I do not own any of the Merlin Characters from the show; they are the property of the BBC and not I.
Chapter Seven – 27/12/11
The next morning it seemed that an unspoken agreement not to mention the previous evening's events had been formed between the members of Merlin's search/recue party. Arthur took the lead, his face creased with what appeared to be deep thought. Gwaine rode behind him but kept glancing back to stare at Catherine, and Hunter who was perched on the head of Catherine's horse kept screeching at Gwaine to make sure that everyone noticed exactly what the Knight was up to.
"What do you think Arthur will do when he finds out about Merlin's magic?" Lancelot asked in a whispered voice, leaning in closely so that no one would overhear them.
"What?" Catherine snapped, shocked at Lancelot's question and almost falling out of her saddle in surprise. Merlin hadn't said that anyone else knew about his magic! "Merlin doesn't have magic!" The lie came so easily, Lancelot may have even believed her if he hadn't seen Merlin do magic for himself.
"Catherine, it's O.K, I know." He soothed, he didn't want her to think that he was about to hand Merlin over to be burnt at the stake. "I saw him kill a griffin. Or more accurately, he helped me kill a griffin."
Catherine stared back at Lancelot blankly.
"My baby brother killed a griffin?"
"Amongst other things." Lancelot admitted.
"What do you mean amongst other things?" she demanded, the pitch of her voice jumping a few octaves and causing Hunter to give a small screech of protest at the noise.
"Oh come on!" Gwaine yelled. "I barely flinched my head you stupid bird!"
Ignoring Gwaine Lancelot realised that he may have just accidentally put his foot in it and got Merlin into a lot of trouble with his sister.
"You mean that Merlin didn't tell you about the griffin, or Gwen being kidnapped when she was mistaken for Morgana, or Morgana using the Cup of Life to raise an immortal army?" he asked experimentally. This though was apparently the completely wrong thing to say to Catherine.
"When we find my brother." Catherine stated purposefully so that everyone could hear her in the group. "No one goes near him until I'm quite finished beating the crap out of him for not telling me exactly how much trouble he's been getting in or by the sounds of it, risking his neck on stupid harebrained schemes such as fighting off immortal armies! Camelot was meant to keep him out of harm's way! Not encourage him to run full pelt into it!"
"I think you'll find the encouraging was mainly done by Arthur." Elyan supplied in what he must have assumed was a helpful voice but suppressing a smirk all the same. This was why he did not tell Gwen when he got into scraps. Sisters had a habit of blowing things like near death experiences way out of proportion.
Very aware that even Arthur was now looking at him Lancelot adopted an expression of suitable guilt.
"I was just asking a question." He protested as four pairs of eyes rounded on him.
"We are meant to be rescuing Merlin." Gwaine told him. "Not dropping him so far in it with his sister that she kills him when we find him."
"Well how was I meant to know that he doesn't tell his sister about things like Morgana raising an immortal army? It's not something easily glossed over in normal society I find!"
"I can just imagine it now." Gwaine joked, turning his gaze up towards the sky in a dreamlike manner. "Five in the morning when the sun has yet to rise, I'm probably passed out somewhere from the night before and unable to play the dashing hero that I normally am and Arthur wakes to find a Blade pressed to his throat and a demented Catherine standing over him holding it. Demanding to know exactly how he had managed to almost get her little brother killed yet again."
Lancelot noticed Arthur's hand stray to his throat momentarily as if the ghost of a knife was already at his jugular.
"Basically Lancelot, I'm guessing that Merlin realised Arthur would eventually get tired of having an avenging angel descending on Camelot and him at regular intervals." Gwaine finished by casting the now glowering Catherine what was supposed to be an appreciative look.
"Um Gwaine?" Elyan murmured. "I think the blade is going to be at your throat at this rate."
Gwaine's face paled under the sharp glare coming from Catherine.
"I think I'll just shut up for a bit." He whimpered, turning away from the death stare.
"Best idea you've had so far today Gwaine." Arthur said.
Morgana kicked the lifeless body of Thomas Renwoor with a sour disinterest. Allowing herself a moment to linger on the fear she had seen in those now glassy eyes as he had realised that he was going to die.
"Found him." Modred's voice sounded in Morgana's mind.
"Where?" she asked, trying to search for Modred's location in the ruined castle where Thomas had been hiding out using her mind.
"Dungeons." Came the answer. Obviously, Morgana though sourly, where else would you keep a prisoner.
Sweeping past the corpse she quickly found where Modred was. He had severed the chain holding Merlin off the ground and now the young Warlock/Dragon Lord was in a crumpled heap on the floor. Morgana's breath caught in her throat. She hated Merlin but... it seemed that there wasn't a part of him that Thomas hadn't covered in cuts and bruises and the result was that Merlin was hardly recognisable. The goofy manservant was now a broken pile of limbs covered in rags. One of his legs was stuck out at an odd angle and the rise and fall of his chest was worryingly shallow and strained.
"So this is the great Emrys?" Morgana's voice reverberated off the curved walls of the cell. Even more harsh and hollow with each echo.
"Those runes in the manacles dampen his power," Modred informed her, pointing to the heavy iron cuffs with crudely etched symbols scrawled across them.
"Dampens? So he still has access to his magic?"
"Some." The child admitted. "Not enough to be a threat though."
It still amazed Morgana how someone so young could know so much about the world her magic while herself seemed completely ignorant at times. With a wave of his hand two of what had been Cenred's guards seemingly materialised besides Modred and quickly moved forward to grab Merlin.
"Whatever you do, do not remove those manacles!" Morgana warned them sternly. "I do not want to test how powerful a legendary warlock can be today! Even if he is injured."
The guards bowed respectfully to both Morgana and Modred before hoisting Merlin into the air between them. The young warlock didn't make a sound.
"Are you sure he is still alive?" Morgana inquired sceptically as the guards vanished back up a set of stairs with Merlin in tow.
"Barely, but for now yes." Modred reassured her.
"Good. I've a little scavenger hunt in mind for Arthur and it just wouldn't be the same without Merlin."
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