Ok, so this is my first story on here, I have posted at A03 but thought I would try here as well. This is slash between Arthur/Merlin, this includes eventual mpreg. This so far, hints at slavery, rape and torture. If that bothers you, please hit the back button.

I don't own the characters and am not making any money from this.

Uther Pendragon looked up at the three men that entered his office, the one in the middle bound in iron chains, an iron collar around his throat. Leaning back, he looked over the boy in the middle, he was tall, lanky, had unruly dark hair, high cheek bones and startling blue eyes.

"Sorry to interrupt you, sir," the man on the right, a vile man called Valiant, a slave trader and someone Uther preferred not to deal with on a regular basis, said in greeting. It was late and Uther had planned to leave in the next twenty minutes but the interruption was going to prolong that time. He didn't usually see new acquisitions, it was left to his son or one of his many employees but he was one of the only ones left in the building at the time. He owned and ran Camelot's Underground, though it wasn't as underground as it had been in the beginning, and had from the start and had enough employees to deal with the scum that were slave traders like the two in front of him. He sighed and sat back, eying the boy in the middle once again before turning back to the men.

"The interruption is done, what do you have for me?" he asked, and the other man pushed the boy in the middle to the floor on his knees.

"New acquisition for your approval," Valiant said, grinning and Uther stood, making his way around the desk to stand in front of the boy.

"Where is he from?" he asked, tipping the boys chin to look down at his eyes that stared back defiantly.

"Small village of Ealdor," the other man, George said, grinning, showing that he was missing three of his top set of teeth.

"Ealdor is beyond Camelot's territory," he said, his voice low and dangerous, promising pain and retribution for doing something so stupid as to take a warlock from the bordering lands. Both men who were standing paled and they took a step back from the older man.

"We didn't take him from there," Valiant defended the two of them, "we bought him from a trader from there." Uther stared between them for a moment, it was against the law to cross the border to enslave warlocks but trade between two slave merchants from both sides was completely legal.

"You have the documents?" he demanded, turning his gaze back to the young man on his knees.

"Of course, we're not new to this," Valiant said and snapped his mouth shut at the look Uther gave him and he held out the papers and Uther took a moment, looking over the pages to make sure everything was in order, including the price.

"Strip him," he demanded and the two standing pulled the boy to his feet and quickly undid the shirt and pants, and pulled them from his body.

Uther's first impression that the boy was thin was an understatement, the boy was skin and bones, and he could see almost every rib and his hips were sharp points under the near-translucent skin. The boy's hands were covering his privates and Uther snorted as he circled the boy once, noticing the knees poking out and the slight trembling that he was trying to hide. He circled again after poking the boy in the ribs, running his fingers over the protruding bones and then ran a hand over his shoulder blades as he passed. He could see each and every bone in the boy's spine, each bone sticking out as if the skin had been pulled too tightly over his body. He ran his hand down the boy's back and over his behind, squeezing lightly causing the boy to suck in a breath. His hand ran between the boy's cheeks and ran a finger over his entrance, causing the boy to jerk and try to pull away this time, his trembling changing to outright shaking.

"Virgin?" he asked, looking at Valiant who grinned back.

"According to the man we bought him from, they didn't touch him and you know me and my men don't sample," he explained and Uther knew that was a lie, but did not believe the other man would dare lie to him. Uther made a noncommittal noise and moved around to the boy's front and pulled his hands away from his privates. His cock was a good size while soft and hung between his legs, shaking slightly with the rest of his body.

"Fifteen," he said, going to sit behind his desk, leaving the boy to try to cover himself once again.

"That's not even half!" Valiant cried after spluttering for a long moment, George staring at Uther in horror and anger.

"The boy is too thin to put to work, I will need to keep him out of the rooms until we can fatten him up, and until that happens, I will be losing money on him."

"Twenty-five," Valiant said and Uther sat back and eyed the three men in front of him before smirking.

"Fifteen," he restated, he wasn't going to back down on this, he had had several slaves come to him in this condition, half ended up dying anyway, malnutrition was a dangerous and tricky thing.

"We'll go elsewhere," George spoke up and Uther turned a cool gaze towards him and the other man swallowed thickly.

"I can guarantee that you will not get a better price for him, I pay the best, even for one that would be felled by a strong wind." The two slavers looked at each other and had a silent conversation, their hands flying, talking in their own language. Uther of course, knew exactly what they were saying, it was his job to know these things after all, and knew he won long before the two were done 'speaking'.

"Seventeen," Valiant tried once again and Uther shook his head and leaned back, resting his fingers over his stomach and stared them down, not saying a word. "Fine!" Valiant said after a long moment, glowering at the man at the desk and Uther nodded.

"You can talk to Morgana outside, she will pay you," he said dismissively and the two men turned and stormed out. When they were gone, he turned to his computer and sent Morgana a quick message, letting her know exactly how much. He didn't think the two would be stupid enough to try to take more, but he couldn't be sure. Once he was done, he again looked at the boy in front of him who was staring at a point above Uther's head, the defiant look still there.

"How old are you?" he asked and the boy jumped before turning his eyes to him, looking away a moment later but didn't respond. Uther stood and walked around his desk and pulled the boys face up, as he was a bit shorter than him and searched his eyes. "When I ask a question, it is to be answered, am I understood," he demanded, his hand tightening on the boy's chin. The young man's jaw worked for a moment as if trying to deny the man his answer.

"Sixteen," was the reply, the voice was rough and rasped as if his throat was full of sandpaper.

"Younger than I usually take, but that is fine," Uther said and let go of the boy's chin before returning to his seat. "Name?" he demanded.

"Merlin," was the reply and Uther typed something into his computer before turning to his phone and punching in a number.

"Gaius," he said in greeting when the other man answered, "come to my office," he said, it was not a request, before he hung up, expecting the man to do as was told. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Merlin had started to sway and he looked pale as if about to collapse. Climbing to his feet, Uther walked around and moved Merlin to the couch he had against the wall and made him sit. He turned on his heel, ignoring Merlin's questioning look and poured a glass of water from the small en suite kitchenette and thrust it into his hands.

"Drink that slowly," he demanded, again ignoring the questioning look that turned into a confused and cautious look as he sipped at the water.

"Mr. Pendragon?" a voice asked and Uther looked up from his work behind his computer to see the old physician, Gaius standing there and he waved him in. "What can I help you with?" he asked, moving into the room.

"New acquisition," Uther replied, pointing to the couch where Merlin had fallen asleep, head pillowed on his arm across the arm of the chair.

"He looks half dead," Gaius said, crouching down beside the boy, his knees giving off a loud pop.

"I believe he is," Uther replied as he started to shut down his computer for the night, "I want weekly updates on his weight and general health," he said, standing and pulling on his coat as Gaius started to wake Merlin.

"Of course Mr. Pendragon," Gaius said, helping Merlin into the clothes that had been pulled from his frame earlier and leading him out of the office. Uther followed and closed the door before locking it, turning in the opposite direction from Gaius and Merlin towards where his car was waiting for him.

Gaius led the young man to the elevators near the back and once they opened, pressed the button for the basement floor. On their way down, the older of the two watched the other closely as he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. Once they reached their destination, they entered a long hallway that led out in front of them, lined on both sides by doors, a set of double doors at the end. Gaius led the young man through the double doors to an examination room beyond where he pushed him onto a bed. Gaius moved to his computer and pulled up the information that Uther had sent him on the boy, Merlin, Gods he was young, and printed the information out.

"Merlin," he said, taking the papers and placing them into an empty manila folder as he approached the bed and the shaking boy. "Do you have a last name?" he asked, placing the folder on a table next to the bed.

"Does it matter?" was the low, raspy reply and Gaius sighed.

"It is for our records my dear boy," he said gently, placing his hand on Merlin's knee and the boy jumped, causing his hand to remove.

"Emrys," he said after a long moment and Gaius blinked in surprise.

"From Ealdor?" he said to himself, picking up the folder again. "Are you Hunith's boy?" he asked and the dark head lifted, looking at him in shock.

"You know my mother?" he asked, hope shining in his eyes.

"I did, a long time ago," Gaius said, "we keep in contact every once in a while."

"Can you tell her I'm ok?" Merlin asked, his voice pleading, "she has no one else now that I'm gone."

"I will Merlin," he said, smiling gently at him and pretended not to notice when tears started falling down the boy's cheeks.

"You can't help me can you?" was a question that brought his head up from preparing his instruments.

"I cannot, I am sorry," Gaius said gently and Merlin let out a slight sob and Gaius, not for the first time, felt he wanted to cry along with him. He checked his blood pressure, listened to his lungs and heart, drew blood and then had him stand on the scale.

"One hundred and ten pounds," Gaius said, shaking his head, disgusted at how the poor boy had been treated. "Do you have any allergies?" he asked and Merlin shook his head, and Gaius felt relieved, glad he didn't have to worry about that. "We'll start you on a diet to get your weight up to where it should be, start you on vitamins and once you're up to weight, an exercise timetable."

Once he was done, Gaius led him back through the double doors and to the first door on the right and entered a code, causing the door to slide open. Inside was a medium sized room with a small bed, a dresser, a TV set and a door to the left.

"That door," Gaius said, pointing to the door to the left, "leads to a toilet, there are clothes in the dresser, sleep and otherwise, the television picks up local channels but not much else. I can take off your shackles now, but if you leave this room, they will go on," he said and pulled a card out of his pocket. He waived it over the irons and they fell off his wrists but the one around his throat stayed where it was. "I have to lock you in here Merlin, for that I am sorry, but I will have someone bring something to eat down for you all right?" Merlin just nodded his head and entered the room, sitting on the bed and found that it was quite comfortable. "I will see you tomorrow Merlin," Gaius said, his voice full of sadness but didn't receive a response so he left, closing the door behind him and locking it with a code.

Merlin lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to fall. He had been ripped from his home and mother six months ago, slavers had come through their small village and people were happy to point fingers, especially if they thought it would save them or a loved one. Once the slavers had taken him they had slapped him in irons and placed a collar around is throat, all designed to lock in his magic so he could not use it against them. He had been starved for his insolence, and even then it didn't stop his smart mouth, and it was a miracle that he wasn't dead because of it. What the slavers said tonight was untrue, he was not a virgin, but it was just that the men from tonight and the men who had him before weren't the ones who had taken that from him. Thinking back on what that man, Mr. Pendragon as he had been called, had said, when he had gained weight he would be put to work. He shuddered at the thought, he had heard of Uther and Arthur Pendragon, the so-called 'King and Prince' of Camelot. Though Camelot was a democracy, Uther owned almost the entire city, including the warlock slave trade and ran things behind the scenes, paying or killing off any who opposed him.

There was a knock on the door and a moment later, the door opened to a man who was holding a tray.

"Food," the man said, his voice rough and he set the tray down and then backed out, keeping an eye on Merlin as if he were going to attack him and closed the door. Merlin stayed where he was for a long moment until the smell of food made its way to him and his stomach gave a painful clench. He stood up and moved over and picked up the tray and took it back to the bed. He looked down and found a bowl of some kind of broth as well as a cup of water and half a slice of bread. His stomach gave a growl and clenched in pain again so he picked up his spoon and started eating slowly. He had learned his lesson two months after he had been captured he had escaped and found some bread that had been thrown away. He had been starved for so long that he started stuffing the food into his mouth, not realizing that his stomach would not be used to the food. He started on his way again but his stomach had rebelled and it caused him to throw everything back up. Being sick caused his captors to catch up with him and his back still attested to the whip used to teach him a lesson.

Once he was done, he sat back and looked around the room, it was bigger than he was used to, hell, he was used to a cage at the best of times, and here he was living in the lap of luxury. He stood and went to the bathroom, it was small but it had a toilet, a shower/bath combination and a sink. There was a towel rack to the right that held two dark blue towels that were soft to the touch. After a moment of staring at the tub, he found that he could not help himself and stripped off the clothes he was wearing and started the water. Once it was half full, he climbed in, nearly sobbing at how good it felt to have warm water covering him again. With the slavers he received a hose-down or a cold wet cloth to clean his body if he were lucky. He picked up a washcloth and soap he found on the side of the tub and proceeded to scrub himself almost raw and only when his body was red from scrubbing did he stop and sit back and relax. Reaching for the shampoo, he scrubbed his hair and then his scalp before dropping into the water, doing the same with the conditioner, another luxury he had rarely had in the last six months.

Finally, he climbed out of the tub reluctantly when the water started cooling, he wasn't sure if he was allowed to use more, and reached for one of the towels. He picked up the clothes he had worn but couldn't find anywhere to put them so he took them into his room and folded them atop the dresser. He opened the top drawer and found boxers, boxer-briefs, briefs, and socks he sighed in happiness; he didn't realize that he missed them until that moment. He had been forced to go commando for the last six months and as he pulled on boxers, he reveled in the feeling of support. He went to the next drawer and found sleep pants and tank tops, the third held shirts, all grey in color and the fourth held loose pants with a drawstring pull, again in grey. He slipped on a tank top and sleep pants and because his feet were cold, socks before he sat on the bed again. He yawned and lay back pulling the covers out from under him and then over his body, curling in on himself as he lay on the pillow. He hadn't felt anything like a real bed under him in so long, he rolled back and forth for a while before he found a comfortable position and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning when he awoke, he found another tray inside his room but did not remember waking up or seeing anyone when it was brought in. He picked up the tray and found a light porridge with milk and cinnamon, another piece of bread and what looked like apple juice. He sat on the bed again and started eating and was curious and picked up the remote, turning on the television. Gaius had been right, he only got local channels, not that he was familiar with the channels in Camelot but as he ate, he watched the news. Nothing exciting was happening, so he changed the channel to a morning show called 'Good Morning Camelot' with a perky blond woman and an older man. He placed the empty dishes back on the tray and then placed the tray near the door once he was done. When he heard the door unlock, he scrambled for the remote and quickly turned off the TV as he pressed himself against the wall.

"Good morning Merlin," Gaius' voice greeted him and he tried to relax though he wasn't sure he was successful. "I need you back in the examination room if you don't mind." Merlin stood and found himself, once again, shaking as he moved towards the older man. Once he reached him, Gaius pulled out the manacles from the day before and Merlin tried not to flinch from them. Gaius gave him an apologetic look before snapping them around his wrists and they adjusted so they were tight, just on the side of uncomfortable.

"I see you have found the clothing, do they fit you well enough?" he asked.

"They are fine sir," Merlin said and when they entered the double doors again, they found the room full of people, both slaves and non-slaves milling about.

"Over here," Gaius said, leading him across the room to a bed that was hidden by a drawn curtain and the older of the two patted the bed and Merlin climbed up. Gaius stepped around the curtain for a moment and when he came back he was holding a tray full of syringes and what looked like a microchip.

"These," Gaius said, picking up the first of four syringes, "are the start of your vitamins, after this, they will be in pill form, and a steroid, nothing too much, just something to help you pick back up." With that he took Merlin's left arm and tied it off before tapping the vein at his elbow and inserting the first needle. Merlin hissed quietly, his eyes fixed in front of him as the older man administered the medicines. "Tilt your head," the man said once he had set the last syringe back on the tray and picked up the microchip. Merlin did what was asked and he felt Gaius' hands on his neck, pressing against the collar that was lying there snuggly. "All done," Gaius said and Merlin moved his head back to where it had been resting barely noting the other man placing a different chip on the tray. "That chip will alert the security team if you try to leave the building without permission, it also has a tracking device that will help them keep an eye on you." Gaius said this as if it had been scripted, which it probably had, but there was an underlying warning to his tone that Merlin picked up quickly.

"Excuse me, Gaius?" a male voice called from outside the curtain and said man pulled the curtain back to show a young man, older than Merlin probably by six years standing there. He had dark hair that was cut short and dark brown eyes that held sadness as he looked at Merlin.

"Ah Lancelot, thank you for coming," Gaius said, standing back and letting the other man step past the ring of the curtain. "Merlin, this is Lancelot, he is to be your guard," the older man introduced the two and Lancelot nodded to him in greeting. "You are allowed to leave the safety of your rooms only under his watch. He will make sure that you are eating everything that we give you and taking your medicines." Gaius moved forward and waved his card over the manacles encompassing Merlin's hands causing them to fall away and Merlin resisted the urge to rub his wrists.

"These," Lancelot said, stepping forward with two circlets and reached for Merlin's hands, "do not link but I do have power over them to stop you from doing anything, they link to your collar as well." He snapped them around his wrists and they tightened, but just enough that they looked like bracelets and were not uncomfortable at all. Merlin doubted that they would stay that way if he were to try anything that Lancelot disapproved of. A cold fear set in his stomach at the thought of the other man forcing himself on him and Merlin not being able to do anything.

"He is not able to harm you in anyway," Gaius said, as if reading Merlin's thoughts, "he can't, you are a virgin and if that changes while in his care, well let's just say the consequences are dire." Merlin was not about to correct their assumption that he was a virgin and would try to keep their belief to that as long as he could, especially if it saved him, even if just for a while. "Well, it's nearly lunch time and you should get settled into your rooms, I'll see you in a couple of days Merlin," Gaius said, patting his knee and helped him down.

"Come on Merlin," Lancelot said, leading him towards another set of elevators that they had not arrived from last night. He pressed the down button and the doors slid open, once they were inside, he pressed the sixth floor button and they waited in silence as they descended. When the doors opened again it was to another long hallway that ended in a T. Lancelot led him down the hall and turned left at the T and then took a right at the next T and stopped at a door near the end of that hall that ended in a solid wall.

"These will be our rooms," he said, entering a code into the door panel and the door slid open to show a living area with a kitchen to the left and a small hallway to the right. "The bathroom is down on the left, your room is just beyond that and mine is across from yours." Merlin walked in to the living area and looked around, it had earth-toned, uncomfortable looking couches and chairs facing a large flat screen television. The kitchen was done in dark woods and stainless steel appliances, a small table with four chairs and an island with two stools. Ignoring the other man, Merlin walked down the hall and opened the door to the bathroom and found that it looked exactly like the one in the other room. He moved on to his bedroom, noticing the locking panel on the outside, and stepped inside. It looked very similar to the one he had been in this morning, other than the attached door to the bathroom and the TV were missing.

"Merlin," Lancelot called from the living area and the younger of the two sighed and closed his eyes for a moment before turning and making his way back. "We need to talk about the rules," the other man said and sat only after Merlin did, finding that the couches were as uncomfortable as they looked.

"As Gaius stated, you cannot leave these rooms without my accompanying you, your bonds will activate once you try to step beyond the doorway and you will not be able to move until I release you. Curfew is at ten o'clock p.m., you will be locked in your room at that point, you can do what you want other than leave. There are other slaves on this level, interaction between you and them is forbidden unless it is planned ahead and your guards are with you. Because of your…" he paused and looked over Merlin's body, but not in a creepy way, "condition, you will have a strict diet that you will have to follow. Medications will need to be taken with each meal, they will be delivered with your food and it is my job to make sure you take them. Meals are at seven a.m., noon and six p.m., there are no exceptions and they will be delivered here to us."

"Why the kitchen then?" Merlin asked and Lancelot looked over at the room and smiled sardonically.

"When you are better and looking like you won't fall over if you are standing for too long, there is a store you can purchase food at that you can keep here and make yourself."

"Why?" Merlin asked and continued when the other man looked at him questioningly, "why are there rooms, televisions, food, why are we treated like human beings?"

"Slavers are scum," Lancelot spat and Merlin blinked, "you'll find that most… owners treat their slaves well. In Camelot's case, you are their money maker's and so they treat you with as much dignity as they can."

"Dignity, right," Merlin snorted and looked towards the television again. He tensed when they heard a knock on the door a few minutes later and Lancelot stood to answer.

"Hungry?" he asked, walking back in carrying a tray, another man following him with another tray in his arms. He placed the tray on the counter and turned and left, not even looking at Merlin as he went. Merlin stood slowly and felt fatigued as he made his way over and sat down at the table where the other man had laid out their food. There was another bowl of soup this one had chunks of meat and potatoes and some crackers as well as water, this time it included a carafe of water to refill their glasses from. Half ways through his soup, his eyelids were drooping and he was having a hard time not falling asleep.

"All right," Lancelot said as he saw Merlin's head droop and bob back up a moment later for the third time, "why don't you take a nap?"

"Ok," Merlin said and stood nearly falling down, his body was not used to this much movement, but Lancelot was at his side in a moment. The other man didn't say anything but led him to his room and laid him down on the bed.

"You won't lock me in?" Merlin asked, pulling at the covers and Lancelot blinked at him, his heart clenching for the younger man.

"Not until tonight," he said gently and left the room, turning off the light as he went.

Sometime later, Merlin awoke, lying on his side that faced the wall and he stared at it, he could almost pretend that he was home, that his mother was in the next room. He closed his eyes tightly before rolling onto his back and taking a deep breath. Opening his eyes, he turned towards the small desk next to the bed to see a digital clock there which read six-thirty-seven. He sat up and wondered about dinner, Lancelot had said 'no exceptions' but had obviously let him sleep past the allotted time. Standing, he stretched and made his way towards the door and paused, worrying that the door was locked but as he stepped closer it slid open and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're awake," Lancelot said, standing from where he was sitting and watching TV, switching the box off as he went.

"So it would seem," Merlin said, still standing the doorway that led into the family room, "did I sleep through dinner?"

"No," Lancelot said, walking to the table where two trays sat and uncovered both, "I saved yours for you."

"I thought you said six p.m., no exceptions," Merlin said, walking into the room and to the table where he sat cautiously.

"It was a speech," Lancelot said, shrugging his shoulders and picking up the plates and taking them to the microwave to warm them. "I have to give it to all of my charges," he said from across the room.

"Have you had many?" Merlin asked quietly after a moment of silence and heard the other man sigh but was quiet beyond that until he was sitting across from Merlin, their plates in front of them.

"No," the other man said quietly and picked up his fork, "not many." They ate in silence, Merlin found it hard to finish all of it and the other man pretended not to notice. When they were done, Lancelot picked up the plates and set them on the stacked trays on a desk near the door and turned back.

"Do you want to watch TV?" he asked and Merlin looked at the uncomfortable couches and the television and shrugged, following the older man to the other room and sat as he turned the TV on. They watched several shows, none that Merlin paid attention to, mostly dozing or staring off into space, lost in his own thoughts and memories.

"Merlin," a hand on his shoulder had him sitting up in a slight panic to find Lancelot staring at him in apology and he ran a hand over his face. "It's five minutes to ten," the other man said gently and Merlin closed his eyes and nodded. He stood and followed Lancelot to his room and stepped inside, not turning to look as the other bid him good night. He listened to the door slide shut then the lock activating and bit his lip.

He was still in a cage, maybe one without bars and the freezing cold, but he was still locked in a place he did not want to be and had no way out.

The next morning he awoke to the door being unlocked and opening but when he looked, Lancelot was gone so he climbed to his feet, grabbed some clothes from the dresser and headed into the bathroom. He showered quickly and dressed before heading into the living area to find the other man reading what looked like a newspaper.

"Morning," the other man called, not looking up from the paper but he did push a tray across the table when Merlin sat and looked down. The tray had a bowl of oatmeal, a banana, a glass of milk and a small pile of pills. "Take the pills after you eat," Lance warned, folding down the edge of the paper to eye Merlin who nodded and picked up his spoon.

"Do I ever get a say in what I eat?" Merlin asked after taking a bite of bland oatmeal.

"Some, it is a bit difficult as you are on a strict diet to get your weight up and to get you used to eating again," Lancelot said, shrugging.

"Is there any sugar or something to make this taste better?" he asked, he really didn't like oatmeal and bland oatmeal was the worst.

"Let me check," Lancelot said, standing and checking the cupboards and fridge, coming back with a stick of butter and a small container of brown sugar. "Will this work?"

"Yes, thank you," Merlin said, taking the knife next to his bowl and cutting of a small slab of butter and then pouring brown sugar on top before mixing it together.

"Better?" Lancelot asked a small grin on his face as he watched Merlin.

"No, not really, I really don't like oatmeal," he said, shrugging but continued to eat, he didn't want to be in trouble with the older man, especially with that scowl on his face.

"I'll let them know, they should have asked," Lancelot said, shaking his head. "You may not get too much of a say, but there might be something they can do for you. Is there anything you do like? I can let the kitchens know, that way you don't have to eat that crap." Merlin looked up in surprise and blinked, no one, in the last six months, had given a crap what he liked; he was forced to eat whatever he was given or starve. Of course that was when he was given food at all, which was rare, attested by the state his body was in.

"Eggs, toast, I really like French toast, waffles," he said quietly, pushing the oatmeal around in his bowl.

"Is that all?" the older man asked and Merlin shrugged and Lancelot sighed and lay the paper down on the table. "Merlin, you can trust me," he said quietly and Merlin lifted his head to stare incredulously. "I'm here to protect you, for as long as you are with Camelot, I'm going to guard you against anything that might hurt you, including yourself. I would really like to be your friend," he said quietly and Merlin looked down at his bowl but didn't respond. "Keep eating," the other man said, not unkindly and Merlin picked up the spoon.

"Do you think you are up for a field trip?" Lancelot asked as soon as he was done and had taken his pills.

"To where?" Merlin asked, even though he had only been here a day and knew he was trapped, he felt safe in these rooms.

"No where too far, I don't want to exhaust you, just down the hallway, there are a few places I want to show you." Merlin contemplated that, though he had just thought that he wanted to stay, he realized that now that he had the option, he wanted out.

"Ok," he said and Lancelot smiled before leading the way to the door and entering a code causing the door to slide open. Once outside of their rooms, they headed back the way they had come the day before and instead of going left at the T they kept going to the end. The hallway was lined by doors, each had a keypad and Merlin figured that they were all apartments like his but didn't ask. At the end of the hall there was a door built into the frame that was larger than most and Lancelot keyed in a code and the door slid open.

Inside was a large gym, half of the floor was covered in blue mats, the other half had exercise equipment from treadmills to free weights and half of them were occupied. Though Merlin had never been a person inclined to work out, he could tell that the equipment was state of the art and well maintained.

"You don't expect me to work out do you?" he asked as Lancelot led them around the mats towards the equipment and the other man laughed.

"No Merlin, I don't just yet," he said, smiling at him over his shoulder. "When you're up to speed, you'll spend a few hours in here a day, getting healthy." Merlin scowled at that, he was still disinclined to work out, he hated running and was horrible at it. "Gwaine!" Lancelot called and Merlin looked up to see a larger man standing near a treadmill where a young woman with darker skin and long dark hair was running, a collar around her throat.

"Lance," the other man said, not taking his eyes off of the girl, "this your new charge?" he asked, again not even looking at the two of them.

"This is Merlin," Lancelot agreed and pushed Merlin to a bench near the machines before getting him a bottle of water

"All right Gwen, take it down," Gwaine said and the girl, Gwen, reached forward and the treadmill slowed though it didn't stop completely.

"How is Elyan?" Lancelot asked quietly, leaning against another treadmill and Merlin watched as Gwaine's jaw clenched, his eyes turned angry and he shrunk back a bit.

"He'll be in the infirmary for another couple of days," he said through clenched teeth and Merlin could almost feel the anger rolling off of the other man. Gwaine pulled back when Gwen was done and the girl climbed off of the machine, sparing Merlin a curious glance, but didn't say anything as she passed.

"Hear you nearly killed the guy," Lancelot said nonchalantly and Gwaine threw him a dirty look.

"Do you blame me?" he snarled and Merlin fought fear that settled in his stomach, "the guy nearly killed Elyan!" he nearly shouted and Merlin started to shake.

"Gwaine," a quiet voice said and both men turned to Gwen who had her hand on his arm and she tilted her head towards Merlin who had pulled his legs up on the bench and wrapped his arms around his knees.

"Shit," Gwaine said quietly and took a deep breath while closing his eyes. "Sorry kid," he said in a much softer tone, looking at Merlin who looked back with wide eyes before he nodded.

"May I?" Gwen asked, looking at both Lancelot and Gwaine who nodded so she made her way towards Merlin and sat down, the two men moved further away but stayed close enough to intervene if needed. She sat next to Merlin, keeping a bit of space between them and smiled at him when he turned his head to look at her. "I'm Gwen," she said.

"Merlin," was the quiet response after a long moment, long enough for Gwen to think that he wouldn't respond at all.

"That's an odd name," she said bluntly and Merlin's eyes widened and she looked at him in horror. "Not that that's a bad thing," she cried, "I'm sure there are a lot of Merlin's in the world, just because you're the first I've ever met doesn't mean that there aren't others. I actually like Merlin, it's unique, I mean, Gwen isn't unique at all, it's actually short for Guinevere, that's weird right?" she babbled, stopping only when Merlin placed a hand on her arm and she turned to find him smiling.

"It's nice to meet you Guinevere," he said quietly and she smiled back at him, laughing a bit as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Just Gwen is fine," she replied and Merlin pulled his hand back, "and don't worry about Gwaine," she said, looking towards their guards who were watching them while they talked. "He's nothing but a big softy," she said, a note of fondness in her voice.

"Hey!" Gwaine cried in protest and Merlin flinched slightly.

"He's just worried about Elyan," she went on as if the man in question hadn't said anything, "he's another of his charges and he was injured last night by a client."

"Injured?" was asked in a small voice and Merlin seemed to calm as long as he pretended that the other two men weren't there. Gwen sighed and tucked her legs under her, staring across the room towards the other wall that held mirrors.

"Sometimes," she said after a moment, "the client's get the idea that they can hurt one of us, that's why we have guards like Gwaine and Lance, to protect us."

"Will he be all right?" Merlin asked and Gwen smiled at him reassuringly.

"I believe he will be, Gwaine was able to stop the man before he hurt Elyan too badly." They were quiet for a long minute before Lancelot stepped forward.

"We should get back," he said, smiling at Merlin who had set his feet back on the ground and had taken a more relaxed pose.

"You need a shower and have to meet Morgana in an hour Gwen," Gwaine said from near the treadmill and the girl stood.

"It was very nice to meet you Merlin," she said and smiled before turning to follow her guard.

"You too Guinevere," he called out and she shot him a smile over her shoulder and he noticed that when she passed Lancelot, she placed a hand on his arm that lingered for a second before moving on.

"Ready?" Lancelot asked, looking after both Gwen and Gwaine in a manner that made Merlin wonder but he didn't ask, figuring it wasn't his business.

"Sure," he said, standing and Lancelot left the gym and led the way through the hall, turning right at the T and then down another hall that was halfway down to another door that was large and made of wood. There was an old brass handle that required turning, instead of the updated doors that slid open at a touch and opened inward on old oiled hinges.

"This," Lancelot said, leading the way in, "is the library." Merlin stepped in and stared, all around him were shelves upon shelves of old books, paperback and hardback books filled with real paper. His mother had owned an old book shop in Ealdor and because of that he loved to read, most things these days were digital and an actual paper book was rare. His mother had sold the digital books but had also had a special room for her rare collection of paper books that she refused to sell. Merlin moved past the other man as he walked in and ran a hand over the spines of several leather-bound books near the door.

"Can I?" he asked, looking back at Lancelot who was smiling.

"Of course, I wouldn't have brought you in here without letting you take something. I figure you can read at night if you don't want to sleep once you're locked in." With that permission, Merlin moved into the room and followed the names, all alphabetical, to find his favorite authors. Two hours later, Merlin had made three stacks of at least fifteen books each on a nearby table where Lancelot sat and watched, amused.

"I'm not sure you can take all of these at once," he said as Merlin came back with a book of Shakespeare's sonnets.

"I know," Merlin said, blushing a bit as he turned back, "I'm just making a list of what I want," he said, his voice becoming muffled as he moved back among the shelves.

"Do you need a pad to write these down on?" Lancelot asked as Merlin again reappeared with another two books.

"No, I keep it all up here," Merlin said, pointing to his head and Lancelot's eyes grew wide.

"You will remember all of these?" he asked, waving a hand at the stacks.

"Yes, eidetic memory," Merlin said and proceeded to pick out five books. "Would taking these be ok?"

"That should be fine," Lancelot said and stood, picking up several books to help put them away. "Eidetic memory huh?" he asked as they made their way back towards their rooms, as it was nearly lunch time. "Must come in handy to remember everything."

"Not always, there are things that I wish I could forget," Merlin replied, his head down and Lancelot felt like he could kick himself.

"Lets head back and have lunch," he said and they left the room and headed towards their rooms, carrying most of the books for the other man. Merlin walked next to him, his nose burried in one of his books, barely looking where he was going.

When they reached their rooms, Lancelot entered the code into the door and led the way in, finding lunch waiting for them on the counter.

"Hungry?" he asked as he moved the food from the counter to the table and spread out the food.

"A little," Merlin said, sitting down and pulling a plate vegetables and a bowl of soup towards him.

"Don't forget these," Lancelot said, handing him a small cup of pills.

"Thanks," Merlin said and waited for Lancelot to take the first bite of his own food before he started eating.

The rest of the day Merlin spent his time reading one of his many books while Lancelot watched TV.

"Merlin," Lancelot said near ten o'clock and Merlin, who had not been paying much attention to his book, mostly watching the clock, looked up.

"I know," he said, standing and walking down the hallway, Lancelot following him.

"Goodnight," Merlin said and walked into his room.

"Night," Lancelot said and closed the door before locking the door.