Arthur didn't wake any of the knights to switch off for watch. Even if he had, he would not have succeeded in falling asleep from to the oceans of guilt over what happened to Merlin. None of the knights commented about not having to take the watch, which Arthur was grateful for. The knights were his friends and they knew him too well. They were mindful that he had a reason and did not question him. Everyone had awoken at similar times of their own accord. Merlin remained the one to sleep the latest, which nobody bothered him about. Each succeeded in staying busy while not contributing to anything productive. For Arthur, he did it to take his mind off the events of the past day.
Arthur's attention was drawn away from the knife he was continuously sharpening towards Merlin as he laughed at Percival. It seemed that the large knight was tasked in preparing the breakfast. He was attempting to follow Merlin's cooking instructions of the measly bit of food left in the bags. Arthur's stomach clenched at the emptiness inside. They were about to eat their one and only meal that had been packed by Merlin the previous day. Arthur had wanted him to bring it instead of leaving it at camp with the intention to stay out the majority of the day hunting. Arthur grabbed his water skin to wet his dry throat. Giving it a bit of a shake Arthur realized that it was less than halfway full. They had intended to fill them at the next stream they found. He cursed their bad luck. Now their only option was the terribly stagnant and dirty water at the end of the cave. Arthur spared only a small sip of the liquid. Their rations were dangerously low, with no way to stock them. They would have to leave within the day if they were to come out of this alive.
Arthur glanced around to the others and saw that Elyan was doing a thorough examination of Leon's injuries to see if there was any further damage. Gwaine was giving the area another look over for other supplies that may have missed the previous night. He was obviously keeping his distance as much as possible from Arthur, and he was glad for the added space.
Try as he might, there was no hateful feeling towards Gwaine. Arthur knew that his father would have come down hard if a knight had ever talked to him like that. Uther would have removed the knight's status and he possible would have faced banishment. It was different for Arthur. Gwaine and the other knights were his friends. He refused to see them as tools for him to use as his father saw his own knights. Arthur had fought with these men for years. They had grown past the veneer of king and knights. They were real to each other. Gwaine had spoke the truth and Arthur could not deny the facts.
Arthur noted that the cavern was ominously lit now with just a bit of sunlight shining through where they fell. Looking up at the small light, Arthur felt a shock swell in him that Merlin was the only one to hold a serious injury. A drop from a height like that would typically kill a man. How they were each still alive was a mystery to him. He would make a point of consulting Gaius on falls such as these when they returned to Camelot.
Arthur felt as though he was punched in the gut. If they returned. He had no idea if it was even possible to get out of this place. One exit was completely out of the running. If the other was blocked like the first then there would be nothing left for them to do. And even if they did find a way out, what would happen with Merlin? He had said so himself the previous night that he would need a stretcher to make it to the surface and back to Camelot.
Arthur ripped himself away from those thoughts. He couldn't focus on that right now. For the time being, it was imperative that he remained unattached. His mind needed to be clear in order to make the right decisions that would maximize their chances of staying alive, even if that meant leaving Merlin behind.
A shout of triumph came from Percival's and Merlin's direction. He had finally managed to prepare a sparse breakfast from Merlin's instructions. They all moved to sit by the quickly diminishing fire and began eating. Arthur simply watched his knights and servant interacting with each other. Elyan was entertaining them with stories about Gwen and his childhood, many of which were highly amusing. Arthur would have joined them in their laughter had he been in any other situation. It was easy for them. They simply awaited whatever decision Arthur would make. Arthur felt a sudden detachment. He considered them some of his closest friends. Hell, Merlin wasn't half as bad as Arthur told him he was, but even after the many years he had known them his title was a barricade. Arthur pushed around the breakfast mush as he waited for the opportune time to retreat away from the group yet again.
"I fell in a swamp up to my waist just because Gwen wanted a tadpole!" The following laughter that ensued from Elyan's tale was contagious. He had been surprise as the sound that came from his chest was even remotely close to a laugh. He caught Percival wiping his eyes from the tears and Merlin shaking his head. He glanced over to Merlin who had his crooked grin stretching across his face. To his surprise, Merlin looked his way as well. Arthur saw his smile grow even larger. Arthur could stop himself as he smiled genuinely for the first time since Merlin told them of his paralysis. Perhaps they would be able to get past this with time and healing.
A sudden loud crashing echoed through the cavern as what sounded like a large object met the ground. They silenced themselves immediately and their fading laughter mingled with he resounding noise that had silenced them. Arthur held his breath as he listened for any potential threats. For several long moments they each stared into the darkness of the cave, alert and listening for anything else.
"Perhaps it was just a random occurrence." Percival tried to say optimistically. Another moment passed in silence. Arthur willed his ears to seek out any other noise, but found none. Out of the corner of his eye he caught Merlin's odd movement. It was as though he was startled by a sudden realization. The worried blue eyes of his manservant met his and Arthur suddenly knew what they meant.
"No, Merlin." Arthur said in a firm tone that cut harshly into the silence. He reached behind him for his sheathed sword and saw that the knights mimicked his actions.
"You promised Arthur," Merlin said urgently. "Leave me."
"What the hell is happening?" Gwaine asked glaring at Arthur.
"Something's coming." Merlin said adamantly, but Arthur rolled his eyes.
"How can you be so sure?" Arthur asked. Merlin averted his gaze and looked away from Arthur. He refused to answer. "Merlin your funny feelings don't mean anything and you know it." Arthur said in a firm tone.
"I just know." Merlin insisted. His eyes pleaded for Arthur to listen to him. "Now get out of here, please."
Arthur looked down at the sword in his hand and nearly laughed. "I can't even believe that I let you get to me. Your funny feelings aren't even-"
At that exact moment, the dying fire they had been around exploded upward. All the knights jumped back away from the licking flames as it began growing outward. Shouting could be heard and Arthur froze in horror as he saw that Merlin had hardly moved away. He frantically pushed himself backwards using his arms. The sweat on his brow reflected the fire that continued to move closer to Merlin, threatening to overcome him.
Throwing caution to the wind, Arthur quickly grabbed Merlin by the shoulders and began pulling the younger man away from what could have been certain death. Merlin cried out in pain but Arthur ignored it for the sole purpose of saving his manservant. Arthur would deal with the potential ramifications of his careless handling with Merlin later. Right now all that mattered was getting Merlin away from the flames. Without a second glance, Arthur set Merlin down at a safe distance and drew his sword from its sheath, following his knights. The fire suddenly extinguished itself bathing them in darkness. Everyone stood stock still and barely dared to breath.
"Show yourself, sorcerer" Arthur shouted into the darkness. Silence followed. For several moments all that could be heard was a steady drip of water falling from the cavern walls.
A flame suddenly lit up directly in front of the group. A man's cloaked outline could be seen and the flame appeared to be held in his hand. Arthur could see his twisted smile peaking beneath the black cape that blended into the surroundings of the cave.
"Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot and his loyal knights," The man said with a loathing that seeped through every syllable. "How long have I waited to be able to face you like this."
Arthur gripped the hilt of his sword tighter than before. "Leave us, sorcerer, or we will be forced to attack. I can assure you we will show no mercy."
"Arthur, don't do anything stupid." Came Merlin's voice from behind.
"Your pet seems to know a thing or two about survival." The man lifted his head exposing his dark eyes. "Here's the deal. You will come with me willingly or I will force you to."
"Why would we do anything you say?" Arthur laughed bitterly. A swell of confidence ran through him as he pointed his drawn sword towards the sorcerer. "You are just one-"
Before Arthur could finish, two more flames lit up on either side of the man exposing more cloaked figures. There was movement heard and suddenly flames were appearing all around them. At least fifteen sorcerers surrounded them, trapping them from any hope of escape.
The man let out a laugh that seemed to stem from the sight their hopeless predicament. "Of all the places you have found my people, we never thought this would be one of them."
Arthur said nothing. The man was taunting him. Arthur knew this man sought revenge for his and his father's actions in their fight against those with magic. If this were any other day, Arthur would have taken his chances and fought. His eyes flicked towards where he could see Merlin's foot. He remained in the spot Arthur had dropped him. If Arthur tried to fight his way out of this, Merlin would be caught in the middle.
"Not so brave now when you don't have squadrons of knights with you to attack our camps."
Before Arthur or any of the knights could say a thing, Merlin of all people spoke out.
"You're druids?"
Arthur sent him a steady glare. Merlin's eyes flickered to Arthur's momentarily and then back to the supposed druid. What was Merlin playing at drawing the attention to himself? He was injured and hardly able to hold himself up at an angle where he could see everyone.
The man glared at him. "What makes your so sure?"
Merlin opened his mouth to answer, but Arthur beat him to it.
"He isn't." Arthur stepped closer to the man effectively cutting him off from his servant. "Merlin here is just a simple minded servant who never knows when to keep his mouth shut. Just leave him be. It is me you want after all."
The man seemed to consider his words for a moment. Arthur's heart was in his throat when he saw golden yes light up behind the cloak. He suddenly felt a rough force shove him to the wall. He hit with such speed that the air left his lungs leaving him struggling to take a breath in. The knights had also met similar fates that Arthur had. Leon's face had contorted into a grimace as his broken ribs met the hard rock.
"I asked him the question not you, Pendragon." Arthur felt the force crushing him further into the rock face at the mention of his name. He walked up to Merlin and knelt down next to him.
"Merlin," He repeated from what Arthur had said. "That is an odd name, isn't it?"
"It is pretty normal to me." Merlin glared into the hateful eyes of the man in front of him.
'Is it now?" Merlin's frame jolted as the man in front of him spoke to his mind. He had never spoken to someone so filled with hate like that. It was almost as though the man shared not only his thoughts but also the emotion behind them. The raw anger he felt seeping from this man unsettled him.
'I feel as though Emrys would suit you better.'
Merlin remained silent. So the man knew who he was. Typically, Druids nearly worshipped him. Not that he ever asked for it, but even the awkward encounters he had with them over their formalities were welcomed to this. The man was close enough where he could feel his hot breath washing across his face. He cringed inwardly at the closeness of this encounter both physically and mentally. Even if he were to use his magic against him, there were others that would get to Arthur and the knights before he had a chance to stop them.
'What do you even want?' Merlin finally asked.
The man sent a smirk. 'I want a world where we are not controlled by prophecies that have no valid hold on reality. Where figureheads such as the great Emrys are simply bedtime stories we recite to our children.'
Before Merlin had a chance to react the man began murmuring quickly under his breath followed by glowing eyes. Merlin's pounding heart suddenly slowed as he was clothed in a blanket of calming warmth. It was delightfully comfortable. His thoughts muddled together as his brain became foggy. It was all wrong though. Merlin fought to cling to reality. He so desperately wanted to sleep, but he clung on.
"Stop it," Merlin murmured. He opened his eyes only for them to be clouded over. He tried to blink it from his eyes, but the spell he was under was too strong. "Please."
A ringing filled his ears and what had felt like a warm blanked now became suffocatingly hot. His lungs felt empty no matter how many times he inhaled. His chest burned. Over the white noise that grew in his ears he could make out the shouts of Arthur and the knights. Merlin sluggishly looked around for his friends but was only met by the same man as before.
'Fighting it only makes it more painful, Emrys. It is inevitable, but by all means try to overcome it. You'll only suffer more.'
Merlin gave out one last choking gasp before his eyes shut. The pain fled quickly after that and the ringing was replaced by complete silence. Merlin had finally given into unconsciousness.
"Merlin!" Arthur desperately tried to push away from the wall. It was futile as he barely budged. Arthur growled in frustration.
"Markus," Came a new voice. It had been soft yet commanding. Had Arthur not been trapped in a room full of angry sorcerers baying for his blood he would have been almost soothing. Arthur looked to where the noise came from and saw a woman dressed in a similar hooded robe joining them. "What is happening here?"
The man named Markus quickly stood from Merlin's prone form. Bitter frustration flitted across his face until a well sculpted mask entombed his emotions. The woman gazed down upon Merlin. Her eyes widened and she put a hand up to her mouth.
"Is that-?" The woman's question went unfinished as she took a knee right beside him. "It can't be him."
"I do not believe so, Catherine." Markus replied. "Whoever he is though he holds power, so much so that when he became- agitated I feared he would lash out so I was forced to use a sedative spell on him."
Arthur felt confusion coursing through him. What were they even talking about? The man named Markus used magic on an unarmed and severely injured man. Whatever angle he was using Arthur wanted Merlin to have no part in it.
"It doesn't make any difference who you think he is. " Markus shouted. "The prophecy is dead and with it all those who played a part."
"We cannot simply ignore this." She adamantly stated. "There are some who still hold fast to their beliefs." She continued to look down upon him in awe. "What happened to him?"
"He was injured before I got here." Markus replied cooly.
Arthur looked to the woman and became enraged. He hated how close she was to Merlin. He was incredibly vulnerable like this and Arthur was forced to watch from several feet away. She suddenly reached out to push his hair away from his face.
"Don't touch him!" Arthur shouted. His face pressed harder against the wall. He grit his teeth to keep from crying out as the pressure increased. As soon as he was almost unable to bear it, the pressure was suddenly pulled away from his back. Arthur fell to the ground with a thud. He felt the knights fall next to him as well. He made to stand but was stopped by a yet another force on his shoulders. He looked up and his eyes met the cloaked woman. It covered the majority of her face, hiding her from Arthur's sight. He pulled his vision away from her and tried to find Merlin, but he failed to see him whatsoever.
"Chain them and bring them to the holding cells until their trial."
"My servant," Arthur began trying to catch the woman's eye. Her cloak fell several more inches in front of her already hidden face as she turned to look down at him. "He is seriously injured. Please don't harm him further."
The woman stood there for several moments. She said and gave nothing to suggest she even acknowledged his words. Arthur cursed himself as worry held a tight grip inside of his stomach. He should have been less attached when it came to Merlin. Arthur knew that these druids did not like him. That much they had made perfectly clear. If they wanted anything from him then they would be able to use Merlin as a means to achieve it. They had leverage now.
The cold bite of metal encircled his wrists, securing them firmly behind his back. The shackles hit against their wrists as they were forced to walk down the tunnel. A strong force pushed at them to continue moving. Try as he might, Arthur could not see Merlin in any way. Glancing slightly to the right, he saw that Leon was walking next to him. Arthur struggled to move even an inch closer to him. The magical force barricaded him from the others.
Arthur just started to see lights at glowing at the end of the tunnel when a blindfold was suddenly pulled across his field of vision. This was coupled with a strong grip on his bicep. As he was led through the tunnel, he was forced to blindly follow his enemy. His foot collided with a step, sending him tumbling forward. The man holding him only gave a small bit of effort to keep him on his feet. He fell with a hard thud, unable to lessen the blow without being able to use his hands. Arthur noticed a small sliver of the ground was visible. The fall must have moved his blindfold slightly. It wasn't enough to know where he was going, but it was enough to not make of himself a total clumsy buffoon as Merlin would have in this situation. Arthur took advantage of this. It was a few minutes when he realized the ground was no longer the rough rocks they had fallen onto. This was an entirely flat and well kept floor, as though it had been carved specifically.
They walked for several more minutes, turning every so often to go down another hallway. He tried to follow the path, but it was to many turns to remember. Arthur frustratedly followed without any other option.
"Where are we being taken?" He demanded. The druids who escorted them simply ignored him and opted to tighten their grips on his chained arms.
Arthur was about to ask again when the blindfold was ripped from his eyes. He blinked taking in his bright surroundings. It had been over a day since they had seen anything that wasn't lit by a single fire or a torch.
The holding cells as the woman Catherine had called them seemed to comprise of a room with a long sturdy oak table and chairs to match. Arthur was marched over to one of the seats and pushed onto it. His knights were also sat in chairs, although the captors seemed to make a point of keeping them several chairs apart from one another. Gwaine opened his mouth to talk, but was immediately silenced as soon as the first syllable came out with a quick strike to the head. Arthur doubted that it dazed the knight who had received his fair share of strikes during his bar fighting days. However, the action was enough of a message to them that talking was not tolerated.
Arthur attempted to focus on planning an escape, but dread filled his gut. Merlin was hurt somewhere in this labyrinth of tunnels and left at the mercy of these sorcerers. Even if they were to escape, they would still have to find him and somehow figure out a way to transport him out of the tunnels and back to Camelot. His thoughts began to turn over and over until the dread crept into his chest causing his heart to thump harder and faster.
Arthur didn't know how many minutes or perhaps even hours they remained in that room before each of the sorcerers tasked with guarding them began moving at once without any prompting from one or the other. They grabbed each of them again and led them through the doors and back out into the hall.
This time, their destination took a much shorter period of time to arrive at. A set of ornate doors caught his eye, and judging by the lack of other intersecting hallways, Arthur could only assume they were going there. Along the edge of the decorated doors were delicately carved symbols. Arthur had no doubt that, if asked, Gaius would say they were of the old religion. The stench of magic reeked throughout the entire labyrinth they were trapped in. The thought of all these people who had been corrupted by magic, as with his sister, caused him to clench his jaw in bitter spite.
There was buzzing chatter circulating from the other side of the door. Those holding him stopped momentarily outside the door. The very moment they did, the entire room silenced as though their presence had startled them all unanimously. Arthur glanced momentarily to the side of him and saw that his knights were entirely focused on their surroundings. Perhaps one of them had been able to map a trail in the maze of their journey to these doors. Arthur doubted it. Not that any of it would have mattered. They were trapped in a complex that had been undiscovered by Camelot until her very king had fallen accidentally into it. Fate must be having a good laugh about their situation because it seemed entirely unbelievable.
Hinges creaked as the doors opened wide. Arthur squinted slightly as a well lit room filled with oddly dressed people came into his sight. They wore robes that only Gaius would be caught wearing in Camelot. He was momentarily taken aback as he took in everyone's gaze. Some looked at him with utter contempt where others simply held a saddened expression.
A rough shove from behind sent him stumbling forward slightly. The perpetrator received a vehement glare from Arthur who took the time to readjust his posture. He was the bloody king of Camelot. He would make damn sure that these sorcerers knew of his status down to the slight nuances of how he held himself. He continued to walk though the parted crowd. His eyes caught a woman with long flowing hair peppered with strips of silver. The lines settled upon her aging face told Arthur that she spent much of her time smiling; however, it was not what she was doing at that moment. Her mouth was downturned in a hard and angry position. She caught Arthur's gaze with her own piercing eyes. They held a confidence that no follower would have. It was her that led these Druids. Her eyes flashed and with it came a heavy weight upon Arthur's shoulders. He fought against it, but it became too much. He was forced onto his knees in front of all these sorcerers.
"I wish I could say it was a pleasure to see you again, Arthur Pendragon." She stated. Arthur recognized her voice immediately. She was the woman from tunnels, Catherine.
Arthur settled for a glare. She smiled at him cynically and continued speaking.
"I must inform you, Pendragon, that it is not I who you kneel to." She walked around him from behind. It made his skin crawl to not follow her every movement with his eyes, but he forced himself to remain stoic. She was trying to rattle him and he would not allow her the pleasure of knowing that it was working. She came back to the front and Arthur lifted his head in a testament to his obstinance.
"You kneel before all of us." She said with her carefully chosen and constructed. "You kneel as the only recompense we have against the horrors of the Great Purge your father began all those years ago."
Arthur's gut turned. This was not good. These people had more than two decades of anger building inside of them. How far would they go to seek their revenge for everything that happened in the past?
"My knights are innocent in that matter. They have only ever followed my orders." Arthur paused momentarily as he grasped for more ways to negotiate the safety of his friends. "Do whatever you want with me. Please, do not punish them for their loyalty to me."
The room erupted. Arthur heard people shouting indignantly after his words. Catherine stared down upon Arthur, scanning his face. Not losing her gaze, she held a hand up and the room was silenced once more.
"It would be wise for you to not ask of us any favors." Catherine turned her gaze to her people. "The men accompanying King Arthur have also been found guilty of atrocities against innocents. For that the punishment will be severe."
Arthur's blood boiled. If Merlin were here he would have stopped him from saying these next words.
"We have only ever fought for what is right. You condemn us because your hearts have been hardened by the practice of magic."
Catherine stared down at Arthur. She frowned slightly at him as though in pity. He felt rage surge through him once again. It was he who should be pitying them for being corrupted by practicing magic.
"If only you had learned before it was too late for you."
Arthur held back his reply and opted to glare at Catherine instead. She began to address the crowd when something in her shifted. Her body stiffened and she looked towards the door. Arthur tried his hardest to see who it was, but his head was held firmly in place facing the front by magic. Arthur saw that those next to her also reacted as she had. Whispering broke out but was immediately silenced as the hinges of the doors creaked and someone new entered the room.