gahahahahahaha! so yeah, three, four? weeks later i am actually finally in a position to update. sorry it was so long, couldn't take my computer to festival, then got home to discover that our tv is broken as is our wi fi. the only way i can upload is by up loading on one computer (quickly before it shuts down) and then editing on this one. wiht out wi fi that became nearly impossible but i've finally managed to borrow a neighbors wi fi.
um so a little gore, (not much but its there) in this chapter. also i'd like to see if any of you have guessed where this is heading. hopefully you are starting to get inklings. i would do a disclaimer saying i dont own merlin but i've diceded that why should we have to? i think the people who own the rights should just walk around anouncing "i own merlin!" um anyway getting side tracked. i hope this chapter was worth the wait, also i didn't manage to check this through for mistakes so apologies for any you find.
let battle commence
Arthur mounted his horse and looked down at his father and adviser. "father, you have to promice me you will remain within the city, me and my knights and soldiors will fight them on the front line, but we need you the king to defend the city should we fail or they," he looked to merlin for help. "Sire what the prince is trying to say is we can't be sure they haven't found a magical means of getting into the castle, I have done my best to prevent this but even I can not seal off an entire city."
Uthur nodded "Arthur, I wish things were different. I wish I had handled things different. When you get back I think its time we have a talk." Arhtur laughed. "you are that cirtain I will survive father?" uthur gave a rare smile "yes because if you don't then I will be stuck with having to deal with that" he waved vaguely in merlins direction. "the clumsyness I can tolerate, the wisdom I can respect the magic I can try and ignore but he just never shuts up" merlin would have protested but he could tell this was how the pendragons spoke of fealings they hurled useless insults or distracted with humourous words when really it was a father begging his son and only legitimate heir to return safe, it was a son begging his father to stay safe to stay alive, neither was ready to loose the other. Not that either would ever admit it.
Uthur turned to the knights gathered around Arthur. Gawain, Percival, Elyan, lancelot and Tristain. He waited before speaking. "it has long been tradition and law that only a man of noble birth may even attempt to be a knight of Camelot. It is a tradition I stuck to steadfastly. But looking at you, Sirs, I can see my son has chosen his friends and brothers in arms wisely. He has broken a sacred law of our land but, I have seen you train alongside the other knights and you are truly worthy of being knights of Camelot. Know your enemy as you know your friends and the battle is yours to win" they all bowed to him accepting his advice and rode off. Only Tristain looked back.
"Sire for what its worth, I'm sorry they stuck you with me." Merlin said nervously, he risked a glance towards the king who was standing several metres away, the young warlock resisted the urge to laugh bitterly when he realised the king wasn't keeping his distance because he was a commoner, a former servant, it was as if he stank of magic and uthur was standing as close as was bearable. After awhile, the king broke the silence.
"usually, a sorcerer is dead before I ask any questions or they are spouting the same old rant while being interrogated. It is rare, unheard of, that I can actually ask them the questions I want answered." Merlin hoped his gulp of aprihention wasn't heard by the king, he had a funny fealing he knew what the king was going to ask, he made the decision to be as honest as possible. "ask your questions Sire, I will do my best to answer them" he said bowing his head.
Uthur looked at the young man standing next to him. He really never had paid him much attention, but knowing what he knew now. Knowing that this lad had saved his son's life many times over, he was the last surviving dragonlord, he was the most powerful sorcerer, warlock, ever to exist. The king found himself paying close attention to the young man. He noticed the eyes glowing blue with focus, the fingers ready to chanel magic, the scars from various battles fought by the prince's side. He looked like a twig but was tough, he was currently wearing a cape that was a dark dark blue it wasn't particularly rich fabric it was heavy so only the edges moved in the light breeze in the court yard.
Now that he looked at the boy closely he realised he wasn't an idiot, he was probably too wise, to much going on in his head that the simple things like coordination were forgotten. He was an oak not a twig. But mostly he exuded a calm power that uthur had seen before. His heart lurched when he realised exactly where he had experience that power, that presence, it was ballinor, the dragonlord who escaped, who took down 50 knights as he escaped vowing that the king knew not what he had done, that the dragons eventual wrath would destroy Camelot. And that's when he knew the question he wanted to ask first. "why?"
Merlin instantly knew what his companion was asking. "why are my kind always trying to kill you? And you trying to kill my kind? It's a long story sire" getting a stern glare form the king merlin continued. "your ancestor sat at a round table with a council of others, the table afforded no man more importance when seated even magic had a seat at the table. Of course as the main king your ancestor held the most power outside of that room." Merlin ran a hand through his hair and continued. "power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. It matters not if it is magic or command of armies and the latest weapons. When the round table disbanded, your ancestor still had a kingdom, an army and citizens. Magic however did not it was forced into the wilderness. I assume at some point it grew jealous of the king and his decendants, and angered at those with magic's treatment as second class citezens. But instead of going and forming their own nation else where or proving their worth they allowed mutral mistrust to eat away at the fragile truce that exsisted. And then nimueh betrayed you, betrayed your beloved wife. Then the purge happened. This of course was the last straw for my kind and so now they attack you thinking you are in the wrong and you attack back using their actions as proof that magic is evil." Uthur processed this all, his fists clenched. "and yet you still protect me, my son, camelot?"
merlin sighed. It was a phrase and tone he was used to hearing from fellow magic users. "your son will be a great king but he needs your guidance sire. I am tired. Tired of this reackless cycle we are all stuck in. I intend to prove to your son that some of us who use magic are not evil that we wish only to heal or defend. Like wise I wish to prove to you that your son will have me becide him, protecting him when he cannot fight alone."
Uthur couldn't help the smile that crept onto his face, "another question, had I sentenced you to death would you have died?" merlin chuckled. "sire, I am a dragonlord with an affinity to fire, if you burnt me at the stake I would just make the flames burn away the ropes and leave me un harmed"
"hanged?" "I'd slow time down and move something under me to take the strain"
"beheaded?" "again I would slow time down and free myself"
"drowned?" "I believe I could probably think of a spell that supplied me with sufficient air. Also in one particular lake I have an immortal ex lover who is rather protective of me"
"dragged behind a horse?" "id use a spell to hover about the ground"
"poisoned"" "I seam to have built up a bit of a resistance to poisons"
"flung from a trebuchet?" merlin saw the slight smile tugging at the side of uthurs mouth "I'm fairly cirtain I could do some fancy acrobatics before being caught by my kin"
Uthur noted that merlin purposefully didn't mention the dragons name. he barked a laugh. "So what you are saying is that there isn't any way to kill you?" merlin looked across at him. "Oh there are ways, but I can't be expecting it, or I have to want it." Merlin said the last part with a sad look on his face. "and are you ever expecting it?" the king found himself asking. "always sire. even now" uthur full on laughed now. "well then, I guess I'm lucky you decided to stick around and I decided not to kill you!"
Merlin smiled at the king, seeing something out of the corner of his eye he leant round the king and shouted out a spell. The king tensed thinking the spell was for him but a moment later three sorceres appeard out of thin air and sent bolts of energy towards the kings heart and head. they never reached him they hit a wall and spread out across it digging into the ground and flying up into the sky. "disperse" merlin yelled in a language uthur didn't understand and all three of their attackers were sent hurtling into different bits of wall. Uthur drew his sword and ran towards one of them while Merlin ran towards the others. A grim expression on his face, the war had started there was no going back.
Lancelot looked across at his prince, his friend, his future king. "sire can we count on you?" arhtur turned and glared at lancelot, a lesser man and most knights would have back down, but Lancelot knew Arthur had know exactly what he had meant, so he just glared back. eventually Arthur spoke to the knight next to him. "merlin and my father appear to have come to some sort of truce, gwen is safe with odin, Sir Leon will be returning with reenforcements hopefully soon, and my sister is an evil witch who has teamed up with camelots biggest threat. I am in absolutely no mood to be destracted. You can count on me to lead you into battle and lead you all out when the war has ended. I will do all I can Sir Lancelot" gwaine laughed from his other side "well that ws a nice little pep talk, now when do we get to fight?" elyan sent him a disparaging glare, and then Tristain spoke "not long, Sire they just laughed the arrows!" Arthur squinted into the distance, what ever he was, cenrid also was ahead of the game when it came to weapons.
"arrows! Brace, brace, brace!" all the knights and soldiers, raised their shields and formed a shell of wood and mettle to deflect any arrows. Tristain peard though the gap. And spoke again. "Arthur, their front line are charging." "Arthur looked at his special squad of knights, and smiled as gwaine kicked his horse forwards "well lets not let them have all the fun." The knights surged forward to meet the enemy, chain-mail heavy on their shoulders. As they were about to crash into the enemy Tristain stood up on his horse and jumped spinning in the air over the enemy and disappeared into the attacking hoard, Arthur had the briefest moment of panic before he started seeing a space open in the croud. Tristain stood in the middle of a ragged heap of bodies laying under him. Arthur threw the spear he was holding catching two of the enemy. The rest of the knights did the same before switching to their swords.
Gwain took the sword of one of his oponants and threw it to one of the other knights of Camelot who had been disarmed. The enemy was flustered and confused, Arthur and the knights closest to him each had a distinct way of fighting, one that didn't fit with the rest of the knights of Camelot. They had trained to match a specific kind of fighting, but now they found themselves faceing a prince who adapted to each new tactic, a brawler who was unpredictable, a wall of strength who just shrugged off his enemies like they were nothing, a fast agile warrior who dodged and weaved his way through, and a knight who never struck first, but always struck last almost apologeticly. That was without the rest of the Camelot army who were a formidable force to fight.
Arthur was wondering where his sisters magical forces were when a bolt of light shot past his shoulder the knight who had been standing behind him froze on the spot and ice covered his body. Arthur raised his shield and commanded his knights to do the same.
"our friendly neighbourhood sorcerer beter have done his job!" gwaine shouted from somewhere close, "actually he's a warlock" lancelot said from somewhere else, a ball of fire came shooting at Arthur from the side his shield was faceing the wrong direction. A second before the flame hit him its path was blocked by a shield Percival was standing there his chain mail red with blood and a cut across his cheek. "works" he stated before disapreaing again. Arhtur squared his shoulders raised his head and let out a roar. He felt bones crack against his shield and flesh against his sword but he didn't slow down he just pushed forward further into the enemy lines he saw a druid chanting a spell and aiming it at elyan who had his back turned firghting another opponent Arthur threw one of his throwing knifes and it sliced across the druids wrists.
The druid howled in pain before setting eyes on the prince. "PENDRAGON! excruciating death" arhtur flung himself forward and placed his shield firmly infront of him he felt something hit it, it sent shudders all through his body, he chanced a glance over the top of the shield and saw the druid blinking not understanding how the shield had withstood the shot. The prince covered the remaining distance and grabbed the druids wounded wrist. This close the druid could feel the magic in the shield his eyes widened in shock. "Emrys has blessed me. He knows I do not share my fathers beliefs" the druids eyes burned gold with fury. "yet you still choose to continue the slaughter of innocents!" Arthur threw the druid to the ground. "you attacked us, you are not innocent, you were going to hit a man who had his back turned to you, that is cowardice of the worst kind. When I am king I will be a fair leader. Tell me can you truly say the same for my sister?"
The druid slackend the fury was gone replaced by confuseion "if you don't kill me she will, if Emrys trusts you then please kill me so I never meet his wrath" arhtur slammed his shield into the druids neck, feeling it crack under the force, he straightened up and entered the fight again.
"sire! behind you!" uther swung round raising his shield at merlin's warning and felt a spell hit the shield. it must have been strong as it caused the shield to shudder and vibrations rang up his arm and across his armour. "merlin you said they wouldn't be able to breach the parimiter you idiot boy!" a shard of ice flew over the kings shoulder and imbedded itself in his opponants shoulder. "sire I said 'shouldn't' there is a diference." Uther growled and spun out of the way of another spell as he came back around he thrust his sword forward embedding it betweent the sorcerers ribs, his oponant had no time for last words, as he died his eyes found those of Emrys, he smiled.
Merlin was busy. He was dodging enchantments and curses from every direction, as well as ensuring the king was still alive. A sorcerer threw a rock at him that grew in size the closer it got, merlin found him self thinking that the spell may come in handy at some point before he roared like a dragon and fire basted away at the rock leaving only shattered glass. The sorcerer who had thrown the rock paused in astonishment before chooseing to run forward wielding his sword, as he got close to merlin, the warlock muttered a spell and a sword rose form the courtyard surface, it was the sword he had used to cut the dragons chains, he saw uther watching him out the corner of his eye and realised it was now or never. He spun round and braught the sword up, it connected with his oponants weapon and they started duleing without magic. "impossible! Her magesty princess morgana assured us you were a weak combatant" the attacking sorcerer said. Through gritted teeth.
"that always was her problem, too little faith in her friends and family, I tried to tell her she had a choice, but she believed me to be lieing." Merlin could have sworn he heard his opponent bring up the poisoning of Morgana, but chose to ignore it. "her father let me live, a servant, a warlock. He let me live and yet your leader believes he wouldn't have let her live? She reallys isn't as clever as we thought she was" merlin ducked as another swipe for his head was made. he used the momentum to push at his surroundings with magic. Merlin was launched up into the air and as he reached head level he spun round and beheaded his opponent. When he landed he knelt next to his fallen enemy and whispered a prayer.
Uther had gradually been making his way over. "since when have you been able to fight with sword boy?" merlin winced at the kings voice, he was beguining to realise that the pendragons were unnaturally quiet walkers. "sire it was the beliefe of sir Tristain that the less magic I used in protecting your son and Camelot the easier it would be for people to accept my presence." Uther sswung hs sword out without looking and killed another enemy soldier. "it isn't proper for a servant to weild a sword and fight like a knight." Merlin looked up at the kings words, wondering where this was going. "though of course you never were a servant, and more to the point you were never supposed to be. I may not agree with it, but a dragonlord was always just that. A lord, a noble. I never had much love for them, or your father. But rules are rules, as such I always tried to treat them as lords." Merlin clutched his sword tighter at the lack of respect uthur showed his father ballinor, the king must have seen as he explained himself further. "I truly believed that dragons were the devils children and that dragonlords were the devils mouth piece. But recently my view has been forced to change. I now see that dragons are natures mouth piece and dragonlords their commanders their translators, it is why I was relieved when gaius said there was one left, and stricken when the prince said he had died."
Merlin loosened his grip. He had to admit he didn't like this new Uthur, this thinking uthur, at least before he knew where he stood with the king now he was always second guessing if the king would stab him or shake his hand. "I have decided after this is all done, the dragon should serch out any men who may make worthy dragon lords. I have also decided to formally and officially recognise you as a noble in your own right lord Emrys." Merlin stood frozen to the spot mouth open and staring at the king. Of all things, that was one thing he was never expecting to hear come out of his companions mouth. And yet, yes the magic hateing king of Camelot had indeed just given him a title and with it nobility and land. He turned around and yelled in a voice deeper and more powerful than uthur had ever experience yelled. "you were wrong! Camelot is wise and just! Fight us at your peril!" and then with a roar. He summoned kilgarrah into the fray. Now. Now his enemy would truly see what it was to fight Arthur, to fight Uthur, to fight Emrys. It was the end of all things.
teeheehee. who saw that coming? if you did pat on the back. i'm not good at writing sexy or at writing gore, its something i'm trying to work on. also as i have said before the rating is premptive for is i decide to talk about percivl crushing a mans skull and gooey brains falling out etc.
couple more twists and turns to come. i think I'm nearing the end of writing this story but there is a high possibility of a sequel. also i said writing because I'm currently wrighting chapter 22 and i think it will be around 30 long maybe less, including an epilogue. but as i have only just posted chapter 17 you guys still have a few more weeks of entertainment(hope it still entertaining to read) left to go. :D also the next two parts will be up over the weekend probably. reviews are awesome don't you think?