The Royal Scandal *Book Two*

Being Arthur's Mentor S2 E2

The early morning sun had finally risen and within an hour of it being up, I was down at the arena with Merlin, Arthur and the other Knights. There was a jousting tournament taking place in a couple of days and Arthur was getting in some last minute training.

I'd tried to persuade Arthur and father to let me compete but they had both forbid it as it was 'too dangerous'. Yeah right. I've been through things much worse than a simple jousting tournament.

Merlin and I were standing to the side watching one of the knights charging towards Arthur and vice versa. They both had their lances directed at each other, ready to knock them down.

As they reached one another, the knight furthest from us was knocked down to the ground. The lance that Arthur was holding split off into hundreds of smaller splints. When he crashed to the ground, Merlin flinched beside me at the massive impact. We then went over to Arthur's slowing horse to take away the broken lance.

"That has got to hurt," Merlin commented.

"That's the point, Merlin. It's not a pillow fight. Fetch me another lance, will you?" Arthur requested. Merlin walked away to find a lance while Arthur turned to me. "And that is why you are not competing."

"Can I not at least have a go in practise?" I asked.

"Erm... let me think about that for a minute." Arthur scrunched up his face in concentration before giving me a smile. "Nope."

"Ok, then. But just a quick piece of advice, your left arm was slopping, you need to hold it higher and straighten your back more. Don't slouch," I instructed smirking.

"I was not slouching," He argued.

"I think you'll find that you were," I countered, as Merlin approached us. "Merlin, wasn't Arthur slouching?"

Without a moment of hesitation, he replied, "Yes."

Arthur gave us a last look before taking the new lance from Merlin and riding away. This time Arthur was against Sir Leon. They both got into position before charging towards each other again. I smiled to myself when I saw Arthur sitting up straight and raising his left arm higher.

If it wasn't for the flash of light that reflected off of Sir Leon's armour, Arthur could have won. But the light temporarily blinded him, leaving him vulnerable. However, Leon chose to raise his lance rather than take his advantage.

Leon got off the horse and took off his helmet as Arthur's horse began to slow down. When his horse stopped, he walked straight over to Leon.

"Why did you pull out, I was wide open? You could have unhorsed me," Arthur asked.

"I was fearful that I might injure you, sire," Leon told him.

"You had the advantage. You can't afford to hesitate," Arthur said.

"I wouldn't have done if I were facing a different opponent. You are the future King, my Lord," Leon responded.

"You jousted against me in the tournament last year. Are you saying you let me win?" Arthur asked.

Leon hesitated for a slight second before replying, "No, my Lord."

Arthur turned to face the other knights who were all looking down at the ground or up at the sky.

"It doesn't matter who I am! I do not expect any special treatment from you, from any of you!" Arthur yelled at them. "Is that understood?"

The knights all hesitated before nodding. Arthur began walking back over to me and Merlin.

"Bet you wish you jousted against me now, don't you?" I asked.

"No, you're not jousting," Arthur said firmly.

"I wouldn't take it easy on you," I continued, ignoring his last comment. "Then you could know if you were actually good or not."

For a split second, he looked like he was seriously considering it. But as quick as he thought it, he shook his head and walked away.

"Worth a try," I muttered.

"If it makes you feel any better, I wouldn't let you joust either," Merlin whispered to me, making me send him a glare.

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Merlin and I followed Arthur back up to his room to try and calm him down as he didn't look particularly happy when he left. And I was right. When he got to his room, he slammed the door open. I was surprised it didn't fall off it's hinges.

"How am I going to prove myself if my opponents aren't trying their hardest?" Arthur wondered.

"I'm sure it's not happening all the time," I assured him.

"So it's happening some of the time?" Arthur asked.

"No, I'm certain it isn't," Merlin said.

"Now you're doing it! You're telling me exactly what you think I want to hear!" Arthur exclaimed.

"Yes. Er... no. Er... what was the question?" Merlin stuttered.

"Don't worry, big brother. I always tell you the truth," I said.

"I know you do, but Merlin just proved my point. All my life I've been treated as if I'm special. I just want to be treated just like everyone else," Arthur exasperated, making me realise an eyebrow.

"Really?" Merlin asked, as he tried to carry all of Arthur's armour at once.

"You have no idea how lucky you are," Arthur sighed.

"Well, anytime you want to swap places, just let me know," Merlin replied, as I took a couple of the pieces of armour from him.

"That's not a totally stupid idea," Arthur muttered after a minute.

"You're Prince Arthur. You can't change who you are," Merlin told him, readjusting the armour in his arms.

We were all silent for a minute before I had an idea.

"Yes, you can," I figured.

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Later that afternoon, Arthur and I sat with father eating our dinner. Arthur and I were always sat at the opposite end of the table during meals which was probably a good thing as father wouldn't be able to tell if we were lying.

"We've received reports that a beast has been sighted roaming the forest near the northern borders," Arthur told father, who spared us a quick glance.

"What's the nature of this beast?" Father asked.

"It is said to have the body of a lion, wings of an eagle, and the..." Arthur trailed off, looking over at me for help. I just gave him a smile and waited for him to finish his sentence. "Face of a bear." I saw Merlin stifle a laugh as he poured Arthur a drink.

"We believe it has been conjured by sorcery," I saved. That got father's attention.

"Then we must destroy it," Father said.

"I'll leave for the northern borders in the morning," Arthur decided.

"But you'll miss the tournament," Father reminded him.

"I can compete in his behalf," I suggested.

"No," Arthur said.

"You'd embarrass us all," I heard father mutter, and so did Arthur as he put a hand on my arm to stop me from saying anything else.

"As much as I want to compete, my duty to Camelot comes first," Arthur interrupted.

"You are right, of course," Father agreed.

He returned to his meal and Arthur gave me a sympathetic smile. I could beat father in a joust anytime I wanted. He's just too stupid to realise it.

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