Diviner Captive

Roar

...

Gwrthfyr woke to the sound of loud roaring. He shot up in bed confused.

There was loud pounding on the door but the person on the other side didn't wait for permission to enter. "The dragon's attacking sire!" Altoris yelled as he strided further into the room in a panic.

Immediately the king jumped out of bed and ran over to the balcony to see for himself. At the outer wall he could see the dragon attacking the guards who weren't doing a very good job of holding it off. Many of the straw roofs were on fire. He understood that he had to deal with the beast eventually but he didn't think it would be so soon.

"Come on." Gwrthfyr commanded as he made to leave his chambers. Grabbing an outer robe on his way out since he had no time to properly get dressed.

…

Kilgharrah had been trying to communicate with the young dragon lord but hadn't managed to reach him. His presence was in the back of his mind still but had become much weaker which worried him that the boy was severely injured.

Tracking him down so far away from Camelot was surprising. Especially since he could not detect the prince any where in the vicinity.

He had a feeling that the boy wasn't here by choice, which is why he wasn't surprised the guards were so hostel. Determined not to leave without the boy. The dragon wanted to laugh as their weapons just bounced off him leaving his person completely unharmed.

Swooping down he rained a wall off firer down on them.

…

The warlock was between that stage of being asleep and awake. Merlin wasn't sure how long he had been sleeping but he had a feeling it was a really long time. He never got to sleep in like this since coming to Camelot.

He had to shake off the feeling he should be up and performing his duties. Thinking about that would only remind him of his situation and how he may never again have to wash the prince's socks; though he never thought he'd miss doing that.

The warlock had a fuzzy feeling like someone was trying to communicate with him but he just couldn't make out the words. He could hear a muffled commotion through the thick stonewalls. Not sure if it was just the normal sound of the unfamiliar castle waking for the day or there was something actually going on.

He tensed when he heard the locked door click open. He rolled over and pretended to be asleep.

Altoris strided over and pushed open the bed hanging. "Time to get up."

Merlin groaned as the candlelight burned his corneas from being exposed too fast. The warlock sat up and rubbed his eyes until the blurriness went away. Opening them to observe both the king and his informant standing there.

"You've slept the day away. It's getting late." Gwrthfyr mocked. The warlock could tell he was trying to be nonchalant but their was an anxious tone underneath it.

"How am I supposed to know that? The lighting never changes in here." Merlin said indicating to the fact the room had no windows. Most of the candles that had been left lit had burned most of the wick away but were still giving off the same brightness.

"We'll have to start sending a servant to wake you up and bring you meals. Can't have you starving, now can we?" Gwrthfyr said more to his informant that the boy. "I've had a servant bring you brunch and they are running you a bath a bath as we speak. There should be clean clothes behind the dressing screen. But before you do that I'll need you to do something for me."

"What is it?" Merlin asked warily. He'd hoped he wouldn't be ordered to perform any other spells so soon. It made him nauseas just thinking about what the king would probably order him to do in the future.

"Just to put a force field around the castle. Don't want to be open to attacks." Gwrthfyr said nonchalantly. Bringing the servant along as an excuse to wake the boy up. Not wanting to let him catch onto the fact that his pet dragon was so close since he seemed oblivious of that fact at the moment.

"The whole castle, I don't think that's physically possible!" Merlin shouted in surprise with wide eyes. 'What could be happening to make him so adamant about this at this very moment?' He asked himself.

There was no possible way that Uther could have managed an attack because he was still hundreds of miles away and it would take days to actually reach the other kingdom. It was impossible to even have sent a message for aid from his newly formed allies; even if he did use a messenger hawk. No one could organize an army this fast.

"Oh, I believe it's within your capabilities. Just giving you a fair warning." Gwrthfyr smirked before started to chant a spell. He really hoped this would work.

Having read all about dragon lords the king knew that their magic acted differently. He researched the symbols of the old religion that would allow him to also have power over this too but hadn't had the chance to add them to the collar yet. Then his control would be complete

…

Kilgharrah was surprised when he was thrown back on the other side of the outer wall. There was a blue shimmer to the air around the whole castle and lower town. He could tell the guards were just as surprised by it.

The dragon determinedly crashed against the force field but he couldn't break through it.

He recognized the signature in the magic as his very own kin's. Merlin would never willingly use his magic against him. He'd felt that something was wrong the moment the boy was removed from Camelot against his will.

Breathing his magical fire breath against it he was surprised that the force field held up against it. The guards on the wall were all in protective hunched positions, looking through their fingers surprised to still be alive.

He needed to find out what was going on. Returning to Camelot seemed like the best option since it seemed like non were forth coming here. The other side of the coin needs to pay his does.

…

Merlin could feel the familiar heat behind his eyes. Sensing the outlay of the castle and the weakening of his energy as the force field spread over it. There was a pounding behind his eyes like something large was fighting him but it stopped soon enough. He was panting a little bit by the time it was done but surprisingly fine other wise.

Gwrthfyr smirked when a guard arrived at the door out of breath and signaled that the dragon problem was taken care of. "See, knew you could do it. Now you can just rest and get your energy back." The king said before departing.

Signaling for the servant boy to follow him.

Merlin was shocked he had enough power to actually do that. His powers had never truly been tested to their limits.

…

Gwrthfyr had a thoughtful look as he closed and locked the door behind himself. Tucking the key back under his clothes.

"What is it?" Altoris asked. After spending so many years under his lord's service he could tell his mind was racing.

"I'm going to need to address the people. They're bound to know something is going on now. They'll also need reassurance after the dragon attack." The king informed.

"Right away, my lord." Altoris bowed.

…

Merlin sat on the bed in thought. Something was going on that he wasn't privy to.

Getting out of bed he made his way back to the bathing chambers where a hot warm bath was waiting for him. He hadn't really realized before but he kind of stunk. He stripped of his attire before entering the best bath he'd ever had in his life.

It was just the right temperature at first but he had to reluctantly get out when the water had cooled. If he still had control of his magic he'd be able to just heat it up again.

Walking behind the dressing screen he discover the outfit left for him was actually an old-fashioned sorcerer robe like the kind Gaius usually wore but in the Dyfred blue colour. When he picked it up he could feel that it was made from very fine fabric unlike the rough material he was used to.

There were symbols of the old religion woven into it in silver thread. They made him a little vary at first but he could understand them all. From what he could tell they were used to boost the wearer's power. The warlock had a feeling that these had been recycled from the court sorcerer before him.

He approached the dinning room in his new finery but upon entering to stop in slack jaw aw. He only expected a single serving to be waiting for him; like what he fed Arthur. What awaited him though was a full course meal.

Even though he was a prisoner, he was a very well kept prisoner.

...

*Knock knock*

Arthur was reluctant to allow the knocker entrance but he knew it was rude to leave people waiting. His demeanor brightened when he saw it was just Leon. He was the person out of everyone he thought would be the least bias.

"Leon" Arthur nodded as he allowed the man entrance.

He was the only one out of the entire knight's of the round table that didn't have a relationship with Merlin first before becoming his friend. They had years of previous friendship before the manservant was a blip on his radar. Even Gaius held Merlin in higher esteem than himself even though he had helped when he was birthed.

"My lord, I just came to make sure you're alright." Leon said, as he looked the prince up and down like he could see his emotional pain like physical injuries on his body. He hadn't seen him since before all of the events from the day before happened and had to see if he was all right. No wounds were visible but he was still wearing his clothes from the day before though and his hair looked messed up.

"You don't have to be that formal with me when no ones around." Arthur said as he shut the door for more privacy. The knight dropped his perfect posture into a more relaxed pose. The prince sighed as he went and laid on his bed.

Leon took off his sword belt and sat in a chair to get more comfortable meaning he knew that this conversation was going to take a long time. "Talk." He encouraged when the prince didn't say something for a couple minutes.

"I don't know how to feel about all this. I've known Merlin for years now and we've gone through so much together and I never really suspected. Others had accused him more than once, so it should have been an eye opener to me, but I just brushed them off because I thought Merlin was too much of an idiot to be a sorcerer. I think my first impression of Merlin blinded me to what he was actually capable of." Arthur bit his lip contemplatively.

Leon didn't say anything even though the pause in speech indicated that he should but he knew the prince well enough to know that if he wanted his opinion on something he would actually address him and right now he just needed someone to talk at and listen.

"For some reason I feel like the bad guy in this piece because I have doubts about Merlin's character now while the others seem to have not wavered in their faith in him." Leon knew the prince meant Gwaine, Lancelot, Elyan, and Percival. "But it's only natural to question your relation ship with somebody when you find out you've been lied to."

"How did you feel yesterday Leon when you found out someone you had considered a friend had been lying to you, breaking one of the laws you fought so hard to hold?" The prince looked right at him instead of the ceiling. "So I can compare my own feelings to yours."

Leon cleared his throat before speaking. "I felt…" He had to pause before he continued because he felt that his answer would be important to the future event's some how. Really not wanting to say the wrong thing. "A little hurt but resigned to it…Like Merlin had few choices in the situation he found himself in and was trying to make the best of his situation. Telling me wouldn't have improved it."

"Wouldn't telling me improve his situation though? He wouldn't have had to hide what he was actually doing and could've been doing more good." Arthur gestured to himself as he tried to prove his point.

"It sounds to me that you're less angry about him performing magic behind your back then him not telling you. Keeping a secret when you thought there were no big secretes between you. He knew all yours so why shouldn't you know all of his in return." Leon had noticed this since the prince wasn't really concentrating on the fact that Merlin could do magic at all but that he had lied.

Arthur looked a little shocked at that revelation but didn't out right deny it. "I think honesty and trust matter in relationships. It feels like Merlin doesn't trust me at all."

"Think about how you would've reacted to news like that at the beginning of your relationship with him." Leon paused to see if the prince would say anything but he stayed quite. "You would've been blinded by what your father told you about anyone who used magic and most likely sentenced him to death."

The prince just sputtered in indignation. "At the beginning I didn't put all my trust in him either."

"I think that Merlin probably got so used to not telling anyone that he just doesn't know how to. It sounded to me that Gaius and Lancelot had it revealed to them by accident too." Leon stood up and put his sword belt back on. "Just think on it." The knight said before leaving. Leon didn't think there was any more he could say on the issue. The final choice was Arthur's.

…

Arthur was having a hard time sleeping even though the sky had now turned dark. The day before he was so exhausted he was out like a light. But after a day dozing in bed his mind was free to wonder.

The conversation with Leon didn't help the not thinking matters since it just made him ask more questions.

Thinking about all the time he spent in Merlin's company and how he never suspected. Situations he was sure of the course of events before were playing out very differently with the knowledge that magic had been involved.

Awake enough to be aware of his surroundings and the passage of time but too tired to actually get up and do anything.

He rolled over and fluffed his pillow trying to push the thoughts away.

"Arthur."

The sound of his name clearly spoken by a strange voice made the prince shoot up in bed. He looked around but all he saw was darkness. 'Must have just been imagining it.' He thought to himself.

When nothing else was spoken he went to lie down and attempt to sleep again.

"Arthur I need to speak to you."

Shooting back up again, his heart started to pound. "Who's there?" He questioned the inky blackness.

Grabbing his sword that he always kept beside the bed he slipped out of between the sheets on the right side of the bed. He held it in a defensive position just in case of an attack as he made his way to the window. Quickly pulling the curtains open so that the moonlight could brighten the room.

There was no one there.

...TBC