gilli_annTitle: The battle charm
Rating: PG (for violence)
Pairing/s: Pre-Arthur/Merlin
Character/s: Arthur, Merlin
Summary: Fighting skills alone won't always suffice. Fortunately Arthur also has an amazing amount of luck on his side.
Warnings: None
Word Count: 400
Prompt: 101 - Lucky
Author's Notes: Just in the nick of time!
The battle charm
The ambush had obviously been carefully planned. This time King Odin wasn't taking any chances.
Soldiers and mercenaries poured into the clearing. Arthur stopped counting when their number reached twenty. He and Merlin were completely surrounded.
He shoved Merlin aside and faced their attackers. “Let my manservant go,” he said. “It's me you want.”
The mercenaries laughed raucously. “Two for the price of one!”
“Seems Odin is unaware that I can only be killed once,” Arthur quipped, and swung without warning. The nearest soldier was just that crucial little moment too late in responding. The man fell, mortally wounded, but three others engaged Arthur at once.
Everything became a blur of parrying and thrusting, ducking, kicking and swirling. Several swords sliced through the air at Arthur, a knife nicked his ear, and someone tried to tackle him from behind.
He couldn't possibly win. So be it. He would go down fighting.
Strangely, the odds started improving inexplicably in his favour. King Odin's men proved incredibly clumsy! Out of the corner of his eye Arthur saw one man stumbling over his own feet and knocking himself out against a tree. The violent impact made the tree drop several branches, each of them hitting other soldiers on the head. As Arthur finished off another opponent and swirled to meet two more, he was amazed to see one of them launching himself forward, accidentally impaling himself on the other's sword.
It continued that way. For every man Arthur vanquished, fate saw to it that three more went down. Soon no-one was left standing. Every attacker was dead or unconscious on the ground.
Arthur fell to his knees, completely spent. Fresh worry hit him. “Merlin!”
“I'm here. I'm not hurt.” Merlin was sitting in the grass under a tree. He looked pale and exhausted. His right arm was extended in a curiously stiff gesture. Trying ineffectually to defend himself, Arthur reckoned.
He smiled. “You can stop being afraid now, Merlin. I won the day! I know I've been fortunate lately, but this beats all. I should take up gambling. I'd make a clean sweep!”
Merlin slumped back on his elbows and closed his eyes. “Only if you're not betting against me,” he muttered. “You need me on your side. I'm not your manservant. I'm your lucky charm.”
Arthur laughed. Merlin said such ridiculous things sometimes.