AN: We're almost there! Anyway, as always; I don't own anything and please read and review!
Ch. 10 - "To The Pain"
Arianna took a deep, steadying breath as she braced herself for the pain she was about to inflict upon herself, when suddenly a voice she didn't think she would ever hear again suddenly stopped her and made her drop her ornate dagger. "There is quite a shortage of perfect breasts in the world," Merlin's voice said smugly, "It would be a tragedy to damage yours." Arianna spun around to see her true love lying casually against her large bed, up against the headboard. He merely grinned up at her, as she suddenly climbed up the bed and straddled him, and kissed him fiercely. "Oh, Merlin!," she cried out, barely taking a breath from her constant kissing, "Please, my dear love, please forgive me!"
"And what grievous sin have you committed lately?," he asked with a smile.
"Well," Arianna confessed with dread, "I got married today. I didn't want to, but it all happened so fast..."
"Didn't happen," Merlin declared with fierce determination.
"What?," Arianna asked, confused, "But I was there and this old man said ,'Man and wife.'"
"Did you say 'I do'?"
"No," Arianna said slowly, remembering the odd ceremony, "We sort of skipped that part."
"Then you're not married," Merlin declared again, "You didn't say it, you didn't do it. Isn't that right, Your Highness?," he asked as looked upon the Prince that had been spying on them from the doorway.
"A technicality that will shortly be remedied," Mordred said as he came into the room and drew his sword.
Gwaine gave a sharp cry of pain as he quickly pulled the dagger from his stomach and tried to stop the blood flow by pressing his hand up against his wound. He began to slowly make his way towards, the Count. His mind was so set upon finally gaining revenge, that he barely even noticed the pain. "Dear God," the Count asked smugly, "are you still trying to win? You've got an overdeveloped sense of vengeance. That's going to get you into a lot of trouble someday." The Count pull out his sword, to finally kill the rouge, and as he lunged for him, Gwaine weakly blocked blow after blow from the Count. "Hello," Gwaine said quietly as he slowly advanced towards the Count, "my name is Gwaine Lottson, you killed my father. Prepare to die." The Count just grunted in frustration as he tried to attack Gwaine, but even in his weakened state, Gwaine was still able to manage to block every blow the Count could strike. Gwaine smiled smugly, as he felt his father's spirit giving him the extra courage and fortitude to face this sinister man. "Hello, my name is Gwaine Lottson. You killed my father, prepare to die," Gwaine said again, as he took the offensive and strike out against the Count. "Stop saying that!," the Count cried out in frustration. "Hello! My name is Gwaine Lottson! You killed my father, prepare to die!," Gwaine shouted out as he finally gained the upper hand and sent the Count's sword flying. Gwaine pressed his father's sword up against the Count's exposed neck, and commanded. "Offer me money, offer me power, offer me everything I ask for and more!" "Yes!," the Count said quickly, "Everything I have and more, please...," he pleaded. Gwaine simply smiled and struck his blade through the Count's stomach and said, "I want my father back, you son of a bitch!" Gwaine quickly pulled his sword out, and the Count slumped over, dead. Gwaine took one look at the Count, and breathed a sigh of relief. The man that had haunted his nightmares for twenty long years was finally dead and Gwaine's vengeance was at last complete. His father's soul could now finally be at rest.
"First thing's first!," Mordred shouted with an evil smirk as he crossed into the room with his sword out, "To the death!"
"No!," Merlin cried out defiantly, "To the pain!"
Mordred stopped short in confusion, and said, "I'm afraid I not familiar with that phrase."
"Then I'll explain, and I'll make sure to use small words so that you can understand, you warthog-faced buffoon."
Mordred closed his eyes and sighed, "I think that is the first time a man has dared to insult me."
"It won't be the last," Merlin promised, "To the pain means that the first thing you'll lose is your feet below the ankles. Then your hands at the wrists, next your nose."
"Then, my tongue I suppose. I killed you too quickly the last time, a mistake I don't mean to duplicate tonight!," Mordred interrupted
"I wasn't finished!," Merlin cried out defiantly, "The next thing you'll lose will be your left eye, followed by your right."
"And then my ears, I understand," Mordred interrupted again, "let's get on with it."
"Wrong! Your ears you keep and I'll tell you why. So that every shriek of every child at seeing your hideousness will be yours to cherish. Every babe that weeps at your approach. Every woman who cries out, 'Dear God, what is that thing?' will echo in your perfect ears. That is what the pain means! It means I leave you in anguish, wallowing in freakish misery forever."
Mordred looked upon the man; this man who he had killed, and yet still live, this man that braved the Fisher king's Realm, this man that invaded into his castle without so much of a fight, this man that had insulted him without a twinge of fear. "I think you're bluffing," Mordred said without conviction. "It's possible, pig," Merlin remarked, "I might be bluffing. It's conceivable, you miserable disgusting mass, that I'm only lying here because I lack the strength to stand. Then again, perhaps I have the strength after all." Merlin slowly and carefully rose from the bed and leveled his sword at the Prince and commanded, "Drop your sword!"