Title: It's Like Magic

Author: Kiki1770

Rating: T for Language

Setting: After 4x05 His Father's Son

Summary: Who is King Lot and what does he want with Merlin?

A/N: Wow thanks for all the reviews! Here is the long awaited (it's only been two days though) Part II of Captured. WARNING! There is some graphic descritption in this one. It's not that bad, but this drabble is what really sets the rating at T.

Short Story: Captured Part II

King Lot came into power after Morgause killed his nephew, Cenred. When Cenred's entire army was destroyed by the Cup of Life incident, King Lot had grown into a power hungry man out of desperation to rebuild it. There were rumors that Lot was recruiting sorcerers, to which both Uther and Arthur had turned a blind eye to. As long as Lot was the King of one of Five Great Kingdoms rumors would be ignored until proven true.

Arthur signaled Elyan to release the arrows. Elyan nodded and successfully shot down three sentries, the arrows piercing their necks for a quick, painless death. The Knights abandoned their cover in the forest, and ran across the open expanse of land till they were in the shadows of the citadel. Elyan reached for the sentry's helmet. He gasped.

"Arthur…he was but a boy," Elyan whispered. Arthur peered over the man's shoulder, and sure enough the sentry was a scrawny boy of eighteen summers. The child was barely on the cusp of manhood.

"Lot, that bastard," Gwaine growled under his breath.

"The others are the same," Leon informed after a quick check.

"What do you think Lot was planning?" Percival asked Arthur.

"I heard rumors that King Lot had required every able body man in Essetir to join his army, regardless of the noble status. I wager that these boys were nothing but farming peasants." Arthur replied bitterly, his blood boiled under his skin. "From here on out, we do not kill anybody. Knock the soldiers out and move quickly." Arthur barked a final command the group moved forward again.

Navigating through the citadel of Essetir was straight forward enough. Percival and Gwaine did a quick job of knocking out any soldiers, most of which had been peasant farm boys. They crept along the shadows of the high arcing castle walls and under the final archway that lead to the courtyard. That's where the found Merlin. The sight that greeted them made Arthur want to wretch.

Merlin was suspended fifty feet off the ground by two heavy metal chains –the sort that had been used to restrain the Great Dragon – they dug viciously into Merlin's wrist until they bled and tore his skin away. His arms were stretched wide painfully. His chest was bare and revealed several lacerations crisscrossing across his torso; black, blue, and red bruises were littered across his body. Even now as Merlin hung unconsciously, blood dripped from his open wounds and splattered in a great pool below him. He was hardly recognizable.

Before Arthur or his knights could rush to Merlin's aid, every torch in the citadel burned to life. They could no longer just see Merlin's wounds under the pale moonlight, the glow of the fire revealed just how badly Merlin was injured and Arthur's blood boiled with rage. He swore he'd find whoever did this to Merlin and pay them back over ten times. Then they heard clapping, slow and deliberately taunting.

"King Arthur Pendragon of Camelot. They said you would come for the boy….but I never believed." A deep voice boomed around the circular courtyard. On the balcony, King Lot finally made himself visible, garbed in black robes and black studded crown, the King stared down at Arthur with his glinting snake-like eyes.

"What have you done to him?" Arthur growled at the old King. A wicked grin spread across King Lot's face.

"Why…I've just captured the most powerful sorcerer to have ever lived."

Gasp! Arthur knows the truth! Now what?

Review, review, review.

Kiki1770