Title: What if?
Pairings: Arthur/Merlin
Spoilers: Um roughly the whole series I guess just to be safe?
WARNINGS: Oh god… Major character death (sort of 0_o) angst, mentions of torture, little bit of blood… stupid Uther?
Disclaimer: Merlin not mine *sob* It's the BBC's though I want to rob them and get away with Bradley and Colin ^_^
Summary: What if the Legend never happened? What if Merlin was caught? What if Uther's vengeance of magic made him so blind that no one was safe?
Notes: Ok this is completely un-betaed because I didn't have the heart to give it to her. I didn't want to upset her anymore! Slightly different style for me. This is why I shouldn't work. Inspired by the film 'The Other Bolyn Girl'. Please don't kill me _. If you like dark endings, stop at the second break!
Dark.
Wet.
Cold.
Hard.
Pain.
Burning.
Tearing.
Warmth.
Arms.
Lips.
Arthur.
Blood.
Pain.
Magic.
Distant.
Anger.
Tears.
Bruises.
Welts.
Torn.
Broken.
Pain.
Oblivion.
-x-
The light hurt when it hit their eyes, both men winced. Being kept in a shadowed cell had done nothing to help that. The courtyard was near silent, despite the crowd that filled it. Faces. So many. It seemed as if all of Camelot was there. So many emotions, sorrow, fear, respect and also anger. The anger was not directed at him, or Merlin. That anger was for one person and one alone and he was standing on the balcony looking down at them with disgust written on his face. Beside him, Morgana stood helplessly. Instead of her delicately pale visage, she seemed to have turned a slight shade of green. Her eyes were red from shedding too many tears. Uther's hand held her neck firmly, keeping her in place, making her watch what was about to happen. Arthur scowled at Uther. He hated that man. He didn't think that hate was the right word, but he could think of nothing worse to describe the burning within him.
Merlin looked around the crowd and finally found the face he was looking for. Gwen. He had told her to stay away, but knew that she wouldn't. She wanted to be there, to show her support, even at the end. Her face looked washed out and her eyes were puffy, no doubt she had shed her tears along with her mistress. Uther had taken a step too far this time and everyone knew it. The only one who could have stood against him was the one that was being accused of treason in the first place. If Uther would not listen to his own son, the people knew they were doomed.
Merlin and Arthur were led through the crowd to the platform that had been erected in the centre of the square. There was no baying for blood, there were no words of hatred, everyone parted respectfully. Finally, the two prisoners were turned to face the king.
"Merlin Emrys. You are accused of being a sorcerer. The punishment of which, is death. Arthur Pendragon. You are accused of being a traitor to the crown by harbouring the sorcerer Merlin Emrys. How do you plead?" Arthur tilted his chin in defiance.
"I was only doing what was right. Protecting him from you. A duty I failed in."
"Your duty was to Camelot. Your duty was to your king, not some servant boy. A sorcerer. Your duty was to your father!"
"I have no father!" Arthur's eyes burned with pure anger. Uther glared back. They held each other's gazes for a moment, before Uther nodded.
Arthur was pulled up on to the platform and pushed down on to his knees, in a perverted imitation of subservience, but Arthur did not drop his head. He would not bow to the man who he once called kin, his own flesh and blood. Arthur could see the executioner's block nearby, but it would not be his neck that rested upon it. That was for the common folk, the sorcerers, Merlin. His heart wrenched as he could see even from here the axe would not be sharp enough. They wouldn't even give his lover a decent death. Damn them!
He saw a shadow in his peripheral vision and took a better look. A man dressed in black, holding a weapon he recognised very well. So, his death would be by Uther's own sword, if not by his hand. Arthur would have recognised the blade anywhere.
It was at this moment that Arthur saw the weak man that the king truly was. He could not even have the gall to kill Arthur himself. He had to pass it on. Everything had to be passed on to someone else. Arthur felt truly sorry that he would be leaving his people in the hands of the tyrant above them. He would not feel sorry for Uther.
"Arthur. Please reconsider. I will overlook this matter."
"I will not! I love him!"
"That is not love. I will not have my son committing sodomy with his servant!"
"And that's what this is about really isn't it. You can't stand that I have Merlin in my bed every night, fucking him. Letting him fuck me. A mere servant. That's what this is really about." Arthur hated using such derogatory words for what he and Merlin had and did but he knew it was what would get to his father. Uther turned as red as his cloak.
Merlin watched the exchange and wished that Arthur would take Uther's offer. There was no reason for the prince to die. But Merlin knew he wouldn't. His pride would never allow Merlin to die on his own. He was about to give his life for Merlin and Merlin would quickly join him. In all of their shared dreams of Camelot they had never envisioned this end. And with Arthur's blood spilt, Camelot would fall. By Uther's hand, Albion would crumble.
Arthur's eyes skimmed over the crowd. He noticed how each person looked at him with admiration and pride. The hope that had once burned there had long since faded but even in his darkest hour, the people still loved their prince. The knights stood near the back of the crowd, each man stood with his fist to his chest, each standing in salute to honour their lord. All of them looked upon him and his lover as if they were saints, martyrs, dying for their cause. He knew that even after all this, they would both be remembered. Uther would not. He finally looked at Merlin. His wonderful, beautiful, magical Merlin. His heart nearly broke and he nearly succumbed to the tears that he managed to hold in check.
He had no real idea of the extent to which they had tortured him. But as he had held his lover when they had returned him to their cell, he had seen some of their work and it had sickened him. Every bone in each had had been broken. His body had beaten and brushed. His back had been shredded with a barbed whip. The worst, and it still made Arthur's stomach heave to think about it, was that they had cut out his tongue, so that he could not speak any magic. Arthur knew it was also so that Merlin could then not say anything against the king. It seemed that the only place they had not touched was his eyes so that he could see Arthur's death himself and know that he was to blame. At least that was Uther's thinking.
Arthur had been left alone, dressed in his white shirt, brown breeches and boots. They had only chained his wrists just as they were leading him out of the cell. Merlin they had given little courtesy. He had only been allowed his breeches. His body was left for all to view his punishment and his feet had been left bare so that the stone cobbles could rip at them as he was being led to his death.
It was because of this that Arthur hated Uther so much. Simple deaths they could have both dealt with, but the pointless torture first. It was barbaric. Arthur knew it was another ploy to try and get him to change his mind, but it had only made him more determined. Uther would loose his only heir. Uther would loose his last connection to his precious dead wife. Uther would loose everything.
"Any last words?" Uther said, his voice only just held in check. Arthur gave him a cursory glance before he turned to look at Merlin once more.
"I'm sorry, Merlin. I failed you. I love you." When Uther could see that Arthur's last words were to the sorcerer his own anger flared.
"Enough!" He drew his hand across his throat. The executioner picked up the sword and swung it. Arthur's body fell.
Merlin was quickly dragged up onto the platform and shoved firmly against the block. He could still hear the sobs of the people nearby, as they mourned their fallen prince. He could see a spray of blood in front of him, Arthur's blood. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a wisp of golden hair. He shut his eyes tightly.
"I would ask if you had any last words, sorcerer, but you do not deserve them, even if you could talk." A few gasps and murmurs grew from the crowd as they realised why Merlin had remained silent throughout the exchange. It seemed the tyrant king would stoop to any level. "You have taken my son from me and for that this death is not enough for you. Whatever lies beyond this life, I hope you suffer." His voice was filled with venom, but Merlin let it wash over him. He let Arthur's last words comfort him. He felt a tear trickle down his nose then heard the swish of the axe.
-x-
Merlin sat up abruptly, sweating heavily and barely breathing. His eyes were wide with fear as he took in his surroundings. He rubbed his neck where it still tingled, then rubbed his hair back from his face where it had stuck to him. He took a deep breath and tried to stop shaking. A warm hand slid around his waist.
"Hey. Are you alright?" A sleep heavy voice rumbled in the darkness.
"Yeah." Merlin sighed back. "Just a bad dream." Arthur sat up beside him, his hand rubbing up Merlin's back.
"You're shaking. Come here." Merlin gave Arthur a quick glance over just to prove to his mind that his lover was alive and well and right next to him, then fell into his arms. The prince held him until his shaking had eased.
"Arthur?"
"Mmmhum?"
"Don't leave me." Arthur wrapped his arms tighter around his lover and rested his cheek against the dark hair.
"I never want to leave you, Merlin. Never. I love you."
"I love you too." Merlin breathed deeply.
"Here. Let me help you forget." Merlin nodded and turned so that he could kiss his lover. His prince. His king.
In Arthur's arms he felt invincible. In Arthur's arms he could live forever.
-END-
In a matter of interest I did some research! (off of wikipedia)
Decapitation has been used as a form of capital punishment for millennia. The terms "capital offence", "capital crime", "capital punishment," derive from the Latin caput, "head", referring to the punishment for serious offenses involving the forfeiture of the head; i.e. death by beheading[3]. Decapitation by sword (or axe, a military weapon as well) was sometimes considered the "honorable" way to die for an aristocrat, who, presumably being a warrior, could often expect to die by the sword in any event; in England it was considered a privilege of noblemen to be beheaded. This would be distinguished from a "dishonorable" death on the gallows or through burning at the stake. In medieval England, high treason by nobles was punished by beheading; male commoners, including knights, were hanged, drawn, and quartered; female commoners were burned at the stake.
In countries where beheading was the usual means of capital punishment, such as in Scandinavia, the noblemen would be beheaded with a sword, symbolizing their class as a military caste, thus dying by an instrument of war, while the commoners would be beheaded with an axe.
So the beeb still can't get it right. Sticking to what they used is why Merlin looses his head rather than being hung, drawn and quatered. But I loved the idea that Arthur died by the sword. But that's just me being morbid! ^_^ Now I've messed up loads of fanfiction probably! But you can use it for future reference!