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"Merlin, you can't go in there."

"Gaius, please, just hear me out." Merlin and Gaius were back in the clearing, the physician furious that Merlin was even contemplating going back in considering the destruction he had both witnessed and caused the time before. "I don't know what I did; it was like it wasn't me. There could still be sorcerers in there; I can't let them go in unprotected. And they saw what I did, Gaius. The chances are they won't try and fight back."

"So you are going to use your magic as a weapon of fear?" Merlin kicked out at a tree log in pure frustration. He knew what this looked like. He was going back into the place he had destroyed, and was going to stop anyone still left alive. Considering the state the prince was in, part of Merlin was simply screaming for revenge. But that wasn't who he was.

"No. Gaius, you have to understand. Lancelot! Gwaine! I can't let them go in there unprotected."

"And what about Arthur, Merlin? He needs you here. He has just made the first step towards progress and you are going to leave him again. Who will protect him?"

"Leon is still here. And Percival is staying as well. Not to mention Rand, he saved Arthur's life, Gaius."

Gaius sighed, resting his hand on Merlin's shoulder. He could almost feel the power the boy was struggling to hold back. All of them were furious about what they had discovered, but if Merlin lashed out in the way the rest of them wanted too, it would be catastrophic.

"Merlin, I know Rand was there for Arthur, but even so..."

"No, you don't understand." Merlin sighed heavily, sitting down on the fallen log he had just kicked, resting his head in his hands and sighing heavily. "He literally saved his life. They had poisoned him, Gaius. Nothing I did worked, he was dying. Then Rand appeared, he had the antidote. I nearly tried to stop him; I thought he was going to hurt Arthur. If he hadn't appeared when he did, Arthur wouldn't be alive. I would have got him out only to have him die then."

"He will get better, Merlin. You just have to give him time."

"I know. But Gaius, I can't let them get hurt." Gaius seemed to realise he was fighting a losing battle against his ward here. He could only hope Merlin's sense of wanting to protect his friends was indeed strong enough to overcome any anger he might be feeling at going back into the place. The last thing the physician wanted was for them to finally find Arthur, only for Merlin to lose himself in the process.

"He needs you, my boy. Make sure you come back. No matter what happens, remember who you are." With those words, Gaius stood up and walked off. It didn't matter what else he said, Merlin clearly had it in his head that he was going, and Gaius didn't want to antagonise the man any further, things were already hard enough. He knew he just had to hope that Merlin remembered all the values he held true when faced with Arthur's nightmare.

Merlin watched him go, feeling incredibly guilty about putting the old man through those thoughts in the first place. But he had to make sure this was ended. If he didn't see it for himself, then how could he attempt to reassure Arthur? He gave Gaius a moment to get back to the others before standing up and following him.

Lancelot, Elyan and Gwaine were talking quietly to Percival and Leon; all five of them looking more serious than Merlin had ever seen his normally carefree friends. It showed how much they had come to respect and value Arthur as a person rather than just a prince. They were doing this for him, not out of a sense of duty for the Crown Prince. Merlin picked up enough to know they were talking about strategies and scenarios.

Merlin knew that even if he did join them, he would not understand what they were talking about anyway. Gwaine would fill him in on anything that he genuinely needed to know. Instead, he headed back over to Arthur. Rand backed off a few paces as Merlin approached, and the warlock nodded his head in gratitude. Rand had certainly stayed true to his word about not telling anyone what Merlin could do, something Merlin appreciated more than there were words to stay.

"Arthur?" Crouching down by the prince, Merlin sighed when he saw Arthur was curled up into a ball again. They just didn't seem to be getting anywhere. When he could have time on his own to think about the best way to help the prince, Merlin knew what he would do. He would call Kilgarrah again. The Dragon may not have been able to assist when it came to finding the prince, but surely he had some sort of spell that would help Arthur recover. He had healed Morgana, after all. Surely he would do something for the man he had always claimed was the Once and Future King. He had to if he wanted their destiny to survive the way he had always said.

"Arthur, I have to go for a little bit. You'll be safe here, I promise. Gaius is going to stay with you, and Rand. You trust them, I know you do. I won't be long, I promise."

"Merlin?" Glancing over his shoulder at Lancelot, Merlin nodded. They were ready to go. It was time. He smiled gently at Arthur.

"You'll be safe, I promise." He brushed Arthur's hair back, letting his hand linger on the top of Arthur's head. It was the only contact the prince allowed without flinching away, possibly because he knew there was nothing threatening about it. After a moment, Merlin made to rise to his feet, intending to join the others.

Only to be yanked to a stop. Not that the grip was hard, just Merlin wasn't expecting it. Glancing down, he felt his mouth literally drop open. Arthur's fist was scrunched into the bottom of Merlin's shirt, preventing him from moving. Merlin's gasp was heard by the entire area and everyone immediately stilled, moving slightly closer to see what would happen.

Arthur wasn't looking at Merlin; he was still staring into the depths of the fire, his eyes reflecting the flickering flames. But Merlin knew him better than that. The prince was fully aware of what had just been said to him, and if Merlin wasn't mistaken, was trying to stop Merlin going. It seemed understandable; Merlin had been with him ever since he had been freed. But somehow, Merlin knew it was more than that.

It wasn't Merlin leaving that had Arthur reacting. After all, the warlock had left the clearing numerous times since the rest of the Knights had arrived. Something told Merlin it was because of where he was going. Arthur was aware of what was going on around him, and was trying to stop his friend going into the place where he had been tortured for eight months. Tears stung at Merlin's eyes as he carefully folded his hand over Arthur's one.

"Merlin, you don't have to come. Stay here with him." Gwaine's voice was so quiet, and so unlike Gwaine, Merlin didn't know what to do. Arthur was reacting to him and the situation around him. For the first time in days, the prince was fully aware of what was going on around him, no one could deny it. Merlin wanted to stay with him, to make sure that they could carry on helping him. But at the same time, he couldn't let them walk into a building potential full of angry sorcerers. He couldn't save Arthur at the cost of everyone else.

"I'm coming. Just...give me a minute?" Gwaine nodded and instantly backed off, grabbing Elyan by the arm and dragging him back as well. The rest of the Knights followed their lead and also backed away, although Merlin knew their eyes were still on the pair.

"Arthur, it's okay. It's safe there now." He knew that was a lie, but he wasn't about to tell the prince that they had no idea what they were about to walk into. "Everything is going to be okay. We'll be able to take you home. But we have to do this, Arthur, you know we do."

Arthur's grip tightened and Merlin felt his breath catch as his eyes swivelled to meet Merlin's. They were so full of fear; it only fuelled Merlin's anger of getting into that building. This was not the prince that had set off on a hunting trip.

"Everything is going to be alright, Arthur, I promise. We'll be back before you know it." Arthur's expression barely changed, but Merlin could pick up enough. For a moment, he was pleading with Merlin not to go. But then something changed. It was almost as if he was accepting it needed to be done, a flash of the true prince. Arthur would have never left an area without making sure it was secure, it was something he had drilled into his men. The Knights knew this, and it seemed as if there was a part of Arthur accepting what they had to do. The pleading expression slowly faded to one of acceptance, but he still didn't let go of Merlin's shirt.

"Give him something." Gaius's voice made Merlin jump; he hadn't heard the physician approach. Understanding what he was getting at, he slowly unfastened his neckerchief, keeping eye contact with Arthur at all times. Gently, but firmly, he prised Arthur's hand away from his shirt, hating the fact he had been able to do it so easily. But the second he had forced Arthur to let go, he pressed his scarf into the prince's hand. Immediately, Arthur's fist closed around it, his knuckles almost turning white in the effort.

"I'll be back, I swear it." Merlin whispered, finally standing up and quickly backing away, although his eyes didn't leave Arthur's face. The prince watched him go; gazing at him in the same intensity Merlin was watching him.

"You don't have to, mate." Merlin had reached Gwaine now, and the young Knight clapped him on the shoulder sympathetically, eyes blazing at seeing how destroyed Arthur was. Merlin followed his gaze.

"Yes, I do." Gwaine seemed to understand what he was trying to say, and said no more on the matter, instead gesturing for Merlin to lead the way. Merlin reached the edge of the clearing and locked eyes with Arthur one last time, nodding his head softly. Arthur blinked in response, causing the warlock to smile. At least he was getting some response out of the man.

Merlin let the rest of them lead the way once he had pointed them in the right direction, his mind dwelling on Arthur. Were they finally getting somewhere? Merlin knew the others wouldn't have been able to read Arthur's expression in the way Merlin could, and the warlock knew he had seen a flicker of the true Arthur there. He just hoped they could continue to get that back.

"Nice place." Gwaine said sarcastically, breaking the silence and making Merlin jump. They were here. Merlin's fists instantly clenched and the muscle in his cheek throbbed as he tried to stop his magic lashing out. They picked their way silently into it, where Elyan suddenly came to a stop, Gwaine almost crashing into him in the process.

"What the hell happened?" Gwaine demanded, staring about him in disbelief. Merlin slowly forced himself to look. It was as he feared. Bodies lay everywhere. Some were clearly still alive, he could see them breathing. But others obviously weren't, the position they were lying in made that obvious. He had done it. He had destroyed them.

"Well, they had sorcerers, didn't they? Probably got into a fight when Merlin got the prince out." Lancelot's voice cut through the horrified silence, and Merlin felt a hand squeeze his shoulder reassuringly. He swallowed hard. Lancelot knew. Somehow, his old friend knew precisely why Merlin had gone pale and why the place was in ruins. Merlin just hoped the noble-hearted man wouldn't hate him for killing this people without even thinking about what he was doing.

"Let's split up," Elyan muttered, causing Merlin to let out an almost audible sigh of relief. He didn't want to have to see the look on their faces as they saw more and more of the destruction he had unwittingly caused.

"Let's do pairs," Lancelot immediately counter-acted. "It might not be safe. Gwaine, Elyan, you go that way." With a nod of his head, Lancelot sent his two fellow Knights in the opposite direction, before once more placing his hand on Merlin's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"I didn't mean to, I swear." Tears were stinging Merlin's eyes as he glanced around him. It wasn't shame at what he had done as such, he had seen firsthand how they had been treating Arthur, and he knew that should he had done anything any different, he would be dead and Arthur still in captivity. It was just the ease in which he had ripped life away, and not even noticed he had done it.

"Merlin, look at me." It took Lancelot a few attempts before the younger man finally had the courage to lift his eyes and look the knight in the eye. Immediately, Lancelot felt a stab of anger go through him. Not only had they tortured the prince – to within an inch of his life if the injuries Arthur had were anything to go by – they had reduced his friend to someone that almost seemed scared of himself. "You were only trying to protect Arthur, and your magic was trying to protect you both."

"But Lancelot, look," Merlin broke off, waving a hand around him in distress, not helped as one of the more lucky bandits let out a feeble moan at the same time. "Look what I did!"

"It's no different to me doing this." Merlin blinked as Lancelot strode over to the stirring bandit, drew back his fist and punched the man, hard. Straightening up again, Lancelot turned too quickly to be able to hide his wince as he nursed his hand slightly, nor the fact that he was breathing heavily.

"Come on, before we both tear this place to pieces." Feeling slightly more comfortable with himself now that Lancelot had shown it wasn't his magic making him react violently, Merlin moved off slightly. It was his emotions, the bonds of friendship and seeing how these people had tried to destroy that. Despite not feeling it to the same extent, it was the same emotions that had Lancelot lashing out now.

Lancelot followed in silence, just trusting that Merlin knew where he wanted to go. For his part, Merlin did. He wanted a proper look at the cell he knew the prince would have spent the vast majority of the eight months in. He wanted to be able to understand what had driven the man he respected and knew would one day be a great King to the shadow he was now. He felt as if he was seeing the corridors for the first time now, not with the magic controlling him as it had been last time.

It was dark and cold, the stone walls damp to the touch as Merlin let his hand trail along as he walked. He had never considering stones before. But now, shivering slightly, he realised how warm Camelot was. The stones there, whilst may have been cool, somehow seemed to echo strength and unity. Here, he just felt alone.

"Can we make this quick?" Lancelot muttered, and Merlin knew he was thinking the same thing. There was certainly something chilling about this place, although whether it was just because they had seen the result of what had emerged.

"It's this way." Why he felt the need to whisper, Merlin didn't know. He had sent a trickle of magic ahead, confirming there was no threat waiting for them. He just hoped that Gwaine and Elyan were as lucky. Stretching out a shaking hand, he gently pushed open the door and stepped through into Arthur's hell, barely aware Lancelot was on his heels.

For a moment, it was as if he had forgotten how to breathe. He hadn't taken in his surroundings when he was last in here, and one look at the cold bar resting on the floor from where he had pulled it away from Arthur, Merlin felt his knees give way. Lancelot's hand rested in the middle of his back, calming and grounding, but fury was pounding from him as he followed Merlin's gaze. He knew what that was.

"They didn't?"

"They did." Merlin whispered; his voice cracking. Forcing his head up, he looked around. He owed that to Arthur. The room was small, Merlin knew should he stretch out, his feet would be touching the opposite wall. A set of manacles hung from the wall, and Merlin's keen eyesight picked out the smears of red around them. The whole place echoed the methods they had used to keep the prince subdued – the chains, the leather restraints Merlin had pulled off him. Over in one corner, a cruel looking club had a whip curled around it. The room was cold to the extent Merlin found himself shivering – and yet that was fully clothed. Arthur had been naked when he found him. How could he have stood it?

Shakily pushing himself upright again, Merlin stood, leaning gratefully on Lancelot's offered arm. One look at the walls had his stomach churning. Blood. He knew it was Arthur's blood.

"How the hell is he alive?" Merlin had no answer to his friend's horrified whisper. He should have found Arthur quicker!

Merlin didn't even realise he was looking for something as he turned slowly on the spot, eyes scanning every inch of the room. But he suddenly let out a gasp of pure terror and fury.

"Merlin? What is it, what's wrong?" Lancelot's hand had drifted to his sword, but he couldn't see what was wrong, the room was empty. That, apparently, was the problem.

"Dunran's gone!"

"Who?"

"The one who did it." He knew Lancelot wouldn't ask for clarification, not after having seen the bar. He knew what Merlin was getting at.

"We have to get back to Arthur, now." Grabbing Merlin's arm, he pulled the warlock from the room, shouting for Gwaine and Elyan as they ran back through the building. The others joined them just outside, but before they could ask anything, Merlin had set off at a run.

He should have never left Arthur.