"No Turning Back" (Rose)
Once we retreat to the chambers again, I begin to rationalize, "So I know what has to be done, but how will you ..." I can't even bring myself to ask.
"Poison," Merlin mumbles, as he begins to gather various items.
His answer stops me short. I watch him carefully as he buzzes about, my thoughts churning in my mind. "H-hemlock," I stammer. He suddenly dawdles. I hitch a breath in my throat. He knows of what I speak. "It's the least painful and most potent I could think of," I shy.
Saying nothing, he turns to the shelf and locates the bottle. "Thank you," he whispers, harboring the venom of this task within his heart. I place my hand on his in comfort, not having any words for him to hear that would make this effortless.
We rush out the door to join up with the others, when as if on cue, Arthur emerges and yanks Merlin out of the corridor. "What took you so long?" he hisses.
"I didn't know Uther's size," reasons Merlin as Arthur peeks around the corner. He makes no squabble, so we move on.
We are prohibited to venture very far, because of the woman, Morgause, and the Knights making their way down the hall in our path. Arthur nearly draws his weapon in anger, but Merlin hinders this. Arthur decides to take the opposite route.
Merlin and I arrive safely to the room in which the King rests. A stiff looking Morgana greets him as their eyes connect, "I was worried about you," her gaze flickers to me, "Both of you."
"They're here," Merlin reports, "They're in the castle."
"Where's Arthur?" she queries.
"He's gone to find somewhere safe to move to," he removes the pillows from underneath the nobleman.
"Thank you for not saying anything to him," she says as I almost trip over my own two feet to aid Merlin. She doesn't seem to consider that I could figure out what she is referring to.
"That's alright," he replies indifferent.
"You're a good friend," she tells him, breaking his heart even further.
"He is," I remark, "He always does the right thing."
Arthur bursts through the door in the nick of time, "We have to move my father before Morgause gets here."
"Morgause," Morgana repeats quietly, and Merlin glimpses at her over his shoulder.
"Come on, let's go!" Arthur urges.
Morgana assists Merlin with Uther's legs as before. "You're not surprised?" he grills her, throwing her off, I'm sure.
"No, I am," she insists.
They drag him to a new spot as I bring up the rear, surveying for threat. "We should be safe here for a while," Arthur gives surety. They carry him onto the bed, and take it easy, Merlin sitting against the footboard, and Arthur on top of it. I slump down next to Merlin, leaning on the side of the mattress. Morgana walks over to the window nervously, the two men eying her in two different ways. "Must be the potion Gaius gave her," guesses the Prince.
"Yeah," Merlin concurs, "Must be the potion."
"We can't keep this up much longer," Arthur plays the realist as he takes in our condition, and I catch myself slipping away.
"I know," Merlin relents, panting heavily, his eyes still fixed on Morgana. He then switches his stare to Arthur, "We're in a servant's quarters. If we leave him here, they'll just think he's a servant."
"Not if Morgause sees him," he reminds, "We need to get him out of Camelot."
"How?" I ask helplessly.
"When we arrived there was a cart in the main square, remember?" Merlin suggests.
"You are full of good ideas today, Merlin," Arthur compliments him. That in itself is worthy of fainting. "You go and look."
He rises and does as Arthur said. From all that is required of him, there is no turning back. I have little time to worry for him as he goes, because Arthur has an idea of his own.
"The Mad Dash" (Merlin)
I don't know what it is, but my destiny seems to want me to run ... a lot. I make the mad dash down the hall and find a window overlooking the place where the cart should be. Thankfully, it's still there. I step back and am shocked by a Knight of Medhir trying to chop me into Merlin bits. I avoid his slash, and the next that follows. My only defense is magic, so I take advantage, proclaiming a spell that sends him flying backwards, hitting the wall.
I make my escape, and reach the servant's quarters, slamming the door behind me. "They're closing in! We won't make it to the cart- not carrying Uther," I explain quickly.
"That's why we've made this!" Arthur declares, "We're gonna pull him."
Morgana and I exchange a glance, establishing that there are two different tensions going on between us. Which is good she has no indication that she knows what I'm planning to do.
The three of us begin to tend to Uther as Arthur peeks out the door. "Get down and keep quiet!" he barks abruptly.
He presses his back against the wall. Morgana, Rose, and I do the same with Rose aligned with the curtain instead. My breathing becomes more rapid as I hear the enemy approach. The unarmed among us stiffen, while Arthur loosens up, ready to swing.
The Knight comes closer and Arthur smacks him in the gut with his blade. A spar breaks out and Arthur shouts, "Protect the King! Get him out of here!" He continues to fend him off as we grab hold of the makeshift mobile bed, pulling Uther away from the danger. We walk in small, fast steps down the corridor, hauling the King along.
"We have company," Rose detects. I turn my eyes upward to see a Knight chasing us at a slow and taunting pace. We increase our speed and Morgana falls within a few steps.
"Merlin!" she calls out for my help, ripping my insides to shreds. I pause for but a moment.
I have to ignore so I keep going, feeling more resistance to my left from the other girl involved. I cannot blame her for that. Half of me wants to stop, but the other half knows I should not, and she understands.
"Please!" Morgana shrieks. Rose can watch no more of this. She releases her grip on the material and runs in between the Lady and the Knight. I am so surprised, I freeze in place. He raises his weapon and as he swings downward, I look away, ready to fall apart. My heart practically explodes as Morgana screams, but his blade reaches neither of them. I do a double take. He steadily examines the girls, taking interest in Morgana particularly. Rose scuffles back, and returns to my side, breathless. The Knight continues after us as Morgana clings to the brick.
We shuffle as swift as we can, but the Knight catches us and raises his blade once more. I prepare to use the same incantation when a sword plunges into its back. The thing spins around, revealing Arthur, and that is enough to distract it. Arthur finishes him off by kicking him down the winding stairs nearby. We instantly resume pulling and make it to the throne room with no other altercation.
"Merlin, help me," he orders. And I do. We bar the door together, and then support ourselves beside it. "Morgana, we need the remedy that Gaius gave you," Arthur persists. "Morgana?"
"I don't have it," she exclaims in defeat.
"I know that, but you must remember what it was, what was in it," he continues. "Come on, Morgana, we can't keep going much longer. Think!"
"I'm sorry!" she stutters.
"It doesn't matter," I interrupt. "We can't get it now, anyway. We're trapped."
"There has to be something we can do," he yells in frustration.
"Arthur, we've tried," Rose caves, dropping to the floor on the side of her legs by the throne.
"Why," I fight the weight on my chest, panting, "Why didn't that knight kill you?" I interrogate Morgana.
"How do I know? Because I'm a woman," she suggests. Since he touched neither she nor Rose, both women, I cannot argue that.
"Yeah," I nod, "Maybe."
"Unless we can rid ourselves of this sickness, I don't see how we're going to hold out," Arthur ceases his pacing.
"We have to destroy the source of the magic," I explicate.
"Which is?" he quizzes.
I lie, "I don't know."
"Then our only chance is to get out of Camelot," he purposes, "Help me with my father." He and Morgana drag the king and set him in front of his throne. "You cut the blanket up, we'll tie it to my father, and we'll lower him onto the cart."
"Arthur," she begins.
"Morgana, please, just do as I say," he cuts her off. He then snatches my arm, and tows me with him. "I'll fetch the cart round to the window," he presents his plan.
"You're going out there?" I ask in disbelief because of the potential harm that could come to him. "I'll come with you!"
"No," he denies me, "You stay, protect my father."
"You can't reach the cart alone," I argue. "It's suicide."
"We have no choice," he insists, his face squashed against the bar of wood.
"How are you feeling?" I question.
"Not bad."
"You sure?"
"Yeah," he assures. "You?"
"Never better," I exhale.
"Get me a pillow, could you?" he asks.
"Don't mess around," I rebuke. "Arthur, you- Arthur, you need to stay awake." I know I'm losing him, so I do the unthinkable, and slap him in the face.
He stumbles to the side, "Merlin!"
"That's better!"
"If you ever do that again," he points at me in disapproval, and takes my canteen.
"Well, don't fall asleep then!" I reprimand him.
He pours water onto his face, breathing out through the stream. We hear ferocious noises coming from the other side of the door. I step back to his side, both of us now facing it. "That your knees again?" he teases, and I shake my head, the faintest trace of a smile on my lips. He gives me a small push and then proceeds to unbar the door. "If I need a servant in the next life ..." he says before exiting.
"Don't ask me," I joke, and we laugh together. He takes a deep breath, draws his sword, pulls open the door, and charges out cutting into the first knight he sees.
