━━ ⦗the swan princess! ⦘
❝ you're beautiful!
thank you, but what else?
... what else is there? ... ❞
███████████ 𝙞𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝
the courageous odette teaches the
once and future king a less...
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chapter fourteen! 014. the knight's code
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"DO YOU REALLY think this is a good idea, Merlin?" Odette kept her voice hushed in a low whisper within the corner of Guinevere's house, tucked up on the chair beside Merlin. She hugged her knees to her chest, somehow managing to squeeze herself onto the same seat. The warlock huffed, shuffling over so she had room and trying very hard not to fall off himself. She gazed at the seal of nobility he had somehow forged for Lancelot. It was impeccable, if she hadn't known that Lancelot wasn't someone of nobility, she was sure to believe it. Though that didn't change the troubling thought of someone figuring their little ruse out. It was the first line of the code: only sons of noble families could serve as knights. No matter Lancelot's dream, and how much Odette wished he'll achieve it, she was scared of the consequences.
"He deserves it," whispered Merlin back in the same tone. "The rules are wrong, Odette."
"It doesn't matter if they're wrong," she said quickly, rather worried, "what matters is what will happen if they figure this out."
Merlin shook his head, "Yes, but▬Odette, once they see how good of a knight Lancelot is, that won't matter. He will have already proven himself. Arthur wouldn't care."
"I'm not talking about Arthur, I'm talking about Uther▬"
She cut herself off when Lancelot glanced at them briefly, and the two servants gave their best innocent smiles (which made them not at all look innocent in any way).
Though as she watched him shuffle around the room, rather awkward as Guinevere fetched all that she would need to measure him up for a tunic, Odette had to bite back a smile▬he sure looked like a knight. Polite, gentle, tall and handsome; humble. She could imagine him in the scarlet and chainmail.
Lancelot glanced back, as if knowing she was watching him. Odette went red when he gave her a small smile. She looked away, fiddling at her fingers and subtly elbowing Merlin who had suppressed a chuckle. He stumbled as he desperately tried to stay on the chair they shared.
Once she reconfigured herself, not wanting to seem too childish in front of Lancelot, Odette straightened and set her feet down onto the stone. She continued to watch him, and could feel her heart start to grow warm. He stopped pacing, hands wringing in front of his tunic to gaze back at her▬and she felt just as she had in Gaius's chambers a few days prior, stunned by more than just his beauty.
She cleared her throat, nudging Merlin once more, "Merlin," she whispered shyly.
He frowned at her, annoyed and rubbing where she had elbowed his side. "What?"
Odette tried to tell him what she wanted without making it too obvious. Merlin just frowned back at her blankly, "What?" he asked again. She sighed, exasperated. She tried to jut her chin the Lancelot, and it was only then that the warlock understood. His eyes widened. He let out a loud, "Oh!" to which she wanted to smack her head against a lump of wood. "Right▬I should▬I'll just▬I'll check how Gwen's fairing..."
