A/N: I know, I know. I left off the last chapter at the worst possible place. So I'll keep my author's note short so you can read it right away.
(If anyone noticed the Star Wars reference I made in the last chapter you are my new best friend!)
*This story is set during season 4. Arthur is king but Gwen is banished and Lancelot is dead.
Disclaimer: BBC is an evil corporation that does not believe in shareholders…
Chapter 8 (Bloody Hands, Dying Man)
Instinctively, Merlin drew away from the cool steel blade as it slid across his throat. Slamming into the monstrous man behind him, the servant jostled the sword, preventing it from cutting too deep. The two men crashed to the ground. The raven-haired youngster rolled off the felled nobleman and, once he was out of harm's way, Arthur pounced. Before Lord Harris could fully compose himself the hilt of the king's own sword slammed into his temple.
Staring down at the disgraced, dazed lord crumpled at his feet, Arthur questioned, "Merlin, are you alright?"
Merlin opened his mouth to respond but the words never escaped. A muted gurgle echoed throughout the abandoned crypt. Pale, frail hands grappled with the shredded scarf that was tightly tied around the magician's neck. Tearing it away, wetness met the frantic fingertips: blood. Blood was flowing from the flayed jugular flesh.
Merlin tired to speak again but he choked on his words. Blood clogged his throat, slowly dribbling past his lips when he coughed and attempted to clear his airways. The blood spilled forth and mixed with the blood seeping from his gullet, both staining his hands red. Clutching his neck desperately, Merlin struggled to speak for the third time.
"A-Ar'tur."
Spinning towards the prone form of his serving comrade, Arthur dropped his sword and ran to Merlin's side. The young king placed his hands on top of the warlock's bloodied ones. "Merlin!"
Dull, glassy eyes met the tearing, emotional ones of his fair-haired master. "Ar'tur. 'urts."
"Shhhhh, it's alright. You'll be alright," Arthur urged, he himself praying for it to be true. But, just as the adolescent monarch was about to say more, an alarming sound suddenly ricocheted throughout the quiet chamber. Quickly, Arthur glanced over his shoulder just in time to see Lord Harris fleeing into the shadows. Arthur wanted desperately to follow the escaping nobleman but he could not leave Merlin's side, for he feared that the servant would possibly bleed to death if left unattended. He gave his wounded manservant one fleeting look before making an executive decision.
"Guards! GUARDS!" he screamed.
Merlin moved weakly underneath Arthur's hands. "Ar'tur." A coughing fit erupted from the young servant, spraying Arthur with blood that dribbled passed his lips. "'m ssry," the dying warlock sputtered, apologizing.
"No, no, no," Arthur fanatically whispered. "It's fine, see." The king wiped his face with the back of his hand, clearing away the red liquid. "And I should be the one apologizing. I should have noticed you were injured earlier."
Merlin's head bobbled from side to side on its sliced neck. He opened his mouth to respond but Arthur silenced him with a look. "Don't talk," the king said. "Save your strength; help is coming."
As if on queue, the patter of the rushing feet alerted Arthur that the guards were answering his call. To make sure help was headed in the right direction Arthur shouted again, "Guards! Over here!"
A torch rounded the corner that led from the main hallways of the castle. Following closely behind the flickering glow, Sir Leon and Sir Gwaine emerged. The two knights quickly spotted the kneeling king and ran over.
"Sire!" Sir Leon called. He then saw Merlin lying on the ground drowning in a growing pool of blood. "W-what happened?"
Not wanting to explain right then and there what had happened while the culprit ran away, Arthur ignored the question. Instead he ordered, "Sir Leon, go alert all the Guard to find and arrest Lord Harris." The older knight nodded and swiftly ran from the crypts. The young king then turned to the second knight and commanded, "Sir Gwaine, go fetch Gaius." The commoner knight hesitated slightly, his eyes not leaving his dying friend who lay on the floor. "Now Gwaine!"
The alcoholic knight remained still. "Arthur?" Gwaine inquired quietly. "Will he be alright?"
"Not unless you go get Gaius! Quickly!"
The bearded man nodded and then ran from the chamber in the same direction that Leon had darted in. And, once again, Arthur as left alone with the dying adolescent servant. Confident that Sir Leon and Sir Gwaine would complete their tasks quickly, the king turned his full attention back to Merlin. Noting that the wounded youngster's eyes were closed, Arthur anxiously tapped the side of Merlin's face with his reddened palm. "Merlin, stay awake," he encouraged. "Don't fall asleep or-," he paused momentarily. "Or I'll throw you in the stocks and make you muck out the stables for the remainder of the month!"
"N-no f'r," the secret sorcerer mumbled, not bothering to open his eyes. "'m in'ured."
"I am king! And I don't care if it's not fair. Now open your eyes."
Little by little, and with great effort, Merlin's eyelids opened and exposed his two clear blue irises. And, gazing steadily at his master above him, Merlin garbled, "Pr't."
Arthur's eyes crinkled in amusement but his tone remained somber. "Only you, Merlin, would find the energy to insult me while you bleed to death."
Merlin didn't response – he didn't have to. The warlock's eyes danced playfully, clearly displaying his silent laughter. Arthur smiled back at those eyes, eyes that undoubtedly portrayed his companion's wholesome spirit and personality.
The two comrades remained silent for a time. Simply enjoying each other's company while they still could. After some time Arthur glanced around anxiously. "Where is Gwaine? He should have returned with Gaius by now."
"It a'ight," Merlin mumbled. "'m t'red."
"Just stay awake a little longer. They'll be here soon, just you wait." But there was no reaction to the king's positive declaration. "Stay awake…" Then Arthur observed the lively spark in Merlin's eyes begin to fade and die. He would have thought it to be the trick of torch light had it not been for the choked whisper.
"'ood b'y, Ar'tur…"
"No! Merlin, you listen here. If you die I will kill you myself!" Arthur blurted out, not noticing how stupid he sounded. "Don't, please. Just stay with me."
The bloody servant exhaled lightly and went limp, his eyes rolling into the back of his head.
"Merlin?" Arthur whimpered. He laid his hand on the side of his manservant's slack face, cupping it lightly. "Merlin!"
There was still no response.
"No, no, no," the heart broken monarch chanted. "Oh, please, no." he pulled his friend into an awkward hug, rocking slightly from side to side. Desperately clinging to Merlin, Arthur cried. Tears flowed freely, falling on the young man's slack face and washing away the blood.
A hand placed itself on the king's shaking shoulders. Slowly looking up, Arthur saw that Gaius arrived. "Sire?" the old man asked quietly. "Will you allow me to examine him?"
"Y-yes, of course." Gradually, Arthur released the boy into his mentor's own arms. Standing up from the cramped kneeling position he had been in, Arthur joined a strangely silent Gwaine who had retrieved the old physician. Trying not to look at Merlin's body, Arthur wiped the salty tears from his eyes and composed himself. After all, he was king and needed to maintain a sense of professionalism at all times.
After a minute or two Gaius looked up. His voice echoed the relief shown on his face. "He lives, Sire. Just barely, but he lives."
A small smile crept onto the king's face.
"I will need to move him to my chambers immediately," Gaius continued. "He is still in a great danger of dying here. He has lost so much blood. I need to work on him without delay."
"Very well," Arthur said, nodding. "Gwaine, can you help Gaius?"
"Yes," came the simple reply. The bearded knight then gently scooped up Merlin and followed the old man from the crypt.
Arthur was about to follow when Sir Leon, Sir Percival, and Sir Elyan appeared.
"Excellent news, Sire!" Leon exclaimed. "We caught Lord Harris trying to leave Camelot by horseback, but the horse he chose was sickly and collapsed in the snow before he could leave the citadel."
"Yes, good news indeed."
"He is being brought to the dungeons as we speak."
"Outstanding job, Sir Leon," Arthur congratulated, clapping the man on the back. He then turned to the other two knights. "Percival, Elyan," he said, addressing them both. "There is a body of a young boy in that chamber over there," he nodded at the small oak door across the crypt. "Can you please collect his body and bring it to Gaius. I will meet you there when I can. I need to visit our guest." The king's face darkened at the mere thought of the abusive nobleman.
"A boy?" Elyan questioned. "Who?"
"He was Lord Harris' servant."
"Is that why you had him arrested…because he did the same to Merlin? He hurt Merlin?" asked a shocked Leon.
"Yes, Leon. He even did so in my presence," Arthur responded heatedly.
Percival sucked in a breath, scandalized by the whole affair.
"Then I am even more glad that we caught him, Sire," the blonde knight asserted.
"Come," Arthur gravely announced, scooping his sword from off the ground. "I have a lord to visit."
The dungeons were dark and cold. Being located far beneath the castle grounds the dungeons had few windows to allow light to enter individual enclosed cells. Even then, the windows that would usually supply light didn't provide much because the winter sun had already begun to set. The usual dankness had frozen due to the bitter weather, making the walls slick with ice. Puddles of black ice made the trip into the dungeons parlous. Both Arthur and Sir Leon, who had accompanied the king after his departure from the crypts, slipped once or twice trying to make it down the stairs.
Upon hearing forthcoming footsteps the two guards stationed for watch snapped to attention, leaving the card game they were playing scattered about the small table supplied to them. The two men were wrapped up in many layers of clothing and any facial features were hidden, leaving Arthur unable to identify the exact men guarding the noble detainee. So, instead, he addressed them both; "Where is the prisoner?"
The shorter of the two men responded, "In the furthest cell to the left, Sire."
Arthur nodded and, carefully as not to slip and fall in front of his subjects, made his way down the corridor to the only occupied barred chamber. The echo of following feet alerted the king that Sir Leon was trailing behind him like the loyal man he was. Finally, after a few close calls with a particularly large patch of black ice, Arthur found himself standing outside Lord Harris' holding cell. Placing his feet shoulders-with apart, Arthur resembled a man of confidence and poise – neither offensive nor defensive, simply regal in every sense of the word. Then, glaring down at the disgraced noble, the king spoke, "I should have you killed."
From the stooped, seated position against the far wall the shadowed outline of Lord Harris could be seen. His bleak, black eyes evenly stared back at the young monarch. Defiantly, the giant man stood up. Once erect he stalked to the front of the cell and taunted, "Then why am I not dead yet, Sire?" The nobleman's breath escaped his lips as thin tendrils of mist, resembling a soul leaving a damned sinner, as he grinned. "Perhaps because you have no real evidence of any crime."
"Because," the king sneered in return, "As much as it pains me to see you continue to breath the same air as me, I must uphold the law. You will have a fair trial before the council in two days time." There was a slight pause. Arthur lifted his chin fearlessly, showing his distain for the noble before him, before continuing, "Besides, what evidence do I need when you have slit my own manservant's throat before me, your king?"
The inmate remained silent and still.
The king sneered, "That's what I thought." Arthur turned to Sir Leon and beckoned him forward. And he addressed the knight, saying, "See that he is moved to a cell closer to the forefront of the dungeon. I want eyes on him at all times."
Leon bowed. "I am sure some of the knights will volunteer once they have heard what has happened."
"Excellent."
The fair-haired monarch then spun on his heel and strode from the dungeon, only stopping to relay his command of moving Lord Harris to the stationed guards. Once out in the main hallways Sir Leon dismissed himself and went to alert the knights of what had occurred. Stalking through the corridors, Arthur ran into Sir Geoffrey, the knight who maintained the records and texts. He quickly explained to the elder knight what had happened and demanded that he spread the word to all the council members for a convening in two days time for the trial of Lord Harris.
"I will start right away, Sire," Sir Geoffrey responded.
Nodding, Arthur watched as the old man rushed from his presence, anxious to spread the word of the council's gathering. The king then marched towards the physician's quarters to check on his serving friend. He silently prayed that Merlin was all right and had not perished in his absence. Because if his manservant had died there would be no guarantee that Arthur could contain himself and allow a proper trial, damn the law.
A/N: No extreme cliffhanger here (you're welcome by the way). Though many have stated that I seem to have the art of cliffhanging mastered I still feel as though I should exercise it from time to time – so be alert.
Got to love those knights! Definitely more of them to come… Mostly Gwaine and Leon will be showcased (because they're my favorites) but Elyan and Percival will continuously pop up. As of right now I can't decide if I want Percival to even talk in this story – he was always the strong, silent type. Maybe I'll have him have one real awesome line before the end of the story that will blow your socks off… we'll see. ;)
Translation for Merlin's slurred words (for those who need help and are dyslexic like me):
"Ar'tur" – Arthur
"'urts" – hurts
"'m ssry" – I'm sorry
"N-no f'r" – No fair
"'m in'ured" – I'm injured
"Pr't" – Prat
"It a'ight" – It's alright
"'m t'red" – I'm tired
"'ood b'y, Ar'tur…" – Good bye, Arthur
I'm ecstatic for all the reviews you guys have written to me for this story. You make me a very happy author! So please continue feeding my ego…
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