The Witch of Camelot

Seventeen....departure and home....

Seventeen…

After a brief and awkward conversation Cei departed our company well aware that we could not be seen together by anyone. Arthur and I sat on log and waited to give his foster brother enough time to renter Camelot before we set off ourselves. We collected a few herbs to take back to Merlin and ambled back along the path reaching home in a relatively short amount of time.

                “Good afternoon you two.” my uncle welcomed us looking up from the table where he was sitting. He had a large book open in front of him, a sheet of parchment sat to the side and in his hand he held a pheasant feather quill which was elegantly gracing the paper as he copied from the text onto the page.  

                “We brought you some herbs Uncle, what are you doing?” I asked peering at the embellished pages of the book as I walked over to the large chest of draws which at that age stood to about my shoulder height and was used to store the herbs. The draws were of various sizes, each labelled in delicate italic script with the name, in Latin, of the herb that they contained. Turning to the small marble toped table beside it I began to remove the soil, roots and the other undesirable parts, such as a rotten sage leaf. 

As I worked away busily, tying the bunches together so that they could be hung to dry Merlin replied to my question. “I am preparing for your and Arthurs first lesson tomorrow afternoon.” all thoughts of herbs abandoned I span round to gasp at him open mouthed, I should have known I would not need to plead with him to allow me to be educated alongside Arthur and yet I was surprised and happily so.

                I exclaimed overcome with joy that my teaching was about to take on a far more structured and regulated role.

                “Of course.” he replied mildly as if it was the most natural of things which warranted no extra excitement.

                “Oh thank you!” I replied, rushing forward to embrace him.

 Merlin chuckled as I drew away and then plastering a serious expression on his face added, “That is if Master Smith has no disagreement with the arrangements?” he turned expectantly to Arthur a twinkle in his eyes.

“Not a word in protest Sir.” he answered grinning with a mixture of relief and hopefulness about what the following weeks would bring.

“He wouldn’t dare say no to me!” I interjected winking before returning to my uncle to ask, “What are we to learn tomorrow?”

he chuckled again, “What you will my dear, I cannot tell you now or else there would be no point in tomorrow would there?” his reply increased the height of my anticipation, he was right of course and at the same time the mystery would serve to intrigue Arthur and I so that we would be interested to learn the following afternoon and would spend our time hanging onto his every word devoutly.

“What are we to do in the morning?” Arthur asked nervously, he had sat down opposite my uncle after an awkward moment when he was unsure of how to act.

“Troilus will take you two for instruction in the morning that will last until mid-afternoon until he sees fit to dismiss you. You will have a break and then join me back here for lessons of the more academic nature.”

“Oh no.” groaned Arthur rubbing his forehead with his hand.

“What is it?” Merlin asked with a grin, “dreading me teaching you mathematics and Latin boy?”

Shaking his head he replied, “No it is the lessons with Troilus I do not look forward to.”

“Why ever not?” my uncle seemed genuinely surprised having had little time to become personally acquainted with Arthur after just one day. “Troilus is a good man, he will teach you well.”

“It’s not the teacher,” Arthur replied shamefully, “it’s the subject in general I do hate combat and I have no talent for swordsmanship.”

“Given time and practice you will improve.” Merlin said reassuringly. “You have your father’s blood in you; you are bound to improve in leaps and bounds now that you will have a new and professional teacher.”

“My last instructor was a master too Sir, Ector taught me and he has seen battle many times.” his tone was full of defeat but Merlin would not let him give up before he had properly started.

“Sometimes those that love us can be too easy on us when they are teaching us and let us go without true improvement or effort.”

“I did try!” Arthur protested, feeling hurt by the accusation, though it was probably true. After all who could blame a young boy for feeling disheartened by little or no improvement in a skill that his elder and physically stronger brother excelled in so easily and so rapidly?

“What Merlin means Arthur is that perhaps a change of tutor is a good thing. Every master has his own style of teaching and some are more effective than others.” I intervened desperate to avoid and argument.

“Exactly as Nim says.” my uncle replied, “it is my opinion that all boys who wish to learn defensive and attacking skills should go to a man they do not know for their education.”

Arthur nodded thoughtfully, “perhaps it will not be so bad.”

“Of course not,” I smiled, “and look on the bright side, I’ll be there with you!” Arthur laughed and shuffled further up the bench so that I could sit down.

“I’d watch out for her Arthur!” my uncle said lightly, “she’s a devil with a bow.” I felt my checks glow with pride for in this I can fully accept, without feeling as if I am being big headed, that for a not yet nine year old I was incredibly talented in comparison to most.