PoV Arthur
I stood in silence as the knights were looked over. Three more where killed, each time more brutal than the last. Merlin was shaking, his hands clenched into my cape. I had my arms around him, waiting for the nightmare to end. When it did, my father charged up to Merlin. The leaves had cut his cheek, and a small trickle of blood ran down his face.
"You're garden killed four of my best knights!" he roared.
"I didn't know it would!" Merlin screamed back. "I'm sorry!"
"Father, if you shout at Merlin you will be killed!" I yelled.
The statement quieted my father. We could hear the leaves of the garden rustling, like in a storm. But there was not even a lick of moving air. The garden walls were moving, readying themselves for an attack.
"Please, let's just get inside and wait for the other army to arrive," Merlin pleaded. "We can protect it from inside."
"I'm not going anywhere near that monstrosity!" Uther yelled.
"Please!" Merlin begged, drooping down to his knees. He fell forward, resting his head just in front of my father's boots. "I need your help! I need your help…"
Uther was silent for a moment, looking down at Merlin with a look of confusion on his face. He shuffled his feet, and looked up at the walls of trees and shrubs.
"If I don't, then the garden will die," he said. "If I do, then I will be going to war with an enemy who I already wanted to kill. I… What will we get from helping you?"
Merlin looked up at him. "My eternal gratitude," he said.
"Your gratitude? Is that it?"
"That's all I can give you. I have nothing else."
"You have a whole garden of things to choose from," Uther sneered. "Pick one."
"I cannot." Merlin stood up, brushing dirt from his robes. "If all you have is greed, then there is nothing I can give to satisfy your hunger."
"What about free passage, and protection if we need it?" Mordred asked. "If we are being pursued, we will need a place to hide, and if it's the only way through to the other side, then… could we?"
Merlin looked at the black haired boy. "I will let you through, and I will hide you. But only if you can pass the test of the leaves."
"A promise of protection is not enough," Uther said, turning to his troops. "What if he finds someone else to protect him? Then what? We will be in danger of his army. If he has others to help, then we are in danger." He turned to Merlin. "No, what I want you to do when we're done protecting you, is…"
The silence of the forest was split when we heard the distant drumming.
"They're coming!" Merlin shrieked. He coughed once and pulled a face. "I normally don't shriek, sorry. What do you want, Uther?"
"I want you to cut it down."
