Live With What You Have

Valiant: Part 3

Valiant: Part 3

The mood in the chambers was tense when Adrielle arrived. She had a terrible feeling that nothing was going as planned.

"Let me see the shield," the King commanded. Valiant picked up his shield and held it out in front of him. Merlin, who was near the front at Arthur's side, leaned in and whispered something to his master.

"Be careful, my lord," Arthur said warningly as he drew his sword. The King looked over the shield, let his fingers glide over the images of the snakes, and yet nothing happened.

"Merlin," Adrielle called out quietly. She could see her brother growing concerned and fidgety at Arthur's side. Both men turned to look at the young girl who stood nervously in the council chambers.

"We need Ewan. Find out what's happened," Arthur whispered to Merlin. He nodded and moved to where his sister stood.

"What is it, Adrielle? Where's Ewan?" Merlin asked.

"He's dead," Adrielle sighed.

"What? How? Did the antidote not work?" Merlin continued, his voice hushed but becoming more urgent.

"No, it worked beautifully. Ewan was alive and well. He was recovering brilliantly. Gaius went out to get herbs to help Ewan get back on his feet and I went out to fetch him some fresh water. One of the snakes must have followed us back. I was gone nearly thirty seconds and when I come back the snake had bitten him again! I tried to give Ewan some more antidote but nothing worked. The second dose of venom must have been too strong for his body to take. It killed him instantly," Adrielle recounted quietly. Her voice was quiet and fast.

Merlin stared at his sister for a second before folding his face in his hands.

"You absolutely sure he's dead?" Merlin asked once more, hopeful that there had been some sort of mistake.

"Positive. I checked for a pulse myself; nothing. I'm sure Gaius would have stormed in here by now had I been wrong," Adrielle confirmed. "I'm so sorry."

"What are we going to do now? Curing Ewan was our only foolproof way to convince the King. He's never going to believe us now," Merlin sighed. The two twins pulled their bottom lip in to chew on it almost in unison.

"Where is this witness?" the King asked. Adrielle met her brother's eyes hesitantly.

"He should...be here," Arthur stalled. He turned to look at his servant and Adrielle, both of whom shared similar looks of disappointment. Arthur turned and quickly made his way to the twins.

"Where's Ewan?" Arthur pressed. Adrielle looked from Arthur back to her brother. She wasn't sure why, but she just didn't have the heart to break it to Arthur. By some miracle he had trusted Merlin on his word alone, possibly the abnormally large snake head too, and he had let him down. We let him down, Adrielle thought. It was their shared destiny to protect Arthur and they hadboth let him down.

Adrielle looked at Arthur quickly before averting her eyes to the ground. She shook her head miserably.

"He's dead," Merlin said disheartened. Adrielle looked back up to see the light and fire fade from Arthur's eyes.

"I'm waiting!" Uther ordered. Arthur glanced at the siblings before turning back around to face the court. He could feel his confidence draining through his body and pooling around his feet. He approached his father slowly before speaking.

"I'm afraid the witness is dead."

"So you have no proof to support these allegations? Have you seen Valiant using magic?" the King demanded. Arthur fumbled for a second to find words.