... previously ...
The Knights of The Round Table
"Sit down all of you and let's continue. I know it's a shock but … Merlin and his magic are the only reason that any of us are still alive and, despite my father's first law still being in place, I believe it is essential that we have a sorcerer on our side. How else will we be able to defeat our enemies?"
"But … as you said. The law …?" said Leon.
"Yes. Now, I have to ask you all. You have shown me great loyalty during the incident with the cup. You risked your lives for me and I have invited you to this meeting to ask for your advice on the changes I now wish to make. I have already changed the law in regard to commoners becoming knights if their abilities are good enough and now, I wish you opinion on the sensitve subject of magic. I won't be changing the law over night – but I do need to start making subtle moves towards allowing magic back and promoting Merlin and allowing him to use his gifts more openly is the first step in doing this. I have heard to ask if any of you have any objections to this. The senior lords certainly will, but I can do nothing without the full support of my Round Table. Leon?"
"I have always been your friend and your loyal subject Arthur first and foremost. This is … surprising but … I trust your judgement. You have my total fealty."
"Thank you, and about Merlin?" Leon swallowed hard and turned to the skinny man on his left. "I … I can see the military logic of your decision, Sire and am more than aware of his loyalty to you. As long as he does no harm to you or Camelot then I shall keep his secret."
"Thank you." Merlin's reply was heartfelt and Leon nodded briefly and sat down, still looking a little uncomfortable.
"I don't think the situation has changed much for the rest of us," said Gwaine. "Well, this Merlin thing obviously … I'm most offended that you didn't tell me by the way …"
"Although apparently not very surprised," Merlin countered.
"It does make a certain amount of sense, when I think back on various events. Anyway, as far as I'm concerned Arthur, if you can accept Merlin after finding out that he has magic, then you have my complete and total allegiance."
"Elyan, Percival?" Merlin asked. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."
"It is a shock," Elyan said but ..." he looked at his sister. "You knew too … and Lancelot?" They both nodded. "Well, despite growing up believing that all magic is evil, I know Merlin and .. well, he isn't so." He shook his head, trying to get his thoughts in order. "You're right, it makes perfect sense to have a sorcerer on our side."
"Foolhardy not to have one, in fact," said Percival quietly.
"My thoughts exactly," said Arthur. "In fact, now I'm worried about just having one," he shook his head in disbelieve. "Can you believe that? I'm now considering actively seeking them out."
"I think I'm offended," said Merlin and grinned when he saw everyone's confused looks. "What? I've defended Camelot and saved all your lives so many times all undercover whilst playing the idiot. You think I couldn't continue to do that job when I can now use rather more than the little party tricks I've been displaying so far.
"You call how you defeated that group of bandits a 'party trick?' said Arthur incredulously. He leant back on his chair and folded his arms with a smug grin at the numerous stunned looks he saw.
"Pretty much. I haven't exactly had much time to study over the years, after all. Just wait until I really start learning how to do magic."
A/N Thank you so much for all your lovely comments about these last few chapters.
Can you spot the 'Buffy' quote in this one? It's my absolute favourite and, although I've used an edited version before, I was delighted to find that it fits perfectly here.
19. How To Beat A Warlock
As soon as Arthur had concluded the meeting, Merlin was instantly surrounded by everyone and bombarded with numerous questions about his magic. Rather overwhelmed, the young warlock found himself instinctively backing towards Arthur - seeking his protection - which, a part of him decided, was highly ironic given the circumstances.
"Enough!" Arthur shouted, placing a hand on Merlin's shoulder and stepping alongside him. "I need not remind you that, as far as the majority of Camelot in concerned, Merlin is still just my servant and of no great importance. There will be a time, very soon, for his abilities to be revealed to all, but that time is not now. Please try to curb your curiosity – you'll all get a chance to talk to him privately about this. Now, it's time you lot went training."
"That's great," said Gwaine with a huge grin. "Merlin can join in with our sparring, now we know that he can hold his own."
"Gwaine, did you not hear what I just said? Merlin cannot be seen to be doing magic outside of this room. He has enough experience to know what he can and cannot get away with but ... his talent is not for your entertainment."
"Fair enough," said Leon quietly "but, what you were just saying about Camelot's defences and what Merlin was saying about practising. Shouldn't we view this as an opportunity to learn how to defeat our magical enemies?"
"Perhaps but, as I said, we cannot risk having the Lords find out yet."
"So, we arrange a hunting trip," Elyan suggested. "Go and find somewhere secluded and then, not only can Merlin answer our questions and show us what he can do, but we can also start planning and training against a possible magical threat."
Arthur frowned slightly, looking at the various excited expressions in front of him, whilst Merlin muffled a laugh at their open, pleading expressions. Gwaine caught his amusement and grinned.
"Please, Father ... please may we?" he asked in a high pitched voice and Merlin burst into uncontrollable giggles.
It had taken a few days to arrange as it hadn't been easy for Arthur to persuade the Lords that the young King should be allowed some time outside of the castle every now and then. He wasn't going into enemy or bandit filled territory, he insisted, it wasn't even a proper hunting trip - he was simply going for a day out with friends and a few guards.
So, it wasn't long before Arthur set out with Merlin, Gwen, Lancelot, Gwaine, Leon, Elyan and Percival - the knights dressed informally with just the lightest of chain-mail - to a quiet secluded spot near the river, their horses laden with swords, cross bows and a large picnic.
"Fine, so do you reckon we're secluded enough here, Merlin? Can you tell?" Arthur asked when they'd reached their destination. Merlin closed his eyes for a moment before nodding.
"Yes, Arthur, it's all clear. I'll continue to keep an eye out," he shook his head, "a mind out ... I mean." The other knights exchanged an interested look.
"So, all those times recently when you insisted we put out scouts ...?" Elyan asked incredulously. Arthur and Merlin exchanged an amused look and grinned innocently at him. The other knights groaned.
"So, how about I see what you're really capable of then, Merlin?" said Gwaine with a grin. "Go get a sword."
"Why would I need a sword?" He replied confused. Gwaine looked equally baffled by his reply, but Elyan had appeared at the warlock's side with a weapon and handed it to Merlin before anyone had time to explain the plan.
"So, you and I can fight on an even footing now," said Gwaine gleefully. "I'm assuming that you can use your magic to be stronger and faster than normal?"
"Well yes, I could but ...?" He looked around at the others to see if they understood his confusion, but most seemed to be eagerly anticipating a sparring match and Merlin sighed and decided to simply play along ... for now.
Gwaine came at him and Merlin basically did what he always did when fighting a superior swordsman; attempted to block and parry as much as he could but with the new advantage of being able to use his magic openly if he so desired. To the audience the warlock looked as awkward and inelegant as usual but, this time, he was slowing time down a little to give him more chance to react, and adding a magical push to the sword every time it touched Gwaine's. It didn't look especially pretty, but he noticed that Gwaine's eyes were widening and the knight was beginning to look a little out of breath. Merlin grinned and relaxed a little, his confidence showing in his posture as he found the rhythm and the timing of the thing. After a while, he became more and more confident about the subtle spells he was using, before suddenly giving rather more push on his next sword strike than was necessary, and throwing Gwaine across the makeshift fighting arena they had created.
"But ... you didn't even say anything," said Gwaine rising to his feet shakily. "I thought you sorcerers had to chant a lot of mumbo-jumbo to make your magic work?"
"I have to do that for difficult things," said Merlin and then grinned at everyone's shock at the thought that what he'd just done was easy.
Gwaine got back up and was joined by Elyan – the two now approaching Merlin with a grin. Despite being initially worried, he found that all he needed to do was slow down time just a little bit more, so that he was able to turn quickly from one opponent to another. To those watching, Merlin seemed to be fighting incredibly quickly, his sword arm sometimes blurring with speed. When he had those two knights laying flat out on their backs on the ground too, Merlin risked a look at Arthur who was leaning against a tree, his arms folded, legs slightly crossed and his face totally unreadable. Gwen sat on a blanket on the floor next to him and gave him a broad smile of encouragement.
"Fine. How about three of us?" Merlin turned around to see Leon and Percival walking towards him with Lancelot in the middle. Merlin tried not to grin at the sight. The darker man was above average height but, compared to these two, he looked tiny. Then again, Merlin was tall enough that he rarely had to look up at anyone, so he had to admit that he found it highly unnerving to be facing two such towering opponents.
Still, it made little difference whether it were Elyan or Percival when it came to magic. In fact, Merlin decided, this was all getting a bit boring. They still didn't get it. They still didn't understand that he didn't need a weapon that, in fact, it was more of a hindrance to him than a help. But, how could they understand? To these men fighting was all about swords and maces and cross bows. He grinned as a few interesting ideas started to form in his mind. He parried Lancelot's attack, slowing down time for long enough to be able to turn towards Leon and push hard with magic against his sword as their two weapons made contact. The older knight flew backwards much as the others had previously but then, Merlin did chant a few words, threw his left hand in Percival's direction and then quickly chanted another spell at Lancelot. His friend's eyes went wide as he saw the wicked gleam in Merlin's eyes and suddenly there was a surprised shout from behind him and gasps of astonishment from the four spectators.
"Isn't that cheating?" asked Percival, who was now currently hanging upside down, six feet in the air.
"Woof," Lancelot agreed.
"Merlin!" said Gwaine gleefully. "You turned Lancelot into a dog." Gwen giggled and Arthur glared at her, silently warning her not to go over and pat him. He probably should have turned him into something less cute, Merlin thought belatedly, before lazily chanted the counter spell. The large, black dog turned back in Lancelot who, still on his haunches shook his head violently. He coughed, which still sounded a little like a bark.
"Merlin, did you have to do that?" he said, looking slightly dazed.
"Sorry, couldn't resist."
"Ah ... Merlin, would you mind?" He turned to notice Percival still lightly floating upside down as if he weighed nothing at all.
"Oh, yeah ... of course." He just waved a hand in his general direction and the big man floated down a little before suddenly falling onto the floor in a heap. After a few more moments, all five knights started to advance on him again and Merlin started to shake his head sadly.
"You just don't get it, do you guys? I don't need a sword." He threw it on the ground. "I don't need weapons because ... well ... I am a weapon." His voice turned firmer on these last four words and he felt a great deal of satisfaction at seeing all five hesitate for a brief moment before continuing their advance. Merlin risked a quick look at Arthur who had resumed his apparently bored stance against the tree, whilst Gwen was now sitting up, her hands on the blanket in front of her, biting her lip nervously. Those two, Merlin thought, had some idea about just how out of their depth these five really were. He put both palms up towards the advancing knights and then, with a golden glow of his eyes and absolutely no words at all, he pushed a little, noting with satisfaction how all five were pushed gently backwards. They tried again and he pushed a little harder. On the third attempt, Merlin lowered his arms, closed his eyes and chanted a spell. This time the knights appeared not to encounter any resistance and moved towards the warlock with no hindrance. That was until their sword tips touched the invisible shield he'd just created around himself. Merlin opened his eyes slowly and grinned. He happened to be looking at Gwaine at the time and saw total shock on his friend's face.
"Good grief, Merlin. Do you have to look at me like that?"
"Like what? You started this little charade, Gwaine. Why don't you come and finish what you started?" Gwaine's expression hardened as pushed his sword point towards Merlin again and encountered a force which felt like solid rock. As the knights became more confident about not hurting Merlin, they all started to stab and strike harder at the invisible wall. After several long moments of this Merlin gave an exaggerated yawn.
"Bored now," he said calmly and his eyes glowed brightly. All five were flung wildly up in the air and Arthur suddenly stood upright, shocked at this violent display, whilst Gwen gave a muffled shriek. Merlin quickly dropped his shield and held out his hands, gradually slowing down his friends' descent so they came to no harm.
"I think perhaps Merlin has made his point?" said Arthur calmly, although his eyes did look a little wild.
"Do you understand now?" the warlock asked. "One against five is easy. I could probably do that to a whole army."
"You're joking?" Elyan breathed and Merlin shook his head.
"The only restriction I have at the moment is that I cannot use this openly in front of the Lords. When I was younger and less able, I couldn't risk being found out because I would have been sentenced to death. Not that it was likely that Uther could have actually killed me but, the point was that if I had to hide or be exiled, I would not be able remain close enough to Arthur to protect him. Even now, my secret can't be revealed because Arthur needs to be the type of King that everyone loves and respects and, thanks to Uther, the majority of the population think that magic and everyone associated with it, is evil. Until we can change that view, I have to continue to work undercover."
"But, we do need to know how to defeat a sorcerer, there must be a way," said Leon.
"For a small group of knights without me?" He shook his head. "Unlikely."
"But, if we caught one unawares. Made sure that he couldn't cast a spell?" Elyan suggested.
"Try ..." said Merlin with a calm shrug. "Come here and hold me captive." They approached him nervously at first but Merlin didn't resist. He let Percival hold his two thin wrists in just one large hand behind his back, whilst Leon and Lancelot held a shoulder and Elyan rearranged his neckerchief and used it as a gag. Merlin caught Arthur's eye at this point and saw him grin at his servant's indignant expression at the use of his clothing in this fashion. Then he felt something cold and sharp touch his neck and guessed that Percival's free hand was holding a knife to his throat.
"So, sorcerer," said Gwaine, who was standing slightly behind and to his right and obviously revelling in playing his part. "Now you're captured and bound and we're all behind you. What now?"
There were many possibilities, Merlin thought. He could probably simply push backwards but then ... If they wanted him to play the part of an evil sorcerer then maybe he should think and act the way they did. He looked over towards Arthur and grinned through his gag, before allowing his eyes to fall on the collection of swords lying on the ground. Following his gaze, Arthur gave a sudden yelp and quickly moved from his position by the tree to crouch next to Gwen, pulling her close to him.
"What ..?" she spluttered, confused. "Arthur .. ?" Six swords rose majestically from the ground in front of them and hurtled towards the King and his betrothed. The weapons came to a halt a palm's length from the couple, points all aimed at their heads. Merlin moved his head very slightly so that he could see Gwaine and raised his eyebrows at him. The knight's expression turned from shock to amusement and he moved towards the warlock, lowering his gag.
"What are your terms ... sorcerer?" he asked with a wicked glint.
"Obvious, I would have thought. Lower your knife and release me or your King dies." The hands were removed and the swords floated back towards the field and then dropped. Merlin shrugged.
"Sorry, Gwen. Hope I didn't scare you."
"N-no, that's fine. I knew that you wouldn't ... I trust you."
"Hey, aren't you going to apologise to me?" asked Arthur
"Nope, you still owe me for all the times you called me an idiot. Anyway, you knew what I was going to do."
"I can't believe you'd go to those lengths to win that round?" said Elyan crossly.
"I wouldn't," said Merlin, "but your enemies would – and you all need to understand just how much danger you're really in whilst facing a sorcerer when I'm not around to help.
"So, how can we win? What do we need to do?" asked Leon. "What is the very best form of defence in this situation?" Merlin turned to the group, all looking at him with wide expectant eyes.
"There's only one possible defence," he said, his voice now deep and serious, "and even then there's no guarantee of survival."
"What? What do we have to do?" Merlin's gaze intensified, a wickedly joyous glint appearing in his eyes.
"Run."
xoXox
A/N First thing I was taught about self defence in Taekwondo. 1) Try to avoid getting yourself into that position in the first place, 2) Run. Only fight as a last resort.
So, that's for all of you who loved Bamf!Merlin in chapter 13. Even thought he was only play acting here, it was good for him to show all those 'rough tough save the world' types exactly what they're up against.