Alaia Skyhawk: Yeah, long wait for this one, but admittedly I've been addicted to Ocarina of Time 3D since I got my hands on it on Friday. So much nostalgia, I couldn't bear to put it down. In fact I'm becoming tempted to resume my Zelda fics, but first I need to finish Whom History before I start up again on any of those XD
Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.
Music: N/A
"Whom History Won't Remember" Episode: N/A
~(-)~
Chapter 49: Excalibur ~Part 1~
So many guards, useless. Locked gates, no barrier to her...
There was naught else but the sound of her footsteps in the old crypts, as she walked through them in search of a very specific tomb. She had long considered how she would next strike against Uther, for it would take great care to ensure she did not harm either Prince Arthur or his protector. No, he and Merlin must not be touched, and that was why the choice of grave was important. There was one man here who bore great ill will against Uther, but who would hold none against the king's son. A man who upon being summoned would agree to the boundaries she would set, if only to get his chance at revenge.
Nimueh smiled when she reached it, holding her hand out over the stone coffin and the carved figure of a man in armour that topped it. Her whispered words trembled with power, as at her will her power called forth the dead man's soul to give him and his body movement and voice even if never again would there be life or breath. That was a price she would not pay for striking down Uther, the cost of returning true life, not when the walking dead were nigh impossible to kill. No, this fallen warrior would not rest again until his retribution was complete. Only then would the spell break.
The spell complete, she took a step back when the lain figure on the coffin began to crack and shatter before a gauntlet-clad hand burst forth from within. It was followed by a head and shoulders in scarred armour, the darkened slits of that helm turning to face her.
She stared back, smiling at the success of her spell and in anticipation of what was to come.
"I summon you, give you a chance to finish your unfinished task. I give you the opportunity to gain revenge for both of us, but I have terms."
All remained silent for a moment until a man's voice rasped forth, unused for over twenty years.
"What are they?"
Nimueh lifted her chin, confident he would agree to them.
"You must appear to challenge Prince Arthur, but he must not be harmed. Kill as many knights as necessary who take the challenge instead of him as I know they will. Time will come when he will challenge you himself, and that is when I will ensure that the man we want dead will take his place... Uther Pendragon." She smiled with malice. "He would never accept a direct challenge from you, but he will to save his son. He is not to know we mean no harm to the prince, and that will be our advantage."
The dead knight climbed out of the coffin, to stand beside it in his tattered and half-rotted cloak.
"I hold no quarrel with Ygraine's son. I agree to your terms."
She raised a hand.
"There is one other you must not harm, the prince's manservant. I do not doubt that he will attempt to stop you using magic, but he is no threat and does not possess the means to harm you. You are to ignore him if he tries anything. Those two are the only ones I will not permit you to kill. Should you try, I will rip your chance of revenge away from you, and find another way to get my own. That is my one warning."
Dead fingers reached for dusty blade, drawing his sword and holding it with both hands in salute.
"Then you have my word, I will not harm them. All I seek is the death of Uther."
"And in that we are most certainly agreed..."
~(-)~
All eyes watched the scene, that was being held in the smaller of the castle's two great halls. Only those who were invited were in attendance, the elite of Camelot... Well, unless you also happened to be a servant and lucky enough to be picked for the 'honour' of waiting on those people.
Merlin fought back a small yawn of boredom, wishing he could have gone to bed instead of being here for this late night ceremony. He'd already spent most of the day with Arthur fussing and flustering about, demanding his best clothing to cleaned and for a hot bath to be prepared. He'd then nitpicked incessantly while Merlin had been dressing him in those clothes, until said servant had been extremely tempted to gag him.
He sighed, stuck standing with Gwen by one wall, holding a jug of wine. At least this torment of formality was almost over, now that Uther had gone to the dais at the far end, where his throne had been set, and Arthur was kneeling before him. Time to say the vows, and then all the servant would have to do was follow the prat back to his room, help him prepare for bed, and he could go to his own. But, as it was, he realised he'd better pay attention to what Uther was now saying. If Arthur noticed his servant looking bored at something so important, he'd never hear the end of it.
"Do you solemnly swear to govern the people of this kingdom and its dominions, according to the statutes, customs, and laws laid down by your forbears?"
Arthur's full attention was on his father, eyes looking up to him unwavering as he replied.
"I do, Sire."
"Do you promise to exercise mercy and justice in your deeds and judgements?"
Arthur nodded solemnly.
"I do, Sire."
Uther held forth the ceremonial gold rod he was holding, so that it was level with his son's eyes.
"And do you swear allegiance to Camelot, now and for as long as you shall live?"
The prince placed his hand upon it, certain of his words as he took hold of it from his father's grasp.
"I, Arthur Pendragon, do pledge life and limb to your service and to the protection of the kingdom and its peoples."
The king looked pleased, turning to where one of his manservants stood with a gold circlet crown on a red velvet cushion, picking it up and beginning to lower it onto Arthur's head.
"Now, being of age and heir apparent, from henceforth you shall be Crown Prince of Camelot."
Applause rang out, as Arthur now slowly rose to his feet to stand proudly beside his father. He was twenty-one today, considered now to be adult enough to inherit and rule without need for guidance. Of course, Merlin found that to be somewhat stupid. Nobles didn't consider their children real adults until that age, yet would let their sons be knights at eighteen? Well, sixteen in Arthur's case. Yes, it was all quite silly since commoners were quite acceptable to join the army at that age, and in fact many common men would marry at that age and have been working for a living a year or even more before that. But still, for Arthur in this world of feasts and political manoeuvring, this was a big moment. One that he wouldn't have reached without his help.
"So how does it feel to be servant to the Crown Prince of Camelot?"
Merlin, distracted from his thoughts, glanced to Gwen where she stood beside him.
"Washing his royal socks will be even more of a privilege."
She laughed.
"You're proud of him really, even though you complain about him constantly."
"I am not."
His denial only widened her smile.
"You are. I can see it in your face."
He looked at her again.
"Those socks are very clean, of course I'm proud of them."
Her smile became wry.
"And that might be true, if you were actually the one who washed them."
His eyes glinted with mischief.
"Fine then, I clean his boots. Look how immaculate they are, and when he's wearing them you can't see his socks."
Both of them began to laugh, quietly in mind that they were servants and the nobles might hear, but further conversation was ended when the stained glass window that dominated the end of the hall was shattered by the bulk of a black horse and its rider smashing through it. Shards scattered everywhere, guests cowering and shielding their faces from the fragments and the knights present drawing their swords, before the rider slowly began to approach the Uther and Arthur.
The king's eyes alighted upon the chest of the rider's shield, a silver eagle upon a black field, as did the eyes of the physician stood behind him. Both seemed transfixed by it, unmoving until the black knight threw down at gauntlet at Arthur's feet. The prince sheathed his sword in preparation to pick it up, but was beaten to it by the knight stood beside him.
That knight regarded the rider, and spoke.
"I, Sir Owain, accept your challenge."
The rider's head almost jerked to fix the shadowed slits in his helm to face the young man, his voice cold.
"Single combat, noon tomorrow... To the death."
The horse reared, the rider sending it charging to leap back through the window. Once he was gone, all eyes turned to Sir Owain, that young knight then turning and leaving the hall. Only Merlin cut that observation short, to instead glance at Arthur and the unreadable expression on his face... Unreadable for any but those who knew him well. He was upset.
The concerns that arose from that remained with him well after he'd accompanied Arthur back to his chambers and prepared his bed. Remained with him through Arthur's tirade to Morgana when the noblewoman stopped by and he had to explain to her why Owain must be the one to fight. They were still with him when he reached Gaius' chambers and headed to his room to seek his own rest.
He paused on the steps to his room, turning to face his mentor.
"Have you seen this Black Knight before?"
Gaius remained focused on what he was doing, giving a remedy that had been cooking all day, a stir before it would be left to simmer overnight.
"I don't believe so."
Merlin remained musing to himself.
"You didn't recognise his crest? Which house was it?"
Gaius glanced at him briefly and averted his gaze to look at the pot again.
"I'm not sure. I didn't see it that clearly."
Merlin folded his arms across his chest.
"But he's not someone you'd forget in a hurry, is he? So you don't think he's from around here?"
"That would seem likely."
"Then what's he doing here?"
Gaius let out an exasperated sigh, facing his ward in irritation.
"Merlin, your faith in my all-seeing knowledge is both touching and wholly misplaced. Maybe if you've finished your work, you could go to bed and leave me to finish mine."
The warlock looks a bit bemused at that, but resigned himself to listening.
"Okay, I'm going." He started up the remaining steps, pausing at his door. "Gaius?"
The physician sighed again.
"What is it?"
Merlin frowned a little in worry.
"Do you think Owain can beat him?"
"We'll find out soon enough."
Merlin finally retreated to his room and closed the door, Gaius' expression turning grim as soon as he was out of sight. He continued working on the remedy, until he was sure Merlin was asleep, and that was when he crept from his chambers to head for the one man who might know the answer to the question haunting his mind.
Geoffrey was already at the Hall of Records when he arrived, seeming almost relieved to see the physician approaching him.
"Gaius. Thank god."
The physician strode towards the table where he stood.
"You know why I'm here?"
Geoffrey nodded grimly.
"The Black Knight."
The unspoken meaning to that, Gaius understood with dread.
"So it is he? Have you confirmed it?"
"You saw his crest." Geoffrey pointed to the entry in the book before him, to the depiction of a black shield with a silver eagle, and the name written with it. "It is the crest of Tristan Dubois."
Gaius walked around the table to get a better look at the book.
"And he is the only knight to have carried such a crest?"
"Yes, according to the records."
Silence fell between them, filled with dark concerns, before Gaius nodded once in thanks and hurried out. He did not need to ask to know that the king would be in the council chambers right now, waiting to hear any word of who the knight was even if he most likely already suspected it himself.
It seemed that was true, for when the guards allowed Gaius to enter, he saw the man reach for the sword resting on the table before him. He was nervous, and with good reason.
"What have you to tell me?"
Gaius came a few steps closer in the darkened hall.
"The knight, the stranger. He bears the crest of Tristan Dubois."
Uther took a breath, as though what he'd dreaded was being confirmed.
"Yes..."
Gaius frowned.
"But he's been dead for twenty years."
Uther looked up at him, solemn.
"I know... I killed him."
"Then how do you explai..."
The king cut him off, firm despite the quietness of his words.
"Dead men do not return."
The two of them stared at each other in silence, before Gaius bowed and left. While those words might have been said to convince the physician, Gaius couldn't help but think the king had said them more to try and convince himself.
~(-)~
"Merlin, get over here and help with this armour."
"Yes, Sire."
Merlin set about getting Sir Owain into his armour, for once remaining professional with no hint of wry or witty remark. He knew when times were right for such things, and this wasn't one of them. He remained silent, listening as he did his work, as Arthur spoke to the young knight who had held the position for barely four months.
"You've never fought in mortal combat before. It's different. It's not like the training I've been giving you."
Owain put a small smile on his face, trying to lighten the sombre mood, keeping his back to the prince.
"Yeah, I know."
Arthur grabbed him by the shoulder, forcing him to turn and face him.
"Listen to me. The problem is we've never seen him fight. You have to quickly get the measure of him."
Owain did not seem unsettled by that.
"But I have the same advantage. He's never seen me fight."
Arthur hesitated before replying to that.
"...True."
Owain remained confident, or at least seemed to.
"You've watched me."
"Yes."
"And?"
To that question Arthur once again hesitated, before placing a hand on the knight's shoulder.
"And I know no one braver." He waited until Merlin had passed Owain his sword before he continued. "Remember. All it takes to kill a man is one well-aimed blow."
The door of the room opened, Gwen walking in and curtseying. She held up a strip of red cloth to Sir Owain.
"The Lady Morgana asked me to give you this token. She wishes you to wear it for luck."
Owain accepted it.
"You can thank her, and tell her I shall wear it with pride. But I won't need luck."
Gwen left at those words, giving the knight a nod to say she would pass on the message, but Merlin could see her slight disapproval at his bravado. Overconfidence, even pretended overconfidence, would not help him in the battle to come.
Arthur seemed to think the same think, the servant also noting the small frown on his face when the three of them set off for the arena. Grim drumbeats sounded at their approach, Merlin stopping beside Gaius at the gate near the stands. He watched as Arthur gave Owain some last advice, but after that his attention was fully on the fight about to begin.
Arthur stood between the two men, and called out to the crowd.
"The fight will be to the knights' rules, and to the death." He moved away from them and took his place in the stands, as a guardsman helped Owain out of his cloak and handed him his helmet. As soon as both were ready and in battle stance, he spoke again. "...Let battle commence."
The Black Knight lunged at Owain, using brutal two-handed swings of his great-sword to hammer on the shield the other man had chosen to use. The blows were hacking gashes into it, leaving it scared as if by a dozen battles within seconds of the fight starting. He drove Owain backwards, keeping on the pressure even when he circled to avoid being pinned against the arena sides.
It went on, the crowd watching with hearts in mouths, flinching at each strike and crying out when Owain fell over. But the knight regained his feet in time to avoid the next stab. He circled again, shuddering to one knee when he blocked an overhead swing.
That was when Arthur called out to him.
"One well-aimed blow!"
Owain clearly heard him, seeming to focus before he thrust his sword upwards into the Black Knight's unguarded stomach.
Merlin saw it strike true.
"Yes!"
But then his smile of victory faded, when the Black Knight didn't even stagger. Instead he advanced on an equally surprised Owain, driving him back and to the floor before running him through.
The entire crowd cried out in shock and horror, the Black Knight turning to face the Royal Box and throwing down his gauntlet again.
"Who will take up my challenge?"
Arthur moved to vault the rail to take it, but was halted when his father grabbed him by the shoulder. In the delay that caused, another knight did what Arthur had intended to, walking to the gauntlet and picking it up.
"I, Sir Pellinor, take up the challenge."
The Black Knight seemed to consider it for a moment before speaking.
"So be it."
His head turned the dark slits of his helmet to stare at the king, before he turned and walked away. Arthur watched it in frustration and anger, even as Merlin too watched the knight pass him by.
He spoke to the physician beside him.
"Shouldn't we tend to his wounds? He took a hit."
Gaius sounded confused.
"Owain didn't land a blow."
Merlin shook his head.
"I saw it, the sword definitely pierced him."
Beside him, Gaius frowned.
"Are you sure?"
Merlin frowned in certainty, but he too sounded a little confused by what had just happened.
"My eyes are quicker than yours... He should be dead."
Gaius began to look grim.
"Perhaps he already is."
~(-)~
"Why did you stop me?"
Arthur's angry voice rang out behind his father, the two of them entering the council chambers. The prince had remained at the arena to see to the respectful removal of Sir Owain's body, but the moment that had been done he had taken off after his father whom had already returned to the castle. He was on the verge of rage, and wanted answers, but the ones his father would give him were not the ones he would want to hear.
Uther ignored the tone of his son's voice, answering calmly and without stopping his stride.
"We have to give our knights the chance to prove themselves."
Arthur gestured in the direction of the arena.
"Have you seen how this stranger fights?"
"And Sir Pellinor is more than a match for him."
There was a hint of warning in his voice now, but Arthur did not heed it.
"He is not yet recovered from the wounds he received at Athandon!"
Uther turned to face his son.
"I can't help that."
Arthur stared at him, barely able to believe this. This wasn't right, and it wasn't fair, and he felt like his father was holding him back and shielding him as if he were a small child. He was the Crown Prince of Camelot now, and it didn't sit well with the vows he'd made last night.
"So you send him to his death?"
Those words pushed the king over the edge of his anger, the volume of his voice rising in reproval.
"It was his choice to take up the gauntlet." He lowered his voice again, turning to leave. "I am not to blame."
Arthur watched him go, gritting his teeth and storming out in the opposite direction, unaware that his rising fury was being watched with anticipation. He was oblivious to it, just as he was oblivious to the fact the Court Physician and his ward were on their way to do some not entirely approvable snooping... down in the depths of the crypts below the castle.
Gaius led Merlin to the top of the stairway to the lowest levels of the castle. The young warlock glanced at his mentor before they began the descent, seeming a bit concerned by what they were about to do.
"Are you sure we should be doing this?"
Gaius didn't even glance at him.
"You're not scared are you?"
Merlin felt a smile coming to his face.
"No, I love old crypts... I wouldn't be seen dead anywhere else."
Gaius turned as if to berate him, but was cut off when the doorway above slammed shut and plunged them into almost total darkness. He frowned.
"It must have been a gust of wind. We should have brought a torch."
Looking around them, Merlin peered through the darkness and spotted an unlit torch in a stand a few steps up from them. He grabbed it, holding a hand out over its end.
"Leohtbora."
The torch's end burst into flame, lighting the stairway with its golden glow. Gaius eyed it with a small smile.
"Hmm, handy."
Merlin gave him a cheerful grin.
"Yes, I am."
The set off again, Gaius leading the way into the depths and to the part of the crypts they were seeking. When they reached them, he began to wend his way among the many coffins laid out within them.
"Follow me."
Merlin glanced around at all the graves, once again feeling a little nervous about being down here.
"What are we looking for?"
Gaius pointed to an area not that far ahead.
"Bring your torch over here."
Merlin did as he was asked, but was still frowning about it.
"We're breaking into someone's grave?"
Gaius had no chance to answer before they reached the coffin in question and stopped in shock, both of them staring at the shattered lid and the space beneath... The grave was empty.
Both of them looked at each other, before staring once again at the grave, Gaius sounding not altogether pleased.
"It appears we're too late. I think someone has already broken out..."
~(-)~
Alaia Skyhawk: Once again, apologies for the delay, but Zelda: Ocarina of Time happens to be one of my all time favourite games and I'm not ashamed to admit I'm probably somewhat addicted to it XD
I'll update the next part either tomorrow or Friday :)