One Prison is much like another - part 33B
Author: 
archaeologist_d
Title: One Prison is much like another - part 33B
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/s: none
Character/s: Merlin, Leon
Summary: Dragons are a handful, whether they be days old or centuries. Arthur wasn’t having any of it.
Warnings: none
Word Count: 879
Camelot Drabble Prompt #609: Valuable
Author’s notes: Arthur is regent in all but name. AU and all.
---------------
The guards spread out. At least, Leon had brought the stupid ones, the ones with less brains and more dull-witted than day-old bread. There were archers among them, too. It would seem that they didn’t want to get roasted with dragon-fire and were going to shoot at them from a distance instead.
“We have been ordered to find and kill any dragons we might come across. And that you know where they are.” Leon didn’t look pleased, frowning at Merlin as if not quite sure what was going on. “Arthur also said that if you didn’t cooperate, you would be imprisoned until you did.”
“Arthur is a cabbage-head.” Merlin shook his head, gingerly poking at his broken nose, then waved his arms around, hoping that Leon would believe that there was nothing and no one but Merlin there. Merlin wasn’t about to let him know anything about the dragonets so he kind of made it up as he was going along, babbling as he usually did while trying to misdirect.
“Do you see any dragons here? I told Arthur they were just bats, but he kept going on and on and on about dragons.” Merlin rolled his eyes as if weary of Arthur scolding him all the time, then let out a little sigh. “And how they were about to attack Camelot again and he couldn’t let Uther down. I think he’s snapped. You know, under the pressure with his father and all being so… umm, ill.” Merlin circled his finger by the side of his head, the universal symbol of madness, and he rolled his eyes again, just to make a point.
Leon wasn’t having any of it. “Merlin, his clothes were burnt.”
Well, hell. There was that.
Trying to look put-out, trying to look like he’d had enough of Arthur’s crap, Merlin kicked at the dust.
“Well, umm, yeah, that would be me,” Merlin muttered, then scowled at Leon when the knight looked like he might march Merlin up to the dungeon anyway. Waving his hands around again, he tried to play the victim. “But it was an accident. He was raving about dragons and when a couple of the bats flew by his head, he waved that torch of his around. Hit me square in the face-and yeah, it’s broken and hurts like hell.” Merlin pointed at his nose, wiping at the drying blood as if to prove a point.
Trying to look as put out as possible, loudly, Merlin grumbled, “And then the arse didn’t even apologise, just kept wielding it around like a sword or he was having a fit or something. I tried to grab it off him and we ended up on the ground and he got a bit burnt and then blamed it on me again. As if it was my fault.” Merlin did one more ground stomping for good measure.
Leon apparently had enough of Merlin’s whinging. “You can sort it out with Arthur once we’ve cleared the area of dragons. So where are they?”
“I told you. No dragons, just bats.” Merlin put out his best effort at denying everything but when Leon just looked even more miffed, Merlin pointed in the direction where the dragonets were definitely not. “Fine, the bats are off that way. Not that I’d go after them. Their bites can be quite nasty and they’re creepy, too, with the furry body and flapping wings and the high-pitched whine when they try and fly past and the way they grin at you. Always showing off their big pointy teeth. Sort of like rats with wings except they hang upside down. The bats, not the rats. Ugh.”
“Merlin, you are getting close to that dungeon Arthur promised,” Leon said, glaring at him.
Shrugging, Merlin just muttered, “There are no dragons. But if you want to chase bats, be my guest.” He nodded toward the gloom, then stood back when the guards started toward the ledge’s edge and the vastness beyond.
Leon ignored Merlin, then ordered his men to fan out and shoot anything that moved.
“Don’t blame me when the bats start flapping around.” Merlin whined. At least he was behind the group and could use his magic without anyone noticing. There was a bat colony in the caves, and the dragonets had feasted on them occasionally but there were plenty left if needs be.
“Sir Leon, there,” shouted one of the guards. Another man pulled up his bow and let loose a bolt.
“Flēogen,” Merlin whispered.
In an instant, there was chaos. A thousand bats were suddenly flying around them, diving, squeaking, letting their teeth graze at some of the men. There were black wings and furred bodies everywhere. Shouting, too, cries of alarm as the guards huddled into one another, trying to avoid getting hurt, then, almost as one, they scampered up the stone stairs, the bats following them like a cloud of furies.
Leon, at least, hadn’t retreated, instead crouching down and covering his face with his hands until the storm passed.
When he finally rose up, he glared at Merlin, then stomped away.
The ‘I told you so’ was on the tip of Merlin’s tongue but he was smart enough to keep quiet this time.
But it was a near thing.
archaeologist_d
Title: One Prison is much like another - part 33B
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/s: none
Character/s: Merlin, Leon
Summary: Dragons are a handful, whether they be days old or centuries. Arthur wasn’t having any of it.
Warnings: none
Word Count: 879
Camelot Drabble Prompt #609: Valuable
Author’s notes: Arthur is regent in all but name. AU and all.
---------------
The guards spread out. At least, Leon had brought the stupid ones, the ones with less brains and more dull-witted than day-old bread. There were archers among them, too. It would seem that they didn’t want to get roasted with dragon-fire and were going to shoot at them from a distance instead.
“We have been ordered to find and kill any dragons we might come across. And that you know where they are.” Leon didn’t look pleased, frowning at Merlin as if not quite sure what was going on. “Arthur also said that if you didn’t cooperate, you would be imprisoned until you did.”
“Arthur is a cabbage-head.” Merlin shook his head, gingerly poking at his broken nose, then waved his arms around, hoping that Leon would believe that there was nothing and no one but Merlin there. Merlin wasn’t about to let him know anything about the dragonets so he kind of made it up as he was going along, babbling as he usually did while trying to misdirect.
“Do you see any dragons here? I told Arthur they were just bats, but he kept going on and on and on about dragons.” Merlin rolled his eyes as if weary of Arthur scolding him all the time, then let out a little sigh. “And how they were about to attack Camelot again and he couldn’t let Uther down. I think he’s snapped. You know, under the pressure with his father and all being so… umm, ill.” Merlin circled his finger by the side of his head, the universal symbol of madness, and he rolled his eyes again, just to make a point.
Leon wasn’t having any of it. “Merlin, his clothes were burnt.”
Well, hell. There was that.
Trying to look put-out, trying to look like he’d had enough of Arthur’s crap, Merlin kicked at the dust.
“Well, umm, yeah, that would be me,” Merlin muttered, then scowled at Leon when the knight looked like he might march Merlin up to the dungeon anyway. Waving his hands around again, he tried to play the victim. “But it was an accident. He was raving about dragons and when a couple of the bats flew by his head, he waved that torch of his around. Hit me square in the face-and yeah, it’s broken and hurts like hell.” Merlin pointed at his nose, wiping at the drying blood as if to prove a point.
Trying to look as put out as possible, loudly, Merlin grumbled, “And then the arse didn’t even apologise, just kept wielding it around like a sword or he was having a fit or something. I tried to grab it off him and we ended up on the ground and he got a bit burnt and then blamed it on me again. As if it was my fault.” Merlin did one more ground stomping for good measure.
Leon apparently had enough of Merlin’s whinging. “You can sort it out with Arthur once we’ve cleared the area of dragons. So where are they?”
“I told you. No dragons, just bats.” Merlin put out his best effort at denying everything but when Leon just looked even more miffed, Merlin pointed in the direction where the dragonets were definitely not. “Fine, the bats are off that way. Not that I’d go after them. Their bites can be quite nasty and they’re creepy, too, with the furry body and flapping wings and the high-pitched whine when they try and fly past and the way they grin at you. Always showing off their big pointy teeth. Sort of like rats with wings except they hang upside down. The bats, not the rats. Ugh.”
“Merlin, you are getting close to that dungeon Arthur promised,” Leon said, glaring at him.
Shrugging, Merlin just muttered, “There are no dragons. But if you want to chase bats, be my guest.” He nodded toward the gloom, then stood back when the guards started toward the ledge’s edge and the vastness beyond.
Leon ignored Merlin, then ordered his men to fan out and shoot anything that moved.
“Don’t blame me when the bats start flapping around.” Merlin whined. At least he was behind the group and could use his magic without anyone noticing. There was a bat colony in the caves, and the dragonets had feasted on them occasionally but there were plenty left if needs be.
“Sir Leon, there,” shouted one of the guards. Another man pulled up his bow and let loose a bolt.
“Flēogen,” Merlin whispered.
In an instant, there was chaos. A thousand bats were suddenly flying around them, diving, squeaking, letting their teeth graze at some of the men. There were black wings and furred bodies everywhere. Shouting, too, cries of alarm as the guards huddled into one another, trying to avoid getting hurt, then, almost as one, they scampered up the stone stairs, the bats following them like a cloud of furies.
Leon, at least, hadn’t retreated, instead crouching down and covering his face with his hands until the storm passed.
When he finally rose up, he glared at Merlin, then stomped away.
The ‘I told you so’ was on the tip of Merlin’s tongue but he was smart enough to keep quiet this time.
But it was a near thing.