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“Who is this so called champion? Can he crush nothing but weaklings like this?” Arthur cut in, knowing this was probably their only chance at escape and that Merlin couldn’t win a fight against a paper bag let alone a fight against a slave trader’s champion. And the glares Merlin was sending his way were pretty entertaining.
“You thing you could offer a better contest?” The slave trader looked him over as if he was a piece of meat, and Arthur had to suppress a shudder.
“I guarantee it.” Who couldn’t? It was Merlin they were talking about.
The man stared at him for a moment, thinking (which must have been pretty hard for him) before shaking his head and smiling.
“No, I want the scrawny one to try and fight. My customers need a good show after all of the combat. Something to laugh at will do them good.” He chuckled and some spittle flew from his mouth.
“God, Merlin, why do you have to be so unintimidating?” Arthur grumbled.
“Sorry, my lord. Next time I’ll puff out my chest and act like an overconfident clotpole so he purposely doesn’t choose me” Merlin's customary yell-whisper didn't help the prince's agitation.
Arthur shoved him forward. “Well, let’s see you take on this champion then if you’re so cocky.”
The trader smiled again. “Are you ready, my champion?”
Sighing, Gwaine stepped forward. “I am.”
Arthur and Merlin both turned to stare incredulously at him.
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“Try not to kill him, Gwaine” Arthur whispered as they and the rest of the prisoners were brought into the room where the fight would take place.
“Thanks for your faith in me, prat” Merlin rolled his eyes again and pushed ahead of his friends.
“Don’t worry princess, we’ll figure something out. We’ve saved your royal butt together before, haven’t we?” Gwaine smiled and before Arthur could respond strode into the ring of men where Merlin was already standing.
“You do know how to hold a sword, don’t you Merlin?” He laughed at the face Merlin made at him and reached down to pick up a sword from the pile. “I promise not to go too hard on you. Wouldn’t want the princess to worry.”
“How exactly is this going to work?” Merlin asked.
Before Gwaine could answer, the trader shouted for the fight to begin and Gwaine launched himself at his friend. Merlin barely had time to raise his sword before Gwaine’s came down to hit it.
“I thought you said you were going easy!”
“It’s got to look real, hasn’t it?”
He pushed himself off and came back again, hitting Merlin’s sword and twisting to make him lose his grip, and in the meantime to drop his own sword.In the culmination of his brilliant plan, he tackled Merlin in an imitation of wrestling.
“Now what?!” Merlin whisper-yelled
“I don’t know!”
Merlin looked around the room and then made a split second decision. “Gwaine, do you trust me?”
“What do you mean-“
“Do you trust me, Gwaine?!”
“Yes!”
Merlin’s eyes glowed like they were on fire and suddenly the ropes above them really were on fire.
Startled but still thinking, Gwaine dragged himself and Merlin up and ran with him towards the princess and the exit in the midst of the confusion.
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“You’re both very lucky those ropes caught fire, because whatever plan you may or may not have had was really not working. That was the worst fake fight I think I have ever seen.”
“Ya, we were lucky, weren’t we?” Gwaine stared at Merlin, who said nothing. “However those ropes caught on fire, I’m very grateful. And I think I’ve learned something new about…ah…destiny, which really may have changed my opinion on it.”
Arthur looked back at him as if to say something, but apparently changed his mind and continued ahead.
Merlin looked at Gwaine quizzically. “You..uh, didn’t think I messed up the fight to badly, did you?”
Gwaine smiled and slung his arm around Merlin’s shoulder. “You’re my friend, mate. You asked me if I trusted you and I do. Nothing will change that.”
For the first time in a while, a genuine smile spread across Merlin’s face.
“You’re both Idiots” Arthur grumbled from ahead.
“What was that, Princess?”
“Don’t be such a dollophead!”