Valiant
“I understand you have a shield for me,” said the armoured alpha. The smaller, beta merchant, Devlin, motioned for him to come around the counter.
“With your swordcraft and this shield, I guarantee you’ll win,” he boasted.
“Show me how it works,” the knight demanded.
“Certainly,” the merchant cleared his throat. “Tharanai im bis entra ofra honra stolle.” A green snake slithered out, hissing quietly. “When you’re competing in the tournament, you pin your opponent under the shield, a snake will strike. Your opponent will be paralyzed.” He handed Valiant the shield. “Now the snakes are under your command. They’ll do anything you tell them.”
“Anything?” the warrior asked.
“Just say the word,” the merchant laughed.
Valiant smiled before holding the shield up. “Kill him.” Following his command, a snake darted out and struck the merchant, and the man crumpled to the ground, stone dead.
Valiant smiled and left, mounting his horse and riding out. He hopped off the horse when he made it to his destination. He walked to the registration table, placing his helmet and seal down.
“Knight Valiant of the Western Isles. I’m here for the tournament.”
“Welcome to Camelot,” said the tournament clerk.
Arthur stood in his training armour, without his helmet. He smiled at Merlin who was in armour with a helmet and shield, struggling to get a good grip on the bulky circle. He was glad no one was looking at him, else they would see the sappy expression that crossed his face whenever he was around the sassy beta. It was embarrassing, truly.
The past week with him had been interesting to say the least. Merlin was… odd, and clearly had never been a manservant before. Which was fine. He’d been late a couple times, but always tried his best, despite the fact that he clearly hated Arthur. Which upset something deep in the alpha. But they’d work on that. Arthur was determined to make the beta love him by the end of the month. Well, not love, but at least tolerate him.
“Ready?” he asked, knowing the answer.
“Would it make a difference if I said no?” came the small reply.
Arthur smirked. “Not really.”
With a sigh, Merlin drew the heavy sword as Arthur moved to attack.
“Body. Shield. Body. Shield.” he said as he struck at Merlin.
“Shield,” Merlin said, hitting Arthur’s shield. He really had to try to not put the Prince on his ass. For Arthur being one of the greatest swordsmen of the world, he was making basic, childish mistakes. Merlin fought the urge to defeat him and walk away to do something more constructive. So he resigned himself to being a training dummy for the awful alpha.
“Head,” Arthur smiled.
“Head? Ow!” Merlin backed away, glaring at him.
“Come on, Merlin. You’re not even trying.” He poked the boy in the back, grimacing when he did it a little harder than he meant.
“Ow! I am.” Merlin snarled, rubbing his side. He was tired. Four days working for Arthur and Merlin wanted to run home. Camelot was awful. He’d already seen three executions, and that was three too many. Although, it seemed like Arthur was trying to be nice-ish... sometimes? But only when they weren't around others. Or when Arthur was cranky. Or waking up. Or when he was annoyed by something else.
“Once more.” Arthur insisted.
“Oh, no, no, no.” Merlin backed away.
But Arthur proceeded to strike out with the sword, impressed when Merlin blocked most of his hits. Most servants couldn’t keep up or actually block any of his hits at all. Arthur didn't know that Merlin was just grumbling and pretending to suck at this stuff. It would be easier than explaining why a ‘beta’ peasant like him already knew the basics of sword fighting. Also, if he hoped that if he sucked badly enough, Arthur would eventually go bother someone else to train with.
“Come on, Merlin. I’ve got a tournament to win!”
“Can we stop now? Please?!”
Arthur was tempted to give in to the servant’s wishes, but pushed the feeling down. He hit Merlin’s shield again before hitting his head again. Merlin toppled backwards as his helmet rolled off.
“You’re braver than you look. Most servants collapse after the first blow.”
The thin boy let out a sigh. “Is it over?”
“Just the warm up, Merlin. How’s your mace work coming along?” He picked up the mace, swinging it around his head. He frowned when his servant just sighed, already resigning himself to his fate.
Merlin walked stiffly into Gaius’s chambers, his back aching as he threw his armour off. It hit the floor with a cacophony of clanks and clangs as it rattled on the floor.
“How was your first week as Arthur’s servant?”
“You ask that every day. How was my x day as Arthur’s servant?” Merlin tapped his head, looking at the old beta. “Do you still hear clanging?” He sunk down in a seat at the table finally out of the armour. Gaius circled Merlin, standing behind him to massage his tense shoulders. And they were very tense.
“It was awful, and I still have to learn all this tournament etiquette by the morning. “Onhrine achtung bregdan!” A book slid across the table and opened up without being touched by Merlin.
“Oi!” Gaius exclaimed, smacking the back of Merlin’s head. “What have I told you about using magic like that?”
“Believe me, if I could feel my arms, I’d have picked the book up myself.” Merlin groused, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Never mind your arms, boy. What do I do if you get caught?”
Merlin looked down at his lap. “You’re right. I’m sorry, Gaius. I’ll be more mindful. Augh, I save Arthur from being killed and I end up a servant, even worse his servant. How is that fair?”
“Maybe it’ll be fun?” Gaius tried.
“Yes, mucking out Arthur’s horses’ stables is going to be fun! You should hear my full list of duties!”
“We all have duties, Merlin. Even Arthur. There’s a lot of pressure on him. People expect a lot from him.” Gaius tried to reason.
“That makes two of us.” Merlin muttered.
“Are any of your tasks too much? Will any of them bother you or your sense of smell?”
And then Merlin felt bad for complaining. Of course Gaius would be worried he was overdoing it. “Other than having to be around Arthur, I’ll be okay, Gaius. There’s nothing that should have me stuck with so many alphas at one time. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to bother Gwen about this armour stuff.” He picked himself up and left for the armoury.
“Yes, armour stuff. Very technical!” Gaius called after him with a small smile.
Luckily, Gwen was able to get away from Morgana long enough to give him a fast lesson, with the promise of bringing Merlin back later to gossip with the women. They were quickly becoming a close knit gossip group. One that was only complete and fun if Merlin was there. She grabbed the pieces of Arthur’s armour, placing them on Merlin and explaining as she went.
He paid close attention, asking questions when confused, and thanked her profusely many times. She smiled at him sweetly, her gaze flickering to his lips when he wasn’t paying attention to her. She really liked him and found him rather handsome, even in the too-big armour. She giggled when he got something wrong, and she knew he was sometimes getting it wrong on purpose just to make her smile. He was sweet like that. But he definitely had a better grip on the subject than he was giving away.
Arthur had ventured to the armoury to see if he could find Merlin and growled quietly when he saw Gwen with him. She was getting closer to him than Arthur would like, and he really didn’t like the look in her eyes. But he knew his jealousy was unfounded. No– it wasn’t jealousy because he didn’t feel that way about Merlin. He couldn’t, and he did not. So he turned around and left the room before he could make a fool of himself.
Which was not one of the reasons why he was tense and testy when Merlin was tightening his armour for the beginning of the tournament the next morning. He was annoyed as Merlin struggled to fasten the vambrace on his arm.
“You do know the tournament starts today, yes?” Arthur growled.
“Yes, Sire,” Merlin snapped right back. Then his voice became softer as he asked, “You nervous?”
“I don’t get nervous.”
“Really? I thought everyone got nervous.” Merlin said absentmindedly.
“Will you shut up!” he snapped again. Merlin complied with a smug smile on his face, tying on his cape and handing him his helmet.
“Great, I think you’re all set.”
“Aren’t you forgetting something?… My sword.”
“Oh, yeah, you might need that.” A shy, embarrassed smile crossed his lips making Arthur feel something warm. So, he ignored the feeling, grabbing the sword and marching off before he showed anything.
Gwen and Morgana sat excitedly in the stands as the competitors entered the arena. Both girls waved when they saw Merlin peek his head around the entrance to the arena. He waved back as Uther strutted past the line of knights.
“Knights of the realm, it’s a great honour to welcome you to a tournament at Camelot. Over the next three days, you will come to put your bravery to the test, your skills as warriors, and of course, to challenge the reigning champion, my son, Prince Arthur. Only one can have the honour of being crowned champion, and he will receive a prize of 1000 gold pieces. It is in combat that we learn a knight’s true nature, whether he is indeed a warrior or a coward. The tournament begins!”
The crowd cheered as the knights exited the arena. Uther stopped Arthur on the way to his seat to whisper to him.
“I trust you will make me proud,” he said, slapping Arthur’s shoulder. Arthur grimaced behind his father’s back.
Guards take Arthur and his competitor’s capes as they put on their helmets. The audience cheered as Arthur and the knight began to fight. Merlin let out a cheer as Arthur won, and he smiled when he heard the servant’s cry. He made his way to Merlin after his round, standing beside him as the next fight began. Valiant won quickly as the pair watched closely, almost too quickly in Arthur’s opinion.
“Knight Valiant looks handy with a sword,” Merlin commented. Arthur frowned, glaring at the cocky alpha. Valiant walked out of the arena, smugly, winking at Merlin as he passed before stopping by Arthur.
“May I offer my congratulations on your victory today?” The alpha’s smile was wide and insincere.
“Likewise,” Arthur said tersely.
“I hope to see you at the reception this evening,” Valiant smirked, glancing at Merlin who wasn’t paying attention. Arthur watched him leave with a sneer.
“Creep,” Merlin whispered in Arthur’s ear. Arthur chuckled, mood lifting instantly, but he didn’t want Valiant getting anywhere near Merlin. Something in him just wanted to protect the servant. Keep him safe and away from alphas like Valiant.
“For tomorrow, you need to repair my shield, wash my tunic, clean my boots, sharpen my sword, and polish my chainmail.” He didn’t miss the disappointed look that flashed across his servant’s face, but he ignored it. Something was off about this Valiant, and Arthur wanted to know sooner rather than later.
Merlin helped Arthur out of the armour and picked up the heavy pieces, more than a little upset with the request. He knew he had a job to do, but he had thought that he and Arthur were starting to get along. Better than before at least. But, no. Arthur was still a prick who wanted to order Merlin around like a dog.
He dragged himself and the metallic outfit back to Gaius’s to polish the items. He took it all back to his room and shut the door. Tired, he considered using his magic to get the jobs done and did use it to fix the shield, sword, and chainmail. But he did wash the tunic and clean the boots himself.
He had just finished with the tunic when the shield and chainmail finished, laying themselves in a neat pile. The sword had been done for some time by that point. Luckily, he was working on the boots when Gaius entered to check on him.
“Using magic?”
Merlin shook his head. Technically, he wasn’t using any magic, at the moment.
Gaius eyed him suspiciously. “Well, supper is ready.”
In the throne room, Uther and Morgana sat as the tournament knights came to greet them all. After a few men passed, Valiant came forward.
“Knight Valiant of the Western Isles, my Lord.” He bowed deeply to the King and then to his ward.
“I saw you fighting today. You have a very aggressive style, Knight Valiant.”
“As my Lord said, ‘To lose is to be disgraced.’”
“I couldn’t agree more. May I present the Lady Morgana, my ward.”
Morgana smiled at the charming alpha, but she could feel something was off with the man. His eyes were cold, calculating, but he still treated her kindly and with more grace than Arthur could ever muster.
He took her hand, placing a kiss while Arthur watched with wary eyes. However, if Valiant stole Morgana’s attentions, she wouldn’t be able to steal Merlin’s. He shook the thought away. What was wrong with him?
“My Lady.” Valiant said, voice deep.
“I saw you compete today.” Morgana stated kindly.
“I saw you watching. I understand that the champion has the honour of escorting you to the feast.”
“That is correct.”
“Then I shall give everything to win the tournament.”
Morgana flashed him a polite smile and nod, which he returned. He walked to the other knights, leaving Morgana and Gwen to watch him.
“Has Merlin said anything about him, Gwen?”
“No, my lady, but the prince has been keeping him busy. I’ve barely seen him.” She frowned, disappointed.
“A pity. Try to get him to visit us tonight. I need to have some sort of intelligent conversation after having to endure so many conversations with the endless line of knotheads.”
Gwen nodded, snorting quietly. Arthur scowled as he listened in on their short conversation, but he respectfully bowed to his father.
“Arthur.”
“Father.” He bowed respectfully and looked once more at Valiant before going to Morgana.
“They all seem rather impressed by Knight Valiant,” Morgana mused.
“They’re not the only ones apparently.” Arthur said stiffly.
“Jealous, Arthur?” the omega smiled.
“I don’t see what there is to be jealous of. But keep in mind, Morgana, that Merlin is my servant, not yours.” Arthur warned, hackles raised.
“So, you are jealous. Just not of Valiant,” Morgana smirked. Arthur glared at her before walking away with a sneer. “Well, it would seem Merlin has Arthur as an admirer. Poor boy,” she whispered to Gwen.
“You can’t mean that! Merlin’s a man! And a beta!” Gwen whispered, brows raised.
“As if that would stop an alpha. Arthur just needs to make sure Uther doesn’t find out. I’d rather not see Merlin killed because Arthur developed feelings for him.”
In the early morning light, Merlin shifted through the armoury, in search of an item for Arthur’s armour when he heard a hiss. He thought about calling out, but it didn’t seem like a smart idea. It didn’t sound like a person either. He came upon Valiant’s shield, confused when he saw one of the snakes on it blink. Magic seemed to radiate from the snakes, more confusingly enough. His hand reached out to touch it when someone put a sword to his chest. He didn’t even have to look up for his nostrils to be overwhelmed by the rotten scent of Valiant.
“Can I help you with something, boy?” His voice was laced with something Merlin did not appreciate. Sensual, actually. Like he was trying to be… attractive to Merlin? Gross.
“No, I was just getting my master’s armour,” he said, attempting to move around him. But an evil smile split Valiant’s face as he took in Merlin. He boxed the thin boy in with his armour, but Merlin dodged to get away from him.
“Well, there’s no rush, little boy. Why don’t we have a little chat? You’re rather pretty for a servant and a beta at that.”
Merlin wrinkled his nose, grabbing Arthur’s items as fast as possible. “I need to be getting back to my master.” He moved towards the exit when Valiant stopped him, inhaling against his neck. Was he… scenting him?! Merlin gritted his teeth, pissed.
“You’re very wily and elusive, little one. I’d love to see that fight disappear from your eyes when I hold you down and fuck you.”
Merlin fought the urge to puke as he roughly pulled away, all but running from the room. He made it up to Arthur’s chamber and laid all the armour out before the Prince appeared. He shivered as he caught a faint whiff of Valiant on himself. He wanted to take a bath and scrub the nasty scent from his skin as soon as possible. Risking it, he let out a tiny bit of his own scent, forcing Valiant’s away. Most of it, at least. He was lost in thought when Arthur came back from wherever he’d been, immediately sensing Merlin’s distress.
“You did all this by yourself?” Arthur asked, mildly impressed. He inhaled softly before a little sharper, scenting the faintest hint of something sweet and heady. He briefly remembered the smell, but from where?
His servant shook out of his mind. “Yes.”
“Well, let’s see if you can put it all on without forgetting anything,” Arthur challenged, hoping for a retort, but the servant just dressed him quickly and silently. To his credit, he forgot nothing and put everything on in the proper order without any issues or mistakes. Arthur took the helmet Merlin offered him.
“Well done.”
Merlin only nodded. No witty comeback or sassy comment.
“Merlin… What happened? Is something wrong?” Arthur demanded to know. Merlin was never quiet. He always had a retort ready to go.
“Huh?” he asked, seemingly lost in thought. “Oh, nothing.”
Arthur looked unconvinced. He covertly sniffed the air, getting the tiniest scent of pine, a terrible scent he immediately placed. “Merlin. Were you around Valiant? Did he do something?” He could feel his anger rising as his mind ran wild with scenarios.
“Just said some things. It doesn’t matter. Now, it’s time to go down for the tournament. Good luck, Arthur.” Merlin slipped away before Arthur could press for more details, and he hadn’t even asked if Merlin met with Morgana last night. Arthur frowned, annoyed that he had yet to make the servant feel comfortable enough to talk to him about problems like this.
Gaius watched Arthur march into the arena, a forced smile on the young alpha’s face. His eyes swept the crowd before he looked in Gaius’s direction for a split second. A flash of emotion flickered on his face before he stood in his spot for the beginning of the match. The old beta wondered why he was upset until he saw Arthur’s lips quirk for a half second. A twitch, more than anything. Gaius turned his head to see Merlin had appeared by the entrance, peering into the arena.
“Am I imagining things, or are you beginning to enjoy yourself?” he joked.
Merlin sighed, rolling his eyes. “It isn’t totally awful all the time.” Merlin’s eyes locked onto Arthur as the fight began, clapping and cheering when the Prince won.
Valiant was up next against Sir Ewan. He eventually knocked the knight down, pinning him with his shield. Ewan struggled to move, frozen in fear when he heard Valiant whisper, “Strike him!” A serpent came out of the shield, biting his neck. Valiant made sure to hit the unconscious knight before standing up. The crowd went wild with their cheers, but Merlin just looked at the motionless knight on the ground.
“I think he’s badly hurt, Gaius,” Merlin commented, hurrying into the arena. Gaius was quick to follow with his medical bag. He watched as Merlin crouched over the knight, looking him over. “I’ll help you take him back.”
But Gaius saw the small nose twitch. Merlin knew something, could sense something. “What is it?” His nephew opened his mouth to say something when he was interrupted.
“Merlin,” Arthur called, gesturing for him to come over. Merlin gave Gaius an apologetic smile while the old man shook his head knowingly.
“Go.”
Merlin rose to his full height and hurried to Arthur’s side as to not upset the already grumpy looking Prince. Arthur glared at someone over his shoulder, and he didn’t have to turn to guess who it was. He followed the alpha to his chambers, helping him out of the armour with a practised hand. He had to admit to himself that he was getting rather good at this. Arthur was brooding throughout the whole routine, so Merlin just picked up the pieces and took them with him as he went to help Gaius.
“How is he?” he asked upon entering the physician’s chambers.
“It’s odd. Look, see the two small wounds. Looks like a snake bite.” Gaius thought aloud.
“But he was in a sword fight. How could he have gotten bitten by a snake?” Merlin was beginning to piece something together in his brain.
“I don’t know, but the symptoms match with poisoning. Slow pulse, fever, paralysis.”
“Can you heal him?”
“Only if I had the venom from the snake that bit him to make the antidote. If I don’t get that, he’s going to die.”
“He was fighting Valiant,” Merlin muttered.
“What was that?”
“Nothing. I’ll be back in a bit.” Merlin left the chambers and went to the Castle Library, pulling a book about snakes from a section. He flipped through the pages until it was dark. Then, he went to spy on Valiant. Something wasn’t adding up, and he was going to find out what he was hiding.
He watched him enter his chambers and followed silently behind him. Peeking around the corner, he saw Valiant pull out a mouse.
“Dinner time, my sweets,” he said, lowering the wriggling mouse towards his shield. Merlin’s eyes widened as he saw three snakes appear from the shield snapping for the rodent. He scurried from the room, worried that Valiant would hear him, but the knight never followed, so he ran back to Gaius.
“He’s using magic! I saw the snakes in Valiant’s shield come alive. One of them ate a mouse in one swallow. Sir Ewan was fighting Valiant when this happened. It had to be one of his snakes. I have to tell Arthur!”
“Have you any proof?” Gaius asked, stopping the boy.
“You don’t believe me?”
“It’s not that I don’t believe you, others won’t. I fear you’ll get in trouble. How will you explain being in Valiant’s chambers? Or knowing that he’s using magic?”
“Oh,” Merlin sighed, shoulders slumping. “Right, who would believe me?”
“Arthur probably would, but I’m afraid that that’s not enough to count for anything. Without proof, Arthur can’t exactly accuse him either.” Gaius explained.
“But he should know, right? What about if he has to fight him?”
“Merlin, there isn’t much that can be done at the moment. Do you think if you had the shield alone that you’d be able to get some venom?”
“I don’t know, but I can try. I won’t let Sir Ewan die because of this.”
Merlin finished tightening Arthur’s armour as they watched a serving boy use a step ladder to fix Arthur’s opponent’s helm.
“You’ve got to fight that?!” Merlin couldn’t believe someone could grow so large.
“Yes, and he’s strong as a bear. But, he is slow.” Arthur said, cracking his knuckles.
“Well, let’s hope you can be faster,” Merlin teased. Arthur shot him a baleful look, but there was little heat to it.
Gwen looked over at Merlin and Arthur, only looking back when she felt Morgana stroking her cloak absentmindedly. “You’re not worried, are you?”
“No. Augh, I need to talk to Merlin about this.” Morgana looked over to the sidelines, trying to meet the servant’s eyes, but he was focused on his master’s fight. Eventually, he felt the Lady’s stare and looked her way. She mouthed him a request that he struggled to understand.
Arthur quickly won, taking out his opponent by being far faster than him. He scanned the crowd with a smile, perturbed when he saw Morgana wasn’t paying any attention to him, but to Merlin. They seemed to be having a silent conversation, one that had overtaken both of their focuses. He made his way to Merlin, shoving his shield at the man, unceremoniously.
“Hold that, will you?” he smirked. Merlin’s eyes flashed in annoyance, but he held it all the same. He shot Morgana a look while she smiled at him sympathetically. She found herself doing that a lot to him since being given the job of managing Arthur.
Valiant was up next and finished his match quickly, being increasingly aggressive. Merlin and Gaius looked at the final brackets and grimaced. They shared a look, knowing how that fight was going to end if they didn’t do something to change that.
In the evening, everyone was eating in the council chambers. The knights raised their glasses in a toast.
“Long Live Valiant!”
“Tell me, Valiant, do you think you have a chance of defeating my son?” Uther asked kindly.
“He’s a great warrior, My Lord. I do hope to be a worthy opponent,” he replied, gaze sliding to Arthur. He briefly wondered where Arthur’s cute little servant had disappeared to.
“You should stay in Camelot after the tournament. I could do with more knights like you.”
“I’d be honoured, My Lord.” Valiant smiled. Uther didn’t know the half of it, but he soon would. Too late, of course.
Merlin peeked into the chamber, satisfied to see that Valiant would be busy for some time. He hurried to Valiant’s guest chambers and used his magic to unlock the door. Stepping in, he took a sword from a rack, approaching the shield. A snake slithered out while Merlin was grabbing the weapon, poised to strike at the warlock. Merlin noticed the shadow and turned in time to cut off the head of the attacking snake.
Two more snakes came out, both hissing angrily at him. He grabbed the first snake's head from the floor and placed the sword back on the rack before fleeing the room. He slowed to walk back to Gaius’s to not arouse suspicion, vibrating with energy.
Gaius looked shocked but took the head from Merlin when he returned, draining the venom from the snake’s fangs. When he had enough, he said, “I’ll start on the antidote. Well done, Merlin!”
“Thanks. Should I tell Arthur now?”
Gaius nodded and handed the head back to the omega. “You’ll need this. And, Merlin… that was incredibly brave.”
Merlin smiled, blushing a little bit, and made his way to Arthur’s chambers, knocking on the door. Arthur called for him to enter. He brightened a little at the sight of the boy, but recoiled when he saw the item in his hand.
“What is that?” He pointed at the green thing.
“A snake head from Valiant’s shield. I cut it off,” Merlin said proudly.
“You? You chopped a snake’s head off?!”
“I am capable of some things, you know. But that’s not important. Ewan was bitten by a snake from Valiant’s shield when they were fighting. You can talk to Gaius and see the puncture wounds where he was bitten. Ewan was winning so he had to cheat.”
The alpha was sceptical. “Valiant wouldn’t dare use magic in Camelot. I don’t like the guy, but that doesn’t mean he’s cheating.”
“Gaius is working on an antidote as we speak. When Ewan is conscious, he’ll tell you what happened. If you fight against Valiant, he’ll use the shield and kill you. Arthur, look at it! Have you ever seen a snake like that in Camelot?” Merlin thrust his hand at Arthur until the alpha looked.
Arthur looked the head over. He wanted to believe Merlin, but if he was right, that meant that he could be in danger for interfering with Valiant’s plans. Who knew what the knight would do if he knew Merlin had snuck into his room to prove that he was cheating.
“Look, I know I’m just a servant. My word doesn’t count for anything, but I wouldn’t lie to you about this.”
“Swear to me that you’re telling the truth.” He said it, but he already knew his answer. He trusted Merlin’s word. If Merlin believed Valiant was cheating, Arthur would believe him.
“I swear, Arthur.”
“Then I believe you,” he said, sitting back down at his table. Merlin looked at him expectantly.
When the alpha did nothing, Merlin made an annoyed noise in the back of his throat. “Aren’t you going to tell the king? Get Valiant in trouble? He’s planning to kill you!”
“No, Merlin, I’m not.”
“Why?! I told you so that you could do something to stop him. Why not tell your father?!”
“Could anyone else have gotten into Valiant’s chambers and figured this out?”
Merlin was confused. “What does that have to do with anything? Maybe… I don’t know.”
“That’s the point. You figured it out. My manservant. Who’s to say I didn’t have you plant this to make Valiant to be a villain?”
“What?! No one would think that of you. You’re the Prince of Camelot, Arthur. You’re safe to tell the king. He’ll believe you, everyone will. Tell them so you’ll be safe.”
“Sure, I’ll be safe, but you won’t be.”
“That doesn’t matter, you clotpole! You can’t fight him tomorrow.”
“I’m not putting you in danger. If Valiant found out you were the one to discover him, he might lash out and punish you.”
“He might? Arthur, you’re literally fighting him tomorrow. He’s definitely going to hurt you, so get out of this. I think that’s more important than the slight chance that he might try to go after me.”
Arthur growled, “Merlin, I’m not putting you in danger. As your master, as your Prince, it is my duty to protect you.”
A knock on Arthur’s door stopped Merlin from answering. Merlin moved to get the door, but Arthur pushed him back.
“Stupid, protective alphas,” Merlin muttered. Arthur shot a glare at him.
He watched Arthur walk to his door slowly. His lips were curled back in a snarl that he tamped down to a frown before pulling the door open.
“Knight Valiant,” he greeted with false friendliness. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
The smug alpha smirked at the prince, mischief in his eyes. “I have reason to believe someone was in my room. One of my swords was on the wrong rack so someone had to have moved it. I think it was your manservant, in fact.”
“Was?”
“While I wasn’t there.”
“And why would you think that it was Merlin?”
Valiant let out a predatory chuckle. “Probably because the bitch wants me. He’s cute for a beta, but that doesn’t mean he should be in my chamber. I want him told off and punished for the offence. Do you know where I might find him?”
Anger flared deep in Arthur’s gut. “No. I’ll get to the bottom of this. And rest assured that I will deal with it accordingly. If he was in your room without your consent, he’ll pay the price.”
Valiant looked almost disappointed at the compromise, but nodded. “Well, good luck tomorrow! I hope you won’t take losing this fight to your grave,” he chuckled.
Arthur slammed his door shut, turning back to Merlin. “You used one of his swords? Why didn’t you put it back in its place?” he hissed.
“What was I supposed to do? Take my time while the other two snakes were trying to bite me? Why is that what bothers you?” Merlin growled.
Arthur stared at him in shock. “There are two more snakes?”
“The shield has three snakes on it. I only got to cut off one. I’m sorry. Next time, I’ll make sure to get them all while they inject me with their paralysing venom.” He rolled his eyes.
Arthur grabbed Merlin by his nape, pulling him closer. “Don’t even joke about that. Since he thinks it was you, now I have to punish you. You’re an idiot and a pain in my ass,” Arthur growled in his ear. Merlin had never been so grateful for his magic suppressants. While he still thought Arthur was an ass and awful person, his growl still had an effect on Merlin’s inner omega. He fought hard against the whimper and urge to submit that tried to bubble out of him.
“Why? He only thinks that I’ve done it. He has no proof!”
“Merlin! That doesn’t matter. He wants ‘justice’ done, so I have to deliver. Besides, you did actually do it. That reflects poorly on me, and I can’t allow that anymore.”
“What are you going to do?” Merlin scoffed.
“I have no need for your services anymore.” Arthur said coldly.
“Wait, you’re sacking me? For trying to save you?!” Merlin couldn’t believe it. Surely Arthur was making a stupid joke. Of all the boneheaded ideas, this had to be…
“I need a servant I can trust, and how can I trust one that sneaks around like a snake?”
Merlin jerked back. “You’re not joking.”
“No, I’m not. Get out, Merlin!” Arthur’s stomach dropped as he saw the hurt in Merlin’s eyes. It took everything in him to not run after the boy and tell him it was to protect him. If Valiant wanted to hurt him, he wasn’t going to let him use Merlin. If he pushed Merlin out, Valiant hopefully wouldn’t take the time to go after him.
Gaius had just finished treating Sir Ewan when the knight awoke.
“Welcome back.”
“Snake, there was a snake on his shield. It came alive,” he mumbled.
“The venom is still in your system.”
“Must… warn… Arthur!”
“Merlin is telling him now. He’ll be warned without you needing to tire yourself out. Now, rest, regain your strength. I need to grab a few herbs and I’ll be right back.” Gaius walked away.
Unbeknownst to him, a snake slithered to the knight’s bed and struck him, killing him before he had a chance to say anything else.
Merlin hated Arthur. Completely. One hundred percent. All he was trying to do was save Arthur and the ungrateful bastard didn’t care. All it took was one word from another prat and Arthur was back to being an ass. Merlin made his way to the Dragon Cave, upset. Tears prickled in his eyes, but he wiped them away. Why did he care so much? Arthur wasn’t worth it.
“Where are you? Whatever, I don’t care! I just came to tell you: whatever you think my destiny is, you’re wrong. That’s it. Goodbye!”
“If only it were that easy to escape one’s destiny, young warlock.” The Great Dragon flew down, looking at the distressed boy.
“How can it be my destiny to protect someone who hates me?”
“A half cannot truly hate that which makes it whole. You’ll learn that soon enough.”
“What does that even mean?” Merlin was tired of the riddles.
“This is not the end, little omega. It is only the beginning,” the dragon said, flying away.
“Just give me a straight answer for once!”
He grumbled to himself as he made his way back up to the castle. He was just outside Gaius’s chambers when someone grabbed his arm.
“Gwen!” he exclaimed quietly, heart beating erratically. For a split second, he was worried that it was Valiant.
“Are you busy? Morgana and I have been needing to talk to you.” She pulled him in the direction of Morgana’s chambers. He shrugged and let her drag him. He wouldn’t mind seeing his friends after the nightmare of a day he’d had.
They entered the Lady’s chambers, unnoticed by Morgana as she was looking out her window.
“My Lady,” Merlin said dramatically, bowing to her. She turned at his voice, a bright smile lighting up her face.
“Merlin!” she cried, wrapping him in a hug. “We have much to discuss with this tournament’s events.”
Merlin chuckled, sitting on the plush fur rug by her fireplace. Gwen and Morgana sat by him, the three of them forming a triangle between their legs.
“So, what do you think of Arthur, now that you’ve had to deal with his tantrums?” Morgana giggled.
“It was fine. Fun while it lasted.” Merlin rolled his eyes.
“What does that mean?” inquired Gwen.
“Arthur sacked me tonight.”
Morgana gasped, a look of hatred crossing her fair face. “How dare he! Why?”
“It had to do with Sir Valiant.” Merlin replied, shortly. But the two women stared at him, waiting for an explanation. Merlin sighed, “Valiant is using a magic shield that has snakes in it, and he used it to defeat Ewan. Gaius was working on an antidote for the venom, but Ewan may die because of it. I went into his room when he was busy and chopped off one of the snakes’ heads to get the venom. And I took it to Arthur as proof to warn him about Valiant and he seemed to believe me. But then Valiant came to his door and accused me of invading his privacy, which I did do, but he shouldn’t have known that. After that, Arthur just sacked me after refusing to take the proof to the king.”
Gwen and Morgana stared at him in shock. Finally, Morgana found her voice. “He was using magic? Er, I suppose he still is using magic. I knew there was something off about him! God, Arthur is such an idiot. Why would you lie about that?”
Merlin shrugged, looking at his hands. Gwen reached out, taking his left hand gently. “It’ll be okay, Merlin. You’ll still be working for Gaius, and you won’t have to endure Arthur’s temper anymore. And you’ll have more free time to entertain us!” Morgana smirked at seeing how Gwen’s hand held Merlin’s. Her maid was many things, but subtleness was not her strong suit at that moment. Too bad Merlin was oblivious.
Merlin put a hand over his heart, gasping dramatically. “Is that all I am? Entertainment for you?!” he teased lightheartedly.
Both women were fast to deny that, assuring him that that wasn’t the case. Merlin chuckled, shaking his head.
“Perhaps I could present the proof to Uther. I am his ward. But if Arthur wishes to be an arrogant snob, maybe he deserves it.” Morgana mused.
Gwen and Merlin scoffed; Merlin slumping against Gwen’s shoulder.
“What are you going to do about it, Merlin?” Gwen asked gently, rubbing his shoulder comfortingly.
“Why does everyone seem to think it’s up to me to fix things?” he groaned.
“Because it is! Merlin, you’re the only person who can prove everyone wrong. You’ll think of something to bring the truth to life.” Morgana said.
Merlin furrowed his brows, thinking before shooting to his feet. “Morgana, you’re a genius!” He leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead, running from the room.
“What did I say?” Morgana asked, blushing.
Gwen shrugged, smiling after the boy. God, she was gone for him.
Gaius looked up from his book when Merlin burst in carrying a stone dog. “What’s that for?” Or what the hell was he up to this time?
“I’m going to make everyone see the snakes for themselves. Oh, and how’s Ewan?”
Gaius looked down. “Dead. He woke up, but was dead when I came back a moment later with some herbs. Looks like he was bitten again.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. That’s terrible,” he frowned. With a nod from Gaius, Merlin carried the heavy statue to his room, placing it on the floor by his bed. He moved a floor board and pulled the magic book out. He flipped through the pages until he found what he was looking for.
“Bebay odothay arisan quickum. Bebay odothay arisan quickum.”
The next morning, Morgana awoke from a horrible nightmare with Arthur’s name on her lips. Trying to remember, she knew she’d dreamed about his fight with Valiant today. Hopefully, Merlin would be able to figure out how to fix this. She dressed quickly and made her way down the hall.
“I thought I told you to get out,” Arthur groaned. He was standing in his room, facing out the window as Morris dressed him in his armour. The boy quickly left, to Arthur’s annoyance. Even Merlin was a better servant than him. Or maybe he just tolerated the blue-eyed beta better.
“I remember no such thing.”
He whipped his head to the side to see it was Morgana, not Merlin, standing in his room. He wrinkled his nose in disappointment, but suppressed the scent of his disappointment.
“What do you want?”
“Don’t fight Valiant today. He’ll kill you.”
“How do you know that? He’s just a knight, and I’m a better fighter than him.”
“His snakes will. I know it.”
“How–No one should know about the shield.” Arthur narrowed his eyes at the omega.
“Merlin told me. He also told me you sacked him for nothing.”
“He shouldn’t be telling you these things.”
“He’s my friend. We confide in each other.”
“He’s the help, Morgana. He is not a friend for you.”
“Perhaps you alphas are too good to have friends like him, but Merlin is a sweet, intelligent, respectful man. I don’t care that he’s a servant. I knew him before he was forced to work for you. And I know he’s not the best manservant, but this is all new to him. He was doing his best, and for some reason, he cares about you. But clearly you couldn’t give two shits about him.”
“That is not true! I sacked him to protect him. Valiant wants to hurt me. I won’t have Merlin getting hurt for me.”
“Then, why are you still fighting Valiant? Withdraw, don’t give him what he wants.”
“I can’t just withdraw, Morgana. The people expect me to fight, they’ll think me a coward.”
“Better a coward than an idiot and dead. He will kill you, Arthur. How can you just go out there and fight?”
“Because it’s my duty. Now, don’t worry. I’ll think of something.”
Morgana pressed her lips together. “Let me.” She fixed a strap and handed him his helmet. “I used to help my father with his armour.”
“Thanks. I’ll see you at the feast,” he said, leaving his chambers.
Exhausted with his eyes drooping, Merlin continued to say, “Bebay odothay arisan quickum.” But it never worked. He growled and squeezed his eyes shut, willing the dog to come to life.
There was a growl, but he barely heard it, still concentrating. Then there was a loud bark, jerking him back to reality.
“Oh! I did it!” he cried. A black dog, standing tall with a medium, fluffy coat and intelligent eyes, stared at him with curiosity. The dog barked again and lunged at Merlin, licking at his face. Merlin giggled when Gaius burst into his room. The dog growled at the old man, moving between him and Merlin.
“Arthur’s fighting Valiant,” he said, jerking back when he saw the dog. “What is th-”
“Oh, I’m on my way!” He got up and ran out of the room, headed towards the arena. The dog ran after him, jogging easily next to its new master. Gaius just watched at first, bewildered at what he’d seen.
As they arrived, Arthur was fighting Valiant, knocking his helmet off. Valiant knocked Arthur to the ground and disarmed him, but Arthur pushed him back. Valiant tried to pin Arthur to the wall, but again, Arthur shoved him away.
Taking the opportunity, Merlin whispered, “Bebay odothay arisan quickum!” But this time he put all his energy and focus into the intention behind the words. Maybe if his magic was instinctual, as Gaius said, he just needed to pour all his magic into his words.
The snakes came out of the shield and the crowd gasped in surprise. The dog nuzzled Merlin’s leg affectionately, waiting for some sort of instructions.
“I didn’t summon you!” Valiant hissed to the shield.
“He’s using magic!” Uther yelled.The spectators gasped and squeaked in shock, scared of the snakes.
“And now they know what you are,” Arthur smirked.
Valiant chuckled, “Yes, your sweet little servant knew and you didn’t believe him. I would have believed him and done anything to satisfy him.”
Arthur growled, glaring at the knight. “Don’t you dare think about him. You’re not worth his spit.”
Valiant smiled, sending the snakes to the ground and out of the shield completely. “Kill him!”
Arthur’s eyes widened as he backed away from slithering reptiles. Morgana grabbed a sword from the knight next to her, throwing it to Arthur.
“Arthur! Catch!”
Arthur caught it, swung it at Valiant, and tried to kill the snakes, but they moved too fast. Merlin’s new dog ran forward and attacked one of them, crushing its head in its jaws. That gave Arthur the distraction needed to cut the other snake’s head off. The dog ran off as Arthur proceeded to disarm Valiant before running him through. Valiant's body dropped to the ground, and the crowd cheered with joy.
Arthur looked to see where the dog had disappeared too, surprised when he saw it happily trotting to Merlin’s side. He watched the beta pet the dog’s head, look up, and meet his eyes. He gave Arthur a tight smile and nod before walking away with the canine in tow. Arthur’s smile waned as he disappeared. He smiled out into the crowd, giving them all a wave before meeting Morgana’s eyes. She shot him a disappointed look, but clapped for him nonetheless.
Arthur went back to his chambers, sad when it was Morris who came to help him bathe and change. He needed to fix things between him and Merlin because he was already missing his quick-witted, disrespectful servant. He got redressed in his chainmail and cape and headed down to meet Morgana. He smelled the subtle, sweet lavender and orange scent of the Lady before he saw her.
“Well done,” Morgana said, shortly.
“You look wonderful as usual.”
She gave him an odd look. “If being nice to me is meant to forgive you for how you’ve treated Merlin, you can cut that out now. Let’s just get this over with.”
“Wait,” he said, catching her arm. “That’s not fair. How has that affected you in any way?”
Morgana scoffed, pulling him forward as Uther announced him.
“My honourable guests, I give you Prince Arthur, your Champion!”
The court applauded as he led Morgana into the chamber.
Gwen leaned into Merlin and whispered, “He gets all the glory while you did all the work.” Merlin chuckled, nudging her head with his.
“You know, what? I’m fine with that. Besides, I don’t work for him anymore. Now I can focus on my studies with Gaius.”
Arthur turned his head to Morgana as they circled the room. “I hope you’re not too disappointed that Valiant’s not escorting you.”
Morgana shrugged, “Turns out he wasn’t really champion material. And you know, it’s not every day a girl gets to save her prince.”
“You didn’t exactly save me. I would have been fine without you.”
“You’re right. You should be thanking Merlin. He saved you.”
“I would have figured something out.” Arthur insisted.
“So you’re too proud to admit you needed help and were saved by a servant and a girl. You know what, I do wish Valiant was escorting me.” she scoffed, pulling from his grasp.
“Me too. Then I wouldn’t have to listen to you.”
Morgana let out a frustrated growl and stormed off to where she had seen Gwen and Merlin. Arthur sighed, following her.
“… arrogant pompous,” was all he heard from Morgana before Merlin signalled for her to stop. The girls and Merlin all looked at Arthur like he was some sort of creature, waiting for him to attack.
“Merlin, a word,” he said, jerking his head to the side. Merlin gave the smallest nod and began to follow when Morgana grabbed his arm and whispered in his ear. Merlin smiled and whispered something back. Arthur waited impatiently for the beta to come to him, tapping his foot nervously.
“Yes, My Lord?” Merlin bowed, but Arthur could see how insincere the gesture was. That was his Merlin.
“Can you believe Morgana? She thinks she saved me! But, um, I wanted to say I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have sacked you. I owe you one,” he chuckled, awkwardly.
“Eh, buy me a drink and call it even.”
Arthur scoffed, “I am not going to be seen buying a drink for my servant.”
“Your servant?! You sacked me.”
“And I’m rehiring you.”
Merlin shook his head. “Nope, I’m focusing on my studies with Gaius. You have Morris to take care of you. Or get someone else who’ll do as you command.”
“I don’t want Morris. I want you,” Arthur said before turning red. “Well, you know what I mean. Now, my chambers are a mess, my clothes need washing, my armour needs repairing, my boots need cleaning, my dogs need walking, my fireplace needs sweeping, my bed needs changing, and someone has to muck out my stables.”
“And as fun as that sounds, sire, I work for Gaius. Not you. I don’t have time to do all that and be a useful assistant to him.” Merlin moved to walk away, stopped when Arthur placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Okay, okay. What if you just had to do the work in my rooms and I had Morris do the outside work? The dogs, horses, and such.”
Merlin sighed, tired and unwilling to continue arguing. “Apologise, and I’ll think about it.”
“Pardon me?!”
Merlin just smiled sweetly, waiting for his reply. Arthur grumbled and muttered a very quiet ‘sorry.’ Merlin cupped a hand behind his ear, his expression innocent.
“Fine. I’m sorry. Happy? Now will you come back?”
“I will, but I reserve the right to quit if there’s too much.” He twirled on his heel and walked away, leaving Arthur’s mouth gaping in shock. Gwen and Morgana smiled at each other, both having watched the interaction. Merlin winked at them and continued to Gaius's side where he asked to go to bed. Gaius agreed and sent him back with an affectionate pat on the back.
When he opened the door to Gaius's quarters, he found the dog waiting for him. It was sat next to his door, getting up when it saw him. It padded over to his side, bumping his leg with its head.
“Hey, right, I should turn you back now, shouldn’t I?”
It looked up at him with sad eyes and whined.
“What is it?” He knelt down next to it and placed a hand on its head. He gasped as something shifted between them.
You don’t have to change me back.
He jerked back, hearing the voice in his head. You can talk to me?
Well, it was your magic that brought me here. And you wanted to talk to me, so why not?
Maybe I’ve gone crazy.
You haven’t. But we won’t always be able to do this. It’ll exhaust you to make the connection and hold it for too long. But, you don’t have to change me back. I like you, and I’ll protect you with my life. Someone should if Arthur’s going to be a wet blanket.
Merlin chuckled and groaned, losing the connection as his head began to throb. The dog whined and nosed at his hair. He petted its head, assuring it that he was okay. “Well, if you’re going to stick around, you’re going to need a name. You sounded like a girl in my head. Is that what you are?”
The dog nodded, wagging her tail.
“Alright, then what will we call you? Oh, I know!”