Seven Kisses

Chapter 8: Inside the Dragon's Breath

The pain from absorbing that attack into the wristband was excruciating. Arthur felt like every nerve ending was on fire. He struggled to stay conscious as Merlin's arms clutched him. He desperately hung on. Never had he felt anything like that energy and wondered if this was what Merlin felt on a daily basis. It couldn't imagine it. Merlin's energy was different. Merlin's energy wasn't this dark twisted thing that squeezed his soul. He opened his eyes and they were dark blue pits to Merlin's gold. He couldn't hold on much longer. He looked up at the man who held him and Merlin sobbed.

Merlin was faded now, a ghostly image and then. "Arthur!" Merlin cried his name desperately.

Nothing

He was surrounded by nothing. Just a whishing mist that drowned out all other sound, and he fell.

"Merlin!"

He can't hear me. There must be someone who can help him. He could feel all the dark energy tied to the wristband. The thing glowed purple on his arm.

"Help me!" He called out to the mist.

It was a long time before someone or something answered.

"It's not time for you to die, young Prince. A voice, a strange voice rattled in his brain. You have things to do first.

"Who ARE you?!" Arthur cried out.

***

Arthur fretted in Merlin's arms and struggled to regain consciousness and mumbled incoherently. Merlin knew he was awake but he would have to act fast. He had to get that wristband off of Arthur before he was totally consumed by dark magic.

Nothing he did worked. Until quite suddenly and without warning it slipped off. Merlin viciously and it crackled and burned offensively.

They were not alone in the hall. Palace guards and several knights were still there, alert and watchful. They had witnessed the tail end and knew that Arthur had risked his life to save Merlin. One of the knights stared at it and poked it but it metal was no use against it. In fact, there was a crackling backlash and the Knight was blown across the hall and into a wall. Merlin would have helped him but Arthur. He held him tightly.

"Arthur.. Fight this!" Merlin commanded.

***

"I do this one time only. Without you, Merlin cannot become what he must become."

As Merlin stroked his hair and muttered words of encouragement a mist began to form around and within the castle. It just seemed to happen and came from below. This was such a mist that it chilled even Uther's bones.

"Know this, Young Pendragon. I will never help Camelot again."

Merlin too began to notice the mist and was instantly concerned that it might be because of the wristband. He had to destroy it! The guards in the hallway began to shout in alarm and start to fight against imagined opponents. Shouts broke out all over Camelot. People were caught up in the Dragon's Breath.

"One day I will burn I will burn it to the ground, but that day is not today. Today I will save you, for Merlin."

"The Breath of the Great Dragon, by all that is holy!" Uther swore. He had happened to run into Morgana when they met each other in the hall. Both were heading towards the hall that Merlin and Arthur were in. "I never thought to see it again." He drew his sword.

"This is what comes of your stupid hatred, Uther!" Morgana scowled. "Arthur!" She cried out and turned to rush away to look for him.

"Morgana, wait!" Uther tried to stop her but to no avail. The mist soon concealed her from his vision. "Have care of what you meet in the mist! Guards! Where is Arthur!" He started to move forward through the hallway to where he had heard the sounds of battle.