A Dramatic Entrance

The Dramatic Entrance

To say Arthur was annoyed would be a massive understatement. He was beyond annoyed, he was royally pissed (if you'd mind the pun). It was not conducive for the ego of Arthur Pendragon that he, King of Camelot and one of the best knights in the land, had been kidnapped like a common, distressed damsel. He now stood in some kind of dungeon, stripped of his armor and sword, and chained to a cold stone wall. Something that Arthur really hoped was water dripped from the ceiling, soaking through the thin red tunic the King had been wearing beneath his armour, adding to Arthur's fury. It was unacceptable that he was being treated in such a way. Granted, it was not an unknown situation. Ever since he had become King and lifted the ban on magic, there had been many bandits and witch hunters storming Camelot, eager to show their distaste of being put out of business. Of course, surrounded as Arthur was by his loyal knights, and his secret weapon in the form of his Court Sorcerer slash Manservant, however, there had not been any successful attempts on his life. There had been the occasional capture, but if you asked Arthur, he allowed himself to be caught in order to locate the bandits' hideouts. It was only the memories of how he had been retrieved the previous times that was keeping Arthur calm and stopping him from unleashing the full force of his anger upon his captors. The less aggressive he acted towards them, the longer they would wait before beginning to exact their revenge upon him. It was a trick Arthur had learnt from his other kidnapping experiences. And Arthur really did not want to be unconscious for what would happen next.

"You'd best let me go." Arthur finally spoke to the only man in the room, who happened to be one of the bandits that had been responsible for his capture. He knows he has no chance of persuading them to release him, but he has grown too restless to be satisfied with silence.

"I can't imagine what's going to happen to you when I'm found. You'll be lucky if you're killed immediately." His guard smiles from his position by the door, shadows dancing across his face, thrown by the single torch he is holding. It's the only source of light in the dank room.

"Those are tough words coming from the man in chains." Arthur growled internally, once again cursing his situation. Although, it was his own fault, not that he'd ever admit it to anyone but himself. After the last string of attacks on Camelot, Arthur had felt exceptionally stifled by his increased guard, and so had snuck out of the castle and into the forest for a solo hunt. Something he hadn't done since his latest manservant had entered his employment. But as said manservant had been part of the reason Arthur bad felt stifled, bringing him along on the hunt had not been an option. Even though Arthur knew he would be receiving a large telling off when he returned. It had been due to Arthur's lack of manservant that had him distracted, not paying as much attention to his surroundings as he should have been. He hadn't heard the tell-tale sounds of a person sneaking up on him until too late, and now...

"Well, it can't be said I didn't try to warn you." Arthur spoke again, gazing at the bandit coolly.

"Your warning is greatly appreciated, your Highness." The guard rolled his eyes, voice laden with sarcasm. "And just what is it you are warning me about?"

"My manservant." Arthur looked blankly ahead as the bandit bellowed his laughter, head thrown back and hands clutching his stomach. By the time his laughter had faded out, Arthur's face had darkened in anger. It was a common reaction amongst those that kidnapped him, but Arthur couldn't help but feel rage towards whoever had the stupidity to underestimate his manservant.

"You can't be serious." The man chortled, a hand leaving his belly to wipe away a drop of moisture that had gathered in his eye during his laughing fit. "You expect me to be worried about a single man? Do you have any idea the number of mem there are upstairs? This man would be no match for them."

"So you think," Arthur growled. "I shall remind you of that when he steps over the broken bodies of your men to reach me."

"I've grown tired of your drivel," The bandit stated, standing from his stool. His formidable size towered above Arthur, who was forced to look up in order to see the man's face. "You will be silent."