Prologue

This story takes place as an alternate unfolding of events in the episode titled, A servant of Two Masters, from season 4.

Last we saw our heroes, Merlin was wounded and unable to walk. Arthur had been carrying him, but then had to put him down to fight off an enemy. An overwhelming number of mercenaries ended up between Arthur and Merlin. To save Arthur, Merlin caused a rock fall that separated Arthur from the mercenaries and subsequently himself. As Arthur screams Merlin's name from the other side of the tower of rocks, Merlin is captured by the mercenaries and falls unconscious.

Chapter 1: Resolve

Arthur stood in his room next to the window. He watched the knights getting ready to ride out on patrol. In his mind's eye, he saw a pyre flaming in the courtyard and jolted back from the window. He grabbed the edge of the chair and took a deep breath. It had been 5 days. 5 days since the horse dragging Merlin's limp body had shown up at the front gates. 5 days since his world had come crashing down around him. In the 2 days after being separated from Merlin by the rock fall, Arthur had thought that even knowing whether Merlin was dead or alive would be better than not knowing. He was wrong. Merlin being dead was much, much more painful. Seeing the tortured corpse, watching his friend's body burn, writing the letter to Hunith, Merlin's mother, even the consolation and pity from those around him, drove a hole deep into his chest.

"Is this my destiny?" He had asked Gaius day before last. "To watch everyone I care about be taken from me one by one?" He choked back sobs; thinking of his Mother, Lancelot, his Father, Merlin, even Morgana, who had been taken in a different way.

"We can never know why some are meant to suffer sire." The old man's voice was gentle and slightly sad. "However, I do believe that you have a great destiny ahead of you, and people, still here, that care about and respect you." The words tore at Arthur's heart. He put his hand on his shoulder and tried to smile. "Of course Gaius. Thank you." Gaius nodded, and Arthur knew that the old man shared his pain. He had been a long time faithful friend of Uther's, and had loved Merlin like a son. In the days following the funeral, he and Gaius had shared their fondest memories of the last few years; and he was thankful for it.

Now though, standing in his room he felt more alone than ever. So much of his daily routine had included Merlin. He still called for him sometimes out of habit. Whenever a door opened he expected to see that goofy grin. And in the moment he realized and remembered, the pain was as fresh as it was 5 days ago.

5 days ago. At first the knights tried to keep the body from him. Percival was carrying Merlin, covered in his cloak, through the courtyard when Arthur got there. Leon and Gwaine tried to block him. Going as far as to actually grab him and push him back. Thinking about it now was preposterous, touching the King like that, but then he hadn't thought about it, he was focused, he had to see, to know it was true. He wrestled away from them and blocked Percival at the stairs. They pleaded with him to let Gaius clean Merlin up first, but he was as stubborn as always. Maybe he should have listened; he wished he would have listened. Percival put the body down and pulled back the cloak.

He hadn't expected it. A large gash ran across one side of Merlin's face, through the eyelid and eye, preventing it from closing. It was hideous against the pale, cool skin of the corpse. A slight smell of decay already clung to the body and tugged at Arthur's nose. Merlin's red shirt was in tatters. One could barely call what remained a shirt. Though caked blood covered most of the chest, the bruising and numerous wounds were unmistakable. Merlin had been tortured, and his death had been long and painful. On his knees next to the body of his friend, Arthur felt like he'd been hit by a boulder. His lungs refused to take in air, and his hands started to tremble. Tears began to well up in his eyes. He did nothing to stop them. The rest was a blur. He didn't remember being lifted by Leon and Elyan and led to his chambers, or Gwen's hand on his as he sat staring at the floor. Eventually he had heard her voice, pulling him out of the haze and fog, carrying hope and strength. She had held him for a while, hours it seemed. And when he was ready, they went to Gaius's chambers.

A knock on the door jolted Arthur out of his thoughts. He tried to stand up straight, and cleared his throat hoping his voice would not crack when he spoke. "Enter."

Agravaine appeared from behind the door. "Your highness," he said bowing his head slightly. "The patrols are ready to ride out. They are awaiting your orders." There was an uneasiness in his uncle's voice; an uneasiness that came from Arthur's suspicions. As much as he had looked to his uncle before, he was unsure of every word that came out of his mouth now. He didn't want to admit it, and despite his uncle's claims of loyalty, Arthur couldn't shake the feeling that Agravaine was not what he appeared. When he had confronted Agravaine about the ambush, his uncle had claimed innocence and then tried to implicate Gaius. Which, anyone who knew Gaius knew that was preposterous. With the events of the last few days, Arthur knew that Gaius never could have betrayed them; because to betray Arthur, would have meant betraying Merlin.

Agravaine was treading carefully, knowing that he had lost ground with his nephew, and was trying to prove himself.

"I'll be right there." Arthur said without meeting his uncle's gaze and dismissed him with a flick of his wrist. As Agravaine exited the chamber, Arthur grabbed his coat and sword and steeled himself. His resolve to put an end to the war with Morgana had never been stronger. He vowed to himself. They would identify the traitor, find Morgana and make whoever was responsible for Merlin's death pay.

Author's Note:

As much as I liked the episode, I didn't love it. I thought the dramatic moments left a lot to be desired in the amount of time and depth of emotion that were shown. I love the dramatic that tugs and pulls at your emotions, (the way Ep 11 of season 1 did). And while we all know the boys care for each other, I felt the producers skimped a little on conveying a real feeling of loss, when Arthur thinks he may have lost Merlin forever. Even the tender moment of the hug, when they are reunited was cut short. Methinks the producers might be trying to minimize the amount of material they give the slashers out there, but oh well...

If you're thinking, 'Man... how can you kill Merlin, he's the main character?'...stay tuned.