Merlyn's Only Hope

Valiant P2

It would have been impossible to carry all of Arthur's armour without the help of Gwen. Between the two of them, they just about managed it, piling the stacks in front of a fairly unimpressed prince about ten minutes before he was needed for the opening of the tournament. Gwen curtsied and left, giving Merlyn a small smile before leaving the pair alone.

"I suppose you want some help getting in to all this?" the servant asked, rubbing her aching arms.

Arthur's frown deepened. "It is your job."

"You know," Merlyn said, handing him his sword about eight minutes later, "I think that you're missing a vital skill if you can't dress yourself."

He stared at her for a moment, causing her to mumble a insincere "My lord." as an afterthought.

"I can dress myself, but I wouldn't want to take the pleasure away from you." he smirked, flexing mockingly.

"I can assure you, I'll survive if it means one less chore." Merlyn grinned, ignoring the prince's scowl. They stood in silence for a moment.

"Are you nervous?"

"I don't get nervous Merlyn." Arthur sneered, but he refused to meet her gaze.

"A simple yes would've sufficed." She muttered, stepping out of his way, almost tripping over a rogue box of spare armour, as she heard the fanfare. "Good luck, your people await."

∆

The knights stood in front of their king, all of them looking rather regal in their assorted clothing. Merlyn's eyes fell upon a man with two swords strapped to his back, his armour lightweight, allowing him freedom of movement. Another was a giant, maybe seven feet tall, brandishing a long sword that reached from his waist to the ground. He was bulky, and clearly very strong. She smiled, imagining Arthur fighting the monster. That would be a fight she wouldn't want to miss.

Uther's irrelevant speech droned on as her eyes fell on Valiant. His shield, emblazoned with three snakes, almost glowing in the midday sun. If he hadn't looked towards her with a slimy smile which made her shiver, she may have noticed the faint aura of magic surrounding it.

Soon, the knights cleared, leaving only Arthur and a forgettable knight in the ring. From her position on the side, Merlyn could see the quiet confidence radiating from Arthur, even managing to admire his finesse as he disarmed his opponent in mere seconds. The fight was won rather decisively; he trudged back to his tent, an uneasy look in his eye.

"I told you, without me on the field, this will be a doddle." she smiled, ducking whatever piece of armour that Arthur threw at her.

"Shut up Merlyn." he sighed, fiddling with the hilt of his sword.

But she wasn't paying attention, focused on the two knights currently fighting. She flinched as one man fell to the ground, his leg twisted at an odd angle. "Valiant won his match."

Arthur grunted in acknowledgement, joining her at the tent opening to scope out his other competitors.

"You got lucky, you're fighting the tall one next." Merlyn said, looking at the board.

"Lucky?" he asked, but he knew what she meant.

She patted him on the back. "Go on, humour me. Make it last a minute at least." She pushed him forward, in a move which was probably considered too friendly for a servant, wanting a little more of a spectacle. Biting back a retort, he did as she asked, knowing that, for all his brawn, his opponent lacked skill. He entertained the audience for a while, feigning some difficulty before a well aimed kick, one that he'd learnt from someone on the edge of the crowd, not that he'd ever admit it, sent the giant crashing to the ground.