A Past and Future Seacret: The Fallen King
New York City
(Arthur Pendragon POV)
I am no stranger to defeat, even in victory the shadow of defeat lingers. It has always lingered over me, like a curse.
I have never known a true victory in my time...each one merely a delaying of the storm that was to come. So many mistakes...Gweneviere who you loved yet put your duty ahead bore your guilt.
Lancelot, your friend who in a moment of weakness betrayed you for love, He carried your honor to the bitter end.
Mordred, who bore your sins and who's idea of an embrace was a spear through your heart.
Once Upon a time in a Land Called Britain...you were born, you lived, you fought, you made choices that laid the foundation of a Nation that would go on to conquer the world.
You had knights who had fought your causes, Loyal men who would follow you to the ends of the earth.
You had battled the Saxon Menace with both hands...with all your strength, for a time you were High King of them all.
And yet that fair time...passed into legend, and then into myth as all things do.
The Fair Time, that cannot be forgotten was etched into the soul of humanity forever
And with it your name.
King Arthur Ajax Utherson Coleson of the House of Pendragon
Or to the rest of the world, King Arthur.
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You knew that Xanatos was chaining you like a dog in an attempt to degrade you, you had refused his luxury accommodations and attempted to be bribed by him months ago.
You had refused his offer of leadership, employment, even the ability to rule over that land, Alaska, but most tellingly...and what seemed to make him more than a little upset, in fact you made him angry at the final refusal he offered.
You had refused his friendship and partnership.
That had been the last straw for the civility of the man, he had said. "If you will not be a guest...then you shall be a prisoner."
You haven't seen him since then, he no longer considered you worth his time.
The Food tasted funny...and you stopped eating it once you felt your senses dulled, the water was the only thing good for, but only just.
It had been two weeks since you last ate, your strength was failing, you knew it and he knew it now...it was only a matter of time.
But the worst part was the old wounds you had suffered in your life had returned, the lightning strike from the night Mordred was born, that burned your soul and rendered you in a feverish state for many years.
The Wound from Camlin nearly reopened, and even though you were not King of this land, you felt its distress and pain, as the dark forces at work worked to tear it apart at the seams. And not a single force stood to challenge these groups that squabled over the soon to be corpse of a nation.
These were dire times indeed.
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"King Arthur I've come to allow you to renegotiate the terms of working for me." David Xanatos said with a cold stride as you averted your gaze from him. "Unless you would care to continue staying in the fine accommodation I've given you?"
That trademark arrogance reminded you of your worst days, when you felt so sure that you were right, despite Merlin's many teachings against guarding against unearned pride, and the dangers against it.
"Xanatos...the answer remains the same...NO...I will never bend my knee to a lowlife scoundrel like yourself, you may garb yourself in the finery of a King and that of an Honest, successful man, but we both know what you really are in the end." You said using all your strength to raise your voice higher than a whisper.
What was once a voice capable of rallying knights and armies to your cause had decayed into a low whisper, that of a beggar and a weak child. It reminded you of...so many days before you drew the sword from the stone, before you gained your confidence and your strength.
"I was hoping that time would make you more agreeable Lord Arthur." He said calmly as he seemed annoyed at the answer you gave.
But the quiet did not remain for long as you spoke. "Why did you keep me here? Why keep me alive? Should I escape,I could rise against you...I will rise against you with help from others that will conspire against you, so why take the risk? Why leave a potential threat in the open?"
That made Xanatos smile a great deal, like he expected your curiosity to get the better of you. "I want a great deal of things from you Lord Arthur, I know that during our last battle you threw Excalibur into the Sea, denying a very powerful magical artifact to me and you can get it back."
Ahh, you knew that he was salty about that...salty...is that what the youth these days said? But there was one more reason he was doing this, and Goliath told you what it was before that last battle.
"You want the Holy Grail...the Cup of the King of Kings, the very cup that can heal all wounds and supposedly grant-." You closed your eyes as you refused to bear witness to the smile that became apparent.
"Eternal Life, King Arthur, eternal youth to whoever drinks from it consistently." He said. "With that sort of power-."
"With that sort of power it will only bring you grief and despair...Immortality is not all its cracked up to be David Xanatos. I hope that you, for all your arrogance are capable of learning that." You said, cutting him off.
"So...what do you say King Arthur?" He said regaining some composure after your put down.
"No...I will never help you, No matter what you do to me...I WILL NEVER SURRENDER MY SEACRETS!!" You said with an authority that made him afraid of you.
He wanted to kill you...oh he truly wanted to kill you, but then he wouldn't get what he wants now could he?
This stalemate will have to continue for now.
Xanatos left you alone in this cell, alone and away from the sun.
"Merlin...I can't...keep this up, please anyone....I cannot keep fighting like this forever." You pleaded to Merlin's spirit whom you loved, and to God, whom you worshiped and to your friends who were lost to time.
This Battle would be Hard, and harder still, but you haven't given up…
Not yet at least.
But your iron will, your spirit was getting battered by the day.
AN: Being Arthur is suffering and Xanatos is keeping him alive for some questlines I assume.
Its not a good day for the Once and Future King.
But he hasn't given up...And I like to think He never will.
Also I'm assuming that there was a BIG BADASS Battle of Manhatten during Xanatos's rises to power.