𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖗𝖙𝖞-𝖊𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙

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CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
THE NIGHTMARE BEGINS ( i. )

"Alright, Cal, focus

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"Alright, Cal, focus. This might be the most important thing you've ever done in your entire life."

The blonde gathers all her focus. She stares her opponents down as they stand across the table, narrowing her eyes. Her fingers grip the container of dice in her hand as the small squares rattle against the wood while she grabs her drink with the other hand, taking down a big gulp of ale. Everyone in the Rising Sun Tavern has stopped whatever conversation they had previously been in to watch this intense showdown.

The goal of the game is simple: accurately call two sixes and roll a twelve. The catch is that each team has to start at two and work their way up to twelve. Each time someone calls the right number, their team gets a point. Anyone that calls wrong must drink. Now that they have made it to twelve, everyone partaking in the game is fairly intoxicated. Calliope has Leon and a few other knights on her team while Arthur leads the other one. Their scores are tied as the prince has already failed to roll a twelve. She could win the game right here.

Arthur places his hands on the table, leaning forward, a drunken glaze glimmering in his eyes as Calliope quirks an eyebrow at him. The flirtatious glint between them is no where near subtle, thanks to the alcohol swirling in their systems. Luckily, everyone else is just as drunk as them.

"Do you remember our little deal?" He asks, his eyes dropping to her lips for a small moment.

Calliope places her own hands on the table, matching his challenge, "How could I forget?"

Their arrangement. There is a lot more on the line in this silly game of dice than anyone around them realizes. Whoever loses must grant the other's every request for two days. This bargain was struck halfway into the game, and Calliope knows that without the help of ale, it never would have been struck at all.

She thinks about all the chores she's going to make Arthur do. All the things he hates the most. With a smirk, she rattles the dice in the container one last time, and then, she lets them loose. They tumble onto the table, rolling over a few times until they stop, showing their numbers. Calliope huffs while Arthur and his team raises their hands and cheer. Six and two. No good.

The blonde lets out a string of curses. She takes a step back from the table, watching the prince as he gathers the dice for his next roll. She takes her sip of defeat, hoping, praying that Arthur does not roll two sixes. Mockingly, he shakes the container around, his eyes locked with hers through his every motion.

Every pair of eyes focuses onto the dice as they clatter, tumbling and tumbling until they make their decisive move. Arthur's face lights up. Calliope slams her hands against the table

"Goddammit!"

She stares at them—two sixes. Arthur and his team erupt into victorious cheers. Fuck.

THE RED DRAGON | MERLINWhere stories live. Discover now