Sunset was fast approaching in Ealdor when Hunith saw the stranger staring at her house. He seemed to be wanting to knock, but every time he reached up to do so, he lowered his hand and took two steps back. This went on for a couple of minutes until Hunith came closer.
"Can I… help you?" She asked.
The man jumped and turned around.
Hunith's basket of grain dropped to the ground as her eyes widened.
"Hunith…" Balinor gasped.
"You! Balinor… W-what are you doing here?" She hissed and rushed at him.
"I was just-woah!"
Hunith shoved him into the hut, looking over her shoulder to make sure none of the neighbours had spotted them.
"Balinor… I thought you were dead." She whispered.
Balinor smiled softly. "No… I was in hiding."
"And you just show up now? Why are you here? Why come back now?" She snapped, getting angrier and angrier. She knew why he left, but it still irritated her the more she looked at him and remembered all the hardships she endured as she raised Merlin alone.
Oh god… how was she supposed to tell him?
"I've met my son. I met Merlin…" He said softly. Oh, well. That made things easier.
"Do you have any idea…" Hunith choked on her words as tears came to her eyes.
"Hunith…" He reached to comfort her and she took what he was offering, holding onto him and breathing him in. She sobbed against his chest.
Raising Merlin had been the best years of her life, but they were filled with terror as she did everything she could to hide his powers and protect him from the world.
Keeping the secret from the entire village, unwilling to allow anyone to get too close to her in case it would put her darling son in danger.
"Hunith… if you'll have me… I would like another chance to be with you." He said.
She looked up at him, wiping her tears away and smiling sadly. "I'm not the same woman I was all those years ago."
"I'm not the same man I was back then either." He said and took her hand. "But I know… that in all that time… the memory of you is what kept me sane."
Hunith felt heat blossom in her cheeks for the first time in years. Could she really have this second chance at love? Did she need it? Did she want it? Balinor had always been the only man for her. She would be lying if she hadn't often dreamed of the three of them together, living a simple but happy life.
"Of course I'll give you another chance." She said softly, smiling.
Balinor caressed her cheek but paused as he seemed to remember something.
"Um… perhaps we should sit down and talk about what happened when I met our son…"
Hunith didn't like the sound of that.
oOoOoOo
Merlin opened his eyes slowly, reaching next to him to feel for Arthur's warmth. His hand landed on the tussled sheets, but Arthur's warmth was long gone. He turned to confirm this and looked around. Arthur was nowhere to be seen.
Strange.
He looked at the sun's position in the sky. It could barely be a few minutes after sunrise. Arthur didn't have anywhere to be this early in time. He stood and got dressed.
Before he had time to react, the thundering sound of armoured guards could be heard coming closer.
The door slammed open and Merlin jumped, frowning in confusion as the palace guards stormed in and surrounded him, their weapons drawn and aimed at him.
"What is happening?" Merlin raised his hands in defense, showing that he had no weapon.
"His majesty, King Arthur, summons you to appear before him." One said and that same creep from the first night smirked at him, his crossbow aimed straight at him.
"Alright… that doesn't really answer my question." Merlin said.
"Move!" One behind barked, sword pointed at his back and Merlin walked.
Seriously… what was happening?
They led him down the servant's staircases. Not a single soul was up just yet. It wasn't until he was taken down the spiral staircase that led to the back exit that he could relax.
"Arthur." Merlin sighed with relief but was knocked down onto his knees by two guards that roughly pushed him down by his shoulders.
The moment Merlin looked up at Arthur, he realized something was wrong. Arthur was staring coldly at him. As if he meant nothing.
"You will address his majesty appropriately." Uther said from behind Arthur. His self-satisfied smirk gave Merlin a very bad feeling.
"Your majesty. What is happening?" He asked Arthur. Arthur stared blankly at him.
"Your services are no longer required. You are dismissed from my side." Arthur said and Merlin scoffed.
"Yeah, right. What did you do to him?!" Merlin yelled at Uther. "You monster!"
"His majesty the king has simply decided that your services are no longer required. Of course, we can't keep someone like you around. What would our court nobles think of us if we keep an indecent person like you around?" Uther said with disgust.
Merlin glared and looked at Arthur's dulled blue eyes. "Snap out of it, Arthur!"
"Take him out of my sight." Arthur said, glaring and walking back inside.
"Arthur!" But he did not turn around.
Merlin glared at the guards as they reached for him and he raised his hands, reaching for the fire of his magic… that never came.
"Get a move on." Uther said leading the way. Merlin felt a chill go down his spine as he was forced onto a horse with one of the guards. Uther got on his own and began to lead the way. Merlin looked back at the palace as his heart raced with raw panic.
He tried to reach out with his mind for Morgana. When that didn't work, he reached out for Mordred or even Gaius. There was no response. His magic was beyond his reach.
"Where are you taking me?" Merlin demanded.
"You'll find out soon enough." Uther said and pulled a hood over his head to hide his identity.
It didn't take long for Merlin to realize where he was being taken. He had followed Arthur back here once, after all.
"Home sweet home for you." The guard purred beside Merlin's ear and Merlin elbowed him as hard as he could, which earned him a one way ticket to the ground.
"Nnh!" Merlin groaned, curling into himself, trying to get his lungs to start working once more.
Uther stormed over and grabbed his hand, twisting it roughly, making Merlin cry out in pain. It was somehow then, that Merlin noticed the new ring on his finger. The glimmering red jewel seemed innocent enough, but Merlin could feel the cage it represented. Worst of all… the ring that Arthur had gifted him was gone.
"Why are you wearing this?" Uther hissed.
"Now, now, Uther. Your vengeance will come, don't you worry." Morgause said and Merlin turned to look at her in panic.
"You told me this ring was for Arthur." He said.
"That's not what I said. I said I had a ring for Arthur. As soon as Arthur touched it, it rendered him under your control." Morgause said and Merlin had no idea what they were talking about. "The ring for the servant… well, that's for my benefit." She smirked.
"What could you possibly have to say to this serving boy? Why are you here?" Uther glared at her.
"I know how much you detest him for having corrupted your son. So I have prepared a surprise for you, your highness. Come this way." She led the way into the brothel, just in time for the last of the patrons to stumble out of there half drunk.
Uther grimaced in disgust. "I'm not entering such a disgusting place." Uther said, looking inside.
"You know what's really disgusting? Pretending to be your friend and raping his wife." Merlin hissed and Uther turned to him, livid, punching him across the face.
Merlin could merely groan in pain as he was almost knocked out by the punch alone. Uther too was a well-trained soldier, after all. Even if he was getting on with age.
"Then leave him to me Uther…" Morgause practically purred, placing her hand on Merlin's head. "Leave. Take control of your kingdom through Arthur. I will make sure he's punished to your satisfaction." She said.
"Be sure he learns his place in this world." He sneered and stormed away.
Merlin glared at Morgause. "You won't get away with this." He said.
"Bring him here." Morgause said to the palace guard as she began to pull him into the building.
Merlin's struggling was futile. The odd prostitute that poked their head out to see who the new addition was looked bored, tired with some even sporting a bruise or two. Whether it was a man or a woman looking at him, Merlin knew he would be staying here over his dead body.
"Throw him in there." Morgause said.
"Morgause, why are you doing this? Arthur is going to return magic to Camelot. No one else has to die an unfair death!" Merlin said as the guard shoved him into the darkened room. Merlin stumbled and fell, looking back in a hurry, worried that she was planning to let that guard in with him but the guard simply left and she stayed behind.
"There has been too much blood spilt, Emrys. Vengeance is the only way to achieve true peace." She said and slammed the door shut.
Merlin rushed to the door and tried to force it open but he could tell it had been locked with magic as even though it looked poorly made, it didn't even move. Merlin stepped back and looked around.
The room was dark and there were no windows. The only form of illumination came from a candle by the bed.
Merlin stared at the bed and wondered if he even dared to sit on it, let alone go to sleep in it.
More importantly… He looked at the ugly red gemmed ring that had replaced his present from Arthur and tried to tug it off.
Nothing. It was stuck on his finger as firmly as magic could keep it.
A whisper passed by his ear and Merlin jumped, turning around but there was no one in the room with him.
Without his magic, without a weapon, standing defenseless in this darkened room in a decrepit brothel, his heart began to race.
"You're nothing to me." Arthur's voice echoed behind once more and Merlin turned, seeing nothing but his own shadow.
"Arthur?" Merlin asked confused. He moved away from the bed until his back was against the wall so he could see every corner of the room.
"Burn him!" Came a shout from somewhere near the door, but definitely in the room with him.
"What's happening?" Merlin whispered.
"Ahhh! Merlin!" His mother screamed. A horrible sound that ended with the gurgling of someone choking in their own blood.
"Mother!" Merlin cried out.
Had they hurt his mother? Was this real? What was happening?
"You're a monster…" Gwen gasped.
"Whore…" Came a whisper from behind his ear and Merlin jumped away from the wall.
A conglomerate of screams began to echo all around him and Merlin took deep breaths, covering his ears, closing his eyes, trying to block out the horrible sounds.
"You actually think I loved you?" Arthur mocked.
"No… this isn't real." Merlin whispered to himself.
"Merlin! Please!" Another scream of death. From Gaius.
"You disgust me. You lied to me. Get out of my sight." Arthur hissed.
"No…" Merlin insisted, shaking his head, trying to move away from Arthur's voice.
"AGHHHH!" Mordred's scream of death. It shocked Merlin as even though there was nothing physical to accompany the screams, it still felt like they were running and sweeping past him, striking him through his soul.
He stumbled back and fell onto the bed, blinking the tears away to see the ceiling covered in dangling mandrake roots drenched in a thick black tar.
"Merlin?" Arthur's kind voice asked and Merlin turned toward it. "I want you to die…" It hissed.
"No… you're not real!" Merlin yelled but the screams didn't stop.
They came one after the other, scaring him and twisting his memories with each passing hour.
oOoOoOo
[Author's notes]:
I liiiiiiiiiiiiiiive!
Hi everyone. I'm back.
I'm so sorry about the wait but life just got in the way.
Between work, uni and having a baby I had to pause everything else for a little while.
Believe me that I keep reading your comments and guilt has eaten me up inside, but also, I love that you all love this story as much as I do. 😊
I hope everyone of you is doing well in these strange times.
Stay safe, stay healthy and read fanfic!