Author's Note: Hello all my loyal readers. I'm doing my very best to get as many stories on as soon as I can. I have a bunch of stories just waiting to be posted. Just be patient with me a little while longer, and I promise you that you won't regret it. In the meantime, enjoy the story. I know it's similar to another one of mine, but I hope it still gets favorited and reviewed.
Chapter One
It comes as no surprise that one day Arthur Pendragon would push his manservant, Merlin, over the edge. It was common fact that the prince enjoyed tormenting the other man, but he should have refrained from it that day. Any other day Merlin would have happily done the chores set upon him by Arthur, but on his birthday, he needed something else.
That morning was like any other, but Merlin managed to make it to Arthur's room on time, with a nice, hot, breakfast in hand. Walking in, he smiled sweetly at Arthur's sleeping form. It hadn't been all that long ago that Merlin's feelings for the prince had bloomed into love. Setting the tray down on the table, he walked over to the bed and gently shook his friend awake.
"It's morning Arthur, and you have a big day ahead." Merlin whispered in a gentle tone. Arthur groaned and blinked his big blue eyes up at Merlin repeatedly. He looked confused.
"Huh?" Arthur said, sitting up and scratching his head.
"It's the meeting between you, your father, and the ambassador from King Gidion's realm. You told me yesterday to make sure you were up early." Merlin said, walking over to the dresser and pulling out Arthur's best clothes.
"I don't really remember yesterday, but I do remember that." Arthur said, getting out of bed and walking toward Merlin, who was doing his best to fight off a blush at the sight of a shirtless Arthur. He held out the clothes to his prince.
"You also said that I could take the day off, because you'll be busy all day, and cause of what today is." Merlin said, smiling. It was his 23rd bithday, and he had planned on spending the day at Freya's Lake. But everything changed when Arthur opened his big fat mouth.
"What have you done lately do warrant a day off? No, you will do the list of chores I prepared for you last night." Arthur said, pointing to the scroll on the table, and sweeping out of his chambers. He didn't notice the very pissed of Merlin standing there.
He couldn't believe it. He'd told Arthur at least a million times in the past week that he'd wanted his birthday off. Each time Arthur had said that he could have it. Now, on his actual birthday, the arse actually had the nerve to forget. That was it. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Even loving Arthur was beginning to take its' toll on the magic user. Merlin was a very affectionate person, it simply ate at him not to be able to tell Arthur his feelings. Not to hold him, kiss him, or even sleep side by side with the man he loved. But enough was enough.
Merlin left Arthur's room, but not without a memento of the man he still loved, even with the betrayl. Taking Arthur's favorite shirt, the one that smelled of him no matter how many times Merlin washed it, he cut a square piece of cloth out, folded it, and tied it around his neck. Taking one last look around the room, he left. Merlin went to his room, packed, left a note with Gaius, mad sure he had all he needed, and snuck to the gate.
Slipping past the guards was easy, Merlin simply uttered a invisibility spell, and he was free. Walking to who-knows where, Merlin spared a glace behind him, at Camelot, whispering a spell to keep Arthur, and the kingdom, safe, he left.
Merlin walked for weeks on end, until he came to a small village outside of Uther's realm, and managed to get a job as a stable boy. The life was good. Merlin was able to use his magic to help others, in the open. The people in the town didn't share Uther's view of magic.
Then, the bandits came. Without warning, almost 30 of them swarmed the village. Merlin fought alongside the other men of the village, with and without magic. He wanted so badly to protect the place that had accepted him. But soon, he was overwhelmed with exhaustion and magical depletion, and he collapsed, falling into a magical coma. The town was soon captured, and many men, Merlin included, were taken to be sold as slaves.
While he was in a coma, the men from the village looked after him, and he changed, slightly. His ebony black hair bled into a starlight white. Merlin woke a few weeks later, in chains, and the villagers told him what had transpired during his sleep. Currently, as best they could tell, they were in a covered carriage, heading towards a slave market.
"Thank you for caring for me while I was unconscious." Merlin said, shifting in his seat, whilst checking his magic to make sure he was still able to use it. His magic was fine.
"You tried to save the village. It's the least we could do." The man sitting next to him said, and the others nodded. Merlin cast a silent spell to protect them from harm. For the rest of the ride they were silent, so as not to anger the driver and his men, and because they were scared. At the end of the trip, the slavers unloaded them into the market.
The Slave Market looked like a normal market, with stalls and a large gathering of people. The main difference was that a lot of the people were in chains. The man who was in charge of Merlin's group was a tall, fat man, with greasy brown hair and beady green eyes, and he smelled of pee.
"Alright slaves, line up!" He bellowed, and they complied, Merlin placing himself at the front of the line. The chains on each man's hand were connected with a few long chains.
"Follow me!" The smelly man yelled, turning and leading the way. Merlin and the group followed him to, what appeared to be, an auction stage. The stage itself was empty, but the area in front was packed. The smelly man marched the group up to a short, thin, red-head, man, with brown eyes.
"Marcus!" The smelly man shouted, shaking hands with the thin man.
"Nigel, it's good to see you've got a new load. Any special ones I should know about." Marcus asked, looking down the line. Nigel turned, and grabbed Merlin, roughly by the shoulder, and yanked him forward. The light caught his hair, and it seemed to shimmer.
"This one can do magic, sell him last." Nigel whispered, raising his eyebrows in a ridiculous manner. Marcus gazed at Merlin like he was a million gold coins.
"Well, well, well. That's a new one. Very well, we'll put him up last. Hood him and let's get started. Marcus said, motioning to one of his goons. Merlin got one last look at the men of the village, before the hood was pulled over his head, and he was put in a chair. He waited there for what seemed like hours.
He could easily break away, but he was afraid that if he did, the others would be harmed. So he waited.
Sometime later, there was a rustle of fabric and he was grabbed by the shoulder and pulled along. Merlin stumbled along next to whoever was dragging him, and nearly tripped going up a set of stairs.
"Ladies and Lords, the last lot of the day is something special." Marcus said from somewhere in front of him. Footsteps approached and then the hood was yanked off. Gasps came from the crowd.
"Yes, a young man with pure white hair, and this is becauseā¦" Marcus pause for extra drama, "he has magic!" Marcus yelled, and more gasps issued from the crowd. Merlin had to restrain from rolling his eyes. Then a man in the crowd spoke.
"Prove it!" Was what he yelled, and Marcus grinned, stalking over to Merlin.
"Do something magical or I'll send some of my men back to your village and have them slaughter all those there." He whispered, and Merlin glared at the man so icily that Marcus took a step back, before turning his light blue gaze on a nearby torch.
"Exuro Perspicuus quod Tripudio." He whispered, eyes glowing a bright gold, as the flame on the torch lifted off it's standing, burned brighter, and did a little dance. Again, gasps, but when the flame resumed it's place on the torch, applause broke out. Marcus grinned and moved to a wood podium near the edge of the stage.
"Bidding will start at 5 gold coins." He said, and Merlin toned out the other noises for a while. He briefly thought back to Camealot, and those he'd left there, but was brought back to the present by a loud bang.
"SOLD for 150 gold coins to the lord in the green cloak! Come up sir, with the money, and claim your slave." Marcus said, coming over to Merlin with a neck man shackle, which he clipped on underneath the cloth tied around his neck, and unchained Merlin's hands. A tall man in a forest green cloak, with the hood up, climbed up onto the stage and handed Marcus a medium sized money bag. The man then turned to Merlin.
"Follow me boy." He said, and leapt off the stage. Merlin followed quietly behind his new owner, until they reached two horses that were tied to a hitching post. One was a large stallion, pure black, and the smaller, brown with a white main, mare.
"May I ask a question Master?" He whispered, not wishing to draw a large crowd to them. Merlin's new master turned to him, and he saw large, intelligent, kind, brown eyes.
"Yes you may boy."
"Why does a royal need to buy his own slaves?" Merlin asked, and there was the sound of a dagger being drawn, and said dagger was pressed quickly against his throat, just at the pulse point.
"Why do you think I'm a king?" The man asked, looking at Merlin very warily. He raised his hands in surrender.
"I never said I thought you were a king, my lord. And to answer your question, I served another royal for several years, I could just tell. You both walk the same way. I don't know who you are though." Merlin said, and the dagger was slowly retracted.
"I will tell you later boy. Right now, get on the mare and follow me closely." The man said, and Merlin did as he was told, following obediently. When they were a good distance away from the market, the man stopped his horse, and waited for Merlin to ride up next to him. Then he pushed his hood back and revealed slightly older man with graying brown hair and a weathered face, but one that still caught one's eyes (think Jeremy Irons). Merlin knew in that instant that his new master was a great king and would be a kind master.
"My name is Gidion Ender, King of this region, and you are to be my personal manservant. In public you should call me Sire, My Lord, Master, My King, or King Gidion. However, when it is just the two of us, you can call me Gidion." Gidion said, smiling. Merlin nodded, smiling back.
"My name is Merlin, former manservant to Prince Arthur Pendragon. It will be a great honor to serve you King Gidion." Merlin said, bowing as much as he could sitting atop the horse. Gidion's eyes widened and then he laughed.
"Thank you Merlin. Now then, shall we go home, where I can inform you of your duties? Along the way, tell me about yourself." Gidion said, and the two men resumed their ride. Merlin felt comfortable around his new Master, and told him so, along with the entire story of his life.
