- Chapter 14 -
"Well, Lancelot, you're an unusual man. I don't believe I've ever seen such a display of courage, skill, nerve, grace and...stupidity."
~ Arthur (Sean Connery) in First Knight
Both Balthazar and Maxim found themselves in the town square one afternoon. Their master brought them along to the King's castle, but they took leave after they realized how bored they were there. So, in search for anything that would at least amuse them, they went out to the town square. Anything could happen there, anything in particular at all. Though Balthazar was hoping that they wouldn't find anything that would amuse his colleague very much. Because anything that amuses Maxim greatly usually ends up with either one of them or them both would get into trouble. So far, none has caught the older apprentice's interest, or attention even.
And to think that two years had already passed, rather too fast than expected at that. With the older apprentice making his way into manhood, the younger one was only getting ready for the teen years. But just as they had grown much older, the more trouble they got into, which only became quite tiring for their master. Sometimes Merlin would wish he had a female apprentice to talk some sense and good reasoning to the boys.
"Say, there's a good tavern," said Maxim all of a sudden, pointing towards a certain direction quite far from where he was with Balthazar.
"You know we're still not allowed for drinking," reminded the blond, who dared not even gave a glance towards the direction of the tavern.
"You are, you mean," countered the older apprentice, by which the blond only cast out a dirty look.
"Just because you turned seventeen does not mean you can drink liquor openly."
"Not with Merlin's knowing," Maxim then said with a smirk. It took only a few moments before he noticed the look on the blond's face. "Come now, Balthazar, you know that I've been drinking behind Merlin's back even before you came along."
"Still," Balthazar raised a finger to his colleague, "that does not mean you can take me along with it."
Sighing with resignation, Maxim decided perhaps he should just make an honorable surrender to his blond friend.
As they walked on, they came upon a few of the townsfolk gathering around something. And whatever it was, they assumed it had something to do with swords, since the ring of parrying blades were heard. While they still wondering, it was Balthazar who finally asked.
"What is that?"
Maxim shrugged. "Don't know. But I could use an entertainment." He then patted a hand on the blond's chest, indicating to follow him to see what it was for themselves.
The two then squeezed their way through the people and in the center of it all, they found two men parrying with each other. One of them were dressed in ordinary clothes, while the other one looked as though he was a knight.
"Pardon, good sir," said Maxim, poking a finger at the large bearded man standing beside him, "but, may I just ask what this is?"
The man look down on him briefly, then nodded to the two that were still engaged in a duel. "You see the knight over there?"
Both boys nodded.
"Do you know who that is?"
The boys shook their heads.
Though a little surprised, the bearded man eventually answered, "That over there is Sir Lancelot."
Both apprentices looked up in surprise.
"What?" said Balthazar.
"The Sir Lancelot?" asked Maxim, not believing himself.
The bearded man quirked up a thick brow as he looked down on the boys. His thoughts were right after all.
"You haven't seen Sir Lancelot before in person, huh? Well that's him."
As the man once again turned to the parrying still going, he continued by answering Maxim's first question. "See here is just a friendly duel. Sir Lancelot does that on occasion to have some fun when he's doing nothing important. As it turns out, the people found it quite entertaining. So now he just do it for the audience."
Once again both boys nodded, as they brought their gazes back to the knight with more interest than before.
They watched as the known to be best knight of all parried with a particular man who apparently was no match. Although, between the boys, it was Maxim that was watching with far greater interest, and with that spark in his dark eyes that first came out when Carlyle first allowed him to take up a sword. It could be the same thing, because this one was also concerning a sword.
Meanwhile, among the crowd that was there watching too, there was also Mordred, then at fourteen years of age, who came there to know exactly how good Lancelot was with a sword. Most people say the knight was the best. Come to think about it, the knight was said to be the best on many other things, which only gave Mordred the more reason.
And yet, another new comer went in to join the crowd and have a share with the show - a blondie in simple clothes, deep gray eyes, and about seventeen. Her hips and bosom made it more appropriate to call her a lady than a girl. Her reason to be there was more out of curiosity than mere interest. After hearing that there was a knight making a show, she decided to perhaps see for herself.
The duel didn't last long with the knight, of course, winning by being the only one with a sword.
Lancelot then handed his opponent the sword and turned to the crowd with a big smile and open arms. "Give him a hand, ladies and gentlemen, he gave it his best." With a gesture of a hand to his opponent, the crowd applauded. But if they thought, or at least some of them, that it was the final show, they were mistaken. Because, even though there had been at least three men who thought they could stood up to him, Lancelot was only getting started.
"Is there anyone else out there among the crowd who can come up to me?" the knight then asked. "Come now, let's not be shy. Just a friendly duel. I promise on my honor that I won't kill you."
The crowd let out laughter but still no one stepped up. Still, the knight went on looking for another opponent.
Looking around intently if anyone would even dare take the challenge, then when it became apparent that no one would, Maxim was more than ready to come up to the knight. But with one step forward, he was stopped by a hand on his arm. As it turned out, the hand belonged to none other than Balthazar, that Maxim didn't even have to look down on the blond boy.
"What are you doing, Balthazar?" the older apprentice said.
"I know that look on your face," replied the blond, "and I don't like it."
"But it will be so much fun!" This time, Maxim looked down on his friend.
"Perhaps for you it will be," Balthazar tried to stop his friend but in vain, "but if you don't want to get into trouble with Merlin, whatever it is that you have in mind, do not take it into action."
"As if you can stop me," Maxim said, taking off the hand on his arm very slowly. He then patted on Balthazar's blond hair, as he went off either way, saying with his back turned, "I'll be fine, I promise."
Though still wanted to stop his friend, Balthazar didn't move on the spot where he stood, and just let out a heavy sigh.
"I only hope Merlin won't be able to see this," he murmured to himself.
"Anyone? No one, then?" Lancelot was saying.
"I, sir."
The knight swung around, only to find a lad standing within ten feet from him. "You?"
Maxim nodded. "If you'll have me, sir."
The knight regarded the lad for a moment, also noticing the sword on said lad's possession, when he suddenly realized something, as he opened his mouth to speak. "Ah yes, I know you, I remember now. You were one of Lord Merlin's apprentices."
Again, Maxim nodded to Lancelot. "The first one, sir."
"I see." Lancelot made off to raise his sword and positioned himself to a fighting stance. "I only hope you don't use magic to win against me, lad."
Drawing out his own sword, Maxim smirk subtly. "I never do that in a sword fight, sir. Not unless you're a sorcerer too."
Lancelot returned the smirk. "Good. This will be interesting and new for me then."
The crowd fell into silence, as Balthazar seemed to be holding his breath when Lancelot made the first move, and when Maxim blocked with his sword, the two went parrying on...
"I'm glad that you were able to save King Leodegrance and his kingdom from that rebel, Rience."
Arthur and Merlin had decided to have a little stroll at the town square after they have discussed many things, and their little stroll led them to many other topics for a conversation.
"As I am," said Arthur to Merlin. "Have I mentioned that his daughter is quite beautiful?"
Merlin looked up with a hint of smile threatening to show on his face. "You kept asking me that even back at the castle."
"Oh?" Arthur gave the sorcerer a wondering look.
"Yes, you were," chuckled Merlin. "Do I find the King finally in love?"
Looking only a little sheepish, Arthur smiled. "Oh, I don't know, Merlin. But I tell you, there is something about Guinevere."
"She's already betrothed to you," said Merlin with slight flippancy, "so if it is love, I see nothing wrong... Unless, she doesn't feel the same."
This was where Arthur's expressions suddenly turned slightly serious, but still, he kept a smile on his face.
"I asked for two years before the marriage to get to know each other well first," the king said.
Merlin looked up with both of his brows shutting up high on his forehead. "Don't you think that would be too long a wait?"
"I did want to make it a year or so," answered Arthur immediately, "Even a few months, even weeks flashed my mind. But..." He paused for a few moments necessary before he continued. "I wanted to give her time, and to be certain that I won't force her if she didn't want to."
The sorcerer smiled again and was about to say something when he was cut off shortly.
"Were you not in love before, Merlin?"
Taken aback for a moment, though the only simple answer to that was yes, Merlin decided to say, "I remember how it feels like."
Before Arthur could say anything, as he looked up once again to the sorcerer, he noticed there were people gathering. "Well, this is the first time it ever took this long," he said, making the sorcerer also look to the general direction.
"What is it?" Merlin asked, matter of factly.
"One of Lancelot's shows," Arthur simply answered, leading the sorcerer towards the gathering. "Why don't you have a look and see?"
The two then made their way to the crowd without much trouble, since the people were well aware of who they were and so stepping aside to give way. As they reached the somewhat front line, they were both surprised indeed to see what was going on.
"This just turned quite interesting all of a sudden," said Arthur out of more to himself, as he cast a sidelong look towards Merlin.
"Horvath," murmured the sorcerer after letting out a sigh.
There it was, Lancelot parrying with Maxim, both apparently wouldn't want to lose to the other.
Lancelot brought down the sword again on the lad, as Maxim was forced to step back, and almost looking as though he'd lose balance, but didn't. And again they parried when the lad got to a better stance and planted his feet on the ground.
"My good sir," said Arthur aside to the man standing on his left, "for how long, pray tell, has this been going?"
"I'm not certain myself, your majesty," answered the man. "But I'm certain to say that in all those others who dueled with Sir Lancelot today, the lad over there is the only one who took this long."
The king nodded. "I see." He then leaned over to the sorcerer standing beside him on the other side. "Your boy has talent."
"And we've got lots to talk about it for later," replied Merlin, not taking his gaze off the duel going on.
The ring of swords went on and on, that Maxim wondered when and how the duel would end. Until, he saw an opening, right at the shoulders of the knight, but there was a risk to it.
Lancelot lunges once more, as the blade came rushing. Maxim quickly took hold of his shirt, pulled off at the collars and made the blade enter till the tip tore through the shirt on the part where his left shoulder was found. There were gasps in the crowd, and both Merlin and Balthazar almost lunged forward to run to Maxim's aid when the blade popped out of the torn hole in the shirt, but when it became apparent that the teenager wasn't hurt, both didn't dare move on their places. Maxim then brought down his own sword on Lancelot's left shoulder, the blade inches away from the knight's neck.
Both the apprentice and the knight didn't move.
"I think, we've had enough," said Lancelot after regarding their positions.
"I agree," nodded Maxim. Although the nod was a rather forced movement, considering that the blade was still there at his shoulder.
Slowly, the knight pulled out his sword from the lad's shirt as the lad took off his own sword off the knights neck. Then, Lancelot turned to the crowd with a big smile. "Let's give the lad a hand, shall we? He did wonderfully!"
There were applause and cheering then from the crowd, as Lancelot once again looked towards the teenager.
"The best I had in years," he said. "Who taught you that move back there? It's rather dangerous."
"That was the first time I did it, sir," admitted Maxim.
"What? I could have killed you then."
The lad only shrugged.
Balthazar suddenly came running towards his colleague.
"Horvath, I saw him. Horvath! He's here!" the blond was saying when he reached Maxim's side.
The sound of a clapping hand made both the boys and the knight look towards the two men that were approaching them, as the crowd went away to go see to their own businesses, except for two...
"Another day, another show," said Arthur to the knight.
"Sire." The knight seemed surprised. "I didn't know you were among the crowd."
"I was just passing by," replied the king, "when I saw something that's seemed to be catching interest."
"And I was more than happy," chimed in Merlin, coming up from behind Arthur, looking intently at his apprentices, "that I was here with Arthur."
Both boys cringed from where they stood at the sound of their master's voice.
"Young lord Horvath," suddenly Arthur spoke, catching everyone's attention, "I've never seen anyone brave and...foolish enough to do that what you did back there."
Maxim only smiled sheepishly.
"That was quite a move...don't you agree...Mordred?"
Everyone else was surprised when Arthur mentioned the name, since they didn't realized that Mordred was there, and that Arthur was aware of it. Then the king finally turned towards a particular direction, where they saw that there was a youth with his back turned, as though was about to leave. When the youth turned around, it turned out to be Mordred himself indeed.
"Come here, let me hear what you think," beckoned Arthur.
When Mordred finally joined them, he said, "Yes, sire, it was both brave and foolish."
"But enough to have caught Lancelot by surprise, yes?"
Mordred jerked up his head in surprise to the king, then he pulled his gaze away and looked down. Yes, his only answer to that was yes, but he wouldn't say it. He never saw anyone taking Sir Lancelot by surprise, but he never realized that if ever someone could, it would be a teenager three years older than he. There came the time, ever since he knew Lancelot, that he dreamed of a moment where he would be the one to do that. He said he'd wait for the opportune moment to do just that. But then, this apprentice came...
When it became apparent that Mordred wasn't able to answer, Arthur thought best to bring down the subject. "Well, we must be going." He then made off to leave.
"Oh, shall I come?" asked Lancelot. "I believe Tristan and I are to meet at this time."
"Of course," said Arthur simply, as he turned to Mordred. "Come with us, Mordred. I want to discuss something with you."
Lancelot then patted Maxim's shoulder, and said with a smile, "Thank you for the show, boy."
Before Merlin joined Arthur and Lancelot, he turned to his apprentices, and although his words were directed to both the boys, his gaze was completely set on Maxim, as he said, "Boys, meet me back at the castle."
When finally the three men along with Mordred left, the apprentices were finally alone together.
"I told you that you shouldn't," scowled Balthazar to his colleague.
Maxim only smiled down on the blond. "Sorry. At least I made it out alive."
Suddenly, the blond lass that was also among the crowd approached the two apprentices before they were even able to leave.
"Hey, you."
Both boys turned around to face the lass.
"Yes, you." She pointed a finger to the older apprentice.
Maxim only pointed a finger to himself, not certain. The lass only giggled.
"You were good back there," she said, smiling.
"Uh, thank you," replied Maxim.
"I didn't quite caught your name back there," she spoke again, "though it was mentioned a few times."
Maxim shared a look with Balthazar before he answered. "It's Horvath. Maxim Horvath."
She nodded as held out her hand. "I'm Fauna."
There was a few moments of hesitation before Maxim took the held out hand into a warm handshake.
"Pleasure to meet you," he said, as they both let go of the handshake.
"Hope to see you again...Maxim." Those were her words as she turned to leave.
Again the boys shared a look with each other.
"What was that all about?" asked Balthazar, in which, Maxim's only reply was a shrug.