AN: Hey guys, so this might be the last chapter I put up for a while. I'm sorry. I have three papers (sort of) due monday, so my life is a little crazy right now. We don't really have school on tuesday, though, so I will try to get chapter eight up then. Sorry, I will try to do better. Nine should be up pretty quickly after eight. But that is about as far into the future as I can see at the moment. Chapter eight will also be the longest chapter so far. Umm, also this fic should be about sixteen chapters. Just to give you a prediction of how much more there will be. I am really not as upbeat as I usually am. Sorry about that as well.

But thanks for the reviews and favorites and alerts! I love all of you. :) You all make me feel so special.

Still don't own Merlin.

Chapter 7: Scars

Uther was furious. Everything had been going so well. He had started to believe that Arthur really wanted the best for the kingdom, so seeing him back in the arms of Merlin was very upsetting to the monarch. He was beginning to wonder if his son would ever be able to take over the kingdom from him.

Arthur and Merlin jumped apart when the angry king made his presence known with a roar of the prince's name. Once the realized the futility of their situation, Arthur grabbed Merlin's hand, and then turned to face his father. Merlin was uneasy. Whatever happened next could not be good for the young warlock, but he did not let his fear show, so he squeezed his prince's hand, and turned to face the man he was no longer willing to call "king".

Uther ran and tried to pull Arthur away from the boy, but, as Arthur's other hand was currently clamped to the bars of the cell, he was having trouble. The young prince was much stronger than his father; thanks to the long hours of training he subjected himself to everyday. Giving up, Uther turned back to Timothy and order him to fetch the guards. As Timothy departed, the king turned back to his son, a look of disgust and rage on his face. Arthur met his gaze with one of determination and anger, trying to hide the strong fear that was raging through his mind. He should never have tried to visit Merlin. It was all his fault that they were in this situation, and he could do nothing about it except hope and pray that some miracle would stay his father's hand.

Unfortunately, it seemed that no one would answer the young prince's prayers as the king's anger burst out, yelling at his son, "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING! WHY CAN'T YOU FORGET THIS THING?"

"Father, Merlin is not a thing," Arthur replied, trying to keep his voice calm. "He is a human, just like you and me. And I could never forget him. Even if I wanted to. You know why, father, it's because I love him. I would give anything for him. And you can't keep us apart, because no matter how much distance, how many walls separate us, we will always be together. Nothing you could possibly do can change that."

"No Arthur, I can separate you. Do you realize how easy it would be for me to kill him right now? The only thing that is stopping me is the idea that keeping him alive will keep you loyal to me. If this is not true, then I may as well kill him right now. There is no use in keeping this scum alive."

Arthur moved in between his father and Merlin, shielding his love with his body. He still tried to hide the fear from his eyes, as he replied to his father's threats, saying, "I may not be as loyal as you want me to be, father, but I can promise you one thing. If you kill him, I will leave this castle. You will have no heir. If you take his life, I will use the rest of my life to fight against your corruption and hatred. Think about that father. Think about that and spare Merlin."

Uther stared at his son, weighing his words, trying to figure out how he could force his son back into his position, and get rid of the ex servant. He could think of no solution, but enjoyed thinking of gruesome ways to kill the boy. So, the two royals and the warlock waited in silence, until Timothy retuned with five of the king's personal guard.

The king pulled Timothy aside, and gave him an order that caused the young servant's eyes to grow wide, before he nodded, and ran off to follow the order.

Turning next to the guards, Uther ordered, "Take the prince up to his chambers and make sure he stays there. Remain with him until I arrive. Send more guards down here to help me deal with this monster."

It took all five guards to pull the prince away from his stance be the cell, leaving Merlin, hands reaching through the bars, trying to keep a hold of his love for as long as possible. Both lovers had forgotten about everything else as they were forced apart. At first his struggles seemed useless, but Arthur managed to break away from the guard by unexpectedly dropping to the ground then running back towards Merlin. He quickly pulled his love into a kiss, cupping the young warlock's cheeks in his palms, remaining as close as possible for an instant before the guards returned and pulled him away once more, dragging him back up the stairs and away from his love.

Uther watched the whole spectacle, body trembling with rage. Once his son was gone, he rushed to the cell and grabbed the prisoner's face, forcing his vision away from the door his beloved had just been pulled through and towards the livid king's face.

"What have you done to my son?" The king snarled, pushing the boy back into the cell.

When the boy raised his head, and his eyes locked with the kings, Uther had had to suppress a shiver. The icy cold eyes held none of the warmth they had when he had been his son's manservant.

"I see you did not take my advice, Uther. You obviously have not seen how strong our love is. And, because of that, you have lost your son."

"I did not lose my son, you took him from me! Don't you see that you're pulling our family apart?" Uther yelled, trying to hide his misery with loathing.

"All I have done is love your son. You pushed him away. I had nothing to do with that. It was your actions, and yours alone, that have caused this strife. If you could accept that he loves me, and I love him back, then we could work everything out. I hold no grudge Uther. All that I ask is that you open your eyes, and accept who your son is."

"He is a prince! And as a prince he has a duty to his kingdom! You could never understand what it means to be royalty!"

"No, maybe I don't, but I don't see why being king should force anyone to be unhappy."

"He would not have had to have been unhappy if you had not tricked him into thinking he was in love with you! But now, you will suffer for it. I will make sure that no one ever loves you again."

With that, Uther turned his back on the boy, who, no matter how hard he tried, could not suppress a shiver at the king's threat. The dungeons remained silent until three new guards entered into the dark prison.

Turning towards the guards, Uther ordered, "Blindfold and gag the prisoner. Tie his hands behind his back and then follow me and bring it with you."

One of the guards took the keys from the king's outstretched hand, while another went to get rope and material for the blindfold and gag. Merlin remained still as the three guards followed the king's instructions, not fighting against them, keeping his chin raised and his posture proud even when his voice was muffled and his eyesight lost.

The king led the guards and their prisoner up the stairs to his son's chamber. Merlin had barely managed to make it without falling, his natural clumsiness greatly amplified by the blindfold. There were quite a few times when the only thing that kept Merlin upright was the guard's grip on his arms. Uther stopped outside the doors, and grabbing the boy from his guards, ordered one of the guards to enter, and inform the guards inside that the prince was to be restrained and gagged.

When Merlin heard Uther mention "the prince," he cocked his head to one side and narrowed his eyebrows in confusion. These movements did not go unnoticed by Uther, who turned to the boy and said, "Yes, boy, Arthur will be watching your punishment. I want him to see what happens to those who steal from the king. And believe me, when I am done with you he won't want to touch you again. This is the last time you will ever be in this room, the last time you will be near "your love". You should be glad I am allowing this final reunion."

Again, Merlin failed to suppress a shudder as the king threatened him. A moment later, the door to the room was opened once again, and Merlin could hear a guard say the prince was ready, before he was pushed forward by the king. He tripped as he entered the room, falling flat on his face as his arms were unable to stop his descent. Before he could try to stand again, He felt the king's booted foot connect with his side. He curled into a ball as Uther continued to kick him, informing his son between kicks,

"This," (Merlin felt a kick to his stomach, followed by one to the back of his legs)

"is what happens" (the king had moved behind Merlin, and was currently stomping on his fingers)

"when you go against" (Merlin tried to scoot away, but was stopped by a boot that pressed into his stomach, and turned him onto his back)

"your king." With this final remark, the king brought his foot up from the young man's stomach, only to have it crash back down with a great force. Merlin was pretty sure at least one rib was broken, and that most of his fingers were currently quite useless. But his punishment was not over, not by a long shot. Uther reached down and pulled the boy up and pushed him against the table.

Arthur watched from a chair in the corner. He had been tied down, and the guards who had brought him to his room were still standing near him, one of him holding the back of the chair, so no matter how much he jumped or squirmed it would not move. All he could do was sit in silence and watch as his father beat the man he loved. He didn't understand how any action could deserve such punishment.

When his father had picked Merlin up off the ground and pushed him into a table Arthur had hoped things would get better. But, what happened next was beyond the scope of the prince.

"I am going to make sure that you never trick anyone again, boy. No one will be fooled by your innocent smile any longer; you won't be able to hide your true nature from anyone."

With this, Uther pulled a knife out and leaned over the bound warlock. Merlin could feel the king's hot breath on his cheek and tried to shrink back into the cold table. He felt his shirt pulled away from his chest, and heard the fabric ripped, leaving his abdomen exposed. The next thing Merlin felt was pain. Pain, as the king dragged a dagger along his body. He tried to scream, but his protestations were muffled by the gag.

Arthur watched as his father cut his love's shirt off with a long sharp dagger. His father turned to him, with the strangest look in his eyes. He was still furious, but Arthur could see something else in his eyes. It was almost as if Uther was pleading with him. Trying to convince Arthur that he was doing this for the prince, not for his own sick sense of right and wrong. Arthur shook his head at his father, wishing the gag was gone so he could plead with his father, beg him to stop. But nothing could stop the king, as he turned back to the now partially naked boy, and pierced his perfect, pale chest.

Arthur could not see exactly what his father was doing, but he could hear the muffled shouts of his love, as his father dragged the blade up and down against his chest. After what felt like an eternity for Merlin and Arthur, Uther returned the dagger to its sheath, and stood back to admire his work. He then turned to Timothy and nodded. The serving boy looked frightened as he pulled something out of the fire. Arthur's struggles stopped suddenly when he saw what his new manservant had handed to his father, only to return with more ferocity than before. The king accepted the now white hot brand from the servant as he approached the blinded prisoner. Merlin was already bruised and bloodied, tears had soaked through the blindfold, and he had thought that his ordeal was over, until he heard Uther order the guards to hold him down. He felt a strange heat above his stomach, before the brand was pressed into his skin, and agony rushed through his body. The closest he had felt to this was when Nimueh had hit him with a fireball, but at least then the heat had been gone quickly. This time, it remained as Uther pressed the brand hard into the exposed stomach of the warlock. When the king finally removed the scalding metal from the soft flesh of Merlin's stomach, Merlin could no longer move. He felt pain radiating from every part of his body, and just wished that the ordeal was over, and he could just return to his small, lonely cell and get away from this crazy man.

Uther handed the brand back to the shaking servant, happy with the work he had done on the prisoner's chest. He took a minute to catch his breath before finishing the punishment. Uther pushed Merlin's exhausted form from the table, letting him fall to the floor in a heap, unable to protect his injuries in any way as he was exhausted and still bound. Uther than reached down and pulled the boy up by his hair, turning him so his son could see what his handiwork.

Arthur felt like retching when he saw what his father had done to Merlin. The word "FREAK" was carved across his chest above the ugly burn that had been left by the brand used to mark all the horses that belonged to the royal family.

"Do you understand why you should have listened to me now, son?" Uther asked, shaking Merlin slightly, still holding him up by his hair as the prisoner no longer had the strength to support his own weight. "Do you see that this beast is not deserving of your love?"

Arthur could not reply, but he didn't think he would have trusted himself to speak to his father right now even if he could. So he simply closed his eyes, letting silent tears run down his face. Uther looked pleased as he ordered the guards to take the prisoner back to his cell and free the prince. The king than returned to his chambers to get a little sleep before he had to resume his efforts in joining his and Edmund's kingdoms through marriage.

As Arthur was freed and left in his chambers with Timothy, he realized something. He didn't care anymore. He didn't care what the consequences were; he was getting Merlin out of Camelot as soon as possible. And he was never going to leave his love alone again. All he had to do was figure out how to get them both out of the castle, and then he would be gone. He refused to spend any more time than absolutely necessary in the same building as the man who had done that to Merlin.