Because of Arthur's status and wealth, his wedding to Merlin was going to be a huge media event. Arthur decided to use that in their favor, with Merlin and himself becoming darlings of the media.
They gave TV interviews and even alluded to some of their kinkier bedroom activities, and joked about how that had gotten Arthur in trouble. Arthur garnered sympathy for having rescued Merlin during his darkest hour and they shone a bright light onto the current foster care system.
However, the determined Detective Cenred and social worker Gwen were not going to let things go easily. It was a month after Arthur's proposal when they received a summons to court. Gwen had managed to push through a competency hearing for Merlin.
If the court found Merlin incompetent, they would be able to force him to stay away from Arthur, and possibly even institutionalize him 'for his own good.'
"Gaius," Arthur groused, pacing in his office. "Is there no way to stop this farce?"
"I'm afraid not, Mr. Pendragon," Gaius sighed. "Detective Cenred and Gwen have the prosecutor convinced that something untoward is still happening to Merlin as long as he lives here, despite all the media attention."
"What can we do?" Arthur asked.
"They are going to insist Merlin is evaluated by one of their psychiatric professionals," Gaius warned. "Undoubtedly someone that can be easily convinced to see what they want them to see in regards to Merlin's mental state."
"Is there any way to get a neutral third-party to evaluate him?" Arthur suggested.
"I am currently working on the paperwork now," Gaius nodded. "However it will be difficult to convince the judge of the necessity of it."
"Can't you show a bias against me from the detective?" Arthur asked. "Surely the fact that my father had his parents murdered should play some factor in these proceedings."
"Unfortunately, your father was very good at covering his tracks," Gaius sighed. "Officially, Cenred's parents died in a car accident. Murder charges were never filed against your father."
"Do you know all the psychiatrists that work for the prosecution?" Arthur asked. "Are there any you might trust more?"
Gaius nodded. "Yes, there are two or three. Good thinking. I'll make a specific request for one of them."
...
A week later, just as Gaius had predicted, Merlin was called in for a psych evaluation by the office of the prosecutor. Two officers came to the house to escort him and Arthur was not allowed to accompany him. Merlin went willingly, not wanting to cause more trouble for Arthur.
Merlin sat in the back of the police car and worried more for Arthur than for himself. Merlin knew he was competent, but he was hoping they wouldn't railroad him and force him to leave Arthur.
The officers escorted Merlin all the way into the psychiatrist's office and remained outside to prevent Merlin from leaving before the evaluation was complete.
In the office, Merlin walked over to the elderly looking woman, holding his hand out. "Hello. I'm Merlin Emrys. I believe I'm here to be evaluated?"
"Hello Merlin," she said smiling. "My name is Alice. Won't you have a seat?"
Merlin sat in the overstuffed chair she indicated as she went to sit in a similar chair opposite.
"Now, do you know why you're to be evaluated Merlin?" Alice asked amicably.
"Yeah," Merlin nodded. "Some detective thinks I was kidnapped and am being held against my will by my fiancé."
"Fiancé?" Alice said incredulously. "That wasn't in my notes. How long have you two been engaged?"
"I guess you don't read the tabloids. It's been oh, about five or six weeks I think," Merlin said smiling. "His proposal was very romantic. It was at the same restaurant where we had our first date."
"No, I don't read the tabloids. I don't like how they try to influence people's opinions. So, tell me how you and Arthur met," Alice prompted.
"Well, that's a bit of a complicated story," Merlin said. "You see, the first time I met him, I was about to jump off of a bridge."
"Why were you doing that?" Alice asked.
"I was starving, living on the streets, turning tricks to try and survive," Merlin sighed. "I'd hit rock bottom. Then this limousine pulled up and Arthur came out to talk to me. He offered me an alternative."
"What alternative was that, my dear?" Alice asked as she wrote down some notes.
"Well, ok this is gonna sound bad," Merlin said. "But Arthur was honest with me from the beginning about everything. He never tried to trick me into it. Basically he offered to take me home and in exchange of taking care of me and my mother, I was to service him, sexually."
"I see," Alice said. "How did that make you feel?"
Merlin shrugged. "To be honest it sort of turned me on. Once we got to his house, he gave me a full tour, he showed me everything, including the playroom with all of his kinky toys. Then he had me read through a detailed contract of what would be expected of me. He even agreed to do a trial run without my signing the contract. He gave me every chance to back out and change my mind. He even made some changes to the contract I asked for before I signed it."
"And you didn't see a problem with doing any of the things he was asking for?" Alice asked.
Merlin shook his head. "No. He was handsome, and rich and to be honest I found out quickly that liked spending time with him."
"Where is this contract now?" Alice asked.
"Arthur destroyed it when we became engaged," Merlin smiled. "We fell in love with each other and we don't need that contract anymore."
"So you are in love with Arthur Pendragon?" Alice asked pointedly.
"Yeah," Merlin said with a goofy smiled. "I love him so much. He's become my best friend, my lover, my everything."
"Are you ever allowed out of the house without him?" Alice took more notes.
"Oh yeah, of course," Merlin nodded. "I've been going out to lunch with my mum every week since moving in with Arthur. Lately, I've been doing a lot of the wedding planning, so I'm going out to shops, meeting with the wedding coordinator, all that stuff."
"I see," Alice said. "What kinds of verbal abuse does Arthur use?"
"Arthur has never abused me, verbally or otherwise," Merlin said defensively. "He's always telling me how wonderful and perfect I am. How lucky he is to have found me. He loves me."
"So he's never made you feel inadequate? That you are worthless without him?" Alice asked pointedly.
"No, just the opposite," Merlin replied. "Look, he rescued me. Saved me from killing myself. He's been taking care of me and my mum. He helped me finish my education. He's made me feel better about myself than I have in a very long time. He's been nothing but wonderful."
"Do you ever have disagreements?" Alice asked.
"We haven't had a lot, no," Merlin shrugged. "I think we fight the most when we play video games and he accuses me of cheating...which I totally do because it's the only way I can win against him." Merlin giggled at the memory of their last silly argument over Mario Kart.
"I was told the reason the police even investigated your case was because a friend of yours reported you missing. Was Arthur not allowing you to see your friends?" Alice asked.
"Gwaine was hardly a friend," Merlin explained. "We hung out together at school, but that's it. Honestly after Arthur took me in, it just never occurred to me to let Gwaine know I was okay. I didn't think he cared."
"So Arthur wasn't keeping you from seeing friends?" Alice asked again.
"I didn't have friends," Merlin growled. "I kept getting moved from one foster family to another every six months or so. I never stayed anywhere long enough to make friends."
"Then one of Arthur's maids reported you being raped and abused," Alice stated. "Why would she do that?"
"Arthur and I were in the playroom one day," Merlin recalled. "We were having one of our kinkier sessions and I was being particularly loud. She walked in on us and began shouting at Arthur to leave me alone. We both shouted back at her to mind her own business and Arthur fired her when she refused. It really killed the mood."
Alice nodded and hummed at that. "Alright, I think that's enough for me to make an evaluation," Alice said smiling. "I will also be talking to Arthur and your mother and I'll make a full report to the judge on the day of your hearing. Until then you will be housed at the group home."
"Wait, what?!" Merlin cried in shock. "No! No, no, no. I never agreed to go to the group home! Do you know you know how much work I still have to do to plan the wedding?!"
"I'm sorry but you will have to delay your plans," Alice said. "I advised the judge to separate you from Arthur until the hearing next week. It will help establish, once and for all, whether or not a crime against you has been committed."
"What does it matter? I'm an adult and I am not pressing charges against the man I love!" Merlin protested.
"We'll see," Alice said patiently before calling in the two officers. Merlin fought with them and ended up in handcuffs for his troubles.
...
Once at the group home, the director, a rather large man by the name of Percival, took custody of Merlin and escorted him to his room. Which actually felt more like a prison cell.
The door to the room was steel and had a barred window and a slot for delivering food trays. Inside was a small bed, dresser and TV, and there was a tiny bathroom as well. All the windows were also barred.
"Oi, if I'm supposedly the victim, why am I being treated like a prisoner?" Merlin asked Percival.
"This is just a precaution," Percival explained. "We need to make sure you don't harm yourself or run back to your abuser. Dinner will be delivered at 6 o'clock."
Merlin couldn't believe it. They had managed to find a way of taking him away from Arthur and Merlin had no idea how to make this right. What if the judge at his hearing decided to find him incompetent and forced him to stay here indefinitely?
Merlin curled up in defeat on his small bed and began to sob uncontrollably. After a while, Percival came by and asked him to calm down, threatening to give him a tranquilizer if he didn't.
Merlin calmed himself as much as he could and just lay numbly on the bed, tears still streaming down his face.
When his dinner was delivered, it looked disgusting. Some kind of meatloaf covered in a thick, gelatinous gravy, with burnt brussel sprouts, a fruit cup and cup of water. The only utensil he was given was a plastic spork.
The sight of the food reminded him of the dinner plans he'd had with Arthur that night. They were going to try that new avant garde eatery that had just opened. The food before him was about as far from avant garde as it got.
Merlin reluctantly ate the meal, knowing that starving himself was no solution. He had to tough it out until next week and hoped that Gaius would find a way to reunite them by the hearing.
After finishing the food, Merlin shoved the tray through the slot in the door and went to lay down again. It wasn't until about a half hour after he ate that his stomach began to cramp and a wave of nausea hit. He barely made it to the toilet before his body began to violently expel the meal he had just eaten.
Merlin continued to purge until there was literally nothing left, and still his body continued dry heaving, his stomach continuing to cramp.
Finally, Percival came in. "Here, drink this, it will help."
Merlin drank the bitter tasting liquid and almost immediately began to feel better. "Thanks."
"Let's get you to bed, alright?" Percival said, picking up the weakened Merlin like a rag doll, and carrying him to the bed. He then proceeded to try and remove Merlin's clothes.
"Oi, what do you think you're doing?" Merlin protested weakly.
"You can't sleep in your street clothes," Percival stated. "I'm going to help you change into pajamas."
Merlin shook his head. "No. Just give me the pajamas. I'll do it myself. You are not touching me."
Percival sighed and stood up, he walked to the small dresser and took out a pair of pajamas and tossed them at Merlin.
Merlin had a sudden realization then. "You…you put something in my food, didn't you?"
Percival shrugged. "Yeah. We needed to purge your system just in case Pendragon was keeping you drugged."
"Oh gods, really?!" Merlin was incredulous. "My own fiancé is drugging me? To what end?"
"To keep you pliant, to keep abusing you," Percival said. "We'll get the bastard, don't worry."
"No!" Merlin cried out. "Please just let me go home."
"Nope, can't. Judge has ordered you remain here under lock and key until the hearing." Percival shrugged.
"Can Arthur at least visit me?" Merlin asked.
"Definitely a no," Percival shook his head. "And no visits from his lawyer friend either."
"What about my mum?" Merlin asked quietly. "Can I at least see my mum?"
"You really are in touch with your mum?" he asked.
"Yes, of course I am," Merlin grumbled. "Has anyone bothered to even go and ask her that?"
Percival shrugged. "Dunno. Look I'll see what I can do, alright? Now change and get some rest."
...
Two days later Merlin was informed he had a visitor just before his mum ran into the room. Merlin was still dressed in pajamas. They had taken his clothes and pajamas were all he had been permitted to wear.
"Mum!" Merlin cried happily reaching out to hug her, but too weak to get up. He'd lost his appetite for food since that awful first night.
"Oh Merlin!" his mum said sorrowfully. "What have they done to you?"
"They kidnapped me and are keeping me against my will," Merlin said. "Which is what they are accusing Arthur of, but he didn't. I swear he's been nothing but good to me."
"I know, dear," she said. "He's been so good to both of us. He really is a good man. Do you know why they are doing this?"
"There's this detective," Merlin explained. "He has some vendetta against Arthur, because his father had his parents killed years ago. He wants Arthur to suffer, even though Arthur had nothing to do with it."
"That's horrid," she said. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Yeah," Merlin said. "Can you go and tell Arthur I miss him terribly and I can't wait to see him at the hearing?"
"Of course," she nodded. "Is there anything else I can do?"
"Do you happen to have any candy bars in your purse?" Merlin asked hopefully.
"Yes, you know I always carry some, why?" she looked concerned.
Merlin whispered. "They drugged my food so I stopped eating it. I'm starving."
His mum looked around first before fishing the candy bars out of her purse and handing them to Merlin, who quickly hid them beneath his pillow. "Thanks mum!"
...
The day of the hearing dawned cool and rainy. Percival came in and handed him some actual clothes. Jeans, a t-shirt, a hoodie, and some sneakers.
"Are you sure I can't help you dress?" he asked suggestively.
"No!" Merlin growled.
The officers who had brought him to the group home a week before were back. They handcuffed him again and dragged him out to their squad car and drove him to the court house.
Soon Merlin found himself entering the courtroom where his hearing was scheduled. The judge was already seated. Gaius was there but there was no sign of Arthur. The officers dragged Merlin before the judge before he'd had a chance to even greet Gaius.
"What is your name, young man?" the judge asked.
"Merlin Emrys, My Lord," Merlin said respectfully.
"Officers, why is Mr. Emrys handcuffed. Is he not the alleged victim?" the judge asked pointedly. "Release him at once!"
"Thank you, My Lord," Merlin said gratefully, rubbing his wrists once he was released.
"Do you understand the purpose of today's hearing?" the judge asked.
"Yes, My Lord," Merlin said. "You are to determine my competency and ability to make decisions for myself."
"Very good," the judge nodded. "You may be seated by your counsel."
Merlin went to sit and Alice was called before the judge. "Please tell us your observations of Mr. Emrys."
Gaius whispered into Merlin's ear. "Don't worry. I know Alice and I requested her specifically. She'll be fair."
Merlin nodded, taking a deep breath.
"My Lord," Alice said. "I spoke with Mr. Emrys a week ago and observed him whilst in confinement over the past week. I also had a chance to speak with the accused, Mr. Pendragon and also Mr. Emrys' mother. In my expert opinion, Mr. Emrys is completely in his right mind and he is also not suffering from Stockholm Syndrome."
"You are quite sure of this?" the judge asked.
"Quite your honor," Alice nodded. "Mr. Emrys and Mr. Pendragon do engage in some questionable sexual activities, but as Merlin is a consenting adult, there is nothing illegal about any of it."
"Thank you," said the Judge. "Mr. Emrys, please come forward."
Merlin stood again and approached the judge. "Can you tell me what you wish to do right now? What would the ideal outcome be?"
"Well, My Lord," Merlin said. "Ideally I would be released and allowed to go back home to my fiancé. I have a lot of wedding planning to do."
"So you and Mr. Pendragon are indeed engaged?" the judge asked.
"Yeah," Merlin grinned and held up the hand with his engagement ring. "Didn't you see the photos of the proposal? They were all over the tabloids!"
The Judge hummed and then signaled the court officer who went to a side door and brought out Arthur.
"Arthur!" Merlin cried, practically flinging himself at his fiancé. "I missed you so much," Merlin said, weeping for joy.
Arthur hugged him close, tears of relief and joy streaming down his own face. "I'm here, Love."
The judge observed the interaction and seemed satisfied. "It is clear to me that Mr. Emrys is clearly competent as well as deeply in love with Mr. Pendragon. I see no reason for this farce to continue. You both may go and all charges filed against you will be dropped Mr. Pendragon. You have my and the court's sincerest apologies for all this."
Just then Detective Cenred and Gwen both stood from the back of the court, crying objections.
"As for you two," the judge practically growled. "If you spend one more penny of resources harassing either of these two gentlemen I will issue the arrest warrant against you both myself."
They both looked defeated. "Yes, My Lord."
Gaius then ushered Merlin and Arthur out of the courtroom and past the small army of paparazzi, making sure they were safely in the limousine, ready to be taken back home.
As they rode home, Merlin related to Arthur everything that had happened and Arthur was incensed. They had practically done to Merlin what they had been accusing Arthur of doing.
"Arthur," Merlin said with a warning tone. "Don't go plotting revenge, or you may yet turn into your father and then where will we be?"
Arthur saw the logic in that. "You're right Merlin. What matters is that we're together again and hopefully this can all be finally put behind us."
They rode the rest of the way home clinging to each other, hopeful that this ugly incident was finally over.