Disclaimer I do not own anything related to BBC's Merlin

Summary Uther Pendragon knew there were some threats he could not hope to defeat without magic and so when he heard of the most powerful sorcerer, he naturally searched for him. Now, years and years later, Arthur finds a man in the deepest part of the dungeons whilst wandering around.

He hadn't thought that being crown prince would require all this work. Money to count and problems to solve for their subjects (why they weren't able to figure out which cow belonged to whom was beyond him) and sorcerers to capture – it was all so much. When he was king, he would be sure to make at least some of the advisors do the work. After all, he would be the ruler of the land. Why should he be stuck inside looking at paper the whole day?

Arthur brought his robe closer to his body and shivered. In hindsight, maybe he shouldn't have gone strolling around the castle at night, but it now seemed to be the only time he could ever get to himself. Besides, if he got sick, he could always go to Gaius and beg for a cure. He seemed to have a potion for everything and if he didn't, it just meant that Arthur could laze about in his bed for a few days and torment George. If George could even be tormented. The man seemed like he could–

His train of thought was interrupted by the sudden silence he had stumbled upon. While it may have been the middle of the night, the castle was hardly ever still. The night servants were always running about (quietly, of course) and the guards would be patrolling the hallways (less quietly – armor made quite the sound). But there were no servants here, and Arthur couldn't hear any clanking of chain mail nearby. The corridor ahead of him wasn't even lit – he would have to take the torch he was standing next to if he wanted to continue his stroll.

As this was a place Arthur had never before been to, of course he took the torch and went on his way – this time paying more attention to his surroundings.

It was when he started going down stairs that he began to consider that he may have made a mistake and maybe this wasn't the best time to explore unknown places. But it was too late now to turn back, and if he did, then he would have to live with himself for being a cowardly girl, and he most certainly did not wear petticoats. However, it wouldn't be spineless to call out – some might even call it intelligent!

"Hello?" And no, he most definitely did not shudder when his voice echoed back.

When no one answered back, Arthur took a few tentative steps forward–

–And almost dropped his torch when a figure of a person came into view. On a closer look, however, the person seemed to be slumped over and chained to the wall. Clearly, he wasn't any threat at the moment.

The shock died off in a minute, and Arthur became bored once again. After all, one could only look at a sleeping person before losing interest, and Arthur wasn't known for his patience.

"Hey!" He called (quietly). "Wake up!" His efforts were rewarded by a small groan and some movement, but nothing more. "Hey! I'm the prince, you can't disobey me," he said as he rattled the bars with one hand.

The person jolted and lifted their head in order to make eye contact. Arthur moved his torch closer in an attempt to make out some of their appearances, but they were so covered in dirt that he could make out nothing save for blue eyes.

"Who are you? Why're you chained up?" Normally Arthur would not be making conversation with prisoners, but he was quite curious. The person didn't look dangerous, and yet they were in the deepest part of the castle. There was something going on that Arthur couldn't see, and he hated that.

The person paused, before opening their mouth. All that came out was a small whisper of breath, and they closed their mouth again.

"Sorry, what was that?" Arthur looked closely at their mouth, which is why he did not yelp when he heard the person reply while not moving their mouth.

Emrys. My name is Emrys.

"How did you do that!" Arthur paused while he thought about it, and then kicked the cell. "Are you a sorcerer?"

Yes.

Arthur clapped his hands to his ears before glaring. "Get out of my head," he hissed. "I'll have you burned."

If the King wanted me dead he would have killed me ages ago. I'm sure I look terrible, but not quite like a corpse yet. Emrys smiled and tilted his - by now Arthur could tell - head.

"Yes, well," Arthur smirked. "You're not his son, are you?" At the lack of response, he nodded. "Thought so. Now, if you don't mind - and by that, I mean that I really couldn't care less if you did mind - I'll be on my way now. I hope you enjoy your night, for it surely will be your last!" He turned around and had taken a few steps before the voice of Emrys stopped him.

I really don't think it will be my last, Pendragon.

Arthur spun on his heels and gaped at him. He quickly schooled his expression ("Royalty does not gape, Arthur") and asked the man what he meant in a not-so-polite manner.

Laughter sounded in his head (which was something that was quite strange) and Emrys answered. Uther has kept me in this hellhole for years and there has never been a time when he has not needed my help. Your kingdom is constantly under attack and most of the time magic is the only way that can save both it and you. Your life has been saved by magic more than you can attempt to imagine.

"You lie," Arthur scoffed, although inwardly he worried at the truth of the statement. "My father knows how cruel and evil magic is. He would rather die than use it to his advantage. You're just trying to get me to turn against him."

Perhaps. Emrys leaned back against the wall. But you'll never know for sure.

And no matter how much more Arthur shouted and begged, he would not reply.