A/N: Well, this is a fast update. I guess I got inspired. Don't count on this happening again, though it might.
This chapter is dedicated to a new reader, whatswiththemustache, who reviewed every chapter! I'm glad you are enjoying the story!
As always, R&R!
That night, after Gaius had gone to bed, Merlin threw off his covers. The knife was newly hidden under the mattress, clean cloth around his wrists. The 'trial' had made his hand slip more than once earlier that night. He had made sure not to pass out, though he really, really wanted to just not think for a while. He needed to talk to Yara Mair.
The torches cast shivering shadows against stone walls as Merlin slipped down to the dungeons. The guards were almost asleep, and Merlin managed to slip past them without using any magic. The young girl was held in one of the magic-suppressing cells, a place that filled Merlin with a feeling like ice.
Whispering a quiet greeting, Merlin watched as the girl looked up from where her head was tucked against her knees.
"Emrys," the girl breathed, and she crawled towards him on her hands and knees. She got to within a foot of the barred door, before the shackles around her small wrists stopped her. Merlin reached a pale hand through the door, and grasped the small, warm hand in his.
"I will get you out of this," he promised, and she nodded.
"I am not brave enough to die to set in motion the events that will show Arthur he is wrong," she said quietly. "I'm scared." Merlin rubbed her thumb on the girl's wrist, trying to calm her as tears dripped onto her cheeks. And felt raised ridges through the fabric. He sent the girl a questioning gaze. "And scarred," she admitted quietly, shoving her sleeves up to her elbows. The scars there were fading, they must be a few months old, at least. Merlin could feel the girl's eyes on him. "I fell, when my brother was killed. The one mercy granted to him was that it was fast," she said quietly. "No such mercy has been given to either of us."
Merlin caught Yara's glance to his sleeves, where he had drawn them back to the outside the door. With hesitation, Merlin gripped the hem of his sleeves. He pulled them back, exposing the cleanly bandaged arms, through which a few spots of red could be seen. He moved his hands back into the cell, allowing her to run her hands over the bandages. She let her hands fall back to her lap.
"I'm not brave enough to die," she said again, "but maybe I can help you, Emrys."
"My name's Merlin," Merlin said quietly.
"You stood next to Arthur during the 'trial'," she said, sketching quotation marks around the word.
"I'm his manservant," Merlin said, quietly.
"Well, at least he seems to care not for propriety where you're concerned," she said, a touch of wry humor in her voice.
"You sure?" Merlin looked quietly at the lock to the cell, trying to feel it with his magic.
"He's comfortable around you. I wasn't lying about not being a sorceress you know. There's a difference between and sorceress and an enchantress. I'm more of a healer, a singer, but I can also see more of the subtleties that show what someone thinks of another person."
"That's great," Merlin said absently as he sent his magic into the metal entrapment. Some of the spell that muffled his magic, seeming almost to freeze it within him, snuck outside the cell, making it harder than normal to call on the magic inside him.
"You said your grandfather was a dragon lord," he said quietly, grunting quietly as the magic was snuffed out.
"One of the last," she agreed, and Merlin once again felt the fire of her gaze upon him.
"There was one left, until about a year ago. Then the power changed hands Emrys. Merlin," she amended herself.
"How do you know all of this?" He asked, grabbing for the power again.
"You don't know how to shield your mind very well. Some of you memories are slightly overwhelming," she answered. "That's another thing about enchantresses. They can see memories, sometimes thoughts if we know how to control it. I don't really. I'm only learning, mostly teaching myself."
"What were you doing in the town?" Merlin asked as he felt the magic work against the lock.
"The calves had an illness. Nothing too bad, at least, I don't think it was. But I was hoping to practice my healing ability. Obviously, I have to practice my stealth skills a bit more." She offered him a small grin.
The lock clicked, and Merlin's eyes faded back to their natural blue color. "Now for the cuffs," Merlin said quietly. The girl held her hands out to him. Her wrists were chaffed red from the metal.
Yara was silent as Merlin worked. His magic stayed insistently out of reach. It was there, he could feel it, but when his hands went numb, Merlin had to admit some semblance of defeat.
"You should leave," Yara said, eyes wide. "Your magic is to you as air is for the rest of us. This place could kill you."
"Just for a minute," Merlin said. "A deep breath before I plunge into the waters if you like." He backed out of the cell and turned, going back to where the two men sat guard. One of them should have what he was looking for. The ring of keys sat on the table both men were hunched over as they wagered on the outcome of a game of dice. Idiots. Merlin may not be the sharpest knife in the metaphorical drawer, but he knew better than to waste any of his money on betting.
With a quick twitch of his hand, his eyes changed to gold and the dice skittered off to the far corner. As the men's backs were to him, he grabbed the keys with his magic, and a few whispered words brought them to his hands. Like a shadow, Merlin, known to those of magic as Emrys, disappeared back down into the cold, shadowy depths of the dungeon.
A/N: Keep reviewing! I got 9 reviews since I put up the last chapter. If I get ten on this one, well, lets just say you'll be keeping me busy with updates!