When the attack had happened everyone had been knocked out instantly, and it wasn't until some three hours later that Merlin woke up. He was alone in a cell chained to the wall. He looked around but it was pitch dark, so he tried to use his magic to light the room. But his couldn't use his magic, he could feel it deep in his core, but he couldn't bring it to the surface. That made him scared, it had been years since he had last had his magic blocked. He then tried to call Kilgarrah but even that was impossible. He began to panic but tried hard to remain calm, he knew that panicking wouldn't help him. He needed to be ready in case the opportunity to escape presented itself. He couldn't move very much, his arms were above his head, and they ached, he must have been pulling down on his joints when he was unconscious. Now he was awake he could relieve his arms and shoulders by taking the weight through his legs. Merlin tried to get his hands free from the shackles, but all he did was make his wrists hurt, he thought they were bleeding. Merlin listened as hard as he could and all he could hear was the drip, drip of water. He was hungry and worse thirsty so the sound of water dripping made him feel even worse.

He wasn't sure how long he was stood there, but he kept dropping off to sleep with exhaustion, and then his arms and shoulders would hurt as his weight transferred back though them. Then he heard footsteps, someone was coming was it someone to rescue him? Or was it his captors, and if it was what did they want. Merlin started to feel very scared once more and tried to struggle free but the pain made him stop. Then someone unlocked the door and light flooded into the room making his eyes hurt. He screwed them shut, then as whomever it was moved closer he opened them, and let his eyes adjust to the light. In front of him was a young woman, about the same age as Morgana. She was slender and had brown hair and blue eyes and was pretty, she was shorter than him by a few inches. But it was her expression that chilled Merlin; she looked at him as if he was some sort of toy.

"Well hello, the warlock awakens, how does it feel to be helpless?"

Merlin looked at her and said nothing, what did she want him to say.

The woman hit him hard across the face "Speak when you're spoken to boy. How does it feel to be helpless?"

Merlin swallowed a couple of times "What have you done to me?" he asked. He then received another blow.

"That's not what I asked."

"It's wrong, it feels wrong." He told her.

"Wrong. Yes I suppose it does, if it continues you will die." She smirked at Merlin. "Do you want to die? No I suppose you don't" she added when she saw his expression.

"Who are you and what do you want with me?" Merlin asked.

"I am Nimueh, High Priestess of the Old Religion. As for what I want from you, I want your power and I will get it one way or the other. So you can either join me willingly or I will take your power from you and leave you to die."

Merlin felt a chill go down his back, he had matured well beyond his years, he might only be fourteen but due to his powers and position he acted and felt much older. He wanted to close his ears and pretend he was back at Camelot with his friends, but he knew that might never happen again.

"What do you want me for?" he asked "magic is accepted in Camelot."

"Magic should be more than accepted! To be under a King who has no magic is wrong." Nimueh spat out. "I am a high priestess, me and my kind should rule, we are superior."

Merlin looked at her, and as he often did he spoke before thinking through the consequences. "But there is a High Priestess at Arthur's side, as his advisor."

Merlin got hit once more "Don't you dare! Morgana is a traitor to her kind. She is nothing but a hedgewitch, she was offered the chance to work with us years ago and refused. She would rather work under a King who has no right to rule."

"Morgana is a good person!" Merlin shouted.

Nimueh spoke a few words and her eyes flashed gold, Merlin doubled over in agony. As the pain receded Nimueh spoke to him once more. "You are young, but I am willing to give you another chance work with us, if you do you will rule with us, fight us and you will die."

"Never!" Merlin answered her without a second hesitation. "Arthur is the true King. He is the once and future King."

Nimueh turned to the door. "Come in sister, you may have your wish, you can play with this mouse for awhile. Don't kill him yet, remember we need to harvest his powers before he dies."

Merlin looked at the door and saw another woman walk into the room. "Hello Merlin, remember me? You could have joined me years ago, by now we would have ruled Camelot and the five kingdoms." It was Morgause.

Now Merlin was really frightened. He knew he would never work with the two women, but he also knew unless he was rescued and soon he would die. The stress caught up with him and darkness claimed him once more.