Chapter Four ❥ 𝚃𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚃𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜

♔

Two weeks had passed since Merlin had arrived in Camelot. During that time, he and Zipporah had grown much closer.

He was confident to say that they were good friends. The two had formed a strong, unique bond in such a short amount of time. They understood each other in a way no one else did.

To everyone else, they were simply servant and Queen. However, they knew different. They were a powerful force of Warlock and Sorceress.

One thing that Merlin had learned in those same two weeks was that Arthur Pendragon was the most demanding and infuriating person to ever exist. Why him? Out of all the men in Camelot, why did he have to get stuck as Arthur's slave.

Merlin voiced this question to Zipporah as they sat on a bench in the Physician's Quarters, having one of their daily discussions.

"Yesterday," Merlin started, "he had me wash the same shirt six times because he thought the colour looked a little faded!"He shook his head.  "His constant showing off too, I never knew one man could possess so much arrogance! Why did part of my destiny have to involve him? Why?"

Zipporah listened to Merlin as he poured out his frustration towards the Prince. She felt sympathetic to Merlin's plight, after all, she knew Arthur better than anyone and she could confirm that there was no exaggeration to Merlin's words.

"Arthur can be difficult to deal with," she agreed. "However, despite all his bravado, he is not as arrogant as he seems."

Merlin sent her a very doubtful look.

"Trust me, you will find out for yourself in time," she assured him, though he did not believe it, it was Arthur they were talking about.

The topic changed to the excitement surrounding the tournament, which was to begin the following morning.

"I've never been to a tournament before," Merlin confessed.

"You haven't missed out on much.
Only men developing even bigger egos than the ones they already possess."

He chuckled at her words. "I doubt Arthur needs to compete then, judging by the size of his."

She smiled in amusement, but then she grew more serious. "Arthur does not hold back in those tournaments. He wants to gain Uther's approval. We have to ensure that he is protected."

Merlin agreed with her, though somewhat reluctantly.

She explained to him, "I will do what I can, but I have to be careful. I will be seated right next to Uther, and I can't risk my magic being exposed to him."

Merlin nodded. "I understand. I will make sure no harm comes to Arthur."

♔

(𝚉𝚒𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚊𝚑'𝚜 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠)

It was the day of the tournament. The arena was filled with an excited audience, they sat chattering amongst themselves as they waited for the event to begin.

Morgana and Gwen sat to the right of the royal box, they too shared the anticipation of the other onlookers.

Arthur and the other competitors stood in a line in the centre of the arena. Each one of them held themselves with an air of courage and pride. If one were to look hard enough, you would be able see the fear hiding in the backs of their eyes, not one of them knowing if this tournament would cause them to draw their last breath.

King Uther and Queen Zipporah, arm-in-arm, strode past the front line of Knights and stood before them. Uther raised a hand to draw the attention to himself and Zipporah. The crowd instantly took notice of their presence and settled down to listen to them.

"Knights of the realm," Uther began, "it's a great honour to welcome you to a tournament at Camelot. 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. Only one can have the honour of being crowned champion, and he will receive a prize of one thousand gold pieces." Uther finished his speech and motioned for the servant near him to step forward. The servant did as he was ordered and opened the large, wooden box that he held in his arms, revealing a collection of shining, gold coins.

Zipporah observed as the Knight's eyes filled with greed and longing, all apart from Arthur. He was the Prince, so money was obviously no object to him. The only prize that he might obtain would be his father's approval. She knew how desperately he wanted it, but it's the lengths he was willing to go to in order to retrieve it, that worried her.

She stepped forward and announced in a loud voice, "it is in combat that we learn a knight's true nature, whether he is indeed a warrior or a coward." A young serving girl handed her a red handkerchief. Zipporah raised it above her head and swooped it down towards the floor in one smooth motion, whilst declaring, "let the tournament commence!"

The crowd erupted into great cheers.

The Knights began to exit the arena. On his way to the stands, Uther stopped by Arthur and spoke to him in a low voice. "I trust you will make me proud." He slapped his son's back and continued to his seat.

Zipporah was close behind Uther and she too lingered to speak to Arthur. Behind his blank expression, she could see the nerves that he tried so hard to steel. It was not something that the average person could do, as Arthur could be a very guarded man.

Zipporah had mastered this little trick quite a few years ago, not because of her special abilities, no, but because she knew Arthur Pendragon. She knew him very well. Where other's would see confidence and ego, she would see pressure and anxiety. She lay a hand on his arm and whispered, "be careful," before following Uther to the stands.

A group of guards took Arthur and the other Knight's capes, and they put on their helmets. They drew their swords from their sheaths and bowed to each other, to which the crowd again cheered.

Zipporah sat in the royal box on the side closest to the stands where Morgana and Gwen were. Said girls waved to her excitedly, which she returned with a wave of the same enthusiasm, though her heart did not mirror her body's actions. She spotted Merlin across the Stadium and gave him a subtle nod. He copied it, their earlier understanding passing between them.

The fight began.

It was as riveting as the people had hoped, though the people themselves could be held responsible for much of the atmosphere. They cheered at the successes and 'oohed' at the injuries. In turn, the Knights responded with doubled enthusiasm, eager to win the favour of the crowd.

The Queen and King too contributed to the atmosphere of the fight, displaying vibrant and lively reactions. However, they became most attentive whenever Arthur would fight. Every single blow dealt Arthur's way caused Zipporah to lean forward in her chair and fiddle with the material of her dress. Arthur twisted round his opponent's body and managed to rid him of his sword, leaving him defenceless. The opponent yielded, leaving Arthur as the victor. Zipporah clapped along with the crowd with a smile of relief on her pretty face.

After two hours of fighting, the first round of tournament was over. Knight Valiant had took the last fight and won his bout. There was no denying that he was a skilled swordsman.

♔

(𝚉𝚒𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚊𝚑'𝚜 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠)

On the evening after the tournament, all of the Knights were gathered in the throne room, standing in a line to take turns receiving acknowledgements of their performances from the King and Queen.

Zipporah stood in between Uther and Morgana as she respectfully gave her praises to the competitors. Knight Valiant was next in line and he wore a smug expression as he moved before her and Uther. He bowed in greeting and addressed himself. "Knight Valiant of the Western Isles, My Lord."

"I saw you fighting today. You have a very aggressive style." Uther had decided that he liked Valiant, he fought with honour and honour counted for everything in his book.

"Well, as my Lord said, to lose is to be disgraced," Valiant replied.

Uther gave an approving look to him. "I couldn't agree more. Knight Valiant, may I present Zipporah, my wife and Queen of Camelot." He gestured to the young woman next to him and looked to her proudly. He loved to show her off.

Valiant bowed to Zipporah and pressed a kiss to her hand whilst Arthur looked on from his place in the line with a wry grin.

"My Queen," Valiant greeted.

Rosina forced herself to smile politely at the Knight. "From what I saw of today's match, it seems that you are very skilled with a sword."

"Thank you, My Queen. It is very kind of you to say so." Valiant's pride was boosted greatly by her compliment. His eyes roamed up and down her body discreetly, though she still caught it, as did Uther.

Uther was not angered by the Knight's attraction to his wife, after all, Zipporah was an incredibly beautiful woman, and he was much used to men ogling at her. He found that it went in his favour to have a desirable and admired wife and Queen, for it added more prestige and renown to his own position as King.

Of course, however, if any man were to ever act on their attraction, it would surely lead to their doom. There is no doubt that Uther would have them arrested and burned at the stake before they could blink. She was his and his alone.

Valiant continued, "I understand the tournament champion has the honour of escorting her royal highness to the feast."

"You understand correctly," confirmed Zipporah.

"Then I will give everything to win the tournament."

Zipporah sent him another polite smile, though she felt like retching at his smarminess. Did he honestly think that he stood any kind of chance with her? If he was looking to be her lover, then he would be sorely disappointed. If she were ever  to take a lover, Valiant would be the last person she would choose. Even if she were not already wed, she would have never set her sights on him.

She nodded to him, bored of his presence, signalling that his time speaking with her was over.

Valiant bowed once more, "My Queen," and moved over to Morgana, who was much more eager to talk to the Knight than Zipporah.

Arthur was next in line and he walked up to where Valiant previously stood. Arthur bowed to his father and they briefly exchanged their acknowledgments of one another before Arthur moved on to Zipporah. He bowed to her. "My Queen."

"Arthur," she acknowledged, appearing to have more interest in speaking to him than the other Knight. "Everyone seems to be rather impressed by Valiant."

"Am I to count on you in that as well?" Arthur was intrigued to know her answer.

"I've seen better," she remarked casually, but looked at him pointedly.

The corners of Arthur's mouth turned upwards slightly, but then he glanced at his father and steeled his face. He bowed in farewell and moved to Morgana.

Valiant hadn't chatted to Morgana for very long, much to her disappointment. She had watched his exchange with Zipporah and when she saw Arthur in front of her, she took it as an opportunity to tease him. "The people are greatly impressed by Valiant."

Arthur looked at Zipporah briefly as he said, "that seems to be a popular statement today." His irritation was obvious and Morgana was pleased to find she had already ruffled his feathers.

"However, he appears to be far more impressed by someone else." At this, she let her eyes slide over to the Queen.

Arthur followed her trail and the muscles in his cheeks clenched when he grasped her meaning. "Yes, it would seem so."

Morgan smirked. "Is that jealously I detect?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Arthur scoffed and he stormed off to talk to some of the other Knights.

Morgana knew she had hit a nerve and she felt a little bad. A little.

Gwen piped up from her place just behind her Lady. "I don't think you should have said that, my Lady."

"Why," Morgana let out a small laugh, "it's not as if it wasn't true."

Gwen shook her head. Morgana was approaching a very dangerous subject. The maidservant just hoped that she wouldn't push it too far.

♔

The second day of the tournament had been quite a bit more eventful than the first. Arthur had fought well and got through to the final round as expected. However, during one of Valiant's fights, his opponent had been badly injured and consequently, had to be carried off the arena grounds and taken to the Physician's Quarters to be assessed by Gaius.

(𝚉𝚒𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚊𝚑'𝚜 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠)

Zipporah was suspicious of Valiant, the state the injured Knight appeared to have been in was far worse than what she would have expected from a shield bust. She was not alone in her suspicions. Both Gaius and Merlin thought that there was more to the aggressive Knight Valiant than what met the eye.

Merlin had decided to act on this feeling.

On the evening, he followed Valiant into the armoury and hid out of his line of view. What Merlin found out shocked him. The snakes on Valiant's shield came to life. He was using magic.

Merlin wasted no time in reporting back to Gaius. Back in their Quaters, Merlin relayed what we saw back to the Physician, who was much less surprised by the discovery. He had found bite marks on the injured Knight's neck, marks from a snake, and the teeth must be  coated in poison and it entered his blood stream.

Gaius told Merlin, "you need to tell Zipporah and Arthur."

"Arthur I can, but how can I see Zipporah? I'm a servant, they won't let me."

"No, but they will let me. You are forgetting I am her Physician, Merlin."

Gaius made a for a request to see the Queen in regards to her medicines. As he expected, he was granted permission immediately. He and Merlin stood waiting outside her chamber door after they had knocked to announce their arrival.

Zipporah opened the door and let them in. As she shut the door she said, "we can't be long, Uther will be back soon and he can't see you." She directed the last bit to Merlin, who nodded in understanding. She took in the men's anxious expressions and became curious. "What's going on?"

"It's about Knight Valiant," Gaius stated.

"Valiant?" repeated Zipporah. "I have just come from dining with him and Uther."

"Valiant's using magic to cheat in the tournament," Merlin told her.

"What?" She looked between Gaius and Merlin. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," Merlin declared, "I saw him use a spell to make the snakes on his shield come alive."

"That's how his opponent was injured so severely this morning. He was poisoned by a snake bite." Gaius spoke up.

Merlin reached into his pocket and presented her with the snake head he had chopped off for evidence.

She brought a hand to up her mouth. "My goodness."

Merlin moved closer to her so that he was looking her directly in the eye. He promised her firmly and surely, "I would not lie to you."

She trusted Merlin, she trusted him a great deal despite their short history. She placed her hand on the lower part of his arm. "I know," she assured. "I believe you."

Merlin was surprised at the amount of relief he felt when he heard those words escape her lips. It truly touched him to know that his word held value to her.

The realisation of what this all meant quickly sunk in and Zipporah's expression turned to one of worry. "Arthur," she spoke. "He can't fight. He mustn't fight!"

Merlin removed her hand from his arm and held it in his own, being careful to hide his action from Gaius' view. "I know, that's why I need to tell him."

"I'll come with you."

Arthur was standing by his fireplace, the flickering flames shining a bright reflection in his eyes. He did this sometimes, when he would think deeply about things. It gave him some sort of peace, a comfort of you will. He didn't know why. Just watching the flames ripple in front of him seemed to fill him with a sense of calm and helped him to muse freely about the things that troubled him.

One of the reasons for his pensiveness happened to be stood on the other side of the door, anxiously awaiting to go in, along with his dark-haired manservant.

His quiet state was soon cut short when a loud knock rapped on the door. Arthur's head snapped to the direction of the sound. He corrected his posture and moved his upper body in a way as if he were trying to shake the thoughts out of his head. He cleared his throat, "come in."

Zipporah appeared into his line of vision, along with Merlin. Arthur's tense posture relaxed at the sight of them, he had thought for a moment that it might have been his father. He wasn't in any mood to face him tonight. He noticed Zipporah's worried expression and his own brow furrowed in concern.

"Zipporah. Is everything alright?" He inquired as she walked towards him, standing by the table.

"We need to talk," she replied, then glanced back to Merlin and added, "it's regarding Knight Valiant. Merlin will explain."

As a result, Merlin stepped forward and launched into his story of what he had witnessed with Valiant, relaying the same facts he did to Zipporah. Arthur listened to him with intrigue, glancing at Zipporah every so often for her reaction. When Merlin has finished his explanation, he took out the snake head that was in his pocket and placed it on the table, in front of Arthur.

Arthur looked at the snake dubiously, he was having a hard time believing Merlin's tale. "You? You chopped off its head?" He asked sceptically, causing Zipporah to shoot him a look.

"Ewan was bitten by a snake from the shield when he was fighting Valiant," Merlin informed him, encouraged to continue by Zipporah giving him a subtle nod. "You can talk to Gaius, you can see the puncture wounds in Ewan's neck where the snake bit him. Ewan was beating him, he had to cheat."

Arthur shook his head and denied, "Valiant wouldn't dare use magic in Camelot."

"Don't underestimate the lengths a person would resort to for their own glory," Zipporah commented wisely.

Merlin continued to say, "Ewan was pinned under Valiant's shield. No one could see the snake bit him."

"I don't like the guy, but that doesn't mean he's cheating," argued Arthur, trying to come up with a logical explanation for the situation.

"Arthur, try and see sense," Zipporah spoke up impatiently. "Merlin and I are trying to help you. Gaius is preparing an antidote to the snake venom. When Ewan's conscious, he'll tell you what happened." Zipporah paused for a moment before she carried on. "If you fight Valiant in the final, he'll use the shield! It's the only way he can beat you."

Her words and almost desperate tone of voice struck Arthur and forced him to change his outlook on it. Merlin the picked up the snake head and held it out towards Arthur, saying, "have you ever seen any snakes like this in Camelot?" Arthur took the snake and examined it closely. Merlin's voice became even more serious, honestly protruding from it as he said, "I know I'm just a servant and my word doesn't count for anything, but I wouldn't lie to you."

Arthur's gaze jumped to Zipporah who took a step closer to him. "I believe Merlin. He has my trust, Arthur."

The Prince nodded then addressed Merlin again. "I want you to swear to me what you're telling me is true."

"I swear it's true," Merlin replied straight away.

Arthur gave a nod. "Then I believe you."

♔

(𝚉𝚒𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚊𝚑'𝚜 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠)

The following afternoon, Zipporah was sat on a rocking chair in her chambers, engrossed in one of her favourite novels. It was one of the rare moments were she had some peace and quiet to herself.

She enjoyed the simple beauty of convalescing, living in the moment of tranquility. She wished could experience the feeling more often, but unfortunately, being a Queen didn't grant much opportunity for free time.

She turned the page of her book to the next chapter, swaying gently back and forth on her chair, when the doors opened. To her dismay, it was her husband who walked through them. She really couldn't escape him for long.

Usher was seemingly unaware of his wife's disappointment, as he strode up to her and planted a kiss to her head. Zipporah flashed him a charming smile, but her eyes betrayed the pain that she felt within.

"And how is my darling wife, today?" Came Uther's velvety voice.

"I am quite well," she replied shortly, eager to return her attention to her book. She could feel him hovering over her, but tried to ignore his unwanted, lingering presence.

Uther eyed the book in disdain. He disliked anything that stole her attention away from him. In one smooth movement, he snatched the book from her grip, causing her to look up at him in shock, then threw it to the floor dismissively.

Zipporah's expression quickly transitioned from surprise to anger. Her mouth formed a perfect o-shape at the audacity of his actions. "Whatever do you think you are doing?" She demanded heatedly.

Uther merely smirked back at her, infuriating her even more. "I could see that your attention was divided," he stated simply, perching on the arm of her chair and interlocking his hand with hers.

She  was quick to rip her hand away and stand up from the chair, wanting to create some space between them. She had been married to him for almost a year, and yet she still couldn't believe the arrogance of her husband. People thought that Arthur was bad, well, Uther was in a whole other category.

She picked up her book and smoothed the front cover of it with her hand, wiping away the remnants of dust. She set it back on her vanity, being sure to position it as far away from Uther's reach as possible. It wasn't enough for him to control the kingdom, he needed to control everyone in it too.

He knew that Zipporah was no pushover, he tried to control her but she refused to let him. She would not conform to the ways of other Queens. She would not be a vessel for him to command. However, she still had to tread carefully in some areas, and not only for her own sake.

Uther sighed to himself as he observed her actions. "You are upset," he noted. She made no move to reply, simply pretending to check the state of her hair in the mirror. Her lack of response only confirmed his observation. He lifted himself off the chair and stood behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders. "Please, do not ignore me."

Zipporah had no intention of engaging in a conversation with him, her anger needed time to cool down first, otherwise she would be very tempted to kick him in his pompous head. Fortunately, fate appeared to be on her side, for one of their guards knocked on the door.

Uther addressed the guard with little patience, irked at being interrupted. "What do you want?"

Zipporah caught the way the guard's throat lump bobbled up and down before he replied. It was not an uncommon reaction towards her husband, he had a proud tendency to instil fear in a lot of people.

"Beg your pardon, Your Majesties," the guard apologised nervously. "Prince Arthur has requested an audience with the King and Queen."

Uther turned to look at his wife  in confusion, he couldn't imagine what possible reason his son would have for arranging such a spectacle.

Zipporah, on the other hand, tried her best to keep her expression equally as unknowing, for she did know the reason for Arthur's actions. She could only hope that it went in his favour.

♔

💜 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 💜