Status: Complete
I Will Follow You
1/1
Spending hours on a horse was not Merlin’s idea of fun, but it was made almost unbearable with hardly any sleep and a visiting noble along for the duration of the trip. Lord Gwer was a burly man, with a deep voice and a reputation for being cruel.
Abandoning his usual place at Arthur’s side, Merlin trailed behind the group and stayed quiet as they rode through the woods. The sun had just begun to sink behind some distant mountains, when Arthur decided that they should make camp and Merlin got straight to work on his chores.
Laying the final bedroll out, Merlin got the fire going and started on dinner. It was a while, before everyone had finished eating and he collected the bowls to clean at the stream that ran nearby.
“You boy,” Lord Gwer shouted, causing Merlin to approach and bow his head in respect, “I need more water and my horse needs tending to, make sure you see to it.”
“Of course,” Merlin replied, picking up the noble’s water skin off the floor and heading back to the stream with his shoulders slumped.
Returning to the camp, Merlin delivered the water skin to Lord Gwer and then stumbled over to his bed roll in hopes of sleeping. Waking up the next morning, Merlin headed to Lord Gwer’s horse and rushed to prepare breakfast as everyone began to stir. Watching the flames dance in the gentle morning breeze, Merlin slipped inside his own head and jumped as a hand gripped his shoulder.
“Easy,” came Lancelot’s voice from beside him, “Is everything okay?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?” Merlin asked, looking over at his friend and seeing the concern swimming in his steady gaze, “It’s nothing really, I just…”
“Where’s my breakfast boy?” Lord Gwer practically growled, making his way over to the fire and towering over Merlin threateningly.
“It’s right here,” Merlin mumbled, dishing some food into a bowl and handing it over.
Eating his own breakfast away from the group, Merlin sat back against the trunk of a tree and listened to the conversation going on between the others by the fire.
“How is it that you ended up with that servant of yours, Arthur?” Merlin heard Lord Gwer inquire as they ate.
“He was rewarded the position by my father after he saved my life,” Arthur explained, a clear note of pride in his tone and Merlin couldn’t help the smile that appeared on his face.
“If it were me, I would have gotten rid of him as soon as I knew how clumsy he was…” Lord Gwer told him, “I’ve seen how disrespectful he is towards you and your knights, thinking that he is an equal… that sort of behaviour is easily fixed.”
“Is that so?” Arthur added.
“Oh yes,” Lord Gwer stated, “I always told your father that he was far too lenient with his servants, they need to know their place and a little harsh discipline always does the job. That boy of yours would benefit greatly from a short time served in my household, he’d soon learn his place…”
“I understand that you have your own ways of dealing with your servants, Lord Gwer…” Arthur cut in, anger clear in his voice, “I, however, do not believe in the mistreatment of the people that serve me and I would ask you politely to keep your thoughts to yourself. Merlin has been my manservant for several years now and has shown me nothing but the deepest loyalty, I will not have you or anyone speaking out against him in my presence.”
“I apologize, Sire.”
The conversation quickly changed after that, but the tension in the air was thick and Arthur soon gave the order to pack up camp. They continued their hunt for most of the afternoon, before finally turning back and heading home to Camelot.
Lancelot rode beside Merlin on the journey back, remaining silent and glaring at the back of Lord Gwer’s head. Arriving back at Camelot, Merlin took Arthur’s horses reins and led it to the stables. Merlin knew very well that he wasn’t like most manservants, he complained a lot, he never used the word Sire unless they were in the company of visiting nobles and he was, as Gwer kindly pointed out, very clumsy.
Then there were the things that only Arthur and the knights seemed to see, the things that others refused to acknowledge because of his status. His unwavering loyalty to his king, his ability to see the good in people and to make people want to better themselves. He would follow Arthur into the dark in order to protect his king, his friend… the man that he loved and who will forever hold the heart of the most powerful warlock that Camelot will ever know.
Abandoning his usual place at Arthur’s side, Merlin trailed behind the group and stayed quiet as they rode through the woods. The sun had just begun to sink behind some distant mountains, when Arthur decided that they should make camp and Merlin got straight to work on his chores.
Laying the final bedroll out, Merlin got the fire going and started on dinner. It was a while, before everyone had finished eating and he collected the bowls to clean at the stream that ran nearby.
“You boy,” Lord Gwer shouted, causing Merlin to approach and bow his head in respect, “I need more water and my horse needs tending to, make sure you see to it.”
“Of course,” Merlin replied, picking up the noble’s water skin off the floor and heading back to the stream with his shoulders slumped.
Returning to the camp, Merlin delivered the water skin to Lord Gwer and then stumbled over to his bed roll in hopes of sleeping. Waking up the next morning, Merlin headed to Lord Gwer’s horse and rushed to prepare breakfast as everyone began to stir. Watching the flames dance in the gentle morning breeze, Merlin slipped inside his own head and jumped as a hand gripped his shoulder.
“Easy,” came Lancelot’s voice from beside him, “Is everything okay?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?” Merlin asked, looking over at his friend and seeing the concern swimming in his steady gaze, “It’s nothing really, I just…”
“Where’s my breakfast boy?” Lord Gwer practically growled, making his way over to the fire and towering over Merlin threateningly.
“It’s right here,” Merlin mumbled, dishing some food into a bowl and handing it over.
Eating his own breakfast away from the group, Merlin sat back against the trunk of a tree and listened to the conversation going on between the others by the fire.
“How is it that you ended up with that servant of yours, Arthur?” Merlin heard Lord Gwer inquire as they ate.
“He was rewarded the position by my father after he saved my life,” Arthur explained, a clear note of pride in his tone and Merlin couldn’t help the smile that appeared on his face.
“If it were me, I would have gotten rid of him as soon as I knew how clumsy he was…” Lord Gwer told him, “I’ve seen how disrespectful he is towards you and your knights, thinking that he is an equal… that sort of behaviour is easily fixed.”
“Is that so?” Arthur added.
“Oh yes,” Lord Gwer stated, “I always told your father that he was far too lenient with his servants, they need to know their place and a little harsh discipline always does the job. That boy of yours would benefit greatly from a short time served in my household, he’d soon learn his place…”
“I understand that you have your own ways of dealing with your servants, Lord Gwer…” Arthur cut in, anger clear in his voice, “I, however, do not believe in the mistreatment of the people that serve me and I would ask you politely to keep your thoughts to yourself. Merlin has been my manservant for several years now and has shown me nothing but the deepest loyalty, I will not have you or anyone speaking out against him in my presence.”
“I apologize, Sire.”
The conversation quickly changed after that, but the tension in the air was thick and Arthur soon gave the order to pack up camp. They continued their hunt for most of the afternoon, before finally turning back and heading home to Camelot.
Lancelot rode beside Merlin on the journey back, remaining silent and glaring at the back of Lord Gwer’s head. Arriving back at Camelot, Merlin took Arthur’s horses reins and led it to the stables. Merlin knew very well that he wasn’t like most manservants, he complained a lot, he never used the word Sire unless they were in the company of visiting nobles and he was, as Gwer kindly pointed out, very clumsy.
Then there were the things that only Arthur and the knights seemed to see, the things that others refused to acknowledge because of his status. His unwavering loyalty to his king, his ability to see the good in people and to make people want to better themselves. He would follow Arthur into the dark in order to protect his king, his friend… the man that he loved and who will forever hold the heart of the most powerful warlock that Camelot will ever know.