"Thrice now we have searched the forest, sire," Said Sir Leon. "Wherever Merlin is, I'm afraid we will not find him."
Arthur dropped his head into his hands. He wanted to order the knights to search again, but he knew Leon was right. They had all seen what had happened, and if they hadn't found a trace of him yet, Merlin was most likely beyond hope.
"Alright," He sighed, looking up. "Call off the search." Sir Leon bowed and exited the council room. The king watched him go, fighting to keep a calm face. After all that had happened, it was a difficult task. Images of the recent events flashed through his mind:
Arthur, Merlin, and the knights riding though the woods, far away from Camelot, lost, and weak, then stumbling across a druid camp. The Druids offered food, shelter, and directions home, and they had been too weak to refuse.
He remembered the Druids treating his servant with a certain level of respect, always calling him "Emrys," and Merlin avoiding Arthur's questioning gaze.
The first arrow that whizzed through the air struck a young boy dead where he stood, chaos erupting into the camp. A large, hair man knocked Arthur's sword from his hand and lifted his own to strike, and just when he thought he was about to die, the man was sent flying backwards through the air, and Arthur turned to see Merlin standing with his hand outstretched, eyes glowing gold...
Arthur barely had time to register what that meant before Merlin was struck on the head and dragged into a cart along with the dozens of other magic people, and as soon as all of them were inside they were gone, leaving the king and his knights in the destroyed, deserted camp.
Arthur tried to put the pieces together. Merlin had magic, he had seen his eyes, he had sent that man away. He had been a sorcerer all along, and Arthur felt so stupid for not realizing it before. All the times he had miraculously lived in the face of danger, it was all because of Merlin. Of course the Druids had a name for him, and that was why he had been kidnapped along with the rest of them. And now he was gone, being held somewhere far beyond his reach.
How could he have been so stupid...
A timid voice broke into his thoughts, and Arthur looked up to see a young girl in worn clothes, hands clasped in front of her.
"I beg audience with the King of Camelot, sire."
"Of course," He said. "What is it?"
The girl lifted her head to look him in the eye. She was frail, and looked as if she hadn't had a meal in a very long time.
"My name is Evelyn, I am a Druid, and my camp has been recently destroyed. They came for us and took us all, you were there, with your knights." She stopped, as if afraid the king might lash out. Arthur leaned forward. If this girl had somehow escaped, perhaps she could lead him to Merlin.
"Yes, I remember. What happened, where were you taken?" He asked.
"We were taken to a cave, and starved for days. We thought we had been left to die, but then hey returned, to- to kill us..." She answered. Her eyes grew wide and she shrank in on herself.
"Go on," Arthur urged.
"Those of us who weren't already dead, they- they gave us swords and told us to defend ourselves...but we were weak, we could barely hold ourselves up. So many were slaughtered where they stood. I escaped, and I think that I'm the only one to have survived."
A cold fear washed over the king and he stood to approach the girl.
"Are you certain?" He asked almost frantically. "Did you see a man, scrawny, pale, black hair? What became of him?"
Evelyn looked at him in surprise. "Are you talking about Emrys?" Arthur nodded.
"Was he killed?"
She watched him doubtfully for a moment, then said, "He helped me to escape, he got me through the mouth of the cave, but before he could run himself, he was struck down."
Arthur felt his breath leave him. "So...he's...is he..."
"I think he is dead. I'm sorry."
Arthur stared, feeling his world crash around him. "See that this girl gets food and shelter," He heard himself say, then pushed past her and fled the room, hand pressed to his mouth. He barely saw the sympathetic faces of the knights as he passed, or the crestfallen stare of Gaius. He only was aware of one thought, churning through his mind, holding fast to his mind and pulling him down, down into a dark pit of grief.
Merlin is dead...
The king stood at his bedroom window, looking out at the city blanketed in darkness. Candlelight glowed from the many windows, making the city of Camelot resemble the starry night above.
"Will that be all, sire?"
Arthur barely turned to acknowledge his new manservant.
"Yeah, fine," He said vaguely. "You're dismissed, thank you." He heard George bow out of the room, and a second person approach him.
"Arthur," Said Guinevere, "Aren't you going to come to bed?"
"In a bit," Said Arthur. Gwen sighed and took his hand.
"It's Merlin, isn't it?" She said softly. Arthur remained silent. "I miss him too. His death hit all of us hard, but it's been six months, Arthur. You can't keep dwelling on it. You've mourned him, we all have. It's time to move on."
"I know," he said quietly. "There are more important things at hand, but all the same, he was my friend. Before you, he was my only true friend..."
"Don't say that," Gwen said sharply. "Everyone in Camelot loved you."
"Everyone in Camelot respected me, as their prince. Merlin was the first person to befriend me as Arthur, not the king's son."
She rubbed his arm. "I know it's hard, but think of all you have now. You've got me, a wife who loves you, and knights who would do anything for you. You've got so much more than you did...be grateful for that at least."
Arthur turned to face his queen, trying to hide the grief that still shook him.
"Thank you," He whispered, then wrapped her in a hug.
The next morning, Arthur sat in the council room, when Sir Leon burst in.
"Sire," He said, "There is a woman here begging audience, she says it's urgent."
"Let her in," Said Arthur. Leon turned and an old woman entered, clad in worn robes bearing Druid symbols, hands clasped respectfully.
"My lord the king, I come to beg medical attention and shelter."
Arthur frowned. The woman seemed healthy, if not old. "For whom?"
"You know of the druid massacre that occurred half a year ago?"
"Only too well," The king answered solemnly.
"It was thought that all had perished in the slaughter, but that is not so. Four survived, and were kept as slaves in a far off kingdom."
Arthur stood, hope fluttering in his chest. "Four survived?"
The woman nodded, but her face was grave. "In the months since, three have perished, and only one remains alive. I was able to rescue him, but he is weak and on the verge of death, and he is in dire need of medical attention."
"The court physician will see to him," He said at once, and from the side of the room Giaus nodded. "Bring this survivor in immediately."
The woman turned and called out: "Evelyn!"
Arthur's thoughts raced, hoping against hope that this one survivor, this one out of dozens, could possibly be the one he was hoping for. From the hall appeared two figures. Evelyn, the Druid girl, held a man slumped against her. Arthur took a hesitant step, peering at the man, whose clothes were ripped and caked in mud and what looked like blood, every inch of visible skin covered in bruises and cuts and gashes. He lifted his head and Arthur could see his blackened face.
He let out a joyful shout and launched himself forward, pulling him into a crushing hug. Merlin could only smile weakly against his friend's shoulder before he collapsed.
Arthur anxiously stood in his chambers, tapping his fingers nervously. He had been waiting for hours, growing more impatient with every passing minute. Finally, the door opened and Gwen appeared.
"He's awake!" She happily informed him. "You can see him now."
Arthur didn't wait to rush from the room, through the halls, and to the chambers of the court physician. He threw the door open and flew to the bedside of his friend, propped up on pillows. His torso was exposed, revealing skin even paler than usual, covered in bruises and cuts that spread angrily across his thin body painting it sickening shades of red and purple and yellow.
"Merlin," Arthur breathed, and dropped into a chair beside him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Giaus and Gwen exit the room, leaving the two of them alone. "You're alive."
"Only barely," Rasped Merlin, his voice hoarse.
"What happened to you?" Arthur asked, noticing the deep red marks circling his friend's wrists and neck.
"It's a bit of a blur," Said Merlin. "We were taken to a cave and there was a massacre..."
"Yes, a girl came and told us that much. She said you helped her escape."
"Evelyn? She's alive?" Merlin asked. Arthur nodded.
"She came and told me that you had been killed," He said solemnly. Merlin's face fell.
"She saw me fall, she didn't see me die."
"That much is obvious. But what happened after that?"
Merlin faltered. "It was horrible," he said softly. "Me and three others were taken to a castle. We were kept as slaves, and when we weren't working we were being tortured."
"Tortured? Why?" Arthur asked sharply.
"Not sure, exactly. They kept demanding I told them what I knew, but about Camelot or Magic I'm not sure."
"Did you tell them anything?" Merlin shook his head.
"I didn't. One of the others did, Yria. She told them secrets of the Old Religion. She was killed after that."
"and the other survivors, what became of them?"
"They were brothers, Espan and Hugh. Espan dropped dead while mucking out stables, it was too much for him. Hugh killed himself soon after."
"How did you survive?"
"I almost didn't," Merlin admitted. "There were times when I wanted to die, when there was no end in sight."
Arthur's eyes grew wide with shock. "You gave up hope?"
"It got so bad, and I just wanted it to end,"" Merlin said, his voice shaking. I was worked hard in the mornings and tortured in the evenings, I just wanted it to stop. Arthur, it was unimaginable, pain like you wouldn't believe inflicted in ways you didn't think possible. I was only given enough good and rest to keep myself barely functioning. After months of that, I began to lose hope I would escape." He fell silent and looked away, trying to hide his trembling.
A sick feeling came over the king. "But you have magic..." He whispered. "Why couldn't you just use that?"
"The chains," Merlin said, gesturing to the marks around his wrists and neck. "They kept my magic contained. That woman got me out, she didn't have them on. It's hard to remember what happened, I kept blacking out. I was near death at the time. The last clear thing I remember is seeing you and wondering if I had died after all."
Arthur gaped at him. He had been through so much, and he hadn't been able to save him.
"I'm sorry," He choked out. Merlin grinned weakly.
"I'm here now, aren't I?" Arthur looked at him hard, then reached out to rest a hand on Merlin's shoulder.
"Yes, you are, and from now on no harm will ever come to you again, I promise you that."
Merlin leaned back on his pillows, sleep taking over again, his body crying out for rest.
"Thank you."
Evening fell and Arthur walked across the castle courtyard towards the two Druids waiting for him.
"How does Emrys fare?" Asked the old woman when he reached them.
"Merlin will live, and Giaus says he'll only be left with a few scars," He answered. "I wanted to thank the both of you, for bringing him back to Camelot."
"It was no easy task," She said. "It took time and lots of complex magic to rescue him. Evelyn helped me to track him down, as we did not know where he was being held. The castle was very hard to find. Even when we knew where it was, we went to the place and it was not there, but the next morning it appeared, as if from thin air. It was not the time for Emrys to die. He is the most powerful sorcerer to live, he could not die as he so nearly did."
Arthur nodded. "I am forever grateful," He said. "Anything you require as thanks will be given to you."
The woman smiled and shook her head. "We want nothing, in fact we will be leaving the city tonight."
"Why?" Arthur spluttered.
"Our work is done here. Emrys is safe, so it is time to leave. We have a home where we are quite content to return to."
"You won't at least wait for him to wake? He'll want to thank you himself." Arthur said.
"He will thank us someday, in his own time." With that, the woman and the girl bowed and turned to walk from Camelot and the king.
"Wait!" Arthur called after them. They turned. "What is your name?"
A small smile played around the corners of the old woman's lips. "That is not important, Arthur. Just tell Emrys that he was rescued by his godmother and her granddaughter." She nodded once more and turned, leaving the city for good. Arthur watched them go, not satisfied with the answer, but forever grateful.
fin
AN: Thank you for reading! There will most definitely be a sequel, so stay tuned! It will explore more of what happened to Merlin during his kidnapping. Reviews are very welcome!