Regretably I do not own Merlin. All rights belong to the BBC.

Ok so I definitely broke my promise. This chapter has been a LONG time coming, and for that I can only apologise. I decided last minute to go travelling for a few months, where I wasn't able to update so that is my excuse- that and the fact that when I got back I had some serious writer's block with this chapter. It hated me, and I have no idea why- maybe it's because I rejected it for so long….

Not very happy with this, but after writing about a million and one different versions for this chapter, I kinda gave up and picked the least offensive one! Hope you like it anyways

Chapter 5

Dust began to settle in Merlin's hair as he watched, heart pounding painfully in his chest as Arthur scrambled backwards away from him, head shaking in denial.

Merlin stared at him cautiously as he choked out stunted syllables through rapidly quickening breaths,

"Bu-….Yo-…" The King struggled as he looked disbelievingly at his servant, whose gaze dropped, repentantly, to the floor.

"You can't be" he finally whispered out brokenly.

Merlin raised his eyes to look, perhaps for the last time, into the eyes of his friend. He almost flinched at the pain he found there. Any reasoning he had had, died on his lips. All he could do was look into the face of the man he loved and try to beg him to understand.

He felt his hope begin to crack when Arthur's mask of pain morphed into one of anger, blue eyes freezing into a piercing glare,

"All this time" He growled harshly, "After everything that we have been through. For years I have trusted you- confided in you- and the whole time you were betraying me?!"

Merlin recoiled at the fury lacing Arthur's words. He shook his head profusely, "No" he murmured desperately, "No, Arth-"

He was cut off by a strong, calloused hand grasping him around the neck and hauling him into the wall. He groaned at the pain that ricocheted through his body from the impact and tried to struggle free, but he was pinned.

"What is your plan?" Arthur hissed into his face, hate dripping from his words. Merlin stared at him forlornly,

"Arthur pleas-"He was cut off again when he was pulled forward and slammed back into the cold stone wall. Black dots swarmed around his vision.

"TELL ME!" The king shouted forcefully, "What design have you created against me and my kingdom, sorcerer?" He spat the last word harshly; as though it were poison on his tongue.

Merlin screwed his eyes shut against the throbbing in his head-against the pain creeping its way around his chest- and against the disgust in the face of the man he loved. He could feel his breathing begin to hitch and break as the same face glared at him from behind his eyelids, imprinted in his memory.

He opened his eyes again, but did not- could not- look the man in front of him in the eyes.

"I would never hurt you, Arthur- you know that"

The king scoffed bitterly, "Do I?" He retorted incredulously, "I cannot be sure of anything anymore, Merlin. How can I trust anything you say, when everything I thought was true has been a lie?"

Merlin did not have to be looking at his King to understand the pain in his voice. He felt his own heart begin to crack as he felt his love slipping away from him. He took in a deep, faltering breath and raised his head to stare his heartbreak in the face.

"Because you know me" He choked back desperately, "you know I would never let any harm come to you- or to Camelot. You know that I would do anything for you"

Something in Arthur's eyes seemed to flicker momentarily, but before Merlin could name it, it had vanished, only to be replaced by cold resignation.

"I do not know you." The king replied emotionlessly. "Not anymore"

Merlin's face crumpled. Any shred of light that had lingered in his eyes snuffed out like a candle in a storm. Hands trembled by his sides as they fisted into his tunic, squeezing so hard that his knuckles began bleaching the skin.

"Arthur please." Merlin implored, " Please, Arthur, let me explain-"

"No" The king growled back resolutely, eyes glistening with emotion.

"You tricked me" He uttered quietly, almost as if to himself, voice thick with agony.

Merlin shook his head sorrowfully, trying to ignore the obvious pain in his love's voice,

"No…"

Arthur's eyes were beginning to burn again with intense anger now, as his voice grew louder,

"Yes! You tricked me!" Merlin flinched as Arthur practically spat the words out at him,

"Was this your plan all along, sorcerer, to worm your way into Camelot's heart and then destroy her from the inside? To make me trust you so completely that your betrayal would seem all the worse?!"

Hot tears pricked at Merlin's eyes as he stared mutely at the floor, head still shaking resolutely against the onslaught of pain that the king's words were inflicting on him.

"You have played me; betrayed me. Our friendship was nothing but a game to you, and I was a fool not to see it." Arthur released his grip on Merlin and stepped away, turning to face the wall,

"My father was right" he spoke bitterly, turning back to appraise the shaking man before him, "he warned me that people would try to play me against my own emotions, my own weaknesses. I should have listened to him"

Something was crushing Merlin's chest. His already shattered ribs felt like they were crumbling to dust as each of Arthur's words pierced his heart like a knife. His heart was bleeding, he was sure of it.

"Arthur" he begged brokenly, "No, Arthur, please" he broke off as the air in his lungs began to choke him, his breaths coming in short and ragged as he tried to control the shaking in his limbs.

"There is nothing to explain" Arthur spoke over him coldly. "You are a traitor and a coward. I have discovered you- your plan has failed that is all that matters.

"I am ashamed to have let myself become so weak. You have played me for a fool."

Quiet enveloped the crumbled cell as the King's stinging words found their mark. The faithful wall that Merlin had been leaning against for support suddenly didn't seem strong enough and the servant's knees buckled as he sank, slowly, to the floor. Noiseless tears screamed pain down his face as he waited for the end to come.

Arthur stood, hands shaking, watching the man weeping on the floor in front of him. Normally the sight of Merlin like this would have him by his side in a heartbeat, holding him and soothing him.

But not today.

The Merlin he knew and loved no longer existed. In his place sat a liar, a traitor. A sorcerer.

In one short moment, the very foundation of the king's life hadn't just been altered, it had been crushed. Everything he thought he knew, the very person that he was, was because of Merlin; because of how knowing him had changed him. And yet all of this had been a lie.

Bitterness claws its way through Arthur's chest at the thought of the depth of his servant's deception, his breathing quickening as he fights to keep his raging emotions in check.

How could he have been so stupid?

He should have known by now not to trust anyone anymore. Everyone he trusts always ends up hurting him.

Sorcerers are evil. They cannot be trusted. Do not forget that my son.

His father's words echo around his head as Arthur continues to watch the man in front of him, trying to stop the sobs from bursting out of his chest and betraying him. As Merlin had.

The silence was broken by the sound of armoured footsteps making their way towards the prison cell. Arthur started suddenly, lunging forward to grab Cenred's sword from his unconscious body.

Merlin looked up at him defeatedly.

"Will you leave me here to die?"

Arthur's impassive mask never faltered as he replied emotionlessly,

"That would be no more than you deserve."

Any hope that merlin's heart was clinging on to disintegrated at that moment, and along with it went his heart, leaching out of him as he nodded numbly at Arthur's words. His worst fear had come true. Arthur hated him. It hurt more than he could ever have imagined.

It did not matter that Arthur would leave him to die. He was dead already. His heart had just been burned out of his chest by the only person he had ever trusted it with. He would rather die than have to live a lifetime of this agony.

The footsteps were getting closer now, Arthur would never make it out in time; they would surely catch him. Arthur seemed to realise this as well, shifting his body and bracing for attack rather than running.

"I can help you" Merlin murmured out flatly.

Arthur eyed him disdainfully from across the cell, "why would I accept help from the likes of you?"

"Because I can save you!" the servant spoke back, a bit more forcefully, raising his head to look the king in the eye. "You won't make it away from here now; you've missed your chance. Even if you could you have no idea where exactly you are, it could be weeks before you reach Camelot, and on foot you are likely to be caught. I could…." Merlin faltered hesitantly, "I could stay here while you ran, distract the guards long enough for you to get away; send them off on a false trail-"

"No!" Arthur's sudden dismissal of his plan caught Merlin off guard. Something in the king's voice had been…. not angry.

Merlin's brow furrowed at his objection. He raised his eyes to look at him, "But-"

Arthur interrupted him quickly, brushing off the long pause with a justification,

"I will not let you play me for a fool again, sorcerer. As if I would let you out of my sight. No. You will come with me back to Camelot and be put on trial for sorcery. You will be found guilty, and punished accordingly."

Realisation flooded through Merlin's mind at the king's words, and along with it another stabbing jolt of pain.

Arthur wanted to see him die. He hated him so much that he couldn't stand the idea of another man getting to kill him instead.

Merlin felt his soul begin to trickle away as the hole in his chest ripped open just a little bit more.

Whole body shaking, the servant managed to stagger to his feet and turn to face his master.

"Together, then" he uttered quietly.

For the last time

He limped over to the blond slowly, never breaking eye contact. The footsteps were at the door now; someone was fumbling with a set of keys.

Arthur eyed him warily, gaze flickering between his servant and the door "what are you going to do?"

Merlin closed his eyes briefly, letting his mind reach out to find the tendrils of his magic inside him. He drew on it, mustering all the strength that his shattered body had left. He opened his eyes again, grabbing the arm of the man in front of him and looking straight into his questioning blue eyes.

"I'm taking us home" he said softly, before his own blue eyes flashed gold and the world went black.

Morgana stood in the silent, empty cell, cold eyes staring at the hole of sunlight shining through the destroyed brickwork.

Behind her Cenred stood uneasily, she could hear him fidgeting. The fool.

"And you have no idea where they are now?" She questioned, whilst a pale hand twirled its way around a ringlet of dark hair.

Cenred swallowed, "No, my lady" He glanced up nervously, "As I said, the boy- he attacked us, and when I came to they were gone."

"Gone?" the sorceress mimicked; voice sickly sweet,

"Y-yes, my lady. I have sent men out to search for them but there is no trail. It.. it's almost as if they vanished, my lady"

"I understand" Morgana replied consolingly

The dark-haired king looked up at her, surprised, "My lady?"

The sorceress turned to observe the man in front of her, "I understand, Cenred.

Nervous relief flickered across the man's face at his mistress', apparent, forgiveness.

It was short-lived.

"I understand that you had the man I was looking for in your prisons for three days and you were not able to make him confess to it. I understand that you were foolish enough to let that man escape. And I understand that because of you my entire plan is collapsing around me, and you-" She raised her hand towards him, rage burning in her eyes, "you will be the first one to be crushed by its failure"

The king's eyes widened with realisation at what was about to happen, and began backing into the wall behind him, arms raised in front of him in surrender.

As the sorceress watched her prey move, terrified, away from her, something flashed in the corner of her eye- sunlight. It was glistening off of the surface of a patch of crimson that lay beneath a pair of red-stained manacles that hung from the ceiling.

Triumphant fire glistened in the woman's eyes as she swept over to the cold puddle on the floor.

"Whose blood is this" She barked sharply, head snapping up to stare intently at the dark king, who still stood with his back pressed firmly against the wall. He looked at her, brow furrowing in confusion,

"My lady?"

Morgana glared impatiently at the man in front of her, "Whose blood, Cenred. Whose blood is this" She pointed with her hand down to the dark pool at her feet.

"The boy's, my lady" Cenred replied, brow still frowning in confusion, "Crone made sure that he suffered greatly"

A pair of green eyes burned gold as the liquid was drawn up into the air. A gleeful smile crept over the witch's pale face as she watched the red shape shift around before her.

"It seems you luck has not run out just yet, Cenred" She turned her head slightly to address the king behind her.

Suddenly, as if broken from a trance, she turned, "Come, we must make haste. Find the druid woman; tell her I have what we need. It is not as much as I had hoped, but it will do."

As Cenred moved swiftly from the room, Morgana turned back to the crimson shape hanging in the air.

"Yes" She cooed, "Run along now, Merlin, protect your precious king while you can." Cunning green eyes flickered to stare out of the crumbling hole in the dungeon wall, "Things will not be so easy next time."

Ok so i know this was basically all Merlin's POV, next chapter there will be more Arthur I promise, and I will try to make it better!

Thankyou everyone who is following and favouriting and reviewing, especially those who have been following from the start and letting me know they are liking it, really it means the world!