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That was it. Behind those wooden doors, Arthur would find the one he was looking for, the one threatening to bring Camelot down. Morgause. He and his knights had attacked the abandoned castle she used as her den at nightfall and they had progressed steadily to find the throne room they were now facing. The relative easiness with which they'd reached the heart of the building meant nothing as to what they would face here, though. They might have caught their enemy by surprise, before she could raise an army, but she still had a powerful ally. She wouldn't be alone behind those doors. A sorcerer would be there, protecting her. The most powerful sorcerer to have ever lived, if the rumours were true. The one Arthur was to capture and bring back to Camelot to be publicly executed in a display of Camelot's strength over magic. The plan was far too risky for the prince who would have gladly killed that man here, before he could do anything against him or his knights, but he'd learned not to question Uther's orders. Maybe he'd do it his way and explain his failure to capture the sorcerer alive by the confusion of the battle or the threat he was showing. Assuming he had any chance at all against such a sorcerer, on that point his father was quite more optimistic than him. It didn't matter. Arthur would fight for his kingdom, for his people, and if he died doing so, at least he'd die with honour.
Arthur signalled his men and they regrouped around him as he pushed open the doors. Morgause stood in the centre of the room, a cunning smile on her lips. Four soldiers took a step towards the intruders but Arthur paid them no mind. They were no match for his knights. What took his attention was the man standing next to Morgause. His shoulders were hunched and he was hugging himself. Arthur couldn't see his eyes as his face was turned towards the floor. Morgause stabbed him in the ribs with her elbow. He jolted and straightened up. His blue eyes caught Arthur's gaze, silently screaming his terror. He tugged at the leather collar around his neck, the same Morgause was wearing. The prince shuddered and wondered if the man was the son of a king Morgause hoped to obtain a ransom from. His face was unfamiliar, though. Anyway, Arthur would have to take him into account for the battle.
"Arthur!" Morgause's voice brought him back to his enemy. "How kind of Uther to send you to your death. With the heir to the throne gone, Camelot'll be all the more easier to win."
"I find you surprisingly confident, Morgause. I have heard of your prowess at fencing but your men are outnumbered."
Morgause's wicked smiled widened.
"Oh, do forgive me, I forgot to make introductions. Arthur, say hello to Merlin, my pet sorcerer."
Arthur's eyes widened as they darted to the man he'd taken for a captive prince. He studied him, his lanky figure, his arms still hugging himself, his boyish face and frightened gaze, trying to reconcile this view with the knowledge that man was the most powerful sorcerer alive. He couldn't. Suddenly, he wondered if that whole story was a bluff, a way for Morgause to keep enemies at bay while she raised her army. Morgause must have felt his doubt because she added: "Oh I know he doesn't seem very threatening but you'll soon change your mind." Then she turned to Merlin. "Kill him."
The knights quickly rearranged themselves around him to block any attack. They needn't have because nothing happened. Merlin stared at Arthur but no spell passed his lips. Morgause growled. Immediately, the sorcerer's face contorted into a grimace. He raised his hands at his neck and clutched at the leather collar Arthur hadn't noticed before. The fear in his eyes turned to panic. The prince could hear him wheeze.
"Come on, Merlin, we don't have all day. You know how this always ends."
The sorcerer tugged some more at his collar but quickly gave up. He raised an arm towards Arthur. His eyes were sad just before they turned gold and the knights were propelled against the wall. Arthur didn't turned back to assess their conditions. Instead he tightened his grip on his sword and took a step towards Morgause and the men protecting her. They must have had orders because none of them moved. Morgause was too proud of her toy, Arthur realised. The soldiers were only there in case the sorcerer did something stupid.
"Are you a simpleton? I said kill him, not knock out his men."
Merlin started wheezing again. He closed his eyes and mumbled a spell. Which flied just above Arthur. Morgause let out a scream.
"What are you doing? He's not even moving! You can aim better than that! Kill him!"
"No." Merlin had opened his eyes again. He was looking at Morgause. The calm of his voice contrasted strangely with the fear in his eyes.
"Don't be ridiculous. You know what happen if you don't obey me."
As if to prove her point, the collar tightened around Merlin's neck. He made a move to clutch at it but let his arm fall again.
"Then I'll die. But I won't… Kill for you… Never again," he said, struggling for air.
"What for? To save him?" Morgause chuckled. "My men'll make short work of him."
Arthur watched their exchange, ready to seize any opportunity to attack. But the soldiers were ready too now. He had little chance against four men and there was still the possibility that Merlin gave in or that Morgause chose to do the job herself. He had no choice, though. He had to make a move.
Just as he tightened his grip on his sword, readying himself for a charge, there was a low, guttural growl. In a heartbeat, Arthur was off his feet, knocked over by a wave of power. He fell on his back and the shock took his breath away. He lied there, trying to recover as he assessed the situation. There was no sound in the room apart from Merlin's ragged breath. It was unlikely that Morgause and her men were in a worst state than him though, so he got on his feet as quickly as possible. Only to realise that everyone in the room lay unconscious.
Arthur walked past the soldiers towards Morgause, on his guard. Their chest were rising and falling with every breath so he knew they were still alive. Then he saw Merlin's eyes following him.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to hurt you too," the sorcerer whispered.
The prince waved his hand at the apology. He didn't have time to process what had just happened, that he just had been saved by a sorcerer. Or maybe the sorcerer had just saved himself. Anyway, Morgause was a more urgent matter.
Arthur hated himself as he raised his sword above her chest. It was not the way it should have happened. He should have struck her in combat, not as she lay unconscious. Yet he didn't have a choice. She was a threat and he had been sent here to kill her. Taking her as a prisoner was just too risky. Beside, his father would have laughed at his sense of honour and have her killed in the dungeons. He drove his blade in her heart.
When he turned to Merlin again, the sorcerer was eying him warily. Suddenly, Arthur's plan to kill him wasn't as easy as he'd thought. He should have felt nothing but hate for the man because sorcerers were enemies of Camelot. They were a pest his father was determined to exterminate. Arthur couldn't feel hate right now, though. Not when Merlin had refused to use his magic against him, despite Morgause's threat. He knelt beside the sorcerer who flinched away. Arthur stared at him. When he'd listened to his father, he'd expected this mighty sorcerer to be a vile, old man. Someone arrogant, corrupted by his powers. Not a man his age, frightened and held captive. Someone who refused to kill.
"What has she done to you?"
"She came to my village and… captured me… When I refused to join her… She used me… I could only obey her."
He was still wheezing and Arthur realised he wouldn't make it much longer if he didn't get rid of the collar. Something in him wanted to help but a lifetime of lessons from Uther fought against the idea.
"Are you going to kill me?" Merlin asked.
"You think I will?"
"You're from Camelot."
"Then why didn't you kill me when you could?"
"I don't want to… Use my magic like that."
His words went against everything Arthur had ever been taught. His first thought was that Merlin was lying but he couldn't believe it. If the sorcerer had wanted to harm him, he could have done so when he'd knocked the others out. Arthur looked at the way Merlin had curled in a tight ball, a hand on his collar, his eyes full of fear. He imagined him burning on the pyre. He imagined his screams of pain and the way he would writhe in vain in the flames. And his decision was made.
Slowly, he reached for the pouch on his belt and took out a small vial he held out for Merlin to see.
"My orders are to make you drink that so you stay unconscious until we reach Camelot."
Merlin's jaw instinctively tightened. Then Arthur opened the vial and emptied it on the ground. The sorcerer's eyes widened.
"I don't want to hurt you. But you must promise not to hurt my men."
Merlin slowly nodded.
"I... I promise."
Arthur reached to Merlin's neck and the sorcerer recoiled. The prince held his hands up.
"I just want to take off your collar."
Merlin hesitated but then said: "I'd done it ages ago… If it worked that way… You must take the other off first."
Arthur remembered noticing Morgause wore the same collar as Merlin and quickly walked to her corpse to get rid of it. Then he knelt beside Merlin again. The sorcerer was already worrying at the buckle holding the leather piece but without success.
"Let me help you."
Merlin insisted some more but soon stopped trying and took his hands away. Arthur reached for the buckle, his gestures slow as not to frighten the sorcerer, and a moment later Merlin was taking deep gulp of air.
"Are you alright?"
Merlin nodded.
"I don't understand. Why haven't you escaped sooner if you could just to knock her out?"
"It's not that simple. I wasn't supposed to be able to do any magic she didn't order me to with that thing around my neck. I needed all my strength to overcome it but wearing it weakened me. But when she asked me to kill you, it… It just made me so angry. It was the last straw, I had to make it stop."
Arthur stared. If Merlin's magic could overcome such a restraint, the prince could only imagine how powerful he was. Maybe even the most powerful sorcerer alive, as the rumour said. Merlin avoided his gaze and sat up.
"What now?" he asked.
Arthur paused to think. Morgause's soldiers wouldn't take long to recover and he definitely wasn't keen on killing them on cold blood. Besides, his own men would soon come to so he couldn't just leave Merlin behind and pretend he had escaped. He couldn't tell him to run away either because there were too many other knights outside. He said so and suggested: "We could pretend I made you drink that potion then you can run away during the night."
"Wouldn't that cause you trouble?"
"I'll say the potion didn't work."
Merlin pondered. Arthur threw anxious glances at the men passed out a few feet away. He could see one of his knights beginning to stir.
"Why should I trust you?"
"Because if I wanted to kill you I could have simply forced you to drink that thing." Merlin was still frowning so Arthur added: "If I lied, I'm sure you wouldn't have any difficulty escaping." A groan came from one of the knights. Merlin was still eying Arthur warily. "Make your choice, quick."
Finally, Merlin nodded. He closed his eyes and let his limbs go limp. Just at the same time, footsteps came closer. Arthur turned around to see Owain.
"Are you hurt, sire?"
"No, everything's alright. Morgause's dead and the sorcerer's out."
The knight threw a quick glance to Merlin.
"Shouldn't we tie him up?"
"I don't think that's necessary. Gaius assured me the potion would knock him out until we reach Camelot. And anyway, I doubt rope would be enough against a sorcerer."
Owain nodded.
"Have a look at the others," Arthur added. "I'll take care of him."
Deftly, he lifted Merlin on his shoulder. He was heavier than his lanky figure suggested but not enough to cause any trouble. Arthur brought him out of the castle, waving away everyone who offered help.
****
Arthur didn't let anyone near Merlin, playing on the worth of their prisoner to take full responsibility of his guard. He took the first watch that night. When finally, he was sure everyone was asleep, he found a bag and filled it with as much food as he could afford to give away. He added two blankets before kneeling beside the sorcerer and whispering his name. There was no reaction. Of course, the man had fallen asleep too. Arthur put a hand on his mouth to prevent him from screaming and that was enough to wake him up. The sorcerer stared at him with wild eyes so Arthur smiled to reassure him.
"It's time for your great escape. Don't make a sound."
Merlin nodded and Arthur took his hand away. He watched as the sorcerer sat up and stretched, apparently in better shape than earlier in the castle. Whatever effects the collar had had on him, they seemed to have disappeared. Arthur handed him the bag. Merlin raised an eyebrow.
"Food and blankets. Don't want you to die of hunger in the woods."
"I can't."
"It's nothing we can't spare. Now take it and go."
Merlin hesitated but finally grabbed the bag.
"Thank you. For everything."
Arthur nodded his acknowledgment then jerked his head to once more tell him to leave. Every heartbeat Merlin stayed was a chance for a knight to catch him. The sorcerer seemed to get the message. He stood up and disappeared in the forest.
Arthur was still staring in the direction Merlin took a long time later. He thought about his father and how furious he would be to know the greatest sorcerer of all time had escaped. A part of Arthur was horrified at his own betrayal, the other knew he'd done what he ought to. Merlin had showed him a side of magic users he'd never suspected. Maybe it was time to stop believing everything his father said about sorcerers. Maybe it was time to make his own experiences and to learn more about these people from more direct sources. Arthur still had apprehensions. He still wasn't certain Merlin wasn't just an exception but this encounter was enough to make him doubt and now he needed to understand.
Much later, just before the end of his watch, when he woke up his knights pretending he'd just seen their prisoner escape, he wondered if he would meet Merlin again. He certainly hoped so.