Title: The legend of a Warlock who Served the Once and Future King
Author: Lamiabellascrittore
Rating: T+
Warnings: Some Violence- Deal with it. There is more to come.
Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin, or any of the characters. If I did there would be a season six, seven, eight, and so on, and a movie, of course.
Spoilers: Possibly.
Summary: Merlin and Arthur go on a mission that was supposed to be strictly reconnaissance. However, nothing ever goes as planned, and they get separated. Merlin is kidnapped by Morgana and Arthur must find a way to rescue his ever loyal servant. But, will Arthur still save Merlin after he learns Merlin has magic? This story is building up to the battle of Camlann. The sequel to this one.
A/N: Okay, so this is my first Published Fan Fiction. Please read and review.
If you liked it I will continue. Please be kind. ;) The more you review the more likely it is that I will continue this story and more. Sorry for any errors, it becomes difficult after editing it so many times. It becomes a lot like a word repeated over and over again until it no longer makes any sense.
I hope you enjoy...
Chapter 10: Part 1
A Willing Slave or Loyal Servant
Merlin couldn't take his eyes of the Nathair. It hissed and swayed in Morgana's delicate hands as she presented this creature of the old religion before him as if it were a gift.
"Lets put your loyalty to the test." She smiled cruelly. "How much more are you willing to suffer, to sacrifice for your precious Arthur and this kingdom?" she asked, already knowing he was wiling to sacrifice her.
"I'm willing to whatever is necessary for what I believe to right and just." Merlin said earnestly. Whatever is necessary. He will always protect Arthur, even if Merlin must play at being Morgana's willing slave, while being Arthurs Loyal servant. He would do what needed to be done.
"As you wish." She said.
She snapped something in the old religion and the Nathair struck out and sank its fangs into Merlin's neck, injecting its poison. The snake released him with a pain hiss, his shaking its head. It didn't react well with the warlocks blood apparently. The snake hissed again, but at the warlock, furious with him. He struck out at Merlin again, connecting with the warlocks jugular, injecting more and more poison.
Morgana snapped at the creature urgently. She wanted him tame, not dead. She had never seen the Nathair react so viciously. They were usually docile until a high priestess commanded them. The snaked obeyed immediately. It unlocked its jaws from Merlin's neck, although a bit grudgingly, and settled into the High Priestess palms. She calmed the creature as she watched Merlin in his bonds, waiting for the poison to take effect.
He didn't flail in his bonds like a fish on a hook like she would have liked. Instead he jerked and convulsed, writhed and writhed in silent agony. His mouth opened in a soundless cry.
Now he knew the true meaning of agony. This was the kind of torture that would kill you from pain alone. The poison was circulating in his veins now. He felt it in his heart as it pumped harder and harder, spreading it throughout all four limb, his stomach, and finally centered and built in his head until it exploded. He saw white, just bright albescent light blinding his eyes, blocking out the rather disheveled Morgana hastily putting the Nathair away.
Merlin strained to get any sound past his tensed throat, but no sound came out. Wave after wave, the Nathair's poison crashed into him, battering the walls he's built to protect himself against any magic users who could infiltrate his mind, like they did to Gaius, when he was tortured for Emrys true identity.
"St-stop" Merlin finally choked. "Ma...make it st-stop." He pleaded, nearly biting off his tong.
He couldn't handle it. It was to much. Too much. He moaned like a dying beast, and it was as if the flood gates had opened up and he was able to scream. His whole being screamed with him. His magic joining in. for a second he saw Arthur, and the knights laying around the flames of a fire. His magic must be projecting. The Nathair's poison seemed to be tripled by the presence of his magic, and attacked with even more ferocity, as if his magic was its enemy.
Merlin's scream seemed to reach an agonizing peak before cutting off in a choking fit. He coughed, and tasted copper. He spit out a glob of blood, and let his head hang forward. He groaned, unable to scream any longer. Merlin shook with violent tremors, but his magic seemed to be burning off the Venom.
However, the damage had been done. All that you need is a little push over the edge and madness had a way of corrupting even the strongest souls. Merlin no longer felt like fighting back. He no longer felt able to stand against Morgana. His heart was shattered, his soul was torn, his body battered, and his mind was in chaos, and madness was sure to fallow.
After what felt like an eternity, he looked up at Morgana. She gasped, covering her mouth with her hand, the other wrapped around her waist, as if comforting herself. Morgana thought that she would enjoy looking into Merlin's eyes devoid of that light, that hope, knowing she was the one to distinguish it. But now looking into his eyes, she saw nothing of the old Merlin. She had truly succeeded. She broke him. That light, that light was nowhere to be seen.
She walked up to him. She wanted to test her theory. With a flash of gold, Morgana released his chains and he fell to the floor. He landed on his knees with a muffled crack and thud. Nothing broke, but it sounded like it hurt.
The cuffs stayed securely in place, as did the collar, but he was free to move around. Free to try and escape. But he didn't. He did nothing but kneel before her, head bowed, and hands resting in his lap, the picture of submission. She felt a strange mixture of excitement, and repulsion. Merlin wasn't meant to look so defeated, so small. He was the kind of person who lit up a room, and who had a way of making you smile even on the worst of days. But she couldn't forget all that he has done. He has been a constant thorn in her side, and she needed to remove it.
"Stand up." She ordered.
Merlin hesitated. A fierce defiance flashed in his eyes and he grit his teeth. He hesitated on more second and thanked God that his head was bowed and his eyes hidden, less he gave himself away. Slowly and painfully he got to his feet. He staggered, but managed to right himself.
"How do you feel, Merlin?" She asked innocently.
Merlin looked at her blankly, doing his best to hide his emotions. Was he really supposed to answer that? He felt like death. He felt hallow and dark and cold. He felt nothing like himself, and yet completely himself. He wanted to frown, but didn't so much as twitch.
"How do you feel, Merlin?" She asked again, harsher. I guess she was expecting an answer.
"Never better, My Lady." Merlin said blankly. He was surprise at how well he managed to hid his hate. He actually sounded almost... respectful, fond, even.
He wanted to frown again, but couldn't. This time not because he wouldn't let himself, but because something prevented him from acting on his emotions. The Nathair venom must have had some properties that didn't clash to well with his magic.
"Wonderful." She said suspiciously. "Fallow me." She said sweeping out of the room, not bothering to wait for him to get up.
Merlin scrambled to his feet and fallowed on her heels without actually agreeing to fallow. It was very disconcerting but he didn't dwell on it, because the moment he exited the hovel, he was greeted by a large group of solders, whose insignia he didn't recognize.
The moment he went to step up next to Morgana, two large men grabbed hold of him. The others seemed to be preoccupied as they surrounded a very large cage like thing.
Merlin didn't resist, just let them toss him the ground. The bigger of the two gave him two quick kicks to the gut. Merlin guessed it was less of what he did, and more about the man's anger issues. Still, Merlin didn't struggle, he didn't even flinch. He no longer felt any pain, but he wished to avoid anymore injuries.
Merlin lazed there looking up at the stars. His body shivered, but not from the frigid air, though he was sure it was cold outside. He could tell by the white puffs of breath dancing above his face. It was because, he was pretty sure, he was going into shock.
"Leave him." Morgana snapped.
"But my lady, he needs to be restrained." The braver of the two injected.
"He is." She snapped. "Look at him." She gestured to Merlin on the ground.
"Yes, My Lady." They said simultaneously.
She scowled. "Get him to his feet." She snapped.
The brutes grabbed Merlin's painfully battered arms and hoisted him up ruffly. He let them, thankful Morgana didn't demand he stand on his own. She pointed to a cage attached to a carriage that had a team of horses to pull it. "Put him in the back with the others."
Others? Merlin thought dizzily. What others?
They tossed him into the back and slammed the door shut with a thudding clang. The cage was reinforced metal built to give very little comfort, and a sense of helplessness. Small slats in the metal walls were their only source of air and light, and the small window on the door was currently shut, and only used for the captors to gaze in.
Merlin stayed there, crouched in the corner, arms braced on either side of him. His cuffs banged noisily on the metal walls. He anxiously waited for his eyes to adjust. It took a while, and by the time he could see, the cage lurched forward and spilled him on the ground at the feet of the others in the cage.
He looked up and saw that it was three young men huddled as far from the door as they could get. Two of them looked barely on the cusp of manhood, the third, not even eleven. What in the world could Morgana need with them? They were just boys.
The youngest of the three broke away from his group and against their objections, offered Merlin a hand up. Merlin looked from the boys offered hand, up his arm and to his face. He had light blue eyes, blond curly hair and when he smiled he flashed the deepest dimples Merlin has ever seen. Merlin took his offered hand and achingly got up to his knees. With a pained grunt he was able to sit back against the wall, next to the door. As soon as he was situated the boy scurried back over to the other two.
Merlin looked at the child's scared face, and his companions and noticed they looked a lot alike. They shared the same sandy blond hair and blue eyes. They reminded him an awful lot like someone he knew, and he felt an overwhelming urge to protect them. The boys shifted under his stare. His gaze was unwavering as he assessed them.
"I'm Wi-" The youngest asked bravely. He seemed to be the one with the most courage because he hushed his siblings when they tried to silence him. " I'm William. These are my brothers James and Darrin. What's your name?"
"My name?" Merlin asked. Drawing a blank. My name, he thought. What was it? I know I should know it. He thought harder. "My name is... it's …um." He thought a moment. "Merlin?" He said, but he sounded so unsure it came out as a question.
He tasted the name on his lips. It felt right. He wanted to frown, to scowl but again he found that he couldn't. The most he could accomplish was a twitch of his eye. Why was it so hard to remember his name? He could easily remember Arth- wait. Who?
"Why are we here?" Merlin demanded suddenly. The boys jumped at his sudden out burst. "Sorry." He mumbled, slumping against the wall. He felt bad that he had startled them. They were already traumatized he was sure, what with being Morgana's prisoner. He knew he was.
"I, ah, I heard one of the guards talk about a rumor Morgana's been fallowing. Something about a powerful Warlock." The eldest said, gaining confidence the longer he saw that Merlin meant them no harm. " She is capturing any young man who has magic and someone willing to point a finger at them. Now, I think were being taken to a castle in the Kingdom of the Fallen Kings. I heard that Morgana had a working castle out there. My guess is she is collecting us so that she call cull the crowd and find the real Emrys." The eldest said, resigned.
Emrys. It rang with familiarity, and with the name came the face of the King. Arthur? Merlin questioned, vaguely remembering the name. They had came out to the forest of Astir to see what kind of damage Morgana had made looking for Emrys, or rather Merlin, who had up until that day, been safely within the walls of Camelot. Arthur! He said again with more confidence. He fought off the fog that wanted to swallow him whole and erase who he was, and who he loved. Now he remembered. Arth- wait.
"What do you mean? Morgana doesn't know who Emrys is?" He asked.
He was surprised. He had thought for sure that Mordred would have told her who he was. He could only guess at what Mordred was playing at, withholding that kind of information. The cart jerked and shifted, going over uneven ground. Merlin bounced against the sides of his cage as they traveled. They had a long journey ahead of them.
James shook his head and sat down. "No. As far as I know, the Witch knows only that the Warlock fights for king Arthur and Camelot."
"I, for one," Darrin spoke up, sitting next to his brother, William joining him. "Hope that she never finds him. Emrys is our only hope in creating a land where magic can thrive. Where we could live in peace. Our father talked about it all the time, a land called Albion."
Merlin squirmed where he sat on the floor. Morgana already had Emrys, and she didn't even know the weapon she had in her possession. Merlin closed his eyes and shook his head side to side jerkily. He grit his teeth and sighed. He was tiered. There was nothing he could do right now. Stiffly he lied down in front of the door, blocking the walkway. If any one came in, Merlin would be the first to know.