for @merthurmicrofic bingo | shadow + excalibur + gold + magic reveal | 502 words
The moment Arthur sees the army, he knows that there is no hope for victory. His men are strong, but theyâre outnumbered five to one, and thatâs to say nothing of Morganaâs power and any other sorcerers she may have recruited. This, he understands, chest tight, is where Camelot will fall.
Excalibur is heavy in his hands, but still, he holds firm.
Morning is dawning, painting the sky a bloody red, as though it knows the slaughter that will come. It will not be a pleasant deathâ but at least it will be honorable. He will protect his kingdom and his people until his last breath, and his knights will do the same.
In a few minutes, the carnage will begin. The beginning of the end.
Merlin speaks quietly from behind him. âThereâs no hope, is there.â It isnât a question.
Arthur turns. He told Merlin to stay out of the thick of it, but there was no persuading him; now, his manservant stands in Arthurâs shadow, face grim. Something like fear flashes through Merlinâs eyes, but he doesnât falter. He has always been braver than Arthur gave him credit for.
Arthur hates that Merlin is here, to be slaughtered at his side, but he is also terribly glad that Merlin will be here with him, at the end.
âItâs not too late for you to go,â Arthur says, which is a lie.
Merlinâs lips twist wryly. âAnd risk you ruining your armor?â
Thereâs a shout from across the way.
Arthur looks back to the army; the enemy has hefted their swords and are waiting for their final command. They have only moments.
Merlin steps out of Arthurâs shadow. There is something powerful in the way he holds himself; a surety that Arthur has seldom seen in him. In the dawning light, he looks less like the gangly, clumsy boy Arthur met all those years ago, and more like a warrior or a king. He turns to Arthur, eyes filled in equal parts with regret and determination.
âIâm sorry,â Merlin says.
Arthur frowns, but before he can ask, Merlinâs eyes burn gold.
The ground shakes beneath them and Arthur stumbles, unable to look away from Merlin until he hears the cries from afar. His focus snaps to Morganaâs army. The land has begun to cave in beneath them, and within moments, the entire army has been swallowed by the earth. The shaking stops.
Arthur watches the gold fade from Merlinâs eyes, numb with shock.
Merlin just used magic. Merlin leveled an entire army without a single word.
Arthur doesnât know much about magic, but he knows that such a feat would not have been possible without great power and practice. He wonders how long Merlin has been lying to him. He wonders how many times Merlin has saved him.
âArthur,â Merlin says, and though he stands defiantly, Arthur only hears the uncertainty in his voice.
Excalibur falls from Arthurâs hand, bloodless, and the sun rises.
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