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Sorry if you read the previous chapter twice I got muddled but have now deleted the duplicated chapter
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As the weather got colder Cendred gave him a thin blanket to help keep him warmer at night saying he wouldn't want him to die to soon. Merlin had started to get open sores on his hips and shoulders from lying on the concrete he tried to keep off then but it was hard. The concrete floor was cold and hard and he had nowhere else to lie down. On one of Morgause's visits she pushed him into the wall when he refused to talk to her. As he fell as his leg gave way so he put his left hand out to try to save himself, as it hit the wall his wrist bent right back and he heard and felt it break.
When he cried out she grabbed his wrist and started to move it and pulled it against the metal cuff. He passed out with the pain. Later when he woke he was in agony and looking at his wrist he saw it was badly swollen the metal cuff was digging into the flesh. He tried to keep his arm raised to help reduce the swelling but it was difficult as he kept drifting off with the pain. After a time the swelling reduced but is hand remained bent over and he couldn't move it at all. This time Edwin didn't visit and Merlin couldn't move either his either his hand or wrist at all afterwards. The wrist remained painful and he tried to protect it as much as he could.
He was giving up. He tried to keep positive thinking someone would find him but it was getting harder. He had only a vague idea of how long it had been since his kidnapping but it was difficult as the only light in the room was from around the door and when someone entered or left. He knew his captors names and as they never hid their faces he thought they didn't intend to let him go so his only hope was that someone would find him. The food he was getting was not enough and appeared to be scraps from the others meals. He had decided right from the beginning that he would have to eat all he was given to keep his strength up as much as he could. Even the meat although he hadn't eaten meat for years but he had no choice although he found it hard to start with but he was surprised at what he could force himself to eat. During the winter he drank all his water as soon as he got it or it froze sometimes then he couldn't have anything. The weather had got warmer once more and sometimes it was so hot he didn't know what to do. He realised then that he must have been in this hell hole for about a year.
There was a burst of activity following the second text message from the police but then the activity scaled down once more. The case wasn't closed but far fewer officers were involved as there were no new leads. Arthur continued to hope and tried to get as much publicity as he could for the case. He refused to believe that Merlin was dead. Hunith had gone back to Wales but the pair spoke every week and both Arthur and Morgana visited as often as they could.
Morgana had got several of the national magazines to run articles on the case in the hope it would help spark a lead and everyone who was in the circle of friends sort every chance to keep the case in the public eye. There had been one casualty to the grief that surrounded the group. Will had been so upset that on Merlin's birthday he went out and got drunk. On his way home he had stepped out in front of a car and was hit and died on the way to hospital. Gwaine had returned for the funeral and Arthur had paid for the funeral and headstone. Will had no family although Hunith had been like a mother to him and it hit her especially hard it was like she had lost both of her sons. Gwaine decided that for now he would stay with her. As the anniversary of Merlin's disappearance approached Arthur became more depressed he had no idea what else he could do. He had a television interview on Crime Watch as they were running a special programme to try to get information. He didn't want to talk about it but thought he had no choice.