A/N: Andddd here's chapter 3!
Finally our favourite King and Court Sorcerer makes an appearance!
Don't forget to leave a review and tell me if you liked it! The reviews make me stay sane enough to finish the next update.
"Meerrrliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin," Morgana calls from the other end of the hall as she runs towards her friend.
Merlin, who had been walking with Gwen, looks behind, his blue eyes shining as he smiles at Morgana. "Morgannaaaa," he responds.
Beside him, Gwen chuckles.
"I heard you had a lovely night in the dungeon with my dear brother," Morgana smirked, eyes twinkling mischievously, "tell me, did he tie you up? Use shackles on you?"
Merlin choked on air, blushing to his roots. "W-wh-wha-"
"Morgana!" Gwen admonished the High Priestess.
"Nothing happened like that! Why would you- I would never- Arthur is- Morganaaaa!" Merlin groaned, cover his face with his hands.
Morgana couldn't help but snort at Merlin's face. She leans on the wall. "If you say so, but next time, keep it in the King's chambers."
"What do you want?" Merlin asked, regretting the time he saved the wicked witch from Morgause's clutches.
"I have a proposition," Morgana whispered.
"Go on," Merlin said unsurely. He was far too familiar with Morgana's troublesome side, but also knows that she means well and they'd have fun. Some times, he would even help her carry out some pranks on the knights.
"You can get some revenge on Arthur." Morgana said, the twinkle in her eyes returning.
Merlin's head shot up, a grin sprouting from his face.
"I'm listening."
Morgana shot Gwen a knowing look who gasped a bit.
"Follow my lead," she grabbed Merlin by the forearm, dragging him towards the armoury where she knows Arthur was hiding, then in a slightly louder voice, "oh the knights in Mercia were so brave, I wish you had come with us."
"Morgana wha-" Gwen asked puzzled.
"There was this knight, Sir Firaas, oh the way he handles his sword, I was swooning,"
Merlin smirked, finally catching on to Morgana's plan. His magic was buzzing which meant Arthur was close by, probably in the Armoury. His mind starts imagining the King putting on his armour. Of course, that reminded him of the countless nights he had spent taking it off his liege, fingers slowly brushing his tender skin, his cheeks flushed, as he takes off.
His trail of thought cuts off as Morgana pinches his side.
"Oh - Gwen, who do you think is the best swordsman in all of Albion?" he panicked asking.
"Didn't realise you'd go straight for the bullseye," Morgana whispered, snickering as they heard a clang inside the Armoury. Arthur had dropped a piece of his armour and is intently listening to their conversation.
"Hmmm.." Gwen started, "I think it would be treason not to say King Arthur of course,"
"But he hasn't really been in battle for awhile, has he?" Morgana chided, winking at Merlin. She mouthed say Lancelot.
Merlin nodded.
"Right, well Sir Gwaine was showing the squires some tricks two days ago, and I was mesmerized," Gwen said, barely able to contain her giggles.
"Well, the royal pratness did get all that extra padding, so I'd say it's Lancelot," Merlin said, going along with Morgana. "He has gotten really good with a sword despite not having been trained as a kid."
Morgana gripped both Merlin and Gwen and ran towards the corner as they heard a much louder clang from inside the Armoury.
Once they were out of earshot, the three burst into laughter.
"That should teach him," Merlin said, tears of mirth welling up in his eyes.
"Shall we watch the training?" Morgana smiled sweetly. Her plan has just started.
It was a bright and sunny day, but the knights of Camelot were all wishing they'd rather be anywhere but outside in the courtyard while their King/friend — though they really do not know if he can be classified as one right now — batters them within an inch of their life.
"Sir Gwaine!" Arthur barked, "maybe if you spend more time practicing your footwork instead of running off to the tavern, you would be able to at least last 5 minutes in sparring."
Lying on his back with a wooden sword pointed directly at his chest, Gwaine grumbles.
"What was that?" Arthur glowers at his knight.
"Nothing sire," Gwaine gets up, "I'll try to do better."
"Don't try, do." Arthur said, before turning to the rest of the knights who were all looking at him with fear in their eyes.
"Lancelot!"
The knights parted like the red sea, making space for Lancelot to walk towards the King. He tries to hold his head up high, but his somber expression betrayed his internal emotions - it was as if he was walking towards his execution.
"Let's make this interesting - if you can get one hit on me," Arthur continues to stare down his knight, "I'll cancel training tomorrow."
That caught everyone's attention and the knights behind Lancelot perked up.
"Bring him down," Gwaine whispered as he runs towards Lancelot, handing him his wooden sword. Lancelot, eager for a day off, nods. Maybe it would be the right time for him to ask Guinevere out for a picnic in a clearing.
From the corner of his eye, he sees the love of his life, Merlin and Morgana seated by the benches, watching intently. He couldn't help the smile that tugs at his lips. He weakly waved at them.
Arthur squinted at Lancelot who was waving to his right. He followed where he was looking and saw Merlin waving excitedly, big grin on his face. Arthur had to steady himself. By the goddesses. That smile never failed to make him weak in the knees.
The King bit his lip to stop himself from smiling. He was tempted to walk over to his Court Sorcerer, take him by the waist, dip him slowly and cover his mouth with his own.
Then everything came crashing down as he realised that Merlin was not waving at him, but at his knight. His mood, already foul, worsened.
"Actually, let's make it better. One week off and a night at the Rising Sun paid for by the King's Treasury," Arthur said, "but if you lose, you muck the stables for a week."
The sun casted a golden hue over the training grounds as Arthur and Lancelot squared off with wooden swords.
"Challenge accepted sire," Lancelot began, his voice calm and measured.
Morgana watched the scene from afar and couldn't help but giggle in anticipation. Her plan so far had worked so well.
Beside her, Merlin clutched the hem of his tunic, a wave of guilt hitting him. Had he gone overboard with the teasing? He saw the murderous look that Arthur had and he couldn't help but feel bad that he had been partially responsible for it.
"I hope he wins," Gwen said.
"Arthur is the best swordsman in Albion, of course he'll win." Merlin said with commitment. He made a mental note to tell that to his face along with the other things he wanted to say to him like I lov-
Gwen hung her head low. Merlin shook his head, unable to hear Gwen whisper, "I was talking about Lancelot."
Arthur's grip on his wooden sword tightened as he saw a look of concern wash over Merlin's face.
Why does Merlin care about Lancelot so much? They were using wooden swords, no one was going to get seriously hurt.
A spark of anger flared in Arthur's eyes as Lancelot grinned towards the group.
Lancelot raised his sword defensively, not wanting to further provoke Arthur's ire. With a sudden burst of motion, they lunged at each other, wooden swords clashing in the middle. Each strike and parry was executed with precision, a testament to their equal prowess. The courtyard echoed with the rhythmic sound of their blows, neither giving an inch.
Arthur's strength was matched by Lancelot's agility, and vice versa. Their swords danced in a mesmerizing display of technique, the sun-kissed dust swirling around them as they circled and feinted. The knights who watched could hardly believe their eyes.
Time seemed to stand still as the battle raged on. The two warriors were locked in a fierce struggle, sweat trickling down their brows, yet neither showed signs of fatigue. Their movements were fluid, their footwork impeccable, and their focus unbroken.
Lancelot executed a lightning-fast series of strikes, which Arthur deftly parried. In response, Arthur delivered a powerful overhead swing that Lancelot narrowly evaded with a graceful backward leap.
Arthur lunged forward, his sword slicing through the air with precision. Lancelot swiftly parried the attack, the wooden swords clashing with a resonant thud. Back and forth they went, trading blows, their wooden swords a blur of motion.
Arthur's ears were ringing. He had not experienced such difficulty since the Battle at Camlann. Internally, he was proud of his knight for showing such improvement. Externally, however, he scowled. The King should be the best.
With staggered breaths, he circles around so Lancelot's back was turned towards the benches. With this angle, Arthur can see Merlin, who was watching in anticipation, his hands gripping the hem of his tunic tightly.
Lancelot looked behind, "Like the view sire?" he smiles innocently, motioning towards the benches with his head.
"W-wha-?" Arthur spluttered, then jumped back, cursing himself from getting momentarily distracted, and almost falling victim to Lancelot's quick strikes.
Arthur took a deep breath. Lancelot had almost gotten the best of him, all because of Merlin who was distracting him by biting on his lower lip, those luscious lips that Arthur longed to kiss. His eyes almost glazed over as he started thinking about Merlin on his bed, completely debauched looking at him with complete adoration.
Lancelot turned back and saw Guinevere looking at him with pure awe. He steeled himself. He will not lose. For Gwen. He was not proud of what he said next.
"I heard someone is courting Merlin."
Arthur's response was swift and harsh. With a powerful swing, he aimed a blow at Lancelot's head, catching him off guard. The wooden sword made contact with a resounding crack, and Lancelot staggered back, his hand instinctively going to his throbbing head.
The knights gasped in shock at the unexpected turn of events. Arthur, his chest heaving with anger, loomed over Lancelot, his expression a mixture of remorse and regret.
"ARTHUR YOU CLOTPOLE!" Merlin yelled, running towards them, Morgana and Gwen following behind. In a flash, he was kneeling beside Lancelot, cradling the back of his head.
Arthur glared at the scene in front of him. Lancelot, who he did not hit that bad, was whimpering in pain, no doubt faking, as Merlin whispered spells of healing, his hand going over Lancelot's hair.
What Arthur did not notice was that across him, Gwen was holding Lancelot's hand.
Merlin glared at him standing up, his eyes a stormy wave of blue.
"What. The. Heck. Is. Wrong. With. You." Merlin punctuated each word with a poke to his King's chest.
Arthur couldn't help but lose himself in Merlin's eyes, the words barely registering to his mind. How bad would it really be if he just grabbed him by the neck and-
"You could have hurt Lancelot!" he vaguely hears and everything comes crashing back down again. Oh, that makes sense. Merlin was concerned about Lancelot. Sweet, noble, perfect Lancelot, and not him.
Arthur turns to Lancelot, intent on avoiding Merlin's eyes were no longer on him, "Stables, 1 week, I'll inform the stablemasters."
The knight groaned a yes from Gwen's shoulders. With that, Arthur turned around and walked back to the castle, his cloak billowing behind him.
Gwaine was the first to break the silence, "well that was…something."
"You think?" Lancelot said, "Oww, Guinevere maybe you should stay the night, make sure I don't have a concussion…"
Lancelot smiled to himself. Maybe getting bruised and battered by the King wouldn't be so bad if he had Gwen to take care of him every time.
"Gwen, take him to Gaius. I'll deal with the royal prat." Merlin said, standing up and following the King inside.
Once he was out of earshot, Morgana beamed. "OH that went so perfectly!" she squealed.
"Apologies my Lady, but I beg to differ," Lancelot winced.
Morgana sighed. "Well this is just the first step of the plan, isn't it?"
Lancelot, Percival, Elyan, Gwaine, and Leon turned to Morgana.
"Wha-"
"Nothing. Your male brains can't honestly copee."
"Oh Morgana, we need to tell them." Gwen said, her eyes never leaving Lancelot.
Morgana looked around, making sure no one could hear her. "Lancelot will court Merlin to make Arthur jealous."
"I-WHAT?" Lancelot yelled, startling Gwen from her position. He instantly regretted his outburst as the ringing in his ear got worse.