The Search ➳ Merthur

chapter ten

As Leon spoke his next words, both Gwaine and Lancelot looked straight at Merlin, for they knew that reality was separate from what Leon was saying. It was all they could do to try and plead with him mentally to not give himself away in his haste to do something in order to save whoever it was that was being framed.

"We've found Emrys."

~•~

Merlin had followed Arthur down to the castle, hiding behind a cloak and placing a spell on himself so he would go unnoticed by anyone. Whoever it was, whether it was a sorcerer or not, was not Emrys. And even if they were a sorcerer, Merlin would do everything in his power to make sure they were not killed, because no one deserved that horrible fate. He walked only a few feet away from Arthur, trailing behind him while the knights were around him. They talked in low voices, with Leon informing Arthur of exactly what had happened.

"...in the forest... a Druid boy... causing trouble..." It was only bits and pieces Merlin could pick up, but it was enough for him to understand that he needed to get the boy out. They walked into the castle and he let out the breath he'd been holding in; earlier he had thought they would catch him before he got in. Gwaine turned around, and it felt as though he looked right into Merlin's eyes before looking forward again. After that, they began to walk toward the dungeons, and he walked after them as silently as possible, to avoid any confrontations.

The four of them, followed by Merlin, arrived at a cell in one of the deepest part of the dungeons, reserved for those whom the king deemed unfit to even be jailed amongst others. There was no one around, and the boy was chained in a cell that had nothing but the stone ground. The cell was as bare as it could possibly be, without a cot nor a window, only the flames on the outside of the cell that provided light. On the inside, it was shadowy and dark; a figure sat against the wall parallel to the barred door. He slightly moved his hands and the chains clinked as he groaned in aching pain.

Merlin was afraid of what could possibly happen to him if he was ever found out. Thinking of it happening made his palms sweat and his throat to dry, but he could only look on worriedly as his love looked on to someone no different from himself, wishing to kill on sight. Merlin knew exactly how Arthur looked when he was angry. He would be breathing so heavily his breaths would overtake his entire body, then his fists would clench, the veins in his arms would stand out, and his forehead would break a sweat; looking at him while he saw the Druid boy against the opposite wall, Merlin knew he was furious.

It didn't take him long to find his voice and proceed to speak. However, it highly contrasted with how he looked, because he spoke in even tones and his voice didn't waver even slightly.

"Emrys. I've finally found you." Arthur began, looking down at the pale boy who sat against the wall. The boy raised his head, and focused his eyes on Arthur, but it seemed whatever he had tried to attempt was in vain. His body shook in pain, and his limbs flailed around as far as they could possibly go. He managed to drag himself to the bars of the cell, and looked up at Arthur in disgust. The king only smirked, before crouching down to look him straight in the eyes. "Magic-confining chains. Useful when catching illegal sorcerers, no?"

The boy struggled to try and reach past the bars, but could not because the chains had cuffed him to only so much distance. They weighed him down, and it seemed to Merlin as if each time he tried to move a single muscle it felt like he was lifting the weight of the entire world. Instead of trying again, he just looked at Arthur.

"I'm not Emrys." He said. Arthur chuckled.

"Sure you're not." Arthur began. "If you're not Emrys, who are you?" He asked the question with a sarcastic tone, completely disbelieving of what the Druid boy had said.