As promised a faster update... Again, it's not beta'ed... And I'm thrilled by the reviews and followers! :) Thanks guys!
Chapter 12: The Many Faces Of Truth
"You felt it?" Merlin whispered before smiling sheepishly at Gwen as she curiously glanced back at them. She smiled as well and turned back shaking her head. Galahad and Merlin were purposely straggling a few paces behind everyone on their way to the meeting. Whatever they were talking about, she could only venture a guess. But it seemed to be serious from what she could see: a hushed discussion and many worried looks.
"Of course, but you did too?" Galahad said gobsmacked, "How's that even possible?"
"So, to summarize, we both felt magic being disrupted and-"
"Wow, wait." Galahad forced Merlin to stop and they patiently waited for the rest to turn around the corner, before the druid spoke again, "I didn't feel that. It was more like a sudden surge of power somewhere. I couldn't locate it exactly since I needed all my strength to neutralize its effects. So we both reacted the same, but for different reasons. I still don't understand yours though."
"Magic, Galahad, it was as if it was ripped apart and then forced to reassemble with rotten pieces..." Merlin tried to describe what happened as they too rounded the corner.
"Do you still feel it?" Galahad asked and looked ahead at the end of the long corridor. The heavy wooden doors were wide open revealing the marvellous Round Table basking under strings of sunlight. At the far end stood Arthur, his red cloak was almost glowing with regal confidence. The warlock was distracted for a moment: there stood the Once and Future King.
Merlin turned his attention back to the druid, "No, but sometimes I smell smoke again."
"Smoke?" Galahad frowned confused.
"Gwaine told me I said something about smoke." Merlin murmured, "Don't look at me like that, I have no idea what's going on."
"I'm worried, Merlin." Galahad was anxious, but their arrival prevented them from discussing this further. It had to wait. Leon and Gwaine already greeted Arthur, while Merlin quickly made his way towards his place. Arthur looked well rested causing Merlin to sigh in relief, at least he listens to Gwen when she says he needs to lighten up.
Arthur may have been busy welcoming his knights back, but he saw the worried glance Galahad shot Merlin and the whispered words between them. What was up with that?
"Still in one piece?" Arthur asked casually when Merlin sat down beside him. He was okay right? Merlin would have bought this nonchalance if Arthur hadn't gazed at him so intently. He barely refrained from rolling his eyes.
"As you can see." Merlin said offhandedly and smiled reassuring. It was for his benefit also since his heartbeat increased immensely from the moment he had closed the doors behind him. You can do this, he told himself, by the end of the meeting Arthur will know.
"Good, now I'm sure you three have much to report." Arthur said and leaned back waiting for them to begin.
Leon didn't beat around the bush, "Arthur, Tristan's dead." Gwen gasped and clasped her mouth. Both Gaius and Galahad looked worriedly at each other.
"That's bad news. How did he die?" Arthur asked seemingly composed, but Merlin saw that he was gripping the table so hard his knuckles turned white.
"Morgana happened, we guess... And it's not ... very clear right know-" Leon stammered a bit which raised Arthur's suspicion. Again, Merlin noticed and quickly intervened.
"He died near the caves along Nortcliff. He presumably followed Morgana into one of them, she must have realised this and cursed him. He had a couple of wounds, like stab wounds and although most of them were shallow they didn't stop bleeding. When we found him he was barely conscious, he..." Here Merlin paused for a second. Rambling medical information was easy. It was distracting and normal. The next piece of info wouldn't be. "He told us to warn Emrys, he was quite insistent about that and mentioned Dalbeth. He said that someone or something was coming."
Meanwhile Leon had pulled himself together and quickly told what was left of the story. The rest of them all listened enchanted by their adventures. Merlin noticed the knight refrained some things though. Who knew Leon would lie for him?
"So then Merlin's dragonlord instincts kicked in and he felt something bad happen. After that we decided it prudent to come here as fast as we could and maybe convey this warning to Emrys." Leon finished his story.
"That's quite the adventure. I'm sorry about Tristan although I understand his choices." Arthur said and gently squeezed Gwen's hand, remembering very well it was Isolde's death and Tristan's grief that led them back together. "Galahad, did you make any progress contacting Emrys?"
"Erm, I can safely say he's in Camelot now."
"Oh, you felt his power? Is that why you collapsed this morning? You told me once that the power of someone's magic could affect you physically." Arthur looked expectantly at his youngest knight.
Merlin almost banged his head on the table. Not again, he thought horrified, some things never change... Although why is Arthur connecting the dots all of a sudden?
"That's..." Galahad shifted on his chair and glanced at Merlin for help. But the warlocks face plainly read 'you dug that one by yourself'. The druid focused and continued, "That's entirely possible, my Lord. I'm flattered you remembered that little remark."
"That's a good sign then, isn't it? It means he wants to be found, right?"
Galahad carefully casted another sideward glance at Merlin, "Honestly, it's too early to tell."
"Pity, I need you to keep working on that." Arthur sighed and leaned back against his chair, "Now, Morgana, what's she up to this time? And how did Tristan come across the name Emrys?"
"Morgana was inquiring about Dalbeth. That together with Kilgarrah's departure and my uneasiness, it's a save guess a Dragonlord may be involved." Merlin commented.
"But who? You're the last. Surely you're not suggesting a long lost brother?" Arthur definitely deserved the don't-be-so-insensitive look he received from Gwen. And the kick against his shin.
"It's worse." Merlin said and tiredly rubbed his eyes.
"How so?"
"Because Morgana wouldn't have any use from a mere Dragonlord. But she's in need of a powerful ally, someone who's strong enough to take on Emrys. Tristan told us to warn him specifically. We've been pondering his knowledge of Emrys as well. It's our conclusion that Morgana spoke about her enemy, maybe even flaunted her plans."
"This hypothetical ally capable of defeating Emrys... Has she found one?" Gaius asked intently. He was worried. One glance this morning was enough for him to tell something was very wrong with Merlin. He had wanted to talk to him on their way to the Round Table, but Merlin had pulled Galahad aside instead. Frankly it became rather tiresome to try to keep up with the young man. He sighed, I can only hope this was it.
"Possibly." Merlin admitted reluctantly and stared at the middle of the table deeply lost in thoughts and worries. Most of the other members followed his lead and tried to digest this sudden inflow of information, but not all of them. Gaius and Galahad were staring at Merlin in shock and surprisingly so was Gwaine.
"Dalbeth," Merlin mused out loud totally ignorant of these looks, "I've been thinking, that does sound familiar."
"The Citadel of Dalbeth, we passed there last year on our way to the Isle of the Blessed." Arthur quickly informed the rest, "It was a mighty city once, rivalling Camelot in beauty and size, but it was lost long before the first hovels appeared on this place. And now, nothings left, nothing but scorched rocks and pale green grass."*
"Right and you said the dragons burnt it down." Gwaine interjected remembering it as well, "That can't be a coincidence, can it?"
"One of Duncan's men saw a dragon in Nortcliff. That wasn't a coincidence either. So this leaves us with three facts. One, Morgana is planning something and it's more dangerous than anything she did in the past." Leon summarized, he knew that the last part was correct even if the rest didn't know his reasoning: Merlin had been shaken enough by what he felt to reveal his secret.
"Two, her plan involves dragons and has a connection with the history of Dalbeth's Citadel and thirdly, she's particularly targeting Emrys." At that last statement his eyes suddenly widened and he carefully glanced at Merlin.
"I don't think killing Emrys is her endgame."
"Arthur's right. She probably figured out Emrys is protecting the king. With him out of the way, she'll swat you like a irritating fly."
"Geez, Merlin! Thanks for your confidence."
"I'm serious, Arthur. With Emrys gone there won't be anybody standing between you and Morgana's bloody plans. You can't fight magic with simple swords and daggers."
"Have you been blind these past years! We killed numerous beasts and sorcerers, not to mention my father did as well during the Purge."
Merlin bit his lip. He had to. Otherwise a humourless laugh would have betrayed everything. Although Arthur did have a point with that last statement. Both of them looked at each other for a second, glaring, before Gaius cleared his throat.
"With your permission, Sire, Merlin does have a valid point. Your father was both very cunning and still had some alliances, some of a less reputable sort who helped him reach his goals. Don't misunderstand me, Sire, I'm grateful you lack some of his ferocity."
"Well, where are they now, these allies you mentioned?"
"Dead, Sire, burnt along with their books and artefacts in the end."
"But you still have that knowledge Gaius, you don't have to hide that fact. I know you used to practise magic."
"You do?" Merlin cut in but Arthur just waved that remark away, "And you've been very helpful to all of us in the past, I'm positive your knowledge counts in this fight against Morgana." Honestly, he wasn't a complete idiot unlike some particular servant. It wasn't that hard to figure out since Gaius was by all intents and purposes the resident authority on magical lore.
"I'm flattered, Sire. But contrary to what everyone believes I don't know all the answers to our magical problems. Books contain knowledge but your father managed to burn most of them before I had a chance to point out their uses."
"So you don't know anything more about Dalbeth?"
"No, I just wanted you all to know this before I go on. The written word isn't our only resort. Remember the bedtimes stories from when you were little? Remember the one about the Dragons' rage and the lost city? Now fit Dalbeth into that picture."
"Oh, alright but that doesn't help really." Arthur said mystified by the sudden twist in their discussion.
"What's the story?" Merlin was curious, he never heard it.
"In need of a bedtime story, Merlin?" Arthur grinned but suddenly grimaced and turned serious again. Merlin suspected Gwen kicked her husband's shin again, "Alright, alright, I'll keep it brief, but the bottom line was that at the moment Dalbeth reached its pinnacle of beauty and power, the Master of the Citadel was betrayed by the friends he trusted the most, the Dragons. They were jealous of its wealth and one night they burned the city to its ashes, burying all its inhabitants beneath the ruins and claiming the territory as their own. Moral of the story: never trust dragons." Arthur finished the tale.
"When I was a young lad, that bedtime story was a bit different." Gaius said, "Legend tells indeed of a great city, but also of corruption and a sickening thirst for more power. Dalbeth declared war on all the lands of Albion and finally succumbed under a cleansing fire as the dragons burned down the city, trapping the guilty within the ruins."
"That's different. But which one is true?" Leon asked.
"It's my opinion that both of the stories tell the same event, so the base line is true: the dragon's burned down the city. But why they did it is totally opposite and casts them into a very different light. Someone care the guess why it's different?"
"The Purge," Gwen said thoughtfully, "the tale was changed because of the war on magic. Dragon's were declared evil along with the rest of magic. The idea that dragons fought corruption didn't fit in that picture."
"Well done, My Queen, your wisdom equals your beauty." Gaius beamed and so did Gwen. He was seldom so formal unless he complemented her.
"Gaius, basically you're calling my father a liar." Arthur stated flatly and narrowed his eyes.
"Sire, I respected your father, but what he did is not uncommon. Men will always try to use past events to justify their actions. Your father was no different, I'm afraid. From a certain point of view everything is either a lie or a truth. It's rather hard to delineate between the two, certainly when one's describing events of a long forgotten past." Gaius said wisely.
"The tales have another thing in common: the dragons buried men beneath those ruins." Merlin murmured darkly.
"I can check some more books, Sire." Gaius raised. Arthur nodded grateful.
"Thank you Gaius, you even have my permission to search the vaults. There ought to be some books down there as well." Arthur turned his attention to the druid, "Galahad, I want you on this as well and maybe even take Merlin with you."
"Erm, sorry, what?" Merlin sputtered.
"It has come to my attention that you can read that incomprehensible language of the Old Religion." Arthur said satisfied he managed to surprise Merlin this time, "I was shocked to find out you're actually good at something."
"I'm not sure where you got the idea, but I'm sure your source was exaggerating." Merlin protested and then mentally slapped himself. You're supposed to tell him!
"Now, now, no false modesty, Merlin, I saw your reports in the Old Council. How fluently are you by the way?" Arthur asked genuinely interested.
"Erm, pretty fluently." The warlock reluctantly admitted.
"There you go," Arthur smiled approvingly, "I'll even exempt you from stable duty while you're helping Galahad."
"Duncan!"
"Duncan, where are you!" Tom yelled once more as he and Gerard rushed into the tavern. Some of the regulars were already there, all of them discussing the same things: Tristan's death and the changing winds.
"Dunca-an!" Tom tried again. A muffled curse was his only response. He quickly turned towards the bar where Duncan appeared, still cursing loudly and rubbing his head.
"I heard you, you oaf!" The tavern owner shouted annoyed, "What's this yelling all about? I hadn't expected you back until way past noon."
"They're gone!" Tom exclaimed.
"Who's gone?"
"Gwaine, Merlin and Leon." Tom elaborated, "They just vanished, disappeared like a puff of smoke."
"Gerard, has he been drinking this early?" Duncan asked, ignoring the giant.
"It's true. We were busy getting the torches and when we came out, they were gone." Gerard backed up his friend's story.
"They probably somewhere in town." Duncan tried to brush off their worries.
But Tom didn't want to be reassured, "Can't be, we weren't in the caves for that long. We would have seen them on the path."
"They're probably exploring some caves then." The tavern owner tried once more.
"They wouldn't be that reckless." Tom countered again.
"Gwaine might." Duncan raised.
"Told you." Gerard triumphantly poked Tom.
"And I'm telling you they just vanished!" He was getting frustrated now, Duncan was being way to stubborn about this.
"Tom, this wouldn't be one of your 'I saw a dragon' stories, now would it?"
"Duncan, I really saw that dragon." Tom deadpanned. Duncan sighed, threw his towel on the counter and walked towards the far side of the tavern gesturing them to follow. When they were alone in the courtyard, Duncan spoke again.
"You're absolutely sure they're gone?" He asked dead serious now.
"I'm as sure as when I warned you the Murray twins had set their eyes on Gwaine." Tom said gravely.
Duncan sighed again, "Alright, I'll get my feelers out once more, but if you stand by what you told me I have a favor to ask of you two. I want you to go to Camelot and tell King Arthur what you know."
"Well that will go over smoothly," Gerard said sarcastically, " Just picture us strolling into Camelot. 'Hi King Arthur, bad news: your sister is planning something sinister with a dragon and Tristan's death. By the way, do you remember sending Leon, Gwaine and Merlin to Nortcliff? Too bad there not coming back because they simply vanished. It was like magic.' I'm betting he'll scream 'SORCERER!' before the end of my speech and sent us both to burn."
"Gerard, I thought you were the smart one of the duo. That was King Uther, Arthur. Is. Different." The tavern owner emphasized.
"The old man has a point, mate, but I still hate delivering that message. Why don't you go, Duncan?"
"You know very well I can't leave Nortcliff, the Murray twins will cause havoc and somehow find a way to blame me. Nah, I'm needed here to keep a lid on those two. They're awfully cozy with Lord Wavy-Hands, too cozy for my comfort."
"They're spies." Tom deadpanned again, but Duncan just patted his arm, "Sure they are and they have mermaid brides and sacrifice jellyfish under the full moon."
Tom rolled his eyes and sighed. He knew his drunken exploits would follow him until his dying days, although Gwaine sure earned some part of the glory in this particular story, "Fine, we'll leave as soon as possible."
"Good and take their horses, I don't want to be accused of stealing." Duncan said and marched back into his tavern. Weird that I care about the opinion of some king, he thought and shrugged. Gwaine's tale is messing with my bearings. Damnit Gwaine! In what kind of pickle did you land yourself into this time?
To his most Gracious Highness King Bayard,
Sire,
Yesterday afternoon I saw Sir Leon of Camelot in Nortcliff. Together with his appearance – which resulted in a fight at the docks where I and two of your knights sustained minor injuries - the town suddenly exhibited a general uneasiness and a turbulent atmosphere. It's my understanding – and this has been confirmed by two of my most trusted informers - that he was trying to rally the villagers against your Lordship.
I humbly await your instructions on how to deal with King Arthur's second in command.
Your most loyal subject,
Lord Egerton of Ryeford
Bayard crumpled the letter. The nerve! That whelp thinks he can just invade my kingdom! Bayard snorted. Arthur was nothing more than a inexperienced child in his eyes. Granted, he handled the past challenges well, but luck was more present in his actions than intelligence or good decisions. Pulling a legendary sword out of a stone! Claiming to be Albion's greatest king! Oh, he had heard the rumours. He couldn't believe the arrogance! It had been quite the spectacle a few months ago, nonetheless Arthur shouldn't have been able to defeat his half sister. From what he could remember Morgana was always the fiercest and the more intelligent of the two. But he'd rather have Arthur on the throne than Morgana. Bayard shuddered and paced around his chamber. She would have made a formidable opponent on her own, but Arthur...
The current king's only redeeming strength was the loyalty he receives from his people, certainly from his bloody knights. A Round Table! He heard those rumours as well and his spy confirmed them. Siding with commoners? That was positively radical and he didn't like it one bit. Uther with all his flaws was at least consistently conservative. Laws that were in place for centuries where being ripped apart in Camelot these days and Bayard didn't like that. What if those revolutionary winds made their way towards his own kingdom? He couldn't let that happen, he wouldn't let it happen!
I should declare war on him now, when he least expects it. Spying in my kingdom? Trying to pry Nortcliff away? But Bayard was hesitant. He knew Sir Leon from past tournaments and peace treaties: the man was utterly noble. He just couldn't believe that man would stoop so low to become a spy. Actually that doesn't make sense. Why would that insufferable Arthur send his well known second in command to spy? He may very well be an idiot, his entourage wasn't.
Better be sure before accusing a well respected knight of spying. Better be sure Lord Egerton wasn't causing a scandal on purpose. He wouldn't put it past the revolting man to make up things just to get back in his good graces.
And he couldn't disregard the implication of Caerleon's alliance. He couldn't afford to go to war with both Camelot and Caerleon. Bayard fumed with rage and angrily pounded his fist down on his desk. That had been totally unexpected. A friendship between Arthur and Annis! Didn't she have any honour or pride? Arthur killed her husband! But somehow she 'saw' something in him. She had been positively swooning. Women, there was a reason why they weren't fit to rule. On top of that his contacts there weren't successful in poisoning Caerleon's Court against King Bloody Arthur!
Better be sure...
"Get me a clerk." Bayard bellowed towards his manservant who had been standing fearfully besides the door in a obedient manner, like servants ought to be. A letter to his very own spy might clarify the whole matter.
An hour later two pigeons were on their way, one back to Nortcliff and one towards Camelot...
"Do you see that man with the glassy eye and blue robes?"
Percival nodded as Elyan continued to inform him who's who at Caerleon's Court. The meeting had been very brief and ended more as a social gathering than a council. Nothing of importance had been decided, only that the knights of Camelot were welcome to stay until the next messenger from the coast arrived. Until then they were encouraged by Elyan to mingle among Caerleon's knights.
For now Elyan and Percival were standing in a corner, observing the room, sometimes politely conversing when someone walked up to them to introduce themselves. Percival was impressed by Elyan. He was able to sum up the Lords various relations, current position towards Camelot and Arthur and if and sometimes what they were scheming at the moment. And they were many Lords and Knights at the castle. Percival was having a hard time remembering the names, let alone everything else. Yet Elyan recalled every detail seemingly without effort.
"That's Lord Ackley, a large landowner from the south of Caerleon. His oldest daughter is of age and they moved here trying to find a suitor. Only she doesn't want a suitor. Not interested in any of them. Her father is completely driven mad by her refusals. Now, Margaret, her handmaiden gossiped last week with the kitchen staff that she saw Ackley's daughter sneak into town to meet a young handsome tradesman who conveniently relocated here as well. Of course her father doesn't have a clue." Elyan smirked, "Annis obviously knows, but hasn't found the time to deal with the matter or that's what she told Lady Edlyn, the girl's mother who appealed to the Queen's wisdom to put a stop on it, all without the interference of her husband. The man would probably demand a duel and die. The Queen had a private audience with the girl, encouraging her to be upfront with her parents and asked her to bring the young man to court. The man comes from a wealthy family, all traders for at least three generations, well connected with the major cities in Albion including Nortcliff contact's and they are the most valued. A match between them along with the Queen's approval would be beneficial for all parties. Lord Ackley's treasury is shrinking rapidly and taxes need to be paid of course. "
Percival could only nod at that. He was astounded, both by Elyan's knowledge as by the mechanics working behind Caerleon's Court. He wondered if that applied to Camelot as well. It probably did.
"And you don't want to talk to that man." Elyan warned and slightly inclined his head to the left towards a middle aged man in green and brown. His clothes looked expensive and he was currently talking to the Queen, laughing at something she said.
"I don't like him, never did. Queen Annis told me to trust my instincts on this though she never told me any reason to be suspicious of Lord Linwood." Elyan said and made a face, "But every time I talk with him, I feel myself agreeing with everything he says. And I'm positive he hates my guts. I think he's capable of stabbing me in the heart still carrying that pleasant smile of his telling me it's for my own good."
"I didn't mean to scare you, my friend, I'm perfectly safe here." Elyan apologetically patted Percival on the shoulder, who looked positively shocked for a moment, "Why don't we go spar now? I'll fetch Sir Brickem and maybe even the Prince. You'll like those two. They say what they mean. Just don't mention Arthur's name in front of the Prince."
"Arthur, there is something else you must know." Leon started ominously, he almost forgot this small matter, "Bayard's men were at the border. I fear their number was too great to be 'just patrolling'."
"I refuse to believe he feels confident enough to attack Camelot."
"Nonetheless, I feel he's looking for a provocation." Leon pursued his point, "He dislikes you, Arthur and that sentiment has worsened from the moment you contacted Queen Annis."
"You're seriously considering the possibility of war?" Arthur asked disbelievingly, "We did nothing to provoke him!"
"Except sending us three to Nortcliff." Leon argued, "You know it was a risk, Arthur, we all knew that. It's possible that we were recognized there."
"I've read that Nortcliff used to be part of Camelot in the past." Gwen interjected.
"They were, but the villagers are not particularly fond of high lords and kings." Gwaine snorted at this, but Gaius ignored him an continued his history lesson, "When Uther became king they choose Bayard as the lesser threat."
"So do you think he could rally them in this new war of him?" Arthur asked thoughtful, allying themselves with Bayard wasn't the same as being loyal to him…
"Could be, anyway he'll wait for Spring to launch an elaborate attack." Leon said, but Gwaine shook his head.
"I don't believe that," Gwaine stated firmly, "Although Leon's possibly right about Spring. But within a year Northcliff's allegiance will shift towards Camelot or specifically towards you, Arthur."
"Me?"
"I put in a good word for you." Gwaine said as if it was self explicatory.
"You only really talked to Duncan." Merlin remarked.
"Both of you never realized how important Duncan is." It was a statement, not a question. "He seems harmless and quite ordinary to any outsider, but the Green Death Cap is only one of his businesses although his other occupation is much more informal."
"You mean illegal." Leon groaned when a sudden realization just struck him, "He's a smuggler."
Gwaine grinned, "Some claim he's the smuggler. But I think that's an exaggeration. It's kind of a family business. He's probably one of the most well connected men in Norcliff and beyond, though he doesn't flaunt his position, which explains why he's still in business. But that's not my point. What's important for us is that his opinion carries a lot of weight, Arthur and I told him exactly what I thought about you."
It was Arthur time to groan now, "Don't tell me you used the word 'princess'. Gwaine, that's not funny!" He shouted but his angry stare was pretty ineffective because Gwen couldn't stifle her giggles causing Arthur's mouth to twitch.
"Actually, it's worse, Arthur." Merlin said smiling as well, "He told Duncan about the Once and Future King." And gone was that confidence Merlin observed when he entered the chamber. Still some work to do there, he thought pondering Arthur's obvious discomfort.
"Relax, mate, Duncan was impressed."
"If Nortcliff becomes part of Camelot, Bayard will without a doubt go to war." Leon said gravely.
"Well, one way or another within a year we'll be at war with Bayard." Arthur concluded.
A year. They were discussing what could happen in a year. Merlin silently clenched his fist beneath the table to prevent any other reaction, like screaming at this sudden feeling of powerlessness that overwhelmed him. Kilgharrah's words, he'd forgotten for a moment, but reality just hit back with a vengeance.
I'm not going to be here, am I?
"Guys, we running ahead of ourselves." Merlin said carefully controlling the tremble in his voice, "We have to deal with Morgana first. She's the biggest threat at the moment."
"Merlin's right." Arthur said seriously and then rolled his eyes when he glanced at his friend, "Don't look so smug, I'm certain it's by accident." Merlin just grinned, but it was nothing more than a desperate attempt to try to cover up the nerves racking through his body. He promised himself he was going to do this before the end of the meeting. He shifted his attention back to Arthur, listening for that one opportune moment.
"We just have to think about it, I mean we've successfully dealt with similar threats in the past. Surely we can find a solution if we put our heads together. It is not if our past victories magically appeared … out of … thin air…" Arthur trailed off, suddenly distracted by Merlin nervously fidgeting his neckerchief while staring intently at his knees.
"Merlin…?" Arthur asked puzzled.
The warlock glanced around the Table. Leon gave him his silent support with a barely visible nod. Gwaine was not so subtle as he hold up two thumbs, a gesture he subsequently tried to hide with an equal subtle cough. Gaius eyed this exchange suspiciously. What was going on here?
Merlin took a deep breath and looked at his king, "Well, actually it's quite a funny story."
Yeah, I left it at that...
* This actually happened in a deleted scene of S4 in the first episode. You can find it on YouTube if you're curious. I'm not sure if 'Dalbeth' is the correct name Arthur used, but I settled for this name.