Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin, but if I did, I'd make a backwards episode. ;)
A/N: Hey everyone! Hope you're all well and have enjoyed the weekend and one of the most amazing Merlin episodes to date- what a bomb drop! :O It makes sense though, looking back on it though! I have to say, I adored the bit at the beginning with Arthur and Merlin. . . the bromance was almost too much to bear. Colin, if you keep getting all weepy like that, you'll make me cry too!
Anyway, I digress! Here's the fifth chapter.
Keepsake
Chapter 5
Merlin saw more than heard a shaky breath of relief leave the prince's lungs, "Thank you."
Arthur turned to his knights, his voice loud and majestic as he spoke, "Knights of Camelot, we are united today to dispel the threat that falls upon our kingdom. I cannot promise you that this war will be easy; it will require all of our strength, all our courage, all our wisdom in order to defeat the enemies that descend us."
Merlin watched the enraptured faces of Camelot's knights, their ears open to their once and future king.
"For the love of your king, for the love of Camelot, you must stay strong even in the face of death. We must stand together, as one united, impenetrable front. Now, are you with me?"
Merlin couldn't help but let a teary smile grace his features as he saw a wave of arms punching the air, the roar of hundreds of soldiers booming; the yellow and red of the Pendragon crest waving in the northern winds. His heart tripped over; Merlin hoped these men would be alive by dusk.
Merlin hoped he'd still be a friend to those men too.
0*0*0*0*0
Arthur and Merlin rode side by side as they left the outer areas of Camelot, they could see in the distance the green fields which would become the battle ground, and the grave yard of so many men. Merlin felt a foreboding thump in his chest, his heart tightening.
"Arthur."
"I know."
He could see it too, the darkness on the horizon; it looked like an entire town, yet it was moving towards them steadily, their colours of black, grey and green poisoning the skyline; the blue being steadily consumed by thick, dark clouds.
Arthur turned to Sir Leon behind him, "I'm riding on ahead with Merlin."
Leon looked mildly panicked, "Sire, I'm not sure if that's a good idea-"
"I'm leaving you in charge to lead the rest of the army; we shan't be long."
Leon looked as if he were about to protest, but then the prince kicked off into a gallop, and Merlin followed after a sympathetic glance to the knight.
0*0*0*0*0
They reached a dense section of forest just south of the soon-to-be battleground; the last of the sunshine was shining through the trees, the moving shadows of the leaves like a swarm of moths.
Arthur heard Merlin's breath catch in his throat as they looked out past the foliage, a wall of sound gradually getting closer; there would be bloodshed by the height of day.
Arthur turned to him, his manservant's azure eyes affixed to the oncoming army, "Where do you reckon they'll be?"
"Who?" Merlin replied, meeting his gaze.
"The sorcerors."
Merlin looked away again, that horrible, ironic guilt stabbing him in the chest as it had done so many times, "I don't know."
"We should ride west in the forest a little, get a bit closer."
The raven haired boy sent Arthur an urgent stare, "Are you insane? What if they spot us?"
"The sun is facing them and we are well concealed here, plus I don't know anyone with sight that good, do you Merlin?"
The manservant huffed, his horse quietly walking along behind Arthur's until they reached even a darker area of woodland, the trees much larger as they sprawled across the sky; the formidable ebony clouds nearly directly above them.
Both men dismounted, crawling into a thick dogwood bush and looking at the rolling fields on the other side; Cenred's army couldn't be more than two hours away now.
"They're even more than I feared." Arthur whispered solemnly, both men's eyes focused ahead.
"We'll be fine . . . we'll all be fine." Merlin said half heartedly.
Arthur's eyes continued to scan the distance, his eyebrows crinkling, "I can't see any sorcerers. . . no flying. . .no hooded cloaks . . . no staffs. . ."
Merlin, despite himself, shook his head. Not every sorcerer went around flying/in hooded cloaks and/or with staffs all the time.
The next thing Merlin heard made his blood run cold; fire to sluggish ice, a dark, female voice far too close behind him.
"That's because you're not looking properly."
Merlin didn't even manage to turn around before the world went black.
0*0*0*0*0
The manservant groaned as he first fell back into consciousness, his surroundings starting to spin, his head felt heavy and his neck lolled forward. He felt a searing pain by his temple, warm blood flooding into his eye, which he could also taste on his lips. He tried to reach and touch it, but realised his arms were stuck above him, the painful burn of iron manacles round his wrists steadily rising to the surface of his mind. His shoulders felt as if they were going to be pulled from their sockets.
His hearing was steadily coming back; his name was being called. It seemed distant, muted, but it was becoming clearer, like if he was surfacing from underwater.
"Merlin! Merlin! MERLIN!"
Merlin's eyes flew open, another deep moan escaping his chest as he forced himself to lift his head up. He could see Arthur several feet in front of him, chained to a chair, his sword on a rock nearer to Merlin, his blonde hair matted with dried blood, scratch marks on his neck and a cut in his lip. Merlin reckoned he must look just as bad.
"Arthur. . ."
"We've been captured." he said desperately, "Your armour's gone and we're in some sort of cave; there's barely any light. . .I don't know who found us, I didn't have time to register the voice before I was knocked out. . ."
He sat silent for a couple of seconds, before Arthur roared as he shook his manacles ferociously to no avail.
Arthur stared at his battered manservant, his eyes downturned and his breathing heavy, "I can't touch the floor." the dark haired boy finally whispered.
The prince swallowed painfully, his tone equally quiet and broken, "They've suspended you above the floor so it's just out of reach. . . How are your arms?"
Merlin winced as he tried to flex his fingers, the blood supply in his hands next to nothing as the metal cuffs crushed his veins, "They ache. A lot."
There was another painful silence, both boys lost in their own thoughts as the sound of icy water dripping from the stone walls that surrounded them echoed loudly.
"She's going to kill us." Merlin spoke out loud.
"Who?" Arthur asked, his eyes sparkling with worry.
Merlin looked him in the eye, "Morgause."
"She's behind this?"
"I knew that voice when I heard it."
Merlin fell silent as he saw two masked, hooded men walk into the cavern. They unlocked his manacles, his shoulders rigid with pain, before he was thrown down only a few feet away from Arthur. His arms were suddenly being forcibly held behind his back as he knelt, his knees burning on the freezing stone floor.
He heard the click of a woman's shoes enter next, and he felt his lungs tighten in his chest.
Arthur's voice rang clear in the small cove, his chains shaking again, "Release us at once Morgause!"
Merlin managed to slightly lift his head, although it made him feel giddy and physically sick to do so, watching as Morgause merely smirked at the crown prince. She quickly turned her attention to the servant being held on the floor.
"Isn't it odd how our paths keep crossing, Merlin? Nearly every time putting your life on the line for Arthur and for Camelot."
Merlin looked away from the sorceress; ashamed at the first bit of his secret being chipped away in front of Arthur- when he was bloodied and battered, forced to kneel on the floor like a slave in this state- it couldn't happen like this.
"There's something about you Merlin; I've asked you before and still you will not tell me, perhaps it is because you have known you'll somehow escape?"
Merlin remained silent, his eyes on the floor. He suddenly felt her cool, slender fingers under his chin, and he was forced to look at her.
"What do you want from me Morgause?" Arthur suddenly cried, she looked over her shoulder, and the two friends briefly made eye contact.
"It is not just you I seek Arthur Pendragon. Your servant is much a part of this as you are."
Merlin squirmed as he looked at Arthur again; the prince looked at him in utter confusion and panic as to what would happen next. Merlin was the one to find out first as one the guards kicked him in the back which caused him to fall forward onto his hands, before he was dragged back upright and punched in the side of the face.
"NO!" Arthur shouted, battling against his restraints as Morgause slowly walked behind the prince, resting her hands on his shoulders as they both watched Merlin.
"Look at him Arthur," Morgause cooed sarcastically, her voice in his ear, "The innocent, simple village boy, unrecognised for all he has been through, and neither of us trusted enough to know his secrets. Your greatest weakness is your heart, Arthur Pendragon, and the few you let in worm right into the centre of it."
Arthur felt tears burning in the back of his eyes, his heart aching as he looked at Merlin barely conscious in front of him. Whatever Merlin was hiding, Arthur didn't want to find out like this; it would hurt them both too much. The prince watched helplessly as one of the guards held his servant by the hair, the other holding a knife to the white flesh of his throat.
"But you have a chance to save him, Prince Arthur, the loyal manservant who has won your trust, but you not his-"
"Arthur. . ." Merlin's voice croaked, "I do trust you. . . don't listen to her. . .please, I trust you-" his sentence was caught off by the knife digging that little bit deeper into his skin.
Arthur barely nodded, the horrendous half truth of Merlin's words present in his tear-filled sapphire eyes. Only now could he truly see the intensity of the secrets hidden in their depths. Did Merlin not trust him? Arthur felt his heart ache a little more than he'd hoped.
"You can save the servant you think you know, in exchange for your memories, and everything you think you are."
Merlin's eyes widened, his voice desperate, "Don't do it Arthur! Don't do it . . . you're the heir to the throne-"
Arthur watched in silent horror as the guards pressed the edge of the knife harder into the side of Merlin's throat, a single trickle of blood running onto his collar bone.
The prince met Merlin's pleading eyes with his own, until Morgause blocked him from view, "Decide now, Arthur Pendragon, or I'll kill you both."
Arthur gulped, images of Merlin, Gwen, his father and Morgana flooding his vision momentarily. He felt dizzy, like he could be sick at any moment, "I surrender my memories in exchange for Merlin's life."
He heard Merlin cry out, struggling against his captors but the guards held him fast. Morgause smiled menacingly at the prince as she moved behind him, closing her eyes and grasping his head in her hands. Arthur tried to hold back the tears pricking in the corner of his eyes, only just realising the extent of what was about to happen to him, he kept his eyes on Merlin, willing himself to remember his face.
Merlin looked at him desperately, and Arthur's fear was soon replaced as the world seemed to slow down around him. His heart was pounding in his ears as he watched Merlin's eyes flash gold, the men who were holding him were chucked to opposite ends of the cavern, as if knocked aside by some invisible force.
The realisation hit him like a cannonball to the chest. Merlin is a sorcerer.
He watched Merlin scream something, the sound not hitting his ears as he only heard Morgause's words spilling into his head.
"Ic idÃlegegemynda. . ."
His manservant picked up the prince's discarded sword as he ran towards him, flinging it and directing it with his magic, it flew over the prince's shoulder and into the chest of the woman behind him, the last words leaving her lips as she collapsed on the floor grappling with life.
Arthur felt his entire being burn, writhing in his chair as his eyes rolled into the back of his head; the last thing he felt were two bony hands on his shoulders before he passed out.
0*0*0*0*0
Arthur moaned as he came round, his eyes fluttering open as he saw a canopy of trees above him; dark, thick clouds pregnant with rain above them. The bruised face of a boy came into view- he had dark hair, ears that stuck out a little and perfectly carved cheek bones. He had friendly, concerned vivid blue eyes.
A/N: The truth about Arthur's memories is out! Still two chapters left though ladies and gentlemen. . . after all, we still have the title and other things to deal with. . . ;) Let me know what you think!
Also, dear readers, I'd appreciate if you checked out my little one shot Bedlocked I published today too; it's a 'missing' scene between Merlin and Morgana from episode 3.5!
Minxy x