The Tournament of Gladiators

Ten~Dragonlord

"No!" Merlin's shout echoed in the arena, before being drowned out by the crowd. Gilli collapsed, his eyes staring blankly at the sky. Merlin shook with rage, blinking back the tears before turning his vengeful gaze on Thane.

Thane had made a big mistake.

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Arthur stared as Merlin gave Thane a look that could kill. He had never seen Merlin this angry. Not since Gaius had almost been executed by the Witch Finder. But, fear seemed to override Arthur's surprise. Without the sorcerer, Merlin wouldn't survive against the Wyverns. Thane seemed to grin at Merlin's reaction, unfazed by the glare he was receiving. The Wyverns let out another shriek as the crowd cheered, thirsty for more bloodshed.

"Don't be a fool, Merlin. Don't hide." Lancelot muttered, catching Arthur's attention. The prince was forced to push his curiosity away as Gwaine lunged for Thane, but was shoved to the ground by a guard, forced to only watch as his friend would seemingly meet his end.

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Merlin felt his magic course through him, begging to be released. Merlin stared at the body of his friend, his head pounding.

"Fight, boy!" Thane yelled from his throne, surprising the crowd. He almost never spoke. "Fight, or your friends die, one by one!" The black eyed man gestured to the knights lined up behind him, while the warlock's blood boiled. Grief and rage overwhelmed all sensibility Merlin had,

Thane wanted Merlin to fight?

Then that's what he would get.

Merlin grabbed the shield from Gilli's limp arm, refusing to look at his unseeing eyes. A Wyvern dove down, screeching. Merlin swung his sword at it, managing to nick the creature's scales.

But the thick hide of the beast prevented Merlin from making an actual mark. The second Wyvern took its chance, swooping in. It grabbed at the shield on Merlin's arm with its jaw, and began to pull.

Merlin yelled in pain as the beast jerked the shield upwards, causing his arm to get pulled along with it. He felt something pop in his shoulder, and let out another cry in pain. The warlock could hear the knights yelling from the opposite end of the arena. Merlin's vision blurred from pain as the Wyvern continued to pull him up, the other Wyvern hovering close by.

With a groan, he began to work his arm out of the shields straps, in an attempt to get free. After what seemed like an eternity, Merlin managed to free himself, dropping to the dusty ground with a groan. Stars exploded in his eyes when he hit the ground, pain knifing through his body, mostly through his shoulder. Merlin let out an uncharacteristic curse word. He must have dislocated it when the Wyvern pulled on him. The Wyvern came back in, forcing Merlin to peel himself up off the ground, as painful as it was.

He held his sword in his hand, though he knew it would not do much. Merlin could not fight well with both hands. With his second arm now useless, Merlin would be even more vulnerable.

Merlin debated with himself, rolling out of the way of the Wyvern as it dove in once again. If he revealed himself, if- once they got back to Camelot, Merlin would be executed for practicing magic. Not to mention, Gaius would surely take some blame for harboring a sorcerer for so long.

The warlock's thoughts raced as he moved away from another Wyvern. If he didn't reveal himself, and let himself die, Thane would surely kill Arthur and the knights of Camelot, preventing Arthur from fulfilling his destiny.

That last thought steeled Merlin's resolve. He had to save Arthur. That was his destiny. He took a deep breath, straightening his posture. Merlin stared at Thane, then at Arthur, hoping to convey an apology with his expression. He stared at the Wyverns, ready to face his destiny. No matter the consequences.

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Arthur watched as Merlin stood, facing the Wyverns head on, no fear in the man's face.

"Is he trying to get himself killed?" Arthur exclaimed, mostly to himself. But then, Merlin did something that no on expected, not even Lancelot. He began to speak in a foreign language, his voice becoming something that the knights could only describe as a deep, guttural roar.

"Nun de de gei s'eikein kai emois, epe'essess hepetei!" Merlin shouted at the Wyverns. The beasts stared in confusion, before backing down. They landed, heads bowed towards Merlin. Thane bolted up from his throne. He'd expected a sorcerer... not a Dragonlord. "Ithai!" Merlin yelled the last word, pointing towards the cage the Wyverns had came from. The crowd began to yell angrily as the Wyverns, now docile, walked to their cage.

"Way to go, mate!" Gwaine cheered. The other knights joined him, glad their friend was alive. Arthur, however, remained silent. Merlin had lied to him.

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Merlin grinned as the Wyverns entered their cage, but the smile soon fell as he the weight of what he just did came crashing down on him. He stared up towards Arthur, who was staring back, a look of disbelief on his face. However, Merlin felt slightly hopeful when he noticed the other knights grinning.

The crowd booed at the lack of violence, the announcer desperately trying to calm them. But when Thane stood, the voices were so silent that you could have heard a single whisper throughout the entire arena. Thane turned his dark gaze upon Merlin, who stood ready for anything.

"Who are you, boy?" Thane's voice dripped with venom, rage lacing each and every one of his words. Merlin took a deep breath, calming his jumpy nerves.

"I am Merlin, son of Balinor, and the last Dragonlord in the land of Albion!" The spectators, knights, and the announcer all gaped in shock, murmurs exploding among them. The woman who was announcing tried to calm them, though she was making no headway.

"SILENCE!" Thane's voice thundered, terror being struck into each and every heart of the people who stood there. Merlin felt his body shaking against his own will at the sight of Thane. Energy seemed to swirl around him, casting an eerie red glow on his pale skin. The shadows in the arena seemed to stretch wider, even the sun appeared to dim at the man's anger. "You will pay, Merlin." Thane's voice had changed, sounding like thousands of swords being sharpened on stone.

With a wave of his hand, Thane forces the Wyvern pen shut, before storming out of his box. The knights remained, watching as several men entered the arena with Merlin. Warily, they restrained him, dragging him out. The crowd had begun to complain loudly, while he announcer calmed them, saying they would get another fight soon.

A fight for the ages, she claimed.

A great battle between the last Dragonlord and the Death Cat.

Yay, another cliffhanger!
Don't you just love me? So, I'm guessing you have an idea of what will happen in the next chapter, eh?
Ha! I doubt you'll know. Maybe you will. Whatever. Wow, this has been practically one action scene after the next. I probably should add more plot to it, but it's also my fic so I can make it all fight scenes if I want to, I guess... I really hope you guys like this! Because I'm having second thoughts about it... please vote!
-InkFanatic

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