CHAPTER THREE: FAMILY LINES
( episode two: valiant )
✲*'。
ARTHUR PENDRAGON WAS UNBEARABLE to work for; how the lady Enide was related to him, Merlin would never understand. After his visit with his mother, Arthur had been relentless, spending all hours training; whether that be with the knights, or using Merlin himself as a human training dummy.
And of course he had to complete the rest of his chores before he could sleep, without the help of magic, lest he wanted to invoke the ire of Gaius. That was something Merlin wanted to avoid. So, as he finished laundering the prince prat's clothes, laid them out for wear the next day under his armour, Merlin cocked his head up in confusion as he heard vaguely distant voices.
Gently laying down the folded linen, Merlin hurried away from Arthur's chambers, careful to keep his footsteps light as he crept along the silent halls. Thankfully, this time, he was fully prepared for the impact of Enide Pendragon crashing into him.
A bright smile settled on her face. "Merlin! Just the boy I was looking for!" She declared in delight, grabbing the sorcerers arms as she began to lead him down the halls. "Come with me!"
"My lady," Merlin hissed, trying his best to escape her surprisingly tight grip for someone so small. "I don't think is a wise ch--"
Shooting him a dark look over her shoulder that would put her brother and father to shame, Merlin quickly cut off his sentence. Merlin had thought Gaius, the king and the prince had been terrifying in their ire; Enide quickly put them to shame.
"I didn't think you understood the meaning of the word wise Merlin," Enide spoke once more. "Given the way you so recklessly throw yourself into danger."
"Hang on--" Merlin tried to cut in as Enide opened the door that led into her chambers. Instead of keeping him outside like he had expected, Enide shoved him inside, gesturing for him to sit at the desk situated near the window.
Her room was grand--- nearly just as big as Arthur's and just as grand as Morgana's. A small hearth illuminated the room, giving the grand spacious chambers a cosy feel to it. A giant double bed stood in the middle of the room, draped in silk cut, Pendragon red embroidered drapes. Against one wall held a rather large bookshelf, books of all kinds littering on it. Her room well lived in, her sanctuary against the world.
And she had so casually invited him in.
"Here," Enide murmured, interrupting his musing as she appeared from behind the screen, a wrapped item hidden in her hands. "This is for the aches, I heard about your sparring session with my brother."
"My lady, I couldn't poss--"
"Do you ever shut up asking stupid questions?" Enide spoke aloud, squatting down so she knelt in front of the taller boy. "This is a gift. You can't refuse me."
"My lady--"
"My name is Enide, Merlin." The bastard spoke clearly, her eyes clear with an emotion Merlin could not grasp. "Say it."
Merlin balked, leaning further away as Enide stared at him, her dark hues like hooks, refusing to let him go from where she had incapacitated him with her gaze alone. He'd known the girl less than a week and already she had sunken her delicate, sharp claws into him.
Just like her brother would in due time. In the future, Merlin would give his life for the Pendragon's, the siblings who would bleed together, just to keep the other safe. His future lover, his future brother, the once and future king and the princess that would bring the world to it's knees.
But that is a tale for the future.
"Enide..." Merlin spoke hesitantly, eyes wary as he watched a brilliant smile engulf her face.
"Was that so hard!" The girl declared rather brightly, sitting herself down opposite of Merlin. Her face shifted from complete amusement to one of total seriousness. "On a more .... informal note, the next time my brother bullies you into a spar, make sure to go on the defensive."
Merlin blinked in surprise, cocking his head to the side. "Pardon me my lady?"
Shooting him a rather unimpressed look, Enide huffed, forgetting his momentarily slip up. She would have him speaking her name if it was the last thing she ever did; she was rather fond of the way her mundane name sounded coming from his lips. "Allow me to speak more plainly."
Standing up abruptly from her seat, Enide advanced forward until she was directly in front of the warlock. With a pointed stare, the lady gestured to his lithe, gangly frame purposefully. "You're smaller, more nimble ... most of the time anyway."
"Coming from the lady who keeps staggering into me?" Merlin brazenly declared watching as the kings daughter shot him an unimpressed, withering stare.
"Not the time Merlin!" Enide declared in a huff. "All you need to do is tire your enemy, and then once they are exhausted you strike!"
Raising an eyebrow in surprise, Merlin spoke. "How do you know so much about sparring my lady? Do you know how to...?"
"Oh heavens no!" Enide declared, her nose wrinkling in disgust. "I prefer to expand my strength with educating myself. Not playing with metal sticks. I only know the basics thanks to Arthur in the off chance I ever need it."
"And ... have you?" Merlin probed curiously.
Cocking her head to the side for a moment, Enide contemplated her answer before she spoke. "Truthfully no... I find the best way to survive is to play the fool; blend into your surroundings. No one ever notices the most unlikely threat; the one who sees and hears all. That is when you play the game best."
Heart hammering in his chest, Merlin nodded shakily eyes never leaving the intense gaze of one Enide Pendragon. Without even acknowledging what he hid, the bastard girl had unwittingly sourced out Merlin's ideals to escape persecution. In all but three meetings, without ever truly knowing him, Enide had unmasked how Merlin had been surviving. She was right; the one who was able to mask themselves in the shadows would survive them all, would win the game they were all pawns in.
"Use the salve well Merlin," Enide hummed, moving backwards, allowing Merlin to stand so he could make his retreat. As he hurriedly made his way to the door, dashing down the halls, Merlin huffed and only stopped once he reached the sanctuary of his room in Gaius' quarters.
It would seem Merlin would need to be extremely vigilant around the lady Enide Pendragon for she had demonstrated more laid underneath the delicate display she presented to the court. One could only wonder the secrets she closely guarded to her heart.
✲*'
"ARE YOU NERVOUS?" Enide Pendragon questioned from her perch on her brothers bed, watching as their mother closely examined his armour with a meticulous eye.
A loud scoff escaped Arthur's lips as he rose an eyebrow at his sister. Moving towards the bed, Arthur fell dramatically to his sisters side, a wide smirk covering his face as Enide's shrieks of caution filled the air. "Of course I am not nervous sister of mine. I will win like I have always done."
A quizzical smile spread on the Queen Alayne Martell's lips as she eyed her son. "Like always?"
Straightening his shoulders, sitting upwards with a squirming Enide in his arms Arthur nodded, his lips easing into an easy smile. "I would be certain of my victory with your favour Mother," Arthur declared, hissing when Enide elbowed him harshly in the chest.
Rolling her eyes softly, Alayne Martell gently knelt before her children presenting Arthur with a piece of fabric. Yet it was no ordinary piece of fabric, on the outside his mother had embroidered a golden dragon, along the edges white roses lined the fabric, highlighting the unification between House Pendragon and House Martell. His fathers and his stepmothers crest connected together.
"Mother..." Arthur trailed off, the gratitude evident in his eyes as she pulled her son into a hug.
"None of that," Alayne hummed, a gentle smile on her face as she held her hand out for Enide, who in turn eagerly wormed her way into to arm.
"You both are my entire world, I implore you to never forget that."
Alayne would burn the world for her children, forsake her own life to just seem them smile. She already had; she knew of the whispers that cursed her name, the whispers that called her the tyrant lover. She had betrayed her kin, the moment she had claimed Uther's son as her own. There would be no redemption for the then Lady Alayne in her people's eyes the moment they learnt she carried Uther's child in her womb.
Yet she took the vile accusations to her reputation, would face down any mountain or enemy that dared to threaten her children. The Pendragon's were her kin; the heir and the bastard as the ballads decreed.
She had chosen that path the day she married Uther Pendragon for their children.
"So brother, my name day is fast approaching." Enide declared, a delighted smile coating her face as Arthur shot her a dark glower. "What is that you want now?"
"I want to ride Llamrei without your supervision."
Her sons beloved mare, a gift from Uther himself for his sons fifteenth name day.
"No." Arthur declared simply, moving towards his sister, a petulant frown on his face. "Ask father for your own bloody mare."
"Father would skin me alive! He thinks I'd fall off!"
"Can you blame him!" Arthur hissed. "You fell off of fathers horse before you even settled in the saddle!"
"Hold on now a moment—"
As her children continued their petty squabble, Alayne focused her attention back on her sons Armour once more. Glancing over her shoulder for a brief moment, seeing Arthur and Enide to be distracted Alayne turned her focus to the metal before her. Murmuring to herself, Alayne kept her head down, out of sight as her eyes flared a bright golden hue before mellowing out to their normal onyx hue.
Nobody would take her children from her. Not even death.
✲*'。
SETTLING HERSELF BESIDE Gwen, her mother and Morgana, Enide Pendragon sat excitedly in the stands of the tournament grounds, close to the King's box as the competitors entered the arena. Men from all over the five kingdoms, from the Scottish isles, to Éire had journeyed far and wide to participate in such an event.
"Knights of the realm, it's a great honour to welcome you to a tournament at Camelot." Uther began, voice domineering over the mumbles of the crowd. "Over the next three days, you will come to put your bravery to the test, your skills as warriors, and of course, to challenge the reigning champion, my son, Prince Arthur."
Casting a glance down towards her brother, a dark glower settled on Enide's face momentarily before her father spoke again. "Only one can have the honour of being crowned champion, and he will receive a prize of 1,000 gold pieces."
"It is in combat that we learn a knight's true nature, whether he is indeed a warrior or a coward. The tournament begins!"
As her father approached her brother, Enide's attention was ensnared by Morgana who had been politely conversing with her mother, trying to find an edge; something that would help to bond her to the mother of Camelot's prince and bastard.
It wasn't for lack of trying; the Kings ward and the Queen of Camelot had always had a frosty countenance, never truly finding a mould to bond them. Morgana had been nearly one and ten winters when she arrived in Camelot. Morgana had been headstrong, grieving her father Gorlois. In her grief, Morgana rebuffed all attempts of the queens kindness, and had only tried to build a fractious relationship when she had reached her womanhood.
Yet for all of their efforts, the Queen and the lady could never just find that click, find what would bond them to one another.
"Enide spoke to me about the favour you gifted Arthur... I am sure he will be that more determined to win."
"It matters not if he wins to me," Alayne hummed, her eyes never leaving her sons form as he slipped into place for his first fight of the day. "As long as my son does not foolishly lose his life, I care not for the results."
Wincing at the frosty tone, Enide stretched her body towards Saeth who sat at the edge of the royal box where her father resided. This year the kings niece was to have a place of honour, for it would be her last tournament in Camelot.
"I bet you five golden coins that Morgana will have ripped mothers hair out by the end of this." Enide muttered, prompting a smirk from Saeth.
"I bet you—"
"It is not befitting of a young lady to be placing bets on her family child," Uther decreed from his seat, shooting his daughter and niece a withering stare. "Especially not so publicly."
Staring at her father bashfully, a wickedly innocent smile spread across Enide's lips. "So may I place bets on Arthur and his contestants?"
"No you may not." Uther hissed under his breath, keeping his face impassive as he stared down at the prince preparing himself for his first bout.
"Not against your brother in any shape of form."
The day passed in a frenzied blur of moments; just as she expected, Arthur made it to the second day, as did the newcomer, Knight Valiant. A man who fought brutally, like he had something to prove; a man who had whole fully captured Morgana's attentions. In the end, it had been the kings ward who had accepted Enide's bet, placing her golds worth on Knight Valiant.
Enide had hoped to escape to her quarters, but her father wanted her present; ( Enide secretly thought the old bastard wanted to punish her ) to stand with him, her mother, Saeth and Morgana as he was introduced to the remaining competitors. So she was dressed like a doll on display, dressed in her best red gown, dark curls hanging loose down her back as Enide's lips curved into a pleasant, fake smile.
Cushioned in between Morgana and her Father, Enide cast her gaze upwards towards her father. "Why must I be here Father?" She murmured in a quiet tone, the boredom evident on her face as clear as day to any on looker.
"It's your responsibility child," Her father quietly hissed back, his kingly facade never faltering, for once.
Enide's boredom didn't last for long however, her attention was soon ensnared by a bright yellow knight as he bowed before her father, announcing himself. "Knight Valiant of the Western Isles, My Lord.
"I saw you fighting today." Her father began. "You have a very aggressive style."
Keeping his gaze connected with her father, Valiant spoke once more. "Well, as My Lord said, 'To lose is to be disgraced'."
"I couldn't agree more." The king responded, the approval evident on her father's face. "Knight Valiant, may I present the Lady Enide, my daughter".
"My lady," Valiant bowed, reaching forward to take her hand roughly, laying a kiss down on her knuckles. A weak smile took root on Enide's lips as she nodded her head in acknowledgement.
"You fought well today," Enide hummed, her eyes on her wrist, trying to find the best moment to tug her wrist away.
Knight Valiant ... Enide didn't know what to make of him; sure he had impressed her father and gained the attention of Morgana. Aggressive, brash and cold. His eyes were downright predatory, a gleaming smirk overtaking his lips as he eyed her slender figure up and down. As the natural born daughter to the king of Camelot, Enide knew her father would marry her off; despite the illegitimacy of her name, the blood of the king ran through her ( no matter how diluted the councilors of her fathers council tried to argue ). She would never marry royalty, could never dream to tarnish another royals bloodline. However, she could be married off to a noble, the wealthiest around to keep the royal vault full of gold.
It seemed Valiant could be a contender for her hand; and that was enough to make Enide Pendragon feel nauseous, to feel as if she was suffocating. Already, so publicly he was rough, arrogant in the way eyed her slender frame. She recognised this type of man. A man who wanted a pretty object to parade around, a man who desired to possess control over all of his assets. From the way his lecherous eyes settled especially on her bosom, he would only want her for her body, to keep Enide round with child until the day it killed her most likely.
Thankfully, her father chose that moment to casually lay his hand on her shoulder, startling Valiant away, prompting the man to release her wrist as Uther focused his attention back on Valiant. "Knight Valiant," Uther began, an eyebrow raising as he put his focus onto Morgana. "Allow me to present my ward, the lady Morgana."
Repeating the same action he had done to her, the man bowed, pressing his lips to Morgana's hands, lingering for a moment.
"I saw you competing today." Morgana said, her smile growing by the clear interest that Valiant was looking at her with.
"I saw you watching." Valiant said smoothly.
Enide watched the interaction carefully, biting her lips as if she was expecting Valiant to suddenly grab Morgana as roughly as he'd done to her not even a moment ago. But she supposed she didn't have to worry about that; Uther was carefully watching the interaction now, observing silently, his hand never moving from Enide's shoulder.
A silent decree of surprising support and that was enough to calm Enide's frayed nerves.
For in the end, no one could steal the King's daughter away without his permission.
Valiant continued, "I understand the tournament champion has the honor of escorting My Lady to the feast."
"That's correct."
Valiant nodded his head at her in a graceful manner, "Then I will give everything to win the tournament." Morgana's smile grew at his obvious flirtation, before nodding her head. Valiant's smile grew bolder, as if he had gotten exactly what he wanted by pleasing the Lady.
As Valiant stepped away, Uther who had seemed pleased with Valiant's interaction with his ward and Morgana's response to it, waved his hand out.
"I look forward to seeing you fight on the morrow."
And finally with a quicker greeting to the Queen and the Lady Saeth, Knight Valiant was gone.
Enide focused her attention back to next incoming knight, the frown vanishing as a bright smile overtook her face as she came to face with her brother.
"Arthur." Uther stated simply, face carefully neutral, his thoughts never betraying him.
"Father." Arthur nodded, a small smile growing on his face as he moved onto his sister. "Sister," Arthur began, taking his sisters hand to lay a brief peck to her wrist. "Are you well?" He questioned in a low murmur, face dark, revealing he had been watching her interaction with Valiant.
"I am well, thank you Arthur," Enide hummed, a weak grin on her face as Arthur moved onto Morgana.
As the presentations grew to a halt, the night coming to an end, Enide looked up as her father squeezed her shoulder once. "Come, I shall escort you back to your chambers my child."
"Of course my lord," the lady murmured. Patting her fathers arm for a moment, Enide slipped over towards her mother, allowing the Queen to wrap her arms around her.
Pulling her into a tight embrace, Enide burrowed her head into her mother's shoulder. Alayne gently bent down ever so slightly to peck her daughters temples. "Sleep well my sweet petal, I shall come to break my fast with you in the morn."
"I look forward to it my lady," Enide hummed, slipping into a brief curtsy as she turned back to her father.
Leading her away from the Great hall arm in arm, Enide began to animatedly describe the dress she was having made for her upcoming name day. Deidre was set to come to her chambers in the morning, just before her mother arrived to break her fast. Eventually, her mine of conversation moved on towards what she was planning to gift Saeth for her upcoming nuptials.
Never once did her father speak. Instead Uther Pendragon remained steadily silent, head cocked to the side in quiet contemplation. He nodded his head as the appropriate time, nodding his head in agreement when she voiced a question. It had been the longest her father ever left her speak.
"My child," Uther began when there was a final break in the conversation, allowing himself the chance to steer the flow of topics. "Tell me truthfully what do you think of Valiant as a potential suitor?"
"I think he could make Morgana very happy Father," Enide declared, keep her face carefully blank.
"Yes ... I could see that." The king muttered, awkwardly looking at his daughter. "Does ... I suppose do you..."
"Papa I beg you do not finish that sentence," Enide shuddered in disgust, biting her lip to stop the giggles threatening to escape her lips at Uther's disgruntled face. "I am much too young to marry Papa," The royal bastard declared proudly. "Mother would have your head if you proposed for me to marry that brute."
"You are sixteen winters my child," Her father continued factually. "You should be—"
"I know Papa," Enide muttered. "I should be betrothed like Saeth was at my age. I just ask you please do not sell me off to a brute like Valiant you saw how he was eyeing me like a common cow to breed!"
"You are no cow my child." Uther stated a dark look settling on his face. "You are member of this family and it is your duty to marry for the good of Camelot."
Deflated, Enide nodded, keeping her head to the ground so she could avoid meeting her fathers gaze. This was not a fight she would win, not a battle she could conquer alone. Arthur and her mother have fought by her side but it would matter not. Enide was the kings natural daughter, an object to be bartered amongst nobility if she was supposedly lucky. She was a taint to the Pendragon name. The lady Enide knew if it came down to it, her father would sacrifice her to save his people.
"Which is why I intend to ensure your future husband is an honourable man who will not dishonour you my girl."
A gratified smile tug on Enide's lips as she kissed her fathers cheek. "Good night Papa," She murmured, curtsying albeit briefly before hightailing it to her own chambers.
And so for the remainder of the night, Enide laid curled on her bed, dreading and eagerly awaiting the changing from night to dawn. With so many sons of nobility in Camelot it seemed her father was determined to find her some suitor. She was nothing more than a pawn in this society, her values dictating she was subservient to the males of this patriarchal world.
She refused to be a wife, her only duty to bear said husband heirs. Her mother, for the most part lived a life of freedom, marrying a man who allowed her to do as she pleased for the most part, a man who in some shape of form genuinely loved her. A man who treated her a partner in most things.
This is the life Enide wanted for herself, the life she would secure. If she was to marry, she wanted a husband who would treat her as an equal, not an object he possesses.
And if Enide Pendragon has her way, a certain, bumbling servant could make a perfect exemplar.
✲*'。