Arthur's Sons (Book 1)

Le Morte d'Arthur (Part 1)

Hunting trips. Merlyn hated them with a passion by this point because 99.9% of the time something happened that either got her, Arthur or someone else hurt. Or even better! They ended with a curse on Camelot which Merlyn had to give an arm and a leg to get the curse lifted or spend days drilling it into Arthur's thick skull that you shouldn't kill magical creatures unless you know what the repercussions are going to be. And to top it all off, Arthur had to bring the most pretentious, self-centred pricks he could find out of his knights and from the look on Rowan's face he was two seconds away from turning them all to dust. And the best part! Arthur was completely oblivious!  

"Merlyn, spear." Arthur whispered just as Merlyn's unbound raven hair caught on a branch painfully and she dropped it at his feet while she struggled to pull her hair free.

Arthur snatched up the spear and turned to glare at her. "Do you have any natural gifts, Merlyn?"

"Well, let me think. I'm not naturally rude or insensitive." She snapped back as she finally yanked her hair free and Rowan sighed before moving behind her where she was crouching and taking the fizzed strands in his small hands making quick work of tying it into a plait. 

"Thank you, Love." Merlyn kissed her son's cheek and he rolled his eyes playfully. "At least your not as useless and uncaring as a certain somebody." Merlyn said pointedly toward Arthur who scowled while the twins stifled their giggles behind their hands.

The was a loud crack as a branch up ahead broke under the weight of the creature they were hunting and everyone froze while Merlyn and the twins looked ahead fearfully as they felt an aura of old magic permeating through the wood up ahead.

"It's probably more scared of you than you are of it." Arthur teased and Merlyn cut her eyes to him in a glare while he signalled for his knights to move forward. As they did Rowan gasped and ran forward grabbing Arthur's sleeve pulling him to a startled stop.

"Stop! You can't!" He cried just as a horrific beast launched out of the thicket landing in front of the knights baring its fangs. Arthur felt the instinctive fear of such a beast race through his blood as he turned dropping his spear, picked up his son and began running with Merlyn doing the same. 

Merlyn was carrying Arty in her arms when she tripped on an exposed root, she managed to turn midfall and land on her side audibly cracking a rib on a rock with a pained gasp.

"Mother!" Arty cried as she gasped trying to get back to her feet as the beast bore down on them. Thankfully, one of the more respectable knights, Sir Bedivere, raced to her side and helped Merlyn to her feet and gave her a shove in the direction of the Prince. Despite the pain and blood she was hacking up, she ran with ragged gasps clutching her son to her good side. Merlyn stumbles into the clearing and Arthur catches her before she collapses again and gently takes Arty from her so she can try to catch her breath.

Arthur scans the clearing."Who's missing?"

"Where's Sir Bedivere?" Merlyn askes turning to look in the direction she just came, all she got in response was a roar followed by screaming and she bowed her head.

"Merlyn you're bleeding." Arthur said right before she coughed again coating her palm in sticky blood. "Merlyn!" Arthur cried in panic, just as Arty came forward and tugged on his father's pant leg.

Arthur looked down at his son as he spoke. "Mum tripped and landed on a rock, she's cracked a rib. We need to get her back to Gaius, now." Arthur nodded and looked to Merlyn lifting her chin to see her eyes were slightly unfocused.

"Merlyn, can you ride?" 

"I don't...Know." She murmured swaying slightly.

"I'll take that as a no." He sighed before guiding her to Brutus and helping her up before climbing up behind her and holding her secure as they headed for Camelot. He did his best to keep an even pace while the hisses of pain and small gasps set him on edge as they hurried back through the wood to the castle where Merlyn was carried up by Arthur to Gaius. By then she had passed out from the pain and was taking very shallow breathes sending Arthur into a panic which promptly got him kicked out to go see his father while Gaius and the twins worked.