Chapter 1
"Welcome to Camelot, men," Arthur greeted as he entered the throne room.
Merlin trailed in behind him and went to stand out of the way until he was needed.
He surveyed the ten knights who, predictably, took no notice of him. This exchange was meant to be friendly, but it wouldn't hurt to exercise caution.
He must have been staring a little too intently since one of the knights noticed and threw him a dirty look. He averted his gaze immediately.
They didn't look too suspicious. A little more rough around the edges than the knights he'd grown used to in Camelot, but that was to be expected.
"My manservant, Merlin, will help you settle into your chambers, "Arthur told them, motioning for Merlin to step forward.
Merlin had been lost in his contemplation and didn't notice the cue immediately.
"Merlin," Arthur repeated more severely, throwing him a look. "Have we interrupted your daydreaming?"
"No sire," Merlin answered, stepping forward. "Sorry, sire."
"That's better," Arthur answered with the slightest shake of his head. "I trust you'll keep your mouth shut and do what you are asked for a change?"
"Of course sire," Merlin replied.
Merlin had to remind himself that Arthur was under stress. In private, comments like these bounced right off Merlin, but he didn't like being made a fool of in public. He knew Arthur didn't mean any of it maliciously though, and in any case there was little he could do but take it.
Arthur dismissed them and the knights filed out, Merlin in tow.
Neither Arthur nor Merlin noticed the looks some of the knights exchanged or the slightly disapproving glances thrown toward the servant.
The feast that night was like any other feast. Merlin had one job, refilling the emptying wine glasses. The feast had barely begun and he was not needed yet. As a result his attention strayed from surveying the wine glasses to surveying those drinking from them.
He wasn't too sure what to make of the new knights. When he'd been helping them settle into their rooms, he'd been as friendly and helpful as he could be. The knights hadn't seemed to take note of either. They had barked out their orders and Merlin hadn't received a single thank you.
As far as he could tell, they did not pose a threat to either Arthur or the kingdom, but they were definitely Uther-era knights who placed much importance on social status, and the alleged superiority of the nobility. Merlin was used to being overlooked and underappreciated, but since Arthur's reign, he'd grown used to having knights regard him as more than just a servant.
This dismayed him a little, but it wasn't a big matter. He simply had to remind himself they didn't really mean any harm by their antiquated behavior. He trusted that Arthur would intervene if anything truly abusive occurred.
"Merlin!" Arthur snapped, pulling him from his thoughts. Having Merlin's attention, Arthur stared pointedly at his empty glass, then to the glass of the knight sitting next to him.
"Oh, sorry sire!" Merlin apologized, hurrying forward.
"Really Merlin, you have one job. How hard can it be?!" Arthur reprimanded, making a show of rolling his eyes for the knight.
Merlin refilled Arthur's glass, murmuring "Why don't we trade places and you can see for yourself?" as he did.
It was meant as a harmless comment, but the look Arthur threw him said that, though he was slightly amused, it was neither the time or place for Merlin to be making it.
The comment was meant only for Arthur's ears, but the knight inevitably heard it and frowned at the insolence. When Arthur's cup was full, Arthur graced Merlin with and exaggerated 'Thank you' and Merlin moved on to the knight's glass.
Merlin filled the glass with the knight's harsh glare on him the whole time. Merlin apologized to the knight and moved back to look for more empty glasses.
Spotting another to fill, he made his way over, asked the knight if he wanted more wine, and moved forward to fill it. Just as he was tipping the bottle, however, Merlin was jostled and lost his footing. The wine spilled all over the knight's clothing.
"You fool!" The knight exclaimed, rising angrily.
Merlin's eyes widened and he offered his sincerest apology. The knight was deaf to it though, and continued to rage against Merlin.
"You had better hope this stain comes clean!" he yelled, angrily grabbing Merlin by the shirt and pulling him forward to shout near his face.
Merlin could understand the anger to an extent, though he felt it was misplaced. His loss of balance was a result of the neighboring knight knocking him with an elbow. He knew that commenting on it was not an option though, not to these knights.
He apologized again, trying to back out of the knight's hold and throwing a glance at Arthur who shook his head at him in disappointment but was making a move to intervene nonetheless.
He wasn't quick enough though, and the angry knight backhanded Merlin hard across the face.
There was silence in the room for a moment, the Camelot knights shocked by the action and Merlin rendered speechless.
"That'll do," Arthur said. The tone was cold, though not as cold as Merlin felt it ought to have been. "Merlin, you may excuse yourself and Timothywill take your place. I will deal with you after the feast."
The knight shoved Merlin away and sat back. When everyone had returned their attention to their meal, Arthur shot Merlin a look. Merlin knew from it that, more than anything else, Arthur meant to protect Merlin and allow him to recover, without appearing to condone such gaffs from his servants.
The knight had overreacted though, and this wasn't Merlin's fault. While Merlin could understand Arthur's need to save face, he still wished he'd defended him better; intervened before he'd been hit, or reproached the knight for it once it had happened.
But with nothing else to do for it, Merlin made his exit, handing his bottle and towel over to Timothy and heading for his chamber to apply a poultice to his cheek before heading back toward Arthur's chambers.
When Arthur had finally made it back to his chambers the previous night, Merlin had not been reprimanded, but had been advised to be more cautious. Or at least that's what he'd inferred from Arthur's frustrated "Could you at least try to act like you aren't a moron during a public function?!".
He woke in a fairly good mood the next morning, though his cheek still ached. When he exited his room he found Gaius rummaging through his collection of vials and herbs.
"Is something wrong in the town?" Merlin inquired.
"Yes," Gaius confirmed. "I'm afraid there are many reports of fever and I expect there will be many more."
"Is it a treatable illness?" Merlin asked him, grabbing a quick bite to eat.
"In most cases it is," Gaius told him, "however I appear to be running low on some of the herbs I need to treat it. If Arthur can spare you, I could use some help collecting them."
"I'll check with Arthur," Merlin told him with a smile. "Leave me a list," he said, then ducked out to fetch Arthur his breakfast.
Merlin set out as soon as he'd brought Arthur his breakfast. Arthur had be happy to let him go, his people's well being was a top priority and he knew Gaius would be hard put to treat everyone and also gather more herbs all on his own.
Many of the herbs on the list were easy to find close to the castle grounds, and within an hour, Merlin had collected most of them. Knowing the last one on the list would take him longer, he stopped back into Gaius's chambers to leave those he already had.
Basket newly empty, he headed toward the forest. This last herb was not particularly rare, but it only grew in specific light conditions. If he were lucky, he'd stumble on some within minutes, but it was more likely he'd have to search around in the forest for a time.
As it turned out, that likelihood proved itself and, an hour later, Merlin had yet to find any. For all his trouble, he had come across a patch of purple flowers he thought Gwen might appreciate, and he had taken the time to collect her a bouquet.
Merlin remembered having seen some of this herb a few days ago, but he couldn't quite remember the exact place. He decided that perhaps the best course of action at this point would be to stop for a short break and use the time to try and recollect where he'd seen it.
He settled against a tree, basket of flowers next to him, and closed his eyes to better think.
Early that day, the Mercian knights had set out for a tour of the countryside. It was meant to help them get familiarized with the area.
A few nobles had offered to accompany them. These were nobles who, while they respected Arthur as their kind, had older values and were a little unsettled by some of Arthur's more modern views.
They had been gone for about an hour when they happened on someone they had not expected.
Merlin, having heard the sound of approaching horses, had jumped to his feet, right as the knights came into view. Recognizing them, he relaxed a little, glad he wouldn't have to deal with bandits or the like. He could have evaded them, but it didn't seem worth the trouble.
He smiled and waved at them, expecting they would simply continue on their way.
"Is that the king's manservant?" one of the knights asked another.
"I think it is. What is he doing out here?" answered the knight.
"I never liked the look of him," the knight who'd had wine spilled on him chipped in sourly. "Insolent and incompetant."
"He is probably neglecting his duty," another added.
"Brat does not know his place," the wine-attacked knight said.
The knight had no way of knowing whether or not Merlin was in fact neglecting his duty, but as they approached, the certainty that he must be instilled itself and, when they drew level with him, he was convinced.
To Merlin's surprise, the knight stopped, and the other knights and nobles followed suit.
"What are you doing out here?" he barked.
The tone was hostile and worried Merlin a little, but he smiled and answered.
"Gaius, the physician, is running low on some herbs. Arthur has given me the day to help collect them."
The knights glanced at the basket, and Merlin followed their gaze. He laughed when he realized his basket only had some pretty purple flowers.
"I am out looking for a last herb, it is a little elusive," he explained.
But the knights were skeptical.
"I think you may just be lying to us," the knight said coldly.
Merlin's face fell. This was not promising.
"I am not," Merlin assured. "I was taking a short break so I would be able to look more efficiently."
"Servants are meant to do as they are told. Not to dally around in the forest picking flowers. I am sure Arthur would appreciate it if we gave you a lesson in obedience, " the knight declared after a pause. "You will come with us."
That couldn't be good.
"Arthur would appreciate my continuing to look for these herbs," Merlin tried reason. "Many of his people are sick and the supplies to treat this illness are running low."
"I believe you to be lazy and to be a liar. This illness is probably non-existent, in my opinion."
Merlin frowned. He had observed that the knights didn't like him much, but this was something else altogether.
"It is not a lie, but since you refuse to be convinced of that… Why not simply agree that I was being lazy, that you have caught me and that I shall go back to help Arthur now?" If he couldn't get the knights to believe him, he could try convincing them that the "lesson" they were proposing was unnecessary.
"Arthur can make do without you until tomorrow. From the look of things, I suspect that he is probably well familiar with you reneging on your duties. You are to come with us. Arthur will surely thank us when we return with an obedient servant."
Not good. The knight was resolved and Merlin knew that no exchange of words would convince the knight to free him.
He lowered his head so they couldn't see his eyes, and mumbled a quiet word.
At the hidden flash of his eyes, the accusing knight's horse reared up. Merlin used the distraction to run away, hoping this worked. He knew that if the group of knights caught him, his attempted escape would not bode well with whatever 'lesson' they had in mind.
By the time the knight got control of his horse, Merlin had a head start. Unfortunately, the knights gained on him quickly. He tried to thwart them with a few more spells; making branches fall in their way, making some knights fall from their saddles, or causing leaves to blow in their faces so they couldn't see.
But they were faster and outnumbered him by too many.
He tripped on a branch he hadn't seen and fell. He was done for. They were on him in a moment, binding his hands and then tying him roughly to one of the horses.
He couldn't use magic now without it being noticed.
The knights let out a triumphant cheer. Merlin was caught.