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Challenges of the Heart	By : CrazyEyesChick Category: M through R > Merlin (BBC) > Merlin (BBC) Views: 8727 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: i do not make money or any profit from this. merlin and its charcaters are property of bbc. this is for fun only.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
NB. RAPE trigger, be careful!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. I do not make profit out of it either. This is purely for the fans of the fandom and my creative side.

CHAPTER 10: Cry from the heart

A few days had passed and still no Merlin in sight. Search parties came and went on orders of the foul King; eager for news of his friend. No duty came first, except for finding clues as to where Gwaine & Merlin vanished. For now, anything could have happened. Pitiful attempts were made to implore Camelot’s King for a little rest, but were casted aside immediately with a stern stare and harsh words of ‘ Keep looking until you bring me back something’ from their frustrated, worried royal leader. So, they went night and day in search of yet another fruitless search, while Morgana’s loyal pet lead them away from the real scene and reported back with news of Arthur’s fallout.

The atmosphere was darker than usual; servants and even some Nobles felt as if something was gone. Camelot had been quiet recently; It seemed the manservant of the King had made such an impression on everyone with his lighthearted personality, that everyone who had come to know and love were sadden by the hole his disappearance created.

The most miserable person in the Castle was the Young King Arthur. He did not sleep, he did not care enough to eat after such failures in getting results. He kept pushing his knights, his guards into patrols in hopes of shedding light on what had happened to his companion. With everything that occurred in the last few days between them, he felt guilty.

He sat, alone in the large throne room, thinking. Focused on his task like a mad man with a vengeance; only his dutiful wife Queen Guinevere had seen to his needs, trying to comfort him, but in vain. The hard line on his face showed clear signs of sleep deprivation and conviction. His straight soft blond hair was messy, hiding part of his facial features. He waited, hoped for any evidence or sign that could bring back his silly Merlin home, safe in his arms. Georges wonderful service was so unsettling to Arthur that his mood had worsen. Gwen did not know what to do beside help him as the Queen as see to the needs of the city in her husband’s stead. His state was deplorable. Yet, Arthur did not lose hope. If Merlin had thought him something, it was not to give up. Merlin would do anything in his power to save Arthur, so Arthur would do the same for him.

Today, judging by the silence of the halls, it would not be any different than the other days, until an insistent pounding on the door interrupted his thoughts as it echoed to his sensitive ears. A bundle of his loyal knights rushed in, followed by a treacherous Harold.

‘ MY LORD, MY LORD’ exclaimed an exhausted Sir Leon. ‘ We found something near an unused entrance of Camelot, I don’t know why missed it; I thought we searched all areas’ he continued trying to catch his breath.

Arthur’s look had suddenly change from one of fear to one of determination. He raised himself in haste from his royal chair, grabbing Excalibur from the side of the armrest, ready to depart.

‘No matters, if we are to make it in time before the sun sets, we must make haste Arthur’ added Elyan, already holding the King’s armor.

Sir Harold didn’t know how to stop this failure to rush towards that sorry excuse of a man in his lady’s clutches. He decided to stall him:

‘King Arthur, I advise against rushing into the unknown, and risking your life for only a servant. For all we know, it could be nothing, please reconsider’ he pleaded, focusing his attention on his fake concern. For a second, a murdering vibe appeared, only to disappear from Arthur’s look when he spoke with an authoritative tone, leaving no room for arguments.

‘ Merlin is a citizen of Camelot and a friend, I will not have you speak of him like that.’ he paused, and ignored the fuming traitor in front of him ‘Lead the way Sir Leon! You can explain on the way, get a servant to saddle my horse!’ Arthur told a fumbling guard near him, running out like the room was on fire.

‘ No need, your horse is ready to go, my King’ softly said Percival, the larger man of the group, heading already out the door with his mates with an eager young man following closely behind, ready to get some answer after all this nonsense. They left, horses galloping through the fields to face the horrible truth of what happened that day with Merlin and Gwaine.

***************************************

When the group of men arrived at their destination, they were unable to describe the image before their eyes. All except, Sir Harold who knew exactly what had taken place here. He smirked in victory at the looks of his fellow travellers. Morgana would be proud if she could see the look of her little brother.

‘ Oh my boy!’ exclaimed in shock Gaius.

The older man had to excuse himself from the scene. He prayed to Avalon that Merlin was not among those..those...ghosts.

The air was thick with the scent of dried blood and rotten corpses. Open dead eyes were reflecting their image back at them, when walking among the dead, literally. Dragged bodies pieces were piled on each other. Probably scavenged from the animals around. No sound. No breathing anywhere, not even the chirping of the birds. The sight was indeed macabre. Judging by the scene, no one seemed to have survived. Weapons lay impaled in chests and armors, but no sign of Merlin and Gwaine. Arthur was rooted to the spot, taking in the scene before him. The knights moved around the decaying meat of the bandits.

‘ W-What on.. earth.’ Elyan said, looking around the the field full of dead bodies laying on the ground. The grass was tainted with the blood of the fallen warriors, leaving death roaming free in the air. The knights all shared a look, and turned towards Arthur.

Since he was a young boy, the prince had been taught never to cry for anyone as ‘it was a sign of weakness’ his father had told him. But he could not stop the warm droplets leaving the corner of his eyes; they fell on their own accord. No man was worth his tears Uther repeated to him, but it seemed Merlin meant more to him than he believed. His fists turned almost blue with the pressure he put as he clenched tightly his fists in pain. His eyes closed.

Percival was the first one to dare approach his grieving friend, thus laying a strong hand on his shaking shoulders. ‘ Arthur, I am sorry;... no one could have survived this’ He had to be realistic, this had to be the work of evil magic. Arthur had to be told the truth; whatever took place here, Gwaine & Merlin stood no chance against such evil magic.

‘ No’ Shocked, all heads turned to the origin of the voice. Arthur had moved from his spot, making his way around this graveyard, determined to find evidence that could prove them wrong.

‘W-Wha-What?’ said a quiet Elyan, still coming to terms with the events.

`` Merlin is more cunning than that. He always comes back, proving us wrong defeating the odds` ` Arthur told himself, to strengthen his resolve.

‘ I said: no! Search every corpse, every corner of this area until we know if Gwaine and Merlin are.. if they are..’ He could not bring himself to say it. They dispersed in the jungle of mangled limbs to look for possible signs of life from their mates; while Sir Harold made sure no evidence was left, especially incriminating evidence against him and Morgana. The knights kept their heads down in silence in exploration of the territory.

*****************************************

Alone by himself, the bearded evil Harold peered in contempt at his Queen’s power display. He could not wait for Arthur to get what he deserved. He appeared so pathetic thought the knight. How can a fearful King demand respect when he cries like a little wimp at a worthless servant. Rage welled inside his stomach. Walking around his dead associates, he flipped the dirt in anger at the memory of the young man at the mercy of his mistress. He did not like how his master danced around the little slut. He knew that Merlin was just eager for any touch; after all, Arthur had deprived him so much. Obviously, Morgana enjoyed the fight her captive gave her; fueling a desire that he himself did not seem to bring alive in her. He would teach this slut to take what his rightfully his. Perhaps, he would be allowed to get a piece of this forbidden fruit; thus proving his worth to Morgana. As he stumbled and fell in the carcasses of the victims; he leveled his head to come face to face a severed head with facial features frozen in place in dread. ‘Ah!’ he said as he was startled by the image. Anger fresh at Arthur, he thought: ‘ How would he love to see that look on Arthur’s face as he tells him he fucked his little whore of a servant; how good he was on his knees.’ His fall drew the concern of his comrades, waiting for his acknowledgment if he was ok. He shoved the head aside roughly into the open chest cavity of another disembowelled soldier next to him. His jaw tensed at their attention, as if he was weak, like those common born rats.

‘ I’m fine, get back to the search...’ he picked himself up off the ground and abruptly stumbled on a small ripped piece of cloth embedded in the hand of the what seemed to be the leader of the bandit squad.

Upon closer inspection, it was the boy’s. He had seen the servant wear this everywhere he went. Morgana had not wanted any clues left; and judging by the burnt flesh on the figure’s cut arm holding the soft, crisped fabric, it would point them in the direction of the Lady Morgana. With no one looking, he put the evidence away in his trousers to get rid of later. Morgana would be pleased. Her plan was working perfectly, no one suspected a thing.

As if nothing happened, he approached his King’s now suspicious glance.

‘ Is there something the matter Sir Harold?’ he inquired, seriously

‘Nothing, my lord. This place was rubbed clean of evidence, there are no signs of life. Perhaps, they fled to never come back, as a diversion. Gwaine never resected you. His attentions were always on the boy; unhealthy I say’ the fallen knight responded, almost too calmly.

‘ You know nothing of Merlin, so do not presume that you know what he wants. He is a stubborn fool and Gwaine would not let any harm come to Merlin. So, if your search is inconclusive, perhaps your time would be better spent riding back to Camelot to warn my wife of what we found.’ Arthur ordered, expecting a reply that never came as he saw Lord Harold mount his horse and right North in fury.

Arthur knew Lord Richard’s son, Harold, had a defiant streak. It was evident, he was not happy with the order. But the blond’s instincts screamed ‘lies’ when thinking about Harold’s motives. Harold was arrogant and too proud of himself. Arthur had no fan in Harold as he never agreed with Arthur’s reform on the knight’s code to include common born sons into the fold, such as Lancelot, Elyan, Percival and Gwaine. He also was aware that Harold did not bear any attraction to Merlin; finding it disgusting that a servant would walk equal grounds with a King.

‘What was that?’ Sir Leon asked in confusion. ‘ Is everything alright Arthur?’

‘It’s j-just, I have this nagging feeling there’s something not right about Sir Harold. Maybe I’m starting to become paranoid’ said Arthur.

Both his gloved hands grabbed his own head and pulled at his gold locks of hair in frustration. Where was Merlin when he needed his counsel. Percival came in from the south, at Leon’s side.

‘ I did not come across Gwaine’s or Merlin’s body’ He stated

‘Me neither’ replied in unison Leon and Elyan

‘ We can assume they are not among the dead then. Perhaps it was just a coincidence and they ran for cover. After all, they are no match against dark magic.’ said the shaved muscled knight. All the other nodded, except for Arthur who expressed his doubts.

‘ Knowing Gwaine he would never run from a fight, no matter if the odds are 100 to 1. As for my idiot manservant, he never stays away from trouble. He’d sooner come back than abandon Gwaine to his faith. I have to give this to him though, Merlin can be incredibly crafty when he wants to’ He said hoping Merlin and Gwaine skills could be applied to this dreadful situation. The knights smiled at the slight change in their friend’s demeanor. There was hope.

‘Should we head back, then?’ asked Elyan, staring at Arthur’s walking direction. The warriors followed their leader to where Harold had fallen. Leon bent down alongside his young protegé to inspect the evidence.

‘You do not trust Sir Harold’s words, my Lord’

It was not a question, but more of a statement. Leon trusted Arthur’s instincts, so he did not question it. He was more used to Arthur’s style than the newer knights, after all, he had trained with him until this day.

‘There! See this burnt fist?’ showed Arthur to his companions.

They nodded in understanding. Arthur pointed at the burnt mark on the man’s upper hand. He forced it open. The rigor mortis had settled in already, making it difficult to leave open to see the emptiness of the burnt flesh inside the fist, but quite easy to see the line free of burn marks on the top of the hand.

‘ I don’t see what that has to do with Harold’s loyalties, Sire’ said Percival. ‘ The flesh is leaking with pus and infection’

‘ Look at the burn pattern men. The palm indicates no scars or burns inside, except on top of the knuckles and below the wrist, which means...’ he asked, waiting for them to reach the same conclusion.

‘ Which means that ‘that’ particular victim died holding a piece of something soft enough to leave fibers on the skin, and protecting it from the magical attack that burned everything in its path.’ said a wise voice behind them. They all turned to stare at Gaius who confirmed Camelot’s King suspicions.

‘ Well, it’s not there now.’ said Elyan, pointing out the missing element in their story. He got hit over the head lightly by wrinkled skin and weak bones.

‘Oww! What?’ Elyan complained.

‘Obviously, you idiot!’ reprimanded the Physician, appalled by such a stupid question.

The other knights muffled their chuckles and smile. Elyan snorted, crossing his arms, offended by Gaius’s outburst. ‘ It means that someone took it from his hands, tampering with precious evidence that he did not want us to see, perhaps.’

Arthur realized in shock, exclaimed: ‘Merlin’s neckerchief; the red fibers fused in the skin. Gaius! Look!’ The red fibers were indeed present, which proved that Merlin had been here, but had vanished or kidnapped. Harold had lied in his face, so he knew something and he would find out what. He would pay with his life, if he was found responsible for anything that happened to Gwaine & Merlin.

‘He lied to us’ acknowledged Leon, angered by the betrayal of one of their own. He should have known. Harold complained a lot during the feast about Merlin’s relationship with the King and the rumours going around the castle.

‘I will cut his head off his shoulders myself, if Gwaine and Merlin are found dead’ vowed Arthur, eyes full of fury.

*******************************************************

Later, they came to the conclusion that Gwaine would be close to where Merlin would be like the mother hen he is. As much as Arthur hated Gwaine for his disrespect of officials or Gwaine’s intimate relation with his manservant, he knew Gwaine would do anything in his power to help Merlin.

‘How would you like to proceed your Majesty’ asked Gaius, hiding his eagerness to find his Ward. He knew Morgana had probably something to do with Merlin’s premature departure.

He just feared for the boy’s state of mind and body. He had being missing for at least a week now; and they had no clue, aside from Sir Harold’s possible treachery. His boy’s mind was strong; he had no doubt about his sorcerer’s aptitude on the intellectual level. It’s just that the boy was not made to endure torture like the knights. In the end, he was still just a little boy. His boy.

‘ We can still hope they are alive and that Gwaine did his job in protecting a citizen of Camelot in need.’ His thin lips curved slightly at the thought, and he went on, ‘we go on looking without the interference of the mole. Expand your search areas, and shout if you see anything pertaining to this mission.’ they nodded their agreement with a hum, before separating once again, but not before Percival asked about Harold’s fate.

‘ I feel we should make him pay for his indiscretions! We will need to interrogate him on what he knows’ he raised his big fists in the air, hoping to smash his smug face in. His friend Gwaine was his best mate, he would fight for him.

‘ Don’t worry about him Percival’ He hand touched his back in support. It was Leon. ‘ We will get them back safely.They are both too stubborn to die. And, if I remember correctly; there is only one person in this world that could be capable of such horrifying display of dark magic.’

Arthur’s look turned sour for a moment. He could only think of one person who would hate him enough to take what’s precious to him. Only one name came to mind. Apparently, it crossed the others’ minds as well; if judging by their facial features.

‘Of course! Morgana, who else!’ the answer dawned on him like a brick. He should have known. His evil step-sister, the witch who wanted to see him die.

‘And who do we know Arthur that always pledged his loyalty to the Lady Morgana in the past?’

Arthur caught on, but Gaius beat him to the point.

‘ Sir Harold! When Morgana was just a sweet little girl and Arthur just barely a baby himself, I always caught him staring or snooping on her. She always turned him down, saying he was more of a girl than she was’ explained Gaius.

‘Spread out guys! Look around for anything we might have missed’ and yet again, they were back searching, while Harold made his way towards the Castle to tell the news, unaware that his cover was blown.

***********************************************************

The sun was setting, darkness was once again coming down on our heroes search, drawing the curtain to a close. Yet, they remained positive in light of the new discovery.

Percival was using his built frame to move bodies around to look for anything really. Gwaine would be around somewhere, he knew it. When they had met in a tavern, they had bonded really fast over mead. Where Gwaine was more impulsive and extraverted;Percival was the complete opposite: calm and collected. They had went through a lot together before coming back to aid Merlin and Arthur at the time. At the very least, he needed to find a body to give his friend the burial of a hero. The others were starting to slow. Hunger seemed to have caught up to them; but Percival kept going strong. Looking at Arthur exhausted body from afar, he was aware that the King was in a similar position as him. They both cared deeply for their idiots, and they would pass their body’s limitations to find a glimmer of light in all that darkness.

Finally, after almost all was lost, a panicked screamed was heard from Elyan.

‘ AHHH! HELP! OVER HERE! I NEED A PHYSICIAN HERE! GAIUS!’

All the others ran as fast as they could to see what the problem was. What they saw was a crumbled Elyan on the ground, holding in his strong bicep the dead body of one of their fallen comrade. Gwaine, pale and cold like the white snow crystals of winter. Percival bumped Elyan out of the way, and cradled his friend’s limp frame close to his warm body. Gwaine chest was not moving. Red dried crusty patches covered his battered and bruised body. He was bloated and flies were already deep in his flesh, multiplying. Traces of salty tears near the body’s eyes could be felt from Percival’s fingers. He cried his best mate death.

‘ NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOO!’ yelled at the top of his lungs towards the sky, our young warrior Percival

Even in death, Gwaine looked peaceful. It looked like he was kept in a bubble of light, ready to ascend to Avalon, even though his soul, they knew, was long gone. Percival had never shown that much emotions before, besides for the death of his sister at the hands of mercenaries. All the others knights were sadden by this lost and were surprised by how it has affected the lone, silent Percival.

Arthur now feared for the worst and was angry beyond measure. All he was seeing now his red. Yearning for the first time, for the death of his step-sister and Harold. If Gwaine died during this battle and they were there, could it be true that Merlin perished in the flames of torment and evil magic. Still, his heart told him it was not over and Gwaine’s death would not be in vain. Arthur felt conflicted upon looking at his fallen comrade’s bloodied corpse. A side of him was blaming Gwaine for his inability to protect Merlin and leaving him out there; but the other side told him that Gwaine had perhaps given a chance for Merlin to flee or..or…

‘ Morgana will pay for this affront’ He swore the the ground. Percival looked up, and Arthur stared back with a look of sympathy and understanding in his face. ‘ Percival, I swear on my honor as a knight that Gwaine shall be honored for his service and brave actions. He will be avenged, I swear it’ Percival smiled softly at his King, accepting the gesture.

While this was going on, Gaius was looking from afar at the body, when a sensation of peace traversed his body. It was familiar to him, and this feeling seemed to connect well with him. But, what was it? He leaned towards Gwaine still figure, when it happened again but stronger. In the past, he had learnt to hide his emotions like any good sorcerer. So, no one from the team realized what was occurring before their grieving eyes; too focused on the death of the dark haired knight. After a while, he finally recognized this invisible force around Gwaine’s body.

Merlin’s magic was keeping Gwaine’s body in a state of static death state. He was quite dead, but it looked like the sheer will of the young Emrys was keeping this man’s poor soul inside his body. Perhaps, he could do something to bring the lad back to life. The magic called to him. Did Merlin do this on purpose? This feat was unheard of; it had never been achieved by anyone before. The Great Emrys was indeed the most powerful sorcerer to ever walk this earth. Gaius smiled at this; it also meant that Merlin was still alive and breathing somewhere. He would have to be smart about this, he could not jeopardize Merlin’s secret by mistake.

‘Arthur’ the old man whispered, enough to be heard.

‘ Yes...Let us carry Sir Gwaine to Camelot Gaius, he needs a warrior’s farewell’ Arthur said, getting the horse ready to carry the deadweight. The others followed, while Percival propped Gwaine on his broad shoulders, leading him to the back of the horses.

‘ This man is not dead, not completely in the sense of the term’ This would be complicated to explain without giving anything away.

‘Gaius, what are you saying?’ Elyan wondered, knowing what a dead body looks like, and Gwaine was certainly dead.

‘ As most of you know, I was a practitioner of the old religion when magic was allowed in Camelot. An affinity with magic still remains, whether you still practice magic or not; this feeling is there. Magic is keeping this man alive, at least keeping his soul in is body.’

‘ Certainly, it cannot be Morgana, or god forbid Merlin or Gwaine. Would you imagine one of them with magic, they would kill themselves by mistake. So, who cast the spell?’ Arthur complained, not really believing it.

‘ I don’t believe it has been done voluntarily on the caster’s part. Some more advanced spell can produce undesired effect. In this case, perhaps Morgana’s magic left him with a bit of magic inside his soul, thus attaching it to Gwaine’s physical form’ the old physician still had it in him. He did not like lying to Arthur, but for the time being, it would do. Merlin’s secret was not his to tell. The knights took their time registering the information sent to them, but when they got the news, their expressions became ones of hope again. ‘ So, I would suggest heading back to my chambers, not saying anything to anyone, and I will work on a way to bring him back if his majesty’s agrees.’

‘Will-W-Will you use..’ Arthur tried to mutter. Since his father’s death, he was still a bit sensitive on the subject.
‘ I will do so using only my current knowledge of the medical arts and science, my Lord. The law still holds against magic users. Leave Gwaine to me and please find my boy.’

With this new information filling their heads, they went back strong, hoping for a brighter future for what lay ahead of them.

*******************

In the meantime, Merlin had trouble staying up and not giving up to Morgana’s antics. He had lost track of time. No sunlight around for miles, no precise date for lunchs. He was seriously underfed here. No longer tied after weeks of beatings from angry soldiers, he was still kept locked in a caged awaiting his Lady’s next lessons. She had promised this one to be memorable and quite interesting for her.

His mind would not break, and once again he would tell her to shove her lessons where the sun doesn’t shine. He was ready to greet her, once the door of the small metal prison opened.

‘ Welcome back, Morgana!’ he said defiantly raising his head weakly to face her.

‘ Ready for round 2, my love? grinned the priestess of the Old Religion.

GAME ON! stay tuned...
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Challenges of the Heart