Love, Faith and Family

Chapter 71

The next morning, they continued on to track Borden, Arthur genuinely surprised when Merlin claimed to sense that he'd travelled east and Elyan confirmed it. Arriving at a cave, they almost turned back when Percival saw a footprint in the mud.

Amazingly, inside the cave, there rested a waterfall. A waterfall they were able to walk through where a sprawling forest and endless mountains led to a tall stone tower. The tomb of Ashkanar.

No wonder why no one ever found it.

And they almost didn't as they walked through a ravine and an arrow pierced Percival's leg.

"Take cover!" Arthur yelled as he grabbed Merlin and pulled him flush with the ravine wall, Leon on Merlin's other side as Gwaine did the same with Mira on the opposite wall.

"Percival, are you alright?" Miriam asked as he groaned in pain on the ravine floor, everyone's eyes on the tree line above them to try and spy the shooter.

"Yeah," he strained before an arrow punctured the rock next to his head and his eyes widened in horror.

"Where's he firing from?" Arthur wondered, no one able to answer the question before the king got Leon's attention. "I'll draw fire. Get him to Mira," he ordered, his knight nodding as he signalled Miriam who was already pulling out bandages and pain tonics from the small bag she had tied to her sword belt. "Go!" Arthur yelled as he ran from one wall to the other, the arrow missing him as Leon ran to grab Percival's waiting arm and pull him over to the other wall, the knight groaning in pain as he collapsed back to the ground.

As Merlin spotted Borden and Arthur ran after him, Elyan turned to Miriam and Percival.

"How is he?" he asked as Miriam assessed the wound, Percival having downed the pain drought she gave him in one go.

"It's just a flesh wound. You are so lucky it didn't hit bone or your tendons," she said.

"Not feeling so lucky right now," Percival said, and Miriam smirked.

"I would wait a second before saying that."

And a small scream tore itself from Percival's throat as Miriam yanked the arrow out of his leg.

"Some warning would be nice," he groaned as Miriam rubbed a little honey on the wound to help prevent infection before tying a tight bandage around his leg.

"I would think that a big strong knight wouldn't need warning."

"Can he walk?" Arthur asked as he and Merlin came running back down from the top of the ravine.

"He might need help with the first few steps but he should be alright. I only have two doses of the pain drought left so see how you go, but let me know if it gets too bad," she instructed and Percival nodded as Leon prepared to help his friend up.

"Thanks, Mira."

She shrugged.

"It's what I'm here for, Percy."

"Alright, let's go," Arthur said as he took Percival's other arm and hauled him to his feet, the injured knight testing how weight felt on his leg. "We'll camp for the night and continue on in the morning."

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All of the knights, including Arthur, were currently in Miriam's bad books.

She wasn't asking for them to move mountains or kiss the ground that Merlin walked on, all she was asking for was that they show him a little decency and kindness.

But of course, they didn't listen to her as Arthur took Merlin's plate of food and told him to get more firewood while the other knights essentially left no food in the pot as they scooped it out.

"Mira," Arthur said nervously as he turned around to see the girl staring at them with an unimpressed look on her face.

"I hope you enjoy your food. Come on, Merlin. I'll help you get the firewood," she said simply as her brother stood and she pushed past Arthur.

"Miriam -"

"No!" she exclaimed as she shoved Arthur's arm off her. "I am basically a servant, so if that was me would you treat me the same way?"

"Well, no but -"

"Then why can't you treat Merlin the same way? Why can't all of you?" she asked and the group with her hands on her hips, all of them still silent. "When you stop acting like children and start acting like the knights and king you claim to be, then come and talk to me. Let's go Merlin."

"You didn't have to do that, you know?" her brother said as they walked.

She only sighed as she wrapped her arms around him as they walked, his embrace as comforting and relaxing as always.

"The way they treat you is wrong, Merlin. And if I can do something about it, which I can, then I will. And they prattle on about nobility and honour when they can't even treat you with basic decency. I'm ready for a joke as much as the next person, but that was just cruel what they did to you."

Merlin held her close as he pressed his lips to her head.

"It is an absolute wonder how I ended up with someone as wonderful as you as my little sister."

Miriam laughed.

"It is an absolute wonder considering that our father was a Dragonlord and not supposed to have any daughters."

"We're going to save the egg, Mira. That's a promise."

"Oh, I know. Borden isn't going to sell it and Arthur isn't going to destroy it. That is a promise."

Merlin smiled at her, a proud and beaming smile. He was so proud of who she was, and hopefully everything she would be if Kilgharrah was right about what he said when Merlin went to visit him after discovering Arthur's feelings for his sister.

"Come on, let's get that firewood."