The Kings Lament

Authors note: You guys are so patient! So I wrote you a two shot. All those who are waiting for an update on The Princes Players will, unfortunately, have to wait a bit longer. College is getting in my way. That plus work equals owwy brain… But I will NOT be going on hiatus! NEVER! THAT'S BAD! Enjoy. I own nothing.

1. Seconds Count

King Arthur Pendragon had seen a lot in his time. He had seen betrayal, death, famine, war, loss and the joy that could follow when the hardships were over. He thought he had looked into the face of despair and loss. He thought he knew fear and anger and pain.

Then he saw the broken figure dragged in chains into the dark dismal castle room. His eyes raked followed the chain that wrapped around the slim throat, bruising sensitive skin, down to the shoulders, the left of which was clearly dislocated and painful. Raven hair faced Arthur as the tall proud man was forced to his knees. He wore no shirt and the wounds stood out in sharp contrast to the scars that already littered the porcelain skin.

Knife shaped burns worked their way up his sides, both shoulders were red and irritated the left freshly so. His back was bloody and clearly infected. Bruises littered what little of his ghostly pale face Arthur could see. The man they had searched for endlessly for three weeks knelt broken and chained in front of them. Arthur was frozen in place, rage building behind his shock.

So deep in shock was he that he was unable to react as the man, the monster who had stolen his friend tugged on the chain again.

"The price for this one is a little higher than we discussed. He's quite powerful but a bit damaged, so I'll give you a small discount." Arthur's attention snapped up to the sneering face of the black market slave trader. The man must have been exceedingly dim for he didn't notice any of the anger radiating off the four men in front of him. The sneer widened.

"Be polite to your new masters Little Bird." As all four champions of Camelot stood frozen in shock and rage he tugged on the chain again and wrapped it once more around their friend's neck and tugged. The smaller man choked and gasped, scrabbling at his neck with his right hand. This yanked up his left and he whined in pain like an abused dog.

Gwaine lunged first, a snarl of rage tearing through his lips. Lancelot followed seconds later, bloodlust gleaming in the ever honorable knight's eyes. Even Kay leapt into what Arthur could not call a fray, so much as a slaughter. But even that was too good for the beast that called itself Clayton.

Arthur raced forward just managing to catch his friend as he fell. His eyes were closed and the chain was wound tight around his neck. Arthur fumbled in his haste to unwind the offending object.

"Merlin? Merlin!? Wake up!" He shook his friend as gently as he could. Nothing. The young warlock's form was limp as a rag doll. And he was cold, so cold. No one should be that cold.

Merlin's captor screamed, high and shrill. Arthur didn't need to look up as the man gurgled off to know that he was dead. Lancelot, their second best medic, dropped to his kneed beside Arthur.

"We need to reset his shoulder before the damage becomes permanent." Arthur nodded dully, mind refusing to process. Lancelot leaned Merlin up against Arthur who continued to cling to his still form, far too still.

"Ready? One. Two. Three!" Lancelot expertly replaced Merlin's shoulder in its proper place with a dull crack. Merlin didn't even flinch. His face remained blank, eyes closed, breath… There was none. Arthur lay Merlin gently down and leaned an ear toward his mouth, listening.

Nothing. It was as if the world cracked. Arthur didn't feel anything but numb. Horrible numbness that shut the world away from himself forcing his attention to zero in on the corpse, no other word crept into his frozen mind, in front of him.

"We were too late, seconds too late." He didn't realize he had spoken aloud until reality crashed around him in the form of Gwaine's shout.

"What do you mean too late!? He can't be! We got here! He was alive!" Arthur shook his head, standing and stepping away from the lifeless body before him. His senses began to search for anything he could find to distract himself, as something inside him broke down screaming.