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The spell was still reverberating through the air when Lancelot stepped in front of Merlin with his sword drawn. His heart was beating wildly, but his hands remained steady, even though he was pointing his blade at Prince Arthur of Camelot, the man he swore to protect. But right now, there was someone else he needed to protect. And, just as he had predicted from the start, when the time came to make a choice between those two people, he did not hesitate for a second.
No one else had moved yet. The other knights were standing in stupefied silence, gaping at the body of the attacker who had come out of nowhere and had been knocked out at the last moment by Merlin’s powerful spell. Only Arthur was looking at the warlock, his expression stunned. But Lancelot thought he discerned also a hint of anger and maybe even fear, and that didn’t bode well. Fear was even more dangerous than anger because it could push someone to do something they would later regret. He tightened his grip on the hilt, bracing for whatever was to come.
‘Put it down, Lancelot.’ He started with surprise. It was not an order but a request, and it had not come from the prince but from his manservant. Lancelot could feel Merlin’s gaze boring into his back, but he didn’t dare turn around. He shook his head slowly, knowing that making any sudden movement would be a very bad idea.
‘Put it down, Lancelot,’ Arthur echoed, though it lacked the air of command. He still seemed more disbelieving than incensed, but Lancelot feared it was about to change.
Despite the dryness of his throat, he managed to give a defiant ‘No!’ in response. It finally brought the other knights out of their stupor, and Lancelot saw four blades turn towards him. He tensed, eyes darting from one opponent to the next, assessing his chances. Sir Robert would be the easiest to overcome since his fighting skills still left much to be desired. Sir Edward and Sir Henry looked uncertain, which could work in Lancelot’s favour. But Sir Edgar was another matter. The initial shock had worn off, and he was now grinning wolfishly. He had always been jealous of Lancelot’s position within Arthur’s inner circle and undoubtedly relished the opportunity to play a part in his fall from grace.
‘Lancelot, please.’ Merlin’s voice was outwardly calm, but the knight could sense his distress even without seeing his expression. ‘I don’t want them to hurt you.’
‘I don’t want them to hurt you!’ he shot back. It came out harsher than he intended.
He heard Merlin shift behind his back, and the swords in front of him quivered as their wielders closed protectively around Arthur.
‘Step away from Mer– from the sorcerer, Lancelot,’ the prince said, more forcefully this time.
‘No.’
‘Arthur,’ Merlin’s voice rang clear in the stillness of the night, ‘I need you to know that Lancelot is not himself. I have enchanted him. He is not to blame for any of this.’
It was only a warrior’s instinct that kept Lancelot’s eyes glued to the danger before him. In his mind, he whirled around to stare at Merlin incredulously.
It seemed Arthur could not face two betrayals at once and was eager to accept an explanation that meant at least one of his most trusted friends had not willingly committed treason.
‘Take off the enchantment immediately!’ he commanded.
‘I will if you promise not to punish him,’ Merlin replied.
‘You’re in no position to bargain,’ Arthur countered, his anger flaring.
‘I am not enchanted!’ Lancelot interjected, but no one paid him any attention.
‘I don’t want to fight you. I don’t want anyone to get hurt,’ Merlin stressed. ‘I will break the spell, and then I will go quietly.’
‘If this is some sort of trick…’ Arthur growled.
‘It’s not. You may not believe it, but I’ve been protecting you all this time–’
‘I don’t want to hear it!’ the prince interrupted angrily. ‘Just take the enchantment off him!’
‘Alright, alright,’ Merlin said placatingly. ‘I’m going to move now, okay? I need to face him for this.’
‘I am not enchanted!’ Lancelot repeated stubbornly, feeling as if he was in some bad dream. He refused to take his eyes off the blades still raised threateningly before him. But then Merlin’s face obstructed his view, and he had no choice but to look into the warlock’s blue eyes. Eyes that were so sad, Lancelot thought his heart might break just from that.
‘Please, Lancelot,’ Merlin whispered. ‘Save yourself. Pretend you’ve been enchanted. Regain Arthur’s trust.’
For a moment, the knight was too offended to speak. How could Merlin even suggest that he should denounce him to get back into the prince’s good graces? Did he think so little of Lancelot that he imagined he would do such a despicable thing?
‘I will not abandon you,’ he snarled.
The warlock sighed as if he had been expecting a reaction like that.
‘It would ease my mind to know that you’re safe.’
There was a silent plea in his eyes that Lancelot found hard to ignore, but he needed to stand his ground.
‘I am not leaving your side. For better, for worse, remember?’
Merlin bridled and replied in a furious whisper, ‘Getting burned at the stake is the one thing I’d rather not share with you.’
‘You won’t have to because I’m not going to let that happen,’ Lancelot responded obstinately.
‘You won’t be able to do much if you’re locked in the dungeons with me,’ the warlock huffed with annoyance. ‘But if we pretend that I’ve lifted the enchantment–’
‘How much longer?’ Arthur asked impatiently, and Merlin shouted over his shoulder, ‘Almost there!’
‘So if we pretend–’ he continued in a whisper, but Lancelot shook his head.
‘You realise that I would have to prove somehow that I was no longer under your spell?’ He shuddered at the mere thought of what that might entail. ‘No, Merlin. Absolutely not.’
‘Then what do you propose?’ the warlock asked despairingly.
Lancelot didn’t hesitate. It was audacious, certainly, but what did they have to lose?
‘We don’t go quietly. We fight our way out of this, find a safe place, and figure out our next move from there.’
Merlin blinked, visibly taken aback. He stole a glance behind him.
‘There’s five of them,’ he pointed out. ‘And I don’t want to hurt Arthur.’
Lancelot smiled for the first time in what felt like eternity.
‘Aren’t you forgetting something? Together, we can do anything.’
Some of the tension seeped out of the warlock’s shoulders as he shook his head with a silent chuckle.
‘You’re a very bad influence, you know that?’
‘And I intend to be one for years to come.’ Lancelot shot a quick look at Arthur who was getting visibly frustrated. ‘On my count then?’
Merlin looked at him intensely for a heartbeat, then nodded.
Lancelot took a deep breath and steadied his grip on the sword.
‘One, two, three.’