Arthur sat on the floor of the cell, slumped against the wall. It had been several hours since he had first woken up, meaning it had been nigh on two days since Morgana had taken Camelot.
One of his thoughts was voiced by one of the knights in the next cell over.
"What is she doing? Surely she should have come to speak to King Arthur by now..."
Arthur looked up.
"She'll be too busy hunting Merlin..." he didnt get any further as a different knight spoke up.
"Yeah, another Sorcerer. How do we know that they aren't in it together..." he got cut off by a punch to the face.
Gwaine had punched him as hard as he could, splitting his lip and sending him tumbling to the floor.
"Don't. You. Dare. Don't even think about speaking about my friend like that. From what Arthur has said, he's done more for this kingdom than the rest of us put together."
The same knight spoke up from the floor,
"Yeah, and he was told that by a druid. Another magic user. Heck, I don't see why we trust any of them, it was magic that got us into this mess in the first place..."
He stopped as a set of dice rolled past their cells, followed by the guard, one of the men Morgana commanded the first time she took Camelot. The dice seemed to move of their own accord, jumping a little more as the guard got closer to them. Suddenly, a foot appeared out of the shadows and booted him forward. His head hit the wall and he fell unconscious.
A voice came from the same place,
"I'm sorry, but anyone who follows a set of dice like that is a complete... Dollop-head."
Arthur grinned,
"Still using the same insults. Eh Merlin?"
Merlin was grinning as he stepped out of the darkness, from where he had been invisible due to the black cloak he was wearing.
"Of course, I didn't make them up just for use around you..." He turned to the guard who had been speaking before, "True, magic got you into this... " he said, "So how about letting magic get you out...?"
He stepped forward over the guard, grabbing the keys from his belt. He looked from the keys to the locks, his face falling.
"It appears that Morgana has some kind of safety issue..." he sighed, "She has used magic to seal the cells..."
Heavy footsteps started to echo as a group of people seemed to start walking towards the cells.
Merlin thought for all of two seconds.
"It isn't a regular patrol," he whispered hurriedly to Arthur, "The next one isn't due for another hour... It must be Morgana..."
Arthur ran over to him, hurriedly starting to talk through the bars.
"Can you fight her?"
Merlin gestured to his side, where the knife had pierced it.
"Not like this," he replied, "But if I wait till she's gone, I can destroy the locks. There is an old tunnel that leads to the woods outside the castle, and another that leads to the lower town. Gaius is waiting to show you. We have a plan..." the footsteps were getting closer, "But it will have to wait" Merlin concluded.
The group had nearly reached the corner and Merlin could see their shadows... Arthur shoved him backwards into the shadows.
"Hide..." he whispered urgently and flung himself back to his original spot as Morgana rounded the corner with a group of guards. Arthur glanced at the spot where Merlin had been and was relieved to see no trace of him, but his view was obstructed by a shadow that fell over him. He looked up to see Morgana stood outside the cell door.
"Hello Arthur. How nice to see you... like this."

Arthur said nothing, just glaring at her. Morgana peered down at him, but her expression didnt change at his defiance. In fact, she seemed to relish it. "Well," she exclaimed, "Seeing how you seem to have lost your tongue, How about I talk?" She didnt wait for a reply, and, pulling over a chair from a nearby table, she sat down, starting to speak.
"So, I am going to make this quick, because I want to get to the really good part. You can probably tell that I am rather irritated by the fact that you went and destroyed most of the stones... but no matter, I have some left... The thing that really gets me is that Merlin is a Sorcerer. And not just any sorcerer, he is the most powerful one that has ever lived. Yet he spent the last few years protecting you... Someone who hates magic and everyone who uses it. I cannot even guess at his motives..."
Gwaine interrupted her,
"Maybe he just isn't a completely evil, power-hungry, glory seeking psychopath with a taste for theatrics..." he offered, with a pleasant expression. Morgana gave him a glare that sent shivers down Arthurs spine, and turned back to him.
"You really need to keep your men in line Arthur."
He smiled up at her,
"Well, I have always told them to tell everyone the truth as they see it... I think he did quite well."
Leon called over too,
"You missed Attention seeking..." he added.
Another of the knights called over too,
"That's not all he missed, though there is a lot of things she's missing."
Arthur grinned at the escalating red hue on Morgana's face.
"Yeah," Percival volunteered, "Her sanity for one. Maybe its off on an adventure somewhere with her ability to shut up..."
All of the knights were struggling to keep straight faces, and Arthur, too, was finding it hard to hide a grin.

Morgana fired a bolt of magic at the bars, rattling them and shutting them all up.
"Don't make the mistake of thinking I am anything like Merlin." she told him, in a soft voice that radiated anger, "I am someone who is going to use my talents to make a better life for my people, not one who betrays his own kind to the son of the one who killed off most of them."
Arthur stared at her,
"So you're fighting for a just cause, is that it?" he asked, incredulous, "No cause is worth the murder of innocent people..."
Morgana laughed. It sent tremors through Arthur.
"Yes, and yet Uther killed off hundreds of innocent people just because he consulted a sorcerer and didn't think about the consequences."
She looked around at the startled expressions of the knights.
"Oh yes. Uther, the scourge of magic in Camelot, was motivated by guilt. He asked a sorcerer to help his wife have a son, knowing that an innocent life would be taken. Thus is the price of Magic. He did not realise that the life that would be taken was that of his wife..."

She glanced down at Arthurs face seeing him seething with anger.
"Oh dear," she mocked, "Have I said too much? Are you used to hearing your father described as a hero... when as a matter of fact you know he isn't?" Arthur glared at her.
"He's your father too, Sister..." he replied, knowing that it would insult her, and sure enough, she got to her feet.
She spoke in a voice that seemed to drip with loathing.
"You think that you are so clever Arthur... but lets see how clever you are after this."
She gestured to her guards, two of whom opened the door to the next cell and grabbed Gwaine, dragging him to Morgana and shoving him to the floor. He had no strength to resist, as his wound from the demon was sapping all of his strength. Two others grabbed Elyan from the same cell as Arthur and pinned him down next to Gwaine.
Morgana turned to Arthur.
"I told you I wanted to get to the best bit. I'm going to lay it out simply for you. I have Gwen, and unless you play by my rules, she dies."
She grinned at the horrified expression on his face,
"First little game, One of these two is going to be returned to a cell, the other will be coming with me. You can rest assured that whoever it is will likely not survive. Especially since you upset me so much... "
Gwaine looked up at her,
"You mean you actually have feelings?" He was rewarded by a kick in the chest, and from his cry of pain, Arthur assumed that it had been on his wound.
He glared up at Morgana, who smiled back at him.
"Come on Arthur, make up your mind... " She seemed to consider something. "Then again, I do want something very much, and if you give it to me, I may consider changing my mind..." she grinned at him, "Tell me where Merlin would be hiding..."
Arthur sat back against the wall, horror across his face. He stared between Gwaine and Elyan and shot another glare of loathing at Morgana...
Knowing that he would never tell her where Merlin was, and he would never let Gwen get hurt... that left him to decide who he cared about more out of Gwaine and Elyan... then again, Gwaine was hurt... Elyan might...
He couldn't think. Quiet enough to be only audible to his own ears, he murmured
"I could really use a hand here Merlin..."
Morgana smiled at him, in such a way that dread coursed through him.
"Merlin won't be getting you out of this one Arthur. Why would he bother?"
Arthur grimaced, she couldn't read minds, could she? He glanced to the shadows but saw no sign of Merlin. What could he do... He came to a decision, one that ripped him to the core, but a decision none the less. He opened his mouth to tell her, knowing that he was sentencing one of his best friends to death...