The Boy and the Beast: A Merthur Beauty and the Beast AU

Storming the Castle

For the second time that day, Merlin was atop a horse, racing through a dense, dark forest. He gripped onto the horse's neck as it raced towards the castle, his eyes watering from the piercing wind. He was going to stop Morgana and the townspeople from inflicting any sort of pain on anyone in the castle. He was going to warn Arthur and they were going to stop her together. He willed the horse to go faster. 

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Morgana led the townspeople through the forest. She knew the way to the beast's castle with the help of the mirror she had borrowed from Merlin. She was going to bring some excitement into her dull, boring life. Killing a beast? Now that was an opportunity she could not pass up.

True, she didn't believe Hunith. She only pretended to so that maybe Hunith would see Morgana was the only woman in Ealdor good enough for Merlin. If she could get on Hunith's good side, maybe she could fool Merlin into seeing that, too. Then, the absurdity of Hunith's story kicked in and there was no way she would be able to go along with that ridiculous tale. 

But then Merlin showed up and he had proof. He had proof of magic and of the beast, and that was something Morgana was ready to use to her advantage. She twisted the situation, got the townspeople on her side and she was leading an army once again. 

Oh, how she loved to be in power. 

They arrived at the castle, everyone prepared to drive out this dark magic and this threat to their home. Maybe Merlin was telling the truth about the beast being kind, but she had to be safe. Not because she was unsure about whether or not this monster would leave his foreboding castle to travel to Ealdor and wreak havoc on the small town. She would storm the castle because she had had no excitement in her life, no adrenaline rush, nothing since the war. 

All her life she looked for this excitement. Ealdor was uneventful and lifeless and she only stayed because she had built up a repuation that caused everyone to be intimidated by her very name, which she rather enjoyed. She wasn't going to hold back. She was going to kill the beast. 

This was going to be fun indeed. 

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Arthur wanted to go someplace where he could be alone. He was up on the roof of the castle looking out over where the town would be. 

He hadn't been out there long before he heard a light tapping on the stone behind him. There was only one person besides himself who knew where Arthur liked to go when he didn't want to talk to anyone.

"What is it, Gaius?" he asked solemnly without turning around. He knew why Gaius was up there, though he didn't want to think about it. 

"I'm sorry to be disturbing you, but I think you should know," Gaius began, "there's a crowd of people with torches approaching the castle. Some have begun to try and break down the door. What should we do?"

Arthur heard the faint screaming from the townspeople below. He had watched as their torches tracked where they were marching. He knew they were on their way before Gaius did. He knew that was what Gaius was going to ask him about, but a part of him hoped no one would ask him about it.

"There's no point in trying to stop them. Just let them come."

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Merlin approached the castle at full speed. The moment he saw horses tied up and discarded torches, he jumped down from his own horse and ran to the castle door. He pushed it open and inhaled deeply in shock.

There were people and objects engaged in fighting all around the entrance hall. He saw Gwaine light the shirt sleeve of someone on fire and someone else pushed a punching coat-rack against a wall...as if that person was afraid of it.