This one is a bit shorter then the rest but I hope its good all the same.

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin, only my OCs and this storyline.

Hope you enjoy.

White Flower

Jasper remembered being grabbed and everything descending into chaos. Everything happened so fast and suddenly his friends were gone. Aida was no longer holding his hand. Panic overcame him when they locked him in that cage and started to take him away. He knew where to and it frightened him. They were going to Camelot.

He was alone in the cage they had put him in. They passed through a few towns on the way. The bounty hunters took a long route to Camelot so they could run a few more errands. People stopped what they were doing and looked at him as his cage passed by them. Some of them had pity in their eyes, and others had fear and anger. But no one understood. No one could possibly comprehend what was going through his mind. He had run for so long that finally being caught felt like it was destroying him from the inside out. He could dream of being saved, but as soon as he was within Camelot's walls it was over.

People couldn't look for very long and soon turned away. But one young woman held his gaze. She must have been about Joone's age. Where was she now? The young woman had a basket of flowers in her hands. Her friend pulled on her arm but she shook her away. Then she started to walk and came right alongside the cage as it rolled along the road. The bounty hunters driving it didn't notice her. Jasper came up to the bars, intertwining his fingers with the metal to get closer. She didn't say a word.

At one point she reached up and placed her gentle hand on his. He almost wanted to draw back but he liked the feeling of her warm hand on his. It was comfort. She stayed with him until they reached the edge of the town. Her eyes saddened as she could go no further but he could tell she wanted to. Had she known someone like him? Is that why her hand was so warm on his?

He wished she could have stayed with him, at least for just a little bit longer, but they had already passed the limit of the town. Her hand fell away from his slowly. Then she reached into her basket and pulled out a small white flower. She handed it to him through the bars. He took it gratefully and their fingers intertwined for a moment. Jasper spotted a tear in her eye as her fingers slipped away. Her pace slowed and she soon fell behind the cage until she stopped completely.

She watched him go, the basket falling from her arms and bouncing on the dirt road that he would take to Camelot. Her hands flew to her mouth and she cried for him. He waved to her as he was taken away. Never would he see the young woman again but he would never forget the comfort she had given him just by staying with him a short while. He didn't want to be alone, but fate had other plans for him.

The gates of Camelot were ominous as they loomed out of the dark before them. Jasper had hoped he would never have to see them this close ever again. He had never told anyone but he had once considered Camelot his home. That's where his parents had once lived. He wondered if any of his family was still left. Some of them had been arrested. His mother had given him the chance to escape but had been caught herself. He didn't want to know what happened after that.

He wasn't listening as the bounty hunters told the guards their business in Camelot. Instead he just slumped against the side of the cage, defeated. Jasper glanced back one last time at the forest just beyond the gates that they had come through, but they soon disappeared as he was forced through the gates. He closed his eyes then, not wanting to see the way the people looked at him. He couldn't bear it.

His eyes were forced open when he was roughly pulled from his place in the cage to be brought before the king. Jasper had seen Uther before when he came before his people. He used to think he was a just king but now he saw his true face and it was ugly. Jasper wanted to kill him right there and then. He might have enough power to conjure something, but then he saw the boy that stood next to the king with wide eyes. Arthur.

Jasper's heart fell. He had come to care for the boy he thought he would hate. He remained silent through his trial, knowing that Uther would not hear him. Arthur didn't say a word either.

"I have found you guilty of practicing sorcery and by our laws I sentence you to death." Uther announced. "Put him with the others."

Jasper heard Arthur gasp and begin to cry. His eyes connected with the young prince's for a moment. For the boy he managed to muster up a weak smile but that didn't stop the tears from rolling down Arthur's face. Would he be forced to watch his execution? But he was torn away by the guards and dragged down to the dungeons. They made him change into a plain gray shirt and trousers before showing him where he would be staying. Not a cell was empty.

One of the guards shoved a key into one of the locks and pried the cell door open, forcing him inside. The guard made the mistake of looking at Jasper and meeting his eyes. He would regret seeing the look in his eyes. It was a mix of betrayal, defeat and that burning question. Why? The sight of his eyes would be burned into the guard's memories for the rest of his days.

Jasper wasn't alone in the cell. There were at least five other people crammed in there with him, making the space cramped. Two women were huddled together in a corner, one comforting the other. An older man was leaning against the bars with barely enough strength to stay on his feet. How long had these people been here? Were they all here for the same reason? Magic.

Jasper stumbled and looked down to see a young boy that he had almost tripped over. The boy was lying in the middle of the floor, his chest slowly rising and falling. His eyes were open now and he managed to pull himself towards one of the walls, leaving an open space in the middle of the cell.

"Sorry." That was all Jasper could get out. A sudden movement behind him caught his eye as the fifth inmate got to her feet. He turned and froze. The two of them stood staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity.

"Jasper?" She whispered.

"Aida!" Her appearance had changed drastically but it was still unmistakably her. They had cut her beautiful ginger hair short and replaced her cloths with nothing but a plain gray smock. It was big on her but he could still see that she was sickly thin. Her cheeks were sunken and there were dark circles around her eyes. She couldn't stand up straight and ended up leaning towards one side. How long had she been here? The last time he had seen her he had told her to run, but they still got to her.

Their short words had caught the attention of the other's in the cell. Jasper couldn't take it anymore and he closed the space between them. Aida met him half way, throwing her arms around him. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her a few inches off the ground. Then he kissed her. His Aida.

"I thought I would never see you again." She cried.

"Or I you." Jasper pulled back and looked into her eyes. "You shouldn't be here. What happened?"

"It was the knights of Camelot who found me a few days ago. I had hidden in Joone's attic." More tears streamed down her face as she remembered. "Oh it was horrible, Jasper."

"Let's sit down." He could tell that she couldn't stay on her feet for much longer. They sat down in one of the corners with Jasper holding Aida close. She had been here for at least two days already and the rations they were given must have been slim.

"Joone found me first." Aida continued.

"Joone was there?" Jasper felt his heart speed up.

"She wouldn't let them take me but they were too strong…" Aida was interrupted as she was overcome with a fit of coughing. Jasper caressed her back to try and calm her.

"Is Joone alright?" He was afraid to ask. "What about Holt and the others?"

"They set the house on fire, Jasper. She was still inside." Aida burst into more tears. "I don't think she made it out. I don't know about the others. I think they made it to safety. But Joone…"

Joone had been the one always there to protect them but when she needed to be saved there was no one there. Part of him had thought that Joone was indestructible and that nothing could harm her. She was always so strong but now… She didn't deserve this.

Images of the house on fire ran through Jasper's head. He held Aida even closer. The fear of losing someone close to him made it feel like his heart was being torn from his chest.

He took the white flower the young woman had given him from where he had hidden it in a fold of his short sleeve. Aida had her head rested against his shoulder. He placed the white flower behind her left ear.

What would become of them now? How long did they have left?

Thanks for reading and please REVIEW!

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