(AN: Thanks for the response! You guys are awesome. Quite a few of you are in support of a Good!Mordred, which I get. I didn't have anything against his goodness in and of itself, I just didn't like that there was no reason, and the shift back to evil was kind of awkward. And the fact that he was around made Merlin act ridiculous all season. I'd like to see what would happen if he stayed bad. But, there may be other loyalty shifts…)

From a distance, Merlin wondered what the odd shapes that adorned the walls of Sarrum's stronghold could be. They were too formless to be decorations, and yet they were carefully spaced around the battlements.

"Merlin, don't look."

Merlin turned sharply to look at Arthur, whose eyes were set firmly on the road ahead, never glancing up at the looming castle before them. What did Arthur mean by that? Merlin wondered. Why wouldn't he…

Unintentionally, he let his eyes wonder up once more, and was finally able to make out the structures sticking up all over the walls.

He gasped, and quickly looked away.

"I told you not to look," Arthur said grimly.

He had been right.

No cruelty of Uther, Morgause, Cenred, Morgana, or any of their countless merciless enemies had prepared Merlin for such a sight. Sarrum had chosen to decorate his keep with bodies of the dead and dying. From his quick glimpse, Merlin had seen people suspended in cages, emaciated and filthy. Countless heads and sundry body part were stuck on pikes or hung from chains. But the worst were the impalings. People frozen in death-looks of such agony, Merlin could scarcely imagine the pain that caused it. He didn't think anything could be worse than that brief glance.

Until they got closer.

And he could hear the moaning.

Finally, they made it past the barrage of misery and into the courtyard. They dismounted, and were immediately led into the palace. The halls were vast, but cold and dark. Burly guards glared as they passed, and underfed servants skittered by, eyes on the floor. They entered the great hall, and Sarrum spoke from his tall throne.

"King Arthur," the Sarrum said. "To what do I owe this… invasion?"

"No invasion," Arthur said calmly, not rising to the other man's jab. "Just a friendly visit, to enquire how my knights were enjoying their… hospitality."

"Ah, the fugitives," sneered the other ruler.

"Fugitives?" Arthur questioned. "What is their crime?"

"That information is none of your concern," the Sarrum snapped.

"'Not my concern?'" Arthur said, incredulously. "My knights, whom you invited to treat with you, have been confined to a dungeon without trial. It's damn well my concern."

The Sarrum's eyes narrowed.

"Watch your tone, boy," he spat.

"I am no boy," Arthur answered, drawing himself up. "I am Lord Protector of Camelot and all its citizen. Those men are under my protection. You will either inform me of their crimes and allow me to witness their trial, or you will release them to me immediately."

Sarrum smiled.

"It is against the laws of this land to undermine my authority in any way," he said. "Guards, remove their weapons and possessions. Place the Lord Protector in the dungeons, with the rest of his citizens."

Arthur glanced at the knights around him, and at Merlin, as the guards removed their effects and began to lead them away. They had known this was the most likely outcome and had planned for it. Still, the knights were clearly uncomfortable with allowing themselves to be captured, even if it did mean they would be led to their captive friends. Merlin was proud of the way his king sent reassuring smiles to each man, letting them know that everything was under control.

"Wait."

The Sarrum's voice rang through the hall and the group came to a stop. Merlin saw Arthur's brow crease with confusion for a moment before he wiped his face blank and turned to face the other ruler.

"I said all possessions," the Sarrum smirked. Merlin glanced around the men wondering what could have been missed, but Arthur held eye contact with Sarrum, furrowing his brow in suspicion as the ruler continued to speak.

"Come now, Pendragon," the man said, standing and descending the stairs before his throne. "Surely it is not so different in Camelot. When criminals are arrested, their property becomes property of the ruler. Weapons, land, money… servants."

Suddenly, a hand clamped down on Merlin's shoulder. Merlin swallowed and exchanged a brief look with Arthur, as his master quickly covered a look of surprise, and maybe a little fear. However, the king quickly composed himself and nodded.

"Of course," he said, voice only slightly tense.

Sarrum sneered again and turned to the guard holding Merlin.

"Take him to the steward," his eyes flicked to Merlin only for a moment before mockingly returning to Arthur. "I'm sure we can find some work for him."

As Merlin was led down a side hallway and Arthur and his knights were steered toward the dungeons, the master and servant exchanged a last look that communicated more that words could.

Be careful.

Don't do anything stupid.

Good luck.

Gwen stared at the forest ahead, not really seeing the dense trees. Arthur's plan was brave, but so dangerous. True, outside of a full-scale attack, it was the best way to get Gwaine and Percival out of the Sarrum's grasp. Still… so much could go wrong…

"Your Highness."

Gwen jumped as she looked to her side at the newcomer.

"Leon," she sighed. "You're the last person that should be calling me that."

After almost a year of being addressed as a noble, she still wasn't used to it. Once more clad in breeches, tunic, and a leather jerkin, she felt more like herself than she had in the flowing gowns of the palace.

"I think the title suites you," said Elyan, coming to stand at her other side. "You certainly lorded over Leon and I enough when we were younger."

Gwen smiled as she playfully elbowed her brother in the chest.

"Somebody had to keep you two from tearing down the house, terrorizing the other servants, and goodness knows what else you tried to get into." Elyan rubbed his chest and laughed, meeting Leon's eyes over Gwen's head.

Slowly, their mirth faded as they stared across the river into Sarrum's land.

"Do you think they're alright?" the words slipped out before Gwen could stop herself. Instantly, her brother's hand appeared on her shoulder, warm and comforting.

"They'll be fine," he said with certainty.

"Yes," Leon agreed. "It's a good plan, and you know Arthur will never leave without his men."

Gwen grimaced. She knew Arthur would never abandon the knights. He would die first…

Elyan gripped her shoulder tighter.

"If something goes wrong, we'll be there," he said, looking her squarely in the eye. "In three days time, if we've not heard from them, we will bring the full force of Camelot down on them."

"And until then," Leon said, wrapping his arm around Gwen's shoulders and smiling. "At least we know they have Merlin looking after them."

Merlin kept his head down as he scrubbed the hall floor, only occasionally glancing up to check his surroundings. The Sarrum's attempt to humiliate Arthur by removing his servant had actually given them an advantage. Out here, Merlin could sneak and spy. He could find a way to get his friends out without an of them getting hurt. He just had to wait for an opportunity…

Just then, a guard walked by. He was big, stupid-looking, smelly, and had a belt jingling with keys.

Merlin grinned.

Arthur grimaced as the cell door clang shut loudly behind him. Sarrum's prison was different than any other he'd seen before. More like a cave than anything, there was a large open space surrounded by small cells. No twists or turns, and nowhere to hide. The middle of the cavern was occupied by tables, chairs, chains, and many implements that Arthur could too easily guess uses for. The floor was littered with trapdoors. Arthur was just leaning forward to examine the closest one to him when a voice in the next cell interrupted his thoughts.

"Say what you will about our diplomacy," the haggard looking man said, walking forward. "It's never, ever boring."

"Gwaine!" Arthur exclaimed, walking over and reaching through the bars that separated their cells to grasp his friend's hand. "Are you alright? Percival?"

"We're both none the worse for wear," Gwaine said, cracking his back. "We've been keeping a low profile, not making any trouble. Honestly, I think our gracious host is disappointed."

"He's probably just waiting for an excuse to execute us all."

"Well, now there are more of us, we've got a better chance of doing something worth his attention," Gwaine said, grinning. "Who do we got here?"

"Sir Cador, Brennis, eighteen others." Arthur lowered his voice, glancing around. "Gwen is waiting with a large force, just outside the border, in case things go wrong. Leon and Elyan are with her."

Gwaine continued to look around at the captive knights encircling the cave.

"Where's Merlin?" he asked lightly. "Don't tell me you actually convinced him to stay behind this time!"

The king looked away.

"Arthur," Gwaine said, all levity vanished. "Where is Merlin?"

"He's alright," Arthur said, praying the words weren't a lie. "But Sarrum… confiscated him, I suppose. Said that prisoners weren't allowed to have property. He's sent him somewhere in the palace to work."

"And you just let him?" Gwaine spat, grabbing the bars. "Because he's some possession that can be taken or traded—"

"What would you have me do, Gwaine?" Arthur hissed, stepping close. "Tell the Sarrum, 'Oh, actually, he's a good friend and one of my closest advisors, so I'd prefer it if you'd send him down to the dungeons with the rest of us!' There's no way I could have kept him with us without giving away how important—"

Arthur cut himself short, jaw clenched. He pushed himself away from the bars and scrubbed his hand over his face.

"I'm sorry, Arthur," Gwaine said softly. He looked sincere.

Arthur sighed.

"Look," he whispered, moving close to his knight once more. "Right now, he's our best shot at escape. You know Merlin. He's probably hatching some hair-brained scheme to get us out of here right now."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Gwaine said, eyes darkening. "I've seen some of this lovely equipment in use over the past few weeks." Gwain gestured the racks, chains, and blades that filled the middle of the cave. "You don't understand Sarrum. He doesn't need a reason to hurt. It's not about punishment or getting information. He just likes—"

Gwaine's words were cut off, as the door at the top of the stairs opened. Through it came two guards, dragging a screaming servant girl between them.

"Please, please, it was a mistake, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" the girl broke off into incoherent babbles as she was strapped to a chair.

Sarrum slowly descended the stairs and approached the girl, who squirmed as far away from him as her bonds would allow.

"Shhhhh," he said, crouching in front of her and placing a hand on her face. "It was an accident. A moment of carelessness. I understand."

He smiled, and the girl looked almost hopeful.

"Let's just make sure you aren't so careless in the future."

Sarrum nodded to a guard who picked up an instrument from a nearby table and approached the girl. Arthur didn't know which would haunt his dreams longer, the girls screams, or the look of excitement on Sarrum's face as he watched.

(AN: So, I try to keep things in the spirit of the show. I don't like doing violence for violence sake. However, in the "Hollow Queen" it's stated that Sarrum (and yes, I know sometimes I write Sarrum and other times it's THE Sarrum, but they did that on the show as well. Confusing. Boo on Series 5!) enjoys watching men, women, and children being impaled. He needed to be icky. I hope you're enjoying this. I should be done with Episode 1 in less than five chapters. Even so, hang on folks, this story is going to be long and plot-heavy. Thanks for reading!)