger," She said.
"Thanks," Valiant responded, looking up to see the woman gone. He smiled and shook his head. "Things are actually going my way," he chuckled.
oOoOoOo
Merlin sat on the edge of his seat, his little hands gripping the edges with terror. His eyes widened as one man, who he didn't know, brought his sword down on Percival's shield. Merlin let out a squeak and hid his face in Leon's side. Leon comforted the boy.
"Merlin, it's alright. No one will get hurt. It's just for fun," he said soothingly. Merlin shook his head.
"What's so fun about two people practicing to kill each other?" he asked.
"They have to practice so that they can defend those who cannot defend themselves," Morgana said. She didn't know why anyone thought it would be a good idea for a child who was afraid of any sort of violence to be sitting and watching two men effectively beat each other with swords. Granted, the swords were dull and chances of serious injury were unlikely. But that still didn't stop Merlin from gasping in fear whenever someone swung a sword or a fist.
As expected, Percival quickly gained the upper hand of the fight with his massive strength and soon the opponent was beaten.
"See, Merlin. Both of them are smiling," Leon said. Sure enough, both men had removed their helmets and were congratulating each other of a good fight. Uther, who was a few seats away from Merlin, laughed and clapped with the rest of the crowd. Percival turned and waved at the trio, Merlin giving a shy wave back.
"I still don't like it," he muttered.
"Well Gwaine's next. Are you excited to see some of his fancy moves?" Morgana asked.
"He's fighting some man named Valiant. He better not let his head get the best of him," Leon muttered. Sure enough, as soon as Gwaine walked onto the field the woman, and even some men, began to cheer very loudly.
"How does someone like him not have more enemies?" Morgana mumbled.
"Why are so many girls cheering for him?" Merlin asked. Gwaine was busy winking and bowing at the crowd. He started flexing his arms, causing the crowd to cheer even more loudly. "Is it something about the tavern?" Merlin asked, turning to Leon.
"He just has a very…likable personality," Leon said.
"Like yours?" Merlin asked.
"Yeah, something like that. Now hush up, the other man will be here soon," Leon said, thankful for the distraction from the awkward conversation he was currently having with Merlin. Sure enough, Valiant walked onto the field, looking rather nervous. Merlin leaned forward, studying the man intensely.
"He's not bad looking," Morgana said, smiling slightly and examining the newcomer. Leon gasped.
"He's not handsome either. He's average," he said quickly.
"Jealous, dear?" Morgana asked.
"Of someone who is average looking? No," Leon responded. Morgana snickered. Merlin just was very confused. Grown-ups were weird.
The fight began and of course Gwaine began doing some of his most showy moves.
"Gwaine, for the love of God! I told you fancier footwork doesn't mean a better fighter!" Leon screamed. Morgana pulled Merlin away from Leon, tucking him into her side.
"He really wants Gwaine to win this fight, doesn't he?" Merlin asked. Leon's right eye began to twitch and the vein in his neck was getting more pronounced with every twirl Gwaine did.
"That is exactly what is going on," Morgana said.
"Gwaine! For the love of God this is not a waltz! Can you at least pretend like you are a professional!" Leon shouted once more. Gwaine paid him no heed, laughing and almost dancing around Valiant.
Gwaine was surprised that Valiant seemed to match his style so well. Having a mix of both formal training and plenty of practice improvising, Gwaine's style was hard to go up against, since those who had be properly trained didn't know how to block some of the showier moves and those who learned without formal instruction often had a hard time maneuvering around his precise form. But Valiant seemed to be matching Gwaine, blow for blow.
"I take it you've had practice in taverns?" Gwaine said, laughing a little.
"I came here to win. If you're not serious then get out of my way," he growled, lunging at Gwaine. Gwaine's eyes widened. Not only was Valiant's style very similar to his own, there were moves he was using that Gwaine himself created. They were almost exact.
"I still say we should have some fun. You know, show off for the ladies," he said, swing around to try and move out of Valiant's path but also get a hit on the man. Valiant seemed to read his mind as he followed Gwaine, effectively cutting off the maneuver.
"I came here to win," Valiant growled. The fight continued for several more minutes, both men tiring considerably. Gwaine changed his strategy. Instead of getting a hit on Valiant, his goal was to just keep him going long enough to tire out and become sloppy. Several more minutes and Valiant barely seemed out of breath.
"What are you?" Gwaine gasped.
"A champion," Valiant growled. Before Gwaine knew what was happening, Valiant had disarmed him and knocked him to the ground. Gwaine felt his ankle snap under the pressure and Valiant's sword came down on his unprotected torso. Gwaine felt several of his ribs crack when the sword connected with his chest. The crowd erupted in screams, and Gwaine's world went dark.
