Part 1 The Black Fortress
(Authors Note: I own nothing. The villain in this is my invention as is her back story. She won't show up till part 2 though. This is going to be a long one! Two perspectives, First Merlin and Third Arthur again. Debated calling this piece Scars and Bite Marks but decided against as it sounds a little slashy, which is not my intent here, well I guess if you squint really hard and stand on your head you might find some. Anyway on with the story!)
I hate very few things in this world. Evil, injustice, cruelty, unjustified persecution, all of these are things I hate. Hunting is another. Don't get me wrong, it is sometimes necessary, but when Arthur drags me out in the middle of winter when he knows we won't catch anything is just ridiculous and I felt it necessary to point this out to him.
"This is ridiculous Arthur. It's winter."
"I am fully aware of what season it is Merlin."
"Then why are we hunting!? There's nothing alive out here but us! Plus we can't have you freezing to death."
"You're such a girl Merlin." I sighed and shivered. It was freezing out here even with the cloak I had wrapped around my shoulders. It was new and it did help a lot more than my old one. We had ridden out a bit further than normal and I saw a large black fortress in the distance. I shivered but not from the cold this time. I shivered because of the feeling creeping down my spine.
"Arthur we should go back." He glared at me from his horse. He rode faster and I cursed under my breath, urging my horse to catch up with him. As we rode past the fortress the feeling of foreboding got stronger. That was when a large heavy force came out of the woods to my right and knocked me clean off my horse. I shouted in panic as the something twisted so I landed on top of it. That was unusual. I struggled as a strong arm pinned both of mine behind my back.
"Merlin!" Arthur yelled, I looked up, panic filling my eyes as my magic rose up. I forced it down, Arthur didn't know and he couldn't find out now. Not after Morgana had reduced his father to a nervous wreck because of her betrayal. The man who held my arms with one hand cupped a cloth over my nose and mouth with his other hand. Shocked, I breathed in without thinking.
The cloth smelled of herbs and magic. I tried to hold my breath as my world swam. Arthur was fighting two other men. Were they bandits? I couldn't think straight. I saw one of the men strike out at him and forced the magic out, snapping the man's sword. My world spun sickeningly. I heard Arthur call out my name as I fell into the black.