I don't own any of these characters, though if Arthur really is out there I got dibs :P

A/N I've had a few Merlin fanfics in mind but this is the first one I wrote, PLEASE be kind in reading it, any comments (nice preferred) would be greatly appreciated.

Katie sat at the table in the kitchen, her head resting on her arms,

'So how was your evening' Bell asked with a grin

'Good' she smiled, 'At least my roof is now fixed, he was kind enough to get the Thatcher to come by and fix the leak'

'Well when you share his bed more than twice a week no wonder he gives you small favours'

Gwen stood with her back to them, chopping potatoes for the feast that night

'Well I can't say no, can I...' Katie's voice travelled across the room 'remember Abigail, that beggar lady down on the corner, blonde hair, well it now looks brown from all the mud and grim'

'What about her?' Bell asked confused, Belle was just a girl barely 12, so she did not understand the way men's minds worked.

'She used to share his bed, but when refused to continue, she'd fell pregnant to her husband, he threw her from the castle, had her husband hung for high treason on the offence of consorting with a warlock and had her child taken from her the moment it was born. It now is a slave down on the far farm, he doesn't know his mother is still alive...' Katie sounded upset 'Abigail used to walk down and see him when he was still a infant, the farmers wife took pity on her, but now he is old enough to help in the garden they worried she would try and take him, she has no home, no family, no life. Just sits on the corner in the mud and cry's for her stolen son and murdered husband.'

Gwen felt sick, she had only been in the castle a few weeks when this had happened, but she had not found out why she had been tossed to the outer parts of the castles protection till a few months ago. Gwen had begged Katie not to get involved with him, he had power and would not take no for an answer, so she had given in. She now was to meet him in his chamber, his guards forbidden to tell another soul of who or what they saw, and let him do as he wished to her. For the moment he was toying with her, giving her small gifts and rewards but they would eventually stop and he would seek another to warm his sheets.

Merlin...Merlin...Merlin

'You are to come to my chamber tonight, I have a requirement of you' He whispered into her ear as she filled his goblet with wine. She froze

'You understand me?'

'Yes My lord' she whispered, wishing to run from the hall and lock herself in her tiny house where her father would hold her close and tell her everything was going to be alright, just as he had when she was a child.

Merlin...Merlin...Merlin

'I can't!' she said almost sobbing to him

'He can't make you do that!' Merlin strode around the room looking angry

'His the KING! Merlin, I HAVE to' she sobbed

'But you're not married'

'Oh Merlin, you simple man, he does not care if I am pure or not he only wishes to bed me then use me to...relieve his tension' She gagged

'You can't! What about when you get married?'

'I'm a servant , we don't get married Merlin, I have to do as my King tells me...even if it kills me to do so'

'But!'

'No buts Merlin...' she sobbed ' He'll punished me if I don't, he'll take my father and lock him up, burn my home and make it look like an accident, he'll kick me from the castle and I'll become a beggar on the street, dying from starvation and the cold' She wrapped her arms around her knees and buried her head.

'You don't love him! You love Arthur!'

'No I don't!' she squealed

'Yes you do!

'I…I…'

'Don't deny it' he cut across her 'And I have a feeling he feels the same about you'

'You do' She looked up and smiled then that smile turned to a stricken face. 'He can't love me, I'm a servant, who has to share the bed of his father' she broke into sobs.

'We'll figure something out, he might not want you to sleep with him, he might want you to... fix the curtains or something' he rallied his thoughts trying to come up with a plan to save his best friend from one of the worst faits. She half chuckled

'If he wanted his curtains fixed why do I have to go to him at night?'

'Errr...' Merlin thought, she was right. ' Do you trust me?'

'Of course'

'I will find a way to stop him'

'You can't Merlin'

'I will' he said, making his promise more to himself then to her.

Merlin...Merlin...Merlin...

'Arthur, you love her, just admit it!' Merlin said following him around the stable after his evening ride down to the town to check with the post guard that everything was in order.

'I...I do not' Arthur could not face Merlin as he said this

'You do! And she needs your help!'

'What happened!' he rounded on Merlin 'is she hurt, did something happen to her father, is she in danger? TELL me Merlin!' he had grabbed his shoulders

'Look at yourself! You do love her!'

'MERLIN' His voice made it obvious that this was not the time

'She...she's been summoned to your fathers chambers tonight' Merlin said not meeting Arthur's piercing gaze.

'She's what?' Arthur let go of Merlin clutching his stomach; it felt as though a knife had been thrust into him. No! His father could not have His Gwen, he could not treat her as an object, she was an angel, His angel. He had to stop it.

'She's been ordered to meet him in his chamber tonight, I don't know why' Merlin lied

'I do!' Arthur spat through gritted teeth 'My father...' he gagged on the word 'Takes pleasure of bedding the women of the castle' He tightened his grip around his sword

'He wants Gwen!' Merlin looked appalled

'Yes, but his NOT going to have her!' Arthur turned and began to run out of the stables towards the castle.

Merlin...Merlin...Merlin...

'Sit on the bed' Uther ordered. Gwen stood frozen by the door

'I said, sit on the bed!' She took a step forward and then another. She felt like running from the room, jumping from the window, anything to not be heading towards the bed.
Uther stood by the arch into the room where his desk sat, along with his prized belongings.

Gwen shook as she sat down.

'You realise that if you tell a soul about what happens here, I'll have your family taken from you, your house destroyed and you'll die on the streets as a lowly beggar and be forever known as a liar' this man was evil, pure evil.

Gwen nodded. A tear running down her cheek. Uther moved over to the bed and ignoring the tears sliding down her face pulled the ribbon of her dress out of its neat bow. He made quick work of her over dress and pulled it off carelessly. He then removed his fur drape that he wore around his shoulders.

'Remove your shoes' he ordered as he pulled off his own, one at a time. He was still standing beside her, but one hand held the four-poster bed of support as he took each boot off. Gwen slowly removed her slipper like shoes, dropping them to the floor at her feet. She stayed, perched on the edge of the huge bed terrified. Her white under dress all she had covering her mocha skin from the Kings hungry stare. He sat down on the bed behind her and stroked the bare bit of her back with his crusty fingers. Gwen's hands bawled into fists in her dress, she had to stop herself from swinging around and hitting him. Uther pushed the strap of her dress off her shoulder and kissed her bare skin. She reacted with out thinking; her hand swung up and punched him in the side of the jaw. He fall back against the bed in pain, swearing. He growled angrily as she ran for the door but he was off the bed in a flash, lunging for her, catching her around the waist, pushing them both into the floor. Her head span from hitting the solid floor. Uther turned her over, she screamed for help. Surely the guards outside would help her?

Uther pinned her right arm by her head and her right down near her waist, he moved his head forward, she tossed her head about madly but he forced his lips onto hers with crushing force. Gwen wriggled underneath him, trying to toss him off, she finally brought her knee up and hit him in the groin. He roared in pain and slapped her across the face, splitting her cheek. She screamed for help. He put his hand over her mouth

'Shut up!' he spat. She bit him. As his second blow to her face wrenched a scream of agony from her Arthur burst through the doors. The site of his father pinning the women he loved to the ground by his knees and punching her filled him with such anger it was a blur of red images. He was ripping his father off her before either had realised Arthur had entered the room. Uther looked angry to be stopped and horrified that it was by his son.

'Guards!' Arthur yelled, four men raced into the room, as they had wished to ever since Gwen had entered.

'Take this ANIMAL to the dungeon! Let him rot for all I care' They grabbed Uther and dragged him from the room. They hated their King, he was a terrible king, and an even worse man. Uther yelled at the guards to let him go, at Arthur to have them release him and at Gwen who lay on the floor, he spat on her as he has dragged past, the guard on the right punched him in the gut 'That's NOT how to treat a lady!'

Arthur ran to Gwen's side and dropped to his knees. Looking down on her, her dress ripped with spots of her own blood and her face, tears and injures across it. Yet she still looked beautiful.

'Gwen! Gwen I'm SO sorry' He choked; he gently slipped a hand under her neck and pulled her into a sitting position.

'Arthur, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry' she sobbed

'Why are you sorry?' He looked shocked

' He'll punish you, he's going to hurt you because of ME...'

'No!' he cut across her 'Gwen, his not going to get away with this! He can't do this to women let alone the one that I love! I will not let him out of that cell! He will die in there!' he growled

'You...you love me?' She stammered, the tears had stopped

'Yes!' Arthur looked her in the eyes and smiled 'I love you' He grabbed the corner of his shirt and gently whipped away the blood that was taking away from her beauty. She had a deep gash on her left cheek and two large bruises that were already appearing. He cringed at the terrible marks his father had made on her. He lend forward and kissed the bruise on her forehead gently, as to not cause any more pain to her.

'Arthur! I just saw your father being dragged down to the dungeon! What's going on?' He skidded to a halt at the door, looking at Arthur holding Gwen, as they sat on the floor.

'He hit Gwen!' Arthur growled, Merlin looked shocked, outraged and appalled all at once. He raced forward and dropped to his knees on the other side of her, one look at her battered face made Merlin want to use all his magic to hurt Uther a thousand times more then he had hurt her.

'Merlin run down to Gaius, tell him I'm bringing Gwen down' Arthur picked her up in his arms and slowly got to his feet. Merlin squeezed Gwen's hand, which she squeezed back then ran he out off the room. Slowly Arthur made his way to the door, turning on his side to walk them both through.

'Gwen I am SO sorry I wasn't here sooner, I could have stopped him hurting you' Arthur looked her in the eyes, wanting her to know just how sorry he was.

'Your here now Arthur, and I love you too' She put her hand on his cheek and smiled the smile he loved so much.

Bones. Please Review! Any advice would be LOVED!