Merthur - The King's Champion

Chapter 2 - Is That a Challenge?

The first thing Arthur hears as he approaches the main dining hall is the sound of laughter. Arthur frowns a little at the noise, feeling the effects of a hangover coming from the night before and the laughs aren't helping the pounding in his head. He pushes open the door to find Uther sitting at the head of the table with King Alden beside him, the two of them chatting over a meal. Morgana is seated around the corner of the table by Uther, looking more than a little relieved when Arthur walks in. The pair of kings don't seem to notice his entrance, too engaged in their conversation. 

Arthur takes the empty seat beside Morgana and puts his head in his hands, fingers rubbing at his temples. She gives him a smile, though it appears somewhat strained, and pushes a cup of water towards him. "My, my, someone must have had an exciting night," she teases. 

Arthur just groans in response, picking up the cup and taking a sip. He glances over to his father only to find the man now turned in his direction, a smile on his face. "Arthur! It's good of you to finally join us!" he says. 

Arthur sends his father a smile, sitting up straighter. "I apologize for my tardiness. I was feeling a little sick."

King Alden lets out a laugh, "No worries, my boy. The mead in Cambria is one of the best. I would be more surprised if you hadn't come back with a headache," the foreign king sends him a wink. 

Uther smiles at his old friend before turning back to Arthur, an excited glint in his eyes that the prince doesn't often see. "Alden has offered to give us a tour of the grand arena in a weeks time. I expect you'll both be joining us?" Uther asks, looking between the two of them. Despite his questioning tone Arthur knows that it's more of a demand rather than a question. 

Morgana visibly pales at the offer and Arthur can tell she's prepared to storm off before he gently nudges her with his boot. She glances towards him and he gives a slight shake of his head, a silent warning. "We would love to, father. I'm rather excited to see where one of the most famed tournaments in all the lands is hosted. And I want to see first hand what the fighters of Cambria are capable of." Arthur replies smoothly, smiling as best he can towards the foreign king as he feigns interest. 

Alden returns the smile, looking just as excited as Uther about the entire ordeal. "Ah, a true warrior at heart. I would love to see how your son fairs against my champion in the Tournament. However, the Tournament is reserved only for sorcerers. You wouldn't be allowed to participate," Alden lets out a laugh as though he found the thought of sorcerers fighting hilarious, "though perhaps I could set up a sparring match for the two of you. It would be good practice for you to face a sorcerer. Their kind can be tricky, and my champion is one of the best. Never lost a fight."

Morgana puts on a sweet smile and if Arthur didn't know her better he would think she's genuinely interested. "Your champion? A sorcerer? Isn't that dangerous?" she asks and the question seems to peak even Uther's attention.

"No need to worry, my dear. He's properly trained. I made sure of it." 

The way Alden says the words send a shiver down Arthur's spine. The hostility in his voice, so different than his usual cheerful demeanour, is enough to make the prince shift a little further away from the other king. He can feel that unease again. This time emanating from the king himself. He's always known what kinds of things happen in the Tournament. Everyone knows. The tales of the fights are spread far and wide mainly for entertainment. He remembers hearing about them as a child and back then he had always wanted to watch one himself. Sorcerers were evil. That's what his father had taught him. They were no less than monsters and to hear of an entire Tournament made for the sole purpose of watching one monster kill another was fascinating. He had wanted to see what they could do, wanted to see how he could beat them when he was old enough to fight. However, that all changed when one night he walked into Gaius' chambers to find Morgana seated at the table with a flame dancing across her palm because now he can place a face to the sorcerers he used to see as monsters and that made them seem much more human.