DAY EIGHT AM

PLEASE NOTE IN THIS CHAPTER PAST CHILDHOOD PHYSICAL/PSYCOLOGICAL ABUSE DICSUSSED. ALSO MENTIONS OF ADULT NON CONSENSUAL ORAL SEX MENTIONED. MISS THIS CHAPTER IF LIGHTLY TO TRIGGER. NOT GRAPHIC. STORY RECLASSIFIED AS T. You can miss this as a summery will be in next chapter

…

Arthur was contacted by Commissioner Bayard on Monday morning who wished to visit the castle to give the King an update on the case. Morgana also attended.

"As you know we arrested and have charged a Doctor Edwin Muirden on Friday, following the search of his property and the retrieval of documents we have been able to progress further. Two of the men have made full confessions we have hopes for more. Close Protection Officer Green had enquired as to whether The Prince had ever tried to escape and I can now answer that. The doctor keep what can only be described as Medical records for his care of the Prince. We feel it may have been to show his 'caring' nature should he ever be arrested. We now have a better idea of some of the things that happened to the Prince than before." He paused "When the Prince was eleven he did get into the tunnel at least once. It seems two of the men where bringing in a new mattress and left the door Merlin went out, not sure if he was curious or it was an escape attempt. Either way he was beaten and extensively. The doctor records being called and says the Prince was covered from head to toe in bruising has a cracked rib and a broken wrist. He added that as the King was out of the country on a tour, the doctor didn't informed him, and most injuries would be healed before he was due to return. The arm and ribs were explained to the King as injuries during a seizure. Doctor Muirden named the men and we will be questioning them."

Arthur took a deep breath "That explains the flashback, is there no end to all of this"

Bayard looked at the couple with sympathy "We can piece together quite a bit of the sixteen years now. We have two confessions, the suicide note as well as several record books that were found in the cellar room that together with the late Kings diaries and the medical records give a fairly clear picture, although I don't think we will ever know all what happened. The Crown Prosecution Service is looking at everything now. The least involved from what we can tell is Agravaine De Bois, he seems to have only been involved in the use of his house and initial planning with only a few visits made to the cellar, your father visited regularly, but except for ordering some of the more minor punishments and wanting the Prince to be kept quiet he appears not to have been actively involved in the events, other than the initial placing of the Prince. It is only due to the documentation that we were able to get so much together so quickly. Your brother also recorded something's in both words and pictures. He drew a lot as well as wrote to kill time, they got careless and didn't check it all through. There is far more from him in the later years. The CPS feels, like we do, that the Prince won't need to testify but we can't guarantee it. We do want to talk to him today to get him to look at identity photos to pick out the offenders."

Arthur took a deep breathe "Is that necessary"

"It is Sir, we will send specially trained people and the doctor suggests that both herself and Gwaine Green is there as support. We need to do everything by the book"

"Well if you must, can we be there?" Arthur enquired

"It would be best if you were not Sir, the Prince is an adult all be it traumatised. I don't want any allegations that his selection was influenced"

Morgana spoke up "What else have you learnt about what happened to him? We need to know so we don't trigger things for him"

"I'm not sure if that is wise your highness, it makes grim reading" Bayard said softly. "My men have found it hard enough"

"Grim reading! Think what it must have been like to have lived through it. We need to be able to support our brother!" Morgana stated.

"I agree with my sister, we can't pretend this hasn't happened and it will come out in court, far better we know now than later" the king said firmly.

"I had a feeling you were going to ask I have had a summery written. But I will only give it to you if you agree to talk to someone, either one of our victim support teams or someone Dr Mithian Nemeth suggests as soon as possible afterwards" Bayard said clearly meaning every word.

Arthur and Morgana looked at one another "We agree, I'll ask Mithian to organise something"

Bayard handed over an envelope. "This is a summery it will tell you enough. It is not detailed, please destroy it once you have read it. I would hate for the press to get hold of it in any way. They will know some of it eventually but not until the trial. The doctors are aware, and have with the lawyers permission been given copies of the records the doctor kept. We are still correlating information as we speak, this case is very fast moving and I believe will be successful, thanks in some part to the people involved keeping records."

Arthur took the envelope "Thank you, if you can keep us informed."

After the Commissioner had left Arthur and Morgana sat down together "You don't have to read this Morgs" Arthur told his sister

"Yes I do" Morgana feared what she was going to read but needed to know. "Anyway I will go to the trail so I will hear it all there anyway"

The couple read in silence a catalogue of mostly physiological abuse of a sixteen year duration, of isolation, threats, punishments including threats to cut Merlin's tongue out and other maiming threats. Even as a young child, it seemed he was often left in the dark all day, or in complete silence, as well as the writing of up to five thousand lines at a time. His books and toys were removed for up to four days at a time leaving him nothing to do. There were also several episodes of physical abuse although they appeared to be less, the broken bones and multiple bruises for going into the corridor, and on one occasion being made to stand naked and still for hours on end. One frequent punishment was having only water and no food for a day or sometimes two. It appeared the more severe episodes coincided with the King being on tour to foreign country's or periods when he wasn't at Windsor. Suggesting that he had no knowledge of them. The last comment was chilling in its implication.

It was made very clear in the records that the Prince was made aware that all these events were his own fault, and they wouldn't happen if he was good.

Most punishments whether physical or psychological were selected to leave no marks to the body. In his records the King made it clear that he, Merlin, was to be told his father loved him and was doing what he was to protect his son. It is unclear if the King was unaware of what was happening or whether he condoned it.

By the time the pair had finished reading they were shocked into speechlessness and both shaking in horror to think that most of these things had been done to a child. "It's like a horror story" Morgana said "How can Merlin get back to normal after that and even to suggest that Uther didn't know, it was his fault in the first place."

Arthur took a deep breath "I suspect he will come out of this looking as good as they can make him. I don't like it but I just get the feeling that the Government feel it is the 'political' thing to do. At the end of the day he is dead and cannot be brought to justice. To me the important thing is that the rest of Merlin's life is as good as we can make it, and that the others are found guilty. We know the truth and history will, no matter what. I fully intend to keep my own dairies and pass on the story so Uther Pendragon is known in history for what he did, and if the full story isn't known now, before I die I will make sure I tell the story in a live interview, even if it is in a few years." He looked at his sister "I hope it comes out now Morgs but we can't fight this our efforts must go to Merlin"

"I know, and the trouble is I also understand what you mean, but I swear on everything I hold dear if you don't get to do that interview I will. I hate that man, even if he was my father, he was cold and heartless, to us, my mother and most of all to Merlin"

Later that morning two police officers arrived to speak to the Prince. They were shown to his room and introduced to him. After talking to him for a while Tristan and Isolde explained what they wanted Merlin to do, Merlin looked uncomfortable but Gwaine stood close to support him and with Mithian also there he relaxed more. As the sheets of photos came out Merlin looked at Gwaine, it was clear the Protection Officer was going to be Merlin's main support in this. Gwaine knelt beside Merlin's chair "Sir, no one can hurt you, we need you just to look at the pictures the people are not here you are safe."

Merlin seemed to relax and looked at the selections of photos each section had twelve photos one of which was one of the accused. Merlin was also asked to name then if he could. He went through the first few with no problem picking out Catrina, Odin, Helios, Beroun, and the Doctor Edwin Muirden and naming them in his whisper. He was also asked to pick out his father who he pointed to and said "His Majesty Father". He was more uncomfortable when he picked out Valiant and Cenred but to everyone's surprise it was Merlin's reaction to Agravaine's photo, as with the others he picked him out immediately but then started to hyperventilate and went even paler. Gwaine knelt down beside him immediately.

"Sir take some deep breathes, match you breathes with mine, like we have before and try to relax"

Mithian also moved closer and started to talk to Merlin reassuring him. Eventually Merlin calmed and after stopping for a while, and having a quiet word with Mithian, who gave Merlin a low dose of Diazepam, Isolde asked Merlin "Sir did this man hurt you?"

Merlin shrank into himself and wouldn't speak, he looked down at his hands and wrung the together clearly distressed. Both Mithian and Gwaine spoke to Merlin but he refused to talk instead he curled into himself. When Gwaine touched his shoulder Merlin jumped. Both Tristan and Isolde looked at each other, before Isolde left the room to collect something from the police car, when she returned she had two male dolls in her hand.

Gwaine looked at then in surprise and he frowned realising the implication and not liking it. Mithian realised already what was going on and was also concerned, but realised that this had to be done. The two police officers then interviewed Merlin using techniques they used with children due to Merlin's limited exposure to normal development. It soon became clear that their suspicions were correct and that Merlin had been exposed to some form of Sexual abuse. After further questioning they asked Merlin to use the dolls to show what happened, just to be clear. It appeared that Agravaine had been forcing Merlin into perform oral sex on him. But it unclear for how long or when it started, although they established it was recent and not during Merlin's childhood.

This was immediately reported to their superiors. So that Merlin's uncle could be questioned further. Then the Police left allowing Mithian to start her work with Merlin once more.