Valiant (Merlin)

Chapter 10

It had been one week since the tournament. Since then, Merlin had been hiding out in the forest. It hadn't been all bad living there, making fires to keep warm, foraging for berries and plants (and occasionally using magic) to eat. However, one week without sufficient food, clean clothes, and baths, had taken their toll on Merlin. As well as that, there had been too many close calls with the Camelot knights. He knew it was time to return to Camelot.

He gathered his things, what little he had, and began the walk to Camelot. It was quite a long journey to Camelot, which usually wouldn't be so bad, except he hadn't eaten good food for the past few days. However, he eventually made his way to the edge of the forest. The sun had set below the horizon, the sky a rich blue, almost black colour. The stars glowed bright as candles, illuminating the great castle in front of Merlin. He wasn't sure if he missed the castle, or the people inside it. Most likely both.

There were less guards than expected, but more than on a normal day. He suspected the panic had died down since the tournament. He remembered seeing a spell in Gaius' book. He muttered under his breath "swefe nu," and the guards quickly collapsed to the ground, snoring quietly. He had to be quick as the spell wouldn't last long. He rushed through the gate and sneaked over to Gaius' house. There was no one on the street so late at night. He quickly got inside to find the room still brightly lit with candles. Gaius was sat at his table, back to the door, puzzling over something in one of his books. At the sound of the door shutting, he spun around, mouth agape.

"Merlin!" Gaius gasped, a smile upon his face. Merlin felt a rush of happiness swarm over him. He was met with a strong, warm embrace. When he was finally released, Gaius simply said, "my goodness, you look awful, Merlin."

"Thanks?"

"What are you doing back here?" Gaius questioned. "It's not safe. All of Uther's knights are out looking for you."

Merlin knew Gaius was right. It was a stupid thing to do but he had to fix this. "I need to talk to Arthur. I need to fix the mess that I made. What's happened to Valiant?"

"He was hanged." Merlin felt a weight lay upon his chest. Valiant was evil, trying to kill the prince. But Merlin's actions and magic, though saving Arthur's life, had killed another. And Merlin wasn't happy about that.

Suddenly, the bell echoed outside. "The guards must have woken up," Merlin said quietly.

"Oh, Merlin," Gaius sighed.

"They know that I would come here, Gaius. I can't let you get in trouble. I need to leave before they find me, maybe try and find Arthur." He ran to the door, but before he could open it, the door swung open. A dozen knights stared at him.