Hope you're liking this book so far! It's been a real joy to write!

Prompt: Merlin distracts Morgana so Arthur and the Knights can escape.

Idea by: MusicgirlXD  Thanks so much for the idea! I also would like to dedicate this chapter to MusicgirlXD

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own anything from Merlin! :)
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Merlin's POV

"I've told you numerous times traveling through the Valley of Fallen King's was a bad idea," Merlin murmured.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Merlin," he replied lightly. Merlin shook his head. "If you had just listened to me we wouldn't be on our way to Morgana right now."

"Merlin! Not another word," Arthur shot back.

And he didn't say another. Merlin stayed silent the entire journey to Morgana's castle in Essetir. He feared what Morgana would do to them, especially Arthur. It was his duty to protect Arthur until the very end, and that's exactly what he was going to do. If Morgana wanted to kill Arthur, she would have to go through him first.

His eyes shot upward as a castle peaked the horizon in the distance. Just a few more miles and they would reached the place in which Morgana hid herself. After what felt like an eternity, he felt his skin crawl as they stepped foot inside the castle.

Morgana's men pushed him, Arthur, and the Knights down on to their knees in the throne room as they waited for Morgana to enter. The only sound he heard was his blood thumping in his ears.

He looked over at Percival through the corner of his eye. If he could convince the five Knights to leave him behind, then surly they would succeed in escaping with Arthur. Though, that would be a task in itself. He knew none of the Knight's would like the idea, but if it meant the life of their king then perhaps they wouldn't argue.

His heart dropped as a door opening sounded from behind them. None of them turned around. Merlin was afraid of what Morgana's men might do.

"What a lovely surprise," came a cold voice from behind that sent shudders up his spine. "King Arthur, the Knights of the Round Table, and a servant." Morgana stepped out in front of the men on their knees. She bent over in front of him and lifted his chin to look her straight in the eye as she smiled. "I think I'm going to have some fun with you boys." She glanced up at her men. "Take them away."

Merlin glared at Morgana with anger as he was yanked to his feet and dragged away, but he didn't dare speak, and Morgana's piercing gaze never wavered from his.

He was tossed into a cell with the others, Gwaine catching him as he almost landed flat on his face.

He pulled his jacket back on as it began to slip down his shoulders, and huffed. "We need to get out of here, Arthur." He glanced back and forth between Arthur and the cell door.

"Thank you for pointing out the obvious, Merlin," Arthur stated with a sigh as he placed his hands on his hips. "But if you hadn't noticed, we're locked in a cell!" He flung a hand toward the door. "If you happened to have the key, then we could get out of here."

"I can pick it." Merlin spoke before he realized what he had even said. He stepped up to the door keeping up with his act. Pick a lock? When had he ever once tried to pick a lock?

Lancelot stepped up beside him and whispered in his ear. "Are you going to..." He glared over his shoulder making sure none of the others could hear him. "You know... use magic?"

Merlin placed a hand out in front of the lock. "Just make sure none of them notice." Before he broke the lock, he whispered something back to Lancelot. "I'm going to stay behind."

Lancelot's eyes widened as a look of bafflement spread across his face. "Why would you do that?"

Merlin lowered his hand. "It gives you a better chance of escaping. Morgana will be busy with me, she won't come looking for you herself. She'll send some men. You can easily outrun them."

"Cause that went well the last time," Lancelot interrupted with sarcasm.

"You have to try!" Merlin shouted in a whisper, his hands trembling.

"How's your lock picking coming along, Merlin?"

Merlin glanced at Arthur from the corner of his eye, and swallowed. "Just a few more minutes." He returned his gaze toward Lancelot. "Do not let Arthur come back for me. Protect him at all costs."

Lancelot nodded his head in understanding, a sign of worry hidden behind those dark eyes.

Merlin placed his hand in front of the lock once more, his irises glowing a strong, gold color. The lock broke open and fell to the ground. When he swung the cell door open, Arthur stared at him dumbfound.

All he did was smile. "Come on, clotpole!" He ran out of the cell followed by the Knights and eventually Arthur. He lead them back through the way they came avoiding Morgana's men. They made it half way through the corridors when a bell suddenly rang throughout the castle indicating that the prisoners had escaped.

He knew it was time to split off. Placing a sturdy hand on Lancelot, who glanced back, he took off running in the opposite direction once the other men had passed in front of him.

"The exit's this way," he heard Lancelot's voice in the distance.

Merlin continued to run down the corridors. He didn't know where Morgana was, but he knew that she would find him shortly. She had to. He had to protect his friends.

Unexpectedly, a strong force rushed into him flinging him backwards. A wall stopped him as he felt his spine ram into the stones, dragging the air from his lungs. He slid to the ground gasping for air. As he looked up, Morgana stepped out from behind a corner.

"You think you can escape that easily, Merlin?" She crept closer as a smile pulled at her lips.

The wind being knocked from him, he couldn't yet answer her.

She bent down in front of him, and gripped his chin in her boney fingers. "I don't need Arthur to get what I want." She stroked his hair with her other hand. "When Arthur discovers that I have his servant, he'll come back for you."

"You will not win, Morgana." His voice came out raspy.

Morgana chuckled and grinned. "I already have." Her grin turned into a frown as her irises glowed gold.

Everything in his body began to ache with an immense amount of pain. He screamed out in pain as his body shook. It felt like every organ in his body was going to burst, but she never let him go. He felt like she never would. It felt like an eternity had passed when the pain suddenly stopped, and the world around him went black.

Arthur's POV

When they finally made it out of the castle, they hid until Morgana's men had passed them by. Once he was sure they were gone, Arthur turned and eyed Gwaine beside him, who returned the gaze with a smile.

As the men shared victory glances and sighs of relief, Arthur realized that there was one face missing. An important face.

"Where is Merlin?" he asked his Knights. Between the glances they gave each other, none of them recognized the missing servant was gone.

He eyed Lancelot who turned his head away looking down at the ground.

Arthur pushed himself upright from the tree he had been leaning on. "What are you hiding, Lancelot?"

The chatter between the other Knights ceased.

Lancelot sighed. "He wanted to stay behind, Sire. He wanted to give us a chance to outrun Morgana's men."

Arthur's heart dropped, and he knew his face held no expression. He became completely numb at the words knowing what they meant.

"Morgana's got him," Lancelot finished quietly.

Arthur felt complete dread. He leaned back against the tree, pinching the bridge of his nose with one hand as he balled the other into a fist.

He stood up and began walking back toward the castle. "I'm going back for him."

"You can't do that, Arthur." Lancelot grabbed him by the forearm. "That's not what he wanted."

"What do you want me to do, Lancelot?" he exploded. "Just let Merlin die?"

The color in Lancelot's skin seemed to drain immediately. "No, Sire."

Arthur jabbed a finger in the air pointing toward the castle. "Then how can we sit back and do nothing while Merlin is tortured for saving our lives?"

Lancelot lowered his head briefly before looking back up, and letting go of Arthur's arm. "We need to save him."

Arthur didn't know how to feel. He tried to keep his expressions suppressed as he and the others made their way back to the castle.

Merlin's POV

When Merlin came to, he couldn't move. With every motion he made, he cringed at the pain that was sent through his body. He glanced around through blurry vision recognizing that he laid on the cold stone back in the cell.

"Oh, good! You're awake!"

His heart nearly stopped when he heard the witches voice. He gritted his teeth as he turned over on his side, which took him a while to accomplish. "What do you want, Morgana?" he asked before cringing again with a sudden stab of pain.

"Tell me where Arthur is," Morgana demanded in a stern tone. "You must have warned him not to go back to Camelot. My men would know where to find him along the path, but so far, there's no sign of him." Her eyes glowed gold again. "Tell me where he is!"

He closed his eyes knowing what was to come next. "I will never tell you anything, Morgana!"

The pain hit him once more, only even more intense this time. He screamed as the pain rippled through his body. He curled up into a ball, grasping his sides and clenching his teeth.

It's for Arthur, he had to keep remind himself. As long as Arthur's safe. After minutes, everything went black once more.

Arthur's POV

Arthur and the Knights snuck back into Morgana's castle. They avoided her men as they crept through the halls back toward the cells. He knew that had to be where Morgana was keeping him. Where else would he be?

He turned to face his Knights as they approached the dungeon entrance. "Stand guard. Shout for me if any of Morgana's men appear." A strong nod came from Leon. "Percival, come with me." He slapped Percival on the arm before the two men ran off into the dungeon. If something happened to Merlin, he would never forgive himself.

It wasn't too hard to find his servant in the cells. He was in the same one they had all been in a couple hours ago. Arthur's heart broke and his hands trembled as he gripped the bars on the cell. "Merlin!" he whispered into the cell.

His servant didn't answer. He laid on the ground looking like he had curled up into a ball, but now laid with his limbs limp.

Percival easily opened the cell door, and he and Arthur exchanged worried glances. "It's not locked."

He and Percival rushed in and knelt down beside his servant.

Merlin looked fragile. It took everything he had to hold back the tears. How could he have done this? How could he have not noticed that Merlin was missing sooner? Why would Merlin stay behind and be tormented by Morgana? Merlin really would do everything in his power to keep his King safe.

Percival pushed his hands underneath Merlin's legs and back and gently lifted the broken young man in his hands like a father would lift his child. Merlin screamed out in pain at the sudden movement.

Tears pricked Arthur's eyes hearing the sounds his servant made. He placed a tender hand on Merlin's shoulder as he whispered into his ear, "It's okay, Merlin. You're safe now."

Arthur and Percival ran out of the dungeon to meet their fellow Knights. They all stared at Merlin with complete fear not knowing if their friend was still alive or dead.

They made their way through the castle with Arthur leading. Surprisingly, neither Morgana nor her men found them. He grew suspicious, but was too worried about his friend to think any further on it.

They continued running for many miles before Arthur finally decided it was safe enough to rest.

Percival gently laid Merlin down on the ground, Merlin groaning loudly as he touched the dirt. Gwaine unclasped his cape from around him and draped it over his friend.

"What's wrong with him?" Elyan asked him. "There isn't any physical damage."

Arthur sighed, kneeling down beside Merlin. "I don't know," was his soft reply. "It's obvious that Morgana did some thing to him." He looked over his servant trying to find any physically sign of torture. "I just don't know what she did."

"Give him time." Gwaine placed a gloved hand on his shoulder. "He'll wake up eventually."

Arthur nodded his head, but never left Merlin's side. He stayed right beside his friend while the others started a fire and began to cook supper. He couldn't help but keep a guilty conscious. None of this would've happened to him if he had only listened to Merlin early. They never should've gone through the Valley of the Fallen Kings. Why was he so stupid and arrogant not to listen?

Lancelot sat down beside him and gazed at Merlin. "I'm sorry, Arthur," he apologized. "I should have told you. I should never have let Merlin stay behind in the first place."

Arthur sighed once more, and pulled his legs up to his chest. "No, it's my fault, Lancelot." He shook his head as he spoke. "I should have listened to Merlin in the first place and took a different path." He looked from Lancelot to Merlin. "None of this would have ever happened if I had just listened to him."

Lancelot didn't respond. As he stood to return to the fire, Merlin suddenly jerked awake, his eyes filled with terror.

"Merlin!" Arthur exclaimed.

Merlin's POV

Merlin's eyes shot open. He wasn't sure where he was. He felt disoriented, but he knew one thing. He wasn't going to let Morgana hurt him anymore. If he had to show Morgana who he really was, then he would. She wasn't going to get anything out of him.

"Don't hurt me, please!" he pleaded, his voice coming out weak. Even if he needed to use magic to defend himself, he didn't know if he had the strength to do it.

He sprang upright, cringing at the pain, and began scooting away from those he thought would hurt him.

"Merlin, it's okay!" A strong hand rested on his shoulder. "It's us!"

He calmed down enough to recognize Arthur and Lancelot bending over him, the rest of the Knights running toward him.

His heart raced rapidly against his ribs, but he took in deep breaths to help him settle down. He grimaced at the pain inside of him as Gwaine gently lowered him back down to a lying position.

Lancelot and the others stepped back over to their fire. Maybe they were giving him space to rest, but Arthur never left his side.

"Merlin, what were you thinking?" Arthur questioned, his eyes glistening with what looked like tears.

Merlin looked up into his King's azure eyes. "You are the King of Camelot," he replied, pain still noticeable in his voice. "It is my duty to protect my King." He grimaced. "At all costs."

Arthur turned his gaze away from him. "You knew we would never make it out alive if you didn't stay behind."

He nodded his head slowly. "You had to live." He paused as he panted and shook his head. "Not me."

Arthur sighed as he patted Merlin's arm. "Rest now. Regain your strength."

He nodded as his head rolled to the side, and sleep came swiftly. 

A/N- Please make sure to comment and vote! And send in ideas if you got them! It'd be much appreciated and you'd get a chapter dedication!! :D