The Golden Effect

Valiant

BEING EDITED.

CHAPTER 5 - VALIANT.

This was absolutely absurd. How could she complete all these in such a short span of time? She wouldn't be able to get sleep, for one thing, and her fingers would be bloody and raw by the time she was finished. However, for any other servant, it would be a problem - but, for her, she had her special talent to give her a bit of a hand. So, she lined up the duties around her bed and relaxed back on her bed in her chambers. Merlynn then tugged out her spell book from beneath the sheets and flicked through the pages until she found an incantation for bringing an object to life.

Smirking, she began to mutter the words out, one by one and focusing on each object to animate it. Each stood at attention like soldiers waiting for it's commander. "This is so cool," she whispered to herself, giggling as she made the hammer bow to her. "Uh..." Merlynn flicked her fingers and they began to do the job she had asked them for.

Her vision was coated in gold for moments before it settled and returned to it's normality; she read through a few spells, listening to the sounds of the wire brush against the shield, the hammer knocking against it, each dip and scrub of a sponge or an article of clothing. She sighed in content - she was glad, if only momentarily, that she had this magic at her command.

All of a sudden, Gaius stormed into her chambers, but stopped in surprise at all the objects moving about on their own will. In her own shock, the connection she had made with each tool broke and they clattered to the floor, now inanimate once again.

"Are you using magic - again?" he barked, arms crossing over his chest.

Merlynn scoffed, but she knew she was a terrible liar. "...No."

"What's all this, then?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she denied.

The old physician glared at her for a moment, his eyes narrowed, before he sighed in defeat and said, "I just came to tell you that supper is ready."

"Thank you, I'll be out in a moment."

"Oh, and Merlynn? Remember what I told you about using magic," he warned.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, murder and pain, bla, bla."

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Merlynn was quick to get down into the armory the next morning to grab her master's armor and shield; it inhabited all the contestants' belongings in accordance to the tournament, and it was also where the knights' servants cleaned all of the dirty armor. She greeted one of the lanky male servants on his way out, and in return she received a curt nod and a small smile. Among all the other piles of metal and steel, she found Prince Arthur's armor at the back of the chamber, resting on a cloth-covered table and began to lift them into her arms, from heaviest to lightest.

Hiss.

She paused, and turned. The room was empty save for her. Merlynn bit her lip, shrugged, then returned to her armor collection.

Hiss.

"Hello?" There was no response.

Merlynn pursed her lips and slowly dropped the armor back onto the table. She swerved through tables and weapon racks, following the strange hissing noise that resembled a snake - if it was a snake, she needed to collect it quickly before it did damage to itself, or others. But, she doubted what it was. As she came closer to Knight Valiant's armor, the hissing stopped. Her teeth nibbled on her lower lip; where did that noise come from?

Valiant's colors were yellow, black and green, she noted as she gazed at his armor and sigil that was painted on his shield. Three snakes intertwined, all hissing toward her in the frozen image. Merlynn narrowed her eyes curiously - it was odd that she heard hissing, and then to see the snakes on the shield. But, they were not real... were they? They couldn't be. But, as she crouched down in front of the shield and touched the wooden edge, the snake on the left seemed to blink one of it's blood red eyes at her.