The first thing Merlin noticed when he woke was the eerie silence the surrounded him. No birds were calling, no leaves were rustling, and it unnerved him greatly. The second thing he noticed was that he was alone. The space beside him where Arthur had lain was now just a dent in the ground. Merlin got to his feet and called Arthur's name; expecting him to have just gone for a walk. When no reply came, Merlin ran a hand through his hair, worriedly.
'Arthur?' he whispered, looking around the dark forest. Behind him, a twig snapped, and Merlin whipped his head around just in time to se a large branch swung towards him. He heard a loud crack, and his world went dark as he fell to the ground.
The room in which Merlin awoke was dark and dusty. The black walls were bare, and one single window had been knocked into it, too far from the ground to be able to see out of. The floor was stone, and it dug painfully into Merlin's back as he moved. Merlin struggled to sit up; his hands had been carelessly chained to the wall above his head, and Merlin realised that he could no longer feel his fingers. In front of him stood five men, the one in the centre of the line clearly in charge. Merlin's eyes scanned the men and came to rest on the one stood on the far right. His eyes widened, and his heart bead loudly in his ears.
'Arthur…?' he said, confused. The man in the centre let out a loud, ground-shaking laugh, causing Merlin to flinch and bang his head off the wall. The man's face fell and he rested a steely gaze on Merlin.
'He's ours now.' He said. Merlin flickered his eyes to Arthur, who stood still, almost statue-like, his stone-cold face resting on the wall just above Merlin's head. He did not appear injured, as he had been before, which only confused Merlin further.
'Wh-what have you done to him?' Merlin asked, nervously.
'That's no concern of yours. We will return in exactly one hour. Don't try and escape…' Merlin looked at the man with confused eyes. 'Dracon, stay with'im. Watch Pendragon, an'all.' A tall, red-haired man nodded his head, a grin on his face.
'Sure will, sire.' Another laugh escaped the man's lips as he turned and headed for the door, followed by three others. Merlin's eyes never left Arthur's face. The door shut, and Merlin heard a key turn in the lock, which just made him even more nervous. His palms were sweaty and his eyes were misty with tears, though he tried his hardest to stop them from falling. His head ached, and he longed to be back in the forest, with Arthur by his side.
'Arthur…' he tried, once again. The man that stayed to watch them turned to him with a deathly stare.
'Shut. Up.' He stated, angrily. Merlin shut his eyes and leaned back against the stone wall, his brain trying to find a way to escape. He'd heard the man's warning, and the seriousness in his voice, but Merlin knew he had to get out of this place, to get Arthur out of this place. He opened his eyes, slowly. The small beam of sun that shone through the window was directed at him, and it shone in hiss eyes, almost blinding him. He turned to Arthur and then to the man; Dracon.
'Why are you doing this?' he asked, trying to sound confidently. The man rolled his eyes and turned to him.
'Because I can.'
'But…
'Do you not understand the meaning of shut up!' Merlin flinched as the last words were yelled, and he glanced to Arthur, looking for some sign that he was in there. But he stood in the same position he had before, not moving, not speaking. Barely breathing.
'Apparently not.' Merlin whispered, looking to the floor.
'What was that?!' Merlin's head snapped up, his worried eyes connecting with those of Dracon, who had moved a lot closer.
'N-nothing!' Merlin exclaimed, nervously.
'You're a terrible liar.' Dracon said, a smirk appearing on his lips as he got even closer. All traces of air left Merlin's lungs as a foot connected with his stomach. He doubled over as best he could, his head resting on his knees. Dracon's foot connected with Merlin's side, and Merlin groaned in pain, wishing his hands were free so he could protect himself. Tears fell from his eyes and he was kicked again, and the sound of laughter echoed through his ears.
'Not so tough now your precious king won't help you.' Dracon snapped, gripping onto Merlin's hair and pulling his head backwards. Merlin's eyes connected with Arthur's, and for a moment he could have sworn he saw him smiling.
Thank you for actually bothering to read this rubbish, haha :) Please review! x
