Box
Magic
Cell
(BBC Merlin)
@themerrywhumpofmay
“If- no, when, we get out of here, I’m going to write a book about what an idiot you are.”
Merlin sighed and rested his head against the wooden bars. “Well, write what you know, I suppose.”
“How could you think stopping to ask for directions could ever be a good idea? I knew where we were going.”
“We were lost and they looked friendly enough.” Merlin turned away from the bars and looked down at Arthur. “Look, how long are you going to complain? Maybe we should try figuring out how to get out here?”
“You figure out how to get us out.” Arthur drawled from his spot on the floor. He was lounging on the one and only pile of damp hay in the cell. The bruises from the attack were still fresh and swollen across his cheek and eye. “I’ll continue to complain, thank you very much.”
Merlin gently rubbed the bump on the back of his head. He looked around the cell for what felt like the hundredth time. They had been taken to a sort of cave lair, a wooden holding cell built into the rock wall. It was sturdy. And they had a guard at all times.
Merlin licked his dry lips.
He couldn’t use magic. Arthur was here.
They were stuck, for now.
Why had they been captured anyway? Maybe they planned to ransom the prince? Merlin puzzled over it until his head began to throb again. He sat down and closed his eyes.
“Don’t tell me you’ve given up.”
“I haven’t.” Merlin murmured and leaned his forehead against the lattice of wooden bars. “I’m thinking.”
Arthur barked out a laugh. “Good luck with that.”
Merlin frowned and made himself bite back several rude remarks.
It was at that moment that a few more bandits, or whatever they were, appeared in the chamber and opened the cell door.
“Oh thank goodness, you’ve come to your senses-” Arthur got up from the floor.
“Stay where you are.” The woman who had opened the door, green eyes blazing in the torchlight, pointed at Arthur.
Then she pointed to Merlin. “You. Come.”
“Me?” Merlin swallowed hard.
“Now.” She ordered.
Arthur took a step forward. “Look, he’s just a servant-”
Another of the bandits pointed a crossbow at Prince Arthur through the cell bars.
Arthur stopped, hands raised.
Merlin picked himself off the rough stone floor. His head throbbed. The woman then grabbed him by the collar and dragged him out of the cell. Merlin threw one last look at Arthur before he disappeared around the corner, deeper into the cave tunnel.
Merlin was taken to a smaller, darker chamber. The walls were wet and moss was growing there. He was forced onto a chair in the middle of the room.
“My name is Deryn.” The green-eyed woman spoke while the others tied Merlin to the chair. “That’s all you need to know about me. As for my companions, ignore them. You will speak only to me; whether answering my questions or begging for mercy. Do you understand?”
Merlin swallowed hard. The ropes binding him to the chair were rough and were painfully tight. His heart was racing. What did they want with him?
“Do you understand?” Deryn repeated.
“Yes.” Merlin rasped. His head throbbed in time with his heartbeat.
“Good.”
One of the bandits handed a large, flat wooden box to Deryn. The wood was dark and cracked with age and carved with strange symbols. Merlin tried to make them out in the flickering torchlight. But they swam and danced before his eyes.
Deryn walked forward and set the box on Merlin’s lap.
“Here.” She said, “Hold this for me.”
Merlin, arms bound behind him, could not help but watch as she lifted the lid off, wood scraping, and revealed an enormous, golden collar. It was wide and flat, resembling a darkly glimmering crescent moon. There were fastenings at the two tips. It was old. Very old. Merlin could sense it.
Merlin licked his dry lips and looked back up at Deryn. “What do you want, Deryn?” He asked.
She did not answer.
Deryn picked up the collar by the two ends, leaned forward, and fastened it around Merlin’s neck. It was heavy and cold against his skin. Deryn set the box aside.
“This is a very ancient treasure.” Deryn circled around Merlin and ran a finger over the minute carvings on the collar. “It was found a long time ago and was passed down through my family. It’s been called a blessing. And a bane. Let me show you how it works.”
Deryn brushed a curl of her dark hair back, took out a bone-handled knife, and plunged it into Merlin’s gut.
Merlin opened his mouth to scream, to breathe, to cry. But he could not draw breath. The pain was a fire in his stomach. It blazed through him. He shuddered and realized he’d closed his eyes, tears leaking over his cheeks.
He opened his eyes to see Deryn again. She pulled the knife out.
Agony again. Merlin began to wail, low and keening, each breath he took to cry out was misery.
A wound to the stomach was a death sentence. No one could fix that kind of injury. Not even Gaius. Why had she decided to kill him? Panting and curled over his wound, Merlin watched Deryn wipe off her knife.
“It is a very powerful treasure. One that I’ve had to protect my whole life.” Deryn said. “It should reveal its purpose now.”
And just as she spoke, Merlin felt the pain intensify. He choked.
Every nerve around his wound began to blaze even more. He was dying. He had to be. How could he endure this?
Restrained by the chair, Merlin began to tremble and shake, screaming and screaming and screaming. The collar was killing him.
Hours passed. Or many minutes. Merlin could not tell. Sweat poured down his face, mixing with tears.
Eventually, he noticed that Deryn had approached him again and lifted his shirt. Merlin caught sight of his stomach. No, it couldn’t be.
The wound was gone. There was blood. And a thin, pale scar. But no gaping knife wound. Nothing.
“It heals.” Deryn let Merlin’s shirt drop back down. “Painfully. So,” Deryn brought a chair over and sat down in front of Merlin. “I’m going to ask you some questions. If you refuse.” Deryn held up the knife. “You know what to expect. No surprises.”
Merlin felt the blood leave his face. He threw up all over his lap.
“Let’s get started.”
Sometime later, Merlin found himself being dragged, arms supported and legs limp. Then he was dropped. Someone was calling his name. Every inch of him throbbed, raw with remembered pain.
Merlin felt himself being turned over and he cracked his eyes open.
He found Arthur above him and a rough hand touching his cheek. There was something soft beneath his head.
“Can you hear me? Are you alright?” Arthur’s voice was far away. “Where are you hurt?”
Merlin could not help but attempt a smile.
He wasn’t hurt anywhere. It was all healed. But he still shivered and ached. And it still felt like he had the collar on. He could feel its phantom weight around his neck, cold and heavy.
“Fine.” He managed to rasp in answer to Arthur’s questions. Merlin closed his eyes again. He was so tired. “Not… hurt.” He sighed.
“How am I supposed to believe that when you’re covered in blood?”
“Magic?”
Merlin heard a soft laugh above him and felt a cool hand push his sweaty hair back from his forehead. He drifted.
Merlin awoke to yelling. And pain.
His eyes snapped open.
Arthur was being held back by two of the bandits.
And Deryn was there, standing over Merlin. “Come along.” She ordered.
Swaying and still half-asleep, Merlin struggled to his feet and followed her.
The moss-covered cave room. The box. The collar.
It began again.
But Merlin was ready.
Last time, he didn’t know what to expect. But now he did. No surprises.
As soon as Deryn fastened the golden, crescent-shaped collar about his neck, Merlin kicked out with every ounce of magic he had.
He burned his bonds away. He threw Deryn across the room and heard her spine snap. Then Merlin ran. He knew the way. Falling, half-conscious, he ran to Arthur.
Merlin raised his hands and ripped and tore the wooden cell to pieces. Wood splinters flew. Dust hung in the air. Shouting. Crossbow bolts flew.
“Arthur!” Merlin roared.
Merlin looked at one of the bandits and they burst into fire and sparks. Screams.
They ran. Out of the cave. And into the cold night.
Merlin didn’t realize that they had stopped until he found himself in Arthur’s arms.
“Don’t worry, we’ll get you to Gaius. He- he’ll fix you up, I promise.”
Arthur was laying him down on the cold, wet ground. In the light of a weak dawn, Merlin could see two crossbow bolts sticking out his chest. How had he not noticed?
Arthur’s hands moved to Merlin’s neck, around back, to take off the collar.
No.
Merlin flung his hand out and pushed Arthur away. “Don’t.” He gasped.
The collar was the only thing keeping him alive.
“Take out the bolts.” Merlin begged. “Not this.” He touched the gold collar.
“I don’t understand.” Arthur’s eyes were wide. And frightened.
“It’s magic.” Merlin’s thoughts were too fuzzy to properly explain. “It heals wounds. Take the bolts out. Let it heal me.”
Arthur moved forward, grimacing. “Right now?”
Merlin huffed out a laugh. “Should I schedule a better time for you?”
At that, Arthur gave him a watery smile. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Merlin took Arthur’s hand and guided it to one of the bolts. “Let’s get started.”