I'm sorry yesterdays chapter was uploaded twice, there was one tiny mistake that had been bugging me and I had to change it. It isn't even noticeable if you didn't know it was there.

Yes I've just uploaded this twice because peanutmeg pointed out another mistake which would bug me XD

Anyway thanks for the reviews again =) Glad everyone enjoyed that chapter

Now on with the story where our two lovers can no longer see each other *sad face*

You also get to see a bit of Merlin's past in this one!

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"Tell me Merlin, what do you feel when I touch you here?" The deep voice asked as he lightly trailed his fingers across Merlin's chest.

Merlin squeezed his eyes closed as the older man touched him in places he shouldn't. He was not strong enough to fight back, too weak to even attempt any kind of defence and his body didn't feel like his own. Not since he'd been told as a slave to this man.

"Do you wish to be touched more?" He asked and Merlin's hand went out as the man went to remove his trousers, there was no way he was going that far. The man grabbed Merlin's wrist and got to his feet, holding Merlin easily in the air as he struggled to get free. "You think to stop your master from doing as he pleases?"

"You are not my master!"

"I own you boy. I bought you for a fair amount and that means you do as I command. When I ask a question you answer it, when I do something you don't fight back and you certainly do not strike your master. Am I clear?"

"I belong to no one. I am not an object to be bought."

"Everyone is owned by someone, no matter who they are. You belong to me."

"I will never belong to you or anyone else."

"I hardly see that happening. You are a young boy who needs people like me in order to survive. No mother or father, no skills, you would die within days if you were out in the real world." Merlin was thrown through the air to land on the huge bed his 'master' had, the sheets so soft that Merlin had never felt such luxury and that small thought distracted him enough to not notice the man get chains from under his bed.

Merlin went to leap from the bed, find anything to defend himself, yet his foot was caught and he was dragged back. His limbs one by one chained up to the bed posts as he struggled against the man's hold. "You are mine Merlin. Always will be. No matter where you go, what you do, I will always find you."

"I'm not afraid of you. I'll escape, no one can keep me trapped."

A yell left his lips as he was stripped of his clothes, which was muted when the man stuffed his mouth with something and smiled down at him eagerly. "You and me, Merlin, we're going to have a lot of fun. First, I need to brand you like I do all my slaves."

Merlin watched as he went over to his fireplace and picked up a metal rod with a stamp on the end, which was put into the fire to heat up. He knew exactly what he did to his slaves. Rumors had gone through the boys captured before they were sold off and no one wanted to be bought by him. Merlin had been the unlucky one.

As the man approached him Merlin fought for freedom, spitting out the material in his mouth and he glared as his 'master' climbed up onto the bed. "If you touch me I'll make you regret it. I swear."

"Swear all you want Merlin. You are no threat to me."

An ear piercing scream left Merlin's lips as the hot iron stamp was pressed against his thigh, the metal melting away his flesh and it felt like it was burning his soul. He fought the man for hours, no matter how many times he was branded he never gave in, never let his new master touch him in an intimate way.

"I'll break you yet Merlin. Just give it time."

Merlin woke up screaming, his hand pressed to his chest as his heart rammed against his ribs and the sweat dripped over his body as his scream faded. Breathing heavily, he tried to ignore the fear he felt and squeezed his eyes shut as the pain resurfaced.

When he eventually calmed down he opened his eyes, finding himself in the nearest thing he could call a home and he looked sideways to see the castle in the view. He was fine. He wasn't trapped on that bed with only chains touching his skin, there was no man torturing him every night and there definitely wasn't a fireplace in the room. Merlin was safe.

"Did you dream of him again?"

"Don't I always?" Merlin whispered back to his companion and sat up, the blanket that covered him now fell around his waist to reveal the brand marks covering his skin. This was why he never slept. Every time he closed his eyes he was reminded why he was living on the streets, why he feared human contact and talking about how he felt.

Night after night his master had demanded to know how he felt when he did certain things. Watched for a reaction if he did something different. The brands were simply used if Merlin fought against him. Some nights he ended up crying because of the pain as the number of brands on his skin increased significantly in one night.

"Which night did you dream of?"

"The first night he …" his touch went to his thigh where the oldest brand lay. The newest brands he'd received when he escaped had been healed by his magic, the older ones however were too deep and would forever remain a part of him. "If I can make others forget then why I can't I do it to myself?"

"Merlin, you make people forget a few hours. If you made yourself forget … that would be years and who knows what it would do to you. That's most of your childhood gone."

"I'd rather forget then live with what happened."

"It made you stronger."

"Stronger how exactly? Yes, because of what happened, I can move faster then anyone, anticipate what someone will do from a simple look and cast spells that most sorcerers spend decades learning. It's only because I had to learn fast, had to be quick on my feet and the fact I can anticipate things is because I watched my master closely so I knew what he would do next."

"He is not your master. You are a free man."

"As free as a thief can be anyway."

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"You shall not be joining the patrol tonight Arthur, that is final."

"Father, I am well enough to go out and I promise I won't get caught again. I shall catch the thief like I always said I would," Arthur said as he stood at the end of the throne room.

"That thief caught you once and he'll do it again. I won't risk it. You are my heir to the throne and I won't let you be taken again."

"Let me prove to you that he won't. I'll go out and will come back unharmed," he pleaded. He wasn't intending to bring Merlin back, Arthur just needed to see him, to talk to him. To kiss him. It had only been one night since he had returned and already he was sick of everything in the castle. Everything was dark and all the rules made him feel confined. Arthur wanted to be running about the rooftops and living in a place where there wasn't a wall but a huge window to look out at the stars.

"I said no. You will stay inside the castle walls."

Arthur was walking out of the castle grounds a few minutes later after escaping his room. He would not be kept in here whilst Merlin was being hunted like an animal.

Draping the cloak around his shoulders, he pulled up the hood and kept to the shadows as he went towards where Merlin lived. He just hoped he was still there. Three times he avoided the guards, all calmly walking the streets without their Prince to find or ordering them around. If he'd discovered this before he knew Merlin, he would have had the guards in the stocks for slacking off, now he was just grateful.

Just as he turned a corner he saw a figure leap across the roofs of the building either side of him and he smiled. Only one man he knew could do that. Running towards a smaller building, Arthur managed to hoist himself onto the roof and he chased after the dark figure. "Merlin!" He hissed but was too quiet to be heard, he didn't want any of the guards hearing him and apparently neither could Merlin.

Arthur chased him for a while, noticing that Merlin never once stopped or slowed down. He was on top form and heading straight for home by the looks of it. Which was perfect in Arthur's eyes. No one would find them there that was for sure.

When Merlin finally went through the window into his home, Arthur followed and was met by an outstretched hand with magic licking the fingertips. "Who are you?" Merlin spat at him and only when Arthur remove his cloak did he visibly relax. His arm dropped to his side and his body was no longer tense.

"Merlin-"

"You shouldn't be here Arthur."

"I beg to differ. This is exactly where I should be," Arthur went forward and grabbed Merlin around the waist. The young boy dropped the bag he'd been carrying and didn't need prompting to wrap his arms around Arthur's neck as their lips met. He had meant to talk to Merlin, explain to him that there was a way for him to be an unwanted man. However the moment he saw those big blue eyes he couldn't help but feel desire for him, the need to touch him so demanding that he hadn't fought his urges.

Merlin wasn't exactly fighting his urges either as he pulled Arthur's top clean over his head, his hands now running down his back and playing with the hem of his trousers. The sound of something outside however was enough to bring Merlin to his senses and he pushed Arthur away, his hand against Arthur's chest the only thing keeping them apart as they both breathed deeply.

"We can't … You need to go."

"Why can't we? I want you. You want me. Don't try to deny it, you couldn't keep your hands off me just now and I bet you've been thinking about me." Arthur put his hand over the one pressed against his chest, stepping closer to Merlin who looked at him with fearful eyes. Why was he scared? It was just him and Arthur here. "Are you scared about how you feel?"

"I don't feel anything," Merlin whispered and moved away. His back now turned to Arthur as he walked over to his bed and sat down, his head in his hands as the cold night breeze blew over them. Arthur slowly walked over to the quiet thief and crouched down, gently running his hand through his hair.

"That's a lie Merlin, I know you better than that. Answer me this, would you feel sad if I died tomorrow?" A small nod came in response, "Would you be angry if I told my Father where you lived?" Another nod. "Those are feelings. You can't deny them any more than I can deny my feelings for you."

Arthur knew his Father would be mad when he found out about his escape, but it didn't matter, he had finally found someone who cared about him for him and not his status. "The guards will be looking for you … you should go," Merlin whispered as his hands tightened on his head.

"Do you want me to go?"

"No," came a quick response and Merlin lifted his gaze to meet Arthur's. "If I could, I'd never let you leave this room."