Chapter 6: The Grey Knight

Elyss walked quickly to her destination. She hurried into the shop, careful not to lower her hood. The man behind the counter grinned toothily when he saw her.

"You again. I got them papers ye' needed. It took me a while, mind you, so you'd better be able to pay."

"Yes, I have payment. And... the ring?" She asked, disguising her voice by lowering it and hiding her normal Scottish accent.

"Right 'ere." He patted his shirt pocket. "But 'urry up, I've got another customer comin' in soon."

Elyss reached for her change purse, and saw the man glance at it greedily. While he was distracted, she began to prepare herself. Before she was ready, her hood slipped.

"You're a-" the man exclaimed, but was cut off when Elyss interrupted him.

"Anghofiwch mi, cysgu." She said, praying that the spell she had studied for hours under cover of darkness would work. Apparently, it did. The man (Elyss felt guilty for never learning his name, even though he had told her) keeled over, unconscious. Elyss had never liked using magic against others, but sometimes she had to. Witches, even minor ones, never led safe lives. Especially in Camelot. She collected her purchases, and slipped the promised money in the man's pocket after taking the ring; Elyss was not a thief. When she left she thought she saw a man slip into the little illegal shop after her, but Elyss ignored him. The man had his money, and she didn't want any trouble. But little did she know that he would never have the chance to spend his pay.

Elyss walked to the tournament registration, and the man in front of her (why did he look familiar?) walked away. She placed her seal on the table, introducing herself as she did so. "Knight Eliz of Amata. I'm here to enter the tournament." She walked away confidently, figiting with the ring she now wore. Her disguise was working, and no one questioned her origin. Amata had been her choice because it wasn't that popular, but it wasn't "hated" (not openly) because magic was forbidden there. And, due to it's unpopularity, no one would know enough to realize that Elyss had completely made up her identity. She walked to the Rising Sun, a tavern in Camelot where she had managed to reserve a room. When she reached her temporary residence, she glanced in the mirror that sat on the shabby table in the corner. Her face had changed, but she could still recognize herself. Her eyes were their usual golden-green color, and her hair retained it's auburn color and slight curliness, even if it did appear a bit shorter. Her skin had it's normal light tan, and Elyss's bone structure was still roughly the same. The main difference was that her jaw had become wider, her eyebrows thicker. She now had the appearance of a man. Since the spell only slightly altered her appearance, it was able to remain when she was seen in the mirror. Elyss had the perfect cover, and now she could live her dreams. She would win the tournament, and finally prove once and for all that she was better than all those royal prats who fought magic.

Calli's POV (the next day, just to clarify things)

I watched with amusement as Arthur took advantage of Merlin's lack of training. He hit him over and over with the sword, lecturing as he did so. Merlin whined all the while, trying to defend himself. I finally took pity on him just before he got out the mace, and walked outside.

"Oi! Arthur! Pick on someone your own size," I grinned at Merlin's indignant expression. Sword-fighting was one of my favorite things to do, even if I got distracted whne it got too easy. I grabbed a sword that was laying on the ground (seems dangerous to leave stuff like that everywhere, but I couldn't talk. My room was... well, let's not get into that.) "Engarde." I said, raising my blade.

"What?" Arthur spluttered, as I swiped at him with my sword. He blocked, but it was a close call. I attacked a few more times before Arthur finally countered. We exchanged blows for a few minutes, but neither of us could manage to land one. I finally clipped his armor, and he landed a blow on my arm wih the flat of his sword. I watched carefully the next time he struck, and tried out a move that I had only read about (the disarming one that Luke taught Percy; PJO book one. If you were wondering) and Arthur's sword fell from his hand. I pressed the flat of my blade lightly against his throat, and smirked. "But I suppose your used to being beaten by girls, Morgana being around and all." I walked away, putting the sword in the rack where it actually belonged. Arthur glowered at my back, and I imagined him pouting childishly. When I got back to the castle, I heard the clanking of armor behind me. Merlin had snuck off while Arthur was distracted, and he was grinning his adorable Merlin grin through his helmet.

"That was great, he's never going to live it down. I think I saw a couple of knights watching through the windows," Merlin said, and then promptly walked into a wall. "Bloody helmet," he muttered, trying (and failing) to take it off.

"need help?" I grinned.

"Yeah, thanks," Merlin said, and I tried to pry it off his head. His nose had managed to get stuck, and his ears definately weren't helping. I finally managed to yank off the helmet, and we both fell over laughing from the force of it. Some random snobbish person (yep, that's what I'm calling them) walked through the hallway, and she scrunched her nose at the sight of a "princess" laughing on the floor with a servant holding (heaven forbid) a helmet, which only men could ever had the right to carry, let alone wear. She stalked off, radiating obnoxious-nobleyness [quick A/N: I can't believe autocorrect took that as a word XD] I stood up carefully, still laughing, and helped Merlin up. We exchanged a smile, and he left to do the "clotpole's" chores. I smiled as he walked away, not noticing that someone was standing behind me.

"Well, you two seem to be getting on rather well," Morgana smirked, making me jump.

"What? Yeah, we're friends..." I trailed off awkwardly.

"Just friends?" Morgana asked mischeviously.

"Of course we are, I mean, he's-"

"Don't give me any of that "he's just a servant" nonsense. You don't care about that."

"I wasn't going to," I said, becoming irritated. Morgana was awesome, but I hated being pressured for information when I wasn't sure how to answer. "I was going to say that he's too perfect," I said, before I managed to stop myself.

"Well then." Morgana smiled looking satisfied. "I saw you fighting out there. Good job. Sometimes Arthur needs to be reminded that there are people out there who can beat him."

"Thanks."

"But you need to learn to work on stances, and moving your feet more. I'd be willing to teach you, if you like."

"Really? That would be great!" I said enthusiastically (I get hyper, okay?).

"Alright. Next week in the feild at sunrise?" Morgana grinned, and I could tell that she was happy. She must not get much time to work on swordplay.

"Yeah!" I grinned, and turned to wave after I started to run off (Em probably needed to be woken up).

Em was indeed asleep when I checked, so, of course, I threw a shoe at her. She groaned, sitting up blearily. "EM! TOURNEY!" I shouted, reverting to my Puzzle Pirates slang (because yeah...).

"Torchwood?!" She sat up quickly, somehow flipping the shoe into her face again.

"Tournament!"

"Oh." She fell over, and began to snore.

"I fought Arthur! With a sword!" I said, yelling in her ear.

"Really?" Em sounded interested, but she was probably just trying to make me leave.

"Yep! Then I won, Merlin's ears got stuck in a helmet, and Morgana's going to teach me swordplay!"

"What? Merlin's beard? Have you been reading Harry Potter?"

"No, Merlin's ears."

"Ah..."

"So... get up! PLEEEASEEE! Kay brought you breakfast!"

"Fine!" Em stood up, and went to her table where she wolfed down her breakfast. I left to get ready to go to the Rising Sun, we still hadn't been there. When I finally got ready, I went to find Em. She had fallen asleep again.

An hour later found us with Kay (she had been reluctant, but we'd convinced her to come) in the Rising Sun tavern, watching with amusement as Sir Edward (funny, he had the same name as that mysterious jacket theif) explained what he had seen through the window this morning.

"Arthur was picking on his new manservant, Merville or something, I never caught his name, and then that Princess walks up. She picks up a sword and attacks him, and Arthur starts by just defending himself. But pretty soon they're full-on fighting, and she does this twisty-thing that Arthur once tried and sprained his wrist -yeah, that-" He paused as one of the knights imitated the move "and she presses the flat of the sword against his neck. I'm not making this up, Arthur lost, to a girl, who wasn't Morgana."

"You sure you weren't just seeing things?" Leon asked, probably doubting that Arthur could lose to a girl.

"Yeah, it definately happened. Look! There she is!" Edward exclaimed, pointing at me excitedly. I waved vaguely, turning to talk to Kay.

"You challenged Arthur? But- but he's the prince!" Kay spluttered, looking as if the idea both excited and frightened her.

"He's a prat-faced conceited fool of a prince, yeah," I grinned.

"But-"

"Leon's coming," interrupted Em. I turned, and saw the knight walking up to us slowly.

"Is it true that you challenged Arthur to a duel?" He asked.

"Yes. And before you ask, yeah I won. But the fight would have definately lasted longer if he hadn't underestimated me. Perhaps practicing on Merlin is making him soft," I said, trying to sound both indifferent and amused.

"But he's the prince." Leon stared at me incredulously.

"Exactly. He's a prat." I smirked.

"But- but he's the king's son..." Leon continued to stare at me, at a loss for words. It was apparently beond his comprehension for someone to show such blatant disrespect towards a "royal," even if they themselves would be considered one.

"Listen, I know it was "improper," and "not within my rights" or whatever, but he deserved it. Arthur was being a total a-" Leon cut me off, saving me from saying something that would have gotten me grounded back home.

"I know. I respect him, but sometimes he needs to remember that he isn't invincible. Arthur forgets that. So thank you for standing up to him, for showing him that he isn't always the best. Because I'm afraid that one day he'll forget, and try to do something impossible, without asking for help or considering what the kingdom will do without him. One of these battles he'll forget, and he'll die if that happens." Leon's forehead creased. He'd obviously given this quite a lot of contemplative thought. I looked at Kay, and noticed her blushing. Leay, I smirked, forgetting the seriousness of what Leon had just said. I thought of what Arthur would do in the future. Leon was right. He needed to remember that there was always something out there that could beat him. I snuck off with Em, leaving Leon and Kay to talk. Or (as they apparently did) sit there awkwardly. Each to their own.

Right Before the Tournament

I walked up to Merlin, him having just helped Arthur to do n his armor. He grinned when he saw me, and I picked up my pace, grinning as well. Merlin's smiles were infectious. "Merlin! Excited about the tournament?" I asked, noticing how his eyes flickered from the competitors.

"A bit, yeah."

I snorted at his understatement. "Alright. I'll be in the stands. Just, erm, yeah. Your doing great with the armor, by the way. You picked that up surprisingly fast." I walked off awkwardly, returning Merlin's cheerful (and slightly puzzled) smile. He was probably wondering how I knew so much about the armor thing... oops...

The Beginning of the Tournament

Em and I cheered with Kay from our place in the stands. I noticed Sir Leon bearing a token, and smirked when I recognized it as part of Kay's shawl. Apparently they had talked a bit after all. He appeared to be the only Camelotian knight (besides Arthur) competing in the tournament. I didn't remember him being there in the episode, but that wasn't what worried me most. At the end of the line I saw a figure dressed entirely in grey. There was something about their face- it didn't look quite real. I glanced at Merlin, and saw him looking at the same knight with concern. Did he also see that they didn't belong?

Once the tournament began, I all but forgot about the mysterious knight. I tried to learn as much as possible from what the knights were doing, but mostly all I learned was what not to do. Don't just do offense (or just defense, for that matter). Don't forget about your left arm (I winced as I saw a knight make this mistake. The wound would heal, but it would be painful). Don't focus on smiling brightly at the stands. Em and I laughed at the knight who did this. He reminded me of Gilderoy Lockhart, with blonde hair and an annoying smile. He ended up tripping over his own feet and flourishing his sword ridiculously. (Needless to say, he lost.)

When the grey knight was up to compete, I tried to focus on what they were doing, mainly to see if they were acting suspicious. Their competitor was a knight in a blue cloak (I was too focused on the Grey Knight to pay much attention) and the mysterious knight was winning. They were very good, even if there was something off about their style. Most of the knights I had seen had fought primarily using force, but the grey knight used their lithe frame to their advantage. They dodged to put their opponent off balance, and fought with a series of quick jabs and feints. The Grey Knight won, and then triumphed over two more opponents before the tournament was over for the day.

About an Hour Later...

Em, Kay and I stood by Uther and Morgana to meet the tournament knights (Morgana had asked us to stay with her and Gwen, probably to relieve the boredom that most of the knights would induce) when "Knight Valiant" walked up. He flirted with Morgana for a bit, as I remembered was due to happen. Then Morgana made her rude Arthur comments to Gwen. We didn't talk to the next few knights, until the grey knight walked up.

"We saw you fighting in the tournament. You were quite good." Em said conversationally, but I could sense the hint of wariness.

"Thank you, 'milady." The knight spoke stiffly, as though not used to speaking.

"From what kingdom do you hail?" I asked.

"Amata, 'milady."

"Welcome to Camelot, Knight..." I trailed off, unsure what their name was.

"Elys- Eliz, I'm knight Eliz." The knight's voice shook towards the end, and I tried to guess what they'd almost said.

"Good luck in the tournament." I said, not bringing up what they had nearly said. The knight hurried off without speaking to Uther. I turned to smile and nod at something Uther said, and then excused myself and Em. We left to try to find Merlin. He was in the stables, tending to Arthur's horses. Em immediately ran up to talk to one of the fiercer looking steeds (don't ask me, I have no idea), and I went to talk to Merlin.

Twenty minutes later found Em and I walking out of the stables with Merlin (we had helped him with the horses while he talked, and Merlin had been too distracted to protest). Merlin was also worried about the Grey Knight, although seemed more concerned about Valiant (especially after their encounter in the armory). When we reached Gaius's place, Em pulled us all into what would be called a "group hug", which was extremely awkward (read: I DO NOT LIKE HUGS). Merlin and I stiffened, and Em finally let us go.

"See you tomorrow, then." I said, feeling a flush spread to my cheeks (Oi! You'd blush here too, don't deny it; awkward hug!)

"Yeah. Tomorrow." Merlin seemed to redden as well, but I could have imagined it.

"Listen, don't worry about the Grey Knight; you and Arthur take care of Valiant. We'll make sure that nothing else goes wrong." I tried to sound reassuring; Merlin had seemed stressed about the idea of two evil knights.

"Thanks," Merlin began to leave, but paused. "Er, maybe sometime, would you want to- er- go with me- on a picnic or something? It's fine if you say no, I just was wondering-" Merlin fumbled, the tips of his (very prominent) ears flushing red. He seems uncharacteristically nervous, and I would have thought him OOC if this had been a fanfiction, but it didn't seem so in reality (if this was reality...).

Well, this was unexpected. Said a voice in my head (hopefully it was me thinking, not someone using Legilimency).

Or was it? Replied a more snarky voice that sounded eerily like Em.

Shut up.

"Yes, I- I would love that. After the mess from the tournament is cleared up?" I asked, barely believing what I was saying (or what Merlin had just said).

"Okay. See you, Calli..." Merlin trailed off awkwardly, something which I could understand. Awkwardness was (to me) second nature.

Em didn't say anything for a while, preferring to smirk silently. When we were almost to our rooms, she finally interrupted the silence. "So, you and Merlin."

"What about me and Merlin?"

"I knew it!" She fist-pumped, and I glowered at her.

"Don't. Just- don't. See you in the morning." I quickly entered my room (we had gotten there while talking) and closed the door. I fell onto my bed, not bothering to change. As I thought about what had just happened, I remembered something very, very important.

Oh shoot...

Merlin's POV

What had I just said? I struggled to remember, and when I did I nearly (though it ruins my manly ego to admit it) passed out from shock. Calli was a bloody princess. I had made an utter fool of myself back there...

But she said yes.

She's royalty.

I'm just a servant.

Calli's POV, the next day

I awoke, and for a blissful moment I only remembered happy things (like when Artemis Fowl came back from the dead) but the moment was soon gone, and I remembered what had kept me awake until the early hours of the morning.

He thinks I'm a princess, a bloody princess.

To be frank (not Frank Zhang, just thought I'd clear that up), I didn't care about my title. But Merlin would. He was probably worrying about it right now, knowing him, and I didn't want to put the warlock through that. I rose slowly and began to dress for the tournament, then going to wake Em.

The tournament had happened much like on the show, with one exception. The Grey Knight was set to fight Valiant first thing tomorrow, and whichever of them one would go against Arthur (technically whoever won the match Arthur was in, but I knew it wouldn't be his opponent. When the day drew to a close, I walked with Em to speak with the Grey Knight (or Eliz, but the former sounded cooler).

Elyss's POV

I sighed dramatically; none of my opponents had been much of a challenge. But tomorrow... tomorrow I would face Valiant, and then Prince Arthur himself. I did not doubt my abilities, but there was something about the knight from the Western Isles; something dark. I could sense an aura of magic from him, but not the kind of magic you are born with. He was using something to aid him in the fight, and that did not bode well for me. But I would prove myself. My thoughts were interrupted when the princess that had questioned me earlier walked towards me, accompanied by her friend. I would have to be careful around them, lest they discover my secret. When they reached me, the princess spoke.

"Who are you really?" She said bluntly, not stopping for formalities. I was shocked. No one could see through my facade, so why would she be suspicious?

"I have told you, milady. I am knight Eliz of-" I was interrupted by her friend, who had chosen that moment to inject into the conversation.

"Yeah, we know who you say you are. But you're not. Are you a danger to Camelot?"

"Of course not. I am here to fight in the tournament." I said, schooling my face to look slightly offended.

"Right, well, just... if you do anything against Camelot..." The rather bushy-haired princess trailed off, leaving her threat open to interpretation. She had some of the arrogance of a royal, but lacked the eloquence. Most princesses (or indeed kings) would have hinted subtly that they suspected you, rather than say it to your face.

A few minutes later found me in my room at The Rising Sun, having escaped the two noblewomen. Luckily I would be able to leave after the tournament, and luckier still, it would be over tomorrow.

Calli's POV. The next day

Eliz had been hiding something, but whatever it was wasn't a danger to Camelot. He probably had magic, although so far the knight's fighting hadn't shown any signs of it. Merlin had told me last night that Valiant's shield could come to life, and had shown me the head. Although I had already known, the snake head had startled me. It was just so green, it was obviously unnatural. I focused back on the fighting, watching as Valiant was conquered by Eliz. Soon Merlin would act, and Valiant would be revealed.

Elyss's POV

Valiant was a decent swordsman, I would give him that. But he wasn't as good as the knights he had beaten; his technique was rough and unrefined. So how had he won? However it was, it wouldn't happen again. I was forcing him back; knight Valiant was losing. But he kicked dust in my eyes (a dirty un-chivalrous trick) and soon had me disarmed. The crowd gasped as I was kicked backward. I rolled on the ground, managing to dodge his stab, but my ring slipped from my finger. Luckily, I was wearing my helmet. I would have to find the ring soon, but for the moment my cover was intact. I flinched and tried to dodge Valiant's next blow, but it never came. I looked up to see that his shield had come to life. Two pickle-green snakes slithered forward and erupted from his shield, intent on making sure that this breath was my last. I jumped to my feet, ignoring the outraged cries from the stands that magic had been used by Valiant.I spotted my sword; it lay just out of reach. I ran in front of Valiant. The knight swung his blade forward, just as the snakes lunged to pierce my skin with their long fangs. His sword skewered the emerald serpents, but it kept going. I knew I should be in pain, but the adrenaline was too intense. I wrenched the blade from next to my heart, thankful that it hadn't been fatal. Before Valiant could register what he had done, a metal stalk grew from his chest. He fell, and my eyes met those of the princess who had openly challenged my identity before. Apparently the guards and other knights had been too busy staring in shock at the "magic snakies" and had failed to come to my aid. A raven haired boy ran into the arena and caught me as I collapsed. He was yelling something that sounded like "Pie-fuss" but I was too far gone to hear him clearly. I had failed. The knight with his snakes and stolen magic had defeated me. As my vision darkened I saw the princess pick something that glittered off of the ground, and then I knew no more.

Calli's POV

I waited in Gaius's chambers for the knight to waken. I had found his (her, I corrected myself) ring in the arena, and managed to slip it over her finger while she was carried to Gaius's chambers. Although her helmet was gone, everyone was too busy to notice that her face appeared feminine. Her features had returned to their masculine state when I slipped the ring on her, and I had gone to tell Em and Merlin (the latter hadn't seemed very surprised, explaining that she had been far too light for a male knight when he caught her). We had agreed to keep her secret, but she would have to leave Camelot quickly after waking. Gaius had said that an artery had been severed, and she had suffered a traumatic loss of blood. But she would live, and eventually it would heal completely. The post-tournament feast had taken place yesterday (Eliz had been unconscious for three days), but I had not attended after what had happened last time. Merlin had returned early, and we had sat together silently reading a book that I had found in the dustiest corner of the library. It had dragons and wizards and magic. It seemed Uther had forgotten to destroy at least one book from the library. That morning I had woken up with my head on Merlin's shoulder, still holding the book. Gaius had walked in, and I had pretended to be reading. He smiled in a fatherly way at Merlin's sleeping figure, leaving to fetch some healing pustules. I sit there now, after going to fetch a writing tools. I have decided to document my experiences in Camelot. As I write these words, my thoughts drift to Valiant. He was by no means a good person; he was a murderer. But I had killed him with my own hands. It seems I am growing up; mere weeks ago I wasn't even thirteen. Now I've fought, I've killed someone. I will never be the same again. Merlin is waking up now, stretching after falling asleep sitting upright. He smiles sleepily at me, not noticing the quill in my ink-stained hands. I watch fondly as he nods off once more, and then return to my writing.

A/N: IMPORTANT! From this point forward, I will only be writing certain episodes. Not all of them. So if you want a specific episode, send a PM or tell me in your review. I'll try to do it, but the sooner you send it in, the sooner it'll be done.

PS: I'm sorry I took so long... school... laptop confiscations... I managed to write most of this in the past hour or so... I hope it seems okay, send me constructive criticism! Or not, but review!

PPS: Is it weird how I spelled grey? It's just one of those words for me...

PPPS: I know the dude at the beginning may have seemed OOC, but I have a logickel ekksplination: He would have acted more formal around Valiant, as Valiant showed his face and stuff. But Elyss was obviously acting shady (hiding her identity) so he didn't really care about acting professional and let his speech be more causal (rather than showing respect as he did towards Valiant)

To RowanAsterCode: It just kinda turned out like this... you don't mind if Elyss is in another episode or two, do you?