These upcoming chapters will probably be shorter then the ones that I have written in the past. Just letting you know.

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

Hope you enjoy.

Powerless

Falling asleep in the prison was hard. It was cold and hard but at least it didn't rock and sway like the cage Jasper had been forced to live in for a few days. It wasn't just the cold that kept him awake. There was so much on his mind. So much had happened in so little time and it was all just starting to catch up with him.

He might have been able to accept his own sentence but he could not accept that Aida would have to be sharing the same fate. Jasper held her close as she began to shiver again. He had barely enough heat to keep himself from freezing, but he would give it all to her in a heartbeat if he could. She wasn't doing well. Aida. His Aida. It scared Jasper to see her this way.

At one point in the night, when Aida had finally fallen asleep and stopped shivering, he went to the door of their cell and looked out to see if he could see into the others. He could, and they too were filled with more then one prisoner. Most were sorcerers, Jasper guessed. He feared the day when there weren't enough of them left to fill these cells. At this rate they could all be wiped out in the next few years. But Jasper still had faith. He had faith in the Black Feather. He had faith in a destiny he had only glimpsed.

When you have time its easy to be patient. But time was running out for our dear sorcerers and they could not wait for destiny. There were enough sorcerers in the cells the break out. That is if they had had any strength to cast even one spell. Uther was smart. Smart enough to starve them down here in limited space. He had weakened the enemy so they could not fight back.

If they didn't die of starvation or sickness then they would be publicly executed. Either way Uther got what he wanted, though he did prefer public execution. He liked to show people what would happen if they broke his law. He made examples of them all. What would he do for entertainment after they all were gone? Maybe become a father to his son.

The Arthur that they had met that day when Nimueh came knocking and Joone remembered her past was nothing like Uther. But that didn't mean that he wouldn't grow to become like him. Arthur was still young and easily influenced. It made Jasper sad to imagine a day where Arthur couldn't remember them, a day when he thought of magic as only evil.

But Arthur was only one side of the coin. It had been years since Jasper had last seen the boy Merlin. He must have grown since then. Jasper wondered if he still remembered them. Probably not, but maybe Hunith told him of them. Though the boy did not know of his destiny. Hunith had sworn not to tell him until the time was right.

Hunith. She had been a close friend of Joone's. Jasper remembered that she had sent Huntih a letter before they left. It was the last letter. Hunith wouldn't be receiving any more letters from her old friend. She'd be waiting but they would never come. So much had been lost. His family had been torn apart and there was no way of telling where they all were or if they were still alive.

Joone. She had been such a mother figure to them all. To him she had seemed fearless and fierce but still caring and kind. What you'd imagine a mother to be. She made Jasper realize that there were still people he could trust. He tried to think about the last time he'd seen her, trying to remember every detail of that last moment. She had smiled as if to say that they would meet again. Only now did Jasper see that it had been a lie, even if none of them had known it.

Before he knew it the sun was beginning to rise and the next day had come. Had he gotten any sleep at all? His eyes were heavy so not much, but he couldn't think of sleeping as he heard the sound of boots hitting the ground, coming closer. Jasper was surprised. He hadn't imagined that Uther himself would come down to this hole in his kingdom. The king was accompanied by a few of his knights. Did he still fear the weak sorcerers that he had locked away?

Aida stirred beside Jasper and she opened her eyes weakly. "They've come to take another." She explained in a soft voice. "They take one every day."

"More then that if it's a special occasion." The boy that Jasper had almost tripped over the day before whispered. "He usually chooses at random." Jasper couldn't stop thinking that he was too young to be in here.

But today Uther hadn't come down alone. "My son requested to see the prisoners." Uther told one of the guards. "You see my son. See the filth that inhabits this world."

Arthur's eyes were wide as he looked around the cells and how full they were. "Do they all have magic?"

"Most, yes. There might be a few who committed treason by harboring a sorcerer." Uther explained to his son. "They condemned themselves to this fate." The prisoners were looking up now to see if they could catch a glimpse of the prince. This was a rare visit. Now the prince would only been seen at the executions, just before they died. To some of them he had become the symbol of death.

Their backs were turned to them as they looked around. Aida pulled on Jasper's arm, telling him to follow her as she shakily got to her feet and approached the bars. She couldn't stay standing and was forced to the ground, leaning against the bars and watching the boy she had come to know.

Uther turned around and his face was as blank as stone. Jasper couldn't tell what he was thinking when he looked at them. He could guess though. It was probably disgust and hatred. "They can only bring death and destruction. Their hearts are all the same and they are all as black as death. Magic corrupts."

Jasper couldn't believe what he was hearing. Uther couldn't seriously think that. Magic used to be free under his rule. What had happened to make the way he saw them change so drastically? A tragedy, Jasper guessed. Could he not see that not every sorcerer was the same? It wasn't the magic that was evil but that it was those who wielded who chose that path.

Arthur's wide eyes finally came to their cell and, if possible, they became even wider. He forgot about his father who was standing right next to him. "Aida! Jasper!" He called out their names and broke away from his father's side.

"Arthur." Aida reached her thin arms through the bars towards him. He ran into them, embracing through the bars. She kissed him lightly on the head. Jasper reached through as well and held them both. All three of them were crying, Jasper less so then the other two. They were mostly teary eyed.

Uther got over his shock and ordered his men to retrieve his son. They roughly pulled him away as he cried, striking at Jasper and Aida with the hilts of their swords. Jasper quickly pulled Aida back from the bars and pushed her behind him.

"Don't touch her." He spat at them, his eyes darkening. They backed away, unnerved.

"Don't ever do that again." Uther warned Arthur when his men brought him back, tears still in his eyes. "They could have hurt you."

"But they didn't." Arthur mumbled under his breath. He was young but through his eyes he could still see that it was wrong. He had shared an attic with Jasper and Aida and they had never shown any signs of evil in their hearts. They cared about him and kept him safe from Nimueh. He didn't understand this.

Uther didn't stay mad at his son for long. "Arthur, would you like to choose which one will meet their end today?" Jasper was disgusted. What kind of father was he?

"No." Arthur snapped, but Uther ignored his son's hostility.

"Take him." Uther didn't even hesitate to think about it when he pointed at one of the cells. To Jasper's surprise it wasn't theirs but the one next to them. His heart was still beating faster then the speed of light as he watched them pry the cell door open and force one of the men out. He looked utterly defeated and didn't even struggle as they led him away.

Still there were screams and shouts as they took him away. Arthur covered his ears to block them out. Protests, but there was nothing anyone could do. They were feared for their power and yet here they were powerless.

Aida pulled Jasper further away from the bars. They huddled together in a corner. There were tears in both of their eyes and Jasper could feel how fast Aida's heart was beating. They held tight to each other, as they feared how powerless they would be when the other was taken away.

Thanks for waiting and please REVIEW!

The reviews you guys have sent in are amazing and I cannot tell you how much I love reading them over and over again. It makes me happy to see that people like reading my story. I know its long but I hope you can bear with me.

Fun Fact: This story was originally supposed to be centered solely around Jasper and Aida's relationship, but then I fell in love with Joone's character and things went wild from there.

Hope you keep following because another familiar character will be making a first time appearance in the next chapter. Can you guess who it will be?

See you all next time.