Alliances
A deep sigh took the attention of the Knight of the escort. This was their fifth day of travelling and the coach which had carried the Princess had broken down on the second day. She was a strong woman and demanded that they not tarry. Therefor she was now on horseback and starting to regret her decision. The corset she wore already squeezed the air from her lungs and now the horse seemed to do its utmost to push out what remained. Despite that, she did not complain. She had made her choice and decided to stick with it. Sir Roland admired her strength but sometimes thought it bordered on being stubborn. Their intended destination was Camelot and they wouldn't be discussing pleasantries. There was a tension between Nemeth and Camelot because of the disputed lands of Gedref. The rulers of both kingdoms had attempted to settle the matter through letters but with so many refused offers it became a very tedious business. Princess Mithian spoke with her father, King Rodor, and suggested that it may be better to meet with the King of Camelot. As a father who was fond of his daughter, Rodor was very reluctant to let her go and made a strong case when he said that the witch, Morgana Pendragon, may try and ambush her. Mithian proved to be very persuasive and convinced him that she was right. The Princess was a woman of diplomacy and preferred it over batting her eyes at the man in charge.
Their first stop was in Almes which lay in Gedref. It seemed a calm and peaceful village but on the horizon was the red of the Pendragon Crest. They had sent word about their visit up front and it seemed that the King was extremely forward with sending an escort. If it was an escort at all. It made her slightly nervous and that tension was shared by her company.
"I have a bad feeling about this, milady." Said Sir Roland.
Mithian pulled her eyes away from the men in red to look at the valued Knight.
"What do you propose?"
He looked at the road from whence they had come and backtracked it in his mind. Sir Roland wasn't a great tactician but he knew where to fight his battles.
"The treeline to the west has the high ground. If we make camp there, then at the very least no civilians will get in the way."
The Princess wasn't sure what he meant by 'get in the way' but whichever definition it was, it would be best to follow the knight's advice.
Although the night was peaceful, the morning wasn't. Mithian was awoken by the sound of wood banging against wood. One of the few servants entered her tent and sat down next to her makeshift bed.
"Thea." She greeted her maid. "Is it time already?"
Thea was Mithian's maidservant which she had known for little over five years. She was a bit more outspoken than most servants but never forgot that they weren't equals. There were times in which she had overstepped her authority and this was usually caused by Thea questioning her actions. Mithian didn't mind it as much as she used to. The Princess had come to value her perspective and how it shed a different light on things. Through Thea, Mithian stood closer to the opinions of her subjects. The Princess noticed her maid's sad look.
"Sir Roland said there was something you should see, milady." She said.
The maid helper her mistress dress with great haste which made her rather nervous. Leaving her tent Mithian immediately observed the camp. She was glad that there weren't any red capes but it was clear that her company, mainly her guards, were watchful. Mithian's maid, Thea, led her through the trees towards Sir Roland which she could see already.
Mithian wasn't a morning person but managed a small pleasant smile for the Knight. The Princess wasn't one for clever remarks, unless challenged of course. She knew that the Knight would only have requested her presence if it were important. Sir Roland didn't smile back which gave cause for genuine concern. Mithian stood beside him and followed his gaze.
"What the..." Mithian mumbled.
The village of Almes was filled with the red of Camelot and although she couldn't see people's face, she could see that it was chaos. The sound added to the picture said it on its own as well. There was the occasional shout but no great screams of pains or such.
"Why are they doing this?" Mithian said in outrage.
"We could ask as we pass by."
The Princess wasn't sure if it was a good idea but they would indeed be passing by on their way towards Camelot. The camp packed up and soon they were back on the road. Mithian and two of her guards, including Sir Roland, made a slight detour at the junction towards Almes. At the village square stood a fat, balding, average-sized man. His fine clothing betrayed his wealth and his barking at the men told Mithian that this loud-mouth probably owned this land.
"What has happened here, milord?" Asked Sir Roland.
"I am Lord Tyrwen and by order of the King of Camelot, all that associate with sorcery or are suspected thereof are to be rounded up and brought to the church." The man proudly stated.
Mithian pinched the bridge of her nose. This was madness! They weren't cattle and these measures were outrageous. The Great Purge had ended many years ago but apparently fear was still how the Pendragon family rules.
"But why?" Asked Sir Roland.
Lord Tyrwen was about to speak, or rant, but one of the men spoke before he could.
"It is rumoured that they are sheltering a witch and ally of Morgana Pendragon."
"You frighten these people for the sake of a rumour?" Mithian interrupted.
A look of shame crossed the man's face but Lord Tyrwen was not amused.
"You want to see us walk hand in hand with filthy sorcerers? They taint these lands with their unnatural magics. It used to be wolves and bears in these forests, not Serkets, Wilddeoren or Balorian Spiders! Some said Uther was ruthless but I think he didn't go far enough! When magic is gone, things will go back to normal again, you just mark my words."
Mithian looked away from the disgusting man before her. The Purge had been mass murder and this man wanted even more bloodshed.
"Let me go!" Someone shouted.
One of Lord Tyrwen's men was dragging a woman along by her hair.
"Stop that!" Mithian commanded and intended to approach them on horseback but one of the soldier blocked her path.
"Careful, Princess." Warned Sir Roland who was right behind her. "The treaties don't allow us to interfere."
Tyrwen laughed at her as he shook her head.
"If you think this is wrong then you might want to know that I'm not the only one. Magic is a weed that keeps growing back. The only way to be rid of it is to destroy all of it at once. Someone will die, even if it's just to make an example."
Mithian was furious but she did not lash out. Men would have but her anger, her wrath, came in the weapon she wielded better than most, politics. The only problem was that, in Camelot, he acted on the King's orders. It left a bitter taste in her mouth. People were being mistreated by their King, people of Gedref, people she believed belonged to Nemeth. They were her people as much as they were his and he did not treat them well.
Mithian and the two escorting men went back to the junction where they had left the rest.
"Sir Roland?" She had made up her mind.
"Yes, milady?"
"Perhaps it would be best that we return home."
The Knight nodded with respect. Like him, Mithian knew where to fight her battles. He knew as little of her battles as she did of his but he was thankful her temper hadn't brought war to Gedref prematurely.
The Princess cared little for the King now that she knew how little he cared for his people. His attitude towards magic was an open invitation for lesser lords to abuse their subjects. All they did was collect tax and give close to nothing in return. It was a lord's duty to see to the protection of his people, not hurt them himself. Mithian was pulled from her thoughts when the horses suddenly stopped.
"Out of the way, boy." Barked Sir Roland.
Mithian looked past her escorts to see a tall, skinny man with black hair and brown jacket standing in the middle of the road. He didn't even flinch at the knight's words as most peasants would have. This stranger was blocking the road on purpose and what he said next confirmed it.
"I've come to speak with Princess Mithian."
The Knight didn't like the fact that he knew who she was. Of course those of Gedref knew who she was but wouldn't immediately know what she looked like. It would have been easy for her to be mistaken with an insignificant lesser lady rather than being the Princess of Nemeth.
"A peasant has no business with the Princess, whatsoever. Move aside or I will force you to."
The threat didn't have the effect it usually had on strangers and Roland had expected to find himself being ambushed by bandits by now. The young man before him wasn't impressed and even showed clear signs of annoyance rather than fear or respect.
"I am here on behalf of Morgana Pendragon." He announced without as much as a hint of hesitation.
"You have a death wish?"
The man raised an unimpressed brow and smiled.
"Do you?"
The confidence of the man before him unnerved Sir Roland.
"What's your name?" Mithian called as she brought her horse past her escorts.
"Merlin, milady" He answered truthfully and most of Nemeth's troops immediately unsheathed their sword.
"Wait." Mithian ordered. This was a man condemned by Arthur and wanted for sorcery and murder. It made him a criminal to all of Camelot's allies but he approached them openly. Curiosity got the best of her and she wished to give him a chance.
"You wish to talk?"
Merlin nodded, "In private but not necessarily alone."
"I want two of my men with me."
"Fair enough, milady. Just bear in mind that silence is gold." Said Merlin as he walked off the road.
Only a fool would have gone alone. Mithian motioned for Sir Roland and another knight to follow her. She didn't think Merlin would try to murder her but he might try something else. There was no harm in taking precautions.
"You've seen Arthur's new policies." The sorcerer spoke with disapproval heavy in his voice but Mithian wasn't sure what to believe.
There wasn't a doubt in her mind that this was more than coincidence. Either there truly was a witch or there were false whispers to ends unknown to her.
"Is there really a witch in the village?" She asked.
"Maybe," he shrugged. "but even if there is, she's not in league with Morgana."
So if neither of them knew about the witch, then why was he there? Perhaps Merlin wanted to see how the King would respond to a mere whisper about sorcery. There were other possibilities but those were questions she could not ask. Then again, how much did someone really want to know about the dark?
"Then why are you here?"
"A truce, milady." He said. "Morgana wants to be sure that, once she's queen, the neighbouring Kingdoms won't conspire against her."
It seemed innocent but the Princess still had doubts. Her encounter with the lesser lord at the village of Almes was planned and it unnerved her but not nearly as much as the fact that he knew she would be there. Had he found out through magic or were there spies in place already? He might have known of the issues between their two kingdoms from his time as Arthur's manservant but that still didn't explain how he knew when she'd be passing through. Curiosity, however, demanded to know something else.
"What does Nemeth get out of it?"
Merlin smiled as he raised his arms slightly. "Gedref."
Mithian summarized it in her head. If they did nothing to break Morgana's rule, they would get Gedref. It was a truce for the future and she intended to make it profitable either way. The Princess knew enough of the games the lesser lords played and it would not be beyond a well-educated commoner to play them as well.
"It's a bit of a one-sided truce." She replied.
"Is it? I see many parties profit from such a future. Read into the world before the purge and you will see none of the evil Uther preached. The reason why it may seem one-sided is because you don't consider yourself an ally of Arthur already."
She had been told that Merlin was a commoner but there was more to him than met the eye. He spoke of the higher goal he wished to achieve which was the time of glory before the purge but these words weren't just spoken, they were crafted. It was true she no longer considered King Arthur an ally and he played into those feelings. This mysterious sorcerer played into her feelings perfectly and that made him dangerous.
"My father-"
"Need not know. When the time comes, persuade your father that angering Morgana would be wrong and you will receive what is rightfully yours. I've already discussed this with Morgana and she, albeit reluctantly, agreed."
Mithian was quiet for a moment and in that moment Sir Roland looked at the Princess with worried eyes. Warriors faced trials on the battlefield but she faced hers now. In the end only one question bothered in the Princess' mind. Could she convince her father?
"You have your truce."
AN:
So, Mithian, did you expect that?
'Lord Tyrwen' was inspired by a bit of stand-up by Russel Howard during Mock the Week.
