The Hawk Prince.pdf

The Hawk Prince

Title: The Hawk Prince

Author

Author: Reona

Summary: An evil Queen has taken over the Kingdom of Avalon and imprisoned Prince

Merlin. Prince Arthur of Camelot happens across the manor where he is trapped and vows

to free him and defeat the evil Queen before she destroys them all.

PROLOGUE

The noise in the Royal Hall, crowded with half the kingdom, was deafening. Guests and

Courtiers dressed in their finest clothing and most impressive jewels filled the large room.

Near the fireplace, a man was playing a lute half-heartedly; the sound almost drowned out

underneath the boisterous talking of the people. Servants scurried around the mob, refilling

cups and clearing the tables of dirty plates. They replaced the empty plates with fresh food,

each platter piled high with juicy meats and sweet cakes. At the royal table sat three people,

all dressed in their splendid ceremonial clothing. An older man and woman in the tall

backed chairs leaned close together and kissed. The dark haired young man besides them

made a sour face and looked away. The woman wore a white gown with a golden crown

sitting atop her head. She was smiling happily out over the crowd, the older man looking

lovingly at her. Next to him sat the younger man, who was doing his best to ignore the both

of them.

The King had remarried in the spring, much to his son's displeasure. It wasn't that Prince

Merlin disliked Lady Nimueh, it was that she made his skin crawl. Comments from the

palace staff about how the Prince and new Queen looked like mother and son made him ill.

Prince Merlin got his midnight dark hair and bright blue eyes from his real Mother, his

birth Mother. Merlin sighed and felt his eyes burn as he thought about Queen Hunith. She

had passed of a high fever barely a year ago and it still saddened Merlin to think of her.

The racket and press of people became too much and Merlin stood from the table, not

looking at his Father and new stepmother. The dark haired prince slipped through a side

door and out of the Royal Hall where the wedding celebrations were in full swing. He didn't

look back to see the newly made Queen Nimueh scowl at him and lean over to whisper into

the King's ear. Merlin snuck past some Courtiers, already deep into their cups, and out to

the gardens. The dark blue royal robes he wore for the wedding were heavy and Merlin

wished he could change as he walked across the lawn. The moon was full in the dark sky

and Merlin smiled up at the white disk as he paused on the veranda. Somewhere nearby a

nightingale sang, the sound sorrowful in the dark.

"My lord?"

Merlin looked up in surprise, a welcoming smile blooming across his face. "Gwen," he said

in greeting to the young woman standing in front of him.

Title

Author

Summary

The maid curtsied before speaking. "Prince Merlin, I was concerned when you left the feast."

She looked at Merlin with worry, knowing that the prince was not filled with joy at his

Father remarrying.

Merlin sighed, still smiling softly, and sat on a stone bench. "Gwen, how many times must I

ask you to just call me Merlin? None of that prince or lord stuff, okay?"

Gwen smiled, pushing back a loose curl. "What's wrong, Merlin? Don't you like your new

stepmother?" The palace maid sat on the bench besides Merlin and place her hand on his

arm in comfort.

Merlin made a face. "You know my thoughts about Nimueh, Gwen."

"Surely she's not all that bad. The King seems happier." Yes, the King did seem happier,

almost deliriously so. It was a miracle since he had been in the depths of despair only a

month ago. Many of the servants thought this very odd but Gwen always said that love

could lift the heart of anyone, even their sad King. She tried not to let the gossip sway her

opinion.

Merlin shivered, rubbing at his arms as he felt a sudden chill. "I don't know, Gwen.

Something about Nimueh sets my teeth on edge and I don't trust her. I don't like her at all.

Something is not right here." He looked away from his friend and sighed. "Maybe I'm just

being childish but I wish Nimueh had never come to Avalon."

This feeling was cemented when Prince Merlin was forcibly dragged from his bed several

nights later, during the dark of the moon. He screamed as he was pulled across the floor,

kicking at the guards holding him by the wrists, and demanded to be released. Soft laugher

followed this order and the prince looked up in horror. Merlin got just a glimpse of a

smiling Nimueh before something sweet covered his mouth and nose and he fell into

darkness.

CHAPTER 1

Prince Arthur spurred his horse forward and the beast leapt nimbly over the dry creek bed.

Up ahead, he could see the white hart dash through the forest, its pale coat flashing through

the green. Somewhere in the trees a horn sounded but Arthur ignored it, a huge grin spread

across his face. He was nearing the vale where the old manor stood. It was possible that if

luck was with him, that Arthur could corner the white hart against the ruins and end the

hunt successfully.

Arthur saw the animal burst out of the trees ahead of him and urged his horse faster. When

the prince reached the clearing, sunlight burning into his eyes, he reined in his horse and

looked around wildly for the white hart. The elusive creature was gone. "No, where did it

go?" growled Arthur. He nudged his prancing horse forward, looking carefully at the

ground for tracks, but he found none. It was like his quarry had vanished into thin air.

Arthur sighed and slumped in his saddle, letting his head fall back. He groaned in

frustration. He had been so close! The horse's hooves struck stone and Arthur looked up,

finding himself on a wide patio. He pulled his horse to a stop and blinked in confusion. The

old manor house he remembered standing here had been in much disrepair over the last

few years and Arthur knew it had been close to falling apart. However, the manor house he

stood in front of now was in good condition with dark grey stones, free of lichen and weeds.

The gaps in the roof and walls that Arthur remembered were gone and all the windows had

unbroken glass in them. Arthur knew that had not been so last summer.

The blond prince slid from his horse and approached the lower windows but thick curtains

blocked the glass. "Hello?" Arthur yelled. The manor sat silent. Had somebody bought the

property and repaired the house? He walked off the patio and around the corner. All of the

windows on the lower and second level were covered with drapes. There were a few

windows on the third level that didn't have their curtains drawn but they were empty and

dark. "Hello? Anybody here?" called Arthur again. His horse snorted uneasily.

It was then Arthur realized he hadn't seen a door. He quickly made another pass around the

manor to confirm that there was no other opening on the ground level except for the

covered windows. Arthur stopped on the patio and grabbed his horse's reins , feeling

uncomfortable. Arthur knew that only a few months ago this manor house had been

abandoned and ready to fall apart. Now the house seemed to be cared for but was lacking

any visible entrance or other evidence of occupants. Arthur would never admit that he

screamed a little when one of the windows on the third floor flew open.

The horse jumped sideways at the sudden movement and Arthur was pulled off his feet.

Arthur jerked his head up as he landed on the patio, staring at the window. There was a

young man standing in the window now with pale skin and dark hair . He was looking out

at the trees and Arthur watched as the man settled on the window ledge. Arthur stood and

dusted his clothing off, feeling foolish for his childish thoughts about haunted buildings.

"Hey! You up there!" called Arthur. The man in the window produced a book and began to

read. "Hey! I'm talking to you! Who are you?" He didn't even look up.

Angry, Arthur picked up a rock and threw it up at the window. It hit the wall by the

window and this time the dark haired man did look up. But, after a glance at the wall he

lowered his head back to the book. Arthur growled and picked up another rock, flinging

this one at the glass. Arthur saw the stranger startle as the rock hit the window by his head

and the book flipped out of his hand and fell. Arthur rushed forward and picked the book

up from the ground, feeling guilty. He dusted the pages off and looked up to the window.

This time the dark haired man was looking down at him and their eyes caught. Arthur felt a

smile play across his face at the surprised blue eyes of the stranger. "Hello!" he called again.

The other man frowned and shook his head, tapping at his ear. His lips moved but Arthur

heard no words. "Can you not speak?" asked Arthur. Was the dark haired man deaf and

mute? Arthur saw the stranger sigh, blowing air up into his bangs. Then he brightened and

put out a hand to tap the glass of the window. Arthur was confused as the stranger looked

down at him expectantly and shook his head. The dark haired man repeated the action,

looking meaningfully down at Arthur. Then the blond prince realized that he could hear no

sound. He couldn't hear the banging of the glass. Frowning, he remembered that he hadn't

heard anything from the rocks he had thrown either. Arthur reached out and hit his

knuckles against the glass of the lower window. It produced no noise.

Arthur looked back at the dark haired man, who was smiling approving down at him for

understanding. Arthur answered with a sad smile. "You can't hear me and I can't hear you."

The stranger seemed to know what he meant even without hearing the words and shook his

head unhappily. "What type of evil magic is this?" muttered Arthur. The dark haired

stranger stared down at Arthur in curiosity. "Where is the door?" called Arthur. "How do I

release you?"

Suddenly the other man looked over his shoulder back into the room. Arthur saw his blue

eyes widen and then the dark haired man hurried away from the window. "Wait!" cried

Arthur. He was startled when someone else appeared at the window. An old woman with

thin hair and a wrinkled face glared down at him from the manor. She grabbed the window

panes and closed them, pulling the heavy curtains across the glass. "No! Wait!" Arthur

picked up several rocks and threw them at the window but no one appeared. "Come back!"

"Prince Arthur?" a voice called from the forest. "Your highness, where are you?" Arthur

looked back at the forest, hearing the voices of his Knights. "Please, answer us!" Arthur

scowled, looking up at the window where the dark haired man had stood. He clutched the

book that had fallen and remounted his horse. He had to go but he vowed he would be back.

If there really was magic going on here then he was honour bound to assist. Arthur nudged

his horse back into the forest and rode away, glancing back at the manor. There was just

something about that dark haired man and Arthur had to learn more.

Merlin hurried away from the window as Madam Collins burst into the room. "What are

you doing?" the old woman cried shrilly. She stormed over to the window and glared down

at the blond man standing on the patio. Madam Collins slammed the window and yanked

the curtains closed. "Were you talking to that man?" growled the woman.

Merlin retreated to the other side of the bed, knowing that Madam Collins was his

stepmother's minion and was sometimes prone to striking people. "I couldn't be talking to

anyone if I tried! No sound passes the walls of the manor. I can't even hear the birds."

"But you were trying to communicate with him," hissed Madam Collins. "I'll send the guards

out to kill him! He'll be dead because of you." The old woman smiled at Merlin's distressed

look.

"No! Please, don't!" pleaded Merlin. "He wasn't doing anything!"

Madam Collins stomped heavily across the room. "Too late now! You'll spend that rest of the

day in your room!" she shouted. "I don't want to hear another word out of you!" The door

slammed shut and locked.

Merlin knew that the door had been locked by the silver key Madam Collins always carried

around on a chain. He rushed over to the window and threw open the curtains. The patio

was empty now and Merlin sighed in relief. Hopefully the blond man had ridden away and

was long gone. He tried to open the window but the latch would not move. The window

would not open for him anymore, just like the windows on the lower floors.

Merlin watched as Madam Collins and two of his stepmother's guards appeared on the patio.

He could not find where they exited the manor, no matter how much he searched. There

was no door that he could find. He bit his lip as Madam Collins pointed into the forest and

the two guards disappeared into the trees. The old woman smiled nastily up at Merlin and

the dark haired man stepped away from the window. He tested the door to the room,

finding it locked shut tight, and then sat heavily in a chair. He was stuck in the room for the

day, or until Madam Collins saw fit to let him out. Merlin had even lost his book. He folded

his arms across his chest and sighed, kicking the leg of the table and hoping that the blond

man was alright.

It was a few days later that Prince Arthur was able to slip his minders and ride out to the

manor. When he reached the patio he found the window he sought was closed and the

curtain drawn. Disappointed, Arthur picked up several rocks and threw them up at the

window, hoping to gain the attention of the dark haired man he'd seen before. He was

despairing when the curtain finally twitched aside and Arthur saw someone peek through.

He grinned as the window flew open and the stranger appeared, grinning down at Arthur.

The blond prince waved and the other man waved back with a soundless laugh. Arthur took

out the book that had fallen out of the window last time and waved it up at the dark haired

man. He mimed throwing it and after a moment got an understanding nod from the dark

haired man. Arthur tossed it and smiled as the book was caught.

The dark haired man mouthed something down to Arthur but the blond shook his head. He

then mimed opening the book and watched as the piece of paper he'd stuck between the

pages fluttered out. The stranger grinned, making Arthur's heart flutter, and read the note.

He disappeared into the room and then reappeared at the window with a pen. The dark

haired man wrote for a moment and folded the paper, dropping it out the window. Arthur

hurried to pick it up and opened it eagerly.

Hello Arthur. My name is Merlin.

Hello Arthur. My name is Merlin

Arthur grinned up at Merlin and mouthed his name. The dark haired man laughed, smiling.

Arthur took out the stub of pencil he had with him and knelt on the stone to write. He then

threw the folded paper back up to the window. It didn't arch enough and Merlin tried to

grab the paper before it could fall back to the ground, almost falling out of the window.

Arthur waved him franticly back, concerned, and then stepped back to throw the paper

through the window. Merlin picked it up off the rug and unfolded it.

Nice to meet you Merlin. Are you trapped?

Merlin looked down at Arthur and nodded with a roll of his eyes. It was obvious he was

trapped in the manor. Merlin wrote and dropped the paper back to Arthur.

My evil stepmother holds me here with dark magic.

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