I finished writing the story so now all I have to do is to edit and post. I hope you all have a great week. Finals are coming up for me, my first one in next Sunday so I probably won't post as I will be cramming for the entire week. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin
Arthur was nervously pacing back and forth across his room. Important papers had been neglected on the far side of the table. Scattered about with no care to the words that were on the page. No, Arthur was focused on something much more important that mere papers. He knew that the work given to him would have helped him forget about his current situation, but each time he sat down, his mind drifted. It refused to let go of his worry. It refused to let him concentrate on anything else other than the small boy who was still unconscious in his bed. It refused to let him forget for a moment how one of his most trusted knights was set to burn tomorrow afternoon if Leon's investigation bore no results.
It had been almost a full day since Merlin had collapsed against Percival. The small child was still asleep, still trapped in his dreams. Gaius could find no reasonable explanation to this. He thoroughly checked the boy over. He listened to his breathing, took his temperature, listened to his heartbeat, but there was nothing. IT was as if Merlin decided to take a very long nap.
"It's probably the stress of everything," Gaius had said. "Merlin is still recovering from his time in the forest and too much excitement has probably overloaded him. We just have to wait and see. I'm sorry, but there's nothing else I can do," Gaius continued with a sigh. Arthur had accepted that Gaius had done everything he could legally do. Arthur wasn't about to risk Gaius' life because he wanted Merlin to wake up. But, he would only wait another day before asking Gaius to do something more drastic. He had a feeling that Gaius was already planning on doing something, judging by the spread of books with funny letters that decorated Gaius' table.
Arthur gently tucked Merlin in, taking care not to jostle the boy too much. Leon had told him how children were surprisingly resilient, but he was still afraid that one slip of the hand could hurt Merlin, could crush him in unimaginable ways. Arthur's body was hardened by years of intense training. Merlin was lighter than his sword. Arthur had worked hard to make his body into the perfect killing machine. Merlin was just a tiny, underweight, scared little boy who wanted nothing more than to chase butterflies and pick flowers. So, Arthur was gentle with Merlin. He could not risk causing any pain to his kid. The one that had been so bold when healing Leon and saving the men. He would do everything in his power to make sure that Merlin never lost the need to chase butterflies and pick flowers. Merlin would feel safe here.
Giving Merlin one last pat on his dark head, Arthur pulled on his jacket and went to find Leon. If Merlin was going to be happy here, the first thing Arthur needed to do is to make sure that Lancelot wasn't killed for sorcery. But to do that, he first needed proof that Ulric was planning something. He needed proof that Ulric wasn't what he pretended to be, that he was much, much worse.
Arthur walked down the halls with a purpose. His head held high, his back straight. His footsteps echoing off the stone walls and letting those farther down the corridor know he was coming. Finding evidence against Ulric was proving to be a much more difficult task that Arthur had originally imagined. The man may not suspect Uther's part in the investigation, but he probably knew that Arthur would not sit idly while his knights were accused of the most heinous crime in Camelot. So, Ulric planned. It was a chess game and both parties knew this. At all hours of the day there was someone in Ulric's room or tailing the man. Servants would come up to Leon and Arthur telling them anything remotely strange that happened with the man. Leon had mentioned that Merlin was accosted by Ulric in the hallway. There was only one problem with using that with Uther: 1) Nobles weren't known to be the nicest to servants and Merlin didn't have a scratch on him. 2) Merlin was currently unconscious and couldn't tell Uther anything. So, it was purely up to the citizens of Camelot to find what Ulric was hiding, to find the one thing that could save a good man. Arthur's pawns had moved, trying desperately to capture the king. It was just too bad that Ulric was a master of the game and could counter any move without even trying.
Arthur's thoughts and feet led him further from the chamber, leaving the young warlock in his own dreams. This, however, was about to be interrupted as a roar from underneath the castle, a deep and ancient voice penetrating deep into Merlin's mind.
"Young warlock, you cannot lounge around all day! Your king needs you. Your destiny is calling!" the dragon said. The words bounced around Merlin's brain, yanking him from his sleep. Eyes opened wide, Merlin focused on the room around him. He was still in Arthur's chambers. He was this in the castle. And Lancelot was still arrested.
Merlin sat up, the blood draining from his head made him a bit dizzy and sick, but he quickly recovered. Merlin slid off the bed, his legs shaking from not being used for so long. He spotted a glass of water by the bed and drank it greedily. There was no time to waste. Sir dragon was right, he needed to help Arthur and Lancelot. How was Merlin supposed to be the most powerful warlock to walk the earth if he couldn't even save his friend?
Merlin pulled on his large coat, he looked at the sleeves and closed his eyes.
"Don't worry, Freya, once I save Lancelot maybe I can save you too," Merlin said. He was not going to fail this time. He was going to be strong and help a lot of people. He was going to help Freya, and Lancelot, and everyone! The first thing he had to do, though, was figure out what Ulric wanted. He was evil, so he must have a plan.
Merlin was careful to sneak down the hallways, ducking into coves every so often. The hallways were crowded, but sneaking made Merlin feel as if he was doing things right. He wondered if Leon of Gwaine ever snuck down the hallways like this. Merlin dashed into the nearest alcove and looked around the corner. There was no one there.
He was almost to Ulric's chambers. Merlin hoped that the man wouldn't be in there right now. Every time Merlin saw him his tummy twisted and he felt all shaky and scared. He just wanted to run to one of his friends whenever Ulric was in a room. He was a scary man. A scary man who wanted to do scary things to Camelot. Merlin swallowed and dashed to Ulric's room. He liked Camelot so he shouldn't let Ulric do scary things to Camelot. He could protect just as well as anyone else. Then, when he managed to find proof that Ulric was scary, he could show Uther and Uther would release Lancelot and then everyone would be happy. Well, Ulric wouldn't be happy, because he had lost, but the good people would be happy!
Merlin arrived at the door and knocked politely. He straightened his jacket and waited for a reply. It didn't sound as if anyone was there, so Merlin could investigate! Maybe he didn't have to be afraid after all. Merlin pushed the door open and slipped inside. The curtains were drawn so it was very dark. Merlin didn't like the dark. But he would be brave so that he could help Arthur save Lancelot.
Merlin began poking around the room, looking for anything that would prove Ulric was evil. Merlin didn't find anything. He sighed and looked around the room one last time before shaking his head.
"Of course he wouldn't just leave stuff here!" Merlin cried, fisting at his hair. He sighed and began to walk towards the door, upset with himself when his foot caught a corner of the rug. Merlin gave a shout and tumbled to the ground. His hands and knees stung from where the smacked the ground. He really hated these rugs in Camelot. They were always making him trip, which made people laugh at him. Maybe Merlin could ask Arthur to get rid of all the rugs. He was a prince and he had that power. Right?
Merlin let his head flop to the side so that it was looking under the bed. There was something off about the bottom. Merlin tilted his head and stared intently at the underneath. It looked like something had been stuffed up under the mattress. Merlin got on his hands and knees and crawled to the bed. The shape seemed to disappear when he just glanced under the bed. From this height it was impossible to tell that there was anything underneath here. It looked like an ordinary mattress. How odd.
Merlin lay down on his tummy again and the shape seemed to come into more focus. It looked like a trunk. Merlin reached out with a hand and his fingers brushed the wood of the box. Merlin reached another hand out and began pulling on the trunk, trying to get it free from whatever it was stuck on. Without meaning to, Merlin's magic swelled within him and the box came out from underneath the bed, skidding across the floor and taking Merlin with it.
Merlin let out an 'oof'. The box stopped sliding and the top flopped open, revealing its content. Merlin reached in and pulled out a paper. It looked official. Merlin tilted his head and began to read.
'I hope you can full-fill your miss-eon," Merlin began reading. He groaned. He should have paid more attention to Leon's lessons. This was hard. But, he had to keep going if he wanted to present this as proof to Uther. 'I want the Prince, a-alive. Kill ev-er-i-one-lse that gets in you-your way." Merlin's eyes widened. "He wants Arthur?" Merlin gasped. He couldn't think of any other prince that was in Camelot, unless Merlin misread the letter. But he didn't think that was possible. There was another letter underneath. Merlin pulled this one out and began reading. It was shorter than the last one.
"It will be d-d-done," Merlin read. His eyes flitted down to the bottom of the page and caught a signature. "Drake." Merlin's heart began to beat faster. So it was Ulric who had hired Drake to kidnap Arthur. But why? What was Ulric planning? And why come to Camelot for a treaty if you were just going to hire someone to kidnap the prince anyways?
Merlin shook his head and dug through the trunk a little more. There was a small group of crystals at the bottom, underneath more letters. Merlin's eyes were drawn to a red one. Curious, Merlin reached to pick it up. It was red like blood. Merlin shuddered to think what such an evil looking crystal would do. His instincts were screaming not to touch it. He had enough proof that Ulric was evil and scary. He didn't need anymore. But his hands were reaching towards the red crystal, drawing him further from the room and into his reflection on the dark planes.
Merlin's tiny hands clamped around the crystal and the effects were instant. His vision darkened, but he wasn't asleep. He was still awake. Awake enough to feel pain, at least. There were several hot needs stabbing into his skin. They wouldn't stop and it burned and hurt. Merlin wouldn't be surprised his he was screaming. He was begging his hands to let go of the crystal that was hurting him, but they were attached to the crystal like his head was to his shoulders. The pain continued to increase, making Merlin feel more scared and alone. He just wanted Arthur. But Arthur didn't know he was here. Arthur still thought Merlin was in his bed, sleeping peacefully. Then, the pain was gone.
Merlin felt his mind returning to the room. He was lying on his side, the stone pushing on his shoulder painfully. He was shaking and felt tears running down his face. Merlin was also aware that someone else was in the room with him. He opened his eyes to see Ulric standing over him. The man had a smile on his face. But it wasn't the kind of smile you do when you're happy. It wasn't even a smile. It was an ugly contortion of the face that made Ulric look less nice and more evil. Merlin gave a small whimper and tried to crawl away. Ulric remained standing there.
"Well, I see you've done some investigating," Ulric said with a laugh. Merlin winced at the laugh but continued to crawl away. "Why don't you tell me what you've found," Ulric continued. Merlin felt a hand grip his shoulder and he instantly went into a full panic mode. Merlin twisted around and delivered a kick to Ulric's knee.
~"Now Merlin," Gwaine had said, looking more serious than normal.
"Yes Gwaine?" Merlin replied, grinning excitedly. Gwaine had said that he was going to teach Merlin some self-defense. Arthur and Leon both agreed no pointy things so Gwaine was just going to do basic hand-to-hand combat.
"If anyone ever tries to grab you and take you away, you kick, bite, punch, spit, whatever until they let go," Gwaine said. He knelt down so that he was eye level with Merlin.
"But how would that help? Won't they be stronger than me?" Merlin asked, confused about what Gwaine was trying to teach him. He wanted to learn how to punch. Gwaine chuckled and ruffled his hair.
"You just have to make it so that you're more effort than you're worth. If you keep fighting and struggling, even if you never manage to hurt the man, there's a good chance they'll just give up and run away. Also, scream as loud as you can. Again, you want to make it difficult for them. Never just give up because you're scared. Keep fighting for all you're worth. Make it so that they're forced to let you go," Gwaine explained. Merlin nodded and continued to listen as Gwaine went over some basic blocking techniques.~
Another kick to the knee sent Ulric sprawling back against the floor.
"You stupid brat!" he cried. Ulric lunged at Merlin and managed to catch him around his waist. Merlin started to do exactly what Gwaine told him to do, kick and scream and flail for all he was worth. He would not let Ulric take him anywhere. Ulrich managed to get a hand over Merlin's mouth only to have it be bitten and licked. Ulric let out a sound of disgust and tried again to subdue Merlin.
As the struggle went on, Merlin's eyes steadily began flashing gold more and more. The castle shook with each surge of power, rumbling and shaking with such power. Before Merlin knew what was happening, Ulric had picked up another crystal, this one was blue. His eyes widened as the crystal was pressed into his skin, causing him to go limp.
"I'm glad you've finally decided to cooperate," Ulric said. He was panting heavily but Merlin barely noticed this as his energy began to drain more and more. Ulric picked Merlin up and began carrying Merlin out of the room. "Let's not drain you too much. I still want you to be alive for this next part," Ulric said, exiting the room. Merlin was distantly aware that the crystal was no longer being pressed into his skin. He was feeling a bit better now that his energy wasn't disappearing. The ground was becoming more uneven and the air was getting colder and damper. Merlin barely registered that they were below the castle. He wondered if Ulric was taking him to Sir Dragon. His thoughts were proven to be false as Ulric tossed him unceremoniously onto the ground. Merlin let out a cry and turned his head towards Ulric. He still didn't have enough strength to stand up and fight. But maybe once Ulric left his magic could repair him faster and he could still tell Uther what had happened.
"I hope you enjoy your final hours, youngling," Ulric said. Merlin eyes widened as Ulric's flashed gold, causing the earth to rumble once more. The rock began crashing down, blocking Merlin's way out. They were piling more and more until Ulric could no longer be seen. Merlin was trapped down here. He was too weak to escape and there was no way out. He was trapped down here.
oOoOoOo
Arthur was sprinting down the corridors, trying to find Leon or anyone he could trust. He nearly ran into the knight as both them turned the corner. Arthur didn't waste any time in talking.
"Merlin's not in his room," he blurted out. Leon shook his head.
"The castle shook. Uther knows it was magic! We have to find the child and make sure he's safe," Leon explained.
"He's probably in Ulric's room, looking for clues," Arthur said. Leon nodded and both men sprinted towards the other end of the castle. When they got there, Percival and Elyan had joined them as well.
"We just got here, I don't think Ulric is in the room, though," Elyan explained. Leon pushed opened the door and the four men dashed inside.
"Merlin!" Percival called, looking around the room.
"Guys, you should look at this," Leon said. Arthur turned and saw the man kneeling by a trunk full of letters.
"We never saw that when we were investigating," Elyan said, pulling out a letter and reading it. He gasped. "Ulric's the one that hired Drake to get us!" he cried, thrusting the letters towards the others.
"Guys, we have a bigger problem!" Percival said, drawing their attention towards him. In his hand was a blue neckerchief, the very one that Merlin wore around his neck.
"We have to find my father and get him to arrest Ulric. We need to know where Merlin is," Arthur said before leaving the room, the letters clutched in his hands. The other followed after, each worried about what had happened with Merlin.
oOoOoOo
The ground shook with such ferocity that rocks collapsed off the ceiling. Lancelot huddled in a corner, protecting his head from any falling rocks that may hit him. When the earthquake ended, he straightened up to see his door to the cell crushed. Lancelot peeked out to see Ulric practically skipping down the halls. Lancelot's eyes narrowed and he waited until the man had turned the corner before dusting himself off of and racing after him. Something dangerous was going on, and Lancelot was not going to sit by and watch as Camelot crumbled.
There we go! One more chapter completed and things are heating up. I hope everyone enjoyed. Have a great day!