Cold Iron part 5A
I'm on a roll.
Author: archaeologist_d
Title: Cold Iron - part 5A
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/s: none
Character/s: Merlin, Arthur, Balinor
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: 1000
Camelot_drabble Prompt: 509 in public
Author's Notes: unbetaed, AU for The Last Dragonlord, also I’ve always been suspicious of how Gaius knew about the crystals around Dagr and Ebor’s necks in the Gwaine episode. He seemed to know a lot about them.
Disclaimer: Merlin characters are the property of Shine and BBC. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
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Exhausted by the long ride, wrung out by the fear for his life and the struggle to keep from marching back into Camelot and gutting Uther where he stood, Balinor slept far into the afternoon.
It was foolishness on his part. He should have set up traps or hidden himself better, but at least no one had discovered him thus far.
He wasn’t sure why he was there. Gaius’s letter had been very specific in location but not the timing. Was he to stay until Gaius or one of his friends arrived with news? Should he just take off, go back to his cave, bundle up his few remaining belongings and run for the hills?
He was tired. He was hungry, and while he could forage, it seemed like such a waste of time. He’d been starved before-they hadn’t bothered to feed him in the cells-and a day or two without food was nothing compared to being burnt at the stake. Better he get as far away from Camelot as possible before he was captured again.
Still mulling what to do, he hesitated whether to hide or not when he heard Merlin’s voice in the distance. “Look, clotpole, don’t just go barrelling in, all right? I know you want to be all rescuey and heroic-like but sometimes you can be such an arse about things.”
“Merlin, I am not rescuey as you so succinctly put it. He’s a dragonlord, for heavens’ sake. I think he can deal with a prince keeping his word versus an idiot who won’t stop talking,” Arthur snapped.
They came into view a moment later.
Arthur looked startled, staring down at Balinor as if he’d grown a second head or something. Merlin, on the other hand, hopped down and gave Balinor a hug, a quick one, then said, “Are you alright? I brought some things for you, clothes, food, a sword, and you should have seen the king when he found out you’d escaped. I thought he was going to explode into a million pieces, all that blood and guts spattered everywhere, and wouldn’t that have been a sight to see?”
“Merlin, shut up. Can’t you see it’s Gaius? He would already know all that, you buffoon,” Arthur groused, getting off his horse a little more sedately than Merlin but still scowling at Balinor. “How did you get here so fast? We left you back at the castle.”
It was clear that Arthur thought Balinor was Gaius. While it looked like it was just the two of them, Balinor wanted to make sure before he took off the necklace. “Did you bring a patrol with you?”
Arthur started to say something, but Merlin overrode him. “Nope, just us. We managed to slip away, lost them back at least a couple of miles, near the border.”
“What is it, Gaius? Have you spotted Cenred’s men? I would like to keep this all very quiet,” Arthur said, then nodded toward Merlin. “Although keeping Merlin from shouting out every detail and mucking it all up is a full-time job.”
“I’m not the troublemaker, your highness,” Merlin said. “I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve saved your arse, you tin-plated git.”
“That’s rich, coming from someone who can’t find his own backside. I’ll have you know that-,” Arthur looked as if he were about to go into a full tirade of Merlin’s many faults, but Balinor had had enough. It had been a long few days.
Reaching up, he took off the necklace and handed it to Merlin.
The silence was deafening.
Arthur pulled out his sword, pointing it at Balinor. “Sorcery, I… Merlin, when you said you and Gaius had a plan, you failed to mention magic. You know I can’t condone it. It’s forbidden.” He sounded horrified.
“Oh, leave off, Arthur. It’s not like Balinor is doing magic. It’s in the crystal. It changes people’s appearance.” Rolling his eyes, holding up the gemstone a moment before putting it in his pocket, Merlin snapped, “Dollophead.”
“It’s a magical artifact, then, and using it is-” Arthur started to say, jiggling his sword a little for emphasis.
But Merlin wasn’t having it. Stepping in front of Balinor, a move that Balinor thought completely unnecessary since he doubted Arthur was going to kill him after all the trouble of setting him free but brave of his son nonetheless, Merlin pointed out, “Are you going to tell me that your father hasn’t used the magical artifacts from the vaults?”
As he lowered his sword, Arthur flushed. “Of course not. Don’t be absurd.”
Merlin stepped closer, hands on hips as he glared at Arthur. “The manacles that he used on Balinor were magical. That sword he used to defeat the wraith was magical. Then there was the whole marrying a troll incident which-”
Waving his hand around as if that would stop Merlin, Arthur half-shouted, “Fine, fine, no need to go into details.” Then as he shoved his sword back into his belt, his voice quieting, Arthur said, “Balinor, as prince of the realm, I cannot participate in such things. But if I don’t observe them, then it never happened.” Shoving his face forward, Arthur’s glare was icy. “Right, Merlin?”
Merlin’s smile was brilliant. “Right, Arthur. Didn’t see it, didn’t happen.” Leaning over to Balinor, Merlin murmured, “Happens a lot.”
“What was that, Merlin? Are you volunteering to muck out the stables again?” Arthur said.
“That’s what stable boys are for, you cabbagehead. Now leave it and let’s get going. I’m sure your father won’t be happy until he sees Balinor’s body,” Merlin nodded up the hill a little.
At first, Balinor was worried that it was all going to go sour very quickly, but Merlin just shrugged and trudged up to where they’d buried the two solders they’d killed a few nights back while the three of them were racing toward Camelot to save it from Kilgharrah’s wrath. Cenred’s men, attacking them all, and for a moment Balinor remembered how he’d almost been killed in the sword fight. But magic and Arthur’s skill with a blade had saved the day, Balinor’s life, and ultimately, Camelot’s future.
It was a bit ghoulish, but Merlin pulled out one of the bodies, only now beginning to decay. Brushing the dirt aside, Merlin started to take off the man’s armour.
Author: archaeologist_d
Title: Cold Iron - part 5A
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/s: none
Character/s: Merlin, Arthur, Balinor
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: 1000
Camelot_drabble Prompt: 509 in public
Author's Notes: unbetaed, AU for The Last Dragonlord, also I’ve always been suspicious of how Gaius knew about the crystals around Dagr and Ebor’s necks in the Gwaine episode. He seemed to know a lot about them.
Disclaimer: Merlin characters are the property of Shine and BBC. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
----------------------
Exhausted by the long ride, wrung out by the fear for his life and the struggle to keep from marching back into Camelot and gutting Uther where he stood, Balinor slept far into the afternoon.
It was foolishness on his part. He should have set up traps or hidden himself better, but at least no one had discovered him thus far.
He wasn’t sure why he was there. Gaius’s letter had been very specific in location but not the timing. Was he to stay until Gaius or one of his friends arrived with news? Should he just take off, go back to his cave, bundle up his few remaining belongings and run for the hills?
He was tired. He was hungry, and while he could forage, it seemed like such a waste of time. He’d been starved before-they hadn’t bothered to feed him in the cells-and a day or two without food was nothing compared to being burnt at the stake. Better he get as far away from Camelot as possible before he was captured again.
Still mulling what to do, he hesitated whether to hide or not when he heard Merlin’s voice in the distance. “Look, clotpole, don’t just go barrelling in, all right? I know you want to be all rescuey and heroic-like but sometimes you can be such an arse about things.”
“Merlin, I am not rescuey as you so succinctly put it. He’s a dragonlord, for heavens’ sake. I think he can deal with a prince keeping his word versus an idiot who won’t stop talking,” Arthur snapped.
They came into view a moment later.
Arthur looked startled, staring down at Balinor as if he’d grown a second head or something. Merlin, on the other hand, hopped down and gave Balinor a hug, a quick one, then said, “Are you alright? I brought some things for you, clothes, food, a sword, and you should have seen the king when he found out you’d escaped. I thought he was going to explode into a million pieces, all that blood and guts spattered everywhere, and wouldn’t that have been a sight to see?”
“Merlin, shut up. Can’t you see it’s Gaius? He would already know all that, you buffoon,” Arthur groused, getting off his horse a little more sedately than Merlin but still scowling at Balinor. “How did you get here so fast? We left you back at the castle.”
It was clear that Arthur thought Balinor was Gaius. While it looked like it was just the two of them, Balinor wanted to make sure before he took off the necklace. “Did you bring a patrol with you?”
Arthur started to say something, but Merlin overrode him. “Nope, just us. We managed to slip away, lost them back at least a couple of miles, near the border.”
“What is it, Gaius? Have you spotted Cenred’s men? I would like to keep this all very quiet,” Arthur said, then nodded toward Merlin. “Although keeping Merlin from shouting out every detail and mucking it all up is a full-time job.”
“I’m not the troublemaker, your highness,” Merlin said. “I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve saved your arse, you tin-plated git.”
“That’s rich, coming from someone who can’t find his own backside. I’ll have you know that-,” Arthur looked as if he were about to go into a full tirade of Merlin’s many faults, but Balinor had had enough. It had been a long few days.
Reaching up, he took off the necklace and handed it to Merlin.
The silence was deafening.
Arthur pulled out his sword, pointing it at Balinor. “Sorcery, I… Merlin, when you said you and Gaius had a plan, you failed to mention magic. You know I can’t condone it. It’s forbidden.” He sounded horrified.
“Oh, leave off, Arthur. It’s not like Balinor is doing magic. It’s in the crystal. It changes people’s appearance.” Rolling his eyes, holding up the gemstone a moment before putting it in his pocket, Merlin snapped, “Dollophead.”
“It’s a magical artifact, then, and using it is-” Arthur started to say, jiggling his sword a little for emphasis.
But Merlin wasn’t having it. Stepping in front of Balinor, a move that Balinor thought completely unnecessary since he doubted Arthur was going to kill him after all the trouble of setting him free but brave of his son nonetheless, Merlin pointed out, “Are you going to tell me that your father hasn’t used the magical artifacts from the vaults?”
As he lowered his sword, Arthur flushed. “Of course not. Don’t be absurd.”
Merlin stepped closer, hands on hips as he glared at Arthur. “The manacles that he used on Balinor were magical. That sword he used to defeat the wraith was magical. Then there was the whole marrying a troll incident which-”
Waving his hand around as if that would stop Merlin, Arthur half-shouted, “Fine, fine, no need to go into details.” Then as he shoved his sword back into his belt, his voice quieting, Arthur said, “Balinor, as prince of the realm, I cannot participate in such things. But if I don’t observe them, then it never happened.” Shoving his face forward, Arthur’s glare was icy. “Right, Merlin?”
Merlin’s smile was brilliant. “Right, Arthur. Didn’t see it, didn’t happen.” Leaning over to Balinor, Merlin murmured, “Happens a lot.”
“What was that, Merlin? Are you volunteering to muck out the stables again?” Arthur said.
“That’s what stable boys are for, you cabbagehead. Now leave it and let’s get going. I’m sure your father won’t be happy until he sees Balinor’s body,” Merlin nodded up the hill a little.
At first, Balinor was worried that it was all going to go sour very quickly, but Merlin just shrugged and trudged up to where they’d buried the two solders they’d killed a few nights back while the three of them were racing toward Camelot to save it from Kilgharrah’s wrath. Cenred’s men, attacking them all, and for a moment Balinor remembered how he’d almost been killed in the sword fight. But magic and Arthur’s skill with a blade had saved the day, Balinor’s life, and ultimately, Camelot’s future.
It was a bit ghoulish, but Merlin pulled out one of the bodies, only now beginning to decay. Brushing the dirt aside, Merlin started to take off the man’s armour.