Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin
Merlin's first day as Arthur's servant had been predictably easy, if slightly annoying (he had been forced to listen to about a dozen people explain to him the way things were run).
Poor Edward hadn't known what to make of him. From the ex-manservant's perspective, it probably seemed as though Merlin had a perfect memory, remembering directions and menus after only hearing them once. Not to mention that he was the one who showed Edward the shortcut to Arthur's room, not the other way around.
It wasn't until the Arthur's warm-up that Merlin began to suffer.
First of all, it had been years since he'd ever had to repress his magic to such an extent. And with the growth it had gone through over the years, a whip-lash would probably have devastating effects. The last time he'd gone through this, his magic was little more than a puddle – easy to control under pressure. Now he was having to learn to hold back an ocean. It didn't help, of course, that every time Arthur would yell, "Head!" he would then go on to slam his sword against Merlin's helmet. In reaction, his magic would well up and prepare to knock his attacker into the nearest tree.
Secondly, all of the muscle memory he'd built up for physical combat was gone. Back in his Camelot, Merlin been considered a decent swordsman. Now, even though he knew what to do, his body didn't respond to any of his mental commands until it was too late.
"Arm!"
CLASH!
"Body!"
BANG!
"Head!" Arthur shouted.
"Ah!" Merlin yelled, and Arthur's sword came pummeling down.
CLANG!
The top of Merlin's helmet reverberated, and his balance faltered. "Ow," he said weakly, then toppled to the ground.
Inside him, his magic was raging.
It's not my fault if there's a thunderstorm tonight, Merlin thought dully, dropping his head back into the cool grass. His helmet had slipped off at some point in the fall.
"You're braver than you look," Arthur chuckled. "Most servants collapse after the first blow."
"Not brave – just stupid," Merlin said aloud, mostly to himself.
"Very likely." Arthur said. Then he held up a mace. "So? Ready for the next exercise?"
Merlin groaned.
O o O
As soon as the 'exercise session' was over, Arthur took pity on Merlin and called in a squire to come pick up the armor. Then he dismissed the warlock, saying that he could get some rest – Edward could finish off the rest of his duties. Merlin didn't even have it in him to feel sorry for the boy.
"But," Arthur warned, "you'd better come in tomorrow with at least a basic knowledge of tournaments and the etiquette involved. I don't want you embarrassing me in front of the other knights."
Merlin bowed. "Yes, sire," he said stiffly, then turned and limped off the field, taking off his own armor as he went.
As soon as Arthur was out of sight, he tossed the armor in a pile and ran.
No, he sprinted.
His magic was practically overflowing. If he didn't release the unhinged magic soon, the result would probably be a collapsed tower.
By the time he made it far enough into the forest, his forehead was burning feverishly. To emphasize the lack of equilibrium he was undergoing, his hands turned clammy, his footing stumbled, and his vision went gold.
Which is probably why Merlin missed seeing the log, tripping him and bringing him to his knees. He gasped.
Magic poured out of him.
O o O
Fifteen minutes later, Merlin staggered into Gaius's chambers soaking wet and drained of all energy.
"My boy," Gaius hurried over, taking the armor from Merlin's weak grasp. "Are you all right? You look terrible."
Merlin sighed and slumped onto the bench.
Gaius brought his eyebrows together. "Arthur didn't have you practicing out in the rain, did he?" he sounded angry. "I've told that boy time and time again..."
"No, I just got caught in it," Merlin interrupted, laying his head on the table. Water from his hair puddled onto the wooden surface.
They both listened to the thunder as it rang out overhead. Some of the candles flickered.
"I hope it doesn't continue to rain during the tournament – injuries tend to double when knights fight in weather like this," Gaius said, almost conversational.
Merlin didn't open his eyes.
"Don't worry, it'll stop in a few hours," he said softly.
Gaius appraised the weary boy in front of him. There was something about him... Gaius shook his head, he would worry about that later. Now, "Merlin, let's get you your supper, then it's up to bed."
O o O
As Merlin pulled the covers up to his neck, he remembered that he would have to do something about what's-his-name, the knight with the the snake shield.
Lightning lit the room, followed by a low roll of thunder.
Eh, he'll be easy enough to deal with, Merlin decided, then drifted into a deep slumber.
O o O
The next morning, Merlin woke up 'late'. Or the same time he always did when he was Arthur's manservant.
"Merlin!" Gaius exclaimed when he entered the chambers and caught Merlin eating breakfast. "You do remember that you're Arthur's manservant, don't you?"
Merlin calmly continued to spoon porridge into his mouth.
"Don't worry, I'm only a little late," he assured.
"Everyone else has been up at least an hour," Gaius said, concerned, looking ready to take away Merlin's bowl.
"Oh," Merlin frowned. "Maybe I should go back to bed then."
"What are you talking about? Do you want to be fired?"
Merlin looked up at Gaius. "You know, I really don't think the kin- the prince," he corrected, "is a much of a morning person. Yesterday he was half-asleep when he ate his breakfast."
Gaius frowned. "It doesn't matter whether he's a morning person or not. He was supposed to be up an hour ago!"
Merlin sighed and put down his spoon.
"Fine then," he said. "But watch him like me better than Edward just because I allow him to sleep in."
"Merlin," Gaius warned.
Merlin grinned and hurried out the door. It didn't matter what anyone thought. He knew he was right. Better yet, he knew what he was doing.
O o O
And he was right… to an extent. He'd forgotten that Arthur wasn't used to this more comfort-oriented schedule.
"Ugh! I missed the meeting with my father!" Arthur exclaimed, shoving the roll into his mouth while Merlin followed him around with his clothes.
"Sire..." he began.
"You!" Arthur swirled around and pointed at the dark-haired boy. "You!"
Merlin tapped his foot and waited.
He stalked up to Merlin until their faces were only six inches away from each other. Doing so, Merlin smugly noticed that he was taller than the prince. While he was contemplating the advantage, the warlock almost missed Arthur's threatening statement.
"You had better prepared a good excuse because otherwise I will make your life a living nightmare, starting with a day in the stocks."
Merlin rolled his eyes.
"You never let me finish," he drawled, handing Arthur his shirt. "I sent a messenger to king, sending your regrets, saying that you still had some important land disputes to review – they came in three hours ago – which are vital to the meeting, but that you would be able to meet with him in... we have about fifteen minutes, I think."
Arthur stared, crumbs falling out of his mouth.
"Your father sent a message back saying that it was perfectly all right and he's glad that you're taking the initiative," Merlin added as an afterthought, gesturing at the note on the table.
Arthur swallowed. "Really?" he finally asked.
"Mm-hm," Merlin hummed.
Arthur drummed his fingers against his arm.
"Wait a minute," the prince said, freezing, "you read?"
"Yup," Merlin answered, popping the 'p'.
Arthur frowned then moved behind the screen. "Where in earth did you learn how to read?" he asked, pulling the shirt over his head.
"My mother taught me," Merlin said, not elaborating.
There was a minute of silence as Arthur pondered this new development. He'd never had a servant who could read before.
"Merlin," Arthur suddenly hissed. Merlin froze. "There's a catch to your glorious plan. I haven't actually read those reports yet."
Merlin relaxed. "Don't worry about that," he said, riffling through the wardrobe for a pair of trousers. "I have."
Arthur poked his head around the screen.
"What?" he asked.
"I read them," Merlin stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "I'll summarize them for you while we walk down to the counsel chambers."
Arthur raised his eyebrows and watched is new manservant deftly pull a pair of trousers from his wardrobe. "So you've read them, and you understood them enough to summarize them," Arthur stated, sounding skeptical.
"It wasn't exactly hard," Merlin said, draping the trousers over the screen. "Baron Cecil really doesn't have much of a chance at winning this one. I mean, Lord Lucas had the original claim and most of the people living there already report to him anyways... and most importantly, he pays more taxes."
There was another moment of silence as Arthur grasped this bit of information.
"What were you before you were my manservant?" Arthur asked, curious.
"A farmer," Merlin said pleasantly, as, "Your court sorcerer," probably wasn't an appropriate response.
Arthur snorted in disbelief. "Come on," he said. "You have to have had some sort of educational background if you can sort out a land dispute."
"My mother was a smart woman," Merlin said. Technically, she hadn't really known anything about politics, but there was no reason for Arthur to know that. Most of Merlin's political education actually came from from sitting in on over twenty years worth of boring counsel meetings.
"So how'd you sort out all of..." Arthur stepped out from behind the screen and gestured around "... this?"
"What?" Merlin asked, not sure what 'this' was.
"The whole 'giving my father a message' thing. Plus," he added, "how did you know about the land disputes or my meeting with him in the first place?"
Merlin shrugged, and answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, "I asked the other servants."
Arthur gave Merlin an appraising look. "Maybe I underestimated you," he finally admitted, almost reverently.
Merlin grinned. "Happens often enough."
Arthur pointed at him. "Don't think this gets you out of your chores," he warned.
"Wouldn't dream of it, sire," Merlin said.
O o O
Arthur was also grudgingly impressed by how quickly his new manservant picked up on the tournament rules. If he hadn't known better, he would've thought that Merlin had been doing it for years.
"Have fun," Merlin said, handing the prince his helmet. "And stop looking so nervous. It's only a tournament."
"I do not get nervous," Arthur snapped.
"Clearly," Merlin said.
"Would you shut up!" Arthur yelled, grabbing his sword away from from the servant.
"Nervous," Merlin whispered.
Arthur actually swung the sword at him.
"Ah!" Merlin yelped, jumping back. "And stop taking it out on me!"
Arthur's mouth opened, almost in awe at the sheer stupidity of Merlin. The man was brilliant about some things, but he obviously didn't know when to shut his mouth.
"We'll discuss this later," Arthur hissed.
Merlin sighed, watching as the prince stalked away from him. It was time for the games to begin.
The only reason Merlin watched any of the fighting was because he couldn't remember which knight had the snake shield – it had been over twenty years, after all, since he'd last seen the man. Luckily, he wasn't forced to watch long. Minutes after the start, the knights filed past him, and Merlin caught sight of a knight with the snake crest – he was wearing a bright dandelion yellow (very manly, Merlin was sure). He made it a point to ask the squires who he was.
"Him?" a boy named Howey pointed over to the knight. Merlin nodded. "Oh, that's Sir Valiant."
Right. Sir Valiant, otherwise known as creepy snake guy.
After that, Merlin allowed himself to relax. Arthur might have fun jumping around, bashing people, but really, Merlin preferred laying back in the grass, watching the clouds.
Fifteen minutes later:
"Having fun, are we?" the prince asked, finished with his match.
"More fun than you, probably," Merlin stated, sitting up. "You look sweaty and miserable."
Arthur snorted. "Not all of us are contented with looking like girlish idiots. Fighting in these tournaments are honorable – it lets the people see what kind of leaders will be ruling them."
"Mm," Merlin replied, though he'd been very tempted to reply with, "Ah, you mean prats who enjoy bashing each other with pointy things?" but he didn't think Arthur was ready for that kind of teasing yet. The young prince really took these contests much too seriously.
Even in the future he took these things seriously, though Merlin had managed to temper it down a little.
At one point during the day, Sir Valiant found time to approach Arthur after gloriously winning one of his matches.
"May I offer my congratulations on your victories today," he said, giving Arthur a nod.
"Likewise," Arthur replied, ever the orator.
"I'll see you at the reception this evening," the man said, looking far too certain of himself. Then he left.
Once he was out of hearing range, Merlin snorted, "Bit confident, are we?"
Arthur scowled. "People like him are in it for the glory – nothing else. He has vicious fighting style. I doubt there's a speck of true compassion in the man."
Merlin gave Arthur a gratified look. The prince didn't know it, but he'd just demonstrated one of the skills that made him such a good king: reading people. Despite the unfortunate incidents involving Morgana and Agravaine, Arthur had proven himself, multiple times, to be a good judge of character. And Merlin honored him for it.
Not that he'd say so now. No need to blow up the prat's ego bigger than it already was.
"Ah, and for tomorrow," Arthur began, after realizing that he was talking to Merlin of all people, "you need to clean my shield, wash my tunic, clean my boots, sharpen my sword, and polish my chain mail." Then he walked off, leaving a dismayed Merlin holding his armor.
"Prat," Merlin muttered, then stalked off to do as his royal highness commanded. He was going to do it without magic. Merlin was determined to build up his muscular strength back to normal.
Not to mention his swordsmanship. Hm... he wondered if it would be possible to enchant a sword to attack him. Probably. The thought cheered him up considerably.
O o O
While Gaius was cooking supper, he kept hearing clanging noises emanating from the room that now belonged to Merlin. He knew the boy was supposed to be polishing the prince's armor, but he seriously doubted it would be so noisy. Frankly, if he hadn't known better, he would have said it sounded like someone was having a duel.
After the fifth resounding crash – probably the crate being knocked over – Gaius set down the ladle and decided it would probably be a good idea to check on his ward.
He opened the door, unsure of what he was going to find. Pure chaos.
"Merlin!" he cried.
"Eh?" Merlin turned in the physician's direction. The sword that had been swinging towards him dropped to the bed, and Merlin's own sword continued on with its momentum and hit the wall. Gaius winced. That was going to leave a mark.
"What are you doing?" he asked incredulously.
Merlin stepped down from the bed, looking guilty.
"And take those down too!" Gaius ordered, pointing at the self-polishing helmet and the self-washing laundry floating near the ceiling (he hadn't wanted them getting in the way of his sword fight).
With a sigh that would impress most teenagers, Merlin released the animation spells he'd placed on his chores, and lowered them gently to the floor.
"Well?" Gaius asked angrily. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
Merlin pouted. "I was planning to do my chores without magic – I swear!" he defended.
"Then why didn't you?" Gaius asked incredulously. "If I had been someone else, you would have been dragged off to be executed!"
"Like they'd actually be able to manage it," Merlin snorted, but when he caught expression on his mentor's face, he humbled himself.
"Sorry," he said, hunching his shoulders.
The old physician pressed his lips together in a scowl. Then he sighed, "Merlin? What am I going to do with you?"
"Forgive me and hope I don't get myself killed?" Merlin suggested cautiously.
Gaius snorted.
"I suppose I could do that," he said, softening. "But really, Merlin," he warned. "I want you to promise me that you'll be more careful."
Merlin nodded, and this time, he fully intended to fall through.
O o O
At some point, late into the evening, Edward was slightly put out to see Merlin peek his head through the doorway of his quarters.
"Yes?" he asked dully.
"I was just wondering..." Merlin began. Edward raised his eyebrows. "Did Arthur ever throw anything at you?"
Edward sent him a bemused look. "No."
"I thought not," Merlin said, then turned and walked away.
O o O
That night, Merlin snuck down to the armory. This was one of the few rooms in the castle that were lit twenty-four/seven, in case of emergencies that both involved national security and servants who procrastinated the polishing of their master's armor.
So by the flickering torchlight, Merlin made his way through the various racks of weapons, shields, and helmets.
Valiant's shield...
Valiant's shield...
After ten minutes of searching, Merlin came to the dreaded conclusion that it wasn't there. He drummed his fingers on the table where Arthur's armor sat. If it wasn't in the armory, then where would it be?
A thought struck him. Oh. He remembered seeing the knight feeding his snakes – the shield was probably in his room. In fact, if Merlin was Valiant, he'd probably keep the shield away from everyone too. Even though the snakes were obedient when given an order, they were also live creatures, which made them unpredictable. Maybe if the spell had been done properly, it would've been safe enough to leave alone, but with Uther's laws, people were limited to using the ever unreliable magic underground.
For heaven's sake! Every time Merlin had walked past the thing it had hissed!
With a growl, Merlin stalked out of the room and went back to bed.
O o O
"Don't eat so fast!" Gaius chided his ward. "You'll get the hiccups."
Merlin spooned the last bite of porridge into his mouth. "Sorry!" he exclaimed, mouth full. "Got to go... have to do something before I wake up Arthur."
"Did you not finish your chores?" Gaius asked, preparing to lecture the wayward youth. But there was no answer; Merlin had already run out the door.
If he was lucky – Merlin hoped that he was – Valiant would've taken his shield down to the armory so the squires could haul it to the tournament field with the rest of his armor. If that was the case, then Merlin might be able to sort out the enchantment and either permanently freeze the snakes or free them, depending on how deep under Valiant's control they were. Merlin had no problem with transporting them back to their homes in the mountains if they could be disenchanted.
The armory was just as dim during the day as it was at night.
Merlin scanned the room, trying to catch a glimpse of the familiar snake pattern. Something hissed. The warlock immediately homed in on the sound and found the shield propped up against a wooden chest.
"Got you," he muttered under his breath. Carefully, so he wouldn't startle the reptiles, Merlin knelt in front of the shield. The snakes were unstable, yes, but Merlin's immense ocean of magic probably excited them more than anything.
As Merlin placed his palm flat against the wooden surface, one of the eyes flickered red.
The sound of a blade being drawn made him jump, and almost an instant later he found a sword aimed at his heart. Merlin grimaced. This had happened last time too.
Trying not to sigh, the warlock looked up. Sir Valiant was looming over him, his face hidden in the shadows.
"Can I help you with something, boy?" the man asked. Merlin had to resist the urge to give the knight a sarcastic retort. Either Valiant was threatening him (and failing miserably) or he trying to come off as unsuspicious (with a sword to back up his innocence).
Merlin stood up slowly. "Ah... sorry. Got distracted. I'm supposed to be gathering up my master's armor..." he hoped he sounded anxious, instead of snarky, like he was feeling.
"Well you best be on your way," the man said. It would have sounded civil if it weren't for the sword.
"Uh-huh," Merlin said, turning and gathering up all of Arthur's magically polished armor. Halfway magically polished – he'd done the rest of it by hand after Gaius had caught him.
He did his best to ignore the fact that Sir Valiant tripped him as he headed for the door.
O o O
Arthur was less nervous the second day, probably because he'd already won so many matches. This only made him more confident when dealing with his new manservant, which really didn't help because it meant chores for Merlin.
Still, in between running errands and helping Arthur with his armor, Merlin managed to watch one match of the tournament – which was all he needed.
Valiant was in the middle of fighting Sir Ewain (who was wearing purple, another manly color, and Merlin couldn't help but picture a field of violets and dandelions as they battled). Valiant was bashing his sword furiously against Ewain's shield. It didn't appear to do anything other than show how desperate Valiant was becoming. Ewain obviously possessed the same level of skill with the sword as the yellow knight, and Valiant really didn't appreciate the odds.
As soon as he had the chance, he was going to use the shield.
Merlin wondered at the man's sanity. It was really risky to use magic in front of an enormous crowd – in front of the king, no less – and all for a thousand gold pieces. That was a lot of money, but Merlin questioned whether it was worth losing your head for.
Valiant was no sorcerer. Of course, he had a little magic, the shield wouldn't work for him otherwise, but it would never be enough to do any spells. But he was still using magic for evil, which was why Merlin was reluctant to reveal the man in front of everyone. He hated furthering Uther's stance against magic. He hated proving to Arthur that maybe his father was right.
But he needed to get rid of Valiant – otherwise someone would end up dead.
As soon as Valiant and Ewain stepped away from each other, Merlin nudged the magic of the shield with his own.
The snakes hissed and jumped out of the shield. "Hey!" Valiant spluttered, horrified, "I didn't summon you! I didn't summon you!"
Most of the crowd had jumped to their feet, and Sir Ewain had frozen in shock. Uther on the other hand was mixing his shouts for the guards with denouncements of sorcery. Cornered, Valiant did the only thing he could, he ordered the snakes to attack. Merlin watched Sir Ewain anxiously, hoping the knight would snap out of it and get a grip on his sword. The guards weren't going to reach him before the snakes did.
To Ewain's credit, he did manage to cut off two heads. Unfortunately, the third snake dodged the third sword stroke and bit him in the ankle. The knight gave a cry, then crumpled to the ground in a heap, barely missing being sliced by his own sword.
If Merlin hadn't intervened and tripped Valiant, causing him to land on the startled snake, he would've gone for the kill and stabbed Ewain. The snake hadn't liked the sudden weight on top of him, and had done exactly what it's instincts ordered: strike. Thus, the entire crowd watched as the evil sorcerer caused his own downfall.
Unlike the time with Arthur however, an honorable knight was sprawled out next to the enemy, so no one was cheering.
O o O
Merlin burst through the door's of Gaius's chamber's, victoriously holding up one of the snake heads.
"Thank heavens!" Gaius exclaimed. "However did you managed to track it down?"
Upon the guards' arrival, King Uther had immediately ordered the burning of the snakes, the shield, and Sir Valiant. His demands had been carried out within minutes, leaving no time for Gaius to explain that he required some of the snake venom if Sir Ewain was going to have a chance of recovery.
Luckily for Ewain, the third snake had escaped in the chaos.
"With great difficulty," Merlin answered Gaius wearily, collapsing into a chair after handing off the head. "There I was, tramping around the forest, when it turns out that it had slithered back into Valiant's room and decided to take a nap in the cupboard!"
Gaius chuckled. "Well I'm sure Ewain will be grateful. If Uther had gotten a hold of that third snake..."
Merlin scowled.
"So how did you manage it?" the physician finally asked, giving Merlin a significant look.
They both glanced surreptitiously at the unconscious knight stretched out on the cot.
Merlin nodded and said quietly, "Eventually I had to use magic. Even with that book on tracking you gave me, I lost its trail after thirty feet."
Gaius smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "Good job, Merlin. I have to say, good job."
Merlin felt a warmth grow inside his heart.
