Nevera

The Red Queen

"I think we already passed this tree...it looks familiar!"
"Merlin....all the trees here are the same! Stop saying we are lost! We are not lost! I know where we're going."
Merlin just rolled his eyes. "Sure, you do. And I suppose all the trees in this forest have a piece of your tunic on a branch, right?"
Arthur just looked back at him. "What are you talking about?"
Merlin just pointed to a tree with a scrap of Arthur's tunic on the branch for a marking point.
"We've passed it seven times in the last three hours. Well eight times now because I've been counting."
Arthur rolled his eyes then made a hand signal to gather the knights and pitch camp. Gwaine didn't even try to hide his laughter while the others could only shake their heads, there wasn't any denying it anyway. Once the laughing spell had dried up the knights and merlin began the routine of pitching camp. Thankfully they had caught a few rabbits earlier.
When it came to hunting, merlin was like a bad luck charm. The prey would always slip away, hear them or there would simply not be anything to catch. Most times Arthur questioned why he even brought him along only to be reminded not five minutes later of all the things that merlin was there for.
Night descended and the knights huddled around and ate their fill of the rabbits they caught. Once finished Arthur set up watch while merlin set up a barrier around their that would alert them to danger within their camp. The enchantment didn't take long and he soon joined Arthur where he lay He smirked and snuggled down next to Arthur.
"Did you put up a magical barrier??"
"Yep. Nothing can step through without me knowing." He smiles proudly.
Arthur raised his eyebrow at him. "And why didn't you do that earlier??"
Merlin's smile fell and he looked embarrassed.
"I forgot."
"How can you forget that?!"
"Well, as you may recall, I have spent my whole life hiding my magic...it's going to take more than a month to just go out and do magic. Especially since your father is still on the throne."
Arthur frowned at that and grasped Merlin's hand and gently rubbed his thumb across the front of his hand. Arthur leaned over and kissed the side of his lover's head before pulling him close and laying his head-on top of merlin's. Arthur gave a soft kiss to his lover's crown before allowing his eyes to drift close. Merlin's were not far behind.
Hours passed before merlin was rudely woken by yelling. He groaned in response, sleep fogging up his brain making him slow to respond. When the yelling increased in franticness and volume did merlin feel everything start to clear with a painful sharpness. He jolted upright and scrambled to his feet and reached blindly for Arthur that had laid next to him not a few hours before. He stilled when his eyes finally showed him just what was going.
Soldiers. A hundred of them at least had surrounded the camp. They had the knights tied together and their weapons drawn up to their necks. They were covered from head to toe in black the only thing visible being there eyes and the blades of their swords.
Merlin felt fear curl up in his stomach, cold and gripping. He found Arthur's eyes and felt him reaching for him through their mental link. Unthinkingly he reached for Arthur on reflex and called his name. That ultimately got him nothing but rough hands pulling him back down
to his knees and a blade at his throat.
The blade dragged lightly along his neck making him immediately put his hands up in surrender. He glanced up at Arthur and saw the fear in his eyes. He could feel his mental connection open and Arthur's feelings pour into him like water.
'Are you ok?'
'I am. What about you? I saw blood on your neck. What happened to the barrier?! I Thought you said it wouldn't let anyone in without you knowing??'
'I'm ok. It's just a scratch and it was supposed to. They shouldn't have been able to come in! I've been trying to use my magic and it's not working on them!!'
Merlin's voice steadily rose as he tried over and over to use his magic. When nothing kept happening Arthur felt merlin's panic hit him like a sledge hammer making him wince and groan at the intensity. His own worry increased as well while he tried to comfort his struggling love. If merlin couldn't use his magic, then they were a force not to be trifled with.
Soon the soldiers gathered them up and pushed them through the forest with swords stuck at their backs and ropes attached to their tied hands pulling them forward. They trekked through the forest for most of the night, at dawn Arthur could finally make out white castle towers above the trees. He whistled low to catch the attention of his party.
The knights and merlin looked up at the whistle and looked to where Arthur had motioned. The trees parted then revealing the castle as a whole. The castle itself looked to be carved out of the cliff side, its towers tall and thin but it's walls thick and made of stone that seemed to glow in the greyness of the day. A rough sea lay beneath it making it look more foreboding and dangerously powerful. Arthur's eyes widened and he struggled against his bindings a bit when he recognized whose castle it was.
Merlin called out to his lover when he saw the fear take hold of him but his calls did nothing and Arthur only struggled harder before the leader came down and knocked him out and threw him
over the back of his horse. The rest of the knights struggled against their bindings for a few moments before merlin collectively called for them to calm. The soldiers paused but pulled them forward, a few chuckling at the scene.
Two hours ticked by before they were standing in front of the large doors of the castle wall. No one stood at the watchtowers to let anyone in, merlin would have thought that they were deserted if not for the utter stillness about the whole place. Merlin watched on in curiosity as the leader made a loud whistling noise and waited for a moment before the doors thundered open.
The soldiers tugged them through and lead them up to the castle steps, where they were then tied to each other and lead into the castle like prisoners. They soon arrived in a large court room not unlike the throne back in Camelot. Each of them were pushed to their knees, side by side, their heads forced into a low bow. Arthur was unceremoniously thrown to the floor near merlin. The loud clang of his armor and being tossed to the ground woke the prince. He groaned and tried to sit up his hands clutching his pounding head. Merlin immediately reached for his lover and held him close.
'Please Arthur, be still. I need you to stay calm, struggling more would only make this situation worse.'
Arthur looked up at merlin and he could see the fear dancing at the edges of his gazes.
'It will be okay, Arthur. Please let's see just what we've gotten ourselves into.'
'But merlin you don't understand! This Kingdom...Their king is more ruthless than my own father when it comes to magic. King Muzak kills people for fun and throws them off the cliff into the sea. He's been looking for an excuse for war and we've just given him one!' Arthur's tone his near frantic, ' He has a team of assassins called the black order that he sends out to kill the lords and and kings of other lands in order to gain their lands. His number one assassin is called the Black Knight that does all his dirty work and said to kill even women and children.'
Merlin's eyes grew wide with fear and his stomach dropped at the sound of the wooden doors push open and the announcer call out for everyone's attention. The fact that he couldn't even use his magic was both a blessing and a curse. Arthur was about to say something but was interrupted by the announcer.
"Her highness, Queen Kavanagh!!"
Everyone in the courtroom bowed to the figure, the leader of the soldiers forced the trespassers to bow their heads when they neglected to so themselves. A struggle seemed imminent when the figure, a woman, gracefully stalked towards them dressed in nothing but red. Merlin couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity towards her, like he seen her before.
Maybe it was a coincidence? Queen Kavanagh's black waist length hair was lightly curled which was striking against her pale skin. Her red dress matched the paint on her lips and the jewels embedded in her crown. The queen kept her head high but paused when she saw merlin, there
was a brief moment of curiosity before a smirk pulled her lips up. She knew something about him, that he knew for sure. He held eye contact but she was the first to break it by walking up to her throne and turned to their whole party.
Queen Kavanagh stood promptly in front of the men with her eyebrow up in question.
"Why have you trespassed in my lands. Do you not know that it is treason if you trespass in my lands?" She paused and let her voice echo hard across the room. "Do you want war Arthur Pendragon? Because I can give you war. I can give you blood and gore beyond your wildest dreams. Take your land from you piece by piece and kill your people, but not all of them, No I'll leave a few alive so they can watch as I rip the heads of their friends from their bodies and make them watch as I drive spikes through their skulls and plunge them into the ground. And once they've seen that they know that you were the one to bring this fate upon them." Her voice never rose but her gaze hardened and her eyes narrowed like that of a snake. "At that point I'll let the few I let live kill you themselves, let them tear you limb from limb and put your body parts up as decoration. Is that what you want little prince?"
By then Arthur had forced himself up and onto his knees, his body trembled but not in fear, no, it was rage that coursed through his limbs and it was taking all he had not to let it take him over.
The prince shook his head.
"No, your majesty I do not. We were unaware that we had crossed into your husband's land. We were only hunting. Had we known we were in his kingdom we would have left immediately; my people want no quarrel with you or your husband. Would it be possible to speak to your husband about a treaty of sorts for peace so that we will never come into your lands again?" She looked amused and annoyed at the mention of the king.
"Do you think that I cannot discuss treaties on the behalf of the king?"
"No, your majesty, I was only appealing to your husband since it is his lands and we have accidentally entered in. I only hope to talk to him to let him know it was an accident like I told you."
She turned around when one of her knights came up to her and whispered something in her ear. She the stalked towards Merlin.
"Arthur pendragon my husband is dead. I rule this kingdom and what I say goes, treaty or no. And you, Mr. Pendragon have very much insulted her queen. So..." she took her glove and threw it in front of Merlin while looking at Arthur the entire time.
"I Queen Kavanagh challenge your lover, Merlin, to a duel."
The Knights gasped in shock while merlin started up at her in fear. Arthur saw red, he pushed himself to his feet and stood as tall as he could. Murder etched into every line on his face and answered a harsh " No."