I'm not entirely sure what genre I'd call this. It definitely came out more angsty than I intended, which might not be a bad thing. I guess angst and...friendship? I tried to explore some stuff here that I don't see very much in Merlin fanfiction. Enough of my incoherent rambling, though. Enjoy the story!
Trials and Tribulations
After four days holed up in his new chambers studying and practicing new spells, Merlin had to agree with his friends. He needed some fresh air. He'd barely seen the light of day since he moved into the tower rooms; he was so stunned by the new laws and enthralled with the knowledge stored in his chambers, he just couldn't bring himself to leave. Now, four days later, the shock had worn off and he wanted nothing more than to be outside.
He dressed in a plain tunic, scraggly trousers, and a neckerchief as always. As enticing as Arthur's offer of a new wardrobe was, he couldn't bring himself to want to wear anything but his regular peasant's clothes. Incredulous, Arthur insisted, but was ultimately talked down by Gwen, who understood his discomfort with his new status as a knight. So his wardrobe consisted of a few worn blue and red tunics, a couple pairs of brown trousers, and the outfit he had been knighted in.
He made his way through the castle without incident and soon found himself wandering aimlessly through the lower town. Those who recognized him nodded respectfully, greeted him warmly, or simply stared in awe. He didn't like it, but he supposed it was better than the scorn and fear he had half expected.
There was a market in the lower town where travelling merchants would set up to sell their wares, and that was where Merlin ended up. He was checking his pockets for spare coins and eyeing the baked goods at a stand down the cobbled street when he heard a crash behind him.
"What the hell is this? Who the hell do you think you are?" a man's voice growled.
A breathy female voice responded, "Get off me, let me go!"
Merlin rolled his eyes. It seemed he literally couldn't leave the castle without running into trouble. He turned and took in the scene before him. A large, greasy looking man stood behind one of the merchant's stands. His hand reached over the table to grasp the skinny wrist of a girl in her late teens. Merlin saw the problem instantly: the triple spiral tattoo that poked out from under the girl's raised sleeve. She was a druid, and the man was not pleased about it.
Without a second thought, Merlin steeled himself and strode toward the stand. He only hoped he could get there in time before-
The man pulled a knife from who-knows-where and hissed something too quiet for Merlin to hear. Seeing the blade, the girl panicked. Her eyes went wide, her free arm jerked back, and before Merlin could stop her, she buried her fist in the man's face with a sickening crack.
Merlin could only watch in horror as the man leaped out from behind the stand and wrapped his meaty hands around her neck. Things had already gone too far, and he needed help. He caught hold of someone's arm, one of the many onlookers who noticed the commotion, and hissed, "Run to the castle. Get a knight, and some guards." The onlooker, a peasant boy, hesitated, and Merlin barked, "Now!"
As soon as the boy sprinted off, Merlin shouldered his way through the crowd. "Let her go!" he ordered, and the man, momentarily startled, did. The girl scrambled backwards and Merlin stepped between them, facing the man.
"Tell me why you attacked that girl," Merlin said coolly.
"You saw, didn't ya? Punched me right in the face, she did." For emphasis, the man ran his hand under his nose. It came away bloody. "Can't say I'm surprised, though," he continued. "You see that mark on her arm? A druid." He spat. "Straight from hell, them sorcerers are."
"And what is your name?"
"Brom. Just what do you-"
"Brom," an ugly name for an ugly man, Merlin thought, "You are under arrest for assault and misconduct."
"Arrest me? For trying to rid this kingdom of the filth it lets in?" Merlin tried not to curse him right then and there. The man continued, "You should arrest her for practicing her filthy magic." His eyebrows furrowed, and he added, "Who the hell are you, anyway, thinking you can arrest me? Some kind of bloody knight?"
Merlin smirked. "Actually, yes. Sir Merlin, Court Sorcerer of Camelot." The title still felt foreign on his tongue, but he tried his best to sound official and intimidating.
It worked. Brom's eyes went wild. He lunged for a gap in the crowd, and Merlin yanked him back with a flick of his wrist. Before he could struggle to his feet, Merlin thrust his hand forward and sent Brom flying back to crash into his own stand. Another flick, and vines sprang from the wood, wrapping themselves around the merchant's arms and pinning him to the debris.
As his eyes faded from gold to blue, he turned and approached the girl. She was sprawled on the ground gasping for breath. Merlin knelt beside her and placed a hand on her arm.
She opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a weak cough. "Don't try to talk," he said, examining the bruises forming on her throat. "Let me fix the worst of this, then we'll send you to the Court Physician. Is that alright?"
She nodded and he set to work. His fingers brushed lightly over the bruises as he muttered a healing spell under his breath. He knew there were stronger spells that could heal her right away, but he wasn't the most accomplished healer, and he'd rather trust an area as sensitive as the throat to Gaius.
A few minutes later, the sound of hoofbeats echoed down the street. Leon dismounted and dashed through the crowd to find Brom still struggling against the vines and Merlin kneeling over the druid girl.
"Merlin? What happened here?" he asked.
Merlin didn't look up from the girl. "Did you bring guards?"
Just then six guards arrived on foot. "Right here," Leon said. His voice was laced with confusion but he didn't ask any more questions, instead trusting that his fellow knight had the situation under control.
Merlin cocked his head at the man bound in vines and stated, "That man is under arrest. Take him to the dungeons to await the king's judgement."
The guards didn't move, looking instead to Leon for orders. "You heard him," Leon said gruffly. It seemed Merlin wasn't the only one struggling to adjust to his new title. At the older knight's command, the guards cut Brom out of the vines and bound his hands behind him with rope. As they dragged him to the castle he let loose a string of curses, none of which Merlin seemed to hear.
Leon lingered at the scene. Once the guards and their prisoner were out of earshot, he knelt beside Merlin and muttered, "Is everything alright?"
Merlin finally met Leon's gaze. His face was calm, but Leon could see the strain in his eyes. The eye contact lasted for a moment, then Merlin turned back to the girl and said, "She's hurt. Can you take her to Gaius?" Leon nodded. "I'll clean up and meet you there when I'm done."
Without another word, Leon helped the girl to her feet. The two of them mounted the knight's horse and set off for the castle, leaving Merlin behind to clear away the debris.
Leon was surprised when Merlin arrived in Gaius's chambers only fifteen minutes after he did. He supposed it was easier to clean up a mess with magic than without. The warlock paused in the doorway, considering the three occupants of the room, then chose first to talk to the druid girl. He seated himself in the chair beside her bed, ready to ask her how she was feeling, when he realized that she could still be unable to speak. Before he could ask Gaius, she coughed and said, in a hoarse whisper, "Thank you for saving my life, Emrys." Her eyebrows scrunched together, and she wondered, "Or is it Sir Merlin?"
He chuckled. "Just Merlin is fine. Are you alright, then?"
"Fine. Thanks."
Not wanting to strain her voice any more, Merlin left the girl's side and went to talk to Gaius, who was brewing a potion to ease the bruising. "Did she say her name?" he asked the physician.
"Krea," he replied.
"And her injuries?"
"Just the bruising at her throat and a mild headache, possible from hitting her head against the ground. No concussion as far as I can see. And I've already given her something for the pain." He looked up from his work to smile at Merlin. "I suspect she would have been in a much worse condition if you hadn't gotten to her sooner. Your healing magic has come a long way."
Merlin smiled back. "Thanks to the books you gave me." He nodded at the physician and turned toward the door. "I'd better report this to Arthur," he said, placing a hand on the door and stepping into the hall.
He made it about four paces before a voice stopped him.
"Merlin."
He turned around to see Leon closing Gaius's door behind him. The knight cleared his throat and closed the gap between the two of them in two strides. "Are you alright?" he asked in a low voice.
Merlin shrugged. "Of course. Brom was a simple merchant, no match for my magic. I didn't even get a scratch."
"That's not what I meant."
Merlin sighed. Leon may not be as open about his feelings as some of the other knights of even Arthur, but that didn't stop him from being observant. Merlin figured he was actually the most shrewd out of all the knights, even if he didn't always show it.
Leon continued, "I understand that man-Brom-said some things that may have upset you."
"Merely words. He's an ignorant man; why should I care what he thinks?"
"He also tried to kill one of your kind with his bare hands."
Merlin was silent for a moment. Choosing his words carefully, he said, "I saved her. Now Brom is in jail. Once I report this to Arthur, a trial will be arranged and he will be punished accordingly. There's nothing more to it than that."
"I only thought-"
"That you need to protect me?" Merlin snapped. Vaguely he registered the bite in his tone, but the outburst had released something in him and he didn't have the energy to stop the oncoming wave of anger. "Because I thought I made it quite clear when I told you all about my magic that I don't need protecting."
"I'm not trying to protect you," Leon said, his voice even. "I was just wondering if you were upset."
"Well, I'm not. Thanks for your concern," Before Leon could respond, Merlin was halfway down the corridor, stalking rapidly away from the knight. He rounded the corner and disappeared, leaving Leon stunned and alone outside the Court Physician's chambers.
Arthur listened to Merlin's report in silence, nodding grimly when he was through. He started on the paperwork immediately, declaring that Brom would be tried the next morning. Merlin would preside over the trial and Krea would testify as a witness, if her voice had returned and she was comfortable recounting the traumatic events. Then Arthur dismissed Merlin from his chambers with a recommendation to "rest, or read, or do spells, or whatever it is you do when I'm not around." Merlin nodded and set off for his own chambers, taking a detour through the kitchens to pilfer a bottle of ale on the way.
Krea arrived in the throne room flanked by two guards and followed by Gaius, who looked concerned. Merlin noticed that the bruises on her neck had already faded to a dull yellow and marveled at the speed with which Gaius picked up the healing magic he practiced as a young man. She was escorted to the side of the room where she stood, eyeing the line of people standing in front of the throne. Arthur stood at the center, with Gwen at his right and Merlin at his left. The rest of the knights stood with them as well, with Leon taking the place to the left of Merlin. The warlock refused to meet his fellow knight's eye, in part guilty for his outburst the previous day and in part still irrationally angry at Leon's concern.
When the doors opened to admit the subject of the trial, Merlin kept his features schooled. Four guards escorted Brom into the throne room and deposited him on his knees in front of the king. For a moment, nobody spoke, and Brom took the opportunity to take in the scene around him.
The merchant looked awful, by Merlin's standards. His hair was ragged and greasy, and his eyes were rimmed with red. He probably hadn't slept much in the dungeons. Aside from his haggard appearance, though, he seemed to seethe with fury. His eyebrows remained locked in a permanent scowl as he glared daggers at his accuser. Merlin was careful to keep his face blank as he glared back.
"Brom," Arthur began, "you have been accused of assault with the intent of murder by Sir Merlin. As such, he will preside over your trial."
"Murder?" Brom spat. "Bloody bastard didn't say nothing about murder yesterday!"
"Silence," Arthur ordered, and the man obeyed. "Sir Merlin's account of yesterday's events was reviewed, and the charges against you altered to better suit the offence." He lowered his voice and added, "And if you'd like this to go easy for you, I'd suggest you speak to my knights with respect."
Brom laughed, a harsh, ugly sound. "Yeah, I'll show him respect. You know he used magic on me, when he attacked me yesterday? Damn near killed me, and his eyes all-"
"Enough!" Arthur barked. Once again, Brom fell silent, fixing his eyes on Merlin's in a murderous stare. The king gestured to Merlin, who stepped forward and cleared his throat.
"You've heard the charges brought against you, and you will have your chance to testify. But first," he motioned to Krea, "the victim will tell her side of the story."
Krea's voice was gravelly, but she spoke with confidence as she recounted the previous day's events. Her story began just before Merlin arrived, when the merchant noticed her spiral tattoo and caught her wrist in his hand. She went on to tell how she punched him in the face after he drew a knife-
"That's a lie!" Brom cried.
Merlin rolled his eyes. "I recovered the knife at the scene. And I'm aware that a sheath that fits it was taken off of you when you were arrested. Will there be any more inappropriate outbursts, or can Krea continue?"
Krea continued. She described how he lunged at her and tried to strangle her, how Merlin came between them, and how he healed her after subduing the merchant. When she finished, the two guards stepped forward, one with a glass of water, to lead her back to her place along the wall.
"Thank you, Krea," Merlin said. He turned to Arthur and asked, "Your Majesty, can you verify that her account matches the one I gave you yesterday?"
"I can."
"Good. Brom, now you may speak."
The merchant, who had been kneeling the whole time, pushed himself to his feet. His guards rushed forward, but froze when Merlin raised his hand. Reluctantly, they backed away, allowing Brom to stand for his testimony.
"Yeah, I grabbed her arm, I did. I caught her muttering something under her breath, words I didn't recognize. Little witch was trying to curse me." Out of the corner of his eye, Merlin saw Krea flinch. He decided to let Brom keep speaking. Let the man incriminate himself. "She kept threatening me, so I pulled out my knife, told her she better not try nothing. Then she broke my nose, and I knew it was either me or her. So I did what I had to do." He shot a nasty look at Merlin before he continued, "That's when this one showed up. Said he'd kill me, he did, before he attacked me with his black magic. I felt it in the air when he did, like some kind of force, like pure evil. No place for his kind in the world if you ask me, not if the likes of us value our lives." The last part he said directly to the king, who wrinkled his nose in disgust.
Merlin shook his head. "I had hoped you'd have more sense than that, Brom," he said. The merchant's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Lying to the king will only make your sentence heavier."
"I didn't lie!" he growled, "I'm innocent!"
"Your first lie," Merlin began, stepping away from Arthur and the knights to pace in front of Brom, "was that she cursed you. I am a very powerful sorcerer, Brom, and one thing that sets me apart from other magic users is my ability to sense magic, especially in close proximity. If Krea had so much as tied her shoelaces with magic, I would have known. Your second lie was that she broke your nose. I understand that the Court Physician examined you before the trial," Gaius nodded, "and he reported to me that your nose was bruised, not broken. He would have told you this."
"I did," the physician said.
"Your third lie was that I threatened to kill you." He stopped pacing and stood directly in front of Brom, his face no more than a foot away from the merchant's. "I've killed more enemies than I can count," he hissed, too quiet for anyone else in the room to hear. "Bandits, knights, sorcerers, even two High Priestesses of the Old Religion. If I wanted you dead, you wouldn't be here. You'd be nothing more than a pile of ashes scattered across the cobblestones." He felt something rise up in him, a faint tingling on his skin. "And do not think for a second that the king will believe your account over mine. I am his trusted advisor, while you are nothing more than a sour, bigoted, ignorant pig."
He turned away from the cowering merchant to face the king. "I rule this man guilty of the charges brought against him. His sentence, I leave to the king." He bowed to Arthur, then whirled around and marched out the door.
The hall broke out in hushed murmurs. Gwaine looked as though he wanted to go after Merlin, but Percival's gentle hand on his shoulder kept him in his place. Guinevere shook her head, and Leon shrugged. Finally, Arthur cleared his throat and the room fell silent. One more glance at the door, which hung ajar from the warlock's exit, then the king turned his attention to Brom, who was still staring at the door.
"For the crime of assault with the intent of murder, you will spend a day in the stocks." Brom sighed, but Arthur wasn't finished. "After that, you will be exiled from the city. Hatred such as yours will not be tolerated in Camelot, and therefore, neither shall you. Guards!"
The four guards that led him in stepped forward and took hold of his arms. "I would'n'a come back to this damned city anyway!" he cried as he was being led away. "Letting the likes of them run amok, corruptin' the air with their cursed magic! It'll come back to bite ya, it will, and when it does, you'll be wishin' you'd listened to the likes of me-"
The door slammed shut behind him, and everyone in the room relaxed. Gaius rushed over to Krea, who was breathing heavily and leaning against the wall for support. Gwaine clapped Percival on the shoulder and Arthur ran his hands through his hair. Lost in their own thoughts, no one seemed to notice Leon stride across the room and slip through the door.
He found Merlin at the dining table in his chambers, a bottle in one hand and a ball of light in the other. In between swigs the warlock would toss the ball into the air and watch as it spun and changed colors. Leon tried to close the door as quietly as possible, but as soon as the latch clicked, the light vanished and Merlin whirled around.
"Oh, it's you," he said.
Leon didn't respond right away. He circled the table hesitantly before taking the chair across from Merlin's. Finally, he asked, "Are you still angry with me?"
Merlin shook his head sheepishly. "Sorry for shouting at you. That was inappropriate." He refused to meet Leon's eye.
The older knight sighed and rested his elbows on the table. "Camelot is a prosperous kingdom, but it is not without its enemies. One of the first things I learned as a knight of Camelot is that people would hate me before they even knew my name, simply for my title and the colors I wore. All these years, fighting, laying my life on the line for Uther and Arthur, I've never really gotten used to it. I may not know what it's like being a sorcerer in Camelot, but don't think I can't imagine how it must feel. To have someone hate you before they know you."
"The people of Camelot hated me the moment I set foot in the city. They just didn't know it."
"It's one thing to live in secret and fear. It's another to have someone say those things to your face."
Slowly, Merlin lifted his eyes to meet Leon's. He had never noticed the worry lines between them that now seemed so prominent. As if by instinct, he muttered, "I can take care of myself."
Leon smiled, and the worry lines vanished. "I've never doubted that, from the moment I met you. I just thought you might like to talk about...things. Your first arrest, your first trial."
"It was...different."
"Yeah? Well, don't get used to it. Arthur only made such a show with the trial because Brom was the first man to be arrested for a hate crime against a magic user. He wanted to make an example."
Merlin couldn't hold back a small chuckle. "So I'm not going to have to do that again?"
"Probably not," the older knight laughed. He paused, considering, then hesitantly asked, "If you're alright talking about it, what...what did you say to him when you started, um…"
"Started what?"
"Well, when you got up in his face and started...glowing."
Merlin's eyebrows scrunched together. "What do you mean, I started glowing?"
Leon furrowed his brow. "When you were talking about his lies, you walked up to him and whispered something, and there was this...golden light around you. You kept talking, and the light got brighter He looked terrified out of his mind."
"Oh." Merlin almost laughed. "I guess it was my magic, reacting. It does that sometimes when I get scared, or angry."
"You seemed fairly angry to me. So what did you say?"
Merlin shook his head. "I dunno. Something about how...about all the people I've...killed. How I would've killed him, too, if I'd wanted to. I guess I got carried away."
They lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. Merlin knew the other knights had at least an idea of his power, of all the things he'd done, but it still felt bizarre talking about it with them. Especially with someone as detached as Leon usually was.
If it had been any of the others, the moment might have been easier. Gwaine would have laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. Percival probably would do the same. Elyan or Gwen would smile, tell him how grateful they were for all he'd done. And Arthur would hit him, or call him an idiot in his own way of showing affection. But Leon...Leon was unpredictable. Merlin knew him the least out of all the other knights, despite knowing him the longest. He could be so aloof, but he was always intuitive. Always thinking. Merlin swallowed thickly, waiting for Leon to make the first move.
After what seemed like an eternity, he did. "As someone who supported Uther through the Great Purge, I must say, I am still quite afraid of you at times." That was not what Merlin wanted to hear. "Which is why I'm glad I've gotten to know you before knowing about your magic. You are an extraordinary man, Merlin. Probably one of the most extraordinary men I've ever met."
Merlin grinned despite himself. "I wouldn't say-"
"That's why I want you to know that I'll be here for you, if you need anything."
"What?"
Leon smiled and nodded. "Arthur was practically still a boy when he was knighted, and he needed a lot of help. I sort of took on the role of his mentor, advising him through the difficult decisions, teaching him the things everyone expected him to know. I'm a humble man, but I won't deny that Arthur would not be the knight he is without me." They both laughed at the thought of a young, newly knighted Prince Arthur, completely dependent on the help of an older knight. "I'm offering you the same. A mentor, a guide through the beginnings of knighthood." A serious expression on his face, he reached his hand across the table to Merlin.
Merlin considered the knight's words for a half second before gripping his hand tightly and shaking. They looked at each other for a moment with smiling eyes, then Leon suddenly broke the grip and reached for the bottle Merlin had been holding. He raised it over the table and declared, "To Camelot's newest knight!"
He took a deep swig. Merlin laughed and snatched the bottle from his hand, raising it in his own toast. "And to its oldest!"
The towering walls of Merlin's chambers echoed with the laughter of a warlock and his new friend, who had really been his friend the whole time.
So...a bit of Leon appreciation? He's one of my favorite characters, and I rarely see people go into the relationship between him and Merlin. He's kind of the big-brother figure to Arthur, and I figure newly knighted Court Sorcerer Merlin deserves a big brother to help deal with the stresses he faces in this AU. What do you guys think? Did I do their relationship justice?