Video (backdated to Sunday Night)

[king]

[ Arthur's hands are shaking, and therefore, so is the Forge. But it's obvious, even in the dim light, that he's blood-spattered. But underneath the gore sluiced across his face, his jaw is firmed, his breathing slow and deliberate. ]

I'm so sorry. If I'd realized, I never would have —

[ No, he needs to start earlier than that. ]

If — someone who knows Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks could collect their bodies from the ruins...

[ No, that's not the place either. He swallows, hard, guilt shadowing his eyes. ]

[ Filter: Priscilla, Byakuya. ]

I have done — a terrible thing. I'll be stepping down from my position as Vice Commander, of course. And I would like to turn myself in to be judged at Themis.

Someone will have to be assigned to bring in Bellatrix. She fled into the Mist. I honestly thought she was no longer a threat to anybody, but I was wrong.

I've been wrong in a lot of things.

Comments

[audio]

[bravedoe]

[Confused tone:]

Collect their bodies?

[And now frantic:]

What happened to them?!

[ooc]

[lumenrelegandus]

[Inserts this]

[audio]

[king]

They... they're both dead, I'm afraid.

[Video]

[justice_is_blond]

What do you mean, bodies? And you're sorry?

[Video]

[king]

Lupin... I killed him.

Audio

[brewglory]

Their bodies?

[Oh, no.]

ooc

[lumenrelegandus]

[Inserts this]

[ filter ]

[sakurabito]

[Pardon him, he's just a little surprised. What did you do vice-captain?]

You will need to explain what happened, Pendragon.

[ filter ]

[king]

I came to help Bellatrix Lestrange. It appeared she was being attacked by a beast. It's difficult for me to say exactly what happened, but I chose to target what I thought was a monster, but was.

[ A breath, steadying himself to keep his tone even, his expression blank. ]

Remus Lupin in werewolf form. Lestrange killed Nymphadora and fled. Lupin transformed and died of his wounds before I could get help.

[Voice]

[strategizing]

Arthur, are you all right?

What happened?

[Voice]

[king]

I'm afraid I've made a grievous error, Lelouch.

[Video]

[adhmharaighe]

[Why is it that everywhere Mordred has seen you recently, Arthur, a specter of death seems to follow? Your past, and now in the present marked by blood.]

You never seem to think of preserving yourself, Arthur Pendragon.... [Is all he can say.]

[You could have chosen to flee]

[Video]

[king]

A man who was one of the best I've ever known is dead, at my hand. What use is self-preservation?

[video]

[calamitousnaiad]

Arthur?

[She hasn't got the presence of mind to change the setting of her Forge or try to hide her sudden terror at seeing him like this.]

What's happened? Are you all right?

[video]

[king]

Verity. Verity. It will be all right.

Video

[purityconquered]

[Lucius comes quickly to a conclusion. Not an unreasonable one, considering this man's last transmission. Accusatory.]

You killed them. You killed my niece.

[Never mind that he'd attempted to do so himself on at least one occasion.]

Video

[king]

Your—

No. Bella—

Lestrange killed Nymphadora.

[voice] /pre patronus

[sonvisage]

[She can't have heard this correctly. There is no way that she has heard this correctly. And when she does respond it's distant, wary, cold.]

You left them unconscious in the ruins. You left them unprotected?

[What are they doing in the ruins, Arthur?]

[voice]

[king]

Iolanthe, I'm so sorry. I thought— Christ, I don't know what I thought.

video.

[veneficus]

Where are you? Arthur, what happened?

[ She doesn't even address the subject of Remus and Tonks, it's uncertain if she even heard him talking. The sight of him was enough to fill her with cold dread. ]

video.

[king]

Look after everyone for me, Morgana.

not here? action? idk

[servant]

[It's going to kick in at any moment: Merlin will know what to do, what to say to Arthur. Everything that he's gone through in both Camelot and Anatole has groomed him for moments like this.]

[Instead, he stands several feet behind Arthur, pulling the darkness around him like a blanket. He's crying without making a sound, and his hands are shaking so hard that he's simultaneously worried that he's gripping Tonk's wand too tightly or going to drop it.]

[He should go back to the ruins. He should help with the bodies. But Merlin just can't make himself go.]

ACTIONNNnnnn i was gonna ask you anyway

[king]

[ The breath Arthur takes is a deep, choked thing. It's a relief, to have told people, but he still feels as though he's holding every part of himself together through sheer force of will, his chest tight with it, back bowed. ]

Merlin.

[ He carefully wipes his eyes before he turns around, but mostly all it does is smear the blood across his skin. It's soaked deep into the sleeves of the tunic beneath his armour, into his breeches where Remus had lain across his legs dying, even in his hair. ]

Merlin.

[ He's not even sure why he's angry, except that Merlin is the only person in the world it feels safe to be angry at right now. Because he's not doing anything, and there are so many things that need doing now, when Arthur doesn't even know how to stand up again now that he's sat down. Because he hadn't done anything to save them. Or perhaps because Merlin's hunched and crying stance hurts something essential in Arthur. ]

[bruxisms]

What just happened?

[ Arthur, this doesn't seem particularly just of you. ]

video.

[king]

[ What did just happen? However many times Arthur says it, it doesn't make any more sense to him. ]

I killed Remus Lupin.

video;

[coy]

[she's seen the other conversations, enough to hear/see that he's killed someone.]

Arthur... Can I do anything?

video;

[king]

[ A wince, not sure he deserves the kindness in that question. ]

No. Not for me.

[Voice | Private]

[silverking]

[Remus. What if he doesn't return? It could mean the loss of Isley's yoki permanently if that spell isn't lifted! A selfish thought perhaps, but . . . ]

[But there is concern there for the man himself, if not as much for the woman whom Isley doesn't know so well.]

[And . . . concern for Arthur.]

A fine mess you've gotten yourself into, Arthur. What happened?

[Voice | Private]

[king]

A fine mess.

[ He looks a fine mess, and he feels it just as well, but at least he can count on Isley not to, hopefully, be too judgmental about killing people. ]

I made a mistake. I attacked Lupin when I shouldn't have, and mortally injured him.

[nolessthanseven]

Bodies? Why are they in the ruins to begin with, and why are they dead? [though by the look of him? Pretty obvious.]

And what do you mean, if you realised?

[king]

I made a mistake. I thought — Lupin is a werewolf, but I didn't recognize him.

video;

[miata]

Arthur...? What happened?

video;

[king]

I killed a man, Miata. An innocent man.

Private

[priscilla]

[...]

[Priscilla takes several minutes of playing and replaying this. Trying to make sense of what he's saying. In the end, she can't. So.]

Arthur. Slow down.

What happened?

[AND WHY ARE YOU RESIGNING.]

Private / PSYCHIC CLAYMORE CONNECTION haha

[king]

Sorry. Sorry. It's all a little overwhelming. There was a fight — Lupin was in his wolf form, and I didn't recognize him in time.

[ He turns his eyes away, knuckles at his jaw. ]

I'm for Themis. I'm sorry. But even if my sentence is short, how can I lead the Patrol when there is so much innocent blood on my hands?

[ video ]

[earnedmystripes]

[Bodies? Shit.]

Oi, what happened? Are you alright, Arthur?

[ video ]

[king]

I'm not injured. It's... not my blood.

Voice.

[demon_andbutler]

[Arthur. After all that trouble Sebastian went to to plan and execute their wedding reception? Really?]

I hadn't thought you capable of such a thing, sir.

[NOW who's he going to get to tutor Ciel?]

Voice.

[king]

Hadn't you.

[ There's bitterness in the words, because this isn't even the first time. He'd murdered Freya, too. ]

[voice]

[shinndocuirenn]

Oh--oh no.

[voice]

[king]

I'm sorry.

[ He's never apologized so much in his life, but it's a worn-sounding word now, and defeated. He knows how little apologies do. ]

guess who the latest is IT'S ME.

[sweeping]

[ he's come back to her blood-spattered before, but this is different. this is something else, something that makes her stomach twist and her jaw clench and something has gone wrong. ]

Arthur. Arthur, what's happened?

it might be me tho. / private

[king]

Guinevere.

[ He doesn't want her to see him like this, but at the same time, he needs her, she who, like Merlin, has only ever seen the goodness and potential in him. ]

It's complicated. I have to go to Themis. Take care of Merlin for me.

[ When he thinks about it, that's a strange request, but someone has to. ]