Hi! My first merlin fanfic thought that since the series has ended*cries eyes out* I had better get onto writing this. It is set after with all my hart and is an alternative to the rest of the series, just pretend that the rest doesn't happen (but I do like the evil Gwen thing, it doesn't fit my story really though). Just a warning this might end up a long story of got so many thing I want to include and I will try and update once a week. And I am sorry for the spelling and grammar errors, I am not the best at that kind of thing so bear with me. And in the first couple of chapters there will be a lot from Elizabeth's point of view, sorry but it is important and there will be a lot of point of view changes.
Elizabeth was thrown in to the dungeon and chained to the wall. Morgana's cold eyes stared into hers, "you will tell me what you were looking for. It's only a matter of time."
The guard that chained her to the wall passed the large, spiked, dull gray key to her shackles to Morgana and then tightly wrapped a blindfold around her eyes. The sound of Morgana's heels clicking on the stone floor, followed by the rhythmic stride of the guard told her that they had left her to stew in the cell. Sure enough the door clanged shut and locked with a click.
###
Merlin sat on his horse. They were hunting. He hated hunting. Arthur hadn't even managed to catch anything yet; apparently it was his fault. He didn't try to trip. And Merlin suspected that the hunting trip was just an excuse to have a break from being king for a bit. Arthur wasn't trying his hardest and the knights had also picked up on it as they had their crossbows resting on their laps, most not even loaded.
They were riding along near the border where the trees grew close together and reached for the sky, their growth fuelled by the large river that ran alongside them. "Come on Merlin," Gwaine said, riding next to him. "It's not that bad".
"I don't like hunting and I was dragged out of bed early for this, so sorry if I'm not enthusiastic about this trip," Merlin replied, trying to look completely miserable.
"Could be worse," Arthur laughed, "we could be under attack".
Merlin groaned. "Then I would be running around saving you all again".
The knights all smirked, turning back around and not believing that a scrawny person like Merlin could save them from something even as deadly as a fly.
Merlin was watching the knights in front of him, wondering what they would do if they knew the truth. Knew how much he had done for Camelot. Then something hit him in the neck and it was sharp and so Merlin worried for a moment. Then worry was replaced by drowsiness and he slipped sideways off his horse, unconscious.
###
Elizabeth felt feeble light trying to break through the tiny window of the cell. She was still blindfolded. Still in the dark. Morgana must have more important things to be thinking of at the moment as she hadn't come back down to the cell. And Elizabeth didn't mind that much. It gave her longer. Gave her sisters longer. Her sisters would get her out of here. They had to. They were all each other had. They wouldn't leave her here over a stupid mistake. There was a horse tied to a tree with no one around, what was she supposed to do? Leave a chance to make some easy money? It was kind of hard to come by; being a sorcerer you couldn't work legally. When Morgana came back and saw Elizabeth robbing her she was furious. Her little magic was no match for the high priestess. Morgana seemed to think that Elizabeth had been hired to look for a certain object, and had taken her prisoner because of it.
Stupid.
She had known that Morgana was in the area, that was why they had been getting ready to leave that morning. Elizabeth was certain that both her sisters would be on the hunt for her. Jane, the youngest and most serious, would notice quickly when she didn't return. She only hoped they would be here soon.
###
Merlin forced his heavy eyes open. It took his eyes a moment to focus on where he was. He was in a cage. It was beginning to get dim and their kidnappers were sitting around a fire a short distance away finishing off their dinner. The knights were also in the cage, all unconscious. His eyes found Arthur lying slumped against the barred wall with his hands shackled above his head.
At that, Merlin realized that he was chained to the cage wall. He then realized that he had a gold bangle with something engraved in it on his wrist as well. His brain was too foggy to read the engraving, so left it.
He felt very cold. Merlin tried to figure out why but couldn't. It was summer, the wrong time of year to feel so cold. It was inside his bones and sat in his chest. He needed to figure out what was going on.
He decided that trying to get a better look at their kidnappers would be a good first step. He tried to sit himself up, but found the effort too much and slumped back into unconsciousness.
###
Elizabeth heard the door to the cell unlock with a click. Was it her sisters? That was fast.
"Did you have a good night's sleep?" came Morgana's voice. Not her sisters. She was still stuck in this cell.
Something whooshed through the air and sliced through her blindfold and the skin underneath.
The little light that the cell let in blinded her. She was at a disadvantage not being able to see. She desperately blinked trying to get her eyes to focus.
When they finally came into focus she saw Morgana standing in front of her, a dagger hovering in mid air next to her.
"Are you going to tell me what you were looking for?" Morgana asked in a dangerously calm voice.
Elizabeth stayed silent. She had no answer that would satisfy Morgana. The truth wouldn't do. She wouldn't believe it.
"No? Then who are you working for?" Morgana's voice lost some of the dangerous calm. Elizabeth looked into her eyes. They were cold and empty. It was going to be a long and painful day.
To her surprise Morgana didn't use the knife on her when she gave no answer again. Instead she stalked out of the cell and pushed in a terrified looking servant with a plate full of food and a pitcher of water.
There was fruit of all different colors stacked high. Meat with a crisp coating, a proper recipe not just placed over a fire until it was burnt enough to eat. And mushroom soup, not the 'everything-that's-going-off-soon' soup that she usually ate. Her mouth started watering.
The servant placed the tray on the ground close enough so that she could smell it but far enough away that she would never be able to reach it.
The servant then tied a new blindfold around her eyes leaving her alone with the image of delicious food in her mind. She hadn't eaten in two days and that was only a bird Jane had caught. But she had never had a proper carefully prepared meal like that. Even before the great purge.
She knew what Morgana was doing. She was going to starve her and leave food just out of reach. And it was working. Her hatred for Morgana went up. It was working and she couldn't stop it. How could she stop her thoughts when there was nothing to distract her mind?
