Merlyn's Fate

The Sins of the Father P1

Knighting ceremonies were always boring. Merlyn had helped Arthur train the new recruits after a couple of them, who had heard of her apparent skill, had asked for a few lessons. The Prince, surprisingly, had granted her the opportunity to teach a few of the basics, probably not wanting to have to go through them himself, although it was odd for him to share the limelight, especially with the newest recruits. Once they passed his little test, he passionately hated going through drills with them, but in those first few weeks, Merlyn had watched the wannabe knights stare at him as if he were some kind of god, their master, a man who could do no wrong. Arthur had always loved this, but it appeared he enjoyed watching the more cocky knights being knocked on their backsides more. After all, it was good training, learning not to underestimate your opponent.

"Arise Sir Visor, Knight of Camelot. Arise Sir Caridoc, Knight of Camelot..." Uther continued down the line of five young men, the last standing out of the thirty or so who had begun training maybe a month ago. Merlyn drowned the King out, silently conveying her boredom to the Prince, who just rolled his eyes, standing a little straighter as he tried to pay attention to his father's speech.

"You've been accorded a great honour; with that honour comes great responsibility." Uther paced down the line, making eye contact with his new men. "From this day forth, you are sworn to live by the Knights' Code. You, who pledge to conduct yourselves with nobility, honour and respect, your word is your sacred bond. You will find no one who better embodies these values than my son, Arthur." At this, Merlyn sniggered quietly, biting her lip to stop herself from laughing too loudly. The Prince had, only that morning, thrown the half eaten contents of his breakfast plate at her for making a snide comment about letting out his trousers, not exactly the behaviour of the noblest knight.

"Follow his example and you will prove yourselves worthy of your title." Uther finished. As he stopped talking, the peculiar groans of the guards behind the door could be heard, the sounds of steel clanging echoing through the hall. The newly appointed knights drew their swords, as did Arthur, the group readying themselves for an onslaught. Instead, a single figure, a little short for an ordinary knight, strode into the centre of the room, his identity hidden by a large helmet. The stranger didn't move to take it off, and instead chose to march straight up to Arthur who, at this point, had made his way to stand in front of his little group of armed knights, pausing for a moment to survey the men cloaked in red. The knight unclasped his gauntlet, throwing it to the floor at the Prince's feet, daring him to pick it up. Arthur had learnt from his experience with the wraith, so grabbed it quickly, not wanting anyone else to fight for him again, giving Merlyn little more to do than wait on the side, hoping there was nothing unusual about the stranger, other than their skills with the sword. They'd made it passed the guards to the castle, so they must have some kind of talent with a blade.

"I accept your challenge. If I'm to face you in combat, do me the courtesy of revealing your identity." Arthur spoke wisely, probably wanting to ensure his opponent's humanity.

The unknown knight lifted their helmet, revealing long locks of flowing blonde hair. She shook it from the loose bun she'd used to hide the length within the helmet, her serious, dark eyes meeting the Prince's as she showed her face.

"My name is Morgause."

∆

Geoffrey had instantly been put to work, trying to find Arthur a way out of his fight. He had initially protested, pointing out that it wasn't like he'd never fought a woman before, but Uther was having none of it, wary of the stranger. It was understandable, the Prince supposed, considering the fact that this Morgause had killed some of the guards. It wasn't really an entrance for somebody arriving in good faith.

"I've searched the records going back more than three centuries. I could find nothing to say a woman cannot issue a challenge." The bookkeeper reported, causing Uther to scowl.