The Rise of Merlin

VALIANT (4)

Hello! So sorry for the long wait, but the last chapter to Valiant is finally here!  I also added some stuff to some of the previous chapters, but it's not really anything important that you have to reread them in order to understand this one. Thank you to anyone who is still reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

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The next day, Merlin woke before the sun had the chance to lighten the sky. Rather than getting up, she laid on her bed as the events that had occurred the previous day passed through her head. If she was being honest with herself, Merlin saw no point in getting up if after today she was probably going to be out of a job. It was the last day of the tournament, and Sir Valiant had proven that he would do anything to win and Merlin didn't know what to do. How was she meant to save Arthur, or anyone else, if no one was willing to listen because of who she was?

Ignoring her dilemma for the moment, Merlin glanced over to her door and her thoughts led to the knight just outside, who was slowly dying because Gaius was still unable to create an antidote. Merlin frowned as she thought about the knight and how easy it would be to help him if she wasn't constantly told not to use her magic. Sighing, she glanced up and furrowed her brows in thought. Surely she can do something for the injured man. The way things were going, it seemed more likely that he would die before Gaius could do anything to help him.

She didn't know how long she laid there before she came to the decision that if she couldn't stop Valiant, the least she could do was help the injured knight. Quickly sitting up, and after giving another glance to the door, Merlin kneeled next to the floorboard that had her magic book hidden underneath it. Making as little noise as possible, Merlin pried the floorboard up and took her book from its hiding spot, relishing the spark of magic—her magic—that she could feel running through the book.

Sitting down with her back pressed against her bed, Merlin flipped through the book in order to find the perfect spell to help the knight, pausing only to wrap her blanket around her when the early morning chill made its way into her room. She groaned in frustration when she noticed the number of healing spells written in the book. Why couldn't it have been more simple? she thought as she read what each healing spell did until she found the one that would be useful to the knight.

Fully immersed in her reading, Merlin didn't notice when Gaius began moving around outside nor when he left in order to deliver his potions to whoever needed them, which was why she was confused when she finally emerged from her room a while later and found that other then the knight the physician's chamber was empty. Despite her confusion, Merlin was glad that he wasn't there because she wasn't ready to speak with him after their conversation from the night before.

Closing her door behind her, Merlin made her way towards the unconscious man and winced slightly at the sight of him. The knight somehow looked worse than the day before and it seemed like he was having trouble breathing, making her worry even more for the him.

"Let's hope this works," she muttered as she laid a soothing hand on the knight's head, a small smile gracing her face when the man relaxed under her touch. Taking a deep breath, Merlin gathered her magic, feeling it rush up in excitement at the prospect of it being used. "Gestepe hole! Þurhhæle," she intoned, closing her eyes in concentration as her magic tried to heal the knight. Merlin gasped as she felt her magic grasp onto the knight and could feel a slight tugging as if her magic was trying to pull the venom from the knight. She couldn't explain the feeling, but she couldn't help the grunt of pain when her magic gave a stronger tug.