AN: Okay, so I was watching random music videos on youtube and I cam across Eurielle's song Carry Me. There was a beautiful picture by wlop (it's called Guard and can be found on deviantart since I don't think I'm allowed to add links in this description) that inspired me to write this two shot. Please check out both of their work because it's all beautiful.
I hope you guys enjoy this story.
Merlin held his head high as he walked through the market clad in iron shackles. He knew this day would come. Of course he knew. It was only a matter of time before he slipped up and someone found out about his magic. It was only a matter of time before it was reported to the king and he was arrested. It was only a matter of time before Uther Pendragon sentenced him for the pyre. He used magic too often for it not to happen. But he held his head high even as the townsfolk threw rotten food at him. He was caught using magic in defense of Prince Arthur. One who he would never have hesitated to call his king. He was proud of that.
The funny thing is: Merlin's not even sure how the king found out about his magic. The last time he had used it had been when an assassin somehow managed to find his way into the prince's room while Arthur was training the knights and Merlin was cleaning his room. He never actually figured out what the assassin had planned because he immediately sent the man through the window, but either way he never would have let it happen. Although Arthur had seen the man fall even he never once suspected that Merlin used magic. In fact, he spent the next several hours berating Merlin and telling him how lucky he was that he wasn't killed by the probably highly trained murderer. Someone else must have seen him. A servant or something must have come into the room while he did his magic and fled before he noticed them.
It was the next morning as Merlin was out picking herbs for Gaius that the knights surrounded him and told him that he was under arrest for practicing magic within the castle walls. He could have put them all to sleep and run away, hidden in the shadows until old age claimed Uther Pendragon, but he was so tired of hiding. Instead he held out his hands and let the knights of Camelot, though none that he recognized, fasten iron shackles to his arms and legs. At least they weren't unkind to him. They didn't roughly pull him any faster than his hampered feet could walk and they didn't say any cruel words to him. They only fastened the chains around him and escorted him back to Camelot where his fate would be decided.
As the castle grew ever closer, Merlin felt tears in his eyes. What would happen to this place once he was gone? Would Arthur survive to become king without Merlin there to thwart all the assassination attempts? Would Albion fall before it ever began and Camelot come to ruin? Would Arthur miss him?
Probably not. Merlin smiled wryly. Arthur was probably just as mad at him for this as the king was. Even if he did somehow accept the fact that Merlin had magic, which was unlikely, he would never forgive his friend for all the lies that he had told over the years. He only hoped that Arthur would deign to be at his execution. If only to see the man that he had fallen in love with one last time before the fire overtook him. Because it would be fire, he knew. Uther had to make an example of him for practicing magic in such a close proximity to his son.
Merlin sighed.
If Arthur was there he would bow to him and name him the Once and Future King of Albion. Then anyone in the audience who practiced magic would pass that knowledge to others and all would know that he would bring about peace between magic and Camelot. Then, hopefully, they would stop trying to kill the prince and they too would attempt to protect him. It would be the last thing that Merlin could do for Arthur and he only hoped it would work.
If Arthur was even there. If not, he would just proclaim that he would always remain loyal to Arthur as the Once and Future King. It probably wouldn't have as big of an impact as if Arthur was there, but hopefully it would still be enough.
Suddenly, the attack of the rotten vegetables stopped and the bright light of the sun dimmed. Merlin looked up, not even realizing that he had bowed his head in thought of the prince, and saw a knight of Camelot holding his cloak up to shield Merlin from the townspeople and wrapping another arm around his waist comfortingly. Yet, this wasn't a normal knight of Camelot. He wore more armor than they did, as though he were going to a duel instead of Merlin's execution, including a metal helmet that kept his face from view, and it was only his rich red cloak that marked him as what he was.
"Don't worry," said the knight, "I'm going to protect you." The voice sounded familiar, but it was too dulled by the metal helmet to truly recognize.
"There's nothing you can do," Merlin muttered. "Please go before someone accuses you of aiding me."
"Never," said the knight. "I'm going to protect you."
Despite himself, Merlin felt utterly happy. Someone was actually trying to help him. Even in his last moments when everyone wanted him dead there was still at least one who would stand beside him. Someone actually accepted him for what he was instead of what he always pretended to be or what he needed to be for destiny's sake. Just him, a boy who was born with magic. The only thing that would make it better would be if it was Arthur standing next to him, but Merlin knew not to expect that. "Thank you," he whispered because he knew that no matter what this knight did he would not save Merlin from the fire, but at least he gave Merlin the only thing that he had ever truly wanted.
Arthur did not stand by his father when they arrived in the courtyard. Nor did he stand with Morgana where she cried for Merlin on her balcony. He did not even stand looking through his window to watch the fate of his manservant. He was nowhere to be seen and Merlin had to conclude once and for all as his heart broke that Arthur hated him now that he knew about his magic. He had known that this would happen, but some part of him had hoped that Arthur would somehow defy all odds and come to his aid at the end of most need. That small part of him was now crushed and it was only now that he realized it had been his heart.
"You have been accused of practicing magic," the king was saying. "What have you to say?"
"In defense of Prince Arthur and the people of Camelot I have used magic," Merlin said. No matter how much his heart hurt, he would not betray the loyalty he had always had to his king. "And I would gladly continue to do so in order to protect the Once and Future King Arthur of Camelot." To announce someone other than the current king as the king, even if it was the prince, was nothing short of treason, but Merlin would already have the death sentence bestowed upon him so he didn't really care. Word would spread of this and all would know that Arthur would be the one to unite Camelot with magic as it was foretold even without Merlin's help.
"You dare speak his name!" the king yelled. "You who have bewitched my son." Merlin was shocked by those words. The only reason that the king would think his son was bewitched is if Arthur had tried to stand up for him. Was it possible that Arthur did actually still care about him despite all his crimes? "You will burn in the pyre for your crimes."
The pyre already stood tall beside him and Merlin wasn't at all surprised that it had been set up before they even captured him. Normally one who practiced magic would have at least the night before facing the fire, but Merlin was too close to the royal family and he needed to be eliminated as quickly as possible.
"No," said the knight who had followed Merlin through the town and into the courtyard as he threw down his gauntlet before the king. All other knights pulled their sword, but no one dared move closer. A challenge was clearly given. There was no way that they would make their king seem like a coward in front of his people by taking it for him. "I challenge you for his life."
Merlin's eyes widened. Was that even possible? He had never really paid much attention to the knight's code as that was more Arthur's thing than his, but he did know a little and he had never once heard of someone throwing down a gauntlet in order to save another's life.
The king did not move. "You dare to challenge me boy?" he scowled, but it was clear that he didn't know what to do either. If he did not accept the challenge it would be like saying he was a coward, but if he did accept the challenge than the people would think it a possible way to save everyone on death's row. "You would sacrifice your life for a sorcerer?"
"I would," said the knight.
"Than you will be charged with aiding him. I will accept your challenge and I will kill you for the crime that you have committed."
"And if I win you will release him without harming him."
The king scowled again, but said nothing. "The battle will be tomorrow at dawn," he said.
"And Merlin, as the prize of this battle, has to remain unharmed until then."
"Take him to the dungeons," the king waved him away. "You have a stay of execution for now, but by tomorrow evening you will burn."
Merlin stared wide-eyed at the knight who saved his life for a night as the others took him into the castle. He was honestly not expecting that to work at all. He knew that Uther had his pride as an undefeated knight, but he didn't think that would ever overcome his lust for a sorcerer's head. He had actually thought that Uther would sentence the knight to death for attempting to aid him and damn the consequences until a later time, but the chance of having the people think him a coward was apparently enough incentive for the king. That was probably also the only reason that the knight was not currently joining him in the dungeon. It would be seen as unfair and therefore cowardly if the knight was not given the chance to ready himself for the coming battle.
Merlin did not sleep well that night and it had nothing to do with the uncomfortable sleeping arrangements. Nor did it have to do with the worry of the coming battle, though that did cross his mind. He did not sleep because he hoped all through the night that Arthur would find a way to come and visit him despite Uther's command that no one see him. He had stayed up all night hoping to see him slip quietly up to the cell door as he had done to others he believed wrongly accused, but he never came. It could be that he did not have Merlin to help him escape his room, George would certainly not help him against the King's orders, but it made Merlin doubt that Arthur truly did believe in him. Maybe he had stood up to him at first because he didn't believe that Merlin could be a sorcerer, but after thinking about it he would have put the pieces together.
When the dawn arrived, Merlin had bags under his eyes and he would barely be able to keep his eyes open if it weren't for the fact that the guards were pulling him out of his cell. "Where are we going?" Merlin asked, not really expecting an answer.
"The prize is always present during a duel," one of the guards said.
"You're the prize," said the other.
Shocked that he actually received an answer, Merlin remained silent. He had heard many stories of sorcerer's treated unkindly by both the knights and the guards of Camelot. It was one of the things that he hoped Arthur would fix in his people, but not something that he thought would ever change when Uther still reigned. Yet, as they walked, the guards and knights that he was passed onto held him gently and slowed whenever he so much as slipped.
And then there was a chair for him as they reached the arena. It wasn't in the king's box like Morgana's, who was the normal prize for such events, but it was still a relatively nice chair. Merlin honestly couldn't tell if Uther was trying to make a mockery of him or if someone had been kind enough to set it out for him. The look on Uther's face when he sat rather awkwardly on the chair told him that it most certainly wasn't supposed to be there for him.
"How are you?" asked Gwen once Merlin got as comfortable as he was going to be in his chair. It startled him because he hadn't see her there.
"I'm fine," he said, "but what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Morgana? You could get in trouble with Uther."
"Morgana asked me to be here for you," she said. "If Uther has anything to say about it, she'll defend me. We both wanted to be here for you, but you know she can't be seen to be cohorting with someone who the King claims to be a criminal. This is as much defiance as she is able to outwardly show." She patted the chair with a grin. "Don't worry. We're going to get you out of here."
"Gwen please," Merlin said. "Even if the knight wins this, I don't think Uther will let me go free. He won't let any sorcerers free under his reign."
"He has to," Gwen said. "It would be against the knight's code to do anything else."
"Whatever you say Gwen," Merlin said with only a slightly forced smile. Of course Gwen would know more about the knight's code than he. "Do you think that Arthur will come?" he asked. He knew he shouldn't have. It wasn't his place anymore, but he just wanted to see the prince one last time. "I don't see him here yet."
"You don't know?" Gwen asked. "Arthur tried to fight for you. He said that you've been using your magic to save Camelot for some time now and that that alone was sign that you weren't evil."
"He knew?" Merlin gasped.
Gwen nodded. "He tried to attack Uther when he said that he wouldn't pardon you. That's when the king said that he had been bewitched by you and locked him in his room. No one's seen him since."
Merlin honestly didn't know what to say to that. All this time Arthur had known and he had never said anything about it.
Suddenly silence overcame the crowd as the knight came onto the field. He was still wearing his helmet and Merlin thought that was a little disrespectful to the king, but he understood. Even though this knight was willing to help him, he couldn't risk everyone know who he was. That would be damaging to not only himself but also his family name. Besides, if he did lose there was still a chance that he might escape since no one knew his face. Merlin could feel a bit of his magic even behind the iron shackles and he was perfectly willing to use it to help in the escape.
"Well," Uther said, a brow raised, "you are the challenger. You decide to what end this duel will go."
"Until someone yields," said the knight. Those were the normal rules for dueling and Merlin sighed with relief. He had for a short moment feared that this duel would be to the death. Arthur would never forgive him if his father died because someone was saving his life. He wasn't worth that.
"Very well," Uther shrugged. "You will die at the end of it either way."
"Not if I defeat you," said the knight.
"You are very confident boy," Uther sneered. "I will show you your true place." Then he put his helmet on and crouched into a fighting position, not even bothering with the normal respectful before battle rituals. Merlin cringed. Uther truly did not like what this knight was doing, which meant that he would be particularly cruel in this battle.
The fight started slow, each knight trying to gauge to what lengths the other would go, and then suddenly Merlin couldn't keep track of it anymore. He was never good on a battlefield and didn't pay much attention to the parries and thrusts Arthur tried to teach him, but he could usually at least tell who had the upper hand in the fight. This time, however, it was going back and forth between the two that he just couldn't keep track.
Merlin's knight was the first to come to a disadvantage when he lost his shield, but it did not last for long as Uther's shield was knocked away soon after. A blow to the leg had Merlin's knight limping, but he one-upped Uther by knocking his helmet off.
Merlin watched in fascination. Other than Arthur he had never seen anyone hold themselves so well against the King.
"Oh my god!" Gwen gasped.
"What?" Merlin asked, eyes straying from the battle to look at her. She was staring with wide eyes at the two combatants with her hands clasped over her face. Perhaps she recognized the knight. Or maybe at least his fighting style. Merlin didn't care enough to recognize people by their fighting styles, but he wouldn't doubt if Gwen could. "What's wrong?"
Before Gwen could answer, the clattering of a knight falling brought Merlin's attention back to the field. The King was on his back, his shield long since missing and his sword just barely out of reach. "Yield," said Merlin's knight.
"Never!" the King yelled.
The knight lifted his sword high and Merlin suddenly realized how this would go. If the King would not yield than the knight would have to kill him. Merlin couldn't let that happen. Arthur would hate him. He didn't want that. He had to protect the king.
"Wait!" he yelled lifting his iron clad hand up to grab the sword if need be. He hadn't even realized that he had used his magic to transport all this way, but the fading golden light in his eyes told all. "Please wait," he said.
"What-" the knight gasped, his arms shaking with the effort of stopping his own sword.
"Please don't kill him," Merlin said. "Arthur will be upset if you kill him."
The sword through his chest was completely unexpected, but Merlin thought that he should have expected it. King Uther held no qualms against killing sorcerers and Merlin had just gotten in his way. Not only that, but Merlin had practically dishonored him by running onto the field to protect him. And not even for his own sake. "Out of my way sorcerer!" the king yelled, tossing Merlin to the side.
"Merlin!" the knight yelled and suddenly Merlin felt really stupid. How had he not recognized him before now? Above all else, though, he would always recognize the way Arthur called his name. He should have known the only knight who would be willing to protect him even against the wishes of the king was Arthur himself. What an idiot he was.
"Arthur," he whispered before the pain overtook him and his world went black.