AN: Alright, I've written a bit more. :)

Sorry the chapters have gotten so much shorter. Don't really know what to say. But I felt like I needed to post something so I did :/

And although this chapter does not contain any, Arthur!Whump is coming, readers beware. I swear I will not be killing off any characters. Seriously. But things may get a bit messy for a while.

In other news, thanks for all the reviews, views, hits, favorites, and follows. It has been far too long since I have thanked you all. You really do make me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside!

And, as always, I don't own Merlin. If I ever got a hold of him you guys would definitely be the first to know ;)

Chapter Twenty-five: Methods of Madness

Merlin had never been as angry at Percival as he was in the moment his surrogate-brother picked him up, tossed him over his large shoulders, and ran off in the opposite direction of Arthur. Didn't Percival realize that Arthur was in danger? They could fight off the guards together, but Arthur wouldn't be able to on his own. By running away from the clashing of blades they had abandoned Arthur to Uther and his men.

But, even through his despair, part of Merlin knew Arthur's plan made a certain amount of sense. They were outnumbered by about five men to one, and he wasn't going to be conscious for much longer. It was strange to think that only this morning he and Arthur had been happily caring for the children of the east town, and now, well, now who knew when they would see each other again.

Merlin was rather numb by the time Percival stopped, carefully lowering him off his shoulder but keeping a hand locked around his arm, as if he was afraid Merlin was about to take off back towards Arthur and the knights. He did consider it for a moment, glancing back in the direction they had come before sagging in Percival's grip, knowing that at this point it would be useless. Arthur was long gone.

He thought the others might be talking, possibly to him as well, but he didn't hear them. He was lost, Arthur had come to be such a constant in his life he didn't really know what to do without him anymore. He didn't even try to stop the tears as they began to spill from his eyes, cascading down his face as he tried not to think about how quickly he had broken his promise of protecting Arthur.

He felt his knees go weak, and was about to fall to the ground when he felt warm arms wrapped around him. These arms were dark and soft, unlike Arthur's beefy, sun-tanned limbs, but they still gave him an incredible sense of safety and security. It felt as he imagined his mother's arms had felt, and reminded him of the protection she had offered before she had been stolen from him. His breath hitched slightly as he looked up to see Gwen smiling back at him, holding him tight to her and allowing him to weep into the sleeve of the dress she wore.

Even though Gwen was no match for Arthur, her hug somehow managed to help him gain control over his emotions, and his body gradually regained feeling as the tears streaming from his eyes slowed. She continued to hold him though, waiting until he took a deep breath and straightened up. Her eyes met his as he wiped away the last tears, and he couldn't help but be grateful Lancelot had met her. Her eyes shown of not just kindness and compassion, but also hope.

"You will get Arthur back." She said with a confident and yet slightly sympathetic smile. "I haven't known you for long, but I can tell you two were made for each other. No one could keep you apart, not even the King of Camelot."

"Gwen's right." Lancelot said, grabbing Merlin's shoulder and guiding him over to a small cave. Gwaine and Elyan were sitting around a small fire just beyond the entrance, far enough in they wouldn't be spotted from the forest outside. "You got me out, we'll be able to get Arthur as well. But you can't squander his sacrifice either. He's given us time to rest, recuperate, and plan. When we are ready, nothing will be able to stop us."

Merlin nodded, trying his best to force out a watery smile as Percival sat him down near the fire. The numbness had faded slightly, so he could feel the warmth of the fire and the comforting wait of Percival's hand on his shoulder. As the larger man pushed him back to lie on the cold surface of the ground, Merlin's head resting comfortably against Percival's legs, Merlin heard him whisper, "Sleep, Merlin. You know Arthur would be telling you the same if he were here. And he will be here with us again. I promise."

With those words comforting him, Merlin drifted off into unconsciousness, praying that Arthur was alright.

The city was empty by the time Arthur and the knights reached the gates. The only people who seemed to still be awake were the two guards posted as centuries at the gates, although by the way their eyelids drooped it seemed they were only barely clinging to consciousness. The walk through the forest had been quite a dreary one for Arthur, the only redeeming factor came in speaking with Leon when the knight had managed to move to his side.

"I'm sorry about this." The knight had said, looking quite worried, "I don't know how they found your camp, and I did try to lead them in the wrong direction, but I did not want to look too suspicious either. Someone has to keep a watch over the thugs Uther's hired."

"It's good to see you Leon." Arthur had whispered back, trying not to let any of the other knights hear him. "And it's not your fault. You've done well to keep so close to the king."

Leon had been forced to move away from Arthur after their brief conversation, as he couldn't allow any suspicion to fall to him. He had kept the other knights from treating Arthur too badly though, reminding them that Uther wouldn't want him harmed. He had shuddered slightly when he heard a knight he didn't recognize mutter "Maybe not yet." But he had done his best not to think too much about what that man had meant.

Leon was at the front of the group when they reached the castle, leading the men through the empty corridors till they reached the large oak doors that Arthur knew lead into the throne room. He felt his heart beat increase as the mighty doors were pulled back, revealing the large room that he had been in so often when he was still crown prince of Camelot. It was strange to think that after months of not seeing his father he would now be seeing him twice in one night.

The room was empty as he was pushed inside, the clinking of the knights' armor echoing in the long hallway. Someone ordered one of the younger-looking knights to go get the king as Arthur tried to stand as tall and proud as he had when he greeted foreign dignitaries in this hall. His clothes felt so light as he remembered the weight of full armor and royal regalia he had been required to wear almost every time he entered this room. Even though those clothes were so uncomfortable compared to what he was currently dressed in (a dark brown wool shirt and black pants, still wearing the clothes they had originally chosen for breaking into the palace to rescue Lancelot) he couldn't help but hope one day he would be in a position to wear them again, guiding his people to a better and brighter future, with Merlin at his side, protecting and guiding.

He was pulled from his thoughts as the doors banged open once more. He didn't turn to see his father's entrance, instead staring straight towards the throne, head held high. By returning here tonight, he would have protected his friends and his kingdom for another day. He would never regret it.

The heavy footsteps of the king echoed in the hall as Uther marched around the knights to face Arthur head on. Arthur tried to keep his gaze cold and unfeeling as the king faced him, but he couldn't suppress the look of surprise that crossed his face as he was pulled into a hug.

"Arthur!" Uther cried out, sounding shockingly close to tears, "I knew I would get you back. And we will break the hold that thief has on you, I swear. The bond between father and son is far greater than any magic."

Arthur tried to push out of his father's hold, but it was difficult with his hands still bound behind him. The shock of it all definitely didn't help. He had been ready for verbal abuse, for yelling and harsh words, but not hugs. It was rather sad, but this was probably one of the first times in his life his father had actually embraced him. Unfortunately for Uther, the part of Arthur that had longed for such a show of emotions from his father was long gone.

As Uther finally pulled back Arthur's expression grew spiteful. "How can you say that? How can there be such a bond between us? You never once treated me as a father should his son. I was never good enough for you, so you pushed me away, even when I did everything I could to gain your affection! I may have only known him for a few months, but the bond between Merlin and I is much stronger than any perceived bond you and I share. Nothing you can do will break it."

The ringed hand that smacked across Arthur's face was much more the reaction he had been expecting. A small trail of blood ran across his left cheek where one of the jewels had pierced his skin, leaving a red line across his otherwise clean face. As he turned to look back at Uther, he was surprised to see regret mixed in with the anger that had clouded his previously happy expression. "You are mine, Arthur." The king growled, "Not his. And I will do whatever is necessary to remind you of that fact."

Uther then turned back towards the men holding Arthur and ordered, "Take him to the East Tower, lock him in the top room. Make sure a pair of guards is always stationed outside the doors, at the base of the tower, and at the stairway leading to the tower. I will not lose him again!"

Even though Arthur wasn't exactly looking forward to being locked up in a tower like some princess in a fairytale, anything seemed better than staying as the same room as Uther. Even just looking at the king made him feel vaguely sick. He couldn't believe he had once pledged his life and loyalty to such a terrible man. But that was in the past. Now he needed to worry about how he was going to get out of here. No doubt Merlin would do whatever he could to get back to Arthur, including risking his own safety. Knowing that Percival, Lancelot, and Gwaine would be there to keep him from doing anything too stupid was slightly reassuring, but didn't completely banish the nervous fluttering of his stomach. Somehow he would need to get in touch with them, but how?

The answer to this question came in the ever-faithful form of Sir Leon. Arthur had never been quite so happy to see the loyal knight as he was when he realized his friend had entered with him into the tower room.

"I don't have much time," Leon said, pulling Arthur over to the far corner of the room and unlocking his shackles. "I told the men outside I was just doing one last inspection for the king, so they will be suspicious if I take too long. But I wanted to let you know my loyalty is still to you and you only, and that I will do whatever I can to aide in your escape."

"Thank you, Leon." Arthur said, clapping him on the back as the shackles fell from his wrists. "I shall never forget how you stayed by my side through these struggles. Hopefully one day I will be able to repay you."

"There is no need, your highness. I've known you since we were both children, but I have never been more proud to be in you service. Is there any way you know I could help you get back to Merlin?"

Arthur tried to suppress the blush that Leon's overly kind words had induced, focusing as best as he could on the second part of his question. Leon wouldn't be able to get him out on his own, the mere idea was ludicrous. No, what needed to happen was for Leon to find Merlin and the others, and then together work out a plan using Leon's position and Merlin's skills to get him out. But he had no idea where Percival would have taken Merlin by now, so he couldn't very well send Leon to him. If only there was some other way of contacting Merlin…

"Of course!" Arthur shouted, thinking aloud. He quickly reached under his shirt and pulled out the blue-grey stone that still hung around his neck and handed it to Leon. "As soon as you are able to get out of the castle, squeeze this stone twice, and go to the lake about two miles east of the castle. Hopefully Merlin will meet you there, and you can help them come up with a plan. Just be sure you are not followed, and please try not to lose that stone."

Leon looked slightly confused at first, but as Arthur finished explaining he smiled and took the stone from his outstretched hand. "I will, Arthur. And I will be back here as soon as I can. Just, don't worry. We will fix this."

Arthur nodded as Leon turned to exit the small room, sad to see him go but filled with a new sense of hope. Leon was still a trusted knight, with his help Merlin might actually stand a chance of getting him out of here. Still, it would take a couple days so he might as well get used to his new accommodations.

The room was small and bare, a cylinder that was fortunately wide enough for him to lie down in and quite tall. It was completely devoid of any comfort, and would have been defined only by the stone that composed it if it wasn't for the small wooden door and the thin strip of a window. It was slightly better than the dungeons though, as he would at least get some light and there were probably no rats or other varmints crawling through this room. It would be much more difficult to escape from though, which was probably why he had been imprisoned here. The window was much too small for him to climb out through, and even if it was large enough, it would take quite a lot of time and rope to accomplish a feat like that, and the only other path out went straight past at least four other guards and through most of the royal palace. If Lancelot had been difficult to break out, he would be near impossible.

Still, if anyone could accomplish something impossible it would be Merlin. And with Leon on his side, well, maybe it would be slightly less impossible. Maybe just improbable?

As these thoughts buzzed around in Arthur's head he began to realize just how tired he was. The adrenalin burst that had come from fighting with the knights and seeing his father had worn off long ago, leaving him weary from his long day. As there was nothing else he could do from his position at the moment but wait, Arthur settled down on the cold, stone floor, and drifted off into dreams, hoping that somewhere out in the safety of the woods Merlin was doing the same.

Uther wasn't sure if he was happy to have Arthur back, or furious that Arthur was so completely under Emrys' spell. He had never seen magic this dark and strong before in his life. It seemed more than cruel for Emrys to twist his once-perfect Arthur into the evil being who he had spoken with earlier. Arthur didn't even seem to remember all Uther had done for him in the past anymore. He could stand the rest of the kingdom hating him, but Arthur? Arthur was meant to respect and follow him no matter what.

Uther couldn't help but wish for the days of Arthur's youth back. He had been such a good child, even though Uther often had trouble seeing it through the cloud of misery and anger Ygraine's death had caused him. Of course he had caused his share of mischief as well, but he had always worked hard to become the man Uther knew he would grow to be. Or would have grown to be, if it wasn't for the interference of a thieving sorcerer and his band of low-lives. Next time Uther saw Emrys, he was going to rip his head off with his bare hands. No one messed with his family.

But Arthur was back now, Uther reminded himself. All he needed to do was break the spell. And he had a pretty good idea of how to do this now. While the knights had been searching for the thief and his associates, Uther had been working as well. The thief was more difficult to kill than he had expected, so he had researched alternative ways of breaking a curse like the one Emrys had placed on Arthur. One particularly fascinating tome suggested that one could be freed from spells of this nature through physical pain and bloodletting. As some part of the magician's power would have to remain over the subject, the pain would be felt in equal measure by the sorcerer, eventually forcing them to let go. If this was unsuccessful, draining the blood was another alternative, as if done often enough the recipient of the spell would lose the blood that had been tainted by the evils of the magic. Although Uther did not enjoy the thought of hurting his own son, he would do whatever was necessary to free him. If these things worked, it wouldn't be long before he had his son back, in both mind and body, which was worth any sacrifice, as Arthur would certainly agree.

These thoughts comforted Uther as he drifted off into a peaceful sleep, glad to know that at last one of his children was back under his care.