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The chains above Merlin's head rattled as the man secured his wrists to the wall of the cart. He resisted the temptation to use magic, instead closing his eyes and trying to remember the events leading up to this moment. He had been hunting with Arthur when they were attacked. There were too many men to fight without magic, but Merlin hesitated a moment too long and was knocked out. The last thing he'd heard was someone screaming his name. He knew the voice. It belonged to...
"Arthur!" His eyes flew open and his gaze fixed on the man in front of him, who had moved on to restraining his ankles. "What did you do to Arthur?" Whenever someone, they usually wanted something from Arthur.
"Who?" The man was now looking up at Merlin, his brows furrowed in confusion.
"Arthur," the man tilted his head, his confusion causing a spark of relief in Merlin. They didn't know Arthur was the prince. "The man I was with when you attacked us."
The man nodded and turned his focus back to the chains. "Oh, the random knight. We have no use for him, so we took his armor and sword and left him unconscious in the clearing." Merlin had to stop himself from sighing due to relief. That confirmed his suspicions, the attack had nothing to do with Arthur. However, Merlin's relief didn't last long when he realized he still didn't know what the purpose of the attack was.
"Then why attack us?" Right, of course the question would just slip out. If only Arthur was there to insult his utter lack of tact. Oh well, best to ask the questions and hope answers are provided. "And why am I here?"
The bottom of the car creaked as another man entered and prodded the first man with his foot. The first man promptly left. Merlin surveyed the man's appearance as the man closed the door. He wore more regal clothes than the first man and something about the way he carried himself reminded Merlin of the king.
Merlin's eyes shot up to meet those of the man as he turned around and smiled."The answer to your first question is simple: you. We attacked you and the prince - yes, I know who he is - because we wanted you. I believe that answered both of your questions..."
"Why?"
"I beg your pardon?" Merlin took a moment to realize he'd actually voiced his question and was now slowly digging a deeper hole for himself.
"Why would you want to take me?" The man's smirk grew slightly and his eyes gained a spark as if to say 'oh, this will be fun'.
"Well you see, I am a collector of powerful things and things that interest me. Now, technically I already own you since you were born in my country, but..."
"Cenred!?" Merlin's eyes had widened at the realization that he knew who this man was. Cenred craved power. He had actually been part of the reason he'd left Ealdor in the first place. And now, Cenred had somehow learned of him and taken him anyway.
"Yes, Merlin. That is my name." Cenred looked into his eyes and paused. "Though perhaps Merlin isn't yours, do you prefer Emrys?"
Merlin's chest tightened and he momentarily forgot how to breathe. "I-I'm sorry. What?"
Annoyance briefly flickered over Cenred's face before he managed to conceal it. Hands reached for the chains above Merlin's head and pulled him closer to the man he once called King. "Don't play coy with me, Merlin. I know who you are. I know you're Emrys."
Merlin clenched his jaw and muttered, "I've no idea what you're talking about," before silently cursing himself for never learning to lie.
"No, of course you don't." Cenred chuckled and pulled away, dropping Merlin's chains and Merlin. "You should know better than to lie to me, Merlin. But it doesn't matter, because whether or not you're a sorcerer, you're still a useful tool in the war against Camelot. I know you won't say anything when beaten physically, but I have other ways of making you talk." His eyes roamed Merlin's body and clouded with lust. "Bring the prince in here, he can watch as I play with his servant while he's beaten."
Merlin's eyes widened and his body tensed. "Wait, Arthur's here? I thought you left him in the clearing."
Cenred nodded and kneeled in front of Merlin, his hands reaching down and beginning to work on the laces of Merlin's trousers. "Yes, your prince is here. My men went back for him when I realized you'd end up being difficult. However, you can save him from harm if you're honest with me." He knew he'd won when Merlin went limp in front of him, "good, let's try again. Are you Emrys, Merlin?"
"Yes, I am Emrys." Merlin began trying to reach for his magic to help him escape, so he could rescue Arthur, but something was blocking him.
"Very good. Don't bother trying to use your magic, these chains are made to hold sorcerers. Now…" Cenred was interrupted when the door swung open. "I told you to leave me alone. What's so important that…"
"Arthur!" Merlin's eyes lit up at the sight of his prince.
"What?" Cenred turned just in time to see the anger in Arthur's eyes before he was hit to the side by a sheathed sword.
Arthur rushed to Merlin's side and wasted no time in freeing his servant. "Merlin, what were you…" as Arthur spoke, King Cenred quietly got to his feet behind him and was reaching for his sword. Merlin, reacting on instinct, reached for his magic and threw the King against the wall. Arthur reacted quickly, wrapping the chains around Cenred's wrists and dragging Merlin through the door and into the forest.
Merlin turned with a smile to thank Arthur, but his voice caught in his throat when he actually took in the prince's appearance. His eyes were blazing with a mixture of anger and fear, his jaw clenched tight, and he refused to look properly at Merlin. That was when Merlin realized what he had done. Arthur had seen him use magic. Of course he was going to be mad, Merlin wouldn't be surprised if he was executed as soon as they got back to Camelot. "Arthur, I can-"
"Let's get going." Arthur still refused to look at Merlin and his voice was sharp and full of contained emotions.
"What-"
"You heard me, we can't stay here and we have no horses, so we may as well start walking." Arthur held his head high and looked only directly ahead of him.
"Right, cause I definitely wanted to stay here. Of course I knew you meant, dollophead. I meant, what's-"
"Let's go." Arthur's response held none of his usual lighthearted teasing, despite Merlin's best attempts at joking with him. Merlin clenched his jaw and bit back any response. Arthur was really mad about his magic, so it would probably be best to wait until he was in a slightly better mood. Without another word, Merlin followed Arthur deeper into the forest.
They walked for three days without talking, aside from Merlin's occasional attempt at joking or teasing. Arthur's mood had not improved and Merlin had reached the end of his patience.
"Seriously, why is my magic bothering you this much?" Merlin stepped in front of Arthur, blocking his path.
"What?" Arthur froze, finally letting Merlin speak.
"I mean, I'm sorry I didn't tell you and all, but you've got to understand that the fear of execution was kind of a serious wall everytime I wanted to tell you. And I did want to tell you, so many times. Just, if you're going to have me executed, could you at least tell me now?" Merlin took a deep breath and looked directly into Arthur's eyes. If Arthur was paying attention, he'd probably see fear and anxiety under the thick layer of frustration, but it all combined to just be pain. All Merlin felt was emotional anguish.
"Merlin, I'm not going to have you executed." Arthur's lips finally shaped a smile, but he just looked really confused.
"Really?"
"Yes 'really'! You idiot! If I was going to kill you, I'd have done it long ago, when I first found out about your magic." Arthur's expression had finally relaxed and he looked almost like his normal self. "Now, if that's settled, we've still got a long journey ahead of us."
"When you first… wait you knew about my magic?" Merlin turned and rushed to catch up to Arthur, who had walked ahead while Merlin processed the new information.
"Yes, for quite a while actually." Arthur responded, answering the unasked question. "I began to suspect something wasn't quite right after you were poisoned. Too many events just didn't line up or make sense. I became certain when the witch hunter accused you. Despite what you clearly believe, I'm not stupid. Nor am I oblivious."
"But you've been acting odd ever since we left Cenred's camp. If my magic's not to blame, what is?" Merlin asked as he reached Arthur's side.
Arthur cast a quick glance, full of sorrow, in Merlin's direction. "You really are an idiot, aren't you."
Merlin froze again and had to skip a little to catch up again, muttering arguments as they went.
Arthur eventually cut him off. "Your magic doesn't bother me, but must you be so careless with it?" He stepped in front of Merlin as he spoke. "You only ever use it to protect me or fool around. You never use it to protect yourself. Hell, you almost let Cenred rape you! Was that for me? I don't want you to get hurt. And on that note, it's far too easy for people to figure it out. At least this time they didn't want you dead, there will be those who do. And how did Cenred find out, anyways?"
"Cenred heard of me from the druids, they believe I'm supposed to be some great sorcerer. I guess they might not have known what he wanted or something. He sent out men to learn about me. That's it. It's not like I intended for this to happen." He paused to consider the rest of Arthur's complaints. "And my magic is for you only. If I die or get hurt protecting you, at least I did so serving my purpose." Merlin glared back at Arthur stubbornly.
Arthur groaned and ran a hand through his hair as he turned back around. "Just, be careful, alright?" His back had been to Merlin and his voice had seemed small, so Merlin struggled to hear what he had said. But what he had heard could not be ignored, even as Arthur was walking away.
"Why do you care, anyways?" Merlin called after him. Arthur continued walking, but Merlin knew he'd heard him, so he continued. "Afterall, I'm only a servant. My life is nothing compared to yours." Arthur froze. Good, but not good enough. "You're such a prat, you know that? Why can't you just-"
Merlin was cut off when Arthur grabbed his face and crashed their lips together. It was unexpected and the kiss was clumsy. Arthur was too angry to be gentle and Merlin was too shocked to respond properly. When he finally did kiss back, it was uncertain and sloppy.
Eventually, Arthur pulled back and smiled cautiously at Merlin. "I love you, idiot. I care because if I lost you, the country would lose me. So would you please stop being a reckless idiot? Even just occasionally not almost dying would be an improvement."
Merlin chuckled light and nodded. "Only if you promise to do the same. It's really very exhausting to have to save your royal ass every couple days."
Arthur laughed and released Merlin. He turned to continue their journey, but before he could take a step, Merlin pulled him closer by the back of his jacket. His lips brushed Arthur's ear and the sensation caused Arthur's heart to melt and his stomach to flip.
"One more thing," Merlin muttered as he leaned in to kiss Arthur's cheek, "I love you too, prat."