No. 3—Hair's Breadth from Death
Gun to temple | "Say goodbye." | Impaled
The slavers didn't all scatter through the forest when Arthur and his knights rode up, but he was more than willing to take the opportunity to destroy them. He swung his sword at the rough men charging him. They would severely regret grabbing his manservant.
A group of men surrounded three caged wagons stuffed with people. Arthur rode at them. One man ran up and locked Arthur's sword in his. Another slaver grabbed Arthur and pulled him off his horse.
Arthur hit the ground hard, his breath knocked out of him. The slavers swung their swords at him, but he rolled out of the way and scrambled to his feet.
Still struggling for breath, Arthur managed to dispatch one man, then the other. With that, the rest of the slavers scattered, one dropping a ring of keys on the forest floor.
The tightness around Arthur's chest that had been there ever since he learned three weeks ago that Merlin had been captured on his way to Ealdor finally released. Arthur sheathed his sword and picked up the keys. "Merlin, where are you?"
He unlocked the door to the nearest cage wagon. Men and women poured out throwing their arms around him.
One older woman laid her weathered hands on his cheeks. "Thank you so much."
"Um, you're welcome." Arthur pried her arms away from him.
A limp man lay on the floor of the cage, left behind by the others. Merlin.
Arthur jumped into the wagon and knelt by his lost friend. Merlin was pale and curled on his side, unconscious.
Arthur gently grasped his shoulder. "Merlin."
Merlin started awake and yawned. He spotted Arthur and smiled. "You're here." He didn't sit up, just smiled.
"Are you hurt?" Arthur asked.
"My back," Merlin said. "They whipped me."
Arthur tensed. Those dirty, rotten… "You're safe now."
Gwaine ran in, brushing Arthur aside. "Merlin! Out of the way, princess."
Percival climbed in behind him. "I've got bandages."
Arthur's shoulders sank. Merlin's other friends were here and Arthur wasn't needed anymore. "I'll go…free the others." He grabbed the keys and slid out of the wagon.
The people from Merlin's wagon were still milling about right outside the cage. They grabbed Arthur as he passed. He strode up to the second wagon and unlocked the door. Not far away, he could hear Gwaine, Percival, and Elyan fussing over Merlin. Leon was still chasing the running slavers.
Another flood of people jumped out of the cage. They wrapped their arms around him, bumping and jostling him to the wooden side of the wagon's base.
One older man gripped Arthur's shoulder. "I knew you would come and save us."
Arthur frowned, resisting the urge to smack everyone's hands away. They were just grateful to be free. "You knew?"
"After all, where the servant is, the king follows." The man grinned and whispered a strange word. A spear materialized in his hand.
Arthur grabbed the hilt of his sword, but everyone pressed in too close and he had no room to draw it.
The man drove his spear into Arthur's stomach. Excruciating pain stabbed into him. The spear head stuck into the wood behind him. Blood poured down his stomach and his back.
"Long live the king," the man hissed. He smirked and stalked away, cloak flaring behind him.
The people around Arthur froze. One woman burst into tears.
Percival knelt above a shirtless Merlin, cleaning his back. Merlin had his eyes closed again.
Arthur's legs buckled. He grabbed the wagon. If he collapsed, the spear would rip through his insides and kill him. He opened his mouth and tried to shout for help, but all he could do was gasp. "Help," he whispered. He gathered his strength. "Gwaine. Percival."
Neither of them even turned and looked at him.
"Sorry, princess, for once, you're not the most important thing here," Gwaine said.
"I'll be there in a minute," Percival said.
"Elyan," Arthur begged. His limbs tingled, his head spinning. He couldn't go into shock. He had to hold on.
Elyan glanced up at Arthur. He stood still for a second before cursing. He bolted off the wagon. "Arthur!" He ran up to him and grabbed his arm. "Percival! Merlin! Gwaine!"
Arthur closed his eyes and groaned. Lightness spun through his head. He couldn't… he couldn't…
"How did this happen?" Elyan asked.
"There were so many people," Arthur said. "He had magic to…hide his spear." He dragged his eyes open. Everything was bleary.
Percival and Gwaine flanked Elyan. Arthur couldn't quite tell, but he thought they might be confused.
He couldn't feel his legs anymore. They buckled. He sank against the spear, pain tearing through him. Percival and Gwaine grabbed his arms and held him up.
Merlin, still shirtless, stood in front of Arthur. "Just hold on, Arthur, it'll be all right. I wish this could have come out some other way, but it's okay. You will live."
Arthur could barely see with the darkness closing in on him, but he caught Merlin's eyes flashing gold.