The Fortress of Ismere (Percival)

[morg]

Morgana despised snow. If she had her way, she would never have allowed herself to be driven here into hiding in the frozen wastelands of the north. She would much rather be in the warmth and comfort of Camelot, sitting upon the throne as she always should have been. Arthur might be king of Camelot now... but she was coming for him. As soon as she had the Key.

At least the Fortress of Ismere was nicer than her old hovel in the woods. It was big and sometimes drafty, but it had its perks.

It also helped that she controlled this land. Who else would even want it? She had guards all around the surrounding lands, and if anyone entered her territory, she knew about it almost immediately. The men knew their orders. They were to stop any advancing troops by any means necessary... but she preferred that all able-bodied men be taken alive. She had use for them.

At the moment, Morgana was seated on her makeshift throne. Ragnor had just captured some troops that he claimed wore the colors of Camelot, and she had agreed to pay him handsomely... but she wanted to see proof of her investment.

The doors opened and Ragnor entered, pushing a very large man in chains. Morgana sat up a little straighter as she recognized the man. He was certainly hard to forget.

"I know him," she said with a smile. "I'll pay your price... but leave me with him for a moment, won't you? We need to catch up. Don't we... Percival? That's your name, is it not?"

Timeline: Season 5, Episode 1 (Arthur's Bane, Pt. 1)
Tag: Percival
Notes: Sorry for the very slight godmodding....

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Percival was traveling with some of the other knights. He did not mind the cold, not really. Maybe it was his size that helped him to stay warm. He liked the snow, it reminded him of when he'd been a boy in his village back home. By now they had reached Ismere. Suddenly, they seemed to be under attack, he started to draw his sword, but everything went dark before he even had a chance to defend himself.

Waking slowly, he opened his eyes. Where were they? Who had taken them?One thing he did notice right away, was that his armor had been removed, along with his shirt, as his back pressed into the cold floor. Before he even had a chance to process his surroundings, and if any of the others were around him, he was hauled to his feet. He was told to walk, and was shoved. As he walked he realized his hands had heavy shackles on them, preventing him from fighting. If they thought he would talk, they would find out they were wrong. He was a Knight of Camelot, and would not be tortured into betraying his city, his king.

As he stepped through a doorway, he lifted his head, and was shocked by who he saw. Percival kept his face neutral. She was not who he had expected to see. And honestly, she was the last person he wanted to see. Percival knew she had magic. Powerful magic, and it scared him. He walked further into the room, standing tall he tried to keep his mind from wandering to the things she could do to him. ”Morgana,” he replied, his voice low and unfriendly. It was downright hostile.

[morg]

Morgana pouted in an exaggerated fashion as she moved toward him. "Oh, come now, what kind of greeting is that?" she said, pretending to sound wounded. "There's no reason to be nasty. After all, you're not in Camelot anymore. This is my territory you happened to wander into. And I can make your stay... pleasant... or not."

She was standing in front of him now, and if she was honest with herself, he was quite an impressive figure. He towered over her in height, and in width, his muscles threatened to engulf her. Lucky thing that he was chained... although Morgana found herself wondering just how long those chains could really hold him.

It was daring, but Morgana almost couldn't help herself as she reached out and put her hands on his chest. "You weren't in Camelot when I lived there," she said. "It's a shame... I think we could have been friends."

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He stared at her, his face unchanging. She could do with him what she wanted. He would not betray Camelot, and his King. His eyes met hers, watching her as she moved. Normally, they would be kind and compassionate. Well, to anyone who was not an enemy of Camelot. He had told Arthur the day they had met that his enemies were Percival's, and he had meant what he'd said. If today was the day he would die protecting Arthur and Camelot, then so be it.

At her touch, his body stiffened. ” I would not be friends with a traitor to Camelot,” he told her. Though it made him think how hard it must be for Sir Leon, the King and Queen, and others who had known her before. When she had been Morgana, the King's ward, not Morgana traitor to Camelot and its people. He had not known he then, and had no problem being cold to her. ”What do you want, Morgana?” he asked as he took a step back, pulling away from her touch. He was not going to stand and make pointless chitchat with her, not if he could help it. Percival wanted to go find the others, and start trying to come up with a way for them all to escape. Not be Morgana's toy.

[morg]

Morgana nearly laughed. Such a big, strong man, so stalwart and true, now her prisoner. He should have been kneeling before her, yet he still stood, tall and proud. No one looking at him now would have guessed that he was not always a proud knight of Camelot, but a poor village farm boy of low birth. She had to hand it to Arthur, he knew how to pick his knights.

"So proud and strong," she said mockingly, tracing the lines of his collarbones with her fingers. "You certainly take your duty as a knight seriously, don't you? You're probably thinking how you would never betray your king. So typical."

She pulled back then, standing a few feet away from him. "But as I said, you're in my territory now. Which means you really should show a little respect."

She threw her arms out in front of her, and her eyes glowed amber as she hissed a spell that would bring the enormous man to his knees.

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He watched her as she moved, his lips tight. Percival was tempted to try to force his way out of his shackles. But, he was standing in front of Morgana, a powerful sorceress, so it did not seem wise. He would wait until he was not under her watchful eye. Then he would at least stand a chance of escape. Against her, and her magic he would be at a great disadvantage.

Percival watched as her as she spoke, and her eyes glowed. In that second, he wondered what she would do to him. His question did not go unanswered for long. It felt like he was suddenly much heavier. That he was being pulled to the ground. Percival fought her magic with all his might, willing his legs to not bend for her. It was painful to fight it, but that did not stop him from trying. A layer of sweat appeared on his brow and chest while he e struggled. Finally, he could resist no longer, and dropped to his knees with a grunt. 'You may make me kneel Morgana, but, you will never have my respect.” He said breathing heavily from exertion as he looked up at her. ”Long live the King!” he yelled loudly at her refusing to yield.

[morg]

Even down on his knees, Percival was intimidating. Luckily for Morgana, she was not easily intimidated. She never had been, not even before she discovered her magic. Even as a small girl she had stood up to Uther Pendragon and defied him at every turn. Strangely, however, in this moment Morgana didn't feel like that innocent girl. In this scenario, she was more like Uther. The realization both sickened her and empowered her. She had come such a long way...

Approaching him once again, this time she reached out and put her hands on his big, square jaw. It really was such a shame he was so noble and honorable. It was just so... predictable. What was it about Arthur that so many people were willing to die for him, anyway? Why couldn't anyone, except her poor dead sister, feel that way about her?

After his little "outburst," Morgana clapped her hands over his mouth to silence him.

"Oh, please. It's not like Arthur's going to hear you or anything," she said, rolling her eyes. "And I'm not asking you to betray your precious king. There's no point in asking you any questions... Clearly Arthur doesn't keep you around for your brains. I just have a little job I need help with. And I think you're ideally suited for it."

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His eyes followed her as she approached him. What was she going to do next? Part of him expected her touch to come with pain. He wouldn't put it past her. Her touch felt cool against the warmth of his skin. Surprise appeared on his face when Morgana covered his mouth. He had assumed she would not be pleased by what he said, with his loyalty to Arthur.

Percy knew Arthur wasn't going hear him. Contrary to what some probably thought, he was not all brawn and no brains. Sure, he had his strength. And it was impressive, but he had a sharp mind, too. If he cared what she thought of him, he might have been offended by her words, but as it was he did not. All he wanted to do was to find the others. Hopefully, they were still alive. And they could work together to escape, and get back to Camelot. With her hand over his mouth he did not try to speak, she wouldn't have understood him. Questions filled his mind though. What task did she have that he was well suited for? Why did she need Knights of Camelot? Even if he could speak, and ask her, he didn't think she would answer him. Or if she did, he doubted it would be the truth. She was a sorceress. So why should he bother?

[morg]

Morgana released him and stepped back once again. This time, she just studied him for a long time, allowing herself to simply enjoy the view. Percival really was a very attractive man, and in another time and place she might have had a lot of fun getting to know this man. Contrary to her words, she knew he was more than just "muscle." He had a strange sort of pride about him for a man who, prior to being knighted by Arthur, was apparently just a village farm boy.

He was different from most of the other knights; Morgana had some previous connections with them from her days in Camelot. She didn't know Percival. They had never met before he joined forces with Arthur to fight against her. He had never seen her as she was in Camelot. His hatred of her was not based on her betrayal, but on what he saw before him now.

She had fallen far from her time in Camelot. She couldn't deny that. There were times she awoke at night, longing for her warm bed and luxurious chambers at Camelot. There were times she ached for her beautiful gowns and glittering jewels. Sometimes she even missed those infernal tournaments that she had to sit through. They hadn't been all bad. Sometimes she would offer her favor to one of the knights and she would congratulate them on their performances later. She could almost imagine offering her favor to Percival and watching with pride as he competed in her name.

But that time was passed now. Now she was an outcast. A traitor. It was the role she had chosen and she couldn't allow herself to regret it.

Finally she looked away, forcing herself to focus on the reality. He hated her, and justifiably so.

"What did you do before you were a knight? Were you a laborer, or a farmer? I imagine you were used to... physical labor?"

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Percival watched as Morgana stepped away from him. He was well aware of her eyes on him, studying him. While he got looks from women, he never considered himself attractive. And he certainly did not have Gwaine 's seemingly easy charm when it came to talking and flirting with them. Sure, he could talk to them and he flirted with them. Why was he even think of flirting with women? Oh, right, because of Morgana's stare. She could stare all she wanted, he wanted nothing to do with her, not in that sense. She was a traitor to Camelot.

She was still standing there just staring at him. What was she thinking? The many ways she could torture him? He didn't really want to let his mind go there. What would he know that she would want to know? Something about Arthur? About Camelot?

He was confused by her question. What did his life before becoming a knight have to do with anything? Truthfully, he tried not to think about it himself. While there were good memories, there were also bad. Thinking about his past reminded him of his family that he had lost. ”Yes, I was a laborer,” he said, seeing no point in lying to her about that. He was used to physical labor. His size made doing things others would find difficult, easy. Like how he had saved the king and others from the immortal knights by moving the boulder.

[morg]

It really was a pity she didn't have more time to complete her search. If she had the time to waste, she couldn't help but think that it might be fun to try and break this towering giant of a man. She was now fully versed in all the most sophisticated methods of torture, and she was rather keen to try them out. Just the thought of this massive knight begging for his life made her smile.

But no. She knew that it wouldn't be long before her location was discovered. Arthur would be coming for his precious knights, and she needed to find the key before that happened. So it was off to the caverns below for this one, just as with Gwaine. She didn't even have time to watch him sweat it out as he dug in the mines.

"Well, good. Then you'll be quite used to the work I've got in mind for you. It will hardly even be a challenge for you. And... I think you may find some... familiar faces down there. How does that sound?"