Merlin hung limply from his chains, now upright against the stone wall. Frost glittered on the cell bars. Each ragged breath sent a cloud of ice crystals swirling into the air. Where blood met air, mist rose. Merlin almost preferred the cold. His extremities were numb this way, even if the metal of the chains stung his flesh like the serket, even if each breath felt like shards of ice stabbing through his chest. Less of him to hurt. Morgana had gotten bored with natural methods of torture by now, eager to inflict the pain herself using magic.
Merlin was beyond exhausted. A part of him knew he should try to plan an escape, but what could he do? He hadn't slept in days, part of Morgana's design. He couldn't think through the cold. Some instinctual remnant in his blood rebelled against the magic-sucking chains. He couldn't stop them from leaching his strength. It seemed impossible that he could become even more drained than he was.
"Merlin, you're alive!"
Merlin cracked open a swollen eye. Then his heart leaped into his throat. Arthur unlocked the cell door and strode in. Arthur!
Merlin tried to say his name, but it came out as an unintelligible croak. How had he found him? Had he somehow defeated Morgana or was she lurking around somewhere?"
Arthur unlocked the chains around Merlin's wrists, supporting his weight as Merlin's legs collapsed from under him.
"I've got horses outside, Merlin. We'll get you back to Camelot soon."
Arthur dragged Merlin along. They left the dungeon, they were outside! Merlin had never thought the sky could be so beautiful, and the warmth! But…where were the horses? Merlin looked at Arthur for an explanation, only it was no longer Arthur that was supporting him, but Morgana. She threw him on the ground and her laughter rang in his ears.
Merlin came to in the dungeon. He was still chained, the frigid air swirled just as it had before, only Morgana stood before him, seemingly unbothered by the temperature. She'd tricked him. Again. Merlin now remembered how many times she had walked him through similar scenarios. Every time, Arthur came to save him. Sometimes Morgana would kill him before Merlin's eyes. Sometimes he was captured and tortured alongside Merlin. Sometimes, like this one, they escaped and Merlin was given a glimpse of hope only for it to be quashed when the illusion faded.
The invisible flames clawing from inside returned. They felt so much like the ice. Weren't fire and ice supposed to feel different? She had more chains in her hands now. What was the point, he couldn't move or use magic anyway. It was with muted horror that he realized they weren't for restraint this time. She lifted the chains with magic and with a gesture and a word in the old tongue the chains shot towards him. The dull chains burrowed into the flesh of his arms, shoulders, torso, and all down his legs, weaving in and out like a red and gray serpent. The chains went taut and hoisted him off the ground. His flesh protested as it was forced to bear his weight in ways the human body had never been designed to do. Merlin didn't have the strength to scream, but that didn't matter to Morgana. She could hear his mental anguish just as easily.
"Let's go back to the basics, shall we?" Morgana taunted.
No, she wasn't bored with the whippings, the beatings, the brandings. She had only been taking a break.
—-
Arthur slew the last of the wolf-like monsters that had attacked him and the knights. The distance Arthur had thought would take the knights three days to cover had turned into five. This pack of beasts was only the latest in a long series of setbacks. As soon as they'd neared Cenred's borders, monster after monster had sought them out. It was a testament to each knight's skill that they weren't dead. They were exhausted, and each of them sported at least one wound, but none thus far had proved serious.
"Sire," Leon called from upon a hill at the edge of the forest. "Cenred's castle is in sight."
"Finally," Arthur muttered under his breath. Then to his men. "We ride on!"
Morgana had left him again. It had been hours, Merlin thought. But time meant nothing now. At first he had thought he could guess the time based on Morgana's absences. But once she had crept into the deepest recesses of his mind, he could no longer be certain he was ever alone. He was probably trapped in another illusion right now.
On cue, Merlin could hear the clanging on metal on metal. Shouts, both in the modern and old tongues. So it was to be one of those, Merlin thought. It would be one of the ones where Arthur brought the knights with him. They would get so close to winning, but they would all die in the end.
Someone was running towards his cell. Metal clanged on metal and the cell door swung open. Merlin didn't bother to look up. He knew it would be Arthur as it always was. Arthur swung at the metal chains holding Merlin in place. The vibrations sent a wave of pain through Merlin's body. He whimpered.
"Lancelot!" Arthur called. Another set of footsteps came running.
"Merlin," Lancelot breathed, horrified. "Is he still alive?"
"Yes, but I can't break these chains and there's no lock. I can't get him free."
"We'll have to cut the bars then and keep the chains on then," Lancelot replied.
More shouts, this time they were closer to the dungeon stairs. Morgana would be here any moment. More metal on metal. It hurt Merlin's ears. He wished they would stop making so much noise, it wasn't going to work.
"How good to see you again, Brother," Morgana crooned. The shouts upstairs had died out.
"I can't say I return the sentiment, Morgana," Arthur replied. "Let Merlin go and we will let you live. He's just a servant, there's no reason to torture him."
"Just a servant?" Morgana repeated. "You have no idea who Merlin really is, do you? I expected more from you. Well I'll tell you who he is. He is a sorcerer!"
"Merlin a sorcerer?" Arthur laughed humorlessly. "You sound just like our father. Merlin is a good person and I trust him with my life. He is nothing like you."
"Merlin is one of the most powerful sorcerers ever to live and he has been using magic under your nose for years. How many times have you been about to die, only for some miracle to save you. Every time, Merlin just happens to disappear and comes back once the danger is gone. Do you think that is a coincidence? It was Merlin every time, I have seen it in his mind. He's done nothing but lie to you this whole time."
"I won't listen to your lies anymore, Morgana." Arthur and Lancelot hefted their swords.
Merlin squeezed his eyes shut. He didn't want to watch Arthur die again. He couldn't. Just then, a spark of power flickered in Merlin's chest. It flickered again.
"Magic," Merlin breathed.
He looked up at the chains over his head. Though his vision blurred with the effort, he could make out a crack in the chain where Arthur's sword had hit it.
You are Emrys. Your magic cannot be contained as you are magic. So long as you breathe, there is hope. You mustn't give up, you must save Arthur.
Merlin couldn't tell where the words came from, but they were enough to fan the spark into a tiny ember. So what if this was an illusion, so what if Merlin would die? He was dying anyway. Death would be a release. At least he would choose to die trying to protect his friends, illusion or not.
Merlin roared as he channeled that ember of power towards the fight between Arthur, Lancelot, and Morgana. The manacles burned his skin stronger than ever before. To his surprise, the chains could not contain all of it. Morgana went flying and her head collided with the stone floor. She did not move from where she fell. A pool of blood spread beneath her head and her eyes were open and unseeing.
Merlin vaguely heard the click as the manacles released on his limbs. His head swam and darkness crept into the edges of his vision.
Merlin!
A voice in the distance shouted his name. It sounded distraught. Merlin couldn't summon the energy to feel the same. Didn't feel anything, in fact. He was…at peace.
