WARNING: Torture some vague, some not so much. If you are squeamish with things like branding, blood, and knives this is not the chapter for you.
I love Merlin I promise. I really do. :D I'm not very convincing here. Anyways here is a merlin whump chapter. more of the gang (morgana, mordred, arthur, and gwen) in the next chapter. Also some of these chapters do happen simultaneously with others. So part of last chapter happens during part of this one, and next chapter will happen during part of this one. Anyways enjoy.
Merlin woke and was unaware of his surroundings. His vision was fuzzy, his head felt fuzzier, and he could move that well. He knew he was alive, he was in pain, that meant he had to be alive, though he was pretty sure he rather have taken death at this point in time. He lifted his head, as much as he could, and the effort it took was more than he expected. He tried blinking the fuzziness away from his eyes, and he was in a dungeon.
He sighed, of course he was in a dungeon. He just needed to know where. He could escape. He worked on sitting up, and when he finally did, he almost fell face down on the floor again. He looked at the door. He could do this, despite the unease he was feeling. He held out his hand, and when he tried using his magic he screamed. There was a burning sensation all over, he fell back to his original position, breathing heavily.
He had not been expecting that. They had to have put the cuffs on. He just must not have noticed. He tried to feel his magic, and he felt the burn. He couldn't feel his magic, no wonder everything felt fuzzy. He was missing a vital part of him. He looked at his wrists, a different set of cuffs were on him, but he could see the runes they suppressed his magic. They seemed stronger than the others, but too strong for him. He saw the red from where the other cuffs were peaking out around these new one's edges.
But something else was wrong. He tried for his magic again, this time much more prepared for what was too come, and he felt a portion of the source of the burning, it was his neck. He reached up and there was a tight collar there, it was almost choking him.
Merlin slowly got to his knees and made his way to the bars of the cells. He looked around; he had to find a way out. He had to do something. He was gripping onto the bars so tight that his knuckles turned white. It was then that a guard came, "Look who's up. Tell the king!"
Merlin looked up, but his eyes going up hurt his head. He was becoming slowly more aware of the different aches and pains his body felt. The pain was a constant now that he was attuned to it, that and the lack of his magic was really throwing him off. The guard opened the door, and pushed Merlin to his hands and knees.
Soon enough Cenred had made his way to the dungeons and was looking down at Merlin. "You thought you could escape, did you?"
Merlin did answer. He was trying to keep his focus on something, anything because he didn't want to focus on the pain, or the loss of his magic. He felt like if he did that he would pass out. He was tired of passing out, at least now he knew how Arthur felt.
Cenred looked down at Merlin, "We'll get to your punishment later," he smiled. He had a special guard just for that. But it would come later, Merlin shuddered. He didn't try to move though. He remembered what happened last time when he talked, he wasn't sure he would like what would happen if he moved without permission. "But first let me explain what you are."
Merlin knew that answer. Cenred had already told him. Regardless of the collar and cuffs seeming to absorb his magic, he knew Cenred considered him a slave. One of his own people even, Merlin was from this kingdom, but he figured Cenred was just going to overlook that. Merlin knew the king was a stupid one, if he didn't call Arthur a clotpole he would definitely use the word to describe Cenred.
"You are a slave, my slave. You have no rights, no possessions. No nothing." Merlin glanced up, and then back down and he noticed he was not wearing the clothes he was wearing. He was once again shirtless, and he very much disliked that. But the pants were ill fitting and he had no shoes. "No one is lower than you, and everyone is higher than you. I know you are a powerful sorcerer, but you are also the filth beneath my feet."
Merlin wondered if Cenred had some vendetta against him. If he did it would have to be because Arthur helped him save his village. That had to be the reason, but Merlin knew it wasn't. Cenred was known for being cruel. Merlin continued to listen, and try to stay awake. He thought the cuffs were bad, but the collar was much worse.
"I am your master. And I am going to use you to take all of Albion." Merlin tensed, taking Albion was not the prophecy, and anything involving Albion involved Arthur. Cenred smirked, he clearly didn't think that. "I call for you later." He said as he made his way out.
Merlin sat back on his knees, and then another person came in. They were wearing a mask so he could not see their face. They were big, all muscle and all brawn. Merlin had a very bad feeling about this. The person didn't speak, he grabbed Merlin by the shoulder, hoisted him to standing and pushed him against the wall.
Chains were attached to his hands, and he was strung up like a doll. He could only touch the ground with the tips of his toes. Merlin's first instinct was to use his magic, to protect himself but it backfired. Whatever spell he was thinking to use to protect himself in defense, was thrown back against him, and he groaned in pain. The masked man smirked.
He began to speak. His voice was low and deep, and had a slow cadence to it. The pattern of words was well thought out. Merlin's foggy brain soaked up what the man was saying. The degrading words hung in the air, as the man took out a knife, and a few other things that Merlin couldn't name. One thing when in his mouth stretching it to where his jaw felt like it would become unhinged.
With the knife, man began to press it into Merlin's skin. The first thing was a shape, a cruel form of a druidic symbol similar to what he remembered Mordred having on his chest. Merlin screamed in pain but it was muffled do to the gag in his mouth.
After hours or so it seemed of the torture it stopped. When Merlin was released he fell to the ground. He curled in on himself. The cell he decided was better than nothing.
The torture went on for days, the man used various ways, but the words were the worst. The psychological battle that Merlin was fighting was being lost. Merlin couldn't handle it, and he knew they were trying to break him. Merlin knew he wasn't going to break, he would die before that. He wondered why Arthur hadn't come.
After a few more days, Cenred had called for him. He was brought to the throne room. It was different than Camelot's, colder in temperature and demeanor. He was on his knees, only barely being able to stay up right with his head down. His whole being told him to just fall from exhaustion but he knew he couldn't do that. He couldn't show he was that weak in front of people who were important somehow.
Cenred spoke, Merlin wasn't sure if it was too him, or the people in the room. In fact he wasn't entirely sure people were in the room, he could only guess. "You are going to perform magic for me."
Merlin shook his head.
"I'm sorry, I don't remember that being a question," Cenred said, and gave Merlin a good kick in the ribs. He fell forward and grasped his chest in pain, the cry caught in his through on a breath. "You are going to perform magic for me, there is a throne in this room I want destroyed. Destroy it."
Again Merlin shook his head, he would be defiant til the day he died. Cenred kicked him again, Merlin had a feeling that would be the response til his said yes. So Merlin talked, "I can't."
Another kick, "You can and you will."
Merlin looked up at the king, and gulped. This wasn't going to end well, but he saw the throne. It was ornate, almost as much as Uther's. Merlin stretched out his hand, he reached for his magic, but he was only met with a soft muffled burn around his neck, his eyes glowed and the thrown was disintegrated.
Cenred smiled, and Merlin's eyes rolled back into his head, he collapsed on the floor. The magic was a lot for him.
When Merlin woke again, he was trussed up and the man in the mask was reading something. Merlin had a second to realize what was happening; Cenred had some type of control over him. Not complete because it still affected him to use magic, it hurt but he could use it when Cenred allowed. Merlin hung his head in defeat at the revelation.
The masked man turned back he had something that was red hot. Merlin listened to the man's voice this time, he noticed he had a thick accent but Merlin couldn't place where it was from. "This is a brand. It is the word yes, you sorcerer should know the language." Merlin couldn't read the language backwards, forwards was difficult enough. "The king wants you to understand you say yes."
As the brand pressed into his hand Merlin screamed. He bit his tongue so hard that it bled. He had never felt such pain, and he felt bad for any animal that had to feel this pain as well. He was breathing heavily as the masked man left. He was left hanging.
A few hours later a guard came in and loosened the chains so Merlin sat on the ground, but still no use of his arms. Merlin wasn't even sure he could stand back up again. The guard gave him water, all in one gulp, most of it poured down Merlin's chin, and down onto his chest. He then stuffed a roll into Merlin's mouth. The warlock did his best to chew it, and not let any of drop.
Merlin was alone, and he was feeling his will break.
A day later he was required to use magic again. He said yes. He passed out, and he was looking far worse than he had even when he arrived to Cenred's castle the first time. Using the magic took energy Merlin didn't have. Using it took Merlin's magic and expelled it from his body. It got more painful the more Cenred made him do it.
It took two days for Merlin to wake after that training session. Oddly they stopped for the time being, but Merlin's condition only worsened. The torture had stopped as well, apparently looking as death would warm over was torture enough.
Merlin figured it had been about a week or two since he arrived, and he was ready to give up. A guard came and unhooked him from the cell. What he overheard the two guards who were taking him say, terrified him and made it feel as if his heart was just being pulled from his chest, "King Cenred will have him kill the prince, then Uther. Camelot will be his within the week."