Killing A Boy
The courtyard remained silent as the prisoner was dragged up to the execution block. Normally people swarmed the surrounding area to see who it was being executed, this one was no different, apart from the fact that nobody was smiling at the sight of a sorcerer being killed. For the sorcerer was not a man, nor a woman, but a young boy that looked so innocent that it was impossible to think he could pose any threat. Yet Uther had decreed that it would send a message that there was no tolerance for magic.
Arthur felt his chest tightened as the boy was shoved onto his knees, his head barely reaching the blood covered block where so many lives had been taken and a bag was shoved over his face so no one could look at him. How would it feel to kneel there, not knowing when you would have your last breath? Even he had begged his Father to think of an alternative punishment, even if it was just to banish the boy, anything was better than this. He hadn't had a chance to live his life yet.
Uther raised his hand into the air and every person tensed on the ground below, waiting for his hand to drop along with the axe. Arthur went forward on the balcony and stared at the hunched over body. It was times like these he wanted to be King so he could have the power to stop this. He didn't need to know when Uther dropped his hand as most of the people looked back at the boy and Arthur closed his eyes instantly, not wanting to see the cruelty.
However no sound came and a huge gasp filled the court.
Opening his eyes, Arthur looked down to see a tall man now stood beside the executioner, the axe firmly in his hold from stopping the axe mid-swing. He wore a black cloak and both hands had the same coloured gloves covering them, even the clothes he wore beneath were black. If it wasn't such a serious situation, Arthur would tease them that black was clearly their favourite colour, however now was not the time. Instead he kept a firm expression on his face and watched as the axe was taken out of the executioners grasp, who quickly ran from the scene in fear of being hurt.
"You dare harm a boy that is at such a young age?" The bitter voice came from the cloaked figure and Arthur saw his Father gripping the sword at his waist. "I had heard you were cruel Uther Pendragon, that you sentenced those who were often innocent, however I had thought even you had a soul." He threw the axe on the ground and crouched down, removing the hood off the boy.
"He is a sorcerer and I do not tolerate magic in my Kingdom. Move away from the boy. I am the King and such disrespect won't go unhindered." Uther yelled down at him and a small laugh came from the stranger, for someone surrounded with so many knights, he wasn't exactly giving off the impression of being worried. "Are you laughing at me?"
"You may be the King but I don't take orders from anyone. The boy is coming with me." Somehow the boy's bindings fell from his hands and he instantly clung to the cloak around the man, his eyes wide with fear.
"Seize them!"
Arthur watched as over a dozen knights surrounded them, their swords drawn and shields raised. Even the toughest of men couldn't escape what was about to happen. The figure would be struck down with one blow and the boy would be executed. At least that's what he thought would happen, except instead of approaching them, the knights dropped their swords and fell to the ground as if they'd instantly fallen asleep. Looking back at the man, he didn't have to see his face to know he was smiling, apparently the boy wasn't the only sorcerer in the courtyard.
The man twirled the end of his cloak around the young boy and when he dropped the material, the boy was gone. Vanished into thin air some might say. "Where is he?" Arthur muttered quietly to himself and suddenly the man's attention was no longer on Uther. It was on him. Holding himself still, he held the gaze, knowing that if he backed down it would be seen as weakness. "What you looking at sorcerer?" He demanded to know and his eyes widened as the man suddenly lifted from the ground.
His body flew straight towards the balcony and there was no time to protect himself as he came face to face with the sorcerer. The hood might have hidden his face down below, but at this distance Arthur could see every detail, even a scar that marked his skin. Whoever it was had once been a handsome guy, it had now been ruined by a scar that ran across his eye and down over his cheek. Whenever it had been done, it would have been extremely painful, even for someone like Arthur.
"Get away from him!" Came Uther's voice and was silenced when the sorcerer lifted his hand to the side, causing a barrier between them and the world. It was just Arthur and the sorcerer. No one else. What scared Arthur the most was that he wasn't even going for his sword, he just stood there, staring.
"What are you doing?" Arthur asked quietly.
"Wanted to take a look for myself what the future King is like. The stories about you give you no justice," he commented and lifted a hand, running his gloved fingers across Arthur's cheek. Arthur's heart stopped dead in his chest as the sorcerer studied his face closely, he could just about make out that his eyes were blue but that could be the light, this man could pass him on the street and only the scar would let Arthur know who it was.
Suddenly a huge gust of wind suddenly surrounded Arthur and he covered his eyes to stop things flying into them, only when he felt no wind did he look to see that the sorcerer was gone. Not a trace was left of his presence and the people down below just stared up in amazement from the new developments. A firm grasp came around his arm and he turned to see Uther staring at him in worry. Was he genuinely scared that the sorcerer had harmed him in some way?
"What did he say?" Uther demanded to know.
"He just wanted to see what I looked like, that's all …" he drifted off and looked back out across the courtyard. Uther had often told him that a man in a cloak was spotted in the dungeons and minutes later it was reported a prisoner had escaped. Now that he'd seen him for himself, Arthur could understand people's fascination in him, even if he was a sorcerer. There was just an air about him that told people he was a mystery waiting to be solved. "I think I'm going to go lie down for a bit," he lied and set off for the library.
Arthur kept quiet as he and the knights rode out through the forest in search of a beast that had been spotted near the area. He had other things on his mind. The past few days he'd spent in the library or talking to people in the lower town, finding out all there was to know about the cloaked man. Apparently he wasn't recorded anywhere in any books, for he'd only been turning up recently, and most of the stories he'd heard from people involved the man simply running past their homes as he left the Camelot. Which meant he did appear from time to time, not only when helping prisoners escape.
So the question was; what kept bringing him back to Camelot?
"Sire, everything okay? You're normally a lot chattier than you have been on this trip," Leon said as his horse caught up to Arthur's and he gave a smile in return.
"A lot on my mind. Being a Prince doesn't help," he stated and turned his attention back on the surrounding land. Maybe he'd get more information the next time the man appeared. There was another execution due in a few days time apparently, his Father was getting less tolerant and wasn't taking any chances. Arthur had thought to argue with him, tell him that he needed to think things through before sentencing people, except he could never find the courage. At the end of the day, Uther was his Father as well as his King and had been the one to punish Arthur as a boy if he challenged authority.
It's just that even though he'd grown up being told magic was evil, that no sorcerer was good, that couldn't be true for every sorcerer surely? It was like saying if you found one man was evil, then the entire human race must be evil, right?
"I hear something," one of the knights suddenly said and everyone stopped. Even Arthur's thoughts came to an abrupt halt in hopes of making them quieter. "Up ahead, there was movement," the same knight repeated. Arthur nodded and slipped off his horse, indicating the others were to follow suit. As they trudged through the mud, Arthur kept a firm grip on his sword and kept his eyes pealed for the beast. They were in the right area. Maybe it had been finally found.
Pointing to a couple of the knights, he was about to signal for them to sneak up on the beast from behind when a sword was suddenly swinging at his head, only from experience did he instinctively block the blow with his own sword. Staring at his attacker, he was faced with another man who was smiling happily, his companions surrounding the other knights. There was no time to ask questions as the fight started, every man deflecting blows meant to kill. Whoever these people were, they didn't want any prisoners. They were in this for the kill.
Arthur rolled away from the man attacking him as he fell to the ground and he stood to see two of his men getting swords stabbed through their chests. No man could survive that. Only having time to feel a second of grief for the loss of his men, Arthur spun round to swing his sword at the other man's head, except he was gone and now attacking Leon along with another man. Frowning at the turn of events, Arthur took a step forward to help his friends, having every intention of killing the men.
However, a hand reached around his head and pressed a cloth to his mouth. It didn't take long for the chloroform to take effect and Arthur's body fell backwards onto the ground, the last thing he saw was several men looking down at him whilst laughing. Let them laugh. The moment he was conscious again he'd show them why he was the Prince of Camelot. At least he hoped he would as he slipped into darkness.
Yes, this was a short first chapter, but I wanted to just get it started rather than jump straight into the main plot. I also realise that this is my 3rd story being written at the moment, but I couldn't wait to write it and it won't effect updating the other two.
I'd like to dedicate this story to Acheron Blake who gave me the idea through a message. I've spent a while thinking up certain parts of the story and now I have them, I decided to write it.
Please, Please, Please, Please, Please Review. The more reviews I get, the quicker I tend to update a story =]
Small warning; this will become Arthur/Merlin slash based further on. Not for a while yet though. So if you're not into that kind of thing, you're either reading the wrong story or will have to skip those parts.
Hope you enjoyed!