Chapter 12
It was only as he stood there, suddenly very much the centre of attention, that Arthur actually thought that this was probably not the wisest thing he had ever done. As usual, he realised, he had acted on impulse. The warrior in him coming to the fore rather than the strategist. But he told himself there had been no other option; after all he had had to act quickly. He could not let Merlin be killed…honestly the things he did for his manservant were way and above…
A yell brought Arthur's attention back to the current situation as three of the men in the room made a rush for him. There was a flurry of activity as swords clashed and blows were given and received. The King managed to kill one man and seriously injure another and was now engaged in a vicious battle with the remaining attacker. But Arthur was so caught up in fighting that he had lost sight of Merlin and Caldwell, and was not aware of what was going on between them. This was a mistake as he suddenly heard a voice ring out above the noise of the fight.
"I would imagine, given your attempt at rescue,that you would not like any harm to come to this young man?" Caldwell's vice was cold and calm "So given that, perhaps you had best desist from fighting. Or I will have to do something that I am sure you, at least, will regret."
Arthur froze in mid sword swing; turned his head and saw Merlin kneeling beside Caldwell. The Lord had one hand on the young man's head; Merlin's eyes were closed and he was very, very pale.
Looking up at Caldwell Arthur tried to decide if he would be able to get to him before any of the other men in the room could stop him or before the Lord could harm Merlin. But even as the thought crossed his mind Merlin gave a dreadful scream and his face contorted in pain.
"I did tell you that I would have to do something to him, didn't I?" Caldwell continued. "Now, if you do not put down your sword the next spell I cast will cause him more than just pain; it will kill him. So what is your decision?"
So it was magic. Damn. Arthur threw down his sword and allowed the remaining unharmed men to grab hold of his arms. Frustration overwhelmed him and he gave a roar of anger. This seemed to bring Merlin back as his eyes opened and he looked up to see his King captured.
"Arthur" he whispered. "You were not supposed to come here."
"As if I would let you go off on your own you idiot." Arthur replied, still worried by Merlin's paleness but as always keeping up appearances of not really caring. "I mean look at the mess you get yourself into without me!"
The forced levity worked a little as a small smile crossed Merlin's tense features but it did not last very long. Caldwell's hand once more touched the warlocks head and he cried out again in pain.
"Leave him alone" Arthur yelled, unable to contain his anger.
Caldwell stared at the King for a few seconds and then lifted his hand once more. Merlin sagged but did not fall to the ground, rather he breathed deeply and tried to get to his feet. Unsuccessfully. But he did manage to find his voice.
"I will make you pay for Gaius, I promise you that."
Even in their current situation Arthur was suddenly struck by the tone of Merlin's words. Never had he heard his manservant speak so calmly and with such conviction. But the King also realised that he had never heard Merlin sound so determined, almost cruel. For a moment he could see another side to the perennially cheerful young man he thought he knew so well. One that made him consider whether he had misjudged Merlin all these years and that he was actually not a man he would like to cross.
But again Arthur's thought process was interrupted by Caldwell as the Lord laughed loudly and dragged Merlin upright by his hair.
"You, little man, can do nothing. Gaius is lost forever. His soul has been swallowed up and his mortal body is even now rotting away somewhere in Camelot. And I am but a day away from gaining all that has been denied me these past long years. Tomorrow my son will come of age and he and I will incant the spell and I will be all that I am supposed to be."
Gesturing to one of the men to take the nearly unconscious Merlin from him Caldwell continued.
"It is indeed fortuitous that you have arrived today as I will need blood for the ceremony tomorrow. Now I do not have to waste any of my pitiful peasants, after all I need them to work the land. And I know who you are Arthur Pendragon." This he addressed to Arthur. "A King's blood will add a certain quality to the sacrifice; a grandeur that the scum who live here do not possess." He nodded to the men who held them. "Take them both to the cells and leave them there until tomorrow."
But as they were being lead out Caldwell called for the men to stop and he approached Arthur and Merlin; a very worrying smile on his face.
"It would be remiss of me, as your host to leave you without entertainment during your short stay with me. Please, consider this a gift to make the night pass a little more interestingly."
As he said these words he reached out a hand and lightly touched them both on their heads. For a moment Arthur only felt a coldness and a distancing but then there was shattering light and intense pain. Arthur felt himself scream out and begin to collapse. However before he closed his eyes he caught sight of Merlin's face and he somehow knew that whatever agony he was feeling, his friend was feeling more.
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Merlin stopped. The spell that was about to leave his lips remained unspoken. Arthur. Arthur was here. Arthur was here and he was about to do magic in front of him. He faltered. He froze. He could not complete the spell. Despite his intense hatred of what Caldwell had done, Merlin could not bring himself to do magic so blatantly in front of his King. In that moment of hesitation Caldwell acted. The Lord pulled Merlin to him and forced him back up to his knees. Then once more he laid his hand upon Merlin's head and forced the young man to enter the nightmare world of pain and visions.
In his confusion and fear of being discovered Merlin did not react to save himself and was consequently lost in the misery of hallucinations. He could not see or feel what was going on around him, was not aware of the desperate fight that Arthur was engaging in. All that he saw or felt was torment and despair.
Then a brief moment of clarity when Merlin could see Arthur standing before him, sword raised in attack mode, but strangely standing very still. However before Merlin could take in any more he felt a hand on his head and the torture took over his mind once again.
Merlin did not know how long he had been unaware of his surroundings, being in the nightmare world time lost all meaning, but suddenly he felt himself dragged out of it. Only something powerfully meaningful to the warlock could have brought him back; and it was. Arthur roaring in anger and emotion. Arthur was in trouble and Merlin needed to get to him.
The young warlock forced his eyes open. He saw Arthur being held, unarmed and vulnerable.
"Arthur" he whispered. "You were not supposed to come here."
"As if I would let you go off on your own you idiot." Arthur replied "I mean look at the mess you get yourself into without me!"
That brief moment of familiarity and recognisable conversation made Merlin briefly smile, but it was short lived as again the pain and nightmares descended.
He thought he heard Arthur's voice somewhere in the darkness and then he was released once more. He felt his body give way and he almost fell. But he was not going to let Caldwell see him defeated and he tried to stand. But it was too much for him and he had to settle for raising his voice, showing his defiance and serving his warning.
"I will make you pay for Gaius, I promise you that."
Merlin saw a look of confusion cross Arthur's face but did not have time to think about it as he was pulled cruelly to his feet by Caldwell. Other men grabbed hold of him and he felt himself being dragged away. He was aware of Caldwell talking but could not find the strength to listen to what he was saying. It was taking all his resolve just to remain conscious.
Then he felt the hand on his head and just before he fell into the void he heard Arthur scream. And Merlin knew that Caldwell had dragged his friend down into the darkness and the agony as well. This knowledge doubled his pain and remorse. Arthur would suffer and it was his, Merlin's, fault. Then he could think no more as the nightmares and the wraiths ate away at him and bled his magic.
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We have reached the half way point in this story and I would like to say thank you to everyone who is reading, following and reviewing. I have also realised I have not made the usual disclaimer - I do not own Merlin as it belongs to the BBC. This is merely a story with no financial or commercial gain.
Thanks for reading so far. Take care. Zendog
