The Adventures of a King and His Warlock

The Court of Dreams

  In the days that followed his departure of Camelot, Merlin learned what it truly meant to be a king...of sorts. The traditions of Mercia greatly differed from that of Camelot, and not necessarily for the worse. As much as he loved Camelot and its people, he was willing to concede their faults. Camelot's people were a biased people, namely in places of rank and those they allowed to knighthood. Imagine his shock when the morning after he arrived in Mercia, he knocked straight into a woman dressed in the livery of a knight of Mercia.

They both went down, falling into a crumpled heap on the hallway floor. Merlin picked himself up, stuttering apologies all the while. "S-sorry," He gasped out and extended her a hand, which she waved away. She too stood and went to brush herself off.

"It's no problem, really." She muttered. Merlin stared at her dumbly, still trying to process. The woman cocked her head at him as if trying to figure something out. Unwillingly, Merlin felt a furious blush creep up his neck. "You're that man from Camelot, aren't you? The one that turned out to be Lot's son."

Merlin felt compelled to answer. "Y-yeah. That's me. Lot's son. Who are you?" The woman frowned at him.

"Mare Stoor, eldest daughter of Duke Beron Stoor. He controls all the sea ports from Eastern Mercia to the border of Essetir." Beron. Merlin recognized that name, but couldn't quite remember where. The Knight's deep green eyes pierced into his as if she could hear what he was thinking. In an effort to look casual, he leaned against the corridor wall, but only succeeded in losing his balance. He flailed and was only able to keep himself from nosediving into the ground by a firm grasp on his forearm. It was Mare. An amused grin quirked at her mouth.

"Clumsy," she murmured, "Better be careful there. Wouldn't want to cause an accident." Merlin flushed. Damn him and his clumsy tendencies. He straightened. It was high time to get this situation under control. "So," he started. She lifted an eyebrow. "You're a knight, then." Mare grinned.

"Second in command. Kay's first. Won't be long before I catch him though." She rested a hand on the hilt of her sword, though not in a threatening way. More with an air of pride, as if she had fought hard for her title, which, Merlin supposed, she probably had. It was not every day one found themselves in the presence of a female knight, and especially one with such high rank.

"Kay," he said, "How is he?"

"Run into him, have you?" She grinned at him knowingly. Merlin was reminded dismally of their first encounter, where Kay had proceeded to practically run over him with his horse and then later humiliate him in the market. Yes, he thought. I have met Kay. First impressions were everything, and Kay hadn't had a very good one with him. "Kay is Kay. Pigheaded. Stubborn. An all around jackass. He's not always been like that though. You just have to get to know him. He has a good heart underneath it all." Merlin had trouble believing that if their previous encounters were anything to go by.

It seemed that Mare was following his train of thought for she sighed and looked at him. "Look," she said, "Kay was the one who gave me the opportunity to become a knight in the first place. Without him, I'd be just another lady, dressed in the finest silks and whose only worry was how she looked for the next party. He saved my life." She finished simply. Merlin frowned at her. Perhaps it wasn't fair to judge someone on first impressions. He wasn't utterly convinced of his innocence, but he'd give him another chance and see how it went. One chance.

Mare interrupted his thoughts. She brushed a wisp of long blond hair from her face before saying, "Your name. I never asked." Merlin gazed at her for a long moment.

"Merlin." He said finally. "My name is Merlin."

"Just Merlin?" She teased.

"Yes-no...I mean-" He stammered, and she threw her head back and laughed. It was light and filled with happiness, reminding Merlin of a warm spring day. Merlin decided that he really liked her laugh.