Don't Forget Me (A completed Merlin/Lab Rats crossover)

2

Merlin sighed and stopped scrubbing Arthur's armor, thinking.
"Why'd you stop?" Arthur snapped from his desk. "Don't tell me you're still messed up about that warlock."
"He's just a boy," Merlin replied, looking over at him. "D'you really think you had to beat him up that much AND lock him in the dungeon?"
"Yes!" Arthur yelled, glaring at Merlin. "He almost killed people!"
"Maybe he didn't mean to!" Merlin snapped.
"Merlin!" Arthur yelled, slamming his hand down on the table and getting up. "You are out of line! Now, if you don't shut up, I'm gonna throw you in the dungeon myself!" Merlin scoffed and shook his head, going back to work.
"Dollophead," he mumbled.
"That's it!" Arthur yelled, running over to Merlin and grabbing his arm, hauling him to his feet and dragging him to the door. "If you want to defend the sorcerer so badly, how about you join him?"
"Ow," Merlin mumbled, stumbling along beside him. "Look, Arthur, I'm sorry!"
"You're too late for that!" Arthur replied, walking Merlin swiftly down to the dungeon and grabbing the keys from the guard, unlocking the door to the boy's cell and throwing Merlin in. "Have fun. Oh, and your chores are still to be done by the end of the day."
"But-" Merlin retorted, sitting up but getting cut off by the clang of the door. He sighed. "Great. Just great." He looked backwards at the boy sitting chained to the wall with shackles around his neck, wrists and ankles, holding his limp form upright. "They shouldn't be doing this to you," Merlin sighed, crawling over in front of him and sitting cross-legged there. "You don't deserve it." The boy slowly looked up, shakily, his brown hair mussed and dirty, red streaks in them indicating head wounds, his green eyes fogged over with exhaustion and blood loss, two trails of dried blood running down his face from his swollen nose, splatters and drips of blood in various locations across his face.
"Who are you?" he asked hoarsely in a flat accent, but somehow with power behind the words.
"My name's Merlin," he replied, smiling warmly at him. "What's yours?"
"C-Chase," the boy replied, coughing a little through the words.
"Don't strain yourself," Merlin said gently, scooting closer to him. "Look, I'm going to get you out of here."
"How?" he whispered, unable to summon any more volume.
"I'm sure you know that magic is illegal in Camelot," Merlin said quietly. "So you must not tell anyone of this." The boy nodded slightly. Merlin nodded back and held his hand over the shackle around the boy's neck, whispering a spell and unlocking it. The boy gasped in surprise and relief, breathing deeply.
"Thank you," he said.
"Don't thank me yet," Merlin replied. "I still have to get you out." He used the same spell on the wrist and ankle manacles and caught the boy as he fell forwards. "Take it easy," Merlin whispered, scooping him up from under his shoulders and legs and standing up with him. "You're so light. When was the last time you ate?"
"I don't remember," Chase mumbled. "I got hit on the head too many times."
"That's all right," Merlin said, walking over to the cell door and unlocking it, walking off towards the stairs. "We'll feed you once I get you out of here."
"Who's we?" Chase asked blearily.
"Me and Gaius, the court physician," Merlin replied. "Now shush. They'll catch us."
"All right, Merlin," Arthur said as he walked down the stairs, stopping in confusion when he saw Merlin there holding Chase. "What's all this?"
"He's dying," Merlin replied. "I thought you wanted him burned alive, not cremated."
"It doesn't matter, as long as he dies!" Arthur snapped.
"Come on, Arthur," Merlin said. "He's just a boy. At least let me get him a good meal before he's to die." Arthur sighed and crossed his arms.
"Why couldn't you do that in his cell?" he asked.
"He can't eat if he's not conscious," Merlin replied. "Please, Arthur." Arthur stared at Merlin for a couple seconds and then sighed.
"Will you stop pestering me about it if I let you do this?" Arthur asked. "No trying to save the whelp at the stake, or beforehand, or trying to convince me to let him live?"
"No, I promise," Merlin said, shaking his head. "Nothing. Just let me do him this one favor and then he's all yours." Arthur rolled his eyes and sighed.
"Fine," he said. "But you can only heal him enough for him to get some food down, nothing more."
"Thank you," Merlin said, smiling at him and nodding before jogging past. He waited until they were far out of range of Arthur before talking to Chase again. "All right, it's safe now."
"Who was that?" Chase asked drowsily. "And why was he bossing you around?"
"That was Prince Arthur of Camelot," Merlin replied. "And I'm his servant. He's allowed."
"Arthur of Camelot?" Chase mumbled. "I really must be dreaming."
"You aren't dreaming," Merlin chuckled. "It's all true."
"But King Arthur's been dead for centuries," Chase replied. "And Camelot doesn't exist anymore."
"On second thought, maybe you are dreaming," Merlin replied, giving him a look. "All that's untrue."
"No it's not," Chase mumbled and coughed a couple times. "I swear."
"Well, whatever you think is true is fine for now," Merlin said brightly. "You'll feel better once you've got some food in you and then you'll come to your senses."