Light Burns After Darkness Part 2
Arthur maneuvered himself into his seat. His fellow ministers acknowledged him with a slight nod of their heads. There was no doubt that of all the ministers, Arthur was the most noticeable. The state ministers were best described as grey. In their provincial suits, with endless working hours etching lines into their faces, they blended together into a colourless mass. Arthur could not help but glow. The slightest light source and his blonde hair was glinting. The sapphire orbs of his eyes sparkled, gleaming with intelligence. The cut of his suit hung perfectly on his well muscled shoulders. His head was always lifted high, with his strong countenance possessing the room wherever he happened to be.
The council chair stood to address them, a man Arthur despised for his cunning ruthlessness, that he was nonetheless forced to maintain a cheery working relationship with, in order to safeguard his own position. "Ministers, I am sure we all agree that a challenge to our security of that magnitude can never be allowed to occur again. We can not underestimate the seriousness of this challenge to the authority of the Eminence."
Arthur spoke up, with a half laugh in his tone. "You are calling the rescue of one old lady from Kanen's unique form of "care" our most serious security threat? Surely we have larger things to concern ourselves with than one missing seventy three year old." Tauren shifted his eyes up to Arthur's, who met his gaze without flinching.
"You make light of this Pendragon, yet it is this type of event that challenges all we stand for, while inspiring sympathy for terrorists in the masses. Challenges to our authority must be dealt with swiftly if we are to maintain our control. If the Eminence believes we can not manage the governance of the Isles, we will be removed and no better off than those grass hoppers out there. It is policy that all those who have an irredeemable life be released from the burden they place on themselves and society. We maintain this order, and cannot have vigilantes encouraging people to start taking matters into their own hands. It would be a chaos, with an outcome I am sure none of us wants." His last lines were said deliberately slowly, as if talking to a slow child. Arthur refused to fluster and merely gave a small smile, indicating with a flick of his wrist that he should continue. State security minister Valiant spoke up.
"My main concern is not so much the elderly but this man in black the people have named the Shadow.He is becoming more of a nuisance everytime he shows up and has a knack at making the Europan government look incompetent." Valiant was unable to ignore the stifled snort that followed. "Care to share what is so amusing?"
Arthur glanced up through his eyelashes, mirth shining through. "Well, do you really need help in appearing incompetent Valiant? I thought that was top of your C.V."
"Piss off Pendragon! Are you the council's comedy relief or do you actually understand the principles of running the State?"
"Oh well, let me think." Arthur scratched his head in mock thought. "Well, it isn't my department that had twenty five of it's staff unconscious in the street several hours before. And all from a single assailant? You really should work on their training Valiant."
"Arthur, stop bating him," sighed Tauren, sensing the need for intervention. "I presume you have a report?"
Arthur grinned. He sat up straight from his previous slouch and instantly his tone became engaging. "The majority of the people are in a perpetual state of trepidation and fear. The news reports of war, potential disaster and pandemic disease have left the majority with a gratitude for the ministers who "protect" them and a longing for their benevolent government to "lead them to safety" so to speak. This also translates to the education, where the minds of the future generation are already being programmed in correct thinking. Of course the majority of these threats are imaginary hob goblins, but it is a very affective loyalty enforcement technique. There are those who are rebels but they are fringe elements. All intel on the Shadow indicates he is a lone gunman, with no real following."
"So what we need to do is discredit and eliminate the fringe elements" Tauren surmised.
"We need to catch the Shadow as well" Valiant interposed. "That bastard has evaded all intel gatherers so far.We know nothing about him and have never once come close to apprehending him."
"Well people, I have a solution to our problem." Tauren reached below his desk and pulled out a sheaf of papers that he passed around the assembly. "Arthur, are you familiar with B.S.T?"
"As in mad cows?"
"No not B.S.E, B.S.T. Bio scanning technology." At the roomful of blank expressions, Tauren smirked. "Well, allow me to enlighten you. It is technology that is actually sensitive to our individual bio signatures, that is it can detect our DNA. As we have record of the DNA of every citizen in this country, this is the most advanced tracking system we have. "
"There would be literally no escape from us" said Arthur. "We perpetuate the idea of how this will enhance the safety of the populace..."
"While in reality, it will further press our advantage" finished Valiant. "This does not help with the Shadow however. He has never yet left a trace of his DNA at any scene. I have no clue how he does it."
"It's a moot point" said Tauren. "He's getting overconfident with whatever method he uses to conceal his DNA. We are developing BST to soon be able to scan an individual and download their DNA signature that way. We'll have him within a month."
"And order will be restored." smiled Arthur. "I need to appraise my people om this subject."
"Not yet Arthur, we need you to address the populace. They need to be reassured and roped back in to the fold. We cannot have confusion about where their loyalty should lie. And you are our most charismatic speaker.They believe in you."
"Of course, I will go now to prepare." Arthur left the council with a heavy heart, brain whirring, searching and endeavouring to form a plan of his own. A plan that seemed to be determined to evade him.
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"I can't believe you let him go!" cried Morgana. They were with their resistance group in a hideaway in a small village of Camslash. The majority of churches had either been repossessed or destroyed but in remote regions they were often abandoned. This particular one made an excellant base. Merlin was doing his best to ignore Morgana, who had not stopped berating him since they had returned.
"You are aware that nobody has ever managed to catch the Shadow I suppose" muttered Merlin.
"Yes but nobody else is magical Merlin. You are supposed to be able to do anything, but oh no he does a back flip and manages to escape you."
Merlin slammed down his book and glared up at her. "That my dear Morgana is a common misconception of magic. I'm not God so I'm not omnipotent. And the circumstances of a spell, well the parameters have to be just right for them to work. Anyway, we wanted an ally, not a prisoner. What harm has he done us?"
"Merlin," Morgana ran her fingers through her long hair and let out a breath. As she turned to look at him, he saw to his horror tears in her eyes. She lifted her hand to stop him jumping up. "Don't, I'm alright. Oh Merlin. Don't you see? We needed him to have the greatest chance of success. Instead he confuses your thinking. I don't know if I could do this without you."
"I'm not going anywhere" he said. "He just, I don't know, inspired something in me."
Morgana blinked away her tears and fanned her eyes. "He's a fool. It might sound very noble to save individual old ladies, but ultimately it just leaves other innocent people to suffer from the bigger picture."
Merlin patted the space on the sofa next to him. Morgana sank into the chair, allowing Merlin to wrap his arm around her shoulder. "You do know that the Shadow wasn't around when your father died. It wasn't his fault." He stroked her hair and Morgana rested her head on his shoulder.
"I miss him" she sighed.
"Tell me about him, you never do talk of him."
"Morgana took a deep breath in. "He used to tell me of before. He said some people had fantastical beliefs, people would choose their own career paths, marry whomever they chose. Some even had a career of mocking our rulers on television. He used to tell me that the Isles were a messy bunch of people. But that very mess was what made the tapestry rich and exciting. Worth living. It was those sentiments that cost him his life."
"You know," smiled Merlin. "Whenever I imagined a dystopia, it always had people in the streets, warming their hands on street fires, and piles of rubbish on street corners. I think I even had smoke billowing out of alley ways for some reason."
"And instead we have a totalitarian regime, where individuality has died. In the attempt to have perfection they have produced an excruciating monotony." She turned to face Merlin eye to eye. " Merlin, we have to bring this down no matter the cost. In a war there will have to be sacrifices."
"The Shadow was right Morgana. Our bombs would have harmed civilians."
"He had no right to disable them!" she shouted, her fury making Merlin jump at unexpectedness of it. "Who does he think he is, to police the morals of our stand. Pontificating about "the right way". Those civilians are not as deserving of your sympathy as you think. Do you know how many people go to watch executions purely for the entertainment value? Seventy fucking percent. They have mostly changed to fit their environment, no matter how hideous said environment is. It was the "civilians" who allowed them to step by step control us, hold our DNA, allowed CCTV, because they just couldn't get up enough energy to care enough to protest. If a few of those are taken out, what real loss is there?"
"Morgana, if they have been frightened, cowed and educated to believe this is normal, is it really their fault? It's like in the roman empire, people thought brutality was entertaining. But eventually people spoke up and eventually they saw the truth."
Morgana stood up, her anger now a cold, calm and somewhat eerie in it's nature. "He has infected you with his stupidity. A stupidity that would cost us our freedom. I don't think you should see him again Merlin, he has an undesirable effect on you. Any further dealings with him I will put through Will. Stay away from him."
Merlin didn't like the turn this conversation had taken, but he found Morgana disturbing at this moment, so he just slightly nodded his head.
"Good" she said. At that moment the television flared up with images of minister Pendragon shaking the hand of the Europan Eminence. Morgana hissed. "He is another one that should die," she said as she turned up the volume.
"What for? What's he done?"
"Shh." The newscaster announced that later that day, Arthur Pendragon would address the fears of the populace. The announcement was inter cut with old footage of Arthur interacting with the people in his role as public loyalty minister. "We're going to that" said Morgana, in a tone that brokered no arguement. "He needs a lesson."
"Why? Morgana what's your beef with him? I am not having any more bombs. We need to act with a plan that has a middle and an end, not just an explosive beginning."
Morgana shook her finger at him. "I promise, no bomb. As for Pendragon, he requires... humiliating." Merlin shrugged his shoulders incredulously. "It is people like Pendragon who give credence to this evil. You think it's random that he gives their speeches? He is the respectable face of Europa, the charm endeavour! Look at him, worming his way into the poulace affections with his beauty. It is because of the likes of him that people think this regime must be alright, he gains their trust. Ultimately, that makes him the worst of them all." Merlin was finding all this rather bemusing, but he followed Morgana as she left, not trusting what she might do alone, and wondering at which point he had started fearing for his friends sanity.
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Arthur shut and locked the door to his office, throwing his suit jacket on the chair, and pulling his tie loose. "Damn, damn, damn!" he exclaimed and hit the wall repeatedly with his fists.
"You know, I don't think everyone in parliamentary house needs to hear your pain, and I'm starting to feel sorry for that wall." Gwen was stood, silhouetted by the window. She smiled at him, which quickly turned to consternation. "Arthur, you've made your knuckles bleed!" She bade him to sit down, taking no protest from him, as she knelt at his feet and dabbed them with her handkerchief. "What on earth merits this kind of self abuse?" she sighed.
"They have a new way to track any person they choose. It goes to the very heart of a person, their DNA." Arthur grimaced at her ministrations, and put a hand on hers, wrapping his fingers around her hands. "With this technology, there will be no escape for the ordinary person. " He smiled weakly, and whispered "They are trapping us Guinevere."
Gwen took his hands and pulled him to his feet. "Arthur, I need to talk to you." He nodded, looking into her eyes. She smiled, blushing, and looked away. "Don't. You know I can never resist those eyes of yours, and I need to get this out." When he indicated that she should continue she took a deep breath and placed her hands on his shoulders, looking him in the eyes. "Arthur, you need to stop fretting so much. You take all of the cares of the Isles on yourself but one man isn't big enough to shoulder such a burden. You think you have to save everyone. Well you can't, it's not possible. I admit, it was your driven idealism and your love for the people that first attracted me to you. But Arthur, I never see you. Your constantly disappearing, I never know where you are. You keep yourself hidden from me and I hate it."
He ran a finger down her cheek, finishing by cupping her face with his hand. "Guinevere, I only tell you nothing to protect you. If you knew where I was, it would endanger you and I can't do that."
"Coming from any other man, that would sound like crap, but from you," she sighed, "I know it's true." She moved away from him to walk about the room. "It would be easier if it were another woman. I would know how to deal with that. It would be more normal."
"Nothing in our lives is normal anymore Gwen."
"No, but most other women don't have to share their husband with an entire country. Why you Arthur? Why does it always have to be you that saves the day?"
He leaned to perch his bottom on his desk and looked up to face her, his eyes sparkling with truth. "Because someone has to. And because, I can."
She walked back towards him and put both hands on his face, kissing his lips tenderly. He noted tears beginning to adorn her eyes like precious jewels and he wiped them away. "I miss you Arthur, I want you back. I do love that part of you but I don't want to share you anymore. Maybe that makes me selfish, but I don't care. I can't live in this way anymore, never knowing if you're alive or dead."
He stroked her hair. "What do you propose?"
"That we leave here. You are one of the only people who would be allowed to emigrate. We leave, go somewhere warm and far away from this accursed place. Then we live our lives together as a normal couple. We have children who get in fights, dogs who chew the furniture. A normal life, a dream life." She stopped, noting that his smile at her was fond but also weary and laden with a tinge of pity.
"Guinevere, I can't just abandon my people. I can't. It may look accursed to you, but underneath these shadows there is greatness just waiting to burst forth. We can have a normal life, when this is over. But if I capitulated to what you want, I wouldn't be me anymore, I'd be half of who I was."
"I'd settle for having part of you" she whispered.
"You have part of me now."
"Not the part I want." Her eyes flashed fiercely at him. "They are not "your people" and last time I checked, you are not the messiah. Right now, the only person who needs saving is your wife. I don't need a hero. I want you here with me. The other fifty million people of these Isles don't have the claim on you that I do." At seeing the distressed look on his face, she realised what her references had reminded him of and she threw up her hand to her mouth. "Arthur, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up..."
"I am not talking about that Gwen!"
"It might help if you shared with me."
Now Arthur was angry. "Well I'm having trouble keeping up with your mind changes. When we met, you said no one else held a candle to me because I was your hero, every little girls dream. Now you want me to be like all those other guys that you deemed weren't good enough. Well I'm sorry Gwen, it's you that has changed not me, and I can't stop caring for my country because you want to play happy families. Life is harsh at the moment, deal with it!" Her lip trembled and Arthur realised he wasn't capable of being angry with Gwen for long. He kissed her forehead, hands on her waist. "I'm sorry Gwen, it's been a long day. I need to go and make nice, make this speech but I promise, I will be home tonight." He stood to leave, turning and catching her hand in his.
"One day soon Guinevere, we'll be free to live as we choose, if only we have the courage and fortitude to fight for it." Gwen nodded as he left the office, turning back to the desk, back to her PA duties.
"But for once, I just want things to be easy," she whispered to the walls.
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Merlin and Morgana were packed into the crowd, lost in a seething mass of people. It was perfect for being inconspicuous. Merlin could not shake the uneasiness that had been stalking him since they had left the church. The anticipation of the crowd was infectious, the atmosphere was buzzing. What Morgana had said was true. The people did love Arthur Pendragon. At the sound of several thousand people clapping wildly, he looked up to see Pendragon in the flesh. He could see why. The man was beautiful, reminiscient of a Greek god, with a powerful presence that arrested you to take notice of him.
"Citizens of Europa, people of the Isles..." He had begun his speech, but suddenly Merlin could hear nothing. He was frozen to the spot at the sight before him.
Morgana, unnoticed by all else in the packed street, had a look of pure malevolence on her face, an eerie twist of insanity. Her gaze was directed at Arthur Pendragon, and more worryingly, she had a firearm pointed at his heart. Merlin glanced at the weapon. It was set to lethal.
Without thinking, he reacted purely on instinct. Diving towards the weapon as she fired it, he yelled, dislodging her aim away from the target and into the sky. Pandemonium instantly erupted. Morgana pushed herself away from Merlin, disappearing into the crowd, muttering "You fool!" It registered to Merlin that he had been abandoned as the guards descended on him, and he was caught away to custody.
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Realising that his restraints were made of a metal that was incompatible with magic resigned Merlin to the fact he would probably die in this room. He would die for saving someones life. Was it worth it? He could hear the Shadow's voice telling him a resounding "Yes, it's always worth it."
Dr Kanen smirked at him. "So you do not wish to talk to me? You will tell me why you tried to kill minister Pendragon and who hired you to do so. I have my methods. Eventually, everyone caves."
"Truth serum?" asked Merlin, wondering if he could magically block the effects to his brain, protecting Morgana and the others.
"Truth serum? Hah! Where would the fun be in that?" Two pairs of hands held Merlins hands down as Dr Kanen inserted three needles under his fingernail. "Be still, this might hurt" he said as he forced the needles under the nails. Merlin became aware that the screams he could hear were his own, as pain unlike any he had ever felt shot through his fingers and up his nerves, white hot heat pulsing through his body. It was as they forced needles under his remaining finger nails that Merlin passed out at the onslaught against his body.
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Merlin gradually became aware that he was alone, lying on the floor of a cell rather tham sat in interrogation. He had no clue how long he had been unconscious. Then he became aware of soft breathing, not as alone as he had thought. He looked up and yelled "Oh God, no." at the spectre before him.
Said spectre rolled its eyes. "Would you be quiet you idiot, they'll hear you." At that voice, Merlin took in the black form before him, the black hood with sapphire orbs burning through the eye slits.
"Shadow," he murmured. "What do you expect when I wake from torture to see a hooded man. You look like a wraith." Shadow inserted something into the lock and the door swung open. He knelt by Merlin.
"Are you hurt? Oh God Merlin, your hands?". He lifted his hands to scrutinise the damage. They were swollen to the extreme, his nail beds looked deformed. Dry blood rivulets ran down his arms and stained his clothes. "Can you walk?"
"What are you doing here?" asked Merlin. "Where are the guards?"
"Saving your sorry arse of course, and the guards I've nerve pinched. Now can you stand?"
"It wasn't me, I'm not a murderer. I don't want you to think I would just kill someone, I wouldn't. I didn't know she would go that far. It was too fast, all I could do was push it out of the way and...."
"Oh for fucks sake." Arthur scooped Merlin into his arms and carried him from the cell. "What is it with you damsels in distress that makes you want a conversation in the middle of a high risk rescue?"
"Who are you calling a damsel?" Merlin allowed himself to rest against the strong chest of the man who held him. It was comforting to have the solid warmth against him, with the strong arms that held him close. He rested his head on Shadow's shoulder and allowed himself to put his hands on the firm plains of his muscular chest.
"Comfortable?" Shadow smirked, amused. The sound of guards approaching stilled him. "Quiet!" he whispered. Then much to Merlin's shock, he ran at the wall then straight up it till he rested on the ceiling.
"What are you, spider man?" said Merlin.
"Shh!" said Arthur. Merlin looked down the corridor. There was nowhere else to hide, but the corridor was to long and the ceiling to low for them not to be easily visible. Merlin outstretched his throbbing hand and muttered "pone pidercyme!" At that the grey curtain at the nearby window, lifted and rested over the ceiling.
"People don't normally look up unless something catches their eye" he whispered.
"Impressive."
As the foot steps died away, Arthur leapt down, still cradling Merlin. "Ow, could you watch it. I'm not used to this super hero stuff." Arthur snorted.
"You're alive aren't you? Stop complaining! Now we need to leave fast, so you'd better hold on."
"What? Woah!" Arthur had reached to his belt, fiddled with something and then was running at a speed Merlin knew wasn't humanly possible. Within two minutes, they were out of the city limits, surrouned by countryside. Merlins brain was on overdrive, as he realised that they must be travelling at at least sixty miles per hour. But Arthur continued to run, like a man driven. Merlin settled into the safety of his embrace, feeling at peace.
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When Arthur stopped and placed Merlin down, they were in the middle of nowhere, by a lake. The night sky was clear and away from the city pollution, you could see a billion stars. The moonlight created a path of light along the waters. In his dark outfit, the Shadow blended into the night, only his eyes shining through like two morning stars.
"Where are we?" asked Merlin.
"We're safe" said Arthur. He crouched by Merlin, taking his hands in his and inspecting them. "You need a doctor for these but it isn't safe. Here." He bathed his hands in the lake water, which stung. "This lake is filled from the sea, the salt will help healing" he explained. The blood still stained Merlin's hands. Arthur squeezed his wrists. Merlin looked up at him. "Can I trust you Merlin?"
"Yes."
"I want you to close your eyes and swear to me you will not open them until I tell you."
"Why?"
"Please. Just, trust me too."
Merlin nodded, "I promise," and he closed his eyes. A rustling could be heard as the Shadow removed his mask and Arthur emerged. He dipped it into the lake and Merlin could suddenly feel the delicious softness of Arthurs hands cleaning his with the soft material. Arthur wiped gently over each finger, then dried his hands with the other side of his hood.
Letting go of Merlin's hands, he replaced his hood. Merlin was enraged against himself, as he heard a whimper pass his lips at the loss of contact. He hoped that Shadow hadn't heard him.
"You can open your eyes now." Merlin observed the Shadows now disheveled appearance. His mask, wet, now clung to the contours of his faced, stained with Merlin's blood.
"I appear to have messed up your flawless appearance," Merlin smiled. "Thankyou."
Shadow stared at him for longer than was comfortable, then seemed to remember himself. "That's okay" he said, looking away. Merlin walked forward and physically turned him to face him.
"How do you do it? Because I know you're not magical like me. Are you some sort of mutant?"
Arthur choked out a laugh. "That would be a no to the mutant thing!"
"Then how?"
Arthur smiled. "I can't tell you Merlin."
"Why, because you don't trust me?"
"Merlin, I've met you twice in my life. I've never trusted anyone with my abilities, let alone a virtual stranger."
Merlin realised he was still holding his shoulders, and embarrassed, he released them. "Yet you trusted me just now."
Arthur sighed wearily, turning away. "That was different. I won't endanger you."
Merlin walked around him, sensing that whatever wall usually surrounded the Shadow, was crumbling in the moonlight. "What's wrong?" he asked simply.
The Shadow put his head in his hands. "There's just too much to do, so much at stake. It's so difficult." Merlin invaded his space, catching his hands and pulling them away from his face. He placed his hand over the Shadows heart.
"Why are you so alone?"
"I have a wife" offered Arthur.
"And yet, you're isolated. I can feel it." They stood for what seemed like forever, just looking into each others eyes, Arthur's hands had involuntarily come up to grasp Merlin's on his chest. Merlin broke the silence.
"You don't have to be alone." Arthur smiled.
"What, are you offering to be Robin to my Batman?"
Merlin grinned. "Something like that."
Arthur dropped Merlin's hands and put his hands on Merlin's shoulders. "I have to go home to my wife now, and thankyou but I work alone."
Arthur turned, walking away from the clearing. "She doesn't know does she" called Merlin. Arthur stopped.
"No, she isn't like us. She doen't have special abilities. She could get hurt."
"And so," surmised Merlin, "You look after her, you look after the Isles, you look after me. Who looks after you?"
"I can take care of myself" said the Shadow, now walking away without pause.
"We'll see about that!" yelled Merlin. "And you still haven't told me your name. If you don't, I'll have to make one up. I'm thinking Bob, or Eggbert. Yes I think that would suit you."
"I'm not telling you Merlin."
"You know eventually I will recognise you, I'd know that pert arse anywhere," he called cheekily.
Arthur stopped, wriggled his arse and smirked "Good luck with that Merlin. Only six billion arses to stare at then." And he strutted away over the hill, the moon silhouetting his retreating back. It was then Merlin realised he had been dropped only a ten minute walk away from the church.