Today, I'll start by telling you a story. A few months ago, my sister and I obtained finger lights. Hers was blue, mine red. Together with them we made up the world's greatest crime-fighting duo. And now my sister's blue light has passed away :'( So we're holding a memorial service later on in it's memory. Any words of commiseration would be welcome. (And no, this is not just a desperate plea for even more reviews- it's the honest-to-God truth. *sobs*)
Anyway, that's enough sad news for now. On to the next chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin
Chapter 6
Arthur stood on the battlements, looking out in the direction from which he knew the sorcerers would be arriving. Below in the square, the people of the lower town made their way towards the protection the castle would offer them.
Mentally, he ran through a list to make sure he had completed everything he needed to. The people were being moved to safety. A hospital had been set up in the great hall for the injuries which were likely to occur. Both his father and his Knights had been forewarned of the extra powers the medallions would give to their foes, and strategies had been formed to try and give them the best advantage possible in the situation. He and his men were ready for battle, most of them waiting in position outside the city walls. And Merlin… Merlin was with Gaius, trying to find a way to counteract the medallions' strength.
His mind flitted once again to what the warlock had told him that morning- that a powerful sorcerer would need to be on the Isle of the blessed to cast the spell. There was only one he knew of, apart from Merlin himself, who had the power to wield such magic. Morgause. Was this her doing? Or was it the work of some other, unknown, foe?
He shook his head to clear his mind of the matter. They had no way of knowing, and not enough time to find out. Therefore, it was meaningless for him to worry about it.
But still his traitorous thoughts kept going back to it. Co `uld it be Morgause? If it was, then did Morgana know what she was doing? Did she condone it? Surely not- Morgana was misguided, not evil. She would never condone the destruction of so many innocent lives.
Or would she? She had, however unwittingly, played a part in the near destruction of Camelot just last month. How much had Morgause told her since then? How much had the woman he saw as a sister changed in that time? He had no way of knowing. And that scared him.
It was whilst he was considering this that a small, dark line appeared on the horizon, slowly taking the more recognisable shape of hundreds of men.
The sorcerers.
He immediately turned on his heel, sprinting back into the castle. Telling the first guard he came across to sound the warning bell, Arthur hurried down to join the Knights chosen to help lead the attack as they gathered in the courtyard. A few quick words later and the group mounted their horses, riding off to join the army.
The enemy's numbers may be small, but this would be one of the toughest battles Camelot's army had ever fought.
"Here!"
Gaius looked up at his ward's exclamation, joining the boy where he sat at the other end of the table. Amyas lay asleep on the bed, unaware of the conversation the pair were having. Books lay strewn across the table, evidence of the mad search the two had committed themselves to throughout the morning.
"You found something?"
"I think so."
Gaius raised a brow apprehensively. There was something in Merlin's tone which the old man didn't like. It was a tone he only heard when the boy was considering something entirely reckless- something which may well result in his death.
The Physician's suspicions were confirmed when he read the page over his ward's shoulder.
"Merlin you can't do this! It's far too dangerous!"
"I know it's difficult-"
"It's not just difficult Merlin! Aside from being an extremely complex spell, you do realise what using this will mean?"
"Of course I do!" Merlin looked at him, fear and desperation in his eyes. "But what choice do I have Gaius? It's the only thing we've found all morning which could give us any chance of beating those sorcerers."
Gaius froze. Just for a moment. And when he spoke again, he couldn't quite prevent the quaver in his voice.
"We still have time. We'll continue searching." He walked back over to his previous seat, pulling yet another tome towards himself.
"Gaius-"
"No Merlin. We'll find something else."
The young man looked at him in silence for a few seconds, before giving a small nod and setting the book aside. It did not, however, escape the Physician's notice that he marked the spell's page before he did so.
Ten minutes of searching later, the warning bells began to ring. The sign that the sorcerers had been spotted. The pair barely looked up- they still had a few minutes. There was still time.
Finally, and with a regretful look towards his mentor, Merlin put aside his latest book, before pulling over the one he had discarded earlier and flicking through to the marked page.
"Merlin no-"
"I have no choice!" Merlin looked at him. And that same old look of determination was once again on his face. There was no way he would be stopped now. "We tried Gaius. But there's no more time, and you know it. You're needed at the hospital- people are going to be wondering where you are. And I have to go. This is our only option."
Gaius tried to protest, but he knew that it was futile. Merlin just ignored him, committing the spell to memory and rushing out of the room with just one last glance at his mentor.
And Gaius was, once again, left behind. With only the faintest of hopes that his ward would escape this battle unscathed. Or even alive.
It was with a heavy heart that he picked up his bag and headed for the great hall. He had his own duty to fulfil.
The battle raged.
Every few seconds, yet another man would be dragged from the field, pulled away from the chaos and back towards the city for treatment.
Arthur was panting heavily, sweat streaming from his brow. This was hopeless- his men were being massacred and so far they hadn't even managed to get close to the enemy- the fires and blasts of pressure pushing them back as soon as they started to draw near. Even their arrows had proved useless.
Sir Leon ran up to him, the older man in a similar state of disarray.
"What should we do sire? We've exhausted most of our strategies, and we haven't even landed a single scratch."
"I don't know. I-" He stared around at the destruction. Where was Merlin? Had he failed? Had he been unable to find any way to break the spell?
"Sire?"
Arthur blinked, blocking the questions from his mind. Now was not the time for this. He had to focus. He had to appear strong.
"Tell Mordon that I want him to lead his group in another charge. If anyone can withstand once of those attacks, it's him. The rest of us will span out into three sections- one on either side, and another backing up Mordon and his men. I'll lead that one. You lead the left, and Casmir can take charge of those on the right. If we can divert their attention for long enough, some of us may be able to break through."
Leon gave a curt nod, then ran off through the crowd of men, shouting orders as he went. Arthur ran in the other direction, organising his men into groups and trying to give them words of encouragement.
Once everyone was in position, he yelled to Sir Mordon to begin the charge. Another minute, and the Prince's voice echoed across the battlefield again.
"NOW!"
As one, the remaining three groups burst forward to their comrade's aid. But it was futile. No matter how hard they tried to dodge, there was simply not enough room to manoeuvre away from the blasts which were sent their way.
Arthur barely had time to register a huge fireball flying in his direction before someone slammed him out of the way, the Knight in question bursting into flame himself. The young Prince just managed to catch a glimpse of the man's agonised face while it was still recognisable. It was Sir Oliver- a young Knight with undying loyalty he had worked with on several occasions in the past.
An arm pulled him back through the tide of men, out of the way of yet another attack. Within a few seconds he found himself at the back of the army, staring out at the carnage.
He drew in a deep steadying breath. He was just about to run back into the battle when a he heard a voice yelling from somewhere behind him. A voice he recognised.
"Arthur!"
He turned and sprinted back towards the source.
"Merlin!"
I bet you thought I'd be telling you how they would try to beat those medallions today, didn't you. Well tough. I'm far too evil for that!
Review?