The first thing he noticed was the ground. Hard, cold, and extremely wet. Uncomfortable, as if it were biting his back and head. He let his fingers twitch a little, getting the sensation back into them. Next was the air: hot, sticky, hard to breathe in. The kind of air you breathed in underground. It smelt of rotten, dead carcasses, foul manure, and something else - something… sickening. Even worse than the smell of rotting flesh and decaying horse droppings. Something fresh.
Gwaine brought his hand to his chest, patting it. His armor was missing, and as he pulled his hand to his side he realized his sword was gone too. All he had on was his underclothes, much to his dismay. It was freezing.
Gwaine coughed, finding it hard to breathe in everything around him. He brought his hand to his mouth, swiping away the mud he felt caked on his face. He crinkled his nose at the distasting smell as he slowly lifted one eyelid, and then the next. He panicked for a moment as he stared only at complete darkness.
I've gone blind!His mind reeled at the thought. He rubbed his eyes reverently, making them red if he could've seen himself. But he stopped when he found himself looking as his hands, or at least, the outline of them. He pulled them away from his face, watching as they disappeared into the dark abyss.
Great.He thought, realizing the darkness was going to make everything that much more difficult. Whatever that "everything" was. He couldn't remember anything. It was all foggy.
Gwaine sighed in dismay at his fallen memory. He stretched out both of his legs, took a deep breath, and forced himself into a sitting position. He tried to ignore the constant pounding in his head by squeezing his eyes tightly closed and rubbing his temples with his thumbs. He hissed at the pain that shot through his hand as he did this, remembering he had broken it. He brought it down and cradled it for a second, before something hit him.
"Merlin!" Gwaine exclaimed. Where was he? Was he near him? Was he hurt? It would be hard to tell without being able to see anything. He remembered what condition the man had been in before he had woken up. He only prayed he wasn't…gone. He cringed at the word.
"Merlin!" Gwaine said loudly again. He got on his knees and held his arms in front of him; reaching for anything in touching distance. He began to crawl around, desperate to find his friend. He couldn't let anything happen to him. He wouldn't. He didn't go far before his fingers touched metal. He closed his hand around the object.
Bars.
"Damn." He cursed. He grasped two bars and shook them, but fell back with a sigh when they didn't budge.
So we've been taken prisoner.Gwaine thought. But why?He rubbed his face again, wiping away the remaining dirt on his forehead. He began to crawl around again, patting the floor in front of him as he went. If he were to stumble upon a still unconscious Merlin, he surely didn't want to step on him.
"Merlin." Gwaine whispered. Eventually he came to an end. A wall. He patted it, finding it wet and sticky. As he ran his hand across it he felt moss growing along it. Were they in a cave? Underground? Gwaine decided to go along it, using it as a guide around the cell. He left one hand running along it while the other helped him move forward. He tried not to think of what else was on the wall besides the wet moss. Either way he thought about it, he shuddered.
"Merlin, where are-"
"Umf." Gwaine stopped, heart pounding and arms shaking. He kept his hand on the object he had just pushed on. He gripped the cloth beneath his fingers and rubbed it between his thumb and index. A smile traced across his lips.
"Merlin!" Gwaine shouted. "Thank God." He leaned forward and searched for Merlin's face with his hands. When he found it, he laid the back of his hand on his forehead. "You're burning up, my friend." Gwaine said with a soft tone this time. He laid a hand on his shoulder. When the young man didn't answer, Gwaine shook him. "Merlin, come on."
"Mmm." Merlin muttered. "Gwaine, shhh."
Gwaine sighed with relief. His friend was alright. Or at least…he was alive. But all that mattered was that he was awake. The worry that had been etched on his face for the past few minutes quickly faded away. "Does anything hurt?"
There was a long pause in which there was only silence. Finally, Merlin spoke. "Ma-head." He murmured. "And…" He groaned. "Everything." Without opening his eyes, he shifted himself onto his back. He brought his hand to his shoulder and rubbed it. "Where…" He stopped. His voice was raspy and dry. He tried clearing his throat. "Where are we?" He rubbed his throat in protest to his voice.
"I wish I knew." Gwaine sighed with stress. "I can't seem to remember anything." He paused for a moment, remembering Merlin's past ordeal. He patted the young man's shoulder. "Can you remember anything?"
"Nothing," He said. "But, well…" He tried thinking; racking his brain for any memory at all. But the only thing his mind would show him was his past nightmares. "Nothing." He finally said.
Gwaine sighed again. "No matter." He sat back onto the ground. "How're you feeling?"
"Like I said. I hurt." Merlin muttered. Gwaine rolled his eyes despite the situation at hand. "And…I think-" He shifted his right leg, then tried his left. Nothing moved. "I can't feel my left leg. I can't move-"
"Merlin?" Gwaine shot forward when he heard a gasp. He laid his hands on Merlin to find him struggling.
"Gwaine, I can't see." Merlin let out with a huge huff, rubbing his eyes the same way the knight had done only moments ago. "It's all black. There's nothing."
Gwaine chuckled softly. "You're not blind. It's just pitch black in here." Gwaine cursed under his breath. "Damn cell."
"What?" Merlin tried peering through the darkness towards Gwaine's voice. He let his hand glide along the floor. Confused by the hardness and wetness, he held his breath. His hand stopped on something soft.
"We're underground…in a cell." Gwaine said.
Merlin sucked in a huge breath. He pulled at the soft stuff and realized it was moss. "No." He muttered. "We can't be. We were just in the forest. We were just going to sleep." He took the green mold in his hand for confirmation. Moss only grew outside, didn't it? His breathing quickened.
Gwaine jerked forward. He looked in Merlin's direction with squinting eyes. "Merlin, that was the day before yesterday."
"But…" Merlin tried to find his voice between breaths. "I…no." He denied. He shut his eyes again in disbelief. "That can't be." He said lowly. He rubbed his forehead in frustration. He opened his eyes again and looked in Gwaine's direction. "What happened?"
What happened?It echoed through Gwaine's mind. What did happen?
"You were-" Gwaine paused, trying to find the right words. How could he tell Merlin that he wouldn't wake up, was terrified of Arthur, one of his best friends, and almost died in his arms? He couldn't say all of that. He couldn't say any of it. What if it sent him into a panic attack? "You were sick." He licked his lips as he tried to decide on how far to take it. "Really sick; and you wouldn't wake up." He braced himself for an outburst, accusations, disbelief, or horror. There was a long pause, and then,
"Oh."
Both fell silent, neither speaking to the other. The only sound that could be heard was Merlin's harsh and rugged breathing.
"Merlin?"
"Hm?"
There was a pause where Gwaine couldn't think of what to say. He started flipping the end of his shirt over and over in his hand, as his eyes wandered around to see nothing. Finally, Merlin broke the silence.
"What's the last thing you remember?"
Gwaine stopped to think before answering. He thought back to yesterday, or what he hoped was just yesterday.
"We were riding," Gwaine said, still thinking, "and we stopped."
"Why?" Merlin asked.
"What?"
"Why did we stop?"
Gwaine shut his eyes and exhaled slowly. What should he say? "The horse needed rest." Gwaine mentally slapped himself for the awfully planned lie. He opened his eyes again. "We got back on, and then-" He tried to remember exactly. "And…we fell off. The horse reared. It's dead; I think."
"Someone shot it?" Merlin asked.
"Maybe. I'm not sure." Gwaine said softly. Suddenly the seriousness got to him. He couldn't stand it. "But who would be sure about anything with all of this pounding going on?" He yelled, gripping his hair with his fists. "I swear, whoever gave me this god awful headache-"
"Shh." Merlin suddenly blurt out. He turned his head to the right as Gwaine stopped talking. "What was that?"
"What was what?" Gwaine asked. He cocked his head.
"Did you hear that? That thud?" Merlin was now attempting to pull himself into a sitting position but failed miserably. He gave up and lay back down.
Thunk.
"Who's there?" Gwaine called out after hearing the noise. Merlin's ears perked, listening for another.
"Help me up." Merlin said through the darkness. Gwaine paused, unsure of whether he should mess with Merlin's condition. He certainly didn't want him falling over. Finally, he disagreed with himself and found Merlin in the dark. Together they slowly lifted the young man till he was standing. Gwaine wrapped his right arm around Merlin's waist as he leaned heavily onto his shoulder. Even though he was doing so, Merlin still called out with force, "Show yourself!"
Silence. No thuds, no voices. Merlin's breathing was the only thing audible. That, and Gwaine's teeth chattering.
"Kind of hard to do in the dark."
Both Merlin and Gwaine jumped, Merlin almost falling to the ground if Gwaine hadn't tightened his grip around his waist.
"Don' fall." A voice called out tauntingly. It echoed off the walls, bouncing around until it finally dulled into a low murmur.
Merlin could feel Gwaine shaking beside him. He bit his bottom lip, leaning more on him as his legs were already giving out. Gwaine's breath was quickening a bit, but not as much as Merlin's already was. He felt the knight's muscles tighten suddenly, and he shifted forward a bit.
"Come forth!" Gwaine spat, full confidence suddenly bursting from him. "Don't be a coward!"
A moment's pause, then…
Suddenly there was no ground. Both of the men's feet were off the floor and flying back in a quick rush through the air. Gwaine gasped as he landed on the concrete several feet from where he was standing. He let out a soft yelp as he hit the ground, pain already flaring up in his hand again. He cringed as he heard something hit the wall near him.
"Merlin!" Gwaine struggled to lift himself off of the ground. He tried to ignore the aching in his back now as he stumbled through the darkness. He heard a scratch coming from far in the distance, and in just that moment something caught his eye.
Light.
He turned his head to see the source. He quickly glanced at a tall and thin man holding a torch on the other side of the room before he turned away. With the light helping him, he saw the shadow of Merlin only a few feet away lying in a crumpled heap. Gwaine's face quickly paled as he spotted the small pool of blood around him.
"No." Gwaine rushed over to the fallen man. He slowly lowered himself, through hissing pain, to the ground beside him. He leaned towards the broken man and brought his head onto his lap.
"Merlin." He smoothed back his hair soothingly. He brought his hand up and found blood dripping off of it. He quickly found the wound, on the right side of his head, and laid his hand on top of it, trying to somehow stop the flow.
"He'll live." The man behind him spoke. He had a deep and unwelcome voice, and it made Gwaine's spine tingle.
He shot his head around towards him, glaring him down with dagger filled eyes. "Shut up." He didn't even care who this man was. All he knew was that he had hurt Merlin, and he was certainly not happy about that. And neither will Arthur.
"Temper, temper." The man tusked. Gwaine ignored him and continued to hold his hand to Merlin's wound. He felt him shiver, so he tore off his over shirt in one motion and laid it on top of him.
"How sweet."
"Shut the hell up!" Gwaine shouted even louder this time. His fist clenched as he tried not to get up right then and run over there near him. He had to stay with Merlin. He was his focus right now. His other problem could wait for later.
"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." He chuckled.
Gwaine clenched his teeth together to refrain himself from yelling profanities. He continued to stare at Merlin, whose breathing had slowed to a worrisome pace. Gwaine brought him closer to him, tightening his grip around the small frame. His brows knitted together.
"Like I said, he will be fine." The man repeated himself. "Besides, is he not just a servant boy? A worthless maid to the prince? He's nobody. Why would a loyal knight like you worry so much for a pathetic, worthless manservant?"
"Shut up! Or God help me…" Gwaine yelled, "I will rip your throat out and feed it to the swine." He didn't dare look back at the man, afraid he would throw Merlin to the ground and rush over there. He tried to control his breathing, which was quickening far too fast.
"Oh ho ho!. Looks as if we have us a fighter." The man said with sarcasm full in his voice. "Have to watch out for you, won't we?" The voice was getting closer to Gwaine's right. He peeked over his shoulder to see the man gliding his way across the room, outside the cell yet too close for comfort.
"We'll see about that." Gwaine said under his breath. He turned his head back towards the wall.
"What was that?" The man asked. He stopped walking.
"Who are you?" Gwaine asked with such force he almost lost his grip on Merlin. He tightened it again, this time bringing him to his chest. He felt him shiver.
"Me?" The man asked. Gwaine didn't have to turn around to know he was smiling. "Oh, well, I'm just a mad man." He paused. "Or…sorcerer, as you would put it." Gwaine's breath hitched. His hand twitched as it lay on Merlin's chest. He slowly turned his head around. The man smiled. "The name is Cor."
~~~Timelordwiz~~~
"Arthur?"
"Yes?"
Lancelot stopped his horse in front of the crowned prince. Arthur's came to a halt behind him, he himself not even taking notice. His head was turned behind him, intently watching the trees through the light. Lancelot cleared his throat.
Arthur's head shot around. He looked at the knight, then at the stopped horses.
"Why have we stopped?" He asked with a quizzical look. He turned his head back around, obviously not caring for the answer.
"We have not made any progress." Lancelot said. He leaned forward and yanked the prince's reins. Arthur jerked back around and gave him a daring look. "What was that for?" This time he kept his eyes on the knight.
"To get your bloody attention." Lancelot said without hesitation. "Our pace keeps slowing by the minute; we'll never get to our destination by nightfall." He gave Arthur a hard look; daring him right back.
Arthur glared at him for a moment, shot his head around for one more look through the branches, and looked right back at Lancelot. He gave up the glare and sighed. "I'm sorry." He kicked his horse and started on a fast walk. Lancelot followed up beside him.
"He's going to be fine." Lancelot said, looking at Arthur with sympathy and sorrow. He knew how Arthur felt towards the warlock, even if he didn't want to admit it. He cared more for him then he knew himself.
"Then why haven't we seen a knight? Or a messenger?" Arthur asked. He looked over at Lancelot. "Surely they would have gotten there by now."
"There are a million explanations, Arthur." Lancelot started. "But if I had to pick one, I'd bet we'd better think about who we sent Merlin back with." His frown turned into a crooked smile. Arthur returned one.
"That makes me feel a whole lot better." Arthur joked.
"Although he is who he is, I can rest assure you that he'll get Merlin back safe." Lancelot said. "He cares a great deal about that boy." He paused, trying to come up with something else to reassure the prince with. "He probably forgot to send someone."
Arthur didn't say anything, only nodded his head in agreement. If anything, Gwaine was a loyal friend. He wouldn't let anything happen to Merlin, even if his life depended on it. But one thing he couldn't be trusted for was his memory.
"We'll ride on then." Arthur finally said. Lancelot agreed and they both sped up to a fast trot. Arthur only glanced back one more time before letting his nerves calm.
~~~Timelordwiz~~~
"Please, just let us go." Gwaine pleaded. He had no more hope of getting off with cockiness. This man was more dangerous then he imagined. "We won't alert anyone. We'll go off with our own business." He looked the sorcerer straight on in the eyes, and then looked down at Merlin, who still hadn't aroused. "He needs medical help. He won't get any laying here in this god damn cell."
Cor laughed loudly, making Gwaine shake. He walked nearer to the cell, right up to the bars, and leaned on them. "Oh, he'll get some treatment alright." He winked. "But then it's all downhill from there."
"Wha-what are you talking about?" Gwaine tried to accuse with force, but failed miserably. "You aren't messing with him."
"Well, not yet anyways." Cor chuckled. "First, it's you." He pointed his finger at the brave knight, shaking it in circles. "Then the boy." He pointed at Merlin.
"Do what you will to me," Gwaine said, "But if you lay one hand on…"
"Then what?" Cor yelled with laughter. "You'll kick me? Bite me? What can you do that's better then what I know?"
He walked over to the wall and laid the torch in a handle. He brought his hand up to the fire and teased it with his fingers. "More than knowledge," He put one finger in the fire and left it, "more than magic," He let each of his fingers slide into burning flames, wiggling them around for show, "more than…power." He let his whole hand be engulfed by the bright orange gas. He looked around at Gwaine, who was staring at the flames with wide eyes full with horror, and winked.
"What kind of black magic do you practice?" Gwaine spat with disgust. "You're a…a demon." He glared at the man with hatred filled eyes, already wishing upon a horrible and gruesome death for him.
Cor whisked his hand out of the fire and brought it in front of his face, admiring with glee. He let it slide down to his side with ease. "Magic more powerful then you'll ever understand." He said with enthusiasm. "More powerful, in fact, then Emrys himself." He glanced at Merlin quickly, then back at Gwaine.
"Then you're more evil then satan himself." He growled.
"I'd like to think so, yes." Cor smiled, and then laughed. "But I wouldn't be saying that in front of," He paused and looked at Merlin, "you know who." He said low, nudging his head towards the young man playfully as a child would do, as if it were all a joke.
Gwaine looked down at Merlin, then back at Cor. "How the hell does he have to do with any of that wicked craft?" He looked back down at Merlin and rubbed his arm, hoping to wake him. All he got in response was a horrible cough.
"More then you know, my friend." Cor said with a smile playing on his lips. "Things are beginning to play out, trust me on that one." He turned on his heel and began to walk towards the wooden door, obviously the exit.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Gwaine yelled through the vast room. He watched as Cor flashed a wide smile back at him, and firmly shut the door with a loud slam. "Get back here! God dammit!" He yelled as he held firmly to Merlin's body. He began to curse loudly to the empty, yet lit, room.
"Gaius…" Merlin mumbled. Gwaine shot his head back down to Merlin with wide eyes and laid his hand on his arm.
"Merlin, it's alright." He said. "You're alright." Merlin began to fidget, obviously uncomfortable in his position. Gwaine hadn't thought about it, but now he let Merlin slide back down to the ground; though his head was still on his lap.
"We have to…" Merlin mumbled again, "kill her. She's…evil."
"Shh." Gwaine whispered. "No one's here anymore. You're fine." He tried rubbing his shoulder for comfort, but he had no idea of what was about to happen next.
"Get away!" Merlin yelled at the top of his lungs. His back lurched into the air as he let out a low pitched began to shake as Gwaine backed up in fear. "Don't touch her!" He began to shake his head back and forth. "Lyft is þe in bǽlwielm ac forhienan se wiðere!"
Gwaine watched in horror as Merlin's eyes lit up with a yellow spark. He backed further away, scooting all the way till his back was pressed firmly against the wall. Then, out of nowhere, a ring of fire blazed up around him.
"Merlin!" Gwaine yelled. The warlock didn't respond. His body relaxed and he quieted down, but continued to murmur in his fitful sleep. The ring of fire danced higher and higher around him, till Gwaine could no longer see his body. He clutched the wall behind him as he struggled to get to his feet. Once he was standing the flames got higher over him, so that he had to stand on his toes to see over them.
"Merlin!" He yelled again. And again, he did not answer. I have to get him out of there.He thought with desperation. He inched towards the burning flames, sweat already pouring down his forehead. He wiped it away, and then covered his mouth with his arm. He coughed with pain in his chest as he tried to think of what to do. But just as he was about to inch closer, ready to jump through the flames if necessary, they went down.
He watched as they got smaller and smaller, until finally, they were gone. Gwaine fell to the ground beneath him and coughed harshly into his shirt. He tried waving away the smoke that was around him with his arms. With one final swipe of his forehead, he looked up towards Merlin.
The boy was still lying in the same position. His arms were still beside him and his eyes were tightly closed. He was shaking with his legs drawn far out from him. The only thing Gwaine could notice though was that he was still breathing. And that was enough for him.
"Merlin?" He called out.
No answer.
He stared at the form of his friend on the ground. He started to move forward towards him, in hope of helping him, but stopped short. He eyed the boy vigorously.
"Merlin." He said softly this time, not intending to rouse the boy again. He rolled the name around in his head. The named attached to one, or only, of his most trusted and loyal friends. He thought of all of the roles he played in his life. A servant, a friend, a physician's right hand man, and those were all he could think of. Besides a son to a struggling mother and he was nothing else. Nothing that important except to his friends. Nothing greater to be. Nothing evil.
But then…
What had just happened? His eyes, then the fire. Everything was making Gwaine's head spin, making him want to vomit. None of this could be true. None of it. It couldn't be. This was Merlin we were talking about. A friend. Not an enemy. He would've told him. He would've said something from the beginning.
"No." Gwaine shook his head. "No, no ,no." He put his head on his knees. "It can't be." He shot his head up and looked over a Merlin, his friend.
No,Gwaine thought, not just a friend. A sorcerer.