Chapter Five
Outside the doors of the hall, the two sisters paused, collecting themselves before their entrance. Jocelyn was surprised to find that she felt nervous, butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She fought to reassure herself. In the room were only the people she saw every day and all they were going to do was eat a meal together. Why, then, did it seem she was about to embark on an epic quest?
Morgana gave her little sister's hand a squeeze before walking through the doors. Jocelyn took a deep breath, nodded firmly to herself to try and achieve some courage, and followed Morgana in.
She had been right, there was no need to worry about their dresses clashing. There were audible sounds of admiration as Morgana passed through the crowd, her long skirts whispering across the floor, and, amongst the men, more than one slackened jaw, Arthur's being one of them. Jocelyn made her entrance more quietly, stopping to talk to Lady Beatrice, who had been a friend of her mother, standing by the door and thus avoiding the walk between the tables.
Seeing that Morgana and Arthur were occupied in conversation with each other, Jocelyn took the opportunity to walk towards her seat and avoid notice. Half way to her object however, she was thwarted by the entrance of the King.
A hush fell over the crowd and all bowed or curtsied to Uther as one. He acknowledged them with a raised hand.
"Good evening," He nodded his head to the hall in general. "We will presently be enjoying the wonderful talents of Lady Helen, but first – where is Jocelyn?"
Jocelyn froze to the spot, horrified at being thus singled out when she had hoped to pass unnoticed. For a moment she toyed with the notion of pretending that she wasn't there and hoping no one would see her. Sir Geoffrey of Monmouth, standing near her, had other ideas however.
"Here she is, sire." He declared and ushered her forward.
Sparing a moment to send Sir Geoffrey a glare, Jocelyn stepped forward and curtsied in front of Uther. Smiling he took her hand and pulled her to her feet, casting a critical eye over her appearance. The blue dress with flowing sheer sleeves and sweeping skirts became her well and her dark hair, falling in shining curls, contrasted pleasingly with her white shoulders.
"Jocelyn," the King greeted her. "You look very beautiful."
Not knowing how to respond to such a compliment, Jocelyn merely bowed her head in confusion, avoiding his gaze.
"Lords, ladies and gentlemen of the court," Uther announced, turning back to the room and raising his voice. "May I present my ward, Lady Jocelyn."
At his words the assembled guests broke into enthusiastic applause and Jocelyn suddenly had even more eyes to avoid. She couldn't help being entangled in the proud gaze of Gaius, or the kind one of Merlin, or the admiring one of Arthur which quickly turned to it's usual teasing light.
"On this occasion of your presentation," Uther continued when the clapping died down, "I have a gift for you." He waved a servant forward and took the necklace that was presented to him. Reaching forward he fastened it around Jocelyn's neck. She reached up a hand to it and felt the cool metal against her skin. The chain ended in three large smooth sapphires, linked by woven metal.
"It's beautiful, thank you." Jocelyn said, smiling up at her guardian.
"It was Arthur's mother's." Uther told her quietly, purposefully omitting his dead wife's name.
She frowned, knowing how much the necklace would mean to the King. He squeezed her hand and she smiled once more, knowing that he would want her to look happy. Impulsively she took a step forward and kissed him on the cheek.
"Thank you." She said again. He nodded once before turning back to the crowd.
"Let the feast begin!" Uther declared and all moved to take their seats.
Jocelyn was escorted to the fourth seat at the main table, on Arthur's right. After making sure she was doing everything properly - the right cutlery, the right glass, the right food - Jocelyn felt she could relax a bit and looked up to watch the rest of the court. Glancing to her left, she was surprised to see Arthur watching her. She raised her eyebrows questioningly and he smiled.
"How are you finding it?" he asked, leaning back in his chair and reaching for his goblet.
"Not so bad." She replied, sending another look around the room.
"Well, you look the part," he said negligently. Jocelyn stared at him, surprised by the compliment. He wasn't looking at her though, but gazing off into space. Though vowing not to read too much into his words she couldn't help but be buoyed up by his comment.
The feast passed surprisingly quickly and Jocelyn was pleased she had managed it without making any major mistakes or causing any comments. The novelty had, indeed, worn off quickly and by the time their places were cleared she was beginning to feel the same boredom Arthur was so clearly showing in his expression.
The four of them sat at the high table, the king, his son and his wards, cut off from the rest of the hall and as such could not enjoy the easy conversation of those sitting below them. Arthur was all but silent after his initial comments and, as there was no chance for her to talk to either Uther or Morgana at the other end of the table, Jocelyn was likewise condemned to silence.
When the servants had retreated back to the kitchens with the left over food, Uther rose to his feet and silence fell. He took a moment to look about the room with pride before speaking.
"We have enjoyed twenty years of peace and prosperity. It has brought the kingdom, and myself, many pleasures." He paused a moment, making sure he had all the attention of the room. "But few can compare to the honour of introducing Lady Helen of Moora."
He held up his hand to indicate the end of the room before resuming his seat. Applause rang out once more as Lady Helen took her place on the small stage built for the occasion.
As the music began, silence fell once more and the singer's commanding presence conjured stillness from her audience. She opened her mouth and began to sing, the clearest, purest notes Jocelyn had ever heard. She settled back a little further in her chair so as to properly enjoy the performance.
Lady Helen began to walk down the hall as the song built, her voice becoming more powerful. Jocelyn's eyes grew heavy and her head nodded once and then again.
Soon, the entire hall slept.
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Jocelyn's elbow slipped from the arm of her chair and she jerked suddenly awake. Blinking in confusion, she looked around the hall. The other members of the court were also beginning to stir and brush away the cobwebs that clung to their clothes, mystification evident in their faces.
In the middle of the room Lady Helen lay beneath a chandelier, which had apparently fallen on her, though she did not look like Lady Helen any longer. Her skin was grey and wrinkled, her hair silver and there was pure malice in her eyes as she used her last strength to lever herself up and throw the dagger in her hand.
Before anyone really registered what was happening, Arthur had been tackled to the ground and the dagger was embedded in the wood of his chair, where he had been a moment before.
The whole court drew a collective breath. Jocelyn started to her feet and looked down at the tangle of limbs that was Arthur and his saviour, surprised to find that it was Gaius' new apprentice, Merlin.
Uther took a few slightly stumbling steps forward as they got back to their feet.
"You saved my boy's life," He told Merlin, his voice slightly choked. "A debt must be repaid."
"Oh, well…" Merlin shifted slightly from foot to foot, highly uncomfortable with the situation.
"Don't be so modest. You shall be rewarded." Uther declared, starting to sound a little stronger.
"No, honestly, you don't have to, your highness." Merlin glanced away from them, away from the shocked stare of Arthur.
"No, absolutely. This merits something quite special." Uther overrode him and Merlin made a surrendering gesture, clearly more than a little intrigued.
"Well…" he shrugged.
"You shall be rewarded a position in the royal household," Uther clapped his son on the shoulder. "You shall be Prince Arthur's manservant."
"Father!" Arthur exclaimed after Uther's retreating back and Merlin's face fell; this was clearly not the sort of reward either of them had envisaged.
The rest of the court was clapping and getting to their feet, however little impressed the new master and servant appeared.
Having dealt with that matter, Uther moved swiftly to the next, striding forward to inspect the body under the chandelier, his face stern. Jocelyn shared a wide-eyed look with Morgana before going to stand by Arthur. They stood in silence for a moment, observing the investigations of the guards. Presently Jocelyn spoke, without taking her eyes from the dead body, the first she had seen.
"Are all your feasts this exciting?"
Arthur turned to stare at her for a minute before she met his eye and he detected the spark of amusement. "No, generally they continue in a very boring manner." He considered her as she turned back to look at what used to be Mary Collins, morbidly fascinated by the sorceress. He frowned slightly. "Are you alright?"
Jocelyn turned back to him in surprise. "Of course, you were the one who was nearly killed."
He nodded once and held his peace for a while before deciding not to let the matter drop.
"It's just…" he paused and she raised her eyebrows inquiringly. "It's just not very nice to see someone die." He finally said in a rush.
Jocelyn looked back at the body then turned to him again. "No." she agreed "But I'm fine, honestly."
He nodded again, seeming to believe her this time, and went to join his father to see if he could help.
Morgana came to stand beside her, as Jocelyn's gaze remained riveted to the scene playing out before them - the court's shocked reaction to the enchantment that had been placed upon them and the anger of the knights that a magical being had managed to enter Camelot. After a moments silence, Morgana took her little sister's arm.
"I think it is time we went to bed," she said quietly and the two of them left the room arm in arm.
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