"Sit with me." Arthur commanded. Merlin did so, sitting next to his master back rigid against the stone wall.
"Tell me what's wrong."
"Nothing." Merlin said. To quickly.
"Merlin." Arthur muttered in a dangerous tone.
Merlin bit his bottom lip.
"You know why they wanted you, don't you?"
Merlin hesitated before nodding, not trusting himself to speak.
"Tell me." Arthur ordered.
Merlin shook his head, biting his bottom lip to stop it from shaking. Tears were welling in his eyes.
"Merlin..." Arthur said in a low tone.
"Please," Merlin whispered. "Don't make me... Sire." His voice cracked and he began to cry silently.
Arthur was taken aback, gazing at his manservant with confusion. Merlin never cried.
"Merlin," Arthur tried, softer this time. "Whatever it is you can tell me."
"No, not this." Merlin said shuddering curling in on himself. Silently begging for Arthur to let it go but knowing he wouldn't.
Arthur took a deep breath before saying, "What did they want with you?"
Merlin stayed silent for a moment, "They needed someone with... Mmm..." Merlin stammered. He stopped talking and shook his head violently. He looked at his master with tearful eyes, begging him to stop this questioning. But Arthur would not relent.
"With what?"
"Please..." Merlin sobbed.
Arthur moved closer to Merlin in an attempt to comfort the servant. Upon impact, Merlin lurched away, cowering from the Kings touch.
"You will hate me." Merlin whispered, scrambling away from his King.
"What's wrong?" Arthur asked growing even more concerned for the servant. "I promi-"
"No!" Merlin cried out, clearly distraught. "Don't say that. Don't make promises you can't keep."
Merlin had now curled up in the corner avoiding the Kings gaze, whimpering like a wounded animal.
Arthur stood up, towering over his servant. "Merlin, what did they need!" Arthur finally ordered his voice full of authority. He immediately regretted it as Merlin paled and looked fearfully at his King.
Merlin tried to control his breathing. "They needed... Someone with... M-m-" Merlin struggled to get the word out.
"Magic!" He breathed quietly, before whimpering and curling tighter up into a ball, pressing into the walls in an attempt to disappear. He waited for Arthur to do something, anything.
Arthur froze. Staring at Merlin confused, disbelieving. It couldn't be true.
"No." Arthur whispered to himself.
Merlin just nodded his head vigorously, averting his eyes to the floor.
Arthur's eyes widened as the truth began to settle in his mind.
A sorcerer had free range of Camelot's castle and the royal family for years. Plotting against him, keeping secrets, gathering information.
Betrayal. That's all Arthur could think. First, it was Morgana, then it was Agravain, now Merlin. Merlin was the one who warned him about both of them, when really, Arthur should have been wary about Merlin. He should have seen the signs. The unexplained events that always seemed to revolve around Merlin. Arthur had been so blind.
He walked over to his sword that rested on the table, previously sharpened by the sorcerer himself. He unsheathed it and walked back to his servant.
Merlin heard the noise and couldn't help but tremble in fear.
"Look at me." Arthur ordered. His voice cold and heartless. This was the last straw. He could not handle anymore betrayals.
Merlin did, sniffing as he gazed helplessly at his master. The Kings sword hung by his hand. He had not yet raised it.
"Kneel."
Merlin did, trembling. Tears were still falling from his heartbroken eyes.
Then Arthur did raise his sword till it pressed lightly against Merlins chest above his heart. Merlin shuddered involuntarily, as one of his closest friend held his life in their hands.
"How long?" Arthur asked.
Merlin shook his head as fresh tears began to fall. He bowed his head, refusing to answer.
"HOW LONG!?" Arthur yelled pressing the sword a little harder.
Merlin started sobbing again.
"Was it before you came to Camelot?" Arthur questioned, determined to get an answer out of the sorcerer.
Merlin hesitated before nodding, squeezing his eyes shut to avoid the no doubt look of betrayal on Arthur's face.
Arthur hissed, seething in anger.
"Please," Merlin murmured. "If your going to do it. Do it quickly."
"You're in no position to tell me what to do!" Arthur hollered furious. He swung back his sword arm and swung it down, the hilt of the sword coming down across his servants cheek. Merlin limply collapsed to the ground at his masters feet, sobbing.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Merlin muttered between sobs.
"You filthy sorcerer." Arthur spat. The hate in his words making Merlin cry even harder. "Guards!"
Two guards came racing in, at full attention. "Take this traitor to the dungeons. Get him out of my sight." Merlin moaned as the guards dragged the warlock from the room. Merlin didn't protest or attempt to escape. He hung his head, silently crying, as he passed confused looking servants. Queen Guinevere even spotted him, putting a hand to her mouth in surprise, and racing off to Arthur for a reason to this. They violently threw Merlin into a cell where he lay, exhausted and defeated. He heard the click of the lock and sighed a long sorrowful sigh, before crying himself into a fitful sleep.
A loud clang could be heard as one of the guards tapped his baton to the cell bars. Merlin jumped awake, frightened by the loud noise.
"Dinner." Was all the guard said.
Merlins gaze fell to a bowl of soup and an apple at the entrance to his imprisonment. He shook his head, he wasn't hungry. The guard thought nothing of this and set the food just inside the cage for Merlin to eat later. The servant curled in the corner as far away from the food as possible. The image of Arthur's furious face not leaving his mind. Merlin knew that he was going to die. Arthur had already suffered so much that Merlin's betrayal might have finally broken him.
Merlin began to cry again. He hated this. He hated seeing Arthur so hurt. He hated knowing that he was the one who hurt him. Merlin made a silent vow that Arthur wouldn't suffer alone. Merlin would also suffer in any and every way he could. He could start by refusing to eat. That was about all he had in his control at the moment. Merlin then shuddered and shivered pressing into the cold stone, feeling the numbness spread through him, until he fell asleep once again.
"Merlin!" A harsh whisper stung in Merlin's ears.
He regained consciousness and thought for a second that he must be dreaming.
Morgana stood before him, her face contorted into a victorious smirk as she stared down at the prisoner.
"Who would have guessed you were a warlock, this entire time! Ha! Saving Arthur's life at every twist and turn, and how does he repay your efforts?"
Merlin stared blankly up at Morgana before lowering his gaze guiltily.
"He throws you in the dungeon like some sort of criminal!" Morgana cackled before continuing. "I wouldn't be surprised if he ordered your execution next. I might hold off my plans just to see you burn at the stake."
Merlin's eyes filled with tears. Her words hurt. And she was right, which made it all the worse. Merlin didn't expect to get out of this alive. He vowed that he would comply with any form of punishment Arthur thought up, he owed the king that much. The first tears began to fall.
"Now with you gone, my plan might actually work. Once Camelot is mine things will be different, better, much better. Of course not for you and those loyal to my brother. If you're still alive by the time I conquer the throne, things will be much worse. Don't bother telling your bloody king now, he wouldn't listen to you. I still can't believe, after all this time Merlin..."
Merlin sniffed quietly, his breath hitching every so often.
"Oh don't cry little warlock!" Morgana cooed, "I have special plans for you. You will suffer just like I did. You will feel pain like you haven't felt anything before. You will scream until your voice is gone, you will bleed until you can bleed no more, you will burn like the depths of hell you're going to." Morgana grinned down at the shivering servant. "Oh, I can't wait until that crown is on my head and you and Arthur are kneeling at my feet." She bent down so her lips were at Merlin's ear and she whispered menacingly, "We will have so much fun!"
Merlin moaned involuntarily, inching away from the witch.
Morgana cackled and disappeared in an instant as guards made their routine trip by the cells.
"I need to talk to Arthur." Merlin sputtered.
The guards looked at him curiously before shrugging and turning to leave.
"Please." Merlin pleaded. He was once again ignored. "It's important, Morgana has something planned. She wants the throne!"
The guards footsteps faded and Merlin was once again alone. He drifted off into a restless sleep.
"Do you deny having and practicing magic?" Arthur questioned sitting upon his throne looking down at the skinny pale form of his previous manservant.
"I am magic." Merlin muttered.
"Yes or no?" Arthur ordered.
"No. I don't deny it."
"Are you aware of the laws banning the practice of magic under penalty of death?"
"Yes. I am aware."
"So you willingly disobeyed me and caused harm to Camelot?"
Merlin stayed silent.
"Yes or no?" Arthur growled growing impatient.
Merlin squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath before answering "Yes." his voice barely above a whisper.
Arthur sighed, "Is there anything else you would like to say before I declare your sentence."
"I only ever used it for you, Arthur, please. You have to understand!" Merlin cried tears threatening to spill.
"Is that all you have to say?"
"Yes." Merlin choked out.
"I sentence you to death on the pyre in two weeks time." Arthur ordered.
Merlin choked on a sob as he was ushered back to his cell. Dishes still with food on them were piled on the floor. The guards to lazy to clean them up. He collapsed into tears and waited for his death day to come.
There was panic everywhere, Merlin had grown visibly weaker in the last week. He had stopped eating, the only thing keeping him alive at this point was his magic. He was just skin and bone. However the chaos caused Merlin to get worried. His guess was that Morgana had finally acted on her plan to take over Camelot.
Merlin began to hide all his food in case he would need it if Morgana really took the throne. He would need to stay alive for that.
A few hours passed and Merlin saw what he had never hoped to see. Arthur and the knights of the round table shackled and gagged were thrown into the cell next Merlin. Morgana followed closely after. Merlin pressed up against the bars in an attempt to seem stronger than he actually was. He needed to protect his King.
"Aw the King didn't have the guts to kill off his little warlock did he." She pouted. "That's okay, we'll have some fun together won't we, Merlin." She teased winking.
"I hate you." Merlin muttered.
Morgana just laughed and waltzed out of the room.
"Arthur..." Merlin started gazing at his king worriedly. "Did she hurt you?"
Arthur just glared at his manservant and shuffled away from the bars dividing their cell.
Merlin defeated slumped to the ground. "Let me take the shackles off at least, please."
Arthur scrutinized the boy next to him before thrusting out his shackled wrists.
Merlin muttered a spell and all the bindings fell limply to the floor.
"Don't ever speak to me again." Arthur ordered.
Merlin nodded and averted his eyes to the floor. Silent tears trekking down his dirty face.
Deep into the night after the conversations between the king and his knights had diminished, Merlin was fairly certain that they were all asleep. As quietly as he could, he pushed all the food scraps he had been saving into Arthur's cell. Arthur would need it more than he would.
Merlin looked at his sleeping king, reminiscing all the good times they had had together. All the victories, and even losses were better than their current situation. Merlin had always thought he would die by his masters side, but not like this. Arthur had taken the furthest corner away from Merlin's cell to sleep. It broke the warlocks heart that it had come to this. He wished more than anything for things to go back to the way they were. Even if it meant keeping secrets and almost dying nearly everyday. "I'm sorry Arthur." Merlin whispered before going back to his corner to try to get some sleep as well.
Arthur found the food the next morning. Merlin was still asleep and the knights had picked up their chatter again. They were discussing plans for an escape. Arthur stared at his manservant thoughtfully, did the boy ever eat while he was down here? Is this what he had been spending his time down here doing, saving scraps? Arthur frowned and brought the food to his knights to ration out and hide.
Arthur joined the discussion keeping his eye on his warlock. He saw the boy stir and his eyes fluttered open. He glanced around frantically until they found Arthur. Visibly relaxing, Merlin moved his gaze to the ceiling and stayed as still as possible as to not disturb the speaking men. Maybe Merlin wasn't as bad as Arthur had originally thought.
The chatter was immediately cut off as Morgana waltzed into the room, Arthur's crown adorned delicately upon her head.
"Rise and shine, my sweets! Today is going to be a fun day! For me that is." she cackled in laughter. Merlin silently got into a sitting position eyeing Morgana warily.
"Who should we play with first?" Morgana said unlocking Arthur's cell and eyeing the group of men greedily. "How about... Arthur!" guards swept into the room and grabbed the king by his forearms and dragged his struggling body into the hall.
"Don't you dare touch him!" Merlin tried to sound confident but due to his already weak state it came out as a squeak.
Morgana grinned at the warlock, "What are you going to do when I do this?" She pulled out a blade and pressed it against Arthurs wrist drawing blood. Arthur gasped, more in surprise than pain, staring at the dagger cut his flesh.
Merlin's magic flared along with his fury. His eyes glowed a fiery gold and the hilt of the dagger heated to an unbearable temperature. Surprised Morgana gasped and let go, the knife skidding across the floor.
She cradled her hand as her eyes filled with anger and she forgot about Arthur for a moment. "Why you little-! Guards! Bring the cuffs!"
A wide eyed boy ran in holding a pair of shackles and bowed deeply as Morgana snatched them and barged into Merlin's cell.
Merlin tried to disappear and get away from Morgana's grasp as she grabbed his throat slowly squeezing.
"Don't you ever do that again! Do you understand me?!" He whimpered and she slapped him across the face. Then proceeding to force his skinny wrists into the cuffs. "This should help with that." she smiled wickedly as she felt the boy go limp in her grip, a groan escaping his lips as he drifted into unconsciousness.
Morgana turned to Arthur. "Bring him upstairs." she ordered to the guards holding the stunned Arthur.
Merlin slowly drifted into consciousness, feeling completely exhausted. His mind was fuzzy as his eyes opened as colors flooded his vision. He blinked trying to remember where he was and what he was supposed to be doing. The room swam as Merlin tried to clear up his mind. He laid very still, until he remembered.
"Arthur!" Merlin gasped, sitting up, eyes wide with fear as he searched for his king. The room began to swim and spots danced in the warlocks vision. He tried to balance himself with his arms but felt cold metal bite into his skin as he fell back to the ground.
The cuffs, they tampered with his magic, making it impossible to do the simplest spells. Then why wasn't he dead yet. He can't survive long without magic, no warlock could. He glanced down and saw a deep scratch in the thick metal, it looked recent. It turns out that Morgana had done her research, and she wanted Merlin alive.
"Arthur!" Merlin whispered as he struggled to sit up again.
He saw his king curled up in a fetal position, in his cell pressing his back against the bars.
"Please be sleeping," was all Merlin could think as he scrambled to Arthur. It was difficult with his hands bound but Merlin managed. He studied the figure in front of him, seeing his chest rise and fall. That's when the warlock saw the blood. Fury and concern rose in him as he noticed the damage Morgana had done to the king of Camelot. The rest of the knights were asleep as Merlin got to work.
He didn't dare touch the king, scared how Arthur would react if he awoke with Merlin's hands on him. So the warlock began working with spells. He had never been good at healing but he tried anyway.
"elsbein donta yesh," Merlin muttered as he felt his eyes flicker with gold. He slowly drained himself of energy, transferring it to Arthur and fell asleep next to his king.
Arthur's eyes fluttered open, he was feeling better. He examined his wounds, surprised to see that they were almost completely healed. How long had he been asleep?
He rubbed his eyes and rested against the cold bars pressing against his back. He turned to examine the other cell to see Merlin asleep, his shackled arms extended towards him but not touching him. Arthur noticed the scratch in the cuffs confused of its purpose.
"My lord," Leon said, waking suddenly. "You're awake."
"So it seems." Arthur responded absentmindedly. "How long was I asleep?"
"Only a few hours, sire."
Arthur frowned. A few hours was not enough time for his wounds to heal. Arthur looked back at the sleeping warlock.
There was only one way they could have healed that fast.
"He used magic on me!" Arthur muttered angrily, looking away in disgust.
He shuffled over to the furthest corner eating his ration of bread and drifted off into a restless sleep.
Merlin awoke to being dragged out of his cell. He was disoriented and began to kick and scream as the guards violently shoved him towards their destination. Merlin, in his weak state, immediately crumbled to his knees.
"Kneeling already are we, Merlin? I thought it would take more than that to get you to be so submissive." Morgana gloated.
Merlin growled dangerously.
Morgana frowned, "Tie him up. It's time I teach you a lesson."
Merlin groaned as he was forced to stand. His arms raised above his head as the guards tied the shackles to a rope hanging from the ceiling, rendering him helpless.
Morgana waltzed over to him, fiddling with the dagger she had used on Arthur. "I would hate to get this floor dirty after it was just cleaned of my brothers blood. Oh wait!" Morgana was face to face with Merlin. "No I don't!" She thrusted the knife deep into the warlocks thigh. Merlin couldn't help it, he screamed. The pain was so unbearable, the fact that he couldn't do anything infuriated him. He was utterly helpless to Morgana's advances.
The sad part was that even if Merlin wasn't hanging from the ceiling, or had the magical shackles on, he probably still wouldn't be able to avoid Morgana's advances.
He tried to hold in the tears, he really did, but as soon as Morgana began to carve on his chest, Merlin seized and began sobbing. He pleaded and begged for Morgana to stop. The blade was not going to deep, so it wasn't damaging organs, it was purely for pain only. Merlin choked on his tears as he gasped as Morgana pulled away. He prayed she was done, but she wasn't. She walked behind him, causing the warlock to tense up as she walked out of his line of sight. She hesitated knowing that it was driving Merlin crazy.
"Please, Morgana..." Merlin pleaded.
Morgana took that exact moment to work on his shoulder blades.
Merlin was crying again. He finally passed out from blood loss and exhaustion when Morgana was almost done. She sighed in disappointment as the warlock went limp in his bindings. She quickly finished up and ordered the guards to take him back.
They dragged the bleeding and unconscious warlock back to his cell. The knights and Arthur immediately stood up looking upon their old friend in concern and horror. They had heard the screams of the young warlock for hours and were growing concerned. Previous disagreements and grudges were forgotten for a second as they pressed against the bars to catch a glimpse of their fallen friend.
"What'd you do to him?" Arthur asked in wonder, with a slight hint of concern. Upon the warlocks chest was a word, carved into his skin: 'bastard'
The guards said nothing as they threw the warlock against the wall and left him there as he collapsed. Merlin's head rolled to the side as his body rested on the floor face down. The guards left the group. On Merlin's back was another word. The blood was dripping down him, making it hard to read, but still legible. The word was 'warlock' written in all capitals to ensure the most amount of pain.
Many of the knights looked like they were going to be sick, Gwaine did vomit in the corner of the cell after seeing the full damage Morgana had done.
"She needs to be stopped." Gwaine said, once he had finished vomiting.
The other knights nodded in agreement as they stared at the warlock.
"Yes," Arthur muttered, "Yes, she does."
The knights and Arthur began to formulate a plan to free Merlin, and themselves from Morgana's captivity. Arthur was worried that Merlin wouldn't make it. He bit his lip nervously as he listened to Leon's recounting of the plan.
Merlin had not woken or shifted from his slumped position he was left in. The bleeding had stopped and dried, the words were barely legible anymore. The only sign of life from the warlock was the slight rise and fall of his chest, revealing his shallow breathing.
Morgana hadn't visited the dungeon since Merlin's session. The group scarcely got food and were running low on the rations Merlin had given them previously. However, they were still in fighting shape and needed to act fast before starvation began to be likely possibility.
After a week of silence from upstairs, the knights heard footsteps approaching. They quickly assumed position, making themselves seem as weak and nonthreatening as possible. They had managed to make a few weapons from the plates and bowls from their earlier meals, which were concealed in convenient areas in case things went south.
A young scared looking servant boy stumbled down the hall towards the cells. He held a tray that clattered from overflowing supplies. A bowl of water sloshed around along with a pile of rags and food piled precariously close to the edge. The knights stomach's growled at the sight of it, and watched warily as he picked his way towards the cells. He had no keys on him.
He stopped in front of Merlin's door and visibly paled at the bloody mess in front of him. He stood frozen for a second before inching towards the door. He stared intently at the lock and with a flash of gold in his eye the door swung open. Each of the knights shifted nervously at the blatant display of magic.
The servant boy stepped in carefully looking behind him as if checking to see that no one was there.
"Merlin!" He whispered harshly, placing a shaky hand on his shoulder as if trying to wake him. "Emrys! Merlin! Come on, wake up!"
There was no response.
The boy's eyes flickered nervously as he got to work. He wet the rags and began to clean off the blood stained on the prisoner. He carefully rubbed over the words etched into the skin. Merlin hissed in pain at a particularly painful spot.
"Hey, hey, Merlin?" the boy asked gently trying to soothe the unconscious warlock. He continued to clean, gently tracing the area that Morgana had done her work in.
Merlin shifted his hands, whimpering as they came into contact with the harsh metal cuffs. The servant looked down and analyzed the cuffs. He saw the deep chink in its smooth surface and sighed in dismay. Merlin was not going to survive long with this little magic and this much damage physically done to him. It was a miracle he had lasted this long.
Thinking fast, the servant cast a spell, nothing to complicated, just something that would help get magic back into the warlocks system after limited access for so long.
"What did you do?" Arthur growled dangerously, as he saw the servant's eyes flash gold once more.
The servant shot a glare at the former king, but before he could say anything, a long groan came from Merlin. Everyone's attention shot to the moving warlock. His eyes fluttered open but the blue irises remained empty. The servant frowned and eyes flashed gold again. This time Merlin's body became rigid and tense, consciousness finally seen in his dull eyes.
"Gilli?" he croaked, surprised.
The servant groaned, "Hello, Emrys."
"Wha- what are you doing here?" Merlin struggled to croak out.
"Saving you, of course, those shackles are killing you."
Merlin's head rolled to the side as he rested his gaze on the metal cuffs linking his wrists together.
"What about us?" Arthur called from his position on the other side of the bars.
Gilli sneered, "I could care less about what Morgana has planned for you lot."
Merlin stiffened at the harsh words, "Gilli... no."
The servant groaned, "Still as loyal as ever to your pretty little king. Isn't he the one who-"
"Gilli!" Merlin dissolved in coughs and sputters. Tears welled in his eyes as each heave of his chest brought a stinging pain from his wounds on his chest and back.
Footsteps could be heard approaching. The king and his knights eyes widened in fear as the familiar click of heels gradually became louder as Morgana made her way to the dungeons.
Ignoring the warlocks sputtering and coughs Gilli moved with a new sense of urgency, "Emrys! We need to leave now." He began pulling at the prisoners chains and attempting to carry Merlin.
"No." Merlin managed to choke out.
Arthur's eyes widened, confused at to what possible reason Merlin had to stay.
"Merlin go!" he commanded, terrified as to what would happen if the sorcerer were to stay. Merlin's teary eyes glanced up in surprise, holding the gaze of his king for a long while.
"It's to late." Leon whispered in warning as the footsteps were nearly upon them.
Gilli cursed and muttered a spell under his breath, his eyes flashing gold before disappearing into thin air.
Morgana rounded the corner just as Merlin fell back from not being supported by Gilli any longer. The warlock hissed in pain as his wounds were rubbed painfully against the stone wall.
"Merlin! Glad to see our little doll is finally awake." She greeted cheerily
The warlock continued to cough heavily, glaring at the woman in front of him.
"Don't touch him." Arthur growled low and dangerously, glaring at the witch.
Morgana chuckled, "You have no power over me." Her eyes sparkled as her eyes flitted over the king. "In fact, you have no power at all."
Arthur's eyes darkened as he stared daggers at his step sister. "Oh really?"
She smirked and glided over to his cell.
Arthur walked up to her so they were eye level.
"Why don't you open this door and show us what you're made of?"
Morgana laughed, "You just don't learn do you? You didn't have enough fun the first time? Have you seen your manservant?"
The knights shifted nervously, they didn't have any weapons against magic.
Arthur lifted his head using his height to challenge Morgana.
The queen scoffed and swiftly opened the lock swinging the bars open. Arthur quickly looked around for a sign of Gilli. His magic was wearing off of Merlin fast, the warlock was fighting hard just to stay conscious. He caught a glimpse of gold eyes in the darkest corner of Merlin's cell and nodded. The king turned his attention back to the witch and took a half step backwards as Morgana confidently strolled into the cell.
"Let's play boys."
Elyan dove behind Morgana and shut the prison cell door sealing off her escape temporarily. Arthur pulled out his hidden knife made from the plates Merlin had given him. He quickly swung at Morgana who's eyes blew wide with surprise but quickly dodged. Her eyes quickly flashed gold and the knife flew out of Arthur's hand. Gwaine leaped at Morgana drawing her attention from Arthur. She grunted and wrestled him off of her. The other knights pulled out their weapons and immediately advanced on Morgana. She growled in frustration and quickly retreated muttering a spell and the men froze as a sudden burning feeling began to spread on their bodies. They flinched and winced as every move they made brought excruciating pain.
She slammed the jail bars shut and whirled around in a flaming fury, smirking as the knights began to shiver and shake trying not to scream or cry out as the pain began to become unbearable.
Her eyes flitted over to Merlin's cell, to glare as she saw the young warlock missing. The only thing that showed he had been there at all was the pool of blood resting in the center of the room.
Her face flushed red and she stormed out into the hall barking orders at her guards and soldiers she had stationed near.
The knights barely were aware of what was going on as they doubled over in pain and blacked out. Arthur, however, tried to stay conscious through the entire ordeal but even he succumbed to the torture and passed out as chaos enveloped the castle trying to find the missing prisoner.