Friend Or Foe?

Part One

STORY SUMMARY: When Uther catches Merlin using magic, he imprisons him in the dungeon to await his execution the following day. Friendships are tested to the limit as the young sorcerer faces a bleak future. Will everyone desert him in his hour of need, or will anyone be brave enough to come to his aid, even if it means going against the king? THREE PART SHORT STORY

M-E-R-L-I-N-F-R-I-E-N-D-O-R-F-O-E-?

Merlin had known that there was every chance that this would happen, but he had found himself in a situation that had left him with no other choice.

Though the act that he had committed was neither evil in intent or meant for anything other then good, he was to be punished. His crime: using magic.

It had just been very unlucky. He would never have even been caught out if it had not been for the King, Uther, watching him from the shadows.

But he'd only been trying to save Arthur's life. Again.

A huge basilisk had gained entrance to the castle and had attacked. Arthur and the knights had fought hard against the beast as it had slithered and writhed through the grounds.

After killing several innocent bystanders; decapitation administered by it's huge sharp fangs, it had also struck down four of Arthur's best men.

It had turned into a losing battle, and soon, Arthur had been the last man standing, backed into a corner. Trapped. His sword had looked almost ridiculous poised at the gargantuan hideous serpent, and when he'd made attempts to strike at it with the gleaming silver blade, it had done little more then scratch the oozing green scale-covered body.

Arthur would surely have perished if it had not been for Merlin, who had hidden behind a cart of horse-leavings, waiting for the perfect moment to intervene.

The instinct from deep within him had stirred in a very instant. He had raised his hand, feeling a surge of unexplainable mystique erupting through his fingertips.

His eyes had locked upon the foul beast whom had held Arthur completely at his mercy, concentrating with his entire body and soul.

Time had slowed so much then, that his own heartbeat could have been the loudest sound in the entire universe.

Trickles of light had then spilt out from his digits, somehow, a magical extension of his hand reaching out for the creature. As it had touched and merged into a force of that to match the greatest of all lightening storms, the creature had cried out in pain; an ear-shattering wail that had reverberated around the building's great structure for a multitude of long-lasting seconds.

The basilisk had appeared to implode, the walls of it's body bursting inwards, finally turning into a thick cloud of dust which had then completely enveloped Arthur, taking him from Merlin's sight and swallowing him up into a temporary oblivion.

It was that moment that Uther had stepped out of an archway from behind Merlin, a look of pure hatred painting his expression as Merlin turned his head and met his gaze.

The King's amazed wide eyes pondered for a moment as he looked the young man up and down, searching for an explanation of what he had just come to witness, hoping that it could not possibly be the magic that he had made his personal mission in life to destroy.

But he knew that magic was the only thing that it could be.

"Seize him!" Uther had yelled suddenly. Two guards were soon on the scene, so quickly in fact, that Merlin, who was paralysed by fear, was barely able to process what followed in the next few moments. He was soon grabbed tightly by each arm with no room to manoeuvre even if he could have found himself bold enough to make a try for his freedom.