Merthur - Love in the Time of War

Chapter 24 - Merlin's Rage

Merlin's POV

I arrive to find a crumbled wall and a mass of red clad knights streaming in, their boots crunching on the fresh snow layered on the grass. White stone litters the ground around my feet along with numerous bodies of fellow brothers in arms. I scan the area, trying to calculate the number of enemies to no avail, there are just too many. We are outnumbered, but not by much. We can hold off.

I pull my sword from its sheath and charge into battle alongside my friends. A Camelot knight races towards me as I approach, his sword raised and mouth open in a yell. I watch the way he brings his arm back, anticipating the move before he makes it. He thrusts forward, movements sluggish. I parry it easily before thrusting my own sword forward through the chinks in the man's armour. He slumps forward and collapses to the ground.

I pull the sword from the man's chest in time to block a blow from another knight. Our blades lock. Leaving us in a struggle for control. I chant a quick spell under my breath, letting my magic do the work. The man is hurtled through the air, flying backwards until his back hits the wall.

I spin on my heel, glancing around at the battlefield. I see Lancelot a short distance away, taking down knights left and right. Then, there's Gwaine, who seems to be struggling in a fight against a rather large man in a sleeveless chainmail. My eyes narrow at the man, recognizing his face. I met him twice before, in Camelot. His name was... Percival. A friend of Arthur's was he not?

Oh no.

Arthur.

If Camelot is attacking then does that mean he's here? Fighting with the other knights? Panic starts to flood my mind. Ways that Arthur could potentially die start to crawl their way into my head. My thoughts are interrupted by a sword swinging towards me. I duck swiftly, just narrowly missing the edge of the blade. I turn around to engage my assailant and come face to face with another familiar man. This was also one of Arthur's friends. Elyan.

His expression changes into one of recognition as our eyes lock. He freezes for a moment before his gaze hardens again. "So, you were a sorcerer," he says, voice dripping with anger, "why did you save us? To sneak your way into Camelot?"

I back away as he inches closer. I shake my head at him. "I had no ulterior motives. I only wished to help," I say.

"Lies! Were you the one who sent those black knights as well?"

"What?! Of course not!"

"Speak no more. I do not wish to listen to your lies!"

Elyan thrusts his blade at my chest. I dodge the blow and counter with a thrust of my own. He deflects my strike with the flat of his blade before quickly slashing down with his own sword. I sidestep, but still manage to get a small graze on my shoulder from his sword. He's better than the other Camelot knights. His blows are a lot stronger, more fierce. His movements are fast, but, unfortunately, not fast enough. Elyan aims for another strike, this time, across my chest. I wait till the last moment before dodging the blow. His sword hits empty air, leaving him little time to recover. I aim a thrust to his left side, purposefully making my movements slow as to give him time to block before turning my thrust into a feint. I slash, instead, to his right. My sword connects with his side. He cries out in pain before collapsing to his knees in front of me, hands holding tight to his side.

I leave him there, wounded in the snow. I had made sure the blow wouldn't be fatal, he's Arthur's friend. I can't kill him.

I turn to see the rest of the fight. The numbers of the Camelot knights seem to be dwindling. Now, we out number them. Gwaine still seems to be fighting the large man, Percival. Lancelot had just pulled his sword from another of the red clad knights before I approach him.