THE QUEENS HEARTBREAK

FOREVER AND ALWAYS

MERLIN 

He winced as the guards threw him into the cell and he landed hard on his hands and knees, he stayed gritting his teeth as his power demanded he lash out and save himself. Merlin didn't dare turn around as he heard the guards laughing at him as he shook on the floor, he closed his eyes as they glowed and a sudden gust of wind tore through the dungeon with a ominous howl silencing the guards and snuffing out their torches. Merlin knew that he had scared them as seconds later they bolted out the dungeons yelling about some ghost and he couldn't help the laugh that escaped his throat. He stayed on the floor with his eyes closed until his anger subsided and he finally felt like he could breath as his power retreated back into the back of his mind, taking a deep breath he opened his eyes and glanced around. Well this was going to be his home at least for tonight, he shivered it was pretty cold in the dungeons and he was pretty sure that it was only going to get colder as the night wore on. Merlin wrapped his arms around himself trying not to let the tears fall, he had to be strong if not for him then for his family. 

Merlin crawled over to the corner under the window getting as far from the bars of the cell as he could, he didn't want the temptation of escape knowing that it would only cause more problems especially for Morgana. If he were to escape she would be the first suspect and Arthur the second and he had no doubt that they would suffer some sort of punishment from their father even if they were both proven innocent. Merlin had accepted his fate the moment he had heard that Uther had put word out for his arrest, he glared at the floor his anger resurfacing. He knew someone had betrayed them but he couldn't figure out who, and he only had tonight to do so, he would be burned at the stake at dawn. Merlin closed his eyes shivering from the cold or the shock he wasn't sure, images of his loved ones flashed threw his mind and his throat tightened against the sob building in his throat. His mother would be devastated and he wondered who would send the later telling her of his death, it certainly wasn't going to be Uther he knew that for a fact, maybe Gaius he was his appointed guardian in Camelot. Merlin shook his head no it wouldn't be Gaius, yes he may end up writing a letter but it would more likely tell Hunith that he was sorry that he hadn't done better, he swallowed hard taking a shaky breath trying to clear his morbid thoughts. 

Merlin choked on a sob as he realised it would properly be down to Arthur as he was his manservant and he shuddered shaking his head at the image of Arthur hunched at his desk tears staining the paper as he tried to write down his condolences. Merlin could see it all so clearly, how Arthur would blame himself, how Morgana would retreat into herself, how Gaius would throw himself into his work, how Gwain would drown his sorrow down the tavern and how Lancelot would try and keep everyone together. Merlin gulped as the scenes played through his head each so lifelike it was like he was seeing a vision of the future and he shook his head tears streaming down his face, but what hurt more than all of that was the young boy that he could see standing outside his cell. 

Merlin blinked frowning as the boy reached out to him calling out for him "daddy please don't leave me" the boy seemed to say and he let out a silent scream, as he realised that he was seeing his son all grown up with the scarlet cloak of The Round Table wrapped around his shoulders. Merlin shook his head sobs tearing through him as he looked at Liam, he so desperately wanted to reach out to him, to comfort his son and tell him that he was sorry that he never wanted to leave him. He found himself reaching out towards the bars but as soon as he got close the image disappeared and he yelled in anguish crashing back down to his hands and knees fighting to breath, his emotions were all over the place and it was causing his magic to go wild, conjuring things it thought would help. He cried out begging for someone to come and see just so that he had something to hold onto "Merlin"  he jumped shoving a hand in his mouth to quiet his sobbing as he heard a voice in his head. He looked around frantically as he heard it again until he realised that it was coming from underneath him and he sighed, it seemed someone had heard him after all it was just Kilgharrah the great dragon who was locked up underneath the dungeon. Merlin pursed his lips, he and the dragon hadn't spoken in awhile not since he had told him of Mordred a young druid boy who was destined to kill Arthur and Merlin had told him to go to hell as the dragon had demanded he find Mordred and kill him. Merlin sighed glancing at the floor as Kilgharrah called for him again and he rolled his eyes knowing that if he didn't answer he would just get louder making his head pound. Closing his eyes Merlin opened the mental link that connected him to the dragon.