Hello there! So here is my first story. I'm going to say it now, any updates I do make on this are probably going to be slow, unless I get a hit of amazing inspiration and a magically lessened work load.

But anyway, this is a plot bunny that popped into my mind. . I may or may not continue it so we'll see. I think it works well as a one-shot as well, so please let me know what you think at the end.

Edit 2/18/14 Pretty much this is an AU in which Merlin never showed up in Camelot but was enslaved to Cenred instead. Cenred in turn has been using Merlin's gifts to his own ends and trying to take over lands in the neighboring kingdoms (i.e. Camelot), while terrorizing his own lands to keep control. (Thank you to adsiderum for pointing out that I should mention that!) Hope this clears up some confusion!

So enough of me babbling away here. Enjoy!

Gwen knocked on the door and waited anxiously. After a month of hiding who she really was, she had finally managed to reach her target. Cenred's sorcerer. The black magician. The destroyer. The man of a thousand names; Emrys. Soon she would be able to carry out her purpose of being in this castle, and then she could return to her king, her love. But first she had to get close enough to Emrys.

A quiet voice beckoned her into the room, and with a quick heartbeat she opened the door. She knew not what she would find inside the room. Instruments of torture perhaps. Potions and poisons? What would Emrys look like. She imagined a shadow. A shadow that sucked all other life from the room. That's what the stories say, and Gwen couldn't truly say anything against it, she had only seen the sorcerer in passing. A quick glimpse of the black figure strolling briskly behind the king; an ominous black cloak flying out behind him as he turned the corner.

But as she stepped into the room, the door closing behind her, Gwen found that it was much worse. The man in question stood solemnly by the only window and source of light. He was wrapped in his black cloak as always, but the moon and stars shone on his tilted face, revealing the pale skin beneath; a flash of silver around his neck. The room was barren but for a bed, giving the appearance of a cold and empty space. Gwen found, it was not the shadow by the window that sucked the life from the room, but the room that sucked the life from the shadow. She felt the urge to fight back her tears. It was painfully obvious that the man was a prisoner, and Gwen felt ashamed that she had never thought it before; that she had listened to the whispers of the ladies' gossip, and men's grand tales. She had known that they seldom spoke the truth.

The room spoke the truth. The sorcerer was a prisoner in a sugar coated prison cell, not that the room was much more than a prison cell in the first place. And that was worse, Gwen thought, that the man responsible for so much death, so much destruction, was not a cold hearted monster, but just a man. A poor man, enslaved to a king.

Gwen waited for a moment before setting about her job. She cleared the sheets from the bed guided only by the moonlight beyond the window, and having nothing else to do she simply waited for Emrys' orders.

But none were forthcoming.

"Is there anything else you need sir?" Gwen asked. The silence was suffocating, and she wanted to get out before it took her.

And then Emrys spoke, his head turning just a bit, allowing Gwen to see more clearly the shine of the silver collar circling his neck, but his face was still draped in shadow. "You are a new servant." The question was more of a statement but Gwen nodded anyway, feeling the words caught in her throat at his voice. It wasn't powerful- commanding- it was a sad voice, rough from neglect. He spoke again, "What is your name?" Gwen felt the need to lie, to run, to get away as fast as possible. She shouldn't give him her name. Names were powerful; in the wrong hands, a name could be used to control you. But Gwen did none of those things. Perhaps it was the pity she found herself having for the sorcerer, or maybe it was something else entirely, but Gwen answered him.

"Guinevere, sir."

Gwen watched as Emrys rolled the name around on his tongue, seemingly trying to fit it with something else. He was silent for a while, turned again to look out the window, his face tilted towards the sky. When he spoke, he spoke suddenly, quietly, and Gwen thought she heard a thread of hope weaved into his sad voice, "The stars speak of the fair lady Guinevere." And Gwen's heart stuck in her throat. She prepared to run out of the room should the need arise, not that she expected it would do much help for her against the powerful sorcerer. "They speak of her alongside her golden king bringing peace to the land with her kind heart, and the trees whisper of her coming."

He stood silent again. Gazing intently at the sky, and Gwen almost forgot for a moment who she was in the room with. But then Emrys spoke again. "I only pray that you live up to the name." Gwen stared at him, as he then turned his head, slowly, toward her again. She fought the urge to squirm, as she felt his eyes fall upon her. And then he turned back to the window with a gruff "You may go."

When she reached the servants quarters, she wept; wept for the man who was taken from his home and forced to do an evil man's biddings.

~\./~

It was a week later that Gwen was told to bring up food to Emrys: the usual carrier had fallen ill, and she was the only other servant allowed entry. It was the chance that she had been waiting for.

Gwen took the least traveled route to Emrys' room, pausing in an alcove to pull the vial from around her neck and pour a drop into the wine she carried. She quickly placed it back around her neck, and checking both ways, continued down the corridor to Emrys' room.

When she entered Emrys was sat on the bed, staring at the wall opposite him. His hood was down, and for the first time Gwen saw the face of Emrys. The face of a pale young man, with sad blue eyes, and a mop of raven hair. He didn't even glance at Gwen as she brought him the food and wine.

"I've brought your dinner, sir." And now Emrys slowly shifted his eyes to her, and then down to the tray she carried. He reached out for it slowly, and Gwen let him take it. She waited as he slowly ate his food, and waited for him to drink the wine patiently. The silence did not bother her as much anymore, after all, Emrys had not spoken to her since that first day, and the silence had become an everyday thing that she had just grown used to. She had to.

So when he did speak, it startled Gwen enough to make her jump. "You are very loyal to your king Guinevere… and very brave." Gwen starred at him, he still had not touched the wine. Her heart rate picked up. "You traveled into this kingdom, knowing that you would be facing me sooner or later. Knowing that what you were going to do could get you killed. But you did it anyway, for Camelot, for your king." Gwen swallowed hard. He knew. He knew and now she would die. "This wine is laced with a strong poison. One that can only be cured with the strongest of remedies. A remedy which can only be found in Camelot… I will not live if I drink it."

Gwen tried to move, to run, but for the life of her she couldn't. It was as if she had been frozen where she stood, and all she could do was watch the man before her, as he stared at the cup of wine in his hand. And then he looked up at her with sad eyes, and he gave her an almost sadder, but reassuring smile, as he whispered two words. "Thank you." And with that he raised the cup to his lips, and drank the whole thing; quickly lying down on the bed, as the poison did its work.

Gwen hurried over to him, taking the tray, and wine cup away, and draping the blanket over Emrys. As she turned to leave Emrys called out once more to her. She looked back at him as he struggled to force out the words "Tell… that king of yours…to kill the bastard for me… will you? I can… die happy."

Gwen covered her mouth with her hand, muffling the choked cry which came from her throat. Tears welled up in her eyes as the man in front of her succumbed to darkness. The poison would make him unresponsive, his heart beat imperceptible, and most importantly, his magic unreachable. Tomorrow, King Cenred would arrive to retrieve his sorcerer and would find him seemingly dead. He wouldn't be. Not by then. The poison would not kill the sorcerer for another week, but it was the only one that Emrys would be unable to cure himself of. She took the tray and cup, and ran from the room, discarding them in an unused room, and ran out of the castle. The deed was done. Now she need only to leave the city before curfew. And Cenred's reign of terror would end.

So, please don't kill me for what you just read. I promise I don't normally want to kill off Merlin- I'm not like Steven Moffat who kills off all the lovable characters ;) - But let me know if I should continue this or not. I actually do have a beginning of a plot for this, its just a matter of I still have a LOT of work to do for it. Not to mention updates will be very sporadic and could have months between them (that's the result of being over busy, and besides that I'm more of a reader than a write- sorry). So do you think it's worth it to continue? Do you like it as it is? Any suggestions? Let me know! I'd love to hear (or read in this case) your thoughts! XD