Screams
Author: Gilli_ann
Title: Screams
Rating: G
Character/s: Merlin, Gaius, Uther
Summary: Long-ago atrocities echo through time for those of magic to hear
Word Count: 250
Prompt: Bingo, prompt: 'Depression'
Author's Notes: Canon-based
Screams
When he heard the screams, Merlin was taking a shortcut past the main tower to the knights' exercise field. The sudden sound was terrifying and tore through him like sword-thrusts. Merlin fell to his knees, overcome by the sheer horror of those anguished piercing cries.
Slowly, he managed to crawl away from the shallow grassy hollow he'd stepped into. The wails of terror faded, and there was merciful silence.
With tears running down his cheeks and panic making his heart race, Merlin looked around. Two guards ambled past him, followed by a farm-girl with a basket. None of them seemed the least bit affected or concerned.
That evening, he told Gaius of his horrifying experience. The old physician sighed. "I know what it was you sensed, Merlin. I understand why only you could hear it."
"Was it magic, then?"
Gaius shook his head. "Rather the extinguishment of magic, I'm sad to say. During the great purge, Uther had many sorcerers thrown from the top of the main tower. The impact of their bodies created a distinct depression in the ground. It's still there, although grass covers it now."
Merlin shuddered. Living at court from day to day, frequently seeing or serving the king as well as Prince Arthur, he sometimes forgot the immense cruelties Uther had committed, the evil he was capable of.
From now on, Merlin wouldn't forget. He would always remember those poor doomed sorcerers' screams. And he never crossed the ground directly beneath the main tower again.
Title: Screams
Rating: G
Character/s: Merlin, Gaius, Uther
Summary: Long-ago atrocities echo through time for those of magic to hear
Word Count: 250
Prompt: Bingo, prompt: 'Depression'
Author's Notes: Canon-based
Screams
When he heard the screams, Merlin was taking a shortcut past the main tower to the knights' exercise field. The sudden sound was terrifying and tore through him like sword-thrusts. Merlin fell to his knees, overcome by the sheer horror of those anguished piercing cries.
Slowly, he managed to crawl away from the shallow grassy hollow he'd stepped into. The wails of terror faded, and there was merciful silence.
With tears running down his cheeks and panic making his heart race, Merlin looked around. Two guards ambled past him, followed by a farm-girl with a basket. None of them seemed the least bit affected or concerned.
That evening, he told Gaius of his horrifying experience. The old physician sighed. "I know what it was you sensed, Merlin. I understand why only you could hear it."
"Was it magic, then?"
Gaius shook his head. "Rather the extinguishment of magic, I'm sad to say. During the great purge, Uther had many sorcerers thrown from the top of the main tower. The impact of their bodies created a distinct depression in the ground. It's still there, although grass covers it now."
Merlin shuddered. Living at court from day to day, frequently seeing or serving the king as well as Prince Arthur, he sometimes forgot the immense cruelties Uther had committed, the evil he was capable of.
From now on, Merlin wouldn't forget. He would always remember those poor doomed sorcerers' screams. And he never crossed the ground directly beneath the main tower again.