We returned back to the castle with the dragon pendent hidden from sight. I assumed, correctly, that Gwen would be waiting for us.
The last thing we had on the agenda today was to meet at the Round Table. I usually filled wine cups and such there- I just wasn't comfortable enough to sit down with the other Knights.
Gwen, Arthur, Guias, Gwaine, Percival, Leon, Mordred, Elyias, and all the other Knights circled the table. Their faces were mostly solemn (Gwaine's face was never serious) as they began the meeting.
I usually tuned them out. It didn't concern me, but sometimes things caught my interest... Like today. I snapped back to reality just as Arthur was saying,"and these murders have just occurred within this month."
I almost spilled the wine pitcher. What did Arthur know about the murders?
"Sire, do the victims have anything in common?" Leon asked. Guias shook his head.
"No, I've been to two of them. The only thing they had in common was the raven hair that both the girl and boy had." He said back.
Dark hair...? My face paled significantly. I think I know who... No. No, no I refuse to go there. This can not be happening. It's just a coincidence.
All the same...maybe it's them? I shook my head violently. These thoughts were dangerous. The only thing that could be done was to- I gasped as I realized what I had to do.
I needed to check this out myself.
****♦️****
Arthur's POV
******************
I sighed again as I thought over the problem. There was a solution. I would find it... But how? Catching a murderer without knowing the motive was next to impossible!
I needed to think about my men. They needed confidence, not doubt. That age old burden of leading a country came back to me.
"What if we sent out extra men. We could post them on the rooftops of houses. That way, the culprit would think he's alone, but in reality we could catch a glimpse of him." I suggested after long hard thought.
All the men looked at me. Percival nodded slowly, thinking it out.
" that might be the best plan of action." He agreed with me. I nodded proudly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a few more smiles. Good. I also noticed something else.
"Hey, Merlin... You ok?" I asked. We looked over at him. He seemed petrified. His knuckles where he gripped the pitcher were completely white. His face was almost as pale as his knuckles, if not, more so!
"...Merlin?" I asked again. He stood up taller. When he made eye contact with me, he seemed different from the usual Merlin.
His eyes glistened with pain and sorrow. The corners of his mouth dragged down as if a great weight rested on him.
"Sorry, Sire. Thinking about the murders is all." He explained. Oh, that makes sense. He was so empathetic sometimes. I scoffed at him.
"Ok, Merlin. So anyway..."
The meeting continued like usual. Merlin was still a bit pale, and his movements looked stiff and forced. I wondered if he knew any of the victims.
I didn't even think of that. I should ask him later. I hope this didn't cause him pain.
Not that I would ever admit it, but Merlin is pretty much a brother to me. He has stuck with me through thick and thin, getting hurt a lot along the way.
Just then, a messenger burst in from the entry hall. Half the Knights stood up, while the other half gripped their swords. The messenger was taken aback.
I grinned. Best not to startle a room full of armed men. "What is it?" I asked him, egging him on to deliver his message. He cleared his throat akwardly.
"Your Highness, there's been another murder. It took place not five minutes ago. It happened right outside the palace walls." He said breathlessly.
Most of the Knights stood up, all wanting to help at the same time. Uh oh. Not a good idea.
"Percival, if you will..." I said to him. He nodded, guessing what I needed from him. He stood up suddenly, and yelled at the top of his lungs,"STOP!!!"
All motion in the hall ceased. I thanked Percival quickly before turning to the mass of people.
"Listen, Knights! If we all left at once, we would have a complete riot on our hands! Sir Gwaine, Sir Leon, Guias, if you would follow me. The rest of you, I want a regular guard on the walls around the clock! Post men along the rooftops of every fifth village house! Do try to be a bit secretive about it, ok? We've all got our jobs! Why are you all still sitting here, LETS MOVE PEOPLE, WORK YOUR LEGS!" I yelled. The hall jumped into motion at my words.
At least it was a good, organized motion this time. Elyias turned to me.
"It is times like these, Sire, that you remind us how capable a King you are." He said. I nodded back to him.
"Someone's got to keep us all in line." Gwaine said from behind me. He winked at me as I looked at him. As I rolled my eyes, I said,"Merlin! Let's go, we have places to b..." I trailed off as I realized no one is was there.
"Merlin?" I said louder. "Blast it all, where and when could he have possibly run off?" I sighed in frustration. That boy was so strange sometimes.
****♦️****
Merlin's POV
****************
I heard the messenger before I saw him. His steps sounded hurried- no, almost frantic. There weren't many explanations for this and my brain ran through them all pretty quickly.
I settled on the most realistic and plausible theory. There's been another murder. I positively shook. Quickly, before the news would arrive, I slipped out a side door.
It's likely I'm just overreacting. But... I needed to make sure if that. Then everything can go back to normal. Then I could forget about everything again. Then I will be able to move on.
But for now... I'll just have to play by ear.
****♦️****
(A/N) Hi guys!! Sorry about all the liberties I've been taking with the use of language... There weren't clocks back then so excuse me when I put it in Arthur's monologue. There will probably be more of those...enjoy the rest of the story!!!
********