Incursion

Arthur awoke very suddenly and for the first second or two, he wasn't sure exactly why. Then of course, his brain kicked in and he realized that someone had just thrown a bucket of water over him. He jolted forwards at the shock of the cold water dripping down his face and soaking his clothes, only to find that he was tied firmly to a chair. Arthur jolted his head up to glare at Morgana, who was standing in front of him, smirking, holding the empty bucket in one hand and a jar in the other. Within the jar, something scaly and serpent-like but with at least five heads was writhing and hissing, it was obviously a magical creature and the king found himself instantly unnerved by it.

"Good morning." Morgana asked in that sickly sweet tone of hers, the one that she only ever used when she was really angry. Arthur ignored her and instead began searching the room with his eyes for any possible escape routes, only to realize that it was in fact, his own room - weird. His eyes however fixed on something that made him freeze and nearly felt his heart stop - Merlin was tied to the chair opposite him.

But it wasn't the fact that his servant was here or that he was restrained, no, it was the fact that his shirt had a massive hole in it, revealing horribly burnt flesh all across his upper torso. Merlin was at least conscious however as he stared back at Arthur, concern and evident pain clouding his sapphire coloured eyes. The boy was paler than usual and he had a fine sheen of sweat coating his face that showed that breathing was apparently a strain for him. What the hell had they done to him?

"What do you want Morgana?" Arthur asked through gritted teeth, he was concerned for his friend, but first things first; he wanted to know why he was still alive when she had been so intent on killing him earlier. Morgana didn't answer; she just smirked and dropped the now empty bucket, using her free hand to take the lid off of the jar. The serpent like creature within hissed and rose so that its heads were peeking out of the top, glaring at Arthur with slitted eyes.

Morgana drew a knife from the sheath at her waist - ironically Arthur recognised it to be the very knife he had once given her as a birthday present, the witch's eyes flashed golden as she slashed it down, severing one of the heads of the creature. The young king watched in a transfixed mixture of horror and disgust as another head sprouted from the severed neck that had not even begun to bleed yet - this thing was invincible.

Morgana re-sealed the jar, placed it on a nearby table and approached Arthur, who surreptitiously tested his bonds harder than before - he didn't know what the severed creature's head was for but he somehow felt that he didn't want to know.

"Leave him alone Morgana!" Merlin shouted from across the room, he was struggling fiercely against his own bonds, glaring at the witch in question with hatred and desperation evident in his face. Morgana simply laughed, a spiteful cackle that tore through Arthur - how had the caring girl he had once considered a sister become this?

"Just remember this Arthur." Morgana whispered into his ear, breath cool and sour on the side of his face. "Whatever pain you feel now. . . Its nothing compared to what your little traitorous wretch of a manservant will go through by the time you're finished with him." Arthur barely had time to register what she had said before there was a sudden sharp, piercing pain in the back of his neck that sent his world into a bright crimson haze. For a few moments or maybe it was hours - Arthur didn't know - everything was hazy and it was like the world had just gone out of focus. All of his memories seemed to float away from him and he didn't know anything anymore.

When the world came back to him, all he could see was a face. A pale, beautiful face floating right in front of him. And that face was important, oh so very important, it was the only face that mattered, it was the face of his mistress. He leant forward, eager to follow whatever orders she might want to give him; he couldn't think of anything else he would rather do than follow his mistress's commands.

"Arthur, listen to me and obey." his mistress's voice floated through the crimson haze to him and he nodded eagerly. "Merlin is a sorcerer. He is a traitor. He has been lying to you for years. He has been mocking you behind your back. Working to overthrow Camelot. He has pretended to be your friend, deceiving you and laughing at you behind your back. He is a sorcerer, a traitor and he deserves to die. But you must be the one to kill him, slowly, painfully, hunt him and make him suffer like the double-crossing cur he is."

Arthur heard his mistress's words sink into his mind, implanting themselves into his brain, they were his one thought, his one goal and his one desire. He felt the rage and hatred build in him as Morgana moved aside to allow him to see the traitorous bastard sitting opposite him, he tugged furiously on his restraints, wanting to carry out his revenge right here and now. Morgana`s eyes flashed gold and Arthur leapt forward with such force that the chair slammed back into the wall behind him. But the enthralled king didn't register this as his eyes fixed on Merlin in murderous fury.