Chapter 6

Mercia's tournament ground was similar to that of Camelot, but was a round rather than a rectangular arena. It was filled not only with those who lived within the city, but also many who had travelled from the surrounding countryside, and although there were a few red and gold pennants in the audience, most were – predictably - waving ones that were blue and yellow. Bayard stood in the prominent royal box to announce the start of the tournament, with all the knights including Atrhur and Ivan assembled in the arena before him. Arthur was looking anything but at ease, and was cursing his misfortune to be the last to fight in the first round. The rest of his knights, however, were looking around in anticipation, and Ivan's presence at the front of the group couldn't be missed, as he held his head high and acknowledged the cheers of the crowd.

Bayard's voice suddenly boomed out across the tournament field. "Subjects of the Realm! Standing before you today are sixteen knights, each chosen for their skill with sword and shield. They will fight courageously and I am sure to the best of their ability. But by the end of the morning, only eight will be left, and by the end of the day, only four, and tomorrow the final rounds will determine which single knight will claim the victor's trophy. Fight fairly, fight valiantly, and may the best man win!"

Two Mercian knights were up first. They stood facing each other, donned their helmets, and then were given their Mercian shields bearing the crest of the stone fortified tower. They drew their swords, and touched them, and then began the fight. By this time, all the other knights who were yet to fight were back in the stands, watching the contest closely. Arthur and Ivan were in the royal box with Bayard, whilst the others from Camelot, including Merlin and Gwen, sat together in the stands. The knights took note of the way each of the participants was fighting, noting their traits, their moves and – hopefully – their weaknesses, as each could be a potential opponent in a future round.

Leon was the first of the knights of Camelot to fight, and he fought well, achieving a relatively easy victory, which was applauded enthusiastically by his supporters in the stands. Arthur also applauded warmly, although a glance across to Ivan showed that the other prince was clearly not impressed or pleased by the win. Elyan's fight was not so easy, however, but Percival and Merlin, who were sitting on either side of Gwen, spent most of the time giving a detailed commentary of what was happening. Gwen was particularly delighted when Elyan did win eventually, and Arthur smiled, pleased to see Gwen looking so proud of him. The victory earned him an embrace from his sister when he returned after the fight, not to mention congratulatory pats on the back by the likes of Percival and Merlin. Percival was next up, and his was the shortest bout. This was on account of his opponent being slow in avoiding his first blow, and Percival had him flat on his back within seconds of the fight starting. This led to a clearly good natured exchange between Arthur and Bayard, with the king expressing his gratitude that the other knights of Camelot didn't share Percival's stature.

Arthur watched Gwaine's every move carefully when it came to his turn. As ever, Gwaine's swordplay was skilful and fluid, earning deservedly the acclaim of the crowd, and although Arthur's expression was more one of concern rather than adulation, he did applaud whole-heartedly and nodded to acknowledge Gwaine's inevitable win over Sir Raynard. But Arthur actually paid closest attention to Ivan's one-sided and relatively short-lived fight against Sir Oswain, knowing that if he beat Lancelot, Ivan would be his opponent in the next round. Ivan's style had not changed a great deal from when they had last met, and the one word that described his style best was aggressive. When Ivan stood being cheered by the crowd after his victory, it was clear that he was once again enjoying the attention of the crowd. And this left, of course, the most eagerly anticipated bout of them all.

Merlin, as ever, helped Arthur with his armour before the fight. As he tightened the belt that went across Arthur's back, holding the plates of armour in place, he caught sight of the look on Arthur's face. "You really are nervous, aren't you?"

Arthur replied somewhat wearily, "Merlin, please only open your mouth if you're going to say something helpful."

There was a long pause as Merlin continued to help the prince with his armour.

"….Gwen will still love you if you lose."

It wasn't the first time that Merlin's 'helpful' remarks elicited exasperation from Arthur. "Merlin! I've changed my mind… just don't open your mouth at all."

There was then an even longer silence as Merlin finished his duties, biting his lip as he tried to refrain from saying anything else, and when he had completed the prince's preparations, he came round to examine his handiwork, looked Arthur up and down, and gave him a nod and a smile. The prince just fixed his gaze in front of him, looking depressed.

"I feel sick…"

And Merlin had to admit that he looked it as well, and suddenly he felt for his friend, knowing the huge weight of expectation that was on him, and when he did finally speak again to Arthur, it was to encourage him.

"Sire, you have all the skill that you need to defeat Lancelot. Forget about everyone else, forget who you are, and just go and fight him as well as I know you can."

Arthur turned to Merlin, smiled ruefully, and nodded to indicate that he'd heard what Merlin had told him and was thankful. The prince looked straight ahead again, but this time with more of a look of determination on his face. He took a deep breath, spent a moment focusing on what lay ahead, and then walked purposefully into the arena to face his fate.