ayoungboy | For Your Entertainment

The circus comes into town in the late afternoon. It's a quiet caravan, but the whispers start immediately. It's not a regular circus. This one - this is the Camelot circus. One of the most esteemed traveling acts in the country, and not for the faint of heart. This one has a flaming sword eater and a terrifying magician.

A few brave people try to peek at the preparations, but once the big tent is up, all that can really be seen are food stands being set up, and a few podiums for acts unknown. Everything else is hidden from view. You want to see? Come buy a ticket.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

royalpratness

Arthur frowns at the man, hesitating. "Are you sure?"

From:

ayoungboy

"Quite," Merlin smiles. "Slice me, sir."

From:

royalpratness

"If you say so..." Arthur is still reluctant but he does as the man ask, cutting his forearm just a little bit.

From:

ayoungboy

Merlin lets the blood bead an shows it off to his audience. "As you can see, these knives are all...very deadly."

From:

royalpratness

Arthur starts feeling slightly uncomfortable as he looks at Emrys' bleeding arm.

From:

ayoungboy

"Now," Merlin procures a strip of cloth with a flourish, from his pocket. "Sir, with your permission, I am going to blindfold you."

From:

royalpratness

"Uh..." Arthur hesitates again, staring at the cloth and then at Emrys. "I am a wealthy man, you know." He chuckles nervously. "You better leave me in one piece."

From:

ayoungboy

"Is it alright if I take you apart and put you back together?" Merlin jokes, and the crowd titters nervously. But his eyes are calm, staring directly at Arthur. "If you would like to sit down, sir, I can take another volunteer.

From:

royalpratness

Arthur's pride forbids it to chicken out of this in front of the crowd. "No, it's fine. Go ahead."

From:

ayoungboy

Merlin smiles mysteriously and carefully ties the cloth around Arthur's eyes. "Can you see anything, sir?"

From:

royalpratness

"No, nothing." Arthur's hands ball into fists and he hopes he won't regret this.

From:

ayoungboy

"Now, please watch carefully," Merlin is addressing the crowd, and they ooh and ahh at what he's doing. Which - not that Arthur can see - but he's making the knives and rings float up, into the air. The rings set themselves on fire, arranged in what appears to be a deadly, floating obstacle course.

From:

royalpratness

Arthur has no idea what's going on but he tries to remain calm, not letting his discomfort show.

From:

ayoungboy

Merlin moves back over to Arthur, resting a gloved hand on his lower back. "Ladies and gentleman - prepare yourselves."

"You're going to float," This is whispered to Arthur, and only. "Do not move once you're in the air; as long as you don't move, you will be fine."

From:

royalpratness

Arthur tenses up at Merlin's words and gives a curt nod. Floating?! How on earth is he planning to achieve that? Surely, he should have attached some kind of wires to Arthur but there's nothing there.

From:

ayoungboy

"Relax," Merlin's voice is soft and soothing, right in Arthur's ear.

"You all might want to buy him a pint after this!" Merlin says to the crowd, and they're suspiciously quiet. Merlin steps back, leaving Arthur alone, and slowly...the man is lifted off the ground by an invisible force.

From:

royalpratness

Arthur barely surpresses a yell of shock when he is lifted off his feet and apparently floating. It's terribly weird and Arthur tries not to move.

From:

ayoungboy

"Would you like the rope, sir?" Merlin asks calmly. He can tie Arthur up, if he'd rather, but it's usually more impressive if they don't use it.

From:

royalpratness

"Err, no." He doesn't want to feel even more powerless than he already does.

From:

ayoungboy

"Good sport!" The crowd claps politely, and Arthur starts moving towards the unseen obstacle course. "Now, ladies and gentlemen, I will need absolute silence for this portion of the act...as you can see, it's very dangerous."

From:

royalpratness

Arthur is glad about the blindfold because he's sure that whatever is happening to him is rather dangerous.

From:

ayoungboy

Arthur is being moved through the air, now, manipulated through the obstacle course. There are a few gasps and quickly muffled squeaks of terror, but the crowd is glued to the performance. He will probably feel the heat from the fire on the rings as Merlin sails him through it.

From:

royalpratness

He does notice the change is temperature around him but he can't tell what exactly is going on.

From:

ayoungboy

Merlin lets the suspense build, as Arthur moves slowly through the course, but he comes out the other side unscathed, and the audience bursts out into relieved applause.