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!

196. Chapter 198

This chapter is dedicated to RedWraith, who wanted it to be remarked about during the trial… remember the scene when Arthur had Bryon and Julian both arrested, and Bryon tried convincing Arthur that Merlin had led them out into the woods for… private times. Yeah, basically that gets brought up so enjoy ;p

This chapter is also dedicated to Khalafani, who gave me a lot of useful things I could use for this trial, so I hope they enjoy how I followed up ;p

X

Merlin Pendragon hadn't known how he was going to react once he had found himself standing in front of the council in order to speak his truth, he honestly hadn't known what to expect from a full criminal trial to begin with. But it did seem like a rather small affair, with only the king and the council and the few select people who were directly involved in attendance. When Merlin arrived, the lack of anybody else had been a pretty strong indicator that the plan had been to sweep the crimes under the rug. The less people that were aware of what happened inside these rooms today, the less people were aware of how Knight Bryon and Knight Julian had gotten off easy. It had made Merlin seethe under his breath, though he had kept his composer for the most part when he had taken his place next to Arthur to watch the proceedings. And he watched as stories were told, lies were spread, and the truth nearly smothered beneath a noble's cocky attitude. It hadn't set well with Merlin, not at all, hearing Bryon speak a distorted account of what really happened.

Hearing Bryon speak about how Merlin had approached them and asked them to accompany him into the woods, only made Merlin remember how the two of them had grabbed him from behind and demanded to know what he was going to do. Hearing Bryon recount how they approached the gates and told the two knights that guarded it that they had permission from his husband to take him outside, only made Merlin remember how he had stayed silent. Hearing Bryon apologize for using Arthur's name before the court, as if that had been his one and only crime, made Merlin feel the phantom aches of kicks landing harshly against his backside and legs as he was treated worse than a rabid mutt that needed to be put down. And though Uther had caught them in their lies, he'd also been preparing to move on to read the testimonies without leaning more on them to get the real facts, which in turn, was probably the leading factor to explain why Merlin had decided that was his moment to speak up.

The only reason Merlin came here today, was so that the people forced to be in attendance could hear his story and judged him on true accounts, instead of some twisted version of it that would better fit the prisoner's narrative. Merlin hadn't been quite sure though, how he was going to interrupt or if Uther would just wave him forward and give him the floor. But there had been a fire burning in his heart, and at least a thousand different reasons running among his mind, warning him to fight this. It wasn't even about Bryon and Julian getting a good and justifiable punishment anymore, not when Merlin had simply wanted to see the truth being heard. Merlin had spent months—MONTHS!—with hearing only the rumors surrounding him, elaborate tales that always made him shine with a bad light, which only contributed to making Merlin an outcast among what the consort knew should have been his forever home. Ever since those first set of rumors that detailed Merlin's humiliating defeat in front of the council and the Knight Valiant, to the more recent ones that said Merlin had gotten into an odd habit that included dating whatever man laid eyes on him. It Merlin was forced to stand there and listen about how he had 'begged' these men to come to the woods with him because he was 'scared' then he was going to lose it. Peasant Merlin—the same Merlin that had tried to punch Arthur in the face the day they met—would have. But Consort Merlin needed to keep a level head, and do this while wearing his peasant garb as if it was his own set of armor meant to keep him protected from the onslaught of lies being told about him.

And so, Merlin had spoken his own account about what really happened before they entered those woods, getting down into the nitty gritty details about how he'd been forced to fight for his life against the very men that should have—as their duty as knights told them to—protect him. He let the council know about the jokes they had made while he laid on the forest floor, about their plans the two of them had been discussing over his head as they kicked him down, how he had defended himself the only way that he could have. As Merlin'd thought before, he hadn't known how he would react speaking about his trauma when standing in front of people who didn't give two shits about him as the consort or as a person, but he had muddled through. Perhaps if Merlin had managed to allow himself to think about his trauma in detail—at all—since it happened then he would have felt the ocean forming in his eyes as he weeped about how any person could be so cruel to another human life. Would have weeped for being a victim to monsters who thought the death of one more peasant was for them to laugh over. But Lancelot's new presence in Merlin's life had done a good job at keeping him distracted, and Merlin would have been damned if he allowed a river to flow from his eyes when he was standing in a room mostly filled by his enemies.

He had almost been expecting it when Bryon tried to come at him, practically spitting mad after Merlin had ripped his story to shreds. Being attacked simply for speaking the truth, it was a running theme in Merlin's life that he'd already gotten used to. And he was even expecting it when Arthur dove in front of him and knocked Bryon down—with a well aimed knee to the gut—before the other knight could get close enough to land an actual hit on him. Arthur's craziness, his possessiveness that scared Merlin more than he even knew, would allow a direct attack right in front of him. That didn't mean that Merlin had to like the whole 'damsel in distress' angle, which the situation reeked of. Merlin faced a damn GRIFFIN, and lived to tell the story. He didn't need Arthur pretending to be some hero and saving him from an unruly knight. He didn't need the prince to save him from anything.

There was a complete and utter chaos in the minutes following after the brief assault, where the councilmen were screeching over each other as they yelled something about 'not treating nobles, even prisoner nobles' like this. That this wasn't the training field and behavior like that wasn't acceptable while inside these chambers, it was so loud that Merlin had to stop himself from clamping his hands over his ears to try and drown out some of the noise. Gaius was now at his side, a hand against Merlin's side, while both Tristian and Dorian jumped to take a stand in front of Arthur, their hands on the hilts of their swords just in case Bryon tried to laugh another attack against the royal family. But this was a moot point, because Bryon looked as if he couldn't even pull himself off his knees, clutching at his stomach as he gasped for breath, one would've thought Arthur had hit him hard enough to crack his ribs. And through it all, Julian was standing just behind him, looking terrified and lost, his arms curled inward as if he was trying to protect himself, as if he didn't know how he could have ended up in this kind of situation. But screaming the way everybody was seemed as if it was getting them nowhere, especially considering Arthur looked as if all the yells directed towards him didn't phase him one bit. His gaze nothing less than dark and heavy as he stared Knight Bryon into submission.

"SILENCE!"

Everybody paused, the screaming dying down so abruptly that Merlin could've heard a pin dropping from any corner of the room. Whipping his head around to see for himself, Merlin watched as Uther towered over his throne in order to get everybody's attention. The gaze of the people landed on him, and Bryon's sudden wheezing for breath seemed to be the background music that played for them all. A string of sound that saved them from the dead silence the room had became, as Uther eyed each and every one of them to make sure that they all stayed silent. Not even Merlin, who had already interjected and interrupted the king at least twice since he came into the room, dared to draw any kind of attention to himself. Even Bryon, as out of breath as he was, was struggling to control his rabid breaths as the king made his way down the small set of stairs that led up to his throne, so that he was on even ground with a majority of the people.

"I am sure that many of us believe Prince Arthur's actions were reprehensible considering the circumstances. Knight Bryon and Knight Julian have been born of noble birth, and at least deserve some respect for that alone. And now that they are being questioned as criminals, they are in an even far more vulnerable position than they've ever been before. I would have thought our prince would not have to be taught that we do not beat our prisoners. They are either to be executed for their crimes, punished in some other manner that's befitting their crime, or released if decided there is no substantial evidence proving that they partook in the crimes they've been accused of."

Uther spoke in this heavy tone, his gaze landing hard on the prince himself, as if warning him to get himself under control before he did something else that'd cause the room to fall into chaos and calamity. But Arthur continued to behave as if he was made out of stone, his chin tilted up as if he was not ashamed by the actions he took today. Merlin watched all of this, almost bitter and filled to the brim with jealousy… he wanted to be the one that landed a hit against that knight's ribcage. He wanted to be the one that stole the breath out of Bryon's lungs, just like the knight had once tried to steal Merlin's when them three had been alone in those woods. Merlin was the most affected by what these men—if one could even call people that assaulted those smaller than them 'men'—so it was only fair that he be the one. But if Arthur could steal away his chance to bruise his knuckles against Bryon's face, then Merlin would just have to try his damn hardest to double his efforts to get the two knights punished properly. If Merlin couldn't get revenge, then he would just have to get justice.

"But—" Uther continued speaking, this time turning his head to give this harsh and withering stare to the knight on his knees and the one that stood in place behind him. "I do believe that this is something we can overlook, considering the circumstances in which led to it. We must remember that Knight Bryon has acted in a way that isn't befitting for a noble, and most especially, hasn't acted in a way would cause reasonable doubt for his crimes. Bryon did just launch an attempt on Consort Merlin, unless my eyes are deceiving me and there is some other reason we don't know about that would explain why he tried to blatantly jump a member of the royal family?"

Uther leveled his eyes onto the councilmen, as if he was silently asking for any of them to jump in with a plausible solution to explain Bryon's actions away. He followed the king's gaze, eyeing the older men in the fancy white robes they all seemed to favor, but none of them dared to speak. Merlin could only guess the silence meant none of them had a reason to explain Bryon's aggressive actions that they would like to share. Merlin wasn't sure if Uther was disappointed with this, or relieved that silence was the only answer to his question. On one hand, if somebody chimed in with a possible answer, it meant that Uther didn't need to pretend he was rising to Merlin's defense any longer, Merlin wasn't close to dumb enough to think Uther was defending what Arthur had done because of the goodness of his heart. No, Uther had an agenda with all of this, and Merlin only needed to figure it out. But if one looked on the other hand, perhaps the king could have gone easier on the noble knights if Bryon's harsh actions were justifiable. The King ultimately nodded his head after the silence had drawn on for an acceptable amount of time.

"Then I suppose we could just chalk up my son's actions as a man trying to do what has to be done to protect his husband. I'm sure each and every one of us can remember a time when we were young, and felt the need to dive into some fight to protect a beloved. I suggest we put whole the incident behind us, and continue on with the trial as planned. I am sure there will be no more outbursts from our prince, as long as Knight Bryon can keep his own behavior in check. It is hardly becoming of a knight to… react with so much fierce anger because of a few measly words don't match with what he wishes to hear."

And there it was, Merlin thought stoically, the king had chosen to take such an incident and spin it around to make it sound as if Arthur was defending his one and only love from a right brute. It made Merlin feel as if this trial wasn't being taken as seriously as it should have been, because he hadn't came here just to act as Arthur's husband. This wasn't one of those times in which Merlin was to act like some kind of prized show pony in order to wow the crowd that'd never seemed wowed by him. Merlin was here for himself, and sorely for himself, in a capacity that was for him to decide. And Merlin even stopped to take a look at Arthur, trying to gauge how his father's words affected him. If they'd been in a more private setting, Merlin had no doubt that Arthur would have decided this was Merlin's fault and started screaming at him like all the times he'd done so in the past. Arthur never had taken it very well when somebody treated them as if they were a gay couple, despite that being exactly what the majority was thinking they were. But there was no minute flicking in Arthur's expression, not a single thing to indicate Uther's words had gotten under his skin. Arthur only kept staring ahead, watching the scene unfolding with a quiet intensity, hardly noticing—it seemed—that Merlin was standing by his side now.

"Sire… sire… if I may please speak up and address the court. I just want to be heard, my side of the story, if you would… please." Knight Bryon was laid out on the ground, but was glaring up beadily at the king, begging for his voice to be heard so that he could defend himself. Merlin's lips thinned as he heard the knight trying to speak through his gasping breaths, his fists twitching down at his sides as he resisted the urge to squeeze them tight. There WAS no side to the story that differed from what Merlin had told the court. Merlin made SURE he had spoken each incident as clearly as he could to PREVENT it being torn apart under the scrutiny of men looking for any reason to discount his words as anything other than the truth. Whatever Bryon was planning to say, it had to be something else. And probably something that cast himself in more innocent light than how the truth portrayed him to be. But Uther nodded, allowing Bryon to have his say in court, and Merlin could do nothing but watch as the man had to force himself to rise to his feet. It looked incredibly painful to straighten out his spine, and Merlin allowed the briefest hint of a smirk to creep through the stoic mask he wore. He may wish that he had been the one to hurt Bryon, but he couldn't deny that he liked seeing the other man in pain. He still refused to thank Arthur for it though. "I would just like for the court to understand that all Consort Merlin is saying is distorted by his own desire to see me being taken away in chains. I did receive the scars on my face because Consort Merlin was able to hit me in the face with a tree branch, but it wasn't because me and my companion here was attacking him. We tried to save him, when that beast tried to attack us. Perhaps Consort Merlin was terrified and running on adrenaline due to the high stress of the situation, but he attacked me. I don't blame him for it, of course, and I'll probably carry these scars for the rest of my life, but it was certainly not because of any aggression towards him on our part."

Merlin's chest started to grow hot, his heart picking up speed as if it had went and turned itself into a jackrabbit, pumping fire through his veins that he had to struggle to contain as his magic stirred unsettled in his veins. So this is the way Bryon had decided to go. To play the 'sympathy' card. He had reworked the truth of the events by making it seem as if Merlin was some coward that'd allowed fear to control him enough to attack people that were 'trying' to help him. It was a funny story, really, so funny that Merlin almost forgot to laugh at it. Because Merlin sure hadn't attacked LANCELOT, when the man came racing out of the woods and tried taking the griffin on with nothing more than a blade just so he could protect a stranger. It made Merlin's anger rise to peak level, it was a little harder to smother that one down. But could anybody blame him if it pissed him off? Bryon was all but spitting on Lancelot by trying to take credit for being the hero of that hour, when he and Julian had ran away like puppies with their tails between their legs.

"Sire, if I might bring something up, I do realize there are a few inconsistencies with what Knight Bryon is telling us, compared to what he told me before I had him arrested all those days ago. If I may?" Arthur spoke up, his tone cold even as he tilted his head to his father, asking for his turn in front of the court. And Merlin narrowed his eyes, his lips thinning as Uther nodded him forward… this was supposed to be Merlin's time. It was supposed to be Merlin who was able to have his voice heard, Merlin who stood up against his oppresses, and Merlin who defended himself. Arthur wasn't supposed to have part in this other than being a silent observer, though perhaps that'd already been completely blown out the water after Arthur attacked Bryon. Merlin could do nothing though, as the prince started speaking, "It was many days ago, when I first heard from my consort that he had been attacked by these two… men. And naturally, after it'd been brought to my attention, I went to confront them on my own and demand to know what they thought they had been doing. It was complete coincidence when I walked in on them discussing something that I clearly wasn't meant to overhear."

Arthur paused here, and Merlin followed his gaze down to where both Knights had grown increasingly pale, as if they both knew exactly where Arthur's going with this. But Merlin tilted his head, and listened heard so he wouldn't miss the next part. Perhaps it would come in handy, whatever it was, something Merlin's able to use against Bryon and Julian and really nail the point home for the rest of the council. This WAS the first time Merlin was hearing anything that may've happened when the two knights had gotten arrested. The only thing the prince had told him, before they ended up standing here in a full trial, was that they'd been taken into custody. But what had happened WHILE they got taken wasn't

something Merlin was aware of. And… Merlin stopped when he felt the familiar stare on his skin, the stare that always penetrated his flesh and made his very blood itch under his skin. Merlin pressed his lips into a thin line, raising up his head so that he could meet eyes with Arthur Pendragon, the prince's thousand yard stare feeling as if it could flay Merlin's flesh from his bone and stare at all of the vulnerable and soft bits resting beneath the hard exterior that he'd been forced to wear in the prince's presence.

It was clear that Arthur was looking for something deep in Merlin's eyes, with the way Arthur's eyes were darting between his own. But what that something was, Merlin couldn't even begin to understand. The only thing Merlin wanted to do was shove Arthur away, shove him back and demand he stop acting as if they were some kind of united front against these men. They weren't united at all. It was Merlin, just Merlin, fighting the good fight. And Arthur refusing to let Merlin go enough for him to do this on his own. But… Arthur must've decided on whatever he had been thinking so hard about, because he finally turned to the collection of men standing before them waiting for him to speak. It made Merlin's breath come out a bit easier, now that Arthur was no longer looking at him as if he could see through Merlin, skin and clothes and all.

"What I heard when I had them arrested, was something quite demeaning, and Consort Merlin deserves to be spoken with more respect than what these two were showing him. Apparently, they even thought they could outsmart me, and trick me into being on their side if I thought my consort was… seeing them in a more personal manner than he was with me." Arthur spoke slowing, looking as if he was trying to choose his words very carefully as he glanced between the small army of councilmen, and Merlin himself. Merlin's brows furrowed into the middle of his forehead, wishing not for the first time that these royal members would just speak straight, instead of making him jump through hoops trying to understand them. What did Arthur mean by 'seeing' Bryon and Julian. Yes, the consort had seen them. Merlin had just finished telling the court how he had to fight them off in his attempt to escape them, it was kind of hard to do if he had not seen them. "I'm sure we all know and heard about the… rumors that circled around my consort about how he was… seeing other men behind my back. For a time, I even believed them myself, before I got proof of how wrong I was. I'm sure you all remember how I discounted those rumors during the celebrations that were meant to welcome Lancelot into knighthood? Well, before I realized I had made a grievous error in not believing my Consort's innocence toward this matter, these men thought they could make me think they were two of the men that Merlin had been… seeing on the side."

Merlin's ribcage felt as if it had shrunk two sizes smaller than what it should've been, his breath catching somewhere in the middle of his throat. The voices of the council were particularly loud in his eyes as they discussed what the blond had just revealed before them, though Merlin only caught a few words that not even he could make head or tails out of. He was feeling cold somewhere in the pit of his stomach as those stupid rumors reared its ugly head. Ever since that announcement Arthur had made to everybody during the party, proclaiming all of it to be nothing more than a misunderstanding that had grown out of hand, Merlin hadn't had to worry about them. It was like the rumors had fallen right out of the people's minds, nobody daring to try and bring it up straight to his face, not even the ones that had looked down on him when they thought him to be nothing more than a common cheater. But these men had used the very rumors that had once torn Merlin apart until it felt like his very identity ended up being ripped to shreds, to their advantage. They had tried to USE the very lie that had attributed to a rather large section of Merlin's trauma, as a means of turning Arthur against him. As if he already wasn't from the start.

"I find it quite interesting that these men thought they could lie about Consort Merlin's… interest in them, while in the same breath, claiming my husband was the one that asked them to accompany him into the woods because he was far too scared to do it himself? So, was my consort scared, or was he looking for a …few moments of your personal time?" Arthur continued off, and once again it was clear he was choosing his words very carefully. But Merlin looked past him so that he could see the two men, watch as Bryon stumbled over his words as if he didn't know how he could fix the two conflicting stories he had told, both of which was meant to demean Merlin in the eyes of others. "And on that very note, might I also mention that it's very interesting that you were willing to see the consort for some… private time together, but you were unwilling to stand in a fight when that creature—the griffin—attacked him. You were willing to take a turn with my husband's attention, but were unwilling to put your lives onto the line when your consort's life was in danger? Why is that, I wonder? Especially when I THOUGHT I had chosen the bravest and the strongest to become part of the knights of Camelot. Or are you going to claim I didn't make a mistake by allowing you to move up in the ranks before my consort's arrival?"

Bryon was stuttering again, his eyes darting frantically around the room as if he was looking for somebody to jump in and give him something that would've helped him out. But nobody rose to his silent call for help, and Merlin kept his stare level on the knight even as his clamped his jaw tight enough for his teeth to hurt. It was absolutely appalling, thinking that anybody would have fallen for such a lie of Merlin's character. It was appalling to think of anybody believing Merlin would ask these two to go into the woods with him so that they may get a bit of—what had Arthur called it—private time together? Arthur's terminology had sounded weird, but it also very much sounded like Bryon had been telling stories about him and Merlin—and Julian—going on a date. As in, the three of them, going on a date as one unit together. Was that even a thing that people did? Three people going out at the same time? Merlin didn't know, but it also sounded horrible. HIM, with BRYON, and JULIAN! Yes, spending some time in the woods wouldn't have been a bad date, not if they were having a picnic or taking a walk or some other fun activity that allowed him and his chosen get to know each other better. But Merlin liked to think he had redefined his taste in men—after Arthur had proven how horrible Merlin was at choosing men to get a crush on—and neither Bryon nor Julian would… qualify.

"Wai-wai-wait just a minute here, please, sire. Perhaps the situation had grown a bit out of hand. Yes, back then, I did say that Consort Merlin wanted to take the two of us into the woods to do things that I don't believe if befitting for me to mention here in the court, or proper. But I can assure you that my duty as a knight is something that I have taken seriously ever since the day you passed me during my final days in training." Bryon blurted out in a quick pace before the prince had a chance to question his character and pick apart his story far more than he's already done, and Merlin tilted his chin a little higher. It was as if Bryon didn't understand… it was MERLIN he had insulted with his lies, and it was MERLIN he had assaulted in the woods, and it was MERLIN he had left to die without hesitation. But it was Arthur that Bryon was directing all of his tries too, it was Arthur that he was trying to convince of his innocence, and it's only Arthur that Bryon was addressing. "It's like I have already told you before, the scars that I received on my face is scars I got because I was trying to protect the consort! Despite whatever lies he wants you to believe because he doesn't want to be seen as a coward for freaking out when the griffin showed up. The scars are proof of my devotion to protecting the consort, and I will wear them with pride every day for the rest of my life."

What an utter load of… Merlin could see beside him, the way Arthur sucked in a breath of harsh air, holding it somewhere in his chest. Arthur was starting to get angry again, Merlin could see that now. But it was nothing compared with how Merlin was feeling. Scars! This man was taking Merlin's pride and joy, the markings Merlin had made that testified how strong his will to live had been in that dank forest, and twisting it into something he could use. Twisting it until it had been turned into something cheap, and something useless. Merlin wasn't going to allow something like that to pass him by, Merlin was going to allow his attacker to twist the story until it fit his own narrative. Merlin had never taken off in a fight, even all the times Arthur had beaten him down rather it be verbal or physically, Merlin had stood there and taken it until he could leave. This was not like those times. Merlin could, and would, fight back against anybody who dared to call him a liar.

"Really? You're going to stand there and claim those scars were some kind of twisted accident on my part, because I ran away when the griffin came out of nowhere and tried to attack us? Did you happen to forget the time the griffin attacked the courtyard, and I was the only one on the fields other than those who were trying to fight it off? My actions that day doesn't exactly sound like somebody who would ran away when seeing it for the first time, does it? But, oh, I suppose I forgot, perhaps you didn't hear about that considering you've been rotting away in a cell these last several days." Merlin said, taking the time to speak up before Arthur could launch himself into one of those stupid rants about how 'important' Merlin was, and how he wasn't going to allow anybody to 'lie' about 'HIS' consort, or whatever possessiveness was going to erupt out of his mouth this time. But to Merlin's immense surprise—even as Bryon was glowering at him with frustration and barely concealed disgust—the prince had taken a step back. Gazing at him with that penetrating stare, while allowing the consort to have the floor. Curious that Arthur wasn't interjecting himself again, into something Merlin didn't want him to, but he wasn't going to question him about it. Merlin had very few moments where he was actually being heard, he was not going to waste this opportunity. "I also find it very interesting that you have decided to brag about the scars I left on your face, they do seem to be a jagged thing, doesn't it? When me, I've barely even noticed the scars that you left on me when you were assaulting me?"

There was a collective group of silence, where Merlin eyed each and every one of the men standing there. From the twenty or so council men, to the two men that had once brought him to Camelot, to the two prisoners in front of him, to the king and the record keeper, to his uncle, and yes, even to Arthur, before he turned himself around so that the majority of the crowd saw his back. The dark haired consort took a breath to calm his nerves—he had to remind himself that it wasn't as if he was showing off the scars on his wrists, the proof of a time in his life that was so bad he tried to take his own life in order to escape—before pushing up the saggy bits of dark hair covering the nape of his neck. There is silence among the court, and Merlin already knew what they were focusing so intensely on. The four gouges in the back of his neck that had mostly been hid by his hair, the exact shape and size resembling that of human fingernails. The two prisoners had INSISTED Merlin had been the one to run away from them as soon as the beast had shown up, but how could they saw the same thing when there were scars on the back of Merlin's neck that indicated them grabbing at him? The scars were all scabbed over though, and Merlin suspected that they would be gone in the next few days as long as they continued to heal the way they've been. Merlin hardly even noticed them, it had taken a day or two after the event before he had even noticed them in the mirror when he changed his clothes one afternoon. Merlin had been content to ignore them, until he heard

about Bryon claiming Merlin had led them out into the woods for a date. After hearing that lie, it felt as if the gloves were coming off, and Merlin didn't have any reasons to hold back. Even though the scars were permanent and weren't going to disfigure him in anyway once they were healed, Merlin figured there'd be something to prove his claims.

"Scars… they left scars…"

Merlin's entire spine went ramrod straight when he heard Arthur's hushed and quiet whisper on the breeze in the air, like a whistle tickling its way to Merlin's ears. Eyes wide as he realized his mistake, Merlin's eyes landed onto his uncle, who also looked stricken for not realizing Merlin had been physically marked by his trauma in the woods. But Gaius' reaction to Merlin keeping this secret to himself, was nothing compared to what Merlin feared Arthur would do. Arthur had once, as Merlin had been told, brutalized and beaten the crap out of those new recruits that had tried making Merlin clean their boots and do the work of 'servants' for them. And they'd been nothing but overzealous boys who'd been thinking they were untouchable. What was Arthur going to do now that he saw there was an actual mark on Merlin? Now that he saw Merlin's trauma isn't just in his head, but was being shown on his body. Arthur had attacked Bryon when the knight looked like he was trying to jump Merlin, how much stronger would Arthur's next reaction to something like this be? Was Arthur going to take this incident to regain control of the throne room, leaving Merlin out in the dust as his time to speak the truth was taken from him, just because his husband was unable to stow his possessive crap long enough for Merlin to finish saying the things he wanted to say?

"…Father…"

Merlin wasn't sure what he was most surprised about, the fact that Arthur had decided to speak to his father instead of attacking the culprits, or the fact that Arthur was speaking in a tone so calm—the calm before the storm, perhaps?—that it was almost scarier than if he had jumped them. Or perhaps Merlin found himself the most surprised, his breath catching somewhere deep in his throat again, when he felt a featherlight touch tracing down one of the markings that decorated his neck. It was so light and sweet, that Merlin almost felt uncertain about if he had really felt it or not. Perhaps it was simply a figment of his own overactive imagination, because ARTHUR would have never touched him with so much… gentleness and care. As if he was terrified brushing the pad of one finger against them would cause Merlin pain.

"If you don't have them punished today, I'll punish them myself."

This wasn't just Arthur saying things to make himself look like a good husband like he'd done in the beginnings of their marriage for the people, Merlin could tell that instantly. Arthur's words hadn't even been a threat, something else he could tell. But… they had been a promise. A swear. A vow. To do harm onto the ones that have harmed Merlin. If justice wasn't seen here today, then Merlin's husband was going to take justice into his own hands. Merlin didn't know how he was supposed to react to that. What was Arthur going to do to men whose nerve allowed them to press markings into his skin? Was Merlin meant to find relief? Because it didn't matter which way this trial went? Either way, whether they be judged guilty or innocent… they would still be punished. And the only real question that now remained was… how ruthless would that punishment be for them? Because Merlin was sure whatever punishment Uther decided to go with—even execution—Arthur's would be worse.

"Of course, Arthur."

Uther seemed to have no reaction to Arthur's proclamation, and Merlin bowed his head down before clearing his throat, tightening and un-tightening his fists after releasing the short strands of hair so they could fall back into place and cover up the scars. He gathered himself back together, rebuilding the wall he wore around his heart each and every time he was put into a situation that he —as a peasant—wouldn't have partaken in. But when Merlin turned around to face his oppressors again… he was the Consort. Consort Merlin, staring down at Bryon and Julian as if they were beneath him. They were, of course, as he'd never felt the need to beat down someone smaller than him just because that was 'fun.' But Bryon looking as if he had swallowed a lemon, and Julian looking as if he was whiter than even curdled milk, was almost comical. Right, Merlin's the one that is going to get this trial back on track. He actually WANTED to be able to see the results of the trial coming to fruition in front of him. He did not want to be stuck with leaving their fate in Arthur's hands, what Merlin wanted was to hear Uther say their sentencing. And know that it was because MERLIN had stood up to them.

"And since we are on the topic of our scars, perhaps we can talk a bit more on what happened after we received both of ours? Or do you deny speaking over me about how much I 'damaged' your face, which I personally see it as much more improved than it was. But anyway, if memory serves me correctly, I'd like to hear you try denying how you both decided my fighting back was some sort of 'treason', and that meant you were going to kill me. Do you try and deny the fact that you would have stabbed me in the back with your sword if the griffin hadn't interrupted us before you could? Do you really want to drag this whole thing out by continuing to deny to the court how you showed your true colors when you decided to leave an untrained boy, me, in favor of saving your own skins? Because all you are doing is wasting the time of the council and every other person here by continuing to deny what is fact… you wanted me dead. It didn't matter to you whether it was by your sword or the griffin's claws, did it?"

Merlin saw movement out of the corner of his eye, and perhaps the blunt way Merlin had addressed his possible murder had been too much for Arthur, as it took Merlin shooting his arm out in front of the prince to stop Arthur before he could draw out his blade and do something ridiculous like decapitate the men before they were sentenced. Arthur was forced to stop lest he shove Merlin to get him out of his way, and while he's certainly done that in the past before, it didn't seem as if it was going to happen this time. No matter, Merlin refused to dignity Arthur with a moment of his attention. The prince had already had the time to speak out and demand things of the court, now it was Merlin's. And he took GREAT pleasure in watching how red Bryon's face was getting. He looked to be getting angrier, and as Merlin knew from the personal experience he had with his own blond haired bag of fierce anger, anger usually loosened a man's tongue. Made them say things that they otherwise wouldn't have if they'd took a moment to think first. Anger was where confessions came from.

"Please… sire… Prince Arthur, can you not see what the consort is trying to do here? Can you not see that the consort is trying to cause strife between those who are honored to fight in your name? Yes, the markings are… odd, but I can swear it on my good name that it was not I that caused it." Bryon tried, with his eyes large and pleasing as he skipped over Merlin completely, silently begging for either the Prince or the king to jump in and put a stop to the honesty Merlin preached. But he was laying it on a bit too thickly, he'd already been caught in a lie or two during the trial, and Merlin already knew neither father or son was going to stop this. They might not like him, but they clearly detested liars even more, especially when they made a swear they were already breaking. Perhaps this might even be another test for Merlin, to see what he would do when he's faced with a full court trial. It isn't like it would be the first time Uther decided to spring a test onto him to see how he would react, and that's explain why he was staying silent. And when it finally became clear to Bryon that nobody was just going to 'take him at his word', the soldier breathed in a heavy breath and tried a different approach. "My Consort… we didn't leave you for the beast to take you out. It was simply… a mistake. A dire, mistake, yes, but it was still a mistake nonetheless. The creature attacked us in the woods, but we ended up separated from yourself. We simply knew we needed to get out so that there was time for us to regroup and launch a search party to find you. I mean, all of you saw the beast for yourselves! The two of us surely could not fight against it without the proper support and backup!"

Bryon whipped his head around, darting his eyes from some of the councilmen who were shaking their heads at him, to the other pair of knights in the room who did not yield to his pleading state. Even if what Bryon said was true, even if they had lost sight of Merlin and taken off running, the consort was very well aware of how knights worked by now. And in accordance to their code, even if very little people followed what they wanted to, running away from danger was a sign of cowardice and dishonorable. It would have been better for them to be eaten, their guts strewn across the fields, before returning without having the consort in tow. And, Merlin started to smirk as he saw his opening, Bryon had just made a grave mistake trying to make excuses. Merlin was going to rip his story in shreds right before his eyes and dance across the ashes. For much of Merlin's time here in Camelot, many people had referred to him as being their 'Unwanted Consort.' But Bryon didn't know what being 'unwanted' meant. Or that Merlin was about to EARN that title by the time he was done with him.

He might even come to wear it with pride.

Knowing it meant he wasn't a pushover for anybody.

"Alright, let's say we believe that you didn't abandon me to tackle a beast you yourself just admitted couldn't be defeated. Yes, while that was true for quite a long time before… Sir Lancelot found a way. You make claims that you were planning to organize a search party to come find me? Or come find my remains considering I, as untrained in fighting as I am compared to a knight, wouldn't have a hope in escaping." Merlin drawled out, tilting his head a little higher as he stared down the bridge of his nose at Bryon. He thought he would've been scared, being in front of these two knights, considering they had literally tried to murder him just because they didn't like him. But after hearing the way that Bryon constantly tried lying and twisting the story to escape prosecution, it's making him see how truly pathetic they both were. "Now, I'm sure many here know I'm not… well versed with the way things are done. But if the two of you attempted to laugh a search party, as you claim, I believe there would've been some kind of record proving this. Geoffrey, are there any records that will be able to prove what Knight Bryon said?"

Merlin made sure to enunciate each and every word as carefully as he could to make sure there were no misunderstandings, laying it on thick as he repeated what Bryon claimed, just to be sure that the knight couldn't backtrack himself and try to do damage control. Bryon seemed to realize this as well, seeing as he was staring up at Merlin with hate-filled eyes, a look that once would have made Merlin cower. But now, after seeing how pathetic he was, Merlin found it was ridiculous to fear such a man. Two knights weren't anything when he tried comparing them to a furious griffin with a taste for human meat and entrails. It was exhilarating though, being the one that got to put them in their place, the consort almost couldn't believe that he had been willing to miss this. Deciding to come here… wasn't a mistake like he thought it would be. And when he saw Geoffrey creep forward after being addressed, Merlin had no problem turning to him to show him some respect, probably the only man here that would keep to the truth and nothing but the truth. Record keeping was his thing, after all.

"No, Consort Merlin. I have scoured the latest reports in order to prepare for this trial, and there's no mention of either Knight Bryon or Knight Julian trying to get a search party placed together."

Merlin made a low hum in the back of his throat, nodding his head as if it was the most fascinating piece of knowledge he could have ever learned. So, he'd been right. There had been no search party for him. Bryon and Julian had well and truly never expected to see him walking out of those woods alive again. If it wasn't for Lancelot showing up when he did, then Merlin very well could've been the first victim the griffin took out within the city limits. He supposed he should thank them, considering he probably never would have met Lancelot if they did not pull this whole thing, but… why show them any gratitude or mercy when they had offered Merlin none in return? He wasn't going to set himself to burn just to warm those that didn't deserve it. Not anymore. He's learned that lesson the hard way. And besides, Merlin hardly had to do any of the work. Not when it felt like Bryon was damning himself with his inability to speak what the truth really was. Especially when the lies could be ripped apart with hardly any effort from Merlin.

"Perhaps, if I may, King Uther, read something aloud for the court? Since we've already determined I 'did not' ask them to accompany me into the woods, and that I 'did not' escape there unharmed by them, perhaps you'd like to hear the words spoken from another witness who was there and saw what they did with me, to collaborate my version of events?" Merlin asked, turning to the king, as he figured more than one account on the truth would only cement what really happened if anybody still questioned his words. Merlin could see in the corner of his eye, Bryon looking startled, the poor man. He clearly hadn't realized the brutality they had shown Merlin had been seen by more than just the three of them. Considering they had tried taking Merlin somewhere private, there had been more than one prying eye that stumbled across them. Merlin could have beamed when he saw Uther nodding, waving his hand forward to allow Merlin to keep going. And the consort slipped a hand into the pocket inside his coat, "I know that many here probably won't be happy to listen, but this right here IS documentation pertaining to the events that led to the griffin attacking us out there in the woods. What you have right there, in your glass box, is an account that is technical and reads like a report. But I thought hearing a more personal version, even from Sir Lancelot, couldn't hurt."

Merlin pulled out the folded up piece of parchment he had been holding onto ever since he requested Lancelot to rewrite his report the day before. He had wanted the perspective of somebody who believed in the knights and what all of them were supposed to stand for, but had his ideals betrayed when seeing them in action. Merlin hadn't even read the parchment yet, but he knew what Lancelot had written… was going to put everything into perspective. Show the courts EXACTLY how dishonorable Bryon and Julian had behaved that day, and had almost caused somebody who'd spent their entire life admiring those who were red and charged into battle while often risking their very lives, to almost give up. Merlin wasn't at all surprised when many of the council made loud and almost violent protests once they heard Lancelot's name, many of them clearly still thought of Lancelot as 'the traitor knight.' The one who had lied and made false claims about who he was just so he would be allowed to sit at the table with them. None of them, Merlin thought a bit spitefully, cared about all of the hard work and effort Lancelot had put into himself just to make it as far as he did. He would STILL be a knight without question, if his identity hadn't been found out…

"QUIET!"

The entire hall went silent, which almost made the room sound louder when he compared it to the way everybody had been screeching, demanding for Merlin to be taken out of the hall if he was going to pull such nonsense. How the word of the traitor had no bearings in court matter, Merlin had been allowing most, if not all, of their hateful words to roll off his back like water. Because after all, it wasn't that long ago—and often still was—that Merlin's abilities were put under scrutiny. But nobody was questioning him now, not after the way Arthur yelled in order to regain control of the room, glaring daggers at any person that even looked as if they were about to open their mouths and protest. Standing right behind Merlin now, like some kind of avenging angel who'd wreak havoc down on those who opposed his consort. Merlin thinned his lips into this sharp and delicate looking line, not appreciating the way Arthur had chosen 'now' to try and defend Merlin. It made the consort feel as if whatever process he'd been making with the court was for nothing. They had been actually listening to him and his accounts about what had happened. But were they really listening due to him? Or were they only listening because Arthur and Uther demanded that it be like that? Merlin cleared his throat, reasserting himself as if the prince had not interrupted.

"I know that many of you might have questionable feelings when considering Lancelot's presence among the court, but I think he has every right for us to hear him, even if he wasn't allowed to attend the events today himself. Need I remind everybody here that you all once celebrated him when he became the only knight to pass this month's training sessions. Not only because he came here with skills that rivaled even your best, but because he was smart enough to topple over Arthur Pendragon in a match. Wouldn't that testify to the skills and strength he has to be among us?" Merlin questioned, unable to resist the little dig at Arthur's skills against Lancelot—his own little payback after Arthur had tried 'rescuing' him from the screams of the councilmen. The very same men who were looking at each other ashamed, but Merlin could tell that they weren't ashamed by being unwelcoming to Lancelot. They were ashamed by not recognizing him as the peasant that he was, ashamed that they had went out of their way to offer him congratulations when he was elevated to being a real knight. Merlin took himself a calming breath, he wasn't here to try making the council see sense, it would be like beating a dead horse if he tried getting them to see there were more important things in the world other than just the people's bloodline. "Need I remind you that many of the people still live simply because Lancelot was able to destroy the biggest threat against us, even after most of the people here call for him blood? If Lancelot can put that aside and do what he felt was right, like a true knight, then I'm sure we can stand for at least five minutes and listen to what he wrote for us."

There were long seconds of silence, and it was clear none of the knights were looking moved by Merlin's passionate speech on the subject. In fact, most of them looked as if they were going to hunker down and be stubborn about this, they would whether allow the two knights go free then listen to the words of a man they had already determined to be 'beneath them.' But it wasn't exactly up to them. They were simply advisers meant to offer guidance to the king…it was Uther that had total control of the room, though he had only spoken little compared to the rest of them. And it was Uther, that Merlin turned to now, with insistent eyes. Uther had been acting quite generously during the trial, the way he was allowing Merlin free rein of the trial. Sure, perhaps the king was simply testing him, but Merlin was willing to bet even Uther wanted to see what would happen during the next half of the trial. And when Uther finally nodded to him, silently agreeing for the scroll to be read outline, Merlin's chest loosened with relief. Yeah, he definitely had this in the bag. He fumbled with the parchment for a second to get it open, but nobody interrupted him as he took in the page and all that was written on it.

TO THE COURT AND WHO IT MIGHT CONCERN,

LET ME BE THE FIRST ONE TO SAY, I'VE NEVER WRITTEN ONE OF THESE OUT BEFORR, SO YOU'LL HAVE TO FORGIVE ME IF ITS NOT THE STANDARD WHEN COMPARED TO OTHER LETTERS. BUT WHEN CONSORT MERLIN ASKED THIS OF ME, I KNEW THAT I COULD NOT DENY HIM SUCH A SIMPLE REQUEST. I'VE SEEN FIRST HAND HOW TIRESOME THE WORK OF A CONSORT CAN BE, AND THE LEAST I COULD DO, CONSIDERING THE CHANCES THE CONSORT TRIED TO GIVE ME IN ORDER TO HELP ME MAKE SOMETHING OF MYSELF, IS GIVING HIM THIS LETTER. I ONLY HOPE WHAT I WROTE TODAY MADE A DIFFERENCE THR WAY MY ORIGINAL REPORT PROBABLY HADN'T. IF ONLY SO CONSORT MERLIN CAN HAVE THE JUSTICE THAT HE RIGHTFULLY DESERVES. HE WILL DO GREAT THINGS, AND I PRAY YOU'LL OPEN YOUR EYES AND SEE WHO'S STANDING IN YOUR MIDST.

(Merlin felt the blush forming on his cheeks, his body growing heated after the first paragraph was read out loud in front of the court. Perhaps Merlin should have read it before he was standing in front of all these men. He should have guessed that Lancelot would make sure to put in a few comments that made Merlin feel more special than he actually was. As if he was worth being taken note of. But it was hardly appropriate considering the circumstances that were happening. These men weren't interested in hearing Lancelot speak about him like this. They weren't even interested in the actual report, but at least that is what they were there for.)

MANY OF YOU, I AM SURE, ARE UNAWARE OF MY PAST OR WHERE IVE COME FROM. PERHAPS MANY OF YOU DON'T EVEN CARE, AND HAVE NO INTEREST IN WHAT I'VE HAD TO OVERCOME TO GET TO WHERE I AM TODAY. BUT I DO KNOW ONE THING THAT MIGHT BE OF INTEREST TO YOU, ONE FACT ABOUT MY PAST THAT HARDLY ANYBODY KNOWS. IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT I'VE EVER TALKED ABOUT IN ANY GREAT LENGTH OF TIME, AND I WON'T SPEAK OF THE DETAILS HERE WHEN I DON'T KNOW WHO IS LISTENING. BUT HERE IT IS… WHEN I WAS A BOY, THE KNIGHTS OF CAMELOT WERE THE ONES TO SAVE MY LIFE.

(Merlin got lost in the words being spoken on the page, almost feeling the pain Lancelot had to have been in when he wrote that. He still remembered the way Lancelot had spoken not long after they met, the pain in his eyes whenever he had spoken about the traumatic childhood incident that had left him orphaned in a cruel and unforgiving world. The incident had been what had set Lancelot on his faithful path, the same path that would someday allow hear two fates to cross each others. He could feel himself getting sucked into the letter, the rest of the throne room holding their silence as they were forced to allow Merlin to continue.)

AND EVER SINCE THE MOMENT I SAW THEM RIDING UP WITH THEIR CAPES AS RED AS THE SETTING SUN TRAILING BEHIND THEM, I KNEW THAT WAS WHAT I WANTED TO BECOME. THEY MADE ME FEEL SAFE IN A TIME WHERE I THOUGHT NOWHERE WAS SAFE, AND THEN LEFT ME SOMEWHERE WHERE I COULD BE RAISED RIGHT. BUT EVEN AS THE YEARS PAST AND I GREW FROM A BOY INTO A MAN, I NEVER FORGOT WHAT THEY DID FOR ME ON THAT DAY SO LONG AGO. IT BECAME MY BIGGEST DREAM AND MY AMBITION, TO ONE DAY JOIN AND BECOME A MEMBER OF SUCH AN ELITE FORCE. PART OF THIS MAGNIFICENT GROUP WHO DEDICATED THEIR VERY LIVES TO PROTECTING PEOPLE WHO COULDN'T PROTECT THEMSELVES, PROTECTING THOSE THAT WERE ONCE JUST LIKE ME.

(Merlin's heart ached as he read those words out loud for the crowd of nobles to hear them, sure he was the only one who really understood what Lancelot's trying to put into words. Many of the council hadn't had traumatic experiences like Lancelot had, not with the way they sheltered themselves inside the walls of the castle while making all the decisions for the people who were living way down in the trenches of society. But Merlin tried to imagine it—being helped by his own past experiences that came from living through a bandit raid—a young boy that looked like Lancelot being lost and alone in the world. A boy who had nobody to love and nothing to his name, a boy who saw Camelot red and made the decision to latch onto them with all the strength a child could have. It was a choice that would affect how he lived his life, what kind of life he'd have, and what kind of people he would meet. Lancelot had found his destiny, even if the people were so backwards that they refused to see the asset they had decided to toss aside).

BUT WHAT I SAW NOT LONG AFTER I ARRIVED IN THE FORESTS PROTECTING THE CITY, WAS NOT A SIGHT I WILL SOON FORGET. ALL I WANTED TO DO IS MAKE MY WAY INTO THE CITY: BACK THEN I DIDN'T KNOW THERE WAS THE LAW THAT SAID NON-NOBLES COULD NOT HAVE A POSITION IN THE COURT, SO MY PLAN WAS TO HEAD TO THE CASTLE AND ASK AROUND UNTIL I WAS ABLE TO FIND SOMEBODY WHO COULD DIRECT ME TO SOMEBODY I COULD TALK TO ABOUT JOINING. BUT I NEVER MADE IT TO THE CITY UNINJURED. I TOLD YOU WHAT MY FEELINGS WERE TOWARDS THE CAMELOT KNIGHTS SO YOU CAN HAVE A BASIS ON HOW THEY AFFECTED MY LIFE. SO YOU COULD UNDERSTAND MY SHOCK AND MY DISGUST WHEN I SAW THE TWO KNIGHTS YOU HAVE IMPRISONED IN YOUR SHELLS, TORMENTING WHAT I FIGURED AT THE TIME WAS A YOUNG SERVING BOY.

(Merlin continued reading aloud, taking slow and deep breaths as he tried to imagine how the scene had played out from Lancelot's point of view. The man had admired the knights and the work they do to a level that was so extreme, it was borderline dangerous. Only to come across two knights that forced him to start questioning everything he thought he knew about them. The knights that he prided himself on wanting to become, had turned out to be only be a group of thugs waiting to pounce on the weak and rip them to shred for nothing more than their own sheer amusement. How devastating it had to be for Lancelot to come to terms with that. At some point during his stay, Lancelot had gotten to the point where he was willing to turn his back on the knights and forge a new path for himself. It was only because of Merlin's insistence that everything else had happened).

IT WAS ONLY LATER ON THAT I REALIZED THIS SAME BOY WAS THE SAME CONSORT THAT I'VE HEARD MANY STORIES ABOUT DURING MY TRAVELS IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS. BUT AT THE TIME, I THOUGHT PERHAPS HE WAS SOME SORT OF CRIMINAL. SOMEBODY WHO HAD COMMITTED THE WORSE CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY. IT WAS THE ONLY EXPLANATION I COULD'VE GIVEN MYSELF TO EXPLAIN WHY TWO CAMELOT KNIGHTS WOULD ATTACK AN UNARMED MAN. OR WHY THEY WOULD BE PLOTTING HIS DEATH. AND AT FIRST, I EVEN THOUGHT PERHAPS THEY HAD BEEN CHARGED WITH THE TASK OF EXECUTING THE BOY. BUT THEN… WHY WOULD THEU TAKE HIM TO AN ABANDONED SPOT IN THE FOREST INSTEAD OF WHERE THE OTHER CRIMINALS SURELY GO. YOU CAN IMAGINE MY SURPRISE WHEN THE YOUNG BOY, THE CONSORT, FOUGHT BACK FOR HIS LIFE. AND YOU CAN IMAGINE MY SURPRISE WHEN THE TWO KNIGHTS DECIDED TO ABANDON HIM ONCE THE GRIFFIN ATTACKED THEM ALL.

(Merlin took himself another steady breath, staring down at the scrawled out letters written by a man who had changed him, as much as Lancelot said that Merlin changed him. Before Lancelot had come into his life, Merlin had been in a constant struggle, trying to remain rigid as he threw himself straight into his healing process. He had been constantly pushing himself, trying to reach the goals he had made for himself which, to be honest, had been unrelated goals considering the time frame he had given himself. But after Lancelot, Merlin felt as if he didn't need to push himself like he had been. He could still make all of the progress that he needed, without stressing himself over it. Hell. Merlin had still been in such a delicate state at the beginning of the week, that he'd never allow himself to stand here and be openly ridiculed by the court).

NOW, AS I DRAW THIS LETTER TO A CLOSE, I SIMPLY WANTED TO LET THE COURT KNOW THAT I SAVED CONSORT MERLIN'S LIFE THAT DAY, AND HE'S SAVED MY LIFE EVERYDAY SINCE BY GIVING ME A NEW PURPOSE IN WHICH I COULD DELICATE MY LIFE TOO. I BLED FOR MY CONSORT, AND YET, IT WAS THOSE KNIGHTS WHO ABANDONED HIM THAT LEFT THE FOREST WITH FAR MORE DAMAGE THAN I DID. NOW, I DON'T KNOW IF THEY WALKED INTO THE FOREST WITH THEIR HONOR STILL INTACT, BUT I DO KNOW THEY LEFT THE WOODS WITHOUT IT. THEY WERE A DISGRACE TO KNIGHTS EVERYWHERE IN THE WORLD, AND I IMPLORE THE COUNCIL TO NOT ALLOW THEM TO GET AWAY WITH WHAT THEY DID. SET A PRECEDENCE NOW, BEFORE YOU FIND YOURSELF WITH AN ARMY OF KNIGHTS WHO DISGRACE THE NATION THEY HAIL FROM.

LANCELOT

FORMER KNIGHT OF CAMELOT

There was an entire silence that befell the court as Merlin finished the last of the letter, silently rolling the scroll back up now that it was no longer needed. And while nobody was speaking, Merlin took a moment to eye the council that he had mostly been reading for. Many of the old men were sharing looks and shifting eyes, and Merlin just knew that they still didn't want to respect what had been in the letter and how much emotion Lancelot had put into it. It was undeniable, what Lancelot had said. And yet, the council still seemed to be so hesitate about convicting nobles, despite the laws they had broken. But with the evidence piling up against Bryon and Julian both, it looked as if not even them would be allowed a say in how their punishment should go. Having the accounts of both Tristian and Dorian—two equally trusted knights among the court—and Merlin, their unwanted consort, and Lancelot, their traitor knight… it was becoming too hard to ignore. The trial was coming at a crosshairs that tattered on the brink of ether allowing all the knights free rein to do whatever they liked, knowing there would be no consequences: or putting an end to the brutality and cruelty and complete lack of empathy for other human life, which seemed to be a running theme among the majority of knights.

"Well, it seems we've got a sworn statement from a former knight that could have beaten any one of us attesting to what he saw happening in the woods that day. Four people have told the same story, and it seems as if the only one whose story differs is Bryon. And considering Bryon has the most to lose with these proceedings, I think we should all start taking what he says with a grain of salt." Spoke Knight Tristian, cutting through the silence with an air of utter ease, popping the stifling bubble when it became clear nobody knew exactly what to make of a 'traitor knight' interjecting into the trials without being there at all. Tristian didn't seem to notice the popping of the bubble, as he turned to give a generous nod of his head to the king. "And perhaps if a fifth knight will need to collaborate this story, we can have somebody speak to Knight Derrick about it as well. He didn't see what the rest of us saw, but he did see when the consort existed the forest, helping the former knight Lancelot after he'd gotten injured during their encounter with the griffin. He DID see that neither Bryon or Julian were there, considering the two of them had already taken off before he arrived to lend a helping hand."

Merlin thought about Derrick, who wasn't able to be here today in person just as Lancelot wasn't allowed to be here in person, though for both very different reasons. Derrick had been the one to help Merlin and Dorian carry Lancelot all the way through the city and straight to Gaius when he had been bleeding too profusely to walk there himself. Derrick was supposed to be at the trial, as one of the people who had participated somewhat in the rescue of Merlin. Though Derrick was also one of the thirty men who had fought against the griffin when it had attacked the city. He hadn't been one of the ones who had died, Merlin supposed he could thank the gods for small favors, though he had suffered a few broken bones that needed time to heal right. He wasn't even allowed out of bed right now, and Merlin wasn't entirely sure how much help Derrick could have been right now anyway. Derrick was pretty much in and out of it, drugged up on so many potions that had been force fed to him after he had blacked out from the pain. Merlin supposed somebody from the council could request time to question him, but it would have been a miracle to get an actual answer out of him.

"No, I hardly believe that bothering Knight Derrick would benefit us any during the trial. I believe that I have heard all that I need to hear from all the parties in this case. I hardly believed there would have came a day in which I would have to see two men from my own army behaving like common filth, but I suppose I have learned recently that anything is possible." Spoke the king, a weary tone to his words, though Merlin's lifted up with the hope that swelled inside of him like a bubble expecting to pop any second now. Perhaps Merlin was mistaken, but that sure sounded as if the king had made a decision, and it didn't 'sound' as if Bryon and Julian were going to get off. That hope stayed with Merlin, who watched the king take a seat in his throne chair before waving a hand to have somebody step forward. "Should somebody announce the crimes that we have proven true today, so that we might decide on a punishment that is befitting to give those who treat their duties and vows they made when they became part of my army, as nothing more than a joke."

Merlin gasped, his mouth falling open in shock as he got his confirmation, the letter from Lancelot hanging limply from his fingers as if it would fall anytime now. This was happening, it wasn't just some fucked up dream Merlin had and was going to wake up from at any minute. His legs almost felt as if they were made out of jelly, and all Merlin wanted to do was sink to the floor and marvel at… what he had just done. This wasn't a court that involved outside parties like when Merlin had spoken to Bayard after the whole poisoning aspect, as he tried fixing things with people who hardly knew him. This was CAMELOT and a courtroom full of people where over half of them hated him and wanted him to be gone, who probably wished Bryon and Julian had been able to finish up the job they had set out to do. And yet, Merlin had still managed to do what he felt was impossible, had made even the great and stubborn King Uther turn away from his ruddy nobility. With… a little help from a few choice allies.

There was a cry of outrage coming from the floor, and Merlin shot his head up to see Knight Bryon was the one. He seemed to have finally realized what had happened, realized he was screwed in a way he had never been screwed in all his life. His face was completely red, and he was nearly foaming at the mouth as he shouted up a storm, indistinguishable words that Merlin didn't think that he could've made out even if he had a translator of some sort to do the job for him. But in one swift motion, both Tristian and Dorian reacted, each one taking an arm and forcing the knight down to his knees to keep him from trying to do anything stupid like he had earlier. And Bryon trashed, a few choice words that were improper for a man of his bloodline to be saying, though it did seem to be perfectly on-par with words a criminal might say. Julian though, seemed to be forgotten about, the white knight sliding down onto his bottom as he stared in an unfocused way, his hands shaking so loud that the loose chains around his wrists were banging wildly, accompanying the noise that Bryon was making. It only occurred to Merlin now, that the knight hadn't spoken once during all this excitement. Perhaps, unlike his companion, Knight Julian had already known it wasn't going to end well for them. He did strike Merlin as more of the smarter one out of the pair, though that was overshadowed by his willingness to follow along with whatever was happening.

While Bryon continued to shriek rapidly, his voice rising up to a pitch that the consort thought only dogs should be able to hear, as he fussed about 'it's not fair! Consort Merlin is the one at fault! He shouldn't have tried escaping! None of this is my fault! I'm a bloody noble, you can't treat me like this! My family is going to demand repercussions from the two of you if you don't take get your hands off of me right this bloody minute!' When Merlin felt a presence coming up beside him. Merlin perked up, his nearly heartbreaking smile blinding as he whipped around to tell Gaius what had happened, as if he hadn't watched the whole thing going down, when his words died halfway in his throat. It was not Gaius at all standing there beside him. Merlin had almost forgotten about the prince still being part of the trial, still standing on the platform with the rest of the 'royal family." Arthur had been quiet, watching the preceding with this keen eye, instead of behaving like some kind of attack dog every time Bryon left his searing glare to penetrate Merlin through flesh and bone. And now Arthur was looking at him, and grinning at him, and… pleased about how the trial ended.

Merlin narrowed his eyes into sharp slits as he leaned back away from the man with suspicion heavy in his heart. It wasn't like Arthur to stay silent and simply allow Merlin to have the floor, and it wasn't like Arthur to allow Merlin to be the one to handle things himself. Shouldn't Arthur be furious right now? Merlin had been on more than one receiving lecture about how few knights were actually recruited to full knight status in the last few years, and now they were going to watch as two more seasoned knights were taken out of the rotation. But… that was right… Arthur would be pleased by this, Merlin remembered while harshly pressing his lips into a thin line. Arthur had already threatened to kill the men if they got away with putting hands on Merlin, but this way… Arthur would not have to lift a single finger. He could have his possessive 'vengeance' just as he wanted, and not do any of the work putting these men in their place himself. A bloody bastard, that Arthur was. Furious about people putting hands on top of him, and yet unwilling to make a scene more than he already had. It's not as it Arthur had done anything more than make a few threats and knee somebody in the gut. MERLIN had done all the hard work that had put things into motion. So Arthur could just screw the fuck off if he thought Merlin would start 'basking in the moment' with him. This hadn't been a joint effort. Arthur had only been a distraction for the court.

"Sire, I do believe the many crimes Knights Julian and Bryon have committed has added up quite quickly. From what I can tell, we've got them for treason and abandoning their duty as knights when they left Consort Merlin behind in the forest with the griffin. We also add in the assault and attempted murder, as the proof was literally written on the consort's neck." Spoke Gaius, and the boy in question turned around at the sound of his title, missing the way the blond's hopeful gleam dropped when Merlin refused to play whatever game Arthur had been trying to start with him. "We also have them for lying about orders given to him by the prince. There's also a whole slew of charges like conspiracy and attempted assignation that could be taken into account. All in all, I do believe Knights Bryon and Julian will be receiving a maximum punishment considering the nature of their crimes."

Merlin's heart started thundering a new somewhere in his ribcage, the list of crimes being laid out in front of him made it seem like an endless list of crimes instead of one traumatic incident. What kind of punishment would be received with these kinds of crimes? Merlin somehow doubted they would be regulated to just the stocks. Perhaps they would be jailed for quite some time, though he would whether they be stripped of their knighthood and blacklisted from ever getting entangled with the knights again, people like them didn't need to have power over other people, to have the lives of other people resting in their very hands. But there were so many possibilities for what could happen now. Merlin had been so focused, during this entire trial, on just getting his voice heard so that the truth could be told. It was only now that everything was winding down to a close, now that he had WON, that he could take this time to think on what came next.

"THIS IS INSANE! YOU CANNOT TAKE THE WORD OF THAT PEASANT BRED HALF-WIT! THIS IS INSANE! WHAT HAS THE BLOODT WORLD COME TO THAT IT IS ME WHOSE PUNISHED INSTEAD OF HIM! HE SHOULD BE FLOGGED FOR JUST MAKING ACCUSATIONS! NOT LORDED OVER AS IF HE'S SOME KIND OF UNSUNG HERO!" Bryon's wailing had started thundering off the walls, and it's gotten to the point where Tristian and Dorian had to force his face against the floor because of how much of a fuss he was cutting up. He looked as if he was completely off his rocker, face redder than a beat as droll soaked its way down the sides of his mouth and smearing under his face pressed into the floor. "ITS WRONG! YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN ALL BUT THANKING ME FOR HAVING THE GUTS TO DO WHAT NOBODY ELSE WAS TRYING! A PEASANT BEING MADE A CONSORT! HE'LL NEVER SURVIVE THIS WORLD! HE DOESN'T BELONG WITH THE REST OF US."

Merlin's heart clenched in his chest, the deranged ramblings of this madmen weren't exactly untrue. Merlin's had those same thoughts for most of his time here in the city, but… were they still true? Of course they were, in a way. Merlin was still the unwanted peasant consort who would make mistakes everywhere he went, and who would always be seen as lesser than by men like Bryon, who were incapable of recognizing a change in the world was needed. But, did this have to be a bad thing? Maybe he won't survive this world, or maybe he would learn how to thrive in it instead. Because no matter what, after seeing the dark pits residing in his soul… Merlin would never stop fighting to live. Come high or hell, Merlin had seen how easy it was for a life to be snuffed out. And just how hard it was to keep living. Knights going on a rampage, griffins running wild in the city, princes on a power kick… he had faced them all, and he had survived it all. He could keep surviving it all. As long as he just kept taking one breath at a time.

"ENOUGH!" Uther bellowed, finally sitting up straight in his chair, giving Knight Bryon—or was he not considered a knight anymore?—and the rest of the horrid bile Bryon was stewing came to a shuttering end. One look at Uther told Merlin that he did not want to be on the receiving end of the king's anger. He already had been at one point or another, but it was somehow different seeing what it looked like when it wasn't focused on him. And the king pushed himself out of his chair in order to be the one towering over them all, "I DO NOT WANT YOU TO SAY ANOTHER WORD! I HAVE NO RESPECT FOR SOMEBODY WHO COULD BE SO COWARDLY, THEY WOULD LEAVE SOMEBODY BEHIND TO BECOME A VICTIM OF THAT CREATURE'S WRATH. AND NOT ONLY DID YOU DO THAT TO START WITH, BUT THEN YOU FAILED TO INFORM ANYBODY THAT WE HAD A BEAST SUCH AS THAT SO CLOSE TO THE CASTLE! WE COULD HAVE ENDED UP DEAD, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US BECAUSE OF YOUR ACTIONS! YOU SHOULD COUNT YOURSELF LUCKY IF I DON'T HAND YOUR PUNISHMENT TO PRINCE ARTHUR AND LET THAT BE THE END OF YOU!"

The last word of Uther's rang out against the silent chamber, bouncing off the walls to accompany the sound of Bryon's ragged breathing. Uther's threat was enough to make even the strongest of men quake in their boots. Arthur already showed his detest for Knight Bryon during this trial, and probably even before they were all in here together. If Uther ordered something, like an execution, to be done, then Merlin could only guess whatever Arthur had in mind would have been ten times as worse. And Merlin's lips thinned… Arthur was still thought of as the biggest threat in the room, wasn't he? Somebody who would slay these men without a second thought because… what?… he wanted to show off again to prove to Merlin how 'different' he was? Arthur only ever wanted to do these little acts because he wanted to put on a show, always trying to convince him he was worth listening to again. But maybe Merlin wanted to be the one people feared? Not like they feared Uther, who had the art of execution down to the T. But it wouldn't be so bad if people looked at HIM, instead of at the man behind him pretending to be some kind of attack dog… there was a presence against his side as if he had been summoned by Merlin thinking his ruddy name.

"You shouldn't listen to a word he said just now. Bryon is only angry because he didn't get away with what he wanted to do. But you DO belong here, more than Bryon ever did, that's for sure. Bryon's certainly never stood in front of a full court trial and not crumble beneath the strain." spoke the prince, softness in his tone that was so unlike him, as he whispered in Merlin's ear so this could stay between the two of them, that Merlin just knew it was a trick. Just Arthur singing his praises so that Merlin would fall back in line like a good little noble consort. "I know my father was only throwing the idea out there, but I can take what he said and demand I be allowed to hand out their punishment. Since you are my husband, and it's you that they tried to hurt, it's my every right to have their death be by my hand. It won't be any problem at all, I've been wanting to sink my blade into them, since… well, since I heard what they did to you."

Merlin bowed his head until his bangs covered his eyes, his hands tightening into fists on either side of him, as Arthur gazed past him so he could stare with furious anger at Bryon still pressed against the floor. Such a nasty trick… here Arthur was, offering to take care of the problem for him. Offering to get rid of the stain that was Bryon and Julian, as if he was a doting husband whose only concern was protecting Merlin. Please, what a load of croak. Merlin had taken out a bloody griffin, while all Arthur had done was get himself knocked out. He wasn't weak. He didn't need Arthur pretending to give a damn, and he did not need Arthur to feed whatever possessive craziness he had going on inside his head right about now. Maybe Merlin wanted to be the one to dish out the other men's punishment, maybe Merlin wanted to prove he was just as strong as any of them were. Maybe Merlin wanted to show his strength in the only way he is able to, considering his defeat of the griffin only lived with him, his uncle, and Lancelot.

"I'd like to decide their punishment!"

The words echoed throughout the chambers as if it came from the beating of a drum, but it was only when everybody turned to stare at him wearing identical looks of shock and surprise, did Merlin realize it was him that had spoken the words. Merlin darted his eyes around the room, everybody staring at him and staring at him and staring at him as if they expected him to come out saying it had been nothing but a joke. But Merlin didn't feel much for laughing about it right now, the lives of these men shouldn't be decided simply because of this whim Merlin had. Because make no mistake, it had definitely been this spur of the moment decision on Merlin's part, but he didn't backtrack either. Clearing his throat, Merlin took a few steps forward and looked steadily at Uther, trying to maintain the same neutral expression that came so easy to the nobles.

"I would like to decide their punishment."

Merlin repeated himself loud and firm so there would be no mistaking what he had said, and he knew there was no going back now when the king raised his eyebrow up at him. Going back now would only make Merlin seem fickle, and that was at best. So, Merlin raised his chin a little higher to make himself seem a more imposing figure. He wasn't going to hide behind Arthur and allow that dratted Prince to swoop in out of nowhere and come out of this as if he's the hero of this whole troublesome nightmare. Merlin had been the one there right from the start, and he's going to be the one that sees this come to an end. He could let Arthur handle all of the petty squabbles that came up whenever there was an odd knight here or there that tried messing around with him, but these two in front of him now… they were going to be his. Stopping petty fights, such as the people who had tried dumping pigs blood on him but had caught Arthur instead, weren't going to do anything. More and more people were just going to keep coming for him with smarter plans and ideas to not get caught, literally red handed. But if Merlin stood up for himself now, then perhaps he could cut this off at the head.

"ARE YOU ABSOLUTELY INSANE! YOU SHOULDN'T EVEN BE ALLOWED TO BE SPEAKING! AND YET YOU THINK YOU CAN MAKE ACTUAL DECISIONS! DON'T YOU ALL SEE NOW! THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ALLOW A PEASANT TO HAVE A VOICE, OR ALLOW HIM TO THINK HE MATTERS AT ALL!" shrieked Bryon from the ground, trashing against his captors as if this was the time that he would finally get himself free, but neither Tristian or Dorian wavered against his attempts. And Merlin tilted his head to the side, allowing himself to relax as Bryon's shrieks washed over him. This was okay, he was okay. Let Bryon throw up a fuss, let him kick and scream and throw a fit all he wanted. It did nothing more than prove he was unmanageable and needed to be taken out. Besides, it was Bryon that had his face pressed to the floor and covered by his own drool, not Merlin. "WILL YOU BLOODY WELL LET ME UP ALREADY! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU ALL! FIRST HE'S SPEAKING OUT, AND THEN HE'S ALLOWED TO BE MAKING DECISIONS THAT HE SHOULDN'T BE APART OF! THE NEXT THING IT WILL BE IS HIM TAKING COMMAND OF THE COUNCIL! I WARN YOU NOW, I'M SURE THIS KINGDOM WILL FALL IF YOU DO NOT NIP THIS IN THE BUD! KING UTHER, DO NOT ALLOW THIS BOY ANYTHING—AGHH!"

Bryon's latest round of mad ramblings ceased only when Tristian shoved him harder into the ground, forcing his face fully into the drool pile with a sickening splat he had left behind on the ground. It seemed as if, knowing that he might have a say in what happened to him, had caused whatever sanity Bryon may've had to flee completely. And seeing him like that, seeing how the once powerful and cocky knight could be reduced to a blithering mess, allowed him to feel a wave of calm wash over him. Sure, he didn't know what kind of punishment he would suggest, wasn't even sure what options were on the table, but he didn't have anything to fear or worry about.

Not today.

Because today…

Merlin was Consort.