[broadcast mind]
[You can hear him shouting as metal clashes against metal. The fight right outside the door is getting desperate, but the fight inside you is more desperate still.
She's royal in dress and beauty, but she looks nothing like a King's ward. It isn't that she's kneeling on the cold marble floor, rending strips of fabric for an impossible escape. It's the look of fear in her face, and how she looks to you, a mere servant for comfort.
No. Not a servant.]
"You're a good friend, Merlin."
[Arthur screams. You don't need to look out the door to see him fighting, you've seen it many times. You know he fights with the courage and skill that other knights can only envy. But it won't be enough.]
Don't fall asleep!
[Your lips move, offering her a drink of water even though your own throat suddenly feels dry and constricting. You press when she declines, telling her she might not have another chance once you get out of here. Her words echo your thoughts.]
"If we get out of here."
If.
'If I need a servant in the next life...'
"Here."
"I'm fine."
"No, you have some before I finish it."
Before I finish it.
She pauses. Smiles at you. Accepts.
"Thank you."
[You turn your back on her, wiping away the tears that sting your eyes and burn trails down your face. It's a sensation that someone damned should get used to.
And on the floor behind you, the King's ward starts to cough.]
She's royal in dress and beauty, but she looks nothing like a King's ward. It isn't that she's kneeling on the cold marble floor, rending strips of fabric for an impossible escape. It's the look of fear in her face, and how she looks to you, a mere servant for comfort.
No. Not a servant.]
"You're a good friend, Merlin."
[Arthur screams. You don't need to look out the door to see him fighting, you've seen it many times. You know he fights with the courage and skill that other knights can only envy. But it won't be enough.]
Don't fall asleep!
[Your lips move, offering her a drink of water even though your own throat suddenly feels dry and constricting. You press when she declines, telling her she might not have another chance once you get out of here. Her words echo your thoughts.]
"If we get out of here."
If.
'If I need a servant in the next life...'
"Here."
"I'm fine."
"No, you have some before I finish it."
Before I finish it.
She pauses. Smiles at you. Accepts.
"Thank you."
[You turn your back on her, wiping away the tears that sting your eyes and burn trails down your face. It's a sensation that someone damned should get used to.
And on the floor behind you, the King's ward starts to cough.]