Merlyn's Fate

Lancelot and Guinevere P1

Merlyn had been surprised when Morgana offered to take her on an excursion outside the city. It was a trip to Gorlois' grave; the last time the servant had been in the area, Uther had almost been killed. Still, nothing could get much worse than that, so she agreed, telling Arthur that she was taking one of her days off to accompany Gwen. Morgana seemed a lot happier since she returned from the druids; apparently the magic book was working wonders. She hadn't found anything so far to completely stop the nightmares that plagued her, but just acknowledging their power appeared to keep them at bay. Merlyn had grown a lot closer with the lady, amazed at her progress. In a short amount of time, she had already mastered producing and extinguishing fire, unlocking doors and disarming people, impressive considering her lack of teacher.

Arthur had helped Morgana onto her horse, shifting her cloak so that it wouldn't be muddied or caught in the horse's legs.

"I hope your trip isn't too upsetting." he muttered, patting the ward's horse affectionately. He then turned to the few knights who had volunteered to protect the three women, not that they were likely to need it. Gwen especially had improved massively in their short training sessions; Merlyn was tempted to ask Arthur if the blacksmith's daughter would be allowed to train alongside the knights. She doubted that her friend would be able to, but it was a nice thought.

"Ensure you return to Camelot by dusk." The Prince announced, sounding a little sad that he wouldn't be on the pilgrimage. He had some speech to prepare, one that Merlyn would probably end up writing, but he still had to make the effort.

"Yes sire." One of the knights, Sir Kay, responded, before trotting off, leading the group. Merlyn looked back, meeting Arthur's gaze. His eyes held so much longing, so much wishfulness. The servant felt it too. Despite their lack of secrecy, in public, they couldn't really act like a couple. Yes, they could be rather daring in where they showed their affection, but almost everyone had turned a blind eye. They couldn't risk a quick hug or kiss goodbye, not with so many people watching, not without Uther finding out. Sometimes, in occasions such as these, it was hard to accept the fact that they lived in two different worlds, ones which certainly did not collide.

"You look troubled Merlyn." Morgana smiled kindly, a knowing look clear through her sparkling eyes.

"I'm fine." the servant grinned, pointedly, forcing a cheery smile onto her face.

"You're very secretive these days. I'm beginning to think that there's a man involved." Gwen inputted. Merlyn could see the smirk on both of her friends' and the knights' faces, an expression she didn't appreciate.

"When do I get to meet any decent men." The servant replied rhetorically, chuckling at the sarcastic gasps from the knights surrounding her.

"You wound me." one of them gasped, clutching his chest dramatically.

Merlyn opened her mouth to reply teasingly, but was interrupted by war cries from either side of them. They were travelling through a valley, the steep sides unnavigable with the horses. Each of the knights drew their swords, but there were over fifty bandits and only eight of them. Merlyn unsheathed her own blade, and was proud to see both Gwen and Morgana holding matching ornate, silver daggers. Evidently they had been listening in training. It didn't take long for the knights to be pulled from the saddles, but the women put up more of a fight, stabbing at anyone who got too close. Inevitably, Morgana and Gwen were thrown off, and Merlyn's horse was stabbed, meaning that she had to, rather ungracefully, join the fighting from the ground.

"My ladies, you must follow me." Sir Kay gestured for them to run towards him, but, chose this moment to have a sword plunged through his stomach, the tip protruding through his back. It became clear that they were fighting a losing battle; neither Gwen nor Morgana were equipped enough against the bandit's strong swords.