Merlin Oneshots

torn up throats » p2

what a tragedy indeed.

merlin didn't know if he should cry for himself or for the prince of camelot. oh, how untimely would arthur's death be. without merlin, arthur would surely meet his end, magically or otherwise.

“silence!”

merlin couldn't help but think uther seemed ridiculous trying to tame his people. he was a coward with a heavy crown upon his head and a dull sword in his sheathe.

“reform!”

soon enough, the people maintained order. the path to his organized murder was clearer than ever, with not even a single stone in his way. the massive pyre stood disturbingly grim in the cloudy air, awaiting a certain someone to be tied to the stake.

“it is clear to me that this sorcerer has not learned from his mistakes.”

merlin clenched his teeth out of pure rage. it wasn't fair. nothing was fair with uther, and though merlin should have been used to that fact by this point, he still couldn't tolerate it.

“he shall be punished further before burning!”

oh, merlin thought bitterly, how the princess loved to overreact. it was sickening to think that a man would do such a cruel thing, but this was uther pendragon. there was no line to cross for cruelty in his mind, or maybe he'd crossed over it so long ago that he couldn't see it anymore.

“guards!”

the king made a wild gesture with his hand to the guards behind him. merlin, who was seething, swore to himself that he would take this punishment and remember it until the day he died. the shattered vial at his feet reminded him that he needed a plan to escape, and he needed to be fast.

“to the obelisk.”

merlin's stomach dropped suddenly as he realized what his punishment would be. whether he wanted to or not, he would remember this punishment. he was to be publicly flogged.

“father, is that really necessary?”

arthur interjected, and just the mere action made merlin's heart swell with hope for the future king. he wasn't as harsh as his father after all.

“we cannot be lenient, arthur. it must be done for the good of camelot.”

the guards jerked merlin forward, dragging him towards the tall, narrow tapered structure that he would be bound to. his mouth ran dry and his throat seized up. he was going to be flogged, in front of everyone, and he would bear the scars for the rest of his life.

he was thrown to his knees, and he bit his lip harshly. the guard behind him shoved him forwards, and the guard in front of him yanked his arms around the beam.

“have mercy, father, he is high in age!”

arthur's protests were louder. merlin looked over and saw that the prince had stepped out of line, anger glowing on his face. he knew this wasn't fair, he knew this wasn't right, and he was doing what he could to fix it.

“be quiet, or you will be removed from the session.”

arthur made eye contact with merlin, and a sense of subconscious recognition flashed in his eyes. somewhere in his mind, he identified the old man as merlin.