Hey again guys! Thanks for the response to the first chapter - it's overwhelming! Thanks to all of you :3 Here's chapter 2 - thanks to Autumndragon for betaing again :)

"Gaius!" Gwen shouted, clutching at her dress to tug it up and jogging after the ageing physician. When he turned, she greeted him with a comforting smile and a reassuring hand on his sleeved arm.

"I just heard about Merlin – one of the servants told me," Gwen said, panting slightly. "How are you coping?"

"As well as one can expect, milady," Gaius replied stiffly. He turned back to the window he had been staring out of prior to the interruption.

"Really, Gaius."

Gaius still did not turn from the window, but said softly, "I love Merlin more than you can begin to fathom, milady." He hesitated before speaking again. "He saved my life before I even knew his name, did you know?"

Gwen shook her head wordlessly and Gaius chuckled softly, tears beginning to glisten in his eyes like morning dew on a blade of quivering grass.

"He has the best heart of anyone I have ever known, Gwen, and I swear to the Gods that if he has been harmed in any way"- he gripped the window's ledge a smidgen harder –"they will pay."

"Rise and shine, sorcerer," Morgana said sweetly. Merlin opened his eyes to see a bleary image of the witch standing behind bars. No, wait…he was behind bars. Morgana was on the other side, slim fingers wrapped around the poles and face split in half where she rested her nose against a bar.

Once she saw his open eyes, the smirk came. "Good morning." The smile turned cruel, lips twisting to the side lopsidedly. "Sleep well?"

"What?" Merlin slurred. He had a hammer beating against his skull and a dull ache that was situated in his stomach.

As a response, Morgana bent over, intentionally giving Merlin a glimpse the full way down the top half of her dress. It failed to draw his interest as she'd hoped, but she carried on regardless.

Straightening up, she hefted with her a leather bucket. The jerking motion caused a liquid inside to slop over the edge slightly and Merlin eyed it worriedly.

Seeing the direction and nature of his gaze, Morgana's smile became a thousand fold more meaningful. "Oh, don't worry," she purred insincerely, "it's only water. I thought you could do with a …wake-up call, if you like."

She took a measured step back and with aggressive precision chucked the contents of the bucket at Merlin. The cold water hit him with more ferocity than a rabid dog and he gasped with surprise. He shivered, his thin shirt sodden and providing no warmth.

"Well, come on," Morgana quipped, suddenly with a manic smile decorating her features. "Not going to let a little water defeat you, are we?"

The way she said 'you' was full of scorn, and that alone was enough to motivate him to clench his teeth but stand up and walk over to the cell's door.

"I'm not going to let anything defeat me, Morgana," he said. He glared at her with such conviction that her smile faltered for a second before coming back crueller and brighter than before.

"We'll see about that. Guards!"

"Put him there."

The guards deposited the squirming man on the stone floor. Morgana studied the soaking servant and then issued her men a command to "leave us," and sat on her throne carved out of wood.

"Who is Emrys?"

Merlin started, both at the sudden sound of her voice in the before silent room and at the words. "How should I know?"

"I know you know. And I advise that you tell me now.

When it was evident she wasn't going to get an answer, Morgana stood up. "I'm giving you a choice Merlin, Merlin." She took out a small dagger and twirled it experimentally. "You can tell me who Emrys is."

Grasping the handle, she walked over to the crouched servant, "Or bleed yourself dry."

Merlin looked up and saw the dagger, but responded calmly, "Like I'd tell you."

The corners of Morgana's smile faltered as her frustration grew. She circled Merlin like a vulture focused on its prey. "The thing is, Merlin, I haven't forgotten everything about my past life. You were always so secretive. I know why now." She crouched down in front of him. "But that doesn't change anything." And resting the blade of her dagger on the nape of Merlin's neck, she whispered, "You will tell me who Emrys is."

"I don't know," Merlin said through gritted teeth. Morgana breathed deeply, trying to calm her anger, and dragged the dagger down slowly, leaving behind a line of blood.

"Such a pity," Morgana said, lifting the knife up and resting it at another point on Merlin's back.

With sudden viciousness, she swiped it across the pale skin. The line turned white and then red with blood, a few droplets spilling out and down across his back.

Merlin's face contorted and he bit his lip to stop any sound escaping.

"Guards! Take him to the dungeons!" Morgana called. She looked down on Merlin and smirked.

On his back was a carved pattern of intricate latticed lines. Each was deep and bleeding, but Merlin had not made a sound during the entire process.

"I admire your bravery, Merlin," Morgana said as her men walked in, "but I will break you."

The hooves made a noise akin to thunder as the group galloped through the woods. A few scattered logs were jumped over or avoided. When it became too dark to see the various rocks and wood, the group stopped, dismounted, and set up camp for the night.

"I wish we could keep going," Gwaine said absent-mindedly to Arthur, pushing stew around in a bowl with his fork.

"So do I, Gwaine," Arthur replied, staring into the fire like it held the answers to everything he wanted to know.

"I think we all do, Sire," Leon agreed, unpacking his saddlebag.

"We'll find him," Elyan added; Percival said nothing but nodded his agreement.

Looking around, Arthur silently thanked them all, and thanked his luck for having such loyal friends.

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