enchanted | a. pendragon [on hold]

ii | valiant

"i like rooting against merlin sometimes. that way, he always ends up surprising me."

[1.2 — Valiant]

Merlin's new position as Arthur's servant wasn't exactly ideal. Not many people wanted to be beaten up while the Prince practiced his sword-fighting skills on them. Merlin was awkwardly holding a shield and covered in ill-fitting armor.

"Ready?" Arthur asked him, swinging his sword around.

"Would it make any difference if I said no?" Merlin asked.

"Not really," Arthur admitted.

Arthur was not gentle in his attacks. He'd quickly declare where he'd hit Merlin before swiftly hitting him with the blunt sword — though it certainly still hurt despite being blunt.

"Come on, Merlin. You're not even trying," Arthur taunted before tagging him on the back.

"Ow! I am," Merlin insisted.

"Once more."

"Oh, no," he mumbled.

Once again, the attacks came, and Merlin was defenseless. "Come on, Merlin! I've got a tournament to win."

"Can we stop now, please?"

Instead of a response, Arthur raised his sword and continued on, much to Merlin's displeasure. It wasn't long before Arthur delivered a particularly harsh blow to Merlin's head, which sent him falling to the ground, his helmet falling off.

"Ow," he muttered, shutting his eyes.

"You're braver than you look. Most servants collapse after the first blow." It was hardly a compliment, but Merlin didn't expect anything nicer from the entitled Prince.

"Is it over?" Merlin pathetically asked.

"That was just the warm-up. How's your mace work coming along?" Arthur asked while swinging a mace over his head.

Merlin sighed and leaned his head back against the grass. "God, I'm having war flashbacks to growing up with Lia."

"What on earth are you talking about?" Arthur asked, his curiosity piqued at the mention of the physician's apprentice.

"When Lia and her father moved to our village, he began to teach her how to wield a sword," Merlin explained, groaning as he tried to get to his feet. "Unfortunately for me, I was her best friend, meaning I was also her training dummy. Except she didn't announce where she was about to hit me."

Arthur wanted to ask more questions. For whatever reason, he had assumed that Merlin and Lia were siblings — not based on how they looked but by how close they were. He was also surprised that she knew how to use a sword. But it would not be appropriate to ask his manservant about Lia, so he kept his queries to himself.