Hey guys! So here's the next chapter :) I don't really know how I feel about this chapter, it's more of a background kind of thing ... anywho, I realized I forget the disclaimer for last chapter ...

A/N: I don't own Merlin. If I did, Guinevere would be this awesome, inspiring female warrior kind of girl(like Lady Marion from Robin Hood!) ... like why do they have no girls? WOW okay, i got sidetracked :)

Oh, and a HUGE thank you to those who ALERTED/FAVOURITED/REVIEWED :D

ONTO THE STORY

Save Me

Chapter Two

Sadism: the condition in which sexual gratification depends on causing pain or degradation to others

Dominic had never really fit in anywhere. Born to smugglers who thought a baby was too much of a burden, he was left on the doorstep of a home in a town that the smugglers had passed through. Luckily, the person who grew up to be his mother was a very nice lady who taught him about loyalty, compassion, and mercy. When he was twelve years old, his mother had died, and because he was an outcast, no one else wanted to take him in. After a week of wandering through the forest and through towns, he was picked up by Nigel's father. Even at twelve years old, Dominic was tall and strong; he had been working his whole life to make things easier for his mother.

Unfortunately, Nigel's father had the belief that one must be broken to then be fully under your command, so he had Dominic work under the strain of hard labour for a year. On Dominic's thirteenth birthday, he was broken and then was branded on his chest with the letter N. When he recovered, he was presented as a gift for Nigel's sixteenth birthday. He became Nigel's first soldier.

Now, ten years later, Dominic had almost lost all hope. In the early days, he had thought that he would be rescued, or that Nigel would actually turn out to be his friend. But he found he had nothing in common with Nigel or the people he ran with. They fed off of hatred, greed, and pride, whereas Dominic wanted to escape to a place which allowed him to show mercy and compassion, a place that allowed him to love.

It seemed now he could get that chance.

Dominic had often heard Nigel and the others laugh about Camelot and Arthur, about how Uther was not fit to rule anymore, about how weak they were.

But Dominic knew that it wasn't true. He had seen how incensed Arthur had fought; he had done that for a mere servant. Obviously Arthur wasn't weak or pathetic like Nigel wanted to believe.

However, Dominic couldn't be one hundred percent sure that they would let him join them, so he decided to watch for now, and see how everything played out.

Merlin groaned as he was dumped onto a wagon.

"Sorry," the man, Dominic, said quietly.

Merlin opened his eyes slightly to see the tall, muscular man tie his hands tightly to the side of the wagon. Dominic had black hair, and few pieces hung into his black eyes. His skin was olive toned, and tanned from obviously spending a lot of time outdoors. His hands were calloused and he was toned from physical labour. Merlin was curious about the scar that peaked out from beneath his loose black shirt.

"What do you want? Why are you doing this?" Merlin croaked out.

Dominic hesitated slightly, looking into Merlin's eyes, then resumed as if he had not heard.

Merlin sighed and tried to settle into a comfortable position. His chest ached from where the sword had hit him, even though he had managed to move back and lessen the blow. The blood was still trickling down his chest, though he was bunching his shirt in his fingers and applying pressure to the wound. He hissed as the wagon jerked into motion, the work horse being led by Dominic on his pure black horse.

"Merlin!" Arthur whispered.

Merlin glanced up at the Prince's white face and reached out with his other hand to clumsily pat Arthur on his hands, from which a rope was tied to the wagon. Arthur didn't look comforted. He coughed and looked away.

"How do you feel?"

Merlin snorted slightly. Even as they were bound up, even as Arthur was now forced to walk alongside the wagon for God know how long, the prat was still hesitant about looking too caring towards a servant.

"Look Arthur, it doesn't matter how I feel, what matters is that you're a complete clotpole!" Merlin chastised.

Arthur snapped his head around to look at him in disbelief.

"What?" Arthur looked confused.

Merlin rolled his eyes. "You should have left me! It doesn't matter that I was taken. I'm only a manservant; you're the future King…"

Merlin trailed off as he saw Arthur's expression change from confused to anger.

"Merlin, you idiot, I wasn't going to leave you to die." Arthur shook his head. "God, Merlin, I sometimes wonder why you think so little of yourself! You seem to have such a low amount of self-esteem, it's infuriating. How you manage to make everyone around you into the best person they can be, but then turn around and think you have so little worth-"

Arthur cut off and Merlin knew that Arthur was uncomfortable with how much he had said and the concern he had said it with. Merlin blushed slightly at what Arthur had said.

"I don't have low self-esteem!" Melrin protested. "I'm normal. I have normal self-esteem!"

Arthur looked amused. "Well, anyway, I don't regret coming back for you, so don't think it was somehow your fault." Arthur leaned in closer. "We'll find a way out of this, don't worry. Rest now Merlin."

Merlin studied Arthur and then reached out again to firmly grip his arm.

"I trust you Arthur."

And then Merlin settled onto the rough blanket, gripping the front of his shirt and closing his eyes.

Nigel glanced behind him at Dominic, who was leading the horse and wagon on which the boy, Merlin, was lying on, with Arthur walking behind. If he was honest with himself, he was curious about the Prince. Arthur had come back to fight for a mere servant. Not a knight, or even a soldier, but a servant who seemed weak and almost like a liability.

Nigel shook his head. He would never go back to save someone. Not even his own father on the brink of death would persuade him. It just didn't work that way. The rules of battle were simple; kill the enemy, and when it seems you cannot succeed in that, save yourself.

Nigel's extremely high sense of self-preservation and vanity made him lethal to those he fought with and against.

He vaguely remembered the times he had pushed other men in front of or behind him to face the terrible beats that lurked in the woods. He remembered the times he had used men as human shields in battle by holding them tightly by the back of their shirt and forcing them forward.

But, all in all, it didn't matter. What mattered was that he was alive, strong, and those who were weak had perished.

But he was curious about Prince Arthur and how he fought to save his manservant. The Prince had fought with a type of blood-thirsty insanity and rage he hadn't seen in a long time. Nigel's eyes glittered as he imagined the entertainment he would get by bending the Prince and his manservant to his every will. He was sure that it was an advantage to bring Merlin along with Prince Arthur, as Dominic had suggested before. Arthur seemed to be willing to do anything to maintain the safety of his manservant.

Nigel smirked.

Arthur was a weakling and he would soon perish.

Arthur snapped his head away from Merlin's sleeping face towards Nigel as he heard him say, "Halt!"

Dominic glanced back at Arthur, and then rode forward to meet Nigel.

"What is it?"

"It seems we have accidentally stumbled upon a party!" Nigel grinned, appearing quite crazed. "I'm feeling hungry, all this battle has made me starved. What say you, gentlemen?"

There was cheering, and Arthur was horrified. It appeared they were going to attack some sort of party in the clearing, just for their own amusement and greed.

"You can't do that!" Arthur yelled.

The crowd grew silent and immediately Arthur noticed the darkness that simmered through the crowd of men.

"Oh?" Nigel's said coolly. "And why not?"

"Because it's not right!" Arthur snapped. He paused. It was stupid to have said that, because this group of men obviously had no care for right or wrong.

Some of them began cruelly laughing.

"More than that," Arthur said over the laughter. "These people are innocent and have not hurt you in any way! You have no right to attack them or kill them!"

Nigel looked amused. "Oh, my dear Prince," he said mockingly. "You really are far too naïve. I truly believed you were much smarter, but I guess I shouldn't have made my expectations so high. Surely by now you realize I can attack whatever and whomever I want … After all, I have you tied up and at my mercy."

Arthur glared. "I will make you pay for what you've done. That is a promise."

Nigel laughed. "Really? A prince who is weak enough to save a mere servant is going to 'make me pay'?"

Arthur gritted his teeth, but Nigel turned away.

"Watch them." He pointed to Arthur and Merlin, and then he took off followed by about thirty men.

Arthur shook with fury as he turned back to the still sleeping Merlin. He sat on the edge of the wagon, and rested his hands on Merlin's legs, almost as a physical reminder that Merlin was there and he was not alone.

When the sounds of screams and shrieks could be heard through the forest, when Arthur could hear the torture through the pain and fear of those screams, he bowed his head and let a tear slip out.

Uther Pendragon watched from his window as a group of about ten Camelot knights raced through the courtyard. He could see they were battle worn; their robes were ripped and they were covered in blood. His heart froze when he realized that Arthur was not among them.

Uther stood, swaying slightly, and then called for a servant. A young boy ran into the room with an alarmed look on his face.

"My King?"

"Quickly, get me dressed!" Uther shouted.

The boy nodded frantically, picking out clothes and helping the King into them. Uther grabbed his crown, which he placed on his head, and his sword, which he sheathed, and strode out of his room. It appeared his son was in trouble, and he was going to do everything in his power to save him.

He burst into the counsel room, and everyone gaped at the imposing figure of the King.

"What has happened?" Uther demanded. "Where's my son? Where's Arthur?"

"It appears he has been captured," Agravaine said smoothly as he took a step towards Uther. "My Lord, are you sure you are healthy enough-"

"I am in excellent health, thank you." Uther talked over him. "My son must be found immediately."

He turned to the knights.

"Why? Why did you leave him?"

The knights looked at each other, before Sir Leon took a step forward.

"My King, he ordered us to return to Camelot."

Uther was furious, but he sighed and ran a hand down his face. It was so like Arthur to order his knights to return to Camelot so he could then face the consequences.

Uther took in a deep breath and he seemed to stand taller and more regally.

"He must be found."

Arthur straightened up as Nigel and his men returned. Nigel wore a smug look on his face, and the men who followed him were whooping and cheering. Arthur shook in anger and clenched his fists. It did no good to bring up the matter once more; he would gain nothing, but more than that, he could potentially lose Merlin.

Arthur observed as Nigel shoved a man towards Dominic, who bound the man's wrists and walked him over to the wagon. Arthur said nothing and watched as the man shorter and skinnier than him with red hair and freckles was tied to the wagon alongside him. He was wearing a defiant expression, but Arthur could easily see the terror in his eyes, and knew Nigel had seen it too.

They started moving once again, and Arthur and the man were forced to walk. Arthur saw the man look him up and down.

"You're a knight?" The man asked. He then looked into Arthur's eyes. "The Prince? What-?"

Arthur glared, and the man appropriately closed his mouth. He then opened it again.

"I'm Peter," he offered.

Arthur sighed. "Prince Arthur."

They walked in silence for a couple minutes, and then Peter opened his mouth again.

"But, this means we can be saved right? I mean, you're the Prince. Someone is obviously looking for you."

Arthur sighed again. "We were unprepared for the attack. It will be at least half a day before they gather the knights and make plans for a rescue. It's also getting darker, so I'm assuming they won't leave until first light tomorrow. And with no one to lead them…"

Arthur trailed off, not quite sure why he was sharing this with a man he barely knew.

"What do you know of Nigel?" Arthur asked instead.

Peter gave a scared look in the direction of the leader, as if he was afraid that Nigel would overhear and kill them for saying his name. When he saw that Nigel was now far in front, he moved closer to Arthur.

"In these parts, Nigel is notorious. Everyone along the border of Camelot and Andsaca fear him," Peter spoke quietly, obviously needing to tell Arthur, but not wanting to be overheard.

"Andsaca?" Arthur asked; a sense of doom and foreboding making his blood turn to ice. "Lucern's land?"

Peter gave him an odd look. "Yes?"

Arthur closed his eyes briefly, and swore quietly. Opening his eyes, he was met with Peter's confused face.

"Is that a problem?"

"Yes," Arthur spat out. "Yes, it's a problem…"

He was scaring Peter with his anger and frustration, so he reigned in his emotions.

"Please, go on about Nigel," Arthur motioned with his hands, and after an unsure look, Peter continued.

"It began with Nigel's father. Kyrian he was called, though no one mentions his name any more. It's kind of like a curse," Peter went on, evidently preferring to talk about Nigel like a story. "Nigel's father was crazy; a real psycho. He was greedy and proud, and wanted to rule everyone. Obviously, he couldn't do that because of Lucern's father, who was King at the time. Though Kyrian was powerful, he was no where near powerful enough to compete with Lucern's father, so he struck a deal. Lucern's father agreed to let Kyrian live in a castle on his land and have his own group of men to run like soldiers. In exchange, Kyrian's men would fight for Lucern's father whenever the need be and every month, Kyrian was expected to present Lucern's father with a gift. The tradition carried over to their sons, and so now Lucern and Nigel honour that agreement. That is why Nigel seems to have an army of men at his disposal, and how he gets away with what he does.

"Now for what happens to those Nigel captures, I can only give you rumors. No one actually knows what goes on in Nigel's castle except Nigel's men and of course, the prisoners. Few people have ever escaped from the castle; it's guarded as if it holds all the most valuable possessions of the world! It'll be damn near impossible to escape, and, as I said, there have been few people, about thirteen I believe, who have ever escaped, and that was over twenty-five years.

"But anyway, the rumors are that…very dark stuff happens in Nigel's castles." Here Peter became hesitant. "Apparently, from what I have heard, the number one rule Kyrian enforced was that one must be broken to then be fully under your command. So that's what Nigel does. That's what he gets his sick pleasure from. He breaks people."

Arthur stared. "He breaks people? What – like torture?"

Peter shrugged, the terror in his face betraying his attempt at nonchalance. "I don't know. It's all rumors, but after what Nigel did to my friends…"

Arthur looked away as Peter's face crumpled and he started crying.

"Arthur," Merlin's voice rasped.

Arthur snapped his eyes to Merlin, who apparently had been woken by Peter's story and had heard it.

"Don't worry. We'll find a way out. We always do." Merlin gave him his signature goofy grin, and Arthur couldn't help but smile back, if just for Merlin's sake.

He was tormented by the thought of Merlin being broken.

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