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If he ever looked back at that moment, Merlin would have cursed himself for not using magic the second Morgana turned her back. He knew he was being used against Arthur, but he offered no resistance other than a few futile struggles as he was hauled back to the cells again. He was getting bored of being pulled down these steps and Merlin tried to dig his heels in. When the guards pulled harder, the warlock had to concentrate on staying on his feet – he was under no illusion that they wouldn't drag him if he fell.

Merlin felt something akin to relief run through him when he caught sight of Arthur. The prince was still chained to the wall but he was glaring through the barred door intensely and Merlin knew any guard who got too close wouldn't stand much of a chance. But his own guards stopped short of the door, holding Merlin back.

"What?" Merlin muttered, confused. The guards forced him a few steps to the side and Merlin knew something was about to happen. It felt like they were getting him into position and Merlin cursed as he felt the bindings around his wrists being cut. He tried to move, but the men were too quick and he once again found his hands pulled above his head and locked into shackles hanging from the ceiling. With Arthur watching every move he made, Merlin didn't have the chance to free himself using magic. He tried to struggle against the restraints, but froze when the cold edge of a knife pricked his skin through his shirt.

He had no time to do anything other than let out an indignant yelp as it was cut from him. The cold air instantly made him shiver. The men stepped away and Merlin watched as they approached the cell. Awkwardly craning his neck around, confusion rushed through Merlin as they entered, unchained Arthur and left again. Arthur tried to lunge for the door and even made one of the men stumble, but they were too quick for him. Instead, the prince was left with his hands gripping around the bars and a look of fury on his face.

"Let him go!"

"He tried to escape. Almost made it back to the door." Morgana's silky voice rang out as she made her way into the dungeons as well. Merlin refused to look at her but he could see the way Arthur's hands had tightened around the bars. Whatever Morgana was planning, Merlin knew it was already beginning to get to the prince. "Surely you would want me to punish him for being so disobedient?"

"Don't touch him," Arthur snarled. A shadow of a smile slipped onto Merlin's face. If asked, Arthur would never admit how hard he would fight to protect those close to him. Morgana didn't answer and Merlin could hear her walking closer. Her hand suddenly touched him fleetingly between the shoulder blades as she leant closer.

"You see. He cares far too much," she murmured, her voice too quiet for Arthur to hear. Merlin locked his jaw, refusing to answer. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction. But then her fingers trailed down his already damaged back and Merlin hissed in pain as she brushed over the bruises with more force than was necessary.

"But it looks like the naughty servant has already been whipped by a master who knows how to treat disobedient workers." There was far too much laughter in Morgana's voice for Merlin to be happy with and his hands curled into fists above his head. He couldn't give in to her… But he couldn't help fearing what was coming next.

"I'll have to do something far worse then. Loren, bring the branding tongs."

"Don't you dare!" Arthur yelled, rattling the door in his fury. Merlin kept his gaze firmly ahead though, breathing through his nose and making sure he kept in control. The one thing he did know was he was not going to let Morgana do this. Letting his eyes shut, he quickly thought of a spell subtle enough that he could get away with it. It would be enough to stop him from being hurt though.

"Morgana! Don't do this…Please…." This time, Morgana's chuckle was audible to everyone in the dungeon.

"You see, Merlin? I haven't even touched you and I already have him begging. Imagine what it's going to be like when you're screaming in agony."

The guard was already returning, a pair of tongs in his hand and a burning hot brand on the end. Merlin tried not to think too much into the fact they were already on the fire but instead shut his eyes again. Morgana laughed and Merlin knew she thought he was scared. But instead, he breathed a word in the old language and let his closed lids hide the tell-tale flash of gold. He didn't have time to know if it worked or not. Merlin opened his eyes just as the brand was shoved against his stomach and instinctively he gasped.

Then he relaxed. It was cold. The guard looked confused and tried again, but it didn't matter how many times he pressed it against Merlin's skin, nothing happened. Merlin released the spell just as the man made to test it himself and smirked as the guard howled in pain and the tongs clattered to the ground.

"Useless," Morgana spat. She moved around Merlin leaning against the wall. Only Morgana could make that look elegant. Merlin relaxed now she wasn't so close. "It looks like I'll have to do things the old fashioned way. You two, beat him."

Merlin tensed. He couldn't use a spell against this without being obvious, especially not with Morgana standing in his eye-line. But he wasn't as weak as people believed; years of being Arthur's target had given him some resilience to pain and he knew he would be able to take whatever they threw at him. Arthur didn't react to Morgana's orders and Merlin bit back a smile. The prince also knew he could handle it. From Arthur, there was no higher compliment and Merlin locked his jaw as the two men started in on him. He would not give Morgana the satisfaction of crying out, nor would he allow himself to be used against Arthur in such a way. If he didn't react, then neither would the prince.

It was hard after a while though. Fists were connecting with already existing bruises and Merlin wasn't sure how much he could take before his own body betrayed him. Trying to keep his mind occupied and distracted, he recited all the spells of defence he could think of silently in his mind, searching for one that would help them escape. But as the blows continued, Merlin found more often than not he was losing his train of thought and his mind filled only with pain.

"Enough," Morgana eventually sighed. As she straightened, Merlin blinked rapidly, trying to stop himself from blacking out as she walked towards him. To start with, he couldn't read her expression. Then he realised there was begrudging respect in her eyes.

"You're ruining the plan, Merlin," she said. Her voice was just loud enough to carry to Arthur as she took hold of his chin again. "And you're making me get my hands dirty. I don't appreciate that."

"Morgana," Arthur began, a warning note in his voice. Morgana stepped back from Merlin, but it wasn't because of Arthur. Merlin braced himself, no caring if she saw the fear in his eyes as she raised her hand. He knew better than others how strong her magic had become.

He didn't recognise the word that escaped her and so knew it was dark magic. But Merlin clamped his mouth shut as a scream threatened to burst forth and he breathed heavily through his nose. Hanging from the chains was the worst torment she could now leave him with. He hadn't recognised the word, but he had spent enough time around Gaius to know what it had done.

His left arm was broken.

Swallowing the scream, Merlin couldn't stop a whimper slipping past his lips as he tried to relax. It seemed Morgana had had her fun for now as two guards suddenly approached him. This time, Merlin did cry out as they realised him from the restraints, their movements far from gentle. He offered no resistance as he was pulled over to the cell and thrown in. The impact of the fall was enough to cause white spots to litter his vision and Merlin's last thought before he passed out was someone should really tell Arthur how pale he was looking.

Then he blacked out.

MMM

Arthur sat against the wall, hands resting on his knees and gaze locked on his unconscious servant. He had seen enough injuries over the years to know Merlin's arm was broken. Knowing Merlin couldn't feel it while he was out cold, Arthur had shredded part of his shirt and wrapped it around the limb before using Merlin's scarf to secure it to his chest. Merlin wouldn't mind - at least, Arthur told himself he wouldn't. He knew it wasn't enough to support it properly, but he also was painfully aware there was nothing else he could do from inside a cell.

Now more than ever he had to get them out of here. It had just been made far harder than before though. Merlin would be lucky if he could run, let alone ride. While he had never been much good in a fight, he would now be utterly useless. Arthur had never shied away from a challenge though and he knew the more Morgana stacked the odds against him, the more determined he was to get out of here.

"Arthur?"

The prince jumped, flicking his eyes away from Merlin long enough to acknowledge Aggravaine before he looked back to his servant.

"What are you going to do?"

"Escape, what else?"

"How? I've been here for so long, I've never been able to find a way."

"You're not me," Arthur said shortly, not caring if he was being rude. How many times had should he have died – him and Merlin both – and yet he had somehow always got out of it? The same would be true now; all he had to do was think.

"How often do the guards check on you?" Arthur eventually asked, standing up and walking over to the cell door. He couldn't see much because of the angle he was at, but he could make out the stairs. If a guard brought a torch down, the shadows would tell Arthur everything he needed to know about their number and type of weapons.

"Twice a day. They bring food. But…"

"But things might change now you're in with us." Arthur didn't need to be told his presence complicated things. "But that means we've got until morning for Merlin to wake up and for us to think of a way out of here."

"You know he will make it harder to escape?"

If Arthur had the energy, he would have flown at Aggravaine for that remark. "He comes with us."

"But if you found your knights, you could come back, they could help…"

"He would be dead two seconds after Morgana discovers I'm gone. He's of no use to her without me around." He wasn't going to say there was no way he was leaving without Merlin. That would be as good as admitting Morgana had it completely right by targeting Merlin as a way of getting to him. Glancing over at his servant, Arthur couldn't help but smile. She had underestimated Merlin. They both had.

"But…"

"It's not up for discussion," Arthur snapped, losing his temper. He was tired, cold, hungry and wanting Merlin to wake up so he could yell at him for getting himself hurt. "The only person I'm prepared to leave behind is you."

He knew his words were harsh. But he didn't care. Aggravaine might have been as trapped as they were, but if he suggested leaving Merlin behind one more time, Arthur wasn't sure what he would do. He glanced at the man and was quick enough to see annoyance flicker over his face before Aggravaine controlled himself again.

"Of course. I only meant it's paramount that you escape this place. Camelot needs its prince. Now more than ever if the rumours are true."

Arthur had no comeback there. It wasn't a surprise to know stories were spreading about the state of the king. He sighed, leaning more heavily against the wall. He tried to think of a way out, but he could only focus on Aggravaine's words.

"How could she do it?" He murmured, talking more to himself than his fellow prisoner.

"Love and fear make us do crazy things," the man responded. There was sorrow in his voice and Arthur knew this was a man who had experienced the pain of loss. He glanced over at him.

"You wanted your name to mean something to me. Why?" Arthur held Aggravaine's gaze as the man looked at him steadily for a long moment. Eventually, he backed down.

"I thought – I hoped – your father might have mentioned me at some point in your life." He said, sadness in his tone. Out of everything Aggravaine could have said, that was not what Arthur had expected. Anyone who knew Uther knew he was not the sentimental type and he was hardly going to mention old friends to a son he was trying to shape into the perfect heir.

"Why would my father mention you?"

This time, the conflicting emotions shooting over Aggravaine's face made Arthur look away, feeling as if he was intruding on a private moment. Aggravaine didn't speak and Arthur was prepared to leave it for the time being. Emotional problems were not things he was good at handling on the best of days, let alone when locked in a cell with someone. He didn't have the option of walking away if things got too uncomfortable.

But when Aggravaine spoke again, everything changed.

"I'm your uncle."

"What?"

"Your mother… your dear, dear mother was my sister."

Arthur stared at him. A thousand explanations were flying around his head, providing excuses and reasons for Aggravaine to be lying. But there was no denying the look on his face, the depth of loss in his eyes. Arthur knew he wasn't lying.

"Then where have you been my entire life?"

"Your father had me banished when your mother died. He didn't want either I nor Tristan-,"

"Who?"

"Your other uncle. He's dead now. Your father didn't want us around. He knew we blamed him for your mother's death and I suppose he didn't want us close to you."

Arthur didn't know what to say. The name had stirred something in him when he had first heard it and now he knew why; snatches of whispered conversations in his youth had mentioned Aggravaine's name, but no one had answered the inquisitive prince's question.

"You look like her," Aggravaine blurted out suddenly. "You have her eyes and her colouring."

Arthur felt himself blushing, a small smile on his face. "My father never talks of her. It's too painful."

"He should have told you everything about her," Aggravaine retorted, anger in his voice. Mentioning his father was clearly moving into a dangerous topic for conversation.

"Does Morgana know?"

"Why do you think I am here, Arthur? I knew her as the king's ward and met her in a place far from here. When I realised the darkness of her heart, I was planning to come straight to Camelot to warn you. I never made it out of the inn I was in at the time."

"She didn't want us having any help," Arthur murmured. He knew how Morgana thought. Arthur had been isolated, trying to run the kingdom while his father sat there. Having an uncle arrive would have proven invaluable and Morgana had made sure that didn't happen.

"I'm sorry. To have your heart filled with such bitterness…"

"She betrayed us," Arthur said shortly. He straightened, moving over to the door and once again wrapping his hands around the bars. Bracing himself, he pulled against them, feeling for any sign they were not as secure as they thought.

"If we get out of the cell, I can offer a distraction, lead them away…"

"You're coming with us," Arthur said. Things had changed now. He was not going to leave Aggravaine at the mercy of Morgana. Family didn't leave each other. As he made to tug again, a soft groan filled the air and he spun to see Merlin stirring.

"Well that took you long enough. Honestly, Merlin, you think you can just laze about?" His tone was soft though and he crossed the cell, resting a hand on Merlin's shoulder as he tried to rise. Not only was his arm broken, but his whole body was covered with signs of the beating. Arthur knew it had to hurt. As Merlin's eyes opened, he could see the pain reflected in them but the servant gritted his teeth and stared up at Arthur.

"You okay?" He muttered and Arthur felt the urge to laugh.

"You're really asking me that? You look like a practice dummy after a session with Percival."

"Still look better than you then," Merlin retorted. His voice was weak and his eyes closed again. Arthur squeezed his shoulder gently.

"Get some rest, Merlin. We're getting out of here in the morning."

"You have a plan?" Arthur winced at the hope in Merlin's voice, but he nodded firmly.

"I will do by the time the guard next comes," he said. Now he had to stay true to that.