Scales covered him, stronger than any armor.On his forehead, a glowing stylized water lily with increasingly smaller circles fanning out from each side, the mark of the royal house.The ring he wore faded away, and around his throat a tight, elaborate necklace of pearls and jewels appeared, forming a water lily in their very center.The necklace of the crown heir.
He threw out his hand, and three swords of power came toward him, coalescing into a glowing light, and as the light faded he held a large trident set with a glowing blue jewel.He bared his teeth at Maleagant.
"I am the Prince of Tides, and you are nothing to me.You want Camelot?Come and take it."
The Prince of Tides
Roaring in fury, recalling his shadows, Maleagant used them to fight his way through the ever-deepening water.Lancelot countered him easily, scattering the shadows, tearing them to shreds, knocking Maleagant into the water and following him down.It was up their mid-shins now, and climbing rapidly.
He was terrified for Galehaut, but trusted Kay.
Maleagant kicked him away and surged to his feet.
In Lancelot's ear, a soft chime.One down, fourteen to go.
He lifted his trident to block Maleagant's swing, then shoved forward to send him stumbling back.Maleagant snarled, regained his footing, and lunged again, even as the water rose to their knees.
With the trident, Maleagant would have a hard time getting close, and it was meant for the water that would rapidly fill the great hall.They both knew that the moment he could swim, this fight was over.
Screaming in fury, summoning his shadows once more, both to serve as additional armor and as adds to slow Lancelot down, Maleagant attacked again.
Another chime.Thirteen left.
He blocked Maleagant's swings and forced him back, over and over, as the water kept rising, up to mid-thigh now.Maleagant's shadows were helping him move, but soon even they wouldn't be good enough, especially as he was looking increasingly haggard.He'd given everything to get them all in this throne room, and hadn't planned for anything to go wrong.
Maleagant's craftiness and patience had nearly been their undoing, and might yet be, but arrogance would behisundoing.
Another chime, and it was followed almost immediately by another, so somebody else had gotten themselves free.Eleven left to go.
He wished he could look around, see who was gone, who was left, but fighting Maleagant, keeping him occupied, was taking all of his attention.Nor could he expect help from the others, because Maleagant had made damned certain they wouldn't be able to fight back.
His mistake had been underestimating Lancelot.He always had, though, every single time.He had such confidence in his own powers, in the shadows that heeded him, he'd always dismissed everything except Arthur's golden light as trivial.
He thrust the trident forward, slamming the points into Maleagant's chest, but they couldn't get past the shadows still protecting him.Before he could withdraw, Maleagant grabbed the trident and swung, sending Lancelot flying and slamming into one of the pillars.His trident hit the water a few feet away, but he was easily able to call it back to him as he hit the water.
Another chime.Ten left.
He got his feet under him and pushed up.The water reached his hips.Plenty deep enough to do some swimming.This fight was—
Someone grabbed him from behind and lobbed him across the room like he weighed no more than a baseball.Not that he'd ever played baseball, but he'd seen it enough.
He slammed into the wall behind the throne, then slid down it, eyes blurry with pain, head aching so much he was going to throw up soon.He landed in the water, which immediately began to heal him, but it wasn't as deep here because the dais for the royal thrones was several steps higher than the rest of the room.He waded through it, throwing out a hand to will the trident to him, eyes sweeping the hall—
Gale.Still in that fucking collar.Still under Maleagant's control.Holding his trident tightly in one enormous fist, dwarfing the weapon in a way that would have been amusing any other time.
The water was up to Maleagant's waist now, well away from being a danger to Gale, but still steadily climbing.
Two more chimes.Eight left.
Lancelot let his claws out.Old-fashioned way it was, then.Ignoring the remnants of pain in his body, his still-throbbing head, he took a running start and dove into the deep waters of the rest of the great hall, swimming furiously, moving quickly, erratically, so he'd be harder to track and anticipate.
Making for Maleagant, he went around him, then turned and dove through his spread legs, claws out.
Another chime.Seven left.
Maleagant screamed in pain and outrage and crashed into the water as his wounded legs gave out.
Lancelot started to turn, but then his ankle was grabbed and he was lifted out of the water like a caught fish, dangling uselessly for a moment before he got his bearings.He slammed water into Galehaut's face and chest, just barely managing to upset his balance and concentration enough that he let Lancelot go.
