Uther was many things- stupid was not one of them.

Or perhaps stupid was one of them- just not in the way most people thought of stupid. He was clever, but sometimes he missed the most obvious things. Like other people's emotions. Or the fact that sorcerers were just as human as people who could not do magic.

Unfortunately, he could not miss Arthur's manservant- the dead sorcerer- coming back to life with glowing golden eyes.

Uther was quick.

The dead man come alive was still weak. The magic dampening cuffs were around his wrists before he could even properly begin to struggle.

"Bring the sorcerer to the dungeons," Uther ordered, and his knight obeyed.

Uther didn't notice that the knights who'd been with them in the forest were slower to obey.

…-…

Uther had burnt most of the texts on magic- but he'd kept a few. In case he needed to kill something.

He'd kept the prophecies and speculations about Emrys.

Emrys was immortal- he couldn't be killed. But he could choose to die.

So, all Uther had to do was make Emry's life bad enough that he'd choose death. That was simple enough.

…-…

Most magic suppressing cuffs were just that- cuffs. One man though- he had come to Uther with something… different.

It went around the wrist as well, but there was a thick, sharp metal piece that went from one side of the cuff to the other. It was meant to stab directly through the prisoner's wrist and into the other side of the cuff.

Uther hadn't seen the need to buy them as they were more expensive and no more effective than the regular cuffs… but in this case it was probably necessary. Normal sorcerers couldn't escape the regular cuffs- but Emrys? Who knew what he could do. Drastic measures were necessary.

He watched the knights fit Emrys with the cuff- watched the sorcerer scream. And he nodded.

…-…

"You can't do this." Arthur shouted, bursting into Uther's rooms.

Uther looked at him for a long moment. "I can't do what?" Uther said, voice low and dangerous.

Arthur ignored it. Uther couldn't do this. He's killed Arthur's mother- he couldn't kill Merlin. Not again. Merlin was his- he was- Uther couldn't kill him.

"You can't kill Merlin." Arthur said, "He saved all of our lives. You can't kill him for it."

Uther didn't even look at him. "I think you'll find that I can."

"What is wrong with you?" Arthur shouted, "Is killing my mother not good enough for you? Now you have to kill my best friend too!"

Uther was moving almost before Arthur finished speaking.

He backhanded Arthur, and Arthur barely kept himself from crying out as pain bloomed out of his face. His nose was bleeding, but Arthur didn't think it would be a good idea to try pinching it right now.

He stared at his father- disbelief, shock, and anger warring for dominance.

Arthur stumbled back as Uther, looking almost as shocked as Arthur felt, raised a hand.

It could have been an apology. He could have wanted to do it again.

Arthur didn't wait to find out.

….-…

Morgana paced her quarters, feeling as though she was going crazy. What was Uther going to do to her? She'd been in her rooms all day and nothing had been different. It was like- like Uther was just ignoring the fact that she had magic.

But he never ignored magic.

What was going on?

…-…

Arthur watched, sickened, as the pyre was set up. Merlin had- through some miracle or another- survived dying once.

Arthur couldn't let him die again- couldn't let him burn.

Arthur also couldn't stop it.

He was in prison too now, for trying to break Merlin out.

And he was watching them build Merlin's pyre.

And Merlin couldn't escape- could barely seem to move with the cuff they'd stabbed through his wrist.

Arthur couldn't do anything.

…-…

Morgana watched as Merlin was led, stumbling, to the stake and chained to it. She couldn't stop the panic rising in her.

What if Merlin didn't come back this time? He would be dead and gone and she would be alone.

What if she was next?

She didn't want to burn. She didn't want to die.

Her breath was coming in short gasps and the world spun around her. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't- she turned, and as quickly as her feet would take her, she ran.

She couldn't watch her friend burn.

She couldn't watch something- something that would likely happen to her too.

...-...

Arthur was released from jail once Merlin had died five times.

The fire never died down- they continually added more fuel to it. The smoke rose high. The smell of burning flesh permeated the air. And Merlin kept screaming.

…-…

"Who is he?"

"I heard he was the prince's manservant."

"A sorcerer?"

"The king appointed him himself."

…-…

It didn't take very long to convince Uther that he needed to go on a patrol- see if he could find some bandits to fight or something.

Except he didn't go to fight bandits.

He brought some the same knights who'd accompanied them on the ill fated trip to the Fae forest the last time- men more loyal to him than they were to his father.

He made them stop at the edge of the wood and walked in alone. He left his horse with them.

He did not need to walk long.

The Fae- G- something. Was there.

And Arthur fell to his knees. "Please." He said, "I need help. To save Merlin. Your Emrys. Please."

The Fae nodded, looking down at Arthur. "We will support the Once and Future King in this endeavor," he said, and though Arthur didn't know what that meant… it sounded like a good thing.

…-…

"He is a prophet of the old gods- sent to bring us back to them. But Uther found him and tried to silence him."

"And now…"

"He keeps coming back. Because the gods do not give up on us."

…-…

Lancelot knew Merlin had magic. He just hadn't expected Merlin to be blatant enough about his magic usage to send some sort of magical creature to ask his aid.

He was technically still banished, but the Fae thing said that Merlin's supporters were gathering.

And- well. Merlin needed help. Lancelot went.

…-…

"How does he keep coming back?"

"He must be one of the old gods."

"The old gods? Why would he come here?"

"Maybe he wanted to see what Uther would do? That way he could devise the proper punishment…"

…-…

Hunith was more than startled when she opened her door to find a not entirely human face staring at her.

She looked at him for a long time. "Tea?" she asked.

His lips quirked into something that might have almost passed for a smile. And then it was gone. "Merlin as he is called by you and Emrys as he is called by all else has been burning for nearly a week now. He needs you."

Hunith wanted to ask how anyone could survive burning for a week. She wanted to know what she could do- but the creature was gone.

She packed as quickly and as lightly as she could.

And she was on her way. To Camelot.

…-…

"Did you hear what the knights are saying?"

"No…"

"Arthur was born of magic. The king says he's against it- but he used it to give himself a son. And it killed his wife. He murdered his own wife to have a son."

…-…

Gwaine blinked. He was really way too drunk right now.

"You are a friend of Lord Emrys?" the person said- had to be a person. Didn't much look like a person but Gwaine was really drunk.

"I don't know a Lord Emrys." Gwaine said, being really careful not to slur any of his words.

"Merlin." The person pinched the bridge of their nose, looking exasperated.

Gwaine had the bugger up against a wall with a dagger under its throat before the thing could blink. "What'd you do to Merlin?"

He could have sworn the bugger smiled at him. Unnatural little creature.

…-…

"He saved all of our lives. And- and we helped tie him up. By the gods- I've piled some of the wood myself. This- this isn't right."

"Leon. You're drunk friend."

"He saved us. We owe him. We owe him more than… than this."

"…I know. But what are we supposed to do?"

…-…

Balinor hadn't really talked to anyone human in years.

The Fae weren't human- but in some ways they were close enough.

"What do you need?" he asked, keeping his voice soft as it could be these days.

"You don't know." The Fae said, and for the longest moment Balinor could have sworn it looked at him with something like pity- something like compassion in its eyes.

"What don't I know?" Balinor asked. He kept a hand within grabbing range of his dagger, just in case.

"You have a son," The Fae said, and Balinor choked. "He is in Camelot. He is immortal, and Uther cannot kill him. Still- he is in pain. He burns continually. He needs you Balinor."

Balinor didn't know how to be a father. He didn't know.

But he was gone within the hour.

…-…

"Uther doesn't deserve to be king. I was there- when magic was still legal- and things weren't like this. There was light- light rather than fear."

"You're saying you want magic back! That's treason!"

"Is it? The prince himself was born of magic. And from what I've seen he's a better man than his father ever was."

…-….

"I know that you are loyal," Arthur said, "I want to know who you are loyal too."

Leon looked at him steadily. "Merlin deserves better than this."

And Arthur nodded.

Around him, the other knights nodded too.

…-…

"Times are changing. Magic cannot be destroyed foolish king."

"Silence creature! I could kill you. You could not stop me."

"True. But can you kill Emrys?"

…-…

Merlin was magic.

Magic was Merlin.

They could not truly be separated.

But the magic inside of Merlin could be sectioned away, hidden from him.

That's what the cuff did- it kept the magic inside of Merlin from going out. And kept the magic outside from coming in.

He couldn't hurt people. Couldn't get out.

But he could change himself.

He had a certain kinship with dragons inside of him.

His lungs were the first things to change. Dragons breathed fire- their lungs were accustomed to smoke and fire.

Merlin had died five times. Each time, he survived a little bit longer.

It took him nearly twelve hours to die a sixth time.

...-...

Gaius was walking on eggshells.

Uther hadn't arrested him and ordered his execution yet. That was probably a good sign. Then again, maybe it wasn't.

Uther had said absolutely nothing about Morgana's magic. He'd said nothing about Balinor. The Fae had been right about everything. So why was he just letting this go? He couldn't focus on that much… not with Merlin out there.

Gaius was sitting on the bed, holding a bowl that Merlin had managed to break most spectacularly. He'd sealed it together with magic the same evening, which Gaius had thought stupid because Merlin could be executed for using any magic, no matter how frivolous…

He'd asked "Do you want to be executed over a bowl?"

And Merlin had rolled his eyes but… he'd been scared. It'd always been there- the worry that he'd be caught someday. That he'd die. And he was dying- over and over again.

Gaius didn't realize he was crying until a tear splashed into the mended bowl. How had Merlin even managed to break a wooden bowl in the first place?

Someone cleared their throat and Gaius jerked up, staring at the boy who was in his chambers. When had he gotten there? "King Uther requests your presence sir." The boy said, and Gaius nodded. He couldn't help wondering if he was walking to his death.

…-…

Uther didn't turn to look at Gaius when he walked in- he just kept staring out the window. At Merlin's pyre.

Gaius swallowed. There had been so many burned in those first few years of the purge- but this? This was… horrible on a whole new level.

Merlin didn't burn and then die. He burnt- then came back burning.

"Am I doing the right thing?" Uther asked.

The right thing? Burning Merlin over and over and over again? Gaius refused to snarl at the man. That wouldn't help anything.

"My lord?" Gaius asked instead.

"Morgana…" Uther hesitated, eyes flicking to Gaius for a moment before turning back to stare at the pyre. "Her mother stayed with me for some time before Morgana's birth. While her husband was away. She was… lonely."

Gaius swallowed. That made quite a bit of sense actually. "I understand," he said, voice soft. "It's perfectly understandable to try and keep your children safe."

Uther didn't look at him. He simply nodded. "I do keep them safe." He said.

His eyes didn't leave the pyre again.

…-…

Gaius tracked Morgana down later that day.

She was spiraling, and quite spectacularly too. She didn't eat well, especially not in the stilted family dinners Uther enforced.

She was constantly on edge. She wouldn't go anywhere near Merlin. She refused to hear him screaming. She seemed to expect that she would be next.

"Morgana!" Gaius said. He held out a medicine vial towards her. "I have something to help. May we talk about this in private?"

The vial was actually full of water.

She looked at him for a long moment before she nodded.

She stood in her rooms, arms folded, looking away from Gaius. In that moment he could see the resemblance between her and her father.

"You will not be next." Gaius said bluntly. Morgana jerked, turning towards him, eyes widening. "Uther is your father."

…-…

Tales of the burning man- who refused to stay dead- spread quickly. The name Emrys spread with them.

And the Druids, despite their fear of Uther and their hatred of violence, gathered.

They had a king to rescue.

…-…

Arthur wasn't exactly sure what he was expecting when he asked the Fae for help. They said they'd gather people… and they had.

There were druids. Lots of druids. Which was fair. Magic obviously wasn't evil… so it was fine. Totally fine.

And then Arthur was ambushed by Merlin's mother.

"Is he still burning?" she asked.

Arthur sucked in a breath. That… hurt. Yes. He's still burning. And screaming. He only really stops when he dies or he's choking on the smoke or his lungs are too burnt… and then he comes back from the ashes. That didn't seem like the best way to respond though. "Yes." Arthur said, "But he's strong. He'll make it till we get him out."

And then there was a hulking bear of a man with a beard that looked like it hadn't been shaved in years and Hunith said, "Balinor?" And she was hugging him and he was hugging her back and…

Arthur remembered what the Fae… G- something had said about Gaius.

Ah. So this was Merlin's father.

…-…

"We got most of the knights."

"Yep."

"A lot of the people."

"Yep."

"The Druids."

"Yep."

"A random assortment of other incredibly talented people who know Merlin somehow."

"Yep."

"And a dragon?"

"Kind of."

"Kind of?"

"Well… Balinor's kinda gotta free the dragon first…"