This Prison

Chapter Six

Prison Break

"Mericille…Mericille…Mericille…" I sat in my prison, chanting the counter curse to Raven's little spellbinding. It seemed like years had past. In reality, it had only been four days. I would have been out sooner, but a certain violet-eyed girl keeps entering her room. Whenever she is about, I cease my chanting. I have a hunch she might be able to hear me whilst inside her room. I can't take that chance.

I felt the book's curse being manipulated and weakened every day, but today, the effects seemed greater. Perhaps I could escape in the very near future…in a week, perhaps. Raven's curse was rather hasty, after all. And spells and enchantments were definitely not her forte…But I had to hand it to her, she was a strong sorceress to need only to read the incantation to lock me away.

Swirls of black and red energy swirled about my trunk, bouncing off of the sides. I could feel Raven's magic resisting more than it had since I began. Why was this so? Enchantments and curses usually weakened and broke so that you could hardly sense the magic. Had lady Raven caught on and tried to add another curse atop the other?

My eyes wandered to the common room of the tower. I saw the armored man and the green boy holding small devices in their hands, flicking protruding buttons, their empty eyes locked on the screen before them. The alien princess hovered about the kitchen, stirring a purple bubbling ooze in a pot. When she pulled the spoon out, the bottom of it had burned away from acid. A boy behind her shuddered involuntarily. Beside him sat the one I'd been searching for all along: Raven. She was sipping her usual cup of tea and reading a book. The black-haired boy sitting next to her regained his composure and looked toward Raven with his normal cocky smirk plastered to his face.

He nudged her with his elbow, causing her to absentmindedly brush away his hand. He tried again. Again he failed. I snickered to myself; lady Raven was not one to be easily pulled from a book. Robin flicked her thigh, but she only swatted him away again, thinking he was a fly. The boy let out a huff of frustration and leaned in toward the oblivious girl. He froze a mere inch from her cheek and exhaled as noisily as possible.

"What?" the girl deadpanned, finally looking up.

"Oh, good. I thought you were ignoring me for a minute there. Good book?"

"Yes." She marked her spot and set the book on the counter. She turned back to the "Boy Wonder" to engage in conversation.

'Stupid boy.' I thought. I blocked out images of the tower and continued my chanting. Lady Raven's curse wasn't growing stronger because of her…What was going on? I imagined the field of my counter-jinx pushing the force field about the book back, still chanting. Suddenly, there was nothing to push against. Red and black swirled more quickly about the chest and vanished into thin air. The chest burst open in a loud explosion.

I was free.

I looked myself over in Raven's mirror (A/N: not the meditation one! Can't have him in Nevermore, now can we?). I nearly overlooked the fact that I was no longer a dragon. I felt a smile spread over my thin lips. I looked very similar to Rorek. I had the same aquamarine eyes. I had the same armor. I had the same white-blonde hair. The only difference was the fact that I did not have a scarf around my neck. Instead, my pointed nose, thin lips, and strong jaw were in plain view. I did not hide myself from the world as Rorek did…

I turned to look around lady Raven's room. It had not changed much in the past two years. Shelves lined an entire wall. Dark stone statues sat off to the sides of the room. A purple carpet zigzagged its way to her round bed. The scent of lilac and violets filled the air. Everything in her room was organized and tidy. I scanned the room, stopping when I came to the raven sitting on her bedpost. It let a small caw escape it.

"Merrill." I strode over to it, looking it over. I had nothing better to do. The fowl looked up at me with dark eyes, cocking its head. I chuckled. "I had a bird once." I told it, reaching out to stroke his feathers. He lunged to bite me, but I pulled back at the last second. "Alright." I said, bringing up my hands defensively and backing away. "I won't go near you." I smiled, despite the situation.

I found the bookshelves, still shaking my head. I ran my finger along the cool wood, reading select spines. "Ancient Magics", "Potions and Brews", "A Book of Dragons" , "Merrill", "Wicked Duel", "So You Like me Now"…

"I know where you're name came from, Merrill." I addressed the bird, earning another caw. "I would have expected her to throw The Book of Dragons away." I muttered. "Wicked Duel…I do believe that was about the two Flint brothers…They never could get along…"

I looked back at the bird. "They were neighbors of mine." I explained. Why the bloody hell I was explaining this to a bird, I had no clue. I smiled.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps outside.

"I need to meditate." I heard Raven say to one of her teammates. In seconds, Raven phased through her door and stood awestruck. She stared at me in disbelief. "Are you…Rorek?" She queried. I chuckled at that.

"I am Malchior." I watched her expression go from confused to shocked.

"No…You aren't Malchior. Malchior is a-a dragon." She stumbled over her words. I moved toward her and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"What, do you wish for a demonstration?" I smirked. She looked up in horror. "It's alright, love. Calm down." I pulled her close, closing my eyes and inhaling her scent.

"Don't even try it!" She pushed me away but I held onto her hand.

"Sweet Raven, I have apologized. What more can I do?" I said sweetly.

"Leave me alone!" She spat, ripping her hand from mine. I rested both hands on her cloaked shoulders and looked her in the eye.

"I love you." I brought her head up at an angle and locked my lips to hers. I felt her resist it but she finally leaned into it. I snaked my arms around her thin waist. Her own arms found a home about my neck. It felt unbelievable. My senses were overwhelmed. It felt great to be alive!

I flicked my tongue over her lips. As if awaking from a trance, Raven suddenly pushed me away, harder than before.

"Don't touch me!"

"Love-"

"Don't call me that!

"But-"

"I have a boyfriend now! If you actually wanted me, you shouldn't have stabbed me in the back!" Even after she kissed me, she still had a thing for that damned child.

"Love," I moved forward to comfort her. "I can-"

"Don't come any closer!" She threatened, backing away.

"Lady Raven, I only wish to explain." Her back hit the wall, and I leaned forward so that our foreheads were touching. I placed my hands on her hips and laid kisses on her neck. Again, she shoved me away.

"ROBIN!" Raven let loose a piercing scream. I moved forward to cover her mouth; I didn't particularly want a visitor. She evaded my grasp and screamed again, louder. "ROBIN!"

In moments, steel-toed footsteps came flying down the hallway. "Raven!" The boy was revealed as he kicked the door in with a deafening crash. He tackled me without a second thought. I saw Raven's other friends appear in the doorway, watching the scene unfold. Raven stood alone, silent tears streaming down her pale cheeks. "Who are you?" Robin exclaimed, shaking me so that my head hit the floor.

"I do look different, don't I?" I said. Robin looked at me with widened eyes. "Hello, Boy Wonder."

………………………………...

A/N: Another cliffy! Don't you just hate these things! Wow…

So, me being the writer I am, I can't decide what pairing I'm gonna do. Vote for it!

Rae/Mal

Rae/Rob

So, I'm outta things to say except…

REVIEW, DAMMIT!

Oh! Wait! One more thing: Why do you think Rorek and Malchior look so much alike? C'mon! It's a no-brainer!