Luminescence ✺ Arthur Pendragon

Valiant [1]

Arwen and Gaius worked in silence, preparing potions and herbs they knew would possibly come in handy with the upcoming tournament. While Arwen had never watched a tournament before, she didn't have to know how it goes to know that by the end of the day there will most likely be many injured knights requesting their services. Gaius said it is best to be prepared, so now Arwen found herself mixing a draught of feverfew and the bark of a willow tree. However, her concentration was soon broken as the door of the physician's chambers opened and Merlin walked into the room, pieces of armour dropping from his hands as he walked. Both Gaius and Arwen laughed at the sight of him.

"How was your first day as Arthur's servant?" Gaius asked as his eyes scanned over Merlin and his messy state.

"Do you hear clanging?" Merlin asked as he hit himself on the head a couple of times, his face contracting into a grimace of pain and confusion that made Arwen give out yet another laugh as she set down the potion she was stirring and made her way over to him.

"Come on, let's get all that off of you." She said with a smile as she began to unclasp the small belts holding up the chest plate of Merlin's armour on his shoulders. She was quickly finished with it, and Merlin was left in his tunic as half of the armour had fallen off long before. So as he sat down at the table in exhaustion, she began to massage his shoulders hoping to relieve him of some of the pain in his aching muscles.

"It was horrible! And I've still got to learn all about tournament etiquette by the morning." Merlin whined and before either Gaius or Arwen replied, he muttered a spell, making the book which stood on the other end of the table fly towards him and open up on the pages about armour and tournaments. He didn't notice Gaius passing by him in that exact moment, so it was a surprise as he felt a hand hit him on the head.

"Oi! What've I told you about using magic like this?" Gaius scolded the boy as he brought over a plate of food and a glass of water for Merlin.

"If I could actually feel my arms, I'd pick up the book myself." Merlin complained, this time receiving a hit to the head from Arwen herself.

"You know there is such a thing as asking kindly for someone to hand it to you." She reminded him, making the boy give her an apologetic smile, she did have a point.

"Never mind your arms. What do we do if you get caught?" Gaius questioned Merlin again, making the boy begin thinking.

"What would you do?" He asked Gaius curiously. He already knew what Arwen would do. She would probably defend him and fight for him to the extent where she too would be thrown in the cells. He hated even the thought of her doing something like it, but he also knew that there is no stopping her when he is in trouble.

"Well you just make sure it doesn't happen for all our sakes." Gaius warned him as he returned to one of his potions.

"Ah! I save Arthur from being killed and I end up as a servant. How is that fair?" Merlin questioned nobody in particular as Arwen began to stretch out his arm and hand, causing more pain than he had when entering the chambers to begin with.

"We you may not like him, but to others that would be quite the honour; to serve such a master of high importance." Arwen commented, remembering the reactions of the people within the banquet hall once Merlin had been appointed Arthur's man servant.

"You never know, it might be fun." Gaius tried to add a spin of optimism on top of Arwen's words, but it seemed futile as Merlin continued to grumble.

"You think mucking out Arthur's horses is going to be fun? You should hear my list of duties." Merlin scoffed in despair as his eyes roamed over the large picture of armour and all of its pieces and names for them.