❝ i no longer believed in the idea of soul mates, or love at first sight. But I was beginning to believe that a very few times in your life if you were lucky, you might meet someone who was exactly right for you. not because he was perfect, or becau...
The weeks after the banquet were much calmer, with no sudden death threats against the royal family. It was a welcomed change as autumn grew colder, and Camelot became content in the calm. The people were restless for a change, which Lynette heard when she visited the lower town. It was why the upcoming tournament was just what the kingdom needed to raise its spirits in preparation for a long winter.
The preparation for the tournament had caused Gaius and Lynette's routines to change quite a bit to accommodate Merlin's crazy schedule. His appointment as Arthur's manservant was a welcomed change to the castle staff. Lynette watched in relief as the two came to terms with the arrangement. From what Lynette could gather, Arthur enjoyed ordering her cousin about, while Merlin loathed every minute.
The physician's daughter offered to assist Merlin with his workload, but he never accepted. He was determined to prove he could do his chores without help from others or magic. Lynette got the feeling that Merlin didn't want to be a burden to his family. While she had tried her best to assure him otherwise, Merlin felt they had already done too much for him. Now he wanted to pull his weight.
Lynette blamed the dragon for Merlin's current state of mind. Unlike Lynette, he had taken the dragon's prophecy more seriously. Merlin had tried to protect Arthur from harm within the last weeks. If truth be told, she was cautious of the dragon's words and what ulterior motives he might have. She had witnessed that not all magic was evil but had learned the hard way that not all magic was good.
Lynette tightened her grip on her cloak, which draped thinly around her shoulders as she leaned against an old tree. During a break from picking herbs for her father, her cousin kindly invited her to watch Arthur practice for the upcoming tournament. Merlin had made it sound like he would be getting some training out of it, but that didn't seem to be the case to her. While Lynette looked at their practice, it was clear this was more a game for Arthur than training.
"Ready?" Arthur called, drawing his sword.
Merlin gave him a pointed look as he asked, "Would it make any difference if I said no?"
