Thank you TheReinbachDragonlord and Boxerbee for reviewing last chapter. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
This chapter features a despairing Merlin and a slightly considerate Arthur, with a bit of cruel Morgana and Anatol to boot. Oh, and Merlin's pants are strangely, but slightly-humorously, mentioned (no the story's rating is not going to change to 'T' because of it). ;)
I hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.
Chapter 15 - Captured Part 1
"Ahh, I really shouldn't go out with Gwaine so much" he groaned putting his hand over his eyes to block out the sun. It wasn't helping the splitting headache he woke up with or the fact he felt like emptying the contents of his stomach all over the cold floor. He was about to call his lazy manservant over and demand to know why he hadn't woke him up when the prince took a good look at his surroundings. "Where the hell am I?"
It was a stupid question really - from the barred windows to the old wooden prison door, the answer was easy. He was in a dungeon cell. Arthur didn't bother getting up and trying to forcefully fight his way out. That was pointless seeing as he had no sword and his wrists were loosely chained to the wall (and there was the fact that he still felt sick again). Sighing, the prince leaned against the wall and tried figuring out where he was exactly.
By the brightness of the sun peeking in, he figured that is was probably a little after midday. The cell itself felt oddly familiar - like he'd been here before. There was a hay on the ground, two windows, some chains hanging from the ceiling, an unconscious Merlin, the walls looked worn and - wait a minute... Merlin?
The prince did a double take to make sure that the person across the room was actually his friend - and it was (there was no mistaking the raven-black hair for anyone else). Looking carefully at him, Arthur saw that the warlock was in chains as well, except he had a pair of manacles around his wrists and ankles (not to mention that he was missing his shirt).
"Merlin" he half whispered - half shouted. No answer. He tried a couple more times and called his friend, but the warlock wouldn't get up. Being the considerate prince that he was, Arthur did what any friend would do. Finding some pebbles near by, he chucked them at the warlock's head, eventually waking him up.
"Agh, my head. That's the last time I'm stuck babysitting Gwaine" he moaned, clearly delirious. After taking a moment to check his surroundings, the warlock's eyes finally rested worriedly on the prince.
"Arthur!"
"Finally decided to wake up I see"
"Where are we? What's going on?"
"Well, seeing that we are both chained in a prison cell, my guess is that the sorceress brought us here" the prince said sarcastically.
"I figured that much out, you prat. I was kind of wondering about the specifics - like what prison are we in and what will happen to us" the warlock replied. "You know, something useful"
"Well if I knew, then we wouldn't be in this situation Merlin"
"As if you could do anything about it".
The prince paused and looked at the door to make sure no-one was around to hear them. "Is there anything you could do to get us out of here?''
The warlock paused and turned his head away from Arthur in, what appeared to be, shame. "I've tried already but it isn't working for me - it hasn't been since after the were-wyvern bit me." The prince gave a puzzled look, clearly wanting his friend to explain. "You see, dark magic and I don't mix very well. My gift comes from the old religion, the original and pure form, while dark magic is its twisted counterpart. When the creature attacked, it's dark magic poisoned my own, thus why I can't use it at the moment. Sorry Arthur, but there's nothing I can do"
Both men stayed in silence for a while, the gravity of the situation becoming clearer with each passing second. How were they ever going to escape? The prince contemplated what to do and asked the most important question he could think of.
"Hey, something's been bothering me" Arthur started.
"What?"
"Where did your shirt go?"
At this, the warlock couldn't help but laugh; that was the last thing he expected to hear. "This is your important question?"
The prince couldn't stop the grin that was forming on his face. After learning that Merlin couldn't use his magic, Arthur could see his distress despite how well he tried to hide it. If he was really born with magic, the prince figured that suddenly not having it would probably feel like losing a piece of himself. Although the situation they were in wasn't good, the least he could do for the warlock was make him laugh.
"It's a valid question - where did your shirt go?"
"My guess is that it tore when I transformed into the beast. Yesterday, I woke up the same way" he said before bursting into laughter again.
"Then why do you still have your trousers?"
"You know Arthur, I really don't know" Merlin replied wiping a tear from his eye. "Quite frankly, I'm not questioning it seeing that if it did rip, then I would most likely be sitting naked right about now, something I'm grateful I'm not."
Silently, the prince thanked whatever deity that he half-believed in for small favors.
"So, besides inquiring the state of my clothing, do you have a plan to get us out?"
"Well, I..."
"Won't be getting out anytime soon, not with your lives that is" a voice interrupted. At this, both men looked to see the door opening.
"Hello brother, it's been a while."
Merlin and Arthur both glared at the once caring Lady of Camelot as she entered the cell.
"Oh don't be like that. I thought you would be happy seeing your dear sister again" Morgana teased. To his credit, Arthur didn't respond. Turning around, she made her way to the other prisoner.
"How have you been Merlin?" she asked standing in front of him.
"Leave us Morgana. I know you just came here to gloat so if you're not going to say anything useful, you might as well just..." SLAP. An angry handprint throbbed on the warlock's face who only continued to glare at the witch. Arthur moved in frustration in his bindings.
"Insolent fool! You dare speak to me that way! You are nothing more than a servant, a dead one by the time I become queen!"
"You'll never rule Camelot Morgana!" Arthur shouted.
"I beg to differ. There is nothing you or your meddlesome servant can do to stop me. When I'm queen, magic will thrive and all of my kind will be free. Uther has slaughtered so many already and he will pay for what he has done. And you Arthur Pendragon, are just like him"
Before Arthur could respond, a cold, mocking laughter filled the cell. The prince stared in shock at his friend's outburst, not for the fact that he was laughing in the face of a powerful sorceress but because it was so un-Merlin like and so bitter. "Oh Morgana, you are such a hypocrite. You claim to want freedom for your kind, but all you really seek is the power to rule over them. And you're going about it just the way Uther would. Congratulations Morgana, you are your father's daughter!"
Arthur's jaw visibly dropped. He'd never seen Merlin so angry before. In fact, the prince knew that his friend preferred resolving issues peacefully instead of through brute force. Seeing him lash out at his half-sister, no matter how much she deserved it, unnerved him greatly. He'd never seen this side to Merlin and he hoped he would never see it again.
Seething, the sorceress' eyes flashed gold and the warlock was yanked in the air until he reached the limit his chains would allow. Stretching out her hand, she began closing it and Merlin found that he couldn't breathe.
"Morgana stop!" Arthur yelled but she paid him no heed.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you now!"
"Because we need him alive" a voice called out. Recognizing the voice, Arthur turned to the door to see the red-haired sorceress who attacked them before. "My Lady, you have to release him" Grudgingly, Morgana let her hand fall and Merlin slumped to the ground, immediately massaging his sore throat while trying to catch his breath.
"You!" Arthur shouted, pulling on his chains. Anatol squinted her eyes indignantly. "Yes, me. You know, I have a name"
"As do I, but you don't see me complaining about it" the prince replied repeating the same exact words the dragon said to him. "Besides, you told us your name wasn't important - why should I care?"
Anatol's eyes were glistening gold, ready to follow Morgana's example. Before she could attack the prince, her lady interrupted. "What is it Anatol?"
So her name is Anatol. I'll remember that name, Arthur mused.
"Morgause asked me to come get you. We have much to discuss if we are to attack Camelot tomorrow"
"Tomorrow?!" Merlin and Arthur asked in unison. At this, Morgana smirked evilly. "Yes, Camelot will be ours tomorrow and there's nothing you can do to stop us."
"I don't think so Morgana. You'll never win!" Arthur firmly stated.
"And how are you going to stop me? Tonight you'll be dead anyway" she answered nonchalantly.
"So you're going to kill me while I'm undefended - you're going to kill me the cowards' way?"
"Oh no, my Lady is not going to kill you" Anatol replied.
"Then who is?" Merlin asked.
Morgana turned to face the warlock, her eyes hinted with maliciousness. "You are"
Merlin should have really seen this coming. Destiny sure had a weird sense of humor. The protector killing the one he's supposed to protect - it was too cliché. He had already been cursed - was it too much to ask for a little reprieve once in a while. Apparently it was. The warlock wouldn't put it past him if someone up there was just sitting back and watching the show for their own twisted sense of enjoyment.
To his surprise, Merlin still found himself questioning the credulity of the statement. "WHAT?!"
"You heard me Merlin", Morgana said, "you'll be the one to kill the prince you so blindly follow."
"There's no way you'll..."
"Merlin", Anatol interjected, "you forgot that when the sun sets, your mind will be lost to the beast. I don't know how you regained control last night, but as the final day of the curse approaches, what little control you have will simply slip away".
Merlin was left speechless and bowed his head, searching the ground for an answer that would not appear. "No, there must be..." he whispered.
"Oh the irony! You have given your loyalty to Arthur, you have helped save Camelot several times, you have promised to protect the prince with your life and you will ultimately be his doom." Morgana proclaimed. The warlock refused to make eye contact with the witch. Eyes flashing gold, she forced his face to meet hers.
"I can't wait to see you lose control when darkness falls. I can't wait to hear the agonizing screams of my brother as you rip him apart, piece by piece. And I will cherish the moment you wake up to realize that the blood of the prince will be on your hands. Oh, I can't wait to see you fall Merlin, just as you sat back and watched after you poisoned me" she finished. Releasing the spell, Merlin's head dropped back to its previous position.
Arthur, who was sickened by the fact that Morgana stooped so low as to put his friend in this situation, glared at his half sister in utter contempt. When he glanced at the warlock, all he saw was a defeated look on his face. Arthur had only seen this on knights who had given up all hope - those who had seen too many winters and had lost the true meaning of what they were fighting for. A broken man. The prince never wanted to see that look on his friend's face ever again.
"What, no response? No surly retort Merlin? I'm sorry, I can't hear you" Morgana teased putting a hand to her ear. The warlock just continued to stare at the ground. "Nothing? Well too bad, the sun will be setting soon; this is your last chance to say goodbye...I suggest you take it."
Walking away, the door opened and both women headed out. "Since I won't be seeing you again dear brother, I just have this to say. Farewell. I'll be sure to send our father your regards" Morgana called out before leaving an angry prince and a despairing warlock behind.
See what happens to everyone's favorite warlock and prince next time. Next part should be up Monday.
Yes, as pointed out in a review, Merlin should've technically lost his pants. I thought about this carefully when writing the first transformation chapter and decided, there and then, that I would 'Incredible Hulk' his transformation back to human form so that he would keep his pants. I just didn't want to take the time to deal with the clothing issue since our heroes had more pressing matters to worry about.
I know it's not realistic and no-one seems angry about the choice (and is currently thinking about gathering an angry mob to burn me at the pyre or anything like that). I just figured I'd share my thoughts on the matter.
(Awkward pause) So...
Until later I guess,
-STL13