63Title: Where Nightmares Come True
Fandom: Merlin
Rating: T
Pairings/Characters: Merlin/Dragoon (not a pairing, just in case you wondered), Arthur, and Morgana, mostly. Also some OCs.
Spoilers: Set a little bit after Series Four, so . . .
Warnings: Mild violence in later chapters, and maybe some disturbing descriptions.
Disclaimer: Here's looking at you, BBC.
Beta: DeleaMarie
AN: This is the penultimate chapter. For those of you who never read A Series of Unfortunate Events, that means next-to-last. Enjoy:)
Chapter Twelve: Bang
The plan to stop the monster had failed miserably. Nothing the Knights had done would penetrate the monster's skin or even slow it down. It seemed to have a single-minded determination to reach the gates of Camelot as swiftly as possible. Perhaps it was this narrowness of focus that had made it so that none of the Knights had been killed.
"We have to get to the city before it," Leon, about two hours before dawn, had paused in his attack to tell Gwaine. "That's all we can do. You go, ride on as fast as you can, and warn the people-it's our only chance."
So Gwaine had obeyed and ridden as fast as his flagging horse would allow him, but he had met the beast on the way. It had dashed him from his mount and, slithering, crept away.
He had believed in that moment that all was lost, and he had almost been right. When the Knights finally reached the city, it was in an uproar. The monster had climbed the wall and was raining terror on the lower town. Gwaine sought out the captain of the guard and asked for a report.
"It was a normal night, other than the fact the king had run off that morning," the man explained. "The first warning we had was when all the animals started acting up, barking and neighing and stamping about-but we didn't think too much of it. Thought there must be wolves wandering close. But then this spike comes whistling over our heads and buries itself in the citadel, right there. That would have taken a nice bit of power to launch it so far, I tell ya. But then it started shaking and it exploded-That's when we knew we was in for some trouble."
Gwaine eyed the nice-sized hole in the wall of the castle, started to turn away, and did a double-take. "Wait," he said, seizing the retreating captain by the arm. "Is that where I think it is?"
The captain nodded. "Yes, sir. That's the King's room. The place was destroyed."
The knight began hyperventilating. "But . . . the queen . . ."
"Oh, don't worry, sir!" the captain cried. "The queen was not in the room when it happened. I actually don't know where she was. But with the king gone, I can't imagine her wanting to sleep in such a large room alone."
There was no time for Gwaine to find Gwen and assure himself that she was perfectly alright, for the monster was advancing, but it turned out his going and actively searching was not required; Gwen found him. She was, of course, helping Gaius in the infirmary, and if there was one thing a monster of the sort Jeremy had dreamed up was good at, it was sending people to the infirmary.
"Hurt much?" she asked sympathetically as he sat down with a groan. His lower leg had been sliced from knee to ankle, and he knew it would leave an ugly scar. "Here, let me help you with that."
"I heard what happened with your room," he told her as she cut his ruined boot off. "Sorry 'bout that; we should have been here sooner. Where were you, anyway?"
She smiled, a little embarrassed. "I was in Merlin's room; didn't want to be alone. Lucky thing, too."
"Yeah, lucky that Arthur was gone," Gwaine mused. "Ow! Not so tight!"
As the sky lightened with the coming of dawn, one of the guards came in, bed-draggled, tired, stained, and looking completely shocked. "The king's back!" he announced to the room, where Gwaine was just starting to protest that he was fit enough to fight again. The queen stood up straight and let out a little noise. "And he's, erm, brought a few people back with him?"
"Merlin?" Gaius asked hurriedly, his eyebrows almost touching.
"Yes, and-"
"What about Dragoon? Is there any news of him?" the physician interrupted, looking anxious.
"Well, that's what I was about to say," the guard replied awkwardly. "The sorcerer Dragoon has returned with the king. Oh, and there's a Druid, too."
That sorted it: Gwaine was definitely not staying in the infirmary after that revelation. He, Gwen, and Gaius all hurried out to meet them. The small group of four was in an intense conversation with Leon and Percival, but it was interrupted by Gwen throwing her arms around Arthur's neck.
"I'm so glad you're safe!" she sighed. Gwaine and Dragoon eyed each other from across the circle, both suspicious. Gaius just looked incredulously between the two warlocks.
"Oh, and sorry, your room's been destroyed," Leon told Arthur apologetically, then explained what had happened. Merlin drew in a deep breath at the end and asked, almost excitedly, "So Arthur would have been killed if he'd been in Camelot?"
Leon frowned. "Well, yes, but-"
Merlin didn't listen to the rest of the sentence, just glanced at Dragoon. He seemed vaguely impressed about something.
"We don't have much time," Farrell hinted softly, bouncing up on the balls of his feet. "We only have until dawn."
"What happens at dawn?" Leon questioned sharply.
"Actually, that's a good question," Arthur said, turning. "You all said that dawn was an important moment, but everyone neglected to say why, exactly."
"Jeremy saw something happening at dawn," Farrell explained. "He couldn't say exactly what, but if the monster hasn't been defeated by then, I fear we may never kill it."
"Jeremy?" Gwaine asked, but he was rebuffed with "Long story." He really hated that excuse.
"So, you four will find the vessel and destroy it," Arthur began, gesturing the general direction of Merlin, Dragoon, Gwen, and Gaius, but then the latter broke in-
"Vessel?"
Arthur hesitated. "Merlin can explain. Meanwhile, the rest of us will attack the beast and try and allow Farrell to strike the killing blow. Work for everyone?"
He didn't wait for answers, but ordered them all to work. Gaius started bombarding Merlin with quiet questions the second they were out of earshot, and Leon pointed out the direction the monster was last engaged.
Gwaine lingered and watched as Merlin and Dragoon set out, looking contemplative. He turned to Arthur and said, "Have you thought that those two look like-"
"No," Arthur interrupted. "And I don't think you should think about it either." He gave the knight a warning, significant look, then walked off. Gwaine held back a smirk and followed.
Gaius couldn't very well talk freely in front of Gwen, who was shooting Dragoon curious looks every step, but it was very easy for Merlin to tell the bare truth and then let Gaius fill in what he wasn't saying. The physician eyed the sorcerer as they entered his chambers.
"I see," he said. "That's very powerful magic, it shouldn't take us long to find the vessel. In fact, I'm surprised I didn't find it myself. But then, she did have so many magical artifacts."
The chaotic mess from the previous morning was gone, replaced by neat, orderly stacks and organized piles of like material. Merlin and Dragoon could feel the magical energy radiating from Beatrice's old possessions.
"Where do we start?" Gwen asked, eyeing the objects.
"Pick a pile, any pile," Merlin replied. "We're looking for a box-unpainted, I think-about this big."
"Bring it to me when it's found," Dragoon ordered darkly. Gwen raised her eyebrows, but something in his voice stopped any objections.
Unsurprisingly, the box was found easily by Merlin. The four crowded around and looked at it. It was identical to Drusilla's vessel, except it was whole and undamaged.
"Funny, isn't it?" Merlin mused. "Beatrice and Drusilla used these identical boxes to create their vessels, each without consulting the other. How did that happen, I wonder?"
None of the others answered, but Merlin didn't mind. It'd been a rhetorical question anyway.
Dragoon took it from Merlin's hands and dropped it on the floor. "Stand back," he said, and waited until they'd obeyed before rolling up his sleeves. The words came from him like water off of ice, smooth and clear. Softly, silently, the box fell to ash, and the three sorcerers in the room felt the spell pass away into nothingness, not with a bang, but a sigh.
For a moment, they all looked at the ashy pile, then Gwen said, "Is that it?"
"That's it," Merlin replied.
"That was easy."
Dragoon raised an eyebrow. "For you, maybe."
The ground shook suddenly. "But the monster's still out there!" she protested. "I thought-"
"The dreams that Jeremy already had will be fulfilled, but for the first time in his life, he's just a normal boy," Gaius explained. "Now, you and I must return to the infirmary."
"I'm going to help Arthur," Merlin said, and the three moved to the door.
Dragoon looked at the remains of the box for just a second more, before turning and following the man that was both him and not him.
kitkat: Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Please review! I'll have the last chapter up soon;)