Mistaken Identity

- 9 -

The guards gripped Merlin's arms so tightly that he began to lose feeling in his fingertips until they felt fuzzy and pricked painfully when he tried to move them. He struggled, but the guards held him tightly. How was he going to get out of this? What would Gaius think? And how were they going to save Arthur now?

Mentally, he kicked himself for being so careless. He shouldn't have gone down to the dungeons, he had pushed his luck one too many times and now it had cost him. He didn't know what Uther would do to him, but he knew that the king would be angry at the thought of anyone seeing his son. Merlin sighed inwardly. How could he be so stupid?

He was dragged forcefully down the corridors until they reached the throne room, where Merlin knew that Uther would be, alone, as he had taken to being since Arthur's sentence was passed.

He gave up fighting the guards as he was made to kneel before the king. His heart was racing and he felt so guilty: guilty because Gaius would worry, because Gwen and Morgana would have to rescue Arthur alone. Uther was merciless and Merlin knew that this could never end well for him.

He swallowed his nerves as best he could but his heart rate would not slow down and the blood roaring in his ears near deafened him to his surroundings. He almost wish it would so he could block out everything that was happening to him. But he heard, loud and clear, the voice of the king, the authority he spoke with, the self importance and constant anger he carried with him. "What is this?"

"We found him in the dungeons Sire. We believe he may have been attempting to contact your- the prisoner."

Uther's savage, bloodthirsty gaze settled on Merlin and he shuddered. "Is this true?"

What was he supposed to say? Should he lie to the king like he had so many times before, or, just for once, tell him the truth? It would make little difference anyway.

"He is innocent."

He was rewarded with a sharp slap across the face from Uther's gloved hand. "He. Is. Not." The king hissed through his teeth, seething. "Never speak those word to me again."

Merlin nodded quickly. Defying Uther would get him nowhere, he supposed, except perhaps a pyre. So he kept his peace and said nothing.

"What were you doing with him?"

It seemed Uther had already found him guilty. Merlin sighed. "I was only speaking to him. I'm sorr-"

"Sorry isn't good enough, boy. To speak to the prisoner is an act of treason and you will be punished. Your repentance may have saved you this time, you will not be so lucky again. He turned to the guards. "Lock him up."

Shocked, Merlin allowed the guards to drag him to his feet. One moment Uther was going on about saving him, the next he was ordering him to be locked up. The king had a strange way of looking at the world, that was for sure. And he needed to work on his idea of being saved.

When the door shut and locked behind him, he closed his eyes in despair. What could he do now? Nothing. Not for himself, not for Arthur, not for anyone. He was trapped here with no way out.

He just had to trust that Gwen and Morgana would prove Arthur's innocence before they all lost their heads.