The Sorcerer's Secret (a Merlin story)

11

11.

Present day.

"What's going on? What are you doing here? Leon?" Arthur couldn't get a straight answer out of him.

"Leon?" Celeste took a step forward but her arms jerked her back from the chains. She was speechless, she thought he was dead, they all did.
Arthur lowered his sword, "I'm not fighting him." Arthur told Rau, as if Arthur was the one in charge and not the one in a cage.
"Then you both die." Rau waved a hand and eager guards moved towards the cage. Leon shot his sword up, it connected with Arthurs. Arthur shot Leon a glare but and Leon lowered his sword. It didn't feel right, Leon couldn't harm the man he once served.

Merlin had never met Leon but he heard great things about the lost knights of Camelot. But seeing the way Celeste was looking at Leon... he felt awful for wishing Leon had died 3 years ago. He also felt ridiculous for thinking about his irrational future with Celeste when they were in chains and either Arthur or Leon were about to die.
"Fight, or I kill you both." Rau didn't want to kill them, he wanted a show.
"Is anyone else still alive?" Arthur asked Leon as they circled the cage, swords drawn.
Leon shook his head, no.
"How long have you been here?" Arthur's eyes scanned the ring, smiles and sneers surrounded them.
Arthur spurred off questions as Celeste yanked at her chains unable to do anything except breathlessly try and fail to make her way to Leon.

"IM LOSING MY PATIENCE!" Rau jolted up and banged his staff on the ground. Then in a quick motion he moved towards the distracted Celeste and spun her towards the audience, a knife at her throat. Celeste froze. At the sight of Celeste in trouble Leon stuck, but Arthur blocked raising his sword just in time.
"I'm sorry your highness, but I won't be the reason that she gets hurt." Leon told him.
Rau loosened his grip on Celeste, his eyes going wide with excitement for the blood spillage. As Rau moved farther away Merlin whispered an incantation unlocking his chains. He eased Celeste backwards, her feet dragging along the blood stains floor.
"Celeste?" Merlin questioned but she was focused to greatly on the fight in front of them. Again, he whispered the incantation and again the chains fell. Merlin caught them, placing them delicately on the ground so Rau wouldn't know that they were free.

"I understand," Arthur said, "so don't take offense when I beat you." Arthur smirked.
"I have grown a lot in the past few years. I don't know that you can anymore." Leon informed him, ducking, sending Arthur's blade into the cage wall.

"I don't about that." Arthur spun around, his feet light on the surface. His eyes searching for weakness.

"Leon?" Celeste questioned again and again. How could he be here? How is he alive? "This must be magic." Celeste informed Merlin. "There is no way he is really here. It's sorcery of some sort." Celeste tried to convince herself but if it was an illusion, it was a perfect replica of Leon. Her Leon, her love.

Rau loved the way the men dueled, up until the moment he realized they weren't going to kill each other. They rumbled around the cage like a dance, throwing blows and sending jabs but neither fell, neither stuck a deadly blow.

"Enough of this!" Rau declared making both Arthur and Leon stop. They stood frozen, at the ready.

"You want me to jump in there boss? Finish this once and for all?"
"No!" Celeste squealed. Merlin pulled her back.

"I have been generous, have I not?" Rau questioned Arthur. "I gave you an ultimatum. Fight my champion, win against my champion, and I let you go."

"Show of good faith." Arthur began. "Let my servant and the lady Celeste go first."

"You think me an idiot?" Rau sneered.
"No, of course not. I just learned to never trust a villain."
"I am not the villain here!" Rau declared. "I am the victim."
"He did this to himself!" Arthur barked, moving swiftly to the cage's edge. "He fought me, challenged me!" Arthur told him. "He wanted to kill a prince. He wanted to be the man. He couldn't handle it though. He wasn't strong enough!"
"Arthur stop!" Celeste warned.
"He wasn't man enough to face me. Your son was nothing more than a-"
"Arthur!" Celeste begged. "What are you doing?"
"Self-righteous, spoiled, monster."
"You little..." Rau pulled Celeste from Merlin and drew his blade deeply against her rib cage. She cried out as he drew the blade again against her ribs.
"Celeste," both Leon and Arthur cried out.

"Stop, don't hurt her." Leon begged. Rau shoved Celeste to the ground, clutching her ribs in pain as she tried to stop the bleeding.

"This is between you and me." Arthur informed him. "Why don't you and me get in here and see whose really in charge?" Arthur challenged.

"I am in charge!" Rau screamed, "I am in charge! No, you, you foolish little boy."

Leon took a strike at Arthur, surprised Arthur spun around. He sent Leon a glare of confusion. Rau had dropped his blade to the back of Celeste's neck.

"I'm sorry," Leon whispered his eyes drifting to Celeste as he stuck again. Rau sneered a wicked grin as Leon stuck again, this time there was no mercy, no dance. There was only violence.