Chapter 6: The Witch's Aria
Disclaimer: Merlin and its characters do not belong to me
By the time Merlin returned, night had fallen over the kingdom, and he just had enough time to change out of his muddy clothes, in preparation for tonight's feast. Gaius didn't think that the Lady Helen needed another preparation, and said Lady hadn't asked for one, so Merlin didn't need to deliver a second bottle, much to his relief, as the Senechal had all hands (including Merlin) on deck.
The Great Hall was alight with the flames of hundreds of candles, helped along by the moonlight streaming in from the high windows. Banners and tapestries, depicting great battles of old lined the walls and hung majestically from rafters as the bell rung, summoning the castle's inhabitants to the feast. Courtiers, dressed in their finest robes, milled about while servants ensured each place was appropriately laid, and fruit bowls in reach. Others checking the flagons of wine, and their serving stations, were prepped.
It was to this scene Merlin arrived, following on Gaius' heels. Simply put, the Hall was breath-taking. Due to how far away from the Hall Gaius' quarters were, they arrived just as the trumpeters heralded the opening of the Feast.
Not entirely sure what he had to do, Merlin simply followed Gaius as the older man made his way round, nodding to various people as he went. Prince Arthur seemed to have already hit the wine – at least, Merlin thought he must have – along with his group of perceptual knights, laughing and joking just slightly louder than normally considered polite. But, then again, it could be normal for them, Merlin had never really come across Princes and knights for prolonged periods before.
When Prince and knights fell silent, Merlin was startled, turning to find the reason in case he'd missed his summons, only to find the Lady Morgana had made her entrance. Her dark hair was gathered in an elaborate up-do, with a small amount plaited and twined across her forehead. And, oh, the dress! A golden-chain collar, holding up a Pendragon-red, sweeping skirt dress with no shoulders or sleeves. When she walked, the faintest outline of a white underskirt could be seen, coupled with matching red heels. The Lady certainly knew how to show her allegiance without saying a single word. The additions of a matching silk shawl draped round her elbows elegantly, and a golden-leafed belt completed the outfit perfectly.
Every group the Lady past fell silent, the men gaping after her, the women eyeing her outfit enviously, before bursting into giggles and the quick, quiet conversation that made no sense whatsoever to Merlin.
The Lady made her way up to the top table steadily, fair complexion only highlighted by the faint lines of kohl round her eyes, and the redness of her lips, which curled into a lazy smile upon spotting the Prince and his knights.
"God have mercy," said Prince breathed, watching as she walked by, taking no prisoners.
As she passed, Merlin struggled to take his eyes off her, only managing when Gaius spoke.
"Merlin." he hissed. "Remember, you're here to work."
Merlin nodded, before turning to find someone to ask what needed doing. As he watched Arthur approach the Lady, no doubt her escort for the evening, he almost missed Gwen sidling up beside him.
"She looks great, doesn't she?" she asked, proud of her Mistress.
"Yeah," Merlin responded, unable to think of anything else to say.
"Some people are just born to be Queen." Gwen smiled, putting her pitcher down.
"No?" Merlin asked, turning towards Gwen in surprise.
"I hope so. One day." Gwen smiled. "Not that I'd want to be her, who'd want to marry Arthur?" she chuckled.
"Oh, come on, Gwen, I thought you liked those real, rough, tough, save-the-world kind of men?" Merlin grinned, enjoying the gossip as he prepared his own pitcher.
Gwen blinked, before frowning.
"No, I like much more ordinary men like you." She responded.
"Gwen, believe me, I'm not ordinary." Merlin chuckled, causing the maidservant to become flustered.
"No, I didn't mean you," Gwen backtracked hurriedly. "Obviously, not...you...but just, you know, I like much, more, ordinary men. Like, you."
"...Thanks." Merlin said, trying to stop their conversation from becoming even more awkward.
Unable to break the tension, they unanimously reached the same conclusion, and returned to work, trying to ignore each other.
Thankfully, before anyone else could notice the tension between them, the trumpeters announced the arrival of the King, sending the servants scurrying to the sides and everyone else to their seats, standing, for the King's entrance.
Striding in confidently, King Uther made his way up to the top table.
"We have enjoyed twenty years of peace and prosperity," he began, smiling. "It has brought the kingdom, and myself, many pleasures. But few can compare with the honour of introducing the Lady Helen, of Mora!" he announced, before starting the applause as he took his seat.
Clapping excitedly, the gathered crowd waited to sit until the King was settled. Almost before the music started, Lady Helen, having entered during the King's speech, dropped into a curtsy, her flowing yellow skirt flaring prettily against the dark wooden stage. As the Lady started singing, Merlin noticed her skirt seemed to be caught in a light breeze? Seeing as no one else was alarmed, he decided it was simply part of the performance, as the Lady continued, her dancing reminding him of a viper he'd once seen in his childhood, preparing to strike it's prey.
Slowly, as the singing continued, people started to fall asleep, the candles slowly guttering before turning to darkness. Horrified, Merlin backed into an alcove, out of the Lady's sight, and clamped his hands over his ears. As cobwebs started forming on the food and those sleeping, the Lady continued making her way forwards, towards the top table.
Realising that her target was there, Merlin started looking for a way to stop her, as the cobwebs thickened, making it look like no one had entered the Hall in hundreds, if not thousands, of years. When she reached the halfway point, Merlin realised her target – Arthur, the blond Prat. Unable to simply stand aside and do nothing, he determined to stop the Lady from reaching the table, only for said Lady to remove a throwing dagger from her sleeve.
Seeing he was out of time, Merlin started to panic, only to notice at the last second she was standing under one of the large cartwheels used to hold candles from the ceiling. Just as she was about to throw the dagger, Merlin's magic snapped the chain holding up the cartwheel. Hearing the metal snap, Lady Helen paused, glancing up, to see the cartwheel falling. Before she could move out of the way, one of the spikes holding a candle caught her back, causing her to collapse under the weight of the wood.
Almost immediately, people started waking up, voicing their confusion as to why the Hall was so dark, and covered in cobwebs. Sensing that something was wrong, Uther rose, only to spot the fallen cartwheel, and the Lady Helen trapped beneath, only, she no longer looked like Lady Helen.
While she wore the same yellow and blue dress, her hair was now grey and her skin wrinkled, in fact, she looked rather similar to the old hag from three days ago, who had called for retribution, her exact words being, 'A Son for a Son-" Paling rapidly, Uther turned, making sure Arthur was unharmed, before she moved, obviously still alive despite the broken cartwheel.
With the last of her strength, the hag lifted herself up, and threw the dagger at the still-dazed Prince. There was no time, everyone was still mostly half-asleep...
Merlin's eyes flashed, slowing time as the dagger flipped it's way almost-lazily towards the Prince. Running forwards, Merlin barely managed to grab said Prince's shoulders, the speed of his run causing him to lose his balance and fall to the floor, taking the Prince with him, before the dagger buried itself, dead-centre, in the Prince's chair, the end poking out the other side of the thick wood.
Unable to do nothing but watch in horror, the King turned, following their trajectory. He didn't return to the witch/assassin until Arthur pushed himself up, gaze locked on the knife.
"You saved my boy's life." the King breathed, stepping over. "That debt must be repaid."
Stunned, Merlin tried to find the best way to escape the situation, but there was none. The entire focus of the room was locked on the top table.
"Don't be so modest. You shall be rewarded."
"Honestly, you don't have to-" Merlin tried again.
"No, absolutely. This merits something quite special," the King insisted, before clapping his son's shoulder. "You shall be awarded a position of the Royal Household. You shall be Prince Arthur's manservant." he decided, causing the watching audience to burst into applause.
"Father!" the Prince's exclamation was lost to the resounding noise.