A/N: Hello beautiful people from the internet! I'm here again with a new chapter, thank you for waiting, the follows and the favourites! I'm not sure if you've noticed but I just changed the rating to M, so I guess I need to give you a little warning: there is torture present in this chapter; nothing too graphic but still, just in case.
Well, we're getting close to the end of this fic, just three more chapters to go yay! So please, tell me what you think.
Words without A/N: 3 272
8. A painful whisper
''And all I loved, I loved alone.'' Edgar Allan Poe
The steps were loud on the stone floor, probably waking everyone up. The two men in dressed in grey were walking quickly, struggling to make the knight in uniform go at the same speed. He was having fun, actually, stressing his enemies out was something he was great at. He had no idea about where he was going tough, or what was going to happen to him. But he was calm, knowing he had made the right choice.
The two guards made Gwaine walk down some stairs to what seemed the dungeons. When they were down there, the knight heard someone gasp on his right. He turned his head to the sound and saw Merlin and Arthur looking at him from a cell. He winked at them to let them see that help was on its way. Gwaine thought he was going to get thrown into a near cell, but the guards kept walking. When they reached the end of the hallway, one of them opened a door that lead to another set of stairs. After walking down them, they reached a dark and big room.
''Has Benny gone for him?'' One of the guards asked.
''He has.'' The other answered. ''Hold him, I need to tie his hands.''
The man put Gwaine's hands together in front of him and tied them up with a piece of rope, then, he made the knight kneel. Nothing about that bothered Gwaine, he was determined to do anything in his power to stop those men from capturing his friends. However, he had to admit he got scared when noticing the blood on the walls, the room had dried blood everywhere, it was evident even though there wasn't a lot of light.
''Remember why you're here.'' Gwaine whispered.
''What was that?'' One of the men asked.
''Nothing.'' Gwaine muttered. Then he repeated to himself, remember why you're here. He thought about Merlin and Arthur, both tired of the nasty cell they were in and ready to go home. He thought of Elyan and Percival, his brave and loyal friends, prepared to fight for Camelot. He thought of Leon, amazing and perfect Leon, Gwaine had chosen to do what he did because of him. He breathed heavily, he had to resist anything for them. For him.
Time passed slowly, Gwaine was nervous and wondered what was going to happen to him. Some noisy steps interrupted his thoughts, two people were walking towards the room. Gwaine paid attention and noticed a voice as well, it belonged to a man, probably to a big and old one. ''... becoming a habit, isn't it Benny?''
''No... not at all, my lord, but this is important, it's...'' a shaky voice replied.
''You captured the king of Camelot a week ago! What could be more important than...?'' The man with the deep voice started, opening the door and noticing Gwaine, his frown became a creepy smile. ''Oh, I see. Good job, boys.''
''You were right, my lord.'' One of the guards said.
''Of course I was right, you pair of idiots! I made you prepare the traps because I knew this was going to happen. Now, send extra men outside and tell them to stay alert, I don't want more casualties.'' The big man said, walking around the room. One of the guards ran out, following his boss's orders. ''Which was the lucky trap that captured him?''
''Surprisingly, none, my lord. A trap was activated, but we found him just outside, trying to get in.''
''Oh, we have a clever one, don't we?'' The man stood right in front of Gwaine and kneeled so he could take a look at his face. Gwaine frowned, his enemy was awful. ''But where are my manners? Right, boys? Hello, Gradel is the name. Mind telling me yours, little knight?''
''Sir Gwaine, knight of Camelot, as you might have noticed.'' Gwaine said as smugly as possible. ''I'm glad I got here, you're the man I was looking for.''
''Ha! And a brave one as well, not many dare to talk to me like that.'' Gradel laughed. ''Tell me, Sir Gwaine, what were you doing around here?''
''Is everyone here stupid or what? What else would I...'' Gwaine started but was interrupted by a slap.
''Do not talk to me like that, have some respect, you stupid knight!'' Gradel screamed, he seemed absolutely furious. It surprised Gwaine, one moment his enemy was laughing, and losing his mind on the next one. The knight was sure the slap wasn't the most painful thing he was going to receive. His attitude wasn't helping, but he needed everyone's attention for the others to succeed.
''Just the obvious.'' Gwaine answered, turning his head and looking at his enemy's eyes directly.
''You wanted to rescue king Arthur, didn't you? You and how many others?''
''Others? No one mentioned other knights.''
''Oh, come on, my dear Sir Gwaine, you didn't come alone. These lands are dangerous, your king is missing, and you expect me to believe Camelot sent one knight? Do you think we're idiots?''
''Well, you're doing a great job at being idiots so...'' Gwaine said, with a special tone he used to annoy people. He was expecting another slap and prepared himself.
But what Gradel did was somehow terrifying, he looked back at his little servant and spoke with a serious voice. ''Benny, bring me my whip, this might take a while.''
''In a moment, my lord.'' The small man said, running upstairs immediately.
''Sir Gwaine, I am not a man of patience but a man of strength. Anger me and the consequences will be severe. Look, I don't know how much pain the average knight of Camelot can bear and I am dying to find out. However, I could wait some more if you just told me where the other knights are.''
''There are no other knights.'' Gwaine said, secretly nervous and scared. ''I already told you, I came here alone.''
''Liar!'' Gradel screamed and slapped Gwaine again. He did that so hard that the knight fell sideways. Oh, man, that hurt, and it was going to get swollen. The slave trader cleared his throat and talked with a calmer voice. ''Please, my dear, you seem a good man. Cooperate with me.''
''I'd rather die.'' Gwaine whispered, tasting blood, his blood. That had been a great slap.
''Well, I think we can fix that.'' Gradel said slowly. He stood up and moved his arm, indicating something. The guard holding Gwaine made him stand up and took his armour off, leaving he knight with only his light brown shirt. Then he made him walk towards the wall, and pressed his chest against it. He grabbed the rope holding his hands together and put it on a hook over his head. When he made sure Gwaine wasn't going to escape or free himself, he backed away.
Gradel walked towards Gwaine and breathed heavily, causing a chill run down the knight's spine. He laughed as well, it was a cruel and sadistic smile, he was going to have fun. But Gwaine stood still, trying to control his breathing and having his eyes fixed on the wall in front of him.
Focus, he thought, this is going to hurt, you have to be strong. You need to resist, idiot, don't let the pain control you. They want you to be weak and tell them where the others are, but they will never know. If you have to die to save them, then so be it. Protect them.
''You don't seem scared, Sir Gwaine.'' Gradel said.
Gwaine laughed, if acting like a prick would give the others time, he was going to be one. ''You don't seem scary, Gradel.''
''I know what you're trying to do, my dear. Stop playing games, you can't intimidate me.''
The knight smiled, the slave trader still wasn't aware of his real intentions, he had to keep on lying. ''You already captured me, I don't know what else you want from me.''
''Look, I really don't want to do this. You'd make a wonderful slave and I know men who would pay insane amounts of money for you, don't let me ruin you.''
''I don't know what you want. I already told you I came here alone.'' Gwaine answered smugly. Gradel didn't answer. The knight frowned, his enemy seemed someone who always had the last word. He heard a few steps, the slave trader had walked away from him. He was going to turn his head around... but the whiplash came. Apparently, Benny had come back with Gradel's whip and the man took the opportunity to hit his prisoner. Gwaine screamed, he didn't want to, but it had been so unexpected and painful that he hadn't been able to resist.
Gradel laughed with delight. ''I didn't even use all my strength. You'd better tell me where the others are.''
Gwaine closed his eyes, he was not going to answer. God, the pain was terrible, but he couldn't think about it, no, he had to resist. When the slave trader realised the knight wanted to remain quiet, he hit him again. Gwaine didn't scream with that one, it had been as painful as the one before, but he wanted to save energies.
Another hit came. Gwaine grunted as quietly as possible, if he appeared, strong, Gradel would take his time to try to break him, but, dear lord, what was that whip made of? Stone? The pain it caused was awful and Gradel's laughter every time he hit him just made it worse.
''Please, Sir Gwaine, tell me what I need to know.'' The slave trader said.
''Never.'' Gwaine replied with a little effort.
Gradel dropped the whip and walked towards the knight, he grabbed his hair with rage and spoke. ''Listen to me, if I have to do this a thousand times, I will. King Arthur is now mine, no one will rescue him and you will cooperate. Is that understood?''
''You might as well kill me because I will not open my mouth.'' Gwaine said. The criminal let go off his hair and walked back to where he was. Before the knight could prepare himself, he was hit again.
''Tell... me... where... they are!'' Gradel screamed, hitting Gwaine after every word.
It hurt, it burned. The knight started feeling blood run down his back. He wanted to give up, close his eyes and black out. Don't do it, he thought, don't let it control you.
''You don't have to keep on feeling this pain. I could make my best men heal what I've just done, I could give you food and water, whatever you want. Just tell me where the other knights are!''
''I won't.'' Gwaine whispered. He was sweating and trembling, his knees were barely working. He felt like he was going to collapse soon. His arms were getting numb for not receiving enough blood, his shirt was ruined and soaked, his back was surely awful.
Defend yourself, he thought, not with strength. Do something that will take the pain away. Bam! He was hit again. Do something, help yourself, save yourself. Think. Think! What will save you?
''Leon.'' He whispered. He was hit again... and again.
Focus, he told himself, Just think about him.
When Gradel hit again, Gwaine's mind travelled to the past, to the first time he had gone to Camelot. He had saved Arthur's life and was rewarded with medical attention for his wound and the chance to stay for a while. He hadn't noticed Leon back then, why would he give a knight a second glance?
He was hit again, damn, Gradel was getting angry.
The first time he had actually noticed Leon was when he got arrested for attacking the supposedly noble men. Leon had been there, he was the one who had ordered the arrest and took him to the king. In that moment, Gwaine had wanted to see him as another stupid knight who would never listen to a peasant. But there was something about him, he seemed wise and loyal, attractive as well. However, Gwaine had been able to forget about him very soon, he had to leave Camelot anyways.
He arched his back with the next one, that hurt like hell.
Next time he had seen Leon was when Morgana took Camelot. Once again, he was fighting along with Merlin and Arthur. Leon had encountered them days later and became Gwaine´s friend and ally silently. Arthur had made Gwaine a knight that day, making the man's hatred to noble men disappear.
A tear rolled down his cheek, the pain was unbearable.
They had fought together as partners and friends, and won the battle. The throne was Uther's again and Gwaine had found a new home, a family. Leon had become one of his best friends rapidly, they had a lot to talk about and Gwaine had brought out Leon's most mischievous side, they enjoyed joking and making pranks together.
Oh, dear God, when was Gradel going to stop?
A couple of months ago, something totally strange and unexpected had happened. It had been a hot night full of alcohol and they all had decided to stay outside the castle for the night. Everything had been perfect: Merlin and Arthur were in God knows where, Elyan was fast asleep, Percival wouldn't stop singing drunken songs, and Leon... Leon had spent the whole night laughing, Gwaine remembered it clearly. No one ever knew why, it had probably been Percival's horrible voice or Gwaine's jokes, but Leon's smile and laugh had been beautiful.
''Come on, Sir Gwaine, we're both getting tired.'' Gradel laughed.
The day after that, Gwaine had woken up with a dry mouth, a headache and a single thing inside his mind: Leon. For many weeks, Gwaine had been feeling confused about everything, Leon was his friend, why was there a stronger feeling? It wasn't right. Every time the blond talked to Gwaine, his heart would jump inside his chest; every time he touched him, a chill would run down his spine. Eventually, Leon had become Gwaine`s everything. He was in love. And the proof had been the knight's somehow foolish decision to save him instead of the king.
Keep going, he thought, this is helping, you're getting stronger.
Was he? He was coping with a huge pain, yes. But he had fallen apart with a non-physical pain about a week before. It was true, nothing had hurt Gwaine more than Leon's rejection; Gradel's whip was damaging his body, but his friend's discomfort with the love confession had broken his heart. He would do anything to have that changed, it should have been different. For a long time, Gwaine had dreamt about a confession with a perfect reaction: Leon smiling, kissing him and laughing because the feelings were mutual. The knight had been a fool for thinking that.
You're running out of thoughts, hurry, he's growing tired.
He was desperate, more thoughts wouldn't arrive. There had to be something that could help him. He screamed again after another hit arrived, how many times had he received a stroke? He had lost count. He was going to end up dead if he did nothing; remembering numbed the pain somehow, but it wouldn't help his friends. He had to be clever and...
That was it! Another memory arrived, a helpful one. It had happened on Gwaine's first month as a knight, Leon must have been observing him because, one day during training, he had approached him and said: ''You're strong, obviously something useful as a knight. But you're also clever, that will help you more than anything.'' That was it, Gwaine could buy more time and make the path easier for his friends.
''Wait!'' He screamed with effort and pain. Gradel had probably not listened to him as he hit him one more time. Gwaine tried again. ''Wait! Stop!''
''Did he just ask me to stop? Good, good, I was getting tired.'' Gradel laughed. ''Are you going to cooperate now, Sir Gwaine?''
''I will... I will.'' Gwaine whispered. It hurt. Everything hurt.
''Release him.'' Gradel ordered. ''He can't run away. Besides, I need to look at him if he is to give me information.''
The guard approached Gwaine and cut the rope holding his hands together. He made the knight turn around so he would face Gradel. When he let him go, Gwaine collapsed, exhausted and full of pain.
Gradel walked towards him and kneeled. ''Well?''
''You're... you're losing your time.'' Gwaine muttered ''It's true, I didn't come here alone.''
''See? Was it too hard to say it?''
''But this was part of the plan.'' The knight continued, his enemy froze. ''They're not out there. All your men were so busy with me that couldn't have noticed a group of knights entering.''
''You mean... you're saying that they're already here?''
''Yes, and ready to rescue the king any time now.''
Gradel went pale, there was pure terror inside his eyes. He looked at the guard and screamed. ''Bring everyone back inside! Search everywhere!''
''Immediately, my lord.'' He answered and walked out of the room. Gwaine was delighted, it had worked perfectly.
''How do I know you're not lying?'' The slave trader asked the knight.
''Please.'' Gwaine whispered, almost crying. ''Don't do it again.''
''Know that, if you're lying, the pain will only get worse.''
''I... I understand.''
''My dear friend.'' Gradel said, putting Gwaine's hair back in place, the other wanted to push him away, but he was too weak. ''You have made the right choice, believe me.''
The knight coughed, he could barely breathe. He hated being the victim, he hated being there, on the floor unable to move at all. He hated Gradel, he was going to pay if something happened to Leon, even if that meant using the little bit of strength he had and dying.
He was laying down on his own blood, probably trembling and bleeding. But he didn't care. Nothing mattered except the opportunity he had given his friends.
''I will come back later, Sir Gwaine, when I'm sure you have told me the truth and the other knights are captured.'' Gradel said, standing up and walking towards the door.
''Please, don't harm them.'' Gwaine muttered, but got ignored. The slave trader walked away, followed by Benny, who closed the door behind them, leaving the knight alone.
Numb the pain again, he thought, one last time, it will be over soon.
Was that moment his last one? Either way, it felt as so. He was feeling dizzy and even breathing was getting painful. He closed his eyes and tried to take a deep breath.
Numb it, Gwaine, it's almost over.
The previous night crossed his mind, he had been so happy. Talking with Leon had been amazing, he had laughed and enjoyed the night as never before. He managed to smile through the pain. Leon had confessed how scared he was, proving Gwaine that he genuinely trusted him and that their friendship was important. God, everything had been so perfect.
And, a couple of hours ago, he had kissed Leon. It should have lasted a thousand years. They should have stayed there kissing until nothing remained but dust. Even if Leon hadn't been able to continue with it, Gwaine enjoyed every single little piece of that tiny second.
He felt in peace, he was calm. He was dying for the man he loved and would have never wanted it to be otherwise.
''Leon.'' He whispered before the whole world went black.
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TheLoner7