CHAPTER FOUR
VALIANT ( i. )

The wind howls in a lonely wail, picking up its strength as distant lightning ricochets through the layered clouds holding floods of rain within them. Delicate drops of water pitter against the muddy path that leads to the tavern at the end of the road and roars of laughter escalate through the air, jumbling into the abstracted rolls of thunder. The faint candlelight from the tavern bleeds through the windows creating enough visibility for Calliope to peek inside and focus on her target. 

She clutches the smooth handle of her blade, leaning over to conceal it in one of her mud-caked riding boots. Calliope inhales a sharp breath before stepping towards the door. She pulls it open swiftly and steps into the atmosphere of the tavern.

The strong stench of alcohol mingled with the odor of the dirty men sitting around the tables causes Calliope to scrunch up her nose in disgust. Barks of obnoxious laughter consume the drunken air. She remembers what she's there for, and hones her mind on her task. Calliope moves through the tavern like a cat—quiet and focused on her prey.

She comes to a halt at the table in the back of the room. A bearded man sits with a girl on his lap as he throws back the remnants of ale in his glass. Calliope leans forward, placing her small hands on the wooden table. Her eyes are fierce and alluring.

"Can I get you another one?" She asks in a milky tone that grabs the man's attention instantly. He forgets about the brunette on his right knee, shoving her off with his hungry stare on Calliope. She withholds a smirk as the man bends right to her will like a deer in a clearing, unaware of the hunter watching its every step.

"I think I should be the one buying you a drink, darling," he says through drunken slurs. The stench of ale in his breath is repulsive. "Why don't you have a seat so we can get to know each other better."

"I'd love nothing more," Calliope has him enticed with her as he gives her another lustful look before hurrying to the bar to grab another round of drinks.

Calliope scans the tavern. Everyone is so drunk that they probably wouldn't even notice if she stabbed the man in front of them, but Calliope doesn't like causing a scene in public.

When the man returns, he sits on the bench beside Calliope, moving closer to her than she would like, but she plays along with a flirtatious glint in her eyes. Calliope unfastens her cloak and sets it beside her, revealing the plunging neckline of her shirt. The man's eyes wander to her breasts in a way that makes Calliope's stomach churn in a nauseating way.

Calliope places a soft hand on his thigh, an alluring promise of the night, "Why don't we go somewhere more... private to finish these drinks?"

He eagerly agrees, standing up and grabbing both drinks. He motions to the back door, "After you."

Calliope flashes him a light smile as she grabs her cloak. Her heart pounds as he follows her to the back door. They walk outside into the drizzling rain, and Calliope barely has any time to react as the man drops the drinks and wraps his hands around her waist. He pushes her against the wall of the tavern, his hot, abhorrent breath fanning over her face as his eyes glide over her body. Calliope brings her right knee up slowly, resting her foot against the wall. Inside her boot rests her dagger.

The man leans into her, "This will definitely be a night to remember."

Calliope nods, "You're right," she shoots her hand to her boot, gripping the handle of the knife. She draws it out of her boot, and plunges it into the man's neck. His eyes widen as she yanks the blade out, blood flowing from the deep wound, "Just not for you."

The man stumbles back, unable to speak. He falls to his knees, gasping as the life drains out of him.

Calliope kicks him in the stomach, knocking him flat on his back. She stands over him as he lies dying in the mud, "You're the first of many I will kill," he chokes on his blood, taking his last breath. "You and your friends should have never stepped foot in my village."

She watches as his eyes become lifeless, and his body stills. Calliope turns without another thought and without remorse for what she had just done.

♛ ♛ ♛

The distant memory of her first kill as the Red Dragon haunts Calliope's mind as she walks down the path on her way back to the castle from the low town.

It was first deadly stroke of her blade that sent her spiraling into a pit of never-ending darkness and rage. She still feels the fallout today, even as she tries to put it behind her and reinvent herself in a new city. It sticks to her like strings tied to her arms, pulling and pulling to try and dictate her every movement and thought. She wishes she could figure out how to stop this haunting, like there could be some spell from Merlin's book that would banish it all back to hell. But if she could go back in time and let those men live... would she? A disturbing mystery that may remain unsolved for eternity.

Calliope spent the morning having breakfast with Gwen and her father; humble people who remind her that there's still good left in the world. She and Gwen's friendship continues to blossom, but Calliope feels a pang in her chest because of how genuine and honest Gwen is. If she really knew the truth, Gwen probably wouldn't even want to see her again. It's a delicate line to walk, between truth and lies and what she chooses to reveal. Gwen's kindness tempts her to let her lips loose, but she came here to forget. Calliope shakes away the feeling.

Clanking sounds carrying in the air ahead of her jolt Calliope out of her thoughts. She picks up the pace of her footsteps, stumbling into one of Arthur's training sessions in preparation for the annual tournament coming up in a few days. From the gossip drifting in corridors, Calliope knows Arthur is used to winning every year.

Calliope stops, crossing her arms over her chest as she watches in amusement. Arthur's training partner is Merlin, which makes everything funnier. Merlin is caked in training equipment that doesn't fit his slender body. He isn't muscled up like Arthur and the other knights. The helmet hands awkwardly on his head as Arthur swings his sword at him.

"Body. Shield. Body. Shield," Arthur calls out as Merlin struggles to keep up. "Head."

"Head?" Arthur hits the top of Merlin's helmet with his sword. "Ow!"

Merlin walks back as Arthur circles him, "Come on, Merlin. You're not even trying."

He smacks Merlin on the back with his sword, earning a chuckle from Calliope.

"I am!"

Merlin faces Arthur again, "Once more."

"Oh no."

Arthur swings his sword again, "To the left. Right and left." His sword collides with Merlin's helmet again with a clanking sound. "Head."

"Ow!"

"Come on, Merlin! I've got a tournament to win!"

"Can we stop now, please?"

Arthur's aggressive swing answers a strong no to his question, "Shield. Body. Shield." And then, with one final blow to the helmet, Merlin stumbles back in a daze.

He falls to the ground, his helmet falling off and rolling away. Arthur stands over him and tilts his head.

"You're braver than you look. Most servants collapse after the first blow."

Merlin breathes heavily, "Is it over?"

"That was just the warm-up. How's your mace work coming along?"

Calliope finally starts walking through the grass towards the two boys, revealing her presence, "Well, that was just about the saddest thing I've ever seen."

They turn their heads towards the blonde approaching them, "Cal, I really don't want to hear it" Merlin says, still laying on the ground to recover. "You have no idea how hard and painful this is."

Calliope shrugs, "I don't know. It doesn't look that hard."

Quirking an eyebrow, the prince catches her gaze, "Well, I have a way of making difficult things look easy."

"You won't mind if I have a go, then?"

Arthur scoffs, "I don't think that's a good idea. You could get hurt."

Calliope leans down to pick up the sword Merlin dropped, "So could you."

Shaking his head, the prince watches her every step "Calliope, I'm not going to fight you."

"Why not? Because I'm a girl?"

"No," he looks to Merlin. "Because... Because...."

"Because he doesn't want to hurt you," Merlin finishes his sentence for him.

Arthur nods, his eyes moving back to Calliope, "Yes, exactly."

Calliope rolls her eyes. She decides to take initiative, coiling back her leg and kicking Arthur right in the gut.

He stumbles back in shock, "What are you doing?"

She marches towards him with a tight grip on the sword, "Helping you train," she breathes before swinging her blade at his head.

He ducks just in time, "Calliope, this is madness."

"I don't know, Sire. She seems to know what she's doing," Merlin points out when he finally gets back to his feet.

Calliope's sword collides with Arthur's, "I think," she says as she takes a strong step forward with her next swing, "that you are just afraid," their sword collide again with a loud clank of metal, "of being beaten," she kicks in the back of his knee, making him lose his balance, "by a girl."

Arthur regains his balance, glancing over her; staggered by her skill with a sword, "That's just ridiculous."

Calliope tilts her head, "Is it?"

She jabs at his side with a forceful blow that he barely blocks. Calliope uses her speed and agility to maneuver around every aggressive attack from Arthur, but she gets tired of being strictly defensive.

Calliope spins around, grabbing Arthur's arm and elbowing him in the chin. As he stumbles back, she keeps her hold on his arm and uses her sword to disarm him.

Arthur's sword falls to the grass, and Calliope leans down to pick it up as Arthur breathes heavily.

Merlin chuckles to himself as Arthur takes his sword from Calliope, "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"My father taught me," Calliope answers as she drops her sword, ashamed of her lie, but she can't tell them the truth; that she's a deadly assassin hunting down men for revenge. That wouldn't go over well.

"Well, obviously, I was going easy on you," Arthur says, trying to hide his own embarrassment. "I was afraid to hurt you."

Calliope lets him think what he wants, "Of course." She moves her eyes to Merlin, who still has a wide grin on his face. "I'll just let you take over again."

His grin fades as Calliope turns, "No, Cal, don't leave!"

"Enjoy your training, Merlin!" Calliope shouts back, laughing to herself as she gets back on the path to the castle.

♛ ♛ ♛

Helping Gaius make potions isn't Calliope's favorite activity in the world. Most of the ingredients are repulsive to look at and smell; why do so many potions need sheep brains? Calliope scrunches up her nose at the smell of the latest potion for one of the knight's training wounds. She peers at the green liquid as she puts the top on the vial, thanking the heavens that she doesn't have to drink this.

It's a good thing Gaius doesn't tell his patients the ingredients he uses.

"Enjoying yourself?"

Calliope turns her head as Gaius mops the floor with a knowing glint in his eyes, "While making potions with you is... informative, I'm beginning to think I need to find a different job in the castle."

"I've always known you don't have a knack for my work," Gaius leans the broom against the wall. "You're too much of a proactive person to spend your days reading through old books and mixing ingredients together."

Nodding, she sets down the vials of potions, "I'm going crazy in here. I need to be out doing something."

"Well, what skills do you have besides fighting that can be useful in the castle?"

Calliope presses her lips together in a firm line, "Nothing. Fighting is all I can do."

"I'm sure that's not true."

It is true. Calliope thinks to herself, not saying anything else as the door of Gaius's chambers is loudly slung open. In hobbles Merlin, shuffling his feet with his eyes in a daze. His hair is tousled and his clothes have grass stains and dirt all over them. He looks between Calliope and Gaius.

"How was your first day as Arthur's servant?" Gaius asks.

Merlin brings his palm up to his head, "Do you hear clanging?"

The blonde holds in laughter, "No, I think you're going mad, wizard boy."

Gaius shoots Calliope a look as he strolls to Merlin, placing his hands on his shoulders and leading him to the table to sit down across from Calliope. Merlin winces as he sits, every single muscle in his body is screaming with soreness.

The physician began massaging Merlin's sore shoulder, "It was horrible." His eyes scrunch up in pain as Gaius's wrinkled fingers dig into his shoulder blades, "And I've still got to learn all about tournament etiquette by the morning."

Merlin glances around the table, spotting an etiquette book beside Calliope. He focuses on the book, his eyes flashing a deep yellow as she lets out a quiet spell.

"Onhríne achtung bregdan."

The book slides over to him and opens, but Gaius let out a displeased sound, lightly slapping the back of Merlin's head "Oi! What have I told you about using magic like that?"

Merlin jerks his hand to the back of his head, "If I could actually feel my arms I'd pick up the book myself."

"Never mind your arms. What do I do if you get caught?"

With raised eyebrows, Merlin leans back to look at him, "What would you do if I did?"

Gaius lets out a breath, "You just make sure it doesn't happen. For both our sakes."

He tilts Merlin's arm back in an angle that makes him wince and Calliope quirks an eyebrow, "Oh come on, Merlin. I'm sure training with Arthur isn't that bad."

"Like you would know," Merlin closes his eyes. "Not everyone can be as handy with a sword as you are."

Gaius moves his attention to Calliope, "What's he talking about?"

When she opens her mouth to answer, Merlin speaks for her, "Cal beat Arthur in a sword fight."

Gaius doesn't look happy with the news, "Calliope, what have I told you about harassing Prince Arthur?"

"It was just a bit of fun, Gaius."

"I don't care what it was. You of all people shouldn't be out sword fighting the Prince of Camelot," Gaius sighs, looking between the teenagers. "You two will be the death of me one day."

Calliope stands, "At least we aren't boring."

She hears a sudden crackling sound from Merlin's arm as Gaius stretches it, "Ow," Merlin winces again. "I save Arthur from being killed, and I end up as his servant. How is that fair?"

"I'm not sure fairness comes into it," Gaius replies. "You never know; it might be fun."

Merlin gives him a sarcastic chuckle, "You think mucking out Arthur's horses is going to be fun? You should hear my list of duties."

"We all have duties, even Arthur."

Calliope flickers her gaze to Merlin, "He's about to hit you with some wisdom."

Merlin rolls his eyes, "It must be so tough for him; all the girls and the glory."

"He is a future King. People expect so much of him. He's under a lot of pressure."

Gaius stretches Merlin's other arm, earing another quiet crack from it. Merlin exhales a sharp cry, "Ah!" He looks to Gaius. "That makes two of us."

♛ ♛ ♛

As melodic trumpets announce the entrance of the knights competing in the tournament, Calliope stands by the entrance. She watches as a dozen men pass by her with their helmets held to their side. Their capes dance behind them; their armor snug to their bodies as the only defense of their skin beneath. Each one walks with their heads high and eyes expecting victory. Calliope claps with the crowd, her gaze flickering to Arthur as he leads the group into the arena where King Uther awaits to greet them.

Calliope turns her head up, scanning the circular wooden walls that separate the knights from the crowd waving small flags with wide smiles. This is a long-awaited day. The people of Camelot love a good tournament with ensured violence and injuries. Calliope leans against the wall, just as Merlin appears behind her, peeking his head around the corner to look at Arthur. 

"I bet you could win this tournament, Cal."

Calliope scoffs, shifting her eyes to Merlin, "Yes, because the King would be overjoyed with a woman competing in a tournament strictly for honored knights."

"I'm serious," Merlin keeps his eyes on the knights as the King approaches them. "I've never met someone like you before."

Calliope tilts her head to the side, "What do you mean?"

"You're just...confusing," Calliope raises her eyebrows for an explanation, "I mean, not confusing in a bad way... I guess mysterious would be a better word."

"And why am I 'mysterious' to you, Merlin?"

He shrugs, "I'm not exactly sure. I just know you're someone with more secrets than you can count, and for some reason, you still don't think you can trust me with any of them, even though you know my big secret."

Calliope does feel a temptation to tell Merlin her true identity. After all, he's a genuine person, "It's nothing personal, Merlin. My life has been full of one betrayal after another, and all of those betrayals were from trusting the wrong people and their false promises."

"I understand," Merlin pulls his eyes away from the knights to look at her, "but maybe one day, you'll see that you can trust me."

Calliope plants a hand on his shoulder, "Well, you're off to a pretty good start, wizard boy."

Merlin's face lights up in a smile that Calliope returns before flickering her gaze to King Uther as he walks slowly in front of the line of knights before him. He walks with a heavy presence brought about by the crown of gold resting on his head. He's a good example of what happens to a man when he lets himself become consumed with the power in his hands. Even though Camelot thrives in some ways, the people still feel afraid and oppressed; especially those with magic.

"Knights of the Realm, it is a great honor to welcome you to the Tournament at Camelot. Over the next three days, you will come to put your bravery to the test, your skills as a warrior, and of course, to challenge the reigning champion: my son, Prince Arthur," several knights turn their heads to Arthur. "Only one can have the honor of being crowned Champion, and he will receive a prize of one thousand gold pieces," the crowd murmurs in awe as a chest of gold pieces is opened to show the prize. "It is in combat that we learn a knight's true nature; whether he is indeed a warrior... or a coward," King Uther throws up his right hand. "The tournament begins!"

Arthur is in the first fight. He stands across from his opponent as his shield is handed to him. The crowd cheers him on as he places his helmet over his head. He takes his stance, readying his sword for the fight with a strong grip.

The prince moves first; his attack is fast and coordinated as his sword pounds against the other man's shield. The man retaliates, but the swing of his sword is too slow to hit Arthur as he moves out of the way effortlessly. Arthur shoves him back with his shield, ducking from the man's next swing. Calliope can tell Arthur is holding back a bit. She glances to the crowd and then back at the Prince. He wants to give them a show.

Calliope watches as Arthur spins with his next swing, which is more aggressive than the previous blows. He gets the man right where he wants him, and bring back his elbow. Arthur's elbow collides with the man's head and knocks his helmet right off. The man stumbles and falls to the ground, leaving Arthur standing victorious.

"Yeah!" Merlin calls out with a grin.

A sly smile turns up Calliope's lips as she rolls her eyes at Merlin in a joking way before bringing her hands together to clap for Arthur. He may be an arrogant ass, but he's a great warrior.

"His opponent was almost as coordinated as you," Calliope teases as she looks at Merlin. "Maybe I'll be impressed when he has an actual challenge."

"I think you're just jealous, Cal," Merlin retorts. "You want to be out there knocking the knights on their asses."

He has a point.

"For once, Merlin, you're right."

sorry for any grammar errors, but i wanted to get another chapter published before i go back to work tomorrow. anway, remember to vote and leave your thoughts in the comments :)
graphic by sixty6ix