Morgana knew that the only way to get to the king was through Merlin. She had tried killing him, but every time he had somehow managed to avoid death. However, this time she had a purpose for the young servant. So she kidnapped him, sending her thugs to drug him in the night and carry him out of camelot. She knew that as long as he was in her grasp, she could kill him any time and any way that she wanted, but in the meantime she wanted information out of him, and in order for her plan to succeed she needed to go somewhere where Arthur could not easily find Merlin. She wondered how far the young idealistic king would go to rescue a lowly servant.
She would soon find out.
Once they arrived at the Dark Tower, Morgana locked Merlin in the highest room, every inch covered with the dreaded Mandrake root. She knew it couldn't be long before he succumbed to her will. After all, he was only a servant, not a great warrior. Merlin was just waking up as she was leaving the room. "Morgana?" he whispered, his voice raspy and confused. She smiled wickedly at the look on his face as she locked the door behind her, leaving Merlin in complete and utter darkness but for the thin line of light coming from the stars outside. The thought of him suffering there, alone in the darkness, as she had suffered, gave her an indescribable feeling that she relished with glee. Soon he would be groveling at her feet, begging for mercy.
Merlin sat up on the cold hard floor and rubbed his head. He couldn't remember exactly what had happened to him, but seeing Morgana had told him enough. He was now at her mercy. It was either risk her finding out that he had magic, with untold consequences, or bear the torture that she had in store for him in silence. He knew what his decision had to be almost before he thought of the options, and yet still he hesitated, wondering what dark purpose she could have for him here. He knew there was a likely possibility that she wanted information about Arthur, and although he knew he would sooner die than betray his king, he wondered if he might not have to risk using magic in order to keep her from finding what she wanted to know through torturous magic. His body aching, Merlin dragged himself over to a stone pillar to lean his back up against and wait. Suddenly, something cold and slimly dripped on him from the ceiling. Disgusted, he held up his had to try to make out what it was. It was dark, but other than that he couldn't tell. All of a sudden he realized that he could here dripping all around him. Tentatively he stood up, and instantly was accosted by dozens of slimy roots. He ducked down again, but he could not escape the fear that instantly filled his heart. He knew exactly what this was: Mandrake roots. With this revelation came another – he realized what Morgana had planned for him. He could only hope that he could withstand the horror that surely would follow. In an attempt to calm his racing heart, Merlin risked a little magic in order to afford himself some light. "Leoht," he whispered. The sphere of light in his hand instantly gave him some comfort, but also showed him the direness of his situation. Surrounding him in this room must have been hundreds of Mandrake roots. He tried to recall everything he had learned about the root, but he couldn't remember anything on how long it took to take effect. He let the light in his hand go out, and he sat there, waiting, waiting for the terrors to start.
Merlin couldn't tell how long he sat there waiting. It might have been an hour, it might have been a day – there was no way of telling. He could feel the presence of powerful magic at work all around him. Every time he thought he heard a noise, or saw something out of the corner of his eye, he resisted with everything in him. But something was wrong. Either his imagination was playing tricks on him and the magic was only barely beginning to take effect, or Morgana had not used the right spell, or something, but Merlin was not experiencing any of the horrors he had heard so many terrifying tales about. He was about to risk another light spell, when suddenly he heard, very clearly, footsteps coming closer. "Here it comes," he thought, bracing himself. Closer and closer they came, and then suddenly, the sound of a key in the lock. Merlin looked up at the door in surprise. It opened slowly, revealing Morgana, a black fur draped across her shoulders and a smirk plastered on her face. His eyes widened in fear and he gulped nervously.
"Hello Merlin. How are you enjoying your new quarters?" She paused, took a step closer and peered at Merlin curiously. "I must say I haven't heard you screaming. You must be braver than I thought." Merlin refused to reward her with an answer, but instead met her glare with his own. "Well I daresay you must be hungry. How about a bite to eat." With that she turned and walked out the door, leaving it open behind her so that the warm yellow light flooded the entrance, beckoning Merlin out of the shadows. He couldn't help himself, the thought of food and light was too much to resist. He hesitated for a split second in the doorway, wondering if this might not somehow be a trap, but then he quelled his fears, assuring himself that there wasn't anything that she could throw at him that he couldn't handle. And with that, he followed her down the corridor, the dreaded tower room receding into the distance.
They sat at a table lit by four lone candles which cast flickering shadows on the walls around him. The embers in a nearby fireplace glowed, suggesting that Morgana had recently let the fire go out. Cautiously, Merlin picked up a piece of bread and eyed it, suspicious of her motives.
"Honestly, Merlin, you don't have to worry. I'm not going to poison you." Her words dripped with bitterness and malice, but somehow Merlin felt that he could trust what she was saying. Something told him that if she had wanted him dead there were a hundred other ways she could have done it, but no, she had kept him alive. Slowly, he raised the food to his mouth, never dropping his gaze from hers.
She popped a bite in her mouth and watched him chew before saying anything. "So how do you like the tower?"
"Why are you doing this Morgana?'' Merlin returned.
She feigned offense at his words. "I asked you first."
Merlin knew she would have her way eventually, and although he didn't want to play her game, he also didn't want to continue with this childish banter, so he shrugged, "I think you need a different decorator."
Morgana glared at him and huffed, annoyed at his insolence. "After all that I've gone through to fix, the place up for you, you might try being thankful." She paused to cut off a piece of meat and place it daintily in her mouth. Merlin took the opportunity to survey his surroundings. One exit, and that guarded by two burly men. Also Morgana had placed herself at the end closest to the door, so he knew there was no way he could escape without using magic.
Just then he was brought back to the conversation by Morgana clearing her throat. "And in reply to your question, I only wanted you to know what it's like for me, since you did after all condemn me to a life of misery and solitude."
"I did not condemn you Morgana you condemned yourself."
Morgana's eyes lit up with rage. "We both know that's not true," she hissed. Her eyes suddenly narrowed. "But I see you do not ask what happened to me after you left me to die in the forest when last you took my rightful kingdom from me. Perhaps you would like to hear what happened? How I suffered? Maybe then you will be more sympathetic, seeing as you are in the same situation right now." Merlin dropped his eyes to the food on his plate, unable to bear the sudden look of pain that flashed through her eyes. Morgana cocked her head. "You did not know?" Merlin didn't answer, choosing instead to eat his food silently. She smirked. "Well then. Let me show you what it was like." And with that she gave a nod of her head and the two burly bodyguards came and dragged Merlin back to the tower room, where they locked him once more in the utter darkness. Merlin sat back with a sigh, the weight of everything that had happened almost crushing him. He closed his eyes at the painful memories, but not before a lone tear escaped and trailed down his cheek.
The darkness seemed to thicken as the hours wore on, with no relief, but oddly enough, Merlin still had yet to experience the terrors of the Mandrake. He wasn't sure what this meant, whether to be hopeful or more afraid than ever, but he had little choice. As long as he was not in imminent danger, he could not risk using his magic to escape. He could only hope that Arthur would find him soon.
