I cannot thank you enough for all of those amazing reviews, it really makes my day to see them waiting for me, thank you so much! An extra thank you to those of you to whom I can't directly respond to, I want you to know that they all really mean the world to me!
Another huge thank you to MerlinStar for betaing! You're a superstar!
Sorry, slightly shorter one this time!
Arthur slowly exhaled as he watched Merlin leave his room, the servant's posture tense and strained. Although he would never admit it to anyone, least of all Merlin, Arthur was scared. Scared of what was happening to the boy he considered to be his friend, the boy he had gone up against his father as well as a sorcerer to try and save him. The boy who, even now, continued to lie to him and pretend nothing was wrong when it was more than obvious that was not the case.
Determined to get to the bottom of it all as well as protecting Merlin from himself more than anything, Arthur quietly left his room. Grabbing the first servant he saw, Arthur quickly instructed him to tell the King he had retired to his room with a headache. Even Uther knew better than to disturb the prince when he had one of those; his temper was not to be tested. Knowing he had at least got his father off his back for the rest of the afternoon, Arthur slipped silently through the corridors, moving as though he were nothing more than a flicker of a shadow.
With a furtive glance around him as he began to climb the stairs, Arthur couldn't help but feel guilty for what he was about to do. But if Merlin would not tell him what was wrong, then it was Arthur's right as both his master and friend to find out. Besides, he had a promise to keep, not just to himself but to Gaius as well. He had sworn to the physician that he would watch over Merlin whilst he was away. His afternoon trip to see Gaius the previous day had ended up in a conversation far deeper than Arthur was really comfortable with, but it had provided him with some interesting insights. For instance, he knew Merlin had trouble sleeping, but hadn't realised quite the extent to which the nightmares were plaguing him. Although now thankful they had spoken before he had seen it for himself, the sight of the pale boy shaking in fright in his sleep still haunted Arthur deeply.
With a final glance around him, Arthur held his breath as he silently pushed open the door to the physician's chambers. Tiptoeing in, the prince crept up the stairs until he was standing outside Merlin's shut door. Pressing his ear to the wood, Arthur frowned when he thought he could make out sobs from the other side. What on earth could have got Merlin so worked up? About to push the door open, something made Arthur freeze. His hand outstretched, inches from the door handle, Arthur paused, listening hard.
"Leave me… alone." Jumping in surprise, Arthur stared at the door. How had Merlin known he was even there?
"I'll find a way. Go away." Frowning in confusion, Arthur pressed his ear closer to the door. Merlin's second comment made the prince realise it was not him Merlin was talking too. But if it wasn't the prince, then who?
"Shut up!" Merlin suddenly cried, confirming Arthur's previous suspicions he had been crying; the tremor in his voice was testimony to that.
"Shut up, shut up! Leave me-ow!" As Merlin's cry punctuated the air, Arthur hesitated outside the door, not sure what to do. He didn't want to just burst in there, it had been clear Merlin didn't want him to know about any of this. Yet his friend was obviously in distress, and it was killing the prince to just stand here and do nothing. Eventually though, the sound of Merlin's sobs slowly resided. Holding his breath, Arthur carefully inched open the door and peered in. His servant was spread out on his bed, lying on his stomach with his head pillowed on his arms, turned to one side. Twisting his own neck a little to get a better look at his friend's face, Arthur frowned in concern. Even sleeping, the pain and upset was still clear in Merlin's face.
Carefully pulling the door shut again, Arthur bit his lip thoughtfully. Having told his father he was ill, he knew it would provoke suspicion if he was seen wondering the castle now. In an attempt to protect Merlin from whatever it was that was haunting him, Arthur slowly slipped the key off the hook from outside his door, and placing it in the lock, held his breath as he carefully locked the servant in his own room. Sitting himself down on one of Gaius' stools, Arthur frowned in concern at the door. Somehow, having a locked door between him and the servant made the prince feel better; despite telling himself it was for Merlin's good. Something Arthur Pendragon never thought he would catch himself thinking sprung unbidden into the prince's mind. He was afraid of his own servant.
After a few moments, Arthur noticed his foot had begun to tap of its own accord. Forcing the limb to stay still, the prince grimaced as his fingers then took over, drumming on the edge of the table. Climbing to his feet, the prince started to pace the workshop, hating the waiting game he was locked in. For some unknown reason, Merlin had decided not to trust him, and Arthur couldn't help but feel that was a good enough reason for him to find out exactly what was going on. He knew the servant well enough to tell that he was scared, and perhaps thinking whatever had happened in the woods was still a threat whilst they were out in the open, the prince had decided to return to Camelot in the hope Merlin would feel safe enough to inform him of what was going on. But judging by his behaviour, that was not going to be the case. Though for the life of him, Arthur could not figure out what had Merlin so spooked. He had seen the servant boy stare death in the face many times, even mocking it. So what on earth had taken place that was so bad?
Flinging himself back onto the stool, Arthur sighed deeply, watching the sun begin to set out of the small window. Had it really only been two days since Merlin had returned to work? With his constant worry about his friend, Arthur felt like it had been a lifetime already. Determined to keep an eye on the boy, Arthur didn't notice himself drifting off, his head resting on his arms as the late afternoon spiralled down into evening, the enclosing shadows providing a sense of gloom that only foreshadowed what was yet to come.
Merlin cracked his eyes open painfully, instantly aware that night had fallen. His head was throbbing; a heartless reminder of who else was with him.
"Leave it out," the warlock muttered to himself as he swung his legs over the side of the bed, wincing as the room spun sickeningly around him.
"Or what?" Sighing in frustration, Merlin didn't answer. He had hoped silence would meet his demand. "We're going to go for a little walk."
"Go yourself," Merlin snarled, his temper fraying extremely short. The warlock felt ready to explode out of sheer frustration. He was desperate to tell Arthur their enemy had returned, but there was no way he could risk it. More than that, though, he was desperate to rid himself of Claton. But with his magic only serving to cause him greater pain, the boy was now left defenceless. It had been a long time since Merlin had felt so utterly helpless, the previous times also thanks to the man now taunting him.
"And miss the pleasure of your company? Never. Now move." To the boy's surprise, his feet started carrying him automatically across the room. Trying to stop himself, Merlin realised with horror that he had absolutely no control over his body at all, no matter what he did. Reaching his door, his hand rose of its own accord and tugged. Astonished, Merlin stared at the wood. He knew he had shut the door, but he was sure he hadn't locked it.
"Playing games, Merlin?" Claton asked, his tone sending shudders down the warlock's spine. Once more fruitlessly tugging on the handle, Merlin frowned in complete confusion.
"I don't get it. I didn't lock it."
"Looks like you had a visitor." Before Merlin quite had time to comprehend what was happening, a sharp voice rang out into the room, one that was both his own and not at the same time, and he immediately felt his magic rush in response. Shakily drawing a breath as the door clicked open, Merlin couldn't stop his heart from pounding uncomfortably hard. It seemed it wasn't just his body that Claton had control over, but his magic as well. This was not good.
Continuing on his forced march, Merlin was out of his room and down the stairs in seconds, where he stopped suddenly. Claton's surprise crashed over him a mere second after his own at seeing Arthur fast asleep at the table, his sword balanced precariously across his lap.
"It would only need to slip…" Claton begun mockingly, already causing the warlock's hand to rise in anticipation of using magic.
"Leave him alone," Merlin thought back fiercely, not wanting to say anything out loud for fear of awakening the prince. Then how would he explain how he had got out of his room? Laughing at the fury in Merlin's tone that only just covered up the underlying fear, Claton pushed the boy onwards once more.
"For now. But everyone has to play their part."
"I won't let you hurt him," Merlin stated boldly, pulling the physician's door shut behind him before making his way further down the corridor with absolutely no idea where he was going. He had given up trying to fight for control of his body for he knew that he couldn't win. Halfway down the corridor, Merlin felt his feet suddenly shoot off at different angles, causing him to land with a painful thud on the floor.
"What are you going to do about it, Merlin?"
"You underestimated Arthur once before, and it cost you your life. Don't think for a moment you will be able to escape a second time."
Proud of how certain he sounded, Merlin subconsciously raised his head, determination tingling down his spine. Claton didn't seem to know how to answer, instead opting to force Merlin further down the corridor. Using the sorcerer's distraction to his advantage, Merlin decided to try something. Letting his mind roam, he quickly focused on a memory. It was from months ago, with him and Arthur out hunting in the forest, but instead of the actual scene playing out, the warlock instead began to imagine a different scenario, slipping it into the original memory. He wasn't sure whether he was using magic or just his imagination, but he was more curious as to whether it would work. Imagining himself falling off his horse, Merlin was hard pushed not to smile in satisfaction as Claton made another sarcastic comment about his clumsiness. Claton may be able to see his thoughts, but it was Merlin who was controlling what he was allowing the sorcerer to see. He still had some protection against the man.
Within moments, the pair had made their way through the darkened castle. Ducking into a twisting side passage, Merlin couldn't help but wonder where they were going.
"Never you mind," Claton cut in, making Merlin roll his eyes in annoyance. The man, despite being pure evil, was being even more annoying than Arthur on a bad morning. Finding himself in a low cave, the servant frowned in confusion. Whilst he believed that he had a good knowledge of the castle due to the never ending chores the prince had him running, he had no clue as to where they were.
"Sino mihi sumo super suus somes quod mens." Merlin gasped as he felt Claton muttering the spell. Immediately, the warlock could feel himself slipping into himself, the sorcerer gaining more power over his body as the spell was repeated. Knowing Claton was basically banishing the warlock from his own body, Merlin sped through his counter spells as quickly as he could manage, trying desperately to resist the feeling of being sucked down and under, darkness enveloping him completely. Feeling the suffocation of hope, Merlin stopped fighting, and was immediately overwhelmed by the sorcerer's essence.
Reviews anyone? Love, like, hate, couldn't care less? Let me know! :)
Edit: Okay, after the review I just got for this chapter, I'm now debating whether to actually continue with it, people obviously aren't liking it and considering this is not the first time I've been told I'm writing Merlin OOC, so maybe I've just lost it and should stop. Sorry, rant over! That review just really got me down! If people aren't liking this, I'll just stop.