arthur-rex
@arthur-rexā cont
Sweat drips from the High Kingās brow. Much like a fever, the power of the Red Witch burns from the inside out. Driving away the ice of the Night Kingās curse from Arthur Pendragonās blood.
Fragments of the ice spear sunk into his shoulder in the earlier battle with the Walkers had almost reached the warriorās heart. If they made contact, then the King that Camelot knew would be lost forever.
Melisandre is many things, but one thing she is not is a passive player in the Great Game. Lifting her silver necklace from her throat, she removes the most prominent blood-red jewel from the centrepiece.
The enchanted ruby is placed over the torn skin of Arthurās chest. The red glows faintly as it makes contact with the mark left by the Night King on his body and Arthur squirms; further heat radiating out from the jewel and sinking deeper under his skin to quicken the war of fire and ice within.
At his side, Gwen holds onto his hand, murmuring softly, while Shireen stands by overhead. Friend and guardian of both Pendragons. Shireen does not leave and observes the entirety of the ritual to its end.
Melisandre, of course, does not care for her audience. Enraptured by her magic, by the sheer audacity of her undertaking, the witch speaks with her Lord, invoking the prophecy of Azor Ahai with the elegant declension of High Valyrian.
When the stars bleed. When the cold breath of darkness falls heavy on the word, the heart of a warrior will be forged into a weapon to vanquish all evil. L i g h t b r i n g e r! You are the hope of humanity, the last flickering light in the darkness. And you were made to be wielded by one who is greater still. Flee death! Flee from the Son of Fire!
Streaks of withered grey appear within her flowing auburn hair as the witch continues her spell, hands pressing down upon the ruby lying over Arthurās heart. A surge of energy leaps into the High King, and Arthur bucks upward, trying to throw off the Red Witch, although she leans forward, crawling to lie on top of him.
Clutching his hand tightly, Guinevere blinks through tears, struggling to understand- Ā
Azor Ahai. Come forth, your sword awaits you! Come forth and take it into your hand!
āMerlinā¦ā Arthur whispers, voice taut, eyes closed.
Leaning down, Melisandre kisses his forehead. Wrinkles spread like vines over her face, all her youthful beauty lost, as fire pours into the blond, burning away whatever is left of the Night Kingās curse.
A crone is left straddling the King. Yet it is one with shrewd green eyes sparkling as she withdraws - marvelling in the creation of a weapon that has not been seen in the world of men for over 10,000 years.
The Pendragon King sighs, falling limp at last on the bed. The cold, unnatural pallor to his cheeks is gone. The fight for his soul is over.
Guinevere blinks again, leaning forward to take the place Melisandre has vacated, wrapping her arms around her husband as tears stream from her eyes. Ā His heart is still beating. Arthur is alive and well.
In her elation, the Queen of Camelot knocks aside the red ruby upon her husbandās chest, heedless as to how it falls onto the floor of the tent, rolling away and under their bed.
Dull and lacking the depth of colour it once had.
ā
Note: text Ā spoken in High Valyrian, which sadly, is a language I do not know or speak.
__
[ outside the tent ]
Her former beauty does not return as Shireen pulls her out of the royal tent. Perhaps seeing Melisandre in her true, haggard form adds spite to the Baratheonās accusations as she levels her pain and frustration squarely at the red witch.
Once Shireen has finished speaking her piece, the old woman tilts her head curiously to one side. A rush of cold night wind blows through the camp. The dead knights that fell earlier in the battle have all been taken away for burial. The long night is coming to an end, and Arthur Pendragon is alive.
āPrincess, I do not understand why you are not happy. I have not only saved the life of your precious Pendragon friend, I have safeguarded the future of Albion for centuries to come. There is no army that could threaten Camelot, now or ever.ā
Peeling her gaze away from the young girlās face. Melisandre looks over the field of amassed tents, banners still flapping in the breeze. The red light of the approaching dawn is coming. The haggard old witch smiles. She is ready to face the new day.
She turns back to Shireen. āA monster never did so much to help others in the unfolding of destiny. I bid you farewell Shireen Baratheon. It is time for me to go and join my Lord. You will not see me again.ā
And with that, the Red Witch pulls her arm free, turning aside to face the rising sun.
The red light spills over the slumbering earth, lighting up yet more fields and woodlands. As the warm glow hits her face, Melisandre walks, a slow, measured pace for such an old woman. No man stops her as she leaves the camp and as she disappears into the fields, the snow melting where she walks into pools of dewy grass.
Alone and utterly content, Melisandreās form disappears into the horizon. Her arms open wide to embrace the dawn.
***
Shireen sighed, and shook her head. āIt is not about being happy or unhappy. That King Arthur lives is a great thing for his realm, and he is my friend. It would have been a great loss to his loved ones and myself had that creature taken him from all of us. He deserves to have a good and long and happy life with his queen. You allowed him to come to harm when you could have prevented it, as you allowed my family to reach premature ends when you could have intervened. You may feel fulfilled and that you have achieved your destiny, but you have done so at a far higher cost than can ever be justified. People died horrific deaths unnecessarily because of you, and I am not convinced that you truly regret it, or that this act was intended as one of atonement. It appears that your self-righteous attitude is still very much in evidence, and that is inherently untrustworthy.ā
The princess exhaled softly, gaze returning to the tent they had stepped out of together, before landing back on Melisandre. āTherefore, I will keep and eye on King Arthur for as long as I am able to do so. After the shadow magic you used to kill one of my uncles, and the fire you used to murder the other, I believe it naĆÆve to think that there will be no long-term consequences for my dear friend given that it was your magic which saved him. There is always a price to pay with your powers, and you are never the one to carry it, never the one to fulfil your own debt. You may have made a contribution this time, but I see that as no guarantee that there will not be something taken from Arthur too in the future. It is too easy, and too kind, where you are concerned. You are a liar and a cruel conjuror of fake power. It is not forgotten that you used to smile and sing in the face of innocent people screaming, and nor should it be.ā
She met the red womanās eyes levelly. āEven if you have performed a selfless deed this time, and Arthur will truly suffer no ill effects going forward, one good act after such gleeful evils does not a good person make.ā Shireen stepped forward, gaze hardening, āGo and be with your Lord then. I hope that, this once, you are telling the truth, as I would rather not see nor hear of either of you again. I wish you had never darkened the door of my family in the first place. Perhaps then, my loved ones would still be alive and well. Given that, that is impossible, this is the best I can hope for. Away with you then! And ensure you keep your word this time!ā
The princess doubted the priestess would. Even as Melisandre walked away from her, into the waiting sunlight, she simply shook her head to herself, an old sadness in her eyes. As the red woman had once admitted, with a smile, to Shireenās mother, most of her abilities were merely illusions designed to trick people into her beliefs. It followed, then, that most of the words out of her mouth were bald-faced deceptions as well.
Turning her back on the retreating priestess, Shireen hitched up her own skirts to walk deeper into the camp, stag held tenderly in her free hand. When Merlin returned, she would have to speak with him. If anyone was qualified to advise on Arthur and what Melisandre had done, whether it was truly harmless to the wounded king, it was the wizard. Merlin would be able to offer reassurance to them all, and undo any evil that might have been done, Shireen knew it. Of all the magic users she had ever met, there were none she trusted more than him.
All would be well, she had to have faith in that. Spring and summer were promised to follow the winter, after all, so this would pass as well. It had to. She would have given up on it all long ago if she hadnāt had that to clutch toā¦
Finding a place to sit that was not under the feet of any soldiers going about their business, Shireen settled down quietly. After such an encounter, she was glad of the time alone to collect herself. She hoped that King Arthur and Queen Guinevere were allowed the same peace and privacy now that the immediate threat had passed.
Her friends deserved that, at the very least, even if it could only be for a little whileā¦
The work of a king and queen, after all, was never done.
