A Marriage that Started a Legend

by IJustShowedUp

Follows canon but with my own arranged marriage spin on it. What happens when Hunith makes a mistake and is forced on the run with her infant son? What happens when Camelot knights find her twenty years later? What happens when Arthur learns he's betrothed to a peasant boy? Will Merlin be able to stand among royalty? Will these two different boys survive each other? Review!

41. Chapter 41

Maybe it had been the sickening gasp that Merlin had no possible chance of concealing under his breath in time. It could have been that Merlin had just leaned to far onto the door and the squeaking sound it made as it swung wider was finally loud enough to catch Valiant's attention. Or hell, maybe it was just because Merlin's boot had made a dull thud on the wood Valiant's floor's were made out of.

Maybe it was just pure stupidity on Merlin's part that had gotten him caught.

He would probably never know what exactly it was that had finally gotten Valiant to realize that there was more than just him and his snakes in the room.

But maybe it didn't matter either, because Merlin didn't stick around long enough to find out. It seemed as if the noise had drawn the realization onto both Merlin and Valiant at the same time.

To Valiant-that he was being watched, and probably long enough for whoever to have witnessed his new friends leaving what was their home.

To Merlin-that he had just been caught, and if he didn't get a move on right this second, it was entirely possible that this was going to be the last thing that he ever saw.

They both moved at the exact same time.

Valiant made a wild dive for the sword that he'd left leaning against the table. Within seconds, he had his sword in the palm of his hand, whipping around to hold it up in a threatening manner towards his door.

But in the brief second it had taken for Valiant to grab his sword, the doorway was already empty.

Merlin had taken off running, probably faster than he had in his entire life. He didn't have any idea where he was going, but he didn't really care where he ended up either. All he knew was that he had to get away, if only so he could warn Gaius about what was really going on.

Merlin's heart was racing like wild in his chest, practically going so crazy beneath his ribcage that he feared it was going to pop straight out. Pure adrenaline shot crazily down every single muscle and fiber in his being. He did absolutely nothing to hide the sounds of his footsteps as he ran, he'd already been caught so what was the point in wasting the effort it would take to keep himself quiet.

Merlin heard the door-that he'd just ran away from-flying open. Somewhere behind him, it cracked harshly against the wall, and Merlin felt himself flinch before he could stop it.

Without a second or delay, Merlin threw himself through an opened doorway at the end of the hall. His head whipped around in every direction, knowing that he had little to no time in making his next move, but he couldn't see anywhere that would lead him to safety.

There was no doorways for him to duck into, no rooms for him to try and take shelter in until Valiant gave up on him. There were not even any curtains that he could only hope were thick enough to hide the bulge of his body behind it.

He'd somehow found himself in a very large circular room with absolutely nothing to help him in it. Not unless one counted the stupidly large bouquet of flowers sitting on a circle shaped decorative table in the middle of the room.

Now, normally Merlin loved flowers as much as the next guy. Hell, he probably liked them more than most guys were even willing to admit. Maybe he just liked how innocent they were, growing wherever it was that their seed had landed. Or maybe it was because sometimes, when he concentrated hard enough, he could practically feel the life force coming off of it, vibrating with it's surprising ferocity.

But none of that mattered right now, because none of that was going to get him out of the mess he'd found himself in. Nor would the five hallways that were branching out of the room, leading off to who know's where.

Merlin took a chance, and dove down one of the hallway's at the random. He supposed that it didn't really matter where it went, as long as it would allow him his escape.

But there was no chance for him to go down the length of it without drawing Valiant's attention straight towards him. The knight would already be in the circular room and would be able to see him before Merlin could duck down the second hallway curving off somewhere at the end of the first.

So, with no other option, Merlin practically plastered himself against the wall, hiding behind the doorframe. It was the only place that was big enough for him to wedge himself into. This was probably the worse hallway that he could have found himself in, because there wasn't a single doorway he could try to find solace in, but it was to late to change that now.

There were nothing but portraits hanging along the wall, and really, how were a bunch of paintings supposed to help him? Not unless he could use his magic to pelt them at Valiant, but that would defeat his whole purpose.

He could get out of this without magic, without revealing himself and what he was...he had to.

Merlin's breath caught as he heard the sound of footsteps coming into the circular room that he'd just ducked out of. He held his breath, his lips pressed so tightly together to hide his breathing, that they had literally gone white. And then he waited, hearing nothing but the pulsing of his heart inside of his own eardrums.

Wait for what though, he didn't know. Either Valiant was going to try and feed him to his snakes, or he might actually somehow get out of this situation alive.

"I know you're there." He heard Valiant call out, and Merlin forced himself up against the wall so tightly, that one may had thought he was trying to go through it. Which really, that wouldn't be such a bad idea right about now.

Maybe Valiant was just teasing him, trying to urge him into a false sense of security, but Merlin didn't think the knight actually knew where he was. Maybe he just thought Merlin was in hearing distance, or maybe he was just talking out loud with no actual idea if he was just talking to the wind or not.

There was a subtle sniffing sound, as if Valiant was trying to smell the very air around them, and Merlin paled, resisting the urge to subtly sniff himself just to see if Valiant would actually be able to track him down like a bloodhound.

But there was nothing more than his own subtle smell, certainly nothing that was strong enough to catch one's senses without being pressed right up against him.

Merlin could feel his ears straining, trying to pick up the subtle sounds of Valiant's footsteps.

"Little mouse? Is that you?" He heard Valiant calling out to him, and Merlin squeezed his eye's shut as he counted down the seconds, hoping that Valiant wouldn't discover his hiding spot.

"Little mouse, little mouse, come out wherever you are." Valiant called in a sing song and cooing kind of voice. Merlin didn't know why Valiant was calling him that-and he was positive that Valiant was deliberately calling Merlin himself that and not somebody else he may had thought was watching him-but it shook him up.

Remembering how those three snakes had literally torn that single mouse into shreds while it still lived, Merlin couldn't help the sinking feeling in his gut. He wondered if Valiant meant to do the same to him, if he caught him.

It didn't help that his voice had been the kind that was disturbing and eerie, and made Merlin all the more determined to not be discovered.

"Did you enjoy our fun last night?" Valiant called out, his voice mocking in it's cruel humor. "I know I did. I bet we could have a lot more fun together if you come out, little mouse. I promise it won't hurt...much."

Merlin's face had gone almost white as he heard Valiant walking nearer toward's him, and he could almost imagine the man that was stalking him. But he didn't dare make a sound, for fear that the man wouldn't uphold his end of this promise. Valiant was going to hurt him-badly-by the sounds of it. But only if he was caught.

This 'fun' that Valiant was talking about, Merlin was positive that there would be no actual fun involved. Not for him at least, and he didn't think that Valiant would much care even if Merlin tried throwing that vase that held the bouquet of flowers he'd passed by at his head. He didn't know the exact scope of plans Valiant had for him, but he feared that forcibly kissing him was probably just the beginning. Although whatever else Valiant could have been thinking of doing to him was like a blank spot in his head. Would the man...tie him up and beat him half to death? Would the man...get a bucket of water and try drowning him? Would he...there were just to many possibilities and unanswered questions for him to risk coming out.

"So, that's how it is." Valiant called out to him again, hovering in the entranceway, making Merlin flinch back in an attempt to hide what he could of his body in the shadows. It took Merlin a second to realize that Valiant wasn't talking to him specifically, because he hadn't found him yet. He was just talking to the air, having not spotted Merlin's lanky body pressed up behind the door frame.

Merlin still held his breath, fearful that even the slightest of movements would give him away. And he didn't know what would happen if he got caught. Would Valiant attempt to drag him toward's his room just down one of the many hallways, to continue his assault on Merlin somewhere more private? Or would he forgo any sort of privacy and just decide to finish what he had started earlier right here in the hall.

"So I guess this is really going to be how it is, huh, little mouse?" Valiant called, and then he was moving away from Merlin's hiding spot. Merlin could hear his footsteps trailing away, and something disturbingly horrified occurred to him.

Valiant wasn't running or trying to find him, he wasn't trying to stop him from escaping and running his mouth off to the wrong people. He was just walking, each step being more slow and measured then the last as he took his time peeking down each hallway that branched off from the main room. It was somehow even worse then if Valiant had been running after him. Because moving slowly, it was like Valiant didn't care one way or the other if Merlin escaped. And if Valiant didn't care if Merlin escaped, then somehow, he must have thought himself untouchable.

"I hope you know that you won't get very far away." Valiant called, his voice soft and very callous. "Even if you manage to get away from me today, I'm always going to be there, just waiting to take you away from your precious Arthur."

Merlin clenched his hand into a fist at his side, not daring to utter a single sound even as he cautiously poked his eye around the door frame. He could see Valiant peeking down another hallway that was across from the one he was hiding in. The knight had his sword out, and Merlin wondered if the man had given up on forcing a kiss on him after all. For all Merlin knew, the man was now just planning on killing him, leaving his cold body out for one of the maids to find.

And that was only if he left him behind, and didn't try to cover up the crime by hiding his body somewhere nobody would find it. He had explored enough of the castle by this point to know just how many empty and unused areas were in it. Just how long would it take for somebody to find him if Valiant left him in one of those abandoned rooms? ...A month? ...two months? ...a year?

How long would it take for people to notice that he'd gone missing at all? Would they bother having a search party in an attempt to find him? Or maybe they would just write him off, and let everybody decided to forget all about Camelot's unwanted consort.

Merlin saw Valiant turning around, and with a subtle gasp, he threw himself back behind the door frame. His body was pressed up against the wall, and every muscle he had was coiled up and ready to attack. If Valiant thought Merlin was going to be an easy kill, then he was going to be mistaken.

He waited-poised and at the ready-to attack if it came down to it. He was ready to throw himself out with his fists swinging, hopefully Valiant would be so startled that he'd actually manage to land a punch this time. And he'd have his magic, but only as a last resort if he saw no other way out of this with his life intact. Even if he was arrested later on, it would give him just a little extra time on this side of the divide between the living and the dead.

Valiant was walking, coming near to where he was hiding out at. Merlin couldn't see him, not daring to move even an inch just yet, but he could hear him. The sounds that his boots made as he came walking closer and closer...

Merlin flinched when a sudden sound came from down one of the other corridors. The crash was harsh, sounding as if something heavy had just been knocked over. Then there was the loud sound of somebody cursing-a serving boy.

Merlin heard the subtle curse under his breath from Valiant-close enough for Merlin to tense back up-but the other man apparently decided getting caught by somebody else waving his sword around in an empty hallway was to much trouble for him.

"I know what you think you saw, little mouse, and I know what you're thinking about doing. But just a word of advice, don't do it, especially if you know what's good for you. This isn't over, little mouse, not by a long shot."

Merlin swallowed hard, the resolute gulp sounding loud even to his own ears. To his ears, it had sounded as if he'd been shouting, but Valiant didn't seem to notice at all. If he had, surely he would have made a move to grab for him.

"I'll be back for you another time." Valiant muttered under his breath, and Merlin wasn't sure if he was meant to hear that last bit or if Valiant had just been talking to himself.

But then Valiant was hurrying away, his footsteps fading into nothingness as he headed down the corridor that his room was in.

Merlin cautiously peeled out around the doorframe only after he could no longer hear the sounds of footsteps. Valiant was already long gone-probably having taken shelter back in his rooms-and the circular room with it's many intersecting hallways were completely empty.

Unless one counted the decorative flowers in the middle of the room.

Merlin finally allowed himself to breath, the exhale of relief practically pouring out of his body. He pulled back out of the doorway and slumped against the wall of the hallway he was in.

"Fuck, that was a close one." Merlin muttered, bringing a hand up to wipe at his forehead. There was a sheen of anxiety induced sweat clinging to his brow that was trying to drip it's way into his eyes.

He would probably never know exactly which serving boy it was that had lost control of their tray of glasses and dropped it all over the floor. And the serving boy would probably never know that he had just saved the life of Camelot's consort.

But the one thing Merlin did know, was that the only reason Valiant hadn't found him-and he had been getting uncomfortably close to where Merlin had been hiding-was because of that serving boy.

Right, Merlin suddenly remembered where he was and what he was doing, as he shoved himself off the wall. He didn't have the time to sit around being relieved that he hadn't been caught. Valiant was using magic to get ahead in the tourney! And somebody had to stop him before somebody other than Ewan got hurt. He needed to get this information to his uncle, maybe there was something that he could do now that he knew where the source of the venom had come from.

And now that Merlin knew the truth, he could bring this information to the king's attention.

Merlin may not be comfortable with admitting the advances Valiant had made toward's him, and was willing to forget all about it, if only he was that lucky. But this new information was a lot bigger than himself, he couldn't keep what had happened to Knight Ewan a secret. Besides, when he got Valiant behind bars, it wasn't exactly like he could make good on his promise and come after him...right?

Merlin started hurrying down deeper into the hallway he'd been hiding in. He didn't want to run the risk of going back the way he'd came from. That direction had Valiant's room in it, and knowing his luck, he'd be rushing pass it when Valiant would be throwing his door open and dragging him inside before he could even scream.

Merlin wasn't exactly sure where this hallway was going to lead him to, but surely it would bring him somewhere he recognized. Even if it was just to a staircase, or to an entrance way that would bring him outside. Yeah, once he was outside, it shouldn't be to hard for him to find his way back to his uncle's.

Merlin was still running, probably not as fast as he should be given the urgency of his situation, but all his walking had done was lead him to another branch of a different hallway. It was like a bunch of never ending tunnels that criss crossed over each other in every direction. Just when Merlin thought he had this place figured out, of course he would discover a new area of the castle he hadn't explored yet.

His head whipped around in every direction, trying to find something that was familiar to him. But no matter where he looked, all he did was see the same old things.

Doorways that led to single rooms-either bedrooms, storage rooms, or office like looking spaces.

Banner's with the pendragon crest on them, or dusty old tapestries that seemed to tell a story of some old battle that nobody cared about anymore.

There were decorative tables on each side of the hallway with empty vases. It was clear that nobody usually came down this way, so there was no need to fill these vases with beautiful flower arrangements if nobody was ever going to see them.

And then there were the portrait's. He didn't really take notice of them at first when they started appearing on the walls as he passed them by. They were just simple master pieces, things like a bowl of fruit or a field of flowers, the stray person here or there.

He had just started down the third hallway when he jolted to a stop, his head whipping up with a frown. "...Arthur?"

It took Merlin a second to realize that it wasn't Arthur he was looking at. He was standing in front of a portrait, that had two people in it. It looked as if they were in some kind of study, with bookshelves and a desk situated behind them.

The man-the one Merlin had briefly thought was Arthur-did greatly resemble the prince in some ways. But there were a lot of differences as well that made it very clear that this was not Arthur. For starters, the man's hair was several shades darker than Arthur's was. It looked more brown then Arthur's spun gold, but the way the light had reflected off of it had made it look lighter than it was when he'd first seen it. The man was also several years older than Arthur was now, looking as if he belonged in his late twenties rather than his early twenties like Arthur was, he even had a weird goatee that made him look older than he was. And don't even get Merlin started on the man's clothes, they looked like something nobility would have worn about one hundred and fifty years ago.

But his eye's, his eye's were the same shade of bright vivid blue that Arthur's was. Only they were darker, more serious-the portrait maker must had been fantastic considering the time this portrait must have taken. His eyes just looked so...realistic. Merlin could almost feel the man's sorrow as if it were his own, his eye's reflecting just how much horror's he must have seen in his youth.

Merlin dragged his eye's away so that he could look at the other figure inside of the portrait. This woman looked younger than the man by a good several years, with long and thick dark hair that fell over her slim shoulders. She wore a dress that looked as if it had been made with the sun in mind, beautiful and golden-big and puffy considering the times this portrait must have been made in-and it reached all the way down to cover her toes.

There were several things that Merlin noticed about this portrait. For one, just like he had noticed the sorrow drowning in the man's eyes, he could see the woman bore a similar sorrow. She was smiling in the portrait, her hands resting on her lap while she looked every bit like a properly well brought up lady should be. But there were subtle differences that betrayed her joy, like the smallest dip in her smile that wouldn't have been there if she was truly happy. Or the way her hand's were clenched just slightly, half obscured from the way she held them in the folds of her dress.

Merlin also noticed the large gap between the two in the portrait. The man was standing, his back nearest to the edge of the frame, but there was a good foot of space between him and the woman. The woman sat in a large chair, sitting in an angle so that her knees were facing the man, but that did nothing to abate the space between them.

For a second, Merlin forgot all about Valiant and his urgent need to get back to his uncle's. Not entirely confident that he'd be able to find this hallway again on his own, Merlin took a minute to spare so that he could look down.

Just underneath the portrait was a golden plaque, but it was old and covered in a layer of dust so thick that Merlin couldn't read it no matter how hard he squinted. He couldn't even rub it off-which he tried-because of how much had been caked onto it after the years of going untouched.

So he backed his face away, glanced down either side of the hallway to make sure that he wouldn't be disturbed. When he saw that nobody was coming-which he should have already figured because it looked as if nobody had been down this hall for years-he turned back to the portrait.

With a flash of golden eye's, the dust on the portrait-if one could call it dust because it felt more like concrete when he'd tried rubbing it off-started to crack. Merlin winced as his eye's faded back to blue, when large chucks of rock started dripping off and hitting the ground hard enough to shatter them into smaller pieces.

Maybe it was a good thing that this hallway clearly wasn't in anymore use.

But after only a few second's, the plaque was clear of stone and looking as bright and as shiny as it should have been. Almost as if it had been brand new instead of over a century old.

Before Merlin could question his decision to check this out further-or realize that this probably wasn't the best time for him to be exploring-he was leaning down to read the names engraved onto it.

King Wther Dragon and his Queen, the Lady Trelmione.

Merlin frowned, lifting his head to look back up at the painting. "Wther Dragon and Queen Trelmione." He muttered to himself. Dragon... Pendragon...Uther's word's back from when he'd had his discussion with Merlin came flooding back to him. About how the Pendragon name had come to be, and how the family had originally gone by the name ...Dragon.

"So, you must be Arthur's great-grandparents." Merlin said quietly. He wondered if this man was the same man that had founded Camelot, the one from Uther's story. Or was there somebody else that came before them, but no, this was the first of the portrait's that were like this.

Merlin looked further down the wall, and saw another portrait hanging by just a few feet away. With another look toward's Arthur's great-grandparents, he hurried down the hall to look at this new one being offered up to him.

It was nearly identical to the way the first one had been. The background and the setting was exactly the same, the only difference being the people inside of them. The man greatly resembled Wthur Dragon, only his hair was much darker like Queen Trelmione had been. It wasn't to hard to imagine that this man must have been their son, and the woman sitting in the chair with thick red hair piled into a tight updo bun being his bride.

The two stood closer together then the first couple had been. The man was standing right behind the woman, with his hand's on the shoulders of her lilac colored dress. But even though they were actually touching, it didn't make the sorrow in their eye's-identical to the first portrait-any less sad.

Another flash of golden eye's caused the aged dirt to crack off of the golden plaque that rested underneath it.

King Madais Pendragon and his Queen, the Lady Radius.

Merlin looked back up at the picture, at who was obvious Arthur's grandparents. This hall, it had to be some kind of memorial hall, a place to put up portraits of those who had long since passed. He'd heard of these halls, of how they were meant as a way to honor the Great King's and Queen's of the past.

"...Did you two also have an arranged marriage?" Merlin asked quietly, mostly to himself as there was nobody around. Was that why all of these people in these old pictures looked so sad? Because they had married somebody they didn't want to, because they'd been married off to each other just like...

Merlin pushed that thought down, even as he brought his hand up to push down at the neckerchief still in his pocket. He ducked his head and quickly walked further down the hall, if only so he didn't have to look at their sad expressions any longer.

He walked only so far, stopping when he came to the next portrait. He didn't even have to wipe off the dust-using his sleeve instead of his magic since this portrait (while old) was still newer then the other two and hadn't had the time to harden up-to know who these two were.

King Uther Pendragon and his Queen, Lady Ygraine

Merlin's eyes shot up to look at the portrait from every angle, his eye's almost wide in amazement. The background was exactly like the other two had been, the couple being in some kind of study. But there were more differences in this portrait then there had been in all of the others.

For one, Uther looked so young, almost twenty years or so younger. His hair was less peppered were grey, looking as black as the man from the other portrait (the one who must be his father). And he was standing behind the chair, only he wasn't looking up at the portrait taker. He was looking down at his Queen, an almost soft and endearing smile on his face. It was startling, just how... human...Uther was looking. As if he was young and truly in love with his beautiful Queen.

"...What happened to change that?" Merlin muttered to himself. Clearly the Uther that Merlin knew was not the same Uther that was in this painting. This one had yet to be scarred by whatever tragedy it was that had changed him so much.

Merlin's eye's dropped down to the woman that was sitting in the chair, a small but much more genuine smile being on her face. This was...Merlin's eye's fashioned on her with fascination...Arthur's mother?

She was a beautiful woman, wearing a pale yellow dress that while simpler than her predecessors, was no less expensive. Her pale skin-even in a portrait-was clearly radiant. And while it was clear that Arthur had inherited Uther's blue eyes, everything else was like a male version of his mother.

Arthur's features, while hardened and angled like a man's would be, also had a softer edge to it that made his mother's resemblance to him even more obvious than it was to his father. And Ygraine's hair, while long and curled elegantly over her shoulder, was the exact shade of golden blonde that Arthur's was.

Merlin's eye's dropped down to where Ygraine'd hand was resting on the still flat curve of her belly, and his breath caught because he wondered...was this portrait taken when Ygraine was pregnant with Arthur?

Merlin's lips quirk into a half grin as he tried to imagine what a baby Arthur would have looked like. And if he was he as arrogant as a toddler as he was now? Or did he have to grow into his arrogance as he aged.

But either way, he could just see a little Arthur stomping his feet and going all huffy when things didn't go his way, kind of like he did now actually.

Merlin probably spent a few second's longer than he had been planning to just standing there looking at Ygraine, and wondering what kind of woman she was, if Arthur even knew what kind of woman she was. She must have been something special if she had once made Uther look at her like that...so full of love and happiness.

Merlin remembered when Leon first came to get him, and how he had mentioned that Arthur's mother had died in childbirth. He wondered if Ygraine and Uther even had an inkling of an idea as this portrait was being taken, that she would be dead just as Arthur was taking his first breath.

Merlin found himself backing away from the painting, his eye's flicking over to the next one in the line of secession. The next one which was...empty?

Merlin frowned, walking closer to it. There was a picture frame hanging on the wall, golden and elaborate and identical to the previous one's. But it didn't have an actual portrait inside of it.

Why was there an empty portrait in a line of family portraits? Why were these portraits down here anyway? If these portraits really were a 'memorial' to the kings of Camelot, then why the hell were they down here? Why weren't they somewhere that more people would actually see them?

Merlin glanced back down the wall, looking down at the other portrait's, and then back to the empty one. "...Wait a minute..." Merlin murmured, feeling like a fucking idiot when he finally realized what the last portrait was.

The first was Arthur's great-grandparents, and then the second was his grandparents, and then the third was his parents. So the forth one would be, "...Us..." Merlin murmured, looking at the empty frame with new eye's.

He tilted his head and squinted at it, trying to imagine a portrait like the other one's, only this one would feature Arthur and himself in it.

...There was going to have to be a lot of changes made if they wanted Merlin to sit long enough for the portrait taker to paint it.

For one thing, Merlin was not going to be the one sitting in that stupid chair while Arthur stood on the far off corner by himself, like his great-grandparent's were doing. When they did their portrait sitting-if they did it since Merlin hadn't even heard anything about having one done-he did not want there to be that kind of distance between Arthur and him, even if he had to pin the blonde down to get a decent portrait done.

Merlin brought his hand down to finger at the neckerchief in his pocket. As fun as it would be to finally be the one to pin Arthur down, it would be even better if the prince just went along willingly. Maybe it was just because he didn't want to end up in a portrait with a sad expression like Arthur's ancestor's had, but it made him more determined then ever to finally find a chance to pass the prince his favor.

Merlin was so distracted that he didn't even notice he'd started walking backwards, still staring at the empty frame as he tried to imagine what a portrait of him and Arthur would actually look like. He didn't see the decorative table situated on the wall behind him until his backside was ramming into it.

Merlin flared about as the back of his foot caught on the table leg, and he just barely caught sight of the vase that was flipping over the end. With a flash of golden eye's, Merlin froze from where he was bent backwards at an unnatural angle, there was no way he could have still been standing if his magic wasn't there to assist him. At the same time, the vase froze in mid-air as well, hovering a good foot above the floor.

Then time seemed to catch back up with him, and the sound of shattering glass as the vase hit the floor was exactly what he needed to snap himself back into focus.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Merlin cursed, loud and heatedly as he remembered what had led him down this hallway to begin with. Ignoring the sound of crunching glass under his feet, he was in so much of a hurry that he didn't bother cleaning up his mess.

He just took off down the hallway, probably running faster than he had in his entire lifetime. He was such a fucking idiot! He kept thinking as he finally found a staircase and started taking them down two at a time. He didn't have time to think about portraits, or wonder what direction his non-existent love life was going to go in.

He had to get the information he had back to Gaius! He had to let his uncle know what kind of snake it was, and hopefully get the snake itself so that Ewan could get his antidote. He was so fucked if Ewan died because he'd gotten distracted by a bunch of stupid portraits!

Merlin picked up the pace, not even stopping as he passed by a large glass window that showed the training grounds, which was a good thing. Because that meant he was getting closer and closer to his uncle's.

X

Merlin didn't know how long it took him before he reached his uncle's quarters, but he did know that he was covered in a very thin layer of sweat from the race over. He didn't care about that, he could be absolutely dripping in sweat for all he cared.

All he knew was that he threw himself into his uncle's quarters like a hailstorm, throwing the door shut behind them. He took no notice of the candles that had been lit in some time during his absence to light the place up, nor did he take no note of his uncle's startled expression from where he was still sitting next to Ewan-looking as if he hadn't moved an inch since Merlin had left the hour before.

Merlin marched straight up to his uncle, only being slowed down when he had to go around the edge of a table that was in the pathway. He didn't stop until he got to his uncle's side, and his eye's shot straight down to Ewan.

The knight was still unconscious, but did look better since it appeared that Gaius had cleaned him up. He'd changed him into a long white linen shirt for him to rest in, and had appeared to have mopped up most of the sweat that he'd been covered in like Merlin was now.

Merlin could feel his pounding heart start to slow when he realized that Ewan was still breathing. Good, the man hadn't died because of his own stupid incompetence and for him getting distracted way to easily, even when there was a crises going on.

Merlin, only after making for sure that Ewan really was still breathing, whipped around to look at his uncle. "I've just seen one of the snakes in Valiant's shield come alive." He wasn't going to waste another second more, and he shook his head in disgust as he took a shuddering breathe while trying to calm his pounding heart. "He's using magic!"

Gaius looked surprised by this, as if he had yet to consider this possibility. But in an oddly strange way, it did make a bit of sense when one thought about it. Like how Ewan had somehow gotten himself bitten by a venomous snake with no one-the audience or the knight that was actually in close proximity -seeing.

Still, he had to be certain, "Are you sure?" He asked his nephew. With the type of injury that Ewan had, and the circumstances that had led to it, Merlin needed to have no doubt before he started throwing things like that around.

But Merlin didn't rescind his accusation. In fact, his face scrunched up in disgust and he looked as if he was going to need the spare puke bucket. "The snake's ate a mouse, they tore the poor thing apart..." Merlin feared that this was going to be an image he would probably take with him to his grave. He shook his head as he laid the pieces out for Gaius, "Sir Ewan was fighting Valiant when he collapsed, it had to have been one of the snakes from the shield." Merlin glanced back down at Ewan, feeling anxious. He had already wasted enough time, and Ewan's life was hanging in the balance, there had to be something more that he could do then what he was already doing. He started to get ahead of himself, already backing away from Ewan's bedside, "I have to tell Arthur."

He felt a zing of panic go through him after he said that, already wondering how long would it take for Arthur to come face to face with Valiant in this tournament. And he'd seen Arthur fighting, he was good. There was no doubt that Valiant would use the shield on the prince just as he had on the knight. And then it would be Arthur that was lying unconscious on the bed in Gaius' chambers, waiting helplessly for a cure that may never come.

He had to go, he had to get out of here, to warn him so that they could stop Valiant from doing what he did to Ewan to somebody else, to Arthur. It was bad enough that Valiant was all but tormenting him behind the scenes, he couldn't-no, he wouldn't, let something even worse happen to Arthur.

Merlin hadn't even made it to the door before Gaius was jumping to his feet, a new bout of urgency going through the physician when he realized that his nephew was leaving, "Is there any chance that you might have been mistaken?" It wasn't likely, but if there was even a slim chance that Merlin may have misinterpreted what he had seen, then Gaius was willing to take that as a reason to not bring this to anybody's attention. Not unless it was necessary.

Merlin stopped to look at him, before he was immediately shaking his head, "I know magic when I see it." He was saying as he reached down for the door handle. There were a lot of mysterious things about the world, but snakes coming out of a shield was definitely the magical kind of mystery. "Besides," Merlin's loose tongue got away from him. "I know more than anybody that Valiant is the kind of man that will stop at nothing to get what he wants. And what he wants is to win this tourney."

Merlin hadn't even realized what he'd just said at first, it had kind of just spilled out of him before he had the time to think. And it was only after he saw Gaius' confusion did he realize what he had said, and he bit down on his bottom lip hard.

"Merlin, what are you talking about? How would you know the kind of man that Valiant is, he hasn't been here all that long." Gaius exclaimed, looking at his nephew with a deep confusion.

But maybe it was the expression on Merlin's troubled face that made him see that there was obviously something wrong. Or maybe it was the way Merlin shook his head, and bit down harder on his lips in an effort to keep his silence, his eyes looking growing to look wet.

"Merlin," Gaius started slowly. "Is there a reason you would know what kind of man Valiant is?" But Merlin still didn't say anything to him, but he also didn't make a break for the door either. Gaius shook his head, "Merlin, how can I possibly help you if you will not give me anything to work with here. You say all of these thing's and then refuse to elaborate? If Valiant had done something-something that does not involve snakes and such-to make you question Valiant's character, there might be a way to work thing's out, or maybe there was a misunderstanding, or even-"

"There was no misunderstanding." Merlin was quick to interrupt. He'd been hanging his head, looking almost ashamed as Gaius was lecturing him, but now he had whipped his head straight upwards, his eye's flashing over there being any possibility of what he'd been going through being regelated to something like 'just a misunderstanding'.

Gaius frowned at the quick response, not entirely sure what to make of Merlin or what he was saying. He sighed heavily, feeling as if he should make some tea-but there was no time for tea with everything else that was going on-so he submitted into hearing whatever Merlin had to say without any substance in hand, "Merlin, if you are so sure that Valiant is in the wrong, if you saw something else that he did before all of this to make you question him, then isn't it your responsibility to say something?"

Merlin looked back down, taking a few steps closer and letting his hand trail cautiously over the edge of the nearby table. "That's what I was trying to do...why I was trying to tell Arthur about his using magic..." after he realized that Valiant was using magic to win the tourney, he'd almost been hoping that he could resolve Valiant's cruelty towards him without the actual details coming out. Valiant could be punished for his crimes of using magic-to harm people and not just having magic, Merlin would have never turned him in otherwise if he wasn't using it to hurt people-and then Merlin would never have to speak up about what's been going on.

Valiant would already be being punished, so there would have been no reason for Merlin to add fuel to the fire, so to speak.

Gaius didn't seem to convinced by Merlin's response, and he was even less convinced by the way Merlin was clearly avoiding looking at him, "Merlin, if there is something that you know that I don't, then by all means, mention it-"

"Valiant's a creep!" Merlin blurted out before Gaius could even finish what he'd been saying.

Maybe Merlin was tired of feeling this pressure on his chest that tightened up in cold fear every time he thought about what Valiant had done. But he might also be saying this now because he didn't like the sinking feeling he had, it almost felt as if he were protecting Valiant by not saying anything. It might just be because Gaius was questioning him now, and Merlin didn't know what else to say other then the truth. But it might also be because he could still vividly remember Valiant's threat, about how this wasn't over and that he was coming back later. But whatever the reason for it, now that Merlin had said the first part, the rest practically came pouring out of him in a mismatch of indistinguishable words.

"I met him in the armory! And then he wanted to kiss me-wouldn't take no for an answer-then my door-said he'll be back..."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Gaius practically had to shout over the string of words that Merlin was having trouble stringing into what would have been a comprehensive sentence. But the aged physicians eye's were intently focused. He hadn't been able to make heads or tails of what Merlin had said, but he did hear 'kiss' and 'wouldn't take no'. Gaius found himself walking across the room and pressing a hand on Merlin's shoulder. "I need you to breathe and to try saying it again." He said, speaking slow and calm so that Merlin's frantic gasps for breathe could match his own.

Merlin nodded shakily, feeling as if not only were his hands shaking, but as if he weren't getting enough oxygen down into his lungs where it belonged. It was just to much for him, everything was just to much. He'd been scared-worried-about Valiant before, but maybe it just hadn't seemed-he don't know-real...before? Was that the way to describe something like this? With Valiant's threat against him-the threat that he was finally taking notice of and trying to wrap his mind around now that he had a real minute to stop-it had brought a whole new feeling of terror coursing through his veins.

"Now Merlin," Gaius spoke slowly when Merlin's breaths started to slow down, his eyes narrowed sharply on his young charge, "Did you just tell me that Valiant tried to kiss you, and didn't like it when you told him no."

Merlin swallowed hard, feeling almost like a child who'd just told a naughty secret, before he weakly nodded his head up and down.

Gaius jerked his hand away from Merlin's shoulder, looking almost horrified by this turn of events. It was one thing for Valiant to be using magic-if that was indeed the case-but it was quite a different matter when it was an assault on his nephew.

Merlin found himself poking the toe of his boot onto the hard wood floors beneath himself, "He...he offered to walk me back to my rooms that night." He said quietly. "He probably thought me dumb enough to invite him back there, but I wasn't. And he made threats about ruining my reputation if I didn't do what he said, said things like 'Arthur doesn't have to know about this.' And I didn't sleep at all that night because he followed me to my rooms and tried to get inside but I had locked the doo-"

"He went to your rooms!"

Gaius had turned away from him but had been listening quietly to Merlin's explanation, having to resist his urge to start looking through his books to find a recipe on poisons that were undetectable. There was a girl in the kitchen's that owed him a favor, and wouldn't question the kind physician if he just claimed it was some kind of drought that would help the knight through his restless sleeps. But when Merlin had said those last words, Gaius had snapped back into focus.

Merlin nodded sulkily, "Yeah, you would think the royal suites would have guards at night, and according to Arthur there was someone that was supposed to be there all night but I guess he must have stepped out to use the bathroom or something..." he shrugged weakly. It was better than thinking that the guard had just allowed Valiant onto the floor and had not done anything to stop it.

"You told Arthur about Valiant's... misconduct?" Gaius asked when Merlin mentioned the prince's name. It loathed him to say that something like this was just 'misconduct', but it was the first word that came to mind. Even though this situation was far more than just that simple word.

He had narrowed his eye's just a little bit-because he didn't care about Arthur's personal feelings toward's his nephew-the prince had better have done something about this. Or Gaius himself would march into the throne room and demand that the king do something to pay for this slight made against their family. As Gaius was Merlin's only male relative-the only one around at least-then the physician had every right in the world to speak on Merlin's behalf. He had every right -as the boy's uncle-to address his concerns about his safety and such.

Merlin could feel the heat start to work it's way up his neck, and he reached up a hand to scratch at the back of his head, "Well...not exactly..." he admitted.

Gaius stared him down silently, before he finally asked, "What does 'not exactly' mean?" When he realized that Merlin wasn't going to elaborate any.

Merlin could feel the flush start to grow darker as he stuttered. "I-I...I just asked him about the guard situation. I didn't tell him why I was asking him though." He admitted quietly.

Gaius frowned, "Why on heavens not? Surely you've seen the prince since it happened? Why have you not brought this to his attention?"

Although, Gaius was finding himself relieved that Merlin hadn't told the prince. It wasn't because he approved of Valiant's actions or whatnot, but because Valiant was-as far as Gaius knew-still in the tourney. He hasn't been banished, or arrested, or anything of the sort. Which meant Merlin hadn't gone to the prince for help, only for Arthur to brush him aside as if he thought he was over reacting or something. But Gaius could see it in Merlin's eyes, he wasn't over reacting at all, he had truly been fearful over Valiant's advances.

And he thanked the God's that Merlin had been smart enough to lock himself in his room when he had. He couldn't even begin to imagine what would have happened, or how scared and confused Merlin would have been if Valiant had made it inside.

"I...I was embarrassed about the whole thing." Merlin admitted, giving off a heavy sigh as he shrugged weakly with one shoulder. "And maybe, I guess I just didn't want Arthur to think I couldn't handle my own problems."

Merlin hated to admit any of this, it was pretty much driving him up the walls internally. And now that he had said it out loud, now that he had admitted he'd been embarrassed about the whole thing, it sent a new wave of humiliation going through him. It just seemed so...childish, to not have gone straight to somebody when Valiant had first made his advances, or even when he'd shown up at Merlin's door minutes later.

"Merlin," Gaius said, looking disappointed in him by that, while he shook his head.

Merlin nearly flinched when Gaius put a hand on his shoulder, but the aged physician held steady, not letting it show how much sorrow had just filled him when the boy had shied away from his touch. Valiant may not have done any physical harm to the boy, but it was clear that what he had done had caused a more physiology effect.

Gaius sighed again, before getting on with what he was saying, "The first thing you need to know is that whatever happened was not your fault." He gave Merlin's shoulder a little shake, forcing him to look at him, but it was clear that he didn't really believe him.

"Now, repeat after me, none of what he did was because of me."

Merlin, even as he repeated the word's back, still felt as if he were a fraud. It felt as if he was only saying the word's because that was what his uncle wanted to hear, not because he actually believed them or anything. He just kept remembering his encounter's with Valiant, and wondering if there was something he had did to make the man so laser focused on him. He-of course-didn't regret anything that he said or did to get himself out of a potentially dangerous situation that first night in the armory, but maybe there was something that he could have done that would have made the knight lose interest.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when there was a firm and sudden cuff to the back of his head. "Ow!" Merlin exclaimed, hunching his shoulders up to sit beside his ears as he ducked his head down some.

"Then don't say it like you're about to go marching at a funeral." Gaius lectured, looking so stern and serious that Merlin couldn't stop an involuntary grin from slipping onto his face. What could he say, it felt nice to be cared for around here. "Now, say it again."

"None of it's my fault." Merlin repeated, a little louder than before. It still didn't have that boost of confidence to it that was usually in Merlin's voice, but it was also loads better than it had been the first time.

Gaius seemed satisfied enough at least, giving a firm nod to his head. "Now, first thing's first, is there anything else that you need to tell me regarding Valiant's behavior towards you. Did he..." Gaius hesitated for a moment. This would have been so much easier if Merlin had been a stranger, it wouldn't hurt so much for the question to come out. But Merlin wasn't a stranger, he was family, which was probably why this was such a struggle. "...Did he do anything else other than trying to get into your room? Did he..." Gaius trailed off, leaving that question more open then he would have liked.

Merlin hadn't acted like there was more to the story then he was telling, but Gaius needed to hear it confirmed for himself.

What he wanted to know was just how much was there to this story that Merlin might not be coming forth with, he wanted-no, he needed-to know if Valiant had...violated Merlin. He let his eye's, the eye's of a trained physician, wonder over his nephew just as he had days ago when he'd been questioning if Arthur had hurt him, before he realized that the two hadn't slept together. But just like before, there was no sign of any injury that would have indicated Valiant being rough with him, or evidence of Merlin fighting back. There didn't seem to be any cuts or bruises on his knuckles or face, no rips in his clothes...nothing to indicate that there had been any kind of altercation at all.

"..." Merlin stared at him confused for a minute, a bit of an uncertain expression on his face. "...Well just now, I'm pretty sure he didn't actually see me but he did know that I was there, that I saw what he was doing with the snakes."

Gaius looked very world weary at that, as if it was taking all of his patience to not do something drastic. "...And how do you know that."

Merlin looked at Gaius as if the man was questioning his smarts, "He called out to me, said that this wasn't over, and that he was coming for me..." the reminder sent a small spasm of fear spiking through his heart, even as he tried his best to hide it.

But he didn't think he had done a very good job at it, because something about Gaius's face made it look as if it had hardened up somewhat. The older man seemed to come to a resolution then, and nodded his head in firm decisiveness.

"Alright then, come. We will inform Arthur of this and have Valiant arrested for threats made against you, and an attempt at breaking and entering." He was already making his way to the door before Merlin could wrap his head around what he had just said.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Merlin exclaimed, racing after Gaius to stop him before he could get the door open and leave. "We definitely do not have to bring Arthur into any of this!"

Maybe Merlin was still having a residue of doubt returning to him now that things were becoming real, now that there was somebody else who knew about Valiant's creeping factor. But it was one thing for his uncle to be aware of the situation, and it was quite a different story for it to be his husband. The questions he'd once had kept returning to him like a nagging voice in the back of his head: would Arthur even care enough to do something? Or would Arthur leave him to his own devices and to figure things out by himself, like he'd been trying to do.

Gaius didn't seem pleased at all by Merlin's exclamation or protest. "Merlin," he said slowly, looking as if it pained him to have to explain this. "We need to have the prince informed if somebody is making threats against a member of the royal family. You." He had to clarify, when it appeared that Merlin had seemed to have forgotten that he was now an included member in said family.

"But...Arthur already has enough on his plate, I mean, with the tourney and all." Merlin protested loudly. Even though he protested, he knew that he wasn't all that concerned with Arthur already being too busy to deal with his own problems. He, after all, had been more than prepared to throw Valiant under the carriage-so to speak-by warning Arthur of what the man was doing with his snakes.

But his doubt was getting the best of him: did it matter if Arthur didn't care what was happening to him under his own roof? Would Arthur even care if Merlin had agreed to what Valiant had wanted from him? Or was Merlin just kidding himself with entertaining the idea of passing off his neckerchief as a favor.

But whatever Merlin was selling, Gaius clearly wasn't buying. "This is serious, Merlin! You need to have the prince informed! Before Valiant escalates into something worse then just threats and trying to get into your rooms!"

Maybe Gaius-Merlin could admit it on some deep level in his psyche-was right and he should go running off to Arthur, as if he were trying to seek some kind of protection from him. But doing that, wouldn't it make him look...weak? Arthur already thought he was, he didn't want to confirm it as well.

And weren't people always telling him things-like when Morgana had asked him if he thought he would be able to help Arthur with his duties now that he was consort.

How was he supposed to be this great consort, if he couldn't fix his own problems?

"I can take care of this myself." Merlin said firmly, his chest practically heaving up and down from the exertion it was taking from all of the pent-up emotion building up inside of him. "All he needs to know about Valiant is that the man is using magic to cheat! That's all."

"And what if you can't?" Gaius demanded, arguing back with the younger boy. "What if something worse does happen? What if Valiant makes good on his threat, and it could have been prevented by you going to Arthur."

"I'm not scared of him!" Merlin exclaimed loudly, practically pushing himself in front of the door in case Gaius tried to leave anyway, which it looked like he was preparing to do despite Merlin's best efforts.

Even though he said what he had, he also knew that it was a lie. He could still feel the trepidation he'd been feeling when he had been hiding behind that flimsy door frame, and hearing Valiant calling out to him by that stupid nickname, trying to draw him out. It was honestly a miracle that the door frame had been thick enough-and Merlin slim enough-that Valiant never saw even the hint of his shadow sticking out like a sore thumb.

Gaius gave a heavy sigh, looking so exhausted that Merlin actually felt kind of guilty, because he knew that this was all his fault. He was the one that had brought up what had been happening between Valiant and him in the first place. He should have just kept his mouth shut for once, and dealt with it on his own.

"Well, maybe you should be." Gaius informed the boy heavily. "You have absolutely no idea what danger's that man could possess, or what he is capable of." He could see flashes going off in his mind, of seeing Merlin's body-bruised, bloodied, and violated-with Merlin helpless, naive, and confused. And scared, so scared because he hadn't known what was going on or what was about to happen to him. It made his heart clench up, both in fear and panic.

"And he has no idea what I'm capable of doing." Merlin said, a dark edge creeping into his voice. Nobody had any idea what he was capable of, they just saw some hapless and idiotic boy. None of them knew that he could throw them back-throw Valiant back-before the other man would even be able to touch him.

But Gaius was not impressed by this, in fact, he seemed downright incensed, "Good god, Merlin! You cannot magick your way out of every situation! What happens if Valiant goes running to the king, not only because you denied him, but sprouting tells about what you did!"

"He wouldn't dare!" Merlin protested, even though he wasn't entirely positive that this was true either. "Not when I tell everybody about his shield, and what's he's been doing to people like-" his eyes flashed across the room to where Ewan was sleeping, but he looked so still that he could have passed for being one of the dead.

Gaius followed his gaze to his patient, and shook his head in exhaustion, before he turned back to his young nephew. "Perhaps people won't believe him, not if they think he's just trying to save his own skin. But the question is, will they believe you?"

Merlin straightened up, looking at him with an almost confused and baffled expression on his face, "Why wouldn't they?" It wasn't like he was making up something outlandish-no matter how crazy snakes coming off a shield sounded-it was also the god-honest truth. All he was trying to do was warn them, to stop Valiant from hurting other people. Surely they could see that!

"Well, you don't exactly have any proof about Valiant's shield, do you?" Gaius pointed out, trying to make his nephew see reason. "Other than your word, that is. And the same goes for Valiant treatment toward's you, there were no witnesses when he tried to get into your rooms, were they?"

Merlin looked at him dumbstruck-and maybe even a little hurt-as if a thought had just occurred to him. "Don't you believe me?" He asked, the edges of hurt starting to creep into his voice. He hadn't once considered that his uncle may doubt him, or that he may not trust him to tell the truth.

"Think Merlin, you are making an accusation against a noble knight for not only of performing witchcraft, but attempting and threatening to assault you." Gaius said, bringing a hand up to rub at the bridge of his nose, pushing his fingers under the wire rim of his glasses to reach it. "They will have questions that you may not be able to answer truthfully, and they could very well catch you in a lie or make you say something out of context that would cause them to dismiss your claims."

It wouldn't be the first time the court had caused somebody to change their statement by using their fancy word play.

"There's nothing that they could ask me that I would have to lie about!" Merlin said in protest. "All I have to do it let Arthur know that Valiant was using magic, and then my problem's with Valiant will be solved when he's arrested."

"Yes, they could be, but what happens if they aren't?" Gaius said, voice rising louder in his agitation. "All this is going to do is land yourself in trouble. They will want to know how you came to know about Valiant, and the first thing they will want you to explain is why you were in Valiant's chambers to begin with."

"What does that matter!" Merlin protested, if only because he didn't want to admit that he didn't have a good answer for that. Maybe he could think of something on his way to inform Arthur, but he wasn't sure what it would be now.

Merlin had to lie on a daily bases because of his magic, but he would be the first to tell someone that he was bloody awful at it. He didn't know what he would tell Arthur, but surely Arthur would know that he was telling him the truth. There would be no reason to question him because Merlin had no reason to lie to him, have never lied to him (as far as Arthur knew).

Protecting himself-protecting his secret-was completely different then telling Arthur the truth about Valiant, which was the only thing that mattered.

"It matters a great deal!" Gaius snapped, making his voice go louder than Merlin's had been previously. "What do you think happens if Valiant himself finds out about this before he can get arrested? The courts will surely be interested in hearing his side of this story before they send the guards on him. And what do you think is going to happen if he is questioned on why you were near his room?"

Merlin looked at him confused, the sides of his eyes turning down as he frowned.

Gaius shook his head, "Valiant may elude the courts by claiming that you were in his rooms because you wanted to be. Because you and him were having a-consensual but private moment together."

Merlin paled at that, his heart stuttering in his chest as he freaked out, "I would never!" He exclaimed, panicked and sounding desperate for Gaius to believe him. He would rather take his own life before he ever went to Valiant willingly.

"But with you trying to insist on keeping the matter a secret, he may even take advantage of that and sway the courts into believing that you came to his room wanting him, and that this whole thing is nothing more than a ruse, some kind of revenge on your part, because he turned you down."

"Turned me down!" Merlin exclaimed loudly, looking shocked and horrified by this. He had never been turned down before, but that might only be because he had never liked anybody enough to actually approach them. But to think that he would want Valiant...this was a bloody nightmare. "He's the one who is harassing me! The one that will not leave me alone, and yet, you really think he would attempt to make me look like-like.." he didn't want to say what Madame Clara had called him, but the word rung out loud and firm at the forefront of his mind.

A Whore.

"He may very well, and is probably already planning on doing exactly that after you saw what you did with the snake's." Gaius said, trying to impress on Merlin just how serious all of this was.

Merlin shook his head, "That isn't right, none of this is right!" He had never felt so helpless, or frustrated, or confused in his entire life. His plan had just been to confirm that Valiant was in possession of venomous snake's, he hadn't thought through all of the extra that would be involved in this.

He just didn't know what to do.

"I know it doesn't seem fair, but things-especially among the nobility-are all about perception. It's about what people see when they look at you. And from what I can see, Valiant has gone out of his way to make nice with the king and the other competitors. There has been no other complaints against him regarding misconduct." Gaius said softly.

"But-but we have to do something!" Merlin exclaimed, almost begging for Gaius to see reason and to just agree with him. "It doesn't matter what Valiant may claim about me, he's using magic to cheat! He could very well have killed Ewan-" he threw his arm out to gesture toward's the unresponsive male in the cot. "Who knows what else he could be planning to do!"

"Both in this competition, and to you." Gaius snapped back. "You have absolutely no proof that he tried to assault you, nor can you prove that he's using magic, throwing around accusation's won't work against somebody like Valiant!"

"It's not an accusation, it's the truth!" Merlin shouted back, throwing his arms out in his frustration.

"But without proof, it's nothing more than your word against his own. And not everyone will just blindly agree with what you are claiming about him!"

"So what was I supposed to do!" Merlin exclaimed loudly. "Orchestrate a meeting where I wave myself in front of Valiant so that he can assault me just before somebody walks into the room!"

"Of course not!" Gaius scoffed, feeling as if a headache was coming on behind his raging temples. "You can go to Arthur about the assault, he can help you with that, can have guards around you at all times just in case Valiant does something. But there's no reason for you to mention him using magic, not without the proper proof. Not even Arthur will just blindly follow your word without some kind of semblance of evidence. And if the king get's involved, well he would obviously believe the word of a noble knight over the word of somebody whose common born!"

He was practically shouting by the end of his speech, and Merlin nearly reeled back in shock at this.

It took Merlin a second to get his voice to start working again, but when he did the first thing he said was, "But-but I'm the Consort, the Consort of Camelot or whatever it is that they're calling me!"

"A consort that has yet to earn his place!" Gaius told him firmly. "Just because you were married off to a noble, doesn't mean that people still hold you to the same esteem that the nobles are held at. You are still common born, and that unfortunately, is what many people will see. So, while you did save Arthur from that witch when you were married, you are still going to have to do a lot more than that if you want people to just take your word for thing's like this."

Merlin's eye's looked wet, but they were born more out of frustration then sorrow. "So, even being married to Arthur, my word amounts to nothing more than what a common man's would be?" He jabbed at his chest with his thumb, emphasizing his frustrations.

He hated to admit it, but he was starting to see why Gaius was advising him against doing anything. It practically killed him to not do anything, but what was he supposed to do? If even being the 'Consort of Camelot' didn't give him some kind of leverage with the king, then what would?

"As far as the king is concerned, your word is probably even less than that of a servant." Gaius corrected him. "That's just the way our reality is." The aged physician hadn't had many opportunities to talk to the king in regards to Arthur's nuptials, even after he had learned it was his own long lost nephew that was being married. But he had seen the king's reluctance toward's the situation, and he doubted that his opinion had changed all that much in the two weeks or so since Merlin had became apart of their daily lives.

Merlin brought both hands up to his head, grabbing fist fulls of his dark hair from the back, "Then what am I supposed to do?" He asked, practically begging for Gaius to give him the right answer. Maybe it was just in his DNA, but he couldn't just sit back and wait to see what would happen next. And he couldn't just let Valiant get away with whatever he was going to do next.

"Telling anybody about the shield is clearly out," Gaius said, as if Merlin hadn't already came to that unfortunate conclusion. "But you can still tell Arthur about Valiant's assault on you, so that he hears your story before Valiant gets wind of this and tells him his own version of events."

"If nobody is going to believe me about Valiant using magic, then what makes you think Arthur is going to believe me what I tell him that Valiant is trying to force me to kiss him?"

Gaius shook his head, because if only this unfortunate boy realized that Valiant was in possession of a lot more danger than giving unwanted kisses. If only he realized just how much trouble he could be in-and damn it, that blasted Arthur for not telling Merlin yet!

"Because, Arthur's has no choice but to listen to you, to hear you out at least." Gaius elaborated. "He is a prince, and therefore has certain expectations that he has to live up to. Do you know what would happen if word for out that you were feeling unsafe under his care?"

"His care?" Merlin asked, an affronted look on his face. "You make it sound as if I'm some child Arthur's been saddled with that isn't his own." Although really, he supposed that he wasn't to far off that mark. He may not be a child, but he preferred to think that he was the one that was saddled with being with Arthur, his crush on him non-withstanding.

Gaius shook his head, reaching up to take his glasses off of his face so that it was easier for him to squeeze harshly at the corners of his eyes, "The point is, he is duty bound to do something if you are feeling unsafe. Rather that is by taking more of an interest in your personal safety himself, or assigning you around the clock protection from the guards, which might not be a bad idea at this point."

It would certainly give Gaius some peace of mind, knowing that there were trained knights assigned as the boy's personal guard detail. Heaven knows the boy could definitely use some if Valiant really did escalate from threats and insinuations. It was bad enough that he had shown up at Merlin's door.

"Are you kidding me!" Merlin exclaimed in protest, loudly due to Gaius' remark. "I can't have 'protection' around me! What if they see something that can't be explained? I could be arrested, and hanged! Or..." he didn't want to finish with the thought of him being burned, which was probably the worst punishment somebody having magic could be given. It was all to easy for him to imagine his skin peeling off as the flames licked at his body, his throat raw from his screams as the flames overtook him.

"Then I suggest you get some control over yourself!" Gaius snapped back impatiently. "Before the worst does happen!" And he wasn't even talking about Merlin's aversion for future possibilities. He was sorely talking about what would happen if Valiant caught the boy unaware next time. Anything could happen to the boy, and maybe his fear over this entire situation was what had caused him to snap back so harshly at his own nephew.

But his point did stand.

As long as Valiant was around, with the moves he had already made against Merlin, it was only a matter of time before he escalated and actually did hurt Merlin. As long as that man was walking around with free air, it appeared that Merlin would be in even more danger than he already was just by being a sorcerer in a magic hating world.

Merlin looked away, with a defensive scowl on his features. "There's nothing to worry about, I know what I'm doing so really, there's no point in any of this." There was no reason to tell Arthur, or to have a group of guards who-probably-didn't like him, trying to follow him around and discovering things about him that they really shouldn't know.

But in reality, his only plan was to just avoid Valiant to the best of his abilities, until he was gone and therefore no longer Merlin's problem. But then the man just had to come to Camelot with a shield of magic and start using it to take out the competition.

It pissed him off, knowing that someone was using magic-something Merlin often thought more of as a curse because of the problems that came with being born using it-to purposely do such wicked deeds. And for something as stupid as trying to win a tourney!

Their conversation was cut off by the sounds of bells ringing somewhere in the distance, it was the announcement to let everyone know that the tourney was preparing to start for the final rounds of the day. Which meant that it was Merlin's cue to leave without having to fake an excuse.

"I need to go, Arthur will be waiting for me I'm sure." Merlin said quietly, although he really wasn't sure of anything anymore. But hey, if it got him out of here and away from his uncle-who was making more sense than he would like to admit-then he was more than willing to take it.

Merlin cast another helpless glance at the unconscious Ewan, before solemnly shaking his head. It seemed kind of stupid right now, heading off to a tourney-where he wasn't even a competitor-when one of the actual fighters in said tourney was currently fighting for his life. But there wasn't anything he could do just standing here, and-according to Gaius-there was nothing that he could do to stop Valiant from doing the same thing to the next fighter he went up again.

Merlin had already made it to the door before Gaius spoke up again, "Maybe you should stay here tonight Merlin, just in case Valiant shows up at your door again."

Merlin stiffened, his hand raised just over the door handle but his eyes were staring straight ahead with an almost unfocused look to it.

Just like before, it felt as if he was being transported back into his room, where he had stayed up half the night ready for whenever Valiant had managed to get his door kicked down. And it brought him the question, would Valiant return in the middle of the night to finish what he hadn't been able to yet start?

It brought upon him the question, would he be safer at Gaius', just for tonight at least. Or maybe that wouldn't matter at all, maybe Valiant would just track him down here. And the door to the physician's chamber wasn't nearly as strong as the lock on his bedroom door. It would be all to easy for Valiant to kick down the pliant wooden door, incapacitate his uncle, and find him sleeping soundly upstairs-thinking that he was safe for the night.

No, he didn't want to drag Gaius into his problems more than he already had just by having this conversation.

Merlin was already smiling when he turned back around to face Gaius, but even though it was just as wide as his usual grins, there was something completely off about it that practically shouted out just how fake it was.

"No thanks, Uncle Gaius. I've grown quite attached to my new room, it's quite accommodating with it's...size...and everything," Merlin trailed off awkwardly, clearly floundering as he tried to find something good to say about his room.

There was nothing wrong with it, especially considering the hard stone floor that he was used to sleeping on, but there was nothing about it that just 'spoke out' about it being his. Sure, he had his stuff in it, but it didn't really feel like 'his room.' More like just a place he was occupying until someone better and more fitting came along.

Maybe that was another reason Merlin was trying so hard to work up the nerve to give Arthur his favor, so he wouldn't be floundering so much. It wouldn't be so hard if he knew exactly what his place was, and what he should be doing and looking forward to.

Merlin cleared his throat, shaking himself to rid his mind of those thoughts. He didn't need to distract himself with thoughts of his room and favors again, not when there was still so much more important things going on that deserved his attention. But still, even as he started talking, he found his hand drifting into his pocket so that he could finger at the edge of his neckerchief.

"Besides, I have a really good size wardrobe," Merlin threw in there for an added benefit, trying to make his weakened smile go larger, but it just seemed to take so much energy and it kept slipping until he stopped trying altogether. "With a little magical help, it'll be perfect to slide in front of my doorway. I don't think anybody will be getting into my room with that in the way."

It was really, the only thing he could offer Gaius, but even Merlin seemed to be starting to realize just how weak and off sounding his voice was. He cleared his throat again, trying to make himself sound stronger than he was actually feeling.

"I'll...I'll just go, things to do and all."

Merlin may not know much about what was expected from him, but he did know that he should probably be meeting Arthur for the final matches of the day. Him meeting up with Arthur before the competition that first time had just been a way for him to prove himself, to show that he could be at least a half-decent consort. But now he was using it as the perfect excuse.

Plus, his body was still on auto-pilot, where he was used to something having to be done at any point in the day. Rather that be toiling in the fields, preparing the harvest and fixing the crop, or even just collecting water from the nearby stream.

Preparing Arthur was nothing like that, but it was hard and complicated in it's own way. It gave him something to focus on, something that he knew he was supposed to be doing instead of just wasting his time idling away in that castle while contributing absolutely nothing.

X

Gaius watched Merlin leave his chambers, and he frowned conflicted. Now that he was thinking about it, he wasn't entirely sure if Merlin had agreed with him about not telling Arthur that Valiant was using magic. For all he knew, the boy was marching straight there to do exactly what he had told him not to do.

Gaius cast his own glance toward's the unconscious Ewan, and started to wonder. If Merlin was really telling the truth about Valiant-which Gaius was betting that he probably was-if the knight was willing to do this to Ewan just to get ahead in a contest, what would he do to Merlin for knowing about it?

The most troubling thing was, he didn't like this one bit-hated it actually-that Merlin was apparently planning on not ever letting Arthur know what was really going on between him and Valiant.

But it also wasn't his fault, because how was the boy supposed to know about the kind of dangers that a man like Valiant could possess.

A single wardrobe in front of his door may be enough to postpone something, but it wouldn't stop if Valiant was growing an obsession with Merlin.

It was Arthur's responsibility to tell Merlin about the facts of life, and it might just be time for Gaius to remind him of that.

X

It had been two hours since the morning matches had finished. Maybe it was a little excessive for what was supposed to be just a lunch break, but it was a necessary one. It gave the knights still competing time to eat a hearty lunch that they would no doubt need, and maybe even to get a good bit of training in, or maybe doing some practice drills.

Now that the competition was down to four soldiers, this was where thing's were going to get a lot tougher. Not a single person was going to miss these rounds, because these upcoming rounds was the matches where everybody was going to learn who the two finalists were going to be.

The four competitors were waiting impatiently in the knight's quarters as the stadiums were filling up with the citizens of Camelot. The other knights who had already lost were there as well, but they were there more out of moral support than anything else. Plus, it was easier to watch from down there then for these noble knights to be constantly distracted by the common stench of peasants.

But the knights that had already lost weren't the ones that mattered. It was the knights that were still in this that countered.

There was Arthur-who was watching his competition with a calculating eye. He bound and determined to not embarrass his father by not getting into the final rounds.

There was Valiant-who was whole heartedly confident that he was going to end up the winner, as he toyed casually with the snake shield resting at his side.

There was this one guy-who looked as if he could bench press the entire castle with how large and wide his muscles were, they were even much bigger than his own head was. He was the one that Arthur had been assigned to fight in his next match, his round had fallen into the second match slot so at least that gave Arthur just a little bit longer to prepare himself.

Then there was this really skinny guy, that was the complete opposite of the first guy, this was the one that Valiant had been assigned to fight. But honestly? It was a true miracle that this guy had made it so far into the competition in the first place, to have made it into the semi-finals. But, Arthur supposed he had to be somewhat good if he had made it this far, even though he looked scrawnier then Merlin did.

Arthur shook his head, finding himself fidgeting as he crossed his arms over his broad chest and rapped his fingertips against the crease of his elbow. It was killing him that he was fidgeting-a prince shouldn't fidget or show any sign of true emotion-but he also found that he couldn't stop himself either.

The competition was coming closer and closer to an end, this was probably going to be his last match before the finals were to take place. This meant the competition was something else entirely now, only the best were still in it. And with that came a spike of Arthur's nerves, he hated how he would get like this just before a fight. No matter how practiced he was, or how confident he was in his abilities, he still had this frantic spike of nerves wiggling in his stomach.

The only time he hadn't been so nervous before a fight had been...Arthur wanted to bash his head into the wall behind him when he realized when that had been. It had been when Merlin had first been preparing him, and daring Arthur to impress him. The prince had been so focused on showing off, that he had actually forgotten about his nerves until the matches were over.

But none of that mattered now, Arthur had already decided to put Merlin out of his mind for good. That was why he had taken off his wedding ring, and why he had no intention of ever putting it on again, except for when it may be expected to be worn during formal functions. Kind of like his crown.

But with Merlin now out of the picture-or as best as they could be since Arthur appeared to struggle with it quite often (which was why he needed to get the boy out of his head)-his nerves had also returned full force.

Which was why he was so intensely focused on the large knight that he was supposed to be competing against. He couldn't remember his name, nor could he remember the name of the scrawny guy-even though he knew (as a prince) it was his responsibility to be able to remember such thing's.

The only reason he remembered Valiant's name at all was because...Arthur's fingers rapped harder against his elbow in an effort to forget how casually and liberally Valiant had been touching his consort during the meet-and-greet.

Arthur focused back on the big guy, trying to remember his fighting style and techniques from watching him fight in his previous fights, anything to help him get prepared for what he might be up against. But even that was getting to hard to come to the forefront of his mind.

It didn't help that he had this nattering going off right by his ear, literally.

"Sire, you have been married for over two weeks now, don't you think it's time to sit down so that I can get this done." The man at his side was practically begging him, which he had been doing ever since Arthur had arrived, and it was giving him a splitting migraine.

He could have sworn the man's innate begging was worse than Merlin's, but then again, he didn't think anything could be worse than Merlin.

"I've told you once, do not make me repeat myself again." Arthur said tiredly, resisting the urge to raise his left hand-naked without his ring sans for his glove-to rub at his aching temple.

The man opened his mouth to protest, but one look from Arthur was enough to make the man wish that he had just ran for the hills instead.

He immediately snapped his mouth shut and was quick to bow down. "Yes sire, I...I understand." He said quietly, before backing away and leaving Arthur alone. He was quick to leave the knight's quarters after that, probably off to go bother somebody else now.

Arthur didn't know, nor did he care. He was just glad to be alone again.

The man hadn't been a knight, and it was honestly baffling to Arthur how he had managed to talk the guards into allowing him entrance. He actually didn't have any true importance in the long run, not to Arthur at least.

He was just the Royal Painter, who had come here so that he could convince Arthur that it was time for Arthur and Merlin to sit together to have their Royal painting commissioned.

Arthur had seen those old painting's, and they were better off in their dusty old hallway where they would be forgotten. He wasn't interested in having one more added to the mix.

Not to mention the pain and lengths they would have to go through just to get the painting just right in the first place. Arthur would have to stand in close proximity to the sitting boy for hours upon hours as the master painter did his job.

It was hard enough trying to forget about the brat now, he could only imagine how hard it would be if he knew that there was a portrait of them together floating around out there somewhere.