Cold iron - part 1
Author: archaeologist_d
Title: Cold Iron - part 1
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/s: none
Character/s: Merlin, Arthur, Balinor, Uther
Warning: none
Summary: Balinor was a fool trusting that all would be right in the end. For Uther was a tyrant and the prince a naïve boy, and when Balinor saved Camelot, death was to be his reward.
Word Count: 1018
Camelot_drabble Prompt: 508 imprison
Author's Notes: unbetaed, AU for The Last Dragonlord
Disclaimer: Merlin characters are the property of Shine and BBC. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
------------------------------
He had been a fool trusting a Pendragon. And now everything was going to hell.
Watching from his cell, seeing the pile of seasoned wood being stacked up in the courtyard, knowing that it was for him and no other, knowing, too, that the pyre would burn hot and bright and bring unbearable pain in the end, still, Balinor couldn’t help but blame himself for his fate. Merlin had been naïve and the prince with him, but Balinor had believed them both sincere.
Balinor should have run while he had the chance and left Camelot to Kilgharrah’s justice. He should have let the whole kingdom burn to the ground, let Camelot pay for twenty years of hatred and executions, let them pay for all those innocent lives cut down because of Uther’s thirst for vengeance.
But the look on Merlin’s face had been enough, the sorrow, the guilt, the knowledge that if Balinor did nothing, more people would die.
Balinor relented, idiot though he was, and this was his reward.
After all, he knew what the tyrant king was like. Balinor knew Uther would betray every oath without a moment’s pause. Uther had slain so many dragons, using the powers of captured dragonlords with threats to their families and outright torture, to draw them in and destroy the dragons en masse. Then cutting down those with gifts of power and all their kin so that no one would ever dare challenge Uther again. No one escaped, not women, not children, not even the babes in their mother’s arms. Anyone with a hint of dragonlord blood died, screaming. Screaming out for mercy where there was none.
As he pulled away from the bars and sat down on his bed of straw, Balinor had to admit that it hadn’t been Arthur’s fault. The prince had been cautious enough. They had called Kilgharrah away from the castle and into the meadow beyond, and there Balinor, shocked at the pale shadow the dragon had become in the years since they had last seen each other, sent Kilgharrah off into the White Mountains, never to return.
But Uther, monster, betrayer of oaths, was crafty, too. The king had knights waiting in the woods beyond, and captured Balinor, chaining him in cold iron.
Arthur protested, of course, and Merlin was beside himself in fury. Even as Balinor struggled, he could see Merlin ready to use magic to help him escape, but Balinor shook his head, shouted out to Merlin to stand down, terrified that Merlin would be killed, too.
In the end, all three were dragged before the king.
--------------------------
Leaning back, comfortable in his power, Uther sneered, “Balinor, at last, welcome back to court.”
“Father, Balinor has saved us from the dragon’s attacks. He came willingly to help us,” Arthur said, shaking off the guards’ hold, and nodding back to Balinor’s kneeling figure. “I promised him he would be rewarded for his efforts. Surely, this-”
“You cannot believe a word a dragonlord says. If anything, the help he gave was a ploy to regain a foothold in the kingdom.” Uther stared at Balinor, then turned to Arthur. “He has used honeyed words to deceive you, my son.” When Arthur started to protest, Uther said, “But because the dragon has fled, we have no more need of his services. And for his crimes against us so many years ago, he must die. For justice will be served.”
“Justice, you call-” Merlin shouted out, but as he struggled to get to Uther, about to attack the king even with his hands bound and the guards grabbing onto him, Arthur turned to him, blocking him from Uther’s gaze and punched Merlin hard enough to send him to his knees.
“Shut up, you fool. Let me handle this,” Arthur murmured, hurried and low. But it was his face that must have made Merlin stop. Something secret passed between them, and as Merlin struggled back onto his feet, smearing blood across his face from the split lip, he stayed silent.
Straightening up, lifting his eyes to stare at Uther, Arthur said, flat and final, “Father, I gave my word.”
“And I thank you for it,” Uther said, sounding a bit annoyed at being argued with. “But a king would understand that a word isn’t always enough. A king would know that the good of the kingdom must come before oaths and promises. You disappoint me, Arthur,” With that, Uther stood up. “The audience is at an end. This man is to die by fire at noon tomorrow.” When Arthur started to protest again, Uther growled out, “You will accept this. You will stand with me on the balcony and watch justice carried out or I will throw you into the dungeons until you learn your place here. And your boy whipped every day that you resist.”
As Arthur stood there, looking horrified, glancing at Merlin as if he didn’t know what to do, Uther walked past him. Then, his cloak swirling behind him, as Uther stopped next to Balinor and stared down at him, Uther said, “Scream as loud as you like tomorrow and know that when it is done, we will scatter your ashes to the wind and throw your burnt bones to the dogs for their feasting. Your name will be forgotten. And in the end, we will have peace and an end to magic’s scourge on this land.”
With that, Balinor spat at him.
Uther jerked back, wiping at the mess on his fine tunic. “I should gut you now,” he growled. But instead, Uther kicked him, his boot sinking deep into Balinor’s gut.
The world sank into bright fired agony, Balinor’s vision blackening as he tried to keep from vomiting all over himself. In the distance, he could hear Merlin shouting again but above all, Uther’s voice, saying, “I will enjoy watching you die, dragon spawn.”
With that, Uther walked out the door and Balinor was dragged away.
Title: Cold Iron - part 1
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/s: none
Character/s: Merlin, Arthur, Balinor, Uther
Warning: none
Summary: Balinor was a fool trusting that all would be right in the end. For Uther was a tyrant and the prince a naïve boy, and when Balinor saved Camelot, death was to be his reward.
Word Count: 1018
Camelot_drabble Prompt: 508 imprison
Author's Notes: unbetaed, AU for The Last Dragonlord
Disclaimer: Merlin characters are the property of Shine and BBC. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
------------------------------
He had been a fool trusting a Pendragon. And now everything was going to hell.
Watching from his cell, seeing the pile of seasoned wood being stacked up in the courtyard, knowing that it was for him and no other, knowing, too, that the pyre would burn hot and bright and bring unbearable pain in the end, still, Balinor couldn’t help but blame himself for his fate. Merlin had been naïve and the prince with him, but Balinor had believed them both sincere.
Balinor should have run while he had the chance and left Camelot to Kilgharrah’s justice. He should have let the whole kingdom burn to the ground, let Camelot pay for twenty years of hatred and executions, let them pay for all those innocent lives cut down because of Uther’s thirst for vengeance.
But the look on Merlin’s face had been enough, the sorrow, the guilt, the knowledge that if Balinor did nothing, more people would die.
Balinor relented, idiot though he was, and this was his reward.
After all, he knew what the tyrant king was like. Balinor knew Uther would betray every oath without a moment’s pause. Uther had slain so many dragons, using the powers of captured dragonlords with threats to their families and outright torture, to draw them in and destroy the dragons en masse. Then cutting down those with gifts of power and all their kin so that no one would ever dare challenge Uther again. No one escaped, not women, not children, not even the babes in their mother’s arms. Anyone with a hint of dragonlord blood died, screaming. Screaming out for mercy where there was none.
As he pulled away from the bars and sat down on his bed of straw, Balinor had to admit that it hadn’t been Arthur’s fault. The prince had been cautious enough. They had called Kilgharrah away from the castle and into the meadow beyond, and there Balinor, shocked at the pale shadow the dragon had become in the years since they had last seen each other, sent Kilgharrah off into the White Mountains, never to return.
But Uther, monster, betrayer of oaths, was crafty, too. The king had knights waiting in the woods beyond, and captured Balinor, chaining him in cold iron.
Arthur protested, of course, and Merlin was beside himself in fury. Even as Balinor struggled, he could see Merlin ready to use magic to help him escape, but Balinor shook his head, shouted out to Merlin to stand down, terrified that Merlin would be killed, too.
In the end, all three were dragged before the king.
--------------------------
Leaning back, comfortable in his power, Uther sneered, “Balinor, at last, welcome back to court.”
“Father, Balinor has saved us from the dragon’s attacks. He came willingly to help us,” Arthur said, shaking off the guards’ hold, and nodding back to Balinor’s kneeling figure. “I promised him he would be rewarded for his efforts. Surely, this-”
“You cannot believe a word a dragonlord says. If anything, the help he gave was a ploy to regain a foothold in the kingdom.” Uther stared at Balinor, then turned to Arthur. “He has used honeyed words to deceive you, my son.” When Arthur started to protest, Uther said, “But because the dragon has fled, we have no more need of his services. And for his crimes against us so many years ago, he must die. For justice will be served.”
“Justice, you call-” Merlin shouted out, but as he struggled to get to Uther, about to attack the king even with his hands bound and the guards grabbing onto him, Arthur turned to him, blocking him from Uther’s gaze and punched Merlin hard enough to send him to his knees.
“Shut up, you fool. Let me handle this,” Arthur murmured, hurried and low. But it was his face that must have made Merlin stop. Something secret passed between them, and as Merlin struggled back onto his feet, smearing blood across his face from the split lip, he stayed silent.
Straightening up, lifting his eyes to stare at Uther, Arthur said, flat and final, “Father, I gave my word.”
“And I thank you for it,” Uther said, sounding a bit annoyed at being argued with. “But a king would understand that a word isn’t always enough. A king would know that the good of the kingdom must come before oaths and promises. You disappoint me, Arthur,” With that, Uther stood up. “The audience is at an end. This man is to die by fire at noon tomorrow.” When Arthur started to protest again, Uther growled out, “You will accept this. You will stand with me on the balcony and watch justice carried out or I will throw you into the dungeons until you learn your place here. And your boy whipped every day that you resist.”
As Arthur stood there, looking horrified, glancing at Merlin as if he didn’t know what to do, Uther walked past him. Then, his cloak swirling behind him, as Uther stopped next to Balinor and stared down at him, Uther said, “Scream as loud as you like tomorrow and know that when it is done, we will scatter your ashes to the wind and throw your burnt bones to the dogs for their feasting. Your name will be forgotten. And in the end, we will have peace and an end to magic’s scourge on this land.”
With that, Balinor spat at him.
Uther jerked back, wiping at the mess on his fine tunic. “I should gut you now,” he growled. But instead, Uther kicked him, his boot sinking deep into Balinor’s gut.
The world sank into bright fired agony, Balinor’s vision blackening as he tried to keep from vomiting all over himself. In the distance, he could hear Merlin shouting again but above all, Uther’s voice, saying, “I will enjoy watching you die, dragon spawn.”
With that, Uther walked out the door and Balinor was dragged away.