A woman's bravery

Brownie

~Merlin's POV~

"What do you suppose Elyan's talking to lady Val about?" Gwaine nudges me in the ribs and I roll my eyes before glancing up. Sure enough, Elyan was stood a few feet away from Val's sat form against a tree. Elyan seemed to be embarrassed about something while Val just looked amused, the typical look you'd find on the latters face. Looking away I turn back to Gwaine and now Lancelot as they stared at the two while we walked.

  Once again rolling my eyes I bend down to grab some Rosemary.

"It's not any of our business Gwaine, and you Lancelot." Turning I started walking backwards while giving Lancelot a disapproving stare. "From Gwaine I expect it, but from you? For shame." I playfully shook my head and then turned back quickly, as if I could not bare to look at him any longer and kept walking.

"M..Merlin, it's not like that ok?" Lancelot chuckled unconvincingly and even Gwaine gave him a ridiculous look.

"I think it's common knowledge that every one of you five have a thing for the lady Valerie." A silence took over the four man group as the somehow quiet King spoke up. I'd forgotten he was even here after he finally shut up after I'd called him a dollop head. I look over to the two Knights to find them both steadily gazing at where Val now lay reading her book.

"I haven't a clue of you're talking about Arthur, Merlin." Gwaine looked back over to me with a chuckled on his smiling lips, as if he wasn't just staring right at Val.

"Right, you've misunderstood our intentions." Lancelot is a terrible lair, his facial expressions give him away every time. He always looks like a sad puppy when he tries to lie about anything. So ignoring both their obvious lies I roll my eyes and turn them back to the ground. Surely my eyes will get stuck one of these times.

  About and hour and a half later and I'd finally managed what I thought to be a suitable amount of herbs for Gaius. He never really specifies an amount you know, I've just gotta guess. Which usually means I'm out here for quite a while, which is also probably Gaius' whole plan in the first place. Huffing slightly I stand from my crouched position and march back to where Val was lying down reading.

  Arthur, Gwaine, and Lancelot all stood from the ground as I took off, easily keeping up with me. About half way through my search the three had given up helping and sat down instead.

"You've got your herbs then Merlin?" Elyan was the first of Leon and him to see me. I looked around and saw all of the horses tied up only about fifty feet from where Val was lying. I approach my gelding and gently put the bundled pouch of herbs in the saddle bag.

"Yup. I'm good to go." I smiled and glanced over my horse to check on Val. Chuckling I walk around my horse to start approaching Val's noticeably sleeping form.

"Merlin," a hand landed roughly on my shoulder, stopping any movement I was prepared to make. I look over and find Gwaines green eyes staring into my blue. "You tack your horse and I'll wake lady Val yeah?" With a big smile Gwaine didn't even wait for me to respond before he was walking towards Val as she slept on the forest floor. Her book was situated across her face, the seam lying down the center of her face, blocking any attempts from the sun to wake her.

  Shrugging I turn back to my horse and start tacking him back up. Now that I'm thinking about it I've never bothered to name my horse have I? For as long as I've been riding him now you'd think I'd have thought of something to call him. Even just like a nickname, but no, I've never called him a thing other than, my horse. I feel terrible now. I glance down and do him a little once over. He was a bay color and had four white socks with a white blaze down his face. He was rather average looking to be honest, Val was really the only one who had a different colored horse out of all of us.