Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Morgause paced through the room, muttering to herself. Cenred stood uncomfortably in the background. It was times like these that Cenred hated having Morgause around. She got upset over the littlest of things. They knew where Emrys was, so why was she so angry. Some flowers were set on fire as Morgause walked past them. He eyes were flashing gold almost every second. Cenred swallowed and tried to decide if he should talk to the witch or not. While he didn’t fancy being turned into a pig, he also hated being kept in the dark about things. After all, he was the king; he had the right to know if anything was going to get in the way of his plans.

“My dear, what's the matter?” he asked quietly. He winced as his voice echoed around the room. He should really get more furniture in this castle. But Morgause had also set fire to most of the pieces that were currently in the room. They were just simmering innocently. The guards didn’t move to put the fire out. They knew better. When Morgause was in a mood such as this, it was best to keep out of her way and as inconspicuous as possible, unless you wanted to end up with a broken neck or in the body of a worm

The only one who wasn’t cowering in the corners was the little girl Emrys often hung out with, Frieda or something like that. Freya? Well, it didn’t matter. She was busy jogging behind Morgause, trying to keep up with her. A wine cup was in her hand, within reach for Morgause whenever she needed.

“Not now you idiot. There is something wrong here and I can’t figure it out,” Morgause snapped.

Cenred sank back against the wall. Well, at least he wasn’t a cockroach. Sometimes, he really hated how much he relied on Morgause. He couldn’t wait until he secured Camelot. Then he might finally be rid of the woman. She was beautiful, but she also was very demanding. Cenred only really needed her to take Camelot and that was it. But it was taking a very long time. Maybe he should just kill her now and cut his losses. Did he really even want Camelot anymore? It seemed like a lot of work to secure one kingdom.

“She’s back. She shouldn’t be back. I thought I got rid of her,” Morgause continued to mutter, her hands waving wildly around.

“Iseldir said something about Nimueh,” Freya said quietly. “Is she the one causing problems?”

Morgause stopped suddenly. The girl barely managed to stop herself in time, sloshing wine over the brim of the cup. Morgause’s eyes flashed once more. One of the chairs splintered and then burst open, shards of wood flying in every direction.

“That witch wouldn’t dare to try something so stupid. I know she hates Camelot, but she can’t possibly hope to control the monster,” Morgause said. She whipped around to Cenred. Cenred shrank back under her glare. “Bring me Iseldir. I need to know what is going on,” Morgause snarled. Cenred turned to the guards.

“You heard her. Bring us the druid,” he demanded.

Freya scampered over to the table to pour more wine for the pair. She knew that Morgause was in a foul mood. On the table, a small moth was perched, fluttering her wings in the dim light. Freya carefully picked up the moth, letting it perch on her finger.

“Has it started? Are we going to be free?” Freya whispered. The moth continued to flap her wings. “Go tell Merlin I’m waiting for him,” she whispered before gently blowing the moth off her finger. The moth fluttered through the open window and out into the light, a light that Freya hoped she would one day be able to feel as well.

oOoOoOo

Leon rested his head on the table, trying to stave off an oncoming headache. This was too much work for one person. He should have never agreed. He should have at least gotten someone else to help with this. Lancelot was a good party planner, right?

“What’s wrong, Leon?” Merlin asked, putting down his book and looking expectantly at the knight.

Leon sat up and smiled. He reached over to ruffle Merlin’s hair. Merlin squawked and tried to duck away from Leon’s hand. But he managed to catch the boy and was busy messing the hair up. Merlin couldn’t help but let out a little giggle.

“I am in charge of organizing this tournament, once again,” he said, trying his best to sound happy.

Merlin would worry if Leon weren’t feeling happy. And then Merlin would try to cheer Leon up. The last time this happened all the royal horses had been turned atrocious shades of pink, blue, orange, and green. Luckily, Uther was in bed sick and Gaius and Morgana managed to change the horses back before he noticed. Arthur had told the people that they had been experimenting with a new shampoo that turned them different colors. Leon didn’t need another incident like that to happen.

“Well that’s because you’re so good at it,” Merlin said cheerfully. Thank the gods it worked.

“I may be good, but it’s next week and things are just getting more and more hectic. Sir Boris wants a bigger room. The inns are overflowing and Gwaine is having a bit too much fun at the taverns,” Leon sighed.

“What’s he doing at the taverns?” Merlin asked excitedly. Leon constantly wondered how much exposure to Gwaine the young child should have. Gwaine was a bad influence. But he did seem to care about Merlin. But he was also a bad influence. At least Lancelot was there to counteract whatever Gwaine was doing.

“He’s just being Gwaine, but much more ferociously,” Leon said, trying to preserve Merlin’s innocence just a bit longer.

“Well are you at least excited for the actors that are coming in a few weeks?” Merlin asked, returning to his books. Leon froze.

“What actors?” he asked, suddenly in a panic.

“You know, the ones that are coming from across the sea? King Uther asked you to plan this about three months ago,” he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Leon opened and closed his mouth a few times.

He vaguely remembered Uther asking if something was done. But Leon had been so frazzled when the competition grounds were set on fire (Merlin had a nightmare) he just waved him off and told him he would take care of it. Was that when he was told about the actors?

“I’ll be right back, Merlin. Don’t wander off,” Leon gasped as he ran from the room. Merlin looked up at the chair that Leon once occupied.

“I wonder what happened?” Merlin said to himself. He shrugged his shoulders and continued to read.

Leon, meanwhile, sprinted through the halls. He wasn’t really sure what he hoped to accomplish and how, but he had a feeling he would be without a job very soon. He turned the corner and skidded into Morgana. Morgana let out an oomph and stumbled back into the wall. Leon managed to catch her before she completely toppled over.

“Sir Leon, in a rush for something?” she asked sweetly. Leon shook his head.

“Nope, everything is completely and totally under control,” he said, trying not to let his panic show.

Morgana let out a laugh.

“Unless Merlin’s accidently set something on fire or turned more animals various shades of pink, I do think everything is under control. The actors and the company they are traveling with will be staying at the Rising Sun. They are putting on three plays and having a feast after the second play. The nobles traveling with them will be staying in the west wing of the castle and all dietary restrictions have been given to the cook. They will be here for a week before returning back home and all the nobility here have donated a little something to support them. You gave four pieces of gold and a chicken. Anything else?” she asked. Leon opened and closed him mouth several times.

“How did you—“ he asked. Morgana snorted.

“You people seem to forget I can see into the future. And I knew that organizing a tournament and a visit would be too much for you to handle. So I took over the duties,” Morgana replied. Leon relaxed.

“Oh thank the gods. I thought I was going to be fired for this,” he said. Morgana shook her head.

“Uther isn’t a very big fan of plays. He thinks they promote immoral actions among to people. He probably wouldn’t have cared.”

Leon nodded and was relieved with how things were turning out.

“Morgana, you are a saint,” he said.

“Thank you, but you can let go of me now,” Morgana said. Leon looked down at where his arm was still wrapped around her waist and blushed.
“Sorry, milady,” he said with a bow. Morgana shook her head.

“No problem. You should probably get back to Merlin, make sure he’s not getting into trouble,” she said before trotting off.

Leon walked back to his room and sank back down in the chair. His headache wasn’t receding any.

“Are you better now?” Merlin asked.

“Yes, Merlin. I’m fine now,” Leon responded, starting his work with the tournament again. Morgana truly was a miracle worker. She would be a valuable asset to the court when Arthur became king.

oOoOoOo

Valiant huffed as he continued a bit farther down the road. If the rumors were true, then this tournament could be his ticket out of a life of being just a subpar peasant. He had heard one night at the tavern that the lovely prince of Camelot had managed to convince the king to allow peasants to begin joining the noble line of knights that had dominated Camelot’s society for so long. Now, Valiant had a chance of becoming one of them. Oh the power it would give him! Valiant could see it now, the women, the wine, the money. It was enough to make him grin with glee.
There was just one problem, Valiant had never been the best fighter. He just didn’t want to sit there and practice with a sword until his arm fell off. He much preferred to be in the company of some lovely ladies. But he would still try to get into the tournament and win this thing. Ever since he had found out, he had been working hard to improve his technique. He might just have a shot of getting far enough to be considered for knighthood. Then, all he had to do was sit around and do patrols every so often. It was perfect!

A twig snapped and Valiant whipped around, sword at the ready. What he saw was a beautiful young woman. She had long, dark, flowing hair and piercing blue eyes. Valiant almost thought she was a fairy, come to take him away.

“What do you want?” he asked, still pointing his sword towards the woman. The woman giggled.

“Such a useless weapon will do nothing for me. Even if I didn’t have magic, the blade looks like it’s about to break,” she said. Well that was a bit rude. Sure he had found his blade in the trash. It was also so dull it probably wouldn’t cut butter. But she still didn’t have to point it out!

“I have somewhere to be. I will not be stopped by the likes of you,” Valiant said, putting away the sword and continuing on.

“Oh, I think you’ll want to stick around,” the woman said.

“I have no interest in being seduced by you, foul creature,” Valiant spat, walking faster. The woman let out a harsh laugh.

“Oh believe me, you aren’t really my type.”

Valiant tried to ignore her, but the woman was persistent. “My name is Nimeuh, and I hear you want to enter the tournament being held in Camelot,” she continued. Valiant stopped and turned around.

“So, what of it?” he snarled. Nimueh let out a laugh and leaned casually against a tree.

“Oh calm down, will you. I just think that you and I should team up to cause a little mayhem,” she said sweetly.

“I’m listening,” Valiant said, stepping forward. He did like reeking havoc. The only reason he wanted to be a knight was so that he could have power. Nimueh pushed herself off the tree and sauntered over to Valiant. One of her hands began running up and down his arm.

“Well, I have a little surprise that will throw Camelot into a bought of chaos. But, some new information has reached my ear, evidence which could thwart my plan,” she explained.

“And how am I going to help your plan?” Valiant said, his eyes narrowing, looking for any indication that Nimueh was going to hurt him. Nimueh sighed and dropped her hand.

“I need you to get into the king’s good graces. I need you to win the tournament, and then I need you to kill the prince,” she said casually. Valiant let out a laugh.

“I hate to break your impression of me, but I won’t be winning the tournament,” Valiant said. Nimueh spun around, a smile on her lips.

“Who said I wasn’t going to help you with that,” she said, pulling a shield from behind her. Valiant’s eyes widened. That shield was not there a second ago.

“How did you—“

“I’m magic, remember?” She pulled back the canvas covering the shield to reveal three snakes, intertwined with their fangs bared. “All you have to do is to give the order to kill, and these little darlings will spring out, and kill your opponent. But be careful, if you’re caught, I won’t be helping you out. Use it sparingly,” she instructed. Valiant took the shield and held it in his hands, grinning like a mad man.

“How will I remain in the good grace of the king if I kill his son?” he asked.

“Simple, you will claim that you did everything in your power to stop the creature from killing him, but in the end, her magic was too strong,” Nimueh sighed dramatically.

“Then I will go and win this tournament,” Valiant said smugly. He was about to turn and walk away when Nimueh called him back.

“You might have a shield that can kill, but you still need the skills to get you close enough to your opponent to do it,” she said, pulling out a sword for the tree. “Here, this will give you the endurance of ten men, and the fighting skill of whatever opponent you face. Their moves will become your moves. Good luck, my dear,” Nimueh said. Valiant took the sword and grinned. He examined it. It was lovely and well crafted. Already he could feel the power filling his veins.

“Hey, how will we—“ he looked up to see Nimeuh was gone. Valiant shook his head and continued to Camelot. He wondered what the witch was planning the kingdom, and decided that he really did like the idea of being a favorite to the king. The power he would wield. And just over the hills, he could see the white towers rising from the ground, the place where he would make his name.

oOoOoOo

Morgana shot out of bed, stumbling back against the wall. Her breathing was heavy and her eyes were darting around the room, trying to find an invisible intruder. The door to the antechamber flew open.

“Morgana?” Gwen asked, she was holding a candle. Morgana took a few deep breaths and straightened out her nightgown.

“I’m sorry, Gwen. Did I wake you?” she asked.

“Yes, but are you alright?” Gwen asked. Morgana sank onto the bed.

“I don’t know why, but I keep seeing two women, both of whom are coming to Camelot, both of whom want to destroy it,” Morgana said. Gwen sat next to her.

“Do you want to tell Arthur?” Gwen asked. Morgana shook her head.

“I’ve never seen their faces or even heard their voices. We need more information. Maybe tomorrow I can ask the Great Dragon to see if he knows anything about this,” Morgana replied. Gwen nodded and relit the incense that was supposed to help suppress Morgana’s visions.

“We’ll figure this out, we always do,” Gwen said before slipping back into her chambers. Morgana lay back on the bed. Ever since Ulric, she had been having more vivid and more violent dreams. His appearance in Camelot had started something, something big. And Morgana didn’t like where it was going.

Chapter Text

“Merlin, keep up,” Arthur barked as the pair made their way through the crowds of people. Merlin tried to look every which way to see everything, but his head wouldn’t turn fast enough. There were people on stilts, colorful tents, performers, and competitors. Some of them looked evil. Some of them looked nice. All of them looked cool. Merlin stumbled over the ground, trying not to drop Arthur’s armor. He had done a spell earlier that made it lighter, though Gaius wasn’t too happy he did agree to let Merlin keep the spell, since George was too busy serving other nobles to help him carry it all. The pair arrived at the tent and Merlin ducked inside. He dumped the armor on the floor and began to put it on Arthur.

“Could you at least try to put it on the table?” Arthur groaned, helping Merlin fasten a glove.

“Are you nervous, Arthur? I would be nervous. But then again, I haven’t fought a lot like you have. But you’re still allowed to be nervous,” Merlin rambled.

“Merlin, princes don’t get nervous. We are always on top of our game,” Arthur said haughtily. Merlin giggled.

“Yeah, but Leon was telling me that before your very first tournament you—“

“I don’t need a reminder,” Arthur groaned. “Besides, that was my very first tournament. I was only fifteen. So I wasn’t crowned prince, therefore I was allowed to be as nervous as I want,” Arthur said.

“Oh, I see,” Merlin said before continuing to dress Arthur, humming a merry little tune as he did. In truth, Arthur was very nervous. Not for the tournament, no. He could probably win this thing with his eyes closed. It helped that Leon wasn’t participating since he had too many things on his plate as is. Most of his worry came from just being around Morgana. She was jumpy there for a while, though Arthur had a strong feeling it had to do with Ulric. But Ulric was gone now and Morgana still acted like the world was going to end. She refused to tell Arthur anything and Gwen wasn’t much better. She didn’t appear to know a lot more than Arthur or the others, but she knew something. Arthur didn’t like his prospects of winning this tournament. He was too distracted by everything that was going on. He would just have to do his best and hope that he would do his kingdom proud.

“Tada! Done,” Merlin said, stepping back to admire his handiwork. Arthur looked in the mirror and sighed. It was better than the last time Merlin had done it. Though, to be fair he couldn’t really reach a lot of the fasteners so the top half of Arthur’s armor was almost completely undone.

“Thank you, Merlin. Why don’t you try and find Guinevere or George to see if they want to help with anything?” Arthur asked. Merlin was really trying his best. But really, the kid barely reached Arthur’s waist. Arthur would have allowed Merlin to stand on a chair to reach the top half of the armor, except the last time he did that Merlin ended up on the floor with a concussion. And Arthur ended up receiving a very hot-headed speech from Morgana about how Arthur couldn’t treat Merlin like one of his bone-headed knights. Arthur seriously questioned Leon’s sanity when he arranged this.

“Okay,” Merlin said before skipping out of the tent. A few moments later he skipped back in with Morgana.

“I said Guinevere, Merlin,” Arthur hissed. Morgana let out a laugh.

“You can court her later, brother dear. But you look like you need some help,” Morgana said.

“I did the armor by myself,” Merlin stated proudly. Morgana let out another laugh. This one was much more evil than the one she had given Arthur.

“I see that, Merlin. You did a very good job. I’m just going to check the fastenings and make sure they are nice and tight,” she said. She swept over to Arthur and began finishing securing the armor in place. Arthur glared at her. “What’s the matter, wishing I was Gwen?” Morgana snickered.

“I wish you would be less annoying,” Arthur growled.

“Oh, is someone nervous? Will this be like the time you threw up all over Lady Eleanor’s shoes?” Morgana said.

“No it will not. I am the crown prince of Camelot and I will not embarrass anyone,” Arthur hissed. Morgana smiled and shook her head.

“Well, good luck. Come on, Merlin, you can sit up with me and Leon in the stands.”

“Awesome, bye Arthur,” Merlin said, skipping out of the tent with Morgana. Arthur sighed and picked up his sword before walking out of the tent as well. He wasn’t competing until later, so he could watch to see how some of his knights were doing.

oOoOoOo

Valiant nervously made his way to the registration booth. He could see tents that held the nobles and hoped to one day have his own as well. He glanced around nervously, looking for either Nimueh or someone who was onto his mission. He couldn’t look this nervous for much longer. People would start to get suspicious. The line moved forward and Valiant stepped up.

“Name,” the man said.

“Valiant,” he said. The man wrote it down on a plaque before sticking it in a slot next to another name.

“You’ll fight in an hour. Be down to the field ten minutes before, otherwise you forfeit. Here are the rules for the tournament. Read them and make sure you follow them,” the man said, handing Valiant a scroll. Valiant nodded and took the scroll out of the man’s hand. He pushed his way through the crowd and into an alcove.

“Well, you’re doing fine so far.” Valiant whipped around to see Nimueh standing there. She was leaning against a pole, arms crossed, looking dangerous as ever.

“You scared me,” Valiant gasped, some of the tension releasing from his shoulders. Nimueh laughed.

“Just win the tournament. Or at least get far enough for Uther to notice you, in a good way. I might help you out here or there, if it looks like you need it. But remember, your ultimate goal is to kill Arthur Pendragon,” she said, almost hissing the last part. Valiant nodded.

“I fight in an hour. I will be prepared.” Nimueh tossed him a bag. Valiant opened it and to his delight found it stuffed with coins.

“Just a small token of gratitude. You do this well, and the reward will be a lot bigger,” She said.

“Thanks,” Valiant responded, looking up to see the woman gone. He smiled and shook his head. “Things are actually going my way,” he chuckled.

oOoOoOo

Merlin sat on the edge of his seat, his little hands gripping the edges with terror. His eyes widened as one man, who he didn’t know, brought his sword down on Percival’s shield. Merlin let out a squeak and hid his face in Leon’s side. Leon comforted the boy.

“Merlin, it’s alright. No one will get hurt. It’s just for fun,” he said soothingly. Merlin shook his head.

“What’s so fun about two people practicing to kill each other?” he asked.

“They have to practice so that they can defend those who cannot defend themselves,” Morgana said. She didn’t know why anyone thought it would be a good idea for a child who was afraid of any sort of violence to be sitting and watching two men effectively beat each other with swords. Granted, the swords were dull and chances of serious injury were unlikely. But that still didn’t stop Merlin from gasping in fear whenever someone swung a sword or a fist.

As expected, Percival quickly gained the upper hand of the fight with his massive strength and soon the opponent was beaten.

“See, Merlin. Both of them are smiling,” Leon said. Sure enough, both men had removed their helmets and were congratulating each other of a good fight. Uther, who was a few seats away from Merlin, laughed and clapped with the rest of the crowd. Percival turned and waved at the trio, Merlin giving a shy wave back.

“I still don’t like it,” he muttered.

“Well Gwaine’s next. Are you excited to see some of his fancy moves?” Morgana asked.

“He’s fighting some man named Valiant. He better not let his head get the best of him,” Leon muttered. Sure enough, as soon as Gwaine walked onto the field the woman, and even some men, began to cheer very loudly.

“How does someone like him not have more enemies?” Morgana mumbled.

“Why are so many girls cheering for him?” Merlin asked. Gwaine was busy winking and bowing at the crowd. He started flexing his arms, causing the crowd to cheer even more loudly. “Is it something about the tavern?” Merlin asked, turning to Leon.

“He just has a very…likable personality,” Leon said.

“Like yours?” Merlin asked.

“Yeah, something like that. Now hush up, the other man will be here soon,” Leon said, thankful for the distraction from the awkward conversation he was currently having with Merlin. Sure enough, Valiant walked onto the field, looking rather nervous. Merlin leaned forward, studying the man intensely.

“He’s not bad looking,” Morgana said, smiling slightly and examining the newcomer. Leon gasped.

“He’s not handsome either. He’s average,” he said quickly.

“Jealous, dear?” Morgana asked.

“Of someone who is average looking? No,” Leon responded. Morgana snickered. Merlin just was very confused. Grown-ups were weird.

The fight began and of course Gwaine began doing some of his most showy moves.

“Gwaine, for the love of God! I told you fancier footwork doesn’t mean a better fighter!” Leon screamed. Morgana pulled Merlin away from Leon, tucking him into her side.

“He really wants Gwaine to win this fight, doesn’t he?” Merlin asked. Leon’s right eye began to twitch and the vein in his neck was getting more pronounced with every twirl Gwaine did.

“That is exactly what is going on,” Morgana said.

“Gwaine! For the love of God this is not a waltz! Can you at least pretend like you are a professional!” Leon shouted once more. Gwaine paid him no heed, laughing and almost dancing around Valiant.

Gwaine was surprised that Valiant seemed to match his style so well. Having a mix of both formal training and plenty of practice improvising, Gwaine’s style was hard to go up against, since those who had be properly trained didn’t know how to block some of the showier moves and those who learned without formal instruction often had a hard time maneuvering around his precise form. But Valiant seemed to be matching Gwaine, blow for blow.

“I take it you’ve had practice in taverns?” Gwaine said, laughing a little.

“I came here to win. If you’re not serious then get out of my way,” he growled, lunging at Gwaine. Gwaine’s eyes widened. Not only was Valiant’s style very similar to his own, there were moves he was using that Gwaine himself created. They were almost exact.

“I still say we should have some fun. You know, show off for the ladies,” he said, swing around to try and move out of Valiant’s path but also get a hit on the man. Valiant seemed to read his mind as he followed Gwaine, effectively cutting off the maneuver.

“I came here to win,” Valiant growled. The fight continued for several more minutes, both men tiring considerably. Gwaine changed his strategy. Instead of getting a hit on Valiant, his goal was to just keep him going long enough to tire out and become sloppy. Several more minutes and Valiant barely seemed out of breath.

“What are you?” Gwaine gasped.

“A champion,” Valiant growled. Before Gwaine knew what was happening, Valiant had disarmed him and knocked him to the ground. Gwaine felt his ankle snap under the pressure and Valiant’s sword came down on his unprotected torso. Gwaine felt several of his ribs crack when the sword connected with his chest. The crowd erupted in screams, and Gwaine’s world went dark.

Chapter Text

It took Merlin a moment to register what had happened. His brain froze as soon as Gwaine crumpled to the ground. Slowly, it began to reconnect and comprehend the events that had just happened. Merlin was sure his heart had stopped when he realized that Gwaine was lying on the ground and not getting back up.

“Gwaine!” Merlin cried. He jumped out of his seat and went to jump over the railing. Leon was quick and grabbed him before he could injure himself.

“Don’t worry, Merlin. Gaius and the others can look after Gwaine. Merlin was struggling against Leon’s hold. Morgana and Leon had lied to Merlin. They said no one would get hurt.

“But Gwaine’s hurt! We have to help him!” Merlin cried.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take you there right now. But please calm down. Gwaine will be fine,” Leon said earnestly. Merlin stopped struggling in Leon’s arms and allowed himself to be led away from the stands. He almost wanted to scream at Leon for letting this happen to Gwaine, for lying to him about the tournament. But Leon and Morgana both looked scared as well. So maybe Gwaine wasn’t supposed to get hurt?

Percival and Lancelot had already taken Gwaine off the field and Valiant was declared the winner. Gwaine wasn’t supposed to get hurt. It was all that man’s fault for hurting him and making Leon and Morgana worry. Merlin’s eyes flashed angrily and a gust of wind kicked up a large amount of dirt into Valiant’s face. Merlin felt a little better seeing the mean man cough and choke on the dirt.

“Merlin!” Leon gasped. “Don’t do that. You need to control yourself,” he scolded. Merlin felt a little guilty at Leon’s words.

“Sorry, I really didn’t mean to. But I don’t like Valiant,” he mumbled. Leon sighed and led Merlin into the tent. Leon would talk to Merlin about it later when he wasn’t so upset.

Surprisingly, Gwaine was already awake and cursing as Gaius tried to bind his ankle. Leon made a show of entering the tent, so that Gwaine wouldn’t let any more profanities slip. He didn’t need to have this conversation with Merlin. Gwaine saw the pair enter and quickly swallowed a word that sounded like it started with the letter f.

“Gwaine!” Merlin said, running up to the knight and hugging him.

“Merlin, be gentle,” Leon said. Gwaine let out a laugh and wrapped an arm around Merlin. One was still cradling his ribs. Leon could see the knight wincing and trying not to curse again. Merlin squeezing him probably wasn’t helping with the pain.

“No need to worry. Gaius says my ribs are just cracked. Did you like the fight, kid?” Gwaine asked.

“No. You lost,” Merlin said, shaking his head. He looked like he was trying to burrow into Gwaine’s side. He wasn’t going to let go any time soon.

“Yeah, well Valiant cheated,” Gwaine said. His voice was bitter and his eyes seemed to burn with hatred towards Valiant.

“Just because you lost doesn’t mean he cheated. You won’t always win every fight you’re in. Perhaps this will help with your ego,” Leon said. Gwaine winced as Gaius finished bandaging his ankle.

“Yeah, yeah. But there is something weird about this guy. Something isn’t right here,” Gwaine said. Leon narrowed his eyes and jerked his head towards Merlin. The boy didn’t seem to comprehend what they were saying. But Leon didn’t want to take a chance that Merlin would investigate the matter on his own and get into even more trouble. Gwaine was thinking along the same lines and any other complaints he had were not heard.

“We’ll keep an eye on it,” Leon said. “Merlin, are you staying here or coming back out?” Merlin’s arms still were clamped tightly around Gwaine’s neck.

“I’ll stay here and keep Gwaine company. Should I call Rowena so she can heal it?” Merlin asked Gaius.

“No, a wolf running through the streets of Camelot would raise suspicion Merlin. Besides, most people assume Gwaine’s ankle to be broken at the very least. It would be weird if he didn’t have any injuries,” Gaius replied.

“I’ll leave you here then. Gwaine, be good,” Leon said. Gwaine smiled and shook his head.

“What makes you think I’ll be anything but?” he asked. Leon muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like the words tavern and last week. Merlin didn’t appear to catch this and just went on cuddling with Gwaine.

oOoOoOo

Valiant rushed off the field, a wide smile on his face. Not even that weird cloud of dirt that choked him could stop him from feeling absolute elation at the fact that he had won. He had won against a knight of Camelot.

“Don’t get too complacent,” a familiar voice said from behind him. Valiant turned and shook his head at Nimueh.

“I didn’t even need to use the shield to win this time. Your sword is amazing. Besides, did you hear the crowd? They loved me!” he said.

“I think you overestimate your charm. That knight you took down was a people’s favorite. They might not like you as much as you think. Besides, that cloud of dust wasn’t natural,” she said, her eyes burning with anger.

“What do you mean?” Valiant asked. Nimueh shook her head and gave him a smile.

“Nothing, just focus on getting into Uther’s good graces so that you can get close to Arthur,” she said. She turned to the crowd, spotting Morgana. Nimueh cursed under her breath.

“What is it?” Valiant asked.

“I might have to take care of another competitor,” she said, walking away from Valiant, leaving him very confused. Valiant just shrugged and went to get cleaned off. He had spotted the Lady Morgana in the stands earlier and hoped that he could impress her at the banquet a few nights from now. She was one of the most beautiful women he had ever laid eyes on. It shouldn’t be too hard to convince Uther and Camelot that Valiant was worthy of a knight’s position. And it wouldn’t be too hard to convince Morgana to fall for him.

oOoOoOo

Gilli flicked a rock at the wall across from his cell. It hit the third brick from the right, four bricks up. He was aiming for the one right above it. His aim was getting better at least. Maybe he could flick stones at the guards to annoy them.

“Stop that,” Iseldir scolded. Gilli flicked another stone. Bulls-eye!

“Why? We’ve been stuck in here for ages. What does that witch event want with us?” Gilli snapped back. “She takes us for her army, and then just leaves us here to rot! Either use us or let us go, that’s what I say,” Gilli muttered.

“That witch currently has the power to kill use should she see fit. At the moment, the only thing that’s keeping me alive is the knowledge of the whereabouts of the cup of life. You, on the other hand, are not so special,” Iseldir responded.

“Still, death would be better than stuck in here,” Gilli said under his breath.

“You cannot possibly mean that. You are young and have so much life left to live. Patience. Emrys has made it to Camelot where he will be able to bring us some help.”

“Yeah but when?” Gilli said, throwing his hands in the air. “When he got out, I thought it would be less than a year and we’d be out too. But it’s been so long, I’ve forgotten why I should stay alive!” he cried.

“You forget that Emrys is a child. He is scared and unable to comprehend all the terrible things that have happened to him. Stay strong. Freya has not given up yet,” Iseldir said, trying to calm Gilli down.

“Yeah, well, I’m not Freya,” Gilli muttered under his breath.

Several of the King’s personal guards made their way down the stairs. Iseldir stood and walked up to the front, blocking some of the other occupants in the cell.

“What do you want?” he asked.

“Lady Morgause wishes to speak with you,” the head guard sneered.

“Iseldir, don’t go,” Alice said, standing next to him. “You can’t survive another session like last time.” Iseldir put his hands on her shoulders.

“I don’t think this is about the Cup of Life, Alice. Besides, I really have no choice in the matter,” he said sadly. The guards swung the door open and pulled Iseldir out. He stumbled before gaining his footing and hobbling away.

“No funny business, old man,” one guard said.

“I would dream of doing no such thing.” The group wove through the castle before stopping in front of the doors to the throne room. Iseldir couldn’t help but smile as he smelled burning wood. So Morgause had thrown another temper tantrum. He wondered what this one was about. The doors swung open and Iseldir was pushed in. He spotted Freya in the distance.

“How are you, my dear?” he said.

“Good. How are you?” she replied quietly. Morgause stormed out in front of her. Her eyes were constantly oscillating between gold and brown.

“Enough with the pleasantries, you were talking about Nimueh earlier,” she snarled. Iseldir sighed. He should have known this was what she wanted to talk about.

“Yes, one of the seerers saw a woman with her mark wreaking havoc on Camelot. I know nothing else, milady. If you were to kindly remove some of the magical suppressants I might just be of help to you,” Iseldir said. A large crack appeared in the column next to him. Iseldir fought back a sigh. He wasn’t sure if it was his age or position that made him so patient, but Morgause had yet to perfect her tolerance of time. She expected things to happen immediately, as soon as she wanted them done. It was only one of the many reasons why she was not the once and future king, or queen in this context.

The once and future king had to be kind and patient. He couldn’t push on things outside of his control. From the rumors Iseldir had heard about Prince Arthur, it didn’t sound like he was a much better candidate. But he was also young and Merlin was with him. Destiny had a funny way of working out in the end.

“I need to know everything you know. Camelot cannot be destroyed. I won’t allow it. I need it,” she said, stomping up to Iseldir and attempting to tower over him. Iseldir did not cower.

“I will help you. But only because I fear what she will do to Merlin. I will ask the seer if she saw anything else. But I cannot promise you anything. You of all people should know that the future is fickle and that one small change can affect the entire outcome,” Iseldir warned. Morgause clenched her jaw and stormed away.

“I want answers, Iseldir. Do not disappoint me.” The door slammed shut and Iseldir turned to Freya.

“Well, my dear, should we return to the cells? There is work to be done.” Freya nodded and skipped up to Iseldir. The guards led them back down to the cells. Iseldir hoped that he would be able to find answers before Merlin was hurt. He feared for the safety of all involved.

Chapter Text

The banquet was full of lots of different kinds of food Merlin had never seen before. Gaius said he could go as long as he behaved himself. And that was how Merlin found himself sitting Next to Gwaine and Leon. Arthur was up at the big table with Uther and Morgana. Gwen and George were standing behind them. The nobles were all mingling and talking, no one was paying attention to the food. Merlin let out a sigh and stared longingly at the ham that was in front of him.

“Leon, when are we gonna eat?” he asked.

“In a little bit, Merlin. Be patient. It takes time to greet everyone and congratulate all the finalists,” he explained. So far, Arthur, Lancelot, Kay, and the man who had hurt Gwaine were the finalists. They were all up at the front as well. Merlin felt a poke to his side and turned towards Gwaine. Gwaine winked at him and slipped a roll into Merlin’s hand.

“Don’t tell Leon,” he whispered into Merlin’s ear. Merlin giggled and began pulling little bites off the roll and popping them into his mouth whenever Leon wasn’t looking.

“Sir Gwaine,” a voice said. Gwaine and Merlin looked up to see the man standing there. Gwaine stiffened next to Merlin.

“Sorry I can’t stand to greet you. You kind of broke my ankle,” he said. His voice didn’t sound as happy as Merlin was used to. The man bowed his head.

“I am terribly sorry. You were very skilled and I fear I may have panicked in an effort to win. My name is Valiant, by the way,” he said.

“Well, thank you for the apology. Have a good evening,” Gwaine said. Valiant looked a little taken aback by Gwaine’s harshness and walked away.

“Well you handled that much better than when I had first met you,” Leon said.

“Well I couldn’t let on that I had convinced Lester to put worms in his boots,” Gwaine said, his face breaking into a wide smile. Leon’s eyes widened and he whipped his head around to see if anyone heard. Merlin began to protest the use of harmless animals in a prank. The worms could get hurt if they were in Valiant’s boots. “I’m kidding. I haven’t done anything like that. Besides, he probably won’t win against Kay tomorrow anyways. That man doesn’t fight so much as beat you into the ground.”

“That doesn’t sound very nice,” Merlin said, finishing off his roll and relaxing a little. As long as Gwaine wasn’t going to hurt any worms he didn’t care. Leon patted his shoulder.
“I’m sure it will be fine, Merlin. Just try and enjoy yourself tonight.”

“I would enjoy myself a lot better if I could eat. Leon, I’m starving,” Merlin whined. Leon was about to answer then he spotted Uther coming towards them. Leon quickly stood, as did Merlin.

“Sir Leon, I am happy how smoothly this tournament is going. I trust the theater festival will be just as successful?” he said. Leon gave a small bow. Merlin quickly mimicked him.

“Of course, sire. I have been working night and day to ensure nothing goes awry,” Leon responded.

“Good. I would like to ask your opinions on this Valiant fellow,” Uther said. Leon raised an eyebrow.

“What about him?” he asked.

“Well, he is a talented fighter, no doubt. I do believe he has some of the best endurance I’ve seen in awhile. How do you think he would fair as a knight?” Uther asked. Gwaine choked on his wine and began coughing violently. Merlin sat down and started rubbing his back.

“Well, he’s a bit rough around the edges. I haven’t really talked with him all that much. But you are right about his endurance and skill. Perhaps he can stay here and start training. If it doesn’t work out, then no harm done,” Leon answered. Uther nodded.

“Good. I do believe I will offer that position to them. Have a good evening,” he said before walking back to the table. Leon sat down with a thump. He always hated talking to Uther. It was always a mystery whether what he said would be received well or not.

“Leon, how could you suggest that?” Gwaine said.

“Gwaine, he’s a good fighter. He beat you and several other knights. We could use him in our army,” Leon explained.

“There is something off about him. He beat me with moves I had invented. How could he have known about some of those tricks?” Gwaine snapped.

“Believe it or not, Gwaine, it is rather hard to come up with anything original. If he had a similar upbringing to yours that could be why he fought so much like you. I know he broke your ankle and some of your ribs. But he didn’t mean to. A few months of training to teach him better control and it will be fine,” Leon hissed. Gwaine scowled and whipped back to his plate. The servants had started serving the banquet and filling the plates with food. Merlin patted him on the back.

“Don’t worry, Gwaine. Everything will work out,” Merlin said. Gwaine ruffled his hair.

“I sure hope so, kid.”

oOoOoOo

Arthur wasn’t a big fan of Valiant. He was kind of a braggart soldier, to be honest. And what the hell kind of a name was Valiant anyways? Then again, Gwaine was a braggart soldier and Lancelot was an equally ridiculous name. But there was something about him that rubbed Arthur the wrong way. It was probably because the man seemed awfully insistent of chatting up Morgana.

Arthur knew that his sister was one of the toughest people in the world. Hell, if Valiant did anything Morgana didn’t like there was a very likely chance he would be walking out of here with a broken wrist. But Morgana didn’t seem to be her normal, cold self. She was laughing and flipping her hair worse than when they were twelve and she had wanted to impress Leon. She managed to get her hair stuck in a bush and no one could get it untangled, leading to Morgana just cutting off her hair.

Arthur looked to where Leon was sitting, hoping he would see what Morgana was doing and invite her to dance or something. But no, he was trying to keep track of where Merlin was and how much Gwaine was drinking. Lancelot nudged his side.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure Kay will win tomorrow. Though that means one of us will have to go against him,” he said. Arthur shook his head.

“My father is thinking of inviting him to become a knight. Could you imagine?” Arthur said.

“Can’t be any worse than Gwaine,” Lancelot replied, chuckling.

“I would be very afraid if he was actually worse than Gwaine. How would that even be possible?” Arthur gasped. Valiant leaned over and caught Arthur’s attention.

“My lord, your father has offered me the opportunity to train under you for a few months to decide if I am suited for knighthood. Is this pleasing to you, my lord?” Valiant asked.

~Oh great,~ Arthur thought to himself. ~Another bootlicker.~

“No need to be so formal, Valiant. The night is young and there is plenty of wine to drink,” Arthur said. Valiant let out a laugh and tipped up his goblet.

“Some nobles are not so open. They are rather stiff,” he said. Lancelot nodded.

“We’re not like other nobles,” he said.

“I think that a few months training would be good. There is more to being a knight than just swinging a sword.” Kay laughed.

“He’s right. There’s a whole code you have to memorize,” Arthur said.

“It’s really not that hard. There’s only like twelve things on it,” Lancelot said.

“Yes, but Lance, you’re the perfect knight. Seriously, Valiant, if you’re looking to be perfect and make all the women swoon, this is your competition. And maybe Gwaine, at least with the women, not so much with the knighthood,” Kay said. Valiant tilted his head back and laughed.

“Then I will accept the position. I can’t wait to learn more under your leadership,” he said.

~Still sounding like a bootlicker,~ Arthur scowled. Morgana tugged Valiant back towards her where she talked more about what Camelot had to offer. Arthur rolled is eyes and downed another cup. He couldn’t drink too much tonight. He still had to go against Lancelot in the afternoon and did not want to lose in front of his father, even if it was against one of the best knights Camelot had ever seen.

oOoOoOo

As expected, Arthur won against Lancelot. Though, to be fair it was neck and neck for most of the fight. In the end, it seemed as though Lancelot just wanted the fight to end so he just allowed Arthur to get the winning point. Arthur couldn’t blame him. He was pretty close to just throwing down his sword and letting Lancelot win.

Merlin was chattering away about the feast last night and how much he enjoyed all of the deserts. Arthur nodded and tried to be patient, he just really wanted his armor off. Once again, though, Merlin couldn’t reach the top parts, leaving Arthur only half dressed.

Morgana strolled in right as Merlin toppled to the ground, unable to detach the breast plate from the shoulder pad. Morgana laughed and pulled Merlin up.

“Careful there. Why don’t you go see if Gwen needs any help and I’ll finish up here,” she said. Merlin’s face split into a smile.

“Okay, I can’t wait to tell her about the cake I had last night,” Merlin said, skipping out of the tent.

“Thank you for getting rid of my manservant. I might actually need him,” Arthur snapped.

“Please, he barely does any work. You spoil him,” Morgana replied.

“I think you spoil him more. I know you slip him oranges and strawberries from your dinner plate when we’re eating with father,” Arthur said.

“Yes well, you can’t really say no to that face. Besides, Gaius says fruits are good for him. Now, lets get you out of this so we can see if Valiant wins or not,” Morgana said, successfully managing to pull off some of the remaining pieces of armor.

“Someone’s a little smitten,” Arthur scoffed. Morgana punched his chest, hard.

“I am not. I just happen to think that Valiant is more down to earth than some selfish prats I know,” she snapped.

“So we’ve moved on from Leon?” Arthur asked. Morgana punched him again.

“The winner accompanies me to the feast.”

“And you would rather go with Valiant than me? I had no idea your standards were so low,” Arthur said.

“Watch it or I’ll turn you into a frog.” Morgana snapped.

“You wouldn’t dare. How would you explain that to father?” Arthur said. Morgana smirked.

“Maybe I’ll turn him into a frog and take over Camelot. Lord knows I would be a better ruler than you,” she said. Arthur shook his head.

“I have a feeling I should be watching my back around you. Sometimes it’s like you don’t even like me,” Arthur said, grinning. Morgana tossed her hair back.

“Wow, you finally figured it out. My dastardly plans are ruined.” She smiled.

“Well, lets go see if Valiant wins or loses. I need to know what I’m up against,” Arthur said, trotting out of the tent. Morgana walked beside him.

“But really, it would be weird for you to take me to the banquet, since we are siblings.”

“Yes, but I was more thinking of my pride. You wouldn’t want me to be humiliated in front of all of Camelot, now would you?” Arthur asked.

“I don’t care about your pride. I care about my sanity. That’s way more important,” Morgana said. The two sat beside Leon and waited for the next match to begin.

oOoOoOo

Valiant was limbering up, ready to take up this Sir Kay. He was massive, much more massive than the other knight, Sir Percival. He wondered if Nimueh’s blade and shield would be able to do the trick. So far, he hadn’t had to use the snakes. And look, he was already offered a position to be a knight. This plan was going much more smoothly than he had originally imagined. He wondered if he should lose this fight. No, no, he still had the Lady Morgana to impress. If he won, he would accompany her to the feast.

“Don’t get too comfortable. You haven’t secured your position yet,” Nimueh said. Valiant spun around.

“I haven’t seen you in awhile,” he said.

“I’ve been busy with preparations for the next stage. I know you’re fighting Kay today. If you win, you need to throw the match with the prince,” she said. Valiant let out a snort.

“I don’t think so. I need to impress the Lady Morgana,” he said. Nimueh gripped his shoulder and pulled him close to her. Now she was terrifying.

“I don’t think you understand. Prince Arthur is the best fighter this kingdom has seen in a long time. You have never been formally trained. It would not do to have you win against him. It would be too suspicious. Besides, if you do win, the prince’s ego will be bruised and he might not trust you. Throw the match. If you don’t, I will kill you and find another pawn that will listen to me,” she hissed. Valiant swallowed thickly and nodded.

“Alright. I understand.” He was starting to regret ever agreeing to this woman’s schemes. He still wasn’t entirely sure what her plan was. He knew she wanted to kill Arthur, but there was a component Valiant wasn’t told about.

“Good. Have fun,” she said, disappearing once again. There was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Valiant said, slicking back his hair. The door opened to reveal the physician and the little brat who was with Gwaine and Leon at the feast last night.

“Valiant, my name is Gaius. I don’t think we’ve formally met,” the physician said, extending his hand. Valiant took it and released it quickly. The boy was sulking behind Gaius.

“Do you need something?” Valiant asked. Gaius stepped further inside and began rummaging through his bag. The boy started to poke around the room.

“Yes, I have some tonics here to relieve muscle cramps.” Gaius started rambling on and handing Valiant some potions.

Merlin, meanwhile, saw the shield. It looked kind of cool. The snakes were his favorite part. They reminded him of wingless dragons. He wondered if he should tell Kilgharrah about his thoughts. He squatted down to get a closer look. He wondered if the shield was smooth. It didn’t look that smooth. He reached out to touch the wood when a large hand wrapped around his wrist and yanked him back. Merlin let out a yelp and realized that it was Valiant who had done it. The shield clattered to the floor, onto its front.

“Don’t touch things that don’t belong to you, little boy,” Valiant snarled.

“Sir, please let the boy go. He meant no harm,” Gaius said. Valiant released Merlin’s arm and Merlin dropped to the floor. Gaius hobbled over to Merlin and helped him stand up. His eyes widened looking at the back of the shield, more specifically, at a symbol on the back of the shield.

“Where did you get this from?” he asked. Valiant began to panic. Had he been found out?

“My father gave it to me as a gift. He said it’s from Mercia,” Valiant lied. Gaius nodded.

“I see. Try not to react so violently towards children, sir. The prince will not tolerate this behavior,” Gaius said before leading Merlin out. Once they were gone, Valiant cursed. How could he have been so stupid? Now that damn physician and brat were suspicious of him on top of the knight he had hurt earlier in the week. He had to tread carefully if he was going to keep in Uther’s favor.

oOoOoOo

“Does your wrist hurt, Merlin?” Gaius asked. Merlin shook his head. “Well, that’s good. He looked like he grabbed you rather hard,” Gaius said.

“Gaius, is something wrong?” Merlin asked. Gaius shook his head.

“I don’t know. I must do more research first.”

“Does it have something to do with Valiant?” Merlin asked.

“Don’t worry about it, Merlin. Just enjoy the rest of the tournament. Besides, you promised Leon you would help him set up for the actors that are coming. Are you excited to see the plays?” Gaius asked. Merlin’s face split into a wide grin and he began chattering excitedly about the upcoming even. Gaius let out a sigh of relief. At least Merlin’s attention span was short.

Chapter Text

Valiant was beginning to regret his decision to do this tournament. It wasn’t that Sir Kay was necessarily a skilled fighter; he was just really strong and really big. His method of winning wasn’t so much getting hits on his opponent, but rather bring down his sword as fast and hard as he could in hopes that he would knock his opponents sword to the ground. It was a good strategy.

A really good strategy. Because of this, Nimueh’s spells weren’t really working. There were no techniques for Valiant to copy. Valiant was grateful the only thing that had kept him going this long was his endurance. However, even that was starting to wane with each blow. He thought maybe he should just give up and let Kay win. He already had the king’s favor.

Valiant shook his head and lunged forward, hoping to catch Kay off-guard. It almost worked, but he didn’t get quite enough momentum to hit Kay. He couldn’t give up yet. He had to win this. He had to impress the people and show everyone that he was the warrior they needed. Besides, there was still one trick in his bag he had yet to try.

“Attack,” Valiant hissed. He couldn’t see the snakes, but he could feel them moving. Kay’s eyes widened.

“Sorcery,” he gasped. He lunged forward, this time with the intent to kill. Only Valiant’s snakes were faster. Swift as lightening they flew out. One quick bite and they retracted back into his shield. Kay stumbled forward. Valiant easily stepped to the side, making it look like Kay had gone to attack him. Valiant knocked him to the ground and smiled as people began to cheer. But he could get complacent yet. He ripped off his helmet and knelt beside Kay.

“Sir, Sir Kay? Are you alright?” he asked, his voice in a state of panic. He was aware Sir Leon and the physician were next to him. The physician turned Kay over.

“He doesn’t look injured. Could it be exhaustion, Gaius?” Sir Leon asked.

“Help me get him to my chambers. I need to make sure,” Gaius responded. Several more knights had come out onto the field and were now helping put Kay on a stretcher. Valiant stepped back. Hopefully they wouldn’t notice the snake bite. If they did, hopefully they wouldn’t suspect Valiant.
“So I guess you’re fighting Arthur in the finals,” a voice from behind him said. Valiant whipped around to see Gwaine, his foot propped up on the stands with a pair of wooden crutches resting next to him.

“You don’t seem too happy about that,” Valiant snarled. Gwaine shrugged.

“I just think it’s a bit odd that two of your opponents are severely injured. No one else has that kind of a track record,” Gwaine said, picking at his fingernails.

“What are you trying to say?” Valiant snapped. Gwaine looked up at him and glared.

“Hurt anyone else, and we’ll have a problem,” he said simply. Valiant clenched his teeth. Should he kill this knight? Or would that be too suspicious. He would ask Nimueh when he next saw her.

“I’m not here to fight. I’m here to become something greater. If you don’t like it, then learn to,” Valiant said. He turned on his heels and stomped off towards his tent. He had other things to worry about besides drunken knights with too much time on their hands.

oOoOoOo

Merlin huddled back on the stands, trying to decide what to do. He liked Kay, but not as much as the other knights. But there was still the problem with Valiant. He had hurt both Gwaine and Kay. And then there was his shield. Gaius didn’t seem to like it that much. Merlin wondered why. Could it be that Gaius didn’t like shields from Mercia? Or was it because Valiant had grabbed Merlin?

Merlin winced and rubbed his wrist absentmindedly. He didn’t like this man. He didn’t like the way he looked or the way he talked. It was like Valiant knew something that no one else knew. It was like Valiant was here to do something other than win the tournament.

Merlin hopped off the bleachers and went to find Arthur. Maybe he could convince him to not fight Valiant tomorrow.

Merlin quickly found Arthur’s tent and slipped inside. Leon and Arthur were in there, whispering to each other.

“Gaius thinks it may have been exhaustion. They were going at it for an awfully long time,” Leon said. Merlin slipped into the shadows. They never talked about stuff like this when Merlin was around. They just tried to make it seem like everything was happy. Merlin didn’t like it. He was smart and strong. He could help out if they needed!

“Is he sure? Something isn’t right with Valiant. He may have charmed my father and Morgana, but every time I see him…” Arthur trailed off. Leon shrugged.

“I can’t say what the right course of action is. We should keep an eye on him just in case. And Merlin, you shouldn’t listen in on people’s conversations. It’s rude,” Leon said. Merlin gasped. How did Leon know he was there? He had been so quiet. Arthur sighed and shook his head. He turned towards the shadow Merlin was hiding in and marched over.

“Honestly, Merlin. You act like we don’t tell you anything,” Arthur said. Merlin slipped out from the shadow.

“You don’t. You treat me like a child!” Merlin muttered. Leon reached over to brush some straw out of Merlin’s hair.

“You don’t tell us everything either. Besides, what good would telling you anything about Valiant do?” Leon said.

“I could look for clues. If he’s evil, he must have evidence hiding somewhere,” Merlin said. That was how he could help. He could figure out why Valiant was here.

“Merlin, don’t go looking for trouble. Stay away from Valiant. If he catches you sneaking around his chambers, he might not take it well. We can’t have you in danger. Let us handle it,” Arthur said, practically pleading with Merlin to leave well enough alone.

“But, I want to help,” Merlin said.

“Then stay out of trouble. It would be distracting for us if you were to go snooping around. Take care of Gwaine and Kay. That’s all we need you to do,” Leon said earnestly. Merlin’s shoulders slumped forward.

“Alright. I promise to try not to get into trouble,” he said.

“Try?” Arthur asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Well I don’t go looking for it, usually. It just sort of is attracted to me!” Merlin cried, waving his hands in the air. Arthur chuckled and shook his head.

“Why don’t you go make sure Gwaine is resting like he’s supposed to. Don’t worry, Merlin, we can take care of Valiant. Trust us,” Leon said. Merlin nodded.

“Okay. I trust you,” Merlin said. He turned and skipped out of the tent, searching hard for Gwaine.

Arthur sighed and sank down onto a chair.

“That was easier than I thought,” he said. Leon sat down next to him.

“I can’t investigate all you want me to investigate. I still have to deal with the actors that are coming here. I can’t split my time more than I already have,” Leon explained.

“Then we’re down three knights. I’ll see if Percival, Elyan, and Lancelot can look into Valiant and tail him. He’s already met Lancelot so it should be relatively easy for him to befriend the man.”

“And if our doubts are incorrect?” Leon asked.

“Then we let Valiant live here without fear.”

“And if we are correct?”

“Then we kill him before he hurts Camelot or her citizens.”

oOoOoOo

The night air was cool around the string of tents that sat in the clearing. Guards were stationed around the perimeter, ensuring the nobility and actors were safe. Lady Marie stepped out, shivering and pulling the cloak tighter around her shoulders.

“My lady, what has happened?” Lord Aaron said. Aaron was a middle-aged scholar, bright and well spoken. But even he couldn’t find a cure to the curse. It was only after the witch had come to their aid that the kingdom was able to see a light at the end of the tunnel. This horrible nightmare was about to come to an end.

“Do we really have to do this? There must be some other way!” Lady Marie said, looking at the hallowed faces. Patrick, a guard, had lost his little girl just last week. But he couldn’t mourn her. If everyone who had lost a child had time to mourn, there wouldn’t be any functioning people left in the kingdom.

“You know as well as I this is the only way. My research showed nothing! And if this continues much longer, our land won’t have a future. I know this isn’t right. But what choice do we have?” Aaron said. Marie sighed and walked back towards her tent.

“It still feels underhanded. We should tell them the truth. They don’t deserve this misfortune. They might even help,” Marie said.

“We cannot afford to wait any longer. It has to be done now. But this is Camelot we’re talking about. They might be able to find something we have not. Have faith. This will all workout in the end,” Aaron said.

“I pray you are right,” she replied before slipping back into her tent.

Chapter Text

Arthur prepared himself for the fight. Lancelot, Elyan, and Percival had all agreed to try and tail Valiant. They wanted to know if he was up to anything. After all, Gwaine loathed him, Merlin was afraid of him, and Sir Kay was injured by him. Each moment the man was in Camelot, it seemed like more things went wrong. Arthur was surprised more knights didn’t volunteer to tail him. After all, the knights of Camelot were a very tight-knit group. They did not take kindly to men forcing their way into their brotherhood.

Of course Leon was still busy with the actors, setting up the stage and finalizing details. He seemed more frazzled by the day. And Morgana was having terrible nightmares. So she wasn’t helping that much either. Arthur didn’t like to admit weakness, but right now he felt weak. His support system was slowly being pulled from him. Sure, Elyan, Lancelot, and Percival were all capable and skilled fighters, but Arthur was still down three knights and his sister. He needed all the help he could get if he were to figure out what was going on here. But something or someone was isolating him. Arthur had never felt so alone and so overwhelmed.

He heard Merlin stumble into the tent. If Merlin knew about Arthur’s thoughts, he would take the situation into his own hands. And that would only lead to disaster.

“I found your halberd,” Merlin stated proudly. Arthur turned to see Merlin holding up the piece of armor proudly.

“That’s the pauldron,” Arthur sighed. Honestly, how did Merlin manage to mix those two up? They didn’t even look remotely similar.

“Oh, well I found your pauldron,” Merlin said, brightening up once more. Arthur sighed and let Merlin drag over the plate before hopping up on the table to attach it. Arthur steadied him. Gaius wouldn’t like Merlin coming in because of a concussion again.

“Thank you, Merlin. You are a huge help,” Arthur said. Merlin didn’t catch the sarcasm. Or maybe he was too busy trying to breach the next topic of conversation.

“So, did you find out anything about Valiant?” Merlin asked, deliberately not looking at Arthur.

“Even if I did, it is none of your business. You aren’t a knight. It’s not your job to worry about these things,” Arthur said. Merlin nodded and hopped down from the table. The pauldron wasn’t attached correctly. Merlin needed more lessons with Gwen before Arthur got killed due to the boy’s shoddy skills.

“Oh, I know. I just was wondering if you wanted me to, you know, use my special talents to find something?” Merlin said, shrugging his shoulders.

Arthur’s eyes widened. He grabbed Merlin’s wrist and pulled him towards him.

“Absolutely not, Merlin. Do you know what will happen if you get caught? I can only protect you so much but if something happens, you’ll have to leave Camelot immediately,” Arthur hissed. Merlin’s shoulders slumped and Arthur mentally kicked himself. He needed to be gentler with the kid. He knew what it was like to feel useless. But he refused to put Merlin in danger, no matter what the Great Dragon said about their shared destiny.

“Sorry. I just thought I could help. I want to help. And I won’t get caught,” Merlin said, looking at Arthur with large, pleading eyes.

“I will not risk it.” Arthur paused, trying to decide if this approach was going to work. He figured it wouldn’t hurt to add a little something other than worry. “Besides, if I call upon you for help, how do you think Lancelot, Percival, and Elyan will feel because they couldn’t do their job properly?” The effect was what he wanted.

Merlin shook his head viciously. “No, I don’t want them to feel bad. They can keep doing the searches. I can find some other way to help.”

Arthur smiled. “Good. Now go sit in the stands with Gwaine and Morgana and cheer me on while I fight. That’s how you can help me.”

“Yes, sir.” Merlin scampered out of the tent. Arthur slumped over in relief.

“Good God this child will be the death of me,” he muttered. He straightened himself out and followed Merlin out of the tent. He would win this battle if it was the last thing he did.

oOoOoOo

Valiant whistled as he flitted about his tent, putting the finishing touches on his armor. His eyes lit up as he spotted another pouch of money tucked away in the corner.

“Well things are certainly going my way,” he chuckled. He picked the money up and began rummaging through the bag, trying to get a sense as to how much he owned now. This was the best decision he had ever made. And he once had, intimate, activities with two women at once.

“Don’t spend it all in one place.”

Valiant smiled and turned to see Nimueh standing behind him. She had that same serious look on her face. Nimueh was always so serious. It was like her face was stuck in a permanent scowl. Maybe once he succeeded she would smile.

“Come to wish me luck?” Valiant grinned.

“Don’t beat Arthur Pendragon. We need you on Uther’s side if this is going to work. Fight him long enough to show off your amazing talent but then let him get the upper hand and lose,” Nimueh said, slowly walking forward.

“You know, the more stipulations you put on me, the more likely I am to mess up,” Valiant chuckled. Nimueh’s eyes flashed and Valiant felt an invisible rope constricting around his neck. He quickly fell to his knees.

“I don’t think you get it. Right now, I hold all the power. If you mess this up for me, I will not hesitate to get rid of you. Do not test me,” Nimueh growled. Valiant clawed at the air, trying to figure out where the rope had come from. Nimueh’s eyes flashed once more and the air refilled Valiant’s lungs.

“I understand. I’ll throw the match,” Valiant gasped. He coughed and hunched over.

“Good. Have fun,” Nimueh said before disappearing once more.

Valiant wasn’t sure he would have fun. The good mood he had procured had vanished. And now he was going out to lose.

oOoOoOo

As Arthur expected, Valiant was an extremely good fighter, as good as Gwaine said. He had asked Gwaine about Valiant’s fighting style before, hoping to get some insight. Gwaine went on a ten minute rant about how the man was surely cheating and how no one could possibly be that good at fighting. Arthur had figured it was jealousy and rage that Valiant had beaten him. Turns out it wasn’t. Arthur was sure that Valiant was doing something illegal. He just couldn’t figure out what. It was as if Valiant was absorbing Arthur’s fighting skills and making them his own.

Arthur lunged forward, trying to get the upper hand. Valiant blocked with ease. Arthur could hear the crowd screaming in the stands, willing for someone to win. This was the match everyone wanted to see. This was the match that would determine the champion. This was also the match that would quite possibly kill Arthur.

Arthur was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to last for much longer. Valiant was quickly gaining the upper hand. But, just as Arthur was ready to call the match and face his father’s disapproval, Valiant’s eyes went wide and he let out a cry. Arthur managed to avoid the man as he tumbled to the ground. Valiant’s sword skidded across the dirt, out of his reach. Arthur quickly turned Valiant over with his boot and put his sword to his neck.

“Better luck next time. Leon will drill into your head that fancy footwork isn’t always better,” Arthur said. He couldn’t help but grin. Finally, someone had taken Valiant down. Granted, his foot probably just got caught on a rock or something stupid like that. But still, Arthur didn’t lose and that’s all that mattered. Valiant looked angry for a time before putting on, what Arthur decided was, a very false smile.

“Thank you for the match, my lord. I look forward to undergoing Sir Leon’s training,” he said with a smile. Arthur decided to be a good sport and pulled Valiant to his feet, patting him on the back. The crowd roared as Arthur was announced the winner. Morgana was scowling at him. Arthur fought the urge to stick his tongue out at her. Couldn’t she at least pretend to be happy for him? Arthur really didn’t want to know what Uther would say if he lost this match, no matter how good Valiant was at fighting.

Arthur walked off the field, to where Merlin was waiting with some water.

“You did so great, Arthur! I knew you would beat him,” Merlin said, handing Arthur the water skin. Arthur was about to respond when Merlin’s sleeve fell down his wrist enough to show the skin was discolored.

“Merlin, what happened to your wrist?” Arthur asked. He grabbed ahold of Merlin’s arm, above the elbow, and pulled back the rest of the sleeve to reveal a very colorful bruise. “Did someone grab you?” he demanded. It wasn’t uncommon for nobles to be abusive towards those of a lower position. But neither Arthur nor Uther tolerated it. And to attack a child, how low could someone get?

“Oh, that’s nothing. It doesn’t even hurt,” Merlin said, pulling his arm away.

“That wasn’t the question. Now who did this to you?” Arthur growled. He put his arm around Merlin’s shoulders and began leading him back to the tent so as not to cause a scene.

“It’s really nothing, Arthur. It was my fault anyways,” Merlin continued to protest.

“I don’t care whose fault it is I want to know what happened,” Arthur hissed. Merlin ducked out from underneath Arthur’s arm.

“Gaius took care of it already. It’s really nothing,” Merlin said. Arthur was taken aback. Why wouldn’t Gaius tell him someone had hurt Merlin. Arthur couldn’t have his citizens being attacked, grabbed, and bruised, no matter what their class was.

“Then I’ll speak to Gaius later. Go clean my room. And yours. Honestly, you have a cupboard. Try getting your belongings in there instead of on the floor.”

Merlin nodded and scampered off. Arthur continued to try and get his armor off so he could go take a bath and sleep for the next year. Sadly, the actors were coming in three days to perform so until then Arthur would have to work hard to ensure everything was running smoothly.

“How does Leon do this?” Arthur sighed.

oOoOoOo

Morgana tossed onto her side once more. She wasn’t awake. Instead, she was trapped inside a dream. It was horrible. Morgana was walking along the road. But everything looked bigger. So she wasn’t in her body, but another’s. One who was much smaller than her. She continued walking until she saw a woman up ahead. This woman was dressed entirely in white from head to toe. Curious Morgana, or rather the person who’s body she was inhabiting, called out.

“Miss, are you alright?” the voice of a young girl said. Morgana’s mind screamed at her to run away as fast as she could. But the little girl kept walking, forcing Morgana to get closer and closer to the figure.

“Is that a child I here creeping closer to me?” the woman in white said. She began swaying in the breeze like a blade of grass. Back and forth. Back and forth. Her head lolled forward onto her chest, allowing her long, dark hair to shield her face.

“I can take you back to my village, if you need help. It’s not far from here,” the little girl said. Morgana started to scream inside the child’s mind, begging her to just turn around and run the other way. It wasn’t too late yet. The girl could still be saved. Except, she couldn’t.

The woman’s head pitched forward again before rolling back, revealing an eye with blood dripping from it. And claw marks running down her face. The little girl screamed and began running back to her village.

“This is my punishment. For a crime I had every right to commit,” the woman in white said. Her dress had started to become stained with blood. The little girl kept screaming for someone to help her. But the woman simply walked, keeping pace with the little girl perfectly.

“Children can’t be trusted. Children can’t be tamed. Children must be punished. Or else they will win the game!” The woman’s face contorted into one full of boils, scabs, blood and puss. She lunged at the little girl, her mouth unhinged like a snake so that she could eat the little girl in one bite.

Morgana fell off the bed screaming.

“It’s alright. It was just a bad dream.” Gwen was there, kneeling next to Morgana, her hands smoothing over her shoulders. Morgana tried to slow her breathing down.

“I’m so sorry Gwen. I must have woken you,” Morgana said, trying to play down the immense fear she was having right now.

“Do you want me to get Gaius or Arthur?” Gwen asked. She knew Morgana would try to soften this as much as possible. She couldn’t have that happen. She had to get to the bottom of what had happened. To her surprise, Morgana nodded.

“I think I need to tell Gaius what I saw. I think it’s coming here next,” Morgana said shakily. Gwen nodded.

“Alright then. Do you want to come with me?” Gwen saw Morgana jumping at every shadow and creek that echoed in the room. Now was probably not the best time to leave her alone.

“No, just make sure there’s a guard outside. I can hardly be seen around Camelot wearing my bedclothes. It’s hardly proper,” Morgana said with a small laugh.

“Alright. I’ll be back in a minute or so. Gaius wakes up pretty easily.” Morgana watched as Gwen left. She went to light every candle she could in the room and checked behind every curtain to ensure the woman in white wasn’t anywhere near her. Her dream wasn’t a premonition of what would happen to Camelot. It was a look into the past. That’s what scared Morgana even more. This had already happened once, and it was probably going to happen to Camelot now. The only problem was that she had no idea what it was or why it would happen to Camelot. It could be a curse, the woman was talking about how children needed to be punished. But Morgana thought it was something much deeper than that. She would also go talk with the Great Dragon tomorrow to see what he thought of the situation. Gaius didn’t know everything after all.

Soon enough, Gwen came back with Gaius in tow.

“My dear, what seems to be the problem?” Gaius asked.

“I had a dream, Gaius. It was terrible,” Morgana said.

“Do you need a tonic to help you sleep?”

Morgana shook her head. “No, but I saw a vision from the past. A woman in white, luring a child away from her village only to transform into a hideous monster and attack her!” Morgana started to cry. The vision was made even worse because Morgana was experiencing it first hand. It would have been different if she was just watching along the sidelines.

“It attacked her? Was there anything else?” Gaius asked.

“Yes. The woman, she said some sort of rhyme. It went ‘children can’t be trusted. Children can’t be tamed. Children must be punished, or else they will win the game,” Morgana choked.

“Do you think it’s coming to Camelot next then?” Gwen asked. Morgana nodded.

“Well, I’ve never heard of such a thing. But I will look through my texts,” Gaius said.

“And I will be talking with Kilgharrah tomorrow about this as well. If anyone knows anything, it will be him,” Morgana said solemnly. Gaius stood up and patted Morgana on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry. We’re getting a warning so we can hopefully stop it before it does a lot of damage. I suggest you tell Arthur as well so he can be on the look out for any sort of misdeeds.” Gaius hobbled out the door. “And please let me know if you change your mind about the sleeping draught.”

The door shut and Morgana collapsed back on the bed.

“Gwen, I won’t be sleeping much these next few nights,” she said. Gwen sat down next to her.

“Don’t worry, my lady. We’re getting ahead of this thing so that we can protect Camelot and the children.”

“I hope you’re right, Gwen.” Morgana sat up and went to start flipping through her spell books once more.

Chapter Text

A quiet night washed over Camelot. Not even crickets were chirping. It looked as though frost was finally on its way. The frozen corridors of the castle ensured even the smallest of creatures would be cuddled together. Not cold enough yet, but it was on its way.

This silence and stillness was only disturbed by the soft footsteps of a lady who was not supposed to be out of bed. A very opinionated young woman who didn’t think she needed as much protection as she was given.

Morgana couldn’t help but scoff at her curfew. Arthur never had a curfew. But apparently, Uther thought she was weak and needed constant protecting. Though, she did complain about her “headaches” a lot to get out of boring meetings. It was only right that Uther think her entire being was dainty and fragile as a flower.

Luckily for her, being a member of the royal family allowed her to pull a few strings. So while she was sneaking around the castle, finding information, Lancelot and Leon were standing dutifully at her door. Guarding her from any dangers that might arise. Not that Uther could protect her from everything. Not even Leon could do that. But that’s why she had magic. There were some things that couldn’t be killed by sword or by bow.

Once a safe distance from where she was likely to get caught, Morgana muttered some words. Her eyes flashed gold and a small ball of light solidified in front of her. Morgana smirked. If only Uther could see what his precious daughter was capable of. It would likely give him a heart attack if he knew. Morgana wondered if it was evil that she didn’t care.
Then again, Uther was a ruthless tyrant when it came to magic. Thank the gods Arthur wasn’t like him, or else Morgana might just have to wage war on both men.

Of course, wandering through the castle at night wasn’t the safest thing to do. Morgana’s foot caught the edge of her gown and sent her sprawling to the floor. The little light bobbed in the air, mocking her fall.

“I hate these gowns. It’s impossible to go anywhere. I wouldn’t be surprised if Uther demanded they be longer so I would be even more immobile,” she hissed. She stood up and dusted herself off. Winding her way down the stairs, Morgana found herself going deeper and deeper into the belly of Camelot.

Finally, she came to the end. This cave was large enough to hold another of Uther’s secrets, or tools of fear. It really depended on the mood he was in. It made Morgana wonder just how much she and Arthur knew. If a man had three large secrets, surely there were more. Though Morgana couldn’t fathom having to keep so many.

The rush of wind signaled the beast’s arrival. Morgana glared as her hair was whipped all over the place. Leon would still be at her room when she got back. She didn’t want to look like a complete disaster. Though he did say she could wear a potato sack and still be the most beautiful girl in the world.

As usual, Kilgharrah ruined the mood. “Ah, the witch has come to ask me something.”

Morgana scowled. She was not a witch. “I think beautiful sorceress would be better suited.” She tossed her hair back, looking as dignified as possible with the rats-nest and dirt stained knees.

“I will recognize you as a priestess when you prove you will not stray.”

Morgana bit back a reply. She didn’t come here to argue with Kilgharrah. She came here for answers. “I think something’s coming to Camelot, something bad.”

Kilgharrah sighed and settled on the rock. “You would not be down here if it were something good. Now why do you think I can help?”

“I had a vision, but I think this was a vision of the past.”

As expected, Kilgharrah’s attention snapped back to Morgana. She never had visions of the past, only possible futures. It was troubling. Kilgharrah knew the arrival of Merlin would start each player along the path of destiny. But he feared what that path would be. Things were changing. The future was changing. It made Kilgharrah very anxious. There were some things not even destiny could predict.

“There was a girl,” Morgana continued, not paying any attention to Kilgharrah. “She was just child. And there was a woman in white. She kept saying this rhyme. Children can’t be trusted. Children can’t be tamed. Children must be punished, or else they will win the game.”

Kilgharrah sat quietly. For a moment, Morgana feared there would be no information. Kilgharrah didn’t like her so it was possible he was willing to withhold what he knew for the sake of torturing her.

But the beast sighed and laid his head down. His eyes slipped closed. “As far as I know, that is not a spell or a nursery rhyme.”

“I know that. Gaius, Gwen and I have looked through every book. I want to know why I’m having dreams about it,” Morgana snapped.

“My young priestess, I am not all knowing, no matter how much you would like to think so. I only know what I have learned. If this is indeed a vision of the past, and not of the future, as you claim, then my only thought would be a spirit has come back from the grave to haunt those she believes are responsible for her death,” Kilgharrah said as if he were speaking to a small child.

“Is that possible?”

Kilgharrah shrugged. “Only with very powerful, old and dangerous magic.” The dragon sat up, looking straight at Morgana. Morgana shuddered, feeling the beasts’ eye on her.

“There are two ways in which she could have returned,” Kilgharrah continued. “The first is with a wraith. A high priestess of the old religion resurrected a ghost of this woman, but in the resurrection she lost her humanity. This would have caused her to become a shadow that envelopes the world in darkness. The second is that the woman herself refused to let go of this world, even in her death. And therefore, she wanders even now, searching for closure.”

“Is there anyone powerful enough to do this?” Morgana asked. She didn’t like the sound of this wraith and vengeful spirit business.

Kilgharrah stood up and stretched his wings. “I know of one, possibly two women with this power. I would bet Nimueh is behind this.”

“Nimueh?”

“Yes. She wasn’t always a bad person. But years of hate towards Uther and the Purge have made her less human than even the foulest of beasts. If this is her work, you must be careful, young witch. She will stop at nothing to kill Merlin.”

Morgana shook her head. “Why does the name Nimueh sound familiar? And why Merlin?”

Kilgharrah smiled at her sadly, or as sadly as the scaly beast could manage. “Nimueh is the reason Arthur is here today. And Merlin will bring about a time when magic and nonmagic can exist as one. In Nimueh’s mind, that is impossible.” The dragon stretched his wings and began lifting off his perch.

Morgana was still struggling with the revelation that had been revealed to her. It looked as though Uther had one more secret he was keeping form the world. She wanted to know more. She needed to know more. It wasn’t fair that they kept getting these half formed answers from a creature who only cared about his freedom and not for the hundreds of thousands of lives at stake, should Merlin and Arthur fail.

“I think that is enough information for now. Remember, nothing is free in this world. One day, I will ask for a favor. You should be careful of what you wish for me to reveal,” Kilgharrah said before flying off.

Morgana sank down against the wall. Merlin was in danger. Camelot was in danger. Would she be strong enough to protect everyone?

oOoOoOo

Iseldir watched as Morgause paced in the room. He didn’t think it was possible, but she was looking more furious than the last time. Iseldir couldn’t really blame her. After all, the information he had gathered was less than happy. But pacing and breaking things weren’t going to help anyone.

Cenred sat in a lush chair, sharpening his swords. He seemed amused by Morgause’s frustrations.

“My dear girl, you must relax. This isn’t good for your health,” Iseldir said.

Freya was standing beside him, trying to make a strawberry. “Iseldir, it’s a rose again.”

Iseldir looked down at her. The girl looked close to tears. She had been trying to perfect this spell for awhile now but never seemed to get it right. Iseldir smiled encouragingly at her. “Freya, you know not even Merlin was able to perfect this spell. Be patient, and make sure you picture every part of the strawberry, from the smell, the taste, even the feel.”

Freya smiled and nodded enthusiastically, her tears disappearing from her eyes. “I’ll keep trying. When I see Merlin again, I can make him lots of strawberries!” Her face became one of concentration and she continued to whisper into her had.

“How can you be so calm?” Morgause shouted. Iseldir stepped in front of Freya, ready to protect her. Luckily, Morgause’s rage only affected the curtains, which quickly caught fire and fell to the ground. Some guards ran up to the pile of flames and poured water on them.

“Panicking will not get us anywhere. Right now, we need to be calm so we can think rationally and come up with a solution.”

“Think rationally! You want me to think rationally?” Morgause screeched. “Right now, my plans are going to fail because some old hag decided she wasn’t done wreaking havoc! I will have Camelot and I will have Emrys by my side!”

Another curtain burst into flames. With a few well chosen words, Iseldir extinguished the fire.

Morgause’s magic had become more volatile over the past year and a half. It was deteriorating, becoming more reliant on her emotions than on her talent. It would not bode well for anyone should she continue along this path. Iseldir had tried his best to keep her contained. But even he was only so powerful. The real turning point had been when Merlin disappeared. That was when Morgause started breaking and burning more things. It would only be a matter of time before it wasn’t just a curtain or a vase. And it was only a matter of time before the rage and hate consumed Morgause.

“Morgause, you cannot fight like this. You must understand what you are doing will not be productive. Nimueh has indeed returned and has indeed let loose dangers upon Emrys and every child of Camelot.” Iseldir was trying his best to calm the woman down. But with every word she seemed to get more livid. “We know that. So now we need to focus on stopping her before anyone gets hurt.”

Morgause stared at Iseldir. For a few moments, he thought this was the end. This was when Morgause would snap and kill him. He thought about telling Freya to cover her ears and close her eyes. A child should not be subject to witness the death of another.

But Morgause spun around and stomped out of the room. “I’m going to Camelot. I’ll speak with my sister and give her information.”
“That’s good, dear. Then we can convince them we aren’t evil and hit them even harder,” Cenred said, smiling.

Iseldir rolled his eyes. Why did Morgause still keep this man alive. The men were more loyal to her than they were to him. And Morgause didn’t seem to particularly enjoy his company.

“Cenred, shut up. I don’t need you talking in my ear. Iseldir, take anyone who can read and get them to find out about this woman in white. I need to know how to defeat her.” The doors slammed shut behind her, the crash echoing throughout the room.

“Well, I suppose I have work to do. Freya, could you get Alice and Gilli for me? They should be of some help.”
Freya nodded and skipped off. Though she was trembling slightly. Iseldir feared she wouldn’t last much longer with Morgause as anxious as she was. And although he had scolded Morgause earlier, he couldn’t help but pace and worry as well.

Chapter Text

The next three days had been hectic for Arthur and Leon as they struggled to prepare for the actors. Merlin couldn’t help but be excited. He had never been to a play before. Cenred and Morgause weren’t too keen on anything that didn’t involve strengthening their powers. Merlin and Freya talked about what it would be like to see an actual play. Freya always talked about the romantic ones. Merlin didn’t know why girls liked that stuff so much. Two people kissing was gross. Even if Gwaine said he would one day enjoy it. Merlin was certain he never would. But Freya would always go on and on about handsome princes rescuing damsels in distress.

One time she asked if Merlin would be her prince. He agreed, only to be kissed by Freya. She insisted that’s what princes do. Merlin decided he never wanted to be a prince.

Merlin’s heart dropped thinking about Freya. He wondered if she was alright. He tugged on the coat he wore. Who would help Freya out when she transformed? Iseldir was usually too busy working and protecting everyone so he couldn’t do it. Alice was nice, but she was also old. As old as Gaius. She wouldn’t be able to keep Freya under control. And Gili was always too afraid of her during transformations.

Freya had said Morgause promised to find a cure for her disease. But Merlin didn’t think Morgause was looking. He didn’t think Morgause cared. She only cared about power. And nothing was more powerful than Freya when she transformed. Even Merlin couldn’t be in the same cage as her. He had to be kept in another one. But he still kept her company through those nights by singing and telling stories and talking about the plays they would see when they escaped. He also promised Freya that he would become a prince someday so that he would save her and buy her pretty dresses and things to put in her hair. And when she had fallen asleep and turned back into a girl, Merlin would kiss her cheek, since apparently that’s what princes did.

“Hey kid, what are you thinking about?” Elyan said, walking up to Merlin.

“My friends,” Merlin said with a shrug. He bent back over and continued polishing Arthur’s boots.

“What about them?” Elyan sat down beside him and began sharpening his sword.

“I miss them. And I want to help them. They’re still where I left. I wonder if they hate me for leaving and not coming back,” Merlin said. He felt like crying. As much as he hated Cenred and Morgause, he still couldn’t deny that there were people with them that he wanted to see again.

“Listen, Merlin, I left home without a word.” Merlin stopped polishing and looked at Elyan.

“You did?"

“Yeah. I was young, and stupid. Our mother had just died and I thought I would be better off somewhere else. To this day I feel guilty, leaving Gwen by herself. It broke my heart when I found out our father had died and Gwen had to take care of everything herself.”

“So what happened?” Merlin didn’t know where Elyan was going with this. Maybe this was something only gown ups could understand. Merlin didn’t want Elyan to think he wasn’t grown up.

“Well, when I did come back home, I thought I’d get slapped. Well, I did get slapped. But more importantly, Gwen forgave me and I’ve learned to be a good brother again. I’m not telling you this for no reason. I honestly think you had a better reason to leave without a word than I did. What I want you to know is that if they really are your friends, they’ll understand. They might be mad at you for leaving but they’ll be glad you’re alright,” Elyan said, patting Merlin on the head.

“Do you think there’s anyway to help them?” Merlin asked.

“Well that depends on where they’re at.” Merlin had yet to tell anyone where he had been held. Every time someone tried to bring it up, he clammed up. Just thinking about it gave him nightmares.

“Um, well—“ Elyan stopped sharpening his sword. This might be the moment that he learned something about Merlin. “Um, there was this man and woman who captured me and Freya and Gili and Alice and Iseldir. The man’s name was, um, Cenred.” Merlin’s voice dropped off to a whisper. Elyan nearly fell out of his seat.

“What about the woman?” he asked quietly. He couldn’t risk scaring Merlin back into silence. Merlin shook his head.

“I can’t say her name. If I say her name she’ll know where I am.” Merlin’s voice was so quiet, Elyan had to strain to hear him. He put a hand on Merlin’s shoulder.

“Do you want to tell Arthur what you told me?”

Merlin shook his head. “Can you do it instead?”

Elyan nodded and gave him a quick one-armed hug. Merlin thought he would feel lighter after telling someone about his past. But instead, he just felt heavy and weak. He hunched further in on himself.

“I’ll go tell Arthur. We probably can’t help them right away. But we can still start planning something. You know how good Leon is at planning things. We’ll get them back, Merlin,” Elyan said. He stood up and started walking towards the castle. Merlin turned around, wondering if he did the right thing.

oOoOoOo

Elyan was not looking forward to telling Arthur what Merlin had told him. Cenred was a king, and Camelot’s greatest enemy. There was no way Uther would allow Arthur to raid the man’s palace. Though the others Merlin had mentioned probably weren’t being kept in the palace.

Of course, what Merlin said made sense. Cenred was known to force those with magic into slavery. He didn’t know why they hadn’t managed to put the pieces together yet. Maybe they were hoping for a weaker enemy, so they could actually have a chance of winning.

“Nothing like going after the big fish, I suppose,” Elyan muttered. This was going to be a nightmare to deal with. He could already see the many hours he and the others would have to stay awake in order to launch an attack against Cenred.

But right now, Cenred’s lands and Camelot were relying on an uneasy treaty that kept them both out of each other’s hair. Although Cenred was probably planning on taking over Camelot as soon as the state was weakened. This was probably the only time Elyan thanked God that Uther was in good health. As long as he was strong, Cenred wouldn’t attack.

Elyan knew Arthur would make a better king and probably be able to defeat Cenred should a war happen. But no war was better than a huge war, especially during a time of political instability.

But Merlin’s information also confirmed suspicions that Cenred was planning something. Or, at least, the woman he was with was planning something. Cenred never struck Elyan as the go-getter type. He knew what he wanted, but didn’t bother taking it unless it was easy. So if anyone was gearing up for war, it was the woman Merlin spoke of. That would make things even more difficult. Cenred, they couldn’t go after. But this woman, as long as she wasn’t in a position of formal political power, they could hunt for her. The only problem was she didn’t have a name.

Elyan arrived at Arthur’s chambers and knocked on the door. When he entered, Arthur was sitting at his table, papers scattered about him. Leon was sitting on the floor, also surrounded by papers. Elyan wondered if he should wait until the actors were gone.

“Yes, what is it?” Leon barked.

“Merlin told me who was keeping him before this. You’re not going to like it.”

Leon and Arthur’s heads popped up. Whatever they were working on was now abandoned in favor of hearing Elyan.

“He said it was a woman, and Cenred.” Elyan winced as Arthur slammed a fist on the table.

“Dammit! We can’t risk starting a war with them. We’re walking on eggshells as is,” Arthur said. Leon shook his head.

“This does confirm our suspicions that Cenred is preparing something. He might be planning on taking over Camelot, or the other kingdoms,” Leon said thoughtfully.

“What about this woman? Who is she?” Arthur asked.

“I don’t know. I tried to press Merlin for more information but he said saying her name will give her the power to find him,” Elyan answered.

“So she’s powerful?” Leon mused.

“Probably. She was able to capture sorcerers and she’s stayed quiet about it. Merlin talked about his friends from that place and even listed a few names.”

“Do you remember what those names were? We can have Gaius look into them and see if he recognizes anyone. We know they’ve tried to collect Emrys, who knows how many other powerful sorcerers they’ve gathered,” Arthur said. Elyan listed off the names while Leon wrote them on a sheet of paper.

“Take this to Gaius, see what he knows. We need to know what we’re going up against. They might be Merlin’s friends, but under extreme torture and grooming, they could become weapons.” Leon handed Elyan the sheet of paper and Elyan left. He looked at the list of names. Merlin had mentioned Freya several times before, always saying she needed his oversized coat for some reason. The others were new.

Elyan found Gaius at his bench, preparing a tonic for Morgana.

“Are the nightmares getting bad again?” he asked. Gwen was off to the side, embroidering a handkerchief.

“Yes. We’ve talked with the Great Dragon about it. But he wasn’t very helpful. All we know is that a ghost has caused trouble in the past. Gaius is looking for some more information,” she said.

“Well I’m afraid I don’t have much better news. Merlin told me where he came from.”

“That’s wonderful. He’s finally opening up,” Gwen beamed.

“Cenred was the one that was keeping him.”

Gwen’s smile fell. “That’s even worse than what I had imagined. I thought maybe some rogue noble. Definitely not a king. Are we going to tell Uther about this?”

“I don’t see how we can without revealing Merlin. And if we don’t reveal Merlin, then we have no solid proof of what Cenred is doing.”

“I understand that. But we can’t just let Cenred keep doing this. Magic is a gift, not a weapon,” Gaius said.

“Well, Merlin did give me some names. If we know who these people are, we might be able to find the proof without endangering Merlin.”

Gaius put down the potion and pulled out a piece of paper. “What were they?”

“Gili, Freya—“

“Well those two don’t sound familiar,” Gaius said.

“Merlin talks about Freya sometimes, though. I don’t know much about her. He does seem awfully smitten though,” Gwen chimed.

“Well, he also said Iseldir—“

Gaius gasped. “Now that might be a problem.”

“Why?” Elyan asked.

“If this is the Iseldir I’m thinking of, he was entrusted with a very sacred artifact: the Cup of Life. He’s a leader of a band of druids farther north. According to sources, he’s the one that holds the Cup of Life,” Gaius explained.

“And what does the Cup of Life do?” Gwen asked.

“Well, it can give everlasting life to one who drinks it, and it can make armies immortal. If Cenred has Iseldir, then there’s a good chance he has the Cup of Life as well.”

“Merlin did mention one other name.”

“Oh, who was that?” Gaius began folding the parchment and putting it on the shelf.

“A woman called Alice.”

Gaius dropped the parchment. “Alice?”

“Yeah, do you know her?”

“Oh, I do believe so. If she’s the same Alice, well then, I really am a fool. She was my fiancée. She had to run during the purge.” For the first time, Elyan thought Gaius was about to break down.

“Gaius, why don’t you sit down?” Gwen pull out a chair and helped him into it.

“Thank you my dear. I can’t believe it. I sent her away to be safe. She probably would have been better off in Camelot. They were killing sorcerers so rapidly there wasn’t any time for flashy displays such as the pyre. She would have probably just been beheaded. That’s probably much better than Cenred.” Gaius gave a hollow laugh.

Elyan patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry. Now that we know who’s keeping them, we can work on rescuing them.” Gaius didn’t seem so convinced. Elyan walked out the door, ready to tell Arthur what he had discovered.

“Oh, Gaius,” Elyan called. “Merlin also mentioned something about a woman who was keeping him as well, someone powerful enough to track him if he said her name. Do you know anyone like that?”

Gaius sighed. “I know of two women who may have that power. I pray it is neither.” Elyan nodded and closed the door.

“Gaius, do you think it’s a coincidence that the dragon also said there were two women who could have released the spirit?” Gwen asked.

“If it is, I fear for us all.”

Chapter Text

Merlin sat at the top row, swinging his legs and waiting for the other knights to arrive. Percival was asked to help set up. Probably because he was so big. And Gwaine’s ribs started hurting, so he had to hobble back down to Gaius for medicine. Merlin had offered to try and heal them again, but everyone yelled at him. He didn’t understand why. Magic could be used to heal a lot of things, so why couldn’t it heal Gwaine’s ribs?

Arthur, Leon, Lancelot, and Elyan were all still at the feast. They wouldn’t be here for another ten minutes. Merlin slumped back in his seat. He was so bored. He wanted the play to start already. Maybe he should go down and help Percival. Or maybe he should find George and ask him about polishing techniques. Polishing techniques would be so much more interesting than just sitting here, doing nothing.

He heard a gasp and turned to see a pretty lady standing at the top of the stairs. She was wearing really nice clothes so she was probably royalty like Arthur.

“Is something wrong?” Merlin asked, hopping off the chair and skipping up to her. No one should feel sad or scared. It wasn’t fun. Besides, this wasn’t a scary place.

“I’m sorry. I just… don’t know what came over me.” The lady smiled at Merlin. It didn’t make her look any happier.

“I’m Merlin, what’s your name?” Merlin bowed like Leon had taught him. He still felt silly doing it.

The lady laughed. “You really are a gentleman, aren’t you. I’m Marie. I came with the actors.”

Merlin blushed at being called a gentleman and stood up straighter. He didn’t want the lady, Marie, to think he wasn’t a gentleman. “Oh, are they good? I’ve never been to a play before so I don’t really know if they’re good or not.”

“I think they are wonderful. Tell, Merlin, how old are you?” She kneeled down so she was at eye level.

“I’m eight. How old are you?”

“Merlin!” Gwaine was hobbling back up the stairs. “What have I told you about talking with strangers?”

“Only do it if they’re pretty.”

Gwaine’s face twisted into a funny expression and he groaned. “Okay, forget I said that. Just, don’t talk to strangers.”

“Then how will I make friends?”

Gwaine groaned again. “Don’t question me.”

Merlin pouted and stomped back up the stairs. He was only trying to make Marie feel better. She was sad.

Gwaine turned to the lady and tried his best not to glare. “If you need an escort to your seat, you should ask someone who’s working. And isn’t a child.” He continued hobbling towards his seat.

“I just wanted to meet him.”

The words were barely spoken above a whisper, but Gwaine heard every one. He turned to see the woman walking down the stairs. Gwaine huffed and plopped down next to Merlin.

“Merlin, you need to be careful. You can’t just go talking to people when you feel like it,” Gwaine scolded gently.

Merlin pouted. “But she seemed so sad to see me. I wanted to know why. Maybe I could make it better. Except you chased her away.”

Gwaine shook his head. That woman wasn’t giving him good vibes. Merlin was right, she was sad. But she also seemed very afraid. She didn’t have anything to fear. At least, nothing Gwaine could think of. This troupe of actors was welcomed into Camelot with open arms. Had someone done something to upset them?

Those thoughts were quickly pushed from Gwaine’s mind. Merlin was more important now.

“I’m sure she’s just tired, Merlin. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Merlin turned back towards the stage, his lower lip still pushed out and his arms still crossed. “I just wanted to help.”

“I know, buddy. But next time, wait until an adult you know is with you. You can never be too careful.”

The two returned to silence, Merlin steadily getting more intrigued by the stage that was getting set up. It wasn’t long before he was asking Gwaine questions about every little thing.

“Gwaine, what are they doing?”

“They’re setting up the backdrop.”

“Oh, did they paint it?”

“I assume so.”

“With magic?”

“Probably not.”

“What’s it a picture of?”

“A field.”

“Are there cows in the field?”

“I suppose so.”

“I like cows. Do you like cows?”

Gwaine slumped back and continued to answer Merlin’s constant stream of questions. This boy never stopped. It just went on and on and on and on and on and on and…

“Gwaine, are you excited?” This was not Merlin, but Percival. He had finally managed to get away from the stage. Though there was saw dust covering him from head to toe.

“Yep. Though why don’t you take over answering Merlin’s questions for a while? I need a drink.”

Percival scowled at him. “Now? Merlin’s right here. Maybe you should lay off the booze for just one night. Besides, alcohol’s bad for your leg.”

Gwaine was about to open up his mouth to argue when Merlin piped up. “What’s the play about?”

Percival picked Merlin up and put him on his lap. “Well, it’s a story about a princess who’s caught by a dragon and has to be saved by a handsome knight.”

Merlin’s nose scrunched. “Ew, is there going to be kissing? I don’t like kissing.”

This time it was Gwaine’s turn to laugh. “You say that now, Merls, but give it a few years. Kissing’s going to be the greatest thing you’ve ever experienced. Give it a few more years and you’ll find out that there’s something even better than kissing.”

“Gwaine—“ This time it was Leon, looking rather haggard and worn.

“Sheesh, were you dragged behind a wagon?” Gwaine was glad he wasn’t the one asked to set this all up. Leon looked absolutely terrible. His hair didn’t look like it had been washed in a few weeks, his clothes were unkempt and his posture scream ‘I would rather be doing anything else’.

Leon collapsed in the chair next to Gwaine. “Sadly, I think getting dragged behind a wagon would be more pleasant. I just want this whole thing to be over.”

Everyone continued to talk as the theater filled in. Merlin kept jumping in whenever he had something useful to say, or whenever he thought of something even more interesting than what the grownups were talking about. Percival did a good job holding the squirming child in his lap. The others finally joined them.

“Gwen you look so pretty!” Merlin cried. Gwen smiled at him.

“Why thank you Merlin. You look handsome as well.”

“Where’s Morgana? Does she look pretty too?”

Gwaine noticed Gwen’s smile drop. But Merlin seemed oblivious. “Merlin, Merlin, Merlin.” Gwaine decided to save Gwen from answering that. “The thing about women is, they take so much more time to get ready because you’ve got the jewels, the make-up, the hair, the clothes. It’s like a giant puzzle. What matches with what and so forth. Morgana, being the lovely lady she is, wants to make sure her suitor is most impressed with how she looks. Isn’t that right, Leon?” Gwaine elbowed said knight.

Leon choked. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Merlin cocked his head to the side. “Yeah, neither do I. Oh there she is!” Percival restrained Merlin from hopping off him and running to Morgana. Even if everyone in Camelot knew how much Morgana spoiled little Merlin, it still wouldn’t do for a servant to be running up to the princess and talking with her as if they were equals.

“Merlin, stay in your seat. Or on Percival. Just be quiet,” Arthur said as he led Morgana up the stairs. Valiant followed them, looking rather murderous. Gwaine smirked. The winner of the tournament got to escort the Lady Morgana to these plays. Sure, Arthur and Morgana didn’t look very happy about it. It was a slightly incestuous situation. But Gwaine would have left the kingdom had Valiant won. He also didn’t miss the way Merlin shrunk back against Percival as soon as he saw Valiant. The boy’s cheerful disposition vanishing, being replaced with fear. Gwaine fought down the bought of anger that rose within him. Fighting a potential knight of Camelot before the show started probably wasn’t a good idea, especially since Uther was only a few seats away and made it no secret how much he loved Valiant and hated Gwaine.

“How’s your leg doing?” Valiant asked.

Gwaine glared at him. “Well, it’s been better,” he spat. Though, he noticed Valiant starting to look worn down as well. And the way his eyes darted about, it was as if he were expecting something to jump out and eat him.

Everyone took their seat and the lights dimmed.

A man walked out on stage. “Hello, Camelot!” The crowd cheered. “My name is Daniel, and you can call me, Daniel.” The crowd laughed. “We were invited to Camelot to share a special tradition amongst our people, the Festival of the Three Plays! Now, I know you all probably want to see the show, but I will explain to you a little of what happens. There will be three plays, a romance, a comedy, and a mystery genre. The mystery genre is chosen out of several plays the day of, so not even the actors know what it will be. This is a way to allow our citizens to experience culture, share stories, and get together with friends and family and share in the wonder that is life!” The crowd began cheering once more.

“He looks sad too,” Merlin said softly. Gwaine reached over and ruffled Merlin’s hair.

“I’m sure they’re fine. Just enjoy the play.”

The lights dimmed once more before a woman stepped out. Soon, Gwaine was lost in the story. Leon had passed out almost as soon as the lights dimmed; his mouth open and his body slouched in the chair. Gwaine laughed as Morgana continued to look longingly over at the man. They could make it a little less obvious. Merlin, predictably, covered his eyes whenever there was anything romantic going on. So he covered his eyes a lot. Arthur and Elyan seemed bored out of their mind while Gwen looked longingly at the romantic gestures perpetrated by the actors. If Gwaine were Arthur, he’d be taking notes right now since he was about as romantic as a wheelbarrow filled with horse dung. Percival also seemed very interested in the romance, smiling softly at the tale. As the play died down, Merlin fell asleep, slumped against Percival’s shoulder. The lights dimmed once more and the crowd cheered. Leon jolted awake.

“What’d I miss?” he asked, whipping the drool off his face.

“The entire play,” Gwaine said smugly. Leon nodded.

“Oh good, nothing important.” And with that, he stumbled to his feet and stumbled to his chambers.

Percival stood up and carried Merlin to Arthur’s chambers. Elyan and Lancelot had helped Gwaine up and were allowing him to hobble back to his room.

“Anything interesting happening?” Gwaine asked. Valiant had bolted out of the room almost as soon as the play had finished, caring less and less about Morgana. The entire room seemed to be acting suspicious.

Lancelot shook his head. “Why? Did something happen?”

Gwaine saw the woman Merlin was talking to, staring at the stage, looking as if she were in a trance. “Maybe. We may need to keep an eye out on these actors. Something isn’t right here.”