A/N: O.O Wow! 33 reviews, 67 alerts, and 23 favorites – just for the first chapter alone! WOWSERS! Thank you guys SO much, I'm uber glad you're enjoying this so much, and I hope that this second installment won't disappoint! This chapter gets a bit intense but nothing terrible. ;) Uh… and I don't know if I said this first chapter, but this is friendship. :) Please review!
Ransoming Emrys
Chapter Two
Merlin wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew that it was not good.
He could feel the leader's calloused hand on his face, gripping his jaw tightly. His neck was open and vulnerable, bared save for the thin neckerchief tied around it that would offer no protection whatsoever. His head rested on the man's shoulder – not voluntarily – and he struggled vainly, trying to break free, to lift his head up. The man behind him grabbed a handful of Merlin's hair in his other hand and yanked it, effectively stilling Merlin's struggling and causing him to gasp in pain. Merlin could see Arthur a few feet away, still kneeling on the grass with hands tied behind him, frozen in place by magic.
Arthur's eyes were livid, raging pools of angry blue fire as he glared at the man who had Merlin captive. Now that he was defenseless, the other fifteen or so men that had helped subdue him were milling about the small clearing, about half of them standing in a small circle around Arthur, Merlin, and the former druid. A few others were unpacking a leather bag – taking out a long coil of rope, a glass vial filled with a sickly green liquid, and several strips of cloth. They did all this behind the leader and Merlin so that Arthur could see exactly what they were taking out of the bag and he did not like the looks of it.
Merlin's magic was frothing frantically inside of him, wrestling with his will to keep it in check. Merlin gritted his teeth, trying to keep control of his powers that were trying to spring to his aid. He knew he could do nothing right now. These men, whoever they were, were powerful. Every single one of them possessed some degree of magic – Merlin could sense it. Some barely contained enough to make a pebble float, but at least five of them had impressive amounts of power and the leader was no exception. He was dangerous, powerful, and deadly and would surely kill Arthur if Merlin stepped out of line.
He wondered what these people wanted with him. They obviously knew about the prophecies of the druids – the leader had said something about once being a devout druid – and they were undoubtedly after Emrys. But why? Were they going to try to bend his power to their will? Did they want to stop him from bringing magic back to the land? No, that last one didn't make sense, Merlin mused, because if they had magic they were just as endangered as Merlin himself. And yet they didn't seem to hold a grudge against the prince even though he was Uther's son.
In this case, Arthur was being treated basically like Merlin would be in any other situation – as the leverage to make sure the target cooperates. Merlin held back a snort – he didn't think they would appreciate him laughing when they were in the middle of capturing him – as he thought about how offended Arthur must be by now. How does it feel to know you're not the only one people will go out of their way to kidnap?
The stupid, fleeting thought left his mind mere seconds after he thought it as he realized, yet again, what a desperate situation he was in. He could fight back with his magic, yes – despite the leader's obvious power, Merlin was still the most powerful man here – but at what cost? All it would take would be one word in the Old Religion and Arthur would be dead. And even if Arthur wasn't in the picture, there were fifteen men, all with magic of varying strengths, surrounding him. He would more than likely be overpowered before he could take them all out.
He let out a frustrated sigh that caused Arthur to stop sending the man gripping his servant's jaw and hair death glares and meet Merlin's eyes instead. Merlin saw the conflicting emotions in his master's eyes when their gazes locked. Worry. Anxiety. Helplessness. Confusion. And above all – a rage, a fierce wave of protective anger as he watched his servant, his friend, being man-handled by a thug that wanted to do him harm. Merlin couldn't stand to see Arthur look so conflicted so he gave his prince a half-smile and muttered, "Don't worry, Arthur. It's fine."
Arthur's jaw clenched and his eyes roved to meet the leader's. "Why are you doing this? What could you possibly want with Merlin?"
Merlin couldn't help but feel a tiny bit offended at Arthur's demeaning words. I'm not worthless, he thought ruefully. He was pleased that Arthur was trying to help him all the same.
The sorcerer didn't answer right away. Instead, he barked out, "Arian! The potion, please." A short, broad man with bulging muscles lumbered forward, the same green liquid Arthur had noticed earlier clutched in a meaty fist. Arthur's eyes widened and Merlin felt a wave of nausea sweep over him at the sight of the potion . He didn't know what it was or what it was capable of but he could tell that whatever it was, it would not do him any favors.
The men gripping Merlin's arms grabbed him even tighter, forcing him to stay still. The leader squeezed Merlin's jaw and cheeks – hard – and forced his lips to pucker. Merlin began fighting frantically, squirming and kicking and flailing, but a quick yank of his hair and Arian's free hand brutally backhanding him stilled him once more. He heard a wordless roar coming from Arthur's direction, felt the sting of the blow and the tickle of blood seeping from a cut in his lip. His stomach muscles clenched in fear and anticipation as he tried to steady his breathing. His magic fought to escape him, to do something to protect him, but he held it back. They said they would kill Arthur if he used magic against them and he didn't doubt that they would.
Merlin felt the leader's hand squeeze his face again. The hand gripping his hair pulled up and the other hand dragged his jaw down. His mouth forcibly opened, the well-muscled Arian poured the entire contents of the vial into Merlin's mouth. Despite his best efforts not to drink it, his muscles reacted reflexively and he found himself swallowing the vile green potion that tasted like swamp water.
The moment the liquid hit his system, Merlin knew something was wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong. Had they poisoned him? No, surely not… they wanted him, needed him for some reason… they'd come to capture him… hadn't they?
If he wasn't being poisoned, then why did his body, his very being, his bloodstream and heart burn with an icy fire? Why did his head explode with pain and his stomach roll with nausea? Why did his body seize up and convulse lightly a few times? He didn't know the answer to these questions, but he did know that he was more than grateful when it was over and he sunk into black oblivion.
Arthur literally saw red when the man Arian brought his meaty fist back and smashed his hand into Merlin's face causing a small stream of blood to trickle from the corner of his mouth. Arthur just couldn't comprehend why anyone would want to hurt Merlin in the first place. Sure, he was annoying and didn't know when to shut up and often Arthur would smack him lightly upside the head or threaten to feed him to the dogs, but he didn't mean it. Merlin knew that, and so did Arthur. But this…
It was bad enough to see the men converging on his helpless servant, dragging him forward, grabbing his face, baring his throat. It was horrid enough to watch them hold him still, grab his hair… But to actually, physically hit him, and as hard as that scum had. There was a vivid red handprint on his face and a trickle of blood on his lip. Merlin was so harmless. He hated violence, didn't like killing – not even animals in a hunt, which Arthur couldn't understand because hunting was great fun – and had done nothing – nothing – to deserve this treatment.
He had seen people hit before – hell, he had hit people before – but never with such malicious intent. And never had the victim been Merlin.
He let out a roar of defiance, struggling with all his might to break through the restraining spell but to no avail. He could only watch as Merlin stopped struggling, blinking heavily after the vicious slap. He gritted his teeth angrily as the leader forced his mouth open and the same man that had hit him poured the green liquid down his throat. Arthur watched the neckerchief move along with the Adam's apple once more as Merlin reflexively swallowed the potion. Anxiety plagued him as he watched, waited for anything to happen. He wondered what on earth they had given Merlin – surely not poison; who would kidnap a dead person?
He watched helplessly as the potion almost instantly kicked it, causing Merlin's face to screw up in agony and his eyes to become unfocused. The men holding him let him go and he dropped to the ground, convulsing a few times before blacking out. Arthur could see the steady rise and fall of his chest and he knew that Merlin was still alive. Anger still dominated every inch of his being as he looked at Merlin, anger at the men for hurting Merlin, angry at Merlin for being in this situation, and angry at himself for caring so much. Merlin was, after all, just a servant.
Or at least that was what Arthur tried to tell himself.
Seething, he demanded. "What was that? What did you do to him?"
The leader smiled but there was no warmth in it. "Don't worry, my liege. The potion we have given Emrys is merely something to make him more… manageable. When he awakes in a few minutes, he won't be as much of a threat." He smirked.
Arthur stared. He really didn't understand. Surely these men had Merlin confused with someone else, a dangerous man named Emrys that they, for some reason, wanted. Arthur took it upon himself to inform them of their mistake. "You've got the wrong person," he announced haughtily, scoffing at their mistake.
The leader simply raised one brown eyebrow. His light blue eyes twinkled with malice. "Have I, now?"
Arthur tried to nod but then remembered he had been spelled so that he couldn't move. He settled for saying, "Yes. The man you look for, this Emrys, he is not here. This is Merlin. He's certainly not dangerous, and he's just a simple servant. You have no reason to take him. If you leave us – now – then I can assure you that your sentence will not be as severe."
The clearing thundered with the laughter of fifteen men. The leader nodded at a few of them, who hastily gathered the rope and strips of cloth and knelt next to the unconscious Merlin. Arthur watched as they grabbed Merlin's limp arms and bound them tightly with the end of the rope, lashing his wrists together and leaving about two yards of rope dangling from his hands. Another man took one of the strips of cloth and jammed it into Merlin's unresisting mouth, taking another cloth and tying it around his mouth and head, effectively gagging him. The leader himself crouched beside the still servant, checking meticulously that the bonds were strong. Arthur watched all this, dazed and confused at the precautions these men were taking to secure the skinny servant.
"Why are you doing this?" Arthur demanded again. "What could you possibly gain by taking Merlin? He's a servant, has no money, is of no value to anyone and is a terrible fighter. If anyone is a better captive, that you can gain more from, it's me." He swallowed heavily. "I'm the prince of Camelot. Merlin's just my servant."
The man harrumphed and strode up to Arthur, crouching in front of him so they were eye level. "I don't deny that we could make a hefty profit off of you, boy. And if you really want to be taken prisoner, I'm sure there are lots of bandits that stalk these woods looking for a pretty prince like you." He grinned maliciously. "As for me and my folk, we are smart. We know how dangerous it is to take the prince for ransom. So we figured we'd take someone that the knights of Camelot aren't going to hunt us down and slaughter us for."
Arthur thought that the man had lost his mind. It just didn't make sense. "What's the point," he said slowly, as if talking to a very stupid child, "in taking someone hostage if there's no one rich enough to pay your ransom?"
Arian came to stand beside his master and grinned a rotting, terrible smile. "Ah, but there's more'n one person that'll pay damn good money to get that lit'll package as their own."
Arthur's stomach shifted as fear for Merlin plagued him. Keeping his voice steady, trying to sound like he didn't care what happened to the trouble-magnet of an idiot, he asked, "Who would want to buy Merlin?"
Before Arian or his leader could respond, there was movement on the leafy grass as Merlin began to come to. Arian smirked at Arthur before walking over to Merlin and kicking him lightly in the side but hard enough to make him gasp beneath the gag. Merlin blinked a few times, confused and panicked as he realized his hands were bound and he was gagged with a mass of cloth. He struggled to sit up, his eyes slightly unfocused. Arthur turned his attention to his servant, who was now being yanked to his feet by one of the bandits via the length of rope hanging from his tied wrists.
"Merlin?" Arthur demanded, seeing his servant's eyes wandering around, presumably trying to find Arthur. Merlin's eyes widened and he tried to surge forward, to help Arthur, the selfless moron, but was held back by several pairs of hands. The look in his eyes was wild and scared and there seemed to be something missing in them. A spark of… something… that Arthur had never noticed until it was absent. "Merlin, it's okay. I won't let them take you."
The leader laughed as he ordered the men to pack up and get ready to leave. Merlin swayed on his feet again and Arthur asked, "What did you give him? What's wrong with him?"
The former druid grinned easily and motioned for Merlin to be brought forward, led along by the rope around his hands like a dog on a leash. Arthur was pulled to his feet, his legs only working when the sorcerer allowed them to and he and Merlin were almost eye to eye. He tried to look at Merlin, to reassure him that all would be okay but Merlin seemed to be purposely avoiding his gaze. The man looked giddy as if he were about to reveal a juicy secret.
"No worries, your highness, the potion will wear off in a couple of days. We just need to make sure Emrys is kept under control until we can get him to our camp." He leaned in closer, eyes glued to Arthur's face. "It just subdues and weakens a person's magic so they're not as much of a threat."
Merlin's face paled and Arthur blinked a few times trying to understand what had just been said. He had just been told that Merlin had magic? He didn't believe it, of course he didn't… Did he?
Before he could further react to the man's statement, the leader took the slack rope from Merlin's bonds and yanked, making Merlin stumble and fall flat on his face. He scrambled awkwardly to his feet as the man continued to walk, dragging him along behind like an animal. Arthur could see that Merlin was angry about the treatment but also terrified. Was he scared because of what was happening to him… or because of what had been told to Arthur? No… surely not. He should know that Arthur wouldn't believe such lies.
"Good-bye, Arthur Pendragon," the leader called as the band of men converged around the servant and the leader, making the already impossible escape even more hopeless. "Once we're safely out of the way and have covered our tracks, you'll be free to move once more. I bid you farewell."
Arthur tried to surge forward but to no avail. "MERLIN!" he bellowed, not believing that this was happening, that his servant – his friend – was being dragged away from him by a band of criminals.
He could do nothing but watch as they dragged Merlin out of the clearing and disappeared into the trees. He was alone, unable to move, and his heart was racing. He couldn't help but hear the man's voice in his mind, over and over, telling him that Merlin had magic. That just wasn't possible. He tried to move again but to no avail. He knew that by the time he could free himself, there would be no way of finding them again. He had to go back to Camelot, tell his father that there were a dangerous band of sorcerers lurking in the woods, and convince him to send Arthur out with knights to catch them. Admittedly, he was more interested in freeing Merlin than actually catching the sorcerers – although he'd love to see them pay for their crimes, especially the one that had callously struck a defenseless servant, Arian.
And he also wanted to do some research. If he could find out who the real Emrys was and why the band of men thought that Merlin was one and the same, that could provide an explanation of why they seemed to believe that Merlin was a sorcerer and hopefully give him some clues about where and why they had taken the servant.
Until then, all Arthur could do was wait for the spell to lift.
A/N: Dun dun DUUUUN! What's going to happen next? What do the criminals have in mind with Merlin? What will Arthur uncover about his elusive "Emrys"? Will Uther send knights out after the ex-druids? And does Merlin have an escape plan forming? Will Arthur find out Merlin's secret? So many questions… :) And I promise, they WILL be answered soon. But for now, PLEASE review and let me know what you thought of the second chapter. Chapter three will be up within a week, if not a bit sooner. XD
~Emachinescat ^..^
