A/N

!WARNING! This is a dark fic. Much darker than I have ever written. I was feeling really low and wrote this and it kinda showed. (END WARNING)

This is based off a prompt from AngryPurpleFire, who has a few author prompts.

This story probably won't be more than a oneshot, mostly because I am so busy and should be studying. So I hope you enjoy this story.

Arthur watched Merlin's limp form bounce on the horse's back, bound hands swinging slightly. Magic, Merlin had magic. Arthur wasn't sure what to think; Merlin had saved his life from the avalanche by creating a shimmering shield that protected both of them, but the idiot took the shield down too early and a final rock had knocked him unconscious.

Arthur glanced up the road; he could see two men waiting. Bandits most likely who would try to claim that the road was tolled, as if the prince of the kingdom wouldn't know.

"Clear off. This is your only warning, if I find you robbing the people here I'll return with the Knights of the realm."

"Oh, he thinks he is all high and mighty. Who do you think you are, the prince?"

Arthur dismounted, wanting to be on level ground if he had to fight the two, "I am the prince."

"Perfect." The man let out a loud whistle and Arthur could hear more men coming out of the woods, he knew without looking that he was surrounded. He gripped his sword tightly but the skirmish was over before it started. He succeeded in injuring at least the first two, but was quickly overpowered.

"And what have we here?" One of the men pulled Merlin off his horse and Arthur tamped down on the urge to demand Merlin's release, he wouldn't ask for the release of a sorcerer.

"A sorcerer." Arthur spat out, "A man who for years acted as my servant."

"Well it sounds like we should have a talk with him." The man nodded at the bandit holding Arthur and he slumped forward as they slammed the hilt of their sword into his temple.

Merlin woke slowly to the murmur of voices that only got louder as the speakers realized he was awake. He scrambled for what had happened last, and only remembered rocks falling towards Arthur and instinctively reached for his magic—only to find it wasn't there. That brought him awake in an instant, jerking his limbs as he realized they were weighted with shackles.

"Hey, easy boy. We don't want you to hurt yourself." Panicked Merlin looked at the lean man who stood in front of him, calming slightly at the easy voice and almost kind looks of the man. He had brown hair that fell in easy waves that managed to mostly cover a vivid cut on the man's cheek. "We found you unconscious on the back of a horse, the Prince said you had magic and we figured you wouldn't care if we helped you escape death."

Merlin searched his memory trying to understand when he had been knocked unconscious, he remembered stopping the rock-fall, surrounding him and…Arthur. Oh no, Arthur knew about his magic. Was it Arthur that had knocked him out? No. He scoured his memory until he found it, a loose rock had fallen after he pulled the shield down.

"Who are you?" Merlin's voice was slightly croaky from its disuse, but he forged on regardless. "What do you want with me?"

"My name is Caiseal, I'm the leader of the group here. We were lucky enough to find the Prince out today, I think we'll keep him here for a few days, maybe weeks, before we send him back to Uther; in exchange for a hefty price of course. And for you? We have a place for you, if you would care to join us." Caiseal looked eager, hoping Merlin would accept the position; but he would never do that, especially not with his prince a prisoner. "I am sorry about the chains, we had to make sure you didn't accidently use magic while you were out. I can take them off if you'd like." There was an unspoken threat to the offer and I'll leave them on if you don't join, and Merlin heard it loud and clear.

"I'll never work for you. Take them off and I will destroy you for taking my Prince. I will defend him to my last breath." Merlin managed to spit at Caiseal, who growled and in that instant Merlin knew exactly how the easy looking man could work as a bandit.

Caiseal was fierce and there was a kind of maniac gleam in his green eyes as he answered the warlock. "I guess I'll be needing to show you the best hospitality then?" He whistled and two more men came in the room, both larger than Percival and covered in numerous scars that proved they knew how to handle themselves in a fight.

Merlin tried his hardest to fight back as they attacked, but he knew it was pointless—without his magic he was worthless. He was skinny to their brawny, tall and lanky to their brute strength.

He knew he must have blacked out at one point from their onslaught because he was in a new room.

A room, ha it was little more than a cell. Arthur was nearby though, Merlin could hear him demanding something in a loud voice. With a little effort Merlin managed to bring back his hearing.

"This is your plan? Lock me in a cell with a sorcerer?" Merlin flinched at the scorn and hate that was infused in the words. He had hoped that Arthur felt they were friends and that Merlin would have a chance to explain his magic and why it remained a secret between them.

Merlin struggled to sit up, he could see the chains that were attached to his shackles led to the wall. He couldn't tell if his lack of strength was from the beating he just received or if it was a sign of something worse. When he put his weight on his left arm to push himself up against the wall, it collapsed and Merlin knew. A warlock restrained by the shackles or collar will find that first they will lose the ability to perform Magic. A warlock will be affected in a manner that is different from other sorcerers in that if worn for an extended period physical strength will be depleted… Merlin stopped the thought there and for the first time regretted having memorized his magic book. He let himself slump back to the ground, hissing slightly as he jostled the chains against a cut.

"Don't worry Arthur." He spoke quietly, a little breathless as he realized at least one of his ribs was cracked (how had he not noticed before?), "I can't do anything. Somehow they knew that I was a sorcerer and so they locked my magic up nice and tight."

There was no answer from the opposite side of the cell so he kept going.

"They wanted me to work for them, said they would take off the shackles. But I said no." Merlin turned his head to stare at Arthur, he was sitting with his back to him only restrained with a single long chain to the wall. But he seemed unhurt, from the back anyways. "Do you want to know why?"

"Silence, sorcerer." Ah, there was the prat prince Merlin was expecting. He pretended he hadn't heard and continued.

"I promised myself to always protect my friends, and the one person I consider my best friend is sitting in a cell with me. I could never use my magic for evil, not when it was meant for you…only for you." Merlin could see the tension building up in Arthur's shoulders and let the matter drop. He had given enough of his story to Arthur to think about. Merlin drifted off to an uneasy sleep, feeling an ache deep in his body that was his missing magic, and the lighter sting of the many new bruises and cuts.

Arthur listened as Merlin's breathing evened out, only broken by the occasional hitch, that meant a broken or cracked rib. He didn't want to see his servant-friend-sorcerer and so he kept his back towards him and instead watched the sky darken in the slit that was his window. Was it only that morning he had left with Merlin to go hunting? They had ridden out farther than usual to the cliffs and…Merlin was a sorcerer. No matter what Arthur did, his thoughts kept circling back to that same conclusion. Was he an idiot for coming to Camelot with magic? Or did Merlin learn it after he became Arthur's manservant? Did Merlin really mean it when he said he only used it to help Arthur?

It was very late when he finally gathered the courage to turn around and actually look at his one-time friend. When Arthur did he wished he hadn't, he swore under his breath, it was terrible. A bruise was spreading across his cheek, and a cut adorned the opposite. There were slices in his clothes and Arthur could see more bruises under the fabric, and he was certain there were hand-prints under the neckerchief. But the worst part was how pale his servant looked. The man was always unusually light skinned, but this was a sick kind of pale.

Arthur's eyes skimmed over his manservant searching for any more injuries, and they stopped on the shackles attached to his wrists and ankles. Merlin hadn't even sounded angry when he talked about how his magic was taken, even though he probably knew Arthur had told the bandits. That Arthur had handed him right over to be stripped of his power.

Because Merlin had magic, and that brought Arthur back to the same thought that had bothered him all day. He put his back to the man and let sleep take him.

"No, I won't let you."

"Oh, you think you are in a position to bargain boy?"

The first voice was Merlin's and the answering one Arthur recognized from the woods as the man who had been so interested in Merlin.

Arthur moved to stand only to find Merlin standing over him, for a brief moment it seemed to Arthur that Merlin had gotten his magic back and was going to kill him. Then he realized Merlin was protecting him, stopping the bandits from closing in.

"I will protect him." Merlin's voice didn't waver, but Arthur could see that Merlin was trembling ever so slightly; Arthur worried for the man before he remembered that magic was evil.

"You were his servant, why would you want to protect him with your forbidden magic?" The leader of the bandits stood with three men behind him, facing off Merlin and Arthur wondered why they didn't just storm him—Merlin had no power and was by no means strong. He stood slowly, doing his best to not rattle the chain around his leg.

"I don't need protection from a sorcerer!" Arthur filled his voice with all the scorn he could, all the hate he had always felt for the works of magic, for all the evil in the world. And then he shoved Merlin to the hands of the other men.

The leader laughed as Merlin fought back, his movements slow and clumsy—hampered by the chains and the injuries from the day before.

"Thank you, your highness. My name is Caiseal, this here is my crew." He gestured to his men, who now held Merlin down; one man with a boot to his chest while another pulled up the neckerchief and stuffed it in as a gag. "We've sent off a ransom, warned your father to not send any knights. But until he pays the price, you are with us." Caiseal's grin was feral but Arthur held his ground. "We'll start with your servant."

As the man left Arthur couldn't help but get the last word in, "Be my guest, I've no need for him."

Arthur could feel Merlin's gaze, and when he glanced at Merlin the other man looked utterly and completely betrayed. Arthur felt guilty until he remembered how many times Merlin had probably lied to him, how many times Merlin had betrayed him, he refused to feel guilty about a sorcerer.

Merlin didn't have far to walk, and he was grateful for that. His show of defiance and protecting Arthur had sapped what meager strength he had managed to gather. Merlin stumbled again and was pushed harshly down onto the chair, his arms pulled behind his back and secured while his legs were tied to the chair; he didn't try to resist. Merlin had just enough strength to pull his head up and glare at Caiseal, he wasn't going to waste it on fighting the inevitable.

Caiseal and one of his many followers came in the room right after, they set a bucket on stone floor and Merlin focused on that. He felt a growing sense of unease when he realized it held glowing coals and metal rods.

"We thought you would be more comfortable in here. Now we have a few questions for you." Caiseal said cheerfully.

They wasted no time after that. Merlin knew they were asking questions but he learned much more than they did. Merlin learned that when he was cheeky it earned him anything from a slap to a cut from the knife. One answer that had included an insult to one of their mothers had resulted in a spectacularly swollen eye. Merlin learned that when they thought he was answering wrong or lying out right, it earned him a brand anywhere, but they seemed to favor his arms and legs.

Merlin coughed harshly trying to get the smoke from his burnt skin and clothes out of his airway; the cracked rib was probably broken. Merlin's sight was mostly gone by now and he didn't want to think of why, his swollen eye was part of the problem but the main reason…. If worn for an extended period physical strength will be depleted…typically followed by loss of either sight or hearing. Merlin pushed the thought back he didn't know what to hope for, that the loss of sight was from his injuries or from his lack of magic, neither one was a good option.

"Take him back." Caiseal's voice came as if underwater and Merlin wondered when his hearing had gone funny. He knew he couldn't see right but his hearing had been fine just a few minutes ago, Caiseal had asked him about the patrol routes and he had told the man to go watch them himself.

Merlin could barely register the men gripping his arms as they pulled him down the few doors to the cell. He was curious why they actually chained him up again; he couldn't feel his magic, he had no strength, he could see little to nothing, his hearing was underwater, and he had just been tortured.

"Merlin?!" Was that concern from the prince?

Merlin blamed his underwater ears; there was no way Arthur would sound like he cared. Arthur had betrayed Merlin, pushed him into danger. Because Merlin was a sorcerer.

"No, Merlin. I shouldn't have done that this morning." Merlin realized he must have spoken out loud, did that mean Arthur knew he was underwater? Maybe Arthur would have done something else, would he have hurt Merlin himself?

"I'm not evil. Try to always do good. Going to be hard though." Merlin tried to find some reserve of strength to turn his head and look at Arthur, but he had used the last of it when he had thrashed around from the last burn on his neck. He whimpered slightly, that one had hurt.

"Can I see you? Come here, I can't see you!" Merlin was aware his voice was raising, it hurt to raise his voice.

"Merlin!" The voice was even farther away like someone was standing at the far end of the castle and yelling his name.

"I can't hear you. I can't see!" Merlin realized that the last of his sight was gone, but why was his hearing going? The book said EITHER sight or hearing maybe it was how powerful you were, he was Emrys.

"Arthur." It was a plea, which Arthur would respond to in kindness, the last hope that he would get his friend back. But before Merlin could form the 'r' he could no longer hear his own voice and he knew it was too late.

Merlin wondered if his tears were as silent to Arthur as they were to him.

Arthur felt horrible after he pushed Merlin to the bandits. It had felt like the right thing to do, for about ten seconds and then he knew it was wrong. He had never enjoyed the killing that his father seemed to revel in. If a person's guilt was proven he would execute without question, but he needed proof. And he had never seen proof of Merlin being evil, it was always good and only good. The never ending loyalty, the underserved kindness at the beginning, the constant friendship no matter how much of a prat he was being.

So when Merlin was brought back hours later, Arthur could feel his guilt clawing at him. His manservant, his friend, was burned all over his arms and legs. The men that dragged him in threw him down and roughly chained him. It was the natural instinct to protect that had him call out.

"Merlin?!"

The response was so quiet Arthur was forced to come closer to the injured man, and what he heard only increased the guilt.

"My ears are underwater that is why Arthur would sound like he cared. Arthur betrayed me, pushed me into danger. Because I am a sorcerer." The words trailed off at the end and Arthur wondered how much longer the man would hold on.

"No, Merlin. I shouldn't have done that this morning." Arthur tried to apologize and make things right, but Merlin kept talking. If they were in a different place, a different time Arthur would give him a playful smack and tell him to stop interrupting.

"I'm not evil. Try to always do good. Going to be hard though." Merlin was whispering, but Arthur could hear each word like a bell, it echoed and rang in his head. He started to ask why it was going to be hard to be good when Merlin spoke again.

"Can I see you? Come here, I can't see you!" Merlin's voice was rising, and it sounded so hoarse. Arthur knew why, he had heard the screams and yells from the cell. He knew it was all his fault, telling the bandits about Merlin's magic and then being fool enough to ignore his friend.

"Merlin!" Arthur called out and stretched out a hand, but was afraid of where to set it, worried about harming his friend further.

"I can't hear you. I can't see!" Merlin was still talking, his voice breaking. After his terrible declaration of his loss of sight Arthur had no idea how to react. How to give comfort to one who he had betrayed so utterly?

Arthur swallowed hard and reached out a hand to rest it on the most unmarked patch of skin he could find.

"Arthur." His name was spoken so quietly and with such desperation, Arthur knew it was a final plea. It was only confirmed as Merlin began to cry, sobbing and heaving and yet not moving from where he was thrown when he was brought in.

Arthur set his shoulders, he had done this to Merlin. He may not have set the poker to the man's skin himself or thrown the punches, but he had handed over his friend without a second thought. He gently pulled his friend into a sitting position and held him when it became clear that Merlin had no strength. Arthur felt a rush of fury, that for the first time since he was captured was not directed at Merlin but rather at their captors. What had they done that had robbed Merlin of his strength, sight, and hearing?

"Arthur?" Merlin's cries broke off, but his breathing still hitched in a choked off sob every few breaths. Arthur nodded his head, and Merlin sobbed again, slowly moving his hand to clutch weakly at Arthur's.

"It's okay Merlin. You'll be okay, we'll get out of here. I'll take you to Gaius and even give you a day off. I'm so sorry Merlin." Arthur knew it was useless to say anything but he did none the less.

They sat together for a long time, Arthur mumbling pointless phrases and Merlin drifting in and out of sleep.

The knights arrived by nightfall and the bandits had no chance against their anger. They fought to free their prince.

Arthur held tightly to Merlin, they were getting out. Merlin can be taken back to Camelot and Gaius can fix him. Arthur could only hope that Merlin would heal and maybe one day forgive him.

So I hope everyone enjoyed that. It is my first Dark fic and I know it wasn't really bad (but I'm okay with that). Let me know what you think and have a good day, hopefully better than Merlin's was!