Arrakis, Sietch Tabr corridors, even later Tuesday night/Wednesday morning
She had walked a dozen circuits down the halls with a blanket over her shoulders before she stumbled. Tired. So tired. Too unnerved to sleep, though. Can't stay awake... Outside Merlin's room, Arthur near by. Safe here. Safer, anyway. Just rest. Just for a second. Dinah curled herself up in her blanket near their door and was out before her body hit the ground.
...She is out on the ledge of the Clock Tower, looking down, and hearing Barbara's voice from the inside: "You have to see this. It's important."
"Barbara..."
"Don't make me come out there." Dinah climbs back in, away from the lights of the city and cool air, and crosses the annex to Barbara-- who is pointing at a single projected column of light in the center of the room, and as soon as Dinah looks at it---
---Running. Couldn't stop now that you can hear the sound of a language no longer used in this land. Old and powerful. "Stop!" you call, desperation coloring your tone.
She is beautiful and cruel as she turns, lowering the chalice in her hands. Almost coy, looking at you over her shoulder. "Back again so soon, Warlock?"
Gaius. Oh god, no. He's unmoving at her feet, slumped against the stone altar. "What have you done?"
(And Dinah has a very bad feeling about this, because this woman reminds her of no one so much as Harley Quinn, the first one, and the old man is dead, and she can feel Merlin's sharp grief and this just can't end well)
"Your mother is safe," she tells you with a smirk, moving toward you with the grace of a cat on the hunt. "Isn't that what you wanted?"
"And you killed him." You can't tear your eyes away from him until you realize that you're the prey here. You can feel it in the air on this island.
"It was his wish."
"I bid my life for Arthur's! Not my mother's, not Gaius'!" you shout uselessly. It's all finished. A deal has been struck and there is no bringing back the dead.
(...wait, his mother is alive, Gaius is alive...)
"The Old Religion does not care who lives and who dies," she booms, not shouting. Simply louder and grander in this place of power. "Only that the balance of the world is restored. To save a life, a life must be taken. Gaius knew this."
"It is not the Old Religion that has done this. It is you."
"Come now." It is a tempting smile she gives you. "We're too valuable to each other to be enemies." And you can feel how it's true. There is something you share that would make you both completely unstoppable if you wished. You could crush the world beneath your heel.
"I share nothing with you!"
"With my help, Arthur will become king," she insists.
You draw yourself up, anger burning within your chest. Pride as well. "I will make Arthur king. You will never see that day."
Drawing on that fury, you bring a ball of flames to your hand, not feeling it burn even as it licks up along your wrist and arm. Flinging it at her, you watch helpless as she simple holds up her hand and draws it in like the heat of the sun on a cold day.
(Oh, God, someone stop this, someone anyone no no no Merlin run)
"Your childish tricks are useless against me now." A casual wave of her hand and sparks form on her palm, bursting into flame to show you just how easy it ought to be. "I am a priestess of the Old Religion."
You're forced to leap to the side to avoid the ball of flames she throws. The tower that had been just behind you explodes in a shower of dust and burning hot stones.
"You too are a creature of the Old Religion," she tells you. It's the truth--No--and you can feel it become more real as she speaks, bringing another ball of flame to her hand. "You should join me."
"You think I would join forces with such a selfish and cruel magic?" You ask, head held high and never about to be broken by these threats. "Never."
(Dinah loves him for saying that and wants to shake him for the timing and wants him to run)
"So be it." This time you're unable to avoid it, taking the blow in the chest. It burns. You struggle to breathe, let alone move to defend yourself. You've lost everything now. Arthur won't be protected.
(MERLIN!)
She's walking away. You know this as you smell the ozone in the air. All thoughts of pain are gone as you stare up at the darkening sky. This was a place of power for people like you and her. She seemed to think she was the only one with access to that now. "Pity. Together we could have ruled the world."
You sit up at that, watching her back as she walks toward the altar again. You will never allow her to do that.
(Oh. Oh, no. Merlin, no, don't, not like this--)
"You should not have killed my friend," you say, low but in the same booming tones that she had before. The clouds gather above her, dark and dangerous. Lifting your hand, you channel the lightning and direct it down to her. The witch would pay. A life for a life.
(And the power and the coldness and the alien implacability have Dinah stumbling, shuddering, scared of Merlin for the first time ever--)
"Dinah." Barbara's voice. "Dinah!"--
Opening her eyes, Dinah sees the column in front of her again, shapes moving inside of it, drawing her in to drown again and
"END SEQUENCE NOW." Barbara-voice that can't be denied--
"Ah!"
This time, when Dinah wakes up, she stays awake, shaking and waiting for dawn. And staggers back to her room feeling very very cold.
[ooc: written in conjunction with bigdamndestiny, dialogue from Merlin episode 1.13, "Le Morte D'Arthur", so spoilery as anything.
ETA: For one. :> ]
...She is out on the ledge of the Clock Tower, looking down, and hearing Barbara's voice from the inside: "You have to see this. It's important."
"Barbara..."
"Don't make me come out there." Dinah climbs back in, away from the lights of the city and cool air, and crosses the annex to Barbara-- who is pointing at a single projected column of light in the center of the room, and as soon as Dinah looks at it---
---Running. Couldn't stop now that you can hear the sound of a language no longer used in this land. Old and powerful. "Stop!" you call, desperation coloring your tone.
She is beautiful and cruel as she turns, lowering the chalice in her hands. Almost coy, looking at you over her shoulder. "Back again so soon, Warlock?"
Gaius. Oh god, no. He's unmoving at her feet, slumped against the stone altar. "What have you done?"
(And Dinah has a very bad feeling about this, because this woman reminds her of no one so much as Harley Quinn, the first one, and the old man is dead, and she can feel Merlin's sharp grief and this just can't end well)
"Your mother is safe," she tells you with a smirk, moving toward you with the grace of a cat on the hunt. "Isn't that what you wanted?"
"And you killed him." You can't tear your eyes away from him until you realize that you're the prey here. You can feel it in the air on this island.
"It was his wish."
"I bid my life for Arthur's! Not my mother's, not Gaius'!" you shout uselessly. It's all finished. A deal has been struck and there is no bringing back the dead.
(...wait, his mother is alive, Gaius is alive...)
"The Old Religion does not care who lives and who dies," she booms, not shouting. Simply louder and grander in this place of power. "Only that the balance of the world is restored. To save a life, a life must be taken. Gaius knew this."
"It is not the Old Religion that has done this. It is you."
"Come now." It is a tempting smile she gives you. "We're too valuable to each other to be enemies." And you can feel how it's true. There is something you share that would make you both completely unstoppable if you wished. You could crush the world beneath your heel.
"I share nothing with you!"
"With my help, Arthur will become king," she insists.
You draw yourself up, anger burning within your chest. Pride as well. "I will make Arthur king. You will never see that day."
Drawing on that fury, you bring a ball of flames to your hand, not feeling it burn even as it licks up along your wrist and arm. Flinging it at her, you watch helpless as she simple holds up her hand and draws it in like the heat of the sun on a cold day.
(Oh, God, someone stop this, someone anyone no no no Merlin run)
"Your childish tricks are useless against me now." A casual wave of her hand and sparks form on her palm, bursting into flame to show you just how easy it ought to be. "I am a priestess of the Old Religion."
You're forced to leap to the side to avoid the ball of flames she throws. The tower that had been just behind you explodes in a shower of dust and burning hot stones.
"You too are a creature of the Old Religion," she tells you. It's the truth--No--and you can feel it become more real as she speaks, bringing another ball of flame to her hand. "You should join me."
"You think I would join forces with such a selfish and cruel magic?" You ask, head held high and never about to be broken by these threats. "Never."
(Dinah loves him for saying that and wants to shake him for the timing and wants him to run)
"So be it." This time you're unable to avoid it, taking the blow in the chest. It burns. You struggle to breathe, let alone move to defend yourself. You've lost everything now. Arthur won't be protected.
(MERLIN!)
She's walking away. You know this as you smell the ozone in the air. All thoughts of pain are gone as you stare up at the darkening sky. This was a place of power for people like you and her. She seemed to think she was the only one with access to that now. "Pity. Together we could have ruled the world."
You sit up at that, watching her back as she walks toward the altar again. You will never allow her to do that.
(Oh. Oh, no. Merlin, no, don't, not like this--)
"You should not have killed my friend," you say, low but in the same booming tones that she had before. The clouds gather above her, dark and dangerous. Lifting your hand, you channel the lightning and direct it down to her. The witch would pay. A life for a life.
(And the power and the coldness and the alien implacability have Dinah stumbling, shuddering, scared of Merlin for the first time ever--)
"Dinah." Barbara's voice. "Dinah!"--
Opening her eyes, Dinah sees the column in front of her again, shapes moving inside of it, drawing her in to drown again and
"END SEQUENCE NOW." Barbara-voice that can't be denied--
"Ah!"
This time, when Dinah wakes up, she stays awake, shaking and waiting for dawn. And staggers back to her room feeling very very cold.
[ooc: written in conjunction with bigdamndestiny, dialogue from Merlin episode 1.13, "Le Morte D'Arthur", so spoilery as anything.
ETA: For one. :> ]