Author's Note: This story is a rewrite of an original work of mine that I wrote years ago. I've always felt that I could have done/added more to the story. So please enjoy this rewrite of Price To Be Free
Merlin walked into the armoury, searching for Uther. His eyes glowed gold as he cast a spell to light the torches within the room. As he walked to the other end, he heard metal clanging and the sound of rattling chains. He saw that a weapon was swinging from side to side, causing some of the noise. As he reached out to stop it, he heard a gust of wind blow through, and a felt chill go down his spine. He turned to face whoever might be behind him, only to find himself suddenly pinned to the wall with spears.
The warlock looked down at his body. It was pinned to the wall, which wouldn't be so bad if one of the spears wasn't sticking out of him. He looked up and watched in horror as Uther came charging at him with a gleeful smile.
"You will die a slow and painful death. You don't deserve any other kind of death. You've gotten away with your crimes for far too long," Uther stated as he draped his hand around the spear. He began to twist the weapon around, causing Merlin to scream in pain. The former king only laughed with enjoyment. It was as if the young warlock's screams of agony were music to his ears.
Merlin always knew that a price would have to be paid for magic's freedom. He also knew that it would be a painful price, and right now, his body was exploding in pain. Was it time to pay the price?
Arthur awoke on the floor of the throne room. He rubbed the bump on his head as he got up and grabbed the horn. As he wandered through the corridors of the castle, he heard a blood-curdling scream coming from the guards' armoury. He quickly matched the scream to Merlin and broke into a run.
He reached the armoury just in time to see his best friend's barely conscious form pinned to the wall and see his father laughing like a madman. Blood was covering the floor beneath the manservant's feet.
"Get away from him," Arthur ordered as he held up the horn.
Uther turned around with a smile, "He must die from his crimes against my kingdom."
"He has committed no crime, Father," Arthur said.
"He has magic and must die," Uther insisted. "If he lives, he will destroy the kingdom I have worked so hard for."
"No," Merlin weakly squeaked.
Arthur glanced over at Merlin. He had heard what his father had said but paid it no mind. Merlin needed to be rescued right now. He could not waste time arguing with the ghost of his father. If he did, Merlin would surely die.
"You had your turn. It's my kingdom now," Arthur stated as he put the horn to his lips and blew.
As soon as his father was gone, Arthur rushed to his manservant's side and got him down as quickly as possible. He laid his body on the floor and yelled for anyone who could possibly hear him as he put pressure on Merlin's wound. Merlin howled in pain before losing consciousness altogether.
Right now, Arthur wasn't thinking about saving a sorcerer's life. He was thinking about saving his best friend's life. "You are not going to die, you dollophead," Arthur stated with conviction in his voice.
It took a group of guards five minutes to arrive and help. It took another thirty to get the younger man to Gaius. One of the guards had to run ahead in order to warn the elderly physician about his ward and give him time to prepare.
Arthur watched as Gaius set to work assessing the damage his father wrought upon Merlin.
"It looks like the spear missed all of his organs," Gaius stated as he gathered the supplies he needed. "But with the amount of blood loss and damage Uther did, it will be a miracle if Merlin survives."
"What are his chances of living?" Arthur asked, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer.
Gaius started cleaning the wound, "Right now, let's just pray he makes it through the night."
And pray Arthur would do.
Arthur watched as Gaius worked at repairing the damage his father had done to Merlin. He assisted when necessary. The young king would run and get fresh water when the water that was being used became too dirty. He ground up herbs that would be vital for Merlin's recovery in the hopeful coming days.
Not once did Merlin stir or make a noise of any kind. The only way Arthur could tell the younger man wasn't dead was by the rise and fall of his chest.
After what seemed like an eternity, Gaius had done all he could. He finished the last of the stitches.
The physician looked over at Arthur. "I've done all I can for now given the circumstances. Hopefully, it will be enough to get him on the path to recovery.
"Circumstances?" Arthur asked. "What kind of circumstances?"
"It's one thing to survive being stabbed. It's another thing entirely to survive being stabbed by a spirit fueled by vengeance," Gaius explained. "Under normal circumstances, Merlin would be looking at a few weeks or a couple of months in terms of recovery time. But because this was done at the hands of your father he's looking at several months if not years of recovery time. Bed-bound for most of it. Even if he survives the blood loss and initial trauma, it could still kill him further down the line. It's essentially a death sentence. All we can do from this point is make sure he lives the rest of his life as comfortably as possible."
"Is there any way to save him?" Arthur asked.
Gaius shook his head. "Not that I'm aware of, Sire. I will of course look into it, but until then we mustn't tell him should he wake up. Better to let him live in bliss."
Arthur ran the palm of his hand down his face as he let out a deep exhale. This was not the kind of news he wanted to hear but was what he needed to hear. "Use whatever resources you need. I don't care what measures need to be taken."
"Of course, Sire," Gaius agreed as he picked up a roll of fresh bandages. "Come, help me bandage his wound. Afterward, we can move him to the bed."
Arthur sat by Merlin's bedside, looking at his friend's pale, thin body. The younger man's midsection was covered in bandages, which were already turning crimson red after a mere few hours.
He watched as the sunlight began to filter into the small room Soon, the knights would be waking up, and their servants would be telling them what the guards told them. By midday, everyone in the castle and Lower Town will know about Merlin.
While waiting for Gaius to return from his rounds in the castle, Arthur sat alone in his thoughts as he watched Merlin breathe. The young king could not grasp a firm reason as to why his father would accuse Merlin, of all people, of being a sorcerer. Sure, his father didn't like him, but that didn't seem like a good enough reason for what he did and said. Merlin must've done or said something to Uther while he was still alive that made him want to get revenge.
Arthur's thoughts soon turned to all the miracles that had happened since Merlin had shown up in Camelot. There were all those trees falling at the right time, swords flying out of the enemies' hands before they could deliver a fatal blow. There were also the times when Arthur should have died but didn't. There was also the Dorocha, something no mortal can survive, yet somehow Merlin did and recovered before even reaching Camelot.
Just as he was fitting the pieces together, he was interrupted by someone speaking from behind him. "How is he?"
Arthur turned around to face the new visitor, "Only time will tell, Gwaine."
Gwaine pulled up a chair and sat on the other side of the bed. "How did this happen?"
"You wouldn't believe me even if you were there," Arthur stated.
Gwaine let out a short chuckle and said, "Try me. I've seen everything the Five Kingdoms has had to offer."
Arthur sighed and figured Gwaine wouldn't shut up until he told him. "It all started when Merlin and I were out on a hunt..."
When Arthur finished, Gwaine was staring at him with an indescribable expression. "Out of all of my years of travel, I have never heard of a story such as the one you just told, but I can believe it."
"Do you think my father was telling the truth? About Merlin having magic?" Arthur asked.
"I'd be lying if I said he was lying, but Merlin does have magic," Gwaine stated.
Arthur started at his Knight in disbelief. "What makes you say that?"
Gwaine snorted, trying to hold back his laughter. "He's not very good at hiding it. Most of the servants, guards and few Knights know about his magic."
"Why has no one said anything?" Arthur demanded, feeling anger swell inside him.
"Because," Gwaine started. "Uther would have killed him and everyone that knew. You would banish him in a fit of anger. Neither would have boded well for both of you. Your destinies are intertwined. He is meant to protect you and help you unite Albion. You are meant to be the Once and Future King. Without him by your side, you would be dead before you saw reason."
"So all his ramblings about destiny aren't the ramblings of one who has too much cider?" Arthur asked.
"Nope," Gwaine confirmed. "Now, what exactly do you plan on doing about it? Are you going to let Merlin live, or are you going to kill him? Honestly, I hope you don't kill him. He's saved your royal backside more times than I can count."
Arthur knew he wasn't going to kill Merlin. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did. He cared too much about the man. "I'm not going to kill him, but I am going to slap him upside the head once he is fully recovered."
Author's Note: Thank you to anyone who decided to read this rewrite of mine. I hope that you enjoyed the first chapter and are looking forward to reading more of the story. Please consider following, favoriting, sharing and reviewing. Thanks again for reading.