Arthur knew he had nothing to do with the celebrations that were due to occur. The only reason that Merlin had bothered to bring him over to the Isle was to keep him out of trouble. Merlin had sternly ordered him to stay in the chamber. That left Arthur with very little to do. He had unpacked and tided, and then eaten a little of the food that some of the castles servants had brought. Arthur was not allowed to go wandering to do the job. The only thing he could do now was sleep. He had set up his bedroll a careful distance from the fire, but close enough to benefit from the effects. He sat for a moment staring into the flames, hearing the sounds grow louder, something like singing. It registered at the back of his mind for a moment and then somehow grew in volume. Arthur lifted his head, listening intently and then slowly rose onto his feet.
The pain snapped him back, and he felt himself fly through the air, crashing into a wall. He almost blacked out but his consciousness held and instead he gasped for breath, looking around.
He froze in shock as he realised he was not in the room. Looking up he stared at open sky, the stars blinking and the almost full moon just cresting the top of the wall. Rolling his eyes Arthur realised he was in some kind of courtyard. He didn't recognise it, so it was not the one he had walked through on his way in.
"How did you get in here?"
He looked up at the woman glaring down at him, her dark eyes glittering with malice. Arthur shrunk down as she stalked up to him and several strong looking men appeared through the doorway. The way they moved hinted at some sort of guard, and they all wore the same dark clothes, with a red tree stitched onto the front.
Arthur looked around again, trying to work out exactly where he was. Two of the men rushed forward, grabbing an arm each to haul him up, pinning his limbs to his sides. Once they had him secured, the woman stepped forward and slapped him across the face. Arthur gasped and focused his attention on her. Although, as usual, he didn't meet her fierce gaze directly.
"Answer me!"
"I don't know, My Lady."
Arthur winced as she slapped him again. He couldn't give her any other answer. She turned her attention to one of the guards.
"Which party is he with?"
"He came with Emrys," the guard growled.
Arthur frowned, confused and scared as the woman glared at him again, her gaze moving up and down, expression contorting into a sneer.
"Well, contain him in one of the lower rooms. When the coven breaks up, Emrys can deal with him."
Arthur winced as they tightened their grip on his arms, causing his limbs to throb as his circulation struggled, and one of them wrapped rope around his wrists, tying them behind his back. Once he was secure the guard on his right clamped a hand onto the scruff of his neck, propelling him forward. Arthur's eyes rolled in his head. The harsh grip meant he couldn't look around, but out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of a large stone, something glittering close to it. The sight of it almost made him turn without realising, until the guard increased the pressure, pressing his fingers into the side of Arthur's neck.
It focused him back into the reality of the situation as they marched him down a corridor and he stumbled down a flight of spiral steps into what he presumed to be the corridors and rooms in the castle basement. Arthur swallowed nervously as the guard in front opened the door and Arthur got shoved into the room. He only took three stumbling steps before he connected with the back wall. There was a sliver of light from the torches in the corridor but that was abruptly gone when the guard slammed the door shut leaving Arthur alone in the pitch black. The click echoed around as the guard locked the door, and Arthur heard the heavy clunk of a bolt. He blinked several times, trying to see if the darkness would lift, but there wasn't a chink of light anywhere.
Shuffling his foot along he worked out where the wall was and eased his body against it before slowly sinking downwards, so he could sit down. He attempted to find something of a comfortable position, but it was almost impossible with his hands still secured behind his back. In the end he rested his shoulder against the wall and uncurled his legs from under his body. He wasn't getting out of the ropes, or the room. All he could do was wait, and try to work out what the hell had happened.
He had no memory of anything. All he knew was he had been sat on his bedroll, about to undress for bed, listening to what he presumed had been some part of the celebration. Now he didn't know, and he also wondered who they meant by Emrys. Perhaps it was a title of Merlin's, they had to know that was who he had arrived with. The woman had seemed so sure of that.
He shifted again, leaning back further against the wall. It still remained uncomfortable, but Arthur guessed that was the point.
How much time passed as he waited, he had no idea. It could have been an hour, or it could have been several. Arthur was quite certain that he had drifted into a doze for a while, but again, that could have only happened for a few minutes, or all night. Tilting his head he assessed the ache of his muscles and decided it hadn't been too long. Arthur hoped it wouldn't take too long for Merlin to come for him, or would Merlin bother to come for him. Whatever he had done appeared to be bad.
It was as he started to get a little worried about needing the toilet that the heavy slam of the bolt drawing back made him jump. Arthur sat up straighter and as the lock clicked and the door opened he attempted to get up, using the wall to lever himself up. His struggles intensified as a guard strode into the room and grabbed him around the back of the head, gripping his hair to pull him up. Arthur grimaced, but gritted his teeth to control any sounds, although he gave several heavy breaths.
The guard used the same grip to drag him out of the room and march him down the corridor and up the stairs. Four others flanked them, two ahead and two behind. Arthur dug his heels a little as he saw the open door and the cluster of people inside. His boots slipped on the worn stone but the guard did not let him slow down as he was pushed into the room through a group of people. As they came to a halt the guard pushed him down. Arthur dropped without resistance, wincing as he banged his knees and shins against the floor. There were ripples of murmured conversation through the room, and Arthur peered up from under his fringe to glance at the woman who appeared to be running the meeting. Nimueh, the one that had met them when they had arrived. Arthur bit down on his lip as Merlin stepped up beside her. His master gave him the briefest of glances.
"Now, explain this," Nimueh demanded.
"I caught him in the inner courtyard!" the priestess who had found him announced.
Arthur hunched at the ripple of shock that ran through the crowd and every pair of eyes in the room turned to stare at him.
"How is that possible?" Nimueh asked. "That courtyard cannot be entered by those who cannot make a hole in the barrier. Does the boy have magic?"
Arthur kept a timid eye on proceedings, cringing as Nimueh asked Merlin, and Merlin looked down at him.
"Not that I am aware of, I'm sure I would have sensed something. What did you do Arthur?"
He tensed his shoulders up even tighter as Merlin asked the question of him. Arthur's head lifted a fraction higher, turning towards Merlin to answer him.
"I don't know My Lord, I swear. I was in your chamber and then I was wherever I was. I don't know what happened."
Arthur could hear the tightness of his voice, constricted by fear. He risked looking higher to assess Merlin's reaction properly. There looked to be a hint of coldness in Merlin's eyes but Arthur didn't think Merlin was that angry with him. He just had to hope that Merlin believed him.
"You don't remember anything?" Merlin demanded.
Arthur shook his head frantically. "No, nothing at all."
He had to make Merlin believe him. Merlin blinked as Arthur answered, looking surprise, but also thoughtful. He didn't get a chance to answer as Morgause stepped forward, her face contorted with anger.
"This is unacceptable. I thought you had control of him!" she accused Merlin. Arthur lowered his head again, trying to look inconspicuous. Such a thing was impossible as he knelt in the centre of the room, and remained the centre of the discussion.
"He was ordered to stay in his room," Merlin conceded.
Arthur bit down on his lip feeling his stomach flutter with butterflies. The last thing he wanted to do was anger Merlin, but now it seemed worse that he appeared to have somehow caused his master some embarrassment. That was a situation he often tried to avoid, usually because of the punishments it brought, but this time, he didn't want Merlin feeling bad about it. But Arthur couldn't honestly describe what had happened any other way.
"He should never have been allowed here anyway. A Pendragon on the Isle Of The Blessed," Morgause added.
Judging by the shocked ripple of conversation, most of them hadn't realised who he was. The room stirred with frantic whispered conversations, voices rose as several other people joined in shouting their objections at the situation.
Merlin noted that Morgause looked quite satisfied by the stir she created. He backed up a step and moved behind Nimueh so that he didn't just stand next to her, but so that he was also closer to Arthur. Arthur watched and even the tall, broad guard who had been flanking him slowly backed off. Arthur shifted sideways himself, shuffling back on his knees to get closer to Merlin. He paused as Merlin rested a hand on the top of his head.
"He should be executed for this. It's what he deserves!" another voice shouted. Agreements followed the comment, although Arthur heard several people also voice objections. Nimueh, sensing the confrontation getting out of control raised her hands.
"Enough!"
Her voice rang out, strong enough to get everyone's attention.
"No one is doing anything until we have a clearer idea of exactly what occurred. I have already stated, it should have been impossible for the boy to enter the room. You are sure he has no magic?"
"None," Merlin said. "If he did it would have revealed itself long before now. And I have no doubt it would be known."
"Is that all you can say child? You remember nothing at all?" Nimueh demanded. Arthur lifted his head due to the mild pressure Merlin placed, encouraging him to look up. He obeyed enough to glance up meeting Nimueh's gaze and he shook his head again.
"Not really, I had no other chores to do so I was just about to undress to sleep, by the fire. I watched the flames while I listened to the singing."
Merlin frowned and he stepped sideways so he could look down at Arthur, and Arthur shifted his gaze to him.
"What singing?" Merlin asked.
Arthur shrugged. "I could just here singing," he stammered. "I thought it was part of the celebration."
The murmur from the gathered crowd this time sounded mildly disconcerted. Merlin and Nimueh glanced at each other, before they looked back down at Arthur. Just as Merlin was about to stay something Nimueh reached out and put a hand on his arm. He looked back at her in consternation.
"I'll question him, you are his guardian at this time."
Merlin nodded, stepping back slightly, moving so he stood closer to Arthur again. The close proximity reassured Arthur, although he didn't think Merlin could honestly stand against the whole group. Arthur kept his head tilted so he could focus on Merlin's boots and Nimueh, when he had to.
"Then what happened, Arthur, in detail," she told him.
Arthur glanced up again. "I sat there for a moment, the sound wasn't very loud, I couldn't hear it clearly. It was only a murmur. Then it seemed to get louder, I stared at the fire and then… I was there and I woke up when…" he paused, turning his head in the direction of the priestess who had found him.
"She found me, and I woke up when she hit me."
"Hit you?" Nimueh asked, confused. She looked up at the woman for confirmation.
"When I saw him, I felt the disturbances in the fabric of the barrier. He stood close to the sword. He was staring at Excalibur. I knocked him away."
Arthur frowned, an image passed through his mind. He remembered a sword, glittering brightly, the blade half in stone, embedded in a boulder. It flickered in his consciousness momentarily, causing him to tense. Merlin's fingertips rubbed the back of his neck, pressing in a way that made Arthur think that Merlin wasn't exactly reassuring him, but rather instructing him to keep whatever had disturbed him to himself. Arthur felt happy with that, still no understanding what had happened, but he didn't want to reveal any more to the room of angry people.
"It could be the building magic for the celebration disturbed him somehow," Merlin said.
"Do you really believe that?" Morgause snorted. "He should not be tolerated. If the kings wish to have him then let them. We have no wish for him here."
Nimueh glared at her, the two priestess' locked eyes. "And do you presume to speak for everyone here?"
"We know the legacy his father left."
"And it has been destroyed. For years we have spent time rebuilding. To hearken too harshly to the past may damage what is here now."
"If you don't," Merlin murmured. "You never learn from it."
Nimueh didn't appear to hear what Merlin said. Looking up Arthur saw Merlin's eyes drift downwards. Although he didn't meet the gaze for long it made Arthur wonder if the words were for him alone.
"He violated one of our most sacred temples," the accusing priestess announced. "This must be dealt with."
"It will be," Merlin announced in a chilling tone. "He disobeyed me, and I will deal with it."
"You should have dealt with it before now."
"I ordered him to stay in the chamber. Now I will ensure he is confined."
Arthur swallowed nervously. Merlin made that sound rather ominous. Merlin hadn't hurt him, but Arthur stood by his initial impression, that if he stepped out of line he would be punished. This appeared to be the moment he would find out what Merlin would really do to him.
Shuffling closer he looked up at Merlin. Arthur could only offer one further explanation. "I did use to sleepwalk."
Merlin stared down at him. "When?"
"When I was young I did a little bit, it sort of stopped when I was older."
He had been thankful for that. His masters did not take kindly to him wandering about. Several of them had devised methods to prevent the wanderings. Some of them not entirely pleasant.
"It's possible he didn't know what he was doing," Merlin said to Nimueh.
"Still, that does not explain how he got through the barrier into the courtyard," another priestess said.
"Even we do not know the nature of the magic that exists there," Merlin said, staying wary of several people slowly moving through the crowd, and so subtly that no one really noticed them until one of the spoke.
"There has been no harm done. Surely confining him is enough."
"Stay out of this druid!" Morgause snapped. Her eyes widened and she looked around, realising that she had maybe stepped a little too far. Aglain merely raised his eyebrows, looking undisturbed by her tone of voice. He also stood his ground.
"Merlin is perhaps right, and there are reasons why Arthur may be susceptible to magic."
Arthur blinked as he heard the intonation in Aglain's words, directed very intently at Nimueh. Several other people frowned. Nimueh looked down at Arthur and then back to Merlin. Arthur waited during the ominous silence, hearing only the thud of his heart in his ears, and he shifted as the felt the impatient press of his bladder. The panic had made him momentarily forget but the need pressed on him again and he squirmed. Wetting himself in front of so many people was the last thing he needed.
"What's the matter?" Merlin demanded in a low tone, sensing Arthur's discomfort. Arthur felt the heat as his cheeks flushed with blood, embarrassment overrode everything except his basic need. Arthur kept his voice as low as he could but people were stood close enough to hear him.
"I need to go." Arthur euphemised it as much as he could, while trying to make it as obvious as possible what that meant. The ripple went out through the crowd as the nearest people passed on what he said. Some laughter, deriding snorts and mutterings followed. However, on hearing his predicament Nimueh seemed to make up her mind. She looked at Merlin.
"Keep him contained, if it occurs again we will need to take more drastic measures."
Any further objections were ignored as Merlin pulled Arthur up and with a golden flash in his eyes released the ropes. He took Arthur by the upper arm, his grip firm and a little urgent as he dragged him from the room and headed down a corridor.
"How desperate is it?"
Arthur frowned. "Really bad," he confessed, in front of just Merlin it was easy. Merlin tugged him through an archway into a small garden. The place was mostly in shadow and Merlin pushed him against a nearby wall.
"Be quick about it, I'd rather not have that as a further transgression on your part."
Arthur exhaled a breath and fumbled with his laces, yanking them apart. As he stood there he tried not to think about how embarrassing the situation was. Once he was done Merlin took his arm again, intending to pull him out into the corridor and presumably take him back to the room. However, he stopped as he heard voices and he shoved Arthur back into the shadows. He didn't wait for the people to pass, instead he turned and walked Arthur down a pathway, just visible in the moonlight. They walked slowly, having to tread carefully in the dim light. On crossing the small area they came to an archway so dark that the blackness appeared to reach out an engulf them. Merlin muttered some words, and Arthur jumped as a small orb of light appeared in the air, floating just above Merlin's outstretched hand. Arthur stared at it fascinated. He knew Merlin had magic, but he had never seen such an overt display. Merlin lifted his hand, sending the little ball of light up the flight of stairs ahead of them.
He walked along behind Merlin as they made their way into the castle and to the rooms. Merlin didn't stop to address anyone they passed, and Arthur kept his head down, his gaze locked on Merlin's boots as he obediently tailed after him.
Lancelot and Percival were waiting in the room, both looking up and looking relieved as Arthur followed in on Merlin's heels.
"What happened?" Lancelot asked.
"I have no idea," Merlin said walking across the room with purpose. Arthur lingered nervously, not entirely sure what he should do. Merlin had assured everyone in the room that he would deal with him. Arthur didn't know what that meant.
"I'm sorry My Lord," Arthur added, hoping to appease Merlin. "I really don't know how…."
He paused, he'd already said that. Repeating himself probably wouldn't change anything. However, his head jerked up in surprise as Merlin said, quite dismissively.
"Not to worry, I think we just need to ensure we don't get a repeat performance."
He carried on rummaging, his back to the rest of them. Arthur watched Percival and Lancelot share a glance, before they both looked at Arthur. He didn't know what that look meant but Arthur got the feeling they were not expecting something that casual. The knocking on the door made three of them jump, Merlin didn't even react, although he looked irritated as Gwaine came through the door without invitation. Balinor came in close behind him, eyeing Gwaine with a similar look.
"What the hell just happened?"
"Arthur got himself into the inner courtyard somehow," Merlin announced, having found what he was looking for he turned around. Arthur heart sank slightly as he saw the gold circle of metal in Merlin's hands. He had probably found it lingering in Cenred's possessions. The item had followed Arthur around since he could remember. He usually only wore the delicate band around his neck with it's chain when he was being handed over. Others had liked him to wear it for special occasions. Arthur hadn't even thought about it. This was the first time he had seen it since Merlin had taken him.
"Come here," Merlin ordered him.
Arthur crossed the room. Merlin disconnected the chain from the collar, dropping the thin gold links into a pile on the table, and he released the catch to open the collar up.
"Sorry," Merlin said as he reached up to put the item around Arthur's neck. "It's just the most convenient thing to do this."
Arthur heard the click as the latch snapped shut. It wasn't difficult to remove, Arthur could do so himself, but he wasn't stupid, if someone put that on him, it stayed on until they chose to take it off.
"What the hell are you doing that for?" Gwaine asked angrily.
Merlin sighed as he glanced at Gwaine. He didn't particularly object to Gwaine's concern over Arthur. From what Merlin could see Gwaine had no intention of hurting him, but Gwaine hadn't seen anything wrong with using Arthur either. Whether or not he was less brutal than anyone else, the actions still remained. Gwaine clearly still wanted Arthur, if the scene Percival had witnessed had been anything to go by. Merlin simply couldn't trust a pliable Arthur to refuse. It was so ingrained to obey every order he was given that Merlin, for Arthur's own good, had put the onus on the other party, and warned Gwaine off.
"Because I can use it for the focus of the enchantment," Merlin said. "Metal is good for retaining the power of a spell. That's why people use charms and tokens so much. It's the only thing I have to hand, and Arthur's worn it enough, so it will already be carrying some of his energy."
As he spoke Merlin carefully placed the fingertips of both hands to the gold band. Arthur stood close enough to watch as Merlin eyes started to glow golden and he muttered something under his breath. Arthur couldn't understand the words, spoken in a different language. However, he felt the band of metal start to warm, and he gasped as a wave of something rippled over his body. His eyes darted from side to side as he sensed it reach out across the room like a wave. It met the walls of the room and then seemed to calm.
The glow in Merlin's eyes faded and he took his hands away. The collar felt cooler, but not uncomfortable against his skin as Arthur reached up to touch it.
"You won't be able to get out of the room, at all. Unless I allow you to."
"How?" Arthur couldn't help but ask, since Merlin didn't appear angry with him. He had simply done what he had promised the others in the meeting, he had dealt with and contained Arthur. His wording had appeased them to make them think he would punish him, when Merlin clearly had no intention of doing anything of the sort.
"Similar to the spell around the courtyard, which you somehow got through. Even if you open the door you'll just hit a barrier. The collar just helps the enchantment recognise that it's you that it's confining."
"So I won't do it again," Arthur asked with some relief.
"No," Merlin assured him.
"Merlin," Balinor's voice interrupted. Merlin turned away from Arthur and cross the room, Balinor retreated to the door and both of them went out of it to converse in private. Gwaine crossed the room to Arthur.
"Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," Arthur assured him.
Since Gwaine couldn't get up to anything much with both Percival and Lancelot in the room Merlin left them to it. He sensed the barrier as he stepped through it. Others would too, but it was his power and it would obey only him, he felt it brush against him as he passed. And he carefully closed the door behind him.
"What the hell is going on? You should not have brought him here," Balinor admonished.
Merlin raised his eyebrows. "He had to have walked through that barrier, and it let him."
"And there are enough people here that might assume what that means. Many will not stand for that!"
Merlin shook his head. "It's possible that it's nothing of the sort, he could have simply walked into it. Arthur is a creature of magic in some ways. Nimueh's magic aided Igraine Pendragon's conception."
"The more obvious answer it far more likely," Balinor growled. "It was always meant to be you."
Merlin clenched his jaw. "I know that's been an assumption for years. A sword forged in a dragon's breath can be assumed to be the weapon of a Dragonlord. But I've attended every celebration here since I was fourteen, and I have never felt the call of that sword."
"It cannot be him, it has to be you."
Merlin glared at his father. Pondering the situation for the moment before he slowly answered.
"Maybe I am meant to be something else entirely."
And with that cryptic remark Merlin turned and opened the door he went back into the room, leaving it open, giving Balinor the chance to either follow or leave. After a moment's pause, Balinor followed.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxX
The following night Merlin opted out of attending the celebration. He was not required, just invited. It was simple enough to use the excuse that he needed to keep an eye on Arthur. Not for the reasons people assumed.
Arthur had been surprised when Merlin had let him out of the room during the say, although he ordered Arthur to keep the collar on. Merlin had released him into Percival and Lancelot's custody and they had travelled out to the far side of the Isle to an area of peace and quiet, and ran Arthur through some more weapons training. Arthur got the feeling they were trying to exhaust him to a point that he wouldn't end up getting into trouble again.
And, taking into consideration Arthur's inability to simply sit still and relax they gave him their bashed up armour and chain mail to be cleaned, which was what Arthur was currently doing.
Merlin kept half an eye on him as Arthur sat on the floor, having changed into a loose pair of trousers; the ones he usually slept in. The collar around his neck glinted in the firelight. Merlin hadn't questioned him but he guessed that Arthur had changed simply to try and give himself some control over himself, to prevent any wanderings. Plus, Arthur didn't seem to mind Merlin seeing him in any state of undress.
Taking advantage of the time Merlin carried on working his way through an ancient text which he had been trying to decipher. It was something that he didn't often get time for, so he took the opportunity to make some progress. At the same time he kept an eye on Arthur.
When Arthur continued to clean the same area on Percival's armour and did so for a full ten minutes, Merlin took a greater interest. Arthur's eyes were locked on the armour, his hand moving slowly, rhythmically, his shoulders starting to hunch as if he was trying to force himself to concentrate. After a short assessment Merlin slowly stood up and walked around the desk towards him. Arthur gave no reaction, his full attention staying on the armour, and the same small spot.
Even when Merlin crouched down Arthur didn't react to him.
"Arthur?"
Although Arthur's eyes narrowed slightly he didn't look up, as if he didn't dare. Merlin reached out and took Arthur's chin, forcing him to lift his head and looked at him. For a moment Arthur's eyes stared past him, then he blinked and he focused on Merlin. Merlin kept his voice soft as he asked.
"Arthur, can you hear it again?"
Arthur blinked, his eyes hinting that he was almost in pain as he suddenly registered Merlin's close presence. Merlin tensed his hand to stop Arthur pulling away from him, but his grip remained loose enough for Arthur to nod. He didn't even attempt to speak, looking frightened and desperate. Arthur's eyes moved, rolling as if he was following something that only he could see, and his body tensed with tension, hand gripping the cloth which he had been polishing with.
Merlin reached forward and pressed his fingers to the band around Arthur's neck, then he carefully released his chin and took the cloth from his fingers, easing it from Arthur's grip. Arthur made a desperate little sound from the back of his throat as he tried to turn back to his work. Merlin deliberately moved the armour to one side.
"Go on Arthur," Merlin said in a low persuasive tone. Arthur looked at him, eyes slightly wild with panic. Merlin brushed his fingertips over the collar again, brushing the skin of Arthur's neck at the same time. He blinked again.
"It's all right, I'll be with you," Merlin murmured. Arthur blinked, his eyes stared past Merlin and then slowly his head turned. He rose to his feet, looking around and then, in something of a trance, Arthur walked slowly to the door, opening it carefully. Since he felt no resistance he walked out into the corridor.
Merlin straightened up, and staying close, but not close enough to distract him, he went after Arthur.