The eternal suffering

That's not Emrys (part 9)

A.N.:// "LOOK OUT! A wild chapter." I can't believe I managed to write one. 
I had a busy week. 


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"Is that so."

Merlin didn't really know where to start explaining. Or how to explain at all.
He shifted nervously, as he tried to come up with believable lies that explained how Arthur and Leon got injured, why sorcerers would kidnap a servant, how Gwen and Merlin of all people were unharmed and how on earth two parts of the castle had exploded for apparently no reason.
Or maybe there was a reason. He just had to make a good one up.

So, naturally, Merlin went with the truth. Well... at least as much truth as he felt possible sharing.

All to prevent another disaster from occurring.

The disasters name was Uther Pendragon, by the way.
It hadn't taken long, before knights who had noticed the commotion within the royal guest chambers had informed the king of Camelot.
Just after Merlin had caught Arthur mid fall, while he was fainting from instant memory loss and while Sir Leon himself barely woke up with a hard headache, Uther had stormed into the hallway.

Spotting .... a molten corridor, a sorcerer, a druid, three mostly unharmed servants and two clearly harmed knights, plus a peasant who once tried to convince Uther that he was royalty enough to BE a knight. Oh yes and a pile of bodies. One of them being king Alastor of Meridia.
Yeah... So that went well.

On Uther's orders, because no one felt able to talk in their current state of trauma, Leon and Arthur had been send to Gaius for a check up. George had been send to the stocks for "forgetting to tend to his king", which was highly unusual for his most efficient servant. Which wasn't even questioned by Uther. What does the king care about his servants whereabouts?
If he wasn't where he was supposed to be, he would be punished. Easy.
The stocks was a treatment which George accepted in relief, because the stocks were still better than his kidnapping being acknowledged by king Uther.
With him, ignorance was better. Let's not imagine what the butcher king would have done, if he realized sorcerers had any interest in a lowly servant.
They would have their reasons. Better not let Uther suspect anything. George could live with a few wounded wrists and a tainted record rather than the pyre.
Quite literally so.

The poor druid Iseldir, whose identity, heritage and therefore magical abilities were unfortunately known to king Uther was chained up once more, together with Beeltheas and send to the dungeons. Even though Leon clearly described the differences in the meaning of their presence.

Beeltheas had gritted his teeth, about to reveal Leon's secret as well, however both Leon's and most of all Merlin's angry glares had shut him up, before he could induce any further damage.

For Lancelot, there was no order. Since he was neither banned nor in Uther's favor, the man was barely being acknowledged with a glance over, before the king continued to ignore his existence. So Lancelot was finally the one who helped Leon get the unconscious prince to Gaius.

And well, Merlin, as Uther knew him as Arthur's personal manservant with the ability to be so clumsy that he had the fortunate reputation of being incapable of lies, had been ordered to follow Uther to the throne room. That is where he stood now, trying not to make eye contact with the king himself and tried to fit the evidences into a story that would protect the majority of the people who had been involved.

While simultaneously finding an preventive excuse for Arthur's 'to be expected memory loss'.

So he went with the easiest and most believable story.
He braced himself, when Uther waved a hand. A sign that he was now allowed to speak under Uther's scrutinizing glances.