Merthur - The King and His Guardian Angel

Chapter 26 - The King's Guardian

Arthur...

That's the first thought in Elyan's head when the loud slam from the doors reach his ears. He turns around, bolting the way he came. He needs to find the king. Something could have happened to him, or worse Morgana could have found him. His eyes darken at the thought of the witch and he picks up his pace.

When he reaches the fork in the hall he turns down the path Arthur had taken. He keeps his eyes peeled, scanning for any signs of where his friend could be. He doesn't see anything of interest, only closed doors and empty rooms. He wants to call out to the king, but is afraid of alerting the enemy to his presence. It would be safer if they didn't know he's here.

He comes to a skittering halt as he rounds the corner at the end of the hall. On the floor in front of him are two guards, both dead from a blow to their chests. Arthur must have passed by.

He makes sure to step over the bodies before walking towards the double doors behind them. He leans in close to the wood, pressing his ear against it. He hears voices on the other side, but he can't determine what they're saying or who's speaking. He thinks he hears a woman's voice and he's sure he can say quite confidently that must be Morgana, but again he might be wrong.

He tries the handle and the door jiggles, but unfortunately it remains shut. He tries pushing on it with his shoulder and again it refuses to budge. Now, he's sure Arthur's in there and most likely with Morgana as well, maybe even Merlin is on the other side.

He tries numerous times to open the door, but every attempt always ends with the same result. Sometimes, he wishes he had Percival's muscles. He's sure the larger knight would have broken down the door already.

Elyan sighs and slumps against the wall, wondering what he should do now. His only choices seem to be either break down the door or find another way in and he's already seen how well the first option has worked. He sighs again and glances to a nearby window, seeing glimpses of dawn. Perhaps he can wait for the others, they may have another idea of what they can do. If all else fails they can always get Percival to break the door. With that plan in mind he hurries down the hall, hoping Arthur will be able to hold out long enough for them to arrive.

-----

Merlin lets out a cry of pain as Morgana drives the blade though his side. He collapses to the floor, hand gripping at the wound to stop the blood from flowing out. His vision starts to blur, the pain overwhelming almost all his senses. He can't hear, he can't see, he can't think. All he can feel is the burning pain in his gut.

He doesn't know what Morgana's planning. She had locked him in a cell for, what he can guess to be, a day before suddenly pulling him out and throwing him here. She only questioned him at first, asking him why he was loyal to Arthur before offering him a job as her right hand. He had spat at her feet at the question which, as he thinks back to it now was probably not the best idea, had only prompted her to grow irritated with him. That's when she seemed to decide cutting him into pieces was a better idea.

He grips the wound, trying to muster up the strength to use his magic but he can't concentrate long enough before the pain suddenly flares up. He tries again, focusing all his attention on the soft thrum of energy in his veins only to be jostled back into reality by a sharp kick to his stomach. He collapses back to the ground, all concentration lost. He can't even keep his head up anymore without feeling his consciousness start to slip. The loss of blood is ebbing away at his strength, making him feel weaker and weaker with each passing moment. He struggles to breathe as each breath sends a stab of pain though his side. He wants to pass out, let the darkness envelop him because then at least everything will stop hurting. The only thing that stops him from succumbing to the pain is the sound of a door slamming shut. He wonders what's happening, being able to faintly make out Morgana speaking. He turns his head, squinting his eyes to try and see what's happening, but not being able to make out anything due to the black spots dancing in his vision.