Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.
Chapter ten:
Arthur reaches the entrance to the dark tower first, shortly followed by the Knights and Isolde. But Merlin had stopped and was looking back the way they had come. Mordred stands beside him following Merlin's gaze, there were corpses and skeletons everywhere.
Arthur draws his sword and heads for the stairs, walking through a ruined hallway just beyond the tower entrance and the Knights and Isolde do the same. Merlin and Mordred share a look before moving to follow Arthur and the others. Not far ahead of them Arthur has already began to climb up the stairs.
"Something's wrong," Merlin points out, as he and Mordred join the back of the group, stepping over more corpses and skeletons. "It's too easy."
"Are you ever happy?" Arthur calls back from the head of thru group, but even he can't deny Merlin has a point.
They continue on their way and Arthur pushes pack some thick dust covered spider webs only for a Skelton to drop down startling him and causing him to step backwards. Elyan takes it as an opportunity to slips past Arthur and enters a room leading off from the stairs not far ahead of them.
"Arthur!" Elyan voice suddenly echoes back to them.
Arthur instantly picks up the pace and enters the room Elyan had entered. Elyan stood near the centre of the room.
"Don't!" Elyan yells as Percival moves forwards towards him.
But his warning came too late as Percival steps on one of the triggers and an arrow shots out of nowhere and imbeds itself in Percival's thigh, causing Percival to let out a moan of pain. Arthur turns towards Percival only to trigger another trigger and an arrows heads straight towards Arthur's back and with a flash of gold eyes, Merlin deflects it.
Suddenly the air is filled with more flying arrows and Merlin throws up his hand and his eyes flash again and every arrows freezes in midair. Everyone turns to look at Merlin, who shrugs slightly and lowers his hand, the arrows fall to the floor.
"Nobody move," Arthur orders, turning away from Merlin. "Stay exactly where you are."
"What triggered it?" Leon asks, looking round the room and studying it.
"The flag stones," Arthur answers. "They must react to pressure."
"Here," Elyan calls across to them. "I will use this."
Elyan throws his sword forward onto one of the stones, which sinks down slightly and another arrow shoots out of nowhere and bounces harmlessly off a wall across the room, before stepping forward onto the stone.
"I will go first," Merlin takes a step forward.
The stone sinks slightly under Merlin's weight and Merlin throws up a hand, freezing an arrow an itch from his palm with a flash of gold eyes. Arthur, the Knights and Isolde, quickly follow Merlin's path, with Mordred bringing up the rear.
"I'll push on," Elyan informs the group behind him, as he draws nearer to the door.
"No, Elyan," Arthur quickly orders.
"None of us would not be here if it weren't for me," Elyan turns to look back at them. "I have to do this."
Elyan reaches the door and runs through it and off down a hallway to a staircase, which he quickly runs up, not noticing how the entrance behind him turns to stone, making it look like there had never been a staircase there at all.
"Elyan!" Arthur yell echoes behind him.
)o(
Mordred knelt beside Percival, examining the wound from where Percival had been struck by the arrow. The wound was deep and slightly worse than it would have been if Percival hadn't pulled the arrow out himself.
"Why can't you just heal it?" Gwaine asks, curiously, from where he stands watching.
"Because Queen Mab has not granted me permission to use magic within her realm," Mordred answers.
"So how come Merlin can?" Gwaine questions.
"Because Queen Mab gave me permission… Mostly," Merlin replies, kneeling beside Mordred.
"When?" Arthur demands.
"Last night," Merlin answers, holding a hand over Percival wound.
"And you didn't think to mention it?" Arthur glares at the back of Merlin's head.
"There isn't much to know," Merlin shrugs slightly. "I woke up and heard a noise outside of the camp, so I went to see what it was and Queen Mab was waiting for me."
"You left the camp alone, in a realm where you couldn't use magic, to see what a noise was in the middle of the night?" Arthur demands. "Could you be any more stupid, Merlin?!"
"I've done worse," Merlin defends himself.
Gwaine snorts and quickly turned it into a cough as Arthur sent a glare his way. Even Leon was having a hard time keeping the smile off of his face. Percival sent a small smile in Merlin direction and Merlin grins back at him before his eyes flash gold and Percival wound begins to heal its self.
"That's the best I can do," Merlin informs Percival as he gets to his feet, before slamming his hands over his ears as screams and shrieks seemed to echo through his head and he collapses to his knees, beside him Mordred has his ears covered too.
The screams were high pitched and terrifying and so very loud. Merlin had heard the screams of a Mandrake root first hand, but it had been nowhere near as cloud as this. Finally the screams subside and Merlin is left gasping for breath, he hardly notices Arthur's hand on his shoulder and the concerned faces of the Knights around him, as he shares a look with Mordred.
"Merlin, mate," Gwaine appears on Merlin's other side. "You alright?"
Merlin glances at Gwaine and nodes shakily.
"What just happened?" Arthur demands.
"Mandrake roots," Merlin answers, getting to his feet slowly and looking round. "They need to be destroyed. They're no doubt part of Morgana's plan… One root almost destroyed Uthur and what myself and Mordred just heard was definitely more than one root."
"We came here to save Guinevere," Arthur argues. "We cannot afford to be distracted now we are so close to saving her."
"And what do you suppose we do, Arthur, if Gwen has suffered the effects of the mandrake roots? The only way to reverse the effects is to destroy the root!" Merlin disagrees.
Arthur stares at Merlin for a moment, before turning and stalking off.
"I am finding Guinevere," Arthur calls over his shoulder. "Don't do anything stupid, Merlin, I don't want to be saving two maidens in distress today."
Merlin pulls a face at Arthur's back, as one by one the knights turn to follow Arthur. Isolde sends a small smile in Merlin's direction, a silent wish of good luck. And much to Merlin surprise, Gwaine doesn't go with them. Merlin sends a questioning look at Gwaine, who just shrugs.
"You might need the help," Gwaine shrugs.
)o(
Elyan turns and begins making his way up another staircase, as he desperately searches for Gwen. Finally he reaches a locked door, which he kicks down and enters the room to find Gwen standing on the other side of the room with a sword hanging in the air between them.
"Gwen!" Elyan exclaims.
"Elyan!" Gwen replies, turning to face him.
"What has she done to you?" Elyan demands, trying to get past the sword to his sister.
"No, don't!" Gwen cries out. "It will not let you pass. Morgana enchanted it to protect me. You can't free me Elyan. Leave me here, please."
"No," Elyan cries, pulling off his cloak and taking a fighting stance.
"You cannot overcome it," Gwen pleads, desperately. "It will fight to the death."
But Elyan pays no heed to Gwen warning, but charges forward and begins to fight with the enchanted sword. Elyan fights with all his might, but no matter what he tried, he could not destroy the sword and in a miscalculated attack, Elyan gets stabbed by the enchanted sword and stumbles backwards.
"Elyan!" Gwen cries. "Go! Save yourself!"
But Elyan once again ignores his sister and continues to fight the enchanted sword. Finally he sees an opportunity and sends the enchanted sword flying out of an open windows with a single well timed move. Elyan quickly shuts the wooden shutters across the windows and lets out a deep breath as he hears the sword clutter to the found beyond the window.
But suddenly the sword forces itself through the shutter and Elyan stables backwards away from the shutters, as the enchanted sword bursts into the room. Elyan prepares himself for battle and the sword flies straight for him and in the same moment Isolde steps into the room.
"Elyan!" She greets. "For a moment we thought we'd never find you. I FOUND HI-"
But Isolde is cut off as the sword impales her. She looks down in shock at the blood covered sword which is sticking out of her chest, before she looks up at Elyan and collapses to knees.
"Isolde!" Gwen cries, running over to Isolde and falling to the floor beside her.
"My Queen," Isolde greets Gwen, coughing as blood runs down from her lips.
"Oh Isolde," Gwen cries, as Isolde coughs again before going still in Gwen arms.
Tristan followed by the other Knights bursts into the room suddenly and Tristan gaze instantly goes to Isolde.
"NO," Tristan bellows and rushes forward, pulling Isolde's body into his arms. "No! Isolde, my love, wake up, please. Isolde… Please…"
)o(
Hey, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Until next time,
Blessed be,
TreeOfLife1997.