Pairing name: Merthur

Chapter Ten, Day out gone wrong

"Remind me again why we went hunting after a nice day out?" Merlyn asked as they walked towards a Tavern.
"Because I don't want my father to get suspicious and find out and end up banishing you or worse, Merlyn." Arthur told her, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Now, let's go have a nice cold tankard of mead." Arthur said, as got his horse to trot down the hill. Merlyn rolled her eyes at him despite having a slight blush on her cheeks.

"Dollophead!" Merlyn said fondly, as she followed Arthur into the tavern joining him at his table.
"My. Aren't you pretty." A lady said as she came over to the table Merlyn and Arthur were sat at. "I'd snap her up if I were you." She said turning to Arthur making him splutter before getting a hold of himself.
"Don't worry I intend to." Arthur said smiling at Merlyn as she smiled back a blush on her cheeks.
"Good." The lady said. "So, what'll it be?" She asked, obviously the owner of the tavern.
"Two tankards of mead, please." Arthur asked, once she had left Merlyn raised her eyebrow at Arthur.
"Really?" She asked.
"Of course Merlyn." Arthur replied. "I've meant every word I've said to you and I will continue to warm your trust back."

"Thank you." Merlin said, when a waitress brought over their tankards.
"Don't tell anyone I said that, Merlyn." Arthur said sternly.
"I think that's pretty much a non issue now. Given the amount of times we've saved each other, everyone already knows, maybe not the extent of our feelings except us and Gaius. Well, everyone except your father." Merlyn said, shrugging her shoulders and taking a sip of her drink. When suddenly the door banged open and a thug walked in, making the whole tavern go quiet as he knocked plates to the floor.

"Afternoon, Mary. Business looks good." The thug said to the tavern owner who had greeted Merlyn and Arthur.
"We've had our better days." Mary answered, a slight quiver to her voice.
"I don't suppose you'd begrudge me my share, then." The thug said completely ignoring what Mary just said.
There was some discussion going on between the two before he pulled a knife on Mary when she came up short with the payment, which is when Arthur stepped in.
"Take your hands off her." Arthur ordered.

Merlyn watched anxiously as the thug attacked Arthur, but he just dodged it and threw the thug away from him, where he crashed into some barrels and onto the floor.
"I'm gonna make you pay for that." The thug growled once he got back to his feet. But Arthur just stood there completely unimpressed with his arms crossed across his chest.
Merlyn could help it, she burst out laughing as she straightened her brown coat over brown trousers, corset and white shirt.

"What's so funny, girl?" The thug growled menacingly at Merlyn making Arthur and a man with dark curly hair tense.
"I'd like to see you try." Merlyn said simply with a small smirk on her face. The thug glared at Merlyn for a second before he whistled and around fifteen thugs barged into the tavern, all laden down with weapons. Merlyn wishing she hadn't spoken moved away from the table, she didn't want to be attacked while sitting down.
"You had to open your big mouth, didn't you, Merlyn?" Arthur asked sarcastically through pursed lips.
"Well, sometimes they're all talk." Merlyn said cheekily which Arthur just shook his head at.
"You two have got yourselves in a bit of a pickle, haven't you?" The dark haired man asked as he slowly walked up to them. 

"You should get out of here while you have the chance." Arthur told him as he assessed the thugs over by the door.
"You're probably right." The man agreed. "But, I'll never leave a beautiful woman in trouble." He said, making Arthur glare at him as he took a long drink of his mead and handed the tankard to the bald thug. He looked from the tankard in his hand to the dark haired man confused for a moment, only to get punched in the nose by said man. Which was the start of a full blown brawl in the tavern, between pretty much everyone and the thugs.

The waitresses were hitting the thugs over the head with jugs, people were being thrown out the door, or around the tavern. Arthur was fighting the bald thug who was obviously the leader, and the other man was fighting another thug. Merlyn was holding her own rather well thanks to the lessons she had gotten from Morgana, before she turned against them.
"Arthur!" Merlyn cried, rushing over to help her friend and crush? Lover? Whacking another thug on the side of the neck which sent him to the floor with a groan of pain.

"Merlyn! Behind you!" Arthur shouted worriedly, as she was unaware of the thug behind her, too preoccupied with saving Arthur as usual. Spinning around Merlyn was able to duck in time to avoid the bench hitting her which smashed into the wall behind her. Making her way around the tavern she noticed two rather large thugs heading her way, looking around quickly she spotted a bench as an idea formed in her head.
"Aetslide Bencpel!" Merlyn chanted as her eyes glowed gold, before she threw the bench at the two thugs sending them crashing to the floor.

Merlyn didn't have time to ponder her next move as she heard feet thundering on the slab-stone floor behind her, looking over her shoulder she saw the man she'd hit in the neck earlier with another man, both of them running at her. Spinning on her heel she took off around the tavern evading their grasps, flying crockery and flying men. She ducked under the bar just as the men thought they had her cornered, and hit one in the head with a jug, only for a second one to hit the other one in the head.
"Thanks." Merlyn said to Mary. Once the woman was distracted she used her magic to throw some plates at another man heading her way, sending him to the floor.

She gasped when the man who'd approached them earlier suddenly appeared in front of her. She only hoped he didn't spot her doing magic.
"Pass the jug, huh?" He asked dropping the man he had been fighting with, who landed on the floor with a rather loud thump. Merlyn looked at him scared for a moment, before she grabbed the jug behind her.
The man nodded in thanks and took a long drink from it, only stopping to punch someone in the face.
"What do they call you, beautiful?" The man asked flirtatiously.
"Merlyn. With a 'y'." Merlyn answered, a light smile. She could tell he was a flirt but he didn't mean anything towards her, she'd seen the smirk briefly upon his face when Arthur had glared at him.

"Gwaine. Pleasure to meet you." Gwaine said as he took her hand and kissed her knuckles, which caused her to roll her eyes with a smile. "Are you and the blonde man you were with earlier..?" Gwaine asked, trailing off at the end.
"Yeah, but we can't act on anything right now." Merlyn replied with a small strained smile.
"That explains it. How come?" Gwaine said in realisation, a wide smile on his face. He could tell they would get along famously, he would protect her like he would his sister and it was refreshing not having a beautiful woman fall at his feet. Before more could be said another man charged at Gwaine, only for Gwaine to hit him with the jug that was still full of mead. "Such a waste, huh?" Gwaine sighed, making Merlyn giggle and Gwaine to laugh.

He and Merlyn turned around to see Arthur still fighting the leader, only for him to pull out a knife, the same one he pulled on Mary. Before Merlyn could do anything Gwaine was charging at the man and tackling him to the floor away from Arthur. Unfortunately as Gwaine tackled the thug he stabbed Gwaine in the leg, all the while Arthur just stood there with his mouth open like a fish out of water. As Gwaine tried to stand up he collapsed and hit his head on a bench knocking himself out.
"Gwaine!" Merlyn shouted worriedly, as she rushed over to the man who'd helped them.

As she rummaged through the pouch on her belt for a clean bandage, she noticed Arthur coming over to them out of the corner of her eye.
"How is he?" Arthur asked worriedly, as he watched Merlyn wrap a bandage tightly above the knife acting like a tourniquet.
"Not good. He's losing a lot of blood." Merlyn said worriedly.
"We'll get him to Gaius, and you can heal him there." Arthur hinted, as he picked Gwaine up and placed him over his shoulder and carried him out of the tavern, once Merlyn had removed the knife and stopped the bleeding, or at least slowed it down some.

As Arthur was laying Gwaine over the back of his horse, some men were dragging the thug out of the tavern and putting him in the stocks. Merlyn glared fiercely at the thug, her cerulean eyes blazing with fury as her magic raged under her skin. Not only had this scumbag tried to kill Arthur, but he had also stabbed Gwaine, a man who'd tucked everything to help them and saved Arthur. Climbing onto her horse she smirked as he was pelted with rotten fruit.
"If this man ever troubles you again, word is to be sent to Camelot." Arthur said authoritatively, as he addressed the people. "Soldiers will be here within a day."
"How can you make a promise like that?" Mary asked, confused.

"'Cause I'm the King's son, Prince Arthur." Arthur replied as he started riding past them. Mary gasped in awe and wonder over Arthur being in her tavern before they all pelted the man again. All Merlyn wanted was to get back to Camelot as soon as possible, so she and Gaius can treat Gwaine and go to sleep; she was exhausted. Arthur and Merlyn arrived black at Camelot at nightfall, Arthur ordered some Guards to help him carry Gwaine up to Gaius' chambers.

"Put him in my room." Merlyn called. "I'll sleep on the bed over there." Merlyn said, pointing to the bed in the corner when Arthur raised an eyebrow at her.
"No. Guards help me put him on this bed,"
Arthur ordered, as they carried Gwaine to the sickbed in the corner; it was used for patients. While Merlyn rolled her eyes at his overprotective nature. Gaius's bed was on the other side of the room behind one of the screens.
"Merlyn, fetch me some water, towels, a needle and silk thread." Gaius asked, interrupting Arthur's overprotective rants before they even started.

"I'll get some honey too." Merlyn called as she rushed around the room gathering all the things Gaius asked for, then going down to the well in town to fetch some clean water. When she came back Arthur and Guards were gone.
"Arthur said he's to have anything he needs." Gaius told Merlyn as they got to work. He was quite surprised at that, but since his niece had arrived she's changed him for the better and now Arthur was more caring towards his people. He would be a great King with Merlyn by his side as Queen.
"Is he going to be alright, Gaius?" Merlyn asked.
"If he's strong he'll make a full recovery." Gaius replied, rewrapping a fresh bandage.
"He definitely is that. He saved Arthur from being stabbed." Merlyn replied.

"I'll stay up and watch over him, no I'll be fine Merlyn." Gaius insisted when Merlyn went to argue. "You've been up for a few days. So go bathe and get to bed."
Knowing how stubborn her uncle was Merlyn agreed and kissed Gaius' cheek goodnight and headed behind the other screen to the tub. She filled it up with magic as she was too tired to wait for someone to bring up some water. Once finished and changed into her nightgown, she climbed into bed and was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Her dreams filled with what life could be like with Arthur and being free.