Between the Storms

Chapter Thirteen

13. Trouble Comes in Three's

Magdelena has some free time on her hands as Uther was busy with the melee so he wasn't really in need of a servant. She decided to go find Merlin, she could feel his magic in the throne room. There she saw Gwaine and Merlin cleaning boots which seemed to be the entire army's boots. She entered and walked up to the boys, "I thought you could use a little help." She says Gwaine smiles at her while she gives him a small one before turning to Merlin.

"Help yourself, Maggie, we have more than enough," he says making her chuckle as she sits on the other side of Merlin and grabs two boots and an extra brush before getting to work.

"Why does he call you Maggie?" Gwaine asks, "You told me your name was Magdelena."

"Maggie is a nickname," Magdelena informs him, "You may call me Maggie if you would prefer."

"When did you two meet?" Merlin asks raising an eyebrow at the two people he sat in between.

Magdelena doesn't look up as she speaks, "In town yesterday, he gave me a flower and tried to flirt with me." 

Merlin began to laugh, "I bet he was disappointed when you turned him down!" he says making Gwaine look at the man. 

"Why do you assume she turned me down?" Gwaine asks staring at the raven-haired boy to his left, "What if she excepted my affections?"

"Maggie is madly in love with someone else," Merlin says earning a smack from Magdelena who was sending him a harsh glare, "And madly in denial."

"I am not in love with anyone Merlin," she snaps defensively at her brother, "and I am not denying anything but the truth."

"She's lying," Merlin says. 

"I am confused, how do you know so much about her?" Gwaine asks staring between the two of them.

"Maggie is my sister," Merlin says with a wide smile nudging his sister she shakes her head as they go silent once again getting through a few pairs of shoes together when the doors opened and in walked Arthur. 

"Mags what are you doing?" he asks staring at her as she smiles at him, "This is for Merlin and Gwaine to do since I was forced to cover the bill from the tavern."

"How do you I wasn't at the tavern and helped eat the pickled eggs, or drink the wine or mead?" she asks staring at him making him staring at her with a small glare. 

"Come one Mags let them serve their punishment," he says, "I think my father was looking for you anyways."

"Liar," she says with a smug smirk on her face, "Uther gave me the evening off to prepare myself for the melee which I am being forced to sit through."

"You are so like your brother," he says, "This still doesn't mean you can help them with their chores for paying off the large tap."

"You really must let that go," she says standing from her seat, "You sound like a five-year-old throwing a tantrum." 

"Do you know how much that cost me?" he asks staring at her with a small smirk.

"Is your life worth so little? I heard Gwaine saved your life by taking a knife and you told Merlin to give him what he needed," she says walking past him throwing the wet brush at the prince, "Later fellas!" she calls waving her hand at the two cleanings before heading out of the throne room. 

She spent the rest of the day helping Gaius prepare for the melee with many healing potions for pain, infection and putting them together in easy places. She was summoned to Uther's side and passed Merlin and Gwaine on her way outbidding them well as she headed to the throne room. 

The council chamber was filled with the members, and she caught sight of Merlin entering with Gaius, they were in the middle of a meeting but it seemed to be rather important. Two knights in different garbs entered the room, staying silent until more knights entered dragging a pissed off Gwaine, "Sire, this man attacked me, with a sword, tried to kill me." the two men had some magic on them for sure, she stared at them with a narrowed calculating glare.

"Is this true?" Uther asks though she wasn't sure who he was actually talking to, he wasn't one to ask the accused for their side of the story.

"I stepped in to protect Merlin." at the sound of her brother's name her eyes shoot over to Merlin who looked nervous, she could see a thin red line forming on his cheek as if something thin had cut him.

"I tried to talk to him. He was like a man possessed," one of the knights whom she didn't know said, " I'm sure that Sir Ethan will back me up."

"Indeed, I can vouch for his every word," this Ethan said but there was something off about the two of them something Magdelena didn't like.

"He's a liar!"

"I will have your tongue!" Uther snaps at the man, "How dare you speak to a knight in that way?!" 

"Nobility is defined by what you do, and not by who you are," Gwaine's words made her smile at him, "And these men are anything but. They are arrogant thugs!"

"Gwaine," Arthur says in an almost warning tone. 

"Well, you see, Sire, how he behaves," the knight that didn't have a name says. 

"I've heard enough," Uther says, "For a commoner to attack a nobleman is in violation of the Knight's Code." Magdelena snorts earning a curious glance from the two men and a harsh glare from Uther.

"I couldn't agree with you more, Sire. He must be made an example of," the same nameless knight says. 

"Sir Oswald, please," Arthur's words seem lost in the ears of the man on a hunt for blood.

"Nothing less than his execution will give me satisfaction," the knight says Magdelena looks over at him with a small glare.

"Father, I understand how this must look, it's an embarrassing situation," Arthur begins, "Sir Oswald is a dear friend and our guest here in Camelot. But Gwaine is my guest here, too. And he may not be of noble birth, but I can vouch that he has a noble heart." 

"How can you say that when you see the way he behaves?" Uther asks shocked by his son's actions not seeing in them the kind of King he will one day be.

"Gwaine risked his life to save mine. I beg you, please, if a knight's word is his bond, then I give you my word Gwaine is a good man. He deserves clemency." Magdelena couldn't help but smile at the words of the Prince who was beginning to show what kind of not only king he will be but the kind of kingdom he plans to rule.

"You are banished from Camelot. If you ever return, you will pay for it with your life. You have until dawn to leave the city." the room cleared of people leaving just Magdelena and Uther.

"There is a knights code about commoners not attacking knights, but how is a commoner meant to know the knight's code if they can't become a knight and are no noble?" she asks earning a small glare from Uther.

"What are you getting at Magdelena?" he asks sounding rather bored with her antics.

"How can a commoner be held accountable for something in the knight's code if they have no idea what the knight's code is? You are basically creating criminals who have gone through life having to fight for what they want," Magdelena says trying to keep her rant short, "then punish them for something they have no idea about or that it was even there."

"Don't you have chores to do?" Uther snaps making her chuckle as he realizes things about his law and his knights code, may be flawed but that doesn't mean he will change it or anything in his kingdom.