So a little explanation about having a part two for the 'What Happened Before' chapter (and a part three actually)...

I was originally just going to do the whole Merlin flashback in one chapter, but then it began to get REALLY long, so I halved it. Then the second half became REALLY long too, so I halved that one as well. So there are three Merlin flashback chapters here. Sorry if you're totally dying to know what is going on in the present of the story, but I felt like it was important to see all that happened to Merlin during these two weeks.

That, and there actually are some really important things discussed in this chapter. It's kinda talkie, but hopefully you'll all still enjoy it.

Thanks soooooooooooo much for all the reviews! You guys make it worth writing! Love you!

Enjoy!

Chapter 14: What Happened Before Part Two

Days passed.

Merlin lost track of how many, but he guessed it was probably around three or four. Maybe five. It was impossible to tell since he was kept chained in the throne room the whole time, and there weren't any windows to let in natural light. He'd been fed a few times, and about twice a day someone came by, undid his gag and trickled a bit of water down his throat, but other than that he'd mostly been left alone.

The only slightly eventful moment had been when the men had returned with another dose of the drug, about two days into his captivity.

Merlin could tell it was wearing off, but he'd been trying hard to keep looking weak and helpless. Maybe the men would forget and he'd be able to escape. As the drug grew weaker and weaker, Merlin had started to dig around for his magic. He'd managed to collect a small pool of it, saving a bit of it here and a bit of it there. It still wasn't enough for him to complete even the most meager of spells, but it was a great comfort to know his magic wasn't gone for good. Just hidden, masked.

Merlin had nearly gathered enough magic to unlock the shackles when the second dose had arrived. The warlock had struggled against the men's harsh grip as they forced in another vial, but it was no use. Merlin felt the magic he had so painstakingly collected get whisked away and covered by the terrible fizziness again. His stomach rolled and he gagged, nearly vomiting all over himself. All in all, Merlin felt pretty horrible.

But the drug wasn't the only thing making him sick. Merlin had yet to figure out why he'd been taken captive, and it was driving him insane with worry. Not worry for himself, even though the warlock had to admit he was in a pretty tough spot. He was worried about what Lord Dareth planned on doing to Arthur and Camelot.

He'd overheard his captor's name being said by some of the masked men who occasionally walked through the throne room. It was nice knowing the man's name, but it didn't really shed any light on the mystery. Merlin had never heard of a Lord Dareth. He guessed he was from a kingdom neighboring Camelot, but that was about as far as he got. No one was stopping to explain anything to him. Not that he expected it. He was their prisoner, after all. It didn't matter what he wanted.

Merlin was also a little concerned about why there hadn't been a rescue attempt yet. Not that he wanted Arthur or the knights to get into danger because of him, but he would really like to get out of this place. That, and the fact that there had been no response from Camelot at all made him nervous. What if something had happened to Arthur as well? Was he a captive somewhere too? Or what if Camelot had been taken over by Morgana in his absence? Or Arthur had been killed somehow? Or what if… what if they didn't care enough to go find him?

Shaking his head, Merlin immediately dismissed that idea. Arthur would never leave one of his men in danger if he could do anything about it. He'd seen the king's love and loyalty to his people time and time again. He couldn't believe that Arthur would rest until he'd found Merlin.

Which brought Merlin's nerves full circle. He didn't want Arthur to come here. That was obviously what Lord Dareth wanted, and it would certainly not mean good news for the young king or Camelot. So actually, it was a good thing that there had been no rescue attempts yet. It was a good thing that Merlin was still sitting here, gagged, drugged, and shackled without any idea where he was or why he was here.

Merlin thought the drugs must have been doing something crazy to his head.

The warlock let his head droop onto his chest, his jaw aching from the gag. He sighed heavily and was about to close his eyes and begin concentrating on locating his magic when he realized someone was standing beside him. He could see their feet in his peripherals, and the bottom of a dark cloak.

"You're Emrys. Aren't you?"

Merlin snapped his head up. It was the young sorcerer who'd captured him, Grayton. The boy was looking down at him with a strange expression of awe mixed with guilt. He seemed to be waiting for Merlin to respond, his forehead creased.

Merlin raised an eyebrow and looked down at his gag. Grayton grimaced in embarrassment.

"Oh, yes, of course. Sorry," he stammered. He muttered a word in the Old Religion as his eyes flashed, and Merlin's gag fell away from his face. Merlin worked his jaw up and down, relieved. He looked at Grayton cautiously.

"What gave you that idea?" he croaked, his voice scratchy from lack of use. Grayton broke eye contact and looked at the floor.

"Just… just something King Arthur said. About you calling him the Once and Future King. And since you have magic, I thought-"

"You were talking to Arthur?" Merlin shot, his eyes wide and intense. Maybe involuntarily, the young sorcerer stepped back.

"Um, yes. Well, kind of. He, um, didn't know it was me he was talking to," Grayton said sheepishly. Merlin frowned.

"What do you mean?" he asked slowly. Grayton didn't seem to want to answer. He kept shuffling his feet anxiously. He glanced over his shoulder, like he was ensuring they were alone in the room.

"King Arthur thought it was you he was talking to," Grayton admitted. Merlin felt his heart drop into his stomach. The situation suddenly clicked into place.

"You are impersonating me," he said, staring in horror at the young sorcerer. Grayton just nodded, still avoiding eye contact. Merlin swallowed hard, trying to keep back the sudden rush of anger that shot through him. Judging from the frightened look that crossed Grayton's face at Merlin's expression, it didn't work too well.

"I suppose you are spying on Camelot then. Or do you mean to lure Arthur into a trap? Or maybe assassinate him?" Merlin said, his voice low and angry. Grayton shook his head.

"No, no, you don't understand, I don't mean to do any harm -"

"Well, if that's the case, why don't you go ahead and release me and leave Arthur alone!?" Merlin snapped. "You've already harmed me, in case you didn't notice."

"I know. I'm sorry. I can't help it," Grayton said weakly. The shame on his face made him look even younger than he was. He took a shaky breath. "You are Emrys, aren't you? The prophesized warlock?"

"How do you know about that? Are you a druid?" Merlin challenged. A shadow of a smile flitted across Grayton's face.

"My mother was," he said simply. Then his face darkened. "But that doesn't matter. I came here to tell you something, but I don't have much time. Will you please listen? It's important."

"Will it get me out of these shackles?" Merlin asked, his eyebrow quirked. Grayton glanced at the metal cuffs around Merlin's wrists and winced.

"I'm afraid not. I've been commanded explicitly to make sure you can't escape. That's why… that's why you were drugged. To suppress your… you know. Magic."

Fear suddenly shot through Merlin's stomach in an icy jolt. "You told Lord Dareth about my magic?"

Grayton's eyes widened and he shook his head furiously. "No, no, of course I didn't! I told you your secret was safe with me, remember? I just told him to drug you. Not why. And he didn't ask, so the secret's still safe," he added earnestly.

Merlin didn't feel very safe. "Well, thank you, I guess. But it doesn't really matter. Either way I'm stuck here."

Grayton stared at him. "Will you listen to what I need to tell you?" he asked pleadingly. "It's about an ancient ceremony called blood-binding."

Merlin's head had already begun to pound with an oncoming headache. He really didn't need any information about ancient ceremonies at the moment, much less ones with titles as ominous as blood-binding. But Grayton sounded so very desperate. Hearing his pleading voice brought back some of the strange kinship and sympathy he'd felt for the boy when he'd first seen him back in Gaius's chambers. Merlin nodded.

"I'll listen. It's not like I'm going anywhere. But… can you do something for me first?" he asked. Grayton shuffled a bit.

"Uh, yes, but remember, we don't have too much more time-"

"Just answer me this: Is Camelot safe? Is Arthur alright? Do they… do they know something's wrong?" Merlin stared at the young sorcerer's face, trying to milk out answers from his expression. A look of relief flashed over Grayton's face.

"I can answer those. Camelot is… well, it's safe for now. It may not be for much longer. King Arthur is doing alright. He's worried about you. All of your friends are. They don't understand why you're acting strangely." He let out a little laugh.

"And yes, they know something's wrong, but no one can pinpoint what. I've been trying hard to act strange and secretive, so your friends would get suspicious. It's worked, mostly. But I won't be able to do that for much longer."

Grayton's face grew hard and sad, like he'd seen and done things he wished had never occurred.

"What do you mean?" Merlin asked carefully. Grayton shook his head.

"You'll see. But now I need to tell you about blood- binding," he responded firmly. Merlin nodded. He knew when to stop.

"So tell me. What is blood-binding?" he prompted, leaning his head back against the wall.

Grayton's green eyes hardened. He looked at Merlin with a strange new intensity and took a deep breath. "It is an ancient ritual, known only by the High Priestesses of the Old Religion."

"Does it involve snakes?" Merlin asked dryly. Grayton looked confused.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Yes, um, anyway," Grayton started again, looking a little flustered. "What it does is… well, it binds two people together. Or more like, binds one person to another. They have to be related though, for it to work. A close relation. They have to share the same blood. Like… father and son."

He gave Merlin a pointed look, his eyes pleading with him to get it. Merlin sighed and frowned.

"Very interesting. What does that have to do with anything?"

"I'm not done," Grayton said quickly. "You see, when done correctly, it binds one person to the will of another. Their mind is their own, but they have no choice but to do as the other tells them. Oh, and the bond grows with time. The longer it exists, the stronger it is."

"Fascinating," Merlin said. "But why-"

Merlin was interrupted when one of the wooden doors swung open with a bang. Grayton jumped and straightened up, quickly re-gagging Merlin with a flick of his hand. Three men walked into the room, Lord Dareth and two masked guards. The lord looked at Grayton icily, the young sorcerer squirming uncomfortably under his gaze. Dareth motioned for his guards to remain by the door as he walked threateningly up to Grayton.

"You weren't talking to the prisoner, were you my little sorcerer?" he growled, his voice low. "Tell the truth."

Grayton was shaking as he answered. "Yes, I was."

Lord Dareth smacked the boy hard across the face. "From this point on, never approach the prisoner unless I am with you or directly tell you to. Is that clear?"

Grayton nodded, his eyes tearing up from the blow. He kept his face lowered, not making eye contact with Lord Dareth. Merlin felt another pang of sympathy for the young sorcerer. It was very clear just from those few moments that this was a very abusive relationship. Merlin wondered why Grayton still worked for Lord Dareth. The boy had pretty powerful magic, and he was resourceful enough to capture Emrys. Why did he remain under Lord Dareth's power when he could easily defeat the man?

Dareth wasn't done with Grayton. He stalked up close to the boy again, his eyes narrowed. "Have you discovered where Camelot's knights will be meeting with Odin's embassy, boy? And when?"

Grayton nodded reluctantly. "King Arthur told me today. They are traveling along the secret eastern route, which means they should meet with Odin's embassy just outside the forest bordering the lands."

Dareth took this into consideration with a smirk. "And when?"

"In two days," Grayton answered. Dareth nodded.

"Very well then. I need you to sneak away from Camelot undetected and kill Odin's councilors before Camelot's knights find them."

Grayton's eyes widened in horror. "K…kill them?"

Dareth gave him a disgusted look. "Yes boy, kill them. Stop looking so horrified."

Grayton's face instantly morphed into impassiveness, but his voice remained shaky. "But… I have never killed before."

"It shouldn't be too hard for you to figure out. You have magic, after all. Just get it done, and make sure Camelot's knights aren't any trouble as well. We wouldn't want anything to get in the way of our final step," Dareth sneered. Grayton's eyes were filling with tears, but he nodded jerkily.

"What…whatever you say, Father."

Merlin blinked. He supposed he should have put the clues together sooner, but it still surprised him. Lord Dareth was Grayton's father. Now that it was clear, Merlin could actually see the resemblance between them. Dark brown hair, green eyes, similar stature and height. But where Lord Dareth was hardened and cruel, Grayton was gentle and scared.

What was it that Grayton had been telling him about before Dareth marched in? Blood-binding? And something about how it only worked between close relations, like a father and a son…

"So now about your deception of Camelot…" Dareth's eyes flickered over to Merlin with a small smile. "Has anyone noticed anything out of place about their dear Merlin?"

Merlin glared daggers at him as Grayton responded. "Y…yes they have. They keep asking me what's wrong, trying to get me to tell them more. But I haven't said anything you have forbidden me to," the young sorcerer said. "I can't." he added sadly.

"We need to extinguish their worry. When do you need to take the potion again?"

"In about two days," Grayton said. Dareth nodded.

"Then directly after you take care of the embassy and knights, I need you to report back here and take it. Understand?"

Grayton nodded. "Of course I do Father. I have little choice." He looked over at Merlin, his eyes filled with shame. But Merlin could only feel sorrow for the young man. He finally understood why he'd been so insistent on telling him about blood-binding earlier.

Grayton was blood-bound to his father. He'd probably been so since he was a child. Grayton had no choice but to follow his father's orders, whether he wanted to or not. And Dareth was using his son as nothing more than a tool, magic completely under his control. It made Merlin sick.

"Very good. Now back to Camelot with you. People might start to think that Merlin is missing," Lord Dareth said, with another smirk towards the shackled warlock. Merlin seriously wished he wasn't gagged, because there were some choice words he wanted to yell at the man.

Grayton nodded to his father, sent another apologetic look towards Merlin, then hurried out of the room. Dareth watched his son go, and then motioned at the guards by the door.

"I think it's time our prisoner had another drink," he called. Merlin's stomach clenched and he swallowed hard, trying desperately to use what little magic he had gathered to protect himself, but he knew before he even started it was no good. There was nothing he could do as the men yanked out his gag and forced down another vial of the horrible liquid.

The third time Merlin was given the drug was about the same time Grayton returned.

This time he was with Lord Dareth when he entered, just as the lord had commanded his son last time. A few days had passed, and Merlin was really feeling seriously uncomfortable. His hands had nearly gone numb from being elevated this whole time and his rear was aching from being stuck sitting for so long.

But all thought about his own discomfort disappeared when he saw the look on Grayton's face.

The young sorcerer looked devastated and hollow, tear tracks marking his cheeks as he walked beside Lord Dareth. His hands were shaking horribly and his face was pale. Merlin remembered with a pang what Dareth had commanded his son to do before returning.

That did it. Lord Dareth was officially the worst father in the history of ever. Even Uther hadn't been hard-hearted enough to be this cruel to his own child.

Dareth looked at his son and motioned towards Merlin. "Get on with it, boy."

Grayton bowed his head and hurried towards Merlin, pulling a jar of something out of his pouch. At first Merlin thought it was the drug, but then he noticed it wasn't the same acid green color, instead having an odd, off white sort of hue. It was a bit thicker as well, looking sort of like porridge.

Grayton pulled a small knife from his belt and pricked Merlin's finger with the tip, letting a small drizzle of blood run down. Merlin was amazed any blood came out, his hand looked so white. The warlock watched as Grayton caught a drop or two of Merlin's blood in the jar, then the young sorcerer stepped back and muttered some words in the Old Religion, his hands on the jar. The potion inside glowed with gold for a moment, then settled back down into its usual color.

Merlin had to admit he was surprised when a moment later Grayton opened the jar and dumped the contents into his mouth. But he was even more surprised when immediately after the young sorcerer began to grow taller, his hair shorter and darker, his skin lighter. Even his clothes were changing, morphing into a familiar blue shirt and red neckerchief. In just a few moments, Merlin was staring at an exact replica of himself.

The look on Merlin's face must have been something, because Lord Dareth laughed. "Surprised, Merlin? It is a very good likeness, is it not? Grayton, ungag him, I would like to hear what he is thinking," Dareth commanded.

A flash of gold later, the gag dropped from Merlin's mouth. "What are you going to do to Arthur?" he shot at the lord.

Dareth smiled. "I'm going to do to him just what I'm doing to you. He will be my prisoner, kept only for the blood that runs in his veins. That's the only downside to this wonderful potion my son created. In order to create a perfect likeness, a drop or two of blood needs to be added from the person who is being imitated. Didn't you wonder why you hadn't just been killed before being replaced?"

Merlin had actually wondered that, but he'd tried not to dwell on it. In his experience, being captured but not killed didn't always mean you got the better deal.

"So you plan on using your son, pretending to be me, to lure Arthur into a trap that will land him as a prisoner here, and then use the potion to have Grayton imitate him instead of me?" Merlin growled. He grasped at the little pocket of magic he'd salvaged. Usually when he felt strong emotions it triggered something inside of him that let loose more of his power. Maybe if he let Dareth get him angry, it would be enough to break free of the drug.

Dareth gave Merlin a slow, sarcastic clap. "Very good, servant. Almost entirely correct. I am not going to lure Arthur into a trap. That won't be necessary. No, I plan on taking Camelot first. Then her king will be easy to capture."

Merlin could feel his rage building, but it still wasn't enough to tap into his magic. Come on! I'm Emrys! This sort of thing is supposed to be easy for me!

"And you are using your son to do all of this. You are forcing him to do terrible things, to kill and kidnap and harm people, all to appease your own selfish desires," Merlin cried. He didn't miss the look of grateful relief that flashed across Grayton's- his?- face at those words.

Dareth, however, did not look so grateful. He walked to Merlin and grabbed his jaw with a firm hand, forcing the warlock to look into the lord's furious green eyes. "It is not for my own selfish desires, boy. It is for revenge. For my father's family for many generations. And it is my son's duty to help me, even if he does not wish to."

He pushed Merlin's head back hard so it slammed against the wall. The warlock couldn't help but let out a small gasp of pain, stars dancing in his vision.

"Do not challenge my motives, servant. You know nothing of nobles and grudges, of magic and power and revenge. So do not even try to condemn me. I am in the right," Dareth snarled.

Merlin almost rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation. He wished he could throw some of his adventures in Dareth's face, prove he wasn't the helpless idiotic servant everyone seemed to think he was. He could think of a million snarky comebacks, but he decided to hold off. The look in Dareth's eyes made it clear things could get ugly if he was pushed much harder.

"So you need my blood to impersonate me," Merlin said, hoping that with a change of subject Dareth would calm down. Maybe he could still learn something from this.

"Yes," Dareth said, glancing at the Grayton-Merlin. "Each dose lasts about a week. It is quite a remarkable potion, in truth. My son created it, with some prodding from me, of course. As you can see the likeness is quite perfect, even down to the clothing. But the true brilliance comes from the second dose."

Dareth's eyes were bright with excitement, which looked odd above his cruel smirk. "You see Merlin, in the second dose, the imitation become perfect. Not only does one put on the appearance of another, but the personality as well. It still is not exact, but with each dose of the potion it becomes closer and closer to the real person, until they even share the same memories. Incredible, isn't it?"

Merlin thought it sounded more horrible than incredible, although he had to admit it was a pretty impressive piece of magic. And to learn that Grayton created it himself was impressive as well, although Merlin was pretty sure the sorcerer would have been much happier had it never been made.

"So now Grayton will act like me as well?" he asked slowly, looking at the sorcerer. Grayton swallowed and looked at the floor guiltily.

"Yes, in most scenarios. Like I said, it's not quite perfect yet," Dareth explained. "Oh, and there is one more little trick about it…" He gave Grayton a look which the young man seemed to understand instantly. Merlin watched as he transformed back into his usual appearance.

"The potion gives the user the ability to go back and forth between appearances. Just as a little bit of a safety net," Dareth gloated. He turned away from Merlin and looked at his son. "Now back to Camelot with you, Merlin. The physician is going to need your help taking care of all those knights you injured."

Merlin's heart hammered in his chest. "Knights were injured? How?"

"They went to meet Odin's embassy, of course. And all were taken down. What a humorous situation, don't you think?" Dareth mocked, smirking. "King Arthur's four closest and most trusted knights, all of which are known throughout the land for their bravery and great abilities as fighters, defeated by a mere boy."

King Arthur's four closest and most trusted knights. Leon, Elyan, Percival, and Gwaine. Taken down. Merlin's head spun and his stomach clenched in fear. He glared at Lord Dareth.

"If you've harmed any of my friends-"

"You'll what? You have nothing but empty threats, servant. And once I have King Arthur in my clutches, I won't have any more need for you. I don't owe a thing to you. Now quickly, Grayton, re-gag him. I don't want to hear another ridiculous threat."

Merlin didn't hate many people. He often even felt bad for the sorcerers and sorceresses he'd faced over the years, knowing that if the purge had never taken place they probably wouldn't be so twisted by hatred and pain to become what they were. But he truly, purely, legitimately hated Lord Dareth. It was official now.

The gag went back on, and all Merlin could do was glare as Dareth walked casually out of his throne room, Grayton following like a scolded dog. Two of Dareth's guards came in a moment later with the new dosage of drug to shove down his throat. But to Merlin's horror, they weren't just carrying one vial this time. They had three.

Merlin guessed Dareth had ordered the men to triple the dosage this time as a sort of punishment for what he'd said. He supposed he could have received a worse punishment, torture for one, but he found it hard to be grateful for anything as the horrible fizziness began to descend upon him again, this time three times as strong. Merlin felt his eyes begin to go fuzzy and his hearing dim, until he was hanging limply in a half-unconscious stupor.

Awww, poor Merlin! Always getting the shaft. :(

Thank you so much for reading! And reviewing! Right? :P